tommypenguin

Hey guys, getting ready to conduct the surgery myself and install the rear z06 brake ducts. The thought of cutting into my corvette makes me want to vomit, however I want to do it myself for sure. All of the parts are here and I'm planning on doing this project this week or next. I've read several DIY and believe I have a good game plan however, if anyone can provide constructive criticism to my plan it is welcome. I'm planning on using a dremmel and 561 bit to do the cutting. Not sure on what type of drill bit to use.

Order of operations I am planning on executing the install in...

-remove wheels and wheel well covers
-tape
-measure
-mount the template
-draw the template onto the tape
-say a prayer
-drill a hole in each end of the duct hole
-cut the duct hole slightly less than the template suggests
-port out with sander around edges until duct fits
-drill the bolt holes
-sand up holes a bit with dremmel sanding drum
-cut wheel well covers to run the duct plumbing to the brakes

I am a little concerned about drilling the bolts holes after cutting the duct hole for fear of the fiberglass cracking toward the duct hole in lieu of less rigidity or chipping paint around the cut, hoping the tape prevents that.

Any suggestions on what type of drill bit to use? High speed? Any feedback on my planned order of operations or using the dremmel 561 bit or other dremmel accessories to get the job done? Much appreciation to those providing their trials and tribulations for me to learn from, thank you.

NukeC5

I did this with less of a game plan. Turned out good. Sounds like you'll be fine. Just be careful. The outer lip of the vents go out far enough that you literally can make mistakes that will never be seen. So don't freak out if you aren't staying perfectly in line or leaving jagged edges. It will all be covered up and look the same once installed.

jrose7004

Sounds like you've got it figured out. It does take guts to cut up a perfectly good Corvette. Me and a buddy did mine 5 years ago or so.

tommypenguin

Any suggestions on drill bit, the only gotcha with the dremmel 561 bit I'm using is you are supposed to start at a 45 degree angle. It will work great for the screen hole but I don't think I'm going to want to drill the bolt holes with it. Just use any bit for the bolt holes? Thanks guys for helping me out.

A demo of the bit I'm using on fiberglass....

tommypenguin

Got the vents on and have test mounted the ducts. The ducts stick out just a tad too far to clear my tires, going to trim them. After trimming I'll seal with black gorilla duct tape.

Did not end up using the bit in the previous post. I practiced cutting out the template several times on carboard with it and found it to be too clumsy.

Using a reinforced cutting disc and a drum sander bit to do all the work, was the best way to go. Put down 3 layers of painters tape as protection for your paint should you slip.

Easily the most mentally challenging car related project I've taken on. But it was really hard to screw up assuming you lined up the template correctly. More pics to come after putting it back together and cleaning off the fiberglass dust.

flynbyu2

I did it the easy way; I bought a Z06

Yours looks like it came out great!

tommypenguin

^^^Thanks, I would have preferred for the car to have came with the ducts rather than do it myself.

Apparently it is supposed to rain all weekend, however the car is back together so I snapped some more shots of the final product sans the filth...