SS Mini Update

    I had to get a quick post in this morning, as when I woke up, I realized I forgot to mention that the line going from the ammeter to the batt terminal on the ign switch should go thorugh the ign dash fuseholder to protect the line. Also, the wire going from the ammeter to the batt + point on the engine should be hooked inline through the 60 amp breaker to the battery, instead of the hot battery side of the starter solenoid(if it is).

                                   Jeff...

    Dave, make sure the wires to the ammeter come from the alternator output stud(this line feeds the ammeter), then the output of the ammeter returns to the battery +(or the hot side of the starter solenoid). You should then have a wire going from the BATT terminal on the ign switch to the ammeter(the side connected to the alternator output). All the +12v to feed the gauges hook to the ign terminal on the ign switch. Also, on the ammeter, if the gauge reads backwards, flip the wires on the posts. It will still work and not hurt anything if hooked up backwards. See how this compares to your connections. I also messed up in my previous post as I meant to say that no wires from the ammeter should be connected to the ign terminal on the ign switch, as your battery will go flat in no time, and your engine wont shut off.

    I was looking at the PCM schematic in the reference section and they have a error in the way they show to wire the ammeter in place of a voltmeter. They have it wired to show the actual output of the alternator feeding everything instead of just showing battery charging current. I have never seen that.

    Best of luck!!!   

                                 Jeff...

     Dave, a quick thought....are you still using the ammeter, or are you using a new voltmeter?? If using an ammeter, make sure NO wires connect to the ign switch. If a voltmeter, that doesnt apply.

                                  Jeff..

see this, it should clear everthing up

http://www.skiboathelp.com/tech/colorcode.html

Thanks Joe. Will do.

I can't make the schedule work this year for the reunion. My wife had a surgery recently that used up a lot of my time off.

Jeff, I think I have got the ignition and the output mixed up. I'll look at that tonight.

I'm going wakeboarding on Friday. This will be the first skiing trip of the SS Mini. I'll take some pics and post them. Unfortunately, it's going to be with a bubble-gum-and-scotch-tape pylon because I don't have a good pylon yet.

I'm about five minutes shy of having finished the whole wiring job, plus some clean up. I used heat shrink connectors everywhere - I think it's a quality job.

I think next winter I'll build a wiring harness board for the 302 and build a quality engine harness. The wiring harness I build only runs from the dash to the engine connector. My brother and I are going to research a better connector than the 8 wire bullet type used for towing.

I hooked the steering back up, so the dash is looking almost normal. The hour-meter is broken, so I'm going to put a depth sounder there once I've got some extra cash. I'll live with the hole for now.

So, now all I have left is replacing the fuel hose (rotten), the bilge pump hose (too short), arranging some sort of pylon (might end up being a piece of iron pipe until I get my custom one finished), installing the horn, and cleaning up the whole big mess.

Oh yeah, I have to figure out why the motor doesn't turn off when I turn off the key. That's wierding me out a little bit. It's a new ignition switch, but maybe it's gone bad already.

Jeff, and anybody else, for that matter, who has contributed to this project of mine by giving me advice and/or encouragement, you're always welcome for a ride on the SS Mini. I hope to be able to bring her out to a reunion next summer.

Incidentally, my wife has gone crazy. Next winter when I replace the floor, upholstery, and fix the gel coat, she says I should paint the thing red and airbrush in some flames. Another retro-rod boat.

     Sorry Dave but the 74 is still buried in the back of the shop. I have managed to get the 76 on its feet, but its still at NECC checking on why the new engine hesitates. I am way behind schedule this year. I sure would like to see your 74 in person someday. Not many of that model year around.


                                    Jeff...

Again, GREAT PROGRESS!!!!

    Dave, I am totally amazed on the progress!!! Nice, clean and better than original. I recall and laugh at a post you made asking for a kick in the butt or something like that.
    Great JOB as always!!

                                  Jeff....

Sadly, my brother's company doesn't make those. I'm on my own!

Here's a picture of the dash wiring. I've only done the gauges - I'll do the switches next. Turned out a lot cleaner than the original setup.

Got the wire harness built today. It took about an hour for me to get the wires pulled through the abrasion protection and shrink-wrapped. The hardest part (if there was one) was just getting all eight wires bundled together properly to pull through.

Any suggestions about mounting this in the bilge? I've noticed on both boats I've had that the pull-ties get brittle and break off over time. I was thinking of using 3/4" PVC pipe, screwed into a stringer to put the wires through. Overkill?

Jeff: There are two layers of insulation, one cloth and one plastic.

John: These wires would have cost $400-500 if I'd had to pay for them, but fortunately my bro was able to use "scraps".

One of the reasons these are so expensive is because of the fact that they are for military aircraft and the quality control procedures are so rigorous. To tell you the truth, it's probably not going to make my boat run any better to have such a fancy harness in it, but darned if it doesn't make my boat that much cooler!

    Nice harness, even a heatshrink end. Are the wires the cloth woven type with a plastic coating??
                                  Jeff..

I'll post some photos of the wires when they get here. My brothers also sending the wrap/etc to keep the wires together - all military aircraft grade stuff.

It's not a very good picture, but here you can see the dash stripped down.


Thanks Jeff. My problem is the previous owner had apparently done some things with the wiring. Some of the gauges had 5+ grounds coming out of them. It was a total mess. Has anyone ever used a connector at the dash side of the wiring harness to make it easier to remove the dash? I'd like to be able to remove the dash without unwiring all my gauges.

My new wiring harness will arrive this week too. My little brother manages a production line that makes wiring harnesses for military aircraft and he has printed the wires for me.

I hope I'll have better pictures to post soon.