Wire Harness Status Update

I finished moving the Relay Box and putting it into place in the main harness.  Almost all of the circuits will be shortened, which is good.  The headlight harness is now down to the bare minimum.  I need a wire-to-wire connector between the headlight and main harnesses. 

Braille Battery Install / Custom Mounting

Well, I needed a battery, but I wanted to keep it as light as possible while being able to drive the car every day.  Braille delivered.  Their B2015 is just 15 lbs, but can power 4-cylinder engine vehicles every day, even in cold weather.  The question was, where should it be mounted?  Engine bay was out (I needed the layout space for intercooler piping).  Rear trunk was considered, but vetoed.  I chose to mount it just behind the passenger seat.  In this position, it's as low as possible (to keep the C.G. down), will offset the mass of the driver a bit for improved weight distribution, and will keep wiring short (you'll hear more about this a bit later).

I opted for the Braille aluminum battery mount for an extra-clean look.  That's nice...

 

(A very satisfied customer.)

HVAC/Audio Circuits Removed

Made some progress today...removed all of the HVAC and Audio circuits from the main cabin harness. Still have plenty of work to do, but my plans are coming together. I need the fuse panel so I can remove the engine bay fuse box and complete the engine room cabin harness. And I need to order gauges so I can integrate those circuits into the main cabin harness.

Wire Harness Modifications Begin

I'm just starting to build my wire harness now for my S14. My goal is the cleanest, lightest and most simple wire harness possible. The vehicle will be used mostly on the track, but I want to retain headlight/taillight/turn signal functions so it can be driven on the street as well.

Plans so far are:
1) Remove all HVAC-related circuits (that system won't be going back into the vehicle)
2) Remove all Audio circuits (same as HVAC)
3) Relocate Relay Box into cabin (shorten circuits, keep engine bay as clean as possible)
4) Pass all engine circuits through one wire-to-wire connector for easy engine removal/install (for future SR20 modding - it's being installed in stock form for now)
5) Replace ghetto wiring of Kouki lighting from 4 years ago. (i.e. solder and heat shrink instead of butt splices...I was so ignorant!)

And so it begins...

 

Complete wire harness laid out on my basement floor.

  

Harness components.

Said ghetto wiring technique...ewww.

S14 SR20DET Install / Manual Steering Rack Conversion

Today was a magical day.  I spent all weekend in the garage...first disassembling, chopping, then reassembling the (used-to-be) power steering rack, which took all day on Saturday.  Unfortunately, I didn't take any pictures of the process, but I can tell you that it wasn't fun.  Sunday was all about inspecting, cleaning and prepping the S14 SR20DET that arrived on Thursday evening.  The weekend's activity culminated late Sunday afternoon, when Jamie and Dennis helping me lower the new powerplant into place. So that's what an engine bay is supposed to look like...

Anyways, I have much more to do before it will be drive-able, but it feels like a major milestone has been reached. Now, onto the details.

Inspection (after some initial cleaning):

 

Deep in thought.  When you have flow this mighty, anything is possible.

And, by anything, I mean this:

Front Suspension and Interior Progress

Got some suspension parts in during the week, so I spent some time bolting them on today. Per Dennis' suspension critique, I ordered some SPL Tension Rods to replace the OEM parts with worn out rubber bushings. I was truly impressed at how beefy the new arms were - the people at SPL know what they're doing. The frame-side tension rod mounts were replaced with the Nismo "Power Brace." If Nismo makes it...it pretty much rocks. On to the pictures...

14-Year old suspension components (Before)

New hotness (After)

Plus, Jamie shot up some interior shots too, now that the seats and dash are in place. Yeah, it's starting to look like a car again.

Body Work is Finished (240 Comes Home)

Ed from True Performance called me the other day with excellent news - the 240 was complete, pending my final approval. I hurried over to the shop after work and was amazed at the transformation. The guys at True Performance really did a great job massaging the body back into shape. It's so smooth now, not a door-ding to see. Above all, I was most pleased with the new Japan-spec OEM bumper and valences. It adds a much more sporty look to the rear end. I think it's perfect with the wingless trunk lid.
It was ready to come home, so I brought it back to my garage today.

Jamie snapped some pictures while it was being unloaded and after we got it into the garage.

 

 

Off To The Body Shop

Well, it's off to the body shop. I found the perfect shop for the job - only a few miles away from my house in Dublin, True Performance. They typically focus on high-end collision repair, but are more than willing to take on a job like mine. But before we wave goodbye, let's take one last look at the current status.

Ugly gold antenna; holes where wing used to be; unpainted carbon hood; boring OEM bumper.

Home-made rust repair under battery base - hence the spray paint; ghetto celebrity Kouki headlight re-drilling.

Of course, the inside could use some work too.

And, we're off...