Dan's Build

I talked to shop owner about getting a laser scanner so they could scan the car and would have a 3D scan for their design program. They could then design and sell patterns not only for limited production vehicles but they would own their own patterns for any common cars/trucks they wanted. No longer limited to another designer. It caught their interest.

Time will tell if they take the next step.
 
I talked to shop owner about getting a laser scanner so they could scan the car and would have a 3D scan for their design program. They could then design and sell patterns not only for limited production vehicles but they would own their own patterns for any common cars/trucks they wanted. No longer limited to another designer. It caught their interest.

Time will tell if they take the next step.

That's good to hear, keep us posted.
 

Howard Jones

Supporter
Sorry, I misunderstood what you were making patterns of and what they would be used for. I was mistakenly thinking of body patterns and selling body parts. Sorry. Graphics would of course be fine to sell and I would be interested in seeing what else can be done. An online do-it-yourself pattern maker and order process would really be cool and I would be a buyer if not too costly.

I've seen the hand-cut style of wrapping done once and it was pretty time-consuming. Doing it from a pattern would be much more cost-effective. In fact, if I could buy a pre-fitted graphic of your nose I more than likely would.

Here's an idea, how about a complete wrap of the nose that would combine a cool graphic like yours with the remainder being clear to protect the paint underneath.
 
The process is a fascinating process. They have a large plotter that prints simple to complex designs on a film. Once printed, the printed vinyl is then placed in a machine that attaches a clear vinyl on top.....about 2 to 3 mils. On my car they used a 3M knifeless tape that is pretty simple. You layout a pattern with the tape and place the vinyl in place over it. I found out better quality vinyl has air relief capability to allow air to escape while smoothing it. Once down, there is a string in the tape (very thin but strong floss looking stuff). It cuts the applied vinyl perfectly as you pull the string. A pre printed pattern would make it easier, but this wasn't really all that hard. Hence the need for a laser to scan a car.
 

Howard Jones

Supporter
Ohhhh......... that is completely different than the custom wrap thing I watched being done. My guy had a way to cut the wrap as it was going on the car to make a straight line and not harm the paint underneath.
 
Dan a while ago you reported that Raptor bedliner worked well for a frit on polycarbonate. Has it held up well? Do you still recommend it?
 
It has held up very well. A tip, but experiment for yourself first. I used blue auto fine line tape to create my frit edges. I initially used a small cabinet roller to avoid brush lines I experienced earlier using Raptor. I suggest brushing the edge next to the tape and roll behind it to avoid roller bubbles (that’s what I call them). They are really hard to see (I am being really critical) so you may not care. Experiment a bit with the mixture so it’s not too thick or it won’t flow. Raptor has a small bit of texture on the inside so I would stay as close to the door edge as possible with your grit edge. Raptor sets up quickly so work quickly. I think if you work with it a bit first you can get the exact look you want. I did scuff the poly a bit with a scotch brite pad. Good luck. I would do it again....I will once I get the tinted windows.
 
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Just sharing here. I tried a very inexpensive method to change the appearance of the wheels. I use vinyl wrap to highlight the spokes. Now I used a subtle color, but your imagination can go wild. Peel the wrap and lay it down around the outside of the clean rim. Remove wrinkles but don't pull it tight like a drum, It should be relaxed and wrinkle free. Start from the outside and with a cloth glove or microfiber cloth start securing the warp to the spokes in a consistent length toward the center. As it tightens up you start using a heat gun very sparingly to soften the vinyl and keep pressing it down. Keep the gun moving and about 8-10 inches away. It doesn't take a lot of heat very often. The heat will remove wrinkles if you get any. Once all the way down take a razor and trim out what you want. A needle can be used sparingly if you get an air pocket you can not remove. The vinyl is very forgiving to pull it on and off, but before you heat it. If you don't like the final product, peel it off, change the color or scrap the whole idea. All four wheels about $75 and about 2.5 hours. The gray I used is a color in my graphic design. Red was also an option....but really more red....LOL

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Another lesson following the starter failure.

I can only comment on my LS3/480 on the following but I believe these principles apply in a broader engine spectrum, so take it for what its worth. I noticed before the mechanical starter failure the LS3 struggled a little to start after “heat soaking” following a drive. It would start, but not as easily as when cold, no surprise here.

I wondered which ECU tables were heat sensitive during starting and went hunting. IAW the tuning school house, ECU table settings followed some cam spec rules, and without getting into the multi-dimensional discussion of cam dynamics, I will consider the 480 GM Hot Cam more than a mild cam, but perhaps not necessarily a “big” cam” so I extrapolated between mild and big cam dynamics. I found three tables within the GM ECU which impact fuel, air, and timing during "hotter" starts. The picture I included are my initial adjustments, not final, but getting there. Anyway the tables included:

  • Cranking Spark: GM really did some odd things to the stock table. At 212 degrees and at RPM ranges in block ranges at 100 and 300, they changed the degrees from +5.0 to -10.0 and within a few RPMs back to +2 or a +3 and back to -10.0. I could not find a good rationale for that anywhere. Solution is to smooth out the hot coolant temp values.
  • Idle Startup Air Flow: School house says add 10%-20% more air. I added 10% but may go back and add a little bit more at higher temps IF I still have a higher temp start concern, that I’m not satisfied with.
  • Cranking FA: Again, school house says 10% more fuel across the spectrum. However, I noted something again odd by GM. As the temp progressed from cold to hot, the values declined up to about 194 degrees then climbed back up to 248 degrees. Seemed a little odd, but I went with it for now. Not sure why but this is another target area for smoothing if the startup still isn’t as clean as I want.
If you’re experiencing a stubborn "hot" start, take a look at these three tables. Not many tuners even bother. Based on my experience with tuners, the focus seems to be on power and not a wide enough ECU adjustment to get the best overall engine performance other than more HP…..just my opinion. If you want a closer look at the picture, I tossed in a PDF for reading enjoyment.

I’m sure someone out there is a lot smarter on this topic than I am, so let the discussion begin or not.

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A stuborn hot start could also mean a tad to much ignition timing. How much are you running at idle?
Have you tried taking 2 degrees out? Hot start retard or just take 2' out on idle.
 
Interesting observation on the 2' change. In looking at the cranking table below, I see the settings at 212 call for 4.5 degrees of timing. In the base timing table, the timing for the 0-800 RPM start at 18' and moves up to 21' as shown. So my question is at what point in the start sequence does the ECU move from cranking timing to started timing and transition to spark airmass to reference the timing tables. I will of course play with the settings, but the 18 degree idle setting in the idle section of the table is recommended by the school house. I wonder if I backed off the timing at low air mass (.08 to .32) and RPM from 0 to say 400 if that is the right target area to transition from cranking to idle.

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You may want to know this so here I go.

In my quest to fully appreciate what is happening inside our ECU's I stumbled across the never ending issue of the VSS signal. Bottom line is the ECU really needs to know the vehicle is moving and if not, its a source of the stalling some have experienced. I'm using Speedhut tachometer and IAW with their guidance and GM instructions you can use the GM harness bulkhead signal (white wire) to feed a signal to your tach. Note from my schematic you will have to place a 5000/OHM 1/2 watt resistor between the ECU tach signal and a 12V source and send that signal to the tach. I also needed to feed the VSS, which I have done via a 16 tooth Porsche wheel ring. So why all this BS, well take a look at the ECU section I included in the picture. Note there is a Hardware selection and one of those selections is to pick wheel sensor (drop down menu). I did that because Im using a wheel sensor for my VSS versus a transmission sensor, however I then lost the RPM signal to the cockpit tach Now what does a VSS signal and the RPM have to do with the Speedometer page of the tune....I have no clue, but leave the hardware Speed Output Type to the default setting.

Another discovery is the final drive number. The tuner and GM's instruction tell you to put your axle ratio in this block. I originally did that and found the actual speed to the ECU was way off. While the axle ratio will provide the ECU a signal with my 3.42 axle the ECU was seeing 14MPH while I was doing 60MPH. Again I don't understand why, but the closer I got to a ratio value of one, the closer the GPS speed was to a good ECU speed (avia HP Tuner scanner while driving). The precision of the VSS signal isn't as critical as cockpit speed, but the ECU wants to know its moving. So I share this info as FYI if your ever having a VSS/GPS/stalling issue take a look here.

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Sharing again on the VSS issue. Perhaps you knew, or not, but I did not know the Graz has a speed sensor built in that I could use. Its on the rear driver side of the Graz next to the cooling line port. I did some experiments using it and it works very well. I worked with Aarron who got some data from John B about the sensor and the reluctor ring (37 tooth), and I started changing the tune speedo values until I got as close as I need to the speedo (mines GPS).

It gives a very constant signal and helps with any tuning needs for MPH to the ECU. As for the connection, I don't think it will make any difference, but the sensor pin closest to the mounting hole is connected to the purple wire on the GM VSS signal harness. Below are the values I set and again, its pretty close. If you want to attach a speedo, you will need to do a little refinement.

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Johan

Supporter
Dan, I’m not sure that’s a VSS. I tried that a while ago and if I remember correctly it follows engine rpm not driveshaft rpm. At least on my Graz KVJ.
According to Audi it’s a shift sensor. You can try it by removing the sensor and watch the gear inside while turning the input shaft. The gear will turn even if the drive shafts are standing still.
 
Seems odd that based on the settings of the speedometer section of the ECU, the scanner readings in the HP Tuner match the GPS speedometer and not RPM. I also validated the signal to the ECU with a wheel speed sensor and the scanner was showing a speed match and not an RPM match. My objective was to make sure the ECU knows the car is moving. Seems odd it would have any relationship with RPM since at idle the sensor ring would not be turning at all. Perhaps the two Graz systems are different. I never see a scanner value more than +- 5MPH error value.
 

Johan

Supporter
Don’t think so, but it might be a diff between the KVJ and KBA. Just to recheck I went out in my garage and had my wife to turn the input shaft while I watched the gear inside the sensor hole turning. I then put a screwdriver to ”lock” the gear and she couldn’t turn the shaft anymore.
The shifter was in neutral and the driveshafts flanges didn’t move.
It might show vehicle speed but it will also show speed when standing still with engine running.
 
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