Is it any wonder Andy Green draws standing-room-only crowds for his yearly barbeque? Who wouldn't want to attend a Corvette party that includes free dyno pulls, free labor on bolt-on parts installations, free food and drinks, and a raffle for prizes ranging from coolers and T-shirts to a complete supercharger kit? Throw in gorgeous weather; live music; vendor booths from Wilwood, Air Flow Research, Vortech, Adams Car Care, and more; and the camaraderie of mingling with like-minded C5 and C6 nuts, and you have a must-do affair to put on your calendar.
Andy has thrown this bash for a number of years now as his way of saying "thank you" to the customers who have made his tuning business so successful. Attendance has grown with each party, and this year, the overflow of Vettes filled block after block around A&A's Oxnard, California, facility.
New this year was the appearance of several C6 Z06s. Some were bone stock; others had already been leaned on. At least one was a clone-Andy is turning a standard C6 into a Z06 with "everything a Z06 has and more," including a C5-R-based 427 fed by a humongous Vortech blower. (We plan to show you more of this car in a future story.)
The lure of free dyno time invariably draws some high-powered cars to Andy's picnic, and this year was no different. Several Vettes, many familiar to this magazine's readers, spun the drums to well over 600 hp. We would have had even more, but several guys confided to us that their cars weren't quite ready to enter this high-stakes game. "We'll be ready next year," they assured us.
Several C6 Z06s showed up...
Several C6 Z06s showed up at the A&A party, including this one owned by Ron Macabeo. It's still bone stock-"I just put gas and oil in it"-but he wanted to benchmark the LS7 on the A&A dyno. Other stock Zs hit higher numbers that day, but the 430 hp Ron's car reached seems in the ballpark as it's just some 14 percent off the 505hp flywheel stat.
With all the late-models parked...
With all the late-models parked around A&A, Jack Cox's split-window was a real standout. Describing it as "hideous" when he bought it 30 years ago ("It had six taillights with Cougar sequentials"), Jack has brought the car back to pristine condition. Under the hood is a 340-horse 327 backed by a four-speed.
Another hot-part tip: Joel...
Another hot-part tip: Joel Feingold couldn't say enough about the Nitto NT-01s he put on his road-and-drag-race C5. He called them "better than drag radials" after knocking two-tenths off his quarter-mile time at Pomona. The bad news: He's on his second set after just 5,000 miles.
There were several carts parked...
There were several carts parked around the A&A garage containing used parts for sale.
The A&A "thank you" barbeque...
The A&A "thank you" barbeque is aptly named, with tri-tip steak and other goodies offered hot off the grille. This guy has figured out how to beat the long food lines.
Larry Jones' convertible (foreground)...
Larry Jones' convertible (foreground) was trimmed out nicely with lots of carbon fiber and polish. The car's blown motor is capable of putting out 640 hp at 12 psi.
A&A's Andy Green had several...
A&A's Andy Green had several project cars parked around the party. This is a C6 he's turning into a Z06 clone-well, a Z06 on steroids given the "exceptionally big blower" he's hung on the C5-R 427.
Kevin Sheridan, whose twin-turbo...
Kevin Sheridan, whose twin-turbo Z06 made 730 hp last year, stayed off the dyno and instead talked up his new Stinger hood. Made from high-temp resin, the hood reportedly weighs just a tick over 170 pounds.
One of the big draws to Andy's...
One of the big draws to Andy's barbeque is his offer of free labor for anyone who wants to have bolt-on parts installed. Frame savers, exhaust systems, and air intakes were among the most popular add-ons at the party.
Gary Sage
Tarzana, CA
'03 Z06, 819 Hp/693 Lb-Ft
This ghost-flamed Z has made several previous appearances in VETTE, including on the cover of the Oct. '05 issue and as a participant at Andy's barbeque that same year. In 2005, Gary's 756-horse pull was the second best of the day; this year, he was at the top of the class with over 800 wheel horsepower. The difference? Andy swapped the ProCharger F-1R supercharger Gary had on his Vette's 427 for an A&A Vortech system using a YSi-trim head unit. When asked how much boost the blower was pushing, Gary said, "When your foot's in it, who has time to look at gauges?"
Never satisfied, Gary was talking to Andy at the party about making even more power. The C5-R-based engine is torn down yet again, awaiting a set of LS7 heads and new headers.
Specifications
Engine: 427ci C5-R block
Reciprocating Assembly: 4-inch Callies crank, Eagle rods, Diamond pistons, 9.5:1 compression ratio
Heads: AFR 225cc
Cam: Custom grind with 232-/238-degree duration
Intake Manifold: 90mm F.A.S.T.
Throttle Body: 90mm LS2
Power Adder: A&A Vortech system with YSi-trim supercharger, Vortech blow-off valve
Exhaust: Custom headers
Other Parts: Exedy dual-disc clutch
Rick Sperling
Granada Hills, CA
'01 C5 640 hp/547 lb-ft
Rick's bright-yellow C5 is another former VETTE cover car (Sept. '05), and it, too, has received some significant upgrades since then. In 2005, Rick had modified the basically stock LS1 with a Magna Charger and bigger injectors, netting him 443 horses at the wheels. This year, he came to Andy's party with a new ProCharger centrifugal blower in place of the roots-style Magna, AFR 225 heads (Rick is president of Air Flow Research), a Comp Cams bumpstick, headers, and more. A&A and GRC Performance did the installation and tuning work; the results speak for themselves.
But Rick's not done, either. There's a methanol-injection system in the works that he hopes will add another 50 rwhp. We plan to cover that install and bring you the results in a future issue.
Specifications
Engine: 346ci LS1 block
Reciprocating Assembly: Stock, 10:1 compression ratio
Heads: AFR 225cc
Cam: Comp Cams 220-/228-degree duration, 0.581-/0.581-inch lift
Intake Manifold: 90mm F.A.S.T
Throttle Body: 90mm LS2
Power Adder: ProCharger D-1SC with twin intercoolers
Exhaust: Kooks 171/48-inch headers, C5 Z06 exhaust
Other Parts: Yank/Gear Star/American Performance 4L80E transmission, Yank 3,400-stall converter, Baer brakes
Joel Feingold
Los Angeles, CA
'98 C5, 626 hp/587 lb-ft
A big gun in 2005, Joel made the cut again this time around. And like our other heavy hitters, he came back and made even bigger numbers than before. Unlike the others, the changes Joel made during the year were limited to a bigger aftercooler tank. But it-working in tandem with a Vortech T-trim blower and methanol injection-was good enough to bump up his Vette's output from last year's 613 to 626 hp. And that was late in the day when the air in the A&A dyno cell was hot, smoggy, and far from optimal.
Specifications
Engine: 346ci LS6 block
Reciprocating Assembly: Stock crank, Eagle rods, Diamond forged pistons, 9.2:1 compression ratio
Heads: CNC-ported LS6
Cam: Comp Cams 220-/226-degree duration, 0.560-/0.569-inch lift
Intake Manifold: Stock LS6
Throttle Body: Ported LS6
Fuel System: 55-pound Siemens injectors, custom fuel system with LP in-tank pump, inline Bosch pump, surge tank with Kenne Bell Boost-A-Pump, fuel-pressure regulator
Power Adder: Vortech T-trim supercharger, methanol injection
Exhaust: Kooks headers, LG Motorsports 3-inch X pipe, Borla Stinger exhaust
Other Parts: C5-R springs, QA1 adjustable shocks, T-1 sway bars, Brembo brakes, Nitto NT-01 tires on HRE wheels
Steve Bastow
Santa Monica, CA
'06 Z06, 471 hp/447 lb-ft
Steve's Vette is a little different than the other cars profiled here-his was the most powerful stock C6 Z to cross the A&A dyno on party day. Steve's car was just the 37th Z06 built, and he was delighted to pick it up from Bowling Green.
Andy Green
Oxnard, CA
'05 C6 "Unfinished Project," 512 hp/458 lb-ft
Leave it to Andy to turn over 500 hp in a car he isn't even finished with yet. This black C6 actually belongs to one of Andy's customers, actor Adrien Brody, and it's on its way to being much more than you see here. At the party, the car still had its LS2 motor, fitted with a Vortech V-1 supercharger. Eventually the car will get one of A&A's forged 427s and probably a bigger huffer, with the goal of achieving 850 rwhp and more than 700 lb-ft of torque.