More Than Just a Poet

Just a few weeks ago I dared predict that when my wife left to visit family over the holidays that I’d have loads of time and energy to commit to my project. Since that time, I’ve been flooded with unexpected demands on my time. Plumbing problems, heating problems, insurance problems, pool problems, and unexpected honey-do expectations, to say nothing about rain storms, cold, and high winds.

As I sit here sapped of energy but needing to post something, I decided to research the accuracy of a quote by poet Robert Burns that I vaguely recalled from my high school Literature class.

                 “The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry”

It described my situation and seemed the appropriate way to begin my post. Like so many things I attempt lately, I become too easily distracted, and while reading the best 150 Burns quotes, I was amazed how little our human frailties have changed since the 1790’s!

In my case he had an even better quote for my Plymouth project, though it better describes highway construction today:

                      “The best laid plans take 40 years to complete.”

Or another reality for those of us brazen enough to make predictions:

                       “There is no such uncertainty as a sure thing.”

Then there is one for the followers of my blog who faithfully log on expecting more progress on my part:

                      “Suspense is worse than disappointment.”

Yet another describes my less-than-precise method of engineering and fabrication…the Burns Hog-Weighing Method:

             “(1) Get a perfectly symmetrical plank and balance it across a sawhorse"             

               (2) Put the hog on one end of the plank.

             (3) Pile rocks on the other end until the plank is again perfectly balanced

               (4) Carefully guess the weight of the rocks.”

If that doesn’t work, just remember this:

“When matters are desperate, we must put on a desperate face.”

While I wasted time reading Burns, I could have routed and terminated a few console wires, but then I decided I might have more energy to work on the car if I eat lunch first. Maybe I’ll get a little more done in the remaining days of 2018…or maybe not. If not, Burns had something to say about year's end too, and in a couple of days we’ll be reminded:

“Should auld acquaintance be forgot,

                         And never brought to mind?

   Should auld acquaintance be forgot,

                        And auld lang syne!”

                              Chorus: 

                             For auld lang syne, my dear,

                             For auld lang syne.

                             We’ll tak a cup o’ kindness yet,

                              For auld lang syne.”

As for you, dear readers, I have only one comment about what you claim is my procrastination:

                “Critics! Those cutthroat bandits standing in the path of fame!”

Console Wiring

The console is fastened in place again, and now I’m installing the last fuse and ground terminal strips. To isolate a new fused circuit for the LED lights, I removed one of the larger fuse blocks and replaced it with a smaller 2-fuse block with 1-amp fuses per the instrument manufacturer’s instructions. Two of the other circuits are original ’56 and are breaker protected to 15 amps, while additional added circuits require 5 and 10 amp fuses.

I routed nearly all the wires to and through the console, so the next step is terminating inside the console, but the seat control module wiring could be another headache. The seats used in my Valiant were from a 1999 Sebring and those in the ’56 are from a 2001. I still have the wiring info for my Valiant, but the new module has more and different colored wires. I hope it will be as simple as cross-checking functions to terminals. The important ones are those that control the seat belt locks from the inertia switch. I don’t need the time-delay relays and door activated switches the Sebring used, and the power seats are easy to identify. I’m keeping my fingers crossed!

I’ll have to locate a schematic for the 2001 Sebring convertible, but the Google and Microsoft search engines gives priority to Ford, GM and Toyota, so it’s a tedious search. If anyone has a 2001 wiring manual handy, I’d love to have a scanned copy of the seat wiring pages, or a link to a source online.

It's the Dog, Ray, the DOG!

You are almost right Ray about slacking, but it’s not me, it’s the dog that’s holding up progress! I waste my time trying to teach her some smarts, and that eats into my car building time. All she does is follow me like a shadow, stopping occasionally to scratch an ear or lick her butt. She won’t get out of my way when I’m working and always sticks her nose into whatever I have in front of me, or she hops around on her back legs hoping to look cute enough to talk me into giving her something tasty to chew on. She is far too annoying to look cute!

Gracie took it upon herself to claim the hierarchal position held by Bonnie, my Shar Pei that died this past July. She doesn’t realize that her dumb looks with the underbite, too long nose, bulging eyes, and bad breath can never replace the wrinkled face, graceful style and lady-like dog manners of Bonnie. 

My wife’s Maltese, Cricket, is sweet, photogenic and smart and she favors my wife. Unfortunately, Gracie looks and acts like my side of the family.  I think she picked me because she’s more my style too…untrainable and ugly! She got her name by being so clumsy that she’d fall over just walking along.

She turns three-years-old this month, so I guess its been long enough that I’m stuck with her. Now that she thinks she's my dog, she wants to ride in the car all the time, but I’m embarrassed to take her anywhere with me. People think I should have a big working dog sitting in the seat beside me, and then the break into laughter when they see her sitting in my lap like a damn princess!

Ah well, I’m getting to old to worry about trying to look cool anymore, so I guess I’ll have to put up with the little white monster for a while.

Oh yeah…my car progress. Still working on wiring, but mostly Christmas shopping and fighting with insurance companies.

Update 12-1-18

I took my wife to the airport today, so with her gone for a month I should be able to spend more time on the car, but it's a mixed blessing as I sort of like having her around.

With the weather so nice the past few days, I actually accomplished a few car things, but no pictures to show yet.

Most obvious is the right side fender bolted in place, and roughly adjusted. I misplaced the original body spacers, so had to order more. I imagine I'll find the misplaced parts right after I install the left fender, but I'll wait a while to do that as it's much easier to work in the engine compartment with it off.

Not so obvious is the wiring. As I mentioned several times, it has been a hair-pulling,  confusing mess trying to electrically merge three different vehicles and at the same time upgrade things like lights, charging, and ignition circuits.

I'm finally at the point of routing wires to the console bus and to the back of the car. The more I'm able to install, terminate and tie in bundles, the less time I waste on research.