Door Poppers

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Major System Category: Body (Door)
Task: Install door poppers
Parts: Popper solenoid, cable, pulley
Prerequisite Tasks:
Additional Costs: $75
Time Requirement: 4 hours
Date Started: November 21, 2012
Date Completed:  November 25, 2012

One of the issues I worry about is security. These cars attract a lot of attention. Chances are people have never seen a GTM.  I decided to go keyless early in the planning stage. This means the normal form of ingress (i.e. door handles) needed to go away. I'm not going to go into detail on the security system, except to say it is multi-layered and bio-metrically keyed to me. Yes, if I have a dead battery, she's going to be hard to start.

These are the pulleys and the solenoid base plate.

The first security layer is to eliminate door handles and rely on door poppers to open the door. There is a need for a manual override, and I have something in mind for how I am going to put that together. To operate the poppers I have a fob. The fob is linked to the RFlink module installed in the ISIS master cell. However, the fob can only get you into the car. It has nothing to do with starting the car.

The rear of the solenoid where I attached power and ground leads. This is clamped in a vice. I did  all the electrical work down stairs in my cave, as the temperature was dropping through out December.

I am using 60 lbs solenoid door poppers and a plungers to push the door open past the striker. The plungers (like the striker) need to be installed after the engine and transaxle are installed. The plungers need to be secured against the chassis and installed through the body shell.

The solenoid popper is bolted to the mounting bracket. The steel cable is looped around the end of the solenoid and the clamp is in place, but not compressed. Yes, they don't make vices like this any more. It was purchased 60 or 70 years ago.

The latch has a vertical orientation. The idea behind the popper is a solenoid attached to a wire cable that fires (i.e. contracts) been an electrical charge is applied. Unlike the rear hatch popper, it is not possible to position the solenoid so it is in a straight line to the latch.

Close up of the pulley with the steel cable threaded. At this point nothing had been tightened down, so that is why there is slack on the line. The pulley is riveted into place. You can also see the narrow end of the internal brace. Things are very tight on the rear edge of the door.

The solenoid works on a electrical charge that fires the solenoid causing it to contract into the housing. I attached five feet of 16 gauge wire for power and ground. This has to be threaded out of the door and into the front hood area where it gets connected to the power cell and grounded at a ground point on the chassis.

The popper solenoid and pulley before the steel cable is tightened into place. The cables from the window motor is just to the right of the popper solenoid and the black bracket in the middle of the photo (behind the brace) is the window track.

I use a 12 volt test battery to verify the connections are working and that they are solid (this is a lot of fun - it's a guy thing). The solenoids come with a heavy bracket. This is mounted to the bottom of the inside of the door. I used short bolts and nylon nuts to secure it in place. The last thing I want is for the popper solenoid to slide loose inside the door.

Everything is tightened up. Note: There is still some slack in the steel cable.

The idea to use a pulley and form a right angle between the latch and the popper solenoid is not original with me. I don't remember where I first saw the idea, but it really works. The pulleys are quite simple (a $2 part at Lowes). I think I found them in the screen door section. The pulley allows me to create a right angle between the popper solenoid and the latch. I riveted the pulley into place and checked for strength.

I threaded the steel cable from the latch, through the pulley and to the popper solenoid. The cable loops around the solenoid end and is crimped using the two channel clamp. If you lose one of these clamps, there are available at the little parts area where they sell pulleys at Lowes and Home Depot.

Once everything is tightened down, I retrieve my test battery and fire the solenoid. There is plenty to check:

1. The door latch actually opens.
2. The pulley doesn't stress.
3. The bracket holding to solenoid doesn't stress.

I fired the solenoid about twenty times. There is a significant bang each time. 

Coolant Line Routing

<< Radiator Install                       GTM A/C Evaporator Kit  >>
<< Clutch Line Routing                Cockpit/Tunnel Aluminum (rear) >>

Major System Category: AC & Cooling System
Task: Run the hard coolant pipes through the tunnel
Parts:

• Hard coolant pipes
• Corrugated flex pipe
• Spectre 7810 pipe adapter
• Corvette lower radiator hose (to adapt for upper radiator hose)

Prerequisite Tasks: Mount the radiator
Additional Costs: Insulated pipe wrap ($50)
Time Requirement: 60 - 90 minutes
Date Started: August 1, 2012
Date Completed: August 1, 2012
My strategy for the build is to do as much as I can prior to engine install. This is also part of my budget and cash flow strategy. I am 12 to 14 months out from my engine purchase, this means I am going to a number of tasks that terminate with the engine, but will remain incomplete until the engine and accessories are installed. The coolant lines are an example.

This is one of the hard coolant lines wrapped in insulator tape. I zip tied the ends and attached the appropriate connect sleeves. 

Consideration: The hard coolant lines are the main supply and return for engine coolant. This is going to run  through the tunnel. Consider insulating the pipes. I used a wrap that is rated to 1500 degrees. This is probably overkill, but heat is a problem with these cars.

Both wrapped hard coolant lines resting inside the tunnel. Orientation: the engine bay looking forward.

I wrapped the hard coolant lines and zip tied the ends. These pipes take up a fair amount of room in the tunnel. There are a number of other lines that run through the tunnel, including emergency brake cable, soft coolant lines, wiring, cable shift (or control lines for the paddle shift). I have not permanently tied anything down. I want to see how everything lays before installing the insulated clamps.

The 1/2 and 1/4 inch lines connecting into the radiator. This area will get more  crowded as  the AC lines get run.

After the coolant lines are in place, I installed the Spectre 7810 hose adapters on both ends of both pipes. If you don't have a lift, then I suggest installing these prior to placing them in the tunnel.

Lower radiator hose clamped to the radiator and uncut at this point.

The manual specifies the lengths for the front end corrugated flex tubing. I basically, gave myself an extra inch on the front end. There is some wiggle room here. The length requirements on the rear are shorter. I ran the flex tubing through the half moon shapes in the radiator aluminum. 

Coolant line run from the upper radiator to the hard line below.

Consideration: Ensure everything remains below the line of side on the inner wheel wells. The bulb seal for the hood goes on top of the wheel wells.

The item I am missing is the Corvette donor lower radiator hose needed to make an elbow from the driver's side upper radiator connection. A quick couple of clicks on my mouse, and found what I needed at Corvette Salvage. This part showed up a couple of days later. I went ahead and used a Spectre 7810 hose adapter to connect both ends.