My Official GTM Build Thread!

[VD2021]

Here are a few items, that being aware of, may save some headache.-

-The tracks need to be parallel.
-You also want to check that the glass does not end up to far forward in it's full down position (watch out for it contacting the door frame).

[LCD Gauges]

Thanks Vidal, I'm pretty much done with the door until it goes back on the car, but I'll keep those points in mind for the final adjustments.

The photo shows the ever famous glass protrusion which is easily corrected by grinding the lower portion of the glass. It's only 2 cm, but
enough to warrant the modification.

Back to body work now, and then aligning the hood, and hatch. I'd really like to chop the rear hatch to act more like the Gen II; that is,
separating the glass from the air inlets on the rear hatch. I'm not really sure how I'll go about this, but I'm thinking Zues/Dzus fasteners
on the back, and having the latch lock down the remaining lid just behind the window area.
555-82232.jpg

It would be nice to keep it as one piece, but I've read that the weight, and stability of the spoiler is difficult to manage at highway speeds.
I'll be looking to get Shane's spoiler mounts to correct that issue, and check out options to seal the lid as the Gen II models.
glass_lip.jpg

[carbon fiber]

there are several people that have done the hatch mod. fraser d cut his hatch into two pieces. I can't remember if he glassed it to the body or not, but you could make some sort of support brace from underneath, and glass some mounting tabs on the underside of the hatch. he glassed a lip on the bottom front of the rear part to attach a seal to make it waterproof. if you look through his build thread (might be on the other forum) you will see the pics of his setup. also, if you build a support frame for the rear part of the hatch it could support the rear wing also. I just saw the post you had on the other forum with the airbox idea, and the support structure could be built around the airbox and hold it in place also. just heat insulate the crap out of that thing, it's right on top of the exhaust.

[Roger Reid]

...The photo shows the ever famous glass protrusion which is easily corrected by grinding the lower portion of the glass. It's only 2 cm, but
enough to warrant the modification...

Many have tried to grind the hatch glass with disastrous results. Would the side window glass also be subject to shattering?

[carbon fiber]

grinding the glass seems like the easy way out, until you try it and end up ordering new glass. all the glass that comes with the kit is tempered, so grinding any of it is not a good idea. i'm working on a hatch glass solution that includes a vent system for venting hot engine bay air. it's modeled after the novitec rossi f12 Ferrari. there is a thread titled (Does anyone have a Gen-I hatch they aren't planning to use?) it was started by mike (the stig). i'm making a mold and i'm planning on selling them on this forum. it'll solve the fitment issue and vent the hot air from the engine compartment. (sorry for the highjack tino, i'm just excited about this project, and i'm going to go ahead and sell it as soon as I get mikes finished.)Novitec-Ferrari-F12-berlinetta-N-LARGO-6_zpse9ff4146.jpg

[sk7500]

The hatch window on a GTM is tempered. I don't know about the rear 1/4 windows because all of mine have been Polycarbonate. But I'm willing to bet they are tempered as well. The roll up windows are tempered. If you try to grind on tempered glass you stand a 99% chance of it shattering while you are grinding it. If you are lucky enough to not shatter it while grinding it will only be a matter of time before road shock will finish the job.

The only window you can shape with a silicone carbide sanding disk is the windshield. That's because its not tempered. It has a thin sheet of plastic laminated between two sheets of glass. It's called safety glass. The reason for this is that if you had a tempered windshield and a rock hit the glass, it would explode and your vision and ability to control the vehicle would be compromised. Windshield will chip and crack but will hold it's shape.

So the bottom line here is DON'T GRIND ON YOUR GLASS!!! If your glass doesn't fit your car you're not alone, but I'm afraid the correct fix is to make the body fit the glass or make your windows from Polycarbonate. Don't ask how I know this. Your windshield has to be made from safety glass but all other windows are fair game.

Steve

Many have tried to grind the hatch glass with disastrous results. Would the side window glass also be subject to shattering?

[LCD Gauges]

Ahh, so I'm mistaken about the fix? I thought people were grinding the glass, but if I risk shattering everything - it's not worth the trouble.

How is the road noise with poly side glass? I may end up leaving the glass as-is based on the recent comments.

[Fraser D]

The rear section will be secured with similar fasteners to what you have posted. The engine has just gone back in and the hatch is next on the list.
I cut a radius about 2" back from the glass the made a mold to give it a weather lip.
One thing to remind yourself of is that there is no point trying to get a water proof seal as the hatch vents and the wing uprights make that a hopeless endeavor.
To secure the hatch I am using one of the electric C5 hatch releases.
Look through my photo bucket link to see more photos.
Let me know if you have any questions on how I approached mine.

[LCD Gauges]

i'm working on a hatch glass solution that includes a vent system for venting hot engine bay air. it's modeled after the novitec rossi f12 Ferrari. there is a thread titled (Does anyone have a Gen-I hatch they aren't planning to use?) sorry for the highjack tino, i'm just excited about this project, and i'm going to go ahead and sell it as soon as I get mikes finished.

No problem Jason (?), I've been viewing that thread in anticipation for the final result. I'm concerned about all the talk of heat in the engine bay, even though there
are side vents, rear vents, underbody air flow options, and internal shielding that I plan to install. Has anyone measured the ambient temperature under normal conditions
vs. spirited driving (or race environments)?

Thanks for the input thus far, and saving me from grinding the glass! I'm going to measure up the door to check whether there's space to drop the rails down a touch.

[carbon fiber]

this solution should work great. there's no better place for a vent than at the top where the hot air rises to, and the smooth look should blend in with the gtm nicely. i've been following your build. it's good to see people attacking the bodywork themselves, you'll save a ton of $ and gain valuable experience too.

[LCD Gauges]

I'm going to measure up the door to check whether there's space to drop the rails down a touch.

Blonde moment. Please forget I had ever posted this idea.

(thank you for not laughing)

[Fraser D]

Blonde moment. Please forget I had ever posted this idea.

(thank you for not laughing)

Hey we have all chased rabbits down holes and got lost in the warren. So as long as you can laugh with us its all good. :-)

[LCD Gauges]

More planning, and dreamin'! I'd love to see these molded onto the GTM, but I have a feeling most of the rear would require major surgery.

We'll see what KIA has to say for pricing, and whether they are flat enough to work.
2012_Kia_Forte_Koup_SX_-_LED_Tail_Lamps.jpg110411877_695.jpg

Not much else happening with the car aside from body work on the passenger side. I'll spare the photos until I get some decent progress!

[LCD Gauges]

Current status, and challenge accepted! Also looking for tips on the back hatch alignment.

[LCD Gauges]

With a -16 degree temperature in Ontario these days, it appears mixing the 3M filler is not happening. The body work will have to wait
until early Spring to ensure everything cures properly.

The next order of business is to install the scissor door hinges. This should keep me busy for a while!

As a result of the PDG team fuel fire, I have decided to purchase fuel rails and scrap the quick-connect idea. With the flexibility of the
AN fittings, I am going to build a fuel loop to ensure all injectors receive equal pressure.

fuel_loop.jpg

[LCD Gauges]

Fuel rails are here, and I must give props to Pro. Products on their kit! Aside from the rails, cross-over line, and mounting hardware, the box included all of the blue AN fittings you see screwed into the rails, and an additional braided line to plumb from the regulator (which I don't need). There is even a reducer for connecting a pressure gauge if desired. The fittings with a green dot beside them are not part of the kit, but will be used to build the fuel loop. A quality kit for sure! PN# PRR 10612 Also spoke to Aman which is a stone's throw away from me. It's so cool to have another GTM so close! We talked about getting some of the local FFR gang together in the Spring. I know there are a few Cobra guys around, as well as Dave [RF Rider], and Ed Konda. ROAAAAAAAAAD TRIPPPPPP! DSC_0012.JPGDSC_0013.JPG

[Motohead]

Just got done reading your build thread. I also bought a kit that was about 1/3 built. It's fun to read and see how everyone deals with all the problems. I'm also trying to do most of the bodywork myself to save money and just for the experience. Hope it warms up soon for you. I posted some stuff on the other forum, but just started useing this forum too. I'll try to post a couple of pictures of my progress.
KEEP ON TRUCKIN!P1000798.JPG

[LCD Gauges]

Hey Moto, thanks for stopping by. Nice looking cage, and wheels. I'm guessing the rear style is what you're going to upgrade with?

I'm onto the door hinge project now. Hoping to get the roughed in scissor hinges functional by the weekend. It's not going to be fun aligning this setup,
and constantly lifting the body to adjust the position. Oh well, that's what it's all about.

2013-12-18 19.27.20.jpg2013-12-18 19.27.38.jpg
Checking tire clearance, and wheel well spacing. Lookin' good.

[LCD Gauges]

Finished the driver`s side hinge bracket. This thing is rock solid!

2013-12-20 20.17.43.jpg
A good 30 minutes spent blending the welds. Paint soon. Maybe a mounted door by Sunday night, just in time for Santa!
2013-12-20 20.20.41.jpg

[fastthings]

Looks prety good, that should do it. That mount looks like a good start.

On your hatch, do you really want to showcar the whole thing, or do you just want to get it done and have it last 5 to 10 years. Get a good product and fill it in, don't cut that apart and redo it unless your going to do the same everywhere else. If your worried about shrinkage of your product being that deep, use a harder filler. Fill up the low deep spots with a fiberglass filler, it will have fibers in it and will cure rock hard, you can't sand it. Use a grinder to take it down to shape and then use normal bondo to finnish it off.

Shane's website is a good place to see how the rear looks well, at the back, and what to do with those body lines.

[LCD Gauges]

Thanks for the tips Gene. After the doors are finished, I'll be looking at the hatch in more detail.

While our power was out for three days, I did some editing in Photoshop to hold me over. I'm set on these lights, but I'll need
to copy a template to make sure before ordering them.

Found a decent wing too!

gtm_forte.jpg

Merry Christmas everyone!

[LCD Gauges]

Door hinges are mounted! The project is going well, and I'm hoping to get the door bolted to the hinge this week.
2014-01-01 15.14.33.jpg2014-01-01 15.44.01.jpg

[tcarlson]

That picture is really neat... I hadn't seen those tail lights or rear fiberglass part below the license plate.

And happy new year!

T

Thanks for the tips Gene. After the doors are finished, I'll be looking at the hatch in more detail.

While our power was out for three days, I did some editing in Photoshop to hold me over. I'm set on these lights, but I'll need
to copy a template to make sure before ordering them.

Found a decent wing too!

gtm_forte.jpg

Merry Christmas everyone!

[LCD Gauges]

Happy New Year to you as well!

That image is something i created using Kia Forte LED lights, and a diffuser from a Ferrari F430. The diffuser is actually plastic, and is priced way too high
from a local Ferrari dealer at $3000+ (there is an invoice on a previous page). That's too much for my taste, and I'm sure I can have a carbon fiber piece
made for equal or less!

These are the things I do when getting to the garage is difficult.

[LCD Gauges]

Back to the doors after a mild hiatus. We're sitting at -27'C, and with the wind it's feeling closer to -40'C! Check your coolant
if you live in these parts; it's moving like syrup right now, but not slushing up. I've also put a dish outside, and one in the garage
to make sure the mixture will handle the climate. I'd hate to drain the motor right now because it's going to make a mess of the
floor. Something to think about next Winter if the trend continues!

Cut away some material to get the hinge to line-up. Still need some bracket mods to make it work.

2014-01-08 18.34.52.jpg
top view showing the scissor hinge inside the cut-away.
2014-01-08 18.37.56.jpghinge-top-down.JPG

[LCD Gauges]

Today I was able to mount the driver door to the hinge. After a quick test, it was easy to see that more alignment is necessary because the inside of
the door will rub against the a-pillar where the windshield meets the body.

doorup1.jpgdoorup2.jpg

[LCD Gauges]

Building up some circuits to indicate low pressure, and high temperature for oil, coolant, and fuel. I may even wire in some sort of warning tone generator.

P.S. Pardon the dust around the gauges!

[LCD Gauges]

Setting up an RC circuit to "slow drain" the LED lighting. This technique
will be used in the interior courtesy and dome lighting to allow a gradual
decay once the door is shut, and/or switch is turned off.

I'll likely change the values to make it even slower, but won't know the
exact combination until all of the lighting is connected in the car.



Also made the braided line to complete the fuel loop. I'll be adding the pressure
sender to monitor the fuel rails in the event that a leak were to occur,
or the car ended up in a serious accident where I'm not able to shut off
the fuel pump.

The circuit I'm building will sense a 10 PSI in pressure, and illuminate a
caution LED on the gauge cluster. At 20 PSI or more of a drop, the fuel
pump relay will automatically shut off unless I manually over-ride the
circuit.
I'll be moving this bulky looking pressure sender to the regulator, and placing
the fuel pressure gauge there instead.
2014-01-20 22.50.47.jpg710-89611.jpg

A question for those using the Vette electronics, or anyone with favourite
features of production cars:

What do you like about your daily driver that you would want to add to
the GTM?

For example, I like that the dome light illuminates in the Malibu when the
key is removed from the ignition. I also like that the light drains slowly.

I'm attempting to build in some of the following features:
- a low fuel indicator (LED)
- an adjustable shift light
- an LED in the door handle release (for night locating)
- automatic low light dash illumination (adjustable twilight sentinel)
- courtesy lights stay on when doors are popped, and go off when engine starts (only if light sensor senses low light)

The circuit should fit nicely in a small sized project box like this one:
7inch-project-box.jpg
What are your favourite car features?

[LCD Gauges]

I'm doing it, C7 lights! As much as I didn't want this to look like a Vette in
the beginning, I think these lights are flat enough to install with minimal
body work, and they look killer in my opinion.

There are some cool mods to add venting which will come in hand to purge
some of the trapped air, and heat of course.

The Parts Guy got my hopes up over the phone when he quoted me 2013
tail lights after asking for C7 tail lights. I guess my seven's sound like a six?!

Anyway, here's the print out for those that want to look into this. The trim
piece (bezel) is a separate order from the light unit so be sure to order both

[LCD Gauges]

The latest render with C7 tail lights. After many failed attempts, this is the one!

DSC_0263.JPGgtm_c7.jpg

[LCD Gauges]

Today I put the body back on the car to test the scissor hinges. As I suspected, there is interference
with the body almost instantly upon lifting the door.

I'll have to make a slight adjustment on the pivot position to allow for more clearance.
The blue outline is the preferred arc travel with the hinge (pivot point) raised four inches.
2014-02-03 15.48.58.jpghinge_pivot.jpg
Nobody said it was easy!

[LCD Gauges]

I would have posted sooner, but I had to finish making love to this BEAUTIFUL C7!
You know that cliche, "pictures don't do it justice"? It's all true; my first time
up close & personal with the new Vette, and it's sex * infinity! Black on Black,
and evil as ever. It makes me want to change the colour of my GTM.
Those sick sales people kept the door locked, or I would have never left
the show room.

I took some measurements, and will be checking the real-estate on the GTM.
Should be good to order the lights this week! I`m also considering the
vent strips to add above the bumper edge. It might look alright?

Enjoy the photos; sorry that my zoom range wouldn't allow for a
complete end-to-end shot of this car.
2014-02-04 15.40.54.jpg2014-02-04 15.41.25.jpg2014-02-04 15.41.34.jpg2014-02-04 15.41.58.jpg

[LCD Gauges]

Found this site for custom buttons, and a bunch of other things (not sure if it has been posted before):

http://www.autoloc.com/products/buttonbuilder/

[LCD Gauges]

My initial scaling of the C7 tail lights proved to be incorrect. I used internet photos to find the length and height of the lights based on license plate size.
It turns out, the height was almost perfect but the length should be 23 inches, not 19. As you can see from the left photo, the bezel will almost touch
the exhaust tip. If I modify the bezel to remove the mesh, it may still work out. I'm not giving up on these beauties yet!

Back to door hinges tomorrow; hoping to get the driver door modified, and tested over the next couple of days.
gtm_c7b.jpggtm_c7c.jpg

[LCD Gauges]

Seems like I’m spinning my wheels with the build lately. No-go with the initial C7 lights, and now I’m stumped on the door
Hinge install.

Raising the assembly higher helped, but it’s still not enough. Right now the bracket is almost touching the fiberglass where
the hood latches would live; there’s no more room to move.
2014-02-12 12.45.16.jpg

The radius of the hinge arm is too small to allow the door to clear the body, and the swing angle is tight because the fulcrum
Is about eight inches from the door jamb instead of two inches like the FFR hinges.
2014-02-12 12.45.02.jpg

I’ve been messing with some geometry with a paper model, and it seems I’ll have to modify the curved part to straighten out
In order to increase the arc length at the end of the arm. The door moves out first, then up when using the model,
So this seems like the solution.
2014-02-11 19.24.49.jpg
I know there are at least two members that used this kit so if this idea doesn’t work I’ll have to check my ego and
get some ideas from them.

[Fugly_Old_Cowboy]

Tino....
Ideas & advise do not require an ego check.... it's only required if you don't take the advise & then have to get someone to showyou what you are doing wrong...

[LCD Gauges]

Right on JT,

As much as I pride myself for doing as much as possible on my own, I shouldn't be so hesitant to ask for help when needed. I certainly don't hold back
when it comes to asking questions about body work; this is no different. I've contacted a couple of people via PM so hopefully they'll reply soon.

Until then, I'm going with this plan:

Drilling a new pivot point higher and to the right (indicated by the red circle) which produces the red arc path. If this works, it will be a clean modification
and the hinge arms will remain untouched.

offset pivot.JPG

[LCD Gauges]

Close, but no cigar.

The modification certainly helped, but it's still not enough to clear the A-pillar. Since last week, I contact Ron (Ron565) for some ideas and he was able
to send pictures of his setup. Unfortunately he didn't install the hinges, but the photos gave me an idea of other possibilities.

After modifying the hinge to pivot higher, and to the right the door was able to rotate more before contacting the body.
2014-02-21 16.41.25.jpg2014-02-21 16.41.37.jpg

This is the highest angle achieved to date. Definitely not a project to under-estimate.
2014-02-22 18.56.24.jpg2014-02-22 18.54.51.jpg

The swing angle is limited by the fender which is causing part of the problem.

2014-02-22 18.56.47.jpg
Inside of the door contacts the A-pillar. With the hood down there is about a 1/2" of clearance.
2014-02-22 18.57.32.jpg

I have a couple more tricks up my sleeve, and then I'll put this on the back-burner to move on with other aspects of the build.

[LCD Gauges]

I was hoping to contribute something positive with the installation of the scissor door hinges, however it's apparent the kit that
I've ordered will not work with the GTM. Vertical Doors Inc #VDCUN90 is designed for the C5, but this is the incorrect geometry
for our GTM's. It's not the manufacturer's fault; I simply chose this from the kit listing thinking it would work.

The product quality is actually quite nice - very durable, and smooth operating. If you're looking to convert your Corvette doors,
this might be the kit for you.

At this point I've given up on making these hinges work. There is nothing more that "I" can do with these parts to make it work.
The only method of getting the door to clear the A-pillar, and fender is to redesign the swing-arm, and bracket. As you see in
the attached image, the center of rotation needs to occur outside of the bracket area (indicated by the green dot/line).

In my previous post, you can see the major improvement from moving the rotation point by one inch above, and to the right.
If my CAD drawings are correct, doubling that distance gets me out of trouble.

I'll make the measurements available for anyone wanting the fix, and update the "Install Thread" once everything is figured out.
Perhaps someone knows of a kit that works out of the box, and can make everyone's life easier! According to Ron (Ron565),
his installer had to modify his hinge as well.

untitled.JPG

[LCD Gauges]

Seems like the battle is over! I was able to offset the hinge to be positioned closer to the inner side of the door, and allow for more than
90 degree rotation, and cleared the A-pillar!

Before
2014-02-22 18.54.51.jpg

After!
2014-03-02 19.40.26.jpg

With the hood down, the door contacts the edge contour. The hood is set back about one inch on the driver's side which needs some massaging
to fit properly. Thanks to Ron (Presto) for sending me his hood alignment procedure. It's going to come in very handy over the next couple of weeks.
2014-03-02 19.43.41.jpg