Around this time, just as the new 505hp C6 Z06s were rolling out, my need for power was increasing again. I knew that the best way to achieve 500-plus horses in a hurry was to install a supercharger, but at an average price of $10,000 for a complete kit, installation, and tuning, a new blower simply wasn't within my budget. I began searching for a good used system at a decent price.
After doing some research, I decided that the A&A Corvette Performance system had the most potential. But at a new price of $5,600, it was out of my price range. I knew it was a long shot, but I called Andy Green at A&A to see if he had any used systems. To my surprise, Andy said he was taking a ProCharger system off an '04 Z06 and would sell it to me for $3,500. I couldn't believe my good fortune.
I told him to let me know as soon as he got it off the car. But after several weeks had passed, with no sign of the kit, I finally gave up and started looking elsewhere. Apparently the deal had been too good to be true.
Little did I know that my wife had called Andy and asked him to hold off on shipping the system until a few days before an upcoming special occasion. I didn't find out about her plan until the day of my birthday, when a present arrived in the form of a large box at my door. Not only did Andy come through with the supercharger kit, he included a brand-new bracket and a 3.85 pulley good for 8 psi of boost! He even shipped me the crank-pinning kit for free. Thanks to Andy, I had assembled the ultimate supercharger system on a budget.
A few weeks later, it was back to John's house for the installation. All the parts were accounted for, and the job went smoothly. I was then off to Carolina Auto Masters to have the car tuned for the new setup. A tune for a blower car normally runs around $500, which was a bit more than I could afford. Luckily, I am a residential paint contractor, and I was able to trade some work for the tune.
After a few pulls, we found the car was making around 530 hp at the rear wheels, but running lean on the top end. To address this, I ordered a Lingenfelter fuel pump from Andy for around $300 and purchased an old set of 42 lb/hr injectors from John. With more fuel and a safe tune, the car put down 537 hp and 469 lb-ft. Including the supercharger, headers, and fuel upgrades, I had invested a grand total of $4,950 in horsepower improvements.
Since the supercharger install, the car has gone as quick as 7.2 seconds with a hot stock clutch. While the stocker has held up surprisingly well, I have a Textralia OZ700 disc in the garage waiting to be installed. My next mods will be an output shaft and strut brace from DTE.
My most recent upgrade was a used Dynotune nitrous system that I picked up on Corvette Forum for $550. I now have a bottle, a switch plate, 250-shot fuel and nitrous solenoids, a digital window switch, and jets ranging from 25 to 250 hp. In the interest of engine longevity, I have decided to limit my nitrous use to the occasional 25- or 50-shot. For now, I am just enjoying the car's newfound power...and wondering what to do next.