Watching you do this E36 M3 scares me too.
Watching you do this E36 M3 scares me too.
Got a few steps closer to having a stand-alone harness. Step 1 was finding my stack of printouts from the workshop manual:
Still scared, but not as much as before, so I removed a bunch of wires and labeled some that have to be re-routed.
Progress is cool, even when it's hard to see.
Killing it Patrick! \../
All reroutes are labeled:
Next steps: finish cleaning, then lay it in place and see if I can locate the PCM far enough from exhaust heat as-is. I'm thinking about underside of package tray, dead center. Should have enough cooling air there. If it looks sketch, I'll lengthen the harness and put the PCM somewhere else. Then I'll figure out where to put all the fuses and relays, and then I'll lengthen wires for o2 sensors and alternator. ALDL (obd port for you youngsters), USB, and check engine light will go in a filler panel where the ashtray used to live.
I love electrical.
Seriously. I do love it.
SkinnyG (Forum Supporter) said:I love electrical.
Seriously. I do love it.a
So once you've done this ..it becomes automatic like riding a bicycle?? what hurdle does a noob need to embrace the most?
In reply to 759NRNG :
Be the electron.
In reply to Stampie :
The other day I told my wife I lost my electron. She said "are you sure?"
I'm positive.
boom! Dad joke win!
With the harness stripped down to stand-alone, I put it in the car to get a feel for PCM mounting. I think I found a good spot:
with the location locked down, I can make a bracket and lay out the rest of the harness. I'll probably repurpose some C4 connectors for easy serviceability and zero budget hit.
In reply to AngryCorvair (Forum Supporter) :
From lots of mid-engine experience, that spot is too warm unless you put a fan on it drawing from the vents it is near. Really this should be kept no warmer than the driver. Stock X1-9s have two layers of steel sandwiching a fiberglass insulation bat, and you can still roast a pig in the rear luggage compartment beginning about 15 minutes into any drive.
In reply to TurnerX19 :
Your objection is noted, Counselor. :-)
The threat of rain led me to put wiring on hold so I could mow the lawn. E36 M3, can't mow and leave those edges all overgrown. Drag out the edger, give her a shot of starting fluid, break the rope. berkeley my day. Pull top cover, remove rope deal, tie new knot, get spring wound and attached correctly on try number 3. Notice blade is loose on shaft. Pull blade, weld up and rout center hole, install blade. Add a little engine oil, grease blade bearing, a little huff of ether and she's good. This machine is old, no safety features other than a blade guard.
Ok, edges are tight, and the in-laws show up semi-announced. Mama grills up some burgers, Grandma brought old-school tater salad, life is good. But the lawn still ain't mowed and the clouds are still threatening. Back outside, Finish mowing and realize how bad the driveway looks with all those weeds growing in the cracks. Sharpen a flat blade screwdriver and scrape all them weedy bastards out, sweep and bag and drag out the shop vac for the removable blower function, blow all the dirt and loose clippings into the yard, and the first few drops start to fall. Quick, move the wiring table inside and get mama to help drop the ez-up. berkeley, I'm exhausted.
Love some good edging
TurnerX19 said:In reply to AngryCorvair (Forum Supporter) :
From lots of mid-engine experience, that spot is too warm unless you put a fan on it drawing from the vents it is near.
Except Chevy put those ECUs in the engine bay from the factory. It will probably be fine.
Wait.... is that a GM ECU?
Patrick said:Love some good edging
I mean, uh, dude uses a screwdriver. Different strokes I guess. Literally.
In reply to SkinnyG (Forum Supporter) :
It is the GM PCM from the 94 corvette. There should be pretty good airflow when the car is not sitting still. I'll try it in this spot and if I have any issues I'll extend the harness and relocate to cooler spot.
In reply to SkinnyG (Forum Supporter) :
Yeah in c4's there's no more than 12" of room between the pcm and the exhaust manifold. Send it
Tonight I de-pinned all the automatic trans wires from the PCM, then spent some time studying fuse block schematics. I'm going to integrate one of the C4 underhood fuse blocks, the dash fuse block, and a lot of the lighting harness into the Corvair's existing ignition and headlight switches. A lot of the Corvair harness was missing, and I need (want) it to have most of the normal driver type stuff. Probably not putting the wipers back though, as I traded them for a couple of trim bits a long time ago. No pictures tonight.
I would think a metal heat shield would help here too if necessary.
Patrick said:Love some good edging
Pleased with the engine harness, I decided to pare down the C4 body harness and use the C4 fuse blocks. Powering everything through relays to take work off the 1960s ignition and light switches. I don't enjoy doing this work, but the result will be worth it.
AngryCorvair (Forum Supporter) said:Patrick said:Love some good edging
Dick and Betsy DeVos (yes, that Betsy DeVos) have a home sort-of across the street from ours and one day in 2020 we saw a crew edging our sidewalk. We went out to tell them they must be at the wrong house and they said that the the DeVos' had sent them to all the neighbors to tidy up the neighborhood a little bit. I stopped mowing the lawn for a little while after that, but they never came back and I'm back to doing it on my own.
AngryCorvair (Forum Supporter) said:Pleased with the engine harness, I decided to pare down the C4 body harness and use the C4 fuse blocks. Powering everything through relays to take work off the 1960s ignition and light switches. I don't enjoy doing this work, but the result will be worth it.
Just want to offer my encouragement. I do like doing this kind of work and do it a lot. It's really time consuming, but you are right that it is worth it and you will be rewarded with reliability and easy servicing in the future. Keep going!
In reply to Carl Heideman :
Not sure if you're saying my sidewalks exude wealth or you're calling me a prick. Doesn't matter, as both are correct.
when I started this project I said "it's a race car being built for one event, and it's cheap enough that I can throw it away if it comes out E36 M3ty." Somewhere along the line it became "I'm gonna engineer the berkeley out of this thing. It's gonna be an example of design for reliability, maintenance, and repair."
Your work inspires me, and I look forward to seeing more of it.
In reply to AngryCorvair (Forum Supporter) :
I'm certainly not calling you a prick--it just reminded me of the time the DeVos' thought all their neighbors didn't care for their lawns well enough and our nasty lawn got a little better.
The inspiration is mutual. This car is awesome and so much better than throwing cash and aftermarket parts at something only to end up with a poorly engineered mess (much like my lawn).
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