What did you do to your V today?
08-24-2017, 11:38 PM
#1761
08-26-2017, 12:31 AM
#1762
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- Spliced on the new starter harness connector. It came with a heat shrink butt connector, and I've got the proper ratcheting crimp tool, so pretty easy to do. The hard part was stripping the original wire; it has heat wrap adhered directly to it, so I had to scrape/cut that away with a razor blade to get to the insulation so I could strip it.
The connector came with a pigtail that was 15+" long. I cut a good chunk of that off, but left it long enough that I could loop the harness behind the dipstick tube, which helps to hold it back away from the header.
- Installed some Thermo-tec Express Sleeve and Thermo-Flex to replace / augment some worn out thermal protection. You can see how bad the stuff along the brake lines had gotten:
I used the Express Sleeve (which velcros in place) there. Didn't bother to cut away the stock stuff, just wrapped the Express Sleeve over it. I bought the 1-1.5" diameter stuff, but probably could've/should've gone with the 0.5-1" diameter, as what I've got is a little baggy.
The package came with 3' of it, so I did that stretch, plus some stuff that goes up along the firewall at the back passenger corner, and the next section on the brake lines where it starts to go along the frame rail.
You can also see the Thermo-Flex on the O2 sensor harnesses. I love that Thermo-Flex stuff, been using it on all my cars for years. It's tubular, so you can slide it onto wires/hoses, or it cuts easily with a razor knife, so you can slit it down the side and then slip it over the hose or wiring without having to disconnect anything. That's how I've used it most frequently.
- Last but not least, reinstalled the starter, with new Thermo-Flex on the power cable and the signal wire, plus a new starter blanket.
You can see the Express Sleeve is pretty close to the cat pipe; that's due to the baginess I mentioned. I'll either buy some stainless zip-ties to tighten up the wrap a bit, or buy some of the smaller Express Sleeve so it's a tighter fit and doesn't get so close to the header & cat pipe.
- When I reinstalled the cat pipe, I changed out the fasteners. I had some rusty 10mm bolts in there, but I didn't have any good locking 10mm nuts, and have had issues with the fasteners coming loose (and then blowing out the gasket, of course). Lock washers hadn't fixed the issue, so I had gone to double-nutting the fasteners, but with the cramped quarters it was kind of a pain in the *** to do that. The 10mm bolts were really too small, anyway, so I went to 12mm ones, and pulled out a couple of new self-locking nuts from my Subaru spare parts bin. We'll see if that works out.
- With all that done, drove the car a bit - again, no sign of a misfire at all. WTF? Clutch position switch still is just dummied, not actually installed on the pedal pushrod, so I need to get that taken care of this weekend.
The connector came with a pigtail that was 15+" long. I cut a good chunk of that off, but left it long enough that I could loop the harness behind the dipstick tube, which helps to hold it back away from the header.
- Installed some Thermo-tec Express Sleeve and Thermo-Flex to replace / augment some worn out thermal protection. You can see how bad the stuff along the brake lines had gotten:
I used the Express Sleeve (which velcros in place) there. Didn't bother to cut away the stock stuff, just wrapped the Express Sleeve over it. I bought the 1-1.5" diameter stuff, but probably could've/should've gone with the 0.5-1" diameter, as what I've got is a little baggy.
The package came with 3' of it, so I did that stretch, plus some stuff that goes up along the firewall at the back passenger corner, and the next section on the brake lines where it starts to go along the frame rail.
You can also see the Thermo-Flex on the O2 sensor harnesses. I love that Thermo-Flex stuff, been using it on all my cars for years. It's tubular, so you can slide it onto wires/hoses, or it cuts easily with a razor knife, so you can slit it down the side and then slip it over the hose or wiring without having to disconnect anything. That's how I've used it most frequently.
- Last but not least, reinstalled the starter, with new Thermo-Flex on the power cable and the signal wire, plus a new starter blanket.
You can see the Express Sleeve is pretty close to the cat pipe; that's due to the baginess I mentioned. I'll either buy some stainless zip-ties to tighten up the wrap a bit, or buy some of the smaller Express Sleeve so it's a tighter fit and doesn't get so close to the header & cat pipe.
- When I reinstalled the cat pipe, I changed out the fasteners. I had some rusty 10mm bolts in there, but I didn't have any good locking 10mm nuts, and have had issues with the fasteners coming loose (and then blowing out the gasket, of course). Lock washers hadn't fixed the issue, so I had gone to double-nutting the fasteners, but with the cramped quarters it was kind of a pain in the *** to do that. The 10mm bolts were really too small, anyway, so I went to 12mm ones, and pulled out a couple of new self-locking nuts from my Subaru spare parts bin. We'll see if that works out.
- With all that done, drove the car a bit - again, no sign of a misfire at all. WTF? Clutch position switch still is just dummied, not actually installed on the pedal pushrod, so I need to get that taken care of this weekend.
08-26-2017, 05:41 AM
#1763
TECH Apprentice
Aaiic, i just had to do that starter wire also, used ac delco pt170, what a pita for a lil wire.
Also my tab was melted or is broke off the starter, so the plug went in, but the plastic locking tab on the plug had nothing to clip its self to.
Also my tab was melted or is broke off the starter, so the plug went in, but the plastic locking tab on the plug had nothing to clip its self to.
08-27-2017, 07:53 PM
#1766
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- Did some futzing around with the clutch position switch. Will post about that in the PMC thread later.
- Installed the last chunk of Thermo-tec Express Sleeve wrap on a bit of wiring on the driver side. These shorty headers I've got I think sit a bit closer to the frame rail than even the Kooks LTs did, so the wiring bundle that runs along the top of the frame rail is exposed to the heat. Part of the wiring bundle is wrapped with protective sleeving from the factory, but part of it just has the normal plastic sleeving and tape. I noticed when I was swapping out spark plugs a few weekends back that that section was getting baked. I had a 4 or 5" long piece of the Express Sleeve, so I covered that section. A helluva pain in the *** wriggling my arm around the steering shaft and header to get in there, and the picture is almost worthless, but...
- Picked up some stainless zip-ties from good ol' Harbor Freight and tightened up the wrap on the passenger side to give better clearance to the header / cat pipe:
- Installed the last chunk of Thermo-tec Express Sleeve wrap on a bit of wiring on the driver side. These shorty headers I've got I think sit a bit closer to the frame rail than even the Kooks LTs did, so the wiring bundle that runs along the top of the frame rail is exposed to the heat. Part of the wiring bundle is wrapped with protective sleeving from the factory, but part of it just has the normal plastic sleeving and tape. I noticed when I was swapping out spark plugs a few weekends back that that section was getting baked. I had a 4 or 5" long piece of the Express Sleeve, so I covered that section. A helluva pain in the *** wriggling my arm around the steering shaft and header to get in there, and the picture is almost worthless, but...
- Picked up some stainless zip-ties from good ol' Harbor Freight and tightened up the wrap on the passenger side to give better clearance to the header / cat pipe:
08-29-2017, 06:23 PM
#1770
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That pic was taken during the initial install; the wire has been wrapped with Thermo-flex from day 1, but even that stuff can't fix the fact the boot at the coil pack is ~1/2" or less from the primary. Stupid design by JBA, really. In addition to replacing the plug wire (I've got a new one on hand from JBA), I think I'll use some spacers under the coil pack and some longer bolts to lift it away from the primary tube.
08-30-2017, 10:01 PM
#1771
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Sure enough, the plug wire was the culprit, but it was actually the spark plug end that was bad, not the coil pack end. I had a spark plug boot protector on there, but I guess it wasn't enough. When I changed the plugs at the track I didn't pull the boot protector off the wire, so I didn't realize there was damage underneath. Turns out that boot protector was pretty much holding the thing together!
As I suggested to myself
in the last post, I used a couple spacers to lift the coil pack up about 5/8", which moves the plug wire away from the primary tube a little.
A fresh new boot protector is on the spark plug end of the wire; I'll have to see what else I can do to protect that end. It's kind of surrounded by the primaries on either side of it and the header collector nearby. I bought some DEI Protect-a-Sleeve, but couldn't use it. Despite what their picture shows, the 1/2" stuff isn't big enough to slide over/around a 90deg spark plug boot. Looks like I'll have to try some of the 1" stuff - probably do the Protect-a-Sleeve and keep the boot protector I've already got on there to give 2 layers of protection.
As I suggested to myself
in the last post, I used a couple spacers to lift the coil pack up about 5/8", which moves the plug wire away from the primary tube a little.A fresh new boot protector is on the spark plug end of the wire; I'll have to see what else I can do to protect that end. It's kind of surrounded by the primaries on either side of it and the header collector nearby. I bought some DEI Protect-a-Sleeve, but couldn't use it. Despite what their picture shows, the 1/2" stuff isn't big enough to slide over/around a 90deg spark plug boot. Looks like I'll have to try some of the 1" stuff - probably do the Protect-a-Sleeve and keep the boot protector I've already got on there to give 2 layers of protection.
09-01-2017, 07:17 PM
#1773
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Over the past few days I have installed creative steel motor mounts, China headers, and new plugs/wires and heat boots.
It was a total bitch doing it all on small ramps in the driveway. Took 3 evenings and I nearly broke my pinky while trying to use a cheater bar on the driver's side mount when it broke free..lol
Sounds mean as hell though. Corsa, no cats.
It was a total bitch doing it all on small ramps in the driveway. Took 3 evenings and I nearly broke my pinky while trying to use a cheater bar on the driver's side mount when it broke free..lol
Sounds mean as hell though. Corsa, no cats.
09-05-2017, 08:38 PM
#1774
3 week summary:
I think I accidentally invented a new form of exercise: Carfit, which is where you run 2 flights of stairs all day long carrying tools and car parts, alternating with wrenching and pipe flaring using short handled tools.
- Formed and installed 316L 1/4" stainless hard lines and fittings, offering better access, corrosion resistance, and pedal response
- Relocated vacuum manifold and fuel pressure regulator to provide better access for future engine upgrades
- Test fit dual 11" brake booster--needs significant adaptation
- Installed DR-25 wrapped Ancor 3/0 AWG cable fore and aft
- Installed high density foam tub insert with cutouts for full and lightweight batteries and audio amplifiers / signal integrator
- Replaced Lingenfelter LS6 HV oil pump with higher volume Melling M365 (properly shimmed this time)
- Installed Paragon Bumper reinforcement brace and newer, quieter model horn with splash shields
- Installed 6500K 75W Morimoto and ACME HIDs and ballasts and continued to work on quad projection project using old headlights
- Multiple test fits of aluminum radiator shroud (hint: OEM radiator sucks ***** in terms of shroud mounting options)
- Test fit of V2 fuel tank and opcheck with updated wiring harness
- Complete radiator and engine flush with Simple Green HD (result: chunks of poo on walls of expansion tank)
- Replaced coolant hoses and expansion tank
- Changed oil for second time after driving for 100 miles with full container of sea foam deep creep in oil (result: no blobs of poo in oil drain pan this time--apparently first time was sufficient to clean out everything)
- Replaced more fasteners with 316 or 316L (Bumax) stainless
- Tested new Karcher K2000 power washer (verdict: quiet and awesome!)
- Test fit of onyx alcantara and Rockwest Composites carbon cloth interior trim
- Prepped 2 steering wheels and 2 power steering racks for shipment
- Using new scale, weighed tons of CTS, STS, V2, and C6 components to more accurately determine unsprung corner weights
- Installed new billet swaybar brackets and another set of of RacingBeat end links, adjusted differently from before
- Replaced front KW Variant 3 tender springs with vastly higher rate Swift helper springs, replaced 9" rear main springs with 8" versions and higher rate Swift helper springs, gained over 2" travel and improved rebound stability
- Test fit standard CTS fender liners for elimination of nonfunctional brake duct ports
- Prepped for version 2.0 of suspension tuning guide, based on lessons learned and lots of additional reading
- Completely overhauled LED under dash lights, side markers, and turn signals
- Made progress (~10% complete) on tucked MIL STD engine wiring harness
- Sent lower plastic trim pieces off to get hydrodipped
I think I accidentally invented a new form of exercise: Carfit, which is where you run 2 flights of stairs all day long carrying tools and car parts, alternating with wrenching and pipe flaring using short handled tools.
Last edited by FuzzyLog1c; 09-05-2017 at 09:10 PM.
09-05-2017, 09:58 PM
#1775
I can't make a joke about an apartment and a $60k+ V1 without missing the mark so I won't. Do you live somewhere that buying a house is awful or just have other plans while you are happy doing all this? Not criticizing at all just wonder how one gets/stays here. I honestly know nothing about you besides good job and lots of time spent in this car and bad (to me) living situation. Ignore if you want. Probably rude to ask really, just curious.
09-06-2017, 03:30 AM
#1776
I can't make a joke about an apartment and a $60k+ V1 without missing the mark so I won't. Do you live somewhere that buying a house is awful or just have other plans while you are happy doing all this? Not criticizing at all just wonder how one gets/stays here. I honestly know nothing about you besides good job and lots of time spent in this car and bad (to me) living situation. Ignore if you want. Probably rude to ask really, just curious.
Fortunately, the work is awesome and rewarding and so are most of the engineers and former submariners I work with. I love investing time in projects outside of work that help me master engineering concepts in and around my electrical engineering core. I love expanding my knowledge. When I get bored here, I'll look into moving somewhere with a functional dating pool where I don't mind settling down, but for now I'm having a blast where I'm at!
My previous post is a better-than-average list of accomplishments for a three week period. A lot of that stuff would not have been possible without a bunch of preplanning and prep work. People can do what they want on this thread, but I just get tired of reading "changed the oil and vacuumed"--I don't see people doing hardcore mods anymore. Figured I'd try to shake things up a bit.
Last edited by FuzzyLog1c; 09-06-2017 at 03:47 AM.
09-06-2017, 06:47 AM
#1777
As far as hardcore mods goes, life in a properly operating, bone stock V1 has encouraged me to abandon the thought of further improvement to the platform.
The car, while probably not up to smokey burnouts or no lift shifting, only cost 9k and is capable of swallowing large sections of interstate in a competent and swift manner so I've decided to wear this car out and buy a V2 instead of trying turn this car into one.
still looking in with interest but I see service replacement parts and a Dorman driveshaft in my future and that's about it...
V1 parts sell coming soon...
09-06-2017, 09:49 AM
#1778
Since my last huge break through of installing the compass rear view mirror, I vacuumed and cleaned the door jambs.
As far as hardcore mods goes, life in a properly operating, bone stock V1 has encouraged me to abandon the thought of further improvement to the platform.
The car, while probably not up to smokey burnouts or no lift shifting, only cost 9k and is capable of swallowing large sections of interstate in a competent and swift manner so I've decided to wear this car out and buy a V2 instead of trying turn this car into one.
still looking in with interest but I see service replacement parts and a Dorman driveshaft in my future and that's about it...
V1 parts sell coming soon...
As far as hardcore mods goes, life in a properly operating, bone stock V1 has encouraged me to abandon the thought of further improvement to the platform.
The car, while probably not up to smokey burnouts or no lift shifting, only cost 9k and is capable of swallowing large sections of interstate in a competent and swift manner so I've decided to wear this car out and buy a V2 instead of trying turn this car into one.
still looking in with interest but I see service replacement parts and a Dorman driveshaft in my future and that's about it...
V1 parts sell coming soon...
09-06-2017, 10:16 AM
#1779
the 06 I recently bought came with a fresh set of factory motor mounts installed and you can tell the difference between them and the soft CS mounts I had in my 05....i don't know how long they'll last but I'll be going back with factory mounts when these fail.