Track Day Monster 2009 SS/TC Track Frame

JSATX

Goblin Guru
That looks really awesome. Usually I don’t like painted tires but with that frame color it’s going to look so good.
 

dperkins

Well-Known Member
Had the hardest time putting in the coolant tubes. Quick note: when the guide says use tire shine, USE TIRE SHINE. I tried for hours to use soap, then liquid wax, then wd40. Just use gel or spray tire shine, it works so much better. Also make sure your rope isn't frayed like mine, so it won't break 2 times.

Feat. My helper, dad.
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dperkins

Well-Known Member
I worked only a few hours today but ran into some problems. The first is I am missing the machined bolt for the pedal box. What bag does it come in? Also, the bolts to secure the intermediate shaft do not fit. I am able to screw it in about 1/8th of an inch, but then it just stops. I tried using a impact wrench, but I can't get it on there either. I took it off after trying to screw it in all the way. It turns out I was taking off metal from the bolt. For the 2009 SS, is the intermediate shaft screws smaller?

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Briann1177

Goblin Guru
You probably already know this, but only one side of the mounting hole has threads. Make sure you're not the running the bolts through the wrong side. I could be wrong, but I don't think the threads will start that way.
 

Adam

Administrator
Staff member
I worked only a few hours today but ran into some problems. The first is I am missing the machined bolt for the pedal box. What bag does it come in? Also, the bolts to secure the intermediate shaft do not fit. I am able to screw it in about 1/8th of an inch, but then it just stops. I tried using a impact wrench, but I can't get it on there either. I took it off after trying to screw it in all the way. It turns out I was taking off metal from the bolt. For the 2009 SS, is the intermediate shaft screws smaller?

View attachment 3430
It is hard to make out the markings on the head of that bolt in your photo but it looks it is correct. Can you get a photo of the head of it to compare it to the following image? If it has 012.9 on top, it is definitely metric.

steering shaft M8 bolt.jpg


If it is metric, the threads in your steering shaft might have a problem. If that is the case, you'll need to get an M8 x 1.25 tap and carefully run it through to clean the threads up.

Sorry for the confusion on the pedal box bolt. The previous instructions are outdated and don't show the hardware we use now. You should have a small bag that contains the new pedal box hardware.

pdlbox-hw.jpg
 

dperkins

Well-Known Member
Thanks for the replies. I was running through the right side and using the 0129 metric bolts. I will try a tap tonight to see if that fixes things.
 

Adam

Administrator
Staff member
Use the undamaged bolt and one of your donor bolts temporarily. I'm going to send you a replacement so that the torn up bolt won't do more damage if you try installing it again.
 

ctuinstra

Goblin Guru
A tap and die set is a life-long useful set of tools. I chased every thread within reason with a tap to clean them up, especially anything that was sent off to the powder coaters. I also used the thread gauges in the tap and die to make sure I knew what the correct threads are if I'm not certain.

When you install the heim joints on the control arms, you will most certainly clean the threads. Some have almost ruined their heim joints after going in half way and then getting stuck. For the largest of the heim joint, I was too cheap to buy a $50 tap so I used a small die grinder to cut notches in the threads of one of the joints to use it as a make shift tap. Worked great! After I was able to turn in the joints by hand all the way.
 

ctuinstra

Goblin Guru
I worked only a few hours today but ran into some problems. The first is I am missing the machined bolt for the pedal box. What bag does it come in? Also, the bolts to secure the intermediate shaft do not fit. I am able to screw it in about 1/8th of an inch, but then it just stops. I tried using a impact wrench, but I can't get it on there either. I took it off after trying to screw it in all the way. It turns out I was taking off metal from the bolt. For the 2009 SS, is the intermediate shaft screws smaller?
Are you positive you have the shaft in all the way? There is a cutout on the shaft that is to line up with the bolt as it goes through the hole.
 

dperkins

Well-Known Member
:mad: Another roadblock... this time I was installing the master cylinder arm on the pedal, and when I was screwing on the bolt, the threads broke. Thinking I might just super glue it back on and hope it holds. Open to suggestions to fix this other than just glueing it.
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Waterdriver

Goblin Guru
Carefully grind the end flat.
Use a centering punch on the end of screw.
Drill a pilot hole 1/8" deep or so.
Use the next biggest bit on the pilot hole, reverse direction.
Or drill pilot hole deeper and use an easy out.
 

dperkins

Well-Known Member
Carefully grind the end flat.
Use a centering punch on the end of screw.
Drill a pilot hole 1/8" deep or so.
Use the next biggest bit on the pilot hole, reverse direction.
Or drill pilot hole deeper and use an easy out.
It's not that anything it stuck, it's that the threads attached to the pedal broke off and I have nothing to attach the bolt to because the threads are now in the bolt and not able to be put on.
 

ctuinstra

Goblin Guru
You won't be able to glue that shaft. It needs to be able to pivot slightly. The brakes are not a place to rig or skimp. If that shaft should ever come off, you will loose your brakes and that could be very dangerous.

Do as water driver suggested and remove the screw. Again sounds like another opportunity to invest in a good tap and die set. That screw should have never broke.
 

ctuinstra

Goblin Guru
It's not that anything it stuck, it's that the threads attached to the pedal broke off and I have nothing to attach the bolt to because the threads are now in the bolt and not able to be put on.
In that case you don't have many alternatives than to drill a hole and tap it and put a screw or bolt in it. Make sure to blue Loctite it also.
 

dperkins

Well-Known Member
In that case you don't have many alternatives than to drill a hole and tap it and put a screw or bolt in it. Make sure to blue Loctite it also.
I think now I will just drill a large enough hole in the current threads to stick a new bolt in there so I will be able to keep the pivot in place.
 

dperkins

Well-Known Member
Not a lot of progress the past few days. Got the pedal box and the gas filler painted. I fixed the brake pedal problem by drilling into the existing rod where the screw used to be and threading it with a 5/8ths tap. I don't know if I have really bad karma or something, but 3 more bolts snapped right at the head after I fixed the first problem, so I had to do the same thing to mount the brake pedal sensor and a few other things. Now just waiting for Lonny to ship back my harness and the building will really begin.
 

dperkins

Well-Known Member
Shoutout to Lonny and Adam and the rest over at DF for getting my parts back and always responding ASAP!!! I got all the parts back today to get the car running, plus a few extras :cool: I have my wiring harness, my ECU and BCM, my custom DemoRanch style exhaust, what I am guessing to be an intercooler and fan, and some solid transmission mounts.

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