The
C7 Corvette has a plethora of available options. The Z07 option
enhances the boy racer look of the car with a high front side winglets
and a center extension for the rear spoiler. If your car was not
blessed with the Z07 option take heart it is very easy to upgrade for a
very minimal cost.
The total upgrade package can be
purchased on Ebay or Amazon for under $400. The factory will also sell
you the upgrade parts for three times as much. The cheap knock offs fit
and look just as good. The
front winglets are very easy to replace a little patience and some
basic garage tools is all that is required. Start by jacking up the
front of the car on the side you will be working on. A low
profile race jack and a set of jacking pucks is required.
remove the small Stage 2 winglet
remove the three torx head screws on the wheel well
After
getting the front end off the ground unscrew use a T20 torx head wrench
to unscrew the front factory winglets. You will also have to remove
some of the screws that secure the plastic shielding to gain access to
the rear of the screws. After removing the screws and the old winglets
you will have to remove the three screws securing the
plastic.wheel well shields.
Slide
the Stage 3 winglet into place and secure the two slots over
the factory bolts. Secure the top of the new winglet over the
wheel well shield using the three factory bolts. Button up the front
shield and make sure the winglets are properly aligned. It sounds
complicated but the installation is very intuitive once you get started.
Installing
the center section for the Stage 2 spoiler is much simpler. The only
glitch in the process is securing four button head bolts that are 3/8
of an inch longer than the existing bolts. The cheapo center sections
come without hardware.
The
longer bolts are available from GM at around $20 each, what a rip off.
Fear not just go to your local ACE hardware stor and buy four black M6
x 1 x 18mm button head torx bolts and four small flat head washers.
Total cost about three bucks.
Using
a T25 torx socket remove the factory bolts. Insert the new Stage 3
"wicker bill"center section and secure it with the new bolts. And just
like that you now have a Corvette Z07(without the ceramic brake rotors).
