BigMike NY

My Z is currently at Cartek for their stage 3 Cam and Stage 4 Head package. Today Julio made 2 base dyno pulls on the bone stock motor (down to the OEM air filter).

Attached is the dyno graph, motor currently has 12,900 miles, bone stock numbers appear pretty strong.



The Cartek stage 3 Cam and Stage 4 Head package consists of:

*Vararam Cold Air Intake (I opted for the Halltech CF112 w/ Beehive which I provided to Cartek- Big Thanks to Jim from Halltech)
*FAST 102 Intake (Big Thanks to forum member Nineball)
*Cartek custom ground LS7 3X cam, dual
valve springs, titanium retainers, hardened cam bolts, seals, gaskets,
coolant, oil, filter
*Hardened non-standard length 3/8" pushrods
*C5R IRL timing chain
*Stage 4X head porting of intake runners, exhaust runners and
chambers on customers original heads, hot tanking, milling, Serdi
radius valve job, set installed height of dual valve springs, CC and
flow heads, clean and assemble
*MLS Head gaskets
*Trunnion kit for stock rockers
*160 deg Tstat
*Nick Williams throttle body
*Kooks 1-7/8" race headers LS7
*Kooks 3" to 3" catted X pipe LS7
*NGK TR55 plugs
*GM Hi-Performance wires
*Cartek Custom Dyno Tune

Stay tuned (no pun intended) for photos of the install, new dyno graph after the work is complete and most of all track numbers as I will be drag racing this car hard!

Goal is +600 rwhp and a low 10 second ride!

Mopar Jimmy

Awesome Big Mike, you went with a great package and a GREAT vendor.

ALso smart going with a bad azz n/a set-up, versus running around on a stock LS7 engine, only running 6 or 7 lbs, that's boring to me, and as you know th LS7 engine is not built for boost!

Best of luck and get ready for a completey new BEAST!!

If $1,500 to $2,000 more dollars was affordable to you, the only thing I would do differently is have them also mill your heads to get about 11:8 to 12 to 1 compression (no problem on 93 premium with proper quench) and port the heads, to hit that magic n/a 600+ rwhp number!

What clutch you going with?

BigMike NY

Thank you Jimmy, after the countless topics of boost vs n/a I came to the conclusion that n/a is the best route for and LS7, Julio also agreed.

I am debating on getting the heads done, I just dropped the car off this past Sunday, Julio was nice enough to meet me at the shop on a sunday because I just can't get off during the week or saturdays. So I have about a week or so to decide if I want to touch the heads. I am 70/30 70% sure I want to have the head work done. I know these LS7 heads are pretty amazing from the factory so I am not sure if $2000 for the head work is worth just a couple extra HP.

I will be running this clutch: http://store.katechengines.com/ls9r-...-z06-p241.aspx

Mopar Jimmy

Big Mike, your welcome bro and your going to be a HAPPY CAMPER!!

Perfect clutch selection as that clutch is the cat's azz, and as you know has been getting RAVE reviews. I hear you on the heads, but probalby would be worth it to hit that 600rwhp vs. 575 rwhp. Your right though, you pay A LOT of extra money for that extra 25 to 30 rwhp, and without the heads cnc'ed and milled, you should still be good for mid to high 10s all day long, with all that practice you plan on gettting at the dragrstrip and that GOOD east coast air, and the fact that LS7 heads are such steller performers in stock form.

A good compromise that would not cost that much more $ at all, is just having the Julio mill the heads for added compression, as that should not cost more than several hundred dollars and should be good for at least 10rwhp.

mistermog

I know this is just kinda sticking my nose in, but I didnt see valves or valve guides in the build. Considering all the ongoing goodness with this with those, do you figure it's good to go as is?

JMB

Hello Mikey! I'm the guy that bought your MTI LS1 heads years ago for my Monte Carlo, hello!

Don't kick yourself later, GET THE HEADS DONE NOW! I know your kind and you won't be satified if you went to all of the above mods and just held back on one! DO IT!

Translator

I would also get the heads done, but mostly for security purposes, and the additional power is just icing on the cake with some milling. I would replace the valves and put bronze valve guides. Too many horror stories with dropped valves, and you will be running that car hard on the track and such. Get the heads done. I would recommend sending them to Richard at WCCH. He does phenomenal work, and many vendors here send LS7 heads to him.

Fartpipe

Who is Cartek? Never heard of them? Do they make fast C6Z06 combo's????

Congrats on the new build and hope all goes well. It would be nice to see a cammed up LS7 running at Atco with everyone. Should be a 9second car for sure a nice cammed well thought out cammed combo on a LS7. Look forward to your TRACK results.

BigMike NY

Yes you are correct, that was my original intention. Then I jumped back on the fence debating on whether or not to touch the heads. I will be speaking with Julio today to get his professional opinion on what to do with the heads. He's built a half dozen packages for me over the last 10 years and NEVER once steered me wrong.

JMB, what's up Brother, sure I remember how are you doing! Do you still have those MTI heads? Those heads were the shiznit back in the day!!

JMB

Sold them along with the LS1 motor and now have an LS7 in the beast! I have a set of fully ported heads ready to bolt on it too. Take care and I know Julio will set you up right!

P.S. And you're right,, back in the early LS1 discovery days YOUR heads produced THE highest RWHP of any set of heads for a puny B1 221° cam @ 434RWHP!

BigMike NY

WOW, you remember those numbers, now I remember them! 434rwhp from an LS!, that was unheard of back then!! And the B1 cam, "B" named after Blake, remember him, the first MTI guy to run serious numbers!

Good to see you on here Brother!!

BigMike NY

Just confirmed with Julio, heads are coming off, full head work being done as well, milling, valve work, etc (whatever they do to the heads).

So from a stage 3 cam package we are now looking at stage 3 cam and stage 4 head package. Jimmy Mopar, yes, +600rwhp is going to one hell of a ride!!!!!!

JMB

Now we're talkin'! You'll never regret it

PRE-Z06

Sounds like it's going to be a beast, what clutch do you plan on putting all that power down with at the track? I might be able to help

Mopar Jimmy

Big Mike,

Way to go Brother, GREAT DECISION , your Z is going to be a COMPLETE ANIMAL and you will have a permagrin everytime your driving her! Best of luck my friend and something tells me your going to have some sleepness nights, like a kid on Christmas morning!

Julian@Cartek

Yes it will be...you're getting a great package for your application. It was also nice to see you at the BBQ this past Saturday.

BigMike NY

Thank you Julian, same here . Thank you again for a great time and awesome food. It was really fun catching up with all the ole Fellas! Not only can your Father tune a car like it's no one else's business, he cooks a great BBQ too

And Max has some crazy crazy plans for the Camaro, I can't wait to be running 7.50's in the spring next year! That is going to be crazy scar, seriously!

KLRBEE2

So any updates on this build? Did you hit your 600 mark? better yet, have you ran it down the strip? Pics? vids? Come on! I hate the wait on these threads...

BigMike NY

I decided to go all out, so the heads came off the car for milling and valve work, I added the Nick Williams TB, FAST Intake, so from a stage 3 cam package I ended up going all out! So it's taking a little longer.

Plus Hurricane Irene knocked the power out of Cartek's shop for almost 2 weeks so that set us back. I anticipate everything being wrapped up within the next 2 weeks or so.

Thanks for inquiring, I can't wait to show all my data, pictures and videos! Fingers crossed ~600 rwhp!! More importantly I'm hoping for a low 10 second ride @ 135mph +! I can drive so I'm not concerned about my driving skillz, the car will haul major ***!

Garrett W

Going to be so mean! Post a video when it is finished! Can't wait to see.