Tuesday, January 13, 2015

WAKE UP!  Who has to go to the lavatory? 

(Dick Vernon - Breakfast Club - circa 1985)


I'm back...Since November 27, 2013...I've just been looking at this damn thing in my driveway.  It has given me ample time to contemplate the future of this bird...I'm still not even sure WTF I'm doing with it.  If you're a weirdo like myself and just make projects up because you think they're rad...then actually try and build it (them) in a day or over the weekend, you are reminded of this wonderful experience called patience.  


Not the GNR version with the whistling, but the project rendition...a masterpiece always takes longer than expected.


Which brings me to...be patient...I'll get there.


Over the weekend I was planning on moving the trailer down the hill for the winter to avoid further damage by snow.  It has been pretty beat up just sitting there, letting old man winter take his toll.  With no interior bracing, it was a noodle.  I have since braced it for highway travel, installed temp wheel wells, and...this is the best part...it has new electrical.  I guess I can thank patience.


Long story longer...I needed a new harness for my car to the trailer, one with a circuit protected converter...OK.  New to me, never heard of it, seems simple enough. It's only electrical.  I've installed stereos, made lamps, positive, negative, ground, piece of cake...FKN electrical.


I simply cut the harness at the tow hitch and hook existing into the new.  Only new one to the party is the RED wire.  For the brakes.  Simple right.  Splice the RED wire on harness to RED taillight wiring in car.  RED to RED.  Done!  Not the case.

After two days of frustration with my brake lights not working, I rewired the entire trailer front to back, purchasing all new light fixtures, who knows how many trips to the hardware / auto part stores only to have the brake light still fail me.  Blinkers worked, hazard lights worked, running lights worked, but no brakes...After enough Budweiser, I traced it back to the beginning... 


I spliced the wrong wire at the wiring harness at the car.  With a tester light and my lovely lady's hand on the blinker and foot on the brake, all was said and done.  As simple re-splice on the correct wire gave me brake lights.  For as much frustration that came out of not knowing what the problem was, I have patience to thank for slowing down the process a bit and making sure I really understand WTF I'm getting myself into.  Plus I got brand new wiring and new lights out of the deal!


I've got a feeling I'm fighting a great white with a bamboo pole.


Patience...


I'll be back.



No comments:

Post a Comment