Some TLC for my QV

The next big step concerned the integration of the EZ electric power steering. The first unit supplier had to be returned... The hight adjustment bolt and handle, carried over from the original column, could not be fitted: The holes on either side of the column didn't line up and by a huge margin. Expensive when you live on the other side of the world, time consuming and a hassle.
The second unit supplied was finally fitted, with many modifications necessary that go beyond what would reasonable be expected as production tolerances. That's as much a shame as it is unnecessary with minimal tolerance control at the factory that supplies the column hardware. I nearly gave up on this one. Here we go, that's the unit:

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On the RHD version, the adjustment handle ends up on the same side as the motor, so the handle cannot be turned 360° to fit it onto the original bolt with a fixed cross pin. EZ steering's solution is to remove the pin and just lock the steering in one height. I replaced the pin with a removable version, dropped into position once the bolt is correctly fitted. The pins is held in place by it's own friction on the column normally, and of you adjust the column and the bolt turns a large cable tie stops it from dropping. Having the column adjust down is NECESSARY to fit the shrouds! And it needs to be up to drive the car when you're my size - bolt with removable pin made from an old drill bit...

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That's where it goes, on the handle side:
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Secured:
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First issue solved.


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Intermediately I "repaired" the special washers Ferrari used on the column mount upper hong holes as they had come apart. That will hold them in place until things are tightened.
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Next issue. View of the ignition key lock with it screw holding it in place:
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The hole in the power steering was not only drilled at an angle other than 90° but also in the wrong position, so the lock screw couldn't be fitted:

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The difference had to be grinded away... and additionally, the lock screw hole was partially blocked a column flange - the black arc going through the hole:

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After correction, the lock fitted normally.

Next problem - besides all threaded holes being full of paint:
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the studs for the column stalks weren't normal to the mounting surface:
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and not deep enough!
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In order to fit the switch assembly, I needed to fit the studs and then bend both of them to be normal to the surface…

 

side show... l arge & deep scratch in the output shaft
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Next issue: The steering's main structure was heavily deformed and couldn't be fitted to the car as the holes didn't line up.

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Check: The car's side is pretty accurate:
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Superimposed with the column scan:

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That's crap; all angles and distances were off:

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It needed lots of shims everywhere to be able to fit it:
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Obviously, no jig was used to weld it all up. I finally managed to get the column in the right place:

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Next issue - fitment of the fixed cover between the shroud and the instrument panel. The milled slot for the supporting foot is in the wrong position, the screw on the left cannot be fitted:
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I cut and repositioned the foot and adjusted the screw hole support for the actual surface it sits on:

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Just to find out the damn thread had been cut at the wrong angle!

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So another solution needs be found for fitting that part - int form of cutting the repositioned foot and fitting the parts to the upper half of the shroud:
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This makes fitting and removal very tricky once the ip is installed, and without the hight adjustment I re-enabled, wouldn't have been possible. Very unsatisfactory quality issues. This is simple ****, damn. Getting distances and angles within 1mm and 1° not possible??

The last, know and acceptable modification concerned the removal of internal reinforcement walls and trimming of the shroud halves to permit passage of the motor on the side and sensor at the bottom. It would have been nice of EZ steering to supply printable paper templates for that, so that the trial and error process wouldn't lead to too much removal.

Sensor template
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Walls removed, template taped in:
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holes cut:
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testfit

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Ready for paint
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Painted
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Fitted with the original wheel:
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That wasn't the end of it. Yet.

 

Gunn there is no such modification required on the Mondial. Basically a straight swap of the old upper column with the EPS. If everything fits it's easy...

 

Next ESP issue... The upper column bearing was loose inside the column support, there was noticeable play in all direction. I had to add a thin strip of metal to stop bearing movements, sliding it between the bearing outer race and column seat. That stopped the play:

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Also - small issue but still: The groove for the key was much deeper than the original, so the key sort of dropped into the slot, only protruding 0.7mm. It was not easy to get it back out...
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Again, I cut a small spacer to fit below and rise it to useful levels:
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Next issue: When I tightened the steering wheel, the horn came on! The cone must have been slightly smaller = the hub came to rest further down, and the horn slider ring mounting taps came into contact with the hub!
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Contacted here:
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A file solved that issue:
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Next issue: When testing and pulling the daylight flasher - that whole circuit shortened out. What I found was that the milled out cable passages at the bottom of the column where the switch assembly mounts were too short by a few mm.
An unused tab on the switch assembly sticking out was in interference there and scraped through the paint, shortening out the circuits:

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Scrape mark:
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Bending that tab solved this issue:

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There was a lot here, all of which was only due to sloppy production and very obviously no quality control. And all of it had nothing to do with its function as a fantastic upgrade to the car. On this one, I was close to giving up. It could never have been done with the dashboard inside the car by the way - you'd go nuts.

 

Last modification required was related to the cone dimension - like the horn issue - as the hub sits slightly lower it scraped on the plastic housing around the switch assembly. I simply cut off a few mm from the bottom of the hub to assure clearance:

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That permitted the the fitting of it all without activating the horn, blowing a fuse, play in the column, tight fit of the steering wheel and scraping sounds while turning the wheel...

Speaking of scraping sounds - and unrelated to the EPS - since I have the car, there were persistent scraping sounds from inside the column shrouds, the hub being too large in maximum diameter because it wasn't concentrically machined!
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No matter how the shrouds were fitted, they alway scraped somewhere, hence the marks on both upper and lower halves:

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With all these modifications, everything fitted AND there no more scraping sounds.

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Since this part is not visible on the Mondial, I didn't mind modifying to eliminate the defect.

 

Restored exhaust muffler hangers refitted Image Unavailable, Please Login

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HVAC vacuum tank positioned with check valve prepared
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Serviced engine and remaining drivetrain parts collected at the service center to deliver to Blackbird for refitting:
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car being collected for transfer
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during the transfer
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safe arrival and parked in good company. The bent front spoiler is very very disturbing...
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Wheelarch clearances without drivetrain:
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On the lift for fitting hoses and break lines
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Brake lines going in
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HP ac hose fitted
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brake vacuum and heater hose fitted and 3d printed cover (white) adjusted to fit
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This will need some adjustment now the hoses are in
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in the meantime - coolant hoses in the tunnel
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fuel accumulator, pump with connection pipes
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restored fuel sender
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Pedal box and AC dryer/hose in!
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Restored fuel tank straps and spacers

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fuel pump, accumulator, filter and associated restored pipes
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feed and return to the fuel distributor inside the rh rear wing
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restored subframe ready for the engine
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getting the engine bay ready with every all hoses in
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and air intake ducts refitted
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ignition modules fitted
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some shots of the engine bay before fitting the forward heat shields
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fuel filler tubes
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Front end coolant pipes layout
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Condenser Fan connected Image Unavailable, Please Login
differential brake pressure switch connection
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new brake hoses everywhere
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guide with grommet
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Big day: Engine ready for reinstallation

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and done!
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On a side show, the lh door jamb trim cover modification got done
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Superglue, ABS, PLA scraps
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Neatly packed now on passenger side
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and on the driver's side with the original panel
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Some wheel arch / engine bay shots for reference



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V-belts installed
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Special nut for the alternator bolt, allowing 1 person to tighten the belt and the bolt...
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Fuel lines connected
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AC compressor connected
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where's that nut gone??
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15 mins cooling system leak test ok Image Unavailable, Please Login
AC system charging and it's holding too
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ignition modules connected to the wiring loom and MP hose
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Another HUGE step - dashboard in. Not fun, there is so much behind that could end up in the wrong place and it's not visible while you fit it.
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Starts to look like a car again, with motor and dashboard
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Next I reconnected the electric board
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And got power into the system - no smoke and funny smells - all fuses intact. Good start... after all the work that went into the wiring looms and all components:
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Check control seems reasonable too
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And the engine did eventually start!
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and so did the fans
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But the fuel gauge didn't budge... it was functional before.
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One more EPS chapter... the dashboard tie near the column needed to lengthened so the lower panel clears the motor:

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at this stage I chose the easy way out - instead of fabricating a new longer version... here we go. That's ok the the time being as it's only loaded in tension:
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More work in the front bay - some shots for reference before fitting the spare wheel well permanently
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Spare wheel well fitting - pop rivets and body sealer so it stays dry inside
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Engine bay air guide refitted
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anti-corrosion access holes plugged
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Condenser fan with thermo switch connected
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Pop-ups work that's good to see
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first alignment required for test upcoming drives
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good company
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and moving under it's own power again!

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Big step toward road-worthiness achieved
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And... after the first test drives - magically, the fuel gauge became alive again! On its own. Don't ask. One headache less
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Headliner refitted, incl. 3rd stop lamp
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And the fuse box neatly arranged
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Electrical checks continue. Aerial works but one stage refuses to extend. Strange as this is a NOS part.

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That's a stop lamp "on" with the tail lamps - the contact insert in the socket bracket needed to be turned around 180°!
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easy fix
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No LEDs - just a goo earth:
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The front works normally
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The horn... quick low honk then nothing. The compressor worked perfectly when connected directly. But the the button would cut out after an initial contact. And only the low frequency horn worked, the other one was essentially dead. This was a problem known from previously I never addressed because I thought it was down to the wiring. Well it's finally not a wiring issue. So... New trumpets ordered. I regretted that because my original ones were cast alloy, the new ones plastic. But they work! Really well!!

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Equipped with the 2 reproduced end caps, they do look original - the new cap looks cheapo compared the original. Just a detail.
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The button showed heavy corrosion on the contact area - cleaning it up and reassembling solved that issue
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One final word re the horn button, for the purists - I did get a replacement horn button because they are readily available, work and fit perfectly well, and reasonably priced. But... it did look crude compared the original version. The horse's chrome outline was really clunky looking:
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So, the original went on. It was quite disturbing to look at IF you know the original finely worked part.

The wiring loom cover on the rh front leading to the electric box refitted - it does protect the loom while you move the spare:
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New coolant sticker
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I hid the red DLR trigger wire running from the electric board to the DLR ecu across the front bay inside a black hose - it's invisible now:
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One persistent issue was the removal of the rh side of the front bay firewall and battery cover, which always resulted in some sort of damage to car and hands. The reality was that, much like the trunk liners, those parts were simply not cut down to the correct size after production. Once cut to the correct size, these parts actually fit and are removable with out need of band aids...

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Here we go! It fits with the seals as specified in the SPC
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For the Cantonese speakers here
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