At the end of the last part of our series, FV6 was on jacks, exhaust off, gas tank out and dead fuel pump on the bench. With new Goodyear F1 Supercars and Fikse Profil 5s's but no fuel pump, we were all dressed up with nowhere to go.
Since we're doing nitrous, we needed a pump upgrade, anyway. We installed a Racetronix High-Performance Fuel System (PN W1-FPK-2) for '99-up V-6 Camaros consisting of a high-volume pump assembly, the core of which is a Walbro 255 gerotor pump, and an auxiliary wiring harness. The Racetronix's up-to-67 gal/hr. flow meets a nitrous-injected engine's greater fuel requirement.
The Racetronix supports GM's "venturi feed" (prevents starvation at low fuel levels), uses the production, plastic fuel feed tube rather than a less-durable rubber replacement and stock electrical connectors.
The fuel pump part of the Racetronix Fuel System.
These pumps cause voltage drop and increased heat in stock wiring due to higher current draw. The solution is Racetronix's wiring harness which includes 10-ga. wire, a relay and stock-type connectors. The harness is assembled with soldered connections, is inside O.E. slit-loom and is accompanied by excellent instructions. We wish all products like this were as well-executed as the Racetronix Fuel System.
Back Running
First, we were off to Mike Garabay's Quality Auto Service for another exhaust emissions test. It was the car flunking the "Smog Check" with misfire at idle which drove Pt. 5's cam change. With our second Comp Cam, we passed. What's better, the new cam eliminated false knock retard due to valve seat impact noise.
Looking at our Fikse Profil 5S wheels, we decided the car's front view needed more visual accent, so we ordered SLP Performance Part's Replacement Grille (PN 50388). It's injection-molded, has a gloss black finish and carries a red Chevy Bowtie. It looks better than the stocker, weighs about the same and is a bolt-on.
The fuel pump in a '99-up Camaro is in this assembly some call a "bucket". It's held in the tank by that retaining ring at the right. The ring is removed using a special tool we didn't have. It was easier to take the tank to a dealer and have them remove the ring for us. | 
With the new pump in the car, we finally got a chance to run Fast Victor Six hard on some curvy roads. Our various handling enhancements made a significant improvement. | 
We removed the oil filter adapter, chucked it in a drill press, drilled and tapped a hole for 1/8th-pipe thread and installed the oil temperature sender. Afterwards, thorough cleaning is required. We installed the adapter with a new oil filter adapter gasket and an ACDelco PF-52 filter both from our Chevy parts source, Tom Henry Racing. |
Next, we looked for some twisties for action photos and to try out our new wheels and tires. Compared to the 245/50ZR16s they replaced, our 265/40ZR17 F1 Supercars put more rubber on the road and have slightly less tread depth, so there was an improvement in lateral grip and steering response. In addition, the 17x9.5" Fikses were conspicuous in what they didn't do: degrade handing with additional unsprung weight. In spite of being 1.5" wider and an inch bigger in diameter, a Profil 5S weighs about the same as the stock 16x8 we took off.
With brake dust on the wheels and dead bugs on the nose, Project Fast Victor Six needed washing. Fikse USA says to wash their wheels with 1:1, Simple Green and water. Then, we did the whole car with another Simple Green product, "Car Wash." To keep the Fikse's TechniPolished aluminum rims gleaming, we treated them with Adam's Metal Polish #1 and #2.
We'd racked-up a lot of miles doing this project, so it was time for an oil change. We drained the oil, changed filters (we use the LT1 V8's larger, PF52) then added Red Line 10W30 synthetic engine oil. Since our V6 has no oil cooler and we're running it to higher rpm and making lots of power; Red Line gives us a needed durability enhancement.
Our final chassis dyno session at the Westech Performance Group was bittersweet. We were disappointed by valve float but generally happy with the performance we saw from Project Fast Victor Six.
We installed what we feel is the best shift light for pod installations: Auto Meter's Digital Pro Shift System (PN 3389). The "DPSS" has a seven-color shift light, five programmable shift points and a digital RPM display. We put the DPSS and a Sport-Comp II electric oil temperature gauge (PN 3656), into an Auto Meter pod (PN 10210) mounted on Fast Victor Six's A-pillar.
RPM data for the DPSS came from the ignition module's low-resolution, engine speed output, circuit #430, a purple/white wire going to pin #8 of the ECM's blue connector. This is a critical circuit. If there's a problem with it; the engine will not run, so the splice needs to be soldered and properly sealed.
We passed on oil pan mounting for the oil temperature sensor because it required pan removal and welding. It was easier to remove the oil filter mount, drill into its output side and install the sensor there. Plus, that gave us a chance to use a Standard Abrasives Porting Kit (PN 260001) to polish inside of the passage which runs from the filter to the block's main oil feed.