Grumpy old veteran tip #1. Throw a wheel or two under your cars and trucks when you have them off the ground. I thought everyone did this but evidently not.
Hey Josh, you're right about being concerned about being under a car. You can never be too careful. Lost my best mate when a jack stand collapsed on him and he was an experienced diy'er. Makes me very conscious of what can go wrong and very cautious when under one myself now. Sorry about the LS7's dropped valve, that's a bummer. Still bright side, we can now all follow your content on the rebuild! Have a good one from M8 from way down in NZ. Grant
@@keithkalson4722 I have not and I kind of doubt that any of them have ever failed unless they were being used improperly. There is a safety locking mechanism so it's not resting on the hydraulics. There's just something that creeps me out when I'm crawling around under there, probably because I don't do it that often.
With all the work you’re doing I recommend you get yourself a lift. It’ll serve you well in the long run and you’ll have an extra spot for all your cars. Trust me, it’s worth it…I know a thing or two about safety😉
@@CodeBlueNurburgringAtom I'm conflicted because a four-post has a lot of benefits but isn't as great for working on the car as a 2-post, but I don't really have the room for a 2-post...
I got my 2011 37k miles C6 Z06 this summer. I took it easy on the motor, never wound it past 5k RPM. After a few months I found a pair of used heads complete for $1200 shipped. Had those heads reworked (guides, cut seats, Manley solid inconel ex valves, ti retainers) then pulled the heads off my motor and installed the "new" heads. First time I wound it past 6500 I was hooked. Love the mile wide powerband of the LS7.
It’s cool seeing you go through all the motions (and emotions 😭). I think all of us DIY car guys can share in your experiences. I’m happy the damage wasn’t worse than it could have been. I’m sure the final build will be amazing.
Sorry for your loss. I had to laugh at the comment though about being crushed by a car. I literally think about this every single time I get under a car.
Hi Josh. OK so it was a dropped valve. When you get the engine out and tear down, be sure to check the cheeks of the big end of the Titanium connecting rods. These can begin galling and is another LS7 failure point. The best option for the valves is going to Moly coated stem Titanium intakes with precision machined bronze guides. These will rev the best and keep the valvetrain stable at high RPM. I would not do the old school stainless steel intake valve with the double valve spring deal. That's for drag race engines that don't sit at high RPMs. Not really suited for track cars. Its a heavy valve and beats up the whole valvetrain. These dual springs have an issue with surging at high RPM and this reduces valve control and greatly increases fatigue of the springs. Katech has Spintron data showing the issues with stainless steel intakes and dual springs vs Titanium intakes and honeycomb springs. Their engineering data in the lab and on the Corvette race cars bares out their solution. Also stay away from the stock DLC coated titanium intake valve stems and hard iron valve guides. This combination didn't work out well as the coating failed and trashed the guides and valves stems. The shops try to salvage the original Ti valves and get them re-coated and polished. This doesn't seem to work out long term as QC on the rework seems sketchy. Katech is offering the molycoated stem Titanium intakes/bronze guides as the update. This valve issue as you know has been an issue for a while now. Katech has the best solution using what I stated above. You have the early issue of the exhaust valve and Katech will replace all 8 of those with the updated valve. This will also get the bronze guide. Katech will set the guide clearance very tight and fix the bad valve job. You send the heads to them, for about $3,000 they will completely overall the heads as stated above as a service for folks that want their LS7 heads fixed right and for good. You can do overkill here and get Titanium exhausts but these Titanium valves are expensive. My 2009 LS7 I plan to pull the heads and send them to Katech and do the above. That one head got trashed. Contact Katech and see if they consider heliarc welding it to fix it or just scrap it and replace the head with a good used casting. A good used head I see going for $1000.00. Obviously that #6 piston is done but also check that #6 connecting rod and see if it got bent. Maybe OK or not, you need to see it. Those Ti rods are roughly $800 new each. Many guys take them out and replace all the rods with forged steel rods, replace the crank, pistons, rings. That entire assembly new and balanced is about $2500. Doesn't take too many hurt Ti rods to make a conventional forged bottom end look cost effective. R.E.D., Racing Engine Development in Oceansdie CA is the most qualified shop for fixing the LS7 block. Steve Demirjian developed the re-sleeving process with Darton who manufactures the sleeves. Steve engineered his own tooling for precision boring these blocks for new or replacement sleeves. He would be the go to and would give you good advice on what to do. I did look into replacement OEM LS7 blocks. Apparently engine shops and dealers bought up the last of the GM LS7 blocks before they were discontinued. I did see NOS LS7 blocks for about $4000.00 for what appears to be new LS7 blocks. Depending how bad the engine scattered, there is metal in the intake. A good used clean stock intake is $200.00 so conventional wisdom is to throw out that intake and not risk any metal shrapnel getting back into the new engine. The oil tank, oil lines and oil cooler will all need to be cleaned of metal and other junk from the engine failure. The oil tank is 2 piece so you can disassemble it and clean it out. The other items maybe just replace them. Lingenfelter can modify your 8 qt tank and increase it to 11 qt like a late model tank. Avaid makes an oil tank insert and good windage tray setup that does well in solving oil starvation on the track. That would be minimum level upgrade to improve the oiling system. You had concerns about oil starvation. When you get to the bottom end apart and check the bearings and crank journals, they will tell the story (ask how I know). As far as pulling the engine, it can come out the top. Go to Harbor Freight and get the engine crane and engine stand. There is a engine lift bracket with a hand crank and screw that allows you to change the balance point to align the engine during pulling and especially reinstalling it to get aligned with the torque tube input shaft. The hood is light but get help when removing so you don't scratch the car. Before you unbolt the hood, match mark the bracket positions of the hinges to the hood. That way you can put it back on in exactly the same position without having to do all that effort of re-alignment. The timing chain should be updated to the C5 race chain (?) as the stock chain had some issues. Replace the stock LS7 crank damper with an aftermarket Fluidamper or equivalent as the stock damper when tracked would begin to slip the collar/rubber joint. For the clutch, use a Z06/ZR1 stock GM high performance clutch and pressure plate. Install a new GM slave cylinder. Install the Katech clutch bleeding extension hose as this makes the clutch servo bleeding and fluid maintenance much much easier. For the clutch disk alignment tool, don't use the cheap plastic molded alignment tool that comes with the clutch. Get a machined one that fits better and gets a perfect alignment. This will help greatly when trying to re-install the engine and get the input shaft back into the clutch.
This is the G.O.A.T. comment right here! 🐐 Thanks for taking the time to spell all that out for me. Stay tuned for the next video, I have a plan of attack forming in my mind and I’d like to get your reaction.
Awesome comments buddy, I'm not a real Chevy guy, been mopar all my life like dad and grampa, truth be told, I've never heard of these catastrophic, apparently common failures that chevys have, on any Mopar engine I'm familiar with, my 383 and 440 engines have all been bulletproof with addition of arp rodbolts.. the new generation of hemis have been pretty good from what I've heard...
@@JoshVanVeld 6.4 durango... sounds quick!! My son has a 2012 superbee 392 hemi with 80k he has put most miles on it, he bought it in 2014 with 7000 miles, we put cat back full race exhaust and CAI plus cross brace underhood, he has wailed on that engine, alot of stoplight drags etc, that 392 hemi is strong!!
Your comment about getting crushed while under the car is golden. My friend is a mechanic and he told me stories of having cars and trucks with severe frame rust through and having to work under those death traps. Talk about work place safety, doesn't exist in the automotive world. A ray of sunshine for you. My friend Mark just had the same thing happen to his 04 Ram Viper engine. He will live on Ramen Noodles for a long time to get that Viper repaired.
Your attitude and patience is awesome!! A 700 HP build with a Z06 chassis and weight around 3200lbs coupled with your driving skills, good-night to the GT3 and GT3 RS! I am looking forward to see how this all turns out!
I already ordered my upgraded heads from American Heritage, but this just proves that I made the right choice. Thanks for being willing to share what you have learned, I'm glad the damage wasn't worse
Sorry to see your Z06 out of commission during peak track season. For once I'm glad to have listened to the internet and addressed heads before my car saw any track use. Best of luck with the rebuild, looking forward to watching more!
Good luck Josh. Living vicariously through your videos! I wrenched on a 240Z in high school and college. Loved every minute. My back can't take it anymore.
Dont give up. I was in the same boat as you when I blew my engine on the track. Postive and organize attitude kept me going and now my car is running again.
If only I had a dream garage like yours with almost any tool I needed, I'd never dread doing almost any job. Try doing this stuff in a neighborhood of townhomes in the middle of the street with no cover from the elements, working out of a service cart and two stationary boxes in a basement, along with ramps, a floor jack, and jack stands. I really appreciate your real-world experience of taking stuff apart and your honesty about what you know and don't know. Good job.
Lived the townhome life (and apartment life before that) for a lot of years and I know how fortunate I am to have this garage, but back in those days I was doing brakes and oil changes and that was about it. Kudos for getting it done even without a good workspace! The most difficult thing I did pre- having a garage was installing a Racing Beat intake on my RX-8. It was amazing how working on the car in a parking lot drew the car guys out of the woodwork, I met neighbors I never knew I had 😆
Overall, very impressed with you willingness to get into project, having limited experience or knowledge as to what you were doing. Nonetheless,, you narrated very well, which allowed the viewers to remain engaged!! Great job
Josh, I have the exact same car, year, color and all. Mine dropped number 8 exhaust valve at the track. The LS7 can be resleaved. The cylinder liners are thin on the LS7 so have a machine shop check for a crack. Sometimes when they crack a cylinder liner they can crack the block, but being aluminum it can be welded. Mine has been welded for two seasons of track days with no issues. Texas speed and Scoggins Dickey Chevrolet are your friends when it comes to parts, gaskets and seals. Texas speed sells the PRC billet heads and they are awesome flowing heads. Just whomever you get your parts from make sure they know you are road racing and not drag racing. They all seem to push huge cams and such because they mainly build drag cars. If your other head is still good and you want to save some money reworking the stock heads, I have one good stock head and will make you a hell of a good deal on it.
@@JoshVanVeld also summit racing had the atp bolts for 126.00 I got mine last week for my head swap. 13mm and 10 mm sockets is all you need to install, use impact sockets thou,ask me how I know!!
Ok I'm listening... watched this and I'm locked in now. Change my ls7 heads this winter. Baby it until then. Please keep showing your adventure with your z. Love watching it.
At least you were willing to dive in and try to figure out what happened and try to fix it a lot of people aren’t willing to do what you did so thumbs up.
We need to look at the block and see if it has been cracked, if no crack it’s possible to get it bored or resleeved. For your intended purpose I would stay away from a heavy heads/cam build. I built my motor with the guidance of Tony mamo, he may be the one to help you proceed further. The cost is not cheap but that has to be accepted in this sport. I would remove the hood and front bumper and get a engine hoist, valley cover hoist bracket, and a hoist leveler. Then yank the engine. Removing the radiator makes it a lot simpler, the clip on the lower passenger side is a real pain too.
I like your videos man. i also had a yellow c6 z06 so this hits close to home. while I never had this issue I applaud you for taking on the project yourself. keep up the high quality videos and if you stay consistent you will become the next good automotive youtuber. you have earned my support. also your garage is sick!!
Interesting to see the real world challenges involved with taking off the head in the car with the full set of OEM bits, so many UA-cams just show the engine on the stand which as we all know is much easier. Subscribed!
....great video, currently in process replacing my Ls7 with a stock long block. My mechanic is doing it this time, but your video is giving me the confidence to do it myself when the original block goes back in rebuilt by KA Tech.
Man you’re doing probably the only high quality C6 content out there. As popular as this platform is, no one is really showcasing it or working on it the way you are. Also as a C6 GS daily driver, I highly recommend a catch can for yours. A lot of that oil in the intake was from blow-by. Obviously “the incident” added a ton and coolant. All of the LS motors suffer from it though. A lot of people go for the top tier Mighty Mouse setup but I have the Elite Systems can and it’s doing the job just fine. It catches an alarming amount for a N/A motor so I think it’s worth it once you get her back on the road with fresh heads and valves etc.
Thanks for the kind words, I appreciate it! I had an Elite Engineering catch can on my C5Z (installed by previous owner) and it definitely caught a lot of oil. I'm putting it on my to-do list.
Josh, get in touch with BTR (Brian Tooley Racing) and get a camshaft that eliminates valve bouce off the seat. That should greatly increase valve longevity. If you want extra peace of mind, swap over to a SS exhaust valve but that heavier valve is all the more reason to seek a cam that is designed to eliminate vavle bound off the seat.
That motor is notorious for having bad valve guides, which allows the valve to move laterally causing the stem to break. At a minimum, the fix is new valve guides. There are other ways to prevent reoccurrence, but the valve guides are the main culprit.
@@ClinttheGreat everyone knows about the issue, but it's seems there are many different options on causes and solutions. Some say it's guides, some hollow steam valves, some say machining issues (lack of concentricity and/or rocker alignment), and other say buy aftermarket heads because the entire LS7 head is the issue. I don't think there is any silver bullet for longevity in a high lift, large valve motor. The best you can do is make sure you have good parts, good machine work, and slowing down the ridiculous ramp speeds of the LS7 camshaft. Even with all of that, regular valve guide checks is a good idea.
thats not whats happening lol and BTR makes some basic ass cookie cutter cams, they work, sure but BTR is just the most used cam kit in the lsx game like RPM is the most used recipe for n/a ls7's
I really appreciate your patience with this project and your willingness to document it all. I'd be so heated about the engine failure that I'm not sure there'd be much useable footage during teardown if it were me 😂. I still think the C6 Z06 is one of the coolest enthusiast cars, and I'm excited to see what's next for the engine. Fastener/tool plinko is my least favorite game. Hearing "tink tink tink...tink" in a cockpit is the worst.
Been following you for a while now and sucks this happened. I have to give major props for actually going in and tearing it down your self, think I would of been too mad to even attempt that!
I believe the LS7 uses dry liners, meaning if you have coolant in the cylinder, your block is cracked. As someone else stated these blocks are aluminum and can be welded. I cracked my block with fixed heads and decided to go with a RHS block for my new build. I'll try and repair the LS7 block for a future build. Good luck with your project, I'll be following along.
Exhaust valves are hollow steel sodium filled. Intake valves are TI made by Del West. An article stated GM told/requested Linimar Manufacturing to do a 100% inspection process on the heads (they did the machining) as of Feb 2011. Most issues involved engines made 2008-2010. Mine is a 2013. I have nearly 120K miles w/o any issues. So far, so good. Since most inventories were 'just in time' I'm hoping I have the fully inspected heads.
Thanks, I was confused about which materials were used in which valves. This car is an '07 so GM's story about the issue being limited to a specific run of heads starting in '08 doesn't hold water with me.
@@JoshVanVeld Granted, those years are a bit fuzzy. 2007 engines tended to have needle bearing trunnion cage failures, sending the bearings all over the oil passages. And I've heard of valve drop failures in cars as late as 2011. An interesting note is mine came with a 100,000 mile transferable power train warranty. I put lots of milage on early so if a problem did develop, it would be on GM's dime.
I would say this I do not agree with only if you keep the hollow. Exhaust valves but changing to the stainless still you'll never drop avalv with the guide issue that has been addressed. He should put moldstar 90 guides a $500.00 cost but worth it
@@Tigerchevelle77 ive had my oem heads fixed with solid SS manley valves and they were completely out of spec after only 8k miles. I now have brodix br7s which if you ask any reputable shop, are much more reliable than oem cast.
@@louiC6Z what changes are made from the OEM head that make it more reliable? What are the geometry changes made that cannot be duplicated in the OEM head?
Katech issued a bulletin on this some time ago, stating that valve seat concentricity (valve guide to valve seat) was a very likely culprit. My guess is that the seats were ground independent of the valve guides. And the guides, being a powder metal variety, were machined to their spec separately. Does no one any service to say, "you should have addressed this before hand".. just glad your damage is limited, and looking forward to seeing where the build goes from here. MAST has some great heads (what I bought for mine) and possibly, on the shelf for quick turnaround. Either way, better to catch this issue now, rather than later. Best of luck.
yes, the tools were way out of tolerance and GM didn't not find out until customers kept coming back with blown engines. then they hired lwayers and found a way to refute any lawsuit against that issue but had to offer a indefnite fix for c6z roof delamination. Same thing with the ti coating, they spec half what the german company they contracted said was the min thicknesst hat would work. This is why and for a plehtora of reason the ls7 is forever the greastest motor gm ever built and the shittiest
Yeah I'm all about insurance policies. I have those quick jacks as well and still always put jack stands under them, a couple notches below full extension (to help avoid tipping). Even though they aren't touching the bottom of the car when jacked, I figure it's better than nothing.
RPM has been proven to make the most power consistently and reliably over other builders. Send it to RPM...Im running their B3 Cam and Fran's incredible tuning, and couldn't be happier
Thanks for the video, I understand why it took some time to come to grips with the situation. I would give Vengence Racing a call,as they are out of Cummings, GA. Your so lucky, that they are close by. I have a C4/5/7 and (all yellow) and hope to see you at the track someday!
Yeah I just want to say thanks for sharing im glad im not the only one takes deep breaths cussing in my head know I have to take the whole serpentine system of but focusing on the heads right now. Love to see that you have money and still DIY.. You have character sir. Im watching the video six months old so Im hoping its done by now. but yeah Im a big ls fan
Wow, I feel the same way. I put my 4200 pound Crown Vic on jack stands and slide under and I think of the same thing. Man if these jackstands fail, then what lol. After a while, it goes 😊 I still stay a little nervous lol.
hey Josh, I’ve been following your entire C6Z journey. I’m really hoping for you the block isn’t cracked, if your block is salvageable then it would be a miracle ❤ I bought a c6z that looks just like yours 3 months ago, and I immediately scheduled it to get the heads fixed at a local reputable shop. Their schedule was booked, so daily driving my c6z for 3 months sure kept me awake at night, but I’m happy to report the car finally made it to the shop yesterday. ❤ best of luck to you, if the block isn’t cracked then it sounds like you can get the car back up and running in no time and a fraction of the money [:
great video Josh - we're alike, in that, i dont know everything and sometimes i worry about how far i go and if i can get it all back together CORRECTLY.. i think anybody without formal training feels this way. i really enjoy your tone and your ethics regarding disassembly; it's important to be methodical with all these parts to keep track of! keep making videos and i'll keep watching! regards
Look into keytech oil pumps they make a great oil pump for the Z06 with high scavenging capability since you’ll be tracking the car, you can also upgrade to the ZR1 oil dry sump system which holds a little more oil. ATI balancer will help as well if you do a head cam package. Texas speed has great products as well.
Nice shop man!! I have same car and have had no issues with stock heads but I don’t race it . I think that it’s the high rpm’s that these heads can’t handle. I definitely want to replace my heads and maybe do a cam swap at same time.
Sorry for your troubles. After watching your videos I've learned two things, I need to get my heads done and I need a set of quickjacks. Throw a tire under the jack for some insurance.
I wasn’t expecting a great video but that was a great video! Very informative. I wish I had 1/10 of your patience. Your perspective on accepting the screwup’s and moving on is a very healthy way of processing these type of events. I’m dealing with one right now. Thank you.
You probably have a machine shop nearby who can actually will that block up if it is actually cracked...... But I think it is just scored. But if you ever need a cylinder head or engine block welded there is a shop located in West Los Angeles California called Kelly's block welding service that has been around since the 1940's..... And they do excellent work.
Enjoying watching this. C6 Z06 was my dream car. I got a 08 Z06, 80k miles. Engine lifter failed at 72k. Was bored, stroked, cam etc (terrible idea) just keep it stock and fix the heads. the LS7 is already pushing its limits. I am having a lifter fail rn. Pulling apart the engine as we speak. I just want a V8 in its that will last 200k with medium to heavy use.
Now 3/4 through the video. Man. None of my valves are dropped. Head have been taken care of. I just have a lifter (aftermarket) and multiple cracks into the sleeves.
My buddy’s car had a lifter failure. Broke the rocker and the lifter came apart and tore up the cam and the block. Found a piece wedged by the oil pump pickup. What are you going yo do about your sleeves?
@@JoshVanVeld It is a tough call. Part of me wants to keep the LS7 but it may be cheaper to get a bare block than the machine work to fix the sleeves. I called 3x machine shops in major cities and each mentioned often when a sleeve is cracked... so is the block on an LS7. In that case I will need a new block anyway. The more and more I research the LS7 even in stock form (with the heads fixed) they just don't last 150k. I want an engine that does. My ram truck V8 lasted 250,000 and still runs great. And I beat the crap out of it. Maybe go with an LS3?
I normally can’t watch videos longer than 10 minutes due to my short attention span but I was fully invested in this one. Good stuff, sorry to hear about your dropped valve but hopefully you can just get those cylinders re-sleeved and get some aftermarket heads and get her back on the road! (Could also do a forced cam upgrade while everything is already off 😉)
Sorry to hear, but no surprise regarding your findings! Every time I see these nuked LS7 videos, it reminds me I really need to get mine done (2008, ~68k miles)! On the plus side, no window obvious in the block and the valve came out more cleanly and seemingly quicker than most I've seen. There's a reasonable chance the block is still good. I wish you would've shown a good slow closeup of the deck, cylinder, and piston top. Regardless, everything has to come apart at this point. You'll want to either clean the hell out of that intake, or preferably order a new MSD as there's a chance there could be metal pieces in it (I'd do the later for piece of mind and the extra power). I'd replace the oil pump and possibly the lines as well. If you're on a budget, clean and flush the snot out of them at a minimum! Doing the same with the oil cooler is a good idea as well! Anyway, keep taking her apart and meticulously clean, label, and store the parts as you go as it might be several months (or longer) before you're reassembling. At this point I think you should send the block and rotating assembly out to a trustworthy source, unless you want to take it on yourself. It doesn't sound like you currently have to knowledge to do the shortblock rebuild yourself, but there's plenty of documented info out there if you want to take it on and take us along for the ride. Either way you're going to need a good machine shop... Again I'm sorry this happened to you, but I think we'll all benefit from this in the end... Well everyone except Mr. Wallet!
@@JoshVanVeld Sounds like a plan, especially since you can educate viewers and make YT revenue off it as well! There's some good LS rebuild books out there, but it would also be nice if you have a local friend that you trust to assist during the process. Just make sure a good machine shop thoroughly inspects and preps the block. I say this as someone who in my younger years trusted a local mechanic to do a rebuild on a aluminum LS6. Long story short, he missed a very small hairline crack between the cylinders and it all had to be redone. ;)
@@jamesw.6931 My buddy had a 2011 with stock heads at 85K miles but he blew the motor. Broken rocker / lifter though, not the valve. Makes you wonder what the record is for how many miles somebody has put on one with a stock motor...
I just picked up a 08 z06 with fairly low miles about a month ago. I am also a impulsive buyer and I didn't do a lot of research. car is pretty much a full bolt on car but heads were not done. Have an appointment to drop it off in about two weeks to do the bronze guides. Plan was to also make a track car, but not sure how I feel about it with the whole heads issues... I feel like it is always something that will be in the back of my head as a concern.
Haha I'm in a similar boat with my M Coupe I just bought where I didn't do full research before buying and it's going to take a lot of work and investigation before it could hit the track with low risk. I don't regret it but I wish I had gone in with my eyes wider open. I would absolutely get the heads on yours fixed ASAP so it sounds like you're on the right track there. These things are phenomenal amazing track cars with the upgrades I've done so far. Tracking any car hard is going to risk the motor so you just need to decide whether you can stomach the risk. And that means asking yourself what you would do if you blew the motor and it was a total write-off. Same goes for putting it into a wall (or into a deer crossing the track). What I'm realizing is that planning to track one of these things regularly is potentially a big-budget operation and if you are really serious about track time (which I am), a base C6 is probably a smarter choice in terms of long-term running costs. Then again, take a look at the Spec Racer Ford video I did last year - if you REALLY value seat time and want to go racing someday, that's probably the right approach.
Hey Josh, not sure if you'll see this comment but one of the best companies to sleeve LS7's is "RED" Race engine development . Keep the great content coming!
I got lucky and bought a Ls3 block for $500. It needed 1 sleeve on cyl 5 because of a dropped exhaust seat. Luckily it dropped at startup at idle and stalled the engine so not much damage. I have it at the machine shop right now getting a new sleeve and bored and honed to match the other cylinders. I'm going to order a set of Summit Ls forged pistons and rings for it. Well, I believe Wieseco makes them for Summit. K1 makes the cranks for the Summit Ls line. It's not cheap but resleeving if possible depending on the damage is way better then a new block lol.
He told me to put in the 1 sleeve in cyl 5 and deck the block. Then bore the sleeve to match and hone all of the cylinders. $650. Polish the crank $50.
I just need a set of 821 or 823 heads and my engine will be complete. I found on E-Bay there is a shop selling the 821 heads for $450 each. Already rebuilt. The 821s were on the Ls3 Vette and Camaro.
Good video. My condolences. I can see how I might have done the same as in not "fixing the heads" earlier. So thanks for the obvious lesson in what not to do with your LS7. Anyway, probably quicker way to diagnose the problem by starting with the intake manifold. Easy to see the intake valves there and they are larger so probably more likely to get damaged first, maybe?
Obviously on this one it is an exhaust valve and pulling plugs showed which one. And maybe exhaust valves are the common problem? In any case fix the heads before it happens.
@@Nahngunnarson yes my understanding is that the exhaust valves are the more common problem. You're right that I could have taken a more efficient route to diagnosing it. And yes, the main take-away is get the heads fixed! 🤜🤛
Best wishes with the project. It's a shame GM has had so many problems with their engines. I think the LS3 is the last good one I owned that didn't have major problems. Anyway- I bought an air cooled Porsche that needed an engine rebuild and I did it myself and that engine is way harder than the pushrod V8's I'm used to. If I can do that you can do yours. Research and learn all you can before proceeding then invest in the tools and reference material to do it yourself. Things like journal measurements, bearing clearances, and deck heights. CC your piston crowns and combustion chambers.. Eliminate all the weak points and spare no expense for an engine that's going to be raced and it will pay off in the end. Good luck!
@@JoshVanVeld I was in the same boat and probably a similar skillset as you so you got this. Use the opportunity to make the build as part of a series and make lemons into lemonade. I'm not sure if you have an engine hoist and stand, but harbor freight has both cheap and just pull the engine to dive into the pool! The cool part is once you have the build under your belt and go racing you are in control over your car now from a mechanical perspective. But just tear it down and then find the very best machine ship to bring the bits to. I'm not an LS7 expert but I'm sure the Corvette forum will have plenty of suggestions.
my friend got PRC heads for his ls7 and still it dropped a valve and lost the engine. many people say it need extended Bronzanium 90 Valve Guides, roller rockers and solid titanium valves. Titanium offers the highest strength and lower thermal expansion and the roller rockers eliminate the side load on the valves and lower the Guides wear. i wonder if that really works
The sleeve is backed by aluminum (the block), it's possible you can crack a sleeve without cracking the block but that wouldn't allow coolant into the cylinder. If coolant is getting into the cylinder through the sleeve the block is cracked too. Good news is it's technically "repairable". Machine sleeve out, weld crack and re sleeve with OEM dry sleeve, or go Darton dry sleeve hell wouldn't even have to weld the cracks if you end up wet sleeving because they machine that out anyhow (but wet sleeves come with their own pros/cons). At the end of the day because LS is so hot it'd be cheaper to buy a new block. Build a LSR block with stronger sleeves to a 427 or get their tall deck for more displacement.
IMO, the most bullet proof solution is to go with Trick Flow 260 heads with their stainless valves and powdered metal valve guides. Yes the valves are heavier, but if you're going to keep your rev limit at 7200 or below, there isn't really anything to worry about. There is a guy on Corvette Forum whos been running these heads out of the box with a Katech K502 cam who's constantly whooping on it at track days, revving it up to 7200 all the time. I think he said he had about 30k miles on those heads maybe? I can't remember. But that is the route I would go for a track build. Good luck on your future build!
Great video Josh. Sorry to hear about the dropped valve. I am aslo concerned about my ZR1 dropping the valve at some point, so I will be doing a head re 'n' re some time soon. PS- Please use Jack stands when working under your car please. I have seen what a vehicle can do to the human body when squished by a failing scissor hoist. Cheers and can't wait to watch your next video.
Hopefully the block can be saved, good time to add upgrades AFR heads, cam swap, etc. also check into the later model Z06 improved dry sump oiling system if you don't have it already. Good luck!
Hi I bought a 2008 z06 19300 miles had the heads taken sent in to Katech talk to Dangad the heads reworked bill was $3200 with shipping had Chevy shop in Washington il do the work on putting back on Thant bill was $3400 run like a top very happy with the car now
that is the thing with this z06's, I am planning on buying on and the first thing I will fix on it is the valves problem. I am driving the car out of the dealership and straight to the shop to get them changed
@@JoshVanVeld yes it's meant more for boosted applications. But feel like they're more stronger overall.....however you can stick with aluminum and sleeve it so you get the good of both worlds! I really wanted to see your lap times after all the mods you've done to the car and then the valve drop happened :( Good luck in the repair and can't wait to see how she does!
Grumpy old veteran tip #1. Throw a wheel or two under your cars and trucks when you have them off the ground. I thought everyone did this but evidently not.
Hey Josh, you're right about being concerned about being under a car. You can never be too careful. Lost my best mate when a jack stand collapsed on him and he was an experienced diy'er. Makes me very conscious of what can go wrong and very cautious when under one myself now. Sorry about the LS7's dropped valve, that's a bummer. Still bright side, we can now all follow your content on the rebuild! Have a good one from M8 from way down in NZ. Grant
Oh man, I'm so sorry to hear about your friend. I'll start putting a jack stand or two under there for extra insurance. 🤝
@@JoshVanVeld have you heard of any car lifts like yours failing and injuring or killing anyone?
@@keithkalson4722 I have not and I kind of doubt that any of them have ever failed unless they were being used improperly. There is a safety locking mechanism so it's not resting on the hydraulics. There's just something that creeps me out when I'm crawling around under there, probably because I don't do it that often.
With all the work you’re doing I recommend you get yourself a lift. It’ll serve you well in the long run and you’ll have an extra spot for all your cars. Trust me, it’s worth it…I know a thing or two about safety😉
@@CodeBlueNurburgringAtom I'm conflicted because a four-post has a lot of benefits but isn't as great for working on the car as a 2-post, but I don't really have the room for a 2-post...
I got my 2011 37k miles C6 Z06 this summer. I took it easy on the motor, never wound it past 5k RPM. After a few months I found a pair of used heads complete for $1200 shipped. Had those heads reworked (guides, cut seats, Manley solid inconel ex valves, ti retainers) then pulled the heads off my motor and installed the "new" heads. First time I wound it past 6500 I was hooked. Love the mile wide powerband of the LS7.
That's awesome! I'm jealous of your smart approach with the heads.
It’s cool seeing you go through all the motions (and emotions 😭). I think all of us DIY car guys can share in your experiences. I’m happy the damage wasn’t worse than it could have been. I’m sure the final build will be amazing.
Thanks buddy! Fingers crossed that we can salvage something 🤞
Sorry for your loss.
I had to laugh at the comment though about being crushed by a car. I literally think about this every single time I get under a car.
Cammed LS3 should be the replacement! Seriously, glad to see you not giving up. Your tenacity is inspiring.
Thanks man! LS3 would be a wise route, but I'm not known for making wise decisions!
Baby cam and small turbo! 😊
Hi Josh. OK so it was a dropped valve. When you get the engine out and tear down, be sure to check the cheeks of the big end of the Titanium connecting rods. These can begin galling and is another LS7 failure point. The best option for the valves is going to Moly coated stem Titanium intakes with precision machined bronze guides. These will rev the best and keep the valvetrain stable at high RPM. I would not do the old school stainless steel intake valve with the double valve spring deal. That's for drag race engines that don't sit at high RPMs. Not really suited for track cars. Its a heavy valve and beats up the whole valvetrain. These dual springs have an issue with surging at high RPM and this reduces valve control and greatly increases fatigue of the springs. Katech has Spintron data showing the issues with stainless steel intakes and dual springs vs Titanium intakes and honeycomb springs. Their engineering data in the lab and on the Corvette race cars bares out their solution. Also stay away from the stock DLC coated titanium intake valve stems and hard iron valve guides. This combination didn't work out well as the coating failed and trashed the guides and valves stems. The shops try to salvage the original Ti valves and get them re-coated and polished. This doesn't seem to work out long term as QC on the rework seems sketchy. Katech is offering the molycoated stem Titanium intakes/bronze guides as the update. This valve issue as you know has been an issue for a while now. Katech has the best solution using what I stated above. You have the early issue of the exhaust valve and Katech will replace all 8 of those with the updated valve. This will also get the bronze guide. Katech will set the guide clearance very tight and fix the bad valve job. You send the heads to them, for about $3,000 they will completely overall the heads as stated above as a service for folks that want their LS7 heads fixed right and for good. You can do overkill here and get Titanium exhausts but these Titanium valves are expensive. My 2009 LS7 I plan to pull the heads and send them to Katech and do the above. That one head got trashed. Contact Katech and see if they consider heliarc welding it to fix it or just scrap it and replace the head with a good used casting. A good used head I see going for $1000.00. Obviously that #6 piston is done but also check that #6 connecting rod and see if it got bent. Maybe OK or not, you need to see it. Those Ti rods are roughly $800 new each. Many guys take them out and replace all the rods with forged steel rods, replace the crank, pistons, rings. That entire assembly new and balanced is about $2500. Doesn't take too many hurt Ti rods to make a conventional forged bottom end look cost effective. R.E.D., Racing Engine Development in Oceansdie CA is the most qualified shop for fixing the LS7 block. Steve Demirjian developed the re-sleeving process with Darton who manufactures the sleeves. Steve engineered his own tooling for precision boring these blocks for new or replacement sleeves. He would be the go to and would give you good advice on what to do. I did look into replacement OEM LS7 blocks. Apparently engine shops and dealers bought up the last of the GM LS7 blocks before they were discontinued. I did see NOS LS7 blocks for about $4000.00 for what appears to be new LS7 blocks. Depending how bad the engine scattered, there is metal in the intake. A good used clean stock intake is $200.00 so conventional wisdom is to throw out that intake and not risk any metal shrapnel getting back into the new engine. The oil tank, oil lines and oil cooler will all need to be cleaned of metal and other junk from the engine failure. The oil tank is 2 piece so you can disassemble it and clean it out. The other items maybe just replace them. Lingenfelter can modify your 8 qt tank and increase it to 11 qt like a late model tank. Avaid makes an oil tank insert and good windage tray setup that does well in solving oil starvation on the track. That would be minimum level upgrade to improve the oiling system. You had concerns about oil starvation. When you get to the bottom end apart and check the bearings and crank journals, they will tell the story (ask how I know). As far as pulling the engine, it can come out the top. Go to Harbor Freight and get the engine crane and engine stand. There is a engine lift bracket with a hand crank and screw that allows you to change the balance point to align the engine during pulling and especially reinstalling it to get aligned with the torque tube input shaft. The hood is light but get help when removing so you don't scratch the car. Before you unbolt the hood, match mark the bracket positions of the hinges to the hood. That way you can put it back on in exactly the same position without having to do all that effort of re-alignment. The timing chain should be updated to the C5 race chain (?) as the stock chain had some issues. Replace the stock LS7 crank damper with an aftermarket Fluidamper or equivalent as the stock damper when tracked would begin to slip the collar/rubber joint. For the clutch, use a Z06/ZR1 stock GM high performance clutch and pressure plate. Install a new GM slave cylinder. Install the Katech clutch bleeding extension hose as this makes the clutch servo bleeding and fluid maintenance much much easier. For the clutch disk alignment tool, don't use the cheap plastic molded alignment tool that comes with the clutch. Get a machined one that fits better and gets a perfect alignment. This will help greatly when trying to re-install the engine and get the input shaft back into the clutch.
This is the G.O.A.T. comment right here! 🐐 Thanks for taking the time to spell all that out for me.
Stay tuned for the next video, I have a plan of attack forming in my mind and I’d like to get your reaction.
Awesome comments buddy, I'm not a real Chevy guy, been mopar all my life like dad and grampa, truth be told, I've never heard of these catastrophic, apparently common failures that chevys have, on any Mopar engine I'm familiar with, my 383 and 440 engines have all been bulletproof with addition of arp rodbolts.. the new generation of hemis have been pretty good from what I've heard...
@@jeffrey501green The 6.4 in my wife’s Durango seems pretty strong!
@@JoshVanVeld 6.4 durango... sounds quick!! My son has a 2012 superbee 392 hemi with 80k he has put most miles on it, he bought it in 2014 with 7000 miles, we put cat back full race exhaust and CAI plus cross brace underhood, he has wailed on that engine, alot of stoplight drags etc, that 392 hemi is strong!!
This man's done his research
Your comment about getting crushed while under the car is golden. My friend is a mechanic and he told me stories of having cars and trucks with severe frame rust through and having to work under those death traps. Talk about work place safety, doesn't exist in the automotive world.
A ray of sunshine for you. My friend Mark just had the same thing happen to his 04 Ram Viper engine. He will live on Ramen Noodles for a long time to get that Viper repaired.
I wish it was that easy to work on anything with the heads on my 02 SS Camaro. Great Video
Thanks 👍
Your attitude and patience is awesome!! A 700 HP build with a Z06 chassis and weight around 3200lbs coupled with your driving skills, good-night to the GT3 and GT3 RS! I am looking forward to see how this all turns out!
Less then 3,100
Replace your Dual mode (NPP) exhaust with aftermarket ones like Corsa and save about 20 lbs or more.
Concur ❤
@@David-jh8mpprob is sound regulation. If he plans to put headers I doubt with those exhaust it can pass sound regulation
And yes! I think the same thing every time I’m under any car. Wishing the best in minimal damage. Thanks for the video.
I already ordered my upgraded heads from American Heritage, but this just proves that I made the right choice. Thanks for being willing to share what you have learned, I'm glad the damage wasn't worse
Sorry to see your Z06 out of commission during peak track season. For once I'm glad to have listened to the internet and addressed heads before my car saw any track use. Best of luck with the rebuild, looking forward to watching more!
Thanks man. You made the smart move!
Your editing and music selection is spot on!! Love it
Haha glad you enjoyed it.
Good luck Josh. Living vicariously through your videos! I wrenched on a 240Z in high school and college. Loved every minute. My back can't take it anymore.
Dont give up. I was in the same boat as you when I blew my engine on the track. Postive and organize attitude kept me going and now my car is running again.
If only I had a dream garage like yours with almost any tool I needed, I'd never dread doing almost any job. Try doing this stuff in a neighborhood of townhomes in the middle of the street with no cover from the elements, working out of a service cart and two stationary boxes in a basement, along with ramps, a floor jack, and jack stands.
I really appreciate your real-world experience of taking stuff apart and your honesty about what you know and don't know. Good job.
Lived the townhome life (and apartment life before that) for a lot of years and I know how fortunate I am to have this garage, but back in those days I was doing brakes and oil changes and that was about it.
Kudos for getting it done even without a good workspace!
The most difficult thing I did pre- having a garage was installing a Racing Beat intake on my RX-8. It was amazing how working on the car in a parking lot drew the car guys out of the woodwork, I met neighbors I never knew I had 😆
Overall, very impressed with you willingness to get into project, having limited experience or knowledge as to what you were doing. Nonetheless,, you narrated very well, which allowed the viewers to remain engaged!! Great job
Thanks man! Love getting feedback from other UA-camrs!
Josh, I have the exact same car, year, color and all. Mine dropped number 8 exhaust valve at the track. The LS7 can be resleaved. The cylinder liners are thin on the LS7 so have a machine shop check for a crack. Sometimes when they crack a cylinder liner they can crack the block, but being aluminum it can be welded. Mine has been welded for two seasons of track days with no issues. Texas speed and Scoggins Dickey Chevrolet are your friends when it comes to parts, gaskets and seals. Texas speed sells the PRC billet heads and they are awesome flowing heads. Just whomever you get your parts from make sure they know you are road racing and not drag racing. They all seem to push huge cams and such because they mainly build drag cars. If your other head is still good and you want to save some money reworking the stock heads, I have one good stock head and will make you a hell of a good deal on it.
This is what youtube is all about! Thanks Randy! I’ll keep you posted as my plans come together.
@@JoshVanVeld also summit racing had the atp bolts for 126.00 I got mine last week for my head swap. 13mm and 10 mm sockets is all you need to install, use impact sockets thou,ask me how I know!!
Ok I'm listening... watched this and I'm locked in now. Change my ls7 heads this winter. Baby it until then. Please keep showing your adventure with your z. Love watching it.
I would say I'm about as experienced as you in terms of working on cars, but I've never had the confidence to remove a head. So props to you for that.
Knowing that the engine is at least partially trashed makes it a lot easier to take the leap. 😁
At least you were willing to dive in and try to figure out what happened and try to fix it a lot of people aren’t willing to do what you did so thumbs up.
🤝
We need to look at the block and see if it has been cracked, if no crack it’s possible to get it bored or resleeved.
For your intended purpose I would stay away from a heavy heads/cam build.
I built my motor with the guidance of Tony mamo, he may be the one to help you proceed further. The cost is not cheap but that has to be accepted in this sport.
I would remove the hood and front bumper and get a engine hoist, valley cover hoist bracket, and a hoist leveler. Then yank the engine. Removing the radiator makes it a lot simpler, the clip on the lower passenger side is a real pain too.
respect for your man to man talk to yourself, we all have been on our backs trying to fix an ole daily
I like your videos man. i also had a yellow c6 z06 so this hits close to home. while I never had this issue I applaud you for taking on the project yourself. keep up the high quality videos and if you stay consistent you will become the next good automotive youtuber. you have earned my support.
also your garage is sick!!
Thanks dude!
The entire episode i was pleased by how organized and tidy your garage is .. good job though
Keep plugging along brother. We’ve all been there. Makes Goldie’s return to the track/street feel even better!!!!! Good luck!!!
Interesting to see the real world challenges involved with taking off the head in the car with the full set of OEM bits, so many UA-cams just show the engine on the stand which as we all know is much easier. Subscribed!
....great video, currently in process replacing my Ls7 with a stock long block. My mechanic is doing it this time, but your video is giving me the confidence to do it myself when the original block goes back in rebuilt by KA Tech.
Love joining you as you figure this all out. Love how you dove right in and started disassembly of the engine.
Thanks for what you do!!!
Thanks for the video. Good luck as you continue to dig into this.
Man you’re doing probably the only high quality C6 content out there. As popular as this platform is, no one is really showcasing it or working on it the way you are.
Also as a C6 GS daily driver, I highly recommend a catch can for yours. A lot of that oil in the intake was from blow-by. Obviously “the incident” added a ton and coolant. All of the LS motors suffer from it though. A lot of people go for the top tier Mighty Mouse setup but I have the Elite Systems can and it’s doing the job just fine. It catches an alarming amount for a N/A motor so I think it’s worth it once you get her back on the road with fresh heads and valves etc.
Thanks for the kind words, I appreciate it! I had an Elite Engineering catch can on my C5Z (installed by previous owner) and it definitely caught a lot of oil. I'm putting it on my to-do list.
Josh, get in touch with BTR (Brian Tooley Racing) and get a camshaft that eliminates valve bouce off the seat. That should greatly increase valve longevity. If you want extra peace of mind, swap over to a SS exhaust valve but that heavier valve is all the more reason to seek a cam that is designed to eliminate vavle bound off the seat.
That motor is notorious for having bad valve guides, which allows the valve to move laterally causing the stem to break. At a minimum, the fix is new valve guides. There are other ways to prevent reoccurrence, but the valve guides are the main culprit.
@@ClinttheGreat everyone knows about the issue, but it's seems there are many different options on causes and solutions. Some say it's guides, some hollow steam valves, some say machining issues (lack of concentricity and/or rocker alignment), and other say buy aftermarket heads because the entire LS7 head is the issue.
I don't think there is any silver bullet for longevity in a high lift, large valve motor. The best you can do is make sure you have good parts, good machine work, and slowing down the ridiculous ramp speeds of the LS7 camshaft. Even with all of that, regular valve guide checks is a good idea.
thats not whats happening lol and BTR makes some basic ass cookie cutter cams, they work, sure but BTR is just the most used cam kit in the lsx game like RPM is the most used recipe for n/a ls7's
I can't lie - your garage and tool game is strong! 👍
Thanks man. On the global scale it’s maybe 6 out of 10 but it makes me happy!
I really appreciate your patience with this project and your willingness to document it all. I'd be so heated about the engine failure that I'm not sure there'd be much useable footage during teardown if it were me 😂. I still think the C6 Z06 is one of the coolest enthusiast cars, and I'm excited to see what's next for the engine.
Fastener/tool plinko is my least favorite game. Hearing "tink tink tink...tink" in a cockpit is the worst.
This experience has forced me to learn patience, it feels like I don’t have any other choice 😅
Great video and good luck!
Been following you for a while now and sucks this happened. I have to give major props for actually going in and tearing it down your self, think I would of been too mad to even attempt that!
Thanks John!
Great video and very well made. It was very peace full to watch frome Norway…..but sad to see your problems ☺️
Thank you! I'm hoping to get enough subscribers in Norway to have an excuse to come visit someday. The story eventually has a happy ending (I hope).
I believe the LS7 uses dry liners, meaning if you have coolant in the cylinder, your block is cracked. As someone else stated these blocks are aluminum and can be welded.
I cracked my block with fixed heads and decided to go with a RHS block for my new build. I'll try and repair the LS7 block for a future build.
Good luck with your project, I'll be following along.
Good to know, thanks for the insight!
Exhaust valves are hollow steel sodium filled. Intake valves are TI made by Del West. An article stated GM told/requested Linimar Manufacturing to do a 100% inspection process on the heads (they did the machining) as of Feb 2011. Most issues involved engines made 2008-2010. Mine is a 2013. I have nearly 120K miles w/o any issues. So far, so good. Since most inventories were 'just in time' I'm hoping I have the fully inspected heads.
Thanks, I was confused about which materials were used in which valves. This car is an '07 so GM's story about the issue being limited to a specific run of heads starting in '08 doesn't hold water with me.
@@JoshVanVeld Granted, those years are a bit fuzzy. 2007 engines tended to have needle bearing trunnion cage failures, sending the bearings all over the oil passages. And I've heard of valve drop failures in cars as late as 2011. An interesting note is mine came with a 100,000 mile transferable power train warranty. I put lots of milage on early so if a problem did develop, it would be on GM's dime.
@@Sandy-oy2lr It’s amazing how many miles you have on yours!
Go with aftermarket heads, dont bother with fixed oem heads they will drop eventually again. Great content!
I would say this I do not agree with only if you keep the hollow. Exhaust valves but changing to the stainless still you'll never drop avalv with the guide issue that has been addressed. He should put moldstar 90 guides a $500.00 cost but worth it
@@Tigerchevelle77 ive had my oem heads fixed with solid SS manley valves and they were completely out of spec after only 8k miles. I now have brodix br7s which if you ask any reputable shop, are much more reliable than oem cast.
@@louiC6Z what changes are made from the OEM head that make it more reliable? What are the geometry changes made that cannot be duplicated in the OEM head?
Katech issued a bulletin on this some time ago, stating that valve seat concentricity (valve guide to valve seat) was a very likely culprit. My guess is that the seats were ground independent of the valve guides. And the guides, being a powder metal variety, were machined to their spec separately. Does no one any service to say, "you should have addressed this before hand".. just glad your damage is limited, and looking forward to seeing where the build goes from here. MAST has some great heads (what I bought for mine) and possibly, on the shelf for quick turnaround. Either way, better to catch this issue now, rather than later. Best of luck.
yes, the tools were way out of tolerance and GM didn't not find out until customers kept coming back with blown engines. then they hired lwayers and found a way to refute any lawsuit against that issue but had to offer a indefnite fix for c6z roof delamination. Same thing with the ti coating, they spec half what the german company they contracted said was the min thicknesst hat would work. This is why and for a plehtora of reason the ls7 is forever the greastest motor gm ever built and the shittiest
Yeah I'm all about insurance policies. I have those quick jacks as well and still always put jack stands under them, a couple notches below full extension (to help avoid tipping). Even though they aren't touching the bottom of the car when jacked, I figure it's better than nothing.
I love your commentary! Years ago there was this show called mind of the married man ….you are like mind of the auto diy’r!
Thanks, I'm glad you enjoyed it. I haven't heard of that show, I'll look it up.
Fix the block and do a Raceproven Motorsports stage3 package along with a vented catch can. That will car will a beast.
Rpm's heads/cam package over katech? I'm leaning towards rpm but I live in Detroit & katech is like 30 mins away.
@@lifeonmars03 I mean if Katech is that close to u. Use them.
@@davidmasseria8687 thank you
RPM has been proven to make the most power consistently and reliably over other builders. Send it to RPM...Im running their B3 Cam and Fran's incredible tuning, and couldn't be happier
@ryanbrown918 yes I love that cam & the way it performs. You didn't lie one bit
Another wonderful video. Sucky situation. Love the videos and all the commentary ha!
Thanks!
Thanks for the video, I understand why it took some time to come to grips with the situation. I would give Vengence Racing a call,as they are out of Cummings, GA. Your so lucky, that they are close by. I have a C4/5/7 and (all yellow) and hope to see you at the track someday!
Yeah I just want to say thanks for sharing im glad im not the only one takes deep breaths cussing in my head know I have to take the whole serpentine system of but focusing on the heads right now. Love to see that you have money and still DIY.. You have character sir. Im watching the video six months old so Im hoping its done by now. but yeah Im a big ls fan
Thanks man! Hate to let you down but not done yet…
Wow, I feel the same way. I put my 4200 pound Crown Vic on jack stands and slide under and I think of the same thing. Man if these jackstands fail, then what lol. After a while, it goes 😊 I still stay a little nervous lol.
Finally another video worth watching! 👏🏼 watching this while making breakfast 👍🏼
What was for breakfast?
Digging the subtle humor, elevator music and chill attitude. Good stuff 👍👍🍺🍺. Subscribed.
🎷🎷🎷🪇🪇🪇🥁🥁🥁
Great video man. Keep up the good work. Loved the fastener drop moment.
With the music in the background I feel like I'm watching Mr. Rogers garage lol great video!
😂😂😂 Haha I may have subconsciously been going for a Mr. Rogers Neighborhood vibe - watched a lot of hours of that when I was a kid!
That's a nice clean garage. We need a garage tour!
Thanks! Good idea!
@@JoshVanVeld i want to see your OCD setup!
Agreed with this. @Josh Van Veld's Racing Mind - do you have links to the rolling tool cart?
hey Josh, I’ve been following your entire C6Z journey. I’m really hoping for you the block isn’t cracked, if your block is salvageable then it would be a miracle ❤ I bought a c6z that looks just like yours 3 months ago, and I immediately scheduled it to get the heads fixed at a local reputable shop. Their schedule was booked, so daily driving my c6z for 3 months sure kept me awake at night, but I’m happy to report the car finally made it to the shop yesterday. ❤ best of luck to you, if the block isn’t cracked then it sounds like you can get the car back up and running in no time and a fraction of the money [:
Thanks for following along and congrats on the purchase! Glad to hear you'll be able to sleep soundly 😄
I think you’re an excellent mechanic Josh. I love how organized and neat you are. I love this car 👍. Subbed
What I lack in skill and experience I make up for with cleanliness and bad jokes 😬
great video Josh - we're alike, in that, i dont know everything and sometimes i worry about how far i go and if i can get it all back together CORRECTLY.. i think anybody without formal training feels this way. i really enjoy your tone and your ethics regarding disassembly; it's important to be methodical with all these parts to keep track of! keep making videos and i'll keep watching! regards
Look into keytech oil pumps they make a great oil pump for the Z06 with high scavenging capability since you’ll be tracking the car, you can also upgrade to the ZR1 oil dry sump system which holds a little more oil. ATI balancer will help as well if you do a head cam package. Texas speed has great products as well.
Katech but yes. I agree
Nice shop man!! I have same car and have had no issues with stock heads but I don’t race it . I think that it’s the high rpm’s that these heads can’t handle. I definitely want to replace my heads and maybe do a cam swap at same time.
Sorry for your troubles. After watching your videos I've learned two things, I need to get my heads done and I need a set of quickjacks. Throw a tire under the jack for some insurance.
Not getting my heads fixed right when I bought the car is definitely high on my list of "most expensive mistakes of all time". 😢
Make wooden wheel cribs there the best for this type of work.
I wasn’t expecting a great video but that was a great video!
Very informative. I wish I had 1/10 of your patience. Your perspective on accepting the screwup’s and moving on is a very healthy way of processing these type of events.
I’m dealing with one right now.
Thank you.
Thanks Mike, glad you enjoyed it and took time to let me know.
You probably have a machine shop nearby who can actually will that block up if it is actually cracked...... But I think it is just scored. But if you ever need a cylinder head or engine block welded there is a shop located in West Los Angeles California called Kelly's block welding service that has been around since the 1940's..... And they do excellent work.
Enjoying watching this. C6 Z06 was my dream car. I got a 08 Z06, 80k miles. Engine lifter failed at 72k. Was bored, stroked, cam etc (terrible idea) just keep it stock and fix the heads. the LS7 is already pushing its limits. I am having a lifter fail rn. Pulling apart the engine as we speak. I just want a V8 in its that will last 200k with medium to heavy use.
Now 3/4 through the video. Man. None of my valves are dropped. Head have been taken care of. I just have a lifter (aftermarket) and multiple cracks into the sleeves.
My buddy’s car had a lifter failure. Broke the rocker and the lifter came apart and tore up the cam and the block. Found a piece wedged by the oil pump pickup.
What are you going yo do about your sleeves?
@@JoshVanVeld It is a tough call. Part of me wants to keep the LS7 but it may be cheaper to get a bare block than the machine work to fix the sleeves. I called 3x machine shops in major cities and each mentioned often when a sleeve is cracked... so is the block on an LS7. In that case I will need a new block anyway. The more and more I research the LS7 even in stock form (with the heads fixed) they just don't last 150k. I want an engine that does. My ram truck V8 lasted 250,000 and still runs great. And I beat the crap out of it. Maybe go with an LS3?
Tough break buddy, just did my heads on my 08 Z at 30k miles. Had 6 valves that were out of spec 😮
Yikes! Not a moment too soon it sounds like. 😀
I normally can’t watch videos longer than 10 minutes due to my short attention span but I was fully invested in this one. Good stuff, sorry to hear about your dropped valve but hopefully you can just get those cylinders re-sleeved and get some aftermarket heads and get her back on the road! (Could also do a forced cam upgrade while everything is already off 😉)
Thanks man, glad you made it all the way through! 😁
Texas Speed has everything needed to update and fix the issues with the stock motor and will upgrade it all as well. They are the LS experts.
Glad I subscribed to your channel. Entertaining, informative and a bit of comedy. Thanx for the vid!!
Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment, glad you're enjoying the channel! 🤝
Dang, I came here to watch car content and got a motivational speech. Can't wait to see what's next for the car!
😂😂😂
Sorry to hear, but no surprise regarding your findings! Every time I see these nuked LS7 videos, it reminds me I really need to get mine done (2008, ~68k miles)! On the plus side, no window obvious in the block and the valve came out more cleanly and seemingly quicker than most I've seen. There's a reasonable chance the block is still good. I wish you would've shown a good slow closeup of the deck, cylinder, and piston top. Regardless, everything has to come apart at this point.
You'll want to either clean the hell out of that intake, or preferably order a new MSD as there's a chance there could be metal pieces in it (I'd do the later for piece of mind and the extra power). I'd replace the oil pump and possibly the lines as well. If you're on a budget, clean and flush the snot out of them at a minimum! Doing the same with the oil cooler is a good idea as well!
Anyway, keep taking her apart and meticulously clean, label, and store the parts as you go as it might be several months (or longer) before you're reassembling. At this point I think you should send the block and rotating assembly out to a trustworthy source, unless you want to take it on yourself. It doesn't sound like you currently have to knowledge to do the shortblock rebuild yourself, but there's plenty of documented info out there if you want to take it on and take us along for the ride. Either way you're going to need a good machine shop...
Again I'm sorry this happened to you, but I think we'll all benefit from this in the end... Well everyone except Mr. Wallet!
I’ll show more detail of that stuff in the next one. I’m starting to lean towards doing the rebuild myself…
@@JoshVanVeld Sounds like a plan, especially since you can educate viewers and make YT revenue off it as well! There's some good LS rebuild books out there, but it would also be nice if you have a local friend that you trust to assist during the process.
Just make sure a good machine shop thoroughly inspects and preps the block. I say this as someone who in my younger years trusted a local mechanic to do a rebuild on a aluminum LS6. Long story short, he missed a very small hairline crack between the cylinders and it all had to be redone. ;)
@@ssoffshore5111 Great advice, thanks! I think we have some quality shops in the ATL area.
@@jamesw.6931 My buddy had a 2011 with stock heads at 85K miles but he blew the motor. Broken rocker / lifter though, not the valve. Makes you wonder what the record is for how many miles somebody has put on one with a stock motor...
@@jamesw.6931 I've spent a lot of time on the corvette forums, but I've got a lot more to learn!
Good shit man. Love the positive vibes 🤟🏼
Mine went to RPM in Delaware. Baseline 465, after stage 3 622 rwhp. They do great work and you can order a parts package from them
I’m somewhat familiar with them. That’s a lot of power!
@@JoshVanVeldgive them a call. Calls and advise are free
They can also do a remote tune for you
I just picked up a 08 z06 with fairly low miles about a month ago. I am also a impulsive buyer and I didn't do a lot of research. car is pretty much a full bolt on car but heads were not done. Have an appointment to drop it off in about two weeks to do the bronze guides. Plan was to also make a track car, but not sure how I feel about it with the whole heads issues... I feel like it is always something that will be in the back of my head as a concern.
Haha I'm in a similar boat with my M Coupe I just bought where I didn't do full research before buying and it's going to take a lot of work and investigation before it could hit the track with low risk. I don't regret it but I wish I had gone in with my eyes wider open.
I would absolutely get the heads on yours fixed ASAP so it sounds like you're on the right track there. These things are phenomenal amazing track cars with the upgrades I've done so far. Tracking any car hard is going to risk the motor so you just need to decide whether you can stomach the risk. And that means asking yourself what you would do if you blew the motor and it was a total write-off. Same goes for putting it into a wall (or into a deer crossing the track).
What I'm realizing is that planning to track one of these things regularly is potentially a big-budget operation and if you are really serious about track time (which I am), a base C6 is probably a smarter choice in terms of long-term running costs. Then again, take a look at the Spec Racer Ford video I did last year - if you REALLY value seat time and want to go racing someday, that's probably the right approach.
Ohhhhhhh Josh dropped another video. :D Makes my day
This comment made my day, so we’re even. :D
Large treated wood blocks never collapse and you can stack them a good two feet high if done properly.
Hey Josh, not sure if you'll see this comment but one of the best companies to sleeve LS7's is "RED" Race engine development . Keep the great content coming!
I always see comments from fellow Joshes. We have to stick together! Thanks for the tip!
I got lucky and bought a Ls3 block for $500. It needed 1 sleeve on cyl 5 because of a dropped exhaust seat. Luckily it dropped at startup at idle and stalled the engine so not much damage. I have it at the machine shop right now getting a new sleeve and bored and honed to match the other cylinders. I'm going to order a set of Summit Ls forged pistons and rings for it. Well, I believe Wieseco makes them for Summit. K1 makes the cranks for the Summit Ls line. It's not cheap but resleeving if possible depending on the damage is way better then a new block lol.
Nice! What do you think the machine shop work is going to cost?
He told me to put in the 1 sleeve in cyl 5 and deck the block. Then bore the sleeve to match and hone all of the cylinders. $650. Polish the crank $50.
I just need a set of 821 or 823 heads and my engine will be complete. I found on E-Bay there is a shop selling the 821 heads for $450 each. Already rebuilt. The 821s were on the Ls3 Vette and Camaro.
Good video. My condolences. I can see how I might have done the same as in not "fixing the heads" earlier. So thanks for the obvious lesson in what not to do with your LS7. Anyway, probably quicker way to diagnose the problem by starting with the intake manifold. Easy to see the intake valves there and they are larger so probably more likely to get damaged first, maybe?
Thanks! I guess the exhaust valves are the ones prone to snapping off and dropping into the cylinder.
Obviously on this one it is an exhaust valve and pulling plugs showed which one. And maybe exhaust valves are the common problem? In any case fix the heads before it happens.
@@Nahngunnarson yes my understanding is that the exhaust valves are the more common problem. You're right that I could have taken a more efficient route to diagnosing it. And yes, the main take-away is get the heads fixed! 🤜🤛
Huge bummer! Seems all of this is well within your capabilities though.
Thanks dude! We’ll find out 😅
Great shop!
I love the shot of the American flag. Keep up the great work!
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Best wishes with the project. It's a shame GM has had so many problems with their engines. I think the LS3 is the last good one I owned that didn't have major problems. Anyway- I bought an air cooled Porsche that needed an engine rebuild and I did it myself and that engine is way harder than the pushrod V8's I'm used to. If I can do that you can do yours. Research and learn all you can before proceeding then invest in the tools and reference material to do it yourself. Things like journal measurements, bearing clearances, and deck heights. CC your piston crowns and combustion chambers.. Eliminate all the weak points and spare no expense for an engine that's going to be raced and it will pay off in the end. Good luck!
Thanks Vic! doing it myself feels like jumping into the deep end of the pool when you barely know how to swim, but what better opportunity to learn?
@@JoshVanVeld I was in the same boat and probably a similar skillset as you so you got this. Use the opportunity to make the build as part of a series and make lemons into lemonade. I'm not sure if you have an engine hoist and stand, but harbor freight has both cheap and just pull the engine to dive into the pool! The cool part is once you have the build under your belt and go racing you are in control over your car now from a mechanical perspective. But just tear it down and then find the very best machine ship to bring the bits to. I'm not an LS7 expert but I'm sure the Corvette forum will have plenty of suggestions.
@@3.2Carrera Love the perspective, thanks. I’m all about making lemonade, it’s way more fun than complaining about how lemons are too sour. 🍋🍋🍋
Very good to know about the LS7 engine. Wow man, that is just the pits. But, it could have been much worse.
True!
You also need to install a catch can system as well
Yes! I'll put it on the list.
my friend got PRC heads for his ls7 and still it dropped a valve and lost the engine.
many people say it need extended Bronzanium 90 Valve Guides, roller rockers and solid titanium valves. Titanium offers the highest strength and lower thermal expansion and the roller rockers eliminate the side load on the valves and lower the Guides wear. i wonder if that really works
That sounds expensive 😬
The sleeve is backed by aluminum (the block), it's possible you can crack a sleeve without cracking the block but that wouldn't allow coolant into the cylinder. If coolant is getting into the cylinder through the sleeve the block is cracked too. Good news is it's technically "repairable". Machine sleeve out, weld crack and re sleeve with OEM dry sleeve, or go Darton dry sleeve hell wouldn't even have to weld the cracks if you end up wet sleeving because they machine that out anyhow (but wet sleeves come with their own pros/cons). At the end of the day because LS is so hot it'd be cheaper to buy a new block. Build a LSR block with stronger sleeves to a 427 or get their tall deck for more displacement.
Thanks, I knew I was probably missing something…
The video editing is impressive.
IMO, the most bullet proof solution is to go with Trick Flow 260 heads with their stainless valves and powdered metal valve guides. Yes the valves are heavier, but if you're going to keep your rev limit at 7200 or below, there isn't really anything to worry about.
There is a guy on Corvette Forum whos been running these heads out of the box with a Katech K502 cam who's constantly whooping on it at track days, revving it up to 7200 all the time. I think he said he had about 30k miles on those heads maybe? I can't remember. But that is the route I would go for a track build.
Good luck on your future build!
That's awesome! Thanks!
Great video Josh. Sorry to hear about the dropped valve. I am aslo concerned about my ZR1 dropping the valve at some point, so I will be doing a head re 'n' re some time soon. PS- Please use Jack stands when working under your car please. I have seen what a vehicle can do to the human body when squished by a failing scissor hoist. Cheers and can't wait to watch your next video.
Thank you! I got a ride in a C6 ZR1 back when they were new and it completely blew my mind. Planning to own one someday 😎
Josh, I really like all your videos. not the BS we all seen from other stupid car videos. Keep it up and let me know when you want to run at COTA!!!!!
Thanks Jerry! I’ve got a long road before I’ll be ready for COTA but we’ll get there.
Hopefully the block can be saved, good time to add upgrades AFR heads, cam swap, etc. also check into the later model Z06 improved dry sump oiling system if you don't have it already. Good luck!
Definitely going to upgrade the dry sump in the future. Thanks!
Don’t feel too bad. Breaking it and fixing it is part of the culture. It’s how you get close to the car.
it's INSANITY to not have a few extra sets of stands under that car when you are under there
might as well go heads cam forged internals full exhaust now
Make sure u heat wrap the clutch line thats next to the headers.
R.e.d. ie race engine development can darton sleeve IF the block isnt cracked
Hi I bought a 2008 z06 19300 miles had the heads taken sent in to Katech talk to Dangad the heads reworked bill was $3200 with shipping had Chevy shop in Washington il do the work on putting back on Thant bill was $3400 run like a top very happy with the car now
Peace of mind = priceless.
that is the thing with this z06's, I am planning on buying on and the first thing I will fix on it is the valves problem. I am driving the car out of the dealership and straight to the shop to get them changed
I think that’s the way to do it. Not worth the risk.
Bummer on the valve drop....first thing I did when I got my Z06 was have the heads fixed.
But on the positive note, you can go to an lsx :)
Thanks man! Isn’t LSX iron block? I need that sweet sweet aluminum.
@@JoshVanVeld yes it's meant more for boosted applications. But feel like they're more stronger overall.....however you can stick with aluminum and sleeve it so you get the good of both worlds!
I really wanted to see your lap times after all the mods you've done to the car and then the valve drop happened :(
Good luck in the repair and can't wait to see how she does!
Katech has been an OEM race team partner since the 80’s. Resleeve, refresh, new Katech cam, re tune, fly.
Probably one of the best comments.
I'm interested in a 2006 or 706. Does it affect if you have very low miles less than $15,000?