Part 20 – Wiring

[RJacobsen]

One major job yet to be done on the car was the wiring or should I say rewiring. What I had to work with seemed to be quite a mess as illustrated by the following photos.

http://www.uniquecobra.com/gallery/files/1/5/0/5/dashwiring.JPG

http://www.uniquecobra.com/gallery/files/1/5/0/5/dashwiring2.JPG

I was able to get my hands on a wiring manual for a 2003 Unique 427 (thanks Phil) and was glad to find out that the wiring in my car matched (for the most part) the wiring in the manual. I still had some differences to deal with (MSD box, dual fans with relays, oil pressure light, etc.) but the manual made most everything make sense. I discovered early on that the harness had plenty of wire included and decided to custom tailor it to my car. I shortened wires and replaced connectors and reworked pretty much everything. Here is the result for the dash area.

http://www.uniquecobra.com/gallery/files/1/5/0/5/dashwiring3.JPG

http://www.uniquecobra.com/gallery/files/1/5/0/5/dashwiring4.JPG]

To get to the rear of the car I decided not to go through the tunnel. I ran a conduit under the passenger side door, through the wheel well and into the trunk.

http://www.uniquecobra.com/gallery/files/1/5/0/5/wiring5.JPG]

http://www.uniquecobra.com/gallery/files/1/5/0/5/wiring6.JPG

All wiring to the engine and cooling fans is through one hole in the front right of the tunnel and along the frame rail.

http://www.uniquecobra.com/gallery/files/1/5/0/5/wiring8.JPG

http://www.uniquecobra.com/gallery/files/1/5/0/5/wiring9.JPG

Headlights, turn signals, brake wiring and horns are concealed on the left side and across the front.


To be continued…

[Aggressor]

Time well spent. Very much improved.

- Geary

[Slither]

Nice work Rod... love the heat shields, too[thumb].

[pgermond]

Looks really good!

BTW - EUROSunday at Nugget Market this Sunday, if you are interested - http://eurosunday.net/sacramento/index.html

[mkassab]

You're sure giving me many ideas for my upcoming build. I've gone through all your posts and they are very helpful and inspiring! I do have a few questions .... you have a gauge or something on the far right side of your dash.... what is that? Also, do you think it would be easy to replace the vinyl on the dash with aluminum? Thanks Mark

[weaver]

Rod is rebuilding a older 289 FIA car that had been altered into a race car, his build is totally different than a new kit build. The original FIA cars had the speedo on the passenger side so the driver wouldn't look at it, the 427 cars and 289 street cars didn't have that option. The problem with a aluminum dash is when the sun hits it you go blind, I had a customer go with aluminum but later painted it black.

[mkassab]

Alan.... would the sun be a problem if the aluminum was scotch padded to make it dull? It there other options other than vinyl or wood? I guess a aluminum/silver gray vinyl would be an option if "roughing" the aluminum is still too reflective. Help... Mark

[RJacobsen]

You're sure giving me many ideas for my upcoming build. I've gone through all your posts and they are very helpful and inspiring! I do have a few questions .... you have a gauge or something on the far right side of your dash.... what is that? Also, do you think it would be easy to replace the vinyl on the dash with aluminum? Thanks Mark

As Allan said the gauge you see is the speedo. As to the dash it would not be hard at all to overlay it with aluminum but Allan has a good point, the scotch brite would probably help but I think a bigger problem comes with keeping it looking good. Raw aluminum starts to oxidize almost immediately after you polish or scotch brite it, and with all the switches, gauges, lights, ect it would be difficult to maintain without a protective coating on it.

[mkassab]

I hear you on the oxidation.... was thinking a satin clear coat would take care of that? But this stuff should work also…. http://www.zoopseal.com/ I wonder if a translucent stain for the aluminum, like gun barrel bluing, exists? Or some type of aluminum wheel paint? I just looking for "something"... maybe brushed stainless steel?

[JeepSnake]

Mark,

I would definitely consider a really light gauge brushed stainless veneer instead of aluminum. You'll be forever scotchbriting to keep up with oxidation as well as nicks & scratches from keys, tools, rings, or (believe it or not) even your fingernails. More than likely, the area around each of your toggle switches and the ignition will get rubbed smooth by your fingers touching it over and over (see this on equipment control panels at work all the time).

IMHO, ZoopSeal is a fair product, but it doesn't live up to the hype you hear about it. I had my valve covers repolished, and then I zooped them. The kit didn't have enough of the cleaner in it to wash both valve covers as thoroughly as I thought it should. Then, after sealing, the covers had a white, waxy haze to them. Zoop says this buffs out, but I never got all the haziness out (thankfully it's on the sides of the covers and not the top, so it's not seen). That said, it HAS protected the covers as well as it claims. I think it would be fine on a non-polished surface for protection.

If you're looking for an industrial/utilitarian/no-nonsense appearance, you might consider a hammertone finish like is on electric motors. I used Eastwood's silver hammertone paint on a lot of fixtures in our house (light fixture bases, window latches, etc.), and it really, really looks good and has held up well on the latches. It has that wrinkled texture to it, and it's really close to an argent silver wheel paint. Don't bother with the Rustoleum hammer-finish paint, though; it's not even in the same league as the Eastwood product.

Hope this helps!

[mkassab]

Lot's to think about. Can I assume just about any cover/veneer could be cemented to the fiberglass dash?... e.g. wood, metal, leather, vinyl, etc? Thanks Mark

[weaver]

I have a customer who glued a carbon fiber cover over his dash and it looked great. There might be a pic in the owners gallery on our web site, the car is yellow and black.

[mkassab]

well... a few more questions on the 427 dash. Since I don't have one yet, can I assume the dash it fiberglass and the vinyl is glued to it? Is the dash curved (convex) only on its horizontal axes?... and the vertical is flat? And lastly, on the carbon fiber.... how was the resin applied, or was the fiber already is a sheet form? or was the fiber one of the good simulated stick-on type? Can't wait until May 14th Homecoming to see all this first hand.... it will really help. :o