Dean's SLC build thread

[Dean Lampe]

Thanks Gary, things are coming along nicely.

Ken, the pedals are already back in the car. There isn't any room to spare but it does fit.

I'm behind on my posting but the car is coming along really good. There's not a day go by when I am in the shop that I don't look at this project and smile. This thing is so cool and the closer it gets to starting up, the cooler it gets! :thumbsup:

 

[Dean Lampe]

I getting ready for the trans axle installation. It was a little harder to find parts than I expected but all of the Porsche shops confirmed that this is the best box for what I'm doing and it is the stronger option. It will be worth it in the long run. Erik at GBox and Dan at Tilton have really stepped up to the plate for me on this.

The first thing I needed to do was install the hydraulic bearing. This is a pretty slick set up from Tilton.

It was just as easy as replacing the existing bearing retainer with the adapter and new hydraulic bearing. I secured the lines inside the bell housing.

This gear box also take a very unique starter. I tried a couple and they didn't fit but the guy on Ebay said they would!:evil: This is were Erik at GBox saved me. He was able to track down the correct starter and send it to me at a great price, well relatively speaking. (It is for a 997 Twin Turbo so it is a little more than my old VW Thing!)

In comes Tilton. You would think that mounting a 2010 997 TT six speed to an LS376 crate engine would be pretty "run of the mill" stuff, well it isn't.

Apparently it is not standard stuff and the 997tt box is, once again testing my patience. Dan at Tilton talked me through it. Mosler used the same set up on there cars before they went out of business and Dan found the one single last remaining Mosler flywheel in a warehouse. It had been there since 2006. I added a dual disk metallic 7.25 clutch assembly. That made the starter look like a discount! Anyway, it is a really nice piece.

Flywheel bolted on.

And the final clutch/flywheel assembly.

In the end, (no pun intended) the trans axle slid right in.

It is really starting to look more like a car everyday.

 

[Dean Lampe]

I am starting the wiring, (thats a friend of mine who always helps me with wiring projects).

I will have three systems - the Digidash harness, the GM harness and the E-Z wire harness. I have it pretty well sorted out but I have a few questions before i post up a bunch of pictures.

In the GM harness, there is a fuse box with two 3/8 post marked A and B. It looks like one is pos and one is neg. Can someone confirm that for me? Then in the GM harness next to this fuse box is the bulkhead connection. I need to run my tach through that plug. Is there a male plug available or should I wire around that plug with the tach? This plug comes with another plug that can be removed but they look like 2 female ends. I'm not describing that too well but maybe you guys will understand.

 

[Alex]

Mosler used the same set up on there cars before they went out of business and Dan found the one single last remaining Mosler flywheel in a warehouse. It had been there since 2006. .

What are you going to do when it needs to be replaced?

 

[Dean Lampe]

Sell it! :laugh:

Actually I think CMS is either working on a new version or already has one. I used the Tilton stuff because it all came from the same place and that gives me a little more comfort. If there was a fit issue, they can't blame the other guy.

 

[Cam]

In the GM harness, there is a fuse box with two 3/8 post marked A and B. It looks like one is pos and one is neg. Can someone confirm that for me? Then in the GM harness next to this fuse box is the bulkhead connection. I need to run my tach through that plug. Is there a male plug available or should I wire around that plug with the tach? This plug comes with another plug that can be removed but they look like 2 female ends. I'm not describing that too well but maybe you guys will understand

hmmm, Im trying to think back. i didnt add this to my build log. i did add the resistor in-line that the ls376 maual mentioned. i think i split that line to digidash and heads up display. the manual said you might have to try a few k-ohm resistance but gm's recommendation was spot on 1st time.

Cant remember if a/b is +/-. maybe check with an ohm-meter? i know there are a few relays that are left open in that fuse box that were handy...

 

[Chuck]

Dean

Beautiful work.

Regarding the hydraulic release bearing, do the two fluid hoses prevent rotation of the bearing? If so I have a bit of concern about tieing those hoses down inside the bell housing stressing the lines. Probably not an issue, but wanted to mention it.

 

[Dean Lampe]

Good question Chuck, the bearing is bolted in place so the hoses don't do anything but move fluid.

 

[Dean Lampe]

I guess it's time for another update. I find that I have time to build or time to write about the build but rare enough time to me for both.

I have been working on the wiring and thats an area that pictures just don't do justice. As I have mentioned in the past, I have 3 systems in the car; the GM harness, the E-Z wiring hot rod harness and the digidash. Most of you won't have the Digidash or the E-Z wiring harness but instead the new ISIS stuff, For a race car, the ISIS stuff wasn't needed.

The first thing I did was take the E-Z harness apart and remove the stuff I didn't need and create bundles that fit my project. I have a rear bundle(lights and engine sensors/power), the dash switches/ gauges bundle, the front bundle and the "not applicable" bundle.

I laid that out on the car when I had that sorted.

We had to further sort out what was going to the switch panel and what needed to go to the Digidash.

Once we were pretty sure we had the wires running to the right end of the car, I put it all in protective loom.

I ordered some clamps from Mcmaster-Carr to hold the loom in place when I was finished.

So, the wires were tied in to the sensors and other wire power points and all that was left to do tie it into the dash switches and digidash.

This is the E-Z Harness installed waiting on the digidash and the switch panel to be added to the system. I think I'm going to cover the wires witha an aluminum cover but I think I better wait to make sure it all works first!

 

[Stefan Tuineag]

Hi Dean,

I am not sure if it is a good idea to run the electric cables near the hot water pipe. The wires will get hot and will expand and this will change the resistivity! If that wires are connected with sensors you will get distorted signals.

 

[Dean Lampe]

Thanks for the help. Maybe I can add a few more clips to hold the wire loom away from the pipes.

 

[Dean Lampe]

On to the switch box.

This is from Summit and is made by Moroso. I drilled some holes in the cross bar and installed some nut zerts that you can see in this photo from an earlier post.

This box allows you to fuse each switch and wire it to an individual indicator light. I have the start button, the ignition power power button, the accusump switch, high pressure fuel, data logger on/off and oil cooler fan switch. The low pressure fuel will come on with the engine harness in the ignition power circuit. The cover of the box is held in place by 4 dzus fasteners so it's easy to get in there and sort out problems.

The senders go to the digidash. This is a low oil pressure warning, a low fuel level warning, brake indicator, oil temp, high pressure oil, and water temp. The digidash also gets tach input and signal flasher. There might be some others, I don't remember off the top of my head.

 

[Den]

Dean, are you able to reach your switches while belted in as it looks like it's a bit of a reach?

Cheers
Dennis

 

[Dean Lampe]

I see where it looks like that. It really isn't that far of a reach. I like the drive with the steering wheel much closer to my chest than most.

I also have a 6ft+ wingspan! With arms this long, I can almost change a tire from the drivers seat!:shocked:

 

[Fran Hall RCR]

I would certainly need a stick to reach them.....

 

[Dean Lampe]

I needed a break from the wiring. It is even boring to read in my own thread! Before i went to the engine harness, I wanted to work on the intake. The GM instructions are pretty clear on how this needs to be laid out. I ordered these parts from Summit.

Spectre Performance 9724 - Spectre Performance Air Intake Tubes - Overview - SummitRacing.com with some silicone connectors.

I cut the intake end at a 7 or 8 degree angle to better line up with the throttle body. The other end was cut again at 7 or 8 degrees. The two pieces were rotated and assembled to create a 15 degree angle and the excess was trimmed off. ( about 5 inches)

I cut hole for the MAP sensor and drilled two holes for the PCV lines to enter. (we talked about that a few pages ago. I used a routing similar to the 01 car)

The fitting for the MAP sensor was attached to the tube with epoxy. This is what it looks like all finished up.

I have a K&N filter that goes on the end.

 

Dean,

Good move to replace those studs. I believe both Alex and I have done that. You can now replace the lug nuts with tall open ones and still have some threads showing.

Hello Doc,
Where did you get those long acorn lug nuts ? I have searched and no luck finding them.

 

[Mike]

Hi Dean,
Following your build and other SL-C builds with interest, I know it takes time and effort to take notes and pictures as the build progresses, but very helpful for other people and their builds.
I am building a RHD SL-C in England, we have a lot of rules to comply with in order to get cars road legal. The latest version of the test is called the IVA test and takes from 3 to 5 hours for the examiner to complete.
The advantage of having such a complex test has forced the quality of component cars to be raised to a very high level in the U.K.
I have been very impressed with the quality of welding and chassis design of the SL-C and expect to get the SL-C through the test with minimum hassle hopefully, the exhaust noise level will be one of the more difficult ones to overcome. I will post some pictures soon as we progress with the build.
Regards Mike

 

[Dean Lampe]

Time for the GM harness. The first thing I did was spread it out on the floor. That didn't do much good. You just have to through it up on the engine and get started. Sorry about the crap pictures. When I get the wiring complete I will take some more just for future reference.

There's not much to talk about, just start plugging things in and see where it leads you. I didn't use the speed sensor or the oil pressure sensor. You just sort of tuck it in where you can and zip tie it together.

I had to extend the MAP and the MAF sensor. I didn't cut the wires, I just cut the loom and pulled the wires out a little to make it work.
Here is a few more pictures.

The drive by wire wires needed to be cut. The important thing is make sure your cuts are even and the joints are identical. Alan gave me a great tip here with the solder filled heat shrink joints. They worked perfectly!
9895K11 Thats the part number from McMaster-Carr. The link doesn't work but the part number is right.

 

[Will Campbell]

You don't have to cut the DBW wires. My ETC is located on the chassis near the left front of the drivers footwell- the longest possible distance from the ECU- so I have a 4' DBW extension cable that uses the OEM connectors, factory loom, etc. You can obtain them in any length. Using an extension cable of the right length makes maintenance potentially easier, and eliminates the risk of cold solder joints.

In discussing the topic with the people who make the extension cables, they say they have been making them for some time, in lengths as long as 10 feet for the sand rail crowd, with no problems.

I got mine at Current Performance Wiring LT1, LT4, LS1, LS2, LS7 Engine Wiring Systems You need to ask for them explicitly, as they aren't a stock item and aren't listed on the web page. Mine came in just a few days, though.