In the highly competitive world of heads-up racing, almost no record can stand forever. In fact, the current rate at which records are smashed is almost unbelievable, as technology and racers continue to evolve at a lightning pace. Of course, there is one way to ensure your name stays on the books forever-you have to be the first. For almost every late model GM tuner, the race to be the first in the 11's, 10's, 9's with a new '10 Camaro has been paramount. And while the records began to fall, the coveted single-digit barrier proved more elusive than many racers and tuners thought. That was until David and Trey Brooks decided to give it a try, enlisting Late Model Racecraft (LMR) in Houston, Texas to help build their record holder.
Interestingly, this build started out like many others, with a father and son team just trying to have some fun. According to David, "I bought the car for my son and I to play with. Of course, after a couple months of driving, it was decided we needed more power." They turned first to magazines and the internet, searching to find the best '10 Camaro builders in the country. "Late Model Racecraft already held several LS-based world records and offered several '10 Camaro packages, which looked great." After meeting with the LMR crew and going over their goals, David and Trey decided on the "Reaper" package, thinking that would be fast enough for them to have some good fun. With their stock '10 Camaro in the hands of Josh Ledford and Steven Fereday, it was time to get down to business.
The "Reaper" package called for a complete heads/cam swap, along with numerous other bolt-ons to maximize performance. Since the car was an automatic, LMR decided to grind a custom L99 camshaft, which retained the stock displacement-on-demand. To maximize overall power, LMR installed a pair of ported and polished L92 cylinder heads, which exhausted through a pair of American Racing long-tube headers. With everything installed and tuned, the Camaro made 460 rwhp, which would normally be more than enough for most people. And, for a little while, it was-until the father and son team really started reading about the race for the fastest '10 Camaro in the world. After watching the 11- and 10-second barriers fall in front of their eyes, they made up their minds to build the first '10 in the single digits.
With a new plan drawn up and the car back at LMR, the real hardcore work began. The old engine and transmission were removed, both being ditched in favor of much tougher components. As LMR got to work on the car, Late Model Engines (LME) started on the motor. Using an LSX block as the foundation, the two builders spec'd a boost-friendly 9.5:1 compression 427. Using a Callies crankshaft, a set of Callies rods and eight custom-built Wiseco pistons, LME assembled the entire short-block with power and longevity in mind. Up top, a pair of Performance Induction Specialties LXR cylinder heads were installed, topped with a brand new FAST LSXR 102mm intake manifold and a matching 102mm throttle body from LMR. The old headers were also ditched for a pair of larger 2-inch American Racing long-tubes, which feed a 3-inch X-pipe and Corsa catback.