*Photos by: JDP Motorsports

We Take a Closer Look of What it Means to Turn a “Normal ZL1” into a ZL-850 Track Monster!

Have you ever been behind the wheel of your 2012-2015 Camaro ZL1 and thought to yourself, “this thing just doesn’t cut it for me, anymore?” The looks and performance when it left its Canadian factory were impressive as you drove it off the showroom floor, but now that it has a few miles on the ticker, its novelty might have worn off slightly.

Thankfully, our friends at JDP Motorsports have a solution; from the basic bolt-on upgrades, to a complete overhaul by way of their ZL-850 package! As the name suggests, it bumps up the power from the OEM 580 flywheel horsepower, to a much more mouthwatering 850 at the crank – or around 200 rwhp! But don’t think for a second that it’s all about horsepower and not substance, because Jordan Priestley and the crew at JDP know their way around a fifth-gen!

There are some mandatory options that come with the ZL-850, but there are almost just as many options that help harness that huge power increase; from suspension and brake upgrades, to engine cradle mounts, stainless steel brake lines and even one or two cosmetic items. To get a closer look of what it takes to turn a “normal ZL1” into a ZL-850 track monster, we had to pick the brain of the man himself, to get all of the information necessary.

“There are some mandatory options that come with the ZL-850, but there are almost just as many options that help harness that huge power increase…”

Being an avid road racer and autocross participant, Jordan knows what works and what doesn’t. He simply didn’t compile a selection of parts as a package to sell to his customers – he regularly tests them himself where it matters most – on the track! You can catch him at any number of track and autocross events all over the country, including the Optima Street Car Invitational, Holley LS Fest and many others!

So when he set out to assemble an all-encompassing performance package for the highest-rated horsepower Camaro ever from General Motors, he knew he had his work cut out for him. However, with his expertise in not only racing, but modifying late-model GM hardware, he also knew he had what it took to become successful in making his customer base happy, and to see them be successful around a road course or an autocross.

After proper research and endless hours of testing, Jordan has put together one of the best packages available for the ZL1. He then took it up another notch, when he introduced the ZL-850 Track Spec Package. It gives you all of the same hard-hitting components that the standard ZL-850 package does, but improves the suspension and braking systems to be on par with the rest of the car.

“After proper research and endless hours of testing, Jordan has put together one of the best packages available for the ZL1.”

What we have for you below, on behalf of JDP Motorsports, is the step-by-step procedure that turns a ZL1 into a ZL-850. We’ve also included shots of the Track Series suspension upgrades installed into the car, and a simple list of standard and available options towards the end of the article, so you have an understanding of what kind of componentry gets installed into this car! So follow along with us (and JDP) for yet another ZL-850 Track Spec install!

Building a ZL-850 from JDP includes a basic teardown. The blower, injectors, fuel rails, exhaust manifolds, pulleys and naturally, the airbox, intake elbow, MAF and throttle body get removed and set on the workbench. The coil packs, plugs and wires, along with the valve covers all get removed as well!

Next up, is the removal of the timing chain to make way for the Stage II camshaft upgrade.

Now that the timing chain removed, the Stage II bumpstick gets slid into place, complete with properly-applied camshaft lube.

With each camshaft install, the cam gets “dialed-in” with the help of a COMP Cams degree wheel.

Of course, to compliment that camshaft upgrade, JDP installs a fresh set of valvesprings and retainers.

Next up, the front cover goes back on, as well as a brand new ATI damper, ARP balancer bolt and a 10% overdriven pulley.

A VMax 87mm CNC-ported throttle body replaces the factory piece.

Injector Dynamics (ID) 850cc injectors replace the factory units.

Here you can see an almost completed LSA powerplant, with the D3 reservoir that works in conjunction of the…

…Ron Davis high-capicity heat exchanger. With over 850 crank horsepower being generated from this package, the OEM heat exchanger just won’t cut it!

The Kooks 1-7/8 long-tube headers are installed for an optimum increase of exhaust gas removal, reduced backpressure, improved soundtrack and performance.

Every car gets topped off by Joe Gibbs/Driven LS30 synthetic motor oil! Note the carbon fiber Roto-Fab cold-air induction kit as part of the package.

As you can see in the dyno graph, the stock ZL1 put out 493.32 horsepower and 499.72 lb-ft on JDP’s in-house Dynojet dyno. After the install, power soared to 714.24horsepower and torque jumped up to 677.53 – NICE!

JDP ZL-850 Performance Package Includes

• KOOKS 1-7/8″ long tube headers w/connection pipes
• Roto-Fab cold air intake system with big gulp and washer bottle
• Injector Dynamics ID-850 injectors
• VMAX 87mm CNC ported throttle body
• ATI damper with 10% overdriven pulley and ARP balancer bolt
• Metco 2.50″ supercharger pulley with hub and solid isolator
• Metco 100mm dual bearing supercharger idler pulley
• JDP Motorsports LSA stage II camshaft package
• Ron Davis High Capacity Heat Exchanger with the D3 Reservoir
• Alky Control Methanol System with 4 gallon trunk tank
• JDP Spec Taylor Spark Plug Wires with NGK TR7 Iridium Plugs
• Elite Engineering E2 PCV Catch-Can
• 8-Rib Goodyear Gatorback Belt
• Yank Multi-Disk 2800 Stall Converter for A6 Option**
• JDP ZL-850 performance package decals
• Complete Package ready for Installation
• Free Shipping to the Lower 48!

JDP ZL-850 Track Spec Option Includes

• Detroit Speed 1″ Lowering Springs
• Detroit Speed ZL-Spec sway bars with adjustable endlinks
• Detroit Speed Solid Rear Cradle Mounts
• Detroit Speed adjustable trailing arms with JDP outer bushings
• Detroit Speed adjustable toe-links
• Detroit Speed adjustable rear lower control arms
• Detroit Speed adjustable engine mounts
• Prothane front radius arm inserts (black)
• JDP Motorsports rear upper control arm bushings with brackets
• JDP Motorsports front tow hook
• Goodridge Stainless Steel brake lines with 3-pints of Motul RBF-600 fluid
• JDP ZL-850 Track Spec package decals*
• Complete Package ready for Installation
• Free Shipping to the Lower 48!

Rick Seitz

Rick Seitz is the owner and founder of GMEFI Magazine, and has a true love and passion for all vehicles. When he isn’t tuning, testing, or competing with the brand’s current crop of project vehicles, he’s busy tinkering and planning the next modifications for his own cars.