Herman's Factory Five Racing 65' Roadster Build Site

March 2006

3/1/2006 - A new month and more forward progress. Today was getting the split-loom completed in the engine compartment. You would think this would be easy but the route I chose, under the carburator/through the intake manifold, took a bit of measuring and some trial and error. In the end, I think it helped clean up the wiring while providing good protection against abrasion which could lead to a short. While it's not the stuff of show cars, it is functional and that's what this car is about.\

In the first photo, you can see the speedometer cable routed. This works fine except I personally think it's still too long. I'm going to order a much shorter 40" cable from Breeze Automotive later this week. However, I did verify that using the hose-clamp to keep the speedometer cable in place on the gauge works out very well. Still, I want the shorter run.

Also visible of course, is the wiper motor and the split looms. The thicker loom (3/4" diameter) contain all of the sensors on the motor: oil temp., oil pressure, water temp., and radiator thermostat switch. In addition, the wires to the MSD distributor to the MSD6AL ignition module is also in this loom. The thinner loom ( 3/8" diameter) is are the MSD wires to the coil. I initially wanted to run this into the larger loom but it turned out to be too hard to merge and run the wires out the other side so I used a seperate loom. The picture is somewhat deceptive; the loom is not pulled taunt; it does have enough play to keep the wires from stretching and possibly breaking so no worries here. Note the larger loom going into the driver side hole that was cut by FFR. I used a normal "round" grommet here but the hole is actually a 1/2 circle. I'll fill in the rest with some black silicone later on.

One thing that I should mention is the fuel line. Last month I had the line left a bit long since I wasn't 100% sure about how the carburator was going to sit. The issue was the throttle cable. People have indicated the normal "S" bend the line would take if the carburator was mounted with the linkage on the driver side, would tend to bind. Some have turned the carburator 180 deg. so the linkage is on the passenger side and the cable is much smoother. As it turned out, the forum members were right. I was not happy on how the cable felt when I depressed the pedal. So I turned the carb around, removed a good 10" from the cable and it is now much smoother as I was expecting, but the fuel line had to be rerouted. Fortunately, I left a lot of line just for that purpose. As it turned out, I did have to remove another 5" but the run is now cleaner than before.

The next photo shows where the sensor lines and distributor line all converged into the 3/4" split loom; note the Lokar thorttle linkage; this is not touching any of the distributor or coil lines. It is close enough to the radiator hose (when it get's installed) that I'll be able to anchor the line to the hose; there is currently an anchor point using a zip tie on the clutch cable.

A good shot of the current progress. In retrospect, I now wish I moved the wiper motor another 3-4" towards the outside; I wasn't 100% sure if it would clear in that area but in hindsight, I found I had a lot of room left to move it if I wanted. It would of cleaned up the corner a little better. Live and learn!

3/4/2006 - I've spent a good 8 hours installing the upper and lower back cockpit panels. These panels just didn't line up very well and spent most of those 8 hours trying to get everything to line up by rebending and pounding and some cutting just to make it all fit. By far the ugliest part of this build. It's a good thing it's getting covered up with backing and carpet! Normally I would take progress pics but this is one area I'd rather not. I've done a search in the FFCobra.com forum to see about these panels and nearly everyone that has replied had used the mallet-motivator to get these things to fit somewhat close. At least close enough to rivet to the frame! In any event, most of the rear wall is now riveted in and I can now concentrate on getting the wiring started . There are still a good number of panels left ( beneath each door, the rear-triangluar pieces, transmission tunnel cover and rear trans. cover. But beyond that, the interior is actually quite close to being done. I've even notice I've put a good dent in the rivet box.

With any luck tomorrow, I may try to get the under-door panels done. I need to leave the transmission covers off until I've finalized the parking brake issue and possible wiring route along the backbone.

3/5/2006 - Today's task involved routing the I-Squared Engineering (ISQE) Power Pontroller (PC)wires to the front firewall, and working on the modular connector. There were a few things that cropped up while getting the harness from the engine sensors, to the dash. The first was the choke. This power wire needs a switched +12v. In addition, it occurred to me that the backup light will need +12v as well; ISQE had it tap off the "park" power but that only goes on if I turn on the headlamps. I would prefer them to work in the daytime as well! To satifsy these 2 power requirements as well as the MSD6AL switched +12v, I will utilize a terminal block ( 4x). This will allow me to run all 3 units with an additional terminal just in case. Note in the photo that the red power line will go back into the dash area where I will mount the terminal block.

As you can see, the wires in the bundle will go through the front firewall to power 2 radiator fans, 2 headlamps, 2 high-beam, 2 signal and 2 park. Based on ISQE's diagram, the headlamps will be fed by one power line, the high-beams will both be fed on another line. Signal will tap to their respective side's power for L / R, and the park will utilize another power line tapped from the other park lamps out back and the dash. In all, 7 wires will exit through the oval hole on the passenger side, using the supplied block-off plate for moutning the grommets.

As mentioned yestreday, I did get the back cockpit wall completed so I could route the ISQE PC harness from the trunk to the front; while I did complete this, I still need to route the communications cable between the PC and MC (Master Controller). The problem is, the 15 pin end, shown in the picture, is about 1.5" wide. I would basically need a 1.5" hole but the cable itself is only 3/8" in diameter. How was I to fill in the void? The grommet won't take up that much slack. Then I realized, I could probably find a hole "plug" like those you see in firewalls of some vehciles, and punch out a hole the size of the cable. To get the plug around the cable, I'd have to make a "slit" from the center to the circumference. I'd silicone the slit back up afterward. So that will hopefully work. I'll have to make sure of the hole size before I hit the auto store on Monday.

Picture of the harness connectors. Still need a few more lines to work on.

3/7/2006 - Finally got around to the access hole behind the passenger seat. In order to pass the computer cable through, I had to modify the hole to allow the connector to pass. This was accomplished as shown in the photos ( note in the last photo, I did the same thing but made a "slight" miscalculation on the location; acutally, it was initially planned closer to the frame but then I realized as the hole was punched through that the upper shock nut was right there! The new location is much better with nothing in the way.

3/7/2006 - Found some time to finish up the harnesses; it does take time to get wires into the split loom. For awhile there, I was thinking to myself, do I really need to put so much of this stuff around the wires. Then I recalled my electrical fire in the Mustang and I kept plugging away knowing I'm doing everything I can to prevent that from happening again! You'll also see the front running power lines for the head lights, signal lights, radiator fans, parking lights and high-beam all neatly routed using some anchors specificlly designed for split loom. What I don't know is just how close the body comes to the frame; I do hope these don't touch the body! Plan B of course, is to use normal insulated hose type loops but I'm hoping not to do that.

3/14/2006 - Since the last post, I've made somewhat steady progress. No pictures amazingly. I did take some but after review, they didn't show enough of what I've accomplished. So here it is in summary:

* Shipped back the I-Squared Master Controller - like others, we wanted to have the signal lamps flash with "momentary" switches in lieu of self-cancelling and normal SPDT switches. I should get this back late next week.

* Finished riviting down the 2nd trunk floor panel. This was required to finalize the I-Squared Power Controller location and wiring. I actually ran out of rivets so a run to Orchard Supply was needed.

* Ran the rear power lines from the Power Controller (brake lamp, park lights, L & R turn signal and fuel pump.) Drilled and riveted harness hoops to keep everything neat. Zip tied most of the main harness from the trunk panel to the rear firewall panel, to keep the split loom together (it's at it's maximum capacity from what I can determine!) I also used split loom for the primary power lines to the battery kill switch and to the Master controller. Of course grommets at every hole!

* Ran a lot of split-loom on all +12V wires that could touch metal. One car electrical fire is enough for me!

* Completed installing the primary ground wire from the battery terminal to a 2x2" frame member using a side-post style battery post. I tapped a 3/8-16 hole and used a new copper washer for good conductivity. Then tightned down the whole stud.

* Checked for possibly power line contacting the frame. I hooked up my VOM and one end touching the Positive Battery clamp and the other to various points along the chassis; not a single peep! Also checked to ensure the battery cutt-off worked.

The only things left to do electrically is to finish up the molex connector and the various power connections that were not in the molex. Just waiting now for the return of the newly programmed Master Controller. If all goes well, I could fire up the engine by April 1st!!!

3/15/2006 - Tonight I riveted down a couple more of the trunk panels. One of the things I had to do was to cut around the mounting plate of the passenger side 3rd leg. I tried cutting large holes to accomodate the bolts but in the end, it was simpler to just cut around the plate. I silicone caulked around the perimeter to seal it.

Here's a shot of the primary ground stud I installed on 3/14:

With the passenger trunk panels in place, I temporarily mounted the circuit breaker to the 1+1 Power Controller:

3/19/2006 - Over the last few days, I was reevaluating the engine compartment wiring and I just wasn't happy with my initial routing and grounding (see 3/1/06). I just didn't like the bulk of the 3/4" split loom harness, and the ground straps were not sufficiently grounded on the 3/4" tube. So I simply ripped it all out and started over!!! This wasn't very easy as I had put a number of those connections into the molex connector. I spent quite a bit of time reversing out everything but got it done.

The first order of buisness was thel MSD ignition wires. Originally, the coil wires were fine but the trigger wire to the distributor went into the 3/4" split loom and entered the passenger compartment, went all the way to the passenger side and exited right next to the MSD box. I thought hiding it would make things cleaner but after looking again, it was just plain silly what I did! So I re-routed the trigger wires along the same path as the coil wires and coilded up the slack behind the MSD box. Done.

With that out of the way, the 4 wires left ( oil temp., oil pressure, water temp. and radiator fan thermostat switch ) all slipped nicely into a 1/2" split loom instead of the huge 3/4" split loom harness I originally started with. The choke wire was also routed into this 1/2 loom and into the cockpit. Since I was using a much smaller loom, I took some scrap aluminum and patched up the 1/2-circle hole on the driver side area where the footbox and tunnel aluminum joint. Then I simply drilled out a hole for the 1/2" loom and of course, the grommet. The area in front of the firewall looks a bit cleaner than before

Next was re-inserting the wires back into the molex. From there on, all of the other wires began to take form and by the end of the evening, I am proud to say, the wiring in the dash area is actually completed for all intents. Unfortunately, the dash itself needs to be prepped and anodized so all the gauges and switches have come off for now. Still, I feel good that all the routing of the wires are completed.

No, I didn't forget the ground straps; that happened this morning; I utilized a side-post for a battery terminal as my ground stud. I did this with the primary ground from the battery, and decided this would work well for the ground straps. So again, I tapped out a 3/8-16" hole and mounted the terminal post. I'm much happier with this steup despite the obvious looking retrofit.

I have to admit, the wiring as a whole, isn't as simple as it seems on paper. While I did a lot of paper planning and for the most part, execute the plan as predicted, about 20% of the tasks were logistical in nature. A few connections don't neatly route the way you'd expect them; the fuel sender is one of them. I didn't bundle it with the main harness through the firewall; the 3/4" split loom was at capacity as it was. So I routed it along the tunnel. It come up from the driver side of the tunnel and up into the molex connector. The "parking light" power was tapped from the main harness on it's way up to the front signal. From the split it runs with the power to the heater motor and eventually getting to the molex connector (for gauge illumination.) Another consideration was the +12v switched power. I didn't run a key-type ignition switch so in lieu of this, I used a terminal block where the "IGN" power goes to; all other switched applications get their power from here ( LED signal indicators, MSD igntion, and the backup light.) Speaking of the backup light, that was another area I had to think about; I-Squared used an example of it connected to the "parking light" line but this didn't make sense since I may need to backup in daylight. So I tapped power from the switched power and ran the wire via the fuel split-loom since it was already nearby.

The LED's are still a concern because they install from the front instead of behind. A little short sighted on my part. So I need to figure out a way such that the connectors allow for the washer and nut to pass through should I ever have to replace the LED's. I will likely use small bullet-type connectors in this instance instead of the typical spade type connectors.

Overall, a very productive weekend. Now I have to take care of that tail housing seal.... :(

3/22/2006 - As a continuation of my rewiring phase, I took the opportunity to re-wrap both the switch and gauge harnesses behind the dash since the dash is going to get prepped for an anodizing. The original gauge wiring loom had a 3/4" split loom and half of the switch wiring loom was 3/4" as well (the rest was 1/2".) After careful tucking and taping, I was able to fit the gauge wires and the rest of the switch wires to fit in 1/2" split looms instead. This takes a huge amount of the bulk out of the back . When this get's completely reinstalled, you should notice the difference from the pictures taken on 2/18/06.

Also took care of the LED wiring as mentioned earlier. Chris @ I-Squared had mentioned specifically to use the "drive wire" supplied for the LED signal lamps. It turns out the LED's specified are 3-volt type but the drive wire contains a diode to step down the +12v. I would assume the reason for this is simple; since these indicators also double for the 4-way flasher, you need to ensure the lamps are connected to the battery in the event the system should somehow fail. So rather than regulate voltage to 3v at the 1+1 System, the Master Controller actually "grounds" the LED's to complete the circuit.

The one problem that some will encounter is moutning such a small indcator. The hole isn't the problem but what secures the LED's to the dash can be an issue. One answer is to dab silicone and clamp the LED's to the dash until it dries. Another may be zip-ties (similar to using a hose clamp for the incandecent signal lamps). The receptacle I used, a T1-1/4, does come with a threaded receptacle; the source I-Squared recommedend did have a larger T1-3/4" size which would be prefect but since I already have the 1/4" size, I'll be using smaller holes on the dash.

The problem with using the smaller receptacle is threading the nut and lockwasher through the wires and connectors. I ended up using the male and female "pins" for a molex connector and soldered the appropriate pins to the LED's and to the wires and shrink-wrapped the pins. Turned out pretty good and the results aren't too bad.

3/26/2006 - This weekend was a fairly productive weekend to get a lot of the niggly things done while waiting for the Master Conteroller to return from I-Squared Engineering. Looking at the car from a distance, you cannot tell that anything significant was done but here's a run down of my weekend:

First, I finished riveting the last of the rear trunk panels (driver side-panel, next to the roll-bar mounts) and the driver side panel below the door area. The thin strips on each door area are still boxed but will get to those later in the week.

Next, was something that I know I needed to do but just kept forgetting: zip tie the shock hats!!! No pics but you all know about this problem so that's now checked off my to-do list!

Next, the backup lamp switch connection. Since I've decided to use the Mini Cooper oval backup lamp, I needed to run power to the T5 switch, out to the back. The problem is, I've rivet down all the trunk panels, as well as the split loom. But I wanted a clean installation so for an hour, I slowly but surely, threaded the line from the T5-switch back through the split loom that holds the fuel tank sender wire. I had to cut a number of zip ties and black electical tape along the way but I finally managed to get it back out there! Of course I used my VOM to test that it worked when I throw the shifter into reverse.

Next stop, the leaky tail shaft seal. This was suppose to be a new seal I bought through Ford I believe, about 2 years ago, but never filled the tranny until last month; that's when I found out it leaked around the 9-o'clock position.. This was completly my fault as I did not do a good job of installing it; I could clearly see some of the material that didn't seat. Getting the driveshaft out was going to be a pain if I elected to unbolt all 4 of the 12mm bolts that has Loc-Tite RED on them! But since I do have a U-Joint remover (an oversized C-clamp), I decided to try removing the drive shaft itself, allowing the yoke to slip out . This worked like a charm! With the yoke pulled out, I was able to remove the seal. As you can plainly see, rubber seal was ripped pretty good. I should of known better!!!

Note: the dust shield was purposely ripped so I could get my seal puller in position.).

I bought a new seal from Napa which has a STEEL housing instead of a rubber one. This means it is an interference fit and should not leak. However, Max at 5-Star Ford did say I should make sure the seal is hammered in evenly or else it could deform and cause a leak also. So I took the seal with me to the hardware store and found the proper sized stell bell reducer in the plumbing section. I already had the square plug from my other bell reducer from another seal installation on the diff., so within a few minutes and a mini-sledge, I was done. Afterwards, I filled the T5 with an initial 3.5 quarts of Dextron III automatic tranny fluid. I "think" it's suppose to be 3.75 quarts but wasn't sure at the time so I've put a note on the tranny on how much was put in. Under the car, NO LEAKS! :)

Finally, I mentioned some time back, a stripped cylinder head thread. I had purchased a heli-coil repair kit for the 1/4-20 bolt size and this went well. Took only 20 minutes at most but the helicoils were all only 3/8" deep and the actual hole in the cylider head is 3/4". My 1/4-20 bolt doesn't quite get to the threads of the helicoil so I will need to buy a new bolt that's about 1/4" longer to compensate for the short coil.

3/27/2006 - Tonight I had just enough time to do a few things (I've been hooked on "24" this season so Monday's at 9pm, I stop working on the car.) I bolted down the 60A circuit breaker in the trunk area. Just remembered I didn't complete the circuit from the cut-off switch to the circuit breaker (just didn't screw down the ferrule on the cable going into the breaker.) I'll get to that later in the week. The 2 triangular panels behind each seat have been just drilled out but haven't matched them up to the interior panels yet (seats are in but didn't feel like dragging out the car tonight.) Finally, I installed the dual Hella compact horns on the X-member. I drilled and tapped a 5/16-18 hole and used a couple of spare hex SS hex bolts I had laying around to secure them:

3/29/2006 - Tonight I tackled the mini-heater, hoses and shutoff valve. The first order of business was to make a bracket for the shutoff valve. Using some spare aluminum, I cut a small rectangle with 4 holes to match the shutoff valves 2 screw holes and 2 locating stubs. Afterwards, I positioned the assembly and riveted to the 3/4 chassis tube just above the MSD ignition box.

Next was cutting the 2 holes for the 5/8 ID heater hose. As you see in the photo's, the core of the mini-heater faces towards the center of the car; this was the best position I could come up with for the setup to allow it to stay below the firewall top edge, and be able to route heater hoses to the two plenums they will terminate at (one for the driver side, one for the passenger side.) The poitioning actually works out ok as you can see. Of the 10' of hose I purchased, I used about 9' of it. Pretty good estimating if I do say so myself. :)

The only things missing right now are hose clamps. I only had 2 so I'll have to go to the store tomorrow to get four more. At this point, it appears the radiator will be going in next and should be ready for the body by Saturday... oh, I forgot to mention, I've decided on putting the body on the car in preparation to sending the car to Street Rod Painter, Ken Pike. Yes, it's been a fast 5 months now and it's now time to actually lay down the paint. The timeframe will be the end of April. This gives me 4 weeks to get all of the body illumination completed and probably a few other things that I won't know about until that time comes. It also means the dash will need to get completed. If all goes according to plan, the engine will fire up with a body on the car, thus bypassing the first "go-kart" stage. Not to worry. The body does come off at SRP and I will be go karting during the summer. :)