Shoeless GTM #501 Here we go!!!

[Shoeless]

We normally run 1/8" total toe in for the front and rear.

Awesome, thanks for confirming. I’ll be able to knock that change out easily.

[Shoeless]

I was able to spend some time today working on checking and setting the bump steer. If you have never done this or don't really know how to go about it, I'll share my approach. You can do this whole setup for less than $50 and will give you very accurate results. All you need is a square aluminum bar, a couple 90 deg shelf brackets, a laser pointer device (I used a laser measuring device off Amazon), a mirror, and some graph paper.

First step is removing the springs from the coil overs so that you can move the suspension through its travel. Then secure the aluminum square tube to the wheel with the first 90 deg bracket, graph paper, and laser pointer. You want to graph paper located at the center of the wheel. Then measure the radius of the wheel and place the mirror 5 X this radius distance away from the wheel. Here are a few pics.

https://i.imgur.com/kYEMHsY.jpeg

https://i.imgur.com/8WIeWRQ.jpeg

https://i.imgur.com/Ans3k7H.jpeg

Now use a jack and raise the suspension up to the normal ride height. Turn the laser on and mark on the graph paper where it's pointing. Now jack the suspension up in the bump condition, I raised it by 1", and mark where the laser is pointing on the graph paper. Now let the jack down to the 1" rebound (droop) condition and mark where the laser is pointing on the graph paper. Below is an example of one of the measurements I took in the middle of checking the front. The three vertical lines are the important ones. The left is the rebound, middle is at ride height, and the right is at bump. Now measure the distance between the bump and center lines and rebound and center lines, divide these numbers by 10 and that is the bump steer numbers. On this example there is twice the amount of bump steer on rebound as compared to bump. The goal is to reduce the magnitude of the bump steer as much as possible in both rebound and bump.

https://i.imgur.com/V9ou4MF.jpeg

[Shoeless]

I finished up setting the bump steer on all four corners and resetting the tow, so it was time to put some more break in miles on the motor and check my alignment. As its not registered, I stick to some of the back roads by my house and had a fun chance encounter. I met a Cobra owner who just moved down from NY to FL as he was out for a fun Sunday drive. We pulled over to the side of the road, exchanged info, and chatted for about a half hour. I was also able to break the 100 mile mark and had fun with my spirited drive :cool:. Its about time I hook up the knock detection system I got and get into some real tuning.

https://i.imgur.com/3iUeinC.jpeg

https://i.imgur.com/MDblPkv.jpeg

https://i.imgur.com/BYAPDUb.jpeg

https://i.imgur.com/iNkKVka.jpeg

[VRaptor SpeedWorks, LLC]

Cool! So did you end up using just the outer tie rod ends with the shims to adjust the tie rod up and down or did you also install extensions on the rack to move the inner tie rod ends out?

[beeman]

One of the better GTM go-kart pictures I have seen!

https://i.imgur.com/BYAPDUb.jpeg

[Shoeless]

Cool! So did you end up using just the outer tie rod ends with the shims to adjust the tie rod up and down or did you also install extensions on the rack to move the inner tie rod ends out?

Thanks Shane!!! I ended up just using the outer tie rod ends with the shims for my setup. From my setup and checks, my right front is in much better condition than the left left front and I do wish there was more adjustability that I could bring into the front. I think I remember seeing someone, maybe it was RR46 on the other forum, put in bushings that changed the height of the steering rack, but when I checked which ones they were, the sellers were VERY proud of their product. To say they were a little pricey is an understatement. My rear is much more balanced and even left to right, below is the link to the rear bump steer kit I ended up with.

https://www.zip-corvette.com/97-13-rear-bump-steer-kit.html

Overall I think the test drive went very well. I have just the slightest misalignment of the steering wheel (simple fix next weekend), but under acceleration, cruise, and heavy braking it tracks perfectly straight and I can control the wheel with one finger.

[Shoeless]

One of the better GTM go-kart pictures I have seen!

Thank you Sir!!! I need to roll the GTM back out and take this similar pic and send to Taz for the calendar with my nice camera.

[jamesfr58]

Kart looks great Sean, and lied you post on setting up bump steer as I have not done that yet, only have bump steer on the front.

[Shoeless]

Kart looks great Sean, and lied you post on setting up bump steer as I have not done that yet, only have bump steer on the front.

Thank you Sir!!!

For reference if you have the front set from FF, I ended up with all the shims above the heim joints on both sides for the best reduction in bump steer for both bump and rebound. I need to find the post on the other site about bushings that raise the steering rack. If not too pricey, I’ll get them, but from what I remember they are stupid pricy.

[beeman]

I think the offset bushings are only like $40, I put them in my Cobra kit. I used aluminum but I think they make poly ones too.

[Shoeless]

I think the offset bushings are only like $40, I put them in my Cobra kit. I used aluminum but I think they make poly ones too.

Oh, I must be confusing this with something else than. Would you happen to have a link or the proper model rack I should look for?

For $40, I wouldn't mind possibly giving this a try for further improvement on bump steer to what I was measuring.

[beeman]

Here's basically what I used on the Cobra, I believe the GTM uses the mustang rack as well but confirm that! Not much changed on the Mustang racks from 84-04.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/313630963369

https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/dFQAAOSwjZ5hDzhh/s-l1600.jpg

[Shoeless]

Here's basically what I used on the Cobra, I believe the GTM uses the mustang rack as well but confirm that! Not much changed on the Mustang racks from 84-04.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/313630963369

https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/dFQAAOSwjZ5hDzhh/s-l1600.jpg

Awesome thank you!!!

Shane,

I think I saw you confirm the rack in the GTM somewhere. Is it in fact what Beeman has shared above?

[VRaptor SpeedWorks, LLC]

Yes...that's what I have in my notes for power steering is that the rack is 90-93 Mustang rack.

[Shoeless]

Yes...that's what I have in my notes for power steering is that the rack is 90-93 Mustang rack.

Thank you Shane!!

I'll get these offset bushings ordered up, installed, and recheck/reset the front bump steer and let the team know what I end up with.

Thanks Beeman!!

[Shoeless]

Spent some time finishing up the wiring for the button on the console this weekend. Everything functions as planned interfacing with both the InfinityBox setup and the Infinity Series 7 ECU for Data Logging.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Cl6hvxs6Mg

[VRaptor SpeedWorks, LLC]

That's really cool! Definitely going to bring some "production car feel" to the car.

[Shoeless]

That's really cool! Definitely going to bring some "production car feel" to the car.

Thanks Shane!!! It's great to finally take the thought that has been in my head for years and finally getting it look and function the way I want.

[Shoeless]

Here's basically what I used on the Cobra, I believe the GTM uses the mustang rack as well but confirm that! Not much changed on the Mustang racks from 84-04.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/313630963369

https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/dFQAAOSwjZ5hDzhh/s-l1600.jpg

Just pulled the bolts on my steering rack and unfortunately they don't fit in these bushings. The bolt is 1/2" diameter and the opening in the bushing is 0.475".

Beeman,

Did you drill these out or did I just end up with the wrong bushings?

[Shoeless]

It looks like something like these might be a better fit with the mounting brackets on the GTM with offset washers and 1/2" sleeves included.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/273739455561?_trkparms=ispr%3D1&hash=item3fbc249c49:g:HzgAAOSw9-hceahp&amdata=enc%3AAQAGAAACwPYe5NmHp%252B2JMhMi7yxGiTJkP rKr5t53CooMSQt2orsSlHY%252FYTip4QFVjNQrCEJt6pEdZOO zeDBSmRyU%252F9xG5o6vKUC6zurtBXT4GINO9Wxzflt7%252B wGZilgy0qM3pkSQX2RJHDEsl%252BcIt6v1RXBpI1%252FMvXk j5RZ7Zo9KvSo2OGTmn13A18oVFyu5xuYioKK3UB%252BH0IEmv BIHD3rda5HgWkxZnG4Mq84EbhDmGF1%252FrmryIV1ySiD%252 BhAF5om50jJsxEOhTNsoacYezDKyLMRKJiBP7XdYCzb6ASkqyA xifeemE9HTG6a%252Fk3UgCqhENRHRiFW4X1SckRQFMSVKJteD ai0su3sx4r2MH%252Bx9vgNuy4GAi1E9hdLt0QcHLtwy4ybiZe oHaTA%252Fkt8Rku1Vq5Dsh6jwp558XuzADBVGQkB1nyUD%252 FnexrEQ1SX34rK2fdqzjUgK8l5sMJAVMxmxVby3eDOZA7wuCZl zxgExZJkitnri2VrJZSqCWSZhjCLonVRuC1e6%252BHFJs5p2s IKn%252Bj1mdU%252FC%252BiT4vRAcLLt1uw3bDqhiH8KYh2E 1%252BlsuyQeVhREr0bGNRZEh%252F6CSjWk4Wp4AFLu1o5Zw3 NkIw8U%252F5ghrJ4enxJaqhdye5GWryg9r3P4ONfxHwUXQOF1 T7t6kNIrVeYSxVKxprRIos%252FrTTJF7zyecMQ5kv%252FbLQ rP9on7y1vXOZhEWbhwX5tPgj5ipTH1YO%252FHT7vNH4AEQTqX QBUdnxrdMfdwNdd0PNz9k2sa42OcBm%252FOh2Sv04h1kIyQfK 38ugE2FPTkXjakNa9aDYt3mYO6BzYTzq4Nab9kIhDS2%252BsV 6vULXAf3oDgrVlJVk4yuGEi6CYnGzjvolM6htnmu%252BkAO6v ur9tabodM0w1oaw%252FgipXpCFYkos3kNVK8oJSI24jz0FSmy jP3SeTB1q5b5nFmkmvo%7Cclp%3A2334524%7Ctkp%3ABFBMzO jTqaNf

[beeman]

Do the aluminum offset bushings fit the mounting tabs on the GTM? If so, I'd just drill them out to .50. I did not install these on my GTM, just on my Cobra. My understanding is that FFR sticks with the Mustang racks between platforms.

[Shoeless]

Do the aluminum offset bushings fit the mounting tabs on the GTM? If so, I'd just drill them out to .50. I did not install these on my GTM, just on my Cobra. My understanding is that FFR sticks with the Mustang racks between platforms.

I was able to move the rack out of the way this morning and unfortunately these bushings are too narrow. No worries though. I ordered up a set of the poly offset ones from eBay as those look to mimic the exact bushings that came with the kit. I'll let everyone know how these work out once they get in.

[Shoeless]

I received my steering rack offset bushings yesterday, so I'll be working on that tomorrow and this weekend.

In the mean time I wanted to create something for the stance air cups lines instead of just trying to run the lines along the a-arms. I created a two piece 3D printed part that would hold one fitting on the outside of the sheet metal in the wheel well and allow me to thread another fitting on this inside and run air lines from the fittings to their respective ends. I think this turned out pretty nice.

https://i.imgur.com/uKxBYh3.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/ZdrpS2E.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/8IwcSQL.jpg

[Shoeless]

Back to working on the bump steering this weekend.

I got in the below steering rack offset bushings this past week and was eager to throw them in this weekend. Although they came with new center bushings, those were a bit short, so I opted to just throw the ones that came with the GTM kit in there. These bushings are about 0.145" offset compared to the centered ones and should help improve on the FF bump steer kit.

https://i.imgur.com/HgvQqbt.jpeg

Started out with the passenger side and the improvement was excellent.

Starting numbers with all the shims on the top side of the heim joint on the FF bump steer kit:
1" bump travel resulted in 0.0126" toe in
1" rebound travel resulted in 0.036" toe out

After installing the steering rack offset bushings and keeping all the shims on the top side of the heim joint on the FF bump steer kit:
1" bump travel resulted in 0.0086" toe in
1" rebound travel resulted in 0.0148" toe out

Here are the charts for the passenger side. Graph paper on the left is before the offset bushings and the graph paper on the right is after the offset bushings.

https://i.imgur.com/NrlwlZG.jpeg

Next was the driver's side and this is where a HUGE improvement was noticed. It not only made a significant improvement, but now its darn close to matching the passenger side.

Starting numbers with all the shims on the top side of the heim joint on the FF bump steer kit:
1" bump travel resulted in 0.0395" toe in
1" rebound travel resulted in 0.0445" toe out

After installing the steering rack offset bushings and keeping all the shims on the top side of the heim joint on the FF bump steer kit:
1" bump travel resulted in 0.008" toe in
1" rebound travel resulted in 0.0209" toe out

Here are the charts for the driver's side. Graph paper on the left is before the offset bushings and the graph paper on the right is after the offset bushings.

https://i.imgur.com/2rMScP5.jpeg

[Shoeless]

I finally got some parts back from my powder coater and was able to finish up the install of the Stance Air Cups this last weekend. Among the parts was also my seat brackets so I could finally ditch the seat cushion as my seat and have a proper seat for more engine break in driving. After all the work on the bump steer above and alignment work, this thing is an absolute pleasure to drive.


https://i.imgur.com/iqGAeMV.mp4


https://i.imgur.com/GowcuF4.mp4

https://i.imgur.com/CTsUuWu.jpeg

https://i.imgur.com/Zw2Sz3P.jpeg

On a not so happy note, I met with a spine surgeon a couple weeks back and unfortunately I will be needing two surgeries with the first in the February timeframe. I originally had my L5-S1 fused back in 2006 from injuries sustained in Iraq and it has been progressively getting worse. its finally at the point surgery is the only option.

[VRaptor SpeedWorks, LLC]

I'll bet no one stares at you at the intersections.... ;)

Sorry to hear about the need for surgery.....that really sucks. Hopefully they can get you fixed up!

[beeman]

Looks great, I hope I don't end up regretting not having a front lift system.
Sorry to hear that you have some surgery in the future, hope all goes well and you have a speedy recovery!

[Shoeless]

I'll bet no one stares at you at the intersections.... ;)

Sorry to hear about the need for surgery.....that really sucks. Hopefully they can get you fixed up!

I get all the fun looks while out and about LOL. I hope they get this addressed as well.


Looks great, I hope I don't end up regretting not having a front lift system.
Sorry to hear that you have some surgery in the future, hope all goes well and you have a speedy recovery!

I was lucky enough to have a small area in front of the Vintage Air system and down on the frame rail to mount the compressor, so I lucked out there bringing this into my build late in the game.

Thanks for the well wishes!! I'll definitely be sidelined a bit, but hopefully get me all patched up.

[Shoeless]

I had a need to add an additional panel for my UBS connectivity to my ECU and Digital Race Dash, button for the Stance Air Lift system, and a USB phone charger, so I kicked out a few 3d printed designs and landed with this layout. I was also able to print up a drill and cut patter piece. I trimmed a little to much out of the center so I can only use the 4 corner screws. I think it came out pretty good. I'll replace this 3D printed panel with carbon fiber later on.

https://i.imgur.com/Oyrmph5.jpeg

https://i.imgur.com/mgMYaEk.jpeg

https://i.imgur.com/dj74amZ.jpeg

https://i.imgur.com/VvxGIcI.jpeg

[Shoeless]

I was making some pretty nice progress lately, actually getting some road tuning in and the drivability and response has improved. I quickly realized left foot braking on a high HP car is just difficult if not impossible (this is needed to enter cells in the VE and Ignition tables to tune them properly), so I started to shop around for a load bearing dyno. Ideally I wanted to rent it and do the tuning myself, but couldn't find anything close. After some calls, i found a shop with a load bearing dyno to finish off the tune for me.

Unfortunately, two days before my dyno appointment, my throttle body has decided to crap out on me. I was literally just about to head out and do some more engine break in running and I have zero response. I'm running an AEM Infinity Series 7 ECU so none of the typical "my TB stopped working" post are of much help.

Clearly having the top two numbers not matching the next two numbers is a problem, but the bottom analog numbers change when I physically open and close the TB. So its reading and sending the proper numbers to the ECU.
https://i.imgur.com/X37vZ4r.jpeg

I've sent and received several emails with AEM, with their last response of "it sould like there is a short in your harness" made my heart sink. I had already checked continuity of the 6 pins that control the TB, but that's not really a highpot test. Those that have followed know I've spent thousands of dollars and hundreds of hours designing and building my own mil-spec harness. Along with this someone else recommended a genuine AC Delco/GM LS3 DBW TB should fix it.

My first order of business was to open up the first Molex connector and remove the two wires that control the TB motor to create a couple jumper wires from the ECU directly to the TB. I hit the ignition button and nope, that did not fix anything, so that rules out the harness as the problem. THANK GOD LOL!!

https://i.imgur.com/kDa0jTU.jpeg

The third TB which is the $170 genuine AC Delco from Amazon showed up today. I threw that in, uploaded the firmware (AEM noted this would reset the DBW power drivers) and nope nothing.

I've also shared a few post on a couple AEM related FB pages and have exhausted all recommendations.

From here I'm at the mercy of AEM helping me diagnose this further. At the moment, I feel there is an issue with the ECU.

[VRaptor SpeedWorks, LLC]

I know the frustration. I've been in almost the exact same situation as you several years ago......that was the "incompatible" TB...Cadillac vs GM.....gold throttle blade vs silver throttle blade. The only other things I can think of right now is there might be something funky going on with the throttle pedal/throttle pedal wiring/signal to the ECU or main battery voltage (if you don't have the battery at full charge and the low battery voltage is messing things up....I have had that happen also.

Have you tried posting on the corvette forums? There would be a heck of a lot more traffic there than here and someone there might have had these same issues with the same system you're running?

[crash]

I have run after market ECUs and one of the things that pretty much always has to be done is a pedal calibration. I would ask AEM for their calibration procedure.

Had a tuner SWEAR it was a harness issue. I said NOPE. He finally went through the process and the throttle started working. Just be VERY careful sticking your fingers into the TB when it is active. It could potentially cut off a finger.

IIRC there are redundant sensors in the pedal assembly and when one of the sensors voltage rises the other one falls. These must be coordinated and calibrated to the ECU. That you were able to drive the car previously suggests that it is a sensor issue and I would look closely at the pedal assembly, as well as the calibration.

[Shoeless]

I know the frustration. I've been in almost the exact same situation as you several years ago......that was the "incompatible" TB...Cadillac vs GM.....gold throttle blade vs silver throttle blade. The only other things I can think of right now is there might be something funky going on with the throttle pedal/throttle pedal wiring/signal to the ECU or main battery voltage (if you don't have the battery at full charge and the low battery voltage is messing things up....I have had that happen also.

Have you tried posting on the corvette forums? There would be a heck of a lot more traffic there than here and someone there might have had these same issues with the same system you're running?

Yea, I've come across one guy mentioning the silver blade versus the gold blade as well. Good note on the battery voltage as well, that was one of the first things AEM asked for. Hook up the battery charger and do the calibration wizard all over again. Unfortunately no luck here. Might not be a bad idea to hit up the corvette forums. Everything I'm seeing in my logs and on the tuning software is the pedal is sending the proper signals and if I manually open the TB it appears the proper signals are going to the ECU as well. It might not hurt to order a replacement pedal and give that a shot. Hell I can order it on Amazon and try it. If it doesn't work, I can return it.

Just got another note from AEM to do some logs with the new Gold Blade LS3 TB, so I just sent those out.


I have run after market ECUs and one of the things that pretty much always has to be done is a pedal calibration. I would ask AEM for their calibration procedure.

Had a tuner SWEAR it was a harness issue. I said NOPE. He finally went through the process and the throttle started working. Just be VERY careful sticking your fingers into the TB when it is active. It could potentially cut off a finger.

IIRC there are redundant sensors in the pedal assembly and when one of the sensors voltage rises the other one falls. These must be coordinated and calibrated to the ECU. That you were able to drive the car previously suggests that it is a sensor issue and I would look closely at the pedal assembly, as well as the calibration.

Good point on the calibration. The Infinity Tuning software has a calibration wizard that worked on the first setup when I first fired up the ECU to set it up and has ran perfectly for 180 miles on the car. I have come across a couple other calibration videos and notes, unfortunately those still fail on my setup.

I wish it was something easy like a different calibration. The harness is as solid as they come, but still had to prove them wrong my crating jumper wires from the ECU directly to the TB for the motor control power.

It wouldn't hurt to just order another pedal and see what happens. If its that, it will be a cheap sub $100 fix, if not it at least excludes that from the equation.

[Erik W. Treves]

I had something similar on my GTM - my DBW pedal was dead - I ended up having to reverse 2 wires on the pedal and everything came alive. -

[crash]

Agreed on the pedals. We carry two spares...just in case. Also, we have had issues during rain races where the ECU just goes into limp mode and the car pretty much is undrivable. Sometimes it is temporarily fixed by cycling the ignition/power switch, and sometimes it is not. This is with a GM ECU. Also, we fixed it more permanently by spraying WD-40 on the pedal connector during one year's 25 hour event.

I just remembered that there have been quite a few instances in Trans-Am, who use a spec AEM ECU, where the engine just shuts down for no apparent reason. Happened to GTM co-driver Carl Rydquist during his last race in the TA-2 car. He was cycling the ignition switch pretty much every lap because the ECU refused to keep the engine running. I don't know what the fix has been there, but I will ask.

Is there any possibility that water got into the pedal plug?

[crash]

I had something similar on my GTM - my DBW pedal was dead - I ended up having to reverse 2 wires on the pedal and everything came alive. -

Yes I have had to reverse wires as well with some ECUs, but it sounds like yours never ran until you did this, (which is what mine did)while Shoeless had a running car that then stopped running.

[Erik W. Treves]

ah I missed that part

[crash]

I consulted with Carl and he said there have been a couple of different issues on the cars he has seen. The most pertinent to possibly what happened in your case...have you ever disconnected power to the unit without using the "trigger wire"?

Unfortunately the term Carl used when this is done is "bricked the ECU". Apparently the trigger wire MUST be used to start up and shut down the ECU. Also, it is highly advisable to give the ECU time to shut down before re-triggering when you cut power to the trigger. This has possibly been an issue as well.

If you are going in and looking at things in the ECU it is probably not "bricked", but be aware for the future that ONLY the trigger should be used for start up and shut down of the ECU.

This is very difficult on a race car because we are required to have a master cutoff switch and the way the tech inspectors check this is to turn the switch while the engine is running and it must shut down. Not good when you have a sensitive ECU.

The other causes have been reported as sensor related.

[Shoeless]

I had something similar on my GTM - my DBW pedal was dead - I ended up having to reverse 2 wires on the pedal and everything came alive. -

What's odd is mine worked perfectly for a while and then just bam nothing. BTW love the blue on your build!!!

[Shoeless]

Agreed on the pedals. We carry two spares...just in case. Also, we have had issues during rain races where the ECU just goes into limp mode and the car pretty much is undrivable. Sometimes it is temporarily fixed by cycling the ignition/power switch, and sometimes it is not. This is with a GM ECU. Also, we fixed it more permanently by spraying WD-40 on the pedal connector during one year's 25 hour event.

I just remembered that there have been quite a few instances in Trans-Am, who use a spec AEM ECU, where the engine just shuts down for no apparent reason. Happened to GTM co-driver Carl Rydquist during his last race in the TA-2 car. He was cycling the ignition switch pretty much every lap because the ECU refused to keep the engine running. I don't know what the fix has been there, but I will ask.

Is there any possibility that water got into the pedal plug?

I think I'll just order up a pedal as a spare. Can never hurt to eliminate this as a possible culprit. And for under $100, not too bad of an idea to just have a spare around.

Odd that it would just go into limp mode on a rain race. That definitely sounds like water intrusion on a sensor and it defaulting to limp mode since it can't read the sensor.

After the issue happened, i was able to reset it once, but then I forgot to plug the fans back in after uploading the firmware and overheated the engine. Yea I made a mess of coolant all over the engine. But this was after the issue already came up and there should have been zero water intrusion before that.


I consulted with Carl and he said there have been a couple of different issues on the cars he has seen. The most pertinent to possibly what happened in your case...have you ever disconnected power to the unit without using the "trigger wire"?

Unfortunately the term Carl used when this is done is "bricked the ECU". Apparently the trigger wire MUST be used to start up and shut down the ECU. Also, it is highly advisable to give the ECU time to shut down before re-triggering when you cut power to the trigger. This has possibly been an issue as well.

If you are going in and looking at things in the ECU it is probably not "bricked", but be aware for the future that ONLY the trigger should be used for start up and shut down of the ECU.

This is very difficult on a race car because we are required to have a master cutoff switch and the way the tech inspectors check this is to turn the switch while the engine is running and it must shut down. Not good when you have a sensitive ECU.

The other causes have been reported as sensor related.

Good info here, but don't think it's bricked as I can go in and make changes, I can even actually run the car, I just get zero throttle response. I even went in and loaded a different base tune just to see if that would work and nothing. Could the coolant issue above be causing this? Maybe, but it happened after it failed the first time. I did clean every plug out and blow air on them after cleaning up the mess. BTW they are all Deutsch AS connectors so I doubt they let any moisture in, but you never know.

[crash]

Let me just say that, especially since it was already running, I have ZERO thought that it would be anything in the harness. ZERO.

Yep, I second concentrating on the pedal and eliminating that first.

[Shoeless]

Let me just say that, especially since it was already running, I have ZERO thought that it would be anything in the harness. ZERO.

Yep, I second concentrating on the pedal and eliminating that first.

Right on!!

Let me say thank you to you and everyone else for jumping in and helping along with the troubleshooting I'm running through on my side. Pedal is on order and will be her after the new year.

[VRaptor SpeedWorks, LLC]

I would agree with Crash on the hard-wiring/harness part. As much time and attention to detail you've put into that, not much chance of a sudden failure in a "hard part" like that. Wires don't just mysteriously short our or break for no reason. When I mentioned the throttle pedal or pedal harness above, I was thinking more along the lines of....have you recently added something in the tunnel or near the throttle wiring that would cause any sort of signal interference with the throttle harness?

[Shoeless]

I would agree with Crash on the hard-wiring/harness part. As much time and attention to detail you've put into that, not much chance of a sudden failure in a "hard part" like that. Wires don't just mysteriously short our or break for no reason. When I mentioned the throttle pedal or pedal harness above, I was thinking more along the lines of....have you recently added something in the tunnel or near the throttle wiring that would cause any sort of signal interference with the throttle harness?

I have added a handful of things in the tunnel and pedal general area:

1. USB communication cable from the ECU to the front tunnel button plate I added in post #779 above.
2. USB communication cable from the Digital Dash to the front tunnel button plate I added in post #779 above.
3. Stance Air Cup system button on the button plate I added in post #779 above.
4. Temperature control unit for the trans cooler pump. Currently not even powered as this is not plumbed yet.
5. I've have also been working with Jay at Infinitybox trying to wire up both the inVIRONMENT and Vintage Air 3 button controller. BTW if anyone has done this and kept notes, let's chat on this later.

In general I have been doing a lot of cleanup on wiring and bundling to finish off the electrical side of things, but I don't think any of these would cause enough interference on the throttle body or pedal harnesses.

From the classes I took you really only use shielded cable on circuits that are sensitive and absolutely need shielding. These circuits include engine position and speed sensors (Cam and Crank Sensor), wheel speed sensors, and knock sensors. All other circuits should be robust enough to not be susceptible to external interference.

While were are on this topic, it would not hurt for me to go back in and look at EVERY power and ground connection in the car. Thankfully I have kept to a very strict star earthing concept, so there are only 2 or 3 ground connections on the car and only 2 power connections. Although I don't think this would be my culprit as it would cause further issues, but it doesn't hurt to check.

I will say before I ended the day in the garage I fired the car up with the new LS3 TB disconnected to try and get the ECU to fault out and reset in a similar fashion I believe it did before I overheated the engine. Then plugged the TB in and fired the car back up, but oddly enough I'm not seeing the TB Fault Count number increase when I hit the pedal. I got a log of this and will send it to AEM after I hear back from them on the three logs I sent this this morning. The gentleman I'm working with is having one of their engine calibrators review my logs.

[Shoeless]

Update:

New GM pedal came in and didn't fix the issue. No word from AEM yet.

[dlud]

Sorry to resurrect an old topic but I am looking at adding steering wheel switches for several functions on my current project. What car did the clock spring come off of or do you have a part #?

[Shoeless]

Sorry to resurrect an old topic but I am looking at adding steering wheel switches for several functions on my current project. What car did the clock spring come off of or do you have a part #?

No worries for an off topic question. This came off a 2002 Cadillac DeVille and beeman actually hooked me up with it as he was planning it for his build, but went another direction.

Below is a link to his older post that walks you though his entire prep process to get it cleaned up and ready to install. I also needed to use a grinder and make some clearance between the clock spring and the Momo adapter. If I remember correctly I couldn't get the horn pass through to work, so I needed to use one of the circuits from the clock spring for the horn.

https://www.ffcars.com/threads/official-steering-wheel-button-thread.554785/

[dlud]

Excellent! Thanks.

[Shoeless]

Excellent! Thanks.

Any time :cool:!!

[q4stix]

Any updates or progress on the throttle body issue you ran into? I'm hoping for the best for you

[Shoeless]

Any updates or progress on the throttle body issue you ran into? I'm hoping for the best for you

No real update yet. I did get an email from AEM last Thursday letting me know the Engine Calibrators and Engineers would be back in the office and should have some direction last week, but nothing yet.

I'm really getting into a bind here because I have spine surgery some time next month, I meet my surgeon again this Thursday to schedule it, and I'll be pretty much useless for a while. I need to button up a few electrical items, get it dyno tuned, and put some more engine break in miles on it.

[Shoeless]

ECU is headed off to California for troubleshooting at AEM.

Hopefully they get this sorted out for me.

[Shoeless]

Update on the TB issue:

The ECU was received by AEM last week and it went right in for bench testing. I was informed a couple days later that my unit passed bench test and checked out as functional. I was a little pissed as I was at a Military Additive Manufacturing Conference for work about to give a presentation to a room of 400 people and now all the sudden all my brain was thinking bout was what is going on with this thing and what do I need to do next to troubleshoot this problem. I paid for return shipping and waited for its return.

In the meantime I'm digging into the tune that was last loaded into the ECU and comparing it to other stock tunes from AEM. Nothing immediately jumped out, but I did note one 2d table that was worth investigating once the ECU gets back. I paid for two day shipping and still hadn't received my ECU back so I fired another email off to AEM. Low and behold I get a reply from the tech telling me although my unit passed bench test as functional, they hooked up an actual throttle body and sure enough, the unit faulted out.

FINALLY we have found a problem in the ECU itself and nothing to do with the tune.

AEM will continue the troubleshooting and get back with repair steps once they finish troubleshooting. Although I'm not happy about the issue, I will sleep a lot better tonight knowing its not the harness or anything I did on my side that caused this problem.

[dlud]

Out of all the possibilities that is not the worst news....at least it appears it's in AEM's lap.

[crash]

Congrats...I guess. Glad the situation is at least moving forward.

I've said this many times..."If I only had a dollar for every time a company tech guy has said to me, "huh, we have never seen that before.""

[KGTM]

I guess the need to improved their Manufacturing tester!

[Shoeless]

Yea, they need to clean up their act. I ended up getting an automated message they got the TB hooked up and it functioned properly and the unit is in transit to me as we speak. It will be delivered tomorrow and I'll learn if they really got this sorted or not.

[cgundermann]

Spent some time finishing up the wiring for the button on the console this weekend. Everything functions as planned interfacing with both the InfinityBox setup and the Infinity Series 7 ECU for Data Logging.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Cl6hvxs6Mg

Very, very trick! Love it...

Chris

[Shoeless]

Very, very trick! Love it...

Chris

Thanks Chris!!! It’s been a long road to get to this point.

[q4stix]

Yea, they need to clean up their act. I ended up getting an automated message they got the TB hooked up and it functioned properly and the unit is in transit to me as we speak. It will be delivered tomorrow and I'll learn if they really got this sorted or not.

I sure hope they're going to provide an explanation on what was wrong and what they fixed instead of just shipping it back after it worked and it possibly happening again.

[dlud]

Thanks Chris!!! It’s been a long road to get to this point.

Good news Sean. Hope AEM was able to exorcise the gremlin from your ecu. I watched your Youtube, is your "start" and "on" button a combination momentary and latching button? I also like that your buttons have two separate lights with one dedicated to indicate that the button is latched. Source for these buttons?

[cgundermann]

Thanks Chris!!! It’s been a long road to get to this point.

You are doing a phenomenal job! One of my favorite builds...

Chris

[Shoeless]

Good news Sean. Hope AEM was able to exorcise the gremlin from your ecu. I watched your Youtube, is your "start" and "on" button a combination momentary and latching button? I also like that your buttons have two separate lights with one dedicated to indicate that the button is latched. Source for these buttons?

Morning dlud,

The start/on button is a momentary button only. Hooking it up through the Infinitybox system for their 1-button start you can either push and release to turn everything on or push and hold for it to start the engine. Once the engine cranks over, let off the button. These are the RGB buttons available at billet automotive buttons. They really are pretty cool. You could wire them up as a constant color regardless of the latch position or wire them as two different colors depending on latched or not. You can do any combination of colors even hook them up to an RGB controller for infinite color combinations.

https://billetautomotivebuttons.com/

[Shoeless]

Evening guys,

I received the ECU back a couple days ago and initial results were that the ECU was able to control the TB, but I was having all kinds of trouble getting it to calibrate. For those that know the basic functions of DBW Pedals and TB, there are apposing sensors on both the pedal and TB that must be in sync or the system will fault out and go in limp model. On top of that the TB must match what the pedal is telling it to do or it will also fault out. This was were i was a day or so ago. For whatever reason, I just couldn't get the track of the TB to match the pedal at any speed or rate. It would overshoot 100% and fault out overcurrent, requiring me to have to cycle the ignition to reset it and start over. No amount of changing the P, I, and D gains would help. I would inadvertently introduce flutter when I would fully let off the pedal.

Finally, I reached out to someone who is very familiar with what is going on in the AEM ECU for help. Thankfully I keep an eye on a few AEM FB Pages. He was able to point out that we need the TB rest position after the TB sensors were calibrated. So I ran the DBW wizard to set the TB sensors properly, that passed. Then I shut off the ignition, unplugged the TB, and then bridged the plug to the TB with 4 jumper wires that basically powered the opposing sensors and essentially disconnect the power. Then turned on the ignition and the rest position for this new Genuine GM LS3 TB (yea the $179 one) was 20.1%. THIS WAS THE KEY. I plugged this value into the DBW Bias % 2D Table and BAM, the TB is tracking the pedal with zero faults!!!!! I dialed in a couple percentage point on the positive side (amount of signal sent to the TB to open it) and the negative side (amount of negative signal sent to the TB to close it) and I think I'm back up and running. A bit late to fire up the GTM :cool: without raising eyebrows in the neighborhood, but she will be up and running some this weekend.

One other odd point I had to do was opening a new set of tabs in the ECU software that corresponded to the latest software download and basically copying my old tune over into this new V96.5 software. Not sure if this made a huge difference, but the tune is copied over now and things are working with the TB so I'm not changing it LOL.

[VRaptor SpeedWorks, LLC]

That's awesome news! Glad that you got it figured out!

[crash]

Yes, really good to hear. Glad you are getting somewhere. Computer issues can become absolutely maddening.

[Shoeless]

And just like the calibrate has reverted back to not working.

I’ve got a guy I’m trying to work with who says he has a lead into a couple guys at AEM that might be able to help.

Any more of this $hit and I’m ditching this ECU and going with a Motec. I’ve got a lot of research and planning to see if this is a relatively moderate change or if it will be a lot of work. We’ll see.

[VRaptor SpeedWorks, LLC]

Wow....that is certainly frustrating!

[Shoeless]

Wow....that is certainly frustrating!

So much so, I am literally ready to rip this thing out, but I need to do my homework first on the potential swap to MoTec. I'm sure its possible, just need to make sure its minimal impact on my harness and what I already have built and in the car.

Thankfully Joel at RaceSpec has amazing customer service, I wish I met him earlier in this process, and has already asked for a copy of my pin out from the AEM and my intended purpose of the car to help guide me in this possible change process.

[q4stix]

Going back to the diagnostics AEM did.... did they ever tell you what they found to be the reason or what they changed or fixed? I don't remember seeing that. Makes me wonder if it's a case of "oh, it worked this time. Ship it"

[Shoeless]

Going back to the diagnostics AEM did.... did they ever tell you what they found to be the reason or what they changed or fixed? I don't remember seeing that. Makes me wonder if it's a case of "oh, it worked this time. Ship it"

Apologies, I thought I listed that before, I see I didn't. The paperwork they sent back states unit is functioning properly.

So here's the issue, I can force the TB to actually open and close with the pedal (changing the frequency in the advanced tab), but it doesn't track the way it should. Once I get the TB Blade to move, I attempt the Setup Wizard and the settings it commits to the ECU after it "passes" the wizard won't open the TB at all.

I even found someone with the exact same LS3 GM TB to take pics of his settings and send them to me. These settings are damn close to what the Setup Wizard is trying to commit to the ECU, but these settings won't work at all.

I fortunately found someone in CA that is trying to help me ask me to send him a data log file of this whole process. So I just finished that and sent it off. He is going to go to the guys he knows at AEM and talk to them.

[jamminj]

that's horrible I'm going to be using an aem to and thought about using motec also

[q4stix]

I can get the frustration of it all. I looked at Motec and would still consider using them if it weren't for the price. Granted, if AEM isn't working it's easy to justify the price.

Out of curiosity, did you also recalibrate your throttle pedal? I had an issue I couldn't figure out with the TB faulting and after multiple attempts to calibrate that I did the pedal again and my issue went away. Not saying that's the source of your problems but just what I got lucky with.

[beeman]

Sorry to hear about these issues, especially with that beautiful harness you built for it. Will they exchange it for a new replacement unit? If not, give them a link to this thread so they know their handling of this situation will affect confidence in their product and customer service...
you are, after all, an aerospace engineer...

[Shoeless]

I can get the frustration of it all. I looked at Motec and would still consider using them if it weren't for the price. Granted, if AEM isn't working it's easy to justify the price.

Out of curiosity, did you also recalibrate your throttle pedal? I had an issue I couldn't figure out with the TB faulting and after multiple attempts to calibrate that I did the pedal again and my issue went away. Not saying that's the source of your problems but just what I got lucky with.

The first part of the DBW wizard in the AEM is calibrating the pedal. You press it to 100% and take a sample, then 0% and take a sample, and then hold at 25% and it automatically samples. All indications point to the pedal is calibrated properly.


Sorry to hear about these issues, especially with that beautiful harness you built for it. Will they exchange it for a new replacement unit? If not, give them a link to this thread so they know their handling of this situation will affect confidence in their product and customer service...
you are, after all, an aerospace engineer...

This is the part that is keeping me up at night, having to modify the harness, if its even a "simple" swap. Not sure yet what they will do for me, but the good thing is the logs that I sent to my guy in CA on Thur have been sent to AEM and they reviewed them immediately and have given a little feedback (they would like more channels logged and possibly set up and Teams meeting to see what its doing in real time). The level of customer service is very disappointing as I sent these logs to AEM a while ago and nobody ever viewed them. I have no problem putting a company on blast for their issues, its just rather disappointing as I have received a decent amount of good feedback about their ECUs, but now I'm logging tons of negatives.

I'll keep everyone posted.

[Shoeless]

The saga continues….

I got a reply from my contact in CA that AEM reviewed my data logs (wow that was fast when before they seems “too busy”), but they wanted an additional 4-5 channels logged while the issue was presenting itself. To make sure I was logging the same issue, I loaded the latest same base tune from AEM and somehow the system is magically working perfectly. I took a log file while doing the DBW wizard and it performed the way it should. Very odd, but this happened once to me already to only fail 2 days later.

I painstakingly copied my old tune page by page (sensor data, VE tables, Ign tables…everything) into this new tune saving periodically along the way so I have several “known good tunes” if and when this defaults to not working again, like it did above.

I went through my normal checks of an engine start with a brand new tune file (making sure sensors were reading correctly and the engine computer knows the position of the cam and crank) and noticed my MAP sensor is WAY off. I cycled the ignition a couple times to no avail. I’ll dig into this a bit later, but this should be the least of my issues once I address this.

[doug_porsche]

I wish I knew ECM's better, or there were logic tables that say.


For this RPM and this MAP sensor reading, we start Q ms of pulse at the fuel injectors based on this table. Then we adjust +/- x% based on the TPS. Then we multiply that by y% based on the temperature sensor input. Then we query the throttle peddle and based on the rate of change adjust z%. From this equation you get X ms of pulse at the fuel injectors.


If anybody has a link for ECU for dummies, please pass it along.

[Shoeless]

I wish I knew ECM's better, or there were logic tables that say.


For this RPM and this MAP sensor reading, we start Q ms of pulse at the fuel injectors based on this table. Then we adjust +/- x% based on the TPS. Then we multiply that by y% based on the temperature sensor input. Then we query the throttle peddle and based on the rate of change adjust z%. From this equation you get X ms of pulse at the fuel injectors.


If anybody has a link for ECU for dummies, please pass it along.

What I did was sign up for the tuning classes at HP Academy (https://www.hpacademy.com/) and started watching all their videos, then I got interested in the wiring side and signed up for their wiring classes. Every time they released a new class, they offer specials or if you watch one of their intro 1 hour videos on Face Book they give out coupons for big savings. They have TONs of videos that cover a wide range of topics that you can access during your membership as well.

Periodically they offer VIP Memberships that gives access to every class they have and all future classes and since I kept buying the individual classes, I stepped up and bought the VIP Package.

Over all this is the best value for the money in learning anything and everything with engine management systems, wiring, tuning, welding, fabrication, engine building,... they cover a ton of topics. I started with zero knowledge and got up to where I am now.

[KGTM]

Sheoless,

So sorry to hear that you are still have trouble with this, some the Pedals are just two pots ( mab be 10K) and wired in sort of opposite direction, if possible I would place scope on the ECU side and see if there is any unwanted signals on these, they are relatively high impedance and could pick up noise from other signals, may be worth to eliminate this as potential cause.

Hope it get fixed, sound a bit like my clutch issue.

Thanks,
Mostafa

[Shoeless]

Sheoless,

So sorry to hear that you are still have trouble with this, some the Pedals are just two pots ( mab be 10K) and wired in sort of opposite direction, if possible I would place scope on the ECU side and see if there is any unwanted signals on these, they are relatively high impedance and could pick up noise from other signals, may be worth to eliminate this as potential cause.

Hope it get fixed, sound a bit like my clutch issue.

Thanks,
Mostafa

I wish it was something that easy. Hell even if I found out there was a fault in my harness, which I know there's not, at least that would be something I could fix myself. Every circuit that should be protected with twisted shielded wire is (engine position cam/crank, knock, and wheel speed sensors). By the way this was no easy task building this harness like this, but it was done painstakingly properly.

I sent the new logs over to my contact in CA last night, I realized I send the wrong ones on Saturday. So I'm in a holding pattern for now. I have a couple things I want to try while I wait, by my hopes are not high.

[jamminj]

any verdict yet

[Shoeless]

any verdict yet

Hey jamminj,

From my contact that I’m working with that lives about 20 min from AEM and is working with them closely on my issue, it sounds like they are getting this all straightened out for me. My guy didn’t want to share details and frankly he is going out of his way to help me out (and I will pay him for his time), so I’m not pressuring him. From the update emails I get from AEM it looks like they may even be covering this under warranty. Not bad for a unit that is 2.5 years old, but obviously mostly sat on my parts shelf as a mock up until I fully installed it. Then all the latest issues, so hopefully this will get all sorted.

[Shoeless]

Figured I give a medical update to the group as well, hell we’ve spent the last 5 years of my build working together.

I had the first of 2 surgeries on Monday of this week and spent a day in the ICU before they discharged me. They went into my L4-L5 disc region from my left side, cut out all the disc, and put a cadaver bone in there to support these two vertebrae. Today is my first day fully home and I can at least get around the house with a walker LOL. It’s looking like the second surgery won’t be until end of May. Where they will go in from my back and take the screws out of S-1, put new screws in L4, and connect L4-L5.

Lots of recovery in front of me to say the least.

[crash]

Best of luck to you in your recovery.

As I am getting into my 50s I think about the saying "youth is wasted on the young" quite frequently now. :)

[VRaptor SpeedWorks, LLC]

Wishing you a speedy recovery....glad to hear that you can get up and around!

[KGTM]

Shoeless, best of luck man, believe my I how how it is, I had four surgery last year, had a brain tumor, was out at least for over one month after surgery and then three heart surgery for same issue, Now I always say I am only alive/active due to modem medicine.
And now with my new job as I left Intel last month and really busy working for an Electric car company, we have changed all the combustion engine complexity to mostly electrical and and software complexity, radiator still stays!

Again hope you recover fully fast.

Mostafa

[Shoeless]

Thank you EVERYONE for the well wishes on recovery. Thankfully, and kind of surprisingly, I am up and able to walk around the house without the walker. Recovery seems to be going much better than expected with most of the issues coming from my left side where they cut me open.

Can't wait to get back in the garage and so far looks like the AEM ECU will be getting a new board as they FINALLY admitted its faulty. Now we are discussing what they want to charge me for it.

I'll keep ya'll posted.

[jamminj]

Glad to hear that you're recovering well
I have a friend with the same thing done to him with bone plugs to fuse the vertebrae over 25 years ago and he is still doing great
hope the same goes for you

and on the AEM topic
hopefully they charge you nothing for the board issue
I've been dealing with Pyng at AEM for mine
just learning how to bench tune it
My infinity was used and pulled out of a mustang functioning fine

[Shoeless]

Glad to hear that you're recovering well
I have a friend with the same thing done to him with bone plugs to fuse the vertebrae over 25 years ago and he is still doing great
hope the same goes for you

and on the AEM topic
hopefully they charge you nothing for the board issue
I've been dealing with Pyng at AEM for mine
just learning how to bench tune it
My infinity was used and pulled out of a mustang functioning fine

Hopefully I’ll get though this and be in great shape. I have a lot more to do in life :cool:

I started this whole debacle with Pyng. I was told he is pretty sharp, I’m convinced they just didn’t put in the due diligence on properly testing mt unit and taking my feedback into account.

If you have any questions getting yours up and running let me know. I can send some basic screenshots of my tables that got me up and running and driving. Will obviously be different for your engine, but may be able to help get you going in the right direction. I’m glad to answer any questions.

[jamminj]

thanks
I'll take you up on that when the time comes

[Shoeless]

After a little back and fourth with AEM, they have finally agreed to cover the issue with my ECU under warranty!!!

Can't wait to get it back and reset my last tune and pick up where I left off in December getting this thing to the tuner.

Next surgery is May 2nd, so hopefully I can get this in before then, but no worries if I can't, I'll get it tuned after. BTW the recovery from the first surgery is going really well. No work on the GTM yet, but I am up and running around the best I can.

[VRaptor SpeedWorks, LLC]

That's really good to hear...both on AEM and your recovery time!

[Shoeless]

Got an interestingly large package from CA today. Opened it up and realized it was from AEM. Instead of repairing my unit with a new board, they simply sent a brand new replacement :eek:

I'll finally be spending some time this weekend meticulously uploading my prior tune manually and getting the GTM back up and running.

Recovery is going well, a little hiccup the other day with some nerve issues and shooting pain going down my right leg, but thankfully that's subsiding.

https://i.imgur.com/JGlQHps.jpeg

[crash]

Wow, that's great news.

Please report back if there are any differences with the new unit and if you think they are improvements.

[Shoeless]

Wow, that's great news.

Please report back if there are any differences with the new unit and if you think they are improvements.

I was pleasantly surprised to be given a brand new unit. The original work order from them wanted to replace the main board for about $700 and I respectfully requested warranty consideration. I shared the unit was activated less than one year from the time the issue started and had been sent to AEM twice on my dime for inspection and only when I had a local tuner in CA contact their engineering department to push the issue, did they find it. After sharing this they granted warranty coverage, but again I did not anticipate a brand new unit. I’m very thankful for how they have treated this in the long run.

I blew off work Friday early afternoon and got to work. Installing the ECU in the GTM, registering the unit and downloading the firmware, followed by manually putting my tune in. I had taken over 50 screenshots of how it was set when everything was functioning properly, so instead of upload an old tune in case there was some glitch that caused all this to be fine with, I did it all manually. I did the DBW setup wizard and it set everything flawlessly, I didn’t have to change one single parameter. Couple hours after I started and she fired right up!!!!

I just got back from a few more trips around the block to test everything and the only issue noted was my fuel level sensor is stuck at full. I plugged my voltmeter in and jacked the car up on the passenger side and the resistance didn’t change one bit. So looks like my passenger tank is going to come out next to see what’s up.

With this being the only issue, I’m very pleased so far.

I can report I spoke with Joel at Racespec in NY at length for about a possible swap to a Motec setup. On top of the STEEP learning curve I’d have simply going to a new ECU, I’d have to modify my harness (possibly significantly), large expense, and the most concerning is lead time. An M130 would do everything I need, but even Motec can’t give commits on delivery. It could be 1 week or more than 3 months. I may have to shelf this idea until I possibly build an Ultima RS next and design that harness specifically for a Motec.

[Shoeless]

Got the fuel level sender fixed. Seems I had the pump clocked perfectly to allow the float get jammed in the inside of the tank at the full level. Loosened up the top, gave a little rotation and fixed the issue. Glad I didn't drive around much more as I as on 1/4 tank :cool:

https://i.imgur.com/88up81n.jpeg

https://i.imgur.com/o5yxTBE.jpeg

[Shoeless]

GTM 501 made it to the dyno yesterday and I picked her up today. She made a respectable 539 HP and 524 FTLBs of torque. The engine dynoed out at 625 HP and 595 FTLBs of torque. That's only an amazing 13.8% drop from crank to wheel. The Mendy SDR-5 Stage 2 did its job today.

https://i.imgur.com/x3WiXBz.jpeg

https://i.imgur.com/iRzk1Ga.jpeg


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GSZMa3cjqQI

[crash]

Congrats! Huge milestone and great numbers.

Can't remember if you told us already, but what mods did you do to this engine?

[Shoeless]

Congrats! Huge milestone and great numbers.

Can't remember if you told us already, but what mods did you do to this engine?

Thanks Crash!!!!

I bought this engine directly from Blue Print Engines and asked them to delete the engine computer, engine harness, and DBW pedal as I was going to go with a Standalone ECU to add some functionality. Here's the link to the site with all the specs. I kept it exactly as delivered from BPEs other than changing to a genuine LS3 90 mm throttle body (I probably would have stayed with the LT5 87 mm, but I thought this was my issue first off back in December) and having it tuned on 93 octane.

https://blueprintengines.com/products/427ci-proseries-stroker-crate-engine-gm-ls3-style-dressed-longblock-with-fuel-injection-aluminum-heads-roller-cam-psls4272ctf

[crash]

Ahhh, 427, that makes sense.

Good to see that you beat their advertised numbers. Nice when a builder under rates their engines...or maybe the ECU and TB had something to do with it.

[Shoeless]

Ahhh, 427, that makes sense.

Good to see that you beat their advertised numbers. Nice when a builder under rates their engines...or maybe the ECU and TB had something to do with it.

The tuner told me he can make it a little “spicer” if I really wanted, but since I will mostly street it versus track it, we settled where we are. I’ll be trying to get a little more driving in this weekend before my surgery on Monday to look at some data logs. I’m glad a found the right tuner with a load bearing dyno to tune this thing the way it should be.

[Shoeless]

Hey guys,

I've been putting some more break in miles on the GTM making it past 400 miles today and have a bit of an issue out of the drivers side CV. I noticed black spots slung on the exhaust and transaxle case a little while back so I cleaned everything up and did some driving the other day and today. It looks like CV grease is coming out of one bolt hole and slinging on the transaxle case. The torque stripe is still intact so it doesn't look like it loosened up at all.

If you guys remember I did have to pull the transaxle a while back for a front seal, so maybe I had some residual grease in the hole that has worked itself out? I put probably a couple hundred miles on it after replacing the seal before I noticed this.

What do you guys think?

https://i.imgur.com/asOj1R3.jpeg

https://i.imgur.com/3EYa7JN.jpeg

[crash]

There is a reason I tell people that it takes 6 hours for me to properly assemble a set of axles. It is not just putting the parts together, I take a LOT of time cleaning sealing surfaces and putting silicone on them to get a proper seal. If you haven't done this it will almost always leak. Of course a lot has to do with the grease you use also. The grease we use does not liquify very easily, but we are having trouble stocking it. I did find an alternative, but it is 3 times more expensive and I am just testing it on the race car now. I really need to do a video on how to seal a set of axles, but have not got around to it. I am usually very crunched for time when doing axles as it is one of the last things before the car can drive. Anyway...clean with brake/carb cleaner, thin layer of silicone, reassemble. If your grease is very liquid at room temperature this may be difficult to do at this point.

[Shoeless]

Thanks for the feedback crash.

I used a mixture of Bel Rey and Swepco 101, so I think I'm good there. I'm thinking when I pulled the transaxle for the repair I probably didn't have the surface between the CV and Transaxle output clean enough before I bolted it back together. I remember I likely rushed this and didn't clean way enough and I definitely didn't use silicone. So both of these could be contributing to this issue.

Are you doing a thin layer of silicone on both the mating surface between the CV and Transaxle Output surface as well as the CV and the metal cap for the boot? If I pull this apart in attempt to follow your recommendation, I want to do this right.

[crash]

You can think of it as just putting a very thin layer on the CV on both sides on the mating surfaces, and then bolting them all back together. In other words, just silicone one surface per sealing area. One where the CV and the boot flange meet, and one where the CV and the transaxle output flange meet. If you do this on the CV side, it makes cleanup a little easier the next time as most of the silicone stays on the CV.

[Shoeless]

You can think of it as just putting a very thin layer on the CV on both sides on the mating surfaces, and then bolting them all back together. In other words, just silicone one surface per sealing area. One where the CV and the boot flange meet, and one where the CV and the transaxle output flange meet. If you do this on the CV side, it makes cleanup a little easier the next time as most of the silicone stays on the CV.

Awesome, thanks for the clarification.

I know what I'll be doing next couple of weekends, taking my time and doing this right. I've got some parts off at the powder coater so no running the GTM anyways :cool:

[Shoeless]

I got some free time yesterday and decided to pull apart the drivers side CV that was leaking. After the reiteration of cleanliness, cleanliness, cleanliness, I took some time to clean up the garage and especially the workspace I'd use for all the work before I even started tearing everything apart. Lord knows this is about to be messy enough :cool:

https://i.imgur.com/yJcE7cp.jpeg

After some disassembly, I was able to pull the six bolts and remove the axle. Surprisingly the last bolt (the lowest one in the below pics), where the leak was most prominent, was loose. When I say loose, the torque stripe was still in place, but the loctite was not present at all and the bolt easily came out. Either I missed pulling this bolt out, cleaning with brake cleaner, blowing the hole out, applying the loctite, and reinstalling, or I didn't clean the hole properly. I'm leaning toward the later as I always take a marker and mark my work as I go when doing stuff like this. No worries. I'm just glad this happened before I have the body mounted and car complete.

https://i.imgur.com/0IZ6H7D.jpeg

https://i.imgur.com/RnpoWrR.jpeg

The next two pics are after pulling the CV off the axle. The entire lip of the boot cap and corresponding surface on the CV was completely covered in lube. Looking at the boot cap surface where it mates to the face of the CV seemed covered as well.

https://i.imgur.com/vqMxCdk.jpeg

https://i.imgur.com/W2yrHnR.jpeg

I spent the next hour or two completely cleaning everything. The bolts all got freshened up on the wire wheel removing old Loctite and torque stripe, same with the "dog bones" cleaned up and sprayed with brake cleaner. The outside and sealing faces on the CV was next after repacking with the excess lube. Then onto the bolt holes. This was kind of a pain in the butt until I thought of using wads and a rod from a gun cleaning kit. This worked perfectly. Repeat going all the way around until the wads came out clean. One last clean of the O.D. and mating surfaces and everything is prepped for reinstall.

https://i.imgur.com/49w2bqx.jpeg

I also religiously cleaned out the transaxle bolt holes and face with break cleaner. I thought it would be a good idea to pick up a M10x1.5 bottoming tap to run through the transaxle threaded holes to clean out all the old residual loctite. I'm waiting for this tap to come in as well as some cut tip applicators for the silicone I'll add to the mating surfaces of the CV. I will use Permatex 82180 Ultra Black Oil Resistant High Temp silicone when I put this all back together.

[crash]

Here's a tip...tear one of your blue paper towels into one inch square small pads. There is a really small bridge on the CV on 3 of the ball areas that needs to be clean and is a bit tricky. You will not need the applicators for the silicone. What you need to do is apply the silicone with one of your fingers. Squeeze a small amount onto your finger tip and then wipe it in a THIN layer onto the CV sealing surface after cleaning with one of the small wipes with brake clean. You need to do this with the CV on the axle shaft and RIGHT before you reassemble everything. The silicone needs to still be tacky when assembled into car. Alternatively, and what I usually do, is to put the silicone on the boot side, then torque that down onto the CV with CV bolts and 10x1.5 nuts so that the silicone seal is made properly, then I remove the nuts right before installation on the transaxle output. This makes it so you don't have to rush. On the other side of the axle, I assemble complete with the stub shaft on the work bench so I can get the sealing correct and I find it much easier to just stick the axle in the car with only the transaxle side to worry about. You will need to at least remove the toe link from the upright in order to facilitate installation with the stub shaft on. Usually I also knock the lower ball joint off too so that things don't get really tight trying to get the axle in there. Trust me when I say that this is much easier than trying to deal with the sealing surface of the stub shaft when it is in the car and trying to mount the CV to it already installed in the upright. You can not do this, however, if you are using the Corvette outer CVs.

[Shoeless]

Thanks for the tip on using 10x1.5 nuts with the CV bolts to seal and hold the boot to CV connection together to let that silicone dry and not needing to worry about that part when I go to reinstall in the car. I would not have thought about that and definitely simplifies one part of the equation.

[Shoeless]

I was able to take some time over the last couple weeks and get the axles reinstalled and I got some parts back from the powder coater. I didn't like the simple silver finish on the valve covers so they got the same silver hammertone treatment to match all the other powder coated parts.

https://i.imgur.com/Tyehryv.jpeg

https://i.imgur.com/epZ0Shn.jpeg

https://i.imgur.com/mI1OMBc.jpeg

https://i.imgur.com/jdbnglT.jpeg

https://i.imgur.com/yHBoAmr.jpeg

https://i.imgur.com/yHBoAmr.jpeg

https://i.imgur.com/rHVxIUx.jpeg

[Shoeless]

Got some time away from my typical summer fishing routine to put the last 70 miles on the GTM to finish the prescribed break in period and test the CV repair. It was a great day of venturing further away from the house, hitting a few main roads to rack up the miles a little faster and avoiding the cops :cool: So far the CVs are sealed up nice and the car was performing nicely. Late in the afternoon I hit the 500 mile mark, completely sunburn as I wasn't wearing a hat or sunscreen, and was finally ready to punch is and see how she does. OMG this thing is a bat out of hell!!! During the first run I got a yellow warning light on my dash, but no warning message came up. Note, everything in the dash was configured by me, so I took some time that night to review all my warning lights and messages as well as adjusting the RPM gauge scaling. Also, I tried to do a little data logging to look at everything, but the logging wasn't working either. Simple fix that night in the 1D table on the switch inputs (I have a log switch on the center dash).

https://i.imgur.com/mcU46OP.jpeg

https://i.imgur.com/pGihFKi.jpeg

https://i.imgur.com/U1fmI5c.jpeg

https://i.imgur.com/NnLrYiS.jpeg

The following day I was able to get out and do a couple higher RPM runs with the data logging working as it should. No warning lights came up on the dash, so I went back and pulled the data to make sure everything was within range.

https://i.imgur.com/hQmtfUH.png

There is so much info to gather and analyze from being able to data log. On the top chart I simply plotted 11 channels of the 100 that I currently have set up. The top chart has Lambda1 (driver's side engine bank), Lambda 2 (passenger side engine bank), and Fuel Pressure. Looking at Lambda 1 and 2, the graphs follow each other so you can deduce that both sides of the engine are operating in sync. You want to look at this to determine if one side is running richer/leaner compared to the other. As for Fuel pressure, there is a fluctuation from ~59psi to ~65psi while I was really getting on it on the left side of the chart (note vehicle speed on the bottom chart as well as throttle %) with more of a steady ~63psi to the right of the chart where I was cruising with a couple plips in the throttle. I'd say this looks good to me and the Lingenfelter High Flow Fuel Pump is doing its job.

On the middle chart I plotted Battery Voltage, Oil Pressure and Temp, as well as Coolant Temp. Battery Voltage should be stable around 14.4V as that's what I have the PWM signal and duty cycle output from the ECU to the Cadillac CTSV alternator to do. I'm happy with what I'm seeing here with no more than 0.1V fluctuation. Oil Pressure and Temp is acting in a manner that I would also deem acceptable. Pressure and Temps kick up with higher throttle runs. Oil temp becomes stable around 83 deg C - 181 deg F (not sure why it logged in Deg C, as I have it set to Deg F, I'll figure that out later). This was a quick higher throttle run, so not sure how high I should expect oil temps to go up. I'm sure Crash can share some real world on track oil temps to help me calibrate myself. Coolant temps also came down with higher speed getting more air to the radiator.

The bottom chart I plotted Vehicle Speed, Throttle %, NLWheel Speed (Non-Driven Left - Front left wheel speed), DriveWheelSpeed (Rear wheel speed - I need to see which one its pulling). The main thing that stood out to me is what I thought was a high throttle run through the gears was actually not. First gear I only used about 40% throttle, second gear I only used about 50% throttle, and third gear peaked at 80%. The dips in the throttle curve on the left are the shifts (I need to work on those LOL). Looking at and comparing the Driven and Non-Driven wheel speeds, the are nearly identical telling me I had zero wheel slip on this run. Not sure what the little dip on the left is, maybe when the log conditions met in the ECU and it picked up (even though I have a log button on the dash there is additional criteria you can set for it to start and stop logging - vehicle speed, MAP, ...).

Overall some very cool stuff to look at and confirm the car is functioning the way it should and the critical areas are doing well.

[Windsor]

Pull up STFT (Short Term Fuel Trim) and LTFT (Long Term Fuel Trim) if you can. You'll likely have four graphs since they're usually per-bank.

They'll tell you a better story than looking at the Lambdas.

[Shoeless]

Pull up STFT (Short Term Fuel Trim) and LTFT (Long Term Fuel Trim) if you can. You'll likely have four graphs since they're usually per-bank.

They'll tell you a better story than looking at the Lambdas.

Thanks for the pointer. I can say I definitely didn't have this logging in the 100 channels I had set up for this run. Looking through the AEM manual and searching online, if they have something like this it doesn't look like they call it STFT and LTFT. I'll have to research this a bit.

[crash]

I am running the oil temp in the 250-270 range. Full synthetic Neo race oil. 15w-50.

That fuel pressure is pretty high. We used to run about 60 PSI but the tuner said it is far better to run higher flow injectors and a lower duty cycle and fuel pressure. He said this gives the ecu room to make enrichment adjustments via duty cycle if needed, and if you have a fuel leak it is far different at 50 psi as opposed to at 60+ psi. He says it is much safer with the larger injectors. We are now running 50 psi.

[Shoeless]

I am running the oil temp in the 250-270 range. Full synthetic Neo race oil. 15w-50.

That fuel pressure is pretty high. We used to run about 60 PSI but the tuner said it is far better to run higher flow injectors and a lower duty cycle and fuel pressure. He said this gives the ecu room to make enrichment adjustments via duty cycle if needed, and if you have a fuel leak it is far different at 50 psi as opposed to at 60+ psi. He says it is much safer with the larger injectors. We are now running 50 psi.

Awesome, thanks for the feedback.

I can’t remember if I’ve asked before, but what injectors are you running?

I’ve got LS7 injectors setup through the baseline wizard in the AEM. There are lots of different fuel enrichment tables and options I can use for different strategies.

[crash]

Awesome, thanks for the feedback.

I can’t remember if I’ve asked before, but what injectors are you running?

I’ve got LS7 injectors setup through the baseline wizard in the AEM. There are lots of different fuel enrichment tables and options I can use for different strategies.

Sorry for the late response but I wanted to check with the tuner. He says that we are running "Deutsch Tech" injectors, but I can not find the company on the internet to give you a link.

[Shoeless]

Sorry for the late response but I wanted to check with the tuner. He says that we are running "Deutsch Tech" injectors, but I can not find the company on the internet to give you a link.

No worries on the delay, more of just curious what you guys run in your program.

Maybe Deatschwerks?

https://deatschwerks.com/collections/injectors

[Shoeless]

Doing some research on the AEM Infinity and looking for STFT and LTFT and it appears they are not available as the system seems to works a bit differently. Going through all the channels available to log and there are several trim/feedback channels that may give me what I'm looking for. It was a bit rainy yesterday in S FL, so I didn't have the opportunity to go run and do some data logging, instead I decided to break out the corner scales and work on that a bit.

https://i.imgur.com/iY7XBMl.jpeg

Initial numbers from simply trying to set the ride height and have the front sway bar unloaded were pretty far off:

No driver:
LF - 473 RF - 305
LR - 627 RR - 785
Cross with % - 42.56%
Left - 50.23%
Rear - 64.47%

With driver:
LF - 543 RF - 326
LR - 721 RR - 805
Cross with % - 44.59%
Left - 52.35%
Rear - 63.37%

I started off making single changes at the corners that needed to gain and lower weight to see how much change I could impart in the system. After some learning, I found out I could change the weights around 10-20 lb per corner by simply raising or lowering one corner by one full turn on the spring perch. I would then hook the sway bar up and then load the system three turns and gain another 5-10 lbs per corner. The left weight is what you go after first, but since I won't be adding any ballast or moving anything else around, that's pretty set. With that set, the goal is to go after cross weight. Small change after small change and checking numbers with and without the driver and I finally dialed it in.

Final numbers without the driver:
https://i.imgur.com/gymGcic.jpeg

Final numbers with the driver:
https://i.imgur.com/arseFF0.jpeg

Next is to go back and check all the alignment numbers and make any minor adjustment needed.

[VRaptor SpeedWorks, LLC]

Very nice! Curious how far off from "even" your spring perch measurements ended up side to side?....if you just take a measurement from the bottom of the spring perch to the bottom of the threaded sleeve?

[Shoeless]

Very nice! Curious how far off from "even" your spring perch measurements ended up side to side?....if you just take a measurement from the bottom of the spring perch to the bottom of the threaded sleeve?

Thanks Shane!!

I can definitely grab some measurements and share that with the group. I didn't get a chance to roll it out of the garage and look closely at ride height, but looking at the adjustments I made to get weight on the front right and land at 50% cross weight, I'm betting the right front is higher than the 4.5" target.

[VRaptor SpeedWorks, LLC]

I think I shared the (related) story here a few years ago about the GTM I got in here that a customer had just bought from someone else. He wanted me to do some work on it and check things over, and said that it did not handle well. We got the car unloaded and I was driving it back to the shop and blipped the throttle a bit and immediately one of the back tires started spinning. I thought that was odd as normally these cars just hook up and go and I was getting wheelspin by just blipping the throttle a little with no real corresponding acceleration. Once I got it in the shop, I figured out what was going on.....they had one rear coil over cranked way up along with the opposite corner and the other 2 corners were cranked way down. According the seat-of-the-pants and wheel spin, I doubt the one rear tire had more than a hundred pounds of weight on it. The whole car was virtually balancing on 2 wheels and the other 2 were not much more than training wheels.

[Shoeless]

I think I shared the (related) story here a few years ago about the GTM I got in here that a customer had just bought from someone else. He wanted me to do some work on it and check things over, and said that it did not handle well. We got the car unloaded and I was driving it back to the shop and blipped the throttle a bit and immediately one of the back tires started spinning. I thought that was odd as normally these cars just hook up and go and I was getting wheelspin by just blipping the throttle a little with no real corresponding acceleration. Once I got it in the shop, I figured out what was going on.....they had one rear coil over cranked way up along with the opposite corner and the other 2 corners were cranked way down. According the seat-of-the-pants and wheel spin, I doubt the one rear tire had more than a hundred pounds of weight on it. The whole car was virtually balancing on 2 wheels and the other 2 were not much more than training wheels.

Holy smokes that's pretty scary!! I know I shared this one as it was scary as all can be. I have a friend that lives in Jupiter, about 30 min south of me, that bought a completed GTM (I think SN 004) that started out with pretty poor handling. He took it to a local shop and discovered that somewhere in its life, the attachment points of the control arms were slotted completely open to allow for outward adjustment of the control arm. The shop promptly fixed that for him and welded in pieces to not make it a death trap if any of the suspension bolts come loose. They did an alignment for him and definitely improved his handling, but they didn't have scales to properly corner weight it. Now that I've done it, obviously still learning, but I have gear and know how, I offered to have him come by and I'll do his GTM.

Here is where I ended up measuring from the top of the spring perch to the end of the threaded body on the coil over. A little eyeballing, but close enough.

LF: 2.170" RF: 2.325"
LR: 2.830" RR: 3.250"
Sway Bar: Loaded 3 1/8 Turns on the passenger side

I was a little surprised by these numbers. Again, I still need to look at ride height and go test drive, but took two craft sticks and cut them at 4.75" and 4.5" to check the frame at the front and back (Shane's method) and ballparked it on my garage floor with the car on the flat patch tiles. The front right is high compared to the front left and the rear is probably within 1/8" left to right.

I should have taken the before measurements at the corners just for reference, but I went back to all my notes I took during the corner weight process to see all the changes step by step. I should have made them a bit easier to reference back to, I think I made a mistake or two, I need to go back to my notes tonight to make sure I'm reading them correctly. Overall I made 16 distinct changes through the whole process. Some of these were simply attaching the role bar, loading it 3 x turns, and then unloading and disconnecting. Also, after change 10, I went back to the settings at change 7.

I'll look at my notes tonight or tomorrow and see if I can interpret the overall changes by corner from start to finish. I can say I originally had the sway bar unloaded left to right.

[VRaptor SpeedWorks, LLC]

So those measurements are to the top of the threaded body or the bottom?....from the measurements, I'm assuming the top?.....so the springs on the LH side of the car are more compressed than the RH side? That makes sense if that's the case. Thanks for getting those measurements for me.....was very curious as to how close together they would be L to R.

"took two craft sticks and cut them at 4.75" and 4.5" to check the frame at the front and back (Shane's method) and ballparked it on my garage floor with the car on the flat patch tiles."

Holy cows.....where do you keep all of this information so that you can find it or remember it?!?! ;)

Since I have the tires sitting on shims so that they're all level, I don't measure to the floor and instead measure down to my laser level line.....so I mark the craft stick with a line that is the distance from the frame down to the level line (minus the distance from the top of the tire shims to the laser line).....front measurement on one side of the stick and rear measurement on the other side of the stick so I only need one stick. :D

[VRaptor SpeedWorks, LLC]

173133

173134



Pretty high-tech equipment!!....it used to have another craft stick hot-glued to it to use as a handle....but I think I ran it over with the creeper and broke the handle off....

[crash]

Just for clarification, all suspension adjustments should be done with sway bars detached. The bars should be zeroed and attached as the very last step of the process. Also, ride heights should be done with all fluids in the car, bodywork on, and two people in the car's seats. After you get this number you can then remove the people and fluids and make another reference measurement. That way you don't have to waste peoples time every time you want to adjust things in the future. You will notice significant differences between a full car and an empty car.

[Shoeless]

So those measurements are to the top of the threaded body or the bottom?....from the measurements, I'm assuming the top?.....so the springs on the LH side of the car are more compressed than the RH side? That makes sense if that's the case. Thanks for getting those measurements for me.....was very curious as to how close together they would be L to R.

"took two craft sticks and cut them at 4.75" and 4.5" to check the frame at the front and back (Shane's method) and ballparked it on my garage floor with the car on the flat patch tiles."

Holy cows.....where do you keep all of this information so that you can find it or remember it?!?! ;)

Since I have the tires sitting on shims so that they're all level, I don't measure to the floor and instead measure down to my laser level line.....so I mark the craft stick with a line that is the distance from the frame down to the level line (minus the distance from the top of the tire shims to the laser line).....front measurement on one side of the stick and rear measurement on the other side of the stick so I only need one stick. :D

The measurement are from the top of my spring perches to the end of the threaded body. Keep in mind I have helper springs on mine so there is some space taken up from that. Actually, the springs are more compressed on the right side of the car. I think it's the front coil overs that are inverted and have the Stance Air Cups as well taking up some space.

Not sure how my brain stores all this very helpful info that I pick up along the way LOL :p Guess that's the engineer in me and if its something I know I won't be able to remember, I take copious notes :cool:


173133

173134



Pretty high-tech equipment!!....it used to have another craft stick hot-glued to it to use as a handle....but I think I ran it over with the creeper and broke the handle off....

Love the high tech equipment LOL.

I like the mention of the laser level line as you have the cars up on shims. I have the exact same thing as that is step one before doing the alignment or corner scaling, creating a flat patch. I do it with laminated floor tiles that measure 1mm thick each. You simply mark where the cars tires end up, roll it out of the way, and put the number of floor tiles you need on each corner to get a level flat patch. I use a piece of extruded aluminum and my digital camber gage to set this.

[Shoeless]

Just for clarification, all suspension adjustments should be done with sway bars detached. The bars should be zeroed and attached as the very last step of the process. Also, ride heights should be done with all fluids in the car, bodywork on, and two people in the car's seats. After you get this number you can then remove the people and fluids and make another reference measurement. That way you don't have to waste peoples time every time you want to adjust things in the future. You will notice significant differences between a full car and an empty car.

Great point on the ride heights with everything noted getting one measurement and then taking another as a reference.

I do have a question on your setup. I'd imagine that with the PDG GTM you can take the liberties of proper ballast to assist your alignment and corner weighting with only the one driver in the car. I think I remember you stating you did a larger fuel cell on the passenger side of one or a few of your races. This gave you a bit of an advantage over some of the other cars.

I ask as Ted did a video years ago when he corner weighted his GTM and once he attached the sway bar, after all other adjustments, he loaded it 3 x turns to get the proper weight on the front right and cross weights. If I could add ballast, I'd imagine I would not need to do this.

[crash]

It sounds like Ted was preloading for a particular track configuration. My personal opinion is that this is not how to get desired cross in a car, but he has done a lot more circle track racing than I have. I always set bars at zero preload for tracks that turn both directions. If the track has five left turns and two right turns, then certainly we would put more fuel in the left side of the car if we were not running full tanks. We run no ballast unless a particular series has a minimum weight that we do not meet. These series usually run short sprint races and so we just adjust with added fuel. It is a very VERY rare case where we actually add weight in the form of lead.

[Shoeless]

It sounds like Ted was preloading for a particular track configuration. My personal opinion is that this is not how to get desired cross in a car, but he has done a lot more circle track racing than I have. I always set bars at zero preload for tracks that turn both directions. If the track has five left turns and two right turns, then certainly we would put more fuel in the left side of the car if we were not running full tanks. We run no ballast unless a particular series has a minimum weight that we do not meet. These series usually run short sprint races and so we just adjust with added fuel. It is a very VERY rare case where we actually add weight in the form of lead.

I can't tell you how much I appreciate the openness and candor in the feedback. It has really helped me in so many areas of my build, and I'm sure others as they read along.

It's nice to make these large adjustments/changes now and once I get the car back from bodywork and interior, i'll should only have minor tweaks to dial it in.

I finally went back over my notes for each individual step I made in my corner weight process and what the measurements were. I'll put this all in excel and print it our nicely and share with the community so everyone can see each step of the process.

What I can say is between the last couple of changes I made, it looks like I landed around 49.03% cross weight with an unloaded sway bar. I'll be able to double check this maybe this weekend. At this point I guess I should really ask myself, will I as a complete amateur not pushing this car to its limits, will I ever really be able to tell that much of a difference?

[Shoeless]

I took some time this morning and cleaned up my notes for the step by step corner weighting process. I started off with an estimated ride height (I didn't use the laser level method Shane noted above, but I did use it for the final ride height checks) and 3/8th tank of fuel. I then checked all the corner weight measurements with and without the driver for a reference start. I then started with making a change on one corner to see how much it really changes the weights. The changes ranged from 12lbs to 21lbs depending on the corner. Obviously the corner that the change was made on shows the highest change and the cross weight went up 1.35%.

Step one is to set the left weight and then go after cross weight. With no changes in ballast, the left weight is essentially fixed (as can be seen from the start all the way down to the end, its nearly identical) and needed to go after the cross weight. If the cross weight is less than 50%, you can raise the RF or LR (or both) or lower LF or RR. So I started making these changes moving towards a better cross weight. Along the way I would hook up the sway bar and load it 3 x turns towards the passenger side to see the difference that would make (seeing Crashes comments above I may completely do away with this and go back to the scales to make further changes). After the 10th change I could see things were going out of wack, so I went back to change 7 and then moved forward. Finally landing on the last numbers w/ and w/o the driver and then I just checked ride height this morning w/ and w/o the driver as well. Having 180 lbs of dumbbells is my substitute for me as the driver. I put a 20 lb weight as the pedals and the rest on the seat.

From here, I'm going to go for a drive this morning and see how she handles. Being a little more careful ride height wise as the front left is pretty low now. Once I see how she handles, I'll likely remove the load on the roll bar and test drive again just for a reference. Who knows if I'll be able to tell much of a difference as I really can't push it to its limits on the side streets by me, but we'll see:cool:

https://i.imgur.com/hFRHo6a.jpeg

https://i.imgur.com/E2JxbsD.jpeg

[doug_porsche]

Thank you!
I now have a target/clue/idea!!
Now, i go out to the garage.

[KGTM]

Did you measure your spring compression from start to final? just curious how close they are?

Without having all the tools, and after using some made up scale and nothing was going right, I decided for now I will just set the Spring height as the same as I can and then measured after surprisingly there were not far off or at least go place to start.

[Shoeless]

Did you measure your spring compression from start to final? just curious how close they are?

Without having all the tools, and after using some made up scale and nothing was going right, I decided for now I will just set the Spring height as the same as I can and then measured after surprisingly there were not far off or at least go place to start.

That's one thing I didn't measure before I started. I had set my ride height on the front square tube to 4.5" and the rear to 4.75" (at least the best I could estimate without using Shanes method of the laser left on the flat patch) as my starting point.

You are correct, without having all the tools to be able to accurately check weights and your alignment along the way, you are doing yourself a bit of a disservice even trying. you can see how little some of the changes I made impacted the overall corner weights throughout the whole process. It was definitely an investment to get a corner scale kit, bubble caster gauge (plus a custom machined bung to install on the wheel), digital camber gauge, string alignment kit, and turn plates. All told I think I spent close to $2,400-$2,500 just in these tools alone. And that's not counting the classes i took to learn how to even go about doing this. But, I wanted to learn this from scratch and do it all by myself because half this stuff a shop won't do for you, like set corner weights or alignment with the drive int the vehicle. Now, I can do all this in my garage.

I can say now that I got through this round of corner scaling, I went for a drive, zeroed the load on the sway bar, drove again, and then checked all the camber points and will now go back and readjust the alignment. Probably bring the overall ride height up a bit as the front left is a bit low. I'll share all these numbers and the delta from my base alignment in a couple days or so. I've got an early flight tomorrow for a week long business trip out west and need to hit the rack.

[KGTM]

Wish I had you tools though. Here I even have hard time to get alignment. Using the spring with calipers and get as many as the coils you can grab in one measure did not word that bad.

[crash]

Again, just for clarification as I did not see it mentioned, you must roll the car back and forth and jump on both ends of the car to set the suspension in between making adjustments and taking another scale reading. This is VERY important and will change the scale readings significantly. Without doing this your numbers will not be correct and there will be virtually no repeatability to you readings. You should have flat platforms either before or after your scales. Roll the car back and forth and bounce on the car only when it is on the platforms in order to not potentially damage the scales. All scales must be on a, relative to each other, level surface.

[KGTM]

Yup, that was the hardest part moving the car on and off the scales. hence I gave up after hours using scales. I think you will need the Shoeless scale system.

Shoeless, if possible will be nice to see how the spring hight matches.

[Shoeless]

Crash is absolutely right about needing to settle the suspension after each change. In addition to rolling back and fourth and jumping on the corners, there is another way, slip plates, or something that functions as slip plates.

When I set up my flat patch with the floor tiles I noticed they slipped pretty easily on one another and found out if I use two of these tiles on the top side of scale as slip plates, I can raise and lower the car right on the scales then settle the corners by bouncing on each corner. Very repeatable and I don’t have to worry about rolling on and off with the ramps, which works once you get used to it.

[Shoeless]

Here's a refresher of where my original alignment was set at.

FL:
Caster: 7.33 deg
Camber: -0.3 deg
Toe: -1/8

RL:
Camber: -0.3 deg
Toe: -1/16

FR:
Caster: 7.25 deg
Camber: -0.5 deg
Toe: -1/8

RR:
Camber: -0.5 deg
Toe: -1/16

After the corner weighting process I went for a drive and then I checked the camber as an easy check for what has changed and here is where that is at.

Here are my initial impressions after corner weighting:
- Straight line acceleration was more behaved, didn't have to over steer
- Steering wheel is off center to the right
- Alignment is off
- Very responsive left and right, but due to misalignment snappier to the right.
- Cleared the driveway and speed humps easily without need the Stance Air Cups engaged

No Driver:
FL Camber: -0.3 deg

RL Camber: -0.1 deg

FR Camber: -1.1 deg

RR Camber: -0.8 deg

With Driver:
FL Camber: -0.4 deg

RL Camber: -0.2 deg

FR Camber: -1.2 deg

RR Camber: -1.0 deg

From here I'll likely raise the whole ride high by one turn per corner, recheck corner weights and ride height and then get into redoing the alignment.

[Shoeless]

After much back and fourth looking for an optimum setup, here is where I finally landed today.

Alignment with driver:
Front Left Camber: -0.5
Front Right Camber: -0.5
Front Left Toe: -1/16
Front Right Toe: -1/16

Rear Left Camber: -0.6
Rear Right Camber: -0.5
Rear Left Toe Left: -1/32
Rear Right Toe: -1/32

Ride Height with driver:
Left Front: 4 7/16”
Left Rear: 4 25/32”
Right Front: 4 9/16”
Right Rear: 4 3/4”

Ride Height with out driver:
Left Front: 4 21/32”
Left Rear: 4 31/32”
Right Front: 4 11/16”
Right Rear: 4 13/16”

Corner Weight with Driver:
Left Front: 521 lb
Left Rear: 731 lb
Right Front: 352 lb
Right Rear: 783 lb
Left: 52.49%
Cross: 45.35%
Rear: 63.41%
Total Weight: 2386 lb

I was able to go for a quick test drive before some rain moved in and I was very pleased with how straight it tracks, snap turns left and right feel equal, and straight line acceleration was very well behaved.

[beeman]

How much caster?

[Shoeless]

How much caster?

Whoops, left that out. Very well behaved coming out of turns.

Front Left Castor: 7.33
Front Right Castor: 7.25

[Shoeless]

Hey fellas,

Over Christmas break I was getting pretty stoked to finish off the majority of the work I planned on doing on the GTM before sending off for body work and interior and stumbled upon yet again another issue with my AEM Infinity ECU. I decided to start and play with some of the additional features within the ECU, Traction Control and Launch Control. These two features were at the top or near the top of reasons why I went with an aftermarket ECU to begin with.

I started with Launch Control first. The AEM is pretty straight forward, check off a few boxes, set RPM limits for fuel and spark cut and you are all set. I decided to check the functionality of each the spark and fuel cut just to see how the engine behaved. I turned off spark cut, turned on fuel cut, set the RPM to 1500 and floored it. Sure enough, RPMs went to my set point and then held there. Sweet, now let's try spark cut. Hmmmmm spark cut isn't working. I tried adjusting several parameters and still nothing. So I threw a FB post up in an AEM page and within an hour I had a guy remote into my computer to check everything. Still didn't work. So we tried to trick the system by changing the parameters for the 3 Step and still nothing. The guy I was working with said the next dreaded few words. You have a problem with your ECU.

Here I find myself, once again with an AEM ECU issue. I'm done. I spoke to Joel at RaceSpec early last year when I had the throttle body issue about converting to a full MoTeC setup up. At the time AEM finally replaced my unit and it functioned properly, plus the learning curve and cost to go full MoTeC is huge. So I shelved the idea at the time. Now, I'm fully committed to a full conversion. I'll get AEM to address this unit, but once fixed, it and every AEM item (ECU, CD-7 Race Dash, Vehicle Dynamics Module, CAN Expansion Module,...everything, probably even the 12 position switches I have on my steering wheel button plate which means I'll likely create a new one) in my GTM will get pulled and sold.

I spent a good bit of time over Christmas break reaching back out to Joel and investigating what all needs to take place for this conversion. The largest hurdle is lead time and availability issues. MoTeC just like every other manufacture that requires chips is having issues. There are no lead times being posted and you basically put a deposit down and wait. The first item to look at is the ECU. Joel recommended an M130 or M170 as he did one of these in a GTM a while back and it worked perfectly. The M170 is essentially the same as an M130 except it uses a single high density Deutsch AS connector versus 2 Amp Superseal plugs. With that difference comes a noticeable jump in price, but I was open to it if we could find one. Sure enough Joel located an M170 and should have it by the end of March. Not terrible, especially when he told me he is still waiting on M130 order to be filled from March of 2022 (Holy crap!!!). From here we looked at what other hardware I was interested in. Next up was a dash. MoTeC has a 5", 7", or 12" dash and a couple different levels of functionality. I landed on a M127 (7") with the Amp Superseal plug for the moment as the price jump to a M187 (7" with Deutsch AS plug) is HUGE, plus I don't need all the functionality. I'll also need a Lambda to CAN, as well as new wideband O2 sensors, and a new 6 axis dynamics module.

Next up I needed to create some documentation on how I was to convert my harness to now plug into an M170, the part I feared the most. After a lot of deliberation and a lot of sleepless nights, I have a general plan. I literally went pin by pin from AEM to MoTeC for every input and output and then what needed to change in my power distribution block. With 9 new splices, I can make every input/output work and then needed to look at power. Of course the power demands of the MoTeC are drastically different than the AEM and I will need to change the trigger type from a low side signal from the AEM to turn on all the relays, to a high side signal from my switched ignition to do the same function. All while sending the proper switched power to the MoTeC. I listed all the needed changes and so far, it's not impossible. Not fun, but not impossible.

I've been watching all the HPA videos to familiarize myself with the MoTeC M1 software and sent off my configuration sheet to Joel for him to charge a few hours of consultation time to make sure I'm headed down the right path.

Overall, not what I wanted to be spending my time and money on at this time, but I'm optimistic that once complete, this will be for the best.

[VRaptor SpeedWorks, LLC]

Dang....sorry to hear about all of the headaches you're running up against here. Sounds like you have a good handle on it.....good luck!

[crash]

Yeah, no fun at all.

If you continue to have issues, I do know a Motec dealer here in CA that seems to stock a lot of stuff. Sounds like you are pretty invested with your Motec contact so stick with him, but if you need hardware and are not able to locate it, let me know.

[Shoeless]

Dang....sorry to hear about all of the headaches you're running up against here. Sounds like you have a good handle on it.....good luck!

Yea, this plan took many many hours to throw together and many sleepless nights before I realized it would be 100% possible. Once I nailed that down, I was pretty happy. Documentation will be key to this, just like my original harness.


Yeah, no fun at all.

If you continue to have issues, I do know a Motec dealer here in CA that seems to stock a lot of stuff. Sounds like you are pretty invested with your Motec contact so stick with him, but if you need hardware and are not able to locate it, let me know.

Hey crash, thanks for the offer. Yea I'm pretty tied into Joel at RaceSpec, but will reach out if I need to. Thank you!!

[beeman]

Sorry to hear this, I know you have a ton of time in this system and harness already..

[q4stix]

.....Traction Control and Launch Control. These two features were at the top or near the top of reasons why I went with an aftermarket ECU to begin with.

....

Now, I'm fully committed to a full conversion. I'll get AEM to address this unit, but once fixed, it and every AEM item (ECU, CD-7 Race Dash, Vehicle Dynamics Module, CAN Expansion Module,...everything, probably even the 12 position switches I have on my steering wheel button plate which means I'll likely create a new one) in my GTM will get pulled and sold.


Well shoot, this once again becomes a realization of the worry I've had about the Infinity since I plan to make use of all of the features they offered with their ECU. I guess I'll just need to cross my fingers until I get to that point and have the Motec in the back of my mind as a possibility. Really sorry to hear of the extra trouble and soon to be extra expenses!

Having said that all, I have the smaller CD5 and no VDM so I'd be up for a possible CD7+VDM purchase if you don't sell everything as a bundle.

[Shoeless]

Sorry to hear this, I know you have a ton of time in this system and harness already..

Thanks beeman, yea now that I'm over the hump of making the call to do the change and gone through all the inputs/outputs from AEM to MoTeC, I'm feeling better about the decision. My bank account on the other hand, really doesn't like my decision LOL.


Well shoot, this once again becomes a realization of the worry I've had about the Infinity since I plan to make use of all of the features they offered with their ECU. I guess I'll just need to cross my fingers until I get to that point and have the Motec in the back of my mind as a possibility. Really sorry to hear of the extra trouble and soon to be extra expenses!

Having said that all, I have the smaller CD5 and no VDM so I'd be up for a possible CD7+VDM purchase if you don't sell everything as a bundle.

Yea, that feeling that one day something won't work has haunted me since my DBW TB issue early last year.

Until I locate a MoTeC C127 Dash, I may need to hold onto the CD-7 just to confirm engine function when I get the harness converted and the M170 incorporated, but I will gladly pull the VDM and sell that right now. I'll shoot you a PM.

[frankenford]

I read a while back on a review of the aftermarket ecu's that the author said aem's customer support is excellent... He then followed up with "which is great because you're going to be using them alot". Sorry to hear about your problems. have you ever heard of anyone running Holley terminator or megasquirt? I haven't seen much in the forums about either one.

[Shoeless]

I read a while back on a review of the aftermarket ecu's that the author said aem's customer support is excellent... He then followed up with "which is great because you're going to be using them alot". Sorry to hear about your problems. have you ever heard of anyone running Holley terminator or megasquirt? I haven't seen much in the forums about either one.

Yea, that sounds spot on with AEM, especially on the ECU I have. Interestingly enough, AEM was just sold to Holley. Word on the street, and has been confirmed by what I see, AEM will no longer service any of their ECUs if they are outside of the 1 year warranty window. That leaves the issue of who can actually perform repairs on their units. There is at least one company I saw that is trying to establish themselves as a repair facility, but they are just now digging into what actual repairs they can do. Its not like a separate standalone company can just stand up and say we can repair their units. They have to figure out what they can and cannot repair.

The shop (Gearhead Fabrications, Jensen Beach FL) that did the final tuning on my GTM really likes Holley Terminator. They install that on nearly every one of their builds, which is a lot. They have a pretty good following after establishing themselves. Hell, they did a GTM about 6 months before mine and they did a bang up job on mine and was very pleased with the tune.

I have heard of Megasquirt, but from my experience I put these in the same group as Holley and/or even AEM. My assessment could be off, but they are more along the lines of a "hobby" setup. Can it be setup to run a car and have a few extras, sure, but that's about it. Will it work for some people, sure, but do you want a lot more functionality with the ability to do damn near anything? You will likely feel disappointed with them.

For me and my engineering background, I want to know everything and be a part of every aspect of the technical parts of my build. For example, can a shop set up launch control and traction control strategies on your ECU, maybe, if they would even offer that service. In my mind this is really up to the driver to take out and test in all the conditions that are appropriate and set up these strategies. No shop will be able to set this up in all real world conditions with a huge expense. If I knew then what I know now, I would have gone full MoTeC to begin with and be done with it.

I did hear from AEM yesterday on my issue. As is typical they asked for a data log of the issue, so I sent that to them and am waiting for their response.

[rolfer]

I checked into the Holley a while back. I even called them and talked to the tech department. They are really popular with drag racers. The main issue I had with them is the tech said the traction control was designed to work off the line from a dead standstill. He said it was not designed to work say coming out of a turn, for that I would need to look somewhere else. just fyi.

[crash]

I checked into the Holley a while back. I even called them and talked to the tech department. They are really popular with drag racers. The main issue I had with them is the tech said the traction control was designed to work off the line from a dead standstill. He said it was not designed to work say coming out of a turn, for that I would need to look somewhere else. just fyi.

So that would be launch control not traction control.

[crash]

This is exactly as I see it as well.

Just so you get a feel of what I do with the FFR PDG GTM, I run all new or rebuilt engines on an engine dyno for initial tune. Then the engine goes into the chassis and a chassis dyno session is run. Then the car is put on the track and I either have the tuner at the track to adjust things right there, or we send data so he can do that remotely. Our ECU, which is not Motec, but a same level type unit, can be seen via internet and the tuner can remotely change the ECU from his shop no matter where we are in the world. One of the best features of this type of ECU, as I see it, is the preciseness that can be achieved. We do individual cylinder adjustments on the dyno, and then the system safeties, such as knock retard, can make changes to individual cylinders as well. All of it is precisely data logged and we can analyze and adjust later. These are much more powerful ECUs than the "hobbiest" models, but you do pay for this technology and support.


Yea, that sounds spot on with AEM, especially on the ECU I have. Interestingly enough, AEM was just sold to Holley. Word on the street, and has been confirmed by what I see, AEM will no longer service any of their ECUs if they are outside of the 1 year warranty window. That leaves the issue of who can actually perform repairs on their units. There is at least one company I saw that is trying to establish themselves as a repair facility, but they are just now digging into what actual repairs they can do. Its not like a separate standalone company can just stand up and say we can repair their units. They have to figure out what they can and cannot repair.

The shop (Gearhead Fabrications, Jensen Beach FL) that did the final tuning on my GTM really likes Holley Terminator. They install that on nearly every one of their builds, which is a lot. They have a pretty good following after establishing themselves. Hell, they did a GTM about 6 months before mine and they did a bang up job on mine and was very pleased with the tune.

I have heard of Megasquirt, but from my experience I put these in the same group as Holley and/or even AEM. My assessment could be off, but they are more along the lines of a "hobby" setup. Can it be setup to run a car and have a few extras, sure, but that's about it. Will it work for some people, sure, but do you want a lot more functionality with the ability to do damn near anything? You will likely feel disappointed with them.

For me and my engineering background, I want to know everything and be a part of every aspect of the technical parts of my build. For example, can a shop set up launch control and traction control strategies on your ECU, maybe, if they would even offer that service. In my mind this is really up to the driver to take out and test in all the conditions that are appropriate and set up these strategies. No shop will be able to set this up in all real world conditions with a huge expense. If I knew then what I know now, I would have gone full MoTeC to begin with and be done with it.

I did hear from AEM yesterday on my issue. As is typical they asked for a data log of the issue, so I sent that to them and am waiting for their response.

[Shoeless]

This is exactly as I see it as well.

Just so you get a feel of what I do with the FFR PDG GTM, I run all new or rebuilt engines on an engine dyno for initial tune. Then the engine goes into the chassis and a chassis dyno session is run. Then the car is put on the track and I either have the tuner at the track to adjust things right there, or we send data so he can do that remotely. Our ECU, which is not Motec, but a same level type unit, can be seen via internet and the tuner can remotely change the ECU from his shop no matter where we are in the world. One of the best features of this type of ECU, as I see it, is the preciseness that can be achieved. We do individual cylinder adjustments on the dyno, and then the system safeties, such as knock retard, can make changes to individual cylinders as well. All of it is precisely data logged and we can analyze and adjust later. These are much more powerful ECUs than the "hobbiest" models, but you do pay for this technology and support.

Thanks for the insight on what the FFR PDG GTM team does. Its really cool some of this functionality. Especially when you get into individual cylinder type tuning. I'd venture that most people don't even realize the benefit of this type of tuning, let alone have the sensors and hardware to even do it. It gets expensive pretty quickly :cool:

The point being made here is you can do a hell of a lot of things with higher end, race inspired, and tried and true tested hardware. I will likely be adding a very similar wifi controller to my build to allow myself or a tuner to access both my M170 and the C127 simultaneously from outside the car.

For me, this was an expensive lesson in learning what a hobby ECU can do, compared to a higher end unit. Same thing with support. If those that followed along remember, my DBW TB issue was only solved when a guy on Facebook contacted me when I posted my issue saying he had a engineer friend at AEM and he would contact him directly to help me out. Sure enough it took me sending my ECU to AEM TWICE for them to finally accept the hardware was bad and they owed me a replacement. Simply by the kindness of a stranger I was able to get it addressed. If I didn't have that, I would have had to buy another ECU. After this was all solved, I paid for a dinner out for this guy and his wife as a small token of my thanks.

[RR46]

One of my upper control arms was bent due to the nature of it being a donor part. Each arm should measure 11" outside measurement without bushings.

Replace the same corner spindle with a new one. (age old post response, I know)

[Shoeless]

I'm working on putting together a list of items I need to knock out as I'm waiting for the MoTeC hardware and needed supplies to show up.

One thing that came to mind was setting the temperature on my trans cooler pump. I think crash mentioned what temp they have their GTM set to, but I can't find that in my notes.

@crash,

What temp do you have your trans cooler pump turn on set at?

[crash]

I run the trans cooler 100% of the time. I have just put in place a transaxle to engine coolant heat exchanger so the trans runs at the same temp as the engine coolant. Not only does this keep the transaxle in the correct temp range, but it heats up to working temp faster and the heat exchanger takes up much less space than a regular radiator cooler and fan. The exchanger also eliminates the fan electric load.

I would suggest a fan cut in temp of around 210-220. Transaxle shouldn't run higher than 250-275. The oil will likely be okay, but the ring and pinion will excessively wear above those temps.

[Shoeless]

I run the trans cooler 100% of the time. I have just put in place a transaxle to engine coolant heat exchanger so the trans runs at the same temp as the engine coolant. Not only does this keep the transaxle in the correct temp range, but it heats up to working temp faster and the heat exchanger takes up much less space than a regular radiator cooler and fan. The exchanger also eliminates the fan electric load.

I would suggest a fan cut in temp of around 210-220. Transaxle shouldn't run higher than 250-275. The oil will likely be okay, but the ring and pinion will excessively wear above those temps.

Excellent, thank for the help!!

[Shoeless]

I've been pretty busy creating documentation and getting items on order for the MoTeC swap, but decided to spend some time in the garage this weekend. I ran all the wiring for a front camera that will feed into the C127 triggered by one of my steering wheel buttons, then went on to calibrate the trans cooler pump turn one. I've got a Hayden Universal Adjustable switch that I installed long ago when I was doing the wiring up front, but never set it.

The setup was pretty simple, get a hot plate and bring some water to 210-220, then set the dial on the switch for the relay to kick on. Unfortunately, it just didn't work as planned. After bringing the water to temp and checking with my instant read grilling thermometer and adjusting the dial, nada. I jump into troubleshooting mode. I'm getting power to the switch, check. I jumped the power to bypass the relay, and I get 13V at the rear, check. I pull the relay and trigger it myself, yup the relay is good, check. I cut the wires to the temp sensor and measure the resistance and its around 5K ohms while the water is around 205, then checked it again while cooler and yup the resistance is changing as expected. I grab my box of resistors and try really high and really low ohms connected to the switch, adjusting the dial and nothing. So either I have failed to hook this thing up correctly, or I've got a bad switch. Time to go find the instructions and see what I’m missing.

https://i.imgur.com/kvtA82S.jpeg

[Shoeless]

Sometimes it the easiest things LOL. I discovered by starting back at the basics after reading the instructions again, power, ground, and switched ignition trigger, I discovered I removed the switched ignition trigger. I must have done this when I first installed this as a prevention to mistakenly activate this switch. Hooked it back up and boom, all works as planned. I was able to set the turn on around 212-214 and it appears theirs is a 5-8 deg hysteresis built in. For anyone using this same switch I ended up about 1/16 of a turn from the max setting.

https://i.imgur.com/75Fuzt4.jpeg

https://i.imgur.com/h27tNz8.jpeg

[crash]

Just a point of clarification here. I would recommend the trans temp running at 210-220. This is where I would run THE FAN. For us, the pump does circulate fluid to the cooler, but also serves the important function of moving lube to the critical areas of the gear stack as well. You may want to consider running THE PUMP full time, and only having the fan on the thermostatic switch.

[Shoeless]

Hey guys,

Over the last several months, I've chased a VERY small coolant leak somewhere in the area of the thermostat area of my water pump. I would wipe up the single drop or two of coolant, tighten the t-stat housing, just for it too reappear. Thought maybe the hose clamps just weren't tight enough, nope that wasn't it. FINALLY I was under the car a number of weeks ago and just happen to look up and see wetting around the heater outlets. As a refresher I pulled the fittings out, tapped these holes, and put in pipe threaded 45 deg angle fittings. I saw this done long ago before I knew better and thought hmmmm seems like a great idea, yea not so much now. One of the fittings was leaking just ever so slightly. Instead of screwing around with them any more, i just replaced the water pump.

Since I had the cooling system tore apart, I borrowed the idea from another forum member of powder coating the coolant expansion tank. It will be MUCH easier to keep clean than polishing aluminum half way into the engine bay. Now everything really matched. I also needed to make a new bracket to hold the MoTeC Dual NKT LTC module, so I integrated this with my transaxle catch can.

My good friend's daughter is really taking a liking to becoming a mechanic instead of going to college so I invited them over for her to help me put it all back together. It was awesome to share the basics of my GTM setup, and engine mechanics in general to her as she put it all back together under my direction. It was a great morning inspiring the next generation who takes an interest in this type of work. She was grinning ear to ear the whole time. Once the coolant system was topped off, I let her start it and keep an eye on the coolant levels. I still need to get a little air out of the system, but that's more grunt repetitive work to get it set right. Once that's set its time to make a running and driving GTM a non running GTM by pulling the engine harness for its MoTeC plug conversion :(. I totally forgot to take some pics of her working, but I'm sure her dad snapped a pic or two.

What a great time!!!

https://i.imgur.com/tWewB8O.jpeg

https://i.imgur.com/cKe26Km.jpeg

https://i.imgur.com/t0Yvft8.jpeg

[Shoeless]

As I was pulling my engine harness, I noticed a crack in the cap I had on the passenger side valve cover breather port.

Anyone have a link to a nice 90 deg small filter I can throw on here instead of capping off?

https://i.imgur.com/0XeKwjB.jpeg

Interestingly enough when I swapped over to the NTK O2s I had to pull part of my PCV bypass apart and figured I'd check the catch can. There was about 3/4" of oil in it. Not sure if from more of my time driving the car before a proper tune or recent. Either way, will be part of my regular service to stay on top of it.

[crash]

Use a urethane cap...or...pull the breather tube out and put a pipe plug into the hole. The blue anodized aluminum ones from Summit look pretty good.

Also, we get some oil in our breather system on the FFR PDG GTM race car and I have redesigned the system so that the build up returns to the dry sump tank. I would recommend that you do the same so that it drains back down into the oil pan and then it will be "self draining".

[Shoeless]

Use a urethane cap...or...pull the breather tube out and put a pipe plug into the hole. The blue anodized aluminum ones from Summit look pretty good.

Also, we get some oil in our breather system on the FFR PDG GTM race car and I have redesigned the system so that the build up returns to the dry sump tank. I would recommend that you do the same so that it drains back down into the oil pan and then it will be "self draining".

Thanks for the pointers, always on point.

I'll have to think through a return type system and see if I can get that done.

[beeman]

Saw your other post, what is the plan for the car in Iowa?

[Shoeless]

Saw your other post, what is the plan for the car in Iowa?

I'll be having Shane finish my interior and body work. Unfortunately, my lower back is giving me more issues and don't see me being able to physically finish this. I originally had L5/S1 fused in 2007 from an injury in Iraq, fused L5/L4 last year with two surgeries, and already injured L3 by simply bending over to pick up my shotgun one morning. My surgeon says he can't keep operating on me and this one will be major if we have to go down that path. He's finally telling me to cut out fishing and anything physical. Completely sucks, but I want to salvage my back enough to be able to at least get in and out of the GTM and enjoy driving it.

[beeman]

Man, so sorry to hear that. I know how much you enjoy those activities. Hopefully the back issues improve on their own over time. Please keep us updated as you get updates from Shane. Any exterior mods or add-ons, or stock FFR?

[Shoeless]

Man, so sorry to hear that. I know how much you enjoy those activities. Hopefully the back issues improve on their own over time. Please keep us updated as you get updates from Shane. Any exterior mods or add-ons, or stock FFR?

Yea it's rather unfortunate I only got 6 good months after the last surgeries before injuring myself again. When I was originally injured in Iraq I had a tear in my L5-S1 disc, with the two above it injured but not bad enough for surgery and 3 discs in my neck in the same situation. Hopefully it will get a bit better over time.

I'll definitely keep everyone posted as I get updates from Shane.

I'll be going with several items that Shane offers and asking him to so some one off items :cool:. From his complement of louvers, to a custom interior, to his fiberglass and carbon fiber rear hatch piece with the two functional scoops. I'll also be going with a two tone paint job with Aston Martin Apple Tree Green with Gloss Black down the center hood, roof, and portions of the back hatch.

I know I'm putting it in capable hands and can't wait to see the finished product!!!!

[VRaptor SpeedWorks, LLC]

Yeah....that really sucks on your back. Very sorry to hear that you continue to have issues and pain. Not fun stuff. I got really lucky on my back and avoided surgery and was fortunate that some anti-inflammatories and time got me back to "normal".

Looking forward to getting started on your GTM......hopefully I can match the quality you've already put into this thing!

[Shoeless]

Yeah....that really sucks on your back. Very sorry to hear that you continue to have issues and pain. Not fun stuff. I got really lucky on my back and avoided surgery and was fortunate that some anti-inflammatories and time got me back to "normal".

Looking forward to getting started on your GTM......hopefully I can match the quality you've already put into this thing!

I have all the confidence we're going to have a killer end product when done!!!

[Shoeless]

Its bitter sweet that my time of working on the GTM has come to an end, at least temporarily :cool:, after the last 6 years. She should be delivered to Shane this morning and I can't wait to see the end product.

Its been an absolute pleasure learning from those still active on the forum and I thank you for your input, it really has helped me make a better product. Here's a few pics prepping and sending her off. For those curious I used GTR Transport who I came across on one of the FF Facebook pages. Reasonably priced and great couple that do this as their retirement project. This was their first GTM.

https://i.imgur.com/lqUUqwM.jpeg

https://i.imgur.com/I3lcyqJ.jpeg

https://i.imgur.com/uMKzG9M.jpeg

https://i.imgur.com/CAFnMwg.jpeg

https://i.imgur.com/zX0TKuZ.jpeg

https://i.imgur.com/cBTyJ5u.jpeg

[VRaptor SpeedWorks, LLC]

191942

She's here! A huge THANKS!! to you for allowing me to be a part of this project! Looking forward to getting started!

[beeman]

She's here! A huge THANKS!! to you for allowing me to be a part of this project! Looking forward to getting started!

Glad you have some security there, Sean will sleep better at night knowing no one is going to mess with his car!

[Shoeless]

Glad you have some security there, Sean will sleep better at night knowing no one is going to mess with his car!

That's a fact!!!

[VRaptor SpeedWorks, LLC]

;) I'm hoping that the steel silhouette targets in the back yard might also discourage any potential criminal activity......

191994

[Shoeless]

HAHAHAH Love it!!!!!!

[Power Surge]

Sean I love your build! I just finished reading the entire thread. Your build pics are extremely helpful to me, as I got my car as a mostly finished go kart, so now I better understand the order of how things go together and what might be around certain parts.

I love your wiring tags. Are they just printed paper with clear heat shrink over it? And do you have info on the gold heat material?

Also, looking at your body mounted with no diffuser, I think with the diffuser removed I would be able to easily access my battery where I was proposing to mount it in my other post. Thoughts?

[Shoeless]

Sean I love your build! I just finished reading the entire thread. Your build pics are extremely helpful to me, as I got my car as a mostly finished go kart, so now I better understand the order of how things go together and what might be around certain parts.

I love your wiring tags. Are they just printed paper with clear heat shrink over it? And do you have info on the gold heat material?

Also, looking at your body mounted with no diffuser, I think with the diffuser removed I would be able to easily access my battery where I was proposing to mount it in my other post. Thoughts?

Thank you Sir!!! I'm glad its helpful. I remember when I was researching building a GTM I loved being able to see detailed posts from everyone so I decided to document mine as best as possible.

The yellow wiring tags is actually yellow heat shrink tubing that I bought a Dymo Rhino 5200 to be able to print out and the clear tubing is a Raychem product.

You might be able to access your battery that way, but to me it would be a huge PITA. Not saying it can't be done, but for me it would just be too much of a headache. Even where my battery is is a hassle to access. I've had to take it out once for some reason and it sucked. I can't imagine if it was in the rear.

Let me ask, what's the desire to put it back there? Something different, the starting issues you may have come across, or ....?

[Power Surge]

Thank you Sir!!! I'm glad its helpful. I remember when I was researching building a GTM I loved being able to see detailed posts from everyone so I decided to document mine as best as possible.

The yellow wiring tags is actually yellow heat shrink tubing that I bought a Dymo Rhino 5200 to be able to print out and the clear tubing is a Raychem product.

You might be able to access your battery that way, but to me it would be a huge PITA. Not saying it can't be done, but for me it would just be too much of a headache. Even where my battery is is a hassle to access. I've had to take it out once for some reason and it sucked. I can't imagine if it was in the rear.

Let me ask, what's the desire to put it back there? Something different, the starting issues you may have come across, or ....?

Well two reasons for mounting it in the rear of the vehicle. Reason one is that it looks like a total pain in the *** to remove it mounted anywhere up front. And reason two is it seems redundant to have it all the way up front. Having it in the rear of the vehicle makes it closer to where any heavy battery cables and power sources need to be.

Also, where are you getting the heat shrink you're using with the 5200?

[Shoeless]

I think in the rear it will be more of a PITA to get to, but its up to you. That's the beauty of this process, you get to choose what works best for your car.

I picked up 4 packs I think off eBay.

[Shoeless]

As most here know, I have had my GTM with expert builder Shane at VRaptor and we are coming in on the home stretch, no pressure Shane LOL. I can't thank Shane enough, and I know I have shared this before, but the process he has set up for his clients is superb.

Here is a fun photo dump of some pics that have been shared with me, and I wanted to share with the community.

https://i.imgur.com/ppeLXzQ.jpeg

https://i.imgur.com/CkMJZGN.jpeg

https://i.imgur.com/FiWlyot.jpeg

https://i.imgur.com/XwZ2WMo.jpeg

https://i.imgur.com/ty3oSmG.jpeg

[Shoeless]

Continued...

There are tons of "Green Aston Martin" colors, but I'm going for the latest color on their F1 Aston Martin Racing Green. So, the color on the right, is the green I went with. Shane's camera, or my phone, or something is throwing the color off on the lower pics.

https://i.imgur.com/39QsKzh.jpeg.

https://i.imgur.com/vnua5h8.jpeg

https://i.imgur.com/zJT4HO0.jpeg

[ohmygosuness]

Looking good! I can't wait to see it finished.

[crash]

Very nice looking details.

The electrical always looks like such a mess until it is wrapped and put into place.

Thanks for sharing the pictures.

[beeman]

Great to see an update! Perfect color choice.
We all know that you were more than capable of finishing your build on your own, but it's in great hands with Shane. Not going to lie, it's crossed my mind more than once to just ship mine to Iowa and get it done...

[Shoeless]

Great to see an update! Perfect color choice.
We all know that you were more than capable of finishing your build on your own, but it's in great hands with Shane. Not going to lie, it's crossed my mind more than once to just ship mine to Iowa and get it done...

Thank you for the kind words!!

I will say, I take a lot of pride in the projects I take on and it was quite the decision to hand it off to be completed. In the end, this was the best decision I have made in a long time with my declining physical health and ability. I can't wait to finally be able to enjoy it!!!!

[Shoeless]

Update on the interior, my vision is coming together. Super high-end luxury with touches of thoughtfully placed race inspired elements.

https://i.imgur.com/c9Ha05D.jpeg

https://i.imgur.com/UhiUtrv.jpeg

https://i.imgur.com/D2MyR3E.jpeg

[ohmygosuness]

Is this a Bugatti or GTM :)

This is actually not bad.

[TXeverydayDad]

That interior looks great! Looking forward to seeing the final result!

[Shoeless]

Is this a Bugatti or GTM :)

This is actually not bad.

:cool: I absolutely love how it is coming together and couldn't be more pleased. The diamond stich leather on the sides of the tunnel was the last element to confirm adding as it was a pricy addition, but when done it will pull it all together!!

[crash]

OMG.

That is beautiful.

When I saw the headliner detail I was hoping the interior was going to be something special, and these pics do not disappoint.

Please keep the pictures coming.

[Shoeless]

OMG.

That is beautiful.

When I saw the headliner detail I was hoping the interior was going to be something special, and these pics do not disappoint.

Please keep the pictures coming.

Thank you Sir, this really means a lot coming from someone so well plugged into the GTM community and culture as yourself. I can say over the years, I really tried to take as much feedback from you and the Race Team and incorporate it where I could.

Will keep the pics coming :D

[ohmygosuness]

I can say over the years, I really tried to take as much feedback from you and the Race Team and incorporate it where I could.

I second this. Crash is my idol.

[beeman]

Love it! Keep the updates coming!

[crash]

I second this. Crash is my idol.

Ahh, shucks guys.

Good to hear that the hours and hours of work and lots of $$ is helping others.

That is one of my goals in life.

I'm sure many others that post on here are just trying to do the same thing.

[Shoeless]

Ahh, shucks guys.

Good to hear that the hours and hours of work and lots of $$ is helping others.

That is one of my goals in life.

I'm sure many others that post on here are just trying to do the same thing.

Absolutely. I'm no expert, but there are a few things I'm pretty good at :cool: that I really enjoy giving back to the community. I'm another fortunate GTM builder that plugged into the forums, contributed, and benefited from the community.

[Shoeless]

Couple small progress pics.

Floating screen Alpine head unit
https://i.imgur.com/ffWE1Op.jpeg

Custom floor mats
https://i.imgur.com/jetYfLa.jpeg

Defrost vents
https://i.imgur.com/iRhe06m.jpeg

Interior Pieces
https://i.imgur.com/a1xDaBX.jpeg

Rollbar Wrapped (painted body photo bomb LOL)
https://i.imgur.com/StkAO0V.jpeg

[beeman]

Does Shane do the upholstery work or is it outsourced?

[Shoeless]

Shane has a gentleman in California who does his interiors for his projects. It’s likely a shared task. For example the diamond stitch tunnel side covers. I believe the guy in CA made the piece and Shane cut, custom fit, and installed. Shane does the carpet and also made the floor mats with extra carpet.

[VRaptor SpeedWorks, LLC]

Shoeless is correct. I ship out the seats, dash, etc to my perfectionist upholstery guy who re-covers all of that stuff, but all of the installation of all of the interior stuff + wrapping all of the interior pieces.....like the tank covers, rear cockpit window panel, cockpit sidewall panels behind the door openings.....all that gets done here by me.

[Shoeless]

Friendly reminder, this isn't the true color, but damn cool to see the body back on and the progress!!!

https://i.imgur.com/Zo4qUje.jpeg

[ohmygosuness]

It looks very well done. Doesn't even look like a kit car anymore.

[Shoeless]

It looks very well done. Doesn't even look like a kit car anymore.

Thank you Sir, and Shane is knocking it out of the park. That was one of my big goals. I don’t want this to look like a “kit car.” I wanted something more special and it’s totally all coming together.

[Shoeless]

Some serious progress at Vraptor Speedworks!!! The second pic really shows the features of the cool interior from the MoTeC 5 button rotary CAN switch that is fully programmable to do whatever I want (currently set up for cruise control and Dash controls), Dakota Digital Vintage Air controller (way damn cooler that the VA buttons), floating screen audio system (note how Shane was able to keep the top of screen at or below the dash height), MoTeC C127 Dash (will purchase the Dash Designer license and set up full custom dash when tuned), window switch CF button panel (on side of tunnel), one off trim ring around the shift boot to fit the custom center dash piece, and tweeters mounted on the dash of a set of 3 way high end components (mid and low in doors pic 3).

https://i.imgur.com/Qlmd5aw.jpeg

https://i.imgur.com/hZoDSPE.jpeg

https://i.imgur.com/apGEVBu.jpeg

[Shoeless]

Hood and mirrors making a debut on the build. Also, a very special rear hatch piece being held in place to cure. Nothing like resurrecting some cool carbon fiber pieces into the build. You guys will love it :cool:

https://i.imgur.com/qrgfbLy.jpeg

[Shoeless]

The guy I sourced the mirrors from (and ultimately the rear CF hatch piece too) was Jonsen for some pics to post to his socials, and Shane was nice enough to snap a couple close ups. Enjoy:cool:!!

https://i.imgur.com/jkmBAgi.jpeg

https://i.imgur.com/DksgX0Y.jpeg

[David Ferguson]

Looking Fabulous!

[Shoeless]

Couple more carbon fiber details :cool:!!!

https://i.imgur.com/xryfB94.jpeg

https://i.imgur.com/qtUMiwS.jpeg

[Shoeless]

More carbon fiber? Yes, please :cool:

https://i.imgur.com/cCVyWlq.jpeg

https://i.imgur.com/tHxaCaP.jpeg

https://i.imgur.com/dxwgT0F.jpeg

[Shoeless]

Just going to sneak this in here :cool:

The GTM world is about to see something amazing.

#GTM501Reveal

[beeman]

Can't wait! Looks like a ton of progress lately

[Shoeless]

Can't wait! Looks like a ton of progress lately

Me too LOL :p She is literally getting the last of punch list items addressed and is sitting on the ground on the wheels for the first time in about a year and a half. The vision is nearly complete and we're going to have a little fun with this over the next few weeks.

Just waiting confirmation on tuning shop in Indy to finalize transportation.

[Shoeless]

Tuning appointment and transportation have been set. #501 gets picked up on 7/14 in Iowa, dropped off in Indianapolis for 3 days for tuning and MoTeC Dash work, and then off to home in FL.

MoTeC Master Dealer and Tuner Corbin Johnson will be taking care of business at Fathouse Performance.

https://www.johnsontuning.com/

https://www.fathouseperformance.com/

If you ever wondered what a nearly half a million dollar 1000+ HP Code Red Mustang looks like, these guys did it together.

https://www.fathouseperformance.com/builds/2022-shelby-gt500-code-red-csm22cr0007/

#GTM501Reveal

[Shoeless]

When just the lighting for the reveal party needed its own line item in the budget, you know are about to have some fun.

Reveal party prep is in full swing including testing lighting at 3 AM. The outdoor pics are only 4 lights set up just to see how much light they would put out. 4 looks looks nice, I think 14 total makes sense to get the full effect I'm going for ;)

My neighbors are either going to really hate me, or really have an awesome time at the party LOL.

https://i.imgur.com/iU0wYUY.jpeg

https://i.imgur.com/yQiuFk7.jpeg

https://i.imgur.com/4Ar17Hj.jpeg

https://i.imgur.com/yKLk9pV.jpeg

#GTM501Reveal

[beeman]

Fun! It deserves an unveiling party for sure. Don't skimp on the champagne!

[Shoeless]

Fun! It deserves an unveiling party for sure. Don't skimp on the champagne!

Absolutely!!! Got a little sprinkle of good karma this last pay cycle getting a check from Pratt & Whitney for some of my patent work on 3d Printed Expendable Engines. This is going to be a BLAST!!!!!

[Shoeless]

August 2nd will be the reveal party!!!

If there are any forum members that legit will be in the area (Palm City Florida) and would like to attend, you have an open invitation. Just reach out and PM me.

If you bring your own FF, VIP Parking is provided and encouraged to help set the atmosphere. We already have confirmation of two special guest and working a third. This would add two FF cars and my buddy's killer Porsche.

[Shoeless]

As I'm working to coordinate all things #GTM501Reveal, wifey wants me to ask if there would be interest in seeing the actual unveil as a Facebook Live Event, maybe Instagram.

I've got a couple leads to work the social media side of this a little more, but need to be careful where I commit my time over the next few weeks as we prep for the party.

Not promising the highest quality production, just friends helping friends put something fun and cool together.

Just let me know and I'll see what I can throw together. At a BARE MINIMUM, there will be full video and pictures of the event edited and shared once I recover from the event and pull all the media together.

[ohmygosuness]

As I'm working to coordinate all things #GTM501Reveal, wifey wants me to ask if there would be interest in seeing the actual unveil as a Facebook Live Event, maybe Instagram.

I've got a couple leads to work the social media side of this a little more, but need to be careful where I commit my time over the next few weeks as we prep for the party.

Not promising the highest quality production, just friends helping friends put something fun and cool together.

Just let me know and I'll see what I can throw together. At a BARE MINIMUM, there will be full video and pictures of the event edited and shared once I recover from the event and pull all the media together.

I'd attend if I wasn't couple thousand miles away. But I'm looking forward to see pictures and videos of the final product. I'm surprised how quickly it's all coming together from being a go-kart to a complete GTM.

[Shoeless]

501 was on the move and delivered to Fathouse Performance yesterday.

https://i.imgur.com/zFfBZw0.png

https://i.imgur.com/JuqzENs.png

https://i.imgur.com/9tnDwmv.jpeg

[GoDadGo]

Love The Car, Especially The Color!

With that said, hit it Ray!

https://youtu.be/zNwWZvskjq0

[Shoeless]

Love The Car, Especially The Color!

With that said, hit it Ray!

https://youtu.be/zNwWZvskjq0

LOL

Everyone is really going to be surprised, this paint job legit changes colors based on what phone took the pic. I'm told its actually Aston Martin British Racing Green :p Its going to be a whole new reveal for everyone.

[VRaptor SpeedWorks, LLC]

Glad my camera isn't the only one that makes your car blue! ;)

[Shoeless]

Glad my camera isn't the only one that makes your car blue! ;)

LOL I know, right!!!

BTW the views on my build thread here have gone up a few thousand in the last couple weeks, about 5000 more views to go to break 300,000 total views.

#GTM501Reveal

[Shoeless]

Snuck out yesterday before the daily FL storms rolled in and just barely missed the rain, but we got the final weight.

Half tank of gas and no driver - 2740 lb. Power and torque numbers also came in at 480/479. There is some top end power still on the table due to my air filter, but hopefully that's easily sorted with a larger filter or other set up that Shane has available.

That gives us a Power to Weight of 0.1752 for GTM 501. Better than a Porsche 911 GT3 RS at 0.1541. :cool:


https://i.imgur.com/p445EJo.jpeg

[crash]

Snuck out yesterday before the daily FL storms rolled in and just barely missed the rain, but we got the final weight.

Half tank of gas and no driver - 2740 lb. Power and torque numbers also came in at 480/479. There is some top end power still on the table due to my air filter, but hopefully that's easily sorted with a larger filter or other set up that Shane has available.

That gives us a Power to Weight of 0.1752 for GTM 501. Better than a Porsche 911 GT3 RS at 0.1541. :cool:


https://i.imgur.com/p445EJo.jpeg

Yeah but look at the area under the torque curve.

The Porsche is not going to look like that.

American muscle.

[Shoeless]

Yeah but look at the area under the torque curve.

The Porsche is not going to look like that.

American muscle.

Pretty sick, right!!! I love it!!!

[Shoeless]

Was pleasantly surprised yesterday to call the Region 9 office in West Palm Beach to try and get an appointment just to submit my paperwork to start the registration process. Duane (the guy you will meet if you need to navigate this process in this area) told me to email him my DL, COA, and insurance and he would issue me the authorization for the 10 day temp tag to go to the DMV with so I drive it down and get inspected THAT DAY.

Needless to say, within a matter of 3 seconds my entire day was reprioritized to focus on the GTM Registration :cool:

Since I already had all the paperwork pulled together, this was an email and wait exercise. Sure enough about 10 min later I receive the authorization and head to the DMV. Temp tag in hand, quick check of the FL weather (clear skies!!!), and lunch before taking off for a 30 min drive down south to West Palm.

First Impressions:
Fun Factor - O M G!!!! This is too much fun LOL. I'll just confirm every damn thing GTM owners say with respect to the attention this car gets. Gas station - 20 min stop and finally just had to say I have an appt to leave and in town driving - phone cameras everywhere and people legit hanging out of cars to get pics.

Performance - I'll just share things specific to my build. First up, alignment. For those that remember, I elected to obtain all the needed tools for a full string alignment and corner weight effort in my garage. When i had the final alignment and corner weight set where I wanted, I took as close as detailed measurements as I could for the ride height at 4 points where the square frame tube goes behind the front tires and the similar tube in front of the rear tires. I provided these measurements to Shane and the idea was once he was done, simply set the ride height, and in a 100% perfect world, we should be back at the theoretical set point. Worse case, a couple minor tweaks and we are set. I can report we are at an 98% solution here with the only item of note is the steering wheel is not perfectly straight. She tracks perfectly straight, straight line acceleration is amazing, and is perfectly smooth at 105 mph :cool:

Engine temps were VERY stable even when jockeying in an out of traffic doing 60-100-70-85 mph on I-95. I'll do some full data logging later, but VERY impressive. Cockpit temps were also very reasonable as well. At normal spirited driving levels, I can maybe barely feel a little heat, and hell that might even just be from the FL sun beating down on me with no window tinting yet. When pushing it, I could feel a bit of warmth creep in, COMPLETELY manageable and frankly, rather impressive and a testament to all the heat management that Shane and I put into my build. I also need to check the RPM cutoff of the A/C in the MoTeC. I believe I previously set this to 4,000 RPM, but the tuner might have change that. So technically speaking, there is a point where the AC is shut off at higher RPM driving and that's totally cool with me.

Fun Part (at least for me) - So in my excitement, I failed to hear Duane tell me 2PM for my appt to bring the car in, so I showed up at 1. Clearly early, they just said come back in an hour, so I had an hour to drive around and kill in Palm Beach in an amazing Supercar. DARN, LOL!!!! The attention is insane, but the first thought in my mind was to roll up at the Aston Martin Dealership (Since the color is the exact same as their F1 - Aston Martin British Racing Green). I was only looking to kill about 30 min so I didn't pull in, but I found it. I'll definitely go back on a day I can spend some time there and legit pretend to want to buy something just for a fun outing.

Returned to Region 9 where Duane helped me fill out all the paperwork (yes, just go there with blank document and they will tell you whatt to fill out) and took my $40. We walked outside and he did a simple walk around and that as it. No checks of any functions or anything. We lifted the hood, place the registration sticker right next to the hood striker and that was it. Got my envelope that I need to deliver to the DMV and now just need to finalize my license plate idea. The wife hates it all (maybe because everything is Shoeless...something LOL), but everyone else loves it. So I think I'll go with the masses on this one.

Hoped on I-95 for a quick rip home and stopped to get a quote for a full PPF and Ceramic Coating treatment. Initial read from those that have done this is clearly there are no body lines to work with and the PPF comes in roles that are only so large. Thankfully I have the two tone paint this first vendor thinks he can work with to get a full PPF wrap and then ceramic coat everything else. I got the quote last night ($11,700), and was a little surprised, but it needs to be done to protect it. He would like to see the car again and go over some specifics before agreeing on his approach. I'm sure there are some areas that we just won't be able to avoid a seam or two. I also asked him that now he has pics of the car, and has had a moment to review them, if he sees any options for a Track Package type approach which would be PPF in certain areas and Ceramic everything else to save a few pennies. I also have another guy highly recommended that I'll take here to next week for a second sanity check quote. This stuff is claiming a 12 yr warranty, so legit hope it will be worth it.

https://i.imgur.com/fL0rxd4.jpeg

https://i.imgur.com/F0kX09o.jpeg

https://i.imgur.com/HuG0IlP.jpeg

[beeman]

Great stuff!
So what's your plate going to say?
Did you try the traction control yet?

[Shoeless]

Great stuff!
So what's your plate going to say?
Did you try the traction control yet?

Trying to stick with a theme of Shoeless Racing or GTM or something along those lines, I've thought about the following and hell, give me your thoughts. Are some of these just too far off or not too shabby to stick with the brand/theme. Oh and yes, I'm getting my own logo designed because every Supercar owner needs a logo LOL.

SHOLESS - Shoeless
SHLSGTM - Shoeless GTM
SHLSRCG - Shoeless Racing

https://i.imgur.com/da1RVAG.jpeg

In what could be considered a very unscientific approach, I may or may not have set the Traction Control to 2 and Launch Control to 5 on the steering wheel while conversing with a rather attractive onlooker in a vehicle beside me. Quick questions of "what is it" followed by the phone and pics all while constantly saying how ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS it is with her jaw wide open!!!! It just so happened the traffic in front of me opened up a bit and I would be remiss if I didn't give such a staunch fan a little show, right :cool:!!! I couldn't tell you how well the Traction and Launch Control strategy was working (as I didn't data log to give exact numbers here), but what I can say is that it took off like a rocket, spinning the rears in a ridiculously controllable fashion resulting in what was an unbelievably straight line, in control, fun first attempt with a little semi first gear launch. Quickly backed off seconds into it as I need to be cautious and go learn some of these limits of the car in an empty parking lot to be honest. ESPECIALLY all the setting in Launch/Traction Control.

[Ajzride]

You could consider a sprayable PPF to avoid seams, although I'm sure there are far fewer installers for that. The sprayable also usually has a little orange peel to it, so if staying smooth as glass is a priority, you might not like it.

[beeman]

Awesome.
How many characters do you get on your Florida plates?
SHU LESS?

[Shoeless]

Awesome.
How many characters do you get on your Florida plates?
SHU LESS?

We get 7, so that could be a contender.

[Shoeless]

Was able to make a call and set up another appointment over the weekend at another PPF/Ceramic vendor, this one comes highly recommended from close friend.

This quote is for full custom PPF with a 10 yr warranty (compaared to the first at 13 yrs) and a 5 year ceramic (compared to a 10+yr product) is at $8-10K and he wanted to have it for a week and a half. Will be closer to $8k if he is able to get large sections done in his first attempt or closer to $10K if he needs to redo a large panel that he may have already spent a lot of time on. He also gave me a Track Package type approach for about $4-5k.

What I also liked about this guy is that when I stared talking about jack points/ramps to ceramic coating the wheels (which need to come off), he was completely open and willing to borrow my quick jacks (and let me completely set it up and lift the car in his shop) to lift the car to a good working height. He also offered to even come to my house to help me load them as my back is just jacked up and each skid is like 100 lbs.

I think we have our guy for PPF and Ceramic Coating. Hes got a nice Lotus lined up next, but can start on the GTM in two weeks.

[Shoeless]

Little preview reel :cool:

#GTM501Reveal


https://youtu.be/E9PecPbA3HE?si=b9MyB3BBzXsCddmX

[Shoeless]

1 day out teaser!!!

Party prep has been in full swing for the better part of the last couple weeks and the next 24 hrs is where it all comes together!!!


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UHvFKGFV8ek

[DopeOfWelding]

I need to see more!!!

[Shoeless]

I agree :cool:!!!

I had my friend @life_at_speed_photography on IG (go give him a follow!!) come and document the whole event. He legit worked on my car for about 2 hrs before the reveal and then documented the whole reveal. These pics are all in edit at the moment and will be the $$$ shots. While we are waiting for those, enjoy the below pics that were taken by all the party goers.

https://i.imgur.com/QbkEphw.jpeg

https://i.imgur.com/LMrAzmL.jpeg

https://i.imgur.com/DFej69B.jpeg

https://i.imgur.com/x9usGFV.jpeg

https://i.imgur.com/axQBWRF.jpeg

[Shoeless]

https://i.imgur.com/5gdriDH.jpeg

https://i.imgur.com/JYub4tU.jpeg

https://i.imgur.com/rYCSpbX.jpeg

https://i.imgur.com/0ENVUwP.jpeg

https://i.imgur.com/gos7TFV.jpeg

[VRaptor SpeedWorks, LLC]

That's awesome!....wish I could have been there!

[Shoeless]

That's awesome!....wish I could have been there!

I've got tons of videos and pics to edit and sift through. Once I get them organized, I'll pull together more to share with everyone!!

I wish you could have come down for this as well. The number of compliments on fit, finish, color, design, .... you name it,... were just off the charts!!!

[beeman]

Very cool!

[Shoeless]

We officially have over 300,000 view on this build thread, that's pretty impressive.

With that, let's see some more reveal party pics.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W9E29vDL9PU

[Shoeless]

Some of the professional photos are starting to roll in and OMG, they are absolutely insane!!!!

https://i.imgur.com/KlEkfsv.jpeg

https://i.imgur.com/9oqwhMZ.jpeg

https://i.imgur.com/nVQQ7Hf.jpeg

https://i.imgur.com/9RQ7lOy.jpeg

https://i.imgur.com/GYaukoB.jpeg

[Shoeless]

https://i.imgur.com/kgL9OES.jpeg

https://i.imgur.com/zv0k16N.jpeg

https://i.imgur.com/SC6fJPe.jpeg

https://i.imgur.com/oRig6TO.jpeg

https://i.imgur.com/NR7LBjb.jpeg

[VRaptor SpeedWorks, LLC]

Does your friend mind if I use his photos on my website?

[Shoeless]

Does your friend mind if I use his photos on my website?

Was about to email some of these over to ya so you have a high-definition native file :cool: Absolutely post them up on your website!!!

[beeman]

WOW. Incredible photos!

[VRaptor SpeedWorks, LLC]

Thanks!!