Build Thread 1978 Mercury Cyclone. The pig is in the pen.
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Mike, just remember, CLIMBING UP Mt Everest is only HALF the battle. You have to climb DOWN to live to tell about it. I think you are close to reaching the summit. Firing it up will be the summit. Moving under it's own power is climbing off the mountain. Burnouts for distance....VICTORY!!!
I'm really thinking you're close to burnouts. Go ahead and get the GoPro figured out and charged up!
I don’t do burnouts...My tires are about as cheap as they come,...( Sumitomo Htr z) but even at 184.00 ea...I’m in no hurry to wear them out.
This is a picture of my new Corbeau driver side seat that I’ve shamed it so bad, it’s actually bowing it’s head.
Like a dog you caught eating the cat food, or tearing up a shoe.
I bought these in October of 18. Given that the car has spent the first part of 19 getting the old engine rebuilt, and converted back to turbo, and didn’t actually run till around May-June, and has definitely spent the entirety of the last two months, and all of this year so far not running,......Simple math puts the actual time I could’ve sat on the seats at about 4-6 months.
For most of you here that read this, you’ll also know that the time it did get driven was occasional at best.
So we’ll say they’ve actually been sat in for a total of 5-6 hours...Over the period of a little more than a year and a half.
When I went downstairs to work on the car yesterday, I noticed what looked like a deformation on the driver side bottom cushion side bolster......The foam under the fabric had torn/separated and was now exposing a metal rod that you could see under the fabric they used to make the seat frame.
I looked on line and checked Corbeau‘s warranty..........1 year
Fortunately,.....I purchased them from Summit. Summit called Corbeau, and somehow convinced them to extend the warranty, and have issued a call tag to pick this one up today. I have to go to HD to get a freakin box big enough to put the seat in, but it’s all good.
What isn’t all good is the fact that they failed as quickly as they did, with very little actual usage.
A Recaro they’re not.
I am glad you got that small victory, I just cant see a good reason why the seat should fail in such a short time.
If you FILM burning them off til they pop, I (or maybe WE as a forum) will send you $350 to replace them. Not $368 because I am sure you got $18 out of them already.
If you mount a mini gun on the damn car, then I'll spring for the other $18.
With just a few exceptions, I think it’s safe to say that I’m about 5% away from attempting a restart.
the wiring only needs a couple of connections in order to say that it’s done. I need to find an output to drive the water meth injection system, and I need to determine which of the two IAC outputs I can use to drive the cooling fan. Other than that, it’s wired.
Whether or not you find this to be organized, or a freakin disaster depends on your level of electrical expertise. For me..it’s better than most, not as good as others...All I want is for the freakin thing to work.
This is the EPS unit. It’s now wired in completely...Can’t wait to try this out.
The fuel lines are now complete, I still have to connect the pump, and the fuel level sender.
The battery is on a slow charge tonight, I figure maybe this weekend will be the initial setup of the ecu, provided it doesn't have some internal issue. I’ve seemingly got nothing but time these days.
the wiring only needs a couple of connections in order to say that it’s done. I need to find an output to drive the water meth injection system, and I need to determine which of the two IAC outputs I can use to drive the cooling fan. Other than that, it’s wired.
Whether or not you find this to be organized, or a freakin disaster depends on your level of electrical expertise. For me..it’s better than most, not as good as others...All I want is for the freakin thing to work.
This is the EPS unit. It’s now wired in completely...Can’t wait to try this out.
The fuel lines are now complete, I still have to connect the pump, and the fuel level sender.
The battery is on a slow charge tonight, I figure maybe this weekend will be the initial setup of the ecu, provided it doesn't have some internal issue. I’ve seemingly got nothing but time these days.
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I’m still really interested in the EPAS function. Probably the coolest part of the whole build even though a small part of it, IMO
TLDR: dont' be the pot calling the kettle black.
I want to start by saying first off... awesome job. Your work is still after many decades, excellent.
That said, I can't help but see some inconsistency in what you say vs. what you preach. You are doing something that most others have no interest in or think is better just because it interests you, yet shame people who do the same thing in other ways.
Now don't get me wrong, I've followed your build and understand the point that you are sharing what you've learned. However, you only seem to preach it and not act on it.
Seriously, I respect the hell out of your talents and your build, both are awesome. But either your judgement of others is wrong/overblown... or you need to work on ways to better communicate that critique without seeming overly judgemental.
I want to start by saying first off... awesome job. Your work is still after many decades, excellent.
That said, I can't help but see some inconsistency in what you say vs. what you preach. You are doing something that most others have no interest in or think is better just because it interests you, yet shame people who do the same thing in other ways.
Now don't get me wrong, I've followed your build and understand the point that you are sharing what you've learned. However, you only seem to preach it and not act on it.
Seriously, I respect the hell out of your talents and your build, both are awesome. But either your judgement of others is wrong/overblown... or you need to work on ways to better communicate that critique without seeming overly judgemental.
This is an awfully large gap,....did you put this space here for effect, or is something missing from your reply?
I realize that I come off as opinionated, overly critical, and intolerant of crap work ( or what I think is crap work). I know that some of the sht I say my sound hypocritical. When I posted that last line stating how I viewed my work, I knew I may as well have raised a flag, or edited my thread title to read: “Oh look! The old guy just opened himself up to target practice,..and he’s wearing a T-shirt with a bullseye on the back!”
The fact that’s you noticed it, and have said something is a double compliment. 1. Not only for your stated respect of my work, but 2. You pay attention to what I say, more than just what I post pictures of. Thanks for both.
Ive also said this in the past..( You may have seen it before, I’ve said it more than a few times).
Nobody is more critical of what I do or say than yours truly. When I do something that I think is crap, 99% of the time you’ll never see it. I don’t take pride in something I’ve done, just because I did it myself. ( Yet here I am,..admitting I do crap work too). I hold myself to a standard based on what the majority in the hobby would think. ( i.e. its always the shop builds that the TV shows or trade mags feature because of the standard of excellence. You never see a TV show or read a “Bufords backyard bull sht build” article just because Buford is trying to do it himself.) When people fire back at something I say, because I’ve been critical of a first timer, and not considerate of the fact that everybody has to start somewhere...Im always thinking....Ive never done a lot of the sht I’ve done “ before”. I didn’t put a 2jz in anything before, I didn’t cut the bellhousing off of a 4R70, and adapt it to a different engine before, I haven’t installed an EPS unit out of a Prius in anything before. And this is just the tip of this point.
So see,...I do a lot of sht that I’ve never done before.
I also continually state that most people do this sht because they think it’s cool,...whether or not it is or isn’t, is purely a matter of opinion. Theirs, and everybody else’s just as soon as they post a picture of it. For the guy to come on here and state “I don’t care what others think I’m doing it for me”, then post a “ Whadya think“ pic is pure BS. I’ve done some really stupid sht that I thought was cool when I was a kid, and I got ridiculed for doing it a lot of times. Either from friends or coworkers, and more than a few times people I didn’t know from Adam. And I’ll admit that it bugged me. When the red car was negatively received by the 70% of people that commented online about it, that bugged me too.
But instead of going off and boo-hooing I changed things/ views. I took the CB whip antenna off of the rear quarter of my 69 Mach one after being dogged for doing it, Removed the hideous hood scoop, and returned countless atrocities back to normal. I learned not to mess with a car that the majority prefer be left alone ( the red car), That lesson learned recounted in the first pages of this build thread, when I stated why I chose an almost extinct bodystyle to modify this time around.
*Whew!......You still here?
As to the pure opinion stuff like how I hate loud exhaust, pointless high horsepower goals for bragging rights, suspension/handling/braking mods that are either overkill on a street car, or will never be fully realized.....
Yeah...just my opinion...Most of the time just me making a bunch of noise like a rock in a hubcap.
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- Mar 2, 2015
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I appreciate people responding to my build thread....regardless of what they say. It helps to keep me motivated. I assume that's the whole reason of all this. Without this forum I would've gotten rid if my build years ago...I just can't let you guys down ( or myself ).
Old guys ( you're not that old...but getting closer every day ) give what they feel is the best advise. Whether they actually take the time to perfect what they do is up to them. Knowing the right way to do something is the most important way to making a hack successful.
In the world of Master Mechanics...and Advanced Engine Performance techs you have to know the right way...before you circumvent the engineers and beat the labor time.
You sir are one of those people....the old guy that tells everyone how they should live...is in everyone's business....and holds loads of experience under your belt.
Even though your wiring looks like a mild rat's nest to me, I'm sure all your connections are correct. I'm also sure that the right gauge wires have been used. I'm going through my wiring as we speak. I'm at the point now where I'm pondering whether someone else would be able to look at my wiring and tell what's going on. If the car was sold and I was nowhere around ( possibly dead ) would anyone know what to do with all these wires. I've started putting tabs and color coding stuff. Part of it is because my memory hasn't been the best since my stroke. The other part is because my wife has no idea how to fix this stuff and my kids don't either. My wiring is nowhere near perfect either...but my connections are right...everything is fused that should be...the right gauges are used.
I preach to the younger guys to try and keep them from doing what I did. I'm not old yet but it will only get worse as I get older. Those I don't care about I don't say ish.
You do amazing work, Mike. I've learned a lot from you. This is the interwebs, your personality just fits here. You weed out the dumba$$#s and help keep us entertained.
Old guys ( you're not that old...but getting closer every day ) give what they feel is the best advise. Whether they actually take the time to perfect what they do is up to them. Knowing the right way to do something is the most important way to making a hack successful.
In the world of Master Mechanics...and Advanced Engine Performance techs you have to know the right way...before you circumvent the engineers and beat the labor time.
You sir are one of those people....the old guy that tells everyone how they should live...is in everyone's business....and holds loads of experience under your belt.
Even though your wiring looks like a mild rat's nest to me, I'm sure all your connections are correct. I'm also sure that the right gauge wires have been used. I'm going through my wiring as we speak. I'm at the point now where I'm pondering whether someone else would be able to look at my wiring and tell what's going on. If the car was sold and I was nowhere around ( possibly dead ) would anyone know what to do with all these wires. I've started putting tabs and color coding stuff. Part of it is because my memory hasn't been the best since my stroke. The other part is because my wife has no idea how to fix this stuff and my kids don't either. My wiring is nowhere near perfect either...but my connections are right...everything is fused that should be...the right gauges are used.
I preach to the younger guys to try and keep them from doing what I did. I'm not old yet but it will only get worse as I get older. Those I don't care about I don't say ish.
You do amazing work, Mike. I've learned a lot from you. This is the interwebs, your personality just fits here. You weed out the dumba$$#s and help keep us entertained.
- Jul 12, 2017
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In the grand scheme of things, when you assign a percentage scale to measure how far off, or how close you are to completion, the work required to get to one percent is really a tough call.
Yesterday, I guessed to be at the 95% completed mark, still having wiring in the trunk to cleanup, the fuel pump to wire/ ground, and a battery to mount. This morning, I did some more looking into how the ECU sends its output signals to the separate devices that are back there. I discovered that for everything I expected needing 12v, the ecu was gonna send a gnd signal instead.
Perfect. Three relays back there wired to switch on when they see a 12v signal that they’ll never see.
Fortunately, the battery is back there..Getting 12v to those relays was just another wire. It still took time to fix. Now, after spending yet another day down there, the battery is mounted, the cables are routed, the relays are rewired, and finally the fuel pump is connected as is the sender.
So how many percentage points did I tick away then I ask myself. Was all this work today 1 percent? ...Am I at 97,..98%?
I got two wires to hook up tomorrow. One to drive the Catsucker 3 cooling fan up front ( which I’ll need a 12v signal, that I’ll get from the IAC output on the relay board) and the water meth injection. That only needs to be routed and soldered to one of the 2 nitrous outputs.
( which is one of the grounds I reconfigured today).
I have to make the hard lines that come off the EBC and route to the waste gate, I have to put the guts of my ECU back in the case, and hook that thing up to the two db37’s that are dangling.
Then there’s the ECU.
I don’t trust the config as far as I could throw that thing. The Jimstim i was using to test the thing is either all kind of fcked up, or the ECU is. And I’ve run out of “what the hells“ trying to figure it out. It’s just one of the many things that rattle around in my head in the wee hours....it simply would not read a vr signal, and the 2nd trigger was either dead on the jimstim, or again,..I have an ECU problem, as the tune file would only read the signal when set to Hall effec, and would never see the cam signal.
Then there’s the stuff that’s already in place...
One of the piston rings installed weird..will it break, or has it broken?
Is the adapted transmission gonna work, will there be any weird vibrations, or premature wear as a result of a misalignment?
Is that Prius EPS gonna work,?..my bench test required a fair amount of torque before the torque sensor triggered the motor.
Blah, blah, blah......
Yesterday, I guessed to be at the 95% completed mark, still having wiring in the trunk to cleanup, the fuel pump to wire/ ground, and a battery to mount. This morning, I did some more looking into how the ECU sends its output signals to the separate devices that are back there. I discovered that for everything I expected needing 12v, the ecu was gonna send a gnd signal instead.
Perfect. Three relays back there wired to switch on when they see a 12v signal that they’ll never see.
Fortunately, the battery is back there..Getting 12v to those relays was just another wire. It still took time to fix. Now, after spending yet another day down there, the battery is mounted, the cables are routed, the relays are rewired, and finally the fuel pump is connected as is the sender.
So how many percentage points did I tick away then I ask myself. Was all this work today 1 percent? ...Am I at 97,..98%?
I got two wires to hook up tomorrow. One to drive the Catsucker 3 cooling fan up front ( which I’ll need a 12v signal, that I’ll get from the IAC output on the relay board) and the water meth injection. That only needs to be routed and soldered to one of the 2 nitrous outputs.
( which is one of the grounds I reconfigured today).
I have to make the hard lines that come off the EBC and route to the waste gate, I have to put the guts of my ECU back in the case, and hook that thing up to the two db37’s that are dangling.
Then there’s the ECU.
I don’t trust the config as far as I could throw that thing. The Jimstim i was using to test the thing is either all kind of fcked up, or the ECU is. And I’ve run out of “what the hells“ trying to figure it out. It’s just one of the many things that rattle around in my head in the wee hours....it simply would not read a vr signal, and the 2nd trigger was either dead on the jimstim, or again,..I have an ECU problem, as the tune file would only read the signal when set to Hall effec, and would never see the cam signal.
Then there’s the stuff that’s already in place...
One of the piston rings installed weird..will it break, or has it broken?
Is the adapted transmission gonna work, will there be any weird vibrations, or premature wear as a result of a misalignment?
Is that Prius EPS gonna work,?..my bench test required a fair amount of torque before the torque sensor triggered the motor.
Blah, blah, blah......
Sorry I have been slow to respond Mike but been busy. Anything the ECU is going to control needs switched ignition 12v power. If you feed it with battery power the SS components will allow current to flow when the key is off due to how the transistors function.In the grand scheme of things, when you assign a percentage scale to measure how far off, or how close you are to completion, the work required to get to one percent is really a tough call.
Yesterday, I guessed to be at the 95% completed mark, still having wiring in the trunk to cleanup, the fuel pump to wire/ ground, and a battery to mount. This morning, I did some more looking into how the ECU sends its output signals to the separate devices that are back there. I discovered that for everything I expected needing 12v, the ecu was gonna send a gnd signal instead.
Perfect. Three relays back there wired to switch on when they see a 12v signal that they’ll never see.
Fortunately, the battery is back there..Getting 12v to those relays was just another wire. It still took time to fix. Now, after spending yet another day down there, the battery is mounted, the cables are routed, the relays are rewired, and finally the fuel pump is connected as is the sender.
So how many percentage points did I tick away then I ask myself. Was all this work today 1 percent? ...Am I at 97,..98%?
I got two wires to hook up tomorrow. One to drive the Catsucker 3 cooling fan up front ( which I’ll need a 12v signal, that I’ll get from the IAC output on the relay board) and the water meth injection. That only needs to be routed and soldered to one of the 2 nitrous outputs.
( which is one of the grounds I reconfigured today).
I have to make the hard lines that come off the EBC and route to the waste gate, I have to put the guts of my ECU back in the case, and hook that thing up to the two db37’s that are dangling.
Then there’s the ECU.
I don’t trust the config as far as I could throw that thing. The Jimstim i was using to test the thing is either all kind of fcked up, or the ECU is. And I’ve run out of “what the hells“ trying to figure it out. It’s just one of the many things that rattle around in my head in the wee hours....it simply would not read a vr signal, and the 2nd trigger was either dead on the jimstim, or again,..I have an ECU problem, as the tune file would only read the signal when set to Hall effec, and would never see the cam signal.
Then there’s the stuff that’s already in place...
One of the piston rings installed weird..will it break, or has it broken?
Is the adapted transmission gonna work, will there be any weird vibrations, or premature wear as a result of a misalignment?
Is that Prius EPS gonna work,?..my bench test required a fair amount of torque before the torque sensor triggered the motor.
Blah, blah, blah......
The battery 12v is running through a relay. The ecu ground is a pin on the relay
Nope,..both are tied together..I’m guessing you are telling me that I need to add percentage points back to my completion table?
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