This is Miller’s Camaro at about 75% complete.

Nineteen-eighty was a year of economic struggles, a peanut farmer for a president, and the year your author was born. Exciting stuff, indeed, but nothing was worse than the “image cars” that the Big Three were turning out that model year. The only cars putting out over 200 horsepower were the L82 Corvettes (230 HP), and the Turbo Firebird Formula & Trans Am (210 HP), from a 4 BBL 301 Pontiac V8.

Everything else fell somewhere below the 200 mark, including the Camaro Z28 – even with a 350 cubic inch V8. Dark times, indeed, but that didn’t keep enthusiasts from building them over the years, typically with hopped-up versions of SBC. As time went on, we started seeing more modern and technically advanced powerplants under their scooped hoods.

Now we have the LS-series of engines at our disposal, and enthusiasts like Brian Miller and his father are building yesteryear’s image cars into today’s hottest street machines. Using a 5.3L alloy powerplant pulled from a 2004 Tahoe, Miller installed a set of 4.8L flat-top pistons, an LS6 intake, camshaft, valvesprings, and ported oil pump.

An LQ4 donated its cylinder heads, while COMP Cams pushrods, Edelbrock long-tube headers, and Magnaflow mufflers round out the engine modifications – resulting in 311 RWHP and 297 pound feet of torque – running on 87 octane fuel! The former truck motor is backed by a 4th-Gen 4L60E, a 2000 RPM stall converter, and a factory GM 10-bolt with 3.42 gears.

This Camaro shows what can be done when ’70s style meets ’90s technology, coming together to create the ultimate street machine for 2013. You can follow along with the build of Miller’s Z28, by heading over to the Lateral-G.net message forums, and see the car take shape with detailed photos and information.