Project Heavy Metal - an all steel classic, remastered

[Jonny042]

Originally Posted by ChrisHoover

Here’s the highest end guide to cable harnesses

https://www.rbracing-rsr.com/wiring_ecu.html

OMG - There should be some sort of warning to accompany that - WARNING!!!!! RABBIT HOLE! USE EXTREME CAUTION!!!!

Added that to my bookmarks..... for later. And the next build. Man there is a whole world out there that I simply haven't looked into.

Thanks for the link!

[Jonny042]

Originally Posted by Canada Kev

I'm so disappointed in this image, Jonny. I mean look at it! The conductors going into the top side of your fuse panel. They're not exactly the exact same length as each other and/or path shape differs slightly. And the wire bundle isn't precisely parallel to the top edge of the panel. I mean, really, what kind of presentation is this?


All kidding aside, this project is effing fantastic! Of course the end result will be amazing but the journey actually is at least half the fun. I might just have to make a run out east to feast my eyes in person when you're done. Cudos to you, brother.

Thanks Kevin, who knows, maybe a road trip will be in order!

As for my crappy wiring job, yeah, I know. I'll fix it I promise. In all seriousness I keep looking at that spot you call out as less than perfect and keep thinking about how to improve it. I did have small tie-wraps at each junction where a wire left the bundle, top and bottom, but it looked too messy so I cut them off. Until Tom brought up harness lacing I was planning to order some smaller tie-wraps (panduit has them down to 3" I think) to see if I could tidy it up with a visually less intrusive method. But I think he's onto something.....

One other thought I've had is to put the fuse block on standoffs, and run the bundle behind it an bring the wires up from behind. Not entirely unlike the factory did with the later fuse box panels on the IB cars.....

[KTL]

I was going to suggest spiral wrap but now seeing the lacing makes me think lacing is the way to go on this build!

Did you hi I’ve the Protectaclear a look yet. I’ve got some in hand I have yet to use. Need to get moving on that.....

[ChrisHoover]

I think the wiring you’ve done is at a high level. Its better than most wiring I have seen whether cars or industrial controls. The next step up is mostly aesthetics and so it is subjective. Personally I don’t like spiral wrap or split loom. I like techflex if it is a tight weave. I think velcro is better than tie wraps and lacing is the better than velcro. I have seen cable inside a flexible plastic sleeve
or tubing. That looks really good but it is difficult to size and the branch circuits are not clean.

[Canada Kev]

Oh, what to do with the wiring to make it look oh so pretty and organized...

The braided sheath is very nice and looks the same. I use it regularly with managing fibre optic strands and it works very well in my application. However, to get it to look really pro, one has to feed the wires in from one end and it's somewhat difficult to branch off individual wires so it's usually best for transitioning stuff from one place to another with nothing leaving the bundle.

An alternative to the regular braided sheath is split braid. Same as woven braid but is split like regular plastic split loom. It works quite well and allows for individual wires to leave the bundle through the split. To make it look pretty when wires branch off the main bundle, a small slit must be cut in the overlapping braid to allow the wires to exit cleanly with no bunching of the sheath at that point. A hot blade is good for this as it fuses the plastic braid so it doesn't tend to unravel.

Lacing looks great and is (now) pretty "old school". It was used quite extensively in the telecommunications world before cable ties (or zip ties or tie-wraps for us Canucks...) became ubiquitous. It's fiddly to get to look right until you get the hang of it but it's one of those lost arts. And it's kinda tough to repair or add on to it. Does look great, though.

Velcro. Fantastic alternative to cable ties. Plus reusable. Wont scratch your hand, if you don't cut the ends off perfectly flush, when you're reaching into a tight place as cable ties often do. Other positives is that its cheap and easy to install. Looks cleaner than the plastic Tie Raps.

And I suppose one could use cloth tape. Works well if applied correctly and looks period correct if not quite as clean looking as other methods.


Sorry, didn't mean to open this can of worms with my joking about the wires at your fuse panel. It's tough to pick apart anything on this fantastic build and pure jealousy - gotta get my digs in and kick down the high fliers, don't ya know...

Keep it up and keep including us in your insanity.

[Jonny042]

Originally Posted by Canada Kev

Lacing looks great and is (now) pretty "old school". It was used quite extensively in the telecommunications world before cable ties (or zip ties or tie-wraps for us Canucks...) became ubiquitous. It's fiddly to get to look right until you get the hang of it but it's one of those lost arts. And it's kinda tough to repair or add on to it. Does look great, though.

Sounds perfect to me!!!!

I'm going to have to take the tank back out though:



With the shell on the dolly and the tank out I can step right into the tank opening, sit on the edge, and work away.

Going to order the lacing cord from Aircraft Spruce and give it a go. I really only have the trunk area to do so it shouldn't be THAT big a job.

Thanks for all the input, everyone. Cheers!

[Matt Smith]

Jonny, I've been watching this thread from the beginning and IMO it's the best build we've seen..

You have a very special eye and talent for detail. It's getting to the point where viewers are expecting nothing but the best. In light of Thread Contribution, I officially declare that lacing the loom is your only option. Please post practice pics so we can determine if you have mastered the art sufficiently.

[Jonny042]

Originally Posted by Matt Smith

Jonny, I've been watching this thread from the beginning and IMO it's the best build we've seen..

You have a very special eye and talent for detail. It's getting to the point where viewers are expecting nothing but the best. In light of Thread Contribution, I officially declare that lacing the loom is your only option. Please post practice pics so we can determine if you have mastered the art sufficiently.

Hi Matt!,

Thanks so much for the compliments, really glad you are enjoying the thread!

I ordered the lacing cord just now - as Mr. Elder suggested I went with Aircraft Spruce. I resisted the temptation to look elsewhere on the site.

I will be sure to post some pictures. The hilarious thing about this whole thing is, I have always been TERRIBLE at tying knots. I mean, I can barely tie my shoes!!

While I should have been sleeping last night I was thinking about other options for improving the presentation of the fuse panel and have a few ideas. More on that later.

[Jonny042]

Originally Posted by KTL

I was going to suggest spiral wrap but now seeing the lacing makes me think lacing is the way to go on this build!

Did you hi I’ve the Protectaclear a look yet. I’ve got some in hand I have yet to use. Need to get moving on that.....

Stay tuned!

I did look at the protecta-clear - looks like good stuff. It certainly would be a good plan to protect those beautiful looking KW units.....I'm guessing you're waiting for spring before install on those?

Based on what I've learned from driving and racing the Rot Rod, I'm considering increasing the torsion bar sizes on this car to 20 front and 27 rear. The original plan was to run the stock SC 18.8/25 but I think the Kw's will easily control the stiffer rates without ruining the ride. The Rot Rod has 21 front, 28 rear. I'll probably try 29mm rear as it still seems to squat in the rear quite a bit.

[Edoyle]

Originally Posted by Jonny042

OMG - There should be some sort of warning to accompany that - WARNING!!!!! RABBIT HOLE! USE EXTREME CAUTION!!!!

Added that to my bookmarks..... for later. And the next build. Man there is a whole world out there that I simply haven't looked into.

Thanks for the link!

Great resource for wiring and even after a speed read I feel as though I have elevated my standards on what an acceptable wiring job is.

Keep up your excellent work Jonny.

[Jonny042]

Originally Posted by Edoyle

Great resource for wiring and even after a speed read I feel as though I have elevated my standards on what an acceptable wiring job is.

Keep up your excellent work Jonny.

Hey Ethan! How are things? How is the Sepia build? Not sure I've seen an update in a bit.

[Jonny042]

For reasons unknown the oil thermostat was replaced during the great motor debacle in the cars past (for those who don't have a photographic memory, the cars original motor and trans were lost in a fire, luckily the roller was outside the shop!).

It's been hanging on the wall (since what, 2015?) as an assembly including the trombone oil cooler and the old oil lines. Once in a while, it would drop a bit of oil for no reason at all.

I assumed it was going to be a huge PITA to break it free but surprisingly it wasn't. Not only that but it cleaned up with nothing more than a few minutes effort.

[wjdunham]

Like everything on this project, absolute perfection... How did you get it that clean in a few minutes? I would think bead blasting a thermostat would be a bit dangerous, tough to make sure nothing gets into the passages.
Bill

[Edoyle]

Originally Posted by Jonny042

Hey Ethan! How are things? How is the Sepia build? Not sure I've seen an update in a bit.

The project is moving along well. No more updates as I had the thread removed (I was frustrated that after six months the original poster is no longer able to edit own posts).

That thermostat looks new!

[Jonny042]

Originally Posted by wjdunham

Like everything on this project, absolute perfection... How did you get it that clean in a few minutes? I would think bead blasting a thermostat would be a bit dangerous, tough to make sure nothing gets into the passages.
Bill

Like I said, it was (relatively) recently replaced so it was a nice surprise to not have to spend much time on it. For once, something was easier than I thought.

I've been working on fitting new oil lines - quite a job, and much more time consuming that I figured.

[scootermcrad]

Going back to your "crappy wiring job" (wink), when I was originally planning out the Modified Murray wiring, I was going to use the wire lacing method. Definitely a great detail and something that was actually really common in more than just automotive and aircraft harnesses over the decades. Here's an interesting how-to video that I had seen.

https://youtu.be/CERS4TT4uZY

I never ended up doing it, but one day I'm going to do this. Maybe I should consider this for the 911 as well...

Carry-on! Just wanted to add to the mass-education you have going on here.

[Jonny042]

Originally Posted by scootermcrad

Going back to your "crappy wiring job" (wink), when I was originally planning out the Modified Murray wiring, I was going to use the wire lacing method. Definitely a great detail and something that was actually really common in more than just automotive and aircraft harnesses over the decades. Here's an interesting how-to video that I had seen.

https://youtu.be/CERS4TT4uZY

I never ended up doing it, but one day I'm going to do this. Maybe I should consider this for the 911 as well...

Carry-on! Just wanted to add to the mass-education you have going on here.

Wow you gotta love the internet - I watched all 38 minutes LOL. Although I do admit I sped it up a bit. Of course now I'm trying to figure out how I can get the wiring to lay in a nice 3x3 bundle.....

Anyway, even after I practice a bit I will probably have at least 490 yards of lacing tape left over so I'll mail you some

[Jonny042]

Well like just about everything else this seems to have gotten out of hand. Other than the aforementioned oil thermostat the rest of the cooling system was pretty beat and/or just not up to the demands of a hot 3.2SS. The factory trombone cooler is pretty basic....

One thing led to another, and I ultimately decided the best way to go would be new parts, including the Carrera cooler and install kit from our host, plus an 8" Spal fan:



New lines....





And a few miscellaneous bits.



The big picture: there's a surprisingly substantial system at work keeping the motor cool and lubricated in a 911.



Whatever makes it happy!!

[Jonny042]

The late model Carrera lower cooler bracket didn't fit quite right on the non IB inner fender so I had to make a mount....for the mount. I took this as an opportunity to spread the load on the inner fender out a bit. Note test fit of fan mount brackets.



The 8" SPAL fan is pretty big and the packaging is tight for the application, I had to trim back the rearmost bumper mount tab and verify clearance to the turn signal housing. It's all in there now.





I still have some details to sort out (extending the fan shroud to fit the early bumper so as not to let air by, seal install, etc. but the lines are in.

The hard lines along the rocker were pretty tweaked when they arrived (not surprised) but they weren't crushed and were easily bent to fit the body nice and tight. There's a lot of leeway in how things are assembled here so you really have to pay attention to the angles of everything - best to leave everything loose (including the clamps on the rocker panels!!) so it can all slide around a bit. I had to take it all apart and put it back together several times to get the main lines bent to fit the way I wanted.

Last few pics for now:

[drew935]

Wow, Jonny! I finally finished going through all the pages and am finally up to the current part of the build.
Outstanding and amazing work. I follow the same standards as you have shown in the threads.
Thanks and keep moving forward.
Looking forward to the completion and enjoyment of your drives!