Side Grilles installed.

 

Two more.

 

I don't know what year your car is unless i missed it along the way. I own a 98 that i have done a few modes too. Started with removing the stock air box, very restrictive. anything you use is better. Bigger air bridge, ls-6 mass flow sensor, ls6 intake manifold, catback system, and tune. More air in more air out. I did not do it all at one time but over a year or so. and won't brake the bank. After 01 some of these thing have been changed. That is why i ask about the year.

 

Let's just say I'll sit back and watch the progress!

Have fun!

 

Hi Frank. Mine is a late 99' (just missed being a 00' by a month). It actually has a 00' RPO build list in the glove box.

Did you ever get your 98' baseline dyno'ed? If not, have you ever had it dyno'ed? I'm just curious because you have done a lot of neat stuff to yours that is right in line with having somewhere around 330 RWHP. It would also be interesting to see what RWHP you would have freed by using a Grantelli or MSD SC wire set.

I really like that you staged your engine mod's out over the space of an entire year. That's basically what I've outlined for the engine as well. I just wanted to make sure that some of the mods I wanted to do actually work since they are relatively inexpensive and could be done rather soon.

Of course it may seem like I'm doing quite a bit in a really short time frame, but I'm not so sure. I had to consider that I bought my car with 115K on it. Good mileage for a 16yr old dd car, but nothing like the pristine condition Corvettes that many on the forum seem to pick up with only 15k-50k miles. Therefore, my main goal was to do all of the needed maintenance to have her run as pristine as possible, with everything operating as it was designed to, and not necessarily like a car with 100k+ on it.

I reasoned that it would be a good investment that would yield increased reliability and owner/driver pleasure. Unfortunately my driveway is on an incline, my front street is actually a decline plane, and I don't have easy access to a lift. Hmmm, this was going to get expensive in a hurry if I didn't research and plan things out well and then execute accordingly. It helped that the dealer did an oil change for me before I picked up the car, and I get the next four oil changes for free. Thanks Green Chevrolet

From my non-mechanic assessment the needed maintenance required a number of operations being done in a short amount of time. The list included the following:
-Diff fluid change
-Trans fluid change
-Spark plug change
-Ignition Wire change

The good thing is that all of these changes brought immediate results with increases in smoothness, gas mileage and SOP HP.

Remaining maintenance items further included:
-Fixing the power sport seat
-Some B12 (to clean up the combustion chambers)
-Some Techron (to help the fuel gauge be more accurate)
- New Shocks
- New Air filter
- Nylon Links for the Anti-Roll bar
- Coolant Fluid change

The B12 and Techron were easy and cheap. However, I figured that since I needed to replace the shocks I might as well do an upgrade; thus the C6Z06's. I further deduced that while the shocks were being replaced I should have the nylon links upgraded to metal ones. And if I was going to pay the labor to have this done it left me only a skip away from upgrading the anti-roll bars themselves. The decision became easier when I found the Steinjager Z06 kit with the metal end links for only $196.99. I am planning to do the coolant change myself with the great advice from some people on this forum. That should be done next weekend.

The engine mod's were the items that I was planning to phase in. The twin CAI was easy because they can be had for a much lower price than the more traditional Vararam, Blackwing and Honker units. That addressed my "filter change" maintenance requirement. However, after that, everything else except for the MAF ($47 - $78) were on a protracted time frame. So a lot of what I have done really fell, in my mind, into the needed maintenance category and I just upgraded some items for pennies on the dollar as I did them. Even the side grille screens and the 3D domed steering emblem that I have or have coming were/are pretty cheap items to pick up along the way of doing all of the other needed maintenance items when you think about it.

 

Thanks, but please feel free to offer any advice or thoughts that you have.

 

3D steering wheel badge was put on yesterday. Picture should be up tomorrow. The replacement twin tube for the CAI comes tomorrow. Looking forward to finally getting it on and going for a cruise tomorrow night to see how it feels. Pic's of the CAI will follow.

 

No, have not dyno'ed before or after the changes. They were made to improve over stock. I was not concerned about H.P. Have owned since new has 45000 miles.

 

Beautiful car Frank!!!! I LOVE the color Torch Red on a C5!!!!

Sounds like we are thinking alike on the H.P. mod's yet again. I don't plan on getting mine dynoed anytime soon, which is why I did a lot of literature review regarding the mod's. I wanted to make sure that there would be a decent range of H.P. improvement for each mod and that it would build upon and/or enable further increases from other mod's. What I seemed to find on the CAI was that the Vararam and Honker were pretty much at the top of the list for making the most RWHP, ranging around 22-24 RWHP, but that the twin filter CAI's were actually not bad as they ranged between 13-18 RWHP gains. The Blackwing was usually in the middle of these two groups.

Furthermore, from what I could find, it seems that ported MAF's and couplers were the next most inexpensive items on the intake side of things. Obviously an LS6 intake manifold is as big of an improvement as a Vararam/Honker CAI but those are becoming VERY hard to find, and they cost near/around the $400. That is why that mod is slated for next spring/summer. I was nicely surprised to find that cat-back exhaust were capable of making some nice gains. Two keys that I found to seeing gains were to at least do the, A)"cheap" tuning method of disconnecting the negative battery lead for an hour so that the computer will recalibrate air/fuel ratios, or B) the more certain option of getting a dyno tune. You would be surprised how many examples I found of people installing a mod or changing brands of mod's, without doing either of those two things, and then having the car run poorer or with no change and declaring the mod's to not be worth anything, or a particular brand being worst than another brand.

BTW, are you going to Bloomington Gold? My wife just got the day off so we're going up late Thursday night and spending Friday there. I hoping to do the auto-x, ride and drive, Goldspeed and Goldtour events, which is why I hope I can get the shocks and sways put on by next Thursday; it's going to be tight whether I get it done in time. The real highlight (other than the auto-x) will be the free Ron Fellows driving seminar. Since you are in PA, I'm assuming you will be hitting Carlisle if you don't make it to Bloomington Gold?

 

Jptgs1- Do you live in the Chicagoland suburbs, maybe around the Naperville/Bolingbrook/DG/Lisle/Woodridge/Darien/Wheaton areas? There's an awesome looking yellow C5 like yours in my area over near a school and some baseball parks. It made me think that it could be you since your signature says "Over by there, IL".

 

Twin filter CAI is in. After letting it idle for 10 minutes and then revving a little, and then letting her idle for another 15 minutes I took her out around the neighborhood. I would go about a mile and then pull over and let her idle for a few minutes before going again. Obviously I wasn't going fast.
Did I notice anything.....well let's just say......:wi lly:

After the very brief excursion I let her idle for another 10 minutes and then shut her down. I was time for a shower, dinner, and then a nice long cruise tonight. I'll give a brief explanation tomorrow of how she responded on the initial drive and how she does later tonight.

Pictures for both the CAI and the steering wheel badge will be up tomorrow.

 

Sounds like you're pleased with the intake. That's the most important thing. Enjoy!

 

Don't over do it. No need for all the wasted fuel. The computer will pick up the changes and adjust as you drive.

 

Thanks Torch. Yes I am very, very pleased.
I had been noticing for the past 3 weeks that when I was at low RPM's in 2nd & 3rd the car would lug and gradually build up to power. It was really starting to bother me. Part of the problem is that I had gotten used to the car. That meant that I wasn't making the silly mistakes that I used to make in the first few weeks with getting into the throttle on corner exit in 1st & 2nd gear when I was already around 2.5k-3k RPM and starting to spin the wheels and get a little sideways. So with those lessons learned I have been driving more sedately the past few weeks and that is when I started noticing that in low RPM situation (1K - 2k RPM) if I stomped on the loud pedal in second gear it would lug. It was even worst within this low RPM range in 3rd gear.

That was the first place that I noticed the difference with the Twin Filter CAI. I stomped on it in both second and third gear within these RPM ranges, and in every case I was nicely pushed back in my seat as the car accelerated with some authority; not wheel spinning authority but definitely a very nice surge. There was no more lugging. It wasn't just that I had a more crisp, faster throttle response, I was getting more power. So much so that I couldn't stop grinning every time I stomped on the loud pedal in those low RPM ranges and was pushed back into my seat again and again. What REALLY made me realize that this was really good was that it was doing the same thing in 3rd gear.

Later that night my buddy and I went for an extended cruise on I-55 just to get her up to speed and get some easy running on her so that the computer could see a wider RPM range to adjust to. I was also curious to see what would happen in 5th and 6th gears. At speeds of 40 - 60 mph in 5th gear if I did WOT she would lug and slowly build up speed. It was basically the same low RPM condition that I had been experiencing in 2nd and 3rd gear. Getting onto I-55 from an entry way light we were limited to only 30mph due to a semi trying to get up to speed in front of us. When we reached 40mph I put her in 5th gear and held speed. When we cleared the semi I punched the throttle and... my buddy and I were given a nice push back in our seats and she accelerated away. I tried it again in 6th gear, slowing down to 55mph and then nailing it and she did it again. I actually gradually pulled away from the car behind me instead of lugging and taking forever to get back up to speed. I then tried her again in 5th from 55mph and she again nicely pushed us back into our seats and accelerated. The lugging in 5th and 6th gears had always been there from the time I brought the car home, coming back on I-80. It was nice to have that disappear now, and I was smiling from ear to ear. My buddy noticed also, as he almost immediately commented on the difference.

As we got up to 70mph I put her in 6th and slowed down to 55mph and then hit the throttle. She actually accelerated; not enough to move us back into our seats, but she accelerated and didn't lug like she used to. We drove out about 40 miles on I-55, with a little excursion on a nice "handling off ramp loop" on the way out, and then back onto I-55.

The highlight was when I slowly dropped the gears and speed until I got down to 3rd gear at 50mph, and then I punched it! She made this very deep rumble sound, noticeably deeper than what my buddy and I were used to, and we were thrown back into our seats. I shifted to 4th right at 6k, and then 5th. She pulled in every gear and threw us back in our seats in every gear! My buddy was elated!! He said that he could definitely tell the difference and was sure that the car had gained some noticeable HP without a doubt. He then proceeded to talk about the difference in throttle tone that he had also been hearing as well. In all, he couldn't believe how much faster, and deeper sounding she now was.

The point is that there was a definite SOTP increase in HP AND she sounds much better also.

 

Excellent. That's great to hear. Most of us aren't pushing these cars to their limit on a daily basis, so the more power you can feel at cruising rpm's, the better. The main thing I noticed when I swapped my Z's stock box for the Blackwing, was a raspy tone coming from the engine compartment. I could hear it sucking air, and that alone was a vast improvement. Throttle response felt a bit crisper too. Glad you're happy with the intake, and keep enjoying that car.

 

Pictures of the steering wheel badge and the twin filter CAI:

 

Very nice. I like the changes you've made thus far. The stainless on that intake adds some nice pop under the hood.

 

Quick note:
Measured the MAF when I had things apart and got readings of 84mm on the inlet side and it was de-screened. I think that the MAF was an aftermarket product so that probably helped. It also probably didn't hurt that I opened up the exit side from 80mm to 84mm either. LOL!

James noted that the car ran smoother at idle when we were done and I was dropping him off at his house. A dyno tune may have to be put on the docket sometime in September, we'll see. For now I'll watch fuel mileage to see if I loose, gain or stay the same. She had been averaging 32mpg on the highway at 70-72mph.

Now I have to see about getting my C6 Z06 shocks on. That will be influenced by how fast I can get the Z06 sways in. Wil (Stallion) and Twizted91gt have given me some excellent advice about my Steinjager purchase and it looks like that's what I'll order tomorrow but with their adjustable links because the front links have to be lengthened a 1/2" to fit properly. Twizted also said that I may have to make a little clearance for the front sway bar because it is so much thicker than the stock one so I'll keep an eye out for that when we install everything. Thanks guys/gals. Now it's time to order the Bloomington Gold tickets and sign up for their autocross, ride and drive, Goldspeed, and Goldtour events.

I also have to get the coolant drained and replaced this weekend. Green Chevrolet is giving me the 1st of my four free oil changes on Tuesday at 1pm. That way she should be ready for the Bloomington Gold event.

Btw, passenger side airbag letters will be ordered soon... she's getting there.

 

i see you been pretty busy too, what better way to pass the time right! its looking good! BTW keep up with that intake, they peel and flake pretty quick if not wiped and polished regularly

i bought my car start of the month and started to mod it the 2nd day so far windows tinted, wheels & tires off my 03z, some vinyl decals, exhaust, HUD installed, gauge bezels, tinted taillights front markers & side markets, installed fender mesh and blacked out it and the front and side mesh

still have CF hood, nitrous, diff and clutch from 03z, insulation kit & mild auto system on the to do list! I'll have to slow down after this weekend with the rest I think my wife is getting a little jealous lol

 

WOW!!!! I think you have me beat by a mile... Man I have got to see your Vette with all of those mod's.

Right on about passing the time and keeping up with the intake. I'm actually wondering if the Green Conical Filters would be a better option compared to the ones that I got with the kit?

Speaking of work, I just finished finalizing the shock/sway bar install date. It's going to be the 24th. It's a good thing that I was able to speak to Chad out at Hired Gun Offroad. They are getting me my Steinjager sway bar kit by Tuesday. LOL. That means we will be riding to Bloomington Gold on fresh shocks and sway bars. I just wish that I had been able to get the tickets ordered online before the cut off date. The site says that we can get tickets there, as well as sign up for everything else that I wanted to do so we'll see what how many things I get to do on my list when we get there.

Yeah, my wife is getting a little jealous also. I won't tell her that I won the lumbar and side sport seat inflatable bags on fleabay. I thought I had been able to repair mine but they are starting to crap out. Even worst, I just found out today that the passenger sides are going. So I got the factory ones that were in good shape from fleabay and I plan to try the pediatric pressure cuffs on the passenger side so that she's as comfortable as pie for our road trip. :r ofl: