Lee's Mk4 Cobra build, Alpine, CA

[jllinds]

Connected the battery for the first time, and..... No Smoke! Great feeling that. The cut off switch does it's job. I haven't wired in the self resetting breaker yet, so the clock goes off when I pull the red flag.
One of the two issues is that the speedo lights up whenever the cut off switch is on. This is power to the gauge, not the bezel lighting. All of the gauges light up when the headlights are on. They dim too!

I don't think the speedo should be powered 24/7, but not sure what's going on there.

If the headlights are off, the turn indicators and hazards function as intended. If the headlights are on, the rear LED tail lights are at full brightness, continuously. If the headlights are turned off, the brake lights work fine.

The wiper motor functions at two speeds, and parks. I'm calling that a win.

I have no idea where to start on the tail lights. That the brake lights work, as do the turn indicators, I don't see where the "LED Converter" could be wired wrong, but I'm no where near an electrician....

Anyone got any ideas where I've gone wrong here?

Thanks for the help!

[F500guy]

Sounds like the tail lights may be wired to the wrong input, you may be seeing "low" setting of the LED's when brake and turn activated instead of the high setting. When you turn the lights on, it sounds like you may be activating the "High" LED'S and in that case you would not notice the blinker and brake. Try to change those. Clock will need a Always on from the cutoff switch, make sure to put a fuse in line since you are not using the fuse box for that. Also, speedo should not power up until key is on, sounds like that is tied into an "always on" from the fuse block.

[jllinds]

My electrical mystery deepens. When I pull the running lights/radio mem fuse, the tail lights, which are on bright 24/7, go out.

The turn indicators and the hazards and the brake lights function fine then, but I don't think the brakes are "Bright", they appear the same as the turn indicators.

Also, the errant power to the speedo also is off with that fuse out.

Is there any way to diagnose where the wiring connection error is? It doesn't seem to be the LED converter, which was my first suspect.

Thanks!

[Mike.Bray]

Better order up some of this.

[Nigel Allen]

Double check your hazard light switch wiring. This switch brings your 'hot at all times ' (HAAT) power and ignition power (IGN) together, selecting between one or the other to operate the turn signal lamps. If you have the wiring messed up on this switch, it is possible to tie HAAT to IGN, which might explain why your speedometer is powered. Could also be linked to your lights issue.

Best of luck to you .

Cheers,

Nige

[jllinds]

Better order up some of this.

LOL! Had the whole Lucas experience with my '76 Rolls Royce. Great fun, that.

[jllinds]

Checked my wiring (to the best of my ability). I pulled everything behind the dash apart (after removing the dash), and double checked the LED converter thing, along with the rest of the opened wiring. I don't see anything out of place, and the converter is wired to the diagram.

On the dash, I replaced the switch that was included in the kit for the hazards, with one a little more robust. However, according to my multimeter, this is functioning the same as the other one.

For the speedo, this one has me flummoxed. The red wire is marked "Speedo / Radio Mem", and so I take it it should be hot all the time. That doesn't seem right, as the odo portion of the gauge stays lit so long as the battery is connected.
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Does this gauge need powered memory for calibration or something?

Not sure where to look now...

[jllinds]

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My dash, so far. It lights up. The indicators and hazards work. Following Jeff's direction, I installed a 5a self resetting fuse on my battery cut off switch, so the clock should be kept powered. Until I chase down the gremlins in the rear lights, I'm not re-installing the dash, but I like the simplicity of the dash. I put the headlight switch under the left side of the dash under the turn indicator switch, facing down. I put the headlight high/low switch and the hazards under the speedo. I have the wiper switch and USB outlets under the dash on the right. The black toggle on the dash is for the led lamp mounted on a flexible stalk that pulls out from under the dash, and tucks away when not needed.

The Breeze battery mount came, and so I'm installing that in the next day or two.

[jllinds]

The Breeze Battery box is fantastic. Made from very solid Stainless Steel, and fit beautifully. Very happy with this, and the shorter cable lengths.

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[jllinds]

Pulled power for the speedo from "Gauge feed" which is switched, as it indicates in the AutoMeter instructions. Assuming that it remembers calibration.

The lights are still an issue. The rear lights come on bright whenever the headlight switch is on, either position.

The hazards now only work if the turn indicator is on one side or the other. Very strange. The switch and the indicators are the only parts of this that I wired, and those check out.

I was concerned that the LED converter was wired wrong. I checked it, and it matches the diagram.
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I checked the wiring at the rear, and those three wires on each side match the wiring diagram.

The connector to the headlight switch is part of the wiring harness. Is that where my issue with the rear lights is?

[jllinds]

Electrical problems still plague my build. I've reached out to Ron Francis wiring, and they pointed towards the led module. I replaced the FFR provided one with a new one (rated for LEDs). No change.

When the headlight switch is off the Turn indicators work. The four way flashers work. The brake lights don't. (The brake switch is working correctly). The voltage meter shows 13-14 volts. The horn works.

When the headlight switch is on for markers, the front markers come on. The rear lights go full bright. Rear indicators and flashers do not even flicker. The front turn indicators work. The four way flashers work. The gauge dimmer works.

When the headlight switch is on for the headlights, the rears stay lit bright. The headlights don't come on now. The fuses are fine.

This is a bummer.

[jllinds]

So, after a long hiatus spent just piddling around, I finally decided to fix the electrical problem. I'd like to say that I know what the issues were, but I am not 100% sure. The headlights issue resolved itself, sort of, as I disconnected EVERYTHING in the entire harness, and reconnected it all. As for the brake issue, once I rewired the rear harness at both ends, including the trailer module, the lighting seems to be behaving nicely.

I have had the engine hanging on the hoist for more than a month, as I try to source a pilot bushing that will fit the crank on my new 347. The standard 1.380" bronze pilot bushing won't fit at all. It seems way off. The hole measures 1.373". I have now accumulated several bushings from various online sources, all of which are exactly the same 1.380" outer diameter. The inner diameter of .625 is perfect for the input shaft. One VERY annoying issue is that ALL of these bushings, which are supposed to be "bronze", contain nickle which is magnetic. I purchased them from CJ Pony Parts, Summit, Modern Driveline and Amazon and ebay, each time hopeing I was going to get an actual bronze (non-magnetic) one, but so far no joy. Reaching out to a local machine shop to turn one down to fit better. I'm just not comfortable with banging on it hard enough to make these ones fit..... Doesn't seem like it should be that far off. The transmission has been closed up and is ready to go. There are stacks of boxes with all of the accessories for the engine laying all over the garage, so I'm hopeful that I'll get the engine/tranny into the car in the next week or so... I'm shooting for first start early next month.

[jllinds]

Bought a $145 lathe and turned the bushing to within about a half of a thousandth. Using a bearing installation tool, it tapped in nicely. Starting the process to align the Bell housing. Hopefully, I'll have the drive train ready to install in the next day it two. Progress!

[jllinds]

Feels like a milestone.
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[jllinds]

Surprisingly easy to firm up the transmission and subframe, and install the drive shaft. I was expecting more frustration. Filled the tranny and it's not leaking, so there's that. Moving on to wiring the engine. I opted for an electric water pump, and now have to figure out how to wire in the relay to my completed wiring harness. Small chance of being ready for first start on Sunday.... IMG_20250115_215359.jpgIMG_20250115_215410.jpg

[jllinds]

I have an electric water pump, and have not a clue how to plumb the bypass at the thermostat housing. I'm looking at the 1/2" put in the intake on the other side of the thermostat.... Would that work?

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