Austin David

The ODB reader will help. My idle was low on first crank, and the tach was way wrong. I read the manual and found a switch configuration that works, eventually I "should" get the ECU flashed correctly, apparently. For now it's right. https://usa7s.net/ips/topic/13594-360s-in-charlestonish/?do=findComment&comment=125828 With an independent signal from the ECU (not the tach) you can set your idle correctly, and deal with the tach later. Like when everything else is correct. The fuel gauge seems very pessimistic, and mileage (mine at least, during break in) is absurdly high. Below 1/4 it will maybe take 5 gals, and I believe capacity is near 10? In the garage (as you are) I basically kept the needle where I could see it at all. The first 2g was enough, then added more as I went around dealing with various coolant issues.

I added a relay to switch on/off the 12v socket, using a fuse tap on the ignition fuse to drive a standard bosch-style 40A relay. I also added a dedicated USB socket off the same relay, so I can charge my phone and run any sort of microwave-detecting devices for purely scientific purposes. One item of note, the fuse panel actually eats up a bit of space inside the cover, so if you do run a second port, give it a little room. I'm OK but cut it kinda close. The outcome looks really nice tho. Plenty of space on the right for that extra relay.

I threw this in here in case anyone missed the post in the main thread.

UglyFast -- DM me when you get a VIN. There is some SC magic that may save you several weeks of pain.

Tonneau Cover is fitted per instructions. I had to figure out some stuff, so I've added photos to augment what little info seems to be out there. It hasn't gotten any wind yet, so if I add more snaps I'll post back in here. 1) this was pretty nerve-wracking for me, I don't like drilling into paint. The recommended locations appear to dodge interior frame bits tho, so I do recommend sticking to them 2) the riveted-on snaps need a pretty thin rivet gun head; I hear the Stanley gun works, I used a bench grinder to fix mine. Pix below 3) tape is your friend here. Also sharp drill bits. 4) at least one of my snaps was defective, eyeball 'em before making anything permanent. 5) the pliers-style punches and rivet setters aren't great. Invest $10 in a punch and die. Also 3# hammer and an anvil will make your life slightly better. 6) One at a time. It's a lot of on/off, but things shift around or don't come out precisely where marked, so you get to re-measure every hole, every time. Still better than the diff install. The back side: my boot cover came installed, but the outer snaps were finished with a button cover. You need to drill this out and replace with a gypsy snap (male) and standard female inside. The tonneau cover fastens over this, onto that new male snap. My kit came with precisely two of these gypsy snaps in the tonneau pack, so either get it right on the first try, or hit sailrite.com for a few more. Also note that removing those riveted snaps is annoying, they want to catch the drill bit and spin. Vise or vise-grips. Per other instructions, I lined up the front + back on the centerline and marked the front snaps, installed both LHS + RHS, then marked the centers on the back & installed the snaps. Same across the rest of the back. For the outer corners I gave a little slack to stretch over the seatbelt cover (I use retracting 3-point), and mostly lined up with the cover flush against the piping on the wheel well. It's still pretty snug. There's another snap already installed at about the center of the wheel arch between the rollover bar and sill. I again measured with the cover snug and aligned to the piping on the arch, double-checking by holding it snug against the scuttle. The remaining 3 snaps per side involve rivets and drilling. The book recommends good locations, but I did move the 2 scuttle points about 5mm toward the front wheel, putting the snaps closer to the edge of the cover to match the others on the top side. I measured per the book, marked over tape, knocked around a lot to be sure there wasn't anything hiding under, and drilled it out. I did not attempt to use backing washers -- the two under the scuttle are covered with the wiper motor (RHS) or some controls support on LHS, and the lower ones are under interior panels. I did use helicopter tape under the body snaps. Rivet through the snap and the hole (if taped, you have to cut that helicopter tape -- can't just punch through). I also put a fair bit of painter tape over the assembly in case the riven gun hops out when the rivet pops. All 6 rivets went in very clean. So: measure the scuttle rivet per the 2015 manual, double-check with a cover test-fit, drill+install the rivet & male snap, unzip the cover, stretch to mark your female snap, install it. Then mark and measure the lower-front rivet, install it, stretch the cover to fit, and do the snap. Repeat for 3 on LHS, then 3 on RHS. The rear sill didn't include any photos in the book. There is a frame member in there, so they are pretty serious about 45mm forward of the arch. The book claims the zipper will take up some slack, I'm less convinced. The vinyl will loosen a bit in the direct sun, I'm sure even more than my 80-degree garage. But it looks like it will fend off rain, and the RHS / passenger side looks pretty secure. I'll get some wind on it this weekend.

better than trying to calculate the odds of a fixit ticket vs. impound!

it took a 2nd opinion; my preferred office again said "no way" so I went somewhere else, and they did it. I finally have a plate!

SCDMV has field agents, I talked to one today. By coincidence the paperwork sent to Columbia also came back today. The agent and the letter both said the same thing: I need form 400 (straight title app) and the MCO. The "chassis number" is VIN format and Agent + DMV-by-mail both say that's to be the VIN. Planning to drive all that down to the office tomorrow and try the expedited process, again. The agent left me with his card and two forms 4038 + TI-021B, verifying the chassis number on MCO matches what's etched on the car.

Boot carpet: all the panels are *slightly* too large and may need some minor trimming. I am probably not going to install the triangles in the bulkhead, but did the rest. The forward corners under the roll bar) tuck in pretty well, and taped up. The back corners needed about 1/2" trim from the forward edge, and the lower edge I flared up against the deck. A little nipping to bend around the corners. The carpet went behind and under the cover for the fuel tube. I did not disconnect the tube per instructions, just cut the lower part of the ring in the carpet to slip it under the tube, and all that is under the cover. Those side pieces were all secured with carpet tape. The deck piece just laid over top of all that. I did not trim it to go around the fuel door, there's a little extra over there but with gravity and the other panels in place it mostly tucks down. Tonneau cover is going, but not yet done. I guessed wrong on the boot cover and have a replacement set of gypsy snaps arriving tomorrow. I have not yet drilled holes, I think I'll need 2 in the scuttle and a 3rd in that body panel (per side), kinda holding off on those. No plans for half doors so I don't think I'll have to worry too much about precise placement of those body snaps.

my blinkers are louder than the horn(s), no chance I'm forgetting that's on. Those switches look great; now I just gotta find someone who will sell me just a few...

I've previously noted there are a LOT of switches on the dash, many are redundant or won't be used in my environment. Has anyone rearranged or changed these? I'm specifically looking for any gotchas, and ideally a source or description of the plastic-cover / toggle used. 1) the blinker is on the right / center, which is odd. not necessarily a top priority. (on-off-on, sideways) 2) there are 3 headlight switches: a rocker for off/park/headlight, an off-(on) (top-bottom) for highbeam flash, and off-on for highbeam. 3) there's another rocker I haven't tried to figure out yet, plus stuff like the windscreen washer which would 1:1 map to features I may eliminate. Before I start re-arranging and/or rewiring, anyone got a source (or name of) replacements?

catching up: 10/24 thread repair kit ($20 or less) gets 10/24 threads in the mirror stalks. Hot rod mirrors work well, 4" round / convex. Matches my chrome headlights. LHS tail light flipped, now symmetric -- flashers are outside, brake lights to the inside. Also the 360 wet sump dipstick needs to be adjusted by shortening the tube. I changed the oil, added the right amount (4.75 qt), shortened the tube after mostly disassembling the plenum to get at it. The tube has about 4" of room to adjust up/down, I needed to take out about an inch. Confirmed the reading when hot & idle at level. Consulting with some other enthusiasts, I driveway-aligned the front to 2mm toe, erring toward neutral. It rides straight, and the stickers on the tires aren't wearing down much even after 60mi; no scrubbing evident, so I think it's pretty neutral. Once I finish with the DMV will get a professional alignment. Still to-do: - nose cone badge - tonneau cover (critical) - aeroscreen (need fall/winter, not critical) Also, for safety I added black retroreflective tape on my black roll bar. It is not invisible, but I put it there and I can't really see it. At night it turns white/bright, and is much more visible -- especially from the sides where there's very little light.

I have a VIN and MCO, but this is a brand-new CKD kit, never titled. It's "only" been 6 weeks, I thought you said it took 3 months?

To be abundantly clear, what I'm looking for here is some experience with the "normal" process (which appears to be a kafkian maze of bureaucrats who don't understand, or creatively interpret, the rules) -or- trying to find a professionally-managed, legit service who can help. The last thing I want or need is a registration that will cause more grief. But holy heck is it ever frustrating. My wife joked that she thought the hard part would be *building* the car.... Also FYI: 401-A is apparently needed because the vehicle doesn't exist in the state and needs a serial number. I'm unclear on how that interacts with the VIN. I moved 2 from Cali and it was NOTHING like this process. 4038 is needed also, possibly *before* 401-A, to confirm that the vehicle does, in fact, exist. In CA this can be a cop signing the paperwork in your driveway, hopefully I won't have to trailer the vehicle across town just to have someone look at it. But 400 doesn't indicate the need for 401-A., and 401-A doesn't indicate the need for 4038. ... I do appreciate everyone's experience and perspective. Thank you!

SC is super slack, generally. Trailers don't need license plates at all, no emissions testing or requirements, etc. I even sign a form saying I'm responsible for the vehicle being road-worthy. But that bit about "intelligent, caring people across the desk" kinda lost me ... haha. Something about that desk seems to change people. Great point about insurance co shenanigans. I'll check on that. Right now my plan of attack is #1 find $1k under a rock somewhere, and #2 do the thing, then with out-of-state plate+title+reg in hand, proceed to "import" the vehicle to SC before my year is up. I'm still gonna poke around to see if there's a sub-$1k option.

Hi everyone- I'm still one-sided-struggling with SC DMV. I can't penetrate the system, but I've "only" been trying for ~ 6 weeks. While working that on the side, I found dirtlegal.com and called them, plus googled around a little. Has anyone used that service? Alternately does anyone know a good way to exchange $cash for reasonably certain plates so I can get on the road? $699 (ish) and 2-4 weeks gets a South Dakota plate; SD doesn't have a residency requirement. $199 and 1-2 *days* gets a 90-day temp tag $299 up front, 119/yr after gets an LLC registered in SD which can own the car and work around a state's curiosity about an out-of-state plate living at your house. SC claims to care after 45 days, it's unclear if that's "enforced." Finding out may cost a misdemeanor and $75. .... and I believe / assume that after I have SD plates I could "move" the car to SC for year 2, mod any impact fees or duplicate taxation. The Internet(tm) seems to think dirtlegal.com is legit, if a little weird. Anyone have direct experience? (for completeness I have talked to the DMV, the local tax office, my own insurance company, and Hagerty's; they're all approximately equally useful, and I got a 3 different answers and a couple "I can't help you"s).

Spare tire carrier -- I haven't found any builds with this, had to puzzle through it but I got there. There's the carrier, a wishbone, two extra lugnuts, a fancy long bolt + LONG spacer, and a separate pack with two unused bolts, a shorter spacer (about 3"), and a fibre washer. Plus the license plate light, which I assume is common across all kits. 1) the carrier itself mounts directly to the frame. The license plate wire (black/red) was zip-tied to one of the mounting holes. Cut that loose, then bolt up the carrier. Two 13mm nuts can be tightened from underneath, open-end wrench only. 2) there's a nut behind the fuel tank, inside the skin. You can access it from the boot / under the carpet, but I didn't have a large enough open-end wrench to secure it; it's bigger than 21mm. Adjustable didn't fit. I used pliers to hold it still, and ran the long securing bolt + oversize spacer to spin the bolt-side from outside. This bolt secures the tire hold-down to the frame, through the aluminium skin, so I assume it's pretty important. 3) the 5th tyre: mount the wishbone w/ 2 extra lugs, run the fancy bolt + shorter spacer into the wishbone, then CAREFULLY set the wheel in the carrier. Add the fibre washer, then the bolt can pass into the mount on the body. Snug up the bolt, then use a lug wrench to snug the two lugnuts (securing the wheel to the wishbone), then tighten up the longer bolt to secure the wishbone to the body. I didn't crush this down, just don't want anything rattling loose. Most of the weight is borne by the carrier, but this wishbone assembly keeps the tire from rolling loose or rubbing on the body. When it's all done I have about 1" clearance to the paint, tire resting on the carrier. Still plenty of room to install the plate and light. 4) the light has a single red/black wire tucked under the frame, and plenty of slack. It's got a plastic sleeve already there. There's a grommet on the RHS of the carrier. Feed the wire into that grommet, and it will easily snake its way through the frame to the back. There's a roomy hole in the top of the frame, behind where the plate will eventually go. I was able to fish the wire out with tweezers, there's room for needle nose. 5) the light came with a ton of wire, I just tied all that up. A ring terminal on the black wire / light side, and a spade between the red and the red/black from chassis. I added heat shrink and tape, this is all exposed to the elements. Sand off the RHS mounting hole a little, that's our ground. Remove the cover for the light (single screw). Terminal goes there, bolt through the terminal from the back, then the nut on. Connect the reds, test. 6) for cleanup, I added a nylon wire clip on the LHS mounting bolt to hold that bundle of wire. Zip ties to keep it tidy. The worst of all this is that the hot wire comes up from the bottom of the frame, but it will be pretty well obscured behind the license plate, eventually.

Ahhh.…. That sounds like mine. They FIT as long as you're not too picky about the holes lining up. I haven't drilled mine out yet. Honestly I think our experience is similar. I spent several days with the diff trying to see how to get it in there. Good times. By now I'm mostly waiting on the DMV.

Josh confirmed picking issue; the outers should both be glossy plastic. The inner (rearview) is matte too, but not as bad as the ginormous plastic windscreen mirrors.

Mirrors: terrible. Per instructions you have to remove the mounting screw to remove the mirror post. WHAT THEY DON'T WANT YOU TO KNOW: that screw holds down a metal cup, spring, washer, and backing nut. Once you let that go, they're all loose inside the mirror housing. Press out the glass, reassemble the stuff to the new mirror post, then hop online and look for better mirrors. I'm in that step right now. I think 4" round chrome would look good, complement the headlights. If that fails I'll reassemble the mirrors and use them until I find something better. My aeroscreen mirrors are much nicer, but they don't match. Asking about that now. LHS is carbon (nothing on my car is carbon), RHS is shiney black.

Wait, your knee plates fit? How much bending did you do? Are they tucked under the dash, or hanging out?

Whoa. Looking forward to more photos in a week or so!

That sounds exactly like what Josh relayed. How did you screw them on? I think he said bolts through the top into the stay, with stainless + neoprene washers? I'm planning to use 3M 5200, which is generally considered "don't use this unless you never ever want to remove it". The fast cure version only comes in white tho, so I'll either top it with slower-curing black, or (and?) will undercoat the fender. It's already painted, acetone took up some of the paint when I was prepping for the adhesion.

My kit came with this: looks like (and feels like) about 2kg. I also just printed a c-spanner which weighs approximately nothing and so far works well. Happy to send some around if anyone has Bilsteins... or with some photos and measurements, probably just make a specific one.