If there's one word that describes all types of Corvette owners, it's observant. They're up-to-date with the details not only of their particular Corvette, but of the many variations of their generation of America's Only True Sports Car. And, they keep up with what other Vette owners are up to, thanks to the Corvette-based mass media-especially Corvette Fever and www.corvettefever.com-and also corvetteforum.com, ZO6vette.com, and smokinvette.com.
Butch Howard is among the most observant of Corvette owners, not just because his observational skills were honed by 32 years as a police officer in Slidell, Louisiana. He's also one who saw what was happening in the world of Vettes and took action.
That action involved his C6, which you see here. "It was a great car from day one. I can't say enough about it," Butch says of his '07 Z06. "It's been an awesome car." Awesome, indeed-but with room for improvement. "505 horsepower at the crank is a lot," Butch says. "But, like most guys who are car guys, after you get it and drive it, you get on the forums, you read Corvette Fever, and you start seeing what everyone else has done. You then get the "itch," and you want toto upgrade." So, Butch contacted aftermarket companies like Katech, Pfadt, and Brembo. As he puts it, "It was just one thing right after another."
The first area on Butch's Z06 that was upgraded was the chassis-and for good reason. "I wanted to track the car a little bit," Butch says, "to run it on track days and high-performance driving events. That's why I did the brakes and suspension first." Off came the original-equipment (OEM) parts and on went Brembo's big-brake kit and Quantum Motorsports spindle ducts, then Pfadt's coilover suspension and sway bars.
The "itch" to upgrade carried over to the engine, which Butch rebuilt with help from Katech (and their "Torquer" camshaft), Halltech cold-air induction system, Harland Sharp roller rockers, MSD (coil packs on the Z06's ignition system), Kooks headers, and Billy Boat mufflers. Plus, the cylinder heads were port-matched to the intake and headers. It now puts out more than the 505 horsepower that The General rated the production LS7 engine at.
Katech's engine hardware is...
Katech's engine hardware is a big reason why Butch's '07 Z06 has more than the stock 505 hp under the hood.
Outside, Butch added Katech's carbon fiber rear spoiler and ZR1 front splitter and Caravaggio's GT hood, while the cabin received a much appreciated upgrade, changing the stock C6 Ebony leather for the optional Ebony/Cobalt Red interior. "I pulled everything out, and then put sound-deadening and heat-reflective insulation in the whole car before the interior went back in," he recalls. "It really made a difference on long trips."
Along with the updated cabin, the mechanical upgrades made this Corvette the top performer and handler of all the Vettes that he's owned (including a six-speed '92, which he says was the best of his previous six Vettes.) "The '07 is twice the car as far as performance and handling goes," Butch says with pride. "At 75 miles an hour, it gets about 26 miles a gallon all day. It's smooth-it's not so rough that it feels like you're riding in a truck like the '68 I had. It really handles well, it's good on the track, and it's well behaved." He does have one caution for C6 ZO6 owners who take their Vettes-modified or not-to track days. "You've got to be careful, even though it's got traction control and active handling," he says. "You can turn all that off, and the car can get away from you if you don't watch it. I don't profess to be a race car driver by any means-I enjoy getting on the track with it and doing laps. You've got to be careful with it."
Inside, refinements like Caravaggio's...
Inside, refinements like Caravaggio's leather/alcantra steering wheel went in after the cabin was detrimmed and a full heat/sound insulating kit installed.
But those mods and upgrades took nothing away from this C6's grand touring character, which Butch experienced during some very long trips with it. "We've been out Route 66 with the car, all the way to California, and up to New England twice with it." That included a five-week, 9,700-mile Western trip, made just after he got it but before he started upgrading it. We went up to Oklahoma City, got over to 66, then went all the way as far as we could to Santa Monica," he says. "We also went up to San Francisco on Highway 1 all the way, then Highway 101 back to Death Valley and the Grand Canyon, all of that." Then less than a year later, America called him again, and he went in a different direction with his Z06. "Eight months after that trip, we left for New England. We were in Salem, Massachusetts, for Halloween the following year."
Lately, Butch has been keeping closer to his Slidell home, running his '07 at some track days and taking in some local events. But he's got another long-distance run in the works come next fall's "fall colors" time. "We're planning another trip up to New England for "leaf time" there," he says. Without any modifications, the '07 Z06 is quite a Corvette. With the upgrades that Butch added to his, the lyrics to the classic Chevy ad jingle. "See the U.S.A. in your Chevrolet" ring even truer: "...On a highway or a road along a levee, performance is sweeter, nothing can beat 'er, life is complete-er in a Chevy..."
14-inch Brembo disc brakes...
14-inch Brembo disc brakes at each corner put the stopping power of Butch's C6 on a par with the power from its owner-modified LS7.
Butch turned to sources like...
Butch turned to sources like Pfadt, Brembo, Katech, and Bowmanized to turn his '07 Z06 into a better track car/grand tourer than the production version is. Tires are huge Nitto "Invos" all around/
Butch mounts a video camera...
Butch mounts a video camera on his Z06's windshield for track-day runs and other events.
Here's Butch and his '07,...
Here's Butch and his '07, taking to the twisties on track day. (No, that overturned cone isn't his!)
E.J. "Butch" Howard, Slidell, Louisiana
Body
Modified production '07 Corvette Z06
Modifications: Katech C6 ZR1-style carbon fiber front splitter, GM ZR1 bumper support, Katech rear carbon fiber spoiler, Caravaggio GT high-rise hood
Paint: OEM Black; Bodywork, paint preparation and applied by GM's Bowling Green Assembly Plant
Striping: Dark charcoal grey ZO6 ME3 stripe by Vette Stripes
Front/Hood Grilles: RaceMesh
Chassis
Frame: OEM C6 Corvette with hydroformed aluminum side rails
Suspension: Pfadt Racing coilovers and sway bars replaced OEM C6 Corvette Z06 components, front and rear
Steering: OEM C6 Z06 Corvette rack-and-pinion, power-assisted
Brakes: Brembo 4-wheel disc brakes with ABS, 14-inch rotors front and rear
Spindle Ducts: Quantum Motorsports
Wheels: OEM Corvette Z06 wheels, 18x 9 1/2 inches in front, 19 x12 inches in rear; Tires Nitto "Invo," P275/35ZR18 in front, P345/30ZR19 in back
Tow Hooks: Phoenix Performance, front and rear
It's easy to spot some of...
It's easy to spot some of the engine upgrades to the LS7 in Butch's Z06, including the MSD coil packs and Katech valve covers and Killer Bee cold air intake.
Modified GM Powertrain LS7 aluminum-block V8
Built By: E.J. "Butch" Howard, Slidell, Louisiana
Modifications: Katech "Torquer" camshaft, intake and headers port-matched to cylinder heads, Harland Sharp roller rocker arms, DeWitts aluminum racing radiator, Pfadt silicone hoses
Displacement: 427 cubic inches (7.0 liters)
Compression Ratio: 11:01
Cylinder Heads: OEM LS7 aluminum heads, port-matched to intake and headers
Ignition: MSD coil packs on factory ignition system
Induction: Ported OEM intake manifold and throttle body with Halltech "Killer Bee" cold-air induction system and "Bee Hive" CAI heat shield
Camshaft: Katech Torquer LS7
Exhaust: Kooks' 1 7/8-inch headers, 3-inch collectors, Billy Boat "Fusion" mufflers, 3-inch stainless steel exhaust pipes
Horsepower: 544 @ 5950 rpm (Rear wheel)
Torque: 515 ft. /lbs. @ 4750 rpm (Rear wheel)
Transmission
OEM Z06 six-speed manual transaxle with Positraction differential
Shifter: MGW
Final Drive Ratio: 3.42
The exhaust note from the...
The exhaust note from the modified LS7 through the Billy Boat "Fusion" mufflers is "Jake"-approved.
Modified OEM C6 Corvette Z06
Modified By: Caravaggio and Down South Vettes
Modifications: Caravaggio steering wheel and leather/alcantra seat covers
Console: Down South Vettes, ebony leather and alcantra
Seats: OEM ebony Z06 seats were upgraded to factory option ebony/cobalt red, also console and door panels
Carpets: OEM C6 Corvette cut-pile
Instrumentation: OEM C6 Corvette (0-200 mph speedometer, 0-8000 rpm tach with 7000 rpm redline, plus amp meter, oil pressure, oil temperature, coolant temperature and fuel level gauges), in dash), plus Raptor shift light on driver's A-pillar
Safety Harnesses: Pyrotect 6-point harnesses with Shark Bar/harness bar
Sound System: Bose premium with satellite navigation
In-Car Video System: GoPro wide angle video camera (mounted on harness bar), Chase Cam video camera (mounted on windshield)
HVAC: OEM C6 Corvette