The Supra Files.... Getting Wired, part II

 So the slow, tedious job of rebuilding all the engine compartment wiring harnesses continues. You have to remove the harness, unwrap it, clean and inspect all the individual wires, replace any wires where there's insulation damage, clean/replace all the plastic connectors, bundle it all back up, and fit it back into the car.

I got the fusebox mounted and connected, but I can see I'm going to have to pull it out again, and cut apart some of the cable lacing I did, It fits "OK", but doesn't really fit "Nice", so that'll need a bit of tidiness applied. 

 The last harness being worked on is the one for the Engine Control Unit ("TCCS" in Toyota-Speak), and it's pretty bad. This harness goes on the firewall behind the engine, and then has numerous "breakouts" in the harness to connect to the sensors, fuel injectors, cold-start injector, and other bits and pieces on the engine. Since it lays on top of the engine, it's subjected to all kinds of abuse like high temps, oil, fuel, and coolant vapors. Not exactly a very benign environment for a wiring harness.

 

 

These are the six connectors for the individual Fuel Injectors. The plastic has broken on most of them, and the metal retainer is missing on others. 

 

I also have to replace a few wires that were heat damaged, and this shielded cable, which was never properly terminated. This one goes to the Knock Sensor.

So I sourced the correct connectors, bought some high temperature wire, and proceeded to make these nine connectors with 7" long leads on them. These will get spliced into the harness to replace all the damaged ones. 

 

 

 So, the Fun and Games continue with the wiring, and I'm pleased to announce that I finally got off the pad with this project, as other things are getting bolted on the car, and shelves are getting empty in the garage.

 

Keep hydrated, and keeps yer heads on swivels! 

 

Ahhhhh.....RAIN.....!

 And the weather has been gorgeous since my last post. Cool breezes, puffy clouds, blue skies kind of weather. Had a few little spritzes of rain, but nothing to write home about.

Until today.

Yep, some real rain.

And work on the Supra continues. The next post will show you what I've been doing with various system type things.

 

SLW's BFF Passes Quietly

 On Friday, the 29th, and 1215pm local time.

Surrounded by family and friends, and her two dogs.

Things have been a bit hectic here, as expected. 

Honoring Our Fallen Heroes

 Really bugs me when people say "Happy Memorial Day". It's NOT "happy". It's very solemn; There's nothing "happy" about it.

To our fallen I say Thank You for your ultimate sacrifice, and may God hold and keep you close. 

Cold, Wet, Gloomy Day...or two...

 

Been raining here for the last couple of days, and we've picked up over an inch of rain. Temps are expected to be "Below Freezing", so I'll have to go out and cover up the new plants SLW put in before she had to jet back to SoCal and see her bestie in hospice. 

It's getting very near the end for her, and SLW is there for her.  Prayers appreciate for the Reverend that married us.

And work proceeds on My Old Toyota. The headlight modification has been tested, and the headlight assemblies operate very smoothly, and go up and down much faster now.

 Yes, I have to repaint the front bumper. I didn't mask it off from the back to keep the various paints I used from drifting out the grill and setting on the bumper. I was planning on respraying it much later in the year anyway, so I'll just have to give that task a shove to the left on the schedule.

Keep them heads swiveling when outside, and be safe. 

Big Winter Storm Recap / Happy Mother's Day!

 Basically, we got zip, while other areas got 24~30". Estes Park, home of The Stanley Hotel received the high end, with some small pockets of 32~34" in Rocky Mountain National Park. What we got was maybe 3", but we did get 1.25" of glorious RAIN, raising our monthly total to 1.35".

Not much, but we'll take every drop, thank you. 

Our reservoirs are Low-to-Very Low, and the snowpack is one of the lowest ever recorded. And still, "They" want to build row after row of Townhouses, Condos, and apartments. New single family residences are being built shoulder-to-shoulder on microscopic parcels of land, and selling for outrageous prices.

GACK.....that's exactly what we fled from in SoCal. If it wasn't for the snow and different trees, some of these areas could pass for the San Fernando Valley.

ANYWHOOO..... 

 

Big Winter Storm.....

 It started raining last night, and we woke up to soaked streets and snow showers. It continued all day, going from small flakes to nice, big "Hallmark Card" size flakes, with rain in between. We wound up with maybe 2" of snow, and .8" of rain. As of 2000 hrs it's stopped, but the NWS is calling for 6~10", and it'll be all heavy, wet snow. If we get that much, it'll be easy to blow it with the Ariens.

I'll be in the basement shop dissecting my Engine Control Unit to Engine wiring harness. It has a bunch of brittle wires that have to be replaced, and NINE connectors to de-pin so I can put new shells on them.

Stay warm and dry, keep your head swiveling, and be safe!

May the Fourth Be With You....

 Not much going on, but we're getting some rain. Not enough to pick up on my rain gauge, but every little bit helps. We also have a 90% chance of snow on Wednesday, with overnight temps dropping down to 20*.

As of 1900, we received .02", which isn't much, but we'll take it. 

The Supra Files: Starting to Wrap Things Up....

 On the Electrical System, that is.

There are several wiring harnesses in the engine compartment, The "Main" one starts at the battery, connects to a group of wires that feed the driver's side of the car, and travels across the underside of the top of the radiator support, connecting to the alternator, and another harness that feeds the passenger's side of the car.

The next harness also runs along the same path, but handles low current switching for lighting and the horns.

The third harness runs from the Engine Control Unit (ECU) to the engine and is the "electronic" part of the wiring, as opposed to just a bunch of DC circuits. 

This is what it looked like after I pulled it from the car.

 

And this is it after cleaning.

 Each wire was cleaned and inspected. Several lengths had to be replaced due to brittle, cracked insulation. Each connector was cleaned, inspected, and it's O-ring replaced. Then I installed it, along with the lighting harness, back from whence it came.

And I cleaned, inspected, and rewrapped the "Stub Harness" coming out of each fender.

 

 

 

  

This is the next one I'm working on. It runs from the ECU (Engine Control Unit) to the sensors, injectors, and ignition system.

It's a mess. More tedious cleaning, repairing, and putting new connector housings on.

 

And I was able to get the front anti-roll bar and brackets back on the car. The two rods are the "Lateral Locating Links" (aka Strut rod bars) for the front suspension

More to come, when I get a round tuit, which have been in short supply lately.

Keep them heads swivelin', and always check your six. 

Still Here, Still OK, Just Busy

 Groan....The big winds that went through here a couple of weeks ago did some damage. The South run of the backyard fence gave up the ghost under an onslaught of 75+MPH winds. And when the fence blew over it took out one of my Elevated Radials for my 20M/14MHz antenna.

It also uprooted a 60' Blue Spruce down on the corner, causing some traffic delays and people scrambling around to get it out of the road. Really a shame, as it was a gorgeous tree, and the corner looks barren now.

Much progress on the Supra, but it's the "invisible" kind of stuff like the wiring harnesses (two of three rebuilt and installed), clutch hydraulics, getting various things properly routed, mounted, laid-in-place and secured, and sorting out items I haven't seen in two years or so.

More to come with pix...... 

More Wacky Weather.....

 It's Eighty-Five flipping degrees today. All the trees are leafing out, flowers are blooming, and the grass is starting to green up. The humidity has been running in the 10~12% range, and things are tinder box dry. The fires in Nebraska have consumed close to a million acres, but they're slowly being contained.

And it's expected to hit NINETY on Saturday.

Just hope it's not like this all Spring and Summer......... 

Happy Saint Patrick's Day!

 And since I'm half Irish, I say it with fondness.

Been unusual weather here. It's 73*, and we're expected to hit 85* on Friday. Our tulips are up, the trees are full of buds and small leaves, and the daffodils are blooming. 

Hoping for a wet Spring to try and make up the snowpack deficit we had this "Winter".

And tomorrow will be three years since I broke my hip...... 

RAIN!

 Glorious RAIN!

Along with about 3" of snow that melted as soon as it hit the streets and sidewalks. Total precip as measured by my rain gauge was .29", which is really welcome.

SLW's bestie was sent home from the hospital today on "Palliative Care", so SLW is coming home tomorrow. The weather should be nice for the drive to DIA, as it's forecast to be in the 60's.

Enjoy the weekend, check your six, and stay vigilant, 

March Comes In Like a Lamb...

 Been in the high 60's, and we actually got some rain. .01" isn't much "rain", but hey, we'll take it.

Yes, I'm following Operation Epic Fury, and it's been a success so far.

 Yes, we lost three F-15's and six servicemen and women, and that's always sad, but our losses have been extremely low. God Bless and protect our Armed Forces.

Work on the Supra continues, with much "invisible" progress. I say "invisible" because you'll have to have a sharp eye to see many of the improvements I've been making. Two of the three engine compartment wiring harnesses have been completed, along with the wiring for the new headlight relays and electric fan controller. I'd like to pull the third harness out of the car, but I'm having trouble getting the part inside the car out through the opening in the firewall. It's got a BIG grommet in the firewall that's impeding it's removal, but I'll figure it out.

 

Seventy Degrees in February.....!

 And we've had exactly .01" of rain.....

It;s one thing to have very little precip, but with these high temps and high winds, it just sucks all the moisture right out of the ground. This is looking grim unless we start to get some rain. 

And SLW's BFF has been on chemo for the last few days. Her Doctors have told her she'll be in the Hospital getting chemo until this "Last Course of Chemo" is done, and she'll be released to home.

To die.

No other way to put it, and it's weighing heavily on my SLW. Her first husband passed from Mesothelioma, and now she's going through it with her friend.

Prayers are greatly appreciated..... 

Emergency Trip for Sweet Little Wife.....

 She's headed to California to visit a terminally ill friend for their last time.

They've been friends since grade school, and "MJ" is also the Minister that married us. She'd been planning a trip for the last few weeks, after the Doctors declared her to be Stage 4, with no hope for recovery. She'd been on chemo and radiation for the bone cancer for several years, and now she has leukemia. 

Her husband called last night with some updates, and suggested she make immediate plans to see her.

Say a prayer for her when you can. 

Ed Iskenderian Passes at 104.....

 Quite the guy. Made his first cam grinding machine form some other cast-off machines, and proceeded to start his empire.

 Picture courtesy of Hagerty Insurance, who has a nice write-up on Ed.

 Wikipedia has a biography about him. 

My first Hot Rod tee shirt was one from Isky Cams. 

Rest In Peace, Ed. You've earned it..... 

 

The Winter Wallop Contimues.....

 We haven't been clobbered like our friends 'Down South' are getting it. We've had 1~2" of snow and a bunch of cold weather.

 I really feel for those that aren't used to this kind of weather. Bundle up, and take care while driving. Better yet, if you don't have much experience driving in this stuff....Stay Home.

A Big Winter Wallop.......

 .....Has arrived. Woke up to a temperature of NINE degrees with a light snow. Been kinda-sorta snowing today, but we don't expect more than an inch or two.

It's the temperatures that are going to be causing some problems here, and combined rain, snow, and icy conditions for a large swath of the Midwestern U.S. 

So bundle up, keep warm, and just sit it out, unless you work outside, like my son does.
 

Cold and WINDY!

 The temp dropped 25* in 30 minutes last night when the cold front blew through last night.

And it's been pretty much 35* and 35 MPH winds all day.

And still no sign of precip......

Work continues on the Supra, and.....GASP.....I've started putting parts back ON the car instead of taking them off. 

I just might have turned the corner on this...........