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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
Hello fellow Corvette forum members! Was going to share my story dealing with the valve guide issue. Grab you some and a coke, sit back and enjoy!
My Story begins Feb 28th 2015 in San Francisco when I take delivery of my new/used 2006 Z06 with 46k miles.
Knowing what I was getting into and all about the valve issues prior I still moved on getting my beautiful dream car! Nervous about my 400+ mile trip back to Vegas I decided to chance it and do it with caution. Keeping RPM's low and driving like a granny she makes the trip with no issues.
The next day I started the process of getting things lined up for the head repair. I didn't want to have extended down time so I was looking to do something like a 1 for 1 swap. I got several good estimates from WCCH which was a fantastic deal I might add but decided to roll with JEGS for the order. I placed a order of a set of BR7's Brodix heads, OEM head gaskets, ARP head bolts, and what they recommended for exhaust and intake manifold gaskets. Over $2k later I started to play the waiting game. I couldn't stand not driving my new toy so I took her to and from work which is about 3 miles each way and 25mph zones. 2 weeks go by and all parts showed up except my heads. Calling JEGS again to find out what's going on they said it was going to be another 2 weeks. Frustrated I continued to wait. The delivery date was set at the end of March so I decided to prep for the delivery getting my old heads off.
The process went seamless and a package showed up on my doorstep.
I unboxed to new Brodix BR7's to find this most unfortunate tag.
Knowing that this exceeded my stock ratings by a lot I was putting at risk of damaging my cam and lifters. I explained to JEGS and Brodix several times what my plans were and that my car was 100% STOCK.
Frustrated that this wasn't going to work I started to seek help from other resources. Since I was on a time crunch as there was a show I was suppose to be attending and a stage 5 detail I had called in a favor for scheduled I needed my car up and running.
Looking online and on here I found American Heritage Performance. This was around 7pm on a Wednesday night knowing they would be closed I opted to send a text pleading for help. 20 mins went by and I get a phone call from Kohle. I explained my situation and he said he would do what he can to help. The next day I get a call back from him telling me he overnighted a set of heads ready to go!
I unboxed them to find they would work perfect for what I needed. New generation OEM exhaust valves, Recoated and spec correct Del West valves, consentrick (cant spell) valve guides installed. Basically everything GM should have done from the beginning.
Now for someone to help me in the middle of the evening after business hours to get me the EXACT parts needed to get my on the road. THATS CUSTOMER SERVICE!!!!
Now I'm ready for the install!! I'm setting everything up and WTF!?!?!? These aren't the correct head bolts!!! Come to find out these aren't even the right gaskets! The only usable part I got from my order was the head gaskets! Luckily I source a set of CORRECT head bolts in town from a local speed shop. Rushing across town in Vegas traffic I get there 1 min before he closes. 2 hours later I get both heads bolted up!
While getting ready to install my valve train I unbox.... wait no there was no damn box for the new rockers I just ordered. They showed up in a zip lock bag inside a flat rate envelope!! So frustrated about how they were shipping I start to inspect them. Again another let down! 5 out of 16 of the rockers had rust on them. Thanks Michigan Motorsports for your crap shipping and crap quality control!!! My partial refund process is still pending. Making it worse they blamed me for the rust and said there shipping was fine. These people are a joke!! So hours later after lots of cleaning and polishing the engine is together.
First push of the button and she fires right up! lots of valve noise for about 5 to 10 seconds and then all silent and smooth. I ran here to temp and took her for a quick drive. Pressures all solid and temps right in line. The next day I cleaned her up, changed the oil and was off to the Valley of Fire for a photo shoot with my wife's C6.
American Heritage Performance made this possible for me. There are a lot of people out there that don't share the same quality in customer service as they do. As for JEGS the refund process is still in work but after 30 angry phone calls and talking with a nice sale manager named Jim he is going to make sure I get a full refund. Yes they screwed up but what's done is done. Now I finally get to see all the hype about these awesome super cars!! ZOOM ZOOM!
Great Story! Thank you for sharing! Kohle and Edwin at American Heritage Performance are truly the BEST at what they do. It's rare these days to find a shop that puts their Customer's Best Interest first....
My experience with AHP was positive as well; Kohle listened to what I wanted and needed, worked with me to create a statement of work to spend exactly what I needed to and nothing more, sent me parts at no additional cost when the plan changed slightly midstream..
To summarize; great customer service, accurate work executed in a timely fashion at a fair price.
I too had a great experience having American Heritage Performance work on my Z06 at their shop, rebuilt heads and put it all back together like it was new. Attention to detail was impeccable as well as their great customer service! Just wish their shop was closer than the 8 hour drive to drop it off.
Thanks everyone for the good feedback. Its to sad some of us have had far worse issues than some mail order drama. I really hope GM owns up for there mistake. The good part is that it takes there misfortunes to allow some other small business to shine brighter than GM.
We stopped by Vegas Saturday car show coffee and cars today. Then went and hung out with some of the lambo gear heads at the shop. Our cars have earned respect from the exotics definitely says something!
Common occurrence about AHP. They set the standard for customer service and quality work. Not to mention my car has their heads and is making 600/550 at the feet... They perform!
Thank you guys very much for the very nice words.
Great write up OP and what a difference a top tier detail job does. Looks AMAZING!!!
We Sincerely appreciate your business (OP and all our other customers in this thread). We truly appreciate the opportunity perform our Craft. Thank You!
Gizmo5: Cant wait for your 1/2 mile event. Your complimentary event prep is on the schedule for Monday 4/20/15 @ 9:30am. See you then Sir!
04-10-2015, 10:11 PM
My story LS7 heads, AHP is Awesome!!
and a coke, sit back and enjoy! 
