Ready for Action: Al Noe’s LS-Powered 1967 Camaro RS/SS

With is compact size, budget friendly price tag, and huge power potential, it’s no wonder Chevy’s LS engine has become the go-to swap for enthusiasts craving modern V8 performance. For Al Noe, Chief Marketing Officer at Summit Racing Equipment, an LS swap was the ideal upgrade for his classic Camaro, and he didn’t have to go far to get the parts and expert help he needed for the job.

No stranger to performance upgrades, Al (then the product manager at Mr. Gasket) first encountered his 1967 RS/SS on the set of the late-90s automotive modification series Hot Rod TV, where he had been invited to walk the hosts through a fuel injection installation. It was there that he noticed the Camaro—a dead ringer for his first ride: a ’68 RS/SS. And it just so happened that Al was in the market for a four-seat project car to share with his growing family.

“Once the installation and filming was done, I asked the producer what the plans were for the car,” recalls Al. “He said they couldn’t sell it, but I called every day for a month, bugging him non-stop, until he finally agreed to let it go at a reasonable price. It’s been a family member ever since!”

In true gearhead fashion, it wasn’t long before Summit boxes started showing up at the door. Eventually, Al had transformed the Camaro, affectionately known as “Old Red,” into a fully restored Pro Touring triple threat capable of dancing through the cones at autocross events, making impressive quarter-mile passes at the strip, and still comfortably delivering him to work for early-morning status meetings. But when the engine (then a revvy 388 stroker) developed a crack in the block, Al decided it was time to give Old Red a shot of something new.

“There were several reasons I decided to go with an LS swap,” explains Noe. “First, I wanted to make more power, plus the aluminum block takes some weight off the front end for better balance. Also, I was curious to see how difficult the swap was, what parts worked well, and what kinds of mods had to be done to the car.”

GM has churned out millions of LS engines since its 1997 debut, powering everything from sports cars and family sedans to work trucks and SUVs. That makes it easy to track down a complete LS engine from your local pick and pull, or you can let Summit do the heavy lifting—we’ll ship a factory-fresh LS crate engine straight to your garage! Either way, you’re sure to find the perfect motor for your project. For Al, that was a burly Pro Series Chevy LS 427 from BluePrint Engines.

Based on same Chevy LS3 that powers the C6 Corvette, this all-aluminum crate engine is stroked to 427 cubic inches, comes packed with lightweight forged internals, and is good for a dyno-proven 625 hp and 550 ft.-lbs. of torque. On top of that, Al’s added a Trick Flow GenX top-end kit, which includes a set of high-flow GenX heads and a performance-matched cam. That’s more than enough grunt to get Al to work on time, with plenty left over for weekend track days. "The engine uses the stock LS3 intake and throttle body, along with the factory GM computer, so everything is extremely reliable and bulletproof,” says Noe. “And it has to be; I drive it about 3,000 miles per year, and it gets driven to Summit on every sunny day we have!"

Tapping into Summit’s huge selection of LS-swap chassis, exhaust, and driveline components, Al reports that Old Red’s engine transplant was largely a bolt-on affair. “I performed the swap in my detached garage with a group of friends helping me along the way,” he remembers, quick to credit fellow gearheads Mark Hamel, Brian Downard, Rick Gilbert, Dale Ollie, Ryan Piotrowski, Steve Butler, and Tom Long for their contributions to the project, along with the support of his wife, Lisa, and kids, Allie, Daniel, and Michael.

With the cutting-edge LS in place, Old Red now packs all the power and reliability of a modern sports car without sacrificing any of the Camaro’s old school charm. “The LS makes way more torque than the old 388, and the idle quality is better, but it still has a really nice lope at idle,” says Al. “I really pride myself on driving the car to events, knocking down more than 20 miles per gallon, racing it, and then driving home with the A/C and stereo cranking. The car really does do everything I want.”

In spite of the Camaro’s long list of upgrades under the hood, the LS3 looks right at home sitting atop the Detroit Speed hydroformed subframe and engine mount kit. And rest assured that it turns as well as it burns thanks to a full complement of chassis and suspension upgrades, including subframe connectors and body mount bushings from Detroit Speed, a RideTech 4-link rear suspension system, and ultra-responsive AFCO coil-overs at all four corners—all sourced from Summit Racing Equipment, of course.

Below deck, the Camaro sports a set of 18" Weld Racing RT-S S71 forged aluminum wheels wrapped in BFGoodrich Rival S tires (275/35 front; 315/30 rear). Detroit Speed mini tubs provide the clearance for that extra-meaty rolling stock out back, and up front, Al rows his own gears via the Tremec TKO 5-speed transmission. It’s a combination that took more than 20 years to perfect, but Old Red can now cover the quarter-mile in 11-seconds, autocross, lap the track, and pull commuter duty without so much as adjusting the radio station. “Maybe with drag radials or perhaps full slicks, the car would go deeper into the 11’s, but I’m lazy and changing tires is a ton of work!” Al jokes.

However, in June of 2017, those 20 years of progress came to an abrupt halt. On Al’s way home from the office, Old Red was rear ended by a distracted driver. It was almost a total loss. “I got out of the car in a state of shock,” he recalls. “The car I had owned for 20 years was racked up really badly. The quarters were buckled, the wheelhouses were torn like a pop can, the rear bumper was destroyed—basically, everything behind the front seats needed to be cut out and replaced.”

Heartbroken, Al brought the car to Smitty’s Custom Auto, in Tiffin, Ohio, where his good friend Chris Smith began the lengthy process of rebuilding Old Red. “The car that I had driven more than 30,000 miles, done tons of autocrosses, open track events, drag races, and muscle car shootouts was nearly destroyed,” Al explains. “It was the car we’d take to baseball practice when the weather was nice, to school, car shows, you name it—not to mention all the friendships I made along the way. I had to fix it, and not waiver in my goal of making it even better every year.”

While Chris and his team were working hard to restore the 50-year-old Camaro to better-than-new condition, you better believe that Al took the opportunity to treat Old Red to several upgrades along the way. When it returns to the streets this fall, look for a smoothed firewall, carbon fiber hood, GearFX differential, and Baer six-piston brakes up front, plus a shiny new set of Forgeline wheels all the way around to clear those massive new stoppers. “Old Red will be back soon, better than ever!” says Al. “ I’m looking forward to putting on thousands more miles, and attending a ton of autocrosses, track days, and drag races, as soon as possible.”

With Summit Racing’s huge selection and legendary customer service, we’re ready to help you every step of the way with your LS swap. (And if things don’t go according to plan, we’ll get you back on the road with a complete selection of factory-quality rebuild parts.) “We have an incredible team of knowledgeable, passionate enthusiasts at Summit, who work extremely hard to help our customers’ projects go as smoothly as possible,” says Noe. “We’re so much more than just a parts warehouse—we have the people and support to ensure your project is a success.”

FAST SPECS

1967 Camaro RS/SS
Al Noe • Summit Racing Equipment

Chassis
Suspension: Detroit Speed Hydroformed subframe, subframe connectors, body mount bushings, LS engine mount kit; RideTech 4-Link rear suspension system, AFCO coilover shocks
Brakes: Baer Brakes Baer Claw Pro+ front disc brake system, custom rear disc brake system
Wheels and Tires: Weld Racing RT-S S71 forged aluminum wheels (18" x 10" front, 18" x 11" rear); BFGoodrich g-Force Rival S tires (275/35R18 front; 315/30R18 rear)

Engine & Transmission
Engine: BluePrint Engines Pro Series Chevy LS 427 c.i.d. short block, Trick Flow® GenX® cylinder heads and hydraulic roller cam, Chevrolet Performance LS3 manifold, Aeromotive billet fuel rails
Transmission: American Powertrain Tremec TKO 600 transmission, QuickTime Bellhousing, ACT Heavy-Duty twin disc clutch kit, American Powertrain X-Factor crossmember
Driveline: Currie 9” rear end housing with GearFX center section, Eaton TrueTrac differential

Other Items
Detroit Speed Mini-Tubs, Vintage Air Gen-IV SureFit system

Special Thanks:
My wife Lisa, and my kids, Allie, Daniel, and Michael for their support
My Friends: Mark Hamel, Brian Downard, Rick Gilbert, Ryan Pietrowski, Dale Ollie, Tom Long, Steve Butler, Brian Nutter, Erik Johnson, Mark Stielow, Danny Popp, Larry Woo, Lance Mallet
Chris and the crew at Smitty’s Custom Auto
Dan Tesar and Larry Brunkala at Precision Hot Rods
Hagerty Insurance