DRL Mounting

<< Fender Louvers                                                            Gen II GTM Front Grille >>

Major System Category: Body (Hood)
Task: Mount DRL
Parts: DRL aftermarket kit
Prerequisite Tasks:
Additional Costs: $10
Time Requirement: 2 hours
Date Started: October 18, 2012
Date Completed: October 18, 2012
Daytime Running Lights are not part of the basic kit. I understand they are a requirement in Europe and Canada. I really can't imagine building a car like the GTM and not having DRLs. I found my set on Ebay. All they are is a strip of LEDs enclosed in a plastic case with 22 gauge wire leads. I actually purchased the DRL kit before I ordered the GTM.

I taped off the area under the grille opening.

When I started working on the hood, I really did not have a good location for the DRLs. One GEN I builder put his under the headlights, but that doesn't seem to work very well on a GEN II. I had just gotten the front grille installed, and I was raising up the car at the end of a work session, when it occurred to me that I could mount the DRLs inside the hood shell under the grill. This is the fiber glass that encloses the bottom of the hood. There is a shelf to anchor the DRLs to.

Driver's side DRL set in place.

One of the truly odd things about the GEN II hood is its asymmetrical properties. The instructions for the Vraptor front grille contains a caution about attempting to mount the grille on the center line. This is because the grill opening is not centered. Hood symmetry is an issue for endless gripe sessions. Since I knew the grille opening was not centered on the hood, I just took Shane's advice (Vraptor wunderkind), and I centered the grille inside the grille opening.

Passemger side DRL set in place.

The top of the grille opening is approximately 29 inches. the bottom of the grille is 23 inches. This forms a trapezoid. I used the bottom angles as my center points for the DRLs. These were a little more than 6 inches long. I taped and marked the area. Ran my measurements and drew lines, took a deep breath and started cutting.

Front end view of the car with DRLs.

The first thing I used was a Dremel with a cutting disk. This made my first cut all the way through the fiber glass. I was concerned I might get this wrong. Next I used a reciprocating saw to make the horizontal lines. Returned with the Dremel to make the end cuts. Then I put a small drum sander on my right hand drill and started evening everything out. This went well. I have the DRLs screwed into the mounting brackets and I will panel bond the brackets to the inside of the hood shell using 3M's 8115. A little glazing putty around the edges and the DRLs are ready for wiring.

Fender Louvers

 << Hood Louvers                                                            Mount DRL >>

Major System Category: Body (Hood)
Task: Install fender louvers
Parts: Optional FF Part
Prerequisite Tasks: Mount the hood
Additional Costs: $199
Time Requirement: 6 - 10 hours
Date Started: October, 01, 2012
Date Completed: October, 10, 2012
The fender louvers are the opposite of the hood louvers. Where the hood louver drop into the hood, the fender louvers are designed to ride on top of the hood. They are also substantially bigger than hood louvers. I did some preliminary measurements and discovered that the fender louvers are cut to slightly different sizes. This is similar to what I found with the roof scoop. (i.e. I needed to find the center line of the car and the center line of the scoop and make sure they were aligned. then I needed to measure from the top edge of the door opening to common points on both sides of the scoop as it extended back across the roof.) There are similar challenges with the fender louvers.

Front end shot with both the fender and hood louvers set in place.

Like the hood louvers, the fender louvers require the vent slots to be cut. I used a Dremel with a heavy duty cut off wheel to trim out the vent slots. Next, I mounted a drum sander and smoothed out the cuts. I really need to get a second battery for the Dremel, it only runs about 15 minutes before performance falls off.

One of the fender louver pieces. The vents need to be cut and sanded.

Once I had the cuts made, it was time to figure out where to mount them (yeah, I know on the hood). There is definitely a drivers and passenger side version. They arrived with the kit. At the time, I was too busy disassembling the basic aluminum panels, hauling up the suspension and trying to get the car up on wheels to pay attention. However, now I am paying attention, and all I can say is - measure everything on the hood. The left and right versions do not measure out the same. When I measure the vent openings (parallel to the car's centerline) from the smallest to the largest, the passenger side is 3/4 inch longer.

I measured from the point of the hood to the first louver vent opening. I did the same measurement on both sides so the louvers started the same point on the hood.

I figured this out, because I could not seem to get the laser level to line up. I might get the top of the louver in line, but by the time I got to the fifth louver I was off. I decided it would be better to have the louvers closest to the cockpit lined up. I measured 21.5 inches from the point of the hood (between the latch and the door) down the seam of the fiber glass to the center line of the first vent. This gave me my front to back placement.

This is the contour that I used to measure the center line of the vents. This  is a line that is symmetrical.

There is a contour line that runs between the hood louver cut outs and the approximate location of the fender louvers. I measured from this line to identify the center line for each set of louver slots. Next I measured the width of each louver, identified the end points of the slot I needed to cut into the hood and marked it all up. I remeasured everything the next day, made adjustments and got ready  to cut into a perfectly good fiber glass hood.

Once I  figured out the proper location of the fender louver, I marked the location of the fender louver. This really helps when marking and cutting the louver slots in  the hood, and  for final placement of the fender louver.

I made my cuts into the fiber glass. Five slots on each side of different length. Thankfully this doesn't have to perfect and neat. The louver piece coves up up the cuts. I used the diamond cutting blade on the die grinder to get things started, then I used the jig saw to make the lateral cuts. I finished this off using the Dremel with a cutting blase to complete the end cuts. I sanded the rough edges, rechecked my work. Everything looks okay. I cleaned off the dust from the fiber glass on both the louver pieces and and the hood.

This the rough mark up for slots to be cut into the hood. Measure this several times and make sure  you're happy.

This is the passenger side of the hood. The sanded  seam can clear be seen.

This is the driver's side. These are the cuts in the hood. 

The fender and hood louvers are ready for bonding using 3M 8115 panel adhesive.

There is seam on the hood that needs to be sanded down before the fender louver pieces will sit flush. I ran a 60 grit sanding disc along this seam to eliminate the extra material. This is an area where the fiber glass is a little bit thinner than the rest. Therefore to reinforce things, I mixed up two batches of bondo and reinforced the thinner areas of the fiber glass between the cuts on the underside of the hood.

The final step is to feather in the fiber glass around each louver. This is going pretty good! Maybe one or two more layers of Bondo, then plenty of sanding.

I bonded the fender louvers without issue. I applied to beads of 3M 8115 panel adhesive, then held down the fender louvers using Gorilla Tape. I let it set up for 24 hours. I did not have optimal temperatures for this process. I need to eliminate the edges, so I plan to sand, then fiber glass the edge so it blends into the hood.

Side Scoop Louvers

<< Shaved handles                                        Rear Brake Vent >>

Major System Category: Body (Shell)
Task: Prep and install side scoop louvers
Parts:

• Side Scoop Louver
• 8115 3M Bonding Kit
• Fiber Glass supplies

Prerequisite Tasks: Mount the body
Additional Costs: $126
Time Requirement: 5 hours
Date Started: September 16, 2012
Date Completed: September 25, 2012
The side scoops are located forward of the rear tires. The build manual calls for a mesh screen to be installed  behind the cut out. There is nothing wrong with mesh screen, it just doesn't provide for enough air flow. I believe this was done as a cost control measure. The basic kit already costs $21k plus shipping and the donor and the transaxle. All told, the basic car costs around $55k. This is a no frills, basic GTM. Engineered parts like louvers cost more and further complicate the build. There is a trade off here.

These are the different parts and pieces for 1 side scoop louver. Basically, there are two side pieces and  eight blades.

I made the decision to spend dollars to enhance the car's integrity. Items such as the roof scoop (a F5 option in the catalog), bump/steer kit, Z06 Big Brakes, larger wheels, aluminum tanks and so forth are optional. The same goes for louvers. I purchase the side scoop louvers to replace the mesh screen.

One side louver assembled. This looks like the passenger side louver.

Consideration: I definitely would want to do this before installing the fuel tanks. This is a room to work consideration.

These are louvers side by side. They are not bonded at this point and can fall apart  in your  hands.

Each louver consists of 10 pieces. To figure how to put these together, I examined the photos on the Vraptor Speedworks site and measured the install area for the scoop. The photos showed eight louvers (same as in the kit). I discovered from my measurements that the cut out is not single width from top to bottom. This helped me understand that the widest louvers need to me i the middle, followed by the slightly shorter width louvers and a top and bottom piece. The top and bottom become obvious when examining the depth of cuts on the side pieces.

This is a test fit of the louver on the driver's side. It is just sitting in there.

I assembled a left and right version of the louvers (I got it wrong a couple of times). The skinny side piece goes against the interior of the other shell and the fatter side piece encloses the inside of the scoop. (This becomes obvious when you get under the car and look.

These are the louvers bonded and painted. I ended up having to  sand and repaint parts of the louvers after they were installed. There was a certain amount of fiber glass and glazing necessary to sculpt the opening.

Consideration: I used tape on the outside of the side pieces to hold everything together. This facilitates a test fit and measurement for the cut out. I intend to use 3M 8115 panel bond to permanently secure these pieces.

Final product. The louver is bonded to the body shell. The opening has been sculpted with  fiber glass, sanded and glazed. I am sure it will need some additional attention before it is ready for paint, but that's a long way off right now.

It helps to remove the tires in order to provide access inside the body shell (thank goodness for the inline jacks). The scoop cut is basic grunt work.

Rear Quarter Floor (R, L)

<<   Rear Tunnel Aluminum                           Aluminum Tanks >>

Major System Category: Body (Undercarriage)
Task: Install floor plates
Parts: Rear quarter floor panels
Prerequisite Tasks: Rear Tunnel Aluminum
Additional Costs: N/A
Time Requirement: 2 hours
Date Started: October 4, 2012
Date Completed: October 4, 2012
One of the items I have held off completing are the floor panels. It has been convenient to reach up through the floor and get some things done. When I was working on the original fuel tanks, there was no requirement to install the floor panels beneath the tanks. The Corvette tanks just kind of were there. I found this to be a good arrangement, because it provided access to everything around the tanks.

Rear quarter panels under the tanks. These panels are on the engine  side of the fire wall.. Orientation:  Center line of the undercarriage on driver's side.

The rear tunnel aluminum needs to be installed for the Corvette tanks. Once the tanks are in place, these areas become inaccessible for the purpose of installation. I upgraded the fuel system to use aluminum tanks, and these tanks require the floor to be installed. I was quite excited to install the tanks, bur first things first.

I sound proofed the panel closest to the cockpit, as it technically resides inside the same body shell area as the cockpit. The more triangular shaped piece resides adjacent to the engine. Since the tanks rest atop wooden blocks and camper mount tape is used to minimize rattles, these new tanks should ride pretty quiet.

Anything being installed from the underside of the car requires that the item be drilled and riveted straight up. There is nothing very complicated about getting this done, it just takes time and grunt work. Every rivet is into a cross member on the chassis. There are no easy holes to drill and some of the areas can be awkward. I had to take the rear axle off the jacks, because they interfered with my access. A right hand drill comes in very handy.

Aluminum Tanks

<< Rear Quarter Floor (R, L)             Fuel Tank Crossover Tube >>

Major System Category: Fuel System
Task: Install Aluminum Tanks
Parts: Aluminum Tanks
Prerequisite Tasks: Rear Tunnel Aluminum
Additional Costs: $1200
Time Requirement: 3 hours
Date Started: October 6, 2012
Date Completed: October 6, 2012
Sometime in mid-August, I started working on the Corvette tank modifications. The further I progressed on this task, the more obvious it became that there was no way this was a good idea. First The driver's side tank becomes the passenger, then the manual instructs that holes be drilling into the bottom of both tanks. The specified hole turns out to be larger than the supplied AN fittings. Plus, I realized I had just created the weak link in a fuel system running at 50 PSI.

Quick Racing Products aluminum tanks.

I test mounted the Corvette tanks, raised the lift and read further in the build manual. Based on my understanding, the plan was to run a fuel line between the tanks right in front of the engine. Indeed, this is something that needs to happen, but seemed really close to where the accessories are going to be spinning. I stood there under the car looking from the manual to the car, and slowly it began to penetrate my rather thick skull, why one poster on the FF forums said the Quick Racing Products tanks are a must have.

Black silicone applied to the 2x4 blocks.

There are enough threads from people who have had fuel tank leak issues. Remember, my chassis is number 402. According to the Stewart Transport driver, he is delivering approximately 10 GTMs per year. Only half of these (Gen I and II) are complete. So if a significant number in that population write about fuel leak or heat problems, I need to listen. To balance this, there are GTM owners that have followed the build manual recommendations and do not have leaks. Then there was the guy who went that route, and after some 5 or 6k miles, his tanks started leaking. He has had to tear half the car apart to fix this problem (not a happy camper).

Camper mount tape applied to the chassis members that contact the fuel tanks.  The wood blocks also have tape applied and sit inside the rear quarter pan behind the fire wall. Orientation: Looking towards the rear of the vehicle where the fuel tanks reside from the driver's cockpit.

So I sat down with the budget spreadsheet. Aluminum tanks and the corresponding fuel pumps were not in the budget. I pushed back the ISIS power purchase (maybe into 2013), bit the bullet and ordered the tanks and fuel pumps and all the plumbing needed to make it work. I decided the a fuel leak in an area where fumes can accumulate next to a hot engine in a high performance sports car is not a good thing. Yes, I am spending a lot of time building this car (and having a blast doing it), but I also want to spend some time driving her when she's finished.

This is the cut out in the tunnel wall. I took the measurements from the template and ran lines. Then I test mounted the  fuel tanks, and figured where I needed a tad more room. Finally, I sanded and deburred the openings. Orientation: Facing rear tunnel from driver's cockpit.

Ron and Ted are the two guys on the other end of the phone when you talk or write to Quick Racing Products. I've never put a fuel system in before. Both of them were willing to take the time to answer my questions. They also knew what I needed when I gave them the engine specs. While this isn't a turn key, drop in solution, I feel better about not drilling holes into perfectly good fuel tanks.

Fuel tanks installed. The driver's side tank is closest. It is a bit harder to make out  the passenger side  tank. I applied camper mount tape to the back of the tank as well. This is where the fire wall makes contact with the fuel tanks.

The installation process is straight forward.

1. Install the floor plates (thank goodness for lift!)
2. Cut 4 1 foot sections of 2 x 4. (My buddy Vern cut me a 2 x 4 a couple of weeks ago, who knew that half of it would end up inside the car!)    
3. Apply black silicon to the underside of the wood. The tanks sit on top of the wood.
4. Apply camper mount tape to the contact points (on the chassis) where the tanks make contact.
5. Cut out a section (per the supplied template) in the tunnel wall. (This part of the tunnel was already installed. Be careful not to cut through a brake or clutch line.)

This is the passenger side tank fitting for the cross over pipe that runs between tanks. This is a good 12 inches further back into the tunnel and away from the engine.

I test mounted the new tanks a couple times. Everything seems to fit okay. I'm just waiting on the fuel pump and related supplies to show up next.

GTM AC Accumulator mount

<< GTM AC Plenum Relocation                                      Passenger foot well >>

Major System Category: AC & Cooling System
Task: Install AC Accumulator
Parts: Donor car AC Accumulator
Prerequisite Tasks: Install evaporator and hardlines
Additional Costs: N/A
Time Requirement: 30 Minutes
Date Started: August 25, 2012
Date Completed: August 25, 2012
The accumulator mounts to the cross member running above the steering rack. It helps to have the hard lines extending from the evaporator. This aids in placement for the accumulator. Once the rivet inserts are drilled and tapped, the accumulator bolts to the cross member. These hoses are very tight. amd when I ran them through the tunnel to where the compressor should mount to the accessory rail for the engine, they come up short. I figure sometime early next summer I will nee to splice in an extra foot or so to give everything enough slack.

Initial mount inside the forward arear above the hard lines running into the tunnel from the radiator.

Hose lines hooked up.

Hood Latches

<< Gas struts                                                         Mount Fog Lights >>

Major System Category: Body (Hood)
Task: Install latches and strikers
Parts: Corvette donor latches/strikers
Prerequisite Tasks: gas struts
Additional Costs: $20 Hood latch rub plates
Time Requirement: 90 minutes
Date Started: September 30, 2012
Date Completed: October 1, 2012
The latch and striker system use Corvette donor parts. There is a driver and passenger side version of the latch. The rule of thumb is that the side with the two square cut outs face front. In my case, the Corvette latch bolts were available. I used those with an extra set of washers on the inside of the body shell.

The side of the body is marked up for the latch install. The Corvette donor bolts are  1/4 inch,  so I drilled the center of the square cuts to give me some latitude to adjust the latch position on the body. Orientation: Driver side latch.

Consideration: It is much easier to do when the doors are uninstalled. The back of the latch can be reached from both the wheel well and door opening.

Corvette donor latch installed, with the Vraptor Speedworks rub plate between the latch and the body shell. I painted my rub plates black. They come unpainted. The square cut outs on the rub plates match the donor hardware.  Orientation: Driver side latch.

I purchased the Vraptor rub plates. These were originally called paint savers. Basically they act as a shield between the striker and the fiber glass behind the hood latch.

This the edge where the hood mates to the body shell. My goal is to keep this aligned. My other goal is to  keep the  left/right and up/down measurements for the hood with 1/8 inch tolerance. These goals do not play nice together.  Orientation: Driver side latch.

Consideration: The manual has this paint marking scheme to figure out the position of the striker. While this might work, it ignores the alignment of the hood and body lines. I developed a different methodology for striker placement.

My method measures from the edge of the body shell to the center line of the latch where the striker  mates. This approximately 9 inches.

My methodology is as follows:

1. Close the hood and ensure the edge of the hood aligns to the edge of the body where they meet towards to top of the door opening.
2. Position the hood latch so it sits in the middle of the up/down and forward/backward. This is so it can be adjusted.
3. On the body, run a measurement from the edge to the center line of the latch. I found this to be approximately 9 inches.
4. Run the same measurement on the hood and project a line perpendicular to the mounting block for the striker. This line aligns to the striker.
5. Duct tape the striker in place and bring it down to the latch. It isn't very easy to see the striker and the latch, but I was able to reach my finger up and feel the location of the striker, then I just lifted the hood to verify the location.
6. Adjust the latch/striker as necessary.
7. Tighten everything down and test latch the hood.

I make a similar measurement with the hood. This one is harder to do because the body shape curves and the mounting block for the sriker is about 2 or 3 inches away from the edge.

The hood is going to want to creep around in terms of fitment. Right now, I am fairly happy with how it turned out. I reran the laser level against the hood. She is still within 1/8 of inch left to right.

Gas strut Installation

<< Hood Mount                                                                           Hood Latches >>

Major System Category: Body (Hood)
Task: Install hood gas struts
Parts: Kit struts and mounts
Prerequisite Tasks: Mount the hood
Additional Costs: N/A
Time Requirement: 90 minutes
Date Started: September 30, 2012
Date Completed: September 30, 2012
After the hood is connected to the chassis, the gas struts need to be install. The alternative is to rely on the venerable Mark 1A 2x4, which has the annoying habit of slipping out of place. This can be annoying if one is under the hood at the time.

Strut mount next tot he forward upper control arm. Orientation:  Driver's side.

Strut installed. Note the skinny side of the strut points down, and the  mount stud point toward one another.

The lower mount connects to the chassis member next tot he front upper control arm. The Factory Five mounting method is fairly strong. I took my straight edge and ran lines to find the approximate intersection point for the hood mounts. This is a good approximation. Before I went ahead and riveted the hood mounts in place, I used the gas strut to verify the location. The mount stud end up facing each other. This requires the  strut openings to be rotated to accommodate this arrangement.

Fog Lights Mount

<< Mount the hood                       Forward Parking Assist - Circuit 3/9 >>

Major System Category: ISIS Wiring
Task: Mount the Fog Lights
Parts: Kit fog lights
Prerequisite Tasks: Hood needs to be mounted and bolted into place
Additional Costs: $27 Fog Light Brackets
Time Requirement: 2 Hours
Date Started: October 2, 2012
Date Completed: October 2, 2012
I did not even bother figuring out what the Factory Five method was for mounting the fog lights. I had an order ready for Shane at Vraptor Speedworks, so I just added these to the list. Vraptor has many good ideas and everything they sell has a practical application for the car (in this case my sanity).

Left to right: Bracket that comes with the fog light, Vraptor bracket, Vraptor bracket attached to fog light.  I painted  my brackets gloss black.

Since I have been working on the hood, with momentary lapses back to the sanding tasks related to the hatch window and roof scoop, I decided to get the lights mounted. I need to do this anyway before or after I purchase the ISIS system. This purchase has been delayed due to the assessment that modifying the Corvette fuel tanks is an exercise in futility.

Close up of mounted fog light.

The major gotcha in this process is the presence of the brackets used to attach the hood to the hinges. Murphy's Law is alive and well, because those hinges may just be placed to interfere with the mounting of the fog lights. I ended up whisker close to one of the hinge brackets. Fortunately there is enough room to make minor adjustments. I used the steel template, drilled my holes for the bracket. Then I test fitted the bracket and light until I had a reasonable certainty that the attached bolts would go through the holes. This is one of the very nice things about these brackets. The bolts are fixed, so you can just attach the washers and nuts from inside the hood.

Another shot a little further back.

Once I was satisfied with the bracket fit, I drilled a final 1/4 inch hole (watch out for those hinge brackets!) to thread the leads through. I moved everything into place, and tightened the lights down. Another small step in giant puzzle!