Chithead's 2003 Corvette Z06
- Thread starter chithead
- Start date
chithead
Well-known member
Decided to swap out the front signal markers since I am not a personal fan of amber lenses. What I've learned... a Corvette, is not impossible to work on. But it is definitely not easy. At least all the fasteners and such are not representative of other 20 year old cars I've had the displeasure of working on. Everything comes apart nice and easy, no rusted screws or bolts, anything. Just an interesting puzzle to as how everything fits in place.
The stock marker lights:
The replacement housings:
After trying unsuccessfully to remove them from the headlight openings up top, ended up having to pull them out from the bottom. This necessitated raising the car up to access everything. What a joy that was:
All that, to remove this:
So they can slide out here, and new ones slide back in:
Had to remove this bracket and attach to the new housings:
And the replacements installed:
Oooooh... pretty:
The stock marker lights:
The replacement housings:
After trying unsuccessfully to remove them from the headlight openings up top, ended up having to pull them out from the bottom. This necessitated raising the car up to access everything. What a joy that was:
All that, to remove this:
So they can slide out here, and new ones slide back in:
Had to remove this bracket and attach to the new housings:
And the replacements installed:
Oooooh... pretty:
chithead
Well-known member
Started on the subwoofer enclosure last night. Had a general idea that I wanted the front baffle to be 15" high around the subwoofer, but that was about it far as a definitive with this. Used the template Kicker provides to mark and cut an opening:
Ohhhhhh... that's a good fit:
To be beastly built, it still has a pretty shallow mounting depth:
Started to get fancy with some curves and cuts:
Thinking I'll follow that same gradual slope to the corners, then do a nice curve left to right on the top. This should allow the enclosure to slide under the rear window trim perfectly. Also made some braces, but ended up goofing on those. The cutouts didn't look as hoped, and they were a half inch too wide, which threw everything off. Tossed those in the trash, will try a new set later.
Also threw some paint on the amp rack:
Just a first coat for now. Ordered some decals to try something, "different" on this. Think I said the crossovers inspired an idea? If not, they did.
Ohhhhhh... that's a good fit:
To be beastly built, it still has a pretty shallow mounting depth:
Started to get fancy with some curves and cuts:
Thinking I'll follow that same gradual slope to the corners, then do a nice curve left to right on the top. This should allow the enclosure to slide under the rear window trim perfectly. Also made some braces, but ended up goofing on those. The cutouts didn't look as hoped, and they were a half inch too wide, which threw everything off. Tossed those in the trash, will try a new set later.
Also threw some paint on the amp rack:
Just a first coat for now. Ordered some decals to try something, "different" on this. Think I said the crossovers inspired an idea? If not, they did.
chithead
Well-known member
Also collecting parts for fixing an oil leak. Looks to be coming from the rear main seal plate. Seems to be a very common spot on these LS engines. Ordered a better rear plate that also has the rear main seal included, and an aluminum barbell to replace the factory plastic one near the oil filter. Might as well take care of the clutch and a few other wear items while it's all apart too. Found this slightly used RAM HDX clutch and pressure plate along with their aluminum flywheel. They still have the machining/milling marks on the surfaces, clutch disc still has 7.6mm of material. Also snagged ARP bolts to clamp everything together:
The car already has a Tick Performance Tilton clutch master cylinder, soooo thinking about getting the RAM hydraulic bearing to pair with it instead of a factory GM piece.
The car already has a Tick Performance Tilton clutch master cylinder, soooo thinking about getting the RAM hydraulic bearing to pair with it instead of a factory GM piece.
chithead
Well-known member
More work done tonight. Second layer to the front baffle cut out. Using Titebond and brad nails to secure the enclosure together:
And stuck to the back - it is shorter to accommodate the top portion when I figure that part out eventually:
And this is what I fugged up last night, but figured out tonight. Kicker logo braces for the enclosure:
Will be sanding those and adding a round over later, but they're in there now. Subwoofer fits in so good:
Almost like I planned on having the perfect amount of space there:
Minor hiccup though - the motor does stick up further than the top I had planned to use for this. Still rethinking, gonna sleep on it and see what ideas transpire tomorrow:
And lessons learned from before, make sure it fits:
Yup yup, tucks up so nicely to the rear window trim:
Will be adding an additional layer to the rear wall, and of course adding corner pieces to fill in all the gaps between each panel. Leaning towards adding an entire other layer on top and the sides as well to trim it out nicely. We shall see on that part.
And stuck to the back - it is shorter to accommodate the top portion when I figure that part out eventually:
And this is what I fugged up last night, but figured out tonight. Kicker logo braces for the enclosure:
Will be sanding those and adding a round over later, but they're in there now. Subwoofer fits in so good:
Almost like I planned on having the perfect amount of space there:
Minor hiccup though - the motor does stick up further than the top I had planned to use for this. Still rethinking, gonna sleep on it and see what ideas transpire tomorrow:
And lessons learned from before, make sure it fits:
Yup yup, tucks up so nicely to the rear window trim:
Will be adding an additional layer to the rear wall, and of course adding corner pieces to fill in all the gaps between each panel. Leaning towards adding an entire other layer on top and the sides as well to trim it out nicely. We shall see on that part.
chithead
Well-known member
Ok. Got a top on the enclosure. I know everyone is tired of seeing this crappy built enclosure, but I promise it will look much better when finished.
Being stubborn - decided to double up two layers of 1/4" plyboard so as to make it bend not just left to right, but also curve front to back to allow subwoofer motor clearance. Ended up having to cut it in four pieces, and overlap them:
Layer number two, with two tubes of liquid nails between them, five strips of 1" brad nails and one strip of 2" brad nails holding everything together:
It worked though. I think the top is more solid than the other sides, and they are pretty strong already with those braces in there. Some other views to show the curves:
Also decided to use threaded inserts to hold the subwoofer in. These went in fairly well, was quite surprised. Should work out nicely:
Being stubborn - decided to double up two layers of 1/4" plyboard so as to make it bend not just left to right, but also curve front to back to allow subwoofer motor clearance. Ended up having to cut it in four pieces, and overlap them:
Layer number two, with two tubes of liquid nails between them, five strips of 1" brad nails and one strip of 2" brad nails holding everything together:
It worked though. I think the top is more solid than the other sides, and they are pretty strong already with those braces in there. Some other views to show the curves:
Also decided to use threaded inserts to hold the subwoofer in. These went in fairly well, was quite surprised. Should work out nicely:
chithead
Well-known member
Alright, back to the amp rack. Cue the red queen!!!
That's right, we painted the amp rack red. Now, remember what I kept saying about the crossovers being an inspiration for this? Well, here is what I was talking about:
So, ordered 60 Kicker stickers:
And started sticking the stickers:
Guess what... ran out of stickers:
Need to order about 12 more to finish it up. But, as they say in the industry... here's the money shot:
That's right, we painted the amp rack red. Now, remember what I kept saying about the crossovers being an inspiration for this? Well, here is what I was talking about:
So, ordered 60 Kicker stickers:
And started sticking the stickers:
Guess what... ran out of stickers:
Need to order about 12 more to finish it up. But, as they say in the industry... here's the money shot:
chithead
Well-known member
Not much progress, unfortunately. The harmonic balancer has decided to start wobbling - need to address that quickly before it gets worse. Ordered one of those, an oil pump, timing gear set, camshaft retainer plate, and ARP bolts. Figure while it's all apart, might as well take care of those other wear items.
Anywho, did set the enclosure and amp rack into the car to make sure everything fits well. Love the way it contours with the shape of rear glass and roof lines:
Need to get going on that enclosure again to make it not so fugly. Then order materials to wrap her up. Here is the amp rack set down in it's spot:
Undecided whether to build a cover or not. I kinda like the way it looks just like that. Removed the BOSE logos from the door panels:
And also removed these little Kicker logos from the speaker grilles included in the component set:
And, bam! Epoxied them to the door panels:
Anywho, did set the enclosure and amp rack into the car to make sure everything fits well. Love the way it contours with the shape of rear glass and roof lines:
Need to get going on that enclosure again to make it not so fugly. Then order materials to wrap her up. Here is the amp rack set down in it's spot:
Undecided whether to build a cover or not. I kinda like the way it looks just like that. Removed the BOSE logos from the door panels:
And also removed these little Kicker logos from the speaker grilles included in the component set:
And, bam! Epoxied them to the door panels:
chithead
Well-known member
So we started with this:
Removed the speaker and access cover:
And started applying dampener:
I REALLY like this Hushmat. It is very lightweight, and did an amazing job taming the resonance on these fiberglass doors. One of my main concern on these doors was adding too much weight, and this was a perfect combination:
Their Wave Breaker applied behind the speaker:
And the speaker installed, sealed up with foam, then dampener over the top:
All sealed up everywhere:
And the precut Ensolite applied with butyl adhesive:
Also ran the 16ga Kicker speaker wire direct into the door, right to the speakers. Had to remove a few panels to get there, but there is an access piece that made this super easy. Actually, the easiest doors I've ever ran new wire into.
Removed the speaker and access cover:
And started applying dampener:
I REALLY like this Hushmat. It is very lightweight, and did an amazing job taming the resonance on these fiberglass doors. One of my main concern on these doors was adding too much weight, and this was a perfect combination:
Their Wave Breaker applied behind the speaker:
And the speaker installed, sealed up with foam, then dampener over the top:
All sealed up everywhere:
And the precut Ensolite applied with butyl adhesive:
Also ran the 16ga Kicker speaker wire direct into the door, right to the speakers. Had to remove a few panels to get there, but there is an access piece that made this super easy. Actually, the easiest doors I've ever ran new wire into.
Notloudenuf
Active member
I wish this had made it to the meet this weekend. I want to check it out as soon as its back together. Keep up the good work.
chithead
Well-known member
Audio build is on hold for a bit. Need to replace the rear main seal. Also going to do a clutch and slave cylinder while it's apart. But the job is a monumental task. The whole rear end has to come out due to the design. Trans is in the back, with a torque tube going up to the bellhousing where the clutch is located.
Was waiting to figure out exactly how to tackle that, when she decided to start making a ticking sound one morning. I drove her to work and back home, and nowhere since. Inspected the harmonic balancer, and it was wobbling a bit. These LS engines are notorious for that, due to the balancer design. So since I had to dig that far in, decided might as well do the oil pump, timing chain set, and camshaft retainer plate.
No easy job either. Have to remove quite a bit, including the steering rack. Got super lucky for the opportunity to get one of the new QuickJack 7000TL:
They are a lifesaver for sure. Both figuratively, and literally.
Alright... let's get going on this balancer, baby!
Water pump has been replaced. Interesting:
And now, to fight this sumbeech:
Took me three days to get that stupid bolt out. Tried everything I could think of. Ended up turning the crank enough to wedge a breaker bar against the cradle over by the driver's side control arm, and used the starter to break it loose:
See the cracks? Failing balancer, that's what happens. Now to get this beast off:
Had to get yet another tool just for that:
Was waiting to figure out exactly how to tackle that, when she decided to start making a ticking sound one morning. I drove her to work and back home, and nowhere since. Inspected the harmonic balancer, and it was wobbling a bit. These LS engines are notorious for that, due to the balancer design. So since I had to dig that far in, decided might as well do the oil pump, timing chain set, and camshaft retainer plate.
No easy job either. Have to remove quite a bit, including the steering rack. Got super lucky for the opportunity to get one of the new QuickJack 7000TL:
They are a lifesaver for sure. Both figuratively, and literally.
Alright... let's get going on this balancer, baby!
Water pump has been replaced. Interesting:
And now, to fight this sumbeech:
Took me three days to get that stupid bolt out. Tried everything I could think of. Ended up turning the crank enough to wedge a breaker bar against the cradle over by the driver's side control arm, and used the starter to break it loose:
See the cracks? Failing balancer, that's what happens. Now to get this beast off:
Had to get yet another tool just for that:
BenevolentDictator
Noob
Rooting for you Daniel. Looks like you have the skillset and experience to attack it so you'll be just fine.
Audio build is on hold for a bit. Need to replace the rear main seal. Also going to do a clutch and slave cylinder while it's apart. But the job is a monumental task. The whole rear end has to come out due to the design. Trans is in the back, with a torque tube going up to the bellhousing where the clutch is located.
Was waiting to figure out exactly how to tackle that, when she decided to start making a ticking sound one morning. I drove her to work and back home, and nowhere since. Inspected the harmonic balancer, and it was wobbling a bit. These LS engines are notorious for that, due to the balancer design. So since I had to dig that far in, decided might as well do the oil pump, timing chain set, and camshaft retainer plate.
No easy job either. Have to remove quite a bit, including the steering rack. Got super lucky for the opportunity to get one of the new QuickJack 7000TL:
They are a lifesaver for sure. Both figuratively, and literally.
Alright... let's get going on this balancer, baby!
Water pump has been replaced. Interesting:
And now, to fight this sumbeech:
Took me three days to get that stupid bolt out. Tried everything I could think of. Ended up turning the crank enough to wedge a breaker bar against the cradle over by the driver's side control arm, and used the starter to break it loose:
See the cracks? Failing balancer, that's what happens. Now to get this beast off:
Had to get yet another tool just for that:
chithead
Well-known member
Finally! Now we can replace the oil pump, timing set, and cam plate. But wait, there's more:
Something doesn't look right. See those cam bolts? They're all bent. And the cam gear is very loose. Guess we found out what was making all that ticking noise:
Soon as I removed the gear, could tell this camshaft has been replaced. When ordering the cam plate, noticed there were two kinds. An early style with bolt heads, and a later style with countersunk Torx bolts. Guess what was on there:
Someone been in here before, and put the wrong plate on. This is what the correct piece should look like:
Not sure what cam this is. She's a little lopey, but not too bad. Guessing a Stage 2 something based on videos of other LS engines with Stage 2 cams in them:
The problem is, those three bolts were completely stripped. Was worried I now had to replace the camshaft... but got super lucky. Happened to have a tap in the toolbox that was an exact match. Just went really slowly, couple turns, back it out, couple turns more, out, just kept working the tap and cleaning the threads until they were all back to good condition. Tested some of the timing cover bolts since they are the same thread pattern, and all three went in. Decided to order three new bolts from ARP and installed the new Melling retainer plate on there:
Right now, the new Melling timing gear set is installed, and the new Melling 10295 oil pump. It's the standard volume, high pressure pump. Didn't want the high volume version. High pressure isn't bad though, high volume would be bad. Read multiple articles saying that high volume pump can drain all 7 quarts from the pan in under a minute with high RPM driving. Not that I plan on it, but don't want the worry either.
Had to order three camshaft bolts. Waiting on those to arrive before we can button everything up and slip this bad boy on there:
Something doesn't look right. See those cam bolts? They're all bent. And the cam gear is very loose. Guess we found out what was making all that ticking noise:
Soon as I removed the gear, could tell this camshaft has been replaced. When ordering the cam plate, noticed there were two kinds. An early style with bolt heads, and a later style with countersunk Torx bolts. Guess what was on there:
Someone been in here before, and put the wrong plate on. This is what the correct piece should look like:
Not sure what cam this is. She's a little lopey, but not too bad. Guessing a Stage 2 something based on videos of other LS engines with Stage 2 cams in them:
The problem is, those three bolts were completely stripped. Was worried I now had to replace the camshaft... but got super lucky. Happened to have a tap in the toolbox that was an exact match. Just went really slowly, couple turns, back it out, couple turns more, out, just kept working the tap and cleaning the threads until they were all back to good condition. Tested some of the timing cover bolts since they are the same thread pattern, and all three went in. Decided to order three new bolts from ARP and installed the new Melling retainer plate on there:
Right now, the new Melling timing gear set is installed, and the new Melling 10295 oil pump. It's the standard volume, high pressure pump. Didn't want the high volume version. High pressure isn't bad though, high volume would be bad. Read multiple articles saying that high volume pump can drain all 7 quarts from the pan in under a minute with high RPM driving. Not that I plan on it, but don't want the worry either.
Had to order three camshaft bolts. Waiting on those to arrive before we can button everything up and slip this bad boy on there:
chithead
Well-known member
Video clip of the cam gear:
[video]https://live.staticflickr.com/video/52942603324/1963104bac/1080p.mp4?s=eyJpIjo1Mjk0MjYwMzMyNCwiZSI6MTY4NTcxND IzOCwicyI6IjEwMjIwYjMzNDhkMTU4YWRkYzYyMzExOTBhNzM1 OWVhNzU4ZWNmMzYiLCJ2IjoxfQ[/video]
For those that haven't heard the car before, and why I suspected there was a different cam installed after buying her:
[video]https://live.staticflickr.com/video/52727631271/0949bd76f6/1080p.mp4?s=eyJpIjo1MjcyNzYzMTI3MSwiZSI6MTY4NTcxNT Y5NSwicyI6ImIzMWJjOTY4YzRlODkyYzhjNTMwODliOTZlNDk5 MDQ5MTBiYWVhOTMiLCJ2IjoxfQ[/video]
[video]https://live.staticflickr.com/video/52942603324/1963104bac/1080p.mp4?s=eyJpIjo1Mjk0MjYwMzMyNCwiZSI6MTY4NTcxND IzOCwicyI6IjEwMjIwYjMzNDhkMTU4YWRkYzYyMzExOTBhNzM1 OWVhNzU4ZWNmMzYiLCJ2IjoxfQ[/video]
For those that haven't heard the car before, and why I suspected there was a different cam installed after buying her:
[video]https://live.staticflickr.com/video/52727631271/0949bd76f6/1080p.mp4?s=eyJpIjo1MjcyNzYzMTI3MSwiZSI6MTY4NTcxNT Y5NSwicyI6ImIzMWJjOTY4YzRlODkyYzhjNTMwODliOTZlNDk5 MDQ5MTBiYWVhOTMiLCJ2IjoxfQ[/video]
Dan17ExplLtd
New member
Scary how fast the "might as well" parts can add up when working on an older car. Every $300 repair on my old E38s ended up costing $1000 or more.
Great work on the audio and mechanic sides of the build.
Great work on the audio and mechanic sides of the build.
