Dirty Howie

Well it seems that there is almost no moderation at all these days. I think some of the ticket writers are gone or dead. All my violation/probation periods have expired.

If you want we could test my theory


DH

outhouse

This area is fine.


OT is a joke

Dirty Howie

Never been there. I would probably be banned within minutes

You are late to the party. This forum was very intense with moderators putting many of us on vacations..............


DH

propain

I had 9 total infractions. They almost didnt let me back in on one of them.

How about you?

Dirty Howie

I told them you were a friend of mine (GF) and they deleted about 100 infractions


DH

Undy

Good Friend... heh, heh.

COvert-red

I'm not a mechanic. I'd describe myself as a driving enthusiast, a Corvette devote', and someone who does understand high-performance equipment (mostly in the aviation universe).

My interest in the LS7 "risk" is based upon a current shopping effort for the "427" edition (2013). I found a great car with a mere 7000 miles on the clock. It's virtually "new" so the dealer is looking for all the money at $52K. However, at this price point and with such an untouched car, I would have no interest in a top-end rebuild.

The valve guide situation looks looks like a crap-shoot. So.... crap.

Dan_the_C5_Man

It's pretty simple - if you aren't willing to check the guide condition - don't buy it. If you aren't willing to drop another $2K-ish when / if they are found to be out of spec - don't buy it.

COvert-red

Yes Dan, I think you're right.

Thanks-

golfinz

The car might still be under the factory warranty. If so, buy the car and then buy the GMEPP extended warranty. If you plan on modding it, try to talk them down $3-4k which would pay for reworked heads and forget the warranty.

outhouse

Pass.


The same car a few years older with low miles are high 30's


In a few short years that car untouched will go down in value 17k because the market is flooded with older low mile Z06s which is basically the same car.

COvert-red

I appreciate the input here.

Aside from being able to mitigate the valve guide risk and expense with purchase price negotiation and a GMEPP, this isn't a model that I would like to purchase knowing that there was a high likelihood of major engine work in the near future. The potential purchase was more of a "buy to keep" exercise, just to have a Vette that was a little more unique. Like my current convertible, it would have been a weekend cruiser.

Thanks, everyone.

nuke61

Will it come with a warranty as part of that $52k, or are you planning to get one? If yes to either question, I'd feel comfortable getting the car. I think it's overpriced, but you seem to be O.K. with it.

I'm getting an '09 tomorrow with 69k miles, and I'm not doing the heads right away. The reason is that it comes with 20 months left on a GMPP warranty, but when it gets close to the end it'll go to CPR in Arizona for head work.

COvert-red

Nuke,

I haven't tried to arrive at a final price on this car because of the above concerns. I would have expected to be in the $48K range but since I have reservations I wouldn't waste the dealer's time. And yes, some powertrain warranty would definitely be left, plus the ability to buy a GMEPP.

Honestly, I'm just not interested in having to plan on rebuilding the valve train in a car that I haven't yet purchased. That's most of the issue -

nuke61

With that as a baseline, I'd say that an LS7 based car may not be for you, at least based on peace of mind. I went into this planning to eventually do H/C/I/E. In my case, anything that could void the warranty won't be done until,the GMPP warranty is near its end.

Have you considered a Grand Sport? They look like a Z06, but have an LS3 motor. Not as much stock or upside horsepower, but no issues with the motor either.

COvert-red

i have a great base convertible that is also virtually new ('05, purchased last year with 12K miles). It's an issue-free car - actually had it out in the Colorado foothills yesterday in this crazy-warm weather we're having. It's a pleasure. The "427" model was appealing because it's a little bit of a different animal. Otherwise, I really wasn't actively looking for another car. Of course, that might change by 10:00 AM ..

User Omega

If the car is under warranty they will do the head work for you. There is nothing to be afraid of. You just have to accept it and move on. I have read that some dealers actually use AHP for rebuilds. That would be awesome.

golfinz

The car is still under warranty. As such, I wouldn't worry about anything. Buy the car, if it's what you want, drive it and then consider either extending the warranty when the factory runs out or fix the heads.

DanMan35

From a newbie - how does one get the valves/guides (?) checked within the heads to see if they are out of spec or not? Is this something that any normal person can check and verify or is it something that a shop must do? How much does it cost to have the heads checked?

If there is a problem found is the proper way of fixing it, just having the OEM heads worked on or do the heads need to be replaced with brand new heads?

What is the total cost of something like this? I'm in the market to buy a Z06 right now and it seems 85% of the cars I come across have not had the heads addressed so this is a real concern for me.

User Omega

A shop can inspect the heads or you can inspect them yourself. There are several methods for this and you do not have to remove the heads to get a good idea.

If you found the head guides to be worn you remove the heads and send them to AHP where they will have new guides installed among other things. The shop has their prices listed on the website. http://www.americanheritageperformance.com/

The heads can be removed yourself or you can have a shop remove them for the work. The have a very fast turnaround time so no horror stories like 3+ mos at NGP and only broken promises on a completion date. You would be looking at around $1500 (depending on options) for the head work and whatever a shop charges for labor if you didn't pull them yourself.

As it has been put before, it really is a non issue. A set of tires is roughly the same price. The heads are just something you should plan on having fixed.


Here were mine when I got them back from AHP. https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...e-in-pics.html