I've decided to rip out my atrocious wiring in the cockpit of my MGB project car and do it all over again. I'm going to go keyless and use a fob to cut out the battery as well. Instead of a key, I'll have switches for running and accessories as well as a push button starter. My radio is tiny, much smaller than the cutout for the original radio as it's just a Bluetooth receiver with an amplifier.
What this means is that my center console is now obsolete. I need a totally different set of holes in both quantity and shape.
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| The standard center console. You can see some of the horrible wiring behind it. |
I've never worked with fiberglass before, so I found some instructional videos on YouTube. It's going to be a chore, but I can't pass up the opportunity to learn a new skill.
Today, I stopped by an auto body shop for suggestions and fiberglass resins and fiber. They said they only purchase and install prebuilt, factory body parts, so I left there and went to a surfboard shop. They had good ideas, but suggested I go to a local fiberglass supply place. I went there and hit the jackpot.
There's something wonderful and thoroughly American about talking to old dudes who have mastered a craft. They love to tell you how to do things and enjoy it when someone is taking on a project like this. The guy at the fiberglass place had done this exact job on a hot rod he just happened to have in the parking lot.
Instead of simply recreating the center console, the took hard foam and sculpted the center console he wanted, complete with cup holders. If you hadn't noticed, cars from the 30s, 40s and 50s didn't have them. The result was way cool. Note that my center console doesn't have them, either.
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| His console as finished. |
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| On the back side of the console, you can see just a little bit of the foam form that he cut away once the fiberglass had dried. |
'Murrica.
Addendum: Here's a good video I found on making the mold and then making the part from the mold. I'm putting it here so I can find it later.
4 comments:
This has some interesting ideas. I've got a couple questions.
- What are you going to do about the steering wheel lock mechanism?
- Are you going to add sensors (or connect into the brake light switch) to ensure that the brakes are pushed and/or the clutch is depressed?
- Where are you putting the push start button?
- Are you going to have a separate switch for accessories, etc?
- I might want a new console myself, allowing for my vent and heater controls to stay in place, when removing the console for other things. the 75-80 console is drastically different from yours.
I'd suggest you might incorporate the radio blanking plate with the MG logo on it. But then you might just arrange things on the console completely eliminating the radio hole.
So back in the late 80s, I was tuning up my Datsun 510. You may remember that car.
After a few iterations, I was pretty sure I had it. So I just reached in through the window and turned the key.
I had it. The car was in the alley behind the house. There was a parking area, with the usual 6 foot long concrete blocks you see in parking lots, then 40-50 feet to the house.
I'd left the car in gear, the engine caught immediately, hopped the concrete and started at the house. I ran along the side of the car, diving in the window to pull the shift lever out of gear. And pulled the hand brake.
The hand brake wasn't on, but wouldn't have been able to hold the car.
I was fortunate, my roommates dog wasn't out in the yard at the time, she could have been run over.
And no, that is not my entry for the 'Stupidest man on Earth' trophy. I've got better.
So many questions.
"Use a fob to cut off the battery".
Are you saying you want to put in a keyless entry system that would be used to control power to the car's ignition?
I think an infrequently used car, and a barely adequate electrical system (you still have the Lucas alternator right) is going to result in a flat battery very often. Maybe have a permanently mounted battery tender in the car with a convenient plug in location.
While the Lucas alternator is pretty easy to rebuild, it doesn't put out a lot of power. I think I'm on my 4th alternator in the 19 years I've had my MG. And no longer have the "lifetime" replacement from O'Reilly. A frequent "upgrade" is a GM alternator.
So, is the MG of KT turning into a "Ship of Theseus" situation (after all of the original parts have been replaced, can it really be considered to be the same car)?
<3
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