Budget Baller: C6 Corvette build thread

[— Phatmiata —]

There must be some kind of way outta here
Said the joker to the thief
There's too much confusion
I can't get no relief

[— Agent☣Orange —]

I would imagine lower expenses on this Corvette allows you to upgrade the budget for gold chains and chest hair grooming products this model requires?

I have no hair left on my head and I purposefully shave my chest hair.

I love the looks of the Grand Sport but like you said, every Corvette is a V8 sports car. Sounds like you found a real gem. I hope it treats you well.

They are and it is. In fact, if you look up a Flyin' Miata conversion and compare it with an outright, cheapo Corvette, the answer is always Corvette (in this case.)

Spied cruising Miami Beach

We modify Miata's because we want them to be like a Corvette.
Viva Detroit

I pay people not to let this happen. How'd you get this pict??

There must be some kind of way outta here
Said the joker to the thief
There's too much confusion
I can't get no relief

E tu Brutè?

[— Agent☣Orange —]

The Corvette is arranged with the engine in front and the transmission in the rear (at least until the C8 comes out). To connect the two, Chevy utilizes an aluminum "torque tube" that spans between the two and inside is the actual drive shaft. It is similar to the Miata's PPF in terms of structural bracing. This torque tube sits inside a three-sided tunnel that forms part of the body, hence the center hump. In order to add rigidity, the bottom of the tunnel is finished off with a long "plate" that forms a true box.

It is pretty thin and body flex is noticeable such as when backing out of the driveway at a steep angle. The frame is still very rigid but with the wafer-thin tunnel plate, some squeaking is still heard which means body flex of course. The aftermarket provides a much thicker tunnel plate in this case and even comes ceramic coated since the exhaust pipes sit barely an inch below the plate



To address part of the cushy suspension problem is a set of Bilstein Sport shocks. The "Sport" version is of course superior to the stock shocks in performance, even the regular Bilstein and as we all know, are a Miata favorite as well.

Since the plugs have to come out for the header install, it's the perfect time to replace them with new ones and as we already know from Miata experience, the engineers got it right with the NGKs. In this case, pure stock AC Delco. There have been a lot of whiz-bang super plugs that have come out on the market but after reading stories about resistance problems causing ECM problems, this was an easy call. Besides, racers are using them too so who am I to disagree?



Last, nothing updates a worn suspension like new shocks so replacing the old, stock shocks are a set of Bilstein Sports which are not only more responsive than the regular Bilsteins but also designed for a lowered Vette which is also in the works. Bilsteins already has a great reputation in the Miata community and likewise here

[— Agent☣Orange —]

As I mentioned, Tristan couldn't stand seeing my car in that condition so he made a special trip to rectify the problem right away.

The first obstacle was getting it off the ground high enough (2 feet) in order to fit the exhaust because it had to go up and over the rear axles



With my Race Ramp 12" stands, we got it up high enough