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Z06 ordered with Engine Build & Buyers Tour

13K views 76 replies 19 participants last post by  mjdart 
#1 ·
Well, I put the wheels in motion ordering a new 2017 Z06 3LZ. To make this thread a bit more interesting I will be going to Bowling Green to build my LT4 Supercharged Engine as part of RPO (option) PBC, I will also take part in the Corvette Buyers Tour RPO PD5, where I see my engine installed in the chassis and then follow my Stingray through the rest of the assembly process. Both options have hundreds of photos taken and documented in books.

I was a previous GM employee many years ago from the mid 70's to the mid 80's at the Rochester Products Division. I still have my GM Employee Badge and my UAW Skilled Trades Badge which I will wear at the plant (hoping to get employees to open up so I see and hear some insider info I normally wouldn't) during engine build and tour.

I haven't ordered a new car in many-many years. The last being a 1980 Corvette Stingray with the L-82 engine. I ordered on 11/22/79 and the car wasn't built and delivered until May 5, 1980. They built so few of the L82 engines that the engine factory in Tonawanda waited to run a large number at once. I know that won't happen to me this time as the factory is shutting down 6/2/17 for major changes.

I will try to keep this thread informative and interesting as I go through the process! I will show my build below, feel free to make comments, pose questions or whatever. The dealer will also be installing the Performance Aero Kit when it arrives from the factory, you'll see I ordered several components of the Z07 Package, but I didn't want all of the Z07, so this worked out well having that option.

RPO Description
1YZ07 Corvette Z06 Coupe
3LZ Z06 Preferred Equipment Group
G1E Long Beach Red Tintcoat
PCX Z06 Appearance Package
SM8 Custom Floor Lid Z06 Embroidered Logo
PBC Customer Engine Build Experience
PD5 Buyers Tour W/Engine Build Experience
5W8 Carbon Flash Ground Effects Package
J57 Ceramic Brake Rotors w/o Z07
J6D Painted Dark Gray Brake Calipers
EYK Chrome Badge Package
FAY Carbon Fiber Interior Trim
AE4 Competition Sport Seats - Kalahari Leather
M5U 8-Speed Paddle Shift Automatic
Q6B Z06 Chrome Aluminum Wheels
VRS Cargo Shade Genuine Accessory
ER1 Battery Protection Package
R8E Gas Guzzler Tax

Below ore the RPOs with MSRP

RPO M.S.R.P.
1YZ07 $80,445.00
3LZ $8,945.00
G1E $995.00
PCX $730.00
SM8 $295.00
PBC $5,000.00
PD5 $2,500.00
5W8 $2,995.00
J57 $7,495.00
J6D $595.00
EYK $100.00
FAY $995.00
AE4 $1,995.00
M5U $1,725.00
Q6B $1,995.00
VRS $170.00
ER1 $100.00
R8E $1,300.00
Total $118,375.00

The Performance Aero Package lists at $595 installed.

Screenshots from Chevrolet Corvette build configuration show what the Z06 will look like.
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Land vehicle Vehicle Car Sports car Supercar
Land vehicle Vehicle Car Motor vehicle Center console
Land vehicle Vehicle Car Center console Automotive design
 
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#33 ·
Hopefully you see your car sooner than that, at least by a couple of days. There is two huge things working in your favor, and that is that Jack Cooper does not get paid until the car has been safely delivered to the dealer, so they are motivated to deliver them as fast as they can, as safely as possible.

Second, while sometimes released Corvettes sit in the BGA lot waiting for the full 11-car transporter load (again still a max of 10 days to get them out of there), as lots of Corvettes head to Florida, chances are that your transporter will not be sitting waiting for cars #'s 9-11 long.

Best of luck to you!
 
#34 · (Edited)
Another update from Corvette Museum came in today:


Lori Bieschke
9:41 AM (10 hours ago)

Hello Michael,

Just wanted to check in with you.

Here’s where things will stand as of Tuesday (4/18) morning. Please note the time change regarding your tour.


The car is estimated to be at trim (start of your tour) on Wednesday, April 26, 2017 and estimated to come off-line (end of your tour) on Thursday, April 27, 2017.


As it stands right now, your tour is scheduled to begin 11:15 AM (CDT) on 4/26/17. This is the time you and your (1) guest would need to be at the Plant to meet your guide.

Mr. Al Hurlbutt has been scheduled to be your guide/photographer. He will meet you at the Plant at 11:15 AM (CDT) on 4/26/17.

As I am made aware of any changes I’ll be in touch with you.

Please contact me directly for any questions regarding your upcoming tour.

Regards,

Lori
 
#36 ·
There are a few SRF's who are doing a public tour starting at 1:15 on YOUR day. We will look for you. If you see some folks frantically waving and hollering, that's just us excited as seeing you and your car.

We will be looking for a Long Beach Red Z06 with two people walking next to it, each with silly grins. And Al Hurlbutt is a very good tour guide! Hope we see you, for as you know some parts of the Buyers Tour takes you to "non-public-tour parts of the Plant." Best guess is that we will see you as they are putting fenders on your car (part of the public tour) -- though as we all know, tours move up, slide black, move up a little between now and YOUR day.

Hope you get an hour or two of sleep (total) before your big day.
 
#38 ·
Really cool you guys are gonna be there, I'll look for you as well!!!

Great to hear about the tour guide, I'm gonna give him a nice thank you card with a gift based on your comment "elegant".
I'm gonna do the same for the engine builder assigned to me as well.
 
#41 ·
mjdart, that is an excellent idea and I'm sure highly appreciated. You're so close to receiving your new C7 masterpiece, I bet you're sleeping good! :wink:

SF
Rick
 
#42 · (Edited)
Rick, its feeling like I'm 7 again on Christmas eve...I am sleeping good cause I'm tiring myself out. Assembly start is still moving around, latest update. Shane from the museum also keeps in contact as well!
Hello Michael,



Just checking in with you.



Here’s where things stand as of morning (4/19). Please note the time change regarding your tour.

The car is estimated to be at trim (start of your tour) on Wednesday, April 26, 2017 and estimated to come off-line (end of your tour) on Thursday, April 27, 2017.

As it stands right now, your tour is scheduled to begin 9:45 AM (CDT) on 4/26/17. This is the time you and your (1) guest would need to be at the Plant to meet your guide.

Mr. Al Hurlbutt has been scheduled to be your guide/photographer. He will meet you at the Plant at 9:45 AM (CDT) on 4/26/17.

As I am made aware of any changes I’ll be in touch with you.

Please contact me directly for any questions regarding your upcoming tour.

Regards,

Lori
 
#43 · (Edited)
Michael,


The dinner associated with the PD5 option will be the evening of April 26th at 6:00 PM (CT) at Montana Grille. Chuck Valentini (Body and Paint Manager)and Al Hurlbutt my photograper will be joining you.


The address for the restaurant is below.

1740 Scottsville Rd.

Bowling Green, KY 42104
Found these photos and mini review hope it's good!
Property Home House Roof Adaptation


Shane Webb

National Corvette Museum

Delivery Department Manager

Phone: 1-800-205-4248 or 270-777-4505

Email: Shane@corvettemuseum.org
 
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#44 ·
Vehicle build, buyers tour is a constantly moving target kudos to factory for providing info to my Corvette Museum representatives.

Hi Michael,

Here’s where things stand as of this morning (4/21). Please note the time change regarding your tour.

The car is estimated to be at trim (start of your tour) on Wednesday, April 26, 2017 and estimated to come off-line (end of your tour) on Thursday, April 27, 2017.

As it stands right now, your tour is scheduled to begin at 12:00 PM (CDT) on 4/26/17. This is the time you and your (1) guest would need to be at the Plant to meet your guide.

Mr. Al Hurlbutt is still scheduled to be your guide/photographer. He will meet you at the Plant at 12:00 PM (CDT) on 4/26/17.

Regards,

Shane Webb

National Corvette Museum

Delivery Department Manager
Phone: 1-800-205-4248 or 270-777-4505
Email: Shane@corvettemuseum.org
 
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Reactions: zigfire66
#45 · (Edited)
Well I made it to Bowling Green. Drove right up to factory and found parking spot for Engine Build also where you enter for buyers tour and regular plant tours. My hotel actually over looks the factory and is across from Corvette Museum! You can see by the wheels on my caddy why I ordered the chrome Z06 wheels. The rental car in the parking spot today is an on-line forum acquaintance, who is building his engine today! You enter in the front administration building for the engine build and over on the other side of the factory where the tours enter for the Buyers tour. Land vehicle Vehicle Car Tire Automotive tire
Signage Sign Sky Landscape Font
Text Signage Street sign Font Sign
Property Architecture Town Residential area Urban area
Land vehicle Vehicle Car Mid-size car Transport
 
#46 ·
My online friend Dan who did the engine Build Yesterday 4/24 wrote this:

"And a terrific day it was!!! Kathy Walker was my Engine Guide and I think she is going to be yours tomorrow as well. She's a hoot! Everything went really well and I managed to finish up the assembly by 1:40PM. The HOT test is...well, you'll see. If you're even close to being a 'motor-head', this engine is about as high-tech a design as you can get for a single cam, pushrod two-valve configuration."

What a great day. Have fun tomorrow.


__________________
Dan
 
#47 · (Edited)
Great experience today, welcome by the plant engine builders and many from the management team all of whom were warm and welcoming. Very appreciative for my participation. One of the builders has been reading the post and came over to meet me. My engine builder Sarah was very great, she takes pride in what she's doing and she got me going, as at first its information overload as you begin building and performing QC checks on the piston assembly and rods as you give proper orientation to the rings, install bearings and oil the components. Al Hurbutt my photographer took hundreds of photos of every operation I performed building the engine.

We ran extensive testing on the engine to make sure all QC points are checked and double checked and then buddy checked. Then they use extensive computer monitored testing including leak testing by pressurizing the engine with air and watching leakdown rates on both water and oil sections of the engine.

Then they take in and attach it to a stand and spin it up monitoring vibration data on many parts and also thing like the oil pump.

After being unplugged it take down to the hot stand where fuel pumped in pressurizing the rails, plug wires are installed and lots of other details. Then they spin it up and add ignition and it fires to life. After a minute or so the pulled of the exhaust connections and ran it with open headers, that sounded really good. The engine is the put by itself on a stand waiting to join up with the car as they begin building it Wednesday after noon. Looks like I'll be watching the build all day Thursday as well and then into Friday as it will roll off the line.

The photo below is of the nameplate I attached to my engine and the one my builder Sarah attaches when she builds one.
Label Nameplate Font Signage Sticker


I got to take place in an emergency evacuation of the plant drill, after we all mustered outside, I took the opportunity to sneak back in side, climb the partition to see shat that secret project is they're working on, everyone will be quite pleased

Once I get my photos and my book they will put together after the build. I'll post much more with details.
 
#48 ·
Very cool Michael. Though I am not sure I would have included "I took the opportunity to sneak back in side, climb the partition to see what that secret project is they're working on"--You said one of the builders has been reading your posts. Once they read that, we may not see you again until the secret project is revealed by GM ;) ;)
 
#51 ·
Entered the factory today for scheduled car build at 1:45 pm, we walked into the trim area and I saw my car drop down from above on the conveyor and workers began installing lots of stuff including stereo speakers, wiring harnesses, ductwork for transmission cooler, cooling lines for tranny. My tour guide photographer Al Hurlbutt is very knowledgeable on all aspects of what is being done. He learned over the years and walking completely thru the line when his car was built put him over the top for knowledge. Close to 1 hour later the line came to a stop and everyone went home, with me looking over at my car abandoned to spend the night next to the area where cars come of the line fully assembled. So I'm back in tomorrow for the continuation of the build at 6:12 am, should be a full day with completion coming early Friday morning.
 
#52 ·
Just got back from dinner with Chuck Valentini the Corvette Body and Paint Manager, great new facilities are almost ready to bring on-line for 2018. They will keep existing facilities open as they phase in the new. They have created a place for Plant Tours to be able to see the processes from a nice vantage point. The plant management team in my opinion is very much in tune with the Corvette community and understands the unique relationship that exists and I believe thy will continue to foster its growth.

As I left the Montana grill I pulled around behind and entered the Hilton Hotel parking lot Corvettes were every where, it's a pilgrimage to witness the birth of my Z06...
 
#53 ·
Michael, it reads like you're experiencing the ultimate BG time, stay away from the "SECRET PROJECT AREA"! :wink:

SF
Rick
 
#54 · (Edited by Moderator)
Just spent a full 8 hours watching my car being assembled by a really great bunch of skilled assemblers. Many came over to thank me, some joked around buy pretending to install a white top trim piece over halo and then they asked me how it looks. I told them they might have made the car much more valuable by making it a rare tu-tone:D

The Plant Manager Kai Spande went out of his way to come find me on the line to check out my car, Chuck Valentini the Paint and Body Shop Manager even came looking for me. Really nice bunch of people working at the plant. Al Hurlbutt my guide got photos of all the big assembly highlights. Al really knows the manufacturing process, he's invaluable. He tell you exactly what every work station is doing as the car glides in. He can tell exactly where the car will be at all breaks and lunch time. The time was getting close for my engine to be installed in the chassis so we cut across the plant and Al on the first attempt walked direct to my engine which was in a group, I was amazed. Several of the girls came over and told me the Long Beach Red with Kalahari is their favorite combo, that's not a bad thing to hear!

I had given Sarah my engine builder a gift and her husband that works there found his way over to thank me and give me a nice tip on where to get C7 clothing and other stuff the factory workers wear: Ralph White Merchandising, Inc.

Well we will be there at 6:12 when the line starts up again Friday, my car is hanging just as it left the station where all fluids were added. The wheels and tires are bolted on, which really make it look great.

Found out the Supercharger has it own closed loop cooling system with reservoir very low and just behind radiators. Nothing is mentioned in the manual on when the coolant should be changed.
 
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