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Suburban Dad
Jan 10, 2007


Well what's attached to a leash that it made itself?
The punchline is the way that you've been fuckin' yourself




Curious what you thought of the Genesis and why you're moving to something else? I've never been in one but they seem like an interesting car.

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FuzzKill
Apr 1, 2005

Snuff the punk.

Larrymer posted:

Curious what you thought of the Genesis and why you're moving to something else? I've never been in one but they seem like an interesting car.

It's been a great car for me and has been dead reliable. On paper it has as much power as the Trans Am it was replacing but between the different gear ratios and the lower torque it feels slower until you get into the powerband. The Trans Am didn't care what gear you were in, it would go.
Basically I'm looking for something bigger and with more torque. With the LS engine as a base I know the possibilities for the car later down the road are endless. For now it will be my tank on wheels without being a total slouch. The Genesis dyno'd at a respectable 307rwhp. I was really happy with the mileage too, usually got about 24mpg with a heavy city driving mix.

I really wish the aftermarket was larger for the Genesis but it's not there yet. Before I got the Datsun I was considering adding a turbo to the 3.8L in the Genesis but decided against it - trying to keep the DD as reliable as possible.

Coredump
Dec 1, 2002

You back home yet? Pictures of the car?

FuzzKill
Apr 1, 2005

Snuff the punk.
Flying out this coming Saturday. Currently aligning my ducks.

meatpimp
May 15, 2004

Psst -- Wanna buy

:) EVERYWHERE :)
some high-quality thread's DESTROYED!

:kheldragar:

Is this SS the Impala with the transverse 5.3 LS motor? What's the story on that? Can it hook up, or is it just immediate, neverending wheelspin? It's a damned interesting car, since they've been made for 10 years and can be found cheap like crazy... please tell me so I can put it on my list.

Suburban Dad
Jan 10, 2007


Well what's attached to a leash that it made itself?
The punchline is the way that you've been fuckin' yourself




It's a Caprice, built off the Holden platform. Basically like an SS or G8 but with a Chevy badge and made cheap to sell to police departments. They're RWD (longitudinal) and all autos I believe.

meatpimp
May 15, 2004

Psst -- Wanna buy

:) EVERYWHERE :)
some high-quality thread's DESTROYED!

:kheldragar:

Larrymer posted:

It's a Caprice, built off the Holden platform. Basically like an SS or G8 but with a Chevy badge and made cheap to sell to police departments. They're RWD (longitudinal) and all autos I believe.

That makes more sense, thanks.

Coredump
Dec 1, 2002

FuzzKill posted:

Flying out this coming Saturday. Currently aligning my ducks.

Ooohhhh. I thought you were doing it this last weekend. :downs:

FuzzKill
Apr 1, 2005

Snuff the punk.
I did it!

Had an uneventful flight to Houston, and met the seller last Saturday. Everything checked out mechanically on the car, drives great. Cosmetically, there were a few issues I wasn't aware of - which is my fault I guess for not being more explicit in what I wanted to know. Was able to talk him down some on that, pending anything major we pretty much had a deal anyway. It would have cost more to fly back and find another car when in the end some small cosmetic defects can be fixed.

Drove back to FL on Saturday and Sunday. Sat in the DMV for half the day on Monday and then drove 3 hours to go get (most) of a G8 interior.

Here she is in all her (dirty) glory




Very impressed with the car for the money. Short term plans are to finish the interior swap, install an OTR intake, tune it, and enjoy it. Long term will probably end up swapping in an LS3 when I find the right deal. I'll be able to sell the 6.0L in it for a decent chunk to take away the sting of the LS3 price a bit. Then I'll have the higher CR, larger displacement, more power, and won't need to take apart the entire top end to get rid on the DOD.

This isn't my car, but this is what the interior looked like before. Vinyl floor, bland uncomfortable seats, no console.


When I'm done, it will look like this, but with leather G8 front/rear seats


The G8 seats have more bolstering, they're heated, and the rear seats have a flip down armrest and a pass-through to the trunk. Wiring was completely different for everything of course, but the circuits work the same. Power, belt switch, seat position, air bag, pretensioner, and passenger classification. Heated seat wiring will be added when the console is completed.




Turns out I need a few Caprice (detective spec 9C3 or Aus market) specific parts that are different than the G8 - mainly the area that mates between the console and the dash. That and a few small trim pieces that were missing from my donor car. Have all of it ordered but for now I'm enjoying my new seats, carpet, and finally cupholders!



Waiting on those parts to arrive to reinstall the rest of the interior trim - some of it is pretty tricky to get apart without breaking tabs.

More to come!

FuzzKill
Apr 1, 2005

Snuff the punk.
Things have escalated quickly here.

Still waiting on my trim parts to finish the console swap but now I've got other things to keep me busy.



Got the VCM OTR (over the radiator) intake kit. The best intake available for the G8/SS/Caprice. Fit/finish is very nice on it, and it looks like an OEM piece. Install went smoothly, only took about 20 minutes. They also sell matching trim pieces to flank the intake sides for a very OEM look, but I'm not concerned with that. Would just be another thing to have to move to work on the car as far as I'm concerned.



Next the car is in need of brake pad/rotor replacement, and I don't want to install new stock parts only to upgrade them later ...

With that said, the CTS-V or early Camaro SS brembo calipers bolt on to this car. I found a guy selling a set of CTS-V calipers and pads for $650. I asked if the price was negotiable, and he replied back that he paid $900 some odd dollars for the set. I went ahead and offered him $400 and said he could keep his pads and to my surprise he accepted. Sweet!



I drove down this morning to go pick them up and to my complete surprise the entire set was all new in the original ACDelco boxes with hardware and new decent pads (which he let me have). He bought it all new as a complete set for his truck thinking it was a bolt on deal for his vehicle. One caliper has some light scratches on it from the attempted fitment but the rest are pristine. Need to track down some bolts that I will need and order the correct rotors for the swap and I should have everything I need to install it on the Caprice!

Suburban Dad
Jan 10, 2007


Well what's attached to a leash that it made itself?
The punchline is the way that you've been fuckin' yourself




Nice, any bites on the Hyundai yet?

FuzzKill
Apr 1, 2005

Snuff the punk.

Larrymer posted:

Nice, any bites on the Hyundai yet?

A few people interested, every single one is waiting on funds from the proceeds of their own car before they can buy mine. I was almost in that boat but I squeaked by to get the Caprice.

Finished the interior conversion today!

Used the donor G8 console and shifter, then had to order a few AUS/9C3 specific parts to mate the console to the dash. The center stack support bracket, the center finish trim, shifter trim, and the console side trim I ordered from GM. I think the console side trim may have been the same on the G8 but was missing from both cars I had access to so I had nothing to use. Also re-flashed the radio to unlock BT and USB capability, which is locked out on the police vehicles.

Took almost all day to get everything done including some new wiring going to the BCM but was worth it. It feels good to have a car that is now not only comfortable, but also presentable. Also finally washed the car after the cross country trip. Looks good! Brake conversion will be next.



FuzzKill
Apr 1, 2005

Snuff the punk.
Got the 1st gen CTS-V calipers installed today. Everything went smoothly, parts-binning at its finest. Used ACDelco rotors, which are actually Brembo blanks. Will probably tackle the rears next week, I'm waiting on my rotors to arrive.
Maybe I won't have to clean my wheels once a week now ...

I'm glad they clear the wheels, I know they fit with some 18"s but not all and I haven't seen anyone else with this wheel/brake combo.




Kia Soul Enthusias
May 9, 2004

zoom-zoom
Toilet Rascal
What are the rotors from again? The CTS-V had 6-lugs, right? They look like just right on this car.

FuzzKill
Apr 1, 2005

Snuff the punk.

CharlesM posted:

What are the rotors from again? The CTS-V had 6-lugs, right? They look like just right on this car.

Yes, the CTS-V's are 6 lug. Makes it easy to spot a fake!

Rotors are from the Camaro SS/SS/G8 GXP. They are actually only 10mm bigger than the stock rotors on the car, but 4 piston aluminum calipers instead of a single piston cast iron caliper. This setup actually weighs less overall than what it replaces (both the rotor and caliper weigh less)

When I do the rear conversion I need to use 2015+ SS rear rotors. Other rotors will work, but you lose the parking brake. With those rotors everything functions as stock. Rear rotors will end up weighing more than the stock ones though, as they are about 35mm larger diameter than the Caprice rotors.

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FuzzKill
Apr 1, 2005

Snuff the punk.
Got the rear brake conversion done on the Caprice. Was pretty straightforward - although I had to trim the backing plate to clear the new rotors on the rear.



Also finally got around to hooking up the parking brake cable. The G8 console/parking brake setup is about 4" too short to meet the rear cables on the Caprice due to the longer wheelbase. The cable is almost $100 and requires complete disassembly of the console to install. I took some flat stock steel I had and welded it onto the original equalizer bar I had from the old cable, then bolted that to the equalizer bar from the G8 console. Perfect! Now only thing left to do on the interior is to remove the foot brake pedal that isn't doing anything.

Ordered new struts, strut mounts, and springs from a 2014 SS. They are a little bit softer spring rate and drop the car about 1". Will still give lots of travel and should ride nicer than the stock springs. The factory setup is very firm.

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