2000 Pontiac Trans Am WS6 - Cam-Only Rocket

In the heyday of the musclecar, Goats and Birds equipped with Ram Air powerplants literally flew off the dealer lots and onto dragstrips and street-racing venues across the country. Tuners and hobbyists alike routinely messaged the cylinder heads to raise compression, installed a lumpy 31/44 racing cam, and bolted on a set of headers and performance mufflers to extract every ounce of the engine's potential.

The decade and technology may have changed, but hobbyists continue to employ the same tried-and-true tricks. An example is James Drumm of Lewisville, Texas, and his '00 WS6 T/A. With 450 rwhp and show-quality paint and detailing, this T/A is an accurate representation of what can be accomplished with careful research and a commitment to detail.

According to James, "My father instilled the love of sports cars in me at an early age and reveled in test driving the hottest factory offerings. When I was approaching 16, we shopped around for an F-body, and my heart was set on a '96 Camaro Z28. Ultimately, there was no way to afford the car, but dad surprised me by purchasing an immaculate, black '87 IROC-Z four days after my birthday. I instantly fell in love and drove the car believing it was fast and great-looking to boot.

"Around 1998, I stopped at a light beside a black '98 WS6 T/A. When the light turned green, I got a slight jump on him, but not for long. He powered past me, taillights receding into the clear night. I was envious-the T/A was so explosive. It reminded me of the Pontiac commercials where the black T/A eats the car at a red light. I knew at that time that I would own one, but it wasn't until 2003 when I was able to complete college and achieve some financial stability that I could begin the hunt for the car.

"In October of 2003-almost one month into a search for a well-maintained T/A that would fit my budget-I happened upon a local eBay listing for a Navy Blue Metallic '00 WS6 model. After e-mailing the owner, he graciously agreed to allow me and my father to see the car in person. As soon as the Pontiac was fired up and backed out of his garage, I knew this was the one for me. The combination of the gorgeous Navy Blue paint and the chrome ROH rims entranced me. It took almost a full month to work out all of the paperwork, but the night that I finally picked up the T/A was special-this was the first vehicle that I had purchased on my own."

Engine And Drivetrain
Although it was mostly original except for the wheels and an after-cat exhaust, the owner had blown up the stock 5.7L engine and replaced it with a slightly used factory 6.0 engine featuring an iron block.

"In large part, the car was being sold in order to pay the debts incurred in completing the repairs," according to James. "After driving it stock for a while, the initial changes to the engine included the normal LS1 bolt-on items such as a Whisper lid, a K&N air filter, and a ported Shaner S3 throttle body. Things changed dramatically when I upgraded the LS1 intake manifold to a better-flowing LS6. After installing a used LS6 manifold, which I painted metallic silver to match the air lid, the engine developed a miss.

The car was transported to Real Performance Motorsports (RPM) where it was discovered that the back of the manifold was cracked, allowing air to enter the rear runners and ultimately causing cylinders No. 5 and 7 to lean out and eat their respective pistons. With the engine needing repair, I consulted with Brian and Keith Lohse regarding upgrades to maximize the horsepower on a budget. As RPM had completed several F-bodies in 'cam-only' configuration that put out close to 450 rwhp, that became the goal."

To that end, the cylinder heads were removed and sent to CNC Cylinder Heads of Pinellas Park, Florida, for reworking. By angle-milling the heads 0.050, compression was raised from the stock 9.5:1 up to 10.5:1. Stock 2.00/1.55 valves were removed, and CNC performed a multi-angle valve job, leaving the runners and combustion chambers stock.