Spring Update 15: Finish Work Continued

Still working on assembly and wall covering. Have half the cabinets are mounted. All the hinges and doors are mounted as well.  Some 75 degree limiting clips keep the doors from hitting the roof.

I hooked up the inside shower mixer. Unfortunately it leaked badly at the fittings. Turns out the fittings are ½ NPS. The PEX swivel fittings I am using are 1/2NPT… So the male side won’t completely seat. Fun stuff. I don’t want a bulky hook-up hose, so I need to located a female 1/2NPS->male ½ NPT adapter. Most of the NPS fittings available are for hydraulic systems and are made of steel. So freaking close….

Spring Update 14: Finish Work!

We are digging into the finishing work in earnest now.  Which means lots of hours for minimal visual change.

Started with covering the ceiling and wall panels. Jen picked out some vinyl wallpaper for this. Lots of brushing and rolling.







I secured the wiring in the over-cab cabinet and added some stiffening ribs. Covers for the wiring and speakers were also made.










The cabinets are finally painted and I mounted the Blum soft-close hinges. These have some hold-closed force. We will see if additional latching is needed (probably).  The hold open and soft close features are really nice.





I installed the bedside cabinet as well. Plumbing is installed. Wires are run, but not connected yet. I have 12V and USB charge ports as well as overhead lighting control. Once I get the forward shower hookup attached I can do a final leak check, and call the water system done! So close...  And I managed to scratch the cabinet somehow... Grrrrr.

Spring Update #13

I was able to install the EGT (Exhaust Gas Temperature) Probe over the weekend.

I pilot drilled the manifold pre-turbo using a 3/16 bit. I was careful not to penetrate all the way through. Once I was nearly completely through I followed up with a 21/64 bit. Again I did not go all the way through the wall. It is about ¼” thick.

Once I was ready to drill through the started the engine up. The exhaust pressure was sufficient to blow the chips out the hole.

I followed up with a 1/8-27 NPT tap. The exhaust gases are only 250-300F at idle, so I used some high temp grease on the tap to ease the cutting process.






The wire was run behind the coolant line and over the engine following the heater core coolant lines. I put some sleeving over the wire because I didn’t want the stainless braiding rubbing on the coolant lines.

I used the same grommet as the boost sensor wires.



A quick test drive confirmed no leaks.

If you need ignition switched 12v power near the cluster the rear window defrost switch is a convenient source.

The cabinets are nearing the end of the painting process. So time consuming.... Jen started covering the ceiling panels. Its going fairly quickly. Hopefully the adhesive meets our expectations.  

Spring Update #12

A brief update. Not much post worthy happening. Devoting a lot of time to finishing the cabinets. The doors are painted, and the frames are getting their last (hopefully) coat of filler/surfacer.

I am trying to get the small stuff taken care of any time I have an our free.

I have had boost and EGT gauges in the parts bin for almost 6 months. Here are the gauges.

http://amzn.to/1RxoUyj
http://amzn.to/1o5ccPF

Here is the pods I am using. I will be using a bit of clear silicone to retain the the gauges in the housings, as the provided o-ring is just a bit small thickness wise for a firm grip.

http://amzn.to/1U6B47L

These gauges are not strictly necessary, but they give a good readout on engine load.  Hopefully they will let me get a drop on any unlikely issues.

They have analog and digital readouts, in addition to being fully digital. I started by pulling the plastic coupler between the intercooler and intake manifold hoses. I drilled and tapped it for a 1/8" NPT fitting. I ensured a leak free seal using some CA glue. The fitting is not coming loose.





I mounted the supplied pressure sensor to the coupling.



The wiring runs through a unused pass-through grommet above the drivers feet.



I ran the wires up alongside the A pillar and into the dash. There is plenty of room under the gauge cluster cover for the wiring. The positions provide good visibility without being in my line of sight.   Looking back I probably should have mounted them side by side on the left c'est la vie.





I will be drilling the exhaust manifold for the EGT probe in the near future.