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"Open Source" C5 Corvette Parts

Submitted by shredjesse on Thu, 08/29/2024 - 08:46

Example photo of the C5 AIS plate being made up in OnShape

So I don't talk much about what I do professionally for work on this blog, but in that field, "Open Source" is a big deal. I love Open Source as well, since everybody shares what they've built, and everyone improves because of it. Products iterate faster, the feedback utilizes thousands of people instead of bottlenecking in all the places a product can... and it also is very empowering professionally. Contribute to the open source community a ton, then when you interview at a place they can say "do you know XYZ" you can say "Yeah, I helped make XYZ!".

I also love the internet for it's ability to share and empower others with knowledge, hence I write all this stuff here!

So combining all of that, I've decided to start to make all of the design files I have available to others. You can 3d print these, work with them in SendCutSend... whatever! So take the opportunity, contribute if you can, or just benefit from all the community designed bit!

Open Source & Available Designs

C5 Corvette Aluminum Tunnel Plate

C5/6 Corvette Tunnel Plate (CONFIRMED!)

The C5/6 Corvette has a transmission tunnel plate that helps stiffen the chassis. Lots of folks say these add notable stiffness to the car, and you can also add some insulation to them to help keep the in car temperatures down. You can take this design and utilize any variety of online resources and get these made, or even hit up a local machine shop that has a plasma cutting table. Standard thickness is 1/4" of 6061 T6 aluminum... but feel free to go thicker, or use some fancy material like titanium!

Initial test fitting confirms this works and one track day of moderate use is showing it's holding up and even helping keep heat out with the added insulation layer! Please note, I HIGHLY recommend you add some adhesive backed "Reinforced Exhaust Shield" to at least the plate, if not the trans tunnel in general. It will drastically reduce cabin temperatures, especially if you've got a gutted race car! 

Harness Belt End Organizer

So you have a harness belt, and you have all that extra material on the end. What to do with it? Some folks cut it, but eh... maybe you can't bring yourself to do it. Some folks zip tie it up, like the example above on the right. That works, but it flops around a bit. There has to be a better way!? Well, enter the harness end holder, pictured above on the left. Simple, lightweight, and easy to use. Add in that it's 3d printable from hom for less than $5 generally... and you got an easy win!

This is something I designed by hand after seeing a similar design online. A bunch of folks asked for the file, to which a large group of grumpy folks got angry about it. Welp, this design was so damn simple I couldn't help but spin it up for a fun challenge to myself, and to give it away!

Design concept is pretty simple. One side clamps onto the bar. The other side has an octagonal relief cut into it. Then, there is an octagonal cross piece with an opening in it (not pictured form this angle) that the belt slips through and can be rotated to tension and retain the harness. The octagonal cross piece is then put inbetween yet another side piece, which holds it in place and it can't rotate. Nice and simple, and holds the whole thing together!

Tools @ Parts You Will Need:

Files:

3D Printing:

I used Creality PETG with my P1P. I made a few adjustments to my print... and am still tweaking them. I'll get you more informaiton soon!

When placing the files in your slicer of choice be sure to orient them properly for ease of printing. They will sometimes orient strangely and require a ton of unnescessary supports. I also notice that sometimes supports aren't added and can cause stringing, so do a test print first before firing off a print with everything in it!

C5/6 Corvette AIS Plate Example

C5 Corvette (early) Air Injection Systems (AIS) Block Off Plate -  (untested)

Early C5 Corvette's had an air injection system to help with exhaust gasses. Later models wouldn't feature this system and would handle emissions via other configuration options. For whatever reason, you want to block these off on your car. Perhaps it's an offroad car such as a track car, or your system has failed and can't source a replacement so it's making problems. Just get this made in 3/16" aluminum, with a thin copper version of these to ensure they seal.

These should be 29mm between the bolt holes, and I believe this will set you straight. That said, this is an early design, so if you can just order one first to confirm it's right, I recommend doing so!

This is untested. I designed this up and the part arrived shortly after I'd converted my car to long tube headers. You should be able to print the file to paper, confirm size matches file, and check it will work as a paper version before ordering the actual metal.

19 Row Evil Energy Cooler Mount, Rear Crash Bar (untested)

If you want to make your own transmission or differential cooler, you need somewhere to mount it. The most common mounting location is the Z06 brake ducts if you happen to have them. However, if you don't have them... you're going to need another location. The rear crash bar is a fine location to mount them, shoving the air out through the bumper. This both serves to vent any air that happens to wind up in that area, and cool your transmission and differential. Anyways, the above mount is something I designed up for myself, and then realized it was going to interefere with my chassis mounted wing so... it's yours to enjoy for free in good health!