build diary

August 17, 2004: The instruments are working now!
It turns out there was a badly corroded connection on the back of the instrument panel. Replacing the circuit board with a known good one solved the problem. Now I have a tach and an oil pressure gauge. Still no speedometer but that's not going to change any time soon and really isn't a great priority. I've packaged up the wiring in the engine bay to make everything look neater. I might even take advantage of the new giant 20,000+ CFM fan at Flyin' Miata to work out a decent little wind deflector. Am I just doing small things that will improve people's impressions of the car? Why, yes I am! There are a lot of folks who will be checking the Seven out this weekend at the Flyin' Miata Open House.

I also weighed the car last night. It's a little heavier than anticipated - I probably underestimated the exhaust system. Still, a full wet weight of 1257 lbs isn't bad at all. That's with a full tank of gas, water, all the body parts and even a fire extinguisher. The empty car is slightly tail heavy (52.7% on the rear) and almost perfectly balanced left to right. The cross weights are also very good. The moral? It'll handle best with a passenger. I don't think it will be a problem finding one this weekend.

Pulling into my garage last night, it looked odd. It was too big and too empty. It's the first time the Seven hasn't been there since January! All that's left is a bunch of debris.

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