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.