J-body Magazine

J-Body
J - b o d y Magazine | 2nd Quarter | 2004 | #02
One Quick Black Ecotec
J-Bash Announcements
1989 Cavalier Z24 Drag Car
www.JbodyMagazine.com
CONTENTS
2nd Quarter | 2004 | #02
Featured Rides
13 | Paul Chaderjian - 2001 Cavalier Z24
16 | Jeremy McDonald - 1993 Sunbird SE
18 | THE XTREM Z - 1998 Cavalier Z24
30 | Quick Black Ecotec - 2002 Cavalier LS Sport
26 | Simmons Motorsports - 1989 Cavalier Z24
Departments
04 | Submit
05 | Our Garage
06 | This Quarter
07 | Readers Rides
34 | Wreckage
How To
23 | Fix a leak
24 | Take better pictures
Simmons Motorsports 1989 Cavalier Z24 Drag Car
j-body m a g a z i n e | | | 3
SUBMIT
If you would like to appear in J-body Magazine please look at some of these things we are always looking for:
> Featured Rides - Must have at least 8 photos at a resolution over 2 megapixels (1600
x 1200 pixels) and must include an article about the car. You can write it like a history,
how and why your car got that way, and what you plan to do next. Please be sure to
give your opinion of the car and how it runs compared to other cars. Include all the
specifications that you have for the car, and if you have them 1/4 mile, 1/8 mile, 0-60
mph, 0-30 mph, and track times. Dyno information is one of the best things to include. If
you have access to a portable dyno meter, such as the G-Tech Pro Performance Meter,
that would be great but if not that’s okay too.
> Reader’s Rides - Must have at least 2 photos at a resolution over 2 megapixels (1600
x 1200 pixels) and must include a paragraph about your car. Something brief and to
the point. You may also include any specs that you have but they might not get in the
magazine as we may not have enough room for them.
> How To’s - Should have at least 4 photos at a resolution over 2 megapixels (1600
x 1200 pixels) of the steps taken in the how to. Must include a complete article that
answers the readers questions about how to do it themselves.
> Computer Edited Photo’s - Must have at least 2 images (before and after) at a
resolution over 2 megapixels (1600 x 1200 pixels). Please include any tips you might
have for our readers and how you made it.
> Product Reviews - If you have road tested a new J-body or a new product then please
send us as many pictures that you have and write up a full article on what you thought
about it, how it performed or looked, and if you would buy it again or now. Give it a rating
if you would like.
> News - If you have any inside information be sure to send it to us first! We are all about
exclusive!
> Creative Idea - If you have any ideas that you have come up with and would like to
share them with other J-body owners then here’s the place. Please include a drawing
that has been scanned or made on the computer. If you scan it and send it to us please
scan it at 300 DPI. Also include how it works, what it does, or what’s involved. If you have
already made something then you can take a photo of that at a high resolution and that
would be even better.
> Events - If you have attended any J-body event, then please send us all the pictures
that you have of the event. And write up a 1-4 paragraph article on the event and how the
day went. Also, please include any winners of the event, if it was a competition.
> Wreckage - Must have at least 1 photo at a resolution over 2 megapixels (1600 x 1200
pixels) of a wrecked or severely damaged J-body. Please also include how it happened.
> Letters - To be in the Letters section Email us something about J-bodies in general or
the magazine.
> Anything else - We are always looking for new stuff to put in our magazine. Just send
us your ideas. Off-roading and snow action submissions are good too!
> Things to remember when sending us something - All pictures that you send to us
must be your own pictures that you took or have permission to give us. Please include
who we should give credit to for the submission. You may also include your Email
address so people can contact you with any questions they have. If you own a web site
and submit more then 3 things as a web site, then you may include your web site address
with all of your submissions and it will appear next to your name. By giving us any picture
you give us full rights to it. Please keep all submissions as exclusive as possible and try
not to release your car to other magazines or other places on the internet until it has been
printed in our magazine and until the magazine has been sold for a few weeks.
Please send all submissions to jbody@xautos.net - We prefer you to include a Word
Document of your article and then your high resolution JPG photos along with it. One zip file is best!
Even more at:
JbodyMagazine.com
4 | | | J - b o d y m a g a zine
Welcome to the 2nd issue of J-body Magazine.
OUR GARAGE
2nd Quarter 2004! We
thank everyone for your submissions for this quarter and all our advertisers’ support. First quarter we printed over 150 magazines and as of March
15th sold over 125 of them! We are pretty confident that the rest will have
been sold by the time you are reading this. There is obviously an interest in a J-body Magazine so we will try to continue to provide you with quality and
creativity.
Our garage will be a place where we can write freely to you about many different things. Mostly J-body related things of course. This quarter we would ask
that you all try to help our magazine in some way in the future. We really do need a lot of submissions each quarter. Be creative with your submissions.
We will try to do as much as we can every quarter, but will not be able to do everything ourselves. Being exclusive is very important in our magazine and
we want to provide you with things that you can’t always find on the internet.
We recently opened a new web site www.jbodymagazine.com. We hope that you will buy some decals for your car to show off both the web site and the
magazine. If you own a car web site please put a link to our web site to help us sell more issues and in turn provide you with a larger, better quality magazine. As you look through our magazine and on our web site please support all our advertisers and tell them how you found out about their company or
products. We also own www.xautos.net and we sell shirts for J-body Magazine there so please check that out as well.
Enjoy the magazine and until next quarter,
J-body Magazine Staff
A Little Fun in the Mud
We at J-body Magazine are always looking for
creative ways to entertain our readers. We want
to provide you each quarter with not only information but loads of photos and even some funny
stuff now and then. This quarter we decided to
take a J out in some mud after a full day of rain. It
wasn’t that amazing because we didn’t have that
much space, but we figured we’d get something
in time for this issue. In the future we plan to do
a lot more on J’s offroading and possibly
some rally action in issues to come. Our
point is to show that J-body’s are not just
a poor kid’s sports car. We want to show
its strengths and abilities. Now that you
get the point of how and why we do things
like this, here are the photos, enjoy.
This J belongs to one of our staff members. It
is a 91 Cavalier with a dynomax exhaust (talked
about in the 1st quarter issue). It is equipped
with 195/R14 BF Goodrich Advantage Plus. And
everything else is stock. We do not suggest that
you drive off-road unless you know what you’re
doing. Do it in a closed environment and check
your intake regularly especially if you do offroading where it is dusty.
j-body m a g a z i n e | | | 5
This Quarter
News
Responses to last
Quarter's Question
What do you think about the Cobalt?
J-body Bash 2004 Unoffical Announcements:
Date: August 6-8 2004
Location: Lordstown, Ohio
Friday: 5pm-Midnight. Thompson Drag Raceway
Saturday: Lordstown GM Assembly Plant. Car Show, Plant Visits, Show Awards.
Sunday: Talk about the bash, talk about the future, say goodbyes and drive home safely
We plan to attend and do a full story on the bash. Hope to see you all there!
I like the new Cobalt. I’ve seen it at the Montreal
International Auto Show, and it looks great. I would
definitely be interested in the SS. It’s nice to see GM
competing with the new looks and performances other
companies have to offer
Giovanni Spinelli
So far it seems to be a very nice car. I wish they could
have left it a J-body, but I think GM is going in the right
direction.
John Higgins
More information can be found at www.jbodybash.com
This quarters question
2004 V6Z24.com Bash Announcements:
Date: July 16 - 18 2004
Location: Cedar Falls, Iowa
What is the best J-body model and year?
Send all responses to jbody@xautos.net
More information can be found at www.v6z24.com
Sites of the Quarter
J-body club of Ontario 6th annual JCO Bash.
Date: Friday June 11th and 12th.
Location: St. Thomas
We will begin registration at 4 pm on Friday June 11th. The neon competition is on Friday night after
dusk. Saturday, June 12th is the show and shine/drag racing
Classes for the Show & Shine:
1st, 2nd, 3rd place trophies for each class.
1st, 2nd generation: Stock, Mild, Wild.
3rd generation: Stock, Mild, Wild.
More information can be found at www.j-body.com or you can contact droptopz18@hotmail.com
www.v6z24.com
A great web site for 1st and 2nd generation
J-body owners with 3.1L V6’s. Lots of great
information, history, photo’s and best of all
there is a nice message board with lots of
helpful members. They also sell 1st and 2nd
generation Calendars.
www.jbody.org
A huge site created completely for J-body’s
of course. Much like this magazine. This site
is mostly based on its forum and members
themselves. It has even more information and
a great range of J-bodies. The site is great at
getting and keeping up-to-date J-body news.
What is your 0-60mph time?
It’s not hard to get your 0-60mph time, so why not just get yours... On a nice dry day go to
a stop light with a friend and turn your CD player so that it displays the track time. As soon as the
light turns green have your friend change to the next track as you hit the gas. As soon as you get to
60mph say “Now!” and your friend can read you the time. Its not exact, but it is an easy way to get
a rounded time. You could also do this by yourself but it won’t be as simple, and please keep your
eyes on the road!
The other way to do this of course is to get a G-Tech Performance Meter and not only be
able to measure 0-60mph times but also 1/4mile, 1/8mile, HP, and more.
Toyota Cavalier? WHAT?
This Quarters Staff
Owner and Designer
Jonathan Maynard
Senior Editor
Christina Maynard
Associate Editor
Alycia Fink
Yes there is such a thing. It was featured in our first quarter issue. A Toyota Cavalier is
simply a cavalier made for Japan. They were made in Lordstown, Ohio along with the US versions.
Toyota emblems were put on and small changes were made. For example: different tailights, folding
mirrors and leather steering wheels. The Toyota Cavalier went on sale in Japan in January 1996.
Computer Edited Image of the Quarter
I got the idea of the ground effects from a car made by Opel. The ASTRA XTREME CONCEPT. I originally started with the same ground
effects and I started modifying the kit to find the Body of the Cavalier. I had to square it off a bit to match the body-lines. I ended up with almost
a totally different Kit! I also exchanged my 17” Kmc Units to some sleek 19” Axis Hagens. Other changes include shaved door handles, Custom
widebody and matching front tint.
Anthony
Before
After
6 | | | J - b o d y m a g a zine
Readers Ride
Debi McMillen and daughter DeAnna Ashley
Debi McMillen, a 24-year-old working
Mother, is the proud owner of a 1996 Sunfire
SE Convertible that she named “Redhot”.
Purchased in October of 1998, it was left stock
until the summer of 2000 when Debi’s interest
for cars grew. Starting her modifications with
only a Focuz muffler and an Rksport Cold Air
Intake, her interest became more addicting and
she could not stop. Which is why “Redhot” is
where it is today.
Current Modifications
Engine
-JASPER rebuilt engine
-Bosch Platinum Plugs
-Injen CAI
-Front strut bar
-White tubing
-Accel 8 mm spark plug wires
Suspension/Brakes
-H&R 2’ lowering springs
-KYB performance struts & shocks
-Slotted & drilled Rotors
Interior
-Custom painted white vents with white diamond dust glitter
-Custom white vinyl seats
-Nickel-plated pedals
-Clear climate control knobs
-White HVAC Panels
-Wheelskins Red Shift boot & E-brake Boot
-Diamond Plate Floor Mats custom made By Audio-XTC.com
-Billet Glo Cigarette Lighter
Exterior
-Focuz exhaust
-Eurostyle antenna
-Shaved Sunfire emblems and moldings
-Painted drums & Calipers SILVER
-17 inch RS Limited White ADR Concept Pros
-Federal SS -215/45/17 Tires
-Full Intruder Body Kit
-Spydar Induction Hood
-Custom paint PPG Sunset RED with Glitter
-APC Retro 3D Carbon Fiber Tail lenses
-Carbon Fiber and Red Silicone Windshield Wipers
Audio
-Panasonic Ghost Face Touch screen
-12 inch Apline Type E
-Alpine 2- channel amp
Future Modifications
Interior:
-Wrap the door panels and dash in red vinyl
-“Redhot” embroidered into the Headrest
Exterior:
-Aerogear Xplosion Full Body Kit
-Paint mirrors to match body paint
-18 inch Konig Troubles in Quick Silver
Audio:
-Two 5.6in. TV ‘ s mounted in the front driver and passenger’s
seats head rest
-Playstation 2 custom molded into where the airbag currently sits
-Custom install in trunk space wrapped in red vinyl
-6x9 rear seat speakers
-4x6 front door speakers,
-4 channel amp
- NE J-Body Bash, Maplegrove, PA
- Survival Series 1 & 2, Englishtown, NJ
Awards won
-Custom Compact Power Jam - 1st place GM 96 & under
-All GM Nationals - 3rd place J-body
-NOPI - 1st place Domestic Chic
-Forbidden Dreamz - 2nd place Sport Compact Domestic
-Slickspeed Toys for Tots Cruise & Show - 2nd place Sport
Compact Domestic
-EW Motorsport 1st annual Car Bash - 1st place Sport Compact
Domestic
-NEPO Englishtown Summer Meet - 2nd place Domestic
-NNRC 2nd annual mid summer car show - 2nd place Sport
Compact Domestic
-Low Rollers E.O.S.B.- 2nd place Sport Compact Domestic
-R Typez End of Summer Car Show - 2nd place Sport Compact
Domestic
-All American Wheels - 3rd place Pontiac
Current Sponsors
- R Custom Automotive Inc.
- Mothers Polishes, Waxes, Cleaners
- Aerogear
- Liteglow
Debi is a member of Standing Ground, an
all female car team - In January 2004, the east
coast brought forward a team with the common desire
to go above and beyond maintaining status and
reputation. Pushing forward and always evolving, this
team consisting of cars and their owners, are showing
that they have what it takes to stand out from the
competition in a scene overpowered by testosterone
and claims of the knowledge of knowing what it takes.
The only claims to be made are that this team will not
soon be forgotten and will strive to set the standard for
elite groups, while promoting other women to be on the
equivalent level and join in the same beliefs.
Standing Ground Background - Founded by
3 friends. These 3 women have been out and about
in the scene, and spent time together in a previous
club. Deciding they wanted more out of a “club,” they
put together a new set of beliefs and formed a new
team. Currently based in New Jersey, Pennsylvania,
and Maryland, Standing Ground is inviting others to
apply who have the same dedication as they have. All
members are equal, and all decisions are made jointly
as well as all work that needs to be done.
If you are a female interested in joining the team please
contact them at info@standinground.com and visit their
web site at www.standinground.com
Past ‘s shows attended for the 2003 Car show season:
-Carlisle Custom Compact Power Jam- Carlisle, PA
-All GM Nationals- Carlisle, PA
-NOPI - Maplegrove, PA
-Low Roller 7th annual E.O.S.B. -Woodstown, NJ
-EW Motorsport 1st annual Car Bash- Glassboro, NJ
-Sigma Charity Car Show- Glassboro,NJ
-Slickspeed Toys for Tots cruise & show-Wildwood
Boardwalk,NJ
-All American Wheels- Millville,NJ
-Forbidden Dreamz 2nd annual Car show- Vineland, NJ
-NE J-body Bash- Maplegrove, PA
-Clayton Fun Day- Clayton, NJ
-Survival Series 1- Englishtown, NJ
-Boardwalk Auto Beats, Atlantic City, NJ
-Franklinville Firefighter’ s 3rd Annual Car Show-Franklinville,NJ
-Every 1st Friday of the Month: Fuddruckers Car show
Future Shows for the 2004 Car show season:
- Custom Compact Power Jam, Carlisle, PA
- All GM Nationals, Carlisle, PA
- NOPI, Maplegrove, PA
- NOPI Nationals, Georgia
- J-Body Bash, Ohio
j-body m a g a z i n e | | | 7
Readers Ride
EURIC DINKINS
Hi, my name is Euric Dinkins from
Birmingham Alabama and I want to tell
you how my car came to be. Well, it all
started when I went to my first street race
downtown. There were so many people
with tricked out rides, I wondered how they
did it. Well, one day while at work, I noticed
this yellow car coming up the road and
it looked hot. I said to myself “I must get
that car.” The very next week I took my car
(which was a Dodge Neon) to the Chevy
dealership and traded it for the 2002
Cavalier. As soon as I got it the first thing
that went through my mind was “I have got
to start tricking this baby out.” Ever since
that day, I have been pouring money into
this car to try to make it the best J-body
around the South and so far I haven’t seen
anyone around that can touch it. I’m more
into looks than speed but I plan on adding
a turbo and nitrous soon. Most of my
money goes toward the body work. It may
not be the fastest thing on the streets but
when I ride you can’t help but notice.
Euric Dinkins
- yellowscorpion@charter.net
Modifications:
- Bomex front bumper
- Drift rear and sides molded
- Lambo/glazerous paint job with metalic and
green pearl
- Nin carbon fiber hood
- Shaved emblems and side molding
- Reverse glow gauges
- APC tachometer
- APC fire extinguisher
- Tenzo r double blade wing
- 17” icw talon rims (gloss black)
- Kuhmo 17/45 tires
- Painted interior
- Street glow optx underbody neons (red)
- Strobe light kit mounted in mouth of front
bumper (red)
- Yellow chevy seat belt pads
- Ractive yellow shift knob
- 3A racing yellow racing pedals
- Clear climate control knobs
- Injen cold air intake system
- OBX cat back exhaust
- Eibach sportline springs
- 10% tint on side windows
- 20%tint on rear window
- Clarion 7” indash tv with dvd and mp3
- Concept 1500 watt amp
- Rockford Fosgate 4x6 in the door
- Pionner 6x9 in the rear
- Two MA audio competition 12” subwoofers
Future Modifications:
- Suicide doors
- Custom fiberglass box for subwoofers
- Racing seats (coming soon)
- Racing steering wheel (coming soon)
- Carbon fiber mirrors (coming soon)
- NX nitrous system
- Turbo
j-body m a g a z i n e | | | 9
1990 Cavalier Z-24
Readers Ride
History: Purchased in January of
2002, this car was a replacement of
the ever infamous “D-50” in my city. To
be honest, I hated my car when I first bought
it. It was plastered with a nasty Maple Autumn
Metallic stock paint job, and in that itself, the
clear coat was wearing off. The stock rims were
a pain to get clean and the engine had racked
up some miles over the years. And so it began...
The first thing I pursued was keeping my
engine running better, so I bought the FDP Cold
Air Intake and a Flowmaster 40 series exhaust.
With that in place, I went after my exterior. I
work at a body shop, and getting my entire car
painted over professionally for $300 was not a
deal I could pass. I kept it two-tone to keep it
noticeable, and used a deep BMW black and
bright BMW silver for the paint. I ridded it of all
dents and emblems and labels (even on the
side skirts) After that, I kept in pace with keeping
it a “clean” car and put a stock Z-24 spoiler,
17” rims with a silver to match my lower trim,
replaced the struts with KYB GR-2’s, Upgraded
the brakes to 10” rotors, and some springs to
give a nice stance.
Finished? No. In September of 2003, I bought
a brand new Crate 3.1L engine from Chevrolet
and rebuilt the transmission to clear the worries
of an old/rebuilt engine. I did not intend this
car to be fast, just wanted a clean ride to last
me through college, and I believe I’m almost
done, after only 2 years. All I have left to do is a
manual transmission swap and I will be satisfied
fully with my car.
Michael Bielenberg
Opinion: My car is my pride. Simple. It’s
everything I need.
Comparison: In terms of speed - There is
nothing special here. I have beaten a 3rd
Generation 2.2L 5spd with a stage 2 clutch,
mounts, intake, exhaust and a header. I have
also beaten a 5spd V6 Cougar. Go figure.
In terms of looks - I think I have a well
rounded, clean car. There is nothing too gaudy,
the paint is new and every major component is
taken car of.
Specifications: I G-Teched my car before I
purchased the new motor and it threw down
a 16.22 @83.32mph. I have not taken it to the
track yet with the brand new 3.1L, but I am
assuming it’ll run high 15’s to low 16’s times.
Modifications
Engine:
- FDP Intake
- Flowmaster 40-series Exhaust
- Crate 94’ 3.1 GM Engine (11-16-03)
- Intake parts cleaned
- New waterpump
- New oilpump
- New fuelfilter
- New thermostat
- New Bosch 02 sensor
- New NGK sparkplugs
- New Accel wires
- New hoses
- New belts
- New battery
- New radiator
- Rebuilt Tranny (02-24-02)+(12-13-03)
Interior:
- White Face Gauges
Exterior:
- New Paint (01-11-03)
- Shaved Badges
- Grill Mesh Inserts
- Phase 2 Z-24 Rear Spoiler
- Removed Z-24 Sideskirt Emblems
Handling:
- 17” ADR REVO-6
- Kumho Ecsta Supra 712 (205/45/17)
- Suspension Tech Lowering Springs
- KYB GR-2 Struts
- 92+ Brake Upgrade
Audio:
- Kenwood KDC-MPV622 Head Unit
- Front speakers - Pioneer 4x6
- Rear speakers- Kenwood KFC-6908 6x9
Misc:
- HID’s
- Painted Front Strut Bar (Black/Silver)
- Painted Rear Sway Bar (Silver)
- Red Calipers
1 0 | | | J - b o d y m a g a zine
Readers Ride
Tyler Frazier
I originally started out just to make my car
different. I was tired of the plain stock yellow
car. Slowly I tinted the windows on it, and then
put a stereo system in it. The first system that
I had was a Crossfire 602 with a set of three JL
Audio 12w3’s. After I purchased that the new
W7’s had been released so I decided to sell my
system and order a new 10w7, in which I am
EXTREMELY Satisfied with. After the stereo
system I purchased the wheels that are on the
car now. I wish that I could have a set of 18’s
but those will be in the near future. Then it was
time to get a body kit. I had seen several nice
body kits for my car, but the Razzi kit was the
overall best one that I saw. It was fairly simple
to install, requiring only Silicone, double sided
tape and a couple of screws all of which razzi
provided.
Overall, I feel that the car has turned out
rather nice and clean cut. My future plans
include upgrading to 18 in wheels, lowering it
1.5 for compensation of the wheels gap and
having the interior fully redesigned, and possibly
putting some carbon fiber racing stripes and a
rear tail piece on it.
Audio Equipment:
- Full JL Audio VR Component System
- JL Audio 500/1 Amplifier
- JL Audio 10W7
- Pioneer DEH-P840MP3 CD Player
- Pioneer XM Satellite Radio
Exterior:
- Full Razzi Body Kit
- Dual FX Muffler system
- Custom Black Racing Stripes
- Custom blackout Taillights
- Shaved Custom Cavalier Emblem
Interior:
- CLA Custom Racing Seat Covers
Suspension and Wheels:
- Stock Suspensoin
- Motegi MR4 Gunmetal 17 x 7’s wrapped in
Sumitumo HTR+ 205/40/ZR 17 Tires
j-body ma g a z i n e | | | 11
My name is Skyler Styles and this is my
2000 Cavalier Z24. I have owned it since June
of 2000 and have 27k miles on it. Mods have
been few and far between due to funds. I work
at a Chevrolet dealership as a technician so
the exhaust and wheels were mine free of charge.
Mods are at a halt now due to the upcoming
arrival of my son. I do wish to someday have
a GM supercharger and other various mods but
they will come in due time. The car has been in 3
accidents which have all been with the car sitting
still. It is still my baby (other than my soon-to-be
son) and love to drive it whenever I can. Flames
done by Studio 9000 in Arvada, CO.
Skyler Styles - zsquee24@yahoo.com
Modifications:
- 1.8” Sprint drop springs
- 16” aftermarket wheels (from used car, don’t know
brand)
- Cavalier convertible front strut tower brace
- Generation 4 Altezza taillamps
- Clear front corners
- RKSport upper and lower polyurethane motor
mounts
- Weapon R intake
- Magnaflow cat back system
- ProCarParts indiglo gauge overlay
- B&M short throw shifter
- 12” Sony Xplod sub
- Kenwood 250 watt amp
- Window tint 20%
- Custom halequen flames on hood and front fenders
Readers Ride
Anthony Reyes
My name is Anthony, I am a 18 year old car
enthusiast in Midland, Texas. When I purchased my
91’ Cavalier, I had no idea of what a “Cavalier” could
look like. As I started searching the Internet, I came
across the two sites that have been very useful,
www.v6z24.com and www.j-body.org I am an active
member for both sites. After looking at a few other’s
cars, I was able to get a pretty good idea of what I
would like my car to look like, while being sure to keep it
different in many ways as well.
Modifications
Exterior
- Brand new 1999 Jaguar Paint Job
- Shaved front Chevrolet symbol
- Shaved side moldings
- Painted Door Hinges
- Painted under trunk and hood
- Re-painted mirrors and window trim black
- Custom Flip-Flop Trunk
Handling
- Lowered 3” all around
- Rear Adjustable Airshocks1999
- 17” Chrome KMC Unit rims
- 205/40/R17 Kumho Ecsta Supra tires in Front
- 205/45/R17 Kumho Ecsta Supra tires in Rear
Audio
- Aiwa Head Unit 45X4 Watts
- 2-12” Kicker Comp VR speakers
- Custom Built enclosure (removed backseat)
- Rockford Fosgate Wiring Kit
- 500 Watt Jensen Amplifier
- 2-3.5” Rockford Fosgate Front speakers
Future
- Full Body Diza Hurricane Kit
- Diza Hurricane Hood
- Sniper Wing
- Custom X-1 Fenders
- Suicide or Lambo style Doors
- Custom Kandy Paint
- Mirror Tint
- 19” Rims
- Air Bags
1 2 | | | J - b o d y m a g a zine
Readers Ride
Skyler Styles
Featured Ride
Paul Chaderjiann
DrPaul84’s 2001 z24
My 2001 z24 started off as your plain old
ordinary Cavalier. That was until I brought it
home from the dealership in October of 2001.
That was the day I began modifying it, little
mods here and their just to begin the process.
That slowly built up to taking parts off every
other week, putting new things on, and spending
thousands of dollars without realizing it. The
reason I bought this car was that my sister had a
Cavalier and while looking for things to do to it,
I ran into a place known as “The Org” or “JBO”
little did I know, this was going to cost me this
much money!
out to the track again to see what it can pull with
the new mods. Some of which include AEM warm
air intake, CarCustoms Upper and Lower Motor
Mounts, and B&M Shift Plus+.
Of course with the speed, you need the
looks and that’s why I chose the RkSport Type J
kit, AeroGear Predator hood, and the WingsWest
MiniMe wing. I felt they would flow smoothly
together, and they set my car apart from the
other tuners in my area. So far the only set back
I have had with the car was caused by some
criminals who felt they shouldn’t have to work for
their stuff. The car was broken into shortly after
I had installed my audio equipment. All of it was
continued...
From the day that I found the org, I began
planning what I wanted to do. Body kit, audio
system supercharger, you name it, I was
dreaming about it.
The time finally came that I was able to buy
the car. I immediately fell in love. I couldn’t stop
driving it, couldn’t stop washing it, it was like my
child. Even when the car was still mostly stock,
I took pride in it because I felt it was better then
most of the cars around the area that the kids
drove, and most of the time it was also faster.
Being that it is an automatic transmission, people
would call it slow. I, of course, would prove them
wrong. Sure it’s not a speed demon, but it’s still
quick. In it’s stock form, I ran a 16.344 in 2002 at
the J-Body Bash. This summer I will be heading
j-body ma g a z i n e | | | 13
stolen, and the car was damaged. Slowly the car
is getting back into shape, coming back bigger
and better then before. Thanks to the thieves
my car will shortly be shaved of all the locks and
some other secrets I have yet to reveal. If your
interested into finding out what those secrets will
be. Just stay tuned and perhaps you will find out
in the next issue of J-Body Magazine. ...
1 4 | | | J - b o d y m a g a zine
Modifications:
- Diamond Plate Floor Mats (Front)
- Fiberglass Dashboard (Work in Progress)
- Painted Center Console Cover
- Custom made switch panel on window switch panel
- Blue LED’s in map lights and dome lights
- Clear Climate Control Knobs
- Powered By Chevrolet shoulder pads
Suspension:
- Goldline Springs
- Ractive Front Strut Tower Brace
- RotoTech Cross drilled/slotted Rotors
- TI22 Titanium Brake Pads
- RkSport Rear Sway Bar
- Car Customs Sub Frame Brace
Exterior:
- RkSport Type J Kit
- Aero gear Predator Hood
- Wings West MiniMe Commando Spoiler
- 6000K HID Conversion
- Clear Corner Lenses
- Amber Corner Bulbs
- Hyper White Reverse Lights
- Whelen 90x6 Undercover Strobes (Corner lights and
- Outer Tail lights)
- Whelen Dash miser dual blue strobe (under rear
view mirror)
- Sho-Me Slim liner White/Blue Led Strobes (At roof
Engine:
- AEM WAI
- B&M Shift Plus+
- Car Customs Upper Motor Mount Insert and Lower
Mount
- Flow master 40 Series Muffler
Interior:
- Momo AutoMatico Leather/Chrome Shift knob
- Two 15” Blue Neon’s Under Dash
- 10” Blue Neon Behind front Seats
line at top of windshield)
- APC M3 Mirrors
- Street Glow Gold Series Red Underbody Neon’s
- Car Customs quarter glass and back windshield
banners
- High Rev Motor Sports Quarter Glass Decals
- JBO Sticker on Back Windshield
- Chrome Bowtie License Plate Frame
- Shaves Side Moldings
- Shaves All Emblems
- Dual Hood Hydraulic Hood Props
Audio:
- Infinity Kappa 6.5” Components In Doors
- Infinity Kappa 6.5” 2way in Rear Deck
Misc:
- Sho-Me 100 Watt Full Functions Undercover Siren
- 100 Sq. Ft. B-Quiet Sound Deadening
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product a 2-4 page complete review. We will also give your company some free advertising. Please know
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j-body ma g a z i n e | | | 15
Featured Ride
Jeremy McDonald, ‘93 Sunbird SE
Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada
Email: mcgowan@tbaytel.net
Alpine dash kicker plates, two 4 way Kenwood
6x9’s behind the back seats, and a 160 watt
Rockford Fosgate amplifier in the trunk.
I bought my first car, a white 1993 Sunbird SE,
5 speed, with a 3.1 in 2000. It was in excellent
shape and I thought it looked pretty nice. I had
my windows tinted Limo black and added a
nice stereo system. My stereo is an Alpine CD
player with two 12’’ J.L Audio speakers, two 51⁄4
I was inspired to do the body by my older
brother, Jason, who owns a ‘95 cavalier which
he made custom in 1997. Jason helped me find
body parts that would fit my ‘bird. I ended up
purchasing the following in 2002-2003, which
I am very happy with: Pin-on ram-air style hood
Jeremy McDonald
and spoiler from F.X Designs, side, front, and
rear moldings from Onderground, 17’’ 10 spoke
aluminum A.D.R rims with Kumho tires, and to
top it all off I chose the orange color of the 2003
Lamborghini. I cut out the holes on the hood
and filled the holes with silver mesh.
I love how this car looks, and I want to do
more. In the future I want to up-grade to a 3.8
Supercharged engine, a Z-24 trunk so I can
get clear tail lights, dual exhaust, a custom
decal design in silver, an orange under-glow kit,
lowering the back end, and hopefully hydraulics
to make maneuvering through the city easier
(the front end sits dangerously low!). I would
also like to do the following to the interior: black
and orange vinyl seats, orange fiberglass dash
(if I can find the right color) and mold my amp
and subs into the base of the trunk with orange
and black fiberglass.
I’m going to have this car for the rest of my life.
It’s everybody’s dream to keep their first car,
and mine sure is one to remember. I’ll have an
awesome car to show my kids in the future, as
well as the memories that it has gathered over
the years. I’d like to thank Gary for the body
work, my Dad for his help with the engine etc,
and my brother for the inspiration and constant
support. I’m glad I did it, and I can’t wait for the
warm weather to bring it out of storage for the
summer. My best 1/4 mile time was 14.5sec @
120mph. ...
1 6 | | | J - b o d y m a g a zine
Modifications:
Audio:
- Alpine Flip Face CD Unit, 50 watts x 4
- 2 12” JL Audio Sub Woofers
- 2 Alpine 4-way 6x9’s
- 2 Alpine 5 1/4” Kicker plates
- 160 watt Rockford Fosgate Amplifier.
Exterior:
- Sport Front bumper and rear bumper
- Ram Air Hood
- Un-lighted rear wing
- Extreme side skirts
- 17” A.D.R Aluminum
- Kumho Tires
- 2003 Lamborghini orange paint
- Chrome screening in hood and front bumper.
Performance:
- Single chrome piped exhaust system
- K&N airflow filter
- 3.1 V6 5 speed high performance, factory
motor
Before
After
j-body ma g a z i n e | | | 17
Featured Ride
Kevin Richter
My Name is Kevin Richter and I would
like to introduce you to the XTREM Z.
This car was built in a GM Assembly Plant
in Lordstown, Ohio in January of 1998.
The individual who purchased it new was
registered as a “Private Owner”. I bought
it to replace my 1989 Z24 that had just
recently been totalled.
Purchased used on March 26th of 2002,
from Grand Oldsmobile in Grand Rapids,
MI with around 70,000 miles on it. Little
did I know, but this car would change my
life forever. It was bone stock the day I
brought it home, with the exception of a
Silver pinstripe that ran along both sides
1 8 | | | J - b o d y m a g a zine
of the car, and a slightly crumpled factory
muffler.
I quickly went to work and added the
things I had already ordered for the car
before I found one that would be suitable
to my needs. They included Chrome rims,
TOYO tires, Clear Corner Lenses, APC
Amber LED bulbs for the clear corners,
Red GM Performance Parts Strut Tower
Brace, APC Z24 Carbon Fiber Flamed
Emblems, Clear Climate Control Knobs,
High Beam and Fog Light Conversion, APC
Billet Antenna, APC M3 Carbon Fiber Blue
Tinted Glass Mirrors, Personalized License
Plate (XTREM Z), and Removed the Silver
Pinstripe.
That was just the beginning. Next came
some other modifications that required a
little more work...
They included KS Chrome/Clear Projector
Headlights, KS Chrome/Clear/Red Altezza
Tail Lights, New front Euro Clear Corner
Lenses from REVOTEC, Ichibahn Red
Leather Shift Knob, Tinted Windows, RED
StreetGlow Blue-line Neon Underbody Kit,
Shaved Badges, Shaved Side Moldings,
ACDelco Maximum High Performance
Brake Pads 17D506MHP, Removed Tuner
Tube, Removed Intake Resonator, New
installation.
I quickly became bored with the stock
wheel size so I decided to go with some
White 18 Inch wheels, along with a few
more modifications:
AEM Short Ram Induction System (22446P), AEM Short Ram Induction System
Bracket (20-445), 18x7.5 Inch Primax
White 5 Spoke Tuner Wheels (Type 925
W), P225/40/ZR18 BF Goodrich Scorcher
T/A’s (RED), Ichibahn Black Leather Shift
Boot, Car Customs Upper Motor Mount
Insert, Car Customs Lower Motor Mount.
I added some neon to the interior of the
car to light it up at night. Installed (2) 9
Inch Streetglow Red Mini-Neon Interior
Lights Under Dash, Street Glow Red Hott
Wirez neon wire on both interior doors
and then (1) 20 Inch Street Glow Red
Neon Rod in the trunk to highlight the
stereo setup. It’s a pretty neat thing to
see at night.
Then I decided to take a shot at painting
some more of the interior pieces, and I
think it turned out pretty good.
I also got new Carbon Fiber tail lights to
accent the rest of the car, since it already
had Carbon Fiber M3 mirrors, door
handles & gas door done. I wanted it to
look uniform. I think they ended up
looking real good.
ACDelco 75DT7YR Battery, ACDelco
Professional Platinum Spark Plugs, New
ACDelco Spark Plug Connector Boots,
RKSport Copper-Beryllium Spark Boot
Inserts & Isolation Sleeves, Borla 2 1/4
inch T-304 Stainless Steel Muffler & Tip,
Black Cat Custom White/Red XtremZ24
Faced Gauges, Black Cat Custom White/
Red HVAC Panel, Black Cat Custom White/
Red Fog lamp/dimmer panel (All Custom
Made to order).
I was in attendance once again for the 5th
Annual J-Bash in Austinburg, Ohio (July
26-28, 2002).
I also decided to order the famous JawDropping Drift Body Kit, which I first saw
at the 2001 J-Body Bash on Matt Teske’s
car.
So, I spent the money I had been saving
& purchased the entire fiberglass kit from
a company in California. They shipped
it to me in a semi-truck trailer. It took
about a month to get it, though, because
they said the front bumper was not
ready yet. It was finally received around
Christmas. The kit was carefully unpacked
and I placed it on top of my pool table to
admire until the cold winter days melted
away and I would be able to start the
Next came the installation of the Drift
Kit. This took many days to do, as I was
not a professional and had never worked
with fiberglass before. It was a learning
experience to say the least. I did however
have my neighbor (who is ASE Certified
in Collision Repair) to guide me through
it. The front bumper was the first thing to
go on the car. It was not too bad of a fit,
but adjustments had to be made in order
to make it fit properly. Fiberglass was
added and removed during this time to a
lot of areas of the bumper. I wish I had
taken more pictures, but unfortunately
I was a one man crew most of the time,
and had no one to take the pictures.
Next, I moved on to the rear bumper,
which was quite a task in itself. I had to
completely remove the rear crush panel
that resides behind the stock Z24 rear
bumper. Next, I had to cut a square hole
for the license plate light to mount in,
along with mounting holes. Additional
trimming of the rear Fiberglass Bumper
was required to make it fit, which was
very time consuming. I also cut out
some slots on the side for mesh, which
I haven’t seen anyone do yet. Then I
finally got the bumper mounted on the
car after a few evenings of fitting and
cutting. Now remember, I did most of this
work myself in my front yard after I got
home from work, or when I had spare
time on the weekends. There were some
nights that I stayed up until 1 AM in the
morning sanding & prepping this kit to
continued...
j-body ma g a z i n e | | | 19
get it ready for paint. I did have a friend
or two stop by to check out the progress
and I would sometimes be able to con
them into helping me for an hour or so.
You can probably guess that I got a lot of
attention from the people that drove by
and witnessed this all going on in my front
yard.
The side skirts were the last thing to be
fitted, sanded and installed for proper
fit before the kit could be painted. Some
areas of the side skirts had to be modified
to fit correctly. Fiberglass was added and
removed from some areas of the skirts.
The toughest part of doing the sides is
having another person there to help hold
them up to the car while you modify
them. So occasionally, I had to wait until
I had someone that could stop over to
lend a hand. All in all, I eventually got
the kit on the car, and decided to drive it
for a while with out the kit painted (the
immortal sin) so that I could make sure
that if anything cracked or flexed due
to driving, it could be addressed & fixed
before it was painted.
I later attended the Annual JBOM (J-Body
of Michigan) BBQ with the XTREM Z.
Having a body kit is a really big difference
in appearance. It makes the whole car
look different. I had a really good time
at the BBQ, and met some really cool
people.
So after making sure that if anything
cracked or flexed due to driving, it could
be addressed and fixed, the kit was then
removed from the car and prepped for
paint once again. I was right in guessing
that some things would flex, so I had a
few small spider cracks to fill in. After
that, I started priming, sanding, priming
& sanding. If you have ever worked with
fiberglass, you know that this is a long
process because you have to prime &
sand each piece 4-5 times before it’s
ready for paint. The kit was then ready for
paint. I managed to get my neighbor (the
collision repair guy) to paint the car, after
I scored some time in one of my friends
paint booth’s at his shop. Unfortunately,
I didn’t get any pictures of the priming
process or the painting.
I attended another car show, this time
in Kalamazoo, MI called the empire
motorsports auto & bike show 2003.
Much to my surprise, I won First Place for
20 | | | J - b o d y m a g azine
Best of Show! I was awarded
with a very nice Trophy.
I decided to store the car for
the winter, and that more
interior work is in order. I
later ordered custom Torch
Red carpet and 2 red/black
racing seats. I also ordered a
new spoiler that will be here
by the time you read this.
I like to talk to other J-Body
owners & enthusiasts, so if
you see me, please feel free
to stop & talk to me.
Look for my car on the road
this summer in Kalamazoo,
Michigan! .
MODIFICATIONS
Engine:
- Car Customs Upper Motor Mount Insert
- Car Customs Lower Motor Mount
- RKSport Copper-Beryllium Spark Boot Inserts
& Isolation Sleeves
- AEM Short Ram Induction System (22-446P)
- AEM Short Ram Induction System Bracket
(20-445)
- Borla 2 1/4 inch T-304 Stainless Steel Muffler
& Tip
- Removed Tuner Tube
- Removed Intake Resonator
- ACDelco 75DT7YR Battery
- ACDelco Professional Platinum Spark Plugs
- New ACDelco Spark Plug Connector Boots
- Street Glow Red Hott Wire Loomz (6/05/02)
- Liteglow Chrome Wire Looms
- Detailed Engine Compartment (Red & Chrome
Parts)
- Polished 2.4 TWIN CAM Cover
- Chrome Bolt Covers
Suspension/Wheels/Brakes:
- 18x7.5 Inch Primax White 5 Spoke Tuner
Wheels (Type 925 W)
- P225/40/ZR18 BF Goodrich Scorcher T/A’s
(RED)
- Red GM Performance Parts Strut Tower Brace
- ROTO-TECH Brake Industries Extreme
Performance Cross Drilled & Slotted Brake
Rotors
- Bendix CT.3 Ceramic Brake Pads
Interior:
- APC Chrome shift knob w/6 Red LED’S & 3
Light Patterns
- Shortened Shifter 2 Inches
- Red Interior Paint
- Black Cat Custom White/Red XtremZ24 Faced
Gauges
- Black Cat Custom White/Red HVAC Panel
(5/07/02)
- Black Cat Custom White/Red Fog lamp/
dimmer panel (5/07/02)
- Clear Climate Control Knobs
- Red Carbon Fiber Interior
- Red “Powered by Chevrolet” Seat Belt Pads
- (2)Streetglow Red 9-Inch Mini-neon rods
Under Dash
- Street Glow 20” Red Neon Rod in trunk
- Street Glow Red Hott Wirez neon wire on both
interior doors
- Chrome Floor Mats
Exterior:
- 100% Fiberglass Drift Body Kit (full kit)
- KS Chrome/Clear Projector Headlights
- APC Amber LED bulbs for the clear corners
- APC Billet Antenna
- APC M3 Carbon Fiber Blue Tinted Glass
Mirrors
- Carbon Fiber Door Handles
- Carbon Fiber Gas Door
- Carbon Fiber Altezza G4 Tail Lights
- APC Z24 Carbon Fiber Flamed Emblems
- Tinted Windows
- Shaved Badges
- Shaved Side Moldings
- Liteglow Red LED Underbody Kit w/10
Patterns
- GM Accessories Ventvisor Rain Guards
Miscellaneous:
- Personalized License Plate (XTREM Z)
- Bulldog Anti-theft Alarm System
Things to be installed still:
- Red/Black Racing Seats
- Auto Custom Carpets - Custom Torch Red
Carpet
- Rear GM 2002 Inner Fender Liners
- Carbon Fiber Outside Door Pillar Trim
- Venom Custom Fiberglass Spoiler
j-body ma g a z i n e | | | 21
Below: Pulling up the carpet revealed this
Obviously this article is for those of you who
have a leak. It’s a very common thing with 1st
and 2nd generation cavaliers and many other
older J-bodies.
Below: Electronics being took out
Below: Console is taken out
How To:
First, you need to try to find the leak. Where is the
water sitting? What part of the carpet is wet? Then
you might have to pull up some carpet to find where
water is coming in at. Use a garden hose and have
someone hold it as you look for water dripping into the
car. The most common place in the firewall for water
come in is on the passenger side in the cowl where
there is a hole that water flows through that often gets
clogged and the water has no where else to go but
inside the car.
Of course our problem was much worse then a clog.
We tried so many different things to find the leak but
eventually found that we had lots of rust under the
carpet and it needed to go and would help us find the
leak. First went the seats then we had to take out the
whole center console. We had to take the CD player
and heater out and then we tried to take the shifter
off our automatic but couldn’t figure it out so worked
around it (not easy). The bottom part of the console
where the heat comes in at has a blower thing on each
side that needs to be unhooked from the pipe itself.
We accidentally broke them off not knowing exactly
how they hooked on (see you can learn from us).
There are a few wires you will have to unhook. A lot
behind the heater controller and one for the light for the
shifting and then the cigarette lighter you will have to
unhook. The console is in 2 parts and then of course
the trim around the CD player and shifter.
The carpet is all one piece and you will even have to
unscrew the back seats (2 torque screws right under
the seat in the front). After doing all that we did we
wished we would have just cut the carpet out since the
old carpet smelled like crud. The insulation went right
along with it. It will pull right off the carpet. Might stick
a little but not that much.
Below: Goodbye carpet
Below: Cowl being examined
Below: Found a problem
Once we did all this it really did reveal the rust. We ran
out of time and had to put the car back together as we
do use it a lot. We left the carpet out of course. Later
we proceeded to try and put some body filler (doesn’t
work to well for this) and waterproof triple expanding
foam in the cowl. We hoped that this would stop water
from entering through the cracks in the cowl. Since
we couldn’t really see at what height the water was
coming in.
Well that didn’t work either, it still leaked. So then we
continued to take off the piece covering the cowl where
the windshield wipers are so that we could inspect
the windshield to see if it was sealed correctly. Well it
didn’t look that bad but we did calk it some. We used
a RTV clear silicone all around the bottom edge of the
window. Long story short, that didn’t work either.
We were getting frustrated and really wanted to know
where the water was coming in. So we tried to get
the firewall insulation from the inside off so we could
see closer to the steering wheel. We found no way to
easily get it off so we just cut it all off. We then could
easily see all the rust marks and where the water was
dripping. We found that some was coming very high
up. There is a small round piece of metal that looks
like it belongs in an electric box that was really rusted.
So we popped it out and found that there was filler on
the other side of it. As if GM knew that it would leak
there. So we could see that it was leaking there and
around that area. So we cleaned up the old filler that
GM had on the seams in the engine compartment.
We used a air compressor grinding tool that worked
awesome. We found that there was some very weak
metal there and found some more gabs. This time
we used an epoxy that when mixed together turns
into metal after 20min. It’s completely waterproof and
works awesome, only downside is that they say its not
paintable.
The next day it rained and we were anxious to see if it
leaked or not. Guess what? Still leaked. So we water
Fix A Leak
tested again and found that on the inside farther down
a little below the steering wheel there was a little rust
and some water coming in. So we cleaned up the old
filler once again (this time inside) and proceeded to
use up the rest of the epoxy. Water was even coming
in as we put the stuff down, but the stuff says that it
even works under water so we didn’t worry to much. It
still worked well and seemed to be stopping the water
from coming through. We then used some calk to put
down on the rest of the seam. The caulk was nothing
special, just some window calking. We wish that we
had some more RTV silicone which probably would
work better for this but what we had did fine. The caulk
did not stick well on the wet parts, so we tried to dry it
up some. We then used a piece of plastic to shove the
caulk into the seams well.
We felt pretty good about it this time and think that we
got it. So we decided to paint the floor since we did
not have the funds for new carpet and insulation at the
time and wanted to make sure that the leak was fixed.
We bought some black Rustoleum that is suppose
to stop rust. We figured this will make the floor look
good and help the rust problem. We layed the paint
as evenly as possible and tried to be careful not to
paint any of the blue plastic in the car. Be sure to have
good ventilation when you use spray paint inside your
car. I used a painter’s gas mask. While we were at it
we also sprayed some under the car on the metal by
the bumper which was rusted up and other places we
found rust. Obviously this paint doesn’t work on muffler
piping or anything like that because of the high heat.
Well the car looks pretty good now and doesn’t seem
to be leaking yet. It took a long time but we thought
it was worth it and we hope something here might be
useful to you. At best we hope you have learned that
metal waterproof epoxy’s work great! The car stunk for
about 3 days after the paint was put down though. You
need to crack your windows to keep some air moving
through to get rid
of the smell.
Left: Hole inside
Below: In engine
compartment right
under drivers side
of cowl
Below: We spray paint the floor
Front and back painted with
only one coat of Rustoleum
j-body ma g a z i n e | | | 23
Below: Remember change your angles! The more the better.
Also experiment with flash and without.
How To: Take Better Photos
Taking Great Automotive Photos
This is for anyone thinking about submitting
something to us in the future or anyone else
interested in taking nice photos of your car to
show to others.
Below: Pay close attention to shadows, reflections, and background objects. Nice angle here but not the best lighting.
Getting the right digital camera
Get a camera with more then 2 Mega pixels
and at least 2x optical zoom. You also want
something with expandable memory. These
are the most important factors. Some digital
cameras also do video segments with sound,
you might want to get that. Our magazine is
always accepting J-body videos for our web site.
Using the digital camera
Make sure you have it set on the highest quality.
It might take up more space but it really does
make the best photos and will keep the quality
to where we need it for print. Remember that
you can always resize the photo later for the
web but you can’t make a low resolution photo
larger for print without loss of quality. Try to
use both the flash and without to flash and see
which is better later. At an indoor car show you
don’t usually need a flash, it actually makes it
look darker when you use one. Most camera’s
have a auto flash which is the default whenever
you turn the camera on, this does not always
work well so remember to try both. Whenever
you use zoom be sure that your in Optical mode
and not digital mode, optical makes the image
actually bigger and digital just stretches what’s
already there.
Things to watch for
- Your lighting!
- Reflections! Don’t have your reflection on
your car! It just looks bad.
- Make sure there are not that many shadows,
or shadows blending into your car so you
can’t define the cars edges.
- Get yourself a good contrasting background
that shows off your car
- Know that what you seen in the viewfinder is
not always what your final product will look
like unless your camera looks through the
lens itself somehow.
- Make sure you let your camera auto focus
or focus it yourself. Sometimes you have to
hold the button down half way for it to focus
then push it all the way in to take the photo
- Always take photos away from the sun so
you don’t have a glare in the photo
- Be sure that there is not much going on
through the windows of your car, this way if
your car is ever computer edited it will look
much cleaner.
More Tips
- Change angles, time of day, and
backgrounds. The more the better
- Make sure your photos have the focus on the
car not the background
- Try to stay away from night shots
- When doing action shots try to take them
out of a chase car but be sure that nothing
is in the way of the car and that the chase
car is going the same speed as the other car
so you can focus easier. Manual focus is
sometimes better for this so you can focus in
on the car not the background.
- Do something different; put your car in a
different environment other then on the
road like the snow, sand, or mud. Use your
creativity.
Scanning in your 35mm photos
If you have some really awesome 35mm photos
a want them in the magazine you will need to
scan them in. We suggest that you scan the
photos in JPG quality at 300-600DPI. This
might seem large to you but its needed for print
quality. 72DPI is the usual for the web but will
not due for this magazine.
Above: A great example of a photo
that people want to look at. Something that is completely different then
anyone has seen before. A cavalier
after a demolition derby! The only
problem with this photo are the things
that are in the foreground. Try not
to have things that distract you from
the car.
Left: Don’t take a photo facing the
sun! When the sun is going down
its not always the best time to take
pictures. This may look cool to some
but to others its just plain distracting.
24 | | | J - b o d y m a g azine
Below: This is a different kind of shot. You don’t always have to
have the whole car in the picture. Some people don’t like these
kind of shots but most do like a variety of angles.
Featured Ride
SIMMONS MOTORSPORTS
As any J-body owner knows, our
cars don’t excite the general public and even
worse they are the traditional drag racers.
We just can’t get any respect! In 2003, drag
racer Fred Simmons Jr. and his SMG Racing
Cavalier attempted to change that. Simmons
was so successful in 2003, that some of his
fellow competitors lobbied for and were granted
a change in the rules for one of the classes
he raced in, there by eliminating him from
competition in that class during 2004.
Our story starts in 2002 when
Simmons started looking for a car to convert into
a race-only vehicle. To start with the car had to
be inexpensive. Seeing he was going to bracket
race the car it also had to be low maintenance,
consistent, and he wanted it to be an all-motor
car. Additionally, being a full-time college
student, he wanted the car to be self-supporting.
To that end, Simmons looked for a car that
could be run in multiple classes and sanctioning
bodies. This would allow him to approach
potential sponsors with a package that provided
the most exposure possible.
Simmons’s street ride was a 1992
Cavalier 2 door coupe with a 2.2L and a 5
speed. The car was inexpensive to buy and
maintain, so the decision was made to look for
another Cavalier to race. What Simmons found
was a 1989 Cavalier Z24 in need of a lot of TLC.
The car had a dead 2.8L V6 and 125C 3-speed
auto. It certainly didn’t resemble a race car.
Simmons brought the car home and worked a
deal (read free) with one of his future sponsors,
26 | | | J - b o d y m a g azine
Old Time Auto Sales in Milford Ma, for the
engine and transmission out of a 1988 Celebrity.
The Celebrity had almost 150,000 miles on it,
but the engine and transmission were strong
and didn’t leak. Now armed with a chassis and
drive train, the change from streetcar to race
car began. Throughout this process, Simmons
sought to strike a balance between costs,
consistency, and returns. What follows is the
car’s evolution from 2002 to the present. Each
step had a budget of approximately $1,000.00,
and changes to the car could not exceed that
budget.
The 2002 version of the car saw
simple changes to the Cavalier to prepare
it for its new life. Not knowing how the car
would perform and what its weaknesses were,
Simmons started with the basics. The first task
was to replace the drive train. While the engine
and transmission were out, all non-essential
items were removed from the interior including
air conditioning, heater, and rug padding. Holes
in the firewall were plugged, and the engine
compartment was cleaned. Before the new drive
train was installed, the engine and transmission
were cleaned and painted. All new motor
mounts were installed along with new belts,
hoses, and ignition wiring. While Simmons’s
goal was to build a race car, he still wanted it to
retain its streetcar looks. This meant retaining
a full interior, working lights, and wipers. By
retaining these items, the car would be legal
for New England Dragway’s Street Eliminator
Class. Additionally, Simmons opted to stay
with the automatic transmission for sake of
consistency. With the basic chassis complete,
several aftermarket performance items
were added. These included a K&N air filter,
Dynomax Race Bullet Muffler, Autometer tach
with shift light, BF Goodrich T/A Radial tires, and
American Racing steel wheels.
The car finally hit the track in July of
2002, and while not a rocket ship, it scored 1
semi-final finish in 4 races. It was clear that the
car was competitive, but it was also clear that
traction was an issue. The car’s best aggregate
times in 2002 were 16.326 ET at 83.39 MPH.
For 2003, Simmons’ main goal was
to maximize traction and make the car as
consistent as possible. He also hoped these
changes would lead to lower ET’s. In an effort
to cure the car’s traction woes, air shocks
Above: Dynomax Bullet Race Muffler (No Cat)
Below: Engine swap in progress
were added to the rear of the car along with
multiple pairs of spring rubbers and a pair of BF
Goodrich Drag Radials were added up front. To
add consistency, braided stainless steel brake
lines, a transmission oil cooler & temperature
gage, water temperature gage, an alternator kill
switch, and an auxiliary fan switch were added.
The interior saw the addition of an “A” pillar
gage pod, a Corbeau seat, and the removal of
the passenger and rear seats.
As the 2003 racing season
approached, the SMG Racing
team decided to participate in
2 of New England Dragway’s
points series and 1 specialty
series. The team’s primary focus
would be Street Eliminator, a
class for street legal cars running
D.O.T. tires and elapsed times
from 12.00 seconds and slower.
At the same time, the team would
also run in Modified Eliminator,
a class for all out race cars
running slicks and elapsed time
from 10.00 to 16.99 seconds.
In addition, SMG Racing would
participate in 4 of New England
Dragway’s “Import Wars” sport compact races.
To say Simmons’ 2003 season was
successful is an understatement. He won
New England Dragway’s season long Street
Eliminator championship with 2 wins and a
runner-up. In Modified Eliminator, he finished
25th out of 146 competitors. And out of the 4
“Import Wars” races entered he was in all 4
finals, winning 3 times. Simmons was also
selected as a member of “Team New England
continued...
j-body ma g a z i n e | | | 27
Dragway” to compete in IHRA’s division 3
bracket finals in Norwalk, Ohio. At that race he
tied for 9th place out of 120 plus cars in Street
Eliminator. The car’s best aggregate times in
2003 were 15.76 ET at 84.41 MPH. All of this
was accomplished with a stock motor and
transmission with 150,000 miles.
Simmons has also been able to
achieve another success. When this project
started, he had a goal for his Cavalier to be selfsufficient. With 2 seasons under his belt, the
car has more than paid for itself in winnings and
sponsorship.
With the 2004 racing season fast
approaching, Simmons and the SMG Racing
team are looking to make their Cavalier even
more consistent and to improve on their
2003 success. Changes for 2004 include
further lightening of the car, the addition of
Sprint Springs lowering springs, new front
struts, American Racing Estrella aluminum
wheels, and MSD coil packs. Also slated are
a rebuilt transmission with shift kit and higher
stall converter. Simmons looks to defend his
championship, as well as compete in sport
compact races throughout the Northeast in
2004. Unfortunately, as a result of a change in
E.T. break, Simmons will not be competing in
New England Dragway’s Modified Eliminator in
2004.
Future plans for this car and driver include a
switch to a 2.2L 4-cylinder engine in 2005 with
hopes of breaking into the 13 second “all motor”
zone and competing in Modified Eliminator once
again. SMG Racing is currently searching for
a 3rd generation J-body that will become the
foundation for a “front halved” car enabling them
to be more competitive with the “all-out” race
cars faced in bracket racing. ...
28 | | | J - b o d y m a g azine
Modifications:
Engine:
- Stock 2.8L V6 (Stock Chip)
- Custom Warm Air Intake with K&N Filter
- AC Delco Spark Plugs and Wires
- Custom Powder Coated Upper Intake Plenumn and
Valve Covers
- Stock Exhaust Manifolds with 2 1/4 downpipe into
Dynomax Bullet Race Muffler with turn down (no cat)
- MSD Coil Packs
- Removed A/C
- Removed Heater Core
- Removed Blower Motor
- Disconnected EGR Valve and all other Smog Control
Equipment
- Custom Installed Fan Switch to manually control
Electric Fan
- Custom Installed Alternator Kill Switch
Transmission
- GM 125C 3spd completely rebuilt
- 2500 RPM Stall Converter
- B&M Auxiliary Transmission Cooler
- Shift Kit from Jbodyperformance
Suspension/Wheels/Brakes:
- 14x7 inch American Racing Estrella Aluminum
Wheels
- 205/50-R14 BF Goodrich G-Force drag radials in front
- 185/70-R14 Yokohama’s in rear
- Spring Springs 1.7 inch drop springs all around
- Monore Fully Adjustable Air Shocks in rear
- Removed Front and Rear Sway Bars
- Custom Front Strut Bar
- Spring Rubber Inserts in rear springs
- Custom Steel Braided Brake lines in front from
Wilwood
Interior
- Corbeau Racing Seat (non-reclining)
- Removed Radio, radio wiring, and speakers
- Removed HVAC Controls
- Removed Factory carpet and carpet matting, replaced
with extra thin grey replacement carpet
- Stripped internal’s of dash and center console
- Removed Passenger and Rear Seats and Seat Belts
and mounting hardware
- Removed Spare Tire, Jack and all mounting hardware
- Accel Tachometer with Shift light and Memory Recall
- Accel Coolant Temp Gauge
- Accel Transmission Temp Gauge
Exterior
- Completely Stock Body
- Sponsor Lettering done in vinyl
30 | | | J - b o d y m a g azine
Featured Ride
Phil
Everyone remembers their “First”. Sometimes it’s a first love, a first ball
game, or even a first day of school. I can vividly remember the first time I saw
a modified car. My family was driving back from somewhere, I believe it was a
Philadelphia Phillie’s baseball game, and I was staring out the window when a
red Mazda RX-7 drove by with rims and an underbody kit on. I must have been
12 or 13 at the time, and from then on I was hooked. Ever since I was young, I
always knew I would be into cars. As far back as I can remember, I loved being
around cars that were being worked on or being rebuilt.
j-body ma g a z i n e | | | 31
Unlike many people, I wasn’t born into
a custom car family. I was born with the desire
and love in mind to modify cars. My parents got
a 95 Cavalier and I fell in love with it because
it was a nice clean car. When I had the option
of getting a car after graduating high school, I
ultimately got a Cavalier myself. I got a 2002
Chevrolet Cavalier LS Sport Coupe mostly
because I wanted to be different and not get an
import, plus I loved Chevy. Since the moment I
chose the Cavalier, I knew I was going to mod
this car. Much of my influences stemmed from
being a member of the old RK Sport message
board. Even then, before I knew I was getting
one, I had my eyes set on a Cavalier. After
RK Sport’s message board was taken down, I
moved into my new home at J-Body.Org.
When it came time to decide what to
do, I broke my plan down into simple segments.
Interior, Exterior, Audio Suspension, and
Performance.
For my exterior, I didn’t want anything
too flashy or too much “look at me”. I always
liked deep dish wheels, and owning a J-body
doesn’t allow us to go too extreme. I wanted
to follow my black scheme and got Royal Black
Rota Subzero’s. I love the combination of
32 | | | J - b o d y m a g azine
the Wings West Type W sides,rear, and their
Avenger front; so that’s what I got. I always
knew I wanted a carbon fiber hood, but I couldn’t
decide on one. When Wings West came out
with the 3D CF Evolution hood, I loved it and got
it through my sponsor, Cars -N- Effects. I plan
on getting a JSP carbon fiber trunk lid, the RK
Sport Pro Stock spoiler, and repainting the car
black again. That’s as far as I would like to go
exterior wise.
My interior hasn’t received very
much treatment at all. I ordered
my car with graphite interior, and
it came with tan. I have been
slowly swapping in graphite
parts. My door panels are being
fiberglassed now by Cars -NEffects, and will house my Infinity
6.5” Components. I plan on getting
Corbeau Legacy seats and black
carpet. Other than swapping more
graphite parts and painting some
small things, that’s about it.
For audio I wanted to
stay lightweight, so I sold my subs
and huge amp. I wanted to focus
on speed and handling, but subs
and a giant amp don’t help that. I purchased a
300/4 JL Amp and 2 sets of Infinity Reference
6.5” Components. One set is in my rear deck,
and one set will be fiberglassed into my front
door panels as stated earlier. This is as far as I
plan to go with audio.
Performance and handling is what I
plan to excel in. I had a lot of suspension work
done, and I love the way it handles. I wanted
something that could take turns like nothing
else, and it does. I have Aerospeed coilovers,
Koni shocks and struts, Eibach sway bars,
Freedom Design front and rear strut tower
braces, and a Car Customs subframe brace.
I might get RK Sport control arms, but I am
undecided so far.
Speed is my true love. To make it
faster, I got the AEM Cold Air Intake, RSM
62mm TB, RK Sport 4-2-1 header, 2.5 Inch
Exhaust piping into a Tenzo R X-Spec Muffler,
Magnaflow Power Pack resonator, Spec Clutch
and Flywheel, RK Sport underdrive pulley,
B&M short shifter, and Denso iridium plugs.
Through Cars -N- Effects, I am having custom
cams being made by Colt cams as well. At that
point, it will be back to the dyno. Future pans
include eventually getting the Johnny Mack
Supercharger Kit and a performance head.
I would like to thank Joe Danver, my
best friend, most of all, Tony (Cars -N- Effects),
Karo (Carcustoms) and Chris K for all their help,
and especially my family and my sister, God rest
you Sarah. ...
Modifications:
Engine:
• AEM Cold Air Intake
• RSM 62mm Throttle Body
• Colt Cams Custom Ground Cams
• DENSO Iridium Plugs (pn 5338)
• RK Sport Ecotec 4-2-1 Header
• Magnaflow High Flow 2.25 inch
Catalytic Converter
• 2.5 Inch Exhaust Pipe
• Tenzo R XSPEC Titanium Muffler
• Spec Stage 3 Clutch
• Spec Aluminum Flywheel
• RK Sport Lightweight Crank Pulley
• B&M Short Shifter
• Custom Welded Upper Mount
• RK Sport Lower Engine Mount
Suspension/Wheels/Brakes:
• Aerospeed Coilovers
• CarCustoms Subframe Brace
• Eibach Sway Bar Set
• Freedom Design Front Strut Tower
Brace
• Freedom Design Rear Strut Tower
Brace
• Koni Red Adjustable Shocks and
Struts
• Rota Subzero rims 18x7.5
• Toyo Proxes T1-S 225/40/18 Rubber
• Power Stop Slotted Rotors
• Power Stop High Performance Pads
Interior:
• Machine Grey Vents/Accents
• Machine Grey Metallic Dual Gauge
Pod
• AutoMeter A/F Ratio Gauge
• Some Parts Painted Charcoal Metallic
• Apex-I EL Tachometer
• Air Dynamic racing Reverse Indiglo
Gauges
• Black Cat HVAC Panel
• Black Cat Dimmer Switch Cover
• Door Panels Painted by Force 1
Exterior:
• Wings West Avenger Front Bumper
• Wings West Type-W Side Skirts
• Wings West Type - W rear lip
• Wings West Carbon Fiber EVO Hood
• Carbon Fiber Eyelids
• APC Clear Corners
• APC Carbon Fiber Altezzas
• Ecotec 3rd Brake Light Cover
• Shaved All Badges
• Disabled DRL’s
• Shaved Door Moldings
• JSP Carbon Fiber Trunk Lid
Audio:
• Pioneer DEH-8400mp Head Unit
• JL Audio 300/4 Amp
• Infinity Reference 6.5 Inch
Components front and rear
Future:
•
•
•
•
Dyno
Corbeau Seats
APR Carbon Fiber Drag Wing
Port and Polished Head w/ Valve Job
Interior Stuff
145 Whp and 149 TQ
Fastest 1⁄4 Mile Time to date - 15.214, but I am
faster then that I have raced and beaten cars
with high 14 second time slips and they were
legit races.
j-body ma g a z i n e | | | 33
WRECKAGE
On March 5, 2004, I totalled my 1997
Cavalier Z24. A late-model white Chevrolet
Astro was waiting to turn left onto my street.
He was at the end of a small access road that
came from a gas station just off the freeway.
Just as I got about even with the access
road, the Astro shot out between the leading
car and the rest of the pack right into my
lane.
I was driving about 45-50mph
(posted speed limit was 45mph, I think). I
know this because I had just decided not to
get onto the freeway and wanted to take the
back way to Steph’s work. I was accelerating
from about 20mph and had just shifted 2nd
gear to 4th gear and the revs were around
2500rpm. If I had been in 5th, I would have
been around 2000rpm. If I do the math, at
75mph I am revving 3000 so I was just a
shade under 50mph at that point.
To avoid t-boning the Astrovan I
swerved and hit a steel signpost. As it was
being knocked over, it started to uproot
and as it did that it made a huge gash in
the rocker panel of my car. It ripped the
passenger side mirror off, caved in the door,
ripped my ground effect to shreds, and tore
up my quarter panel on the
bottom just in front of the wheel.
As soon as I stopped
moving, the guy got out and
argued with me about who was
at fault. He then threw down his
hands in disgust, calmly walked
to his van, and DROVE OFF.
I gave the police officer my
report. He got a full story from
me and said that I am not at fault
because the other driver turned
into my lane.
Here are the pictures.
This makes me so sad. I love
the color on this car, and being
a 5-speed it’s one of the most
favorite cars I own. I just got the
car about 5 months ago. I’m glad
I purchased gap coverage for my
loan.
Colin
34 | | | J - b o d y m a g azine
From: J-body Magazine
8201 Gumtree Drive
Baltimore, MD 21222
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