Z28 1997 1LE
Thread Starter
|
Newbie
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 2
Z28 1997 1LE
It was recently brought to my attention that I have a 97 z28 1LE. If anyone can give me some info on this particular model it would be very helpful. So far all I know is they did not make a lot of them in 1997.
3rd Gear Member
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 970
From: San Diego, CA
RE: Z28 1997 1LE
The 1LE Story
Racing success has always been an incentive to new car buyers. "Win on Sunday, sell on Monday" is what the sales managers used to tell their people when searching for sales. Auto manufacturers have been adapting products and technologies designed to win on the racetrack onto their showroom vehicles for years. But when was the last time you heard of a manufacturer designing an option package intended for sale to the public, but with winning at the racetrack being the only thing on the company's mind?
Backward And Upward
To explain where the 1LE came from, we need to go back in the time and head north, all the way to Canada. It was during the 1985/1986 Canadian Players Challenge racing series when racing Camaro's sprinted in 30 to 45 minute jaunts around various road courses throughout North America. While this was flat-out racing with no pit stops allowed, the cars had to retain the factory-installed equipment, hence the term "Showroom Stock." Racers were allowed to change shocks, struts, wheels, and tires, but the rest of the suspension had to remain factory showroom stock. The third-generation Camaros of the 1980s suffered tremendously from poor brake performance, and even when a Camaro finished a 45-minute race, the driver was considered lucky if he had brakes at the end. Because of this, GM of Canada began pushing for a heavy-duty brake option on the Camaro. Back in the United States, the Camaro's reputation for weak binders was also discovered as it competed against the Mustangs in SCCA and IMSA road racing, autocross, and Pro Solo racing events. Something had to be done. That's when Phil Minch, a GM brake parts engineer began researching better binders for the Camaro. Minch discovered that the Camaro and Caprice shared the same front bearing package and quickly adapted the Caprice's big 12-inch front disc brake rotors onto the Camaro's spindles to replace the spindly 11-inch rotors. This obscure brake swap became the genesis for what would eventually be known by its Regular Production Option code: RPO 1LE. Minch worked with Chuck Hughes, chief engineer of the Camaro platform, and Ray Canale, powertrain manager for the F-car line, to obtain a Camaro equipped with the Caprice brake package for testing. But this brake swap also needed a better caliper. After a little more research, the two-piston aluminum Corvette caliper, manufactured in Australia by PBR, was ordered, but it wasn't a simple bolt-on. The stock Camaro spindle now had to be modified to accept the new caliper, which added to the cost of the project. A change to the rear brakes was also discussed, but since Camaros could already be ordered from the dealer with factory four-wheel discs, the engineers felt that the stock rear discs would be adequate, and they included the rear discs in the 1LE upgrade.
The Fourth Generation Cars [color="#000000"]
The fourth generation Camaro was introduced in 1993 and was instantly popular. What the 1LE racers wanted to know though, was how this change would affect the cars they would now be competing in. Chevrolet did offer a 1LE options on the fourth generation Camaros in 1993, but few were actually ordered. Some new updates were then included to make the 1LE option more appealing to the buying public. The addition of a Borg-Warner T-56 six-speed manual transmission made a great impact as the fifth and sixth gears added to performance and also to top end. T-56 transmission ratios: first: 2.66, second: 1.78, t
Racing success has always been an incentive to new car buyers. "Win on Sunday, sell on Monday" is what the sales managers used to tell their people when searching for sales. Auto manufacturers have been adapting products and technologies designed to win on the racetrack onto their showroom vehicles for years. But when was the last time you heard of a manufacturer designing an option package intended for sale to the public, but with winning at the racetrack being the only thing on the company's mind?
Backward And Upward
To explain where the 1LE came from, we need to go back in the time and head north, all the way to Canada. It was during the 1985/1986 Canadian Players Challenge racing series when racing Camaro's sprinted in 30 to 45 minute jaunts around various road courses throughout North America. While this was flat-out racing with no pit stops allowed, the cars had to retain the factory-installed equipment, hence the term "Showroom Stock." Racers were allowed to change shocks, struts, wheels, and tires, but the rest of the suspension had to remain factory showroom stock. The third-generation Camaros of the 1980s suffered tremendously from poor brake performance, and even when a Camaro finished a 45-minute race, the driver was considered lucky if he had brakes at the end. Because of this, GM of Canada began pushing for a heavy-duty brake option on the Camaro. Back in the United States, the Camaro's reputation for weak binders was also discovered as it competed against the Mustangs in SCCA and IMSA road racing, autocross, and Pro Solo racing events. Something had to be done. That's when Phil Minch, a GM brake parts engineer began researching better binders for the Camaro. Minch discovered that the Camaro and Caprice shared the same front bearing package and quickly adapted the Caprice's big 12-inch front disc brake rotors onto the Camaro's spindles to replace the spindly 11-inch rotors. This obscure brake swap became the genesis for what would eventually be known by its Regular Production Option code: RPO 1LE. Minch worked with Chuck Hughes, chief engineer of the Camaro platform, and Ray Canale, powertrain manager for the F-car line, to obtain a Camaro equipped with the Caprice brake package for testing. But this brake swap also needed a better caliper. After a little more research, the two-piston aluminum Corvette caliper, manufactured in Australia by PBR, was ordered, but it wasn't a simple bolt-on. The stock Camaro spindle now had to be modified to accept the new caliper, which added to the cost of the project. A change to the rear brakes was also discussed, but since Camaros could already be ordered from the dealer with factory four-wheel discs, the engineers felt that the stock rear discs would be adequate, and they included the rear discs in the 1LE upgrade.
The Fourth Generation Cars [color="#000000"]
The fourth generation Camaro was introduced in 1993 and was instantly popular. What the 1LE racers wanted to know though, was how this change would affect the cars they would now be competing in. Chevrolet did offer a 1LE options on the fourth generation Camaros in 1993, but few were actually ordered. Some new updates were then included to make the 1LE option more appealing to the buying public. The addition of a Borg-Warner T-56 six-speed manual transmission made a great impact as the fifth and sixth gears added to performance and also to top end. T-56 transmission ratios: first: 2.66, second: 1.78, t
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
zackypoo
93-02 General
6
Jun 16, 2010 03:21 AM
