Since 2007 I have driven a Corvette. But starting in 2012 I will also be driving a Camaro. Check out my new website UtahCamaro.com!
Posted by Cam Hughes, April 14, 2012
Author Archives: Cam
My New Camaro SS
If you know me, then you know I’ve been in love with Camaros for a long long time. One of my fondest memories was taking a green ’95 Camaro for a test drive. The salesman had me put it in second gear going 60 MPH and I was so impressed that I nearly wrote my name on the purchase contract he pushed in my face.
When I was much younger I was certain that the future held an IROC-Z for me (3rd generation) but that never panned out. Later I became enamoured with the F-body models (4th generation) but they were discontinued in 2002. When I finally reached a point in my life where I could afford a sports car the Camaro had been out of production for nearly five years. In 2007 I decided to get a Corvette, a current production model and another car that I had admired for a long time.
Later that year (2007) I learned that the Camaro was headed back into production. The Transfomers movie featured Bumblebee as a 5th generaion Camaro and although I didn’t care for the yellow color I thought the design of the car was remarkable. The Camaro models went on sale in spring on 2009 and I went to my local dealership to gawk. Right around that time however I had upgraded from a coupe Corvette to a Z06 and there was no way to justify the purchase of a Camaro- it would have to wait.
For the next three years I modified my Corvette and had a blast, but the Camaro was always in the back of my mind. In March of 2012 I started car shopping (I swap cars about every 2-3 years) and the Camaro was at the top of my list. Initially I looked at used models but quickly discovered that that depreciation was minimal; there was not much price difference between a used 2010 model and a new 2012 model. On April 7, I purchased a brand new 2012 black Camaro SS.
I have waited a long time to own a Camaro and I am thrilled. In one of my next posts I’ll do a Camaro review and give some of my impressions of the car and talk about some of my plans for it. More to come soon!
And to answer the question everyone asks me – “Are you going to keep your Corvette?” – for now, yes.
Cam Hughes, April 14, 2012
Alotta Regatta
On the evening of March 22nd (yes, my birthday) my son had a Regatta race for Scouts. When I was in Scouts we had one Pinewood Derby (and lately I’ve had the overpowering desire to watch Down and Derby again). I did the work on my car mostly by myself and when my Dad and I showed up at the Derby it was clear that my car didn’t have a chance (my father recently lamented to me “As soon as we showed up I realized I was supposed to build your car, not you”). I did, however, win the “Most Massive” award- probably because my car was basically a black and yellow painted block with wheels. But I had fun and I wanted my son to have fun too.
The Regatta is a small boat kit that you have to sand, seal, paint, assemble and then decorate. Then, two by two, the boys then race the boats down a filled rain gutter. I suspect the overarching goal of the Regatta race is to determine which dads are deadbeats and which are actually involved in their son’s life. At any rate, Mike and I worked on the Regatta off and on the week prior to the race and I tried to let him so as much of it himself as possible (why do kids love spray paint so much?)
Overall I was pleased with our Regatta. When race time came the boat stayed perfectly upright, didn’t veer to port or starboard and was fairly swift. My son was as good as his boat- he never cheated (get your hands off the boat other kids!!), he tried his best and even though he didn’t win he was a good sport. His regatta was awarded the “See You Later Alligator” certificate of participation. He had a good time and, more importantly, he knew he had a dad that cared about him. Personally I’m really looking forward to that Pinewood Derby…
Posted By Cam, April 2nd, 2012
Epic 34th Birthday
Well, it finally happened. I got another year older. I recall my 30th birthday really bothering me but the other 30’s have all been just fine. My family made me this delightful peanut butter cup cake tree and we opened presents together after I got home from work. Even though there’s not much I need, I really enjoyed the thoughtful gifts that my families and close friends gave me.
I would call this year’s celebrations “low key” and that’s fine by me (we had other activities that prevented us from doing additional partying). As I’ve gotten older I do a lot more reflecting and I think that I’m at a good point in my life. And I think my 34th year has some good things in store!
Cam Hughes, April 2, 2012
Corvette Z06 Tires & TPMS Sensors
I just had a crazy realization. I haven’t gotten new tires for my Asanti rims since July 2009. It’s been almost three years!
Anyway, with my current set of Michelin PS2’s worn down to the belt it was time for new tires. I headed over to Discount Tire in American Fork. They recently got a new tire machine and, as far as I know, they’re only place in Utah county where I can get my 325 25/20’s successfully put on (these are bigger tires than a stock Z06).
When I get my rims from West Coast Corvette I bought a set of tires and TPMS sensors from them. They told me the only way to get the sensors in the rims was to band them in. I’ve never had any problems with the bands, but the guys at Discount were disgusted.
With aftermarket rims it’s typical to have a valve stem that bends 90 degrees (left). A normal TPMS sensor can’t fit in a rim like this. What a lot of aftermarket rim manufacturers do is add an additional valve on the back of the tire that TPMS sensors can go in (right). My Asanti rims came with this extra valve but West Coast Corvette had opted to forgo its use (there may have been a reason but it’s been so long I don’t recall).
Discount Tire wanted to put the TPMS sensors in the “right way.” They said bands added unnecessary weight, have a tendency to slip and that my bands weren’t installed particularly well. I had them make the switch and so far there are no issues. I like having things done the “right way.” and I’m actually excited to have them do my front tires at some point. A big “thanks” to the AF Discount Tire- they have always been awesome.
Also for the record- having new tires is amazing. My car has so much extra grip (I had forgotten was it was like) that it makes me drive a little crazy. The ride is smoother and the handling is vastly improved as well. I don’t know why I waited this long! Oh yeah… maybe it’s the cost 😉
Cam Hughes, April 2, 2012
Cars That Make Me Go Ohhh!
I confess, I still look at cars. Well, anyone who reads this already knows that (remember the 1978 Corvette?). And why not? It’s fun, free and usually it makes me really appreciate what I’ve already got. But in March of this year I started to get serious about buying a new car (I do this about every 2-3 years).
In the course of shopping I ran into a few things I fantasized about pulling the trigger on… something like this:
I love the Lamborghini Gallardos. But deep down I’m an American muscle kind of guy and I think these Italian super cars are beautiful but overpriced (this one was a fairly good deal, but it was a 2005 model and, in my opinion, a power downgrade).
And then I decided to take the practical route- something with a back seat. Back in 2003 I had decided that one day I would own a Porsche 911 Turbo S. Seeing this gem rekindled the desire for a German 911 masterpiece. I think the red interior is stunning (although there may be a little too much red).
Again my preference for American vehicles (and my common sense) won out. Plus this model wasn’t an “S”. I was still obsessed by the idea of a backseat though. Sure I flirted with the Lambo and the Porsche but in the end I knew what I was actually going to get.
And that’s when I found this beauty:
A 2011 Chevrolet SS Camaro. All black with some yellow exterior and interior accents. Whipple supercharger (680 HP!), manual transmission, ground effects kit, like new condition. And best of all it had a backseat and it was half the price of the other two vehicles that I had considered (in other words, “realistic”). Ever since I was a kid I have dreamed of owning a Camaro (heck, my name is in there!). I was sold!
Unfortunately the car was sold too. Literally ten minutes before I made the decision to buy it someone else did. I think it was a killer deal and I’m super excited for the new owner (I actually sent multiple messages to the seller to contact me if the buyer backs out). If it was meant to be then it would have been (or will be). Here are some more pics:
I do think a Camaro is in my future (soon, even). I’ll have to keep an eye out for another amazing deal. And next time I will be like the cars I love- faster!
And for all you lucky Camaro owners our there: don’t get any ideas about being UtahCamaro (www.utahcamaro.com goes right back here). Zing!
Cam Hughes, April 1, 2012
Mega Millions Anyone?
UPDATE (April 1, 2012): Well, it looks like I saved $12! My odds of winning were about 1 in 170,000,000 for each number I picked. Well, a little worse since I didn’t actually have a ticket. I really wanted to delve into some of the lottery math, mechanics and philosophy but I just don’t have the energy or time these days. Anyway, I’m going to take my savings (or is that winnings!) and invest in a meal (bad bad long term ROI, by the way)!
I have a “real” blog post coming soon. But I thought I’d post something quick & fun.
If you’re alive then you probably know about the $640 million dollar jackpot from Mega Millions. I’m not going to go into any details about how you play, odds, or anything like that right now. I’m simply going to announce that I will never buy a lotto ticket. It’s a sucker’s bet. That being said, you can’t help but feel some of the excitement in the air about the drawing tonight. It’s interesting enough that I thought I’d pretend to play. Here are my Mega Millions selections assuming I had played twelve times:
3-10-41-27-15 & 7
28-38-11-3-7 & 36
12-34-1-2-3 & 4
1-2-3-4-12 & 34
9-10-38-47-37 & 33
7-9-23-54-49 & 40
22-18-3-20-21 & 6
10-19-27-32-48 & 7
1-15-38-46-52 & 18
10-24-28-40-52 & 35
3-14-29-30-51 & 16
17-18-34-38-53 & 21
After the drawing tonight we’ll see if I’m $12 richer or out hundreds of millions. Sure- it would be upsetting to be the guy who picked the winning numbers and then didn’t buy a ticket but I doubt that will be the case.
After the drawing I’ll update this post and I may elaborate more on the game, explain some of the math behind the odds, share some insights explaining why some numbers really are better than other numbers (some of my picks are not actually good choices) and discuss the pros versus cons about luck based games like these.
Posted by Cam, March 30, 2012, 5:55pm
Replacing the Corvette Clutch Pedal Return Spring
The other night I was getting gas and decided to shake out my floor mats. As I pulled driver side mat out of the car I noticed part of a coil spring was nestled comfortably near the back. I drove back home, pulled out a flashlight and discovered the clutch pedal return spring had snapped. I pulled the remaining portion of spring out (super easy if your spring has snapped: just push the center portion of the spring over the groove on the back of the clutch pedal and twist it out). A quick Google search revealed this was a pretty common occurrence.
I have no idea when my spring broke. I don’t recall noticing a change in the feel of my clutch pedal but I have noticed that shifting gears is sometimes tricky (I chalked this up to the new ACT clutch). My guess is that the spring has been broken for a year or more. A lot of people seemed to advocate swapping out the C6 spring with a C5 spring or leaving the spring out altogether. I’m all for innovation, but I decided to just replace the spring with the original part (10376347 for anyone curious).
Installation is super simple (with some help). First you need to put the ends of the spring into the two white bushings (above). You can put one end in first and then compress the spring and put the other end in (make sure you have the spring facing the right direction). Now you need to press the pedal all the way down (this is a where it’s nice to have a friend). With your hand behind the clutch push the U shaped portion of the spring over the catch groove on the back of the clutch pedal (lift and pull it toward you- it will slide up, over and in with very little effort).
That’s it- your new spring is in (I borrowed the picture above-right from The Clevite Kid on CorvetteForum.com – great clean pic of the installed C6 spring). Remember to grease your new spring! I drove the car around for a bit to see how it felt. There is a definite difference in the feel. With the spring the compression takes less effort. I almost want to say it’s spongy, but that seems negative and there’s nothing bad about the clutch feel, per se. People seemed to complain about uneven tension, but I didn’t notice anything like that. Overall I think it’s an improvement from no spring.
Posted by Cam, March 26, 2012