15th Anniversary MKIV build thread - TROJAN

[David Hodgkins]

Looks AWESOME in person!

Coming from you sir (MR Best-In-Show himself) that's quite the compliment!

:)

[David Hodgkins]

I just HAVE to add this for posterity. We made the news!!


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=38N3c0N2Loo

;)

[David Hodgkins]

Well the excitement of last weekend carried me into this weeks' tasks. I took out the dash to work on the glovebox door but not before I measured the gap underneath it so I could make an under-dash panel. Then I assembled the windwings and sunvisors. The windwings went right on but the sunvisor screws didn't want to thread into the windshield. I did some research and spoke with some fellow builders and decided rather than attempting to remove the chrome plating and shortening the screws I'd instead try getting some metric (M3) screws. I went to the local industrial hardware store and scored these:
http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=46478&d=1444398906

These are shorter than the Supplied FFR screws and I was able to thread them right into the windshield frame. The sunvisors then were quickly installed:
http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=46481&d=1444398909

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=46483&d=1444398912

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=46479&d=1444398907

I realize the visors are not mounted the way some others mount them but I need the additional height to cut the wind. They are set up the same way on my ride.

I then moved on to the under-dash panel. First I cut the panel to rough size with the bandsaw:
http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=46485&d=1444398914

Then I bent it on a brake and mounted the piano hinge to it. I then mocked it up in the cockpit, matching the 2" center-to-center of the firewall mounting holes. I cut around the dash support:
http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=46489&d=1444399033

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=46487&d=1444399031

I'm not sure how I'm going to mount the lip to the dash. On my 1st build I just pulled the dash out and let the shelf lip rest on top of the lip on the bottom of the dash...

Anyway, I then pulled the panel and will have it PC'd.

continued...

[David Hodgkins]

continued...

I've also started working on the glove box door. I used some hinges I got from McMaster-Carr and attached them to the door and dash using JBweld. Then I started working on the "catch" which is nothing more than a stereo door magnetic catch. Push to open, push to close. I took a piect of the piano hinge that I had cut off around the dash support and started filing it down to a reasonable size to use and the ferrous piece of metal that I will attach to the aluminum glove door. Here's a few shots to show you the progress, and where I'm at now. It's just a little magnet that will slide into a mounting hole and be held in place with a rubber grommet:

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=46491&d=1444399036

Here's a close-up:
http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=46490&d=1444399034

This is the glove door project showing the hinges and the piece of metal I'm going to use to make the catch:
http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=46488&d=1444399032

I'm not sure if I made it clear what I'm doing with the glovebox but I'll post pics after I get a little further along and hopefully it will answer any questions you have of how it will work...

:)

[David Hodgkins]

Something showed up at my door on Friday afternoon that I've been waiting months for:

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=46549&d=1444618961

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=46550&d=1444618962

It's my personal opinion of course, but I think the horns that come with the kit are just... bland. I knew the sound I wanted in my head during my first build and after some research decided on Triple Air Horns from Hella. I've been very happy with the result so for this build going with them again was a no-brainer. But for some reason they were not available and I had to wait 3 months until Hella produced another batch. I decided to put finishing the dash on hold so that I could install the horn and louvers, thereby finishing the engine compartment (for now;))

The compressor and horns need to be mounted with custom brackets so I took some aluminum stock I had and whipped these out:
http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=46554&d=1444618965

They are... functional. I hammered the part that gets riveted to the frame to match the round x-tube and test fitted it with the horns to find a spot that didn't hit the steering rack but as close to the center as practical so the hose runs would be as short as possible. I was somewhat limited on where I could mount the compressor based on the Ron Francis harness but that's OK because I wanted it high on the driver's side tube to keep it out of the air being pulled through the rad. I didn't want to waste time with powdercoating so I just polished them up on a polishing wheel with some green bar polish shown in the pic. pretty soon both pieces had a nice shine to them and I sealed them with sharkhide. Here's the horn bracket mounted:
http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=46556&d=1444618966

With the horns mounted the bracket is somewhat hidden, which is fine by me. Here's the whole horn, with the compressor on the left, with the air tubes feeding the horns on the right. I replaced the end fittings from the Ron Francis harness and they feed into the rear of the compressor. Two wires are then piggybacked off those connections and crossed over to the electrical connections near the air holes. There's four air holes in the compressor so the instructions "tell you" (no English instructions so it's a visual learning experience) to bring two of them together with a Y connector included in the kit and drive the middle horn with that so that's what I did:
http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=46560&d=1444618969

I made a short video that demonstrates the horn for my brother. Here it is. Yes, the horns are LOUD:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nGdQzkQecNM

[David Hodgkins]

After the horn was installed I moved on to the louvers. Not a lot of technical discussion needed here. Just JB welded the mounting tabs onto the louvers and then used industrial strength velcro to attach to the body. The results are really nice though! I like body-colored louvers. I just think they look "tougher"... :)

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=46561&d=1444618970

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=46562&d=1444618971

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=46564&d=1444618973

It's almost ready! (from this angle)

:)

[David Hodgkins]

It's been a long 8 days since my last post. I have been pushing to make the open track COCOA event at Willow Springs.

I'm not going to make it.

The plan was to wire the dash, install the glove box door (minus a finished glove box interior), add guards to the front speakers, finish wiring the lights, get a TOP so I can drive it and get it aligned.

First the lights. I wired the front headlight and parking lights. The headlights didn't come on when I threw the switch but I thought (correctly) that the issue would resolve itself when I wired up the switches in the cockpit. The tail lights needed to be permanently mounted so I used 6-32 x 1" button head screws for that task but had a catastrophe when I dropped one of the lenses, shattering it. I called FFR for a replacement and don't you know, it's on backorder from the manufacturer! UGH. I put out a feeler on the forums and Tom Wallace (wallace18) came through! The lights are on their way from Florida. He even sent them 2-day air. Thank you so much Tom! I want you to know I paid it forward with a couple of switches I sent to Mike Van Meter (MVM).

That issue seems to be on a track to resolution but until my brother shows up with the TOP I can't get the car aligned (I'm a little tired of U-Haul rentals at $60/day). Then the kicker. I added the door to the dash by bending up some AL stock for the press-to-release-press-to-close latch. I have the same setup on my dash. As shown above before I interrupted myself with the horn install, I roughed up the area under the latch and hinges and used a liberal amount of JB-Weld to affix them to the dash and door.

Here are some shots of the latch setup:

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=46671&d=1445031107

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=46670&d=1445031106

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=46669&d=1445031105

I then JB-Welded the latch. I made up for the offset of the latch by cutting 5 pieces of angle iron to mount to the underside of the dash hoop with a corresponding offset. I would then mount the dash to the tabs using more button-head screws:

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=46676&d=1445031142

I tested the door several times before the install and it worked great:

Closed:
http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=46677&d=1445031144

Open:
http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=46679&d=1445031146


You can see the dash mount tabs in the shot below...
So I went through and added the speaker guards, no problem. And then I organized all the dash wiring into a few looms and tested the switches:
http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=46740&d=1445371236

continued...

[David Hodgkins]

continued...

Here are the wires organized a bit better:

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=46742&d=1445371239

Just as I had thought, as soon as the high beam/low beam switch was wired up the headlights started working.

I then started connecting the horn, mounting the switches and the gauges. I paused to get a pic...

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=46743&d=1445371240

And then I noticed the JB-Weld had given way on the glove box door! I pulled it out and could peel off the rest of the JB-Weld on the hinges:

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=46744&d=1445371241

...And now I have this big friggin' hole in the dash! NICE!

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=46745&d=1445371242

I was an hour away from closing up the dash and now it all has to come back out.

Which leads to my current depression and lost will to get it ready for Willow Springs. I guess I'll just drill out the hinges and latch and use buttonhead screws to finish it up. But all of a sudden I'm completely unmotivated...

:(

[Jeff Kleiner]

Don't make me come out there to kick some motivation into your a$$ ---not only is it a long distance across the country it's a looooong stretch for my foot to meet yer a$$ ;)

I'll say it again; the car looks great!

Jeff

[David Hodgkins]

Thanks Jeff. I just gotta step back for a moment and rethink things.

I should do the glove box interior walls now, instead of later. I took yesterday off from the build and will pull the dash apart today to start on that and re-do the glove box door. I'm wondering if I didn't rough up the metal good enough for the JB-Weld? Anyway I think just putting the stainless button head screws in to mount the hinges is the route I'm going to take, I guess. Maybe.

:)

PS to atone for my sin of not including any pics in this post here's the very best, next best thing I could think of. Enjoy!


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JWdZEumNRmI

[David Hodgkins]

So after a few days off I went back to work on the build. I've taken the dash back out and am working on fabricating glove box interior walls. The under-dash panel will act as the floor and will be carpeted. I'm thinking of doing something to the back - and possibly side - wall(s). Maybe mounting the build plaque on the back wall? I'll give it some thought over the next few days but for now I'm creating the templates and cutting metal.

Here's the dash glove box door. I'm starting over on the hinges. I'm will use my grinder to scuff up the metal this time to give the JB-Weld something better to hold on to. I'd forgotten that I did the same thing on my 1st build after it failed too. So for now I'm leaving the button head screws out of the equation:
http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=46797&d=1445610394

And here's the glove box back wall template:
http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=46796&d=1445610393

After the template was measured and fit well, I fabricated the rear wall. The top will have bulb seal and the two sides as well as the bottom are tabbed. I'll bend the tabs after I figure out how I want to decorate it.:
http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=46798&d=1445610395

The rear lenses from Tom Wallace (wallace18) came in and they are perfect. Thanks again Tom! I'm a dork and forgot to get a pic but the (external) rear of the car is now done!

On the registration front, my bro hit the DMV yesterday to get a TOP but they would only grant a single-day "delivery pass" so I can drive it to brake and light inspection. AFTER THAT (drats) We can go back to the DMV for a TOP. This is a change in the DMV procedure from my 1st build. I can see the point in making sure the B&L is done before they allow the TOP but it sure is frustrating to keep going back to the DMV and their multi-hour wait times!

:)

[68GT500MAN]

Dave, I know the pain of the DMV. On a brighter side, the last two FFR's that I have helped get through (one coupe and a roadster) did NOT require Brake and Light inspections. The California DMV seams to be run where each office can make their own exceptions.

The glove box looks great.
Doug

[David Hodgkins]

Doug that's crazy isn't it? The B&L seems like it's the one stop that SHOULD be mandatory! Wow...

I didn't get any time to work on the car on Saturday. My daughter came home from school and they MADE me go to the beach. ALL DAY! The water was 80 degrees, I swear! I've NEVER felt the water so warm in October. It was crazy! And at the end we were forced to BBQ and they even made me stay for the sunset. It was awful, but I suffered through it...:

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=46874&d=1445893607

[David Hodgkins]

On Sunday I got to get back to the build. Thanks to the inspiration gathered from a post by edwardb, I found a way to do the bends for the glove box. Just sandwich the metal between two 3/4" square tubes in a vice:

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=46879&d=1445893611

..and then just press the metal up with your thumbs:
http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=46880&d=1445893612

To clear the bends in the corner you just move the piece to the edge of the tubes and clamp from the back:
http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=46878&d=1445893610

I decided I was going to carpet the glovebox instead of engine turning or polishing 'cause you know, ya gotta keep the build under-stated; so I used a flat hammer to coax the metal into a tight bend. Pretty soon the rear glove box wall was done:
http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=46881&d=1445893612

I then went on to create templates and cut out the side walls. Here's the outermost sidewall of the glove box:
http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=46882&d=1445893613

The inner side wall was pretty tricky but I managed to create something that would work. Here are all 3 pieces that make up the rear and side walls of the glove box. Note that in this pic the inner side wall is turned around 180* from it's orientation:
http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=46883&d=1445893614

continued... :)

[David Hodgkins]

Here are some shots of the walls in place. The under-dash panel makes up the floor and the dash is the front wall. I put in a bunch of clecos so you can see how the walls are mounted. I forgot to add a tab for the inner side wall so I'll just bend up a piece of 90 degree aluminum and use that to secure that side wall to the floor...:

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=46887&d=1445893617

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=46885&d=1445893615

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=46884&d=1445893615

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=46886&d=1445893616

The front of the side walls will have bulb seal between the walls and the back of the dash, as well as between the walls and the bodyt. The whole thing will be powder-coated and carpeted. I'll temporarily put the dash on today and get a pic to show you how it goes together. The box will be quite big...

:)

[David Hodgkins]

Well I forgot to bring my camera (phone) to the shop yesterday so I don't have any pics today... :(

I test fitted the dash yesterday and the glove box (GB) looks great! Then I used a flapper wheel on the back of the dash as well as the hinges to rough up the metal and tried JB-Welding them onto the dash again. We'll see today if it works or not. I went by the upholstery shop yesterday and found out they don't have any more of the carpet I need so it'll be a few weeks before the GB gets carpet. I'll definitely post pics of the GB today so you can see it. I'll then be taking it back apart to take to the powdercoat guys.

I do hope you all are enjoying this build thread as much as I am. I know there are folks following the thread since it has close to 35,000 views now but please don't be shy and ask any questions you have about building these great cars!

:)

[carlewms]

David,

Enjoying your thread ... I like the hinged under dash panel.

Please keep up the great posts.

Carl

[David Hodgkins]

David,

Enjoying your thread ... I like the hinged under dash panel.

Please keep up the great posts.

Carl

Thanks Carl! If you need measurements for any of the custom panels I'm doing just let me know. I especially think the GB walls might be something other people would want.

It's great to know folks out there are following along...

:)

[David Hodgkins]

Last night I took the GB bits to the powdercoater and re-installed the GB door. The hinges seem to have much better adhesion now so hopefully I won't have to suffer through another failure.

The rest of the evening was spent measuring and making a template for the radiator shroud:

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=46942&d=1446049312

This is a lot harder than it looks to get right! And I'm wondering how it will attach. So far it look like it will br riveted to the mouth opening but then only have bulb seal for the rest? It's a WIP obviously...

:)

[russelljones48]

David,

Amazing build... Couple of questions: is the quick change steering wheel shaft custom made or can I purchase 1? That shifter - same question.

Rustlesroadster

RJ

[David Hodgkins]

Russell,

Breeze Automotive makes the quick change kit:
http://www.breezeautomotive.com/details.php?prod_id=413

You have to trim the top of your steering shaft where it tapers and weld the spline column adapter on.

The mid shifter was supplied already mounted to the TKO 600 by Mike Forte (http://www.fortesparts.com/). I assume you mean the shifter, and not the shift arm?

:)

[David Hodgkins]

Yesterday I go a call from the powdercoaters. They got the GB metal done on a 1-day turn so I went and picked them up so I could start assembling the GB:

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=46962&d=1446134826

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=46964&d=1446134827

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=46967&d=1446134830

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=46963&d=1446134827

Before I could actually start assembling in the car there were a few outstanding - meaning late - details I had to address. The interface for the engine management software needed to be inside the GB and I needed to add a 12V power source and USB to the under-dash panel. The USB plug is 3/4" wide and the 12V lighter plug was 1-1/4" wide. How to cut those out? Well, I've found that using a wood bit works reasonably well for thin aluminum like these .040" panels so I went out to Ace Hardware and picked up the bits I needed. Then I worked on drilling hole for all 3 items.

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=46976&d=1446134841

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=46978&d=1446134843

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=46980&d=1446134845

continued...

[David Hodgkins]

The power source and USB plugs will use the heater and radio feeds from the harness but I needed a chassis ground so I drilled and tapped a 1/4" screw hole to accommodate a ground screw:

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=46974&d=1446134839

Now that I had everything set up I could start assembly and wire up the plugs...

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=46977&d=1446134842

So I riveted in the under dash panel...

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=46981&d=1446134847

And went to wire the plugs... Wait. Where's my wire stripper/clamp?? WHERE?!? I couldn't find that dang thing anywhere!! Dag Nabbit! After 15 minutes of futile attempts to find it, plus the fact that I was coming up on 10PM, I decided to call it a night. Sometimes you gotta just walk away. Especially late at night.

So the GB saga will continue for at least another day.

:rolleyes:

[russelljones48]

actually I meant the shift arm... I have a mid-shift TKO600 and that arm looks nice. Thanks for the Breeze pointer

[David Hodgkins]

actually I meant the shift arm... I have a mid-shift TKO600 and that arm looks nice. Thanks for the Breeze pointer

The shifter arm is a B&M piece I got from Mike Forte during my first build.

HTH,

:)

[David Hodgkins]

I changed my mind about where to mount the ground screw for the USB and power ports and moved it to the dash hoop support tube where I could get direct frame contact. First I drilled the hole and then filed the powdercoating off...:

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=47011&d=1446222358

..and the tapped the hole:

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=47012&d=1446222359

After that I was able to finish wiring up the two ports. I made sure there was plenty of play so that the panel could raise and lower without the wires binding. Her it is in the up position:

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=47013&d=1446222359

...And here it is in the down position:

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=47014&d=1446222360

With that out of the way it was time to move on to the GB. I unhooked the wires for the engine interface and fed them through the back of the GB and assembled the rest of the box. Then I reassembled the plug for the interface and added some bulb seal to the front of the GB walls where they will meet the dash:

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=47015&d=1446222361

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=47016&d=1446222362

continued...

:)

[David Hodgkins]

continued...

Here are a few shots of the completed Glove Box. The dash wiring is also complete (for now):

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=47017&d=1446222363

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=47018&d=1446222364

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=47019&d=1446222365

I can't wait to get the dash on and see this glove box finally done! I gotta make one up for my 1st build. Good thing I made templates!

:)

[WIS89]

Looking good Dave!

I think it's great to be getting so much extra room out of the glove box area. A fair amount of work, but I bet the next one is a piece of cake.

Thanks for the step-by-step instructions. So, when will you have her done? Lots of pics and videos please!

Regards,

Steve

[David Hodgkins]

Looking good Dave!

I think it's great to be getting so much extra room out of the glove box area. A fair amount of work, but I bet the next one is a piece of cake.

Thanks for the step-by-step instructions. So, when will you have her done? Lots of pics and videos please!

Regards,

Steve

I've got templates of the walls so I'm going to add them to my MKIII and see if any changes need to be made. I didn't measure the MKIII under-dash panel to build the new one so it'll be interesting to see if they match.

I'm into my 2nd album of pics. And I gave myself 1000 pics capacity instead of the usual 500 so there are a ton there, including extra pics that didn't make it into the build thread.
15th Anniversary Build Album (http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/album.php?albumid=825)
15th Anniversary Build Album Finishing Touches (http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/album.php?albumid=940)

Right now the car is at a well known local alignment shop called Glenn's Alignment in Costa Mesa. Which reminds me, I need to get some shots of that place. They are enthusiasts, racers and must be collecters too. And, they've been around for a long time so the amount of cars they have there is amazing.

:)

[David Hodgkins]

Well it's been close to two weeks since my last update.

No, it's not done yet.

But, it's getting pretty darn close. My MKIII isn't nearly this "complete". In terms of being ready for inspection the only thing left to do is wire up the dash switch. Aesthetically, I'm still working on the nose aluminum and the car will go back to upholstery one more time for glove box, cubby and trunk carpet. The cubby and trunk carpet will be remove-able.

I'm getting ahead of myself again, so let me fill in the details from the completion of the glove box walls. As you recall the first attempt at jb-welding the glove box door hinges failed miserably. This time I took a flapper wheel on my 4" grinder to the metal and gave the jb-weld a much rougher surface to cling to, and then attached the hinges. The result was a much stronger bond and so I decided to move forward with mounting the dash. The door will get a backing cover soon, probably a piece of MDX covered with leather.

Here's what the door looks like now:

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=47054&d=1446343116

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=47047&d=1446343110

The turn signals needed to be wired up, but the connector blades on the only on-off-on 3 pole lucas-style switch I had are the really small ones so I had to change out the connectors in the harness. Sorry for the blurry pic, here's the result:

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=47049&d=1446343112

In contrast, I was able to use the default connectors to attach a 3 pole on-on switch for the high beams. It didn't seem to be the strongest connection so I wrapped it in electrical tape. Unless the tape delams it is good to go. After those two switches were fixed I started hooking up the gauges. I don't have the speedo because I sent it back to speedhut to have GPS as well as high beam and turn indicator LEDs added to it. It will be back in about a week.

I mounted the dash to the tabs I added earlier and secured it using small stainless button head bolts. Here are a few shots of how the dash looks currently. You can see the wires for the hazard lights I still need to wire. The extra switch holes are for seat heaters and a wiper switch. I don't have those installed so I might just install some dummy switches to fill the holes for now. I know, lame, but it's tradition to leave SOMETHING to do after graduation! :

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=47055&d=1446343117

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=47057&d=1446343119

I also mounted the mirror. I know, a little out of order, but I decided to change the location from the top of the windscreen to the body after testing the mirror extension on my car. I like this position better, and I can see over the rear of the car just fine with it here:

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=47183&d=1446676289

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=47173&d=1446676280

continued...

[carlewms]

David,

Looking great and as usual a couple of questions ...

1. The mirror looks great and also looks like it gives you a wide view. Where did you source it?

2. GPS Conversion. Do the replace your speedo or modify it to include the GPS? I am considering it but want all the guage bezels to remain the same

Thanks for posting.

Carl

[David Hodgkins]

David,

Looking great and as usual a couple of questions ...

1. The mirror looks great and also looks like it gives you a wide view. Where did you source it?

2. GPS Conversion. Do the replace your speedo or modify it to include the GPS? I am considering it but want all the guage bezels to remain the same

Thanks for posting.

Carl

Thanks Carl,

The mirror is a generic one that I got from Kragen that snaps on to the back of the standard mirror:

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=47180&d=1446676286

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=47181&d=1446676287

I got the idea to run it this way from John Tongish, a road and track warrior, as well as leader of the Ageless Avengers.

re: The speedo, I got an RMA from them and sent the existing speedo so I assume it will be the original case. They did the original face so I don't know if they will create a new one or can just punch holes for the LEDs in the original face.

:)

[David Hodgkins]

I'm really behind in my updates. Yesterday was eventful but I've got a week of stuff to post about first so let's get to it.

I added an inline fuse for the music amp. Looks like I need a tie at the top to clean up the shroud a bit:

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=47169&d=1446676277

Next task: What's wrong with this picture?

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=47171&d=1446676278

Looks pretty good, except for the dangling loom needed for the rear license plate lite. So I added a missing clip to the trunk hoop and routed the wires up through the center of the trunk lid. In order to chase the wires at the hole I cut a 1"x24" piece of aluminum flashing material (AKA the strip), cut a hole in one end and put a little english on it to make it easy fit in between the upper and lower layers of the fiberglass:

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=47182&d=1446676288

This also helped me verify that there is no obstruction all the way down into the structural bends of the lower layer. I drilled a hole that matched the inner diameter of a grommet, plunged the strip down until the strip hole lined up with the hole in the lid and then stuck a wire through the hole in the strip and pulled it up to where the light is. Then repeated the process for the second wire. Then I attached the wires. Here's the result:

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=47175&d=1446676281

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=47176&d=1446676282

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=47178&d=1446676283

That reminds me, I gotta make a fill panel for that hole...

continued... :)

[David Hodgkins]

The next piece I worked on was the nose aluminum. The paper templates got me part way there but I needed to start working with the aluminum so I decided to do each side separately and then create a third template that would be a single piece. So I started with the driver's side:

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=47244&d=1446741287

...and made the passenger side, then joined them together with some rivets:

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=47248&d=1446741289

I wasn't worried about the fit to the body as much as I was trying to match them at the radiator but dang:

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=47251&d=1446741292

After I had the pieces riveted together I had a closer idea of the final design needed so I drew it out on a single piece of AL flashing and cut it out with the bandsaw. At that point I decided to strip some of the failing bulb seal off and just use the hard rubber instead where it meets the radiator. I then went through a few trial testings and adjustments trying to get it in there just right. I ended up with this shape:

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=47250&d=1446741291

Laid out in the opening it looks like this:

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=47274&d=1446782270

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=47272&d=1446782268

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=47280&d=1446782277

Pretty good, right? Well, not so fast.

[David Hodgkins]

The problem with the wrap-around shroud the way I fitted it is that the flashing material is too flimsy and needs additional support behind it. I had not mounted the factory nose aluminum and the radiator - I soon found out - was not in a location that would work with the stock nose aluminum so I made the decision to re-mount the rad. Before doing that however I had previously made an appointment to get the alignment done so the next day I drove TROJAN over to the alignment shop. I left the car there and a short time later they called to let me know there was a problem. The outer control arms I had installed did not match the diameter of the hole in the steering arm of the spindle and was bottoming out. I called FFR and confirmed that the outer tie rod needed is a standard '87-'93 mustang part so I went and got the needed pieces and delivered them to the alignment shop. It turns out I had put on left over pieces from my MKIII build, which had probably gotten mixed in with the MKIV parts when we first moved the car to my house after being in storage for 4 years.

The car was delayed for a day so the next day I went over to pick it up. It was late in the afternoon so the plan was to leave my truck at the alignment shop, drive the roadster to my shop and then catch a bus back to the alignment shop so I could pick up the truck. It was during this procedure that a minor disaster struck. First, I ran out of gas in the parking lot of the alignment shop. I thought I had more gas in the car but with the speedo not being there to record mileage there was no way to know if the shop had driven it extensively. I think not, because the car has no plates. Anyway, they gave me some gas and I was on my way...

For about a mile.

On my way home the car lost all power and then the engine just died. I coasted it into a parking lot and got on the horn with my crack tech team of Frank Maslowski, Mike Forte, Eric Hansen and Karen Salvaggio. We quickly diagnosed the problem as fuel pump related. Now, what I SHOULD have done is just call AAA and have the car towed, but I ended up running all over town trying to get a new fuel pump. Several hours later I was back at the car with tools installing the fuel pump. Luckily, I had not riveted the access panel in place yet so I was able to complete the swap. I hopped in and fired the motor. Sounded great for about 10 seconds and then died again! This time I came to my senses and called for a flatbed. 45 minuted later it was loaded and on it's way the last mile to the shop, 4.5 hours after I had left the alignment shop:

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=47639&d=1447780331

The next day I took a voltmeter to the electrical connection to the fuel pump in the harness and discovered it had no power. I traced the wire to the fuse box and discovered I had improperly connected the power wire from the ECU for the pump to the rear harness. Turns out the whole thing was just a loose wire. Grrr....

After that debacle, I decided to finish up the wiring by setting up the flashers. The way the wiring diagram looks vs the way I ended up wiring seemed to be a little different but the bottom line is that I took the pink flasher wire from the harness and attached it to one side of a DPST (Double Pole, Single Throw) switch, The switch has 4 poles on the back. In the ON position, two sets of the poles have continuity. So the 2 on the left are connected, and the two on the right are connected. The way I connected it, I hooked up the flasher to one of the poles on the left. I ran a wire from the other left pole to one of the right poles and that pole was piggybacked out to the left turn signals and I hooked up the right signals to the final pole. So when you flip the switch, power comes in through the flasher wire on one side of the switch and then gets jumped to the other side where turn signal wiring is. Long story short, the flashers now work. It's the wrong style switch, but functionally sound. I'm ordering a new DPST switch from FFR this AM.

Moving on, I had a nice surprise waiting on the doorstep when I got home last night. A package from Breeze with my ultra expensive, but very nice side mirrors. had finally arrived. It's not a story worth repeating but they had traveled to length of the continent 3 times before I finally got them! They went on in about 5 minutes, and look really nice:

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=47641&d=1447780332

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=47649&d=1447780338

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=47648&d=1447780337

Next, back to nose aluminum...

:)

[carlewms]

David,

Sounds like your "fun" meter was pegged high!

The mirrors do look very nice.

Carl

[frankeeski]

For the record David. DPST is actually "Double Pole-Single Throw"

And as much as I hate to say it, I told you it sounded like a wiring issue. :p

[David Hodgkins]

David,

Sounds like your "fun" meter was pegged high!

The mirrors do look very nice.

Carl

You got that right! Although I see quotes around fun, I'm still tempted to use another word although it might be against the rules here. :D

Frank, thanks for the correction. I edited my post above so I don't sound like an idiot (too late I know).

[David Hodgkins]

Let's see, where did I leave off? Oh yeah, nose aluminum.

As I mentioned before, I decided to re-mount the rad and use the factory aluminum as a base before adding the wrap-around shroud on top of it. So I unscrewed to top of the rad and used zip ties to raise the bottom of the rad to stock height and managed to "scooch" the rad over until it was centered. It wouldn't move over any more so I decided to mock up the metal and see how it fit.

Well, I had to trim the passenger side piece but everything else looked OK so I drilled and cleco'd it all in place. Here's how it looked:

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=47646&d=1447780336

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=47647&d=1447780336

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=47645&d=1447780335

Not bad, not bad at all. The bummer is that now I have to get those pieces powdercoated. So the panels were taken out and I will take them over to the PC guys today. It should be a week at least before they are back and I can continue to finish off the front.

Meanwhile, this arrived yesterday:

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=47678&d=1447857323

This is the original sppedo, but with all new innards. You can see the indicator lights and the speedo now has GPS. (That's a hair, not a scratch.) (EDIT: turns out that yep, that's a scratch. Came that way. Do I delay for a week or two to send it back? Law of diminishing returns says I got more important things to do.) I toyed around with adding "2 of 15" but decided against it. I'll start wiring it in today.

After the speedo is in I will be READY for the BAR and B&L exams!

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=47650&d=1447780339

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=47653&d=1447780341

:)

[David Hodgkins]

Last night I dropped off the nose aluminum to the local PC guys instead of the place that is further away. The nose aluminum wont be the EXACT color as the rest of the pieces but no one will ever see it anyway since I plan to cover it with the new wrap-around aluminum. So it will be back before the weekend.

The big project last night was wiring the speedo, which means I had to tear into the dash again. But in addition to that, there was another issue to take care of.

You see, I've been holding out on you guys a little bit. I've been experiencing some electrical gremlins in the dash, which started when I picked up the car from alignment. The volt gauge stopped working completely(no movement or gauge lighting) and the background lighting on all the gauges stopped working. Some might have reacted to that by blaming the alignment shop; after all, the problem only started after I dropped off the car to them. That would be the easy thing to do. But instead I decided to take the dash wiring apart as needed to see if there was anything user/installer related that needed to be remedied. And indeed I found that a very small wire on the dimmer attached to the inverter that drives the lights had pulled away from the soldered connection. My soldering iron was on it's very last legs so I jetted down to Ace Hardware for a replacement and some small gauge flux core solder. I was able to melt the existing solder so the wire "caught" the connection and the lighting on the gauges started working again. The connection was delicate but worked. The voltmeter was lighting now but still not working. I was hopeful that after everything was connected that it would start working so I proceeded to wire up the indicator lights. The high beam would be driven by the high beam switch which already had a wire attached to it ready to go. For the turn indicators I decided to integrate those wires off the speedo into the flasher harness and make the connection on the back of the flasher switch because the poles are the big kind, not the little bitty ones hanging off the back of the turn signal switch. I also ran the power cable from the speedo to the battery side of the ignition switch so it would have constant power. This is recommended by SpeedHut so that the GPS acquires satellite signal very quickly. If the gauge had to power up with the engine start it can take up to a minute to make that connection. SpeedHut states that the draw on the battery is very small, at 25 micro amps so draining the battery shouldn't be an issue. Here are some pics - as usual - of the install:

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=47720&d=1447949825

Background lighting and LED indicator for brights working...

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=47723&d=1447949827

Speedo in it's new home:

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=47729&d=1447949832

I sync my pics using google photos and every once in a while they will automatically create an animated gif if several of your photos are very similar. Google made a gif of my turn indicators flashing when I was trying to capture them in the on position for a shot from my cell phone. It's a little shaky but still pretty cool:

http://ffroadster.com/images/15thAnniBuild/IMG_4313-ANIMATION.gif

I didn't get a chance to wire up the antennae so I'll be buttoning up the dash tonight. Oh, and once everything was wired up the voltmeter started working! It's connection is fragile as well so this AM I called SpeedHut to order a new inverter. That should give a better connection to the voltmeter and the dimmer wiring will be more solid. BTW I mentioned the bezel scratch and sent a pic to their tech support guy and they are sending out a new bezel and face lens as well! Gotta love SpeedHut; great customer service!

Finally, here's a shot of the speedo lit up and indicators working, in case the pic above is too shaky for you to look at:

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=47727&d=1447949830

:)

[Brett33]

The GIF is pretty impressive. The indicator lights are an impressive custom touch. I always look forward to seeing your updates.
Brett

[David Hodgkins]

Thanks Brett!

:)

[David Hodgkins]

Last night was spent working on dash minutia. The dash light wiring harness is going to be replaced as soon as the new harness comes in. I still have intermittent power to my voltage gauge and I'm hoping the new harness will fix the issue. After a call to FFR revealed that they use the 6 pole switch for the flasher I replaced the first flash switch I installed with a 6 pole I had that had a switch handle that matched the rest of the switches in the cockpit. It's the switch on the far right in the shots below.

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=47765&d=1448034667

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=47766&d=1448034668

The nose aluminum should be back from PC today so working on that install (again) will occupy my time tonight.

Technically though, I'm ready for inspection!



:)

[carlewms]

David,

Where did you or will you put the antenna?

carl

[David Hodgkins]

David,

Where did you or will you put the antenna?

carl

Carl,

The antenna is currently magnetically attached to the back of the dash hoop. They say the antenna works under fiberglass, ans my MKIII is set up that way. If there is any issues acquiring signal my second choice is behind the mirror on top of the body but hopefully it won't come to that...

:)

[MPTech]

I installed my GPS antenna on top of the DS FB, under the body. Works great! No issues.

[David Hodgkins]

I installed my GPS antenna on top of the DS FB, under the body. Works great! No issues.

Yep Yep, good spot too...

:)

[David Hodgkins]

I spent Saturday and part of Sunday setting up Christmas decorations so I didn't get as much time on the build as I would have liked but I did knock out one much overdue project. My rear 3 link has 2 lower trailing arms that attach between the frame and the rear axle. These were not lubed as part of the initial assembly so I went to add grease to the first of 4 zirc fittings and the grease gun pulled it right out. The zirc fittings that came on my trailing arms are simply too small for the holes in the arms, which BTW are now tapped. So I decided to drill and tap the hole and put in a slightly larger zirc fitting. Here's a zirc fitting I PLACED in the grease hole:

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=47865&d=1448297062

As you can see it's already at the top of the threads and hasn't even engaged yet. So I stepped up to an 8mm x 1mm zirc fitting. Here's the difference between the two:

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=47864&d=1448297061

In order to drill out the holes in the arm I first had to disassemble the trailing arms and remove the rubber from the ends. The procedure I used was to press out the metal center tube and then remove the rubber pieces. Since I don't have a shop press I removed the tube with the help of a vice, screwdriver, some bolts a washer and a hammer. I just put a washer and a bolt over the screwdriver and plunged the screwdriver into the tub and put the arm in a vice. Then I just tapped the top of the screwdriver and drove out the tube a little bit before stopping to add another nut to the screwdriver.

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=47866&d=1448297063

It took 5 nuts to drive the tube out:

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=47867&d=1448297064

After the tube was out I removed the outer rubber pieces by using a small screwdriver to GENTLY pry away the rubber in one spot...

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=47868&d=1448297064

And then shoved the side of the screwdriver into the gap and work it around the circumference of the rubber piece:

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=47877&d=1448297072

This brought the rubber piece out about 1/8" and from there I could work the rest out with my hands.

After you remover the outer rubber there is still a piece in the center. I looked around and found that the center piece from my polisher had a perfect diameter to fit just inside the hole:

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=47869&d=1448297065

So I stuck a short screwdriver through that and used a vice to press out the center piece.

continued...

[David Hodgkins]

continued...

At first the center piece looks like a sealed bearing (especially when it's in the hole) but I think it's just thick rubber:

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=47872&d=1448297067

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=47873&d=1448297068

Once the rubber is removed I drilled and tapped the hole for the new zirc fitting. The hole was drilled using a size "I" drill. You can't get these and Home Depot. I had to go to a specialty hardware store for the tap and the drill bit:

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=47862&d=1448297060

Tap the hole:

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=47874&d=1448297069

Once the hole was tapped it looked like this:

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=47863&d=1448297061

Much better. I was then able to put a small bit of blue locktite on the new zirc fitting and install it in the arm:

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=47876&d=1448297071

The new fitting does not intrude into the arm hole:

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=47875&d=1448297070

From here I assembled the arms again using liberal amounts of grease. Unlike dis-assembly, the ends go back together easily by hand when all the parts are covered in grease. Just watch out for the outer rubber ends, they like to pop off! Once everything is reassembled I put the arms back in their location.

One final note: make sure you support the axle with chocks during disassembly! I had the chassis supported with the sissor lift so there was no weight on the rear wheels and I had the wheels chocked to keep the rear axle in place. If the rear is in the air without support at the wheels when you remove the control arms the axle will shift violently toward the rear of the car once you get the bolt out of the arm, particularly on the passenger side. Ask me how I know!

[ehansen007]

Damn you're thorough!.

[2bking]

Nice work David but I have got to ask why the need of a grease fitting in a rubber suspension part?

[rcflash]

great solution to the problem

[David Hodgkins]

Damn you're thorough!.

It's just because it's not a "stock" part of the build and I wanted to document it.


Nice work David but I have got to ask why the need of a grease fitting in a rubber suspension part?

Well, it IS a suspension part that rotates, and has grooves for grease; plus it came with a zirc fittings on it already. They just didn't fit. So I modified the arm so the zirc fittings would thread into the holes properly.


great solution to the problem

Thank you sir.

:)

[David Hodgkins]

Last night I worked on re-setting the radiator. It had to be moved over in order to work with the stock nose aluminum which meant re-drilling the upper mount with the body on. I used a piece of piano hinge centered between the two original radiator tabs. I had to do this without the hood on to be safe and a key to being able to drill the holes in the radiator mounting edge was to use a foot long 3/16" drill bit which JUST clears the hood opening. If you look carefully you will also see the piece of aluminum I used as a spcer on the upper edge to raise the hinge up to be even with the rad aluminumHere are a few pics:

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=47947&d=1448382727

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=47953&d=1448382731

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=47954&d=1448382732

The nose aluminum was picked up from the PC yesterday and I was able to install it. I'm holding off on riveting through the opening in the nose for now since the rad is supported by the breeze lower rad mount. The aluminum I put in last night will be overlaid with a new piece of aluminum that wraps around the opening like I showed a few posts ago but since I changed to location of the rad the piece I made earlier won't work. So it's back to the drawing board for that. Anyway, here are some pics of the new nose aluminum:

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=47950&d=1448382729

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=47949&d=1448382728

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=47951&d=1448382730

:)

[frankeeski]

Just my thought on rigidly mounting the radiator, don't do it. While the hinge on the top allows the radiator to swing forwards or back, the dissimilar metals are going to expand and contract at differing rates. The aluminum is going to grow when hot and shrink when cool. At some point it will fatigue and it will leak. All OE manufacturers use cushion mounts on the bottom of the radiator and some sort of loose capture brackets on the top. Just some food for thought.

[Jeff Kleiner]

...I'm holding off on riveting through the opening in the nose for now...

David,
I no longer rivet the front of the nose aluminum ""floor" to the body---put a piece of bulb seal on the front edge of the aluminum and simply tuck it into the channel that exists in the nose between the radiator opening and oil cooler scoop.

Great work on the details my friend!

Jeff

[David Hodgkins]

Frank, I spoke with FFR and sent them pictures of the rad mount and they think that it's fine. I'm going to stick with it for now. I'm using the Breeze lower mount so it's now completely rigid mounted.

Last weekend I decided to flip the car around and work on some trunk details. If you've been following along you may remember I had an issue with the fuel pump when I got the car aligned. Well now was as good a time as any to put the original pump back in, so I completd that task. After that I decided to finally put the cover plate on. Nothing fancy here, just applied some SharkHide and then drilled out the mounting holes. I also decided to cut down the battery cover so that it would sit flush with the trunk floor. I used some plastic to act as a insulator between the battery poles and the top of the battery box and it is secured with some button-head screws.

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=48156&d=1448830647

I also started working on a cover plate for the hole in the bottom of the trunk lid. Here's the hole:

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=48150&d=1448830643

And here's the piece I cam up with:

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=48151&d=1448830643

It's a little oversize but I figure I can trim it to final size after I gussy it up a bit. I'm still deciding what to do to it but I'm thinking of either going fancy with engine-turning or just polishing it. At this point the plan is to make a prop-rod and drilling a hole in the cover to secure the top of the prop-rod, which would have a rubber tip. OR, I might do something completely different. Haven't decided...

:)

PS Oh and finally - just because - Here's a few pics of how the car looks now from the rear. The new shifter arm came in over the weekend so the shifter boot goes on tonight. Still waiting on the return of the voltage gauge...

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=48158&d=1448830648

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=48159&d=1448830649

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=48161&d=1448830650

[David Hodgkins]

Last night I didn't get too much time to work on the car as a friend asked me to use my lift to replace his fuel sender but I did replace the shifter arm and I managed to get three of the four screws in for the shifter boot. Those things are almost impossible to attach with nuts and bolts! Self tapping screws would have been so much easier, but then I wouldnt have the button heads I want. Anyway, as usual, PICS!

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=48236&d=1448988150

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=48238&d=1448988152

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=48240&d=1448988153

I got an email from speedhut; the Voltage gauge is on it's way home! I should be DONE within a week!

:)

[David Hodgkins]

Just to articulate what needs to be done still in order to be DONE DONE:

Wipers (holding off until next year)
Seat heaters (will probably be done this winter some time)
Wrap-around nose aluminum
Shift ball (need to find one with the Trojan Logo)
Install voltage gauge
Shoulder harnesses (trim rings and harness bar ordered and on their way from Breeze)
Door pockets (ordered and on their way from Finish Line)
Trunk, cubby and glove box carpet
B&L and BAR inspections
Custom front bumper hoop insert (future project)
Stickers(!)
FFR Plaque and 15th Anniversary Badges
EDIT: Added upper rad/body shroud


I believe that's the complete list. OK so maybe I won't be DONE DONE next week, but I should be able to knock the majority of the list off before Christmas, with the exception of the wipers.

:)

[David Hodgkins]

No pics today, sorry.

Last night I worked on the nose aluminum and worked on an upper rad/body shroud. I'm not really sure what material I want to use to finish the nose aluminum. The flashing is OK but it cant be polished or engine turned. Yes, the plan is (was?) to put racing stripes on the nose aluminum. But the flashing is textured. If I go with that material I'd just wipe it with some sharkhide and install it. I'm not sure if there is an aluminum sheet out there with the flexing properties of the flashing though so I'll be paying a visit to the metal supplier today...

Brake and light inspection set for tomorrow!

:)

[David Hodgkins]

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=48298&d=1449250311

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=48303&d=1449250315

(Still gotta fix up the spark plug routing)
http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=48305&d=1449250317

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=48301&d=1449250314

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=48302&d=1449250314


Today I thought I'd lead with a few shots I got last night. My brother took the roadster to the brake and light inspection; IT PASSED! Afterwards he didn't want to load the car onto the lift by himself so he parked it outside for the day. I normally get to the shop after 4pm and when I got there today the sun was setting and the lighting was too good to pass up. The car's not quite done yet but looked pretty good in the fading light! Regarding the inspection, only two concerns were noted. The emergency brake cables route under the frame and touch a frame bracket, and the brakes are a little soft. I'll fix the cable routing using the nylon guides described in edwardb's build thread and bleeding the brakes again ought to take care of the soft pedal issue.

Last night I created my 3rd version of the fan shroud after I decided the second one I created with the proper curvature in the front was just too short. I then decided to set up the polishing "station" so I could prep the upper fan shroud and the trunk lid hole cover:

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=48306&d=1449250318

The upper fan shroud took so long to make I didn't have much time left for polishing. I did get one pass on each piece and this is where they stand as of now:

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=48312&d=1449250323

I should be able to finish up the polishing tonight and might even be able to engine turn them. If that happens they will for sure be installed this weekend, along with new nose aluminum (actually trying to do it in stainless steel) which will be my weekend project.

[David Hodgkins]

To follow up on the previous post, I didn't finish the polishing on Friday. As a matter of fact I took the whole night off from the build and veg'd out in front of the TV. My brother's birthday is in 3 days and I've got to pull out all the stops to get these projects done! But first, I took all of Friday night off. Why did I do that?!?

I did get in some work over the weekend, most of which I have pics for.

I got several deliveries on Friday and Saturday from **********. I received a harness bar (sans shoulder belt clips, which I'll source from Summit), Shoulder belt bezels for the standard cockpit shoulder belt holes, and door pockets. I also received the Voltage gauge back from SpeedHut. In addition to the deliveries I had the outstanding projects of the nose shroud, upper rad shroud and trunk lid cover plate so there was more than enough work to do for the weekend.

First up were the easy items, the gauge and the door pockets. The gauge took all of 2 minutes to install. No biggie. For the door pockets I deviated from the supplied instructions and used industrial strength velcro instead of screwing them into the doors.

The door pockets:
http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=48369&d=1449502379

And installed, along with the gauge. Hard to tell, but the tuck and roll matches the seats nicely:
http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=48370&d=1449502380

Then I went to work finalizing the template for the nose shroud. I ended up modifying the one I had created previously instead of making a new one. I changed both the front cuts across the openings so they would fit close to the body on one side and lay against the bottom aluminum panel on the rad side. This project will really clean up the front rad opening, and eliminates the big gap in the front:

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=48377&d=1449502385

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=48376&d=1449502384

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=48373&d=1449502382

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=48372&d=1449502381

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=48375&d=1449502383

Unlike the previous fittings the shroud feels really solid in there now. I'll probably attach it with a single rivet on each side, just to be safe. After the shape was finalized I traced it out on a clean sheet of 26 gauge stainless steel, which is getting the full polished stripe/engine turn treatment. It'll be interesting doing the engine turning. since the piece is so "deep" I'll have to re-position it several times in the jig while trying to maintain alignment. It will be interesting to see if I can pull it off.

...continued

[David Hodgkins]

Here are a view pics of the harness bar:

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=48367&d=1449502378

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=48366&d=1449502377

...and here's a pic and link to the clips I'm ordering from Summit:
http://static.summitracing.com/global/images/prod/mediumlarge/gfr-107w_ml.jpg

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/gfr-107w/overview/

I'll be at the shop polishing tonight and will get shots of the new shroud...

:)

[David Hodgkins]

The past two days have been spent polishing, polishing and more polishing. I finished the trunk lid block off plate and the upper radiator shroud but I can't finish the nose shroud until I modify mu engine turning jig.

Here's the difference between unpolished and polished, and then a few shots of the engine turned pieces:

Raw:
http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=48296&d=1449250310

Polished:
http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=48422&d=1449675595

...and Engine Turned:
http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=48423&d=1449675599

Here's what it looks like mocked up. I still need to add a few bends and the SharkHide:
http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=48418&d=1449675581

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=48420&d=1449675587

I then covered it up to protect it while I bend it. Here's what it looks like now, along with the truck piece:
http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=48421&d=1449675589

Hopefully the panel cover can go in tonight. I'm thinking of applying Por-15 to the back of the fan shroud, or I might powder-coat it.

:)

[Carlos C]

It's too beautiful of a piece to install in on the car. You should hang it in your living room wall as a work of art, and use it as a conversation piece.

Carlos

[David Hodgkins]

It's too beautiful of a piece to install in on the car. You should hang it in your living room wall as a work of art, and use it as a conversation piece.

Carlos

Carlos, that's a nice comment, bro. But wait till you see my next update.

So last night I was headed to the shop, but first I stopped by the hardware store for some nutserts, which I've never worked with before. A comment on Facebook by fellow build buddy Bill Dobbins, AKA 2FAST4U, got me thinking about how I was going to attach this piece. So I picked up several of these things along with some stainless buttonhead screws and lockwashers, as well as some nylon washers. I looked for some 3/4" tubing to use as a break but they didn't have any so since I was short on time (kid pickup and dinner) the plan was to at least bend up the trunk block off plate and work on fitting it. I got lucky though, because I had heard that a shop neighbor had a brake and he was there so I went over and asked him about it. Turns out he has a very nice combo brake, shear and roller setup. I gotta have one of those! I asked him if I could use it and he said sure so I made quick work of the upper rad shroud. Here's what I ended up with:

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=48455&d=1449760494

..and this is what it looked like mocked up:

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=48454&d=1449760493

I had to stop at this point to pick up my daughter from crew practice and get her fed so I didn't get back to the shop until around 7:30.

continued... :)

[David Hodgkins]

This piece is really turning out nice. I still have to coat it with sharkhide, which will dull the shine a little bit but I was able to bend it on a friend's brake and mock it up last night with 3 of the 5 nutserts hand tightened. Check it out:

http://ffroadster.com/images/15thAnniBuild/UpperRadShroud/IMG_4632.JPG

http://ffroadster.com/images/15thAnniBuild/UpperRadShroud/IMG_4634.JPG

http://ffroadster.com/images/15thAnniBuild/UpperRadShroud/IMG_4635.JPG

http://ffroadster.com/images/15thAnniBuild/UpperRadShroud/IMG_4640.JPG

http://ffroadster.com/images/15thAnniBuild/UpperRadShroud/IMG_4639.JPG

http://ffroadster.com/images/15thAnniBuild/UpperRadShroud/IMG_4643.JPG

Here's what it looks like from inside the nose of the car:

http://ffroadster.com/images/15thAnniBuild/UpperRadShroud/IMG_4638.JPG

I had to pull the hood off to drill out the nutserts, but getting the shroud on and off in the future should be easy. I'll post some more pics once it's installed.

[MPTech]

That looks great, but just an FYI (maybe you won't have this issue (I hope!)
I made a similar shroud for my mk4 last winter (made up my own pattern) and mounted it similarly with nutserts.
Looked Great before I mounted the body.
Looked even BETTER after I mounted the body.
Even looked GOOD after I mounted the hood.

After I closed the hood, not so good!
Unfortunately, the front part of the hinge that attaches to the hood bracket did not clear my new panel and the weight / leverage left 2 dimples in my brand new panel.
I was crushed.

BE CAREFUL and check your clearance before you close the hood! Hopefully you won't have this issue, but I'd hate to see yours experience what I did.
It's not bad enough to remake, re-sand, re-finish, re-coat, and re-mount mine, but it REALLY bugs me to see those 2 dimples! GRRRRRR

[David Hodgkins]

That looks great, but just an FYI (maybe you won't have this issue (I hope!)
I made a similar shroud for my mk4 last winter (made up my own pattern) and mounted it similarly with nutserts.
Looked Great before I mounted the body.
Looked even BETTER after I mounted the body.
Even looked GOOD after I mounted the hood.

After I closed the hood, not so good!
Unfortunately, the front part of the hinge that attaches to the hood bracket did not clear my new panel and the weight / leverage left 2 dimples in my brand new panel.
I was crushed.

BE CAREFUL and check your clearance before you close the hood! Hopefully you won't have this issue, but I'd hate to see yours experience what I did.
It's not bad enough to remake, re-sand, re-finish, re-coat, and re-mount mine, but it REALLY bugs me to see those 2 dimples! GRRRRRR

I posted just the panel over on FFCars and someone had the same concern. I didn't get a chance to look at it from underneath but I guess we'll find out this afternoon when I re-mount the hood if there is a problem or not.

Here's hoping!

:)

[Carlos C]

David:

I stand corrected on my previous comment. It looks amazing mounted on the car. My concern is that the piece is only attached at one end, leaving the other longer end unsecured, and susceptible to vibration. It also looks like it touches the body at that end. Are you planning to add some rubber bulb seal?

Carlos

[David Hodgkins]

David:

I stand corrected on my previous comment. It looks amazing mounted on the car. My concern is that the piece is only attached at one end, leaving the other longer end unsecured, and susceptible to vibration. It also looks like it touches the body at that end. Are you planning to add some rubber bulb seal?

Carlos

Yeah, It has bulb seal on that side. It's under a small amount of tension (more so with the bulb seal on) and the air will be pushing it into the body so I don't anticipate any problems. I'll probably shoot a gopro vid at speed of the opening anyway after I install the new nose piece.

:)

[David Hodgkins]

Yesterday started out with me installing the hood again to check the clearance between the hood hinge and the new shroud. Once it was mounted, I took some quick shots:

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=48496&d=1449847158

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=48494&d=1449847156

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=48481&d=1449847147

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=48482&d=1449847148

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=48484&d=1449847149

OK so that looks just about as good as I could have hoped for.

continued...

[David Hodgkins]

Now if it turns out that the hood wont close, well, I don't know what I was thinking as an alternative at that point. Just stay positive, right? So I closed the hood, SLOWLY...

And it closed. The hood wasn't bulging, so far so good. The only way to know for sure though is to get some shots from under the hood so I got her lifted up and stuck my hand up from below with the ol' cell phone and got these shots.

Passenger side:

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=48486&d=1449847151

That looks great! Lot's of clearance. And the Driver's side?:

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=48488&d=1449847152

Ooh. No Bueno. It's just(?) touching. Well, maybe once the shroud is screwed down all the way maybe that will create a gap. Alternatively, I think the other option is to alter the shape of the hood mount arm. But before that happens, I had to pull shroud out so I could apply the sharkhide. Once it was out I got some "before" pics of the upper rad area:

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=48500&d=1449847162

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=48499&d=1449847161

Don't ask me why, but that last shot reminds me of a kid with braces. I know, I know, don't ask.

I needed access to the under-bench area to get to the bulb seal so after a few shots of the shroud I did a quick bench cleanup...

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=48497&d=1449847159

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=48501&d=1449847163

...and "finished" the piece. At some point in the future I'll probably Por15 the back. I gotta say, I think this is my best custom piece so far:

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=48507&d=1449847170

I unfortunately didn't get as much more done last night, as I encountered a rivnut issue that stopped me dead in my tracks during final assembly when one of them fell apart while I was installing the screw. I had put in some late hours already this week so even though it was only 7:30 I hung it up. So hopefully tonight.

I'll stop by the hardware store on my way to the shop and pick up some more rivnuts. Hopefully the shroud is done tonight and I can work on the truck cover panel.

[ehansen007]

Looks great! Lots of hard work has not got wasted my friend.

[pavieSD]

Great work Dave! It's looking really really sharp. Did you get the issue with the battery box and rear axle clearance figured out?

Mark

[David Hodgkins]

Great work Dave! It's looking really really sharp. Did you get the issue with the battery box and rear axle clearance figured out?

Mark

Yes, I removed the aluminum cover and stuck a standard cover on:
http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/showthread.php?13397-15th-Anniversary-MKIV-build-thread-Upper-Rad-Shroud-Engine-Turned&p=197736#post197736

:)

[carlewms]

David,

This shroud is truly a work of art. I really like the finish with the included stripes.

BTW I have had similar problems with the hardware store variety rivnuts and reverted to McMaster-Carr with excellent results. They have some with a slight hexagonal shape that won't spin in place when installing.

Carl

[David Hodgkins]

David,

This shroud is truly a work of art. I really like the finish with the included stripes.

BTW I have had similar problems with the hardware store variety rivnuts and reverted to McMaster-Carr with excellent results. They have some with a slight hexagonal shape that won't spin in place when installing.

Carl

Carl, thanks for the kind words. Great to know about ordering from McMaster-Carr. I definitely had that problem during the last install. I hope I can get them all in tonight so I can move on the the trunk lid block off plate...

:)

[WIS89]

Dave-

The shroud looks great! I really like how you continued your stripes throughout the car; makes it really very sharp looking!

I was curious if you would consider sharing the drawings for this piece.

Also, and it is probably too late for this piece anyway, but I wanted to let you know that POR-15 has a clear product. I have no personal experience with it yet, but if it is like all their other stuff, it should be great. I know you are into using shark hide throughout, but I just wanted to share the info about the POR-15.

Great build, and I appreciate you sharing so much of it with us!

Regards,

Steve

[Carlos C]

David:

I'd like to echo Carl's advice on the rivnuts. I've used the auto part store and Harbor Freight variety, with mixed results. Once I started using higher quality units from McMaster Carr and Grainger, I've had much better results. Just remember that they come in aluminum and steel. You choose the material of the rivnut, depending on the material they're going into.

I hope I can put that much level of detail onto my build as you have put onto yours.

Carlos

[KDubU]

Beautiful work as always David. This roadster is truly a work of art.

[David Hodgkins]

Dave-

The shroud looks great! I really like how you continued your stripes throughout the car; makes it really very sharp looking!

I was curious if you would consider sharing the drawings for this piece.

Also, and it is probably too late for this piece anyway, but I wanted to let you know that POR-15 has a clear product. I have no personal experience with it yet, but if it is like all their other stuff, it should be great. I know you are into using shark hide throughout, but I just wanted to share the info about the POR-15.

Great build, and I appreciate you sharing so much of it with us!

Regards,

Steve

Steve I can give you the dimensions, yeah. I used paper and then 3 physical revisions to make the final piece, so I don't have any drawings per se. I've got the measurements written down at the shop, so I'll pick them up this afternoon and post them soon. Regarding Por15 clear, I was unaware of that. I'm definitely going to pick some up to test.



David:

I'd like to echo Carl's advice on the rivnuts. I've used the auto part store and Harbor Freight variety, with mixed results. Once I started using higher quality units from McMaster Carr and Grainger, I've had much better results. Just remember that they come in aluminum and steel. You choose the material of the rivnut, depending on the material they're going into.

I hope I can put that much level of detail onto my build as you have put onto yours.

Carlos

Carlos there is a Grainger nearby so I'll check them out. I might even change out what's currently installed at some point.



Beautiful work as always David. This roadster is truly a work of art.

Thanks Kyle, although scrolling through the other build threads tells me it's not the only one. There are some killer builds going on right now. Very humbling.

:)

[David Hodgkins]

So a quick followup to the rad shroud. After drilling out and re-installing a rivnut that failed, I tightened everything down and checked the hood alignment, which was way off. Since the rad shroud was tightened, I wanted to see if I had created enough clearance for the hood hinge arm so I took a few pics:
http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=48589&d=1450130700

Boy, that's close. Too close for comfort. Here's a close-up:

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=48590&d=1450130701

Here's a shot that ended up causing some more issues. I noticed that the hood was mounted to the extreme one side of the horizontal mounting holes:
http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=48588&d=1450130699

So I decided to loosen the mounting bolts and notch the forward hood hinge arm. I put the arm back in and aligned the hood from above. The driver's side corner right above the arm wouldn't drop to it's natural spot so I lifted the car again and took a few shots of the area:

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=48591&d=1450130701

Well that doesn't look right. Is that nut now hitting the arm?

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=48592&d=1450130702

Yep, the nut is RIGHT under the arm when the hood is loosely, but properly, aligned. UGH! So I took the front arm off again and extended the notch to clear the nut. Put it all back together and the hood fits perfectly. The hood mounting bolts ended up almost perfectly centered. Turns out it's pretty easy to get the hood to close to where it APPEARS to be aligned, but when viewed from below it can be seriously out of whack. I think this is the result of eyeballing the alignment and tightening the bolts with the hood open. When I released all the tension in the hinge and tightened it up from below the hood hinge definitely ended up in a different spot. Now I know where NOT to drill on any future shrouds I make!

Once that drama was solved I got around to installing a vent tube for the rear axle, which I had neglected to do during the build. The vent hole was simply covered with painter's tape. So I went down to the Ford dealer (after searching around town and NO ONE having one) and attempted to purchase a vent tube. Turns out I had to drive to another dealer 1/2 hr. away just to get the part. It wasn't what I was expecting. It looked like a little mini-breather. So I take it home and go to install - doesn't fit! Well that kinda figures. This isn't a stock axle, it's a Moser. Well this isn't too hard of a fix; just get an adapter. So off I go again to search for an adapter. Big name parts houses don't have it but one local non-franchised one can get me on same day so I order it and wait. It comes in a short time later and I take it back to the shop to install. This is what the vent and adapter look like:

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=48563&d=1450040876

I do a test fitting on the adapter and find that I can thread it in right up to the shoulder. That's pretty deep. Plus, it threaded in a little bit too easily. So I decided to wrap it with thread tap before installing. I put a dab of thread lock on the breather and mated it to the adapter and then threaded the whole thing into the axle. I'm not sure how far I needed to thread it in so I went in half way. It's not really tight, but it's not finger-loose either. Do you think this is engaged enough, or should I crank it down further? (Sorry for the rotated pic):

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=48564&d=1450040876

continued...

[David Hodgkins]

After that round-about I was running out of time but I did manage to mount the shoulder harness. Confounded cell phone camera really just can NOT deal with yellow! Believe me, it's not day-glo!:

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=48566&d=1450040878

What do you guys do with all the left over shoulder strap material? How do I cut it and burn the edges so it's nice and even? I just rolled it and cinched it down for now. I'm also considering getting a different set of shoulder harness clips, after noting that the Simpson ones are 2", not 3"...

:)

PS got the shifter ball in last night!

[CDXXVII]

Dave

With regards to the seat belt cross bar attachment. Not sure if it's "race" sanctioned but how about eliminating all that extra hardware and just attaching to the crossbar.

48606

[David Hodgkins]

Dave

With regards to the seat belt cross bar attachment. Not sure if it's "race" sanctioned but how about eliminating all that extra hardware and just attaching to the crossbar.

48606

That's a very good idea Marcel. I'll hook it up with that configuration tomorrow.

:)

[David Hodgkins]

Last night I test fit the shift knob and started work on engine turning the front nose shroud.

The nose shroud is thin gauge stainless steel instead of galvanized steel or aluminum. Galvanized steel (the typical flashing material others have used) is very "springy", meaning when you bend it and it and then let go it will return to it's original shape. This is required for my application because of the way the piece is installed. The problem is that you can't polish it. Plus, it can crease pretty easily if you're not careful. Aluminum on the other hand polishes up very nicely but if you bend it, it takes that shape. That won't work here. The thin (26?) gauge stainless steel has pretty good "memory", not as good as the galvanized but enough so that when I curl it into a ball to install, when I unfurl it inside the nose it should spring into place. I haven't tried installing it yet so I'm going out on a limb a bit with the polishing and engine turning before install. But I have curled the piece up and it does spring back almost all the way, which is more than I need for the install. If you don't get what I'm saying, I'll take pics during the install and then you'll see what I'm talking about.

Speaking of pics...

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=48630&d=1450278149

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=48631&d=1450278150

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=48632&d=1450278151

Here's the deal with engine turning the nose piece: it's too big for my jig. I can take a week or two and spend $$$ to have a new arm made up, plus add more wood to the jig to increase the work surface size. Or, I can try to get creative. I tried a small test where I set a test piece in the jig upside down and then engine turned, starting on the lower right corner and turning in an upward sweep, and worked right to left. I then flipped the piece over and then after carefully lining up the piece, I was able to "extend" the engine turning by starting in the turning the traditional way, in the upper left corner, sweeping down, and working left to right.

Confused yet?

Look at the last pic above. The piece is actually upside-down in the jig. I started in the lower right corner, swept up, and moved from right to left. You can see that there are parts of the piece to the right that aren't polished yet. After I finish the racing stripe, I'm going to flip the piece around and the polished parts will now be within reach to engine turn, starting in the upper left, sweeping down, moving left to right. If I align the piece correctly, I should be able to start in the upper left, sweep down, and blend into the existing pattern, moving left to right.

Theoretically.

I'll find out tonight if the theory works or not!

:)

[2bking]

David, you have amazing patience and it shows in your work. One needs to be challenged with the building of one of these cars to really appreciate the detail you have put into it. Is this going to be a show car or frequently driven? If its a show car, it should garner a lot of trophies.

[David Hodgkins]

David, you have amazing patience and it shows in your work. One needs to be challenged with the building of one of these cars to really appreciate the detail you have put into it. Is this going to be a show car or frequently driven? If its a show car, it should garner a lot of trophies.

Actually it started out as - and will remain - a driver. I just got a little carried away as we went on, especially after I figured out the whole engine turning thing. If it was a show car i would have kept with the original plan of a stack injected 427 stroker. My brother has been incredibly patient with me and has green-lighted every suggestion. I'll admit I kicked it up a notch to take advantage of the plate it's going to have. A Bruin building the ultimate TROJAN car. Who'da thunk it? Ultimately though, the care I'm putting in is a direct reflection of the thankfulness I feel that he survived a horrific accident 9 years ago and is still here. He has developed other medical stuff during the build that has me worried so I'm rushing to get the car done so he can enjoy it. We never know how long we have on this planet do we? The current drive plan is 95% cruising with some auto-x and track days thrown in once in a while.

Thanks for the compliment, brother. I think your fabricating skills are better than mine though. You're flip-top Coyote build is truly amazing! (http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/showthread.php?11097-King-s-MK4-Coyote-Build)

:)

[David Hodgkins]

"How'd I do?" asked the little jig.

That'll do jig, that'll do.

http://ffroadster.com/images/15thAnniBuild/NoseShroud/IMG_4731.JPG

http://ffroadster.com/images/15thAnniBuild/NoseShroud/IMG_4730.JPG

http://ffroadster.com/images/15thAnniBuild/NoseShroud/IMG_4727.JPG

:)

[David Hodgkins]

I'm so stoked.

The front shroud and trunk lid plate were installed last night and look killer. Let get right to it.

First thing I did was give the shroud a good cleaning and then coated it with sharkhide. I set the piece on some 2x4's so it was up off the work table and after soaking a single shop towel in sharkhide I coated the piece with one slow swipe. That's the thing with sharkhide. You want to have a SOAKED shop towel and apply it in a single swipe. Then open all the doors 'cause this stuff REAKS as it flashes off. I then added the bulb seal, trimmed the corners to match the bulb seal and got it ready for install:

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=48689&d=1450450513

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=48691&d=1450450514

First thing you do it roll it up into a ball:

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=48692&d=1450450515

...and then just lay it in the nose, making sure you clear the opening so it can unfurl:

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=48693&d=1450450515

...and then you just tuck the front down under the body and line up the stripes...

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=48694&d=1450450516

...and you're almost done! I decided to add three 1/8" rivets after all, to hold the nose stripe in place. The piece just unfurls and lays up against the factory aluminum.

The money shot:

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=48700&d=1450450521

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=48697&d=1450450518

continued...

[David Hodgkins]

...continued...

After the shroud was installed I turned my attention to the trunk lid block off plate. For this piece I first drilled 6 holes in it and then just bent it by hand, using several test fittings until the piece had a shape close to the opening shape:

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=48708&d=1450450528

I then drilled out a single hole and clecko'd the piece in place:

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=48711&d=1450450531

I could tell that the piece was a little "fat" on one side so I trimmed it up a little with the bandsaw until I could line up the piece. I then lined it up and drilled out the second hole. Used a clecko to hold it in place...:

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=48713&d=1450450532

And drilled out the rest of the holes.

Now that the mock up was done I cleaned up the piece and got the 'ol sharkhide back out...

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=48709&d=1450450529

Another soaking and a single swipe later I had my finished piece:

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=48710&d=1450450530

And here it is installed:

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=48714&d=1450450533

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=48718&d=1450450537

[Carlos C]

Absolutely beautiful!

Carlos

[David Hodgkins]

Absolutely beautiful!

Carlos

I'm pretty happy with it, to say the least. I had a picture in my head and I knew I had to try it. The stainless worked out great. much stiffer than the galvanized, but still nice and "springy".

Her's a few more. I got to get it out in the sun!!

http://ffroadster.com/images/15thAnniBuild/NoseShroud/IMG_4768.JPG

http://ffroadster.com/images/15thAnniBuild/NoseShroud/IMG_4769.JPG

http://ffroadster.com/images/15thAnniBuild/NoseShroud/IMG_4770.JPG

http://ffroadster.com/images/15thAnniBuild/NoseShroud/IMG_4771.JPG

:)

[68GT500MAN]

I believe that many more HB awards will be in your brothers hands in the future! The roadster looks amazing, job well done my friend.
Doug

[David Hodgkins]

Thanks Doug, BTW are you still looking for some engine turned pieces? send me a PM and let's get started!

:)

[wallace18]

Car looks amazing!

[WIS89]

Hey Dave-

Have you considered doing the same to a mesh screen in front of the oil cooler opening? I think you could pull it off, and I think it could look pretty sharp.

Just a thought...

Regards,

Steve

[David Hodgkins]

Hey Dave-

Have you considered doing the same to a mesh screen in front of the oil cooler opening? I think you could pull it off, and I think it could look pretty sharp.

Just a thought...

Regards,

Steve

I've been trying to picture what you mean, but I'm not sure I could pull it off. I will be looking for some mest for the openings though so I'll keep that idea in mind.

:)

[David Hodgkins]

I finally got a chance to take some pics in the sun today. I'm pretty much ready to graduate. Think I should wait for plates?

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=49168&d=1451252622

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=49174&d=1451252627

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=49173&d=1451252626

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=49187&d=1451252637

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=49200&d=1451252650

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=49188&d=1451252638

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=49192&d=1451252642

[David Hodgkins]

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=49169&d=1451252623

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=49167&d=1451252622

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=49197&d=1451252647

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=49186&d=1451252636

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=49178&d=1451252630

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=49162&d=1451252619

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=49163&d=1451252619

[WIS89]

Dave-

She looks outstanding!! Really nice job. I really like the whole USC theme too.

Your brother has to be pretty much over the moon about this, right?

Congratulations on wrapping things up, and appreciate you sharing the build. So, what's next? (Too soon?)

Regards,

Steve

[David Hodgkins]

Dave-

She looks outstanding!! Really nice job. I really like the whole USC theme too.

Your brother has to be pretty much over the moon about this, right?

Congratulations on wrapping things up, and appreciate you sharing the build. So, what's next? (Too soon?)

Regards,

Steve

There are a couple of ideas floating around for 2016. One is that there may be an unbuilt kit available fairly soon. Don't want to really talk about that unless it presents itself. If that happens I'd sell my MKIII to cover building costs of this kit.

Another idea is to build-to-suit a car, at which point I would become a vendor.

A 3rd idea is to produce some of the pieces I created for this build; ie upper fan shroud, nose shroud, firewall, dash and cubby wall kits, again as a vendor. I'm also going to produce some 818 door inserts, as well as anything else someone want for their GTM, coupe or hot rod builds.

There is nothing left to do on this build except registration and some lay-in carpet for the cubby and trunk. I might try doing a cover for the trunk box, maybe not.

And finally, I'd like to go back my 1st build and complete it. It's still missing splash guards, footbox fan hoses, radiator shroud, etc.

:)

[2bking]

Very nice work David, congratulations. You put a lot of detail and bling in it and your brother should be very proud to own it.

[carlewms]

David,

You set a very high bar for quality, style and detail.

Would you consider a detailed tutorial on polishing and the other engine finish?

Carl

[David Hodgkins]

David,

You set a very high bar for quality, style and detail.

Would you consider a detailed tutorial on polishing and the other engine finish?

Carl

Absolutely. I'll dig up an old thread detailing the polishing. EDIT here's a link to a thread I just created on how to polish panels:
How I polish aluminum panels (just one technique of many) (http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/showthread.php?19737-How-I-polish-aluminum-panels-(just-one-technique-of-many))

For the engine turning I posted a thread earlier this year showing the process. Here is the thread:
I engine turned my firewall and here's how I did it (http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/showthread.php?15921-I-engine-turned-my-firewall-and-here-s-how-I-did-it)

:)

[Carlos C]

Hey, David:

Maybe it's my iPad, but your engine turning link doesn't seem to be working. What post number was it?

Unrelated request: Could you please move my build thread to the Coupe Build section?

Thank you, sir. And still amazed by the level of detail you applied to your build. Thank you for sharing it with us, and hope to see another one from you soon.

Carlos

[David Hodgkins]

Hey, David:

Maybe it's my iPad, but your engine turning link doesn't seem to be working. What post number was it?

Unrelated request: Could you please move my build thread to the Coupe Build section?

Thank you, sir. And still amazed by the level of detail you applied to your build. Thank you for sharing it with us, and hope to see another one from you soon.

Carlos

Carlos, thanks for the heads-up. The link is fixed. Also, your thread has been moved.

I'm hoping to do another soon!

:)

[Jeff Kleiner]

Simply outstanding!

Jeff

[KDubU]

Just wow! Very nicely done David. You should be proud of an awesome build and the car looks fantastic.

[carlewms]

David,

Thanks so much for posting the links on the "how to". I too am a user of SharkHide, but have struggled getting a good clear application ...now I know what I was doing wrong.

[David Hodgkins]

David,

Thanks so much for posting the links on the "how to". I too am a user of SharkHide, but have struggled getting a good clear application ...now I know what I was doing wrong.

Glad I could help!

:)

[David Hodgkins]

I'm waiting for a DMV issue to work itself out but I couldn't wait any longer for...

GRADUATION!
http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/showthread.php?19833-Graduation-Time!-7471RD-quot-TROJAN-quot

:)

[David Hodgkins]

Quick update: STILL waiting for Sacramento to ship out a duplicate certificate of sequence! I'm really cutting it too close for making the 1/26 BAR appointment!

:(

[David Hodgkins]

The duplicate Certificate Of Sequence has not arrived and the BAR appointment has been moved to 2/4/2016.

Grrr...

[bansheekev]

I feel your pain. I am still waiting for the title, registration, and plate for a trailer I bought on 11/15 in Northern California. Nothing yet - arggg....

Kevin

[David Hodgkins]

Well the Certificate of Sequence FINALLY CAME! My 3rd attempt at a BAR appointment was yesterday morning so I'll call this AM to set up yet another.

I've moved TROJAN back home so that I can get some work done on ol' 5369. TROJAN is a people MAGNET on the road! I can't wait until this reg. process is over so my bro and I can put some miles on!

:)

[David Hodgkins]

I feel your pain. I am still waiting for the title, registration, and plate for a trailer I bought on 11/15 in Northern California. Nothing yet - arggg....

Kevin

Kevin the California DMV Registration line is 916-657-8035. Call them and get a status update.

:)

[Georg]

Hi David, congratulation for your final registration of the Trojan! Wish you and your bro always a safe drive. Hope to catch up one day,
Georg

[David Hodgkins]

Hi David, congratulation for your final registration of the Trojan! Wish you and your bro always a safe drive. Hope to catch up one day,
Georg

Georg!

GREAT to hear from you! I hope all is well and although our "arrangement" didn't work out, I am working on getting my MKIII ready to sell so I can move on to the next big build! It just won't be a 20th anniversary car... :(
http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/showthread.php?19913-Going-to-put-my-MKIII-up-for-sale-This-is-my-quot-prep-quot-thread

I've set up another BAR appointment for this Tuesday (2/16) and then we will be ready for plates!

I hope you find a way to the 'States soon; would love to hoist a few beverages with you. Keep the dream alive brother!

:)

[ehansen007]

The duplicate Certificate Of Sequence has not arrived and the BAR appointment has been moved to 2/4/2016.

Grrr...

No matter how hard I tried, San Clemente still did not believe I needed a sequence number for SMOG. I had to get another appointment just to go in there and force them to call the BAR to confirm. Sounds like I'll need to bug Sacramento as well to actually get it processed. Oh well, still getting the top end re assembled while I wait for the mediocre efforts of the state to get something done. :) Congrats Chewie.

[David Hodgkins]

No matter how hard I tried, San Clemente still did not believe I needed a sequence number for SMOG. I had to get another appointment just to go in there and force them to call the BAR to confirm. Sounds like I'll need to bug Sacramento as well to actually get it processed. Oh well, still getting the top end re assembled while I wait for the mediocre efforts of the state to get something done. :) Congrats Chewie.

So they were able to assign you the cert? If you receive it in the mail soon I have a number for you to call.

:)

[myjones]

Raising the bar
David
I went to the KC world of Wheels show yesterday. There was a nice collection of Cobra replicas in "the Snake Pit" several FF's and a couple other brands as well.
The one thing that they all had in common was the unfinished look inside the nose of the car. The piece you made for the anni coupe has raised the bar and I will
never be able to look at one again without thinking this car needs one of those to look finished.
Well done
DB

[David Hodgkins]

DB,

Thanks man! I'm currently in the middle of making one for my MKIII:

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=50538&d=1455168697

...and yes I will be making more to sell as a vendor.

:)

[David Hodgkins]

Today's the day! We have a 7am appointment with the BAR referee. If all goes well it will be the last stop before getting plates from the DMV.

:)

[Jeff Kleiner]

Good luck Man!

Jeff

[David Hodgkins]

FAILED.

What's wrong with this picture?

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=45152&d=1441604197

Hint:

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=50737&d=1455645578

:(

[myjones]

Did they want the gas vapors from the fuel tank to be routed into the intake manifold?
Dale

[WIS89]

Dave-

They didn't like the rumble seat? Looks like he can be pretty comfortable back there...

Regards,

Steve

[68GT500MAN]

You are missing the hose from the air cleaner to a breather cap.
Doug

[Jeff Kleiner]

What Doug said. They don't want the crankcase to breathe to atmosphere.

Jeff

[David Hodgkins]

You are missing the hose from the air cleaner to a breather cap.
Doug


What Doug said. They don't want the crankcase to breathe to atmosphere.

Jeff

Ding Ding Ding.

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=26351&d=1392764443

[ehansen007]

You forgot the PCV valve!??? Rookie!! LOL. Wait to you see the POS I"m rigging up for my appointment!! Looks like something Clark Griswold or Willy Wonka would think up.

[David Hodgkins]

You forgot the PCV valve!??? Rookie!! LOL. Wait to you see the POS I"m rigging up for my appointment!! Looks like something Clark Griswold or Willy Wonka would think up.

I didn't forget the PCV valve. You can see it it in the pic above. I forgot to have a sealed breather on the other side with a hose back to the air cleaner.

[David Hodgkins]

I had another problem show up while driving to and from the appointment. When applying the brakes at a very low speed, say 5 mph, there is an alarming loud moan and high frequency shudder coming from the front brakes. I believe anti-moan brackets are used on some production cars for this. I've got larger PBR front brakes that were supplied with the kit. What do you think it could be?

:)

[68GT500MAN]

Have you taken the time to bed the brakes?
Doug

[edwardb]

I had another problem show up while driving to and from the appointment. When applying the brakes at a very low speed, say 5 mph, there is an alarming loud moan and high frequency shudder coming from the front brakes. I believe anti-moan brackets are used on some production cars for this. I've got larger PBR front brakes that were supplied with the kit. What do you think it could be? :)

I believe factory anti-moan brackets are only available for the rear brakes. They bolt to the back of the main caliper bracket and mount to the axle tube with a u-bolt. If the sound is coming from the front brakes, something else is happening. I had PBR's on my Mk3 and never heard anything from them. Something loose? Right pads? There are insulation pads or compound available for the pads. But maybe they just need to break in as mentioned.

[WIS89]

Dave-

They make an anti-moan compound or disc brake compound (or similar), which I think is what Paul is referring to. It is essentially an adhesive that helps seal the brake pads to the caliper so it doesn't cause the vibration that can happen. Any auto parts store or even Walmart carries it. I think I would start with that, and since you have to get at the brakes to do it, a visual inspection might reveal something else that may have been overlooked. Good luck!

Regards,

Steve

[David Hodgkins]

I've only lightly bedded the brakes (several full force stops from 30-0). I obviously need to do a visual inspection but I'll definitely try bedding the brakes better and then try that anti-moan compound if it persists.

Gotta say, it was pretty un-nerving the first time I felt it. It felt like the brakes refused to grab.

Mike Forte (http://www.fortesparts.com/)came through once again and a new breather and air cleaner elbow are on their way . I'll document how that goes together before the next BAR appointment on 2/24, a week from today.

Thanks guys,

:)

[ehansen007]

I didn't forget the PCV valve. You can see it it in the pic above. I forgot to have a sealed breather on the other side with a hose back to the air cleaner.

Same difference! Rookie! :) I'm just kidding. I was missing both the first time I went.

As for the brakes, make sure you don't have a pad in backwards. It happens to the best of them.

[jceckard]

I had the same shudder and moan when I last replaced the brakes on my daily driver. New ceramic pads and new rotors. I thought I had bed them in well enough. I took it back out on the highway and laid on the brakes a few times from 60-ish. I made sure no one was behind me ;). Did that a few times and haven't heard or felt anything since.

[David Hodgkins]

I had the same shudder and moan when I last replaced the brakes on my daily driver. New ceramic pads and new rotors. I thought I had bed them in well enough. I took it back out on the highway and laid on the brakes a few times from 60-ish. I made sure no one was behind me ;). Did that a few times and haven't heard or felt anything since.

I'll try to re-bed the brakes today. I will be bringing the car to the shop to install the new breather and air hose I got from Mike Forte this afternoon. The part that attaches to the air cleaner is a 90 degree port and I have to pick up some tubing from the local hose company. The new BAR appointment is tomorrow at 7AM. Here's hoping this is FINALLY the last step before registration!

:)

[68GT500MAN]

Dave,
Make sure that the hose you get is fuel rated, the BAR up here started failing builds due to people using any hose that would fit and NOT fuel rated.
Doug

[David Hodgkins]

Dave,
Make sure that the hose you get is fuel rated, the BAR up here started failing builds due to people using any hose that would fit and NOT fuel rated.
Doug

The Ref was very specific about that, mentioning it several times. So yes, I'll make sure the hose is fuel rated. Great tip!

:)

[frankeeski]

The Ref was very specific about that, mentioning it several times. So yes, I'll make sure the hose is fuel rated. Great tip!

:)

Fuel rated is NOT what you are looking for, the hose must be EMISSIONS rated hose. Most emissions rated hose will also be fuel rated. All fuel hose is not emissions rated. Be careful.

[David Hodgkins]

Fuel rated is NOT what you are looking for, the hose must be EMISSIONS rated hose. Most emissions rated hose will also be fuel rated. All fuel hose is not emissions rated. Be careful.

Yep, will make note of that when purchasing today. Thanks Frank!

:)

[68GT500MAN]

Since my local NAPA only carries emissions compliant fuel hose I forgot to mention that. I just did not want you to buy a vacuum or heater hose and fail again. Frank, thanks for the clarification.
Doug

[David Hodgkins]

Since my local NAPA only carries emissions compliant fuel hose I forgot to mention that. I just did not want you to buy a vacuum or heater hose and fail again. Frank, thanks for the clarification.
Doug

I was going to go to the local hose place but I think I'll check out NAPA first.

Thanks Doug!

:)

[WIS89]

Dave-

I hope it goes well in the morning! I look forward to hearing that it is all good to go.

Regards,

Steve

[David Hodgkins]

After the car failed the first BAR exam I contacted Mike Forte to get the proper fittings. He sent me a pic of the two options he had in stock for sealed breathers:

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=50791&d=1455728721

I went with the chrome (duh) and he also sent out an air filter right angle fitting to make sure the hose wouldn't kink. He made sure to tell me to use rivets instead of the screws as the screws have a reputation for loosening and then being ingested by the engine! Once I got the package on Monday night I compared the fitting with what the air breather had and went to NAPA to pick up 2 feet of 1/2" ID PCV/ EEC hose. It came out of a box and had a nice curve already built in so I decided to do without the right angle fitting. Once that was in the car was ready to go.

This AM we were up before dawn to drive to the 7AM appointment:

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=51007&d=1456334202

I drove separately so that I could split after to go to work. As Phil exited the freeway I noticed he was having some trouble but he managed to make it to the inspection station. He parked it in front and since we were a little early we headed out to get a quick bite before inspection. Once we got back I went to move the car to the garage and found that it wouldn't shift! I quick call to Mike Forte confirmed what I was thinking: a limiting bolt on the shifter had probably backed out and was preventing the shifter from working. Unfortunately the shifter boot was installed and would have to be cut out to get to the limiting bolts. That stupid trim ring had taken over an HOUR to install! Grrr! So I borrowed a dull packing knife from the inspector and hacked out the boot. Sure enough, the bolt HAD backed out:

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=51008&d=1456334202

OK so now I'll have to spend another hour putting in a new boot but guess what?!?!

WE PASSED!!

I even got the inspector to put the sticker of the 2x2 frame under the steering wheel instead of on the firewall! YES!

That drama over, I headed off to work and Phil is on his way to the DMV to GET PLATES!! WOOHOO!!!

After a week or so to give the paperwork a chance to be integrated into the DMV system we'll go to AAA and get the plates switched to TROJAN and order another set in classic black and yellow.

We're over the hump and LEGAL!

:)

[dougski]

Deep sigh and congratulations to you and your brother David!

[MPTech]

Congrats! Drama over, Now enjoy!

[flynntuna]

Congrats! See you at HB?

[David Hodgkins]

Deep sigh and congratulations to you and your brother David!

Thanks!


Congrats! Drama over, Now enjoy!

U Bet!


Congrats! See you at HB?

Count on it!

:)

[bansheekev]

David, if you need another boot (the one that comes with the MKIV kit) I have one for the cost of shipping from NorCal you can have...

Kevin

Congratulations btw...

[David Hodgkins]

David, if you need another boot (the one that comes with the MKIV kit) I have one for the cost of shipping from NorCal you can have...

Kevin

Congratulations btw...

Thanks Kevin. I was on the phone with FFR at the appointment and a new boot is already on it's way. Thanks for the offer though!

:)

[David Hodgkins]

BTW my brother is at the DMV as I mentioned earlier. He LEFT to get a sandwich and they called his number. So he had to get a NEW number and is waiting again!!

:(

[68GT500MAN]

Doesn't it feel good to leave the BAR with the white sticker attached? Looking forward to seeing the car at the beach in April.
Doug

[Jeff Kleiner]

Good on ya'! Congrats to you both :)

Jeff

[David Hodgkins]

It's official! My brother left the DMV with plates!

He is going to go to AAA tomorrow to submit paperwork to do the plate exchange.

I can't believe it's "done". We still want to put in some more carpet and a tonneau cover but I've now officially built two cars.

It kinda hurts when you don't stretch first before patting yourself on the back!

:)

[WIS89]

Dave-

Awesome news. Now your brother is going to unleash the Trojan on the state of California!

Great feeling, but a really awesome car! I hope he gets years of trouble free fun from her.

Congratulations again.

Regards,

Steve

[David Hodgkins]

Thanks Steve. It's been a real pleasure and a big learning curve once again. I mean I learned a TON on this build.

I have a bit of good news. Phil is at AAA getting the plates switched from the generic ones to TROJAN. He's also putting in the order for the black ones. Awesome.

The car has a leak coming from the rear. Either I didn't seal it correctly, or I didn't seal it correctly(!) ;)

It also needs a Tonneau cover and some more lay-in carpet for the trunk, cubby and glove compartment. Oh, and a shift boot too, natch.

:)

[Jeff Kleiner]

...Oh, and a shift boot too, natch.

:)

I've still got a couple of leftover ones; just say the word (and PM the address) and it's yours :)

Jeff

[David Hodgkins]

I've still got a couple of leftover ones; just say the word (and PM the address) and it's yours :)

Jeff

PM sent! Thanks!

:)

[David Hodgkins]

My bro Phil says the black plates should be available for pickup NEXT WEEK! I can't wait to get those on!

I don't know if I've mentioned this or not in this thread, but I'm currently doing a "refresh" of my MKIII to get it ready for sale. I'm going the the BAR next week to get the spcn sticker moved to the frame from the firewall. Then I'm going to pull the body off and replicate most of the engine turning that I did on this build on that car and plan to have it finished before the HB show at the end of April:

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/showthread.php?19913-MKIII-5369-quot-Refresh-quot-Thread-Footbox-fresh-air-vent-install

If you're into build threads, check it out!

:)

[Jazzman]

Appearantly he is far too humble to tell you himself, but yesterday this amazing 15th anniversary build took 2nd place in the "Best of Show" competition at the FFR 9th Annual Huntington Beach Cruise In! Congratulations to David's brother Phil for taking home the hardware, and congratulations to David Hodgkins for proving he is truly a great brother and for recieving the well earned recognition for a truly inspiring build!

[Bdmac58]

Congratulations! Well deserved!

[David Hodgkins]

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=53465&d=1462194805
(Pic by Freddie Hebert)

Kevin (Jazzman),

Thanks for the shout out. Yes, we did earn 2nd place best in show on Saturday. My brother took the trophies (car and shiny plastic thing) home after the show so I didn't get a pic.

Can you believe it? The plate are STILL being made and so TROJAN had no plates at the show. Oh well...

I did hear one cool story at the show. Apparently a guy was there trying to decide which color blue he was going to paint his roadster. After he saw TROJAN he was seriously considering yellow! I don't know if I mentioned this yet or not, but I wasn't wild about the idea of a cardinal and yellow roadster. But I have to admit, I LOVE the combo now!

Thanks to all who came to the show and had kind words for the car. It was definitely a labor of love to build!

:)

[wallace18]

Congrats!

[WIS89]

Awesome; congrats Dave!

I have to confess that if someone described your paint plans, I wouldn't have been all that enthusiastic. However, after seeing her done, Trojan looks awesome, and I really like the colors!

Congratulations on the recognition.

Regards,

Steve

[Mark Dougherty]

well done Dave
well done

[Carlos C]

Congrats, David! In the end, being a perfectionist always pays off.

Carlos

[ehansen007]

I uh m-bopped you out of 1st in Roadster. Shooby do wop. :rolleyes:

[rmiller64]

Great to see in person David and Phil. Congrats on the award

[David Hodgkins]

I never acknowledged the HB show kudos from you guys so thank you, it was an honor to win and it was great meeting some of you! :)

I've noticed that this thread continues to accumulate hits (which is a GOOD thing!)

If anyone visiting has a question or comment please feel free to ask it here or send me a PM! :)

We've had a run of bad luck getting the TROJAN plate reassigned from another car (Kinda out of my hands...) but as soon as that happens I'll post a nice pictorial...

:)

[David Hodgkins]

I'm prepping the car this week to show in the FFR booth at Barrett Jackson. FINALLY mounted the plate, although it's just for show at the moment:

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=78839&d=1515433717

After Barrett-Jackson it will be shipped to the Grand National Roadster Show in the FFR truck.

:)

[Jazzman]

Does this mean that you will be going to the Barrett Jackson next week, or is just the car coming? IF you have not already been to this show, it is something not to be missed for the car enthusiast!! Let me know if you are coming. Perhaps I can buy you that beer I owe you!!!

PS: Does your comment mean that the "Trojan" plate is still not actually assigned to this car?!! Wow, California does take their own sweet time!!

[cgundermann]

Awesome - looking good!

Chris

[Straversi]

A well deserved honor. Congrats.

Are you ready to part ways with it if someone with a fat wallet just has to have it?

-Steve

[David Hodgkins]

Kevin,

I won't be there. As far as the plate goes, I can't control what my brother does.

Chris and Steve, thanks for the Kudos. It's a very nice car.


Are you ready to part ways with it if someone with a fat wallet just has to have it?


Absolutely. My brother isn't driving it. It needs a new home IMO.

:)

[Jazzman]

I saw "Trojan" today at the Barrett Jackson. I've said it before, I will say it again, that is an absolutely stunning car! I am still impressed by your engine turning. It still looks great! Every facet of the car is well thought out, well done! Thanks for sharing it with us in this forum, and with the world at the Barrett Jackson Auction. Thanks to Factory Five for sharing your work with the world as well.

[David Hodgkins]

Thanks Kevin!

If anyone can take some pics of it in the booth it would be awesome! I'd love to have pics of it there for posterity.

:)

[Jazzman]

Thanks Kevin!

If anyone can take some pics of it in the booth it would be awesome! I'd love to have pics of it there for posterity.

:)

I will be back there Tuesday. I will be sure to take some shots of it then.

[Vette1972]

David,

Found your build thread today on Trojan. Outstanding! Super job and it must have been tons of work. Thanks for sharing the process.

Len

[AZPete]

Here ya go.
Trojan really commands attention at the FFR booth at Barrett-Jackson!!

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=79345&d=1516076151

. . . especially when you see the dash!
http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=79347&d=1516076950

[David Hodgkins]

Pete, Awesome shots! Thanks!!

Hey, how about anyone that takes a POM of TROJAN gets to keep the $250 Cert from Factory Five.

:)

[SerpantFL]

David, Just stunning. You set the bar high up there... Nice work...

[David Hodgkins]

Bump for someone researching big-guy builds...

:)