2001 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 Modified with a Supercharger

  Perhaps it's no surprise that one of America's most talented military musicians also owns a Corvette. "I was in search of a low mileage, bone stock C5 Z06 for my next adventure," the owner says. "I had owned several LS1 F bodies over the years. They were all great in their own ways, but I was ready for a car that could deliver more. I wanted the handling, as well as the quarter mile performance and dependability of the late model F bodies. That's why I decided on a Corvette." The owner found his Corvette in 2006 through a local classified ad.

   Describing his stock Z06 as "a blank canvas," the owner set out to customize it to match the excitement of his high-profile career. His vision was a Corvette that packed "real, usable power and looked good doing it."

  He began his project as do many Corvette owners, by opening up the exhaust with a set of headers and better flowing pipes. "I chose American Racing headers with 1 3/4-inch primaries, an x style crossover pipe, and a 3 inch stainless steel B and B Bullet system," he says.

  But these bolt ons were simply the prelude to a more sophisticated plan to achieve real power in the Capital City. "I decided to pull the trigger and add a supercharger," the owner says. "I contacted A and A Corvette in Oxnard, California, and realized that owner Andy Green's intercooled, Vortech-equipped C5 system was exactly what I was looking for."

  "Because air management is the key to an effective intercooler system, A and A utilizes a, ram air, design that allows for the largest intercooler possible, while not impeding airflow to the radiator," the owner says. "The intercooler has an aluminum enclosure and an interchangeable 3 inch street or 5 inch track scoop to grab cool air and force it through the core. Additionally, the heavy duty, CNC-machined bracket and tensioner system offers maximum belt wrap and grip to prevent slipping issues, the nemesis of many supercharger systems."

  The owner installed the A and A blower kit himself, a job that took around a week and was completed in his garage. To safeguard his engine's stock block, he then added a trunk mounted 2 gallon methanol injection setup sourced from Alcohol Injection Systems, AIS, in Columbus, Ohio. An AIS progressive controller and cabin mounted control switch activate the methanol at a user specified boost level. "It offers fuel stability under higher boost conditions, and I run it from 3 to 10 psi," he explains.

  The system is located in the Corvette's hatch area, where it resides beneath a 1 inch thick Plexiglas and vinyl cover fabricated by Neil Jurik of Two Brothers Customs. The methanol is routed via braided lines that run under the rear of the car, through the driver side rocker panel, and into the engine compartment. "I drilled and tapped the throttle body to accept an AIS brass fitting and connected the lines so, the methanol, sprays directly into the top of the throttle body," the owner says.

  To optimize the Vette's power potential, he sent it to East Coast Supercharging of Cream Ridge, New Jersey, for tuning and dyno testing. Additional tuning was performed by Larry Hasty in Washington. Surprising both the dyno techs and the owner himself, the Z06 easily pulled 547 rear wheel horsepower with a stock block and heads, and a modest 8 pounds of boost.