Project OldTree: The 12 Days of Rotormas
04-19-12, 05:52 PM
#301
As promised, pics of what I've been working on. This is a work in progress and subject to change. Please excuse the mess of duct tape as nothing has been welded together yet.
3x custom 90 degree bends and 2x 2" flexible couplers from Menards' plumbing department. They're a perfect fit for 2.5" tubing without barbed ends and a VERY tight fit for barbed tubing
The the 90 degree bends weren't lining up well enough to my liking, so it was reconstructed entirely as one pipe
Intercooler pipe installed temporarily
Front view of the car with all plumbing installed
Will need to notch the hood for clearance where it meets the Y-pipe, but I planned for that anyway.
3x custom 90 degree bends and 2x 2" flexible couplers from Menards' plumbing department. They're a perfect fit for 2.5" tubing without barbed ends and a VERY tight fit for barbed tubing
The the 90 degree bends weren't lining up well enough to my liking, so it was reconstructed entirely as one pipe
Intercooler pipe installed temporarily
Front view of the car with all plumbing installed
Will need to notch the hood for clearance where it meets the Y-pipe, but I planned for that anyway.
04-19-12, 11:14 PM
#304
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you will need silicon couplers, or gates makes a reinforced hose, the plumbing parts will last about a week on the pressure side.
i blew a fist sized hole in a rubber boost hose @140mph... when something goes pop @7000rpm and full throttle, its scary!
i like the pipe though, actually i like the IC/RAD setup, it fits.
i blew a fist sized hole in a rubber boost hose @140mph... when something goes pop @7000rpm and full throttle, its scary!
i like the pipe though, actually i like the IC/RAD setup, it fits.
04-20-12, 11:23 AM
#305
Rubber plumbing parts are temporary to get everything mocked up close enough to where silicone will fit properly. I felt that investing in a chop saw was money better spent in the long run. as there is quite a bit more fabrication to do in order to install the fan and A/C Condenser
Siliconeintakes.com has the best prices for everything they offer, even a hair better than CXRacing. but the fact is that a 90 degree bend is still $18, it would have needed three of them and be quite a PITA to line everything up suitably. Straight couplers are $6 each and it only requires two.
If you look closely at pieces #5 and #6 when counting from the left, you'll see that they are not straight pieces. It is a slight tilde (~) made from two of the end pieces (straight cut on one end, 15 degree on the other). Out of my next paycheck, I just may bite the bullet and order two straight and two 90 degree couplers just to clean everything up a bit. Might not need to notch the hood as a result too.
Time to break out the arc welder and teach myself to lay some bead...
Siliconeintakes.com has the best prices for everything they offer, even a hair better than CXRacing. but the fact is that a 90 degree bend is still $18, it would have needed three of them and be quite a PITA to line everything up suitably. Straight couplers are $6 each and it only requires two.
If you look closely at pieces #5 and #6 when counting from the left, you'll see that they are not straight pieces. It is a slight tilde (~) made from two of the end pieces (straight cut on one end, 15 degree on the other). Out of my next paycheck, I just may bite the bullet and order two straight and two 90 degree couplers just to clean everything up a bit. Might not need to notch the hood as a result too.
Time to break out the arc welder and teach myself to lay some bead...
04-26-12, 06:38 PM
#306
Redid the oil cooler mount further back and the fan has plenty of room now. Will need to redo the bottom radiator plumbing a bit (tighter radius than flex hose can do) to make everything happy, but that's a small price to pay.
$3.61 for a meter of M6x1.0 threaded rod at Fastenal is well worth it. Cuts easily with a hacksaw, cleans up with a nut and is long enough for lots of projects. 110mm for the oil cooler crossmember holes was more than enough to give plenty of adjustment, with sufficient length to double as a mounting location for an undertray.
Got about 1/2" between the oil cooler mount crossmember and the front turbo oil return, plenty of room for accessing every nut & bolt.
My slimmed-down Taurus fan now has plenty of room to go in, except for where the crank pulley is. Hits the thick section of the shroud directly above the motor. Thankfully, this area has roughly 5/8" of material that can be removed to make it an easy fix. Cut out a pie slice at the top, down to where the blades' ring is, then down to the first level of crosspieces. Make a flat panel full of holes (for good airflow) in the same shape and JB weld it into place. Pics will follow on the next post after everything is semi-presentable.
$3.61 for a meter of M6x1.0 threaded rod at Fastenal is well worth it. Cuts easily with a hacksaw, cleans up with a nut and is long enough for lots of projects. 110mm for the oil cooler crossmember holes was more than enough to give plenty of adjustment, with sufficient length to double as a mounting location for an undertray.
Got about 1/2" between the oil cooler mount crossmember and the front turbo oil return, plenty of room for accessing every nut & bolt.
My slimmed-down Taurus fan now has plenty of room to go in, except for where the crank pulley is. Hits the thick section of the shroud directly above the motor. Thankfully, this area has roughly 5/8" of material that can be removed to make it an easy fix. Cut out a pie slice at the top, down to where the blades' ring is, then down to the first level of crosspieces. Make a flat panel full of holes (for good airflow) in the same shape and JB weld it into place. Pics will follow on the next post after everything is semi-presentable.
05-09-12, 03:49 PM
#307
Been tidying up things under the car a bit here & there to make it more workable. It's definitely still a work in progress but it IS moving forward. I lied about the lower radiator hose. It does clear the oil cooler in its final home, just is a little closer to the oil cooler than I personally feel comfortable with.
Used some more M6x1.0 threaded rod to make some more 110mm long bolts to mount the drop brackets to the crossmember with 27.5mm of space between them using two nuts tightened together to lock it in place. Front Harness sits on top in that space, oil cooler is attached to the rear of the drop brackets (like the stock setup), the bottom radiator hose slightly touches the passenger side bracket (easy fix) and the Power Steering loops is secured in place using one of the oil cooler bushing block's studs via an adel clip and the crossmember's stud with another adel clip. The position isn't perfect yet, but there's enough play in the lines to adjust it as necessary. Right now, this setup has enough room to access the oil cooler lines decently. The real test will be when I reinstall the A/C Compressor. From a glance, it looks like it will clear the A/C Compressor, but I'm not gonna say for certain untill it is bolted up and solid.
Took a short break and ran some bolts through the front bumper & engine cradle to mark the locations for the undertray. All but one are upside-down for easy template making.
Now that there's a wiring channel and a place for adel clips, the fun stuff can begin this weekend
Used some more M6x1.0 threaded rod to make some more 110mm long bolts to mount the drop brackets to the crossmember with 27.5mm of space between them using two nuts tightened together to lock it in place. Front Harness sits on top in that space, oil cooler is attached to the rear of the drop brackets (like the stock setup), the bottom radiator hose slightly touches the passenger side bracket (easy fix) and the Power Steering loops is secured in place using one of the oil cooler bushing block's studs via an adel clip and the crossmember's stud with another adel clip. The position isn't perfect yet, but there's enough play in the lines to adjust it as necessary. Right now, this setup has enough room to access the oil cooler lines decently. The real test will be when I reinstall the A/C Compressor. From a glance, it looks like it will clear the A/C Compressor, but I'm not gonna say for certain untill it is bolted up and solid.
Took a short break and ran some bolts through the front bumper & engine cradle to mark the locations for the undertray. All but one are upside-down for easy template making.
Now that there's a wiring channel and a place for adel clips, the fun stuff can begin this weekend
05-10-12, 05:04 PM
#308
Took a day off from the bottom side stuff to do some general cleanup topside. Here's the new Electrical Center with all components mounted in their final homes. Not a very good picture and still needs a little polish here & there, but it's all in place now.
More epicness to come in the next week
More epicness to come in the next week
05-14-12, 06:57 PM
#309
Taurus Fan is mounted now, in the correct puller configuration for optimal performance. Took a small pie slice out of the crosshatching on the rear. Only had to cut down to the first ring to fit around the crank pulley.
Two 90 degree brackets crafted from a recycled computer case have attached it to the same bolts that secure the radiator's brackets. Driver's side goes through the existing mounting hole, passenger side has a bolt fed directly through the shroud. Placement of said hole was done with a sharpie and white electrical tape. Holding it currently in place at the bottom are six zip-ties run around the radiator cradle.
As the current brackets are a bit flimsy, they'll be remade in thicker steel. I just needed something solid to get the dimensions and hole placement. Should take up the slack quite well.
The stock mounting ear at the top center touches the pulley slightly at the moment. Since this is very handy when installing the fan, to get it raised up into position, the shroud is getting modified a bit more to pull it closer to the radiator. There's plenty of room currently, so no worries.
As this radiator is quite a bit larger which makes the fan shroud not cover the whole area, the gap at the top will be covered with some flat sheet metal. Pics will be uploaded when it is done.
Two 90 degree brackets crafted from a recycled computer case have attached it to the same bolts that secure the radiator's brackets. Driver's side goes through the existing mounting hole, passenger side has a bolt fed directly through the shroud. Placement of said hole was done with a sharpie and white electrical tape. Holding it currently in place at the bottom are six zip-ties run around the radiator cradle.
As the current brackets are a bit flimsy, they'll be remade in thicker steel. I just needed something solid to get the dimensions and hole placement. Should take up the slack quite well.
The stock mounting ear at the top center touches the pulley slightly at the moment. Since this is very handy when installing the fan, to get it raised up into position, the shroud is getting modified a bit more to pull it closer to the radiator. There's plenty of room currently, so no worries.
As this radiator is quite a bit larger which makes the fan shroud not cover the whole area, the gap at the top will be covered with some flat sheet metal. Pics will be uploaded when it is done.
05-24-12, 08:41 PM
#310
10 days and no updates...I'm slacking
It's just been spent on wiring and wiring-related items and have really outdone myself on this. The panel now has a proper harness and is wired up except for the two thermoswitches (and their manual overrides), fan low-speed loopback (connects high speed relay to low-speed relay) and low-speed output
The way the fan control system works is with one high power SPDT relay (#4 on the panel) and one SPST normal relay (#3 on the panel). Power is fed to the SPDT one through a 40a fuse to pin 30. Pin 87 is the output for High-Speed on the fan, 86 is key-on (from Relay #2) and 85 is the thermoswitch with a SPST override switch parallel to it.
Pin 87A goes from the High-Speed relay to Pin 30 on the Low-Speed relay. 85 is Key-on (again, from Relay #2), 86 is the low thermoswitch (with manual override in parallel) and 87 goes out to the fan's low-speed wire. It's a really simple, yet ingenious system.
I've begun integrating the car's original relays into the Volkswagen Relay Panels
The stock A/C Harness is now integrated into the Main Relay Panel. Relay #1 is the A/C Fan Override (forces fan to high-speed) and replaces the Electrical Fan Sub-Relay. De-pinned the yellow wire from FAC-01 and cut the orange wire after the diode and that's it.
Relay #5 is the A/C Main Relay. Nothing drastic was done here, just made an adapter to plug into a VW socket. For this, I used a blue one since it's for A/C and pin 87-A will hit a voltage reducer to drop it down to 5V and then to one of the Haltech's AVI's for Idle Up.
The way I'm doing this is the reverse method. Normally, it will trigger at a set voltage, such as 4.5v and that will tell the ECU, using the Manual Idle option, to increase the idle. Since I'm lazy and don't want to use any more specialized relays, the operating logic will be flipped so the Manual Idle will trigger when voltage on that AVI drops below a certain point instead.
When the A/C Main Relay is active (A/C on), voltage to that AVI will be 0v which will trigger the Manual Idle setting to bump the idle up to 850rpm. Turn off the A/C and Pin 87-A sees 5.0v, killing the Manual Idle. Just to be safe, I'm setting the threshold to 2.5v to account for voltage drop on the return path to the ECU. Plenty of room for error that way.
Here's a drawing/schematic of everything as it is now:
As for the haltech harness, I've extracted the fuses and relays from it for integration into the VW Auxiliary Relay Panel. The remainder of the harness will be spliced back together then and given metripack sealed connectors on every connection. Solenoids will have their own subharness, running along the new wiring channel across the top of the oil cooler. Made that from the LS2 Truck's stock coil brackets and there are lots of places to secure wiring now. No excuse to be sloppy here.
Tomorrow is set for a junkyard run to get more VW relay & fuse sockets, so the big wiring stuff will take place sometime after that.
It's just been spent on wiring and wiring-related items and have really outdone myself on this. The panel now has a proper harness and is wired up except for the two thermoswitches (and their manual overrides), fan low-speed loopback (connects high speed relay to low-speed relay) and low-speed output
The way the fan control system works is with one high power SPDT relay (#4 on the panel) and one SPST normal relay (#3 on the panel). Power is fed to the SPDT one through a 40a fuse to pin 30. Pin 87 is the output for High-Speed on the fan, 86 is key-on (from Relay #2) and 85 is the thermoswitch with a SPST override switch parallel to it.
Pin 87A goes from the High-Speed relay to Pin 30 on the Low-Speed relay. 85 is Key-on (again, from Relay #2), 86 is the low thermoswitch (with manual override in parallel) and 87 goes out to the fan's low-speed wire. It's a really simple, yet ingenious system.
I've begun integrating the car's original relays into the Volkswagen Relay Panels
The stock A/C Harness is now integrated into the Main Relay Panel. Relay #1 is the A/C Fan Override (forces fan to high-speed) and replaces the Electrical Fan Sub-Relay. De-pinned the yellow wire from FAC-01 and cut the orange wire after the diode and that's it.
Relay #5 is the A/C Main Relay. Nothing drastic was done here, just made an adapter to plug into a VW socket. For this, I used a blue one since it's for A/C and pin 87-A will hit a voltage reducer to drop it down to 5V and then to one of the Haltech's AVI's for Idle Up.
The way I'm doing this is the reverse method. Normally, it will trigger at a set voltage, such as 4.5v and that will tell the ECU, using the Manual Idle option, to increase the idle. Since I'm lazy and don't want to use any more specialized relays, the operating logic will be flipped so the Manual Idle will trigger when voltage on that AVI drops below a certain point instead.
When the A/C Main Relay is active (A/C on), voltage to that AVI will be 0v which will trigger the Manual Idle setting to bump the idle up to 850rpm. Turn off the A/C and Pin 87-A sees 5.0v, killing the Manual Idle. Just to be safe, I'm setting the threshold to 2.5v to account for voltage drop on the return path to the ECU. Plenty of room for error that way.
Here's a drawing/schematic of everything as it is now:
As for the haltech harness, I've extracted the fuses and relays from it for integration into the VW Auxiliary Relay Panel. The remainder of the harness will be spliced back together then and given metripack sealed connectors on every connection. Solenoids will have their own subharness, running along the new wiring channel across the top of the oil cooler. Made that from the LS2 Truck's stock coil brackets and there are lots of places to secure wiring now. No excuse to be sloppy here.
Tomorrow is set for a junkyard run to get more VW relay & fuse sockets, so the big wiring stuff will take place sometime after that.
06-18-12, 10:49 AM
#311
Welcome to Remedial Wiring, kiss your social life goodbye
Three weeks and no progress, I need to get my *** motivated... so I did.
Junkyard trip netted me several goodies.
Another VW relay panel set, fully stocked with the sockets and clip-on fuse holders for both ATO and Maxi Fuses. This came from a B5 Passat, which has a third panel behind the main two. The third panel has the maxi fuse holders and quite a few relay sockets. Didn't need the third panel frame, so its contents were loaded into the main two panels and I've now got a set to mock stuff up with. Also picked up some pigtails to mate to the stock FC relays. Total cost: $9 on sale
The second junkyard my buddy and I hit gave me a FC fog light switch. It's not the OE Mazda one, but it fits in the stock location and has a nifty status LED on it.
Okay, back to the fun stuff now:
Gave the front driver's side corner a slight revision to mount everything better. Because I'm picky, it meant removing a broken bolt from the strut tower. I'm just going to come out and say it now:
NEVER TRY TO USE A BOLT EXTRACTOR
After the drill bit included with the extractor set broke in half and drilling it the rest of the way with a 1/8" titanium nitride bit, the extractor was threaded in by hand till it was snug. Put the handy thread tap wrench on it and the extractor snapped off flush with VERY little force. I'd guess maybe 10-15ft.lbs at most. I actually could feel it giving out. These were NEW and failed on the first attempt in the proper usage. And what's worse is that it wasn't Harbor Freight's fault, as just about ALL bolt extractors fail in the exact same manner.
While at work one day, I was reading up on their proper use on a mountain bike forum and someone made a joke about trying Broken Bolt Extractor Extractors. And if those failed, Broken Bolt Extractor Extractor Extractors, then Broken Bolt Extractor Extractor Extractor Extractors... Many LOLs were had.
Tried PB Blaster and Vise Grips, no difference except it chewed the teeth off of the vise grips
Hit it with the butane torch from the underside, no effect other than charring the paint a bit on the top(
Attacked it with the dremel and diamond grinding bits. 2 hours later, the deed was done.
Thought it better to not press my luck any further by trying to re-tap it for M6 threads, so it has a M5 nut and bolt. Now everything in this corner is mounted securely.
The lesson learned: If a bolt is stuck enough to snap off, a bolt extractor will snap off sooner.
Invested in a set of depinning tools for $35 shipped on ebay and it has been a godsend. Since I use them a LOT, I'll be making a few videos on how to de-pin connectors correctly, without breaking the tip off one of the tools like I did a couple days ago
Redid the Main Relay Panel's wiring for the proper connectors. Now it is presentable and of sufficient gauge for all purposes, including the Taurus Fan's heavy draw. The manufacturer was quite generous with the wire sizes available for these connectors, going up to 6.0 mm2 (a hair bigger than 10AWG) and the terminals themselves are rated for up to 55A. It'll never see that except for perhaps 0.5 seconds when starting the fan, but it's nice to know it can handle the load. Just to be safe, the fan now has a 50A maxi fuse on its input wire.
While dabbling with the main panel, I pulled the stock A/C harness out and reworked it. Now it plugs into the main panel using the stock harness connector and integrates all of the stock functionality into the main panel. A/C is now Relay #5, A/C Fan Relay is Relay #1 and Relay #6 is exclusively used for Idle-Up, courtesy of AVI#3 and the Manual Idle function on the Haltech.
Haltech harness has been on the operating table for awhile. It is now spliced back together with four of the VW relay sockets and two of the fuse holders. ECU & Ignition coils share a 30A fuse (stock is 10A for ECU, 15A for Coils) and the Fuel Injectors & Fuel Pump got a 50A maxi fuse instead of the two 20A ones it came with. The reason for uprating both is to have a little extra room for future upgrades.
For the past week, I've been attacking the haltech harness to make it presentable, serviceable and logically arranged under the hood. Now that I'm down to 3 wire seals, Mouser Electronics will be getting more money from me. Wiring will resume upon arrival, along with some very clever stuff inside the car thanks to new circuits I designed between wiring sessions using modified FC Vert headrest speaker buttons. And should I be feeling ambitious with wiring, the stock relays will go bye-bye too...
In the meantime, it's time to build the battery box. My apologies for the lack of pictures, nothing is cleaned up enough to be picture-worthy. I was hoping to have all of the wiring sewn up by today and get some pictures, but running out of seals 86'ed that plan.
Rest assured that when I have something worth 1000 words, it shall be seen.
Junkyard trip netted me several goodies.
Another VW relay panel set, fully stocked with the sockets and clip-on fuse holders for both ATO and Maxi Fuses. This came from a B5 Passat, which has a third panel behind the main two. The third panel has the maxi fuse holders and quite a few relay sockets. Didn't need the third panel frame, so its contents were loaded into the main two panels and I've now got a set to mock stuff up with. Also picked up some pigtails to mate to the stock FC relays. Total cost: $9 on sale
The second junkyard my buddy and I hit gave me a FC fog light switch. It's not the OE Mazda one, but it fits in the stock location and has a nifty status LED on it.
Okay, back to the fun stuff now:
Gave the front driver's side corner a slight revision to mount everything better. Because I'm picky, it meant removing a broken bolt from the strut tower. I'm just going to come out and say it now:
NEVER TRY TO USE A BOLT EXTRACTOR
After the drill bit included with the extractor set broke in half and drilling it the rest of the way with a 1/8" titanium nitride bit, the extractor was threaded in by hand till it was snug. Put the handy thread tap wrench on it and the extractor snapped off flush with VERY little force. I'd guess maybe 10-15ft.lbs at most. I actually could feel it giving out. These were NEW and failed on the first attempt in the proper usage. And what's worse is that it wasn't Harbor Freight's fault, as just about ALL bolt extractors fail in the exact same manner.
While at work one day, I was reading up on their proper use on a mountain bike forum and someone made a joke about trying Broken Bolt Extractor Extractors. And if those failed, Broken Bolt Extractor Extractor Extractors, then Broken Bolt Extractor Extractor Extractor Extractors... Many LOLs were had.
Tried PB Blaster and Vise Grips, no difference except it chewed the teeth off of the vise grips
Hit it with the butane torch from the underside, no effect other than charring the paint a bit on the top
(Attacked it with the dremel and diamond grinding bits. 2 hours later, the deed was done.
Thought it better to not press my luck any further by trying to re-tap it for M6 threads, so it has a M5 nut and bolt. Now everything in this corner is mounted securely.
The lesson learned: If a bolt is stuck enough to snap off, a bolt extractor will snap off sooner.
Invested in a set of depinning tools for $35 shipped on ebay and it has been a godsend. Since I use them a LOT, I'll be making a few videos on how to de-pin connectors correctly, without breaking the tip off one of the tools like I did a couple days ago
Redid the Main Relay Panel's wiring for the proper connectors. Now it is presentable and of sufficient gauge for all purposes, including the Taurus Fan's heavy draw. The manufacturer was quite generous with the wire sizes available for these connectors, going up to 6.0 mm2 (a hair bigger than 10AWG) and the terminals themselves are rated for up to 55A. It'll never see that except for perhaps 0.5 seconds when starting the fan, but it's nice to know it can handle the load. Just to be safe, the fan now has a 50A maxi fuse on its input wire.
While dabbling with the main panel, I pulled the stock A/C harness out and reworked it. Now it plugs into the main panel using the stock harness connector and integrates all of the stock functionality into the main panel. A/C is now Relay #5, A/C Fan Relay is Relay #1 and Relay #6 is exclusively used for Idle-Up, courtesy of AVI#3 and the Manual Idle function on the Haltech.
Haltech harness has been on the operating table for awhile. It is now spliced back together with four of the VW relay sockets and two of the fuse holders. ECU & Ignition coils share a 30A fuse (stock is 10A for ECU, 15A for Coils) and the Fuel Injectors & Fuel Pump got a 50A maxi fuse instead of the two 20A ones it came with. The reason for uprating both is to have a little extra room for future upgrades.
For the past week, I've been attacking the haltech harness to make it presentable, serviceable and logically arranged under the hood. Now that I'm down to 3 wire seals, Mouser Electronics will be getting more money from me. Wiring will resume upon arrival, along with some very clever stuff inside the car thanks to new circuits I designed between wiring sessions using modified FC Vert headrest speaker buttons. And should I be feeling ambitious with wiring, the stock relays will go bye-bye too...
In the meantime, it's time to build the battery box. My apologies for the lack of pictures, nothing is cleaned up enough to be picture-worthy. I was hoping to have all of the wiring sewn up by today and get some pictures, but running out of seals 86'ed that plan.
Rest assured that when I have something worth 1000 words, it shall be seen.
06-27-12, 11:01 PM
#312
The effects of Steel...ON FIRE!
The unthinkable has happened, I hit burnout when it came to wiring and needed a break.
So I taught myself how to weld and started fabricating a new battery box. Take note that this is the first time I've ever welded ANYTHING, and my welder is limited to a maximum of 70 amps on 110v, but each successive weld joint has shown improvement over the last. It can run on 220v and go up to 110 amps then, but I don't have a 220v source close enough. So each joint has at least two beads run for sufficient penetration
Test fitting bottom pieces:
Adding the uprights
Box at 70%:
It's not quite square, but fits the 50lb Intimidator well and has enough wiggle room for easy installation/removal. It's also quite sturdy, despite my beginner's technique and current-related handicap
Right now, it fits in the storage bin with the door closed and leaves enough room on top for the latch that I've yet to make.
There's still quite a bit to do on it, grind down the welds inside and out, go over them with another pass where necessary, then add the upper ring braces, latch and mounting tabs on the bottom. Also have to trim around the terminals. I left the corner upright there about the same length as the other ones on purpose to get everything lined up for the upper ring pieces. Trimming for the terminals will be easy though.
Stay tuned, next update will finish the box off and mount it in the car.
So I taught myself how to weld and started fabricating a new battery box. Take note that this is the first time I've ever welded ANYTHING, and my welder is limited to a maximum of 70 amps on 110v, but each successive weld joint has shown improvement over the last. It can run on 220v and go up to 110 amps then, but I don't have a 220v source close enough. So each joint has at least two beads run for sufficient penetration
Test fitting bottom pieces:
Adding the uprights
Box at 70%:
It's not quite square, but fits the 50lb Intimidator well and has enough wiggle room for easy installation/removal. It's also quite sturdy, despite my beginner's technique and current-related handicap
Right now, it fits in the storage bin with the door closed and leaves enough room on top for the latch that I've yet to make.
There's still quite a bit to do on it, grind down the welds inside and out, go over them with another pass where necessary, then add the upper ring braces, latch and mounting tabs on the bottom. Also have to trim around the terminals. I left the corner upright there about the same length as the other ones on purpose to get everything lined up for the upper ring pieces. Trimming for the terminals will be easy though.
Stay tuned, next update will finish the box off and mount it in the car.
07-21-12, 07:34 PM
#313
Battery Box is DONE!
When we last left our hero, he had ventured into the cave of Captain Bell...
I've been playing too much StarTropics recently.
Okay, here's the promised update.
Top Ring added:
Front and Rear Mounting Ears added, terminal notches cut out:
Painted black and bolted into the car (Side mounting ear visible):
Wider shot, with bin frame & carpet:
Finished product
The lid closes and locks with no fuss, ZERO trimming of the lid's flange and is secured in 3 strong points in the car (bulkhead crossmember in front at 3 points with fender washers on top and bottom, rear seat mount in back and seat belt mount on side). To get the whole box to move at all requires breaking several welds, bending a 1/8" thick steel bar and shearing either two M8x1.25 or three M6x1.0 bolts. I'm very confident in this box.
And if absolutely necessary, the stock size battery can be used as well with a spacer made from 1.5" square tube.
I've been playing too much StarTropics recently.
Okay, here's the promised update.
Top Ring added:
Front and Rear Mounting Ears added, terminal notches cut out:
Painted black and bolted into the car (Side mounting ear visible):
Wider shot, with bin frame & carpet:
Finished product
The lid closes and locks with no fuss, ZERO trimming of the lid's flange and is secured in 3 strong points in the car (bulkhead crossmember in front at 3 points with fender washers on top and bottom, rear seat mount in back and seat belt mount on side). To get the whole box to move at all requires breaking several welds, bending a 1/8" thick steel bar and shearing either two M8x1.25 or three M6x1.0 bolts. I'm very confident in this box.
And if absolutely necessary, the stock size battery can be used as well with a spacer made from 1.5" square tube.
07-22-12, 12:55 AM
#314
For the broken bolt on the strut tower (if you have yet to get it out,) grab a steel nut and weld it to the bolt (filling the hole in the middle.) Give it a second and quickly try to unscrew it. Do it while it is hot but, not hot enough to mess up your socket.
07-31-12, 04:43 PM
#315
Thanks for the suggestion PontiacKid, but heating up the broken bolt was my first attempt and it failed to budge. Definitely shows that Mazda put a lot of strength in the welds on these captured nuts so they don't break loose.
It got drilled and ground out using diamond bits to fit a M5 bolt and nut. After stripping a few M5 bolts when building the battery box (the threads sheared right off!) and having to extract them by prying carefully with a knife under the fender washer I thoughtfully put on them, I only use M5 bolts for accessory brackets and trim pieces such as the rear storage bins. Everything else gets M6 or bigger.
The only exception to this is the D585 ignition coils as they originally used M5 hardware. M5 bolts to attach the coils to their brackets, then M8 to attach them to the top of the shortblock. If I somehow manage to strip these M5 bolts, the whole bracket can be pulled and brought over to the bench for extraction.
I've been busy day after day with cleaning up the clusterfuck of wiring and it's starting to bear fruit now. Here's an example of it: the turbo solenoid harness
Well organized, permanently labeled under clear heat shrink and every connection using Metripack sealed connectors. This is how I roll.
It got drilled and ground out using diamond bits to fit a M5 bolt and nut. After stripping a few M5 bolts when building the battery box (the threads sheared right off!) and having to extract them by prying carefully with a knife under the fender washer I thoughtfully put on them, I only use M5 bolts for accessory brackets and trim pieces such as the rear storage bins. Everything else gets M6 or bigger.
The only exception to this is the D585 ignition coils as they originally used M5 hardware. M5 bolts to attach the coils to their brackets, then M8 to attach them to the top of the shortblock. If I somehow manage to strip these M5 bolts, the whole bracket can be pulled and brought over to the bench for extraction.
I've been busy day after day with cleaning up the clusterfuck of wiring and it's starting to bear fruit now. Here's an example of it: the turbo solenoid harness
Well organized, permanently labeled under clear heat shrink and every connection using Metripack sealed connectors. This is how I roll.
08-19-12, 08:46 PM
#316
Nearly 3 weeks, several rolls of tape and two more orders from Mouser Electronics and it is finally DONE! Everyone that knows me knows how **** I am about wiring now, and it shows in the finished Haltech Harness. Every single connector is a Delphi Metripack sealed connector, put into split loom, given colored electrical tape, a label with the connector name and functions and then sealed with clear heat shrink tube.
Let me just say that this was the most difficult part of the entire project. Wiring is clearly the most under-appreciated part of any project. It takes a shitload of effort to make it organized, presentable and serviceable as I have. By far the most mind-numbing part of the wiring was making it go effortlessly in a bone-stock car while retaining all of the original functions.
The Fan Control Relay Panel (F-PAN for short) contains every single part related to the Taurus Fan. It connects to a modified version of the A/C Harness containing only 4 connectors:
Compressor Clutch
FAC-01 (6-pin connector, To Front Harness)
FAC-02 (4-pin connector to Fan Panel, formerly to Front Harness)
Refrigerant Pressure Switch
Only took some minor rewiring & depinning to move the relays into F-PAN, but the whole system works like stock, is plug and play the panel is easily removable for service with only 3 connectors.
Pictures here:
Haltech Harness Version 2.0
Detail Shot of structure:
Connector Close-Up Pic:
The only items not done at the moment are the fan thermoswitches because it is part of a bigger project I've yet to start building. With the bulk of the wiring sealed, it's time to move to the interior and build an ECU mounting bracket.
Let me just say that this was the most difficult part of the entire project. Wiring is clearly the most under-appreciated part of any project. It takes a shitload of effort to make it organized, presentable and serviceable as I have. By far the most mind-numbing part of the wiring was making it go effortlessly in a bone-stock car while retaining all of the original functions.
The Fan Control Relay Panel (F-PAN for short) contains every single part related to the Taurus Fan. It connects to a modified version of the A/C Harness containing only 4 connectors:
Compressor Clutch
FAC-01 (6-pin connector, To Front Harness)
FAC-02 (4-pin connector to Fan Panel, formerly to Front Harness)
Refrigerant Pressure Switch
Only took some minor rewiring & depinning to move the relays into F-PAN, but the whole system works like stock, is plug and play the panel is easily removable for service with only 3 connectors.
Pictures here:
Haltech Harness Version 2.0
Detail Shot of structure:
Connector Close-Up Pic:
The only items not done at the moment are the fan thermoswitches because it is part of a bigger project I've yet to start building. With the bulk of the wiring sealed, it's time to move to the interior and build an ECU mounting bracket.
08-21-12, 11:51 AM
#321
Didn't really keep track of it, but I probably spent a total of 60 hours on cleaning up the harness. That includes the following:
Removing the excess bulk
Adding new heat shrink tube (major PITA if you have to de-pin the connectors as I did)
Making careful targeted cuts to extract the relays/fuses
Splice the cut wires longer to reach the opposite end
Eliminate all the 5v splices (car has a bus bar for 5v stuff)
Repeat for all the 12v IGN-switched splices (car has a 2-stud bus bar for this)
Bundle each group together
Organize into a main "trunk" with each group splitting off where appropriate
Splice relays back in
Extend all grounds to exit the main trunk in a single location (6" from Ground Bus Bar)
Repeat for 5V items
Add terminals & connectors
Bundle in split loom
Label & Seal
The best tool I found to help organize everything into logical groups is a kitchen stool. The crosspieces between the legs are perfect for separating wire groups without confusion, giving you 12 unmistakably divided areas.
In retrospect, it would have been much easier to start from scratch and run one group of wires at a time from the ECU to their target. Then add the appropriate relay-ed power wire and ground and tape all of it together to establish the main trunk. Repeat for every other group then.
It was a major pain in the *** to do all of this and I could have done a couple things better (eliminate connectors for AVI #2/3, put OMP & O.D.D branches further forward), but I'm pleased with the results. There are a couple little things needing to be done to tidy everything up under the hood and secure the harness in place, but all of the underhood wiring is done.
There are two more wiring projects to be done, a pass-through patch harness and custom relay panel, but fabricating an ECU bracket has to come first.
If Tyco Superseal 1.0 crimp standards are anything like Delphi Metripack ones, it shouldn't be too difficult to crimp without the correct tools/dies. As far as I can tell, the crimp 'wings' only have minor shape differences and shouldn't make much of a difference. Going to try crimping a few by hand and see how well it works compared to one crimped by Haltech.
Removing the excess bulk
Adding new heat shrink tube (major PITA if you have to de-pin the connectors as I did)
Making careful targeted cuts to extract the relays/fuses
Splice the cut wires longer to reach the opposite end
Eliminate all the 5v splices (car has a bus bar for 5v stuff)
Repeat for all the 12v IGN-switched splices (car has a 2-stud bus bar for this)
Bundle each group together
Organize into a main "trunk" with each group splitting off where appropriate
Splice relays back in
Extend all grounds to exit the main trunk in a single location (6" from Ground Bus Bar)
Repeat for 5V items
Add terminals & connectors
Bundle in split loom
Label & Seal
The best tool I found to help organize everything into logical groups is a kitchen stool. The crosspieces between the legs are perfect for separating wire groups without confusion, giving you 12 unmistakably divided areas.
In retrospect, it would have been much easier to start from scratch and run one group of wires at a time from the ECU to their target. Then add the appropriate relay-ed power wire and ground and tape all of it together to establish the main trunk. Repeat for every other group then.
It was a major pain in the *** to do all of this and I could have done a couple things better (eliminate connectors for AVI #2/3, put OMP & O.D.D branches further forward), but I'm pleased with the results. There are a couple little things needing to be done to tidy everything up under the hood and secure the harness in place, but all of the underhood wiring is done.
There are two more wiring projects to be done, a pass-through patch harness and custom relay panel, but fabricating an ECU bracket has to come first.
If Tyco Superseal 1.0 crimp standards are anything like Delphi Metripack ones, it shouldn't be too difficult to crimp without the correct tools/dies. As far as I can tell, the crimp 'wings' only have minor shape differences and shouldn't make much of a difference. Going to try crimping a few by hand and see how well it works compared to one crimped by Haltech.
08-31-12, 06:38 PM
#322
The past few days have been spent on updating my Haltech's software and firmware to the latest versions to enable new features such as the Canbus devices and extra input/output options.
On the new version, the rev limiter is now located in the gauge displays, not the Main Setup. The reason for this is that it can now be dynamically adjusted based on engine coolant temperature. A neat feature in case one forgets, or in case of owner N00bness, but mine is still going to be 8250 across the board untill all the bugs are ironed out. One less thing to worry about.
After a lengthy discussion with Matt at Haltech, it looks like I'll need a 20B BAC Valve to accomplish idle-up with A/C. While the ECU could support it without a BAC (by referencing the fuel/ignition maps), it requires reworking the firmware & software. I've suggested they they attempt to include it in the next version. Considering how they implemented a similar change already (temperature-based rev limiter), it shouldn't be too difficult to add these, depending on the air requirements of the intended idle-up amount (check your AFRs here).
Untill that happens, adding one wire to the DPO connector and a BAC isn't too bad or kludgey as long it clears the ignition coils.
Back at the build, everything is cleaning up nicely. Had some issues with power and ground that a wire brush solved. Now that everything is nice and shiny again, it just needs fresh gas to be started up again. Engines don't exactly like starting on fuel that's been sitting for nearly 2 years
On the new version, the rev limiter is now located in the gauge displays, not the Main Setup. The reason for this is that it can now be dynamically adjusted based on engine coolant temperature. A neat feature in case one forgets, or in case of owner N00bness, but mine is still going to be 8250 across the board untill all the bugs are ironed out. One less thing to worry about.
After a lengthy discussion with Matt at Haltech, it looks like I'll need a 20B BAC Valve to accomplish idle-up with A/C. While the ECU could support it without a BAC (by referencing the fuel/ignition maps), it requires reworking the firmware & software. I've suggested they they attempt to include it in the next version. Considering how they implemented a similar change already (temperature-based rev limiter), it shouldn't be too difficult to add these, depending on the air requirements of the intended idle-up amount (check your AFRs here).
Untill that happens, adding one wire to the DPO connector and a BAC isn't too bad or kludgey as long it clears the ignition coils.
Back at the build, everything is cleaning up nicely. Had some issues with power and ground that a wire brush solved. Now that everything is nice and shiny again, it just needs fresh gas to be started up again. Engines don't exactly like starting on fuel that's been sitting for nearly 2 years
10-10-12, 10:46 AM
#324
I apologize for the lack of updates as things are quite shaky around myself as well as my mom at the moment following an unintended relocation. Can't go into details here, but the project has to be paused and the car put into storage over the winter untill I can get re-stabilized. While I won't be able to do any major wrench-work, the project shall continue by building my my skill bank to sew everything up on resuming in the spring.
Rest assured that this is not the end of the 12 Days of Rotormas, just an interruption that will undoubtedly result in a much better finished product upon resuming work.
Untill then, here is a small teaser of things to come:
Wideband O2
Completed intercooler plumbing in its final form
Custom Signal conversion relay board (my own design)
ECU interface patch harness
And more to come as I design them!!!
Rest assured that this is not the end of the 12 Days of Rotormas, just an interruption that will undoubtedly result in a much better finished product upon resuming work.
Untill then, here is a small teaser of things to come:
Wideband O2
Completed intercooler plumbing in its final form
Custom Signal conversion relay board (my own design)
ECU interface patch harness
And more to come as I design them!!!
