Regardless which style of hopped-up V-8 you’re packing underhood, the most important part of linking it all to the street lies in your controls. Once you’ve hit the starter, it’s all business in trying to channel every bit of that hard-earned horsepower once the wheels are turning. Sure, bone-stock parts always do their job but in the world of performance technology, there’s always a better way to raise the bar to the next level. When addressing the heartbeat of your classic Chevy, upgrading your steering, shifting, and pedals just makes great sense, seeing they’ll get quite a workout from street to strip and everywhere in between.
Pat O’Brien, of Procision Industries, started by adding a set of fresh pedal pads to the new brake and clutch pedal assembly from Classic Industries (PN KW327).
The 1971 Camaro laid out across our pages has become a familiar sight to regular readers of All Chevy Performance over the years. It’s been transformed from that of a bare shell with us covering all facets of the build, from suspension and brakes to its LS driveline, cooling, exhaust, sheetmetal, wiring, and even insulation. With all of the modifications fused into its resurrection, it was a perfect time to look deep into the business office to see the best way to upgrade its control systems with products from industry-leading manufacturers. Having a wicked 5.3L LC9 LS V-8 now residing between the framerails linked to a T56 six-speed manual transmission, it’s time to get the car ready for action.
To prepare the pedal assembly for installation, first remove the pivot bolt along with the sleeves and nylon bushings. Follow by lubricating the sleeves with white lithium grease.
On a recent visit, we followed up at Procision Industries in Taunton, Massachusetts, where shop owner Pat O’Brien was preparing to move forward by taking on this very subject. Faced with a blank canvas, he opted to start with selecting a new steering system that would link perfectly with the updated suspension and brakes. A call to Flaming River got it started with one of their Direct-Fit Tilt Columns for the 1970-78 Camaro, featuring an integrated GM-coded key assembly in the column. Available in three finish choices, it offers a GM 4¼-inch wiring connector as well as an OEM-style dash mounting bracket. A billet aluminum column dress-up kit is also included, which is a perfect accent in completing the column with one of their exclusively designed steering wheels.
Next, lubricate the inner pedal sleeves with white lithium grease.
For this application, O’Brien selected a 14-inch Muscle “Tuff” Series steering wheel in hand-stitched Italian black leather, complete with polished 9-bolt wheel adapter and horn button. To link it all to the street through the factory steering box, we opted for Flaming River’s Lower Vibration Resistor U-Joint featuring thermoplastic rubber to absorb road feel-type vibration matched to their CNC-machined from aircraft steel upper Billet-Joint universal joint with a sealed needle bearing design. It’s all linked together through their Slip-Shaft, adjustable steering shaft with a 1-inch DD shaft, ¾-inch DD shaft, and protective bellows allowing for a flawless installation.
Reassemble by inserting the sleeves followed by the nylon bushings for each individual pedal.
When it comes to addressing the final elements—the pedals and shifting—we went with a winning combination from Classic Industries, GM, and Hurst. A fresh set of pedals from Classic Industries deftly matched to a C5 Corvette accelerator pedal assembly with an electric pedal adapter from Detroit Speed & Engineering can handle anything the rowdy LS can dish out. Delivering the goods through the upgraded T56 trans was a job best delivered by a Hurst Billet/Plus shifter incorporating a high-ratio pivot mechanism for reduced shifter throw by 30 percent.
Prepare the pedals for installation to the support bracket by first aligning the individual clutch and brake master cylinder pushrods to the pedal mounting holes.
Their patented adjustable bias spring loads allow stick tension to be tailored to the driver’s preferences along with self-centering alignment for improved shifts. For a custom touch, a Clayton Machine Works 8-inch truss-style shift arm, machined from billet aluminum, with a 30-degree kickback designed to fit a standard 2-bolt flange grabs gears topped by a Lokar 2-inch black anodized aluminum shift knob. To complete the installation, Classic Industries supplied an OER reproduction manual transmission center console, gearshift boot and retainer plate.
Next, reinstall the pivot bolt to the assembly and secure in place using a 5/8-inch wrench and socket to mount the pedals.Complete the mounting of the clutch and brake pedals to their respective master cylinder units using factory hardware and we are ready for action.To prepare the Flaming River Direct Fit tilt column (PN FR30015BK) for installation of their Swivel Floor Mount (PN FR20101CA), first remove the output shaft retaining plate.With the Swivel Floor Mount on the column base, replace the output shaft retaining plate and secure in place. Leave the Swivel Floor Mount loose to adjust for final fitment once the column is installed in place.Secure the original factory upper column mount to the new Flaming River tilt column using a 13mm wrench and (four) boltsSlide the column into place and loosely secure to the upper support bracket using the hardware from the AMK Products Master Interior Fastener Kit.With a fresh steering column firewall seal in place, secure the swivel floor mount to the firewall using 3/8-inch bolts from AMK. Follow by final tightening all upper and lower mounting bolts.Install the GM C5 Corvette accelerator pedal assembly (PN 19417903) in place with Detroit Speed electronic pedal adapter to the firewall.Here you can see the completed install of the new Flaming River tilt column and pedal set.Upgrading the steering underhood started with installing a Flaming River Lower Vibration Resistor U-joint (PN FR1898) to the factory steering gearbox.We followed by installing a Flaming River Billet-Joint (PN FR1710DD) upper universal joint to the steering column and secured in place.Measure the dimension required for the installation of the Flaming River Slip-Shaft steering shaft upgrade (PN FR1856-S).Mark and prepare to cut the shaft to the required length.The Slip-Shaft made installation of the steering shaft a snap and will definitely be a solid upgrade to the system.Since the Camaro will be running a T56 six-speed manual, O’Brien prepared the transmission for the shifter upgrade by first removing the factory shifter assembly. At this time remove any old gasket material and clean the mounting surface. Then, inspect the plastic cup bushing and replace if worn.After applying RTV or a similar sealant between the shifter mounting base and the transmission, install the Hurst Billet/Plus shifter (PN 3915060) making sure the ball on the stick bottom fits properly into the plastic cup bushing.Fasten the Billet/Plus shifter to the transmission using the supplied hex bolts and flat washers, tighten evenly. Do not use the original factory bolts. Follow by testing the shifter through the entire gear pattern, making sure to engage each gear fully and that the stick moves freely from side to side in the neutral position.Install the OER upper gearshift boot and retainer plate (PNs 3973966 and 3973970) with hardware from AMK.For gear grabbing, a Clayton Machine Works truss-style 8-inch shift arm was added.In preparing the new OER console from Classic Industries for installation, secure the manual transmission console shift tunnel (PN 3973964) to the console shift plate (PN 3991787) with speed nuts from AMK.First, secure the OER center console (PN 397598) to the factory floor mounting brackets followed by adding the completed tunnel and shift plate using chrome hardware from AMK.Complete the shifter by spinning on a Lokar 2-inch black anodized aluminum shift knob (PN SK-6930) for the ultimate in control.Install the Flaming River Billet Aluminum Dress-Up Kit (PN FR20112BK), which includes turn signal, tilt lever, and hazard knob.Next, add the Flaming River polished aluminum 9-bolt steering wheel adapter (PN FR20113). Make sure to pull the horn wire though the adapter prior to tightening.Install the Flaming River 14-inch Muscle-Tuff Series steering wheel (PN FR20174KT) using the provided hardware.The final step is adding the Flaming River horn button to complete the job.The installation looks factory fresh with a twist, making sure all the controls on the Camaro are ready for action.
Let’s follow along as Procision Industries makes all the updates.
