AmericanAutoWorker

• 4.4L V8 LC3 Supercharged (2009 CY produced: 78)
• 6.2L V8 Grand Sport Engine LS3 Dry Sump (2009 CY produced: 1,464)
• 7.0L V8 ZO6 Engine LS7 & 6.2L V8 Supercharged Engine LS9 (2009 CY produced: 1,396)

2004 - GM Powertrain inaugurates $10 million Performance Build Center to produce hand-built high-performance engines

The PBC started building engines in 2005 for the 2006 model year. The products at that time were the 7.0L LS7 for the Corvette Z06 and the 4.4L Supercharged Northstar (LC3) for the STSV and XLRV. The LS7 launched with 505 horsepower and the LC3 with 469 horsepower in the STSV and 443 horsepower in the XLRV. The LC3 was discontinued after the 2009 model year due to market conditions.

The PBC currently builds the 6.2L LS3 V8 for the Grand Sport Coupe manual version, the 7.0L LS7 V8 for the Z06 and the 6.2L Supercharged LS9 for the Corvette ZR1.

GM Powertrain Wixom Performance Build Center employs 26 people. Hourly employees are represented by UAW Local 653. The plant produces high performance engines for specialized, high-image powertrains for General Motors' premier vehicles. Over 2,900 engines were produced in the 2009 calendar year.

The new GM Powertrain Performance Build Center, located in Wixom, Michigan, produces specialized, high-image powertrains for General Motors' premier vehicles. This low-volume facility is capable of assembling 15,000 engines per year.

Approximately 50 employees make up the team that hand-builds each Corvette LS7, Cadillac XLR-V, and Cadillac STS-V engine. A technician builds the complete engine, starting with the initial assembly of the cylinder block and finishing with the dress operations of the engine. The highly skilled technicians have previous experience at assembling and testing complete engines from their previous positions within GM. They are trained to accomplish every task involved in building the engine, including engine component and process inspection.

After assembly, each engine is subjected to a 20-minute extended hot test, where the engine is analyzed for power, torque, exhaust pressure, exhaust temperature, coolant temperature, oil pressure, oil temperature and fuel pressure.