My Official GTM Build Thread!

[The Stig]

If you are replacing the tanks, go with the aluminum tanks. You may also want to consider having them notched at the top to keep the fill hose from being pressed against the body, and being kinked. It made a huge difference in mine. And now fuel can be put in without it taking 20 minutes.



Tony asked if he could put a drain in the bottom of each tank that would allow them to be drained when needed. I said "Heck Yeah"!



I think it cost about 300 or so to have these two things done. But in the long run, I think it was money well spent.

Mike

[LCD Gauges]

Cool mods, thanks for the tips Mike. Having a drain seems like a good plan.

I'm dreading the need to replace half of the fuel system, so I may go with the C5 virgin tanks with a cross-over pump. We'll see! Those aluminum tanks are gorgeous.

[The Stig]

Those aluminum tanks are gorgeous.

The coolest thing about them is that they work, and they seal. I used an AN24 Cross over hose, as well as fittings for AN10 hose fittings at the bottom of each tank to feed the fuel pump, as well as for the return from the rails. The original "plastic" corvette tanks were a concern for me. For the exact reason that you posted in this thread.

It's a very lucky thing that they started leaking in your garage, instead of while you were driving with a hot engine and exhaust right behind them.

Like everything else in the GTM build, the use of the aluminum tanks were simply a matter of choice. But in this case, I felt it was a necessary choice, and worth whatever expense it took to get to a comfortable solution. I was never really comfortable with cutting holes in the tanks (at the bottom of the tank) and then trying to seal it back up.

So I was really happy when David Borden posted his interest in having prototypes of Aluminum Fuel Tanks made for a potential group buy for the GTM builders at that time. As soon as I read it, I was all in.

Mike

[LCD Gauges]

It's a very lucky thing that they started leaking in your garage, instead of while you were driving with a hot engine and exhaust right behind them.

No doubt; lucky for me it was just a few drips that set off enough fuel odour to get my attention.


I ended up getting two virgin C5 tanks. The car is back together, but now we're facing sub zero temps and adverse weather.
I'm hoping to get the alignment done before shutting it down for the Winter.

I'll dedicate the cold season to completing the body work so I can think about paint for the Spring.

A couple of photos for a visual. I'm just about wrapped up with the menu structure of the LCD gauges.
One day I'll stop messing with the graphics and move onto something else.
lcdi1.jpgmainmenu.jpg

[Aceflo]

Hey Stig ..do you happen to have all the dimensions for the tanks you installed? I'm going to weld some up for mine.

[The Stig]

Hi Buddy,

I don't know the dimensions. I just bought them, and test fit them to make sure they fit. They did, so I put them in.

Sorry.

Mike

[crash]

Hey Stig ..do you happen to have all the dimensions for the tanks you installed? I'm going to weld some up for mine.

I think a guy named Ron was the original producer off the aluminum tanks. He was friends with Ted from Quick Racing Products. You might want to try and reach Ron via Ted at QRP? He may have the dimensions/plans somewhere which would save you a lot of measuring and trial and error work.

Looks like QRP is still listing the tanks here...

http://quickracingproducts.com/html/fuel_system.html

[Aceflo]

thanks Crash

[Edgeman]

http://www.fueltankparts.com/replace...ve-racing.html
Boyd welding has them too.

[LCD Gauges]

The brain of the LCD gauges is almost complete! These proto-type boards are A-1 quality and better than some production level boards that
I've worked on. I've got a TPMS system on order that I'm going to integrate into the setup and then it's all body work and paint prep over the
Winter.

I think it's time this car received some colour...and I'd like to enjoy my Summer on the roads, not in my garage!

LCDi100.jpg

[LCD Gauges]

Here's a teaser of what i'm working on for the Playback Software for the LCD gauges and Data logger. I'll most likely use an overlay style gauge cluster that floats over the video for maximum size.

FFR_DATA_video.png

[LCD Gauges]

I'm on the verge of integrating a 3rd party TPMS system into the GTM. The sensors are external, valve stem versions and I'm not sure what to think.

They are quite large and will most definitely require additional wheel balancing. The hard part is reverse-engineering the pressure data from the 3rd party
hardware into my module.

tpms.jpgtpms2.png

In other news, I just found out a competitor for the LCDi system ripped off my PDF document and pasted it on their website. I guess they aren't
talented enough to write their own documentation which makes me question the integrity of their product.

[crash]

Isn't it amazing. We're "little guys" doing cool stuff and jerks come in, steal our designs and try and take our very limited business away. It has happened to me on these forums. I try to not get too up tight about it and figure that people are smart enough to see the differences in quality and hopefully also want to go with the supplier that has been on these forums for many years, but it is pretty damn ballsy and annoying.

I have taken over other people's cool ideas and sold them through my business, but I have ALWYAS had conversations with those creators and paid to take over their items with their blessings...and I have got it in writing.

Pretty disgusting when I see people who don't even pay to be vendors selling parts that I designed and have for sale.

Here's to hoping karma is a beoch for them!

[beeman]

I'm on the verge of integrating a 3rd party TPMS system into the GTM. The sensors are external, valve stem versions and I'm not sure what to think.

They are quite large and will most definitely require additional wheel balancing. The hard part is reverse-engineering the pressure data from the 3rd party
hardware into my module.

tpms.jpgtpms2.png.

So those basically act as a dust cover too, with a sensor? How much stress would that put on the valve stem for us guys who like to track occasionally, at 150ish mph? Seems like a lot of torque on the stem, but maybe not. GM/AC Delco replacement TPMS's are only like $20... any way to tie into something like this?

https://www.amazon.com/ACDelco-23445...ds=tpms+system

Seems to be a lot of TPMS apps for android but mixed reviews, and not sure what sensors they are using..

https://play.google.com/store/search...r&c=apps&hl=en

GM has an app, but looks like it requires OnStar

https://play.google.com/store/apps/d...wnership&hl=en

[LCD Gauges]

Yes sir, I'm all over that angle. I grabbed two sets (315 and 433 MHz) as the TPMS system does not specify the frequency.

Time will tell if the sensors will communicate with the hardware.

tpms3.jpg

As for the other external sensors, they double as a dust cap as well. I'm not too sure how they'll handle at 150+ MPH, but I'd imagine the mass
will only be an issue with extreme acceleration/deceleration unless you are thinking about load on the stem due to centrifugal force?

[WIS89]

Tino-

So sorry to hear about what happened to your work; truly infuriating!

I hope it doesn't distract you from your progress on your design and your GTM. That would be even worse in my opinion.

I suspect that that clown will get what he deserves -- or at least I hope he does!

Keep up the great work Tino!

Regards,

Steve

[LCD Gauges]

Thanks Steve, I'm not at all distracted by this. If anything, it motivates me to design better and bury those fools.
.

[LCD Gauges]

Isn't it amazing. We're "little guys" doing cool stuff and jerks come in, steal our designs and try and take our very limited business away. It has happened to me on these forums. I try to not get too up tight about it and figure that people are smart enough to see the differences in quality and hopefully also want to go with the supplier that has been on these forums for many years, but it is pretty damn ballsy and annoying.

...
Here's to hoping karma is a beoch for them!

Hey Mike, I'm sorry I didn't see this sooner. Most of my forum visits have been via cell phone, so I must have scrolled past this. I didn't realise you were also getting ripped off. Hopefully the exposure you receive from the community will come back full circle to bite their rear-ends!

I'm suspicious about that Vaydor guy. He was inquiring about my project for weeks and at times complaining about the cost. His other posts on this forum seek "cheap" LCD gauge solutions, but then he ends up promoting a sub-par system that costs 3-4 times as much!

Offline he was asking me about working with "THEM" to produce drivers for my hardware to work with their graphics.

Hmmm...then suddenly my work ends up on the website that he's advertising.

Call me crazy, but I see a connection. At the very least, he showed 'those guys' this thread and they took it upon themselves to steal my stuff. It seems to be the likely story
based on my conversations with Vaydor.

Who knows? Who cares? I'm going work harder to make sure my toys are better than theirs. I think I'm on the right track.

Their "Aventador", 7 inch screen

Our "Aventador", 8 or 10 inch screen
lcdguage.png

[LCD Gauges]

I finally put down the laptop and went into the garage.

I'm cleaning up some annoying issues that have been bothering me since buying
the car.

The telescopic steering has been removed - it's just not worth connecting for the minimal
movement in my setup. The remaining bug is the play between the inner shaft and outer
collar. When turning it feels very sloppy and will begin to bind when there is resistance
in the steering rack.
20170402_170731.jpg

I'd like to cut the outer collar at the red line and find a flanged bearing with a 1 inch inner ring diameter and 1 5/8 inch outer ring diameter to insert.

20170402_170736.jpg

If I'm not mistaken, someone on this forum has already done this mod.
If you're out there, please post the bearing PN#! If I find it, I'll post it first.



Lastly, the steering shaft is hitting my clutch pedal. I'd really hate to notch the pedal
or shaft. From what I can tell the pedal assembly cannot be easily moved and there's
no visible lateral adjustment in the pedals. Does anyone have experience with the
Wilwood product or have a similar interference issue as mine?

20170402_170620.jpg

[Drdw]

My steering was sloppy with a lot of play as well. I just drilled and tapped a hole and put in a set screw to join those pieces together. A lot more solid now.
I can't help with the pedal, my steering column sits right in the middle between the brake and clutch pedals.
I'd like to come get a demo of your gauges some time when I'm in Toronto. I'm in BC but my son is at the University of Waterloo so we are through That area sometimes.

[LCD Gauges]

Joining the pieces together is a great idea. I'm also thinking about sleeving the inner shaft with a brass bushing, but I'm not
sure how well that will work in the long term. Worst case, if the bushing needs to be replaced, it's an easy 10 minute task.



Let me know when you're in the area and I'd be happy to show you the setup.

[LCD Gauges]

A beautiful day to be outside with clear skies and sun. I was lucky enough to get some time on the car. The steering
linkage feels much better with the bushing and clearing thr clutch pedal interference . Now I need to find that bearing
to stabilize the shaft before the u-joint and it will be solid.

I'm working on a project for a customer, but it's such a great feature that I'll have to integrate the controller into my car as well:

[beeman]

That will be cool to run the HVAC from the tablet!

[LCD Gauges]

For sure! My goal of having a complete, "glass cockpit" is getting closer. TESLA meets GTM is the theme!

What isn't going well is the TPMS merger.

The external vale stem caps are ugly and completely useless. You'll be laughing from a mile away if you put these things on your car!
Needless to say, if I can't get the internal sensors to work, this 3rd party system is going bye-bye. I certainly cannot sell this setup.

It's too bad if it doesn't work out because this product also reports tire temperature. Don't ask me how, because the external sensor
cannot be very accurate reading temperature via the valve stem with ambient air effecting the reading.

tpms.jpg

[WIS89]

Tino-

You are an electronics magician! HVAC through the tablet, and that wicked cool gauge set-up rocks!

I really admire the skills it takes to do this kind of work.

Keep up the great work, and please keep us posted on your progress!

Regards,

Steve

[LCD Gauges]

Thanks Steve, I'll definitely keep the updates rolling. I won't consider myself a magician until the TPMS integration is figured out. Right now, I feel like doing some magic
to make all the problems disappear!

[LCD Gauges]

Another milestone is coming for this GTM as I prepare for the alignment this weekend.

I've been reading a few threads and doing a bit of bench racing on the initial start points. I'm not too worried about getting it perfect
the first time as I'm planning to upgrade the complete stock GEN 1 suspension.

We're still using the Yellow KONI's, stock cam bolts, fixed control arm, etc.

These are the numbers that I found for initial settings:


Front:
Toe In (inches): 1/8
Camber (deg): -0.25
Caster (deg): 2.5

Rear:
Toe In (inches): 1/8
Camber (deg): -0.5
Caster (deg): N/A

I'll be reviewing this thread as it has a great deal of info:

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/showt...=alignment+gtm

In addition to the suspension, I'd like to finally get moving on the body work - especially the hood.
Points to be addressed include the:
- passenger side closing points near the fender and door
- hood opening (smaller opening section with fixed nose)
- Wheel arcs
- Frontal radiator opening

My Buddy Ron (Presto51) has been in the news recently with his expect help on Tucker's car (Brent),
so I'll plug him again with his advice on getting my front end remodelled. I'll be using clay and some
non-stick tape to get the fiberglass lines setup. Then layers of cloth and resin for strength before
slapping on the filler.

The final look will appear something like the upper image.

gtm_front4.jpg

[LCD Gauges]

Here's hoping for clear skies this weekend, I'm itching to get the alignment done so I can get some track time under my belt this season.
Last week was a wash - literally.

What do you think of my sexy fake tire? I learned this trick when setting up the Ford GT's. We would setup the computer modules and wiring
harness on a test bench before installing to the car. Sensors were installed in the pipes and then pressurised to configure the dash. Unfortunately,
these Ford sensors require a transmitter to help communicate with the module. A few couple of weeks for this tool to arrive from CA before
I'll know if the internal sensors will work with my LCD system.

6106QAF5-YL._AC_UL320_SR222,320_.jpg20170519_155209.jpg

[VD2021]

A beautiful day to be outside with clear skies and sun. I was lucky enough to get some time on the car. The steering
linkage feels much better with the bushing and clearing thr clutch pedal interference . Now I need to find that bearing
to stabilize the shaft before the u-joint and it will be solid.

I'm working on a project for a customer, but it's such a great feature that I'll have to integrate the controller into my car as well:

Tino,

Outstanding! I need this in a configuration where I could use a pc with touchscreen.

[LCD Gauges]

Vidal,

Nice to see you posting again! You can find more information here:

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/showt...l=1#post278705

This is a first draft of the touch screen / GUI:
climate_control_PROMO.png

[LCD Gauges]

Last week didn't work out with the alignment shop. The entry was too steep for my car, and the tech said the jacks would
hit the underbody.

I have two awesome recommendations for the Toronto area GTM's that need low-clearance alignments:


Gator Performance, Ajax
http://www.gatorcustomautoperformance.com/
and
Engineered Automotive, Vaughn
engineeredautomotive.com/

EA has quite a race pedigree and exotic car following. Gator is much closer to me
and also deals with performance vehicles.

[LCD Gauges]

Finally straight. The initials were terrible, I know. It still drove fairly well considering. The tech suggested a less aggressive camber for the street. Probably a better choice for my needs right now.

[Shoeless]

Hey Tino,

I just finished reading your build thread from start to finish and all I can say is I'm very impressed. From the doors, to the tail lights, to your personal LCD setup. Just absolutely amazing!!!!!!

I just closed on one of my rental property sales yesterday and the funds are no available for me to pull the trigger on a GTM. I reached out to a gentleman (dbusa) that lives in Ft. Lauderdale (about 2 hours from me) to see if I can get an up close view at his ride. For now, I'm putting together my build plans and budget and we'll see what my final number ends up at.

Sean

[LCD Gauges]

Thanks Sean and congrats on ordering your kit!

20 days of rain this month - a record in my lifetime . Some areas if the city are flooded. Not much opportunity for joy riding.

I'm putting the finishing touches on this display and will eventually rework my console to incorporate this controller.

[LCD Gauges]

There's so much happening that I wanted to document and update the forum as I'm not quite
ready to post a new thread on the LCD system.

With the introduction of the new hardware, and new skins, this project has taken on new meaning
for me. I've connected with many people in various parts of the globe that have found me here,
or via my website. With each new system roll-out, the bar gets set a little higher.

Better graphics, new custom applications, and more efficient code is the result of continued
evolution of this beast. I'll wait to officially announce the networking that I'm doing with a
shop in Texas that is building one hell of a car for the 2018 SEMA show.

This is a teaser of the start-up logo for the car. Keep in mind, it's a cell phone video of my
computer monitor with some scratch graphics. The concept is pretty decent I'd say:



A builder in Florida is putting this into a G35 Kit Car. It's a Lamborghini Centenario LCD
skin.




Last, but certainly not least is a guy from over-seas who wants to develop a custom system for his Super-Lite
using a Twin-Engine Boat inspired LCD. This is by far the sexiest engine panel I've seen to date!



All of these skins will be available for download once completed.

I'm a few days away from launching the Version 2 Hardware thread, so keep an eye out for that!
Thanks for everyone's interest, it's very motivating!

As for my car...I haven't touched it since late Summer. I went for a spin around the block last month,
but otherwise nothing has changed. Good thing I got the alignment done, right?

[LCD Gauges]

Hey all, long time no visit. I hope you're all doing well and enjoying the start of the 2018 season.

It almost seemed like the GTM craze was dying off when I last checked the forum, but it's nice to
see many new build threads popping up.

Another year in the books and my car has sat pretty much idle. This year will be no different as we're
moving (again). This is our 3rd move since buying the GTM and hopefully our last! Going on 7 years
without door glass and a paint job. At least it's aligned and I can drive it around 'Ghetto style' in good
weather.

Anyway, I have a cool story to share. Telling my wife didn't result in the excitement I was expecting;
she just doesn't understand the automotive industry or the chain of events...so check this out:

I've been selling a few more LCD systems these past few months. A local guy not too far from Toronto
ended up buying a single screen setup for a custom Corvette. He did some work through Pfaff designs
in Detroit as his customer plans to show this car at SEMA and other shows.

Two weeks ago I was approached by another local shop, pretty much within my region. He called to get
more information and invited me down to see his place.

It turns out he received my information via Pfaff Designs as he mentioned my LCD system that was getting
installed in the Corvette.

Just for the record, I've never called Pfaff or have any personal communication with them. I'm amazed that
a reputable company in the USA thought about my LCD system to recommend to a customer of theirs.

Going further, at least two...maybe three cars that purchased the digital gauges will be at SEMA this Fall.
My wife has no idea what potential this may have, but it literally scares me.

I never thought for a second that a personal project that I made for my car would turn into small sales
to a handful of forum members, and now reaching some of the biggest shows in North America.

My stuff is built in the basement with mostly off-the-shelf materials. I feel like my game needs to step-up
a few notches. Everything from graphics, to custom enclosures, complete software packages and documentation, etc.

I don't know if this is going to escalate, or just remain "status-quo", but I'm inspired to jump to the next level.

I'll post some photos of the completed cars once the builders finish up. These cars are jaw-dropping!

[crash]

Congratulations. I can tell you from experience that many "big companies" in the car aftermarket start off as personal projects in some ones garage. The problem is going to be that once people see how cool your stuff is, they will try and copy it.

[LCD Gauges]

That's the sad part. it's tough to protect electronics via patents, so I'm a bit hesitant to invest large amounts of money
into developing this further.

Any of the big three (or four) could easily copy this idea and mass produce it. I'm not so sure they could compete with
the price point however; they would have to cut their current retail by about 60% USD.

I'm just a drop in the ocean compared to their stronghold in the market. I doubt anything that I'm doing would ever
threaten their sales.

[LCD Gauges]

Well, how about this?

What are you using to connect your upper rad hose? I'd like to use a more appealing

solution than rubber hose if possible.

Thanks in advance.

[VRaptor SpeedWorks, LLC]

Pretty sure that's supposed to use the OEM upper radiator hose from the 'Vette. You just cut it down and put one end on the radiator neck and insert the flex tube into the other end and use hose clamps. You could probably also use a silicone 90" elbow of proper size.