King's MK4 Coyote Build

[2bking]

I jumped in and ordered a MK4 complete Kit that should be delivered about Aug. 8. While waiting, I have been busy ordering the drivetrain parts. The plan is for the Coyote engine, Tremec 600 transmission, 3.55 gears in the IRS with the Torsen differential. I'm thinking about using a hydraulic clutch and will have to make that decision soon. I've experienced some really fast turnarounds from the suppliers so I have shelves full of parts. I have a frame roller built but the fit may need adjusting as I couldn't find and dimensions for the frame and best support points. This forum stuff is new to me so I will have to figure out how to include the pictures.
The Boss said she was onboard with the build if I would paint it to match her car so the color RED is decided. The other colors are yet to be decided. I've driven Jason nuts with the changes to the order but now the die is cast and will be on the truck early next week. I'm looking forward to the build.

[edwardb]

I have a frame roller built but the fit may need adjusting as I couldn't find and dimensions for the frame and best support points. This forum stuff is new to me so I will have to figure out how to include the pictures.

Congratulations and welcome to the madness! You're in for a great time. This forum is a great resource, plus so is the other one if you don't know about it. A quick search found a bunch of threads for a frame dolly, including this one:

http://www.ffcars.com/forums/17-factory-five-roadsters/235474-chassis-dolly-dimensions.html#post2113463

[2bking]

Thanks for the link. I'm a member there too and thought I searched it. Mine puts the bottom of the frame 9.5" off the floor but after looking at that one, I think I will add some height and tweak the length.

[bansheekev]

Welcome! I am building a MKIV, Coyote, QuickTime bellhousing, hydraulic clutch, TKO-600, and an IRS with a Eaton Tru-Trac w/ 3.55's. Obviously we think alike. I am a month or two from first start having just out the drivetrain in the car last week. Ask lots of questions, there are plenty of good experiences answers!

Kevin

[68GT500MAN]

Welcome to the forum and community. The fun will start shortly-enjoy your stay.
Doug

[akpingel]

Welcome! I am building a MKIV, Coyote, QuickTime bellhousing, hydraulic clutch, TKO-600, and an IRS with a Eaton Tru-Trac w/ 3.55's. Obviously we think alike. I am a month or two from first start having just out the drivetrain in the car last week. Ask lots of questions, there are plenty of good experiences answers!

Kevin

... and nearly identical to my setup... except 3.73 gears and Kevin has better brakes IIRC. I highly recommend the hydraulic clutch setup. If I did it over again I would probably go the hydraulic bearing route instead of hydraulic slave.

[2bking]

If I did it over again I would probably go the hydraulic bearing route instead of hydraulic slave.

I was thinking I wanted the hydraulic bearing but heard that they were unreliable and a pain to change. My 27 T Roadster had the slave and I liked not having to adjust the linkage.

Well, the kit was due to depart FFR Aug. 5 but I hear some frame issues halted deliveries so the wait continues. It may ship this week.

My son has graciously given me use of his new shop for this build so there are a lot of things to be done. One of the nice to have items is an overhead lift on a trolley, something that will come in handy for more than just this build. I put my engineering talent to use designing this and have about 75% of it built. It should be completed later this week

[2bking]

My Kit was ready for pick-up Aug 3, Stewart Transport loaded it Aug 12 and it been touring the country ever since. Last Tuesday it was sitting on their dock in Arizona and the dispatcher says I should get it next Monday, Sept. 9. They refunded me $200 for being late. Maybe I should have had the fun of a trip to the factory and picked it up myself.

My Kit list:
Complete Roadster Kit
Uncoated chassis
Body cut-outs
Up graded Wilwood Brakes
Coyote package without J pipes and headers
Leather seats
Wind wings and sun visor
Polished side pipes
Halibrand Vintage Wheels (17x9 front / 17x10.5 rear)
Delete Gauges
Stainless Steel Bumper Kit
Wiper Kit
Battery Cut-off switch
Independent Rear Suspension

I have received most of the drive train parts and some require assembly. I'm using a Tremec 600 for the transmission and wanted the mid-shift conversion. I searched the internet for the Tremec kit only to find it was discontinued. Mike Forte had a conversion kit so I got his and installed it.
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While I had the tail housing off, I cut the lower mounting boss away and smooth the cut line [/I]2125921260

I considered getting a rear clip for the IRS parts needed. I started to add the cost of refurbishing and cleaning. I decided I would save a little money but would risk having to replace some unforeseen item and have to manage the carcass. It seemed to make sense to get new ones so I ordered the diff, gears and housing from Ford Racing. I installed the gears per the Ford Racing Instructions but I didn't have the gage blocks so the pinion shim was calculated after measuring between the rear pinion bearing and the ring gear centerline. That seemed to be accurate because of the tooth contact after the backlash was shimmed to .010.21262
I'm not sure how the axles will fit into the diff so I will wait for the kit before mounting the rear cover. Hopefully my next post will show some pictures of the arrival. Until then I will work on how to make these pictures go where I want them.

[Avalanche325]

Thanks for the link. I'm a member there too and thought I searched it. Mine puts the bottom of the frame 9.5" off the floor but after looking at that one, I think I will add some height and tweak the length.

Just in case you don't know....over there, the search in the forum is not that good. Either go down to the bottom of the page and use the search box there, or do a google search for whatever you want with ffcars in the search.

[2bking]

Today was a good day. The kit arrived about 9 am in the big truck. 21440 Out it came and the driver, Jim, and my son pulled it to the shop. 2144121442.

The rest of the day was spent inventorying the boxes and taking pictures of the sheet metal that came on the frame. I have found a few parts to be missing but am impressed with the packing and quality. Hopefully tomorrow I can spend some fun time starting the build.

[DaleG]

DAY ONE IS ALWAYS A GOOD ONE.:o

[Davidbr_48]

Congratulations! I am building a similar car - Coyote engine, etc - but with under-car exhaust.

The Coyote is a tight fit in the engine compartment -- make sure FF sends you the correct sheet metal parts for the driver's foot box.

David

[2bking]

Thanks David. I only remember one panel and it was for the left front foot box. The Coyote package wasn't with the kit but is on the way now. Are the panels part of that? Do you have a build thread or pictures?

I ordered the frame bare so I could clean up the weld splatter and make a few mods. I'm moving the parking brake to the top of the transmission tunnel so it will be within reach when belted in. I know its not period correct but I would rather have it useful. I spent a few hours figuring out if it was doable and have an idea for the mod. I'm going to have to wait until later in the build to finalize the plan so I decided to go ahead with the frame painting.

I've got the frame washed and prepped for paint but the phosphoric coating from the etch that is supposed to inhibit rust seems to allow a gold tone to appear on the bare metal and lots of white residue also. I have sprayed the frame down three times trying to find a method the stops the rusting when it dries. It looks perfect before rinsing with water. Washing the etch off with soap and water keeps most of the flash rust at bay but produces a lot of white residue. Its well etched now so I'm going to spend some time wiping it down and then start painting.

[2bking]

Before I washed and prepped the frame, I foamed the open tubes that I could see.
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Unfortunately there are a lot of tubes connected without full weld at the intersection which allowed the liquids to enter. The water/soap/metal etch is still coming out as the frame is turned. As you can see from the pictures, I used my host to position the frame for cleaning and painting so turning it in the different positions allows the liquids to find a way out. The X braces at the door openings and vertical IRS members are the main leakers but a few of the 3/4" square tubes have some wet spots as well.

Another thing I have noticed is a "frame twist" in the 4" main tubes. I search the forums and found a lot of doubters but it is real. When the frame is on the dolley with about 5' between the end support points, it has about 3/8" space under one of the diagonal points and rolling it around the shop doesn't make it go away. The long 4" tubes have a bow in them assumedly from all the parts welded to the top side. My 4' level shows about 1/4" over its span. I haven't spent time measuring all this exactly because I can't do anything about it but it may affect the some subtle things like header clearance.

So here is the frame after four rounds of metal etch and washing.
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The phosphoric coating is supposed to stop the flash rust but I couldn't make it happen and I searched the forums for other pictures and they seemed to look similar to mine so I quit the prep and started to paint. I got a quart of POR 15 and brushes but read some threads where they sprayed it on and got a better finish so I changed my mind and went with spray with some good news and bad. First the good news: the frame looks good; the bad news: I have permanent black dust in the far ends of the shop.
I used a painters drop cloth and had some settle through it to the floor. So, in the pictures, some of the shadows on the white floor aren't.

Here's the frame painted.
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I wanted to keep the aluminum panels shinny for the radiated heat reflection properties around the foot boxes. I also didn't want to polish them. I tried to do the Scotch brite pad but the F panels had some scratches too deep so out came the RA sander. The combination of it and the Scotch brite pad made a finish I had confidence I could reproduce on the other panels. I planned (plan A) to use Sharkhide to finish them. I purchased some and tried it. It seems nothing more than a wipe on lacquer and offers "up to" two years of protection. That's not good enough for panels that can't be accessed nor do I want the maintenance headache of refinishing them. Plan B was to spray a clear finish over the panels (I'm thinking DiamondFinish by KBS Coatings) but I'm lacking the materials for now. I had some left over automotive clear top coat paint so I applied it to the two F panels and installed them. The directions for it don't list bare metal as a substrate so I'm not going to use it on the remaining panels. Here are the panels installed with some suspension work started.
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Tomorrow I will do more suspension work.

[2bking]

Its been awhile since my last post so this is an update on progress and activities. I completed assembly of the front suspension and installed the power rack. I safety wired the Wilwood brake rotor screws in groups of four (I didn't have a tool). They aren't real pretty but the screws won't back out. Here are some before and after photos.
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There are quite a few bare metal parts in the kit that need a finish. I came to a place in the build where I needed to install some of them so I had to make a decision on color and finish type. I really like the powder coat and being a DIY guy, I starting looking at some U Tube videos on the process and equipment needed. I watch some where they were using the Eastwood kits and were getting very good results and the process seemed very easy. I just needed the powder gun and an oven plus a few other goodies like tape and hole plugs. One Thanksgiving we needed an extra oven and a midnight trip around the neighborhood before trash pick-up day yielded a good working electric range (but no racks so my son made some out of scrap expanded metal). It had been gathering dust for a few years so I put it to use. I ordered a kit from Eastwood.
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I built a cardboard paint booth using some FFR shipping boxes, a furnace filter, and a desk top fan. The painting process uses an electrostatic charge to attract the powder to the parts so I made a metal horizontal rod to hang the parts from and attached the ground clip outside the box to the U bolts supporting the rod.
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I cleaned the parts using Marine Clean and Metal Ready and chamfered the laser cut edges.
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The following pictures are before and after in the paint booth and then loaded into the oven. The broiler heating element with all its crooks and turns made an excellent way to hang the parts inside the oven.
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I set the oven to 450F and waited for the powder to start to melt . I then turned down the temperature to 400F and let the parts cook for about 20 minutes. I an very pleased with the results and I can't see any difference between the FFR ones and mine. Here are the E Brake and Petal Box assembled with the coated parts.
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I think I'm done painting for now so I can get back to assembling parts.

[2bking]

I had forgotten about or maybe I thought the Wilwood clutch pedal clearance issue had been fixed. But as I installed the Wilwood pedal box, I found the same problem that has been discussed on this and the other forum. The clutch pedal hits the 3/4" square frame tube at its halfway travel regardless of the type of clutch release method you are using. I'm using a hydraulic clutch. For me, there seems to be only 4 solutions:
1. Adjust the clutch pedal so at rest it is above the brake thus giving it more swing before it hits.
2. Use a MC with a larger bore than the slave thus less travel to release the brake but more leg effort.
3. Cut the 3/4" sq. frame tube to allow full pedal travel.
4. Cut the pedal arm to clear the frame.

Everyone seems to line up on the solution they prefer for different reasons. I don't want the clutch pedal above the brake or more leg effort so I'm down to cutting something. It looks like cutting that darn frame is very inviting and easy and leaving that pretty arm alone is a good choice. But after thinking about it, I decided cutting the pedal is the right choice. I can leave the frame as designed as there are loads that go through the tube that are not obvious and I don't want a kinked frame member because something hit the quick jack. If it turns out that the pedal arm breaks, I can replace it and weld a stiffener on the side of the new one.

Here are the photos of the cut in the arm. If you want to see the interference, you can search the forums and find tons of pictures and discussion. I powder coated the cut but didn't have a satin black power that would have better matched the anodized black on the factory finish. The only black powder I have is gloss so I tried to feather it out around the cut. No one can see this after it's installed unless they want to hurt themselves by sticking their head under the steering wheel.
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[edwardb]

I assume you also read the multiple threads on the clutch arm breaking? The piece you have is a newer design because the original Wilwood part was prone to breaking. As I understand, this new beefier arm is the reason for the frame interference compared to the original design. Cutting the 3/4 tube is an OK choice if properly reinforced, either by welding or bolting in a new piece on the outside of the existing tube. Lots of choices during these builds for sure. Your build looks great BTW.

[jetsbaby]

I would of not cut that clutch arm..In the middle of no where and things tend to break..Cut, notch and plate in the 1x1 tube would of been a better option..Do you know how to weld?

[2bking]

Well..to those that want to cut the tube, I agree its looks nice and neat but that's a piece of my crash protection. The tube, although seemingly non load bearing at the place of cutting, does help keep the frame intact and moving together should an impact in the left frontal area occur. I would rather have a broken clutch pedal (I can still get home with that problem) than a 3/4 piece of tube stuck in my throat after some accident. And, jetsbaby and edwardb are correct that adding a plate could restore the strength of the tube after cutting the notch, but part of my decision was the fact that I would have to completely remove the pedal box, cut, grind, weld, and repaint the area.

I'm using a hydraulic clutch so the twisting and breaking of the pedal is not an issue for me but that problem was above the pedal pivot anyway. I did the math (45 years of engineering experience and a PE) to see what stress would be in the area of the pedal cut. Not knowing exactly what aluminum alloy this is, I assumed a 30,000 psi yield which is near the bottom of casting alloys. If it takes 50 lbs on the clutch pedal to release the clutch (I think that is 2X what it should be-maybe some of you can give me a real number), the stress in the remaining pedal arm where I cut it would be around 14,000 psi. Fatigue of metal doesn't occur until the repeated stress exceeds 50% of the yield strength. So, that's the straight down load but there could possibly be a side load that would bend the pedal toward/away from the brake. I calculated that one too and it will take 100 lbs at the pedal bottom with no bending.

I have a welder, actually four types-acetylene, arc, MIG and TIG and will be using them on parts of this build but maybe I was lazy here not wanting to rework the tube. The math says I should be OK.

[2bking]

Today was pumpkin mounting day. I purchased the Ford Racing Aluminum Differential Carrier housing and cover, M-4010-G3. I installed the ring and pinion, bearings and cover. I cleaned the outside and painted it.
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Before attempting to load it into the frame, I did a measurement check to make sure it would fit the frame mounts. I discovered the rear frame mounts had 1 3/8" between them and my pumpkin had a 1 1/2" wide mounting boss. Just a silly little 1/8" interference.
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One side of the pumpkin boss was machined while the other had spot faces for bolt heads. The FFR frame touches both sides so the spot faces needed to go away. I assumed the machined side was at the correct location and the 1/8" needed to be removed from the side with the spot faces so I loaded it on the mill and removed the offending material.
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This housing has some bolt holes on either side fairly close to the CG so attaching the lifting straps there would make it easier to manipulate it through the frame. After the first few tries, I was sure it was not going through the hole and it needed some serious grinding to make it go. Turning it 180 made some significant difference and after rubbing the paint off, it reluctantly gave up and popped through. Without the hoist and several methods of lifting it, it wasn't going to happen. And I'm sure it will not come out the way it went in after more assembly.
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Some missing paint
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Finally where it belongs
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I touched up the paint and called it a day. I'm still waiting on the CV/axle shafts.

[carlewms]

King,

Nice thread and you just finished the hardest part of the build (at least for me) so far. I had to trim the pumpkin to get it up into the IRS frame.

Carl

[2bking]

Thanks Carl, I have been following your build thread. If I can make mine look as good as yours, I'll be pleased.

[WIS89]

King-

Awesome start to your build, and great thread!

I wish I had some of your tools. Or, at least lived closer. You know the old saying: what's better than having a workshop full of tools? Having a neighbor with a workshop full of tools!

Thanks for sharing the info and pictures, and good luck moving forward!

Regards,

Steve

[2bking]

Steve, I have that neighbor. He's my son and we share a shop, or I should say he is letting me use part of his. Between us, we have a lot of tools in the chest. I always did all of my auto repairs and bought the tools as I needed them plus some machinery. He does commercial refrigeration and kitchen repairs for the restaurants so he has some impressive toys in his chest also. He built on to his existing shop this year and I helped with interior work. It's a nice playground. He painted the walls white and epoxy coated the floors in white also. A little light goes a long way. He did the same to the older building and it makes finding lost items on the floor very easy. The epoxy also makes cleaning/sweeping easy.

Today I did a test fit of the coyote with headers to see how the clearances around the engine would be. My first try was with the stock oil pan on the engine and I had to raise the frame on dolly to get the motor mounts to rest on the frame brackets.
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Even with the Coyote sheet metal mods, it is very tight. I'm not happy with the pedal room given up with the new sheet metal so I'm going to go down the same path as other builders and get some back plus increase the clearance around the headers where they turn the corner going out.

While I had the engine on the hoist, I removed the stock oil pan to replace it with the Moroso low profile one I had purchased. I was greeted with a full pan of oil I didn't expect. At least it wasn't hot.
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When I emptied the oil from the pan, I noticed flakes of metal in the bottom. Hopefully its new engine debris and not a bearing going away in the brief time the factory tested it. I don't know if I should be concerned but its getting new oil.
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I cleaned the Moroso pan and pick-up tube, powder coated it black, and installed it without any problems. The low oil switch screw in and connected back to the engine harness. I put the engine back in the frame for another check and all looks good. The oil pan sits even with the bottom of the 4" tubes. It was getting late and I forgot to take pictures.

If anyone reading this has the Moroso pan, I'm wondering if the weight of it (about 20 lbs) is an issue. The stock pan weighs about 3? lbs. The Moroso pan is built tough; I think I can jack the whole car up with it. I'm adding 17 lbs to the car just to get a shallow oil pan. I'm not happy about that.

Happiness is pile of empty boxes!
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Tomorrow I will start modifying sheet metal.

[d_gatorfan]

I am amazed you got the ford racing pumpkin to go in with the cover. After an hour or so, I decided it wasn't going to fit through the hole with the cover on, of course me and a friend were doing it by hand without a hoist. Without the cover it went right in, then I reinstalled the cover.

Dennis

[2bking]

Dennis, I thought it wasn't going in also and was thinking of removing the cover but wasn't convinced that would help. I was ready to make a bolt-in section to the tube with the fuel tank supports to get it in and out later if need be. With a bolt in section of that tube removed, the pumpkin will fit through easy. My son wanted to try it one more time and it aligned itself a little different than the previous try. It got stuck half way through the IRS mounting tubes. A little push/pull rocking it and it popped through. It wasn't going in without the hoist.

[d_gatorfan]

That removable tube might be a good idea. I have the FFMetal battery box back there. I have been waiting to rivet it in until I gokart, just in case I have some issues. I am worried i might not even be able to get the cover off without taking half the car apart. I am thinking about mounting the battery box with rivnuts instead, so i could get it out of the way if I had to.

Dennis

[2bking]

I got the Coyote install option as part of the kit that includes DS foot box sheet metal that makes more clearance for the engine. Unfortunately it removes foot room inside the foot box that resulted in very little space between the brake pedal and side wall. My #9 tennis shoe could barely fit in the space to get to the accelerator so I wanted to regain the lost room. I spent a few days modeling the frame in ProE and found a Ford Racing step file for the Coyote engine on one of the forums.

In a previous post I showed the Coyote in the frame with the Stainless Headers and at that time I saw there was very little room between the headers and the inside corner of the foot box. I wanted to get more room there as well while redoing the sheet metal. I noted the 3/4" sq tubing at the corner could be moved back and rewelded without any structural loss to facilitate a large corner radius in the sheet metal. So here is the plan in ProE format.
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I purchased the necessary .040 6061-T6 sheet metal, drew out the flat patterns obtained from ProE in full scale on butcher paper, glued the paper patterns to the metal with spray adhesive, and cut them out. To keep from scratching the back side, I glued a blank paper to it. The following photos show the process and the pieces with the paper removed.
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I did a test fit and it looks to be very accurate although it looks a little sloppy in photos because the 3/4" sq tube hasn't been moved but you can get the idea. Here is the factory Coyote sheet metal and then my design.
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This photo is showing the inside of the foot box. The sheet metal looks to be dented but its just reflections giving the illusion.
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Here is a cross section in ProE showing header and motor clearance.
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Tomorrow I will start the frame mod to allow the installation.

[WIS89]

[QUOTE=2bking;119859]Steve, I have that neighbor. He's my son and we share a shop, or I should say he is letting me use part of his. Between us, we have a lot of tools in the chest. I always did all of my auto repairs and bought the tools as I needed them plus some machinery. He does commercial refrigeration and kitchen repairs for the restaurants so he has some impressive toys in his chest also. He built on to his existing shop this year and I helped with interior work. It's a nice playground. He painted the walls white and epoxy coated the floors in white also. A little light goes a long way. He did the same to the older building and it makes finding lost items on the floor very easy. The epoxy also makes cleaning/sweeping easy.

King-

That's terrific! I am in a similar situation as you in regards to tools. A decent collection from years of repairs and maintenance. However, machinery is a different matter. But I give it my best effort. I am sure your son is as pleased to have you as a neighbor as you are to have him. I like the idea of the white epoxy on the floor. I bet it also brightens up the space, and makes any dropped parts easier to find. I drop stuff all the time and spend too much time searching...

Thanks again for keeping the thread going! It is really a great help seeing others' builds, especially when they are this detailed. It goes a long way to help formulate ideas to incorporate into my own build, and also learn from your build tips. Thank you for providing the level of detail you are including! Keep the good stuff coming and best of luck going forward!

Regards,

Steve

[2bking]

I have been working the trunk modifications to increase room and mount the battery and ISIS Power Module. From information I have found on the forums, the gas tank mounting was designed to fold down and under in the event of a rear end impact so I didn't want to make changes that would prevent the intent. From observation of the tube structure bracing the rear body mounting and gas tank support structure, it is apparent that it is stiff but not strong and will collapse rather easily with a rear/side impact. The whole structure is fabricated from thin wall 3/4" sq. tube. I am going to cut out the internal bracing so I need to replace it with a similar structure and not touch the forward gas tank mounting struts. The final look (no covers shown) will be this:
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I built the lower frame out of 3/4" sq. tube with the "X" for a crush zone thus making it stiff but with a weak zone.
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After I welded all the parts together, I attached it to the IRS "X" tubes and the rear body mounting and gas tank support structure.
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After I had it welded in place, I cut out the original bracing and welded the remaining parts in place. The DS forward gas tank strut needed a jog to clear the ISIS compartment so I rebuilt it and welded it back to to the 1" cross tube. It will fold back just like the original. The completed frame mods are shown here:
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I plan to use the Optima battery and it can be mounted in any orientation so I'm laying it on its side to slide in and out of the compartment. The bar I designed to secure it in place is a quick release so maintenance will be simple. Now back to making the sheet metal.

[2bking]

I took a couple of weeks off to go to Branson, Mo with the wife. We had a good time and saw a lot of fall color in the landscape. Some of the roads in the Ozarks made me wish I had the roadster finished.

I have been doing work-arounds while waiting on the back ordered CV axles for the IRS because I couldn't finish the brakes and rear suspension without them. I called the factory to find out when they might be delivered and was told about the end of Nov. They had axle assemblies that were too short but had the correct center shaft parts if I wanted to disassemble and replace the short shafts. Sounded good so they sent the parts. It was pretty quick removing the band clamps on the boots and c-rings holding the axle ends. I was able to reuse the boot clamps and the whole process took about 2 hours. For reference the short shaft part numbers are 14839 and the correct one are 15506. The difference in length is about .500 in. See picture below.

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I had reluctantly installed the pumpkin without having the axles to fit check. I had read on the forums about a fit problem where the axles would not lock into the torsen differential. Sure enough, mine were no different-they wouldn't lock in. I did all the problem checking, grease on the axle end and paint in the splines to verify the splines on the axle were not long enough-about .030 inch short. Others had lengthen them using a dremel so I gave it a shot. Here's the process and work in progress.

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The next fit check was a success.

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I have to thank the forums and information I have found here for making this a quick fix for what could have been a very perplexing problem.

[CraigS]

Wow, I guess I have missed the short spline thing. Glad it is a fix as I have read a couple of threads w/ the problem.

[mtdr]

King,
I really like your re-design of the DS foot box panels. I have the FF panel installed temporarily for my Coyote install. I would like to do your design but do not have the knowledge to run the Pro E program you used. I am not using the stainless headers but continuing on with the FF original headers with J pipes, therefore I believe I don't need to move the 3/4 tube or create the radius you incorporated in the new panel. Is there anyway you could help me out. Thanks.

MTDR
Tim
Mount Dora, FL
352 729-4356

[DaleG]

What an amazing build thread!

Cheers, Dale

[2bking]

Tim - I have several patterns. PM me with what you want to change and I think I can help.

Dale- Thanks, I'm about three or more months behind you in my build. All these modifications take time and I'm a little slow but I think I have everything done now except the dash. Its going to be different from anything I've seen but maybe not completely original.

I wanted to move the parking brake to a usable location so one of the first things I did was to cut out the factory mounting frame and cable guides. I needed all that gone to force me to redesign the linkage for a new location. After the Thanksgiving visits I started thinking on the design and looked at the different alternatives. I determined I could use the factory handle with a few modifications as the right angle brackets provided many mounting options. I was thinking I would need new cables but the factory ones worked with new ends. As with my other mods, I used ProE to work out the details. One of my requirements was to have a balance bar to equalize the left and right cable forces which seemed to be missing from all the mods I had seen on the forums. Below is the design I worked out in ProE.

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The next task was to make the parts and mod the handle. I purchased the cable ends from Aircraft Spruce along with the bushings and nuts. For looks and to keep the handle with a low profile, I needed to bend it down about 22 degrees. I was prepared to redo the button release after bending but after a little tweak, it functioned just fine. The first thing I did was to drill out the handle from the original 3/8 dia. to 1/2 to give more room for the release mechanism and to make bending easier. The following pictures are the drilling and bending.

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As you can see, I heated it red hot to bend it. The next pictures are of the parts, cable guide, bell crank, and crank mount I needed to make. The bell crank is made from .063 steel sheet and welded together. The pivot at the crank mount received oil lite bushings. The cable guide and crank mount are made from 1/8 steel. The balance bar (not shown) is made from 1/2 dia. steed rod. I powder coated the parts black.

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The next pictures are of the trial fit. I ordered extras of the cable ends and needed them as I cut the cables a little long and didn't have enough adjustment. I cut those off, shorten the cables and attached new ends.

24580 24581 24582

The parking brake came with two spherical rod ends with .25-28 UNF threads and I reused them on the connecting rod I made from 3/8 dia. stock with the threads to screw them on. That provided another adjustment to get full travel of the brake handle. I noticed the parking brake return springs on the Willwood calipers were not strong enough to pull the cables completely back so I plan to add some more spring force there.

I'm ready to run fuel and brake lines but I need to get the ABS module first. I haven't gotten any response from the local salvage yards.

[mtdr]

King,
I am trying to share some photos but not sure if this will work. First attempt. Any way your design worked perfect for me. If the pix come though you will see four old guys cramming the Coyote in for test fit. I took the poster board used for mock up to a local shop to bend the panel. It looks great! In the process of sending E-brake,hinges and other bare metal to powder coating.

Thanks,
Tim


257722577125770

[2bking]

I'm happy it worked for you. I have several others wanting to do the same sheet metal mod so the pictures are good for seeing the results.

I've been working on a tractor for the past few weeks so no progress on #8127.

25959


I now have all the ABS parts that were holding up the brake line routing so that's my next task.

[Hondros]

Really love the way you are using CAD technology to make this vehicle even more unique while improving it at the sametime.

[2bking]

Really love the way you are using CAD technology to make this vehicle even more unique while improving it at the sametime.

Thanks Hondros, the designing is as much fun as the building. I've spent as much time on the computer as I have building.

I used my ProE model to find space to mount the ABS Pump. I tried many different locations but the area I really wanted to place was low on the firewall. I didn't have the factory mounting bracket so I had to start from scratch. I got a new pump off Ebay very cheap and when it arrived, the box smelled of smoke so it must have come from a dealership fire. The special mounting studs and rubber isolators were included in the box so all I had to do was make a bracket to hold it. I designed the bracket using the 3/4 sq tube I removed from the trunk area where I captured the space over the gas tank. I purchased some 16 ga steel when I got the aluminum sheet so I had that to use at the mounting points. The plans and material is shown here. Click on the pictures for the larger size:
26220

This is the finished mount before powder coating:
26221

When I make parts using the model and they fit, it validates the model. When they don't fit, either the part or model is screwed up. Well, it didn't fit because of a mistake in the model so back to the drawing board to find the problem. After looking through the model and comparing it to pictures of the frame, I found and corrected the model and altered the mount as needed by adding a jog to the lower mounting leg. I did a test fit and drilled the frame at the mounting points. When the ABS pump/mount is in the vehicle, one of the nuts holding the pump to mount is inaccessible so the mount and pump has to be removed as a unit. I picked the mounting points on the frame so as to be easily accessible after the car is finished. I used rev nuts in the frame so I wouldn't have to hassle with any far side nuts.

I powdered coated the mount:
26222

And mounted it in the car:
26223

I can now run the brake lines so that is my next task.

[DaleG]

Sweet location for the ABS module! I'll bet you know exactly the clearance from the left head. Maybe an inch?

[Tom Mauldin]

Very nice work!!

[2bking]

Thanks Tom!

It's been awhile since my last post and I have been busy doing a lot of little stuff that doesn't show much. One of the last frame mods was to move a cross member on the top of the transmission tunnel to make room for the mid shifter. Because one end of the tube that needed moving joins with two others at acute angles, it was going to be hard to reweld that joint if I completely cut the tube out so I opted for a small dog leg on that end. I Vee notched the tube at the dog leg location and cut through the welds at the other end. After several iterations of trimming, I clamped the tube into its new location and my son offered to do the welding so I let him and took the picture of the action.
27014

After a little grinding and paint, it looks like this:
27015

I spent a lot of time planning the brake and fuel line routing because my paths were going to be different with the ABS Module location I had chosen. For the brake line I decided to get the 20' roll of 3/16" stainless tubing to keep from using splice connections on the long runs. I had read on the forums where a lot of builders were opting for 3/8" for the main fuel line so ordered that also as the kit came with 5/16". I tried the clothes hanger wire for making patterns but found it to be too wimpy. I sacrificed one of the 60" brake lines that came with the kit for pattern making and it worked out well. It was soft enough to unbend and rebend as needed for the various patterns and very stiff for holding shape. I started out using the clamps supplied with the kit but they held the tubing off the frame so I ordered the ones shown from Summit Racing and installed rev-nuts to attach them using screws. Here are pictures of the front brake lines:
27016 27018 27019 27020 27021 27022 27023

[2bking]

I wanted to route the wiring and lines through the transmission tunnel and was aware of the closeness of the driveshaft at the back end and dangers of a broken U-joint allowing the shaft to flop and break stuff. I made a guard from steel bar, powder coated it, and bolted it the frame using 1/4-20 rev-nuts. It makes a channel for the lines and wire and protects them from the driveshaft. I missed pictures of the fab but here it is with the lines and wiring passing through.
27024

When I started to unroll the 3/8" fuel line, I realized it was huge compared to the line coming out of the fuel tank. I did some Google searching and found a fuel line sizing calculator. The calculator showed the 3/8" line wasn't necessary and a 5/16" line had plenty of margin during full flow conditions. It also showed that a 1/4" return line was sufficient. I decided to make life easy and used the lines and fittings that came with the kit. My tunnel routing was perfect for the 60" lines from the kit by not requiring splices. I made the line clamps using some stainless sheet sheared to 1/2" wide and attached using the #8 rev-nuts.
Here are pictures of the rear brake and fuel lines:
27025 27026 27027 27028 27029 27030 27031

[DaleG]

You do fine work; impressive.

[2bking]

Thanks Dale, I'm not as far along as you but I make a little progress every week. It's all the deviations from the manual that slows me down; just getting the right fittings to hook lines together sometimes takes a week.

And speaking of fittings and lines, I plumbed the ABS module and fuel pressure regulator. The fuel lines coming through the tunnel places the exit just below the regulator which is almost in line with the fuel rail connection on the motor, a good thing. To make the connections and bends, I needed more fittings. I keep a Summit Racing cart full of needed items and when the total reaches $100, the free shipping mark, I check out. It's amazing how quick I can hit $100 just in fittings. The 10mm and 12mm adapter fittings for the ABS module were hard to accurately identify and the 12mm fitting hard to find. Another fitting I couldn't find locally was the 45* 1/8 pipe to tilt the pressure gauge for easier viewing. Here are pictures of the ABS Module and pressure regulator:
27039

Trying to keep the brake and clutch lines to exit at one location and have a hole large enough for them to pass through, led me to build a melamine plastic pass-through block that attaches to the sheet metal with screws. It's split horizontally into two pieces and clamped together by the screws across the top and attaches with the two diagonally placed screws to rev-nuts in the sheet metal. Here's a bad close-up view but the best I have now:
27040

The clutch line runs down to the diagonal sq. tube that goes between the firewall upright and the 4" frame tube. That location is within 10" of my slave cylinder location. I need more fittings and hose, that are on order, to complete the connection. The tubing from the MCs were fairly straight forward but making them align with each other was a challenge. After a few rebends, I decided this was good enough; it will be hidden inside the foot box when the cover is on. I bought the Eastwood flaring tool and used it for all flaring on both the stainless and kit lines and never had a bad flare. The kit lines were much easier to flare than the stainless:
2704127042

I'm now working on mounting the power steering pump and AC compressor to the engine. I bought an expensive TurnKey kit (sometimes you don't get what you pay for) for mounting both that turned out not to have any attributes but bling. I'll post more about that later.

[DaleG]

Your installs are so clean and well thought out. Making notes for the next build, or rebuild when/if I get bored. Turnkey kit for PS/AC; I used the Frontrunner and so far, so good.

[2bking]

Anyone doing a Coyote build and looking for a after market solution for mounting the AC Compressor and PS Pump needs to consider anything but Turn Key. The engineering, if there was any, sucks. I tried to return it to no avail so I am using the parts and making my own mounting brackets. It was $1800 of bling, looked good in the pictures, and my bad for not doing more searching. I should have gotten the Front Runner but didn't know the TurnKey was such a disaster. I purchased it as a M-8600-M50PSAC front drive kit (a Turn Key Product) from Ford Racing Parts Direct. I discovered the problems when I installed the kit on my engine. I tried to return it but Ford Racing Parts Direct said because it had been installed- no refund! They didn't offer any warranty either.

Here are the problems listed in approximate order of severity:

1. The tensioner is in the wrong place. The load in the AC compressor an PS tend to unload the tensioner to allow belt slippage. In other words, it on the drive section of the belt, not the slack section.

2. The drive pulley being on the water pump is loading the water pump bearing by extending the overturning moment in the bearings and tends to bend the pump shaft. This pulley is about three inches forward of the pump bearing. I fear it will lead to premature water pump bearing failure or shaft breaking from fatigue. The water pump is seeing the induced loads from both belts.

3. The weight of the pulley that attaches to the water pump pulley is excessive (think almost solid aluminum, no weight removal on back side) to achieve the bling thus increases the rotating mass. This pulley may have twice or more the rotating mass of the factory water pump pulley. The other billet pulleys have the same issue. The pulley that came with my kit does not run true. It has about .005-.008 wobble TIR measured at the outer lip on the belt groove which I could see before measuring it.

4. The total rotating mass on the AC/PS drive belt is reflected to the tensioner on the alternator belt which can lead to that belt to slip/jump the pulleys or just wear out faster.

5. The belt cannot be installed without removing the water pump pulley to get the belt on the tensioner. I was successful in installing the belt using a 2.75 diameter tensioner pulley without removing the pulley on the water pump. I could not do it using the 3.00 diameter pulley that came with the kit. This isn't a show stopper but a drive system with a spring loaded tensioner should be designed to allow the belt to be installed without removing parts.

I emailed Turn Key to make sure I wasn't looking at something wrong and got one word responses for answers to my questions. They basically said they had sold over two hundred units and hadn't had any issues. I'm thinking the issues that are inherent in the design may not show up for awhile and may not be recognized as due to a faulty design.

I've converted the parts into a design much like the FrontRunner but a little different. I post more when I'm finished.

[2bking]

The Turn Key Kit as purchased was to be installed like this.
27517 27518

The parts that came with the kit are pictured below:
27519

At one point I thought I was being too critical of the design but I just couldn't put the system on my engine knowing the drive had some really bad engineering. The Achilles heel was the fact it was using the water pump for the input with a very heavy pulley and the load there was extended past the end of the pump shaft. I attempted to fix the heavy pulley by replacing it with the ford water pump pulley just like the one on the engine and mounting them back to back. I cut down the spacers to align the other pulleys with the new one. This also shortened the load path to the pump shaft. I was not satisfied with the results as it seemed to only fix about 20% of the problems. I had two options left, either buy another drive kit or design a new drive system using the parts from the Turn Key Kit. The Front Runner design looked to be ideal and well thought out and it used the same components that were in the Turn Key Kit. I tried to purchase the Front Runner mounting brackets but they only available in the complete kit.

I have the Ford Racing Coyote Engine CAD file so designing a different drive system wasn't going to be all that difficult. The PS pump has to be driven in the correct direction to work. I achieved the correct rotation by placing the pump with the pulley facing the engine and driving it off the back side of the belt. The crank shaft pulley has places for two drive belts with only the outer one being used for driving the water pump and alternator. The inner one is used to drive the factory AC compressor only. Since I needed to drive the PS pump also, the factory set up would need to be modified. I used the Front Runner design as a starting point and proceeded to design brackets that I could make with my mill and lathe using materials I had available. The right side of the engine has a machined post for mounting an idler pulley and designed in clearance for the belt between it and the crankshaft pulley that would come in handy for simplifying the work. The Front Runner used that pulley and has a couple of mounting parts that were CNC machined that were too complicated for me to duplicate. These parts also incorporated the belt tensioner mount so I had to deleted the tensioner. The correct place for the tensioner is between the last driven pulley and the crank pulley and space is very tight so there are not many options for mounting it. The parts I used from the Turn Key Kit are shown below:
27520

I designed and made these parts:
27521

ProE did a perfect job of determining the serpentine belt length. I powder coated the parts black and assembled them to the engine. All the mounting bolts are 8-1.25mm so I had to buy the correct length hardware. The engine had one mounting point that had to be drilled and tapped. The CAD file was used to determine hole patterns and it proved to be accurate. I had to purchase a banjo fitting for the input to the PS pump and replumb the hose from the reservoir to the pump. The reservoir mounting was not changed. The completed and installed drive is shown below:
27522 27523 27524

I am pleased with the results although I wasn't able to fit the belt tensioner in the design. I don't think it will be a problem as the factory AC Compressor mount doesn't use a tensioner either. I can put the Turn Key problem behind me now and move on with the build.

[2bking]

I'm getting the "need to make" parts done so I know where everything will mount/route before I hang sheet metal. In that list are: front ABS sensor mounts, hydraulic clutch, engine PCM, and brake reservoir. I don't have a donor and the front spindles are different so I'm sure I can't buy the factory mounts. The ABS sensor needs to be over the top of the tone ring and almost touching it so there is only one area where it can be placed. Without welding and machining on the spindle parts, there is only one bolt in that area for use to mount a bracket. After figuring all that out, a little measuring with calipers pretty much nailed down the bracket shape and dimensions. The one variable is the exposure of the sensor over the tone ring. Since I don't know that exactly, I made a spacer that can be used for adjustment. The parts are shown here before and after powder coating. I'll get them installed later this week.
27561 27562

The next on the list is the hydraulic clutch slave cylinder. I originally intended to use an internal one but after reading the posts about their reliability and difficulties associated with fixing/replacing, I changed the plan to an external one. This turned out to be a little more difficult because I couldn't buy a factory bolt up kit for the parts I have. After searching through endless number of slave candidates, I picked a Nissan one with a 3/4 bore and 1.2" stroke. It was also cheap, about $15. I wanted the slave to mount to the bell housing and not use the transmission mounting bolts. Using some 3/8 aluminum plate and .040 sheet metal, and some ProE help, I came up with the parts shown below.
27560

I purchased the chrome powder when I got the Eastwood powder coating gun and hadn't had a opportunity to try it so I used it on these parts. I think it looks almost like chrome.
27563

These are pictures of the parts attached to the bell housing.
27564 27565 27566

The PCM mount was some what a trial and error to get the mount with rails for the PCM to slide on. I powder coated it using the chrome powder and attached it to the frame using 1/4-20 rev nuts. The pictures below show the mount.
27567 27568 27569 Picture limit here, more pictures next post.

[2bking]

Below are pictures of the PCM mount installed on the frame.
27574 27576 27578

The last part is the brake reservoir and I haven't completed it yet. I'll post pictures when I do.

[aspbite]

P.M. sent on your DS foot box mod. Thanks

[DaleG]

The gap between the tone ring teeth and the sensor magnet is 0.027” – 0.030”.

Forte tweeked the rear caliper brackets for ABS sensors; also attached tone rings: 27593

Asked Russ to fab brackets for ABS front sensors: 27594

[ClemsonS197]

Below are pictures of the PCM mount installed on the frame.
27574 27576 27578

The last part is the brake reservoir and I haven't completed it yet. I'll post pictures when I do.

FYI, the ribbing on the top of the computer is to dissipate heat. Not sure if your mount will overheat the computer, just a thought.

[2bking]

Thanks Dale for the ABS info. The dimension I was unsure about is how far across the tone ring the sensor extends. I can vary the spacer length to accommodate. I have the IRS and the rear ABS sensors mount directly to the pumpkin so that part was easy.


FYI, the ribbing on the top of the computer is to dissipate heat. Not sure if your mount will overheat the computer, just a thought.

I understand and contemplated another design. My quandary was the location is somewhat fixed by the engine harness and it is above the headers. I think it needs a heat shield at least but not an enclosed box so I tried to compromise with an open box thus one side being a heat shield. I'm open to suggestions and experience. I'm thinking there might not be a lot of watts in the box.

[2bking]

Its been awhile since I've updated the build and while a lot of planning has been going on, not much has happened for picture taking. One thing that has been completed is the brake reservoir system. I wanted gravity bled brakes but that can't happen when the reservoir hose routes below the MC inlet. I got the FFR SS polished reservoir that is intended to feed front and rear MCs. The volume in it is pretty small and mounting it outside the DS foot box would put part of the reservoir below the MC inlet. I understand that isn't a problem as long as the brakes are bled all the way to the reservoir but a few bubbles in the reservoir hose requires another bleeding.

My goal was to have one port for filling the reservoir and have the brake and clutch MCs to feed from one tank. To accomplish this, I made a three compartment tank with a common upper chamber to feed the three MCs. This tank is filled from the FFR supplied SS reservoir which is placed for access by removing DS foot box cover. To make this work, I needed a vent hose between the tank and reservoir. The tank and reservoir is supported by a frame mounted to the unused 1/4-20 tapped holes in the top of the Wilwood pedal mount. Below are pictures of the tank parts, welded tank, modified FFR reservoir, frame, and all parts after powder coating.
28717 28719 28720 28721 28722

The baffles in the tank prevent any of the MCs from sucking the reservoir and tank dry but share fluid when the tank is over half full. The upper port on the tank allows air to escape back to the reservoir to prevent an air lock. I had two of the FFR reservoirs so I cut the top off one to use on the tank. It is only there to aid in cleaning the tank and is not accessible once the tank is in place.

I mounted the parts in the foot box and did some preliminary hose routing. I need to get some 1/4" hose rated for brake fluid. What's shown in the next pictures is fuel hose.
28728 28729 28730 28731

[2bking]

Part of my away time was devoted to wiring management. I'm going to use the ISIS modules so I needed to find space for their mounting. The modules are quite large and require line of sight access for code reading and trouble shooting. I have ordered the three cell combo of which two are power switching modules for activating the various loads. It is intended for one of these to be placed in the front (engine)area and the other in the rear. The third cell or master cell needs to be located close to the switches thus under the dash is ideal. The modules communicate with each other through a CAN buss and eliminate a lot of wiring. The Coyote engine comes with a Power Distribution Box that also competes for interior space. It too needs line of sight for observing indicator lights should an electrical problem exist. Otherwise, its just a black box. Oh, and the Whitby AC unit subtracts under dash space too.

I have a unique dash layout that saves space and improves the drivers view of the gauges. It allows me to carve out some under dash space to get all the boxes under there. I'm attempting to simplify wire routing by having the forward wires exit above the transmission tunnel here:
28732

I know, I know this panel doesn't look like the FFR supplied one but I had a 3* mistake in the sheet metal I made that attaches to it and it was easier to fix it this way rather than remake all the other panels. Anyway, I made this sheet metal for the wire exit into the engine compartment.
28733 28734

This is the mount for the forward power cell.
28735 28736

The rear cell will occupy this hole in the trunk.
28737

The firewall only has support along the bottom edge and either end. With the AC unit mounted in the firewall, it seemed to need a little more bracing so I made this bracket to go between the hoop and firewall. It will also serve as a support for the defrost plenum that I plan to use in lieu of the hose for ducting air to the windshield vents.
28738 28739

I did manage to get the exterior sheet metal sanded and sprayed with Diamond Coat. It is a urethane type paint similar to POR 15 for applying to bare metals and can be cut and polished. I'm leaving it as sprayed and very glossy.

[DaleG]

Thanks Dale for the ABS info. The dimension I was unsure about is how far across the tone ring the sensor extends. I can vary the spacer length to accommodate. I have the IRS and the rear ABS sensors mount directly to the pumpkin so that part was easy.

I would ask Greg_M about how far across they must extend.

I understand and contemplated another design. My quandary was the location is somewhat fixed by the engine harness and it is above the headers. I think it needs a heat shield at least but not an enclosed box so I tried to compromise with an open box thus one side being a heat shield. I'm open to suggestions and experience. I'm thinking there might not be a lot of watts in the box.

Same location as yours. I used aluminized heat blanket, wrapped around the bottom and lower sides, leaving the fins (on the engine side) exposed.
28741

[carlewms]

King,

I am installing ISIS in a roadster with a 347 Stroker using FAST EZ EFI.

My build thread is http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/showthread.php?9583-Carl-s-Mk-4-Roadster-Build/page6&highlight=Isis

I mounted my battery forward PS in the engine compartment using the Breeze kit. The Mega Fuse Block is mounted on a plate at the lower end of the PS F-panel.

http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47a4db20b3127ccef656275a123200000030O09AaOGbRo2bA9 vPhg/cC/f%3D0/ls%3D00006064438420140501233820685.JPG/ps%3D50/r%3D0/rx%3D720/ry%3D480/

The Front POWERCELL is on plate on the DS F-panel.

http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47a4db20b3127ccef65766bc722000000030O09AaOGbRo2bA9 vPhg/cC/f%3D0/ls%3D00006064438420140501233830496.JPG/ps%3D50/r%3D0/rx%3D720/ry%3D480/

The MASTERCELL is mounted in the cockpit above the transmission tunnel behind a removable panel.

http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47a4da05b3127ccef5a501b9245800000030O09AaOGbRo2bA9 vPhg/cC/f%3D0/ls%3D00006064438420140424192143305.JPG/ps%3D50/r%3D0/rx%3D720/ry%3D480/

The more I work with ISIS and Jay Harris the happier I am I chose this as my wiring system.

Carl

[2bking]

Thanks Carl, I've been watching your thread with interest and you are doing an excellent job teaching ISIS wiring to the community. I also like your LED dash lights and have them on my buy list.

I planned on using ISIS wiring from the start but was on the fence for pulling the buy trigger because a mistake of applying 12 V to an input will fry the module. After some hand ringing, I decided the benefits simplified some wiring problems like turning turn signals into four way flashers and using a button to control high and low beams without a relay. My master cell is located in the dash close to where yours is but will be on slides for access below the dash. I've carved out some mounting space for the mega fuses but am uncertain as exactly where they should placed. I have the ISIS manual and need to study more and build less. That's my go do for this week. I hoping the dash wiring will be reduced to smaller wires and bundles as space back there is very limited.

[2bking]

An update on the ISIS Wiring as far as the Master Cell location goes. I located it on slides so I could pull it below the dash for access. I found these SS 8" slides on Amazon.
28811

I made a base plate to mount the slides and ISIS Master Cell mount to attach the extending part of the slides. The assembly is shown here:
28812

The slides have a lock feature to hole them close which is good for keeping it retracted so I can screw the shelf extension to the bottom of the dash for positive retention. It is shown here in the open and closed position behind the dash. I powder coated the aluminum with my chrome powder and it looks good but shows finger prints easily.
28813 28814

[2bking]

After seeing the mod to the door latches, I got mine out and did the same. I used 5/16 x 1/2 carriage bolts and some of the extra IRS shim washers (perfect fit) to fill the gap under the 5/16 flat washer to get a positive clamp on the parts. I machined the dome off the bolts to .06 thick, applied Loctite, and tightened the nuts. I filed the stop lever boss to allow full retraction of the latch bar and lubed them. It took less than 30 minutes for both latches. The forums are great for showing these fixes to eliminate future problems.
28989 28990

[DaleG]

King, remove the spring in Pic #1; it reduces tension. The remaining internal spring is more than sufficient.

[MPTech]

28989

I think you can also remove the exterior spring for even smoother operation. The interior spring is more than enough and puts less stress on the lever.

[MPTech]

King, remove the spring in Pic #1; it reduces tension. The remaining internal spring is more than sufficient.

Sorry Dale, I need to refresh my screen more often at work! yep, x2 what Dale said!

[2bking]

King, remove the spring in Pic #1; it reduces tension. The remaining internal spring is more than sufficient.

Thanks for reminding me-Done.

[2bking]

I'm a little slow but I make a little progress daily. There was a thread on the forum about the passenger side gas tank strap being short and the supplied bolt difficult to use to attach the strap. At one time I had contemplated remaking the strap to add about an inch to its length but dismissed the notion because of the spot welds needed. I didn't have access to a spot welder. The tab end of the strap is too long and interferes with the IRS frame. The direction of the forces there also makes getting a socket on the nut almost impossible. In the last picture the scratches are evidence of the problems.

I was about to rivet the trunk sheet metal in place when I decided t take one more look at the problem. I had to remove the tank strap to install the panel so now was the time. I decided to add a link to the loop end of the strap to lengthen it. It required three simple parts and a little widening of the square hole in the panel where the strap passes. Below are the parts before and after powder coat and installation. They add one inch to the strap length.

29935 29936 29937 29938

I now have to dissemble and repaint. It fixes one little problem that's been bugging me.

[2bking]

The accelerator pedal that comes with the Coyote engine electronics is very large and needs to be heavily modified to mount in the foot box. FF has instructions in the Coyote build manual for doing this but even then, it doesn't look right. There are other pedal options that are quite pricy so I did a little search for other factory pedals that might fit a little better. I found this one Ford uses in their 2012 Van that looked very promising. I picked one up from the local Ford dealer for under $100 (2012 E350 van, p/n BC2Z-9F836-B).

29939

What I thought might be a bolt in turned out to need a little modification because the crook in the arm was in the wrong direction. Here is a view of the crook.

29941

I disassembled it and proceeded to cut the curve section out of the arm. Here it is in three pieces.

29940

I made an insert to reattach the pedal end to the root and removed the plastic webbing to allow the insert to fit slightly below flush. I attached the parts with #8 SS flat head screws and added some polyurethane hard setting calk to fill the voids between the plastic and metal insert. My first attempt was a flat insert 29942 but after a trial fit in the foot box, it became apparent that an offset would be needed. I remade the insert with a crook. I reused the studs from the bracket that came with the pedal and pressed them in my mounting plate. The parts are shown here. The extra holes in the mounting bracket are from the trial and error attempts to find the ideal location for the pedal.

29943

Here are some close ups of it installed. The location for now feels right but I have room to tweak it both up and down and left and right. One picture shows the 5.5" space between the mod sheet metal and the brake pedal.

29944 29945

The parts are powder coated black with my Eastwood equipment that has served me very well. Thirty minutes after I have made a part, it is coated, baked and ready to be assembled.

One last picture of the comparison of the large pedal vs. the small one.

29946

[DaleG]

Very nice substitution.

[mtdr]

King,
I'm building a mount for the PCM like yours. I think I may insulate (similar to Dale's) on the engine side of the mount up to the bottom bracket with ez cool from info@harboursupply.net . This will still allow an air gap between the fins and the inside of the mount. Dropping the engine in this weekend with a little help from my friends.....

Been following the builds of Dale, Clemson and you. You all are doing amazing work!

[mrpipes]

What is the Ford part number of the accelerator pedal you used. You have a lot of great ideas in your thread.

Brian

[2bking]

Hi Tim,
Hope all goes well with the engine placement. The bottom of my PCM mount is powder coated chrome and has some reflective qualities similar to the ez cool mat. With almost the same air temperature on both sides of the mat (assuming air circulation through the box) the foam insulation will not buy much. But you do need the reflective surface to keep the header radiation from heating the enclosure.

Bryan,
I'm not sure what the ford part number is because I didn't keep the box but it is used in the 2012 E350 vans and possibly all models of that year. My son has one and we swapped the connector between the Coyote one and his to make sure they were compatible. I went to the local Ford dealer and they looked up the part number and ordered it.

Thank you both for the accolades.

[Tom Mauldin]

Great work and innovation King!

[2bking]

A lot of my time has been spent working on the dash idea and trying to keep the wiring organized. To help reduce the clutter I formed a sheet metal duct from the AC box to the driver's under dash vent. This was partly required because the ISIS Master Cell is located up behind the dash and I put it on drawer slides to get access. When the Master Cell is slid down for viewing, the duct needs to be removed. I am attaching the vent box and short duct to the bottom of the sliding Master Cell mount so all travels together. This is the main duct between the AC box and under dash vent:
31583 31584

The dash is in no way intended to be anywhere near period correct. It is arranged solely for functionality by keeping all gauges close together for eye comfort. No body modification is required as the large gauges are one inch deep and fit in front of the body lip roll along the top of the dash. I have completed the foundation of the hood and placed the gauges and switches on the front panel. The following pictures are work in progress and the ISIS master Cell can be seen extended below the dash.
31585 31586 31587

The sheet metal will be covered with leather and walnut burl veneer. A CAD version is shown in the following picture.
31588

One of my set backs is the placement of the Coyote Power Distribution Box (PDB). The headlight switch and the box want to occupy the same space so I have two options. The first option is to ditch the PDB and mount and wire the three relays being used on a plate. The other option is to use a shorter headlight switch that doesn't have the dash light dimmer function.

All these deviations from the basic FF build are very time consuming but it make the building challenging and fun. Sometimes it's like a dance, two steps forward and one step back.

[carlewms]

King,

Great work and update. I am particularly interested in the AC installation as well so any more photos and lessons learned on that end would be deeply appreciated.

I have posted my glove box work on my build thread as well.

Carl

[2bking]

OK Carl, here are some more details. I was planning to just fit the external ducts to the plenum snouts but the oval shapes made it difficult to mate the two. I cut the oval snouts off and a lot more came with them. Here is the before picture:
31651

When I finished cutting out the ovals and cleaning up the interface, adding a spacer and gaskets, it looked like this:
31658

The instructions for routing the hoses that connected to the ovals were unclear. and the exit area was quite small so I have opened up the flow to the DS by removing the snouts. I built the duct shown in a previous post and when it is installed it looks like this:
31656 31655

Just a note as to the reason for complexity of the duct and such: The ISIS Master Cell is on slides and the AC duct crosses below the path of the slides. To make access to the Master Cell easier, I elected to mount the final duct work to the lower portion of the Master Cell mount and all lowers together. Two or three screws will be used to hold the slide in position under the dash. Otherwise, the duct would have to be removed before lowering the Master Cell.

The relays seen in the picture are for control of the Whitby AC. I'm using a Ranger AC control panel to operate the Whitby unit so I had to delete the Whitby harness and rewire the controls. The Ranger panel controls the defrost diverter with vacuum so I converted the control of that to a vacuum solenoid. One of the selections on the Ranger Panel is bi-level air between the defrost and floor and the vacuum solenoid supports this with a duel diaphragm. The fan speed knob controls the speed relays. The selection on the Ranger panel has four speeds, the Whitby fan only three so the first two speeds are low speed fan. The Ranger center knob controls temperature using a potentiometer. The Whitby unit uses a mechanical control thermostat and can't blend hot and cold air so the Ranger pot wasn't useful. I removed the pot and made an adapter washer to install the Whitby temperature control. The Ranger knob will adapt to the shaft so all three knobs are alike. I got all the parts off Ebay for less than $100. Here are some of the before and after pictures of the Ranger panel as well as being installed in the panel I made for it.
31654 31653 31652 31650

This panel will be covered with walnut burl and leather to hide all but the knobs and icons. The rest of the Whitby installation is pretty much per the supplied instructions. Installing the AC required removing the 3/4" support tube between the dash hoop and the 2" square tube. That support can be seen in one of the pictures Carl has in a previous post. It is somewhat structural and without it, the hoop had some flex. There isn't much that can be done to replace it because the avenues of structure are blocked by the AC unit. The AC unit is mounted to the firewall and has significant weight and cutting the large hole makes the wall flimsy. When I remade the firewall, I used the old one as a doubler and that helped some. The sheet metal for the Master Cell And the Power Distribution Box triangulated the back side and really stiffened up the firewall in those areas. The brace shown in a pervious post helped stiffen the firewall in the center. I may do some more work on the PS if some bright idea hits me but for now, I think it's good enough.

I wanted to figure out the wiring before I applied the lizard skin and I think I'm there but I have a few more small aluminum parts to build and install to cover the exposed frame tubes and the 2" drop from the seat floor into the foot boxes. More later.

[mrpipes]

King,

My Ford dealer shows a different accelerator pedal for a 2012 E350 than the one in your pictures. Do I have the year and model correct? I have the Coyote controls pack pedal in my MK4 and the space between the gas and brake is only 1.5". I'd like to get 3" like you have. Panic stops could get ugly. Thanks.

Brian

[carlewms]

King,

Thanks for posting the AC related photos. Helps a lot.

Carl

[2bking]

My Ford dealer shows a different accelerator pedal for a 2012 E350 than the one in your pictures. Do I have the year and model correct?
Are you looking at the picture in the parts book? It is totally different from what the part actually looks like. I ordered it thinking I would have to reject it if it was wrong. Turned out to be correct. I'll see if I can find the part number of mine and post it.
EDIT Found the part number: BC2Z-9F836-B


space between the gas and brake is only 1.5". I'd like to get 3" like you have.
Part of the extra room is due to the sheet metal mod I made per post #28. If you want to do some rework on the sheet metal, I have drawings. PM me.

Carl-glad I could help.

[mrpipes]

King,

Yes, I was comparing your picture to the Ford dealership's picture of the pedal. There should be a part number on the engine side of your pedal as it's mounted, if you don't mind looking. I've alreday modified the sheet metal but thanks for offering the drawings.

Brian

[2bking]

I have been working on completing the cockpit aluminum so I can apply the Lizard Skin coatings. I had seen where others had added a transition piece from the seat mounting surface to the lower skin of the foot box on both PS and DS. I liked the look so I did that too. I also wanted to cover up the 1.5" diameter tubes in the foot boxes to help smooth the area and give it a better finished look. It also keeps stuff from hiding under the tubes and in the corners. Here are a few pictures of the completed work.
31851 31852 31854 31853

I have a few details to finish up in the trunk area and then prepare the surfaces for the Lizard Skin.

[2bking]

A couple of things I needed to do before the Lizard Skin application involved the trunk area and DS front bulkhead. I have the ISIS Power Cell, Mega fuses, and battery in the trunk but I hadn't completed the doors for these compartments. I made these doors (sorry, no pictures) with piano hinges and used the #8 screws and thread inserts to keep them closed. The DS foot box has some unused holes that needed to be plugged as well. I didn't like the flat block-off plates supplied so I made some with a better finished look. I machined some simple mating blocks with the different hole diameters to do this with and used a HF 10 ton press to form the plates. The large one had some stress in the outer edges that produced some potato chip waviness. The cuts relieved the stress and flattened out the edges. Here are the parts before installation:
32163

I also formed the block off plate for the side slot. I used the factory supplied plate and formed it by hand using strips of scrap aluminum and a small hand press. It was fairly easy to do. Here are pictures of all the plates installed:
32164

The Lizard Skin was next. The instructions indicate it will stick to bare aluminum but I opted to apply some aluminum primer to ensure a better adhesion. Sanding wasn't necessary before the primer but clean surfaces were needed. I used solvents to clean the parts and remove any silicone left behind around the seams. I masked the surfaces not needing the Skin and lightly primed them. I purchased the Lizard Skin spray gun for the application and a gallon of both sound control and ceramic insulation. The sound control goes on first if you are applying both products. The gun comes with a right angle tip for application on the undersides and I only used it on the PS foot box. The straight tip was used on all other places. Some drying is required between coats so it took two days to complete the job. The sound coat was applied to all panels but I only applied the ceramic insulation to the surfaces around the cockpit and heaver where the hot areas are known to be. It's a latex based product and easy to apply and clean up. At this time it's not completely dry but seem to have a hard durable surface. Of all the post about the product, no one seems to have complaints. Here are some pictures with and without masking:
32168 32169 32170 32171

I can now start wiring and not have to dissemble the parts again.

[DaleG]

Blown away by your attention to detail, as always.

[2bking]

It's been awhile since my last post and I have made progress on the wiring. It's about 90% complete on the chassis. Since I’m using the ISIS wiring and Ford Racing Controls Pack, it isn’t quite straight forward how to integrate the two and replace the RF wiring that came with the kit. Needless to say, I’ve been digging through schematics and reading a lot.

The ISIS Wiring replaces some of the Controls Pack functions and I wanted to take advantage of the circuits in the Controls Pack that were left unused. The Controls Pack contains a Power Distribution Box that has six relays. Using the “One Button” start available in the ISIS wiring leaves the Starter Relay available for another function but requires some rewiring. The PDB contains these six individually fused relays:
1. PCM (Vehicle Power) Relay controlled by the PCM
2. Starter Relay controlled by the PCM
3. Fuel Pump Relay controlled by the PCM Relay
4. Fan Relay controlled by the PCM and externally
5. Intercooler Relay controlled by PCM and externally
6. AC relay controlled externally and through the PCM
The Keep Alive Power (KAPWR) originates and is fused in the PDB making seven fuses in the box. The KAPWR circuit powers the PCM memory and alternator. The Fuel Pump Relay function is replaced by the rear Power Cell and is available for another use. The Intercooler Relay is not used because the engine doesn’t have a supercharger. The PDB schematic is shown here:

33735

The need to redirect the outputs from these relays stems from the extra circuits needed to power the ABS, Wipers, and AC without having to add more relays and fuses. The Power cells have all circuits used for other non-listed functions. The AC Relay is controlled externally but the output is not wired into the Controls Pack Harness so I added the needed wire and it powers the AC Control Panel and Compressor clutch. I rewired the PDB to send the Fuel Pump relay output to the ABS and wipers. The starter Relay output is used for dash/gauge power I removed the Intercooler Relay and used a spade terminal to connect the input to the relay to the ABS un-switched 20 amp feed. The PDB is shown here before connectors are mated and cover installed.

33736

Other than 50 amp circuit breakers on the inputs to the PDB and ABS and a 30 amp breaker on the AC blower motor, all circuits are fused either in the PDB or Power Cells. AS I said, the Fuel Pump Relay was replaced by a rear Power Cell output but the inertia switch needed to be made part of the circuit. The power cell has plenty of amps to drive the pump but the inertia switch isn’t design to be directly in the circuit. I added a latching relay and put the coil current through the inertia switch and fed the pump current through the relay contacts. When the inertia switch pops, the coil current is stopped and the relay opens stopping the fuel pump. The rear Power Cell is located in the trunk to the left of the battery and the mega fuses and Fuel Pump Relay are in the upper compartment with the flip top. The inertia switch is located between the battery and Power Cell.

33737 33738

Continued next post

[2bking]

Grounding is always a problem if not well done so that a good connection is maintained over time and environments. All my ground points had the paint removed around the connection. For the battery ground I used a two point connection, one high and one low about 12 inches apart. I used these .25-20 screws which have teeth for pressing into a .250 dia. hole.
33743

I used stainless washers under the nuts for a corrosion free interface. Ground points are shown here.
33744 33745 33746 33747

The dash is removal and has connectors on all circuits. Some are shown here.
33748

The dash and wiring is not finialized yet because it will be stripped to cover with leather and wood veneer. The indicator lights and hazard switch haven’t been installed as of now. I’m using LEDs for the indicator lights and a GM hazard switch.
33749 33750

I installed the Coyote for routing the gauge wiring and finding wire lengths. While doing this, I discovered my wire routing plan was poor and needed rethinking to get protection from the radiant heat from the DS header. I made a three piece wiring tray that screws to the 4” tube so the wires can be placed below the tray and out of direct radiation of the headers. It provided a very clean path for hiding the gauge and ABS wires from the firewall to the front of the car. The tray is shown in these pictures.
33751 33752

Continued

[2bking]

The wiring for fan, horn, and front lights are routed on the PS along the ¾” sq. tubing. I used the RF front harness and spliced in the feeds from the front Power Cell and PDB. I got the white screw-on clips from McMaster-Carr that the harness is tied to.
33753

One more problem I needed to deal with was the mounting of the engine oil temp sensor. The Moroso pan has an oil level bung that has a strait thread and uses an O-ring to seal. Since the PCM doesn’t monitor oil level, the sensor is useless. I cut up the level sensor and threaded it for ¼” pipe. That allowed me to keep the O-ring seal and install the oil temp sensor. Pictures of the mod are shown below.
33754 33755 33756 33757 33758

[carlewms]

King,

Timely post ... this will help me with my grounding plans which are still to be done.

Thanks,

Carl

[clancypm]

I really like your gauge setup

[2bking]

I really like your gauge setup

Thanks clancypm! It's some extra work and I like the organization. The gauges are clustered instead of spread across the dash. By the way, is your first name Matt?

[clancypm]

no its clancy

[2bking]

Sorry, I exchanged email with another builder whose first name is Matt and he was wanting to know if golf clubs would fit in a roadster just before your thread showed up.

[2bking]

After reading some of the conversations about power steering and twitchy handling at higher speeds, I decided to add the Heidts valve now rather than cutting lines and re-plumbing later if needed. At first I tried to mount the valve on the frame but couldn't find a location that could be plumbed neatly. I decided to mount it close to the PS pump on the engine and worked out a location that simplified the mounting bracket. The PS pump is attached with three screws, two of which could also attach the mount. I purchased more hose ends and was able to complete the lines with the hose previously purchased. The pictures tell the rest of the story.

33942 33943 33944 33945 33946

[DaleG]

All very well thought out, and neatly done.

[2bking]

I've been working on a few details that needed to be done prier to the final install of the engine. One of those are the heat shields around the foot boxes. I purchased some .016 thick stainless sheet to make the parts. I cut out the patterns and bent them up. After a couple of hours of hand polishing, I got a mirror finish. I installed them using spacers I made from aluminum rod.

34002 34003 34004

[DaleG]

Sooo Cool!

[2bking]

I out smarted myself when I found a GM hazard switch thinking I would incorporate it in my dash and eliminate the toggle switch. It was cheap, about 10 bucks. When it arrived, I quickly realized I had the replaceable part but the contacts and wiring were in the steering column of the intended car. The switch contained the shorting bars and the ball point pen mechanism for on and off but no mating contacts. I liked the switch so decided to design a mount with contacts for putting it in my dash. Here is the switch:
34189

I design and made this mount for it. The brass posts are the contacts the mate with the shorting bars in the switch:
34190

Then mounted the switch:
34191

Here it is in the dash:
34192

It took me a couple of days to complete it and it was a nice change of pace from the building. Now back to installing the Coyote.

[2bking]

I unpacked the Breeze radiator shroud, marked and cut the opening for the fan, and added 1/4-20 nutserts for installing it. I powder coated it black in oven but had to make an extended door to get it in. Its the largest part I have powder coated to date and it turned out very nice.
34924

Next, I unpacked the radiator and started to install it but it seems like every time I think I can start building by the manual, something goes haywire. I tie-wrapped the radiator to the cross member and it just didn't fit right and the mounting locations were off. I marked the center of the radiator and offset by 5/8" just like the manual instructed but it looked tilted in the frame. I got out the surrounding aluminum panels to do a test fit and DS side was way off from fitting close to the radiator. After some measuring, I found the cross tube for mounting the radiator was welded in crooked and backwards and the radiator had a slight warp. I can't fix the warp but I did add a spacer under the radiator flange to level it out. The first picture shows the tilt and the radiator warp is evident also. The next two are the mounting tubes. The PS has been trimmed to allow the radiator to fit on the short mounting tubes but the mounting holes on the radiator don't fall on the tubes as shown in the manual.
34922 34925 34926

I thought I had all the needed parts covered for hooking up the hoses. I purchased the parts on the FF list as well as the ones Kevin (Bansheekev) listed. I printed the picture Kevin made of the lower radiator hose and tube and tried to make mine fit like his looked but my hoses were not quite the same. After fussing over it for several days and several trips to the auto supply store for different hoses, I got a combination that worked well and the hoses were not trying to kink in the bends. I did have to splice the one connecting to the bottom of the radiator to relieve a twist stress but the rest are close to Kevin's layout. I also used the Breeze support on the hose where it passes through the X brace for the front suspension.
34932 34933 34934 34935

The coolant tank mounting was easy for the upper mounting holes with a couple of simple brackets but when I mounted it, it was evident that a support at the bottom was needed. I did a little searching for ideas for the lower mount but turned up nothing so I fabbed up one that is probably similar to the factory one on the cars. I attached it to the fan shroud and the tank is very solid.
34936

The hose connections to the tank were not straight forward as to what connected to the small upper ports. I searched several mustang parts lists for different years and a hose was connected to one or the other but never both. I connected one to the radiator. The FF instructions show capping the port on the engine where some of the hoses connected and the port on the tank would also have to be capped so I made a hose to go between the two but with a rod in it to block any flow. The hose from the tank to the engine is just for show.
34937

Except for heater hoses, the radiator is plumbed.

[2bking]

The Coyote has a crank case vent on both valve covers and only one has to be used unless your state requires a vent to the intake upstream from the throttle body. In that case both vents have to be used and hoses for both sides come with the controls pack. The instructions with the engine says to place it in the upper half of the plenum close to the throttle body and on the inside of a bend if possible. The hose has a quick disconnect with o-ring seals in both ends and I didn't want to modify the hose. Some builders have cut out the port on the air box that comes with the engine and installed it in the large rubber tube connector at the throttle body. I opted for a new port to be installed in the 4" 90* elbow. I copied the dimensions on the air box port and made an aluminum one with pipe threads. The pictures tell the story.
34941 34942 34943 34944

[2bking]

I have the Whitby's AC unit with heater and the Coyote requires water circulation through the heater hoses when the heater is not in use. The AC comes with a solenoid controlled heater bypass but my controls require vacuum. The one I'm using fits a 99 ranger and probably a ton of other cars and has four connections. I wanted to hide it behind the engine but with all the hoses in and out of it, it was going to access problems for future inspection and repair. I decided to place it on the front wall of the AC housing and proceeded to make and find hoses. I needed 5/8" molded hose to make the bends so I looked through a local auto store and picked out several with candy canes, U bends, and Ls. Here is a picture of the first try of hoses before installing it.
34946

I eventually had to replace the lower left hose with molded ones because it collapsed in the bends in the final configuration. I made the splice tubes from 3/4" solid rod and used four, one of which was a reducer for the factory 3/4" hose to 5/8".
34947

I made a cover to hide the mess from some .04 thick aluminum and polished it.
34948

The engine is now ready for the first start but I don't want to put fuel in the tank until some other tasks are completed. It should be soon though.

[MPTech]

Very cool build King.
I may have missed it, but did you install a radiator support on the bottom? Either a Breeze or custom piece (easy to build, especially with your skills).
Everyone seemed to highly recommend it and it was easy enough to fabricate, so I installed one (good peace of mind, so it is not bouncing around on the bottom and causing stress on the top).

Keep up the good progress.

[2bking]

Very cool build King.
I may have missed it, but did you install a radiator support on the bottom? Either a Breeze or custom piece (easy to build, especially with your skills).
Everyone seemed to highly recommend it and it was easy enough to fabricate, so I installed one (good peace of mind, so it is not bouncing around on the bottom and causing stress on the top).

Keep up the good progress.

I almost purchased the Breeze support but it seemed to rely on friction at the strap mounting points to provide support which to me didn't look very structural. So, I was in the process of designing a lower support but didn't know exactly where the bottom of the radiator was supposed to be located so I consulted the build manual. I got out the nose sheet metal and started piecing it all together. I discovered the lower flange on the radiator gets riveted to the sheet metal across the nose which in turn is riveted to the sheet metal on either side of the radiator. With it all cleco'ed together it seemed to provide very good support. The build manual doesn't show installing these pieces until after the body is on so I can see how a lower support is needed until then. After that it seems to be redundant. The weakest part of the sheet metal is the connection of the side parts to the nose so I decided to add a doubler there but I haven't done it yet.

I am concerned about the difficulty in replacing the radiator if the need occurs. With the body on work space is limited thus making the job of drilling and riveting difficult. I have read many threads regarding leaking radiators so that time may come.

[MPTech]

I almost purchased the Breeze support but it seemed to rely on friction at the strap mounting points to provide support which to me didn't look very structural.

not clear what you mean "rely on friction", the support runs across the bottom of the radiator and the radiator sits on it, taking the stress off of the top tab mounts and preventing it from bouncing around.
I made mine and I know you can too. pretty simple. also very easy to remove (2 bolts easily accessed from the bottom).

this one: #70551 - Lower Radiator Support Kit (http://www.breezeautomotive.com/details.php?prod_id=494)

[2bking]

not clear what you mean "rely on friction"

I was referring to the bolts in the slots where the strap could both rotate and slide. Perhaps it works better than my first impression. Are you also riveting the sheet metal to the lower flange on the radiator?

[2bking]

I had lots of anticipation going into this event, cleaned out the bay and staged fire extinguishers and water hose just in case but as it turned out, it just happened without much to talk about except it started and ran. Oil pressure same as others had reported, 100 psi on start and slowly went down as engine heated up. Radiator fan came on about 185* on temperature gauge. No fluid leaks.


https://www.dropbox.com/sc/zxvdnv5s1mrpe83/AAAuXfW0Ti-sjlIG6Hilhvcxa

The phone didn't capture the exhaust noise very well. At idle it was quieter than I expected coming straight out the Stainless Headers without the side pipes but it got loud when blipping the throttle. The car is on jack stands so I checked the hydraulic clutch operation; it released at 2/3 of pedal travel. I went through some of the gears and had no unexpected vibrations or noise. When checking the power steering with steering wheel inputs, it immediately went to left hand lock., a sign the hoses were reversed. After letting the engine run about 10-15 minutes, I reversed the hoses and restarted the engine and steering worked as expected. All in all, it was a good day.

[jceckard]

I guess the Coyote scared the Ranger a bit. Nice work!

[jayguy]

Sounds great! Great work, can't wait to see the go-kart video!

[WIS89]

King-

Awesome news! I have been following along quietly, and have been impressed as always. Congratulations on the uneventful first start; certainly not a bad thing! She sounds awesome!

Regards,

Steve

[dallas_]

King,
Nice to meet you today, thanks for taking the time to show me your build. I'm really impressed with the thought behind everything and with the high quality of work you are doing.

Really, really nice work. You will have an exceptionally nice car when you are done.

Hope you will join us at the the TCC monthly meetings. Look for the notices on the Club Cobra under the Texas Cobra Club sub-forum. We meet the first Saturday of every month.

Take care,
John

[Jester]

Great work King

FWIW: I installed my oil temp sensor in a similar bung however the oil temp only rises to levels that register on the gauge in stop and go traffic on hot summer days. In heavy stop and go traffic the oil temp matches the water temp otherwise when driving even in 90 deg temps the oil temp does not register. After seeing the oil temp match the water temp in stop and go traffic the oil temp quickly drops with increased speed. Either the oil temp remains low on the fringes of the oil pan or the larger pan is very effective at keeping the oil cool. I am considering installing a longer temp sensor.

[Jester]

I've been working on a few details that needed to be done prier to the final install of the engine. One of those are the heat shields around the foot boxes. I purchased some .016 thick stainless sheet to make the parts. I cut out the patterns and bent them up. After a couple of hours of hand polishing, I got a mirror finish. I installed them using spacers I made from aluminum rod.

34002 34003 34004

Very nice.

Note: I used insulation and an acoustic layer (no heat shields) and little if any engine heat is transferred to the cockpit. Even comfortable at 90 deg + if you like the sun and hot ambient temps. I do have a cool air duct system installed which is great a keeping the air moving.

Keep up the posts

[Jester]

I almost purchased the Breeze support but it seemed to rely on friction at the strap mounting points to provide support which to me didn't look very structural. So, I was in the process of designing a lower support but didn't know exactly where the bottom of the radiator was supposed to be located so I consulted the build manual. I got out the nose sheet metal and started piecing it all together. I discovered the lower flange on the radiator gets riveted to the sheet metal across the nose which in turn is riveted to the sheet metal on either side of the radiator. With it all cleco'ed together it seemed to provide very good support. The build manual doesn't show installing these pieces until after the body is on so I can see how a lower support is needed until then. After that it seems to be redundant. The weakest part of the sheet metal is the connection of the side parts to the nose so I decided to add a doubler there but I haven't done it yet.

I am concerned about the difficulty in replacing the radiator if the need occurs. With the body on work space is limited thus making the job of drilling and riveting difficult. I have read many threads regarding leaking radiators so that time may come.

King: FWIW, I used a piece of the thick bulb seal on the front of the lower rad mount aluminum where it meets the body and I used riv nuts to attach the aluminum plate to the lower rad. This is now a removable mount plate with a ~ friction fit to the front of the lower rad opening of the body. The rad is sung with no noticeable vibration (eliminated by the thick bulk seal) and no rivets are required (no holes into the body).

Good luck

[carlewms]

King,

Looks and sounds great! Congratulations on the first start.

Carl

[2bking]

I guess the Coyote scared the Ranger a bit. Nice work!

It did and the Ranger doesn't have an alarm.

[2bking]

King,
Nice to meet you today, thanks for taking the time to show me your build. I'm really impressed with the thought behind everything and with the high quality of work you are doing.

Really, really nice work. You will have an exceptionally nice car when you are done.

Hope you will join us at the the TCC monthly meetings. Look for the notices on the Club Cobra under the Texas Cobra Club sub-forum. We meet the first Saturday of every month.

Take care,
John

Thanks John for the kind words. I'll try to make the next TCC meeting.




Great work King

FWIW: I installed my oil temp sensor in a similar bung however the oil temp only rises to levels that register on the gauge in stop and go traffic on hot summer days. In heavy stop and go traffic the oil temp matches the water temp otherwise when driving even in 90 deg temps the oil temp does not register. After seeing the oil temp match the water temp in stop and go traffic the oil temp quickly drops with increased speed. Either the oil temp remains low on the fringes of the oil pan or the larger pan is very effective at keeping the oil cool. I am considering installing a longer temp sensor.

Jester, I think I'm going to see similar results. While idling, when the fan turns on the oil temp is barely off the peg at 140* and never get any higher.

[2bking]

I added the Lucas wiper motor but not exactly where it was intended to mount. When I filled up that area with the Infinitybox Power Cell and Mega Fuses, I had a plan for an alternative mount. It's good to be able to work in CAD to make things fit before mounting them. But when you see the picture, one thing stands out and that is windshield mounting access. I had decided early on I wanted to make a tilt front end but was on the fence. I contacted Dallas (John) and he graciously agreed to bring his car (it has the tilt front) and meet me. From our conversations I decided it was going to happen and I knew access to some of my mods was marginal without it. In the next few weeks I will start the process of cutting the body.

35682 35683

[dallas_]

Finally, another tilt front in Texas! :D

It sure makes access to everything easier.

John

[DaleG]

I added the Lucas wiper motor but not exactly where it was intended to mount. When I filled up that area with the Infinitybox Power Cell and Mega Fuses, I had a plan for an alternative mount. It's good to be able to work in CAD to make things fit before mounting them. But when you see the picture, one thing stands out and that is windshield mounting access. I had decided early on I wanted to make a tilt front end but was on the fence. I contacted Dallas (John) and he graciously agreed to bring his car (it has the tilt front) and meet me. From our conversations I decided it was going to happen and I knew access to some of my mods was marginal without it. In the next few weeks I will start the process of cutting the body.

35682 35683

Clever!

[2bking]

I read a lot of posts about steering racks and new FF spindles and the redesign to eliminate bump steer so I'm thinking the rack extenders are not needed. I'm using a reconditioned stock mustang power rack, Duralast p/n 6439. I have two assembly manuals with slightly different instructions when installing the rack. One says the tie rods on the mustang power rack will have to be trimmed, the other says "inner tie rod extensions are for the stock power rack only". I have the Assembly manual with the trim instructions at the shop so when I assembled the steering components, I expected the rack to be too long. When I initially adjusted the toe, the rod ends only had three or four threads of engagement of the tie rods which left me feeling a little uneasy. I purchased the Breeze 1" rack extenders so the thread engagement would be increased another inch but thinking this will also mess up the steering geometer.

I removed the clamps holding the bellows to the steering rack end by forcing open the crimp;
Before 35813 After 35814

After removing the bellows I checked for the retaining pin that secures the inner tie rod end to the rack but being a rebuilt rack it didn't have one. I tried to unscrew it but it wasn't going to budge.
35817

I knew the rebuilders used Loctite when the rack was rebuilt so a little heat was needed to defeat the locking compound. I heated the rod end until a hint of smoke came from the grease and the end spun of rather easily.
A little heat35815 Rack and tie rod separated35816

The rack extenders came with Loctite for assembly so I applied it to the threads and screwed the parts together.
35818

After assembling both left and right ends I centered the rack to see where the rotation axis of the inner tie rod was in relation the upper and lower a frames. The least amount of bump steer would be when all three are inline and by the looks of this picture they are pretty close.
35819

For a second check I used a laser mounted on the wheel parallel to the axle and pointed at the wall about six feet away. When I moved the suspension through its travel, the laser traced a near vertical line that showed about 1" of tilt which indicates less than a degree of bump steer through the full suspension travel. I think the Assembly Manual should clearly state the use of 1" rack extenders are necessary when using the stock mustang power rack. Otherwise, the parts can be assembled but be unsafe.

[jceckard]

Thanks for the detailed explanation (with pictures even). Do you need to replace the bellows with longer ones?

[2bking]

Thanks for the detailed explanation (with pictures even). Do you need to replace the bellows with longer ones?
Being a rebuilt rack, I think they had universal fit bellows and looked to have a better fit after I installed the extenders.

[2bking]

I'm almost ready for that first Go-Kart ride but I need to install the seat and side pipes. The seat is a bit of a problem because I'm using the FF seat adjuster and there are no assembly instructions. The seat adjusters and hardware are shown here:
35837


The seat pan on the MK4 is too far forward for attaching all four mounting studs and doesn't extend inboard far enough to allow the adjuster to be fitted to the inside rail on the seat frame. I taped off the mounting area of the pan below the aluminum floor and the location of the 2"X2" frame member toward the rear where the seat will sit. I added the tape strip that represented the maximum spread the adjusters could have so the studs on the rails could have wrench access from below. The inboard strip parallels the outboard edge of the 4" main frame tube while the outer strip is the outer seat frame tube.
35838

I adjusted the seat rails to the max rearward indent and laid them on the tape map to find possible mounting hole locations. I also placed a piece of tape where the forward most mounting hole on the seat frame could be placed. What I found was there was no position that would allow the seat to be adjusted fully rearward without one of the mounting studs to be placed in the 2"X2" frame tube and the inboard seat rail would be almost centered under the seat. The oval marks show where the rear studs need to be for full rearward adjustment.
35840 35839

I compromised and placed the rear studs just forward of the 2"X2" tube but I needed more structure to mount them to than the aluminum floor. I made these brackets to attach to the 2"X2" tube.
35841 and powder coated them black 35842

Because the rear studs had to be just outside the 2"X2" tube and the rails parallel, that forced the rails to be parallel to the main frame tubes. The seat needs to be angled to place my body in front of the pedals so it will need to mount to the seat frame crooked. Having one of the sliders under the middle of the seat left the rear mounting hole without anything to attach it to. I made a short piece from some scrap 3/4"square tube and riveted it to the seat frame with steel rivets. Just about the full weight of the seat and body are on this part so I may weld it later before final assembly.
35844

The rails needed 1/4" spacers between the seat and rails to keep the adjusting mechanism from interfering with the seat frame. I made these spacers to go there.
35843

The remainder of the pictures are self explanatory.
35845 35846

The seat has about an inch of clearance to the rear sheet metal when adjusted to the rear most position so I will use the space to tilt the seat back by remaking the spacers.

Now I will hang side pipes so I can have that Go-Kart experience.

[edwardb]

You didn't post any pics of the seat in its final location. I hope it's over far enough against the tunnel and at the right angle so you won't have interference from the body at the top corner by the door latch. It's a tight fit. I personally recommend not locating the seats until the body is in place. I did my Mk4 go-kart with the seats loose. Safety police wouldn't be happy, but I just putted up and down a side street in my sub and never went over 20 mph.

[2bking]

You didn't post any pics of the seat in its final location. I hope it's over far enough against the tunnel and at the right angle so you won't have interference from the body at the top corner by the door latch. It's a tight fit. I personally recommend not locating the seats until the body is in place. I did my Mk4 go-kart with the seats loose. Safety police wouldn't be happy, but I just putted up and down a side street in my sub and never went over 20 mph.

Thanks Edward for the heads up there. I have the driver's door mounted and the seat is biased toward the tunnel. As a reference it is about an inch closer to the inboard seat harness mount than the other. The post had the ten picture limit so the mounted picture didn't get in. Hopefully I won't have to slot any holes later.

[dallas_]

Now I will hang side pipes so I can have that Go-Kart experience.

Alright!
As you know, video is a must. :)

[DaleG]

Looking forward to how the go-kart goes.

[2bking]

Well the day came when there was just nothing keeping me from sliding into the seat and cranking it up for the first short trip. As with the first start, it was non eventful but very satisfying. I finished installing the side pipes, cleaned out the trunk area and interior, and put it on the floor. It has had a few more pounds added to it since the ride height was set so I adjusted the springs to get a 4.5" ride height at all four corners. A friend had come over to see the event so I handed him my phone to record it.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/u473bjq1y7ahqun/2014-11-19%2021.05.40.mp4?dl=0

It was very smooth with a low throaty rumble but not loud and disturbing as I had expected. Clutch was smooth, brakes good, and I was able to get the ABS to actuate on the gravel. This was a good day- nothing was added to my to-do list.

[DaleG]

Wow! Terrific!!! But, you got the tires all dirty.
Its great that the ABS worked when you pulled back in the first trip.
I was pleasantly surprised by the hearty - but not annoying - sound of the Coyote, too; the 302HO in my MKII was just too loud.
Never thought about putting the door on; great idea.

Cheers...and congrats re nothing added to the list.

[JimiD]

congrats King!

[2bking]

I have the Stainless Headers and without any adjustments, the side pipes are equal distance from the frame on either side. However there is difference in tilt along the sides. The DS is high by 2.5* and the PS is high by almost 4*. I tested the strength of the side pipes and headers by trying to tweak the pipes level by applying pressure at the end of the pipes. My full weight wasn't enough to bend the headers.
35869

I contacted a couple of other builders with the Coyote and Stainless headers and they had similar experience with the PS side higher than the DS and almost by the same amount as mine. The mounting bolts holding the flanges together between the side pipes and headers are 3/8". I drilled the four mounting holes on both flanges to 17/32" which allowed enough adjustment to get the DS side pipe level (parallel to the frame rails). The PS side being higher than the DS needed more clearance in the mounting holes so I machined all the threads off the bolts that the nuts didn't contact. That gave enough extra clearance in the mounting holes to level the PS pipe.

I tried to follow the assembly manual on installing the side pipe hangers but there seemed to be a problem with the attachment method. As mentioned above, the side pipe attachment and structure is very sturdy so additional support is really not needed or useful. But should the flange mounting bolts loosen up, I would like a support to keep the side pipes off the pavement. I cut the hanger brackets as shown in the picture and rounded the end.
35871

I made 3/8" sleeves to fit inside the rubber and put 1/4-20 nutserts in the frame. I used SS hardware to attach the parts.
35872

The documentation here is a little lacking because of this being done an hour before the first Go-kart event and the camera wasn't on my mind.

[DaleG]

Excellent solution. Always amazed at your thought process.

[2bking]

During my first start I noticed the heater wasn't making much hot air and put it on a list to investigate later. I have had the body on checking fits here and there and trimming the doors and trunk lid. It was apparent the ac/heater could be accessed better with the body off. I have removed the body so I checked out the heater problem. When I did the initial heater hose fitting, the tubes came loose where they were sealed to the heater box with silicone and could be pulled out of the box about an inch. After I completed the hose fitting I reapplied silicone to seal around the tubes. While removing the hoses this time, the silicone came loose again. There isn't anything to pull against to remove the hoses until the silicone lets go and the tubes contact the inside of the box.

I checked the diverter valve for proper operation and water flow directions. Other than the diverter valve having some flow around the butterfly internally and not fully diverting the water, everything checked out OK. I did a flow test on the heater core with a water hose and it seemed to be somewhat stopped up. I looked in the tubes as far as my bore scope would go and saw nothing. I called Jeff at Whitby's to see if there was a way to access the core without removing the complete unit. After discussing the problem and the possibility of a crimped tube from the loose silicone he suggested reversing the water flow with the water hose and sent this picture of the connections inside.
36404

I reversed the flow through the coil and something changed and the water flow dramatically increased. I looked but could not find what might have been expelled. I decided the loose tubes needed a permanent fix because of the difficultly in removing stuck hoses. When the silicone comes loose, the tubes stick out like this.
36405

I made a copper plate from a copper fitting and formed it like so:
36406 36407

I attached it to the exposed tubes:
36408 36409

I used some insulating cloth between the plate and box to protect the plastic from the torch and soldered the plate to the tubes.
36410

After cleaning up the flux and reapplying silicone behind the plate I attached the plate to the box with sheet metal screws. Then I applied a little paint to match.
36411

Its a little ugly but a very strong connection. It is covered up with the hoses and cover.
36412

Now back to the body and dash.

[DaleG]

So now you get good flow in both directions? Very well thought-out mod.

[chrisarella]

I cleaned the outside and painted it.
2215322152



I was going to get mine powder coated but didn't want to go through the hassle of pulling my pumpkin apart. What did you end up painting this with?

[2bking]

I was going to get mine powder coated but didn't want to go through the hassle of pulling my pumpkin apart. What did you end up painting this with?

I used rattle can Rustoleum, gloss black. I also use it to touch up the frame where the POR 15 chips and around the welded areas that didn't get done before the POR 15 was applied.

[bansheekev]

I was going to get mine powder coated but didn't want to go through the hassle of pulling my pumpkin apart. What did you end up painting this with?

I used silver Duplicolor caliper paint. It's designed for higher temperatures (that was my thought process at least)...

Kevin

[chrisarella]

Thanks King/Kevin. I was leaning towards the POR15 caliper kit here (http://www.por15.com/CALIPER-PAINTING-KIT_p_58.html) and considered the simpler rattle-can caliper paint route but was worried rattle-can paint would look like dookie over time. Is the rattle-can paint holding up better than the POR15?

Thank again!

[2bking]

Is the rattle-can paint holding up better than the POR15?
You can find lovers and haters of POR 15. If I were to do it again, I would get the factory powder coated chassis. My experience with the POR 15 is it is brittle and pops off rather easily and doesn't have the shine of the powder coat and gloss black paints. I think about a fourth of my chassis is now covered with the rattle can paint from all the touch-ups I've done.

[2bking]

I've planned from the start to make a tilt front but the devil is in the details. I want the front bumper and over riders so making the front tilt and keeping those components off the ground was a challenge. The tilt point or hinge area is fairly easy to determine. A simple hinge puts the front bumper in the dirt when raised so I needed a complex hinge called a four bar linkage. This linkage needed to push the front forward and raise it as the front tilted upward. After playing with several designs it became obvious that the hood hinge that came with the kit would do what I wanted but needed to be mounted in a different orientation. It would also need a frame interface with the body to spread the loading points. The fiberglass front has a weak area or small cross section at the top of the wheel openings and can droop across that area when supported only at the front. I wanted the frame to extent toward the firewall to help control the droop when raising the front.

The pictures show the progress thus far. I have made the cut line mirror the door. I want to be able to line the two parts back together after cutting so I made several wood blocks and sanded the body contour into them and attached them from the inside with screws. I plan to use the blocks to align the surfaces when fiberglassing a ledge around the opening. I have completed the frames that will attach the body to the hinges.
36740 36741 36742

36743 36744

And a picture of the model showing some of the details on the inner workings.
36745

Next step is cutting the body and starting the fiberglass work.

[DaleG]

Too cool! If I bring mine over.......?

[Ray W.]

I'm looking forward to seeing more of this build. You've got more guts than I do, cutting the body like that!

[2bking]

Too cool! If I bring mine over.......?

Yes, YES, bring it over. I need one to practice on.

[dallas_]

Sweet!

For some reason I really like the tilt front. :)

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=8977&d=1335285930

[2bking]

Dallas, you and Tennessee Tim are my inspiration. If mine turns out as nice as the both of yours, I'll be happy.

[2bking]

Sometimes I think I'm finding other things to work on just to put off the body work that leads to cutting the front. I have sough advice from several forum members on how best to proceed and found excellent guidance. MikeinAtlanta gave me a list of materials I would need and how best to glass in the hood. I ordered the materials and am waiting on the shipments. So while I'm waiting, I used the time to get the Breeze roll bars installed.

The Breeze bars are made from 1.75" diameter tubes; the FF ones are 1.50" in diameter. The Breeze bars have a slight rearward rake; the FF ones are vertical. The Breeze bars are shorter and hide the joint bolt that the FF one have close top of theirs thus seem to me to have a better overall appearance. They come dissembled and some welding is required. The down leg comes with the fish mouth for welding at the hoop. Mine didn't fit as tight as I wanted so a little contour matching was in order. I marked the area needing trimming and used the dremel to cut out the material. Here are some before and after pictures of the joint.
37744 37745

After fitting, my son tack welded the parts together while on the car.
37746

Then welded them on the table.
37747 37748

Even with all the care used to prevent distortion as a results of the welds, the tubes required tweaking back into alignment with the frame. The PS required all three legs to be adjusted but it wasn't hard when using four foot cheaters. The slanted down leg has two joints that are required for installation of the bars. The lower tube slides into the upper one for installing the roll bar into the body and then slips down over the mounting tube on the frame. Both joints require bolts to secure the bar. The bolt in the upper joint is inside the trunk thus is hidden from view.

I plotted the body surface intersection on the roll bar leg to determine the area available for the bolts at the upper joint. Since I haven't done the final body fitting, I wanted to err on the side of caution. I didn't think there was adequate room for a through bolt there so I opted for the one wall approach. On the forward side on the slanted tube there is about 2" of tube below the body at the joint. I matched drilled the tubes for 5/16-18 threads and drilled the outer tube to clear the head of the socket head screws. Since the locations for the screws weren't critical, I did this off the car. Drilling the outer tube to clear the head makes aligning the threads and holes a lot easier when assembling the bars with the body on. When the screws are seated, the heads carry the load of the outside tube. Using two screws gives the same shear strength as a through bolt.
37749 37750 37751

That was the harder part of assembly and installation. I then drilled the lower holes for attachment to the frame with the bars in place. I going to have them chrome plated.

[2bking]

The time has come to start the journey toward the flip front by making irreversible modifications to the body. As seen in a previous post, I mounted blocks along the proposed cut line for alignment of the two pieces after cutting. I'm not sure they will be needed but I wanted the reference just in case. My fiberglass materials came in so I have the needed stuff. First on the list is to glass in the hood from the top so work on the bottom side can proceed. My goal is to have an underside with no witness of the factory hood, just a smooth surface with a new rib or two. I carefully shimmed the hood around its perimeter so the body and hood were at the same height. I taped the shims in place and laid the hood in its opening. I was planning on screwing the hood down to hold it in position but when all the shims were at correct height the hood was even with the body all the way around. I contacted Mikeinatlanta and he was extremely helpful in guidance in both the procedure and materials needed. What I'm doing now is following his advice. So, one layer of glass on the top side, which will be removed later after the bottom side is finished.
37879 37880

Next, I needed access to the bottom side without working from below so up on its side against the wall it went. I turned it on its side while on the body buck and tried to remove the buck but the body needed it for support and to keep against the wall so the buck stayed. I cut away all the flanges and the bottom piece on the hood. The before and after and parts removed are shown here.
37881 37882 37883

Next was the real dirty work of grinding away all the remaining lips and filler. I wore a body suit for such jobs and respirator, it made a thick pile of pink dust. It was a nice day and I had the shop door up. The bees were out and must have thought the odor it produced smelled of flowers. I had a half dozen flying around and inspecting my work. By the time I got the mess cleaned up, they had left. The next pictures are of the fillers and flanges I ground away and the completed grind work.
37884 37885

Tomorrow I will start making the ribs and glassing in the bottom side.

[dallas_]

Way cool! :)

[WIS89]

Huevos grande King!!

I will be watching to see how this goes. I am sure it will go great based on everything else you have done.

No way I have the guts to try something like this, but I really like the flip front. Great start!

Regards,

Steve

[CraigS]

I like you work but have one reservation. The FFR hinges are meant to raise just a hood. Will they be strong enough for the entire front of the body?

[2bking]

I like you work but have one reservation. The FFR hinges are meant to raise just a hood. Will they be strong enough for the entire front of the body?

Good question Craig. I was going to build my own when I realized the hood hinges had the right action but needed to be mounted in a squirrely orientation. The metal thickness in the hinge material is thicker than the supporting structure and the hinge bushings have plenty of capacity for the fifty or so pounds the entire front clip will weigh. Divided up, it's 25# per hinge. What they can't handle is the side loads but I have added a load mechanism to handle that. If you look closely to the last picture of post 137 you will see a green rod that is part of the mechanism. It works similar to the fifth link of a 5 link rear suspension. Here is a better picture of the model.
37911

If the hinges turn out to have problems, I will remake the links out of thicker material. Judging from the wimpy hinges I've seen on production cars, I don't think I'll have a problem.

[2bking]

After I finished cutting away the flanges as seen in the previous post, I ground down a little deeper for the seam glassing so it would have a tapered valley to build up in. When I sand down the seam it will be flush with the surrounding surfaces and the seam glass will have some depth. I have three layers of 1.5 oz mat in the seam. This picture shows the underside of the hood glassed in all around.
38029

I made three parallel ribs, 1" wide by 3/4" deep across the bottom of the hood for stiffening. I bought a 1" thick sheet of Divinycell Foam for forming the ribs and cut the strips with a 15* taper on either side with a band saw. I used the 3M spray adhesive to hold them in place against the curved underside of the hood while I glassed over them. Per Mikeinatlanta, the resin will dissolves the adhesive it comes in contact with and doesn't affect bonding strength. Sure enough, it did that and more. While waiting for the resin to cure, the spray adhesive lost its grip under the ribs and they started pulling away. They are still structural but the final shape is not what I had intended. I'll get pictures of them when I turn the body over again. Right now, it's on the body buck.

I flipped the body back on the buck to glass in the hood from the top side. When I applied the glass to the top to hold the hood in place, I did very little sanding to the gel coat. Turns out, that was a good thing because I was able to break the glass away from the gel coat in a few places and pull it off. I used some 60 grit on the sander to remove the traces of the resin and smooth the surface around the hood seam. I then used a right angle grinder to make a valley along the seam line. In several places the depth of the grind met the glass of the seam on the far side so there will be very little void left. These are pictures of the seam when I finished grinding. I made the depth large enough for 3 layers of 1.5 oz mat to fill.
38030 38031 38032

I cut strips of the mat in three different widths to lay in the seam and applied the resin to the botton, middle, and top strips as I worked my way around the seam.
38033 38034

I bought several different seam rollers when I got my supplies and this one came in very handy. It removes the trapped air in the mat and make it transparent. It also buries the mat edges to smooth out the layers. These pictures are the seam before and after rolling it.
38035 38036

This is a final picture of the finished seam.
38037

I have some final sanding to do top and bottom and a little rib repair. Next will be mounting the trusses to the underside for the hinges to attach to. Then it will be time to cut the body

[Ray W.]

Great work!

[2bking]

I was able to get some time in today to work on the body. I sanded out the top seam and was pleased with the results. Varying the widths of the mat made the seam close to final contour so it was pretty quick blending it into the surrounding contours. There's not much to see in a picture so I didn't take any.

I flipped it back on its side to work on the ribs and start sanding the seams. The first rib had a divot where I placed a prop to keep it from coming loose while the resin hardened. I tried to use glass cloth and lap it over the rib but it was difficult keeping the lap seam where it was just at the edge of the rib. Spray adhesive would have worked but I had already coated the area with resin when I discovered the difficulty. I think the time spent readjusting the cloth and applying more coats is what caused the spray adhesive to finally let go. I used a strip of 1.5 oz mat on the other two ribs and had much better success. I also added another layer of mat where the hood scoop would attach if I decide to mount it. I don't think it was really necessary but it's there just in case. This is a picture of the foam strip that was used to form the ribs.
38072

These pictures are the ribs and problems after they cured.
38073 38074 38075

The last pictures shows where it started pulling away but has plenty of contact left where it attaches to hood. Another one shows the divot where it was propped. I decided the best repair was to sand out the wrinkles and add another layer of mat to the whole rib. This picture shows the completed repair.
38077

When it cures, I might have a little more work to do but the majority of the problem is fixed. While I was working on the top, I tested the stiffness the ribs provided and it is much improved. Jeff Kleiner suggested I should add the ribs, Thanks Jeff

[dallas_]

Looks good King.
Curious, why do the ribs? I noticed no deflection of the hood at all when we glassed ours in.

[2bking]

Looks good King.
Curious, why do the ribs? I noticed no deflection of the hood at all when we glassed ours in.
If I had left the inner liner under the hood, it wouldn't have been necessary. Without the liner the hood was flexible when applying pressure toward the center and became stiffer toward the radiator area. It has a stiffer cross section in the front area and the curves flatten out toward the windshield. The first rib is in the area where it started to get flexible. This is engineering by braille.

[Jeff Kleiner]

This sure is fun to watch! Notice I said "watch"; not sure I'm ambitious enough to try it (well, maybe someday after retirement) ;)

Carry on,
Jeff

[dallas_]

ok, that makes sense. We left the inner liner in so it's probably a lot stiffer.


This sure is fun to watch! Notice I said "watch"; not sure I'm ambitious enough to try it (well, maybe someday after retirement) ;)
Jeff

C'mon Jeff!
All you need is a cutoff wheel or sawzall. :)

[WIS89]

This sure is fun to watch! Notice I said "watch"; not sure I'm ambitious enough to try it (well, maybe someday after retirement) ;)

Carry on,
Jeff

King-

I am completely with Jeff on this! I admire you for undertaking the project, and you clearly have the skill set to get it done.

However, there's no way I have the guts to do it myself. But I have mad respect for you and I look forward to seeing the finished product!

Regards,

Steve

[2bking]

This sure is fun to watch! Notice I said "watch"; not sure I'm ambitious enough to try it (well, maybe someday after retirement) ;)

Carry on,
Jeff
Well... you didn't discourage me when I contacted you so must be thinking of doing the same and I'll bet it will happen before you retire. Sanding, filling, painting the same way on the same bodies must get tiring.

Dallas offered encouragement also.

As they say, "the devil is in the details", so I'm sure I'll find a pitch fork in there somewhere. This was in the plans from the beginning so if I screw up, I'm on the hook for another body and hood plus reworking every thing I put under the fenders that's not accessible from the hood. It seems to work on paper (CAD).

[2bking]

I took a few days off from my build to make a few parts for a new father-son builder. The son has messianic cancer although in remission from the use of a new drug. They are building a Coyote engine roadster so I modified an van accelerator pedal and made some PCM mounts to send them. The parts will help to speed along the build.

I have cut the body! I used a ceramic/fiberglass jig saw blade and it cut very nicely leaving a 1/8" gap. The cut line will need some sanding to remove the little wiggles in it but I'll have to wait until the parts are separated. I cut it by removing the blocks along the path and reinstalling them after the cut pasted their mounting area. Because the two parts were attached to each other, there wasn't a stress relieving pop at the end of the cut. The mismatch in the picture isn't from stress reliving after the cut but the way the body is supported or lack there of. Adding some additional support brings the two parts back into alignment
38285

The next step is to build a ledge around the body for the hood to contact when closed. To do this I needed to turn the body upside down. I carefully measured for blocks to place under the body to support it and cut them from scraps.
3828638288

I'm starting at the center of the cowl and working toward the fenders and keeping it a short section to make sure the methods works as expected. I cut some of the divinycell foam into 1/8" strips to place in the cut to keep the resin out. This picture is with the strips in place in the gap and also shows the strips that were left over. To keep the two sides of the cut in alignment I placed several #4 screws in the cut with washers on both sides to squeeze the parts into alignment.
38294 38293 38295

I also cut some small foam strips to make a dam with to keep the edges of the glass mat straight. I cut three different widths of the 1.5 oz. mat to taper the thickness of the ledge and applied resin. I haven't taken pictures of the ledge yet but will include them next time.

[carlewms]

King,

Amazing job...thanks for walking us through this modification.

[2bking]

This has taken quite a few days because the resin needs a good 12-24 hours to cure and even then is not rock hard. I think that's to be expected with the vinyl ester. The gallon I received was date coded December so it was quite new and had a pot life of over 2 hours even with 10% extra hardener. The last mix today had about a 45 minute pot life. Each step was left to cure before I touched the body again. It's been around 30 to 50 degrees outside for the last few weeks so I kept the temperature in the shop around 70 to facilitate the curing.

To make a boring story short, I continued the ledge around the cut to the side of the body and the reversed it to the hood side where the body contour changed slope direction. Otherwise the lip would interfere with the opposite mating surface while the hood closed. But before I completed it I made a dimensional check across the body mounting holes for the bottom lip and compared it to the frame. With the body upside down and supported on the carefully measured blocks, it was spread 7". I made two supports from 1x2s to bring the spread back to the frame dimension that can be seen in the photos. While completing the ledge all around, I also made a vertical rib and another on the body side of the cowl. I used the divinycell foam to contour the rib. After my experience with the resin releasing the ribs on the hood, I made cuts in the foam to make it much more flexible so the spray adhesive didn't need much holding strength to keep the rib in place. Here are some pictures of the process of making them flexible using a wood band saw.
38516 38517 38518

I decided on the cowl rib after I completed the vertical ones and found they had such strength that the body only spread about an inch when I removed the supporting 1x2s. The cowl rib will maintain the contour there to match the hood. The movement of the hood at the last few inches of closure follows a 13* line so the ledge switch has this angle which can be seen in some of the pictures. The pictures are in chronological order.
38514 38515 38519 38520 38521 38523

At this point the body parts are ready to separate. The masking and foam strips worked to keep the two parts from sticking together. After removal of the blocks holding the two parts, the only thing keeping them together was the adhesive on the masking tape which gave up with some encouragement.
38522

[2bking]

In between the fiberglass steps I worked on mounting the trusses in the front of the hood. They can be seen in the previous pictures. It was uneventful so I hadn't taken any pictures of the process. Basically I placed the trusses in position with the mounting discs attached to the trusses and tacked the discs to the body with the 3M 08219 SMC/Fiberglass Adhesive. After the adhesive cured I removed the trusses leaving the discs behind and filled the remaining holes in the discs. The adhesive is a two part mixture which requires a special calk gun type tool a mixing nozzle. The gun and nozzle combination provides a good way of dispensing the adhesive. The body is not flat so the voids between the body and discs are filled by injecting the adhesive in several of the disc perforations. After the adhesive cured I reattached the trusses.

In the interest of checking for problems I didn't spend time cleaning up the parting surfaces.The body fit well when it was in one piece but when reattaching the body to the frame, it needed to go forward another 3/4" to match the mounting holes on the bottom of the frame. The sheet metal on the back end was keeping it from moving the final inch so I removed the body and trimmed the sheet metal. Perhaps it needed trimming all along but was masked by the method in installing the one piece body. With that done the body lined up with the mounting holes. I attached the hood to the hinges and took some pictures. It needs some alignment but looked good for the first fit. The contours between the hood and body looks close also so I am pleased so far.
38524 38525 38526 38527 38528 38529 38530

I have a mistake some where in my CAD model because the front is low by about 1.5". I'm not surprised because the body is not symmetrical and differs over an inch from one side to the other. One headlight mounting flange is forward of the other about an inch and the contours around them are different. Finding a centerline is difficult. I may have to remake the hinge mounts.

[dallas_]

Looks like you are coming along nicely. Love the detail on your processes.

[DaleG]

Finally, my fix for the day...

[superjoe]

Sweet!

For some reason I really like the tilt front. :)

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=8977&d=1335285930

This tilt front is awesome, do you happen to know what is this color in the picture?

[ckrueger]

Very Impressive!!!

[DaleG]

Very Impressive!!!

Understatement!

[dallas_]

This tilt front is awesome, do you happen to know what is this color in the picture?

Thanks for the kind comment. I used the Ford G2 Redfire pearl metallic.

[sbak]

I just finished reading your build from the start up to this point. Amazing work! I admire your commitment to detail and your fabrication. Thank you for posting in such great detail.

[NavyChief]

I like the gauge layout you have on the dash template. Very unique.

[2bking]

I just finished reading your build from the start up to this point. Amazing work! I admire your commitment to detail and your fabrication. Thank you for posting in such great detail.
Thanks sbak, I'm working a little slow but these deviations from the factory build plan take a lot of time. It seems to be two steps forward and one back somewhere else.


I like the gauge layout you have on the dash template. Very unique.
Thanks NavyChief. When I started the build, I wanted a dash layout that put the gauges in front of me and I didn't want to cut the body to do it. The gauges are about one inch thick behind the dash so this arrangement worked out very nice. I got the idea from my daily driver.

[2bking]

I spent most of the week adjusting and readjusting and finally found a good comprise that gets the body parts close to aligning when the front closes.
39098 39099

My goal is to be able to close the hood standing on one side and have the other side align itself without help. I'm almost there with the addition of the main alignment daggers shown here.
39100 39101

The mating receptacle located in the rib in the hood looks like this:
39102

I also added some braces to the hinge mounting structure shown in this picture but hard to find. The are made from 1/2" tubing with the ends mashed flat. The holes in the flats are slotted for adjustment.
39104

At this time nothing is glued in place as I continue to fine tune the parts. I need to add another pair of alignment devices, mount the gas struts, and work out the latching details and the tilt front should be finished from the mechanical aspect. The hinges with the anti-sway mechanism keep the front anchored very well and I am pleased with how that turned out.

[Jeff Kleiner]

Impressive :D

I really appreciate your methodical approach.

Jeff

[CraigS]

What are the male and female alignment pieces? They look like they could be useful on a stock hood.

[2bking]

Impressive :D

I really appreciate your methodical approach.

Jeff

I think it is becoming a battle of wills. I'm trying to solve the major problems first and then tackle the annoying ones. So far I have only had to reattach one of the trusses (not from adhesive failure but for better alignment), remake some of the braces and swop the hinge bases left to right to get the fit shown. The biggest problem is my body had a different shape when stretched onto the frame in one piece from what it has now when cut.


What are the male and female alignment pieces? They look like they could be useful on a stock hood.

The upper part (female) is made from 3/4" aluminum plate. I made the lower one (male) from a piece of glass filled plastic (DELRIN-570) which I had laying around. The angles in the parts follow the closing lines of the hood. Perhaps a smaller version would be useful on a regular hood but I have no experience with the problems there. The glass in the DELRIN destroys cutting tools. I finished off one band saw blade and a HSS end mill while making the parts.

[dallas_]

King, it's looking really good. Nice work.

One word of advice, before you do the final alignment, set it up like you will have it when the body is installed after paint. Install the rollbar and all the trim pieces on the aluminum cockpit, trunk pieces and everywhere else. Those will affect the final body position and will impact the hood gaps. Ask me how I know. :)

[2bking]

King, it's looking really good. Nice work.

One word of advice, before you do the final alignment, set it up like you will have it when the body is installed after paint. Install the rollbar and all the trim pieces on the aluminum cockpit, trunk pieces and everywhere else. Those will affect the final body position and will impact the hood gaps. Ask me how I know. :)
Thanks for confirming what I have found out while trying to align the parts. Tennessee Tim must of had similar issues. Today I installed the windshield, doors and DS roll bar. The doors don't fit like they did 5 minutes BC (Before Cutting). I'm in the AD (After Dividing) time phase now. There are no body mounts on the rear section except the ones under the frame and rear jack mounting bolts so it somewhat floats around in the upper part, i.e.. it is loose. I need to nail it down with a body mount or two somewhere.

Installing the windshield was very easy with the hood open. I like the ease of getting to everything.

[Jazzman]

Yesterday I went to the local weekly car show and met a very friendly, helpful, and knowledgeable FFR owner. (I know, what a surprise!!). He has a beautiful Type 65 Coupe. He showed me his tilt front, which got me thinking about your build. You certainly have inspired me to do this on my own roadster. This question may be a few dozen days too late, but here goes: since a type 65 coupe is a modified roadster, and since They sort of start with the same basic frame design, could not the hinge and body alignment systems from the 65 coupe be used as the basis of a tilt front system on the Roadster? Has anyone built both of these and can speak to the similarities and differences in the frames?

[2bking]

Yesterday I went to the local weekly car show and met a very friendly, helpful, and knowledgeable FFR owner. (I know, what a surprise!!). He has a beautiful Type 65 Coupe. He showed me his tilt front, which got me thinking about your build. You certainly have inspired me to do this on my own roadster. This question may be a few dozen days too late, but here goes: since a type 65 coupe is a modified roadster, and since They sort of start with the same basic frame design, could not the hinge and body alignment systems from the 65 coupe be used as the basis of a tilt front system on the Roadster? Has anyone built both of these and can speak to the similarities and differences in the frames?

I'm interested in this comparison also. The radiator tilts opposite to the roadster which may make some difference. I considered the latch system used on the coupe but decided on a hidden system for mine. I haven't updated the progress on mine for a while thinking I would wait until the tilt was all sorted out. I have it almost fully complete but found a lot of other details to work on when I remove the body for a tweak here and there. The biggest headache of the tilt is the body changing shape when it is attached as two parts and the non symmetry from left to right. I have added upper body mounts to help keep it secure around the dash and roll bar areas. I have some pictures to post but there isn't much to see for a front that open and closes except some of the details.

[2bking]

I worked out the latch mechanism for locking down the hood once the opening and closing was repeatable. The latch handles are located inside the foot boxes and when in the closed position, the handles are vertical just inside the 2"X2" square tubes that the door hinges attach to. They rotate 90* down to open the latches. The latches are spring loaded when in the closed position with an over center action to keep the handles in the closed position. This is a video of the action but The orientation is sideways.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/xugegdzwtt3c09m/2015-03-23%2017.09.21.mp4?dl=0

The next picture shows the curved flat stainless fingers (two on each side) that guide the hood and body toward their closed position and the hooks in the video catch the spools located in the stainless legs supported with the vertical fiberglass rib to lock the hood with the body.
41513

This picture is the DS handle in the closed position. I plan to rework it and the PS one into a more slender and graceful form later when the carpet is installed.
41514

Due to the slight variation in the contours between the hood and body, the hood would always move toward the left in the final few inches of closure. I couldn't find an adjustment that would prevent it. The next picture shown the decenter that can be seen in the misalignment of the black lines that were drawn before the parts were cut into.
41517

To make the hood center itself as it closes the final inch I made these parts for the hood and body and attached them with the same adhesive and studs used elsewhere.
41515 41516

This picture shows the alignment achieved with the parts installed.
41518

The hood can be lifted and lowered from either side. I used the gas struts that came with the kit to limit the opening (stops) and help support the hood weight. They also hold the hood open against the wind. They are 20 pound force struts and are a little light. I think a 30 or 40 pound force strut might be more ideal. This picture is the hood in the closed position

[CraigS]

I saw an 'early in the process' shot of the hood being open but the front wheels were on rollers. When you get a chance can you show a side view pic of the hood full open w/ the wheels on the floor?

[2bking]

I saw an 'early in the process' shot of the hood being open but the front wheels were on rollers. When you get a chance can you show a side view pic of the hood full open w/ the wheels on the floor?
Will do but may be awhile. If you are interested in seeing the clearance between the floor and hood, there should be sufficient to allow room for the front bumper and over riders. The bumper is spaced about an inch off the hood so I might have to cheat on that spacing if the clearance isn't as expected. The advantage of the 4 bar hood hinge is it raises the front of the hood as it opens. There should be an inch or so of clearance to the ground with the bumper installed so I will have to be careful of the terrain when opening it.

[2bking]

I have been working on all the body cutouts so this update is the side vents/louvers. If you haven't ordered a kit, don't pay for the cutouts. Except for the roll bar ones, non were centered and all had to be resized. The parking, headlights, and brake lights look like I couldn't figure out where they were supposed to be to be, but it's two sets of holes, the factory's and mine. The side vents were closer but had the wrong angles on the ends. This picture is the opening masked off and located per the directions in the build manual.
41608

I did a little editing on the opening to get the ends parallel to the louver slant and increased the length to get the same opening size for each louver. This kept the louvers from looking like they weren't quite centered. These pictures are the work in progress and the final results.
41609 41610

The back side is attached using the perforated disks with #8 studs and 3M 08219 SMC/Fiberglass Adhesive. I used a bungee (not shown) on the outside to hold the louvers in place while the adhesive cured.
41611 41612

After the these and other attachments were cured and cleaned up, I put a layer of fiberglass over them to smooth out the surface.
41613

I don't plan to do a lot of body work on the inside of the hood but if I change my mind after the rest of the underside is completed with fender wells, it will be a lot easier with the mat smoothing out the rough appearance of the studs.

[2bking]

I think the front view of the car looking into the radiator is not so pleasing with the AC condenser in place.
41614

There are a few posts about radiator damage from small road debris so I purchased this radiator screen (http://www.summitracing.com/parts/aaf-all30158/overview/) from Summit Racing. I placed it over the top of the condenser and made a frame to hold it in place.
41615

I powdered coated the frame parts black and painted the screen silver but the silver appears very dark, almost black in the pictures and in person.
41616 41617

I may get a second screen and try a different color to try to get a silver appearance. I took this picture with the body installed and had to use a flash and another light source to get a contrast between the screen and frame.
41618

It's not the traditional look but is better than the condenser on top of a radiator look. I'm planning on a final body color of red so the picture is close to a final view.

[sbak]

Thanks of posting this 2bking; I was curious why more owners didn't put something in front of the exposed radiator and or ac coils.. just from some dents I see on my cars from stuff that gets through the grill; this was something I have on my build list.

[2bking]

With the tilt front the inner fender shields (elephant ears) could not be mounted to the F panels. One of the few things that worked out very easily was the mounting of the shields inside the hood. The outward slope and rearward rake of the mounting flange on the F panels aligned perfectly with the closing angle of the hood. I marked the location of the shields inside the fender and bonded 3 perforated studs along the mark on each fender.
41846

I installed #8 revnuts in the panels for attaching to brackets and put the bulb seal on the edges that touch the fender and F panel.
41847

I installed the shields in the fender with the brackets and attached the lower tab to the bottom flair.
41848 41849 41850

The following pictures are the interface between the F panel and the shields when the hood is closed. The bulb seal on the shields doesn't touch anything while closing the hood until the last few degrees where the bulb seal contacts the F panel flange.
41851 41852

I have one last mod to make to the front that involves attaching the bumper. I'll post more on that when it finished

[2bking]

I fitted the Breeze roll bars and welded them with the body off the car. I had made some measurements to determine where the bars entered the body and thought the slip joint on the rear leg was below the body line. It really didn't matter because the bars had to be fitted to the frame mount points and I couldn't change the length of the rear leg except to make it shorter. When I put the body on, I discovered the rear leg didn't quite go below the body so the grommet would not seal around the bar.
41853 41854

I called Mark at Breeze and he sent me a couple of pieces of the tube to weld on the ends which seemed to be the simple way to fix the problem. I got the tubes about three days after I contacted him, excellent customer service. The next pictures are of the process of welding on the extensions and filing off the weld. The chrome looking part sticking out is a 1.5" piston pin to keep the tubes well aligned during the welding.
41855 41856 41857 41858

Now they are a little too long but I can fix that.

[chrisarella]

Nice fix on the roll bar. I was going to order these same roll bars soon. Glad I waited. Maybe when I order them I'll ask Mark to make sure the legs have already been extended so I can cut to fit instead of having to break out the torch.

[soaringDude]

Great progress King, looks great. I wish I could say the same thing about my build! Too many other things on the plate and too many stupid little problems I keep hitting! I guess it is all part of the experience :)

[David Hodgkins]

Here I am trying to figure out simple wiring tasks and you are absolutely KILLING it with this build! How impressive! Your go-kart looks great, and the tilt front? I'm with the others; it's a little above my skill set! I can't wait to see the final solution for the tilt front. Amazing.

:)

[2bking]

Here I am trying to figure out simple wiring tasks and you are absolutely KILLING it with this build! How impressive! Your go-kart looks great, and the tilt front? I'm with the others; it's a little above my skill set! I can't wait to see the final solution for the tilt front. Amazing.

:)

Thanks David! I'm making progress very slowly. My skills are less than what it seems; it takes me about three tries to make a part that's a keeper and the pictures hide a lot of blemishes. I'm excited to see it all together and finished. I think I can see light at the end of the tunnel now.

[Jazzman]

HEY, KING, how's the build going? Reading your thread is addictive!! We haven't had our fix of your progress for almost a month. It is like a great novel: you can't wait for the next chapter. I hope it is progressing smoothly for you. We are all very impressed by your work . . . and I am stealing ideas from you left and right!! :)

Jazzman

[2bking]

Haven't had an update for a while because of negative progress. I started working on finishing the dash and ran out of talent. The plan is for a burl veneer with leather trimmings. I had planned to have a fake glove box because of limited space behind it but as I was making the fake lid I decided it would be just a little more effort to make it actually open. I needed more hardware so some of the past few weeks was spent waiting on parts. During the mean time I did a couple of other projects on the list. One was a dead pedal but I wanted it adjustable and retractable. The following photos are the parts and assembly.
42680 42681 42682 42683 42684

The other project was an access cover on the outside top of the DS foot box. The picture is the opening and nutserts installed. The cover was drying so no completed picture yet.
42685

I'll add more detail about the veneer in the next post.

[2bking]

I did some searching for veneer glues for applications on aluminum and found contact cement was widely touted as the product to use. I had the Weldwood brand which also came highly recommended. Three weeks ago I laid out the materials and started work. I ordered the hidden hinges and lock for the glove box lid and started covering the leather wrapped parts. This is the right side dash part before I decided to make the fake glove box lid work.
42688

To make it function I added this assembly to the back of the leather covered aluminum.
42690

I used the 3M 08219 panel adhesive to bond the hinges to the dash panel and the doublers and latch cam. I used the Weldwood Contact Cement to attach the leather. The leather has a layer of felt under it to make a soft feel. The following pictures are the glove box lid construction.
42691 42692 42693 42694 42695 42696

So everything seems to be working just fine but before I can attach the leather covered hood on the left panel I needed to finish coat the burl. The directions on the contact cement say to allow the product 3 days to cure before exposing to sun or high temperatures; it had dried more than the 3 days. To make a long story short, mineral sprits, linseed oil, and polyurethane are solvents of contact cement. The burl is very thin and porous so these materials went through to the adhesive. In less than an hour I had a pile of wood burl on the floor because the contact cement let go and I scraped it all off.

On the bright side I had purchased enough material by accident to cover it twice. Even though it is a big set back, I can recover in about a week if the epoxy method of veneering works. The epoxy is curing as I write this.
42697

[stevenburgess]

Dallas_What lovers on the hood did you use

[DaleG]

Retractable dead-pedal; now, that's neat! Can't wait to see how the access to footbox turns out.

[Lostinidaho]

Hi King,
We are think about a veneer dash, where did you get veneer, and is it really expensive. I read some forum discussions about veneering the dash, and I when I went to the links, the veneer was over over $400 a sheet. We covered our dash in vinyl for now, but Scott was not really happy with the result. We made a pattern on a piece of 1/4 inch MDF so we could try the Tennessee Tim approach, but I have been unable to find inexpensive veneer to experiment with.
I am amazed at all your mods--the dead pedal looks great.
Mark

[2bking]

Hi King,
We are think about a veneer dash, where did you get veneer, and is it really expensive. I read some forum discussions about veneering the dash, and I when I went to the links, the veneer was over over $400 a sheet. We covered our dash in vinyl for now, but Scott was not really happy with the result. We made a pattern on a piece of 1/4 inch MDF so we could try the Tennessee Tim approach, but I have been unable to find inexpensive veneer to experiment with.
I am amazed at all your mods--the dead pedal looks great.
Mark

Hi Mark,
I got the veneer from Rockler (http://www.rockler.com/walnut-burl-sequenced-matched-4-way-veneer-pack) for less than $50. My dash parts are smaller than the full dash but even so, I had a couple of joints. The veneer packs can be laid out end to end or side to side and still mirror match at the edges. I redid mine using epoxy and it seems to look a lot better than the contact cement try but I wasn't able to bend it around the edges like I did with the contact cement. I still have some more finishing work to do but this is what they look like now.
42807

[Lostinidaho]

Looks good, what are you using to coat the veneer?
Mark

[2bking]

Looks good, what are you using to coat the veneer?
Mark

I'm using an clear exterior polyurethane thinned with mineral sprits to make it a "wipe on". I use #000 steel wool between coats to make it smooth. Due to the drying time I can only get one coat a day. I have two coats now and thinking I'll quit at four. A wood working forum says to wax it for the final shine but I have no experience with doing that on polyurethane so I'll use a test piece to try it.

[dallas_]

Dallas_What lovers on the hood did you use

Steven, they are the Maier Racing Shelby 500 louvers. The louvers are not listed on their website, but you can call them.

King, looking good! Really nice work as always.

[2bking]

I've been working on a few details one of which was the O2 wiring that was left hanging since the go-cart event. The right cable was very close to not being long enough even after reworking the harness to lengthen it per the Ford Racing instructions. I found a path where I could utilize the mounting features on the harness connector and a screw on the Infinity power Module for a cable clamp. I made a simple bracket and drilled out a couple of foot box rivets to reuse the holes to mount it. The right side is shown here.
42910 42911

The left side had ample cable length and the mounting is similar to the right except the bracket is a little more complicated. I mounted it using #8 screws and nutserts in the foot box sheet metal for both the bracket and cable clamp.
42912 42913 42914 42915 42916

[dallas_]

Nice touches.

Love your attention to detail. You will have a stunning car when it's complete.

[2bking]

Nice touches.

Love your attention to detail. You will have a stunning car when it's complete.

Thanks, John

One more thing on my list of wants is the trunk lid gas springs. I know, there are kits available to do this but I like making it the way I want. I purchased the springs, mounts, and ball studs from McMaster Carr and modified the mounts by slotting the holes to add some adjustability. I did a little bit of kinematics analysis to determine the gas spring force I needed which turned out to be about 30# each. I have the cubby hole and I wanted as small of hole in the bulkhead as possible where the springs pass through. It complicated the layout some because the spring needed to be horizontal and the ideal location for the fixed end was in line with the path of the inside shoulder harness where it crossed the 3/4" sq. tube as it exited to the cockpit. I made some brackets out of 3/4" sq. tubing with the slotted clearance needed for the belts and put in nutserts to attach the gas spring mounts. I punched the holes in the bulkhead using a step drill and finished making the slot with a Dremel tool. I powdered the parts black and installed the brackets using nutserts in the frame.
43014 43015 43016

43017 43018 43019

43020

The 30# springs seemed to be about perfect. They wouldn't lift the trunk lid until it was about a fourth of the way open and then took over to raise it the remaining distance.

[chrisarella]

Nice! I was going to do something similar, minus the bulkhead. Which strut (part#) did you use?

[chrisarella]

BTW, did you see this thread?
http://www.ffcars.com/forums/17-factory-five-roadsters/285505-trunk-struts.html

[2bking]

Nice! I was going to do something similar, minus the bulkhead. Which strut (part#) did you use?

The struts are McMaster Carr Part no. 9416K18. The are identical to the ones for the hood except they have 30# force; the hood gas springs have 20# force. I did see the thread you referred to several months ago and got a lot of ideas from it. I think the 30# struts may minimize the issue mentioned about the trunk lid fit but I really don't know what struts come in the kits. The parts lists for DIY shows 50# force struts.

[bansheekev]

The struts are McMaster Carr Part no. 9416K18. The are identical to the ones for the hood except they have 30# force; the hood gas springs have 20# force. I did see the thread you referred to several months ago and got a lot of ideas from it. I think the 30# struts may minimize the issue mentioned about the trunk lid fit but I really don't know what struts come in the kits. The parts lists for DIY shows 50# force struts.

I made my own setup similar to what King has done and used 40# struts. I thought they were a bit of overkill when I mocked them up but they are just right now that the trunk is painted and the license plate/frame/light assembly are mounted. All of these added a little weight. Does not open the lid for you but holds it open fine.

Kevin

[carlewms]

King,

Did you put any thing on the O2 sensor wiring to protect it from the heat of the header?

Looking great!

[chrisarella]

Below are pictures of the PCM mount installed on the frame.
27574 27576 27578

The last part is the brake reservoir and I haven't completed it yet. I'll post pictures when I do.


FYI, the ribbing on the top of the computer is to dissipate heat. Not sure if your mount will overheat the computer, just a thought.


I understand and contemplated another design. My quandary was the location is somewhat fixed by the engine harness and it is above the headers. I think it needs a heat shield at least but not an enclosed box so I tried to compromise with an open box thus one side being a heat shield. I'm open to suggestions and experience. I'm thinking there might not be a lot of watts in the box.

I was going back and reading your thread for tips when I got to your post on your ECM/PCM mounting and thought... why not use hex stand-offs to space the ECM/PCM off the bracket? Many OEMs do this to allow air flow around theirs and dissipate heat.

[2bking]

King,

Did you put any thing on the O2 sensor wiring to protect it from the heat of the header?

Looking great!

Thanks. The wiring from the O2 sensor is factory including the connector and has some sort of white covering on the harness. For now I will assume they know it will handle the exhaust heat. I plan to check temperatures on this and several other places to see if any more protection is needed. I have extra silver sleeving and can add heat shields if necessary.

[2bking]

Chris, the PCM got remounted last December but I never posted the pictures because it's all buried around other parts so there isn't much to see. The original placement got in the way of the AC lines and was difficult to make the wire harnesses to look neat. I don't have a picture but this CAD shot shows it better. The PCM now has free air flow all around it. It is one of those places that I need to check temperatures when it gets all buttoned up but the parts below it now serve as heat shields so I don't think there will be a problem.
43044

The studs are a good idea but there is limited structural places where those alone will be sufficient. My new mount has the PCM mounted only by the front face which is plastic. My side of the mounting surface has full contact top to bottom of the plastic surface to spread the load and it seems adequate. I attempted to duplicate the firewall mounting scheme where it is mounted against a flat surface. Even though the factory may mount it using the studs, I suspect there may be other points of contact to help support it.

[edwardb]

P.M. sent on your DS foot box mod.

Love your build thread BTW. Tons of great ideas.

[2bking]

Love your build thread BTW. Tons of great ideas.

Thanks Paul and BTW I like you choice of the Coyote on your upcoming 20th anniversary build. I'm looking forward to the build thread.

A few days ago I had a couple of grandkids at the shop doing some baby sitting for a few hours. They like all the stuff there but get bored easily. The 11 year old asked if she could help with something and I had to think for a few moments. Covering the parking brake handle with leather was one thing on my list so I asked her if she would like to do that. I got a big YES and when I told her it would involve sewing she confesses she didn't know how to sew. I went over some ideas I had for doing it and she quickly figured out the method I had in mind and started cutting out the leather. I showed her how to use the contact cement for folding back the edges and hold the felt in place under the leather. I had to start the first stitch but she took over after that and told me to go do something else. "I got this" she said to me. About 20 minutes later she asked how to finish the seam. I tied off the thread for her and pulled the draw string to fold the leather down around the release button. She proudly screwed the handle back on the leaver. What she did was a keeper and I will remember her every time I place my hand on that handle. I snapped a few pictures for the record.
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[carlewms]

Very nice ... and having her touch on the car and the memories you all created are the most important part of it all ...

[chrisarella]

Getting our family's DNA in our cars makes them 1,000,000,000,000,000x more valuable and special.

[2bking]

The last time I worked on the wiring I left a lot of loose ends, mainly the courtesy lights in the trunk and foot boxes. The Infinity Box Wiring needs an input grounded to turn on a circuit so I needed to get the input for the trunk lights ran from under the dash back to the trunk area and the foot box courtesy power wires from the rear power cell to the dash. The accessory circuit also needed to be included with the wires. Seems simple but it took me a week to run four wires through the tunnel area. It would have been much simplifier if I had done it before the sheet metal was installed but my crystal ball was a bit murky back then and I wanted to leave those options open. I ended up having to put a four pin Weather Pack connector in the back in order to get the wires routed like I wanted. No pictures taken, not much to see, just a harness with tie-wraps every 6"-8".

For the trunk lights I used some LED lights that seem to have plenty of brightness for the application. I mounted one on each side of the trunk where the light would illuminate both the lower and upper parts.
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I made a bracket to mount a door switch on one of the gas struts and an actuator flag to mount on the rod. The switch will ground the input from the master cell to turn on the lights with power from the rear power cell.
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These pictures have the parts installed on the strut.
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I mounted the same type lights in the foot boxes and in the cubby hole behind the seats. All three of these come on when a door is opened and can also be turned on with a switch. I have this part of the circuit controlled through a timer so the lights go out after five minutes if not turned off sooner. I made a reflector for the cubby hole light to help spread the illumination and keep it out of direct sight from the front while driving.
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The door switches are located close to the hinges on the 2" X 2" sq. tubes. They are actuated with sheet metal brackets screwed to the hinge parts.
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[clancypm]

All the amazing engineering u have done. I wish you had tackled a hidden folding top, because if there is anyone that could do i I think it would be you.

[2bking]

The last item to be connected was the horns. Since I have the hood hinges on the 3/4" sq. tubes where the horns are most often mounted, I needed to find another location. I selected the area where the upper A arms mount and made a couple of brackets to attach there. They sit just behind the radiator and seem to be out of the way.
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[DaleG]

I was pondering on how to mount door switches for trunk lighting; great idea...Thanks, as always.

Cheers, Dale

[DaleG]

PM sent re trunk switch brackets.

[chrisarella]

BTW, I found this Normally Closed magnetic switch for the trunk:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0009SUF08/

I think I'm going to end up using this for the doors:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00CFLC3XE/

[2bking]

All the amazing engineering u have done. I wish you had tackled a hidden folding top, because if there is anyone that could do i I think it would be you.

Well, thanks for the compliment but I think physics might get in the way. Every time I violate one of those laws I get to remake something. I added AC to the car and it isn't going to work well without some sort of top. I did toy with the idea of procuring an unfinished hard top but decided I wanted to try to finish the build this year. I opted for the FFR premium Soft top. I think I might have had some influence on getting the group buy cancelled or postponed because I had already ordered it and called Vinny to try to get added to the list for some money back. He told me as of that morning, it was not going to happen.

[2bking]

BTW, I found this Normally Closed magnetic switch for the trunk:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0009SUF08/

I think I'm going to end up using this for the doors:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00CFLC3XE/

My son gave me some nice magnetic switches and I tried to figure a way to use them. They were "normally open" and needed some more circuitry to be useful. I like the idea of the magnetic switches and they would work very well with the Infinity Box scheme where a circuit is turn on by grounding an input. Perhaps had I found the ones you did I would have done it differently.

[carlewms]

I wish I had checked out the NO magnetic switches instead of the mechanical pin switches I used on the doors As King says, with the infinity Box they would be much simpler ...

I still need to wire in the trunk light so there is my chance to check them out.

[2bking]

Using the FFR license plate light and bracket is impossible without some type of modification. Mounting per the FFR instructions makes the license plate cover the trunk lock. If I'm going to use the plate mounting bracket and light, the options seem to be to trim the license plate (illegal in Texas) or move the plate mounting higher. The plate needed to move higher by 3/4" which doesn't seem like much but impossible to do without some major changes. Either the body was getting the mounting boss moved up or the plate mount was getting hacked on. I chose the plate mount. I did Jeff's mod which moved the internal light and bracket up 1/4" and moved the plate mounting bar up behind the light but I still needed about a 1/4" to make the plate fit. I figure no one will notice an 1/8" trimmed from the top and bottom of the plate but when the plate is pushed into the light housing, it covers the word "Texas" on the plate so it isn't completely readable. I sectioned the light housing to raise the part of the housing coving "Texas" and fiberglassed the inside to hold the parts together. I'm not thinking this is pretty but it doesn't look all that bad a few feet away and I'm not building a first place show car anyway.
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[DaleG]

Carl. I have a set of 2 magnetic switches if you want them. Turns out my digital start system activates the footbox lights when I approach the car; they stay on until the car is started. Another set of footbox lights are controlled by the courtesy light switch.

King. Maybe not a trailer Queen, but it sure deserves a few pages in Popular Mechanics for the innovative solutions you've adapted to the issues we've all come up against.

[2bking]

One of the things I needed to complete before I tackled the body work was the horn button in the middle of the steering wheel. I've had the design done for a year but was putting it off as long as possible because it required machining the steering wheel parts and could ruin a lot of stuff if it didn't work. I needed to be completely sure I wanted to do it but I didn't have a plan B if it didn't work out except a button on the dash. I gathered all my drawings and did a few dimensional checks for any mistakes and decided to go for it. The Infinity Box wiring requires grounding a control circuit to activate a load wired to a power cell which makes the horn button a little easier because there isn't but a few milliamps in the control circuit. The plan is very similar to the vintage steering columns where a spring loaded contact moves on a brass ring as the steering wheel is turned. The other end of the spring loaded contact is in contact with the horn button spring and the parts are isolated from making a grounding contact except when the horn button is pressed. I purchased the spring and plastic rod from McMaster Carr a year ago so I had all the needed materials in place.

The spring turned out to be a little stiff so I cut 1.5 turns off of it and rebent the end. That made the button press force just about right. I took some of the pictures before the first assembly try and had to remake a couple of parts in order to be able to assemble them and keep the horn spring centered and electrically isolated. Gravity had not been accounted for. It was one of those things that works on paper but not so well in real life. Here are the parts in the Russ Thompson turn signal and the ones I made:
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Here are the parts I made and the two modified that mount the steering wheel:
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The next ones are various stages of assembly. The horn wire enters the top of the column through a rubber grommet. The horn button is a press down and turn 60* to keep it in place.
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[2bking]

In a previous post I mentioned a timer on the courtesy lights that would turn them off if left on for more than five minutes. I thought I would document what I did with a few pictures. The timer was purchased off the internet for about $5. A little research found it to be used in burglary alarms but I digress. It uses a 12 volt input and the timer is tripped through a trigger circuit. It wasn't quite as easy to use as I first thought but after a little experimenting, I figured out a way. One of the challenging features I wanted was a way to turn off the light before the 5 minutes were up. The timer circuit has one relay on the board and I needed two more to make it work like I wanted. I mounted the timer on the Speed Dial (the speed dial housing has been cut down to minimize its space claim) and the relays among the other relays for various other purposes. I have the relays labeled for future trouble shooting. The relays are behind the enclosure that houses the ventilation controls. There is not much to see here but a bunch of wires. I've tried to keep the wiring neat but it's all those unforeseen changes and additions that mess it up.
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[2bking]

I had the body back on today and install the dash just to make sure I could get to all the connectors and there wasn't going to be any surprises later. I very happy with the way it turned out and thought I would show some pictures. The lower panel with the AC controls is going to get some leather and burl also.
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[DaleG]

Sittin' here kind of gobsmacked. That's a really nice custom dash with a real cockpit look.

[EEP]

In a previous post I mentioned a timer on the courtesy lights that would turn them off if left on for more than five minutes. I thought I would document what I did with a few pictures. The timer was purchased off the internet for about $5. A little research found it to be used in burglary alarms but I digress. It uses a 12 volt input and the timer is tripped through a trigger circuit. It wasn't quite as easy to use as I first thought but after a little experimenting, I figured out a way. One of the challenging features I wanted was a way to turn off the light before the 5 minutes were up. The timer circuit has one relay on the board and I needed two more to make it work like I wanted. I mounted the timer on the Speed Dial (the speed dial housing has been cut down to minimize its space claim) and the relays among the other relays for various other purposes. I have the relays labeled for future trouble shooting. The relays are behind the enclosure that houses the ventilation controls. There is not much to see here but a bunch of wires. I've tried to keep the wiring neat but it's all those unforeseen changes and additions that mess it up.
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King, everything is first class as usual.

Is there a reason that you didn't use the Infinity Wiring Module Programming to accomplish this instead of the external relay setup (which is very well thought out). I would have thought that it could have been done through a programming change, but I might not fully understand the capabilities of the logic available.

Larry

[2bking]

King, everything is first class as usual.

Is there a reason that you didn't use the Infinity Wiring Module Programming to accomplish this instead of the external relay setup (which is very well thought out). I would have thought that it could have been done through a programming change, but I might not fully understand the capabilities of the logic available.

Larry

You are correct that it could be programed in the Infinity Box but you have to send them the Master Cell or buy a $400 program module for installing the new code that Infinity Box sends you. The user does not have access to the code.

[EEP]

You are correct that it could be programed in the Infinity Box but you have to send them the Master Cell or buy a $400 program module for installing the new code that Infinity Box sends you. The user does not have access to the code.

I invested in the InCode module since the programming changes were included as part of the buy and I knew I would be adding changing such as this as the project went along.

On another note, and I apologise if i missed it in your earlier posts, how do you like your Horns? What type are they are where did you source them. They look nice and compact. Did they have a sound file on their site?

Thanks again,

Larry

[clancypm]

dash turned out great

[2bking]

I apologize if i missed it in your earlier posts, how do you like your Horns? What type are they are where did you source them. They look nice and compact. Did they have a sound file on their site?

Thanks again,

Larry
The horns were part of the complete kit so I used them. They make noise with one being a high note and the other a low so they are acceptable but not unique. I may change them later but for now I have plenty to do.

[2bking]

dash turned out great

Thanks Clancypm. I wanted something close to a modern dash for the ease of reading the dials but the cobra purest won't like it at all.

[2bking]

I think I have built the last part on my list until the body goes on to stay but those will be filler pieces for gaps between body and frame. This part is the console on the transmission tunnel and has the 12V cig plug and USB connectors. I will cover it with leather today and add a padded top to the lid. It screws to the frame under the tunnel sheet metal. The drink holder is missing an upper cup support that I haven't installed yet so these are progress pictures.
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[DaleG]

As always...Wow!

[gunkk]

impressive.

[carlewms]

King ... you are knocking it out of the park. I really like the center console idea.

Carl

[2bking]

I finished up the console today. Sometimes things just don't go right as it took longer than I thought. I broke three #4-40 taps and two of them are imbedded forever in the console. I used some scrap 7075 aluminum plate for the top rim and it turned out difficult to drill and tap. This is the first time I actually did anything by hand on this alloy; all my other experiences were on the mill and lathe. To complicate things more, the shaft in my battery drill was bent slightly probably due to a trip to the floor at some time. At first I was thinking the drill bit wasn't straight and the taps also but when the third tap broke, a close inspection reveled the slightly bent shaft. Luckily, the bad holes are in areas that are covered up so no one knows but me and now you.

I chose to put a layer of felt under the leather to give it a softer feel so the green material in the pictures is the felt. I used the contact cement to attach both the felt and leather and it is easy to use by applying a coat to both parts and letting them dry for about 10 to 20 minutes depending on the thickness of application. I used leather purchased in 12"X24" pieces and the grain and thickness varied between the pieces. I bought 4 pieces and they varied from glove soft to a medium stiff. The stiffer piece was also the thicker one and I used that one for the lid of the console. A close inspection will reveal the differences in texture of the pieces seen on the console.
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[2bking]

While cleaning out some of the shelves, I found a box of lights I purchased some time back that I had forgotten about.
44485

I wanted to try to mount them in the oil cooler hole but didn't have any real plan on how to do it, hence they were somewhat forgotten about. I spent a few hours deciding on several designs and came up with a rather simple mounting scheme and design. I had purchased some 3/8" stainless fuel line but didn't use it but it looked like it would work as grill tube in my design. I bent up some aluminum and cut holes for the lights. I used some 5/16" aluminum rod for the inserts for mounting the tubing and drilled and tapped it for #8 screws. The parts are shown here.
44486

I fiberglassed in some mounting perches on either side of the oil cooler opening and used the 3M panel adhesive to attach the perforated base studs. Two screws will attach the light assembly.
44487

I polished the stainless fuel line, powder coated the sheet metal black, and assembled the parts. The following pictures are the assembly and it mounted in the oil cooler opening.
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Its been very hot here in Texas the last few weeks and I'm trying to find other things to do instead of the body work. I want to do the as much of the sanding and cutting outside rather than have to deal with the dust inside the shop. The high daily temperatures have dropped below 100 so I'm planning on early morning work outside in the next few days.

[WIS89]

King-

Your great work is continuing! If I see your car, I will be sure to look for those taps! ;-o)

I like the lights in the oil cooler opening. They complement the car nicely. I continue to admire your work!

Regards,

Steve

[2bking]

King-

Your great work is continuing! If I see your car, I will be sure to look for those taps! ;-o)

I like the lights in the oil cooler opening. They complement the car nicely. I continue to admire your work!

Regards,

Steve
Thanks Steve

I have another small update. I have the body grommets from Finish Line for use where the front and rear bolts protrude for mounting the bumpers/quick jacks. The rear grommets require a round hole so there's nothing to post about them. The front ones require an oval hole and the locating dimensions are not obvious. Since I have a tilt front, the bumper bolts don't mount to the front frame ends like the traditional way. My front bumper is semi cosmetic but can handle some frontal impact due to the heads of the mounting bolts bearing against the front frame ends. Side impacts may have some fiberglass crunching results but that was a trade-off for the tilt front decision. I want the front bumper to look like a normal installation hence the grommets. The grommets didn't come with instructions on hole size or measuring so I cut slowly and fitted often. When I got the first one to fit and was center the on the bumper bolt I made a templet for marking the other three. This is new to me but I'm sure others have figured as this out before. I don't remember seeing anything in the many posts I have read so I'll show what I did. As it turns out the hole is centered on the bolt on the front body surface so the templet is symmetrical. I used a Dremel with a spiral cutting tool to make the holes; it's in one of the pictures.

The top hole is the one carefully cut and the bottom was the first hole cut using my templet. The grommet is installed to verify correct placement.
44901

This is the templet and the Dremel tool used to cut the openings.
44902

These pictures show the templet being used to mark the other holes on the right side.
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Now that I have the holes cut I don't have any use for the templet. Anyone want it?

[dallas_]

Looking good King!

[carlewms]

King,

Really like the running light set up ... very sharp looking.

Thanks for posting.

Carl

[2bking]

Thanks Carl. Once I figured out the construction, it was somewhat simple to make.

Just an update but not much is happening except a lot of dust on the floor and getting bigger arms from sanding. There are plenty of body finishing threads so I'm not going to document the steps here. I have read a lot of them and have gleaned much of what I'm doing from there. The forums are very helpful. I did quite a bit of body work in my 20s but the products and tools have changed since then so some of the techniques are new to me. I purchased the Rage Gold filler and it is very similar to the Bondo I used back then but is easier to sand. I bought most of my tools and materials from Eastwood. The flexible sanding blocks are very helpful and I like the adhesive backed sand paper they use. In my past experience the sand paper loaded up and had to be changed often but either the materials or paper have changed because the sandpaper seems to last a long time. I'm going to have a lot left over.

The seams were quite easy to sand and fill so that turns out to be the easiest part. Trimming the fender flares and adding the rolled edge was time consuming. Mostly because of the difficulty of getting a consistent edge thickness and contour. I used the 3M Marine HSRF around the edges and it is much more difficult to sand. I had to make a tool to apply the HSRF and once I perfected it and the way to use it, the job went much quicker. But now I'm working on the underside of the tilt front and it is taking a lot of work. I sprayed it with the featherfill thinking it would hide most of the imperfections. It didn't so I'm doing it the hard way by hand sanding and adding the Rage Gold as necessary. I think I could hide a full gallon of Rage under there but I decided smooth was good enough and am letting the contours be however they sand out. Otherwise I would be adding 10 pounds of filler to the weight of the hood. I think I have a couple of weeks of body prep left before the color will be applied. The manual says 40 hours of body work is all that is required. I guess if I could work as fast as Jeff Miller (http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/showthread.php?18866-This-week-at-the-BATCAVE-a-weekly-installment-of-painting-a-car-with-a-superhero) does in the videos, 40 hours would work.

Here are some pictures of the progress.

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[DaleG]

King, I'm impressed! Body work really intimidates me.

[dallas_]

The manual says 40 hours of body work is all that is required.

I don't think the manual says anything about a tilt front though. :)

[Jeff Kleiner]

...The manual says 40 hours of body work is all that is required...

Except the manual doesn't actually define body work or what that statement really means---it ain't the same as "ready for paint" :rolleyes:

Carry on King!

Jeff