It took me a couple of years but I finally got to post number 1,000 with this entry. I wanted to have something worthy of such a milestone but my projects lately are a bit boring. I am trying to finish all of my welding tasks especially on the firewall so I can paint the car next month. These little roadsters don't have much real estate so creativity is required. Mounting items like the heater box, MSD supercharger control module, wipers and fuse panel under the dash where they are out of view and without drilling holes in the firewall requires a bit of welding. Plus I added a glove box and cowl vent which ate up some room...cool but damn, getting tight all up in there. Tonight's project was the fuse panel. I fabricated a 1/4" flat bar, drilled and tapped it and welded it to the firewall over the column. I cut down a stainless piano hinge that mounts to the bracket now welded permanently to the car. I cut a steel panel that is large enough to hold the fuse panel, plus have room for the hinge mounting screws (nut zerted) in the back and a thumb screw in the front to secure it when folded. The idea being that when needed for servicing, the panel folds down with no tools necessary and then secures up out of site when service is complete. I'll have to keep the wiring a bit long and coiled to facilitate the panel opening. I purchased the Coach Controls panel for my car, I don't need all 24 circuits and 6 relays built in to the panel but I do have electric fuel pump, electric fan (a HAMB favorite), and a few other accessories. This little panel incorporates all of that into one piece. Pictures: This is the Coach Controls panel mounted and swung down for service. Four thumb screws removes the cover to reveal the inner workings, very tidy, well engineered product. I had to fabricate this bracket to hold the panel when secured in the upright and locked position for take off. It is secured to a stud I welded to the underside of the cowl, don't try that after your car is painted! That is the intermittent wiper motor mounted (welded) to the firewall as well. This next picture shows the panel folded up. I am taking these pictures with the dash out obviously. And a view from the bottom looking up. Screws are counter sunk, just the black thumb screw visible. I will paint and stripe the bottom for fun. When in the upright position the panel is slightly higher than the bottom of the dash so you wont see anything. The MSD box is tucked up on the opposite side. It is accessed easily by removing the glove box liner. I built a couple of simple brackets that are welded in and are threaded to accept the rubber mounting feet. The heater I built for tech week a couple of years ago bolts up to that 1 inch bar below the MSD box, drilled and tapped and welded to the fire wall. One more item to add to the firewall but that will wait for this year's tech week (I think you will like it). Thanks for reading my 1000 posts and making me welcome here. I got a car to paint!
Kid. That's a fact Jack. But better to have too many than to few, like beer. On second thought, not sure that applies.
Douglas, stolen yes. Duplicated, no. It has some brush strokes that are mine. And if you think about it, no one steals bad ideas or ugly women
Bandit, one of these days I'm going to do something similar to my truck. The previous owner did a decent job but used the same color wire for just about everything.
Congratulations on your 1,000th posting! Can you post a photo of that fuse panel after it gets ugly with wires? I did buy the laminated wiring diagram from Coach Controls, the ONLY WIRING COMPANY that can print an understandable wiring diagram! If you know how clueless I am to anything electrical that is a real endorsement to a company I'd buy from if any of my projects ever get to the point of needing wire. Bob
They used to give you a t shirt, a happy meal and a title change for hitting 1,000 posts. I guess FNG wasn't a politically correct title so the titles are gone too. I was expecting a party when I got to 10,000 post but they just told me to STFU.
"(S)Election" may be the best thread of all time, "My Water Broke", or "Fuelish Mistake" may tie for the most clever titles, but watch out, 36cab is coming at you with "I'm a louver not a fighter".....
Ok, that is funny, Clunker. When I saw his thread I thought exactly the same thing. I see a dance off in the works. And thanks for the creds on (S)election. I tastefully requested the moderators to close that thread after I got the results I needed. I didn't want it open on November 8th if you get my drift. I may be the only guy that asked for his own thread to be closed. Kid, no lie. The instructions, if can call them that, are a plastic laminated poster that's about 20" X 15" or so (I didn't actually measure it but my wife says I exaggerate 1000 percent of the time. oks clear and concise. I will post a pic wired but that will wait till the shiny coat gets applied and polished in January. Perhaps the original owner was color blind and he actually thought he was using different color wire? More than likely he was a cheap bastard who got a good deal at HF on a roll of wire...and a tape free tape measure. Oh, and I think you committed a faux pa there, I believe you meant "piece on earth". If you grew veggies it could be "peas on earth" I suppose. "Pees on earth" has something to do with seeing a man about a horse for some reason. And Douglas, your posts always give me a reason to laugh... plus a desire to check your blood/alcohol level. Im not on here much, work full time still and try to find time to keep my cars running, build new ones and add to the inventory (which I did yesterday)...oh and stay married. Thanks guys, great site, good times.
The Jalopy Journal
