Engine Build Option
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catbert
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It's not worth $5 k of my money, but to each his own.
Hib Halverson
Technical Writer for Internet & Print Media
I ordered RPO PBC with my Z06 and, if you're an "engine guy" like myself, it's worth every penny, IMO.
It takes about a day. You start with a box full of main and rod bearings, a box of piston/rod assemblies, a crankshaft and a block and around 4 PM you're finished with a complete engine sitting in front of you. You do it all. You drop the crank in place. you push in the eight piston-rod assemblies and install the rod caps, you install the camshaft, you bolt on the heads, you assemble the valve train, you put on the intake manifold, screw in the spark plugs, install the coil brackets, and bolt on the flywheel.
You work with one of the PBC's Engine Assemblers as a partner/supervisor. My assembler was Mike Priest, a 37-year GM employee who is just the nicest, most low-key guy around. You can do as much or as little work as you want. I have done my own engines previously, so once Mike understood that I was familiar with engine assembly work, he mostly watched, supervised my work when necessary and assisted me where needed, but I did most of the work myself.
In some ways it was a lot different than putting a motor together in my own shop. First there was lots of room to work. You're in a factory environment. Everything is new, clean and brightly lit. There was no parts cleaning--because all the parts are spotlessly cleaned by suppliers--and no hand tightening of fasteners--because you tighten most of them with torque-sensing or torque-angle-sensing power-operated wrenches and a few are simply tightened with hand-operated, electric impact drivers. The most amazing of these power-operated tools was a unit that torqued all the head bolts on one head at once.
I remember, when it came time to put the heads on, telling Mike that the CNC ported heads with CNC-machined combustion chambers were so "pretty" I didn't want to put them on the motor. I just wanted to take them home, set them on my coffee table, open a cold beer and sit there on the couch looking at them.
I built my entire LS7 working with in about eight hours that that included watching Engineering Manager, Rob Nichols, running the engine through the "cold testing" procedure and watching the hot test engine balancing procedure. When the job is done, you get to put your name on the engine as the engine assembler. A couple of people have asked me what was the highpoint of the day and I had to think a while about that because, as a Chevy engine nut, I enjoyed the whole time I worked with Mike at the PBC, but...I think my emotions were running highest when, just after I torqued down the flywheel bolts, Mike and I lifted the engine off the engine stand using a special electric hoist, which also weighed the engine, then set it on a shipping cradle sort of thing. There it was: my engine, all 732-lbs of it, finished and ready for cold test then shipping to Bowling Green where it would go into my '12 Z06.
Yeah, I had to take a deep breath after that little moment.
A little known fact about the Engine Build Experience is that it's for two people. You can bring your best buddy, Wife or girlfriend. There have been a number of married couples who've done engines. One couple has done two engines and there was one case of an entire family--Husband, Wife and three teenagers--doing an engine together.
You pay your airfare to Detroit. GM provides ground transportation along with one night at a high-end resort/hotel. I was at the St. John in Plymouth. Lastly, GM hosts a dinner for whomever is building the engine and a couple of GM executives. I had dinner with Jordan Lee, who's Chief Engineer for the Gen 5 Small-Block V8, the C7 engine, and Mark Damico, a GM Powertrain Engineer who was involved with LS7 development and now works on the Gen 5 SBV8 GM also hires a photographer to take pictures of you doing your engine build. A week or so after your engine build, they'll send you disc of the photos. They also give you some SWAG, like a really nice golf shirt and a Corvette Engine Build poster. Lastly, GM gives you a beautiful glass cube with a laser etching of an LS7 or LS9 engine inside which makes very unique keepsake of the your Engine Experience.
My Corvette Engine Build Experience is one I shall never forget and...even if I did, each time I take the passenger side engine cover off my LS7, I see my name on that engine builder's plate.
It takes about a day. You start with a box full of main and rod bearings, a box of piston/rod assemblies, a crankshaft and a block and around 4 PM you're finished with a complete engine sitting in front of you. You do it all. You drop the crank in place. you push in the eight piston-rod assemblies and install the rod caps, you install the camshaft, you bolt on the heads, you assemble the valve train, you put on the intake manifold, screw in the spark plugs, install the coil brackets, and bolt on the flywheel.
You work with one of the PBC's Engine Assemblers as a partner/supervisor. My assembler was Mike Priest, a 37-year GM employee who is just the nicest, most low-key guy around. You can do as much or as little work as you want. I have done my own engines previously, so once Mike understood that I was familiar with engine assembly work, he mostly watched, supervised my work when necessary and assisted me where needed, but I did most of the work myself.
In some ways it was a lot different than putting a motor together in my own shop. First there was lots of room to work. You're in a factory environment. Everything is new, clean and brightly lit. There was no parts cleaning--because all the parts are spotlessly cleaned by suppliers--and no hand tightening of fasteners--because you tighten most of them with torque-sensing or torque-angle-sensing power-operated wrenches and a few are simply tightened with hand-operated, electric impact drivers. The most amazing of these power-operated tools was a unit that torqued all the head bolts on one head at once.
I remember, when it came time to put the heads on, telling Mike that the CNC ported heads with CNC-machined combustion chambers were so "pretty" I didn't want to put them on the motor. I just wanted to take them home, set them on my coffee table, open a cold beer and sit there on the couch looking at them.
I built my entire LS7 working with in about eight hours that that included watching Engineering Manager, Rob Nichols, running the engine through the "cold testing" procedure and watching the hot test engine balancing procedure. When the job is done, you get to put your name on the engine as the engine assembler. A couple of people have asked me what was the highpoint of the day and I had to think a while about that because, as a Chevy engine nut, I enjoyed the whole time I worked with Mike at the PBC, but...I think my emotions were running highest when, just after I torqued down the flywheel bolts, Mike and I lifted the engine off the engine stand using a special electric hoist, which also weighed the engine, then set it on a shipping cradle sort of thing. There it was: my engine, all 732-lbs of it, finished and ready for cold test then shipping to Bowling Green where it would go into my '12 Z06.
Yeah, I had to take a deep breath after that little moment.
A little known fact about the Engine Build Experience is that it's for two people. You can bring your best buddy, Wife or girlfriend. There have been a number of married couples who've done engines. One couple has done two engines and there was one case of an entire family--Husband, Wife and three teenagers--doing an engine together.
You pay your airfare to Detroit. GM provides ground transportation along with one night at a high-end resort/hotel. I was at the St. John in Plymouth. Lastly, GM hosts a dinner for whomever is building the engine and a couple of GM executives. I had dinner with Jordan Lee, who's Chief Engineer for the Gen 5 Small-Block V8, the C7 engine, and Mark Damico, a GM Powertrain Engineer who was involved with LS7 development and now works on the Gen 5 SBV8 GM also hires a photographer to take pictures of you doing your engine build. A week or so after your engine build, they'll send you disc of the photos. They also give you some SWAG, like a really nice golf shirt and a Corvette Engine Build poster. Lastly, GM gives you a beautiful glass cube with a laser etching of an LS7 or LS9 engine inside which makes very unique keepsake of the your Engine Experience.
My Corvette Engine Build Experience is one I shall never forget and...even if I did, each time I take the passenger side engine cover off my LS7, I see my name on that engine builder's plate.
- Thread starter
- #4
Hib Halverson
Technical Writer for Internet & Print Media
You're welcome. Glad to be of service.
Hope you decide to go for the Engine Build Experience. If you want it, tell the dealer to order RPO PBC which is available with Grand Sports ordered with Z51 and manual transmissions, with Z06es and with ZR1s.
- Thread starter
- #6
I'm ordering a new Z06 next week. PAying list, but I've heard that isnt bad. Definitely going for the Engine Build Experience and museum delivery. Adds about $6k to the price, but then its only money...............
Hib Halverson
Technical Writer for Internet & Print Media
If you're an "engine guy" like me, you'll find the Build Experience to be pretty damn cool.
You can do as much or as little of the process as you want. You can take the lead and do all the work while the PBC assembler just kind of watches over the process or you can let the PBC assembler do most of the work and you can observe and learn.
The Experience is actually for two people. You guys buy your airline tickets and GM covers the rest...ground transport, hotel and meals. There are several cases were couples have done motors and two instances I'm aware of where entire families came in to do a motor.
Also, on the first night, you have dinner at a nice place with Corvette engineers.
When you get there, you may meet Rob Nichols, the Engineering Manager, who gives a presentation on the PBC and discusses safety. He's a C6 owner and a really great guy. Tell him "Hi" for me.
My engine builder was Mike Priest who is one of several of the 30 or so builders working there who work with Guest Builders.
You'll probably also meet Don "eaglei" Henley who's the PBC's voice on some of the forum sites.
Enjoy!
You can do as much or as little of the process as you want. You can take the lead and do all the work while the PBC assembler just kind of watches over the process or you can let the PBC assembler do most of the work and you can observe and learn.
The Experience is actually for two people. You guys buy your airline tickets and GM covers the rest...ground transport, hotel and meals. There are several cases were couples have done motors and two instances I'm aware of where entire families came in to do a motor.
Also, on the first night, you have dinner at a nice place with Corvette engineers.
When you get there, you may meet Rob Nichols, the Engineering Manager, who gives a presentation on the PBC and discusses safety. He's a C6 owner and a really great guy. Tell him "Hi" for me.
My engine builder was Mike Priest who is one of several of the 30 or so builders working there who work with Guest Builders.
You'll probably also meet Don "eaglei" Henley who's the PBC's voice on some of the forum sites.
Enjoy!
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