Zac Quinn 
The assistant manager of the Bowling Green Assembly plant, Nora Roper, recently gave a presentation during the 2022 Michelin NCM Bash. During the presentation, we got updates on C8 Corvette, a look at the building process for the record-breaking LT6 engine, and other updates.
Each LT6 V8 Engine Will Be Built By Hand
Each engine is hand-assembled at the Performance Build Center, a 20,000-square-foot production facility that employs around 70 hourly and 15 salary workers. The LT6 V8 engine doesn’t need an introduction as the most powerful naturally aspirated V8 to be put into a production car. The engine takes a single builder around 3.5 hours to build, with each component carefully inspected. The smart bench workstation scans tiny codes on each component to ensure quality control. Once the engine is finished, it receives a personalized signature placard by the builder to signify their stamp of approval.
After a second person inspects the engine, every LT6 is shipped to a local dyno facility to test and ensure the engine is ready to perform; the engine is also validated for outputs. Before the Z06 is shipped, GM will replace the oil and oil filter, so everything is fresh for the customer.
C8 Corvette Color Options And Assembly Plant Updates
The 2023 C8 Corvette will be the first to get 14 different color options, including the first tri-coat Metallic for the Corvette. The White Pearl Metallic is the tri-coat, which starts with a white primer. The machine then adds two different shades of base coat, one of them having metallic in it. The paint takes longer to apply as the robot needs to load up with each layer before the clear coat can be applied. The second new color is the Carbon Flash Metallic. Both colors pop in the sunlight and are exclusive to the 70th Anniversary Edition C8 Corvette. The 70th Anniversary Edition Corvette will also have a new interior color, Ceramic with Red GT2 or Comp Sport Seats.
Bowling Green Assembly plant tours will be coming back, but there is still no decided date for when that will be. Unfortunately, that also translates to the build your own engine experience, which won’t be available at launch but will be available as soon as possible. Earlier this year, UAW workers had compiled a list of demands that ran a risk of putting production at the facility on hold. According to Roper, that didn’t surmount to anything, and production has been going smoothly except for supply issues. General Motors has a large team of people working with suppliers for all of their vehicles, looking at alternate suppliers and expediting to ensure production runs as smoothly as possible.
