Charles's '33 build Page

[crspdsk8]

Hi there!

I am out in Antelope, CA (just outside of Sacramento) and I have been wanting to build a FFR roadster from the 1st time I saw one until they came out with the 33. The 33 Ford is one of my dream cars and after lurking on here for years & dreaming of the day to actually build one, I have decide to take the plunge and order the 33 kit and make my dream a reality! After patiently waiting about 5 weeks, my kit finally arrived on late Monday! It appears to be kit #600, but doesn't make since I have seen other builds on the forum that are in the mid 600's? Do they not do this in order and jump around on #'s?
This is a build that will include 3 generations of our name which has been passed down including myself, my father and my 8 year old son is the 5th generation to have our name passed down too! I am not a huge car nut when it comes to actually building one so I am sure I will have a ton of questions along the way. I have learned a lot just from watching other build threads and hopefully learn from others on what to do and not to do.


I have pretty much completed the inventory, which some bags/parts were not marked, and found some parts missing and of course the notorious FFR backorders which include the parts I was planning on starting with but I plan on shifting my plan and get started in other areas. One of the things I was thinking of putting in place is the firewall. Does anybody have any recommendations on getting this done 1st or waiting until later? Is it best to set in place before removing the main body or with out the body on? My concern is to make sure they fit together as nicely as possible.

My plan is to use this thread to document my build progression and hope to get input from others especially working around any issues that may come up during the build. I am looking forward to this build and getting to know others here on the forum! I will try to keep this up to date along the way as much as I can. I have never attached pics to a thread before so hopefully this works.
2259922601

[68GT500MAN]

Congratulations on the delivery and the start of your dream build. I live South of you in Fresno so I may have to drive on up and see your build in progress.
Doug

[kraftee]

Congratulations Charles! You will LOVE the build. I picked up my '33 in early September at the FFR factory and am almost to the go-kart stage. I have loved every minute of my build - but I haven't started the body work yet!

My car is #583, so your car a month later at #600 makes sense. Now, evidently, there were some mid-600s serial numbers earlier in the year - but I pretty sure that was a FFR screw-up.

At any rate, have a great time with your build! ERIC

[crspdsk8]

Congratulations on the delivery and the start of your dream build. I live South of you in Fresno so I may have to drive on up and see your build in progress.
Doug

Thanks Doug! Yeah if your ever up this way or passing through town, let me know and swing on by!

[crspdsk8]

Congratulations Charles! You will LOVE the build. I picked up my '33 in early September at the FFR factory and am almost to the go-kart stage. I have loved every minute of my build - but I haven't started the body work yet!

My car is #583, so your car a month later at #600 makes sense. Now, evidently, there were some mid-600s serial numbers earlier in the year - but I pretty sure that was a FFR screw-up.

At any rate, have a great time with your build! ERIC

Thanks Eric! Yeah, I am really looking forward to it and so is my son. I think he may even be more excited than me!
I have been following your build also and you have given me a lot of motivation since yours is coming together fairly quickly! I am not looking forward to the body work either and guess I will deal with it when the time comes. I was thinking about going power brakes since you mentioned that they went together pretty well. If you don't mind me asking, about how much do the power brake set up run?

Thanks and looking forward to watching you finish your build and get that 33 on the road!

Charles

[Boz1911]

Congrats, with the manual, on-line manual, and the forums there is a lot of help available. Have fun !!

[kraftee]

The Whitby power brake kit was $495. Easy installation and frees up a lot of space under dash. Looking forward to the go-kart stage so I can test them out!

[crspdsk8]

Congrats, with the manual, on-line manual, and the forums there is a lot of help available. Have fun !!

Thanks, I am really looking forward to it!

[crspdsk8]

The Whitby power brake kit was $495. Easy installation and frees up a lot of space under dash. Looking forward to the go-kart stage so I can test them out!

Thanks Eric, I will have to look into that. Originally I am one of those that didn't really like the look of it but I plan on driving this car really want the car to stop well. I have heard others talk about the number of issues with the normal brake set up. I am going with Wilwood brakes all the way around.
I am anxious to hear from you on how well they work once you get to road test it!

[crspdsk8]

226692267022671Well I am off to a really slow start. I am waiting on a number of parts which include parts of the front and rear suspension, pedal box and also parts for the brakes and steering. I sent the parts that I do have off to be powder coated and should have those back by the end of the week. It seems I can't really do much until I get some more parts.
Today I did take the body off and was able to fit the firewall and traced our the frame on the floor panels. I only had one issue with the passenger side foot panel. One of the welds on the frame prevented the panel to sit flush. I cleaned up the weld just a bit and was able to get the panel to sit flush! I did not drill the holes on the firewall yet until I decide how I want to mount it. I would like to have easier access to under the dash so I plan on using screws for the top panel and rivets for the lower. I also have not decided on going with the spacing FFR suggest or going farther apart to have less screws. I have seen others use less screws/rivets to get a cleaner look, but I am concerned that if their isn't enough that it may rattle some. I would love to hear from others of what they did and how it worked out.

While I am on a little bit of a hold with the chassis because of parts, I am going to try and work on the body and get the seems cleaned up.

Hopefully the parts I am missing will come quick and can start to get some real progress done!

[Boz1911]

I used 10/32 button head screws for the upper and lower firewalls and skipped the "V" part of the upper firewall for the cleaner look. I still think I ended up with 70 holes altogether though. My final step will be to Loctite them but with the hour or so of running time so far I don't think rattle will be an issue at all. I've used a lot of those 10/32 button head screws on this car and if you use something like that buy some extra taps because sooner or later you'll break one, or two, or three.......

[crspdsk8]

I used 10/32 button head screws for the upper and lower firewalls and skipped the "V" part of the upper firewall for the cleaner look. I still think I ended up with 70 holes altogether though. My final step will be to Loctite them but with the hour or so of running time so far I don't think rattle will be an issue at all. I've used a lot of those 10/32 button head screws on this car and if you use something like that buy some extra taps because sooner or later you'll break one, or two, or three.......
Thanks! That was something along the lines of what I was thinking of doing!

[crspdsk8]

227142271322715227162271722718Well while I sitting around just staring at this beautiful chassis in my garage, I took sometime to go through the manual and find something or anything to do while waiting for parts to arrive. I was able to put the taillights in, install the gas cap, painted the door frames and stand offs and also got the electric fan and radiator installed on to the grill. I know I am far from needing these items, but it should leave me less to do later and hopefully make up for the down time that I have now.

I am getting my son involved more and got him working on some of the "nuts and bolts" of things! He was pretty excited to work on the car!!

[Boz1911]

That's what I did while I was waiting on some crucial parts. Flip through the manual and there's always something you can do. I located the raw steel parts and deburred all of them so there were no sharp edges or corners.

[crspdsk8]

I have been pretty busy with work and the kids soccer lately, so I haven't had much time to work on the car but this is what I have managed to get done with what little time I had.

I received the pedal box and installed it including the master cylinders and brake reservoir. Like I have said before I am no gear head but the brake reservoir seems to sit a little low. The bottom of where the fluid hose comes out, it sits a lot lower the master cylinders and the fluid has to travel up to them. Will this be an issue and should I modify it to sit higher than the master cylinders? I have seen other builders pics and I have it mounted in the same place as them so I assume that it will be OK.

I have decided to mount the firewall with 10-32 button head screws to have ability to remove any piece of it if needed. Down the road I would also like to apply Lizard Skin to it to help with the heat and sound so having screws will make it easier to do this then having to drill out the rivets to remove the firewall. I originally was going to run less screws but decided to go with what FFR suggest to make sure I never have a rattle issue.

I am still waiting for my clevis's before installing the entire suspension but got the upper front suspension installed and event the kids helped with installing the rubber bushings. Of course I had to grind down the welds on both sides to get them to line up and get the bolt through. ON the driver side, I was able to get the bolt through but the weld is still pressing up against the bushing. Please see picture. Is this going to be an issue down the road and cause this bushing to go bad? I figured I would ask before I go and grind more of the weld. I would rather not grind the weld down more unless it will be a problem. I am afraid of grinding too much and then having a bigger issue.


That's about it so far. I am expecting more parts to come in tomorrow and Friday. It's coming along a little slower than I would like but hopefully once I get all the parts and more free time in a couple weeks, things will really get rolling.

22978229792298022981

[kraftee]

Charles. At the Build School, they really emphasized the importance of getting grease to the faces of all those large suspension bushings. Helps the suspension work properly and not bind. It's a little time-consuming, but you will notice that INSIDE the bushings, there are grease channels molded in. Simply use a Dremel with a cut-off wheel to extend those channels out (like a star pattern) across the faces of the bushings. I found it easiest to put the bushings in a vise and then just grind away. Takes thirty or forty seconds per bushing. When finished, it will allow the grease you pump into the zerk fitting to travel to ALL the bearing surfaces of the bushing - not just the inside ones. Don't know how many other guys are doing this... ERIC

[crspdsk8]

Charles. At the Build School, they really emphasized the importance of getting grease to the faces of all those large suspension bushings. Helps the suspension work properly and not bind. It's a little time-consuming, but you will notice that INSIDE the bushings, there are grease channels molded in. Simply use a Dremel with a cut-off wheel to extend those channels out (like a star pattern) across the faces of the bushings. I found it easiest to put the bushings in a vise and then just grind away. Takes thirty or forty seconds per bushing. When finished, it will allow the grease you pump into the zerk fitting to travel to ALL the bearing surfaces of the bushing - not just the inside ones. Don't know how many other guys are doing this... ERIC
Thanks Eric for the tip! I was looking at those and it didn't look to me that the grease would travel in there very well. That makes perfect sense and great idea! Thanks...Charles

[crspdsk8]

I just keep plucking away with where I can and when I can. Some how since my last post, I gotten a few more things done.
I made a bracket to raise the brake reservoir some to sit just under the dash, installed the front shocks which I had to grind a little off the spacers to fit properly, got all the floor pans marked and drilled, and finally found a rear end and got it all cleaned up. I will be picking the rear end up from the shop on Friday as I had it completely rebuilt with new 31 spline axles, a new posi and new bearings and seals. I am running a 700r4 tranny and went with 3.73's in the rear.

I also have a tracking number for the last of the back ordered parts including the clevis's for the front suspension which of course I need to finish up the front. With those coming in and the rear end being completed, I should have a rolling chassis by the end of next week!! I have the wheels and tires picked out and just need to make a phone call and I will have them the next day. I decided to go with the Eagle Boss 338's with 18"x 8" in the front and 20" X 10" in the rear.

After hearing all the complaints about the supplied FFR fuel tank and apparent design flaw, I decided to go with the Boyd tank and it should be here next week as well!

I also started running brake lines and did them the way the manual states but I am not sure I really like it. I have seen a lot of builders just running them on the outside of the chassis rail and I am thinking of doing the same. If you have pictures to share of how you ran them, I would love to see them. I have a lot of the 1st line coming off the master cylinders but would like to see more of how/where they were ran back to the inside and finished up.
I also have a stupid question as it wasn't clear in the manual. The ends of these supplied brake lines are different length threads on each end. Does it matter which end goes in to the master cylinder and if so, which one. The longer threaded piece of the shorter one. Any help or suggestions with running the brakes is appreciated! FYI, I am running the Wilwood brakes front and back.

Hopefully I will reach my 1st major milestone next week with the car sitting on her own!!

[wallace18]

I do not think it matters which end you use. It is up to you for looks IMO.

[kraftee]

Tom's right. The threads don't actually go all the way into the fitting anyway. The seal is all about the double flare at the end of the pipe. In most cases, I put the short fittings into the brake master cylinder and calipers. I put the long fittings into the brake line connectors and blocks. Just for the sake of consistency and, as Tom pointed out, looks.

[Tim Whittaker]

Welcome to the madness !!!! We have a number of parts to make the end product a little nicer. I'm also available by phone to help with your build. If I can help in any way, send me a pm with a phone number and I can give you a call.

Tim Whittaker

[esff32]

I just keep plucking away with where I can and when I can. Some how since my last post, I gotten a few more things done.
I made a bracket to raise the brake reservoir some to sit just under the dash, installed the front shocks which I had to grind a little off the spacers to fit properly, got all the floor pans marked and drilled, and finally found a rear end and got it all cleaned up. I will be picking the rear end up from the shop on Friday as I had it completely rebuilt with new 31 spline axles, a new posi and new bearings and seals. I am running a 700r4 tranny and went with 3.73's in the rear.

I also have a tracking number for the last of the back ordered parts including the clevis's for the front suspension which of course I need to finish up the front. With those coming in and the rear end being completed, I should have a rolling chassis by the end of next week!! I have the wheels and tires picked out and just need to make a phone call and I will have them the next day. I decided to go with the Eagle Boss 338's with 18"x 8" in the front and 20" X 10" in the rear.

After hearing all the complaints about the supplied FFR fuel tank and apparent design flaw, I decided to go with the Boyd tank and it should be here next week as well!

I also started running brake lines and did them the way the manual states but I am not sure I really like it. I have seen a lot of builders just running them on the outside of the chassis rail and I am thinking of doing the same. If you have pictures to share of how you ran them, I would love to see them. I have a lot of the 1st line coming off the master cylinders but would like to see more of how/where they were ran back to the inside and finished up.
I also have a stupid question as it wasn't clear in the manual. The ends of these supplied brake lines are different length threads on each end. Does it matter which end goes in to the master cylinder and if so, which one. The longer threaded piece of the shorter one. Any help or suggestions with running the brakes is appreciated! FYI, I am running the Wilwood brakes front and back.

Hopefully I will reach my 1st major milestone next week with the car sitting on her own!!

This is how I ran my brake lines. Let me know if you need any detailed photos.

http://i1288.photobucket.com/albums/b481/esff32/Factory%20Five%2033%20Build/779f7b2be0bf10f5bfc058b54fa6757e.jpg

http://i1288.photobucket.com/albums/b481/esff32/Factory%20Five%2033%20Build/4a7914f79140cf47c266f828f8bf82d2.jpg

http://i1288.photobucket.com/albums/b481/esff32/Factory%20Five%2033%20Build/967a24001e9c784741fe1a80d14ab208.jpg

http://i1288.photobucket.com/albums/b481/esff32/Factory%20Five%2033%20Build/d1bf46780c1631e2ae338f8a7d225cc5.jpg

http://i1288.photobucket.com/albums/b481/esff32/Factory%20Five%2033%20Build/4a2b2ec4b625d1d6d3ac0a4b7aec0865.jpg

http://i1288.photobucket.com/albums/b481/esff32/Factory%20Five%2033%20Build/d674e063b4b894cf49757250c3e30fc5.jpg

http://i1288.photobucket.com/albums/b481/esff32/Factory%20Five%2033%20Build/01ef42dcbe360ad876f56f32ca2cc589_zps45bd1f07.jpg

[BrentM]

I am still waiting for my clevis's before installing the entire suspension but got the upper front suspension installed and event the kids helped with installing the rubber bushings. Of course I had to grind down the welds on both sides to get them to line up and get the bolt through. ON the driver side, I was able to get the bolt through but the weld is still pressing up against the bushing. Please see picture. Is this going to be an issue down the road and cause this bushing to go bad? I figured I would ask before I go and grind more of the weld. I would rather not grind the weld down more unless it will be a problem. I am afraid of grinding too much and then having a bigger issue.

22978229792298022981

I ground mine down to fit, I think a lot of guys have had to do it.

http://i200.photobucket.com/albums/aa18/brentmatson/33%20Hot%20Rod/IMG_20130713_100012.jpg

Nice job on the build, Have fun.

Brent

[crspdsk8]

Sorry for not staying on top of this thread and thank you for all who replied helping me with some questions I had. Well I have been busy with work and really busy working on the car every chance I get and therefor haven's had much time to get on here but here is an update on my build progress.
I finally got all my back ordered parts rear end back from the shop not much to hold me back now except a motor, tranny & some money! I finally got a photo bucket account so hopefully I can figure this out and get bigger pics on here. So here it goes, hope it works!

Here is the rear end before & after:
http://i1292.photobucket.com/albums/b575/crspdsk33/Rearendbefore_zps854f89bb.jpg (http://s1292.photobucket.com/user/crspdsk33/media/Rearendbefore_zps854f89bb.jpg.html)
http://i1292.photobucket.com/albums/b575/crspdsk33/FFR%2033%20Build/Rearendafter_zps9de4deed.jpg (http://s1292.photobucket.com/user/crspdsk33/media/FFR%2033%20Build/Rearendafter_zps9de4deed.jpg.html)

[crspdsk8]

Well that photo upload worked so here are some more!

I had some aluminum left over from another project and fabricated a piece to go under the Boyd fuel tank and to finish inclosing the underside of the car.
http://i1292.photobucket.com/albums/b575/crspdsk33/FFR%2033%20Build/IMG_0310_zpsefe77d8b.jpg (http://s1292.photobucket.com/user/crspdsk33/media/FFR%2033%20Build/IMG_0310_zpsefe77d8b.jpg.html)

Front suspension in place.
http://i1292.photobucket.com/albums/b575/crspdsk33/Frontsuspensionon_zpsb595886b.jpg (http://s1292.photobucket.com/user/crspdsk33/media/Frontsuspensionon_zpsb595886b.jpg.html)

Rear 3 link installed, with some help from the family.
http://i1292.photobucket.com/albums/b575/crspdsk33/Familyhelpingwithrearend_zpsfdd64be6.jpg (http://s1292.photobucket.com/user/crspdsk33/media/Familyhelpingwithrearend_zpsfdd64be6.jpg.html)
http://i1292.photobucket.com/albums/b575/crspdsk33/3linkrearinstalled_zps7e5c141d.jpg (http://s1292.photobucket.com/user/crspdsk33/media/3linkrearinstalled_zps7e5c141d.jpg.html)

Front Brakes
http://i1292.photobucket.com/albums/b575/crspdsk33/FrontBrakes_zps653e0b39.jpg (http://s1292.photobucket.com/user/crspdsk33/media/FrontBrakes_zps653e0b39.jpg.html)

Rear Brakes
http://i1292.photobucket.com/albums/b575/crspdsk33/FFR%2033%20Build/Rearbrakesinstalled_zpsfaf13c7d.jpg (http://s1292.photobucket.com/user/crspdsk33/media/FFR%2033%20Build/Rearbrakesinstalled_zpsfaf13c7d.jpg.html)

[crspdsk8]

I didn't like the way the brakes lines I initially ran looked and after help from others on here this is how I started mine.
http://i1292.photobucket.com/albums/b575/crspdsk33/brakelines_zpsba2c9c3d.jpg (http://s1292.photobucket.com/user/crspdsk33/media/brakelines_zpsba2c9c3d.jpg.html)
http://i1292.photobucket.com/albums/b575/crspdsk33/FFR%2033%20Build/reroutedthebrakelines_zps1c3cdf8a.jpg (http://s1292.photobucket.com/user/crspdsk33/media/FFR%2033%20Build/reroutedthebrakelines_zps1c3cdf8a.jpg.html)

Here is the rear calipers installed. I would like some input if these are on the correct sides as the instructions were not real clear. Thanks!
http://i1292.photobucket.com/albums/b575/crspdsk33/Rearcaliper2_zps25967628.jpg (http://s1292.photobucket.com/user/crspdsk33/media/Rearcaliper2_zps25967628.jpg.html)
http://i1292.photobucket.com/albums/b575/crspdsk33/FFR%2033%20Build/Rearcaliper_zpsee62a66f.jpg (http://s1292.photobucket.com/user/crspdsk33/media/FFR%2033%20Build/Rearcaliper_zpsee62a66f.jpg.html)

[crspdsk8]

I finally got the front and rear suspension in place and just need some wheels and tires. I set the seats in place and of course the kids just could wait to test them out.

http://i1292.photobucket.com/albums/b575/crspdsk33/FFR%2033%20Build/Mykidstestingouthowtheyfit_zpsb3973d70.jpg (http://s1292.photobucket.com/user/crspdsk33/media/FFR%2033%20Build/Mykidstestingouthowtheyfit_zpsb3973d70.jpg.html)

Now to some eye candy! lol. I was previously was going to go with some FOOSE wheels but after looking into it more, I decided to go with some Eagle's Boss 338's paired with Toyo Proxes 4+ tires. I went with 255/35ZR-18 on 18"x8" up front and 295/30ZR-20 on 20"x10" in the rear. Before I had the tires mounted I test fitted the fronts to make sure they cleared the brakes as I went with a 4.5" offset to try and get the deepest look I can get.

Here's the result, they fit perfectly!
http://i1292.photobucket.com/albums/b575/crspdsk33/testwheelsforclearance_zpsc2e6888d.jpg (http://s1292.photobucket.com/user/crspdsk33/media/testwheelsforclearance_zpsc2e6888d.jpg.html)

I took the wheel back the next day and had the tire mounted and couldn't wait to get it on the ground!
http://i1292.photobucket.com/albums/b575/crspdsk33/Sheisontheground_zpse464a6d5.jpg (http://s1292.photobucket.com/user/crspdsk33/media/Sheisontheground_zpse464a6d5.jpg.html)

Then I had to ask the wife since she always says this to me... Does my tires make my "rear" look to big? lol
http://i1292.photobucket.com/albums/b575/crspdsk33/Nicerearend_zps7f41547b.jpg (http://s1292.photobucket.com/user/crspdsk33/media/Nicerearend_zps7f41547b.jpg.html)

When I had it on the ground of course the alignment was really off. After reading the thread that Dr. Ruth had posted on doing an alignment I made the suggested adjustments and I think I got it pretty close. A little trick I had learn from my dad when I was younger to adjust the toe was to run a string around all 4 tires and then you can see how off you are and which way you it needs to be adjusted. Hopefully soon I will get a motor/tranny and can test how well I did on this alignment then will probably take it by the shop to really get it tuned in. These tires are expensive and want to get the most life I can out of them.
http://i1292.photobucket.com/albums/b575/crspdsk33/frontendAlignment_zpse0c71159.jpg (http://s1292.photobucket.com/user/crspdsk33/media/frontendAlignment_zpse0c71159.jpg.html)

Once we got everything adjusted, my son help get everything tighten down.
http://i1292.photobucket.com/albums/b575/crspdsk33/Sontighteningtierodends_zpsa3e8d1bb.jpg (http://s1292.photobucket.com/user/crspdsk33/media/Sontighteningtierodends_zpsa3e8d1bb.jpg.html)

That is where I stand for now. The next couple days I hope to finish up running the brakes lines, bleed them and get them dialed in as much as I can so they are ready to be tested when I eventually get to go-kart it! Also while I am waiting to get a motor, I want to get the fuel tank drilled and bolted, and I will try and tackle the wiring harness. I am not very knowledgeable in this area by any means and hopefully with some help, I can get this going and speed things up down the road when the motor is in.

So far, I think the build is going pretty smoothly with the exception of being sore from using a rubber mallet to install the suspension and getting everything torqued down. I am really enjoying it so far and turns out being a build that the entire family can help along the way.
Charles

[wallace18]

Car is looking great so far. I like your helpers! Nothing like starting them early. LOL.

[Arrowhead]

Looks like your moving along pretty good. Couple things kind of stick out though. First, the string method your Dad used to do might work with a car that has the same track width front ot rear, but your car the rear is no doubt wider than the front so the strings are not parallel side to side - so that will throw off your toe measurement. If you take a couple of jack stands and stand them up ahead of the front tires, you can use them as corner posts to wrap the string around. You can move the stands around until the string is parallel to the chassis center line, then do your toe measurements. However, you really should have all the weight of the car on the wheels with the engine and transmission in. Same goes for when you do caster and camber. Besides that, the toe is the last thing to set, although I know it's disturbing to be working on the car or showing it to someone and having the tires pointing all directions.

The rear brakes don't look right, they need to be mounted at the 10 or 2 o'clock positions. I can't think of a caliper that would be mounted in the down position like that, they will be impossible to bleed air out of.

A small detail, the rear rotors are on the "wrong" side. The directional slots should angle out in the direction of rotation to match the way you have the front. A small thing and more aesthetic than anything

Hate giving you list of issues, but easier to fix now than later.

[crspdsk8]

Looks like your moving along pretty good. Couple things kind of stick out though. First, the string method your Dad used to do might work with a car that has the same track width front ot rear, but your car the rear is no doubt wider than the front so the strings are not parallel side to side - so that will throw off your toe measurement. If you take a couple of jack stands and stand them up ahead of the front tires, you can use them as corner posts to wrap the string around. You can move the stands around until the string is parallel to the chassis center line, then do your toe measurements. However, you really should have all the weight of the car on the wheels with the engine and transmission in. Same goes for when you do caster and camber. Besides that, the toe is the last thing to set, although I know it's disturbing to be working on the car or showing it to someone and having the tires pointing all directions.

The rear brakes don't look right, they need to be mounted at the 10 or 2 o'clock positions. I can't think of a caliper that would be mounted in the down position like that, they will be impossible to bleed air out of.

A small detail, the rear rotors are on the "wrong" side. The directional slots should angle out in the direction of rotation to match the way you have the front. A small thing and more aesthetic than anything

Hate giving you list of issues, but easier to fix now than later.

Thanks for the input Arrohead. I understand that the alignment needs to be done once the it is under it's full weight once the motor and tranny are in but I just wanted to get it somewhere in the ball park so it doesn't look so bad and was planning on doing it again before go karting. The whole rear end being wider than the front didn't really cross my mind, oops. lol

As for the brakes, I was thinking the same as you when it came to the direction of the slots on the rotor and the orientation of the rear calipers. I was going to install them the way I thought made the most sense but decided to install them per the instructions from Wilwood that came with the brakes. Considering they are in the brake business I figured they have been down this road and their may be a reason to install them as they suggest, so that's what I did. The rotor actually has an arrow etched in to the rotor in indicate rotation direction to install them. When it comes to bleeding the brakes, it says to rotate the caliper to the to a 9:00 or 3:00 position, bleed them and bolt back on to the brackets.

I was thinking of switching the rear axle brackets from side to side which should would put the calipers in the 10:00 position and still have the mounts for the E brake cable facing the same direction.
Here is a picture from the Wilwood instructions that says about the bleeding them and also how they look installed on a roadster. Note that the slots on the rotors and calipers are in the same position as they way I installed mine.
http://i1292.photobucket.com/albums/b575/crspdsk33/Wilwoodintructions_zps74724d16.jpg (http://s1292.photobucket.com/user/crspdsk33/media/Wilwoodintructions_zps74724d16.jpg.html)

[esff32]

Your build is looking awesome Charles. I love those 6 piston calipers and you can't beat the black finish. I just might have to upgrade down the road. Nice job.

Evan

[Arrowhead]

Ok, I've been official schooled! But those are the most effed up bleeding instruction ever though. Why would they design brakes that need to be unbolted to bleed? If it were me, I'd be flipping those brackets around so the calipers are on top.

[crspdsk8]

Finally finished plumbing the brake lines! This was one of those task that I wasn't really looking forward to as I wasn't sure how well I would do with it and how well it would look in the end. I tried to find someone I know who has some experience doing this to help, but nobody had anymore experience then I do. I don't like the way FFR suggest running them and the pics in the manual didn't look very professional so I took the challenge and I am pretty happy with how they turned out. Thanks to Evan (esff32) who provided some pics, I ran mine very similar. I used self tapping screws in the clamps along the way to help hold the brake line in place. Once I bleed the brakes, and make sure they are not in the way of the body, I will go back through to replace the screws with rivets.

Front Brake lines
http://i1292.photobucket.com/albums/b575/crspdsk33/FFR%2033%20Build/FrontBrakeline_zps611849c2.jpg (http://s1292.photobucket.com/user/crspdsk33/media/FFR%2033%20Build/FrontBrakeline_zps611849c2.jpg.html)
http://i1292.photobucket.com/albums/b575/crspdsk33/FFR%2033%20Build/FrontBrakeline2_zps246cfcc5.jpg (http://s1292.photobucket.com/user/crspdsk33/media/FFR%2033%20Build/FrontBrakeline2_zps246cfcc5.jpg.html)
http://i1292.photobucket.com/albums/b575/crspdsk33/FFR%2033%20Build/frontbrakelineacross_zpse5829e6d.jpg (http://s1292.photobucket.com/user/crspdsk33/media/FFR%2033%20Build/frontbrakelineacross_zpse5829e6d.jpg.html)

Rear Brake lines
http://i1292.photobucket.com/albums/b575/crspdsk33/FFR%2033%20Build/rearbrakeline_zps0852f474.jpg (http://s1292.photobucket.com/user/crspdsk33/media/FFR%2033%20Build/rearbrakeline_zps0852f474.jpg.html)
http://i1292.photobucket.com/albums/b575/crspdsk33/FFR%2033%20Build/RearBrakeline2_zps393c21cc.jpg (http://s1292.photobucket.com/user/crspdsk33/media/FFR%2033%20Build/RearBrakeline2_zps393c21cc.jpg.html)
http://i1292.photobucket.com/albums/b575/crspdsk33/FFR%2033%20Build/RearBrakeline1_zpsff33363c.jpg (http://s1292.photobucket.com/user/crspdsk33/media/FFR%2033%20Build/RearBrakeline1_zpsff33363c.jpg.html)

Thank You to all of you have helped with input on this. I appreciate all of the help. Now I am off to bleeding them and make sure I don't have any leaks.

[esff32]

Looks great Charles!

[hdnik]

I finally got the front and rear suspension in place and just need some wheels and tires. I set the seats in place and of course the kids just could wait to test them out.

http://i1292.photobucket.com/albums/b575/crspdsk33/FFR%2033%20Build/Mykidstestingouthowtheyfit_zpsb3973d70.jpg (http://s1292.photobucket.com/user/crspdsk33/media/FFR%2033%20Build/Mykidstestingouthowtheyfit_zpsb3973d70.jpg.html)

Now to some eye candy! lol. I was previously was going to go with some FOOSE wheels but after looking into it more, I decided to go with some Eagle's Boss 338's paired with Toyo Proxes 4+ tires. I went with 255/35ZR-18 on 18"x8" up front and 295/30ZR-20 on 20"x10" in the rear. Before I had the tires mounted I test fitted the fronts to make sure they cleared the brakes as I went with a 4.5" offset to try and get the deepest look I can get.

Here's the result, they fit perfectly!
http://i1292.photobucket.com/albums/b575/crspdsk33/testwheelsforclearance_zpsc2e6888d.jpg (http://s1292.photobucket.com/user/crspdsk33/media/testwheelsforclearance_zpsc2e6888d.jpg.html)

I took the wheel back the next day and had the tire mounted and couldn't wait to get it on the ground!
http://i1292.photobucket.com/albums/b575/crspdsk33/Sheisontheground_zpse464a6d5.jpg (http://s1292.photobucket.com/user/crspdsk33/media/Sheisontheground_zpse464a6d5.jpg.html)

Then I had to ask the wife since she always says this to me... Does my tires make my "rear" look to big? lol
http://i1292.photobucket.com/albums/b575/crspdsk33/Nicerearend_zps7f41547b.jpg (http://s1292.photobucket.com/user/crspdsk33/media/Nicerearend_zps7f41547b.jpg.html)

When I had it on the ground of course the alignment was really off. After reading the thread that Dr. Ruth had posted on doing an alignment I made the suggested adjustments and I think I got it pretty close. A little trick I had learn from my dad when I was younger to adjust the toe was to run a string around all 4 tires and then you can see how off you are and which way you it needs to be adjusted. Hopefully soon I will get a motor/tranny and can test how well I did on this alignment then will probably take it by the shop to really get it tuned in. These tires are expensive and want to get the most life I can out of them.
http://i1292.photobucket.com/albums/b575/crspdsk33/frontendAlignment_zpse0c71159.jpg (http://s1292.photobucket.com/user/crspdsk33/media/frontendAlignment_zpse0c71159.jpg.html)

Once we got everything adjusted, my son help get everything tighten down.
http://i1292.photobucket.com/albums/b575/crspdsk33/Sontighteningtierodends_zpsa3e8d1bb.jpg (http://s1292.photobucket.com/user/crspdsk33/media/Sontighteningtierodends_zpsa3e8d1bb.jpg.html)

That is where I stand for now. The next couple days I hope to finish up running the brakes lines, bleed them and get them dialed in as much as I can so they are ready to be tested when I eventually get to go-kart it! Also while I am waiting to get a motor, I want to get the fuel tank drilled and bolted, and I will try and tackle the wiring harness. I am not very knowledgeable in this area by any means and hopefully with some help, I can get this going and speed things up down the road when the motor is in.

So far, I think the build is going pretty smoothly with the exception of being sore from using a rubber mallet to install the suspension and getting everything torqued down. I am really enjoying it so far and turns out being a build that the entire family can help along the way.
Charles

if I could ask... What backspace did you go with on the rear. Also does the 4.5" backspace on fronts allow wheels to turn full lock without hitting the upper control arms... I assume so.

lovely rims.

[crspdsk8]

if I could ask... What backspace did you go with on the rear. Also does the 4.5" backspace on fronts allow wheels to turn full lock without hitting the upper control arms... I assume so.

lovely rims.
Thanks Nick! The backspacing for the rears are 5.50". With the steering at full lock, the tires are about 3/4" from hitting the upper control arms.

[crspdsk8]

Since business has been pretty slow recently and my Hot Rod funds are not replenishing as quickly as I hoped, I am waiting to purchase the motor and tranny. Hopefully business turns around and I can make that purchase soon. In the meantime, I installed the main fuse panel and put the E brake handle together and decided to maybe start on getting the body mounted. I have heard some say that its better to do this while you don't have the motor/tranny installed as their is less in the way.
The body install is a little out of my league so I don't want to just dive into first without maybe getting some guidance and some Help. I am planning on driving this car and it won't a show car by any means but I still want the body to fit properly and not look like it was just thrown on there.
As you see below, I installed the grill and the body for the first time and found a few issues. I cant get it lined up with the screw holes the body was installed at the factory but at the same time I have heard that if you use those holes, the body wont line up and sit correctly. I already installed the firewall with out the body on and found out what everybody has been talking about and that is the passenger side of the firewall needs to be trimmed to fit the radius of the body. Looks like that might be the 1st thing to do before moving forward.
http://i1292.photobucket.com/albums/b575/crspdsk33/Bodyonfor1sttime_zps280db099.jpg (http://s1292.photobucket.com/user/crspdsk33/media/Bodyonfor1sttime_zps280db099.jpg.html)

Does this marked area look right for the area that others needed to trim on the firewall?

http://i1292.photobucket.com/albums/b575/crspdsk33/Firewalltobetrimmed_zps7f412a0e.jpg (http://s1292.photobucket.com/user/crspdsk33/media/Firewalltobetrimmed_zps7f412a0e.jpg.html)

Is their any reference points to use to make sure the body is installed in the right position? For example on the inside rear fender mounts, is their a measurement to use from the top of the wheel well to where the mounting hole should be?

http://i1292.photobucket.com/albums/b575/crspdsk33/Rearbodymount_zps2b93d0c3.jpg (http://s1292.photobucket.com/user/crspdsk33/media/Rearbodymount_zps2b93d0c3.jpg.html)

Is their any other points on the chassis to use to get the body I in the right place? Are the door sills of the body suppose be flat or have a gap between the body and frame?

Thank you for any recommendations you have and I appreciate all your help!
Charles

[esff32]

Charles,

Thats exactly where I sanded down on the firewall, even further around the radius downward on the passenger side. As for locating reference points...I can't help you with any tricks there as I am very close to this stage myself. From what I have read, its a measurement from the rear of the cabin to the dash. The rear body tabs on the backside of the upper wheel well, I tapped the hole for a 3/8" bolt. I also took it a step further and tack welded a nyloc on the backside to give it more threads and help lock the body in place.

http://i1288.photobucket.com/albums/b481/esff32/Factory%20Five%2033%20Build/b2a067f942717e580897d79b1b19b652_zps3285a637.jpg

[Barrel]

http://i1160.photobucket.com/albums/q498/NeilHussey/HRBuildPics_zpsf22495ec.jpg (http://s1160.photobucket.com/user/NeilHussey/media/HRBuildPics_zpsf22495ec.jpg.html)
IMHO there is no need to do anything to the firewall if you just remove enough material from the side notch on the passenger side footbox to increase that notch by 1/4". This allows you to lift the body enough to sit on the top of the firewall and keeps it all symmetrical. If the picture is confusing it's because my car is right hand drive.

[crspdsk8]

I was planning on threading the hole but thanks Evan for the tip about welding the nylock. That should give it more strength as the metal is not very thick at the mount. I will have to get a buddy of mine over to tack weld that on for me. On that note, I just might get a metal spacer for the body and have him weld that also. This way it should be easier to put the body back on if I ever needed to after the car is finished and then not have to take the carpet & trunk aluminum out to access that spot.

[crspdsk8]

http://i1160.photobucket.com/albums/q498/NeilHussey/HRBuildPics_zpsf22495ec.jpg (http://s1160.photobucket.com/user/NeilHussey/media/HRBuildPics_zpsf22495ec.jpg.html)
IMHO there is no need to do anything to the firewall if you just remove enough material from the side notch on the passenger side footbox to increase that notch by 1/4". This allows you to lift the body enough to sit on the top of the firewall and keeps it all symmetrical. If the picture is confusing it's because my car is right hand drive.

Thanks Barrel for you help. I already ground the radius of the firewall a bit but still need some more to make it fit properly. I might just take it from the area you mentioned. Thanks again!

[crspdsk8]

I got the main body mounted finally and had to compromise some. These bodies are not built very symmetrical at all. When I leveled the rear of the body, then the gaps from the top of the tires to wheel wells were off from each side. Even though you can't see both sides at he same time, I still wanted it to look as close to even as possible. I split the difference and just went with it. To the eye, you can't really tell it's off any and happy with that.

That is about as far as I got before feeling a little unsure of my ability to trim the doors and panels. The trunk lid seems pretty straight forward and looks like it only needs minor trimming which I plan on sanding until it's close.
The hood is the same way. It appears that I will only need to trim some on the front end of it to fit the shape of the radiator.
Before I do this, is their is recommended angle as to which the front grill is to be at? It is currently at about a 20 degree angle and not sure if it needs to be tilted more to keep the bottom of it higher off the ground? I don't want to trim it only to find out the grill is at he wrong angle and then to find out I took to much off.
The only panel that seems to not even being close is the front bottom piece under the grill. At the currently angle of the grill, I will need trim about 2" off the front to get it even close to fitting.
I am hope if to work on these above panels to get me "feet wet" in doing body work before trying to to do the door or side panels. I am not looking forward to the doors!

Is their an order as to which panels to fit first? For example, do I fit the hood first then the front bottom of the grill and then the sides? I am hoping to get as much input as I can that hopefully will help me get some confidence that I can do the body work and still look OK when I am done. lol. I didn't really budget for outsourcing the body trimming and fit so hoping I can "get er done" on my own otherwise it might push me back some.

Thanks for any input!
Charles

[esff32]

You probably already know about these but Erik Hansens videos on how to mount the doors are pretty good. They walk you through the process and at least you will have some insight before you start.

[Silent T]

I would recommend installing the grill as far forward as possible. Make sure it is centered over the chassis.
Install the hood next by removing as little as possible from the back end because it gets narrow and won't fit the body as well.
Fit the nose cone roughly next. Leave some excess - you can trim this piece lat the end.
Side panels last. - they may be a bit short so you can either pull the grill in a little and trim the hood and nose cone more or add material to the side panels. Be carefule pulling the grill in if you have AC and a fan shroud - it brings the fans very close to the shock mount tops.

[crspdsk8]

You probably already know about these but Erik Hansens videos on how to mount the doors are pretty good. They walk you through the process and at least you will have some insight before you start.

I am actually not to worried about installing the doors as much as trimming them to fit as I don't want to take to much off and I want to make sure the gaps are even. I have watched the videos quite a few times and since they were so good, I am comfortable installing them. Thanks

[crspdsk8]

I would recommend installing the grill as far forward as possible. Make sure it is centered over the chassis.
Install the hood next by removing as little as possible from the back end because it gets narrow and won't fit the body as well.
Fit the nose cone roughly next. Leave some excess - you can trim this piece lat the end.
Side panels last. - they may be a bit short so you can either pull the grill in a little and trim the hood and nose cone more or add material to the side panels. Be carefule pulling the grill in if you have AC and a fan shroud - it brings the fans very close to the shock mount tops.

Thanks for the response. When you say to install the grill as far forward as possible, is that referring to towards the body to have more angle or the other way so it has less angle? I am not at the car now otherwise I would post a picture of how the hood sits with the position of the grill now. It looks like I will only need to take some from the very tip on the front and it looks like the rest will fit good on the grill. If I pull the grill back any away from the direction of the body, the hood may be a little short and will have to add to it. If I tilt the grill more toward the body, I would be able to trim the back some but it seems to fit the body well right now in that area. I will try to take some pictures and post them for you to see. Thanks again!

[Silent T]

With regards to as far forward I meant pushed out away from the car.

If you mount it with the bolts on both slots as far forward as possible and your hood is slightly short than you'd be fine to pull it back slightly to match it to the hood.
The hood matching up front is the hardest and most visible part so it's important to get that looking the best. The nose cone has plenty of extra material and fits inside the grill lip flush.

Be sure to fit the hood with all the brackets and pressure shocks if your going to use them. They warp the hood when not using some kind of stabilizer to the hood structure and they push the hood up before forward so you need to keep a close eye on the front corners clearing the grill lip as it opens.

[crspdsk8]

Hello All, I am finally back at it. I haven't really done much since my last post. I have been waiting to get a motor and thought I would try to tackle some of the body fitment in the mean time, but once I started getting in to it, I got a little intimidated as that is definitely not my cup of tea. I decided to hold off on the body until after I get to the "Go Kart" stage. I have talked to Ken up at Kens Custom Auto Body & paint up in Yuba City, who actually does a lot of other FFR builders body work and I have heard a lot of great things about him and his work. I will most likely outsource the body fitment to him to make sure its done right and looks great!

I just got a motor yesterday. My original plan was to do a brand new Chevy Performance Crate motor and its a little pricey. It turns out a friend of mine, his father is an engine builder and Hot Rod builder himself and I got a completely fresh rebuilt Chevy 350 bored .30 over next to nothing. Just need to add a few things to it and hopefully have it in the car in the next week or so.

Anybody have instructions on the engine mounts for a SBC? The manual says nothing about how they go in. I have an email in to FFR and waiting to here back.

Well hopefully everything start to get rolling again and can get to the point to go kart soon. Have a great day!

[maczter]

Tried to post the guide as an attachment but it is too large. PM me your email address and I can send you a copy.

[crspdsk8]

Been working on the car every chance I get and I am starting to make progress. Its been hard to find time to not work on the car and actually sit at the computer to download pics and update the this thread. Instead of posting everything at once I will update with the photos I have. I got the wire harness all laid out and seems to be pretty straight forward. I was really intimidated but the more I work on it, the more comfortable I am getting.
259472594825949

I also ran a hard fuel line from the front to the rear on the inside of the bottom rail on the passenger side. I am planning on running SS braided hose in the rear to go from the tank to a filter and then down and connect to the hard line. In the front I also plan to run a SS braided hose from the hardline to the pump, and then to the carburetor. I am planning on doing it this way as for one, I wont have to bend as much line but I also like the look of the SS hose versus hardline especially where it will be visible in the engine compartment.
259502595125952

[crspdsk8]

Here is where I am currently at. I dropped the motor in to test fit everything to make sure the mounts lined up and to see if I would have to move the electric steer motor. Well everything fit perfectly and to my surprise, the oil pan does not hit the electric steering motor. I have about 3/8" clearance.
25953

I had both SWP and LWP on hand to test fit. I have heard its hard to find a alternator bracket that works with a SWP and still fit in the engine compartment to still have the ability to run the side panels. I found a bracket from March Performance that is an inward mount and it seems to work so will plan to stick with the SWP and return the LWP.
My question is, with this set up, can I still run a single V belt, or should I switch out the pulleys and run 2 belts...1 from the crank to the SWP and another from the SWP to the Alternator?
25954

Since the motor went in and fits, I plan on pulling it out this weekend, attach the tranny and then drop it back in!

[maczter]

That was my dilemma with the V-belt. I have run many hi-po SBCs with a single belt, but have also thrown my share as well. They must be aligned perfectly to not throw at high RPM. Having vette style deeper groove pulleys helps. I considered the double belt, but honestly if you are building a driver as opposed to a track car, the single v is fine. I plan on dragging mine a little, and I have a hard right foot on the street. :)

[crspdsk8]

Had somewhat of a productive weekend working on the car around other obligations. I finally got the transmission in and man did it take forever to get fluid in the torque converter but found a trick that seem to speed up the process. Got some cardboard to lay the converter on, add fluid and then spin the converter on the card board. It speeds up the process and forces the fluid in quicker! It sure did beat just pouring it in and waiting for it to settle! lol
After I got the transmission in and bolted, I was quite surprise by the gap from the bottom of the mount, to the plate. Its about a 3-4" gap! I was not expecting this and curious to see what other have done. I will definitely be calling FFR to see if they can be of any help.
26090
26091

I got the headers installed and started to run the exhaust. I got to the point of needing clamps and realized they are bare metal so decided to coat them with some paint to help prevent them from rusting. I will try and get the rest of the exhaust installed this week. Looking at how the manual says to install the mounts, it looks like it may be difficult down the road to get to the nuts as it will be just under the floorboard. I am thinking of installing them the opposite, so the nuts are more accessible. Has anybody thought of this or have done this before? Anybody have experience changing the mufflers after the car is done with the clamps in the recommender direction? If so, was it as much of a hassle as I think it would be?
26092
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26094

Going with an Optima battery and got it installed in the recommended location as I want as much trunk space as I can get. I am planning on running remote terminals in the trunk. The motor is just about ready except for finishing fuel lines and the wiring. I am having a difficult time get the HEI distributor to drop all the way in. I have double checked that the intake works with an HEI and also the length of the distributor shaft the distance to the slot on the oil pump shaft and it should fit perfectly as far as length. Any suggestions and trying to get this in all the way is appreciated.

Have a great week!
Charles

[Boz1911]

There are some spacers included with the kit to go above the trans mount. Not sure if they are long enough for your application.

You can access the mufflers and mounts after the installation and floor boards are installed.

If I had it to do over I would have mounted the battery in the trunk or at least a box recessed in the trunk, access is a PITA after everything is installed. Looks like it will be really tight with the Optima.

Looks good !

[mcrumay]

At the build school they bent exhaust hangers so that bolts were on bottom. I'm having difficulty loading my photos. Send a note to kraftee as he was in class and has already done it. He probably has better photos.

[mcrumay]

some photos. they merely bend hangers. simple?

2610626107

[crspdsk8]

Thanks for the pics! This is how I was thinking of doing and glad that someone else thought of this and is doing the same. Thanks again!

some photos. they merely bend hangers. simple?

2610626107

[crspdsk8]

Hey Boz! I didn't find any spacers that came with the kit but talked to FFR today and they are sending stuff out to make it work. I am debating of maybe just putting the battery in the trunk. The Optima is larger than the recommended battery and I don't think I will be able to get this one out without removing the waterfall and fuel tank down the road. I will look at it more and see if I can find a way to make it easier to get too otherwise it may just end up in the trunk.

There are some spacers included with the kit to go above the trans mount. Not sure if they are long enough for your application.

You can access the mufflers and mounts after the installation and floor boards are installed.

If I had it to do over I would have mounted the battery in the trunk or at least a box recessed in the trunk, access is a PITA after everything is installed. Looks like it will be really tight with the Optima.

Looks good !

[maczter]

I went the battery in the trunk route also. Got a nice aluminum box from Summit and it fits the Optima.

[BrentM]

I am mounting mine in the trunk, found this battery mount on ebay, still thinking about the cable routing.

http://i200.photobucket.com/albums/aa18/brentmatson/33%20Hot%20Rod/20140125_145424.jpg

At some point the battery will need to be changed, 3 years is about average I have found. I am making it easy, plus I am not planing to use the trunk for much.

Brent

[crspdsk8]

Got the panel installed under the fuel tank along with the fuel filter and fuel lines installed in the rear.
26511

Also got the firewall insulated with Fat Mat. I am going to install a 2nd layer on the foot boxes to try and help with heat from the headers.
26512

Got the transmission mounting plate figured out. I had about a 3" gap from the mount to the supplied plate. FFR helped get it figured out by welding 2 of the supplied plates together with spacers in between. Got it mounted up and seems like it should work.
26513
26514

Getting closer!!

[rcotner]

Looking great!! Hey I asked a question on the forum yesterday and haven't had a response yet. I want to use Fatmat in my car too. I was wondering about the heat rating of stuff. I used lizardskin on the outside the firewall but I suppose the inside will still get pretty hot. Any thoughts?

Thanks, Ray

[crspdsk8]

Sorry for the delay in getting back to you Ray as I have not been on here for a while. I am not sure what the heat rating is for FatMat. I have been checking around and everybody you talk to will have their own opinion as what is the best way to go. Some even say they don't use anything and that they don't feel much heat. I have seen FatMat mentioned a lot especially in the GTM forums and its a little cheaper in price so just decided to go with it. I got 100 sq. ft. for $139 and with that much, I can probably do the whole inside of the car twice if needed. I am not to worried about heat but would rather the car sound solid.


Looking great!! Hey I asked a question on the forum yesterday and haven't had a response yet. I want to use Fatmat in my car too. I was wondering about the heat rating of stuff. I used lizardskin on the outside the firewall but I suppose the inside will still get pretty hot. Any thoughts?

Thanks, Ray

[crspdsk8]

Hello all! Here is a little update with where I am at. I managed to get the exhaust brackets installed and centered pretty well. I will finish the rear exit portion once the body is on to make sure the tips are positioned correctly in relation to the body.
27179

Decided to install the power steering module under the dash and near the body panel opening on the passenger side. I used 1" aluminum spacers to give me room to remove the bolts easily if this unit ever needs to be replaced. I just need to splice in the wiring but still figuring out the best place to tie it into power.
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I also installed the battery disconnect behind the passenger seat and applied Fatmat to the panel. I put this hear to hide it some but still able to reach is from sitting in the driver seat. I have an Optima battery and installing it in the trunk. I am trying to decide what is the best way to route the battery cables. I am thinking about putting a hole in the trunk panel behind the battery and run the cables through their and down between the trunk panel and fuel tank. I would love to see and hear how others have ran their cables.
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I have a question on the battery ground. I was planning on running a ground cable (with the positive) from battery and mount it to the frame under the fuel tank. I have the grounding strap that came with the kit and would like to use it since I have it. Will it work OK if I mounted that inside the trunk to the aluminum panel where I can go into the frame?

Another question I have is grounding the flashers for the LED light on the fuse panel. Where is the best place to ground these. The wires don't seem to be long enough to reach the frame. Is it best lengthen the wires to reach the frame or can bolt them to the aluminum fuse panel. Electrical is not my thing and any guidance is appreciated!

Thanks!

[crspdsk8]

I have been working on getting the trans tunnel fitted in place and is being a PITA! Got the E Brake handle mounted and trimmed the tunnel around it but having issues getting the passenger side to fit flush on the floor panel. It fits very well against the firewall and flat on the driver side floor and not sure what is holding up the passenger side. Anybody have the same issue?
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I have been checking around and hear a lot about not running the fan switch in the bottom of the radiator as it will read lower and instead install in on the intake. Here is where I am thinking of installing the cooling temp sensor and fan switch. I may try to mount one under the alternator but not sure I will have enough clearance.
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When I went to install the oil pressure sending unit, I found that the treaded piece is not long enough as the intake manifold sits to high. I went and bought the shortest nipple and coupler I can find and now it sits to high and keeps the distributor from going down on the way. Anybody know if this sending unit needs to be installed vertically or will it be OK to install at the 45 or 90 degree angle? The only option I am aware of was getting an adapter to put this at and angle to clear the distributor. Any one else have an issue and have thoughts on this?

I got the new red hose FFR just sent out as a replacement for the previous ones sent out. My kit came with what they thought was the correct hose, which they sent a couple weeks ago, but when I was looking to verify it, I found that even that hose was bad. It was wet "sweating" and appeared the brake fluid was seeping through the hose! I am not looking forward to swapping it out but hopefully the red hose fixes the issue.

I am getting an order ready for Summit to hopefully get most of the final pieces needed to get this fired up and ready to go-kart!! After researching online, I have decided to make my own hoses for my fuel line and cooling lines for the transmission. This way I can make them the correct lengths needed and not have extra hose in the way.

[Boz1911]

No problem with oil pressure sending unit mounted at 45 degrees. That's how most are mounted and mine works perfectly.

[crspdsk8]

Thanks Boz! I picked 45 degree fitting and it clears now!

No problem with oil pressure sending unit mounted at 45 degrees. That's how most are mounted and mine works perfectly.

[esff32]

Charles,

Thats about where I installed my fan switch sensor on my 351. It seems to work well there. As for the brake hoses, it wasn't fun. I installed their previous solution only to get the red ones in the mail two days later. I wasn't about to pull the body off to do it so I just took a Deep breath and did it one more time. So far so good.

Evan

[crspdsk8]

I know I have not posted in the last 2 months but that is because I have been so busy with work and working on the car, I have not had time for anything else. lol Here is a little update with where I am at now!

I enjoyed my 1st start back on May 18th but come to fine, my rear main seal was leaking!!! I was happy with the start by not happy with having to clean the oil off the driveway and pulling the pan and replacing the seal. This was a fresh rebuild and come to find that the builder put the seal in backwards.

Pulled the pan, replaced the rear main seal and installed a new 1 piece Fel Pro pan gasket and what do you know... their is no oil leaks and I don't build engines for a living. lol
All that frustration, it quickly turned into excitement when I got to drive it when I enjoyed my 1st go kart this past Sunday on June 8th!

I guess I need a to post the video via you tube and will try to get that set up soon and post the video of it.

[crspdsk8]

No Video, but here is a picture of what stage the car is in and was taken the day of the 1st start. Please excuse the messy garage. We were in the process of replacing the flooring in our house this same weekend.lol
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[Boz1911]

She's getting there !! I thought I had a leak from the rear main on mine but it turned out it was the rear of the intake where I was too frugal with the silicone. I redid it last week and now no leaks.

[crspdsk8]

Its been another few months since my last post but here is an update! Had a really busy summer with work but still managed to get some time on the car.
Since my last post, I have had my body fitment done, all the lights installed and functioning correctly, fabricated some heat shields for the muffler, installed Fatmat just about every where inside, installed rear exhaust, been through the California SB100 registration process, and been driving the car! As of today, I am up to 140 miles on the speedometer! Getting it all broken and doing my checks to make sure it is all staying together...so far so good!

Last week started working on the body and getting it ready for paint. I am taking it back in tomorrow to get the rest finished and should have it back painted with in a few weeks time!

Here are some pics

[wallace18]

Nice job! car is looking good!

[crspdsk8]

Nice job! car is looking good!

Thanks!

[68GT500MAN]

The build is looking great.

[crspdsk8]

The build is looking great.
Thanks!

[crspdsk8]

FFR Hot Rod #600 is officially registered in Calfiornia! Completed the SB100 process and got my plates today!

[rcotner]

Congratulations! That's great. I can only imagine the feeling...

[crspdsk8]

Getting pretty close to being done and back on the road! Here are some pics of where I am at as the painting has begun and should be done and the body should be back on the car after Christmas!

I didn't like the flex that the trunk latch had being attached to the body on one side and the aluminum panel on the other. Used some angle iron and some flat steel to make a support for the trunk panel and to also the mount the bottom of the trunk latch too. It made a huge difference!


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[crspdsk8]

The car is just about complete but figured I would update this thread. Here is a few photos from the body work getting done! We were having a big issue getting the radius of the trunk lid to match the radius of the body. I am not sure the best way to describe it but we drilled a few holes and inserted an epoxy resin in the hollow areas of the underside of the trunk lid. We then used a couple cables to hold it in its shape while the epoxy dried. This also helped the trunk lid to be more rigid and have a lot less flex. It now feels solid!

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[Vman7]

Looking good! almost there :) Is that an orange or red color your are going with?

hmmm...some nice cars in the background as well......57 chevy 210? and a Karmann Ghia :)

David

[Mike6568]

Charles:
I could not figure out how to link a URL to attach the pictures you asked for...so I'm posting them here. Hope you don't mind. 3827638275

[crspdsk8]

Thank you Mike! I greatly appreciate your help and time. I will contact them this week.
Charles:
I could not figure out how to link a URL to attach the pictures you asked for...so I'm posting them here. Hope you don't mind. 3827638275

[crspdsk8]

Here are some more pictures from the painting process! I originally took the body off and was going to paint everything and then re-assemble the car. After thinking about it more, I figured it would be best to paint the whole exterior while the body was on the chassis and their was a couple reasons for that. The most important thing, I was concerned of scratching the fresh paint while putting the main body back on as it is a little bit of a PITA! The other is because of going with the two tone theme, I wanted to make sure the lines lined up correctly and is much easier to tape off when the body on and with the doors hung.
Prior to putting the body back on, we bagged the entire car for one to keep as much dust off the chassis but also to help keep any overspray from getting in places it shouldn't be. After the car was painted and color sanded, we pulled out all of the plastic.

I still need to download the other pictures from my camera of the car in the spray booth and final paint pics. Will post them soon!
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[wallace18]

Wow! looks great. I really like the white and red theme.

[amasciarelli21]

Charles , looks great, look foward to seeing finish picks. I agree w/ you that the two tone should be sprayed w body and doors on, I've done my priming and blocking that way and it worked out well yes a lot more masking but I believe it yields a better result.

Ang

[crspdsk8]

Hello All!!
Wow, its been while since I have been on here and realized I never posted some pics of it completed. Well, it will actually probably never be done since I have more ideas of changes I would like to make but as far as the FFR manual, its basically complete.
I have been enjoying driving the car as much as I possible can. I have pretty close to 1000 miles on the car and it receives a ton of attention and complements along the way....hell I have even convinced a few to buy the FFR kit! They owe me some commissions! lol
Here are some pics I currently have on the computer that most were taken a while ago. The only thing really missing in these pictures is I have since installed the roll bar and headliner.

Anybody on here heading up to Hot August Nights in Reno next month? I am registered and will have the car up there! Let me know if you are going and maybe we can meet up.

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Charles

[wallace18]

Car looks fantastic! Super Job! Enjoy all your hard work now.

[jayguy]

Looks great! I'd love to see it in person, but won't be making it up to Reno this year.

[crspdsk8]

Thanks...definitely enjoying it!

[crspdsk8]

Wow, it's been while since I have been on here. Got close to 2400 miles & enjoying every single mile! Here is one of my favorite photo of the car!

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[kraftee]

Hey Charles. I noticed that there is a spare door key on the keychain for my hot rod. Pretty sure it goes to the door handles that I sent you. PM me your address and I'll mail it out! Eric

[crspdsk8]

Haven't been on here in a long time so figured I would update & document a couple things. lol

I have been driving & enjoying the car (just reached 3000 miles) and would rather drive it than work on it. The car has been mostly complete for quite a while with the exception of the carpet in the trunk. I held off putting it in as my plan was and still is, to do the interior in tan leather & carpet and just waiting for that time to actually come. Well it's not coming soon enough so figure I would throw it in for now.

I also did not like the door sills that came with the kit. I wanted something cleaner and to not cover up so much paint, I used the weather stripping rubber that comes with the power windows and ran it along the body edge and up under the dash. Gives it a nicer finished look along fiberglass edge.

I also installed black plastic caps to the bolts holding the waterfall in place.
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[33PizzaGuy]

Haven't been on here in a long time so figured I would update & document a couple things. lol

I have been driving & enjoying the car (just reached 3000 miles) and would rather drive it than work on it. The car has been mostly complete for quite a while with the exception of the carpet in the trunk. I held off putting it in as my plan was and still is, to do the interior in tan leather & carpet and just waiting for that time to actually come. Well it's not coming soon enough so figure I would throw it in for now.

I also did not like the door sills that came with the kit. I wanted something cleaner and to not cover up so much paint, I used the weather stripping rubber that comes with the power windows and ran it along the body edge and up under the dash. Gives it a nicer finished look along fiberglass edge.

I also installed black plastic caps to the bolts holding the waterfall in place.
830338303483035

Hello, I have read your entire build page 4 times and love it. Awesome turn out and your car is extremely nice. Gotta be such a great feeling. I ordered my kit and should get it June 9th in Sacramento, Ca. I have a question, because some of your build pics were in photo bucket and couldn't see some of them, could you possibly email me your build pics or is there another way just to get them all. I really like your detailed pics and I know it'll help my dad and I. We have never built a car before and very excited. I work a lot and expect this build to take some time. Thank you in advance big time. Here is my email.

scott@pizzaguys.us

[33PizzaGuy]

I just read your BIO, you are in Antelope. I would love to see your build . I own 4 Pizza Guys in our area. How cool is that. Thanks

[crspdsk8]

Wow it’s been a while but after the last couple weeks checking out some amazing cars from Hot August Nights & Monterey Car week, I am extremely motivated to finish all the little things that drive me crazy on my Hot Rod build & hopefully take it to another level.

Made a template to make up some interior kick panels to cover up the door latches & inside of the body.
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[crspdsk8]

Hey all! Its been a while since I have been on here but I am looking for some help & guidance in changing over from the FFR supplied Koni to QA1 coil overs.

I am getting older and cant take this stiff ride much longer so I would like to soften up my ride on my Gen 1,serial #600
I am running a Chevy 350 and have the 3 link rear suspension with FFR supplied Koni shocks and springs.

Any help with which QA1 part numbers for the front and rears along with spring lengths and weights would be appreciated. I have searched the forum and am pretty sure I know what I need for the fronts (DD403 w/ 9" springs) but I am not sure on the rears as their are various rear suspension set ups. Who is running a Gen 1 with a 3 link rear suspension with a QA1 set up? What are you using in the rear?

Thanks in advance for your help.

[RoadRacer]

Hey all! Its been a while since I have been on here but I am looking for some help & guidance in changing over from the FFR supplied Koni to QA1 coil overs.

I am getting older and cant take this stiff ride much longer so I would like to soften up my ride on my Gen 1,serial #600
I am running a Chevy 350 and have the 3 link rear suspension with FFR supplied Koni shocks and springs.

Any help with which QA1 part numbers for the front and rears along with spring lengths and weights would be appreciated. I have searched the forum and am pretty sure I know what I need for the fronts (DD403 w/ 9" springs) but I am not sure on the rears as their are various rear suspension set ups. Who is running a Gen 1 with a 3 link rear suspension with a QA1 set up? What are you using in the rear?

Thanks in advance for your help.

I answered in your duplicate thread: https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/showthread.php?49497-Help-changing-to-QA1-coil-overs-on-Gen-1-with-3-link-rear&p=560124#post560124