If you have been following along with our 2010 Camaro SS buildup, you may recall our last track outing ("Breathin' Easy," September '10) ended prematurely thanks to both a sticky clutch pedal and a completely destroyed stock posi unit. While we did manage to run a 12.71 at 111.67 mph thanks to a couple of easy bolt-on parts, our driveline troubles left us in a bit of a predicament. First and foremost, we knew the clutch had to come out of the Camaro and we had to replace it with a more robust unit. Luckily, that was easy to solve with a quick call to SPEC, a company whose clutch components we have come to know and trust over the years. After talking to SPEC about our goals, they recommended we run a SPEC Stage 2+ (PN SC633H, $501), a clutch capable of holding 715 lb-ft of torque, which was more than enough for us. While capable of holding a lot of power, the SPEC 2+ is designed to remain docile on the street, so driveability wouldn't suffer and we wouldn't have to deal with chatter. To accompany our clutch, SPEC also sent us a new lightweight flywheel (PN SC57A, $399), which would help free up some ponies and allow our engine to rev a little faster.
To gain access to the clutch...
To gain access to the clutch and rearend, Greg first removed the exhaust and two-piece driveshaft and then unbolted the shifter assembly and the bellhousing-to-engine bolts. Nothing tricky here, access is pretty good and everything is where you would expect it.
The second issue, which was more problematic, was a smoked rearend. Of course, after all the abuse we put our test car through, we couldn't just call up our local dealership and have them warranty the stock posi unit, and, if we were going to tackle an upgrade by ourselves, we weren't about to install new posi clutches without also upgrading the stock gears. This left us with a couple of choices, which we finally solved by doing the following modifications. First, we called up General Motors and ordered a brand-new centersection, which shipped to us ready to install with new gears, bearings, and posi clutches. Then, we turned to Summit Racing to order a new Richmond 4.10 ring-and-pinion kit (PN 69-0492-1, $649.99), which we hoped would help get our Camaro off the starting line faster, improving both our 60-foot and quarter-mile times significantly.
With the transmission out...
With the transmission out of the way, Greg removed the stock clutch and flywheel from his 2010 Camaro.
After receiving the ring-and-pinion from Summit Racing, we immediately turned the package back around and sent it to 300 Below, a high-tech Cryogenic Processing and Tempering service located in Decatur, Illinois. While it is possible to run the Richmond gears (or any gear for that matter) without cryogenically treating them, we thought a little caution would go a long way; helping extended the life of our new gears and making them more resilient to breakage. If you are not familiar with cryo-treating, or have heard of it but don't understand it, 300 Below has a great way of explaining it: "By reducing the temperature of an object to around -300ºF, we seek to manipulate and rearrange its molecular structure without damaging the item. By rearranging the molecular structure of an object, and realigning the molecules so that they become more uniform and evenly spread out, we then change various properties associated with the object, such as its wear resistance. Our one-time, irreversible treatment lasts for the life of an object and improves the entire structure, not just the surface, giving you unmatched improvement over any other heat-treating or cold-treatment methods."
With all of our parts in hand, we turned the real work over to the pros at AntiVenom in Seffner, Florida, where Greg Lovell and Bruce Ponti got right to work, turning Greg's once sluggish 2010 into a quick accelerating screamer. Follow along to see how it is done.
The SPEC 2+ clutch looks as...
The SPEC 2+ clutch looks as good as it works. This lightweight clutch and flywheel package will not only hold up to 715 lb-ft of torque, it will also free up some horsepower due to its decreased rotating weight.
With the new flywheel in place...
With the new flywheel in place and bolted down, Greg slid the clutch disc in place using the included SPEC clutch alignment tool. Notice the full face on our clutch disc, which will help make this clutch smooth on the street with no chatter.
With everything lined up and...
With everything lined up and double-checked, Greg bolted the pressure plate in place using the six supplied Allen head bolts. If you're unsure about the clutch alignment, take your time and make sure it is perfect before moving on.
To shim or not to shim, that...
To shim or not to shim, that is the question. For our application, we found that the shim was necessary, so Greg unbolted the stock slave cylinder and installed the SPEC-supplied shim behind it. With this complete, the transmission was ready to be reinstalled.
Here is our 300 Below cryogenically...
Here is our 300 Below cryogenically treated Richmond 4.10 ring-and-pinion. With the weight of the Camaro and our lust for killer 60-foot times, we thought cryo-treating our new gears would be a great investment in both longevity and brute strength.
Removing the stock rearend...
Removing the stock rearend housing is pretty simple and access to everything is very open. First, Greg removed the Drive Shaft Shop axles, an install that we detailed in "Traction Action" (July 2010).