austinauflick

Good day all. My name is Austin and I'm new to the world of owning an AMG, but very excited. I'm a hotrod kinda guy; basically built american project cars since I was able (~15 years now). My most recent is my 1,200 hp 2002 Widebody Ram Air Trans Am (pics below). I don't think I'll ever get rid of her as I performed 90% of all the work (which I'm proud). This has put me in the position of needing an "in-between" car. I have a daily beater ('04 Jeep Lib) which is great for the dogs, toolin' around town and whatnot. And the T/A is great from a performance standpoint, but I can't say it's something I can leave in a parking lot as I have over six figures invested into it (over the course of five years).

So this is where my prospective purchase comes in...

I found the C63 to be a perfect fit for what I'm looking for, especially the sedan. The ability to seat five, have a great and proven 6.2 liter mated to an amazing transmission is all I can ask for at this point. Being that AMG is who made such an amazing car at such a price, I don't have my sights on anything else. At first I considered buying pre-owned, but my credit union has one hell of a deal that I cannot refuse and only applies to new vehicles. Having said that, I did my homework on the latest developments with the 2014 c63. As most know, there will be no P-31 option for '14 (which I was absolutely hellbent on if buying a '13), but the 507 does take care of the forged internals that I'm after, a nice bump in power and comes with some nice extras, of which I'm happy to pay for. I'll be checking the "507 official pricing" thread daily as that's the only thing holding me up from putting my deposit down on a MY2014 507 order. Yes, I know the 2015 C63 most likely will come with the TT 5.5 and AWD - not interested.

Anyway, just wanted to say hi. I've been on LS1tech.com for over ten years and MBWorld.org is my newest channel to great information about these kickass AMG cars. Have a great rest of your weekend guys/gals.

2002 Wide Body Ram Air Trans Am (19x14 rear, 19x9 front iForged Aeros)

Fung63

welcome to the boards!

i dig your trans am. growing up, i always liked them and yours look super aggressive! well done! I too hope you never get rid of her... she is special!

Pickles

G'Day from Oz....Geez, what a beast you have in your garage!
Yes, the 507 looks like a great package....I reckon you'll be very happy with it, but make sure that you option the L.S.D.
The "new" C63?.....IMHO, it won't be A.W.D.
Cheers, Pickles.

austinauflick

Thank you sir!
Here's a vid of the motor's first start back in 2010 (before the body work).

Thanks man! I was debating the LSD; not because I don't want a car with LSD, but because I have a Wavetrac in my Trans Am and it's badass. Being that the LSD option is $2k, I'm still researching if it's more cost effective to buy a wave and have it installed. Wavetracs have lifetime warranties, regardless of race use (or at least my Trans Am's Wave does)

ced357

The 507 should be a beast for sure. Good to see your not a stranger to power as well Keep us updated.

02Drunkenup

The benefit with the OEM LSD is that it will not cause trouble with warranty claims whereas an aftermarket part might be grounds for dispute if drivetrain problems arise.

The wavetrac probably offers locks more than the OEM unit though.

Nice Trans Am! sounds mean

johnnyblaze

Awesome Trans AM. Love the cam lope and the wheels. With all the work you did to your Trans AM, I cant wait to see what you have in store for the 507.

austinauflick

That's good advice. Last thing I need is a warranty problem with a car like this. I'll ask my dealer if they can definitively answer to the details on this (in writing if they're cool with it). I'll keep yall in the loop.

Thanks for the compliment!

Johnnyblaze, thank you. Sadly, I must admit, the c63 (regardless if I end up with a 507 or not) will remain factory until the warranty is up; honestly I think it's just such a well balanced machine straight from AMG. I'm happy if it just stays together the way it should over the course of its warranty life. I intend to drive it how it should be driven (when applicable) and for this amount of coin, I expect that it shouldn't be able to hurt itself in factory form.

Question - Can anyone answer if there are any known common issues with the c63? I haven't seen that they chew through transmissions or anything like that, but I'm interested if there is something I should be sensitive to.

TTA850

Welcome and I'm sure you'll enjoy a C63, the 507 is nice like a P31 with some cosmetic changes and a more aggressive tune. I'd suggest an LSD, I too have a wavetrac in my WS6 but opted for the factory one just because how much are you really going to save plus no warranty.

BTW nice bird, mine is about half as powerful as yours but gets the job done

johnnyblaze

Aside from the few interior rattles that some people have (I havent had any) the C63 has been pretty solid for me. The previous years had the dreaded headbolt issue but there has been probably less than 7 total reported cases here on the boards from other members. The 507 motor will probably have all the best from the C63 Black Series and the P31 as far as engine internals including the revised headbolts. The transmissions are pretty stout and they really wont start having trouble until you get in upwards of 600 wheel horsepower. I have a dealership that doesnt mind modifications (except for supercharger). I've been with the same Service Advisor for about 6 years now (my E55 before this) so they've seen me bring in some heavily modded vehicles. Do your research on dealerships near you and pick a good one out.

austinauflick

Whoa, cant believe there's another fcar owner in here, let alone we found each other in a matter of two hours of my registering lol. Very cool sir. I'm sure your car is very dialed in if its avidly raced. My T/A still needs refinement in that area (things like shock settings and I have to adjust my clutch's master cylinder).

Oh man that's badass. I hope to be lucky and my dealer turns out to be cool. I'll do all kinda **** to this thing...

austinauflick

Images aren't showing up man.

neoprufrok

Welcome and nice car you have! I'm partial to widebody versions of cars, hence the RS4 and the C63 Black Series.

I will say that the M156 engine is an incredible engine. It is a classic engine that AMG did such a good job with and is really strong. I'll probably take mine further and the 507 has the same engine as the C63 BS with some of the SLS internals. I'll be curious to see how the TT plays out, but this engine is a classic and I will hold on to her for a long time.

austinauflick

Thanks man and likewise on your BS. That's the unicorn in these parts it seems. While out of my price range, I'd love to own one as they're more or less factory perfection and RARE.

Yes - your points about the M156 are dead nuts on to why I've taken such a liking to this generation; especially with factory installed forged internals (by AMG no less). But yes, the TT 5.5 is a great engine, but when someone has that craving for N/A grunt and that exhaust note that will never be replicated by a turbo motor, nothing else will do. The 6.2 fits the bill for me.

I'm still trying to figure out if the m156 and m159 share the same block or not. If they do, we can just say it has the SLS short block (keep it simple). Can anyone verify this suspicion of mine?

TTA850

No it's not an SLS short block but the P31/507 and BS have an SLS rotating assembly.

As for part numbers a quick look on the EPC says the crank (1590300001), rods (1590300020), and pistons (1590300217) are the same between the P31, BS, and SLS. I didnt check the standard C63.

The heads (1560108820 & 1560108920) are the same between the P31 and BS but the SLS has different heads (1590100020 & 1590100120). The intakes (1561410901) and cams (1560504201, 1560504301, 1560504401, 1560504501) are the same between P31 and BS but the SLS uses different cams (1590500601, 1590500701, 1590500801, 1590500901). Interestingly though they all use different blocks 1560109900 for the P31, 1560109800 for the BS, and 1590100600 for the SLS.

austinauflick

Bro, that's an answer I could only expect from a real car guy right there. Thanks so much; that's hugely helpful.

In regards to the above, could you clarify? You contradict yourself (accidentally I'm sure). <---Turns out I misread it. It's sunday man...

TTA850

Ok I am basically comparing 3 cars, the P31/507, the BS, and the SLS. So with that said the blocks all have their own part numbers so each is different. The crank, rods, and pistons are all the same part number so they are the same. The BS and P31/507 cars use the same heads, cams, and intake but the SLS has its own unique heads, cams, and intake.

This came up once before and I did the research mostly to show that the BS and P31 cars have the same engines, and for that matter the same exhaust manifolds and cat/mid pipes.

Hope I'm making sense lol

austinauflick

I misread your previous; that makes total sense. Forgive me, it's Sunday.

LOVE your interior exterior combo btw. Sadly, the 507s interior options sans the Black/Red leather as an option. If I don't go 507, I'll go '13 P31 Sedan, Polar White, w/Black Red all the way. And it really went 11.91 untuned and stock?

~Austin

TTA850

Thanks for the compliments and yes it went 11.91 bone stock with just over 2k miles on the clock stock Conti's and all. I've since picked up an OE Tuning handheld and a set of 17x8 TSW Nurburgrings wrapped in 275/40r17 M/T DR's but haven't had the chance to get out there and run a number, with the weather getting warmer now that likely wont happen till fall.

callmiro

Your T/A looks awesome...the best i've seen...who makes those flared rear quarters?

austinauflick

Best you've seen - Wow man thanks! In regards to your question - I made those flared quarters. Took about 11 months from design to finished product. If you'll notice, the side skirt and rear bumper is flared as well to tie it all together. I wanted it to appear like it came from the factory this way.

callmiro

Great work!

Totally looks factory...looks very similar to Canepa flares on their CTS-V wagon

austinauflick

Thank you! I'd love to start my own business in the automotive industry somewhere. I feel I can make things others would want; just trying to find a niche. Currently in business school as well. Eventually it'll happen.

rage2

That's because the SLS is a dry sumped block, and the BS block has closed off sump vents for every 2 cylinders compared to the normal C63 block.

JamE55

Your engine sounds like it's ready for World War.

Also 19x14?? Did they run out of 19x18?