American Heritage Performance

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American Heritage Performance LS & LT Engine Specialty Machine Shop
Worlds Fastest 427ci LS7 C6z06
F**k Around and Find Out

10/16/2026

NEVER STOP PERFECTING YOUR CRAFT.

In 2019, we built a heads-and-cam package for this customer's C6 Z06.

Seven years later, following a lifter failure that damaged the camshaft and cylinder heads, we had the opportunity to revisit our original work.

The result?

+20 rear-wheel horsepower.
+27 lb-ft of torque.

But this post isn't really about horsepower.

It's about something I believe every professional should take seriously, regardless of how experienced or accomplished they become.

Never allow your experience to convince you that you've mastered your craft.

I've spent well over a decade specializing in LS7 cylinder heads, and I still approach this work with the understanding that there's always something I can improve.

Better machining techniques. Better materials. Better engineering. Better attention to detail.

What I considered some of my best work seven years ago isn't necessarily what I consider my best work today.

And seven years from now, I hope I can say the same thing about the work we're producing today.

Experience should never be an excuse for complacency. It should be the foundation for continued improvement.

That's what being a professional means to me.

09/15/2026

20 PSI HOT OIL PRESSURE… NORMAL? 👀

This is a 2013 C6 Z06 with only 37,000 miles. Garage kept, well maintained, quality oil, owned by a guy with multiple cars who takes care of his stuff.

And it appears to have a connecting rod clearance problem.

The LS7 uses titanium connecting rods, and on some engines the rod side clearance can be too tight. Get the engine hot enough and thermal expansion reduces that clearance even further. The rods can begin contacting each other, eventually damaging the protective coating and allowing titanium-on-titanium contact.

That creates REAL mechanical friction inside the engine.

We just completed the cylinder head replacement on this car. During my post-repair test drive I got everything fully up to temperature and noticed the oil pressure fall to approximately 20 PSI at hot idle.

That got my attention.

I shut the car off, let it sit for a couple minutes, and restarted it.

Listen to how slowly it cranks.

It drags badly enough during the hot restart that the voltage drop actually triggers the traction-control warning.

Cold? You might never know anything is wrong.

37,000 miles. Babied. Maintained. And potentially an expensive bottom-end problem that has absolutely nothing to do with how the owner treated the car.

This is also why actually getting these cars HOT during a post-repair test drive matters.

LS7 guys — have you seen this before? What hot-idle oil pressure are you seeing on your car? And would this slow hot crank immediately make you suspicious of rod clearance?

👇 Let’s hear it in the comments.

09/15/2026

First startup after an LS7 head swap.

Here’s a quick look at how we handle the initial startup on a C6 Z06 after completing a cylinder head swap.

A lot of people think the first startup is just fire it up and let it sit there and idle. We don’t. There’s a process to what we’re doing with the RPM during those first few minutes and a reason behind it.

How do you guys handle first startup after major engine work?
Let it idle?
Bring the RPM up?
Heat cycle it?

Drop your procedure in the comments — and if you have questions about why we do something a certain way, ask. I’ll answer as many as I can.

09/08/2026

This is what a failed C6 torque tube looks like. 😬

We talk about torque tube problems on C6 Corvettes all the time, but seeing one completely destroyed gives you a pretty good idea why we take them seriously.

And yes — there are usually signs before you end up here.

The problem is knowing which noises and symptoms are “normal old Corvette stuff” and which ones are the car telling you something is actually coming apart.

I’ve talked about these failures before, but apparently it’s time for another deep dive.

C6 owners: what do you want to know about torque tube failures?

Drop your questions below 👇 I’ll answer them and make some videos covering the most common ones.

08/31/2026

BLOWING SMOKE — PART 2 💨

We kept digging into this one and the engine itself is looking healthy.

Leakdown is under 7% across the board.
Compression is good.
Valve seals are good.
Valve guide clearance is tight and within spec.

But run it up to 7,500 RPM and… well, you can see what happens. 😂

We’re pulling oil through the PCV system and into the intake manifold at high RPM.

So now the question is how we want to address the crankcase ventilation.

LS guys — what catch can / PCV setup would YOU run on this combination?

Drop your setup in the comments. 👇

08/28/2026

People actually pay me to do this 😂

Doing a little blow-by diagnostic work today.

Question for the engine guys: when you’re chasing excessive blow-by, what’s the FIRST thing you’re checking — and what’s your line between “normal for the combination” and “we’ve got a problem”?

Curious to hear how everyone approaches it. 👇

08/18/2026

sleeper” LS7. 😂

Okay… maybe sleeper is a stretch considering it sounds like a fu***ng dragster.

But underneath that battle-scarred exterior is one of our 690 RWHP LS7 combinations.

Personally, I’d leave the outside exactly like this. 😂

Would you clean it up… or leave it looking like it has absolutely no business making 690 to the tire? 👇

Address

25901 Belle Porte Avenue
Harbor City, CA
90710

Opening Hours

Monday 8:30am - 5:30pm
Tuesday 8:30am - 5:30pm
Wednesday 8:30am - 5:30pm
Thursday 8:30am - 5:30pm
Friday 8:30am - 5:30pm

Telephone

+13103262399

Website

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