Order Kit

Order Kit:

I ordered the kit in April of 2012. This is after about 10 months of planning and preparation for the car. So it was a big day to sit down at my computer, pull up the Factory Five order screen and actually start entering the information for the car and delivery. I'm bouncing up and down, because I was really doing the steps to order my GTM Supercar Kit. Did I know how hard it was going to be? Did I know I would really enjoy so much of what the next years would entail? Did I have a good handle on everything that needed to be done?

No.

How did I get here?

Some time in 2011, I sat down and evaluated my sports car collection. Actually, the collection only has 2 cars: a 2003 Millennium Yellow Corvette Convertible, and a 2000 Metallic Arena Red Porsche Boxster. I had a laundry list of things to do on both of these cars. I knew I wanted a third car to round things out, but what?

I tracked Ferrari 355 Ebay sales. At one point, I'm pretty sure I knew every 355 up for sale in the country. I ultimately decided against the Ferrari, not due to initial cost, but the maintenance tail. I wasn't sure I could keep it running.

Simultaneously, I watched Porsche 928. I remember going to the Minneapolis Auto Show with my dad the year this car came out. I was a junior in college. They had an engine under glass on a turn table. I loved the lines, the power, everything about the car. Of course, there was no way I could afford that car. I was having a hard time affording my Chevy Vega. I didn't know I would go another 33 years before I finally got to own a Porsche. I decided not to pursue this car, because of the nagging issues for cars that had low mileage and had just been left to rot in garages for 20 years. 

I stumbled (as so often happens) across the GTM. This car had the subtle sleek lines I love in the Ferrari. It had was based around a Corvette C5, and I figured I had the same generation Corvette in the Southern Man Cave, so there was a familiarity. It used a Porsche G50 transaxle. Gee, it has Porsche parts, so I liked that idea. It used a Corvette engine. Okay, something that is cheaper to maintain than a Ferrari power plant.

I didn't know at the time, I would build my GTM around a LS376/525 6.2 L power plant, or that I would jump at the chance to upgrade the transaxle to the 991 7 speed Porsche Transaxle straight from the factory. Of course, there was the little catch about having to build the car.

Hmmm, can I build a car?

I guess the jury is still out on that question. I think I can, and failure is not an option.

Tire Decision

The kit is due to be shipped from Factory Five in about six days. One of the first elements of the build is to get the chassis up on wheels so that it can be moved around. The goal is to have it mobile by the end of July. I believe that is doable (and I could be a 100% wrong!).

This means the tires need to be purchased sometime in the next six weeks. As of this writing it is June 3, I probably need to get tires ordered by June 17. This is where previous build decisions have an impact on the tire decision. The stock tire sizes for a C5 Corvette are 245/45 - 17 (front) and 275/40 - 18 (rear). If I were going with the stock donor, then I would use the donor wheels and purchase matching tire sizes.

One of my decisions early on is based on the whoa and go concept. The GTM (regardless of the engine) has plenty of go. It is fast. It is sleek. It will rumble and growl. It looks like it is breaking the speed limit sitting still. I have an LS1 in my C5 (albeit, with a Hurricane cold air intake, Corsa Pace Car Sport Exhaust with Tiger Shark Tips and a cross over pipe) and she pops, rumbles and growls. There is plenty of power for the C5. A GTM at 800 to 1000 pounds lighter will be that much quicker. However, my buddy Brian pointed out that while I had the Go figured out, what about the Whoa? The Whoa comes in the form of the Big brake Upgrade.


The big brake upgrade requires 18 inch wheels front and rear. This is a departure from the stock C5 configuration. To accommodate the big brakes, I needed to purchase bigger wheels. I purchased Forgestar F14 wheels. These are the same wheels featured in the Factory Five catalog. These changes are within spec for the GTM. The monster LS7 power car that Factory Five built and that was featured in Car & Driver had the big brake upgrade and the larger wheels.


Tire sizes jump to 245/40 - 18 (front) and all the way to monster 335/30 - 18 (rear). The rear tires are a street legal drag radial. An alternate size for the rear tires is 295/35 - 18. Selection for the largest tire size is extremely limited and cost is quite high. The intent for my GTM is street use (granted I'll be the leanest, meanest on the block - Dodge Vipers beware!) When I drop down from the 335 to the 295 width, my tire selection goes up and my costs come down.

The OEM tire for C5 Corvettes is the Goodyear F1 Eagle run flats. These are noisy tires. They tend to drone on long trips. I would be hard pressed to point out a C5 in the Myrtle Beach Corvette Club that hasn't upgraded/replaced the Goodyear tires. Most people migrate to the Michelin Pilot Sport PS2 or PS3. This seems a safe and popular choice. I bounced this off my buddy Brian and heard quite the horror story about his Michelin Tires. The approximate cost for these tires is $1510 ($320 for front, $435 for rear).

Factory Five recommends Toyo Proxes 1. From everything I read on these tires, they are real good, a tad bit noisy and tread life seems a bit short. There is a real shortage of dealers selling these tires. The lack of a good dealer network is a deal killer. The approximate cost for these tires is  $1272 ($255 for front, $381 for rear).

About a year and a half ago, I replaced the tires on my Boxster with Continental Extreme Contact DW. What a difference these tires made! They were quiet. The grip the road. In the Boxster this is important, because I like to take sharp turns (testing the strut braces and Eibach performance sway bars - you know. Especially on Troy Lane!). These tires live up to their billing. I really like these tires and I have experience with them. The problem is availability in the rear tire size. The approximate cost for these tires is  $? ($195 for front, $? for rear).

This winter I replaced the tires on the Corvette. I wanted to go with Nitto Invo, but I could not find them in the Myrtle Beach area, so I went with the NT555. These are good tires. They are quiet. They have a long tread life. They hold the road (and some of the roads along the Grand Strand leave a lot to be desired). The Invo is an asymmetrical tire (like the Continental Extreme Contact DW) and it is available in the sizes I need. The approximate cost for these tires is  $886 ($188 for front, $255 for rear).


I based my cost estimates at Tirerack. 


I am going with the Nitto Invo. I am impressed at the ride quality I get in the Corvette. I like the way she handles. The Invo is Nitto's premier performance tire.

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!

DashCommand

DashCommand is an app similar to Torque that monitors vehicle performance. It is available for Apple, Android and Windows platforms. It works with the same OBDII Bluetooth enabled scan tool as Torque. One curious note is that DashCommand was listed for $29.95 in the Android Market Place, but only $9.95 in the Amazon Android App Store. It pays to check prices.

Main Menu.

I deployed DashCommand to my Android Tablet. I can run in concurrent with Torque as they use the same Bluetooth interface. DashCommand seemed to have a little more trouble making the initial connection to the OBDII scan tool and it seems like the app gets lost every so often.

There are multiple dashboard displays. This one measures speed, RPM, acceleration, horsepower and  torque.

On the plus side, I thought the DashCommand screens were easier to read. These screen captures are all real time shots from a short drive in the Corvette.

This display is one of 2 fuel consumption (kind of the how-green-is-my-car display).  While I'm not one for blue smoke coming out the tail pipe, I really don't care about how green my car is. I am driving a performance sports car, not some battery powered Obamamobile.

Torque is more flexible on how dashboard displays are designed. The DashCommand website lists all the sensors they monitor, and they state not all cars have these sensors. Since I will go with a new engine harness and ECU to match the engine I plan to purchase, I think I should have all the bells and whistles that can be tracked.

The most interesting item on this screen is the intake temperature. The very first winter project I did on the Corvette was to install a Hurricane cold air intake. My buddy Brian and I worked all day on that one. I probably wouldn't have tried to do that if he hadn't been gracious enough to help me.

This is the skid pad screen from app. It uses the built in sensors on the tablet to figure out acceleration and braking  Gs. Hmmm, it looks like I accelerate a lot more than I brake.

The Skid Pad screen is unique to DashCommand.

This is the race track screen that projects a trip against Google Maps (once you have an Internet connection). I like  Torque's version better.

Parking Assist

I ordered the parking assist sensors last month. I decided to go with a 4 sensor set up for front and rear for a total of 8 sensors. Basically, you end up purchasing two 4 sensor kits. The purpose of parking sensors is to assist the driver with an audio/visual notification of obstructions within 5 feet of the front or rear bumpers.

This is one of the kits.

I already know that parking a car on the lift or under the lift will be a close thing. It is easy to park a car under the lift. It is harder to park a car going up the ramps and keep everything straight. I can park the Camry and Boxster without any problems. The minivan fits on the lift if you remove the side mirrors, so there are limitations to what I can park on the lift. The driver's rear view and perception in the GTM is minimal.

They sent me 2 sets of sensors. This is the basic set.

The sensors are  position inside the bumper fascia. This means it will be inside the fiberglass shell. Forward sensors are connected to the brake light. Rear sensors are connected to the reverse lights. You might think forward sensors are overkill, but I have discovered that parking the Corvette and/or the Boxster (with its new front end) can be a challenge as you just don't have a great sense for the distance between the front end and the curb.

This is the second set of sensirs that have double sided 3M auto motive tape.

The sensors connect to a control box. The control box is wired to a power source. Most likely with wire taps. This is very low power system. I will be employing LED lamps through out the GTM, so tapping these sensors into those circuits should be a minimal load.

Control box, power leads, buzzer and buzzer interface wire.

The control box has outlets for buzzer and display. I plan to only use a buzzer system. I will augment the parking assist sensors with forward and rear cameras wired into the stereo/Mp3/BlueTooth/GPS system on the center console. One of this year's projects is to upgrade the Boxster's electronics. I plan to add a camera to that project. I will use the Boxster as a camera test bed.

Control box with inputs for power, left sensor, left center sensor, right center sensor and ring sensor. Outputs for display and buzzer.

This set changes the ISIS wiring setup. At the time, I reasoned the parking assist required a separate circuit. Since this system is designed to piggyback on lighting circuits, there is no need for a separate ISIS circuit. The other change to the ISIS wiring diagrams is the elimination of a separate circuit for HomeLink. Since I am going with a GPS Navigation system on the center console, I can move HomeLink functionality to the rear view mirror.

Torque App

Torque is an OBD II performance and diagnostic monitoring tool that deploys to the Android Operating System (sorry Apple users). There is a free and a professional version. The professional version costs $5 and is available on the Android Market Place. I wouldn't bother with the free version.

Torque Pro main screen.

I am using the Corvette as a Torque test bed. The entire set up costs under $40. I can keep Torque loaded into memory on my Android tablet (Samsung Galaxie II). It would work just as well on an Android smart phone. You can set up virtual sensors based on sensors available to the ECU. These can be set up as dials, graphs, digital displays and/or bar charts.

Real time virtual gauges.

Most cars built since 1995 have a OBDII plug (On Board Diagnostic II). This is the interface between a manufacture and/or aftermarket scanners to access the ECU. The Corvette C5 has a plug tucked under the dash board about dead center under the steering column.

This is a bluetooth enabled scan tool. It is designed to work with Torque. It is plugged into the OBD II socket and receives power form the car. 

One of the goals for the GTM is to monitor engine performance. The requirement is twofold:

• To debug problems that occur pre/post build. There is no Mr. Goodwrench to help out. I need to understand what is happening inside the engine.
• The Engine Control Unit that comes with the LS376/525 engine is fantastic, and I need a reliable method to monitor the ECU.

Torque uses the tablet's GPS signal to record speed and direction for any given trip.  This is then plotted against a Google map display. This is my ride to and from a local deli. This chart is built into the app and just requires an Internet connection.

Data logging is the most intriguing aspect. A specific metric (in this case RPM plotted against speed) can be logged to a file on the device. Later this file can be uploaded to a web server and plotted against Google maps and the specific metric displayed in a dual chart. Torque provides access to its web server for registered users. Data logging is managed by setting up the preferences under settings.

This is the data logging plotted out after my trip to the deli. It is the same trip as displayed in the previous display. (Before anyone gets on my case, speed was recorded in KPH not MPH, so I wasn't really speeding). The line chart shows speed (x axisi) against time (y axis) and the bottom shows RPM (x axis). This chart requires access to Torque's web server.

To demonstrate Torque's data logging capabilities, I took a run in the Corvette from my house to a local deli for a bagel run. You can clearly see the shift points in the charts, the route and the low to high speed (green to red) relative to top speed achieved during the trip (in case about 50 mph).

Torque allows you to set up profiles for different cars. Right now I have one set up for the Corvette. I plan to add one for the Boxster and the GTM. This entire platform can be moved from car to car. This is an incredible flexible product and I have only skimmed the surface.

Wheels!

One of the things I set up was an Ebay alert for 2 phrases: Factory Five and GTM. I receive an email anytime something new is listed for sale on Ebay. Many of these are listings for some really great cars people have built. The car listings are great for build ideas. There are usually enough pics so you can see if you like or dislike how something looks. Occasionally, something else comes up.

Wheel caps included.

I have already purchased the Big Brake Kit. These huge six piston brakes come with larger rotors and it is clearly explained that you need 18 inch or larger wheels to accommodate this upgrade. Factory Five sells a larger set of wheels in a bright silver finish. These wheels are Forgestar F14 and they are available in 9 different finishes. These wheels cost a little bit more than the Factory Five listing, but they came with free shipping, so there was a net savings of $100.

This is the rear wheel 18 x 12 in high gloss black (Forgestar calls this a Piano Black). This is a very big rim that is surprising lightweight (only 22 lbs). I left the protective plastic wrapping on the wheel. These will not be mounted until sometime next summer.

I conducted an informal poll on Facebook, text messages and people at the karate studio I where I work out. I explained the car was going to be red (Corsa red - Ferrari Racing Red) and the calipers are red. So did they like silver wheels or high gloss black wheels. There was an interesting split here. All the guys said high gloss black. All the women said silver. Although, the love of my life said I should do what I wanted. Once it was explained that I was planning a bright red car and not a cranberry red, the other women said black would be okay.

This is our Yorkie-in-charge checking out the Forgestar wheel.

The rear wheels are truly astounding. One of the things I discovered about the GTM is that I can go with different rear tire sizes for the larger wheels:

• 335/30 - 18
• 295/35 - 18
• 275/40 - 18

This is attractive, because it opens up the tire selection. Except once I saw the rear wheel, I knew I could only go with 335/30 -18 size tires. If I had decided to go with the donor car brakes, rotors and wheels, then I would be looking at the standard Corvette C5 of 245/45 - 17 (front) and 275/40 -18 (rear) configuration. Factory Five recommends Toyo tires. I prefer something other than a street legal racing slick, so I am probably going to put Michelin Pilot Sport PS2 tires on the car.

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.

Donor Parts Kit (Cataloged)

The donor parts kit was the most practical approach for this phase of the build. I do not have space for a donor C5, plus storage for GTM components. I had already decided that I was going with a bigger engine than the LS1, and I plan to purchase the big brake upgrade kit. Those decisions make a donor C5 impractical.  Photos are here.

I purchased the kit on Ebay from Fparts. Fparts is a salvage yard located in Bristol, PA. They specialize in Firebird, Camero and Corvette salvage. According to their banner, they put together more than 25 of these kits in 2008.

The first thing you need to understand is the kit is not sitting around on some skid, waiting for you to put your money down. These parts are still installed on existing vehicles. They even apologized that it took them a week to get things together. It would probably take me a month.

The second thing is this is going to come via freight. The shipping company provided a tracking number, and I was able to follow my skid from Pennsylvania to Minneapolis. The day before it was due into the Minneapolis terminal, I called and set up a delivery time. I did have to pay extra for a lift gate truck. If you have the means to pick it up yourself, you can save $50.

The third thing is the parts are used. However, you have to understand the Corvette mindset. Since I have a C5 and belong to Myrtle Beach Corvette Club, I get it. Most of these cars are driven on sunny days by older people. When I'm in South Carolina, my C5 is my daily driver except when it rains or I'm on my way to gun range. I'm hard pressed to put more than 3000 or 4000 miles per year on the car.

 Factory Five provides a GTM parts list. They even have a page with pictures of the parts. I make no claims that I know what everything looks like, and they look different sitting in your hand than they do attached to a vehicle.

Fparts uses this same list and provides everything except radiator, alternator, brake pads and brake lines. They print this stuff in red. Parts arrive on a pallet, steel banded and bubbled wrapped or bagged where appropriate. This means items like the steering column are bubble wrapped. Items like the O2 sensors are in bags labeled as such. Items like the fuel tanks, suspension are just sitting there, but these are pretty obvious. The suspension came in four pieces: left, right, front, rear. I don't have to think about putting all those parts together.

So you have the part numbers, description, photos (in some cases) and a list. What could go wrong? I broke things into the following groups:

• Suspension
• Fuel Tanks,
• Steering Column
• Transmission harness
• Engine harness
• Cooling system (e.g. hard pipes, condenser, fans)
• Doors (e.g. window motors, side view mirrors, handles, seat belts)
• Small items (e.g. sensors, bolts, tensioner, pulley, ignition)
• Electronics

I still ended up with a couple of things not on the list, and a couple of mystery pieces. I texted photos to my buddy Brian, who has forgotten more than I'll ever know about cars. He'll either have a good laugh or wish me luck.

I use the same list that Factory Five provides, and Fparts uses to define the donor parts kit. I cataloged everything so I know where I put all these parts. I intend to matched these parts up with the build task list that I developed. I also plan to integrate the Factory Five Parts into the task list. This is my method of knowing where to go find something, when it is time to put it into the build. There are a lot of smart people out there, so you probably have a better way to do this.

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.