[darkandshadow]

Some nice updates. If I had the motivation to clean the undercarriage of the car, I probably would.

 

[Dab]

You plan on boosting this????

 

[Doc-Z]

You plan on boosting this????

I'd like to, but for now....NO!

I have a 2006 GTO which is a project car and that has been going on 3 years. I don't need another project, but this car is slowly turning itself into one. If I was going to BOOST the "5", then I'd only doi it if I had a donor vehicle to swap parts to / from. What I'm doing right not on my GTO is absolutely STUPID. It's really hard and frustrating, trying to rebuild a car where either nothing is available, or you have to have parts made or make them yourself. Here, this is only a small part of what I had to do to get the blower I have to wokr on the car. I was going to put an LSA blower on the GTO...but the only way this would work is if you used the 3/4" lowered motor mounts and use a CTS-V lid. To get the most power out of an LSA, you need the ZL1 lid...so if you go that rute, you MUST get a different hood. I wasn't going to do that because I really like the stock hood with the scoops.

I was going the LSA (TVS 1900) route, but came across a LS9 (TVS 2300) blower that I could NOT pass on. The LS9 is almost 2 inches shorter than the LSA and it flows almost 20% more air, due to a more efficient rotor design.

 

[Doc-Z]

I ordwered 2 FE5 sway bar bracket (or "clamp, as it's listed on 'CrateEngineDepot.com'). I really need to get this thing finished and after waiting almost 2 weeks, I can't wait for these brackets / clamps any longer. I cancelled the order and wound up making this from 1.5" flat iron bar. Using the OEM rusted out junk as a template or guide, I fashioned this. It still need a LOT of grinding to make it presentable. After taking this pic, I did notice 2 small holes that I didn't get a good weld on. After I grind that down, I can remove a little extra material and fill in the hole.

This is how I started making that ☝ VERY unrefined and not completed part. As with everything I do, I begin with common hand tools (hammer, hack saw, files, tape measure or ruler of some sort, torch, angle or square, marker, pliers and a couple of vices - varying sizes). Then I use the torch to heat the metal, in order to shape it easier. This 1 & 1/2" steel needs a lot of heat, in order to get it to begin to bend. Being about 1/4" thick, it's really stout. The suspension will be MUCH stronger than the old rusted junk. On the right of the pic below, you can also see the 24mm MOOG ( <--- hyperlinked) polyurethane bushing (in blue) and the rusted beyond use OEM bracket. My G5 GT has the 1 bolt hole style bracket. The Cobalt SS, which came with the 24mm front sway had 2 bolts. The brackets will NOT work with my car, so custom parts needed to be made.

After letting this cool for a while, I tried out the first test fittment. I let this air cool because as you DO NOT want to use water to cool or temper iron. It will change the molecular structure and cause it to become very brittle, leading to an eventual failure. This metal is plenty thick and has some good tensile strength. Once I got the shape correct, I welded on some 1/4" rolled iron bar to give the bushing stability and add some extra strength (seen in the first picture in this post). It was getting late and I needed to go to bed, so I wasn't able to finish this part.

 

[Doc-Z]

Another thing I did was drill a hole in a bolt, which I'm going to use for the fuel pressure gauge. I eyeballed this before I used a drill press too drill through the bolt. I figured I will weld a bolt to the top of the bolt head for the sending unit. I didn't think that was too horrible of a job!

 

[Doc-Z]

Some updates on my slow progress on the "5" (I swaer, you'd think I was restoring this car, for as long as it's taking). This is the bracket I had to make to get the new sway bar to work. I used inch and a half flat steel bar that is roughly 1/4" thick. The steel wasn't cooperating when I was trying to get the bends right and I had to cut lines in the metal to help with the proper shaping of the metal. Below, you can see some of the uneven edges of the welds I made to fill in the cut lines. It's not perfect, but it will definitely work and is thicker and stronger than OEM.

NOTE: In order to ensure strength and prevent failure, I made a weld line on the bottom aspect of the tab that inserts into the subframe. That weld is roughly 1/4" thick and a little wider than it is high. This weld and wraps around the bottom aspect of the tab and goes almost to where it meets the bushing. The old parts didn't have but I wanted this to be extra strong and sturdy.

When I got this FE5 (24mm) Swaybar, it had a single OEM bracket with 2 bolt holes. My G5 had only one bolt hole, so I had to modify it. I didn't spend much time on this, as I just wanted to finish it and get this thing back together. After only 90 minutes, I straightened the side for the tab, (which goes lower, into the subframe - isn't straight across on the bottom aspect), bent the tab to fit, and welded some 1/4" rolled iron bar onto one end for a bushing retained. I know this looks like ( -explicative- ) !!! I don't care. Nobody is ever going to see it.

What OEM looks like:

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _




On a different subject, here's the gauge pod, with the gauges in it

When I was sitting there looking at the pod, I really was NOT happy with it at ALL! I mean, the two top gauges were angled up and the very top one looked to me like it was angled up and in. The only one that looked halfway decent was the lowest one, by the corner of the windsheild.

I decided to cut off the two top pods and epoxy them back on so they were positioned better. While I was sitting in the drivers seat with the A-Pillar pod installed, I used some masking tape to keep the pods in place. Then I used J/B weld on the back side of the A-Pillar to hold it. The epoxy bonds better to ple plastic, so I had to remove the paint and added subsequent layers on the part to fill some gaps, smooth it out the surface and secure the pods in place better. I'm really RAGING along....at a turtles 🐢 pace.

 

[Doc-Z]

Here's a little more with that gauge pod. I think the pictures speak for themselves. The pens are clipped tongue pods to help illustrate how badly the angles on the pods were off. The first set of pics shows how much I moved them back and angled them. I didn't sand on these too much because I wanted everyone to see where the cuts were made and how much J.B. Weld I used to glue it together.

Now, with the pens showing / illustrating the angle the pods face. Top 3 pictures have the pens pointing fairly straight. They aren't perfectly, straight (I guess I could have done better at centering those), but I did find 3 different colors to help differentiate between the individual pods.


T

Now...look at how they all compare gone another. I was kinda shocked when I first saw how much the angles changed.

....I wanna be all like, "I know...RIGHT!?!" This is why I had to mod this part. It would have driven me CRaY-crAy!!! I'm not 100% sure how I'm going to go about filling the rest of the gaps and low spots. J.B. Weld is a great product, but it takes 12 hours to set up and too liquid when you apply it. It won't stay put, unless you put masking tape over it...and even then it's not very good. I may just use some Bondo or similar body filler to fill in the rest of the gaps. At least that's easier to work with.

 

[darkandshadow]

While I think your attempt at the triple gauge a pillar is commendable, I think it would've been much easier to pay the $100 for one from ZZP

Cobalt Coupe A Pillar Triple Gauge Pod

We listened to what people wanted and we designed one that clips in like the stock A pillar, matches the stock material, retains the airbag center hole like stock, and should look exactly like your stock one except for it will fit 3 gauges instead of just 1. We can confidently say this is the...

zzperformance.com

Then just paint it black.

 

[Doc-Z]

While I think your attempt at the triple gauge a pillar is commendable, I think it would've been much easier to pay the $100 for one from ZZP.....

....Then just paint it black.

That's what I started out with, but I only paid (something like) $80. When I put it in, I wasn't happy with it.

 

[Doc-Z]

...I did "a thing" today!

So...guess whose got a motor back in their car?

 

[Doc-Z]

....and then ...

I saw the oil pan is cracked.

 

[Doc-Z]

While I'm waiting for the oil pan to get fixed, I went ahead and began reinstalling everything that goes back on the motor. None of this is too exciting to see, other than the LSJ Throttle Body. Rerouting some of the wires and hoses to make it look a little nicer / organized under the hood.

 

[Doc-Z]

It's been a few days and I screwed up a little. After watching a few videos on hos to change the trans. fluid, I figured I'd do that too. Plus, I thought it would be adventageous to install a drain plug, so it wouldn't be nearly as messy. Well...that proved to NOT be a good idea. I ended up warping the pan and it wont bolt up correctly. I had to get a replacement from Rock Auto. In the mean time, here is what I did...

First, the pan was really rusty. If I would have known how cheap these pans were, I would have just gotten a new one (the cheaper one was $14, the next up was just under$16). I got the one for $22, because it said it used heavier gauge steel.

Here's the piece of sheet metal I wanted to weld in. I might get another pan i the future and try to do a better job. It's just a total mess and I'm really unhappy with myself.

I wanted this car to be on the road a MONTH AGO...and it's just not working out. I guess I should stop modding things and leave it all stock...

...

...WAIT...who am I kidding! I can't do that!!!

Anyway, here's a few more pictures of my molasses-like progress. I had to make new exhaust gaskets, because the old ones were sorta brittle. One was cracked and it would have enevtually caused a leak. All this takes time...more than I anticipated it would.

In this pic, it really shows how I painted inside of the recessed "EXH" and "INT" lettering.

 

[Doc-Z]

On a brighter note, here's my progress ont he gauge pod. The bondo was showing too many little bubbles (I think it's just too old). The bondo also cracked in one place. Instead of using the Bondo, I threw it away and used JB Weld as a top coat. I did this because:

1). it seems to be more fluid and will fill in the little exposed bubbles in the Bondo
2). It really adheres to the part better.
3). it adds strength
4). I've never done this before and wanted to see how it went.

I was actually surprised how well it did work. I did have some small holes and they filled in VERY nicely. Also, the part seems a LOT more rigid. It does flex some, but the color contrast is much easier to see the contours while sanding. Plus, the base color is dark and I'm hoping it takes well to the primer and topcoats. I will say, the JB Weld harder to sand than bondo. I wouldn't say it was so bad you needed power tools. It just takes a little longer. Having to constantly fill bubbles and holes is a TOTAL P.I.T.A., so the extra sanding time is well worth it. All the dark spots were where the bondo had bubbles and holes. At first, I tried using some Bondo brand filler. The sheer number of holes...as in HUNDREDS of them; plus a ew larger ones...was making me CRaZy. I did sand through in a few places....I'll just say, it was MUCH easier to apply the JB Weld and let it sit over night.

My apologies for the lighting. Pictures don't really do this justice. The curves are pretty cool, you can see some and how I got everything to flow together. I'm hoping this will be painted and installed soon!!!

*** I am curious how this will hold up, long-term...

 

[Doc-Z]

My progress has been slow, but steady. I was plugging in the connectors for the wire loom. There are a few that were difficult to figure out, but I'm getting the car back together. This is on Saturday after I put in fresh oil and some trans fluid....

...and then I looked under the car on Sunday and noticed a few spots of oil on the floor. Initially, I was hopin it was coming from the oil dipstick. When I looked real close, I noticed it was coming from the oil pan...but in a different location from before. When you look at the pic below, you can sorta see a little bit of oil in that recess, which leads down, under the pan to where you see the drip. In the second pic, you can ALMOST see the crack.

After removing the oil pan and cleaning it off, I used a magnifying glass and saw the crack. Although it's a hairline, it kinda spiderwebs out from the main crack. All the little arrows in the pic below and the teeny, tiny ends if where the crack ends. I tried to get decent pictures of the crack through the magnifying glass, but it was eally hard holding the glass, the pan and my device at the same time - AND - trying to get the right light onto the area.

So, it's off to the welder again. I probably could have JB Welded it, but I want it done right. I hate it when people 1/2 (!) things together. This car was a PRIME example of this. Nothing was put back right. I think the car has a newer transmission, because the way everything was routed between the motor and the fuse panel, it looked like it was all just shoved in there. Rather than have it fixed again,I'm getting a new one. That wont arrive until (possibly) next Monday 🤦‍♂️ at the latest. In the meantime, I'll be working on other stuff for the car.

I feel it's coming along nicely...I just wish it was DONE!!! Here's the underside of the motor while I wait for the oil pan to arrive!

...and the top side with almost everything plugged back in...

 

[Doc-Z]

I got the new oil pan yesterday, finished cleaning off the engine to oil pan surfaces, painted the pan (so the salt doesn't destroy it like it did on the original motor) and buttoned it all up. The gasket material oozed out pretty good and even around everywhere I could see. I did forget to put some gasket material around where the oil pump meets the pickup, so this got installed 2X yesterday... 🤦‍♂️

I was having some issies trying to find where a connector went to (next to the oil filter housing) and where one ground wire bolted down. I managed to figure out the connector, which was a 3 prong. Turns out, I forgot to take off a short wire adapter from the original engine....NO BIGGIE. I'm still trying to figure out where this ground goes to. One of the wires goes directly under the positive terminal on the fuse box

Other than that, the wireloom is all plugged in and the rest of the grounds are all attached / tightened down.

Rather than continue to waste time looking around the car for where that ground wire goes, I started with the brake upgrade. These have been sitting on a shelf for over 3 years doing nothing. They were supposed to go onto my white G6 vert (pictured in the first post on this thread). I decided to paint them, rather than powder coat them. They were in O.K. condition. I wound up rebuilding them, putting in new pistons and such. The guy who had them before me really abused them. I don't think he knew how to change the brake pads and beat the daylights 💡 out of them. They were cheap and definitely usable. To keep everything consistent, I painted them Pontiac Blue Metallic.

❌❗❌❗❌ In case anyone else decides to do this mod, when / if you buy the calipers be sure you check to make sure they are NOT the same from side to side. These calipers are NOT AMBIDEXTROUS. They ARE SIDE SPECIFIC!!! ❌❗❌❗❌

In order for the Pontiac G6 wheels wheels to clear the Brembo's, I needed wheel spacers. On the G6 Forums, it stated 3mm wheel spacers will clear, but you could also use 5mm spacers. I opted for the 5 mm ones. Since I went with the larger spacer, I also got longer lug studs. The spacer does take away from the number of threads that will go into the lug nuts, the longer lug studs will make up the difference.

NOTE: The bleeder and crosss-over tubes use different size wrenches. The Cross-over tubes are 10mm, and the bleeders are 11mm.

 

[Doc-Z]

I went to try to start the car again and I get a message on the dash 👉 "POWER STEERING" and 👉 "ENGINE DISABLED". I turn the key and....nothing. Because I had the car on such an angle, I think the car thinks it's being towed. It makes sense, because the front wheels will not lock. It;s like the car is in neutral. I checked the connections to the trans and they are all secure. Unfortunately, I forgot to disengauge the battery terminal. I really wanted to fire it up, but I'll have to wait (again).

On a positive note ( 👈 HA! See what I did there? ), I did manage to get the front bumper and headlights back on. With the new motor and Brembo's all painte dup, it looks really AWESOME!!!

Here's a comparison of the stock lug stud length on the spacer, with the new lug studs and the new / old rotors. Though the new lug studs are longer, they are only 4 or 5 more turns. The G6 lug nuts are more than deep enough to accomodate. Plus, having a few extra threads in th4 lugs makes me think it's a little safer. One thing I wish I took a picture of, was the difference between the stock and Brembo brake pads. The rotor is deffinitely larger and will take more energy to heat it up. Plus, with the rotors being drilled / slotted, it will reduce the heat buildup and aid in better braking...but I should have taken a pic of the pads!

Maybe I'll push out the pins and snap a pic of the two, before I put the wheel back on.

I feel I should have had the Brembo's and rear brake powder coated, but I haven't found a color that matches the Pontiac Blue Metallic paint very well. Bleeding the brakes was kind of a P.I.T.A.. It took a while to get them bled out. I got the whole car back together (but forgot to unhook the battery to clear the ECM). It actually looks like a car again. So, I lowered it back down after checking all the brake connections for leaks.

* I will also add, I read a few posts, where guy's did this conversionto their HHR / Cobalts and the passenger side caliper came loose. It is NOT int he GM instruction, but it's recomended you use BLUE LOCTITE on the 15mm caliper carrier bolts. *


👉👉👉👉👉👉 DO NOT USE RED!!! 👈👈👈👈👈👈

...and the passenger side tire is FLAT!!! Apparently the bead let loose 🤬 I swear, it never ends with this car!!!

 

[Doc-Z]

I went to finally start the car and now I'm getting some messages on the dash. With the LSJ T/B installed, it initially reads "reduced engine power", followed by "Service Traction", "Power Steering" and then "Engine Disabled". When I turn the key, the lights shut off and nothing happens. The codes that come up are:

P1516 - Manufatuurer Specific (Throttle Acutuator Control)
P1682 - Manufacturer Specific (Ignition Switch voltage problem)
P2101 - Throttle Actuator Control Performance.


I disconnected the battery and let it sit while I put the LE5 T/B back on. After a while (10 to 15 minutes) I tried the key again. The starter spins, but doesn't engauge. I still get the "Power Steering" and 'Engine Disabled", but the "Service Traction" no longer appears on the dash cluster. The codes being thrown then are:

P1682 - Manufacturer Specific (Ignition Switch voltage problem)
P2101 - Throttle Actuator Control Performance.
U0101 - Lost communication with the TCM (transmission Control Module)


I then reinstalled the LSJ T/B, disconected the battery and let the car sit. When I tried to start it again, I got the same codes and same messages on the dash as I did before (listed above).

Because I have a new tune on the ECM / PCM, I thought I would call ZZPerformance and get their opinion. I spoke with Ryan and he concluded the original wire harness isn't compatable with the LSJ Throttle body. He said, "some of the wires are switched to different prongs from the LE5 to LSJ throttle bodies.. To correct this, I needed an 8 to 8 pin adapter for the LE5/LSJ. Additionally, he added my other issues that were coming up on the dash info. center use different parts of the electrical system. Those were not related to the reprogramed ECM / TCM. It sounded to him, like it was a grounding issue and that I should go back and make sure the grounds are clean, secure and in the same locations as before the engine swap.

SIDE NOTE: Last night, all the searches I was doing online, came to the same solution to the "Traction, P/S and Engine" messages that came up on the dash. I'm pretty sure, after painting the motor, grounding is the issue. I thought I cleaned everything good enough, but I'm going to have to clean all the grounds and double check I didn't put the grounds in the wrong location.

Before I was off the phone with Ryan, I had purchased the 8 to 8 pin adapter from ZZPerformance. Here's a link to the part:
👇👇👇

ZZPerformance 8 to 8 pin adapter


_



Sorry, no new pictures...YET!

Last night, I was tired and did not want to do much on the car. I put the wheel back on and decided to work on some carbon fiber skinning for the car. I didn't take any pictures of the progress of that...as I really didn't think about it. What I did finish look AMAZING! I'm hoping who ever see's it, gets inspired about making something for their car. Hopefully, I will have the starting issue resolved soon and get my "5" back on the road.

Thanks for reading!!!

 

[Doc-Z]

While hoping the mail-lady shows up with my ZZPackage ( 🤞 🤞 🤞 ), I decided to upload a few teaser pics for anyone who may still be looking at my thread.

This is carbon fiber skinning, using Composite Envisions Copper Reflections 2x2 tw2ill with a copper filament. They have ALL KINDS of different types of Carbon Fiber, with different weaves (honeycomb, 2X2, 4X4, checkerboard, cammo, etc) with multiple types of hybrid cloth (kevlar, carbon fiber, aluminized, colored fiberglass, impregnated and colored filaments.). Their products are AMAZING and they sheer number of choices will make your head spin. I went with a "basic" 2X2 twill, with a copper colored filament to match my "5". Their customer service is better than their product line...if that's even possible.

Here are a few vids for skinning parts:

Anyway, here are SOME of the things I've skinned:

It's really unfortunate these don't photograph well. The carbon fiber looks absolutely stunning. The gauge pod is one thing I'm REALLY proud of, but the color in the carbon fiber is difficult t see, to say the least. I really want to show you all the coil cover (I'm using aluminized carbon fiber) but I am NOT taking pics or showing anyone until it's done...not even my girlfriend!!!


O.K...so the mail lady just showed and..... IT'S HERE!!! I a can NOW go get my car started!!!

 

[Doc-Z]

I got home and tried out the adapter. At first, it didn't want to plug in. Being a new part, the pin recievers were VERY tight. I couldn't get ithe connector to connect. I needed to push something into the pin recievers to help open them up. Aa larger paper clip worked beautifully. With a slight bit of coersion, it clicked on. I reconected the battery and tried to start the car. When I turned the key to "ON", the doors automatically locked - whcih is was NOT doing since I replaced the motor. When I tried to start it, I can hear the starter turning / spinning, but it isn't engauging the flex plate.

I removed the starter and checked it, using the battery from the trunk. The bendix spun out and it tested O.K. outside of the car. I then measured the distances to the end of the flex plate and the outer portion, where the starter bolts on. I was hoping I didn't install the flex plate backwards!!!

I was REALLY worried there, but the flex plate was installed right. I was thinking there may be an offset or something. This reassured me, thie was NOT the case. According to the caliper, I have a little extra room for the bendix to spin out, which will go just beyond the flex plate, to the built in stopper. The result is, the starter should still be O.K.. I went and had the battery tested and it check out O.K.!

Hmm...so why is the car STILL not starting??? 🤔


Anyone who is still reading this...sometimes you need to walk away from a project for a little while. I was frustrated as heck yesterday and all weekend. I knew I wasn't looking at this properly. I mean, I had JUST goten the new adapter ($40) bought a new throttle body ($400) and expected that to be the end all...and it wasn't. I checked all the grounds again, pulled the starter 2X and had been up, down and all around that car multiple times all weekend....and it STILL wasn't starting!!! All I was thinkng is, I've been working on this car for 3 MONTHS and all I get it a starter motor going WHEEEEE!!!!

This morning I was at work and thinking about this. I did some Google searches and was reading on multiple forums, where people were having these same issues (CopenWorld.net, Camaros.net, GrassRootsMotorsports.com, etc.) They were ALL saying the same things...

1). Bad Starter
2). Bad Solenoid
3). Bad Starter...
4). The Solenoid is bad.
5). Blah, Blah, Blah

...and then there was the "Ah HA!" moment, where I hope I figured this out...

On CopenWorld, a guy posted that his battery tested O.K., but it didn't have enough power to turn the starter FAST enough to engauge the flywheel (actually, the guy wrote "flywhhel"...but THAT is what drew my attention to his post!). I recalled the woman at O'Reily's said to me, the battery is 'PROBABLY O.K.....probbaly....pro-ba-ba-billy??? That was when I went in my wallet and got out the printout from the battery tester.

Last quarter of life, bit good in extreme condition....but this was AFTER it needed to be charged.

On the Cobalts / G5's, there is NOT a direct line from the battery to the starter. Instead, the battery cable runs from the battery, through a maze of 💩 around it, until it finally exits the trunk and ends at the jumper post on tuse panel. Then there is another cable that attaches from this point and runs SEPERATELY to the starter. When you have a longer cable, you lose some power / current / amperage because of resistance, due to the length of the wirepower at every connection for the same reasons. Even though, I cleaned all the connectons and made new grounds...it wasn't enough to get the car to start.



- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

On a side note, my custom overlay finally came in the mail. 🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️ As with EVERYTHING else that has been going on with this car lately, the overlay is WRONG! What I ordered was....

....AND WHAT THEY SENT ME:

This isn't the end of the world, but I wanted a specific look. Having all red doesn't look as good to me as the transitioning of the max RPM from yellow to red. I did contact the company about 3 minutes ago. We'll see what happens. Thus far, I have had no issues with them and I expect they will fix it without any hassle. My only issue is, I'm supposed to have this car done and running for the weekend of October 2nd (Pontiac Adventures weekend in the Wisconsin Dells) :-(

I doubt I'll have the overlay fixed and sent for that.



......one thing at a time I guess......