PhoCup's 408 Exo Build

[SeanW]

I should mention that even with zero offset wheels I needed a 15mm spacer on my setup. I've seen some Exocet with 1.5" spacers.

[phocup]

Am running the JNC003 15x8 +0 wheels.   I would hate to have to add spacers .. but maybe no choice if I can't return the BBK.  Waiting on words from V8R.        

Also got all the wires reconnected and grounds hooked up today. Went to reconnect the battery. Positive went back on first. When the neg when on, started to spark at the battery terminal. Scared the crap out of me as I made to to pull the key before I did this, so there would be no loads.

Now I'm pretty confused. Nothing should be 'on' without the key on my 93 .. right ?

[phocup]

Okay so I figured out the issue.

The main problem is that I'm a dumb ass who assumes.

The donor wire had a GRAY cover over the positive terminal. I had assumed GRAY / BLACK meant negative and the positive side is supposed to have a red cover that's missing due to it being a junk car. Hope I didn't fubar anything too badly switching the wires.

Is there a fuse built in somewhere to protect from this type of stuff ?

[phocup]

Got lightz ?  

[gwnwar]

The only thing that might blow is the 80A fuse engine fuse box.. It is bolted it place 10mm head bolts..

[snowbird1]

The reverse polarity may have hurt the AC generator (alternator) - that you have a charge warning light is a good sign, you won't know for sure until you start the engine.

[phocup]

  Best  feeling  in  the  world. 

[SeanW]

[phocup]

I had expected more of a battle with getting it started for the first time ( especially because I didn't hear my gas pump priming either with the key in position 1 ), but I think that the grounding bus and running the extra grounding wire did wonders.

The next major step is getting the wiring sorted out and pared down while I order lighting stuff.

Sean, did you reference this link when you did your trailer relay ?   The wiring diagram on there seems pretty straight forward to me.   I assume after getting the trailer light harness wired up, any regular ol trailer light ( even Harbor Freight ) ones should be DOT complaint ?

 

[SeanW]

Yup! That's the diagram I followed. It's super easy to write the lights up. Pretty much any trailer lights will work, I'm sure the HF ones are DOT.

[phocup]

Sweet .. ordering some tonight.

[phocup]

I assume headlights need to be DOT too ? Exomotive doesn't quite list any of their lights as "DOT" compliant but I see almost everyone with the "Dominator" lights.

That one big round ball isn't really my style. Either the dual smaller eyeball or the smaller square works much better for me but I can't find any DOT ones. Anyone know of any ?

[SeanW]

Dec 16, 2016 9:52:18 GMT phocup said:

I assume headlights need to be DOT too ? Exomotive doesn't quite list any of their lights as "DOT" compliant but I see almost everyone with the "Dominator" lights.

That one big round ball isn't really my style. Either the dual smaller eyeball or the smaller square works much better for me but I can't find any DOT ones. Anyone know of any ?

Every light on your car needs to have a DOT/SAE approved lens on it. I'm running the Exomotive 4" dominators until I can find something else that I like better Technically, my setup is illegal and shouldn't have passed brake and light but that's a long story. (It's a matter of actually needing four head lamps if instead of two if your lamps are smaller than 7 inches...)

Here's the rundown of what you'll need to have on your car to pass -
- Two head lamps with high-beams.
- Front turn signals that must be amber.
- Red tail lights with built-in reflectors.
- Red brake lights.
- Rear turn signals that may be red or amber.
- White backup lights that come on when the car is in reverse.
- A white light illuminating the rear license plate that is covered by a DOT/SAE approved lense
- A dash indicator that your turn signal is flashing.
- A dash indicator that your high-beams are on, this indicator MUST BE BLUE.
- A dash indicator that your parking brake is engaged.
- A dash indicator that there is a fault/low fluid level for your brakes.

I lucked out with the number of headlights on my car because the inspector didn't glossed over that line in his inspection manual. The brake fluid level was a problem, in the end I essentially bribed the inspector to give me a pass on it. The connector for the level sensor doesn't self-short when disconnected from the brake reservoir causing the brake indicator on the dash to illuminate. My inspector was really uneven, somethings I though he was going to be super anal about (like the height of my lamps from the ground) he couldn't seem to care less about and others, like the fluid sensor light, he was hyper anal about.

With regard to what headlights to run, just go to JPCycles.com and look for motorcycle headlights with H4 bulbs. Bonus points if they have bright amber lights in them to act as turn signals.

[phocup]

U rock Sean. Thnx for writing all that out.

I'm a bit confused about why you had to bribe the inspector.  Was it just because your fluid level was low or was it something else with the brake sensor self short causing the light to display?

[SeanW]

Dec 16, 2016 17:41:10 GMT phocup said:

U rock Sean. Thnx for writing all that out.

I'm a bit confused about why you had to bribe the inspector.  Was it just because your fluid level was low or was it something else with the brake sensor self short causing the light to display?

More figurative bribe than literal bribe. In other words, he gave me a pass on the brake level sensor issue and I didn't complaint about the (insane) price he charged me for the inspections.

The problem, as stated by the inspector: When the brake fluid level sensor is disconnected from the wiring harness, a warning light should illuminate on the dashboard to indicate some kind of a fault. My Miata harness and fluid level sensor don't register any kind of fault when the sensor is disconnected. I'm can't be sure but I don't think any NA/NB Miata I've ever owned has illuminated a fault indicator when that sensor is disconnected.  I haven't been able to find any solid documentation backing up the inspector's claim that this was required but at the same time, I was half way through the inspection when this bit of news popped up. The guy kinda had me over a barrel there. ( This particular shop has some pretty questionable business practices which is why I don't mention them by name or issue a recommendation for them to anybody. )

The brake inspector's handbook is incredibly vague as to what the brake warning light on the dash is supposed to warn about. (Linked below.)

Some light reading -

www.bar.ca.gov/pdf/Lamp_Handbook_9.3.15.pdf
www.bar.ca.gov/pdf/Draft_Brake_Inspection_Handbook.pdf