robt964

Hi Steve, it's quite an involved and time consuming process to plan, build and test. This is why they cost several 1000s to have made. I would not recommend this as a first candidate if you're new to putting together looms of any description. Please forgive me if this is not the case for you.

911Jetta

Just ran across this article series:
Knowledge Boost: Tackling Your Wiring Nightmare – Part 1
http://www.speedhunters.com/2015/09/...htmare-part-1/
Knowledge Boost: Tackling Your Wiring Nightmare – Part 2
http://www.speedhunters.com/2015/10/...htmare-part-2/

hepkat63

Done plenty of wiring looms - yep, it's a big job I know. One in particular I did was a 1959 ford sunliner coupe from lhd to rhd... took weeks of sitting on the floor of the car rejoining wires. Felt like I was married to my test light
So, by all means, please PM me any thing you have !

cool - thanks !

spenny_b

Have made a a couple of car looms over the years, including a custom unit when I had my Westfield, but this was just the chassis loom as opposed to the engine management loom (another MBE system); bought the thinnest wiring I could that still retained the British wiring standard, and used waterproof connectors, heatshrink throughout and really took my time to design it and lay it out with some future-proofing in mind. When I came to making it, it took weeks; I remember it was during the summer months, so I was getting up before the rest of the family and getting a few hours each day in the garage before work (5.30-7.30), nice uninterrupted time.

When it came to making a loom for my project on the Turbo (linked below) I didn't even contemplate making it myself; been there/done that. This time I wanted a really "pukka" loom that was of the same quality as the rest of the project...all depends on what you want to spend; if you want MIL spec connectors, or even some of the more common Deutcsh connectors, you'll likely to need very expensive crimping, insertion and removal tooling. Motorsport looms tend to use all single colour wiring, Raychem, usually white, which means you really need to be on your mettle to make sure there aren't mistakes...but it's super light and thin. Raychem heatshrink and connector boots are sodding expensive, but mean that the connectors are sealed to a military standard, and the loom is very flexible without crimping wires or rucking the sleeve....and on it goes.

The engine loom I had made for the EFI conversion was >£2.5k and even that is a LOT cheaper than some of the more mainstream UK motorsport loom manufacturers like Lake. But it's an order of magnitude better than anything I could've assembled, despite being an electronics engineer in a previous life.

ETA - seeing a picture of a soldering iron above....that would make a pro automotive loom builder shudder...a complete no-no, soldered joints are subject to vibration and failing on a car.

robt964

Yep, I selected shielded Raychem white for the CPS, CAM phase and Knock sensors and black for everything else. It's expensive stuff but I found some end-of-reel lengths on ebay that where long enough for most of what I wanted. The loom diameter is tiny compared to the original. A single metal round Deutcsh connector is used to attach the engine loom to the vehicle loom. The key is all in the planning. That and testing at every stage. You'll need to ensure the selected cable rating (you'll need a variety) is sufficient (but not OTT) for it's length and application. It took several weeks to complete.

robt964

A few pics of the tail feathers

John McM

Great minds think alike. My car has just gone for its respray and solid colour sills were the final decision I made over the weekend. Great to see it working on a similar configuration I.e. Ducktail and Fuchs.

Boeing 717

Holy cow that looks good!!!!

greaser5

What ducktail is that? Looks great.

DobermanDad

I want your duck tail! Can't wait to start my duck tail project.

NateSaJack

Hi Rob, Great work, can't wait to see this in the flesh, really is an inspiration to us UK skinny garage owners!

Can I ask a couple of Q's, Ive read through but can't seem to find the detail I need.

Did you use the Porsche part to replace the 'oil filter to engine oil pipe'? it's in the photo on page 8. I wondered if you had this made up for you as I've never seen a black and braided version advertised?

I'm also going for the A-class PS mod, what were the braided lines and fittings you used?

Cheers

Nate

HiWind

^ I think Rob mentioned using Pirtek - they come to you http://www.pirtek.co.uk/

I also used them ... they should be able to do the braided hoses for Elec PS too with aeroquip ali fittings

robt964

Hi Nate, the hose you refer to was the *only* hose on the enire car that was not replaced. In was in great condition so left it as-is.

The long oil cooler hoses I had refurbished by Spectrum Hose in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire.

I make up all my own hoses (except those requiring crimping) and source all my hose and fittings from Think Automotive. I love that place :-) great guys. You can turn up with a bag of random parts, dump it on the desk, explain what you're trying to do and they dig out all the parts you'll need. Infinitely better than attempting via some web shop somewhere. I always end up taking extra incase I need them and they're fine with me returning the surplus (except hose obviously)

I really wish I'd done a proper job of writing up the PAS mod as I get on average 2 queries on it a week.
I should have marketed a kit :-)

I'll try and put together a parts list. I think tdiquattro may have done this actually when he did his.

Rey Gunn

Cars looking fantastic!!! Nice work as always!

NateSaJack

Ha yes you should!

Cheers Rob, I've got all winter to sort as many leaks as I can, exhaust and get the PS mod finished. Looking forward to a trip to Think Auto, sounds like my kind of place!