The Grand Sport. Part 2: The experience.

[Jeff V.]

It's not so much that I'm worried about it causing long term damage or anything. It's more that I can't fix it correctly. It doesn't help that I don't know what the correct fix even is.

I've got the GM collision manuals for this car, and it tells you how to rebuild just about every part of the frame except for the tunnel.

There was a story about a Grand Sport getting totaled over a 1 inch crack in the frame because there was no acceptable procedure to repair that section. Looking back at those photos, it looks like that car was damaged right alongside one of these tunnel flanges.

https://www.repairerdrivennews.com/2017 ... xperience/

[ChargerX3]

Sounds like a simple fix. Find some aluminum rivnuts or nuts in general and spot TIG them to the aluminum frame. I know you don't have a TIG, but you could find a qualified shop nearby to do that work for you.

Something like this (this is steel not aluminum but same process.)

[aaronatstate]

So the rail the original hex nuts were in is aluminum right?

If so, can you just drill out the hex shape to a circular hole for a rivnut? (assuming the JB Weld doesn't work, I think it will just fine)

[Jeff V.]

The flange is aluminum. There's actually not much steel in this car at all. Virtually everything is composites and aluminum.

I could drill the nuts out, but then I'd have to go to a bigger bolt. And then I'd have to do all 22 because I couldn't stomach having mismatched bolts.

TIG welding may be an option if I get desperate. I could always talk to the body shop that refinished my CF roof. They seemed to know their stuff, and they were certified on a lot of newer luxury stuff.

[aaronatstate]

[quote=""Jeff V.""]I could drill the nuts out, but then I'd have to go to a bigger bolt. And then I'd have to do all 22 because I couldn't stomach having mismatched bolts. [/quote]

Of course

Just do the 6, and the 6 "across" from them, and make them the same size as the big bolts. Then you only need to do 12, and there is only 2 sizes.

[vegasidol]

[quote=""Jeff V.""]

There was a story about a Grand Sport getting totaled over a 1 inch crack in the frame because there was no acceptable procedure to repair that section. Looking back at those photos, it looks like that car was damaged right alongside one of these tunnel flanges.

https://www.repairerdrivennews.com/2017 ... xperience/[/quote]

That's insanity.

[ChargerX3]

Yea, Tig it or find a commercial grade resin if you lack metal to weld to.

[Jeff V.]

Everything about that was a waste of time. Not a single one of the new rivnuts held any significant amount of torque.

So I decided to at least get the bumper and new spoiler back on the car. In doing so, I found a new lighting angle where the spoiler looks like amateur shit.

Wonderful fucking night.

[aaronatstate]

Polishing/buffing is really difficult by hand I've found. Having that cheap buffer from Harbor Freight has been really nice.

[DCIV]

[quote=""Jeff V.""]Everything about that was a waste of time. Not a single one of the new rivnuts held any significant amount of torque.

So I decided to at least get the bumper and new spoiler back on the car. In doing so, I found a new lighting angle where the spoiler looks like amateur shit.

Wonderful fucking night.[/quote]

I honestly thought jb weld would have held okay. So now we are back to the bigger bolts or welding? I think I would do the bigger bolts.


Coop

[Jeff V.]

Ok, enough whining. It's done, and the test drive went a long way towards making me feel better. It sounds SO good. eelout:



The spoiler looks pretty good too. I've got a basic DA polisher on my auction watch list for later this week.



I went back through the tunnel plate bolts and added some fender washers on top of the plate. In retrospect, that's probably what Coop was suggesting to begin with. So thanks to him for that. That prevented the new and existing rivnuts from backing out, and I got 5 of the repaired ones to hit the proper torque. There's one that was beyond saving though. The hole in the frame bracket was just too big. I think I have an idea for doing a proper, long term repair on all of them, but that can wait until the car is laid up for the winter. 21 out of 22 M8 bolts, and the two big M12 bolts will be fine until then.

[DCIV]

Coop for the win.


Coop

[ChargerX3]

Good work. Glad you are happy.

[aaronatstate]

Glad you got it sorted!

We need a video of how the car sounds though

[Jeff V.]

I don't have the right gear to really do it justice. I took a few when I had this setup on the white car, and the difference didn't really come through that well.

The guy I bought the Akra from had a similar x-pipe when it was on his car. He had a Corsa. I have an AWE. This is his video. There's a good pull at 3:23

[ChargerX3]

Vids or it didn't happen.

[Jeff V.]

It'll be interesting to see what this goes for. Differences from mine are the auto trans, GT seats, stage 1 aero, and ~9000 more miles.

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/2017- ... -sport-41/

[DCIV]

[quote=""Jeff V.""]It'll be interesting to see what this goes for. Differences from mine are the auto trans, GT seats, stage 1 aero, and ~9000 more miles.

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/2017- ... -sport-41/[/quote]

Are we taking guesses? 83k?


Coop

[Jeff V.]

Not a chance. There's a guy on the forum who's listing his 18k mile automatic, Z07 convertible for $79k and I think he's dreaming.

I'll guess low 60s.

[mjannusch]

Somewhere around $63k