FuzzyLog1c

iTrader: (4)

Looks like I won't be watching the Bears game this weekend.



Things to note:

• The reason why I purchased new rear calipers is because I scraped their finish, compressing the pads over and over again. After much searching, I finally found a caliper spreader that a) can handle 6-piston calipers, b) isn't a pain in the *** to use and c) won't damage my pads or my calipers.
  
  MAMotorworks makes this beefy thing--the pictures don't do it justice. Not only is it a lot bigger than it looks in the sample pictures, it turns out to be finely made piece of tool steel that includes machine oil for the extra heavy-duty threads. For $27, it's hard to beat. And it has 1/2" drive and 21mm hex drive on the end!

• Whiteline KLL135 (1-3/8" or 35mm) and KLL127 (1" or 25-27mm) lateral locks are a necessity when running the Addco sway bars to keep them from sliding sideways, since they don't feature a welded-on lateral lock like the Hotchkis sway bars do.

• After noticing some wear on my $20 1-3/8" (35mm) Energy Suspension 9-5168R sway bar brackets, I finally said "screw it" and bought those machined 7075 aluminum
  Hotchkis 23391375 sway bar brackets
  Hotchkis 23391375 sway bar brackets
  that I've been eyeing for a long time. These things are seriously strong--I think they were originally designed for 4x4 race applications. Expensive as f---, though.

• Edelbrock/Russell 639560
  Edelbrock/Russell 639560
  speed bleeders are indispensable aids when bleeding your brakes. 99% of the mess and the mistakes you make when bleeding your brakes by yourself can be attributed to using the stock nipples. I liked them enough to buy a second, full set for my V2 brakes.

• The other source of error when bleeding your brakes is having air in the master cylinder. Bench bleeding is a pain in the butt, and honestly, I recommend avoiding it because you can do it much, much better, faster, and cleaner with the
  Napa on-car bench bleeding kit
  Napa on-car bench bleeding kit
  .

• The last part of the equation, this time for the remote clutch line, is the
  Earls' 280040 solo bleeder
  Earls' 280040 solo bleeder
  . I haven't installed these yet (fitment is a real concern--they sell parts for all kinds of 10mm remote line threads), but I'll report back with impressions when I do.

• A Deka ETX20L battery weighs 15.5 lbs, versus the 37.4 pound Everstart Maxx 78N battery. I'm going to try to see if I can make this battery last the winter, and if so, I'll never run a standard flooded cell battery again. By the way, the battery is TINY--about the size of a box that can hold 4 tennis *****. But since that small battery weighs 15 lbs, it subjectively feels like it's the heaviest thing ever.

• Although the Deka ETX20L isn't particularly expensive, once you add the cost of a NCI Deka battery bracket (originally intended for the Lotus Exige), and RLS cutoff switch, and insulating kit, it's a $200 project. Never having to remove the battery again to pull the passenger side spark plug / remove the headers: priceless.

The V2 calipers are gorgeous. I'm still missing quite a few parts--need to call Racing Brake, Coleman, and Luke @ Lindsay to decide on rotors (either 355x32mm @ 19 lbs or 370x34mm @ 23.5 lbs). I also plan on replacing my Goodridge stainless steel brake lines with either Girodisc or RacingBrake's product, since I question whether the Goodridge kit seals correctly. The plan also calls for:

• HardBrake's D1382 and D592 1.0mm titanium shims
• LG Motorsports' G2 spindle kit
• Corvette C5 Z06 front ducts
• PFC universal anti-knockback springs
• Raceflex double-ply brake ducting
• SKF X-Tracker hubs

FuzzyLog1c

iTrader: (4)

You may recall my earlier "Mod Hell Weekend" thread where I fell off the map. Well, it really did turn into a mod hell scenario--a few things went wrong, a few plans changed, and I had to work overtime to get the car operational.

By the way, HUGE shout out to MIGHTYMOUSE, who literally ran all over the place, fabricating an extra set of 3/16" wheel spacers for me when I found that my ARP wheel studs were too long for my McGard spline drives. I blew through the ends of two of them before I stopped trying to seat the ARP wheel studs fully, and had to gingerly drive the car around for a couple of days while I waited for replacements to arrive.

Ultimately, I wound up running all four 3/16" wheel spacers on my front wheels, which gives me 9.525mm of extra room on the inside. The car looks great now (remind me to take pictures)--that typical CTS-V "underbite" is finally gone. Theoretically, now that the track width of my car is greater, the front-end roll resistance should be increased, although I can't feel anything because I've changed so many variables recently.

Here's a comparison on the three sets of bolts I used:


Raybestos 2093B (1.575"), ARP 100-7709 (1.850"), and ARP 100-7708 (2.500")

Originally, I was running Ray 2093B studs everywhere. These things cost about $1.50 apiece, and are a significant upgrade over the stock studs. I've never broken one, despite having snapped 11 of my stock lugs with a wrench. Interestingly, they also have more threaded length than the supposedly "longer" ARP 100-7709 studs. Check it out, above! Although the stud *is* longer, the threads stop short, like the OEM stud.


Raybestos 2093B thread protrusion with one 3/16" (4.7625mm) spacer. One finger is approximately the same thickness as the flange on the Forgestar F14 wheel, so you can see that you're in real danger of losing a wheel if you don't a) remove the spacer or b) install longer studs.

Now, if you're running Forgestar F14 wheels and want spacers, you need to consider running ARP 100-7708 studs in the front, because you'll only get about 3-4 threads engaged on the Raybestos 2093B lugs (at best). Don't even think about the ARP 100-7709 studs--the front wheels won't even stay on. However, if you choose to upgrade to ARP 100-7708 studs, you must have at least an 8mm thick spacer on the wheel to avoid blowing out the end of the McGard Spline Drives.


McGard Spline Drive against ARP 100-7708 wheel stud. I'm holding the Spline Drive to show you approximately how long the spline drive is compared to the stud. The Spline Drive is NOT resting on the wheel. In this configuration, with Forgestar F14s, the end of the wheel stud will blow through the end of the Spline Drive. It's hard because the rotor is not fully seated on the hub in this picture.


Thread protrusion with one 3/16" spacer, for comparison purposes to the Raybestos 2093B picture only. DO NOT try to run your car this way (as described above), unless you have open-ended lug nuts.

As you can see (above), the ARP 100-7708 is dramatically longer, and engages all of the threads inside the spline drive. As you may or may not know, the ARP 100-7708 is also slightly thicker than the ARP 100-7709 and Raybestos 2093B--both of which, in turn, are slightly thicker than the stock wheel studs. You have concerns about your rotors vibrating on your hub, ARP 100-7708 studs will solve that problem. They're thick enough to prevent the rotor from having significant play.

Follow up on the other 08/10/2013 "Mod Hell" stuff:

• LED tail lights got installed, along with the 50W 3157 LED turn signals and 5630 sidemarkers. Requires load resistors.
  Amazon sells good, 6 ohm, 1% stuff
  Amazon sells good, 6 ohm, 1% stuff
  .
  
  Anyway, the tail lights are awesome, but I haven't had time to take pictures yet. Similar to the aftermarket CCFL headlights, you have to futz around with the tail light fitment (i.e.: press them hard into place while simultaneously screwing on the bolts) to get them to follow the lines of the car perfectly--and on one housing, I had to take an X-acto knife to the edge of the plastic trim to shave off a couple of millimeters of excess molding.

• The blind hole puller that I found at Harbor Freight fits our pilot bearing perfectly (you need to use the smallest attachment). Sadly, this is after I pulled out the transmission and found that both AutoZone and Advance Auto Parts' tools were too big to fit through the pilot bearing hole. You can save about $20 on eBay by buying it without the case (linkage).

• The Toyota Supra end links are an improvement over the Miata end links--they're stronger, and much closer in quality to the PowerGrid end links. I'm now running them on all four corners. The pictures on that eBay auction are not accurate. Here's what you'll get (notice how much beefier the ball joints are):

• I replaced the fender liners with new ones. The 3M Rubberized spray worked well (one full can per fender liner), and I was very pleased with the way they sounded when I rapped my knuckles on them. I recommend putting the coating on the inside of the fender liner, as opposed to the outside, for aesthetic purposes. While the rubberized coating looks great when it's brand new, it's hard to clean if it gets dirty because a) it's porous and b) it's not as durable as plastic.

FuzzyLog1c

iTrader: (4)

• I found a replacement for my failing PA15-VETTE cord. Apparently, there are two cables sold by USA Spec: one that charges, and one that doesn't. If you need a new cord, get the CB-PA105. Costs $35--linkage here.

• I finally got the car re-aligned, following my installation of the Revshift control arm bushings and subframe bushings. It was WAY out of alignment (no surprise there). I actually felt bad for the alignment guy, despite getting my hands on a Kent Moore J-45845 camber/caster alignment tool. So although I wanted 2.0 degrees camber on the front end, I didn't push it. Once I do a few more mods, I'll head back in and get the front camber increased and equalized.

VeryWhiteDevil

iTrader: (9)

love the write-ups. car is great. question: why not run a good open end lug

jclayc

iTrader: (8)

great post - thanks for the links.

You might have better luck than I did, but the Z06 ducts themselves will have to be extensively modified to work. I ended up scrapping them and just running all 3" ducting and squishing parts of it flatter to fit.

For the knockback springs, kind of a rhetorical question, but you're going to pull the pistons out of those nice new calipers to place them?

FuzzyLog1c

iTrader: (4)

Open lugs permit FOD to enter the interface between the lug and the stud and eventually ruin both.


Thanks for the warning on the Z06 ducts. I'll keep that in mind.

For the knockback springs, you do need to remove the pistons. But you don't need to pull them out--you blow them out using compressed air and a wooden block to stop the flying pistons from scratching the other side of the caliper.

69stangscj

iTrader: (3)

Will that caliper spreader work on the stock calipers and do you have to remove the caliper?

barrok69

FYI this Fixed Caliper spreader will change your life forever.

IdriveaV

iTrader: (5)

Do you think that battery will start the car with no problem in the winter??

FuzzyLog1c

iTrader: (4)

That is the $87.95 question. If my car makes it, I can virtually guarantee that everyone else's will--between the parasitic draw of all of my extra electronics, and the estimated 475 watts of external lighting that doesn't turn off right away, this winter will be an excellent stress test. The only source of non-conservatism is my 13 lb flywheel, which reduces cranking effort.

Forcfed93

iTrader: (10)

I'm definitely interested in the results of this.

I'd love to ditch the gigantic battery, get a smaller one and take care of that tray in the way.

jclayc

iTrader: (8)

FYI - looks like people can save $35 on those front sway brackets by going through Summit Racing (http://www.summitracing.com/parts/hss-23391375) and save on the lateral locks (and shipping) by going with a supplier like EnergySuspensionParts (http://www.energysuspensionparts.com...sp?prod=KLL135 & http://www.energysuspensionparts.com...sp?prod=KLL127)

VeryWhiteDevil

iTrader: (9)

wish i could have fender liners, LOL. once i rolled the fenders the gap looks rediculous

Onefast V

iTrader: (3)

Fuzzy what are you going to run for Rotors (I.E. stick with the V1 size or get the V2 size?)?

Fweasel

iTrader: (6)

Who makes it and how much?

01_SuperSlow

iTrader: (7)

http://buy1.snapon.com/catalog/item....re&dir=catalog

FuzzyLog1c

iTrader: (4)

It's a hard decision.

On one hand, the 355mm Girodisc two-piece rotors cost only $700 and weigh 19 lbs (versus the 26 lb stock rotors). This has the effect of reducing turn-in effort and improving ride quality, because of a significant reduction in unsprung weight.

On the other hand, the 370mm Racing Brake rotors provide a little bit more stopping power, a little bit more cooling surface area, and look better. But they cost twice as much, and they weigh 23.5 lbs.

FuzzyLog1c

iTrader: (4)

By the way, according to AAIIIC, you need to plan on carefully shortening the GM V2 M14-2.0x50mm bolts, or purchase M14-2.0x45mm Grade 10.9 bolts.

I checked Fastenal's prices, and they're terrible--$30 for 4 bolts including economy shipping. Screw that. Instead, I purchased 25 black-oxide coated Grade 10.9 bolts for $40 from a local machine shop. I'm only interested in keeping eight bolts (four and four spares). If two other people want a set of bolts, I'll ship you four for $10 or eight for $15.

Blown_Red_97z

iTrader: (3)

Fuzzy what ARP bolts did you use with the headers? i think your other thread said you were swapping out the stockers. Did you go with the ARP studs or the actual bolt kit? and what was the PN? wondering because i saw the ARP bolts in the first pic here but didnt know if those were for headers or the new calipers

Onefast V

iTrader: (3)

I bought the gm m14 bolts and had no need to cut them down