Meltzer discussed these goals with F-Body Central, near Baltimore. Based on these targets, Thunder Racing out of Louisiana was commissioned to build the engine with advice provided by Patrick Guerra of Guerra Motorsports. Meltzer told him he wanted a wide powerband and a somewhat lopey idle. Guerra spec'd out the camshaft and also offered some direction for modifying the heads.
Comp custom-ground a 223/227, .637/.640-lift cam. The heads started as Precision Race Components "Terminator" series 200cc units, which were then ported and equipped with double valvesprings. Other underhood mods include an SLP Blackwing air induction lid and smooth intake bellows, a ported FAST intake manifold, a Nick Williams 90mm MAF sensor housing, 30 lb/hr injectors, underdrive pulleys, and a Meziere electric water pump.
In March, Meltzer had the car calibrated by hired gun Jeremy Formato, who had traveled to Pennsylvania to tune cars in the area. According to Meltzer, the additional tuning made a great power package simply phenomenal. Formato was able to get about 20 additional horsepower out of the car, bringing it up to 454 at the wheels. Formato smoothed out the lumpy idle (without losing the characteristic sound), straightened out the air-fuel ratio trace, and raised the rev limit from about 6,200 rpm to 6,800.
"I tell you, 600 rpm doesn't sound like a lot, but it makes a big difference," Meltzer says. "The car really pulls a lot stronger now. (Jeremy) spent more than three hours on the dyno with the car. The guy is a fanatic; everything has to be perfect."
Formato was sure to tune the car with its electrically activated QTP electric exhaust cutout (yet another stealthy feature of the car) both open and closed. Exhaust exits the LS1 through stainless steel QTP long-tube headers; the cutout is placed after the passenger-side header. Meltzer can activate the cutout with a switch hidden in the ashtray. He finds that a flip of the switch and a couple revs is all it takes to shoo away most wannabe stoplight challengers. Meltzer describes the sound as, "an opera that easily outplays the Monsoon stereo."
Meltzer has always been more of a track-day guy than a drag racer. He did take the Camaro to a Pennsylvania dragstrip, however, and came home with an 11.9-second timeslip at 119 mph. Not bad for street radials, little drag racing experience, and, Meltzer says, a greasy track.
"With a good track and decent drag tires," he says, "I wouldn't be surprised if I could get down to 11.5, or even a little quicker with some practice."
This Camaro is no slouch in the handling department, either. Having logged many miles at some of the Northeast's best road courses in his Grand Sport Corvette, Meltzer says the Camaro compares favorably. There are a host of aftermarket products to thank for this, and the setup is unchanged from what the car's original owner and Camaro "disciple," Jason Debler, put on the car. These include DMS progressive-rate springs, Bilstein shocks, BMR control arms and welded subframe connectors, and 1LE sway bars front and rear. The only thing Meltzer has changed underneath the car was swapping in a Strange 12-bolt rearend with 4.11 gears.
Debler first gave this car the "Phantom SS" name, and Meltzer has stayed true to these roots while taking the theme several steps further. This is one classy Camaro that represents the Bowtie Nation with a maximum of fast and a minimum of flash.
 Here's where the real business...  Here's where the real business gets conducted. The engine in this ultra-clean compartment produces 454 dyno-verified horsepower at the rear wheels. Nothing looks unusual or draws attention to itself in here, and the stuff that makes the power is largely hidden. |  These two-piece forged wheels...  These two-piece forged wheels were custom-made by MARacing to Jason Debler's specifications. A prototype for the company's M5R wheel, they measure 18x9 in the front and 18x10 in the rear, with offset measurements tailored specifically for the F-body. BFGoodrich g-Force T/A KD tires, 265mm front and 295mm rear, grip the road, while Corvette C5 Z06 brakes stuffed with Hawk pads provide stopping power. |  Jason Debler, the first owner...  Jason Debler, the first owner of this particular car, and Chris Frezza, both of the CamaroZ28.com website, signed their names on the shock tower... in silver paint, fitting with the car's color scheme. |