2002 Custom Corvette Z06 – One Wild Ride!
Photographers: Mark Jenkins & Luke Bhothipiti
This is a story about a man and his 2002 Custom Corvette Z06 that has gone from a daily driver with 113,000 miles on it to a Best of Show Corvette at the 2012 Corvette Chevy Expo.
Chris Johnson, an 11th-generation Texan, ordered her up new. Chris, only 24 years old, was fresh out of graduate school when he decided he wanted to buy a Corvette. He picked his new 2002 ZO6 Corvette up at the National Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, KY, and drove her back to Texas.
This particular Corvette has led a busy life under his care. Chris, greatly enjoying his car, has driven it as far west as the Pacific Ocean. He regularly auto-crossed her for two years and even entered a high-performance driving event.
Chris was enthusiastically enjoying his beloved car, and like many Corvettes, his car needed a nickname. The initial ad campaign for the 2001 ZO6 Corvette inspired Chris to name his Corvette OVRKL; you might remember the advertisement…”Introducing an Entirely New Level of Overkill.”
Like so many young men, Chris swore he would never drive a car with more than two doors. He drove it for eight years and 100,000 miles, but like so many things, eventually, it was time for a change. He retired from his daily driving…but not totally.
It was not long, and Chris had an interest in modifying his Corvette. He was careful to plan his modifications; he wanted to do it slowly, right, and hopefully only once.
First, a short-throw shifter, then that needed a shorter shift boot. Chris got Vette Essentials leather for the shift knob/boot and e-brake handle/ boot. He then added some more leather, some painted fuel rail covers, and some carbon fiber.
Then was a big change when Chris moved to Houston. He got involved with the Corvette Owners Club of Houston and started showing the car. His competitive nature kicked in, and it wasn’t enough to simply have a nice daily driver. He wanted a combination of a show car and a daily driver.
It was not long, and OVRKL had undergone a number of cosmetic changes. Chris replaced the fuel rail covers with a set of custom-painted covers with the Texas flag on them. He also taught himself how to paint a few of the other underhood pieces.
They say that when men turn 30, they are ‘over the hill,’ but not for Chris. He was revving it up! Celebrating his big 3-0, Chris got a cam and headers for OVRKL. The car dyno’s at 427 rwhp and 383 rwtq. Since then, it has been returned and dyno’ed on a hot day at 421 rwhp and 390 rwtq.
Now, at a much faster pace, the car started adding modifications. Looking back, Chris said, “The biggest changes happened when I stopped driving it daily…full custom paint job, new carbon-fiber high rise hood, new rear fascia, carbon-fiber wheels, and just a ‘touch’ of airbrushing (yes, sarcasm there). At this point, literally, everything you see on the outside of the car has been replaced, painted, or tinted (down to the windows, badges, and brakes). This is no exaggeration.” Clearly, he was no longer constrained by the constraints of the car being a daily driver anymore!
Chris continued, “While a lot of the modifications are pretty in-your-face (or overkill, as my friends remind me), especially the artwork under the hood/trunk, there are a number of much more subtle modifications. My favorite subtle mods are the badges. The front/rear Corvette badges are trimmed in carbon fiber and feature the Texas flag. The side Z06 badges were redone in black with OVRKL listed instead of the horsepower.”
Looking back, Chris explained that he wanted to only do the modifications once…although there was one exception…”After installing my cam, I kept the stock titanium exhaust because I didn’t want a lot of exhaust noise while commuting. I later decided I was tired of people asking if I had a cam, so I added a set of GHL Bullets…great sound and much more noise. When I stopped driving it daily, I decided it was time to go loud. OVRKL now features a set of B&B Bullets. Not the loudest Vette in the Houston area, but you can hear me coming from pretty far away.”
By now, you might be asking, does he do all the work himself, or does he hire it all out? No, and no. He does some of the work himself, such as minor repairs and some smaller modifications, but for anything dealing with the engine or electrical issues, he hires a professional.
As he says, “I know my limitations. Work and family life keeps me so busy these days that I do less and less of the maintenance myself. I’m lucky to have a full-time Corvette mechanic that I trust very close to my house. Terry at VettTech takes very good care of me and handles anything I can’t/won’t do on my own.”
His most recent modification was the custom interior. Feeling that OVRKL really needed the custom seats to match the outside of the car, Chris had DD Mods get a hold of Vette Essentials to ensure a match on the existing blue leather. However, Chris wanted to enjoy the experience, so he taught himself to wrap parts in Alcantara. “I did the A-pillars, door pull surrounds, knee bolster, and glove box on my own. It took two attempts, but I had a great time and saved some serious money.”
Today, the car leads a much more pampered life. Nevertheless, do not be surprised to see Chris behind the wheel. He still is not afraid to drive this stunning show car. In the last couple of years, he drove 550 miles round-trip to Fort Worth for the 2012 Lone Star Corvette Classic. He actually broke the starter on the car while participating in their track day.
“OVRKL sported the nice ‘push to start’ upgrade for the entire drive home!” He also made a 400-mile round-trip to Boerne for Texas Corvette Association 2012 Open Car Show. Chris still takes OVRKL to a lot of cruises, and car shows as well.
This ZO6 Custom Corvette called OVRKL has seen fewer modifications in the last couple of years. Truthfully, there is not much more you can do to improve on a perfect show car! “Instead, I’ve worked on improving my detailing skills,” Chris explained. “I’ve learned how to better polish, clean, wax, etc., and have a couple of random orbital polishers. About twice a year, I put the car up on jack stands and clean it from the bottom to the top.”
A few years ago, he got Car Detailing Newcastle done to the OVRKL by a professional and has been able to keep it in good condition thus far. He always checks the car after each time he drives it, as well as these bi-yearly polishes.
Most recently, at the 2013 Corvette Chevy Expo in Houston, Chris had 15 mirrors under the rear of the car to show off the fully polished exhaust and heat shields and cleaned-up rear cradle. That is not for the faint of heart, especially with the mileage on the car.
Chris said it “took multiple attempts to get the underside as clean as it is now and for me to work up the courage about using the mirrors.”
It is no surprise that he has a wall full of trophies and plaques, including a variety of “Best-Of” awards and Best Corvette at the 2012 Corvette Chevy Expo in Houston.
OVRKL MODIFICATIONS
Performance
- Engine: Hurricane Carbon Fiber Air Intake and MTI X1 cam (230/227 .591/.571 lsa 112)
- Exhaust: Kooks 1 7/8″ long tube headers, High flow cats, B&B Bullet Exhaust
- Brakes: Powerslot slotted rotors, Cobalt Pads
- Suspension: C6 Z06 shocks, C6 Z51 Swaybars
- Other: Hurst short throw shifter
Wheels/Tires
- Modular Concept Carbon Concept 02’s – 19-inch wheels
- Nitto Invo Tires
Body
- MCM Carbon Fiber Hood
- Specter Werks Group 5 rear fascia
- Carbon Fiber Front Spoiler (C5R from Carbon Creations)
- Carbon fiber front/rear badges with TX flag insert
- Custom blacked-out Z06 side badges with OVRKL
- Tinted lights
- Red metallic powder-coated brake calipers
- Hand-painted Jake rear exhaust plate
- Tinted windows
- Blacked-out screen kits
Paint
- Custom electron blue paint (started with the base color from electron blue, made the formula have more pearl than metallic, and changed the metallic flake)
- Custom airbrushing – Underhood graphic, Under trunk, Fuel Rail covers, Underhood coolant, and washer tanks
Interior
- Caravaggio Steering wheel wrapped by Vette Essentials (two-tone leather)
- Vette Essentials shifter/boot and emergency brake/boot (two-tone leather)
- DD Mods Custom seats with custom embroidery (two-tone leather and Alcantara)
- DD Mods door panels (leather and Alcantara)
- DD Mods center console and lower console (leather and Alcantara)
- DD Mods leather sun visors
- Alcantara A-pillars
- Alcantara’s knee bolster and glove box
- Alcantara door pull surrounds
- Lloyds Mats (front and Z06 trunk mat)
- Partition
- Trunk floor inserts
Lighting
- RadioFlyer light cannons (projector headlights with haloes and HID lighting)
- RadioFlyer Audi-style front turn lights
- RadioFlyer sequencing halo tail lights (less than a dozen of these exist)
- Blue LED replacement lights in the interior
- Blue LED lighting in engine compartment/interior/trunk
- Strobe kit
- The custom light switch in the ashtray
You might also enjoy reading about the history of the ZO6.
Here is an old 1997 C5 Corvette Commerical.
If you enjoy custom Corvettes, check out this 1961 Roman Red Corvette Custom that is a Perfect Blend of Classic and Modern
Retro Designs from North Carolina unveiled their beautiful custom 1965 C2 Sting Ray that has a 435-horsepower LS3 engine. It sits on a custom modern C7 Corvette Chassis. Check it out!
We love history at Vette Vues Magazine. Check out our article on the history of the C4 Corvette Body Kits. Lots of great historical photos too!
If you are looking for a special Corvette custom or restoration shop, we have a directory by state. Find a Corvette restoration and customization shop near you in our directory.
Do you own a C5 Corvette? Check out our Corvette Advertisers for the parts you need to maintain a beautiful Vette. Are you looking to buy a C5 Corvette? Check out our Corvettes for Sale Classified Ads.
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