Selling more of a particular product than you expect is never a bad problem, but for the Corvette team, a solution had to be put together quickly. As the 2016 C7 Corvette Z06 demand continued to outpace the Performance Build Center’s capacity, GM routed some 6.2-liter LT4 V8 engine production to GM’s Tonawanda Powertrain Facility in New York state.
However, according to Corvette Blogger, new Bowling Green plant manager, Kai Spande, lobbied hard to bring all LT4 production in house. And he has done just that. Not only that, but each LT4 is officially hand assembled by one single technician.
As of May 1, 2016, each LT4 supercharged V8 engine was produced in house at the Performance Build Center and hand assembled, with 45 engines being produced per day, and 2.5 engines per technician. Spande was allocated $75,000 from a $44 million investment package to the Bowling Green plant to ensure this goal was met. This resulted in a second shift.
If a technician does not complete the entire assembly process in his or her shift, the engine is sent to a safe storage area, stored properly and tucked in to go night-night until the tech returns to pick up where he left off.
Of course, if you’d like to be even more hands on, GM will allow you to hand assemble your own LT4 V8 engine with the supervised help of a PBC technician. The experience will cost another $5,000, but becoming one with the LT4 may be worth it.