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C6 Corvette ZR1 & Z06General info about GM’s Corvette Supercar, LS9 Corvette Technical Info, Performance Upgrades, Suspension Setup for Street or Track
I bought my car about two months ago. 2007 Z06 with approximately 67,000 miles and the only mod being a cold air intake (Airaid).
I've heard all about the heads issues so to be safe I decided to have the head swap done. I looked around online and on this forum and one performance shop seemed to stand out more than the others, American Heritage Performance (AHP). I live in Las Vegas, AHP is located in Harbor City, CA. Approximately a 4.5 hour drive.
I spoke with Kohle over email and phone multiple times before deciding on actually driving out to have the work done.
The following is what I had done at AHP:
#4 heads package head swap
- PM valve guides
- Ferrea exhaust valves
- milling .010"
- race ported
- BTR valve springs with titanium retainers
- hardened pushrods
- CHE rocker arm upgrade
- new lifters and trays
Brake fluid change
Differential fluid change
Transmission fluid change
ARH headers with catted x-pipe
Borla ATAK exhaust
Dyno tune
I told Kohle it had to be a one-day turn around. He made it work. I drove out to CA from Vegas Monday morning. Left my house around 4:00 AM. Made it to AHP at 9:00 AM. Dropped the car off and put myself up in a motel room.
Today Kohle texted me and let me know the car was done, this was about 3:30 PM. I picked the car up and let me just say...damn.
First of all, the peace of mind knowing that my heads are now fixed is priceless. I was afraid maybe the car wouldn't be loud enough because I opted to go with the catted x pipe as opposed to the catless offroad x pipe. But when Kohle started it up, it sounded great and much louder than when I dropped it off.
Taking the car out and driving it, it's even louder. I love it. I don't know if B&B Bullets would have been louder than the Borla ATAK but at this point I don't care. It sounds awesome.
Kohle and his guys did great work. They were able to do everything mentioned above in one day and gave me peace of mind that everything would be taken care of.
For all you guys who live out of state, and have concerns about driving into town to get the work done. Stop worrying about it and just do it. Do exactly what I did. Drive into town. Drop the car off. Put yourself up in a motel for a day or two and pick the car up and enjoy the drive home.
The car drives great. Very strong. Very noticeable. And just makes me love the car that much more. Kohle worked his magic on the dyno in tandem with Shawn Church from Church Automotive and really got me good numbers.
Here are my dyno numbers on a dynapack:
517rwhp / 496rwtq
That exceeded my expectations. I thought I was going to hit maybe 495 or so. So when I heard it was 517 I was very very happy.
Before anyone asks: no I didn't have a before baseline dyno run done. Mainly because Kohle doesn't have his own dyno and he has to rent time on one at a different shop and not to mention he had to do all the work I mentioned above in one day so we were pressed for time. I know some guys say dynos can read any numbers they want and the only way to tell if they are good numbers is before and after, but I'm very happy with the numbers I got.
They haven't tested my old heads yet to see how many of the valve guides are out of spec but when they test them and let me know I will post on here.
so funny how so many forum members are making these threads about AHP. It's shows how a good company and customer service can really lead to. By spreading the word of how such a great company and guy khole is!
Man, you should have done at least a small cam while they were in there.
That's what every one says. It's all good. I'm going to enjoy the car as is for awhile. I'm planning on a cam, MSD or FAST intake and larger TB. I'll do all of those at a later date.
I had a similar approach. Drove my car down from Seattle to AHP but I left it in their possession for a few weeks while all the parts arrived and the work was done.
Kohle and his team did an awesome job and the car has been great since I got it back.
After doing my research I was confident that the best shop for me to bring my car to, to address the heads was AHP even though it meant a long drive. Overall that was part of the experience since I like to road trip in the car anyway.Had a nice drive going south and then I got to break it in heading back north.
I had a similar approach. Drove my car down from Seattle to AHP but I left it in their possession for a few weeks while all the parts arrived and the work was done.
Kohle and his team did an awesome job and the car has been great since I got it back.
After doing my research I was confident that the best shop for me to bring my car to, to address the heads was AHP even though it meant a long drive. Overall that was part of the experience since I like to road trip in the car anyway.Had a nice drive going south and then I got to break it in heading back north.
yea man. I think I read your thread awhile ago about your trip to AHP and back home. Sounds like my experience, awesome.
I only had a 4.5 hour drive back home, so much shorter than yours. But I loved every minute of it. The car is much stronger and it sounds mean as hell.
Kohle is a smart guy. He took the time to test and develop his packages with top quality materials. When you add the fact that he's honest, he patiently explains options, and he spends a lot of time helping his customers it's no wonder he's so highly regarded. Nothing but to him.
AHP would be a long drive from TX..nice looking car!
From TX !?!?!?.......
imagine the drive from Miami!!!! lol..
Although I do have a set of AHP heads sitting in my living room, which I should be installing within a week. Kohle was great to deal with. I wish I was closer so I could take my car to him.
Although I do have a set of AHP heads sitting in my living room, which I should be installing within a week. Kohle was great to deal with. I wish I was closer so I could take my car to him.
He was a really cool, laid back guy. I wasn't sure what to expect, having never met him. But when I arrived at the shop and met him. He was nice and calm and just a laid back dude. Made me feel comfortable with dropping the car off. And obviously he has a reputation on these forums (and Yelp) that speaks for itself. So all in all, I felt comfortable.
04-26-2017, 01:15 AM
My 'American Heritage Performance' story
to him.
