Looks like a very nice build. Keep the progress and pics coming!
I didn't see it in your list of parts, but if you don't have the Russ Thompson Throttle Pedal yet, it's a game changer, especially with the Mech Throttle. I also suggest the drop trunk mod and the cubby hole (I made my own of both of these and love them)
Good Luck!
F5R #7446: MK4, 302, T5 midshift, 3.55 Posi IRS, 17" Halibrands
Delivered 4/4/11, First start 9/29/12, Licensed 4/24/13, off to PAINT 2/15/14!! Wahoo!
Looks like a very nice build. Keep the progress and pics coming!
I didn't see it in your list of parts, but if you don't have the Russ Thompson Throttle Pedal yet, it's a game changer, especially with the Mech Throttle. I also suggest the drop trunk mod and the cubby hole (I made my own of both of these and love them)
Good Luck!
Thanks,
I have the RT throttle pedal and penciling in a cubby as well.
Progressing slow, but going forward. i believe the bulk of the Al panel drilling and fitting is done, I think. Time for panel clean up and finishing. I had a challenging couple experiences with the circle cutter, could not get the rear cockpit wall on my drill press, so tried to use it with a hand drill, that was less than optimal, ended up using it as a hand scribe, took a little more effort but a lot less drama! I also tried to use it with out the center drill bit to cut the cover for my fuel sender access on the drill press, some drama, make sure your work is secure and go really, really slowly!
I Also completed the cubby, a little small but really just wanted a phone ,tissue, hat, odds and ends storage like note pad and pen kind of stuff. I also wanted to have it removable for future access to roll bar bolt, seat belt stuff. Plan to add a USB charge port inside and will add Velcro to the bottom of it to stick to the trunk carpet and carpet it to match the trunk carpet. Hopefully it will pan out or I will mod it later if that does not work as expected.
Got my Tires this week, trip to my favorite race car tire shop (can't imagine getting these done at Les Schwab) and there you go! I have these Falkens on My Miata as summer tires, they are very good, I really like them and the look great! Sometimes the little things help to make it look like real progress!
Well, before Hunting season gets really going, I managed to get a milestone, at least for me. My son helped me today and we got the foot boxes mounted. Second set of hands for that part was a great help. Got both driver and passenger floors installed as well. So, this is where we put the seats in and made "Vroom, Vroom" sounds. Not real happy with the driver side inside wall, it is done but kind of an ugly hole where the 2 panels and the dash converge. I may just make it a bigger hole with a backing plate and route my clutch hydraulic line thru it. Front view completed foot box.jpgPassenger side foot box complete.jpg
Last week I finished up my fuse panel mounting, made it removable as well for future servicing. AS others have done, I added a leg on the back end to help support the bracket. Fuse holder bracket.JPGFuse Holder.JPG
Next up-Brake lines, fuel line (Carb with mechanical pump) and my biggest challenge is the electric steering, since I used a different set up than most. But, maybe I will have some nice venison to eat while I ponder such thinks!
In between Hunting trips (I got no deer on first one but was lucky enough to get a second deer tag this year-Getting difficult to get Mule deer tags in Oregon these days-About 3 year wait most of the time and so to come up empty is a real bummer).
Brake lines done, just need to complete the final securing and wait a day or 2 to make sure nothing leaks. Bleeding went well, like I do with my Miata, open all the vents do a couple pedal pumps and walk away for a while, come back to puddles under each caliper, then use a bottle to go around several times and push on the pedal. I did not take pictures of my scrap pile, it was plentiful! Used a combo of the supplied hard line and some Ni-cop for some of the more complicated stuff. Also used a hand flaring tool for the 6 or so flares that i had to do, worked good after about 20 practice flares. Still need to complete the permanent reservoir mounting bracket, this was temporary to be able to test the brakes.
I plan on wrapping the rear feed in heat shield where it goes down the front of the foot box and also use hi temp brake fluid so should be ok.
Started ordering parts for fuel set up-no filter of the suction, just hope to reuse the original pick up screen.
1) I plan to drill original tank insert for 6 AN bulk head fitting with hose barbs
2) Use gates submersible fuel hose for pick up
3) Jumper original supply and return barbs together using kit supplied parts so I don't have to mangle them.
4) flexible PTFE lined hose from tank to the hard line using either compression-to-AN or AN flare with coupling nut sleeve (Got both to see what I like)
5) SS 3/8 hard line down the driver side to front of engine area
6) Flexible PTFE to connect to mechanical fuel pump
Great progress! With the engine delivered a year ahead of schedule are you hoping to get the body into paint next year sometime or still wait until '25? Either way, can't wait to see the future updates and finished car.
Great progress! With the engine delivered a year ahead of schedule are you hoping to get the body into paint next year sometime or still wait until '25? Either way, can't wait to see the future updates and finished car.
Well,probably not until '25. Originally wanted to spread large payments out over 3 years. I got some great deals on short term borrowing, But i need to close out in '24 and maybe first summer of '25 drive in gel coat then source painting after that.
Roadster MK4 #10653 Date: 4-27-23; First Start: Oct 2023; Go Kart: Nov 2023; Body and Paint: To Kleiner EDD - April 2024; Graduated: TBD
SBF Boss 347, Edelbrock ProFlo 4, Milodon Road Race Oil Pan, Tremec TKX 2.87/0.81 OD, IRS Dakota Digital Dash, FFMetal Firewall Forward, BOIG Lower Cool Pipes, Forte's Mechanical Throttle Linkage and Hydraulic Clutch, Breeze Radiator Fan Shroud- Radiator Support Kit and Battery Forward
Great work so far. My roadster arrives on 12/16, so a few weeks to go. I also bought the Wilwood E-Brakes so interested to see how tackle mounting and wiring them. I'm also curious about electronic power steering - I'm starting with a manual rack, but second guessing myself now.
----------------
Ordered Aug 2023; Delivery Dec 2023.
MK IV Complete Kit w/ IRS, Forte SBF 427W w/Edelbrock ProFlo 4, TKX, Wilwood 12.88, Willwood EPB.
Power steering, manual clutch
Got some progress going this week. I was out of the garage for Thanksgiving and I also drove the Miata to Las Vegas for the F1 race. Fun drive and just in time before the weather turned!
Got the main fuel rail in, not real happy with the beginning or the end (basically any where I had to bend it)! I tried 3/16 SS but was 80 % done and messed up the bend, no going back with that. Off to Amazon for some Nicopp line this time. Got it done and should be functional, maybe not pretty... I also had to Mod the fuel pick up to get an AN6 fitting on it.
I also got the rear lower trunk and drop trunk permanently installed. I ended up putting Raptor bed liner on the under side of all the cockpit and trunk aluminum.
Next up, my Son is headed over on Friday help gas tank install and to drop the motor in so we can measure for the EPAS install, throttle linkage, clutch hydraulic line.
Unfortunately, life will reduce build progress in December. I will be visiting Family in Leander Texas the week before Christmas, flying home on Christmas day. If anyone has time in the area and would not mind a visit, PM me. I will have some time to visit as the Grand kids will still be in school for part of the week.
Got the motor installed, was a bit of work and did not go as easy as some have had. This was the first install so I can start measuring things and will probably need to be pulled again for some fab work. Notes:
1) Did have to modify the engine block and the mount to fit. A little grinding on the mount and the boss on the engine to allow the mount to sit proper, 427 (dart block)
2) Note to others, keep the mounts loose until the motor is in and sitting on the mounts with the bolts and the guide pins in, I had to loosen them to get the bolts and pins to drop in frame.
3) if any side to side adjustments are needed, I will have to open up the guide pin slots as both driver and passenger side are maxed out at the top of the slot.
4) Probably close to 1/2 inch transmission lift needed at the mount to get the tilt correct.
5) tried to put the front end on the floor and rear on my skate boards, but hoist would not clear the front suspension so had to actually jack the front up about 4 inches to clear.
6)*****LOOKS AWSOME*****
Also got the gas tank installed, I will re-iterate the passenger side hanger is a real PITA and does not fir well, may still rework that one but it is tight and sturdy. Gast tank Installed.jpg
So, after spending a day or more clean my work area-stuff was getting out of hand...I got the Throttle linkage set up, nice package from Mike Forte. I did make a couple adjustments to my install. I found the foot box lever needed about 1/5 inch taken out to clear the lid of the foot box. I then used a roll pin across the top to close it up. I also drilled the levers for 10-32 set screws instead of the roll pins.
I also decided to spend more money before thinking things thru on the throttle pedal. I got one of the last RT pedals from Breeze and the set up did not leave enough foot side as deep as I wanted the pedal in the box, so I got a straight bar to use from MMW and still was not happy. Then, the light bulb went off in my head and decided to reverse the RT pedal, required re-drill the pedal locating hole, but a simple solution and really improved the clearance. Pretty happy with the pedal set up now, will still need to get my racing shoes on, but I will be much more comfortable.
Also got my last POL item, the passenger roll bar so I got the roll bars fitted and drilled. Unfortunately the I repacked and stored as I will not need them for a while.
if you haven't done so, consider creating a flat spot on the throttle linkage where the set screw goes in. it doesn't take much pressure from your foot to get a set screw to move as I found out. I ended up doing roll pins.
If you haven't considered it, look into the boltless option for your roll bars from 520speedworks. it's a nice option to eliminate the frankenstein bolt on the rear member of the roll bar.
if you haven't done so, consider creating a flat spot on the throttle linkage where the set screw goes in. it doesn't take much pressure from your foot to get a set screw to move as I found out. I ended up doing roll pins.
If you haven't considered it, look into the boltless option for your roll bars from 520speedworks. it's a nice option to eliminate the frankenstein bolt on the rear member of the roll bar.
To late on the roll bar, I agonized over that one, in the end I feel better with the bolt over all. I will probably dimple the throttle rod when I get to finishing touches, good idea.
Kind of jumping around on my build, but there are so many little things to do that I think it pays to work the little items when you can. This week i installed the seat heaters, pretty easy but a couple of observations.
1) not much glue on some of the pieces so they came apart really easy-good for inserting the heaters, bad for future durability.
2) The leather has some marks from just sitting in the car to test stuff. the leather wraps around the mounting frame in some spots, it will rub on the floor. I plan on adding sliders, (Esparco) but if you don't add sliders, I would recommend a spacer on the bottom of the seat frame.
I purchased the water proof seat heaters from Mike Forte. I trimmed about 2 inches off the back piece and about 4 inches off the butt pad piece. Dis-assemble was pretty easy, pull off the plastic clips and on the bottom pad, pull the back Velcro piece back from the foam, only a light glue job. I ran both wires out the rear inside corner of the seat for either wiring along the inside corner to the dash or pop into the tunnel, not sure which yet. I still need to re-glue some of what i pulled apart, so waiting on supplies. Back piece cut (1).jpgBottum front.jpgSeat Cut.jpgWire feed out.jpg
I also made a charcoal canister. Used 1.5 in ABS plastic-2 caps, 1 female slip joint, 1 male slip joint, 2 small sections of pipe and 2 hose barbs(1-5/16 inlet from the tank vent and 1-3/8 outlet for some hose I had laying around in my carb package. Got some carbon aquarium pad, but it was not porous enough to breath thru, so I cut 1/2 square chunks and stuffed in the tube like packing. Flows great when I blow thru it. i plan to use the filter holder to secure it to the frame behind the gas tank.
Took some measurements of differential and engine angles, kind of bummed. 351W block and IRS. Looks like I will need to add spacers on Transmission for some better angles. Laymen terms, diff points down toward the front 1.8 deg. Engine trans also points down toward rear, so with 1 3/4 to 1 7/8 shim stock to bring the tail of the transmission up to get to about 1 deg between the trans and the diff.If I want better, I would have to look at lower engine mounts.
Curious what the recent cars are coming off the line with the IRS differential angle.
Any clearance concerns for that later in the build with the transmission boosted that high?
Lance
(EDIT:Settled on 1.5 Inches of Shim, the 1.75 Plus was just to much. Angles are about 1 deg delta and if the diff rotates up at all under acceleration it will make it better)Transmission Shims.jpg
Really have been working on things, but it seems my started and not yet done list just gets longer, waiting parts, coatings or my own decision for path forward. I hate to lock some stuff down until I know there is little likely hood of change later. I have ordered header bolts because with my EPAS installed, difficulty in installing headers. But, it will be full removable with the exception of a bracket welded on the frame 4 inch tube.
I will be using the kit supplied gasket until it is deemed UN-worthy, in case I need to remove headers later. Got These Bolts; Header bolts.jpg
I am a kind of a hack at fabricating and welding, so not as pro-looking as I would like, but fully functional. Still have some trimming and finessing to do and then determine coating for the bits.
Progress, despite the storm in Portland area this week, did delay some metal I had ordered to finish up my EPAS, so will get back to that next week. In the mean time I got a few parts in and some stuff back from powder coat. I can now prep my transmission since I don't plan on pulling the engine again if I can help it.
Installed my 3 pin hall effect sensor for the transmission, it goes in the speedo hole. Kind of a PITA, and if you wonder why the support bolt hole is ground down on the driver side of the transmission, it is to clear the sensor. The instruction neglect to say that the standard bolt will not work that came with transmission, so off to the hardware store yet again for hex type round bolt slightly longer than the stock hex bolt. This is the speed sensor for the EPAS. Speedo.jpgspeedo 3 wire hall sensor.jpg
Installed the fake parking brake. This was kind of a PITA, simple does not fit well as assembled in the manual. Swapped the bolts that hold the handle assembly so the small button head is against the trans tunnel, and used the other hole at the front to mount the bracket. no clearance issues that way. Added a spring with a couple attachment brackets to make it feel functional. Took way longer than should have... park Brake installed 2.jpg
Also installed the shifter handle, another small exercise. FFR shifter had no nuts and the bolts seemed to be metric, So I did not have any myself. Ended up throwing in the scrap bolt bin and grabbing a couple 5/16 button heads in the kit supplied fasteners that had nylock nuts. Not sure why they would include the bolts and no Nuts Shifter Installed.jpg
Also secured the drive shaft to the diff, loctite (Blue) and torqued
Ordered more wiring supplies to prepare for that part. According to Tremec, the neutral safety switch is supposed to have a relay and can't handle long term current directly in the line for the start solenoid. SO, I will do that and also do the same for back up light. I ordered the pigtails for the sensors and relays.
I'll be making a similar reservoir mount. Did you drill for riv-nuts (or nut-serts) 1/4-20?
Also, was your final shifter located about the mid-way dimension side-to-side in the trans tunnel, or did it favor the passenger side by a small amount...perhaps 3/4"?
The Shifter is slightly to the side and I did use 1/4 20 nutsert for the reservoir mount. I used some flat Al stock from Mcmaster 6061 2.5x12 1/8 thick and cut the length to size and then powder coat.
Today I am waiting for the Ice to melt, but I did lock down my transmission the other day before the ICE hit. Filled with fluid, added drive line safety hoop bolted down with all my shims. I had to add a 1/2" shim on the hoop to clear the drive line, that also meant another trip to the hardware store as the supplied bolts were insufficient.
Got the clutch lines installed and bled. Made a little bracket to support both the vent and supply lines-used a bulk head fitting on the vent line to pass thru the plate. A little drama and rework and learning.
First issue was my master cylinder seemed to not be working well, hardly pump and seemed many times I would pump the pedal I got very little or no consistent fluid flow. Talked with FF and they were going to help with new. Decided to source from Speedway, same item (may kick myself later)but got it in 3 days so I could proceed. (tore apart the old and maybe a little rough edge on the seal at 1 spot).
Next up was my learning-Tried to outsmart the bleed process, had a brake line vent mounted to the bleed line. Got lots of fluid, but the line was to small. the clutch requires a big (huge compared to brakes) fluid push to get the air bubble to move out, so ended up scrapping my bleed rig and did it the sloppy way as prescribed in the instructions with concurrent puddles and brake fluid all over the place, of course spilling my now full cup of fluid while trying to tighten the fitting while it was immersed in fluid (doing this by myself of course). I then had to re-hook up my vent line to the bulkhead fitting on the support plate, dribbling fluid the whole time down my arm. Got done and cleaned up and happy with final result.
This is what I ended up with, which in hind site may have worked better with the bigger bleed valve. But for now, the bracket just provides a great support. Final Clutch Line Bracket.jpg
And routing from the clutch, used some rubber fuel line I had around to protect the lines from chaffing-per the manual recommendation. Line routing From clutch.jpg
finishing up some EPAS stuff, here is my brackets and trimmed lower steering shaft which I just got pro-welded today so at least that is top notch! still need to mount the power controller box somewhere up front. EPAS 2.jpgEPAS 3.jpgEPAS bracket and steering rod.jpg
on to the dash and wiring as I whittle away at the minor details, powder coating and fit ups.
AS I continue to explore more building opportunities, my attention span is a moving target these days so I decided to work on some wiring stuff. But, like many things along the way I needed to understand where the dash was going to be located and room for stuff behind and under it. first i did the glove box, worked pretty well, the lock is a little rough so I may need to sand the straight edges of the latch so it operates smother but looks good. had to enlarge the holes in the carbon as they would not allow the screws to pass. This was good because one of the hing holes was off so I was able to enlarge it to better align with the plate and the rear box. I also had to lengthen the slots in the door backing plate to allow the metal to sit better on the back side of the door before I glued it. A little detail felt or something inside later and it will be a nice addition. The whole dash is pretty nice, so pleasantly surprised at the quality. Now I can set the dash and know where I can put things behind it. Glove box.jpg
Wiring is going to be exciting, not to concerned about it as my previous life I was a well healed electronics tech. But, looking at the dash wiring harness, there is a little part of me that says-"just bust it open and go wire by wire". But the other part of me says salvage what you can and minimize work load....
I started with the rear harness, got it completed and tested the rear lights and brake converter. All good so far. used duetsch connectors, my go to type that I plan to use during the build.
I landed the converter on the gas tank, I wanted it in the back so I could tap off the brake wire for my third light option. running the trunk wires near the roll hoop mounting point when I install the floor.
Added- Tranny mini harness that has the neutral safety switch and the reverse switch that will go to relays in the dash
Added- Power wire for trunk lights and USB charger that will go into CUBBY
Added (for later option)- Third brake light wire that if I complete that, will be on a bracket attached between driver/passenger roll bar
Added (for later option)- Reverse light wiring that will run from relay in the dash to the same local as the 3rd brake light
Added a ground connection-tapped off each tail light ground and ran a screw to the frame at both corners, discreet little connection
kept the fuel pump wiring in case of future ( i am running mech fuel pump) need so I will leave all that active with fuse pulled for future
Completed the front Harness today and tested all the lights with the forward harness wiring. Again choose to use Duetsch connectors. There was no ground wire in the existing harness for the driving/turn signal lights, so I split the ground wire off the light into 2 wires so I could use a 4 pin connector and ran a ground wire between the passenger side and driver side and then added ground at each corner of the frame. For the headlights I upgraded 1 size of connector (DTP series) for the higher amp. only 3 wires so installed a plug on the 4th hole of the connector. Hopefully I got the length correct and used the mounting bracket, ended the harness for the blinkers about 6 inches off the frame and the headlights about 9 inches off the frame.
I also installed the wiper motor on the fire wall. Things seemed a little flimsy there so I added a re-enforcement plate that I riveted and bonded in place with Epoxy. I also used rivnuts for the motor bracket bolts so it can be removed from the engine side and not have to get behind the dash. I also ordered a connector pigtail for the wiper motor. little expensive I did not realize it was coming from England, but should be long enough to slip into a fire wall grommet for wiring behind the dash.
Dash Fitting and drilling next so I can tackle the dash wiring. Decided I was going to go wire-by-wire with new connectors. Since the new gauges all have sensor wires and connectors supplied with the gauges and all the gauge stuff in the RF harness is wired wrong any way, I think about 1/2 of the wires in the large main connectors in the RF harness will have a significant number of clipped wires, so it continues!
Well, decided to take the long road for the wiring, so lot of trimming and re-doing the existing. Making some good progress, maybe about 50% done over all. I will be working on this I suspect until end of March. I want the wiring done before first start, seen lots of post about "I'll get back and clean it up later". I hope to have it cleaned up before I start. With the EPAS and the EPB, a lot of stuff needed to be reworked. I was not familiar with the Delphi connectors so needed some things for those and my own learning curve.
I finished and tested the wiper motor. In the process, made a couple errors. I was assembling my wiper motor harness, wanted to have a connector to the dash switch so the it can be unplugged with out pulling the wires from the switch. I crossed a couple wires, first time I have done that with the Duetsch connectors, so some mild trouble shooting and redoing some connections before the continuity ended at the plug...ARRRRGH! In the process, I pulled off the Park switch and lost the connector that attaches it to the housing and broke the plastic housing as well. $25.00 shipped from Moss Motors and I will get it all fixed up. I was able to hold it in place and verify full functionality of the switch high, low and park.
Main Power is completed from the battery to the kill switch. I tied the alternator to the battery side of the kill switch. That is supposed to save the 1-wire alternator if the kill switch is open when running.
I removed several feet from the EPB harness and still have to do the control switch side, waiting on some supplies for the little wires before I hack them up, but that will have several feet removed as well. I placed the brake controller behind the glove box, will run the 40 amp service to the firewall fuse box and the 5 amp service from my auxiliary cabin fuse panel that I installed on the passenger side. Wilwood brake controller.jpgUnder dash Aux fuse panel.jpgWiring front fire wall engine side.jpg
I am enjoying this step of the build, right up my alley. No rush and I think I have done everything 2-3 times as I determine better routing or deciding to combine things in the harness runs. I drilled 2 holes initially in the firewall per the build manual. Used 1 for the rear harness, 1 will be the main power drops, start solenoid from the RF harness to the starter and all the instrumentation from the engine. I drilled a 3rd hole over on the passenger side that will have my EPAS sensors and control wiring, EPB feed and power wiring and power for the additional cabin fuse panel, so will be a somewhat organized layout.
Still working on the wiring, I really over complicated it I am sure especially with the added EPAS and EPB. Probably about 50% done, milestone today I did power up my fuse blocks and did not let any smoke out! Completed the relay board this week and wired and tested both the back up light relay and safety start relay, which is either transmission neutral or clutch and an option for a bypass switch if I decide to add it later.
I decided to put the seat heater relay behind the dash, so that wiring will need to be done to get to the seats and shorten up the control side. Locked down all the primary wiring and engine side of the firewall.
What have you decided to do for your backup light? Why is a relay needed for it? Just asking because I plan on using some kind of led type light for backup.
Delivery Date 6-24-23 Build thread Living the Dream
SBF 427 564hp/576tq Holley Sniper with Hyperspark by Smeding Performance. Tremec TKX .68 OD. IRS . Wilwood 12.88 brakes. Wilwood EPB. First start 11-17-23. First go cart 11-20-23.
What have you decided to do for your backup light? Why is a relay needed for it? Just asking because I plan on using some kind of led type light for backup.
A relay is definitely not required. The LED current draw will not exceed the rating of the reverse switch. In fact it will barely draw more current than the relay coil, so therefore nothing gained by installing a relay.
Cheers,
Nige
Mk.4 FFR supplied Right hand drive
Received 12/2012 completed 12/2019
Gen1 Coyote / TKO600 / IRS
Lots of mods to make compliant for Australian design rules
Like Nigel said, the current draw is pretty small so the transmission switch should handle it just fine...But since this is my first car wiring project I went over the top and put a reverse light relay in behind the dash. Kind of liking the learning part of this so I thought it would be fun thing to do. The Neutral switch requires a relay, so since I had to do that, I just did a reverse light at the same time.
Got my dash layout completed, not with out my usual drama, ended up changing my layout like 4 times due to interference with my hoop attachments, but persevered and am pretty happy with it. I got a new ignition switch since the FFR one was like cast metal and I did not like it. But, I practiced 5 times to install and remove the tumbler before I put it in and still had problems and could not get the tumbler seated in the ignition bezel, last time I tried i pulled it out and all the bits came out of the tumbler.. So I will get another one and try again. Still need to complete the wiring in the back of the dash, all the other wiring in the car (except cable clean up) is done, had my fuse blocks powered up and all circuits except flashers tested. Still need to install supports and grab handle maybe. I decided to anchor the sides, hopefully they will be accessible after the body is on, if not wont be the first or last change of plans, easy enough to remove.
knocked out the dash wiring, tested everything out and so far, smoke stayed where it is supposed to be. I really like the speed hut Zero-dimmer, very nice for dash gauge lighting. When you do the set up, make sure your headlight rheostat is maxed or it can not determine the difference between lights on and lights off. Once I figured that out it worked great, remembers the settings in between turning the lights on and off. Unfortunately if I hit my kill switch and it losses the constant power I think it resets... (there was a sale at their web site about today, 15% off so they were under 40.) Another item that is good to have in the rear view mirror. I also installed a low voltage sensor I got from Ron Francis web site, and it seems to work. And i did order a shiny billet horn switch from amazon, the black button looks out of place and the back nut will not stay on.
Got a little bogged down on finishing touches for my dash. With the ignition switch issues and decision conundrum I took some time to think it out. Got the switch fixed, I updated my original post about that problem.
Next was the Grab handle-Yes or No? Well, decided yes so then was the how. Used some info from a few post and settled on a bracket that I welded up that will screw to the front dash tube. Not a great picture, but shows the plan. I had to do a little tweaking of the brackets because the hinge was exactly where I wanted the bracket to be, so I worked around that a bit. Good thing nothing on these cars is symmetrical, this project fits right in! tried to center the grab handle under the lock and not under the glove box opening. I got the handle off Amazon, stainless steel but had round ends that were too fat for the space between the glove box and the bottom curve of the dash, so a little sanding to the handle ends to skinny them down worked great, they are kind of hidden by the curve so can't really even tell.
Next Up was the under dash panels. This was another issue were initially wanted to use carbon fiber, but it don't bend and the bottom edge of the dash and the top of the 2' tube are not parallel! So 2 steps forward and 1 step back. After playing with a couple ideas, I settled on a bracket for the 2" tube that will then allow the carbon fiber sheet to sit nicely in the bottom lip of the dash. So, got the passenger side done and now need to do similar for center section and driver side. I also used the little round LED lights for courtesy lights, will have 3 across the under dash panels. I also added a USB charger and a straight up 12 v outlet that I can use for a trickle charger or my data system that I use in the Miata has a power attachment for that and I can move it between cars.
Next Up was the under dash panels... So, got the passenger side done and now need to do similar for center section and driver side...
A caution: don't make the driver's side permanent yet (if ever). You're going to need access in that area when it comes time to fit the windshield and for final assembly.
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Originally Posted by MPTech
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So I will get another one and try again. Still need to complete the wiring in the back of the dash, all the other wiring in the car (except cable clean up) is done, had my fuse blocks powered up and all circuits except flashers tested. Still need to install supports and grab handle maybe. I decided to anchor the sides, hopefully they will be accessible after the body is on, if not wont be the first or last change of plans, easy enough to remove.
