383 Z06

I’ll try and keep the “before story” brief and share some cliff notes and what everyone really cares about……pictures. I’m moving on to my 4th Corvette and roughly 9th year on the forum so I figured it’s time to document one of my builds and show a bit of the progression leading up to it. In the past I have built a 383 c5Z (hence my forum SN) that I “murdered out” because I was young and at the time and thought it was cool. Here she was at her best....





After that I moved up to a c6 as I thought it was a natural progression and improvement over my c5. Unfortunately, that car was larger, more expensive and cumbersome then my c5. I ended up spending a small fortune to modify it to my liking only to sell it in preparation to move to Colorado where I was under the impression I needed something more drivable. Here it is in here street iteration




Then I moved on to a track oriented setup (Que haters for a functional wing)






I sold the C6 (regrettably) and dabbled with an Evo, STi and trucks only to find that nothing compared to my Vette. Regardless here are a few of those projects starting with 1996 Ford F250 7.3 Powerstroke that I completely refurbished and flipped.




Here's the STI and Evo MR






So, I purchased a clean and low mile 02 c5z from a buddy and satisfied my impassivity for a short time. I then came to the realization that I wasn’t in love with the color and wanted something more cost effective to track and beat on. Enter the track beater 97 Miata....and one of my Belgian Malinois "King"........ but first, the blue Z06




Not the best shot, but one of the only ones I could find



I missed the modern convenience of a new car plus I needed something reliable to tow the Miata, so I found a 2015 Tundra to keep as my forever automobile ......so I told my wife




Initially picked up the Miata for cheap fun track duty and felt deprived of power although I could sharpen my driving skills. So, after selling the Miata and taking a brief hiatus I decided to get back in the game. I wanted to test out the e46 platform and found a cherry 2005 m3 but unfortunately the maintenance cost and SMG transmission left something to be desired. So, I parted ways with the m3 and started the search for another Vette. Here are some shots of the E46





I have a thing for yellow Vette’s and committed to not settle on my next go around. Fast forward to now, I posted a WTB thread here on CF and landed a 25k mile yellow c5z unmolested with just enough mods to get me started. Here is what she looks like (prior to powder coating the wheels)







ON TO THE BUILD!

So, here’s the fun stuff, the Z is coming equipped with the following:

Toyo R888’s
Borla Stinger exhaust (which I will be selling)
Black powder coated Alcoa’s
Tint
Shorter Antenna
Trunk Partition
Cup Holder
Z06 Embossed Floor Mats

Suffice to say that is a solid start of all things I would, for the most part, eventually purchase for the car. I have just about ZERO patience and began ordering parts even though I haven’t even taken delivery yet.

Here is a list of what I have ordered and waiting for install:



LG Street Series LT headers
LG X pipe
Corsa Indy Tigershark Exhaust
Colder Plugs and Wires
Eagle eye front corner signal lights
LED tail lights
Mesh screen for front plate mod
Frame rail savers
V1 hardwire
Jacking Pucks
MGW race shifter/new billet box
MGW race shift ****
Corvette SS black bumper inserts
Battery Compartment Cover

This should keep me occupied while I perform a 360 degree detail fender liners, undercarriage, interior touch-up, paint correction, polish, seal and wax. I picked up some Griot’s garage 3” and 6” DA polishers, added UV lighting to the garage and found some Chemical Guys VSS product to help bring the paint to my standards (zero swirls, deep bright and clear finish). When finished with the paint, I’ll figure out how I’m going to black out the rear fascia.

Next up on the purchase list is the following in no particular order:

Tune (CAGS, early fan activation etc. etc)
Stance Super Sport GR coilovers
Camber Kit
Smooth air coupler
Blackwing air filter
ACA projector headlights
Willwood Aero6 BBK
OMP Corsica 330 Steering wheel
NRG hub
Seats (either Cobra Sazuka S or a decent non fixed)
Schroth Racing Profi II harness
Hardbar Harness bar
Sub belt mount
Alpine head unit and supporting speakers
LMC5 column lock (assuming it’s not already installed)
Forgeline 18” or CCW SP500 19”/19” MPSS2
Catch can

All in all, this will create FOR ME an awesome C5 Z06. In a perfect world, I would have ordered several parts in different succession however the holidays provided a bunch of sales I felt necessary to take advantage of. I have my MGW shifter and **** shipping today so I’ll update photos as I receive parts and install them. Finally, here is a picture of her home.....empty and waiting.....Thanks folks!!

chassed

very nice!

nice to see that you tried different makes and models!

Very interesting to see that A lot of the Corvette guys on this forum that venture to C6's almost always end back up into a C5 Z06! says a lot about it.

383 Z06

Thanks man Your right, there is something to be said for the fact that with costs becoming more comparable to each other, the c5 (especially the C5Z06) community/enthusiasts hardly abandon ship

Vetteman Jack

Should be a really cool build. Will be watching for the next installment.

Roddy13

Looks like you have the same car ownership affliction as me.

Although I kicked the mod bug a while back and keep the budget for that very low.

Goodluck with the new C5!!

Tuco

Bet wife thinks you're nukin futz.

383 Z06

Thanks Jack, just got some more picks of the wheels completed from the powder coating and the shipping rig arriving. I'll post em up here today

Yeah, it's certainly a sickness.....but a good problem to have

You bet! Initially she was irritated, but now she just accepts it. As long as it doesn't effect our bank account. Typically the used cars I purchase I find a great deal, clean it up, take better pictures and detail to flip for profit (sometimes break even). That's often what created my budget for the modifications

383 Z06

Got a call this morning from the shipping company, and it looks like it's ready to go and will arrive a day earlier then originally expected.....assuming weather doesn't become a factor over Loveland and Vail Pass. I ended up using Ryan with Further Racing Shipping and I believe he subcontracted the job out to Checkered Flag Auto Transport (formerly known as Signature Motorsports LLC). If all goes as planned it will be here tomorrow afternoon. I'll update the thread with more pics and a brief review of the shipping process. I chose to go closed/covered container due to the fact that I spent the extra time and money to find a clean California car and didn't want to coat the paint with the harsh snow/ice chemicals and debris on I70. In the meantime, here are some pics of the wheels back from the powder coating and installed. Also a pic of the rig arriving to pick up the Z.






They look outstanding from the grainy cell phone pics, but I was impressed that they took care of new hub caps and black lug bolts to match! Below is the transport on the ONE rainy day in SoCal

66dts-v

Nice work.

I have average a car a year for almost all of my driving life due to boredom. Not a huge modder on the cars anymore due to time/money/life, but I do like to build on stuff.

danh52

Looking good! I plan of keeping up with this build.

What size tires did you go with?

383 Z06

Yeah, my timeline of the cars above spanned over roughly 9 years so I'm in the exact same boat as you

I appreciate it the tires are 275/40/17 & 305/35/18

blackmachdown

subscribed!

95wht6spd

Cool thread. I take it you are going to track this one too?
How do you like the R888s?

Scotty_Z06

I feel your pain with the amount of vehicles but luckily my wife is a car nut as well and understands. Can't wait to see how this goes.

383 Z06

It gets delivered today so i'll hopefully find out if the weather holds out. In the c6 and Miata I ran Maxxis RC-1's and NT05's so the R888 should be better. I have read mixed reviews on these tires so I will be looking forward to some first person data as well

You are a lucky man. I can't even imagine if my wife was into cars as much as I am. We would be in debt and broke.......very broke

C5Bagger

I would save life is good!

IMXCITD

interesting story on your history w cars and trucks...guess we all have a similar story. Nice find on your latest Z...hope you like it and enjoy the build and finished product!

nsogiba

Great story and documentation. It seems we enthusiasts are always looking for "bigger and better" in vehicles, so I understand your desire to try out the C6 and E46. Funny how everyone always comes back to the C5 - just timeless. Very much looking forward to your progress. Subscribed

383 Z06

Thanks man. I'm greatful

Thanks bud. This has been the cleanest one yet

Thanks man. The grass is always greener I suppose. But this is always the one I come back to. There is nothing that drives like a C5z. A large part of sticking with this platform is the repair cost (or lack there of) and the performance they squeeze out. Every single other car I tried doesn't hold a candle to this z.......unless it's snow or interior quality. Two things I really don't care much about

383 Z06

Good News: This came in the mail. It always bothered me how the Corvette name on the rear bumper looks vacant. I like the raised letter look due to it appearing more pronounced. I knot most like the domed look but on yellow i think this looks incredible.



Bad News: There is terrible weather along I40 and my Z has been delayed a couple days. The silver lining is that I know it's being taken care of and would rather not risk the transport driving through crummy weather. Although I didn't get a phone call from the transporter telling me it wouldn't be here at the scheduled time and I received no updates from anyone. It took me calling the company to inquire WTF was going one just to find out it was delayed 2 days.I cleared out my day with work and errands just to be left hanging. Needless to say I won't be using this shipping company again. When paying a premium to ship your car the LEAST you can do is call me or update me with progress.....LIKE YOU PROMISED TO.