MadaboutKitcars

The wiring in my trailer is all black wires............so you can never choose the wrong colour..........

For a really professional job you could number the cables,

They are factory numberd.

I have not posted for a while, and the reason is, I do not really have anything positive to post about.

I was hoping to have the car Mot'd by now, but I am having problems with the electrics.

I have had to re-wire the side lights and have those working, but the indicators, and headlights are proving difficult to get going.

Also the brake lights, I checked the brake light switch, and have ordered a new one as it was faulty.
Also both the fuel and temp gauge, which worked before the build are refusing to work now. So its all time consuming checking and messing about trying to get to the bottom of so many failures, and it is very depressing, especially at this stage when I expected plain sailing.

Once again, I don't really have any pictures, as electrical failures don't photograph well!

Its just a case of plodding on and trying to get each circuit sorted out and working.

Keep at it Scottie, I'm in a similar boat, wiring isn't very photogenic, I am still having problems with the 4 way (hazard) flasher circuit but can't resolve it until I have all the lamps fitted and working.

Try to be as methodical as you can, break it down to each circuit and concentrate on getting that working.

Remember, you can't build a £3,000,000 car in five minutes!!! If it were easy, everybody would be doing it.

Glad you're still on the case Scottie as it is getting a little quiet on here without you and Paul. Good luck, you will overcome.

Sounds like the little voltage stabiliser gizmo with the green wires needs looking at.

Keep plugging away: "At first the dripping water makes no impression on the stone"!

here's the back of the fuse/relay box on one of my cars (1984, chassis #0001)

Looks like an old telephone exchange!!

Scottie - I know fault finding in a wiring loom is a major pain.

You are still on track to be ready for the bulk of the Summer, so hang on in there.

Good luck, Paul.

Wednesday

Well off we go again.

Ed you made me smile with your comments! You are usually spot on, and didn't disappoint this time either!

Froggyman thanks for the support! Must remember not to let the readers down, especially since Paul is off the scene for a while!
Also, we must not let him have too much time off!


Thanks for that tip Mick, when I get round to that circuit, I will check it out.

Okay, yesterday, when I felt I had had enough of the wiring, I turned my attention to other jobs that needed doing anyway.

This is what I usually do, I don't so much take a break, but just do a fresh job.

Its therapy that seems to work for me.

So I did a job which has been outstanding since I got the car.

The air filters in the after market induction system that came with the car, were loose, rattling and dirty, and I was going to replace them with a new system.
I stripped them off the car and was surprised to find out that they were good quality K and N ones.

So I gave the filters a really good clean out, and further stripped the holders, so I could shorten the spacer bolts to make the two plates grip the filters tightly.

Of course sods law stepped in and one bolt on each filter base sheared off,

so it was shorten, red-rill and tap a new thread and rebuild. Like all else, very time consuming.

But now, the car runs better, as it is not so rich, and the filters operate as they should, and also don't rattle.

When I drained off the petrol I had used to clean the filters, the black residue that was left was a huge amount.
I actually got a tea spoon and counted three spoonfulls of black gritty muck that had been stuck to the filters.
No wonder the car runs better.

I have taken one pic of the filters now.

Also yesterday I used one of my right angle drilling machines as a mopping machine, (because it has variable speeds), and mopped the living daylights out of the passengers front wing. The results amazed me!

So much so that my new found skill/pleasure in life is mopping.
Today, I ordered a professional mopping machine, as I now know how to get the finish we are all after!

rest of today has been spent on the wiring.

I ordered a brake light switch, which should arrive soon, then concentrated on the headlight circuit.

As it was the earthing system that caused all the trouble to start with, I dis-connected the headlights earth from the loom, and made a fresh earth for all the electrics at the front of the car, the same as I had done for the rear in the boot.

This strategy paid off, and I now have a working set of headlights, which work on the original Spitfire light switch.

It will be very simple to split them up as my dash has a side and headlight switch working independently of each other.

The wiring is a bit of a nightmare, but one step at a time, and it will get done
eventually.

before I get into trouble about where I have fitted the front number plate, be aware that as I have lowered my car an extra 75mm, the number plate is actually flat against the front cross member, so taking the plate off will not change the airflow one bit.
I do not foresee any overheating problems, but if I do have any, I will add some ducting to aid airflow if need be.
With the giant fan I have fitted, I will have to be careful around local schools, as I may hoover up small children when the fan kicks in.

(with thanks to Mr Towed for that idea)

pics:

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Scimjim, I posted before I saw your offering!
At least my wires are different colours!

Scottie did you oil the filters?

René, I have K&N TYPE filters, (cheap imitations which I found in scrap yards) What is involved with 'oiling' these type of filters. Do they require dipping in oil brushing on or what? What oil should be used? This is new territory for me.

K&N do their own oil I believe. It's a light/thin engineering oil similar to the stuff you use to lubricate brass musical instrument valves.

Here we go - http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/K-N-Recharger-Air-Filter-Cleaning-Kit-Cleaner-and-Oil-/351384325678?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item51d0234e2e

It is not to lubricate the filters,k&n oil is like a glue and is sprayed or brushed on.
The idea is all fine dust keeps sticking on the oil.

Scottie - please replace all of your flexible fuel line with SAE R30 J6 minimum. the Ethanol in our fuel now eats the lines at varying speeds (and that garden hose type is the worst for it). If you're lucky it will bung the carbs up, if you're unlucky it will burn the car to the ground (pics available).

car's looking gorgeous though - sorry if it's eggs, sucking, teaching, etc but always keep the mop soaking wet (or it can overheat the paint) and be uber careful on edges as you can go through to the primer in seconds. Give me a shout if the electrics really stump you and I'll make an excuse for work to pay me to pop up.

Wow scimjim! That offer sounds too good to be true! I'll keep it in mind and use only if I get desperate. Thanks a lot.

I use a hand operated water sprayer thing which I wet the sponge with regularly, and wont dare go near an edge!!

Will get some of the fuel line you specify and replace asp.

Rene, the city that I live in sells basic things like food and drink, but technical things that apply to motor vehicles have to be ordered in from the bigger cities where they tend to use things like cars and trucks, and I don't have any K n N oil, so it will have to be ordered!

RAM D Type on Ebay

The bidding frenzy has begun....................

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Jaguar-D-Type-replicar-Barn-Find-/301631926406?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item463aa9f086

It will need a bucket full of money to finish that...

If you look at the 14 bids they are mostly from the same couple of people, often increasing their own previous bids. Suspiciously like someone is asking their friends to bid the price up...

On eBay, naa, couldn't possibly be...

Required to finish:

Ton of money

Ton of grief sorting the original (failed) builder's work

Ton of grief getting Jag engine to work

IVA

To end up with a 'king expensive fibreglass kit car

Could've put a really good Tribute D type with a GT6 motor on the road for a ton less money

Afraid I have to agree with you all on most of the points covered!

I've always been a Jag-man, and had lots of them, including a series two drop head E Type.

The one thing they all had in common was they ate money and drank petrol, and cost a lot to run. They were big and heavy, and difficult to park, so many down-sides.

Which is why I'm building the little gem I'm working on now!
A Spitfire does 40 mpg on a run and 30 mpg around town, and my present car is much lighter, so should better that. Small and light, easy to park, cheap to run / insure / get spares etc etc....

Anyway, moving on......

Today was no different to other days in the respect of two steps forward one step back.

The brake lights I fixed yesterday refused to work today, and the shitty little cheap-arsed brake light switch that I had fitted worked only intermittently, just what one does not need for an Mot.

I had just bought the first one I saw on line, and having bought it, I then read scimjim's advice on the good quality Land Rover one all in solid brass, and regretted not seeing it sooner, and now, regretting it even more, realizing how right he was, and also that I now need the brass one!!!!!

I still cannot find / trace the indicator unit on my build, so have bought another one so I can carry on towards the Mot.

All four flasher bulbs now are connected and light up when fed.
I shall fit the new unit another day, then that should sort out the flashers.
As my car is pre 1986, it does not need hazard lights, but I think they are a good idea, and have figured out a way to make all four work with a double-pole switch arrangement, which I will post on here at a later date.
8 valve Ed may be interested in this one!

I also tidied up the loom at the nose of the car, and cable-tied the new rewired bits I had added.

It seems to me that the only bloody electrics that work properly on the car are the ones I've rewired with new relays and circuits etc, namely the fan, the horn, headlights sidelights and one or two others!

one pic:

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