Final Preparations for First Drive
It has been a very long time coming. A project that was intended to just be a bit of wiring turned into an ever evolving project. Today I can happily call the engine wiring complete. I’m sure we will need to revisit things after a few test drives or track days, but I’m confident she will be a runner.
Taped up and loomed the final wires. Installing seats and going through my mental pre-drive checks.
Engine starts reliably and idles with all signals coming in good - check
Rear trunk closes and latches securely - check
took a bit of shimming and needs a body shop to do proper alignment
Brakes bled and solid pedal feel - check (few weeks back)
Wheels/Tires torqued down and proper pressure - check
Harnesses installed and adjusted - check
Lights in working order
head lights - working, but high/low beams are inverted on one side - follow up
turn signals - right side working; left front not - follow up
marker lights - right side working; left front not - follow up
brake lights - check
doors close and lock properly - issue with drivers lock - follow up
Wiring Done
It isn’t a pretty as I had hoped or planned in my mind, but everything is fully labeled and I did final wrap with 3M 2242 Electrical Rubber Tape which should hold well over time and also be a bit easier to remove than standard tape. In theory at least.
When I talk with my friend putting in the upholstery I’ll figure out how to hide most of the wiring while leaving ECU exposed. While I wasn’t a fan of the ECU I do feel it would fit the car to show the custom harness and setup.
Remember test…test…test… as you go!
Sexy Recaro Seats
Fred picked up a set of seats from a newer 911 and they look great. Now that wiring is complete I can put them in the for the ‘final’ time. I’m sure they will be removed again during upholstery, but for me this is the last time they go in the car.
One small note, they have much more bottom padding than the previous seats and you sit quite high. Small price to pay for a much more stable and comfortable seat.
Looking forward to driving the car in these!
Next up during my final installs and checks I tested the lights. I had previous reviewed them and noted a few minor oddities with the front lights. Now is the time to fix them. Noticed the head lights are flopped between high/low beam on each side so the left will have high and the right is low, etc. A simple swap of pins and likely my fault during the terminal installation a few months back. I was just happy to get rid of individual terminal connectors for each wire at the time. I’ll be checking tonight to confirm high/low in the dark.
Additionally I noticed the left front light was completely out. After pulling it out the issue was obvious, unplugged wires. Another example of why using individual blade terminals is a terrible idea for automotive applications. The vibration and even installation can wiggle one or two loose and then you have a spark risk and loose your lights!
I’ll be ordering more connectors like I did for the rear lights, so another week or two before I can officially finish the front lights.
For now I’ve confirmed the circuits are all working and all bulbs are good. Had to swap a few wires to ensure marker lights vs turn signals worked correctly.
Final activities for this evening will be cleaning off the glue residue from each door bar. I’m assuming they had padding at some point, but have since lost it. When upholstery is done padding can be figured out. No need for sticky bars now.
Test drive tomorrow!!!
