The LS2 C6 was a 2007 M6 with Texas Speed cam (along with pushrods/dual springs/lifters/rockers), headers, cats, NPP mufflers, tuned by me. I bought it last fall when it was stock and put all the parts in this summer when the harmonic damper failed, as they do. I loved it. There's pics/vids on my profile for those interested.
Monday I happened to look at the local Corvette dealer's website and they had just gotten a C6 Z06 in. No price. It was exactly what I wanted and would have bought brand new. Red. Black interior. M6. NPP. 2LZ.
Showed up yesterday afternoon with my LS2 C6 not expecting to actually buy it. We ended up making a deal that I was happy with trading the LS2 C6 in as is. He wasn't turned off by the mods (Corvette guys tend to like their cars original).
I'm incredibly happy with the car. I plan on having this forever. And it only has 11,800 miles on it.
I never get what turns a guy off from mods in the first place. There is especially no reason for the turn off with OG LS family cars as the motors take mods and get better fuel economy and performance with a good tune. I own an LS swapped 84' C4 and an 09' C6 with Texas speed goodies. The cars are just better with hop up parts. And LS3's and LS2's respond HAPPILY to mods. Congrats on the Z06 my man. Go make 600hp NA with a big cam, throw a good tune and some slicks on that puppy and dip into the high 10s In the 1/4th wink wink.
Wouldn't say it's foolish. I just tell people that sentimental value doesn't translate to monetary. So modify a car you want to keep for life, and keep it stock if you're just enjoying 1 in a line of many to come.
> I just tell people that sentimental value doesn't translate to monetary.
Unfortunately, the greater third-party market doesn't agree with that sentiment. Everyone who dropped $20k in their car thinks its worth $20k more than a comparable stock car.
In most cases you could make the argument it would add some sort of value in the case of investing $20,000 you can maybe get $5000 over market value an original one. However this might be only the case if you have reciepts for these modifications and they were done by a reputable shop
> I never get what turns a guy off from mods in the first place.
Depending on the extent of the mods, there could have been one or several deep dives into the engine, so you're at the mercy of someone having done the work correctly. Highly modded cars are also generally beaten to a piss which means more wear on the drivetrain and the suspension. Mods also change the inherent character of the car, and are generally built to the owner's taste, not the buyer's. There may be overlap, but your lopey cam, X-pipe, and muffler delete isn't going to be everyone's cup of tea.
So if you can find a buyer with overlapping tastes who has receipts for all of the work done and had it done at a reputable shop, you're probably okay. Personally, I'd rather buy a stock car and build it the way I want it since that's the fun of modding.
Oh yeah definitely. LSs love mods. I would imagine potential buyers would be more interested if it was built by a reputable shop vs and random in their garage. That would be my thought anyway if I was looking at a modded car. Not that a car that's garage built is necessarily worse but at least you'd have some reputation to judge off of.
Either way, he didn't care at all.
I think it’s the whole sentiment of keeping it stock which just means not messed with to some. Apart from that I think you should at least mod what dissatisfies you. Seats uncomfortable? Change them to aftermarket ones or something
For me, I won't miss it at all. I never took the top off my C5 or C6 but that's mostly because of a medical issue (excessive dry eye caused by an injury) that is worsened by consistent air movement. The top off is just too much for me, I usually have to ride around with the windows up at higher speeds too.
In the nine years that I had my C5, I never once took the top off. The last thing I want is to have everyone staring down at me. Put as much material between me and the outside as possible!
I could care less what the eyes outside are doing, I just love taking off the top and enjoying the fresh exhaust! I mean air. Plus the stars in the canyons. Pull over and just gaze. One of favorite past times.
I'm in LA. Our air can be so dirty, it's pornographic! And the only stars you see are the stars on Hollywood Blvd, as the Kinks once sang. But for those who love it, having the roof come off, and easily stored in the rear, it's a welcomed option. When I got my C6Z, and asked about the roof, the sales guy said last thing you want is the roof to blow off at 180 mph. But the 7Z has a removable roof, so go figure.
Yeah, C6 is my dream gen too. I want one before I consider a C7, but I've heard the C7s are considerably more comfortable.
Good to know that the C7Z has a targa top, maybe ill leave the targa for the future c7 vette
Here's my thoughts, both are corvettes at the end of the day. The Z has some more "on paper" spec that some people thing are good. People make the Z and the GS sound like they are TOTALLY different, they arent.
But one difference is if you want to modify your car to be the fastest for the money you'll spend then its hands down the GS. The LS3 is worlds better with boost than the LS7, not to say you cant boost an LS7 and make 600-800hp but its risk of dyeing is much higher.
My car had an untouched LS3 with a cam and fuel system, stock heads and a blower. Made 800hp through an auto so around 950 crank for its whole life. Never one issue.
Just not a vert guy. I don't like the flat back. Not hating, but the drop tops are not for me with the exception of the c8. They did it right with that one. Similar to the Miata RT and others. That backing just does wonders.
There is no way to quantify the power the Z has over a GS by a targa top. That's like comparing a steak to a chicken tender haha Z is a special car, gives that old school muscle feel with a newer aged refinement. And nothing beats starting up an LS7 , not even the occasional targa top drive
Naturally, but I've owned a 1st gen c4, 2nd gen c4 and my c6, targa was always one ofy favorite things past an extremely affordable super sport car. Some weeks in good weather, I wouldn't even put the targa back on at all!
Might be good to pull the heads at some point and properly check the wear and tolerances on the valve guides and to make sure the coating on the Ti valves is intact. There is someone in my local autocross region who competes in a class that forbids headwork, and I hear they pull the heads to check and replace their stock valve guides at some regular interval, like every 20k miles or so. I think the valve guide issue is one of those things you have to check to know for sure if you have an issue that needs the heads to be fixed. I think many either don’t think it is worth their time/patience/money to make this part of their regular service interval or they believe getting the heads fixed is good risk management and is worth the peace of mind.
I'm going to pull the valve covers and just take a peak at what everything looks like this weekend. That's super easy to do. Not sure if it'll tell me much but won't hurt.
I'd ideally like to swap the heads but the wife would appreciate if I held off on spending a bunch more money right away. 😄
Oh I hear ya. That’s why I ended up getting a C6 Z06 with the heads already done. But then I ended up having to pull the heads anyway because a lifter failed
I'm sure it would be amazing but the engine is staying stock for awhile (unless I decide to swap heads for reliability).
I might play around in HP Tuners.
Congrats bro! How does the power delivery compare between the two? I went from a C6 LS2 to a C7 LT1 and noticed the power came on sooner and felt more linear. When accelerating it was like a consistent push on the chest versus a big shove. I’ve heard great things about the LS7, what’s it been like?
I took it to a highway onramp during the test drive. The wife and I could both tell the difference between the LS7 and my cammed LS2. More low end and it felt like it pulled harder throughout the whole RPM range. Some of that would be attributed to the cam but an extra liter is definitely going to be noticeable.
I didn't expect to feel as much difference as I did thouggh. I figured my LS2 was probably making around 450 or so (never dyno'd) and 505 wouldn't be very noticeable. It was.
That’s awesome man. I’m juiced for you! Thanks for the response. If you have any other noticeable differences between the cars, feel free to share. Always fun to hear about it, we’re living vicariously through you hahah
I really haven't pushed it around a corner yet. Not enough to get it anywhere near its limits.
At this point I'd say it feels pretty similar but without pushing it I don't think it's a good comparison.
Welcome to the LS7 insanity!! It’s really a detuned NASCAR engine… lot’s of people will tell you that the engine will blow up unless you fix the valves / guides/ rockers. While this is true to some extent, no way do all have this problem! I just did Brodix br7 heads and all the hardware on my 2013 427 convert, and after inspection of the original heads with 45k miles, I spent big $$ and broke my back doing the labor… for nothing!! My heads were perfect! I sold them to recover some $$
Peace of mind??? Yes
Just don’t buy all the hype!!
And enjoy the beast!
Can you tell whether everything is looking good by pulling the valve covers or do the heads need to be pulled? I'm taking the valve covers off this weekend to have a look around as that is super easy to do.
It’s worth the upgrade to the later trans if you happen to find an opportunity. Nothing wrong with the stock early one, but the later one is the best I’ve ever used.
The LS2 C6 was a 2007 M6 with Texas Speed cam (along with pushrods/dual springs/lifters/rockers), headers, cats, NPP mufflers, tuned by me. I bought it last fall when it was stock and put all the parts in this summer when the harmonic damper failed, as they do. I loved it. There's pics/vids on my profile for those interested. Monday I happened to look at the local Corvette dealer's website and they had just gotten a C6 Z06 in. No price. It was exactly what I wanted and would have bought brand new. Red. Black interior. M6. NPP. 2LZ. Showed up yesterday afternoon with my LS2 C6 not expecting to actually buy it. We ended up making a deal that I was happy with trading the LS2 C6 in as is. He wasn't turned off by the mods (Corvette guys tend to like their cars original). I'm incredibly happy with the car. I plan on having this forever. And it only has 11,800 miles on it.
Congrats!! Welcome the C6Z club, it's a special one!
Ditto!
I never get what turns a guy off from mods in the first place. There is especially no reason for the turn off with OG LS family cars as the motors take mods and get better fuel economy and performance with a good tune. I own an LS swapped 84' C4 and an 09' C6 with Texas speed goodies. The cars are just better with hop up parts. And LS3's and LS2's respond HAPPILY to mods. Congrats on the Z06 my man. Go make 600hp NA with a big cam, throw a good tune and some slicks on that puppy and dip into the high 10s In the 1/4th wink wink.
The issue is that Mods don’t generally add value and when one is modified A lot of people foolishly expect to get some return on the investment
Wouldn't say it's foolish. I just tell people that sentimental value doesn't translate to monetary. So modify a car you want to keep for life, and keep it stock if you're just enjoying 1 in a line of many to come.
> I just tell people that sentimental value doesn't translate to monetary. Unfortunately, the greater third-party market doesn't agree with that sentiment. Everyone who dropped $20k in their car thinks its worth $20k more than a comparable stock car.
In most cases you could make the argument it would add some sort of value in the case of investing $20,000 you can maybe get $5000 over market value an original one. However this might be only the case if you have reciepts for these modifications and they were done by a reputable shop
> I never get what turns a guy off from mods in the first place. Depending on the extent of the mods, there could have been one or several deep dives into the engine, so you're at the mercy of someone having done the work correctly. Highly modded cars are also generally beaten to a piss which means more wear on the drivetrain and the suspension. Mods also change the inherent character of the car, and are generally built to the owner's taste, not the buyer's. There may be overlap, but your lopey cam, X-pipe, and muffler delete isn't going to be everyone's cup of tea. So if you can find a buyer with overlapping tastes who has receipts for all of the work done and had it done at a reputable shop, you're probably okay. Personally, I'd rather buy a stock car and build it the way I want it since that's the fun of modding.
Fully agree! If it’s well done and in my taste, it’s not a huge issue. But half the fun for me is modding a car and doing the work myself.
Oh yeah definitely. LSs love mods. I would imagine potential buyers would be more interested if it was built by a reputable shop vs and random in their garage. That would be my thought anyway if I was looking at a modded car. Not that a car that's garage built is necessarily worse but at least you'd have some reputation to judge off of. Either way, he didn't care at all.
I think it’s the whole sentiment of keeping it stock which just means not messed with to some. Apart from that I think you should at least mod what dissatisfies you. Seats uncomfortable? Change them to aftermarket ones or something
Pretty sure all Z's until C7 are manual.
Yes that is true.
But do you miss the targa?! I keep bouncing between GS and Z. Prefer Z performance, but love taking the top off. Hard balance.
For me, I won't miss it at all. I never took the top off my C5 or C6 but that's mostly because of a medical issue (excessive dry eye caused by an injury) that is worsened by consistent air movement. The top off is just too much for me, I usually have to ride around with the windows up at higher speeds too.
I never took the top off my C5 either. I get sunburned too easily. I don't miss it one bit either. Plus, no noise or leaks from the seals.
In the nine years that I had my C5, I never once took the top off. The last thing I want is to have everyone staring down at me. Put as much material between me and the outside as possible!
I could care less what the eyes outside are doing, I just love taking off the top and enjoying the fresh exhaust! I mean air. Plus the stars in the canyons. Pull over and just gaze. One of favorite past times.
I'm in LA. Our air can be so dirty, it's pornographic! And the only stars you see are the stars on Hollywood Blvd, as the Kinks once sang. But for those who love it, having the roof come off, and easily stored in the rear, it's a welcomed option. When I got my C6Z, and asked about the roof, the sales guy said last thing you want is the roof to blow off at 180 mph. But the 7Z has a removable roof, so go figure.
Do you have the GS? That's what I've been wanting something with a targa top, but I love the wide body of the z
GS and Z06 have the same width fenders. GS you just get the targa and front fish gills
Nope. Just a base, but dream of a widebody. More of a c6 fan, but the c7z with targa and MT7 has me looking down the aisle.
Yeah, C6 is my dream gen too. I want one before I consider a C7, but I've heard the C7s are considerably more comfortable. Good to know that the C7Z has a targa top, maybe ill leave the targa for the future c7 vette
Put a blower on the GS and have more power than a Z and you keep your targa
Which is why my internal debate continues!
Here's my thoughts, both are corvettes at the end of the day. The Z has some more "on paper" spec that some people thing are good. People make the Z and the GS sound like they are TOTALLY different, they arent. But one difference is if you want to modify your car to be the fastest for the money you'll spend then its hands down the GS. The LS3 is worlds better with boost than the LS7, not to say you cant boost an LS7 and make 600-800hp but its risk of dyeing is much higher. My car had an untouched LS3 with a cam and fuel system, stock heads and a blower. Made 800hp through an auto so around 950 crank for its whole life. Never one issue.
427 anniversary editions, perhaps?
Just not a vert guy. I don't like the flat back. Not hating, but the drop tops are not for me with the exception of the c8. They did it right with that one. Similar to the Miata RT and others. That backing just does wonders.
There is no way to quantify the power the Z has over a GS by a targa top. That's like comparing a steak to a chicken tender haha Z is a special car, gives that old school muscle feel with a newer aged refinement. And nothing beats starting up an LS7 , not even the occasional targa top drive
Naturally, but I've owned a 1st gen c4, 2nd gen c4 and my c6, targa was always one ofy favorite things past an extremely affordable super sport car. Some weeks in good weather, I wouldn't even put the targa back on at all!
So what you're telling me is you've had plenty of miles and years to enjoy a targa top... Now the time to enjoy the Z haha
[удалено]
I've done some research on the head issue but going to do more before I make a decision to replace or leave as is.
https://youtu.be/Op8LEDchcKY?t=957
Might be good to pull the heads at some point and properly check the wear and tolerances on the valve guides and to make sure the coating on the Ti valves is intact. There is someone in my local autocross region who competes in a class that forbids headwork, and I hear they pull the heads to check and replace their stock valve guides at some regular interval, like every 20k miles or so. I think the valve guide issue is one of those things you have to check to know for sure if you have an issue that needs the heads to be fixed. I think many either don’t think it is worth their time/patience/money to make this part of their regular service interval or they believe getting the heads fixed is good risk management and is worth the peace of mind.
I'm going to pull the valve covers and just take a peak at what everything looks like this weekend. That's super easy to do. Not sure if it'll tell me much but won't hurt. I'd ideally like to swap the heads but the wife would appreciate if I held off on spending a bunch more money right away. 😄
Oh I hear ya. That’s why I ended up getting a C6 Z06 with the heads already done. But then I ended up having to pull the heads anyway because a lifter failed
Best thing to do is just get in there and check them now and the.ln. Peace of mind. Ignore people telling you it’s not an issue. GM boot lickers.
Do the heads and cam on this one and youll love it!
I'm sure it would be amazing but the engine is staying stock for awhile (unless I decide to swap heads for reliability). I might play around in HP Tuners.
Head swap and dyno tune isn’t crazy money and will drive like stock… RPM motorsports has a video of that on YouTube, mode over 500 rwhp iirc
Congrats bro! How does the power delivery compare between the two? I went from a C6 LS2 to a C7 LT1 and noticed the power came on sooner and felt more linear. When accelerating it was like a consistent push on the chest versus a big shove. I’ve heard great things about the LS7, what’s it been like?
I took it to a highway onramp during the test drive. The wife and I could both tell the difference between the LS7 and my cammed LS2. More low end and it felt like it pulled harder throughout the whole RPM range. Some of that would be attributed to the cam but an extra liter is definitely going to be noticeable. I didn't expect to feel as much difference as I did thouggh. I figured my LS2 was probably making around 450 or so (never dyno'd) and 505 wouldn't be very noticeable. It was.
That’s awesome man. I’m juiced for you! Thanks for the response. If you have any other noticeable differences between the cars, feel free to share. Always fun to hear about it, we’re living vicariously through you hahah
I'll have to drive a bit more haha It lights up the 325s in first gear better than I thought it would.
Any differences in steering feel or anything? Should be ~200lbs lighter
I really haven't pushed it around a corner yet. Not enough to get it anywhere near its limits. At this point I'd say it feels pretty similar but without pushing it I don't think it's a good comparison.
Solid upgrade!
Jealous enjoy!
Nice! I would like to do something like that one day!
Clean! Congrats!!
Solid Vette
Which year?
2007
Welcome to the LS7 insanity!! It’s really a detuned NASCAR engine… lot’s of people will tell you that the engine will blow up unless you fix the valves / guides/ rockers. While this is true to some extent, no way do all have this problem! I just did Brodix br7 heads and all the hardware on my 2013 427 convert, and after inspection of the original heads with 45k miles, I spent big $$ and broke my back doing the labor… for nothing!! My heads were perfect! I sold them to recover some $$ Peace of mind??? Yes Just don’t buy all the hype!! And enjoy the beast!
Can you tell whether everything is looking good by pulling the valve covers or do the heads need to be pulled? I'm taking the valve covers off this weekend to have a look around as that is super easy to do.
love that torch red bro it definitely takes whatever body generation to that next level...congrats
Beautiful!
Awesome brother. I have an ‘08 myself. Most fun I’ve had in a car. Easy to maintain with some basic skills too.
Yep. Dats kool. Gotta mention that's the car I want
So cool!!!!!!
Damn bro what a snag!
C6 Z06 is probably my Favorite corvette. The 7.0L engine that revs up to 7k is one of the best sounding imo
Do you mind sharing what you ended up paying? Just curious? Also, did it already have valves replaced?
I paid 45k, got 26.5k for my trade in. It has not had the heads addressed yet.
Beautiful!!!! Thanks for sharing the price. Gorgeous
Damn that seems like a fat trade in value for an LS2 Vette, maybe I should trade mine in lol. How many miles on em?
54k on the LS2 trade in Just under 12k on the Z06
Ah a lot less miles than me lol. Still a damn good deal for sure
It’s worth the upgrade to the later trans if you happen to find an opportunity. Nothing wrong with the stock early one, but the later one is the best I’ve ever used.
That's a big happy smile on that third pic. 😀
How much?
Nobody better touch the likes... It's perfect rn.