Tuesday, September 27, 2005
Wiring
The wiring harness I ordered from RS Autosport arrived recently. It isn't a fully assembled harness like the one I'd ordered earlier for my Spitfire, as much as a set of pre-labeled wires. They also have connectors attached so that I don't have to solder them to a DB37 connector, which can be a real pain. Still, it should save a bit of time with hooking up everything.
I also went out and bought a big ratcheting crimp tool. It's a bit pricier than the sheet metal one I bought at Wal-Mart, but the difference with this thing is amazing. Makes the crimper I had been using feel like a kid's toy if kids played with fake wiring tools instead of fake woodworking tools. I highly recommend a serious crimping tool if you're going to be putting together a custom wiring harness.
Now that I've got the wires, I have to figure out where to actually put the Megasquirt box. Surprisingly, there isn't much in the way of good mounting locations under the dash on a Dart. I thought about putting it under the seat or just having it sit on the transmission tunnel, since I was planning to make a center console anyway. But I finally decided that I'll put it in the glove box. The liner is pretty bad anyway, so I don't have any qualms about cutting a hole in the side to run the wiring through.
I also went out and bought a big ratcheting crimp tool. It's a bit pricier than the sheet metal one I bought at Wal-Mart, but the difference with this thing is amazing. Makes the crimper I had been using feel like a kid's toy if kids played with fake wiring tools instead of fake woodworking tools. I highly recommend a serious crimping tool if you're going to be putting together a custom wiring harness.
Now that I've got the wires, I have to figure out where to actually put the Megasquirt box. Surprisingly, there isn't much in the way of good mounting locations under the dash on a Dart. I thought about putting it under the seat or just having it sit on the transmission tunnel, since I was planning to make a center console anyway. But I finally decided that I'll put it in the glove box. The liner is pretty bad anyway, so I don't have any qualms about cutting a hole in the side to run the wiring through.
Labels: Dodge Dart
