Supercharged LSX Engine Build - A New Level

The coffee-table-sized intercooler from the original supercharger kit was adjudged sufficiently capable and reused.

Since the new setup called for as much as 16 psi of boost, Cell wisely upgraded from the stock LS7 aluminum block to this GM Performance Parts LSX iron unit. The LSX’s heavy-duty construction and two additional head bolts per side make it perfect for use in a high-boost combination such as this one. Displacement remains a Z06-appropriate 427 ci.

Topping the new block are a pair of LSX-LS7 heads from West Coast Cylinder Heads. With the company’s Stage II CNC porting, these heads yield a final compression ratio of 9.8:1 and handily outflow the excellent LS7 stockers.

A peek down the exhaust port offers a good look at the lapidary quality of the WCCH porting. The company also opened up the combustion chambers to 73 cc’s to help unshroud the valves.

When it comes to forced induction, what goes in must come out. These 1 7⁄8-inch long-tube headers from American Racing Headers should prove more than equal to the task.

The ARH headers feature stainless steel construction and come with both high-flow catalytic converters and an X-style crossover pipe.

Lovell modified them to accept sensors for monitoring the engine’s air/fuel ratio and exhaust-gas temperatures.

Although the ProCharger intercooler is perfectly adequate for street and drag-racing applications, Cell decided to backstop it with this water/methanol-injection kit for use in top-speed and open-road competition.

The meth kit displaced the stock windshield-washer-fluid reservoir, a trade-off Cell was happy to make. Lovell plumbed the system with custom hard lines and installed a drain plug to facilitate quick fluid change-outs.

Underneath, Cell replaced the factory Z06 driveshaft (bottom) with a burly 3.5-inch aluminum unit from the Driveshaft Shop. The DS piece is said to be good for 1,000 rwhp, and, unlike a pricier carbon-fiber piece, it should prove virtually invulnerable to damage from road debris. Polyurethane couplers are significantly tougher than the stock rubber “donuts.”

Axle failures aren’t terribly uncommon on enthusiastically driven C6s, and upping engine output only exacerbates the problem. Cell dumped the stock axles in favor of Driveshaft Shop “1,000hp” units, mating them to the stock (!) Z06 rearend. “Fingers crossed,” he says of the unorthodox pairing.

The factory clutch is another weak spot on enhanced-output Z06s, so Cell replaced his with a triple-disc carbon setup from RPS. An SFI-approved bellhousing (installed after this photo was taken) should be considered mandatory on any car making this level of power.