As most of you know, our only non-Nissan is a 01 C5 convertible. When I got it last year, it was bone-stock, dealer-maintained, and had 43K miles on it. Now it's got about 56K. I've had time to figure out what needs improving and what needs replacing.
We've already done the following modifications:
Headers / catted X-pipe / Z06 Ti exhaust / ram-air intake / lowering / C6 Z06 shocks / 5/8" tunnel brace / sticky tires / custom ECU tune.
She put down 350hp/365tq at the wheels. However, considering she's over 10 years old, even with low miles, she needed some freshening up, so I decided to gather all my parts, get everything together, and do it all at once!
Here's the project checklist:
Brakes - Installing new rotors, pads, stainless lines, refinishing the calipers, replacing the master cylinder, flushing fluid
Interior - Stripping it out to install sound deadening and heat insulation kit
Shifter - Installing new short shifter and knob
Suspension - Installing C6 sway bars, solid endlinks and polyurethane bushings
Engine - Replacing fuel filter, new belts, and adding catch can
Lighting - Rebuilding headlight motors with brass gears and installing new bulbs
Let's rock:
Stripped out all the interior in preparation for sound deadening and heat insulation... Cleaned the panels and "sanitized" everything - I'm kinda weird like that.
Took a break to swap out the master cylinder. Mine had a very, very tiny leak, so I bench-bled the new unit and bolted it up. WAY easier than a MC on a Nissan!
Back to the interior... The first layer of material I used is called GTmat - It's a self-adhering, very dense butyl rubber mat mixture with a heavy foil backing. It's very easy to apply, and I've used it in almost every car I've ever restored.
This product was one of the top three in a "sound deadening shootout" article (I'll look for it and link you guys), beating out all the Dynamat products - for a LOT less money!
This stuff not only dampens sound better than any product I've tried, but it also blocks a LOT of heat - real important when your butt is 6" off the 180-degree Arizona asphalt!
We did the doors, the trunk, the firewall... everywhere that we could reach.
Taking your time is important - this took two days to complete, but it's worth it. Total weight added? 11 lbs.
OK, time for a break from the sound deadening. I also installed an RSD Snap Shifter. The Snap Shifter takes the best shifter made for the Corvette yet and improves upon it - They begin with a new 2009+ C6 Z06 shifter and box. They significantly shorten the length of the shaft and angle it back a few degrees (giving an amazingly quick shift while retaining the positive feel of the stock unit).
Here you can see the RSD Snap Shifter installed:
And here's a pic of the OEM shifter sitting next to it - See the difference?
Ok, back to the next part of the insulation project. The next product to go in is a custom-fit insulation kit that weighs in at 3 lbs.
More importantly, it rejects 97% of radiant heat, and has a manufacturer's rating of 9db of sound and road noise reduction! Good stuff:
Everything's pre-cut, so it's a pretty simple install. Even then, it was another 2-day project. I'm kinda meticulous that way.
Darian (our son) was a HUGE help - He did a ton of work on this project, and he's turning out to be pretty mechanically inclined. Watch for him on some of the upcoming Datsun restorations:
Dar fitting the wheelwell pieces (I'd have never gotten in that trunk!)
While we were at it, I decided to try and find ANY way possible to reduce the tire noise from the sticky 305/30/19's... Tires that wide make a lot of noise, and even though the Vette's pretty quiet to begin with, I figured this would be a cool modification - Here's the factory wheelwell liner:
I had a couple leftover cans of heavy pickup truck bedliner, so I heavily coated the top-side of the wheelwell. Made a BIG difference in the sound transmission through the plastic. When you tap on the plastic, if feels dense, solid, and quiet. Before re-installing them, I shot a coat of rubberized undercoating up in the fiberglass wheel "tubs" just for good measure. Not bad for FREE.
While I was waiting for the wheelwell liners to dry, I removed the OEM rubber brake lines and calipers. I pulled the stock pads and gave the calipers a good sanding and cleaning.
Masked off the rubber seals... and laid on the first of several coats of gold caliper paint:
The Corvette aluminum calipers, believe it or not, are a nicer design than my Brembos from my G35 Coupe. WAY easier to refresh and change pads.
All detailed, freshly greased, and ready to reinstall with Hawk HPS pads:
Can't do new pads without new rotors - I love the SP Performance rotors with zinc plating (to prevent rust). No ebay junk here!
I have a wholesale account with them, so if anyone ever needs a deal on nice, OEM weight, drilled or slotted rotors, PM me.
I adjusted the parking brake, installed the new stainless steel lines and flushed the entire braking system with ATE Blue fluid. Bleeding the brakes on the Vette was easier than any of my Nissans... Contrary to my prior opinions, the more I worked on this car, the better-engineered I found it to be.
Back to the interior - Dar and I got the interior replaced in about HALF the time it took to remove it. Getting to know the car helps a lot.
Everything fits a lot more snug now, and just closing the doors, you can hear a difference. SOLID!
Next up - Time to install some C6 Z06 sway bars with polyurethane bushings and solid end links.
The C5 end links are made of a composite. While they're tough, they really look flimsy, and they can distort and flex somewhat. NOT what you want when you're hustling through hairpins on a mountain road.
We're gonna replace them with these:
..and the poly bushings:
For some reason, my pics of the sway bar swap didn't turn out. Not to worry, it's nothing exciting.
One thing is for sure: There's a real different feeling threading sway bar bracket bolts into an aluminum subframe, when you're used to heavy steel!
Here's a quick shot of the front wheels with the fresh calipers and new rotors.
...and the rear:
I didn't get pics of replacing the fuel filter, installing the new belts, or adding the catch can. I also failed at shooting the process for rebuilding the headlight motors, installing the brass gears and installing new Silverstar Ultra bulbs.
With all that done, the car now has all C6 Z06 suspension components, and it makes a HUGE difference. It cornered very flat before, but now, there's a weird feeling of being totally level, even at the limits of tire adhesion (and there's a LOT of tire on this car!)
The difference in interior noise is stunning. There's very little tire noise, and the exhaust actually sounds quieter than it did when it was stock. Becky and I took a test run up to 90-95 mph, and we can speak quietly and hear each other very well. The noise you hear now is mostly wind noise from the sideview mirrors and the edges of the convertible top at the back edge of the side windows.
After bedding the new brake pads, I took it out solo and played with the ABS. A C5 stops in a terrifyingly short amount of space already - but when you add SS lines, aggressive pads, drilled rotors and wide sticky tires, it's just ridiculous.
The Bose stereo was marginal before - now it sounds WAY better. I'm actually no longer considering tearing it out... since I don't listen to it that much anyway, it's fine.
It's still too early in the season to assess how well the insulation will help keep the cabin cool, but GM air conditioning is known for being well-built. I'm hoping that blocking all that radiant heat will really help the HVAC system do its thing without being cranked up all the way on 120-degree days.
Hope you guys enjoyed this... Now that the non-Nissan has been maintained, it's time to get back to the other projects!
