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Now that I have the engine in I needed to hook up fuel lines, vacuum lines, all sensors finalize the battery pwr to engine harness which has the alternator, starter, ignition (deleted ign harness with IRP IGN-1A), a/c and ps sensors, oil temp and oil level sensors.
Part 1. Battery Harness - Engine Power
Part 2. Re-route IRP IGN-1A Harness
Part 3. Sensor Hook up. Water Temp, Oil Temp and Oil Pressure
Part 4. Ac Line woes with save.
Part 5. Power Steering and Alternator connector
Part 6. Install ordered parts for missing parts and ugly FPR set-up
Part 1. Battery Harness - Engine Power
First to hook up was the clutch line, lost the clip somehow and ordered another one from Atkins. Next, I hooked up the fuel lines to the engine. Can’t forget the coolant hose that goes to the plastic fitting on the engine, got that too.
For the engine harness I had to take the ps pump and oil fill tube off to lay the harness out for routing. I plugged everything in and then secured the wires in that orientation. After securing the wires at the branch off sections I pulled the harness back off to wrap it. I used the high temp wire loom and some high temp electrical tape for this section. I re-installed the harness in the original plastic retainer above the frame rail and hooked up all the connections. I used some hose clamps to secure harness behind the ps pump and to the engine where it goes to the starter. I put Kapton tape over the connector that went to the original ign harness.
I had a small white connector that was not being used so I looked it up, oh yeah, oil level sensor. I have no idea why I did not think to replace the oil level sensor but thankfully there is easy access to it. I also ordered the clutch clip and the oil level sensor from Atkins and had it within 3 days, good job Atkins.
Part 2. Re-route IRP IGN-1A Harness
I sooooo thought I was going to be able to keep cruise control…lol. I took apart the coil pack assembly and tried like a dozen combinations to see if I could get the coils to sit near the frame rail and under the Greddy elbow.. nope aint gonna happen. I pulled back the IGN-1A harness and re-routed it so the coils can sit where the cruise control is. I relocated the condenser to the fuel pump resistor under the brake booster. I also cleaned the threads so the bolt makes a good ground.
I installed the coil pack and ran into all kinds of fitment issues. The coil was touching the washer fluid clip, the map sensor harness was pushed forward and I had to use 2 washers to fill a gap between the bracket and the frame of the car. So, all of this was my fault because when I put the coils back together it was off to one side. I unscrewed the coils and repositioned them all to the left about ¼ inch. I also had to pull back the hood latch cable and reroute it under the harness coming though the fender. This allowed the map sensor harness to be higher and clear the coil pack. I reinstalled the coil pack and it fit great and even the bracket was sitting flusher against the body of the car. The connectors are plugged in from the front of the car to the firewall as follows – L1,T1,L2,T2. Last I ran the IGN-1A R1/R2 grounds to the perspective rotor housings.
Part 3. Sensor Hook up. Water Temp, Oil Temp and Oil Pressure
I put some black shrink tubing over my white fiberglass grommet for the boost vacuum line to calm it down, it really stood out more then I thought it would. The Prosport water and oil temp gauges come with the connections that require a special crimp tool that I did not have so I used some small pliers to bend the tabs back onto the wire strands and insulation and finished it off with your standard cheap crimp/strip tool.
First I did the water temp sensor, I ran the green wire up to the sensor at the coolant fill neck and then made a ground to go back to the bolt that holds the bracket for the clutch cable. Sorry the picture is blurry but its supposed to be a solder sleeve. This is shrink tubing with sealant on both ends and a ring of solder in the middle. It works by placing the wires through the solder ring and you use the heat gun to heat the heat shrink, melt the solder and the glue at the ends which forms a water tight seal all at once. I used the solder sleeve because I was trying to save a ring lug, I stripped back the wire and soldered it to the black wire. I also put the high temp wire loom over this since it is over the engine. I had to remove the oil filter to install the oil pressure sensor.
Next for the oil temp and oil pressure I terminated the ends for the green wires and then made the ground wires. These wires were very short and not over the engine so I left them exposed. The oil temp was just under the fuel lines and cleared fine, the oil pressure sensor was a different story. The oil pressure sensor barely clears the firewall and thankfully the bolts have pointed tips so you can get the nuts on easier. I wrote which wire went where since I knew I would not be able to read it once its in place. I was skeptical about the clutch bracket since its coated so I did a 2-step to make sure I would have a good ground. I made a ground wire that goes from a bolt between the brake line clip and the other bolt that has the IGN-1A chassis ground to the bolt holding in the clutch bracket and terminated all sensor grounds at the clutch bracket, last I put the oil filter back in place. As usual I chased the threads with the wire brush on the hand drill and tested it with the fluke meter.
Part 4. Ac Line woes with save.
Stupid me. This one is full of fail. So first I installed the new coolant hose for the front cover to get that out of the way. I wanted to clean the AC lines up so I wiped down the aluminum with brake cleaner and I used WD-40 on the black hose section. They came out really nice, much better than I expected. I always use the green O'rings for the A/C system, you just have to size it up with the old ones and test fit it.
There is a groove for an O'ring on the compressor where the top rear a/c line goes. The O'ring I put was just a little bit thicker and I looked at the old O'ring and thought it was compressed a little bit. Well I went to bolt down that line and I heard a faint crack when I was screwing down the 6mm bolt. OK, it did bottom out so then I went to the allen head screw to tighten that one and I heard another crack - ****. I went to get my glasses and sure enough the ear cracked where the allen head screw goes - damn cast aluminum (big O'ring). Where the hell am I going to get this line since my car is a 12/95 with factory R134A. Screw it, I'll try to repair it. I grabbed some thick aluminum so it would not warp under heat and I cut a hole for the port and then 2 more through holes to bolt the line and broken ear down in place. I had a hard time welding it because of the angle of the hard line. I noticed the fitting started to smoke and it was loose now - what the hell. I thought it was a pressed fit but it was just pressed in with a rubber o'ring that got hot and the broken ear turned out to be an adapter. I found this out AFTER I did the weld job. Damn first the o'ring now this, whatever. I did the best I could and I put some JB weld in the crack underneath. The sealing surface looks flat as hell, got lucky on that one. I hooked up both lines to the compressor and called it a day. If anyone has that adapter - I NEED IT!
Part 5. Power Steering and Alternator connector
The oil filler neck had to be off to correctly route the Alt harness, I ended up routing it behind the oil return pipe. I noticed my ps pump pulley sits back further then the tension pulley so I added a copper crush washer as a shim and now the pulleys line up fine. The insulation on the wires near the back of the alternator flaked off. I used some kapton tape to insulate the wires from each other then I used some Mil-spec dowsil electronic safe RTV to seal the wires up. Dowsil 3145 rtv. MIL-A-46146. I left it mated so it would dry in its natural position.
Part 6. Install ordered parts for missing parts and ugly FPR set-up
The missing parts which were the clutch bracket clip and oil level sensor from Atkins fit like I glove. I was relieved that the oil lever sensor was so easy to swap out. I feared the worse that I would have to drop the pan. I also replaced the silicon hose going to the MAP sensor since I was in that area.
The cool thing about making car parts is that over the years you accumulate materials, tools and skills. Well I wanted to share with you my 1st FPR mounting attempt which I redid and will be in the day 72 update. This hack job was a result of using what I had left over in my fuel fitting box. It would have worked and it would be super stealthy but I just did feel good about it. It was a half assed job just to get it job. I think the return line bugged me the most since it did not have gravity on its side when the car sits. I had many obstacles which were the gas purge solenoid, vacuum lines on the back of the UIM, harness on the engine, TB coolant line and fuel pressure sensor. I had to deal with all that in a tight space and I ended up with something that looked like an egg in a nest. The only that that I did not have to redo from this mess was the green signal and black ground wires going to the fuel pressure sensor..lol
Thanks for reading and enjoy the pics.
Pics Part 1. Battery Harness - Engine Power
Last edited by rotaryextreme; 05-25-21 at 10:38 PM.
When I make something for someone, I try to make it the best I can, since I’m making stuff for myself I can live with the imperfections. I know a lot of us are very handy with tools and stuff but a majority of this build is documented for family and friends who do not have much experience with making things. So forgive me if things are not 100% aligned, its just meant to give people ideas.
Part 1. FPR Bracket
Part 2. FPR Lines
Part 3. Fuel Pump Hose modification
Part 4. Parts Painted.
Part 5. Brackets and Spark Plug Wires
Part 6. UIM and TB
Part 7. Engine Ground and Overview
Part 1. FPR Bracket
Ok where did I leave off at from Day 71, yes the half assed FPR behind the intake manifold. After seeing the finished product on my FPR set-up I was unhappy. I thought about it at work, during my commute and even in the shower. I thought to myself there must be a better way, so I took another stab at it and I’m glad I did.
I pulled everything out and put the UIM, TB and Greddy elbow back on so I could see what I was working with. I took the fuel pressure sensor off the FPR and put the CJ motorsports FP gauge on, then I took off the FPR mounting bracket since it was very wide and limiting my placement options. I finally found a place between the MAP sensor and brake booster. The FP gauge was hitting the brake booster hose, so I took off the hose and stuck a Philips screwdriver in the pipe and pulled it about ¼ to ½ inch towards the LHD driver side, excellent no more rubbing.
I made a bracket to hold and test the fitment of the FPR. I wanted to use the original tapered bolts for the FPR so here is what I did. I found some aluminum in my stash that was barely wide enough, then I used the FPR bracket to draw the piolet holes on the aluminum. I drilled out the holes and made sure that the holes lined up with the bracket, then I drilled the holes bigger to fit the bolts. Now the fun part is drilling the taper. You want to grab a drill bit that has a diameter just a little bit bigger than the bolt head diameter, this way the bolt head can be seated flush. I found a drill bit and compared it to the bolt head and the taper on the original bracket just to be safe. Now you drill the hole to create the taper, just run the drill bit down until the drill bit point is flush with the bottom of the hole. Now you have your taper. The taper on my bolt head was steeper than the taper on my drill bit so the bolts did not go all the way down, but it worked good enough.
Now that I have the aluminum flat bar bolted to the FPR I can go ahead and test fit it by adding fittings and checking clearances. Every time I put the FPR into position I felt like I was holding an egg in one of those wire holders you use to color your eggs for easter. Lol. Once I knew where I wanted the FPR I made my line on the flat bar to set the height. I used some right-angle aluminum to make a bracket to sit against the firewall at the MAP sensor and at the rubber bushing where the brake booster hose bracket is. I cut out the FPR bracket to clear the other brackets and swapped the rubber bushing on the firewall with a Teflon one. I’m happy how it came out, I have access to adjust the FPR easier, I can see the gauge and it clears all the obstacles on the UIM.
Part 2. FPR Lines
Now that the FPR is in a good location I removed the UIM/TB so I can focus on routing the fuel lines. Luckily I was able to use the 2 curved fittings to snake under the TB coolant hose, clear the oil filter and TPS sensor. I used some spare straight fittings to get the height needed to install the fuel pressure sensor. I was looking for additional fittings to buy and I came across a 6AN Male to 6AN Male with the female 1/8 NPT. I installed it and it put the fuel pressure sensor at the perfect angle to clear the harness and the firewall and the length of the original signal and ground wire hooked up to it just fine.
The final 2 lines that needed to be hooked up were the feed and return on the FPR. Originally, I had a straight on the bottom return of the FPR. When I installed the return hose the fuel line was rubbing against the brake booster. I took off the straight and put on a 45 degree fitting and then loosened the fuel line clamp to spin the return line so that the curve was facing opposite of the engine and it lined up perfect with the 45 degree on the bottom of the FPR. Now I needed to make the fuel rail to FPR hose. I remembered I bought a FPR upgrade kit on ebay for my G20 since I considered turboing it but that plan was abandoned. I pulled it off the self and it had the parts I needed and they were 6AN – YES !!!!! I used a 90 degree, a straight and the SS braided hose to make the high-pressure connection between the fuel rail and the FPR. After looking at it for a bit I decided to order a 45 degree fitting to replace the straight. The kit also came with rubber coated washers for the fittings that screw into the FPR. I replaced those when I took everything apart to paint the brackets.
Part 3. Fuel Pump Hose modification
After reading about all the failures of fuel pressure dropping due to the O’ring failing where the fuel pump outlet is pressed into the pipe in the tank I decided to do this modification myself. I decided to cut it off on the larger section at the bottom right before the pipe flares outward. I did this so I could shave that larger part down to act like stop for the clamp. I would like to say that if your cutting it with a dremel like I did make sure you hold it so that if the blade grabs it will spin away from the return pipe. Fuel pipe left hand, dremel right hand – pine apple apple pen. Google it..lol. The fuel pump outlet has a very small flare to it so make sure your clamp is under that, also make sure your clamp will be free from hitting the terminal cables. I found it easier to attached the clamp to the fuel pump side first and then slide it onto the tube. Don’t forget to put your hose clamp on first! This is an easy modification that can be done in less then 2 hours depending on how many beer and smoke breaks you take.
Part 4. Parts Painted.
I’m always trying different kinds of paints and I think I’ve found one that holds strong and is durable. I used RUST-OLEUM appliance epoxy gloss black paint. It does take longer to dry so I gave the brackets 24 hours to dry. My FPR bracket looked great but a bug landed on it so I decided to spray it again. That was a big mistake since the bracket was in the sun absorbing the heat for 2 hours, the paint just wrinkled immediately and was dull on the lower part. The last thing before painting was to finish the MAP sensor and Vacuum chamber silicone replacement and test fit. Since all the fuel lines, vacuum lines and electrical has been test fitted I can finally gliterize the UIM, TB and Oil fill tube. While removing the blue tape from the UIM I was surprised at how many shavings were inside stuck to the tape from tapping the vacuum nipples. I cleaned everything with eagle-one mag wheel cleaner, taped everything up that I did not want painted and hung them up in the paint room. I put 3 coats of VHT silver, 3 coats of rust-oleum silver glitter and 3 coats of VHT gloss clear. I also let these dry over night and installed them the next day. They came out super glittery. The ground was covered in glitter, too bad I can’t recycle it.
Part 5. Brackets and Spark Plug Wires
When the brackets were aluminum they really stood out, now that they are black they flow with the theme. The harness bracket matches the brake line retainer, the Greddy boost solenoid bracket looks like it's part of the kit and the FPR bracket looks more discreet. The FPR bracket stood out like crazy when it was aluminum, now it hangs out with the brake booster. Now that all the wires, vacuum lines and harness are completed I can finally run the IGN-1A spark plug wires. The wires are perfect length and it allows you to route them with ease. The connections inside the boots have dielectric grease in them already and just make sure you push hard and try to feel or listen for the snap, the connections are a tight fit.
Part 6. UIM and TB
Now that the parts are painted and everything has been test fit, I can finally assembly the UIM and TB. For those who do not know UIM stands for Upper Intake Manifold and TB stands for Throttle Body. On the back of the UIM I mounted the gas purge valve with the check valve facing towards the UIM. It worked perfect there going to the stock 90 degree vacuum port. I capped the big vacuum port since it will not be used. I also installed the upgraded fast reacting IAT sensor (intake air temperature).
I put a folded up towel on the shock tower so I could lay the UIM upside down and hook up the vacuum chamber and FPR lines. I Installed the new LIM to UIM gasket and bolted the UIM in place. Next I ran the new gas purge line under the UIM and to the bottom port on the gas purge solenoid on the back of the UIM. Last was to run the MAP sensor line to the secret port right behind the TB. I bolted the UIM to the LIM and connected the IAT and Gas Purge connectors. Next was the xcessive oil filler pipe. It was loose and moved side to side before but when installed with the supplied o'ring it self-aligns. I spent a lot of time taping off all the mechanisms on the TB, after it was painted and the tape removed I was surprised at how good it came out. I installed an new UIM to TB gasket and lower coolant hose as well. Now that the TB is on I connected the upper coolant hose, the throttle body cable, the brake booster to UIM hose, boost vacuum line to the UIM and the TPS connector (throttle position sensor). The last thing that I did was install a new o'ring on the TB and then placed the Greddy elbow on to check fitment of everything. I made some extension to hold the gas purge tank under the Greddy elbow as well.
Part 7. Engine Ground and Overview
I think the Xcessive LIM requires more modifications then I first realized. The firewall ground to UIM no longer reaches so I had to make a new one. At least 20 years ago I found the really cool ground wire and I decided to keep it, I finally used it last weekend. I stripped back the rubber coating and crimped on some new copper connections and then put heat shrink over the ends. It came out nice and I think I just might make some more grounds out of it. Another change I made was to the secondary fuel rail to FPR line. I had a straight coming off of the FPR and I changed it to a 45 degree fitting. When cutting the SS braided lines always make sure to flush and clean the inside. When putting it into the AN fitting make sure it is centered, this will let you know the SS braid did not bunch up on one side.
I'm really happy with how everything is coming out so far. I still have a lot to do but at least I have all the parts for the VM kit and Oil cooler kit. I think I will have it running by Sevenstock 2021. The car will not be done but who cares - I'll just be happy to have a running RX7 !!!!!!
I finally got to finish the underside of the car which includes body panels and exhaust. Since I completed the work near the firewall, I was able to get the hood on too!
Part 1. Downpipe EGT (Exhaust Gas Sensor)
Part 2. Downpipe AFR (Air Fuel Ratio)
Part 3. Downpipe O2 Sensor (Oxygen)
Part 4. Underbody Panels and Catalytic Converter
Part 5. Cat-Back Exhaust
Part 6. Engine Damper and Hood Bolted Up
Part 7. Hood Damper and Oil Catch Can
Part 1. Downpipe EGT (Exhaust Gas Sensor)
Its finally time to get the exhaust on the car but first I needed to get the downpipe situated. I put the downpipe on with 2 bolts just for test fitment. The bend near the exhaust manifold is tight and I used a smaller nut to clear the pipe. (I fix this issue later) There is definitely a trick to getting the downpipe on, you put it on at an angle and then you kind of rotate it on. I put the secondary turbo outlet on so that the EGT can be installed with proper clearance. I held the EGT probe in place and made a little X and then I went under the car and marked where I needed to place the bung for the wideband O2 sensor for the AFR gauge.
I took the DP (downpipe) off so I could make/add the adapter fittings. I put the DP in the vise and angled the X up, this way when I make the adapter it will be in the right orientation. The DP wall is too thin for a secure threaded connection, so I decided to weld some extra material for a good bite for the EGT adapter. I grabbed a square piece from my cut-off stock, drilled a piolet hole in the center. I needed to make the piece curved to fit the pipe, so I used a floor jack and a ballpeen hammer and it worked out great. I placed it over the X and moved the square until it felt secure and not tippy. I used the piolet hole as a guide to drill into the DP, then I tapped the DP side so that I could bolt down the square piece for welding. After it was welded, I tapped it for the 1/8 NPT EGT fitting. The EGT fitting sits nice and snug and now I do not have to worry about this threaded connection going bad.
Part 2. Downpipe AFR (Air Fuel Ratio)
The bung that comes with the Prosport AFR kit has a small step to help with placement and welding. Luckily I had a hole-saw that matched the smaller step. I drilled the hole and used a file to massage the hole for better fitment. I used a clamp to hold it at the angle I needed and welded it in place. My weld is ugly, but it will hold and not leak. I weld aluminum better since that’s what I first leaned on. I put the DP back on to check the placement of the EGT and AFR and it came out like Elton John – FABULOUS.
Now that the DP has its attachments added I can clean all the underbody parts and fiberglass wrap the DP. The fiberglass wrap I have is Titanium fiberglass wrap rated at 3000F. I did the usual 50% over and secured it with SS 0.32 safety wire every 3 inches. I wish I took a picture of the panels before I cleaned them, the oil and grease was so thick it looked like a can of chilli and beans was poured onto it. Now that the underbody panels are clean, I set them to the side and continued with putting on the DP for the final time.
Part 3. Downpipe O2 Sensor (Oxygen)
I got the Bosch O2 sensor from RX7.com. Its really easy to splice in. You just cut off your old O2 sensor and strip the wire, then you insert the wire into the metal but connection on the new O2 sensor and crimp it and then heat the shrink tubing that already installed. I installed the O2 sensor and ran the wire up and out of the way. I re-installed the 2nd turbo discharge and then intake pipes. I found the 4rth missing nut for the DP to exhaust manifold and it was a pain to put on. I had to screw the bolt down using it to push the flange as it clears the DP.
Part 4. Underbody Panels and Catalytic Converter
So… I forgot where the panels went under the car so I searched on the internet “RX7 Underbody” and the first picture that showed up was an upside down red FD3S. Fellow RX7 owner who flipped your car, I’m sorry for your loss. I just want you to know that your car will live on in this thread and it helped me put my car back together. Let us give this FD3S 30 sec moment of silence.
My hats off to you if you actually counted the numbers, I’m sure a few of you were looking to see if I skipped any number too huh – don’t lie. LOL.
I went to install the transmission pan and the Banzai Transmission brace had the holes already, funny how I didn’t notice that before when installing the brace. Then I installed the heat shield that covers the rear transmission and the front driveshaft yoke. Last were the 2 rear panels, one is aluminum and the other is plastic. They went on fine but since I have the Banzai diff brace it was missing the inside bolt holes that are on the factory cross brace. I made some real quick bracket for each side where the 8mm bolt side has a through hole and I made the 6mm side have threads. After bolting in the last bolt for each side, these panels felt secure as hell.
Next was the RX7.com Bonez Catalytic midpipe. The fitment is spot on, the flanges are high quality and it work great with my unidentified brand downpipe. The Bonez cat comes with 2 flange gaskets, 2 sets of hardware and an extension pipe for your air-pump. I cleaned the exhaust ground for the cat to DP flange and went to install the hardware and one nut was giving me a hard time, it would not go on. I took a lot at it and there were no threads… whaaattt. I used the other hardware in the kit since I have a bolt/nut set for the Apexi cat back. The Cat heatshield is really close to the PPF (Power Plant Frame) and driveshaft. I decided to wrap the front half of the midpipe since it is next to the rubber isolator for the transmission brace and also to reduce the heat near the sensors in the back of the transmission. Since I am not using my air-pump I stuck a bolt into one end of the provided silicon hose and then put that on the pip coming out of the cat. The supplied clamps suck *** but they will work for this application.
Part 5. Cat-Back Exhaust
The Apexi N1 Dual has always been my favorite exhaust. It was on the first RX7 I ever saw AND it was at the street races doing a burnout before FAST and FURIOUS came out. !!! I just remember seeing torch like flames shooting out as he bounced off the rev limiter. The N1 Dual bolted up to the Bonez cat with ease, cleared the Banzai diff brace. I did have to bend the rear aluminum shield a little at the corner so it would not rub against the exhaust. I cleaned and hooked up the cat to cat-back ground wire, installed new gasket and hardware. It looks so obnoxious – I Love It !!!!
Part 6. Engine Damper and Hood Bolted Up
I have the Banzai transmission and diff brace, why not add one more brace. I added my Rotary Extreme Engine Damper with the new emblem. It acts like an addition to your motor mounts. I had to push my brake lines down just a little but once again the Xcessive Engineering LIM showed yet another thing it moves. The bracket that bolts to the UIM is shifted forward a tad making the brake booster hose rub against the bolt in the bracket and the edge of the bracket itself. I put a slight bend in the pipe on the firewall and shaved the bracket on the corner at an angle and now I have good fitment and clearance with the hose.
Now that I have everything done near the firewall I can finally put the hood on. I bunched up the car cover on the engine and set the hood on top of that. I put some towels under each corner of the hood to protect the hood, the cowl and the glass. I unbolted the hood latch and then I used my trusty bungee cord to lift the front of the hood so I could bolt my new Rotary Extreme hood damper kit with the new emblems. I cleaned the red paint off of the nuts, me being a red head - 2 red nuts are enough. LOL. I tried to line up the hood side to side and with the corners of the hood to where the corners of the fender are before they curve. The driver side was off a bit and upon closer inspection I noticed the gap on the door was bigger on the bottom than the top. I loosened all the fender bolts and adjusted the fender and now everything is ok.
Part 7. Hood Damper and Oil Catch Can
Now that the hood is lined up I installed the new dampers. I connected the wiper fluid hose so that when I close the hood it loops into the engine bay near the IGN-1A coils. Unfortunately what I feared would happen, happened. I was unable to close the hood all the way because the HKS style filter on my oil catch can sits too high. Great, now I need to reposition this thing so I can still route my turbo output pipes along with using the HKS filter kit. I took off the bracket and cut it where it loops to hold the catch can, then I made an extension so it could sit lower and then I welded the little curved arm so it would hold it from the other side. I painted it with the black epoxy paint as well.
Now that I can close the hood all the way it was time to adjust the hood latch. I really want to know what happen to this car because there is so much **** that is off just a little bit. I finally got the hood latch aligned so that when the hood is in the locked position it sites parallel to the fenders. The last thing I did was hit the metal loop on the hood with a rubber hammer for smooth engagement into the latch.
Next weekend I hope to modify the ECU bracket to hold the PFC, plug in the PFC and pray to the man upstairs that all the electrical stuff that does not work suddenly works. I also bought a dual bank battery tender to prevent my AGM batteries from dying.
FYI the N1 Duals have a tendency to touch the black plastic trim on the rear bumper and it looks like it's the case for you too. You'll want to trim or do something there, it will melt all over the exhaust if not.
FYI the N1 Duals have a tendency to touch the black plastic trim on the rear bumper and it looks like it's the case for you too. You'll want to trim or do something there, it will melt all over the exhaust if not.
Coming along nicely!
Dale
Thanks Dale
Yup it is touching as expected. I will eventually be running the street diffuser with the ribs once I start on the body kit.
Thanks for looking out.
Ben
Last edited by rotaryextreme; 06-02-21 at 05:48 PM.
We are going to take a step back in time and do a prequel for the pop-up light bucket installation. I actually installed these before putting in the engine (Day 70). I did not want to write the report until I had the head lights in and working thinking I would have more to add, but the whole not having power to the headlight threw a wrench in my plan. Day 75 I FINALLY found the problem to my lack of power and completed the lights.
Part 1 – Pop-Up light disassembly
Part 2 – Driver side pop-up motor repaired
Part 3 – Pop-Up light base bracket installed
Part 4 – Pop-Up light headlight holder bracket installed
Part 1 – Pop-Up light disassembly
My pop-up lights were a mess so I decided to refurbish them. I took them apart to clean them and repaint the brackets. I broke the plastic cups on the linkage from the motor arm to the headlight bracket, luckily Atkins Rotary carried them so I ordered a set. The base brackets are tweaked and the bolt holes have been massaged. I was utterly speechless when I saw my driver side pop up light motor, and the fact it still worked was amazing. I’m sure the car had a left front impact, there is a lot of misalignment and damaged parts. The driver side pop-up light motor cover had some tape on it, I pulled it off and looks like acid was poured on it and part of the cover has been eaten away. I’m thinking maybe the battery leaked during the accident splashing on the cover, or maybe sparks were hitting it while the shop was cutting metal.
Part 2 – Driver side pop-up motor repaired
I cleaned up the outside with the eagle one mag wheel cleaner and it looks good compared to the uncleaned one. Upon closer inspection there is a hole that leads into the greased area. I took it apart to inspect the inside and the grease looked partially dried out. The 3 coper fingers and the metal part that they glide on looked fine. I added new white grease and put the cover back on and put some black RTV in the hole to stop water and debris from getting into the greased area. I used Kapton tape to build an internal wall over the electronics to protect it from the black RTV I will use to fill the holes on the cover. I squeezed out a big glob over the area and then spread it into shape like icing on a cake.
Part 3 – Pop-Up light base bracket installed
I cleaned up the pop-up base brackets, bent them back into shape and painted them semi-gloss black. I put the pop-up light motors back on the base brackets and then installed it onto the car. I was able to bolt them close to the stock locations as far as alignment goes. There is a bottom flat bracket that goes under the top of the base bracket that is secured after you find out where you want to set your lights at. Once everything is aligned you do not have to move that bottom flat bracket again because its job is to align the head lights when they are taken on and off for what ever reason. There are two alignment nuts that are on the top of the base bracket that will fit into holes on the bottom flat bracket. I was missing some jam nuts for the stopper for the up and down position and a trip to the hardware store fixed that. Last I routed the harness for the lights. I forgot how they were supposed to go but once again google came to the rescue. Now its time to install the top headlight holder brackets.
Part 4 – Pop-Up light headlight holder bracket installed
I put the top headlight brackets on and moved them up and down by hand to feel for any chaffing, binding or resistance. The right side was fine but the left side felt like it had a little drag to it. The top headlight pop-up bracket rides on shoulder bolts without the use of grease. Grease would be bad because it would attract dirt over time. The shoulder bolt had a little surface rust on it and chatter marks. I pulled out the left and right side and used some 0000 steel wool to get the build up off and it gave the shoulder bolts a nice finish. I also cleaned the through holes on the upper headlight bracket. I put them back together and they both rotated smoothly by hand. I received the new rods with the cups already greased and put them on between the motor arm and the upper headlight bracket. At this point I still do not have power, so I spun the red **** on the motors by hand to make sure the pop-up lights moved the full range of motion without any resistance. I set the bump stops to where the light closes and opens fully and when I try to wiggle them by hand and they sit solid.
05-25-21, 10:24 PM
