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01-16-2019, 09:25 AM
#401
Bee-
I have been following along with your build for quite a while now, and I have really enjoyed following your progress. I know I have said before how much I admire your craftsmanship, your creativity, and your ability to stick with it despite several serious challenges. However, I need to say it again! I remain amazed at what you have done by tearing apart a GTM kit, adding bits and pieces of other cars, plus a great deal of creativity and problem solving, to make an amazing car! She's a Frankencar (and I mean that in a very good way!), but a stunning Frankencar, and I can't wait to see what she will look like when you are done with your magic!!
Thanks again for allowing us to follow along on your awesome build. Mad skills brother, mad skills!!
All the best!
Regards,
Steve
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01-16-2019, 12:08 PM
#402
Originally Posted by
WIS89
Bee-
I have been following along with your build for quite a while now, and I have really enjoyed following your progress. I know I have said before how much I admire your craftsmanship, your creativity, and your ability to stick with it despite several serious challenges. However, I need to say it again! I remain amazed at what you have done by tearing apart a GTM kit, adding bits and pieces of other cars, plus a great deal of creativity and problem solving, to make an amazing car! She's a Frankencar (and I mean that in a very good way!), but a stunning Frankencar, and I can't wait to see what she will look like when you are done with your magic!!
Thanks again for allowing us to follow along on your awesome build. Mad skills brother, mad skills!!
All the best!
Regards,
Steve
+1. I check this thread daily for every bit of the glorious automotive engineering porn. Bee your build is a real treat to follow!
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01-17-2019, 11:51 PM
#403
Senior Member
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01-18-2019, 01:58 PM
#404
Senior Member
Carbon fiber prop rod, full trunk/suspension/maintenance access! Yea! I don't know if I mentioned it, but I almost chickened out and went with 4 hood pins and no hinge, very glad I took the time to do it right.
Not the best video, propped the phone on the welder, but you get the idea...
MK3.1 2004 Mach 1 donor. ABS, PS, TC.
GTM #304 LPE 525hp LS3
2000 C5 Lingenfelter LS1@489hp
1999 Corvette FRC/Z06 track car
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Post Thanks / Like - 0 Thanks, 1 Likes
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02-10-2019, 02:59 PM
#405
Senior Member
Isn't it about time for an update??
FFR 7123 tilt front, Levy 5link/wilwoods/LCA's, webers.
SL-C, LS3 525, Mendeola SDR5,
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02-10-2019, 05:02 PM
#406
Senior Member
Ok, hopefully it's not a boring update, but here goes!
Figured I'd goof around with the gauge cluster a little, Plan B is Tino's LCD cluster, but my narrow Honda cluster would force me to use a small LCD if I go that route.
Honda dashboard/gauge housing, Corvette C5 gauges. Lot less real estate in the Honda housing.
Pulled the Honda gauge bezel, popped it on the scanner, then imported into the CAD program. All I needed was the outline to 3D print a new bezel that would fit right into the Honda housing, so just traced the outline. (I upload pics at a low resolution to make viewing easier, the pics don't show it but it is a perfect copy)
Measured the 5 gauges I would be incorporating (no Speedometer, going with a GPS base speedometer outside of the gauge cluster) and decided how to lay it out. To fit a shift light and make things symmetric, I am rotating the tachometer to a flat position compared to the canted C5 position. I'm either going to create a new tach gauge face or leave the RPM numbers canted, it won't bother me. Already have EL gauge faces that don't have Corvette logos on them.
Added the shift light slot plus indicator light locations. Had to divide in half for printing, on the printer now. Will do a carbon fiber overlay on the ABS shroud.
Last edited by beeman; 02-11-2019 at 02:15 PM.
MK3.1 2004 Mach 1 donor. ABS, PS, TC.
GTM #304 LPE 525hp LS3
2000 C5 Lingenfelter LS1@489hp
1999 Corvette FRC/Z06 track car
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02-10-2019, 06:13 PM
#407
Senior Member
Very cool. Looking forward to seeing the gauges in it.
FFR 7123 tilt front, Levy 5link/wilwoods/LCA's, webers.
SL-C, LS3 525, Mendeola SDR5,
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02-11-2019, 01:45 PM
#408
That is pretty cool. What 3D printer do you have?
P.S. Who is Tito?
Custom LCD Gauges , Data Loggers, Control Touch Screens
www.LCDdash.com \\ 647-522-9953 \\ Voice & Text
Proud new owner of GTM Gen 1., #105 - 08/27/11
LQ9 Powered, G96.00 6 speed transaxle
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02-11-2019, 02:15 PM
#409
Senior Member
Originally Posted by
Procision-Auto
That is pretty cool. What 3D printer do you have?
P.S. Who is Tito?
An American Icon! Or at least an American Icon's brother... Sorry I must have been in a hurry.
My printer is an older one, made by XYZ, I think it is about 4-5 years old, paid around $500 back then. Print bed is 8"x8", it has been very reliable.
MK3.1 2004 Mach 1 donor. ABS, PS, TC.
GTM #304 LPE 525hp LS3
2000 C5 Lingenfelter LS1@489hp
1999 Corvette FRC/Z06 track car
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02-23-2019, 01:27 PM
#410
Senior Member
Quick update. Printed gauge bezel didn't meet my standards, so I contacted Shane at vraptorspeedworks. He was able to plasma cut my design from aluminum for a very reasonable price. I am thrilled with the result. If anyone is interested, I can do a write up sometime about going from a vision to CAD to Shane's plasma cutter. I'm definitely going to have my center console created by him here soon. It's a great way to achieve perfect symmetry and sub-mm precision. It dropped right into my housing and perfectly matches the gauge face diameters.
I 3D printed the small gauge supports. Still a little work to do but coming along nicely.
Here's full resolution photo. Have replacement Electroluminescent gauge faces.
Last edited by beeman; 02-23-2019 at 01:30 PM.
MK3.1 2004 Mach 1 donor. ABS, PS, TC.
GTM #304 LPE 525hp LS3
2000 C5 Lingenfelter LS1@489hp
1999 Corvette FRC/Z06 track car
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02-23-2019, 08:48 PM
#411
Bee-
Very nicely done! I really like how the tach is lying on its side in the center gauge; seriously cool looking!
I am going to have to get Shane to do some cutting for me too. I have been scratching my head on a few things, and this might be the best answer. Thanks for sharing some of the details.
Keep up the good work brother!
Regards,
Steve
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02-24-2019, 06:38 PM
#412
Senior Member
Thanks, Steve! Just another way to skin this cat.
Borrowed my wife's label maker. Getting rid of the bloated C5 power distribution.
Rat nest!
Last edited by beeman; 02-24-2019 at 07:27 PM.
MK3.1 2004 Mach 1 donor. ABS, PS, TC.
GTM #304 LPE 525hp LS3
2000 C5 Lingenfelter LS1@489hp
1999 Corvette FRC/Z06 track car
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02-24-2019, 07:05 PM
#413
Senior Member
Originally Posted by
beeman
That looks sweet. Nice work (as usual).
FFR 7123 tilt front, Levy 5link/wilwoods/LCA's, webers.
SL-C, LS3 525, Mendeola SDR5,
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02-25-2019, 09:48 AM
#414
That's looking sweet!
And yes, as Beeman mentioned.....if you need anything plasma cut, I can do that for you very reasonably if you can provide me with a workable dxf drawing of the part you want cut. I can also do the design/CAD work for you, but that will increase the costs substantially since it is the CAD drawing that takes the most time to do. If you need some CAD software, I use the free download from emachineshop.com to do all of my CAD drawing.
Shane Vacek
VRaptor SpeedWorks, LLC
www.vraptorspeedworks.com
Turn-key GTM, SL-C & Ultima GTR Built to Your Specs!
Offering a full line of GTM Upgrades and Custom Parts
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Post Thanks / Like - 0 Thanks, 1 Likes
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02-26-2019, 09:05 PM
#415
Senior Member
I've become very intimate with the Corvette electrical system
My Mustang donor had a fuel inertia cutoff switch that I incorporated into my cobra build. Corvette does not have this failsafe. So I purchased a Mustang unit to splice into the fuel pump power wire. I think a good $16 investment, I think everyone should at least consider it. I will say that I will be mounting it within reach in my cockpit, I will admit that I have triggered my cobra fuel cutoff on the track with high g cornering. No fun to wave the corner worker over to reset it in my trunk...
MK3.1 2004 Mach 1 donor. ABS, PS, TC.
GTM #304 LPE 525hp LS3
2000 C5 Lingenfelter LS1@489hp
1999 Corvette FRC/Z06 track car
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02-27-2019, 10:13 AM
#416
Senior Member
Beeman, I think a fuel cutoff is absolutely essential. I thought the LS ECU incorporated a fuel cutoff to the fuel pumps?
FFR 7123 tilt front, Levy 5link/wilwoods/LCA's, webers.
SL-C, LS3 525, Mendeola SDR5,
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02-27-2019, 11:51 AM
#417
Senior Member
There is no inertia cutoff. The PCM does control the fuel pump and apparently will eventually kill power to the fuel pump if the engine dies. That's potentially more spraying fuel than I want.
MK3.1 2004 Mach 1 donor. ABS, PS, TC.
GTM #304 LPE 525hp LS3
2000 C5 Lingenfelter LS1@489hp
1999 Corvette FRC/Z06 track car
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02-27-2019, 01:07 PM
#418
Originally Posted by
beeman
There is no inertia cutoff. The PCM does control the fuel pump and apparently will eventually kill power to the fuel pump if the engine dies. That's potentially more spraying fuel than I want.
Hmmm...
Would be easy to program that into a certain system () using accelerometer info: impact forces, fuel pressure, and "shiny side Up" data! Would be nice to have an automated kill switch in the event the driver
goes 'lights out' momentarily.
EDIT: Sorry, just saw you purchase a switch up above.
Last edited by LCD Gauges; 02-27-2019 at 01:09 PM.
Custom LCD Gauges , Data Loggers, Control Touch Screens
www.LCDdash.com \\ 647-522-9953 \\ Voice & Text
Proud new owner of GTM Gen 1., #105 - 08/27/11
LQ9 Powered, G96.00 6 speed transaxle
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03-01-2019, 01:28 PM
#419
Senior Member
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03-01-2019, 02:03 PM
#420
That looks pretty good! Is there any way to rotate the numbers and get decent illumination?
Maybe remove some of the opaque material from the lower layer, and use the top mask to edge the lighting of the numbers?
Custom LCD Gauges , Data Loggers, Control Touch Screens
www.LCDdash.com \\ 647-522-9953 \\ Voice & Text
Proud new owner of GTM Gen 1., #105 - 08/27/11
LQ9 Powered, G96.00 6 speed transaxle
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03-01-2019, 02:46 PM
#421
Senior Member
The graphics on the EL faces are fixed and extend through the full thickness of the face, I guess they call it 'reverse glow'. So I can't really modify the face.
Here's what the back side looks like
MK3.1 2004 Mach 1 donor. ABS, PS, TC.
GTM #304 LPE 525hp LS3
2000 C5 Lingenfelter LS1@489hp
1999 Corvette FRC/Z06 track car
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03-01-2019, 02:54 PM
#422
I haven't checked in on your build for a bit, but had a vacation day today, so now I'm all caught up. Excellent work as usual!!!
I like the idea of a fuel cutoff in the unfortunate circumstance of an "event." I need to see if I can program this in my "safety" pages in my AEM setup.
I'm just starting to work my wiring diagram for the entire car, including the AEM system I'm going with in Visio Professional. Fortunately enough I had a good reason to get it on my work computer so I don't have to pay for it. It's a bit overwhelming to learn something new, but I think the final product will be very helpful. It will be a lot of copying what AEM already provides for the ECM, but there are open circuits for additional sensors that I will be using most of. This will allow me to tear apart the AEM wiring harness, add what I need, and make it fit the GTM layout. Plus having an entire wiring diagram before I start will be massively helpful.
Keep up the great work!!!!
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03-01-2019, 03:01 PM
#423
Senior Member
Thanks!
The Ford fuel cutoff I showed above is completely mechanical so you can use it in any car with an electric fuel pump. You wouldn't even need to let your computer know it's there, just splice into the fuel pump power. If it's ever triggered, the engine would simply behave the same as if you ran out of gas.
I've heard of people retrofitting these into cars that lack that safety feature.
MK3.1 2004 Mach 1 donor. ABS, PS, TC.
GTM #304 LPE 525hp LS3
2000 C5 Lingenfelter LS1@489hp
1999 Corvette FRC/Z06 track car
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Post Thanks / Like - 0 Thanks, 2 Likes
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03-01-2019, 04:10 PM
#424
Originally Posted by
beeman
The graphics on the EL faces are fixed and extend through the full thickness of the face, I guess they call it 'reverse glow'. So I can't really modify the face.
Here's what the back side looks like
I see, that's a difficult illumination to modify.
Custom LCD Gauges , Data Loggers, Control Touch Screens
www.LCDdash.com \\ 647-522-9953 \\ Voice & Text
Proud new owner of GTM Gen 1., #105 - 08/27/11
LQ9 Powered, G96.00 6 speed transaxle
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03-03-2019, 08:19 PM
#425
Senior Member
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03-04-2019, 09:34 AM
#426
Shane Vacek
VRaptor SpeedWorks, LLC
www.vraptorspeedworks.com
Turn-key GTM, SL-C & Ultima GTR Built to Your Specs!
Offering a full line of GTM Upgrades and Custom Parts
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03-04-2019, 10:00 AM
#427
Bee-
Have you considered photo-luminescent paint on the needle? I have seen it used, with varying degrees of success, in a number of places. I think it might at least help with your needle, although I don't think it will make it OEM bright. However, it might be worth a shot.
I hope this helps...
Regards,
Steve
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03-04-2019, 04:00 PM
#428
Senior Member
Originally Posted by
WIS89
Bee-
Have you considered photo-luminescent paint on the needle? I have seen it used, with varying degrees of success, in a number of places. I think it might at least help with your needle, although I don't think it will make it OEM bright. However, it might be worth a shot.
I hope this helps...
Regards,
Steve
I actually thought about doing something like that to the needles, but I will warn anyone NOT to try to remove the Corvette C5 gauge needles, it ruins the gauge. I used my speedometer as a guinea pig, trying to pry off the needle ripped the guts out of the gauge and ruined it. The above EL faces did not require needle removal, probably for that reason. So I don't think I could get a clean paint job on the needles since they are not removable.
MK3.1 2004 Mach 1 donor. ABS, PS, TC.
GTM #304 LPE 525hp LS3
2000 C5 Lingenfelter LS1@489hp
1999 Corvette FRC/Z06 track car
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03-04-2019, 04:30 PM
#429
Have you considered sliding a laminated postcard or some aluminum foil behind the needle and painting it as is? You can choose a paint that illuminates in UV light and throw a few UV LEDs at the top of the cluster area to provide illumination at night without harming your night vision. Think blacklight on neon paint.
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03-04-2019, 04:33 PM
#430
Senior Member
Originally Posted by
Jake From State Farm
Have you considered sliding a laminated postcard or some aluminum foil behind the needle and painting it as is? You can choose a paint that illuminates in UV light and throw a few UV LEDs at the top of the cluster area to provide illumination at night without harming your night vision. Think blacklight on neon paint.
I'll see if I can find an example of that. Paint with brush or aerosol?
MK3.1 2004 Mach 1 donor. ABS, PS, TC.
GTM #304 LPE 525hp LS3
2000 C5 Lingenfelter LS1@489hp
1999 Corvette FRC/Z06 track car
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03-04-2019, 07:28 PM
#431
I haven’t seen it done before. That’s what I’d try, with a sacrificial part first. Aerosol is usually a better finish.
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03-05-2019, 06:46 PM
#432
Senior Member
Originally Posted by
Jake From State Farm
Have you considered sliding a laminated postcard or some aluminum foil behind the needle and painting it as is? You can choose a paint that illuminates in UV light and throw a few UV LEDs at the top of the cluster area to provide illumination at night without harming your night vision. Think blacklight on neon paint.
Ha, I feel kind of stupid. I just recalled that the OEM needles and faces in the C5 are illuminated by a pair of UV lights that sit in front of the faces on either side of the cluster. I knew this at one point... Duh!!! I confirmed on my C5 in the garage that,
Yes, the needles themselves illuminate brightly under the UV lights. I ordered some UV led bulbs. I think problem solved. Thanks again for the recommendation.
Last edited by beeman; 03-05-2019 at 06:57 PM.
MK3.1 2004 Mach 1 donor. ABS, PS, TC.
GTM #304 LPE 525hp LS3
2000 C5 Lingenfelter LS1@489hp
1999 Corvette FRC/Z06 track car
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03-05-2019, 08:49 PM
#433
Derp derp. Happens to the best of us!
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04-06-2019, 09:09 PM
#434
Senior Member
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04-06-2019, 10:46 PM
#435
Senior Member
Wiring always just short of nightmare, I see you labeled everything..... I did the same thing, invested in machine to make labels as I will never remember where all those wires went a year from now when I need to take something apart. Good luck with your wiring, always looks like rats nest until they are all terminated and tied up....
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04-07-2019, 05:51 AM
#436
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04-07-2019, 04:58 PM
#437
Hey Dave,
I like the layout of your steering wheel plate. I wanted to do something little different lately, so I'm kicking around ideas of what I would like mine to look like. I'm thinking two rotary dial switches to control my traction control and either my launch control RPM or blended tunes for track vs. street.
Whats your plan on running wiring for all those buttons?
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04-07-2019, 05:10 PM
#438
Senior Member
Originally Posted by
Shoeless
Hey Dave,
I like the layout of your steering wheel plate. I wanted to do something little different lately, so I'm kicking around ideas of what I would like mine to look like. I'm thinking two rotary dial switches to control my traction control and either my launch control RPM or blended tunes for track vs. street.
Whats your plan on running wiring for all those buttons?
Well, here's a thread I made a few years back. I'm currently trying to come up with a wireless option for my removable wheel, but if you are doing rotary switches that would get complicated. If you have a fixed wheel, I'd go with a clockspring setup.
https://www.ffcars.com/forums/42-fac...on-thread.html
If you want to go that route, I will give you a good deal on the Momo C5 adapter with the Caddy clockspring. I switched to an electric power column so I had to buy a different hub adapter.
Last edited by beeman; 04-07-2019 at 08:38 PM.
MK3.1 2004 Mach 1 donor. ABS, PS, TC.
GTM #304 LPE 525hp LS3
2000 C5 Lingenfelter LS1@489hp
1999 Corvette FRC/Z06 track car
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04-08-2019, 02:49 PM
#439
Senior Member
Originally Posted by
beeman
...I'm currently trying to come up with a wireless option for my removable wheel...
Check out Raptor Pro. https://www.demon-tweeks.com/us/summ...system-851896/
Just an old man with a great hobby
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04-08-2019, 03:16 PM
#440
Senior Member
Originally Posted by
Roger Reid
Thanks for the link, Roger. I have seen that product and it looks awesome. It is definitely an option if my DIY system crashes and burns. I'll post more as my frankenstein wireless system comes along.
MK3.1 2004 Mach 1 donor. ABS, PS, TC.
GTM #304 LPE 525hp LS3
2000 C5 Lingenfelter LS1@489hp
1999 Corvette FRC/Z06 track car