Panel work complete; wiring - work in progress

We were away last weekend and so I didn't have much to report. This week I've mainly been working on finishing off the panel work which includes the covers between the bulkhead and the dash, making an airbox, and a battery box.

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Having asked the JZR group what they were using as air cleaners, I got a mixture of answers, some of which I suspect were rather tongue in cheek (a cat flap being the obvious one). It appears that the JZR crowd have anything from "nothing", through a tea strainer, to a cut down proprietary air cleaner. Given that none of these seem to be a very satisfactory solution I opted to build my own. This comprises a couple of circular aluminium "pipes" that are fastened to the carb inlets with a jubilee clip. Behind this is an air box made of ali that has a mesh cover over a foam filter. Whilst not the most sophisticated fabrication, it should do the job.

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After much head scratching about the positioning of the battery in the passenger footwell, I decided in the end to restore the battery to its original position behind the passenger seat so made up an aluminium box to house it. Previously it had just been sitting on the floor, retained only by its leads.

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I've had a very frustrating time trying to find aluminium or stainless front mudguards. I tried one company who advertised an almost endless range of different diameters, widths and lengths in both aluminium and stainless. However, as is often the case with web site adverts, I received a reply that stated that they hadn't had stainless mudguards for years, and the size I wanted wasn't available in any material. Whilst I will continue to try to find what I want, I've cut down my steel mudguards (5" off the front) as I don't like the profile - they seem to drop too far over the front of the wheel for my taste. It was surprisingly easy using an angle grinder to cut a profile I had created with masking tape. I'll paint the mudguards black in the short term and continue the hunt for aluminium or stainless ones.

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I took the bonnet and rear body section up to my painter during the week so hope to have the repainted items back in a couple of weeks. Now that I've decided to use the existing mudguards (for the time being anyway) I'll get him to paint them black too.

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After a trial connection of the fuel and temperature gauges, I've discovered that the Stag gauges I'm using need a voltage stabiliser so I bought one on Ebay last night but won't get it for a few days yet. I've also order some ribbed rubber matting as I don't intend to replace the rather poor quality carpet which always disappeared towards the bulkhead when getting into the car.

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Roger

One step forward, one step back

The new Facet fuel pump

Modified dash

This has been a frustrating week as I've tried to complete various jobs, but have found that as soon as I make try to make some progress, a seemingly simple job becomes more involved. A case in point was the fuel gauge sender unit which is fitted to the top of the rear mounted fuel tank. The fuel gauge had always given inaccurate readings to I had bought a Triumph Stag fuel gauge (£4.50 on Ebay) and new sender unit so thought I would fit that instead. To reach the sender unit I had to remove a piece of plywood that acted as a cover and seal (to stop the rear wheel throwing water up the backs of the occupants). That was simple enough although one edge was trapped by a vertical piece of ply, so I had to cut it with a craft knife. The fuel gauge sender unit was attached to the tank with 6 screws, five of which came out easily. The sixth (its always the last one, isn't it?) seemed to be revolving without undoing, but after applying upward pressure to the now nearly detached sender unit, it came out. All I had to do was to lift out the sender unit - simples! Well, no, it wasn't as there was a steel ring sitting on the float and obviously, it was this that had held the sender unit to the top of the tank. As this was larger than the hole it was a complete mystery how it had been fitted, and indeed, how the fixing screws could have been attached to the as the sender unit when in situ would make it impossible to hold the plate in place. This situation was compounded by the fact that that the plastic float was also larger than the hole through which I was trying to withdraw it. In the end I settled for cutting the float and compressing it to withdraw the sender unit and accepted that the metal ring would drop into the bottom of the tank. Fifteen minutes with a length of stiff wire trying to remove it was totally waste effort, so there it will stay. I can only assume that the tank was welded up AFTER the sender unit had been fitted. I can't see any other explanation. I've now got another fabrication job to get the Stag sender unit (which fits easily through the hole) fixed to the top of the tank. Much filing was necessary, and swearing a lot seemed to help.
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After some further reading of the Honda and JZR manuals I realised that the missing neutral cable must be lurking down the back of the engine somewhere. Sure enough - there it was, so I was able to wire that in with much fuss. I also made a lead to connect the oil pressure switch to the warning light, and in so doing realised that I hadn't connected the main beam warning light. The old fashioned type of switch I had bought (picture - bottom centre of dash) is a bit fiddly as it has screw-in terminals, but I made a wire to run from the main beam feed to the warning light. Rather oddly, the warning light glows dimly on dip beam and then brightly on main beam. Must be some sort of earthing problem but I'll get back to that later on.

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I finally decided to attack the installation of the Facet solid state fuel pump I had recently bought. Having been advised that it need to push fuel rather than pulling it, it could only go in the area behind the passenger seat. With the back face of that area being the petrol tank itself (and not really advisable to drill into) I decided that the central steel frame was the best place. However, I first had to remove the earth strap which was fitted there. Easily said, but not easily done as it was only just possible to reach the head of the bolt from under the car, whilst applying a socket to the nut inside the car. Quite how someone with shorter arms would cope without third party help is a mystery. Given that I was once told that if my arms were any longer my knuckles would scrape the ground when I walked, I guess I had an advantage. Anyway, after one broken drill bit I had made a suitable hole to mount the fuel pump and managed to fit the bolt from the underside and tighten it up without too much cursing.

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I decided to fit a switch for the fuel pump as I know from past experience that having the ability to switch on the ignition without fuel being pumped is a very useful option.

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I also had a rather trying time attempting to get the flasher unit working as the unit I had purchased had letters to designate the three terminals but I had no idea what the letters meant and couldn't find anything on the world wide interweb that would help me. Trial and error seemed an option but the best I could obtain was one side flashing and the other on permanently. So I tried the old flasher unit which I knew was near or even beyond its natural life. This time I could get one side flashing and the other doing nothing, and with no warning light illuminated. I've now purchased another unit for which I have the cable connections so will try that next week.
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I finally found a suitable place for the rectifier - under the bulkhead on the passenger side - as this allows me to make the various connections quite easily and then run the remaining wires to the ignition switch.
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As I had bought the Stag fuel gauge (black face, white numbers), I decided to get the matching temperature gauge. However, this uses a different sender unit which doesn't fit the Honda "hole". I've therefore made up the bits for a T piece so that I can fit the Triumph sender unit into it- in the connector between the two top hoses. Just need to find a welder now...... ~

I had originally intended to use the Turbo indicator/flasher/horn switch, but it seemed far too modern so I opted for the traditional trafficator style switch and a simple press button for the horn. Fortunately, (as I hadn't made provision on the dash for these switches) I was able to fit them into a suitable place - middle, bottom of the dash photo.

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Roger

Windscreens and wiring

Wiring is a bit tidier now

Trial fit of the Brooklands aero screens

Despite a fair amount of time spent on the car this week, there doesn't seem to be a lot to show for the effort. I guess the main reason is that the wiring has taken a lot longer than I imagined. In part this is due to my inexperience of wiring, but also because I have chosen to make connections and not worry too much about the length of the wire whilst I check that I've done it correctly. Armed with my multimeter, I've connected each item and then tested that individual connection. When I had virtually finished the (non-engine) wiring I then set about trimming the cables to create a tidy loom (connectors being pretty cheap, it seemed a good way to go). Apart from the indicators, all other electrical components are now wired up and working so I can finish the aluminium panelling on the drivers side. Next week I shall start on the engine electricals.

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At the moment I'm confused about two things - where the neutral switch is and thus where I will find its lead, and also how the engine stop works as I will not be using the Honda ignition switch within which the stop switch is normally incorporated. I seem to recall being told that the stop switch merely ran to earth but obviously I need to check.

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As I intend to have the upper body panels repainted (the lower half is covered in stainless) I thought I should get the Brooklands Aero screens fitted so that I didn't start drilling the newly painted body. What I thought would be an easy job was not as simple primarily because there are few reference points on the bonnet from which to make measurements. In the end I positioned the screens largely by eye with the help of a piece of masking tape over the bonnet as a point of reference. I must admit that the screens look very tiny in comparison to their predecessors, but I'm very pleased with the effect. Not too sure that Mrs Rog is that impressed though as I received an "even less protection for me then" comment when I proudly displayed my work.

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I've also given some thought to the Facet fuel pump which I am assured is best placed near the fuel tank. As I've removed the front tank, this means locating the pump behind the passenger seat where the battery used to be. I've decided to relocate the battery into the passenger footwell as there is lots of room, and it makes life easier as it will be directly under the electrical connections and fuses. I haven't worked out how I'll fit this yet, but it will be enclosed in aluminium and bolted down (which it hasn't been previously). I'll probably incorporate a footrest for the passenger at the same time, as sitting with one's legs outstretched without some support can be very uncomfortable.

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I do need to make a decision about front mudguards soon as I favour aluminium or stainless and I've seen a couple of companies advertising what appear to be suitable items. I'm tempted to remove a front wheel and take it to the nearest supplier to make sure the radius is suitable.

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With a fine weekend my time has been limited as garden duties beckoned. After a day digging out footings for pathways, and laying bricks, my back is in no fit state to bend over the car anyway. However, as I am now fully retired I should be able to make progress next week.

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Roger