No updates in a while, here's what I've been up to on the car:
1. Driving it some more to make sure my wiring wasn't going to burst into flames before installing the dash.
2. Added backing plates to my Aerocatches
3. Fixed Reverse lights
4. Cleaned up the wire tuck some more
5. Mounted the PCM
6. Connected CEL
7. Installed pipe from blower to heater core
8. Sealed around the shift boot
9. Installed dash
After seeing a picture on the NRR forum of the aftermath of Aerocatches pulling through a hood, and seeing my hood bounce quite a bit on the highway, I decided I needed to install the backer plates on my Aerocatches.
I don't have any pics of the installation because it was pretty simple, I just had to make sure the second layer of hood was just open enough to allow the backer to fit. At some point I would like to either bond the two layers of hood or cap the bottom layer over the bottom of the latch to offer a little more pull though protection. Its probably an overkill but I've had a hood come up before and its no joke, even a low speeds.
The reverse lights were constantly on since I did the swap, my initial solution was to just pull the bulbs since it wasn't stopping me from driving the car. I ended up first pulling all the fuses for the constant hot wires that went to the back of the car that they could have been shorted to. Things like the trunk light, dome light, and seat belt power wires (which I retained for future wiring). None of them helped then a friend that was helping saw that the horn signal wire was the same color as the reverse light wire, so we checked it for continuity...it was the problem. It is the same color (green/white) as the reverse lights, same gauge and goes to the under hood fuse box (now under my dash). I should have been paying more attention when shortening all the wires, but it was a pretty easy fix, I swapped the two a few inches from the SMJ and they worked. If anyone is doing the LS swap, its good to know that the reverse lights are on the E17 plug (green/white to lights and green/blue from fused power).
For the wiring clean up I went from this hot mess.
To this, still a work in process, but much better IMHO.
I eliminated the rest of the plugs that were coming out of the fuse box that I'm not using. Its narrowed down to the F8 and F10 plugs, a two pin Deutsch DTM, replacing the E17, since I only need the reverse lights from that connector, and a two pin Deutsch DTP for my engine cooling fan wires (pulling power from the AC fan 30a fuse)
Moving the PCM unfortunately wasn't quite that easy. It took me a while to figure out the orientation that would allow the PCM to be mounted on the passenger side kick panel and had to ditch the mounting bracket that I had originally purchased since it was designed to hold the PCM with the flat size up there was no way it would fit. I replaced it with a 3/8" aluminum piece that I milled to suit.
Started with this.
Made this surround bracket, it bolts to the PCM using the cover bolt holes on the computer.
The next problem that caused is that the wires were coming out of the PCM connectors in the wrong direction, they were going to come out tight to, towards the floor. Luckily I had enough wire to switch them around, not so luckily I had to completely de-pin and redo the circular connector to make everything come together right.
While I was in there I found the brown wire on the upper LH side of the brown connector, it was a 10a fused, ignition switched wire used for sensors on the Nissan motors. It made for a perfect power source for my PLX SM-AFR wideband controller. I ended up adding an additional 6 pin Deutsch DTM connector for wideband power, a fan override switch, speedo input, speedo output (DD converter box), and my OBD II signal wire. I also connected the CEL output from the LS PCM to the dash, using the red wire on the F1 plug, my cluster did not have the light in position, but it goes on the left side of the cluster to the far right of the idiot light row that includes the fuel light and washer fluid level. Some cars will be equipped originally, others like mine weren't.
After the wiring issues I had last time I sat down with my plug wiring diagram and the PCM plug wiring diagram and sounded 100% of the wires to be sure I wasn't going to have any problems.
Then I test fit probably one of the ugliest AC delete boxes ever made.
I made it with two flanges made from aluminum flashing material, stretched speaker cloth between the two and then fiberglassed over the top. My fiberglass work could definitely use some work, but it did gain me a ton of wiring clearance over the factory AC box allowing me to keep my vent function (I still need to figure out heater core connections, I have some ideas, but that job is for a later date)
Then made a new kydex bracket to drop the fuse box down a little so it could be clearly seen with the dash installed, and modified the side of the fuse box slightly and the packard (painless) fuse block to allow them to snap together, seen in the after picture shown above.
To fill the gap around the MGW shifter to the Nissan boot, I had to make a plastic sleeve that fit around the shifter with a very snug slip to very light press fit. Shown with the PCM bracket.
The shifter to floor boot gap.
Part installed.
And finally installed the dash and made a temporary OBD II plug mounting bracket from some aluminum.
The next items on my list:
Finalize the location for my battery power distribution block. I'm not sure I want the unfused battery cable running through my car and connecting on the interior side of the firewall the way it is now.
Finalize the home for my Speedhut gauges that are in the old stereo location. They may stay there or I might make some brackets to move the hvac controller down and the gauges up into its place.
Get some wider stickier tires and probably some new wheels to go with them, have to decide, which wheels and what combination I want to use. I'm inbetween:
Front and Rear 255/40/17's square (lots of tire options)
Front 245/40/17 - Rear 275/40/17
Front and Rear 275/40/17 square
Front 275/40/17 - Rear 315/35/17
Front and rear 285/30/18 (again lots of options)
The car has very little traction in 2nd and 3rd gear with pretty much anything over 3/4 throttle, but I don't think the older, 400 treadwear, falken 452 tires that are currently on it are helping anything.
I'm still trying to decide if I want to stick with the current widebody, go back to stock width or do some rocket bunny flares and side skirts. This will have a lot to do with how aggressive I can get with my wheel and tire fitment.