Hot Rods Just Another 5-Window Build Thread

Just a quick note to say I wired up my start button, got everything in nice and snug only to have it not work and tore out most of my work for the last day and a half. So, I checked in with olScrounger and will try again tomorrow. Electrical is not my strong point, especially when having to improvise outside of the wiring kit no matter how good the directions.

But, I am not through yet and will relay the good, the bad, and the ugly once I get things sorted out .....

 

First, I got things sorted out and my single wire horn/starter button works. That's the good news now here comes the bad ...

There are 4 posts to this relay and if it was a test, I gotta 50. What happened ....
85 - got the start button right (lol!)
30 - got this one right also, including the circuit breaker and hooking it to the starter post
86 - got this hooked up but I thought this powered up my starter solinoid when I hit the button - nope. The solinoid 10 gauge red wire does and I didn't even have it hooked up. I will speak later of how this will be hooked up ...
87 - this is to your starter solinoid. I am using a pull switch to get everything hot for the start button. I had this wire going from that switch, to the neutral safety switch (the lever one off of my clutch pedal) and then back to 87 on the relay. Wrong - I needed to remove this wire from my pull switch and then start this wire from 87, to the neutral safety switch, then to the starter solinoid.
Thank you olscrounger for saving my bacon this morning. I know I made sone pretty ugly mistakes but once I learn something (through my stupid mistakes), it's now engrained into my memory (and it's written down!).

In this pic you can see the circuit breaker on the lower left of the panel and the relay just to the right of it. I just made do with not having planned their locations.

OlScrounger and my friend JohnnyC got me straight on a few other things as well. OlScrounger talked to me about only certain wires going to the starter and JohnnyC cleared it up for me. I am running a bypass wire with fusible link from my 100 amp alt to my starter post. But, since I am running a cut off switch, I will run this wire and the red solinoid 10 gauge wire that fires up my panel back to that master cutoff switch. This way, when I hit that master switch, everything is shut down period - I ran those wires today along with a rough cut battery cable ...
So, after testing everything using a tester to the solinoid wire that was not connected to the starter yet, everything worked as it should and I have a cool start button setup. There was a minor problem, however ....

The neutral safety switch electrical hookups were right in line with my steering column. After fiddling with it I was able to make the one switch wire longer and drop the neutral safety switch location down on the floorboard about an inch and it looks like all will be out of the way of the column and exhaust manifold heat ..

Not all that pretty just yet and not the best of pics but you get the idea. The column, although not in it's final position, will clear everything and once things are tied back and the column installed exhaust heat should not be a factor and the wiring will be cleared up and tested .... it was a good day ........

 

I wrote a response ( now deleted) before moving on to page 19 and noticing you are still working on this . I am no expert so I will just follow along while you and Olscrounger figure it out.

 

No worries - I appreciate it ....

 

Busy day today but not all on the project unfortunately. But there was some progress ....
Continuing on the steering column wiring clearance, I checked it with the ring that will anchor it to the floor ...

My plan is to drill a hole through it and the floor and with a nut and bolt to anchor the ring and the steering column.
I then cut the center hump carpet piece and it's ready to be bound. IIam going to use black binding. Just waiting on the staples I ordered ...

I will need to bend the gas pedal up, at the spoon, about 1 1/2" so I have full travel at the carb.
I then removed the floorpan and cut my access hole for my mc trap door ....


Back at it tomorrow ....

 

Trap door is a nice clean job looks good. Too bad it gets covered up.

 

Thank you - so true on covering it up!

 

Worked on the front floorpan first, completing the insulation ...

The trap door entirely covered by insul and lifts when the door is raised. I also treated areas in the cowl area of the body with Rusto rusty metal primer and glued in insulation there as well ...



I am only going to insulate the floors (including the trunk) and the cabin area. I also worked on my clutch pedal one more time. I had some play as the back stud holding the adjustment arm was too small causing some sloppiness. Redrilled, resized, and got it all nice and I am very happy with it - now. I cleaned up wiring, tucking things away from heat and pedal arms, and did clean up the shop up a bit. There's more that went on but just tedious, small stuff that you really can't see but needed to get done. It's all the little things that really sucks up the time ....

 

Worked on the Virginia HAMB Special Bonneville truck project so not much got done. Since we are getting down to the wire the project may not get first prio every day. But, johnrodz did heat and bend my gas pedal ....

Still needs to come up more and when that's right, perhaps tilt the spoon portion down. We will see but it was a good first pass.
Got my shifter boot and ring today so I installed it ...

Perfect size for the hole I cut - I will chalk that one up to dumb luck.

Since the pedals, column, gas pedal, and even the carpet binding will be black, I went with black for the boot as well.
I then spent time on the body, removing the dash, gauges, and whatever else, masked off and painted the dash support structure.

I should have done this earlier in the build but this one slipped through the cracks. It's been reported to management - lol! Front side has not been done yet and with today's humidity, it may not get done today .... I'll post a pic when it is ...
Here ya go ....

 

Sorry for not posting but I have been continue with the wiring of the dash once I reinstalled it back in the car, installing interior lights, signal indicator lights, high beam light, replaced a few blown bulbs, installed the hot water heater control knob, and, in general, doing as much under dash stuff as I can before the body goes on. I should get some decent time on it tomorrow .....

 

Excellent progress since I last checked in. Looking good!

 

Thank you!

 

The little things take time, probably won't show and nobody but you will know it's done right. The difference is....YOU know it's done right. I'm doing a lot of little things now so it's ready to paint all at once and I won't have to do things over after paint. 1 step forward and 2 steps back it seems a lot of the time. When it's done for the last time it sure does feel good.
Keep it up!
SPark

 

Thanks, SPark - things do not always work out as planned but I do my best. The "one step forward, two steps back" method of car building happens more often than I care to remember .... or relate! Lol!

 

Spaghetti, spaghetti, and more spaghetti - the scary thing about it is that I actually understand everything you are looking at. Lol! Been checking interior lights, signal lights, instrument lights, getting the tach set up, ordered my park brake boot, horn button wiring is ready ....

Amp gauge wiring is next, fluids, bleed the brakes, set the park brake, measure for a driveshaft ..... I am very close. The finish of the gas pedal will need the body on and seat in place, waiting on some parts .... getting really close. ...

 

Just a couple pics if how the interior lights and dash lights look ....
To simulate the firewall in place, I laid a piece of carpet in the firewall opening. The actual firewall will be much more populated, there's foil insulation reflection light, and there are lights on in the garage. So, it's not the best "ambiance" but you get the idea ...

This is with two led strips stuck to the upper backside of the body's dash support. I had a problem with light bleeding in between the dash pod and the dash. Had a too short piece of cowl lacing and placed it between the two. Got it down to about 75%. I then used black duck tape to block the rest - about 98%. We shall see how it looks once the body is on.
Here are the dash lights ....

If you remember, the speedo was always darker than the two outer gauges, like I was "losing" light. Turns out I was losing light along the top side of the speedo area. I used the black duck tape again to block the light escaping, and got the speedo considerably brighter.
Just as an aside, I am a big list maker to make sure I do not forget to do things at certain stages. I actually have a composition book with notes and such if the build. The bleeding of the interior and instrument gauges lighting wasn't on my lists as I did not really know I had the problem. Well, I added the problem and immediately crossed it off as done - it's just a tremendous satisfaction doing that, and a nice, personal "at-a-boy". Yeah, I'm certifiable but, I know all of you do the same or similar type things during a build. Figured you might get a grin out of it at least ... Lol!

 

^^^^^^
Tom, my momma always told me, "It's a poor dog that don't wag his own tail!"
Your project is coming along great.

 

Thanks, Bowtie - I really appreciate it!

 

Leaking light is ok BUT leaking SMOKE from your wiring is bad Looks like you have the leaking smoke thing covered nice job.

 

Thanks for all your support, Loudbang ...

 

Got my dash wiring all covered in the old style cloth/tar sleeves ...

I also got the amp meter wiring done, filled the rear with fluid, installed the front headlight bar to figure out how to run the headlight wiring and the amber accessory light I want to install. I still have to clean up the welds on the hl buckets, a little Bondo, and they are ready for paint. Still waiting on my staples to do the binding - I need to finish that before removing the front floor panel. Grrrrrrr - been 10 days since I ordered it and they said they shipped 5 days ago. In checking the tracking number the stuff has not even left the sellers location. I have stuff I can do but I need to check that off my list!!!! Lol!

 

Having some free time now that I have the Bonneville Project ready I found time to catch up with your build. Tom Dang !! that thing is coming along nicely. I love what you have done with the dash and firewall. Man it looks good. It won't be long and we can take it for a spin.
I just wanted to thank you for taking time away from your own build to help get the hauler ready for Bonneville. Your dedication to the Virginia H.A.M.B. Special Bonneville project and genuine friendship to me will never be forgotten. I love you man !! Looking forward to the trip west with you and Earl Carmine. who by the way has set aside his own projects as well to help finish the hauler. Friendship with you two make me the richest man in the world.

 

Hey, John, thanks very much - sometimes you do better with less time on a project, you time manage better I guess. As for the XX/OP, in for a penny, in for a pound I always say - you are either in or you are not and I definitely wanted in!!!!!

 

Figures after I complained about the tardiness if my staples being shipped I would get them in the mail today along with my pb boot.

We finished the race trailer for The xo/pp Bonneville truck and I found my items when I got home. I will let the pics tell the tale ....




Side pieces are not done yet and no, the gas pedal will not remain that way. The top center piece is velcroed in. The others are not yet glued or velcroed as of yet. I like it so far ....

I am going to set the seat on the open frame putting it as close to my location and height, then judge how the gas pedal will be. This way I do not have the body on doing it, which would make it difficult.

 

So I need the seat installed to configure the gas pedal right and the body is not on the frame as yet. I measured about how high the bottom of the seat is off the floor and how far back the package tray is from the inside lip if the cowl surround in the body: just under 5" off the floor, and with the package tray 25" off the floor, the back of the seat is 51" away as it rests up against the package tray. With some wood I had left over doing my deck, I made some feet off the seat and a platform on the frame ....

... and the platform to place the seat on ...

...and with it measured and placed ...

In sitting in the seat, the pedal arched too high and would not come back far enough before it was on the carpet and the carb had not travelled it's full throttle length.

After a few bends it was better but still not good ...

I then got some heavy wire and made a pattern ...

I made the pedal up, close to the wire form I made, but the pedal was still not right when I ran out of time. But, I believe I am using a pedal that is too long. I have a shorter pedal setup that came with the car. To be continued tomorrow .....

 

Gas pedal is done - shorter pedal was the ticket ...

johnrodz helped me out, taking some time away from the Bonneville race truck, and I really appreciate it. I also hooked up and completed the heater hoses, throttle linkage, gas line .....


I will clean up the shop tomorrow, and, for the most part, I will not be doing much of anything else on the project until I return from Bonneville and thank you for following along .....

 

Been awhile what with Bonneville, the Adir Nats, and Florence, I have been somewhat sidetracked. But other than Carlisle and Hershey and some family time sprinkled in, I am back on the project full time.

So, after removing everything from the garage moved in there because of Florence, brakes have been adjusted, bled, and await a final bleed, tranny has fluid, FE is set, rear tires have had their dynabeads installed, and a host of other small things done. I am hoping to be ready for a "let's put the body back on the frame" soon ....

It feels good to be back on it ....

 

Welcome back Home

 

X2!

 

Thanks, gents!