buZy Posted December 30, 2005 Share Posted December 30, 2005 Hi Mike. Like everyone else I can't wait to see the final finshed product. Question: Your mounting the MSD inside/under the dash ok. Are you still using the stock heater core/box? Or ditching that too for weight savings? Or using one of those aftermarket hot rod electric ones? I live in MN and still have yet to use my heater. Just wondering.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikelly Posted December 30, 2005 Author Share Posted December 30, 2005 Sorry guys... I've been doing the wiring and haven't completed the dash install just yet. Because all the wiring is behing the dash, runing around the front horizontal brace on the cage, I don't want the dash in the way so I can trace everything down. I hope to be done by early next week. I don't have a heater or AC, but do plan to get one of those smaller hotrod heater setups to blow hot air on the windshield just incase, and I may route a few hoses over to the passenger areas. What I did was trim a panel using bulkhead nuts welded into the firewall and trans tunnel from the factory, and cut a sheet of stainless to run from trans tunnel up to the firewall and mounted the MSD and the Holley Commander 950 on that unit. Behind that unit is still a large amount of space. I mounted my Accusump there. My fuse panel is mounted to the roll cage horizontal dash brace and I have my battery master on/off switch mounted in the driver's side rear 1/4 window. Sitting in the car I can reach my hand around and cut the switch off and corner workers can get to it from outside the car. I still need to weld on about four braces to the roll cage horizontal bar that will act as braces for the face of the dash. Once I'm done with the wiring, I'll pull the seat, remove the dash and console and weld those braces, drill the holes for the dash, epoxy the last few gage brackets and mount the dash and remaining gages. If any of you guys NEED some pics of something LIKE NOW for something you're specifically working on, I'll snap a few and throw them on my yahoo folder. If not, I'd really rather do all the documenting at the end, where I can pull it all appart and take pics in phases. I'm down to the last 10 wires on my painless 17 circuit kit (About 300Ft of wire! ) and trying to trace everything out and troubleshoot it all, so I am in the home stretch of this portion of the project. I've kept TWO extra dashes to show some of what I did to get to this point. Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark Posted December 30, 2005 Share Posted December 30, 2005 You only have afew days to get this project done. I hear you will be a working stiff again after the first of the year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikelly Posted December 30, 2005 Author Share Posted December 30, 2005 Funny what two hours in the garage can accomplish, along with the laptop and the Painless thread sticky! I now have emergency flashers, headlights, and taillights. Still sorting out the whole turn signal issue, and still have to wire my switch box up, which is five circuits and the push starter, but after that, I'm pretty much done. I expect to finish out the dash this coming week, then get the car on the lift and start fabbing the rear differential craddle for the R230, as well as finish up fitting the trans mount to the chassis and welding in the driveshaft hoop... Fun Fun FUN! Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikelly Posted December 30, 2005 Author Share Posted December 30, 2005 Went from 90% done to back to square one. No turn signals, no headlights, no dash lights, no park lights... I think I'm gonna need all those 8 other switches... Pretty sure I just cooked the living hell out of one of them... On the plus side, I've got a two speed wiper deal working off the stalk. Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark Posted December 30, 2005 Share Posted December 30, 2005 I feel for you Mike. One down and eight more to go. Offer still stands on the switch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMortensen Posted December 30, 2005 Share Posted December 30, 2005 I thought this was a track car Mike. Brake lights, ignition, starter, fuel pump, Accusump, cut off switch, done... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikelly Posted December 30, 2005 Author Share Posted December 30, 2005 Yea, Jon I should just ditch it all and go bare bones. I'm trying to keep it on the edge of legal so I can drive it on the street to do shake down runs in it. Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
george.bryant Posted December 31, 2005 Share Posted December 31, 2005 picsssss! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blueovalz Posted December 31, 2005 Share Posted December 31, 2005 hint, hint Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikelly Posted January 2, 2006 Author Share Posted January 2, 2006 I'll snap some pics today and get them into the http://photos.yahoo.com/dat74z New Zcar project folder later today guys... Check by tonight and you'll have some pics to see what I've done, but the dash braces are not welded in just yet. Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikelly Posted January 2, 2006 Author Share Posted January 2, 2006 You guys can see some of the pics here: http://photos.yahoo.com/dat74z Look in the new Zcar Project folder. Some of them will be edited later with text to explain what you are looking at. Gotta Run! Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
260DET Posted January 2, 2006 Share Posted January 2, 2006 Concerning the dash Mike, what you did was to gut a stock dash, reinforce the remaining face with fiberglass laid on the inside then use foam as a backing and adhesive for the metal mounts? Is that basically what you did? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikelly Posted January 3, 2006 Author Share Posted January 3, 2006 What I did was take a stock dash cover from either MSA or VB and lay glass inside it in about 4mills thickness. I took a stock dash and removed all the material from the metal base, then cut the top of the base off. I used that top flat surface and bolted it in. I'll weld about three to four braces on to my roll bar cross brace and bend it so that it will hit the front of the dash for a bolt in pickup point. I will use bolts to bolt the dash cover to the braces. I used fast drying epoxy to mount the gage braces that are mounted. I do plan to finish epoxying the last coupld of gages in place, along with my shift light. Funny thing is that the dash without the gages weighs less than two pounds! Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blueovalz Posted January 3, 2006 Share Posted January 3, 2006 Great work! I almost wish I'd done this myself. Great idea! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
260DET Posted January 4, 2006 Share Posted January 4, 2006 It is a good idea, thanks for sharing Mike. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Here comes trouble Posted January 4, 2006 Share Posted January 4, 2006 Gee whiz! got busy looking at the other mods forgot to pay attention to wiring. Very interested in the rear lower control arm ""... I got the parts for the front adjustable tension rods from Race Basics and the parts for the adjustable front control arm are on their way from UB Machine. and the camber plate monoball housing arrived in 3/4 rather in 5/8's Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Owen Posted January 5, 2006 Share Posted January 5, 2006 Hey Mike, long time no see huh?! I did what you are doing now, except didn't use any reinforcing under the cap. I took some aluminum tube, welded some tabs on it, which in turn line up with the 10mm holes under the windshield-line. Measuring where the gauges should mount to was a pain, but it turned out cool! One thing, my glove box doesn't work (who cares!). I was gonna make a cage with the same tubing and put some walls/floor on it and make it line up with the glove box door, but same ol story, ran outta time. In the end, I just gutted the glove box door and bolted it from the inside to the dash cap. The 3 center gauges mount to the main cross frame, the AC panel gauges/ducts/LEDs are an A-frame and mount to the tunnel, can be removed separately. The two big gauges mount to the steering column. Removal takes 5 minutes. It could take 3 but I have to disconnect the wiring from the main wiring harness cuz the gauges are mounted to the frame. Owen PS, I also dropped the height of the entire dash around inch from the stock mounting location. Both for looks and to make easy use of the 10mm holes. See last pic, you can see the weatherstrip in the background. The welds are my first (and last) attempt at MIGging aluminum. And the wires are a mess cuz I was relocating my ecu, trying to find room for an AC box. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikelly Posted January 5, 2006 Author Share Posted January 5, 2006 "But dude, That bling dash will blind you!" (From the other thread... Owen, your fabrication skills are amazing. Wish I could have poured something off this cover. I've lost steam in the last two days and still haven't resolved where my lights are dying. Probably won't get back to the Zcar for at least a week. I'm starting to tear into the vette again to put this Exedy stage3 clutch in it. Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Owen Posted January 6, 2006 Share Posted January 6, 2006 I hear ya, too many projects not enough time...or money...or energy! Get the triple size Rockstar (do you have that over there?) and get on it! Owen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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