TOOK ITS FIRST BREATH TODAY

This will be a short but (believe me) sweet update.

This morning with only 6 small items on the pre startup checklist I went to work and by noon the engine fired up.  What I should have done on the first start was carefully monitor the oil pressure, running the engine until it was fully lubricated.  Instead I was so amazed that it worked I just shut it off and walked away.  In subsequent startings, all of the gauges, dash lights, and turn signals were tested.  They all worked too.  No one more amazed than me.

March/April Update

Okay so it doesn't look like the engine will be starting this month but there is some progress to report.

I was not happy with the dash endcaps.  They left large gaps exposing the framework of the car.  Since I want the interior to be a step up from race car standards, this had to be changed.

Before:

 After:

This will all be covered with a carbon fiber-looking vinyl, as you will see below.
The gaps will also be filled with some rubber edge moldings 

Next was the center console of the dash.  After fitting, trimming and mounting, I cut out the openings for switches and heater controls.

Here it is with the vinyl covering. 

The blank area on the lower right face of the console is reserved for a backup camera screen.  This car was not designed with rear visibility as a high priority.
Also notice the center tunnel cover is mounted in place and there is a shifter!

(Two weeks later.)
And now let's move into the April portion of this blog update.
 The dash instruments are installed and almost completely wired.  I need a right turn indicator light before I can finish up the dash wiring.

The 2 buttons on the left are for the turn signals.  Push a button and the turn signal will blink for a set time and turn off.

It's not the neatly organized wiring job I had in mind but the connections are soldered and heat shrink-wrapped so they should be durable.

Now to another challenge.  The crankshaft vent on the left side head has no place to connect to the intake.  The factory air intake box has a fitting molded in to connect to but since I'm using a polished aluminum air intake, a new solution was called for.  So over to the machine shop to make a new fitting.  The plastic one below was cut out of the factory air box.

I cut a hole in the rubber adapter with my die grinder.  Not perfectly round but it's rubber and flexed to fit.

Installed with a little silicone.

And here is the finished product.  I heated the hose and bent it to fit in the new location.

The checklist for engine startup is getting very short!  But I'm not saying when it will happen because the elements will combine again against me.