Dave's C7

[Roppa440]

Well here I am back owning a Corvette again.
I didn't think it would happen to be honest. I didn't want another C5 because "been there and done that". Earlier Corvettes need too too much work and maintenance and as I am now retired I want an easy life. The C6 is too similar to the C5. So that only left the C7 or C8. Both of which interest me but are on the whole way too expensive for me.

I bought a 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee Summit so I had something to take us and the dog anywhere all year round. We bought my wife Diana a smart little 2016 MX-5 which is a blast to drive so I often make excuses to go shopping in it but take a long way round to the shops.

Then I bought what people told me was a well sorted 1969 Six Pack Plymouth Roadrunner "tribute" to play with. Wouldn't need much work to tune and enjoy I thought. Amazing looking car.

That's when things started going wrong...
The Plymouth was a nightmare of wrong parts and stuff not working or very badly fitted. Then the first Lockdown started. So couldn't drive it far and no shows to go to anyway.
After rebuilding the engine and it was still not playing ball I sold it at a loss just to get shot of it. I just hated it.

So instead we were going to sink money into extending the house. Make ourselves a nice little nest to to spend our days in comfort with guest facilities for our young extended families to visit us in our old age.

But everyone was doing that. Every street around here had builders in two or three of the houses doing the same as us. Nightmare to get a builder and the cost of materials tripled over 6 months.

Eventually we decided to call it a day and not go ahead because it was just getting stupid expensive.

So what to do instead. Well why not spend some of that house money on getting a car I really wanted......

So here it is. Sorry for the wash foam. It's not snow!

I also bought a private plate for it so once I get the V5 those ugly license plates are going.

 

[Roppa440]

It's a base 2014 model but with a good specification.
Performance seats
UK sat Nav
Carbon roof panel
Brownstone Nappa Leather Suede interior including steering wheel
Carbon (I think) lightweight hood - which to be honest is not a perfect fit - could be aftermarket?

Also has had the glass professionally tinted and the wheel arch reflectors blacked out. Makes it look quite "mean". But also looks rather like a Batmobile.
So my garage is now referred to as the "Bat-Cave".

 

[James Vette]

Good choice with the plymouth I love big muscle cars like that I think they're called mopars whatever that means. Here's 2 I saw at goodwood this year.

 

[Derek Nicol]

I think they're called mopars whatever that means

Shamelessly copied from the interweb because i cant be bothered to put it in my own words...
“Mopar” is simply a branding for Chrysler’s Spares and performance tuning components division – created from the words “MOtor & PARts”. The word "Mopar" is also used as a nickname by enthusiasts of Chrysler-built products to refer to any product built by the company. It’s as simple as that. Even a Hillman “Avenger” is a Mopar! There is a fanatical following of all things Mopar – especially in the United States, Scandinavia; and in the United Kingdom.
Chrysler included Plymouth and still includes Dodge, Jeep & Ram and is now owned by Netherlands-based automobile manufacturer Stellantis.

 

[Chevrolet]

It's a base 2014 model but with a good specification.

Congrats on the new car! Top of range 3LT spec Stingray that, with the expensive extras Comp seats and extra carbon fibre look/finish roof. So wouldnt call that a "base model" The hood of the car is supposed to be carbon fibre out of the factory, as is the painted/non transparent roof. Put "Power Stop" ceramic brake pads on mine from RockAuto, giving virtually zero brake dust.

 

[Daytona Vette]

That will do Dave - Welcome back - Enjoy your Vette once more - She looks nice

 

[Derek Nicol]

...to spend our days in comfort with guest facilities for our young extended families to visit us in our old age.

Put a tent up in the back garden
and enjoy your very shiny Batmobile.

 

[Forrest Gump]

Welcome back to Corvette ownership. Your new acquisition looks fantastic.

 

[Roscobbc]

Well here I am back owning a Corvette again.
I didn't think it would happen to be honest. I didn't want another C5 because "been there and done that". Earlier Corvettes need too too much work and maintenance and as I am now retired I want an easy life. The C6 is too similar to the C5. So that only left the C7 or C8. Both of which interest me but are on the whole way too expensive for me.

I bought a 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee Summit so I had something to take us and the dog anywhere all year round. We bought my wife Diana a smart little 2016 MX-5 which is a blast to drive so I often make excuses to go shopping in it but take a long way round to the shops.

Then I bought what people told me was a well sorted 1969 Six Pack Plymouth Roadrunner "tribute" to play with. Wouldn't need much work to tune and enjoy I thought. Amazing looking car.

That's when things started going wrong...
The Plymouth was a nightmare of wrong parts and stuff not working or very badly fitted. Then the first Lockdown started. So couldn't drive it far and no shows to go to anyway.
After rebuilding the engine and it was still not playing ball I sold it at a loss just to get shot of it. I just hated it.

So instead we were going to sink money into extending the house. Make ourselves a nice little nest to to spend our days in comfort with guest facilities for our young extended families to visit us in our old age.

But everyone was doing that. Every street around here had builders in two or three of the houses doing the same as us. Nightmare to get a builder and the cost of materials tripled over 6 months.

Eventually we decided to call it a day and not go ahead because it was just getting stupid expensive.

So what to do instead. Well why not spend some of that house money on getting a car I really wanted......

So here it is. Sorry for the wash foam. It's not snow!

I also bought a private plate for it so once I get the V5 those ugly license plates are going.

Good to see you back!

 

[stealthyflatfish]

Hell of a story Dave, nice Vette and good to see you back.

 

[teamzr1]

Which tranny does this 2014 C7 have ?
6 speed manual or 6 speed auto ?
If auto, GM uses the TCM controller which has torque management controls and limits torque output that can be changed when tuning TCM calibration
Just a custom tune of the PCM would increase HP by 30 and torque from low to mid engine RPM/load would come up nicely as GM set the timing quite low
Here is a snapshot of your high octane timing table which I rework when tuning

 

[Chuffer]

Shamelessly copied from the interweb because i cant be bothered to put it in my own words...
“Mopar” is simply a branding for Chrysler’s Spares and performance tuning components division – created from the words “MOtor & PARts”. The word "Mopar" is also used as a nickname by enthusiasts of Chrysler-built products to refer to any product built by the company. It’s as simple as that. Even a Hillman “Avenger” is a Mopar! There is a fanatical following of all things Mopar – especially in the United States, Scandinavia; and in the United Kingdom.
Chrysler included Plymouth and still includes Dodge, Jeep & Ram and is now owned by Netherlands-based automobile manufacturer Stellantis.

Mopar all good by me , all 5.7 Hemi of it !

 

[Roppa440]

Which tranny does this 2014 C7 have ?
6 speed manual or 6 speed auto ?
If auto, GM uses the TCM controller which has torque management controls and limits torque output that can be changed when tuning TCM calibration
Just a custom tune of the PCM would increase HP by 30 and torque from low to mid engine RPM/load would come up nicely as GM set the timing quite low
Here is a snapshot of your high octane timing table which I rework when tuning

View attachment 13121

Yeah it's the automatic.

 

[teamzr1]

So you have a look see, here is how your A6 tranny is tuned within the TCM (controller)
I made it a text file (attached), so you could read it and know how it is set now and what values you'd want to change if tuning
I normally touch most of these when doing the tunes

 

[teamzr1]

And to keep you busy
Here attached as a text file is how your engine PCM is tuned

 

[Roppa440]

And to keep you busy
Here attached as a text file is how your engine PCM is tuned

All well and good.
But last I heard the closest guy capable of doing this in the UK is down London way which is like 300 miles of multiple traffic jams from me. ;-)

 

[teamzr1]

I do custom tuning via emails of most GM vehicles having a gas engine model of from mid 1980s to most present models
Requires a flash tool I support and a laptop to do the tunes I do to flash into the PCM and TCM (engine and auto tranny)

 

[Stingray]

Personally I'd be a bit cautious about winding up the torque from an LT1 engine (450/460 ft lbs) into what's fundamentally an LS3 transmission (let's call the LS3 engine 425 ft lbs). I think all the high power C6 Z06s were manual so the auto transmission wasn't in question in those days.

If there's anything that'll destroy an auto box in pretty short order it's excess torque. The crazy thing about torque is you don't even need to be going very fast, it's just a big twisting force that can stress your driveline - like standing on the pedals of a bicycle.

 

[sublimemike]

Cripes Dave ..a 6 pack you couldn't sort after all you went through with the Challenger! If I remember you pretty much re engineered six pack catbs to get rid of the bog ... was it? Been off the radar myself as I properly knackered the verter on the cuda. Trans was full of shrapnel. Scott BillyD rebuilt for me and I got under neath and fitted it up with a B&M 3500 stall . Uprated valve body and clutches etc. Plug and play with the new vette I guess?

 

[sublimemike]

Personally I'd be a bit cautious about winding up the torque from an LT1 engine (450/460 ft lbs) into what's fundamentally an LS3 transmission (let's call the LS3 engine 425 ft lbs). I think all the high power C6 Z06s were manual so the auto transmission wasn't in question in those days.

If there's anything that'll destroy an auto box in pretty short order it's excess torque. The crazy thing about torque is you don't even need to be going very fast, it's just a big twisting force that can stress your driveline - like standing on the pedals of a bicycle.

Yep ... you are not wrong there... as per my post