CERBERUS; A Daily Driven 97 SS Rescue Project
01-15-2011, 01:04 PM
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CERBERUS; A Daily Driven 97 SS Rescue Project Quick edit as of May 2011:
Everyone of my cars has had a nickname, and It took me a while to find a good one for my SS. I have recently decided to name it in honor of my former platoon; Cerberus. I was a Infantry Soldier with the 101st Airborne, and our Company was classified as "Delta." So as Delta Dogs we decided to name the platoon "Cerberus." In Greek Mythology, Cerberus is the three headed dog which guards the gates to the underworld. I thought the nickname for the car would fitting in every sence. I have changed the thread title, but below is the original thread that I started a few months ago.
INTRODUCTION
This thread is dedicated to my family, friends, and LS1Tech members who have and will continue to support and help me with my rescue ride. This will serve as my "official" resoration thread; a way for me to simply update any new modifications and resorations in one organized place. Below is a short introduction about myself and the SS, but I will try and keep it short. Thanks for reading.
My Camaro days started like many others did; in high school. As a Junior in Abilene Texas during 2001, a new Z28, SS, or T/A was the car to have. I drove a 1977 GMC Royal Sierra which was my pride and joy. I did however drool over F-Bodies on a regular basis lol. One of my best friends drove a 1981 Z28 powered by a 454. We destroyed cocky rich kids in Cobras every weekend. We watched the spoiled kids beat their brand new Z28's to the ground with total envy and confusion. I even had a research folder full of print outs on camaro tech and history information. After high school I joined the Army and my hopes and dreams for owning my own F-Body took a back seat. I did not buy my first F-Body untill 2009; a 1992 305 TBI RS. She was slow, but a good looking and solid car. Long story short; "weanie greenie" was totaled by a kid in an F-250. With some savings and insurance money I set out to find myself another F-Body.
In February of 2010 I came across a 1997 SS Camaro for sale with 83K miles listed for only $3500. Needless to say, she was in pretty bad shape. The owner was around my age (23-26), lived at home with his parents in a rich part of Sarasota Florida. His father made him sell the car so he could pay for restitution and court fees due to his DUI and wreckless driving tickets he got while driving the SS. The damages and poor treatment were all physical:
Missed SS Spoiler
Cracked front and rear bumpers
Bad paint
No headliner
interior destroyed
Badly painted black ZR1's with shot tires
No exhaust
Euro Tail Lights
Severley Cracked Dash
No hatch struts
Shot Suspension
I did some research and looked over the car for any common LT1 mechanical issues. The car ran and sounded fine, and the RPO codes were present. Another guy came out to look at the car the same time I did. He bragged about his LS1's while looking over the car and I became worried that his wallet was deeper than mine. He finally left because he swore to us that it wasn't a true SS because it had no SS Spoiler. My luck for doing the research I guess lol. So for a true SLP car (Build #1666) with only 83K, and a price within my budget, I took the risk and bought the beater for $3450.
I am sad to say that this is the only picture I took of the actual condition it was in when I bought it:
After a good cleaning I replaced the "Rattle Canned" ZR1's with a set of 10 Spokes I purchased for the Third Gen.
Next step was to ditch the Euro Tail Lights
Much better
More to come, but its time for a smoke break
Everyone of my cars has had a nickname, and It took me a while to find a good one for my SS. I have recently decided to name it in honor of my former platoon; Cerberus. I was a Infantry Soldier with the 101st Airborne, and our Company was classified as "Delta." So as Delta Dogs we decided to name the platoon "Cerberus." In Greek Mythology, Cerberus is the three headed dog which guards the gates to the underworld. I thought the nickname for the car would fitting in every sence. I have changed the thread title, but below is the original thread that I started a few months ago.
INTRODUCTION
This thread is dedicated to my family, friends, and LS1Tech members who have and will continue to support and help me with my rescue ride. This will serve as my "official" resoration thread; a way for me to simply update any new modifications and resorations in one organized place. Below is a short introduction about myself and the SS, but I will try and keep it short. Thanks for reading.
My Camaro days started like many others did; in high school. As a Junior in Abilene Texas during 2001, a new Z28, SS, or T/A was the car to have. I drove a 1977 GMC Royal Sierra which was my pride and joy. I did however drool over F-Bodies on a regular basis lol. One of my best friends drove a 1981 Z28 powered by a 454. We destroyed cocky rich kids in Cobras every weekend. We watched the spoiled kids beat their brand new Z28's to the ground with total envy and confusion. I even had a research folder full of print outs on camaro tech and history information. After high school I joined the Army and my hopes and dreams for owning my own F-Body took a back seat. I did not buy my first F-Body untill 2009; a 1992 305 TBI RS. She was slow, but a good looking and solid car. Long story short; "weanie greenie" was totaled by a kid in an F-250. With some savings and insurance money I set out to find myself another F-Body.
In February of 2010 I came across a 1997 SS Camaro for sale with 83K miles listed for only $3500. Needless to say, she was in pretty bad shape. The owner was around my age (23-26), lived at home with his parents in a rich part of Sarasota Florida. His father made him sell the car so he could pay for restitution and court fees due to his DUI and wreckless driving tickets he got while driving the SS. The damages and poor treatment were all physical:
Missed SS Spoiler
Cracked front and rear bumpers
Bad paint
No headliner
interior destroyed
Badly painted black ZR1's with shot tires
No exhaust
Euro Tail Lights
Severley Cracked Dash
No hatch struts
Shot Suspension
I did some research and looked over the car for any common LT1 mechanical issues. The car ran and sounded fine, and the RPO codes were present. Another guy came out to look at the car the same time I did. He bragged about his LS1's while looking over the car and I became worried that his wallet was deeper than mine. He finally left because he swore to us that it wasn't a true SS because it had no SS Spoiler. My luck for doing the research I guess lol. So for a true SLP car (Build #1666) with only 83K, and a price within my budget, I took the risk and bought the beater for $3450.
I am sad to say that this is the only picture I took of the actual condition it was in when I bought it:
After a good cleaning I replaced the "Rattle Canned" ZR1's with a set of 10 Spokes I purchased for the Third Gen.
Next step was to ditch the Euro Tail Lights
Much better
More to come, but its time for a smoke break
Last edited by Tampa_97_SS; 05-11-2011 at 02:15 PM.
01-15-2011, 01:10 PM
#2
I hate seening that kind of crap but for some reason people love to rattle can thier wheels and put tight on that look like crap in the box let alone on the car. Good luck with it and yea post up some more pics. It looks 1000times better already. Oh and by the way I live out by the gulf near Tarpon Springs.
01-15-2011, 01:31 PM
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SS Spoiler I hate seening that kind of crap but for some reason people love to rattle can thier wheels and put tight on that look like crap in the box let alone on the car. Good luck with it and yea post up some more pics. It looks 1000times better already. Oh and by the way I live out by the gulf near Tarpon Springs.
Next i had to find myself a spolier. Every first comment on the car was "where is the SS Spolier?" or "Wow is that a clone?" lol. I unfortunatley had to ride around with a primer grey SS Spoiler for a couple months. I just recently painted it Semi Gloss along with my Berger Panel. But here are the pics i took a few months ago with the Primer Grey SS Spoiler.
Old Spoiler
New Aftermarket 00-02 SS Spolier
Last edited by Tampa_97_SS; 01-15-2011 at 01:38 PM.
01-15-2011, 01:37 PM
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Dash The SS Spoiler was followed by a Mint OE Dash that i picked up for $100.
And the old dash next to the new..yeeeeah..about that old dash lol.
And a nice new dash
And the old dash next to the new..yeeeeah..about that old dash lol.
And a nice new dash
Last edited by Tampa_97_SS; 01-16-2011 at 03:29 PM.
01-15-2011, 01:50 PM
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Right Fender, Front and Rear Bumper Replacement The previous owner wound up "parking" the car in his neighbors front yard after a night of drinking and a quick police chase. So end result, the front right fender, front bumper, and rear bumper were cracked.
I picked up a black fender, and black front and rear bumper covers for $120.
The Old
The replacements (no pics of the rear but oh well)
The donor car had hockey stripes, so that was TONS of fun to remove
Putting my little cousin to work..hey she said she wanted to learn more about cars..lol
I picked up a black fender, and black front and rear bumper covers for $120.
The Old
The replacements (no pics of the rear but oh well)
The donor car had hockey stripes, so that was TONS of fun to remove
Putting my little cousin to work..hey she said she wanted to learn more about cars..lol
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01-16-2011, 03:16 PM
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Thanks for all the compliments fellas. She does need paint, but that will come at a later time. My friend Mike (SILVER 2288 SS) has been helping me with the car since i moved to Lakeland. Since moving here we did some interior work, exterior touch up, and suspension work. I will post some more pics in a few minutes.
01-16-2011, 03:28 PM
#18
Great work so far. It takes patience and a willingness to do it right without cutting corners. Glad to see this car is in good hands. My project car isn't nearly as special as this one but I'm having a similar experience and enjoying the hell out of it. I want to see my girlfriend's oldest daughter driving it in 7 years. Hopefully that's enough time to finish it! 
Also, thank you for your service. Glad you're back stateside with us.
Also, thank you for your service. Glad you're back stateside with us.
01-16-2011, 03:40 PM
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Very nice man. Hey tbird, wanna make some $$$. Do you paint cars? PM me if so. Good looking car and man I cant believe you got those bumper covers so cheap. I need a front one now and cant find one nowhere.