speaking as a former drive train and engine mechanic for a luxury dealership, this is a bad idea at best. Granted, the LS series engine is just a simple pushrod iron behemoth, you're still asking for trouble.
My last place of employment wanted to do something similar, but it was shot down by the owners once they determined that practically every shop insurance provider flat-out said no. That $5000 fee is likely just for OSHA and your insurance company to look the other way in a state where regulations arent so stringent. All of us as vehicle techs also said no.
The average luxury customer isnt qualified to do much more than sit in the waiting room and watch an episode or two of Ricky Lake. Luxury customers betray an absolutely criminal lack of self control sometimes. Ive had customers wander back into the shop to stand over my shoulder demanding to know everything im doing and why. Ive had an old persian customer who demanded to drive his car home that day and wouldnt leave the shop until I completed the week long work. Ive also had wealthy couples leave their kids in the car. Another customer demanded I never drive the car or sit in it. Point being: anyone stupid enough to waste $5000 on the chance to work on an engine they couldnt possibly understand on their own, isnt going to be someone you want in a shop. Dynastic wealth leaves you with a Reaganomic level of competency.
The z06 is only an $84,000 car, but If i were the mechanic who had to deal with $5000 tourists chasing piston return springs across the shop floor and pulling main bearings out of their kids mouths, I'd do everything I could to find a new job.
This isn't targeted at the "average luxury consumer", it's targeted at someone who is willing to spend $5K to do this as a vacation. I used to see a lot of Corvettes at the autocross events, and that average owner knew more than a thing or two about mechanicals.
Now, if this program was "You can SAVE $5K by assembling your own engine.", you are probably going to get a lot of idiots. The people willing to pay $5K are probably going to be intense enthusiasts, and in my experience those people could do this job.
Not all of them, of course. The kids that brought a GTR and a Sylvia to the track for open track day, and then proceeded to be trounced by pretty much everything else on the track, I wouldn't want putting together my engine. :-) They weren't happy at not being able to keep up with Miatas in the hands of very skilled drivers with R compound tires. :-)
The Corvette isn’t a “luxury” car like a Mercedes S-Class, even though it’s in the same price range. It attracts a different group of people and those who pay for this program and go to Kentucky for a weekend are probably >80% going to actually try to at least learn from it and assemble it correctly. After all, it’s going into their own car.
I bet they do get some terrible customers but that’s what the $5,000 is for — to make it worth it for them.
My last place of employment wanted to do something similar, but it was shot down by the owners once they determined that practically every shop insurance provider flat-out said no. That $5000 fee is likely just for OSHA and your insurance company to look the other way in a state where regulations arent so stringent. All of us as vehicle techs also said no.
The average luxury customer isnt qualified to do much more than sit in the waiting room and watch an episode or two of Ricky Lake. Luxury customers betray an absolutely criminal lack of self control sometimes. Ive had customers wander back into the shop to stand over my shoulder demanding to know everything im doing and why. Ive had an old persian customer who demanded to drive his car home that day and wouldnt leave the shop until I completed the week long work. Ive also had wealthy couples leave their kids in the car. Another customer demanded I never drive the car or sit in it. Point being: anyone stupid enough to waste $5000 on the chance to work on an engine they couldnt possibly understand on their own, isnt going to be someone you want in a shop. Dynastic wealth leaves you with a Reaganomic level of competency.
The z06 is only an $84,000 car, but If i were the mechanic who had to deal with $5000 tourists chasing piston return springs across the shop floor and pulling main bearings out of their kids mouths, I'd do everything I could to find a new job.