Levi550

^ what he said

Bad00SS

So if the car has no paperwork for the heads being done can i run the vin # at a chevy dealer and see if it has been serviced for this? If it has not, how much is this going to cost me to fix in a ball park figure?




Also do I just check vin # at the dealer to see if its been fixed or is it obvious that its been fixed? does it look different? And do cars this old still get the recall for free if I bring it in?

Unreal

$900-$3k depending on what you want out of the head work and if you do it yourself or pay someone.

No a chevy dealer can't tell you if it is fixed. A chevy dealer can't even fix it if they wanted.

MTPZ06

^ This. If by some miracle the Chevy dealer tells you the heads were replaced under warranty, you're not out of the woods yet...in all likelihood, the heads still need to be addressed. At a minimum, inspected by a competent LS shop (not the dealer).

Bad00SS

So this wasn't a recall by GM? I thought they gave you new heads with a different material valve guide and it was the same as what the aftermarket was doing.

outhouse

No.


new heads that have the possibility of being out of spec on the shelf

MTPZ06

Nope, they've literally changed nothing about their recipe of heads through the entire 2006-2013 LS7 production, with exception of an exhaust valve part number change (around 2008?), which I believe was a move to a slightly thicker wall on the valve stem IIRC.

Bad00SS

Is GM complete idiots. thats fucked up.

Bad00SS

I just got off the phone with American heritage performance. Looks like I'm gonna be in this minimum $1,300 for sending the heads to him depending on what upgrades i choose to do ontop of fixing the heads. I'm gonna have to figure this into the price of the cars i'm looking at i guess. The one I really want is a local car. low miles. but its an 06. heads never been touched. car is all stock. Sucks to have to tear down the motor the week I buy the car.

outhouse

My 06 had a 90 day warranty, guess what I was doing on the 85th day


Glad I did, and I liked buying a non molested one to own. And AHP did me a solid with their work and peace of mind.

JoesC5

Are you going to remove and replace the heads or pay a shop to do it? Either way you will have to buy new head gaskets and head bolts plus oil and filter plus freight charges to ship the heads out for rework.

Bad00SS

I'm undecided. I work on my race car but I have no free time anymore. I've considered letting a speed shop do it. I would use ARP head studs if I pulled the heads. Most likely mill them for more compression. I'm sure ill be in this thousands of dollars because I cant do things to be "just good enough" lol.

American Heritage

We can hook you up with both a top tier set of reworked LS7 heads as well as all the bolts and gaskets to go with it.
If your somewhat mechanically inclined the LS7 head swap is doable. Its actually one of the easier head swaps you will ever do (lots of room in the C6z06 engine bay). We also offer support as part of our sale so if you need tips and tricks let us know and we can walk you though it.

Here is a link to our cylinder head gasket R&R kit:
https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...asket-kit.html

The kit in the link is priced out with ARP head bolts but we also stock and sell ARP LS7 head studs for an upcharge.

310-326-2399
or
HP@americanheritageperformance.com

http://www.americanheritageperformance.com/

Edit: Just noticed your post above that we spoke with you.

z06clif

Nothing wrong if your comfortable with it. I am not. A mans got to know his limitations.
Anyway the clean up alone would take me a week....LOL

Clif

Taylormade01

I've had my 06 for a couple of months now and have zero complaints. I got the 1lz (lightest of all years) most of the cars that have broken all the records on the fast list are t56 cars (trans that comes in 06-07) if I remember correctly, Rangers car is also an 06.

JoesC5

Most of the cars listed on the fast list are 2006's and 2007's. Might be because that's the years that most of the Z06 were built and people were excited to see how they chalked up.

But, we know that drag radials place more stress on the drive line than the stock Goodyears do.

On the fast list, stock Z06s but with drag radials, and we have one person(Dr. Ron) that has posted with multiple Z06's he has owned. Being the same driver in three different Z06's kind of takes the skill of the driver out of the equation, vs different drivers in different cars.

10.750 in his 2009
10.912 in his 2006
11.122 in his 2011.

Stock 2006 Z06 on OE Goodyears
fastest-10.981
slowest-11.991

Stock 2006 Z06 with drag radials
fastest-10.715
slowest-11.949.

Even the 2006 is all aver the place with around a second to a second and a quarter difference in cars.


Out of the 16 cars that are stock with drag radials, 8 of them have T56's(50%) and 8 of them have TR6060's(50%).

But when we look at the 10 fastest stock Z06's with drag radials, 4 have T56's(40%) and 6 have TR6060's(60%).

Then, when we look at the top 5 fastest stock Z06's with drag radials, 2 have T56's(40%) and 3 have TR6060's(60%).

Then when we look at the top 3 fastest stock Z06's with drag radials, 1 has the T56(33%) and 2 have the TR6060(67%).

Tech

Why are we only looking at stock Z06 numbers?

The transmission doesn't really matter for 99% of us. Just get the least expensive car that matches your criteria in color, mileage, condition and maintenance history. The downside about getting an 06 or 07 (IMO) are the interiors and electronics are ~10 years old.

Bad00SS

I think I found a 2007 I'm looking at next week. Price is right, car is clean. says heads never been off but has 50k miles on it and runs smooth no valve train noise. I'd hate to pull the motor apart on a car I just bought but i may pick the car up then do this over winter.

What should Look for on the test drive? I've only drove C6 base models with the 6-speed. never a z06 yet.

Mordeth

The valve guide issue is a real issue, however do not let it stop you from buying the car. Deal with the heads later (but sooner rather than much later). I have owned mine for 7 years and love every minute of it. I bought a C7 Z06, yet couldn't bring myself to sell the C6 Z06 as I love it too much and drive it just as often as the new one.

Most LS7s have drive-train noise. Can sound like a sewing machine. This is <normal>. What you definitely don't want to hear is a "metallic" kind of pinging. So listen for that. This would be bad.

Watch the gauges when you drive it. Coolant temp should be between 190-220 (if hot out and driven hard). Make sure it is getting oil pressure.

Routine style inspection is really all that is needed. Inspect the condition of the tires and wheels. The tires on these things aren't cheap (for good ones). Look at the seats for wear and tear. Check the date on the battery (it's in the trunk). They go after about 5-7 years so it should have been replaced at some point.

The rear quarter panels tend to get sand-blasted because the front tires stick out and toss rocks to the rear. See how bad it is. Also check the brake ducts for damage. Look under the rocker panels and make sure they aren't cracked. Plenty of stories of idiot dealers trying to lift these things without the right equipment and dropping the car on the rockers.

The engine should look clean and cared for. A very dirty engine is a good sign the car wasn't looked after. The shifter is a tad notchy and the clutch is a tad heavy. This is normal. Just make sure it gets into each gear. The car should pull very strong in every gear and throttle response should be virtually instantaneous. The LS7 is a beast to 7000 rpm. It loves 3rd gear btw. The 2nd-3rd shift is pure pleasure.

I can usually tell in about 10 minutes of looking at a car if it was taken care of. Is the steering wheel greasy? Are the carpets dirty? Things like that.

If you buy it, first order of business is to change the oil and clutch fluid. Then drive it like you stole it! (and check the heads but don't become so paranoid that you don't drive it)

Good luck and let us know how it goes!!

Bad00SS

This is the only flaw i can find on the whole car out of the 20 pictures he has sent. Is this normal that the carpet pulls down away from the center console? he said the carpet shrunk and its not long enough to go up under there anymore.