Salvage C7 Corvette Z06 Pikes Peaks Project Update

Salvage C7 crosses another major hurdle in race to meet deadline for Pikes Peak Hill Climb.

Rob Holland’s Corvette build-out project has become one of our biggest must-follows here at Corvette Forum.

Why? Well, primarily because of the fact that the idea of turning a salvage C7 Z06 into a road racer to tackle the legendary Pikes Peak Hill Climb in Colorado is insanity in an entirely different cosmos. Not to mention, he has less than a week before qualifying races start.

As you probably recall, we first learned about the massive undertaking by Rob, a fairly well-known driver on race circuits, as covered previously here, when he detailed how the project first came about.

Since then, we’ve been anticipating his next post on the progress, which has presented a number of issues. In one of his most recent posts on Jalopnik, Rob runs down some of the electronic issues he and his trusted team of experts have faced while turning the salvage C7 into a bonafide racer.

CHECK OUT: What Forum Members Are Saying About This Corvette Hill Climber

Apparently, one of the toughest hurdles was dealing with the challenges posed with trying to reinstall a lot of OE sensors and electronic bits in the car, noting that while it might seem counterproductive, it’s actually a strategy that’s been proven to work.

“Back in the heyday of motorsports, home built ‘Garagistas’ ruled the sports car scene. It was easy enough for any Bill, Bob, or Joe to pull a street car off a dealer’s showroom floor, haul it home and with a bit of knowledge and elbow grease turn said street car into a race car capable of winning an SCCA Pro race. Kind of a ‘Buy on Saturday, win on Sunday, sell on Monday’ scenario,” Rob writes in Jalopnik.

Though, apparently the more modern the car, the harder it is to pull the idea off. Rob says the biggest challenge with the C7 rebuild has been navigating the car’s CAN bus system, essentially the car’s electronic brain that makes everything work.

Rob seems to think they’ve gotten a handle on most of the electrical issues resolved. But as we’re sure many here can attest, when it comes to builds involving electronic sensors, always be prepared for anything to go wrong.

Next up? Getting the C7’s body in tip top shape for the race.