Restoration-Mini

The new thread:

The FI is better since the vacuum line replacements, but still has some hesitation spots - occasionally from idle, mostly when trying to give a small acceleration while cruising, such as starting up an incline.

From the research I have been able to do, it is likely an aging sensor.  The problem: most of the sensors are now NLA.

So, I will be converting it to a carburetor.

I have started the process of getting the necessary parts together.

Found a low pressure (2.5 - 3 psi, 42 GPH, model 42S by Mr. Gasket) fuel pump locally.
A carb model fuel tank from a seller on this forum.
The rest of the main parts from 7Ent:
- complete carb kit (carb, manifold, linkage plate, filter, spacer, appropriate gaskets)
- electronic distributor
- coil matched to the distributor (details below)
- accelerator and choke cables
- temperature sender
- manifold to head gasket

I plan on using the existing wiring harness and stripping out the unnecessary portions, retaining the necessary ones only.

The new coil is required as the later carb models used the ballast wiring to the coil and the SPI is not ballasted.  The coil is internally ballasted - a standard Lucas coil for the earlier, non-ballasted wired systems.

I will be attempting to plumb in the later carb style coolant temperature sender so that the factory temperature gauge still functions.  I will probably have to find an appropriate 'T' fitting to put it in the line out from the sandwich plate to the manifold/heater.  I don't want to pull the head to have it drilled and tapped for putting the sender there and the sandwich plate is likely too thin to drill and tap successfully.  I looked into the different sandwich plates as the MPI one has a sender hole tapped, but it does not have the stud hole for the top radiator mount needed for the existing side-mounted radiator.

For the wiring changes, I will be going back and forth between the SPI diagrams and the last of the carb model diagrams for lining up the changes.  They are not much - the temperature sender, ignition switch to coil/starter relay and fuel pump.

I will post the progress here.

As an SPI owner, I am interested in this.

A very common conversion in England - it has it's plusses and minuses - on the plus side it's less complicated and pretty much trouble free once done, the minus is you have to use the choke on starting and warmup and it's a little more maintenance - but reliable.

Which carb, HIF44?

I did a lot of reading on the UK MiniForum about the conversion.  If the full selection of sensors were still available, I would have gone with refurbishing the FI.  As it is, with most sensors already NLA or nearly so I am converting.

I plan on trying to do a decent effort at documenting the process for others here to follow if necessary.

I will be putting a HIF44 on it.  It will be with the BDL needle.  (The 7Ent kit part # SEVR0001.)

I am going with their electronic distributor 59D4E as well.

No real update, just a "bump" to keep the thread from falling too far.

The tank has arrived.  The other main parts are "in transit" a show due to arrive Thursday.

Then the "fun" begins.

11.gif

A couple of companies make the elbows that have the threaded port for the temp senders.
It does mean the temp is post thermostat open at that point, but I do not believe that is an issue.
I collected a variety of thermostat sandwiches and elbows before figuring out that I needed a custom version.
Let me see what I have, if the need is not immediate.
Terry

Hi Terry,

The need is not yet immediate.  I have not yet started the process - waiting on the parts from 7Ent.  The most I may do this week is see about getting the SPI tank out of the car as I may have someone interested in acquiring it for their project.

Let me know what you may have.  The temperature sender I have ordered is part number GTR0101.

I need to retain the SPI style sandwich plate for the mounting point for the top radiator bracket.

I will be taking the hoses from the SPI manifold and using those on the carb manifold and had thought about finding a 'T' fitting to plumb the sensor in that flow as it is pre-thermostat flow.

Looks like I must have given them away.
I had one like this:
http://minisport.com.au/mini-forward-facing-thermostat-housinga-with-temp-adaptor (http://minisport.com.au/mini-forward-facing-thermostat-housinga-with-temp-adaptor)

(https://d31wxntiwn0x96.cloudfront.net/pypnap/productimages/1575.jpeg?etag=%22795c21d1fdc88a7c23b2729c4b3aa8d1%22?width=400&height=400)

Not sure the angle is completely right for your application

The DSN ones are shaped just like the factory one I have.  It has the same flat spot.  When I consulted with Jack at 7Ent, we both were concerned whether that part of the plate was meaty enough to be drilled and tapped for a sensor or sensor adapter.

(Jack pointed out the sensors have a taper to the end for seating into their port and sealing.  Easier to drill and tap for the adaptor that will flat seal and has the taper inside for the sensor.)

I think I have some adapters left over from a past project that might work for the sensor.  When it gets here, I will check, then see about either having the sandwich plat drilled/tapped or finding a 'T' fitting the adapter will fit.

This is what I ended up doing for an MPi engine:
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/P4p62RXehady3_2ltgLsxY4xg-P1yOCHYB2aZ5y1LYLpVuGXEGspc5bZGN1GEBBgL1UXrZo7xADT49baxYOWlw1Ab-_lF1Qy50v9bxsHufWd86hM9Ip0LbQ4tQMQs7MzNOwZit4CuUh0kWVwuYLdnTLAfhvOQSh38AvsvugsbFOHxGgSOLTikU0eXXtwr_U3kp7c6n3l8hsU5Z9DelywbmKj7L_1ENa2koMtxYkJvKSP5m5qNpRt2PK1hR9rg9yO3Sz_0S-FmWA2NPjvYvbD2kFNUWnh4zp2bhkgCZwfebHN_JbqQg9MTyFPYBpC3v_yhEp2IyVl2uPZKGKlS-zHWmjZyqo_W6z_hI6LPwJC6QV13BalgDPd9aND9a_A58lAkQQVlp-8fpNbVYulP_mGLkUBsImWZGKyXbqbaHdsyDumDNP6VWsTXm5X-ztn8Y9lsYxDYKyykqd4ceSd5nnmFor-oJ7uAnjELcXD66NtPqkU8zK17onJn2mw8AVW-kCJbsSFIpDVSy33pMBZRDakPUfgGQPwK1fY5PPumQMqTNoVWkbj20Omz8PeMsIZHvOGPFX0=w1431-h951-no)

It also required a custom top bracket. It could have been widened to accommodate the single bolt top bracket and that probably would have been easier.

Looks nice.  Did you put a temperature sender in one port and the heater take-off in the other?

Unfortunately, making something like that is beyond my resources.  I would also need to have either a custom top radiator bracket like you mention or the plate modified to permit using the stock top radiator bracket.

My purpose was to provide a port for the mechanical coolant temp gauge and a port for the coolant temp sensor required for the EFI. Even though it is an MPi engine, I reverted to the heater take off by cylinder 4.

Another Mini owner machined them for me as it is beyond my abilities as well.

Got started on the process today as I have a prospective buyer of the SPI tank.

I siphoned out the fuel from the tank as much as I could - transferring it into my daily driver to consume it.  I then removed the trim kit in the boot, the spare and the battery.  I also removed the bootlid from the car to make getting the tank out a little easier.

I disconnected the electrical leads to the tank (need to label them for connecting to the replacement tank), disconnected and removed the trap and line for the vent, cut loose the fuel feed and return and pulled the tank out.

I also removed the fuel pump and the sender to finish draining the tank and let it all dry out for being able to ship it.

I did not take pictures, but with take some tomorrow.

Removal from the car was very straight forward - remove the lower rear bolt for the tank strap, swing the strap back some and wiggle the tank to the side and out.

Some pictures of yesterday's progress:

The replacement "carb" fuel tank that is going back into the car shown with the new sender.  I need to do a little cleanup on it before installing.

(http://www.restorationmini.com/forum/MGalleryItem.php?id=2142)

The "empty" boot with the lid removed to make the tank swap easier.  I already have the old tank pulled out.

(http://www.restorationmini.com/forum/MGalleryItem.php?id=2143)

I will be cleaning up the routing of the wiring and trimming/removing the unused fuel lines.  One will get trimmed short under the car and the other two completely removed.  The one retained will become the hard feed line under the car for the carb.

I pulled the old sender and fuel pump from the SPI tank.  I need to let the tank and bits dry out completely for potentially sending to a new home.

(http://www.restorationmini.com/forum/MGalleryItem.php?id=2145)

(http://www.restorationmini.com/forum/MGalleryItem.php?id=2146)

Not sure what I am going to do with the vapor trap that was on the vent for the tank.  This connected to one of the hard lines going to the front of the car - presumably to the charcoal canister and purge valve to recycle the vapors through the intake.

(http://www.restorationmini.com/forum/MGalleryItem.php?id=2147)

What's up with the boot straps/chains?  I didn't put those on there.

The original style cable straps were a tad too long and the lid and license plate were hitting the bumper.  I got some jack-chain at the hardware store and put them there sized just a tad shorter to bring things just off the bumper.

I have since adjusted the positioning of the license plate and may go back to the original cables.

Not much progress - taking care of family medical issues with my parents ha been taking much of my time.

I did get a little done.  The old FI tank is packed and ready for shipping to a new home once I get the destination address.  I started the preparation of the replacement tank.  I put a stainless steel scrubbing pad on the end on a long screwdriver and "swabbed" out some of the surface rust inside the tank and vacuumed it out.  The filter on the pickup line inside the tank is still intact and looks in very good condition.  I'm not going to try to remove it.  I then took the scrubbing pad and "sanded" half the outside, then put primer on it.  I'll do the other side next and then a coat of Rustoleum 'Semi-Gloss' black before putting it in the car.

(http://www.restorationmini.com/forum/MGalleryItem.php?id=2151)

(http://www.restorationmini.com/forum/MGalleryItem.php?id=2152)

A bit of progress today.

I got the replacement tank all painted.

(http://www.restorationmini.com/forum/MGalleryItem.php?id=2153)

I also began the process of identifying things to come off.  I will need to remove the original fuel filter and select the appropriate hard line to keep and remove the other two.

Here is the original fuel filter to get removed.  I plan on trying to put the new fuel pump in its place.

(http://www.restorationmini.com/forum/MGalleryItem.php?id=2154)

The lines running to the front.  I will keep one - likely the one coming from the fuel filter as it already ends in about the right place in the rear.

(http://www.restorationmini.com/forum/MGalleryItem.php?id=2155)

(http://www.restorationmini.com/forum/MGalleryItem.php?id=2156)

Starting to remove stuff in the front.  I removed the air filter housing and began disconnecting the fuel lines and crankcase breather system in order to get a better view of the ends of the hard lines coming from the back.  One of the lines already has the right length of fuel hose for wrapping around to feed the carb.  Hopefully it is the feed line from the fuel filter in the rear.

(http://www.restorationmini.com/forum/MGalleryItem.php?id=2157)

(http://www.restorationmini.com/forum/MGalleryItem.php?id=2158)

The air filter housing and breather lines removed.  I may try to re-use part of the breather lines for connecting the breathers to the carb.  I can figure a way to carefully remove the one small line and cap the extra port on the bigger line.  That should let me use the main line again for taking the breathers to the carb.

(http://www.restorationmini.com/forum/MGalleryItem.php?id=2159)

A bit of progress today.

I removed the unused vapor recovery line and fuel return line from under the car.  I also removed the purge valve and charcoal canister.

(http://www.restorationmini.com/forum/MGalleryItem.php?id=2163)

(http://www.restorationmini.com/forum/MGalleryItem.php?id=2164)

(http://www.restorationmini.com/forum/MGalleryItem.php?id=2165)

Next I removed the fuel injection manifold and throttle body.  A couple of the studs came out of the head instead of the nuts backing off, but no big deal to fix.

(http://www.restorationmini.com/forum/MGalleryItem.php?id=2166)

(http://www.restorationmini.com/forum/MGalleryItem.php?id=2167)

(http://www.restorationmini.com/forum/MGalleryItem.php?id=2168)

I also got the new fuel pump mounted.  I have not yet hooked up the plumbing from the tank to the pump or the pump to the remaining hard line under the car.

(http://www.restorationmini.com/forum/MGalleryItem.php?id=2169)

(http://www.restorationmini.com/forum/MGalleryItem.php?id=2170)

Next was getting the replacement tank back in place and secured.

(http://www.restorationmini.com/forum/MGalleryItem.php?id=2171)

(http://www.restorationmini.com/forum/MGalleryItem.php?id=2172)

Finally, I separated the exhaust manifold from the head for replacing the gasket and removed the ECU.

(http://www.restorationmini.com/forum/MGalleryItem.php?id=2173)

(http://www.restorationmini.com/forum/MGalleryItem.php?id=2174)

Next up will be sorting the wiring changes.  I will be making a close comparison between the wiring diagrams for the last of the carb'd Minis and the SPI wiring diagrams.  I will make a list of the cross-overs by function and color code for others to reference.  This stage will entail unsheathing the harness sections involved to retain/adapt those segments necessary and removing all the no longer necessary portions.  I may tidy up some of the lamp wiring as well.

Spotted my backwards installed zerk :-[

No really any visible progress since the last update.  I've been reviewing wiring diagrams and identifying harness connections for the next stage.  Next will be stripping down the ECU wiring harness to remove all the no-longer-used connections and simplifying the relay connections.

By the way, would anyone be interested in any of the stuff removed?  (The fuel tank and pump have already been sold.)  The excess hard lines from under the car had to be chopped in order to get them out without dropping the subframes, so those are likely scrap.  The ECU, throttle-body-manifold assembly, and charcoal canister are available as is the purge valve and vapor trap.  The "distributor" will also become available soon.

A token amount plus shipping would be nice.  Otherwise they will all go to the dumpster.

Would using a new carb model harness work just as easy than going through the spi harness?  You'd need to pull out one and install the new harness but would it be cleaner and simpler?

It probably would be easier, but I am trying to avoid rewiring the lights and figuring out how to join the rear harness of the SPI system to the front harness of a carb system.

The easiest would be to follow the basic directions on Mini Mania where they leave the SPI's ECU harness in place.  For that, they jumper some connections at the big ECU connector and splice in a relay.  The drawback is it leaves all the extra connectors and unused wiring all over the place.

The big delay is I spend a big chunk of time checking up on my parents daily.  Mom is undergoing chemo treatments for a lymphoma and dad's health has been on the poor side for some time.  I am now their driver for appointments and such as well as the "sonny-do" person.

The contracting work I do from home gives me the flexibility to be caregiver.

A little bit of progress today.

I got some fittings for inserting the replacement temperature sender into the system.  I plan to run the coolant lines from the SPI manifold to the tube in the carburetor manifold and will insert the temperature sender in that loop.

I had some adapters left over from replacing a mechanical temperature gauge/sender on another Mini.  I selected one of those and soldered a grounding wire around it.

(http://www.restorationmini.com/forum/MGalleryItem.php?id=2176)

(http://www.restorationmini.com/forum/MGalleryItem.php?id=2177)

The next two pictures show the fittings for putting it all in line - including the 5/8 to 1/2 adapters necessary.

(http://www.restorationmini.com/forum/MGalleryItem.php?id=2178)

(http://www.restorationmini.com/forum/MGalleryItem.php?id=2179)

I also started tackling the ECU wiring sub-harness.  I pulled it back along the routing and unwrapped it for sorting out the lines I need to keep and which to remove.

(http://www.restorationmini.com/forum/MGalleryItem.php?id=2180)

(http://www.restorationmini.com/forum/MGalleryItem.php?id=2181)

(http://www.restorationmini.com/forum/MGalleryItem.php?id=2182)

(http://www.restorationmini.com/forum/MGalleryItem.php?id=2183)

A small amount of progress yesterday.  I forgot to take pictures during the work, but took some showing the end result of yesterday's effort.

I worked on cleaning up some of the wiring associated with the conversion.  In doing so, I had to unwrap the ECU sub-harness as shown in the previous photos.  I also had to unwrap a portion of the main harness to expose the wires for the purge valve and the unused auxiliary fan (was not re-installed during the front end restoration?).

The two yellow relays next to the fuel pump inertia switch were the aux fan relay and the Lambda (O2) sensor relay.  The O2 relay wiring was part of the ECU sub-harness and was removed with that.

The wiring for the Aux fan was traced back to near the 'Y' in the main harness where the ECU sub-harness connector comes in.  I clipped the feed lines (non-black) at different lengths, folded each end over and sealed in heat-shrink tubing.  One of the wires (Black with a green trace) went from the relay to the unused connector for the fan, so was just discarded.  The ground (black) wires I connected all together with a ring-lug and attached to the ground point where the dim-dip resistor is mounted near the radiator.

I then pulled the fuel pump inertia switch lines back to the 'Y' in the main harness, clipped them to remove the switch and used a butt-connector to bypass the switch function.  I covered the connection in heat-shrink tubing and laid it along the branch to the ECU harness connector.

I then re-wrapped those sections of harness and tucked them up out of the way.

(http://www.restorationmini.com/forum/MGalleryItem.php?id=2184)

(http://www.restorationmini.com/forum/MGalleryItem.php?id=2185)

I also cleaned up the stains from an apparent radiator overflow event and put wrapping (plastic wire conduit) over the portion of the main harness running along the clutch side inner fender to tidy its appearance.

(http://www.restorationmini.com/forum/MGalleryItem.php?id=2186)

A bit more progress on the reworking of the wiring harness.

As noted, I am modifying the ECU sub-harness to remove all the ECU and sensor connections.  There are some wires in the sub-harness that need to be retained as they are(oil pressure light, alternator light, tachometer feed).  Others need re-connected through replacement relays for part of those in the factory relay box.

I am going with two relays - one 5-pin and one 4-pin.  The 5-pin relay with be triggered by the ignition switch to power the fuel pump and feed the coil+ side.  The 4-pin relay will be the starter relay replacement.

In removing the no-longer-used connections, I took a rather "destructive" approach and clipped out the "easily located" sections first, rendering most of the removed stuff pretty much useless.  Things like the temperature sensor connector, manifold PTC heater connector, fuel injector connector, stepper motor connector, throttle potentiometer connector, air temperature sensor connector just got traced back to the ECU connector, cut off and tossed aside.

I then began tackling the rest of the harness, labeling the lines I would need and tracing out the lines from the connector for the sub-harness to join the main harness.

(http://www.restorationmini.com/forum/MGalleryItem.php?id=2187)

Starting at the connector to the main harness:

• There were 2 thin wires I could not identify on the wiring diagram for the SPI system: a) red with a white trace, b) dark green with what looked to be a white trace.  Both of these went directly to the ECU.  I suspect they were part of the immobilizer? These both got clipped, folded and capped in heat-shrink.
  
• There was one thin white with grey trace that would be for the accelerator pedal switch if equipped.  My ECU did not use that switch.  That wire was also clipped, folded and capped in heat-shrink.
  
• The thin green with blue trace wire is the line from the temperature gauge to the ECU.  This will be re-used as the line from the gauge to the new temperature sender.  It got clipped at the ECU connector to retain the most length of proper colored wire.
  
• The thin white with brown trace is for the oil pressure light.  It is being retained as-is.
  
• The thin brown with yellow trace is for the alternator dash light.  It is being retained as-is.
  
• The thin white with black trace is for the tachometer feed from the coil- location.  It is being retained as-is.
  
• The thick white with red trace is for triggering the starter relay.  It will be reused for the same purpose on the replacement starter relay.  (NOTE: This starter relay is not the solenoid, but sends power to the solenoid.)
  
• The thick white with pink trace is the return side of the trigger for the starter relay - paired with the white/red in #7 above.  This wire is a color mismatch from the wiring diagram - the diagram shows it should be white/light-green (automatic transmission) or black (manual transmission).  The connection was confirmed by continuity test through the original relay box.  This white/pink wire will be re-used with the white/red for the starter relay.
  
• The thin white wire is the main switch line from the ignition switch.  It ran to both the relay box and the ECU and had a three-way joint in the middle.  It got clipped at the joint and will be the trigger feed for the relay controlling the fuel pump and feeding the coil+.
  
• The thick brown with grey trace is the power from the fuel pump relay back to the inertia switch that was already removed.  It still feeds the line back to the fuel pump, so it was clipped at the relay box for re-use on the replacement relay.
  

That covered the wires at the connector to the main harness.  There were the remaining wires at the relay box:

• The two thick solid brown wires are main power lines into the relay box.  Inside the box, they route to multiple relays in different manners.  For the conversion, I was concerned with how they feed to the fuel pump and starter relays.  Both of these got clipped at the relay box for re-use.
• The thick brown with red trace is the controlled output from the starter relay to the starter solenoid.  It got clipped at the relay box for re-use.
• The medium thick solid brown to the Lambda (O2) relay is the main switched power into that relay.  Rather than trying to remove it from the solenoid connection, I clipped it at the Lambda relay for re-use as a switched power in at the new fuel pump/coil relay.
• The thick brown with pink trace is a main power output from the relay box to multiple items, including the coil+.  It went to a multi-line joint shortly past the relay box.  I traced the feed from the coil+ to that joint and clipped it there for re-using that portion for the coil+ from the new fuel pump/coil relay.

This picture shows how the unused lines were capped off.  The same method was used for the lines in the main harness that I capped earlier.

(http://www.restorationmini.com/forum/MGalleryItem.php?id=2188)

Here are a couple shots of the reworked sub-harness coming together with the replacement relays in place.  I have started securing portions together for fitting and routing before wrapping in more of the plastic wire conduit like the re-wrapped main harness.

(http://www.restorationmini.com/forum/MGalleryItem.php?id=2189)

(http://www.restorationmini.com/forum/MGalleryItem.php?id=2190)

What I forgot to get a picture of is the O2 sensor removed from the exhaust down-manifold.  I had the port plug left over from adding an air/fuel ration meter on another project.  I pulled out the O2 sensor and installed the plug in its place.

More progress today.

Finished up the reworked sub-harness and tidied it with more wiring conduit.  From the connection to the main harness:

(http://www.restorationmini.com/forum/MGalleryItem.php?id=2191)

To the replacement relays:

(http://www.restorationmini.com/forum/MGalleryItem.php?id=2192)

Around to the front:

(http://www.restorationmini.com/forum/MGalleryItem.php?id=2193)

And over to the starter, distributor (still has the old one installed) and leads to the alternator:

(http://www.restorationmini.com/forum/MGalleryItem.php?id=2194)

Even tidied up the wiring for the auxiliary lights:

(http://www.restorationmini.com/forum/MGalleryItem.php?id=2195)

I then turned to installing the new choke cable and fully routing the "dummy" heater cable into the engine bay.  That way it is already threaded through the firewall in case the desire to re-install a heater valve should come up.

This shows the switch panel loose and the cables re-threaded.

(http://www.restorationmini.com/forum/MGalleryItem.php?id=2196)

To loosen the switch panel, I carefully pried out the rocker switch for the headlights to get a finger behind on the nut for the heater cable.  I then turned the heater cable housing slightly use needle-nose pliers to grip the casing just behind the knob.  This was enough to loosen the nut and then I fully undid the nut with the finger through the headlight switch hole.  The other side turned out to have the support bracket loose, so it pulled forward and out with the panel.  The support bracket was held to the back of the panel by the blanking button for where the choke cable would install.

Here is the blanking button and spring clip that held it in place:

(http://www.restorationmini.com/forum/MGalleryItem.php?id=2198)

A close-up of the cables through the switch panel and the mounting brackets:

(http://www.restorationmini.com/forum/MGalleryItem.php?id=2199)

The cables through the firewall into the engine bay:

(http://www.restorationmini.com/forum/MGalleryItem.php?id=2201)

For mounting the switch panel back up, it was basically the reverse of the removal.  I did find a proper fitting nut, washer and star washer for the choke side mounting bracket so it is now fully secured.

The switch panel back in place waiting for the headlight switch to go back in - I had just finished tightening the heater cable nut.

(http://www.restorationmini.com/forum/MGalleryItem.php?id=2203)

The switch panel all back together:

(http://www.restorationmini.com/forum/MGalleryItem.php?id=2204)

And the heater re-mounted:

(http://www.restorationmini.com/forum/MGalleryItem.php?id=2205)

You're making great progress......hope you get to drive it again soon!  4.gif

Thanks.  Juggling schedules (contract work and care-giver duties) has slowed things some, but I have been able to keep it moving forward.

Next up is mounting and plumbing in the carb.

Not much progress today.

Got the seats back in from yesterday's work under the dash.  Started the fitting of the carb and intake manifold - lots of trial fitting followed by filing adjustments to the intake flanges one at a time so that the captive-washer nuts will fit properly.  Then finding some appropriate thin fender washers to cut and use for shims.

It may be the end of the week before I get back to it.  Mom goes into the hospital Monday for her next round of chemo, so the "care giver" duties dominate for the week.

Although I am doing the reverse process from you, this is what I did with the breather pipe. I removed the piece for the purge valve, capped the one outlet in the middle and adjusted the tab to support it.

I am doing something similar with my breather pipe.  The SPI breather pipe appears slightly different to start.

I did get a bit of time this afternoon to actually get the carb mounted (including the breather pipe).  I still have a bit of the plumbing of it to finish along with hooking up the accelerator and choke cables.

(http://www.restorationmini.com/forum/MGalleryItem.php?id=2206)

(http://www.restorationmini.com/forum/MGalleryItem.php?id=2207)

See, at this point, I want to keep the SPI, but I just want to tidy up the very busy engine bay.

I would have kept the SPI, but it was getting hesitation spots in different places of the rev range that indicated potential sensor issues.

I went looking for replacements for all of the sensors and found 1/2 are 'NLA'  - 'No Longer Available'.  That coupled with the difficulty getting the ECU serviced and/or locating someone with the correct ECU reader/reset tool that would be willing to loan it, ... it meant time to consider the conversion or some for of replacement.  The conversion back to carburetor seemed the least costly and least difficult/complex.

For future reference, have reader, will loan..but don't expect a reader to solve an issue. The information they provide has to be considered along with everything else. It is still an A-series under all that extra stuff.
Terry

Terry,

Very kind to offer the loan of the reader - usually folks are reluctant to let them out of their sight.

I see the reader as it is meant: a diagnostic tool to assist in finding issues.

Not that it's cheaper or such, but did you ever look into a standalone ECU like megasquirt or something, where you could replace OEM sensors with some aftermarket/generic ones?

Smurf: I have two systems on the shelf, Microsquirt and Specialist Components. Well the SC one is in the car.

There is no question that there are some implementation issues. On the other hand I have over 100K miles on an MPi car with just normal A series issues.

I had followed several other folks threads on the changing to a standalone ECU system.  The costs for the basic system tended to start a significant amount higher than the total cost of the carb conversion.

FI Gets really tricky with these engines because of the siamese intake ports on the heads. Typically the intake for cyl 1 will draw and then cyl 2 will open right after causing some interesting fueling issues with ensuring that both cylinders get the same quantity.

standalone would work better with an aftermarket head that was a 7 port or 8 port as the intakes for each cylinder would be dedicated and allow for better metering of the fuel.

Doesn't mean it cant be done though.... Typically I have seen a hybrid of the SPI setup with some new code added to the megasquirt so that the ECU looks for one injector instead of four.

What about micro squirt?

It is not clear to me that there are strong benefits to doing this relative to cost, but I am committed to and continuing to work on the systems.
This was more of learning project for me, but I am still looking for a reliable daily driver solution out of my learning project.

Microsquirt and Megasquirt are pretty much the same, but different packaging. There is code to deal with the port issue.
There are newer Megasquirt versions that deal with the port issue in a different fashion.

Costs so far are about $1300 all total.

I bought all the major components through Seven Enterprise for about $970 shipped (complete carb kit including manifold, spacers and filter, electronic distributor, coil, cables, temperature sender).

I've spent about $120 on the "incidental bits" such as the fittings for the temperature sender, hoses, fuel pump, clamps, relays, connectors.

The replacement tank was $175 shipped.

I could have saved some more if I had ordered from some of the UK suppliers and gone with a different distributor.

A little more progress today, but does not look like much.

I needed to put a thicker washer setup on the manifold mounting for the center exhaust branch to make a slightly better seal to avoid an exhaust leak.  That meant undoing part of the previous progress and then inserting the extra half washers.  Got that done and a bit more of the connections and plumbing of the carburetor in place.

The first picture shows the fuel line (with filter) and the manifold heater return line in place.  The second picture shows the accelerator and choke cables installed as well as the temperature sender fully installed.

(http://www.restorationmini.com/forum/MGalleryItem.php?id=2208)

(http://www.restorationmini.com/forum/MGalleryItem.php?id=2209)

I have one more connection to do for the cooling/heater system to be ready for refilling and burping.  Then it will be setting the basic timing and replacing the distributor and coil followed by testing and tuning.

The end slowly approaches!

Don't forget to put a grommet on the choke cable where it comes thru the firewall.....

I made my washers by starting with some really thick ones and welding a small blob on one side. then I ground the blob down till the washer lay flat on the manifold and still pushed on the exhaust manifold flange hard enough to seal it. I then marked the tops of the washers so I could always line them up right when I removed and reinstalled them again.

Do you think you have the end of the temp sensor far enough into the stream of water to get an accurate reading? My understanding is the whole end of the tube needs to be in the water.......

Lastly, make sure you have a good ground cable between the engine and the body, other wise your choke and throttle cables become the ground, and they don't like that!   ;D

I will be putting a grommet around the hole where the choke cable goes through the firewall.  I will probably re-use the rubber plug that was there and put a slot in it for the cable.

There is a thick braided ground strap on the clutch end of the engine.  I also turned the main ECU ground line into a secondary engine ground strap connecting to the head under the mount for the breather pipe at the clutch end.

The temperature sensor should be reasonably accurate in the setup I am using.  The adapter it mounts into has a gap all around the sensor tube with the end slightly proud of the adapter into the flow in the 'T' fitting.

I figured you were on top of it......just trying to contribute!   4.gif

I might not have remembered a grommet for the choke cable but for your reminder.

The other two items I was on top of.

I've read plenty over the years about other Mini owners experience with the choke cable becoming the engine ground strap.   :-\

I am using 1/2" ID fittings for the temperature sender.  It could have been done with 3/8" ID fittings as one of the adapters I have is that small; however, I did not like the very small amount of space for fluid to get around the sensor tube.  I also have a 5/8" ID adapter that would have provided lots of fluid exposure, but that would have made the whole assembly too large for that location.

The 1/2" fittings also matched the ID of the manifold heating tube.

The messy looking solder ring is a grounding strap for the sensor and runs back to the stud on the thermostat housing for the upper radiator mount.  I stripped back a long portion of wire and wrapped it both ways around the adapter the sensor seats into and soldered it all the way around so it is a solid connection.  Although some folks have suggested the coolant would be a sufficient ground for the sensor, I wanted the extra measure as the sensor is usually mounted in the head to get its grounding.

Yep, you need that ground wire coolant alone would not provide a sufficient ground. And would be a very bad idea you can turn your cooling system into a battery where electrolysis takes over and eats radiators, heater cores and engine blocks any time you have dissimilar metals water and add electricity you can get into trouble.

Some 3/4" heat shrink the good stuff with the glue in it over the fitting and wire with the wire bent to come out the top or bottom of the shrink looks cool and keeps the wire supported so it don't break off at the attach point.

Made some more progress today.

I buttoned up the coolant/heater lines and filled with distilled water.  (I plan to have the system pressure flushed again once running.)

I then started on the Distributor swap.  I marked the spark plug wires and removed the spark plugs - putting each plug back into the matching wire.

(http://www.restorationmini.com/forum/MGalleryItem.php?id=2210)

Next came addressing the cap for the old distributor.  I made note of which wire was for #1 cylinder for marking its position.

(http://www.restorationmini.com/forum/MGalleryItem.php?id=2211)

I removed and set aside the old distributor cap with the wires still attached.

(http://www.restorationmini.com/forum/MGalleryItem.php?id=2212)

This shows where I marked the body for where the #1 wire was located.

(http://www.restorationmini.com/forum/MGalleryItem.php?id=2213)

Next, I had to hunt for the timing mark on the crankshaft pulley.  The timing teeth are there, but rusty and so is the crank pulley!

(http://www.restorationmini.com/forum/MGalleryItem.php?id=2214)

I finally found it and put a small dab of silver/chrome paint into the timing mark on the pulley.

(http://www.restorationmini.com/forum/MGalleryItem.php?id=2215)

I then set it for initial static timing at about 7* to 8* BTDC.  That is just a starting point.  I will need to reference my manual for whether to use 7* to 8* or back it down slightly to 5* to 6* BTDC.

(http://www.restorationmini.com/forum/MGalleryItem.php?id=2217)

Here is where the old rotor ended up for that timing mark!

(http://www.restorationmini.com/forum/MGalleryItem.php?id=2218)

The new electronic distributor and new 3.2 ohm coil in place.  (The old coil was a 1.2 ohm coil.)

(http://www.restorationmini.com/forum/MGalleryItem.php?id=2219)

And ready for static timing.

(http://www.restorationmini.com/forum/MGalleryItem.php?id=2220)

I will need to check the manual for the static timing connections and procedure.  On Monday I will need to call Jack at 7Ent and verify it will be the correct procedure and connections for timing this electronic distributor.

I know it has been a while since I did an update.  I have not had a chance to get back to finishing up the timing and tuning.  I'm hoping to spend some time this afternoon on it.

Got a little time on it yesterday.  I "think" I have the static timing set.  This new distributor functions a bit different in that the 'trigger' seems to be dependent on the passing motion of the point of the lobe past a very narrow band of the sensor.  Just positioning them in alignment does nothing.

I hooked up my static light per the manual - in parallel to the distributor (+ of light on the coil -, - of light to ground) and it is always on!

I hooked it in series with the distributor (disconnect distributor - from coil, + of light on coil -, - of light to distributor -) and when using the gear lash of the distributor drive to pass the lobe back-and-forth across the sensor makes the light flicker.  So I set the timing to have #1 at ~ 6* BTDC and aligned the lobe and sensor.

I then tried to ensure I still get oil pressure by cranking the starter (in neutral, no plugs in the head, distributor cap still off).  I get some sort of arcing near the starter.  I can't tell where for sure as it happens only when turning the key to 'start' and lingers briefly returning to 'on', but ends when turned to 'off'.  I can only see the reflection of the arcing on the inner fender when turning the key.  I can't reach to turn the key and see the starter at the same time.  A friend will help me check that out on Monday.

Once I get that sorted, it will be on to checking out the fuel system - does the relay properly trigger the pump, pump flow fuel, etc.

Got the arcing figured out today.  I had the cap off the distributor and also not connected at the coil when cranking to check for oil pressure.  It was arcing between A and B in the following picture (coil+ to the high tension out socket).

(http://www.restorationmini.com/forum/MGalleryItem.php?id=2221)

Testing for oil pressure was also successful: cranked it with the power to the coil+ disconnected to prevent the arcing while still keeping the plugs out for minimum load while trying for oil pressure.  It started building pressure nicely on the second attempt (10 second bursts of no-load cranking).

We then put the cap on the distributor, plugs in the head and connected up the plug and coil wires - no more arcing.  The sound of the cranking changed appropriately for the cylinders building compression, but no fuel.

When I get the next chance later in the week to get back to it, I will put some fuel in the tank, reconnect the power to the fuel pump and begin tuning the carb.

Then it is hope it fires up.

I'm trying to do something similar.
Have an spi that being converted to twin 1 1/2 su carbs. I'll be mating it to a mk1 harness. What coil would I need to match it to the 59d4e dizzy?

It depends on whether there is a ballast wire/resister in your wiring harness.

The harness of the SPI on mine did not have any ballasting.  Jack at 7Ent recommended a 3.2 Ohm coil (the Lucas Sport coil) to go with the distributor.  If there had been ballasting, he indicated I could stay with the 1.2 Ohm coil of the original SPI.

He'll have a brand new mk1 harness, so this sounds like a low ohm coil and a later style dizzy will work just fine then.  Guess if the coil melts we'll know!

A little more progress. Put a couple gallons of fuel in the tank for a basic "leak test" of the lines and pump.  Got the pump to prime and send fuel forward to the filter briefly.  Then it looked as though it had quit flowing even though I could still hear the pump running.  Did some troubleshooting of the lines and was getting fuel to the filter and through the filter into a clear jug - although it did change colors a bit: from normal "yellow" to orange, then back to "yellow".  I suspect a small "clog" of old fuel scum in the hard line being reused from the fuel injection feed.  I also redid the line from the filter to the carb to ensure no tight turns to crimp the line.

I had already set the initial static timing and initial carb setting, so I got brave enough to try firing it up on those settings.  Cranked a bit without choke - did'nt start, but not "bangs" either.  Gave it a bit of choke and tried again - fired right up and idled smooth.  It would stay running smooth with dropping out the choke after just a few seconds even!

Just need to recheck the timing with a timing light and do the basic tuning of the carb, button it and and I'll be done!

Oh, and I put the boot lid back on since I won't have to be troubleshooting anything back there at this point.

I'll do a couple of final pictures once it is tuned and ready to drop of the jack stands.

Isn't that a great feeling, when they start right up and run nicely like that? Congrats on getting it buttoned up and on the road again...... 4.gif

The "plan" is to do the final timing and carb tuning later this morning.  Then put the bonnet back on and put it on the road.

Got a friend to help a bit this morning and did the dynamic timing adjustment to 8* BTDC at 1500 rpm per the Haynes manual as the timing for a 59D4 distributor.  Also did the carb tuning and now have it set for a warm idle at 1000 - 1100 rpm.  Idles very smooth, revs nicely and smoothly by hand in neutral.  All buttoned up and ready for a road test.  Did not get pictures of the finished effort yet.

Hopefully, I will get to do the road test and rad flush this weekend.

Pictures of it all finished and ready for the road test:

(http://www.restorationmini.com/forum/MGalleryItem.php?id=2223)

(http://www.restorationmini.com/forum/MGalleryItem.php?id=2224)

(http://www.restorationmini.com/forum/MGalleryItem.php?id=2225)

(http://www.restorationmini.com/forum/MGalleryItem.php?id=2226)

Got it out for a "shake down" run this morning - a little bit of neighborhood driving to go fill the tank all the way (no leaks!) and then some highway runs.  Accelerates nicely up the band - no more dead spots from stand-still or mid-range cruise.  Temperature gauge working nicely as desired.  Temperature comes up to the middle black mark and stays.

I did need to lower the idle a bit more once fully hot after coming back from the highway runs.  Otherwise, running sweetly.

That's awesome  4.gif

I drove it a bit more this afternoon.  Took it to a car wash and cleaned all the dust off.  I think I may want to add an extra return spring to the accelerator cable at the carb - it is a little slow to return all the way to idle, but 'blipping' the throttle will get it to drop.

Unfortunately, I also realized I have to make a tough decision about trying to keep the Mini.  I'm spending a lot more time providing care to my parents than expected (the reason the conversion took so long).  I'm also not doing as many hours on the contracting, so income is down a bit.  Neither "toy" is getting much time (Mini or the sidecar rig) and I am looking at needing to change my daily driver as well.    :(

I read through most of your thread here and am looking to do an SPi to carb conversion. I am piecing together parts but basically following the Mini Mania instructions on their website... I wanted to use this relay in the conversion but not sure if it is the same (the pins are the same but I don't know about anything else). I liked it because it came with the connectors for it to clean it up a bit. Any thoughts if this will work? https://www.amazon.com/GOOACC-Automotive-Interlocking-Harnesses-Warranty/dp/B01M74X0ZK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1538522075&sr=8-1&keywords=ar201+relay

Thanks!

What are you going to use the relay for?

And yes, they will work if wired correctly...which is very simple on these relays and they all wire the same way. terminals 85 and 86 are for the coil in the relay. 85 is the power from your switch, 86 goes to ground. When you apply power to 85 it pulls in the coil which then connects terminals 87 and 30. 30 is your fused supply, and 87 goes out to the load - fog lights, fuel pump, or whatever.

I don't remember the details of the Mini Mania article, but I believe they leave the ECU and all the no longer used sensors in place.  When I did mine, I completely removed the ECU and all sensors no longer necessary.

I seem to recall the relay in the Mini Mani article is to replace the fuel pump relay function of the multi-relay box that goes with the ECU (big black block usually mounted on a bracket above the brake unit).

Thanks guys. The mini mania instructions call for removing the ECU and wiring the fuel pump and starter to the relay.

I think I did separate relays for the starter and fuel pump.

The earlier posts from when I actually did the conversion should clarify.

Do you need a relay for the starter? Isn't there already one there? (AKA starter solenoid mounted on the fender?) If not, the pull in voltage for the starter is minimal so it shouldn't need a relay but it doesn't hurt. It would wire up exactly the same - the wire from the ignition switch is the trigger wire to terminal 85, then the load or output terminal 87 goes to the starter. Easy peasy.

In the instructions they say to take terminal 30 to ground - the only reason to go to ground with this wire is if that's how the system runs - I doubt it works this way but I don't know.....if the wire you hook to 87 is hot, then taking 30 to ground means a direct short.

I was mistaken it says main relay and fuel pump relay will be run by this relay. Here is the wiring diagram they have in the instructions. Looks like 86 and 30 go to ground
https://www.minimania.com/images/articles/AR201_lg.jpg

It sounds like their instructions have you retaining the factory "relay box" and the replacement relay gets wired to the ECU harness to shuttle power to the factory box.

My approach was to remove the factory relay box as well as all unused wiring.

The MM approach leaves behind all of the unused wiring and connectors.

I agree with Mplayle, eliminate all the ECUs and sensors and wire it normally. Simple is always better.....

In the middle of page 2 of this thread is where I outlined the wiring changes I did.  If I remember when I get back from the dyno day, I will look to see if I still have any of my hand notes detailing the wiring changes.  If so, I will scan them and upload here.

Mplayle,

Thanks for the info! I am going to try to tackle it like you have described... if you have any more notes you can scan i would be greatly appreciative. I am always nervous about wiring...also What is the 4 pin relay you used.. i have the 5 pin ones is that usable with your method.. sorry for the stupid questions... I've been going between your thread, mini mania instructions, and haynes manual schematics. about to tackle the front harness to get rid of all the unnecessary connections.

4 pin and 5 pin are the same relay,  but the 5 pin can be wired either normally open or normally closed, the 4 pin is normally open only. most relays have a wiring schematic embossed on the case you can follow.

Ditto what Dave said about the relays.  I used basic 4-pin ones from the local auto parts store.  Use the 5-pin you have in the "normally open" mode - ie: putting power to the low side closes the relay and energizes the high power side.

I believe all the notes and information I generated when I did the conversion are already attached in this thread.  I will have to reread the thread to be sure.

Thanks guys. I appreciate it!

I just did a quick check for my hand-written notes and could not find them.  They may be in some stuff in the garage. 

I re-read the thread and in the post detailing the actual wiring changes, I appear to have fully transcribed the content of the hand-written notes.

Your notes have gotten me pretty far so far! I have deconstructed the sub harness I do have a question. On the part where you have #8

"The thick white with pink trace is the return side of the trigger for the starter relay - paired with the white/red in #7 above.  This wire is a color mismatch from the wiring diagram - the diagram shows it should be white/light-green (automatic transmission) or black (manual transmission).  The connection was confirmed by continuity test through the original relay box.  This white/pink wire will be re-used with the white/red for the starter relay."

I don't have have the white with pink or black. There was a thick black that was attached to the smaller relay box connector. I have kept that with the white and red in case that's the black one you mentioned.

Ok I've been trying to route the wires for the two new relays. I've been staring at your pictures but not confident in the orientation off your pictures.

Relay #1
Br/ R - 87
2 Br wires - 30
W/ R - 86
Bk- 85 (ground? This is the white pink wire I didn't have that you did)

Relay #2 (not sure about the order of this one)
W -86
Br - 30 or 85?
Br/ Gr - 87
Br/ P 85 or 30?

Guys I appreciate all the help so far and for the write up that has gotten me this far. This is the last step for me hopefully haha

85 and 86 are the terminals that operate the relay - 85 comes from the switch and 86 is a ground.

30 and 87 are the high amp supply and load.

hmm the diagram with my relays have 85 as ground
30- high power feed
85- relay coil ground
86- relay coil feed (trigger wire)
87- high power output (open)
87a - Hugh power output (closed)

It will work either way, so no problem......

Quote from: MiniMike on January 16, 2019, 06:54:10 PM
Ok I've been trying to route the wires for the two new relays. I've been staring at your pictures but not confident in the orientation off your pictures.

Relay #1
Br/ R - 87
2 Br wires - 30
W/ R - 86
Bk- 85 (ground? This is the white pink wire I didn't have that you did)

Relay #2 (not sure about the order of this one)
W -86
Br - 30 or 85?
Br/ Gr - 87
Br/ P 85 or 30?

You have relay #1 correct.  Relay #2 should be as follows:

White - 86 (switched input from ignition switch)
Brown/Pink - 85 out to coil + (switched ignition to coil + feed)
Brown/grey - 87 out to fuel pump (high out to fuel pump via inertia switch if present)
Brown - 30 high input (to feed to fuel pump)

Hang on.....

85 and 86 are both hot? If you're using this to run the fuel pump, you need the white wire from the ign to 85 and 86 needs to be a ground.

The white from the ignition switch needs to eventually end up at the coil+ side.  So it comes in 86 to trigger the relay to activate the fuel pump and goes out 85 to coil+ and then from the coil- to ground.

The brown in at 30 is always live and the relay when triggered sends that on out 87 on the brown/grey to the inertia switch and on to the fuel pump.

With in-depth thought, it technically leads to very brief "flickers" of the fuel pump as the distributor (points) make/break the coil- to ground connection for firing the high voltage side of the coil.  These basically have no significant effect.

To fully avoid them, join the brown/pink and the white together on 86 and run a black to ground on 85.  The ignition switch will provide power on the white to the relay and via the brown/pink to the coil+.

You guys are awesome! I'll be trying to finish this project up this weekend. Hopefully will be successful haha! 🙌🏽🙌🏽🤣

Well I have nothing. Won't crank. Fuel pump doesn't kick on. I know I'm missing something but I literally have no idea what it could be. 🤦🏻‍♂️

Is the relay you added for controlling the feed to the fuel pump getting triggered when you turn the ignition on?   (Checking for bad relay.)

If the relay is triggering properly, check the inertia safety switch if still present.  If it got removed, make sure the wires that went to it are jumpered together, otherwise the color scheme of the relay noted earlier is not right.  I seem to recall the wire from the relay to the switch was one color and the wire from the switch to the fuel pump another.

When I did mine, I verified and traced all connections as I went because of variations between different harness configurations: some came wired for a factory alarm system that disabled the fuel system and ignition, some did not.  The color schemes between them had differences that were not always documented well.

The inertia switch was removed previously wires joined and connected to the brake master cap per instructions on mini mania. I believe I have the factory alarm / immobilizer. Should that be connected or can I discard it? I'm afraid that previous owners hacked the wiring up since I got the car in pieces and wiring was all undone.

Do you have a test light? If not you should get one - they're very simple to use and can tell you what wires are hot when the ign switch is on.....

I need to get one and go through everything. Had high hopes this would work first try 😑

When I got the car I converted to carb, it showed indications of already having the alarm/immobilizer removed.  It still had the fuel inertia switch and I left that in place.

I did not realize yours arrived to you "in pieces" with an already hacked harness.

I mean the harness was in the car but mostly everything was unplugged. The head lights were cut out and a few weird things. So I need to re go back to figure out what is missing I guess

Do you have a digital Multi-meter (DMM) you can use for continuity testing?

I used mine and some long jumper wires to test and confirm wires front to rear.  With using a DMM you can confirm the fuel pump power wire from the rear to the front harness connections near the radiator and then from there to your relay.

I don't have one. But trying to round up a few buddies that do to help me out. Heading out of town tomorrow so will have to pick this back up when I return. Will keep you guys updated.

Ok so I've re worked it a little bit. And got it to crank. But the fuel pump won't kick on (bench tested it so I know it works). I went chasing some wired and found out that the fuel pump white with purple and a thin brown wire had been put together and attached to my brake master. This has to be why it won't kick on because it's not attached to anything. Right??? Also I sometimes can get it to crank and sometimes not I think it's because the immobilizer?? I have the remote but not sure what to do. Any recommendations on where to wire the fuel pump wire that were put together into??

Ok after reading back through (for the millionth time) haha I think I'm going to re trace back to the main harness and see where I messed up. Clearly I missed the inertia switch connections. I think I need to connect that to the br/ gr that goes into the relay. I also need to figure out what's up with the immobolizer and if that's what causing me to sometimes be able to crank it over and sometimes I get nothing. On a positive... my tail lights and hazards work haha (but no brake lights 🤣).

Wow now I'm really confused. I found the inertia switch wires and bypassed the inertia switch by joining them. Still don't hear the fuel pump kick on. Then I fiddled around more and found out the car only cranks over when the light switch is turned on?? Digging through the Haynes Manual now. But this is what the wires to the light look like 🤦🏻‍♂️

SOS

Someone has really done a number on your wiring harness.  The Brown, Blue, and Red wires are correct for feeding the main headlight switch.  The splicing of the other colors to the switch connector is odd.

Note:
Brown = always live power into the switch
Red = power out from the switch to the running lights and dash lights (back lights for instruments)
Blue = power out to high/low beam switch (on steering column) which then feeds as Blue/white or Blue/red to the headlights.

If these are feeding anywhere else, there is a problem.

Those green based colors seem more like the connector from a wiper switch has been patched onto the ends for the headlight wires.

Just what I was afraid of... might be easier to get a new harnes at this point  haha well I have a few more things to check to see if I can't get this one to work. If not I don't know what to do.

Do you have a Haynes manual or the orange Service Manual?  The wiring diagram for a carb'd Mini I used as the cross reference when doing mine was the diagram for Minis from 1976 onward.

I will scan and attach that diagram and the key to it here.

It is what you are attempting to replicate.  Cross reference to the diagram for the SPI for the differences.

It does indeed seem like a new harness might be your best approach as more of your existing harness has been "bodged" versus where mine was still basically unmolested.

Might not be helpful, but I did an SPI to carb conversion and just bought a mk1 harness. Much easier!

Yes I've been referencing the same thing. Everything should be correct. I have a couple things I wanted to check that came to me in my sleep but not hopefull haha. Yes my harness seems to be cut up... for what I don't know.

Vikram I think I'm going to get a new harness. How was it hooking up the mk1 I was thinking about getting a late model carb harness then wiring in my fuel pump from the spi since I have the fuel pressure regulator already in and ready to go.

Pretty straight forward.

I did have to use a wing mounted solenoid since I had a A+ pre engage starter motor. Oh and the lights took a little trial and error, I remember Dan had to try a couple of combinations before they were correct.

I used a Mr Gasket 2.5 psi micro fuel pump, and that was very straight forward to hook up to the harness.

Thanks for the info. I guess I'll keep you guys updated.

Not sure what I did. But tinkered around for a bit with a test light. I think the plug to the ignition was loose or corroded but not sure. Whatever I did it got it to start! I need to adjust the carb and timing though. Again thank you so much for everyone's help. I think I read this thread at least 50 times haha.