When you read about a stick-shift car setting a new record in drag racing, it’s never a surprise that the car has a TREMEC transmission. Alan Morgan recently put his name in the record books with his Magnum 6-speed–equipped 2000 Chevy Camaro, running a 5.42 e.t. at 130 mph in the 1/8-mile on nitrous.
LSX Magazine featured Alan’s car in a video, which you can watch here to see all the details of the record run and the Camaro itself. We got a chance to talk with Alan, including why he went with the Magnum 6-speed and the details of his fourth-gen F-body.
When did you get this TREMEC-equipped car?
In the summer of 2015.
What’s this car’s story? Single-owner, basket case, what have you done to it, etc.
In January 2015, my best friend, Andy Anderson, and I were in an accident in his 2000 Camaro SS. Andy passed away as a result of the crash. We took that car to every stick race we could in our area. After dealing with losing my best friend and needing to find an outlet to grieve, that summer I came across the exact car on Facebook Marketplace that we had talked about building before the accident: a pewter, hardtop base-model car. I drove from North Carolina to the Gulf Coast of Florida and picked it up.
After 18 months of building the car, I took it to the GM dealership I worked at to have the carbon roof and hood painted. Ran the VIN to get the paint code and just for kicks I checked the build date. It was October 20, 1999, which had been Andy’s 14th birthday. During the build, and again on Facebook Marketplace, I came across the man that bought Andy’s wrecked Camaro at auction and bought every good piece that was left of the car from him: engine, shifter, dedicated fuel system, nitrous system—even a fender that I now have hanging in my garage.
Since then, I went to a dry nitrous system and upgraded to the LS3-based 416, but the shifter and purge valve off his car are still in mine. The car has and still serves its purpose for me; it’s how I’ve dealt with one of the biggest losses of my life and made it through some very dark times, while also gave me a chance to do something that was at the top of my bucket list, to build a race car with my dad.
Where did you buy your TREMEC transmission?
Tick Performance in Mount Airy, North Carolina. Jonathan Atkins helped me select the right Magnum 6-speed setup.
Why did you choose a TREMEC transmission?
The Camaro’s build started out as a real street car with a lot of horsepower. You can’t beat a Magnum 6-speed for real-world street use and having a good bit of power.
What do you like most about the TREMEC transmission you chose?
Strength. The torque-handling capacity while still having silky-smooth shifts of the Magnum are great. It has taken a beating and never given me an issue.
What does the TREMEC transmission allow you to do that you couldn’t before?
All of my manual-transmission vehicles have had TREMEC transmissions, so I can’t really answer this question: I started out with the best in all of my vehicles! I’ve owned a couple other F-body cars with T-56s and a pair of C5 Corvette Z06s with them, and a truck I’m building has a Magnum 6-speed.
What modifications did you make to install your TREMEC transmission?
Not a thing. Since the fourth-gen F-body cars originally came from the factory with TREMEC T-56 6-speeds, the Magnum 6-speed fit inside the tunnel perfectly.
What modifications have you made to this vehicle?
It has a 416 cubic-inch LS motor with cathedral-port Trick Flow Specialties cylinder heads, Cam Motion LLR low-lash solid-roller camshaft, Holley EFI and fuel system, Induction Solutions fogger system and complete Midwest Chassis suspension.
What kind of driving do you enjoy with the car, such as autocrossing, cross-country drives, drag racing, track days and so on?
I like any kind of driving, which is where a TREMEC Magnum shines, in my opinion.
What future mods/upgrades do you have planned for your Camaro?
Would like to step up to a more serious engine, to keep chipping away at the e.t.’s to push the record even lower! There’s a lot of competition out there in the stick-shift world; no one sits back after breaking a record. They’re already working on breaking it again.