18 October 2020 Not much progress this week as we went away for a weeks holiday. Much needed with the Covid-19 restrictions we've faced this year. Got back yesterday and cleared some space in the garage, I moved the interior parts I probably won't need (doors, bonnet, wings, roof) into my shed and the bits I will probably use (seats, steering wheel etc) into some storage space in the garage. I spent Sunday afternoon in the garage, I started by stripping the loom out of the dashboard along with the remaining switches. I left them connected to aid identification later on where I could. In the cabin I undid the 3 bolts holding the heater, disconnected the pipes in the engine bay and removed the heater from the cabin. I spent some time releasing the loom from the interior of the car. Unclipping the loom from the body, the remaining electrical connections and earth points. I pulled out the carpet to allow me better access. In the engine bay I disconnected the fuse box from the loom and moved that onto the top of the engine. There were a number of relays behind the fuse box that I released from the bodywork. I removed the front bumper to get better access to the wiring at the front. I unclipped the loom that runs down the offside wing, labelling connections as I undid them. The front lights were removed, (two bolts at the top and the remaining connector popped out of it's retainer. The horns and an unidentified box in front of the radiator were removed. I also removed the bonnet lock it might come in useful later. Back in the cabin I undid the steering column at the bulkhead universal joint and pulled it out. I released the throttle cable and undid the clevis pins for the brake and clutch pedal. The nuts in the footwell that hold the brake servo on were undone and the other bolts holding the brake and throttle pedals so I could remove them. In the engine bay I undid the brake pipes and the vacuum pipe to the servo and removed the brake master cylinder. I undid the nuts for the clutch cylinder and removed that and the pedal. I carefully fed the loom from the nearside wing back though the firewall into the cabin. Then I did the same for the loom that connects to the engine through the centre of the car (most of the engine sensors are on this loom). Lastly, for today I undid and removed the pinch bolt on the universal joint nearest the steering rack and also undid the nuts holding the rubber boot to the firewall. The lower steering shaft was very tight in the universal joint and I had to use a long drift against the upper part of the shaft to gently tap it, to release it from the joint. Then I could withdraw it through the firewall. Some of this work may be unnecessary if I keep with my plan to use aftermarket dials, ECU and wiring loom; but for now I am keeping my options open. I will probably need some of the connectors off the loom for the ECU wiring. Using an aftermarket loom and dials will require solving some other issues like driving the speedo, tacho and supplementary dials. However it will mean I have a new loom which will be much simplified (and lighter) without all th wiring for things like mirrors, windows, wipers, heating. I'll also be able to design the power distribution to fit the Replicar instead of having to use the one used in the MX-5.
1 Comment
William
23/10/2020 10:19:48
Following what a great blog!
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