Ebay isn't always the cheapest option

The metalwork takes shape


Choke fixed to transmission tunnel

Unable to resolve the problem of fixing the very short CX500 choke cable in a suitable place, I resorted to Ebay which had literally hundreds of choke cables on offer. I quickly discovered that none of the motorbike ones were suitable - all were too short or had unique fixings. That left the car choke cables. I had estimated that the optimum length of inner cable was about 120cm so the hunt began. One feature of car choke cables was very evident - they didn't have a soldered nipple on the carburettor end. However, no sooner had I discovered this than I found a solderless nipple on Ebay, so bought that. Most of the advertisers didn't specify the cable length, but after hunting through nearly 200 listings I found that a cable for the 1971 left hand drive Triumph Spitfire was ideal as the supplier had kindly given its length. Mind you, the £13.95 plus postage price tag seemed rather high in comparison to other choke cables (and it wasn't a genuine Triumph NOS cable anyway). I therefore tried James Paddock - one of the leading suppliers of Triumph spares and was pleased to see that it was just £6.95 delivered so I've ordered one from them.

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I visited my local steel stockholder on Tuesday and bought a 1 metre square sheet of 1mm aluminium so that I could fabricate the panels I needed between the bulkhead and dashboard. Although I have a metal guillotine, it did prove a little unwieldy to cut due to its size. I had also purchased a metal folder some years ago and this has proved to be invaluable for a variety of jobs. Its a very simple device that is clamped in a vice, but works very well. I was able to make a panel that covers the central portion from the dash to the bulkhead, and a smaller panel to the nearside where I have fixed the fuse box and flasher unit. One drawback with the folder is that folds with this device have to be in one plane only, so it requires a little imagination with vice, wood and other handy "bits" to make folds in the other direction.

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I spent a couple of hours planning the electrical system refit - specifically the location of the CDI unit, regulator/rectifier - both of which need to connect to the leads from the alternator. One thing I have found useful (as a novice rewirer) is to print our several copies of the wiring diagram and then trace the key connections for each unit - e.g. CDI unit - and colour code the diagram with the correct colour of felt tip pen. I've found it so much easier to trace the start and the end of a particular wiring run by using this method - especially as my eyesight is not what it was given the size of the type on the wiring diagrams.

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On checking the wiring diagram I noticed that the normally aspirated CX500 has a starter solenoid/relay with just two blade connectors whereas the turbo one I had fitted had four blade connectors. Not being sure what the extra two leads could be for, nor, in the absence of a wiring diagram for the turbo, which of the two were surplus to my current (sorry - wasn't intended as a pun!) needs, I decided that buying the correct one would be the best option. Naturally I turned to Ebay and found that exceedingly rough looking secondhand Honda ones were as expensive as new aftermarket ones, but that the aftermarket ones were 25% of the price of an OEM product from a Honda dealer. I opted for the aftermarket one on Ebay. This arrived within 2 days and was quickly swapped for the turbo one.

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By the end of the week my attention turned back to the fabrication of the aluminium panels to cover the gap between the bulkhead and the dashboard on the passenger side of the car. As I wanted to house the fuse box and relays in this area, the resulting shape was quite convoluted. By Saturday evening I had finished the nearside to a satisfactory standard and started on the rather more awkward area over the steering column.

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I spent a few minutes tidying up the lighting wiring and marking up the ends with their origins. I've also now connected up the leads from the alternator to the CDI unit, and the rectifier/regulator, as well as the coil connection too as the units are now fixed in their final places.

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Roger