Nine Second, Street Legal, Supercharged, Alcohol Injected
2003 Corvette C5 A4 Coupe
Producing over 900+ horsepower at the crank

Used on the Street and at the Strip, changing only the rims / tires for drag racing...

Click here to see the Ghost Flames

Machine work was done by M2 Race Systems starting with a Sunnen CK-21 honed block along with a balanced, polished & pinned crankshaft. Engine was then assembled at East Coast Supercharging (ECS ) using fully machined, weight matched, Manley pro series "I" beam 4340 steel forged rods; Manley 2618 high strength aluminum forged pistons (pin-fitted using heavy duty tool steel wristpins) and Total Seal 1.5MM plasma moly high performance rings. The build included ECS ported heads; ECS ported oil pump; Comp Cams "ECS Blower" Cam (proprietary grind: Duration ~ 220s / Lift ~ 580s); Comp Cams 921 dual valve springs with titanium retainers; King high performance silicone coated main bearings, Rollmaster double roller timing chain; ECS 8-rib pulleys & double bearing fixed idler with an ATI Performance Products Super Harmonic Damper®; ARP 2000 head stud kit; GM MLS gaskets; FAST LSX™ polymer Intake Manifold with Siemens Deka Mototron 60# High Impedance injectors and a Bosch 04x series secondary fuel supply system; Ported Throttle Body; Ported MAF with A&A Mass Air Flow Sensor Girdle; Abear Rocker Covers with Coil Pack enclosures; ECS Catch Can; NGK TR-6 spark plugs, GM LS7 Wires and more...

The gauge package includes an A-Pillar replacement bezel with two A-Pillar mounted PLX Devices DM-100 multi-function, full color, remotely controlled, organic displays, which are fed by four PLX Modules: (a) OBD-II, (b) Vac/Boost, (c) Fuel Pressure and (d) AFR. Additionally, the pods contain alcohol pressure status (green/red) and secondary fuel pump system activation (blue) LEDs.

- Further equipped with a KP Technologies FM-20 two stage traction control flexible memory module as well as an Innovate Motorsports LC-1 Wideband 02 Kit (for logging & tuning using EFI Live / V2 FlashScan on an Asus 1000HE Mini Laptop). Also using a TAG Command-Air WSC-2 Weather Station Computer to monitor DA and run predictions.

On the Dyno...

At the rear wheels as measured by a Dynapack™ chassis dynamometer on 10/31/2008...  

RWHP: 770 @ 6238 RPM   & RWTQ: 687 @ 5486 RPM

dumping into a Corsa Performance Power-Plus RSC™ (Reflective Sound Cancellation™) Pace Car Edition stainless exhaust with Tigershark tips. Additionally, a pair of 6061-T6 aluminum body DMH low profile electric cutouts with Torrington needle bearings are welded in prior to the mufflers.

Video: Exhaust at Idle ( with the cutouts closed and opened )

The transmission includes a Media blast transmission case; RPM sleeved input drum; RPM 3-4 clutch pack; RPM reinforced sunshell with collar and bearing; Heavy Duty double caged 29 element sprag; 4L65E low roller clutch; Billet 4th gear servo; Transgo HD-2 shift kit; Corvette Servo; Wide 2-4 band; Updated aluminum accumulator piston; Bushing kit; new shift solenoids & wiring harness; GM valve body spacer plate; GM 5 pinion planetary gearsets - front and rear; RPM Seal & gasket kit + Filter with clutch and band clearances to RPM specifications.

Further modified in August & September of 2009 by ECS with a 4L60 performance pack, carbon fiber bands, updated drum / check valves, 300M hardened output / main shaft & seals; hardened input shaft and billet coupler; ECS Custom, One-off Deep Pan and Pro-Tree Trans Brake (wired inline with the Lingenfelter LNC-003 Adjustable 2-Step Launch Controller / RPM Limiter).

Cooling Systems:

Engine: Custom fabricated DeWitts aluminum radiator running dual SPAL high performance fans with integrated / custom ECS oil cooler, braided lines and 160 degree thermostat.

Transmission: B&M Racing Hi-Tek trans SuperCooler with high performance SPAL fan (13-1/2"x9"x3-1/2" core, 9-1/2" fan, 175 degree thermostat, braided lines).

Suspension:

Launch tuned PFADT Race Engineering adjustable coil-over shocks with Hypercoils front drag springs on updated split spherical bearing mounts; PFADT Race Engineering front & rear adjustable sway bar kit (6061 anodized aluminum arms, steel-spherical end links and polyurethane bushings) with an Elite Engineering E2 Tunnel Reinforcement Plate.

...running Castrol GT LMA fluid. Rear brake cooling added through a GM C5 Z06 rear brake cooling scoop and duct kit. Braking controls include an ECS built Biondo Racing 3000 psi Linelock / Roll Control solenoid & switch. Stainless steel brake pad covers added for appearance.

Wheels, Tires, Studs & Lugs:

ARP heat-treated 8740 chrome moly wheel studs (190,000 psi tensile strength) using Gorilla Blue (conical seat / 12mm x 1.50) open ended Lug Nuts on the strip and Gorilla black 7075 aluminum Racing lug nuts on the street.

- (1) Rims / Tires for the Street (Dress & Daily Use)... Forged 19x9.5 Savini SV3 chrome plated Signature Series rims with 245/35ZR19 BFGoodrich g-Force T/A KDW 2 Blackwall tires up front and forged 20x10.5 Savini SV3 chrome plated Signature Series rims with 285/30ZR20 XL BFGoodrich g-Force T/A KDW 2 blackwall tires on the rear.

- (2) Rims / Tires for the Strip (Qtr. Mile)... CCW Drag Pack: Classic series modular / polished wheels; with 26" Mickey Thompson ET Street Drag tires (26x11.5-16 LT Bias) on the rear and M&H Racemaster 4.5/26.0-17 bias skinnies up front .

Interior & Safety:

Sparco Mugello steering wheel with left button for horn & right button for transbrake / launch control; Corbeau A4 Black & Grey Microsuede Racing Seats, slotted for submarine belts, with double locking slider mounts and a Simpson Camlock black 5-point harness on the Driver's side; black 5-point 4130 Chromoly Rollbar (.083 thickness) welded to the frame with removable driver's side bar (using clevis joints and quick release pins), fabricated & tig welded in-house at ECS. Elite Engineering Aluminum Gas Pedal. Lloyd's DuPont Nylon 50th Anniversary C5 Floor Mats (Black) and a Dot Deco static cling matrix targa roof headliner. Additionally, added a billet mounted MaxOut B:C 1-lb. chrome fire extinguisher.

Exterior:

Hand Laminated Fiberglass C5 Heat and Pressure Extractor Cold Air Hood (BPP Mold) Custom, hand painted purple flames, fading into black...

... plus a Hand Laminated Fiberglass Rear Wing, Hand painted Battery Den Cover; Hand painted (gloss black with purple ghost flames) fiberglass: (1) Methanol Tank Cover, (2) Coolant Reservoir Tank Cover, and; (3) Front Wheel Well Covers, Left & Right and injection-molded, ABS Rear Fender Splash Guards (painted black).

Sound System / Electronics:

Pioneer DEH-P790BT Blue Tooth Head Unit (Hands free cell phone) with Pioneer GEX-P920XM XM Radio receiver, CD-I200 iBus Interface Cable for Apple iPod, CD-UB100 USB Adapter (with 8Gb I/O Magic Gigabank USB 2.0 drive) connected to a Soundgate GMCRV1 Interface out to a black JL Audio Slash series 300/4 amplifier. Front Channel = JL Audio Evolution XR650 Speakers (custom door mounts); Rear Channel = JL Audio Evolution VR650 Speakers (running off Bose amps); Subwoofer = Black JL Audio Corvette C5 sealed Stealthbox® enclosing a JL Audio 10W3v2-D2 sub. Also added an Escort Solo S2 Cordless Radar Detector and a Garmin nüvi® 885T widescreen voice-activated navigation system with lane assist, junction view and MSN® Direct.

The photos below are a bit older, showing the original / stock steering wheel, previous GPS. etc...

Accessories and more:

Abear Motorsports Enclosed Coil Cavity polished aluminum Rocker Arm Covers; Polished billet fuel rails; Aluminum anodized fuel fittings, filter and regulator (ECS, Earl's Performance Plumbing and Nitrous Express); Optima RedTop 75/35 six-pack SpiralCell battery; chrome Hurst Ltd. "Tuff Stuff" 110 Amp Alternator with Chromed bracket and brace; stainless braided fuel lines; CCA Molded/Braided Upper Radiator and overflow hoses; Stainless steel Power Brake Booster Cover; Stainless steel Cowl Vent Cover; Chrome Fluid Cap Covers and A/C Check Valve Cap Covers; Stainless steel Brake Master Cylinder Reservoir Cover; Stainless steel Power Steering Reservoir Housing Cover; Chrome Headlight Motor Covers; Chrome Hood Strut Covers; Chrome Engine Oil Dipstick; Stainless steel Fuse Box Cover; Stainless steel front Bumper Upper Attaching Lip Cover; ChromeCo chromed Hood Hinges & Latch Bars; plus some under-hood white LED accent lights.

Extras:

Protective Aluminum Radiator Screen; Open / Cold Air Fog Light surrounds; Frame saver front wheels; Aluminum Rocker Panel Skid Plates; 50th Anniv. Filler Plate; Rubber Door, hood and trunk Sill Seals; Door Edge Guards; Altec Phantom License Plate Louvers; GM Front License plate surround filler and Laser / Photo Shield License Plate Covers with C5 screw snaps; Invisi-Lock Door Key Hole Cover; front running lights / turn signal and reverse lights acrylic smoke gray black out kit; ACA DOT compliant High Intensity Discharge (HID) projection headlamps (low beams) with Toshiba 9011 HIR high beams; 6000K HID xenon Fog/Driving lights; Corvette-enhancements Black Cherry Halo LED Taillights w/32 LEDs (using an LED turn-signal hyperflash bypass relay), Corvette-enhancements Black Cherry Diamond Cut Rear Markers with 5LED Red Cluster Bulbs, Corvette-enhancements Black Cherry LED Third Brake Light; Front side fender GM 2003 C5 50th Anniv. emblems; NHRA Numbers, Name and ECS Decals in Purple, outlined in Brushed Aluminum, by eDecals.

What's Next / Future Mods:

• Lewis 5 (L5) rear flared fenders and splash guards; permitting wider rims & tires underneath: Rims and Tires from CCW with offsets for the Lewis 5 Rear Fenders including: (1) For the drag strip... keeping my M&H Racemaster 4.5/26.0-17 bias skinnies up front (but, with new tires) and a new Drag Strip Rears: CCW Classic Series Modular / polished wheels with 28x14.5x16 Hoosier Quick Time Pros. And, (2) For the street: CCW LM20 rims (Polished, Mirror-Like with CCW Engraved caps): Front: 18x10" CCW LM20 rims with Nitto NT05 265/35ZR18 tires. Rear: 18x13" CCW LM20 rims with Mickey Thompson 345/35R18 ET Street Radial II tires...
  
  

Over winter (2009-2010) upgrades will assure that the car and driver meet all NHRA specs to run in the nines and over 135 mph in the qtr. This includes an NHRA Certified Full Roll Cage (upgraded from the current 5-point bar), Padding, Window Net and Master Electric Cutoff Switch. May also add Pfadt Race Engineering spherical bushing kit (Rear Only: Changing control arm bushings with 6061 T6 aluminum sleeved mono-ball joints).

More:

Although I do drive this car on a semi-regular basis, I try to keep it as clean as I can. So, I also drive a 2003 Dodge Ram 2500 SWB Quad-Cab with a Hemi and a few, minor mods as well as our 2006 Subaru Legacy GT. But, I love just about anything with an engine in it and recently sold some other toys that I just did not have enough time to use, but I loved em, including a Four Winns 258 Vista (boat), a Yahama Vmax street bike, a Yamaha YZ250 motocrosser and a Kawasaki Ultra 150 jetski. But, I always wanted a Corvette and this car has been a dream to own, drive and enjoy. I’ve also made some good friends just by taking her to a few local car shows / cruise-ins, charitable events, rallies, drag races, etc. I even had the local high school print shop class create a car-show poster for me, which I thought was really nice.  I'm now getting more involved in drag racing and competing for points in the CC Pro 10 double index class.

 

Events and more:

Some events & awards that I've enjoyed with this car:
- But first, see if you can spot this car in the ECS Video on Youtube

• 04/17/08: "Best of Show " at the Edison Light Cruisers Cruise-in
• 06/28/08: Make a Wish Corvette Rally, New Gretna, NJ: Photos
• 07/20/08:  Corvettes for a Cure (Phoenixville, PA) First Place / C5 Class: Photos
• 08/22-24/08: Corvettes at Carlisle : Fun Field & Parade Participant: Photos
• 09/04/08: "Best of Show " at the Edison Light Cruisers Cruise-in: Photos
• 09/20/08: ECS Corvette Challenge (First Round Winner): Photos
• 10/11/08: Atlantic City Toys for Tots run sponsored by Kerbeck Corvette: Photos
• 11/22/08: Pro 10 Drag Racing (1/8th Mile 6.400 Dial Index): 2nd Place: Photos
  
  
• 01/31/09: Nominated for and awarded the: "2008 Meticulous Racer Award in memory of Dave Ramsden, presented by Yank Racing Converters in Memory of David Ramsden and presented by David's wife Debbie - Raceway Park, Englishtown, NJ - January 31, 2009." Previous Winners include: 2007 Jerry Muniz, 2006 Bill Fischer Sr., 2005 Glenn Murphy, 2004 Neil Fine
  
  
• 03/21/09: Pro 10 Drag Racing (1/4 Mile 10.50 Dial Index): Round Winner : Photo  
• 04/07/09: Jim Harrington Drag Race School: Video | Photos
• 04/23/09: "Best of Show " at the Edison Light Cruisers Cruise-in
• 04/25/09: Corvettes vs GTOs Drag Racing: 1st Round Winner: Video | Photos
• 04/29/09: Raceway Park Test & Tune: Photos
• 05/09/09: Corvette Challenge: "Almost Perfect" -0.003 R/T plaque: Video | Photos
• 06/06/09: CC Pro 10 Drag Racing: Round Winner : Video | Photos
• 07/02/09: "Scholarship Trophy " at the Edison Light Cruisers Car Show
• 07/03/09: A few Test & Tune passes at Raceway Park: Photos
• 07/11/09: ECS Corvette Challenge at Raceway Park: Photos
  
• 08/01/09: 23rd Annual East Coast Corvette Show & Go
  - Index Madness First Round Winner & Car Show Runner-Up : Photos
• 08/27-30/09: Corvettes at Carlisle : ECS Vendor Tent Display Vehicle: Photos
• 09/09: Atco Raceway : Running two consecutive nines: Video
• 09/20/09: Island Dragway: A few Test & Tune passes: Photos
• 10/10/09: CC Pro 10 DI Semi-Round Finalist : Photos (includes 10/9 T&T)
• 10/30/09: E-Town Track Rental (another 9 Second pass): Video | Photos (Other Video)
• 10/31/09: * WINNER * - CC Pro 10 DI Drag Racing : Photos
  - Taking the Win Trophy as well as a plaque for Best Reaction Time
  
  Some Top Cardomain Ratings (after ~29,000 page views)...
  
  
• Rated #1 out of all '03 Chevrolet Corvettes (10/09)
• Rated #1 out of all ~3,750 Chevrolet Corvettes - all years (10/09)
• Rated #1 out of ~125,000 rides in the Performance Mods category (10/09)
• Rated #1 out of ~256,000 rides in the Overall Interior category (10/09)
  
  

History:

This car was built in the USA by General Motors in Bowling Green, KY. On the assembly line, it was the 459th unit built that model year out of 35,469 of which 12,812 were coupes, 14,022 were convertibles and 8,635 were Z06 hardtops.

Visit My Personal Web Page for even more info and photos.

Special Thanks to "my crew chief"