Stuff is starting to arrive! Just got the RPM transmission and differential. I’m excited to upgrade my car from the T-56 to the 6060. These two parts from RPM should both be good for up to 1000rwhp.
Posted by Cam, July 17, 2012
Category Archives: Cam’s 2007 Corvette
Boostless is Useless…
So the other night I was driving along and I thought to myself, “Boy, my car sure is slow tonight.” I didn’t give it the attention it deserved because I was listening to the New Linkin Park album Living Things (I highly recommend it, by the way). Anyway, at some point I noticed that the car didn’t just feel slow, it was slow. I had zero boost!
I’m sort of a worst case scenario guy. Even though I hoped it was going to be something simple – like a hose that had come off – my mind ran amok with all kinds of dooms day possibilities. I parked the car on Saturday night and didn’t have a chance to look at it until Sunday evening.
Anyway, it did end up being something super simple- just a hose that had been pulled off (it was just like this when I jacked the car up). The clamp was gone and the hose was pretty scraped up. I have no idea when this happened. The clamp in the second picture is from the hose on the other side. It was nearly ground off. I cleaned everything up, replaced the clamps, and took it out for a text drive.
So much better! I think that the hose may have been leaking for awhile – even back when I got my dyno at Premier. I’m going to take it back up and dyno it again so see how much power I was missing. Anyway, simple solution. I’m happy about that.
Posted by Cam, July 9th
Ah… No Respect
I came out of a store the other day and found this. Someone had sloshed something onto my Vette. Not sure what it was – maybe some kind of juice. I don’t know what the thinking was behind this, but it’s not right to mess with another person’s property.
The car was fairly dirty, so I went and cleaned it. The juice washed right off, so it wasn’t the end of the world. I guess I should be glad my car didn’t get keyed.
Posted by Cam
Baseline Dyno w/ Premier Performance
So the first step in this project was to get a baseline dyno from the shop where the car will be tuned. On Friday I took the car up to Premier. I had the opportunity to meet Brock and Heath and see the shop- great guys with a great setup.
We put the car on the Dyno and did a couple of pulls and the numbers came back around 600rwhp which seemed too low (it appeared that the boost controller & meth might not have been coming on initially). Heath let the car cool down and bit and then we did a run where we verified the car was using the meth tune.
On the best run the Vette put down 635rwhp. Better than before, but still way less than I was expecting (or had gotten using other Dynos). There are lots of factors to consider (heat, air quality, bigger alternator, car’s mood, etc), but truthfully 635 feels more correct to me. On the quarter I trap at 121mph and run a low 12’s. And in, ah… other venues similar horsepower cars and I are about the same speed (similar hp assuming my car is actually closer to 635rwhp).
Anyway- lower numbers are always disappointing, but it would explain a lot of things. And hey, the lower I start the higher I have to to go, right? Next step… sit here on my butt and wait for things to start showing up.
The 1000RWHP Quest, The Build & The Players
The time has come for a serious project. I’m on a quest for 1000 rear wheel horsepower! That’s right, ladies & gentlemen, 700 horses to the rear wheels just isn’t enough anymore. I’ve got the items ordered and hope to do the install & tuning in late July. Here’s what I’m doing:
Engine: I’m having a new engine built by LME. They speced out a 427 LSX based engine specifically designed for forced induction and capable of rock solid performance at 1200rwhp. You can check out some of the engine specs below. While the engine is out I’m going to get the headers ceramic coated and stream clean the engine bay. That will feel soooo good.
Transmission: I’m going to do a transmission swap and upgrade the stock T-56 with an RPM level VII TR6060 (should be good for 1000 ft/lbs torque). I want to stick w/ a manual 6 speed and this seems like best option.
Differential: For the rear end I’m going with the C6 Z06 RPM Level III w/ a Quaife differential and the stock gear ratios. I’m also going to upgrade the drive shaft & axles.
Boost Controller: I think I’m going to go with the AMS-1000. Looks like it can do everything I need and then some.
Suspension: In order to get more power to the ground I’m planning to upgrade the suspension as well. I think I’ll go with something from PFADT.
Clutch: Unfortunately my ACT clutch isn’t going to hold the power I intend to make so I’ll have to find an upgrade. No idea what kind I’ll get yet. It needs to hold a lot of power but still be streetable.
Forced Induction & Fuel: I’m going to stick w/ my APS kit for the time being. I’m going to try and max it out and see where we get. If I end up needing to I’ll upgrade the fuel system and put in larger turbos, but that may be a 2013 project.
My goal with this project is to be as personally involved as possible (and do as much work as possible myself). I’m having Vince over at Lung Automotive do the install (he’s going to love having me over at his shop all day “helping”). Vince has been instrumental in assisting me with picking parts, getting things ordered and destroying my comfort zone. Per several recommendations I’ll have the testing and tuning done by Premier Performance.
So why the upgrades? Believe it or not out of the people I know (and sometimes drive around with) I’m the slowest guy! Last year Rob raced his 1200rwhp Underground Racing modified Lamborghini at RMR and it was inspiring. And seeing his 10 second pass made me want a 10 second pass too. And I get what I want 😉
Anyway, really excited about this project. Parts are ordered and now I just have to sit back and wait. Once everything is here it will probably take a couple of weeks to get things swapped out, installed and ready to go. I’ll post all of the progress here on the blog as things unfold!
Engine Specs:
427″ LSX/LS7 Twin Turbo Engine Build w/ 9.8-10:0:1 Compression for 1200+ RWHP
+ Balance, blueprint & assemble shortblock: fully deburr block, line hone block w/ ARP main studs deck, deck block to desired deck height w/ BHJ deck true fixture, bore block on 3 axis CNC, hone block w/ torque plates, balance crankshaft to 1/4 oz. in. tolerance, hang pistons on rods, check bearing clearances, file fit rings, assemble shortblock.
+ Assemble longblock & dyno test engine: degree cam, check piston to valve clearance, adjust valve train geometry & lifter pre load, install oil pump & heads.
+ GM Bow Tie LSX race block. Features: priority main oiling, billet main caps, increased cylinder wall & deck thickness, 6 bolts per cylinder (for added improved head gasket sealing). Block comes w/ cam plate, rear cover, all plugs & dowel pins.
+ Callies Dragon Slayer 4340 forged 4.0″ stroke crankshaft 58X-LS7 long post w/ indexed & trued journals.
+ Callies Ultra Billet 6.125″ H beam rods w/ ARP 2000 7/16 bolts (good to 1500 RWHP turbo applications).
+ Wiseco forged turbo duty pistons w/ tool steel wrist pins & anti friction coating on skirts: Includes stainless chrome top ring (for high heat applications), napier 2nd (improved oil control), 3mm oil rings (reduced friction & improved oil control).
+ Upgraded tool steel wrist pins .210″ wall thickness.
+ Clevite MS 2199 H mains, Clevite CB 663 H rods, Dura Bond CH-23 cam bearnnings
+ ARP Pro Series 12pt. main stud kit.
+ GM LS7X LS7 6 bolt CNC ported cylinder heads. Parts: REV titanium 2.200″ intake valves, REV Inconell exhaust valves (for high heat applications), PAC dual hyd. roller valve springs (good to .675″ life), titanium retainers, machined locks, machined locators, Viton valve seals-Heads flow 400+ CFM.
+ Cam Motion custom LSX turbo camshaft
+ Cloyes LS7 4x single roller w/ extended crank drive for dry sumpt oil pump.
+ Morel tie bar high RPM hyd. roller lifters.
+ Manly one piece chhromoly 3/8″ x 7.8xx x .120″ wall LS7
+ ARP 2000 Pro Series 12 pt. head studs for LSX 6 bolt block (offers 40% more clamping force than the standard ARP 8740 chromoly material).
+ GM LS7 oil pump ported w/ thicker scavenge G rotar for 30% increase in scavenge side flow. Pump also has a billet front cover to accept the thicker gear.
New Corvette Floor Mats by Lloyd Mats
I recently got a set of Lloyd Mats for my Camaro– really happy with them! So, I decided to get a set for my Vette too. Tthe driver-side mat was in pretty bad shape and years ago I had quickly cut the old trunk mat to fit around my sub & amps and the sloppy job had bothered me ever since.
I picked black for the new mats. After reading that the Lloyd ebony mats weren’t a good color match I decided black would be a nice accent. When I pulled the old mats out I was actually surprised to discover that the old driver and passenger mats were black and that they didn’t match the old trunk mat. Huh. Never noticed that. The new front mats look just like the old one and went in without a hitch. But the new trunk mat was going to need some work. And this time I was determined to do it right.
I tried to be extra careful, measuring things so many times that it made me crazy. You need to cut carpet like this just a touch too big do you can tuck it against the other carpet so it appears to be seamless.
This is so much better. Now it looks like someone cared.
Before & After. The colors on the pictures are somewhat messed up. In real life the mat on the left is ebony with a hint of olive green and the mat on the right is a nice solid black. The iPhone camera seems to have some consistency problems when photographing different shades of black.
Anyway- one more cosmetic issue resolved. In fact, cosmetically I’m really happy with the car. I do think I might put on a ZR1 spoiler though.
Posted by Cam, July 15, 2012
Do You See What I See?
You probably don’t see anything in the first picture (which is the point)… But in the second picture (a close-up) you can see the line of my Corvette’s new ClearBra.
In order to preserve my car’s paint (Utah roads are not particularly kind to cars) I had Tint & ClearBra Specialists in Midvale put on their most extensive package (front bumper,headlights, half hood, front fenders, rocker panels, side mirrors and rear fenders). They also did a color wash (the ClearBra was put over it) to make sure everything looked immaculate.
I’ve had it for a few months now. It looks really nice and was very well installed. Except for one small corner that had an issue when I washed the car, it’s stayed in place just fine (I guess you’re not supposed to powerwash them). And the other day I was really happy to have it when I drove over a pile of tar covered gravel that someone was nice enough to leave in the road. Not a cheap accessory, but it’s good peace of mind.
Yep, I feel like I have to document everything. It’s like some kind of disease.
Posted by Cam, Jun 14, 2012
Mini Sports Cars – The Smorvette
As we were heading back to our car after lunch I noticed a Smart Car in the parking lot. I knew they were small, but seeing one sitting there with a person in it made the car seem more like a go-kart (I might have been so amused that I took a picture). Anyway, it reminded me of an email that my Dad sent with photos of shrunk cars (it was a “is this the future if gas prices keep rising” email).
Smorvette : Mini Corvette
Smamborghini: Mini Lamborgini
Smorsche: Mini Porsche
Smerrari: Mini Ferrari
Smamaro: Mini Camaro
This last picture was not in my Dad’s email. I thought the mini cars were cool and went looking for a shrunk Camaro. Since I could’t find one I made my own. If you’re curious, this picture is what I started with and no, I don’t think I’m a Photoshop god.
Personally, I don’t think I’d drive a mini. Sometimes when I end up behind a hybrid car I think “Ha ha! I’m driving behind you undoing all your planet saving.”