Dashboard electrics connection

Connecting the looms

Spaghetti!

There are two main black connectors on the dash board loom which can only fit one way in to the other half of the connector on the main body loom. Then there re two white connector blocks which link the dash loom to the body loom. Finally there is a white connector which has four earth (black) wires, which is again connected to the body loom.

The five connectors

The column wiring 'sub looms' connect to the dashboard loom in to the designated connectors. Again they will only go in to one connector.

Column switch connections

The brake fluid warning wires (green and green/white) were fed through the bulkhead and connected to the brake fluid reservoir. Then the two wires that I had added for the auxiliary power socket were attached after small terminals had been attached.

Next the wires were attached to the ignition switch (see diagram from GD below).

Lower right diagram shows how to connect the ignition switch

Larger gauge wire crimp connectors (yellow) were needed for two of the wires. One of these needed a large 9.5 mm terminal too. See photo below.

Ignition switch connections

Once all the connections had been made, it was time to test if the electrical items worked. That will follow shortly.

NOTE ADDED LATER: Take note of the "GD427 Mk4 Vauxhall column connections" document notes. These changes should ideally be made before the loom is put in place! A lot easier. Will post wiring changes later.

Steering column - switches and wiring

This is the second part of my steering column switches and wiring post.

The switches were removed from the column mounting. The original stalks were cut off above the rubber gaitor locator towards the stalk end - see the photo below.

Cut stalk alongside an in-cut one

The end of the 'switch stalk' was then filed flat, drilled and tapped to take the replacement GD stainless stalks. The plastic flange that locates the rubber boot is at a slight angle, so the hole needed to be drilled to take account of this.

The plastic flange that the rubber boot is located on. Note that it is not 90 deg to the stalk

The new turned stalks were screwed in and a small amount of 'loctite' used to make sure they do not work loose. The column adjuster was fitted and a small grommet fitted to the leather to finish it off. This was glued to the leather to keep it in place.

New stalk fitted

The wires were connected to the column switches using the wiring diagram from GD. I will come on to the ignition switch later.

Wiring for column connectors

The wires have had female crimp connectors attached at the ends of the cut wires. Connectors are attached at the other end to link to the the dashboard loom using the block connector.

A switch with the wires connected

Don't push the switches fully home on the steering column at this stage, as they will need to be removed to install the dashboard.

What did you do with your Cobra today?

Did nothing today. Too busy letting my nail polish dry! Normally I don't wear any, but my 4 year old grand daughter insisted I did for Christmas day. Not sure it goes with the Cobra image though.

Need to avoid chipping it when next working on the Cobra!

Steering column - leather, trim and switches

Managed to get a couple of hours on the Cobra today before Christmas.

Stainless steel shroud

The leather was cut to an approximate length to go around the shroud and the thickness of the shroud marked with chalk.

Metal shroud and marked up leather (the area to glue is nearest the camera)

Contact adhesive was applied to the metal shroud and leather (within the chalk mark). After 'drying the contact adhesive' the leather was fixed to the metal shroud. It was then trimmed to expose the control stalk holes.

Leather glued and fitted to metal shroud prior to being trimmed

The shroud was tried in the stainless steel trim plate and needed a small amount removing with metal shears at the joint.

The plastic mounting needs to have the two pre-drilled holes opening out a little and then tapped to take M8 threads. I used a 6.5 mm drill bit to open out the hole and a sharp M8 tap to create the thread.

Tapping for the M8 thread

The old mounting brackets (plastic below and metal above) were removed.

Old brackets removed (lower bracket already done)

Next the ignition switch barrel was removed. This is achieved by turning the ignition key clockwise one click to position one. A thin allen key is inserted in the small hole just above the barrel (see photo below) and the barrel just pops out.

Hole to release ignition barrel

The leather on the shroud was cut to the indicator and wiper switches using a craft knife. The shroud was then fed over the column. The switches were then put in place on the column. The stainless steel stalks will be fitted later.

The stainless steel trim plate was fitted to the column and over the shroud using M8 buttonhead bolts to fix it. The leather covered shroud is a friction fit to the stainless steel trim plate, so does not need any fixings.

Old type stalks in place (they will be replaced)

On the plate are operating symbols for the lights, wipers, horn etc, so the stainless steel GD stalks can be fitted before the IVA.

The leather was trimmed around the inside of the ignition barrel.

Leather cut around the barrel

Seat fixing - the runners

Runners

This is the easy bit!

Seat base as delivered

First job was to find the captive threads on the seat bases under the leather. The holes were found by finger and then a small indentation was made by pressing the leather over each hole. There were four of these - one at each corner. These were exposed by carefully cutting around the holes with a sharp craft knife.

Captive threads exposed

The threads needed running through with an M8 tap to clear the them. Eight bolts (M8) had been supplied by GD to fix the runners. One runner was fixed to each seat, making sure that the adjuster spring was nearest to the seat base (the runners are also handed). Next the adjuster handle was fitted over the peg and between the two locating lugs on the fixed runner. Then the other runner was put in to place and fixed to the seat. I have head restraints fixed to the seats, so it was okay to fit the adjuster bar at this stage. If you have head restraints fixed to the roll over hoops, then the adjuster bars should not be fitted for the IVA test as the seats need to be in a fixed position.

Two runners and adjustment bar fitted

Now I just need to fit them to the car

Thank you!

Over 30,000 page views! Wow.

To all those in the US, UK, Russia, Australia, France, Ireland, Guernsey, Ukraine, Canada, Netherlands, China, Indonesia and everyone who has had a look at my blog in the last month.

A BIG THANK YOU!

Carpets - the final fit

Final fitting of carpets

This is a job where you need patience and time.

At the transmission tunnel side, the lower and upper sections of the extension were trimmed with off cuts of the carpet. These small sections of carpet were fixed in place using contact adhesive to make a tidy job.

Small sections of carpet added to horizontal surfaces

Again on the transmission tunnel side, the carpet was cut along the top and bottom of the foot well extension - I cut all the way along towards the bulkhead. The carpet was then pushed in to the foot well extension. The carpet was then marked with chalk on the back and cut to the bulkhead/extent of the extension. A 'v' was cut in to the carpet in the extension to get rid of the ruck. The carpet was then glued in place, using spray adhesive.

Transmission tunnel foot well extension with carpet fitted

Next the off side foot well extension was rubbed down, sprayed satin black and then the cut out carpet was stuck in to the recess (this needed a small amount of trimming).

Carpet stuck in to off side extension

Then the off side piece of carpet was glued down.

Side carpet glued in place

Now I just need the escutcheon that Mark Turnbull is making to finish off the surround.

Floor carpets

The bulkhead carpet was laid and cut to the peddle box. This was stuck with contact adhesive. 

The floor section of the carpet was next. This needed the fixings supplied by Gardner Douglas securing to stop the carpet 'creeping' under my feet. This will be done once I locate the fixings! So for now it is just a loose fit.

Off side foot well almost finished

After this the passenger side was straight forward. The nearside bulkhead carpet, followed by the floor carpet were fixed in the same way as the drivers side. Then I added a 'map' pocket to the transmission tunnel side.

Near side foot well almost complete

Flexible heating pipes

Oh b****r!

The flexible heater pipes had slipped off most of their outlets/couplings or they were easy to pull off. This had happened even though I had used tie wraps at every end. So tie wraps are out for me for this job.

Jubilee clips used to replace tie wraps

Solution, secure these again to the outlet or the coupling using jubilee clamps. A lesson for me. Do it right the first time to avoid re-doing the work!

Widening footwell part 2

Widening the footwell part 2

Once I had the hole cut out, I then reinforced it with resin and glass fibre, overlaping the edges and on the back of the outside panel using West System Exoxy Resin (this helps maintain the structure of the body, whereas normal resin may not bond as well) and glass fibre matting.

The resin is mixed 5:1 (resin to hardener). I made sure that everything was ready, as the resin starts to go off very quickly, so I had to work fast. The resin mixture was applied to the hole, the glass fibre matting was then put in place, then the resin was applied to the glass fibre matting with a brush (Tip: get throw away brushes for this). The resin was applied and worked in a stipple manner, rather than a painting action, then left to set. During this process I created gentle slopes at the top and the edge nearest the driver to avoid catch my foot.

Glass fibre and resin added to top and bottom of hole. The sides and back were next.

This is a messy process, made more difficult by the location. The hole will be rubbed down (take care here as glass fibre can get in to your fingers if you are not careful) and then lined on the flat area of the hole (not the edge) with carpet. This will reduce the space gained to 30 mm, giving the same space either side of the accelerator pedal.

Glassed extension

NOTE: This modification is not recommended by GD.

Rear reflectors

Rear reflectors are a requirement for the IVA test. Some builders make brackets to fit the reflectors to and secure these behind the rear lights. This allows the reflectors to be removed after the IVA test, but it is not the neatest solution in my opinion. So Andy at GD Cars made me a pair of stainless steel stand-offs for the reflectors, to match the reversing and fog light fittings.

The reflectors have a captive 3/16 UNF thread and a rubber backing that is slightly sculptured (presumably for the original car). I could not find suitable tube nuts (used to link two bolts) or the right tap! So I decided to make something!

I bought a small length of 13 mm diameter aluminium bar (100 mm was the shortest I could get). Two 20 mm lengths of the rod were cut and these had a 4.5 mm hole drilled through the centre.

The reflectors were fitted to the stand-offs using the supplied nuts and washers - note the reflectors are marked with 'top' and the stand-offs are handed. A bead of silicone was applied to the back of the rubber seal on the reflector. Epoxy resin glue was applied to the thread on each reflector. These threaded ends were then inserted into the hole in the drilled ali bar (making sure that the cut bar did not protrude beyond the stand-off) and allowed to set. Rubber U seal was then fitted to the edge of the stand-offs. Also did this for the reversing and fog lights.

Rear of stand-off showing 'tube nut'

The positions of the two reflectors were marked on to masking tape - the bottom edge of the reflector needs to be a minimum of 250 mm from the ground (max 900 mm) and no more than 400 mm in from the edge of the car, to satisfy the IVA test. The centre of the holes were about 100 mm in from the centre of the rear lights and 70 mm below the centre line of the brake (bottom) light. A 5 mm hole was then drilled for each reflector stand-off in the Cobra's body. M5 cap head bolts and washers were used to secure the stand-offs from the inside of the boot.

Close up of reflector and stand-off

Reflectors in place

Gear lever and handbrake gaiters, plus drain holes

Gear lever gaiter

The leather gaiter was nicked around the bottom, then glued to the escutcheon using contact adhesive.

Nicked and glued

The escutcheon and gaiter were located centrally on the transmission tunnel over the gear lever and hole (the hole is not central within the escutcheon, it is towards the nearside). There was 45mm to either side of the escutcheon on mine. The escutcheon position makes the gearlever look central to the transmission tunnel. Then it was simply a case of drilling undersized holes, before fixing with three self tapping screws.

The gear shift knob was a leather covered Simione Racing model. This was fixed by putting a rubber insert over the gear lever and then the knob. The knob was located using three grub screws, before the collar was screwed into place. Finally the leather 'laces' at the top of the gaiter were tied.

Gear shift escutcheon, gaiter and knob in place

Handbrake gaiter

The escutcheon had to be bent slightly to match the shape of the floor. This was done by putting the escutcheon in a vice (protecting the polished face) and gently tapping it to the correct shape. The gaiter was then glued to the escutcheon as with the gear lever gaiter and fixed to the floor around the handbrake using five self tapping screws.

Handbrake with escutcheon and gaiter fitted

Footwell drain holes

Holes (12 mm) were drilled in the floor to take 15 mm plastic pipe inserts. If you don't install drain holes, the footwell can fill up with water when the top is down and it rains. This can prove difficult to dry out and can be a nuisance, unless you fancy a swimming pool! The inserts were glued, then tapped into place and the length trimmed from the inside.

Drain holes near bulkhead

Cobra power

Well electrical power I mean!

Power leads

The power leads have rubber caps put over their ends to cover the terminals and studs. IVA requires that there are no exposed power conductors where you could create a short. The studs were removed and Vaseline was applied to the end terminals to help get the rubber caps in place and reduce the risk of corrosion, and hence a bad connection. This was done for the live and earth in the battery compartment and for the power take off studs in the engine compartment. It was a fiddly and time consuming job, but it has to be done! Tip: If you have to do this try warming up the boots and apply Vaseline to the studs to help the boots slip in to place.

Boots over cables in compartment

Boots over studs in engine bay

Fuel pump power

The fuel pump requires power. This achieved be using the thick red cable from the loom that has a ring terminal at it's end. Another hole needs drilling in the passenger footwell/bulkhead. A grommet was fitted, after thinning the GRP a little. This cable was then run through to the battery compartment and connected to the live feed from the battery.

Widening footwell part 1

I have decided to make more space near to the accelerator pedal as it was tight even for me with my dainty size 8's. I pinched the idea from Mark Turnbull, thanks Mark (see link to Marks website on the right). The extra space will be some 40 mm, making around 365 mm in total between the cut out side and the footwell extension in the transmission tunnel. This gives over 30 mm each side of the accelerator pedal in my case.

The right foot extension!

First I marked out the hole to cut, using a template from Mark - wow a lot to cut away! The template was aligned by marking the farthest point of travel of the accelerator pedal and about 50 mm up from the floor. These two lines were 90 deg to each other. The main dimensions I used are 220 mm high, 205 mm wide at the bottom and 140 mm wide at the top.

I cut the corner holes using a 55 mm hole saw fitted to the electric drill ..... carefully, to make sure that I didn't go through the outer skin (watch the pilot drill bit here). Also, if you can, do this before you install the pedal box, I didn't and it would have been so much easier if I had! Once the GRP is cut through it is quite obvious as the resistance to the cutter is much less.

Marked out and corners cut using hole saw

Then using the Dremel and its flexible extension, I cut straight lines to join up the corners to complete the cut out. Next I removed the foam using a craft knife and a chisel. I left some near the top as it will make a smooth transition from the pocket to the side wall. I also think I may do this on the cut nearest the driver, to avoid me catching any shoe soles on the pocket.

Hole cut out  with some foam left near top

Now this is done I will create a 'pocket' using glass fibre. I have ordered the West System resin, which should arrive pretty quickly.

NOTE: This modification is not recommended by GD.

Build (and road) insurance

Today I had to renew the build insurance on the Cobra. A renewal quote of £302 from Footman James for build insurance looked good, but could not be cancelled part way through the term (or at least there was no refund) and it could not be converted to a road policy.

A-Plan offered a laid up policy, that once the car was registered, becomes a road policy covering me and my wife for up to 4,000 miles a year for just £490. I reckoned that this was a good price for a car valued at £60k and with 480 bhp. As I am aiming to get the car on the road for spring 2017, the A-Plan insurance seemed like a very good deal 😃.

Auxiliary power supply

I fitted the nearside under dash tray today. A reverse of the driver's side, so it was easy, except I added a 12v power supply outlet.

Auxiliary power supply

The power outlet that I used was an Audi part that is used extensively by the VW group, so can be found in VW, Audi, Bentley cars etc. I bought mine from Prestige Motor Services (see link on right). This is a neat solution that hides under the nearside dash and can be closed when not in use. It pops down when needed and closes up when not needed. It avoids having the power outlet on show for example on the dashboard, which seems wrong for a Cobra - even a modern take on one like mine.

The power supply will go on the passenger side nearest the transmission tunnel. I had to take care marking out where the heater outlet and the power supply unit needed to fit, as they go between the two cross braces. An oblong was cut out of the under dash tray for the power unit. Here I drilled holes at each corner of the area to cut out, then I used a jig saw to cut out the hole, before finishing with a hand file. The aluminium was too thin for the power supply clips, so small pieces of aluminium (shims) were cut to pack out the clips (see photo below). These were glued in place.

Reverse of under dash tray showing small shims at either end of power unit

Looking from foot well

The wiring will be completed when I fit the dashboard.

Under dash trays and dashboard plus door seal finishers

At last, some work after a break doing some housework! Well work on the new house. So I am back to building the Cobra after almost a three month lay off. Yes I did a few small jobs, but now it's down to it properly.

Some essential, but easy jobs first. The bonnet was secured properly. The pivot bolts were re-attached, as were the gas struts. Next the remaining caphead bolts and washers were used to secure the hinges to the bonnet.

Then the wires were extended to attach to the horn. A tie wrap secured the wires to the compressor to ensure that they do not flap about.

Wires tie wrapped to compressor

Under dash trays

I had already fitted the centre under dash tray (see a previous post) a while back. The centre tray is where the ECU will sit.

The outer trays were secured to the front cross brace (the brace nearest the bulkhead) using self tapping screws. This will allow access to the dash if needed, at a later date. I had been putting this off. I thought that dodging the swarf from drilling the holes would be difficult. It wasn't as the holes could be drilled without getting right under the dash, I simply leaned in to the footwell and drilled the holes.

Hole in the underside of dash tray drilled through to the cross brace

The outer trays were fixed to the front brace only.

Under dash tray secured by self tapper

They were temporarily held at the dashboard end by racing tape. The trays will be sandwiched between the dashboard bottom and the rear most cross brace (nearest the driver/passenger).

The footwell heater outlet holes are pre-cut in the GD panels, but the laser cut holes were too small for the plastic vent, so needed opening out. I used the electric drill and a burr.  Here one part of the vent pushes through the hole, securing with the flexible lugs. Two small slots in the trays and squares on the vent stop them swivelling. The other part clicks over the vent on the upper side.

Driver's side vent in place

The other side is handled in the same way.

Door seal finishers

I have decided to replace the door seal finishers. I was not happy with those bought from Europa having seen the GD items. The GD finishers are not cheap, but they are good!

Front nearside door seal finisher in place

The rear door seal finishers will take a little more thinking about before I can fit them!

Got it covered!

The indoor cover that I ordered for the Cobra came today. I ordered it from Specialised Covers, who had a template already for the 427 - just had to send them details of the mirror locations.

I chose grey with black piping. Looks great with the Storewall and on the black floor. Nice soft material too, which fully covers the car. The cover comes in a bag and was a reasonable price.

Cover fitted to car

Grin from ear to ear!

Keith Akerman came around today. Glorious sound track. Heard him long before I saw him!

What a great car he has built. Offered to take me out in it - would have been rude to refuse.