cage prep: relocating fuse panels, re-routing electrical

[DR1665]

I spent some time this afternoon ripping out the carpet and picking up all the loose change and filth that had collected over the years. Don't know if the carpet is supposed to stick to the floor pan under the front seats, but it sure was on 195/2000. Pretty gross. Hoping to have the car to Precision Chassis Works by the end of the month now that cooling system issues are resolved on the daily.



(Wish these would have lined up better.)

The fuse panel under the dash in the drivers kick panel is more than just a little block of fuses. There's a number of connectors routing power all over the place. Unfortunately, it's right where the cage is going to go - straight up the A-pillar to the roof. I gotta move it.

The harness for the rear end - fuel pump, speakers, lights, ??? - runs down the driver side. It's about an inch plus in diameter and those white blocks shown in the pictures above cover it for protection. The main hoop for the cage will be located right before that step up for the back seat in the picture on the left. See the white block with the 3 black stripes of tape on it? That's where the main hoop will probably be located.

Were this going to be a proper rally car, I'd be stripping it completely down - including ripping out the harness - taking a liquid nitrogen gun to the shell on a rotisserie and removing all the sound insulation and then re-wiring the car from scratch. This isn't a WRC car and I don't have the budget to go that far. There is no benefit to such things at this level.

I'm looking for input as to how to deal with the harness down this side. Should I move the fuse panel to the center console where the HVAC and radio used to be or just pull them out of the way for the base plates?

Thanks!

 

[curtis]

You can go as crazy as you want but best thing to do is try and tuck the harness under the door step seal/rocker panel I believe theres room under there. But will require unpluging everything from the fusebox back and re routing stuff. Probably best thing to do is take a sharpie marker and draw where the stuff sits then just move to the center for cage install and just pull it back tight against everything when done.

 

[DR1665]

Okay cool. So I'll just pull stuff back out of the way, then. I might try pulling those harnesses down the center of the car, as that's most protected area of the chassis (inside the cage, inside the shell). Don't really want to get to aggro with the wiring, as my limited budget needs to go towards requirements first, optional extras last, but with the engine, trans, dash, and interior out of the car, it doesn't get much better than this for tweaking the firewall and harnesses.

Appreciate the feedback. I was thinking yesterday, I'd really like to get this car to Kent by August 1. Shame it's so damn hot and muggy here right now (monsoon season). I originally bought this car because I attended the Prescott Rally, yet 195's never been to the rally. I hope to change that this year October 1-2.

 

[curtis]

You can do like my buddy did with his wire tuck on the honda. Just go find an extra harness from a part out thread and cut and splice the wires to make them longer. That way they would easily run down the center of the car. Plus by doing that you can eliminate the junk you don't need. ABS, wire coverings etc. Harbor freight has cheap heat shrink as well.