Corvette Z06 (LT4) and Camaro Z/28 (LS7) Engine Build

The 2015 Corvette Z06 features the LT4 GM engine, and the 2015 Chevrolet Camaro Z/28 features the LS7 GM engine. This video tours the Performance Build Center, located within the Corvette Factory in Bowling Green, Kentucky.
The LS7 is a 7.0L naturally aspirated V8 producing 505 horsepower and 481 lb/ft of torque. The LT4 is a 6.2L supercharged V8 engines producing 650 horsepower and 650 lb/ft of torque.
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[@Axs208]

Seeing all the cylinder head bolts tightened at once made me so happy. OCD was happy.

[@jamesavery6671]

looked sloopy

[@sulkmahidonkeydek3424]

James Avery right! OCD mustn’t be that serious

[@BP-fx3qc]

@@sulkmahidonkeydek3424 ocd level over 9000!

[@ghostwrench2292]

My OCD is only pleased when I do it with hand tools. 😎

[@Z06Wingo]

The 427/ 7.0 litre is and always will be a legend. Big block cubic inches in a light weight small block package. In my Z06 around 18 in city and 27 - 29 highway mileage. Sure, a person can add a blower and get close to the performance of the LS7. Add the same blower to an LS7 and get out of the way! I love my 2013 LS7. 3150 IBs Z06 will rock !

[@Z3rhairstylers]

But then it will drop a valve or the rods will rub like my 06!

[@ghostwrench2292]

LS7 is no doubt a badass engine as long as you keep it NA. They won’t take very much boost.

[@briansumner2700]

Nice work in a clean, bright, well organized work place. Those gang torque wrenches are something else. Well done. The LS engine is one of the best things Chevrolet has ever done.

[@frankcastle5294]

The craftsmanship on this motor is absolutely amazing. Have one of these in my new 2013 Corvette 427 convertible that I just bought with only 6000 miles on it. Truly an incredible engine. thanks for posting this up.

[@fraxonthefurry21]

I live 30 minutes away from the corvette plant. Its really cool to know that all corvettes in the world come from that one place.

[@DJSPACEJUNKIE]

that is pretty cool!

[@mattmoschkau2831]

But it’s not the only plant that’s capable of assembling a corvette. GM had two other plants that could perform that task, but have yet to ever assemble one for resale.

[@jfmjr1970]

The mighty LS7 this is the greatest NA small block GM has ever produced. The exhaust note under WOT is like music.

[@stevematz7354]

Apparently all the posters below badmouthing OHV Pushrod Engines have never seen a Sprint Cup NASCAR Engine like Chevy's RO7 or Ford's FR9 and Toyota's TRD V8 engines. These Engines unrestricted prior to the current Fuel Injection used by NASCAR made over 850 HP using just a single 830cfm Holley 4 barrel. These engines are only 358 cu in and yet go well over 200mph even on restrictor tracks like Daytona and Talladega. The Pushrod V8 is far from being Dead ...

[@gusgiesel]

This is very true! What's also true is, those NASCAR engines are racing engines, and it is common to see 1-2 (or more) engines blow up at every race. They are tuned for maximum power at the cost of reliability and efficiency. And think about those NHRA big block pushrod engines putting out thousands of horsepower! Amazing! Yet those engines only go 1-2 miles before they are torn down. The LT4 and LS7 engines are production engines that must go at least 60,000 miles per the warranty, and can't be fairly compared to racing engines. There are several reasons why American manufacturers are still producing pushrod engines by the thousands: lower production cost, compact size/low deck height, simpler design, and perhaps the biggest reason is that the manufacturers don't want to waste all the R&D money they have poured into developing the pushrod engine design.

[@EETechs]

Hey genius, guess what? Push rod came out AFTER overhead cam. So basically your technology is stone age.

[@jamesavery6671]

lol no. It's because with don't have a displacement tax like Europeans do. With have a gas guzzler tax but thats not based on displacement. Chevy gets around this with cylinder deactivation

[@jubjub905]

gusgiesel most races in nascar dont have an engine blow up...

[@joeyquigley3794]

They lose engines at the same rate as every other racing series excluding drag racing. Nascar engines are famed specifically for their extreme conditions and they experience higher piston g-forces than an F1 engine due to their stroke. And don't start on drag racing because that is a completely different story.

[@markjmaxwell9819]

Chevy should put LS7 type exhaust headers on all small block chevy engines. Pretty cool engine☺

[@Tj930]

I like the robotic tightening up all at the same time. Very cool.

[@rafaelcordova6374]

JUST ONE, ONLY ONE OF THOSE, THATS ALL I ASK FOR...

[@arturochacon8848]

pretty neat I myself am a factory worker and I like seeing things manufactured

[@sameerkarmali3250]

That head bolt torquing machine would make my life as a mechanic so easy. I've done so many camshafts on those ls engines on trucks. 22 ft/lbs + 90 degrees + 70 degrees and 22 ft/lbs for the smaller head bolts, if anyone was wondering :p

[@nathan101622]

Hey man I've been watching you since you started youtube, your vids really helped me thanks man

[@spazzmonster]

Great job Rob Nichols and team.

[@liveandbreatheoutdoors]

One of my favourite videos you've uploaded

[@derbigpr500]

Nice video. Watching this, and then watching let's say an AMG engine build, you can totally tell why those engines and cars are so much more expensive. It looks like the engineering, quality, attention to detail and sophistication is just on a different level. Not saying that it's not really great we're able to get such performance for a low price though...

[@cougarstable73]

Dude! This video was awesome and educational. Thank you so much for this! :D

[@rileycates5049]

These are works of art.

[@usmceric1]

It would be cool if they did a video at the factory where the LS7 heads are produced so they can explain why there have been so many head failures on all years of the C6 Z06.

[@seinfeld11123]

+usmceric1 my guess is its to do with the supercharging if its more common in Z06. from the looks of it they retain same compression ratio boosted or not. recipe for disaster when boost and heat is added. the heads try to lift themselves off the block. they need to be built much better for boosted engines. lower comp ratio or use E85 etc as a fuel

[@masmcg]

jack black c6 z06 wasn't supercharged. only the zr1

[@Jman9112]

Ls7 is the best sounding, high revving v8 Americans ever produced.

[@Axs208]

Was the ls7. Now it's flat plane crank gt350r motor.

[@PyroBlonde7777]

Lets see here, opinion and wrong. The sound is your opinion. The revving is wrong as both the Hemi and the flat plane crank gt350R motors rev higher. Even before the flat plane crank V8 the coyote engine reved higher. Not only does the Ford make more hp per liter so does the Hemi. The Hemi makes the most overall power including torque by nearly 100hp (approximately 70hp) than anything from GM. So really other than being cheap and being a large displacement the Ls7 engine really isn't that impressive. Popularity helped the engine more than its engineers.

[@jjsmithlago1234]

"Flat Plane" is just marketing jargon for "It's basically two 4 bangers mounted together" .They have to use acoustic tricks both electronic and analogue in order to get it to sound great.

[@masmcg]

PyroBlonde7777 he never said highest revving. just high revving.

[@marfigue777]

Jman9112 nop is the voodoo engine in the gt350 the best sounding engine

[@theroc68155]

It'll be awesome if you can get a similar video on the C8 Z06!

[@bigben40882]

Very interesting, good job, thank you mate.

[@EAGLE13441]

1:50 That's so satisfying to watch.

[@SS1LE_Urien]

I'm a GTR guy but I still want a Corvette too. I LIKE IT!

[@Unb3arablePain]

If GM built their cars like they built their engines, they'd be unstoppable.

[@panzerwaffen2873]

Unbearable Pain what a shame nothing it's perfect

[@hochhaul]

ar po 'Finally' had a turbo? GM was the first company to turbocharge a gas engine in a mass production vehicle.

[@jdrok5026]

@MrChad97Z the ls7 problem wasn't really on them.

[@DaxxTerryGreen]

Excellent work!

[@Aeonheart]

It's always fascinating to see what kind of tools they use. But boy.. as a mechanic I'd die of boredom doing the same things over and over again, though I suppose some are happy with jobs that allows you to stay active, nothing wrong in that. Great video though, such a high amount of interesting videos you have.

[@banddude121]

Same unless it was a company such as AMG. Doing the 4 cylinders would be fun along with building the twin turbo V12s for Pagani.

[@stchman]

The tour guide said they rotated positions to keep the employees engaged.

[@danteforest98]

Thank you!! Awesome video!

[@EngineeringExplained]

Before you ask! Next Wednesday will have the explanation portion of #ProjectIntegra. Install and testing to come after, hopefully a few PI videos in October. :)

[@transam4555]

I would so wake up excited every morning to go to that job.. punch in 15 minutes early and leave late as hell

[@MarcWNY]

Not all the LT4 engines were built at BG. Tonawanda Engine Plant also had built many of the LT4 engines too.

[@markjmaxwell9819]

A new generation lS7 would be awesome standard in the corvette and a new Z28 Camaro.

[@sunderjirahim]

Fantastic engine! North American Muscle at it's best!

[@MikeSmith-ve2qu]

Man thanks for the video !

[@vanys3]

awesome video, thank you :)

[@OneManArmy4Life]

Great video!

[@Avengew0w]

Engineering rulz!

[@idayote5106]

Cool video man

[@youngestson6537]

Great video.

[@Badassvidsz]

Awesome job you guys have there .. z06 is also my favorite car and nice job you do keep it up :-)

[@clearingbaffles]

so what lubricated the engines during cold testing? assembly lube? i realize the load is not from internal combustion

[@pinjunkie]

Cool video!

[@EthansOpinion92]

Great vid

[@craZhobo375]

So are z28 ls7's revised to fix the valve guide wobble that plagued the z06 ls7? I didn't realize how big of a problem it was until I looked into it. Really thought c6 z06s were bargains until I researched that.

[@mkelebay]

haha i noticed you put background music all those people getting all pissed about not having any, good job on the improvement either way

[@EngineeringExplained]

mkelebay Well, to be fair most people said they don't want it, and I don't plan on using it in the car reviews. I included it here because the background noises were a bit harsh, so I reduced them and added light music. Hopefully everyone's happy haha.

[@mkelebay]

Engineering Explained haha, doesn't really matter to me, but an interesting video nonetheless, could you explain what the differences are between these two engines are, i know the lt4 is supercharged, but is it just a smaller displacement version of the ls7 pretty much? if you're busy or whatever ill just google it

[@Gideon_Judges6]

Engineering Explained nice! I thought that was actually at the factory. In fact early in the video one guy seems to look up at the ceiling bewildered right when it starts to play. I thought it was some sort of bizarre paging system where you play a specific theme song for someone since it might be too loud to hear your name.

[@seb5945]

Among all the production companies, I think Porsche's the most impressive.

[@bigjeep2195]

Great video.....

[@markcrawford8876]

How covenient they skipped valve lash! Woulda loved to have seen machine set

[@lexusfan100]

cool a Mobil 1 engine oil huh..nice i use that oil too..: )

[@realmach5]

Lol all these people comparing the GTR's twin turbo V6 to an NA LS7. I'd say to compare it to a twin turbo LS3 but the outcome wouldn't be in their favor...

[@jjsmithlago1234]

Also the LS7 is more than 100lbs lighter since it's made from Aluminum.

[@alldirty1370]

Yea well it’s a 3.8 V6😑. There’s no comparing really

[@Ckcdillpickle]

@@alldirty1370 the Ford GT is a 3l v6 and only makes 100lb ft less than the lt4

[@PyroBlonde7777]

Do a video like this for the 5.7L Hemi vs the 6.2L Hemi!

[@nico74321]

hey when are u going to do a review on c7 zo6? I love what u did on the c7 and cant wait to see what you have to say for the new and more powerful zo6!

[@beeqool]

great engine for v8 motorcycle

[@3rdGenGuy]

PushGOD engine.

[@Thegreatjoker13]

i just wanna see a eng get put together without editing video....

[@bananasstuff3344]

It was a tour where they were being talked to by the employees. If you wanted that you should pay for the tour yourself, although there would still be other noise and staff talking to you.

[@DRJIVAN]

Hi Jason, thanks for all your videos. Do you know anything about the factory fault on the LS7s with the C6 Corvette Z06? Something regarding valve guide wear, I'm not sure if it was just the exhaust or both intake and exhaust valves. The valve seat may not be a fully concentric design which results in the uneven guide wear. Chevrolet did not do a factory recall and repair is very costly so I'm hesitant of buying one. Would be great to get your opinion. Many thanks

[@gruesume]

why is it filled by weight and great video man keep it up! :)

[@jamesguralski5156]

I like the work there doing.. is the production plant still running

[@DJewell]

I remember when I was a young engineering student many years ago and I got in a discussion with my vibration & kinematics professor, he insisted that the word was “Damper” not “Dampener”. After all these years I still have a problem when I hear someone use the word “Dampener” but I hear it often when dealing with engine builders. How did this term come about? For me the word should be Damper as in, harmonic dampers or harmonic balancers. I am a retired mechanical engineer and hobbyist engine builder so maybe I missed something along the way, help me out.

[@MichaelRodriguez-vl8by]

Looks just like the Caterpillar engine assembly process but on a smaller scale :p

[@jimoverschmidt8169]

A dream job- except for the “music” overhead when the line has an issue.

[@stvmassacre]

the engines are built in New York (Tonawanda GM Production)and shipped to Kentucky to be placed inside the vehicle. not a bad video though.

[@91mrbeat]

Adding the weights for balancing, is this done on the testing station?Are the cylindrical shaped weights added to the flywheel only?Also are they welded onto it? But really great Vid, Thanks buddy

[@suttonsplash14]

Ls7 rules!

[@xXChaz9849Xx]

WE WANT MOAR INTEGRA! Or at least your Subaru! JDM

[@EngineeringExplained]

Chaz Gunther I know! I'm like a mother without milk. I'm trying really hard to work on it this weekend.

[@IlhamDefraN]

GM proof OHV/push-rod engine not die yet

[@hochhaul]

And this engine is relatively old. Now GM makes high volume pushrod engines that make more HP per liter than even this engine. Although the LS7 will always be a legendary engine with it titanium connecting rods and massive output for a naturally aspirated, port fuel injected V8 that's lighter than many V6's and even some inline-4's.

[@SuperRuss52]

LS4 with a intergrated intercooler for the supercharger. I didn't know that was an option for the ZO6. Know wonder they beat the Hellcat.There both incredible cars for the money. The best is buying a 3 yr old ZO6 and saving 30K

[@ghostwrench2292]

That’s the LT4 engine in the C7 Z06 and Cadillac CTS-V (gen III) with the supercharger, although the LS9 in the C6 ZR1 also has intercoolers in the cover of the supercharger.

[@HawgNSonsTV2]

Cool

[@Cheva-Pate]

Heaven!

[@Crimsonnaire]

Hi. Would you happen to know if the rod bearings in these engines are aluminum coated bronze or bronze coated steel? Thanks.

[@jackstrapp91]

it's me or it's the god father theme right there? 05:10

[@KORTOKtheSTRONG]

wouldn't flywheel balancing increase the torque that the crank has to withstand?

[@Jmoneyy365]

I wanna do something like that in the future what is this job called ?

[@stumpyslvr]

Do they break these engines in on the dyno before Install?

[@bullsfan2021]

nice vid man! what's up with that weird ice cream truck music though?? xD

[@EngineeringExplained]

Sameep Sheth I was hungry, it was warm.

[@bhlb1511]

How do they integrate the inter cooler within the supercharger?

[@bobmyerly7189]

How long does it take one of these assemblers to build an engine?

[@alsharifhusain]

What is the required certificate for this job? Thank you!!

[@LS7chevy]

How much power can the ls7 block support? Who re-sleeves the LS7 block for Gm?

[@jeffreywood4054]

how long does it take for the engine assembly per unit?

[@ericsteele1022]

Awesome overview, a little open source music between narration pauses would go a long way towards an A+

[@EngineeringExplained]

***** It does have open source music between narration pauses, it's turn down as to not be annoying. :)

[@joshuapatterson5638]

IM sure someone said it ,but the LS7 is the C6 Z06 engine not the Z28 engine. The Z28 had a Ls1.

[@ultraspeed76]

Kame House Cosplay - The LS7 was also standard for 2014 & 2015 model year Z28 Camaro's. The last time an LS1 was used in a Camaro was in the 4th Generation ending in 2002 model year production.

[@michaellopez968]

What certification would I need to work there

[@AnthonyBanaga]

nice

[@JonathanLopez-lq4di]

Dream job

[@Malficion]

Will this fit in my Honda civic?

[@theblackboxpodcastshow1791]

can a (LS7) be "ported into a 5th Gen Camaro SS ? ( swiping out the old motor for a newer model ) ?

[@austinwebster5100]

Good luck on those spark plug changes...

[@yaxxbass]

I like how many comments are engine bashing and is calling them primitive, when the most only understand very basic knowledge compaired to the ones actually making them, it's pretty stupid

[@JonPrevost]

Tri-y headers, hmm... So my 1991 Camaro with SLP Tri-y's ARE desirable? Nah, just space saving :rolleyes: Thanks for the great video. Always a pleasure! I'll be sharing this often.

[@AliLS14]

good stuff, update on the project car?

[@EngineeringExplained]

Reference the first comment! :) (Next Wednesday, hopefully 2-3 videos in October).

[@leedo03]

wouldn't cast iron be a better choice for a block and cylinders since aluminum does not have an infinite life cycle?

[@ghostwrench2292]

I would say a cast iron block would be desirable if the objective were to design an engine for maximum durability but for a high performance engine in a car such as a Corvette, I imagine the lighter weight of an aluminum block is preferred.

[@dewiz9596]

But. . . I just watched a 2015 video where they were building LT4 Corcette C6 engines in the Tonawanda factory in Buffalo, NY. . . They were very specific about the completed engines being shipped to Bowling Green, Ky. Has something changed?

[@Ayixlia]

Mid engine C8 with a 6.7 litre LT5 and a LS8.

[@aethertech]

I once saw someone put a z06 into 1990's (94? 95?) Grand Cherokee.

[@themodifiedbranch.166]

What kind of Schooling or Degree is required for this

[@HateCrewReaper]

so if i understand correcctly, both these engines are the same except the lt4 has a super charger and different exhaust?

[@EngineeringExplained]

HateCrewReaper Nope, different blocks completely. They're just currently the two highest performance engines going into Chevy vehicles. LS7 is a 7.0L, LT4 is a 6.2L.

[@JDMricist]

Questions asked at 6:38 "What bolt requires the most torque on the engine?" "How would one torque it down without the machine you use here?"

[@r6exrider]

+JDMricist not sure about the first question but the answer to the sec question is a torque wrench to the specified torque.

[@r6exrider]

+JDMricist as for the 1st question im guessing the crank bolts

[@HERKFOOT21]

+JDMricist You would use a Crank Bolt Removal tool, its almost like a long wrench and at the end are two bolt holes to secure to the crankshaft, then at the end of the crankshaft you use your ratchet and socket to loosen or tighten the bolt. So the crank bolt tool is used to keep the crankshaft from turning when you loosen the bolt with a ratchet

[@aleksanderargirov3679]

what is the clutch in this engines,sport or normal,because i know over 300-350 hp it use sport clutch, of the another hand sport clutch is more difficult to drive on the ordinary road.

[@KORTOKtheSTRONG]

some reason i can't thumbs-up your comment on #projectintegra , engineeringexplained. maybe let that happen so you don't get 9001 questions lolol~