JSATX
Goblin Guru
That’s a nightmare. You’re better off having a local cnc shop knock it out if you really want it in aluminum.
Tony
Well-Known Member
Funny story, I now work at a CNC shop haha. Might be able to get some negative molds machined out of steel and just do some permanent mold casting.
Tony
Well-Known Member
I hijacked the paint booth at work after hours this week, since it's finally getting too cold outside to paint (plus the lack of daylight) and got all my new stage 3 parts done. E-brake brackets, solid engine mounts, new SS trans mount spacer, kick plate, as well as the parking brake calipers themselves. I actually discovered that instead of buying the Wilwood spot calipers for $100+ a piece, the generic mechanical calipers you can find all over (I got mine at GoPowersports for $30 each) are exactly the same, and using three of Wilwood's spacers ($6 ea) per caliper, they fit perfect. I went to start assembling my rear brake/hubs today and ran into a small issue. The SS knuckle/spindle must be different than base model. It seems like the identification boss on the brake caliper bracket is interfering with it, keeping the mounting holes from lining up.
Looking back and comparing it to the Brembos that came off, they're quite a bit different in the mounting area. I'm sure I can just grind off the little boss, but I wanted to make sure I wasn't missing something dumb.
Looking back and comparing it to the Brembos that came off, they're quite a bit different in the mounting area. I'm sure I can just grind off the little boss, but I wanted to make sure I wasn't missing something dumb.
Okay, I am officially confused. 
I found the GoPowerSports web page and eBay listings for the manual spot caliper but in looking at the Wilwood versions, they only list up to 0.81" rotor thickness whereas my rotors are 0.951" and I didn't find what the GoPowerSports version uses (but I expect it is the 0.25" since GoKarts wouldn't think about all that extra weight for the thicker rotors!
Are the spacers used to widen the spot calipers or to mount it to the car? Part numbers so I can look them up and see what is being written about?
Didn't have to worry about a parking/e-brake on the Stalker as I used the S-10 drum brake rear end with the stock e-brakes.
I found the GoPowerSports web page and eBay listings for the manual spot caliper but in looking at the Wilwood versions, they only list up to 0.81" rotor thickness whereas my rotors are 0.951" and I didn't find what the GoPowerSports version uses (but I expect it is the 0.25" since GoKarts wouldn't think about all that extra weight for the thicker rotors!Are the spacers used to widen the spot calipers or to mount it to the car? Part numbers so I can look them up and see what is being written about?
Didn't have to worry about a parking/e-brake on the Stalker as I used the S-10 drum brake rear end with the stock e-brakes.
Tony
Well-Known Member
The spacers go between the two halves of the caliper to space it out. The part number is Wilwood 300-2239. I originally just bought two per side, but it wasn't wide enough to fit over the rotor, but 3 is perfect, so I just ordered two more. Still WAY cheaper than just buying the Wilwoods.
Thanks Tony! Makes much more sense now. The bracket to mount it was from DF, correct?
Tony
Well-Known Member
Yessir.
Tony
Well-Known Member
Temps finally climbed above freezing here in Indiana for the first time in a couple weeks, so I was able to get out to the garage and get a bit of work done. Got the engine mounted and subframe put in. Lower control arms are in at the rear bolt, front bolts and brackets are at the bottom right... needed painted. Once again, lack of equipment/help made getting the engine in quite a bear, but with a bit of grunt and ingenuity, I dropped the rear over the powertrain while it was sitting on the tire, then bolted it up.
I went to install the solid rear trans mount and it was nowhere close to lining up... am I missing something? I just put the stock one back in for now.
Everything in the garage has been covered in condensation from the melting snow/humidity, which has been kind of a pain, and it's pouring rain today, but I hope to be able to get back out this afternoon and get the rear suspension in place.
I went to install the solid rear trans mount and it was nowhere close to lining up... am I missing something? I just put the stock one back in for now.
Everything in the garage has been covered in condensation from the melting snow/humidity, which has been kind of a pain, and it's pouring rain today, but I hope to be able to get back out this afternoon and get the rear suspension in place.
Tony
Well-Known Member
The front trans mount doesn't fit either... I'm wondering if maybe something isn't right. I keep going back to the top trans mount adapter. When I realized I needed to use the standoff and asked Adam about it, he had me measure the height offset difference between the engine/trans mount surfaces and their respective mounting plates on the chassis. He thought it should be 5/8" (aka standoff needs shortened by 5/8"), but I measured 1-1/4". I wasn't super confident in my measurements though, so Adam sent me a standoff shortened by 5/8". Now I'm not sure I wasn't right. I'm having a hard time getting a good measurement now it's in the car, but I've got a digital angle gauge on the way
Next issue I ran into was with the parking brake mounts. The adjuster screw/nut was interfering with the bracket, which wasn't allowing it to sit quite right.
The clearance is a little tight between the back of the caliper and the bracket as well.
It seems like the mounting method is not the most robust... Once I got the clearance with the adjuster sorted, it seemed like it was fitting pretty well, but it is really loose since the tabs only reached to the inner half of the caliper. I'm not really sure if this is gonna work.
Next issue I ran into was with the parking brake mounts. The adjuster screw/nut was interfering with the bracket, which wasn't allowing it to sit quite right.
The clearance is a little tight between the back of the caliper and the bracket as well.
It seems like the mounting method is not the most robust... Once I got the clearance with the adjuster sorted, it seemed like it was fitting pretty well, but it is really loose since the tabs only reached to the inner half of the caliper. I'm not really sure if this is gonna work.
Tony
Well-Known Member
It did the same thing if I held the rotor with my other hand, I just don't have enough hands to still be able to film that.
Tony
Well-Known Member
Well my string of bad luck continues...
First I got the driver's side parking brake somewhat sorted - I clearanced the bracket to fit the adjuster and hammered it into shape (it was not parallel with the axle CL or straight front to back). It now works fairly consistently, though it's still pretty wobbly. I may go back and try to come up with something different.
Next I moved on to the passenger's side and did the same with the parking brake bracket, only to discover the rotor won't sit flush...
After inspecting the mating surfaces and threads thoroughly and repeatedly, I found the problem - the interference is on the outer diameter. You can see the witness mark where it hits the hub in the image below.
If you can ignore the rust (it was like that when I took it out of the still-taped box yesterday), you can see above where the machining stops about 2/3 up the side wall. Below, however, directly opposite the witness marks from above, the entire cast side has been machined off, so it seems like the rotor didn't quite get centered when the bore was opened up to fit the 5-lug hub.
I don't want to come across as angry or incapable of dealing with these issues, I just wanted to show the issues I've had along the way and give feedback to improve future kits/builder experiences.
First I got the driver's side parking brake somewhat sorted - I clearanced the bracket to fit the adjuster and hammered it into shape (it was not parallel with the axle CL or straight front to back). It now works fairly consistently, though it's still pretty wobbly. I may go back and try to come up with something different.
Next I moved on to the passenger's side and did the same with the parking brake bracket, only to discover the rotor won't sit flush...
After inspecting the mating surfaces and threads thoroughly and repeatedly, I found the problem - the interference is on the outer diameter. You can see the witness mark where it hits the hub in the image below.
If you can ignore the rust (it was like that when I took it out of the still-taped box yesterday), you can see above where the machining stops about 2/3 up the side wall. Below, however, directly opposite the witness marks from above, the entire cast side has been machined off, so it seems like the rotor didn't quite get centered when the bore was opened up to fit the 5-lug hub.
I don't want to come across as angry or incapable of dealing with these issues, I just wanted to show the issues I've had along the way and give feedback to improve future kits/builder experiences.
Tony
Well-Known Member
So I'm not too worried about the rotor, I think I can chuck it up on the lathe at work to open it up a bit more. I am still a little worried about the solid mounts not lining up - I got my angle finder in, so I should be able to check the frame vs engine. Previously, I've used the valve cover or coils as a reference, is that a reasonable choice? Like I mentioned previously, I'm worried that the trans standoff is not the right size and is keeping the engine from being level.
Briann1177
Goblin Guru
Tony
Well-Known Member
Yeah, but his front mount still fit, and it looks like the cut is only offset to the side. Mine was ok side to side, but the height/angle was off.
Tony
Well-Known Member
I got the stock rear mount in, but the front is pretty much the same amount off as the solid one in the picture up above.
Karter2026
Goblin Guru
Is it possible that the sub frame is bent? You did say that it had broken intercooler and looked like it was in a ditch. Just a thought.
Tony
Well-Known Member
I'm fairly certain, though I suppose I could be wrong. It bolted up to the frame ok (it took a little effort to line it up, but I got it by hand).
RichRich
Well-Known Member
I had to get a new subframe for mine, I tried to do a little heating and bending but nothing was lining up to what I would consider to be acceptable. I noticed the engine mounts were off quite a bit even though it was really close to lining up to the frame mounts. I got a new subframe and everything lined up WAY better