So I installed the starter the other night. Before installing I noticed there was a bushing already in the bell housing for the starter, so I assumed CarQuip had put a new on in there to save me the trouble. I emailed them and they said it was left in there during the rebuild and I should replace it if it wasn’t too much trouble.

I wasn’t sure how to get that bushing out so I came up with the idea of using a tap to thread into the bushing, then yank it out. This worked wonderfully! To get the new greased-up bushing in I took a long machine bolt and threaded a nut over the end and slid the bushing up to the nut. This allowed me to reach into the housing and slide the bushing in partially – I then used some light taps from a hammer to seat the bushing all the way. Starter was then slid back in and bolted up.

Tonight I just took care of some little things. I secured the coolant hardlines to the frame with some insulated clamps, and then did the same for the shifter cables and rear-end wire loom. Afterwards I put Dynamat on the rear tunnel/engine cover piece that goes over the alternator. I plan on making this removable so I dampened it separately from the other tunnel pieces.

I also extended some wires to reach the fuse box post.

Tonight I installed the starter and wired it up. To get the wires to reach the starter I had to reroute the engine harness under the passenger header and then extend the purple wire that attaches to the small post of the starter. I undid some of the engine harness loom/taping and redid it so there is less stretch on some of the connectors and ground around the starter wiring.

After the starter install I took some 2″ wire loom and wrapped it with the adhesive-backed Thermotec heat shield. I then slid this ‘cover’ over the main bundle of wire loom running close to the header on the passenger side.

Finally, I connected the other outlet on the water pump with the heavy-duty clamps. I just need a few more clamps to finish swapping out the screw-style clamps.

Tonight was just not fun. Not fun at all. Before doing anything, I verified that Brandwood provided the wrong attachment for the cable shifter. I have no way of connecting the main gate cable to the trans shift rod, as they drilled the hole for it wrong in the connector they sent me. This isn’t a huge deal – just a simple screw on part that will take 2 seconds to replace…once a new one arrives.

It took way too long to get the transmission mount/rear frame member in place and bolted, and then once I finally got the transmission into it the FFR provided holes in the mounting bracket did not even line up. Nice! I egged out the holes and managed to get the bolt through, though. For future reference, it is much easier to get the trans mounted by putting the bracket back in first, then trying to get the trans lined up in the bracket.

With the trans in place I tackled the passenger axle. This axle was a real pain. It’s a tight fit to get it in, and then it was even tougher to line up the bolts + cv spacers + axle mount holes. Tonight was extremely frustrating to say the least. I am glad, however, that the trans and axles are in, and a clearance issue I had with the starter last night was fixed by getting the trans mounted properly in the rear frame/trans mount.

Next up on the list is some wiring protection (need to protect the wire looms by the headers from the heat) and hose organization, then I will start securing tunnel panels and get the passenger fuel tank hooked up. I also need more heavy duty hose clamps for the water pump connections.

Earlier today I finished the clutch pedal mod by placing some good grip tape on it. It looks pretty ‘factory’ now.

Tonight I started out by cutting the water pump hoses to length and then connecting them to the 45-degree fittings. Much nicer. I also started reconnecting the water pump corrugated lines – I decided to use better hose clamps for these connections.

After that I moved on to installing the driver-side axle. This was pretty straight forward. The passenger side will go in after I install the starter. I also noticed the trans/engine was off-center by a good amount, but after I slid in the rear frame member/transmission mount it centered up pretty good.

Lastly, the fuel crossover hose was installed on the fuel rails.

Finally, after all the hassles the new balancer was installed. Everything looks to lineup properly this time around.

After doing the balancer, Josh and I installed the transmission. This was very straight forward and did not take long at all. Just a handful of bolts for the pressure plate and then a few nuts to hold the transmission on the mounting studs. The cable shift bracket was then mounted. It’s support bracket needs to be drilled into the rear tail of the transmission still.

Tonight I installed the 45-degree fittings into the water pump outlets and re-installed the pump. The hoses will now be able to run freely without being kinked by the frame.

Josh finished the clutch pedal already so I primed and painted it – just need some good grip tape and it will look good as new. This mod will free up a bit of foot space in the footbox.

The axles are assembled and ready to go.

I decided to install the remaining footbox carpeting on the passenger side. I wasn’t looking forward to doing these pieces, but I found the Super 77 spray adhesive stays very tacky for a very long time, so you have plenty of time to work with the carpeting – just be patient and keep your fingers clean. I find that spraying small areas of the carpet at a time works best so that you don’t have to try to fit in the entire piece of carpeting in at once.

With the first startup and hopefully go-kart drive approaching, I have compiled a list of things that need to be done before that exciting day. It’s quite a list, but mostly lots of little things that will get checked off quickly. Hopefully first start within a week or two!

– Fuel Lines – fuel rail crossover + fuel filter output to rail
– Install 45-degree fittings into water pump and reinstall water pump
– Install balancer (currently being honed, should arrive Friday)
– Install Passenger fuel tank and connect its lines
– Connect coolant hoses
– Install clutch, flywheel, and transmission
– Install axles
– Route clutch line to slave
– Connect cable shift to trans
– Mount transmission oil cooler and pump and connect to trans
– Install VSS
– Run serp and accessory belts
– Paint and Reinstall modified clutch pedal
– Bleed brakes and clutch
– Oil for engine and trans
– Fill coolant system
– Charge AC

No balancer bolts from ATI yet. Shocker!

Tonight I installed the new fuel filter onto the passenger side engine cover next to the fuse box and connected up the appropriate fuel lines to it. Afterwards I attached the fuel vapor filter setup I am going to be using to the driver fuel tank. This is not mentioned in the GTM build manual, but it will help to prevent excessive fuel vapor from stinking up the car. Once the passenger tank is in I just have to run the line over to the vent hose on the top of the tank.

With the fuel stuff done I finally finished up the wiring for the fog lights and flashers switches. A ground screw was drilled into the tunnel frame and I split the ‘instrument panel lighting’ wire from the Painless harness so I could run a length of it to each switch. The switches were then connected as necessary so that they fire their respective relays when pressed. I finished up by looming the wiring a bit and did some looming on the engine harness as well.

The cam harness extension I ordered from Casper’s Electronics will not work for me – they say the plug is correct, but it is obviously not as the cam sensor on the LS2 is keyed and the plug they use has no slot for a key. I will be making my own extension harness and returning this one.

I finally got some work done on the fuel system. First, I ran the AN hose under the frame and connected it to the driver tank. Then I ran the 5/16″ and 3/8″ lines that connect the hardline crossovers to the tank. Finally, the sensor was plugged in.

Moving on to the passenger side (much tougher to work with due to very tight space (all the wiring), I set the fuel filter into place (haven’t installed yet, waiting for a new one to arrive) and mocked up all the lines then cut and fitted them as needed. Once the car is ready for fuel it will only take a few minutes to connect all the lines up.

I also applied weather strip to the tanks/frame points where there will be rubbing and contact.