[S13]

Great build, keep it up! subscribed!

 

[00SS_M6LS1]

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.

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.

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?

 

[00SS_M6LS1]

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:

Chassis Set - Up

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.

 

[Shane]

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.

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.

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?

Sorry, looks like I'm a little late here.....although my solution won't work for you anyway. I ended up leaving the outer housing of the steering column alone, cutting the inner sleeve back flush with the outer housing and re-using the factory bearing in the "new" end of the steering column.

 

[00SS_M6LS1]

No problem Shane.

Thanks for the photo and idea. Perhaps one day I'll overhaul the steering system
and do something similar.

 

[00SS_M6LS1]

Looks like possible rain this weekend which means no alignment for me (my
car still doesn't have door windows installed). Hopefully the forecast will change.

Here's some teaser updates on the LCD gauges. I've been updating the other
forum quite a bit, but not this thread. A few changes since March:

- Adding a second remote screen with OBDII
- Electronic engine start/stop
- HVAC touchscreen controller to replace the Vintage Air knobs
- Still working on TPMS with internal tire sensors

The HVAC controller has an AUTO feature that will adjust fan speed
and temperature to maintain your desired temperature set point.

Note: All gauges are connected to TPS via OBDII as a test. That's why
they are all moving together when I move the accelerator pedal.

 

[crash]

Now put a dongle controlling the second screen, and you are about on par with current systems.

Pretty amazing stuff.

If this all works, you could make a ton of $$ off this project, just not likely with the GTM crowd, as it is too small.

Are you taking this to SEMA?

 

[00SS_M6LS1]

SEMA is a bit far off at this stage. It would take tons of development and
funding to package this system in such a way that it could sell universally
across all vehicle platforms.


I've considered local car conventions however. Renting a booth with the GTM
using a functional IN and OUT of car demo. There are annual vendor shows
in the Toronto area with many big name manufacturers and tens of thousands
of enthusiasts walking through.

The biggest problem is the LCD screen(s) itself. I can't be relying on a Windows
or Andriod based operating system to function flawlessly 100% of the time.
Imagine if you received a "Blue screen of death" or system freeze while you were on
the highway/racetrack and had to pull over and reboot...

With that in mind, operating systems are very robust and rarely crash. In the
two years that I've used this design, there have been zero issues.

On the other hand, using a dedicated, automotive grade LCD increases costs
by a HUGE margin. Then I'd have to totally redesign the setup with extra
processors, harnesses, etc.

At that point, I don't think the product is very attractive or unique as you
could simply purchase an OEM dash and integrate it.

The beauty of this concept is low cost, amazing resolution, with all of the
functionality that you'd expect from a complete OEM vehicle.

 

[crash]

Truthfully, I have always wondered how auto manufacturers did that. What I mean is have a system that is 100% reliable and ready in seconds with the turn of a switch. That is a pretty extraordinary concept in the electronics and software world.

I always figured that it was because of these things not being networked, being specialty items designed and built for very specific functions, and maybe even having redundant systems that allowed the manufacturers to actually run everything with electronics?

You would probably know better than I.

 

[kgtm]

Hi Tino,

Great to see you are making progress on this build as mine is stuck in the mud, did you use PWM for the heater and AC control? What frequency worked best for you?

Are you still using processing for this stuff?

Thanks,
Mostafa

 

[00SS_M6LS1]

Truthfully, I have always wondered how auto manufacturers did that. What I mean is have a system that is 100% reliable and ready in seconds with the turn of a switch. That is a pretty extraordinary concept in the electronics and software world.

Think of the LCD screen in your car like your LCD TV. Your television takes
a few seconds to boot-up and start working. It's because the electronics
and software is designed for one specific function - to display a video stream.

It has a very fast processor and limited amounts of "code" to go from OFF to
displaying the Football game almost instantly.

Your desktop computer or laptop is a "jack of all trades" and "multi-tasker".
It needs to load a bunch of drivers for the monitor, mouse, keyboard, WIFI,
hard-drive, USB, ports, network controller, etc. , etc.

Then it has to load the operating system, software applications and figure out
how to interpret your human inputs to make something happen on the screen.

On top of that, all of the extra software you download (games, apps, CAD
programs, etc.) take up more space and memory to run which slows things
down further.

Your modern day car has about 10-20 individual, embedded computers
(meaning specific function computers) that do one set of specific tasks.

One computer for to control the motor (PCM), one for airbags (SRS),
one for the infotainment (various), one for the body (BCM), brakes (ABS),
on so forth.

All of these embedded computers boot up SUPER fast - they are more like
controllers. Think of them as appliances in your home. You turn them on
and begin to work immediately as they are responding to electrical signals
instead of data.

They process that information (IE: door switch is open) and send that information
on a network bus (CAN bus is the industry standard) at very fast rates.

Hopefully that paints a decent picture of what's happening when you turn
the key in your car...or should I say, "push a button". Some cars even
begin to boot-up when you open the door or pop the locks!

Hi Tino,

Great to see you are making progress on this build as mine is stuck in the mud, did you use PWM for the heater and AC control? What frequency worked best for you?

Are you still using processing for this stuff?

Thanks,
Mostafa

Hey Mostafa,

Yes I'm using PWM. The typical frequencies are 976.56 Hz and 490.20 Hz
on this controller. I'm pretty sure it's using the default to 490.2 Hz.

Processing is providing all of the graphic interface code and some control
code. The ARDU IDE is handling all of the logic code.

 

[kgtm]

Have to see what I can do with my hardware, mine puts out 12v ( battery voltage), I like to get rid of these also, also have the same worry about windows.

 

[ARROWSTEEL]

Looks like possible rain this weekend which means no alignment for me (my
car still doesn't have door windows installed). Hopefully the forecast will change.

Here's some teaser updates on the LCD gauges. I've been updating the other
forum quite a bit, but not this thread. A few changes since March:

- Adding a second remote screen with OBDII
- Electronic engine start/stop
- HVAC touchscreen controller to replace the Vintage Air knobs
- Still working on TPMS with internal tire sensors

The HVAC controller has an AUTO feature that will adjust fan speed
and temperature to maintain your desired temperature set point.

Is it possible to eliminate the display screen and gauges and just have one Red light that would come on if something is wrong?
I personally hardly ever look at the dash let a lone a computer screen while driving so a simple light that would get my attention would be cool.
What do you think?

 

[crash]

Is it possible to eliminate the display screen and gauges and just have one Red light that would come on if something is wrong?
I personally hardly ever look at the dash let a lone a computer screen while driving so a simple light that would get my attention would be cool.
What do you think?

For a race car dash I completely agree. I have been planning what my dash will look like when I finally put one together. I will probably use something like the new Motec dashes that are completely user programmable, but this thread has got me thinking.

In any event, my thoughts are to have a dash that is relatively a blank screen. Shift lights and gear position are helpful, along with lap times, elapsed time, and +/- track position to fastest lap, but other than that, the only time I should even see things like fuel level, water temp, oil pressure, etc. is when there is an issue of it operating outside set parameters. This also greatly reduces the size of the dash required. I don't need engine RPM or speed at all, just shift lights.

 

[00SS_M6LS1]

In any event, my thoughts are to have a dash that is relatively a blank screen. Shift lights and gear position are helpful, along with lap times, elapsed time, and +/- track position to fastest lap, but other than that, the only time I should even see things like fuel level, water temp, oil pressure, etc. is when there is an issue of it operating outside set parameters. This also greatly reduces the size of the dash required. I don't need engine RPM or speed at all, just shift lights.

and have the ability to switch to street modes with a touch of a
button/or touchscreen area for displaying a different set of gauges.

:nerd:

P.S. The LED trouble light is a piece of cake as well. The cat is out of the
bag. I'll have to give Anthony a call and get hooked up on this site.

 

[00SS_M6LS1]

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.

 

[crash]

This is how everyone that races a car and wants to run low air pressures does it. Many cars will not allow you to do drastic things with low air pressure in the tires, so people take the sensors out, put them in a tube, pressurize the tube and put it in the trunk. This effectively tricks the computer into thinking all is within parameters and you can go ahead and run 20 PSI in the tires, or whatever.

 

[00SS_M6LS1]

Interesting, I didn't know that. Cool trick.

Just makes sure the pipes are sealed tight and can handle the pressure.

I had the cap blow off fairly violently with just a few PSI showing on the gauge.
It might be wise to keep them in a vented, cool area of the car too!

 

[00SS_M6LS1]

Alignment Shop Recommendation in Toronto?

Not a chance getting on the alignment hoist today. The angle was a bit too steep and the tech said the jacks would probably
hit the underbody.

Can anyone in the Toronto area recommend a shop that can handle low-clearance cars?

Thanks.

 

[00SS_M6LS1]

I have two awesome recommendations for the Toronto GTM's

Gator Performance, Ajax
Auto Repair Shop Durham Region | Gator Custom Auto & Performance

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.