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2001 Chevrolet Camaro Body Panels - Style PointsProject Black Betty gets some new body panels and a bit more attitude From the October, 2011 issue of Camaro Performers By Steven Rupp Photography by Nick Licata
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Let’s face it, it’s the little things in life that sometimes have the biggest impact. Even the most sedate-looking ride can get a ton more attitude from the addition of a scoop here or a spoiler there. Changing up the look of a car doesn’t have to be drastic to help it stand out in a crowd. There was nothing necessarily wrong with the look of our ’01 Z28 project car, which we affectionately refer to as Black Betty, but there really wasn’t anything noteworthy about how it looked either. In fact, the whole point of the Z28 package was performance, and as such, the aesthetics of the Camaro doesn’t vary much from how its V-6 cousin looks. We’ve always been fans of fourth-gen SS Camaros. In our opinion the SS hood is the second nicest one ever offered on a Camaro, and the rear spoiler helps accentuate the Camaro’s aerodynamic body lines. The problem is that finding real-deal GM SS hoods and spoilers isn’t all that easy. Thankfully, the aftermarket has us covered with reproduction parts. We also figured that since we had some paint, it was a good time to get a couple more style points by adding a sleek RK Sport front grille, and we also gave the rear tail panel some custom attention. With a plan and a stack of parts, we hit up Seth Boldman, owner of Aggressive Designs, in Santa Fe Springs, California, for a little body panel massage and paint application.  The SS rear spoiler and matte-black...  The SS rear spoiler and matte-black back panel really dressed up the rear view of our Z28. We’re sure the people chasing us at the next track event will appreciate it.  1. Back in 2001, the Z28...  1. Back in 2001, the Z28 was a performance upgrade from the V-6 Camaro, and since it was all about “go” rather than “show,” the only exterior upgrades were a set of stealthy black Z28 badges and specific wheels. The hood was the same heavy, flat steel piece wielded by the lower-end models.  2. Those who ponied up for...  2. Those who ponied up for the SS package got mostly cosmetic upgrades, although a small bump in power did come from the functional ram-air SS hood. We wanted one more for its stylish looks than the air induction, but fresh air is always a good thing. This fiberglass hood came from Classic Industries (PN 1501102, $640) and it’s a great copy of the hard-to-find, expensive GM piece.  3. It’s important to test...  3. It’s important to test fit aftermarket parts before paint. We were happy to see that the fitment was pretty good right out of the box and only minimal work would be needed to get the gaps as good as the stocker we removed.  4. Like the hood, the Z28...  4. Like the hood, the Z28 got the same flat rear spoiler as the V-6 cars. To remove it, we pulled down the inner panel and removed the four nuts holding it to the hatch. There’s an integrated brake light, so we needed to unplug the loom. With that done, Licata could pull it free from the Camaro.  5. The new rear spoiler form...  5. The new rear spoiler form Classic Industries (PN 1501045, $320) fit pretty well but did need a bit more finessing compared to the hood. This is where we also figured out that we needed the SS-specific third brake light (SLP PN 10088). We were unable to find one until we called RK Sport. They happened to have one in stock. They also pop up on eBay and run anywhere from $50 to $100.  6. Since we had our tools...  6. Since we had our tools out we decided to further dress up the Z28 by painting the rear panel a nice shade of satin black. The taillights were easy to remove, and the panel itself was held in place by only a couple fasteners.  7. Pulling the nose on a...  7. Pulling the nose on a fourth-gen is a fairly straightforward task. The hardest bolt is the one directly to the outside of each headlight and secures the fender to the nosepiece. With the nose off the car we were able to remove the factory front grille so we could replace it with a cleaner option from RK Sport.  8. The key to nice paint...  8. The key to nice paint is doing the necessary prep work. We’re not looking to end up with a show car, but Seth Boldman, owner of Aggressive Designs, has high standards on any work he does. First up, all the new panels were hand-sanded smooth.  9. For paint, we went with...  9. For paint, we went with the Transtar line of products. Sealer, basecoat, reducer, activator, and clearcoat will help give Black Betty a fresh look and one that will hold up to daily driving.  10. After laying down some...  10. After laying down some primer, James Stewart started spraying color on the various panels.  11. After a few coats of...  11. After a few coats of base color, James then laid down five coats of clear.  12. Our Z28 has over 110,000...  12. Our Z28 has over 110,000 miles on the odometer and as such the front nose piece is a bit road worn. Since it was off the car we, decided to give it a fresh coat of paint. Before sanding, we ditched the tri-color logo in favor of a more subtle one from RK Sport.  13. With the nose and the...  13. With the nose and the other panels painted and suitably dry, Seth and James started the time-consuming task of color-sanding all the freshly painted parts.  14. With the color sanding...  14. With the color sanding done, Seth could attack the panels with his rotary buffer, some wool pads, and various compounds. This will give the parts a finish way nicer than what came from GM.  15. To fit the GM LED third-brake...  15. To fit the GM LED third-brake light to the new SS spoiler, we needed to drill a hole for the wire and then attach it to the spoiler with three screws. The fasteners weren’t included so we just hunted around until we found some that would work.  16. And here’s the painted...  16. And here’s the painted SS spoiler, with brake light installed on the Camaro. With the spoiler on the car, Boldman color-sanded and buffed it out.  17. We were especially happy...  17. We were especially happy with how nice the satin black rear panel came out. RK Sport makes a line of vinyl inserts for the Camaro indents, but we opted for the stealthy look.  18. Before installing the...  18. Before installing the hood, we had to install all the brackets and latches from the stocker. They all fit nicely with no drama.  19. With that done, we could...  19. With that done, we could then install the new SS hood. And yeah, it’s a two, preferably three-person operation.  20. The new grill from RK...  20. The new grill from RK sport (PN 01011203, $200) included mesh to give the non-functional openings a more finished look. We first trimmed the mesh and then used two bolts (per side) to hold them in place.  21. With the newly painted...  21. With the newly painted nose back on the car, we could then install our new emblem from RK Sport (PN 01011312, $18). The black carbon fiber is way more subtle on the black paint, and the red bowtie adds just enough flash.  22. The new RK Sport grille...  22. The new RK Sport grille gives the front of our Camaro a way more sleek and modern look. To keep things subtle, we shot the metal screen inserts with some charcoal gray paint.  23. Before painting the rear...  23. Before painting the rear panel, we had to scrape off the GM Bow Tie and Z28 emblems. That left the area looking a little boring. RK Sport makes a host of very nice billet, carbon fiber, and vinyl emblems, but we wanted something even more unique. We called Shaun Dove at Evod Industries and he made us a set of sweet custom emblems. Although he can do metal, using high-grade OEM quality plastic makes attaching them to the car much easier since only double-sided tape is needed. Expect to pay anywhere from $150 to $250 for a set, depending on what you want. He also does custom center caps for just about any wheel.
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