Rear Hatch Release Popper

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Major System Category: Body (Hatch)
Task: Install hatch release popper
Parts:
Prerequisite Tasks: Assemble and mount hatch latch
Additional Costs: $42
Time Requirement: 2 hours
Date Started: September 14, 2012
Date Completed:  September 20, 2012

One goal I have for the car is to eliminate keys. It might even be possible to eliminate fobs and rely strictly on a smart phone, but I'm not quite sure I want to be that radical. To this end, how do I open and close the hatch?

45 lbs solenoid mounted to the edge of the body shell in a direct line to the hatch  latch.

The kit solution is a very long cable snaking from  the rear hatch to the cockpit that needs to be pulled and the hatch opens. By the time I looked at this, I was two months into the build and a certain skepticism was developing as to how things will hold up long term. I really don't like the cable idea. So I have moved on to a popper solution. I am also planning to go with door poppers as well. Two door and trunk popper kits are available on Ebay at reasonable prices.

Steel cable looped through the eye of the latch and back to the solenoid. I still have the red  zip tie attach. This my emergency release cable. I will need to replace this with a steel cable once I install the engine.

The popper is a simple device. It is a looped steel cable threaded through the eye of the latch release and connected to a solenoid. I have a 45 lbs solenoid for the trunk and 60 lbs for the doors (this is a measure of pull energy for the cable, not weight.) The popper solenoid is grounded. The power lead will be connected to an ISIS power cell and ultimately controlled by a touch screen control.

These clamps are holding the solenoid in place as the 8115 sets up overnight.

The cable between the latch release and the solenoid works best on a straight line basis. Certainly, a pulley can be added for angles, but this just becomes another point of failure. Since the latch is mounted to the body shell, I mounted the solenoid to the body shell, and this is where things get interesting. There really isn't a good place to do this. Absent an engine, transmission and exhaust, this area looks wide open - this is a mirage. The exhaust exits on both sides of the license plate and this sits right below the latch.

These are the electrical butt splices I used to clamp down the wire. It is a tight fit (which is fine), but you can get the steel cable through these connects twice.

My solution (for now) is to mount the popper solenoid on the body shell using 8115 adhesive (this stuff is incredible. I would like to reinforce this mount with some kind of strap. I did not like the little lead wire clamps. I figured if something got messed up and I had to take things apart, then I would need a replacement for these. I discovered that I could use a 10 gauge electrical butt splice and make everything work.

This is my little test battery. It weights about four lbs. I can duct tape it to the lift, and it is rechargeable.

I measured everything out, looped the cables and clamped the splice. Then I used my little 12 volt test battery to make sure everything works according to plan. These are great little sealed lead acid batteries for testing individual circuits. To test that everything works, I just touch the leads together and watch the solenoid fire. Great fun to see something actually work.

All done. The steel cables are clamped. I covered up the parts that could cut someone's hand with wire loom. I will see how well it stands up when I remove the body shell next summer.

Hood Louvers

<< Mount Fog Lights                                                         Fender Louvers >>

Major System Category: Body (Hood)
Task: Install hood louvers
Parts: Kit hood louvers Vraptor Hood Louvers
Prerequisite Tasks: Mount the hood
Additional Costs: $119
Time Requirement: 6 - 10 hours
Date Started: October, 1, 2012
Date Completed:  November 17, 2012
The original GTM kits seem to have a screen mesh for the cut outs on the hood. My Gen II kit came with fiber glass louvers that drop down into the cuts. This is a personal preference, but I really like the look of these new louvers better than the Vraptor ones. As I also ordered the fender louvers and the Vraptor front grill. From an airflow perspective, I think I have enough air running through the front end.

The hood louvers fit into the center cut outs. These cut outs come as part of the hood.

Last year at Cars & Coffee, they featured a Superlite. The car was exotic, it had big old engine and a spoiler. But the thing I didn't like were all the rivets holding on all the body parts. Specifically, the fender louvers were riveted to the hood, and the entire exterior was studded with rivets. This is not the kind of look I am attempting to build. I want my body to be smooth and curvy like my Corvette.

This is a front end shot of the GTM with both the hood and fender louvers  sitting in place.

I worked a long time trying to make the kit louvers work to my satisfaction. Around mid-October I decided this just wasn't happening. I changed plans (just as I did with the fuel tanks, although, this change didn't cost an arm and a leg). I ordered the Vraptor hood louvers. The Vraptor louvers were very straight forward and easier to install. This could just be me not understanding something about the kit louvers.

Vraptor hood louvers. Several more ducts, better air flow and a common theme with the rear louvers.

These pieces are shipped flat. They need to be assembled and bent to the proper shape. The first thing I noticed was how much more air flows through these louvers. The next thing is how much larger they are than the kit louvers.

The lip needs to cut out so the Vraptor  louvers can fit.

The recessed lip for the original kit louvers needs to be cut out of the hood. This is because the Vraptor blades are wider. One of the features here is the notch cut out of the driver's side brackets so it clears the radiator aluminum panel.

One of the many test fitments. The louvers are unpainted and unbonded.

I ran several test fitments on these louvers (yes, I am gradually catching on to a few things). I shaved a millimeter here and there until all blades slid up through the opening.

Painted parts.

When I was finally satisfied that everything would slide into place, I bonded and painted the louvers. I used 3M 8115 panel adhesive. Old Man Winter cooperated with a couple of 50 degree days. There was no way to do this much painting inside the Northern Man Cave and not receive complaints from the management. The exhaust system we put in just won't evacuate that much build aroma, and then people complain. I was able to apply the bonding adhesive inside, I just had to paint the parts with the garage door half up.

Final fitment and clamp down prior to applying adhesive.

Same clamp down from the front.

I ran a final test fit and clamp. This is to ensure I know how to clamp the louver to the hood so that all necessary points of contact have time to set up. I know the gun for the 8115 adhesive is expensive ($60 or so), however, I think I have gotten more than my money's worth out it when I consider how much I have used it on this build.

Tunnel Floor and Venting

<< Fuel tank to fuel filter to fuel pump        Emergency Brake and Cable >>


Major System Category: Body (Undercarriage)
Task: Install tunnel floor
Parts: Vraptor vented replacement parts
Prerequisite Tasks:
Additional Costs: $88
Time Requirement: 4 - 5 hours
Date Started: November 7, 2012
Date Completed: November 13, 2012
Engine bay and tunnel temperatures need to be kept as cool as possible. There are many things running through the tunnel that can raise temps (e.g. radiator supply/return lines, heater hose lines, engine heat).

This is the rear end of the tunnel undercarriage aluminum taped in place, just to give me an idea of how everything fits together. There is overlap between these panels.

Another photo of the rear piece. Note: the cross over tube for the fuel tanks is visible and the radiator supply and return lines. This cross over tube is for the Quick Racing products aluminum tanks. The base install has this cross over tube closer to the engine.

The basic plan is to rivet these panels in place. My plan is to use bolts so these panels are removable for maintenance reasons. I used a hex head bolt that was 1/2 inch long and had dimensions of 1/4 inch - 20 threads. These worked very well.

Hex head bolts just to test and prove the Helicoil concept.

I used Helicoil inserts (around 70 of them). If I started fresh on the build, I would take the rivet inserts and the rivet insert tool and throw them in the trash. I suspect they are included in the kit to save money. However, rivet inserts rely on Godzilla like strength, and then they spin loose anyway. Helicoil take longer to install, and cost more, but they work better (my opinion).

This is the Vraptor vented piece that replaces the triangular access panel. This is shipped flat. I found the knife (to the right) turned out to be the best tool to open up the vents.

Basic kit piece with access panel cut.

Rear piece with vented access panel riveted into place. (Yes, this is a design change.)

The Helicoil procedure (this is for 1/4 - 20 inserts) is as follows:

1. Drill a pilot hole using a 1/8 inch bit. (This isn't always necessary, but I did this to guide the drill when making the main hole.)
2. Drill a 17/64 inch hole.
3. Use the Helicoil supplied tap bit. (This is a proprietary bit size - the only thing I don't like about this product.)
4. Thread the insert on the thread bit. It will come a stop when it meets the tang. 
5. Apply thread lock (either blue or red) to the insert.
6. Slowly screw the insert into place, and give it time (overnight) to set up.

Drilling 70 plus holes into the bottom of the chassis frame is not an easy task. I raised the lift high enough to get my head under the car, then used a right handed drill and used my entire body (starting with the knees) to drill upwards. Yes, I was sore and I got tired. The result is that all undercarriage aluminum panels running from the radiator box to the engine bay are removable (same as my Porsche Boxster).

These are the Vraptor pieces ready for install on the car.

This is the front piece (left) and the central tunnel piece (right).

 I used the kit supplied triangular plate as a template for the holes. I taped the Vraptor panel between the larger piece and the access piece, then drilled through the solid access piece. Once I had everything drilled, I went ahead and riveted the two pieces together.

Orientation: Engine bay facing forward under the car.

Orientation: Driver's side from rear wheel.

Out of the 70 plus Helicoils installed on the underside of the chassis, I think I have two that are messed up. I will just redrill and tap a new insert into place.

Gen II GTM Front Grille

 << Mount DRLs                                                 Forward Parking Assist - Circuit 3/9 >>

Major System Category: Body (Hood)
Task: Install front grille
Parts: Vraptor Gen II Grille
Prerequisite Tasks: fender louvers
Additional Costs: $78
Time Requirement: 3 hours
Date Started: October, 10, 2012
Date Completed: October, 12, 2012
The GTM has to have a grille. This is a sports car with great lines. I don't remember if the Gen II has a screen mesh or just leaves things open. Either way, it is kind of ugly. After all, who wants to look into the front of a car and see the radiator? The grille adds cost to the kit and mesh is a cheap alternative. This is not a criticism, just a fact. A builder on a budget can go either way.

The grill come with three brackets. The center is a bit bigger than the sides. The end with the hole in it is the  top of the bracket.

The brackets need to be bent a certain way. I used a vice to make the bends.

The front grille is another Vraptor design. This is a totally optional part. The car will function without this addition. However  anyone building a GTM is going to consider using some of what Vraptor has to offer. On top of that Shane is a great guy. He posts frequently on the forums. He will answer questions via email. Stuff always shows up fast. I think I am on order #4 right now.

This is the grille prior to installation. She is painted and bonded at this point.

One thing mentioned in the instructions is that the front end opening (where the grille is mounted) is not centered on the hood. It is off by about 1 inch (sigh). Basically the instructions advise that you can center the grille to the car and look weird, or you can center the grille inside the opening and look okay. (Again, I do not understand why the hood is so off.)

This is the grill opening with the three brackets in place. I was just getting a sense for where they needed to go.  Clearly visible is the radiator, AC condenser and fan assembly (yuck!). 

This is the grille centered inside the opening. Once I started working on the front end of the hood, I just kept going.  October was basically spent working on the hood.

 The grille mounts on the inside lips that form the opening. The test mount was with the parts unpainted and held together with Gorilla Tape. I raised the lift to chest level and went to work. I think I even ran the laser level to see the center of the hood versus the center of the grille opening. Once I was satisfied that everything was going to be okay. I used 3M 8115 panel bond to permanently bond the grille and painted it gloss black.

A different angle.

Fuel tank to fuel filter to fuel pump

<< Install Cross Over Tube                     Tunnel Floor and Venting >>

Major System Category: Fuel System
Task: Install fuel filters and fuel pump
Parts: Fuel pump and plumbing
Prerequisite Tasks: Aluminum Tanks
Additional Costs: $930 (entire fuel pump and fittings)
Time Requirement: 3 hours (plus some staring at stuff time)
Date Started: November 3, 2012
Date Completed: November 3, 2012

The is the box of parts from QRP. There are instructions included for how to wire up the fuel bump and filters and regulator. It is up to the builder to figure out the best way to plumb the fuel lines. Once you sit down and think it, this isn't that hard to do.

Note: This post does not reflect the Factory Five build manual. I am using QRP's aluminum tanks and external fuel system. This is a personal choice that reflects my belief that this is a better way to go.

Holley fuel pump with the anti vibration mounts attached.

To say that the box of parts for the fuel system is a little intimidating is something of an understatement. The first thing I did was separate everything into their like parts. There 6 AN and 8 AN fittings. There is steel braided hose for 16 AN, 8AN and 6 AN. There are elbows, straight couplers, hose fittings, a pre and post fuel filter, pressure regulator, gauge and the fuel pump.

This is the supply line from the driver's side fuel tank to the fuel system. This is a 8AN fitting.

Consideration: This is definitely a task that should be done BEFORE  the engine is put into the car. You can stand in the engine bay and work on this stuff. Also connect the cross over tube FIRST. This sets the tanks in place.

Fundamentally, this is what has to happen:

1. Run a 8 AN line from the driver's side fuel tank to a pre fuel filter. This is the small one.
2. Connect the pre fuel filter to the fuel pump using 8AN fittings.
3. Connect the fuel pump to the the post fuel filter using 8 AN fittings. This is where I used the nifty 160 degree elbow fitting to navigate the sharp angle above the fuel tank housing.
4. Exit the post fuel filter with a 6 AN fitting. Since everything else is a 6 AN fitting in the kit, I am guessing the connection to the fuel rails are 6 AN.

Supply line from the fuel pump connected to the pre fuel filter. This is going to be  routed into the fuel pump, but I need a 8AN/8AN straight coupler to make that happen.

Fuel pump and post fuel filter mounted and the panel above the fuel tank on driver's side.  

This required me to make the following lines:

1. 8AN line from the fuel tank to the pre fuel filter. This approximately 16 inches long.
2. 8AN line from the 160 elbow to the post fuel filter. This about 6 inches long.

This is the supply line from the fuel tank to the pre fuel filter.

This is the supply line from the fuel pimp to the fuel filter. See the nifty 160 degree elbow.

I have a video on how to build the AN lines on my cross over tank post.

Consideration: When measuring steel lines, the tape measure is great for an initial idea. However, I found that the steel lines do not bend sharply, so it was best to run the line along the same route and mark the line where it comfortable terminates.

Headlight and Turn Signal Mounting

<< Rear Parking Assist                                                 Wire the head lights >>

Major System Category: ISIS Wiring
Task: Mount headlights and turn signals
Parts: Kit head lights and turn signals
Prerequisite Tasks: Hood needs to be mounted and bolted into place
Additional Costs: N/A
Time Requirement: 4 Hours
Date Started: October 13, 2012
Date Completed: October 14, 2012
The manual that came with my kit comes with a Gen I procedure to mount headlights and turn signals. While there are some similarities (you mount them in the front), the Gen II configuration is different enough to make me wonder if anyone at Factory Five actually tried putting in the signal lights they send with the kit.

Headlight with the adjustment screws installed and the h9 HID plug installed.

The headlight bucket on my hood is not removable, there is no foam core between the inner plastic and outer fiber glass, the holes are pre-drilled.

Rear view.

A removable headlight bucket has the charm of being removed to the bench where some very precise cuts can be made. Most people will have the hood bolted to the chassis. This requires the builder to work around the side of the hood to gain access to the headline area. Not a big deal, but it does make it harder to measure the holes for the headline pins. I had some good moments drilling holes, and some really bad ones. The pre-drilled holes are smaller than the headlight diameters. I am sure this is done on purpose, because a snug fit is desirable. I used a drum sander on the Dremel to open up the inner and outer holes.

Front view

The mounting sequence for the adjustment pins are the same. This is pretty easy. One thing I added to my procedure is once I had three adjustment pins mounted and pushed into the inner plastic portion of the headlight bucket, I slathered them with Goop to keep them in place. Once I figured out what I had to do to make this all work, the next three headlights went fairly fast.

Mounted. 

The turn signals are a different story. The signal lens has three ears mounted evenly around the back flange. The manual shows that there is enough room to push/tap the lens into place and use screws to secure the lens to the inner plastic wall of the headlight bucket. NO WAY! There is absolutely no room for one of the ears. It took me a while to figure this one out. Once I cut off one ear and removed a significant chunk of material on the inside opening, I was able to get the turn signal lens into place.

Fuel Tank Crossover Tube

<< Install Fuel Tanks                      Driver's Side fuel pump >>

Major System Category: Fuel System
Task: Install Cross Over Tube
Parts: Fuel pump and plumbing
Prerequisite Tasks: Aluminum Tanks
Additional Costs: $930 (entire fuel pump and fittings)
Time Requirement: 90 minute
Date Started: November 1, 2012
Date Completed: November 1, 2012

I received the QRP fuel pump system the week before we went to San Diego. So it has been sitting in my office for about two weeks. This is a box full of fittings, braided hoses, a relay, pressure gauge, fuel filters, anti vibration mounts and the Holley fuel pump. At first blush, this is a head scratcher.

This is the box of goodies QRP supplies for the fuel pump side of the  fuel system.

The first thing I needed to figure out was how to attach a AN fitting to a braided steel hose. A quick Google search found a great little YouTube video that even a computer geek can follow. I knew I was in the right place, because it featured a big hammer.

The easiest thing to do in the fuel system is to run the cross over tube between the two tanks. This is a really big steel braided hose with AN 16 fittings on each end. It is better to start out with a finished piece that is too long instead of too short. The secret to making this work is tilting one of the tanks so the tank's AN fitting is outside of the cut out in the tunnel. This enables the cross over tube to fit between the tanks. As you screw things in, everything comes back into place.

This is the piece as delivered by QRP. These guys are very generous. They provide enough hose to make 2 crossover tubes (just in case you screw it up the first time.) 

This is my finished hose. 

I had to go back twice to trim an inch off the tube. I wanted to make sure there was some slack in the line, but this is a relative concept. If there is too much slack it is not possible to connect the tanks, and it there is no slack, you have to start over.

Installed inside the tunnel between the two fuel tanks. This is about 12 inches further into the tunnel than when the Corvette donor tanks are used. This means it is further away from the heat and moving parts.