LS7 Engine Wet Sump Conversion Kit, Corvette C6 Z06 and others

The stock LS7 oiling system has been called a dry-sump since it was released, but many performance enthusiasts define it more as a dret system (combining the words dry and wet together). That's because most of the aftermarket defines a dry-sump system as having one pressure stage pumping oil into the engine and at least three suction stages drawing oil and air out of the engine. Testing has shown that three suction stages are needed because each stage only draws about 30 percent oil-the rest is air (suction is good because it creates a vacuum in the crankcase, helping ring sealing and minimizing windage power losses).

That brings us back to the dret definition: The LS7 oiling system has one pressure stage and one suction stage. Also, the stock oil pan and pickup on the LS7 are situated like a wet-sump pan with the oil pickup spaced off the bottom of the pan in an open area (unlike true dry-sump pans, which have distinct scrapers and suction stages). This is not to say the LS7 oiling system is not worthy. The LS7 external oil tank provides oil to the engine during sustained high-G-loading situations, which the LS7-powered Z06 Corvette is capable of attaining. That is the real advantage of the LS7 oiling system. The LS7 in something other than a Z06 (like a somewhat heavy, high-center-of-gravity '10 Camaro) is also the reason you don't need the external oil tank-thus minimizing the complexity and packaging issues that come with the tank and lines.

LS7 Wet Sump Conversion, The main parts needed to perform the conversion