I am the proud owner of a 99 ss camaro. I have had it five years and never had problems till now. I know i need a new vaccum line is problem1 and the next is the tranny. I put a dual friction centerforce in it a year or so ago and the shop didnt change the master or slave cylender. It has now become rediculous to shift the car. I also had a billet fly wheel put in. What should I do to correct this problem. The centerforce has never slipped but I know that they arent the greatest. Is one of the cylenders m y problem? The car is stock except for a n.o.s. dry kit with 100 jets, a set of 3.73s and a cutout. I am wanting to start building at about a grand at a time what would be the best first and then so on remembering I only have the means to spend a grand or so every couple months. Ultimately Id like to have 500 hp at the wheels with no power adder. And then there is the question of going to an automatic with a stall and I know Im gunna need a reaend with that much to the tires. ALL help would be appreciated. I want the biggest bang for the buck each time. And im gunna need the suspension to hold it! Thanks! the best pass so far on the car was 12.74 spinnin through the 1st two gears.

 

The stock hydraulic systems suck on these cars. The best bet is to look up the "drill mod" for the master cylinder. You probably don't have enough pressure to shift the car under hard acceleration.

http://www.installuniversity.com/ins...r_cylinder.htm

 

Well, to start, I'd focus on fixing the problems before tackling more power. The 500rwhp target is going to be a tall task without a power adder (that includes the spray). As for the CFDF clutch, yes it's a problem because it's chewing up your slave cylinder. I had one on my '99 and so did the GMPP car that they did the LS7 swap last year. I know I had a hard time getting it into second and third when shifting up in the higher RPMs. The problem is the design. When the motor (and clutch) is spinning, there are weights on the clutch diaphram that add additional clamping force. This would work great if we had a fully mechanical clutch assembly. However, we have a hydraulic system that isn't strong enough to fully disengage the clutch at higher RPM's - especially the '99s before the upgraded the hydraulics. That being said, get the vacuum line and clutch issue resolved with the first chunk of cash.

Then, I'd start focusing on supporting mods. Things like suspension (subframe connectors, LCA's, etc.), bolt-ons (lid, headers, exhaust or cutouts, etc.) and drivetrain (10-bolts only last so long when you drive hardcore). As your doing that, you should have ample time to research head & cam options and learn what makes power where.

I'm a believer of building your foundation first. The guy I bought my car from wasn't. Because of that, I can't drive my car to it's full potential without the fear that something will break. So, I say work on that first and stop back in a few months to see where to go next.

 

You won't get 500rwhp N/A in steps of $1000 because you will need to spend about $3000 on a nice short-block. Before anyone chimes in that there have been heads/cam packages making 500+, ask yourself how legitimate and streetable they are.
Honestly, I'd fix the existing issues first, then do all the bolt-ons (with an eye towards future power potential), then do a cam, then a 12-bolt, then heads and if you are still hungry hit it with 100shot you already have...