Boss 427 Build

[Boydster]

So I've decide to do a build thread. I'm also working on a website for my friends and family that aren't forum-ites. I want to be able to share and discuss with all of you since this will most likely be my only build.

I'm calling my car a Boss427. I know there's no such thing, but it's a Boss 351 bored and stroked to a 427, and it's not really a Cobra, so why not?

I've been a F5 fan for years. I've had a build manual since the MKIII. I've been building a Dream Spreadsheet for 2 years. Been on the forum longer than that. It's been a long time coming, but I wanted to have the finances in order before starting so I wouldn't get 1/2 way through and run out of money. I am planning on everything brand new... nothing rebuilt.

My plan for the car... Some old skool with a modern twist. A car thats cool and fun to drive that looks like a Cobra.
For running gear, the basics are a Ford crate 427 X-head, TKO600 mid shift and a Moser 3.55 3 link rear. I chose the FMS 427X because I wanted a classic V8 appearance and like the low revving torquey aspects of this engine. I chose the lower HP X head to keep things somewhat under control but also have the ability to upgrade later if I want to. A simple cyl head change could go over 500hp. Chose the 3 link rear because I like simple and strong. Some other things are custom Speedhut gauges, dual SS rollbars, no rear bumpers, full LED lighting with some pretty cool mods. Installing wipers, but no heater. I question the need for a heater in an open roadster (I know my buddy's old TR6 did not need a heater... we froze with it on full blast). I will be installing electric ports for heated gear if it's needed. So you get the idea...

I finally placed my order on Feb 1. I had called F5 beforehand and asked what their current build time was... they said 4-5 weeks. So I placed the order and got a return email in about 10 minutes that my car would be ready to ship in 10 days. Holy smokes. Got to get ready. Started ordering tools and the basics I would need to get through suspension and aluminum.

One of the first items that showed up was my wheels. I'm running American Racing AR105M Anthracite Torq Thrusts in the 17x9 and 17x10.5. Those back wheels are huge.
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But i questioned if they will fit over the big Wilwoods from F5. In the next week, the brakes showed up and then the rear from Moser. So of course I had to get started! Happy to report that the rear wheels fit great over the brakes.
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Trying to do what I can before the car arrives... assemble and safety the front brake rotors. A cool tool I have for work is a safety cable crimper instead of twisting safety wire. It's much more reliable, quicker and consistent. The crimper is also calibrated, so it requires a threshold level of torque to strip the crimp off the end of the cable. In this case, it requires 70 in/lbs. Doesn't sound like much, but this pretty much guarantees that the bolts wont back out on their own. This type of safety is very common on todays jet engines.
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One other item that arrived is my VPM 3rd link support bars. This engine makes a nice amount of torque (over 500 ft/lbs), and like I said, I want to build it strong. Those pictures of bent banana brackets made me cautious. However, when the rear arrived, I discovered Moser chops the upper 4 link mounts, or ears, off the differential housing. So I cant use the VPM banana bracket support. Returned that, but will still use the 3rd link support bar.

Lots of other stuff coming in... tools, Breeze power steering rack, bushings, rear lower control arms. Howe ball joints, Moog tie rods. Rebco alignment tools, lug nuts & locks, etc. The pile is getting bigger.

So the car is supposed to show up today between 11 & 2. Driver said it depends on how he gets through New York. I guess you know what the next pics will be...

[GoDadGo]

Boydster,

I love those wheels and almost went with them, but I let my son pick the rims which I also like.

If you go with 255/40 17" up front they look great with 315/35 17" out back because it will give you a smidgen of rake since the 255/40's are a tad shorter than the 315's. That combo looks insanely mean since you've got so much tire on all four corners, but the fronts may rub the inner "F Panel" at lock to lock. I've got 245/45 17" and 285/40 17" and they have about the same amount of rake front to rear, but of course are a little taller and a little thinner.

In addition, I totally love the Boss 427 Emblem & wish I could find an emblem that is equally as cool, but plays of the 383 CID Motor that sits between my frame rails.

Have A Great Build!

Steve >> aka: GoDadGo

[Boydster]

Thanks Steve. I am planning on the 255 / 315 combo. Thinking Nitto NT05's.

The emblem... I had it custom made by www.billetbadges.com. A bit pricey, but one-of-a-kind. Its the first piece I bought for the car and probably the last piece I will install. Design and make your own!

[MPTech]

Sounds like a great Plan Boydster and how could anyone not love a BOSS 427? ;)
I was also torn on the wheels, the Torq Thrusts look great on these cars too. In the end I went with the Halibrands, but may go to Torq Thrusts one day. Like them both.
BTW, I just installed a set of 17" Mickey Thompsons on my wheels and really like them so far. I think they are comparable to the Kuhmos (no longer manufactured).

A couple thoughts, not knowing the gearing on your tranny, but the 3.55 may be good for a 302, but for that much hp & torque, I think a smaller rear gear would suit your setup better.
Also, I ran my roadster without a heater the first 2 years (I installed heated seats the second year). I installed a Vintage-Air heater, it was a pain, but I was glad I did it and it makes the ride more comfortable, taking off the cold morning chill. Also nice to stick your hands under the vent for a warm-up! Just saying.

[wareaglescott]

Looks like a great build. Look forward to following along. Nice touch with the extra website for the family and friends not on the forum!

Possibly the moderators could move this thread to the Roadster build thread section so it doesn't shuffle off the bottom of the page so quickly??

Enjoy delivery day! It sounds like a long time coming.

[Crawleyscobra]

Boyd,

First of all congrats on the order.

Second... Boss 427s do exist. It says so right on my Engine ID plate. ;)

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As for tire size my MK III has 255/40/R17 on the front and 315/35/R17 on the back with no rubbing issues. I've been running Goodyear F1 GSD3s, but now it's time for new tires and I am going with the Nitto NT05s

As for a heater I installed one and love it. I have a rag top and having the heater allows me to drive when ever it is a nice day no matter the temp. I've been out in 18* temp and had to turn the heater off once it got too hot inside.


Good luck and I look forward to watching your build.

[Boydster]

Sounds like a great Plan Boydster and how could anyone not love a BOSS 427? ;)
I was also torn on the wheels, the Torq Thrusts look great on these cars too. In the end I went with the Halibrands, but may go to Torq Thrusts one day. Like them both.
BTW, I just installed a set of 17" Mickey Thompsons on my wheels and really like them so far. I think they are comparable to the Kuhmos (no longer manufactured).

A couple thoughts, not knowing the gearing on your tranny, but the 3.55 may be good for a 302, but for that much hp & torque, I think a smaller rear gear would suit your setup better.
Also, I ran my roadster without a heater the first 2 years (I installed heated seats the second year). I installed a Vintage-Air heater, it was a pain, but I was glad I did it and it makes the ride more comfortable, taking off the cold morning chill. Also nice to stick your hands under the vent for a warm-up! Just saying.

I am planning on heated seats, although not mentioned earlier. I will rethink the heater plan, thanks.

[Boydster]

Boyd,

First of all congrats on the order.

Second... Boss 427s do exist. It says so right on my Engine ID plate. ;)

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As for tire size my MK III has 255/40/R17 on the front and 315/35/R17 on the back with no rubbing issues. I've been running Goodyear F1 GSD3s, but now it's time for new tires and I am going with the Nitto NT05s

As for a heater I installed one and love it. I have a rag top and having the heater allows me to drive when ever it is a nice day no matter the temp. I've been out in 18* temp and had to turn the heater off once it got too hot inside.


Good luck and I look forward to watching your build.

Holy smokes, I'd never seen that ID plate before. Fantastic!

Another vote for a heater... hmmm, got me thinking now.

[Boydster]

A couple thoughts, not knowing the gearing on your tranny, but the 3.55 may be good for a 302, but for that much hp & torque, I think a smaller rear gear would suit your setup better.


Thanks for the input. So what do you think... 3.27? 3.08?

I'm planning on the TKO600 5008 w/.64 OD from Forte

[GSides9]

I'm using the same trans in my coupe. With 3.73 gears. My 408 makes 510 hp with 540lb/ft of torque, not very far from yours. I like it that I don't have to slip the clutch at every start. I haven't gotten past 3rd gear yet, but 3000 rpm should be about 95mph. If you are going with fuel injection, that would influence the decision but not necessarily change it. Mine is carbureted. 1st gear speed at 2000 rpm- 15; 2nd gear- 22; 3rd- 31; 4th- 42; 5th- 61mph.

Glen

[Jeff Kleiner]

Thanks for the input. So what do you think... 3.27? 3.08?

I'm planning on the TKO600 5008 w/.64 OD from Forte

What is the first gear ratio?

Jeff

[Yama-Bro]

Congrats and good luck! That ID plate is awesome.

[wareaglescott]

Holy smokes, I'd never seen that ID plate before. Fantastic!

Another vote for a heater... hmmm, got me thinking now.

I originally was going to use a heater and ordered the FFR one with the kit. I mocked it up on the firewall and ultimately decided against it and went with heated seats. If you decide you want a heater I have one in the box I will make you a good deal on. The unit was mounted to the firewall but never used. All original parts back in the box.

[GSides9]

1st gear is 2.87.
And his tires should be 25.5" diameter, compared to mine at 26.1
What is the first gear ratio?

Jeff

[GoDadGo]

Thanks Steve. I am planning on the 255 / 315 combo. Thinking Nitto NT05's.

The emblem... I had it custom made by www.billetbadges.com. A bit pricey, but one-of-a-kind. Its the first piece I bought for the car and probably the last piece I will install. Design and make your own!

Thanks and I think that this may be my "Emblem Option" if I can come up with something witty!

Also, a friend of mine (Jerry) as a Type-65 (1st Generation) and had the NT05's on it. He could not drive the car if the roads were damp. Jerry now has a second set of wheels and tires and has mounted a set of INVO's on them and he loves them.

Please know that his car was a bit twitchy with the NT05's when it was dry and slicker than slippery excrement if the H2O began to fall so the NT05's are now only used for Auto Crossing!

NOTE: I've got the standard 555's on my daily driver and also on MK-4 project.

https://youtu.be/_wnHDNgnNqs

[Boydster]

1st gear is 2.87.
And his tires should be 25.5" diameter, compared to mine at 26.1

Yes, the 2.87 first gear. And yes, 25.5 diameter tire.

[Boydster]

#9042 is home.
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Backorder list is not too bad, but some things that will hold me back early on. 4 spring collars, upper steering shaft, wiring harness, manual rack (not using), front lower control arms, lower control arm flanged bolts, rollbar.

Time for inventory!! ;)

[Jeff Kleiner]

The 2.87 combined with the 3.55 rear will work well with an overall reduction of 10.1:1which will give you some "legs" in first. I'd feel differently if you had the 3.27 first gear which renders a really short 11.6:1 overall. You're gonna love second gear---that's where the party happens :)

Jeff

[Boydster]

I'm using the same trans in my coupe. With 3.73 gears. My 408 makes 510 hp with 540lb/ft of torque, not very far from yours. I like it that I don't have to slip the clutch at every start. I haven't gotten past 3rd gear yet, but 3000 rpm should be about 95mph. If you are going with fuel injection, that would influence the decision but not necessarily change it. Mine is carbureted. 1st gear speed at 2000 rpm- 15; 2nd gear- 22; 3rd- 31; 4th- 42; 5th- 61mph.

Glen

Thanks Glen. Yes, I am going Fuelie. Seems like I may still like the 3.55, but I'm still listening...

[Boydster]

The 2.87 combined with the 3.55 rear will work well with an overall reduction of 10.1:1which will give you some "legs" in first. I'd feel differently if you had the 3.27 first gear which renders a really short 11.6:1 overall. You're gonna love second gear---that's where the party happens :)

Jeff

Awesome. Thanks Jeff. Party in 2nd gear... I like that.

[GSides9]

As usual, I agree with Jeff. I'd expect your engine should run better with fuel injection at lower rpms than mine. Probably making that 3.55 gear the perfect choice, and it happens in second gear. If we picked the road racing overdrive ratio transmission, I'd be picking a different rear axle ratio too.

During our build we made quite a few access panels so we could get to things that I thought may need adjustments later on. Just one thing that makes every one unique.

Enjoy your build, Glen

[Boydster]

I originally was going to use a heater and ordered the FFR one with the kit. I mocked it up on the firewall and ultimately decided against it and went with heated seats. If you decide you want a heater I have one in the box I will make you a good deal on. The unit was mounted to the firewall but never used. All original parts back in the box.

Scott, while thinking this over, I decided it would be better to have a heater installed during the build and never need it, than it would be to not install one and need it when the build is complete.

Lets talk about the complete one you have... going to PM.

[jrcuz]

Boydster, thanks for the heads-up on your build thread. I will keep up on your build.
JR

[Boydster]

Finding things to do until the body comes off on Monday.

Inventory is done. I got 2 fuel level gauges and no water temp gauge. Got 2 power steering adapters and no manual one (need it cuz I'm swapping one with someone else). Thats it.

Started assembling shocks, found I'm missing the 2 snap rings for the front shocks (not an inventory item).

Sent emails about these minor items, nothing that will stop me for now.

[awd-turbo]

Get it man.... I am Brian (from facebook) I got a lot accomplished yesterday on my build.... I cant wait for yours to fire up here...

[Boydster]

Got some work done today. Got the body off for the first time, got all the aluminum marked, also marked for which panels get powdercoated on which side.
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Got all my steel pieces together for powdercoating, too. All the aluminum is now removed. Tomorrow starts marking, drilling and clecoing.
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[grluisi150]

Boyd
Good to see the Dolly and Body buck are coming I handy.
Gary

[Boydster]

Boyd
Good to see the Dolly and Body buck are coming I handy.
Gary

Most definitely! Thanks!

[Boydster]

Haven't been able to do too much this week. Fit the FFMetals .090 firewall, drilled and cleco'd all the front end aluminum. All of that and the steel parts are now at the powdercoater. Color is going to be hammered gray on the aluminum and gloss black, like the frame, on all the bare steel parts.

I'm deburring every hole, aluminum and steel. Everything sits nice n flat and there's no metal chips in between.

Setup all the rear suspension on the bench, got it ready to go in today. Might get started on the steering. If time smiles on me, I'll get going on the fuel tank. Going to ACE Hardware to get my Kleiner parts for the rear body bolts (note I said "body" and not "bumper").

Just some of the few things I can do while waiting for the F panels to come back so I can do the front suspension.

F5R made good on the 2 items I found wrong with my inventory, plus sent over 1/2 of the backordered items. Everything is falling into place so far.

I'll have some pics later of what I get done this weekend.

In the meantime, here's a kind of cool pic I took at work the other day...
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[Boydster]

Got some good work done Saturday. Moser rear installed and everything torqued in. Installed Breeze spherical bearing lower control arms. I like the adjustability and solid joints. I'll be keeping the F5R forged aluminum lower arms as backup if I decide I need the softer bushings.
Had a real issue with some of the steel locknuts in the kit. Some of them were evidently squeezed too far and made it near impossible to install. I was well over 100 ft/lbs just in running torque and it was starting to seriously deform the bolt threads. Some of the nuts worked just fine. I replaced the bad ones with some gr 8 nylon locknuts. I'll keep an eye on em.

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Installed the Breeze power rack with solid bushings. Needed zero adjustment as the side-to-side was within 1/16" according to Breeze instructions. Also following The Karlos Procedure (http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/showthread.php?19175-Steering-Rack-Install-Setup-Procedure) posted a few years ago as the build progresses. This rack is as centered as it can be... for now.

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I now have rags taped around the inner tie rods. Yeouch.

So thats how 9042 sits so far. Not a bad days work. Headed out this morning to meet some of the Capital Area Cobra Club for breakfast, then the rest of today will be back in the garage.

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[wareaglescott]

Haven't been able to do too much this week. Fit the FFMetals .090 firewall, drilled and cleco'd all the front end aluminum. All of that and the steel parts are now at the powdercoater. Color is going to be hammered gray on the aluminum and gloss black, like the frame, on all the bare steel parts.

I'm deburring every hole, aluminum and steel. Everything sits nice n flat and there's no metal chips in between.

Setup all the rear suspension on the bench, got it ready to go in today. Might get started on the steering. If time smiles on me, I'll get going on the fuel tank. Going to ACE Hardware to get my Kleiner parts for the rear body bolts (note I said "body" and not "bumper").

Just some of the few things I can do while waiting for the F panels to come back so I can do the front suspension.

F5R made good on the 2 items I found wrong with my inventory, plus sent over 1/2 of the backordered items. Everything is falling into place so far.

I'll have some pics later of what I get done this weekend.

In the meantime, here's a kind of cool pic I took at work the other day...
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Cool pic! 767??

[Boydster]

Cool pic! 767??

Yep, nice call. UPS 767-300. We were changing #5 & #6 brakes. Not often we get to see a stripped axle.

[wareaglescott]

Yep, nice call. UPS 767-300. We were changing #5 & #6 brakes. Not often we get to see a stripped axle.

Cool. Used to fly the -200, and -300 models. I've never seen the axle like that. Now back to the build thread..... haha

[Boydster]

Cool. Used to fly the -200, and -300 models. I've never seen the axle like that.

Excellent. I love this airplane. I'm about as full qualified as a mechanic can be... full power engine runs, high speed taxis, full CAT maintenance. Good times.


Now back to the build thread..... haha

OK, if we must...

I'm looking for a place to mount this.

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I'm not really a fan of over the axle, since it will require tool access to maintain. There's really no flat area large enough for the clamps. I'm thinking under the passenger seat pan, snuggled up next to the frame tube. Maybe a flex line from the tank to there, then hard line from the filter up to the engine. The flex line on one end makes it easy to remove. My only issue with this is that it becomes exposed to road debris off the tires... perhaps I could make a shield around it. But this thing really is heavy duty. It weighs about 2 lbs dry. I think it would take a cinder block to damage it.

Thoughts?

[Boydster]

Fuel Tank: Still waiting on panels to finish at the powdercoater, so finding other things to do.

Setup the fuel tank level sender and installed the Pro-M fuel pickup with a new Walbro 190LPH pump.
Here's my thinking on the pump: Optimal GPH = (max hp x BSFC) / 6
The 427W x-head makes 450hp. Consider a .5 BSFC for a normally aspirated engine, /6 = 37.5 GpH. Convert to 142 LpH. Add in a 10% safety factor and I figure the minimum pump is 157 LpH.
Bumped it up to the Walbro 190, which means I also have room for a hp increase down the road if I deem it necessary. :cool:

With the Pro-M fuel pickup, both pressure and return lines are 3/8" with -6AN fittings on top. The return goes all the way into the bottom of the tank, preventing the returning fuel from aerating the fuel in the tank.
My entire fuel system will be -6AN (3/8"), including return, so there won't be any issues with restricting return flow at low fuel consumption rates.

There is a mod to do when installing the Pro-M, you have to cut 2 small additional notches in the opening of the tank. I used a rat-tail file and it was easy to do. It's just enough to allow the larger & longer return to slip in. Figured this has been done a bunch of times, so didnt take any pics till it was in.

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Installed the tank. No need to drill a hole for the fill tube retainer, there's a hole in the tank lip for it. Also still need a longer bolt for the passenger side front strap mount. Not much new here.

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Tomorrow I'll see if the powdercoat stuff is ready, also expecting a few deliveries.

[Railroad]

I used the same fuel pump hanger w/ 3/8" in and out. I found you could flex the return line enough to get into the gas tank without notching the flange. Those fittings look like Russel, but they all look the same now. I used 6 An to a 3/8" barb on both of the pump hanger lines, push and twist flexible rubber to the filter and quick disconnect to barb next to the supplied filter, which happened to be 3/8" in and out. You car looks great. It must feel nice sitting in one you know every nut, bolt and rivet.

[Boydster]

Thanks Railroad.
I bought those fittings separate. They are Earls Hard Anodized black Swivel Seal fittings. I used AN Plumbing (https://www.anplumbing.com/) to figure out what I needed and then usually ordered from Summit.

[Boydster]

Spent a cold day in the garage today. Got my fuel filter installed under the passenger seat, Breeze front battery box mounted, hoses ran for the axle and fuel tank vents, made the pressure hose to run from the tank to the filter. I'll be making more hoses tomorrow. Ordered a bunch of adel clamps for all these hoses and finalized / ordered all the pieces I'll need for the rest of the fuel system.

Still waiting on the powdercoater for my engine comp't aluminum, F-panels and all the bare steel pieces.

Few pics, not much to see...

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[Boydster]

When I looked at the pics I posted above, I felt something was wrong in the pic of the fuel pickup. Some research and yeah, almost made a big mistake. Learn to mark the tubes when they are all the same size... and dont install your pressure line to the filter on the return port.

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[Boydster]

Not a lot done this week. Powdercoater called and said they couldn't get the hammer grey powder I wanted. Stopped in and picked out a regular grey. They did get the gloss black steel parts done, so I took those.
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Built the pedal box and installed the brake master cylinders and the Forte clutch cylinder.
Every cylinder pushrod is within 1/2 turn of being bottomed out inside the clevis. The brake pedal is about 1/16" off the frame and the clutch pedal is about 1.5" too high. Is this a problem with adjustments later on? Am I OK to cut the rods some?
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Went ahead and installed the Russ Thompson throttle pedal (I will be using a Forte mechanical linkage) and the Wilwood pedal covers.
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Also installed my lower control arms. DS took 2 spacers, PS only 1. Using Howe upper and lower ball joints with Energy Suspension poly boots.
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Did some work on running fuel lines, but cant do too much till I get the front aluminum back, build the footboxes and install the .090 firewall.
More next week...

[Boydster]

Question about the balance bar. I did some searching and think I've got it started correctly.

Thread the cylinder pushrods in until the cylinders are putting no pressure on the pedal, correct? I have my pedal about 1/16" off the crossbar and the cylinder pushrods are bottomed out, or very very close to being bottomed out, against the threaded balance bar.

I'm thinking this is OK as the only adjustment that should be needed later is the bar itself. As long as the pushrods are not tight against the bar (they aren't), it should be good, correct?

I started playing with the balance bar to learn how it works. I've got it adjusted to actuate both cylinders exactly the same, but this requires the spherical bearing to be almost at the limit to the front brake side. I know I'll be adjusting it later according to how the car brakes, but does this seem correct? Or it doesnt really matter at this point and i'm over thinking?

Thanks...

[Planecrazy1976]

Hey Boyd,

Not sure if you came up with a place to mount your fuel filter but here is where I mounted mine. Passenger side right ahead of the seat pan.
http://i1043.photobucket.com/albums/b434/planecrazy12/Rocket%20pics/P2260218_zpsm8gdrkhb.jpg (http://s1043.photobucket.com/user/planecrazy12/media/Rocket%20pics/P2260218_zpsm8gdrkhb.jpg.html)
http://i1043.photobucket.com/albums/b434/planecrazy12/Rocket%20pics/P2260218_zpsm8gdrkhb.jpg (http://s1043.photobucket.com/user/planecrazy12/media/Rocket%20pics/P2260218_zpsm8gdrkhb.jpg.html)

Cheers

Greg

[edwardb]

Question about the balance bar. I did some searching and think I've got it started correctly.

Thread the cylinder pushrods in until the cylinders are putting no pressure on the pedal, correct? I have my pedal about 1/16" off the crossbar and the cylinder pushrods are bottomed out, or very very close to being bottomed out, against the threaded balance bar.

I'm thinking this is OK as the only adjustment that should be needed later is the bar itself. As long as the pushrods are not tight against the bar (they aren't), it should be good, correct?

I started playing with the balance bar to learn how it works. I've got it adjusted to actuate both cylinders exactly the same, but this requires the spherical bearing to be almost at the limit to the front brake side. I know I'll be adjusting it later according to how the car brakes, but does this seem correct? Or it doesnt really matter at this point and i'm over thinking?

Thanks...

Sometimes it's necessary to cut a little off the MC pushrods. No problem as long as they're fully threaded through the clevis. So don't hesitate to do that if you can't get them where you want. I'd start with the balance bar centered. You really can't tell much until the brakes are bled, which I assume you haven't yet.

[Boydster]

Sometimes it's necessary to cut a little off the MC pushrods. No problem as long as they're fully threaded through the clevis. So don't hesitate to do that if you can't get them where you want. I'd start with the balance bar centered. You really can't tell much until the brakes are bled, which I assume you haven't yet.

Got it. brakes aren't bled yet, no lines yet. I might take 1/4" off the ends just so it's not so close. Thanks!!

[Boydster]

Been on vacation, so haven't gotten much done this week.

Had an issue with the Wilwood MC rods bottoming out on the bias clevis just as pressure was coming off the springs in the MC's and the brake pedal only about 1/8" off the crossbar. No adjustment room at all. Cut 3/8" off the end of each MC rod, still plenty of engagement, easily adjusted so each MC is just at its limit with the pedal sitting right at the crossbar. Set the balance bar up centered.

Also had in issue with the Forte / Wilwood clutch MC. With the MC rod threaded in until it bottomed against the pedal, the pedal was about 1.5" higher than the brake and the clutch safety switch couldn't be adjusted... it was bottomed out against the rear pedalbox mount and the switch housing was being compressed by the pedal. So again, I cut 3/8" off the end of the MC. This allowed me to adjust the MC for pedal height equal to the brake and adjust the clutch switch. But now... the pedal hits the 3/4" frame. So I went at the pedal with a Dremel and a sanding drum, little at a time until it cleared. Required about 1/8" removal. Polished it up, painted the bare spot and good to go.

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Still waiting on my powdercoater (its been a month? Really?) for my engine bay panels, so I decided to start working on cockpit aluminum. No real eurekas here, same stuff everyone has done. Did rivet my floors to the 4" frame tubes, just seemed a lot more secure that way and I dont think those little holes will affect the structural integrity. Got most of the cockpit done, left the back wall clecoed until the trunk floor is installed. Installing a Breeze Cubby Compartment in this panel, so that may be easier to do when removed. Drivers outside footbox and floor is clecoed, as is the same panels for the passenger.

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Working 10 hour days this week, so may not get much done till the weekend. If I get my panels back this week, I'll be kicking in the front end.

[Boydster]

Hey Boyd,

Not sure if you came up with a place to mount your fuel filter but here is where I mounted mine. Passenger side right ahead of the seat pan.

Cheers

Greg

Thank Greg. I ended up bolting mine to the bottom of the seat pan. If the bolts get in the way of the seat, I can change the mounts pretty easy.
Thanks!!

[Boydster]

Finally got my few pieces back from powdercoat. Just a nice grey with a little bit of texture. Installed the F panels and built the passenger footbox.
Note some of the black panels... I'm just cleaning and painting those since they wont be seen once the body is on.
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Built the front suspension. I replaced all 4 ball joints with Howe units and the outer tie rod ends with Moog pieces.
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Installed the front brakes. FFR optional 12.8 Wilwoods.
65489
65490

Of course, this called for a clearance check. :)
65491
65492

Its starting to look like something... sort of.

Put to bed. This is the 5th build for that body buck and the 3rd build for the frame dolly. Pretty cool.
65493

Thanks for reading...

[CatBuster95]

I'm really enjoying your build thread. I am from Lubbock, TX and am about the same level of progress you are, in fact I think you may have passed me. Haha. You are doing really good work and the pictures have really helped me visualize some things.

I had a lot of trouble with F5R getting my parts. Big time. I know they are a good company, but sometimes orders can slip through the cracks. I understand that. It is in no way impeding me though, for most of my parts I am buying on my own anyway. Building these cars is a great learning experience. It teaches perseverance and problem solving. When frustration occurs (often), you just pull your pants up and work your way through it. This forum is incredibly helpful. It is also a great learning experience for my kids when they decide to "try" to help.

I'm doing a small block 427 with std width IRS. I also have all of my panels powder coated like yours. I'm looking forward to following this thread with all the pics, info, etc. thanks for doing it.

[Boydster]

Thanks CatBuster95. I havent done anything yet that 5,000 others havent done. But I'm enjoying it and having a bit of fun putting it up on the forum. Later I'll get into more modifications as the build progresses.

When my car was delivered, the driver said one of his stops was Texas. Was that you back in February?

[Jackpot52]

Hi Boyd, Could you tell me what oil pan you are using? I have a 428 that I need to button up before I order my kit. They tell me that it makes a difference on a big block on the oil pan and how it fits in the frame. Don't want to buy the wrong one. Thanks, Joe

[Jackpot52]

Sorry Boyd thought you had a 427 big block.

[Boydster]

Nope, planning on a 427W. Sorry I cant help ya.

[awd-turbo]

Looking good man... I hope my 427w ships next week!!

[Boydster]

Still gettin a few things done, just nothing that goes quick and look great.

Got my steering shaft installed. When I was waiting on the powdercoat panels, I did a few things ahead of time, one of which was installing the Breeze PS rack. Well, dont do that before you install the steering shaft. There's no room to 'pop' the shaft in. Had to take the whole rack loose, while still attached at the tie rods, and get things to move enough to get the shaft adapter on, then maneuver everything back around to remount the rack. Even the manual has you doing them at the same time... ahem. All good now.

65741

Installed my Wilwood stainless lines and brackets...

65742

Started insulating the passenger footwell. I'm using Thermo-Tec sound and heat insulation

65743

Made and installed the front brake crossover line. I'm using CNF lines from Fed Hill. Also bought all MS aircraft clamps for all brake and fuel lines. Had to put a quirky little loop in the passenger side, not crazy about it, but it's solid.

65744

Tomorrow I'm working on more brake lines and the fuel lines. In the meantime...

65745

[Boydster]

Looking good man... I hope my 427w ships next week!!

Woo hoo!

Whose 427 are you getting? I'm getting the Ford crate x-head version, then finishing the rest of it myself.

[Boydster]

Finally got my aluminum back last week. Installed the PS footbox, F panels, front suspension, brakes, steering shaft and started in on brake and fuel lines.

65903

65904

I know I'm pretty good at most mechanical things, but I discovered I am not good at bending lines. Either bent too early or too late and end up having to do a compensate bend. Trashed several lines already. Have spent a lot of hours on these lines and still not done. Using the Eastwood flaring tool and tube bender and they work great. Just my thinking of how to bend so it ends up in the right place that isnt working too well. I'll get through it soon enough. Need to go buy one more stick of 3/16 Nicopp...

[wareaglescott]

Looking good! I really didn't like bending lines either.
You mentioned taking the rack loose to install the steering shaft. With the coyote I had to swing the shaft out of the way to get the motor in. Not sure if that will be an issue with the size of your 427 or not but just something to consider for your planning.

[Boydster]

...Not sure if that will be an issue with the size of your 427 or not but just something to consider for your planning.

Thanks. The 427W is the same sizeas the 351. I'll do some research and see if any others have had issues. Thanks. ;)

[Mick_d]

I have some questions regarding the driver side footbox and the bigger motors. I'm 6'5" with wide feet, so my concern is whether or not ( or how much ) the footbox is smaller on a 351 bored and stroked to 427 than it would be on a 302. While I know I can get nice reliable efficient HP from a 302 , I have it in my mind that a 427 is the size this car was made for.

[Boydster]

I have some questions regarding the driver side footbox and the bigger motors. I'm 6'5" with wide feet, so my concern is whether or not ( or how much ) the footbox is smaller on a 351 bored and stroked to 427 than it would be on a 302. While I know I can get nice reliable efficient HP from a 302 , I have it in my mind that a 427 is the size this car was made for.

Someone with experience may have a better answer, but here's what I know... the 351 is bigger than the 302 in the deck height. The exhaust can get quite tight and it makes the intake a bit higher. But both engines fit with the footboxes as supplied from F5. There's no external size difference between the 351 and the 427W. If you look at the Ford performance web, for the size of the 427W, they show you a 351.

This car (F5 roadster) was originally designed for a 5.0 / 302. Some changes have been made over the years to the footboxes to use space more efficiently, but the 289 / 302 / 5.0 is still the best fit in a stock car.

[Mick_d]

The exhaust is probably why I keep thinking it's going to squeeze my foot box to put a 427 in. I just have to let go, I suppose.

[CatBuster95]

No sir, I had mine delivered last July.

[Boydster]

Working 10 hour days doesnt leave me much time for working on the roadster. So things are going slow. But they are progressing!

This week, I built a fuel tank vent after visiting Lowes and House of Tropicals. Inside is charcoal in a filter bag. I glued the whole thing together. When it needs to be replaced, I have more bags and charcoal, just need to buy the end caps. Whole thing cost about $10. I'll get some 1.5" clamps to secure it once the aluminum is done.
66186

Installed a real axle vent instead of the barb n hose arrangement. This is a Ford vent that has 7/16-20 threads and of course the Moser axle is 1/4NPT.
Adapter is Earls 916144, vent is Ford 4R3Z4022AA.
66187
66188

Fuel system is complete from pump in tank to the engine compartment. All Nicopp lines, AN 37* hardware and MS padded clamps. Of course the hoses in the engine bay will be made later... like when I actually have an engine. Pressure tested to 100psi, no leaks.
66189

66190

66191

[Boydster]

There's been some discussion elsewhere about the steering shaft being too tight between the rack and the first bearing to enable indexing the splines for a straight steering wheel. I ended up using a combination of suggestions...

I'm running a Breeze power rack and Wilwood pedal box. Using Mike Eversons suggestion, I moved the first bearing to the inside of the footbox. This required some trimming of the bearing retainer.
66192

Installed on the inside of the box:
66193

Still not enough space to pull the adapter off the rack.
Tried a 1/8" stack of washers to move the bearing even further in, and still no joy. Not going any further with that idea.

Then Melb-Mike came up with the idea of removing the shaft from the adapter instead of the adapter from the rack. Requires less space to move. Removed the washers from the bearing and voila, it worked. Barely, and the shaft has to be lined up just right to pop it out. Then the shaft can be moved away and the adapter realigned as needed.
66194

With the rack previously centered in the frame, the steering at approx 1.5 turns of a 3-turn rack, I was able to line up the shaft with the wheel installed for a straight wheel. I know its only close until I do an alignmnet, but I know I'll be able to adjust it when I need to.
66195

[Boydster]

Also got the brake system almost finished, just need some fittings for the reservoirs.

The CNC stuff is nice, but I like the F5 reservoirs, so I got another from here on the forum and bought a 3rd for the hyd clutch.

Made a bracket from .040 and a 5" length of 3/4 angle. Its riveted to the 3/4 on 2 sides so there's no wobble. I used countersunk rivets on the face so they wouldn't interfere with the reservoir mounts, but turns out it wasn't required. Not beautiful, but it'll work.
Just need those fittings and I can fill and bleed the brake systems.

66196

66197

66198

Gonna mount the heater & wiper motor next, then on to electric. Need to run rear electric so I can finish up the trunk aluminum / drop box / cubby compartment, then finish the Thermo Cool sound / heat insulation and cockpit aluminum. Or something like that... :cool:

[Straversi]

Nice work.

[wareaglescott]

Looking good. I went with the triple reservoir unit but I must say the three individual reservoirs look very nice! I really like what you did there. Smart thinking on the steering shaft as well.

[GoDadGo]

Boydster,

You Do Good Work!
Keeping things clean, simple and purposeful really makes for an outstanding build.
When form follows function everything tends to fall in place and will look like it was designed to be that way.
Again, You Do Good Work, But You Already Know That!

Steve

[Boydster]

Thank you gentlemen. Onward!

[Boydster]

Got a little bit done this week. Work has kept me out of the garage.

Ran the rear wiring, at least temporarily, so I could install the trunk drop box and get the aluminum riveted in.
Made a much larger access panel to get to the fuel line connections and the vent line in case of tank removal. Panel had to be made quite a bit larger when I mistakenly cut on the panel outline and not the cutline. I wanted access... now I got it!

66424

Got the upper aluminum and all the side pieces installed. No big news there, but it looks good to see the bulkhead finally riveted in.

66425

The heater... I bought this one used. It had been mounted but never operated. I def did not like the screws going into plastic, so borrowed an idea from boat737 and expanded it a bit. I used a high grade silicone adhesive and 2 aluminum strips. I installed 6ea 10-32 rivnuts in the strips and then bonded the strips in place. Much more secure. The 2 Tek self tappers are just temps to help hold the strips in place while it sets.

66426 66427

Last but not least, these showed up this week!

66428

[wareaglescott]

Glad to see the heater working out for you.
What size and brand tires did you go with?

[Boydster]

Nitto NT05. 315/35-17 rear, 255/45-17 front.

[Boydster]

Well, it's been a few weeks, and although not much has been done, figure I better keep this alive. I've been traveling for work to Louisville, KY and Orlando, FL. Still managed to get a little done on the weekends.

Got the heater holes cut and the unit installed...
67268

...and cut the access hole in the rear bulkhead for the Breeze compartment.
67269
I'll be making a door for that with a locking latch on it.

I got my tires mounted and balanced on the wheels. Then of course I had to push her outside for her first photo in the sunshine.
67271
She's a roller!
(Please excuse the refrigerator... it's going to the dump on Monday.)

Came across a potential issue with clearance on the rear wheels. Posted another thread about it. The consensus says it's OK, but I may put a 1/8" spacer in there just to make me feel better.

67272
That's about 3/16" of clearance. Front tires and all brake lines are clear.

Did some more Thermo-Tec, but not going 100% with it. Going to start concentrating on running the electric and doing some mods there.

Ordered the engine through Jegs this week, should be here sometime early next week. Also ordered a whole bunch of the stuff that bolts onto it. Talking with George at Gas-N and Mike Forte tomorrow about pipes and tranny.

Still plugging ahead...

[Railroad]

I cut about 3/8" off each master cylinder push rod and looks like I will be trimming the Forte master cylinder the same amount.

[Crawleyscobra]

Well, it's been a few weeks, and although not much has been done, figure I better keep this alive. I've been traveling for work to Louisville, KY and Orlando, FL. Still managed to get a little done on the weekends.

Got the heater holes cut and the unit installed...
67268

...and cut the access hole in the rear bulkhead for the Breeze compartment.
67269
I'll be making a door for that with a locking latch on it.

I got my tires mounted and balanced on the wheels. Then of course I had to push her outside for her first photo in the sunshine.
67271
She's a roller!
(Please excuse the refrigerator... it's going to the dump on Monday.)

Came across a potential issue with clearance on the rear wheels. Posted another thread about it. The consensus says it's OK, but I may put a 1/8" spacer in there just to make me feel better.

67272
That's about 3/16" of clearance. Front tires and all brake lines are clear.

Did some more Thermo-Tec, but not going 100% with it. Going to start concentrating on running the electric and doing some mods there.

Ordered the engine through Jegs this week, should be here sometime early next week. Also ordered a whole bunch of the stuff that bolts onto it. Talking with George at Gas-N and Mike Forte tomorrow about pipes and tranny.

Still plugging ahead...

Boydster, I live in Louisville. Hope your time here has been good. I noticed you ordered the Ford Racing Boss 427, which has been a great engine for me so far and you also got the Nittos I just got too. I Autocross mine right now and the Nittos have been good.

Your build reminds me of mine. I will continue to follow your build. Good luck.

[Boydster]

Boydster, I live in Louisville. Hope your time here has been good. I noticed you ordered the Ford Racing Boss 427, which has been a great engine for me so far and you also got the Nittos I just got too. I Autocross mine right now and the Nittos have been good.

Your build reminds me of mine. I will continue to follow your build. Good luck.

I should have shouted out to see if there were any F5's in the area. Since I was there for work (UPS at the airport), I had very little time to myself. But next time I'm there, I'll try to remember to give a shout.

Thanks for the backup on the decisions.

[awd-turbo]

Hey man, yea my engine is great... I love it. I'm about to drop it in thought I think....

[Boydster]

Post more later, had to get this one in.

67701

:cool:

[wareaglescott]

Post more later, had to get this one in.

67701

:cool:

Very nice!!

[WIS89]

Boydster-

That's a fine looking engine you got there!!

I bet you were happy to see that move into the garage, right?

I have enjoyed following you along; you are doing nice work!

Regards,

Steve

[Boydster]

Thanks WIS89 and Scott. Both of you have helped me out.
I'm still busy in the few hours I have during the week. I'll do an update this weekend as a lot of little stuff I needed showed up.

Planning on installing the eng / trans at the of Memorial Day week...

[grluisi150]

Boyd
Give me a call and I'll give you a hand with the engine. I should have my car back from the tuner by then.

Gary

[Mark Reynolds]

Check pan depth. I seem to remember the rear sump version is 8" deep and you will need 7.5". The front sump version is 7.5" if I recall correctly. Better to check this now than find out after dropping the engine in. :)

[Boydster]

Check pan depth. I seem to remember the rear sump version is 8" deep and you will need 7.5". The front sump version is 7.5" if I recall correctly. Better to check this now than find out after dropping the engine in. :)

Thanks Mark. I was planning on measuring the pan. Hmmm, never heard there was a difference in the pan depths. And thanks for the great parts n pieces I've been buying from Breeze. Everything has been great so far.

[Boydster]

Boyd
Give me a call and I'll give you a hand with the engine. I should have my car back from the tuner by then.

Gary

Thanks Gary! Looks like it will be sometime to the end of the month. My brother will be coming up from Asheville to help, too.

[Boydster]

Check pan depth. I seem to remember the rear sump version is 8" deep and you will need 7.5". The front sump version is 7.5" if I recall correctly. Better to check this now than find out after dropping the engine in. :)

Worse than thought... 8.5 deep. Did some research on pans & kits, still found yours to be the best deal around. Order placed. Thanks.

[Mark Reynolds]

Boyd,

Oil pan is shipping from Breeze today. You should be able to re-use the existing 1-piece pan gasket by separating the original pan from the gasket carefully with a putty knife so the gasket stays attached to the block.

If you are running serpentine pulleys Breeze has a nice crank pulley that bolts direct to the HiPo Balancer without a spacer.
http://www.breezeautomotive.com/details.php?prod_id=1130
http://www.breezeautomotive.com/details.php?prod_id=771

Note to others who may be watching this thread - this is an example of why it is good to check with forum vendors first - Had this engine been ordered from Breeze we would have had chance to recommend the engine with the correct pan, so avoiding the expense and time of the additional pan purchase, removal and replacement. The good news is that the engine is still out of the car where pan R&R is a whole lot easier.

[Boydster]

Thanks Mark. I'll keep the pullies in mind.

As a side note to Mark's note... I bought this engine on a price basis with free shipping (Jegs). Since the engine came from a known source (Ford), shopping quality was not an issue. The front sump engine was a 1-month wait, where the rear sump was on hand at the supplier and ready to ship. I read so much on these forums and made a thousand notes... and never heard that the pans were that different.

Sometimes the most inexpensive isn't really the most inexpensive. Mark is right... a review with a forum vendor would have saved me some bucks.

On to the next step!

Been working electrical, not much to report as it goes pretty slow. Should have an update soon...

[Boydster]

Electrical. Thats what I've been doing. Going pretty slow as I only get maybe 3 hours per day after a 10 hour work day.

Going full LED on the whole car. Here's the first step, replacing the 6 running / tail light bulbs. I'm going JDM Astars because of the great reviews and a nice price. And they are certainly bright. Here's a bench test...
67947

Then temp wired up all 6 lights, the headlight, ignition and turn signal switches to check out the trailer light unit I installed. Happy to say it all worked well. End result is 4 brake lights in the rear and when the TS is engaged, both lights on that side flash, over riding the brake light. Looks good, bright and will certainly get attention.

Moved on to the dash so I have somewhere to start hooking up wiring. Bought a blank dash and did my own layout. I like the way this works with the steering wheel and seat temp installed.
67948

Gauges will be Speedhut customs with a reverse, GPS speedo. Still on order.

Bought all my switches from Ron Francis. They have some very nice products, namely switches that are rated for 20-50 amps @ 12vdc. No having to worry about anything burning out these switches. A bit costly, but I think worth it in the long run. You're looking at seat heaters, footbox fans, headlights, high beams, fog lights, windshield wipers, keyless ignition, heater fan, turn signals, hazards, eng fan over ride, etc. Everything I may use often is near me, rarely used and passenger use is away, with the turn signal in between so the passenger may turn it off if I miss it. Hi beam and turn signal indicators will be led, of course.
67949

This is all temporary, of course, until I get everything fit and in place. Then I'll take it ll apart and cover the dash. I'll be using a light, or dove, grey leather with some 1/8" foam behind it. The same leather will cover the center console and my glovebox door on the rear bulkhead. Hopefully, it will be about the same grey as my stripes.

And here's a cute picture that has nothing to do with anything, except it's my partner in everything including roadster building, although I dont think she liked the rock n roll I had cranked up at that moment...
67950

Might have more to update as soon as tomorrow...

[WIS89]

Boyd-

I like your all LED all the time decision. I think it will make a nice difference.

I think leather looks great on the dash, and really adds to the look of the interior.

Your build buddy is awesome. My two chocolate labs love being in the garage with me. They are never far from me whenever I am working.

Good luck with the rest of the electrical!

Regards,

Steve

[Boydster]

Found a local welder who was willing to come to my shop. His name's Bruce and he's a young guy, but took welding classes in high school, has been a professional welder for about 4 years and started his own company about 1.5 years ago. He loves welding and really likes to do work that he can be proud of. If you need a welder in the Baltimore area, let me know and I'll pass along his info.

Anyways, got my Breeze stainless roll bars welded up. Thanks to the Breeze design, they are easy to remove and install for the remainder of the build.
68017

While Bruce was doing that, I decided to work on the engine some. Installed the RPM Airgap intake, Pertronix distributor (on TDC #1)(yes, I know it will have to come out for pre-oiling), Canton billet water neck. Test fitted the Gas-N headers, but will have to do some hole stretching to get them completely bolted up. Got my Breeze / Canton oil pan last night, so that will be going on later today.
68018

I have some work to go do with the animal shelter today, so maybe I'll get some Roadster time in tomorrow. I'm hoping to be hanging the engine around the first weekend in June.



Boyd-

I like your all LED all the time decision. I think it will make a nice difference.

I think leather looks great on the dash, and really adds to the look of the interior.

Your build buddy is awesome. My two chocolate labs love being in the garage with me. They are never far from me whenever I am working.

Good luck with the rest of the electrical!

Regards,

Steve

Thanks Steve. Of course I'm still kinda figuring out what this thing will look like and what it will be when I'm done. Appreciate the feedback.

PS -> Dogs are awesome.

[M3ichael]

Really really like the Breeze Stainless Roll bars.

[Boydster]

Really really like the Breeze Stainless Roll bars.

Yeah, they do look really nice. I bought a Stainless polishing kit from Northern, gonna have a go at em one day...

[M3ichael]

Does the Breeze Stainless Roll Bars use the factory five cut outs, if you had them pre-cut?

[Straversi]

Does the Breeze Stainless Roll Bars use the factory five cut outs, if you had them pre-cut?

Mark told me that you need to enlarge the openings a little but the FFR cut outs are not a problem.

[Boydster]

Does the Breeze Stainless Roll Bars use the factory five cut outs, if you had them pre-cut?

I only had the drivers side precut, but a quick matchup does show the holes will need to be opened up just a bit. No big deal.

[Boydster]

Last few days:

Got my Breeze / Canton oil pan. Inside of this engine is a work of art.
68196

#3 rod is hitting the new pickup tube, so a stack of washers was in order. Ended up with about 1/8" clearance and still about 1/2" to the pan.
68194 68195

Spent about 5 hours elongating bolt holes in 3/8 stainless to get the headers to fit. Gas-N headers, 6 bolt holes did not line up. Some required as much as 1/8". My best way was a Dremel with a straight carbide grinding bit and a large rat tail file. Finally got them all lined up and headers installed. Would have called them on this for a set to fit, but I have help traveling up next week for the engine install, so had to get these fitting right.
68197

For the last 2 weeks, have been trying to find a set of concealed hinges that will work with a 1" lip for my bulkhead glove box door. Hours of google and a few wasted dollars. Finally decided to do an exposed stainless piano hinge. Notched the lower edge to clear the hinge and I think it will look pretty good. Door will be covered in interior-matching grey leather, bulkhead will be factory black carpet. Door will be secured with a 70's era VW bug locking knob. Might do some angle alum to reinforce the door.
68198 68199

Have been working on the electric a bit, securing harness's, installing some grommets, running power wires for led lighting in the glovebox and trunk. Made some changes to my switch setup on the dash, ordered some Carolina Laser switch legend plates. Still waiting on custom Speedhut order. Prob start wiring up all the switches and the Watsons pushbutton ignition soon.

2 more boxes showed up today...
68200 68201

On vacation next week, so hoping to get a lot more done.

[Boydster]

Still working on wiring and some small side projects, will update those soon.

My brother came up for a long weekend and to help install the eng & trans. We started getting all the driveline pieces installed and checked... and the 5/16-18 ARP pressure plate bolts (P/N 150-221)(as bought for a 351) would not thread into the Ford Racing M-6375-D302B billet steel flywheel. Some digging and discovered... it's metric. 8mmx1.25.

The ARP's I bought are rated at 180,000 psi yield, so I wanted some pretty strong stuff to replace them. I dont know metric yield measurements (Mpa?) so did some research and found a Class 12.9 has a yield of 1100mpa which equates about 160,000 psi. A grade 8 bolt has a yield of 130,000, so I think I'm good. Found some proper 8x1.25-25mm capscrew bolts at Ace, grade 12.9. Got that fixed.

Then realized in everything else I had gotten together, I didnt have any pressure plate dowels. Yes, you need em. Started looking everywhere online to see if I could get any NDA, no joy. Saturday afternoon and nobody ships until Monday. Except... your local Ford dealer. PN D1FZ-6397-B is an individual dowel, priced at $2.85 each. 2 hours later and I had 3 of em in my hands.

Ford Performance sells a pressure plate bolt kit M-6397-A302 that has the required 8mm bolts (120,000 psi yield) and 3 new dowel pins.

Only other issue so far has been the load leveler from HF. Had to buy extension chains because with the Air Gap intake installed, the chains would not reach the heads. No big deal, but it was another run to Ace.

Engine is going in today... update to follow!

68541

[awd-turbo]

I'm still stuck on wiring.... So I will be following close with you since we have a close setup... Hahaha so pick up the pace man!!!

[Boydster]

We got the engine in on Sunday with only minimal hiccups. Took some pretty good persuasion to get it to slide into the mounts, but it finally did.

One major stepback since the install... the drivers header is hitting the frame engine mount hard. Wont even let the header sit flat on the head. Prolly holding the header out about an inch down at the mount. Making a call to Georgie at Gas-N today. This is the same header that was hitting on the Energy Suspension engine mount when test fitted (ground the lip on the mount) and had to elongate the holes to get it to line up. No denting or grinding will fix it this time unless I cut the entire lip off the mount. Yeah, I dont think so.

Had to install about a 1" stack of washers to the tailshaft to get it to sit comfortably above the crossmember, but I know thats normal and temporary.

She looks good in there. Nice to see it home.
68653

68654

68655

Yep, thats me!

[Boydster]

Spoke with Georgie today, he says I'm the 3rd that has reported this exact issue. Sending detailed pics and header markups this evening. He says if I can hang in there for a few weeks, he will make sure I get a header that is perfect with no additional cost to me.

He said the others with this issue had been able to cope by either installing a spacer under the engine, raising the header above the mount, or by grinding away at the mount. I need the header to swing in about an inch at the lower tube, so I'm not sure a spacer would work. Or I'd have to grind away that inch from the engine mount. Not too happy with these ideas... But it does look like he's going to make it right otherwise.

Also have a small issue with my Jones Machine Racing accessories. The power steering attached reservoir hits the steering shaft, preventing anything near installation. Spoke with Jones today and they are exchanging my pump n reservoir for a remote mount unit. No charge. Also tossing in some -10AN braided line and fitting to feed from res to pump. Not their fault, but they are taking good care of me too.

Onward!

[Boydster]

I'm still stuck on wiring.... So I will be following close with you since we have a close setup... Hahaha so pick up the pace man!!!

I'm tryin, man, I'm trying!

I do still have quite a bit of wiring to do. My Speedhuts aren't even here yet. I took the opportunity to hang the engine since my brother was here and while not a pro, he's a pretty good mechanic... has a good head for it considering he's a software geek.

Having fun working in the garage. This is a dream come true.

[Boydster]

68690

68691

68692

[dmoran]

Hey Boyd,

I'm having the exact same issue as you with my Gas-n SS headers. Apparently we are 2 out of the 3 unlucky ones. Georgie has been great to work with, but it has been a bit frustrating. I went through all the same issues of raising the engine, moving it around etc. Almost started banging and grinding which seems to be standard practice with headers in these forums but I called Georgie first.

68994

PS fits perfect but DS is about 1/2 to 3/4 inch too close. I managed to do better on bolt holes, 6 out of 8 on PS side line up.

Georgie is having the jig modified to add 3/4" to the head side of the DS pipes and sending me a test set to try for fit, sometime in the next week. If it works, he's sending a new set afterwards. I'll reach out to him and see if I should have you try them too. Luckily I'm just down the road in Crownsville. In fact, I keep meaning to reach out to you. Tony gave me your info a few weeks back.

We are in about the same place in our builds except yours is going about 100 times faster! We should definitely hook up for cold beer and Cobra BS.

Doug

[Boydster]

Hey Boyd,

I'm having the exact same issue as you with my Gas-n SS headers. Apparently we are 2 out of the 3 unlucky ones. Georgie has been great to work with, but it has been a bit frustrating. I went through all the same issues of raising the engine, moving it around etc. Almost started banging and grinding which seems to be standard practice with headers in these forums but I called Georgie first.

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PS fits perfect but DS is about 1/2 to 3/4 inch too close. I managed to do better on bolt holes, 6 out of 8 on PS side line up.

Georgie is having the jig modified to add 3/4" to the head side of the DS pipes and sending me a test set to try for fit, sometime in the next week. If it works, he's sending a new set afterwards. I'll reach out to him and see if I should have you try them too. Luckily I'm just down the road in Crownsville. In fact, I keep meaning to reach out to you. Tony gave me your info a few weeks back.

We are in about the same place in our builds except yours is going about 100 times faster! We should definitely hook up for cold beer and Cobra BS.

Doug

Hey Doug, great to finally hook up! I was talking to Tony on Monday and he told me about your header woes... I told him I had the exact same issues!

Georgie did say he has a fix for it. We could certainly test it on both engines before confirming with him. Hope it works... I wasnt too crazy about the heavy motor mount grinding or installing spacers... my engine is going to be tall enough as it is.

Yeah, lets get together and compare notes soon. I'm available all weekend in the afternoon / evenings. I'll PM you my info.
:cool:

[Boydster]

Electrical is boring.

Got my Watson's Hot Dot and RFID systems all wired in, but they are not working with my 6amp battery charger power source. So now starting to build all my 4ga cables for power and ground.
Since I'm using a Breeze front battery box, I decided to run the ground to the RH suspension upright.
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69039

Everything else is run, correct ends installed and heatshrink applied. batt + to solenoid, Batt - to chassis, chassis to block. Also alternator + to battery and alternator ground to block. Just need some proper bolts and such and I'll have it finished up tomorrow.

Got away from electrical this last week and worked on my engine accessories. While I will have some polished stainless on the car, I'm not crazy about too much bling, so I decided to find something different than the normal billet shiny pieces. After some research during my spreadsheet phase, I found Jones Machine Racing. Expensive, but the looks and quality are exactly what I want. I bought their 1565-AR-CE kit for the SBF through Summit. (https://www.summitracing.com/parts/jrp-1565-ar-ce)

Well, you knew this wouldn't go smoothly... right? First the standoffs were wrong for the waterpump that came with my 427. They needed to be the same 3.5" but was supplied with staggered pieces for the 5.0 pump. A call to Jones took care of that really quick and they traded my parts for no cost. Then the power steering pump with integrated reservoir hit the steering shaft... nowhere near making it. Another call and the next day I had a new pump with remote reservoir and again they credited me my parts for no cost. Then the 351 deck height bit me... need a longer belt for the PS pump. Again they took care of me and even gave me a spare.
69040

They are starting to recognize me on caller ID...

Last item was just a small trimming of the standoff for the alternator to line up the pullies. After that it was done and I can not only say I have a one-of-a-kind setup... I love it. Exactly the appearance and performance I was looking for.

69041

Tomorrow I'll finish up the heavy electrical, maybe build some power steering lines to close up that system. Hopefully I'll get power on and check the new ignition and security system. Will also post up details of my electrical mods when its all together, but there's nothing really earth shaking in there.

[Straversi]

Looking good!
-Steve

[Railroad]

That is a small pulley on the crank. Is that something that comes with the power steering and water pump set? Not saying it is not right, but would like to know more. Street engines seem to have an over drive ratio.

[Boydster]

That is a small pulley on the crank. Is that something that comes with the power steering and water pump set? Not saying it is not right, but would like to know more. Street engines seem to have an over drive ratio.

All of the pullies are as supplied in the Jones kit. I didn't change any pulley sizes.

[Railroad]

All of the pullies are as supplied in the Jones kit. I didn't change any pulley sizes.

Probably a proven kit. Should be some slow speeds on the accessories.

[Boydster]

Probably a proven kit. Should be some slow speeds on the accessories.

I was thinking the same thing. Decided to see how it goes and I can change up later if needed. Jones makes their own alternators and pumps in house, so I figured maybe they know a little more than me. We'll see!

[Boydster]

After 2 weeks of frustration, I've ditched the pushbutton start with RFID security. I know others have done it, but I could not make it work. I worked with the company and they were all about helping me, but in the end, it just didnt work in my car.
Every time I addressed one issue, another would pop up or something else would now not work correctly. I mean, the issues were changing as I progressed. Super good grounds and clean, stable power.

69067
(Please no comments about wire nuts and ugly splices... it was a work in progress and those were temporary attempts to fix issues. It also looked a lot better in the car).

So I yanked it out and installed the stock F5 keyed ignition. In 15 minutes, I had the engine turning over and all of the electrical items installed so far are operating correctly.

Onward!!

69068

[awd-turbo]

Looking good Boyd...

[Boydster]

Looking good Boyd...

Thanks turbo. I dont like getting jammed on a single item like that. Sometimes ya gotta back up n rethink, then make a change and get it done with.

Cant wait to see those gauges on a medium / light gray leather dash...

[carlewms]

Thanks turbo. I dont like getting jammed on a single item like that. Sometimes ya gotta back up n rethink, then make a change and get it done with.

I hate it when this happens and I have found that I just have to find away to walk away from it or, like you said, come up with another solution.

Looking good ...

Carl

[Boydster]

Been a while, hasn't it.

While working electrical, I kept putting off the courtesy lights because I knew it was going to be a project and wasn't sure how to do it. Finally time to do it.
Decided to do some upgrading by replacing the strip led light with 2 small pods from superbright. Wired those into the courtesy light / grounding circuit on the headlight switch and they look and work great. They installed with some double sided foam tape that may need an upgrade later, but for now it's stuck on there pretty good.
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I then soldered into the courtesy light power wire and ran a wire back to the rear of the car. I had 2 small wired micro switches that I was using. The first went with 2 more of the pods in the Breeze glovebox behind the seats. The switch is bracket mounted just inside the door I made.
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And the next switch is mounted in the trunk going to a full width weatherproof led light strip mounted under the trunk hoop.
69745

Of course, the reflections of the trunk leds will go away once the carpet is in.
I think it looks pretty cool. Looks better in person than in the pic...
69747

[Boydster]

Installed my radiator this weekend. Used upgraded stuff, of course, all from Breeze. Upper and lower radiator mounts, silver ceramic powder coated tubes and fan shroud.
69748

Bolted my FiTech in place after a visit to the Ace Hardware down the road. Installed a double spring holder with it. I'll be working on the wiring and throttle linkage this week.
69749

I know its been a topic of many discussions on these forums, but I decided to install footbox fans. I just know I'd like some moving air in there on these humid, nasty 90 - 100* days we get here on the Delmarva peninsula. And I'd rather do it now than later. Built a 3" system using Atwood fans, some butterfly valves I made, aircraft CEET tubing, Spectre 3" duct mount and some 20 amp switches. The butterly valves will be controlled by cables under the dash. You'll be able to simply open it for a bit of air, or then kick on the fan for more. These Atwoods move a pretty good amount of air.
69750 69751

Power steering: since I got the front accessories all figured out, time to hook em up. I made my P/S lines using Breeze stuff. easy to make and work with. But... I'm not crazy about my routing. I'll most likely be re-routing it all, perhaps picking up more fittings to make it neater. One thing I love about doing this myself... if I dont like it, I can take the time and effort to do it so I am happy. The whole looping line thing makes me kind of nuts.
69752

I met another local Roadster Captain near me, Doug Moran. We hung out and had a beer last weekend and talked cars for about 2 hours. Great to meet another builder and share thoughts and ideas. He is having the same issue that I am with the Gas-N headers. Georgie is working primarily with Doug, as he reported the issues first, but we are both looking forward to the solution. It looks like the problems may be solved soon.

So here's how it sits so far. Getting there... bit at a time
69753

[GoDadGo]

You're Making Great Progress!

[wareaglescott]

Looking great! Cant wait for some video of this thing coming to life in the near future!
I like you footbox fan setup. I had 8 family members in town yesterday and everyone needed a ride. It was the first time I have driven mid day in truly hot conditions. Im not gonna lie...I could have used some footbox ventilation. Keep up the great work.

[Boydster]

Thanks guys. Working on this power steering hose routing issue. If anyone has any ideas...

I've thought about a different tank with the return fitting facing front. That would get rid of 1 loop.

Thought about a -6AN 180* hardline, b-nut to b-nut https://www.summitracing.com/parts/ear-918106erl. Doesn't get rid of the loop, but it keeps the hose straight.

I might try running both lines under the X-member, but I don't think there's room for 2 of the 90* fittings and lines in there.

Might run the return line outside of the F panel, but not crazy about having fluid lines in the wheel well.

Ideas? cant move the reservoir too much...

[Boydster]

Edit: First attempt at embedding pics instead of thumbnails.

Been a while. I've had a few big things going on and haven't had much time for the Boss.

So I ran my fuel lines before I had an engine and didnt really know where to end the hardlines in the engine compartment. Once the engine was installed, I found that although the hardlines cleared the engine and exhaust, there is zero room to swing a wrench when securing the flex lines to the hardlines. No crowsfeet, no shorties, nothing would work. So I remade my fuel pressure hardline from the filter up to the engine compartment, this time finishing it off at the top edge of the footbox. The return line would have required an entire new line back to the rear axle. Didnt have enough line so cut it under the floor and patched in a new section, also going to the top of the footbox. Got my flex lines made and attached to the FiTech.

Also took an afternoon and made my ignition wires.

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=70836&d=1500503330

I did a bunch of research on how to install the Fortes mechanical throttle. Wasn't a lot of very good info. Started installing, then the current thread on mechanical throttles came out. Realized I made a huge error. I mean the next day I was now reading how I screwed up. I will keep it short... the fail was that I didnt mount the crossbar low enough to clear inside the driver footbox. Realized it as I was assembling, so I pointed the control arms down. Angles were a bit odd, but it seemed to be working. Tubes were cut and I had gotten some LH thread balljoints and jam nuts to install so the tubes could be adjusted by turning. Now the throttle is way too notchy coming off idle and those angles that seemed OK are not.

I'll be taking it all apart, lowering the rod ends in the firewall as low as possible, order a new throttle tube and going at it again. I dont know what I will do with the holes that are already drilled, but I will have to do something. Maybe some of those metal push in panel plugs painted grey to semi-match the powdercoat. Wont look right, but maybe it will look OK.

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=70837&d=1500503330
No, the drivers footwell bellcrank is not pointing at that extreme of an angle. Its not good, but better than it looks.

Decided I hated (and I never use that word lightly) my dash layout. Way too unorganized, too flippant, too slapped together. My OCD was going nuts every time I looked at it. I know I have a lot of switches and stuff, needed to find a good way to organize. Gary Luigi is driving a Coyote Roadster around in gel coat and lives not more than a few miles from me. He asked to come over one day to see what I was doing and we spent a few hours talking cars and stuff. Anyways, he custom made a true carbon fiber center console (and entire dash!) for his radio and switch gear... asked if I wanted the aluminum mold he made up. Also mentioned he had a blank dash. So we did a deal and traded some stuff and I'm back in business. I laid out the switches and knobs in a much better fashion on the console. He had some holes and cutouts in it, so I had to flush patch some and others I was just able to tape over with some 600mph speed tape.

Console will be a lot of work. Virtually every wire will have to be extended down through the Replicaparts undertray I have after cutting a slot in it. I may take the opportunity to run the tail wiring through there into the trans tunnel, removing it from the firewall as designed. Then I'll use that firewall hole for the engine sensor wiring.

Sat in the stock seat and laid out some cutouts of my gauges on the dash. These are full size outside diameter, not cut guides. I think I like it. At least much more than what I had before...

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=70838&d=1500503331
Since this was taken, I centered up the speedo and small gauges, aligned the ignition switch and horn button and moved the GR, GL and BH led lights to center in front of the driver. Also ordered matching switches for the Haz and Eng Fan (those did have red guards over them, but I'm going with red labels instead). Liking it more and more.

However, not crazy about the footbax fan switches sticking out of the side of the console. I may move the fan switches to the front and then put the seat heat switches on the side. That way there's not a switch sticking out of the side.

Thanks for coming over and talking out some issues with me, Gary. Not only good to hang out (and your car is looking awesome!) but you're the first F5 builder that's looked at my car. I appreciate the input and the help.

[grluisi150]

The new dash layout looks much cleaner! It good to have a local builder and see your progress.

Gary

[Boydster]

Thanks again, Gary.

Spent a few hours wiring up the new switch panel and installing all the proper switches. Ran all the wires a little long to 2 - 12pin Molex connectors. This way I'll be able to pull out the panel and disconnect for maintenance.

One thing I changed in order to have matching switches was for the Hazards. I'm using a SPST switch. To prevent backfeeding to the opposite side with both sides attached to the same teminal, I'll be installing 2 Schottky diodes rated at 30v and 5amps. The amperage will be enough because I'm using all LED's, including the indicator. Research shows they consume about .5 amp each. The Shottky's consume very little power, so I'll still have plenty to the lights.

Extending the dash wiring and installing the mating Molex connectors tomorrow.

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=70906&d=1500692686

[Boydster]

Got a few things done this week. The new switchpanel and matching dash wiring is all run and connectors installed. Everything that has a load works well. The Shottky diodes work perfectly for the SPST switch for the hazard lights.

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=71288&d=1501346995

Did a rework on the throttle assembly. Dropped the firewall mounting rod ends as low as possible against the 2x2. Cut the washers so the bolt head is right against the frame. Now the bellcrank inside the footbox clears and all the angles are much better. Throttle is smooth and seems very controllable. Note that I modified the original with some LH threaded balljoints (see the aluminum tape on the tubing end.... that's the LH threaded end) and some stainless lock collars. I like the LH / RH thread on the tubing so its very easy to make on the fly adjustments in the future. No pic, but I also had to move the brake pedal pad over away from the throttle so my foot would fit in there.

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=71289&d=1501347012

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=71290&d=1501347028

I'll get some of those metal panel plugs to fill the holes (sigh) and maybe try painting them to match the grey. If they dont look good, I'll put some stainless bolts in there. :p

Next is some catch up items like the heater plumbing (got some stuff figured out there that was holding me up) and the footbox fan butterfly cables and then I'll get back to work on the dash and then engine wiring.

[Boydster]

So... heater plumbing. This took a lot longer than expected.

First up was where and how to mount the electric heater valve I bought from Old Air Products. I moved it all over the place and there just wasnt a good spot. Till I found some padded U-bolts at McMaster Carr with 1/4-20 thread and a 1" inside diameter (PN 30555T31). Then the top of the passenger footbox looked like a good place where all the hoses would line up and it would all look nice n neat.

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=72400&d=1502841682

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=72401&d=1502841689

It is very secure and sealed up nicely.

Next came a place to install the Speedhut coolant temp sensor. I'm using the 3/8 intake port for the 3/8 FiTech coolant temp sensor and the 1/2 port for the heater tap. I thought about building up a brass stack of elbows, adapters and tees, but didnt like the look, not one bit. Dont have a port on the t-stat housing, and besides, I'm not crazy about placing a sensor after the t-stat anyways. Found this when searching through Summit (https://www.summitracing.com/parts/atm-2280) and thought it was perfect... fits the SBF 5/8 heater hose (same as the heater core and the elec valve) and has a 1/8 port that works with the Speedhut temp sensor.

Bought it, waited, got it aaaaaand the temp sensor is way too long. Threads wont even reach. Ok, it took me a while, but I finally figured out that the temp sensor can be shortened. I took the end off all the way at the notch limit...

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=72399&d=1502841672

...and it fit in there snug as a bug. Of course, there had to be one more hitch in the plan because thats how these things go... right? The last hose to be installed from the valve back to the water pump return... 3/4. So then I had to find, buy and wait for another adapter (Amazon Prime to the rescue!) to plumb that last hose. You can just see the adapter behind the temp sensor.

[Edit: This Autometer adapter has a 8-32 threaded hole in it for a ground wire so it works with single contact sensors. The Speedhuts have 2 contacts, so use a remote ground, so I didnt need it, but a nice feature worth mentioning.]

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=72403&d=1502842435

Other than that, started working on other Speedhut wire harness's and FiTech wiring. Had to get two 1/2 x 1/8 NPT adapters to install the oil temp and oil pressure sensors, but they are in and the wiring is run pretty clean and secure.

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=72397&d=1502841640

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=72402&d=1502841695

Still working on the header issue with Gas-N. Turns out I got a set of 302 based headers for my 351 based engine, then they sent me a set for Roush heads with 3" bolt spacing, not my 2". Georgie has me on the right track, tho, and I'm confident he'll get the right thing to me soon.

Accomplished a few other small things that always take time. Drilling the roll bars for bolts, weather pack connector for the engine fan, started working on mounting the Lokar brake handle on top of the tunnel, setting the mechanical advance curve on the Pertronix distributor. Ran the rear wire harness behind my switch panel and down through the tunnel top... one less harness coming through the firewall. Working on a neat way to hide all those FiTech fuse holders.

More soon....

[Boydster]

Havent been working on the Boss lately. Took about 2 weeks off to stave off some mounting frustrations with the details. Seemed like every time I went to work on something, I needed more parts or pieces or orings or adapters or electrical connectors or something that required a trip to Lowes, Ace, Amazon, a vendor or possibly the liquor store. Or maybe I sometimes just dont know what the hell I'm doing and it takes some time to figure it out. I've been going at it pretty hard since February, so maybe it was just time for a break.

But the other day it was pretty nice out and I was doing some organizing in the garage and I felt it was time to get back in it. Most of the wiring is done except the dash and the fuel injection. I'm using an FiTech Go EFI4-600HP kit in black, PN 30002. I also use the 30003 400hp system on my 306 1987 5.0 Mustang, so I'm kinda familiar. Its just an art to integrate it to whatever you've got.

Since there's been a few threads on wiring up the FiTech, here's some details on what I did and why.

FiTech blue to coil negative. This is the engine rotation and rpm signal to the ECU.
FiTech yellow to fan green (fan relay ground). The FiTech monitors the water temp and controls the fan on/off according to presets. I have the sensor in the intake manifold. I also have a parallel manual control, but the only thing it overrides is the FiTech and the sensor, not the relay. So I will be carrying a spare.
FiTech orange to fuel pump tan. The FiTech can go either PWM or always full on, choices made in presets. Full on may use a relay if desired or if your pump draws more than 15 amps. There is an internal relay for full on in the ECU and there's an alternate internal circuit for PWM. PWM is primarily used during idle or low cruise; anything else kicks in the internal relay and full power takes over. I'm using the PWM circuit to just maybe save some wear and tear. Since I'm not using the fuel pump relay, I wired the FiTech orange directly into the tan wire going into the rear harness.
FiTech white to ignition switch orange. This supplies a power signal to the FiTech to turn on, run the pump for a bit, cycle the injectors and give a bit of prime. Just a signal wire... very low load. I connected directly to the ignition switch terminal after making sure the orange is hot during ON and CRANK.
FiTech large red to battery. Instead of putting ANOTHER wire in the engine compartment, I ran this through the firewall with the others and also attached to the ignition switch on the batt terminal. This is the main 25amp fused power to the FiTech unit.

Thats it. I did not use the black nor the violet / green pair as I'm keeping all my timing in the distributor. I'm using a Pertronix Ignitor III distributor with mechanical and vac advance. I plan on running 30 degrees by 4000rpm with a vac retard. This is backed up by Ford Tech.

Not bad, eh? I powered the car up and the fuel injection came to life. It ran the pump for a bit, cycled the injectors and allowed me in to begin setting up. Did a quick diagnostic and no faults.

Getting closer to first start... hmmm, still need some headers. Oh Georgie.....

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=72991&d=1504080116

2 more quick things.

I was invited to a Lawn Show at a private residence this last Saturday. Lots of awesome, beautiful cars, but not one Cobra. Gotta remedy that next year. Anyways, I think I found my dark metallic grey that I want. It was covering a 2017 Aston Martin DB-11. Found out the paint is called Magnetic Silver. Really looks much better in person than what my phone may capture. Need to research this paint some more. Think lighter grey metallic stripes that match the light grey leather interior accents with polished stainless exhaust and roll bars. I'm really liking it.
http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=72989&d=1504080103

Then on sunday I went out on my bike to meet some of the Capital Area Cobra Club for breakfast. I do enjoy these folks, but haven't been out to see them in a while. Got a nice pic of my Triumph Rocket III next to a members Everett-Morrison 428FE / 4 speed / pin drive machine. When he departed... yeah, it talked the talk.
http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=72990&d=1504080110

OK, thats it for me. I got a fire in me to build, build, build. See ya later.

[awd-turbo]

Very nice Boyd... I also went with a dark Metallic gray. I looked at a lot of them, but I settled on the Subaru color... When my paint store mixed the paint for me, they made it a little darker.... I think too dark, but the color came out great... Car has been painted and cleared for a week... I really need to update my thread. I lost wind in my sails thanks to Photobucket limiting people...

[Boydster]

Very nice Boyd... I also went with a dark Metallic gray. I looked at a lot of them, but I settled on the Subaru color... When my paint store mixed the paint for me, they made it a little darker.... I think too dark, but the color came out great... Car has been painted and cleared for a week... I really need to update my thread. I lost wind in my sails thanks to Photobucket limiting people...

Looking forward to seeing it Turbo! It works pretty good to put your pics in your Gallery here, then just use the link to post them. Thats what I'm doing above. Once you get used to it, it goes pretty quick. I wanna see it!

[awd-turbo]

All my pictures are too big size wise. I haven't had time to sit and look at shrinking them down....

[Boydster]

A few good things have happened over the last 2 weeks. My Nephew came down from Harrisburg for the long weekend... on the same day that my new 351 based headers showed up from Georgie at Gas-N. No way I was letting this opportunity go to waste, so I put him to work. He did a reserve stint in the USAF working on C-17's out of Dover, so I think I can trust him.

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=73569&d=1505228269

There's the gap I'd been looking for on the drivers side header-to-engine mount. About 3/8". Just what I wanted. Thanks Georgie!!

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=73568&d=1505228261

Next up was the dash. I'd been putting this off as it needs to be done very right and if I dont like it, it can be quite expensive to redo. Using a tip from Edward, I used a circle cutter in my drill press at the lowest speed. It made a lot of noise and cuttings, but it got the job done. I used a step drill bit for the ignition switch, horn switch and the indicator lights. Glued down the 1/8" Volara foam (also from Edwards build). Even though there were some wrinkles in the foam from my dog sleeping on it when I wasnt careful, I figured the leather would just go right over them. I was wrong.

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=73571&d=1505228284

There were 2 more wrinkles at least as bad as this one.
Ripped it all off and started over.

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=73570&d=1505228277

This time it came out much better. I was very careful about wrinkles as well as metal shavings and even pieces of dirt. I know this time that every little thing is going to show up. The gauges are my Speedhut's that I custom ordered on my own, starting with their Cobra set. No clock.

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=73566&d=1505228240

I really like the look... classy but serious. And just a bit fun. BTW, those indicator lights are 1/2 intensity LED's from Ron Francis made for interior use. I didnt like the idea of a full intensity LED shining right in my face. We will see how they work. The horn button is an LED illuminated piece I got from Amazon. The stock one fell apart on me and I havent seen the spring since.

Started wiring the back of the dash. All of the daisy chains are in there and the sensor plugs are labeled. Still have some small individual wires to run. Everything will be plugged in so the dash is easily removable, as well as each gauge being removable from the dash. I have a few 12-pin Molex connectors to connect all the free wires for the horn, indicator lights, tach input, gauge lighting, etc. Thanks to Jeff Kleiners earlier posts about wiring the Speedhut gauge lighting into the RF harness... took a bit to understand the difference in gauge and pointer lighting. Once I read his posts, it all made sense and was very easy to draw and figure out.

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=73567&d=1505228252

Keeping on... still working to first engine start.

[Yama-Bro]

Your gauges look good from the front or the back. Nice work!

[Boydster]

Thanks Yama-Bro. Gettin there!

[Papa]

A few good things have happened over the last 2 weeks. My Nephew came down from Harrisburg for the long weekend... on the same day that my new 351 based headers showed up from Georgie at Gas-N. No way I was letting this opportunity go to waste, so I put him to work. He did a reserve stint in the USAF working on C-17's out of Dover, so I think I can trust him.

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=73569&d=1505228269

There's the gap I'd been looking for on the drivers side header-to-engine mount. About 3/8". Just what I wanted. Thanks Georgie!!

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=73568&d=1505228261

Next up was the dash. I'd been putting this off as it needs to be done very right and if I dont like it, it can be quite expensive to redo. Using a tip from Edward, I used a circle cutter in my drill press at the lowest speed. It made a lot of noise and cuttings, but it got the job done. I used a step drill bit for the ignition switch, horn switch and the indicator lights. Glued down the 1/8" Volara foam (also from Edwards build). Even though there were some wrinkles in the foam from my dog sleeping on it when I wasnt careful, I figured the leather would just go right over them. I was wrong.

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=73571&d=1505228284

There were 2 more wrinkles at least as bad as this one.
Ripped it all off and started over.

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=73570&d=1505228277

This time it came out much better. I was very careful about wrinkles as well as metal shavings and even pieces of dirt. I know this time that every little thing is going to show up. The gauges are my Speedhut's that I custom ordered on my own, starting with their Cobra set. No clock.

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=73566&d=1505228240

I really like the look... classy but serious. And just a bit fun. BTW, those indicator lights are 1/2 intensity LED's from Ron Francis made for interior use. I didnt like the idea of a full intensity LED shining right in my face. We will see how they work. The horn button is an LED illuminated piece I got from Amazon. The stock one fell apart on me and I havent seen the spring since.

Started wiring the back of the dash. All of the daisy chains are in there and the sensor plugs are labeled. Still have some small individual wires to run. Everything will be plugged in so the dash is easily removable, as well as each gauge being removable from the dash. I have a few 12-pin Molex connectors to connect all the free wires for the horn, indicator lights, tach input, gauge lighting, etc. Thanks to Jeff Kleiners earlier posts about wiring the Speedhut gauge lighting into the RF harness... took a bit to understand the difference in gauge and pointer lighting. Once I read his posts, it all made sense and was very easy to draw and figure out.

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=73567&d=1505228252

Keeping on... still working to first engine start.

Thanks, Boyd. Now I have to go clean my mess of wires up! Yours look fantastic.

[Boydster]

Thanks, Boyd. Now I have to go clean my mess of wires up! Yours look fantastic.

Thanks Papa. I think it looks OK, but also kind of hacked together, but thats coming from years of airline experience. My goal here was to make the dash where it can pull out, then by simply snipping a few ty-raps, each gauge may be unplugged and pulled out. Also by disconnecting a few Molex connectors, the entire dash may be taken away. The remainder of the wiring behind the dash, well, I'm trying to keep it neat without being too picky about it. I'm not cutting, soldering and re-pinning just to make correct lengths. It will be secure and accessible, but not aircraft-pretty...

Thanks and keep up your good work!!

[Boydster]

Been kinda slackin on the Boss 427. Weather has been nice out and well, being a single man, there are other priorities. :cool:

But I got the dash installed with some drop-down brackets. Covered the switch panel with the same foam and leather and installed the switches and harness with the Carolina Laser labels...

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=75353&d=1508111796

Then got it all installed and all the wiring connected. Looks like everything works except the brake lights, but that may be just an adjustment on the switch.

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=75351&d=1508111781

Nice dark shot. All the shop lights off and the doors closed. My phone camera picked up a weird red hue from the needle that is not really there.

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=75354&d=1508111803

Got the Canton dipstick installed and calibrated, did some more bleeding on the rear brakes with my bro's help and got the Forte hyd clutch filled and bled. The McLeod Super Street Pro clutch is gonna be a beast.

Almost ready for first start...

[Boydster]

By the way, some have asked if the leds for the turn signals and high beam are going to be obnoxious being so bright and right in front of my face. I'm using some lower intensity leds from Ron Francis and in my power checks, they appear perfect. Just right to get my attention but not blind me.

https://www.ronfrancis.com/prodinfo.asp?number=BG-35

Also, the black button on the dash is my horn button. It has a blue LED ring that I wired so it comes on with the headlights. That one is very bright and definitely obnoxious. I'll either have to disconnect the LED light or install a resistor.
I also answered something i've been asking myself about the switch panel. Nothing is illuminated on that panel, and in the shop with the lights off and doors closed, you cant see anything. So I'm considering some tag type bolt lights or perhaps a shrouded LED of some type on the trans tunnel cover to gently illuminate the panel.

[wareaglescott]

Very nice looking! I love the nonconventional color on the dash. What color seats and carpet are you doing?

[Boydster]

Thanks Scott. You know I'm looking at a dark grey similar to yours for the main body color, but the stripes will be a light grey like the leather. So I'm thinking the carpet may be a somewhat matching dark grey. I'm really leaning towards the Kirkeys (47's I think?) but the covers only come in black.

Still working on what will bring it all together and look classy but serious. Dont want it to end up looking like a clown car with all kinds of colors.

Trans tunnel cover and door panels (most likely Herbs) will be in the same light grey leather.

[grluisi150]

By the way, some have asked if the leds for the turn signals and high beam are going to be obnoxious being so bright and right in front of my face. I'm using some lower intensity leds from Ron Francis and in my power checks, they appear perfect. Just right to get my attention but not blind me.

https://www.ronfrancis.com/prodinfo.asp?number=BG-35

Also, the black button on the dash is my horn button. It has a blue LED ring that I wired so it comes on with the headlights. That one is very bright and definitely obnoxious. I'll either have to disconnect the LED light or install a resistor.
I also answered something i've been asking myself about the switch panel. Nothing is illuminated on that panel, and in the shop with the lights off and doors closed, you cant see anything. So I'm considering some tag type bolt lights or perhaps a shrouded LED of some type on the trans tunnel cover to gently illuminate the panel.


Boyd
Consider mounting two LEDS under the dash lip by your Speedo to down light the switches. That's what I did and it work good.

Gary

[Boydster]

Boyd
Consider mounting two LEDS under the dash lip by your Speedo to down light the switches. That's what I did and it work good.

Gary

I am considering that too. Thanks. How's your car running?

[GoDadGo]

Looking Good Bossman!

Steve

[grluisi150]

I am considering that too. Thanks. How's your car running?

Boyd
The first season has been a blast. 5K miles and she amazes me every time I drive her. I need to get her on a track, I haven't touched on her performance.

Gary

[Boydster]

Got the O2 sensor mount welded into the passenger GAS-N header, filled the Trans and rear with appropriate Royal Purple (Synchromax and Gear Max), bolted up the GAS-N sidepipes, filled the cooling system with distilled water (temporary), charged the battery...

and then this happened...

https://youtu.be/FEMXNwaROCs

First Start, Oct 22 2017.

[Straversi]

First start, first burn out and first drive (short but sweet) on the same day. Congratulations!

-Steve

[wareaglescott]

Congrats! Looking and sounding great!

[Boydster]

First start, first burn out and first drive (short but sweet) on the same day. Congratulations!

-Steve

...and nothing leaked, clunked or fell off. Yes, a very good day. Thanks!

[Boydster]

Congrats! Looking and sounding great!

Thanks Scott. Now onto all those little items I've been putting off so I could get this done. Yay!!

[WIS89]

Boyd-

Congratulations. She looks and sounds awesome!!

Regards,

Steve

[dmoran]

Congratulations! :D

Looks and sounds fantastic! You da man! Time for a go-cart race...

Doug

[Boydster]

Boyd-

Congratulations. She looks and sounds awesome!!

Regards,

Steve

Thanks Steve. I feel pretty good to have progressed beyond the simple pile-of-parts stage.

[Boydster]

Congratulations! :D

Looks and sounds fantastic! You da man! Time for a go-cart race...

Doug

Oh, man. Knowing our County LEO's, we'd both be in jail and they'd have 2 go-cart F5R's in impound. :)

[Mark Dougherty]

wow
you are doing a great job on this build
congrats

[Boydster]

wow
you are doing a great job on this build
congrats

Thank you for the feedback Mark. Coming from you, that means a lot. :cool:

[mach'er]

Watched your vid... Awesome! That sounds great. For a guy still sorta' in the pile-of-parts phase, this kind of stuff is great motivation.

Congrats!

[Boydster]

Watched your vid... Awesome! That sounds great. For a guy still sorta' in the pile-of-parts phase, this kind of stuff is great motivation.

Congrats!

..and I was motivated by builders before me, and there will be builders coming soon that will be motivated by you. We all feed off each other. Thank you.

Next phase is Go Cart!

[Boydster]

My build has taken a bit of a back seat recently. Just didnt want ya'll to think I was slackin...

My dog Trinket quit eating for a few days, so we made a trip to the vet. Xrays, bloodwork, a very enlarged spleen and internal bleeding into her abdomen led to emergency surgery, biopsies, initial reports of some type of Lymphoma. The spleen was bleeding so badly because of an "internal spleenic ruptured mass"...

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=76598&d=1510412898

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=76600&d=1510412923

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=76599&d=1510412909
Thats 41 staples holding her together.

Anyways, we are recovering and researching our options. We live alone, just me and Trinket, so she is my world and I'm hers.
Not looking for pity or anything. Just letting ya know that I havent abandoned my build thread, still working away at some of the small punch list items. I'll post up about some of them. Sometimes life gets in the way.

All this may not belong in a build thread, so I'll leave ya with a pic of what showed up yesterday.
http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=76601&d=1510414520

[Straversi]

Hang in there Trinket. You have a new ride coming that will seriously pin your ears back and make that tail wag.
-Steve

[awd-turbo]

Sorry Boyd... I know how it is... I have a German shepard who follows me and my little girl everywhere... Part of the family... Good luck to you guys

[WIS89]

Boyd-

Sorry to hear about Trinket! And, she had to wear the "cone of shame" to boot! I hope she heals quickly, and the long term prognosis is good!

Let us know how she is doing with all this...

Regards,

Steve

[Papa]

Congrats on the 1st start! I'm hoping to be there before Christmas if I can figure out the EFI wiring and if I didn't make any silly mistakes along the way.

Dave

[Boydster]

Congrats on the 1st start! I'm hoping to be there before Christmas if I can figure out the EFI wiring and if I didn't make any silly mistakes along the way.

Dave

Thanks Dave. You get pretty nervous on that first turn of the key... ;)

[Boydster]

Hey Guys. Been working on a few small things, trying to wrap up some of the details before i move on to big items. Had a leaking lower radiator hose at the radiator, replaced a 3/4" heater hose from Auto Zone that had a full length disbond in the hose. Cut that tab off the back of the frame and patched it. Finished drilling my Breeze stainless roll bars and bolting them in.

One thing I've put off because I didnt know how I was going to do it is the parking brake. Now this should have been done a long time ago.

I powdercoated and put together the F5 parking brake as supplied in the complete kit. I wasnt crazy about the location, and with it installed, it was too tight on the trans tunnel. The cables wouldn't pull evenly and didnt really match up with the Wilwood calipers quite right. I decided to go with the Lokar EHB-7000F Universal Floor mount handle and the Wilwood 330-1093 Universal E-brake Cables for CPB calipers. The Wilwood cables include a cable equalizer for 2 cables, an adjustable cable housing mount and several tight fitting cushioned Adel clamps.

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=76828&d=1510881258

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=76827&d=1510879999

I removed the 4 angles from the Lokar and the Lokar clevis. Installed the Wilwood equalizer and installed the handle as far aft as I could on the RH side of the trans tunnel. I quickly saw that was a mistake, as there was nowhere to mount the Wilwood cable housing mount. So I moved it forward, using the original front bolt hole as the aft. I mounted it with some 3/8" countersink bolts I had around and some .250 steel spacers to give the clevis room from the frame.

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=76819&d=1510878835

Since everything in there is at an angle, it became a challenge to mount the cable housing mount. Needed to keep it pretty straight with the handle. I decided to pickup the lower bolt mount through one of the diagonal supports and the upper would just mount to the aluminum using a 1" steel spacer. I may go back and install a thick mounting plate that will bolt to the diagonal that will give more support to the cable mount.

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=76818&d=1510878826

Attached the Wilwood cables to the brakes, easy peasy, ran them around over the axle to the cable mount. Clamped in a few places. Pulled out the inner cables and cut the housings using a pair of heavy cable cutters. No issues. Installed the inner cables, ran everything up to the handle and locked em down. Cut the cables with a dremel cutoff wheel and duct taped the ends.

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=76817&d=1510878818

Used the adjustable equalizer to tighten up the cables quite easily. First pull, brakes are locked tight at the 3rd click. Easy to pull when seated and doesnt look too bad.

Also cut off the original bracket and patched the trans tunnel hole.
http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=76816&d=1510878810

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=76815&d=1510878803

I know I may have an issue with leather boots and trim rings when I finish off the trans cover, but I have something of a plan for that that I hope will look pretty cool.

OK, on to more little stuff...

[MPTech]

I mounted mine the same way, on top of the tunnel (I did install another 3/4" tube on the other side of the brake for better support when pulling up on the e-brake, tying it into the cross-braces). I also installed a pulley-system to improve the leverage. After adjusting the balance and testing the holding power (while on jack-stands) it will hold it on a steep driveway.

[Boydster]

Excellent, MPT. Nice to know it'll work. I read a lot about needing a leverage system, but some said with the Wilwoods, it isnt really needed. I'll see how this works over time.

[Boydster]

Lost my little girl today due to T-Cell Lymphoma. 6 years old and a friend to every single human she met. Its been just me and her for the last 4 years, so I will miss her badly. I regret that I'll never get to take her for a ride in the roadster. RIP, my Trinket...

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=77025&d=1511357923

[wareaglescott]

Very sorry for the loss of your puppy. Great picture. She looks like a sweet girl.

[Yama-Bro]

Sorry for your loss, Boydster.

[cgundermann]

Lost my little girl today due to T-Cell Lymphoma. 6 years old and a friend to every single human she met. Its been just me and her for the last 4 years, so I will miss her badly. I regret that I'll never get to take her for a ride in the roadster. RIP, my Trinket...

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=77025&d=1511357923

Very very sorry for your loss! My Pinschers are with me in the garage everyday and I would be particularly lost without my girl - Storm. My heart goes out to you...

Chris

[boat737]

Lost my little girl today due to T-Cell Lymphoma. 6 years old and a friend to every single human she met. Its been just me and her for the last 4 years, so I will miss her badly. I regret that I'll never get to take her for a ride in the roadster. RIP, my Trinket...



I've been trying to come up with the appropriate words all morning. Here goes, my 2 cents...

On this day of giving thanks, be thankful and grateful for all the smiles and joy that big slobbery kissing face gave you for those 6 years. You'll cry and be heart broken, and that's OK. For the few weeks or months of grief, you had years of happiness that you can be thankful for. You'll never forget the love of your best friend. And one day (I hope) you'll get another best friend, not as a replacement, but an addition to your Trinket. I feel your grief. But I say every day, there is nothing better than a dog, and there are so many out there needing a good forever home, and someone to give their unconditional love to. All the best to you.

[KDubU]

I've been trying to come up with the appropriate words all morning. Here goes, my 2 cents...

On this day of giving thanks, be thankful and grateful for all the smiles and joy that big slobbery kissing face gave you for those 6 years. You'll cry and be heart broken, and that's OK. For the few weeks or months of grief, you had years of happiness that you can be thankful for. You'll never forget the love of your best friend. And one day (I hope) you'll get another best friend, not as a replacement, but an addition to your Trinket. I feel your grief. But I say every day, there is nothing better than a dog, and there are so many out there needing a good forever home, and someone to give their unconditional love to. All the best to you.

Don't think it can be written any better. I am very sorry for the loss of your pup. Hang in there and know she is smiling down on you for the love you gave her.

[Boydster]

Thank you, everybody, for your thoughts and support. Its been a rough few days.


I've been trying to come up with the appropriate words all morning. Here goes, my 2 cents...

On this day of giving thanks, be thankful and grateful for all the smiles and joy that big slobbery kissing face gave you for those 6 years. You'll cry and be heart broken, and that's OK. For the few weeks or months of grief, you had years of happiness that you can be thankful for. You'll never forget the love of your best friend. And one day (I hope) you'll get another best friend, not as a replacement, but an addition to your Trinket. I feel your grief. But I say every day, there is nothing better than a dog, and there are so many out there needing a good forever home, and someone to give their unconditional love to. All the best to you.

Thats one of the most beautiful things I've ever read, Boat. Thank you so much for taking the time and effort to write this for me. Somebody else that really gets it.

Since it's been just me and Trinket for a few years, my house just isnt the same without a dog in it. So starting Saturday, I'll be fostering a dog that really needs to get out of the shelter environment. She doesnt do well with other dogs and that place is driving her crazy. Her name is Scarlett Sophie and shes from the SPCA of AA Co in Annapolis, MD, where I volunteer.

Thank you for letting me share the loss of my best friend on my build thread without harsh response. I know it doesnt really belong here, but what goes better together than dogs and cars.... cats and ferns? Anyways, I may post 1 more pic when I get Scarlett Sophie, but then it will be back to building the Boss. Thank you.

[boat737]

Thats one of the most beautiful things I've ever read, Boat. Thank you so much for taking the time and effort to write this for me. Somebody else that really gets it.



Believe me, my eyes were watering up seeing that picture, and writing those words. I've been there, and got through it. So will you. I wish you many slobbery kisses with Scarlett Sophie. Bless you for helping out another one of God's creatures. (I agree about your build thread, but you know, some times there are just things that are too important, and take precedent, over the "just the stuff" in our lives. Threads and cars, in the end, are just stuff.)

[Boydster]

Thank you, friend.

[boat737]

I regret that I'll never get to take her for a ride in the roadster. RIP, my Trinket...

One more note, and I'll shut my trap. I've been thinking about this one too. Know that when you drive the roadster now, she'll be with you EVERY time. No regrets.

[Boydster]

One more note, and I'll shut my trap. I've been thinking about this one too. Know that when you drive the roadster now, she'll be with you EVERY time. No regrets.

Absolutely. I had already bought her a pair of Doggles. IDK, there may be some type of ref to her when I finish the car...

[boat737]

Absolutely. I had already bought her a pair of Doggles. IDK, there may be some type of ref to her when I finish the car...

Perfect. The Cobra plaque with her name? Dog tag on the plaque or dash? License Plate? Go for it.

[Boydster]

Last post about dogs, guys.

Yesterday I welcomed this girl into my home. I am fostering her for adoption from the AACo SPCA in Annapolis, MD.

Her name is Scarlett Sophie and while we dont quite know what she is, I've already started a doggie DNA to find out. She is a sweet 4 year old that has not been given many chances... shes been returned to the shelter 3 times due to lifestyle changes, moving and "not enough time". She's pretty aggressive to other dogs, and has a strong prey drive, but she's sweet, crates easily, is quiet and loves to play with me in the yard.

Anyways, just wanted to wrap up this saga of me loosing my best friend and how I'm learning to cope. Scarlett hasnt been introduced to the Boss 427 yet, but if she's still here by spring, looks like those Doggles will get some use yet.

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=77139&d=1511730466

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=77140&d=1511730476

Thanks for being patient.

[Boydster]

My last update was almost 2 months ago. Lots of life stuff going on (new dog is doing great!), ultra-busy time at work, crashed computer, colder-than-frozen-snot weather... haven't been doing very much on the roadster.
I have a kero heater in the garage, but even after 2 hours in this recent cold, it only gets up to about 22F. I've worked outside my whole life, but even I can only stand that for so long.

Got a new mobo and cpu setup working, stuck in a nice new SSD while I was at it, so its time to upload some pics and update this thread.

Trunk carpet! I chose some grey stuff, same kind of thing used on speaker boxes. Easy to clean, hides a little dirt, goes with the grey theme of the car. I knew there was a reason I dont do carpet. I really did not do a very good job of it with big, uneven holes and the edges are not right to the corners. But it looks ok from 5 feet back... maybe I can do some trim work with something.

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=79462&d=1516314616

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=79460&d=1516314596

Note that I made my upper fuel tank access much bigger than factory. I'm all about ease of maintenance later on, being a lifetime airplane guy, and I like room when I have to swing wrenches. If i have to take the fuel pump out, I have plenty of room to get to the fuel lines. The Pro-M pickup can be pretty particular in how it comes out. In the 2nd pic, you can also kind of see the LED strip light I ran across the bottom of the trunk hoop. The light switch is over on the left.

Next was to get a coolant overflow tank installed. I've heard a lot of stories about the F5 unit being too small for anything larger than a 302, and this is a punched out 351. I chose the Canton 80-201 from Summit. Fits right in that space between the Breeze battery box and the power steering. But it had to be mounted to the X-frame, and that took a little thought.

I ended up using 3 padded Adel clamps to wrap around the X-frame and mount a flat aluminum plate. The the Canton tank would mount to that plate with some short spacers to clear the hardware. Worked pretty good when I was done, avoided drilling more holes in structure and was able to square it all up in there with the clamps.

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=79459&d=1516314581

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=79461&d=1516314602

Havent run the engine with this yet, but will soon to bleed and adjust the coolant level.

[Boydster]

Needed to finish up my seat heaters in the Kirkey highbacks. I drilled a 1" hole in the inside corner of the seats and used some nice grommets I got from McMaster Carr for the 1/8" thick aluminum (still have about 12 of these grommets to give away, so if you have Kirkeys with heaters... let me know!). Followed Scotts idea and clamped the seat heat wiring and relays to the back of the seat... I wont be storing anything back there and you cant see it once the seat is in.

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=79476&d=1516314872

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=79477&d=1516314880

You can see the Kirkey adjustable seat mounts I'm using for install.

I put the switches in the trans cover, but may have put them too far back... will have to check that later. You can see them in the pic below. Drilled another hole large enough for the connector down low in the trans tunnel sidewall for the switch to connect to the wiring harness at the seat. The power wiring runs forward under the trans cover and up behind the switch panel.

So with the seats finished and wired up, I had to get my RCI Platinum seatbelts installed. This is just the preliminary install and they have since been adjusted and trimmed. I installed a grade 8 eyebolt in the floor following RCI's tips for the sub belt. These come as either 5 or 6 point belts. Using them as 5's, I simply cut off the extra strap. I used my soldering iron with a weird little flat tip to melt the ends.

You might also notice I cut the Kirkey labels off the seats. I later did the same thing to the RCI labels on the belts. You can kind of see where these things were, but only if you really look for it. I saw another local builder did this with his seats and I liked it. No need advertising for someone thats not paying me, and I'm not racing for contingency money.

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=79478&d=1516314885

[Boydster]

Made the call to Whitby's where I'm having the bodywork and paint done. Got to chat with a guy named Jeff who was really nice and appreciative that I was bringing this work to him.

A quick note about this: I'm a pretty good mechanic. But I also know my limitations and I know where I have patience and where I dont. I love building this car, but I know that I do not have the knowledge, skill or patience to do bodywork. I know that I wont enjoy it, will get in a rush, shortcut it and it will look like crap. Especially after studying threads by the 2 Jeffs, Mr. Robinson and the myriad other threads on the subject. I budgeted the cash to have this done by a pro from the start. I chose Whitby's because of what I've seen come out of their shop and they are only 250 miles from me.

Guess I feel guilty cuz it is a home-built, but a man has to know his limitations.

And I want this car to look good.

So I'm taking all the fiberglass and the scoop down to Greensboro next week. Figured I had a few things to fit up before taking it down there, so put aside the Go-Kart and tried to get some work done outside.

First up was the headlights, which I could also work on inside. I'm installing Watson's LED lights in the F5 buckets. Of course I ref'd to Edwardb's build where he used these same lights.
One thing is the lights have been updated. They now use a Hella reflector / lens assembly and have made the plug / driver / led assembly all one piece. This part tossed me for a loop because I was going to have to drill a hole in the bucket big enough for the driver or the LED to fit through. Watson's says you can mount the driver inside the bucket, but I dont really see the room for it and there's no space flat enough.

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=79469&d=1516314663

I thought about trying to unsolder or otherwise unattach the wires inside the LED driver box. Then I could run the wires through the bucket and reattach. Opening up the driver box I found they are very well sealed up and there's no chance of doing it that way. Not too worried about water intrusion here.

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=79470&d=1516314692

My answer was to cut a slit in the bucket from the front edge back to where I wanted the cord to go through. At that point, I drilled a hole only large enough for the grommet to hold / protect the cable between the driver and the LED. I can slide the cable back through the slit and pop in the grommet. Once the bucket is screwed into place, that holds the front of the slit together. I may use some plastic weld or maybe some weather proof rubber tape to seal up the slit, but I put both the slit and the hole on the bottom of the bucket, so I dont think anything will go in that way. I didnt use the factory supplied hole because thats towards the top of the bucket, and the cord from the LED comes out of the bottom.

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=79472&d=1516314840

OK, next step was fitting the new reflector / lens assembly to the F5 bucket. Everything was going very well, right along with the F5 Assembly manual. Next morning I got up and found 3 broken clips sitting on the table. I really didnt clamp down on them, realizing they weren't of the highest quality.

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=79468&d=1516314656

So of course something else had to be done.
After posting on the forum about these clips, I believe it was Mr Everson suggested silicone. Hmmm... with the F5 setup, you're using a sealed lamp unit that needs to be replaced if it quits working. With this setup, you only replace the lamp (LED unit) and the reflector / lens stays in place. Only reason to ever replace the lens is if it gets broken, and while possible, how often do we really see that. Eureka.

I used some all weather, all temp silicone adhesive. After insuring the lamp was correctly oriented in the adjustment ring, I glued that baby together. I made some .040 aluminum pieces and used #6 screws & nuts to bolt in where the broken clips an self tapping screws went. This not only helped hold it together while it cured, but works well as a backup should the lens ever come loose. I dont really think it will... this thing is solid.

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=79471&d=1516314834

One downside to this is you dont have the clips to properly orient the lens. Be very careful doing it this way. If you're off by even a bit, the headlight will be crooked on the car.

Dont have a pic, but once cured it all went together very nicely. I havent mounted the driver yet, but will most likely use the same kind of idea as Edwardb... to mount it on a plate on the back of the bucket. Then the 3 prong plug will go right into the harness.

[Boydster]

I dont know exactly what Whitby's is doing to prep the car before paint, whether its up to me or them to be sure lights and bolt-ons will fit. I decide to spend some time and prefit everything I can.

Used a 3/4" sanding drum where needed to open up the holes for the front markers, tail lights and the headlights. Found out it uses self tapping screws to mount the headlights. Um, not me. I drilled the mount holes through and mounted using #8 stainless screws, washers and locknuts. Its not that difficult to get to the back from under the car should they need to come out later on.

Every hole thats predrilled on the car so far has needed to be opened up. Not too big of a deal, but this non-body working dude had to be real careful as to what I was doing. Got em all in!

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=79466&d=1516314643
No orings... yet :)

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=79465&d=1516314637

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=79475&d=1516314866

Sorry about the quality of the pics... lots of fog that day and the humidity was playing hell with the camera.

Also mounted the gas cap, again with stainless countersunk screws, washers and nuts. This one took no trimming, just drilling for the screws.

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=79467&d=1516314650

Last thing was to install the ********** side grills, vents, slats, whatever ya call em. I had read about the difference in how the holes are cut vs the angle of the slats, so took this one slow because if I screw it up, it's gonna cost money.

Again used Edwardb's idea of sticks to hold them in place (thanks for all the help, man. You have no idea....) while I was working it. Made a pretty good plan...

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=79479&d=1516314892

...and went at it with the 3/4" sanding drum. Cleaned the edges up a bit with some sandpaper and a flat file and I think it looks pretty good. Of course the edges need to be rounded over but I'll mention that to the pros. Maybe I do have a future as a body man....

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=79480&d=1516314896

That radius of the inside corners exactly fits the 3/4" drum. I think it looks pretty good. Not concerned with matching originality, obviously.

I'll be epoxying in some 10-32 SS studs (thanks to guess who...) to mount these, but its too cold to do here outdoors and I dont have a place to work on this inside that's heated. Will have to do that part after it comes back from paint and fitting.

Last thing I've done is remove the body from the buck and break the buck down to trailer size (the buck was a tall one, designed to roll in over the go-kart). I'm borrowing a 20x8 enclosed trailer from a buddy that moves Classic Mustangs, from hulks to completed cars, all over the East Coast. I'll mount the buck to the floor then use a few nice straps to just hold the body in place. On vacation next week, so will get this all done, get it dropped off and get back to work on the Go-Kart. Punch list is getting shorter... next up is to set ride height and work on alignment.

[Boydster]

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=79473&d=1516314853


http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=79481&d=1516321122

[wareaglescott]

I don't want to speak for Whitby so check with them but I will tell you how it worked for me. Good idea pre-mounting the lights and stuff. If you send the body down with those items attached they are going to have to remove it all to do the body work and they will be charging you their hourly shop rate to remove and reinstall that stuff. I think it would be your best bet to take it back off and keep those parts at home until you get it back and do the final install.
My apologies if you already know that or have those details worked out with them.
What are they telling you for timeline on getting the body and paint done?

[Boydster]

I don't want to speak for Whitby so check with them but I will tell you how it worked for me. Good idea pre-mounting the lights and stuff. If you send the body down with those items attached they are going to have to remove it all to do the body work and they will be charging you their hourly shop rate to remove and reinstall that stuff. I think it would be your best bet to take it back off and keep those parts at home until you get it back and do the final install.
My apologies if you already know that or have those details worked out with them.
What are they telling you for timeline on getting the body and paint done?

Ah, my apologies for not being complete in my writeup... I have removed , rewrapped, boxed up and shelved all the stuff I installed. I will final install them when I bring it all back. No apologies needed.

Bodywork, paint, mount to the go-kart (which I will take down later)... 6-8 months. Whew. Longer than I thought, should have done all this 3-4 months ago. But gives me plenty of time to finish up the go-kart and maybe work out some kinks. I'm also going to have them install the windshield, drill my wiper and defroster holes, few other details. Jeff offered to finish the car, but I declined. Just letting them do some things I'm not comfortable with or would have a hard time doing by myself.

[wareaglescott]

Sounds good. I had them install the body on the go cart and put the windshield on just because I did not want to mess with the windshield. They will do an amazing job. I went there numerous times and was very pleased with the work and there are a great bunch of guys working there. Glad to see they are telling you 6-8 months. I had heard their time line had gotten considerably longer. Seems the FFR hobby is booming with this strong economy and they had gotten a bunch of work.

[boat737]

Made the call to Whitby's where I'm having the bodywork and paint done. Got to chat with a guy named Jeff who was really nice and appreciative that I was bringing this work to him.

A quick note about this: I'm a pretty good mechanic. But I also know my limitations and I know where I have patience and where I dont. I love building this car, but I know that I do not have the knowledge, skill or patience to do bodywork. I know that I wont enjoy it, will get in a rush, shortcut it and it will look like crap. Especially after studying threads by the 2 Jeffs, Mr. Robinson and the myriad other threads on the subject. I budgeted the cash to have this done by a pro from the start. I chose Whitby's because of what I've seen come out of their shop and they are only 250 miles from me.

Guess I feel guilty cuz it is a home-built, but a man has to know his limitations.

And I want this car to look good.

So I'm taking all the fiberglass and the scoop down to Greensboro next week. Figured I had a few things to fit up before taking it down there, so put aside the Go-Kart and tried to get some work done outside.

First up was the headlights, which I could also work on inside. I'm installing Watson's LED lights in the F5 buckets. Of course I ref'd to Edwardb's build where he used these same lights.
One thing is the lights have been updated. They now use a Hella reflector / lens assembly and have made the plug / driver / led assembly all one piece. This part tossed me for a loop because I was going to have to drill a hole in the bucket big enough for the driver or the LED to fit through. Watson's says you can mount the driver inside the bucket, but I dont really see the room for it and there's no space flat enough.

I thought about trying to unsolder or otherwise unattach the wires inside the LED driver box. Then I could run the wires through the bucket and reattach. Opening up the driver box I found they are very well sealed up and there's no chance of doing it that way. Not too worried about water intrusion here.

My answer was to cut a slit in the bucket from the front edge back to where I wanted the cord to go through. At that point, I drilled a hole only large enough for the grommet to hold / protect the cable between the driver and the LED. I can slide the cable back through the slit and pop in the grommet. Once the bucket is screwed into place, that holds the front of the slit together. I may use some plastic weld or maybe some weather proof rubber tape to seal up the slit, but I put both the slit and the hole on the bottom of the bucket, so I dont think anything will go in that way. I didnt use the factory supplied hole because thats towards the top of the bucket, and the cord from the LED comes out of the bottom.

OK, next step was fitting the new reflector / lens assembly to the F5 bucket. Everything was going very well, right along with the F5 Assembly manual. Next morning I got up and found 3 broken clips sitting on the table. I really didnt clamp down on them, realizing they weren't of the highest quality.

So of course something else had to be done.
After posting on the forum about these clips, I believe it was Mr Everson suggested silicone. Hmmm... with the F5 setup, you're using a sealed lamp unit that needs to be replaced if it quits working. With this setup, you only replace the lamp (LED unit) and the reflector / lens stays in place. Only reason to ever replace the lens is if it gets broken, and while possible, how often do we really see that. Eureka.

I used some all weather, all temp silicone adhesive. After insuring the lamp was correctly oriented in the adjustment ring, I glued that baby together. I made some .040 aluminum pieces and used #6 screws & nuts to bolt in where the broken clips an self tapping screws went. This not only helped hold it together while it cured, but works well as a backup should the lens ever come loose. I dont really think it will... this thing is solid.

One downside to this is you dont have the clips to properly orient the lens. Be very careful doing it this way. If you're off by even a bit, the headlight will be crooked on the car.

Dont have a pic, but once cured it all went together very nicely. I havent mounted the driver yet, but will most likely use the same kind of idea as Edwardb... to mount it on a plate on the back of the bucket. Then the 3 prong plug will go right into the harness.

Hey Boyd. I too am a student at the EdwardB university of car building. Here's my fix for the one piece pigtail on the headlights drivers.

I cut a rectangular hole in the back just big enough for the little box to fit through. It get's covered up with the two aluminum plates that sandwich together on the back of the bucket. The square-ish plate is tapped and threaded to mount the box. I think I also threaded the round plate for the countersunk screws from the outside. Can't remember. If not, nyloc nuts on the inside.

It's probably too late for you, but I drilled and tapped the holes into the body for headlight bucket. Good and solid, but I'll put nyloc's on the backside during the final assembly after paint.

Pet the dog.

[boat737]

Last thing was to install the ********** side grills, vents, slats, whatever ya call em. I had read about the difference in how the holes are cut vs the angle of the slats, so took this one slow because if I screw it up, it's gonna cost money.

Again used Edwardb's idea of sticks to hold them in place (thanks for all the help, man. You have no idea....) while I was working it. Made a pretty good plan...

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=79479&d=1516314892

...and went at it with the 3/4" sanding drum. Cleaned the edges up a bit with some sandpaper and a flat file and I think it looks pretty good. Of course the edges need to be rounded over but I'll mention that to the pros. Maybe I do have a future as a body man....

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=79480&d=1516314896

That radius of the inside corners exactly fits the 3/4" drum. I think it looks pretty good. Not concerned with matching originality, obviously.

I'll be epoxying in some 10-32 SS studs (thanks to guess who...) to mount these, but its too cold to do here outdoors and I dont have a place to work on this inside that's heated. Will have to do that part after it comes back from paint and fitting.

Last thing I've done is remove the body from the buck and break the buck down to trailer size (the buck was a tall one, designed to roll in over the go-kart). I'm borrowing a 20x8 enclosed trailer from a buddy that moves Classic Mustangs, from hulks to completed cars, all over the East Coast. I'll mount the buck to the floor then use a few nice straps to just hold the body in place. On vacation next week, so will get this all done, get it dropped off and get back to work on the Go-Kart. Punch list is getting shorter... next up is to set ride height and work on alignment.

And from the EdwardB "How to" list, I went a step further for my side grill mounting studs. After HSRF-ing them in, I added a strip of fiberglass cloth just in case they ever let loose. BTW, added some studs around all the tail lights, front marker lights, and headlights the same way to have something to attach the wires to.

I know, Type-A OCD stuff. Just me.

Pet the dog.

[Boydster]

Hey Boyd. I too am a student at the EdwardB university of car building. Here's my fix for the one piece pigtail on the headlights drivers.

I cut a rectangular hole in the back just big enough for the little box to fit through. It get's covered up with the two aluminum plates that sandwich together on the back of the bucket. The square-ish plate is tapped and threaded to mount the box. I think I also threaded the round plate for the countersunk screws from the outside. Can't remember. If not, nyloc nuts on the inside.

It's probably too late for you, but I drilled and tapped the holes into the body for headlight bucket. Good and solid, but I'll put nyloc's on the backside during the final assembly after paint.

Pet the dog.

Thanks. I was going to let ya know... I Foster Failed on her. Yep... I'm keeping her. ;)

[Boydster]

Hey Boyd. I too am a student at the EdwardB university of car building. Here's my fix for the one piece pigtail on the headlights drivers.

I cut a rectangular hole in the back just big enough for the little box to fit through. It get's covered up with the two aluminum plates that sandwich together on the back of the bucket. The square-ish plate is tapped and threaded to mount the box. I think I also threaded the round plate for the countersunk screws from the outside. Can't remember. If not, nyloc nuts on the inside.

It's probably too late for you, but I drilled and tapped the holes into the body for headlight bucket. Good and solid, but I'll put nyloc's on the backside during the final assembly after paint.

Pet the dog.

Nice, neat job. I like it. Thanks for the tips. Yeah, I had to have something better than self tappers in there...

[Boydster]

And from the EdwardB "How to" list, I went a step further for my side grill mounting studs. After HSRF-ing them in, I added a strip of fiberglass cloth just in case they ever let loose. BTW, added some studs around all the tail lights, front marker lights, and headlights the same way to have something to attach the wires to.

I know, Type-A OCD stuff. Just me.

Pet the dog.

Nice details! Thanks for the ideas.

[boat737]

Thanks. I was going to let ya know... I Foster Failed on her. Yep... I'm keeping her. ;)

Awesome. Good for you... and her.

[Boydster]

Running through my punch list, so I'm kind of all over the place. Put together my hood hinges on the coffee table while watching Dunkirk. One of the rare times I had to put down the Roadster Parts.
Anyways, as others have posted before, I didn't care for the wave washers supplied for the hood hinges. It just leaves too much slop and sideways movement in the hinge arms. So I tried it without, and found that the nut then bottoms on the bolt shoulder, again leaving a bunch of slop. Decided to add washers as needed under the head of each bolt to allow the nut to lock down on the washer, instead of on the bolt. This makes the assembly nice and tight. You then back off the nut about 1/16 turn, allowing nice free movement with no play or slop. Beautiful.

This pic shows the use of the wave washer vs without. It just really even looks better.
http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=79772&d=1516831761

...and a pic of the hinges installed.
http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=79773&d=1516831782

Headed out tomorrow to take the body, hood, doors and trunk lid to Whitby's. Thanks to my friend Bo for helping me get the body and buck into the trailer.
The buck is screwed to the floor, then I just used some straps barely tightened just enough to hold the body in place. Should be good... if not, its going to the right place to fix it. :) And that is not a u-Haul blanket... i swear it's not.
http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=79771&d=1516831749

As a nice side note, met with the Capital Area Cobra Club Sunday morning for breakfast. Hadn't seen any of them in a while and it was good to do so. 35* out and 3 Cobras showed up... Nice.
http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=79774&d=1516831791

Off to Whitby's!

[wareaglescott]

Good idea with the hood hinges. I notice that slopp when I close mine because the stripes will be misaligned if I am not careful Might have to make that upgrade as well. Good luck with Whitby. I sent mine on a body buck. Dont know what became of my buck but I sure never saw it again. You probably don't need to leave it there if you want it.

[Boydster]

Good idea with the hood hinges. I notice that slopp when I close mine because the stripes will be misaligned if I am not careful Might have to make that upgrade as well. Good luck with Whitby. I sent mine on a body buck. Dont know what became of my buck but I sure never saw it again. You probably don't need to leave it there if you want it.

Hey Scott, I gotta bring the trailer back empty, and the buck is currently screwed down, so I'm just gonna haul it back with me. My car is the 5th one built on that buck... I'd like to pass it along if I can.

[Boydster]

Made the trip from Glen Burnie, MD to Greensboro, NC yesterday and dropped off all my fiberglass (and plastic scoop!) at Whitby's. Met Jeff and a few of the body and paint guys. Jeff was good enough to really take his time with me, showed me all around and spoke in depth with me about what I wanted. I felt pretty good by the time I left that they were going to take good care of my car and that I would like what I get back.

Hauling a 20x8' enclosed empty trailer around was not much fun... the tractor trailers out there really liked to blow that thing around, and yes, it did want to pull on the F-150 a few times. But I did make it down and back in 1 day... 14 hours and 670 miles, got about 10mpg.

Looking in and around Whitby's was pretty impressive. They have 27 cars there right now, several ready to deliver and more coming in. But Jeff lets everyone know that he's not going to be rushed on your car... thats why I wont see it for another 6 months. Anyways... I'll be posting up a body buck for free in the Baltimore Washington area if anyone is interested... its ready for its 6th build!

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=79822&d=1516984300
No, my truck does not have a huge pole in the middle of it...

The one pic I took at Whitby's... There's 8 roadsters and a 33 in the center in this pic, as well as 3 more roadsters off to the left. Is your car in here? I think I saw one or two that I've seen on the forum before....
http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=79821&d=1516983689
Thats #9042 in the lower right corner.

[wareaglescott]

Glad you got it dropped if. Jeff really is good people. His lead painter Brooks is a great guy also. Pretty crazy sting how many cars they have in the process!

[JoeAIII]

By the way, some have asked if the leds for the turn signals and high beam are going to be obnoxious being so bright and right in front of my face. I'm using some lower intensity leds from Ron Francis and in my power checks, they appear perfect. Just right to get my attention but not blind me.

https://www.ronfrancis.com/prodinfo.asp?number=BG-35

Also, the black button on the dash is my horn button. It has a blue LED ring that I wired so it comes on with the headlights. That one is very bright and definitely obnoxious. I'll either have to disconnect the LED light or install a resistor.
I also answered something i've been asking myself about the switch panel. Nothing is illuminated on that panel, and in the shop with the lights off and doors closed, you cant see anything. So I'm considering some tag type bolt lights or perhaps a shrouded LED of some type on the trans tunnel cover to gently illuminate the panel.

Are the trim rings on those LEDs removable or are they glued in in some way? I like the idea of the dim lights but would like to refinish the trim

[Boydster]

Are the trim rings on those LEDs removable or are they glued in in some way? I like the idea of the dim lights but would like to refinish the trim

If I remember correctly, the trim ring is part of the led light housing.

[Boydster]

Well, its been a while, hasnt it. Last year we had all those nice warm days in Feb and March when 9042 was delivered and I got so much done. This year, not so much. My garage, although kinda updated, was built in the 50's and is kinda drafty. The walls are done well, but the ceiling is still open to the attic and its tough working out there even with the kero heater going. So I havent done much in the last 6 weeks.

I'm on vacation (staycation) this week, and the weather is getting better, so I'm hoping to get the Boss to the point of a real go-cart.
While it was cold, I worked on polishing the Breeze rollbars (whew) as most quotes I've gotten to have it done were about $500. I also did the well known mods to the door latches (carriage bolt, filing the stop, white grease lube and screwing the knob on).

Yesterday I got out and spent about 6 hours in the garage. Went to install my breeze bars and found I had tightened the bolts too much... squeezed the tubes out of round just enough to make it VERY difficult to install and remove. That took a few hours with a vise and files to make them fit again. Got the front light wiring run and mounted (still need some more clamps) and installed Weatherpacks on all 4 corners. The front running lights are mounted on the body mount supports, while I will make some temporary mounts for the rears.

Not much to show, just a few pics of stuff everyone has already seen. All of my lights are LED with electronic flashers, and the rear are wired through a trailer light converter to make all 4 running lights, all 4 brake lights and both on each side are turn signals. Thats why my wiring on the ends is a little different.

Front wiring
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=82372&d=1520688094

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=82373&d=1520688100

Rear wiring
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=82374&d=1520688110

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=82375&d=1520688116

And the result, all being shown on low, or dim:
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=82371&d=1520688068

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=82376&d=1520688172

Also got my leather steering wheel from F5, which has been out of stock for a while. I'll be removing the Breeze quick disconnect from the wood wheel and installing it on the new wheel... I'll post that up this week.

Cool. Back to work.

[Boydster]

Working on squaring up the car and setting ride height. Front: Measuring at the front end of the frame tubes, 4 - 4.25" on each side. Front right shock collar is 2.5" from the top of the threaded outer tube, front left is 3.375". I understood that both shock settings should be the same to evenly load the corners. Both rears are about 5.5", within 1/8" of each other.

Upper arms are installed correctly. Floor is pretty even side to side, although it does angle down towards the driveway. Front wheels are pretty close to set alignment after just playing with the Fasttrax.
Tried measuring from floor to several frame points all over the front end and it's pretty level. Tried to keep bouncing after adjustments, difficult to do... she's sprung pretty stiff.

When jacking under the frame to do shock adjustments, frame raises about 3" before the tire leaves the ground. Dont think anything is binding and all adjustment points are loosened. Has been greased.

Any ideas? Big Problem? No problem, keep going?

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=82603&d=1521157847

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=82602&d=1521157838

[Boydster]

No input overnight, thats OK, means other people are thinking the same as me...
"Huh?" Either that or everyone knows and they're like "dude... really?!?!"

After walking away and thinking over breakfast this am, I recalled that whenever I jacked one corner, it at least partially unloaded the other side... in other words, the frame is so stiff that you could jack the whole front end from one corner. (I suspect that if you had the means, this MkIV frame would allow you to jack 3 tires off the ground from one corner). So it also makes sense that what I've done is raise the whole front end, although unevenly, using the front left shock / spring, then just made a little adjustment to the right front to make that side equal. Hence, frame heights about the same but the springs are way off. If I was able to take it out n drive it, after a few bumps and brake hits, I might come back and find everything out of whack again.

I'm going to start over with both springs equal, then screw the collars down in equal, smallish amounts (instead of trying to set one corner then the other in large amounts) until I get the center of the frame crossmember tube to the height I want. Then we'll see how the end of the main frame tubes measure up. I think she'll come together nicely.

Back to work...

[broku518]

wow, that is just weird. Don't make any sense to me. I just check mine, they are both 2 1/4 inch.
If you have the floor level, frame level, I would think it would either be a spring or the shock itself.

[edwardb]

I'm going to start over with both springs equal, then screw the collars down in equal, smallish amounts (instead of trying to set one corner then the other in large amounts) until I get the center of the frame crossmember tube to the height I want. Then we'll see how the end of the main frame tubes measure up. I think she'll come together nicely. Back to work...

That's exactly how you have to do it unless you have corner weight scales. Don't try to adjust side-to-side. You could create a dangerous condition. Adjust all four with the suspension hanging and the collars just touching the springs. Then set it back down, check ride height, and adjust both sides (2 front, 2 rear) the exact amount for each adjustment. Agreed the suspension is stiff, so hard to bounce it much when you set it back down. I usually roll it back and forth a few feet and that seems to settle it down OK. You may end up with a slight difference from side-to-side. 1/8-inch or whatever. Don't worry about it or try to adjust it. If it's a large difference, I would suspect the springs aren't the same. BTW, I've done all my builds this way. Out of curiosity, was able to borrow a corner weight scale setup and check #8674. It was almost perfect. Didn't touch a thing.

[Boydster]

Thanks Paul. It worked out well and my thinking was accurate. Thanks for the backup.

I'll put up a longer post later today, but got all the ride heights set, rear axle centered and square, and got the caster, camber and toe set with the wheels straight ahead. Took about 8 hours, but got it done.

[Boydster]

So it's time for ride height and alignment. There's a lot of posts out there, but nothing too recent, so I'll give a little overview of how I did it.

First was the steering rack. Back when I installed the rack and steering shaft, I followed the procedure in this post (https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/showthread.php?19175-Steering-Rack-Install-Setup-Procedure) by Karlos from a few years ago. So I knew my steering rack and wheel were centered.

Ride height is next. After my little fiasco in a previous post, I figured that we have to adjust the shocks in small amounts and equally to maintain the same spring pressure side-to-side and very close to equal heights. I did as Paul / Edwardb suggested and with the suspension hanging, set the collars right down on the springs. I measured the shocks from the top of the spring collar to the top of the threaded tube to make sure they were equal. The fronts and rears were at 2.5". Even though I used silicone spray on the threads and did my adjustments with the suspension hanging, I still could not turn the collars by hand once the spring started compressing. So I used my Koni shock adjustment spanner that I had previously gotten from Breeze (cheaper than Amazon!). Got the rear frame height set to 5.5" with 3" on both shocks and the front crossmember is at 4.25" at center with 3.25" on the shocks. Good place to start as I expect it to settle and also to have to adjust after getting the body installed.

Next I wanted to make sure the 8.8 is square in the chassis. This is done with the panhard bar and the Breeze adjustable lower trailing arms. I measured in several places from the axle (not the brakes or tires) to the frame and found that while it was square with the frame, it was sitting about 1" to the right. I ran strings on jackstands off the rear sidewalls and then measured from string to chassis and confirmed it was over too far. Adjusted the panhard bar and got it solid in the middle. Cool.

Now for the front suspension. Caster & camber, then toe. I used some alignment plates I borrowed from a friend of mine... I had tried the wax paper thing and the tires just tore it up. Didnt have any large plates around nor any floor tiles. The turn plates worked very well and it was quite easy to turn the wheels back n forth many, many times. I also used the FasTrax Caster / Camber Gauge along with their toe plates.

Setting the caster gets you started, but it will change as you then adjust the camber. I was shooting for +8* caster, -.5* camber for a power system. I mistakenly wasted about 2 hours when I realized I was using the wrong 0* mark and only had 3* caster set in when I was reading 8*. Be sure to use the right scale. So as you set the caster and camber, working back and forth, you'll find the adjustment amounts getting smaller and smaller until it all comes right into place. Beautiful. I did NOT have to cut or modify the upper arm tubes in any way. I had read of so many people that did need to do this that I was expecting to.

I did one wheel, then the other. Went back and forth and double checked several times. She's good. Time to work on Toe.

First step was to center my steering wheel and strap it down. I ran a ratchet strap to the brake pedal to hold the wheel centered. Using the FasTrax toe plates made it really easy. I clamped a level to one wheel (making sure it was against the wheel lip and not being held out by the tire sidewall... the 17"ers dont have much sidewall bulge) and found the wheels only had about 1/4" toe in, but by checking with strings, they were pointing out to the right. I brought both tires back to straight, verified by running strings and measuring from string to the frame back by the door latch area. Very small adjustments make a big difference when measured that far away. With the wheels set straight, I was easily able to use 2 tape measures to check the toe. Got her adjusted to 1/8" toe in... each tire toed in 1/16" from straight and verified by the 2 tapes across both tires.

Went back and double checked everything... ride heights, equal shocks, rear square and centered, steering wheel centered with tires straight ahead, caster, camber, toe in. Shes set pretty good, I think, and I feel good about the way I measured and verified.

[edit] To sum up my settings... 5.5" rear height, 4.25" front height, R Front caster +8* camber -.5*, L Front caster +8-8.25* camber -.5*, total toe in 1/8" [end edit]

One step closer to go-cart!

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=82710&d=1521324300

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=82709&d=1521324293

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=82708&d=1521324286

[edwardb]

Looks great! I've enjoyed learning how to do my own alignments and it's satisfying when it's done and drives properly. Couple hints. Those turn plates look nice so good you had that option. Wax paper I agree wouldn't be up to the task. I use heavy duty plastic trash bags. I cut one bag into four pieces and have used the same pieces for several years on multiple alignments. Two stacked pieces on each side. Slide around easily and seem to be holding up fine. The one disadvantage is you have to figure out the 15 degree angle for the caster. The turn plates are nice having the direct readout. For setting ride height, I always jack the car up to make the adjustments, taking the spring pressure off the collars. Many others recommend the same thing.

[Boydster]

Looks great! I've enjoyed learning how to do my own alignments and it's satisfying when it's done and drives properly. Couple hints. Those turn plates look nice so good you had that option. Wax paper I agree wouldn't be up to the task. I use heavy duty plastic trash bags. I cut one bag into four pieces and have used the same pieces for several years on multiple alignments. Two stacked pieces on each side. Slide around easily and seem to be holding up fine. The one disadvantage is you have to figure out the 15 degree angle for the caster. The turn plates are nice having the direct readout. For setting ride height, I always jack the car up to make the adjustments, taking the spring pressure off the collars. Many others recommend the same thing.

Thanks for the support. Kind of daunting when you're undertaking it for the first time. But pretty cool once you get into it. As I got close to the final settings, I was adjusting 1 flat at a time. I'll remember the garbage bag trick if I need to visit this again and cant get the plates.

With the springs, I did start with the car jacked, springs unloaded and ran the collars down until the spring was secure. That was my 2.5" measurement from the top of the collar to the top of the threaded shock tube. So all the spring freedom has been taken out with the wheel in the air, just to start. I could only turn the collars maybe another 1/2 to 1 full turn by hand. Eventually, they had to screw down another 3/4 inch, so had to use the spanner to compress that spring. With the car jacked. Even the wheel had to be removed each time because there's not enough room to swing the spanner. I dont how you guys do it by hand.

Maybe I need to clarify this... when I now jack my car under the frame to wheel off the ground, my springs are still in tension and tight in place. They do not come loose. And there's no way I can turn the collar by hand to compress that spring.

[edwardb]

Maybe I need to clarify this... when I now jack my car under the frame to wheel off the ground, my springs are still in tension and tight in place. They do not come loose. And there's no way I can turn the collar by hand to compress that spring.

Hmm... That's not my experience. With the collars just touching the springs, the ride height is typically too high. So once you start measuring, it's necessary to back off the collar a turn at a time or whatever to lower the ride height. At least with the Koni shocks and Factory Five springs I've used, at final ride height, both front and rear springs are loose by quite a bit when the car is jacked up and the suspension hanging. That's one of the reasons the instructions say to tie wrap the spring to the top hat. So that it stays seated even with the spring loose. But I'm also just noticing you have the rear ride height set at 5.5. That's pretty high. Any particular reason? Most including me have it at least an inch lower than that.

[Boydster]

Hmm... That's not my experience. With the collars just touching the springs, the ride height is typically too high. So once you start measuring, it's necessary to back off the collar a turn at a time or whatever to lower the ride height. At least with the Koni shocks and Factory Five springs I've used, at final ride height, both front and rear springs are loose by quite a bit when the car is jacked up and the suspension hanging. That's one of the reasons the instructions say to tie wrap the spring to the top hat. So that it stays seated even with the spring loose. But I'm also just noticing you have the rear ride height set at 5.5. That's pretty high. Any particular reason? Most including me have it at least an inch lower than that.

No particular reason for the 5.5". I read somewhere that about 5" is good in the rear, nice rake, looks good. I left it a little high so it could settle some. I can try it lower.

My front springs and shocks def do not act like what you've described. With the car jacked, collars just set on the top of the spring (top of collar 2.5" from top of threaded tube), Drop the car down and the frame height as measured at the front tie-downs on the main tubes would be about 3.5". So had to screw the collar down to bring up the height. Maybe I'm not measuring at the correct point? Further back is certainly higher...

Went out to the garage and 2x checked that i have the correct springs and shocks in the correct places... 500# springs in front, PN 14626. 350# springs in rear, PN 25612. Jack front wheel clear, front shock measures a hair over 15" extended.

I cant imagine what might be wrong...

[Boydster]

Is it possible we are discussing setting ride heights with no engine vs having an engine installed? I can see where mine would certainly act more like yours if there was no engine and being done during the build vs how I'm doing it now at almost driving weight (no body).

Did some searching and found a post or two where others had the same situation as me, but nothing was ever posted up as to any findings...

[edwardb]

No particular reason for the 5.5". I read somewhere that about 5" is good in the rear, nice rake, looks good. I left it a little high so it could settle some. I can try it lower.

My front springs and shocks def do not act like what you've described. With the car jacked, collars just set on the top of the spring (top of collar 2.5" from top of threaded tube), Drop the car down and the frame height as measured at the front tie-downs on the main tubes would be about 3.5". So had to screw the collar down to bring up the height. Maybe I'm not measuring at the correct point? Further back is certainly higher...

Went out to the garage and 2x checked that i have the correct springs and shocks in the correct places... 500# springs in front, PN 14626. 350# springs in rear, PN 25612. Jack front wheel clear, front shock measures a hair over 15" extended.

I cant imagine what might be wrong...

I don't know that anything's wrong. Just different than what I've experienced and others that I'm aware of. With the amount of rake you're running, that would make some difference. But don't know that accounts for all of it in the front. I normally measure the ride height on the 4-inch tubes pretty much in-line with the axles. I do 3.75 front, 4.25 rear, starting a little more than that when new. With 5.5 rear ride height, doesn't necessarily hurt anything. But I agree it's probably necessary to tighten the collar to push it up to get that height. Probably showing a pretty good gap between the top of the tire the wheel well too.

[Boydster]

I've looked it over and over. I'm going to drop the rear some more and revisit the front to drop it some more, maybe as much as 1/2". Get it Go-carted and see how she does.

Thanks for the help...

[Boydster]

I'm not going to fret over this too much more. I'm convinced there is nothing wrong with my setup, just somehow my car is different from some others.

I now have the frame heights set at LF 4-1/16, RF 4-1/4 and LR 4-1/4, RR 4-1/8.
Both front shocks are set equally at 3.0" and the rears are equal at 1.5", top of collar to lip of threaded tube.

I'll revisit my alignment later this week and fine tune to get it in for these frame heights. But this should be fine to get me through everything else until I get the body back from Whitby's.

Thanks for putting up with the posts.

[Boydster]

Successful Go-Cart! Video coming soon...

[Boydster]

...and here's the video. She runs pretty good.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Mv1P6pj4mM

[Mark Eaton]

She runs great!

[Boydster]

Wow. Got to do a First Go-Kart on the Boss and then got called out of town for some unexpected training. For those that care, the company is pulling out our 767 and giving us MD-11's. Completely new beast that I've never worked on, so lots of training. PS -> I tookoff, flew about 1/2 hour and then landed the MD-11 full flight sim at headquarters. May have been an ugly landing, but we lived. Not bad for a mechanic. Yowza.

Anyways, finally getting back to the build. Pulled the center console cover off today and got to work on the leather. 1/8" foam then the Grey hide. Came out pretty good... no wrinkles.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=85131&d=1525042148

Riveted the angle brackets back on to mount the switchpanel and installed the seat heater switches. Used a 14mm socket to really push those switches down into the foam until they clicked.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=85132&d=1525042156

Had previously installed rivnuts (I'm not even going into what they are made of ! :p ) to mount the cover, but decided to clean it up and got some of this velcro. Figured it really isnt under any stress like holding the gauges or all those switches. Drilled out the rivnuts and applied the velcro on top of thestructure.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=85133&d=1525042162

I think it's looking pretty good for a first-timer with not much imagination. Glad I went with velcro and not 6 more screws.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=85134&d=1525042174

Started test fitting all the carpet pieces. I dont see any of these pieces that I want to bind the edges. I know I will near the door, but dang these carpet pieces fit nice n tight. After this pic, I took em all out and sealed up any forgotten holes and painted some of the corners where I didnt want shiny metal to appear. Tomorrow, we glue.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=85135&d=1525042180

Not much for 5-6 hours of work, but it felt good to get back to her...

[wareaglescott]

Loving the look of that gray leather.
How you like the Mighty Dog? I currently fly the 717 (MD-95 renamed). It has pretty much the same flight deck in miniature scale. haha
Any update on the bodywork progress?

[Boydster]

Glad I went with the grey. I think shes gonna look good in the end. I like a bit of contrast. And my stripes are going to be close to the same grey with a splash of color. I'm going Ford Sterling Metallic Grey base.

Heh, you call her Mighty Dog, we call her Mad Dog. Big airplane. Everything requires ladder work. #2 engine sucks... especially when its not running. Still lots of old DC10 in her, just lots of electronic upgrades. Fuel in the tail is complex; moving adjustable CG. Lots of cables, just like the old 8's. Flight boys love it, very automated flight deck. I get to play when that automation breaks down...

Never worked the 717... dont think there's much demand for that one in a package freighter version. Delta?

Have had a hard time getting in touch with Jeff. Its been just over 3 months, so I reckon they havent come across anything negative. Probably sitting outside waiting on some sunshine to bake a little... ;)

[DavidW]

That center console looks awesome, I like the use of other than carpet material there. I'm guessing you could probably access the top of the trans by removing it easily.

[Boydster]

That center console looks awesome, I like the use of other than carpet material there. I'm guessing you could probably access the top of the trans by removing it easily.

Thanks. Thats the plan, that by quickly removing my switchpanel, I can then remove either the center console cover or the dash in just a few minutes for maintenance / repairs. I'm planning on my stripes being the same relative color as the light gray leather.

[wareaglescott]

At Delta the 88 already had the Mad Dog name so when the 11 showed up it got named the Mighty Dog.
Good luck with it!!

[Boydster]

Spent more time with the Boss today. I had set the pinion angle and ujoint angles earlier in the build, but I knew it wasnt right and never felt confident about it. Spent some time reading last night and got a good grip on it.

The object being to: get the rear 1* lower than parallel to the trans (all heim joints), both ujoints <or= 1* difference from each other and both ujoints less than 3* each.

After several hours, I got it really close. Just like the front end alignment, when you change 1 thing, it changes other stuff. So there's a lot of back n forth. In the end, I got the rear down 1.1* from parallel with the trans and the ujoints are at .2* front and .7* rear. Required a 1 1/8" spacer under the trans, kinda high, but still clear of everything in the tunnel (wiring, ebrake cables, handle, etc). Notice I'm not saying what my actual degrees were.... they dont matter. And they would be different on my floor compared to your floor. What matters is the relationship between each item in the equation.

With that out of the way, I installed the Metco driveshaft safety loop. Glad I got in on the group buy for this back before I got the car.

From up top...
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=85347&d=1525309473

And from below...
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=85348&d=1525309481

This adds a nice safety measure for not much work and I have looked at the proximity of that driveshaft to some very valuable parts a few times...
Also, while it was up on stands, retorqued the rear axle cover bolts because of a little drip I've been seeing back there. Turns out they were just a touch over hand tight. Torqued em down to 25 ft/lbs.
Started gluing in all the interior carpet, but will save those pics for the whole thing tomorrow.

[Boydster]

Finished up a bunch of interior items today... the carpet, bolting in the belts, seats are in position (not bolted), final install center console and switch panel... it looks a little muted in black and gray, but I think it looks nice. No shifter knob yet... I've left it up to my brother as he wants to buy that for me. I'm pretty happy... it's custom without being brash, I fit, it feels good, and I feel I've done everything the best I can. Except the wiring... that needs cleaning up. And there's a few things I might have done differently, but I'm happy with what I've got so far.

Anyways, some pics...

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=85372&d=1525384995
Note that I removed the badging from the seats and the belts... I like that clean look. May try to get some Factory 5 stickers for the seatbelt camlocks.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=85371&d=1525384989

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=85370&d=1525384979

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=85369&d=1525384973

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=85368&d=1525384965

[DavidW]

Looks awesome!! I like the leather shifter boot, I just ordered the leather boot for mine, I guess my rubber boot that came in the kit wasn't exactly centered and the stiffness of the rubber kept pulling it out of 2nd and 4th gears.

Boyd it looks like your dash panel is a lot higher than the 3/4 tube it mounts on in that picture, probably just the angle of the picture. Looks good I like the gauge layout.

[Boydster]

Looks awesome!!

Thanks!!


Boyd it looks like your dash panel is a lot higher than the 3/4 tube it mounts on in that picture, probably just the angle of the picture. Looks good I like the gauge layout.

The dash panel screws are dropped down about an inch from the bottom of the 3/4 tube. I left the leather long so it could be peeled back and the aluminum adjusted if need be. I know the edge of the dash is 3/16" above the welded corners as called out. Yeah, I'm pretty happy with the layout too. Thanks!! ;)

[Boydster]

I like the leather shifter boot, I just ordered the leather boot for mine, I guess my rubber boot that came in the kit wasn't exactly centered and the stiffness of the rubber kept pulling it out of 2nd and 4th gears.

The leather shift and ebrake boots and trim rings came from Lokar, same as the ebrake handle and mechanism. The 427 replica shift handle is from **********. It works nicely, but it can be a bugger trying to get the boot to stay in place while screwing it all down.

[Straversi]

Looking good. Factory five supplies really nice (enamel and chrome) hood, trunk and steering wheel emblems with the complete kits. Check the size of those for your seat belt camlocks. If they are the right size they would look good and hold up better that the decals. Just a thought.
-Steve

[JoeAIII]

Steve, those emblems come in the base kit as well. From the camlocks I've used, I suspect they will be too large, but only Boydster would be able to answer that for his particular harnesses.

[Boydster]

Looking good. Factory five supplies really nice (enamel and chrome) hood, trunk and steering wheel emblems with the complete kits. Check the size of those for your seat belt camlocks. If they are the right size they would look good and hold up better that the decals. Just a thought.
-Steve

I'll do a comparo and see how it looks. I have the badges that came with the kit. They may look good, may be too big. I'll try it.

[Boydster]

Fun day, raising money to help homeless companion animals.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=85470&d=1525643507

[DavidW]

Looks big next to the red car! How did you register it for the show, as a work in progress or build, or as you are going to register it for tags?

[wareaglescott]

That interior looks so cool.
I have a very light leather interior in my 911. As I was deciding on it I read lots of stuff about the surface getting dirty or discolored. I spoke with a professional detailer and he recommended this product. I am very happy with the results so far. May be worth considering to help keep that great looking interior looking clean and new!

https://opticoat.com/page/opti-guard-leather

[Boydster]

Looks big next to the red car! How did you register it for the show, as a work in progress or build, or as you are going to register it for tags?

There was no real registering, just making a donation to the local SPCA. No awards or trophies, just a good ol' fundraiser.

[Boydster]

Thanks much for the kind words and product, Scott.

[Mark Eaton]

Boydster, It looks great! I definitely couldn't go with light colored leather like that , it would be dirty in no time in my hands:D

Mark

[Boydster]

Boydster, It looks great! I definitely couldn't go with light colored leather like that , it would be dirty in no time in my hands:D

Mark

Thanks Mark. I'm a mechanic, so I get dirty too. Just gonna be a labor of love to keep her clean...

[Boydster]

Havent been doing much on the Boss, just tinkering here and there, waiting to hear from Whitby's on a timeline to take her down for fitting.

Bought a new trailer and kit for building my own Serpent Express. Pretty neat setup. Dont know how much I will be using it, but I know there will be at least 2 more round trips to Whitby's and then probably 2 local trailerings before tags are issued.Trailer is a 16' long, dual axle, dual brakes, emergency brake, led rear lights, full steel diamond plate with a 4' drop tail and on-board ramps. I then replaced all the side marker lights with same style LED's.

In Process:
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=87711&d=1529938417

Did another car show at the County Animal Control / Dog Pound. There were enough really nice machines to blow the place out and people were parking blocks away to see the show. One of the nicest cars IMHO was a 1967 Shelby GT500 Mustang that had been rebuilt by the owner from the ground up. It was spotless and almost perfect in every way. This car had an interesting history, part of which was Sports Car Club racing in Japan.

Gary Luigi joined me with his Coyote powered MkIV. He just got legal this year and has already been autocrossing quite a few times. We made sure to get parking together so we could show kind of a with-and-without-body type comparison. We did get into some interesting conversations through the day. One guy insistently kept asking what kind of car it was built on. He just could not grasp that it is its own design.

Me and Gary, soaking up some shade
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=87714&d=1529938468

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=87713&d=1529938457

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=87712&d=1529938449

One thing we discovered that had been bugging me for a while... Every once in a while when running the engine, I'd get a puff of smoke off the left header. Couldnt ever figure it out. At the show, I saw a wet spot about the size of 1/2 sheet of paper under the left header where it bolts to the sidepipe. Gary and I traced it up to a leaking clutch reservoir. I used 3 of the F5 fluid reservoirs and it turns out one was leaking at the outlet fitting.

Got home and dug in to investigate. I have 1/8"NPT 90* to 3/8" hose barb fittings in there. Of course, these can only be tightened so far so as to point in the direction needed. But even when using Loktite thread sealant, OK for brake fluid, it still leaked. Maybe it has a crack or a bad thread. I also found another that was leaking out from under the cap, even after cleaning, drying and not having fluid near the top (?!?!). This one makes no sense to me and I cannot fathom how it is leaking. Anyways, I got tired of dealing with it. Found the classic CNC triple reservoirs that everyone else likes to use on Amazon Prime, so ordered that up and had it here in 2 days, free shipping!! Also ordered 3ea 1/8NPT to -4AN straight fittings and 3ea -4AN to 3/8 hose barb 90* elbows. This will allow me to adjust the direction I need plus get em good n tite so no more leaks.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=87715&d=1529938605

Working today on making the mount bracket and getting everything plumbed back in. I like that these new tanks have vent holes in the lids and an expandable diaphragm seal under the cap... allows for expansion and fluid level changes.

So I have about 7 miles on the Boss so far. Its been fun starting to get to know her and showing her off a bit. Cant wait to get wrapped up with Whitby's and get back to finishing her up.

[broku518]

Hello Boyd.
Where did you get the safety loop from? I see it in pictures above. Seems pretty solid and bolt on, right?

Thanks,
Martin

[Boydster]

Hello Boyd.
Where did you get the safety loop from? I see it in pictures above. Seems pretty solid and bolt on, right?

Thanks,
Martin

Yep, very solid, bolt on and quite adjustable, too. I got in on a group buy about 2 years ago, dont know if they will have any pre-made, but please check...

Metco motorsports

Factory 5 driveshaft safety loop (https://www.metcomotorsports.com/proddetail.asp?prod=MDL2500)

[broku518]

Yep, very solid, bolt on and quite adjustable, too. I got in on a group buy about 2 years ago, dont know if they will have any pre-made, but please check...

Metco motorsports

Factory 5 driveshaft safety loop (https://www.metcomotorsports.com/proddetail.asp?prod=MDL2500)

Thank you! Looks like it is still available. Will order one tomorrow. This is a must have. I may not race much, but will drive it with my boys a lot.

Martin

[boat737]

Hi Boyd. On those CNC reservoirs, check them with a magnifying glass. I had one that had a flaw in the casting, and it took a while, but started seeping right through the bottom surface. Also, there's not much "meat" to screw those pipe fittings in to, so don't go too crazy on tightening them up.

Pet the dog.

[Boydster]

Thank you! Looks like it is still available. Will order one tomorrow. This is a must have. I may not race much, but will drive it with my boys a lot.

Martin

I agree on the "must have", especially on anything with some torque. If a u-joint goes, those fast-spinning parts are just a bit too close to some seriously not-so-replaceable parts. ;)
You're very welcome. Enjoy the build.

[Boydster]

Hi Boyd. On those CNC reservoirs, check them with a magnifying glass. I had one that had a flaw in the casting, and it took a while, but started seeping right through the bottom surface. Also, there's not much "meat" to screw those pipe fittings in to, so don't go too crazy on tightening them up.

Pet the dog.

Gotcha Boat. Thanks for the tips. I'm just going straight in with this set of pipe adapters, so with a bit of sealant, I wont need to crank on em.

Dogs Rock.
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=87744&d=1530009759

[Boydster]

Finally got around to working on the reservoirs and a few other small items. Overall, the Boss is doing great.

Made a bracket from .040 and an extruded aluminum angle to add support,
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=88085&d=1530363419

and installed the new fittings from Earls. Thats a 1/8 npt to -04AN adapter with a -04AN 90* elbow to a 1/4" hose barb. Sealed the npt with good ol ARP thread sealant.
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=88086&d=1530363432

That way I can adjust the angle to the hoses without being concerned about the tightness and leaks. Bit expensive at $20 per reservoir, but it works.
Also inspected the reservoirs very closely with a magnifying glass and a bright light per Boat's suggestion in a previous post. Haven't found any flaws, so got the brakes and clutch all re-bled and onward we go...

Some other small things I've done... replaced the water temp sensor feeding the FITech unit. Word has it that almost all of the FITech water temp sending units are reading about 20* off. Makes it difficult to set fan temps and does weird things with the computer loops. I replaced mine with an AC Delco unit that appears exactly the same, but has stampings in it. The FITech piece has no identification at all. Ran the engine up to temp, appears to now only be about 5* off the Speedhut gauge. I suspect that will even out as the engine stabilizes in temp. My 2 sensors are at different spots... FITech is in the intake manifold, Speedhut is in the constantly circulating heater hose.

I adjusted the ratio on my Fortes mechanical throttle. I found that I was using about 1/2 of available throttle pedal travel to go full throttle at the FITech. This led to a very sensitive throttle. Not that I dont like it, but when I really start streeting this thing, I'd rather have a bit more cushion. Adjusted it by moving the attachment on the pedal bellcrank out to the limit of the slot. Worked very nicely.

Raised the steering shaft a bit. It was sitting in the very bottom of the slot in the dash, and even with the Replicaparts trim ring, didnt look right. So I put some washers under the bearing thats right behind the dash and got it centered. Didnt make much difference in wheel height, so its good.

Installed a new, quite small air filter, all K&N pieces. One of those flow-through X-Stream tops, a 1.5" tall round 8" filter and a base that has the nipple for the PCV air. Its little and looks a bit goofy, but the engine still has PLENTY of power and I do have some concerns with how high the engine sits and how its going to fit with the hood. So this little filter gives me the best chance to make it without going to a new, lower intake.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=88095&d=1530366513

Overall, I'm having very few problems as I've been wheeling around the neighborhood. She starts great, drives straight , sounds fantastic and fits me well. Also has enough power to make me respect her very, very much, but still easy to drive without getting on it.

I think I have a small leak from my Canton power steering tank, and it seems to be coming from the bottom edge of the tank itself. I also am using a -10AN supply hose, and it has to make a pretty tight radius turn to the pump. While it's not crimped, it is too tight for that size hose and its just not right in my book. So I'm looking at maybe raising the pump, a different tank configuration / mounting and even reviewing my supply hose choice. Big item in the way is the steering shaft...

Been taking to Whitby's about the body... plans are coming together.

[Boydster]

Got a new power steering can coming from Summit / KRC with an inlet that will work even better than what I've got now. Gary Luisi let me look at his power steering hose arrangement and he sent me the info on the supply hose... it's a -10 stainless teflon interior hose from Pegasus that bends down to a 2" radius. Almost everything else I had seen was a 4-6" radius.

So parts are on order, will update when it comes in and I get busy!

[sbhunter]

Boydster, your build is looking great! You are putting a lot more detail in than I am. Your reservoir mount is beautiful. I labeled my reservoirs with an engraver after looking at them for awhile. I decided that down the road I might forget which one goes to what. Maybe I’m just forgetful but it seemed like a good idea to me. I just used a simple C for clutch, F and R for front and rear brake.

[Boydster]

Boydster, your build is looking great! You are putting a lot more detail in than I am. Your reservoir mount is beautiful. I labeled my reservoirs with an engraver after looking at them for awhile. I decided that down the road I might forget which one goes to what. Maybe I’m just forgetful but it seemed like a good idea to me. I just used a simple C for clutch, F and R for front and rear brake.

Thanks man. The build has been a lot of fun.

I just used a labelmaker with some black letters on clear tape. Engraving sounds cool, all it takes is a small letter hidden in a corner. Prob looks better than label tape. :) I love how this place shares stuff and nobody gets wadded up over it. I hope I've helped someone along the way, somewhere....

[Boydster]

Got the power steering all fixed up, will put up some pics later. Of course, had to take her out for a test run. Called a local friend and she said "Sure! Bring it on over!". So we took a cruise around the neighborhood and she snapped off this pic for me. It was a good day...

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=88723&d=1531296734

[Boydster]

While I was out test driving the power steering system, the Boss died on me twice with the clutch in and coming down to idle. Did some research, and while the FiTech system is very friendly, it can be made better and more cooperative with a little tweaking. One of the first things to do is get the IAC (Intake Air Controller) set for your engine. Since this unit could be bolted onto anything from 200 to 600 hp, the IAC stepper motor has a large range, but you really want it down at the bottom end so its just controlling idle, not actually keeping the engine running.

When I first checked mine on a warm, idling engine, it was running at 85, which is less than half. I shutdown, adjusted, powered up, rechecked the TPS and restarted several times before I got the IAC down to 7. It seems to be happier idling like this. I imagine so, because the throttles plates are bit more open, relying less on the IAC to keep the engine running and using it more to just maintain an accurate idle. Side note: To get down to 7 required opening the throttle plates a total of 1.25 turns on the drivers side screw.

I'll get it back out and test drive it later today. There's more tweeks that can be made, but I'll see how this does. It supposedly will affect how the engine runs through the whole rev range, and especially right off idle. If need be, I can adjust how quickly the engine comes down off throttle so the system can pickup at the idle level and not drop off below it.

Some other small things I've been busy with... installed my heater ducts and eyeball vents. Used Mike Everson's under dash panel, so its real easy to just drill a hole and screw the vents in. Ran the hoses and have 1 left for my single defrost.

Made some small straps to fit my RCI harnesses. They didn't come with anything, and it does make it easier to loosen the belts a bit. I used 1" wide webbing and snaps... dont own a sewing machine... and I can change or delete them later if I want to. Side note: this is the color I'm using for pinstripes. Nice to add a bit of color to an otherwise nice looking but quite drab interior.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=90087&d=1533141356

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=90088&d=1533141366

And 2 more pictures because, well, just because.

One of the 757's at work...
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=90089&d=1533141391

and another of my girl after we got caught walking in a storm...
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=90090&d=1533141400