Project “Tomahawk”

[ghetdjc320]

7 minutes ago, watchamakalit said:

Tightening those bolts is not that bad. I'm sure it's well within the scope of your abilities.

 

Surprised to see what appears to be a steel exhaust not of the stainless variety. You getting cheap at the end of the build?  Lol

Mostly running out of time . Aluminized works well if you keep it clean. I was going to tig up a 304 system but just don't have the time. this should last me several years and is honestly going to be a nice layout to model after when I eventually tig up a stainless setup . 

I've been down into the column that far before, but it's been some time back. Probably a couple of hours to carefully disassemble and get it repaired correctly. Going to use red Loctite and torque to spec. I also replaced the turn and wiper switches and installed a NOS cruise control turn signal/wiper lever. I removed the OE style cruise control connector and replaced it with a 4 pin Deatsch connector to connect to the LS PCM. 

[ghetdjc320]

Some update pics:

 

[A-man930]

Is this intended to be a moisture barrier?

11 hours ago, ghetdjc320 said:

Some update pics:

 

[ghetdjc320]

I

1 hour ago, A-man930 said:

Is this intended to be a moisture barrier?

Partly. Also a good thermal barrier and dampener. The inside of the doors and around the speaker have been completely dynamated. The dynaliner is a 1/8” closed cell barrier just used behind the door panel. The door panels themselves are 3/16” birch with a foam layer followed by the vinyl. They are quiet as a Mercedes 

[A-man930]

1 hour ago, ghetdjc320 said:

I

Partly. Also a good thermal barrier and dampener. The inside of the doors and around the speaker have been completely dynamated. The dynaliner is a 1/8” closed cell barrier just used behind the door panel. The door panels themselves are 3/16” birch with a foam layer followed by the vinyl. They are quiet as a Mercedes 

I'll be keeping this in mind. Nice work

[ghetdjc320]

Huge amounts of progress. Engine is running excellent. Was able to move under its own power finally. Need to plumb the brakes still but that should be quite straightforward. Interior electrical is about 90% finished now. 
All my gauges are working perfectly. Once I finish this project I’ll post up details of how things are setup. 

 

 

[89 MJ]

That's a lot of switches. Looks good!

[watchamakalit]

I'm excited for the finished product.

[ghetdjc320]

[ghetdjc320]

[A-man930]

9 hours ago, ghetdjc320 said:

 

Air line? 

[ghetdjc320]

17 minutes ago, A-man930 said:

Air line? 

Yep, this is a digitally controlled air outlet. It can air up or down tires to a specific preset very quickly. There is a blue sea power panel that will be installed next to it as well

[ghetdjc320]

Tech note for the A/C system: The C5 corvette PCM does indeed need a 12v+ switched input vs the 12v- that is rumored on pin 17 of the red connector (C1). I was unable to activate the A/C at first and had to rewire the relay to provide the 12v+ signal. I ran the relay ground signal through the evaporator core thermistor (freeze switch) to switch off the relay if a freeze occurs. I also was not getting 5v reference signal on pin 45 of the red connector which is supposed to provide the 5v reference signal to the corvette a/c pressure sensor. I was able to repin that connection to an unused 5v reference signal that the eco provides for an automatic transmission output. This made everything work perfectly. The ECU now has full data and control over the A/C system so it will automatically account for speed, engine temp, engine load, wide open throttle and rpm to determine when the compressor should activate. This level of control will ensure a long lasting A/C system and modern factory style ac functionality.

 

It's worth noting that it took 28oz to fill my a/c system and get a 42psi low side and 160psi high side reading. This A/C system is quite custom but I am running the later style parallel flow condenser and evaporator which require some slight mods. I'm also running an aftermarket dryer from vintage air and all my hoses are custom made. I used a nice T adapter fitting to install the 10mm port for the GM pressure sensor. I ran both my high side and low side ports right off of the expansion valve which provides the easiest access ive ever had to service the system. I have an extra high side port I installed down at the compressor so if I ever need to compare high side readings before and after the condenser & dryer I'll be able to quickly diagnose any issues. 

 

On the subject of A/C oil, genuine Sanden compressors come pre-filled with the correct amount of oil (in my case for the SD7B10 - PAG 100). The amount of oil in the compressor is sufficient for up to 4lbs of freon per Sanden. My system took just under 2lbs so the levels are excelent. If you ever flush out your A/C system, lookup your compressor specs to see how much oil the compressor needs. This is how much you should add to the system. When vacuuming a completely new system, the oil is not extracted during the vacuum application so there is no need to add more. This would only be when purging out an old system. The vacuum is applied to help dry out any moisture and remove contaminants. 

[ghetdjc320]

[Salvagedcircuit]

2 hours ago, ghetdjc320 said:

Oooh Very nice.

Where did you get the 12v accessory block?

[ghetdjc320]

9 hours ago, Salvagedcircuit said:

Oooh Very nice.

Where did you get the 12v accessory block?

It’s from blue sea systems. They make a bunch of styles of these panels with various modules depending on what you need.

[TurboedMJ]

3 hours ago, ghetdjc320 said:

It’s from blue sea systems. They make a bunch of styles of these panels with various modules depending on what you need.

Nice, blue sea is high quality. I work in custom van upfitting, we do a lot of electrical and use them as our vendor. 

[ghetdjc320]

Front fenders are getting trimmed for the notch flares. Honestly, the fitting from the Notch flares is utter crap. Lots of work to get them to fit correctly. Grill, fenders and hood all getting prepped for final fit up and paint.

[ghetdjc320]

These notch flares take an epic amount of body work to fit properly and look good. Rear flared are installed. The wheel opening gain is mostly in front and behind the wheel which is nice. Once all the bolts are tightened down, I added some fiberglass filler and shaped the flares to fit the body correctly. Then I skim coated the whole bedside and block sanded it. Finished with a coat of glaze. Will do one more coat of glaze followed by sealer then paint and clear. Marathon run to finish this project up in a few days.

 

 

[89 MJ]

Everything I've heard about those Notch flares seems to agree with your statement that they take a ton of work to fit right. I feel like for a piece as expensive as they are, they shouldn't require much, if any, work to get them to fit. That said, they sure do look great. I wish I would've run them on my truck. 

[ghetdjc320]

38 minutes ago, 89 MJ said:

Everything I've heard about those Notch flares seems to agree with your statement that they take a ton of work to fit right. I feel like for a piece as expensive as they are, they shouldn't require much, if any, work to get them to fit. That said, they sure do look great. I wish I would've run them on my truck. 

The fit is truly horrible and inconsistent. But once they’re fitted, they are nice. 

[ghetdjc320]

I used some permanently flexible seam sealer for the flares to body seam. Epoxy coated everything and glazed a couple of times. Block sanded it all by hand which is a ton of work. But the end product is epic. The flares have become part of the body now. I’m treating them more like a body kit than a true custom made flare.