I ONLY HAVE EYES FOR YOU

CBS provided me with a pair of budget headlamps and I got two pairs of short stem, bullet indicators from an Ebay supplier. I also got several metres of ten core 21 amp cable with which I would connect it all up.

I mounted the headlamps and decided where to drill through the shells to mount the indicators, they needed to be as far forward as possible otherwise the curve of the shell would have them pointing at the sky. That done I peeled back the tough outer sheaf of the cable, selected what colour cables I would use, seven of them and cut off the remaining three. I soldered together the wires for the headlamp and indicators and crimped on connectors for the side lamps.

Above photos shows right shell fully connected with lamp dangling and work in progress with the left. I fitted lamps and the peaks, but I didn't like the way the mesh covers fitted, they protruded too far out and for the moment I will dispense with them, maybe I will try to shorten the clips, but more important things to do first.

I ran the cables in split corrugated, sheaf, back to the electric box, cable tying securely as I went. Once in the box I exposed the coloured cables and started to join them together with crimp on connectors. The only cables I won't connect together are the two green and the purples ones as they are for the indicators, green for the left and purple for the right

I am only temporarily connecting into the eight way block until I am certain that I have the main and dipped wires the right way round and I will only be sure of that when the column mounted indicator/dip switch is fitted, guess what? that is the next job.

LESSON LEARNED

I didn’t forget to earth the regulator, that was the first job and then I went on to the lighting switch.

The new light switch just had screw down terminals so I only had to trim back the insulation and insert the wires. I knew that there was going to be a problem with the supply to the sidelights which was separate from the main lights, but after trying several alternative ways of connecting it, I simply fed the side lights from the headlamp feed, via the switch. I can still run on just sidelights, but only with the ignition on, so I can’t use them as parking lights, but who does these days?

The supply to the starter button and the new instrument lights I connected to the sidelight position on the switch and the now redundant supply to the sidelights I diverted to power my little, side mounted spot light.

Next was to run a couple of supplies from the ignition switch to the auxiliary fuse box, first one was to power the voltmeter, fuel gauge and the fuel pump, but only when the ignition switch was fully turned on, just one wire would do and then piggy backed to the other two fuse inputs.

 The other supply came from the permanently live position of the ignition switch and was to supply the 12v power socket and the clock. Here I made a big mistake, having fitted an isolator switch; I failed to turn it to OFF whilst making the connection. The result was, when I checked the circuits I had no power anywhere. After I spent an age puzzling what I had done I separated the main connector block to find that the connection of the main supply wire had melted, obviously there must have been a short circuit and this was weakest link in the circuit, there being no fuse up to the ignition switch. The only way to resolve this problem was to cut the wires both side of the block and bypass it. It was a fiddle, but when done full power was restored.  Lesson learned, when working anywhere on the wiring, ensure the switch is OFF.

The photo immediately above shows the red wire that now bypasses the main connector block and the empty block is awaiting the bunch of cables that will go to the column mounted indicator, dip/main switch, almost the next job.

DOWN TO EARTH

It has been a time of highs and lows. I completed the connections to the isolating switch. turned the switch to on, turned the key in the ignition and there they were, four bright lights shining on the dash board, oil pressure, generator, neutral and low brake fluid warning lights. I pressed the start button and the engine cranked over, yippee!!!! Just to be sure I pressed the button again and once more the engine cranked. I turned to get my camera to record this momentous occasion and all but the brake fluid light had gone out and no more cranking engine.

Bum!! I spent the next couple of days with my multi meter ensuring that there was power everywhere it should be. I tested the relays, the fuses, everything I could think off, but no joy. I studied an enlarged wiring diagram and noticed that the body of the regulator/rectifier was earthed, but I had mounted it on rubber riv-nuts, so it definitely wasn't earthed and then I thought that the engine was mounted to a thickly powder coated chassis, so maybe that was the problem, although I was getting a buzzing from my multi meter between engine and chassis, but thinking on, the brake fluid light was earthed to the chassis, but the other three warning lights are earthed onto the engine, so earthing the engine to the chassis seemed the obvious thing to do.

The original black cable that had connected the starter solenoid to the battery on the bike, was lying unloved and unused on the bench and it was exactly the right length to connect between a gearbox bolt and the new chassis earthing point for the Lucas battery. What do you know, all warning lights back on and engine cranking. I loved that bit of cable. The mystery though is why did the lights come on and the engine crank over in the first place, still happy enough that they do now and I can get on with the rest of the wiring, not forgetting to earth the regulator.

CONNECTED

After a week clubbing in Ibiza, work on Marjorie recommences. Well actually we weren't clubbing but celebrating my wife's son's wedding to his beautiful fiance and a great occasion it was.

The lights for the new gauges and the starter button have now been connected, I didn't take any photos as they would have been meaningless and anyway, somebody would tell me that I shouldn't have done it that way, but I do know I have got a good earth and as long as they all light up, I'll be happy.

The ignition switch and starter button have also been connected, but there is a slight complication with the light switch. The switch on the bike has two inputs, one from the headlamp relay, to switch on the headlamp and the other from the ignition switch for the sidelights, but the new switch for the car has only one position for input. To determine how I could resolve this issue I decided I needed to power up the system, so I ordered a Lucas 038 12v battery, Yea, I know Lucas don't exist any more, but the price was right. I also ordered terminal clamps and insulating covers. They all arrived yesterday, so I set to work.

I had to remove the left side silencer and front louvred panel to get the battery into position, but the whole side panel had to be removed to allow access to the isolating switch. I used my large step drill to cut a sizable hole in the foot well bulkhead, fitted a grommet and after soldering on a 6mm terminal on one end and a 10mm onto the other end of a length of 16mm2 red battery cable, I passed it through the grommet and connected the battery to the isolating switch. The original earth cable was just the right length and a 6mm riv-nut was fitted into the lower chassis rail to which the end of the cable was bolted to.

Battery was now wired up, including the link back to the starter motor. The above photo, looking up to the underside of the isolating switch shows the connections, not complete yet, as I still have to bring two wires through the grommet from the electric box, these wires come from the rectifier and the hazard light switch and need to be connected to the isolating switch, but I am one, 10mm ring terminal missing, Halfords here I come.

SPAGHETTI JUNCTION

Nothing for, it was under the dash board I would go. I started with the really thick bundle of plastic sheathed cabling that would connect with terminals A & B, that emerged from the electric box, under the dash. I stripped off the sheath exposing all the cables and gently teased them out to their full length and it looked as if pretty much all the cables were long enough to reach their intended destination.

I started with the ignition switch, which had the same 1/4 spade connectors as the bike switch, so that would mean just swapping switches. I had though, spent along time with a magnifying glass and ruler tracing where each wire came from and with a multi meter on 'BUZZ' I worked out which cable connected to which terminal on the switch, that was relatively easy.

 

The lighting wire to the speedo and all the connectors for the tacho quickly connected, no problem.

Next was the eight warning lights, again I had worked out which coloured cable went to which light. This time I would have to change the connectors to 1/4 spade from the 3/16 ones on the end of each cable, a couple of times I forgot to slip the insulating sleeve on before crimping the connector, but fortunately there was just enough spare wire to do it again, with insulating sleeve in place. Six of the lights are grouped fairly close together and the wires reached the warning lights connectors without difficulty. I did have to extend the wires to the two indicator warning lights as they were placed either side of the steering wheel.

The only item left to connect from this bundle is the switch for the Hazard Warning Indicators, but I've left this for the time being and concentrated on tidying up the cables by stuffing them into the split, corrugated tubing, the above photo shows the first few inches inside the tube.

 At last all the cables were in and the tube was cable tied every few inches to prevent any escapes, a final cable tie secured it all to the cross chassis rail and connectors A & B were pushed together.  Lighting and start switches are next on the agenda, but at least I have begun to tame Spaghetti Junction.

NO MORE GUESSING

It was time for 'Fuel Gauge Sender' to be fitted. This bit of kit comprised a plastic float, some long length of stiff wire and a circular disc with the mystery boxy part attached underneath, I've no idea how it works and holes drilled around the rim, oh, I nearly forgot, a circular cork gasket.

 

The tank had to be removed so that I can access the rear of the dash board for when I start wiring up, ( next job, can't put it off any longer ) this made life easier, as the area where the sender was to fitted had to ground smooth as the propellor pattern would prevent a fuel tight seal. I decided where I was going to fit the sender, drew a circle around the gasket and set to with a, not to aggressive, flap wheel on the angle grinder and when I was happy that the surface within the circle was flat, I drew another circle around the inside of the gasket, dot punched and drilled just inside this circle. A hack saw blade in my jigsaw joined up the holes and small flap wheel in the electric drill, smoothed it out .

I marked the first fixing hole, drilled and fitted a countersunk 4mm riv-nut. I find it more accurate to firmly attache an item by one screw, before drilling the rest of the holes, this usually results in them all lining up accurately and this is what I now did.

There came with the sender a guide as to the distance between the float and mystery box, the length was dependent on the depth of the tank. The two stiff bits of wire were clipped together with three little clips and adjusted to give a length 165mm, I snipped of the excess. The wires were then soldered together, ensuring that the float was at the correct angle.

Gasket goo was applied to both sides of the cork gasket and the float was inserted into the hole and the top plate lined up with the holes in the gasket and top of the tank and gradually the six littlebolts  were evenly tightened down. Dash board here I come

WHEELWISE

The second fishtail has been successfully drilled and it was time to order my wheels, in the knowledge that it would take about a couple of months for them to be made.

A trip to Wheelwise Engineering in Cowfold Sussex with a chum of mine, was arranged for Monday and aluminium rims, stainless spokes, hubs, tyres, inner-tubes and rim tape, all times three, were placed on order with Steve. Payment for parts was made leaving just the labour aspect to pay when the wheels are ready.

As we were leaving, I asked Steve if he could recommend a hostelry and he did. The Plough at Lower Beeding Nr. Horsham. He didn't mention though that it was a real bikers pub. The landlord had a beautiful Triton and a Bonneville standing outside in the car park, sparkling in the sunshine. Inside, in the fireplace, was a Vincent Comet, the single cylinder one, magnificent. On the other side of the room, sitting on a table was a Francis Barnet in totally original condition. The photos are not of the best as thay were taken on my phone.

The food was equally excellent and sitting outside in the warm sunlight, eating  great food and admiring the bikes finished off a successful outing and I seriously suggest you try out this pub if you are ever down that part of the world.