Tim's Type 65 Build - Cockpit Wiring Finished?

[PNWTim]

Tim, Everything is coming along nicely! Sorry to hear your shoulder will be slowing your progress. I had surgery during my build and spent my recovery time working on wiring harness mods and other small tasks. Good luck!

Here’s another option for securing the trans tunnel cover. It’s designed to hold the windshields onto golf carts. I used a couple of ~4-5” lengths that I riveted to the cover. I was worried the Velcro would pull off one surface or the other… probably would not have been an issue. Over 6000 miles on the car and I have never had to take the cover off yet.

https://a.co/d/eofnbuk

Thanks! Funny you should say that. My plan is to shorten my harness during my rehab. I think it's going to be quite a bit of work and a good project for the 6 weeks while in the sling.

I am pretty familiar with that channel as I have spent a bit of time on the tracks in my day. Great idea.

[PNWTim]

Thanks Brent, slowly but surely. Great tip on the PT idea, we'll see what they say.

[PNWTim]

Today I permanently mounted my firewall and some of the ancillary items mounted to it. I think most of this is pretty standard stuff. As I mentioned before, I did decide to mount my PCM in a different location than most. I have drilled but not mounted my wiper assembly after moving it inboard an inch and half. I also lined the inboard side with my double layer of killmat and Thermozite.

Firewall outboard_120425.jpg

Firewall inboard_120425.jpg

[JimStone]

I'm really digging the white engine bay panels with the other black items accenting. Looks super clean

Best of luck with the surgery

[PNWTim]

I'm really digging the white engine bay panels with the other black items accenting. Looks super clean

Best of luck with the surgery

Thanks Jim. I always had this "Gentleman's Racecar" idea in the back of my head and the white engine bay was part of it. Hopefully I don't regret the amount of cleaning necessary to keep it looking good.

[PNWTim]

I don't know if this is really post-worthy but it was a little stressful so I'm doing it. For some reason, I don't feel concerned about chopping up the harness, but removing the manifold to put my lifting plate on was nerve-racking. Today marked my one-year anniversary, so I thought I would push the pile a little further forward by getting ready to install the driveline. For what it's worth, I also purchased the lifting bars, but in my opinion, they are not worth fussing with. They hold the engine in an undesirable angle and frankly make the entire process harder than it needs to be. You can see they are still installed but they will be coming off tomorrow. A couple of pics:

Plate installed.

Lifting Plate_120625.jpg

Parts on the bench.

Intake Manifold_120625.jpg

[TTimmy]

With everything apart you might as well just throw a supercharger on top. I mean, you’re halfway there!

[burchfieldb]

With everything apart you might as well just throw a supercharger on top. I mean, you’re halfway there!

I second that plan!

[PNWTim]

You guys are bad. I know there is an unwritten rule that one of the primary purposes of the forum is to help other initiates spend their money but come on!

But just in case I did find this little gem:

https://lmr.com/item/M6066M8800/ford...kaAsMyEALw_wcB

[burchfieldb]

You guys are bad. I know there is an unwritten rule that one of the primary purposes of the forum is to help other initiates spend their money but come on!

But just in case I did find this little gem:

https://lmr.com/item/M6066M8800/ford...kaAsMyEALw_wcB

Looks like a great idea! Just in time for Christmas.

[Lugnut Mark]

Hey Tim … I see where you have your control pack wire harness going thru the firewall but what about the chassis harness? Have you drilled for it to go thru the firewall in a different location ? The reason I ask is because it’s supposed to go to the starter I believe ……..I may be wrong haven’t read that far along in the instructions yet but I am curious

[PNWTim]

Hey Tim … I see where you have your control pack wire harness going thru the firewall but what about the chassis harness? Have you drilled for it to go thru the firewall in a different location ? The reason I ask is because it’s supposed to go to the starter I believe ……..I may be wrong haven’t read that far along in the instructions yet but I am curious

Hi Mark - I'm not sure I am understanding your question correctly. The only items that need to go to the starter will run down through the top of the tunnel and along the frame rail (which I haven't done yet). That's primarily the starter trigger and the actual #4 cable. Those terminate at the cutoff switch in the cockpit. There is also a starter wire on the PDB harness which I need to dig into and determine it's purpose. I believe it needs to go to the starter as well but it is already on the engine side of the firewall. The only other wires that will need to enter the cockpit that I am aware are the leads for my Speedhut gauges from the sending unit. I will probably run those through a cable gland next to the PDB. Hopefully I answered your question.

[edwardb]

There is also a starter wire on the PDB harness which I need to dig into and determine it's purpose. I believe it needs to go to the starter as well but it is already on the engine side of the firewall.

That wire goes to the small terminal on the starter and replaces the RF blue start wire. That's assuming you want the Coyote setup to control the starter. Which most including me do.

[PNWTim]

That wire goes to the small terminal on the starter and replaces the RF blue start wire. That's assuming you want the Coyote setup to control the starter. Which most including me do.

Thanks Paul. I was kind of thinking that was the case. And yes, I am planning on having the PCM control the start function. I find some of the directions in the F5 Coyote Installation and the RF instructions to be a bit confusing. I sometimes need to have it all in front of me at the same time so I can break it down into "modules", so to speak, and back into answers through a process of elimination. I am assuming the starter cable that came with my Ford Racing starter is one of those. The #4 cable came wrapped in convolute and Ford tape with another orange wire with it. I am guessing this is an unneeded trigger wire as well (perhaps for a Mustang or F-150 application)? I can't figure out what else it can be in our application.

[PNWTim]

I thought I would make a quick post on my one year delivery anniversary. First and foremost, this is as great an adventure as I guessed it would be. It's fun, creative, exciting, frustrating and gratifying - sometimes all in the same day. Here are a few quick observations I have made that may or may not help other first time builders or those thinking about it in the near future:

1. The kit is quite thorough, moreso than I thought or assumed. Although I have a relatively large box of parts, bits and pieces I am not going to use, that is by choice, not necessity. I am pretty certain other than the big parts (engine and tranny) one can definitely build a complete car from what is provided.
2. Unless you have built a F5 kit previously, don't disassemble all the boxes and assume you'll remember where everything is. I can guarantee, you won't. Having the parts in their correct boxes and being able to hunt them down via the inventory is very useful. Maybe more to me than others but if you don't build in the exact order of the manual you will need to be able to cross reference as you go.
3. I am retired and kind of assumed I would be farther along than I am after a year. But my build didn't really start until February of this year and things slowed down a lot in the summer. I am not in a hurry but I would encourage others to not be too impatient - enjoy the ride. I am actually glad I have another full winter to finalize before paint.
4. Think 10 steps ahead, or more if you can.
5. And last but not least, make it your own. There is no real "correct" way to build these cars. I would encourage new builders to read as many build threads as you can. And not just threads about your vehicle but all of them. Doesn't matter if it's a pickup, hot rod, GT40, Coupe, Roadster, Goblin or Superlite. You can gain creative ideas from all these threads and apply them to your build. Not to mention, most of them are just a good read.

That's it for now. Not going to be much to post through December while I begin my recovery but it's been a great year. I wish everyone Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas and peace in the New Year.

[JimStone]

Happy 1 year Anniversary and Merry Christmas to you too Tim!

[edwardb]

Thanks Paul. I was kind of thinking that was the case. And yes, I am planning on having the PCM control the start function. I find some of the directions in the F5 Coyote Installation and the RF instructions to be a bit confusing. I sometimes need to have it all in front of me at the same time so I can break it down into "modules", so to speak, and back into answers through a process of elimination. I am assuming the starter cable that came with my Ford Racing starter is one of those. The #4 cable came wrapped in convolute and Ford tape with another orange wire with it. I am guessing this is an unneeded trigger wire as well (perhaps for a Mustang or F-150 application)? I can't figure out what else it can be in our application.

I find the Ford Performance instructions by far the most useful. Study that first and compare everything else to that. I don't recall receiving the cable you describe with starters I've received. But you're right. Not needed.

[460.465USMC]

Great first year post, Tim. I agree with your observations, but I don't have the retired thing figured out yet...someday. The forum is invaluable in helping me think ahead. That's a challenge area for me on these builds, and I'd have even more WHOOPS! and redos without the forum wisdom.

Best wishes on your procedure, and a speedy recovery. Merry Christmas!

[PNWTim]

Well, it's been a bit of an unpleasant journey but I have finally received my wheels and tires. I can't do much with them at the moment but I am very happy with how they turned out. My son helped me unpack them (he unpacked them) and then I took a couple of quick pictures after he hung one on the front:

Tire 1_010926.jpg

Rears

Tire 2_010926.jpg

[Just 1 More]

Sorry if I missed it but, WHat are the wheel and tire specs Tim?

[PNWTim]

Hi Frank. Specs for the wheels and tires are:

Front - 18 X 10 with +14 offset. Continental Extreme Contact Force 295/30/18.
Rear - 18 X 12 with -25 offset. Continental Extreme Contact Force 315/30/18.

[460.465USMC]

Really like your wheel choice, Tim! The white and chrome really pop. Well done!

[PNWTim]

Thanks Chris. I know it's not for everyone but I looked long and hard to find what I wanted. I'm very happy with how they turned out. I pretty much stuffed about as much rubber as I could into those wheel wells and I'm looking forward to see what they look like with the body on. I think they are going to be a great accent.

[PNWTim]

Well, it's been 5 weeks to the day of my shoulder surgery. I am really antsy to get back in the shop but am very limited to what I can do. I went ahead and mounted my hub and quick release after removing the horn wiring. I made the decision to switch to a Momo wheel some time ago which will bolt right up to this setup. Since I am not using a turn signal unit with stalk the NRG hub adapter was the way to go.

Hub and Quick Release.jpg

I also decided to dig into my PDB harness to begin the shortening and rearrangement of it. Just started to see how it was with my arm and not bad. I think this will be a good project to move the pile forward but not get myself in trouble with over use. My plan is peel off all of the tape, wrap and convolute so I can then route everything the way I want it to go. I will rewrap it with Techflex, heat shrink and tape as appropriate. This is about an hour's worth of work with essentially one hand. It doesn't look like much but it's a start:

Loom Rewrap.jpg

[JimStone]

Some progress is still progress, so keep it up! Plenty of things to do, even with one hand. Or even no hands. I spend most of my time planning out things in my head, researching, and lately asking ChatGPT a zillion questions

[PNWTim]

Dug into the wiring more today. Removed most of the wrap and convolute and determined how the routing is going to go for the main leg and the engine leg. I have also decided to flip my PCM over so the wire bundles exit downwards rather than upwards. This is requiring a new mounting setup so need to work through that. All in all, I feel pretty good about what it's going to take to button this up. Just a quick photo showing the gist of what I'm doing.

Wiring Work 1_012026.jpg

[Papa]

Looking very well thought out, Tim. I hope to get my engine order placed by the end of February. I'm not excited about trying to figure out all the placement and routing of the electronics. Almost makes me want to skip the control pack and just use a Holley Terminator, but deep down I know the OE stuff is much better.

[PNWTim]

Looking very well thought out, Tim. I hope to get my engine order placed by the end of February. I'm not excited about trying to figure out all the placement and routing of the electronics. Almost makes me want to skip the control pack and just use a Holley Terminator, but deep down I know the OE stuff is much better.

Thanks Dave. I am a firm believer that OEM is normally the way to go. I used it with my last build and like this one, it takes a little adjustment to get it the way I want but that's OK. It is a little nerve wracking because I don't pretend to know these systems inside and out. I simply take one wire at a time and then move on to the next. Hopefully this will alleviate the dreaded "non-start".

[460.465USMC]

Dug into the wiring more today. Removed most of the wrap and convolute and determined how the routing is going to go for the main leg and the engine leg. I have also decided to flip my PCM over so the wire bundles exit downwards rather than upwards. This is requiring a new mounting setup so need to work through that. All in all, I feel pretty good about what it's going to take to button this up. Just a quick photo showing the gist of what I'm doing.

Good progress, Tim. Especially with one arm tied behind your back! It's a tedious task, not to mention the harness shortening you're doing. But I agree, it's worth it to unwrap and reroute for better cable management, and a cleaner install. I'm glad it's only required once during the build.

[PNWTim]

I finally made a bit of meaningful progress over the last week or so. I cut out almost 3' of the main PDB harness (that's the big loop of wire you see to left in the first picture) and have it buttoned up. I'm pretty happy with how it turned out but it was a bit of chore. Thirty eight wires required shortening and splicing. There was a very large gang ground in the middle of the harness I had to work out as well.

Also, you can see the engine extension harness coiled up around the fuse block. This harness feeds the MAF, Alternator and two other sensors on the DS and will need about three feet removed. I am going to wait until I install the engine so I can make them as accurate as possible. A couple of photos to share:

PDB Wiring 1 020426.jpg

PDB Wiring 2_020426.jpg

PDB Wiring 3_020426.jpg

I have also embarked on a side project. I have a very definite idea of what I want for the interior and in my area it's pretty difficult to find an custom automotive upholstery guy that is not booked out 24 months so I am going to embark on a self-taught program. I am looking to re-cover my seats, make custom door cards and stitch up custom carpet. I shopped for a used machine for about a month and settled on this Consew 226r-2. It will do everything I need it to do and then some so wish me luck.

Sewing Machine_020426.jpg

[edwardb]

Congrats on your modifications to the Coyote harness. You probably saw on my Mk5 build I placed the components so that portion of the harness will remain unchanged on mine. On the firewall side I'm still undecided. I can probably make if fit but it won't be pretty. You've inspired me to maybe dig into it. I think fewer wires than on the PDB -> PCM leg that you did. I've already committed to tear into the RF harness. Why not make it a clean sweep? Good luck with that sewing machine. It's cool how these builds inspire us to learn new skills.

[PNWTim]

Congrats on your modifications to the Coyote harness. You probably saw on my Mk5 build I placed the components so that portion of the harness will remain unchanged on mine. On the firewall side I'm still undecided. I can probably make if fit but it won't be pretty. You've inspired me to maybe dig into it. I think fewer wires than on the PDB -> PCM leg that you did. I've already committed to tear into the RF harness. Why not make it a clean sweep? Good luck with that sewing machine. It's cool how these builds inspire us to learn new skills.

Thanks Paul and yes, I have been following your build, as always. I enjoy wiring but this particular kind is a bit tedious and with such a short run it was difficult to stagger the splices as much as I wanted to keep it from lumping up and looking like a snake that swallowed an egg. I have pretty heavily modifed the RF harness as well, so two for two on my end.

I really enjoy learning new things (much to my wife's dismay) and upholstery is something I have had in the back of my mind for a while. I'm looking forward to the challenge but it's a little nerve wracking to deconstruct my Sparco seats in order to make patterns but what's the old saying - no guts no glory?

[JimStone]

Congrats on the sewing machine. Looks like a sturdy device. Glad I'm not the only one crazy enough to tackle the upholstery, although I'm not touching my Braum seats

The Sailrite YouTube videos are great for learning. Short and to the point.

I've only done a little bit of upholstery but I find it very enjoyable

Cheers!

[PNWTim]

Congrats on the sewing machine. Looks like a sturdy device. Glad I'm not the only one crazy enough to tackle the upholstery, although I'm not touching my Braum seats

The Sailrite YouTube videos are great for learning. Short and to the point.

I've only done a little bit of upholstery but I find it very enjoyable

Cheers!

Thanks Jim. I have watched several of those Sailrite videos, they are very informative. This project is mostly evolving due to necessity (self-created I might add) because I want something to be a certain way and I can't get someone else to do it. I'm looking forward to digging in and learning as much as I can. Of course, I couldn't leave well enough alone so I replace the large and loud clutch motor with a servo motor, found a new thread stand and cleaned up the top. Luckily my son is here for muscle as the head unit weighs about 80 lbs.

[TTimmy]

You're a brave sole taking on that harness. I was lazy and just found everything home that made the harness look nice. Maybe I tweaked a couple things - but nothing like your project!

Welding and sewing are two things that I have always wanted to become proficient with. It's frustrating being unable to attach pieces of metal or pieces of fabric. Maybe you will serve as the inspiration!

Keep up the great work on the build!

[PNWTim]

You're a brave sole taking on that harness. I was lazy and just found everything home that made the harness look nice. Maybe I tweaked a couple things - but nothing like your project!

Welding and sewing are two things that I have always wanted to become proficient with. It's frustrating being unable to attach pieces of metal or pieces of fabric. Maybe you will serve as the inspiration!

Keep up the great work on the build!

Thanks Tim. Brave or foolish, only time will tell!

It's funny you bring up welding. I finally broke down and bought a MIG welder a couple of years ago. Like you, I was frustrated with being able to do quite a few things with the exception of joining metal to metal. I am by no means even an amateur but my son and I did weld my drive shaft hoop for the coupe and I cut and re-welded the pedal bracket which did not fit when I received my kit. That was relatively gratifying.

[JTG]

Thanks Jim. I have watched several of those Sailrite videos, they are very informative. This project is mostly evolving due to necessity (self-created I might add) because I want something to be a certain way and I can't get someone else to do it. I'm looking forward to digging in and learning as much as I can. Of course, I couldn't leave well enough alone so I replace the large and loud clutch motor with a servo motor, found a new thread stand and cleaned up the top. Luckily my son is here for muscle as the head unit weighs about 80 lbs.

Between Jim tackling this with his Sailrite machine, and now you going at it too my wife and I are extremely tempted to try the same. She has a background in working with soft goods, so if we were able to get a machine I think this would all be quite possible. However like Jim, not sure I'm brave enough to tear apart new seats but I look forward to your results!

[burchfieldb]

Between Jim tackling this with his Sailrite machine, and now you going at it too my wife and I are extremely tempted to try the same. She has a background in working with soft goods, so if we were able to get a machine I think this would all be quite possible. However like Jim, not sure I'm brave enough to tear apart new seats but I look forward to your results!

If you need another nuge, I also purchased a machine to do my upholstery. You can find some nice used ones online for sale. If you are doing leather, look into the leather skiving machines. I was able to pick one up at a reasonable price from a place going out of buisness.

And if you need something else to buy, take a look at the laser welder, cutter, and cleaner. These allow you to weld steel, stainless, aluminum, and more. They are not super heavy duty but can cover a lot of things.

https://youtu.be/_JgLokBW5eI?si=nlIUHdVuOiCVBsw6

[PNWTim]

That thing is pretty sweet. First time I watched an actual review. It's kind of cool it will do steel, stainless and aluminum. I watched one of Tim Welds videos and his review was pretty comprehensive. One thing he didn't mention was price and at $3500, it's not inexpensive but I am guessing this price point will drop considerably over the next few years.

[460.465USMC]

Very nice work, Tim, on your Coyote harness improvements. I played around with mine quite a bit, but nothing like what you undertook. A daunting task, no doubt. Really looks good though.

Here's a virtual high-five on your upholstery undertaking! I'm excited to see what you come up with. No doubt it will be turn out great. Top of my list is learning how to weld. The local community college offers a DIY grade class. May sign up some day (after the Coupe is built).