The £7700 Corvette C6
Discussion
Accelebrate said:
You’re mad, in the best way. Thank you for taking the time to share your adventure as it unfolds. I’d leave some of the mishap blemishes as souvenirs.
Thanks 
I've decided to leave the slight cracks in the rear quarter as patina/memories, I doubt anyone but me would notice anyway. 
Robdutton91 said:
Have you ever told the previous owner in the USA what you’ve been doing with the Corvette? I bet they’d be surprised and very pleased to see its journey
Yes, in fact he follows me on Facebook and messages from time to time, plus he's bought a couple of books too. He wasn't thrilled by my cutting a hole in the hood, other than that he's been supportive. First time I've seen this thread so forgive me if Im asking an old question
But, to drive a car in the US it needs registering and for that a US address is needed ? How can a car be bought in the US and driven back for shipping. Is there a loophole I need to know about ?
I want to drive East/West in a V8 but a hire car is fraught with difficulties so buying seems to be the best idea, but I cant see how to get a car legal to drive ?
Any pointers ?
But, to drive a car in the US it needs registering and for that a US address is needed ? How can a car be bought in the US and driven back for shipping. Is there a loophole I need to know about ?
I want to drive East/West in a V8 but a hire car is fraught with difficulties so buying seems to be the best idea, but I cant see how to get a car legal to drive ?
Any pointers ?
Oneball said:
Did you pre plan your stops and book hotels or just find somewhere on the day?
We booked the first night and the Sahara trip including tents, other than that we looked at the route coming up over dinner and booked the next night as we went. Booking.com really made that easy. 
Gary C said:
First time I've seen this thread so forgive me if Im asking an old question
But, to drive a car in the US it needs registering and for that a US address is needed ? How can a car be bought in the US and driven back for shipping. Is there a loophole I need to know about ?
I want to drive East/West in a V8 but a hire car is fraught with difficulties so buying seems to be the best idea, but I cant see how to get a car legal to drive ?
Any pointers ?
Hi Gary, But, to drive a car in the US it needs registering and for that a US address is needed ? How can a car be bought in the US and driven back for shipping. Is there a loophole I need to know about ?
I want to drive East/West in a V8 but a hire car is fraught with difficulties so buying seems to be the best idea, but I cant see how to get a car legal to drive ?
Any pointers ?
I've never been 100% certain if the way I did it is legal, but it worked for me. Five years has passed since purchasing, so I'm sure I've forgotten a lot of details that I researched at the time. Googling what RV buyers do and which states are easiest to overseas buyers was helpful. California required that a used car is registered to the new owner within 10 days of purchase, I made sure the Corvette was at the exporter within that time, so avoiding the need for registration and payment of local taxes.
An alternative I looked at but dismissed was visiting a Californian DMV, paying the taxes and then potentially waiting weeks for the paperwork to arrive. Then, on export I'd need more paperwork to reclaim the taxes. I didn't have this time and not having an official residence or social security number was likely to make this a real headache. The insurance by comparison was straightforward.
So much of the whole process had risk, but I took a gamble and it worked out.
Oh man - I love a Corvette story!
I am on my 2nd C5 manual at the mo... You know, aside from the LHD which is actually a non-issue and makes Euro trips easier, I genuinely think they (the C5 and C6) are bloody fantastic sportscars. Well designed, quick and can be made to handle exceptionally well with just a few small adjustments and low cost (relative to let's say Porsche or BMW) parts. Not to mention the LS series engines are jolly good.
I'm saying that having owned (and currently owing) many Euro sports cars - 911s, Caymans, Boxsters, Supra (22 - Yes it is a BMW), BMW M3's, fast Mercs, fast Audis, a Lotus Esprit Turbo and many more.
I kind of like that the mighty vette is a true underdog in Europe and completely misunderstood! Yes some of them can be furnished with questionable styling mods etc but a pretty much standard car cosmetically with a few well-chosen hidden upgrades is a force to be reckoned with. In my opinion!
I am on my 2nd C5 manual at the mo... You know, aside from the LHD which is actually a non-issue and makes Euro trips easier, I genuinely think they (the C5 and C6) are bloody fantastic sportscars. Well designed, quick and can be made to handle exceptionally well with just a few small adjustments and low cost (relative to let's say Porsche or BMW) parts. Not to mention the LS series engines are jolly good.
I'm saying that having owned (and currently owing) many Euro sports cars - 911s, Caymans, Boxsters, Supra (22 - Yes it is a BMW), BMW M3's, fast Mercs, fast Audis, a Lotus Esprit Turbo and many more.
I kind of like that the mighty vette is a true underdog in Europe and completely misunderstood! Yes some of them can be furnished with questionable styling mods etc but a pretty much standard car cosmetically with a few well-chosen hidden upgrades is a force to be reckoned with. In my opinion!
Edited by Llew on Friday 6th January 15:46
Fishy Dave said:
Gary C said:
First time I've seen this thread so forgive me if Im asking an old question
But, to drive a car in the US it needs registering and for that a US address is needed ? How can a car be bought in the US and driven back for shipping. Is there a loophole I need to know about ?
I want to drive East/West in a V8 but a hire car is fraught with difficulties so buying seems to be the best idea, but I cant see how to get a car legal to drive ?
Any pointers ?
Hi Gary, But, to drive a car in the US it needs registering and for that a US address is needed ? How can a car be bought in the US and driven back for shipping. Is there a loophole I need to know about ?
I want to drive East/West in a V8 but a hire car is fraught with difficulties so buying seems to be the best idea, but I cant see how to get a car legal to drive ?
Any pointers ?
I've never been 100% certain if the way I did it is legal, but it worked for me. Five years has passed since purchasing, so I'm sure I've forgotten a lot of details that I researched at the time. Googling what RV buyers do and which states are easiest to overseas buyers was helpful. California required that a used car is registered to the new owner within 10 days of purchase, I made sure the Corvette was at the exporter within that time, so avoiding the need for registration and payment of local taxes.
An alternative I looked at but dismissed was visiting a Californian DMV, paying the taxes and then potentially waiting weeks for the paperwork to arrive. Then, on export I'd need more paperwork to reclaim the taxes. I didn't have this time and not having an official residence or social security number was likely to make this a real headache. The insurance by comparison was straightforward.
So much of the whole process had risk, but I took a gamble and it worked out.
didn't realise you bought it and did a run for the border
Hi Dave
I’ve just read this from start to finish - thanks for sharing this with us all.
As an aside I think I brought your old BJ Minno trailer from you about 10 years ago IIRC - if I’m correct we picked it up for your mate’s chicken shed (also called Phil?). I’ve still got it BTW.
I’ve been thinking about a Corvette for when we move to Denmark in a couple of years so I can have something interesting (V8) alongside my Caterham; importing my V8 BMW is cost prohibitive. Your adventures have merely increased my desire to do so!
I’ve just read this from start to finish - thanks for sharing this with us all.
As an aside I think I brought your old BJ Minno trailer from you about 10 years ago IIRC - if I’m correct we picked it up for your mate’s chicken shed (also called Phil?). I’ve still got it BTW.
I’ve been thinking about a Corvette for when we move to Denmark in a couple of years so I can have something interesting (V8) alongside my Caterham; importing my V8 BMW is cost prohibitive. Your adventures have merely increased my desire to do so!
It's not a C6, but for someone looking for a manual Corvette, this looks like great value (C5, FRC, manual for £11,000): https://www.facebook.com/commerce/listing/48344750...
Phil Cook said:
Hi Dave
I’ve just read this from start to finish - thanks for sharing this with us all.
As an aside I think I brought your old BJ Minno trailer from you about 10 years ago IIRC - if I’m correct we picked it up for your mate’s chicken shed (also called Phil?). I’ve still got it BTW.
I’ve been thinking about a Corvette for when we move to Denmark in a couple of years so I can have something interesting (V8) alongside my Caterham; importing my V8 BMW is cost prohibitive. Your adventures have merely increased my desire to do so!
Hi Phil, yes, that's me, pleased the trailer is still serving you well. Philip is retired as a farmer now and lives in Devon. I’ve just read this from start to finish - thanks for sharing this with us all.
As an aside I think I brought your old BJ Minno trailer from you about 10 years ago IIRC - if I’m correct we picked it up for your mate’s chicken shed (also called Phil?). I’ve still got it BTW.
I’ve been thinking about a Corvette for when we move to Denmark in a couple of years so I can have something interesting (V8) alongside my Caterham; importing my V8 BMW is cost prohibitive. Your adventures have merely increased my desire to do so!
You can tell my enthusiasm for a Corvette, I can only say go for it. Clive hasn't turned a wheel for a month, until today. I've spent about six full days over the past few weekends repairing and servicing the car, following damage occurred on the Morocco trip, plus an upgrade too (is it possible to do major work on a car without sneaking in an improvement?). I put myself under a little pressure as I've entered the Pomeroy Trophy at Silverstone GP on 25th February.
List achieved:
Full service (moving back to Millers 5w40)
Replace the cracked front discs (see brake upgrade documented later)
Replace A/C condensor, pump and belt
Replace radiator, as the previous one cracked
New, strengthened radiator support
Silicone coolant hoses
Press out factory wheel studs, replace with 2.5", longer ARP studs, also pressed out studs from the 20mm spacers. Also extended thread wheel nuts.
There is more still do to, but that was as much as I could get away with in this phase, plus I need to bed the brakes in.
Let's start with the fun bit, the brakes. Those who have read all 26 pages will know that my brake calipers are stock items (2 piston front, single piston rear), but I moved up to the larger Z51 sized discs and brackets, with the brilliant Mintex F4R pads. The weakness is the front discs, which crack prematurely, most likely due to their relatively small size (325mm). Common big brake upgrades, in order of ££££ are Z06 (calipers now unavailable new), Wilwood or AP. My budget wouldn't run to any of these and the Z06 calipers are problematic on track (fine on the road), with small 'padlets' rather than pairs of brake pads on the front.
I'd spent many an hour researching if any of the calipers/discs from other GM products would fit, but couldn't find anything until recently. A few individuals have found that the Cadillac ATS/CTS that runs a 4 piston Brembo caliper will bolt on and work with the 355mm disc from the C6 Z06. It needs slight spacing from the knuckle with a couple of thin washers, the edge of the caliper needs a tiny bit of material removing, as does the outside 2mm of brake pad, other than that it bolts on and fits within the 18" front wheel, with a 20mm spacer. Brake proportioning is done electronically on these cars, so it's reported to be well balanced when braking hard.
Researching the calipers further shows that they use the same pad shape as cars such as the Tesla Model 3, Mitsubishi Evo, RS Megane and loads more, so plenty of pad choice. They might be marked Cadillac, but they are the same Brembo caliper as used on the Corvette C7, only with different length mounting bracket (that means the C7 caliper won't fit).
The very best thing is the price, just £222 for the pair of brand new calipers, from Rock Auto, plus £20.58 for the pins and spring. Ok, there is VAT and delivery on top, but that's a bargain.
https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo.php?pk=931382...
and
https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo.php?pk=832750...
and
https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo.php?pk=186749...
The almost identical Corvette C7 calipers are from £724 a pair, more depending on the colour.
https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo.php?pk=639158...
and
https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo.php?pk=639159...
This is how the calipers looked on arrival.
3.7kg = 8.14 lbs. I'll weigh the stock calipers and bracket soon to compare. I doubt there will be any weight saving however.
Z06 discs are relatively easy to get hold of in the UK, well usually, EBC didn't have any one piece discs in stock, so I upgraded to their lighter, two piece discs instead (£518 with my discount). A one piece Z06 disc is reported to weigh 12.2kg/26.8lbs, these came in at 9.7kg/21.34, about 200 grams heavier than the one piece, used Z51 discs I'd removed. As well as being larger (355 vs. 325mm), they also have cooling vanes in the right direction, unlike the Z51 type where one side flows the wrong way!
Photos slightly out of sequence, but it makes more sense this way.
A test fit showed that the discs 'just' brushed the outer edges of the caliper.
A little grinding on the edge and clearance was good (the Cadillac has smaller discs as standard).
It wouldn't do to have 'Cadillac' branding on the car, so I rubbed the caliper faces down, sprayed them with red caliper paint, ebay silver stickers, couple of coats of high temp. lacquer and they were ready to go on.
The kitchen smelled beautiful for a while.
On to pressing out the studs, for longer ARP ones (that I'd slipped in my Florida suitcase, back in November).
I wish now I'd gone for the even longer 3.25" ARP studs, as the 2.5" only gave me 8.5 turns of engagement on the wheel nuts. I therefore ordered a set of extended thread nuts, giving me a good 12 or 13 full turns.
Next, the pad overhang needed sorting. Only a mm or two, but once the pads wear with use they would probably make an annoying scraping noise. Mark with a permanent marker, a quick angle grind to make a taper and they were in and done.
Talking of pads, I am trying EBC's new SR11 race compound on the front (EBC rear). They gave me a set to try, perhaps after a friendly moan about their drilled discs cracking prematurely.
So, not a big brake solution for someone wanting to just bolt up and go, but with a little work it appears to be a very cost-effective solution. I'll report back in a couple of weeks after Silverstone, the 40 minute 'race' will give it a good test. In time I may move the old front calipers to the rear, but that's an experiment for another time.
On to the rest of the work, service bits.
Yup, still the standard intake and filters.
The cabin filter was in a sorry state after the Moroccan border forces had removed it and shoved it back (twice).
Removing the radiators, oil cooler, shroud and fan gave more room for work (weeping power steering seal).
Only the AC pump clutch/pulley had failed, but given that the system was original I decided to change it all. I'd blown air a number of times through the condensor, but you can see how badly clogged it had become.
The Chinese replacement condensor fit was appalling, leaving large gaps where air could escape around the sides, due to the positioning of the mounting brackets. The air drier tube was also much shorter, again, leaving an easy air escape route, rather than bring forced through the fins.
Getting to the air con pump bolts was a challenge, unusually, as the Corvette has good access for so many other jobs.
The radiator is a thick core, no brand, all alloy unit, identical to the one I was using.
The radiator support takes a hell of a bashing on these cars. There are plenty of copies online for less than $100, I decided to go for an uprated, strengthened one from Crane Corvettes. It's nicely made, but the riv nuts were slightly out of place for the air dam.
My little assistant.
Building his Clive jigsaw.
I taped up all the gaps between rads and shroud with alloy duct seal tape. I've not had a rubber hose burst yet, but decided to change them all for black silicone whilst I was in there.
Finally, rear hubs removed and ARP's fitted there too.
I drove it in to work today, for an A/C gas and then a wash later.
List achieved:
Full service (moving back to Millers 5w40)
Replace the cracked front discs (see brake upgrade documented later)
Replace A/C condensor, pump and belt
Replace radiator, as the previous one cracked
New, strengthened radiator support
Silicone coolant hoses
Press out factory wheel studs, replace with 2.5", longer ARP studs, also pressed out studs from the 20mm spacers. Also extended thread wheel nuts.
There is more still do to, but that was as much as I could get away with in this phase, plus I need to bed the brakes in.
Let's start with the fun bit, the brakes. Those who have read all 26 pages will know that my brake calipers are stock items (2 piston front, single piston rear), but I moved up to the larger Z51 sized discs and brackets, with the brilliant Mintex F4R pads. The weakness is the front discs, which crack prematurely, most likely due to their relatively small size (325mm). Common big brake upgrades, in order of ££££ are Z06 (calipers now unavailable new), Wilwood or AP. My budget wouldn't run to any of these and the Z06 calipers are problematic on track (fine on the road), with small 'padlets' rather than pairs of brake pads on the front.
I'd spent many an hour researching if any of the calipers/discs from other GM products would fit, but couldn't find anything until recently. A few individuals have found that the Cadillac ATS/CTS that runs a 4 piston Brembo caliper will bolt on and work with the 355mm disc from the C6 Z06. It needs slight spacing from the knuckle with a couple of thin washers, the edge of the caliper needs a tiny bit of material removing, as does the outside 2mm of brake pad, other than that it bolts on and fits within the 18" front wheel, with a 20mm spacer. Brake proportioning is done electronically on these cars, so it's reported to be well balanced when braking hard.
Researching the calipers further shows that they use the same pad shape as cars such as the Tesla Model 3, Mitsubishi Evo, RS Megane and loads more, so plenty of pad choice. They might be marked Cadillac, but they are the same Brembo caliper as used on the Corvette C7, only with different length mounting bracket (that means the C7 caliper won't fit).
The very best thing is the price, just £222 for the pair of brand new calipers, from Rock Auto, plus £20.58 for the pins and spring. Ok, there is VAT and delivery on top, but that's a bargain.
https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo.php?pk=931382...
and
https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo.php?pk=832750...
and
https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo.php?pk=186749...
The almost identical Corvette C7 calipers are from £724 a pair, more depending on the colour.
https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo.php?pk=639158...
and
https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo.php?pk=639159...
This is how the calipers looked on arrival.
3.7kg = 8.14 lbs. I'll weigh the stock calipers and bracket soon to compare. I doubt there will be any weight saving however.
Z06 discs are relatively easy to get hold of in the UK, well usually, EBC didn't have any one piece discs in stock, so I upgraded to their lighter, two piece discs instead (£518 with my discount). A one piece Z06 disc is reported to weigh 12.2kg/26.8lbs, these came in at 9.7kg/21.34, about 200 grams heavier than the one piece, used Z51 discs I'd removed. As well as being larger (355 vs. 325mm), they also have cooling vanes in the right direction, unlike the Z51 type where one side flows the wrong way!
Photos slightly out of sequence, but it makes more sense this way.
A test fit showed that the discs 'just' brushed the outer edges of the caliper.
A little grinding on the edge and clearance was good (the Cadillac has smaller discs as standard).
It wouldn't do to have 'Cadillac' branding on the car, so I rubbed the caliper faces down, sprayed them with red caliper paint, ebay silver stickers, couple of coats of high temp. lacquer and they were ready to go on.
The kitchen smelled beautiful for a while.
On to pressing out the studs, for longer ARP ones (that I'd slipped in my Florida suitcase, back in November).
I wish now I'd gone for the even longer 3.25" ARP studs, as the 2.5" only gave me 8.5 turns of engagement on the wheel nuts. I therefore ordered a set of extended thread nuts, giving me a good 12 or 13 full turns.
Next, the pad overhang needed sorting. Only a mm or two, but once the pads wear with use they would probably make an annoying scraping noise. Mark with a permanent marker, a quick angle grind to make a taper and they were in and done.
Talking of pads, I am trying EBC's new SR11 race compound on the front (EBC rear). They gave me a set to try, perhaps after a friendly moan about their drilled discs cracking prematurely.
So, not a big brake solution for someone wanting to just bolt up and go, but with a little work it appears to be a very cost-effective solution. I'll report back in a couple of weeks after Silverstone, the 40 minute 'race' will give it a good test. In time I may move the old front calipers to the rear, but that's an experiment for another time.
On to the rest of the work, service bits.
Yup, still the standard intake and filters.
The cabin filter was in a sorry state after the Moroccan border forces had removed it and shoved it back (twice).
Removing the radiators, oil cooler, shroud and fan gave more room for work (weeping power steering seal).
Only the AC pump clutch/pulley had failed, but given that the system was original I decided to change it all. I'd blown air a number of times through the condensor, but you can see how badly clogged it had become.
The Chinese replacement condensor fit was appalling, leaving large gaps where air could escape around the sides, due to the positioning of the mounting brackets. The air drier tube was also much shorter, again, leaving an easy air escape route, rather than bring forced through the fins.
Getting to the air con pump bolts was a challenge, unusually, as the Corvette has good access for so many other jobs.
The radiator is a thick core, no brand, all alloy unit, identical to the one I was using.
The radiator support takes a hell of a bashing on these cars. There are plenty of copies online for less than $100, I decided to go for an uprated, strengthened one from Crane Corvettes. It's nicely made, but the riv nuts were slightly out of place for the air dam.
My little assistant.
Building his Clive jigsaw.
I taped up all the gaps between rads and shroud with alloy duct seal tape. I've not had a rubber hose burst yet, but decided to change them all for black silicone whilst I was in there.
Finally, rear hubs removed and ARP's fitted there too.
I drove it in to work today, for an A/C gas and then a wash later.
Edited by Fishy Dave on Tuesday 14th February 10:24
One of my favourite threads on here. Enjoyed Morocco or bust.
Put similar calipers on my GM product.
I suspect it uses the same pad, not sure if the caliper is the same. Very close relative of the CTS-V. 355mm x 32mm is the same size disc as my car. Don't know if the offset is correct though. They are around AUD$500 a pair. Doing research looks like the disc is the same size but it is different in the middle. DBA where my discs are from also make those discs for your car.
Gets a bit annoying when you do some research and find that pads, discs and calipers are cheaper if they were attached to another vehicle. However it is satisfying when you realise that you can save $$$, or £££ in your case with a bit of time on the internet.
Bit like a modern day treasure hunt with Rockauto as your friend!
And the UPF48R, can never have too many of them lying around!
Put similar calipers on my GM product.
I suspect it uses the same pad, not sure if the caliper is the same. Very close relative of the CTS-V. 355mm x 32mm is the same size disc as my car. Don't know if the offset is correct though. They are around AUD$500 a pair. Doing research looks like the disc is the same size but it is different in the middle. DBA where my discs are from also make those discs for your car.
Gets a bit annoying when you do some research and find that pads, discs and calipers are cheaper if they were attached to another vehicle. However it is satisfying when you realise that you can save $$$, or £££ in your case with a bit of time on the internet.
Bit like a modern day treasure hunt with Rockauto as your friend!
And the UPF48R, can never have too many of them lying around!
They do look very similar, although it looks like yours have an external crossover tube. It is odd that the prices vary so wildly, but that is part of the fun. DBA discs do seem good quality, I've used them once before. Corvette's do seem to have funny offsets, on both wheels and brakes.
First time for me using the 'Gold' oil filter, for no particular reason I've always used the regular AC Delco filters.
First time for me using the 'Gold' oil filter, for no particular reason I've always used the regular AC Delco filters.
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