Side Markers

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Major System Category: ISIS Wiring
Task: Wire up the DRLs
Parts: Side Marker Lights
Power Cell: 4
Circuit: 8 - GREEN
Master cell: N/A - Controlled via control stalk and/or Kenwood DNN990 HD
Prerequisite Tasks:
Additional Costs: Side markers - $20
Time Requirement: 90 minutes
Date Started: November 24, 2013

Date Completed: November 24, 2013

The base GTM design make no allowance for side markers. There are not even any reflectors. My buddy Brian observed that with a car this low to the ground and nothing to reflect on the sides is probably asking for trouble. I purchased two sets of side markers from Super Bright LED. There are many interesting items on this site. The other site I have used for lighting enhancement is http://www.autolumination.com/.

I measured up from the rear edge of the wheel well even with the fender louver. I marked the hole on both sides of the car,

At this point in the build, I have dealt with glassing the seams, shaved door handles, cutting into hood for fender louvers and rear body louvers, plus all the body work necessary to get to primer coats. So the idea of drilling a hole into the side of the hood for side markers is not very intimidating. Ask me about the same issue when the kit first arrived and I would give you a different answer. Once I decided to add side markers, then I decided to drill the holes on the primed vehicle. Things are much easier to fix at this point then on a car where everything his at finished paint.

Hopefully, by the time you end up drilling holes into the side of the car, you've done enough body work to be confident that the process can be reversed.

I plotted a line from the rear point of the wheel well to the fender louvers rear edge. On this line I placed the widest point of the marker. The wires from the marker are about .5 inches off the center point. So I measured 3 5/8 inches up from the rear wheel well point and drew a line .5 inches to the rear. I drilled a 1/8 inch hole as a pilot. I worked up drill bits to 13/32. At this hole size I can fit the wire and the connector through the hole.

The side marker wires run along the inside of the hood and around the inside of the fender louvers. The wire loom protects the side marker wires.

These side markers come with an splitter box that enables you to splice into the headlight and signal circuits. These wires can be run down the inside of the hood.

This splitter box cmes with the side marker lights, It ties into the headlight, signal and parking lights.

This the side marker. It is just held in place by tension on the wires. There is a connector between the marker light and the circuitry. This allows the marker to be removed for final paint.

DRL lights and wiring - Circuit 1/8

<< Mount DRLs                               Wiper motor and Washer Fluid Tank >>
<< Lengthen Fan Wires

Major System Category: ISIS Wiring
Task: Wire up the DRLs
Parts:
Power Cell: 1
Circuit: 8 - GREEN
Master cell: BLUE/LIGHT BLUE
Prerequisite Tasks: Mount DRLs
Additional Costs:
Time Requirement: 90 minutes
Date Started: August 10, 2013
Date Completed: August 10, 2013
A good chunk of the front end wiring never got completed in April 2013. When I returned from the Southern Man Cave, I spent the first seven weeks working on the body. In northern climes, you really need to take advantage of the warm weather months! The GTM has been living with dangling wires from the DRLs, power cells and other things. I left them to hang down behind the grille, and it looked like a real mess.

This is an early photo of the passenger side DRL mount.  You can see wires dangling over the side. This is not the first GTM to have DRLs.

Fortunately, I have wiring diagrams worked out for these circuits. In addition, I have a spreadsheet in my master build document that goes into detail about each circuit. I will be sending this spread sheet along with my next order to ISIS Power for the remaining power cells, motion cell and master cell coder. This is because I need ISIS to prep a file that can be downloaded into the master cell for my specific circuit set up. With five power cells, I am pushing 50 circuits - there's a lot going on in the car.

This Gen I GTM in Poland mounted the DRLs above the front grille. I am finding that this area is very busy. I use the upper lip of the front grill to manage the cross connection between head lights, hazards, fog lights. I'm not sure I would want to add the DRLs there. I corresponded with this builder, and asked him about the DRLs. As in every case, GTM builders are quite happy to share their knowledge.

This is half a terminal block. Easily cut with a hack saw.

The DRLs were cut into the body to the left and right lower corners of the grille opening. The fiber glass is very thick in this area, and it is tough going. The wires coming off the DRLs is 22 gauge (not the easiest stuff to work with). Initially, I thought I would create some kind of socket to plug these into, but since I plan to add Angel Eyes around the head lights into the DRL circuit, the idea of some kind og 6 way splice become unmanageable.

I daisy chain the terminal block to create a single circuit. Then I just need a single to power or ground.

Over May and June, I worked on the Intellitronix Dash for the cockkpit. One of the techniques I used here were terminal blocks. Now six way splices are easy. The white plastic terminal blocks are very easy to customize. They come in strips of twelve connections and the strip can be cut apart with a hack saw. I need six connectors for the ground and six connectors for the power leads. That is: 2 x DRLs, 4 x Angel Eyes.

These are the power and ground terminal blocks for the DRLs. The green wire is from Power Cell #1, Circuit 8. The black ground lead hasn't been connected in this photo. The terminals were bonded to the hood using 3M 8115 panel bond.

Note: Angel Eyes cannot be installed after final paint is complete. This is probably 12 to 14 months in the future (and it could slip to Spring 2015). However, the Angel Eyes need a place to connect, so I AM building that now.

The hood mounting is problematic due to the variables associated with centering vis-a-vis the rest of the car.. I explain to people that there are 100 ways to mount the hood, and I settled on the 101st position. I have made the decision that hood will remain attached to the car and it will need to be painted in place. Everything else can be removed. To this point, a great number of things have been permanently mounted (e.g. lights, signals, parking sensors) and the wiring associated with these peripherals.

I mounted the terminal blocks above the front grille opening on the interior of the hood. This is convenient, because most of the wires can run directly to these terminal blocks. The ground is to the chassis area that supports the AC condenser, radiator and fan assembly. The power lead runs to Power cell #1 and is enclosed in wire loom. I made sure I left enough slack in the wires so the hood can open and close without pulling something loose.

Hood Preparation

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Major System Category: Body (Hood/Shell)
Task: Clean up all issues on hood through primer
Parts: Primer (6 - 8 cans), Primer Sealer ( 4 cans)
Prerequisite Tasks:
Additional Costs: 150 - $190
Time Requirement: 70 - 90 hours
Date Started: July  10, 2013

Date Completed:  July 27, 2013

There are no short cuts here. If you don't want to do this part of the build, then farm it out.

This is close to the final version of the hood. It is basically how I spent my summer vacation. I used steel wool as a final stage prior to sealing the primer. This smooths it down close to a glass like surface.  It has been a long journey to this point, but I found I kind of liked the body work and I'm glad I didn't panic and farm it out.

The body work is the area that most intimidates me (not that I'm not intimidated about dropping in an engine and hooking up a seven speed transaxle). The hood presents many challenges:

1. Seams
2. Fender Louvers
3. Headlight/foglights
4. Grille Area
5. Hood Latch area
6. DRLs

If you peruse the Factory Five Forums, you start hearing that the car vanishes for weeks and months before it come back finally painted and finished. There is a princely sum associated with the work, and if it comes in under $15,000, it probably is a bargain. There is a ton of work that needs to be performed to get the car ready for paint.

This is an early photo from 9/27/2012. I just brought the hood back from my neighbor's garage. This looks deceptively easy. The surface is smooth. At this point, I didn't know the grille opening is not centered or that the hood is off by 3/4" or that the Factory Five hood louvers are really sub standard and that I would end up purchasing the Vraptor hood louvers. Ignorance is bliss.

The seams and the fender louvers present the greatest challenge. You can't simply grind down the excess material on the seams and say good enough. There are the following issues:

I spent more time getting the fender louvers right than anything else on the hood.  This is the louver before I did anything to it. I expected the left and right louvers to be identical. They are not. I expected them to line up nicely. They did not.  I am happy I have them, but they are very labor intensive. I spent man weeks getting these right.

• The pieces connected by the seam are uneven, so grinding everything down to a even plane removes too much material.
• The seam needs to have a fiber glass strip to strengthen the area, and this just takes time.
• The hood has seams running from edges closest to the cockpit to forward the wheel wells, then down. There is another seam that runs across the front of the car over the grill.
• Fender louver add a further complication, because they need to be feathered into the rest of the hood, and there are cuts required to make them functional. 

 

This another early photo (9/29/2012) with the Factory Five hood louvers and fender louvers taped in place. I used a cross hatch laser level to figure things. It is sitting at the bottom center on a small tripod. The best way to describe mounting the hood is that there are 100 ways to put the hood on and I settled on the 101st way. Someone who came by to see the car, asked if I intended to take the hood off when I painted the car. I popped open the hood and showed them how it was mounted, then explained, "It is never coming off again."

If you add DRLs, then these need to be custom cut and smoothed out.

Another non-standard mod are my DRLs. I had to cut into the hood just below the grille. These took some time, but eventually I got them mounted properly. It was only later that I realized I had to make them pretty. I might have to do some more work here before everything is perfect.

I think it is easier to do this work with the hood connected to the car, and the car on a lift. This configuration provides a stable platform for the sanding process (and you will do beaucoup sanding).

This is several months later (6/27/2013). The seams are pretty rough at this point. Someone asked me on the Factory Five forum why I bothered fiber glassing the seams, because other builders just ground them down. Yes, you need to get rid of the extra bonding material, but remember we are talking about the strength of the body here on a high performance car. I applied Bondo, fiber glass, more Bondo and sanded and more Bondo and more sanding... Well you get the idea. I have to say that when the front seam blended into the rest of the body I was amazed. At that point, I knew the only standing between myself and a completed car was me.

I use the following products to get the hood prepped:

This product is phenomenal. The can has two chambers: 1 for primer, 1 for fixer. You shake it up for 2 minutes, then pop a button on the bottom of the car. This opens the barrier between the primer and the fixer. Then you shake it for 2 more minutes. Now you have the perfect mix (every time) withe professional fan spray nozzle.

• SprayMax 2K Rapid Primer Filler.
• Dupli-Color Primer Sealer
• Dura-Block autobody kit

A friend commented that there was a lot of nasty Bondo to sand down. He wasn't wrong. I bonded the fender louver to the body using 3M's 8115 panel bond. I then fiber glassed the edges of the louver to the hood. I then spent many evenings feathering the louver into the hood. My bride asked me if I had bitten off more than I could handle. I admitted that might be true. I certainly wondered if this would ever look right.

Once I was satisfied with the primed surface, I went over it with steel wool to eliminate any "pebbly" surface distortions, then I sealed the hood. This stuff is pretty caustic, so get a respirator and face shield.

This is the louver 1 month later.

Seam Glassing

<< Fender Louvers                                                       Hood Preparation >>

Major System Category: Body (Hood/Shell)
Task: Smooth out seams on fiberglass shell
Parts: Bondo, fiberglass
Prerequisite Tasks:
Additional Costs: $30
Time Requirement: 40 -50 hours
Date Started: June  20, 2013
Date Completed:  July 9, 2013

When the body arrives on the truck, it appears to be a single body. Reality is much different. There are five main body parts:

• Hood,
• Rear body shell,
• Left and right doors
• Hatch

Main hood seam. I have the fiber glass cloth just taped in place.

The hood and body shell are delivered as single pieces, but part of the manufacture process involves bonding   different parts together. There is a seam along these joints where the bonding compound has been squeezed and forms an uneven ridge. Also the mated pieces are uneven (i.e. the mated pieces are higher or lower than the other side).

Driver's side seam  that has been sanded down. The fiber glass strip is gut and sitting above the seam.

The hood seams run over the top of the wheel wells, down to the grill and across the front. If your build includes fender louvers, then handle those first. The fender louvers will cover a good chunk of the top seam over the wheel wells. Some people choose to rivet the fender louvers in place, I used 3M's 8115 panel bond to attached the louvers. Then I feathered the ridge created by the louvers to blend into the hood (this is a lot more work).

Passenger side A pillar seam. This looks pretty rough here. I haven't sanded anything, just have the bondo and fiber glass applied.

The seams are uneven ridges along the body. If you are working with a GTM or some other Factory Five model you will notice these ridges. This is part of the body work necessary to complete the car. Most guys that can afford to build a GTM farm this out, but some of us either decide not to or don't have the money to spare. Fiber glassing the seam basically hides and smooths out these areas It isn't that hard to do and after a while you might even get good at it.

Major amount of work. The front hood seam is fully sanded. The entire hood has been sanded once using the orbital sander and secondly using the Dura Block kit. The hood louvers are easy as they are bonded from inside the hood. The fender louvers are a major time investment.

Recommended tools:

1. Orbital sander
2. Dura-Block sanding kit
3. Bondo and fiberglass material.
4. Spreaders.
5. Glazing compound.



I didn't think these were as good as they are. If you plan to work on the body and sanding yourself, then this is a must must buy!

The first thing you need to do is even out the ridge. Some of these ridges are hard and brittle, others can be a little soft. You can use a hand block or a mechanical tool, you just want to be careful about gouging the hood and body shell. Any gouges will need to be repaired. You won't be able to totally eliminate the ridge, because most likely the two pieces that were bonded are an uneven join. Just do the best you can. When you finish no one will see them anyway.

This is the seam that runs the length of the body shell. This is on  the passenger side. This car also has a roof scoop, so you can see some of that work running parallel to the body seam.

Cut a strip of fiber glass cloth for the seam you plan to work on. I would start out short and between 3/4 to 1 inch wide.

This is the passenger side rear quarter panel. The seam runs down and under the car. It is one of those awkward spots to work. It also a little loose, because I have the transaxle bracket currently removed from the frame. This bracket provides much needed bracing to the rear body shell.

Mix up some bondo (this stuff can harden up pretty fast, so get ready). For this I sometimes wore a disposable plastic glove and/or a spreader. I found my finger worked pretty well for some areas where it was awkward to use a spreader. I applied the bondo, evened it out as much as possible then, layered the fiber glass strip over it.

Rear quarter panel on the passenger side. It has bondo and fiberglass applied and still requires sanding in this photo. The body work takes a long long time to do.

I let this set up. Usually, 45 to 60 minutes, then I apply a second layer of bondo over the fiber glass strip.

This is the hardest set of seams to work on. They are curved and in a very enclosed area. This is the big brake vent just behind the drivers side door. I saved this for last.

Once this is hardened up, I go to work with the sanding tools. I use the orbital sander to get rid of the excess, then go to work with a block sander by hand. I work on it until it is fairly smooth. I am using 220 grit, although, I understand you can get away with 180 grit.

To get an idea of the success/failure of my body efforts, I test primed the front seam. For the most part this worked. I still have issues around the fender louvers and the area where the seam goes over the front flare. However, this was a big boost to my efforts, because it showed me that I could get the car to a point where the seams are smooth enough for paint. 

I keep working the seam until I'm satisfied. This gets to be pretty messy.

I ordered 2 kinds of primer for my seam test. I only applied the rapid primer filler. The other one is an epoxy primer that I will test once I am happy with the seams. I got these at 66 Auto color. This is pretty caustic stuff, so you need a rudimentary paint booth or real good ventilation and a respirator.

I wipe down everything using a microfiber cloth and water to remove the main layer of dust. Then I inspect for deep gouges or holes, and use the glazing compound to sculpt in fixes. I keep going over this until I'm satisfied. I keep working it until it is smooth to the finger test.

The fender louvers continue to cause me issues, but I am confident I came make these blend into the car.

The body work can be pretty intimidating, but wow, a little success can be a real confidence builder. I now see nothing that can prevent me from completing this project.

Door Latch

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Major System Category: Body (Door)
Task: Install door latch
Parts: Door latch
Prerequisite Tasks:
Additional Costs:
Time Requirement: 4 hours
Date Started: November 19, 2012
Date Completed:  November 19, 2012

Originally, I had the door latch and striker as part of the same task (i.e. the latch closes around the striker and that's what keeps the door closed). I started working on the doors prior to putting an engine and transaxle in the car. The only way to get the engine and transaxle into the car is to remove the body shell. This is already complicated by the rear hatch hinges and the front hood latches. Both of these have to be disconnected before the body shell can be removed. Installing the striker, adds a needless complication to the removal process. So this part will have to wait until after the engine and transaxle are installed (sometime in 2014).

This is the latch attached to the mounting bracket. Factory Five purchased the latch from a third party. I am pretty sure they machined the mounting bracket.

Likewise the doors have to be removed from the car before the shell can come off. The doors seem less problematic that the hatch hinge and hood latches, because by the time I have to remove the doors - everything related to their fitment should be in place per the arrangement of the hinges on the doors.

The curved part is the cut out area where the latch is exposed as part of the door. 

The latch has a similar arrangement in terms of adjustment as the hinge does. The work area for the latch is very tight, and difficult to work with. The hinge and the latch need to be tightened down together. This happens prior to window placement, since the internal frame needs to be solid so the window tracks can be attached. There are a bunch of pieces here and they all have to work together.

This is the latch mounting bracket connected to the internal frame on the rear side of the door. To the right of the internal frame, the opening for the external door handle is in close proximity to the latch controls. This will be covered up and closed in as I am opting for shaved door handles and internal door poppers.

Placement of the latch is dictated by the formed cut out area for the latch and the depth of the latch inside the door. In other words, enough of the latch needs to be visible so the striker can properly mate with the latch. I already have some issues with the drivers side hood latch and I don't want to repeat that mistake here. Eventually, I am going to have to adjust the hood striker to line up a little better, but I am holding off until the body shell goes back on for good (i.e. after the engine and transaxle are installed).

This photo shows the internal frame connected tot he latched, the rear window track and the  cables going back to the motor, and the internal door popper. The items still missing at this point is the glass, the fixed tracks, the filled in exterior door handle (i.e. shave door handle), and the internal mechanism to open the door from the inside of the car.

I used the Dremel with a cut off wheel to cut the fiber glass and open up a slot for the latch mechanism. The fiber  glass is very thin here as it is on the hinge side. Once I had the latch comfortably exposed, I tested the latch mechanism by pushing the striker into place.

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.

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.

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.