ERA Build Questions Continue

[SSSammy]

My build is progressing very quickly, but it looks like I need fellow ERA experts to consult on a few things. Bob, don't be shy

Today's impasse is the FE clutch slave bracket provided with the kit. I think I need the aluminum spacer depicted on page 35 of the 731+ manual. This is an original 390 FE block and Lakewood scattershield. ERA provided the small spline fork. Throwout bearing is a Mcleod. Pressure plate is a Ram 11" Super Duty with Long style throwout arms.

The slave cylinder mounts too close to the fork and is outside the axis of the fork socket by about 3/8". I didn't receive the short throwout rod referred to on manual page 36. All I got was the long threaded rod. It appears I am one of the cases discussed in Note 2 on that page. Does ERA have these spacers on hand, or is there a drawing for me to go by?

What keeps the short rod in place if there is no hole in the fork and it just rides in a socket in slave cylinder? The spring?

Or is there another workaround someone has used?

TIA,
Sam

[chuckbrandt]

I have the same setup and yes you need the spacer. I have some pictures of how mine is setting right now.

Got to this page and scroll down to January 16, 2006

http://www.chuckbrandt.com/living.htm

Chuck

[SSSammy]

Thanks for the tip, Chuck! I'll give ERA a call in the am and see if they can send one asap. My compliments again on your very thorough site

Sam

[Excaliber]

My fork has a hole in the end which the clutch slave rod goes through. There is a nut on either side of this hole. On the slave side it is a BIG nut ground smooth to a taper on the side that fits into the fork. If I recall I think it was a small nut welded to something like a wheel 'lug nut'... The other side has two nuts locked together and becomes the 'lock nut' to hold the adjustment.

Something like that, I can't recall exactly, but it works really well!

[strictlypersonl]

We use the spacer with some clutch combinations so you may need it.

Once the slave cylinder is mounted, you may have to trim off the threaded rod to clear the fork. The ball-end will be retained in the fork depression by the external return spring and/or the slave's internal spring.

[SSSammy]

Thanks Excaliber and Bob! .. I had a phone discussion with Bob later and he is going to overnight the spacer to me. I may get to crank it over this weekend after all

Sam

[strictlypersonl]

Sam,

Everything went out for Saturday delivery.

But - take a look at your wiper motor. Is there a plastic cap covering the threads? Doug was pretty confident that the wiper assembly was complete when we sent it out since he modifies the drive crank on each one.

[SSSammy]

There is a plastic cap covering the threads. I thought it was a bushing .. I'm so dumb Sorry, my bad. Still need the through the firewall business though. I will cheerfully return the unnecessary bits, of course.

Reading the MSD manual, they say don't mount it upside down because moisture has no place to go. Doug showed me the upside down/under glove box mounting that he uses. What do you think? I am looking at putting it vertically on the cockpit side of the firewall behind the solenoid. Looks like the 4 mounting holes will not interfere with anything on the engine side.

Sam

[alicarmar]

Mount the MSD box upside down under the glove box - Moisture won't be much of an issue down there, it fits like a "glove" and it's a snap to wire it up from that location.

Oh, and by the way..... I had plenty of angst about the upside down issue after reading the MSD manual too! It goes away once the car fires for the first time.

[chuckbrandt]

I mounted mine right side up with some stand offs I made. It was pretty easy. But I suspect you are right, it doesn't really matter.

Chuck

[427Aggie]

Sammy,

If you mount it into the firewall you will see the screws in the engine compartment. It drove me crazy when I first got my era and when I added the engine aluminum I moved the box to under the glove box so you couldn't see them.

Its all personal preference but I wouldn't want to see the screws in the engine compartment.

Matt

[SSSammy]

Ok, you caught me in time .. it's going under the glove box! Will the person who has had an MSD fail due to moisture from being mounted under a glove box please speak up

Sam

[SSSammy]

I've got the usual aluminum machined plate with a snake on it. There is an o-ring on the back of the plate. The o-ring does not fit tightly into the steering wheel cavity. Is something missing?

Sam

[Excaliber]

Well I did get caught in the rain (a few times actually) but one time the cockpit got pretty darn wet! When drying time came around could the moisture get into the MSD?

Mines under the hood by the way...

[CJ428CJ]

Sammy,

I assume you're talking about the steeriing wheel center cap. Mine fits snuggly with nothing between the o-ring and the hole in the steering wheel.

Chris

[SSSammy]

Yes, Chris .. it fits so loosely that it would just fall out. Maybe it just needs a thicker O ring? Is that all that holds it? Some other Cobra owner was talking about some clips of some sort. Wish I had an ERA nearby to run look at, but I'm kinda at the end of the dusty trail here.

Tonight we are stalled .. this was turn the switch on and see what pops night. We connected the battery, turned the switch .. nothing! The solenoid is hot, the main circuit breaker is hot, the ignition switch is cold. Fuse L1, which feeds the bat term on the switch is cold. Will get back to it tomorrow night. I guess with absolutely NO power going to the switch, it shouldn't be that hard to isolate. I'm thinking about that great big red hi amp connector in the dash harness. Any ideas?

Reporting back on the clutch slave bracket issue in an earlier post .. Bob got me the spacer overnight .. we spent most of a day trying to figure out how to make it work. Finally I took a hacksaw and sawed the locating tab off of the steel bracket, ground it smooth, positioned it on the aluminum spacer so that the actuator rod was lined up and marked a line on it. Then we MIG welded the tab back on .. perfect!

By the way, I'm getting super support from ERA .. Peter is overnighting a surge tank tonight because mine is too tall. It was for a Shelby .. I thought it would work.

Sam

[SSSammy]

The major elec outage resolved down to one heavy wire going from the circuit breaker to the ammeter, then to the fuse block terminal 1L. This circuit goes through both of the high amperage connectors. In the big red connector, one of the pins was not pushed all the way into the housing, so it was not making contact. Pushed pin in .. lights, horn, etc.

Bob or anyone, regarding the sidepipe rear hangar straps .. one corner is clipped off on each strap. How do I orient this corner, up, down, inside, outside? There must be a reason for it

Sam

[strictlypersonl]

When installed, the hanger is angled to the outside (when the top is connected). The chamfered corner is on the top, toward the outside. Once installed, the logic will be obvious.

[SSSammy]

I understand, the pipes pull to the outside .. thus the strap needs to rotate a bit

Sam

[SSSammy]

Ooops! Got one side of headers tight then re-read the manual and saw the Permatex Ultra Copper. Is this what you guys at ERA use or do you put the supplied gaskets on dry? I'll wait on the second side ..

Thanks,
Sam