Tanderson1's build thread.. [Archive]

tanderson1

01-12-2015, 06:02 PM

So the Plan..... (im in Canada, so things cost a little more up here, sorry about the formatting, the forum kills my column alignment)

GTM
Expected Parts list. (based on exchange rate of $1.163 USD = $1 CAD)

Item USD CAD
Base Kit $22,999 USD $26,747.84 CAD
Donor Car $11,500.00 CAD (After shipping etc)
Transmission $9,500 USD $11,048.50 CAD
Rear Wing $1,350 USD $1,570.05 CAD
Wing Mounts $489 USD $568.71 CAD
Rims FFR $1,650 USD $1918.95 CAD
Tires Front $508 USD $590.81 CAD
Tires Rear $698 USD $811.78 CAD
Canadian GTM Kit $1,995.00 CAD
AirCond $1,350 USD $1,570.05 CAD
Cold Air Intake $399 USD $464.04 CAD
Splitter $499 USD $580.34 CAD
Rocker Extensions $499 USD $580.34 CAD
Roof Scoop $199 USD $231.44 CAD
Fender Louvers $199 USD $231.44 CAD
Telescoping Steering Adapter $156 USD $181.43 CAD
Adjustable Rod Ends $199 USD $231.44 CAD
Kit Shipping $900 USD $1046.70 CAD
Aluminum Gas Tanks $895 USD $1040.89 CAD
Side Scoops ????
Rear Louvers ????
Sway Bar $659 USD $766.42 CAD
Kooks Exhaust $2,083 USD $2,422.53 CAD
Coolant Tank $200 USD $232.60 CAD
Traction control $2,112.79 USD $2,457.18 CAD
5 point bracket $275 USD $319.83 CAD
5 Point Seatbelts $240 USD $279.12 CAD
Fuel Regulator $171 USD $198.88 CAD
Fuel Pump $369 USD $429.15 CAD
Fuel Filter $115 USD $133.75 CAD
Fog Light Brackets $37 USD $43.04 CAD
Porche CV Joints ?????

Total Cost $70,139.64 CAD $73,646.63 CAD W/TAX

All usa parts are being delivered to http://www.attheborderstorage.com I will then drive down to the US and pick the parts up with my flat deck. Saves me some $$$ on having crates made.

tanderson1

01-12-2015, 06:03 PM

That's a really clean looking donor. It's almost sad to see it pulled apart. Does it have a dark secret on the other side?

That said, off to a good start, and keep the pictures coming. The best build threads are usually loaded with pictures. Good luck with your build!

Donor was written off (non repairable). It was in a flood. Runs great, i think only the trunk section was under water.

kabacj

01-12-2015, 06:12 PM

Welcome. Your list of parts will result in a great car.

Looking forward to watching you have fun.

John

tanderson1

01-12-2015, 06:16 PM

I was thinking this for rubber (I don't plan on driving this except in perfect weather)

Proxes R888
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Toyo&tireModel=Proxes+R888&sidewall=Blackwall&partnum=33YR8R888&tab=Sizes

Size: 245/40ZR18
Size: 335/30ZR18

Transmission will be the Mendeola

Rear wing from here
http://vraptorspeedworks.com/apr-gtc-300-carbon-fiber-rear-wing/
http://vraptorspeedworks.com/vrsw-new-steel-universal-wing-mount-system/

gas tanks from here
http://www.fueltankparts.com/aluminum-replacement-tanks-factory-5-gtm.html

I need a pair of these (yet to find)
http://vraptorspeedworks.com/custom-gtm-rear-body-vents-pair/

sway bar
http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/showthread.php?1907-GTM-Sway-Bar-Kit-Now-Available-for-order

exhaust
http://vraptorspeedworks.com/complete-kooks-exhaust-system/

TAG GTM

01-12-2015, 08:25 PM

Looks like an awesome plan for your build - congrats and good luck! You will find that the people on the forums will be behind you all the way and are great help. Amazing group of people here.

Get in touch with Shane at Vraptor early and often - most experienced builder and as you have already figured out he has created some great parts!!!

Have fun!

tanderson1

01-13-2015, 12:36 AM

All the donor parts are now safely in my garage. My engine hoist isnt here yet so i had to think of a way to get the engine out of the crate and into my garage. I cheated a little using the car ramps and the quad winch but it all worked out great.

375893759037591

Here is what my garage space looks like. I have some mess to clean up. Believe it or not this is after 2 loads to the dump and about 12 hours of tool sorting. TV on the wall is so i can watch TopGear while i work. I have been trying to talk myself into a 2 post portable lift. They are pretty cheap shipped to my door. Being able to move the car up and down may make the job a little easier.

375923759337594375953759637597

The Stig

01-13-2015, 07:44 AM

Here is what my garage space looks like. I have some mess to clean up. Believe it or not this is after 2 loads to the dump and about 12 hours of tool sorting. TV on the wall is so i can watch TopGear while i work. I have been trying to talk myself into a 2 post portable lift. They are pretty cheap shipped to my door. Being able to move the car up and down may make the job a little easier.

37596

Looks like you're getting it well sorted, but I am afraid that you are going to get quite tired of Jeremy Clarkson by the time you've finished your build. Throw in some Formula 1, Nascar, Chip Foose, or 3-Girls Garage... But don't subject yourself to Clarkson for such an extended period of time.

fastthings

01-13-2015, 08:40 AM

Kalstar

01-13-2015, 08:49 AM

Looks like you're getting it well sorted, but I am afraid that you are going to get quite tired of Jeremy Clarkson by the time you've finished your build. Throw in some Formula 1, Nascar, Chip Foose, or 3-Girls Garage... But don't subject yourself to Clarkson for such an extended period of time.

^^^^ sooooo true.

Post where you live, lots of helping hands in this community....I have been on both side of that river. Looking froward to watching your build.

tanderson1

01-13-2015, 10:39 AM

Right on, a new build. I look at your garage and think, your about to spend alot of time in there.

I hope you don't mind us pointing out potential mistakes, others have saved me. For instance, I wish I would have taken better care of the exaust ports of my engine.
The open valves ended up trying to rust over the time of the build, I had to rebuild anyway, I would dusch with WD.

Please point out everything that I am doing wrong. I have done engine swaps before but this is definitely new territory for me. If you see me following the manual and there is a better way let me know :-)

I never thought of how long that engine needs to sit. I can shoot some "Sea Foam" into the exhaust ports, spark plug holes, intake, etc.

tanderson1

01-13-2015, 10:41 AM

^^^^ sooooo true.

Post where you live, lots of helping hands in this community....I have been on both side of that river. Looking froward to watching your build.

I live in Calgary, Alberta, Canada

Edgeman lives about 3 hours from me.... so far he is the closest i have found.
(which reminds me i need to call him to figure out how to get all the customs paperwork in order)

tanderson1

01-13-2015, 10:50 AM

Looks like you're getting it well sorted, but I am afraid that you are going to get quite tired of Jeremy Clarkson by the time you've finished your build. Throw in some Formula 1, Nascar, Chip Foose, or 3-Girls Garage... But don't subject yourself to Clarkson for such an extended period of time.

good advice... never heard of girls garage, found a show called all-girls-garage... trying to find a download now. :-)

tanderson1

01-13-2015, 12:06 PM

Just sent an email to http://www.whitbymotorsports.com

I think i will buy the Canadian GTM parts kit from them, its $55 cheaper from them. Has anyone dealt with Whitby before?

Waiting on a shipping quote now.
http://www.whitbymotorsports.com/UServiceDetail.asp?serviceid=15

Going to head to Canadian Tire tonight to pick up some brushes, steel wool, cleaning chemicals, sea foam etc so i can start cleaning up all the parts that arrived.

Presto51

01-13-2015, 12:57 PM

Please point out everything that I am doing wrong. I have done engine swaps before but this is definitely new territory for me. If you see me following the manual and there is a better way let me know :-)

Welcome to the madness you will have fun, hair pulling, adult beverage usage before you done

Point out everything that your doing wrong, well remember you asked for it. :rolleyes:
1. You forgot to add the forum members here to your Gold card, we can tell you how to put it through it's paces :cool:
2. The manual is not a step by step how to guide, but use it as strong suggestions

Kidding aside Welcome to the Forum

Ron

Presto51

01-13-2015, 01:05 PM

I live in Calgary, Alberta, Canada

Edgeman lives about 3 hours from me.... so far he is the closest i have found.
(which reminds me i need to call him to figure out how to get all the customs paperwork in order)

Oh by the way watch out for that guy, Taz Rules, his jokes will leave you wondering. Maybe he's to far away from you but still, don't take any chances that he won't show up :)

Ron

Taz Rules

01-13-2015, 05:46 PM

Hey Ron! That's not nice!:mad:

That said, he's probably right. I'm a 6 hour drive away, but I have family there, so its not unheard of for me to show up around those parts. I'm helping a friend in BC with his bodywork. (GTM 283..there's a thread)

Welcome to the madness!!!!!
I love your build plan. There is a famous quote by 19th century German military strategist Helmuth von Moltke. "No battle plan," he sagely noted, "survives contact with the enemy."
The plan is good, and very necessary. All I'm saying is be prepared! ;)
Oh, and you WILL be adding to that parts wish-list!!!!!!:p

At the risk of being a shameless self promoter, if you want any photoshop work done to see how different colours would work, or to visualize a body mod, let me know. Also, if you need any inspirational artwork or posters.
I'm set up as a vendor on this site.

My website is www.phoenixartdesign.weebly.com
37615 (http://www.phoenixartdesign.weebly.com)

Edgeman

01-13-2015, 10:19 PM

tanderson1

01-14-2015, 10:24 AM

So yesterday I didn't get a lot done. Tuesday is the day i play Taxi to the children. I did have a chance to pickup some degreaser (several brands to see what works best) and SeaFoam to prevent rust in the engine.

Hope to sit down tonight and clean a few parts.

I did hear back from Whitby Motorsports, they should have a quote in my hands pretty quickly.

Yes, give me a call.

I will give you a call tonight, 6PM or so if thats ok.

tanderson1

01-14-2015, 11:11 PM

1 hour 40 minutes on the phone with Edgeman and i have a new list of todo's....

Its great to talk to someone that has already had to deal with the difficulties of importing a kit and getting it registered.

after hearing what it cost to order and ship the "Canadian GTM" kit I am considering sourcing the parts from local auto parts companies. I can then get aftermarket shocks.... something to run the numbers on anyway.

tanderson1

01-15-2015, 10:34 PM

tanderson1

01-15-2015, 10:40 PM

Does anyone know of a set of 5 point seat belts that are street legal in Canada?
Edgeman said there is a set with a red button on them but my google-fu is failing me.

I need to pass an inspection with just 5 point seat belts (no corvette belts)

I also need a yellow reflector that lights up on the side of the vehicle so i am looking for ways to make that do not look horrible. I was thinking about grafting in some tail lights that wrap around the back edges so they are visible from the side.

or maybe a thin line like Edgeman has on his GTM like this
37652

while looking for tail light photos via google i found this... while i dont like the tail lights I dont mind the headlights.
37653

Got everything together today to wiretransfer FF the money, saved alot of money because of their winter sale, and also ordered the rubber from Tire Rack. I was told by Factory Five that a kit could be delivered as fast as 5 weeks from tomorrow.... I cant wait.

eseethal

01-16-2015, 02:12 AM

This is probably the Schroth Profi II-FE asm. It has a red button release. This is the one I use over here in Austria.

Does anyone know of a set of 5 point seat belts that are street legal in Canada?
Edgeman said there is a set with a red button on them but my google-fu is failing me.

Fraser D

01-16-2015, 08:08 AM

while looking for tail light photos via google i found this... while i dont like the tail lights I dont mind the headlights.
37653

Were there tail lights in the photo?:cool:

Good luck on your build and I am looking forward to seeing your progress

carbon fiber

01-16-2015, 09:27 AM

Taz Rules

01-16-2015, 10:57 AM

Check out Lukn4Trbl's tail lights
http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/showthread.php?3221-My-Official-GTM-Build-Thread!/page15
Good images in post 594

Real nice, clean modification.

Edgeman

01-16-2015, 12:04 PM

This is probably the Schroth Profi II-FE asm. It has a red button release. This is the one I use over here in Austria.
Yes those are the ones.
http://www.jegs.com/p/Schroth-Racing/Schroth-PROFI-II-ASM-FE-4-Point/2877103/10002/-1
Also do a search for Brian486 (from Edmonton) on FFcars, its his car on Shane's web site with the back louvers.
Mikespms - is where I got the seat belt brackets and the wing came from Thomas#142 also on the other forum.

tanderson1

01-16-2015, 03:31 PM

Do a ton of research before you start. Like already stated, the build manual is not thorough, or even correct in some aspects. There's a lot of info on ff.cars forum about the GTM. Check out the 64k questions. You'll have a ton of support from other builders on both forums. Good luck with the build!

my wife is already getting mad at me :-) I spend 3-4 hours a night reading build threads, watching you tube videos and re-reading the manual. I have also been reading the other forum and a few external build websites like Edgemans.

No doubt going to have some questions but trying to do as much research as i can. :-)

tanderson1

01-16-2015, 03:44 PM

Check out Lukn4Trbl's tail lights
http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/showthread.php?3221-My-Official-GTM-Build-Thread!/page15
Good images in post 594

Real nice, clean modification.

thats exactly what i was thinking. I think the lights have to have yellow on them, i will go read the Transport Canada website again.
http://www.tc.gc.ca/eng/motorvehiclesafety/tp-tp2436-rs200804-faq-689.htm

For those in Canada you will see that there are some STUPID laws in Canada that we are supposed to follow.

"Q. 11. The system requires a car kit (starter kit) hobbyist to get parts to complete the car in Canada. Is it legal to buy parts in Canada that have been imported, such as parts from a dealer's parts counter?

A. A hobby builder may NOT import, or have a third party import the parts needed to complete the car. These parts must be bought from a source in Canada not linked to the kit manufacturer."

So i technically have to buy the transmission from Canada or they can deport my car.... I don't think anyone in Canada sells a mendeola. Or side vents, or AC bypass parts, or rear wing mounts... etc.

Some laws I will follow, others i may have to step around.

although the penalty is $20K and 2 years in jail
http://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/M-10.01/page-8.html#docCont

"
Offence and punishment

(2) Every individual who contravenes this Act, the regulations or an order

(a) is guilty of an offence punishable on summary conviction and is liable to a fine of not more than $4,000 or to imprisonment for a term of not more than six months, or to both; or

(b) is guilty of an indictable offence and is liable to a fine of not more than $20,000 or to imprisonment for a term of not more than two years, or to both.
"

tanderson1

01-17-2015, 10:11 PM

So today started off with a quick trip to the dump, a little more room to move around in the garage now but i could stand to take another trip.

After i got back the kids and i hit the garage to start cleaning suspension parts. A little heat (blow torch), a 4 foot breaker bar, 2 impact guns and a few wrenches and its 80% apart. I know i own a pickle fork but for the life of me I cant find it. A few of the more stubborn arms wouldn't come out with the dead-blow hammer. Tomorrow I will pick up a new pickle fork and a 34mm socket to get these axel nuts off.

Once apart i filled a large Rubbermaid container with degreaser and warm water and put the kids to work. Nothing like a little child labor to start the afternoon. 4 hours of scrubbing with SOS pads and a wire brush resulted in 4 A arms that look like new.

Now I know some people paint these after cleaning them, but why?
After using the wire brush they look like new.
Does paint clean easier in the future?
seems like it might just flake off, rock chips and then look worse.

Tomorrow will be more of the same, lots of arms and spindles to clean.

I was also reading about using a 12 volt battery charger, some re-bar and a few chemicals to remove rust from parts. I was considering putting the wheel bearing assemblies in that solution to remove the surface rust. I could then throw a coat of black paint on those to prevent future rust.
http://makezine.com/projects/electrolysis-rust-remover/

Pictures or it didn't happen :-)
37734377353773637737377383773937740377413774237743

All of the rubber and seals look good except for the ones on the calipers and the one on the rods for the rear suspension. Looks like i might have to replace those.

Presto51

01-18-2015, 12:23 PM

Now I know some people paint these after cleaning them, but why?
After using the wire brush they look like new.
Does paint clean easier in the future?
seems like it might just flake off, rock chips and then look worse.

Some use a clear coat to keep them looking like new. If you leave them in their natural finish they will return to the look that you just worked hard to get rid of

I was also reading about using a 12 volt battery charger, some re-bar and a few chemicals to remove rust from parts. I was considering putting the wheel bearing assemblies in that solution to remove the surface rust. I could then throw a coat of black paint on those to prevent future rust.
http://makezine.com/projects/electrolysis-rust-remover/QUOTE]

I would use and have used products like Metal Rescue, which is a rust remover bath. A lot easier

Ron

Edgeman

01-18-2015, 12:47 PM

If I had to do mine over, I would just use a clear on them no paint. The paint looks fake just my opinion. You really don't see them until you take the wheels off.

tanderson1

01-18-2015, 04:28 PM

Thanks Presto, I will see if they sell Metal Rescue at Canadian Tire.

If I had to do mine over, I would just use a clear on them no paint. The paint looks fake just my opinion. You really don't see them until you take the wheels off.
I have looked at a lot of photos and agree with the "fake" comment. If i was going to paint them it would be black, not trying to make it look like metal again. I love your idea of spraying with coats of clear. That's what i will do.

I bought a pickle fork/34mm socket/paint/clear/primer and more degreaser today. Axels came off way easier then i thought they would with the air impact. I was able to remove all of the a arms with the pickle fork and was able to clean the next set of suspension.

There are a few rubber dust covers that have been damaged over the life of the vette, does anyone know where i can order these. I went to Canadian Tire and Napa, both came up empty. Is the dealership the only option? can i order just a set of dust covers and grease?

Pictures
37768377693777037771

I picked up red and black brake paint, main caliper will be red, bottom caliper pieces will be black.

I also went to Napa to pick up new pads/rotors.... $600 seems steep. When i can get this from Amazon for $250
http://www.amazon.com/1997-CHEVROLET-CORVETTE-DRILLED-PERFORMANCE/dp/B00C82TILU

I also was surfing the web last night and found this picture
37772
and went out right away to buy mat orange engine paint. Going to paint some scrap metal to see if it looks good. If it doesn't work out i bought black crinkle engine paint as well which i can use on the valve covers.

Edgeman

01-18-2015, 05:02 PM

tanderson1

01-18-2015, 06:38 PM

I had to order them from corvette depot, I think they came with the e brake pads. The other photo is the rear stabilizer or rear suspension adjuster outer end kit.
http://www.corvettedepot.ca/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=30_79_576
http://www.corvettedepot.ca/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=30_90&products_id=12721
http://www.corvettedepot.ca/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=30_90&sort=20a&page=5
Lots of parts at corvette depot that you will need, a lot cheaper than your Chevy dealer.

wow for 2 small parking brake rubber gaskets i have to pay $252.88. The rest of the assembly looks great.

I found this cheap solution... although its not the best.
http://s258.photobucket.com/user/oldmanZ28/media/DSC_3564ACCCAS.jpg.html

I will try calling Chevy tomorrow, fingers crossed that they sell them alone.

for the rear suspension adjustment it looks like i can just buy the boot for $29.12
http://www.corvettedepot.ca/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=12716

tanderson1

01-18-2015, 06:51 PM

these look cheaper, anyone have experience with "energy suspension"

http://www.ebay.com/itm/ENERGY-SUSPENSION-9-13101R-RED-UNIVERSAL-TIE-ROD-DUST-BOOTS-2-PACK-/121137242294?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&fits=Model%3ACorvette&hash=item1c3457a0b6&vxp=mtr

http://www.ebay.com/itm/ENERGY-SUSPENSION-9-13101R-RED-UNIVERSAL-TIE-ROD-DUST-BOOTS-2-PACK-/121137242294?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&fits=Model%3ACorvette&hash=item1c3457a0b6&vxp=mtr

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XxDWFntAdeA

tanderson1

01-19-2015, 05:31 PM

Ran to Part Source (http://PartSource.ca) at lunch and picked up some parts..

4x Brake rotors
1x Front Brake Pads
1x Rear Brake Pads
1x Set of new plug wires.

$750 over the original budget already :-) Let the games begin.

I called the dealership, the rubber grommet only comes with the whole e-brake cable for $170 (cheaper then the $250 for the brake assembly). He did give me a lead on a few other places to call.

Rubber parts that i need replaced are:
1x front brake piston boot (Complete rebuild kit purchased from dealership for $31.16, I bought 4 sets, 2 front, 2 rear)
1x Lower A arm ball joint boot (Will have to find from "Energy Suspension")
1x Tie Rod End boot (rear) (Will have to find from "Energy Suspension")
1x knuckle ball joint boot (Will have to find from "Energy Suspension")
2x Emergency Brake Cable Lever Rubber Cover (cant find anywhere for less then $170/side)

tanderson1

01-19-2015, 11:57 PM

Day 2 of suspension cleaning. I would post more pictures but they would just be of me, sitting alone, scrubbing for hours on end. Kids lost interest in cleaning pretty early on.

I think i have found a local source for the "Emergency Brake Cable Lever Rubber Cover". Someone is calling me back tomorrow.

I have 2 complete corners clean, and another one started. With any luck i should be able to finish cleaning the suspension and move on to cleaning the brakes and rebuilding them by Wed. Brake paint on Thursday.

Then I can work on cleaning the engine until the parts i ordered come in for the suspension.

kit comes in 5 weeks or so and i need to have a few things done before it gets here:
1) brakes cleaned, rebuilt and painted (two tone black and red)
2) suspension rebuilt with new boots/grease (hit it with a few coats of clear coat before assembly)
3) Rust removed from wheel bearing assemblies (picked up chemicals for this). Then paint them black.
4) Rust removed from all the bolts, paint the bolts black. (might not stay but worth a shot)

Engine
5) Clean the engine
6) build the wiring harness (extend what needs to be, remove what i don't need)
7) Paint the engine valve covers and intake (like the picture i posted before)

8) remove the rust from the parking brake assembly.

tanderson1

01-20-2015, 01:20 PM

i started off this project with a cost sheet.

Large items are coming at or below the mark. Little items continue to add up.

Tools (pickle fork, brake hone, cleco tool and pins)
New brake pads and rotors
2 tie rod ends
caliper repair kit
Spark plugs and wires
34MM socket for wheel nuts
4 liters of degreaser, 6 spray cans of stonger degreaser, wire brushes, SOS pads,
valve cover casket
oil filter and oil
Coolant
ball joint boots
speedo in Kph, required to pass inspection
yellow lit reflectors to pass inspection
5 point seat belts with red "press" button to pass inspection

So far those little items add up to a few grand.

Fingers crossed that this $500 a day spending spree doesn't have to continue :-)

fastthings

01-20-2015, 02:22 PM

tanderson1

01-20-2015, 02:27 PM

It won't, it will turn into $2000 SPEND DAYS.

Dont tell my wife :-)

carbon fiber

01-20-2015, 02:28 PM

COSTSHEET??? what's that???:p

tanderson1

01-20-2015, 03:23 PM

Edgeman

01-20-2015, 10:51 PM

I recieved my quote from Whitby Motorcars for the "Canadian GTM kit"

Parts are $1995 but shipping is $875.

I can ship a car across the country for that.

calling Breeze Auto now to see what they can do for shipping.

Find out if Factory Five will send them to the border in your wife's name and pick them up before the kit arrives or After. You won't need them right away you have lots of drilling and riveting.

narkosys

01-21-2015, 12:16 AM

If you look at what is in the Whitby completion kit (http://www.whitbymotorsports.com/UServiceDetail.asp?serviceid=15), you can pretty much get everything up here in Canada.

HTH

P

tanderson1

01-21-2015, 12:17 AM

Find out if Factory Five will send them to the border in your wife's name and pick them up before the kit arrives or After. You won't need them right away you have lots of drilling and riveting.

Good idea. I did talk to factory five and they did say that they could supply the parts. I tried to see if i could source the parts on my own but it looks like it would take alot of research to figure out exactly what the parts are from, ie steering rack from a mustang, not sure what the shocks are from, etc.

I have been out in the garage for most of the evening, my fingers are numb, i'm sick with a cold and have a pounding headache. Regardless it didn't keep me out of the garage. Fun enough i have so many cuts on my hands from cleaning parts that my iphone wont unlock with my finger print anymore. Aluminum is SHARP!

I am down to the last knuckle and A arm, i am letting them sit in degreaser overnight, they are rough, like someone pored oil on them and drove down a dirt road. 2 hours cleaning them and they now to the point the others started. Once that was done i decided to move over to some engine cleaning, figured a top down approach should work best. I have swapped engines in the past but never cared enough to make them spotless so this is new territory for me. I started by removing the coil packs, and then the metal mounts that the coils mount to, followed by the wiring harness as a whole. I was then able to remove the fuel rail and the air intake. Throttle body came off after that followed by the valve covers. I used gunk degreaser to carefully remove the gunk being careful to keep it out of the engine. I used non scratching SOS pads and a soft bristle brush to get into those hard to reach areas.

Tomorrow i may pull off the accessories and start cleaning the mounts, bolts and accessories themselves.
37886378873788837889378903789137892

Taz Rules

01-21-2015, 11:40 AM

Mr. Anderson (spoken like Agent Smith from the Matrix)

Hey...that may stick! Mr. Anderson. Like it!

Anyway. This is going to be one fine looking, very clean example! You're supposed to drive it, not eat pancakes off of it! ;)

That said, when degreasing bikes, including sticky chain lube from swingarms and inner fenders, I found very good luck with a cleaning product called Fantastik. Spray on, wipe off. Repeat maybe one more time. For final cleaning I used Simple Green. Much easier on the hands than degreaser.

Hope this helps.

LCD Gauges

01-21-2015, 11:55 AM

COSTSHEET??? what's that???:p

A cost sheet is something that makes you laugh every time you look at it...hysterical laughter.

Nice work on the engine degrease. What do you charge to fly down to Toronto, and do mine? :cool:

Taz Rules

01-21-2015, 12:09 PM

What do you charge to fly down to Toronto, and do mine? :cool:
Oh please, PLEASE say "Five dollah"! :p

tanderson1

01-21-2015, 09:57 PM

Mr. Anderson (spoken like Agent Smith from the Matrix)
Hey...that may stick! Mr. Anderson. Like it!

I get this about every other week from a random person I meet... never gets old :-}

A cost sheet is something that makes you laugh every time you look at it...hysterical laughter.
Nice work on the engine degrease. What do you charge to fly down to Toronto, and do mine? :cool:

I think the only reward for cleaning is knowing how good it will look in your own car..... cleaning for others doesn't really come with that reward :-)

Not a lot of progress made today, I picked up an engine stand at the store and a leveler for the engine hoist. I also broke down and bought new ball joints to replace every joint that has questionable rubber seals, and I bought new tie rod ends. Best news today was that I found those little rubber seals for the parking brake cable for $20 locally in town.

Oh and I heard back from Breeze Automotive, shipping from them was $600 cheaper then Whitby Motorcars. Ordered from Breeze Auto on the spot, the 3 boxes are 5 weeks out. If anyone is looking I recommend Breeze for the pricing. Also the guy on the phone was very friendly. :-)

so in summary, another day where I bought a lot of stuff but made no progress what so ever. :-)

tanderson1

01-22-2015, 01:32 PM

Tires just arrived via UPS. The pictures don't do these justice, they are HUGE!!! 14" wide on the rears.

They have a label on them that says the tires will be permanently damaged if they get below -15 degrees. Good thing i have a furnace in my garage I guess.

The tires are Proxy R888's going onto the wheels purchased directly from factory five.

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tanderson1

01-26-2015, 03:47 PM

So a few days have passed since the last post.

My family and I have been sick for the last few days so progress has been slow.

I picked up some "Metal Rescue" from CanadianTire and filled an ice cream bucket. I then completely submerged the wheel bearing assemblies. After 4 hours these things are spotless, no rust, no oil, look brand new. Now its possible that this isn't good for the wheel bearing itself, time will tell. My theory was that this part has to be water tight because of its location. So far the wheel bearings are spinning a little easier then before, I think this is due to the reduction in surface rust. I plan to paint these black with some high temp paint.

I also picked up a better grease remover from CanadianTire (see photos). Using this new degreaser I was able to clean some of the harder to clean pieces. I also used the new degreaser to clean of the brake calipers. I then followed that up with a wire brush and some brake cleaner. These are now ready for paint, I plan on painting them red/black (caliper red, mounting bracket black)

I used a winch strung off through the attic hatch and over 2 rafters to lift the engine off the pallet that it was on. My buddy and I then mounted the engine down to a stand with wheels. This allows better access to the front and sides and makes the overall size smaller so it will easily fit into the corner of the garage. I then removed the power steering pump, water pump, AC bracket, etc so I can start to clean the rest of the engine. (I do have a friend with an engine hoist, so far I have been to lazy to pick it up)

I ordered new tie rods so I started to remove the old tie rod ends. These nuts were locked on and required some heat to expand the nut and loosen them up. Old Tie Rods are now off waiting for the new parts to come in the mail. I will hit these with a little black paint to make them look better.

Once the new ball joints come in I can start putting the suspension back together. In the meanwhile I have been researching fuel system options including which aluminum tanks to go with (there are two kinds) and which fuel rail/pump/regulator/filter combination to run with.

Does anyone know if the Aeromotive rails fit under the factory engine covers?

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LCD Gauges

01-26-2015, 05:16 PM

It's like you're building the nursery before the baby arrives!

Metal Rescue = don't drink that stuff.

tanderson1

01-26-2015, 10:08 PM

Its a good day, came home to 4 new rims a box from Jegs and a box from RockAuto.

Just waiting on one more RockAuto order that contains the ball joints.

Tomorrow I will have the tires mounted and balanced, can't wait to see them together.

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tanderson1

01-27-2015, 06:49 PM

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Mounted and balanced.

Another $117 I didn't account for :-)

tanderson1

01-29-2015, 01:02 AM

tanderson1

01-29-2015, 09:49 AM

So, no progress on the real car today but I did manage to almost complete a fairly close digital render of the GTM. Truth be told i stole these files out of a popular video game, used a 3rd party game developer tool to convert to a 3ds file. I then separated it into parts and converted it to Sketchup format (free 3D tool)

Hood, body, hatch, wheels, windows, and 30 other parts for the Gen 1 and Gen 2 were all converted. I will combine those Gen 2 files into one sketchup file and then use that to test out different paint combinations.

I Went to sleep thinking about the possibilities for this.

Once completed i could easily 3D print this model at work. I could easily create a 12" long scale model of the GTM (no molds).
I could use the 3D model to create a really cool interface for the car using centrafuse and a custom plugin. I could have a 3D rendering of the car spin around when tire pressure is low (TPMS) and blink the tire that is low red while showing the current tire temp/pressure as an overlay. The 3D doors could open when the real doors are are left open, the hatch could open and display engine codes. Possibilities are endless.

From a past project I have a car PC with a 3D card in my garage already. This computer has 12 volt switched/constant inputs and monitors battery voltage, times when the PC turns on and off (so when you get gas it stays on). Its small and would mount behind the driver seat easily. The only problem is that all in (wiring etc) it weighs 10 pounds with the touch screen..... not sure if I want to make the car heavier.

I used to use this software on the pc http://www.centrafuse.com/us/. Complete with maps/rear camera/front camera/Hands free phone/TPMS/Movies/Music/Radio/etc. The software leaves a little to be desired but its customizable and skinable.

... The wheels are spinning ...

fastthings

01-29-2015, 11:34 AM

Ya baby, that sounds cool.

tanderson1

01-30-2015, 10:58 AM

... The wheels are spinning ...

So last night i did a little more research on the car PC idea, I can write the whole thing in the unity 3D gaming engine. (Software is free for 30 days, then i could just install it on another PC :-))

Pros

Gaming engine is easy to use (and can be scripted in 3 programing languages that i know)
It supports sound (play stop ff rew) so adding MP3 player functionality would be easy
Supports Video textures, so i could have a DVD player/ movie player app. Can also work with 3D so you could do cool animations like flying into the car and zooming into the 3D representation of the touch screen while loading the movie.
has an easy API
Has EQ functionality built right in, so i could have a multiband EQ
Supports Webcams
Someone wrote a NAV system already and offers the code for $65. its capable of using maps downloaded from Bing/Google/Garmin etc and support downloading of traffic data from the internet https://www.assetstore.unity3d.com/en/#!/content/13261
Could easily connect to the internet via a tethered cell phone or cellular USB stick.

Using the Unity API I could

Integrate to my ODB2 adapter
Integrate to my TPMS sensors
Start the car (using microprocessor)
Lock or unlock the doors (using microprocessor
See the status of door locks, doors opening, hood opening, etc
Using a microprocessor there is nothing that i couldn't monitor (gforce, hood open, door open, battery draw, suspension compression, etc)

Unity is also multi platform which means this code would work on a PC, IOS, Blackberry or and Android tablet/phone (although ODB2/TPMs/remote start/Door Unlock would have to be done via HTTP or TCP if i don't use a PC). So if i want a low voltage, instant on for say the gauge cluster in the dash i could use a hacked up android tablet or IPad.

If I do integrate the ODB2 adapter (i have a few Bluetooth ones lying around) I could have MPG, Average speed, RPM, Engine Temp, etc all available. If I use a PC instead of an IPAD i could run two displays, one touch screen in the center console and the other as the main gauge cluster. Using a 3D engine would allow me to have the gauges fly in when starting the car or drip in like a thick fluid from the top, etc. It would be easy to add virtual tire temp lights that could indicate when the tires were warm enough to take a quick corner, or add a G sensor that could indicate on a dial how close you are to spinning out.

The PC could also easily do data logging taking the information from the ABS sensors, ODB2, and TPMS and streaming them to a database on a USB key for later playback.

I could create a virtual drag racing tree that could measure reaction time (using ODB2 of the brake/gas pedals) and 0-60 as well as quarter mile times based of the odometer or ABS sensor data.

Hell you could even cheat a drag racing by using the webcam on the front of the car. Write some code to have it recognize the tree at the drag strip, when the light yellow it starts to increase the RPM past what the brakes can hold, when the light goes green it could use a solenoid to release the brake for you. Coupled with launch control you could dial in its ability to cross the start line at the precise ms that the light goes green. (I'm sure there are rules against this)

I will think about it some more but I'm sure I will be putting in all these systems while i build the car. I may leave the programing portions until after the car is finished. It will give me a fun project moving forward with the car. Something i can continue to improve upon and add features to.

tanderson1

01-31-2015, 09:33 PM

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Top Gear has started a new season, so its time to get some work done in the garage.

I am using high temperature rim clear coat for the A Arms and suspension components.
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Wheel bearings painted black after all the rust was removed. I painted all 4 with high temp brake paint (black). Green painters tape was used to mask off the bearings/wires.
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Completely took apart the brake assemblies, these will be rebuilt once painting is complete. I used compressed air to get the pistons out, was harder then i expected, first piston comes out but then you have to wedge it back in with a chunk of wood (or in my case a tie rod end) so that you can create enough pressure to pop out the other piston.
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New Tie Rod ends, painted the old Tie Rods black after cleaning them.
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Continuing to paint tonight, heading out every few hours to throw a few more coats of paint/clear on the parts. The Brakes are Dupont brake paint red on the main portion and Dupont black on the carrier.
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The A arms look great after the clear coat. Really makes the aluminum shine, its also noticeably smooth to the touch now which should make cleaning off dirt a much simpler task.

I have a few orders waiting to come in before i can start reassembly. I am still waiting on a few more ball joints, a few rubber dust covers and some tools that i ordered.

tanderson1

02-02-2015, 10:47 AM

If you reading this message and you are planning on a GTM build using donor parts you might want to reconsider. I have been looking at the prices on rock auto and cost all in after buying new ball joints, brake pads, rotors, brake rebuild kits, new brake lines, cleaning chemicals, and paint is really close to buying new. (off rock auto website)

I would still clear coat all the parts even if i bought them new.

Here are the items i am waiting on still
1) brake rebuild kits
2) 6 of the ball joints
3) brake line bending tool
4) new flexible brake lines
5) Paperwork from Transport Canada to import the kit with.
6) Canadian GTM Kit
7) FF GTM kit

Items left to work on while waiting
1) Make the engine sparkle (cleaner/ paint)
2) Mount the new clutch i bought
3) Finish painting brakes (this high temp brake paint takes FOREVER to dry)
4) Clean the garage!

Items i still need to order
1) Lug nuts (man these are expensive.... $75 was the cheapest i found so far)
2) Transaxel (mendeola)
3) Toyota short throw shifter http://www.twmperformance.com/shortshifters/toyotashortshifters/toyotacorollashortshifters.htm
4) Body mods from Vspeed...
5) Exhaust from Vspeed...
6) Move Rivets (I hear the kit doesn't come with enough)
7) Air powered rivet guns (totally worth it)

The only other news is that i found a home for the body while i work on the go-Kart. Its all the way across town but it can sit in someone elses garage so it doesn't get in the way.

Edgeman

02-02-2015, 12:31 PM

Presto51

02-02-2015, 12:48 PM

While you’re still in the planning stage, don’t forget to add to your to do list, Clutch Stop

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/showthread.php?16646-Transaxle-Tic-Tic!-Need-Help-Please

Ron

tanderson1

02-03-2015, 09:42 PM

http://edgemansgtm.weebly.com/body.html
This is what I did with the body, bottom of the page Sept 30 post. - 1 winch from Canadian tire $45, 2- 10' - 2x4, four pulleys mounted to 1" angle and 4 eye bolts. Hung the hood on the wall did not take up very much room (June 7 post has the pic of the hood mounted to the wall).
Body does not weigh very much. Sat up in the roof for two years all good.

I read your blog from start to finish Edgeman, a few pages I read twice :-) I actually already have 2 winches mounted to the roof of my garage, one I use to hoist my quad shovel to the roof in the summer and the other is used to raise Rubbermaid totes to the attic portion of the garage. unfortunately in my garage there is no way to lift something as large as the body up the the roof without blocking a large amount of the florescent light fixtures. I find a bright garage less frustrating :-)

While you’re still in the planning stage, don’t forget to add to your to do list, Clutch Stop
http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/showthread.php?16646-Transaxle-Tic-Tic!-Need-Help-Please
Ron

I have been following that thread, saw the damage caused, I will remember that for sure.

tanderson1

02-05-2015, 06:51 PM

So been a few days without a real status update.

Put another coat of red/black paint on the brake parts (this stuff takes forever to dry and goes on really thick)
Last of the ball joints came in the mail, they will be in the A arms and knuckles tomorrow
finally had a chance to pick up the pieces to reassemble the parking brake.
Decided i that i may as well replace a few more parts that are not broken... bought new flexible brake lines for all 4 corners, bought new guide pins and guide pin boots. (easy to replace while its all apart harder to replace later so why not)

I will have time to get the parts all assembled this weekend.

tanderson1

02-07-2015, 10:31 PM

started painting the last of the suspension components.
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The ABS sensor connector brackets (grey) had to be sanded down completely as the paint would just flake off. Grey engine paint was used to respray, black brake paint was used for the ebrake mounting plates.

Started putting everything together with brake lube
385113851038513

Hardest part was getting the seals around pistons to seat properly, one how-to i watched showed the seals being pressed in on the piston however they don't seat properly that way. The best approach is to put the seal into place with a little brake lube to keep it stuck in there. Then lube up the piston and slide it into the boot, jam a few pieces of scrap wood in front of the piston to lock the piston into the inner seal. now use some compressed air to inflate the seal from the hydraulic hose inlet. This causes the boot to inflate and seat into both the piston groove and the inner groove. Now just repeat that 5 more times.

I also sanded the red paint of the corvette logo's on the calipers so they stand out. I really like the Corvette logos, decided to keep them.

tanderson1

02-08-2015, 11:02 PM

38575
Finished 3 calipers this weekend, Just waiting on the last set of new guide pins to complete the last caliper.

I hope to have the whole suspension assembly together tomorrow. Then I will move on modifications on the steering column later this week.

I bought two new Raspberry PI version 2's (mini Computers). I was going to see if they have enough horse power to run a 3D model of a GTM, even if they don't I could pre-render the animations as the PI has 1080p video rendering on chip. I plan to have one run an LCD gauge cluster, the other will run an LCD in the center console (hope to fit a 10" touch screen). I plan for this to run everything from AC/Heat controls, engine start stop, doors, etc.

I also purchased a double din Android deck that plays DVD's, supports navigation, hands free audio, digital radio, digital TV Tuner, Cellular internet, etc..... don't think I will end up using it in the car, might end up putting it into my GMC Sierra if the Raspberry PI setup ends up working for the GTM.

Wife gave me the go to buy a lift for the garage. Currently looking at this one,
http://www.costco.ca/Dannmar-MaxJax%E2%84%A2-2-post-Portable-Auto-Lift.product.10344259.html?catalogId=11201&keyword=car+lift&langId=-24&storeId=10302&refine=
Its big enough to lift my truck or my van and tall enough to not hit the roof.

Tomorrow will mark exactly 2 weeks since filing my paperwork with transport Canada, still no reply from them and nothing in the mail. Hope to get something soon so the GTM can be shipped.

tanderson1

02-09-2015, 08:45 PM

38614

these little dust covers will be the end of me. I found a local corvette dealer that told me he had a few that i could have, one was good, the other was worse then the ones i was trying to replace. Seemingly no one would sell them without selling the full $270 set of parking brake shoes. So i started to investigate, turns out all Chevy's use the same boot.... using this information i finally found them, annoyingly they are at the same parts place i have been using all along, for less then $4.

Now that i know what the part number is i can find them everywhere. If anyone else is looking for these look here:

http://rockauto.com Under Dorman 924-243 (this is where i bought them)
http://www.amazon.ca/Dorman-924-243-Parking-Brake-Lever/dp/B00FPL1D00
http://www.rmsautoparts.com/proddetail.php?prod=0FH-Brake-Boot
http://www.oreillyauto.com/site/c/detail/DOE0/924243/04309.oap?year=2004&make=Chevrolet&model=Silverado%2B1500&vi=1424089&ck=Search_04309_1424089_-1&pt=04309&ppt=C0326
https://www.partsmonkey.com/en-US/Part?id=920551&ptnum=4265&PartType=Parking+Brake+Components&Make=CHEVROLET
http://shop.advanceautoparts.com/p/dorman-oe-solutions-parking-brake-lever-boot-2pcs-924-243/10463277-P

tanderson1

02-09-2015, 11:02 PM

Another day of spending but not a lot of progress.

I bought the lift,
38642

I bought the PG-055 transmission plug, fender covers, and a battery tender that i can wire into the car when its in storage.

and these lug nuts
http://www.sfxperformance.com/parts/GOR21133HT.htm

I have no less then 12 orders waiting to come in, unfortunately the parts i need first are the ones due to arrive last.... good news, every day i come home from work to a mini Christmas morning, bad news is no progress can be made on the suspension until guide pins and rubber boots arrive.

tanderson1

02-11-2015, 05:17 PM

I sent another letter to transport canada, this letter was responded to, they mentioned that the previous letter must have been lost.

Back to waiting an additional 2 weeks for customs paperwork. Arrrggg.

On the bright side the lift was shipped today and should be here in a few days. I guess its time for a dump run to clean out the garage.

tanderson1

02-14-2015, 02:31 AM

So i had great plans for getting alot done on Thursday, on the way home from work my wife texts me "neighbor kid broke the toilet".... when i got home my wife had chest pains and had to go to the ER (turned out to be a viral infection on her Rib, she will be fine). When i got back home from the ER i saw that the toilet had backed up an inch of water in to the bathroom that my wife had cleaned up. What she failed to consider is that my office was below the bathroom and 20 liters or so of toilet water landed on my new TV, Computer, 4K monitors, $270 keyboard, etc.... all ruined. On top of that i have a touch sensitive coffee table that had a 1/4" of pee water lingering on top of it.

after everything was cleaned up (still broken, but clean) i turned my attention to the toilet. Annoying neighbor kid flushed a bloody car down my toilet.
3876038761

After I get all that done, i get upstairs and my wife tells me that the upstairs bathroom is doing the same thing, out come the tools again, at least i managed to get the obstruction out of that one before the toilet had to be unbolted.

I think the neighbor is 9 years old... old enough to know that cars dont go in toilets!!!!

2 post lift was supposed to arrive today as well, its midnight and the tracking number still says "out for delivery". Unfortunately its a long weekend here in Alberta Canada so it wont be here until Tuesday now..... cant wait to get it setup. The remaining brake parts should be delivered on Tuesday as well.

Scrubbed the engine with degreaser for another few hours today, its now spotless, starting putting it all back together again. Forgot to get photos of that, i will post some tomorrow. I also have to get some photos of some of the wiring connectors, By flipping the intake i blocked one of the sensors, wondering if its important and has to be relocated.

I think i will start on the steering column tomorrow, I have the motorized column so it will take a little more work to get it prepped.

tanderson1

02-15-2015, 11:45 PM

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This was the connector that i was worried about blocking off. I took the time today to read the manual and found it mentioned well after the engine section under "gauges". Turns out there is a new sensor that comes with the kit that will thread in here.

387803878138782
I almost finished the steering column modifications today. I only had about an hour today to sneak out to the garage. The hardest part i found was the lack of proper tools, I don't own the torx sockets that were required or the steering wheel puller to get the pins out. I had to drive around town to even find someone that had a kit to sell. All the usual tool loan/rental places didn't carry them. I ended up getting a kit from partsource.ca who use to loan them out. I called ahead, he said they may have some to buy and when i got there he had found one of the old loaner sets on a back shelf. So now i have my very own steering wheel puller set.

The column disassemble went quick after that, following the manual instructions for the adjustable column. The instructions imply that once the collar is cut it should just slide off, mine took 10+ hits with a BFH and a metal chisel to pop off. I was very careful to only hit the portions that would be thrown away.

Only a few items left, I have to cut the outer rod ends, drill a few holes, then put it all back together.

tanderson1

02-18-2015, 01:18 AM

The Rubber covers for the ebrake came, turns out they are not 100% the same as the corvette units but they are very close. The only change that needs to be made is the thickness of the rubber that fits inside the metal plate. 5 seconds on a belt sander and they are thin enough to mount perfectly. These units seem much thicker and more robust then the OEM pieces.
3886038861

The lift came today, took about an hour to put everything together, I have to rent a hammer drill to complete the mounting process. I also need to pick up some hydraulic fluid and lithium grease to finish the Assembly. I measured out the garage today and i think i will put it right in the middle of the 2 car garage, i have never parked two cars in there anyway and that gives me the most room to work on the car.
3885838859388623886338864388653886638867

I also received the transmition backup light connector from Summit, a battery charger for storing the car and a couple of fender blankets. Tomorrow the brake caliper guide pins and brake lines should be here. That will enable me to wrap up the complete suspension rebuild....

Then boredom will set in, I will have completed all steps that i can with the parts that i have...... With any luck i should receive the customs clearance this week, that's all that standing in my way of receiving my kit.

tanderson1

02-19-2015, 01:08 AM

So today was a crappy day in the garage...

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These are the fasteners that attach the lift to the floor. They came with the lift. The lift manual requires a 4" thick concrete base, this is where the problem started.

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I measured out a lift location to allow room to walk around and have the car in the center of the garage. I drilled the first 5/8" holes 2 inches deep as the manual states, still no problem. I grabbed the 7/8" bit and started to drill down to 4" and sure enough the slab is only 2.5" to 3" thick, that's not the worst part, under the slab is nothing but air for a solid 10". Its still not clear to me if the entire garage slab is floating 10" in the air but I did drill the other post in 10 feet away and ran into the exact same situation.

All signs point to the fact that my whole garage slab or at least a large % of it is not in contact with the ground.

38883388843888538886
you can kind of see the void under the slab in these photos. I have a truck that tops out at 6000Lbs, no way i trust this lift to lift the truck, or even my minivan....Hell knowing what i know now i think it may be only a short while before the slab cracks under the weight of vehicles parked on it.

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Anyway, here is what it looks like mounted. To bad I cant use it to lift anything I care about. (That's my friend Robb in the picture, he was there to try the tears...)

My plan of attack now is to cut a 2'x2' hole where each post will be, stick my head down there to see how big the problem is. If the problem is fixable i can put a footing down and pour new concrete a few feet into the ground and then put the lift back with new anchors...

Now I have to rent a concrete saw :-)

crash

02-19-2015, 09:55 AM

Unless you have a prestress slab it really is not that big of a deal as far as the lift is concerned. Saw cut some squares out for the base of the lift. Dig some footings. Attach the footings to the slab via epoxied rebar. Pour footings. Should be simple enough.

On the other hand, unless your slab was poured off site and installed there may be some other serious problem going on at you building site. There is NO WAY that someone did something to pour that slab 10" off the dirt on purpose when they poured it. You may have a significant issue with settling under your building.

tanderson1

02-19-2015, 10:06 PM

On the other hand, unless your slab was poured off site and installed there may be some other serious problem going on at you building site. There is NO WAY that someone did something to pour that slab 10" off the dirt on purpose when they poured it. You may have a significant issue with settling under your building.

Yes, this has me a little worried... I plan to cut some holes into the floor to make a footing as you described, i hope to start on that this weekend. Once i have the floor opened up a little i will take a look through the hole to see the extent of the problem. My house has a basement and by code the support walls have to be poured below the frost line, my only worry is the floor which would have been originally poured in place.

On the bright side this may give me an easy way to install some conduit under the slab to hide the hydraulic lines.

Edgeman

02-19-2015, 11:11 PM

I have seen this many times where the builder has not tamped the garage floor or watered the sand or gravel to prevent this. Time is money to them so they just get it done. Same with a drive way, if you pour it with in the first year you are going to have settling. This is why you have the void. If you tap the floor and drive way you will be able to tell all the hollow spots. You can get slab jackers in to fill that void. They will mix up a slurry and pump it under the slab and fill.

tanderson1

02-21-2015, 06:36 PM

Yesterday I pulled both my van and my truck into the garage to ensure that the mounting points were close enough to the car yet far enough away that the doors could still allow me to climb in and out. I might have got a little carried away and decided to see if the weight of my 6000 lb truck would be ok... I lifted the truck 2" off the ground and the concrete gave way. Pulled the rear anchors right out of the slab. (that's why i only raised it 2 inches, truck didn't have far to fall.)

So now to fixing the problem. I used a side grinder (big one) with a masonry blade and cut out a square that is 3" wider then the lift plate in all directions. The blade is round so i cant get all the way into the corners without making a mess. I then went to the hardware store and bought a 10lb sledge hammer and started to beat the crap out of the square. Unsurprisingly it came out pretty easy. This did leave a substantial amount of dust on everything in the garage, i put plastic over the engine so no concrete dust would enter the intake/exhaust ports.

Now that the holes are done you can see what happened. The builder started by putting Re-bar directly onto the ground (not elevated at all). It would appear that the re-bar sunk into the soil a little before a 2" concrete slab was poured. The re-bar was sunk into the ground so the concrete never touched it (it floats under the floor). Many years pass and the ground started to sink leaving the re-bar just below the slab and creating a void.

You can see all of the cracks in the slab in the photos... now i know why.
38937389383894038942389433894438941

The thickest point is 2"... most of the slab is thinner...
38939

So the plan is to first call a slab jacking company to come look, I would like them to pump their liquid concrete under the complete slab. I think it would be best to put the 6000PSI footings in first, then have them drill a series of 1" holes around the slab to pump in their mixture.

In other news I finished off the last of the brake assemblies now the the parts have arrived. I was side tracked with the concrete work but i should have the column done today or tomorrow.

tanderson1

02-22-2015, 10:41 PM

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Steering column is now completed. Taped up the lower portion to throw a quick coat of black paint on it. I bought the motorized column, i read that it was harder to modify... truth be told it was really easy to complete the modifications and i think it will be a priceless feature for getting in and out of the car.

I have now completed everything I can before the kit arrives..... fingers crossed for customs paperwork....

In the meanwhile i plan on
-fixing the concrete in the garage
- putting up the last of the drywall around the outside edges
- getting the lift reinstalled
- maybe build a bigger work bench.
- Costco has a sale on garage cabinets.... tempting.
- I bought a jack shaft garage door opener and high lift kit so i can lift cars higher... that has to be installed.

tanderson1

02-24-2015, 12:19 AM

39026
Had to modify the new rubber dust covers for the e-brake. A few seconds on the belt sander and they fit perfect.

39028390273902939030
I put the spindles/bearings/brakes together. I will attach the upper and lower A arms after the body arrives, for now the units remain smaller if there not assembled.

Tomorrow the first contracting company comes to look at the concrete floor.... Fingers crossed.

TouchStone

02-24-2015, 01:47 AM

the brake disks look like they are made of plastic. Are they zinc plated?

crash

02-24-2015, 11:30 AM

Um, you have a serious flaw in your buildings slab. You need to talk to the builder about this. It is not going to be fixed by pumping more concrete in under what you have there.

LCD Gauges

02-24-2015, 12:25 PM

Why is the re-bar exposed? Isn't that supposed to be embedded in the concrete (IE: steel reinforced concrete)?

When I had my hoist installed, the tech cautioned that the slab was 0.5-1.0" too thin. Recommended minimum was 4.0 inches
(you are showing 2.0!). He said that pouring footing would solve the issue, but I had to wait 3 months for the concrete to harden,
and he advised not to fully load the max capacity hoist for at least a year (as the concrete hardened more).

tanderson1

02-24-2015, 05:26 PM

the brake disks look like they are made of plastic. Are they zinc plated?
Here are the pictures of the box... according to the box its "MetaCote Protective Coating"... not sure what that means
39060390613906239063

Um, you have a serious flaw in your buildings slab. You need to talk to the builder about this. It is not going to be fixed by pumping more concrete in under what you have there.
2 concrete companies today came to look and both recommended pumping 6-8" of concrete or poly under the slab that will make contact with the existing rebar. Before that i will dig down 4 feet to create footings for the lift. These footings will overlap under the existing slab locking them in. I will also put new rebar into the footings to lock them into the existing Rebar. My house is 11 years old, in Canada the home warranty forced by the government only covers 10 years, also i checked and 11 years ago they only forced a 5 year warranty.

Why is the re-bar exposed? Isn't that supposed to be embedded in the concrete (IE: steel reinforced concrete)?
When I had my hoist installed, the tech cautioned that the slab was 0.5-1.0" too thin. Recommended minimum was 4.0 inches
(you are showing 2.0!). He said that pouring footing would solve the issue, but I had to wait 3 months for the concrete to harden,
and he advised not to fully load the max capacity hoist for at least a year (as the concrete hardened more).
Ya, its supposed to be locked in... this i'm sure is what the lowest bid supplied. 4" is what my lift indicates as well. 3000psi concrete takes 30-60 days to get to 3000psi but i am going to use 6000psi concrete which should harden to 3000psi within 28 days. We don't have humid air here that may be why we don't have to wait 3 months. Regardless the lift can lift 6000 lbs, the frame of the GTM is <1000 lbs so i don't plan to fully load it for some time anyway.

while I was waiting for the concrete guys i finished removing the tape from the now freshly painted column. Looks good enough to be hidden in the dash :-)
39064

Concrete quotes are around $1800 not including the lift footings. I can live with that. (they are also going to repair the driveway which i didn't even notice was cracking as well). I will finish the footings on my own this weekend and set the calendar for 28 days.

tanderson1

02-25-2015, 12:30 AM

Tomorrow marks the 2 week mark for my resubmitted paperwork to Transport Canada. (5 weeks since i sent it in the first time but they lost it that time).... hope to have that paperwork back soon.

did anyone else have this much trouble with transport Canada? (obviously a question for the other Canadians)

tanderson1

02-25-2015, 10:25 AM

Customs paperwork came today. 2 weeks to the day of when i submitted the second time.
(I did send them an email yesterday asking about the status so its possible the poking is what make it come)

Update: Talked to Factory Five, kit is completely built and waiting for pickup. I called Stewart transport, waiting for a call back.
Update2: SMC Performance quote was completed for my complete wiring harness (fuel/rad/engine). price is <$1000 so I am ordering that today.
Update3: Stewart Transport is estimating that the the kit will be in Montana by the week of March 16th.... this gives me just shy of a month to finish the concrete work.

LCD Gauges

02-25-2015, 11:01 AM

its possible the poking is what make it come

This has the same effect on women as well.

Come on, tell me that wasn't funny!?

tanderson1

02-25-2015, 12:31 PM

This has the same effect on women as well.

Come on, tell me that wasn't funny!?

cant say i didn't laugh....
39087

tanderson1

02-25-2015, 07:03 PM

found a cool rearview mirror today (actually a coworker found it for me)
http://www.aliexpress.com/item/5-inch-TFT-LCD-car-rear-View-screen-rearview-mirror-monitor-2CH-AV-in-freeshipping-dropshipping/1363649043.html

Might help with the lack of rear visibility, just leave the rear camera on all the time showing whats behind you. I tried to find one that was 100% LCD but this is the biggest i could find.

tanderson1

03-01-2015, 06:32 PM

3918739188391893919039191

Dug a bit, slow progress because i cant fit a shovel in between the re-bar holes. I ended up using a metal crow bar and a blue parts bin as a scoop, I originally planned to dig down 4' but after getting to 3' and struggling to reach the bottom i decided that 3' is deep enough. :-). Not to worried about the frost line as the garage is heated and I don't think the ground under the garage freezes.

39192
So this is a picture of what the plan is.
Black is the current slab
Green is the new concrete i will be pouring in to make the footings
Grey is the existing mud/dirt under the pad

The new concrete will be poured though the existing re-bar, I will also add 16' of Re-bar into the new holes. The holes are 1.5' wide and 3' deep, it will also lock into the bottom of the existing slab. This should produce a safe footing for the lift.

Also think i might pick up one of the 996 "budget" gearboxes from "The Race Line".... just need to make time to call Erik and talk about gearing and the options for limited slip.

tanderson1

03-02-2015, 04:51 PM

so I took the time to put together a quick spreadsheet today (I know "budget" is a dirty word on this forum)

So far it looks like the total build cost is going to be $86,902.15 CAD. A few pieces drive that cost higher then the initial estimate... mostly the value of the Canadian dollar ($.20 on the dollar right now). This price also includes money spent on tools that i didn't have already (lift, engine hoist, engine stand, brake line benders, etc)

I only have a few big purchases left.
$6600 CAD for VSpeedWorks for Exhaust, brackets and body mods.
$500 CAD or so from My Race Shop for heater bypass, etc.
$10K-$15K CAD for the transaxel
$8K CAD for Misc parts (Fuel System, Aluminum tanks, belts, tools, traction Control, shifter, Powder coating)

no one tell my wife. :-)
(I will be purchasing LS7 parts (like Exhaust) whenever possible as I think i might be upgrading the LS1 to an LS7 in the first few years of driving it)

PS. Tonight I will be working on Rebar and the last prep for the concrete work that needs to be completed.

tanderson1

03-02-2015, 11:24 PM

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Rebar done, not the prettiest but functional. I used green epoxy rebar and i sprayed the old rebar with an epoxy coat as well.

Bending the rebar was a little problematic and i managed to catch my leg with my BFH while trying to bend the last piece. I am only walking with a bit of a limp :-).

I picked up 10 bags of 6000 PSI concrete, i bet its not enough but i should get a better idea after i fill the first hole tomorrow.

(about two weeks until the kit arrives... which is perfect because i have some work to finish.

fastthings

03-03-2015, 08:20 AM

tanderson1

03-03-2015, 01:24 PM

You remind me of me, getting all your ducks in a row. I had to build a garage while my kit was sitting/waiting. Fun to follow a new build thread.
I need some kind of lift, what a crazy find, with your floor.

Thanks, i have enjoyed your thread/video's... your getting close to the finish line.

I think the build will go much smoother and I will have a little more patience if I have a nice clean and easy to use work environment. I also plan on having my kids out there with me so it also needs to be safe for them.

Once the concrete is completed I have:

Some drywall to hang on the lower 3rd of the wall surrounding the garage
Fill the drywall holes along both walls (leave the roof the way it is for now)
hang some slat wall for handy tool storage (like wrenches, hammers/mallets, etc)
Build a wood box out of scraps i have in my garage to space cabinets around one of the support beams (gets the scraps out of the way)
If i have time i will order some cabinets (looking at the 18 gauge steel NewAge cabinets)
with any luck everything will be cleaned up and ready to set the chassis on the lift when it arrives.

The Stig

03-03-2015, 09:32 PM

You remind me of me, getting all your ducks in a row. I had to build a garage while my kit was sitting/waiting. Fun to follow a new build thread.

I need some kind of lift, what a crazy find, with your floor.

Agreed! Something tells me that this one will be fun to follow. It's already obvious that you're able convert adversity into something positive for you.

Rock on Mr. Anderson

tanderson1

03-04-2015, 01:58 AM

Thanks Stig, I think you will find that i am always a glass half full kind of guy who enjoys a good challenge. I really think you have to be like that to complete a build like this.

Today was concrete day, I searched online and found a guy down the street from me that bought a cement mixer and rents it out to people in the community for $25, I thought that was a hell of a deal. I bought 10 bags of 6000PSI concrete (twice the PSI spec that is required in the lift guidelines). I started mixing bags and shoveling them into the holes and it became very evident that 10 bags was no where close to what was required. I left the mixer running and quickly made it to the hardware store to buy 11 more bags before they closed for the night. In total 21 bags left me with about half a bag of extra concrete. I used my hands to push as much concrete as i could up and under the slab to lock the lift footing into the existing slab/rebar.

I also took the time to level the footings even though the garage floor is not level (slopes toward the door). This way the lift will be mounted without shims and will lift the vehicle vertically.

The concrete mixer was a great idea that i feel did save a lot of time however it took about 2.5 hours to clean it. If it was summer i could use a hose but its winter and -20 outside so i had to clean it in the garage using hot water in buckets, SOS pads, and a flat screw driver. It's important to me that it be returned cleaner then i when i got it, I just didn't realize how hard that would be.

393213932239323

Parts should be here Thursday to convert the garage door over to high lift so i can lift vehicles all the way up to the roof without the garage door or opener getting in the way. I will take some pictures of that as i go. Cost to buy the opener, drums, cables, spring bars, springs, track extensions, etc all totaled a little under $1000. I called around before buying the parts myself and the cheapest bid was $700 just for labor, parts were an additional $900. Figured I could do it myself, I watched a YouTube video.... that makes me an expert now. :-)

fastthings

03-04-2015, 08:00 AM

I agree, got to love youtube.

tanderson1

03-05-2015, 11:13 PM

39347

Erik (The Race Line) sent me a picture of the transaxel today. Erik promised me some photos as its torn down and and modified, i will be sure to post those as well.

The high lift garage door parts should be here tomorrow, might be a few days before i have the time to install it.

tanderson1

03-09-2015, 05:14 PM

Trans questions.

looks like i will have to create my own rear trans mount.

The Porsche uses a mount like this
39491

When mounted it looks like this
3949039492

am i correct in assuming that this whole unit will mount upside down?
Does anyone have photos of a 996 trans being mounted in a GTM?

PS I have read a bit about solid mounts (still rubber but no spacers). Are these the units i should pick up..
http://www.maperformance.com/torque-solution-polyurethane-filled-transmission-mount-porsche-911-996-997-1998-2011.html
http://www.torquesolution.com/product-p/ts-por-012.htm

or the factory type
http://www.suncoastparts.com/product/99737503303.html

or for $130 i have found rubber pieces that make the stock unit solid.
http://function-first.com/products/engine-trans/trans-mount-insert

or complete replacement bushings
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Porsche-911-Turbo-Manual-Auto-Transmission-Mount-Insert-Bushing-Set-Race-NEW-/271799838515?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item3f48886733&vxp=mtr

Update 1:
or do i have this all wrong, because the picture that Eric sent me as a rubber mount on the trans. Should i just bolt that to two solid metal plates welded and re-enforced to the frame. (more like the image below)
39498

Update 2:
Did some more reading and i think the mount i am looking for looks like the "update 1" image. I can make this myself using some steel.... thoughts?

tanderson1

03-09-2015, 06:06 PM

More pictures of the Trans

394993950039501395023950339504

tanderson1

03-10-2015, 10:46 PM

So the driver from Stewart Transport called me to tell me he is on his way, he has over 1000 miles to cover first but he is on his way. With weather the way it sits now it looks like the kit will be in Sweetgrass on the 17th or 18th of March (early next week). I will drive down early in the AM and cross the border into Montana, I will then wait in the big parking lot (eagerly) until he arrives.

I will be sure to get lots of photos including the iconic "car hanging from crane on tractor trailer"

tanderson1

03-13-2015, 05:11 PM

little update.

1) Transmission looks like it should come close to aligning with tabs that are already welded to the GTM frame, When the unit is shipped to me i can double check how close those tabs really are. I think those tabs and a couple of gussets welded to reinforce from the side should be sufficient. (means i don't have to buy anything additional)

2) Haven't heard from the Stewart Transport driver in a few days, I think that means the delivery wont be Monday, hoping for Tuesday or Wednesday. Monday is my wife's birthday anyway, that would not be a good start to the project, I will say something like "honey i need to go out of town on your birthday....", she will hear "Honey i bought a car that is becoming more important then you" :-)

3) I have all my paperwork in order ready to go at a moments notice
Passport, invoice, customs letter, declaration to import, etc.
I also loaded up the trailer with tarps, straps, etc.

4) Cant secure the 2 post lift down for a few more days. Everything I read said to wait 28 days for the concrete to complete its curing.

5) Engine harness was completed by SMC Performance. I dealt with Shaun Carter, they were great to work with, I provided them pictures of my sensors and ECU, sent them my VIN so they could verify the year/etc. From that they created a harness complete with extended fan wires and fuel harness. Its in the mail now, should be here soon.

6) The Canadian GTM kit was partially shipped from Factory Five to Breeze Automotive, still missing the steering rack... unfortunately that's one of the first parts that i need.

Once the kit comes the plan is to
1) Verify all the parts are there and arrived intact.
2) take the body and body pieces to another garage for storage.
2) Identify all of the aluminum parts that require powder coating and send them away.
3) Start mounting Aluminum and mounting the suspension so the chassis can roll.
4) I can then mount the new engine parts (relocation brackets) and get the engine mounted.

My goal is to push for starting the engine as fast as possible, I figure the longer the engine sits, the more likely the valves are to rust.... and i really want to start it :-), after that I will start with brakes and finished wiring.

I intend to leave the body work until last, the chassis will be completed, aligned and drive-able (not legally) before the body gets put back on.

Edgeman

03-13-2015, 05:41 PM

I think the tabs were for the G50 trans to bolt on to. Same as the 966 on the back end.

tanderson1

03-17-2015, 03:17 PM

Stewart Transport Truck will be meeting me at the border crossing in 20 hours.... (Driver called this morning). I cant say enough kind things about Stewart Transport, the driver is super friendly and calls me every day to let me know how the schedule is holding up.

I have my paperwork, passport, straps, tarps, truck and flat deck all fueled up and ready to go....

Funny, tomorrow will be the first time i will have ever seen a GTM in person, hope i like it :-). I have seen many photos but never actually seen one in person.
(As far as i know i will be the first in my City to build one, I only know of one in my province (Edgeman)).

Quite excited, Actually kinda happy that i have to go on a road trip to go pick it up... adds to the whole experience.

kabacj

03-17-2015, 03:26 PM

Bring a few 2/4s to put across on the deck so you can support the frame and body above the actual flatbed. That will get your car home blemish free.

Good luck.

John

tanderson1

03-17-2015, 10:06 PM

Bring a few 2/4s to put across on the deck so you can support the frame and body above the actual flatbed. That will get your car home blemish free.

Good luck.

John

Good advice,

So 3x 8' 2x4's screwed to the deck width wise to set the frame on?
Or do you run two on the left and right sides of the frame so the frame doesn't slide around?

My flat deck already has a wood floor, so im thinking putting one on the left and one on the right to lock the frame in, that should work best.

Fraser D

03-18-2015, 05:13 AM

tanderson1

03-18-2015, 08:18 AM

With the body on the frame the rocker panels roll back under the frame. You will see when you unload the truck. Hope that you brought a screw gun. Sorry if this comes too late. Congrats on picking up your kit

not to late, just heading out the door now, screws and drill are now loaded in the truck :-)

Thanks.

mikespms

03-18-2015, 09:00 AM

not to late, just heading out the door now, screws and drill are now loaded in the truck :-)

Thanks.

Another indispensable item is duct tape, It works great for securing panels and things. You will see that factory five uses duct tape on the windows and door but if you are using an open trailer I would double up on the windows and doors. A couple of wood pallets with carpet to put under the frame and ratchet straps to tie the frame to the trailer.

tanderson1

03-18-2015, 11:25 PM

Car is now safely at my house (still on the trailer for now), sorry for the novel but its been a long and interesting day.

The day started off at 7AM, I picked up my friend Robb and started the drive from Calgary AB Canada to Sweetgrass MT USA .

It took about 3.5 hours to get to Lethbridge Alberta, we stopped at the Home Depot and picked up 3 2x4's, some screws and duct tape (thanks guys). We received a call from Jim (the Stewart Transport driver), he let us know that he was running about one hour behind. From there we headed off to the border crossing, the customs agent on the USA side was a bit harsh but a common border crossing attitude, "why do you need a trailer to haul car parts, why couldn't you buy these parts in Canada? Why dont you have money, how are you going to pay for the parts". It wasn't so much the questions but the tone of voice. Regardless he let us go though.

We arrived in Sweetgrass at 11:30AM. Both of us were unable to get cell phone reception, the Stewart Transport driver asked us to wait in "the big parking lot on the US side" so we figured that meant the lot across from the duty free. Jim (truck driver) arrived around 1:10PM (on time). He opened up the back of his trailer and in i went to get my first look at the car. To be honest its almost exactly what i expected. The Fiberglass seams are a little rougher then i expected but the size and overall look of the car are exactly what i was expecting.

I backed my trailer up to his in one of the truck rest stop lanes. Jim indicated that he has done this many times and there were no signs around to indicate that this was against any rules. About 5 minutes into the move an unmarked truck with a border official in it came around to tell us that were not allowed to transfer trucks at this specific rest stop .... So we closed up the truck and headed down the road. It had snowed the day before so it was easy to tell what roads were used and which roads in the small town had 0 traffic. So we found a road with no tire marks on it (most roads in sweet grass are dead ends at the border and just have storage yards), we started transferring boxes again (no traffic around) and the owner of "at the border storage" walked over from his warehouse that was nearby to tell us that he was going to "phone the cops" and we would have to pay him to be able to move the contents over on his property.

If your reading this please never use or pay the jack A$$ that owns "at the border storage", he could have been polite about the whole thing and maybe earned some business but he decided it would be easier to threaten the Stewart Transport driver. (I will be posting some negative reviews around the web about him and his company as a result, what goes around..... )

So instead i drove to a nearby meat packing plant and asked at their head office if we could use the large lot at the back of their building. Nicest guy in the world, i honestly tried to offer him money but he wouldn't take it. I believe his words were "my guys aren't moving the boxes, you don't owe me anything". The world needs more people like him. We setup at the meat packing plant and started moving boxes over. One by one we moved boxes into the bed of my GMC 2500HD, there were a lot more boxes then i though there would be, the boxes filled the bed past the roof and filled the back seat of the truck.

Jims truck had a wood floor just like my trailer and the GTM was sitting directly on that floor (there was some cardboard between them). I decided to put the GTM directly on my trailer using the same cardboard. We then used 2 4" straps to hold the car down the the trailer and put a tarp over the car. We then used the 3 2x4's screwed down to the deck with the tarp sandwiched between them. This worked great, the car never moved the whole trip.

It was then time to head back across the border, I was dreading this part, i have imported cars before and Canadian customs tends to be worse then US customs. I got into the car line up like usual and proceeded to the window, pulled out our passports and paperwork and was greeted by the kindest most open border agent i have ever met. He showed me where to pull over and handed me a paper to hand the agent inside. I went inside and talked to the agent inside and he was incredible, he asked a lot of questions about the car, commented on how nice it was that I had all the paperwork ready. All in all a very pleasant experience. The only negative part was when it came to pay the GST (Tax), I brought the bank transfer document that showed what I paid for the kit in Canadian dollars back when our exchange rate wasn't as bad. Turns out they use the kits USD price and work out the GST (Tax) cost using the exchange rate for the day of import. This amounted to $300 more in GST (Tax).... I was just happy to get through customs so i just smiled, nodded, paid and headed back out to the Truck.

While filling out the paperwork inside the customs office i was watching out the window as people would walk by the car, stop, look at it, walk back, look again, ponder, then walk away.... you could just tell they were trying to figure out what it was.

The whole trip took 13 hours.

We unloaded all of the boxes from the truck into the garage and started checking out the new loot. Some boxes were packed tight, some big boxes have hardly anything in them. My whole garage is full of parts boxes.... I did start looking over the boxes of parts, its seems to be a mix of high quality parts and some (being polite) "budget components". I can tell that some of these pieces will never make it on the car, i will be replacing them before the cause me headaches. Its now dark outside and I'm exhausted so I'm calling it a night. I will now have to compare the contents of each box with the manifest that i was provided, I think this may take a few hours to complete.

I then plan on putting the parts together in boxes by project timeline... that way i can bury the interior in the back of the shed so it doesn't take up valuable garage space.

Then the next challenge is to get the car off the trailer, my plan is to:

get the lift mounted to the floor
back the flat deck into the garage
use a jack to lift the front of the GTM off the trailer and into the air
swing the front set of lift arms on the 2 post lift under the front of the GTM
jack the back of the GTM off the trailer with the jack
swing the rear set of lift arms on the 2 post lift under the back of the GTM
use the lift to lift the whole car up past the wheel wells of the trailer
pull the trailer out of the way

There are 3 birthdays (Son, Daughter, Wife) over the next 4 days so i may not get any more time this week to move any further.

Pictures or it didn't happen.
3969139692396933969439695

TouchStone

03-19-2015, 01:09 AM

Congrats on getting your kit and making it through the day.

Fraser D

03-19-2015, 07:18 AM

Sounds like it is not all sweet in Sweetgrass.
Great to hear that you now have your little project back to the house.
Now it gets interesting.

crash

03-19-2015, 09:48 AM

Just an idea, but instead of all the lifting and positioning of the lift and then lifting to clear the wheel wells, etc. you could also just lift the car like Stewart did, through the windows on the upper cage members. Don't know if you can slide the lift rails in as you back the car/trailer into position or not, as getting them in the windows once the rig is in position may be a bit difficult. Just a thought.

Edgeman

03-19-2015, 12:19 PM

You might have a list of back order stuff they will send them to you.
Congrats on getting the car home. I did not have that kind of trouble but you made it ..

tanderson1

03-22-2015, 12:52 AM

I went though all the boxes today, took about 5 hours, went slowly package by package dumped one at a time out on a table and counted bolts, washers, etc. There were no back-ordered parts, my GTM shipped complete.

Looks like i am short about 15 parts, i will send that list off to Factory Five. Most of the missing parts are small parts. The rearview mirror is also broken. I sorted all the parts into new boxes organized by the portion of the manual that they line up with. I have a truck full of parts and the body to take to another garage (they wont be needed for a while).

39767

RumRunner

03-22-2015, 11:11 AM

Is Factory Five now including a pink stroller in the kit to help move the parts/engine/transaxle around? :p

-Michael

tanderson1

03-22-2015, 11:05 PM

Is Factory Five now including a pink stroller in the kit to help move the parts/engine/transaxle around? :p

-Michael

Haha, i was waiting for someone to notice that.

I was able to clean out the garage last night, seats, interior, body components are all in my Van waiting to be dropped off at another garage. Anything not project related is in my truck ready to go to the dump tomorrow AM.

40 people showed up for the party tonight so i ducked outside with 8 or so guys and carried the GTM into the garage. Was pretty easy:
1) Remove all the red tape
2) remove the two screws in the licence plate hole, and the two screws in each door jam
3) Removed the glass
4) Set the hood and doors aside.
5) Lifted the body while pulling the bottom lip away from the frame.

Body could easily be moved by 2 people. 3 people could easily move the metal frame.

For now its sitting on jack stands, I will have to get the lift mounted some time this week.

39775

tanderson1

03-24-2015, 09:43 PM

The new wiring harness arrived from SMC Performance today.... This thing is amazing, great build quality, I AM VERY happy with this purchase.

The connectors are high quality, the wire loom is top quality and everything is very clearly labeled. It even has a little light attached to the ODB2 connector for the check engine light.

3991439915399163991739918

Factory Five has asked for some photos of the "surplus" parts that i have so we can see if they are in fact some of the missing parts with incorrect part numbers. Other then that the car progress is somewhat non existent, I have now moved the boxes for the interior and body across town to another garage. Sunday is the day the body will make the same trip into storage. The Canadian GTM kit will be here this week.

This weekend i hope to take photos of all the internal Aluminum and remove it, Get the Lift bolted back in place, and send every aluminum panel to the body shop for powder coat.

PS.... My neighbor across the street (who until now I had never met) pulled over in his lotus today talk to me about the car under the tarp.... turns out he is a mechanic by trade. Looks like the car is already making new friends :-)

tanderson1

03-24-2015, 11:50 PM

I couldn't let the day go by without some progress so i went out to the garage and removed all of the aluminum after taking a TON of photos that show how the aluminum was mounted.

39919

tanderson1

03-25-2015, 11:46 PM

I received a quote today to powder coat every aluminum part on the GTM for $300. Somehow i doubt that it will be that cheap in the end, i figured anything under $500 was decent.

Has anyone powder coated every part?
What did you pay?

The Stig

03-26-2015, 08:55 AM

tanderson1

03-26-2015, 10:44 AM

I powder coated all aluminum panels on my car, and it was around 650 total.

Mike

I have a feeling they may charge me closer to $650. I dropped all the panels off at the power coaters today and he did seems surprised at the size of the pile.

tanderson1

03-27-2015, 11:33 PM

Reinstalled the lift today (its been close to 28 days since i poured the new concrete). I had a little fun lifting the frame up and down a few times, for now its not directly on the center of balance (i couldn't move the frame alone). I rented a hammer drill, it didn't go as well as planned and ended up taking 4 hours to drill all the holes.... I broke 4 crappy drill bits, getting them back out of the holes is not easy.... I should have bought better bits.
39971

And in the afternoon the first portion of my Canadian GTM kit came in the mail... $270 in customs fees.... ouch...

Box has

The brake lines (2 sizes)
4 shocks, 4 springs, 4 spring hats, 4 adjustment collar
Painless harness
Slave cylinders
Gas Caps
Gas filler hoses

Still missing the steering rack and some of the shock parts.
39972

tanderson1

03-28-2015, 12:35 AM

The aluminum panels should be back from the powder coater in a few days.

The manual states that i have to put silicone behind the panels, I searched the forum and found nothing so its possible i am over thinking this... but is this just regular Home Depot silicone? Or is there special high temp silicone that i need to source?

TouchStone

03-28-2015, 12:47 AM

Home depot silicone works for the aluminum panels. Make sure to find the ones in black.

tanderson1

03-28-2015, 09:42 AM

Home depot silicone works for the aluminum panels. Make sure to find the ones in black.

Cool I will pickup a few tubes of this:
http://www.homedepot.ca/product/ge-silicone-ii-window-door-sealant-black-290-ml/941920

tanderson1

03-29-2015, 09:41 PM

I was trying to help the Stig out with a question on his thread about screws for the gas cap so i dug my caps out box. It looks like I have a new style that looks quite different from the old style.
40030

Now I was told that the old cap had a bit of a bend to it to fit the contour of the body. This new one does not. (this is the passenger side, notice that the hole is drilled off center causing the cap to mount off center, I will have to widen the hole.
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This is the driver side. It fits much better but its still noticable that the cap does not contour at all to the body. I may have to do some body work around these to make the flat cap not look crooked.

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tanderson1

03-29-2015, 09:43 PM

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Moved everything today across town into an empty garage that someone let me use. Threw the scoop on top to see how it would look. All of the boxes for the interior, body, glass, seats, etc fit inside the car.

On the drive across town i watched a few cars start to pass me, hit the brakes look at the trailer a few times, linger there for a few minutes then take off...... as we got off the fast roads and back into a community my 6 year old in the back seat of the truck asked me "why is everyone staring at the trailer".... cant imagine how much attention this car draws when its finished.

TouchStone

03-30-2015, 12:36 AM

It looks like I have a new style that looks quite different from the old style.
40030

This is the driver side. It fits much better but its still noticable that the cap does not contour at all to the body.

That is the same style cap I got for my 818 kit. I'm curious if I'll have a similar issue with the body contour.

kabacj

03-30-2015, 08:52 AM

Hi Mr Anderson

Both gas caps. New and old have a flat flange that mounts into a recess in the bodywork. I have both types.

You will need to sweeten up the fit to how you want it to look

Hope that helps.

John

tanderson1

03-30-2015, 08:52 PM

Powder coater called, all parts are ready for pickup tomorrow, ended up totaling $600. (double the quote but i figured it was going to be $600)

Had a crappy day at work, it started by the other managers and I laying off our entire department, ended with me getting laid off.. lucky for me I have worked for that company for 10 years so my severance will more then cover the complete cost for this car... so thanks work, you bought me a car!

Severance works weird at this company so it looks like I get 11 months of pay but its contingent on me not working for those 11 months, I dont have to look for a job i just have to not work. So it looks like i will have some time to finish this car.

not the best day but the end result is money to pay my bills, and time to finish my car.... I guess i can get used to this.

Presto51

03-31-2015, 05:20 AM

Edgeman

03-31-2015, 09:21 PM

Man that sucks! Just when everything was coming together for you. Give me a call any time if you need a hand or any questions.

tanderson1

04-03-2015, 01:04 PM

Took a couple days to get my life back in order, went for an interview, have another next week. While sitting at home for a year and getting paid sounds amazing it my be increasingly hard to get a job with that long of a gap in my resume. I still haven't decided but I may go back to work if an opportunity presents itself.

Back to the car....

40182
I received the LCD screen that i would like to use for the dash, I still have to test it out and find an LVDS adapter to drive it via HDMI. I plan to take the screen out of this plastic housing and build it into the gauge cluster. I still have to make sure

401834018440185401864018740188
Concrete company came on Tuesday, they helped me carry the GTM frame out to the lawn and they started drilling 17 3" holes in the floor in a grid pattern. Once drilled we could see that the problem was even worse toward the back of the garage where there was almost a solid 12" of air under the 2" slab. They then used a high pressure pump to push concrete into the holes. You can even start to see water and concrete start to squish up through the cracks in the floor. The whole operation took 2 hours and cost $1800.

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All of the parts are now back from the powder coaters and ready to be riveted to the car. They look amazing. I ended up going with the semi-gloss black, total cost ended up being $600

tanderson1

04-05-2015, 01:16 AM

So i was able to spend a solid 8-10 hours on the car today, Some of those hours were spend running around town for parts... a great progress day regardless

Started by riveting and siliconing the aluminum around the suspension parts
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Took a brake from that for a while and tried to fit the shock mount to the lower A arm, it hit the side of the A-arm and wouldn't mount all the way in. I used a cutoff wheel to take off 1/16th or so of an inch... I had to repeat this for the other side as well.
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When I was in the USA picking up the kit I grabbed some Vanilla Coke... this stuff is amazingly good, why don't they sell this in Canada.
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These are the spacers that attach to the bolt that holds the strut. The spacers are not large enough to fit over the bolt, I will need to drill the spacers out a little larger, is this normal?
40274

Continued...

tanderson1

04-05-2015, 01:21 AM

These bolts still need to be torqued to spec but all 4 suspension assemblies are now mounted.

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This is another problem that I cant figure out. The manual is very clear that the Rivnut has to be mounted from the top to mount the peddle assembly. If you do this you cant mount the pedal assembly anymore. It would make much more sense to mount from the bottom up. It would also allow it to be removed easy once the dash is installed. If your reading this any you remember how you handled this please let me know.
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Edgeman

04-05-2015, 03:39 PM

Rivnuts go on the wheel side (you will have to mark and drill) and the side you show is bolted.

Edgeman

04-07-2015, 06:08 PM

http://vraptorspeedworks.com/ac-blower-relocate-plenum-45/
This is a good addition, relocating your blower motor inside.

tanderson1

04-12-2015, 09:40 PM

Just checked the tracking information on the last of the Canadian kit as well as the missing parts from Factory Five. Both boxes should be here this week.

The steering rack is one of those parts, i need to mount that before mounting the battery tray, the boxes also include the last of the parts required to finish the suspension.

The trans is the last missing piece between me and a go-kart.

tanderson1

04-15-2015, 09:34 AM

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Shocks are now assembled and the front 2 are now mounted. I only had about 45 minutes yesterday so i couldn't get it all 4 installed.

I also installed the steering rack.

tanderson1

04-16-2015, 11:24 PM

Work asked me not to come back when they found out the company that i plan on going to.... so i had a whole day today. I used most of the time to get caught up, trip to the dump, return some broken stuff, register my motorcycle, go for a ride (nicest day of the year so far).

Finished off mounting the shocks on all 4 corners and mounting the wheel spacers.
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The bolts for the steering rack appear to be missing, the manual says "Steering system hardware (FFR# 25545, 25524)." but i can only find one of those bags and its the bump steer kit. No bolts and no washers. I will check again tomorrow with fresh eyes but i may have to contact FFR about this, i cant even find the part number on the box contents list.
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I have to figure out something here... the rear tie rod end's adjustability is at its limit yet the tire is still pointed toward the outside of the car. its possible that I need to buy a different tie rod end that has a longer shaft.
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I couldn't resist mounting the rear wheels and getting a feel for how sweet this is going to look.
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Tomorrow i plan on getting foot box aluminum completed, steering in and peddles mounted.

tanderson1

04-17-2015, 07:09 PM

I have found the steering rack bolts, they were in a different bag, the manual doesn't give the bag number but the box contents list labeled them as rack bolts, rack washers and rack nuts. I had to drill out the inside of the metal collar that fits inside the rubber spacers. The bolt wouldn't even go though with the assistance of the BFH.

Did anyone else have to cut off an inch or so from each side of the steering rack? I cant thread the ends far enough....now that i think of it I did buy the bump steer kit, maybe i should retest the fitment with those. Then i could use these longer ends on the rear... that may work.

I managed to get foot well aluminum installed and the peddle assembly installed so far today, just sitting down with the family for dinner now. After dinner I will focus on the steering assembly.

Edgeman

04-17-2015, 07:40 PM

tanderson1

04-18-2015, 09:39 AM

I the manual it does have you cut the steering rack ends. With the Factory Five rims you don't need the wheel spacers, as the rims have the correct off set. Call me with the question on the rear tie rods. The bolts that hold the control arms on can be adjusted to get them straight.

When i read the manual i saw that the master cylinders needed to be cut but i must have missed the part where the rack needed to be cut. I will call you later today about the Tie Rod adjustment, i considered using some washers on the body side but wasn't sure how safe that would be.

Edgeman

04-18-2015, 11:38 AM

http://gtmbuild.weebly.com/steering.html
Vidal's built site explains the steering tie rod ends and how much to cut.

RumRunner

04-18-2015, 12:30 PM

tanderson1

04-18-2015, 04:37 PM

I saw you have your shocks mounted. A word of caution ... the black Koni's can not be mounted inverted. They are designed to be mounted body-up only. FFR came out with a fix about two years ago to allow the shock body to be mounted correctly. In the pics yours still look inverted.

See this thread:

http://www.ffcars.com/forums/42-factory-five-gtm-forum/281715-koni-shocks-acting-different-upside-down.html

Hopefully I missed something and you didn't!

And nice work all around.

-Michael

i do remember reading those threads on the forum now that you mention it. The manual i have is "REVISION 2D, APRIL 2014" and it very clearly says "Insert the coil-over assembly through the upper control arm (the body of the shock down).".... I find it weird that they haven't fixed the instructions in the last 4 years....

I read the thread again and it sounds like body down is correct for the black Koni's. If you look at this photo it shows the "top" marking on the shock written with spring side up.
40751

but to your point i'm still not sure that i have it correct. Can anyone else chime in who has mounted these?

RumRunner

04-18-2015, 04:44 PM

Just checking. I looked at my old pictures and it seems you're correct. Sorry for the scare!

Guess I opened my mouth without thinking .... nothing new there.

-Michael

tanderson1

04-19-2015, 09:27 PM

Took my kids to the calgary aerospace museum, kids loved it.
407734077440775

I was close to the hardware store so i used that as an excuse to buy a new stool, brake line bending tools, brake line cutter, punch set, flare nut wrenches, etc.
40776

Started on the steering assembly, I started by counting out all the parts, everything was there. Started measuring and drilling, got to the step with the shear pin and it must have rolled away. Can't find the damn thing anywhere. Now i have to figure out where to buy one.
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Got frustrated that the part was lost and decided to box up the ECU for shipment back to FactoryFive, was ready to send it out when i noticed the shipping tag is only good for shipping in the USA. I will need to call FactoryFive about that tomorrow.

Continued....

tanderson1

04-19-2015, 09:31 PM

So attention shifted again... this time to the garage door. In took 4 of us 4 hours to finish the high lift door conversion. Now i can lift my truck to the limits of the lift.
40783407844078540786

I also had time to mount a retractable trouble lite from the roof that i bought a few years back
40787

Followed all that up by resorting some boxes and cleaning up the whole garage again.

all in all not a ton of car progress today but some great garage progress.

tanderson1

05-04-2015, 11:16 PM

Its been a long time with no update, I have to make some time to post some photos.

Here is what I have completed since the last post.

1) Rack, column and all joints are in, I shortened the rack on the passenger side by 3/4 of an inch and the driver side by 1 3/4" (thanks Edgeman for the pointers)
2) Foot well aluminum is done (both sides)
3) Air conditioner is installed.
4) Rear engine aluminum is completed.
5) peddle box and master cylinders are in.
6) Battery mounting (bought a yellow top)
7) Had an old car battery that I was using to test the telescoping column leak all over the car, my tools and the floor, battery acid makes a hell of a mess, I had to repaint some of the metal after as the paint just dissolved. (powder coat was fine but the painted steel was no match)

I had to improvise in a few places
1) the steering column needed bigger washers and a lot more of them, I had to drop it by an inch just to get the motor to stop binding.
2) the master cylinders didn't come with nut to lock them onto the peddle assemboly, I had to go out and buy some, it would really suck to have them back off and leave me without brakes.

I still need to figure out how to adjust the rear tie rods..... the rear wheels look horribly toed outward. Edgeman I tried to call you a few times but there was no answer, what is the fix that you spoke of before, should I place washers where the tie rod meets the frame?

I was thinking about completing the brake lines and e-brake before installing the engine, does anyone know if this will cause me some problems in the future. I need to figure out what route to take after I come out from the tunnel.

Some of the transmission parts will soon be on there way so I can start putting together axels/mounts in preparation of the transmission install.

tanderson1

08-30-2015, 11:46 PM

tanderson1

08-30-2015, 11:58 PM

Clutch had a bit of damage... do you think this matters?
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Does anyone know what this clip is for?
45015

and this seal?
45016

and for the throw out bearing, does it go flat side toward the bearing on the engine or flat side toward the trans?
45014

and i still haven't solved this problem. This tie bar that holds the back tire straight seems to short. Its possible that that weight of engine/trans/body on the tires forces the suspension up which brings the tire up.... or do i need to shim this somewhat?
45017

Presto51

08-31-2015, 11:54 AM

Welcome back I was beginning to wonder about you :rolleyes:

Keep the updates coming and no don't try to blame lack of progress on the up coming winter :)

Ron

Edgeman

08-31-2015, 01:23 PM

and i still haven't solved this problem. This tie bar that holds the back tire straight seems to short. Its possible that that weight of engine/trans/body on the tires forces the suspension up which brings the tire up.... or do i need to shim this somewhat?
45017[/QUOTE]

I would almost say that this one is the wrong one. Is the other one the same size? You should not have to shim it. Yes try with weight on the suspension.

mikespms

08-31-2015, 09:12 PM

Trans arrived from The Race Line. (Actually it came close to a month ago but its been a busy summer). I have a team of 3 friends heading to my house on Sept 12th to get this sucker installed.

Came in this heavy plastic box.
45004

The Flywheel and adapter plates that came with the kit
45005

Shipping can be hard on something this heavy. Would have been better if a piece of plywood or a 2x4 was under the trans, it bashed right through the bottom.
45006

This is what came in the first shipment.
45007

And of course the trans.
45008

And again.
45009

This is the shifter and cables that came with the kit.
45010

Another shipment came a little later (Month after) that included the clutch, axle pieces, bearings, etc.

I now have everything i need, I am just having a little trouble figuring out which hardware to use as I am heading into uncharted territory.

Details
G96.01 New factory reman unit, inverted with cooler in and out ports installed.
New Adapter kit to LS with flywheel
Stage II clutch kit complete
New Cable shift assy
Starter
Slave cylinder
clutch release components
inner cv joint assy complete
bolt kit
LSD

I see that you are using a g96-01 and you posted a picture of the adaptor. I started a new build(project) a gen 1 gtm and I am using a g86-20 six speed that's used on the boxster s and cayman, it is basically a g96-01 thats is already set up for a mid engine configuration it uses the same adaptor that you are using for the ls conversion. But I am using a gm 2 liter turbo ecotec out of a 2010 cobalt ss also used on the new cadillac cts and buick regal capable of 350 rwhp with just a tune and minor mods. The thing is that there is no adaptor available and I need to make one,I am currently working with kennedy engineering they will make me an engine adaptor plate and a flywheel but they don't want to develop the kit. I need to supply them with measurements and set backs and the stock ecotec flywheel since I want to use the ecotec stock starter.

I was wondering if you could post detail pictures of your adapter and mark the holes for the trans with tape so that I can see how they are connecting the trans to the adaptor plate and how many bolts they are using also if you know who made your adaptor. Kennedy makes an adapter for the ecotec for the g50 and vw trans and they make an adaptor for the ecotec for the ls which is like the one you have. I need to supply them with the location for the starter pocket so that I can use the stock ecotec starter.

Thanks Mike

tanderson1

09-03-2015, 10:12 PM

tanderson1

09-13-2015, 09:10 PM

I was wondering if you could post detail pictures of your adapter and mark the holes for the trans with tape so that I can see how they are connecting the trans to the adaptor plate and how many bolts they are using also if you know who made your adaptor. Kennedy makes an adapter for the ecotec for the g50 and vw trans and they make an adaptor for the ecotec for the ls which is like the one you have. I need to supply them with the location for the starter pocket so that I can use the stock ecotec starter.

Thanks Mike

You will see the adapter in the next post (posting in the next few minutes). The adapter bolts to the engine with 7 bolts and the trans bolts to the adapter with 8 bolts. I bought the adapter from Eric (The Race Line). I'm sure he could set you up with one. The adapter is a few inches thick (aluminum) and the flywheel sticks out more then 2 inches from that. This is required to leave room for the starter wheel but also allow the clutch to insert into the bell housing.

The bolts that hold the adapter plate to the engine (if i remember correctly) are M8 bolts, I can measure the length if you want but that would depend on the thickness of your adapter plate. The bolts holding the transaxel on are all M10 however they very in length as the transaxel base is not a consistent thickness.

If you want i can get the calipers out and measure the thickness of the adapter place and flywheel. I think it would be pretty hard to duplicate without VERY accurate drawings, the tolerances are very tight.

tanderson1

09-13-2015, 09:35 PM

So day one started with me going to work because something went wrong and i was on call so i didnt get quite as far as i wanted.

Day One

Garage Cleaned up
All Bolts tightened to spec.
Steering wheel mounted
Pushed the car down the driveway, spun around and placed onto the lift with the back facing out. (ready for the engine)
Picked up the engine hoist from a friend.
Engine sensors removed and replaced with FF units as per instructions.

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Day two

alternator bolted on
Air-cond pump bolted on
Tensioner setup
Serpentine belts put on
Removed the engine from its stand and placed onto crane
bolted the engine mounts back on
Put the block heater back in (got in the way of the stand)
covered the inside of the engine bay with blankets
tried to fit the engine in.
realized that the manual was right and the thermostat does have to come off to fit.
removed thermostat, tried again
bolted engine in, held back end up with ratchet strap
bolted the starter ring and flywheel on.
put the bearing onto the flywheel
put the trans/engine adapter plate on, (realized i only had one bolt that would work)
Went to the store to buy more bolts.
bolted the adapter on.
bolted the clutch on
installed the clutch slave onto the trans
installed the pilot bearing, etc. onto the trans.
identified and purchased the bolts required to mount the trans....
.... ran out of time.

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My wife is out tomorrow evening so i should have enough time to mount the trans to the engine and the rear support.

Edgeman

09-14-2015, 01:00 PM

I would recommend this upgrade: http://vraptorspeedworks.com/serpentine-belt-idler-pulley-support/
I never used the stock set up from Factory Five, but heard of that long bolt bending with heavy accelerations. Have any others used the factory five setup (serpentine belt pulley support) with out it bending?

tanderson1

09-14-2015, 06:58 PM

Good idea, interestingly the aluminum spacer is now in two parts, Regardless i will still need to remove the thickness of the 14ga steel out of the longer aluminum spacer piece.

I have to order a bunch of parts from Vraptor, maybe i should figure out all the parts i need from him and make one big order.

**I just noticed that you mentioned that you have sold your car..... what happened there?

tanderson1

10-05-2015, 09:35 PM

I am going to have to make more time moving forward.

Volunteered to help build a garage... weekends lost.
46383

Volunteered to help remove a 25 Kva generator from a multi million dollar home because the owner let me keep it.
46385

After talking with the guy in that home he mentioned that he had a quad trail on his property that he wanted to use but it was now overgrown with trees. So he bought me a new chainsaw as payment to clear out the trail that covered 150 acres of land. I underestimated the time required for this, but it was a TON of fun. (and I got a free chainsaw :-))

I received my first order of Vspeedworks parts and they are really nice ( I needed the shifter mounts, figured I should order a few more parts while I was at it)
46386

I found this diagram that shows how to mount the slave, etc.
46382

Heres what It looked like complete.
46387

This is how I plan to get someone to help me lift it up.
46384

This weekend I am heading out camping (last time this year as the snow is already starting to fall here).... I hope to invest more time in the weeks to come.

tanderson1

10-07-2015, 10:11 PM

46440

Trans is now attached to the engine. (two of us just lifted it up and bolted it in).

Now there are some new problems to solve.

1) the shift linkages will need a custom mount created and welded together. The factory trans holes wont work.
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2) Back to the problem I was having with rear tire alignment. The problem has to be one of two things. 1, the tie rod end is to short, 2, the tie rod itself is to short. Maybe they are not factory. Can someone check there set and let me know which one is right. The rear tie rod is 4.75 inches long, the front tie rods are 9" long. by my calculations the right length would be around 7.25". The tie rod itself is 12.5 inches long, measured from the plate it bolts into to the threads that the tie rod screws into. (see pictures).
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3) (didn't take any pictures) The trans doesn't fit into the GTM rear trans mount. The trans mount is 1/2 or so thicker then the G50 mount that the GTM comes with. I will have to cut off the factory trans mount tabs and weld them back on a little wider.

tanderson1

10-08-2015, 11:46 PM

The guys on the "other forum" came to the rescue and I now have answers to most of my questions.

I cut off and ground the old mounts down
46469

test fit now without the bracket
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The trans will have to go up a little higher because the trans adapter hangs down under the car.
46472

Now I need a welder but first the welder plug. I made it to the hardware store 10 minutes before it closed and picked up the Nema 6-50 plug and what I though was the right sized plate. The store was closing so I had to move fast.... I guess I grabbed the wrong one, I will have to go back tomorrow.
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I am going to pick up a buddies Hobart gas mig this week, the plan now is to create cardboard templates of the brackets that I need to make, I will then take those to my friend to cut out on his CNC.

tanderson1

10-14-2015, 05:01 PM

bought the 97-08 Bump Steer Kit from
http://www.rpidesigns.com/shop/item.aspx?itemid=944
today

$500 Cad by the time it gets to my door but i feel that its worth it. I was just reading crash's notes in another thread about the amount of force that gets put on the linkage. Oh well, another day another $500

Lit myself on fire yesterday while running the grinder, took a look down and saw that my hoodie was on fire. That was fun. No injuries though but the garage still smells like burnt hoodie.

i fixed the welder plug as well, i had to make a custom mounting plate because the hardware stores around my house don't carry what i needed.

tanderson1

11-07-2015, 10:33 PM

Waiting on Orders to come in isnt a ton of fun.

Almost a month in and the Bump steer kit hasn't even been shipped yet.
New rubber bushings for the radiator have been over 3 weeks without being shipped.
I bought some new tools to assemble the CV's, those are MIA. (couldn't find the tool locally)

hope some orders will be here soon so i can resume progress.

crash

11-09-2015, 10:34 AM

I'm curious, what "tools" are needed to assemble CVs?

Edgeman

11-09-2015, 02:21 PM

This is the only thing you should have needed to assemble, compress the snap ring together to slide the CV over. The only thing I can think of.

47461

47462

tanderson1

11-22-2015, 12:10 AM

Pretty productive day, I will try and post some photos tomorrow (I have a few hours tomorrow to work on the car as well).

Brake lines and clutch lines are in although I need to buy a few new fittings because I stripped out the T that goes on the front brake master. The ones from FFR seem a little cheap, I will pick up a better quality one. The kit also didn't come with enough brake line to finish the clutch and brakes. The manual mentions different lengths of brake line however I only received 60" lengths. So I will have to go to the store to pick up another couple of feet to finish the last rear brake tomorrow.

I disassembled both corvette axels and cleaned all the axel components of all grease. I mocked everything up so tomorrow should be smooth sailing. I still don't have the banding clamp pliers that I ordered so I wont be able to do up the CV boots (that's the tool I was talking about)

The radiator rubber bushings came in today, Once the brakes are all bled and tested and the windshield washer fluid container is in tomorrow I can get that all mounted.

So for tomorrow:
Washer fluid tank install
radiator install
Mount axels in car (assuming I can find the tool locally)
Ebrake lines
Shifter mount (I bought the Vraptor pieces, I just need to weld them in)

This leaves:
Coolant lines
Fuel system
(rear bump steer kit still hasn't arrived)
Rear mount for transmission (have to weld something up)
Attaching the wiring harness (premade)
Wheel alignment

Then I can gocart... I am getting excited about gocarting :-)

Edgeman

11-23-2015, 12:24 PM

tanderson1

12-13-2015, 01:35 AM

When installing the coolant lines make sure that the larger one is your suction line. It will be the one that goes on the passenger side, if I remember correctly. In my manual (paper and E-book) it had the smaller line as the suction line.

Thanks Edgeman, I still have that marked in my book from when we talked on the phone. :-)

I mounted the battery tray and washer fluid bottle. I will use a small piece of tube with a bolt though it to secure the top of the washer bottle. That will ensure that it doesn't move at all. I drove all over town looking for the last fittings for the brakes, turns out no one carry's brake line fittings anymore because "there is no money in it". I went to 5 automotive stores and received the same response at each one. (I ordered them off Amazon, should be here soon). In the meanwhile i used the fitting that came with the master cylinder and the T that was supposed to be used at the back of the car. Works great.
48547

My buddy was over, he welded in the VSpeedworks cable shift mount kit that i bought. Fit perfect, was short one bolt (kit comes with 6 bolts, requires 7 if you follow the pictures on the site).
48548

This is the welder that i had to wire into the garage, works amazing.
48549

Shifter installed
48550

I finally figured out how to mount the shifter cables to the trans. Turns out the bracket that came with the trans is a perfect fit. I just had to remove the bracket flip it over 180 degrees and put it back together. Not sure how i didn't see that before.
48551

the rear bump steer kit that i bought 2 months ago still isn't here yet. I was told it shipped over a month ago, I have called the company that I ordered it from 5 times, they seem to have no idea where it is. I might have to cancel the Visa payment on it and cut ties with that company to get my money back.... ARRGGG.

I started putting on the front bump steer kit. I don't quite understand how its supposed to go together or how it would help with bump steer. It mounts in the same way the factory unit mounts and has almost the same clearance. I also don't see how it would be adjustable... is that what all the washers are for? is that how it adjusts? If so it doesn't adjust by much.

I finished putting the axles together and got stuck on the Porsche side clips. Only one C Clip was in the box... I needed one more 1" clip, once again i hit every automotive store around me and turned up nothing. I had to order a kit containing 300 clips for $8 off the internet, that should be here soon as well.

I think i'm going to have to install the AC lines next before the coolant system because its easier to climb in the front without the radiator.

tanderson1

12-15-2015, 11:46 PM

48610
The shifter mounted a little different then the images on the vspeedworks site http://vraptorspeedworks.com/cable-shifter-mounting-bracket-kit/. My shifter ends about 1" more forward then the images on that site. Not exactly sure why but I am tall, that comes with long arms so 1" further away from the seat might be a good thing.

48613
This banjo fitting doesn't have a bolt so i will need to buy one. The manual simply says "use the supplied bolt"... not sure what it was supposed to be included with. (I have two slave cylinders, i didn't get a bolt with either)

48615 48616
Axles fit right in, I just need to put some thread lock on the bolts and get them locked down.

48619
The rear bump steer kit just arrived, postmarked from last Tuesday (3 weeks after i was told it was shipped...) regardless its here and looks great! Now i just need to get all the bolts locked down.

Brake lines are now 100% complete, I will pick up some brake fluid on the way home from work tomorrow.

Roger Reid

12-16-2015, 12:28 PM

Now is the time to safety wire the CV joint bolts to the transaxle. It becomes harder to get to when more stuff gets installed. They have a tendency to loosen.

tanderson1

12-17-2015, 12:30 AM

Now is the time to safety wire the CV joint bolts to the transaxle. It becomes harder to get to when more stuff gets installed. They have a tendency to loosen.

good idea, thanks. I don't think the bolts had holes in them, nothing a drill press wont fix. :-)

tanderson1

12-20-2015, 02:30 AM

Progress, progress, progress...

First the current road blocks... The Medeola slave cylinder uses an M10 banjo bolt and banjo fitting that came with the GTM. I used G96 transmission that seems to use an M12-1 banjo bolt and fitting. I visited 6 automotive stores none carry M12... all carry M10.. I guess M12 is not common. I ended up ordering an M12-1 bolt from Vancouver if it fits I will pick up the fitting from the internet somewhere.

Safety wire was hard to find but i finally found a shop that carried it. I also bought the fancy spinning pliers because i can never pass up an excuse to buy a new tool.... I also bought 3 new torque wrenches and 3 new ratchets.

I picked up almost all of the required fluids like coolant, Dot 3 brake fluid, engine oil. However i still have to pickup transmission fluid, seems most people on line are very picky about what they use.... I think i might pick up transmission fluid directly from Porsche.

4878048781
I bought my fuel pump/filters/mounts/regulator/rails and most of the required fittings for the fuel system.

I have ordered some new parts
Sway bar: http://quickracingproducts.com/html/chassis.html
Fuel Tanks: http://quickracingproducts.com/html/fuel_system.html
Door Switches http://quickracingproducts.com/html/electrical.html

All in all this week cost about $4000... the value of the Canadian dollar has thrown my complete budget off by about $30,000.

Still enjoying it though :-)

crash

12-21-2015, 10:37 AM

tanderson1

12-22-2015, 12:26 AM

If you are using a Mendeola transaxle, then you should be talking to Ian and using what Mendeola recommends. I know for the transaxles we run from them we run a combination of Neo and RedLine fluids and it has worked VERY well. I have put the Neo fluids in the other street vehicles I own and had good results.

The trans is a G96 Porsche.. I might just pick the fluids up from Porsche, lots of Porsche forums seem to recommend that.

I received an email from Ted at Quick Racing Products. It turns out he is out of fuel tanks and Ron isn't making them anymore. He mentioned that he might be able to talk Ron into making more tanks if we could get a group buy together. He thinks we would need to order at least 5, I replied to his email, i assume he is talking to Ron before getting back to me.

mikespms

12-22-2015, 08:56 AM

http://http://www.fueltankparts.com/replacement-tanks/factory-five-racing/factory-five-gtm.html

Here is a link to a company that makes them. Boyd welding, he is a vendor on this forum.

crash

12-22-2015, 10:38 AM

First the current road blocks... The Medeola slave cylinder uses an M10 banjo bolt and banjo fitting that came with the GTM. I used G96 transmission that seems to use an M12-1 banjo bolt and fitting. I visited 6 automotive stores none carry M12... all carry M10.. I guess M12 is not common. I ended up ordering an M12-1 bolt from Vancouver if it fits I will pick up the fitting from the internet somewhere.

I don't quite get it. If you are using a Porsche transaxle, then why do you say you are using a "Mendeola" slave cylinder?

Edgeman

12-22-2015, 11:18 AM

http://www.fueltankparts.com/replacement-tanks/factory-five-racing/factory-five-gtm.html
Mike link would not work, So I reposted it. Good to know that another vendor makes them.

mikespms

12-22-2015, 02:17 PM

http://www.boydwelding.com/

Try this one.Look under replacement tanks

tanderson1

12-22-2015, 03:33 PM

I don't quite get it. If you are using a Porsche transaxle, then why do you say you are using a "Mendeola" slave cylinder?

sorry i see the confusion now.

I have the complete Mendeola GTM kit but changed my mind. I have the M10 pieces that came from the Medeola kit but they don't fit the G96.

Sorry, made more sense in my head when i was typing it :-)

tanderson1

12-22-2015, 03:43 PM

http://www.boydwelding.com/

Try this one.Look under replacement tanks

http://www.fueltankparts.com/replacement-tanks/factory-five-racing/factory-five-gtm.html
Mike link would not work, So I reposted it. Good to know that another vendor makes them.

Thanks guys, i had seen his site before but his tanks are for the factory fuel pumps.... but you do raise a good point.

I have send him an email and asked if he can make me a set with the factory pump location removed and replaced with a -10an fitting for the fuel pump.

Edgeman

12-22-2015, 05:18 PM

Don't forget the fuel indicator.

tanderson1

12-23-2015, 12:39 AM

Don't forget the fuel indicator.

Good point. Thanks.

I have been thinking about traction control as i am thinking about going with a new LS7.... I am thinking about building a traction control system by hand... this ones quite the novel so it gets its own thread.
http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/showthread.php?19712-Scratch-built-traction-control&p=222106#post222106

tanderson1

12-25-2015, 11:06 PM

for anyone in Alberta Canada like me, I have found the basic rules for what needs to be completed before being certified to run on the road.

There might be a more recent version of this but i couldn't find one.
http://www.qp.alberta.ca/documents/Regs/2009_122.pdf

tanderson1

01-03-2016, 11:09 PM

I started off the weekend by filling/bleeding the brakes. I had a 2 air leaks that took me a while to track down. The first was in the fitting at the top of the master cylinder which caused me to have to rerun the front brake line. Once the leaks were gone the lines bled easily.

I locktite'd, torqued and safety wired the axels. This process took no less then 6 hours. The drilling of the bolts took the majority of the time. Most of my drill bits are brand new and couldn't make a dint in the hard bolts using my drill press. I bought a set of BigDog bits a while back at tradeshow, they worked like MAGIC for about 3 bolts before the titanium ends broke off. They were able to drill through the bolts like butter. I bought safety wire pliers which made short work of actually getting everything wired up.

I then took the time to adjust the CableShift unit so i could get through all the gears without the shifter hitting sides or bottoming out the cables. I then spend the next 10 minutes or so sitting in the drivers seat shifting gears while making vroom vroom noises with my daughter, its a toss up for who had more fun.

I shifted focus to the ebrake, the one from the doner was covered in rust so i soaked it in rust remover
49401

This is the after shot. (about 2 hours later)
49402

It wouldn't fit because it was quite bent. I don't think this is factory, i think someone must have bent it by pulling WAY to hard.
49403

I bent it back to flat and then a little bit more in the other direction so it clears the center console.
49404

Connections to the rear went together as planned..
49409

Where have people been mounting this piece. I saw that Shane has a kit but it wont fit because my starter is in the same mounting location.
49410

I shifted my attention to the AC lines. I started by putting in all the lines loosely (heater/AC)
49406

I could not get the evap unit to sit where the manual says. Upon further investigation (by watching FastThings videos) i saw that it mounts better just behind the coolant tank. The reason i couldn't get the unit to fit there was because i used the 6" extension as the manual stated.... i will be removing that 6" piece, which is a shame because it was a ***** to get it in there in the first place.
49407

The heater lines come with fittings that turn 90 degrees. why? it seems this would be easier to plumb if they were straight fittings.
49408

These seals were in the box with the AC pieces... what are they?
were they supposed to go on the AC compressor fitting?
Does anyone know what these are for.
49405

I also have a few parts on order
1) I ordered the heater bypass solenoid from Crash's website today.
2) Fuel tanks should be finished this week and shipped out (they are being custom made by Boyd's). They have AN fittings and a fuel pickup in the drivers side and a sending unit on the passenger side.
3) Aeromotive fuel rails should be here next week
4) M12 banjo bolt and fitting for the clutch

I head out to CES (Tradeshow) on Tuesday, back for a few days then off to Bett in London (Another Tradeshow), back for a few days then off to ISE in Amsterdam (yet another Tradeshow)..... so it might be a while before i post another update. :-) I do plan on getting some Traction control planning done in my other thread while traveling.

Roger Reid

01-04-2016, 11:48 AM

...The heater lines come with fittings that turn 90 degrees. why? it seems this would be easier to plumb if they were straight fittings...

I contacted Vintage air and they had some straight fittings. I used the straight ones.

tanderson1

02-20-2016, 11:07 PM

so i have been off traveling for work for the last month... back now and ready to get back into it.

lots of parts arrived while i was gone,

the aluminum fuel tanks from Boyd
the heater bypass kit
the rest of the fuel system fittings
the M12 banjo bolt for the clutch

Tonight i went to a local car show then came home and finished the clutch plumbing and bleeding. I was shocked to see a GTM at the show. It was in about the same state as mine, not quite running but almost there. It looked like a twin turbo LS7 setup, its all being built by a local shop, doesn't look like the owner is doing anything himself. I grabbed the shops card so i can try and get a hold of the owner later.

I worked for a month straight without weekends or evenings so i have a few weeks of time off saved up, the current plan is to take a week off next month to focus on finishing the gokart.

tanderson1

02-21-2016, 10:24 PM

this is the GTM i saw at the Calgary car show.

Post 1/2

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tanderson1

02-21-2016, 10:26 PM

pictures from the car show. (Post 2/2)

50908509095091050911509125091350914

tanderson1

02-21-2016, 10:40 PM

I have everything between me and gokart in a checklist now, I made it though a small portion of that list today.

I had to remove the rad to get the drill to mount the grounding strap. (I should have mounted this earlier, whoops)
50915

I mounted up the rear trans support cut the old brackets to fit the new transmission and tack welded them in place. This is where i ran into a problem that i am still scratching my head on how to fix. The bolts that need to go though the bracket and trans are now blocked by the square tube that runs down, I think my only option is to cut the square tube, weld in a smaller tube that fits inside and then drill a bolt hole though. This would allow the metal thats in the way to be removed, bolt put in, then reattached.
509165091750918

Gas tanks look great. I have been reading about how to mount these... i'm not a big fan of the 2x4 method, wood seems wrong somehow.
50919

this is the clutch banjo and flexible line that i ended up with. Its all bled now.
50920

I took apart the donor gas peddle, painted it black, mocked it up, drilled the holes, put in the rivnuts, now just waiting for the paint to dry before mounting one last time.
50921

Edgeman

02-22-2016, 08:18 PM

I hope that he has traction control! It looks great but with this light of a car, might be a waste. JMHO.

tanderson1

02-22-2016, 09:42 PM

I hope that he has traction control! It looks great but with this light of a car, might be a waste. JMHO.

I agree, but i do have Turbo envy :-)

tanderson1

03-06-2016, 01:35 AM

found some time to go out today.

Today was problem solving day.

1) i welded new transmission mounts the other day however its impossible to get the bolt in because the support was in the way. I welded two new braces on and moved the support forward 3" on the passenger side. Repainted everything and put it back on the car again. Problem solved.

2) I had a stupid moment and put the eccentric bolts in and mounted all of the suspension before i put the aluminum foot boxes in. I had not noticed that i had the bolt in the wrong way around so it can never be removed. It just so happens that the pieces i bought from Shane have to be welded to the bolt that now cant be removed. So....... I had to drill out a fair amount of rivets, removed the bolt, and then put them all back.

3) the brake line supports prevented me from installing the floor aluminum, had to drill out those rivets, mount the floor aluminum then put it all back.

4) the clutch master cylinder leaks where the reservoir plastic meets the metal cylinder.... I have tried to fix this 5 times with no luck before today. So today i took it all apart, hit the plastic with a heat gun like the instructions originally asked for until the plastic was softer. I then remounted it and cranked the crap out of the bolt that holds it on. Refilled and bled the system again. I then put a piece of paper under it for a few hours...... no drips yet.

We live and we learn.... today wasn't a step backwards but it sure as hell didn't get me any ways forward.

I ordered these parts today from Chev
- Another Starter bolt (I need two of the factory longer ones for the new starter)
- Metal mount for EVAP canister
- Bolts for exhaust manifold
- Exhaust studs for mounting headers GM dealership, GM# 12561310.
- Bracket that holds the brake light switch (forgot to take this off the donor)

Still have to find.
- transmission fluid (the gear oil everyone recommends on the Porsche forum's isn't available in Canada)

so by my calculations this is whats left before i can drive it around the block.

check that i mounted down all steering bolts.
find bolts that will fit though the new trans mount.
finish front aluminum,
rivet radiator down again.
attach the heater lines again
Fill with coolant
Find a way to finish the emergency brake. (I will have to order a longer brake cable, its good enough for now.)
Mount aluminum pieces that go beside the fuel tanks.
Mount fuel tank (not going to use a 2x4)
Mount pump+filters
plumb fuel lines
Fill engine with oil.
Fill Trans with oil. (have to buy it first)
grease all zerks
install new plug wires. (i have them in a box.... somewhere)
Mount Starter, (new bolt is on order)
Mount clutch peddle stop (read the forum post where this caused damage when it was missed)
Mount ECU, (I already modified the bracket)
Run wiring harness. (I bought a premade one, this should be quick)
Mount the seat (sliding rails are $250 each side locally... i might have to hit a junk yard to see what i can find.)
Exhaust (just the factory/GTM stuff for now, I have to buy the kooks)
Aircond, finish plumbing, fill AC lines.

tanderson1

04-03-2016, 06:05 PM

So i took a week off work to work on the car. From my previous list these items are now complete.

Check that i mounted down all steering bolts. (torque to spec, with thread lock)
Find bolts that will fit though the new trans mount. (starter bolts fit perfect)
Finish front aluminum,
Rivet radiator down again.
Attach the heater lines again
Fill with coolant (24 litres in there so far, once the engine starts i bet it gets to 30ish)
Mount fuel pump+filters
Mount fuel rails
Create metal mounting point for the fuel regulator
Create a metal floor to mount the fuel pump to on the drivers side)
Create a metal plate to mount the engine bay fuses to.
Fill engine with oil.
Grease all zerks
Install new plug wires. (i have them in a box.... somewhere)
Mount Starter, (new bolt is on order)
Mount ECU, (I already modified the bracket)
Run wiring harness. (I had to change a few ends but i would highly recommend buying a premade one like i did.)
Exhaust (just the factory/GTM stuff for now, Kooks ordered)
Aircond, finish plumbing

These items i missed off my last list are also complete

Engine Grounded (had to buy a few grounding straps for engine/trans)
Fix clutch leak at slave
Fix brake leak at reservoir
Drained the old oil, replaced the filter
Replace the broken bolt on the suspension and find a bolt for the cable shift bracket.
Created block off plates for the air system on the exhaust
Plugged the EGR tubes on the intake
Basic alignment (using tape measure, to be fixed by the pros later)
Install the heater bypass valve (I think this came from crash's site, i bought it a while ago)

These items are still left (but most of these are not stopping me from starting it)

Mount clutch peddle stop (Visited a few hardware stores and came up with a plan, just have to install it)
Wire the radiator fan in. (harness is done but i don't have the connectors for the fans, ordered new ones off Ebay, will be here soon)
Mount the seat (ordered rails from Amazon, not delivered yet)
Fill AC lines. (R134a doesn't seem to exist in Canada anymore, all the kits i can find are 22a, Walmart seems to sell R134a online, i will try that)
Install some kind of fusable link between the engine and the starter/alternator (big positive cable beside the exhaust scares me)
Fill Trans with oil. (Found on Amazon for $40 a litre, its a rip off buy my only choice, i ordered it)
I lost (or maybe never took off the donor) the MAF sensor.... cant start the car without it. (ordered a new one)
Find a way to finish the emergency brake. (I will have to order a longer brake cable, its good enough for now.)
Mount aluminum pieces that go beside the fuel tanks. (have to drill them for the cross over pipe)
Mount fuel tank (I bought a 4x8 sheet of 3/4 rubber at a local hardware store, I will cut a few 2x4 style strips out of it to build a rubber version of the wooden 2x4 that everyone seems to use)
Secure down each of the fuel line connectors
Mount the pillow bearing by the peddle box, the current FFR part isn't large enough to mount the bearing, i will need to weld some new metal on.

I also had my 2 post lift fail which took about 5 hours to fix. The passenger side of the lift stuck fully extended and wouldn't go down, but the drivers side did go down. The car was sitting VERY crooked, I could have dropped the car if I wasn't paying attention. I had to prop up the system with a 2x4 and a floor jack. I then tried to fix the high pressure line fittings that were leaking.... While i did fix the leak the jack would still not descend. I then figured out that i had to much rear weight after the engine and transmission were installed, that was causing the part of the lift that moves up and down to push against the rear of the housing with a TON of force. I jacked up the rear of the car and with a loud BAMM! the whole thing settled onto the safety stops again. Once the car was back on the ground i was able to re-position the jack points, grease the inside of the lift and test it again. WORKS! Was a very stressful couple of hours as the car could have slipped off and fallen 6 feet to the floor. (it was sitting pretty crooked until i could get it to dislodge)

I have completely planned out the fuel system, everything is mocked up now with the proper AN connectors and nice stainless steel braided hoses. I should have done more research on the costs associated with the aluminum tanks mixed with proper AN connectors. So far the fuel system alone has set me back about $5000, that's for rails, tanks, AN ends and fittings, filters, pump, regulator, gauges, hoses, chrome mounts, etc. However if a had to do it again i don't think i would change a thing..... except for the bad planning that left me with tons of extra hose and AN fittings.

I think the best part of this progress was how much floor space i gained in the garage. Its now easier to walk around the car and work.

I will post some pictures of the GTM when i get home tonight.

tanderson1

04-03-2016, 10:02 PM

I think this was the end of day one
52330

Fuel pump and filter location
5233152332

This is how i mounted them, they are SOLID as a rock, the filters are bolted together and then held in place by the solid AN fittings. I was a little worried at first by putting the weight on them like this but you can use the filters as a handle and hang off this thing, its solid.
52333

Regulator mounting location, i cut a piece of steel, it will be welded in soon. (I have since replaced some of these AN fittings to change the routing.
523345233552336

It was the first really nice day of the year so i brought out the RV batteries and went out to un-winterize the Winnebago.
52337

This is the grease i used on the ball joints
52338

Cont....

tanderson1

04-03-2016, 10:09 PM

This is the 3/4 thick rubber sheet... or at least part of it. I cut all the gas tank bases out of it (2 strips 2 layers each side)
52341

More shots of the rubber, i used black silicone to stick the rubber to the metal and the top rubber piece to the bottom rubber piece.
52340523425234352344

tank set back in now sits perfectly level.
52345

Some photos of the progress before the last day.
52346523475234852349

I will get some photos tomorrow of the exhaust installed.

Its funny how it really doesn't look much different then it did 8 days ago but it sure does have allot more effort into it.

Edgeman

04-04-2016, 07:20 PM

I posted some reply's on the other thread.

tanderson1

04-04-2016, 10:22 PM

I posted some reply's on the other thread.

saw those thanks, i will try and get the compressor back out tomorrow and see if i cant get it over to an AC shop to reindex. Those photos were very handy thanks.

I also bought some 200 and 250 amp fuses today after i read your post. I didn't realize that the Alberta inspector would look for a main fuse. The unit i ordered was from binnacle.com (Canadian), the fuses are marine grade and mount directly to the battery post so the install will be clean.

Anything else you can remember the inspector was looking for? (side marker lights, fuse, and....)

tanderson1

04-17-2016, 10:30 PM

Parts have started rolling in,

MAF sensor is now in place
Exhaust (temporary one) is now installed.
Accumulator bracket is here. (still have to make a mount)
New shift boot and handle arrived, it happens to have come with the full assembly, and it looks brand new, so i will replace the one i have.
Still waiting on fan connectors
Still waiting on seat rails
Trans gear oil is full now (the proper stuff was ordered from the USA)
Kooks exhaust is also about a month or so away.

Exhaust was a problem and may foreshadow what the Kooks will have to go through.

Here you can see that the starter gets in the way of the pipe between the headers and the H pipe.
52900

This picture shows how it fails to line up.
52898

I don't have a photo of it (i can take one) but i figured this exhaust was only temporary so i hit the side of it with a hammer until it fit. Not elegant i know but amazingly it looks perfect once installed. The part i hit now perfectly follows the contour of the starter. It easily bolted into place after that "modification".

Does anyone know if the kooks exhaust needs the same clearance?
If it does i think i will start looking for other starter options.

tanderson1

04-17-2016, 11:44 PM

I found this photo online of the Kooks headers installed.

Looks to be enough of a gap to clear the existing starter.
52901

Goodmanners

05-16-2016, 08:22 AM

Great build.
Been great to follow along.

Also you bought at the right time. The dollar exchange rate hurts more now.

tanderson1

03-28-2018, 11:11 PM

Howdy, again.

The GTM has been sitting in my garage untouched for 2 years now... I would like to say life got in the way, which is true to some extent but i think it was mostly a lack of motivation. The last thing i tried to do was run the starter and was greeted with a horrible metal on metal noise from inside the engine.... around that time i also switched jobs, so it sat... and i moved on to some of my other unfinished projects.

Fast forward to this week (I started Monday morning)

I got some time off work
Figured out the engine noise (My uncle was over, he's a car guy, he asked to hear the noise, i cranked it over... 5 seconds pass as he thinks, he points to the trans adapter and says "loosen those bolts"..... sure enough, noise goes away. The bolts on the trans adapter were contacting the flywheel.... didn't think it would be that easy. )
I yanked off the GTM exhaust and put on the Kooks that has been sitting in its box for 2 years
Now the air filter wouldn't fit because it hit the exhaust, i ordered the cold air intake kit from FF but its still in the box.. i found the box and just used the rubber piece with slight slope on it to raise the air filter up. This will work for now.
Reinstalled the starter (it misses the kooks by about 2mm)
Moved the fuel pump behind the drivers head, my old location made filter changes almost impossible. I am running the Aeromotive A1000 pump and its not small.
Wired up the fuel pump (temporary relay setup for now, it will need a fuel pump controller)
Installed the Aeromotive fuel rails, pressure gauge, and all AN fittings with braided lines (bought all this 2 years ago as well)
Dug though boxes for hours to find the fan plugs i bought years ago and wired up the fans. (
Checked all the fluid levels
Wednesday morning, gathered the family, turned the key and crossed my fingers.

No hesitation, started right up, ran smooth. That's the first time that engine has run since it came out of the Vett 3 years ago. Had i known it would take me less then 2 days of work to get it running i think i would have done it years ago.

So, it looks like i am motivated again :-) Next step is to get it go-karting this week..

Before Karting, i need to:

Finish the AC lines and charge them. (was just going to use a cheap Walmart charge kit for now)
Mount the AC accumulator (right now its kind of floating)
Mount the seats, I bought the tabs and rails, i just have to mount them
Make a wiring harness for the gauge cluster wires (temp, oil pressure, tach, speed, also running a Tach wire to the fuel pump controller)
secure the ebrake cable assembly, right now they could get caught in the axles
Create a home for and secure the engine relays (fuel pump, etc)
Check all bolts...
Tear up the neighborhood :-)

I have also had a few problems i have not been able to find solutions to yet... would love some thoughts from you guys.

I bought aluminum tanks, they have a vent line.... the garage now smells like gas. What is the best way to prevent the smell. Is there a smaller charcoal canister that is easier to hide then the factory unit? or do people just generally get a roll over valve and call it a day.
I have a check engine light and a code for EVAP. Makes sense as i have completely remove the factory evap system. How do i get rid of the code so i can trust the check engine light, should i find someone to reprogram the ECU or is there a way to trick the wiring into thinking its there?

VRaptor SpeedWorks, LLC

03-29-2018, 08:28 AM

Not sure I can help you with the gas smell problem...we normally just vent the fuel tanks thru a large lawn-mower style inline fuel filter.

The check engine light...yes, you will have to find someone to hook up the ECU to something like HP Tuners so you can go in and manually turn off all of the codes that you don't want the ECU to look for.

One other thing to warn you about....if you mounted your fuel pump up above the fuel tank, you will probably eventually get a situation where your car won't start because you have pressure in the fuel line already...and the pump won't be able to create enough vacuum to pull fuel up out of the tank. We always mount the fuel pump as low on the chassis as possible to avoid this situation.....so there is always liquid fuel to the pump inlet no matter what.

tanderson1

03-29-2018, 11:36 AM

Big Blocker

03-29-2018, 02:30 PM

Been following this from day one . . . Sweet build!!

[Some of the] Roadster guys build/use a 1" PVC tube filled with charcoal purchased from an aquarium / pet supply store. Cap both ends of a 4" tube, put a fitting in one end, connect other end to your gas tank vent port, make the other end removable. Drill the removable end with a bunch of holes (small - 1/16") to let the fumes out. Fill it with charcoal - Works perfect. Mount it somewhere easily accessed, mine is in the right rear wheel well. Replace charcoal every few years or when you start to smell gas again. My Roadster needs it replaced every two to three years.

Doc

beeman

03-29-2018, 04:10 PM

Good luck getting back into your build! Glad to hear the engine noise was an easy fix!

VRaptor SpeedWorks, LLC

03-29-2018, 05:31 PM

For the filter are you using something like this?
83208

I did read in the manual that it was best to mount the fuel pump at or below the bottom of the tank. The manual indicated that the fuel pump would have to work harder and may wear faster being at the top of the tank. I plan to test the setup as a go-kart quite a bit to see if there are any side effects. This is the pump i am using

83209

i figured it shouldn't have any problem pulling fuel because its huge.... maybe i was wrong in that assumption.

Yes, that looks just like the filter I use....all it needs to do is keep dirt/dust/bugs out of the fuel system.

The problem with the pump mounted high (that is the very same pump others have had problems with mounted high) is pretty simple.....if the fuel rail is full of liquid fuel....and thru the heat of the engine bay, the fuel input to the pump turns from liquid to vapor or the supply line loses it's prime for any reason (pressurized fuel is not going to turn to vapor...but fuel under vacuum will).....there is only one way for the pump the re-prime and that is to "push" that vapor (or air lock) from the supply side to the pressure side.....and if the pressure side already has pressure, you're trying to use the pump to pump fuel vapors or air....to create enough pressure to overcome the pressure that's already on the outlet side. The pump is only built to create pressure using liquid...not built to create vacuum.

tanderson1

03-29-2018, 05:32 PM

So while i was not spending time on the car over the last two years i did put some time into the garage...

The company i work for moved to a new building that was previously owned by an oil company. They left tons of heavy duty filing cabinets behind, I work for a tech company, we dont have much use for paper... so i was told i could take some home... cant argue with the free price tag. I have hundreds of pounds of tools in the drawers and they still roll smooth. I then took boardroom tables (also free) and cut them down the middle to create the counter tops. Each filing cabinet is bolted to the wall and to the cabinet next to it. There is also a slab of marble at the bottom of each filing cabinet. This all makes for a very solid bench that is at the perfect height for me.

If you look close you can see all the magnetic labels, these were made by taking magnetic white boards (left behind by the oil company again) and sticking label maker labels to them then cutting them out. Now i can find any tool fast. I then mounted an all in one computer to the wall for bringing up the GTM manuals and searching the internet for wisdom.

To mount tools on the wall i found a company that was going out of business that had painted slatwall in their space that they had to remove at the end of their lease. I did the work removing the slat wall for free and used the best sheets in my garage. I found that slatwall hooks are easy to find at most hardware stores and many specialty hooks can be found online for things like drills or paper towel, etc.
8325083251

I built some shelves at the end of both sides to house my larger tools and a mini-fridge for some beverages. I'm not sure if you can see them very well but i also added some hanging retractable systems from the roof that include an air hose, 2 power cords and a trouble light.
8325283254

I added an Amazon Echo, and wired her into the roof speakers for some tunes and quick unit conversions.
83253

Some car photos taken today... Kooks Exhaust
83255

Fuel pump mounting, the wiring is temporary until my fuel pump controller (https://www.summitracing.com/parts/aei-16306/reviews/?filterReviews=OneStar) comes in
83256

Today was seat day... this proved to be more challenging to do alone then i though so i had a friend come over to mark bracket positions while i sat in the seat while working the peddles. I am a little over 6 foot 2 and found that no matter how tried to position the sliders they took up to much valuable seat height. On top of that my legs require the seat to be as back as far as possible anyway... so i ditched the sliders and used the brackets i bought (i think i got them from Shane) without the sliders. now the seats sit perfect all the time. I don't plan on letting anyone drive my car anyway :-)
83257

You cant see it in this photo but we also got the AC Accumulator bracket bent, painted and installed.
83258

Last month i finally got around to buying my own welder, its a small gas MIG, should be good enough for what i need to do.
83249

So I had some time today to run the engine long enough for the coolant to start pumping, everything seems to cool just fine. Engine maxed out at about 210 degrees while idling, the fans never kicked on but i think that's because it didn't get hot enough. I also routed the shift cables further away from the exhaust, melting those wouldn't be good.

I have to say, i have never actually seen a finished GTM, never heard one run until yesterday... The LS1 with the Kooks exhaust sounds amazing, youtube videos do not do the noise justice.

tanderson1

03-29-2018, 05:36 PM

The problem with the pump mounted high (that is the very same pump others have had problems with mounted high) is pretty simple.....if the fuel rail is full of liquid fuel....and thru the heat of the engine bay, the fuel input to the pump turns from liquid to vapor or the supply line loses it's prime for any reason (pressurized fuel is not going to turn to vapor...but fuel under vacuum will).....there is only one way for the pump the re-prime and that is to "push" that vapor (or air lock) from the supply side to the pressure side.....and if the pressure side already has pressure, you're trying to use the pump to pump fuel vapors or air....to create enough pressure to overcome the pressure that's already on the outlet side. The pump is only built to create pressure using liquid...not built to create vacuum.

ok, I will take a look, i could always mount he pump in the old location that i had made, then run the lines up to the filters. That would make the pump hard to replace but the filters would be easy. That would also provide me enough room to mount the cold air kit that i bought from FFR...... that could work.

tanderson1

03-29-2018, 09:14 PM

So its time to start planning ahead for some harder to find items. What comes to mind right off the bat is the reverse switch plug on the Porsche 996 trans.

The connector looks like this
83272

So far i have been unable to find the connector, another option i have is to replace the switch completely with the switch from a Porsche 997 Turbo/GT3. It looks like this, which is a little more standard.
83273

Or maybe i could find a wrecker that could cut that connector off a used harness.

VRaptor SpeedWorks, LLC

03-30-2018, 08:22 AM

tanderson1

03-30-2018, 10:04 AM

I have that connector here...brand new for the reverse switch. Email me thru my website.......

Great, I will email you today... i have some other items i have to buy from you as well. I will have to dig up my list. :-)

Edgeman

04-01-2018, 06:44 PM

Good to see that you are making a run at it again. If you need any help give me a call and maybe I can help over the phone.

tanderson1

04-10-2018, 10:05 PM

I figured i would post to say that i'm not dead.

I have ordered the rear wing supports from vspeed, i need these before i can throw the body on.
I have ordered the trans reverse switch plug from vspeed, i need that to complete the wiring.
I have ordered the rear hatch hinges from vspeed, body mounting is coming up fast, this will be important soon.
I have ordered the Aeromotive fuel pump controller from Summit, the pump runs flat out all the time, its loud, this should increase it's life... and my the life of my hearing.
I have ordered 2 tank vent roll over valves from Summit, this will help me not die by fire in a rollover.

While i am waiting for parts i am trying to complete the last of the items between me and go-kart.

I have the telescoping steering kit but the brake light bracket that i got with the kit was the shorter one for the non telescoping kit.... So i decided to take the new welder for a test drive and make the bracket bigger to accommodate the pillow block bearing. Finished and looks good, paint is drying now (I will get some photos up soon)

FF sent me a set of gauges with the car that are in MPH not KPH... i guess that's just what they do for some annoying reason even though they sell this car globally, I contacted the manufacturer to see if the gauge could be changed over to KPH and it cant. So i asked if they had a matching gauge i could just buy, they don't.... so if i want matching gauges it looks like i need to buy a complete new set. I have also read that you can calibrate the MPH gauge to KM, however i'm not sure how the inspector is going to like that when i go to plate the car.

Other then that i have been drawing tons of wiring diagrams on paper for the cabin/ac/lights/av,etc Once i have all the wires in place (and maybe a few spares) i will start closing up the tunnel.

LCD Gauges

04-11-2018, 09:07 PM

Speedhut has the gauges that you want. These are the same gauges. I also had to go to the metric. You can custom fit it as well.
https://www.speedhut.com/gauges/Speedometers/GPS-Speedometers/200-km-h/260-km-h/?catid=f232|f8|f16|f24|f37|f158|f159|f40

~ $400 USD for one gauge?

Just going to leave this here... :cool:

83979 8398083981

Edgeman

04-11-2018, 09:20 PM

https://www.speedhut.com/gauges/Speedometers/GPS-Speedometers/200-km-h/260-km-h/?catid=f232|f8|f16|f24|f37|f158|f159|f40
Speedhut has the gauges you want. They are a perfect match. I also had to replace with the metric one and can be customized to have your car # put on the face plate. Tino, I would use your system! WOW

83984

tanderson1

04-12-2018, 08:43 AM

~ $400 USD for one gauge?
Just going to leave this here... :cool:

yah I Have seen your dash in the past... Looks cool, i love to do stuff like that myself :-). My 9-5 jop is to create items like that, both hardware and software and build prototypes to proove that a hardware or software concept could work and fit a purpose. That being said if i head the digital dash route i would want to do something on my own.

Last night i found this little jem again. its an Audio Virtual Dashboard that they include in a few of their models. People have successfully transfered them into other models of vehicles (all audi as far as i can tell). The unit comes complete with Nav, cameras, streering consols, etc.... It gets its data from Canbus for the steering controls, RPM, Speed, etc.
84004

Pair that with something like this for $3, to spoof the proper canbus commands.
https://hackaday.com/2018/04/11/emulating-obd-ii-on-the-esp32/

or this (I acutally own one of these... somewhere... I have to find it). This unit is capable of taking canbus commands from one ECU and rewriting the packets to new canbus commands. Like a man in the middle attack. This device can also be hooked up to an actual working audi cluster to record every canbus command that the dash receive. This would be required to document the canbus commands that the dash expects to see.
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/etx/canbus-triple-the-car-hacking-platform/comments?cursor=7786318

This would allow anyone to put this dash in any vehicle.

OR... if i couldnt find an Audi to play with.....

84005
Plan B. The Actual LCD panel is a 12.3" 1,440px/540px made by a company called Japan Display Inc (http://www.cdrinfo.com/Sections/News/Details.aspx?NewsId=40125). I believe the panel should have a standard LVDS connector on the back. This would be quite easy to adapt to HDMI, add a small Raspberry PI and a bluetooth or wifi ODB2 adapter and i could create a similar onscreen menu to the Audi.

Of course all of this takes time... which i dont have a ton of :-)
This brings me back to the traction control system i was talking about creating a while back... which i do still plan to do.... that as well takes time.

https://www.speedhut.com/gauges/Speedometers/GPS-Speedometers/200-km-h/260-km-h/?catid=f232|f8|f16|f24|f37|f158|f159|f40
Speedhut has the gauges you want. They are a perfect match. I also had to replace with the metric one and can be customized to have your car # put on the face plate. Tino, I would use your system! WOW

83984
I think this might be what i do for now, it will work and will get my car approved for road use. Once the car is done and i am looking for a new project I think i will buy an Audi dash and start playing.

rev2xs

04-12-2018, 03:58 PM

yah I Have seen your dash in the past... Looks cool, i love to do stuff like that myself :-). My 9-5 jop is to create items like that, both hardware and software and build prototypes to proove that a hardware or software concept could work and fit a purpose. That being said if i head the digital dash route i would want to do something on my own.

Last night i found this little jem again. its an Audio Virtual Dashboard that they include in a few of their models. People have successfully transfered them into other models of vehicles (all audi as far as i can tell). The unit comes complete with Nav, cameras, streering consols, etc.... It gets its data from Canbus for the steering controls, RPM, Speed, etc.
84004

Pair that with something like this for $3, to spoof the proper canbus commands.
https://hackaday.com/2018/04/11/emulating-obd-ii-on-the-esp32/

or this (I acutally own one of these... somewhere... I have to find it). This unit is capable of taking canbus commands from one ECU and rewriting the packets to new canbus commands. Like a man in the middle attack. This device can also be hooked up to an actual working audi cluster to record every canbus command that the dash receive. This would be required to document the canbus commands that the dash expects to see.
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/etx/canbus-triple-the-car-hacking-platform/comments?cursor=7786318

This would allow anyone to put this dash in any vehicle.

OR... if i couldnt find an Audi to play with.....

84005
Plan B. The Actual LCD panel is a 12.3" 1,440px/540px made by a company called Japan Display Inc (http://www.cdrinfo.com/Sections/News/Details.aspx?NewsId=40125). I believe the panel should have a standard LVDS connector on the back. This would be quite easy to adapt to HDMI, add a small Raspberry PI and a bluetooth or wifi ODB2 adapter and i could create a similar onscreen menu to the Audi.

Of course all of this takes time... which i dont have a ton of :-)
This brings me back to the traction control system i was talking about creating a while back... which i do still plan to do.... that as well takes time.

I think this might be what i do for now, it will work and will get my car approved for road use. Once the car is done and i am looking for a new project I think i will buy an Audi dash and start playing.

A friend of mine here in the UK has a new Audi S3, only picked it up 2 weeks ago. Its got that fancy dash in your pic. That LCD HUD already $hit the bed on him. So yeah, warranty job after 2 weeks. He was livid to say the least..

RumRunner

04-13-2018, 06:12 AM

I've purchased several Speedhut gauges for several different car projects, all customized to some extent. They have two or three 25%-40% off sales per year, so if you're willing to wait you can save a bit there.

-Michael

tanderson1

05-01-2018, 10:15 PM

More progress,

For the replacement gauge i think i am going to pick this one up.
https://www.speedhut.com/gauge/GRM4-SPEEDO-07T/1/Speedometer-400km-h-Metric-programmable-(w--turn-signal-and-high-beam) ( i am undecided if i want one that goes to 400KPH, less practical but does have a bit of wow factor.) They also have this one (https://www.speedhut.com/gauge/GRM4-SPEEDO-03T/1/Speedometer-300km-h-Metric-programmable-(w--turn-signal-and-high-beam)) that tops out at at 300KPH which would mean i would be able to use more of the gauge during normal driving. I also like that these have built in signal indicators and high beams indicator. Makes things easier to wire up.

85321
I now have proper crimping tools so i can make secure water tight connections. I have also ordered 10 weatherpack connector sets in each size (1, 2, 4, 6 pins). I will use them for wiring the AC, Audio system, gauge cluster, wiper, signal lights, etc.

85322
I had to take the rear transmission support off to weld in the wing mounts, i jacked up the trans, pulled the bolts then slowly lowered it onto a socket to keep the weight off the axles. Worked like a charm.

I found this great video for wiring the Trinary switch. https://www.vintageair.com/tech-video-installing-a-trinary-switch/ Seems easy enough.

85323
Wing mounts are now welded on along with the braces that come with the kit. They look a little uneven in this photo but they are exactly equal on both sides. I ground the welds down with a flap wheel on the top before painting so it all looks like one piece of steel. I then painted the whole assembly gloss black so everything matches and nothing rusts. I also took the time to paint the AC Accumulator bracket, i found that it was easiest to mount the bracket by bending over the mounting piece and screwing it into the top of the square tube.

Before i put the rear mount back on i am going to use this convenient access to the rear end to finish securing all the e-brake cables and shifter cables so they stay clear of the exhaust. I may even pull the trans one last time to double check the clutch install.

85324
For some reason all my other vehicles decided to cry for attention, this stack of parts will take me away from the GTM for a few days. My minivan has a stuck rear caliper, and it has a leaking heater core, my 4x4 GMC broke 2 door handles and needs front U-joints. Parts are starting to roll in for those projects as well.

VRaptor SpeedWorks, LLC

05-02-2018, 08:11 AM

85323
Wing mounts are now welded on along with the braces that come with the kit. They look a little uneven in this photo but they are exactly equal on both sides. I ground the welds down with a flap wheel on the top before painting so it all looks like one piece of steel. I then painted the whole assembly gloss black so everything matches and nothing rusts. I also took the time to paint the AC Accumulator bracket, i found that it was easiest to mount the bracket by bending over the mounting piece and screwing it into the top of the square tube.

Wow....that looks great!!

tanderson1

05-02-2018, 06:24 PM

Wow....that looks great!!

you make it easy Shane, everything i buy from you is always a quality well thought out part.

Edgeman

05-02-2018, 09:42 PM

I would go with the 200, a lot easier to read at the low end. JMHO
Yes the turn signal and high beam are incorporated in to the face.

Shoeless

05-03-2018, 02:22 PM

Wow....that looks great!!

I agree, I'll likely have my welder do the same thing. I was going to re-powdercoat this support since FF was nice enough to ship my kit without the rear body mount on the frame, and therefore the powder coating got all jacked up even before I got it.

tanderson1

08-25-2018, 02:55 PM

got back from vacation a little early and had some free time.

I mounted the AC accumulator bracket that i had previously painted. I also mounted the brake switch and pillow bearing piece behind the column. I then jacked up the front of the GTM and bled all of the air out of the coolant system.

I then used the cardboard box that came with the gauges to make a temporary gauge pod and wired up all the necessary gauges so i could take a spin around the block.

This is when i started to run into a new set of problems.

The RPM gauge wont work.... I found some documents online, seems i may just need a 1K resistor wired into a 12v line.
When the engine gets to 220 degrees or so only one fan kicks in.... shouldn't both kick in?
The clutch peddle doesn't work right. No matter how much i depress the clutch it never disengages. I tried bleeding it again but that did nothing.

if anyone has any ideas i am open to suggestions.

RumRunner

08-25-2018, 06:03 PM

For #1, you likely do need a pull-up resistor (1k-5k ohm) wired to +12V.

For #3, bleed the clutch again. The manual talks about bleeding the clutch with the bleed screw pointing up, off the transaxle. Do that. Make sure you hold the slave cylinder push rod with a clamp so it doesn't move when you bleed the system. When it's bled correctly, it will work.

-Michael

tanderson1

08-26-2018, 04:31 PM

how right you were.

The pull up resister fixed the tach and the clutch just needed to be bled.... i tried to bleed it 5 times by myself, no luck. I changed the master configuration around so the line comes out the bottom and the bleeder is at the top which makes more sense. I then took a small hose and used that to bleed the master back into itself., i saw no air come out. The clutch still didn't work so i got a friend to sit inside and pump the peddle while i used a clamp to keep the slave pushed in... I then bled out the air while holding the bleeder as high as i could.... I found the air pocket, it was in the slave, pushing it in with the clamp released the air. After that it worked great. I readjusted the clutch stop so i don't wreck anything.

After that i bolted in the seat, did a quick alignment with it on its tires and went for a rip down the block.

First gear sounded great so i sped up and shifted into second and laid into it... then i saw my life flash before my eyes as the rear end shot out to the passenger side like a rocket and sent me straight toward the drivers side curb. I managed to regain control and just missed the curb but damn the car is touchy when it doesn't have any weight on it and the tires are cold. I now remember the manual mentioning that the car without the body weight was uncontrollable.

i cant imagine driving one of these cars with more horse power...

beeman

08-26-2018, 05:24 PM

Ha, glad you didn't have an incident! The car won't be THAT much heavier with the body!
Nice to hear you got those 2 issues sorted out.

LCD Gauges

08-26-2018, 10:54 PM

When the engine gets to 220 degrees or so only one fan kicks in.... shouldn't both kick in?

It depends on the tune. Also check the wiring from the PCM/ECU

What are you using to read the temperature and where are you reading the temperature?

https://www.performancetrucks.net/forums/attachments/tuning-diagnostics-electronics-wiring-161/86605d1501210417-fan-control-ac-05-fans-dbc-truck-fansettings_zpsraxepir0.png

tanderson1

08-26-2018, 11:48 PM

It depends on the tune. Also check the wiring from the PCM/ECU
What are you using to read the temperature and where are you reading the temperature?

funny i just downloaded the HPTuner app an hour ago and was looking at the same screen. Before I was reading the temp off the sensor that is installed in the block down by the starter, it reads out on the supplied autometer gauge. I did notice that in HP Tuner it shows two fan engagement temps. So chances are that my fans work fine and i just have not hit the second temp yet.

I think i am going to pick up the HPTuner MPVI2 unit, I can use that to eliminate the last of my engine codes (emissions stuff) and get to play with lots of the other features.

One of the features i was just looking at was around the AC system. I know that some people wire in an after market RPM switch into the AC compressor clutch so that it does not engage at high RPM. It seems that the factory ECU has that feature built in and its adjustable from HPTuners. I assume i would just need to wire in these 3 pins to make it work

C2 Pin 14 A/C Refrigerant Pressure Sensor Signal (might just have to pull this high or ground it to trick the ECU... the trinary switch should provide the safety for me)
C2 Pin 17 A/C Request Signal (I believe this would be the wire that would normally go to the compressor clutch)
C2 Pin 18 A/C Status Signal (I believe this wire would now go to the compressor clutch)

If i understand correctly the ECU would only pass the signal request to the compressor clutch if the RPM were not over the disable RPM or the disable TPS settings that can be changed in HPTuners.

VRaptor SpeedWorks, LLC

08-27-2018, 08:30 AM

In order to use the ECU to control the AC, you will have to have the donor C5 ECU. If that's what you have, then yes, I would highly recommend wiring the AC so it is controlled by the ECU....you'll need to wire up the C5 pressure switch to the ECU (3 wires), the AC request (blue wire from VA). If you have a crate ECU or later model (C6 or CTS-V) ECU, you will not be able to use the ECU to control the AC.

Yes, on the fan settings, I've seen some GM ECU's that had the fan setting set to something like 225 degrees for the low speed fan and 336 degrees for the high speed fan. I would highly recommend getting in there and programming some much lower temps in if that is the case!

tanderson1

04-04-2019, 11:07 PM

started working on the car again... i have an on-again off-again relationship with the car..... i am back to on-again.

Wiring harness is now in, extra wires have been removed, I had to add a few new wires

Wiper fluid spray pump, not sure why this is missing from the painless harness, it has wires for the motor power, but not the sprayer
Door plungers (for dome light)
2nd switched dome light wire
in the door i added a ground wire (not sure how good the ground would be as the door is not metal
electric mirror wires.
lock motor +
lock motor - (these are after the relays under the dash)
Power window wires, current wiring assumes the switches are in the door but i will put them in the center console as thats what the manual calls for.
electric column motor (for sliding it in and out)
ECU AC signal
side markers (the law where i live)
Fog lights

I was surprised the so much was missing from the harness. Also i found it frustrating that the harness is clearly made for a front engine car. Also the documentation for wiring the vintage air unit was somewhat lacking. A quick google search turned up some good videos and a wiring diagram for trinary switches.

But if it wasn't hard it wouldn't be worth doing. :-)

I had to buy a few parts

Speedos were on sale at speed hut so i picked up a KPH unit, should be here in a few weeks.
I bought loom that was not split loom, i ended up getting rid of that and buying painless split loom, its much easier to use.
12 gauge and 18 gauge wire in a variety of colors.
a vacuum coolant filling system, sucked the bubble right out of the coolant system.
I picked up an 8 relay holder that will bolt up under the dash to run the locks/highbeams/lowbeams/park lights/fog lights/vintage air/hazard lights. I found it weird that the kit only comes with 2 relays.

I now have to test all of my wiring and complete a short 12 item list of picky little items before mounting the body on. Then its on to figuring out doors!

And while i am giving updates i may as well ask a question. Does anyone know what these two pieces of aluminum are for?

105058105059

beeman

04-05-2019, 05:48 AM

I'm right along side of you with the wiring process. Thanks for reminding me to run wires for door plungers to activate the dome light!

VRaptor SpeedWorks, LLC

04-05-2019, 08:23 AM

On the harness and wiper washer pump.....that wire is part of the donor wiper harness...so there is no need for the painless harness to have that circuit. If you have the donor wiper harness, the pink wire runs direct from the column stalk switches to the washer pump. You will have to create your own ground for the pump.

As for the 2 aluminum pieces, I think I used to know what those were for, but I have never used them....they end up going right in the alum recycling bin.

tanderson1

04-05-2019, 01:12 PM

claybags

04-05-2019, 02:02 PM

Hi,
The "L" shaped piece(if I remember correctly) was a drilling template for mounting the throttle pedal, and the other piece is used to mount the front clip cable release under the dash. …..maybe?
Cheers, Jeff

beeman

04-05-2019, 04:13 PM

I might have my C5 washer pigtail if you can't find yours, I'm using aftermarket.

tanderson1

04-06-2019, 09:00 AM

I might have my C5 washer pigtail if you can't find yours, I'm using aftermarket.

Thanks for the offer, i think i know where it is, I will keep you posted. Its time for me to pull out the next set of parts anyway, my parts shelf is almost empty.

tanderson1

04-08-2019, 04:39 PM

I managed to find all of the wiring harnesses i need to modify (thanks again beeman for your offer)

I decided now would be a good time to empty every parts box and pull out the next set of required parts.

I found this close out panel that i had previously forgotten.
105234 105235
I think its to cover the vintage air unit and close out the rest of the tunnel. To be honest it would be a ***** to get it in there now but i honestly think it would cause problems. This closeout panel would prevent air from flowing though the tunnel, instead hot air will stew inside the tunnel. Anyone else leave this off their build? or were you happy that you added it.

and as before, this is still bugging me... what is this last piece of aluminum for.
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tanderson1

04-08-2019, 08:44 PM

and as before, this is still bugging me... what is this last piece of aluminum for.
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Ah ha, figured the aluminum piece it out.

If you bend the 2 short tabs 90 degrees, and the long tab 30ish degrees and drill 2 holes in the wider tab, this hood release fits into it. Claybags was right on the money... i just didn't realize that the bracket had to be bent to make it work... the rest of the aluminum pieces are pre-bent. weird that this one is not.
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Also i opened the last box of parts in the garage today and found my wiper motor... I think i now know where everything is again.

(PS i'm still looking for an answer to the question above about the Vintage Air cover plastics)

claybags

04-08-2019, 09:55 PM

You can S---tcan the plastic cover, unless you can find a use for it around the garage.
Cheers, Jeff

VRaptor SpeedWorks, LLC

04-09-2019, 08:28 AM

Yes, you can toss the plastic cover. I think the original thought was that you could use the plastic cover to seal off the chassis in that area and leave out the front alum panel of the passenger footwell and that would allow the blower to pull air from inside the car and recirculate it thru the system. Problem is, there is no way to seal everything up to make that happen and absolutely no way to get that plastic cover in where it needs to be once everything is assembled. That is the main reason I came up with the blower relocate plenum to relocate the blower motor to the pass footwell instead of having it hang out under the hood sucking in hot air and everything that comes off the front tires.

tanderson1

04-09-2019, 10:18 PM

Great to hear that i dont need it because it would be a TON of work to try to get it in there and sealed up. I tried to find as many GTM photos as i could and none of them had that plastic piece mounted.

I spent tonight cleaning up my garage, it was starting to get a little hard to concentrate on one task. I have 28 feet of counter top to work on and not a square inch of it was clear.

I then cleaned the wiper motor and cut off the old ball joint that wont be needed anymore. I also removed the rubber seal on the wiper motor.

Here is my list of items to complete before i can mount the body

Mount the ODB2 connector by the steering wheel (to the square tubing between the console and the column
make a metal plate to fill the factory fuse panel hole in the back. Then mount the fan fuses and relays to it
My engine harness has a fuse block of 5 fuses... needs a place to live under the dash.
move the fuel pump filter to make room for the dual FF cold air intake.
finish off the wiring and test it all out
mount the passenger seat (driver side required some welding, i will do the same to the other side)
Weld nuts to the drivers seat brackets + paint black (so i don't need two wrenches to remove the seats)
finish the tunnel aluminum
finish bolting AC accumulator together (pressure test it)
Add the drain line to the AC unit and route it out the bottom
Wrap the headers
rivet in the front piece of aluminum above the AC unit.
Add the small piece of aluminum in the top of the passenger foot well
cut the holes in the top aluminum for the AC vent ducts
put safety wire on the rear axle bolts again (removed a while ago to fix something)
Mount the horn
make a bracket to support the Kooks exhaust
install the fuel tank vents + roll over valves
Install the fuel pump controller

tanderson1

04-14-2019, 09:16 PM

I started off this weekend by mounting the passenger seat, I cut some triangle pieces of metal to give me something solid to bolt the seat to.
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I welded the nut to the metal seat bracket so i can detach the seats easily without finding a way to get a wrench wedged under the seat
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At this point i drained and pulled out the fuel tank and started to dry run the tunnel aluminum into place. This is where i rean into my first problem. With the aluminum in place the parking break wont move. It turned out that i had to remove the wire from the bottom of the boot so it would move easier, then bend the parking brake handle toward the passenger side.
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gotta love clecos
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painted the metal triangles that i had welded in.
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I then riveted in the floor aluminum on both sides as it became evident that this piece has to be in before the tunnel aluminum.
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I cut a piece of metal to fit in the factory fuse box location. I then tapped in holes to mount the fan relays, fan relays and engine harness relays. I then primed and painted the plate and the seat brackets.
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I bought this on Aliexpress, it came today. It holds 8 relays and easily panel mounts. I will be using this for the lock/unlock, headlights, fog lights, hazard lights, etc.
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I have had this tap and die set for years and finally got to use it. After welding on the nuts the bolts started to foul where the hit the metal brackets, Chased the threads and cut the last few and all was well.
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