Hold(en) my beer - Monaro, Ute and Commodore content
Discussion
99PBATR said:
Looking good. Painting properly even from a can is an art....as from a gun 
I tried and failed miserably. I like that finish, it reminds me of a matt version of the Rustbullet treatment I gave my ATR...now that stuff was epic but it was that potent that I almost got high every time I used it 
What paint is that? Rustoleum?
It's Raptor Bed Liner, I'm just using the can version, it has a hardener that you mix in via a second valve on the bottom of the can, nice system. I tried and failed miserably. I like that finish, it reminds me of a matt version of the Rustbullet treatment I gave my ATR...now that stuff was epic but it was that potent that I almost got high every time I used it What paint is that? Rustoleum?
Never used it before, but it looked like it'd give the finish wanted and seemed pretty hardy
Sat the strut bar plates on top and yep, chuffed with the finish on the arches etc, has come out just how I wanted it to.
Those who aren't convinced, bear with me, once I drop the engine in there I reckon it'll look great
Also, I masked up the top of the passenger quarter panel with plenty of tape, I was a little unsure if I'd gone far enough (I'll be honest, I was being lazy...) and sure enough there's been some overspray with the bed liner, so the quarter panel feels a bit rough with speckles
Not a big deal at all as the whole car's paint is far from perfect and no doubt one day I'll have it resprayed, but yeah, I skimped on effort there and will have to face the consequences
Those who aren't convinced, bear with me, once I drop the engine in there I reckon it'll look great
Also, I masked up the top of the passenger quarter panel with plenty of tape, I was a little unsure if I'd gone far enough (I'll be honest, I was being lazy...) and sure enough there's been some overspray with the bed liner, so the quarter panel feels a bit rough with speckles
Not a big deal at all as the whole car's paint is far from perfect and no doubt one day I'll have it resprayed, but yeah, I skimped on effort there and will have to face the consequences
99PBATR said:
You can easily cut back any overspray by some gentle wet flatting and compounding with a machine. If you want advice I spent many years running my own detailing business and have wet flatted every panel on my Ro....about 140 hours work in my case
140 hours! 
That's good to know, I had assumed a bit of a polish would buff it off, neighbour runs a detailing business so he looks after the cars in that respect
One day I'd like to get it resprayed (Arancio Borealis possibly
) so I'm not too precious with the paint at this stage.Spent some time last night better understanding what wires go where. Turns out a bunch that go to the fuse box actually just pass through the bottom of it and go straight out the other side, so I can run these through the box section and save some space aroun/underneath the fuse box.
Also found that the extended run of 6 cables I did from the ABS module to the fuse box were amongst the ones that just pass through it, so in fact I can just route those directly to the ABS connector, so there'll just be the one join there.
Set myself the task of extending the 15 I found that can be routed straight through the box section instead of passing 'through' the fuse box. Following Penelope's advice, they're soldered / heat shrinked with the joins offset.
I grouped them in bunches of 5 so there was room to offset the joins, then wrapped a bunch of 5 in insulating tape. Repeated this for the other 2 groups to end up with 3 thickish lines
Then wrapped the whole lot up together ready to be poked through.
At this point it was quarter past midnight. I hate wiring
Also found that the extended run of 6 cables I did from the ABS module to the fuse box were amongst the ones that just pass through it, so in fact I can just route those directly to the ABS connector, so there'll just be the one join there.
Set myself the task of extending the 15 I found that can be routed straight through the box section instead of passing 'through' the fuse box. Following Penelope's advice, they're soldered / heat shrinked with the joins offset.
I grouped them in bunches of 5 so there was room to offset the joins, then wrapped a bunch of 5 in insulating tape. Repeated this for the other 2 groups to end up with 3 thickish lines
Then wrapped the whole lot up together ready to be poked through.
At this point it was quarter past midnight. I hate wiring
Penelope Stopit said:
Good viewing innit
I will grant you there is something satisfying about a well wrapped up bunch of wires, but that is all I shall grant you I'll continue taking pictures as I go and at least try to explain where the wires have gone, given that the whole point of this is to make them not be visible
Spent a lot of time either ripping hedges / roots out of the garden, or laying on the sofa with a crippled spine because of the garden related activities
Fortunately Monday was too cold to bother going outside much, so I spent what turned out to be about 5 and a half hours extending more wires.
I've only got about 7 or 8 left to extend but needed some thicker gauge cable frustratingly so had to stop.
There's nothing to show really as it's just more wire, I got a little distracted and with my new found wiring skills made this horrible contraption involving wiring a plug into a light socket and screwing it to the plasterboard
But you can bet I sheathed that wire like a pro
Getting there anyway, and with a lot more light now which is helpful.
Fortunately Monday was too cold to bother going outside much, so I spent what turned out to be about 5 and a half hours extending more wires.
I've only got about 7 or 8 left to extend but needed some thicker gauge cable frustratingly so had to stop.
There's nothing to show really as it's just more wire, I got a little distracted and with my new found wiring skills made this horrible contraption involving wiring a plug into a light socket and screwing it to the plasterboard
But you can bet I sheathed that wire like a pro
Getting there anyway, and with a lot more light now which is helpful.
t.
SturdyHSV said:
Penelope Stopit said:
Good viewing innit
I will grant you there is something satisfying about a well wrapped up bunch of wires, but that is all I shall grant you Agreed, once the wires are taped up It's a case of out of sight out of mind
Looking forward to more pics
So, more hours last night saw what felt like actual progress and justifiably doing something that didn't involve a heat gun
So for extending the wires, I snip a new length of wire so it'll reach, then have to make a new label for the end:
If anyone is going to do anything with a wire, get some of these, they must have saved me so much time and effort
So snip new length, strip ends with magic tool of joy, join / heatshrink, repeat, repeat, repeat, repeat, repeat, repeat
Once all done, I got to finally wrap up the main run that'll go form the fusebox, through my hole in the wing, through the box section and out.
First up though wrap it up, and then tape a bag over the ends to keep the labels intact / clean whilst poked through, this was the breakout section that used to go through the base of the fusebox but now just goes straight up and through the box section.
Can see where it goes in and pops out here
Then wrap and bag up the main monster that'll pass through the hole by the fusebox.
The hole is flat and smooth at the bottom, the edges are lined with rubber edging to minimise rubbing concerns
A bit of test fitting I realised it'd be best to trim the edge of the fusebox base a touch, just to allow the wires to come out at a shallower angle and make more use of the width of the hole I'd made
Then wrap / bag it, I was pleased with how relatively slim it turned out
Another test fit, and the edge of the fusebox mount is a bit snug
Some dremel based clearancing ensued as I didn't want the corner of the bracket pressed against the loom
Now was the time to actually run everything through properly and see how tidy it would look
Pleasing.
So, now to tidy up the other few wires that breakout of the main loom and instead of going through the fusebox base as before and then back down to the ABS module where it used to be, they can just double back and go straight to the ABS connector's new position, going nowhere near the fusebox.
I was able to reuse an existing ground bolt which was nice, the ground which goes to the ABS module connector was previously just bolted to the ABS module bracket which was spot welded to the wheel arch.
I gave the grounds a wire brush and checked for continuity / lack of resistance with a metre between the new spot and the main ground for the battery negative mostly for my own peace of mind.
So with everything wrapped up and out of the way, I stuck the fuse box cover back on.
First thought was that I should have covered the fuse box cover in the same finish but otherwise, very pleased with how tidy it looks.
I still have these chaps to connect to the ABS module plug
And then the small matter of connecting everything else, but there is at least plenty of space this end...
So for extending the wires, I snip a new length of wire so it'll reach, then have to make a new label for the end:
If anyone is going to do anything with a wire, get some of these, they must have saved me so much time and effort
So snip new length, strip ends with magic tool of joy, join / heatshrink, repeat, repeat, repeat, repeat, repeat, repeat
Once all done, I got to finally wrap up the main run that'll go form the fusebox, through my hole in the wing, through the box section and out.
First up though wrap it up, and then tape a bag over the ends to keep the labels intact / clean whilst poked through, this was the breakout section that used to go through the base of the fusebox but now just goes straight up and through the box section.
Can see where it goes in and pops out here
Then wrap and bag up the main monster that'll pass through the hole by the fusebox.
The hole is flat and smooth at the bottom, the edges are lined with rubber edging to minimise rubbing concerns
A bit of test fitting I realised it'd be best to trim the edge of the fusebox base a touch, just to allow the wires to come out at a shallower angle and make more use of the width of the hole I'd made
Then wrap / bag it, I was pleased with how relatively slim it turned out
Another test fit, and the edge of the fusebox mount is a bit snug
Some dremel based clearancing ensued as I didn't want the corner of the bracket pressed against the loom
Now was the time to actually run everything through properly and see how tidy it would look
Pleasing.
So, now to tidy up the other few wires that breakout of the main loom and instead of going through the fusebox base as before and then back down to the ABS module where it used to be, they can just double back and go straight to the ABS connector's new position, going nowhere near the fusebox.
I was able to reuse an existing ground bolt which was nice, the ground which goes to the ABS module connector was previously just bolted to the ABS module bracket which was spot welded to the wheel arch.
I gave the grounds a wire brush and checked for continuity / lack of resistance with a metre between the new spot and the main ground for the battery negative mostly for my own peace of mind.
So with everything wrapped up and out of the way, I stuck the fuse box cover back on.
First thought was that I should have covered the fuse box cover in the same finish
but otherwise, very pleased with how tidy it looks.I still have these chaps to connect to the ABS module plug
And then the small matter of connecting everything else, but there is at least plenty of space this end...
Penelope Stopit said:
Nice one
Cheers, there's a decent amount of space to work with in and around the bay which is convenient, makes these silly schemes easier to implement. Which reminds me, I must double check the bumper fits without the foglight fowling anything 
djgritt said:
Thats a very tidy job there, nice work! Looking forward to seeing more and of course the finished article!
Also emphasises how bad/untidy the bay on my CV8 was after previous owner/s had chucked loads of extra stuff in.
Assuming it works, then it's been worth the effort as I'm really pleased with how much tidier I was able to make it around the strut tower and on the inner arches too. It's almost a shame I'll have to put an engine back in there Also emphasises how bad/untidy the bay on my CV8 was after previous owner/s had chucked loads of extra stuff in.
So anyway, before joining up the ABS module connector wires, I wanted to make sure it'd all fit down there, so I bolted the power steering pump back in place and had a bit of a mock up.
Was able to reuse some mounting holes with a bit of a bracket which was convenient and everything was mocked up well enough to reassure me I could go ahead with the joins.
Obviously rubber trimming any edges to make it a safe space
There's a nice pocket of space below the headlight which is helpful.
Now, when I had the battery relocated, the positive terminal from the battery was bolted to the newly run positive cable from the rear, and wrapped in 3 metres of electrical tape and left in a weird loop in the engine bay where the battery used to be.
I found that actually bolted these bits back together as they were but in this nice pocket under the headlight meant they were out of the way, and I could still easily run the +ve to the alternator and the starter motor.
Naturally this will also be engulfed in insulation...
It's not actually resting on anything it was just awkward to get a good camera angle. This doesn't seem the most sophisticated solution but it has worked fine for the 8 years or so since someone relocated the battery for me, so I'm fairly sure it'll be fine there, although will look at alternative suggestions and see if I can come up with something cleaner.
So the (slightly messier) engine bay now looks like this, with starter and alternator wires roughly in position, although naturally pending some sheathing.
Will continue to also ponder some additional mounting for the ABS module itself just for peace of mind now that I've got it in position and it clears things etc.
Edited by SturdyHSV on Thursday 8th April 09:12
Spotted what might cause a problem
The ABS module plug is now pointing downwards, water/moisture will run down the cables and collect inside the plug, will very likely get inside the electrical part of the module
Solution might be to remove approximately 15 cms of tape and any other covering from the loom above where it enters the plug and bang plenty of sealant all over and around every cable, tape the whole gooey mess back up and tape over again when the sealant has started to go off
Also get sealant around and in the plugs cable entry point
You could also use self amalgamating tape all the way along the loom and cover it with finishing tape to keep it looking like the rest of the loom/looms
Electrical protective grease all over the terminals will also help
Perhaps Sikaflex windscreen sealant would do the loom sealing, maybe a sealing putty that stays soft would be better
As mentioned, "might be the solution"....you know how bad water is
Ignore me if the car never gets wet
The ABS module plug is now pointing downwards, water/moisture will run down the cables and collect inside the plug, will very likely get inside the electrical part of the module
Solution might be to remove approximately 15 cms of tape and any other covering from the loom above where it enters the plug and bang plenty of sealant all over and around every cable, tape the whole gooey mess back up and tape over again when the sealant has started to go off
Also get sealant around and in the plugs cable entry point
You could also use self amalgamating tape all the way along the loom and cover it with finishing tape to keep it looking like the rest of the loom/looms
Electrical protective grease all over the terminals will also help
Perhaps Sikaflex windscreen sealant would do the loom sealing, maybe a sealing putty that stays soft would be better
As mentioned, "might be the solution"....you know how bad water is
Ignore me if the car never gets wet
Penelope Stopit said:
Spotted what might cause a problem
The ABS module plug is now pointing downwards, water/moisture will run down the cables and collect inside the plug, will very likely get inside the electrical part of the module
Solution might be to remove approximately 15 cms of tape and any other covering from the loom above where it enters the plug and bang plenty of sealant all over and around every cable, tape the whole gooey mess back up and tape over again when the sealant has started to go off
Also get sealant around and in the plugs cable entry point
You could also use self amalgamating tape all the way along the loom and cover it with finishing tape to keep it looking like the rest of the loom/looms
Electrical protective grease all over the terminals will also help
Perhaps Sikaflex windscreen sealant would do the loom sealing, maybe a sealing putty that stays soft would be better
As mentioned, "might be the solution"....you know how bad water is
Ignore me if the car never gets wet
I'm glad you brought this up, as it did seem less than ideal for it to be upside down... There's a gasket around the plug internally, but agreed it seems a risk / inevitability that water will make its way 'up' (physically down) the cables and will get in to the terminal pins.The ABS module plug is now pointing downwards, water/moisture will run down the cables and collect inside the plug, will very likely get inside the electrical part of the module
Solution might be to remove approximately 15 cms of tape and any other covering from the loom above where it enters the plug and bang plenty of sealant all over and around every cable, tape the whole gooey mess back up and tape over again when the sealant has started to go off
Also get sealant around and in the plugs cable entry point
You could also use self amalgamating tape all the way along the loom and cover it with finishing tape to keep it looking like the rest of the loom/looms
Electrical protective grease all over the terminals will also help
Perhaps Sikaflex windscreen sealant would do the loom sealing, maybe a sealing putty that stays soft would be better
As mentioned, "might be the solution"....you know how bad water is
Ignore me if the car never gets wet
I was thinking of gumming it up with some sort of sealant basically poured in where the cables enter in to the plug, agreed plenty of electrical grease in to the terminals too, fortunately have some of that already at least. Will look in to sealants
The real question is... will I go to car mod bodge hell for just filling it with silicon sealant pumped in from the opening
you know, something like this:https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0001GRVOG/
Edited by SturdyHSV on Thursday 8th April 14:47
Magic gel eh? Sounds perfect
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Raytech-Magic-Gel-300-bot...
And below an exciting man to demonstrate its usage...
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Raytech-Magic-Gel-300-bot...
And below an exciting man to demonstrate its usage...
SturdyHSV said:
Cracked itNever heard of the stuff
Have a big problem with an outside underground joint.......Ordering some soon
Nice find
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