(Author: ikom Saturday Sunday August 27, & 28, 2005,
Aug,27,2005Aug,27,2005
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Saturday Sunday August 27, & 28, 2005
With the help of my son, we carefully position the cockpit onto the car and gently maneuver it so that we can check if any unforeseen obstructions will prevent the all important dash to drop and sit properly over the chassis framework.
This time the planets are aligned and everything fits as intended - a huge sigh of relief. I check out the underside of the dash to make doubly sure that everything clears, I also feel around the speaker brackets to make sure nothing is pinched and we both stand back and admire our handiwork.
We also discover that the cockpit can be fitted onto the car (relatively) easily if the rear two threaded studs on the side pods are aligned and engaged first albeit not completely. Thereafter, gently maneuver the front of the cockpit so that the two front threaded studs are aligned and can be engaged as the bottom lip of the dash clears the chassis members with a little persuasion. The cockpit can then be seated snugly onto the side pods assuming that there are no other physical obstructions.
It is a beautiful day with temperatures in the plus twenty seven Celsius range, so we push the dolly/car out onto the driveway and take a few pictures.
I also retrieve Mark Koch's very nicely finished prototype side air intake from storage and position it on the car to take a few more pictures of it on the car in the sunlight. The carbon fiber sparkles beautifully under the clear coat in the bright sunlight.
I have been taking the prototype intake around to local fiberglass/carbon fiber companies to explore the possibility of reproducing it in quantities so that we can make them more affordable for Mark and I as well as for other interested ULTIMA owners.
Once we are certain that everything checks out under the dash, we reluctantly remove the cockpit from the car once again and assess what needs to be done next.
The headliner panel with the overhead video monitor and map light was trimmed with some custom vinyl by my son about a week ago, I also finalized the internal wiring for the monitor and map light at that time but we now need to install it permanently and to extend the wiring so that it can be integrated into the factory harness (loom).
We use the step drill to make a 19mm hole on the heavy gauge aluminum bonded to the top of the roll bar to allow RCA audio/video/power connectors to pass through the hole (now equipped with an oversized grommet) to hook up with the monitor and light.
We install the headliner, cosmetically hide the two machine screw fasteners with button heads and are extremely pleased with the final result.
My next task is to fabricate an aluminum bracket to mount the radio under the dash - as per CRAIG-ULTIMA's version. I think that his idea for locating his radio under the dash is great and would suit me fine too, since I want the dash to have a Spartan "Minimalist" look. Accolades go to him for finding such a convenient location for mounting the radio.
I use an old DIN stereo sleeve as a template from which to fabricate a simple "U" shaped bracket with mounting flanges to mount the radio. I construct a cardboard template first, than proceed with some trial fittings to ensure that it can be fastened to the underside of the dash chassis members/air conditioning tray securely. I finally fabricate and install the bracket using the 0.042" aluminum alloy, newly acquired metal bend brake and a few well placed rivets. It is sure nice to have a bend brake.
We have a few old stereos sitting in our basement, which were taken from cars that we previously owned and upgraded. I opt for a fairly new ALPINE unit with a CD player for the ULTIMA since it looks unobtrusive and will do nicely with a thumping 40 watts of raw power. The ULTIMA is definitely not conducive to high fidelity music listening but I will need a radio for weather, road reports etc. if I take it out on longer trips. I will eventually replace the ALPINE deck with an XM receiver capable of hooking up to an IPOD.
The stereo fits into the installed bracket and DIN sleeve like a glove, so the next task is to sort out the wiring to it and the speakers.
I have discovered the joys of using "MOLEX" connectors wherever crimped connections are needed - they only mate one way, lock in place and are available for any number of circuits from a single to sixteen and possibly even more circuits.
I end up using twin circuit connectors for the speakers on the ULTIMA, thinking of the day when the dash is in place and I am crawling under it in the dark fumbling to hook up the speakers to the correct leads on the radio. Having worked on my other cars over the years this is an opportunity to "do it my way" and not have to say "what the heck were they thinking when they designed this"
