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With half the RC (55 minutes at 25 amps), the power curve is pretty steep. Imagine a charging system failure on your way home one night. Fully charged, it might make it 15 minutes before the voltage dropped too low for the efi. I understand the appeal and not trying to be a buzz kill. It's just something else to consider. If I had one, I'd use it too.

Autolite doesn't seem to make them anymore but here is an exide chart. Check out their 75dt-84.

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Miata UBJ: ES-2074R('70s maz pickup)
Ford IFS viewtopic.php?f=5&t=13225&p=134742
Simple Spring select viewtopic.php?f=5&t=11815
LxWxHt
360LA 442E: 134.5x46x15
Lotus7:115x39x7.25
Tiger Avon:114x40x13.3-12.6
Champion/Book:114x42x11
Gibbs/Haynes:122x42x14
VoDou:113x44x14
McSorley 442:122x46x14
Collins 241:127x46x12

John- Big 10-4 on that- 30 years behind a plumber's license taught me to be sensitive aut how I "structure" billing and reports. The more satisfied the client, the sooner or more likely for them or a neighbor to call me back. In spite of my attitude, I was commonly requested for high difficulty or second opinion jobs- but I have never been named in a lawsuit or failed to respond to a criticism.
I here you about rain shut ins- they also afflict the whole of the construction industry. Since I've lived in a big metro, I also like go to work early and go home early and miss the heavy traffic.
On your battery, I can't really offer any new thought- you've heard from at least two of my favorite posters! I have found a direct correlation between the price and overall quality; 7-8 service trucks and vans I've sent to the "over 300K mothball yard" were all hard on batteries- cheap ones always fail on rainy roads, one county over from home! Chris

Auto wiring the scourge of humanity
I start to get one circuit run and find a wire somewhere unexpected, I trace out that circuit and find another unexpected wire

For any out there contemplating their wiring job that are not electrical engineers the best way would have to be going with aftermarket gauges, switches, and wiring harness.
The RX-7 switch clusters seem to be very convoluted and complex. As an example the turn indicator lights are canceled not with a mechanical switch but with an electronic circuit.

Things are getting better as I go and I will have a good handle on the wiring when I'm done but it has been a struggle.

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John - Slow and Steady. . . Well slow anyway
Build Loghttp://www.locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=35&t=6245

Wow! That rat's nest looks a lot like the OEM wiring in Fiats and "funny British sports cars" I wrenched on a lifetime ago (70s-80s). Fiat never seemed to throw short pieces of wire away; the purple wire from the mech. brake light switch could change color 3-4 times in a 10' wire run! And the "splices" were usually the culprit! Don't get me started on Lucas electric "smoke factory installed" systems! The best plan was given to me be a retired fireman/engineer who thought my problems were "piddly"- his meat were ambulances and fire trucks with "one time" wiring systems; he told me to start with the "factory" wiring diagram, reduce it to a drawing of the one circuit you are working on, and test it/ rework it to fit that drawing (check that the diagram doesn't have any "smoke leakers" built in!). I doubt it helped, but it gave me a plan of attack, and a least enough info to get back to wherever I started! The Japanese are great at technical stuff, but remember, they licensed many British designs when they were building their car industry after WW II- I imagine there were several engineers who were looking for a little payback!
The only real help is to read up on "factory smoke", the "Lord of Darkness" and have a beer or two! Shooting the car seldom fixes the problem!
As usual, even confused and confounded, your stuff looks great!
Chris

Wow! That rat's nest looks a lot like the OEM wiring in Fiats and "funny British sports cars" I wrenched on a lifetime ago (70s-80s). Fiat never seemed to throw short pieces of wire away; the purple wire from the mech. brake light switch could change color 3-4 times in a 10' wire run! And the "splices" were usually the culprit! Don't get me started on Lucas electric "smoke factory installed" systems! The best plan was given to me be a retired fireman/engineer who thought my problems were "piddly"- his meat were ambulances and fire trucks with "one time" wiring systems; he told me to start with the "factory" wiring diagram, reduce it to a drawing of the one circuit you are working on, and test it/ rework it to fit that drawing (check that the diagram doesn't have any "smoke leakers" built in!). I doubt it helped, but it gave me a plan of attack, and a least enough info to get back to wherever I started! The Japanese are great at technical stuff, but remember, they licensed many British designs when they were building their car industry after WW II- I imagine there were several engineers who were looking for a little payback!
The only real help is to read up on "factory smoke", the "Lord of Darkness" and have a beer or two! Shooting the car seldom fixes the problem!
As usual, even confused and confounded, your stuff looks great!
Chris

That rat's nest is coming along nicely. It does take time. I'm not convinced that it is more difficult or more time than fitting a new generic EZ-wiring (Painless or the like) harness. My rat's nest took the better part of a week of work to minimze, shorten/lengthen individual wires and neatly put back into some semblance of a "harness". Keep up the good work.

If you think it might help, I have a schematic of my '91 RX7 modified harness as used in my Locost. I used the13B engine and a Megasquirt, but the meters/ body wiring would be similar I think. I could send it to you. Do you have Autocad? or I could print it out using PDF's. PM me with your real email if you want it.

P.S. the arguement about reserve capacity is true. The OEM style battery has more RC and higher CA (Cranking Amps, measured at 32 deg F) and CCA (Cold Cranking Amps measured at 0 deg F) than the S925 AGM battery, but not by much. How many of us are actually going to store and then start our toys at 0 deg F? On my daily driver, of course CCA is necessary. As far as RC, I'm not concerned about it myself. I know that some people are. It is one of those specifications that are nice to know but not a deciding factor for me. I have never, in over 46 years, had an alternator or generator fail in a situation where extra RC would have made the difference between getting home or not. Perhaps if I had, my "must haves" might be different.

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Chuck.

“Any suspension will work if you don’t let it.” - Colin Chapman

Visit my ongoing MGB Rustoration log: over HERE

Or my Wankel powered Locost log : over HERE

And don't forget my Cushman Truckster resto Locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=36&t=17766

...and Damn! they ain't cheap!

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The B-3 build log: http://www.locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=36&t=13941 unfortunately, all the pictures were lost in the massive server crash

The beginnings of the Jag Special,
https://www.locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=36&t=19012
Again, all pictures were lost.

Yes, they are expensive at nearly $200 with tax it certainly wasn't pocket change.

rx7locost, You may be right as I haven't used one of those "Painless" harnesses. All I know is I think I spent two days just staring. At least now when I am out there I can move forward without to many steps back. I am a little nerviness about getting a another diagram but as I am back at work (the kind that pays money) I will have a few days to look it over.

mysmallwheels, Yes I'm trying not to let the smoke out. I do like the advice of you friend and that's what I had to do to finally get moving, I took the PDFs and removed all the none essential wiring and was left with one or two circuits per page and that is helping.

I hope to get back to work this weekend.

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John - Slow and Steady. . . Well slow anyway
Build Loghttp://www.locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=35&t=6245

Just a quick update without pictures. This weekend I finally got all the wires run including to the MegaSquirt. I started to cover them with some fabric loom sleaving from Summit before having to leave with the wife.

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John - Slow and Steady. . . Well slow anyway
Build Loghttp://www.locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=35&t=6245

Glad to hear you're still working on it. Do you think you can get it on the street before summer ends? If you can get it road tested, you could have a fabulous time driving around in your part of the state this fall. A day trip to Emerald Bay in the fall would be pretty glorious, I'd think.

Cheers,

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Damn! That front slip angle is way too large and the Ackerman is just a muddle.

Build Log: viewtopic.php?f=35&t=5886

I "hope" to have it running in a couple of weeks. This weekend get the wiring wrapped and the water from the radiator to the heat source (that would be the engine) after that I "hope" to start it.

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John - Slow and Steady. . . Well slow anyway
Build Loghttp://www.locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=35&t=6245

Well I finally got the wiring done except for the lights (I'll put those on when I get the fenders) and I got the throttle cable hooked up. Next weekend the radiator hose.



The throttle cable was on the short side so I had to make an extention from some aluminum. Looks kind of funky but works good so far.

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John - Slow and Steady. . . Well slow anyway
Build Loghttp://www.locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=35&t=6245

I got the radiator hoses made and installed. I went up to my local NAPA and looked through there book that had hoses listed by diameter then length and as the engine ports are 1 3/8 and the radiator has 1 1/4 ports I picked up two with those ends that looked like the bends would work and one 1 1/4 on both ends with bend that looked interesting. At Home Depot I got two 1 1/4" sink drain extensions.

After making a backyard tube beading tool I cut and spliced and then 15 clamps.
They were done.

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John - Slow and Steady. . . Well slow anyway
Build Loghttp://www.locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=35&t=6245

Didn't get the car started. Just to many things that are easier done up at waist height.
I got the break and clutch master cylinder reservoirs mounted and bled. The clutch was easy. The breaks were more of a challenge as I had left 4 fittings loose and I am still having problems with a brass Tee not sealing. I will have to work on it next week end.

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John - Slow and Steady. . . Well slow anyway
Build Loghttp://www.locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=35&t=6245

I have had some problems with leaky fittings. Bottom line - some of them are crap. I think the current manufacturing process threads the part and rechucks it to machine the seat. Why they would do that is beyond me, but I've seen fittings that were visibly not "true". Anytime you rechuck, you run the risk of increased runout.

Anyway, I'd remove that Tee and toss it.

Bill