Summit Racing Equipment provided us with everything needed for the install, including rocker arms, head gaskets, pushrods, and head bolts; see the photo captions for more information.
Note that Trick Flow also sells its heads and other necessary components paired with a camshaft as full "Top-End Engine Kits," and several versions are available for select LS engines that make between 485 and 515 rwhp. Indeed, the company tells us that adding a cam to our current recipe would pick up 30-40 more horses, and there is no question that this is the way to go if you're looking to optimize N/A performance. A higher-lift, longer-duration cam (the stock LS2 unit specs out at 204/211 duration at 0.050, 0.525/0.525 lift, 116 LSA) would definitely take full advantage of the added flow capabilities of the TFS heads.
But that's not our plan for now, so with that background information out of the way, let's get going on the install.
Conclusion
It's time to pass judgment on just how well we did accomplishing our initially stated tasks. The final bill for the mods we've undertaken breaks down as follows (pricing current as of their respective dates of publication):
Note that the Innovate O2 is not a necessary part of the build, and in the case of the B&M shifter, it offers a distinct advantage over a stock Z06 unit, so these should probably be kept out of consideration for an apples-to-apples comparison (ditto for the SPEC clutch and DTE diff strut). This cuts $2,234 from our grand total, leaving us with $7,237 worth of mods to compare to a Z-car. That money spent pales in comparison to the extra $25 large you'd need to pony up for a new Z06. Even still, a no-excuses grand total of $56,006 for the vehicle you see here (including the $46,535 vehicle sticker price, but not including tuning, sales tax, or shipping) is almost exactly what you'd pay for a brand-new C6 convertible. The price disparity when shopping for used C6s vs. C6 Z06s would of course not be as much, but it's still significant. And of course, the Z06's advantages in handling are not being taken into consideration, since most readers "live their lives a quarter mile at a time" (bad joke, for those of you misfortunate enough to have sat through a certain Hollywood atrocity that shall remain nameless).
So while we did not achieve our stated goals of meeting or exceeding the 445 or so rwhp of a stock Z06, you can chalk most of the remaining difference up to false knock. Indeed, we don't consider this project a failure in the least: even a mild-to-moderate cam swap would easily put this car at Z06 power for just a few hundred bucks (and a supercharger, way beyond), but again, we didn't want to be doubling the work and re-swapping should a blower be chosen down the road.
We speak of possible mods to come, yet also of the completion of this project in the pages of GMHTP. Why? Because we've pretty much decided there needs to be a little room in the garage for a 2010 Camaro SS. So while the Vette's stay in the Werner household is likely limited, we've created what we think to be a great ride that's a no-excuses daily driver, and looks and sounds stupendous-simply put, it has made Chevrolet's fantastic sixth-gen Corvette even better, and that's no small feat. Regardless of whether he or she adds any further modifications, we hope the next owner will enjoy this gorgeous C6 as much as we have!
The fuel feed line is disconnected from the rails (which can also stay on the intake) via a 3/8 disconnect tool. Also at this point (not shown): the coil brackets come off. Disconnect only the large white plugs (seen just below my left hand here), then the five stud-headed bolts holding each coil bracket to the valve cover (you may have to loosen the upper alternator bolt a bit to get a socket on the forwardmost bolt on the driver side). You risk less damage to the plug wires if you disconnect them from the spark plugs and not the coils.---->
To get the alternator out, first disconnect its electrical connections, including the black plug and the fat red wire (the latter via a 13mm). Peel this wire's harness off of the top of the engine (it's routed under the fuel rails), and clump it out of the way over by the brake booster. Then the two 15mm alternator bolts come out, and after a sideways pry, the alternator is free from its bracket. Now also isn't a bad time to disconnect the coolant temp sensor in the front of the cylinder head, as well as all four driver-side injectors, and tuck this whole electrical harness out of the way (do the same for the similar harness on the passenger side).---->
At this point, we opt to take the hood off-not only for photography purposes, but for improved access at the front of the engine (though it's by no means mandatory). Time to tend to the headers; while underneath loosening the collectors where they meet the X-pipe, we also drain the engine coolant. Lo and behold, this car actually has a petcock!---->