DIY: Z06 Muffler Install with Functional Butterflies
06-08-2007, 05:28 PM
#1
Burning Brakes
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DIY: Z06 Muffler Install with Functional Butterflies
Summarizing the install on this thread to make it easy to bring up on a laptop while working. Please feel free to post other methods, switches, etc. There's no one right way. 
The purpose of this install (instead of buying '08 Z51 car) is to allow people to put 3" Z06 mufflers on their '05-07 C6 and have it mate up with 3" headers/exhaust. '08 Z51 butterfly setup is only 2.5" dia. which is good for stock exhausts.
Total install time should be 7 hours or less, and that includes couple trips to the hardware store, etc. Figure on a leisurely weekend of work.
And now for my favorite smiley before beginning:
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Part I: First with the bumper removal
Tools:
T15 torx
10mm socket wrench
8mm socket wrench
7mm socket wrench
flathead screwdriver
4 bandaids
beer
This is after everything is reassembled, but it serves as a starting point, too. I recommend making a check list of all the bolts to remove. Also, lay them out in their respective positions off to the side to make it easy when reinstalling.
Jack up and support the car. Remove the rear wheels and taillights. Lay out the tail lights from left to right. I noticed that they didn't fit well in the wrong hole. Use a T15 torx for each tail light screw. One per light.
Remove the two 3" long plastic screws that attach the cover to the foam bumper. These are located behind the license plate and have square heads, but you can use a flathead screwdriver to remove.
Remove 3 of the bolts on the back half of the fender liner. This will give you enough access to pull the liner out a little and reach the 3 lower nuts connecting the rear bumper to the quarter panel. There are 5 bolts total holding the bumper to each quarter panel along a black rail on each side. Use a 10mm socket wrench to remove the lowest bolt. The lowest is a nut/bolt combo and the second and third up are just nuts. The third is much higher than the first two (mid way up the quarter panel) so it takes a little more of a reach to get to.
Remove the 4th and 5th bolts easily through the outer tail light holes. They are very easy to see and are within 4" of each other. You can also see the side marker light that must be disconnected further below.
Using a 7mm socket, remove (8) hex head screws attaching the bumper to the car where it wraps under to the left and right of the mufflers. There are (4) screws per side. VERY IMPORTANT!!! Using a 10mm wrench with an elbow joint, remove the (2) bolts that hold the center of the bumper to the frame. The bolts are above the muffler tips and hold two metal L-brackets. There is a plastic washer between the L-bracket and the body so make sure not to lose this! Much easier to take these two bolts out rather than the two screws holding each L-bracket to the bumper.
DO NOT DRILL OUT THE RIVETS ON THE MANUAL TRUNK RELEASE LOCK!! Free the manual trunk release lock by disconnecting the cable from the inside. To do this, pop the trunk and pull the carpeting away from the lock mechanism. There are two plastic xmas tree pins holding the carpet down on each side of it. Though the picture is fuzzy, you will see where the cable end sits in a plastic u-shaped arm. Pull the arm to the passenger side of the car while sliding the cable end toward the driver's side and (with a little stretch) you will have enough to slide it out. Open the two metal "arms" hugging the excess cable and push the rubber grommet gently through the hole to the rear bumper.
With the T15, remove the (6) torx across the inside of the top of the bumper. You'll have to pop the hatch to do this. Don't worry, the bumper won't fall. It rests on a lip and you have to lift it off the lip to remove it.
As far as I can remember, these are the connectors which must be disconnected to remove the bumper. Note: the wiring harness does not have to be unclipped from the bumper. It all can go as one piece saving a lot of time reinstalling. To access these connections, you will have to lift the bumper off the top lip and hold it while disconnecting. I made this a little easier by resting it temporarily on the muffler tips.
-Disconnect the two side marker lights in each quarter panel. There is just enough flexibility/room to remove these without loosening the panel.
-Disconnect the reverse lights on the bottom corners of the bumper
-Disconnect the 3rd brake light (I don't remember if this is connected to the harness that spans the length of the bumper or not)
-Disconnect the main plug on the right side of the bumper. It is connected with a plastic hold down at the end of the ground strap inside the bumper. The ground strap is obvious so just follow it to the end until you see the connector. You can see the main plug on the right in this picture. It's coming through the rear with a thick rubber grommet to seal out moisture.
Total time with removal/install and addition of muffler parts + 2 trips to the store was 5 hours as a one-person job.
The purpose of this install (instead of buying '08 Z51 car) is to allow people to put 3" Z06 mufflers on their '05-07 C6 and have it mate up with 3" headers/exhaust. '08 Z51 butterfly setup is only 2.5" dia. which is good for stock exhausts.
Total install time should be 7 hours or less, and that includes couple trips to the hardware store, etc. Figure on a leisurely weekend of work.
And now for my favorite smiley before beginning:
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Part I: First with the bumper removal
Tools:
T15 torx
10mm socket wrench
8mm socket wrench
7mm socket wrench
flathead screwdriver
4 bandaids
beer
This is after everything is reassembled, but it serves as a starting point, too. I recommend making a check list of all the bolts to remove. Also, lay them out in their respective positions off to the side to make it easy when reinstalling.
Jack up and support the car. Remove the rear wheels and taillights. Lay out the tail lights from left to right. I noticed that they didn't fit well in the wrong hole. Use a T15 torx for each tail light screw. One per light.
Remove the two 3" long plastic screws that attach the cover to the foam bumper. These are located behind the license plate and have square heads, but you can use a flathead screwdriver to remove.
Remove 3 of the bolts on the back half of the fender liner. This will give you enough access to pull the liner out a little and reach the 3 lower nuts connecting the rear bumper to the quarter panel. There are 5 bolts total holding the bumper to each quarter panel along a black rail on each side. Use a 10mm socket wrench to remove the lowest bolt. The lowest is a nut/bolt combo and the second and third up are just nuts. The third is much higher than the first two (mid way up the quarter panel) so it takes a little more of a reach to get to.
Remove the 4th and 5th bolts easily through the outer tail light holes. They are very easy to see and are within 4" of each other. You can also see the side marker light that must be disconnected further below.
Using a 7mm socket, remove (8) hex head screws attaching the bumper to the car where it wraps under to the left and right of the mufflers. There are (4) screws per side. VERY IMPORTANT!!! Using a 10mm wrench with an elbow joint, remove the (2) bolts that hold the center of the bumper to the frame. The bolts are above the muffler tips and hold two metal L-brackets. There is a plastic washer between the L-bracket and the body so make sure not to lose this! Much easier to take these two bolts out rather than the two screws holding each L-bracket to the bumper.
DO NOT DRILL OUT THE RIVETS ON THE MANUAL TRUNK RELEASE LOCK!! Free the manual trunk release lock by disconnecting the cable from the inside. To do this, pop the trunk and pull the carpeting away from the lock mechanism. There are two plastic xmas tree pins holding the carpet down on each side of it. Though the picture is fuzzy, you will see where the cable end sits in a plastic u-shaped arm. Pull the arm to the passenger side of the car while sliding the cable end toward the driver's side and (with a little stretch) you will have enough to slide it out. Open the two metal "arms" hugging the excess cable and push the rubber grommet gently through the hole to the rear bumper.
With the T15, remove the (6) torx across the inside of the top of the bumper. You'll have to pop the hatch to do this. Don't worry, the bumper won't fall. It rests on a lip and you have to lift it off the lip to remove it.
As far as I can remember, these are the connectors which must be disconnected to remove the bumper. Note: the wiring harness does not have to be unclipped from the bumper. It all can go as one piece saving a lot of time reinstalling. To access these connections, you will have to lift the bumper off the top lip and hold it while disconnecting. I made this a little easier by resting it temporarily on the muffler tips.
-Disconnect the two side marker lights in each quarter panel. There is just enough flexibility/room to remove these without loosening the panel.
-Disconnect the reverse lights on the bottom corners of the bumper
-Disconnect the 3rd brake light (I don't remember if this is connected to the harness that spans the length of the bumper or not)
-Disconnect the main plug on the right side of the bumper. It is connected with a plastic hold down at the end of the ground strap inside the bumper. The ground strap is obvious so just follow it to the end until you see the connector. You can see the main plug on the right in this picture. It's coming through the rear with a thick rubber grommet to seal out moisture.
Total time with removal/install and addition of muffler parts + 2 trips to the store was 5 hours as a one-person job.
06-08-2007, 05:29 PM
#2
Burning Brakes
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Part II: Z06 Muffler Vacuum Parts Install
All numbers in bold refer to their relative locations in the exploded view. Parts List:
p/n 15973049 - #20 -Vacuum tank. Vacuum reservoir to keep butterflies closed at high engine rpm.
p/n 15782803 - #13 -Vacuum hose. This hose line runs from the vacuum solenoid to the mufflers.
p/n 15782802 - #18/#19 -Vacuum solenoid. Comes as one piece with attached vacuum line.
p/n 89046833 - Connector for vacuum solenoid. Expensive but worth it for waterproof seal and cleanliness
p/n 15782801 - #9 -Vacuum Pipe. Good for it's proprietary connector to vaccum solenoid connection and to run 1/2 way up the center tunnel before splicing.
p/n 15237510 - F55 console switch.
p/n 88988116 - F55 female connector plug. Dealers don't have a picture of this plug, but it is the right one. if you don't want to buy it, you can cut the one out of your wiring harness that is already in your center console and not being used.
This includes all necessary connectors and wiring. Here is the install of the vacuum components behind the bumper. I will follow up with the switch wiring and running vacuum lines to the engine later on.
Because the C6 and Z06 are almost identical, all the parts are nearly plug-and-play and fit nicely. The Z06 mufflers use the same hangers as the stock C6 ones. Below you can see the vacuum line running from the butterfly actuators to the solenoid. If you look closely, you can see the vacuum reservoir tank mounted underneath on the right side.
Start by connecting the vacuum lines to the actuators. Because they are preformed, they will contour to the bumper and give you an idea of where to place the solenoid.
Here's a higher angle showing how the lines run to where the solenoid should be placed.
Next, connect the vacuum solenoid to the line coming from the mufflers. You will see a hole pre-drilled in the bumper which lines up with the mounting bracket for the solenoid. You can widen this hole slightly to use a #14 screw with washer and screw the solenoid firmly to the bumper.
Looking again at the full bumper picture, there are two wires higher up going through the trunk (the red on the left and the black on the right). Peal back the goo tape holding the black wire down and you will see a hole predrilled into the trunk area. With the carpet still pulled away (from the step above where you disconnected the trunk latch wire), put a new spool of 16G wire laying free in that space. Feed enough of the wire through the hole under the goo tape to reach the solenoid connector. Leave the rest of the spool in there. You will be eventually running this under the carpet to the passenger foot well.
Spool of wire can be left temporarily to the right of the trunk release (anywhere to the right of where I'm pointing).
Once the solenoid is mounted, insert its connector. Use the stud the ground strap behind it is bolted to as a ground. Splice the hot lead to the wire you fed through the hole in the trunk under the goo tape. The hot will be the top wire when the connector is inserted into the solenoid. Don't worry, it's also labeled with a "+" on the solenoid.
Once mounted, the solenoid will have a vacuum line that hangs down below the bumper. This splits into two lines, one with a green locking connector and one with a rubber end. Plug the vacuum reservoir tank into the rubber end and it will line itself up for where you should mount it. Mark and drill two holes on the underside of the body. The location is on the bottom of the right storage well if you were wondering where it lined up with trunk space.
A second shot of the vacuum reservoir tank and the green connector you will leave temporarily hanging. Later I will post how to run from this connector to the vacuum off the brake booster with the vacuum pipe p/n 15782801.
All numbers in bold refer to their relative locations in the exploded view. Parts List:
p/n 15973049 - #20 -Vacuum tank. Vacuum reservoir to keep butterflies closed at high engine rpm.
p/n 15782803 - #13 -Vacuum hose. This hose line runs from the vacuum solenoid to the mufflers.
p/n 15782802 - #18/#19 -Vacuum solenoid. Comes as one piece with attached vacuum line.
p/n 89046833 - Connector for vacuum solenoid. Expensive but worth it for waterproof seal and cleanliness
p/n 15782801 - #9 -Vacuum Pipe. Good for it's proprietary connector to vaccum solenoid connection and to run 1/2 way up the center tunnel before splicing.
p/n 15237510 - F55 console switch.
p/n 88988116 - F55 female connector plug. Dealers don't have a picture of this plug, but it is the right one. if you don't want to buy it, you can cut the one out of your wiring harness that is already in your center console and not being used.
This includes all necessary connectors and wiring. Here is the install of the vacuum components behind the bumper. I will follow up with the switch wiring and running vacuum lines to the engine later on.
Because the C6 and Z06 are almost identical, all the parts are nearly plug-and-play and fit nicely. The Z06 mufflers use the same hangers as the stock C6 ones. Below you can see the vacuum line running from the butterfly actuators to the solenoid. If you look closely, you can see the vacuum reservoir tank mounted underneath on the right side.
Start by connecting the vacuum lines to the actuators. Because they are preformed, they will contour to the bumper and give you an idea of where to place the solenoid.
Here's a higher angle showing how the lines run to where the solenoid should be placed.
Next, connect the vacuum solenoid to the line coming from the mufflers. You will see a hole pre-drilled in the bumper which lines up with the mounting bracket for the solenoid. You can widen this hole slightly to use a #14 screw with washer and screw the solenoid firmly to the bumper.
Looking again at the full bumper picture, there are two wires higher up going through the trunk (the red on the left and the black on the right). Peal back the goo tape holding the black wire down and you will see a hole predrilled into the trunk area. With the carpet still pulled away (from the step above where you disconnected the trunk latch wire), put a new spool of 16G wire laying free in that space. Feed enough of the wire through the hole under the goo tape to reach the solenoid connector. Leave the rest of the spool in there. You will be eventually running this under the carpet to the passenger foot well.
Spool of wire can be left temporarily to the right of the trunk release (anywhere to the right of where I'm pointing).
Once the solenoid is mounted, insert its connector. Use the stud the ground strap behind it is bolted to as a ground. Splice the hot lead to the wire you fed through the hole in the trunk under the goo tape. The hot will be the top wire when the connector is inserted into the solenoid. Don't worry, it's also labeled with a "+" on the solenoid.
Once mounted, the solenoid will have a vacuum line that hangs down below the bumper. This splits into two lines, one with a green locking connector and one with a rubber end. Plug the vacuum reservoir tank into the rubber end and it will line itself up for where you should mount it. Mark and drill two holes on the underside of the body. The location is on the bottom of the right storage well if you were wondering where it lined up with trunk space.
A second shot of the vacuum reservoir tank and the green connector you will leave temporarily hanging. Later I will post how to run from this connector to the vacuum off the brake booster with the vacuum pipe p/n 15782801.
06-08-2007, 05:30 PM
#3
Burning Brakes
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Part III: F55 Switch Wiring
parts used (as listed in previous posts):
p/n 15237510 - F55 console switch.
p/n 88988116 - F55 female connector plug. Dealers don't have a picture of this plug, but it is the right one. if you don't want to buy it, you can cut the one out of your wiring harness that is already in your center console and not being used.
Add-a-circuit - this can be picked up from Pep Boys or Autozone for couple bucks.
This procedure is written up for using the F55 switch to control the vacuum solenoid. A wireless switch can easily be substituted.
Beginning with the hot wire you fed from the solenoid to through the trunk wall, run the wire behind the carpeting and molding along the right side of the car.
Run the wires under the speaker panel. Feed the wire over the strut mounting point but run it under the speaker. The plastics do not have to be removed to do this.
Finish by running the hot wire along the door sill and into the passenger footwell.
Here is the F55 switch installed. Unfortunately, I took it apart and, when wired up, "sport" will function as closed and "tour" as open. If you want, you can remove the lettering.
IMPORTANT: READ CAREFULLY! These are two methods to wiring the F55 switch:
I Have taken the switch apart and found through analysis of the circuit that these are two proven methods to get it to work and what to look for if it isn't working. Please read this carefully as the female plug going into the F55 switch has four wires coming off of it. If you do not follow the jumper procedure as I have wired up the switch, the light in the switch will work but the solenoid will not activate. This is explained below.
Method 1
As you are just using the F55 as a continuity switch, only two wires are needed. I used the two wires as shown in the picture and cut the other two. Note which two wires are left. Because the switch completes a circuit, it doesn't matter which wire is sent to the add-a-circuit in the next step.
IMPORTANT!!!! If you use these two wires, you must solder in a jumper on the bottom of the switch. It is not necessary to take apart the switch to do this. Just solder a jumper from the lead to the edge where the green circle is shown:
What this does:
With the jumper, you are making a bridge around the internal switch light. The purpose of this is as follows. Without the jumper, the closed circuit will run through the switch bulb first before going to the solenoid. This allows the light to work; but, there is internal circuitry (most likely a diode) that bleeds off excess current to ground so the battery doesn't blow the light bulb from a surge. What this does is cause the vacuum solenoid to have 12V but not enough current to switch. By adding the jumper, you are bypassing the light and creating a direct shot from the circuit block to the solenoid. It is possible to have the light function, too, but I'll leave that up to you.
Method 2
Wire everything exactly the same but use the center two wires on the plug into the F55 switch. This bypasses any need for a jumper as these two wires bypass the bulb.
OK, back on track. In the footwell, you should now have 3 wires:
-Two wires from the F55 switch (I ran two black wires)
-One white wire from the vacuum solenoid.
Connect one of the F55 switch wires to the add-a-circuit. The other black wire should be connected to the white wire from the solenoid.
Finally, Plug the add-a-circuit into a switchable 12V source. Most people use the heated seat circuit, but you can also use the cruise control circuit.
parts used (as listed in previous posts):
p/n 15237510 - F55 console switch.
p/n 88988116 - F55 female connector plug. Dealers don't have a picture of this plug, but it is the right one. if you don't want to buy it, you can cut the one out of your wiring harness that is already in your center console and not being used.
Add-a-circuit - this can be picked up from Pep Boys or Autozone for couple bucks.
This procedure is written up for using the F55 switch to control the vacuum solenoid. A wireless switch can easily be substituted.
Beginning with the hot wire you fed from the solenoid to through the trunk wall, run the wire behind the carpeting and molding along the right side of the car.
Run the wires under the speaker panel. Feed the wire over the strut mounting point but run it under the speaker. The plastics do not have to be removed to do this.
Finish by running the hot wire along the door sill and into the passenger footwell.
Here is the F55 switch installed. Unfortunately, I took it apart and, when wired up, "sport" will function as closed and "tour" as open. If you want, you can remove the lettering.
IMPORTANT: READ CAREFULLY! These are two methods to wiring the F55 switch:
I Have taken the switch apart and found through analysis of the circuit that these are two proven methods to get it to work and what to look for if it isn't working. Please read this carefully as the female plug going into the F55 switch has four wires coming off of it. If you do not follow the jumper procedure as I have wired up the switch, the light in the switch will work but the solenoid will not activate. This is explained below.
Method 1
As you are just using the F55 as a continuity switch, only two wires are needed. I used the two wires as shown in the picture and cut the other two. Note which two wires are left. Because the switch completes a circuit, it doesn't matter which wire is sent to the add-a-circuit in the next step.
IMPORTANT!!!! If you use these two wires, you must solder in a jumper on the bottom of the switch. It is not necessary to take apart the switch to do this. Just solder a jumper from the lead to the edge where the green circle is shown:
What this does:
With the jumper, you are making a bridge around the internal switch light. The purpose of this is as follows. Without the jumper, the closed circuit will run through the switch bulb first before going to the solenoid. This allows the light to work; but, there is internal circuitry (most likely a diode) that bleeds off excess current to ground so the battery doesn't blow the light bulb from a surge. What this does is cause the vacuum solenoid to have 12V but not enough current to switch. By adding the jumper, you are bypassing the light and creating a direct shot from the circuit block to the solenoid. It is possible to have the light function, too, but I'll leave that up to you.
Method 2
Wire everything exactly the same but use the center two wires on the plug into the F55 switch. This bypasses any need for a jumper as these two wires bypass the bulb.
OK, back on track. In the footwell, you should now have 3 wires:
-Two wires from the F55 switch (I ran two black wires)
-One white wire from the vacuum solenoid.
Connect one of the F55 switch wires to the add-a-circuit. The other black wire should be connected to the white wire from the solenoid.
Finally, Plug the add-a-circuit into a switchable 12V source. Most people use the heated seat circuit, but you can also use the cruise control circuit.
06-08-2007, 05:32 PM
#4
Burning Brakes
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Part IV: Running vacuum lines
parts used:
-5/16" x 5/16" compression fitting (OSH or Home Depot)
-1/2" x 1/2" x 3/8" nylon tee (brass if you can find it. haven't looked. www.hardwarestore.com)
-5/16" compression x 1/8" MPT fitting (www.hardwarestore.com)
-1/8" FPT x 3/8" barb (OSH or Home Depot)
-5/16" alum tubing (picked up some from Summit Racing)
-teflon tape
-p/n 15782801 - #9 - Vacuum Pipe. Good for it's proprietary connector to vaccuum solenoid connection and to run 1/2 way up the center tunnel before splicing.
-pipe cutter or similar
-3/8" vacuum hose, approx 1ft.
-zip ties
A quick connection before getting started. Also, make sure to use teflon tape on all threads for extra security against leaks. Attach the 1/8" FPT x 3/8" barb to the 5/16" compression with teflon tape. When mounted to the aluminum tubing, it will mate with the nylon tee at the brake booster line.
Just remember when spliced, the connections will look like this only pointing down instead of up. I was holding it pointed up to make it easier to see.
Make sure you lay out enough tubing to reach. The aluminum tubing must be long enough to bend upwards at the front of the motor to reach the brake booster and go back far enough to reach the rear diff. It will be slightly shortened later.
Here is the end of the vacuum pipe. When connected, this will be pointing down and mating up with the line coming off of the solenoid. The line from the solenoid splits, one side going to the vacuum reservoir and one side going to the vacuum pipe.
The pipe on the left is where it will insert.
The two pipes will be joined with the 5/16" x 5/16" compression fitting.
Wriggle the vacuum pipe in between the suspension and under the half shaft. Before doing this, you can cut it just before it makes the bend toward part #10 in the diagram. This will leave you more than enough pipe to mate to the alum tubing.
Start by feeding the aluminum tubing over the tunnel plate. This will take a little patience and back-and-forth, but can be done in under 10 minutes. Because you are going up at an angle, bend it slightly down as you feed it into the front side of the tunnel plate and life will be much easier.
Once it comes out the other side, keep feeding it all the way through. This makes it much easier to bend it upward toward the brake booster and feed it through.
Bend as you go to avoid contact with potential rattle points. I ran the alum tubing down the driver's side of the tunnel plate and then wrapped it over to the passenger's side under the tranny.
Use pieces of the vacuum tubing to isolate the aluminum tubing from hard contact points, such as the ends of the tunnel plate and when wrapping under the transmission and along the frame. Cut a 3" piece of tubing and then slice down its length to allow you to slip it over the tubing. Hold in place with a zip tie.
Tube routing under the transmission behind the xpipe:
You should now have the #9 pipe and the aluminum tubing meeting each other around the area of the transmission with plenty of excess. Use the pipe cutter to shorten the tubes appropriately, attach with the compression fitting, and bend/shape the tube to avoid hard contact points. Use tubing and zip ties to cover any contact points and prevent rattles.
Finally, attach the 3/8" barb with compression fitting to the end of the tubing that you fed up along the firewall. It should be pointing directly at the brake booster hose.
Splice the nylon tee into the brake booster hose. Both 3/8" barbed ends should be facing each other and can be connected with a length of 3/8" tubing.
Make 500hp, gut your cats, switch the butterflies off, and enjoy!
parts used:
-5/16" x 5/16" compression fitting (OSH or Home Depot)
-1/2" x 1/2" x 3/8" nylon tee (brass if you can find it. haven't looked. www.hardwarestore.com)
-5/16" compression x 1/8" MPT fitting (www.hardwarestore.com)
-1/8" FPT x 3/8" barb (OSH or Home Depot)
-5/16" alum tubing (picked up some from Summit Racing)
-teflon tape
-p/n 15782801 - #9 - Vacuum Pipe. Good for it's proprietary connector to vaccuum solenoid connection and to run 1/2 way up the center tunnel before splicing.
-pipe cutter or similar
-3/8" vacuum hose, approx 1ft.
-zip ties
A quick connection before getting started. Also, make sure to use teflon tape on all threads for extra security against leaks. Attach the 1/8" FPT x 3/8" barb to the 5/16" compression with teflon tape. When mounted to the aluminum tubing, it will mate with the nylon tee at the brake booster line.
Just remember when spliced, the connections will look like this only pointing down instead of up. I was holding it pointed up to make it easier to see.
Make sure you lay out enough tubing to reach. The aluminum tubing must be long enough to bend upwards at the front of the motor to reach the brake booster and go back far enough to reach the rear diff. It will be slightly shortened later.
Here is the end of the vacuum pipe. When connected, this will be pointing down and mating up with the line coming off of the solenoid. The line from the solenoid splits, one side going to the vacuum reservoir and one side going to the vacuum pipe.
The pipe on the left is where it will insert.
The two pipes will be joined with the 5/16" x 5/16" compression fitting.
Wriggle the vacuum pipe in between the suspension and under the half shaft. Before doing this, you can cut it just before it makes the bend toward part #10 in the diagram. This will leave you more than enough pipe to mate to the alum tubing.
Start by feeding the aluminum tubing over the tunnel plate. This will take a little patience and back-and-forth, but can be done in under 10 minutes. Because you are going up at an angle, bend it slightly down as you feed it into the front side of the tunnel plate and life will be much easier.
Once it comes out the other side, keep feeding it all the way through. This makes it much easier to bend it upward toward the brake booster and feed it through.
Bend as you go to avoid contact with potential rattle points. I ran the alum tubing down the driver's side of the tunnel plate and then wrapped it over to the passenger's side under the tranny.
Use pieces of the vacuum tubing to isolate the aluminum tubing from hard contact points, such as the ends of the tunnel plate and when wrapping under the transmission and along the frame. Cut a 3" piece of tubing and then slice down its length to allow you to slip it over the tubing. Hold in place with a zip tie.
Tube routing under the transmission behind the xpipe:
You should now have the #9 pipe and the aluminum tubing meeting each other around the area of the transmission with plenty of excess. Use the pipe cutter to shorten the tubes appropriately, attach with the compression fitting, and bend/shape the tube to avoid hard contact points. Use tubing and zip ties to cover any contact points and prevent rattles.
Finally, attach the 3/8" barb with compression fitting to the end of the tubing that you fed up along the firewall. It should be pointing directly at the brake booster hose.
Splice the nylon tee into the brake booster hose. Both 3/8" barbed ends should be facing each other and can be connected with a length of 3/8" tubing.
Make 500hp, gut your cats, switch the butterflies off, and enjoy!
06-08-2007, 05:48 PM
#5
Le Mans Master
Bill,
Great write-up! I like this better than the 08 installation because it's 3 inches all the way back for people like me that already have headers.
If you don't mind me asking, what was the total cost including the new Z06 mufflers and tips?
Thanks,
Glenn
Great write-up! I like this better than the 08 installation because it's 3 inches all the way back for people like me that already have headers.
If you don't mind me asking, what was the total cost including the new Z06 mufflers and tips?
Thanks,
Glenn
06-08-2007, 06:30 PM
#6
Burning Brakes
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I got the mufflers for $250 installed. Muffler shop just wanted to get rid of them. Because I used all GM parts and bought a lot of it through parts departments, hardware ran about $250. You can get the parts cheaper at places like www.gmpartshouse.com.
If you shop around for comparable parts (non-GM vacuum solenoid for $17 for example), you should be able to do it for under $70.
Because I used all GM parts and bought a lot of it through parts departments, hardware ran about $250. You can get the parts cheaper at places like www.gmpartshouse.com.If you shop around for comparable parts (non-GM vacuum solenoid for $17 for example), you should be able to do it for under $70.
06-08-2007, 10:00 PM
#9
Melting Slicks
SEE attached PDF files
For those interested, I have created a Word document from this entire process and rendered it into 3 separate PDF files for sharing.
Ed
Ed
Last edited by Vettlldo; 06-11-2007 at 09:40 AM. Reason: Added 3 PDF files that include all instructions
06-09-2007, 01:28 AM
#11
Burning Brakes
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Thanks Vettlldo! Looking forward to the pdf.
It's identical to the sound difference on the Z06's. Dead quiet with them closed (too quiet and I have headers!). I might post a video after I gut my cats.
It's identical to the sound difference on the Z06's. Dead quiet with them closed (too quiet and I have headers!). I might post a video after I gut my cats.
06-11-2007, 07:15 PM
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Fininshed this mod this weekend. Sounds great! Installed headers as well. I used all OEM parts for the entire vacuum system and it does cost more than using generic parts. I like the OEM fit, call me nuts. 
Thanks to Bill and the rest of the forum members for all of the info posted. It gave me the courage to attempt this myself and it was a blast.
06-11-2007, 07:34 PM
#14
I wonder what it would take to get the computer to operate the solenoid? As soon as EFILive supports the E38 PCM, I'll take a look to see if the computer has support or not. It might just be a matter of adding a wire to the PCM connector.
06-12-2007, 03:19 PM
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Paid about $400-450 (quick estimate) for all of the parts from GM. Should have bought all of the parts from a online part distributor, could have saved $40-50. This included all of the plumbing, Solenoid power connector, F55 switch and F55 switch connector. Add another $150 for the MSD window switch, add-a-circuit, 2 relays and wire.
Bill, you can use a relay to reverse the operation of the F55 switch to allow the "sport" setting to open the valves. Did it last night and it works great. I also used 3 of the wires on the F55 connector and it does not send power through the bulb. The switch has a contact for ground, output(switched to ground) and illumination. I spliced the ground on old F55 connector to the same pin on the new and the same with the illumination wire. Use the 3rd wire on the new as the output to connect to a relay. I used 2 relays, one to reverse the F55 switch and one to provide +12v to the solenoid when the window switch turns on. The window switch is set to come on a 0 RPM and shuts off at 3400 RPM. The first relay provides the ground to the window switch when the F55 switch is set to "tour". I can try to draw something up if my ramblings do not make sense.
When set to "tour" the system starts with the valves closed (muted exhaust) and when you turn off the engine, the valves do open before the engine completely stops, so you get about 1 sec of loud exhaust. Looking to try a add a small cap to solve this problem.
Bill, you can use a relay to reverse the operation of the F55 switch to allow the "sport" setting to open the valves. Did it last night and it works great. I also used 3 of the wires on the F55 connector and it does not send power through the bulb. The switch has a contact for ground, output(switched to ground) and illumination. I spliced the ground on old F55 connector to the same pin on the new and the same with the illumination wire. Use the 3rd wire on the new as the output to connect to a relay. I used 2 relays, one to reverse the F55 switch and one to provide +12v to the solenoid when the window switch turns on. The window switch is set to come on a 0 RPM and shuts off at 3400 RPM. The first relay provides the ground to the window switch when the F55 switch is set to "tour". I can try to draw something up if my ramblings do not make sense.
When set to "tour" the system starts with the valves closed (muted exhaust) and when you turn off the engine, the valves do open before the engine completely stops, so you get about 1 sec of loud exhaust. Looking to try a add a small cap to solve this problem.
Last edited by vlocty; 06-12-2007 at 03:22 PM.
06-12-2007, 03:35 PM
#17
Burning Brakes
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Great! I needed someone with more electrical knowledge to chime in. I'll try that. I'm just a mechanical engineer. I'll make the eiffel tower fit in your pocket, but it takes me 200 yards of wire to hook a 9v to a light bulb. I'll try this out tonight.
I'll try this out tonight.
06-13-2007, 02:59 PM
#20
Le Mans Master
amazing job and write-up
btw - I'm actually a c6z owner thats ordered a catback. Unless I really don't like the b&b fusion I ordered, I'm going to have a flawless c6z catback for sale. Anyone know what GM charges for a new c6z catback? anyone know what they're going for used?
thanks and enjoy that new toy! 
btw - I'm actually a c6z owner thats ordered a catback. Unless I really don't like the b&b fusion I ordered, I'm going to have a flawless c6z catback for sale. Anyone know what GM charges for a new c6z catback? anyone know what they're going for used?
thanks and enjoy that new toy!