Lookin good and you saved the environment double because you recycled the recycled cardboard. Make sure and recycle it again when you are done.:rofl:

I like how you centered it too.

Haltech is mocked up. Had to stop for the day as daylight was fading fast. Snapped some pics

Why go through that side? Where are you mounting it? You need a garage man... I was working straight until about 1/2 hr ago when I started cleaning up

Honestly it's the only place available to me that even has the room. My original plan was to come in directly over the transmission tunnel, but as it would be too much work to pull the entire dash outside, I decided to go through the former speedo cable hole. I'll be enlarging it and mounting the cannon plug there.

I prefer this side as opposed to the stock location because it puts it far from the exhaust and the high tension leads aren't going to play an issue. So that eliminates two potential problems. I'm planning on wrapping the engine compartment portion of the harness in heat shrink as well as heat repulsive wrapping (fiber glass and aluminum shell) should make short work of any other ambient heat.

If you have another location that might work better, I'm open to it.

Next weekend I'll begin working on pulling the pins for some of the stock features that are carried through the original stock harness (why on earth did Mazda use the engine harness as a proper means to pass the wiper motor wires through?), as well as begin fabrication of the dash surround (vinyl wrapping--see fabrication section for more details), and construction of the digital dash mounting plate, which should prove to be quite enjoyable...

http://rotarycarclub.com/rotary_foru...1&d=1300335901
The dash is coming together nicely. I should have a more up-to-date mock up done by the weekend. Fabrication of the dash will also begin on the weekend.

Just go through the stock hole and run out the firewall. That always worked for me.

If my camera was working I would get a picture.

Too big (that's what she said) for me to use the cannon plug and it's right next to the turbo. Going through this hole actually avoids the head from the turbo, is small enough to use the cannon plug, and puts it closer to the engine.

The only alternative I see that would prove just as beneficial would be to drill a hole directly over the transmission, but even that would be plagued with difficulty.

http://www.rotarycarclub.com/rotary_...1&d=1301204333

More updates to follow later.

nice..:biggthumpup:

What is that made of? Foam and you just wrapped it?

Looking good so far. You going to bring this beast back to Culpeper so I can get another ride, this time with some POWER :)

Aluminum. (if you check the fab section you'll see more details)
yes. I'm planning on bringing it up with me. I still need to do a few things to it (which will probably be next weekend weather permitting. Which include marking of the ecu harness for cutting. Getting some hardline hoses flared for the oil re-circulation via a scavenge pump--though I'm debating if I can get away with it for right now or not (probably not since the oil is being released underneath the oil level of the oil pan--the turbo is high, but the point of entry to the oil pan is below the surface of the oil).

After that I get to isolate specific outputs and inputs for use in the inside of the cabin. Crimp up the cannon receptical and install the ecu end of things... In fact I still have a rather large list to enumerate what I still have to do...

1. Buy Duetsch connectors for all the different plugs I'll need
2. Bend aluminum for ignition coils
3. Drill and mount coil pack
4. Wire up coils
5. Wire up new sensor suite
6. Crimp cannon plug
7. Order USB bulkhead connectors
8. Mount USB bulkhead connectors
9. Wire up Dash
10. Wire up internal (to the cabin) inputs and outputs from ECU
11. Order new pipe bender since my last one broke, to finish oil recirculation route
12. Design, cut, and send out for welding a recirculation tank.
13. Wire up dash

I'm sure there's more... but I just can't think of anything else right now. Who wants to come down to Blacksburg and help me get it all taken care of?

I just bought some Deutsch connectors, aluminum tube (to replace the steel I bent up... something just doesn't feel right if I were to use the steel tube), and a 180* bender. The new list currently consists of:

1. Buy Duetsch connectors for all the different plugs I'll need: Done :)
2. Bend aluminum for ignition coils
3. Drill and mount coil pack
4. Wire up coils
5. Wire up new sensor suite
6. Crimp cannon plug
7. Order USB bulkhead connectors: Done :)
8. Mount USB bulkhead connectors: Location known--it's not the glove box :)
9. Wire up Dash: In Progress
10. Wire up internal (to the cabin) inputs and outputs from ECU
11. Order new pipe bender since my last one broke, to finish oil recirculation route: Done :)
12. Design, cut, and send out for welding a recirculation tank.

I'm also working on getting some of the interior taken care of this summer. I'm thinking of re-upholstering the arm rest business with the same vinyl I used for the dash, and I'm currently doing research on SPAL power window units for easy implementation and replacement of the stock motor/assembly as well as the switches.

Next winter will be dealing with the dashboard and the rest of the interior--though I don't know of any places that sell new carpets, let alone skuff plates. I'll probably get in touch with Mazda about those.

I tried coming up with something funny... Instead I just put this:

I also got tired of my arm wrest being a piece of crap. So I decided to wrap it in the same vinyl I did the dash in.

This is also the gangstar USB cable I picked up. It contracts to a length of 2.5 feet but has a maximum stretch of 10.5 feet.