If you look closely, you can see the drain port and both of the oil cooler ports
In the following pictures, note the two yellow-tinged bolts along the periphery of the case. The other eight fasteners are 2"-long, double-ended studs. I'm not convinced that what Chris said about not having enough room for 10 full studs is true, but it doesn't matter. Both types of fasteners are perfectly adequate.
The case is upside down and has not yet been fitted with the pinion support and bushing
I got so much less done than I wanted to today. It took me longer than I wanted to clean and assemble the STS-V spindles and V2 control arms than I hoped. The short story is that I'm probably going to be running the stock brakes and spindles this week. At least I'm almost done. If anyone else is following in my footsteps, please note that you'll need 6x M12-1.75x70mm Grade 10.9 bolts for the hubs. Your V1 spindles/hubs require M12-1.75x50mm bolts, which are much too short for the STS-V spindle.
Here are some pictures. I got a little happy with the Permatex Copper, as you'll see. Better to err on the side of caution, right? :bigroll: By the way, here's a link to important torque specs for both the front and rear hubs and axles (Cadzilla calls it the driveshaft nut, but he really means the axle nuts). I didn't expect such a high torque spec on the wheel hub bolts.
SKF X-Tracker hubs outfitted with ARP 100-7708 studs. The rear studs have been cut down to slightly longer than stock length. The front studs are very long because I presently use 10mm worth of spacer on each of the front wheels.
Hub flange prepped with Permatex copper, as the manual states
STS-V spindle prepped with Permatex copper
STS-V spindle, side
Rear of the STS-V spindle, showing the openness of the SKF front hubs and the V2 shield
V2 shield installed. My Dremel failed halfway through my cut along the bottom, so I had to use a drill to finish up the job. Not a very professional job. The shields are designed to fit the V2 spindle. The bump in the shield is intended to allow the wheel speed sensor wire to pass out of the spindle. Because there's a gap when you apply these to the STS-V spindle, I oriented the bump the other way in case I decide I want to run the sensor wire out the other side of the spindle.
SKF on the STS-V spindle. The bolts are just hand tightened at this point. I'm using the V1 front shield right now as a temporary shield until my brake duct design is finished. Had to cut the ear off to clear the STS-V spindle, which is wider than the V1 version.
STS-V on the left, V1 on the right
Look at how much more GM had to build up the aluminum STS-V spindle in the area where the curvature is the greatest. You should also be able to see how the STS-V spindle provides more wheel clearance. I've already test fit the spindle on the car, and the back face clears the KW Variant 3 no problem.
STS-V spindle, SKF X-Tracker hub, ARP 100-7708 studs, Grade 10.9 M12-1.75x70 bolts, front and rear shields: 18.0 lbs (-3.8 lbs)
Preliminary measurements from top of wheel bearing flange and to the upper ball joint hole:
V1 spindle extends 11" upwards (dead vertical) and 5" inwards (to ball joint), providing about 5" clearance where rim of wheel would land
STS-V spindle extends 12.5" upwards (dead vertical) and 5.75" inwards (to ball joint), providing about 6" of clearance where rim of wheel would land
----------
Before I forget, you'll need two M12-1.75, Grade 10.9 nuts for the V2 upper control arms. I recommend trying a batch from this place. As far as I know, there's no way to buy a smaller package of them. You can take advantage of these extra nuts if you opt to buy an extra pack of M12-1.75x70mm bolts for your OEM driveshaft. Since you'll need 6 of them for the STS-V spindles anyway, three bags of bolts from this vendor will leave you with four leftover bolts and two nuts.
Nice work! Those new parts look so clean and I can see brush strokes on the anti-seize. I'm losing sight on your goal with changing the geometry of the brakes - lighter and more tire clearance?
You could probably assemble a car in your living room with the mountain of the parts you have collected! My parts collection has finally dwindled down to just the 'Speedloader' shifter to install. I finished up my steering system overhaul/replacement and drilled/pinned the crank and installed my ATI Super Damper with ARP bolt and of course replace front main seal...yadda yadda yadda.
Correct. But not just "tire clearance." There appears to be enough clearance to run Viper specification 19x10" -40mm Forgestar F14 wheels on all four corners. That would have huge braking and cornering implications. There may also be some alignment benefits...or penalties. I won't know until I get the car into the shop. But the weather report says snow all week/weekend. The ball joint on the V2 UCA is something like 1" aft, which should produce 1-2 degrees of additional caster. Depending on how the camber looks, this could be a win-win--more caster and more camber.
Yes, I have a lot of parts to install. I feel like I'm constantly trying to dig myself out of mod hell. I have four and a half shifters here for review and comparison...the Katech shifter with the original CTS-V ball/cup and the 2003 manual CTS ball/cup, PISNUOFF's original shifter, PISNUOFF's Hurst shifter, and the 54inches shifter. I'm not going to say much more until after I drive each shifter for a couple of days. Both the PISNUOFF Hurst and 54inches Ballistic Fabrication designs are going obliterate the older shifters. But the interesting thing is going to be how they compare against each other.
Because of the snow, I've been running stock wheels with 245/40-18" Continental ExtremeContact DWS, and man--they do pretty good in the snow. But this experience has reminded me of how vastly better the Forgestar wheels are. You just can't compare a 285mm tire to a 245mm tire for grip and stability. It also taught me that my alignment settings practically require 10" rear wheels. There's too little toe in the back to maintain stability under acceleration with the smaller tires.
Anyway, if this snow keeps up and I can't get into work, I'll most likely be accelerating my effort with MightyMouse to build spindle ducts to the V1, the STS-V, and (potentially) the V2. At the moment, we're at the point where he's sending me an almost featureless, round piece for me to mark/cut to establish clearances around the V2 front calipers. Unless there's a general outcry, I don't want to design a second version to fit tightly around the V1 calipers. In my mind, anyone that needs spindle ducts should have V2 calipers. The trickiest part about this project is going to be shaping a 3" duct into an oval or rectangle and welding it to a thin section of the disc between the rotor surface and the side of the spindle. The compact V1 spindle is child's play compared to the STS-V spindle...the aluminum on the side facing the steering knuckle is very thick. If you design for the STS-V spindle, the V1 spindle will also accept the part.
Preliminary Solidworks model by MightyMouse with my measurements - DRT rotors can support a 221mm 6061-T6 disc before thermal expansion causes problems, and RacingBrake rotors can support a 225mm disc
I just installed the '54 speedloader' tonight - almost ruined a threaded Katech knob I have. It's ehh...not short throw and it's damn close to my driveshaft. I gotta re-thread a knob to fit the shifter before I drive it. For the money he charges I wish he would have made those threads custom. Also, I'm not sure if it was intentional but the jam nut 'thingy' is/was binding as I threaded it up/down. The welds created an offset and the length of the jam nut causes it to wobble as you thread it rubbing on the sides. I hope I warm up to it when I test it on the road. When I pulled my Katech out I notice its a work of art as far as fit/finish - craftsmanship. Again, if it all works out and my driving improves great! I don't see any of that metal anyways.
Fuzzy, I think you could appreciate this power steering cooler:
In the end it came down to cost and function. The Derale cooler is a better design than the ebay Fluidyne but the mounting is still ghetto-fab. I installed spacers where the metal brackets are fastened and added some Earl's -10AN hose clamp bling.
Right when I thought I was done installing all my parts - Swift springs, I almost forgot about them.
I just installed the '54 speedloader' tonight - almost ruined a threaded Katech knob I have. It's ehh...not short throw and it's damn close to my driveshaft. I gotta re-thread a knob to fit the shifter before I drive it. For the money he charges I wish he would have made those threads custom. Also, I'm not sure if it was intentional but the jam nut 'thingy' is/was binding as I threaded it up/down. The welds created an offset and the length of the jam nut causes it to wobble as you thread it rubbing on the sides. I hope I warm up to it when I test it on the road. When I pulled my Katech out I notice its a work of art as far as fit/finish - craftsmanship. Again, if it all works out and my driving improves great! I don't see any of that metal anyways.
Your observations were correct about 54inches' shifter length. It's 11.0" long without the knob, whereas Brian's Hurst shifter (modified for the stock knob) is 10.5" long. With the knob screwed down as far as it'll go, 54inches' shifter measures 14", whereas Brian's shifter measures about 11.75". Big difference there.
If you have the Katech off, can you measure its length? I'm just curious--I plan to measure it when I get the shifter off the car, but that might not be for another two weeks, given the weather conditions. Agreed on the fit/finish of the Katech. It's always been a gorgeous piece. Expensive, yes, but you knew where the money went.
Fuzzy, I think you could appreciate this power steering cooler:
In the end it came down to cost and function. The Derale cooler is a better design than the ebay Fluidyne but the mounting is still ghetto-fab. I installed spacers where the metal brackets are fastened and added some Earl's -10AN hose clamp bling.
Right when I thought I was done installing all my parts - Swift springs, I almost forgot about them.
I'm officially amused. :bigroll: I like those fittings and hoses, but I noticed that you installed the cooler down low. Eventually, I think you're going to need that space for an intercooler. I still want to upgrade to a Derale 10000 series, but want to finish my bigger projects first.
Interested in your feedback on the Swift springs. Don't forget to adjust the adjust the rear shocks to compensate--full soft on the dampening setting and 5 clicks or potentially even 6 clicks (if you've added 100+ lbs back there) away from full hard on the rebound setting. If you're anything like me, you'll go through an emotional rollercoaster on your first few drives with the springs. If you've become accustomed to the lethargic response rate of the rear end, it'll be a shock at first.
The overall length of the Katech is 10 5/8" and from the top threads tip to the centerline of the bolt hole is 9 15/16". That means that from the very bottom to the bolt hole is 11/16". I used a machinist ruler w/level and not calipers.
Regarding the steering cooler, I used the OEM mounting bracket so it's in the 'stock' location. I can/will move it when the time comes for an intercooler if space is an issue. I'm tossing in those springs tomorrow and scheduled an alignment this weekend. Since I installed new inner and outer tie rods, my alignment is completely hosed. I learned that the Hotchis sways only install one way and is not marked L or R. It has a sticker and thinking right side up was the correct orientation was wrong - took all of 15 minutes to flip it back around - I would have snapped my endlinks.
Hmm. The Katech is longer than I thought. Thanks for the measurements! Is this how your sway bar looks?
By the way, if you're basing this upcoming alignment on anything I've written in the past, please be careful with the rear toe settings since you have stock wheels. If you've never had the car aligned, a good starting place might be zero front toe, -0.20° (total) rear toe, -2.0° camber all around, and as much caster as that'll let you have. Generally speaking, the rear camber angle is maxed out and cannot be reduced. Your ride height dictates it.
Also, you may want to tip your alignment guy. The front end is a PITA for perfectionists--I mean a two hour ordeal without the alignment tool. I wish I would've known--I could've sent you the tool.
Thanks for the tip on the alignment Fuzzy! Regarding the pic of the Hotchis sways - I can't tell for sure but it looks the same. Flipped incorrectly and it was too high.
Yep, if you flipped it the wrong way, the holes in the ends of the sway bar will be clocked at an upwards angle. You're good. Is this your first outing with the Hotchkis HSS-2280?
Here's a project that's been on the back burner for a while. The iPhone 5S is set to 50% brightness for comparison. Pictures are provided with and without the Sony A65 flash at 2 foot range (brighter than the sun). I just jammed the switchback LED bar in the foglamp housing to show that it fits. The LED turn signals will go through "bench" testing outside to verify that they can be clearly seen in direct sunlight.
Ultimately, this will be a closed, ram air intake feeding a CAI and transmission oil cooler on one side, and the power steering and engine oil cooler on the other. Space providing, of course. Both front rotors will get the sloppy seconds, with meth/water sprayers available (supplied by the windshield washer tank through the headlight washer outlet) to provide a huge shot of cooling on demand. Or I guess you could trigger them based on boost.
That's a good article. Here's a thought, split the return. Return to the bucket fitting to keep the fuel pump covered then make a longer return to the driver side.
Btw, springs installed - it went very fast. I think that's the byproduct of not having a true coilover in the rear. I think it took less than a hour start to finish - zero complications.
I also re-threaded my V2 shift knob and dumped a crap load of jb weld in there. I chased it twice to clean the threads and now letting it cure. It serves that purpose (strengthen the new threads) and because the plastic threaded portion of the V2 cheapo knob spins in place (threaded portion is an insert) - complete crap waste of money for something pretty but made like s*it.
All I need now is your Forgestars to keep my traction with these new stiffer rear springs - I'm prepared for a tail happy V but also excited. I went with the 160s - I notice that you now recommend the 140s. No fun in that.
I looked at some Mamofied heads for the LS6 - eh, the price. So it's a no brainer, LS3 here I come! Now to find someone to build it... I think the LS3 (built heads,cam) and Eforce would break the 700whp barrier.
I looked at some Mamofied heads for the LS6 - eh, the price. So it's a no brainer, LS3 here I come! Now to find someone to build it... I think the LS3 (built heads,cam) and Eforce would break the 700whp barrier.
We have one guy with a stock LS3 with an LS9 cam at 615 whp and another with a stock LS2 shortblock with ported LSA heads at 650 whp. 700 should not be too hard with a forged motor even at stock displacement.
Well, if you're interested in the Forgestars, I might be inclined to sell them to you. But you'll want black, and these aren't capable of being black again.
When are you going to drive the thing? I've never had that problem with the V2 knob. Feels solid to me. I have two of them now. Maybe you got a bad one.
I'll be shopping for wheels a bit later probably summer. I'll be driving it this weekend after my alignment. The V2 knob has a fragile insert when threaded - mine started spinning. So for the money - eh.
Take a look at the comparison of the springs - KW_V3 verses Swift 160s.
With respect to the Forgestar F14s... if this STS-V thing goes according to plan, you may want to consider adding STS-V spindles and V2 UCAs to the list so that you can really hulk that V out.
Having just gone back to 245mm rear tires for the snowy season, I can't stand how anemic the back end of my V looks. You won't believe how much more muscular the V looks with 10" rear wheels installed.
Cutter05 (Psychobillycaddy on another forum) has the LS3 with LS9 cam. He came in at 615 whp with a conservative tune from Pat G. Also, since Pat G did the tuning, I believe dyno numbers are legit (not wanting to get into correction factor semantics here) which tends to lead credance to the 650 whp Charles put down with a more aggresive cam and heads using the same pulley.
Just like with your S2000, let the boost do the work. Build a strong platform (shortblock) and boost until you reach your desired number. No need to go overboard with displacement, these guys are putting down great numbers with safe tunes and have a LOT left to go (two pulley sizes and an OD crank pulley).
On the kit, I believe the Camaro Box 1 kit is what you'd need...although not certain on that. Might want to get with Mike and talk it over to make sure you get the correct port confit.
Thanks for the info. I know what you mean by boosting to desired HP number but the question is always left unanswered - high flowing heads and low boost or turn up the boost to till you reach the same number with less flowing heads? Not sure what happens with the stress on the engine internals between the two.
Here's what I did on Sunday, before I discovered that MAPerformance accidentally sent me five lug RacingBrake rear rotors and had to abort the installation. At least I have the tightest parking brakes in the universe now (seriously--I can't get the pedal down more than 3 inches!), and the SKF hubs installed in the rear.
I would do more this week, but the front end needs the Revshift LCA bushings cleaned and the OEM bushings drilled out of the V2 UCAs. That pretty much merits a day dedicated to brake stuff. It'll also give me time to install the new calipers, front pads, front rotors, and carefully bleed the system.
This is before it started snowing again...
Ewww...this is where I seriously considered going back inside...
Does any of that require a new real alignment? It seems everytime I drop the rear cradle, I need a new alignment. I know you didn't in these pics but you dismantled enough to ask anyways.
Nope. I didn't adjust the toe rods and the camber is at the minimum possible setting. I will have it checked following the Geforce 9" installation, though.
----------
Check it out. My refreshed license plate frames and "fuel lid cover" came in.
My desire for a perfect driving experience is leading me to replacing the clutch MC. The LS1tech thread is a good primer for installing the Tick. I called Tick today and they built one for the V1 long ago and decided not to put it into production. There was too much fabrication involved and could not sell it as a DIY kit due to the details of installation. I've looked at the adapter Tick & Hawk adapter used to attach to the clutch bracket.
Looking at the above pic, the notch locks it into the bracket (twist lock).
I snapped a pic of this connection and bottom red arrow points to it. The top red arrow shows the connection of the arm.
Here is the stock clutch MC.
Mr psychobillycaddy (courtesy of LS1tech) shaved down the excess material because of obstructions of the brake booster.
The MC being used a Tilton and the 2 bolt flange is their design and does not seem to interfere with the brake booster. The adapter is the problem with the large circular shape that bolts to the Tilton MC.
This is a 76 series Tilton MC I'm using for illustration to better show the flange.
My thoughts are that many of these parts are off the shelf and a kit could be put together without any firewall cutting. A custom adapter would have to be fabricated to fit the clutch bracket and the of course the MC flange. If there is no change with the location of the MC then the angle doesn't have any offset connecting to the pin on the clutch bracket - straight shot. An arm would have to fabricated to fit into the existing pin and I think that might be the easy part.
This is just my first round taking a look into it. I can create autocad or solidworks models for the adapter with printouts for machining. My car would be down quite awhile if I go this route.
I don't want to volunteer anyone, but you may want to ask PISNUOFF and MightyMouse if they're interested in helping, and what they'd charge per copy. I believe PISNUOFF has access to a lathe, and MM has acess to a laser cutting jig.
If you need a fabricator, I can do it. I have a small lathe and a small CNC mill and don't mind making small runs of parts. I can also TIG and know a guy who can get stuff water jetted for me. I'm not really sure what needs to be built but if it's just something to mount a different master cylinder in the car it's definitely within my realm of expertise.
That's great! Once I get some measurements and design, I can email you a drawing package for fabrication. Not sure if Solidworks spits out 'g-code' it's been awhile but I can save the model in just about any format - parasolid, step etc.
I thought Psycho over on LS1Tech said that even with the grinding he did the firewall had to be cut. If you come up with a way around this I am in. Hell I may just go the same route as psycho as my tranny is out while I am chasing clutch disengagement problems. If I do I will make sure to take a few more pics.
I'm almost certainly in. This modification offers a degree of tunability that was previously unachievable without messing with pressure plate bolt torque and slave shims. Both of which require removing the transmission.
While we're at it, I'd love to replace my broken clutch pedal spring. Seems impossible to replace without pulling out the pedal. Although it's technically not required for full clutch functionality, it does accelerate the return speed of the pedal and improves feel at the top of the stroke.
In unrelated news, the brake duct plate that MightyMouse cut arrived last night. I'll put it on the STS spindle and shoot a picture for your edification. It's going to be a bear to find a way around the side of the aluminum spindle. Anyone know how to bend short lengths of aluminum tube into a very flat oval without disturbing the other side? I'm thinking I may need to make a jig. I have an idea that involves a spreader. MightyMouse can't cut these to spec if I can't guarantee a specific tube interface dimension.
Here are some concept models for a clutch master cylinder:
The adapter would be pinned by the flange component and fastened together. It's just a concept model but you can see the idea. The length of the adapter and diameter would have to be defined and of course add features to twist lock into the clutch holding plate.
The Tilton MC you see there is a 76 (76-875) series that I have chosen for the job. The idea is to slide the adapter into the firewall with the same diameter as the OEM - lock into the clutch mounting plate. The OEM bulkhead seal should wrap around it. Then bolt to the MC flange.
I'm just sharing my rough design. I still need a lot of measurements and define the locking features into the clutch mounting plate.
***Edit***
I just purchased a brand new OEM clutch master cylinder assembly for the V1. I'm going to use it to get the measurements I need. Then I'll tear the car apart to check clearances and get a better idea of the design. This should limit the down time so I can enjoy driving my car
Just dropping in to post some pictures of an early draft of the spindle duct plate.
It's cut from junk stock--0.125" (3.175mm) 6061-T6. Sometimes it's just easier to build a rough plate and measure from there. The purpose of commissioning this piece was to essentially buy a template to experiment with, and to answer a couple of basic questions:
Will the plate require a cut-out or multiple pieces to avoid hitting the brake caliper? (Answer: no, it can be perfectly round)
Is it necessary to stay within the rotor vane area to avoid hitting the rotor? (Answer: no, it can extend beyond)
Was Jclayc's original 2.5mm spacer estimate accurate? (Answer: yes it was...measured 4mm above and 2mm below the rotor with new pads and 1.0mm brake shims)
Will 60mm bolts hit the shield? (Answer: yes, either the bolts need to be shorted by 5mm, or I need to update the drawing to include through-holes)
Where are heat shields necessary? (Answer: the shield already covers the lower ball joint very well, but will need to be extended to cover the steering knuckle)
How hard is it going to be to weld a 3" tube to the heat shield? (Answer: very hard--the tube will have to be bent into a 1.5" wide oval)
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Related Threads
?
?
?
?
?
Cadillac Owners Forum
4.8M posts
369.7K members
Since 2002
Cadillac Forums is the perfect place to go to talk about your favorite Caddys including the ATS, CTS, SRX, Escalade, LYRIQ, Vistiq, concept and future Cadillac models.