Remove the catalytic converter assemblies from the driver side of the car. Repeat the procedure on the passenger side and store the catalytic converters. | 
Close off the petcock to the radiator and put the coolant away in a place safe from pets and children. Wipe up any excess coolant from the floor and then lower the vehicle. Reach down into the engine compartment and carefully maneuver the passenger and driver side exhaust manifolds out. Take your time, as not to damage any components on the way out. | 
Take a closer look at the high level of refinement in the LS7 exhaust manifold. The hydro-formed tubular steel manifolds have individual runners that meet in a unique quad-outlet collector. Other than being an extremely short header, this is by far the best flowing LS series exhaust manifold produced to date. A set of these exhaust manifolds is reported to bolt right onto an LS2 based Corvette (with LS7 mid-pipe). |
Now that the exhaust has been removed, the next step is to prepare to replace the camshaft. Installation begins by removing the components on the front of the engine to gain access to the timing chain cover. Begin by unplugging the 5-pin combination MAF and AIT sensor from the driver side of the air box assembly and the PCV hose from the passenger side attachment to the air bellows. Unscrew the band clamp holding the air assembly to the throttle body and carefully lift up on the two rubber grommets that attach the assembly to the upper radiator cover. Remove the assembly from the car by pulling back until free of the car. | 
In order to get the camshaft out of the front of the engine, the radiator will have to be removed. Begin the radiator removal by unbolting the four 10mm upper radiator support bolts. Unclip the coolant line that is connected to the front of the upper radiator shroud and carefully bow the radiator support outward, while simultaneously lifting it off of the radiator. | 
Unclip the three retainers that hold the coolant lines to the radiator and disconnect the throttle body bypass hose from the throttle body and the coolant bypass container. Position a shallow pan under the water pump. Remove the upper radiator hose from the water pump with a GM hose clamp tool and slide the hose off of the water pump housing. Remove the other end of the hose from the top of the radiator. |
Raise the vehicle back into the air and remove the four 13mm sway bar bracket bolts. Set the clamshell covers to the side and allow the bar to rotate downward. Prepare to remove the factory electric fan by unbolting each 10mm bolt, located on the lower left and upper right of the radiator. Carefully lower the electric fan and disconnect the fan relay electrical connection at the top of the fan below lowering the fan fully out. Remove the lower radiator hose and pull the clips connecting the T56 transmission cooler lines to the radiator. Drain the residual Dextron transmission fluid into a small pan and then lower the car. | 
The radiator is separated from the AC condenser that sits immediately in front of it by pushing the two rubber isolators apart. Once separated, there are receiver grooves on the bottom of both sides of the radiator. Carefully pull upward on the radiator, being cognizant that there isn't much room to remove it without contacting the condenser. Here, Josh Ledford gets excellent assistance from Dan Taber in lifting the radiator out of the car. Once out of the car, store the radiator out of the way. | 
Remove the serpentine drive belt with a 15mm wrench and then use a hose clamp tool to pull the two coolant hoses that exit the side of the water pump and the radiator hose immediately in front of the thermostat. Push the hoses out of the way and remove the six 10mm water pump bolts. Remove the water pump from the car and store the bolts. Behind the water pump are two gaskets. Carefully inspect the gaskets to ensure the material hasn't been compromised. In this case, the gaskets were fine due to the extremely low mileage. In any other case, play it safe and replace the gasket. If your water pump is leaking, think again, maybe it's just the gasket! With the water pump out of the way, remove the AC belt with a 15mm wrench. |
Unplug the cam position sensor on the front of the timing cover and disconnect the throttle position sensor (TPS) from the throttle body. | 
Remove the four 10mm bolts that attach the 90mm throttle body to the LS7 intake. A closer look at the throttle body reveals a machined leading edge 1/2-inch inside the throttle body that disrupts airflow in. HPE's custom porting of this throttle body will remove the machined edge and aid flow through the throttle body. | 
After removing the throttle body, raise the car into the air in order to prepare to drop the engine cradle down just enough to enable the crankshaft balancer to be removed. Begin by removing the five 3/4-inch wheel lugs and remove the front wheel. Next, remove the two 21mm brake caliper bolts. The calipers have to be positioned so they rest on the control arms, otherwise when the suspension is lowered, the brake lines may be unceremoniously ripped off the calipers. Repeat the procedure on the driver side. |
The two upper control arms bolts are removed with a 15mm socket. After breaking the bolts loose, carefully loosen them and reach behind the control arm to extract the front-end shims behind each bolt. Count the number of shims on each side and either write the number of shims on the control arm as shown, or make a note of them for reinstallation later. In this case, there were four shims on each side. If the shims aren't reinstalled exactly as they were removed, the front-end will not be in alignment anymore. And no, a washer from the Home Depot isn't a substitute for the correct GM shim on the off chance that the shim mysteriously launches itself across the driveway and into your nearest storm sewer. Remove the bolts and complete the driver side in similar fashion. | 
Corvettes have a transverse mounted leaf spring integral to the front suspension for additional suspension dampening. A GM spring tool is utilized to relieve tension on the lower control arms, allowing safe removal of the two 13mm shock bolts under each of the front shocks. Once removed, gently rotate the entire control arm assembly down on both sides. | 
Remove the two 18mm engine mount bolts on each side of the K-member, followed by the single 13mm bolt that holds the oil lines from the oil pan secure against the control arm (as the lines are routed to the dry sump oiling system container inside the engine compartment). |
Remove the two 10mm screws that attach the factory power steering cooler to the engine cradle. By taking out the screws, the power steering cooler is free to move as the cradle is eased down, thereby eliminating ruptured lines. Before removing the four 21mm engine cradle bolts, support the engine with a tripod jack and put a transmission jack under the center of the K-member. Carefully remove the four bolts and have a helper slowly lower the two jacks about six inches, or just enough so that the crankshaft balancer bolt can be accessed. | 
Remove the crankshaft balancer bolt with a 24mm socket and then attach a specialty three-arm balancer remover. Since the LS7 dry sump oil pump has more depth than a standard Gen III or IV pump a 1-inch longer bolt is required to attach the puller and remove the balancer. After removing the balancer, install the factory bolt back in the crank socket to allow you to rotate the engine. Remove the two lower 10mm timing cover bolts to oil pan bolts and then have your helper assist you in raising the K-member back up. Snug up the four 21mm engine cradle bolts, remove the jacks and lower the car. | 
Remove the remaining eight timing cover bolts to reveal the timing chain set and the oil pump. To access the timing chain, the oil pump has to be pulled off in order to remove the chain tensioner. Without a tensioner, removal of the three cam gear bolts allows you to gain the necessary chain slack to avoid removing the oil pump. Begin by removing the four 10mm bolts that retain the LS7 specific dry sump oil pump. Once the bolts are removed, slide the pump back. Unfortunately, the LS7 pump's increased size threw a monkey wrench into the plans and could not be moved back without first dropping the oil pan. |
To lower the oil pan, raise the car into the air and drain the oil. In addition to the traditional Gen III/IV oil drain plug located on the bottom of the pan beside the oil filter, the LS7 has a drain plug at the front of the pan in the right corner. After draining the oil, remove the two 13mm leaf spring bolts on each side to allow the leafs to sag, gaining you additional access to the oil pan. Remove the remaining ten 10mm oil pan bolts along with the two 15mm bellhousing bolts. Carefully, lower the oil pan down a few inches and clean up any oil that may have dripped onto the ground. | 
Lower the car and pull the oil pump back (do not remove it from the end of the crankshaft) and remove the two 13mm camshaft tensioner bolts. | 
Remove the eight rocker arms on each set of cylinder heads by using an 8mm socket. Once removed, store the rocker arms in cylinder and bank specific order. Do not remove the pushrods. Put a 24mm socket on the crankshaft bolt and rotate the crankshaft clockwise. Line up the dots on the timing chain to get the engine to top dead center (camshaft sprocket dot at 6 and crankshaft sprocket dot in the 12 o'clock position). |