Ram Lift - Front end Clearance

Clearance is something that I have been puzzling over for almost a year. One of the first things I learned after I got my C5 for my 52nd birthday (I have a fabulous wife) is that the front frame scraped on the driveway. This was solved when I installed Elite Engineering's Frame Guards. These are basically a couple of training wheels drilled into the lowest point of the frame. They really work!

I want to make the GTM as stable as possible, but I don't want the stability to come at the price of ripping up the front end of the body. I am already adding the standard sway bars from my c5 to stiffen the suspension (I replaced the C5 sway bar set with a C6 Z51 set.), and I am thinking more and more seriously about the racing wing. However, I still need to address clearance issues for the GTM.

Next, I discovered that after I replaced the Boxster's front end with Fiberwerk's Dayton II kit, I faced similar problems. I am really careful about going up and down my driveway.

Now we come to the GTM and front end clearance. Both the Northern and Southern Man caves have these nasty driveway lips that are just waiting to nail my GTM (kind of like the tree that keeps gobbling Charlie Brown's kite). I approached Elite Engineering, but I'm not sure they want to leap into the GTM aftermarket. Then I found a series of posts on the Factory Five forums. There are two of them: ffcars.com and TheFactoryFiveForum.com. For any potential builders, use the forums. They are a gold mine of knowledge and experience.

The solution is to install a ram lift under the Koni shocks. A company called RamLiftPro manufactures these units. As you can see from the above videos, they really work. Since I am going with the carbon fiber splitter, I am going to install ram lift the system that raises the front end up to 5 inches. The kit includes the following:

• 12v. Pump
• 2 - Rams
• 10' Aeroquip TFE hydraulic hose
• 4 - 4AN Aeroquip hose ends
• Hydraulic fluid reservoir & hose
• 10' - 12 gage wire (red)
• 10' - 12 gage wire (black)
• 1 - Momentary (on) off (on) switch
• Wire connectors

More changes required to the ISIS wiring diagrams, but I gain peace of mind that I have a solution for all those nasty curbs and lousy parking lots. The budget also takes another hit. Oh well, I did save money on the donor parts!

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).

Are you crazy or something?

I didn't go to bed one night and wake up the next day with the dumb idea that I am going to build a car. This is one of those year long conversations that results in waking up and saying, "Yeah, I think I can build a Factory Five GTM super car."

Build a car or buy a car? Of course, it is much easier to buy a car. I had my eye on a Ferrari 355 Spyder. I could probably swing the purchase price, somewhere between $45,000 and $65,000. I did not have qualms about purchasing a used sports car. I already had purchased a Corvette C5 Convertible and a Porsche Boxster 986. The prospect of digging into the car and mapping out modifications did not daunt me. However, the idea of a $10,000 engine out service every 3 years gave me pause.

I can come up with space for one more sports car. My preference is a Ferrari, however, my wallet is not quite up to the task of Ferrari maintenance. So if not a Ferrari, what kind of car compliments a Corvette and a Boxster. It has to handle like a Boxster, roar like the Corvette and have the Ferrari's wow factor. The performance specs for the GTM are as follows:

• 0 - 60 in 3.0 seconds
• 0 - 100 in 6.6 seconds
• 1/4 mile in 11.0 seconds @ 132 mph
• Curb weight 2350 lbs
• Corvette suspension
• LS Series engines
• Either a Porsche G50 or Mendeola transaxle
• 245/40/18 front tires
• 335/30/18 rear tires
• Z06 Big Brakes
• Koni coil over shocks

The GTM looks fast and drives fast. It is exotic and fits the current definition for a super car.

So it begins.