Electrics
Ideas ...
Main change will be to move to negative earth so I can fit up-to-date accessories. An alternator was on the car but a positive earth one and that failed which is one of the main reasons if came off the road, (I couldn't get it fixed or replaced at the time). So that will now be replaced with a higher amperage negative earth one.
Proper fuse box system .. the original had two! Rebuild the loom based on a more 'modern' vehicle but without complicated ECUs,etc. Include hazard lights and other wiring. Use a lot of relays to reduce the load on switches.
Move the battery to the boot as the battery tray will be full of brake and clutch master cylinder and a servo. Probably use a smaller battery similar to the one in our MiTo as this has a good amperage rating and will be more compact (Battery type 955 207mm long, 175mm wide, 190mm high).
The dash will be put back as I had it when the car was stored which is non-standard. It has six 52mm gauges in the centre where the speedo used to be and a 4"/100mm Speedo and Tacho in line with the drivers sight. All switches are simple flick on/off and enough warning lights to illuminate Blackpool. I may look at whether these can be converted to leds to make them last longer.
Outside more up-to-date and better lighting. Possibly LED units at the rear and for front indicators. Better headlamps (halogen).
Better radio and speakers ... but nothing outlandish .. just something that is more than an MW/LW push button radio and a single mono speaker! Moving to negative earth will allow a lot more choice not only with the stereo but other accessories and upgrades.
Distributor-less Ignition System
Partly down to the awkward location of the distributor which makes access difficult in the event of a problem (been there!), but also to capitalise on a more modern, advanced ignition system with less moving parts. My current plan is to use somthing like a Polestar HS Ecu with a Fiesta MK4 coil-pack and MED crank-sensor/pulley kit.
Preparing a power list.
Take the wattage of every electrical item which can or could be switched on at any one time. That's for you to work out as 'homework', but for starters, take the main-beam headlight bulbs which are 55 watts each, the sidelights which are 5 watts each. Add the heated screen, heater blower, brake lights, wipers, audio system/radio, interior panel lights, number plate light(s), rear lights, fuel pump (if electric), plus anything else you can think of.
Add all that wattage together and add 20% for reserve capacity and to help re-charge after starting to replace what the starter takes out whilst it is briefly operating. Divide the wattage by 12 to get the amps. The alternator you need is the next available size up.
So, if your total maximum current draw is, say, 360 watts, divided by 12 gives 30 amps. Adding 20% gives 36 amps. The next size alternator up is 45 amps.
That is the correct way to do the job. It's what the original design engineers do and it's not difficult.
