Weather Pack Connectors

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Major System Category: ISIS Wiring
Task: Build weather pack connectors for doors and tail lights
Parts: 4 x 6 way cinnectors
           2 x 3 way connectors
Prerequisite Tasks:
Additional Costs: $49
Time Requirement: 2 hours
Date Started: January 25, 2014

Date Completed: January 28, 2014

One of the things I worked on in late November was connecting the tail light and door assemblies into the main wiring circuits. I was so intent on just getting something to connect that I failed to consider the greater problem of moisture on these contacts. I recognized, correctly, the doors and tail light assembly need to be able to disconnect from the main chassis. I did not wire this up the first time through with any consideration to rain or car washes or any of the other things that can mess up an electrical connection.

These are the little parts that can get dropped, wander away or get lost. On left hand side of the dish are the posts. These fit inside the barrel terminals. The green insulator fits over the barrel connector and the reddish/brown are the individual wire plugs.

The other issue was that by making an individual connection for each circuit, I had a real mess of wires on my hands in the tail light area, and burgeoning mess in the door area. I understand today how everything connects, but what about three or four years from now when something quits working and I need to go into the area.

This is a 6 way connector for the passenger door. Two wires for the popper, the interior lights and power  windows. These wire colors correspond to the wire colors used for the circuits and those colors are dictated by ISIS wire circuit color.

My solution is to go with a weather pack connector that is water proof and vibration proof when it comes to connections. By the time I figured this out, winter had descended with a heavy hand on the Northern Man Cave. I only really got to work the first ten days in December, after that it was just too cold. I mapped out the wiring for taillights and doors. I had 8 wires running to the tail lights and six wires running tot he doors (not counting the speaker wires that I am going to run continuous from the head unit). This will be a maintenance problem.

These each go on the single bulb rear tail light.

The weather pack connector consists of two hard plastic pieces. One holds the barrels and the other the posts. There is a inner rubber insulator to keep water out that fits over the barrel connector and individual rubber plugs that slip over each wire. These are pressed into the back end of each connector. Wires are crimped to the post and barrel terminals. (I really suggest doing these one at a time so as not to get confused.)

These are not a bunch of dying cockroaches. These are the six weather pack terminals I built. Four for the tail lights and two for the doors.

I decided to go with a uniform six inch wire to form the pig tails. To this I measured out 1 foot and cut it in two. The rest just involves stripping the end of the wire and crimping it to the connector. These connects have two "ears" that hold the connector in place. The connector snaps into place. It can be removed using a special tool that fits over the connector and pushes the ears down.

Headlight wiring - Circuit 1/5

<< Mount Headlights and Turn signals                     Gen II GTM Front Grille >>

Major System Category: ISIS Wiring
Task: Wire up head lights
Parts: Kit wiring
Power Cell: 1
Circuit: 5 - WHITE
Master cell: WHITE/GREEN
Prerequisite Tasks: Head lights new to mounted
Additional Costs: N/A
Time Requirement: 2 hours
Date Started: October 20, 2012
Date Completed: March 30, 2013

The GTM comes with Phillips H9 HID bulbs for both the high and low beams. The first thing the needs to be done is build the KET connectors. These fit into the plugs that fit the H9 bulbs. I looked up this YouTube video that shows how to put everything together.

Now that I am beginning to rough in the wiring, I realize I need to get serious about grounding points on the frame. I also need to think strategically about where to run wires and how long those runs need to be. Finally, I need to seriously start figuring out where I am going to mount my power cells. I have staked out space for the master cell and one power cell to live under the dash on the passenger side; I need to find space for 3 power cells under the hood; one more power cell in the engine bay. And I may need one more power cell.

I ran wires over the front grille opening in wire loom to connect the headlights  and fog lights together.

One modification is to relocate and SHRINK the washer fluid container. I think I can put this on the passenger side since I eliminated the coolant overflow tank because I am going with Crash's header tank. My intention is to mount one power cell in place of the standard washer tank location. This is above the battery on the driver's side.

When I started this post, I didn't even have the power cells. Since that point in time, have all power cells mounted and deployed. I mounted power cells #1, #3 and #4 on the center aluminum panel. The mega fuses are on the other side.

Since the high beams and low beams run on separate circuits, I am running lines from the passenger side to the driver side to connect both circuits. This line is mounted in the lip of the hood above the grille opening.I ran the feed wires from Power cell #1 along the driver side inner wheel well to the driver side head light then over to the passenger side.Ground go to terminal blocks mounted on the inner wheel wells. these will be sealed with Automotive Goop.

The power cells are mounted facing forward. The one thing I did run into was interference from the hood louvers. The Vraptor ones are bigger and deeper, so I had to cut a notch to ensure I didn't end up rubbing a wire. I also shortened the data bus cable.

Update: One thing that did happen as I worked on the front end of the car was that the connectors for the headlights did not hold together very well. I ended up ordering prewired pigtails from Auto Lumination. Ultimately, I ended up with 1 master cell, 4 power cells and one motion cell. I'm sure I could find room to mount one additional cell if I had to, but space is pretty tight.

Side Markers

<<  Parking Lights                                                 next  >>

Major System Category: ISIS Wiring
Task: Wire up the DRLs
Parts: Side Marker Lights
Power Cell: 4
Circuit: 8 - GREEN
Master cell: N/A - Controlled via control stalk and/or Kenwood DNN990 HD
Prerequisite Tasks:
Additional Costs: Side markers - $20
Time Requirement: 90 minutes
Date Started: November 24, 2013

Date Completed: November 24, 2013

The base GTM design make no allowance for side markers. There are not even any reflectors. My buddy Brian observed that with a car this low to the ground and nothing to reflect on the sides is probably asking for trouble. I purchased two sets of side markers from Super Bright LED. There are many interesting items on this site. The other site I have used for lighting enhancement is http://www.autolumination.com/.

I measured up from the rear edge of the wheel well even with the fender louver. I marked the hole on both sides of the car,

At this point in the build, I have dealt with glassing the seams, shaved door handles, cutting into hood for fender louvers and rear body louvers, plus all the body work necessary to get to primer coats. So the idea of drilling a hole into the side of the hood for side markers is not very intimidating. Ask me about the same issue when the kit first arrived and I would give you a different answer. Once I decided to add side markers, then I decided to drill the holes on the primed vehicle. Things are much easier to fix at this point then on a car where everything his at finished paint.

Hopefully, by the time you end up drilling holes into the side of the car, you've done enough body work to be confident that the process can be reversed.

I plotted a line from the rear point of the wheel well to the fender louvers rear edge. On this line I placed the widest point of the marker. The wires from the marker are about .5 inches off the center point. So I measured 3 5/8 inches up from the rear wheel well point and drew a line .5 inches to the rear. I drilled a 1/8 inch hole as a pilot. I worked up drill bits to 13/32. At this hole size I can fit the wire and the connector through the hole.

The side marker wires run along the inside of the hood and around the inside of the fender louvers. The wire loom protects the side marker wires.

These side markers come with an splitter box that enables you to splice into the headlight and signal circuits. These wires can be run down the inside of the hood.

This splitter box cmes with the side marker lights, It ties into the headlight, signal and parking lights.

This the side marker. It is just held in place by tension on the wires. There is a connector between the marker light and the circuitry. This allows the marker to be removed for final paint.

Mount INMotion Cell

<<  Power Cell Wiring (Final Draft)                                 Install InVIRONMENT - Circuit 1/3 >>

Major System Category: ISIS
Task: Mount inMotion Cell
Parts: ISIS inMotion Cell Kit
Prerequisite Tasks:
Additional Costs: $500
Time Requirement: 3 hours
Date Started: October 31, 2013

Date Completed:  October 31, 2013

The inMotion cell is the last fused module for the power system. This is different configuration from the normal power cell. It is designed to manage forward/backward, up/down and lock/unlock (e.g. door poppers, windows, mirrors). I concluded that it is cost prohibitive for mirrors  as you would basically require an entire cell for mirror operation, and there is the size foot print issue to consider (e.g. I'm starting to run out of space).

The first thing you notice is the inMotion cell has only five fuse slots. This because the circuits are paired for up/down, on/off. forward/backward. The second thing you notice is the power leads include a black grounding cable.

At this point in the build, I still have the Passport 9500ci to shoe horn into and the inTouch Net black box to install. All of these items have to be accessible without having to take apart the car. The most inaccessible component is the Vintage Air HVAC unit. The rest of the car is literally built around this one component! My concern is if I have to get into the car for something that goes bump in the night, I don't want to be stuck dismantling most of the vehicle.

I used a Vraptor mounting plate and positioned it next to the master cell plate. These are hinged so they can be swung up under the passenger side dash.

I used one of Vraptor's Isis mount plates and a simple hinge from Home Depot to set up the mount for the inMotion cell. Originally, I purchased one additional mounting plate, but I did not end up using it. These were nice to have in inventory when the time came to get things done. The reason for the hinge is so the master and the inMotion cells can be swung up and latched above the passenger side of the cockpit. It is a little crowded over on that side, but there is a fair amount of leg room. Besides, this isn't a car built for long rides. I am building this car for myself, Sunday afternoons, local car shows and obnoxious Mustangs.

I ran the power and ground cables through the 2 inch conduit built in over the tunnel. This is an optional add on that costs nothing to do. It isn't my idea,. I came across this on another guys site. I don't remember which one anymore.

I ran the data cable through the 2 inch conduit that runs above the Vintage Air Unit and out the pre-drilled access hole to the front bay. The megafuse for the inMotion cell is somewhat different than the rest. It has 2 50 amp plug in fuses, and grounding for the inMotion celll is done directly to the frame.

I ran the grounding wires to the front frame, sanded off the powder coat and bolted them to the frame.

Power Cell Wiring (Final Draft)

<< Mount 3 cell kit                                           Mount INMotion Cell >>

Major System Category: ISIS Wiring
Task:Finalize ISIS Schematic
Parts: N/A
Prerequisite Tasks:
Additional Costs: N/A
Time Requirement: 10 hours
Date Started: March 5, 2013
Date Completed:  March 10, 2013
ISIS is a microprocessor based electrical system that has decentralized the fusing to power cells. Each power cell handles 10 circuits. Each circuit is fused at the power cell. The power cells are connected to a master cell (which is really nothing more than a traffic cop for signal processing between power, peripherals and switches) via a data bus. This electrical system (as is true with most vehicles) is separate from the ECU system that handles engine sensors, feed back and gauge related measurements. ISIS manages the lights, the door locks, power to the windows and mirrors and so forth.

I have been kicking around the ISIS wiring schematic for over a year now. I put the first draft up in the planning phase in October 2011. Those drawings were fairly crude renderings of where I was headed. The problem is that until I got my hands on the hardware and had completed the build to point where I had the body shell installed and recognized where I could and could not run cables, none of it clicked.

I understand the basic concepts. I can wire and splice and hook connectors together. I can connect my little test battery and see things light up or solenoids fire. What clarified my understanding was handling the physical cables for the master and power cells, comparing this to the basic wiring spreadsheets and recognizing that the wire colors were not ramdom, but had a very specific coding pattern to them. It may seem obvious to others, but once I understood the pattern everything clicked.

This post deals strictly with the power wiring schematics. It does not address the bus, mega fuses, additional modules (e.g. inReserve, inLighten, inVironment). I will cover these issues in separate posts. At present, the current system supports 40 circuits, and 39 are defined.

There are four power cells, plus a master cell. As of this writing, I have 2 power cells and a master cell installed on the car. I started with the basic 3 cell kit and the basic GTM set up.

Power Cell 1 wiring schematic. The following chart explains the wiring diagram. Color code matches the ISIS standard. (The only exception is circuit #5 where I used gray instead of white so it would be visible.) This projected over the front of the GTM chassis. The square that feeds all wires is the power cell box and reasonable represents where I have located it in the car.

Function	Power cell	connector	Circuit	fuse	Power cell wire
Right turn signal (front)	1	B	1	15	brown
Left turn signal (front)	1	B	2	15	Violet
Ignition	1	b	3	25	light green
starter	1	b	4	20	light blue
headlights	1	B	5	20	White
Fog lights	1	A	6	15	Yellow
High Beams	1	A	7	20	Blue
DRL	1	A	8		Green
Horn	1	A	9	10	Orange
Fan Override	1	A	10	25	Tan

Function	Power cell	connector	Circuit	fuse	Power cell wire
Right turn signal (rear)	2	B	1	15	brown
Left turn signal (Rear)	2	B	2	15	Violet
brake	2	b	3		light green
Left seat heater	2	b	4		light blue
right seat heater	2	B	5		White
parking brake	2	A	6		Yellow
Rear sensors	2	A	7		Blue
Fuel Pump	2	A	8		Green
tpms	2	A	9		Orange
Hatch popper	2	A	10		Tan

Power Cell 3 wiring schematic. The following chart explains the wiring diagram. Color code matches the ISIS standard. (The only exception is circuit #5 where I used gray instead of white so it would be visible.) This projected over the front of the GTM chassis. The square that feeds all wires is the power cell box and reasonable represents where I have located it in the car.

Function	Power cell	connector	Circuit	fuse	Power cell wire
right window up	3	B	1		brown
right window down	3	B	2		Violet
left window up	3	b	3		light green
left window down	3	b	4		light blue
left door popper	3	B	5		White
right door popper	3	A	6		Yellow
telescoping steering	3	A	7		Blue
hot plug	3	A	8		Green
front sensors	3	A	9		Orange
Map Lights	3	A	10		Tan

Power Cell 4 wiring schematic. The following chart explains the wiring diagram. Color code matches the ISIS standard. (The only exception is circuit #5 where I used gray instead of white so it would be visible.) This projected over the rear of the GTM chassis. The seat heaters is an approximate location inside the cockpit. The square that feeds all wires is the power cell box and reasonable represents where I have located it in the car.

Function	Power cell	connector	Circuit	fuse	Power cell wire
escort 9500 ci	4	B	1		brown
ars global	4	B	2		Violet
homelink	4	b	3		light green
wiper	4	b	4		light blue
side mirror	4	B	5		White
interior lights	4	A	6		Yellow
hot plug	4	A	7		Blue
cruise control	4	A	8		Green
dash/Parking	4	A	9		Orange
	4	A	10		Tan