2013 Chevrolet Corvette

2013 Chevrolet Corvette — The “Base” Model Didn't Stay Base for Long It may have started life as a base-model 2013 Corvette, but even the base C6 left Bowling Green with a pretty good foundation: an LS3 V8 backed, in this case, by a six-speed manual transmission. For Dad and me, that was more of a starting point than a finished product. The Corvette originally wore Night Race Blue paint, a great color in its own right. But Dad wanted something that would stand out a little more, so Justin and the team at Redline Designs transformed the exterior with a Sunburst Orange vinyl wrap. Black emblems replaced the original brightwork, while the wheels were powder coated black to complement the new color.

Making a Good Thing Faster Dad and I can't seem to leave anything stock for very long. It wasn't long before Dad decided the LS3 needed considerably more power. We put our heads together and ultimately chose an East Coast Supercharging supercharger system. Rather than simply bolting the blower onto an otherwise untouched LS3 and calling it finished, we wanted to prepare the engine for the additional cylinder pressure and horsepower. That meant tearing considerably deeper into a perfectly functional Corvette than most reasonable people probably would. The cylinder heads came off for LS9 head gaskets and upgraded head studs. The rocker arms received a trunnion upgrade, an oil catch-can system was added, and the crankshaft was pinned in preparation for the supercharger drive. And, of course, if you're already that far into an LS3 destined for boost, leaving the factory camshaft in place seemed like a missed opportunity. An East Coast Supercharging big blower cam went in as part of the combination.

At one point, with the engine torn down nearly to the short block, the front bumper removed, and the K-member dropped, some of our neighboring shops began giving Dad a hard time. “What are you doing? You know how to put that thing back together?!” Fortunately, we did. Adding the Boost The East Coast Supercharging system became the centerpiece of the build, transforming the naturally aspirated LS3 into the Corvette Dad had envisioned. We elected to build the combination around 93-octane pump gas supplemented by methanol injection. A secondary inline fuel pump was incorporated into the fuel system to provide the additional volume required under boost. Long-tube headers were added on the exhaust side while the factory NPP exhaust was retained out back. The combination is anything but quiet. With the long tubes, cammed LS3, and factory NPP system, the car has an aggressive exhaust note that suits it perfectly without giving up the factory variable exhaust arrangement.

Keeping It Cool Adding power was only part of the equation. Keeping everything cool—particularly in Florida—was just as important. A DeWitts upgraded radiator and fan package replaced the factory cooling hardware to improve the system's ability to deal with the additional heat generated by the supercharged combination. We also modified the factory front crash bar, carefully notching the structure to expose more of the intercooler and cooling stack to incoming airflow. It was a functional modification rather than a cosmetic one: give the intercooler and radiator as much clean air as we reasonably could.

Getting the Power to the Ground Making power doesn't mean much if you can't use it. The six-speed manual remains, but a McLeod RST twin-disc clutch now sits between it and the supercharged LS3, providing substantially more holding capacity while retaining the street manners we wanted from the car. And then there are the tires. At this point, Mickey Thompson might as well sponsor Quick Cars Tampa. Like several of our higher-horsepower cars, the Corvette wears Mickey Thompson ET Street S/S tires to give it some chance of actually putting the power to the pavement.

A Little Quick Cars Color With the Sunburst Orange wrap and black wheels establishing the exterior theme, we decided the brakes needed something different. Instead of the usual red, black, or silver, the factory calipers were refinished in bright green. It's an intentionally bold contrast against the orange body and black wheels—and one of those small details that makes the car immediately recognizable as Dad's.

Inside, things remain much closer to the Corvette that left Bowling Green. The cabin retains its factory-style black vinyl and leather interior, keeping the focus on the changes made underneath the hood and outside the car. And, as usual, we probably put it back together with a little more horsepower than it needed.