C2's Alero Updates

[[ion] C2]

Replaced my outrageous vibration causing front engine mount with an OEM style one to try to improve some driving comfort. Will probably take it out today or tomorrow and drive it a little for pictures or video to see if the vibrations are improved and try to learn to drive it a little better although it's very unpleasant. The pedal takes so much effort to push and it only disengages at the very bottom of the press. I was used to my super lightweight pedal lol.

I paid a $750 deposit to Clutch Masters to make me an "850 Super Single", but UMS isn't a big fan of Clutch Masters anything, and recommended I try to get a custom Exedy or ACT clutch, as they can make things that drive nice and hold power.

ACT said no, they don't really care about making custom parts. Haven't talked to Exedy. I talked to Clutches Unlimited (aka California Custom Clutch) and they're supposed to get back to me on possibly putting together a clutch that will be more comfortable to drive but still hold the power... they were impressed with the torque level from a 2.4L.

[dbral]

Keep doing what you are doing. You will rein it in and make it your own. Your car has to be crazy fun once it gets rolling though. Can only imagine what it is like on the highway.

Clutchmasters has treated you well with good lead times. Would be a tough decision to try another company, but there is always a chance they might be better too

they were impressed with the torque level from a 2.4L.

LOL!

Just a heads up, tried to order an oem clutch master cyl. from GMpartsdirect a few weeks ago and this is the reply;

Thank you for ordering parts with us.
We are writing to inform you that order VG28407920 has been voided. Your order has been voided because of the following reason(s): The ordered part(s) have been discontinued (no longer available) and/or is backordered with no ETA date by the manufacture.

Not sure if you are still running the stock master (or slave?) but beware, the aftermarket ones are very hit/miss. Add in the extra stress of a heavy clutch and who knows?. Maybe in the end, a lighter effort clutch like you are going to try might keep you from having issues with that side of things. With that kind of power im guessing you will know if the new clutch will hold in one very short road test lol

[[ion] C2]

Yeah I've got a new clutch master cylinder, not sure what brand though.

I think Clutches Unlimited will have a good solution - they have high reputation for being able to make things others can't, quickly, and having a massive inventory of options. I'll have to call them back tomorrow to follow up.

[[ion] C2]

Clutches Unlimited says they are sure they can make something work. They think a good sprung 6-puck along with a strong pressure plate will do the trick. Says they have many making 600+ ft-lb with single plate setups.

So do I cancel the $1800 Clutch Masters second attempt? Get my $750 deposit back before they do anything? Or wait and have that setup ready to go in case the Clutches Unlimited one doesn't hold...

[dbral]

Tough choice. Wish i had some experience with what you are going through and with the companies you are dealing with to help you. You are probably 1 of 1 with that kind of output, unless the j body people have managed to come close somehow. If it was mine, and i could budget it, would prob. keep both clutches. Would be nice to have a fresh clutch ready to go with the other new engine that you are planning or if one does not work out like you said. As far as the clutches holding your kind of power....there is only one way to find out for sure lol. The J body people might be helpful, if you can get a hold of them. The Jbody forums are dead but maybe facebook or something?

[[ion] C2]

True, I like having options, and on-hand parts, so I'll probably keep both.

Got another GoPro with suction cup mount and a way to connect my under-hood microphone. I also have a POV head mounted setup with binaural mics. Might go get an alignment tomorrow and take some video footage of how this thing is.

[[ion] C2]

I drove it to the alignment shop today and didn't stall it at all. In fact, I was like hey this isn't too bad actually, maybe it's fine.

Had both control arms replaced and full alignment. It was extra squirrely on the highway when I first drove it probably because the control arm bushings were horrible, one was popping out and the other was completely missing. It's a lot more stable and smooth now.





Called up UMS and said maybe I'll just keep using this clutch since I was doing okay so far today. Then I proceeded to struggle with stalling it probably 5-6 times on my trip home lol.
Probably will put in the 6-puck... at least for the cushioning effect of it being sprung so it's not so hard on things. Observe the final time I stalled it while a bunch of people were behind me trying to get on the highway:

https://youtu.be/ZCaYoTH4I9k

I would've gotten more video, but the first pull I inadvertently was zooming up onto a state trooper, the next time I went to do one a state trooper was sitting at the on-ramp, and the third area which would have had some room for like 30 - 100 stuff, I passed yet another cop. I figured I should just table it for now.

One weird quirk happened today. Went to lunch and parked, and when I went to leave the car kept stalling every time I turned it on, so that was weird. 3 times in a row I'd turn it on, it would run for a sec and then RPMs just go down to nothing. All the gauges looked fine and gear was in neutral. Ended up just giving it throttle to keep it running and took off, seemed to operate fine after that.

[dbral]

The car pulls great! Keep the videos coming. It was interesting seeing a car lift set up outdoors too. Guess you have the weather for it out there though.

[[ion] C2]

Originally Posted by dbral

It was interesting seeing a car lift set up outdoors too. Guess you have the weather for it out there though.

Yeah it is interesting, there's a lot of various auto shops that have outdoor lifts and tool areas (usually covered by an awning/roof). Would be annoying to work on in the summer but maybe not as there's more breeze with it being so open.

I plan to get a nice longer pull video asap.

Plan is to get the new clutch put in, resonator, and a couple other small things done as quick as possible, and then hire a photographer for some good rolling shots and video.

[[ion] C2]

Monster Clutch (known for high torque holding, but OEM feel) refuses to make a setup for me.

Centerforce, however, is interested. So I'm going to work on that lead and see if they can make a clutch with OEM like feel but can hold the torque. Would be sweet.

Took it out today for some pulls. For some reason fuel pressure dropped, as well as oil pressure. Only like 45 psi at 6000+ RPM, when a run 10 minutes prior had 60+ psi. Couple quirks and notes to discuss with the shop and see what can be done. Fuel pressure issue I'm sure is easy, oil pressure is the one that scares me. I know the LD9 oil pump is supposedly a bad design, but I hadn't experienced any lower than normal pressure thus far. Guess I will have to do the 2.3 oil pump swap...

Also I think I'm probably just going to leave it FWD, at least for now. I'd rather just polish up what I have and focus on quality. Not having my car for 3 years made me think a lot about what I want it to do. I want this car to be reliable, comfortable, fun to drive, handle extremely well, brake well, sound good, etc. It has the power, now we increase reliability, reduce/eliminate annoying vibrations inside, make the bodywork and paint perfect, and do some crazy stuff with suspension/brakes.

Ordered a Quaife LSD to install in the new transmission I have sitting around. Might as well put that in during the clutch swap.

[[ion] C2]

Now that I'm staying FWD I guess I can upgrade my brakes using parts that fit the current spindles. The Camaro brakes are feeling underpowered and I remember how good my Brembos were on my Subaru.

From my research, it looks like CTS-V calipers and Z06 rotors (14") will bolt right on. Based on my wheel spoke to Camaro caliper measurements, it should fit without spacers. They say you need at least 1 inch clearance between the Camaro calipers and your wheel spokes to clear CTS-V calipers, and I do. (https://ls1tech.com/forums/suspensio...it-info-4.html)

And then the usual 100% Pontiac Grand Prix GXP rear brake setup.

Should be neat. If anyone else wants to try this too, here's the parts list I just ordered:

FRONT
Calipers: Power Stop S4902 (04-07 Cadillac CTS-V)
Pads: Hawk HB453.585 Ferro-Ceramic (04-07 Cadillac CTS-V)
Rotors: DBA 42992S (2006 Corvette C6 Z06 - 7.0L)


REAR (All parts for 2005 Pontiac Grand Prix GXP - 5.3L)
Calipers: Duralast 99R17370A (left); Duralast 99R17370B (right)
Brackets: Included with calipers
Pads: BOSCH BP922 QuietCast; Semi-Metallic
Rotors: RAYBESTOS 580365

$1388 including taxes/shipping, and the calipers are already powder coated red.

[dbral]

Nice upgrade right there. Thanks for the parts list and ideas.

Hopefully Centerforce comes through for you on that clutch.

[tw0123]

Didn't you buy Matt's old acpr (or whatever the letters were racing front caliper set?
You had me confused at first on the rear where you said g6 but then gave the part l list for the grand prix gxp... was thinking to myself; since when does g6 stuff work since they have a different bolt pattern hahaha

[[ion] C2]

Originally Posted by tw0123

Didn't you buy Matt's old acpr (or whatever the letters were racing front caliper set?

Yes he had AP Racing calipers, 12.8" rotors, custom brackets. Rear setup was all Grand Prix GXP stuff except the calipers (Corvette, unknown specifics offhand). I sold all that stuff because I was going to go AWD with different spindles etc.

Now that I'm staying FWD for foreseeable future, I pieced together my own setup based on what I found online, as these already come with a nice red powdercoat finish, and are bigger, and don't require any custom parts.

Originally Posted by tw0123

You had me confused at first on the rear where you said g6 but then gave the part l list for the grand prix gxp... was thinking to myself; since when does g6 stuff work since they have a different bolt pattern hahaha

Whoops, edited lol.

Yesterday I learned that big brakes actually don't do anything for stopping distance (under normal conditions). Tons of articles and videos about it, but this one laid it out well: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ql9eYh31kTw

Main reason I'm doing it anyway is so it fills out the wheels better and looks good, plus for any heavy use I know it has a lot more capacity.

[[ion] C2]

I screwed up on the rear calipers. I didn't realize Rock Auto didn't filter the results properly to only GXP even though all these parts are under the specific tree for "2005 Grand Prix 5.3L V8".

This is what came in. Some goofy spring assembly on this caliper, can't be right. The base model for 2005 must use some caliper-based parking brake.



Luckily the rotors and pads are correct. Now I'm ordering these calipers from AutoZone:

Duralast 99R17370A
Duralast 99R17370B

Hopefully they are the right ones. It filters properly, and they're the only pre-powdercoated ones I can find.

[[ion] C2]

Dropped off the LSD and spare transmission to get put together. Still waiting to hear from Centerforce. Supposed to hear something last Thursday, then first thing Tuesday... but today's end of day Wednesday...

[[ion] C2]

Email today from Centerforce: "Chris, give us until next Tuesday to get this reviewed. There are some other projects we need to finish up this week."

I called Clutch Masters and discussed the 850 Super Single that they made and they insist it will be the best option for what I'm looking for. They say there's not enough room in the bellhousing to make a regular FX850 twin disc. I might have that one installed when the other transmission is ready...

Options:

• Clutch Masters 850 Super Single (sintered bronze ceramic full face disc)
• Clutches Unlimited 6-puck with heat treated pressure plate
• Centerforce potential custom design

[dbral]

Sweet! Happy to hear that they finally responded and willing to help.

Sucks about the wrong brake parts. Had a similar issue with rock auto when trying to find trans. mounts as there was a parts filter mix-up that happened with that as well. Not totally their fault as other major parts stores had the same error in their listings too lol

Did you get a chance to post anymore videos yet? Hope she is running strong

[[ion] C2]

Originally Posted by dbral

Did you get a chance to post anymore videos yet? Hope she is running strong

Nope, minimizing the amount I drive it with this clutch, it is seriously harsh and I hate making the engine/trans shake/shudder so bad when taking off poorly lol. I have a photoshoot on April 14 that will include an outside video on the highway though so I'll be sharing a bunch of photos and some video shortly after that.

Coordinating installation and fabrication of new brakes, rear wheel spacers, intake tube, new charge pipe that doesn't rub against stuff, etc. hopefully next Monday/Tuesday.

I have a headlight retrofitter that will be making my new lights around April 17.

And once the transmission has the LSD in, and I have a chosen clutch to install, then I'll be driving it a lot. It is honestly terrifying at speed at the moment with all the back and forth torque steer FWD stuff going on. I'm told the LSD will help, but it's really a matter of overall suspension geometry. We'll see if my custom coilovers and chassis stiffening improves things in the near future.

[[ion] C2]

Transmission looks mint on the inside, definitely seems to check out as a 220-mile new take off as described.

Unfortunately parts are hard to find lately. I found the side bearings easily, but they also need an intermediate shaft seal (09120610), which is proving to be quite difficult to locate. Wish I stocked up on stuff when it was around. I suppose once this transmission has an issue that can't be fixed, that is when I'll go AWD on a more readily supported trans (like the Evo X).