34 SUPER CHEVY SEPTEMBER^2019COMEBACK CAMARO
THE CAR
Belonging to a friend of CPP owner Jim
Ries, the Camaro was as stock as stock
could be. The original Butternut Yellow
paint, interior, and even the dealer-
installed door-ding strips all remained
intact. “We didn’t even paint the car,”
said Ries. “It was a factory original
Camaro, with hubcaps and all. We left a
lot of the car alone since we wanted to
keep it original.”
Nostalgia is a wonderful thing,
but when it came to the powertrain,
CPP traded vintage for vicious and
ditched the original engine in favor of
a Chevrolet Performance Connect &
Cruise LS3, which was installed with
a CPP LS engine install kit and CPP
LS exhaust manifolds to clear the
factory-style rear steering linkage on
the Camaro.
Behind the modern LS engine is the
ever-popular Magnum six-speed trans-
mission, which operates in place of the
car’s factory-issue automatic. Rounding
out the powertrain trifecta is a Currie
Turn 9 Pro-Touring housing with 3.89
gears and an Eaton Detroit Truetrac
differential.
Inside, the car is a time capsule
of original look and feel. With the
exception of the Procar by Scat seats,
the interior retains its assembly line
accouterments, including the carpet,
dashboard, and door panels. A Vintage
Air HVAC system replaced the OEM
system, and driver information is
relayed courtesy of a cutting-edge
Dakota Digital HDX display.THE SUSPENSION
CPP’s recipe for grip at this year’s
Muscle Car Challenge was a mix of big
rubber, tried-and-true parts, and a heap
of technology. Up front, the Camaro
sports the company’s full Pro-Touring
IFS package, which consists of Totally
Tubular control arms; CS spindles with
C7 Corvette-style hubs; and 14-inch,
six-piston CPP calipers and rotors.
Steering is accomplished via a CPP
500-series steering box. The afore-
mentioned big rubber, Falken Azenis
RT615K+ 315/30R18, rides on Intro
Custom Wheels 18x11 rims at all four
corners. Amazingly, the factory fenders
swallow all that rubber.
“There are no fender flares on the
car,” said Ries. “With the exception of