'68 Satellite 4-door light refurb...and big fat engine swap.

[cudak888]

Let's see - it's a few months past a year on the new module, but I've barely driven the Satellite.

That didn't stop the module from failing out of the blue again - and I'm starting to suspect that either the Designed2Drive plate as it is now isn't an ample enough heatsink. Either that or the placement outside the distributor behind the block accelerates the failure through heat.

Let me recap the current setup for those who don't want to read through the whole thread: It's a 360 LA running a standard Mopar electronic ignition distributor, a 4-pin HEI module with no inline resistor, Ford TFI e-core coil (FD478), and a modern voltage regulator fed by a later squareback alternator. The car did not have a tach in it when it the HEI module failed at first, but it currently has an original tach in it now, fitted with a Real Time Engineering solid-state PCB in place of the original.

The electronic voltage regulator presumably prevents the system from exceeding 12V, so I shouldn't think it failed from overvoltage. Far as I know, the TFI e-core coil's primary resistance is low enough to work properly with the HEI module (and deliver its benefits).

The first HEI module, as we know now, was an aftermarket unit, and I chalked up its failure as a Chinese piece of crap. However, the second OEM GM unit couldn't have been under the hood for 200 miles before this failure (as I said, I've barely driven this thing). Both were put down with proper heatsink compound.

I have my doubts that the tach could have caused it, seeing as it wasn't there during the first module failure.

At any rate, I'm wary whether the Designed2Drive plate actually works in Florida weather. Curious to hear your thoughts.

I'm considering shoving an HEI module under the dash instead with a larger heatsink (and maybe a fan), but for the amount of time this thing sees the road, I doubt if I'll have much to report for a long while, even if I have a third failure.

A difficult bugger to diagnose. I have nothing against points and condenser...

I also don't have anything against Megasquirt and dumping the EFI entirely, with exception to price.

-Kurt

 

[Billccm]

I'll take a hip shot and say coil is a possible cause. Do you have access to an oscilloscope? Would like to see ringing waveform off the coil (-).

 

[cudak888]

I'll take a hip shot and say coil is a possible cause. Do you have access to an oscilloscope? Would like to see ringing waveform off the coil (-).

Despite my way too frequent yard sale shenanigans, I passed on the last oscilloscope I came across a few months ago. Come to think of it, I think they were getting rid of one at work too, but it might have been for department-to-department only.

This is the cheapest one locally on OfferUp: https://offerup.com/item/detail/570042377/

Then there's this thing, which is quite tempting seeing as I'm running out of room with all the projects I get involved in:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Fully-Asse...e:g:JdIAAOSwLSZcGQG4:rk:1:pf:1&frcectupt=true

Think it'll do? I take it you think the coil's output can't be trusted?

-Kurt

 

[Billccm]

I need to find the article about back emf and infant hei module failures. On travel right now and can't look for it.
I'd rather buy a cheapo Orielly generic coil and try it before a scope investment.
As for scopes in the garage I perfer the old analog simple scopes (like I used in my tach videos).

 

[cudak888]

I need to find the article about back emf and infant hei module failures. On travel right now and can't look for it.
I'd rather buy a cheapo Orielly generic coil and try it before a scope investment.
As for scopes in the garage I perfer the old analog simple scopes (like I used in my tach videos).

Canister coil, or E-coil? I've got anywhere from five to seven canister coils sitting in the shed that I could try. Do you think the module isn't bad, but the coil simply isn't putting out the voltage necessary?

Isn't that LG scope analog?

-Kurt

 

[Billccm]

So here's my thinking:
The HEI has an internal transistor switch that shorts the coil (-) to ground to fire, just like points would do. You are probably damaging that switch. The switch is being damaged by one of two things. One possibility is it cannot handle the current. Ballast in series with the coil (+) limits the current. The other is a nasty ringing that 'punches a hole' through the transistor. That could be a shorted coil winding, back EMF due to a plug or coil wire issue, or just the wrong coil.
The condenser in the points system keeps the coil (-) at AC ground (somewhat) to reduce arcing across the points. It also reduces back EMF.
I looked again at the LG scope and it's a 20MHz device, so I assume it is analog.
Trick is to take foil and glue to wooden clothespins as a wire coupler. Take two 0.2uf, 600V capacitors in series and connect to the foil 'pick up' and the scope input. You now have a method to see firing on each plug and coil wire. Next, connect scope to (-) of coil directly and look at switching signal. Do you see large high voltage overshoots? If so, that could pop the transistor..

 

[cudak888]

It's been nearly two years since I've stuck my nose back in my own build thread. Stinks that the forum won't let me edit the old posts, as I'd fix all those dead TinyPic pictures. How about it, mods?

I'll post some photos over the weekend, but here's a bit of an update for those of you who don't mind text walls:

• The ignition remained an issue when I let the thread die in 2019.
• Not mentioned here is that shortly after going back to manual brakes, the front reservoir on the master cylinder (rear drums) started losing fluid regularly. Eventually, it drained dry and that was enough for me to walk away from the green pile for a while. Went back to tinkering with my vintage bicycles (and also started a museum for retired shared bicycles, and have since preserved quite a few).
• The alternator was dead.

First of all, the ignition issue has been nipped in the bud.

No, I didn't get it on the first fix, but the sum of the work fixed a couple of small issues along the way.

IGNITION:

I took apart the distributor (minus the shaft). I found the centrifugal weights and plate were sticking a bit - not enough to prevent the distributor from working, but enough to explain why sometimes the RPMs would be a second or two slow to come back to idle (in park) if one blipped the throttle. I cleaned up all the surfaces and coated all the friction surfaces with 00 grease. The "you must own a Snapper!" 00 grease is what I keep around for internally geared Sturmey-Archer bicycle hubs, and I knew from experience that this grease does marvels in places like this. It has the lubricity of oil and the stickiness of a grease.

Sure enough, once that DAMN CIRCLIP (you know what I mean if you've been here) was back in, the whole mechanism moved like it had never moved before.

Also, I dumped the hodgepodge of plug wires I had on the car and the female-terminal distributor cap. On went the de-facto Summit Racing male terminal cap, which - besides taking care of the lousy fit of the old connectors (if you yanked a wire by chance, there was a good possibility a wire would pop off the dizzy cap) - feels like a proper, thick casting of plastic. The way you expect a distributor cap to feel.

So as not to fight the factory valve cover wire guides, I used the Pertronix FlameThrower "factory look" 7mm wires to clean up the mis-matcho of wires that were under there. Importantly, they claim their wires support HEI, and since I was going 7mm, I felt it was worth the extra cost to make sure I wasn't winding up with cheap-core parts store wires. Plus, it gave me an excuse to cut each wire to a length that I'd be happy with.

I threw it all on. Even with a carb obviously full of junk from sitting, there was an obvious improvement in idle from before (and the delayed RPM drop was gone). Nevertheless, it still occasionally went dead for no reason.

Though I could have taken @Billccm's very detailed advice here and troubleshooted the HEI module, I just went for the "blunt fix" approach, or "do everything you should have done in the first place, dummy" approach, as follows:

• I deleted the "for looks" ballast resistor (I had soldered a huge wire from tab to tab)
• I put an extra ground strap between the engine block and the firewall
• I put a ground strap on the HEI module where it attaches to the Designed2Drive adapter
• I re-wired the entire HEI ignition harness with a relay.

This was fairly involved, and I chose to use this particular relay, as it has Weather Pack-style sealing on the connector. Doesn't bother me one bit that it looks modern and is Chinesium. It happens to be good Chinesium, not some stamped steel-and-fiberboard Tonka toy relay from the 1970's.

I followed this fairly simple schematic that's been floating around on FABO:

One error that 67dart273 pointed out: "To coil brown wire" is supposed to reference the switched ignition coming off the now-deleted ballast resistor - both Ignition #1 and #2. They got soldered inline before reaching pin 86.

After a fair amount of soldering and heat shrink tubing later (a real pain to do once you're at the point where you must crawl up to the back of the firewall to finish it), the new relay-switched 12V ignition was ready.

Instant start, with an obvious improvement in overall idle, even with the carb full of junk.

Long story short, I gave the Edlebrock a thorough cleaning - didn't even need to replace any gaskets - re-adjusted the floats perfectly, plopped it on, and for the very first time, heard this 360 idle like a MPFI Magnum on the showroom floor.

There are some times when you know you've solved a problem, and this was one of those times. Even then, I went ahead and did a few start cycles with it randomly over the day and next week. Absolutely zero issues with the ignition dying on a whim.

Was it the relay that fixed it? Ground straps? Deleting the not-a-ballast-resistor? Frankly, I think it was providing clean 12V via the relay that did it, but I can't say for sure that it wasn't the ground straps either. Personally, I think it's the wrong question to ask - it just makes sense to do all three for reliability.

BRAKES:

I decided I'd had enough of these rebuilt steel master cylinders. Every single one I've had has leaked out the top, and the last one decided to leak out the back.

Hell with that, I said, and bought a later aluminum master cylinder, Dorman M99294, cross-referenced for a 1985 Dodge Diplomat. 1.03" bore. And yes, it has the all-important groove for the rubber grommet that holds the drum-brake pedal rod in place. Amazon had one for $31.92, so I jumped on it. (Price is now $44.44 at the moment, so sometimes it pays to wait around and watch the price). It has the black reservoir, despite the pic.

As many have discovered (even those who have bought from Cass), the factory plastic reservoir caps that come on these aluminum M-body masters are warped junk. The rest of the master is good quality, the caps simply are not. I tossed the caps and bought a pair of Dorman 42053's to replace them. They're a completely different casting, despite also being a Dorman product. Yes, they're a mustardy yellow, not black, and I couldn't care less - they work.

I paired the master with Dr. Diff's adapter plate, and said BYE BYE (or if you have a Road Runner, "MEEP MEEP!") to ever having to tighten those blasted master cylinder bolts under the dash. Seriously, the placement of the master cylinder fittings on these cars belongs right up on the Top 10 list of Mopar Cluckups.

I also pulled the rear drums, replaced the rear brake line with an Inline Tube replacement (didn't have any leaks, Bill, but I made it a point to tighten/retighten multiple times to get the flares to seat) and replaced the rear wheel cylinders...again. Actually had to do this twice, as I put Raybestos WC37053's - OEM spec for a '68 Satellite - in there first, and then WC36235's for a 1985 Diplomat.

The first time around, I couldn't get a pedal except for the last inch of travel, and couldn't seem to get air out of the front brakes. I have a (bullshyte) theory that this is because WC37053's were designed for the factory drum check valve on the master cylinder - no longer present - and, as such, was allowing too much fluid to be pumped to the back before engaging the front brakes. More likely, I didn't have the pads set perfectly, and said air pocket was causing the master at the piston to travel too far before pushing enough fluid.

At any rate, I put the WC36235's on and decided to give one of those Motive Products pressure brake bleeders (Model 0103 for the later-style master cylinder) a try.

Opened the bleeders in the usual way (farthest corner to nearest), and not only did the Motive bleeder work, it worked so well that I didn't even need to do any bleeding at the pedal (FYI - I installed one-person bleeders in front on the FMJ style calipers. I used Russell 639590's). I know my experience probably doesn't speak for all B-bodies of this generation, but this gave me so much trouble that I'm half convinced that there's something in the design of the B-body brake system that makes it very difficult to get air out of a particular spot in the system.

Note to self: Pressure brake bleeders work goooood on these later master cylinders.

This said, I finally have properly working manual brakes after all the effort. They feel good. Just a wee bit on the spongy side in terms of feel (in comparison to a few other manual brakes I've used), but very modulatable, responsive, and they will lock if you ask it of them. Just what you'd expect of a mid-size passenger vehicle, provided you are not thinking about how a pedal feels with vacuum assist. I'm not disappointed that I didn't spring for the smaller, 7/8" bore either.

ALTERNATOR:

Quick fix for the alternator was to slap the '62 Lancer alternator - the one the car had when it arrived here in the first place - on it. Go figure; the squareback failed, and the earlier one worked.

FINAL THOUGHTS:

The Satellite works so well now that I actually have confidence in the thing not to Roadkill me on the side of the road. It idles and gives the confidence of a vehicle with MPFI. I want to say "it feels almost modern," but then I remember the rattles and bangs of the interior (still no headliner or sound deadening in it), the ridiculous bench seat (it feels as if you need a 4-point harness just to stay put in it, and you're still sitting in a hole despite its puffiness), and the piece of **** steering box that'll cost $450 to upgrade with Firm Feel (there's an additional charge for setting the box for the fast-action Challenger/C-body pitman arms)...

Moral of the story? Spend the effort to get the small stuff right, don't cheapen out, and treat your brake system out as a system.

Pics soon.

-Kurt

 

[cudak888]

And the promised pics. Yes, it's a bit dirty under here - so be it.

The new MC and caps. Note the new in-line fuse for the ignition system. Fairly discreet.

Dizzy cap and wires. Note the ground strap off the firewall. Gotta get that one wire off the AC line thread.

Did this last night - removed the water diverter pipe from its plate and booger welded up all the holes. Sprayed it black and shoved it back on.

At least I won't roast as much behind the wheel anymore.

-Kurt

 

[cudak888]

Incidentally, while I'm here, I might as well ask if anyone might have spare buttons (and perhaps sliders) for the AC/heater control assembly. Three of the push buttons are missing, and two of the three levers themselves are cracked.

If this is a rape-my-wallet part though, I can probably build up the back of the button with JB Weld just the same.

Honestly, I don't really care much about whether it works or not - I just want to reassemble it and plug it back in so I don't have a tiny vacuum leak under the dash.

-Kurt

 

[MJF_]

3d print the buttons? I need a couple too.

 

[cudak888]

Happy to report that thanks to @Car #4 , I was able to replace all the AC/heater control buttons. They're one-piece buttons from a '70 and have the lettering stamped into them unlike the smaller '68 buttons, but it does the job, and that's all that really matters. It's also nice to hear the fan spinning for the very first time!

I also replaced all the interior lights with LEDs - instrument cluster, map light, ashtray light, the AC/heater control light, and dome light. Looks good now, and since I finally replaced the dimmer switch, it works well too. Of course, the dimmer doesn't really dim (I did verify the bulbs I bought are dimmable), but that's the fault of the factory dimmer more than anything else.

Goes to show that you can make even a beater a bit nicer with about $50 in various bulbs. (Too bad the rest of the car will bankrupt you).

-Kurt

 

[cudak888]

Nothing much going on with the actual vehicle recently, but I have taken a Dremel to an ERTL 1:18 model within the past week, with the intent of turning it into a 4-door.

C-pillars should prove to be a pain in the butt. The angle of the rear glass isn't as much a problem as the fact that the two-door has much more tumblehome at the rear of the roof. Was on the verge of grafting in '67 Camaro C-pillars at a steeper angle.

-Kurt

 

[cudak888]

A gazillion updates on this. Since the forum ate all the original posts, a quick reminder about the car we're working on:

Just imagine it crustier, rustier, and with all the clearcoat peeling off. Buy a Bondo magnet, pay the price. Fine by me, always knew it going into this thing.

First off: Ignition went south again. After a fair amount of sleuthing, I found that the connector on the TFI coil looked like this:

Well, that's not good. Got another one from the parts store that isn't just a connector spinning around on a nail.

However, I suspect this thing either fried the HEI module, or the HEI module was on its way out anyway - it was an original GM unit, but the resistance readings were fine. I finally gave in and pulled out a MSD Digital 6AL, mostly just because I already had it kicking around. I made some adapter cables and did a bench test with it on the fender, and the 360 fired right up.

After some fairly crappy welding (not exactly my fault; the outlet I was using just couldn't handle the max 90A, apparently; I was treated to a smoldering breaker box a week later) and what's definitely an even worse paint match, I had the MSD ready to mount. I'm using an AGM battery, so I'm not worried about spills.

Now, after finally wiring in the MSD nicely and getting it ready to crank...nada. Fuel pump decided it had enough.

That's when I had enough, and decided to enact the second part of a plan that I've been hatching: Finally revising the fuel system with a low-pressure electric pump and adding a semi-factory 1/4" return system utilizing a repop return line and Wix filter.

The reason for this additional project is two-fold:

A. This car lives in sub-tropical Florida. The E10 fuel boils in the Edelbrock faster than Gordon Ramsay does in a dirty kitchen. @62 Dart Convertible absolutely swears by the return system with the Wix filter and I've already read enough about E10 causing issues on deadhead carb systems that I'm practically convinced that you can't run any carb prone to heat soak in hot weather without one (unless, of course, it sits way offset on an intake, such as on a slant 6.

B. I'm sick of constantly asking way too much of the battery, starter, and fuel pump to get fuel pulled out of the tank to the fuel bowls and to the carbs, given that the Satty spends most of its time sitting around looking pretty.

So, plan of attack: Remove mechanical fuel pump and install a plate, bend new lines up front, build a bracket to hang a Carter P4070 pump next to the tank, and solder in a 1/4" return line into the factory sender.

I posted about the sender in this thread, so I won't go into detail about it. Result came out nice though:

And this is the first version - of many different revisions - of the fuel pump mount.

I wanted to hang it low enough to have a decent chance of sucking fuel from the tank without burning out, hence this approach. However, this also meant getting the angle of the dangle JUST right. First time out was not so successful, with the pump hanging too far forward (also notice I've fitted an angle adapter to the filter at this point):

In the meantime, I ran the new 1/4" line. Conveniently(ish), the original fuel line had been cut back up to the shock support, which works pretty well given the location of the fuel pump bracket.

Version 2 of the pump bracket. P-clips starting to go in.

More pics in next post.

-Kurt

 

[cudak888]

After another trial fit, it was clear the fuel line wasn't going to clear the shock correctly with the wingchair ears on top of the bracket, so those were queued for removal via angle grinder with flapdisk.

Note the fuel lines are currently hanging farther to the right (right in the pic, left relative to the direction of the car) than they're supposed to. Also notice the hole for the missing line clip.

I did buy a replacement clip, but decided against using it, as I created a short piece of fuel line for the fuel pump bracket, which also sorted out the mounting issue.

Brief diversion for a tech tip here: If you can't afford a modern $250-300 flaring tool, get one of these old Papco tools off eBay for $20 and some el-cheapo $7 flaring adapters off Amazon.

This brute of a tool WILL flare hard steel line, unlike all the soft-metal/copper flaring two-wingnuts-and-a-horseshoe tools that are sold today. Unlike that design, which is a copy of a bazillion old soft-metal flaring tools, I don't know of any affordable modern copy of the Papco on the market now.

So get yourself an original one of these seriously fantastic tools and then kick yourself for having waited so long to get one for so cheap.

As David Freiburger would say, "This tool is BEEF!"

You'll damage at least half the nerves in your hand squashing the tube with the Papco's lever, but you'll KNOW it's not going anywhere when you flare it.

Here's the final design. 10 times nicer than the car itself. I went with Earl's Vaporguard hose to deal with the local E10 - until I realized it's just rebranded Gates Barricade hose.

Once I figured that out, it allowed me to dig up the 1/4" version of the same, which is on order for the return line.

Now, as nice as this looks, I'm really quite antsy about the final fit.

The good is that the fuel line and pump thread surprisingly well around the shock, and the isolators - which are quality neoprene sandwich mount bumpers from McMaster Carr, not the overpriced rubber garbage that Carter offers - are stiff enough that I can jostle the pump and still clear the tank as it sits.

The bad is that part of me really can't come to grips with the tolerances here. Yes, the rear axle isn't going anywhere unless it falls out of the car, but the main fuel line literally sits sandwiched between the axle housing and the fuel tank with an inch to spare. Same for the pump lines, which I definitely want to sleeve just to protect against that sharp brass angle fitting.

Part of me wonders why I didn't just go with a Tanks Inc. EFI tank and run a regulator at the other end. Easy peasy, lemon squeezy, and no puckered butts over fuel line clearances to rear axles.

But I'm in the soup now. I've bent some copper nickel 5/16" and 1/4" line for under the hood, and I have one of those Revolution Electronics fuel pump controllers coming. I like the fact they read off the tach signal rather than the oil pressure, and I'm also looking forward to the 3-second auto-prime when the key is set to ON.

-Kurt

 

[62 Dart Convertible]

Cheers for the shout out Kurt. My car was undriveable in warm weather with stock mech pump. Elec pump is awesome for instant starts after sitting for a while, but the return line to tank was the big winner (after trying every other fix - insulating lines, carb insulators....). I'm sure it will work well for you too, especially with ethanol blend fuels!

 

[cudak888]

Cheers for the shout out Kurt. My car was undriveable in warm weather with stock mech pump. Elec pump is awesome for instant starts after sitting for a while, but the return line to tank was the big winner (after trying every other fix - insulating lines, carb insulators....). I'm sure it will work well for you too, especially with ethanol blend fuels!

I owe you a bazillion thanks for sending me in the direction of researching carb fuel systems with returns. Fingers crossed for the same success here.

Also, thanks for the note about the Wix being metered in the sender thread.

My only hope is that I don't have to run a third line just to get the tank to vent properly. Wouldn't mind throwing a charcoal canister on it.

Speaking of which, I remember the thread where you mentioned that first P4070 quit after all of 15 minutes - it's the only thread that has concerned me about this pump. Any luck after that? Did you have to mount it lower?

-Kurt

 

[cudak888]

Side note: The 1/4" line arrived yesterday, so I buttoned up the hoses.

In doing so, I physically peered into the tank (pulled the filler neck and shone a light through the hole) to check to see if the tank vent lines were reversed. Much to my surprise, given how many have found them to be reversed - they are correct in my repop tank. Forward (short) vent line offset to the passenger's side, rear (long) vent offset to the driver's side. This lines up perfectly with the short external vent offset to the driver's side, and the long one offset to the passenger's side.

Seems as if not all repop tanks - even those produced at least 10 years ago or so - have the vent lines reversed. Can't take it for granted; definitely check before assuming the lines are incorrect from factory spec.

-Kurt

 

[cudak888]

A Revolution Electronics fuel pump controller arrived today. This little doo-dad should give the pump a 3-second prime at key on, and won't turn the pump on until it sees RPM at the tach. It's a slightly fancier alternative to the old oil sender method. In my opinion, neater too.

After mulling around under the dash, I came to the conclusion that whoever designed the B's dash was not only an idiot in regards to making it serviceable from the top, they also stuck way too much stuff underneath it.

As such, I chose to mount just behind the rear seats, in the trunk:

Now, remember the PO made a police package Belvedere clone(ish) with this car, so there are a pair of CHP-style lights (but both red) on the package tray. They're tied in with a rat's nest of wiring that ticks all the "100 reasons why some people shouldn't be allowed near their automobile's wiring."

Hasn't been functional for a while though, so I haven't really cared to clean it up. Might as well while in here though.

The factory wiring has also been screwed with a bit, as in "oversprayed with reckless abandon," so that's also on the cleanup list. Might wind up poking a few more holes for cable guides here, as I'm really not keen on the loose sender wire just flopping around in the trunk, waiting to get pinched.

-Kurt

 

[62 Dart Convertible]

I owe you a bazillion thanks for sending me in the direction of researching carb fuel systems with returns. Fingers crossed for the same success here.

Speaking of which, I remember the thread where you mentioned that first P4070 quit after all of 15 minutes - it's the only thread that has concerned me about this pump. Any luck after that? Did you have to mount it lower?

-Kurt

No worries Kurt. The replacement pump hasn't missed a beat since fitted, and no I didn't need to lower it.

 

[cudak888]

This escalated quickly.

I spoke with David at Revolution Electronics who recommended running the P4070 through a relay operated by the fuel pump controller, which I'd somehow not thought of until that point (embarrassing).

That's when it dawned on me that this car is just beginning on the path a homespun disaster of unplanned wiring, in-line fuses, and relays thrown all over the place with no cohesiveness.

So I went hunting for a modern or modernish combined fuse and relay box I could put under the hood. One not too unsightly or over-extensive; just enough to allow me to fuse and relay the fuel pump, the MSD 6AL, create a dedicated location for switched 12V ignition through a proper relay, and have just enough expansion for one or two other things.

It turns out such a thing isn't that easy to come by, and the fender aprons on the B's aren't accommodating without making a mess or mounting something higher up than I cared for.

At any rate, I ignored the dime-store Chinese boxes on Amazon. Fuse and relay boxes that are made out of the same waxy ABS plastic as some Wal-Mart household chintzes do not fill me with confidence.

This led me to Bussmann's build-your-own boxes. They're also sold under the Eaton brand, but it seems as if every dealer is either a bit questionable, or if not, 30% more expensive than the cheapest listed option. Plus, while they're sealed from the top, they're completely open at the bottom. This is Florida and it rains like hell here, and opening the hood on a wet B just ensures you're going to cover the firewall and inner fenders with water.

Nevertheless, they're probably better than I'm guessing, but I figured I could find a much more affordable OEM application off the used market just as well.

FABO members suggested a few different options lifted from Jeeps, though these boxes are fairly large and over the top for what I need. That led to a sleepless night looking through every used fuse and relay box on eBay trying to see if something small and manageable existed on the cheap.

I wound up running into an oddball little relay + fuse box meant for a '07-09 Kia Sorento (BL platform, refresh model with the Hyundai-based 3.3/3.8 Lambda, not the earlier Mitsubishi 3.5). Kia calls this a "DSL box," and it runs off its own pigtail directly off the positive battery post. It's basically a dedicated secondary fuse and relay box for the electric fans, ABS system, and trailer wiring. It is perfectly sized, mounts from the side, has a full plastic cap on the bottom, and - like a Jeep box - it's designed to be serviced with access clips for a few terminals that are inserted from the top down.

It just arrived today:

Bottom view. There's a plastic cover that encases all but the #30 terminal of the three largest relays here.

Better yet, it so happens that I have one of these "why-does-every-reliable-car-have-to-be-the-ugliest-SUV-shaped-egg-things" sitting in the driveway, so I went out in the middle of the night to have a look. It turns out the box is perfectly sized and designed to sit right behind the battery on a bracket, almost exactly the same way I envisioned on the Satellite. No visible manufacturer's markings either.

Though the Kia bracket fits to the inner fender, reversing the same bracket would allow me to weld one to the battery tray of the Satellite. It's a tidy solution that avoids any drill bits to the aprons, and even gives me a place to mount a 12V bus bar.

This is what the bracket looks like under the hood of an '09 Sorento (a late 2008 production first-gen BL, not second-gen):

These boxes are inexpensive as well. I grabbed mine for $15 shipped, and they don't seem to go over $30-35 at the high end. Oddly enough, the box - part number 0K53A-67BX1 - doesn't even seem to be properly documented in the parts manuals on most Kia sites. Some sources seem to suggest they're used on the Kia Carnival II (a.k.a. Sedona minivan) as well, but the information is surprisingly spotty - not the usual case for parts on these vehicles given the resellers online.

The eBay-sourced box arrived today, and I also ordered an OEM Kia mounting bracket for it ($25 shipped - cheaper than the used ones on eBay starting at $38) which I'll modify and weld onto the back of the already-modified, repop battery tray that nobody cares about.

Why the Kia box? Well, besides all the other reasons I mentioned, I know that throwing any Kia parts on this thing is going to piss off the purists, elitists, and xenophobes even more than the fact that it's a 4-door. Chalk this up right next to Mike Finnegan's 2JZ-swapped Death Metal Charger if you wish - I don't give a damn what country my parts come from, so long as the parts are intelligently designed and work (which is pretty ironic, given how poorly designed some elements of the B-bodies are, in comparison to their A counterparts).

The only kludge I'll have to do is an adapter for the fuel pump's 7.5 amp spade fuse. The JCASE fuses don't come any smaller than 20A. The 30A is going to power the MSD's red + line. Not sure what I'm going to used the massively heavy-duty fan relay slots (black and blue relays) for though - these guys are rated for 70A and 50A, respectively.

Also, the three large relay slots only have terminals installed for pin 30. These aren't used on the Sorento, but I've ordered some relay terminals and I'm crossing my fingers they'll fit as intended.

I'll probably start mocking things up over the weekend. The new relays and terminals arrive later today. Wish me luck.

-Kurt