GTO gets a Refresh!

[slims00ls1z28]

Sup guys, it's been a while, since I posted with my new job and such and have had alot of changes as of late so heres my little update.

I relinquished my 05 GTO to the wife so I could concentrate on my Camaro, Fiero and Boat. Too many projects going on so I was going to sell it, she said she wanted it instead. Sooooo it's hers now. Along with a massive amount of parts I have been amassing for a later install: (pacesetters, x-pipe, Dart pro 1 heads, LuK clutch, Tick Performance master cylinder, Pedders radius rod kit and steering rack bushing, prothane sway bar and end links, prothane front and rear poly kit, KYB shocks and probably a few I'm forgetting).

I installed the headers and X-pipe about a month ago (if I were to do it over I'd never do the pacesetters again, messing with the steering rack was a royal PITA!) and it was all gravy. Then the slave cylinder decided it wanted to spew all its fluid on the carport. Damn now the honey-do effect kicks in as a perfect time to get rid of a bunch of boxes adn half her list.

We snatched the transmission and heads, she picked out a cam, Comp XR269HR with matching 918 springs and comp ratainers etc, assembled and had the heads decked and checked, and went to assembling. The heads, cam, clutch, master and slave cylinders were all bolted up. While I had it in the air we went ahead with the radius rod kit and sway bar bushings.

Went with the cam break in procedures and took some test drives. Damn what a difference! power from the heads/cam combo is crazy and now the clutch doesnt hit the floor when you spin it up. First is about useless. and the car feels much more planted with just the radius rods bushings and sway bar bushings. Sounds quite good with the new exhaust setup too.

I'll update as I start with the rest, here's just a few pics for now and a video (mind the wife's pomeranian in the background wanting back in) and no I didn't make her do "all" the work.











I was expecting a little less lope out of this cam especially on a 114 but we are both satisfied.
http://vid117.photobucket.com/albums...pswkpwr9in.mp4

http://vid117.photobucket.com/albums...pspgzhlmyy.mp4

[0rion]

fwiw to my knowledge that steering rack has to be moved regardless of what headers you use. You get all that work done and you may want that car back.


I also would've went larger on the cam.........that's pretty close to a hot cam. A lot of work for 30-40HP.

[slims00ls1z28]

Ah I though only the pacesetters went through it. Oh well it's done now thank god. Fortunately I don't have to worry about getting it back, we work in the same place at the same time so I drive it all the same on the days we don't drive the gas saver and anywhere else we go so it's her car but I'm the chauffer. Bad part is now when something goes wrong that's not major, I gotta fix it whereas I might let it go a while longer if it were mine.

I would have got a bigger cam too but she didn't want one to begin with until some more of our friends talked her into it, she actually wanted the hot cam but found that one new for 300 and couldn't pass it up. When I had the MS3 in it she hated it so she was adamant on a much smaller cam. Much later plans call for a Maggie so this will do for now. Water pump was bad and bottom end has less than 10K with new timing set and oil pump so the bottom part never came off making the cam change a lot easier and quicker.

Plus I have less cubes and heads in the Camaro so I need more cam to stay ahead of the HP war we've got going on.

[0rion]

Ah I though only the pacesetters went through it. Oh well it's done now thank god. Fortunately I don't have to worry about getting it back, we work in the same place at the same time so I drive it all the same on the days we don't drive the gas saver and anywhere else we go so it's her car but I'm the chauffer. Bad part is now when something goes wrong that's not major, I gotta fix it whereas I might let it go a while longer if it were mine.

I would have got a bigger cam too but she didn't want one to begin with until some more of our friends talked her into it, she actually wanted the hot cam but found that one new for 300 and couldn't pass it up. When I had the MS3 in it she hated it so she was adamant on a much smaller cam. Much later plans call for a Maggie so this will do for now. Water pump was bad and bottom end has less than 10K with new timing set and oil pump so the bottom part never came off making the cam change a lot easier and quicker.

Plus I have less cubes and heads in the Camaro so I need more cam to stay ahead of the HP war we've got going on.

you're a better man than me......I can't imagine that. I love my wife but if we were together all the time like that one of us would be dead.

[2002ssslp]

I bought my wife a GOAT and she has been a happy girl ever since.

[SMWS6TA]

So.....why isn't she a member here yet?

[2002ssslp]

So.....why isn't she a member here yet?

She is a member. GTOMAMA. She just doesn't post that much.

[jrbonds]

So.....why isn't she a member here yet?

She is a member. GTOMAMA. She just doesn't post that much.

And she's awesome!!

[SMWS6TA]

Keith just for fun...nothing serious.

[slims00ls1z28]

Lol naa she's not the forum type. More like the facebook type

[2002ssslp]

Lol naa she's not the forum type. More like the facebook type

Correctamundo. She's on Facebook five or more hours a day.

[Firebirdjones]

That should make a nice daily driver street cam for your wife. We have something similar in my wifes 4th gen. A little less duration at 210/218 but ours is on a 112 lsa and .551 lift on both intake/exhaust.

Ours drives like a stocker, and can lug the engine down to 30 mph in 6th gear no problem, so it cruises around town nice with minimal shifting and no need to hunt for another gear if you don't want to.

Orion is right, they aren't a huge HP jump. The 30-40 he mentioned is right in the ball park, ours being cam only and dyno'd at 369 rwhp, but the drivability and 30 mpg it returns it's good enough for what we do. What I like the most about it is the very flat table top torque curve it has that hovers in the 350-360 range throughout the pull, which is why it drives around town so nicely.

[2002ssslp]

And she's awesome!!

Yeah, she's OK. I think I'll keep her.

- - - Updated - - -

Keith just for fun...nothing serious.

OUCH !

[slims00ls1z28]

Well time for more updates and more pics. First pics of the installed radius rod bushings


.

I installed them like most do with the sport setting and large shim on the outside. I put them in before pulling out the camera but there's plenty on here already so I guess there's no need to draw that out. The difference in handling is definately noticable. Just these alone decreased the dipping and jouncing and just gave an much better planted feel!

The next set of boxes to get rid of were the shocks/struts, Pedders strut mounts with bearings and the foam boots, pedders Front sway bar end links, Prothane rear swaybar endlink kit.

Pretty straight foreward install with all these, removed the struts and endlinks attached to them, used a spring compressor, replaced strut and buttoned it back up putting the new end link bushings in.

[slims00ls1z28]

Attachment 26022
Attachment 26023
PAssenger side




You can see the swaybar bushings and RR bushings alown with the endlinks and strut from this angle.

While having the front apart, I noticed the pads were way low and rotors had a big lip so new rotors and Ceramic pads (O'reily pads and Amazon Slotted/drilled rotor set because we have a bunch tied up in this and my Camaro already so budget is getting a little thin). When they come in I'll put them on and replace the strut bolts with the pedders set I have that I forgot to put on the first time.

[slims00ls1z28]

The difference is dramatic. It's like a new car! all the way around. The clutch no longer hits the floor when you romp on it, it has loads more power, corners much flatter than when we first got it, and is way more firm and less bouncy than it ever has, and has a boat load more power. It's like buying it all over again but better in every way.

More pics will come with the daily limit resets still have the rear shocks and endlinks to post up. I didn't install the control arm bushings F&R because frankly I'm ready to get this out and make room to pull my camaro in to get started on it.

So far we've done plenty of round town trips in the GTO but decided to take it to work yesterday. Had fun romping it under overpasses and scaring a Mustang off (old 5.0), but on the way back the GTO decided to tell me it wasn't ready to relinquish the spot under the carport. It appears that the axle stub bolts require locktite tio remain in place no matter how you torque it. A fact I was unaware and did not do it when I replaced the wheel bearing a few years back. They started working loose. 3 of them are gone with the wind. One of the loose bolts retained the keeper after the other bolt said see ya which let this retainer act like a prop and cut the rear passenger brake line in half.

I replaced the line and rebled the brakes and ordered all new bolts and some blue locktite. They should be in today and it will be back on the road.

That should make a nice daily driver street cam for your wife. We have something similar in my wifes 4th gen. A little less duration at 210/218 but ours is on a 112 lsa and .551 lift on both intake/exhaust.

Ours drives like a stocker, and can lug the engine down to 30 mph in 6th gear no problem, so it cruises around town nice with minimal shifting and no need to hunt for another gear if you don't want to.

Orion is right, they aren't a huge HP jump. The 30-40 he mentioned is right in the ball park, ours being cam only and dyno'd at 369 rwhp, but the drivability and 30 mpg it returns it's good enough for what we do. What I like the most about it is the very flat table top torque curve it has that hovers in the 350-360 range throughout the pull, which is why it drives around town so nicely.

We are definately satisfied with the power, combined with the heads, headers etc I don't know much power its making but drivability is unchanged, no surging, loss of brake vacuum or idle issues, even untuned. Gas mileage when you romp it is way worse (as can be expected) but highway mileage seems to be unchanged or unoticable. 30 in 6th is no problem at all.

[cammed goat]

Glad to hear you're making progress. You should sell her on a one-piece aluminum or carbon fiber driveshaft.

[slims00ls1z28]

Glad to hear you're making progress. You should sell her on a one-piece aluminum or carbon fiber driveshaft.

SHHHHHHHH she already has a long enough list of to do's. Going to start on mine then sell her on more for it .

Before in the front.
Attachment 26031
After
Attachment 26032
Off with the old.

[cammed goat]