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A refit of my 2002 mk5

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  • #16
    Mono's look great, love the colour also well done What u got planned ice wise?

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    • #17
      Heya Everyone.

      To summarise my world in relation to the refit recently with a swift and completely apt turn of phrase: A f***ing nightmare.

      To build the ISMC (InSmart Media Centre) system, I got the following components:

      1x Rasperberry PI B+
      1x Mimo 720-F USB monitor
      1x 3.5mm to 3.5m audio jack
      1x USB speakers (for testing)

      ..and put them together. Sadly, to get the USB monitor to work with the PI requires some hackery with Linux and this is where my nightmare began.


      My nightmare hath begun




      If you are not a hacker-type person, you can safely ignore the next section, which incidentally, contains the reminder of the swearing in it.

      ---
      So working with a PI in of itself is not hard. Using a SSH terminal to work with it is a breeze (I run a Web Server with a B model and administer it whenever I get a chance on SSH).

      However, working with a B+ and trying to make a GUI work with the terminal is a pain in the nuts. Its not so much the admin work that is the problem but installing the monitor and the software is just simply not a straight forwards motion.

      The monitor
      Installing the monitor took 4 or 5 attempts at installing the OS. One of them was due to the filesystem f**king up, the rest was just sheer hell with trial and error included. On the fifth attempt, it finally worked. Seriously though, the drivers to make it work are just a pain in the a**. At the moment, it still isn't fully working but we are the point where at least I know the resolution.

      The software
      Considering I wrote the damn software, you'd think I would know how to install it? Kinda. When you are up on a Sunday night fuelled by Relentless, the combined effects of taurine, caffeine and finding a new hatred for Java exceptions, you quickly lose sight of how to do stuff. Anyway, after a file not found exception and a SQLite exception, the thing started but of course,the wildly different implementations between Windows and Linux means behavioural difficulties between the two platform means that one command on a Linux machine may not quite work as you would see on a Windows machine.

      One particularly amazing headache was that the software has a bug in it that when it reaches the next hour, instead of simply rolling over to the next hour, it resets back to the first hour. So if it is saying 13:59:59, it will go to 13:00:00 rather than 14:00:00. It is not a biggie as the clock pod isn't going anywhere (yet...) but it looks weird.
      ---

      After a lot of p***ing around with the damn thing (sorry), I finally got it fullscreening correctly and ready to test. And thankfully, with just a trickle of drama (I messed up a database entry so it missed a track) it finally works!

      My next job is to hack the radio wiring with a ISO extension so that I can simply plug the thing into the Smart speakers rather than have a separate speaker set in the car. Also, I need to finish writing the sync function so it can catalog the stuff from your USB stick so it can be played. Also, album grouping and custom playlists would be nice.

      Some debugging screenshots of the software itself (guess who is a Trekkie)...


      The date/time screen - not a lot to see here...



      The media player screen. A timer would be nice but it works at the moment.




      After Beaulieu, I am going to see if I can write some OBDII reader capability into it so that it is more than just a media centre.

      Next big thing is to mount it and get it powered in the car.
      Last edited by Ocracoke; 04-01-16, 10:44 PM.

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      • #18
        Since my last post, I've been working on the ISMC almost exclusively with regards to the refit. As far as the interior and exterior goes, that needs cleaning and a bit of detailing but the ISMC is the big thing at the moment.

        Since last time, I have written the "By Album" playlist sync routine and fixed the damn time bug (it was showing the month instead of the minute). The big thing, from a hardware perspective, is that I've hacked together the mounts to run it in the car.

        Cue the photos.

        The first go at lining up the holes.


        It was 8:15am when I took this. Guess what that drill is going to be used for?


        Some roofing bolts fit the bill perfectly. It works, no?


        This picture is completely indicative of what my office, shed and head is like.

        So with all that done to the point where it can all come apart easily, I tried it out at home and then in the car. Through a miracle, it works as in, the whole thing lights up and works, although there is terrible feedback from the test speakers, I hope that is rectified when I add in a connection to the car speakers.

        The only big concern I have, after getting over the elation of getting it to work, is the mount just looks too low. I may push it up to the middle row of screw rows (there are three) on the hinge. This is all things I can change easily, it works, that is the main thing.

        At this point, I am happy enough to take it Beaulieu with a bit of tidying up of the wires and what not. Certainly going to look different, that is for sure.

        Also, I put white wheel nut caps on the car as well. Little things help make the overall thing look good, no?


        Little white nut caps.

        Last edited by Ocracoke; 04-01-16, 10:45 PM.

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        • #19
          So the car made it to Beaulieu and I certainly got some attention from the people there (including one of The Smart Club here as well ) for the paintwork and angel eyes. Didn't make it to the top 10 for that event but hey ho, next year, hey?

          The Media Project developed a fault in the monitor the day before the event and I tried to fix it but I suspect the combination of where the monitor is, perched on the edge of a suspended mount and the shaking of the car has damaged it. The PI is ok but the monitor may well be terminal so I will have to consider alternatives. That is why it did not make it.

          Beaulieu gave me some invaluable insight into my next move with the car though. I would think that an interior retrim is the next move and a bit of engine dressing but given that this is my daily driver, that could prove tricky to keep clean. Lambo doors is another option but damn costly (I think Smart Car Specialist want £2200 to supply and fit). Looks good though - I liked it on the 450 there - D4 DBW). Thoughts anyone?

          There is still the matter of the paintwork as well. The door and the front needs doing again and next year I may well do it again. Hmm...

          Still, the car did over 500 miles in one day without missing a beat. I dread to think of the condition of the oil - time for an oil change I think 2000 miles early.

          Standing proud


          Proud to be...
          Last edited by Ocracoke; 04-01-16, 10:46 PM.

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          • #20
            I would say do the interior, don't bother with engine and then do your door again. Didn't go Sunday but your car is nice, oh yeah don't bother with Lambo doors

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            • #21
              I would say do the interior, don't bother with engine and then do your door again. Didn't go Sunday but your car is nice, oh yeah don't bother with Lambo doors
              Hmm... I guess the engine makes sense given that it isn't in a particularly easy position to show off. I've been staring at my interior, trying to get some ideas together about what to do. I'll be drawing it up later on this weekend/next week. As for Lambo doors, if I was going to resell it, I wouldn't but... hmm.

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              • #22
                Heya Everyone!

                Since Beaulieu, the car has been running reasonably well over the winter. It has given me time to consider what I have already done on the car and what needs doing.

                Ultimately, the thing I am most unhappy with is the paintwork. Granted, it is quite sparkly and nice to look at in the sun but in anything else, it looks a touch flat. That, and some over-zealous painting means there are runs all over the shop and the amount of flakes in the lacquer varies in intensity between panels (this is down to being painted at different times).

                Mechanically, the car was running as well as it ever did until recently. I still want to get an oil cooler on it and then remap it but ultimately, its fine for the moment. However, at the moment the car has been in the garage and they found that the passenger side front wheel bearing had shattered and the wipers seized. The ABS sensor also has started to die as well, so that is being replaced as well. The lack of any appreciable outdoor space at home really hinders fixing the car.

                This year, therefore, is more about visual appearances than anything else. I've sorta-kinda-decided on the colour scheme this year and will be working on the interior as well as the exterior this time around as well. I've spent the tail end of the year getting a replacement set of interior stuff (dashboard, door cards and Roadster seats) and will probably send them off to the trimmers but I've not decided on what material to cover them in yet (I did moot denim at one point...).

                The paintwork on the panels is something I can do, just remembering not to rush it. The Tridion, on the other hand, will need some body shop attention as there are two rust bubbles and various scratches/dinks everywhere. I can flat/rust cure/fill/scotch/prime the Tridion but ultimately, the Tridion will need a repaint. Alternatively, I could vinyl cover the Tridion but I am not keen on that. As a side question, did the Tridion get lacquered? I assume it did.

                I would like to get this second (and hopefully last) phase done by Gaydon (assuming July/August for that one) and maybe even take it to Santa Pod for a "run what you've bring" event around September (anyone interested?). Hopefully, before Beaulieu 2015, it should all be done.

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                • #23
                  So my car came back from the garage last week - around £950 gone on new wiper linkages (one side rusted up?!) new wiper motor (overloaded), ABS sensor (which I am not entirely sure is resolved), turbo pipework re-jigged (I fluffed up the explanation last time about installing a cycle valve so the engine management light was lit) and, since I am a utter child, I had a Evil Twin dump valve fitted (I believe it was a development version - there is a thread on it here about it somewhere about it being tested at Santa Pod).

                  Anyway, after coming back, I started work on fixing up the panels but one thing led to another and now I need a new boot panel (this was due to a oh-so-slightly hamfisted attempt at plastic welding with a hot air gun). Still. the busted wheel arch looks... better? The photo was from a first pass with some filler/primer. I've since added about 5 layers more and sanded down so it doesn't look quite as rough as below. When you consider that the bolt hole was shattered to the point where the bolt head couldn't grip onto the arch before, it doesn't look that bad, surely?



                  After that, I've quickly come to the realisation that as the panels need a repaint and I've got 101 things going on this year, I cannot afford to paint them. Good thing I've still got the original Black panels. ^^ At the moment, the back of the car is a odd mismatch between the white and black (its really disorientating).

                  My plan now is to still do the interior but reinstate the black panels. I'll probably end up painting small details on the car, such as bolt heads and the arch extenders to make the car stand out. Still, the black panels aren't perfect themselves but nothing as drastic as the white panels need doing.

                  My aim is to have a "rough and ready" thing going by the 3rd of April, when I'll be heading to get a remap done. After that, I might even make it to the Ace Cafe for the meet there (I missed the last one...) and then continue improving/modding/fabricating parts for the interior for Gaydon.
                  Last edited by Ocracoke; 04-01-16, 10:46 PM.

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                  • #24
                    Have a VERY good condition boot lid panel here IF you want it chap
                    Www.BigPerformance.Co.Uk

                    020 328 REMAP (02032873627)
                    07702948467
                    STAR diagnostics. Remapping. Dyno. Key coding
                    TAN codes. SCN codes. Body shop. Trimming. Crash repairs

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                    • #25
                      Have a VERY good condition boot lid panel here IF you want it chap
                      .

                      I'll have to see but may have it. Depends if I have enough money.

                      In preparation for the remap and to try and resolve a lumpy idling issue when warm, I took a brave pill and changed the spark plugs today. Using a standard plug socket and a HT lead remover (annoyingly from MB...), I got the top three out without much drama. The bottom three were, by comparison, impossible to get out. Took a trip to Halfords, grabbed a long reach set and used a torque wrench to get the plugs out. Even then, the bottommost left plug was slightly obscured by some turbo pipework so that had to be loosened as well.

                      Anyhow, with a bit of gumption, the plugs came free. The topmost right plug was fouled to hell, which probably explains a great many things. The rest of the plugs were OK as below.



                      Its really satisfying doing this. The SmartMod HT leads, which were fitted when the engine was first rebuilt, are nearing the end of their life, so at least I know they need doing. Plus, its guaranteed that all six the plugs were changed and I saved a bunch on labour fees (I dread to think what a B service would cost these days).

                      My overarching thought having done the service is that their just is no excuse for not doing the bottom three. I managed to do it without removing the crash bar and if I had all the tools from the start, it would probably have taken me 30/45 minutes to finish bearing in mind this was my first time doing it.

                      I figured it didn't make sense to change the Oil (I did it 4500 miles ago, so it should still be good) and since a oil cooler is going to be fitted anyway, it didn't make sense.
                      Last edited by Ocracoke; 04-01-16, 10:47 PM.

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                      • #26
                        Around Easter, I finally had a remap done by Ian at B.I.G. Despite a boosting issue with the turbo (may yet order one from B.I.G - definitely going to need to save some money first), the car feels more as if it has more torque. I'd be interested in putting it on a dyno to see what the figures are saying.

                        While we were chatting with Ian, we talked about some custom paintwork. To try it, I am painting the interior bezels white and then let my wife finish them before clearcoating them. Should make a nice piece for Gaydon if they look good.

                        With regards to the bodywork, I am still rather undecided on wherever or not to repaint the arch and new boot panel (when I get it) or sand down the existing body work to match the wheel arch, so it looks "faux rat-rod" until I spray them again. It isn't possible to do a full respray this year so.. hmm...

                        I've also decided on adding in two new pods into the car, adding in a oil temperature gauge and a boost gauge. I've tried ordering ones where the needle looks standard Smart but it's proved impossible. Fortunately, I have a pair of left over pods from a previous project I could use. Alternatively, I could just alter the needle on the pods slightly to remove the bit that doesn't look like it is from Smart.

                        With them the other pods an the speedometer, I want to change the faces for a custom variety, which I am reasonably confident I can do before Beaulieu.

                        Finally, the final thing to do on the car for this refit (marking the end of this project... for now) is to get a engine plate made.

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                        • #27
                          That oily plug points to a serious issue that warrants further investigation, particularly before any increase in boost is considered. Making other gauges work in the pods is a nightmare, it took me several hours to make mine fit because of the cable which i could not remove the connector from. Can you remove the needle, or most of it and the glue the smart one on top?

                          Cheers!

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                          • #28
                            Originally posted by Kapt. Q View Post
                            That oily plug points to a serious issue that warrants further investigation, particularly before any increase in boost is considered.
                            Indeed it does. I'll be whipping off the spark plugs when I fit the oil cooler in the next week or so to check the status of the new plugs I put in (especially top right).

                            Originally posted by Kapt. Q View Post
                            Making other gauges work in the pods is a nightmare, it took me several hours to make mine fit because of the cable which i could not remove the connector from. Can you remove the needle, or most of it and the glue the smart one on top?
                            I've read that it is a nightmare, principally because of the depth of the gauge. Since I've bought a pair, I can live with the non-standard look if I place one either side of the standard pods but there is an intention to change that as well. As for removing the needle, they've yet to arrive so I don't know is the simple answer. I can't see it being an issue though, just being freaking careful.


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                            • #29
                              Since the last update, painting of the interior bezels and such has progressed. The speedometer, rev and clock pods and stalk end caps have been painted. I've also been painting the circles in the SE drive cover.

                              So they went from this horrible brass colour:


                              ...to being sanded and then painted. The other rings went through a similar process.






                              After they have all dried and hardened, they'll be detailed and then clearcoated.

                              I had the front off last weekend to fix a lighting issue on the car (which sadly led to the Angel Eyes being decommissioned as it shorted somewhere causing the fuse handling the interior instrument lights to die). While I was doing that, I was plotting where to mount the oil cooler.

                              I was thinking possibly here (as below)? Does anyone have a better suggestion for it or is where we think it should go be OK?
                              Last edited by Ocracoke; 04-01-16, 10:49 PM.

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                              • #30
                                Looking good! I painted my circles too, lol.



                                Some people mount the cooler up front, I'm not a fan because of the long lines, with one as big as yours I doubt it would matter if it was out back some where, that way you have a reserved spot for your charge cooler radiator

                                Cheers!

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