PDA

View Full Version : Project Bertha



Mach Par
12-07-2015, 07:27 AM
This isn't your typical project thread I guess. Instead of starting with something old and rusty, I decided to use my 2009 G8 GT. I went to LS Fest this year and was amazed at what the G8s were doing on the strip and was intrigued by the cars doing auto x. I've never done auto x before, or seen it, for that matter. I thought about working on one of the Mustangs or the Le Mans that is stuffed in the garage but the amount of money I would have to invest in them to even get them road worthy was out of the question. Why not just use my daily driver?


i bought the car a year and a half ago and had zero intentions on doing any mods to it. I had just started a new job and was supposed to be using this car as a commuter only. Two weeks after I got it, it already has axle backs and an intake. A couple months later it a set of Kooks headers and x pipe found it's way on the car. For such a big car it didn't do too bad at the track. It would run 12.80s @108-109 pretty consistently. Last November a lifter got jacked up thanks to the DoD set up on the car. Took me a couple days to pull the heads, replace all the lifters and install some ******* off spec cam that BTR had on the shelf. Got the car tuned by James at ShorTuning and it put down a measly 391whp. Car was awful to drive on the stock stall and it pushed through the brakes all the time.

I came into into a bit of money a few months ago and decided to go ahead and plop some money down on this project. Contacted a few different vendors and ordered all my parts I think I need. I wanted to go forced induction so I purchased a Magnuson tvs1900 kit, RCR blower cam and ID850 injectors. Fuel is going to be pumped to the front using a Squash big single pump. My Vararam intake won't work with the Maggie so a Rotofab is taking its place. The shocks and struts were worn out on my car and had to go. Other than coil overs, there's not much in the way of struts for my car. Decided on using FE3 ones from the GXP model. They're gas charged and quite a bit more firm. I didn't think I would need springs at the time, but I'm going to replace them in the future. The strut mount bushings were so worn out that the car sits higher now than before.

Im waiting on some of the parts to come in but I went ahead and installed the new blower cam and the FE3 suspension. The car is driving and handling better than it ever has. I'll do my best to get some photos uploaded of my progress.

Mach Par
12-07-2015, 10:38 AM
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2015/12/imagejpg1-1.jpg (http://s1133.photobucket.com/user/machpar/media/image.jpg1.jpg.html)

Here's how she looked when I brought her home.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2015/12/imagejpg3-1.jpg (http://s1133.photobucket.com/user/machpar/media/image.jpg3.jpg.html)

Cam from RCR.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2015/12/imagejpg10-1.jpg (http://s1133.photobucket.com/user/machpar/media/image.jpg10.jpg.html)

Strut mount bushings looked awful.

SPDMETL
12-07-2015, 03:19 PM
Hooray for Holden! And Pontiac's last stand, to boot. AND the best color these came in. Waiting for burnout photos

Mach Par
12-08-2015, 07:30 AM
I apologize for the lack of thought and pictures so far. I started this thread on my iPad while at work which makes it makes it difficult to get pictures attached.

I didn't go into detail for the suspension. Aside from getting different springs I'm going to be raiding BMRs catalog for all my parts. I think the Roto joints will be a bit too harsh for a DD so polyurethane bushings should work fine. Should help for the power to the ground and help the handling nicely.

Hoping by the time everything is finished that I'll be knocking on the door for a 10 second time slip.

damannhw
12-08-2015, 11:17 AM
Nice looking car with cool mods. My wife has an Ignition Orange '08 GT, great car, she just won't let me mod it....yet !

Mach Par
12-09-2015, 05:38 PM
Little more of an update for today. My new intake came in to replace the Vararam. I couldn't use that one due to the raised throttle body position on the TVS. I forgot to get a "before" shot but here's what it looks like afterwards.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2015/12/WP_20151209_17_30_52_Pro-1.jpg (http://s1133.photobucket.com/user/machpar/media/WP_20151209_17_30_52_Pro.jpg.html)

Also started a bit of a gauge interface project. I didn't feel like it was a good investment to but Aeroforce scan gauges, the wideband sensor kit and a custom gauge pod. Adding all those parts up it was going to cost ~$700 bucks. Definitely more money than I want to put into it. I did a bit of research and I found that a Windows 10 tablet will run HP Tuners. Since I already have the HP Tuners Pro interface I can just use a wideband sensor kit and put the leads into the 0-5v ports on the HP Tuners device. I made a trip to Best Buy and found a Insignia Windows 10 8.9 inch tablet as an open box special for $79 dollars. The software downloaded just fine and after finding a Radioshack that had a micro usb to usb adapter, it came right up. I have a mount on order from Amazon that should fit the location that I want to put it.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2015/12/WP_20151209_19_04_12_Pro-1.jpg (http://s1133.photobucket.com/user/machpar/media/WP_20151209_19_04_12_Pro.jpg.html)