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There's a lot going on behind the dashboard of any car, most of which never gets a second look. We knew
this would be an area that needed special attention in order to create function for both the car and driver.
Our heating, ignition, & electrical systems along with a custom cowl vent would all need to be designed to fit
in this small area. We started with a very basic steel frame to anchor things to and then began laying out our
systems. With the use of a welder, we started tacking in brackets to see things in their temporary places. Any
adjustments were completed before making the final welds. This process helped us see any potential trouble
with our design before things became permanent and here's what we came up with...
this would be an area that needed special attention in order to create function for both the car and driver.
Our heating, ignition, & electrical systems along with a custom cowl vent would all need to be designed to fit
in this small area. We started with a very basic steel frame to anchor things to and then began laying out our
systems. With the use of a welder, we started tacking in brackets to see things in their temporary places. Any
adjustments were completed before making the final welds. This process helped us see any potential trouble
with our design before things became permanent and here's what we came up with...
We chose the driver's side area to mount our ignition box & coil. MSD Ignition is the leader in
performance ignition systems, known for putting increased voltage across the plug gap of
everything from a motor home to a top fuel race car. This increased spark energy results in
quicker starts, smoother idles, increased power, reduced plug fouling, and super crisp throttle
response. We opted for a version of their popular 6 series box with a 6-BTM, which stands for
(Boost Timing Module). We chose this for its special boost referencing circuit which enables
us to dial in the amount of retard (0 to 15 degrees) we choose to run in our tuning. This then
allows us to dial away any detonation problems that might occur with the increased cylinder
pressures of our supercharged engine. It is all done by reading manifold pressures with a
special boost sensor built into the side of the box. Any timing adjustments can be made with a
remote dial that we mounted under the dash. To harness all of this extra spark energy, we
opted for an MSD Blaster SS coil with it's newer E-Core design. This gave us the ability to
mount our coil in a small space and at any attitude; all while maintaining maximum protection
from vibration without sacrificing voltage output. This little coil packs a big punch!!
performance ignition systems, known for putting increased voltage across the plug gap of
everything from a motor home to a top fuel race car. This increased spark energy results in
quicker starts, smoother idles, increased power, reduced plug fouling, and super crisp throttle
response. We opted for a version of their popular 6 series box with a 6-BTM, which stands for
(Boost Timing Module). We chose this for its special boost referencing circuit which enables
us to dial in the amount of retard (0 to 15 degrees) we choose to run in our tuning. This then
allows us to dial away any detonation problems that might occur with the increased cylinder
pressures of our supercharged engine. It is all done by reading manifold pressures with a
special boost sensor built into the side of the box. Any timing adjustments can be made with a
remote dial that we mounted under the dash. To harness all of this extra spark energy, we
opted for an MSD Blaster SS coil with it's newer E-Core design. This gave us the ability to
mount our coil in a small space and at any attitude; all while maintaining maximum protection
from vibration without sacrificing voltage output. This little coil packs a big punch!!
To warm us on those cool New England nights we went with a Flex-A-Lite Mojave three speed
heater. This unit is pretty compact measuring only 10" x 9" x 5". It has versatile mounting
options and creates 12,000 BTU's of output using the vehicle's cooling system for it's heat
exchange just like an OE heat system. The unit comes with a 3-way switch, wiring, and
hardware to make installation a breeze. The best location for our unit was on the passenger
side so we could get at the cooling lines from our engine. These also were the first of several
holes to be drilled through our firewall, so the planning of our system was crucial. We
purchased a cable actuated shut off valve from Vintage Air to stop the flow of
coolant when heat was not required. This should be a simple yet effective way to
heat our deuce.
heater. This unit is pretty compact measuring only 10" x 9" x 5". It has versatile mounting
options and creates 12,000 BTU's of output using the vehicle's cooling system for it's heat
exchange just like an OE heat system. The unit comes with a 3-way switch, wiring, and
hardware to make installation a breeze. The best location for our unit was on the passenger
side so we could get at the cooling lines from our engine. These also were the first of several
holes to be drilled through our firewall, so the planning of our system was crucial. We
purchased a cable actuated shut off valve from Vintage Air to stop the flow of
coolant when heat was not required. This should be a simple yet effective way to
heat our deuce.
For cooling our car we opted for good old mother nature. After all, it is a roadster and with the
top down and the cowl vent open there should be plenty of air coming our way. We had an
idea to build a small duct system that could incorporate a power cowl vent and a screen to
keep out the hostile creatures. I guess those days of riding motorcycles & dodging high speed
hornets made a lasting impression. We started with a cardboard template which let us play
with the small details and contours. Once we had our design we transferred the template
pieces to sheet metal, did our fit checks and then it was on to the welding bench . We used a
Watson's Street Works power cowl vent kit that we adapted to our duct work. For the screen
we found a small scrap piece of stainless mesh at a local supply store and then built a frame to
mount our mesh. Once again keeping it simple, clean, and effective.
top down and the cowl vent open there should be plenty of air coming our way. We had an
idea to build a small duct system that could incorporate a power cowl vent and a screen to
keep out the hostile creatures. I guess those days of riding motorcycles & dodging high speed
hornets made a lasting impression. We started with a cardboard template which let us play
with the small details and contours. Once we had our design we transferred the template
pieces to sheet metal, did our fit checks and then it was on to the welding bench . We used a
Watson's Street Works power cowl vent kit that we adapted to our duct work. For the screen
we found a small scrap piece of stainless mesh at a local supply store and then built a frame to
mount our mesh. Once again keeping it simple, clean, and effective.
The last piece of this puzzle was setting locations for the fuse panel and switches. We decided
on a 12 circuit universal chassis harness and replacement switch kit from Painless
Performance. Painless is very well known for making every wiring project as easy as possible.
Their kits include explicit step by step directions, the finest quality wire, and OEM quality
components. It comes complete right down to the grommets, wire ties, & terminals. The kit has
everything you need to achieve a professional quality wiring job. The most important feature is
their bulletproof OEM style fuse blocks that are pre-terminated right out of the box. This
process is done with a special machine at the factory to assure the best possible connection at
the fuse block were it matters most! This should also save us a bunch of time during our
installation. All we'll have to do is mount our fuse block & switches, route the color coded wires
to their pre-labeled destinations, and then make our final connections. Pretty painless,
wouldn't you say!
on a 12 circuit universal chassis harness and replacement switch kit from Painless
Performance. Painless is very well known for making every wiring project as easy as possible.
Their kits include explicit step by step directions, the finest quality wire, and OEM quality
components. It comes complete right down to the grommets, wire ties, & terminals. The kit has
everything you need to achieve a professional quality wiring job. The most important feature is
their bulletproof OEM style fuse blocks that are pre-terminated right out of the box. This
process is done with a special machine at the factory to assure the best possible connection at
the fuse block were it matters most! This should also save us a bunch of time during our
installation. All we'll have to do is mount our fuse block & switches, route the color coded wires
to their pre-labeled destinations, and then make our final connections. Pretty painless,
wouldn't you say!
| Behind The Dashboard Lights |