Back to the GTM
The GTM has been sitting in my garage untouched for 2 years now... I would like to say life got in the way, which is true to some extent but i think it was mostly a lack of motivation. The last thing i tried to do was run the starter and was greeted with a horrible metal on metal noise from inside the engine.... around that time i also switched jobs, so it sat... and i moved on to some of my other unfinished projects.
Fast forward to this week (I started Monday morning)
- I got some time off work
- Figured out the engine noise (My uncle was over, he's a car guy, he asked to hear the noise, i cranked it over... 5 seconds pass as he thinks, he points to the trans adapter and says "loosen those bolts"..... sure enough, noise goes away. The bolts on the trans adapter were contacting the flywheel.... didn't think it would be that easy. )
- I yanked off the GTM exhaust and put on the Kooks that has been sitting in its box for 2 years
- Now the air filter wouldn't fit because it hit the exhaust, i ordered the cold air intake kit from FF but its still in the box.. i found the box and just used the rubber piece with slight slope on it to raise the air filter up. This will work for now.
- Reinstalled the starter (it misses the kooks by about 2mm)
- Moved the fuel pump behind the drivers head, my old location made filter changes almost impossible. I am running the Aeromotive A1000 pump and its not small.
- Wired up the fuel pump (temporary relay setup for now, it will need a fuel pump controller)
- Installed the Aeromotive fuel rails, pressure gauge, and all AN fittings with braided lines (bought all this 2 years ago as well)
- Dug though boxes for hours to find the fan plugs i bought years ago and wired up the fans. (
- Checked all the fluid levels
- Wednesday morning, gathered the family, turned the key and crossed my fingers.
No hesitation, started right up, ran smooth. That's the first time that engine has run since it came out of the Vett 3 years ago. Had i known it would take me less then 2 days of work to get it running i think i would have done it years ago.
So, it looks like i am motivated again 🙂 Next step is to get it go-karting this week..
Before Karting, i need to:
- Finish the AC lines and charge them. (was just going to use a cheap Walmart charge kit for now)
- Mount the AC accumulator (right now its kind of floating)
- Mount the seats, I bought the tabs and rails, i just have to mount them
- Make a wiring harness for the gauge cluster wires (temp, oil pressure, tach, speed, also running a Tach wire to the fuel pump controller)
- secure the ebrake cable assembly, right now they could get caught in the axles
- Create a home for and secure the engine relays (fuel pump, etc)
- Check all bolts...
- Tear up the neighborhood 🙂
I have also had a few problems i have not been able to find solutions to yet...
- I bought aluminum tanks, they have a vent line.... the garage now smells like gas. What is the best way to prevent the smell. Is there a smaller charcoal canister that is easier to hide then the factory unit? or do people just generally get a roll over valve and call it a day.
- I have a check engine light and a code for EVAP. Makes sense as i have completely remove the factory evap system. How do i get rid of the code so i can trust the check engine light, should i find someone to reprogram the ECU or is there a way to trick the wiring into thinking its there?
Leave a comment