My recap and ongoing final stretch of building my Hatch

shagymc
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My recap and ongoing final stretch of building my Hatch

Postby shagymc » Wed Apr 02, 2014 3:07 am

Never done a build thread but I'm up for no reason and I have a ton of pictures of my car. I bought the car from Vegas in October of 2009. A friend and I flew there, picked it up, then drove it home. It had some front end damage and was leaking clutch fluid everywhere but we made it.
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I decided I wanted to track the car so suspension was the first thing I wanted to upgrade. I went with T3 pan hard bar and 4-links, Tanabe sway bars, Polyurethane bushings, JIC Magic front coils and AGX struts with TRD springs in the rear.
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I rebuilt the rear with a weir ring and pinion and Cusco 2-way LSD.
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I also went with a Rotora big brake kit up front with stainless lines, moved the stock calipers to the rear in place of the drums, and put on an new Fujitsubo over axle exhaust with a straight pipe.
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After this work was done, the direction of the car changed a bit. I decided I wanted the car to be trackable but also something I could drive daily if I wanted too. I wanted a full interior and some power options. I have a background in car audio and decided I wanted to get power windows. I hate waiting and doing extensive searching for stuff so I bought a hot rod power window kit and set out to make it work in the car. A few days of fighting and I got them in and working great. They just don't roll all the way down but It's enough.
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Here's video of them in action:
http://youtu.be/u3H69-EftBs

I also fixed the sunroof and got a carbon sunroof panel, replaced the stock seats with Recaros from a Euro R Accord. I repainted the plastics as well and swapped the cluster lights.
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Last edited by shagymc on Thu Jun 15, 2017 10:04 am, edited 6 times in total.

shagymc
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Re: My recap and ongoing final stretch of building my Hatch

Postby shagymc » Wed Apr 02, 2014 3:28 am

The car stayed like this for a while. It ran solid but the motor was pushing 290,000 miles on the stock 16 valve. I bit the bullet and decided to go 20 valve blacktop.
It was a learning project that's still on going but it worked out.
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I took the filters off, Bought T3 trumpets and a Tri strut tower bar, as well as some spruce up parts from Torparts. I also am prepping the car for paint and I wanted to clean the engine bay up and smooth it out. So I ripped out all the hvac stuff and the heater core, pulled and extended the wires for the fuse box and the bay , and ran them on the outside under the fenders so the sides of the bay are smooth. The battery was also put in the trunk. I also moved the coolant reservoir to the front of the bay. I'm still waiting on my coolant lines from T3.
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A quick video of it done to a point….
http://youtu.be/pfDr7VRWi_w
Last edited by shagymc on Sun Jun 01, 2014 8:55 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: My recap and ongoing final stretch of building my Hatch

Postby shagymc » Wed Apr 02, 2014 4:21 am

For the interior, I reupholstered the tops of the door panels and am building the door panels from scratch. I have a popper in each door so that I could wipe out any door handles inside. I'm going to have 2 push-buttons (one for the driver door, one for passenger's) and the power window switches. I'm using a different power window switch then what I used in the door panel the first time. It should give it a clean look.
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I pulled all of the wires out of the door tonight and just ran the power window motor wires and door popper wires into the door. A dynamat-like material was used on all metal to metal brackets to minimize rattling. With this design, I wanted something a little unique for the door handle itself, and I went with Isis tow straps from Enjuku Racing. I think it's going to look rad when I'm finished…
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I can't decide if I want a radio and speakers or not either so I'm kind of at a standstill. I can't upholster the door panels because that's most likely where I'm going to put them. As far as the switches are concerned I could put them in the spot where the A/C controls normally are or I was also thinking I could get a carbon radio bezel and put them where the radio would be. Tough choices ahead
Last edited by shagymc on Sun Jun 01, 2014 9:01 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: My recap and ongoing final stretch of building my Hatch

Postby shagymc » Sat Apr 05, 2014 4:48 pm

Today I decided to nix a regular radio and do an iPad dash. I've built a few and with the new kits from sound man car audio, the work is pretty easy if you know what you're doing. So Here's what I started with:
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I had to cut the factory radio bezel to fit the kit in at the angle I wanted. I couldn't exactly center it due to there being a small space on the right for the pad to slide into but I think it looks good regardless:
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A little CA glue (super glue):
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Next I mounted it in the car and used 3M 42/40 to epoxy the two pieces together. This stuff is great for plastic to plastic. It cures as ABS so it expands and contracts just like the factory dash so there's way less chance of cracking, however You only have a 90 second work time so you better be set up and ready to go.
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Did a little body work, realized there was a crack (possibly from not letting it cure long enough), so I dremeled it out and re laid more 42/40 in there and now it's sitting.
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I also fixed the hatch and fuel release levers while it was setting up and replaced my door poppers with new low profile ones. I'll be working on the panel above the the iPad here next and I have an idea how I want the power window switch and door pop buttons. I'll keep them coming!
Last edited by shagymc on Thu Jun 15, 2017 10:05 am, edited 2 times in total.

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Re: My recap and ongoing final stretch of building my Hatch

Postby marley4us » Mon Apr 07, 2014 10:39 pm

cant wait to see more looks cool
1985 Corolla Hatch widebody w/ SR20det (The Project)
1993 5SGTE stroker widebody MR2 Turbo (drag car)
2002 Miata SE hardtop (daily Driver)
1994 4runner (The truck)

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Re: My recap and ongoing final stretch of building my Hatch

Postby shagymc » Tue Apr 08, 2014 6:58 pm

Got the T3 coolant pipes today. Out of the box they looked great however getting them in was a bit of a struggle. The bracket that held the two together broke due to the stress I put on it from getting it in place. A little effort though and I got them in and connected and they look way better than the old make shift pipes. To get the bottom pipe to be stronger and more sturdy I drilled a hole in the broken bracket then put a hose clamp through it and around the top pipe around a coupler I cut.
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I'll be out of town until the 15th but I'm gonna be working on the iPad dash next week until it's complete.
Last edited by shagymc on Sun Jun 01, 2014 9:08 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: My recap and ongoing final stretch of building my Hatch

Postby shagymc » Thu Apr 10, 2014 9:03 pm

Deleted to consolidate my thread
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Re: My recap and ongoing final stretch of building my Hatch

Postby shagymc » Tue Apr 15, 2014 7:23 pm

Today I got home from my trip up north and got my Drift Warrior Fab bash bar mounted and My new Kouki bumper. The bar was cake to mount, utilizing the factory holes. I lost the hardware somewhere so I had to take a trip to lowes. It's also designed with mounts for the factory JDM bumper and using nuts and a washer, you can adjust the height of the bumper to fit flush. I love the design and am very happy with the way they turned out. The only issue I'm having is that one of the parking light ballasts is barely hitting. I may need to change it to a different type, but that isn't a very big deal.

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It's amazing how beefy these factory bumpers are, lots of plastic. I'll be finishing up the iPad build this week hopefully and I'd also like to get the rear bash bar on.
Last edited by shagymc on Thu Jan 22, 2015 5:42 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: My recap and ongoing final stretch of building my Hatch

Postby shagymc » Wed Apr 16, 2014 7:59 pm

Worked on the dash a bit tonight. I got to use my Sonus filler specifically made for mobile audio applications. I wasn't sure what to expect but it laid great with minimal bubbles. It sands amazing too. I never thought there'd be a filler that sanded better than rage gold but this stuff is it. I'm shaping it with 180 grit.

Area prepped and cleaned:
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Filler applied and curing:
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A little sanding to try and get the shape I'm looking for:
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The shape is coming together, I just need to sand a little more and get more filler on to fill the imperfections. I'm pretty happy with how it's coming together, it should have a nice factory look. I didn't take any pictures of mounting the other parking lights and getting the front bumper permanently mounted. I also continued to work on the main electronics panel, when that is finished I'll get pictures up of that too.

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Re: My recap and ongoing final stretch of building my Hatch

Postby shagymc » Fri Apr 18, 2014 6:06 pm

As far as the iPad dash is concerned, I finished shaping the dash. Here I'm filling some imperfections:
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This is after sanding, I know it's not perfectly centered but the right side sticks out a little bit more so it had to shift slightly left. I think it's barely noticeable though.
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And finally test fitment. Everything looks great(Don't mind the crappy looking panel with the switches, that's just a test piece and not a final install).
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Sunday I'll finish sanding down the rest of the panel and then lay some primer down. Should be finished by the end of the week.
Last edited by shagymc on Thu Jan 22, 2015 5:43 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: My recap and ongoing final stretch of building my Hatch

Postby shagymc » Sun Apr 20, 2014 8:04 pm

Deleted to consolidate my thread
Last edited by shagymc on Thu Jan 22, 2015 5:44 pm, edited 2 times in total.

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Re: My recap and ongoing final stretch of building my Hatch

Postby shagymc » Tue Apr 22, 2014 6:41 pm

Today I got the dash finished. I hated the satin look of the paint I was using so I spent some cash and bought some SEM plastic/vinyl satin paint. I didn't take any pictures of the process but I sprayed 3 light coats over the existing paint. I let the coats 'flash' before spraying the next. After the 3 coats, I sprayed 3 dust coats with the can about 6 inches farther back from the panel. It gives a slight textured look and also takes some of the sheen out of the paint. The finished product speaks for itself. It's not a perfect paint job or fab job for that matter but it looks great to me.
The next thing I did was cut a piece of black suede to use as a soft surface for the iPad to lay on. I used some Weldwood contact cement for a solid hold and brushed it over the dash back and the suede.
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I let them both get tacky then stuck the suede on. There's slight lines in the Soundman kit at the edges, so lining it up is a breeze. I'm very happy with the finished product. I just need a mini which I should be getting next week sometime to glue in the charging/output cable.
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I tried to get a close up shot so you can see the texture:
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I was going to do more but I couldn't find a wiring diagram for my power windows so I spent the rest of the day looking for one. I have it now though so tomorrow I'll finish the switch panel up and maybe start mocking up the speakers in the door.
Last edited by shagymc on Thu Jan 22, 2015 5:45 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: My recap and ongoing final stretch of building my Hatch

Postby rekik » Wed Apr 23, 2014 8:20 am

WOW... GREAT WORK!!!

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Re: My recap and ongoing final stretch of building my Hatch

Postby shagymc » Fri May 02, 2014 6:29 pm

Finally got some money saved up and bought an iPad mini to finish the dash. It fits perfect and looks great!. I glued the lightening connector in and this is my finished product:

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I ordered my carpet and some Hertz components so I'll be starting the door panels as soon as they show up. I'll probably start wiring the amp and run the wires this week.

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Re: My recap and ongoing final stretch of building my Hatch

Postby shagymc » Sun May 18, 2014 10:00 pm

Pretty much just collecting parts right now but I'll be working through the week to make progress. I've gotten electric side mirrors, brand new interior carpet, a pair of hertz high energy components and a few other odds and ends. Hopefully I sleep a little...

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Re: My recap and ongoing final stretch of building my Hatch

Postby TruenoJon » Tue May 27, 2014 6:04 pm

Hey man.. I gotta be 100% honest the bezel look amazing and I'm gonna go as far as asking if there's a possibility you can make one for me??? Let me know how much

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Re: My recap and ongoing final stretch of building my Hatch

Postby joel23 » Tue May 27, 2014 6:56 pm

looks good... nice build........ :mrgreen:

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Re: My recap and ongoing final stretch of building my Hatch

Postby shagymc » Tue May 27, 2014 7:52 pm

Deleted to consolidate
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Re: My recap and ongoing final stretch of building my Hatch

Postby shagymc » Wed May 28, 2014 8:28 pm

Slowly been working on restoring my side mirrors I just got from another member. They're electric so that I can mold the tweeters for my speakers into the mirror triangles(if they sound good). The plastic looked cracked and shotty as is to be expected from something thirty years old so I set out to make them look great. I've been really busy with life so it's been something I work on whenever I have some free time.
The first thing I did was Take it apart:
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Then I soaked it in soap and water to clean everything off. After that I sanded them down with 180 grit sandpaper:
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After cleaning it off, I sprayed a layer of Plastic adhesion primer on it and then some duplicolor High build primer(red). After letting it cure for a day, I located the little imperfections, sanded them down, and used some spot putty to fill them. After that, I sanded it down with 220 and then 320 and set it up to spray again:
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Now it has another layer of high build on it and is curing tonight:
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Tomorrow I'll be spraying it with SEM Satin plastic/vinyl paint and show you the finished product.I need to figure out how to clean up the plastic piece around the mirror after this.

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Re: My recap and ongoing final stretch of building my Hatch

Postby TORPARTS » Thu May 29, 2014 9:30 am

Damn! Awesome work! Duma Approved!

Keep it up your breaking our necks! Lol
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WORLD LEADER IN REPRODUCTION, OEM AND JDM PARTS.
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Re: My recap and ongoing final stretch of building my Hatch

Postby shagymc » Thu May 29, 2014 4:54 pm

Props from my favorite company, awesome!
Paint is laid. This is a shot after 3 light base coats. I am using SEM Gloss black plastic/vinyl paint:
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After that 'flashed' (Its when the shine is gone and has a dull look), I sprayed 3 light dust coats from farther away. These are going to look great when I'm finished I think.
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Here's some comparison shots of the other side mirror that isn't done:
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I still need to paint the metal base that mounts to the car and figure out how to repair the trim around the actual mirror. I'm working on that now.
Last edited by shagymc on Tue Jun 03, 2014 10:40 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: My recap and ongoing final stretch of building my Hatch

Postby yellowsnow4free » Sat May 31, 2014 11:39 am

Thanks for sharing your work on repainting your mirrors! They look great :)

Eventually I'd like to repaint mine too, along with a lot of the other black trim on my car :P

Keep up the great work!

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Re: My recap and ongoing final stretch of building my Hatch

Postby shagymc » Sun Jun 01, 2014 8:29 pm

Thanks for the kind words! This weekend I decided to try and tackle what I thought would be the hardest part of restoring these mirrors: the plastic surround around the mirror itself. I also painted the metal bases for the mirrors that mount to the actual door. After removing the mirror and giving them a good wipedown, this is what I was working with:
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You can see where there's a gap where the plastic separated. Filling that wasn't to difficult except for one of the corners. So I used CA glue from a hobby store (Hobbytown USA) to 'tac' it in place from the back:
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once that was glued, I laid down the putty and let it set. While it was curing, I sanded down the bases with 320 grit and hung them up to spray them. I used the high build and about 2-3 even light coats:
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Then the SEM gloss black. 2-3 light even coats then 2-3 dust coats to give it a light texture:
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The other side:
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After painting the bases, I sanded down the plastic around the mirror with 320 and then sprayed it with a plastic adhesion primer:
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Then high build and paint:
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I'm letting the paint set over night and I may have one side together tomorrow. We'll see. I still have to sand down the other side mirror and fill the plastic around it too. Hopefully I can have these done by next weekend.
Last edited by shagymc on Thu Jun 15, 2017 10:11 am, edited 2 times in total.

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Re: My recap and ongoing final stretch of building my Hatch

Postby shagymc » Tue Jun 03, 2014 10:34 pm

Deleted to consolidate my thread
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Re: My recap and ongoing final stretch of building my Hatch

Postby shagymc » Sun Jul 06, 2014 7:53 pm

I know I haven't posted in a while, been busy with work and personal stuff. I still have to finish the side mirrors but I'm hoping to be done them by next weekend. Tonight I got some time to work on the ashtray bezel and tray itself. I'm just wanting to make it the same color and texture of the iPad dash. This will also fix any scratches and wear that happened due to it being almost 30 years old. I started by tearing everything out so I had just plastic.
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I taped up the ashtray and sanded the front down with 320 grit(not shown). The same thing was done to the bezel itself.
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After everything was sanded, it was sprayed with 3 coats of High build primer. Unfortunately, the can must have been a little clogged because the first coat of primer on the ashtray sprayed some paint debris all over it.
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The Ashtray bezel:
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The bezel needs some sandpaper love still, but I finished up the ashtray with 3 coats of satin black SEM paint and a dust coat and It looks good. I'll have better pictures when the whole piece is done.
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Tomorrow I'm hoping to clean up the rough areas on the bezel and lay some more primer and paint however I've been working on a neighbors golf cart so it may take a back seat to that tomorrow. Updates soon

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Re: My recap and ongoing final stretch of building my Hatch

Postby shagymc » Sun Jul 13, 2014 7:27 pm

I got my new hood this week, Seibon Carbon OEM, so I mounted that today. I noticed some fitment issues with the headlights so I spent most of the day trying to get them to look right. I think part of the major problem is my fenders are messed up but finding fenders at a reasonable price is almost impossible. They only seem to pop up when I don't have any money. Here's a shot of what I was working with at the start:
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Then this is what I ended up with:
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After I fixed that issue, I finished wiring up my switches, the driver and passenger window switches and the two door pop buttons. The LEDs around the door pop buttons matches my dash lights so that worked out well. I had to run a power window wire but that wasn't to hard. The extra wires there are for the cig lighter:
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I finished up the day running an emergency pull cable for the driver door in case the solenoid fails or a fuse blows:
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I still have a ton of stuff left. The paint on the heater control dash bezel turned out like **** because my cats knocked it off of the table so I need to re sand and paint again. I also need to finish the doors. I haven't decided how I want them to look yet. I have ideas brewing though. Looking at the blank is very motivating though.

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Re: My recap and ongoing final stretch of building my Hatch

Postby riddleyo » Mon Jul 14, 2014 6:55 pm

Lots of good work here, keep it up.

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Re: My recap and ongoing final stretch of building my Hatch

Postby shagymc » Sat Jul 19, 2014 10:53 pm

Thanks Riddleyo,
Deleted to consolidate my thread
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Re: My recap and ongoing final stretch of building my Hatch

Postby shagymc » Sun Jul 20, 2014 8:17 pm

Deleted to consolidate my thread
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Re: My recap and ongoing final stretch of building my Hatch

Postby shagymc » Thu Aug 14, 2014 8:54 pm

Decided to tackle the issue of not having wires ran for the power mirrors tonight. I only did the passenger side since I ran out of heat shrink but it works and that's all I care about. I started with getting the wiring diagram from the Service manual. I used it just as a guide for the hard wire. The factory switch had a plug that went into it so I tested the ignition 12v and ground connection and everything was good. In the door, I found the plug that fit the mirror harness and then cut the other end off because the plug wasn't in the kick (Which is why I had to hard wire them).
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There are 3 wires that connect to the factory mirror harness. So I measured out 3 wires from the switch to the passenger door. I used red white and black. After they were cut to length I tied them to something stationary, and then twisted them together with the drill. This is something I like doing because it gives them a nice look and keeps them together for ease of routing trough the car.
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Once they were twisted, I twisted and soldered on the factory plug that plugs into the mirror harness in the passenger door. I ran out of small heat shrink so I just taped up the 3 connections then used 1/4" heat shrink to keep them looking nice.
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After the plug was connected, I happen to still have the dash off, so routing the wires with the factory harness was easy
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Had a small helper with me
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After the wires were ran to the factory switch, I just temporarily connected them to see if they would work.
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The mirror worked great so tomorrow all I have to do is get some heat shrink and come home and finish the driver side and then hard wire it all to the factory switch. If anyone needs the wire colors for these let me know.
Last edited by shagymc on Thu Jun 15, 2017 10:13 am, edited 1 time in total.