Project "Try Again..."

[JoeliusZ28]

So, you thought my car was clean. Well, you'd be wrong.... in some sense

Basically i started the last thing I have time and money for today... another project. Im not satisfied with just about everything I did to my interior, namely the wiring. Most of this i did a good 6 years ago when i was a nieve high school student. It all works but it all sucks. I did it all with the rediculous assumption that I would never be taking my car apart again and im tired of 300 permanent wires being laced through my console.

So i got out the wire snips (blue tape for labels)... And Im starting over.

Here's the plan:

• Make a new, professional looking bezel for the console. The plexi-glass one I had was OK and I always got compliments on it, yet Ive never been happy with it.
• REMOVE ****TY WIRING. which I admit is most of it.
• The fun part: Run a ~8 gauge power wire directly to the engine bay and design a power hub with both "constant" and "switched" feeds, and mount it under the dash somewhere. Same for the ground. Suggestions and tips on this would be appreciated. Im not even sure where to start looking for the materials yet - or even where to mount it. But it needs to happen. I have 6 things in my console alone that need a 12v source, let alone my pillar pod!
• Learn from a previous mistake and color code all my wiring.
• Install all the gauges and switches in the console OUTSIDE of the car, and wiring them all with Quick-Connects so I can easily remove the console in the future.
• Fix my Oil temp gauge - I think I managed to do this already.
• Wideband will probably be the only thing I leave alone, after a thorough double-check.

Pics from today

Mess Exhibit A:
IMG_8351.JPG

Fail Exibit B:
IMG_8344.JPG

Oil Temp Gauge Fixed - it has been stuck at the far right peg ever since my cam swap when a new oil pan gasket eliminated the senders ground source, the block.
IMG_8342.JPG

Re-cut my shifter handle and re-did the "inlays" of the pistol grip
IMG_8346.JPG

Here's the console, I need to figure out how i want to do the bezel
IMG_8347.JPG

Thats all for today...

[MunsterZ28]

hmm lol good clean up project, lol and i just bought the plexi glass to over lay my cassette holder now its not good enough danm

[JoeliusZ28]

its more or less that i want a solid peice that actually mounts in there. The plexi glass unit I had fit perfect but it relied on the gauges to hold it in place so it creaked all the time and yea it just couldve been better.

Im going to weigh my options. 6LiterEater on Ls1tech makes some nice stock looking stuff, and ill probably go that route with it since I prefer my interior to look as stock as possible (aside from gauges and what not).

[98blackbeauty]

Looks like you have your hands full on this project. I contantly told B the same thing as we installed things he would hard wire them cause its faster than dealing with plugs. Finally he has realised the value of things coming apart. Now I eat the words I preached to him "Do it right do it right the 1st time".
Try a stereo store like Mikey shores for wiring blocks they are the main places that deal with 8 or 10 gauge wire.

[ITSSLOW]

Some good progress Joel!

[JoeliusZ28]

Looks like you have your hands full on this project. I contantly told B the same thing as we installed things he would hard wire them cause its faster than dealing with plugs. Finally he has realised the value of things coming apart. Now I eat the words I preached to him "Do it right do it right the 1st time".
Try a stereo store like Mikey shores for wiring blocks they are the main places that deal with 8 or 10 gauge wire.

Thanks for the tip on the wiring blocks!

[DanO]

Joel..

get this http://www.casperselectronics.com/st...roducts_id=686

its the same connectors as used from the factory (well they are the same as the LS1 cars.. i dont know about LT1.. )

and get the crimp tool http://www.casperselectronics.com/st...roducts_id=696

makes everything look clean and factory.

[JoeliusZ28]

Joel..

get this http://www.casperselectronics.com/st...roducts_id=686

its the same connectors as used from the factory (well they are the same as the LS1 cars.. i dont know about LT1.. )

and get the crimp tool http://www.casperselectronics.com/st...roducts_id=696

makes everything look clean and factory.

Oh wow, I really like that! Thank you!

[my95z28]

8-O Holy torn apart batman. Good luck!

[MP81]

This should be an enlightening thread. Good luck, Joel!

[BP_Z28]

That looks like the same Alpine HU that I have...

oh wait thats off topic

haha I never liked dealing with wires but you gotta do what you gotta do!

[meissen]

Good luck, Joel! That metripack is pretty cool but for $90 I'll use little cheapo crimps

[WMCCjames]

Saw the title and thought I would be seeing more wheel stripping pics.

[92conv]

Saw the title and thought I would be seeing more wheel stripping pics.

Ha Ha, I thought the exact same thing.

[DanO]

Good luck, Joel! That metripack is pretty cool but for $90 I'll use little cheapo crimps

$90 bucks is nothing compared to how much we all spend on our cars...