In the Midwest, the summertime can be a nerve-racking season. With heat and humidity combining to produce some severe thunderstorms, there comes an occasion when a funnel cloud drops down out of the sky, destroying everything it touches in the short period of time it is earthbound. Known as a tornado, an F-5 is the worst twister to be measured on the Fujita scale. Packing winds in excess of 300 mph, a tornado of this caliber will put a toothpick through a telephone pole.
In a sense, Jack Bigler's '98 Camaro Z28 is like an F-5 tornado. It's menacing, destroys the competition, and does so thanks to the swirl of boost provided by the twin turbos that lie in wait underneath the cowl hood.
Jack has owned a few thundering Chevrolet's over the years, ranging from several Tri-Five Bel Airs to a '94 and a '96 Impala SS. While each and every car he has owned has been customized in one way or another, you could probably put even money down that his '98 Camaro Z28 is arguably the wildest creation he has come up with.
"I bought the car brand new because, first, I wanted a Camaro, and second, I wanted something with the new LS1 engine," Jack explains of his black Z's humble beginnings. The retiree from Toledo, Ohio, wanted to start making the F-body a stellar track performer, but with the `98 model year being the first to come with the then-new LS1 all-aluminum engine, there wasn't a lot in the way of aftermarket parts at first. "When I first bought the car, there wasn't any aftermarket stuff yet," Jack comments. "I changed the wheels at first, and after a couple of years, I found the cowl hood. Just to be different, I had it painted a Purple Marble. While the car was fast, I wanted it to go faster. That's when I called Pete Barton of ANS Performance."
While Jack was initially leaning towards a supercharger, Barton steered him towards a just-released twin-turbo kit from Incon. Before the hairdryers would be bolted up, though, the powerplant needed to be beefed up a bit to handle the future boost. Jack enlisted the help of John Mahaldo Racing, who took care of the task of revamping the LS1. The new-fangled powerplant kept its stock displacement dimensions, but was now filled with a steel crank, upon which swung Ross pistons and the stock connecting rods. The compression ratio was lowered to 8.7:1, which would be perfect for the influx of boosted ambiance the turbos would shove in. Minus that, and the addition of a set of Comp Cams valvesprings, the foundation of the LS1 was left as GM built it. Once the long-block was wrapped up and lowered into the engine bay of the Camaro, Jack had Barton complete the car's transformation from a mild rainstorm to an F-5 twister.
Barton started by laying on a polished Weiand intake manifold, which is fronted by a BBK 80mm throttle body. The stars of the show, however, are the twin turbos from the Incon kit. The Garrett T-3 turbos were located in the engine bay, and then plumbed into the engine via custom piping. Set up to provide 10 psi of boost, the turbos are complimented with an intercooler to keep intake charge temps down. Providing the fuel is an auxiliary fuel pump and a set of 38-pound injectors, while an Incon Stage II tune controls all facets of the engine's functions. Evacuating the spent gasses are Incon headers dumping into Borla mufflers and a 3-inch diameter exhaust system. All told, the LS1 thumped out 520-rear wheel horsepower and 560 lb-ft of torque.
 A 4-inch cowl hood gives the...  A 4-inch cowl hood gives the Camaro some attitude, while the Purple Marble flames along the hood's rise give it some class. |  In an effort to match the...  In an effort to match the flames on the hood, the doors were also enhanced with the same style Purple Marble flames. |  Jack made his Camaro all his...  Jack made his Camaro all his own, not only mechanically, but visually as well. The cabin of the fourth-gen Camaro showcases an A-pillar gauge pod stuffed with a boost gauge, along with a bevy of purple and carbon fiber interior accents. |