RHD BEAMS Progression/Build Thread, Finally Getting to Finish Options

[delusionz]

jdms have tar sh*t u need to dry ice (liquid nitrogen??) it then the tar goop stuff turns solid and u can crack it away. ive removed all mine for a little weight reduction

[ricochet1490]

We took it all out of the race car. But I'll keep it in the rhd... If I were worried about weight at the moment, it wouldn't get a back seat, or speakers, or ac. But that stuff is in usdm cars too..... Should have used the dry ice method for sure...we chissled our way through that stuff....not fun. But

But it was pretty heavy when all taken out. At least 50 lbs if not more...

[ricochet1490]

toms lip that needs some fixin - thanks noberto

[kurt95gt]

Your lucky I had somethin else come up or I'd own that right now lol

[njccmd2002]

hey, eastwood sells a tool to fix plastic, but you can make it easily.

just get some staples and heat them and punch them trough. then use your usual adhesive.

http://www.eastwood.com/eastwood-s-hot-sta...air-system.html

dont have to buy the kit, but you get the idea>>>

i have this at home

http://www.eastwood.com/stud-welder-dent-pulling-system.html

and they sell an attachment that u can use. its the same concept.

get some staples, get them hot red, and pas them through..


Im glad you are happy...

[Box]

What Kurt said.

[ricochet1490]

i actually have a rivet gun.... so I'll back it with some sheet metal and rivet through the plastic and into the metal backing, then glue it together and bondo it from there.

[playr158]

Really digging the progress and work hoin on in here. Keep it up!

[ricochet1490]

Really digging the progress and work hoin on in here. Keep it up!

Thanks man!
if I can ever find some time when I don't get home at 7 pm and have t be up at 530, I'd be doing more work on it than I am lol

[playr158]

Yea I totally understand that...why do think mine has been in a garage for like 6 years
If i could find time to go work on mine

[S8S8]

I'm jelly that you'll have auto climate control.

I bet if you ripped apart your interior and did the conversion you would be very disappoint.

the auto climate control works alot better in my 1988 honda civic than it does in any 6th gen celica or st205 gtfour ive ever driven lol

I'd probably preffer the manual heater dial as the automatic one seems to decide my cabin is up to temp and shut off my heat when im still freezing, or decide its colder than i am and blast me with heat when im on my favourite setting - 26

Maybe you've just experienced some bad ones? I did the auto climate control conversion at the same time as my Beams and it was definitely worthwhile. It's a painful job, but I'm happy with the way mine is working.

ricochet1490 - Nice work so far. Well done for taking on such a big project!

[ricochet1490]

so today was productive but redundant because I took out the same part at least 5 times, and put it back in again...

began by re mounting the pedals with the exception of the clutch pedal...(mistake number 1), and then I put in the dash support bar. and it looked like this.


So as I'm bolting it in, I say to myself "hey, you have two bolts left over, where do they go?" Turns out they go here.... in the empty hole where there are no threads



I think to myself again, "hmm, very interesting. Not a big deal though because there are 8 other bolts holding this bar in place. No problem"
Thought that was just a small hiccup, and proceeded to move forward.

Went to mount the clutch pedal, realized it had to go beneath that bar, took the bar back out, mouted clutch pedal, put bar back in
went to get my steering column, mounted the sttering column in, then got the dash/ dash wiring and realized that I couldn't put in the wiring, with the bar, steering colum and everything else installed.

So I took the steering column back out, removed the left side of the bar only, loosened up the blower motor and AC and wiggled the blower motor loose, slid the wiring in behind it, and over it, and then tightened that back up. put the left side of the bar back in, ran the wiring to the right side of the car, went to slide the fuse box behind the bar, no go....

Took the bar all the way back out, ran the wiring to the right side of the car, re installed the bar.
Went to bolt the fuse box in place....
No threads in the holes just like on the top of the bar. So now I'm forced to take a second look.


THIS IS FOR ANYONE WHO TRIES TO DO THIS RHD CONVERSION AND IT'S A STEP I MISSED AND NOONE HAS PREVIOUSLY POSTED ABOUT

remember the brackets on the side of the wall I said I had to move over?
These ones...

And the ones just like it on the other side of the car? Well, don't just move the bracket.
you can move the brackets and the threads for the right holes for the fuse boxes etc all at once.

Where I outlined below, you have a series of spot welds, seam sealer, and spot welds that hold the sheet metal on. The "holes" are the same and in the same location for RHD and LHD, the whole stamped piece of sheet metal is identical, except for the fact that there aren't threads where they need to be. the red "dot areas" in the middle of the outline are where I need threads and don't have them that I know of right now. had I removed this piece of sheet with the rest of it, it wouldn't have been a big deal.


SO, now that I have the car "back together" or at least starting to, I could go through the trouble fo cutting the right side off on both and welding it in (really the only side I would need, but you are missing threads on the left as well... just fyi) OR I could find a way to fix it that doesn't involve me removing half of what I have in there, risking damaging my wiring harness, etc etc.
I'm going to do one of two things.
1) drill the holes wider, tack weld a nut in there good enough it'll hold ( sheet metal welding on heavy metal like a nut is tough) and pray that I got it centered....
2) because I'm only holding a fuse box and not something structural, I could try to find a plastic insert that accepts threads (similar to our speakers in concept) and go that route.

If I go with number two, it's guaranteed to be in the center, and usually rough screw type threads or bolt type threads will both go in there.

So after 5 hours of my d*ick in my hand.... this is where I ended up. Wiring in, cross member in, plugs run, pedals in, front wiring pulled, plugs plugged in, and sttering column mounted (not shown)


This post has been edited by ricochet1490: Sep 2, 2012 - 8:04 PM

[ricochet1490]

Sorry those pictures suck... bad lighting and cell phone....but when the lighting is good it takes a great photo!! lol -

Anyone let me know if you need greater detail in any one of these pics

[njccmd2002]

hmmmm

[ricochet1490]

because I could also have to paint the steering column and all the pedals if interior rust elimination that NOONE will ever see was a concern of mine.

Not woried about that. Why make it pink, in the case of plyr, and never let anyone see it?

[ricochet1490]

[kurt95gt]

Who tought you how to put a car back together. You put the pedals on the wrong side

[enderswift]

looking good dude, you're a much braver man than me by diving into all that wiring!

This post has been edited by enderswift: Sep 10, 2012 - 10:48 PM

[njccmd2002]

this thread needs MOAR JDM TORTILLA CHIPS

[richee3]

1. This garage is awesome. I am jelly.
2. This firewall swap looks great in person- pictures don't do it justice.
3. You're like 97 years behind schedule. Get to work!
4. Is that a JDM school?