G's '72 Z28 Project
- Thread starter Hey G
- Start date
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Wiring
Well, I have managed to build my first wiring harness. I took the old engine harness and threw out the old wires and inserted new wires with all new connectors (soldered all connectors) and made changes as I felt needed. Some of the changes are: HEI wire, SI alternator conversion, rewired for volt meter, and removed TCS system wires. Also, I was able to find the correct fusible link 16ga wire for the fuse-block power. I think that's all the changes...here are some pics.
Here's a pic of my under dash harness. It had some nasty melted wires. I pulled all the burnt and melted wire and replaced with new correct ga wire. This part was the most difficult due to the fuse block. I could not find the fuse clip connectors that go in the fuse block. So I had to carefully remove the old wire and solder the new wire onto the old clip.
And here's a pic of the gauge/light harness. Same thing here, just a few burnt wires and removed some extra unneeded wires. I removed the amp meter wires (all the way to the engine harness) and linked into a keyed 12 v wire for my volt gauge that I will be installing into the factory gauge cluster.
Well, I have managed to build my first wiring harness. I took the old engine harness and threw out the old wires and inserted new wires with all new connectors (soldered all connectors) and made changes as I felt needed. Some of the changes are: HEI wire, SI alternator conversion, rewired for volt meter, and removed TCS system wires. Also, I was able to find the correct fusible link 16ga wire for the fuse-block power. I think that's all the changes...here are some pics.
Here's a pic of my under dash harness. It had some nasty melted wires. I pulled all the burnt and melted wire and replaced with new correct ga wire. This part was the most difficult due to the fuse block. I could not find the fuse clip connectors that go in the fuse block. So I had to carefully remove the old wire and solder the new wire onto the old clip.
And here's a pic of the gauge/light harness. Same thing here, just a few burnt wires and removed some extra unneeded wires. I removed the amp meter wires (all the way to the engine harness) and linked into a keyed 12 v wire for my volt gauge that I will be installing into the factory gauge cluster.
Rear frame tie-in at lower tail panel
Happy Thanksgiving!
I need some help.
Does anyone have good pics of the area where the frame rail ties into the rear panel ('70-'73), just behind the spring shackle mount hole? I have searched a lot of the builds in project progress, but none of them show the area I am looking for. The reason I need this is due to the poor install job of the rear panel, it looks like they did not attach the rails to the new panel.
Thanks,
G
Happy Thanksgiving!
I need some help.
Does anyone have good pics of the area where the frame rail ties into the rear panel ('70-'73), just behind the spring shackle mount hole? I have searched a lot of the builds in project progress, but none of them show the area I am looking for. The reason I need this is due to the poor install job of the rear panel, it looks like they did not attach the rails to the new panel.
Thanks,
G
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Bueller...Buelller...
...anyway, moving on. I welded the rear frame rail to the cross brace behind the lower rear valance. I guess the car had been hit in the past because the frame rails seemed to be slightly tweaked. Now I am done with the rear half of the car and will install the rear axle and gas tank soon. Any pointers on the gas tank install? Thanks.
G
...anyway, moving on. I welded the rear frame rail to the cross brace behind the lower rear valance. I guess the car had been hit in the past because the frame rails seemed to be slightly tweaked. Now I am done with the rear half of the car and will install the rear axle and gas tank soon. Any pointers on the gas tank install? Thanks.
G
Great work. I tried searching frame rail and pics were scarce.
Philly had a few on page 32
http://www.nastyz28.com/forum/showthread.php?p=1649667#post1649667
Philly had a few on page 32
http://www.nastyz28.com/forum/showthread.php?p=1649667#post1649667
Before you install the gas tank, I would pull the sender unit, and make sure the filter screen on the pickup is in decent shape, not to mention the inside of the tank itself. Get a new sealing rubber ring and lock ring too for the reinstall.
If you choose to get a new sending unit, you're covered, it will come with everything you need for installation.
Did you turn the tank over and see if anything came out? Years of gas fills can introduce lots of garbage into the system, perhaps a small flashlight as well to peer into it from all angles...
I once heard that the fumes from gasoline were much more likely to ignite than the liquid itself, so make sure there is absolutely nothing that can throw a spark when you are doing this.....
Did you turn the tank over and see if anything came out? Years of gas fills can introduce lots of garbage into the system, perhaps a small flashlight as well to peer into it from all angles...
I once heard that the fumes from gasoline were much more likely to ignite than the liquid itself, so make sure there is absolutely nothing that can throw a spark when you are doing this.....
Update & Gauges
Well, I have ordered a tank sending unit, tank wire harness, and tank strap chafe strips. I should be installing the tank soon. In the mean time I have been working on my gauges. Mine were in pretty rough shape and wrong year model for my car...so I decided to order a good used set off ebay. I found a set and ordered them for $72, shipping included...what a steal I thought. After about a week the new (used) gauges arrive and I opened the box to find the housing cracked almost in half. I could not believe it, I thought I got scammed, but I re-looked at the pictures in the ad to make sure I had not missed something. Then I emailed the seller, long story short, I got my money back, he got his money from UPS and I kept the gauges for parts...win win in my book. So I took the two sets of jacked up gauges and made one nice set.
Now, my original housing did need some work. I learned how to plastic weld using my soldering iron and some scrap ABS flashing from one of my kid's new toy (notice the multi-colored mount tabs), but it worked great...I was really surprised how sturdy they are. Also, did some cleaning and buffing on the lens and that is where I got the idea to plastic weld. I remember reading somewhere on this site about using a solder iron to re-install the clear lens with the extra un-melted pins, that worked like a charm as well (notice the bright blue melted dots around the face).
Also, I wanted to make a few additions to the gauge package. The 72 originally came with the amp gauge. I have read that those are dangerous and really don't do anything for you; that is probably why they changed them later on. Anyway, I wanted a Volt gauge, well, it just so happened that the broken set I got off ebay had the volt gauge...and the rest is history.
The next addition I wanted was an oil gauge. In the past I have always had the mechanical gauge located right below the ashtray somewhere, and I always hit my knee on it. I had seen on some of the other builds where guys incorporated their own gauge into the cluster and removed the clock, that's what I wanted. Anyway, I came across a mid seventies pick-up truck oil gauge on ebay for $20 and bought it, shipping included.
Then I had to figure out how to squeeze the gauge into the pocket where the clock mounts. The first thing I did was cut around the face (because it was odd shaped) and made it round, like the clock face. I used a set of sheetmetal shears and it was easy to cut thin aluminum. Then I drilled some holes in the back of the old clock housing to mount the new gauge. After I got the gauge situated where I wanted it I had to mount it. The truck gauge has three prongs on the back and they stick through the clock housing, which is steel. I had to insulate each post so it would not ground out each other. I used the small plastic insulator that comes installed on electrical connectors (usually red, blue and yellow). Then I installed a blade connector to the signal post, (I changed the connector going to the back of the gauge cluster) and ran wires from the pos/neg post to the pos/neg post on the temp gauge just above it. Also, the text on the gauge face is not exact and I added the circular stripe around the edge to help it match the others. After that I put a Camaro gauge needle on it and called it good...hopefully it works.
Well, I have ordered a tank sending unit, tank wire harness, and tank strap chafe strips. I should be installing the tank soon. In the mean time I have been working on my gauges. Mine were in pretty rough shape and wrong year model for my car...so I decided to order a good used set off ebay. I found a set and ordered them for $72, shipping included...what a steal I thought. After about a week the new (used) gauges arrive and I opened the box to find the housing cracked almost in half. I could not believe it, I thought I got scammed, but I re-looked at the pictures in the ad to make sure I had not missed something. Then I emailed the seller, long story short, I got my money back, he got his money from UPS and I kept the gauges for parts...win win in my book. So I took the two sets of jacked up gauges and made one nice set.
Now, my original housing did need some work. I learned how to plastic weld using my soldering iron and some scrap ABS flashing from one of my kid's new toy (notice the multi-colored mount tabs), but it worked great...I was really surprised how sturdy they are. Also, did some cleaning and buffing on the lens and that is where I got the idea to plastic weld. I remember reading somewhere on this site about using a solder iron to re-install the clear lens with the extra un-melted pins, that worked like a charm as well (notice the bright blue melted dots around the face).
Also, I wanted to make a few additions to the gauge package. The 72 originally came with the amp gauge. I have read that those are dangerous and really don't do anything for you; that is probably why they changed them later on. Anyway, I wanted a Volt gauge, well, it just so happened that the broken set I got off ebay had the volt gauge...and the rest is history.
The next addition I wanted was an oil gauge. In the past I have always had the mechanical gauge located right below the ashtray somewhere, and I always hit my knee on it. I had seen on some of the other builds where guys incorporated their own gauge into the cluster and removed the clock, that's what I wanted. Anyway, I came across a mid seventies pick-up truck oil gauge on ebay for $20 and bought it, shipping included.
Then I had to figure out how to squeeze the gauge into the pocket where the clock mounts. The first thing I did was cut around the face (because it was odd shaped) and made it round, like the clock face. I used a set of sheetmetal shears and it was easy to cut thin aluminum. Then I drilled some holes in the back of the old clock housing to mount the new gauge. After I got the gauge situated where I wanted it I had to mount it. The truck gauge has three prongs on the back and they stick through the clock housing, which is steel. I had to insulate each post so it would not ground out each other. I used the small plastic insulator that comes installed on electrical connectors (usually red, blue and yellow). Then I installed a blade connector to the signal post, (I changed the connector going to the back of the gauge cluster) and ran wires from the pos/neg post to the pos/neg post on the temp gauge just above it. Also, the text on the gauge face is not exact and I added the circular stripe around the edge to help it match the others. After that I put a Camaro gauge needle on it and called it good...hopefully it works.
