Well, I feel like I'm past due for an update. Most of the work I've been doing lately won't really be noticed once it's done, but as I've said before in this build, that's the point. I want things to look like that's just how they were supposed to be from the factory even if it means a lot more effort. One of the more time consuming "invisible" projects has been decontenting the wiring. Most of this has been for the stock Fiero harness, since I've got rid of TONS of stuff on the car that means I get to delete tons of wiring. The car has just enough electrical stuff left to function as a street car, but that's it. Sure, the weight loss is nice, but this is mostly to reduce visible clutter that used to be invisible...stuff like the harness that used to hide out behind the dash that is now displaced by batteries. Here's one of many piles of wiring I've created:
You guys that have stripped down a modern wire harness know how much of a hassle this is. Here's a shot of some of the EV wiring that is being added to the front end of the car:
Since I'm modifying the harness to fit, there are a lot of splices where I've eliminated inline connectors or stretched wires. I think Jessica and I have probably done something like 80 splices on the car, fortunately we're getting the process down pretty well. Those of you with keen eyes will also catch some work in progress in the backgroun. The sheet metal is part of the battery box, which is required to meet NHRA requirements for the batteries in the interior...the sheet metal is super cheap stuff sourced for home HVAC ductwork. The aluminum tubes on top of the motor are new replacements for the hodge-podge rubber hoses I had before and are not only more robust but also significantly cheaper...the tubing only cost me a couple bucks as it was previously a clothes hanging rod from a Linens and Things that was going out of business.
Here's the latest bundle of wiring under the dash:
It looks like a disaster, but this is actually a huge improvement from the bundle I was dealing with a few weeks ago. For reference, the EV wiring is in the blue zip ties under the pedals, that huge bundle under the steering column is original GM stuff. Slowly, these harnesses are getting picked through, modified, and rerouted until they start to cleanly fit into the available spaces.
I was going through our pictures from the drive down to San Diego and got a kick out of this one:
This embodies everything that I love and hate about driving in SoCal. I love the beautiful beaches, great roads along the coast, and the usually great weather. Traffic, on the other hand, is enough to make you go nuts. That's Rick driving in front of me in the G37, Chris was driving behind me in his Miata.
More progress updates next week. I'm running out of time before this thing gets put on a transporter so I have to stop taking things apart to "fix" them. I swear, I've had just about everything on this car apart and back together about ten times.
Bryce