sebdavid

Hi guys,

I've been looking for a while on the "for sale" section of the forum. A few hits but I thought I might try my hand here for something more focused.

Anybody have or know of a track-prepared 'vette that is for sale? Or places where I can look for such cars?

I'm looking for a C5 Z06, but open to other ideas within the budget (I think an adequately prepared C6 would be over my price range). What I mean by track-prepared is something that will have the right mods for me to be able to drive hard on track (about 20 events a year) and drive to and from the track.

For a C5 Z06, that means better brakes, tranny/diff cooler, engine oil cooler, better suspension and not too much work on the engine. Bucket seats and/or roll bar with harnesses are a plus but not required, I can take care of that on my own.

The idea is to buy a car that is turn-key for the track, but still streetable enough to use one in a while on the street and drive to/from events. Thus, a full rollcage is kind of a liability. I have an open mind.

This car has been offered to me but engine is far from stock and owner is asking for more than 30K... what do you think?

Can't wait to post here as a 'vette owner! Thanks for your help.

SIK02SS

It's a bit of a distance from you, but this is close to what you're lookin for:

http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.js...standard=false

I know the owner and he keeps the car very well maintained. He's also the Southern Ca SCCA T-1 champion for 2010, so he knows how to setup a car decent enough for the track this is his street car and I believe he's done occasional auto-x and track days with it.

doje

Wow, for the money you are looking to spend, you could easily build what you are asking for. I've seen low miles Z06's for under $20k.

Good Used C6Z06 Brakes $1500 installed.
Hotchkis Sways $600 installed.
LG GT2 Coilovers $2500 installed.
Double Core Aluminum Radiator with oil and tranny coolers, $1000 installed.
Good Used Harness Bar (install yourself) $400.


I think you can see where I am going. Only about a couple days to put it all together. Also, you may get a car that has not been beat on. Buying a track prepared car means buying a track used car.

johninar

Check the NASA forum and racingjunk.com

Good luck, this is the time of year to find a car.

billy25us

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/auto...ck-car-t1.html

Here is the listing for mine. I have used up the new kumho's so the price has dropped to 20k. Just got back from vir where the car ran flawless. Has 2 years of warranty left on the new ls6 motor. It does have an oil cooler but no tranny cooler.

Snuckley

You can buy mine , I am headed in another direction, been crazy reliable , never seen a chevy dealer. priced in your range. lots of extras. rotors,pads,fluids,filters,exhausts,whee ls,brand new street and track rubber. AC cold, stereo etc evrything works perfect , 22.000mi..nice open trailer avail, if you need one, I'll go buy another( need it for the farm). I've done some great heat shielding engine and exhuast and aero venting up front to let the hood not trap so much and cool the brakes.

waddisme

I hope my wife doesn't see this thread. I may come home and find my car gone.

Jason

I was just thinking $30k could buy me a roadrace stock car.

sebdavid

Thanks for the answers guys.

A couple things: as I mentioned I am looking for something that is still streetable, since I'll be at least driving to/from events, and probably enjoying it on the street once in a while, although that's not the main goal.

Not absolutely set on spending all of 30K on this either. This is the upper limit if the right car is worth it but obviously that doesn't mean I WILL spend 30K for sure. See the car I linked to in my first post: DRM coilovers, Stoptech BBK, oil/tranny/diff coolers, almost local to me (Ottawa) and a very powerful engine. The last part I don't absolutely need but is still nice... so worth more than a "track" car with shocks, swaybars and aftermarket brake pads and brake ducts!

The reasoning behind buying a car with the mods already on it is that modifications on a car lose their value quite quickly; I want to take advantage of that instead of spending thousands on mods knowing I'll never get back that money when I sell the car.

doje, I don't have the same math:

- I haven't seen low-mileage 2002+ Z06s for less than 20K
- Ron Davis rad + oil cooler = $1,000
- DRM tranny/diff cooler = $1,245
- BBK = anywhere between $2K and $5K
- Coilovers = $2-3K
- All other miscellaneous (oil catch can, bushings, seats, etc.)

And all of this is not including installation. So instead of looking at $7K+ for the mods, and $20-25K for the car, I'd rather buy a $25K car that has the mods on it already and has undergone troubleshooting.

Basically I'd like a car that I can get in and drive to the track, have fun and go fast on track for 3 worry-free days, (don't have time to take care of car beyond tire pressures and checking oil, I'm an instructor and schedules are always hectic), and then drive back 3-5 hours, and only do basic maintenance before the next weekend.

Am I asking for too much? What do you think?

gkmccready

If you're trying to buy within Canada or account for the import duties, probably. :-( In my area (San Francisco/San Jose) there are a number of stock street C5s for under $20k, but I really doubt you're going to get everything you want (trans/diff coolers, etc) in a $25k street car package.

If you know Craig Seko in Ottawa ask him about the pain he had importing his 944S2...

sebdavid

No duties if made in USA thanks to NAFTA...

So on one hand people seem to think $30K is a huge amount for what I want, and on the other you're saying $25K is not enough. Is the truth somewhere in the middle? Should I be more patient? Should I jump on the car I linked to?

gkmccready

Only you can answer what a car is worth to you. The one you linked to looks good outside of me personally finding the interior ugly as sin. The built motor may mean more maintenance. You'll also want to check those Wilwood brakes as I bet they're straight from Wilwood with their rotors and the 7416 (16mm) pads rather than the 7420 (20mm) pads. And you'll be locked in to Wilwood rotors because they change the offset and are matched to those caliper brackets. So there's some potential pitfalls there, too. But it's got a lot of good bits, too.

sebdavid

I'll be changing the pads often so I guess I could go with the thicker pad down the line. More expensive pads and rotors are to be expected with a BBK, but it seems to be necessary in this type of car (power + weight)... or is the Wilwood a potential money pit compared to other similar systems?

Interior of the car (expensive!) would be sold and seats replaced with bucket recliners.

gkmccready

If that's the caliper set I think it is, direct from Wilwood, you can't go to a thicker pad with it. You'd need new calipers (and brackets and rotors) to match. These cars seem able to survive on the stock sized rotors with a more appropriate caliper -- the LG G-Stop kit, for example, uses the Wilwood SL6 calipers that take the 7420 pads (cheaper than stock!) and continue to use the stock sized (and offset) rotors. That means you can use the cheap NAPA rotors, or nice 2pc stock sized ones, your choice.

That is one nice thing with the Wilwood 7420 pad shape; they're cheaper than the stock pad shape and last a lot longer. HardbarUSA's new AP kit uses the same pad shape.

I don't think you _need_ trans and diff coolers to have a reliable track/weekend car. Lots of folks don't have upgraded radiators or oil coolers. And folks have proven you can be plenty fast with a stock C5Z suspension. I thrashed the stock bushings in my C6 and replaced with poly which was pretty inexpensive.

Maybe it's just me, but I think you'd be better off with a stock '02+ C5Z and just driving it and seeing what you need to change for you. You might find that you don't need all the things you're looking for to have a nice, reliable track/weekend car and keeping it close to stock will keep things simple and proven. And it'll keep you easily in your price range.

sebdavid

From pretty much everything I've read, if you start to drive the car hard, those coolers are necessary. One instructor friend has already seen his temps go up too high for comfort during the first weekend he tried his new old '01 at the track. I want the car to be bulletproof.

I'm a huge fan of keeping it as stock as possible but I've reached a point where it seems stock street cars can't handle what I do with them on track anymore and I need something a bit more fit for purpose if I want worry-free track time.

Suspension... coilovers are nice but I'd be happy to live with just better dampers on the stock suspension. Not looking for anything crazy in that department, but not against more extreme setups.

The Wilwood brakes are the Superlite kit, 6 piston front and 4 piston rear. The Wilwood site is a bit confusing but it seems the 7420 pad is compatible with it. Seems the 7416 pad is for the "narrow" calipers. I don't know how I can check whether that's what's on the car but I'll ask.

What's worrying me a bit more is the engine mods and their effects on reliability. I'll be bringing an LSx engine specialist with me to see the car.

gkmccready

http://www.wilwood.com/BrakeKits/Bra...emno=140-10617

Double check that Wilwood kit... the `normal' Wilwood kits ship with a caliper that'll only accept the 7416. And I agree about the engine mods. And I mostly agree about the coolers, but all of your wants are going to make that $25k car very hard to find. I quickly hit 300F on my oil and upgraded to a DRM/RD radiator/EOC/TOC combo in my C6. But I have not hit a trans temp warning or noticed the diff giving me issues, so I haven't bothered with those coolers and the associated pumps and plumbing.

To fit your budget I would look for something closer to stock and just upgrade as you deem it necessary... that's all I'm saying. Otherwise you're looking for a full race car with street registration...

Snuckley

T1 "stock" caliper, SS pistons and lines, "disposable $25 Napa rotors" and PFC 01's or Carbotech 10- 12 etc will stop these cars and not make you poor. Just give them cool air and properly cool them down before pitting on HOT days. Keep the fluid fresh.. I got many days on pads depending on track . The rotors make great rebar for a garage floor if you build one like me. You don't have to have BBK. My car is a blast on the street with no exhaust, makes the ricers run for cover at 4000+ rpm. Corner weighting and alignment means more than pretty shocks.

doje

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c5-c...san-diego.html

sebdavid

Besides the obvious suspension, engine and brake differences, is there any other significant difference between a coupe and Z06 in the C5 generation? Is the chassis the same?

doje

Very minor stuff like no tire pressure sensors (system is in place and can be activated if you buy sensors), 7 lb lighter windshield, slightly different tranny ratio, etc.

If you buy an '01+ then they all have the same block. If you are going to upgrade the heads, cam, and suspension, just buy an '01+ coupe. Also, they ALL have the same brake calipers - just painted on the Z06.