Modifications Page 2

July 2, 2022

Today I installed a console door lock button. On the 2006 cars a button on the console allows you to lock and unlock the doors. This is so much more convenient than reaching behind you to lock and unlock the doors. Unfortunately, the 2004 cars do not have such a button on the console. However, JHP in Australia sells a kit to add a door lock button to the console using an OEM button and bezel. Altogether it contains the button bezel, the new button, fake buttons for the unused button holes and all the wiring and connectors and zip ties you need to install it along with detailed instructions. The job was pretty straightforward and the button now works just as it does on my orange 2006.

I also installed a skip shift eliminator. Skip shift is a feature that at times forces you to shift from 1st to 4th, presumably to save on fuel. Basically, it is annoying. This little apparatus plugs into the sensor in the transmission and the harness and sends a signal to the computer actively defeating the feature without causing a check engine light and trouble code to be set. The item with the blue and white clip, blue wire and black and blue clip is the item plugged into the sendor and harness which defeats the skip shift feature. Some day when I get the car tuned, I'll have the skip shift feature turned off in the computer and this item will no longer be necessary, but I want it there until then. NOTE: This was removed after I had the car tuned. The skip shift feature is permanently disabled in the tune.

Today along with the help of a friend we bled the brakes and got fresh fluid throughout the braking system. The brake fluid I found in the car was in pretty bad shape so I was glad to get fresh fluid into the system before the bad fluid caused parts to fail.

I also installed an adapter that connects the aftermarket stereo head unit to the steering wheel controls. I used a PAC SWI-CP2 unit. It was a little hard to wire it in not because it was horribly complicated, but because the wires involved on the car's stereo harness have little slack and it was cramped in the space available to get the connections made. In the end when I got it wired up it worked beautifully and all the steering wheel buttons function as they should. Some folks have reported that using this PAC unit causes a delay between button actions at the steering wheel and adjustments in the system. I observed no delays.

July 3, 2022

Just one mod today, more of a maintenance day.

-Got the stock shifter and shifter cup out pending the arrival of a bronze shifter cup and a Sikky shifter. I had to lower the transmission a bit to get at the shifter bolts.

-Drained the transmission, the fluid looked somewhat dark, was probably the original fluid. Refilled with Valvoline Dex III, 4.6 quarts.

-Drained the differential, the fluid looked pretty soupy but as I recall that's what the original fluid looked like. I did a refill with Torco RGO and not quite two ounces of F-type friction modifier. I got about 1.6 quarts in there.

-I installed the GForce differential mount. This became a bit of an undertaking. There seemed no way to get all the fasteners installed in any sequence. I eventually pulled off the rear belly pan and pulled off the V brace and threw it in the pile of spare stock parts. This allowed access to insert the bolts that hold the cross brace with the busings to the brace bolted to the body. I left everything loose while I jacked up the differential, once I got the bushings engaged with the body bracket, I tightened down the bracket to the body. Then I jacked it up fully into place and inserted the bolts through the bushings. Then I tightened the bolts holding the bushing bracket to the differential cover. No way to get a socket on any of this so the torque wrench consisted of a good firm pull on everything. Blue thread locker on the bracket to body bolts. I didn't have a hex head drive large enough to fit the socket head bolts suppled with the differential mount for bolting the bushing bracket to the differential cover so I just reused the stock bolts.

Here's the mount before the install.

Installed.

By now I had the rear belly pan off so I cleaned that up and cleaned up the trunk floor area of the underside. I refused to put the V brace back on so I reattached the belly pan. Without the bolts that go into the V brace the belly pan is kind of loose in the middle so I'll have to make up another one of my V brace elimination kits. More on that later. It consumed almost all of the afternoon considering all I had to noodle around. If I'd know the GForce support would be such a puzzle I would have removed the belly pan and V brace first thing and saved a lot of time.

July 6, 2022

Looks like a good thing that I did the rear cradle bushings earlier than I originally planned. Here are the originals pulled out of the car. The one from the passenger side is torn.

July 9, 2022

I had a chance to get a slightly used Sikky shifter at a really good price so I grabbed it. Long term plans were to put one of these in eventually so getting one as a bargain and putting it in early was fine by me. I also installed a Tick bronze shift cup and a ready-made silicone seal while I was at it. This is the older version of the Sikky shifter which can accomodate a stock shifter handle and knob, but I chose to go with the standard handle and an aftermarket knob. I had this knob on the orange car for a while but went back to a stock knob on that car. This is a heavy aluminum billet knob and I had the stock style pattern etched onto the knob. The throws of the Sikky are a lot shorter than the stock set up. It is very mechanical feeling and lacks the rubbery feeling of the stock parts. I like it a lot.

July14, 2022

My Catera door handles have been disassembled, stripped, repainted and reassembled. They are ready to go in. The Cadillac Catera used door handles that look and fit just like the original GTO door handles except that they are made of cast metal instead of plastic. As such, they feel so much more substantial in the hand and the paint won't peel off of them like it does on the plastic ones. They are a little smudgey looking in the photos because I was handling them so much to reassemble them. I should have wiped them down for the pictures but I did not.

I also installed a new radiator cover with new coolant and AC stickers. I need to keep searching for a new emissions sticker, the original was reused but is looking a little worn in places. The original radiator cover was broken in a few places, cracked in a few places and scratched up as well so it seemed a new one was in order.