Wide OEM Z06 fenders are hung...
Wide OEM Z06 fenders are hung just high enough off of the blacked out wheels courtesy of Pfadt full adjustable coilovers. The big ZO6 brakes bring everything back under control in a hurry.
When your day job consists of building high-horsepower, supercharged Corvettes, what do you do in your free time? For Andy Green of A&A Corvette, the answer was obvious; you build one more Corvette for yourself. Having driven and owned a multitude of disgustingly awesome Corvettes, Andy decided for his daily driver/test mule, he would take a more mild, subtle approach. Starting with a base model 2008 C6 Corvette, Andy turned to his team to tear into the car and build something that could showcase both their talents and products. What you see here is a culmination of testing, fabricating, and hard work, all combined into this screamer of a Corvette.
As the owner of an extremely successful small business, Andy understands the value of a strong foundation. Starting with a stock LS3 engine, Andy and his team tore the motor apart and added only what they needed, leaving the stock GM parts where they would be capable of supporting the new power. Keeping the stock crank and connecting rods, Andy topped the rotating assembly with a set of Diamond forged pistons and a set of Akerly & Childs rings. Using a gorgeous pair of CNC-ported LS3 heads and stock GM MLS gaskets, the motor sits at a pump-gas friendly 9.7:1 compression ratio. In charge of the valvetrain is an A&A Stage 3 blower cam with a relatively mild 218/232 degrees of duration, 0.563/0.575-inch lift and a boost-friendly 117 LSA.
With the engine buttoned up and ready to go, the guys over at A&A turned their attention to getting the air in and out. For the induction side, A&A bolted on one of their favorite supercharger packages using a Vortech Si head unit and an 8-rib pulley system. With the 8-rib setup on this combo Andy reports seeing about 9-10 psi, which equates to a healthy 655 rear-wheel horsepower and an astounding 608 lb-ft of torque. The now-pressurized air is then routed through custom intercooler piping to the A&A Ram Air intercooler to help keep incoming air temperatures under control. This design, according to Andy, helps keep not only the supercharged air cool but also keeps the engine bay temperature down, which increases both power and longevity. Andy notes that "the intercooler is a full 27 inches wide. I don't believe there is a more efficient intercooler setup available anywhere in a commercially available system." Post intercooler, Andy has left most of the stock stuff in place, including the stock MAF, throttle body, and LS3 intake manifold.
For exhausting all of this air, American Racing stepped up with a set of their incredible 1 7/8-inch long-tube headers, which feed a set of 3-inch catalytic converters. The exhaust, which is now emissions-friendly, travels through a 3-inch cross-pipe and into a pair of B&B Fusion mufflers. The trick deal on this setup is the "mild to wild" electric control over the mufflers. While closed, you would almost think this Vette was stock, but by the time they open it would already be too late.
The other part of the equation is, of course, fuel. For this, Andy and crew have come up with a very slick boost-activated fuel system. Using the factory supplied pump, fuel lines, rails, and upgraded 60-lb/hr injectors, the car drives around town like nothing was ever done to it. When you step on the throttle a boost-referenced switch is responsible for turning on an externally mounted Bosch 455 fuel pump. This pump is used in conjunction with the factory fuel pump to supply enough pressure to maintain a perfect air/fuel ratio in boost. "Under normal driving conditions, only the factory pump fuels the engine. This means that the large external pump isn't heating the fuel. Only under boost does the big pump kick in, almost tripling the fuel output. The stock fuel rail is utilized and the factory covers fit right on." While the boost-activated system has some tuneability, Andy uses HP Tuners to perfectly dial in both fueling and timing, getting maximum power, safely.