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2003 C5 Z06
The prior setup on the car was a NA 402 LS2 making about 540rwhp. It ran 155mph in the WannaGoFast ½ Mile in Clayton, GA this past May. Some goodies in the previous setup were a Mamo ported FAST 102, NW 102 TB, Kooks 1 7/8 headers, TrickFlow 235s, Pat G cam, Monster 3 clutch, Tick Adjustable Master, Built trans/diff and some suspension upgrades since it's technically a Mallett Hammer Z06
I decided to finally go with a FI setup and a friend of mine persuaded me to go twin turbo as opposed to a supercharged setup. I ultimately decided on the UPP kit. This will be a completely new build for this car so it’s not just adding the UPP kit and being done.
I started out by moving away from the aluminum LS2 block to an iron block (LQ9). The new block is fitted with a Callies 5140 3.825” stroke crank (390 cubic inches), Callies 6.125 H beam rods, CP -15cc pistons, ARP main studs and ARP 2000 rod bolts.
I will reuse the cylinder heads from the prior setup which are CNC TrickFlow 235s. I had a machine shop clean them up, replace the bronze valve guides, do a valve job, and install a fresh set of dual valve springs (.650 lift, 140lbs @ 1.8 closed, 385 @ 1.15 open). I will run LS9 head gaskets with ARP head studs.
The cam is custom spec’d by Pat G. He has spec’d all of my cams in the past and I have been 100% pleased so I decided not to stray from that logic and had him spec a cam for this setup. The cam is very mild with 0 degrees overlap so I’m hoping for some nice drivability.
Other new items on the motor include a Melling 10295 oil pump, C5R timing chain, Trick flow timing chain dampener kit, ATI 917246 Super Dampener with ARP Crank Bolt, Lunati link-bar lifters (same as Morel 5206) and BR7EF spark plugs. I will carry over a few items from the previous motor including Jesel Sportsman Shaft Mount Rocker Arms, LS2 water pump, Katch manual belt tensioner. I will also go back with stock exhaust manifolds, stock LS6 intake/throttle body for the new setup.
The turbo kit is the UPP kit with upgraded 6182R turbos and 96lb injectors. I will run an Alky Control dual nozzle methanol injection kit (mounts a methanol tank in the trunk due placement of turbos in the fenders).
The car already has a built m12 transmission, RPM stage 3 diff with DTE brace, Pfadt motor mounts and diff mount. Some additions to this will be a DSS Carbon fiber driveshaft (eliminated couplers), Mantic 9000 Twin Disc, new GM Master and Slave cylinder, and new bearings in the torque tube.
Other items include an eBoost2 boost controller, vacuum distribution block to run all vacuum lines off the brake booster, Mighty Mouse catch can setup and 3 bar map sensor.
What power will it make? 1000rwhp? We will see.
So far I have already removed all of the parts from the previous setup that I will not be reusing. The new short block is in the car, the cylinder heads are on, exhaust manifolds are on and front accessories are back on. The front fenders and front bumper have been removed for the turbo install.
Ill try to only cover what pertains to the UPP install in this thread.
To start with, I have watched the C6 install video about 437,342,847 times so I think I can handle this.
START
First thing is to pop the trunk so we can access that area for the battery relocation BEFORE disconnecting the battery. Then remove the battery. Go ahead and remove the front bumper and then the front fenders. I will say that the guy in the UPP video did it in 16-17 minutes on the C6...it took me about an hour thanks to all the hidden 7mm bolts. There is a thread on the forum with detailed pictures of how to remove the fenders which was very helpful...props to that guy! Now we need to relocate the ECU on the passenger side to where the battery used to be.
Remove the plastic battery tray via (4) 13mm bolts and toss that away. Now the C5 has a lot of crap behind the fender as opposed to the C6. I actually broke the plastic mount for the ECU when I was taking it off but its no big deal. You can see the before and after pictures below. I moved the ECU, the black thing with the vacuum lines and the sensor on the top. All of this is now shoved into the area where the battery used to sit. I will make it look all neat and pretty later on. I also removed that plastic shield around the battery compartment for the time being so it was easier to work in that area.
Before
After
This is as far as I have made it this weekend with the other changes to car going on. I also had to make a trip to Home Depot for a cutting disc for the next step of the install.
Here is a final picture of how the car currently sits (LQ9 390 with TF235s installed)
Last edited by Black8Banger; 06-27-2016 at 11:02 AM.
I just finished up a LS2 C6 with the base UPP kit. 100% stock car (minus twin disc clutch) bolted on turbos and meth kit. Made 713/702 on 12.5 psi through C6Z stock exhaust.
What are you going to use for your positive battery cable after relocating battery to the trunk?
I relocated the battery to the trunk on my C6 and used a pair of jumper cables. Can be what ever quality/cost you want to spend. Way cheaper than buying the cables from GM and worked just as well.
I've got a 20ft run of 0 gauge wire laying here if you need something for the relocation. I plan on relocating mine as well, but I have to focus on getting the new motor in the car and running lol.
Single hinson setup going on as we speak, I thought about doing a build thread, but I am afraid I would be to lazy.
I ran 1/0 for all my power and grounds, I hate voltage loss issues.
I just did the same. Ran my positive 1/0 out the passenger side cubby and through the rocker panel to a post on the frame rail where the battery used to be. Than ran my 1/0 ground out the bottom of the trunk to the frame rail. 1/0 ground from engine to frame rail in engine bay as well.
Updated:
So I haven't done much on this build in the past few weeks. I found out the plant I work at will be closing operations in the next few months so finding a new job has taken my focus. Its also been at least 95-100 degrees in my garage the past few weeks so it makes it miserable to work.
I did get some work done early this morning. My task related to the turbo build itself was to make the relief cuts in the lip of the frame and bend the tabs back to clear for the turbo piping. I ended up using a side grinder with a cutting wheel to make the cuts and then a torch to heat the tabs before using a small sledge hammer to fold the tabs up. I work(ed) in a chemical manufacturing plant so safety is always a top priority on my list when doing things. It may be overkill but I opted to wear a face shield and googles for this task. I highly recommend the face shield and goggles for this task if you are laying in awkward positions under the car.
I've got a 20ft run of 0 gauge wire laying here if you need something for the relocation. I plan on relocating mine as well, but I have to focus on getting the new motor in the car and running lol.
Single hinson setup going on as we speak, I thought about doing a build thread, but I am afraid I would be to lazy.
I started the build thread to attempt to keep me going!
Hopefully the whole accountability thing will work for me.
More progress this afternoon. I took about an hour to 1) sort through and label all the bolts in the kit and 2) draw out and label a diagram for the routing of the oil system. A good, updated set of instructions and labeled bags for bolts with torque specs would make this kit much easier to install.
Since it was hot in the garage again, I opted to do the prep work for the oil scavenge pump and the turbos inside the house.
First the turbos:
Loosen the (6) 13mm bolts on the intake and exhaust side of the turbo housing. This will allow all three components to spin independently so the turbo can be properly clocked once installed.
Attach the oil return adapter plate to the turbo using the supplied 6mm allen head bolts and gasket. I used a dab a blue Loctite on these bolts along with a small dab of 100% silicone on the face of the turbo mounting spot.
Attach the brass -4AN oil feed fitting using Teflon tape to the turbo using a 14mm deep well socket.
Attach the 4 bolt V-band adapter to the each side of the turbo using the supplied M8 1.25x20 bolts. Apply a thin cost of 100% silicone to the surface of the turbo and the adapter flange. I used a tab of blue Loctite and tightened the 4 bolts down fairly tight.
The turbos are ready for install. Below are some pictures of the completed turbos.
4 bolt v band adapter
Top oil feed fitting
Bottom oil return adapter plate
Now for the oil scavenge pump:
The pump will be mounted to the front cradle with the “IN” on the bottom and the “OUT” on the top. To start, use a 4mm allen wrench to remove the black cover off the pump housing via the 4 allen head bolts. This will make it easier to install the fittings to the pump.
Using Teflon tape, thread the 3/8” end of the 3/8” to -10AN 90 degree fitting into the bottom port of the oil pump. Using Teflon tape, thread the 3/8” end of the 3/8” to -6AN straight fitting into the top port of the oil pump. Tighten both down a reasonable amount.
Reattach the black cover on the pump housing and you are ready to go. There are 4 M6 x40mm bolts in the kit (brass in color) Two of the bolts along with 2 nuts and 2 washers will be used to mount the pump to the front cradle.
Top -6AN (OUT) and bottom -10AN (IN)
I did some mocking up of the turbos. Currently the drivetrain is out of the car so the motor is tilted back. It finally hit me that this is going to be an absolute pain in the @ss if I ever have to pull this drivetrain back out. With the motor tilted back, the exhaust hangs down....well not anymore once the turbo piping is bolted to the frame. I will have to unbolt it from the frame anytime I need to drop the drivetrain. So that means removing the front bumper and fenders. Now I realize I need to get the new carbon fiber driveshaft installed and the drivetrain back in the car before I go any further with the turbo mock up.
Last edited by Black8Banger; 07-16-2016 at 04:20 PM.
Progress on the turbo portion has been slow as I have been working on other areas of the car.
I got the drivetrain back in the car, measured/ordered/installed 3/8" pushrods, made about 10 different trips to harbor freight for random tools, ordered some more parts due to either missing things, proactive reasons or breaking something.
UPP specific updates:
Once the drivetrain was back in the car, I could start looking at the up pipes. The drivers side went on and mocked up perfect (the only thing to do was cut out a cross bar to clear the turbo. The passenger side was a different story. I needed to cut out the cross bar and the battery bracket. The up pipe is a tight tight fit on this side. I'm still not 100% comfortable with the fitment but I think with some more time and fine adjustment, it will work out fine.
Here are pictures of the cutting that was done on both sides. I still have some trimming to do on the plastic area on the fender but that's easy stuff.
Passenger Side: Cross bar cut out and battery bracket cut out; some plastic trimmed
Driver Side: Cross bar cut out; some plastic trimmed
I also started on the fuel system. Now my car had 3/4 tank of fuel when it was parked so I had to get this out. I ended up disconnecting the fuel line at the rail, connecting a section of clear tubing and running this hose to a fuel can. I had to reconnect the battery to the car, pull the relay for the fuse pump and hot wire. Then turn the key to the ON position and the fuel pump runs continuously. Once the fuel gauge reached 1/2 a tank the drivers side fuel tank was empty. I was then able to unbolt the factory fuel pump and pull it out to gain access to the inside of the tank.
Now to install the bulkhead fitting from the UPP fuel kit. I don't recall the bit size but it was slightly smaller than the diameter of the fitting. Using a PNEUMATIC drill, I drilled a hole in the tank, making sure no plastic bits dropped inside the tank. Installing the bulkhead fitting is pretty simple...tightening it down was another story. I'm not sure how I forced my hand inside the tank but I was able to do that and get a combination of a wrench and socket on the parts needed to tighten the entire thing down. I used a socket and swivel socket to tighten the nut on the fitting inside the tank.
There is a copper tube on the fitting inside the tank that I used a tubing bender to bend down to pick up right off the bottom of the tank. To tighten the nut on the copper tube to the bulkhead, I was able to barely get a wrench on it from outside the tank.
Bulkhead installed in the bottom right corner of the driver side fuel tank.
Upon trying to reinstall the fuel pump, I broke the plastic piece for the fuel sending unit so I had to order a new one
Ive had to order a few other parts for the build including stainless clutch master cylinder line (stock one I had was bent to ****) and a new A/C condenser (old one is plugged with sand and crap).
Hopefully it will be a bit smoother sailing from here on out. Next step is to clean up the grinding/cutting some and finally do the full hot-side mock up and get those up pipes bolted down. I also want to get the top side of the motor buttoned back up (intake manifold on, coolant lines reconnected, 3 bar map sensor installed, etc)
A tip on the turbos is to put the drain lines on them before final clocking. It's near impossible to tighten it up once clocked. So loosen the housings and install the drain hose tight, then mock up with it on and clock and tighten the housings.
06-27-2016, 10:45 AM
C5 UPP Twin Turbo Build
