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Category: Chevrolet

  • 2019 Corvette Grand Sport – A&A Supercharger

    2019 Corvette Grand Sport – A&A Supercharger

    Some cars come and go, and some cars tend to stay forever. With Philip’s latest acquisition of this 2019 Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport being a sentimental one, this C7 is here to stay.
    With the decision being made to keep the car, the desire for more power couldn’t be avoided any longer, so a plan was set in place to get this C7 Grand Sport tipped over the 500whp mark!
     
    Modifications performed by us:
    • A&A Corvette Performance supercharger system
    • Vortech Superchargers polished V3 Si head unit
    • A&A Corvette Performance 8-rib 3.80″ upper supercharger pulley
    • Innovators West, Inc. 7.650″ lower supercharger pulley
    • A&A Corvette Performance oil feed and return lines
    • Gates Corporation HD Fleetrunner “Green” belt
    • A&A Corvette Performance 38mm Turbosmart blow-off valve
    • NGK Spark Plugs LTR7IX-11 spark plugs
    • Mightymouse Solutions Mild catch can setup
     
    With the mechanical work wrapped up in the shop by Andrew, Matt strapped her down to the rollers for Vlad to perform a custom calibration via HP Tuners. With 93 octane in the tank, and the Vortech V3 Si delivering ~8psi, Vlad increased the LT1’s output to a solid 566.23whp & 551.72lbft! Some pretty outstanding numbers considering this C7 is still on the stock fuel system!

  • C8 Corvette – AWE Cat-Back Exhaust

    C8 Corvette – AWE Cat-Back Exhaust

    In addition to the recent cold-start video that was posted, we also wanted to share some behind-the-scenes action of the cat-back install on Christopher’s C8 Corvette. With this being our first C8 in shop and on the lift, we were all a bit excited to have a glance at the new mid-engined machinery that Chevrolet has been teasing us with for the past few years.
     
    With the C8 pulled into the shop and on the lift, Andrew got to work removing the rear bumper and OEM exhaust system. With the OEM exhaust system unbolted and out of the way, Andrew started piecing together the new 3” CNC mandrel-bent, U.S.-made .065” wall T304L stainless steel cat-back exhaust from the fine folks over at AWE Tuning. With this exhaust being designed, engineered, and manufactured in-house at AWE here in America, it’s nice to see American parts being used on American vehicles.
     
    Once the install work was completed, the C8 was brought back down to the ground, and the initial turn of the key handled, it was evident that this exhaust system was exactly what Christopher, and the entire shop, wanted. The mild growl of the factory exhaust was replaced with an instant roar of the AWE, leaving Christopher with grin from ear to ear!
    Performed by us:
     
    • AWE Tuning cat-back Touring Edition exhaust system w/ quad chrome silver tips.

  • 2017 Chevrolet SS – Whipple 2.9L

    2017 Chevrolet SS – Whipple 2.9L

    On this installment of Whipple Wednesday, Jesse brought us his 2017 Chevrolet SS to create the perfect American family sedan, injected with a little bit of Aussie spirit! Following the desired Holden HSV GTS setup that we never got stateside, this SS features something the SS’s should’ve come with in America……BOOST!
     
    Pre-existing modifications performed by us:

    • AIRAID air-intake system
    • Stainless Works 1.78″ primary ID catted long-tube headers
    • MSD Performance spark plug wires
    • Design Engineering, Inc. Protect-A-Boot sleeves
    Performed by us:
    • Whipple Superchargers 2.9L Gen-IV W175FF supercharger system (customer supplied)
    • Whipple Superchargers 4″ upper supercharger pulley
    • Siemens Deka Fuel Injectors 63 lb/hr fuel injectors
    • NGK Spark Plugs TR6 spark plugs
     
    With the mechanical work wrapped up by Alex in the shop, Matt strapped her down to the rollers for Vlad to perform a custom calibration via HP Tuners. The results? 592.52whp & 547.68lbft on 93 octane!
    With the added power under the hood, Jesse can fully immerse himself in not only the vicious growl of the LS3 6.2L V8, but also the sweet sweet whine of the Whipple 2.9L W175FF supercharger system, all the while manually shifting all six gears though the Tremec Transmissions TR6060, fully creating an intoxicating experience that Jesse will be sure to enjoy.

  • 2017 Corvette Grand Sport – A&A Supercharger

    2017 Corvette Grand Sport – A&A Supercharger

    Over 550whp on tap, and sporting a new form of fun hidden under the skinny pedal, Don’s 2017 Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport is one killer daily driver. While the LT1 is a great performance engine in its own right, Don desired more, so a plan was implemented to add something most every C7 owner wants under the hood…..BOOST!
     
    Modifications performed by us:
     
    • A&A Corvette Performance supercharger system
    • Vortech Superchargers polished V3 Si head unit
    • A&A Corvette Performance 8-rib 3.80″ upper supercharger pulley
    • Innovators West, Inc. 7.650″ lower supercharger pulley
    • A&A Corvette Performance oil feed and return lines
    • Gates Corporation HD Fleetrunner “Green” belt
    • A&A Corvette Performance 38mm Turbosmart blow-off valve
    • NGK Spark Plugs LTR7IX-11 spark plugs
     
    With the mechanical work wrapped up in the shop by John, Matt strapped her down to the rollers for Vlad to perform a custom calibration via HP Tuners. With 93 octane in the tank, and the Vortech YSi delivering ~9psi, Vlad increased the LT1’s output to a solid 571.37whp & 554.79lbft! Some pretty outstanding numbers considering this C7 is still on the stock fuel system!

  • 2019 Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport

    2019 Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport

    Rick’s 2019 Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport, finished in a fitting Sebring Orange Tintcoat, comes out of the box as a great platform, sporting loads of performance straight from the factory. With plans to track the car on road courses, Rick wanted more. The objective for the C7 was simple: increase throttle response, allow the engine to breathe better, and increase power. With a plan in place, the car was pulled into the shop and the build commenced. Build list below:
    Pre-existing modifications:
    • aFe POWER air-intake system
    • CORSA Performance cat-back exhaust system
    Performed by us:
    • MSD Performance Atomic intake manifold
    • Katech drive-by-wire 103mm throttle body
    • Kooks Headers and Exhaust 1.78″ primary OD long-tube headers
    • Kooks Headers and Exhaust 3″ X-pipe w/ high-flow catalytic converters
    • MSD Performance spark plug wires
    • Design Engineering, Inc. Protect-A-Boot sleeves
    With the mechanical work wrapped up in the shop by Andrew, Matt strapped the C7 down onto the rollers for a custom calibration by Vlad via HP Tuners. With 93 octane in the tank, Vlad increased the LT1’s output to a solid 449.15whp & 455.32lbft, sending power to the rear wheels through an 8-speed automatic transmission. With the upgraded dry-sump lubrication system in the Grand Sport models keeping the oil pumped into the engine during sustained cornering and the added width of the fenders and body in contrast to the base model, you can say that Rick made a great choice when choosing the Grand Sport as a weekend cruiser and track car.

  • 2017 C7 Corvette – A&A Supercharger & Stainless Works Headers

    2017 C7 Corvette – A&A Supercharger & Stainless Works Headers

    Mark brought us his 2017 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray to add an additional 200whp to his C7 via our Stage 2 Supercharged Package! 
     
    Modifications performed by us:
    • A&A Corvette Performance supercharger system
    • Vortech Superchargers polished V3 Ti head unit
    • A&A Corvette Performance 8-rib 3.80″ upper supercharger pulley
    • Innovators West, Inc. 7.650″ lower supercharger pulley
    • A&A Corvette Performance oil feed and return lines
    • A&A Corvette Performance 38mm Turbosmart recirculated blow-off valve
    • A&A Corvette Performance horizontal-mount intercooler system
    • O​EM GM LT4 Direct Injection fuel injectors
    • O​EM GM LT4 Direct Injection high-pressure fuel pump
    • NGK Spark Plugs LTR7IX-11 spark plugs
    • MSD Performance spark plug wires
    • Mightymouse Solutions Mild catch can setup
    • Stainless Works 2.0″ primary-ID long-tube headers w/ high-flow catalytic converters.
    With the mechanical work wrapped up in the shop by John, Matt strapped her down to the rollers for Vlad to perform a custom calibration via HP Tuners. With 93 octane in the tank, and the Vortech V3 Ti delivering ~8psi, Vlad increased the LT1’s output to a kick-ass 603.33whp & 538.46lbft! With an initial baseline of 404.54whp & 419.85lbft, that’s an additional 200whp!
    Click the link below to see our available packages for your C7 Corvette!

  • 2019 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

    2019 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

    Michael brought us his 2019 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 with the goal of adding 130-150whp on 93 octane while maintaining stock-like drivability. The solution? Our Stage-3 package! Modifications below:

    Performed by us:
    • Kong Performance OEM supercharger/snout porting service matched to 103mm throttle body
    • ZPE GripTec 2.30″ upper pulley
    • Dedicated Motorsports 10mm wider 6061 aluminum tensioner pulley
    • Gates Corporation HD Fleetrunner Micro-V “Green” belt
    • Nick Williams Performance drive-by-wire 103mm throttle body
    • ATI Performance Products Super Damper harmonic balancer
    • ATI Performance Products 8.295″/3.25% overdrive pulley
    • Roto-Fab, LLC Big Gulp air-intake system
    • Stainless Works 2.00″ primary ID long-tube headers w/high-flow catalytic converters
    • Stainless Works axle-back exhaust system
    • NGK Spark Plugs LTR7IX-11 spark plugs
    • MSD Performance 8.5mm spark plug wires
    • Design Engineering, Inc. Protect-A-Boot sleeves
    • Lingenfelter Performance Engineering 160° thermostat
    • DSX Tuning auxiliary fuel pump kit
    • Mightymouse Solutions Mild catch can setup
    • PWR North America 27mm heat exchanger
    • Cordes Performance Racing & Sales supercharger expansion tank

    With the mechanical work wrapped up in the shop by Tim, John strapped her down to the rollers for Vlad to perform a custom calibration via HP Tuners. The results? 695.29whp & 746.95lbft on 93 octane! Considering these cars normally baseline between 540-550whp on our dynos, this is right in line with our expectations. Solid outcome and killer value for what we consider to be our Stage-3 performance package for these cars.

  • 2020 C8 Corvette – American Racing Headers

    2020 C8 Corvette – American Racing Headers

    Bob brought us his latest addition to his fleet, a 2020 Chevrolet C8 Corvette, to have us unleash some bald eagles from the 6.2L V8!

    Performed by us:
    • American Racing Headers 1.78″ primary ID long-tube headers

  • Deeper into the 9’s with Sean’s 860WHP 2016 Camaro SS

    Deeper into the 9’s with Sean’s 860WHP 2016 Camaro SS

     

    Deeper into the 9’s we go, with an assiduous quest for 8’s!

    Sean has been a long time National Speed client and GM performance car fanatic, owning and restoring a gorgeous 1964 Nova SS, and for the past couple years, his dedicated performance car, a Mosaic Black Metallic 2016 Chevrolet Camaro SS. 

     

    For the latest evolution of Sean’s never-ending quest for more power, a simple goal was laid out: 850+whp on 93 octane.

    The car has lived through several iterations over the five years of Sean’s ownership, starting from a bone-stock, brand new platform straight from the dealership. While all was fine for a while, Sean had a craving for something more, and after spending multiple weekends at the dragstrip, the need for more power could not be contained. 

     

    With the original engine-out build yielding him some great results. throwing down a tire-slaying 9.98 quarter mile at Coastal Plains Raceway Park Dragway, it was clear the existing setup needed to be updated. Unable to suppress the desire to see how far we could really push the LT1, a plan was set in place to completely tear down and rebuild the 6.2L LT1...for the second time.

     

     

    With the Camaro back in the shop, our Performance Technician, John, made quick work pulling the engine from the car, tearing it down to the bare short block. From there, he meticulously gapped each piston ring to the exact spec needed and in went a Gwatney Performance Innovation complete drop-in piston & rod package. This specific package includes Diamond Pistons 2618 pistons with rings, Callies Performance Products 6.125″ connecting rods, connecting rod bearings, heavy duty wrist pins, locks, and rings. To compliment the new pistons and rods installed, in went a custom designed 5150 billet-core VVT camshaft from Cam Motion.

    While John was working away on the bottom end, we tapped the great team at Gwatney Performance Innovation again for their ported cylinder head service and installation of Brian Tooley Racing valve spring set. Once the heads were finished with their revamp, John finished up the engine internals with a COMP Cams high pressure fuel pump lash cap, OEM LS7 rocker arm pad, and all the various gaskets and seals to complete the installation.

     

    Maguson Supercharged LT1 Engine

     

    With the internals beefed up and the motor dropped back in, it was time to work on some more power! While Sean was able to make a solid 740.05whp & 694.24lbft on E50 at only ~12.5psi on his old setup, a Magnuson Superchargers Heartbeat TVS2300 supercharger, we decided to up the ante and go with an even bigger setup from Magnuson Superchargers, the Magnum DI TVS2650R! To dial in more boost, a smaller upper pulley was needed, so John swapped out the existing upper pulley for a smaller 80mm unit, then added a 103mm SD103LTX throttle body upgrade from Williams Performance, allowing the most amount of air into the TVS2650R. Finishing up the engine build, John installed a set of LTR7IX-11 spark plugs from NGK Spark Plugs attached to a set of premium spark plug wires from Katech. 

     

    2016 Chevrolet Camaro SS Wheel

     

    With the drivetrain set, it was time to figure out how to get the power to the ground. The stock wheels, control arms, and wheel & brake hub setup were all removed and replaced with a 15” conversion from Carlyle Racing. The stock set was quickly replaced with a set of gorgeous WELD Racing 15×10 S71B Non Beadlock wheels wrapped in Mickey Thompson Performance Tires & Wheels 275/60/15 ET Street S/S radials. To help the car stage correctly and to get heat into those new meaty tires, a line lock kit from SJM Manufacturing, Inc. was installed allowing the front brakes to lock up independently from the rear brakes.

     

    With all the parts installed and mechanical work wrapped up in the shop by John, our Calibration Assistant, Matt, strapped her down to the rollers for Vlad to perform a custom calibration via HP Tuners. With 93 octane in the tank and the Magnuson TVS2650R delivering around 16psi, Vlad and the National Speed team were able to increase the LT1’s output to a kick-ass 863.71whp & 742.04lbft!

     

    2016 Chevrolet Camaro SS on Dyno

     

    For Sean, power has come in stages, originally seeing 546.80whp & 545.77lbft with bolt-ons, 740.05whp & 694.24lbft with the first build, and now with the current setup, 863.71whp & 742.04lbft! With the factory direct-injection system being the only limiting factor in this build, the temptation to switch over to LS-based port-injection is already on Sean’s mind. Hopefully we will see him back here for more fueling upgrades and tap into the 900-1000whp range, finally reaching his goal of 8 second quarter mile times!

     

    Reach out to National Speed today to see what we can do for you!

     

  • 2018 Chevrolet Camaro SS – ZL1 LT4 Supercharged

    2018 Chevrolet Camaro SS – ZL1 LT4 Supercharged

     

    Jeremy brought us his 2018 Chevrolet Camaro SS to have the LT1 reinforced and add some OEM-style boost! Build setup below:
     
    • OEM GM Camaro ZL1 LT4 supercharger system
    • Gwatney Performance Innovation drop-in pistons & connecting rods
    • Texas Speed & Performance camshaft
    • Katech C5R/C6R timing chain
    • COMP Cams camshaft phaser lockout
    • Cam Motion oil passage block-off plugs
    • Brian Tooley Racing valve spring set
    • Brian Tooley Racing push rods
    • Brian Tooley Racing trunnion roller upgrade
    • Brian Tooley Racing 160° thermostat
    • ARP Pro Series cylinder head stud kit
    • Johnson Lifters 2110 hydraulic roller lifters
    • Gen-IV LSx lifter guide plate
    • OEM GM Gen-V LT4 fuel pump with lash properly set
    • OEM GM Gen-V LT4 140.70lb/hr fuel injector
    • OEM GM Camaro ZL1 in-tank fuel pump assembly
    • Stainless Works 2.00″ primary ID long-tube headers
    • NGK Spark Plugs LTR7IX-11 spark plugs
    • MSD Performance 8.5mm spark plug wires
    • Design Engineering, Inc. Protect-A-Boot sleeves
    • Lingenfelter Performance Engineering 160° thermostat
    • Mightymouse Solutions Wild catch can setup
    • McLeod Clutches RXT Street twin-disc clutch & flywheel assembly
     
    With the mechanical work wrapped up in the shop by John, Matt strapped her down to the rollers for Vlad to perform a custom calibration via HP Tuners. With the LT4 TVS1740 supercharger delivering only 8.5psi, Vlad increased the LT1’s output to 673.55whp & 677.01lbft on 93 octane! Next steps are a ported supercharger, 103mm throttle body, upper & lower pulleys, and 5″ intake will net this 6th Gen gobs more power!
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Reach Out Today To See What We Can Do For You!

     

     
     

     

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