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lewislgZ06’s 2003 Torch Red Chevrolet Corvette Z06 Build Thread
I have enjoyed reading various members build threads and seeing their cars transform into their vision of the way they want their car to stand out and be different, so I have been working to compile the information and photos to do one for mine.
I’ve had my car for over 4 years now and have made many changes. I didn’t really realize how many modifications I had made until I started putting this together!
I’ve always admired Corvettes, but never could really afford one as I had to have a daily driver and didn’t want a Vette to use that way. I had a 1996 Z28 Camaro for a few years and drove it everywhere I went. It seemed like every time I drove it, it would get door dinged. I even had people run shopping carts into it at the grocery store. I have had motorcycles since I was 18, but always dreamed that someday I would get a Vette.
I began looking at C5 and C6 Corvettes in the fall of 2013 and very quickly narrowed it down to a Z06. I wanted a low milage car that had been garage kept and I concluded quickly that the C5 was my favorite and within my budget, so I began to search for a Torch Red 2002-2004 Z06. On Saturday February 8, 2014 a friend of mine who’s wife had a C5 Vert and knew I was looking, called me and told me he’d found a nice 2003 advertised on Ebay with 1793 miles on it. The car was at D&M Motorsports in Glyn Ellyn, IL. I looked at the photos on D&M’s website and could not believe how clean and new the car looked. I called and spoke with a sales representative and after all my questions were answered I placed a down payment on the car. You can easily tell by the photos the car was still brand new.
Last edited by lewislgZ06; 10-08-2018 at 08:30 PM.
Hey guys, I finally got around to installing my new Elite Engineering 1/4 tunnel plate with thermal abs yesterday, and finished putting everything back together today.
The Elite Engineering plate is so pretty it’s a shame no one will ever see it. I chose the 1/4 plate mainly just to save a pound or two.
I didn’t have any way to weigh the OEM and EE plates to see the weight difference, but even though it looks 3 or 4 times thicker, it didn’t really feel like it weighed much more.
The OEM plate is very thin in comparison, but the way it is curved around the outside perimeter, you can’t really see it in my pics.
I bought this last summer from a forum vendor, Complete Street Performance, during one of their holiday sales and got a good deal.
Elite Engineering Plate on left, OEM on right.
While I had the mid pipe out of the car I had an exhaust cutout wire to R&R. I also got some DEI cool tape to wrap the wires so hopefully that won’t happen again.
I love being able to roll into a car show or cruise-in at idle with the headers open!
You can see the damage to the wires on the left. The electric cutout repair took place on my work bench in the garage. Most people call it a washing machine. New wiring on the one that was burnt thru and DEI cool tape wrapped.
I’m curios to see how much thermal and chassis difference this makes. My center console was getting too warm to keep the iPhone in, in the summer months.
The chassis is already pretty stiff as is, so I don’t know if I’ll be able to discern any difference in that aspect or not.
It’s forecasted to be in the low 90’s here this weekend, so we’ll see.
Here’s the final install.
From the front looking back. From the back looking forward.
The following Wednesday afternoon I went to the bank and got a cashiers check for the balance, and while I was talking to the bank teller she asked me what I was buying. I told her a Corvette and we got into a conversation about her son who had a C6. She then asked me if I had heard about the Corvette Museum collapsing into a sink hole and I laughed and told her, yeah, right. She went and got her phone and showed me the news story. I was shocked and couldn’t believe it.
I was working midnight shift 8PM-4AM Sunday thru Thursday at the time. When I got off on Friday morning April 14th (Valentines Day) at 4AM, my buddy was sitting in my driveway with his truck and a trailer and we headed out to D&M to pick her up.
Last edited by lewislgZ06; 06-27-2019 at 01:18 PM.
After getting the car home I changed all of the fluids and just drove it and enjoyed it for a few months, then about August, the mod bug set in. I didn't like the stock ride height and wheel gap, and I like chrome wheels on a sports car. I decided to lower the car and did with the Eibach lowering bolt kit. I did a chrome wheel exchange with West Coast Corvette and also ordered an ACI front splitter and side skirts, and an SLP rear spoiler.
My friend that actually found the car for me had painted cars all of his life and was one of the best I've ever seen. I say was because after he did this job for me he completely retired and hasn't painted anything since. He now has a pool table in his paint booth!
By the time all of the paint work was done I had my new wheels and lowered the car. The splitter and side skirts made it look even lower.
I was so much happier with the look after these mods were done, but stay tuned...
By the time all of the paint work was done I had my new wheels and lowered the car. The splitter and side skirts made it look even lower.
I was so much happier with the look after these mods were done, but stay tuned...
Need to see some pictures of the wide fenders and new hood. Post em up!
Thanks TP, I need to get back to work on this. I’ve had a couple of surgeries and dropped the ball. I have compiled a current list of the mods I’ve done (see post 4), but I've come to the realization that remembering the order of all of them is not likely going to be possible.
I'm going to post as best I can remember in the approximate order that each was done.
Hang tight, I’ll get it worked out.
Last edited by lewislgZ06; 04-16-2019 at 01:08 AM.
I believe my hood was one of the next mods I did. I was fortunate enough to find a MCM standard hood with exposed carbon fiber right here in Tennessee. I looked all over the country and was even considering flying out to the west coast to get one that was listed and renting a truck or van to bring it back. I really was determined to get one! Fortunately it worked out. It was painted in Electron Blue paint when I got it, and I had it redone in Torch Red.
Here is my favorite pic taken by a neighbor of mine of the underside with the sun hitting the exposed carbon fiber.
And here are a couple more.
Last edited by lewislgZ06; 04-15-2019 at 10:43 PM.
Well, as I figured I would do, I got the MCM hood and my first performance mods out of order. I realized that when I was looking at the photos. Oh well.
In the summer of 2015 I began exploring performance mods. There aren't any major performance shops in TN that really jumped out at me, so I began looking at the biggest and best known in the country. I chose to go with LG Motorsports because of their reputation and capability to install the mods quickly. After much consultation, I decided to go with their 1 3/4 super pro headers, AFR CNC 210cc LSX Mongoose Cylinder Heads w/ARP Head Studs, LG G5X3 cam, Comp spring kit with Ti retainers and pushrod kit, a FAST 92 Intake with LS2 throttle body and LS1 to LS2 throttle body adapter, Katech timing chain, Moroso valve cover breather, and K&N air filter/intake.
They were able to do all of this work in 3 or 4 days, after all the parts came in, and we got it scheduled!
A baseline dyno run showed my completely stock engine at 364 RWHP and 348 RWTQ. After all of the above components were installed and the car was tuned, it increased to 467 RWHP and 418 RWTQ. The power difference and sound was amazing, but after I got the car home and began driving it, it just didn't run right. It surged on the highway and didn't idle worth a damn. I got to where I didn't really enjoy driving it, because it was just not right. Not wanting to take it all the way back to TX, I began searching for a tuner closer to TN. I ran into a guy at a local cruise in that had some work done at Vengeance Racing, and he was very pleased with it, and he introduced me to 2 others that had some work done there as well. I called and spoke with Mike, the tuner at Vengeance and explained what it was doing and the components that had been installed. Long story short, I made an appointment and took it to him shortly thereafter. He had it running smooth as a sewing machine in merely minutes sitting there in the parking lot, took it out for about 30 minutes and drove it making further adjustments, and then did 3 or 4 dyno pulls. I ended up with a car that had great manners in all gears and speeds and a further increase to 475 RWHP and 431 RWTQ. Man was I happy, believe me, a 111 RWHP and 83 RWTQ gain is a seat of the pants difference!
The dyno at LG when they were still in Plano, TX.
Last edited by lewislgZ06; 04-17-2019 at 03:15 PM.
Not long after my engine performance mods were done, I decided to add some painted covers in the engine compartment. I chose to go with RPI's painted covers and Southern Car Parts painted engine caps. The quality of both were great. It took about 5 weeks or so to get everything, but it instantly made my engine compartment show ready, and I have had numerous people ask me where they came from.
Last edited by lewislgZ06; 04-17-2019 at 03:18 PM.
Over the winter months of 2015-2016 I sent my radio and center console base covers off to TKO Performance to have them hydro dipped in black carbon fiber.
While the console covers were out of the car I upgraded my factory radio head unit with a single din Kenwood KDC-X500 using a PAC ROEM-VET1 Interface, added an 800 watt Pioneer amp and two 12" JL Audio subwoofers in a sealed enclosure. The amp fits nicely under the passenger seat completely out of sight, but the sub box takes up most of the space behind the seats. The stereo sounds amazing, but I love the sound of the motor so much, I rarely even turn it on.
The quality of the hydro carbon pieces from TKO were very nice. They were really smooth and deep in clear coat.
I also ordered a steering wheel wrap, center console armrest, and shifter and e-brake boot from Redline Goods. After installing all of these, my interior began looking better. All black was just too much, so I decided to stay with the black and red theme inside and out. I wanted enough red in the interior to break it up, but not flood it.
Here's how it all turned out.
Last edited by lewislgZ06; 04-17-2019 at 01:02 AM.
Over the winter months of 2015-2016 I sent my radio and center console base covers off to TKO Performance to have them hydro dipped in black carbon fiber.
While the console covers were out of the car I upgraded my factory radio head unit with a single din Kenwood KDC-X500 using a PAC ROEM-VET1 Interface, added an 800 watt Pioneer amp and two 12" JL Audio subwoofers in a sealed enclosure. The amp fits nicely under the passenger seat completely out of sight, but the sub box takes up most of the space behind the seats. The stereo sounds amazing, but I love the sound of the motor so much, I rarely even turn it on.
The quality of the hydro carbon pieces from TKO were very nice. They were really smooth and deep in clear coat.
I also ordered a steering wheel wrap, center console armrest, and shifter and e-brake boot from Redline Goods. After installing all of these, my interior began looking better. All black was just too much, so I decided to stay with the black and red theme inside and out. I wanted enough red in the interior to break it up, but not flood it.
Here's how it all turned out.
Great job with all of your mods Larry...glad things turned out good for you...you may just have the CorvetteForum car of the year...you got my vote Sir...
Thank you Kenny. That’s where the car was at about 3 years ago. I still have a ways to go on this thread to bring it up to its current status. Some of the things I did early on were changed. Stay tuned, I’m trying to organize information and pics and update as quickly as I can.
10-08-2018, 07:16 PM
lewislgZ06’s 2003 Torch Red Chevrolet Corvette Z06 Build Thread
