Project 899: The Challenges, The Build, And The Victories

When Project 899 was initially discussed, it seemed like a project with achievable goals, but the possibility of coming up short was definitely something to consider. To get everyone up to speed, we decided to partner with Big 3 Racing and attempt to build a complete car in just nine days. That alone would be an accomplishment, but we doubled-down and added two additional stipulations. The car would have to make more than 899 horsepower at the rear wheels and make a quarter-mile pass in less than 8.99 seconds. Project 899 proved to be challenging, but more importantly, it showed what is possible when a top-notch team of people executes a thoroughly thought-out plan.

Putting A Plan Together

Any project should have a plan to follow to avoid major issues along the way. Project 899 was no different, and once we had our goals established we began making list after list of things we would need to pull this build off. First, an inventory of what the car had and didn’t have needed to be made. Project 899 is a 1969 Camaro that we received as a rolling chassis. Fortunately for us, the Camaro’s body was in great shape so there would be no need for any bodywork or paint during the build. This made it easier for Scott Bollinger of Wrapped By SB to apply the awesome graphic wrap. The car also had an 8.50-certified roll cage in it which meant one less thing we would need to fabricate and install.

With a solid rust-free foundation to build off of, we coordinated with the all-star crew from Big 3 Racing to figure out what parts were needed to complete the build. The big components were obvious, we would need an engine capable of 1,300-plus crank-horsepower, a transmission, a rearend, and suspension. Additionally, we needed a complete fuel system, cooling systems for the engine and transmission, an ECU, and a complete wiring harness. Not to mention all of the little components that often get overlooked during a project of this magnitude like fittings, catch cans, and other miscellaneous items. For the majority of the parts, we relied heavily on the huge inventory at Summit Racing. Being able to source so many parts from a single location made life on this project much easier.

With the shelves lined with parts and major components sitting in crates, we were ready to start the stopwatch and find out if Project 899 could be accomplished within the nine-day goal. The build team consisted of Street Muscle Editor Brian Wagner, Power Automedia Director of Content Brian Havins, LSX Magazine Editor Jeremy Nichols, Power + Performance Videographer Chris Friend, and the Big 3 Racing all-stars Chuck Stefanski, Rick Trunkett, and Bob Hess.

Let The Game Begin

For a project like 899, scheduling tasks is key to staying on track and knowing if you are ahead or behind on time. Chuck did an excellent job in this area by making daily lists of goals to help ensure our success.

With our blank canvas ready to go, Chuck began building the wiring harness while the rest of us worked on making the Camaro a rolling chassis. Starting at the rear of the car, we needed something that would handle a 1,000-plus horsepower and a 3,600-pound car running in the eights. Strange Engineering‘s Ultra Fab 9 housing filled with their heavy-duty center section and gun-drilled 40 spline axles got the nod for its strength and dependability. Because we are running the quarter-mile we chose a 3.60:1 rear gear ratio. To keep the rearend in place we installed QA1 double-adjustable shocks and Calvert Racing CalTrac bars.

Up front, we added more QA1 components including their upper and lower control arms along with double-adjustable coilovers. This suspension setup will give us plenty of adjustability at the track and allow us to set our ride height right where we want it. For rolling stock, Project 899 sits on a set of Torx series wheels from RC Components. The fronts are 17×4.5 inches wrapped in Mickey Thompson 26/4.0-17 ET Front tires. Out back, we chose the Torx beadlock rear wheels measuring 15×9 inches with Mickey Thompson 275/60R15 ET Street Radial Pro tires providing the traction we need. Bringing Project 899 to a halt are Strange Engineering brakes.

No, It’s Not Another LS

When it comes to making reliable horsepower in the four-digit range LS engines are somewhat commonplace. We wanted to make Project 899 different so we consulted with Late Model Engines (LME) and decided to put one of their supercharged Gen V L8T engine packages to work. The iron L8T block is quickly gaining favor among enthusiasts and engine builders because of its strength and durability. LME filled our L8T with a Callies Compstar crankshaft, Compstar Xtreme connecting rods, and Diamond pistons with Total Seal rings. A camshaft from COMP Cams built to LME’s specs controls the rest of the COMP Cams valvetrain. LT cylinder heads from CID handle the additional airflow from the Whipple supercharger.

You may notice that the supercharger on our L8T doesn’t look like the typical Whipple. That’s because we are using the Gen-5 3.0-liter with Whipple’s inverted intercooler design. With this design, the intercooler is located above the rotors instead of underneath. This creates a package that is shorter in height compared to the more common design with the intercooler under the rotors. For time and ease of use, we chose to have our Whipple supercharger drilled for port fuel injection and we blocked off the direct injection holes in our CID cylinder heads. Spinning our supercharger is a gorgeous Wegner Automotive accessory drive that matches the rest of the engine with its black and machined finish.

For fuel and spark, Project 899 uses Sultans of Spark coils from Performance Distributors and injectors from Fuel Injector Clinic (FIC). Feeding the FIC injectors is an Aeromotive 5.0 gpm (gallons per minute) brushless fuel pump and an Extreme Flow two-port EFI adjustable fuel pressure regulator. This fuel system is more than enough to keep our engine happy on E85 fuel.

The brain of the operation is a Holley EFI Dominator system for keeping the engine running optimally. In addition, we opted for the traction control functionality to play with down the road. To keep tabs on engine vitals we installed the 6.86-inch Holley EFI Pro Dash in a gauge bezel from Classic Dash that is made to house the Holley screen.

Getting the power to the rear is an ATI TH400 rated for 1,500 horsepower and features a transbrake and clean neutral option. Project 899 also runs one of ATI’s bolt-together converters that give us the ability to make stator changes ourselves if the need arises. A transmission cooler from Derale keeps temps under control during normal driving and while making passes at the track.

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Overcoming Obstacles

During the nine-day build time of Project 899 things went smoothly for the most part. Some of the unexpected challenges we faced were parts not working together and parts getting lost in the mail. Putting a Gen-V L8T in a first-gen Camaro is not a common thing, so we were not surprised when the oil pan interfered with the Flaming River power steering rack. With a slight modification to the mounts holding the rack in place, we were able to give clearance between the two components.

The issue that required a bit more work was the driver-side header and the steering linkage coming from the IDIDIT column. The problem was that the number one and three primary tubes on the Hooker Blackheart headers occupied the same space as the linkage. Rick got busy and did an excellent job of rerouting the primaries and it all functions and fits as it should.

The Moment Of Truth

With a few hurdles to overcome and the stress of such a short timeline, it was exciting to see Project 899 roll away from the lift under its own power. We had accomplished goal number one and built a complete race car in under nine days. The Camaro came to life on day six to be exact. It drove straight from the lift to the chassis dyno for Rick to work his magic on the tune and see if we would accomplish goal number two.

The chassis dyno proved to be quite the challenge in itself. The first full-power pulls netted much less horsepower than we were expecting. Upon diagnosis, we found the L8T was experiencing belt slip causing the Whipple supercharger to only produce 13 pounds of boost. A change in belt length and idler pulley diameter, and we were making the steam we expected. Project 899 has a very nice rumble at idle and under normal driving, but hearing it scream at 7,000 rpm making 20 psi of boost will put a smile on any enthusiast’s face. There was a weight lifted on day seven when on the twelfth dyno pull we saw 900.9 wheel horsepower.

We had accomplished two of the three goals and it was only day seven. Fortunately, Dragway 42 is just a short drive from Big 3 Racing’s location so we had an excellent track to test Project 899. On day eight we loaded the car up and headed to the track to try and complete our goal trifecta. We knew going to the track that there would be some adjustments needed to the suspension and engine tune. With only minor changes, it took seven passes to achieve the third goal. Project 899 made an 8.91-second pass at 154 mph with Bob behind the wheel. Mission accomplished.

Entertaining The Crowd And The Future Of Project 899

Having completed the three goals for Project 899 the only thing left to do was bring the Camaro to LS Fest East and let the LSX Magazine readers get to see and hear it up close. The car received a lot of attention and positive feedback from those in attendance. Of course, when it came time to perform in front of a crowd Project 899 gave us some headaches. From not starting in the staging lanes and needing a jumper box, to chasing an ignition issue that turned out to be caused by bad E85 fuel (thanks Renegade Race Fuel for saving the day). In the end, Project 899 put on a show for the crowd by making 913 wheel-horsepower on the mobile dyno, running 8.81 seconds, and doing a huge wheel-stand during a race with Shane Speed in his 3,000 horsepower donk known as The Bill Collector.

Project 899 has been a great experience for me and the rest of the team. The Camaro turned out amazing and it couldn’t have gone much better overall. The graphics on the wrap applied by Scott Bollinger combined with the wheel and tire package and the stance give Project 899 a killer look that we think is perfect. Following LS Fest East, the Camaro is back home with its owner on the West Coast. With more testing, we expect to see it make passes in the 8.50- to 8.60-second range and we look forward to Project 899 running in more events in 2024. We would like to thank all of those who collaborated with us on this project and give a big shout-out to Chuck, Bob, and Rick of Big 3 Racing for partnering with us and putting their experience, skills, and talents to work on Project 899.