Well, like most everyone else my car was supposed to be "Stock" But that lasted for about 2 months. Ive owned my 2002 base for just over a year now, so Ill have to do some back tracking to get to where its it now. It originally started out as a auto with a 2.73 rear. The final picture of the interior is the closest I could find to what my car actually looked like. I hadn't planned on doing anything and there for didn't take any pictures of the interior. So just know that the final picture is there for comparison and is not actually mine. But with out further ado... here she is

 

It didn't take long for me to miss having a 6 speed, I originally thought of selling the car and just buying one with a m/t. But after some searching and help from forum members and RPM Motorsports in North Carolina I decided on swapping over to a MN12 and 3.42 gear a long with a C6Z shifter. The guys at RPM handled all of the work, and did an awesome job. I couldn't be happier
Heres a quick picture of all the old driveline that was taken out, if anyone is interested in doing this swap I still have the parts list and a wiring diagram for 01+ just send a PM

 

Now with my new six speed installed I was taking corners a lot faster and was spending more time trying to stay in my seat than I was actually driving. After reading an article by SuperChevy titled "30 minute seat conversion" I ended up settling on a seat of Corbeau Evolution X seats. Like with anything else seen on the internet, I ordered the exact same parts, and it certainly did not take 30 min. Maybe because the car the used was a Z and mine isnt? Who knows. Anyways it was a simple fix, I had some minor rubbing and and to drill out some new holes. The PN I used for the bracket was E1502F (driver) and E1053F (Pass) Huge thanks to a write up by toquez06
I took advantage of the seats being out and also decided to dye some of my interior pieces since the grey didnt look too good with the black (in my opinion) I also ordered some 4 pt harnesses as well, but later found out the price of a harness bar, and that 4 points are not permitted by the SCCA I decided to retain my stock belts for now
And last but not least dennis @ doubledmods hooked me up with an install kit and a Kenwood DDX-5902
I cant say enough about these seats, excellent quality and the customer service is outstanding





If you do need to re drill the holes, be sure to use a colbalt drill bit, or you're not going to get anywhere

 

Nice changes you've made to the car.

 

Very Nice !!! never ceases to amaze me the lengths a Vette Guy will go through to get his dream car !!

 

 

Cool. Is that RPM near Durham? I had them tune my Z, good place.
Did you have standard or sport seats before? What is weight of new ones?

 

Yea they're in Garner I believe. Its a neat shop with super knowledgeable staff. I diffidently recommend them.
I had standard seats before and the Corbeaus weigh about 23lbs without the rails

Heres a few more pics of how the interior parts came out. I used Dupli-color adhesion promoter and flat black vinyl & fabric specialty coating. It has a near factory finish and was really easy to work with. I also have some 5D carbon vinyl wrap on the way to use on the double din. The gap between the dash is bothering me (even after the classic electrical tape fix) So i'm hoping the added thickness of the wrap will help fill it in




Before



After



The glove box was the hardest part, re assembly is a little tricky if you dont have the right swivel attachments. The vinyl dye worked well for me, it matches the A pillars perfectly, and isnt tacky to the touch

 

great work mate, car is looking great.. got those seats and love them... also just done C6Z shocks and suspension, metal end links.. help the planted feel further..

how big a job was the Z06 Manual box conversion? I'm in UK, mines an auto, whilst I like it a lot, often thought about doing it maybe too.... over here just selling and getting a manual isn't as easy as that!! :-) plus got a lot invested in car already and love it!!

 

Thanks man. I'm still trying to decide what to do with the suspension. I'm thinking the c6 shocks maybe the way to go. The swap wasn't bad, I had RPM motorsports do the conversion but I found all the parts. Between the forsales forum, ebay, rock auto and vettenuts I was able to find everything I needed. If you're really interested I can PM you some useful links and other info when I get home from work

 

Should be a pretty busy Thanksgiving weekend, Ive got 243 heads out of an 02' Z06, XSPower LT's, and x pipe to install. Still waiting on 7.375" push rods because ill be using an LS1 cam (for now) with the longer valves of the 243 head. I was going to install the LS6 cam, stock oil pump and LS2 chain. But im thinking for all the trouble of the install and cost... I may as well just install an MS or BTR stage 4 cam, with a ported oil pump and c5.r timing chain. More to follow on that in the upcoming weeks

Also last night, everything came in to wrap the center console. Ive done this once before on my wifes BRZ so heres a quick before and after picture. I used 3M 1080 wrap last time (2 years ago) but now theres a new product thats called "5D" which is what ill be using this time around. The last picture is a comparison between the 1080 and 5D. Its a massive difference, you can actually see my reflection in the 5D its that shiny. Im anxious to see what it will look like when it goes on

 

Subscribed. Would love to see your progress!

 

Thanks everyone for the positive remarks. I hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving as well. I installed a Borla Stinger quad tip along with a Blackwing filter and started on the carbon wrap. Air filter and catback were nothing special to install, hardest part was getting the rear wheels high enough off the ground to remove the stock system. I honestly thought that the car would be louder with bullet mufflers, but im really happy with the sound.

I originally wanted to wrap the center consul, gauge bezel, and the door handle bezels. After struggling with a single door bezel for 2 hours I decided that maybe I should steer away from that idea. The curved parts and especially holes in interior parts are extremely hard to work around, I didnt have this much difficulty that last time I wrapped an interior so im not sure if this material is harder to work with, or if I just really suck. (mostly like a combination of the two) Anyways, I ended up doing the exterior a pillar trim which turned out great since it was flat with sharp angles

 

Sneak peak!

 

Everything went well, just waiting on a tuner now since it's the holidays.

I endedicated up installing LS6 heads, TSP pushrods, LS2 lifter trays, LS7 lifters XSPOWER headers and X pipe. Along with some misc maintenance parts.

Probably looking at an LS6 valley cover since my entire PCV system basically crumbled apart when we removed the intake. Which apparently is fairly common and very expensive, so we rebuilt it with some 3/8 hose and connectors for now.

I'll take a sound clip soon, and post numbers after I get the tune finished

 

Nice. How is the Iron Maiden beer? I have never seen that before.

 

This is a great build thread! Thank you so much for sharing it! The photos are great and well... I have to give you special props for tearing out an auto transmission and replacing it with a manual. I feel like you get some special form of karma for converting an auto into a manual. I know I know, auto's have their place, but I feel like when your C5 is on its death bed, it will break down crying and thank you for making it able to be who it wanted to be...

 

nice work!

 

Looking good! I've just scored for some 243 heads too picking up in few days!
Looking forward to seeing how yours turns out..

 

Thanks, I know it's nothing to crazy just yet. But it's been fun, and it's still not over. I'm still sort of torn where to head next. I'm thinking of tackling the suspension, but still not sure

The Iron Maiden beer was alright, not something I could drink everyday though. I just saw it and had to try one

Brit Dex, I think you will be pleased with the 243s, only part that gave me trouble was trying to "degree" in the bolts. I was using a cheaper tool, which was a pain. But all in all, not bad