NCG Mega Mod Day

NorCal GOATs had a Mega Mod Day today. What might you ask is a “Mega Mod Day”? Well, imagine having a full garage with all the tools you could ever want… a bunch of parts… and a great group of knowledgeable people to help get the work done. Big thanks goes out to Garage Works in Vallejo, Ca for welcoming us into their shop, and Big Joe for setting-up everything.

I didn’t have any work that I needed to get done on my car, but there were many impressive tasks going on. The big one was a stall converter upgrade, which I guess isn’t that complex, but anytime you have to remove the transmission from a car it’s not a “simple” job.

I spent most of my day standing around a G8 GT that was getting the Solo High-Flow Cats installed. Working under a car that is on jack stands isn’t one of my strong points, so I ran around gathering tools and parts. The HF Cat install process sounds simple on paper, but due to the location of several of the bolts and connectors (specifically those for the front O2 sensors) it took much longer than expected. Once the work was done though, the results were spectacular. The car went from be loud to a monster… so much so that the owner has since changed exhaust/mufflers to quiet things down. I think when I get my HF cats I’ll save some trouble and have them installed.

Other work that was being performed included the installation of a dual-exhaust on a ‘04 GTO (which is a factory single-exhaust), trans-cooler, headers, and a drive-shaft loop.

Like the previous mods days, I really learned a bunch. I’m still a little unsure about doing too much work myself, but the more of these events I get to the more confident I am getting about doing the “simpler” things.

Welcome Back OnStar

My battle to get Bluetooth in the G8 has been a crazy one. While I was looking forward to getting the BlueStar system, I was a little disappointing that I would loose the functionality of OnStar. Today I happened to get really lucky and was able to purchase an OEM OnStar module with Bluetooth! After reprogramming, this will give me all the functionality that I was exited to have all the way back in October. When I get everything together I’ll reactivate my OnStar subscription.

Valentine’s Day for the G8

Because I love the G8 so much, I decided to buy ‘her’ a Valentine’s Day present… a Carbon Fiber Rear-Lip Spoiler!

Not that I don’t love the G8, but V-Day wasn’t the real reason for buying some carbon fiber. The G8 is a rare car, especially being discontinued, so there are very few aftermarket companies producing parts. One person who has been a stand-out in the GTO community is Maverick Man. He has produced some really high quality, pre-preg autoclaved CF, parts for the GTO… and when I heard he was looking into making parts for the G8 I was very happy!

I’ve always been a fan of the look of un-painted Carbon Fiber and I think it would go perfectly on a MGM colored G8. The CF Rear-Lip Spoiler attaches to the trunk using all the OEM hardware, but has a slightly more aggressive/taller lip. The mod should be subtle (far from a multi-level ‘ricer’ wing), but just a little touch of style to set my G8 apart from the rest.

Unfortunately the lead time on Maverick Man’s products are several months, but I should be towards the top on G8 waiting list. I really can’t wait to get this spoiler on my car… and hopefully enough people purchase it, encouraging MM to develop additional products (like CF Kidney Grill surrounds).

Header Swap

I have been having a rubbing issue with my JBA Shorty Headers since they were installed over six-months ago. The steering shaft has been coming in contact with the driver’s side header, mostly when turning right while accelerating. It had not caused any handling issues, but it did produce a noise that was very annoying.

With the help from a member of the G8Board I was able to get in-touch with Pertronix, apparently the company that makes JBA headers, and aquire a re-designed shorty header. The replacement header arrived a few weeks ago, but I’ve not had the chance to get it installed… until today.

While I did the install of the headers originally with a group of friends, and it wasn’t too difficult, but getting people together for another Mod-day (without a garage) wasn’t possible. I decided to head to Synergy Motorsports to get the work done.

The experience was just what I expected from all the comments I’ve heard about Synergy. It took a little over an hour to get the header out and the replacement header installed. I was really impressed with the service that Rick provided… I called today at noon and he was able to get me in/out quickly. It was also nice to pick his brain about different Mod ideas I’m having for the coming months.

After the work was completed I headed home with a detour on Palomares Rd. In the past when I’ve driven this road there were several times the header would rub. Today, no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t get the header to rub against the steering column! I’m going to have to make a trip up Mines Rd. just to make sure, but it seems like everything is good to go.

Goodbye OnStar, Hello BlueStar

I’ve been looking for a Bluetooth solution for the G8 for quite some time. While I don’t spend much time on the phone in the car, with the new hands free laws in California, I need something that works. The performance of Bluetooth headsets are poor, especially compared to the factory phone system. I refuse to pay OnStar for phone minutes (I already pay for too many minutes on my cell phone) and was not impressed with their service when I needed a tow (AAA arrived faster).

My OnStar subscription is running out in a few days, so now was the perfect time to cancel it and go with the BlueStar system. The loss of OnStar means that I will not get phone alerts telling me my oil life and tire pressure (which I can do anytime I’m in the car), unlock my doors if I get locked-out (which is basically impossible in the G8 anyhow), or turn-by-turn navigation (but that’s what the GPS is for).

There is a group buy on the G8Board, so I’ll even be getting a discounted rate on the BlueStar (only a couple of bucks more than a year’s worth of OnStar). It will be nice to have a phone in the car that actually works without having to spend more money on minutes.

GM Service Manual

Today I received the GM Service Manuals for my ‘09 G8 GT!

Some may think that $150 is too much for a manual, but the amount of information that are in these books is just shocking. At first I thought they made a mistake and sent me more than one… stacked upon each other they are almost a foot thick! There is enough information in these books to take my car apart and put it back together again.

Looking inside there are very detailed descriptions and figures for everything. I really wished I had these when doing my GPS install… the manuals show the proper way to remove each of the pieces, where all of the clips are on all the panels (including the hidden pin that caused me to break a piece).

I’m sure I’m going to get a bunch of use out of these in the future!

Wiper Blades & Rain-X

I finally had enough! The driver’s side windshield wiper on my G8 (and many others as well) has been leaving about a 3″ streak directly in my field of view. It has been doing this for almost the entire time I’ve owned the car, but since it rains so little in California it’s not been top on my list to work on.

The recent week of rain has been getting to me, and I became fed-up with the streaking. When the wiper went up it was great, but it was the downward pass (the one that should make things perfect) that was a problem. Because of this I had to run the wipers faster than I’d like just to maintain visibility.

I went to the dealer to order the re-designed set of wiper blades (they should be here tomorrow, given they make it over the Sierra’s with all the bad weather). I’ll see if the work will be covered under warranty (the parts guy suggested it), but if not it’s not that expensive.

The other thing I did today was apply a few coats of Rain-X to the front windshield. I’ve never used the product before, but I’ve heard lots of good things about it.

After a good cleaning I applied the first coat, let it haze-up, and buffed it clear. I could really tell the difference in the way the towel slid over the glass after even one coat. I then repeated the application just for good measure.

When I went out for dinner it was raining lightly and able to see the difference the Rain-X made… WOW! When driving the rain just shot up the window… it reminds me of the ’starry night’ screen saver. The wiper blades moved quickly and smoothly across the glass and there was absolutely zero streaking. When it stopped raining it was obvious the difference between the windshield (no drops at all) and the other windows on the car. I really want to put an application on my rear window, as when it rains there are always water drops that never seem to go away, and the other glass.

$300 later and the G8 is fixed

Cutting to the chase… when I installed my Volant CAI I started a chain reaction that resulted in where I am today.

The problem ended-up being a damaged wire harness leading to the Mass Air Flow (MAF) sensor. The wire was damaged when it came in contact with a pulley on the front of the engine. The resulting damage caused a short and damaged the fuse block. The second time the car died the fuse block wasn’t damaged, but the PCM (ECM?) went into a fail-safe mode (not letting the car restart).

To fix things the damaged harness was repaired and the PCM was re-programmed. The new harness is shorter and is being routed in a different position such that it will not contact the pulley.

So the problem is solved, but it wasn’t (really) covered under warranty. What am I talking about? Well, the car is covered under warranty, but only against factory issues. Installing after-market equipment (like the cold air intake) starts to get into the gray areas of warranties. Because the damage was caused due to the install of the CAI, it wasn’t covered… but the dealership worked with me and only charged me for the parts that were replaced ($300).

I tested out the car in the acceleration department on the way home and there is definitely a stock tune in the ECM. I haven’t been able to determine if the TCM was re-programmed as well. I would tune the ECM again, but (thinking they were being nice) the dealer filled-up the car with half-a-tank of 87 octane (Yuck!). Looks like I’ll have to burn-off what is in the tank before I can get things back the way I really want them.

In the end, I’m actually kinda glad that there was something that was fixed. When they first said that it was ‘just the fuse block’ and that everything would be OK… I still had some doubts that everything was going to be OK. Knowing that there was something broken (the MAF sensor harness) that was repaired gives me greater confidence that there will not be a problem in the future.

DashHawk Installed

I just finished making a custom bracket for installing a DashHawk in my G8.

I really like the way it looks from the driver’s seat. It is clearly readable, and doesn’t block the view of the road. I thought about ways to mount the DashHawk on/around the stereo, but it seemed like it would just get in the way. When the DashHawk and mounting hardware are removed all that is visible is a small ball. The bracket mounts behind the side panel to the dash using two factory screws.

The custom bracket was a fun project. Over the last few weeks I was able to make a template out of cardboard, transfer it to sheet metal, and form the sheet metal to conform to the side of the dash. I ordered a Pro-Fit VMS G3 bracket for a Toyota 4Runner that I figured could be modified to work with the bracket that I was making. It required some drilling (the metal was really tough), cutting, grinding, and re-shaping before being riveting to my bracket.

I still have a little work, like painting the little bit of exposed metal, and it should be good to go. I’ve posted some information on the G8 Boards and other are interested in the bracket I made. Looks like I’ll have to get some details for people if they decide they want to make something similar.

Merry Christmas

Christmas this year was very good for the G8!

Started off with a new sign for the parking spot (not that I can actually put it up in the parking garage):

The next thing I received was a large ‘old fashion’ Pontiac Service sign:

This is a really great, heavy, metal sign. It would be perfect in a garage, but like the parking sign I just can’t put it up in the parking garage. I think in the future I’m going to give my loft/office a complete automotive theme. I have some great motorsports memorabilia (like the spark plugs out of Tony Schumacher’s Championship winning Top Fuel Dragster) that will work nicely to fill-out the shelves/walls.

I purchased a helmet for when I go to the track/strip, but I didn’t purchase a bag for it. For Christmas I was given a great bag from Summit (along with some t-shirts, hats, and stickers). It’ll be great to not have to worry about dropping (and damaging) my helmet going to/from the car.

My Grandfather went through his basement and found several old Pontiac dealer awards he won… and he passed them on to me! It’s really cool having some of these old Pontiac plaques and stuff. More really great stuff for the office.

One of the Christmas presents from my parents was a custom Buillet Prototypes Catch Can.

This will be installed into the line that returns oil (from somewhere) into the intake manifold. The LSx engines are notorious for getting oil coating the intake… and the catch can will (like the name implies) catch it. I got a black anodized version with the knurled base and black fittings. I could have gotten something more flashy, but I’m not a person for under-hood ‘bling’.

The big present that I received this Christmas was a DashHawk!

The DashHawk is a gauge cluster, performance monitor, data logger, and all-around great thing to have. When I had troubles with my car after installing the headers, it was a DashHawk that told me what the CEL was for (misfire) and even what cylinder were giving the problems. It then cleared the codes and everything. I’m really looking forward to the gauges… being able to monitor things like Intake Air Temperatures (IAT), Spark Retard, Oil Pressure, and any other parameter that the ECU monitors.

It was a really great Christmas (not just because of the gifts)… I can’t wait to get everything installed on the G8!