LS7 Solstice
Thread Starter
Registered User
Joined: Jul 1999
Posts: 3,647
From: Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
LS7 Solstice
Top Three HOT ROD V-8 Solstice Performance Tips
1. Swap the Solstice rear differential for one out of the Cadillac CTS-V, which has stronger gears (the cases are identical). The power needs to go somewhere--make sure it gets to the tires!
2. Install a fire extinguisher somewhere in the car. With all that heat under the hood, you'll need something to cool you off.
3. Figure out a way to hang on! A V-8 in one of these rides is going to make it fly, so make sure you've got good driver safety equipment (racing seatbelts and seats, rollbar, and so on).
The finished car--but you'll have to wait until the July issue to see us beat on it. The idea for throwing a V-8 in a Pontiac Solstice had been swirling around the HOT ROD offices since the car was unveiled, but the real movement came at a meeting in mid-2005 between the GM Performance Division (GMPD) and HOT ROD editorial staff. There it was agreed that HOT ROD would build a bad-*** LS7-powered two-seater Solstice, and GMPD would provide technical guidance to make sure the job was done right. Magazine guys can be ham-fisted at times, so we knew we'd need GMPD's help to make the car as good as it could be.
If you think the glory days of hot rodding were the '60s, then you wouldn't be interested in dropping a 427ci, 550-plus-hp killer small-block crate engine into a modern, 2,800-pound roadster. This thing is gonna fly! One of the goals of the HOT ROD team was to keep this V-8-powered version near that weight. A production Solstice was stripped to the bare frame and anything that could be chucked-- sound deadener, sealer, stud bolts, brackets, and more--was permanently removed.
The actual act of sliding a small-block between the Solstice framerails is surprisingly easy: It fits like a glove. Rumor has it that when the initial Solstice show car was built, the shop techs measured an LS1 V-8 lying around to see if the framerails were far enough apart to squeeze it in --and came away happy. Whether it's true or not, we like the fact the engine looks at home in the car.
Just how deep was GMPD's assistance on this project? Mainly by helping HOT ROD determine the best way to fit everything together through the development of "math data." The most obvious collaboration was during the exhaust packaging. HOT ROD avoided brutal headaches during this part of the build thanks to the resources of GM lead designer John DeWitt. Using GM's computer modeling, he helped create and test-fit multiple systems consisting of long- and short-tube headers with 4-into-1 collectors or tri-Y connectors, different muffler configurations and outlet locations (sidepipes, rear exit, center rear exit), and other setups to determine the best one. A T56 six-speed manual transmission from a Chevy SSR was used to handle the LS7 horsepower and practically bolts into the Solstice architecture. A new rear trans mount will need to be fabricated, a new driveshaft created, and the shifter location moved about an inch forward of the stock five-speed opening. The CTS-V throwout bearing connects to the Solstice clutch-pedal-slave hydraulic lines and activates a C6 ZO6 clutch pack.
Super-trick Ohlins multi-adjustable coilover shocks were mounted to the stock lower A-arm and upper mount using adapter brackets. The oversize Brembo brakes (heisted from a CTS-V) were modified to fit a five-lug pattern, and a Solstice GXP master cylinder is used with the stock Solstice booster to actuate them. This is the stock LS7 dry-sump tank bolted to the passenger side of the engine compartment, which is where the tank is located on the Z06 Corvette. Custom brackets were built to mount it to the frame.
1. Swap the Solstice rear differential for one out of the Cadillac CTS-V, which has stronger gears (the cases are identical). The power needs to go somewhere--make sure it gets to the tires!
2. Install a fire extinguisher somewhere in the car. With all that heat under the hood, you'll need something to cool you off.
3. Figure out a way to hang on! A V-8 in one of these rides is going to make it fly, so make sure you've got good driver safety equipment (racing seatbelts and seats, rollbar, and so on).
The finished car--but you'll have to wait until the July issue to see us beat on it. The idea for throwing a V-8 in a Pontiac Solstice had been swirling around the HOT ROD offices since the car was unveiled, but the real movement came at a meeting in mid-2005 between the GM Performance Division (GMPD) and HOT ROD editorial staff. There it was agreed that HOT ROD would build a bad-*** LS7-powered two-seater Solstice, and GMPD would provide technical guidance to make sure the job was done right. Magazine guys can be ham-fisted at times, so we knew we'd need GMPD's help to make the car as good as it could be.
If you think the glory days of hot rodding were the '60s, then you wouldn't be interested in dropping a 427ci, 550-plus-hp killer small-block crate engine into a modern, 2,800-pound roadster. This thing is gonna fly! One of the goals of the HOT ROD team was to keep this V-8-powered version near that weight. A production Solstice was stripped to the bare frame and anything that could be chucked-- sound deadener, sealer, stud bolts, brackets, and more--was permanently removed.
The actual act of sliding a small-block between the Solstice framerails is surprisingly easy: It fits like a glove. Rumor has it that when the initial Solstice show car was built, the shop techs measured an LS1 V-8 lying around to see if the framerails were far enough apart to squeeze it in --and came away happy. Whether it's true or not, we like the fact the engine looks at home in the car.
Just how deep was GMPD's assistance on this project? Mainly by helping HOT ROD determine the best way to fit everything together through the development of "math data." The most obvious collaboration was during the exhaust packaging. HOT ROD avoided brutal headaches during this part of the build thanks to the resources of GM lead designer John DeWitt. Using GM's computer modeling, he helped create and test-fit multiple systems consisting of long- and short-tube headers with 4-into-1 collectors or tri-Y connectors, different muffler configurations and outlet locations (sidepipes, rear exit, center rear exit), and other setups to determine the best one. A T56 six-speed manual transmission from a Chevy SSR was used to handle the LS7 horsepower and practically bolts into the Solstice architecture. A new rear trans mount will need to be fabricated, a new driveshaft created, and the shifter location moved about an inch forward of the stock five-speed opening. The CTS-V throwout bearing connects to the Solstice clutch-pedal-slave hydraulic lines and activates a C6 ZO6 clutch pack.
Super-trick Ohlins multi-adjustable coilover shocks were mounted to the stock lower A-arm and upper mount using adapter brackets. The oversize Brembo brakes (heisted from a CTS-V) were modified to fit a five-lug pattern, and a Solstice GXP master cylinder is used with the stock Solstice booster to actuate them. This is the stock LS7 dry-sump tank bolted to the passenger side of the engine compartment, which is where the tank is located on the Z06 Corvette. Custom brackets were built to mount it to the frame.
Thread Starter
Registered User
Joined: Jul 1999
Posts: 3,647
From: Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Re: LS7 Solstice
STS-V 3.23:1-differential gears were swapped in place of the stock pieces (the housings are the same for the Solstice, CTS-V, and STS-V, but the Vs have stronger gears), and a Z06 clutch pack was used to put power to both tires. Some mounting and suspension changes were made to improve performance. The single-bushing front mount was replaced with a billet aluminum, bolt-on, dual-bushing mount. (A single-bushing mount is still on the housing on the passenger side.) This improves the rearend's ability to handle the LS7 power, especially when we bolt on the drag slicks.
Solstice GM V-8 Gen III/Gen IV Parts List
DRIVETRAIN AND SUSPENSION (Description/Part Number)
Engine
LS7 V-8 small-block/ 17802397
Engine Components
LS7 GM Performance Parts Stage 3 cam/TBA
LS7 dry-sump components
oil tank /12603281
hose, engine to tank/ 15210122
bolt, hold-down for hose/ 11515758
hose, engine to tank / 15210117
Inlet components
Throttle body/ 12570790
MAF sensor / 12576410
CTS-V Engine Accessory Drive
Power-steering system
bracket / 12578551
bolt, pump to bracket / 11518075
pulley, ps pump / 12578552
bolt, bracket to head/ 11518633
hose, ps-fluid rsrvr to pump/ 25768914
hose, ps-fluid rsrvr to cooler/ 15145898
hose, ps pump to rack & pinion/ 89060184
(ends modified for Solstice r&p)
hose, ps cooler to rack & pinion/ 15145899
(ends modified for Solstice r&p)
cooler for ps fluid / 25767911
Alternator system
bolt (qty. 2) / 11518637
bracket / 12578550
bolt / 11518630
alternator / 25750935
Belt/tensioner system
tensioner / 12569301
bolt / 11515768
belt, A/C compressor / 12585551
pulley, belt idler / 12568996
belt, fan/wp/alt/ps / 12578553
Air conditioning (not used here but common for all LS engines)
bracket / 12578548
compressor / 25752698
bolt, A/C compressor to bracket, long/ 11509202
bolt, A/C compressor to bracket, short /11518627
Starter
starter / 89017847
bolts (qty. 2) / 11588456
LS7/Z06 Components
Complete cooling-fan assembly / 10367894
Engine mounts
bracket, passenger / 10349964
bracket, driver / 10349965
nut, engine mount (qty. 4) / 11516079
bolt (qty. 6) / 11515767
shield for bushing (qty. 2) / 15254707
mount (qty. 2) / 15254700
Transmission
SSR T56 w/bellhousing / 15229017
(custom spacer used to clear long input shaft in trans & put shifter closer to stock location)
flywheel / 12571611
pressure plate / 24233650
bolts, pressure plate / 12561465
bolt, flywheel / 12553332
throwout-bearing assembly/ 15232236
transmission bolts/ 11518627
transmission yoke, SSR 32-spline / 26055083
Coolers
Four-core aluminum radiator, engine water-to-oil cooler, transmission oil-to-air cooler, and rearend oil-to-air cooler. Radiator supplied by Griffin Radiator
Suspension
Front: stock upper and lower A-arms, Ohlins adjustable coilover shock absorbers, and Hyperco springs
Rear: reworked mounting locations, A-arms and bracing to handle increased power, Ohlins adjustable coilover shock absorbers, and Hyperco springs
Registered User
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 241
From: Kings Bay, Georgia
Re: LS7 Solstice
Agreed!!!
Holy Mother..... that (albeit in limited numbers) is what GM needs to offer from the factory, but doesn't have the sack to build.
Now that is the spirit of Pontiac...... Excitement!
Allen
Holy Mother..... that (albeit in limited numbers) is what GM needs to offer from the factory, but doesn't have the sack to build.
Now that is the spirit of Pontiac...... Excitement!
Allen
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