The £7700 Corvette C6
Discussion
F1natic said:
Brilliant result, congratulations Dave. Corvettes unfortunately aren't very good offroad. Looking forward to see what you do next once your wallet recovers! Any plans for a carbon ceramic upgrade for the brakes or are the steel rotors holding up just fine?
Having taken to the grass twice in the last two events I can certainly agree. 
If spare money was available I'd change to an AP big brake kit at the front, but would then need different wheels too, a total cost of £4000 is just too much for now. Plus, I'd probably change the hubs whilst I was in there. The brakes are a limiting factor on the track, but they do ok, as long as I don't do too many hot laps in a row. 
Mr Tidy said:
I always enjoy reading the updates on this thread, and getting a win is great news - congratulations. 
Really lucky you spotted the cracks on the wheel though - that could have been messy!
Thank you and to Kawasicki too. Yes, the wheel would probably failed on a right hander, with the rim probably moving inboard, wrecking the suspension, steering rack, arches and that's before hitting a barrier. It makes me a bit sick honestly, I got lucky. Really lucky you spotted the cracks on the wheel though - that could have been messy!
DJP1UK said:
Congratulations on the impressive results throughout the year. Did the Z51 front spring work well with the standard rear on the road? Any steering feel/response improvement? Assume dive must also be reduced. I’m thinking about doing the same. My C6 has F55 magnetic dampers and the softer front spring.
Keep up the good work!
Sorry, I missed this. Yes, the Z51 front spring only worked well, the 'base' rear spring is a fraction stiffer than the Z51, so it's a good match. The front spring was an improvement, particularly felt under braking and roundabouts, less pitch and roll. Still comfortable for the road, in fact it's still softer than a lot of cars. Keep up the good work!
A little bit of book promotion to share with you, from the last month or two. Thanks to Karun Chandhok for buying a copy and taking this cute photo of him reading to his son, Kush.
Mark Eaton (Editor) wrote a brilliant review in the last Corvette Club UK Page magazine.
John Aston posted these well crafted words https://speedreaders.info/24194-clives-usa-road-tr...
My local village magazine published a small piece and I tried (and failed) to flog a copy or two at my local parents and tots group yesterday, despite Austin wearing his cute promotional top.
Martin Short, winner of all sorts of prestigious races and a former Le Mans driver kindly let me try a pair of his OZ Mosler wheels. The fronts are the same size (18") and near enough the same offset. The rears on the Mosler are HUGE, 20", wide and a completely wrong offset. Being a 3 piece wheel there is a possibility of having new inner/outers made. I test fitted the rears anyway for a giggle, please don't worry, I have intention of running them or fitting wide bodywork!
Caliper clearance is actually tighter than the stock (Speedline) wheels.
Slightly heavier than the stock wheel too.
All things considered, I politely turned the wheels down. When/if money allows I'll buy a new set to suit the car, probably Apex.
Mark Eaton (Editor) wrote a brilliant review in the last Corvette Club UK Page magazine.
John Aston posted these well crafted words https://speedreaders.info/24194-clives-usa-road-tr...
My local village magazine published a small piece and I tried (and failed) to flog a copy or two at my local parents and tots group yesterday, despite Austin wearing his cute promotional top.
Martin Short, winner of all sorts of prestigious races and a former Le Mans driver kindly let me try a pair of his OZ Mosler wheels. The fronts are the same size (18") and near enough the same offset. The rears on the Mosler are HUGE, 20", wide and a completely wrong offset. Being a 3 piece wheel there is a possibility of having new inner/outers made. I test fitted the rears anyway for a giggle, please don't worry, I have intention of running them or fitting wide bodywork!
Caliper clearance is actually tighter than the stock (Speedline) wheels.
Slightly heavier than the stock wheel too.
All things considered, I politely turned the wheels down. When/if money allows I'll buy a new set to suit the car, probably Apex.
The Corvette has a stable mate, a VW T5 Campervan that I bought from Glasgow.
It needs work mechanically, the bodywork isn't pristine and the 358,000 miles (ex airport taxi shuttle) makes the Corvette look like a youngster. The camper interior is like new, with fridge, twin hobs, sink, rock and roll bed, awning and privacy room, mains hook up etc. It's in my ideal spec. with A/C, long wheelbase, 2.5 5 cylinder engine, tow bar, up and over rear door, car not van on V5.
The plan is to borrow a trailer occasionally to tow the Corvette, so my wife and toddler can come along with me on some trips.
I had to remove the roof bars and side awning, as well as modifying my car port this week (adding steels, trimming wooden beams). The height is not helped by a previous owner fitting incorrect 65 profile tyres (they should be 55)!
I have two pages worth of 'to-do' jobs! Some tasks are now sorted, whilst others will be fixed over the winter, including a significant battery drain, leaking exhaust manifold, non-working AC, clicking driveshafts and more.
On Thursday we went to the coast as an excuse to try the hob, it drives well, but for the above problems.
It needs work mechanically, the bodywork isn't pristine and the 358,000 miles (ex airport taxi shuttle) makes the Corvette look like a youngster. The camper interior is like new, with fridge, twin hobs, sink, rock and roll bed, awning and privacy room, mains hook up etc. It's in my ideal spec. with A/C, long wheelbase, 2.5 5 cylinder engine, tow bar, up and over rear door, car not van on V5.
The plan is to borrow a trailer occasionally to tow the Corvette, so my wife and toddler can come along with me on some trips.
I had to remove the roof bars and side awning, as well as modifying my car port this week (adding steels, trimming wooden beams). The height is not helped by a previous owner fitting incorrect 65 profile tyres (they should be 55)!
I have two pages worth of 'to-do' jobs! Some tasks are now sorted, whilst others will be fixed over the winter, including a significant battery drain, leaking exhaust manifold, non-working AC, clicking driveshafts and more.
On Thursday we went to the coast as an excuse to try the hob, it drives well, but for the above problems.
Scaffolding at work (solar panels) gave my a different photo angle of the car.
On Sunday, myself, Pher Felix and Vesa attended an American car show, at Weston Super Mare Helicopter Museum. Covid had limited attendance numbers and I don't remember Rover 75 and FSO Polonez ever being made in the States
, despite that, it was a decent day. It was nice to see many presents donated to children too.
The Helicopter museum was better and larger than expected. Felix's new C6 convertible looked and sounded great, no doubt he'll start a new readers cars thread, alongside his long running C4 account.
I took the long route home, via Cheddar Gorge. Usually, a Sunday afternoon makes it a no go area, but maybe the F1 kept all the traffic away. It was really quiet, well, aside from the V8 rumble that spoilt the tranquillity. The diff packs may be worn out, but a damp hairpin bend and 400bhp is still enough to produce a pleasing, slow drift. 
I have a special meeting planned tomorrow and will report back.
On Sunday, myself, Pher Felix and Vesa attended an American car show, at Weston Super Mare Helicopter Museum. Covid had limited attendance numbers and I don't remember Rover 75 and FSO Polonez ever being made in the States
, despite that, it was a decent day. It was nice to see many presents donated to children too. The Helicopter museum was better and larger than expected. Felix's new C6 convertible looked and sounded great, no doubt he'll start a new readers cars thread, alongside his long running C4 account.
I took the long route home, via Cheddar Gorge. Usually, a Sunday afternoon makes it a no go area, but maybe the F1 kept all the traffic away. It was really quiet, well, aside from the V8 rumble that spoilt the tranquillity.
The diff packs may be worn out, but a damp hairpin bend and 400bhp is still enough to produce a pleasing, slow drift. I have a special meeting planned tomorrow and will report back.
Edited by Fishy Dave on Wednesday 15th December 13:28
As mentioned earlier in the report, Karun Chandhok (fresh from returning from Abu Dhabi) had kindly bought a copy of my book for his young son, Kush. His 3 year old is understandably obsessed with cars and wants to be read the book on a daily basis (as does my own son), so Karun kindly invited me (well, Clive the Corvette) to his house. Last Thursday we met up for coffee and a chat about motorsport and children, as part of that he took the Corvette for a 20 minute drive, which his son loved being a passenger in.
Karun is a genuinely nice guy and was complimentary about the car, especially given the miles.
A UK C5 owner has made me a fair offer for my Corbeau Evolution X seats and is due to collect them tomorrow (although I'm still losing £££ on what I paid, due to the shipping).
Why am I selling them after 2 years? Well, two reasons, firstly they've never quite fitted me in the shoulder area, pushing me forwards slightly. I think if I were an inch or two shorter or taller they'd be perfect. The primary reason is weight saving, whilst they are lighter than the stock seats, they still weigh 18.6kg each, with the subframes and sliders.
Whilst I'm not planning on competing in 2022, I will return in the future and every little advantage helps, as I am unlikely to have the money for power or big brake upgrades.
This morning I drove the car to work with the old, stock leather seats. It feels like a different car, I'm sat up too high, with no lateral support, can't wait to change them.
Karun is a genuinely nice guy and was complimentary about the car, especially given the miles.
A UK C5 owner has made me a fair offer for my Corbeau Evolution X seats and is due to collect them tomorrow (although I'm still losing £££ on what I paid, due to the shipping).
Why am I selling them after 2 years? Well, two reasons, firstly they've never quite fitted me in the shoulder area, pushing me forwards slightly. I think if I were an inch or two shorter or taller they'd be perfect. The primary reason is weight saving, whilst they are lighter than the stock seats, they still weigh 18.6kg each, with the subframes and sliders.
Whilst I'm not planning on competing in 2022, I will return in the future and every little advantage helps, as I am unlikely to have the money for power or big brake upgrades.
This morning I drove the car to work with the old, stock leather seats. It feels like a different car, I'm sat up too high, with no lateral support, can't wait to change them.
Edited by Fishy Dave on Monday 20th December 10:20
Shnozz said:
Be interested to know what seats you are going for? When I eventually source a C6 I know already I want to swap those factory seats!
I took no chances and chose a seat that is well proven to fit the C6 AND is tall backed, to fit me. I have opted for just one seat for now, the Sparco QRT-R https://www.demon-tweeks.com/uk/sparco-qrt-r-fibre...
It is light at 7.1kg (without mounts) and fits comfortably into the car.
Temporarily I have the seat mounted via alloy side mounts that are then bolted to cheap, steel subframes that I already had. This has given me a great idea of how much lower I can now sit. Before driving the car in anger I will find a way of mounting the seat safely and securely. Right now I'm happy, although I really didn't want to spend that much money on a seat. Once I am happy with the comfort and mounting security I will buy a passenger seat too.
Oneball said:
What are the seats mounted to in a C6? Is it a fibreglass floor or something else?
The panels underneath the seats are thin, balsa wood and SMC (A Corvette fibreglass type composite) floor. Great for weight, but no use for mounting seats or race harnesses directly onto. There are two, transverse metal strips that run underneath this floor, into which have the four, threaded bolts that hold the seat down. The distance between them is about 54cm, longer than most race seat mounts. 
Edited by Fishy Dave on Friday 7th January 10:46
UTH said:
Only just come across this thread. As an owner of a C7 Z06, I'm obviously a Corvette fan, and what a great writeup and the pictures certainly make me wish I could do a similar trip.....one day maybe.
What were the passenger laps at the track like in the C7? I can't open the taps fully on any tracks in the UK as it's too loud, but even at limited throttle it's an epic car.
Thank you, what a superb car you have. The C7Z06 was just about the fastest car I have had the pleasure of being in on track, enhanced by the long straights that COTA has (not sure it would feel quite the same at Mallory Park). The torque was incredible. You will probably be fine at a Silverstone trackday, where there is no static dB test, plus Donington hosts a number of unlimited noise days too. What were the passenger laps at the track like in the C7? I can't open the taps fully on any tracks in the UK as it's too loud, but even at limited throttle it's an epic car.
Oneball said:
I had to make a frame to take my seats in the C3 as they’re just bolted to fibreglass. A C6 seems a bit safer to start with.
Very wise, I think there were a few other manufacturers in the 60's and 70's with similar construction frailties (Lotus, Ginetta, Marcos). My co-directors Mini Marcos was interesting, before it had a roll cage added. 
As January passed by I was missing being out on track, so decided to enter an event called The Pomeroy Trophy.
https://www.vscc.co.uk/page/events?eventID=1735
The ‘Pom’, as it is affectionately known in Vintage Sports Car Club circles, is a truly unique event within the motorsport world and one I’d not tried before. First run in 1952, it’s a competition to establish the perfect (road legal) ‘touring car’. Over the course of the event, race licence holding competitors take part in handling, acceleration and braking tests, followed by a 40 minute, High-Speed Regularity Time Trial on Silverstone’s Grand Prix circuit, not forgetting a test to make sure their car can carry two ‘standard’ VSCC size suitcases! I don’t know of another event where new models compete against Edwardian machines?!
It was time to get to work, first off was fitting new brake pads from Mintex (F4R front, 1155 rear). No chance of a replacement set of wheels, so Adams & Page (High Wycombe) swapped my Nankang AR1 track tyres from the broken set, onto the wheels I use on the road. Fingers crossed for dry, warm weather then, we usually get that in February don’t we, ha?! New, stronger diff clutch packs were sourced from racingdiffs.com. My fire extinguisher was out of date and a larger one that complies with new regulations was sourced. To counter the body roll from the Z51 springs I sourced a well-priced, used Z06 rear spring, a front will follow later.
Not a wing, it's a spring!
In previous updates I’ve talked about struggling with oil and water temperatures after a half dozen hard laps, something that many competitively driven C5 and C6 models suffer with. During a particularly fast, ten-minute session chasing down a Lotus Exige, at the Corvette Club track day at Snetterton, coolant temperatures reached the point where I had to back off or risk damage. Now that was during a warm summer’s day, but still, how would the car survive a constant 40 minutes effort at Silverstone? Four years ago I fitted a large oil cooler and thermostat from a company called Improved Racing. It’s nicely made but is so big it blocks a lot of the bumper opening, starving the main radiator of air.
Before
Current thinking in track circles is to replace the fog lights with a pair of small oil coolers, but this is a considerable expense and effort. After some thought and a little inspiration from a US forum post, I moved the oil cooler from a near vertical plane to almost horizontal. This opens up airflow to the main radiator, but of course renders the oil cooler far less effective, so it is a compromise and something I’ll monitor as we get towards summer.
After
I've mentioned that I bought a Sparco QRT-R race seat and for the last month have been using a fairly heavy, lashed together seat base arrangement. Now it was time to fix it in place more safely. The US has a couple of well proven seat mounts, but with shipping and taxes they would be £500 per side! So, I made my own, utilising AMT Motorsport thread expanders, to give a larger bearing surface for the mounts.
Fast forward some weeks and suddenly I was left with just two days to rebuild a diff, move the oil cooler, fabricate a mount for the larger extinguisher (I adapted part of a steel seat mount), change a spring and fit the race seat. At 23:00 the night before, it was finished (although later photos will show I’d forgotten to re-connect a front fog light)!
The old diff clutches actually appeared ok to the eye, as did the spring washers, but they'd stopped gripping. It was the first time I'd taken a diff apart, this job didn't need any kind of pinion re-shimming, so it wasn't too difficult.
A bleary-eyed 5am wake up got me to Silverstone before 8am. I was pleased that the seat and extinguisher solutions passed scrutineering and it was on to the first test, where the pair of regulation suitcases had to fit in the boot/trunk, else penalty points were applied. Of course, they fitted with ease, in fact three cases would have gone in! A measurement from the pedals to the centre line of the rear axle was taken, all part of the mysterious handicap calculations that would eventually spit out a winner, the week after the event.
Competitors were split into 3 groups, based loosely on age of vehicle and likely pace, so whilst I was in direct competition with a 1929 Frazer-Nash and 1917 Hudson, I’d not see them on track at the same time I was out. There was no practice and no tyre warming. I figured that I’d rather regret over doing it, than wishing I’d tried harder, so it was just a case of swallowing a brave pill and going for it.
Lining up in the assembly area before the first test.
The first track test was a simple slalom on a then dry ‘National’ start straight. A good launch and minimal sliding saw Clive The Corvette deliver the third fastest time, out of more than 100 entries, beaten only by the 4wd of Nissan’s Skyline GTR and Subaru’s Impreza.
The second and third tests were a standing quarter mile, immediately followed by a flying 250 metres (basically floor it the length of Hanger Street). A small amount of wheelspin but a good start, no missed shifts and I could see the finish cones fast approaching, do I hold it in 4th or change to 5th? I made the wrong choice, buzzing the rev limiter for a good couple of seconds in 4th. Still, it once again gave me a 3rd overall for my quarter mile time (13.3 seconds), not too bad for a stock power LS2 and very cold tyres. The flying 250m delivered us a 5th place overall, behind the afore mentioned 4wd monsters, plus a ’65 GT40 that races at Goodwood and a Lola T70.
In the braking test we astonishingly finished 1st overall, great going for a 1500kg+ car and driver, on standard, 2 piston sliding calipers. Those Mintex pads are mighty strong from cold.
The heavens opened before lunch, so I moved into a vacant pit garage, before being joined by other cars and drivers sheltering from the cold, 6C downpour.
Plenty of spectators piled in the garages too, asking questions about the Corvette, children loving the eyes. Talking of spectators, there is no fee to get in or park, so I would highly recommend this to you all next year.
Silverstone lunch was a takeaway pie, mash and gravy in a cardboard box! The cafe was rammed, so we ate in the VW camper that my wife and son had just arrived in.
The final test, that everyone looks forward to is the 40 minute afternoon session, where the field is given a pre-set number of laps to complete, in my case 16 laps, one of five cars to have this maximum number. So, strictly speaking it was not a race, however, with all competitors holding a race licence it was inevitable that when the flag dropped we were all going to be pushing hard, but not deliberately impeding or swapping paint.
The oldest cars went first, I had sympathy for the frozen drivers in their open-topped, pre-war machines (it brought back memories of racing my old Caterham in November at a soaking Brands Hatch). The crowd cheered every time one slid or spun.
It had stopped raining once the mostly 60’s/70’s/80’s cars took to the haloed tarmac. I needed the dark clouds to stay away, my tyres would be too dangerous in standing water.
I lined up on the front row, for two green flag laps, under strict instructions not to accelerate before the flag dropped on the ‘old’ National pit straight.
The pace car peeled into the pits, the Aston Martin Vantage alongside crept ahead, but I held my speed as instructed, seeing the 30+ cars bunched up close in my mirrors. The Aston had no choice but to brake before the line, else risk a penalty, therefore when the flag dropped I had a jump on him and sailed past on the run to Copse. This corner is taken flat out in an F1 car, in the dry, in July, but I can tell you that in a fully-fuelled C6 in these conditions it is not. Fortunately I’ve raced here before and know that there is a distinct ‘wet line’ at some corners, so I stayed out wide, finding the grip.
Looking back, before braking for Maggotts I’d pulled a small gap, which was still there along Hanger Straight, although I could see the order had changed and a GT40 and Skyline GTR were in hot pursuit. By the Wellington straight the GT40 used its power to weight advantage and got passed me; I know it’s a Ford and therefore ‘the enemy’ but gosh it sounded naughty.
On the start of the second lap I’d used the extra traction found on the wet line to my advantage again, able to use full power out of Copse to sail past the Ford. Alas, by the end of that lap both the Skyline and GT40 found their way back past, the formers 4wd (and driver skill) saw him pull large distances on the exit of corners.
Things settled down, the wet conditions steadily moving to moist/greasy and lap times improved. Checking the various onboard screens showed the water temps barely above that set by the thermostat and the oil at 246F, fantastic. I was slowly caught by that other 4wd nemesis, the Impreza. He passed me on a straight and the gap between us ebbed and flowed as we caught lapped traffic and yellow flags, after a Mazda MX-5 spun off into the gravel.
The afore-mentioned lapped cars included the likes of various Porsche new and old, modern Toyota Supra driven by the voice of BTCC, David Addison, a semi-lightweight E-type and the Lola T70 mentioned earlier, recovering from a spin.
Despite a few crowd-pleasing slides I felt I was in with a chance of catching the Impreza on the drying track in the latter stages, before he retired to the pits.
So, as I took the chequered flag after 40 minutes I finished 3rd on the road and almost within sight of the pair ahead, what a thrill. It wasn’t a race, but it felt like it. I completed 13 laps, the 16 laps I’d been set impossible to achieve in the conditions.
As it was a handicap event a number of factors ruled against the C6, such as its newness and size of engine, as a result the final result showed me in 48th place! Ah well, they say it’s the taking part that counts. The overall and well deserved winner was the Skyline, a car that races within my own club, the CSCC.
You can watch the full video here:
The Corvette was reliable as always, passing 221,000 miles on the drive home, I love it. During the event I used less than half a tank of fuel (I shouldn't have started with a full tank!), fluid temperatures were the lowest I’ve seen, the diff performed as it should (see drift video above) and the seat held me firmly in place.
By the sounds of it I have a CV joint on its way out, the seat needs to go lower and away from the centre tunnel, I need to source some cheap wheels, oh and the car needs to be much louder (so say some of the crowd and Marshals).
Professional photos courtesy of Jeff Bloxham (thank you)
https://www.vscc.co.uk/page/events?eventID=1735
The ‘Pom’, as it is affectionately known in Vintage Sports Car Club circles, is a truly unique event within the motorsport world and one I’d not tried before. First run in 1952, it’s a competition to establish the perfect (road legal) ‘touring car’. Over the course of the event, race licence holding competitors take part in handling, acceleration and braking tests, followed by a 40 minute, High-Speed Regularity Time Trial on Silverstone’s Grand Prix circuit, not forgetting a test to make sure their car can carry two ‘standard’ VSCC size suitcases! I don’t know of another event where new models compete against Edwardian machines?!
It was time to get to work, first off was fitting new brake pads from Mintex (F4R front, 1155 rear). No chance of a replacement set of wheels, so Adams & Page (High Wycombe) swapped my Nankang AR1 track tyres from the broken set, onto the wheels I use on the road. Fingers crossed for dry, warm weather then, we usually get that in February don’t we, ha?! New, stronger diff clutch packs were sourced from racingdiffs.com. My fire extinguisher was out of date and a larger one that complies with new regulations was sourced. To counter the body roll from the Z51 springs I sourced a well-priced, used Z06 rear spring, a front will follow later.
Not a wing, it's a spring!
In previous updates I’ve talked about struggling with oil and water temperatures after a half dozen hard laps, something that many competitively driven C5 and C6 models suffer with. During a particularly fast, ten-minute session chasing down a Lotus Exige, at the Corvette Club track day at Snetterton, coolant temperatures reached the point where I had to back off or risk damage. Now that was during a warm summer’s day, but still, how would the car survive a constant 40 minutes effort at Silverstone? Four years ago I fitted a large oil cooler and thermostat from a company called Improved Racing. It’s nicely made but is so big it blocks a lot of the bumper opening, starving the main radiator of air.
Before
Current thinking in track circles is to replace the fog lights with a pair of small oil coolers, but this is a considerable expense and effort. After some thought and a little inspiration from a US forum post, I moved the oil cooler from a near vertical plane to almost horizontal. This opens up airflow to the main radiator, but of course renders the oil cooler far less effective, so it is a compromise and something I’ll monitor as we get towards summer.
After
I've mentioned that I bought a Sparco QRT-R race seat and for the last month have been using a fairly heavy, lashed together seat base arrangement. Now it was time to fix it in place more safely. The US has a couple of well proven seat mounts, but with shipping and taxes they would be £500 per side! So, I made my own, utilising AMT Motorsport thread expanders, to give a larger bearing surface for the mounts.
Fast forward some weeks and suddenly I was left with just two days to rebuild a diff, move the oil cooler, fabricate a mount for the larger extinguisher (I adapted part of a steel seat mount), change a spring and fit the race seat. At 23:00 the night before, it was finished (although later photos will show I’d forgotten to re-connect a front fog light)!
The old diff clutches actually appeared ok to the eye, as did the spring washers, but they'd stopped gripping. It was the first time I'd taken a diff apart, this job didn't need any kind of pinion re-shimming, so it wasn't too difficult.
A bleary-eyed 5am wake up got me to Silverstone before 8am. I was pleased that the seat and extinguisher solutions passed scrutineering and it was on to the first test, where the pair of regulation suitcases had to fit in the boot/trunk, else penalty points were applied. Of course, they fitted with ease, in fact three cases would have gone in! A measurement from the pedals to the centre line of the rear axle was taken, all part of the mysterious handicap calculations that would eventually spit out a winner, the week after the event.
Competitors were split into 3 groups, based loosely on age of vehicle and likely pace, so whilst I was in direct competition with a 1929 Frazer-Nash and 1917 Hudson, I’d not see them on track at the same time I was out. There was no practice and no tyre warming. I figured that I’d rather regret over doing it, than wishing I’d tried harder, so it was just a case of swallowing a brave pill and going for it.
Lining up in the assembly area before the first test.
The first track test was a simple slalom on a then dry ‘National’ start straight. A good launch and minimal sliding saw Clive The Corvette deliver the third fastest time, out of more than 100 entries, beaten only by the 4wd of Nissan’s Skyline GTR and Subaru’s Impreza.
The second and third tests were a standing quarter mile, immediately followed by a flying 250 metres (basically floor it the length of Hanger Street). A small amount of wheelspin but a good start, no missed shifts and I could see the finish cones fast approaching, do I hold it in 4th or change to 5th? I made the wrong choice, buzzing the rev limiter for a good couple of seconds in 4th. Still, it once again gave me a 3rd overall for my quarter mile time (13.3 seconds), not too bad for a stock power LS2 and very cold tyres. The flying 250m delivered us a 5th place overall, behind the afore mentioned 4wd monsters, plus a ’65 GT40 that races at Goodwood and a Lola T70.
In the braking test we astonishingly finished 1st overall, great going for a 1500kg+ car and driver, on standard, 2 piston sliding calipers. Those Mintex pads are mighty strong from cold.
The heavens opened before lunch, so I moved into a vacant pit garage, before being joined by other cars and drivers sheltering from the cold, 6C downpour.
Plenty of spectators piled in the garages too, asking questions about the Corvette, children loving the eyes. Talking of spectators, there is no fee to get in or park, so I would highly recommend this to you all next year.
Silverstone lunch was a takeaway pie, mash and gravy in a cardboard box! The cafe was rammed, so we ate in the VW camper that my wife and son had just arrived in.
The final test, that everyone looks forward to is the 40 minute afternoon session, where the field is given a pre-set number of laps to complete, in my case 16 laps, one of five cars to have this maximum number. So, strictly speaking it was not a race, however, with all competitors holding a race licence it was inevitable that when the flag dropped we were all going to be pushing hard, but not deliberately impeding or swapping paint.
The oldest cars went first, I had sympathy for the frozen drivers in their open-topped, pre-war machines (it brought back memories of racing my old Caterham in November at a soaking Brands Hatch). The crowd cheered every time one slid or spun.
It had stopped raining once the mostly 60’s/70’s/80’s cars took to the haloed tarmac. I needed the dark clouds to stay away, my tyres would be too dangerous in standing water.
I lined up on the front row, for two green flag laps, under strict instructions not to accelerate before the flag dropped on the ‘old’ National pit straight.
The pace car peeled into the pits, the Aston Martin Vantage alongside crept ahead, but I held my speed as instructed, seeing the 30+ cars bunched up close in my mirrors. The Aston had no choice but to brake before the line, else risk a penalty, therefore when the flag dropped I had a jump on him and sailed past on the run to Copse. This corner is taken flat out in an F1 car, in the dry, in July, but I can tell you that in a fully-fuelled C6 in these conditions it is not. Fortunately I’ve raced here before and know that there is a distinct ‘wet line’ at some corners, so I stayed out wide, finding the grip.
Looking back, before braking for Maggotts I’d pulled a small gap, which was still there along Hanger Straight, although I could see the order had changed and a GT40 and Skyline GTR were in hot pursuit. By the Wellington straight the GT40 used its power to weight advantage and got passed me; I know it’s a Ford and therefore ‘the enemy’ but gosh it sounded naughty.
On the start of the second lap I’d used the extra traction found on the wet line to my advantage again, able to use full power out of Copse to sail past the Ford. Alas, by the end of that lap both the Skyline and GT40 found their way back past, the formers 4wd (and driver skill) saw him pull large distances on the exit of corners.
Things settled down, the wet conditions steadily moving to moist/greasy and lap times improved. Checking the various onboard screens showed the water temps barely above that set by the thermostat and the oil at 246F, fantastic. I was slowly caught by that other 4wd nemesis, the Impreza. He passed me on a straight and the gap between us ebbed and flowed as we caught lapped traffic and yellow flags, after a Mazda MX-5 spun off into the gravel.
The afore-mentioned lapped cars included the likes of various Porsche new and old, modern Toyota Supra driven by the voice of BTCC, David Addison, a semi-lightweight E-type and the Lola T70 mentioned earlier, recovering from a spin.
Despite a few crowd-pleasing slides I felt I was in with a chance of catching the Impreza on the drying track in the latter stages, before he retired to the pits.
So, as I took the chequered flag after 40 minutes I finished 3rd on the road and almost within sight of the pair ahead, what a thrill. It wasn’t a race, but it felt like it. I completed 13 laps, the 16 laps I’d been set impossible to achieve in the conditions.
As it was a handicap event a number of factors ruled against the C6, such as its newness and size of engine, as a result the final result showed me in 48th place! Ah well, they say it’s the taking part that counts. The overall and well deserved winner was the Skyline, a car that races within my own club, the CSCC.
You can watch the full video here:
The Corvette was reliable as always, passing 221,000 miles on the drive home, I love it. During the event I used less than half a tank of fuel (I shouldn't have started with a full tank!), fluid temperatures were the lowest I’ve seen, the diff performed as it should (see drift video above) and the seat held me firmly in place.
By the sounds of it I have a CV joint on its way out, the seat needs to go lower and away from the centre tunnel, I need to source some cheap wheels, oh and the car needs to be much louder (so say some of the crowd and Marshals).
Professional photos courtesy of Jeff Bloxham (thank you)
Oneball said:
Always thought the Pom would be fun but never been. Far better to be too quiet than too loud, struggling to get mine to an appropriate noise level.
What else are you doing this year? I think I read that you might not do much with the Vette.
Agreed, I wouldn't want an exhaust I couldn't live with on a daily basis, part of the reason I replaced the Flowmaster back boxes, the drone was unpleasant.What else are you doing this year? I think I read that you might not do much with the Vette.
Yes, not quite as much this year, possibly one round of Super Lap Scotland and a couple of events with the Corvette Club. I'm saving up for a big end of year road trip, assuming war, disease and funds allow it!
I've been asked to race a couple of cars this year, so this will keep me entertained.
Nothing much to report on the C6, other than finding a used set of C7 wheels in the UK, that were fitted on the black C6 below. First time in ages that someone was selling genuine factory wheels and at a sensible price. They were painted black, so have sent them for a refurb, before having new road tyres fitted. The C7 stingray (non-Z51) has the same size and offset wheels as the C6.
Cheers, Dave
Cheers, Dave
Moderator edit: no advertising please
I'd described a post or two ago that I thought I might have a CV joint on the way out. Well, I took both axle shafts out, but both felt smooth. I greased the splines that go in to the hubs, torqued the axle nuts correctly, but it's still making an unpleasant scraping noise. It's most noticeable at slow speeds in tight turns, walking pace most noticeably. If I'd not seen the diff innards recently I'd think it was this, but the noise started long before changing the diff clutch packs and is steadily getting worse.
Just over a week ago I was driving a BMW Z4 that has recently been finished as a race car. This was its second track shake down, this time at Castle Combe, sadly the power steering gave out during the morning.
Rather than waste the day I swapped to the Corvette. First time I've driven it here since fitting the KW V3 shocks and I'm pleased to say they are a big improvement, with non of the wallowing over Avon Rise now.
The noise at very low speeds is understandably worse after the track day, so once it's gone in for its MOT tomorrow I'm going to strip the transmission out. I now suspect the drive shaft within the torque tube, but it's a guess, I just can't get it to make the noise on my lift.
Finally, I've splashed some cash on headers, with 99% of the reason that I want extra (controlled) noise at the track when competing. After doing lots of research I've gone for Speed Engineering, yes they are likely Chinese in origin, but they are well proven to fit at least. I'll fit them in a couple of weeks when they arrive, followed by a fuelling check on a rolling road. For heat management I've got to go cheap, I'll be using titanium wrap, Zircotec would cost more than the headers themselves!
Just over a week ago I was driving a BMW Z4 that has recently been finished as a race car. This was its second track shake down, this time at Castle Combe, sadly the power steering gave out during the morning.
Rather than waste the day I swapped to the Corvette. First time I've driven it here since fitting the KW V3 shocks and I'm pleased to say they are a big improvement, with non of the wallowing over Avon Rise now.
The noise at very low speeds is understandably worse after the track day, so once it's gone in for its MOT tomorrow I'm going to strip the transmission out. I now suspect the drive shaft within the torque tube, but it's a guess, I just can't get it to make the noise on my lift.
Finally, I've splashed some cash on headers, with 99% of the reason that I want extra (controlled) noise at the track when competing. After doing lots of research I've gone for Speed Engineering, yes they are likely Chinese in origin, but they are well proven to fit at least. I'll fit them in a couple of weeks when they arrive, followed by a fuelling check on a rolling road. For heat management I've got to go cheap, I'll be using titanium wrap, Zircotec would cost more than the headers themselves!
Moderator edit: no advertising please
I had a clear 6 weeks to get the new headers fitted, before the Corvette would be on display at American Speedfest, Brands Hatch. This also gave me the chance to delve in even further, to rule out any other potential causes for the scraping noises from the rear.
Both header collector pipes had arrived bent, not surprising and the box looked like someone had played football with it (NFL). MYUS.com and FedEx didn't want to know as I didn't have additional insurance.
I bought a cheap US Pro tool from ebay, listed specifically for removing dents from tail pipes. Not that hopeful, but I was pleasantly surprised how well it worked.
New Moog hubs and rear wheel bearings, complete axle shafts, torque tube bearings, extra lsd additive, new plug leads, longer Lambda leads and more were ordered.
This is not the work of a moment, to get the torque tube out is a pita, but I found a few shortcuts this time.
By sliding the gearbox onto the rear subframe and leaving it up there saved me lowering/lifting the heavy lump by myself.
The header wrap was pre-soaked in water, not necessary, but it did mean there were less itchy glass particles flying about. Once dried, I sprayed the wrap with silicone spray paint (wish I'd not bothered) and secured it using stainless wraps, one of which impaled itself in my thumb, slowing progress for days after it had stopped bleeding.
Anything and everything that was within range of being cooked was protected, notably the starter motor, wiring, oil thermostat and clutch line (double shielded).
Disappointingly, one of the primaries fouled hard against the steering shaft, but nothing a few careful blows from the mallet couldn't sort out.
The many pieces of X pipe were very time consuming to put together, using better quality lap joints I'd bought from Summit.
The torque tube was fine (as I suspected), having only changed the bearings two years ago. Hubs changed, I decided to stick with the standard length wheel studs.
The C7 wheels came back from being powder coated and shod in Yokohama V105S tyres for road use.
Before anyone hops up and down at this photo, the car was secure, the three bits of wood simply helping me to get the torque tube at the right angle, I was in no danger (I had to delete this photo from Facebook, after friends thought I was supporting the whole car in this way!).
It was a real rush to put it all back together in time for a rolling road fuel check with Leighton at Castle Combe, in the end I was almost two hours late, sweating and both myself and the car still covered in grime. The first start, OMG, it was LOUD at first start up, before the vacuum closed the active exhaust valves. As the engine warmed and I shuffled the car off the ramp and on to the driveway, smoke started to rise. The header wrap paint needed heat to cure, in the process burning off and creating quite a sight anytime I was stationary, smoke pouring from the hood vent.
Straight on to the rollers and strapped down. Wow it sounded great, but earplugs were needed. Just a couple of runs were needed to confirm that the fuelling was fine as it was (stock tune). The power figures could no doubt be improved on with a tune, but with cost in mind I'm happy enough, it was noise I was after and that's exactly what I've got.
Just time for a quick wash off of 6 weeks of dust and next day it was off to Brands Hatch, my wife and little son travelling in the VW T5.
American Speedfest was once again a great event, very well done by MSV. Nice to parked among so many beautiful Corvette's, I even sold a book or two. A photo of Clive even made it to the official Facebook page.
The following week was the Corvette Club annual handling day, at North Weald. We had 12 Corvette's booked, with 9 attending in the end, plus TVR, Lotus, MX-5 and more. A scorching hot day, I put the car on old, worn AD08R tyres, satisfied with 2nd best time overall on the sprint circuit (behind a well-driven Evora).
Here's a lap with the instructor, Mark onboard, I love the onboard exhaust note, apparently it's a lot louder outside. How can a stock engine sound this good?!
The drive through the two M25 northern tunnels was a giggle, the rest of the journey spent with the exhaust valves closed, nice and quiet with no drone.
The uncomfortably loud scraping/grinding noise is still there, confirming it's the diff. The exhaust covers most of the noise, but it's got to come out again and go off to a specialist. 
Both header collector pipes had arrived bent, not surprising and the box looked like someone had played football with it (NFL). MYUS.com and FedEx didn't want to know as I didn't have additional insurance.
I bought a cheap US Pro tool from ebay, listed specifically for removing dents from tail pipes. Not that hopeful, but I was pleasantly surprised how well it worked.
New Moog hubs and rear wheel bearings, complete axle shafts, torque tube bearings, extra lsd additive, new plug leads, longer Lambda leads and more were ordered.
This is not the work of a moment, to get the torque tube out is a pita, but I found a few shortcuts this time.
By sliding the gearbox onto the rear subframe and leaving it up there saved me lowering/lifting the heavy lump by myself.
The header wrap was pre-soaked in water, not necessary, but it did mean there were less itchy glass particles flying about. Once dried, I sprayed the wrap with silicone spray paint (wish I'd not bothered) and secured it using stainless wraps, one of which impaled itself in my thumb, slowing progress for days after it had stopped bleeding.
Anything and everything that was within range of being cooked was protected, notably the starter motor, wiring, oil thermostat and clutch line (double shielded).
Disappointingly, one of the primaries fouled hard against the steering shaft, but nothing a few careful blows from the mallet couldn't sort out.
The many pieces of X pipe were very time consuming to put together, using better quality lap joints I'd bought from Summit.
The torque tube was fine (as I suspected), having only changed the bearings two years ago. Hubs changed, I decided to stick with the standard length wheel studs.
The C7 wheels came back from being powder coated and shod in Yokohama V105S tyres for road use.
Before anyone hops up and down at this photo, the car was secure, the three bits of wood simply helping me to get the torque tube at the right angle, I was in no danger (I had to delete this photo from Facebook, after friends thought I was supporting the whole car in this way!).
It was a real rush to put it all back together in time for a rolling road fuel check with Leighton at Castle Combe, in the end I was almost two hours late, sweating and both myself and the car still covered in grime. The first start, OMG, it was LOUD at first start up, before the vacuum closed the active exhaust valves. As the engine warmed and I shuffled the car off the ramp and on to the driveway, smoke started to rise. The header wrap paint needed heat to cure, in the process burning off and creating quite a sight anytime I was stationary, smoke pouring from the hood vent.
Straight on to the rollers and strapped down. Wow it sounded great, but earplugs were needed. Just a couple of runs were needed to confirm that the fuelling was fine as it was (stock tune). The power figures could no doubt be improved on with a tune, but with cost in mind I'm happy enough, it was noise I was after and that's exactly what I've got.
Just time for a quick wash off of 6 weeks of dust and next day it was off to Brands Hatch, my wife and little son travelling in the VW T5.
American Speedfest was once again a great event, very well done by MSV. Nice to parked among so many beautiful Corvette's, I even sold a book or two. A photo of Clive even made it to the official Facebook page.
The following week was the Corvette Club annual handling day, at North Weald. We had 12 Corvette's booked, with 9 attending in the end, plus TVR, Lotus, MX-5 and more. A scorching hot day, I put the car on old, worn AD08R tyres, satisfied with 2nd best time overall on the sprint circuit (behind a well-driven Evora).
Here's a lap with the instructor, Mark onboard, I love the onboard exhaust note, apparently it's a lot louder outside. How can a stock engine sound this good?!
The drive through the two M25 northern tunnels was a giggle, the rest of the journey spent with the exhaust valves closed, nice and quiet with no drone.
The uncomfortably loud scraping/grinding noise is still there, confirming it's the diff. The exhaust covers most of the noise
, but it's got to come out again and go off to a specialist. Edited by Fishy Dave on Thursday 30th June 13:44
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