Meet Ol Smokey! I’m relatively new to this forum, but not new to car audio fomokey

I'm John!


I’m relatively new to this forum, but not new to car audio forums or the car audio scene at all. I’ve been lurking in various car audio forums since 1998, and spent a few years installing professionally. Over the years I’ve collected a bunch of gear, but haven’t been able to install squat because of scope creep and time. Several years ago I gave up on my main project and sold it, but kept the audio gear.


Not long after selling my project car I bought an old Bronco because the price was right and I just needed something reliable. Here it is on the day I bought it:

http://i.imgur.com/bb4CrUll.jpg

I named it “Ol Smokey” after the drunk horse from Cat Ballau.


Not long after I slid it off a dirt road and over and embankment, the impact destroyed the hardtop. I replaced the hardtop with a soft top and that one simple change transformed the bronco from just another cheap car I owned, to my favorite ever. It’s even more fun than the turbocharged Mustangs I’ve owned, even though it’s MUCH slower.


Here it is on the OuterBanks on NC.

http://i.imgur.com/qZZywC6l.jpg

I’ve since moved to Texas and still travel almost as much as I used to. But now I make much more money, and when I’m home I have lots of time to tinker.


Here it is while moving from Virginia to Texas, with a new set of shoes:

http://i.imgur.com/ihTHsoSl.jpg
Don’t mind the flat tire on the trailer…


Shortly after moving to Texas I started in on improvements. I got tired of fighting Ford’s shitty choke design and the carb in general. So I ripped out all the stupid vacuum lines, emissions equipment and factory carb. I replaced it with a Holley Terminator EFI kit and Ford EFI distributor, it took about 4 days to install.


Here is the factory intake and distributor stripped of that terrible 80's tech:


http://i.imgur.com/XERdC3Kl.jpg


The factory Carb spacer with EGR block off plate:

http://i.imgur.com/D708fKnl.jpg


The Holley EFI throttle body and Ford EFI distributor:

http://i.imgur.com/1B6zEBRl.jpg


The ECU mounted in the glovebox:

http://i.imgur.com/9zjtOChl.jpg
It will eventually move somewhere else.


Below isn’t an easy picture to make out. But when going from carb to EFI, you have to add a fuel return line. I would up using a kit from Moroso that goes in the gas tank filler neck. I reads lots of reviews about it, and many people had issues with the returning fuel creating air bubbles in the tank. I took and chance anyway any it is working wonderfully.


http://i.imgur.com/BO5520Tl.jpg


My next biggest problem was mounting a wideband O2 sensor. I wound up using a set of ceramic coated Bassani shorty headers and Y-pipe. The headers are some the most expensive on the market for the 80-96 Ford trucks, but have a great reputation. So far they’ve been trouble free for me. The Y-pipe has a bung for the O2 sensor. I backed it up with a catback exhaust from Gibson. It took a few random parts from Amazon, but I was able to mate the two brands together without a trip to an exhaust shop or a welder.


Here is a header:

http://i.imgur.com/ymfIYr5l.jpg


Along with the engine upgrades, I upgraded from a factory direct drive starter to a newer Ford gear reduction starter. At the same time I upgraded from a factory spec battery to dual Optimas Yellow Tops. I also upgraded from the stock 65 amp first generation alternator to a 130 amp third generation alternator. At the same time I did the big three.


Here are the batteries:

http://i.imgur.com/18wPKpYl.jpg

To finish out the underhood mods, I topped the throttle body with a Spectre Performance ram air kit. It’s a fairly standard carb round air filter hat but with a sealed housing and two 4” inlets that hoses attach to it. I ran these hoses to the radiator core support.


Engine bay with air filter housing:

http://i.imgur.com/e0J6QT8l.jpg


Inlet hose in core support:

http://i.imgur.com/luyccpel.jpg
There is one on each side of the radiator.


So lets talk audio stuff!


Currently I run an iPhone with a Lightning to HDMI dongle and an HDMI audio de-embedder. I run a digital coax from the de-embedder to a PPI DEQ.8. From there it’s going to a Zapco AG200 powering Image Dynamics CD2 Comp mylar compression drivers on full size bodies. I have an old MTX RT2400 powering a pair of Audax 7” mids. I also have a black JL 300/4v1 that’ll be running the mid bass drivers when I get them installed. For the subs I have a Zapco ST-1500x powering a pair of JBL W15GTI subs in prefab box.


So that’s how things sit today, but now how things end…


I travel a LOT and while I’m traveling I have nothing to do but order new toys. And while I’m home, I have nothing to do buy tinker with Ol Smokey. I have a bunch of toys sitting on the shelf. When I got home yesterday I unboxed a bunch of new stuff:


3 in - 1 out TOSLINK switcher
Acoustic Power lab APL-1 processor
JL TwK D8
American Autowire 22 circuit kit
400 piece weatherpak kit
22 circuit weatherpak firewall bulkhead
New plugs and pigtails for ALL the exterior lights and a few interior components.
New crank and water pump pulleys so I can run two belts to the alternator
New A/C condenser
New 4 core radiator
Electric radiator fan from a mid-90’s Thunderbird(controlled by theEFI)
New backlit switches from OTRATTW to replace all the interior switches
Template for a new dash panel to mount all the switches and knobs.


I’m home for a week, then I travel for a week and I’ll be home for two weeks again. I’m hopeful that i can get most of this installed in the next month. Right now Ol smokey is at a shop where they are checking out a stupid oil leak. Hopefully it’s not a main seal…

Nice toy ya got there. We're looking forward to your progress...and welcome aboard!

Thanks Al!

The thread title was supposed to say, "Met Ol Smokey" and somehow I screwed that up. Can you fix it?

Here are some pictures of the audio install.

I bought some plastic cutting boards from Target and used them to make a mounting surface for the 7" mids in the doors. I had to cut the door quite a bit to get them to fit. Here they are:

http://i.imgur.com/JWI2Ftol.jpg

The cuts are rough and getting the t-nuts to bite in was a wild pain in the ass. But here they are mounted to the doors with the mids mounted to the back side:

http://i.imgur.com/F6GV0Vol.jpg

The door panel just barely fits over them and the extra bracing I added to the doors:

http://i.imgur.com/U6XUgVPl.jpg

A DIYMA member made this faceplate for me. It contains the DEQ.8 remote and eventually bass knob from my Zapco amp

http://i.imgur.com/pffNfGol.jpg

Here it is mounted in the factory dash panel:

http://i.imgur.com/DrGdGyxl.jpg

At the bottom you can see the USB port that goes to my 4-port 12-volt USB hub. I'll be replacing that hub with a 10-port unit I already have. Here is the 4-port unit with my EFI, DEQ.8, iPhone and HDMI Audio De-Embedder plugged into it:

http://i.imgur.com/im87ftkl.jpg

The new USB hub will have the TwK D8, APL-1, EFI, HDMI De-Embedder, optical switcher and a few other things plugged into it. Here is the APL-1:

http://i.imgur.com/AxvswDgl.jpg

I had this aluminum piece made up to mount the new switches and whatnot in place of the center dash piece. Unfortunately, I just can't bend it to the dash without damaging it. Instead I'll use it as a template to router a piece of ABS and mount that. It'll hold me over until I do more drastic things to the dash.

http://i.imgur.com/WpyohSWl.jpg

When I got home yesterday I had all these fun toys waiting for me at home:

http://i.imgur.com/umfxxKXl.jpg

Loving the equipment you have...
Wondering if the Audax driver does what you want... Midbass & Midrange.

Is it the PR170M0?

Kelvin

I fixed the thread title. Where did you get the custom switches and mounting plate?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by subwoofery

Loving the equipment you have...
Wondering if the Audax driver does what you want... Midbass & Midrange.

Is it the PR170M0?

Kelvin

---

Yes, they are the PR170MO. They are a true HE midrange, and with only .5mm of xmax, they don't play low at all. Right now they are crossed over at 200hz @48db. Where they really shine is how well they blend with the horns. It's like these speakers were made for each other. You almost can't go wrong when getting them to match up, you can cross them over anywhere from 800hz all the way up to 2000hz and it still sounds great.

For midbass I have a pair of Image Dynamics IDQ8's that'll go in the kicks.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by BigAl205

I fixed the thread title. Where did you get the custom switches and mounting plate?

---

Thanks!

The switches are from http://www.otrattw.net It stands for Over The River and Through The Woods. They have a few different style of rockers for the switches and you can have then say whatever you want, you can even do custom logos. And the switch styes can be customized as well. I choose green for all the 'always on' backlighting and orange for the 'on' indicator. Most people order just the switches and use spade connectors to wire them up, but I ordered the actual connectors for the back as well so it's easier to work with.

Awesome thread here! Welcome to the fray!

Thanks!

Here is a picture of one side of the bed:

http://i.imgur.com/7jyY7OOh.jpg

I built a cargo cover to hide this stuff until I can build new panels and sub enclosures. I have a plan to hide the amps better, but I want to wait until I get new amps.

I've also done the typical sound deadening things, and I also measured each step of the way.

http://i.imgur.com/j9hL91Lh.png

The Off and Idle measurements are a little suspect. All measurements were taken with an iMM-6 with the phone in the same mount for each test.

I still need to do the firewall and tailgate.

On Saturday I dropped Ol Smokey off at a shop so they can find my oil leak, it's REALLY bad. Like one quart every ten miles, bad. I wanted to fix it sooner, but being home for a few days at a time didn't allow for that. They finally got to look at it today, and they are positive it's the rear main seal. The thing that sucks about it is, replacing that $26 seal requires either pulling the engine, or yanking both driveshafts, the transmission and transfer case. I could easily do it at home, except for the part where I don't have a garage, or flat and level place to work. They told me it's unlikely they'll have it done by Saturday. While they may be slow, it'll cost me under $600. To me, that's worth it so I don't have to do it myself, especially since the whole chassis is coated in a thick layer of oil.


In the meantime, I've rented a Ford Fusion and will go visit my sister in Colorado for a couple days, and on Sunday I leave for a week work in Canada and NYC. When I get back I'll have two weeks to accomplish everything on my checklist. My main priority will be replacing the factory chassis harness.


Also, somehow I lost all my Switchcraft connectors. I tore my place apart looking for them, but zilch. So a couple days ago I ordered some new ones and they came in today. I put them in my dash template and they looked alright:


http://i.imgur.com/g0XcMLih.jpg


But then it occurred to me, they can be rear mounted:


http://i.imgur.com/th6vsOEh.jpg


That looks SO much better. Whats really cool is I can have the final dash piece made with studs on the back, making flush mounting a snap. Hooray for two products coming together in a fantastic way!

I got home from Canada this morning and picked up Ol Smokey from the shop. Not only had the rear main seal failed, but it had completely fallen out. No wonder it was going through so much oil!


It is stupid hot out today, and I'm exhausted from traveling from Toronto, to Montreal, to the Bronx and back to Dallas, so I didn't do much today. I fiddled with the EFI a little and got it idling smoother. Here's a clip of it:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CuVM...M&spfreload=10


Tomorrow I'll start in on more mods...

http://i.imgur.com/sTRgGAjh.jpg


Today was ridiculously hot, but I went outside and worked on Ol Smokey anyway. I started the morning with a simple project, replacing the valve covers and installing the oil catch can.


The old stock covers:


http://i.imgur.com/X2v0Upmh.jpg


One cover on:


http://i.imgur.com/gLOEUumh.jpg


The other cover on with the catch can installed:


http://i.imgur.com/wYJ43fIh.jpg


I couldn’t find my Makita, I think it’s on my tour trailer. So I had to improvise and put the catch can on a factory bolt for now. I’ll move it somewhere else once I find my drill, I’ll also replace that dumb blue/green line while I’m at it.


Here’s the engine bay buttoned back up:


http://i.imgur.com/wlYNSHAh.jpg


Then I turned to the interior, I removed the PPI DEQ.8 and installed the JL TwK D8:


http://i.imgur.com/CtUNCN2h.jpg


When installing it I realized that I forgot to buy a long TOSLINK cable, Amazon to the rescue!


Next up I installed the APL-1, optical switch and various cables.


http://i.imgur.com/IqDx4Bch.jpg


Things were going GREAT! I was making good time and things were going smoothly. And then I started to look for a place to put the new fuse block. Under the center of the dash is where I I wanted to put it, but stuff was in the way. I started removing the factory heater controls, I replace the factory HVAC system with an aftermarket one anyway.


My god did Ford install that panel in a stupid with. It was MUCH more difficult to remove than it should have been. Just ridiculous. But I eventually got it out:


http://i.imgur.com/SxJv6Jvh.jpg


I I then started to pull the HVAC wiring and cables, and those were stupid too. I got frustrated and eventually just ripped out the entire HVAC system. All the gear I installed earlier in the day was in the way, so I pulled it too, so much work wasted.


http://i.imgur.com/X52MFGLh.jpg


I forgot to take a picture with all of it gone, but there be plenty of time for that later!
I have to take it in for a state inspection and renew my registration tomorrow, so I buttoned the dash back up.


http://i.imgur.com/QR1gUHwh.jpg


The real fun begins after I get a clean inspection sticker :-)

Dang at the room in that dash!

There's more room than that!

I'll be installing a Vintage Air Gen IV HVAC, it'll be interesting to see how much room is left after that goes in.

Really like what your doing with the ole Bronco. I have a 1990 Bronco. Needs a lot of work. Mine needs an oil blow-by catch can like what you got. Where did you get yours?

I've always been confused about why oil catch cans are so expensive, they are incredibly simple devices. I stumbled upon mine on Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Yeah the price on those are high for what they are. The one you got looks like it's pretty well made. I'll look into it. Thanks.

I had to drop into work today. As normal, a trip to the office is never a quick trip. Dropping off receipts turned into 3 hours of making the rounds, discussing the next stop on my tour, the other truck on the tour and how things are gonna go at my off-tour gig, the Ryder Cup.


After that I stopped off to get Ol Smokey inspected, I checked everything yesterday so thought things would go smoothly. Naturally, that didn't happen. My headlights stopped working. Luckily the shop was cool about it and let me poke around a bit to try and find the problem without just punting me. I quickly tracked it down to the relay that turns on the high beams. I was able to quickly yank the the relay used to turn on the amps and replace the high beams relay with it. I got my "Passed" printout, then renewed the registration. Now I have a year to do whatever I want and get it to pass again.


After getting it registered I started hearing a weird sound upfront and the steering started feeling weird. I stopped to check it out, and the left front wheel was loose. In fact, a lug nut had fallen off right when I stopped. Luckily I was right near the shop that just worked on it, they replaced my front pads and rotors when they were replacing the rear main seal.


When they looked at it, there were metal shaving in the wheel, failing to tighten it properly was tearing up the mounting holes. I had them throw my matching full-size spare on and gave them the now damaged wheel. I also dug up the receipt from when I ordered those wheels a little over a year ago. They didn't fight back at all when I told them that I wanted them to replace the wheel. They'll call me when they get the new wheel in and have the tire mounted and balanced.


When I got home I started in on the dash. I didn't get much done, but it's almost at blank canvas status:


http://i.imgur.com/colhaYNh.jpg

How's that for room in the dash?

Today I had to swing by work and learn how to setup and run one of these:


http://i.imgur.com/DAf42wb.jpg


Almost every tech at the company starts in one of these and works their way up to concerts and stuff. I started right off the bat with a tour and skipped the whole truck thing. I gotta do a gig with one of these on Friday night, so it's time I finally learned it.


After that I swung by the hardware store and bought the stuff I'll need to make my new dash frame. This evening my new RivNut tool was delivered, so I can start assembling stuff tomorrow. I also pulled some of the factory harness today, the remote start and the rest of the factory dash frame except for the two end brackets and top bracket. I plan to reuse the factory windshield HVAC ducting. The factory center speaker mount will serve as my reference for where the top of the factory dash was, it'll eventually go away. I also moved all the factory wiring down and out of the way of the new wiring.


Here is what it looks like tonight:


http://i.imgur.com/jpFz7rR.jpg


A couple new parts arrived today as well, a relay box for in the dash that holds 7 micro relays:


http://i.imgur.com/nsIiaFS.jpg


And a 6 relay box with fuse bank for under the hood:


http://i.imgur.com/bwrqYmL.jpg

Today I started on the dash build. I need some place to mount the new fuse box and other in-dash electronics, so I need a dash frame first. I forgot to charge my Makita batteries last night, so I was slowed down by dead batteries at first.


Anyway, here's the basic shape so far:


http://i.imgur.com/T6rJMHah.jpg


It's about the same height as the factory dash, but a bit more square. I'm not a big fan of wood in cars, especially topless cars, so the build will use all metal and fiberglass.


I reused two of the factory dash brackets. They will get cleaned up and painted when I paint the rest of the dash frame. Here is how I mounted them, right side:


http://i.imgur.com/vqw3uwYh.jpg


Left side:


http://i.imgur.com/xqrph03h.jpg


It's pretty solid. It's dead level, centered in the car and at the same exact height on each end. Symmetrical dash FTW!

Now that's a cool concept...I can't wait to see where it leads

Thanks Al, building a dash specifically for horns has been on my to do list for a long time. I've put a lot of thought into it, including the small details like like cable runs an whatnot.

Are you sure those four bolts will be enough to support the new dash in the long term?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by astrochex

Are you sure those four bolts will be enough to support the new dash in the long term?

---

I addressed that this morning by adding another bracket on each end of the dash. See below...

The goal today was to build a rack for all the in-dash gear. I came up with this for the frame. I was able to reuse the factory center speaker mount and another factory hole on the right side dash bracket.


http://i.imgur.com/Roq6h5zh.jpg


Here you can kinda see the hole I used, as well as the extra brace I added to the main hoop. I added a similar brace on the other side, and now I can put a LOT of weight on it without issues.


http://i.imgur.com/LTYgxfKh.jpg


Next up was to build the flat surface for the rack. I don't have a proper way to cut thin sheetmetal, or a brake to bend it with, so I had to get creative. A jig saw was able to handle the cutting, though not a precision cut. Funny thing, I bought the jig saw a few gigs ago when I needed to cut up a jumbotron frame to make the show happen. I was able to use a small hammer and piece of square stock to start the bend, then finish it with the hammer on the steel table.


http://i.imgur.com/qMc5a1Rh.jpg


I added a piece of Trim-Lok to each edge that didn't get folded over.


http://i.imgur.com/uuxdRN9h.jpg


Bolted in the car:


http://i.imgur.com/zLAE7Wph.jpg


Next I bolted the different components to it, from left to right: Fuse block, 7 Micro relay block, 10-port 12v powered USB hub, Holley Terminator ECU, APL1.


http://i.imgur.com/ajQJXKih.jpg


The APL1 isn't secured to the rack yet, it doesn't come with mounting brackets so I have to get creative with that.


Overall, this took a LOT more time than you'd think. For pretty much every new piece I had to unbolt other pieces, rough fit it out of the car, then bolt it back in. It also doesn't help that it's parked 30 feet from the garage! Also, I don't want the HOA to threw a fit about me working on my car in the street, so I limit my hours to 9-5 so most people will be at work and wont see me working on it.


Now that the fuse box in mounted I can start wiring the car.

Yesterday I didn't feel like doing anything and just vegg'd out all day, I did the same the first half of today.


Remember the custom dash piece that didn't work out?


http://i.imgur.com/WpyohSWh.jpg


I used it as a router template on some ABS plastic. The ABS isn't a permanent material, just something temporary so I can work things out until I like it and have a new aluminum piece made. I used gaff tape to hold the two pieces together while I routered it with a Dremel:


http://i.imgur.com/kF9aKUah.jpg


Here's the left panel with switches in place, OTRTTW can make new switch rockers with the labels turned 90º.


http://i.imgur.com/P86fUKKh.jpg


All three fitted in place. This is the rough idea, with HVAC vents between the panels and at the outside edges.


http://i.imgur.com/FvmdvfTh.jpg


Wiring it up:


http://i.imgur.com/D86mvyIh.jpg


Wired up with Weather Pack connectors for easy removal:


http://i.imgur.com/YhS5rwuh.jpg

Today I got a slow start due to rain, but that didn't stop me from making some solid progress. I started by wiring the center dash piece:


http://i.imgur.com/Zti5uv0h.jpg


I then took them outside and mounted them to the dash frame with zip ties. Since these are temporary panels, I don't want to drill into the frame to mount them, so zip ties it is. The mock up HVAC unit arrived while I was working in the dash, so I threw it in too, here is what it looks like in place:


http://i.imgur.com/OkT9lwhh.jpg


It'll limit how far forward I can push the horns, but is still far better than with the factory unit, and the Vintage Air stuff should do a much better job at heating and cooling.


Here is inside the dash with the HVAC unit and part of the wiring in place:


http://i.imgur.com/F6dAn4wh.jpg


In this pic you can see the new harness run in the upper dash. There is much more to add to it, Door locks, power windows, speaker wires and more! The two connectors in the firewall are 22-pin Weather Pack bulkhead connectors. With them I should be able to run the engine harness(black harness) and chassis harness through the firewall with a quick disconnect on the engine side. The wiring tied up in the foreground goes to the rear of the car.


http://i.imgur.com/Wf0sZRLh.jpg

Also, A funny thing happened today. Over the last two days I looked high and low for my Makita cordless drill. I eventually came to the conclusion that I left it outside and someone nabbed it. Last night I ordered a new one.

Today when I opened the hood to mount the firewall bulkheads I found the old Makita. It was wedged between the frame and inner fender, right next to the right side header. Thanks to ceramic coated headers, it was is perfect working order.


Ten minutes later the new one was delivered.

Today was one of those days where you don't feel like you got anything done, but you worked all day. I pretty much just plugged away at the wiring all day. The replacement stuff under the hood is all done. The Moroso power pass through connectors arrived, and I punched some holes in the firewall for them. After getting them, I really like them, and might get a couple more for the amp power cables. I also terminated the small gauge wires going through the firewall. Here it is from the inside:


http://i.imgur.com/a56H8Ckh.jpg


Next up I terminated the underhood relay/fuse box. It has relays for the 2-speed electric fan, high beams and starter solenoid. Here it is in place with all the underhood wires in place, except main power cable:


http://i.imgur.com/RmFYI8oh.jpg


You can see that I also moved the oil catch can, I mounted it with a couple 1/4-20 rivnuts, tomorrow I'll get some black hose for it. The wire stuffed into the vent hole will run to the engine, it's power for the coil and the turn on wire for the alternator.


I ran the wiring to the front clip and terminated it. there are brand new connectors for every light, all I have to do is move the bulbs over when I'm ready to switch over to the new harness. It's incredible just how simple the new engine bay chassis harness is, it's just headlights, high beams, parking lights, turn signals, fan, and starter. The factory harness does less than that but is SOOOOOO much more complex.

http://i.imgur.com/tPpDAGlh.jpg


Tonight I wired up the relay box that goes in the dash. I just have to mount it and add the trigger wires tomorrow.

I didn't get much done today, I got called into work for half the day, might get called in tomorrow too. If I don;t get called into work tomorrow, then I should be able to apply power to the new harness and test some of the circuits. I got the in-dash relay bank wired up. The main harness on the firewall is getting beefier. Tomorrow I should have the door locks and windows wired up.


I didn't take any pictures today, but I will tomorrow.

Remember this 7-micro relay box:


http://i.imgur.com/nsIiaFSh.jpg


Yeah, it's a pice of shit. The connectors that come with it are shitty too. I spent hours fighting it today. Right now everything is working, but if I have anymore problems, then I'll just pony up and buy the American Autowire severe duty relay box and call it good.


510599 Severe Duty Relay Panel | American Autowire


I've been totally happy with their fuse box/kit so far so dropping the coin for the relay kit wouldn't bother me too much.


In between battles with the relay panel, I made progress in other areas. It rained most of the day, so I was a bit limited in what I could do. I was able to apply power to the new wiring harness and test some circuits. I got the door locks and windows working as well as the new dash lights, radio and headlights.


The pictures are kind crappy because I didn't give the camera enough time to acclimate to the absurd humidity. This is the electronics rack:


http://i.imgur.com/WGGol59h.jpg


Yes, I'm using all 10 ports on the USB hub. There is the APL1, TwK, Holley EFI and power for the TOSLINK switcher. The other 6 ports have USB Y-cables plugged into them, the kind used to grab extra power for a nearby port. One cable will power my phone, and the other two will go to the dash ports.


Here is the drivers side dash:


http://i.imgur.com/NFoLyreh.jpg


There are two bundles of wires waiting to be hooked up. One is for the ignition switch, and the other is for the gauges and turn/hi bean indicator lights.


Here is under the right side of the dash:


http://i.imgur.com/inpBPbph.jpg


The big bundle on the right is what goes to the rear of the car, including USB cables and fiber run. That big ass bundle of wires on the floor is the factory harness that will end up in the trash soon enough. The two vertical black back bundles are the EFI and I'll transfer them to the pass through bulkheads after I get the rest of the new harness fully functional. After I get the rear lights wired(tomorrow?) up I can transfer over the ignition, brake switch, turn switch and hazard switch.


There are a bazillion zip ties all over the new harness. As I add wires, I just add more zip ties. on occasion I'll go back and remove the extras. Once I'm done adding wires and changing things I'll go back and add some protective covering, cloth tape and whatnot.


Hopefully tomorrow I can report that it's all running on the new harness and I can FINALLY rip out the factory harness.

Today I did the hard part, the steering column:


http://i.imgur.com/XceVhvTh.jpg


I got everything transferred over to the new harness and removed the bulk of the old harness. At the moment it doesn't run, I have a small list of things to do in the morning:


• Connect new ignition coil wire
• Connect alternator ignition wire
• Run constant and ignition wires to turn/hazard switch
• Connect new low current starter wire
• Replace park/turn light bulbs
• Connect ECU ignition wire
• Wire up the wipers


It was fun ripping out the factory harness, and the interior looks MUCH cleaner now. It was too dark for pictures when I got done, but I'll have some tomorrow.

Here it is today:


http://i.imgur.com/1a9PLzxh.jpg


http://i.imgur.com/Q5aQDyuh.jpg


It looks so much better with the factory harness gone. Now I just need to tidy things up, add the wipers back and a few other touch up things. I leave for a few weeks on Monday, so I'll transfer the EFI harness to the bulkhead connectors when I get back.

After getting everything on my list but the wipers done today, I did a full test of the lights. All the lights worked, the parking lights parked, the hazards hazardededed, but the turn signals didn't turn. After doing a bunch of testing, I came to the conclusion that it was just an issue with integrating the aftermarket harness with the stock Ford multi switch.


The problem is that every aftermarket wiring harness is built for a GM steering column and multi-switch. There must be a slight difference between the older Ford and older GM multi-switch setups. I eventually just wound up just pulling the flasher from the old fuse box and just added it inline to the main power line for the multi-switch.


Now the parking lights park, the hazards hazard, and the turn signals turn.

I’m still on the road for another week, but I’m in the great part of my gigs, where everything is running and I just have to respond to problems. Most of my days are spent sitting in a trailer surfing the net with a walkie that squats on occasion. This is when I get most of my research done.


One thing I want to add is cruise control, so I looked into that. It looks like the Rostra universal unit is the way to go. However, I need some sort of a vehicle speed sense(VSS) wire for it to work, and Ol Smokey never came with one.


After some digging, I found that ’87-’92 Broncos came with a VSS unit that is crazy easy to install. You just pop out the speedo cable, remove the gear from the cable, put it on the VSS unit, pop it into the transfer case, then plug the cable into the VSS unit. Ad two wires and you are done! I went over to RockAuto and the sensor is pretty cheap, and they even stock the plug, awesome! So I ordered them.


http://i.imgur.com/HcfyooJh.jpg


Next I needed to figure out how to wire it up. After a bunch of digging and asking on three different forums I was able to get the info I need. One wire goes to ground, the other goes to the cruise control, dead simple. I figured that since I have extra inputs on my Holley ECU it’d be nice to be able to datalog the speed with all the other sensors, that’s when I ran into more problems…


It turns out, the Ford sensor is a Variable Magnetic Reluctance sensor, and my EFI ECU isn’t compatible with it, only Hall Effect sensors. Back to square one! After some more digging I found that Auto Meter requires a Hall Effect sensor for their cable free speedometers, and they make one for Fords. It’s about three times more expensive than the Ford sensor, but it should work great,I ordered it. It even comes with a plug for deleting the factory speedo cable.


http://i.imgur.com/JsxNC4yh.jpg


All of that took almost two days of research to figure out.


Next up is the wipers. When I removed the factory wiring harness I also removed the wiper wiring. It turns out that a wiper system isn’t so simple. The motor has five wires coming out of it:


12v
Ground
Park
Low Speed
High Speed


The park wire is essentially an ignition wire and keeps the motor going after you turn off the wipers until it is “parked” that’s why your wipers stop in the middle of the window if you turn the key off before the wipers stop. So now that I know whats going on at the motor, I can think about switches.


I definitely want the intermittent feature, and I don’t want to build a timer circuit myself. So I started looking at the Hat Rod market to see if they have a solution for this. Nothing. I kept digging and digging with no luck. I’ve come to the conclusion that they either adapt a factory system from another car, or just suck it up and do the intermittent thing manually. I’m not that barbaric! :p


I did eventually stumble across Littlefuse, turns out they make wiper switches for semi trucks. I downloaded the design drawings and was able to find that switch number 75600-4 looks perfect for my needs. It’s a solid state switch that includes the timer circuit all in one handy body with a pigtail that I can put my own Weather Pack connector on. It also has the push to wash feature. Because they are a large quantity supplier you can’t order just one from their website, but I was able to find one on Amazon.


http://i.imgur.com/e1xZPnRh.jpg


Next up is gauges, at the moment I have NONE!


I really wanted to run a set of SpeedHut gauges made to fit my needs, but there is no way of getting an Air/Fuel ratio output from the ECU so that the gauge would read what the ECU reads, I’d have to install a second sensor. However, I did find that Holley is now making gauges that plug into the CAN Bus from the ECU making wiring them a snap!


So I’m starting with the ECU to gauge adaptor, power fanout cable for eight gauges, and one single water temp gauge, since it recently overheated. I’ll slowly add gauges as time and money allows. The nice thing about their system is that adding a gauge is as simple as drilling a new hole in the dash, setting the gauge in place, plugging the gauge into the power cable, and adding a 3.5mm stereo cable jumper to the existing gauges. The two exceptions are the speedometer(GPS Sensor) and fuel level.


Here is what they look like:


http://i.imgur.com/hM4tyP3h.jpg


With measurements from this gage I’ll beagle to start designing the final gauge panel, I have a fun idea for that.


When I get home in a week I’ll have plenty to do on Ol Smokey for the 7-8 days that I’m there and will have many more pictures coming!

That gauge looks sick!

The great thing about them is that they pull data from the ECU, so I don't have extra sensors all over the engine. Also, you can program the LED to come on as a high/low warning. They also keep a memory of their high and low readings.

I just wish they didn't have any branding on the gauge face. For me, the biggest selling point for the SpeedHut gauges is that you can customize them, including removing all branding.

Today had it's ups and downs. I didn't get anything done on Ol Smokey, and at the moment he is sitting at the shop. Remember that wheel problem I had a little while back after picking it up from the shop? Well, this happened today, only about 75 miles after picking it up from the shop.


http://i.imgur.com/OfPo0vHh.jpg


I was approaching a VERY busy, and high speed, intersection at about 45mph when it came off. The car gods were smiling upon me though as the intersection just happened to be empty when I went through. The wheel hit a tree in someones front yard and immediately came to a rest. Luckily it didn't hit any cars or cause any property damage. Thanks to my million+ mile driving career I didn't panic when the wheel came off. I just said "God Dammit" out load and watched the wheel and pulled off the road when it stopped.


I immediately called the shop and had a stupid conversation with them. I explained who I was any why I was calling. They told me to bring the car to them, I explained that I can't drive it with only three wheels. Then it went something like this:


Shop: We can't fix it without seeing it
Me: No, but you can have it towed to you
Shop: Go ahead and have it towed to us, and we can pay you back for the tow.
Me: How about you just send a tow truck over?
Shop: We don't know where you are.
Me: Good luck, I just happen to be in the phone with you and can tell you where I am!


From there they took my location and sent a tow truck to pick me and Ol Smokey up.


I don't know what the problem is, and they don't know either, but it is definitely is up there in the "Severe" side of the severity scale. Perhaps they didn't seat the studs properly when transferring them over to the new rotors? Maybe the lugnuts were damaged in the original loose wheel incident?


The bummer is, I was at the office working on a project for the Ryder Cup. I had just run home real quick to grab my iPad and a dongle to so I could test something out. I had this setup in the office:


http://i.imgur.com/BAy1KM8h.jpg


Hidden in there is the absurdly expensive Ascender 48:


http://i.imgur.com/D1QAg2ih.jpg


I'll have three of these setup and will be running 10 video screens with them. After leaving the office I had to stop by the local Best Buy and buy two more iPads to get this working the way I want. When I said it'd be cheaper to do it a different way, but it'd be slightly slower, the guy who put me on this project said, "I don't care what it costs, I just want it to work." I love those words. I fly to Ryder Cup on Saturday and will have more pics from there when I get the chance to post.

I hate to see that with your ride! Of course, being at the Ryder Cup should alleviate some of that pain!!!