1) The switches I have will not take a lot of current (unlike the ignition key switch) so I have to isolate them via relays
2) When you turn the key to "On" the Accessory and Ignition circuits are hot
3) When you turn the key to "Start" all the systems that run on the Accessory circuit (radio, wipers, etc.) are cut off so that you don't spike the system and so that the starter has full voltage
4) When you let go of the key, it drops back to "On" which reignites the Accessory circuit and leaves the Ignition circuit hot.
The way I'm wiring this, I'll have an On/Off Switch (an off-on-off type) to "turn the system on" which equates to turning the key to "ACC" and activates the Acc Relay and Ign Circuit Excite relays. Because the Start switch (momentary on type) has a Normally Open (NO) pole, I am able to have power go to the the Acc Relay when the Start Switch is in the off (non-pressed) position. Then when I press the Start Switch, power is removed from the Acc Relay and sent to the Ign Lock Relay and the Start Relay. When power goes to the Ign Lock Relay, it "locks" via a return loop, staying on until the On/Off Switch is turned off. When I let go of the Start Switch, power goes back to the Acc Relay via the NO pole of the switch, power is removed from the Start Relay and Ign Lock Relay, but because of the return loop, the Ign Lock Relay stays powered until the On/Off Switch is opened and power is removed via the Ign Circuit Excite Relay.
I know this is a lot of work, but I think it's pretty cool! I ran out of relays and ordered more earlier in the week. They came in on Saturday, so Sunday I put a test bed together on my workbench using my DC power source and everything worked exactly as planned! Now I just need to wire it into the car!
Also this weekend, I worked on my printed circuit board for my "Information Center" (that's what I'm calling it now) that sits between my Speedo and Tach. Several posts back, I described how I was going to create printed circuit boards (PCBs) by drawing the circuit on the computer, printing the circuit out on photo paper using a laser printer, ironing the toner onto PCB material, using water to melt away the photo paper, then etching the board using standard techniques (ferric chloride solution). I have to report that this worked like a champ!
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| PCB and Circuit Printed to Photo Paper |
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| Circuit After Photo Paper was "Melted" Away |
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| Circuit After Etching with Toner In Place |
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| Circuit After Etching, Toner Removed with Acetone |
I was also going to do the PCB for the shift lever but I realized that I needed to reverse the circuit before I printed it out. So that will have to wait for a later day.
Another thing I worked on this weekend was trying out the 3M Carbon Fiber vinyl to see if it would work for my center console. I create a test piece of foam and fiberglass that had the same angles as I have on my center console and was able to get the material to stretch using a little heat. It looked great and I thought I had a good solution. However, I wanted to have a smooth gloss coat over it, so I tried spaying some clear enamel over it. Unfortunately, the clear filled in the texture of the vinyl and that texture was what made it look like carbon fiber. After painting, it just looked like a black surface! So, no easy out! I'm going to need to do it the hard way using carbon fiber. I will be able to use the vinyl on things like the glove boxes though, which will help out a lot.
Also this weekend I've pulled the fiberglass vent ducts that I added last year. They don't quite fit right with the center console and have been coming apart as I have been working on the wiring. I'm still going to use them, but I have to reinforce the bond between the fiberglass and the metal backing plate. I'll reinstall them later when I get the center console position more formalized.
To get the car closer to painting, I started to work on some of the external body panels that I've not gotten to yet. The left side rear fender bottom that cover the gas tank and the front chin pieces that fits under the bumper. Both of them needed heavy rust removal and treatment and the chin piece needed some minor straightening. I will have to do some filler work on the chin piece but it's pretty minor.
One of the last big rusted out parts on the car was the air circulation box. Every car has places that allow the air inside the car to exit out so that you do not build up pressure inside. On my car, the exit points are in the rear trunk lid crease. The air travels through a vent in the top of the rear deck, into a box about 1 1/2 inches deep under the deck. From there it travels through four one-way doors to another channel that leads to the vents in the trunk crease. The second channel catches water from the outside and drains it into the back wheel wells via hoses. The problem is that the one-way doors are pieces of metal hinged with waterproof fabric. These doors had failed years ago and water was allowed to get into the inner box. The inner box has no vents, so the water just sat there and rotted the box! Oh, you've got to love designes like this!
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| Left Hand Bottom |
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| Left Hand Top (Note Second Channel and Vent Door |
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| Right Hand Bottom |
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| Right Hand Top |
So, I spend a great deal of time sanding, scraping, and rust treating what was left of the box. I was originally going to weld in new pieces of metal, but I decided that was more work then it was worth and decided to fiberglass over the holes. So Sunday, I started the fiberglass process, which will include glassing both the inside and outside of the box to try to encapsulate the metal. It may rust underneath, but as long as no holes form, I'm golden.
I started working on cleaning the chrome this weekend too (this was my "taking a break" work). I contacted one of the local chrome shoppes and got a huge estimate (>$7,000) on what it would cost to redo my chrome pieces. So I decided to see just how much would need to be rechromed by cleaning the pieces I have. I brought almost all the small pieces into the living room (bumpers are still in the garage) and brought out my trusty Turtle Wax Chrome polish and went to work. After about six hours of rubbing I've found that almost all my chrome is in really good shape! I have a few pieces that can use some brightening, but in general everything is in really good! That is a very happy surprise! Here is what I finished this weekend. (BTW - It's really hard to take pictures of piles of chrome!)
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| Finished Chrome Parts |
Finally, I got a tip from my neighbor a couple of doors down who has a lot of paint and chrome work done on his Harley. He just took his tanks to "Showcase Collision Repair" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A-1cTpSZ1l8&feature=youtube_gdata_player) and was very happy with the results. I need to check them out. They are only about two miles from my house and since I will have to have my car shipped on a flat bed to the painter and back, having a place only two miles away is quite nice!
So, things are really getting done! Honestly, I don't have too much more to do before I take the car in for paint! That is amazing!
