Page 5 - February and March 2009
Mach 13 springs forward...
First off, during the sub zero weather of winter I had been identifying and collecting various little parts to help with this final wiring push and the last several weeks the weather cooperated so I could get a lot done.
First off I unpacked the 5 hole switch panel from Jeggs. I installed two touch switches to program and talk to the dakota digital dash.
Then I put in three neon lights, one red one white and one blue for indicting problems with the engine computer and indicating various status conditions.
I wired all of the wires from the switch panel into a custom wrapped harness about 3 feet long so I can have flexibility on where the put the panel. For now I think the panel is just about the right size for the center AC vent rectangle. I will not have AC at first so that is a good start and does not involve cutting the dash. I will have to have the guys at work help me make a backing plate that sandwiches the dash pad and holds the panel firmly. Then I went out in the garage and tested the fit. Oh yeah.
Then I connected the starter power wire and ran it to the old battery area where I am planning to screw down two terminal blocks I got off of E-bay. The battery wire from the trunk and the alternator wire will go on top of the starter wire at one block and all wires are huge gage. I will marry this block to another one through a fused breaker and run accessories and hook up the old light harness to it. Lookslike a good place down on the vertical wall that used to be under the old battery location. That way nobody can touch them by accident.
The Dakota Digital dash went in so I could plan the location of its interface. Fits nicely above the glove box. Now I gotta wire it up.
Next I snaked in the tranny cooler lines I got at the dealer a year or so ago. Next I put in the radiator and fan for a test fit. Amazingly the coller lines reach the right distance to the radiator and don't hit any cross members or engine mounts.
Later I will take it out and drill holes for the late model radiator brackets with the rubber grommets the radiator posts ride in. The radiator fan went right on there so I could test out the fit of my fan wiring harness I spliced to a junk yard connector. Primo fit!
The power steering cooler I got off of E-bay couple years ago even clears the side of the radiator by an inch and screws to the front of the rad support. Nice.
Had to buy some bolts and then bolt in the oil filter plate. This one is from a GT as the cobra one with the oil cooler is too big to fit within the frame. I also had to adapt the oil pressure transducer that came from Dakota Digital.
Now back to the trunk to fit the new battery mount Earlier I had built a wood subfloor to flatten the trunk floor either side of the tank. Now I drilled the mounting holes completely through to the underside, cut the carpet and serewed down the Jeggs Optima battery mount. With the wood floor I had to get longer screws.
The battery fits nice and snug. You can move the entire car by grabbing this solid battery mount.
Page 1 April 2004 to summer of 2008
Page 2 Fall 2008 Interior
Page 3 January 2009
Page 4 Vanity Plate
Page 5 You are There - February and March 2009
Page 6 April thru June 2009
