Ive been lurking around this site for a long time. You guys seem like a great group that really knows your stuff so I come here seeking a little advice. Ive had an 04 Z06 for about a year, currently at 43K miles. Purchased stock but added ARH long tubes + off road mid pipe, CAI, PRC 227 heads, blower cam, tick master, MGW shifter and a dyno tune. Im at 454 rwhp but would like to be around 850-950 rwhp. Here's a list of parts I plan to purchase soon unless advice is offered to steer me different. This is over 20K worth of parts including shipping and machine shop costs so I would just feel better if I got some opinions first before taking the plunge. Some parts descriptions are a bit vague as I haven't decided 100% what to go with yet. Advice, opinions and constructive criticism are welcomed

A&A Kit with YSi upgrade and Flip Drive
A&A Twin Pump High Capacity Fuel System
AIS Meth Kit
80lb injectors
RPM Trans 31 spline upgrade
RPM Diff 3.42, stubs Stg 3
Twin Disk Clutch
Wieso Pistons
H beam rods ARP 2000 bolts
bearings: main, rod, cam
160 tstat

Goals are 850-950 rwhp with daily driver reliability. 9's with the 6 speed.
This isn't my only vehicle but I do plan to drive it daily as long as the weather is decent. Should be spending around 27K'ish total for these parts + shipping & labor. So please, help me pull the trigger on this parts list, or steer me in a better direction. Thanks in advance for any help.

 

Hi, here's my 2 cents. :-)

With your power goals in mind and being that you do want to drag race with a 6 speed (even if it's only sometimes) ditch the idea of a 30 spline trams upgrade to your T56 and just do a TR6060 with a C6ZO6 differential.

Also ditch the ais meth injection kit with its small plastic push lock lines and step up to an alky control kit with its more robust steel braided lines. I say this because I know AIS offers upgraded lines but by the time you pay their upgrade price you could have an alky control kit (more than likely for less money than the upgraded AIS kit) from a vendor (blownbluezo6@RKT56)

When your ready to do a secondary drive (flip drive) and the YSi kit; hit up the aforementioned vendor he will save you money and has great technical support as well. Will assist with installation technical support as well.

Not sure what balanced you have but you may want to consider an 8" diameter balanced in either an 8 or 10 rib configuration.

Make sure you do all your homework on your fuel system. There's no such thing as too much fuel system especially on a big power application. You may consider stepping up to a 1,000 cc injector as opposed to an 840cc injector.

Also, consider piston rings used. That is sometimes overlooked.

As far as twin disk clutches and drag racing are concerned people seem to be happy with the mantic twin disk clutch.


The good thing about building your engine is you can pretty much do a custom piston around your current cylinder head to achieve a desired static compression ratio if you choose. Another thing you may want to consider is the crank and rods used. You might be able to get away with using the Callie's compstar line of crank and rods but if you can afford it I suggest considering the dragon slayer crank and ultra rods. A little more money once is better than a little less a couple times or more.

Another item for consideration may be a method to prevent the AC belt from slipping on your secondary drive (flip drive) jack shaft pulley. When that belt slips under heavy loads / high engine rpm, you loose alternator speed as well which equals reduced voltage not to just your entire electrical system but your fuel pump as well. Just something to think about.


I hope this helps you out!

Mike.

 

I agree with everything Mike proposed.
Keep in mind that the high hp you want means the whole
powertrain will be fussy for a DD. Also all sanctioned tracks
and their tech people will be looking at 9 sec. cars harder than a 12
sec car. Meaning--cage,shute, firesuit, etc. etc. etc. Even a 10 sec.
car will require a rollbar, driver suit, SFI equip. etc............
One other thing. Your whole drive train will need attention,
couplers, driveshaft, half shafts, diff/tranny braces, etc....
Big power means big brakes---the power is no good if you can't stop.
You have a bg project ahead of you, good luck.

 

MVP & road pilot, thank you for your in depth replies. Lot's of good info there

 

Definitely stay away from the Compstar crank. Do the cogged flip drive mod on the IW balancer. Go with 10 rib right from the start. Get ID or FIC1000 injectors. I have a bunch of other advice based on my experience..

Fuel system, crankcase ventilation system, cooling system...lots of stuff you need. Also buy the best studs and engine components you can get, you WILL find the weak link at 900hp... Same applies for the drivetrain/clutch

Most important, double whatever you "budget" for the build... Little stuff will add up crazy fast.. Doing the blower/engine/Trans/diff will end up WAY over $27k. I can promise you that. You are leaving a lot of stuff off of your list, and if you are paying for labor, that's gonna add up... I predict you'll spend $35k+

Good luck on the new build.


***extra good luck on that daily driveable reliability thing.... LOL***

 

Budget adjustment:
If you plan on drag racing, you best consider spending more money on your clutch than the Mantic. They'll hold the power fine but don't like the way many seem to like to launch on the clutch.

Compstar at that power level is a bad idea. Call Callies and they'll tell you it'll be fine. Then tell them you have a PD blower and your parasitic loss is circa 225hp, so you're making somewhere in the neighborhood of 1250 crank hp and you want a reliable car. If they tell you the Compstar is OK, then ask them why some have failed due to fatigue at that power level, using the same combo.

Don't be the guy that saved a few hundred in his initial build and it ended up costing him 10k more, later.

 

So y'all think 850-950rwhp is going to be too much for a daily driver? Being able to enjoy the car, daily, is very important to me. What would a more realistic goal be in that situation? Im afraid I may end up going overboard and end up with a car that I only drive at the track or on Sundays. Thanks again for the help guys, great suggestions, thats why Im here!

 

You will get many different opinions on this...

Knowing what I know, with what I've been thru on two 900hp builds in 2 years, no way would I daily drive one... Possible, yes... Enjoyable, no.. Reliable, depends... Not if you actually race it..

You need to do a lot of research, don't believe everything you read.. Stuff WILL break... Put the best systems in place that you can, keep close tabs on them, and know you will still be working on it..

That doesn't even cover the running hot in traffic with AC on, terrible gas mileage and every time you break a belt or something stupid, you are late for work.

If I was going to DD a C5, I'd stay H/C/I honestly.. If I was gonna do a blower setup, I'd do a mild one...lots of people have had better luck then me tho..

It all depends on how much you'll actually race the car.

 

Based on my past experience, I would say you can make 650 to 700 rwhp last a long time. My car would still be running if I stayed at that power level. Of course, you will need to stay on top of maintenance and know where the weak links exist.

If you want a peek at the path you may be going down, you can check out my build thread. I stopped keeping track of the build at around the $20k mark. I hit that around the beginning of the year and bought some of my parts used and have done all the work minus machine work and assembly of the long block.
https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...eat-white.html

 

From what I've gathered 650 to 750 is about the sweet spot on these cars. Plenty of power to put a smile on your face at any moment but not too much where you are dealing with some of the issues discussed in this thread. Once you go over 750-800ish its a slippery slope.

I currently drive a 700 hp 2004 that was originally built in late 2005. Over 30k miles on the build at 700 hp. Sure over the years there have been maintenance requirements. More than a stock, or even mildly modified car, but nothing to the extent of what you would expect to go through for a car with another 200 hp.

Just my 2 cents.

 

 

I agree with MVP. You're going to spend $15K to $19K for a RPS triple clutch, 3.5" drive shaft and a fully built TR6060/C6 Z06 diff. This package will take what you're making and be reliable.

 

My C5 makes a hair over 900 at the wheels and for the reasons already stated, would suck as a DD. It stays in the garage until those times when I feel like living just a little dangerously.

 

Unless your patient and can find the stuff used. I found a TR6060 with a broken OPS for $500 and a beat to hell c6z diff for $1400. Upgraded the guts of the trans and put new HD clutches and 300m shafts in the diff myself. I got the cradle from a junkyard XLR for $75, and Doug hooked me up with a set of rear Ridetech coliovers. My buddy has a 120v Tig welder and modified my exhaust for me. All in all I have less than $3500 in the conversion.

 

$20k? Sell the car and start with a 08+ C6, or buy another car all together for going fast (GTR)

 

My buddy bought a used YSi kit on here.
Put forged guts in his stock block and TFS heads.
C6Z trans and diff.

900+ at the tire on E85 and he drives it a lot. It idles great. Drives great.

It can certainly be done, but needs a lot of research into the right parts for fuel system and blower drive components.

Good luck with your goals.

 

I would call my C6 a daily driver although only on nice days. I try to stay out of the rain if possible. YSI, 1000 hp, perfectly reliable and fun to drive. Someone mentioned gas mileage....LOL.... don't even think about that.
Its not cheap to do it right, but where ever you skimp, will bite you after.

 

Spending $30K in parts on a C5 at this stage of the game or spending $15-20K for a T6060 conversion (which is half the cost of a C6-Z06) is idiotic.

Sell your car & buy one that is already modded.

There was a twin turbo C5 with built motor with all the goodies up for sales recently for $35K. I know a local car with similar mods went for $25K.

Do yourself a favor. Pick up a car that someone else spent $75-100K on for $25-35K.

 

I really appreciate all the replies. Some very good advice has been offered.
I like driving my Z06 as much as the weather permits. Where I live, thats a lot of time behind the wheel since snow is not an issue in the winter. I think Id be happy with a daily driver making 650-700rwhp. I could use more of my budget for other things like cosmetic upgrades or wheels/tires mini tub which is a nice bonus. Since I already have PRC 227's and a blower cam installed, Im leaning towards going ahead with forged internals(to bring my compression back up a tad plus the added strength) and a milder blower setup. What else would be essential for a 700rwhp daily driver?

 

How many miles have you put on it since the YSI went on it? Just curious...

I definitely wouldn't call mine "perfectly reliable". Put a thousand or two miles a month on it and see how it all holds up..lol

I hope to have better luck this time around... I did a lot more preemptive measures this time. Like welding the water pump pulley to the shaft, cogged flip drive, special wiring setup for my Billet Tech alternator, 2500* pure ceramic coating on the headers...I'm going to wire my fans up with 8ga wire, HD relays and an override switch in conjunction with ECU control..I'd still never trust it to drive it daily down here in Africa hot Houston.. 230-235* + idle temp is the norm down here with AC and traffic is crazy here... This is the most unreliable aspect of my car is the running temp. Just terrible air flow at idle across the core.

Lots of little "gotchas" that got me last time that created work for me.. LOTS of them.

Plus the gas mileage this thing gets is just attrocious... 9-10mpg most of the time unless it's along highway run.. Gets the same mpg as my 71' 496" big block with a 850 double pumper carb and no overdrive.. Lol