Electronics Suite - Preliminary Decisions

Every guy I know love their gadgets. The GTM electronics suite is a vast opportunity to devise, scheme, plan and plot a digital cornucopia. With the order date for the kit a mere three and half months away, it is time to start making decisions. As with everything, decisions begin to narrow your options - this is a good and bad thing.

The CarPuter or Car PC is a powerful option. Mobile Computing Solutions is a great site to research the available options. Centerfuse Auto provides software framework to load apps (similar to iPhone and Droid) to a XP, Vista or Windows 7 environment. 

The CarPuter idea is seductive and extraordinarily powerful. Unfortunately, there are some red flags. Many of the apps rely on an external board connected to the CarPuter via a USB 2.0/3.0 cable (in some cases up to 10 possible inputs). I live in this world professionally, and my experience has been that trying to push a Windows OS with 6 USB inputs is iffy at best. This is going into a car. I need it to be reliable. The other warning flag was that people are relying on hacks to make things work (e.g. hand soldering boards). Again the reliability/kludge factor causes me to pause -  especially in a car capable of 200 (or better) mph.

I went with an independent TPMS system offered by Orange Electronics.  Most systems are rated to 7 years on the Lithium Ion batteries. This is a direct monitoring system. The pressure monitor is mounted on the inside of the wheel rim. I plan to mount the screen on the lower left hand side of the dash. This becomes critical in the build, as I want to get the car up on wheels no later than July. Therefore, I need a TPMS solution ready to go by then. This also means I have to decide on tires and tire sizes.

The electronic suite consists of the following:

• Parking Assist Sensors
• TPMS (My buddy Vern hates these things)
• AM/FM/DVD/BT/MP3/GPS/XM
• HomeLink
• Automatic Headlight Sensor (under $30)
• Auto Dim Mirror
• Compass
• Temperature
• Trip Computer
• Forward and Rear Cameras (Night vision is a plus)
• OBD II Diagnostics
• Cruise Control
• inTouchMax
• Seat heaters (this is a Minnesota car - needed for late and early season driving)

Directed Electronics 545T Nite-Lite System uses a photo electric sensor to measure light and automatically turns on/off the headlights, tail lights and parking lights as necessary.

The goal of the electronics suite is functionality. This means I need to pack a lot of functionality into a small number of versatile interfaces. One of the major driving factors is space. The GTM is not a Chevy Suburban that has boat loads of room. It is basically a cockpit strapped to a rocket motor inside an exotic body shape. The center console has room for a double din unit and the ISIS inTouchMax screen (after I move the shifter towards the rear). The ISIS system already has 1 Master Cell, 3 Power Cells and a inMotion Cell. These all need to be deployed out of sight, and they require flat mounting surfaces. ISIS localizes 95% of the controls to the inTouchMax screen. Add to this speakers and an amplifier (I'm thinking of hiding this under the passenger seat) for the sound system and there aren't many places to stick a CarPuter.

This is a Bluetooth enabled scan tool that is compatible with Droid, Android and Torque. Torque is an Android app that directly monitors the vehicle's ECU. I plan to use this with an Android (Samsung Galaxie II) tablet on an as need basis. I will test it on the Corvette and see if Torque lives up to its billing.

Since space is at a premium, you start asking questions:

1. Does the GPS and/or cameras get deployed to the rear view mirror or the sound system controls?
2. Does the sound system use a fixed screen double din solution, or a single din with a motorized screen solution?
3. Does HomeLink get deployed to the rear view mirror, or is it an independent 3 button solution? If so, is there room on the headliner?
4. Does the parking assist system use 4, 6 or 8 sensors? And how does it interface to the screens?
5. Do the OBD II diagnostics get pumped to a really ugly instrument panel (looks like a cheap 1980's Nintendo system)? 
6. Is a 7 inch touch screen large enough to adequately display the information?
7. Where do the compass, temperature, trip computer and map lights get deployed?
8. Is there even room to go with a paddle shift controller behind the dash or inside the tunnel?
9. Does the GPS software have a built in trip computer? If so, how good is it?
10. Is there a reliable vendor and method to update the GPS map and software?

For the parking assist system, I am going with  a 2 speaker, no display, 8 sensor system. One sensor on each corner, and two sensors on each bumper. I plan to deploy the speakers so I can differentiate the front from the rear. The rear sensors activate when the back up lights engage. The front sensors activate when the brakes are applied. The stated range is five feet. Each has an independent controller.

This is what planning is about. In the final analysis, the only place left for the CarPuter was under the driver's side seat. I'm not sure how much space there really is down there. I've started making decisions (without putting a lot of money at risk). None of them are cast in concrete - that's the beauty of building your own car. The thing I like about the decisions I've made is that they are simple, modular and easy to replace.

Wheels!

One of the things I set up was an Ebay alert for 2 phrases: Factory Five and GTM. I receive an email anytime something new is listed for sale on Ebay. Many of these are listings for some really great cars people have built. The car listings are great for build ideas. There are usually enough pics so you can see if you like or dislike how something looks. Occasionally, something else comes up.

Wheel caps included.

I have already purchased the Big Brake Kit. These huge six piston brakes come with larger rotors and it is clearly explained that you need 18 inch or larger wheels to accommodate this upgrade. Factory Five sells a larger set of wheels in a bright silver finish. These wheels are Forgestar F14 and they are available in 9 different finishes. These wheels cost a little bit more than the Factory Five listing, but they came with free shipping, so there was a net savings of $100.

This is the rear wheel 18 x 12 in high gloss black (Forgestar calls this a Piano Black). This is a very big rim that is surprising lightweight (only 22 lbs). I left the protective plastic wrapping on the wheel. These will not be mounted until sometime next summer.

I conducted an informal poll on Facebook, text messages and people at the karate studio I where I work out. I explained the car was going to be red (Corsa red - Ferrari Racing Red) and the calipers are red. So did they like silver wheels or high gloss black wheels. There was an interesting split here. All the guys said high gloss black. All the women said silver. Although, the love of my life said I should do what I wanted. Once it was explained that I was planning a bright red car and not a cranberry red, the other women said black would be okay.

This is our Yorkie-in-charge checking out the Forgestar wheel.

The rear wheels are truly astounding. One of the things I discovered about the GTM is that I can go with different rear tire sizes for the larger wheels:

• 335/30 - 18
• 295/35 - 18
• 275/40 - 18

This is attractive, because it opens up the tire selection. Except once I saw the rear wheel, I knew I could only go with 335/30 -18 size tires. If I had decided to go with the donor car brakes, rotors and wheels, then I would be looking at the standard Corvette C5 of 245/45 - 17 (front) and 275/40 -18 (rear) configuration. Factory Five recommends Toyo tires. I prefer something other than a street legal racing slick, so I am probably going to put Michelin Pilot Sport PS2 tires on the car.

After Market Parts

Anyone who has perused the Factory Five Forum, or who has run a number of Google searches will realize that the GTM has spurred a vibrant after market. One of those places is Vraptor SPeedworks. These guys build GTMs, Superlite Coupes, Race Car Replicas and Ultima GTRs. They know where the problems exist, and they are contributors to the relevant forums. They manufacture and sell solutions to the problems they have run into on various builds.

This is a mounting plate for an ISIS Power cell. The problem addressed here is the lack of flat spots where the Power cells can be mounted on the frame. I figured out in an earlier post that I require 3 Power Cells and maybe an InMotion cell too.

So how frustrating or satisfying is it to deal with an after market GTM vendor? I have budgeted into the initial build estimate the Kooks Custom Exhaust supplied by Vraptor Speedworks. I figured I would like to know if they were a reliable source, before I plunk down $2000. A $140 order was my test case.

Mounting bracket for the ISIS Master Cell.

I put together a small order of ISIS mount plates, AC plenum and Stereo closeout panel. These were all items that addressed specific issues raised by multiple builders. My philosophy is to learn from those who have built one of more GTMs and have fashioned solutions.

The AC plenum relocates the blower motor from under the hood to the passenger side footwell. This provides better circulation of cool air inside the car.

I put my order together and emailed Shane at Vraptor Speedworks. He came back with the costs and a PayPal account to use. I paid the total and emailed a confirmation. Ten days later, the parts showed up. I dare say the service here was a darn sight better than some places I have recently dealt with (Grrrr, the Eibach Performance Sway Bars for the Boxster was an exercise in pulling teeth - not Eibach's problem, an unnamed vendor who will receive no more orders).

Stereo close out panel mounts between the dash and the tunnel. This reduces noise and  alleviates temperature issues by providing a seal around the stereo components. I might need one for the inTouchMax screen as well.

Garage Prep III

This is the final phase for garage prep prior to ordering the GTM chassis. I installed a Swisstrax floor at the build site. In the post entitled Synergy I discussed Swisstrax flooring. If you decide to install a floor like this, list Traci as your sales person. She has handled 4 orders for me, and they all arrived perfect.

Finished product. The Maple Grove build site for the GTM.

Neither the Swisstrax floor or the DirectLift car lift are requirements for the GTM. They are both designed to make the build space more usable. The Swisstrax floor is virtually indestructible. It doesn't mar from jack stands or ramps. It doesn't come apart when a car drives on/off repeatedly. It doesn't fade under bright sun (and South Carolina has plenty of that). It doesn't scratch your painted parts.

DiamondTrax tile.

Each tile is a mixture of polymers and rubber, and each tile has a compression strength of 5120 psi. This floor is more forgiving than concrete, and I have no illusions - things will get dinged and nicked during the build. Hopefully, the Swisstrax floor will mitigate some of my clumsiness.

This is the bottom of a tile. You can see it is designed to handle a significant load. In my case, the weight of the lift is dispersed to four load points and the weight of any car I might put on there is equally distributed to those load points. The lift weights 1700 lbs and the heaviest car I might put up there is 4000 lbs. That comes down to 1600 lbs per load point - well within spec for the titles.

I chose the DiamondTrax pattern, because it provides grip and prevents things from just wandering away. It is available in fourteen colors. Once you've selected the product and have measurements, go to the floor designer and build your floor. The designer is a HTML WYSIWYG tool. When you're satisfy request a quote. Get the estimate, pay the bill and wait for FedEx truck to arrive.

Th edge pieces are about 2 inches wide and provide a nice ramp edge to the floor.

Assembly is a snap. The tiles fit together per the plan you submitted. For tools you need some gloves, knee pads, rubber mallet and a cutting tool (I'd suggest the Dremel Multi Max or one of its clones). I finish off the job with end pieces to give me a tapered edge.

Paddle Shifts

The GTM cockpit is not spacious. My strategy is to leverage technology (e.g. Smart Mirror, inTOUCH screen) to provide space. I would like to have a center console similar to the one in my Corvette.

Gary Cheyne's GTM fitted with paddle shifters to Porsche G50/20 transaxle.

One place to regain some space is to eliminate the gear shift between the seats. The way to do this is to go with a paddle shift solution. The C5 Corvette (base donor car for the GTM) does not have paddle shifts. So I am reading through the blog posts on SEMA (Specialty Equipment Market Association) and come across a post for Master Shift.

Paddle shifter unit. t uses the horn wire to send signals to the controller unit.

Master Shift makes paddle shifters for automatic and manual transmissions (including the Porsche G50/20). The hardware is available for C5/C6/Z06 steering columns. They have already installed the system in a Factory Five GTM. It can be retrofitted to a variety of older and component cars.

Shift hardware that converts the G50/20 from shaft driven to cable driven .

This is how it works:

1. Shift command is transmitted via the horn wire to a electronic controller.
2. Two cables are connected from the controller to the shift hardware mounted on the transmission.
3. Shifts are not executed until the clutch is engaged. 
4. Safeties are built in to prevent neutral and reverse shifts
5. The controller is programmable.
6. A dash display indicates current gear.

Garage Prep II

Last July (before I wandered to South Carolina for grand kids and stuff), I went to the Cars & Coffee event at the autoplex. This is a wonderful facility located in the western suburbs of Minneapolis. One of the garage owners was kind enough to talk to me about his lifts. He had two Direct Lift four post lifts rated to 8000 pounds. He had a Corvette on each lift and some other cars underneath. (Once you see the Corvettes, what else is there to talk about?)

Front posts will end up against the garage wall.

My garage is deep and it has a 10 foot ceiling. The Boxster is 45 inches tall and the GTM is 42 inches tall. I don't have a lot of room to work with, so I need to leverage the space I have. A four post lift does not have to be bolted to the floor. This is very convenient, especially if you end up moving it.

Rear posts.

My major concern was clearing the garage door hangers. The lift does me no good if it interferes with the garage door. So I spent considerable time measuring the garage, and checking to see if I cleared the garage door. I marked the approximate post locations with chalk, then put wheel chocks as markers (I have a very understanding wife).

Installed and in place.

The lift weighs 1700 pounds. Benco (the Direct Lift distributor for the Midwest) delivered and installed the lift. It was painless. The installers told me that they have put lifts in smaller spaces than my garage, and it wasn't unusual to see one of these in a residential setting.

I also ordered an in line jack for the lift. This is a hydraulic jack that can extend to the car's jacking points and lift vehicle while on the lift. There is an additional plate that will support the car's weight where I use for tools, jack stands and supplies. In addition, there are plastic drip plates that can be spread so your super cool sports car doesn't do anything unpleasant to your other super cool sports car parked below.

I have the system plugged into the same 110 VAC outlet used for the garage door opener. It is a closed system that operates on hydraulics and inch thick cables. It doesn't go up and down real fast, but would you really want to be lifting your pampered petrol burner really fast?

These ramps are detachable. They work fine for low profile vehicles, and my Boxster with the  GT3 style front is very low profile.

The plan is to put the GTM on the lift. Use the bay underneath to park the Boxster or the Camry. Before the GTM arrives, I hope to get the Swisstrax floor installed.

I can take the lift to maximum height with the Boxster on top, and I can stand under the car without feeling like I'm about to smash my noggin on something.

The four post lift is not a requirement for the build. However, I think it makes the project more doable. I have spent the last couple of years flat on my back, working on the Corvette and Boxster using a combination of Race Ramps and jack stands. It was extraordinary to examine the bottom of the car from this perspective. Things that seemed incredibly awkward now are very straight forward and easy to accomplish. I need that edge to help make the GTM project a success.

Big Brake Upgrade - October 2011

The big brake upgrade requires that you go with 18 inch wheels or larger. This means you are making commitment to a larger wheel size (and the incumbent costs). According to Factory Five Tech Support, this is the same brake package they installed on their LS7 powered test mule that did 0 to 60 in 3.0 seconds.

Z06 C5/C6 Big Brake Upgrade Kit

The stock C5 Corvette front/rear set up is 17 and 18 inches respectively. This is not large enough to accommodate this package. This package requires 18 inch wheels (minimum). Some vendors will warn you about this on their websites. West Cost Corvette had the best price. As I have purchased other major systems for the my Corvette from them, I felt comfortable making this purchase. The Big Brake Upgrade includes the following:

• (2) 6 piston front calipers
• (2) 4 piston rear calipers
• (2) drilled and slotted 14 inch front rotors
• (2) drilled and slotted 13.4 inch rear rotors
• (1) set HAWK Z06 front and rear HPS brake pads
• (4) DOT steel braided brake lines   
• (4) pints Motul Racing Brake Fluid

In the overall budget, I allocated a separate line item for this package.

Left side front/rear suspension

This is an enhancement to the overall build, and I can complete it prior to ordering the GTM chassis. The suspension is no longer connected to the rest of the car, so you need to brace it.

These 22mm bolts turned very stiffly. They were the biggest problem I encountered.

The first thing you need to do is loosen the 22mm bolts that attach the caliper pistons to the knuckle. Warning: These bolts haven't been turned since the donor car left the factory, and the rear suspension ones seemed to have been tightened down by Godzilla. I was using an old torque wrench as a breaker bar. It went past 150 foot pounds (end of the scale), and I only got tired. 

I clamped down the suspension, sprayed the bolts with penetrating oil, tapped them lightly with a hammer, and used a 20 inch breaker bar. You may have to repeat this a couple of times. Give the oil some time to work (at least 15 minutes). There were some comments from the management that the oil stinks. You can't keep everyone happy.

Crush washer.

Second, you will find crush washers on the front rotors. Use a small screw driver and needle nose pliers to get the free. You don't really need them. There are none on the rear rotors.

The new rotor is on top. You can see it is a larger diameter and it is drilled. 

Third, slide the caliper off and pull the rotor off. For the most part these just slide right off, but a couple of them required some persuasion. While the rotor is off, I took some Rem Oil and steel wool to clean up the surface rust on the hub.

Thread the 22mm bolts back on.

 Fourth, slide the new rotor and caliper on the hub. Insert the 22mm bolts back into the caliper. I plan to wait until the suspension is mounted on the chassis before torquing to spec (125 ft-lbs).

There is a pad for each piston. Six pads for each front caliper and 4 pads for each rear caliper.
The penny is there to give you an idea on large these are.

Fifth, insert pads right through the top of the caliper. The pads are head in place by bolts that slide into the half moon notch on the side of the pads. The bolts are stainless steel that screw in using an Allen wrench.

Top down view on caliper. There is a pad installed on the right side, and the left side is still open. You can see the stainless steel bolt and piston on the left hand side.

It takes about 5 minutes to put these pads in. Probably a little longer, once the suspension is mounted on the chassis. This is easier than playing around with two wrenches and swinging the caliper up to replace the  pads.

Remove the plug and install the braided steel brake lines.

Sixth, we need to attach the braided brakes lines. This is very easy. This connect to the reservoir on the back of the caliper using a banjo bolt.

Banjo bolt and end of the braided brake line.

This was pretty easy to do. Once I figured out how everything fit together, the second brake/rotor went very fast.

Finished product.

ISIS Wiring Diagram - First Draft - October 2011

I started working on the wiring diagrams for the GTM about 2 months ago. A little thing called work got in the way. Over the past couple days, I have had a chance to concentrate on this project. I am using ISIS Power for my wiring. ISIS is an intelligent multiplex system that does not rely on traditional relays, fuse boxes or fixed functionality. It is simple and flexible.

This is the best explanation video of the ISIS system that I have found.

The brains of the ISIS system is the Master Cell. All inputs to the electrical system go here and are distributed to the appropriate Power Cell. The Power Cell in turn directs current to connected peripherals. Instructions are passed between Master Cell and Power Cells via data bus (the data bus is represented by the heavy red line in the drawings). Power leads are run from the battery/fuses to each Power Cell. This eliminates the need to run high current through the inputs and switches. Signal input from switches to the Master Cell is measured in milliamps.

Major Wiring Diagram.

Based on all the peripherals I plan to incorporate and using the GTM standard worksheets as a starting point (these are the base set up sheets for a GTM available on the ISIS website), I mapped out the number of cells I need to run everything in the GTM. NOTE: This wiring is independent of the engine harness. These are the ISIS components:

1. Master Cell with InTouch Mobile interface card. Location: Forward firewall.
2. (3) Power Cells. Location: (2) forward firewall, (1) rear firewall
3. InMotion Cell, Location: Forward Firewall.
4. InTouch Console: Double Din center console.
5. InDash: Behind driver's dash board.
6. Mirror Controller: Forward firewall.

InMotion Cell handles bi-directional items like windows and telescoping steering column.
ISIS is coming out with a unit dedicated to controlling the side view mirrors. I presume it will be priced below an InMotion cell. 

Power Cell 1 reflects basic ISIS programming for the GTM. These peripherals are all located forward.

Power Cell 3 is an addition to the basic 3 cell starter kit. It manages most of the additional electronics I plan to add.

Power Cell 2 is located in the rear engine compartment. It reflects basic ISIS programming with the addition of the seat heaters.

GTM Radiator

I got around to unpacking the radiator for the GTM. This is a stock OEM replacement radiator designed for C5 Corvette.

I went with a stock radiator for the following reasons:

1. My experience with the C5 under 100 degree temperatures in traffic idle situations. This the same set up as what will be installed into the GTM. Engine cooling runs up to around 230 degrees, then the fans kick in and she goes back to 215.
2. Fitment issues with the current GTM chassis. Alternative radiators (e.g. DeWitts, BeCool) have a bigger footprint. I am planning enough deviations from the standard spec on the car that I really do not want to deal with an additional issue. If/When I get into trouble, I can always go back to look at the Corvette and see how everything is put together.
3. I do not plan to race the car, so I see little upside benefit for a radiator costing $400 - $600 more and requiring additional work to get it installed.
4. I have other places where i want to spend money (some glamour / some performance / some just plain fun).

58x Crankshaft Signal Converter

When I purchased the donor kit from FPARTS (see posts Donor Parts Kit (purchased), Donor Parts Kit Arrives, Donor Parts Kits (Catalogued)), I received an engine harness and PCM for the LS1 engine. However, I plan to purchase a LS376/480 crate engine and this presents a problem.

The LS1 engine harness and PCM are not compatible with the LS3 engine. The reason for this is the LS1  is a Gen III engine and the LS3 is a Gen IV engine. This change took place when in 2006. The major problem is the Gen III engines us a 24x reluctor wheel and the Gen IV engines use a 58x reluctor wheel. This is the crank signal protocol. Basically, a 58x signal does not work on a 24x harness and vice versa.

The oddity is the 2005 Corvette (the first year of the sixth generation Corvette) in that it has a LS2 Gen IV engine with a 24x reluctor wheel.

My initial thoughts were that once I got everything running on the GTM with the LS3 engine, I would run to Ebay and put the LS1 harness up for auction. Conservatively, the engine harness and PCM represent about 20% of the donor kit cost, plus the cost of a new harness and PCM compatible with the LS3 is around $1800 - $2000. That's a swing of $3000 - OUCH!

There's a better way. I read in  GM LS-Series Engines: The Complete Swap Manual that Lingenfelter Performance Engineering makes 58X - 24X Crank Sensor Trigger Conversion Module.

For $250, I can purchase a plug & play module, salvage my investment and save $2000.

Kindle Power

A Kindle is a tremendous tool. It is far more than a simple E-Reader. A Kindle account is free to set up, and the reader app can be downloaded to a myriad of different platforms, including the iPad, Android, and PC platforms.

A book on my Kindle is accessible everywhere I have a suitable platform. I have never done an engine swap/mount before, but there are plenty of resources out there to bring me up to speed. The GM LS-Series Engines: The Complete Swap Manual is a tremendous DIY guide to mount an LS Series engine swaps and mounts. Best of all it has a Kindle edition ($3 cheaper than the hard copy).

I order the book. A minute later it arrives on my Kindle. Five more minutes, I have my head stuck inside the engine compartment of my Corvette.

Ah, but you say the Kindle is black & white, it is a bit bulky (when there might not be space under the car). I agree, but my Apple iTouch is just the right size and it is in color and I can zoom things in and out as needed.

So I have a couple of days left before I tuck my Corvette away until after New Years. Enough time (I hope) to get my head around the accessories rail, engine mounts and the transmission/clutch linkage.

Granted, the LS376/480 is a bigger engine, and the Mendeola transaxle is a different configuration, but the basics are the same. Before I can appreciate the specifics, I need to understand the basics.

inTOUCH Mobile

I'm at the South Carolina house, and Labor Day Weekend has afforded me the time to start laying out the circuits for the GTM. When I decided to tackle this project, I never considered how much of it involved wiring. After spending the long weekend reading up on ISIS, I am convinced the ISIS Power system does significantly cut the time and complexity for wiring portion of the car.

If you have been around an iPad, iTouch, iPhone or Droid, I'm sure you've figured out that Apps are all the rage these days. Key fobs have eliminated the need to fumble with a door key. If you've had a chance to see late model Corvettes, Ferraris or even our Toyota Camry, they use a button to start the car.

So ISIS takes it another step further (they're probably not the only people doing this) and eliminate the key fob and the key. The ISIS inTOUCH system mounts an encrypted WIFI daughter board on the Master Cell. (The Master Cell is the central brain for the ISIS system.) You then download an app from iTunes or the Droid Marketplace (the Droid App is due out in late 2011) to your Apple or Droid device, and load the encryption key to the app. It can unlock the car, turn the lights on or roll down the windows. Actually, you can set up the programming to do just about anything you want.

If you still want a key fob, they'll sell you last century's technology with their inLINK system. It operates on the same principle of mounting a daughter board on the Master Cell and using radio frequency technology.

The cost difference is $70 and you end up with a much cleaner interface.

Suspension Clean Up

In preparation for building the GTM, I scour GTM build blogs and logs. (This is one of the reasons I am writing this blog, to help illustrate the path toward a successful GTM build.) Anyway, one thing I liked was the idea of cleaning up the suspension control arms. Fparts degreased the suspension before they shipped. I know the parts came from a minimum of 2 cars (yellow and grey). Based on different coloration between the from and rear suspension members, I think they may have come from different vehicles as well.

 One thing I learned from other build logs is the idea of repainting the suspension pieces to give them a "new" and "uniform" look. I took a quick trip down to Loews and picked up a couple cans Rustoleum metallic paint, set up a paint booth in the corner of the garage and masked off the rubber gaskets. This went pretty quick.

The other improvement is the replacement of the rotors, brake lines, and calipers with the Z06 Big Brake Upgrade. That's a late fall, early winter project.

Donor Parts Kit (Cataloged)

The donor parts kit was the most practical approach for this phase of the build. I do not have space for a donor C5, plus storage for GTM components. I had already decided that I was going with a bigger engine than the LS1, and I plan to purchase the big brake upgrade kit. Those decisions make a donor C5 impractical.  Photos are here.

I purchased the kit on Ebay from Fparts. Fparts is a salvage yard located in Bristol, PA. They specialize in Firebird, Camero and Corvette salvage. According to their banner, they put together more than 25 of these kits in 2008.

The first thing you need to understand is the kit is not sitting around on some skid, waiting for you to put your money down. These parts are still installed on existing vehicles. They even apologized that it took them a week to get things together. It would probably take me a month.

The second thing is this is going to come via freight. The shipping company provided a tracking number, and I was able to follow my skid from Pennsylvania to Minneapolis. The day before it was due into the Minneapolis terminal, I called and set up a delivery time. I did have to pay extra for a lift gate truck. If you have the means to pick it up yourself, you can save $50.

The third thing is the parts are used. However, you have to understand the Corvette mindset. Since I have a C5 and belong to Myrtle Beach Corvette Club, I get it. Most of these cars are driven on sunny days by older people. When I'm in South Carolina, my C5 is my daily driver except when it rains or I'm on my way to gun range. I'm hard pressed to put more than 3000 or 4000 miles per year on the car.

 Factory Five provides a GTM parts list. They even have a page with pictures of the parts. I make no claims that I know what everything looks like, and they look different sitting in your hand than they do attached to a vehicle.

Fparts uses this same list and provides everything except radiator, alternator, brake pads and brake lines. They print this stuff in red. Parts arrive on a pallet, steel banded and bubbled wrapped or bagged where appropriate. This means items like the steering column are bubble wrapped. Items like the O2 sensors are in bags labeled as such. Items like the fuel tanks, suspension are just sitting there, but these are pretty obvious. The suspension came in four pieces: left, right, front, rear. I don't have to think about putting all those parts together.

So you have the part numbers, description, photos (in some cases) and a list. What could go wrong? I broke things into the following groups:

• Suspension
• Fuel Tanks,
• Steering Column
• Transmission harness
• Engine harness
• Cooling system (e.g. hard pipes, condenser, fans)
• Doors (e.g. window motors, side view mirrors, handles, seat belts)
• Small items (e.g. sensors, bolts, tensioner, pulley, ignition)
• Electronics

I still ended up with a couple of things not on the list, and a couple of mystery pieces. I texted photos to my buddy Brian, who has forgotten more than I'll ever know about cars. He'll either have a good laugh or wish me luck.

I use the same list that Factory Five provides, and Fparts uses to define the donor parts kit. I cataloged everything so I know where I put all these parts. I intend to matched these parts up with the build task list that I developed. I also plan to integrate the Factory Five Parts into the task list. This is my method of knowing where to go find something, when it is time to put it into the build. There are a lot of smart people out there, so you probably have a better way to do this.

Donor Parts Kit Arrives!

This is really quite painless.

Fparts shipped the kit via ABF. I told them I needed a lift gate service as the destination was a residential garage. No problem. The ABF folks were very professional and we arranged a four hour window for delivery. Everything was packed on a single skid. We slid everything into the back of the garage, signed the paper work and got to work.

To give you an idea of how much space you'll need, here is a quick photo of the skid, the gun safe and the hound. There is more than enough room left to park the Boxster in front of the skid.

I didn't have a lot of time last night to work on this, but I'll go into detail in next post. I will say this. Fparts did a super job. Most parts are bubble wrapped, many are labeled and the skid is wrapped in plastic plus 3 steel bands.

Donor Parts Kit (Purchased)

Over the weekend the GTM Donor Parts kit offered by FPARTS, went on sale at 10% off on Ebay. I've been watching this auction since May. It has been relisted a couple of times, and according to FPARTS, there were 3 kits available.

The economics for the donor parts work out like this:

• A new parts kit from SMC Performance is starting to push $12,000. 
• The GM Performance Parts kit never really materialized. This was something announced over a year ago.
• A salvage title C5 is running around $10,000
• The FPARTS kit dropped down to $4409 for 2 days over the weekend.

The items not included are the following:

• Brake lines
• Radiator
• Alternator
• Brake pads (Duh)
• A/C compressor and clutch

I am still planning to get the Big Brake Kit upgrade for Z06 Corvettes. This covers rotors, calipers, pads, fluids and brake lines. I have verified that the Factory Five 18 inch wheel upgrade accommodates this brake kit.

I plan to go with a bigger radiator (probably a DeWitts) anyway.

The alternator and A/C compressor need to matched to the engine accessory kit. Again, I am going with a bigger engine than you could find in a salvage C5 (i.e. LS376).

FPARTS does ask for a little patience. They need to put the donor kit together, and that includes pulling parts off a couple C5s in their salvage yard. I hope to see everything in the next 10 days.

It feels good to take a step forward on this project.

ISIS Car Wiring System

The project I am currently working on involves updating the front end of the Boxster. One aspect of the new look is the addition of DRLs (daytime running lights) that I purchased from Pedro's Garage. For you Boxster enthusiasts, this is a great site for do it yourself projects.

To get power to the DRLs, I have to tap into the windshield wiper motor. Sounds simple, until you look at all the wires running to and fro just for the wiper motor. Fortunately, I have a multimeter and a very good after market manual. There are several pages devoted to schematics of different electrical systems. As my eyes begin to glaze over, I realize that wiring the GTM could be the hardest part of the build.

So I asked people who have wired cars. My wife's cousin, Tim, has restored several classic cars (and a few other odds and ends) told me to check out American Autowire. If I had a classic Mustang or Corvette that required rewiring, this certainly is the system I would use. However, this is a GTM that I plan to install just about every electronic gadget known to man.

Then I stumbled across the ISIS Multiplex System on the Factory Five Forum. This system might also be referred to as ISquare, 1 + 1 or LittleFuse. ISIS is a modular and scalable electrical system that that manages the lights, signals, dash gauges, electronics, ignition, battery monitoring, electric windows, door poppers (well you get the idea).

Rather than stumble through a poor explanation, I found 4 videos produced by Two Guys Garage. The best part of these videos, they explain the ISIS system and they install it on a GTM!

These videos are about a year old.

Since then, they have added the inMOTION Cell. This module handles item like door poppers, power windows and anything where reverse polarity is necessary to make something run. It manages 5 devices instead of 10 like a regular power cell.

The other addition is the inTOUCH MAX Double DIN Touch Screen. With the exception of turn signals and hazard lights, every switch on the dash can be managed from this touch screen module. Plus you can password protect the car, in addition, the security already built into the master cell. The next video shows an actual install.

I talked to Jay Harris, President of ISIS Power last week. He answered a few more questions:

• LED lights, flashers - no problem. All of that is managed through the master cell and there is no reliance on electro-mechanical flashers.
• The different cells are daisy chained via a data cable enclosed in wire loom. On a build like the GTM, there is no order dependence for cells.
• Back up cameras are not currently supported by the inTOUCH cell. Jay plans to support cameras via inTouch by first Quarter 2012.
• Custom programming can either be done at the factory, or you can do it yourself.
• There is lots of info and reference material on the ISIS Power Site.

This is a modular and scalable system that even a computer geek like me can figure out.

Down side: it will cost more, and I will not be using the supplied wiring from the kit.

Up side: the sky is the limit!!

Garage Prep I

My solution for body shell storage is to hoist the back 2/3 portion of the shell to the top of my garage. I asked Factory Five technical support for dimensions and weight requirements.

1. 14 - 15 feet long
2. 74 inches wide
3. 150 - 175 pounds

I had our handyman Ted install angle iron across 2 joists for strength.

He installed 4 three foot lengths with a width of 7 feet and a length of 10 feet. The idea is to lift by the wheel wells and door openings in the shell.

Next, I went  to Lowes and purchased a swivel eye pulley plus hanger. Each are rated to 400 pounds.

I attached the pulley to the hanger, then used two 200 pound rated cable ties to attach the hangers to the angle iron.

Just add rope and tie offs, and we have pullet lift more than capable of handling body shell for storage. It is probably a bit over built, but I really don't want to wake up some morning and find it resting on the garage floor.