elacruze '68 resto thread (Heavy photos)

[elacruze]

ECU harness...
I just tore it all apart and started from the beginning...
Finalized the positive battery cable to the starter. Need to run power to the starter relay and to the ECU. Fuel pump wire to trunk and relay...

[elacruze]

Christmas in July.
Denny's driveshaft with 1350 u-joints on both ends.

[sixty8charger]

   it's just so beautiful...   

[elacruze]

Installed rear deck speakers today, had to get them in so the interior can start with the package tray. I didn't photo the finished area, but it got sound deadener all around. JBL GTO series 5x7s.

[68RT4ME]

Hey Eric, I was down at the shop a few days back and got to see your car first hand. Guy's, it is an AMAZING CAR!!!. A real piece of art Bro. Cannot wait to get started on mine. Keep up the great work. 

[Rolling_Thunder]

love the silver and blue gut...              don't complaint about the ECU harness...      i'll show you a picture of what I got going on in my garage        

Looking great man - seriously.    keep up the good work.

[elacruze]

Hey Andy, missed you by minutes while at lunch.

I spent most of the day on the engine, finishing the details on the EFI setup, throttle, etc. Mounted the ballast and regulator on the firewall.

Package tray and rear window trim is in. Notice the perfect alignment of hood, dashboard, and rear seat pleats. Bill's attention to detail is remarkable!

[six-tee-nine]

The blue is really something different instead of  the usual black......not that i'm against black though, I like it.

I cant get over the pos starter cable so i have to ask : are you using a special cable? because I would worry a bit about the insulation geting damaged easily under the car and next to the Z-bar.
If it were me I'd use a cable with a reinforced insulation or but a extra plastic tube (like the ones used in newer cars) around the cable. 

[elacruze]

The blue is really something different instead of  the usual black......not that i'm against black though, I like it.

I cant get over the pos starter cable so i have to ask : are you using a special cable? because I would worry a bit about the insulation geting damaged easily under the car and next to the Z-bar.
If it were me I'd use a cable with a reinforced insulation or but a extra plastic tube (like the ones used in newer cars) around the cable.  

I used professional-grade Excelene #2 welding cable for the positive. It has a very high wire count, is very flexible, and has a rubber insulation instead of plastic.
If it ever shows signs of wear, or if it isn't large enough (technically for that length it probably should be #0) I'll replace it with Draka brand, which is immensely superior but also immensely expensive. I don't expect any problems since the cable is secured every 12-14". I went to great pains to be certain it can't contact the Z-bar, or touch anything besides the clamps from engine movement or road impact. I'll take a photo showing the routing through the frame and along the rocker.

[elacruze]

The new Tri-City Plating bumpers came-2 days after ordering. They are great!

[elacruze]

Ok, all the work today...

Bill installed the windows, trim, felts, etc. and they look great.

I worked on installing the ECUs in the battery box, which turned out to be more work than I thought but it turned out nice. Tomorrow I'll finish the wiring and Sunday hopefully is first-start day!

First pic is of the ECU isolators, actually aircraft instrument panel isolators. Pretty small and soft, about 1/2" tall.
I drilled and installed them in the battery tray, made an aluminum mounting plate for the ECU and screwed the whole thing together. Nice vibration isolation.

[elacruze]

Don'cha hate it when you need battery source under your dash, and have no convenient place to connect?

When I ran the bypass on the ammeter, I made the wires long enough to add a power stud, screwed to the clutch pedal bracket. I needed a good 30 amp source for the power windows, so I thought of this. I found the stud with cap at West Marine.

[elacruze]

I never fully decoded the fender tag before, so I'm posting it up here and in another thread. Interestingly, it has some hand-stamped numbers in the last 3 positions of the first row-difficult to read due to over-striking and age. Looks like 26x. <edit> Now known to be St. Louis plant inspector stamp.

[six-tee-nine]

The blue is really something different instead of  the usual black......not that i'm against black though, I like it.

I cant get over the pos starter cable so i have to ask : are you using a special cable? because I would worry a bit about the insulation geting damaged easily under the car and next to the Z-bar.
If it were me I'd use a cable with a reinforced insulation or but a extra plastic tube (like the ones used in newer cars) around the cable.  

I used professional-grade Excelene #2 welding cable for the positive. It has a very high wire count, is very flexible, and has a rubber insulation instead of plastic.
If it ever shows signs of wear, or if it isn't large enough (technically for that length it probably should be #0) I'll replace it with Draka brand, which is immensely superior but also immensely expensive. I don't expect any problems since the cable is secured every 12-14". I went to great pains to be certain it can't contact the Z-bar, or touch anything besides the clamps from engine movement or road impact. I'll take a photo showing the routing through the frame and along the rocker.

No need to convince me, I just kept asking myself the same question so I just had to ask.....
The pics clearly show that you know what you are  dealing with so i dont doubt your skills, just pure curiosity.

[elacruze]

Didn't get started today, still have some wiring details, radiator, etc.
Got spark plug wires on, some harness cleanup and planning. Belts are on, hoses and clamps in house. as soon as I finish the wiring we can install the radiator and test run.

[elacruze]

Been posting mostly in the engine thread...

Changed out the mis-matched injectors, 45pph all around now...still have RPM pickup issues...idle air control motor was no good.
Replaced the IAC, good to go.
The RPM problem turned out to be that the ECU firmware was old, but the software I downloaded was new...don't work together. Firmware can only be upgraded at the Holley Tech Center, so $78 in FEDEX later it's off...prolly another $78 to get it back, hopefully they'll make it happen before Monday.

Although the Holley system is shaping up nicely, rest assured I won't be using their stuff long-term. The issues I've had, although made worse by the time crush to the power tour should have been addressed somewhere in the literature or Holley's website. Having to send a unit in to get upgrades is inexcusable when you can't download the particular software necessary to make it work. I'll have the Electromotive box installed as soon as possible after the PT.

[Rolling_Thunder]

yeah -  shame on Holley for that...     That is why I am a huge fan of the MegaSquirt...   EVERYTHING you need is found online...   

[68blue]

I like using the battery box for the electronics, may look at relocating my battery back to the trunk sometime in the future.

[elacruze]

Put the ECU back in today, works flawlessly. Spent some time tuning in neutral, found some adjuster nuts off the rockers so readjusted and torqued...will do again after first drive. Film at 11.

Installed A/C underhood stuff-new compressor, condenser and lines. Classic Auto Air Rocks! everything fit perfectly, and they got the stuff out the door to me the same day, even with custom hoses (to put the port fittings up top instead of at the compressor).

Also, used high-density foam to gasket the condenser-most condensers have a gap between them and the radiator, so air comes in around the sides instead of through the condenser leading to overpressure and poor cooling while idling in traffic. Gasketing forces the air to be drawn through the condenser at all times so it's not dependent on vehicle speed to cool.

[elacruze]

Marathon days...

Speedo cable routed
Park brake cable adjusted
Brakes bled
Shifter adjusted
Wiring sorted
Grille installed!

[tan top]

  looking good    .............

[twodko]

You da man Eric!

[elacruze]

Grille adjusted...bumper adjusted...valence adjusted...spoiler installed
Rear light harness wrapped, installed and tested
Interior lights final check
Inner fender splash shields installed
Wheels installed and torqued!

Tomorrow morning will install tach wire, connect vacuum for lights and A/C, detail a few wires underhood.

Drive and tune!

[68r/t]

Exciting times, the car looks great and good luck with the first drive.

[six-tee-nine]

Ouch so that means your at a point you're so excited you cant sleep anymore