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Jul 2004: By Bruce Clough ( clough@erinet.com)Well, let’s see, where were we last month? Decided to fix al little smoking valve guides and ended up tearing apart the car. This is know as "Shipwrights Disease". If you don’t know the story, see me. So as of right now, 31 May, it still sits in the garage waiting for a new head.
As you can see, I did get the engine back in, radiator and a lot of the associated plumbing connected. I’m still waiting for Sterling Rubber to get the right crimp sleeves for the flex line coming from the fuel petcock, but that’s a nit compared to the head. I had to sit the old head back on to the engine back in – used the Moss Motors engine hoisting-positioning gizmo I won at the 1999 TRA Meeting (would have rather won the car). The connection is wonderful – uses the existing head studs, but the rotating action is clumsy – uses a ½" ratchet. I like my older crank-handle rotator for ease of use. I put about 20 blankets in the engine compartment and managed not to scratch any paint while putting the engine-trannie combo back in. A first. I think I aligned everything so the crank will work – we’ll see. Might work better now with all new mounts and correct mount hardware. |
Thanks to Mark Macy I found a head (in the State of Washington..). Shipping was more than the head. Right now it’s in Performance Clinic getting checked out. With any luck I’ll get it on the car this week. The interior is back in I had a scare there for a moment when I found DOT 5 fluid on the driver’s floor. Turns out I had filled the reservoir to the tip-top and some leaked out of the top when I jacked up the car – it wasn’t a leak from the bores or fittings. Silicone won’t lift paint, but it will leave stains on the original-style rubber floor mats. During the slack-time caused by the bad head, I’ve managed to update the sound system. Before I had a CD player feeding a small amp driving a set of cheap 5" speakers behind the seats. Well, just didn’t put out the sound needed. Hard to hear at speed and the portable CD player didn’t have anywhere to sit.
The other thing about the sound system was that it had to be minimal cost. I don’t want it to be enticing to thieves, and I’m already blowing quite a bit of family resources on the engine. Well, taking stock of what I had in my "used Stereo" bin in the garage I found: Late 1980’s Radio Shack Cassette player that used to be in TR Stealth - Set up for 4 speakers. Given back to me by Chris Yanity several years ago. Set of Radio Shack shelf speakers, small w/cast metal box. Older Sony CD Player w/accessories to attach to car stereo. The Stereo Amp that was in the TR2 along with the cheesy-cheap speakers I was using. Well, I had to keep tradition going, so I put the cassette unit out of Stealth back in the TR2 where the amp was. I put the box speakers on the floor behind the seats, mounted a platform for the CD player on the trannie tunnel, and put the speakers I had in the car on the kick panels in the foot wells. |
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Sounds okay – I’ve got the front speakers out since I’m replacing the speakers with a two-way set up for better highs. Cost? About $60, total. What does it sound like at speed? Good question. I’ll have to find out! . At 0 it sounds pretty good, although some might say my taste in music these days doesn’t sound good at any speed. If we need more volume I still have the amplifier in reserve
Let’s see, AM/FM cassette stereo, CD player, 12V car
power outlet for three different gizmos (one the CD player and can’t
forget that pesky cell phone), and a possible amp. How do I wire all of
these? How do I make room for future gizmos in the electrical system?
How do I keep the generator noise out of the stereo? |
To add capacity, normally folks just splice in wire with in-line fuses. Crude, but workable. I wanted something a bit more elegant, yet TR. Solution – buy a new TR4 fuse box and mount it under the firewall on the passengers side. Accessible, yet hidden. To cut down the generator noise I installed a noise filter on the supply. This wasn’t as easy as it sounds since it was a three-wire filter set up for negative ground with an electrolytic capacitors in it. I had to take the filter apart and reverse its polarity also. I then epoxied it behind the fuse box on the other side of the bracket I made. The bracket was designed to use the existing blanking plate bolts – didn’t want to drill any holes in the body. It works real sweet, and you can’t see it except for the extra black wire going to the starter solenoid. No ugly crimp connectors showing, No huge amount of in-line fuses. Yeah, it’s not factory, but this is not a Concourse boy here. I did my time in silliness. Nothing but order – all is good with the world…
LATE BREAKING NEWS! THE 11 JUNE UPDATE!!! |
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Still haven’t driven it due to the sucky weather, …sigh. Might try it today between the thunderstorms (12 Jun)
Always scared when it fires up the first time. I’m pretty sure that’s the way it should be,especially after a significant investment of green stuff. I should expect success – driving LBCs has warped my mind, I guess.
Safety Updates Yes, safety updates. Now I’m older, and have either Bridgett or Duncan riding with me, so I think about these things. I’ve already got the seat belts and fire extinguisher handy. Now I wanted to work on the lights – more specifically lights that let me be seen, not for me to see. Daytime driving light – Although I hate GM for making them mandatory in late 90’s cars, they are a good idea. I’d like a driving light for daytime running. |
Daytime Driving Light The daytime driving light was an easy thing to find, just expensive to get. Moss sells real or repro Lucas driving lights and the badge bar to mount them on. It works, looks period, and is simple to install. It also sets you back about $300 to do this with the repro light, much more with the original. I bought the repro. Sorry, this is costing me too much already. Besides, the repro really looks like an original Lucas unit – even says "Lucas" on it. Fist to put on the badge bar. Not as easy as it sounds due to the bumper mounting bars being a bit out of line when they are loosened. I managed to get the badge bar mounts behind the bumper, but it wasn’t as easy as it should be! Now, this badge bar gizmo is a three piece affair – end pieces attach behind the bumper on either side, then the center piece with the light mounts is kept in place by a couple of set-bolts. Only those set bolts were about a half inch (12mm) too long. Yup, cut them down so they would be flush with the bar when they clamped it tight. Worked the first try. Scared again. Arranging the electrical circuit was another matter. I had a spare fuse in the new fuse box to use, and there is a hole already in the dash for an overdrive switch that just happens to be the same as the OEM light switch I’m using. But what to use to indicate to the driver that the light is on? I hate dead batteries. I have 12V mini-lights, but I don’t particularly want to drill a hole in the dash for it. Solution was to nylon tie it to a TR4 door panel fastener that just happens to push over the bottom lip of the dash. Got a light, do got a hole. Wiring was straight-forward. Did put plastic wire protection on where the wires run into the light. Then I moved my TSOA & CMAS badges to the bar.
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Daytime driving lamp on badge bar – remember when I said I wouldn’t do this? Third Brake Light Okay, so this actually would be the second brake light, and the original is also in the center. Fine – I want one up where folks can see it! Just so happens Moss sells the very thing I need – a Hella rear fog lamp modified to be a brake light – complete with rubber coated magnetic mount. Sweet. Attaches right to the existing wiring with usual Lucas push-bayonet connectors. I didn’t have to pull any parts out of my stash to get it working. And it’s bright!
Now to drive it – see ya later - Bruce |
