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| Towrota by Drew | page 4 |

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10 March 2008

At long last, the engine bay is finished. Very pleased with the final result and even more so, because it's my first attempt at major bodywork. Ended up going with a charcoal hammer finish and it all looks nice and neat. I had orginally given myself 'till the end of March to complete the engine bay, so to come in under time was a good result too. Finally now I can move on and feel like I'm getting something done.

thFinal sand back ready for primer - 7 March 2008.jpg thPrimer on - 7 March 2008.jpg thFirst coat of colour - 8 March 2008.jpg thSecond coat of colour - 8 March 2008.jpg thFinal coat of colour done - 9 March 2008.jpg

26 March 2008

The motor went in today and I'm very happy with how it turned out. Everything lines up perfectly, the gearbox sits nicely on it's crossmember and likewise the motor sits perfectly true on it's crossmember. After standing back and admiring the view for a few minutes, it was into the wiring. This is the part of the build I have been dreading since I first got the ute. All that metalwork didn't bother me, having to customise and relocate crossmembers didn't bother me nor did all that sanding and painting in the engine bay. But the wiring is a different matter.

Essentially what I've got is standard B1500 wiring, modified to accomodate the 179 Holden that used to be in it. Add to that several different pieces of the wrong colour hastily wired in to keep the whole show running and then a goodly amount of wires that have had a big short somewhere and are now all fused together in one blob (at several intervals along the main line), and you can see why I'm getting nervous. I've never really had much to do with wiring, just the odd dabble here and there. I guess I'm fortunate in the fact that *most* of the original wiring is there and salvageable and that neither the B1500 or the 13B have a lot of wires to start with. Pretty basic really (I hope).

So the first step in my wiring journey is to pull all the tape off the main loom that comes from the dash, go through and cut out all the melted lengths of wire and then replace with new pieces. Then I can re-tape it all and start running it where it needs to go. Wish me luck...

thMotor in for good - 26 March 2008.jpg thMotor in for good - 26 March 2008 (1).jpg thWiring - Starting on the main loom - 26 March 2008.jpg thWiring - Starting on the main loom - 26 March 2008 (1).jpg thWiring - Starting on the main loom - 26 March 2008 (2).jpg

4 April 2008

Spent a good amount of time on the ute today and got lots done. After several hours of replacing all the melted wires in the main harness, I got it all finished today. Got the wires all taped up and put the (cleaned up) fuse block back in and reconnected all the wires after replacing the terminals as some of them were only just hanging on. Happy with the end result and it wasn't all as hard as I thought it would be. Lots of little notes on paper proved to be the saving grace! Also put the Dellorto and gleaming intake manifold back on and it looks great contrasting against the charcoal engine bay. I also cleaned up the wiper motor and assembly and put it all back in. Somehow looks a little more respectable with the wipers back in. Next step, wiring up the alternator and associated wires. Might be a while before I put up another update!!

thFuse block cleaned up and rewired - 4 April 2008.jpg thDellorto on motor - 4 April 2008Feb 2008 001.jpg thWiper motor and assembly back in - 4 April 2008.jpg

26 April 2008

Been a while since the last update, but things have indeed been happening (just a little slower than I'd like).

Have been concentrating on getting the main wiring sorted. This involves basically merging the existing B1500 loom with the 929/RX4 loom on the motor. So far it's a little slow, but promising*. Got a new key cut for the ignition barrel (original keys lost years ago) and after I wired it up, I actually got the motor to crank, so I'm on the right track. Have also isolated lots of wires from the 929/RX4 loom that I don't need and have removed those for simplicity as well. I took a break from the wiring for a few hours and looked at getting the oil cooler mounted up. I originally thought that I wouldn't be able to use the cooler that came with the 13b, but after taking a second closer look, I made it work. I made new longer brackets and mounted it under the chassis rails and used the bumper bar bolts to hang it from. It worked really well and is strong. The oil lines run just up inside the chassis past the wishbone, so no worries there either. It looks terribly low in the photo's (75mm ground clearance!), but that's because the ute doesn't have any shocks or springs in the front at the moment. I'm hoping that once she comes up a little after springs are in, that I will have 100mm + clearance for the oil cooler. Still not a lot, but I like the look of it clearly visible and besides, for a potential saving of $400-$500 for a custom unit, I'm willing to give it a try!

* Have to thank Buzz from the REACT car club for his help so far on the wiring. For a complete wiring novice like me, his help has been invaluable.

thFeb 2008 025.jpg thFeb 2008 027.jpg thFeb 2008 028.jpg thFeb 2008 031.jpg thFeb 2008 032.jpg thFeb 2008 033.jpg

9 May 2008

Today I purchased a Carter Gold fuel pump. There are no provisions for an electric pump in the ute as the original motor and the Holden motor would both have run manual pumps. I mounted the pump on the outside of the chassis rail just below the tank. Plumbed it in very easily and I hope to leave it running through the original old Mazda filter (from factory) for nostalgia sake. Now I need to check out the fuel rail and extend it up to the engine bay and plumb it up to the Dellorto. I'll be running the original fuel lines and if they prove to be too small, I'll update them to something bigger.

thCarter fuel pump fitted - 9 May 2008.jpg thCarter fuel pump fitted - 9 May 2008 (1).jpg thCarter fuel pump fitted - 9 May 2008 (2).jpg

12 May 2008

Been having a big few weeks on the ute. Lots of little things getting sorted out...

The extractors are proving to be the thorn in my side at the moment. Standard 13b extractors are simply too wide and will not fit between the block and chassis rail. Not wanting to have no exhaust at all when I start the ute for the first time, I cut down the extractors and re-welded them so at least I have something on there. This is really only a very short-term solution as now that they're narrowed, they foul on the bellhousing and the standard shape will surely also be in the way of the steering box. Once the ute is started and runs and I have the front end rebuilt and back in, I'll take it to an exhaust shop and get a custom set made.

thBodgied up extractors - 12 May 2008.jpg

16 May 2008

Before I made up a new linkage or cable for the accelerator, I wanted to mount my master cylinders to ensure I had room to run whatever method of throttling I chose to go with. The clutch master cylinder from the B2000 donor ute was in good, clean condition, so I wire brushed it up and gave it a coat of black paint. It mounted straight up with no worries and then I had a new flexible line made up to run to the slave cylinder. Hopefully the unit is ok internally and works fine. If not, they're not all that expensive for a new one.

I've also run new battery leads. I ran a longer, thicker positive lead from the starter to behind the cab where the battery will be mounted. I also ran a short earth from the negative terminal to the chassis, then another short negative from the block to the chassis in the engine bay. This eliminates the need to run a long negative lead.

I bought some new fuel line and have connected that to the old metal fuel line and will start plumbing it up now that I know where my brake booster sits. I also removed the fuel tank and put a few litres of fuel in it and swished it out. Surprisingly, not as much gunk came out as I thought it would. At least now, I've got peace of mind that the tank is clean. I also ran a new earth from the tank pickup to the chassis as the old one was mangled.

thCleaned up clutch master cylinder and new flexible hose - 16 May.jpg New battery leads - 16 May 2008.jpg New battery leads - 16 May 2008 (1).jpg New battery leads - 16 May 2008 (2).jpg New earth wire on tank - 17 May 2008.jpg

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