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[Z06] The Orange Phoenix, or the Z06 that won’t die
C6 Corvette ZR1 & Z06General info about GM’s Corvette Supercar, LS9 Corvette Technical Info, Performance Upgrades, Suspension Setup for Street or Track
The TL;DR version is that the engine was toasted, as almost everything else on that car. But I was motivated to make it something entirely better. I went with a local shop that built a new engine and put the car back together with a whole host of new parts all around (suspension, drivetrain, cooling, oil management, and so on). I then spent quite some time improving what could be on the interior.
And there was that. As we went into the summer of 2022, the story ended.
But did it?
A few months ago, this car returned to my life: I was offered a chance to buy it back. See, the guy who bought it from the insurance auction somehow managed to find me and had some questions about the car over time. He did a good job fixing the bumpers, quarter panel, and a few more elements here and there, but the car still needed a lot of work to be road-worthy. We eventually agreed on a price, and I was reunited with my car.
Now, let’s be clear. It drove like trash. At least one wheel bearing was shot, sending vibration and noise across the car, one wheel was bent, etc. Plus it didn’t look very good from having spent some nights on a Copart dirt lot. The first step was to assess the problems and see how to fix them. Luckily for me, I got to work with two fantastic shops in this quest:
The long story short is that thanks to their incredible skills, experience and understanding of these cars, the Orange Phoenix has risen again and better.
So, what did it take to save this car?
Assessing the damage
Edwin at Powerhouse Racing first took a long look at the car. Let me tell you, friends, I didn’t give him a gift with this thing because the more he looked, the worse it got. Torn sensors, harnesses hanging against exhaust manifold, oil lines pushed against exhaust pipes, brake lines tucked in the coil of the coilover suspension, oil lines to the oil cooler inverted, fuel pump wiring harness mis installed, one of the emergency brake cables was hanging, … The list is long, but that’s enough to make a point.
Getting the car right
At this point, it wasn’t just about fixing what was broken; it was about getting the car safe and right. I started a list of parts I wanted to upgrade “while I’m there”. Luckily, Edwin knows these cars so well and is so skilled he took his time to get everything right, especially all the new brake and suspension components. Here are all the upgrades that went in:
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New control arms with spherical bushings by GSpeed.
On that note, shout out to the @GSpeed team: they’ve been great to work with. While waiting for almost two months for another vendor to complete my set of control arms with spherical bushing, they sourced another set of arms, pressed the bushing, and shipped them to me in four days.
New SKF wheel hubs
I went with the heavy-duty, racing version of SKF and extended ARP studs.
New tie-rods by Van Steel.
My coilovers (LG G2) are inverted at the rear and need extra clearance. Their product accommodates that, and their one-piece design for the inboard mount is confidence-inspiring.
New brake booster and master cylinder (from 09+ Corvette Z06), as mine were leaking badly.
New Tick Adjustable Clutch Master Cylinder
Important for those like me who had the clutch pedal hanging low: don’t replace the MC with a new OEM unit—they are trash. The Tick one makes the clutch pedal harder but handles everything much better.
Rebuilt & upgraded brake calipers (with DRM steel pistons on the front)
New oil cooler by Improved Racing to complement the oil thermostat I already have installed
With all the new parts, especially on the suspension side, the car needed a solid alignment, ride height, and corner balance. The next stop was West End Alignment. It took Chris an entire afternoon, but the car came out perfect. All that was left was for me to drive it home. And what a ride it was!
How it drives
Simply put, it drives perfectly—exactly how I imagined this car to be. The spherical bushings give a lot more feedback, which I really enjoy. In combination with the LG G2 coilovers and LG G1 swaybars, they make it a much more compliant ride on the road than you’d think. Once in the canyon, the alignment makes the difference, and the whole car works. It's a big car but feels nimble in a tight corner.
It’s hard to explain how happy I am to be finally reunited with this car and how lucky I feel to have found the right vendors this time to make it right. Sure, it’s a salvage title car now. Looking up close, it has some scars on the bumpers and side skirts. But these are just memories of the rocky life it's had. It's a good reminder to be careful who you trust your cars with. Because, ultimately, it’s more than your car. When you drive in the canyon or anywhere on the road, your life is at stake if anything goes wrong.
Glad you got her back. Money well spent? Who knows. If you can afford it, then yes. Enjoy her my friend.
It makes no financial sense, these things rarely do anyways. That being said, considering how much was in the car before the accident, how much the insurance paid out & how much I paid to buy it back, I’m in actually a much better place now than before!
Originally Posted by RocketRob
Great story, thanks for sharing. Quite the cautionary tale, I might add. Congratulations, she’s a beauty.
For sure, I learned the hard way so hopefully this helps others before it’s too late.
Originally Posted by Landru
I recall your experience w/ this Z06.
Did original shop ever make good on their installation goof-up?
In most cases this one would've been relegated to a parts car.
Good job saving it to see another day.
Thanks! Their best offer was a few hundred dollars 😂
Originally Posted by KennyPowers
ITS got CHARACTER!! and its an AO.. best Z color ever.. (i may be biassed)
Tons of fun to REALLY drive these cars, and salvaged makes it a little bit less of a pucker situation..
I suggest finding a local track day if you really want to get after it, leave the canyons to the porsche guys and go smoke them on the actual track!
Haha I agree, I love this color. I cannot wait to bring it to the track, the purpose of the build was to improve performance and reliability without sacrificing too much usability.
I've followed "herwawan" and the "Orange Phoenix" for several years. In fact, before it got crashed on Angeles Crest Highway in the mountains north of L.A. because of American Heritage Performance's faulty installation of LG rear tie rods, I helped "herwawan" work on that car at my little shop a couple of times. I also helped him get it through the California Smog Check. I'm glad to see he bought the car back and that it's now back on the road.
The other problem created by techs at AHP was with the car's oil cooler. "herwawan and I were astonished to learn from Powerhouse Racing in Lancaster CA, which was retained to assist in returning the car to roadworthiness, that one reason the engine's oiling system wasn't quite right was because the oil cooler hoses were connected backwards. Upright-mounted oil-to-air coolers must have the oil going in at the bottom and out at the top. Configuring the hose connections that way eliminates the possibility of air pockets getting trapped in the cooler and degrading the cooler's operation. It was surprising to me that service personnel at American Heritage Performance did not know that.
"Herwawan's" cooler has a thermostat, highly desirable on early Z06es which have the oil-to-air oil cooler, because, in some normal driving situations, because GM did not install an oil thermostat, the sustained oil temperature can be too low. An oil thermostat eliminates the problem with low oil temperature, but only if the oil hoses between the 'stat and the cooler are connected properly.
AHP had connected the hoses on "herwawans's car such that oil entered the cooler at the top and exited at the bottom. The result was two problems: low oil pressure at idle and, when the car was run hard, high oil temperature. Both were caused by air trapped in the cooler degrading its ability to cool the oil. The fix for the problem was to simply reverse the improperly connected hoses. Once that was done, "herwawan's" oil pressure normailized and the oil cooler began to work properly maintaining reasonable oil temperature when the car was run hard.
The guys at Powerhouse Racing did an great job in solving these problems and bringing that car "back to life".
Last edited by Hib Halverson; 04-25-2024 at 12:14 AM.
I've followed "herwawan" and his orange Z06 for several years. In fact, before it got crashed on Angeles Crest Highway in the mountains more of L.A. because of American Heritage Performance's faulty installation of LG rear tie rods, I helped "herwawan" work on that car at my little shop a couple of times. I also helped him get it through the California Smog Check. I'm glad to see he bought the car back and that it's now back on the road.
Powerhouse Racing in Lancaster CA did an outstanding job in bringing that car "back to life".
Thanks for the call out Hib! Super nice to point out a mistake a single tech made over 2+ years ago.
I had a tech named Matt that worked here who installed those tie rods. He is no longer with AHP and has not been for some time.
In fact he went out and started a competing company locally here in LA. If you want to know more about the install of those tie rods go ahead and just give his company a call and ask him since he is the one who put them on the car.
Calling out my company like you just did on a mistake a guy who used to work here made made 2+ years ago is a pretty shitty move in my opinion.
Especially since that guy does not even work here anymore.
Ive been in business for over 11 years now and serviced thousands of Corvettes in that time and you could count the mistakes made on one hand, SMH...
Thanks for the call out Hib! Super nice to point out a mistake a single tech made over 2+ years ago.
I had a tech named Matt that worked here who installed those tie rods. He is no longer with AHP and has not been for some time.
In fact he went out and started a competing company locally here in LA. If you want to know more about the install of those tie rods go ahead and just give his company a call and ask him since he is the one who put them on the car.
Calling out my company like you just did on a mistake a guy who used to work here made made 2+ years ago is a pretty shitty move in my opinion.
Especially since that guy does not even work here anymore.
Ive been in business for over 11 years now and serviced thousands of Corvettes in that time and you could count the mistakes made on one hand, SMH...
This has to be one of the worst responses ive seen from a shop owner when a failed install almost led to a customer being seroiusly injured. No "Glad you didnt get hurt" , Absolutely no reponsibility taken for poor work done under his watch/employment. No effort to make it right at all.....only finger pointing saying to go talk to the employee who did it, anger over being exposed for poor quality work being performed under watch, and then telling the customer its a "shitty move" to share his nightmare experience. This isnt the first time I've seen this type of lack of willingness to take ownership over poor work performed at AHP as I’ve heard other horror stories about dealing with them when issues with their work arises. Based off this sole response of the ownership I would never use AHP products or take my car there for service. Stuff happens we all know that as at the end of the day we are all human but its how you handle those mistakes and take ownership of it and make it right that really counts and right here we see none of that.
I know AHP is a big corvette forum sponsor so its a possibilty that my post will be removed or why no one else has spoken up. This is not a good look for AHP when the owner responds in this way.
When you called me to tell you that you located your car again I was thinking what are the chances of that happening!?!
And then when you said he might be willing to sell it back to you (for a really low price) I thought it was meant to be.
I knew you really loved that car and while you could have bought another (and in spite of all the issues your having to work thru now), I really think you reconnecting with your original project that got derailed before you had a chance to enjoy it much makes for such a great story.
Looks like the rebuild is coming with some nice upgrades that Im not sure were in the plans previously and that's pretty cool also....when the smoke clears your V2 version of this car should be pretty awesome
I know we discussed me helping you with a few things.....I appreciate being part of the rebirth and look forward to an opportunity to drive it when it's finally done
04-18-2024, 05:12 PM
The Orange Phoenix, or the Z06 that won’t die
