Finish one install (SW1500), start another.....

Kato SD40's are noted for their smooth operation and this one is no different.
So here's an SD40 that I super-detailed and painted quite a handful of years ago:
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I wish I took a picture of the "under the hood" factory arrangement before I gutted it, but, I didn't. Here's the bare chassis, motor and driveline after everything got stripped. Note the PC board in the foreground.
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I reduced the height of the two factory motor brackets on either side of the motor and use them to mount the PCB board which will serve as my base for the LM-3S and also allow me to connect wires (like the common blue) together. Also, I'm using a Scale Sound Systems speaker & enclosure which installs at teh back end of the chassis. I also placed an LM-3S module in place to get an idea of where it might go - as can be seen in this photo.
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Watch this space for updates!

Don't tell Mr. Ring i did this (haha) but in an install with almost no room for the LM, i removed the plastic shell of the LM and wrapped the naked board with Kapton tape.  it will void the warranty but it will give you perhaps just the extra clearance you need. 

Ken

Shell install attempt #2.
Okay, the back of the shell now drops all the way down, but, the front won't go all the way down and is doing and bit of a teeter-totter. I determined that the heat-shrinked, solder joints for the speaker wires is the issue. You can see that in this photo of the brown speaker wires running across the top of the speaker.
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This one took some head-scratching to figure out.
I decided the wires had to come up a different way, so, the first thing I had to do was pry out the 6-pin wiring harness to allow me to remove the speaker and work on it. Then, I peeled the wires out from the slots in the side of the speaker. I then cut a new groove/slot in the corner. Like this:
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Update time!
The first thing I did was decide to abandon the idea of installing fwd and rear gyralights. Trying to stuff two additional wiring harnesses and micro-connectors into what is already a tight spot made me decide that I shouldn't make my first switcher (SW1500) install any harder than necessary. I figured that I could learn from this first SW1500 install and attempt to install gyralights on any second SW1500 I attempt to do down the road. This turned out to be prescient - more on that later.

Here's what the everything looks like after being wired up.
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Here's another view with the pigtails connected to the shell.
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Howdy Rob!

One question: Were you able to successfully solder the wire to the sideframe after drilling the hole? Your photo shows it prior to soldering.

It's been awhile since I posted that. While I don't specifically remember having an issue, it is a sizeable piece of metal that acts as a heat sink, so you have to make sure you get it hot enough for the solder to be effective. That tunnel motor is still running great.

Good luck!