Duff33 Build

[duff33]

I took the plunge, have a rental truck reserved and pick up my 33 Hot Rod Kit in a couple of weeks, I am only about 20 minutes away from ff5. The garage is as ready as it ever will be, not a show place but will serve the purpose.. My original plan is full fender with the hard top using all the components supplied by ff5 and use a carbureted crate 302 no electronics with an automatic ( kind of old school). I had a professor in school tell me that you don't have to know everything, you just have to know where to look it up. Well I have read just about every build thread and trying to remember where I read something will be the challenge.
After reading some of the issues of getting a hot rod on the road in Mass I am rethinking what the motor will be, I understand the process of getting a VIN number ( sounds like a pain but if you have everything it is doable) My issue is going to be the emissions test, not sure how a crate motor falls in that. So I am thinking of using the 350 Chevy motor from my 1985 pickup ( that I bough brand new way back when). This I think would only have to pass a visual test for the original equipment for that motor (smog pump), but then that interferes with the electric steering, motor mounts and drive shaft ( and probably more). More research to do and I figure by next spring I should be ready for a motor.
I hope to be able to post with pictures as things come together.

[RoadRacer]

Welcome and good luck!!

[DaveS53]

Here's a link to info on Mass. registration. I know that some states are very particular about the origin of all parts on a car built by a non-manufacturer. You better be able to prove where all major parts came from.

http://www.bipac.net/semaga/TagTitleToolbox_MA.pdf

From what I read, you may want a FFR '33 to be classified as a custom vehicle, so it is exempt from emissions testing - see the last page. Although an old small block may be cheap, it will lack in power and fuel mileage, compared to something more modern. That's why I chose to buy a 430hp LS3 connect and cruise package for my hot rod. It's totally plug and play and gets 20 mpg in town and about 23 on the highway, driving 75-80 mph. A carbureted engine can't come close to that.

Although the FFR '33 has similarities to a '33 Ford, it is really much different and should not be considered to be a replica of a '33 Ford. The body is wider, vertically shorter and side windows are not framed.

There are many true replica bodies sold that are reasonably accurate replicas, but most feature a chopped top, that makes it an altered replica and certainly would qualify as a custom vehicle.

[duff33]

Dave
You are right---if it can be registered as a "custom vehicle" ( A motor vehicle for which the model year of manufacture is after 1948, for which the model year is at least 25 years old and that has been altered from the manufacturer's original design or has a body constructed, in whole or in part, from non original materials) or as a "Street Rod" ( A motor vehicle for which the year of manufacture is prior to 1949, which has been altered from the manufacturer's original design or has a body constructed from non original materials) Then
310 CMR 60.02 (3) (b) applies "The following motor vehicles are exempt from the emissions inspection" (14) "Any vehicle registered with the Registry as a street rod or custom vehicle pursuant to MGL c 90 2H" ( which are the definitions plus the label "street rod" or "custom vehicle" must be applied to the title and registration card)

[duff33]

Saturday we picked up the kit from factory 5, great guys to work with! 72411Got everything into the garage72412 and started the organization and inventory. I think ff5 must have a department that just wraps parts, because you can sure generate a lot of wrapping paper as you open and sort every part.72413. Not sure I am attaching pictures correctly, but I am learning. The build will start very soon.

[duff33]

Its been a good couple of days. I have been able to finish the inventory, only a few parts that are backordered, not bad at all. Assembled and installed the front suspension, the only issue I ran into is the castle nut for the upper ball joints. When I torqued the nut it runs up past the hole for the cotter pin, maybe should have has a spacer like the lower ball joint? I will contact tech and ask the question. 72479. Next step will be assembling the front brakes and installing those.72480

[TxMike64]

Next step will be assembling the front brakes and installing those.72480

Are those the calipers that ship with the kit? I assumed they were plain silver/aluminum.

[duff33]

Yes they are the calipers that came with the kit. Red caliper paint, suppose to be good to 2000 degrees, we'll see.

[duff33]

It has been a good couple of days, have been able to build and install front brakes, everything went according to plan. Next was installing pedal box and the master cylinders, that also went well.72586. Then the steering column, seems the brackets welded to the chassis do not match to width wise to the column. I searched through quite a few builds and see that it looks like everybody's is different, some look like the widths are right and others use shims, so I made some spacers so that the brake pedal is centered on the column bracket. If anybody sees that it would be an issue please let me know.

[erlihemi]

It has been a good couple of days, have been able to build and install front brakes, everything went according to plan. Next was installing pedal box and the master cylinders, that also went well.72586. Then the steering column, seems the brackets welded to the chassis do not match to width wise to the column. I searched through quite a few builds and see that it looks like everybody's is different, some look like the widths are right and others use shims, so I made some spacers so that the brake pedal is centered on the column bracket. If anybody sees that it would be an issue please let me know.

Mine didn't match either and when I mounted seats the first time it felt off to the left. That became a whole separate endeavor. A couple shims are ok.

[duff33]

Well it has been a very hectic week and I have only been able to spend an hour or two during the days. I have been able to get some things accomplished and have learned a few things of what not to do. Example, I installed the brake master cylinders, when you tighten the fittings that have to point up, you ask yourself can I get one more turn, then the wrench slips72893, so much for that fitting. Also learned that bending brake lines is not my favorite past time, but the front lines are in.72894. Also installed the steering assembly, that went much smoother72895. Today I was able to place the brake fluid reservoir's, I am going to have a reservoir for each master cylinder, recommended in a few of the build treads. I believe I have them positioned high enough to allow the brake fluid to flow into the cylinders.
Next will be installing the rear end, the upper control arms had been back ordered and arrived yesterday. I hope that the stand I built for the chassis is going to be strong enough to support all the weight.

[wrp]

progress is grueling but rewarding, good job.

[duff33]

Rear End does not line up ???



I am installing a rear end from moser, following the directions, installed lower arms, then shocks, but the drivers side upper arm just does not line up. I must be doing something wrong. The radius of the arm interferes with the rear end which will not allow the bolt to pass through because the holes just do not line up. I have switched arms drivers side vs passenger side, even with out the arm bolted to the chassis, it still has interference and will not allow the bolt the pass through ???????Click image for larger version. Name: 002.JPG Views: 0 Size: 354.9 KB ID: 72920Click image for larger version. Name: 012.JPG Views: 0 Size: 347.8 KB ID: 72921Click image for larger version. Name: 015.JPG Views: 0 Size: 325.5 KB ID: 72922

[duff33]

729257292672927

[34_40]

Hi 'Ya Mr. Duff.. I see Ted gave you a hand unloading. Thanks for the heads-up (that I could follow your build here). Looks like fun... yes, I'm jealous!! :D

[TDSapp]

Duff,

I have seen others suggest that you don't put the break line going down the outside frame that close to the fire wall. Apparently the body goes right behind the firewall on the sides and top and if you put the break line there it gets in the way.

[duff33]

Thanks for the suggestion. The upper control arm did not fit even when it was not bolted to the chassis. I went to ff5 this morning and spoke with Dan, it turns out that if you are going to run a Moser rear with 4 link the upper control arms have to be modified. Moser is casting the rear ends now and have beefed up the ears over factory specs. That causes the interference. One side of the drivers side arm has to have the side radius made smaller and the web has to be relieved so that it does not rub on the top of the ear on the rear.Click image for larger version. Name: Rear End 2 004.JPG Views: 0 Size: 100.9 KB ID: 72961

[duff33]

Thanks TDSapp
I was afraid of that, I will look at moving the break lines. I will get good at bending them.

[duff33]

Have not gotten a lot accomplish this week. Rear end is in and the rear brakes and lines are installed. Re rooted the front brake lines per TDSapp suggestion.Was going to start the wiring but decided its too early to have the wires draped all over the place. I have been powder coating as many brackets that will fit in my little toaster oven73213, figure that is better than paint. At least half hour per piece so its rather time consuming. Next I think I will install the ff5 fuel tank and run the fuel lines. Going to have to make up my mind real soon as to what rims and tires will be going on, recommended are 20 inch for the rear but that would leave me with low profile tires, which to me just look wrong, maybe I am too old school.

[kraftee]

Going to have to make up my mind real soon as to what rims and tires will be going on, recommended are 20 inch for the rear but that would leave me with low profile tires, which to me just look wrong, maybe I am too old school.

I agree completely that the 20s and rubber band tires just look wrong on a hot rod. That's why I went with 15" wheels and tires - plus it gives a much softer ride! Only problem is that your choice of tire/wheel combos is a lot more limited. If you want big, wide radial 15" tires, take a look at Mickey Thompson Sportsman S/R Radials.

[duff33]

kraftee Are you running full fenders?

[kraftee]

No fenders at all (check my avatar.)

[duff33]

Have been able to spend more time on the car this week. Been able to get the fuel tank installed and the fuel line run at least half way up the chassis73502. Also mounted the radiator/fan to the grill and just had to put it on the frame to see how it looks7350373504.
Progress is being made.

[34_40]

Was a lot of fun today. Thanks for letting me participate and catch up with you guys.

[H R Lucky]

Thanks for the suggestion. The upper control arm did not fit even when it was not bolted to the chassis. I went to ff5 this morning and spoke with Dan, it turns out that if you are going to run a Moser rear with 4 link the upper control arms have to be modified. Moser is casting the rear ends now and have beefed up the ears over factory specs. That causes the interference. One side of the drivers side arm has to have the side radius made smaller and the web has to be relieved so that it does not rub on the top of the ear on the rear.Click image for larger version. Name: Rear End 2 004.JPG Views: 0 Size: 100.9 KB ID: 72961

Duff,
I had the same problem as you with the upper control arms with the 4-link, I couldn't get them to fit in the car, I even called Moser and told them that they had welded the ears on the rear at the wrong angle (9 in. Ford - Moser rear) eventually I discovered that the FFR control arms would not work when using the Moser rear, so I actually got 2 upper control arms from a mustang and they fit perfectly although they are not nearly as strong as FFR's; eventually I purchased the adjustable 4 link upper & lower arms from Dan Ruth and it fits perfect.

Nevin

[duff33]

Thanks for the info Nevin
I was able to modify the Factory 5 upper control arms to fit the Moser rear end. Everything lined up properly and move freely.
Duff

[duff33]

Hey 34_40 Thanks for coming by on Sunday, and thank you very much for letting me pull wheels off you Hot Rod and trying them on mine. It definitely points me in the direction I want to go with wheels and tires. And thanks for helping put the body on the chassis, the manual makes it look so easy, so maybe after 30 or 40 times it will be.73541 Of course we had to put a fender, running board and hood in place to see what I'm in for. After checking a couple of other forums I did remove the lower passenger side fire wall panel and cut the infamous 1/4 off and raise the passenger side the 1/4"73542, after that the body dropped to where I believe it should be. Lot of measuring before I drill any holes to temporarily mount.

[34_40]

It was my pleasure! If you couldn't tell.. I was having a blast.:D
It was a great day for a ride in the coupe too. Made the whole weekend worth living!

[34_40]

Any progress this weekend? I had to work Saturday and had honey-do's today... 8-(

[duff33]

I have been spending some time after you guys helped putting the body on. It was measure, level, measure, level, measure, level then finally bolted it to the firewall, door sills and to the frame in the trunk area as per the manual. Started the body work with fitting the hood, very slow process, sand a little try the fit, sand a little, you get the idea. Then I moved to the engine side covers, fit the rear of them but the fronts will need quite a bit ( about 3/4") cut off. I think the key to this will be having the grill square to everything, picking up different reference points seem to give different locations. I have them marked but have not cut yet, have to think about it for a few more days. One thing that should be in the manual is when you run your front brake lines they say mount the bracket that transitions the brake line to the flex hose under the upper control arm--- do that only if you are not going run side covers, otherwise the brake line is pointed directly at the back of the side cover. So will have to move the brake lines. Also started to fit the passenger door, they don't tell you the strange positions you have to get into to do that. Very time consuming !!!!!
And the phrase, put it together, take it apart, put it to together, take it apart really applies !!

[34_40]

Good to read the update. And happy to see you're making progress.
And yes, put it together... to take it apart.... just to.. put it together.. to take it apart. Really does sum up the process nicely.

I'm thinking (again) of re-doing parts of the coupe. So I guess it's true. They are never really finished!

[duff33]

It has been a couple of weeks since my last post. It has taken me that long to get the passenger door working the way it should. Quite the challenge. Not sure how but I installed the latch lower than the manual shows. Because of that I had to modify the plate that the striker attaches too by cutting a new slot for the striker lower on the plate, then I had to remove the built in washer and make a sleeve to move it out by about 3/8". It now opens and closes correctly, will draw out what the gap should be around the door and then remove the door (although I really don't what to do that) and do the final fit. But I have started the drivers door so I will finish that one and then do the final fit on both.

[Svtfreak]

Dude, mine did the same thing and my doors are installed like they are supposed to be. I had to remedy it exactly as you did.

[34_40]

Sounds like your on the right track Mr. Duff. Seems others have had the same issue and used the same approach to get the parts in/on. Forward progress, it's all good!

[duff33]

It has been awhile since my last post, I have been busy at least a couple of hours a day and not a lot to show for it. The drivers door has been installed and this time everything seemed to line up the way its suppose too. Opens and closes correctly. Then I moved to getting the trunk lid sized correctly and that opens and closes ( no latch yet). Had to grind a little off the drivers side hinge to clear the angle on the fuel tank, other wise it did not go down as far as it should. Then I cut the nose piece under the grill, made a huge mistake and cut it about an inch too short, so I cut an inch off the piece that I originally cut and fiber glassed it back together. If I didn't tell anyone no one would know. The I cut the side panels to match the grill, that took awhile for fear of cutting those to short, sand a little bit and try it then a little more and try. After all those pieces I primed them taking advantage of the unusually warm weather we are having.
Hopefully in the next few days I can get the hood trimmed to fit, then primed and Lizard skin all the aluminum floor pans.
Has anyone used a wrap instead of paint?

[34_40]

Sounds like good progress.
I can't say I've known anyone to wrap a car for long term use. I don't see why it wouldn't work.

[TDSapp]

The biggest issue I have seen with the wraps is still having to have the same base that you would for paint. If there is a pin hole in the gel coat it shows, if there is a ripple in the body it shows. So once you get to the point of the body prep being done you are looking at the difference of the paint and labor of the final colors.


Now, if you were going to do a highly graphical paint job then the wrap may be the way to go. It just depends on what you want to end up with. I have been talking to a Wrap company here in Dallas and they do some good work. I have been quoted $2,200.00 for the wrap with any graphics I want.

[duff33]

Thanks for the info Tim, right now I am just considering it, I think the carbon fiber look would be different.
I have been doing some body work and have several parts and the back half of the body in primer. Doors, hood and truck have been sanded to fit with consistent gaps. Wheels and tires have come in.76554. All aluminum floor pans have been sprayed with Lizard Skin.
I have run into an issue, probably because I did things bassackward. I fit the nose cone first, with the grill pulled back the nose cone was angled down in the front, so I pushed the grill forward, which put the nose cone inline. Then I fit the side covers, removed them and fit the hood. For some unknown reason the side covers appear to be too tall when the hood is put back on. 76556. I know you are suppose to trim some off the hood, but at the grill its off by almost 2 inches??? I will deal with this issue later on.
Its time for the body to come back off the chassis and get ready to put a motor into this project!

[TDSapp]

76554


So am I correct in assuming that you have a lift as well? I was just wondering how you were going to get your entire car off the buck as high as it is.


Tim

[duff33]

Hi Tim
Unfortunately no lift, its going to be jack it up, put it on jack stands, then lower to the ground, or at least that's the plan.
Duff

[Svtfreak]

I’d like to echo what tim said about wraps. My best friend owns a wrap shop.

Many people think they will wrap one to save money. That’s not true. First is the body work. You need at least a good sealer as the final coat for the vinyl to adhere properly. As Tim said, you must have it just as perfect as for paint. So you save nothing in body work. A basic no graphic wrap will run 1500-2k (unless it is a color that the vinyl comes in naturally, and wrap vinyl is limited). It’s that much because it must still be printed and laminated. Any graphics you’ll then pay for design time on top of that. In the end, it doesn’t take much and then you are more expensive than paint for basic stuff. You won’t see a money savings. Even the very intricate graphics work takes hours and hours of design time. And they are an artist just as much as the airbrush guys.

In short, the cheap vinyl that comes in premade colors, and installed yourself, would save you some money, but would look terrible. That stuff is thin, stretched too thin on corners and can see the base layer under it, isn’t laminated with a clear top, isn’t UV stable and will fade quickly.

[duff33]

The idea was not to short cut any body work, was not thinking of any fancy graphics. I have to remember that not all ideas are good ones

[34_40]

Hi Tim
Unfortunately no lift, its going to be jack it up, put it on jack stands, then lower to the ground, or at least that's the plan. Duff

Or just ask a couple buddies to drop by... it won't be a problem!

[duff33]

Just had to see what it is going to look like with the roof set on. Body is going to come off in the next couple of weeks, too cold for body work any more. Motor should be arriving in the next couple of days, so it will be wiring next.7681276813

[RoadRacer]

Man, it looks good in white! Not seen many that color. I keep hoping they'll offer a white gelcoat before I order mine, but I was told originally that they won't because "white gel has a lot of problems".

[duff33]

I had a couple of friends come by the other day and helped take the body off the chassis, must admit it came of a lot easier than it went on. back to the bare chassis for the winter, motor should be delivered tomorrow, transmission hopefully next week,77206 so that is the next phase. I did redo the fuel line, originally I ran it down the right side, but I think it would be better running down the left side.

[progmgr1]

I did redo the fuel line, originally I ran it down the right side, but I think it would be better running down the left side.
I was planning to run the fuel lines down the right side and the brake lines down the left. Why did you think it will be better running fuel down the left side (next to the brake lines?)? You got me wondering what I didn't consider - this time?
Thanks,
Keith

[duff33]

Hey Keith
I plan on running a carbureted motor with a mechanical fuel pump which is on the left side. I am not a fan of running fuel lines across the firewall to switch sides.

[progmgr1]

OK, thanks. Makes sense for your application.
Have fun with your build. Lookin' good!
Keith

[34_40]

Did the motor / trans show up yet?

I'm scared to hear the reply....

[duff33]

Yes, both the motor and the transmission are safely in the garage now. It was quite the saga waiting for the motor, couple of weeks ago the motor was shipped, I called the freight company on a Monday to schedule delivery, they told me they could deliver either Tues or Wed between 11 and 3, I was tied up on Tues so scheduled for Wed. Waited from 11 to 6, no show, called Thursday morning, was told should be delivered that morning, no show, called at 2 and was told should be there within the hour, no show. Called Friday morning and was told if I had called the day before they could have delivered on Friday, but believing which ever story they told us, either no trucks in my area that day or their lift truck was broken, promised delivery first stop Monday morning. Called Monday morning at 7:30 to confirm and they said, yes, being loaded right now and I am the first delivery, I called at 1 to ask where it might be and was told the driver is out for deliveries, he did show up at around 2 and said I was his first stop. The transmission on the other hand worked out well, scheduled that delivery for Tuesday afternoon, between 1 and 3, it showed up at 11.

[Dodgeman]

Sounds about right for my motor, it was shipped from Patterson New Jersey to a freight forwarder to a trucking company in El-Paso, Tx from there to Dallas then to Houston, Tx and finally to College Station, Tx where I was instructed to pick it up.
Called trucking company and told them I paid for direct shipment to my home in Onalaska, Tx. Trucking company stated they don't do home delivery.
Went to pick up motor in College Station and was told by trucking company because I did not pick it up in a timely manner (I went to get it the following morning) it was shipped back to New Jersey.

Long story short motor arrived at my home 5-weeks after initial shipment and additional cost. Still fighting with engine builder and freight company for my money which I paid for twice.

[bellingson]

What was your car's production number, please?

[Dodgeman]

843.

[34_40]

:eek:Ya know, it's said that without pics, it didn't happen! HEE HEE HEE..:eek::p


Glad to hear it's landed safely.

[duff33]

Mine is 1021, motor/trans getting ready77680, 77681

[rponfick]

I am a little confused by the discussion above about the supplied parts not fitting: moser supplied rear axle, trailing arms, etc., on a 4 link. I cannot believe FFR would sell you these parts and as indicated above "they have to modified", or not used. I am anticipating doing this build, but this disturbs me. Wonder if will be the same issue with the '35 Hot Rod pickup. Or, have these issues been resolved between FFR and moser?

Thanks, Ralph

[34_40]

Thanks Boss. 8-)

[duff33]

Regarding parts not fitting, I have been involved in manufacturing for more years than I want to admit. It is not uncommon for suppliers to make changes to parts or formulas without letting you know. They feel they are making an improvement or a cost cutting measure. Sometimes you never know and other times you scratch your head trying to figure what is different. Its all part of the game and it makes for interesting challenges.

[34_40]

Happy New Year! Hope you make great progress with the hot rod in 2018!


someone baling out! https://southcoast.craigslist.org/cto/d/1933-factory-5-hot-rod/6429012428.html

[duff33]

Same to you Buddy ! Progress has pretty much stopped, it is just way to cold, 0 outside this AM, 15 degrees in the garage, ran the heat for a couple of hours and got it up to 38 degrees, ran some wiring but the floor is to cold for my feet even with thermal socks . Did put the motor & trans in a couple of weeks ago ( when it was in the 40's) , thank you so much for the motor hoist made life pretty easy. Have to change the brackets for the alternator ( too low hits the frame) its been recommended that I change to a high mount bracket. I have that on order plus the headers and shifter. Maybe it will warm up in a couple of weeks. Now I think its just time to hibernate.

[34_40]

I am in the same boat here. Temps about the same as yours, and I have been in the shop 'cause the plowtruck needs the carb serviced. But I'm not having much success in completing that or getting the heater to work.
I am glad to hear you've got the motor & tranny in. That's always a milestone in the journey of building a car.

[erlihemi]

Progress has pretty much stopped, it is just way to cold, 0 outside this AM, 15 degrees in the garage, ran the heat for a couple of hours and got it up to 38 degrees, ran some wiring but the floor is to cold for my feet even with thermal socks . Maybe it will warm up in a couple of weeks. Now I think its just time to hibernate.

I am so happy that I put PEX tube in my slab 15 years ago! I didn't actually hook up the radiant Hx until 4 years ago and wow does it make life nice. I keep my shop about 45F when I'm not there which pushes the concrete up to 50F. When I walk in I hit the Hot Dawg to 55 and my hands don't stick to my tools!! Minus 5F at my place this morning and the shop felt great at 45 when I walked in. The dog even thinks its nice, He knows the warmest spot on the floor and owns it. It also keeps my garage door seal from freezing to the floor and ripping off when I open it. Trying to keep it above 45 gets a little pricey though in this weather.

You might want to look for something like a heated horse mat that you can throw down to stand on. Or an entry way deicer mat.

[duff33]

I am jealous, the idea of the heated mat is a great idea, thank you !!

[duff33]

It has been quite awhile since I have posted anything. The cold and the weather sets it up so I can only work in the garage for short periods of time, then back in to warm up. I have been able to install the shifter, but have not connected the TV cable yet. Headers are in place. Put together a mock instument panel, ran most of the wires ( wow what a mess)8002580026, tested most of the cicuits using my tractor battery, going to install a terminal block so I dont have that many battery cables attached to the starter. Hooked up the headlights from my old truck to test that out and to my surprise everything worked. Ran transmission lines from the tranny80027 up to the front, will finish those after the radiator is set inplace. Still so many little things that need to get done, just have to keep chipping away at it and hope for warmer weather. My goal is to start it up by the end of Feburary !

[TxMike64]

I wonder if you might be better running the trans lines along the bell housing and block (similar to OEM) instead of over the exhaust? Or maybe there won't be that much heat by the exhaust there. Just curious. I'm not building yet, but I see little things like that and get curious why people chose the routings they chose - after all it is "their way", not the right way or wrong way. But I like to take every opportunity to learn, that way when I do build I have different ideas to pull from.

[34_40]

Yes, it has been quite a while since an update. But it has been terribly cold, enough to keep me out of my shop as well so you have my sympathies. LOL.
It's been said before that any progress is good progress. So good for you! (-8

[Mick Scarborough]

And here I am thinking its too hot to work in the garage. We are in the 80s.

[duff33]

It has been awhile since I last posted but there has been quite a bit of progress.Grill and radiator have been put in place, tryed to line them up to the marks that I made when the body was on. Installed the radiator hoses, did have to change the thermostat hosing because I moved the altinator to a high mount position.Top hose was pretty staight forward but for the lower radiator hose I had to get a different adaptor hose because the water pump outlet is larger than the supplied adaptors. Picked up one at Tractor supply of all places. They have an adaptor kit which had the correct 3" long piece, great. Then I looked at the bottom of the radiator and realized I needed another one, so off to the parts store.
Keep in mind mine is a very simple setup, no AC, think I used the AC in my daily driver last year 3 or 4 times, and going carborated.
Tempoatatly installed the headlights and tail lights, tested everything, solved the issue of both tail lights flashing when I turned the directionals on. Felt like a total idiot when I could not figure the emergency flashers, wiring diagram shows a switch you need to install, turns out the switch is in the steering colum.
Put a terminal block so I did not have so many wires attached to the starter, mounted and wired the power steering module.
added fluids to everything, did a one man brake bleed, so far so good, did have a small leak at the resorvoir, no big deal.
Last piece of the wiring was to install the speedo gear / sensor in the trans, pulled the duct tape of that had been covering the "hole" and found its a blank hole, well thats not going to work. After some advice and encouragement from a freind I pulled the driveshaft back out and pull the tail housing off. Found another on on e-bay very close to home, then found out there are different size yokes, so that on is not going to work. Have the correct on on the way to me.
Temporarily installed the e-brake just so I could see how to run the cables.
Tryed to install the throttle cable, turns out what is supplied is 4' long, I want to go peddle next to the brake peddle, not in the trunk. Have to figure something out for that.
Did a preliminary set up of the TV cables.
Once the trans is back together, mounts and driveshaft back in I think its time to crank this puppy over and see if it starts.

[duff33]

Put everything back together and did the first start today. On the initial start, no oil pressure. Found a major error in the Ron Francis wiring harness, the 8 pin connector for the dash harness to the sending unit harness had the oil pressure and oil temperature wires swapped. Everybody needs to make sure you have continuity between sending units and the gauges.

[RoadRacer]

Put everything back together and did the first start today. On the initial start, no oil pressure. Found a major error in the Ron Francis wiring harness, the 8 pin connector for the dash harness to the sending unit harness had the oil pressure and oil temperature wires swapped. Everybody needs to make sure you have continuity between sending units and the gauges.

Wow, good to know.. I'll check those wires tonight. I'm still using a temp 3 gauge cluster from autozone :)

[duff33]

Its been a crazy week, the storm last Friday left us with out power for 4 days and brought down about half dozen trees on the property, so clean up has been the main focus.822438224482245 But it snowed last night so that has stopped the clean up and let me get back in the garage. Installed the exhaust system this morning, took awhile to figure where everything went and make sure it all clears the frame, but worked out well.82246822478224882249. Not sure if I have the e-brake cables run correctly, I do not like how close the drivers side cable is as its very close to the drive shaft, if it got cot in the universal, that would be very bad ! Going to make a bracket to make sure that does not happen.82250. Couple of oher photos of where I am now.8225182252

[34_40]

So, you ran it? How did it sound?? Must'a been a big smile on your face?!?!?!
We didn't have power for 3 days. I had the generator on the Cub Cadet, to small to run the whole house but I could keep the fridge / freezer cold and some lights or the heater... we made do.

[TDSapp]

Put everything back together and did the first start today.



It did not happen without video. :D

[duff33]

https://youtu.be/Q1wruKVqd2kOK just to make believe its the first start, here's a quick video. Next is set the transmission pressure then put the floors in.

[34_40]

OH that sounds nice! Congrats on the milestone!!

[duff33]

Just a quick update, have not been able to get much done on the hot rod, my goal of go carting by the end of the month is out the window with the weather messing up the plans. Temps are more like February and storm # 3 took down 9 more trees, the property is a desaster and I am waiting for storm # 4 to start today, more wind and snow.
But I was able to change the orinatation of the bolts that secure the streeing colum to allow full travel of the brake peddle and setting up a couple more gauges to monitor trans pressure and temp.

[34_40]

Any updates? Made any progress?
I was thinking yesterday of getting a new battery in the coupe and maybe going for a spin.. Thought you might be ready to do the same!

[duff33]

i was able to get back in the garage the past couple of days, the past month has been dealing with storm damage. I had been wondering if the coupe was ready to wake up after its winter sleep. Only thing I have done is install the trans tunnel and floor boards, dosnt seem like much but very time consuming, lots of rivets. Maybe get the seats mounted today.

[34_40]

Well it's good to hear that you've had some progress. More than me anyway! LOL..

[duff33]

Finally got to put some of the other projects on hold and get back to the hot rod, poor thing has been sitting in the garage just waiting for the first go cart ride up the street. Now some advice for those of you that are at that stage and they are really simple things that I overlooked. First, do a rough alignment of the front end, when the toe is off which ever tire grabs the road, thats the direction you are going to go, not straight, only takes about 100 feet to realize this isn't right. Back in the garage and take care of that. Second, make sure you have enough gas in the tank, so when you are a half mile up the street you dont run out of gas and eave the hot rod on the side of the street, walk back and get he gas can. Not he smartest thing to do.
But other than those my first run up the street I am pleased with. I will do this a couple more times and hopefully post a video.

[34_40]

Wow, the first ride! I've been waiting and checking for an update... somewhat patiently too!

Here's what I did over the weekend, yep gave the girl a bath..:D


86483

[duff33]

good to see the coupe out in the sunshine

[wrp]

Looks fantastic

[34_40]

Thanks.. And Thanks!

I had hoped to make some time to see the "go kart" but maybe next week. The to-do list didn't get short enough to go goofin off.. 8-)

[duff33]

After what seemed like weeks of working on the fit of the hardtop finally got the body and parts sanded and primed in white. Next is block sanding and drilling holes for gauges and door hardware.8803688037880388803988040

[duff33]

I have to install a windshield wiper, is the speedway wiper kit a good choice? Is there enough room under the dash without hitting the master cylinders?

[wrp]

There is a better and smaller system Raingear wipers that others have used. Also Dan makes a system. Can't talk to the room under the dash http://www.raingearwipers.com/

[duff33]

Thank you for the info, I will check it out.

[Mark Joy]

Speaking of vinyl wraps, my 33 is wrapped. If I was a little more IT savvy I would include a picture but the best picture I have won the Picture of the month for January 2018 on this forum. Shouldn't be too hard to find. The whole thing is wrapped including the white stripe.
What TD Sapp said about the prep work is exactly right. I'm no body man but I did I did all the prep work myself. If you look real close you can see some "imperfections". Still it looks pretty good and the total coast was $3800. You will do well to get it painted for under $6 - 7 grand unless you do all the work yourself. My build was in the 3rd bay of my 3 car garage. Not a good paint booth... APEX Customs did the wrap. Phoenix AZ.

[duff33]

Hey mark
Very nice looking ride. Was the white stripe over the black or an inlay? I am doing all the prep work myself also, I did put a wrap on the trunk lid, but it was just on the bench, so when I went to pull it tight the lid moved rather than the wrap stretching. Live and learn. I have pulled it off and am going to try again with help this time.
Drilled all the holes in the dash for the gauges yesterday, hope to shoot some white paint on the inside of the hard top and the doors in the next couple of days when the humidity breaks, than hopefully the body back on the chassis this weekend.

[Mark Joy]

The white stripe is over the black. APEX also put a beautiful carbon fiber looking wrap on the dash and the fiberglass panel behind the seats. It looks real nice. Lastly they made a beautiful foam padded carbon fiber looking headliner that's a huge upgrade to the fabric headliner in the kit.
Hope this helps and good luck.

[duff33]

I would like to do the same for my dash, do you have a picture of your dash?

[TDSapp]

The white stripe is over the black. APEX also put a beautiful carbon fiber looking wrap on the dash and the fiberglass panel behind the seats. It looks real nice. Lastly they made a beautiful foam padded carbon fiber looking headliner that's a huge upgrade to the fabric headliner in the kit.
Hope this helps and good luck.


Mark,

How did they handle the tight radius of the body line? I don't know what to call it but the half circle that runs from front to back. Is there an edge around that part of the body? Is it smooth?

I also plan on doing a lot of the body work myself. I have heard that many paint shops will not agree to paint your body if they don't do the prep work. I have not talked to many paint shops yet since I am still quite a ways out. But the wrap guys are excited and really want to do the Hot Rod.



Tim

[Mark Joy]

I'll take some pictures tomorrow, sharpen my IT skills and send them over. One thing about a wrap is that no one makes a roll large enough to cover the roof so there will be a noticeable seem. I was apprehensive about this at first but after I saw the finished product, I think it's really cool looking and that it actually adds to the character. You'll see what I mean.

[Mark Joy]

Tim,
I think they made a seam at the bottom of the half round bulge that goes along the each side at the top. You can't see it but there is a noticeable seam at the back unlike the one on the roof that is an overlap and made to be seen. The one at the back is very small and noticeable only when pointed out. I'm very happy with the wrap but under a magnifying glass, a good paint job will beat a wrap every time just in sheer shininess. Cost and effort were the big factors for me. The reason your wrap shop is excited about wrapping your Hot Rod is because they never get the opportunity to wrap them. Almost all Hot Rodders end up with $10 - $15,000 paint jobs. Then when they get their first stone chip they wanna commit suicide. So they end up as trailer queens to protect their investment. Poppycock....

[Mark Joy]

Tim & Duff33, I can't believe I forgot to mention that I have a YouTube vid of the car. I'll still send some pics of the roof seem, dash and some other goodies but if you put 'Mark Joy Hot Rod' in the YouTube search engine, it will be the first thing that comes up.

[Mark Joy]

Guys, here's my 1st attempt to send some pictures. These 2 are the dash and back interior panel. 8914089141

[wrp]

Looks good with the CF

[Mark Joy]

This is the roof seam89142

These are some micro-bubbles in a seam at the edge of my roof. One of the "imperfections" I would have to point out if you were standing looking at it. 89143

This is an unavoidable seam located on each side behind the rear wheel where the 2 pieces come together.89144

Lastly, this is one of the engine. Just because. It's a slightly de-tuned 406 SMC that formerly resided in a dirt late model I used to run during another life...89145

[Mark Joy]

One thing that I would like to point out that is unique (besides the wrap) is my idea of using the engine side panels. As you can see in the engine picture, I used about 6" of the side panel and it is firmly attached to the front. It's held in place by the headlight on top and 2 quarter inch bolts on the bottom. I liked the idea of an open engine compartment but am able to hide the hood hardware and sides of the grille. It made for an interesting continuation of the white stripe as well.

[duff33]

Mark
Thank you very much for the pictures, they give me inspiration to continue with the plan for a wrap. Love the look of the carbon fiber dash. If you don't point out the issues I bet no one even notices.

[duff33]

Its been a couple of weeks since my last post, progress is being made. The body was prepped for paint and the dash area and inside door area were painted. I opted to locate the gauges in the non-recommended areas, so quite a bit of measuring was done and the gauge locations laid out making sure the speedometer and tack would not interfere with the brake lines coming from the master cylinders.89579 After a couple of days I worked up the nerve to drill all the holes for the gauges and switches. I then applied a fiber carbon wrap to the dash area and disassembled the temporary gauge panel and put the gauges in the dash. 89580 Then with the help of a friend the body was put back on the chassis.
Couple of phases I like, “put it together, take it apart”, and “learn by your mistakes”, well even better if you can learn from someone elses mistakes. So of those of you who are going to put the body on the chassis, if you are using the supplied heat and sound insulation, make sure you remove it from the inside of the fire wall, otherwise the body is a ¼ to far back. Also if you are going to use the supplied seat belts, make sure you tighten the shoulder attachment bolts and install the trunk hinges before the body goes on, it would make life so much easier.

[duff33]

I had originally fit the hood to the body last fall before the body was taken back off the chassis to install the motor. I had scribed the grill location so after I put the motor in I lined it back up to that location. I also had installed all the hinge brackets using sheet metal screws rather than the rivnuts, that way the drilled hole for the sheet metal screw is the pilot hole. That worked well except for the striker plate and pin. The hood fit well, maybe a little more gap at the grill than I like but that can be addressed down the road. The striker plate for some reason had to be move forward, which then won’t have the rivnuts imbedded in the aluminum, so I welded an extension onto the plate so that it would be able to pick up the aluminum.89605 But that made the shoulder bolt to long, so I had a shorter shoulder bolt, but that still just hit the top of the grill when closing, so a slight notch was ground into the grill for clearance. It is a very fine line for clearance, if the sticker plate is to far back the nut for the shoulder bolt hits the radiator, too far forward and the shoulder bolt does not line up with the latch. The latch bracket can be adjusted side to side but not forward and back, so I removed it and milled slots so that I could move it forward. There is no way to get your hand between the grill and radiator to reinstall the latch, best way it to tape the nuts on the end of a screwdriver and be able to hold the nut to the bottom of the screw and spin the screw. The nut for the shoulder bolt just rubs the front of the grill when the hood is fully open, but the hood does not need to open that far, so I will install a stop so that it does not scrape on the grill. The hood did fall off the body when the gas shocks were in the factory position so the bottom mounting hole was lowered by 2 inches. 89606After several adjustments it all works. Then the release cable, which is plenty long enough but did not have enough of the cable itself sticking through, so I pulled the cable out of the sheath and cut the sheath back a couple of inches, that works fine but the latch would not return probable because of the friction in the sheath, so I added a return spring. Next step will be to install the guide pin receivers in the firewall.

[OnlyAndy]

I am following ALL you 33' builders on this forum and learning a TON of good stuff. Mark Joy, there is no way you would remember me but I saw you and your car at Huntington Beach a few moths back, I was on an exploritory journey to see if I should go forward with FF33', and you were very generous with your time and answered many questions about your experience. Thank You. And I now HAVE a 33' on order... Est mid to end Aug to be ready. I stood next to your car the whole time you were answering questions and until you told me the car was a wrap,,,, I did not know. Good job. I'm not sure I will go that way but I am SURE thinking about it. My build will be pretty basic but I am amazed at how creative and talented the builders in this Factory Five community are.

[Mark Joy]

Andy,
I talked to so many people at the Huntington Beach show that it would be next to impossible to remember exactly who you are. It pleases me to think that I my have had any influence in your decision to build a 33.
I didn't discover this forum until my build was almost complete but I will look forward to seeing your progress and will be happy to offer any advice you may need.

[OnlyAndy]

Ok Mark, like it or not, YOU are the man. I was going to do an F5 33' 5 years ago but talked myself out of it. NOW retired and at 70' I need one last big project before I can't do one. My buddy and I went to Huntington Beach event to get me off the fence. YOUR car is the First I had ever seen in person and was done in a way that pleases me,,, So, I will be using you and your car as some of my inspiration. I have been gathering parts and info since the event and got REAL lucky and ordered my kit on the Sale they are running now. That was an unexpected bonus. It was not hard to get $8K+ in options for the 50% off discount. I even ordered options that I may Not use. AND I took your advise to take the roadster windshield and not the Delete credit even though I am going Hardtop. Hey, maybe I will change my mind. I sold two hot rods, 52' Chevy PU and 70' Dart Swinger, to make room and am totally committed now. I hope my 33' comes out half as good as yours and all the other great examples I see on this forum. Thx again.

[duff33]

OK, looking for opinions when you pull a bone head move. I was installing the trunk sheet metal and foolishly drilled a couple of 1/8 holes in the side of the gas tank. Other than pulling the tank put and replacing it (of course the body is on) anybody have any great ideas?

[TxMike64]

Braze it with brass... Spot filler TIG...

It's only 1/8" -- a good epoxy could take care of it for good.

[Smoking Joe]

If it was my tank I would use 3M Aerospace P/S AC-240 Class B-12. After mixing dip a pop rivet in it then insert and pull rivet then coat the rivet with same. This is a aircraft fuel tank sealant. I have used it many time on aircraft fuel tank with very good results..

[duff33]

Thank you Smoking Joe, I had looked at most of the "gas tank repair products" available at Amazon and auto parts stores but none of them had great reviews, leaks again after different amounts of time. The 3M product which probale is not know to the general public, is available through several different vendors, so I will order it today and give it a try.

[Mark Joy]

OnlyAndy, I'm flattered by your words. Since I'm also retired I am available to provide you any advice I can muster. No problem too small and if I can't help, there are plenty of great & talented minds on this forum. I look forward to your build thread.

[duff33]

Just a quick update on the build. Hopefully fixed the holes in the gas tank, taped the holes to 10/32, coated the screws with the 3M epoxy, threaded them in tight, then covered the heads with the epoxy, let cure for a couple of days and put gas back in. Its been a week so far and so good.
Raised the seats by 3 inches, for the drivers seat I used the seat adjusted from my old pickup, slight modification to make it work.91686
Have layed out the cuts in the doors for the side windows, had to grind down the flange for the gasket to fit over before I could measure. Passenger side is tighter than the drivers side, hopefully that wont be an issue for the glass. I have read that FF5 has a slightly smaller glass. Once I get the nerve to cut we will find out.91687
I am going to run full fenders but want to remove some of the side panels and be able to mount the headlights without disassembling, well see how this turns out. 9168891689Will have to fabricate bracing to stop the fender from drooping.

[1932]

With the side panels cut that much you will need finder bracing!

[duff33]

Fender bracing made, tied to the chassis and from side to side. Can thread in studs that the fenders will line up with making installing the fenders much easier ( I hope).920489204992050. Also raised the bottom attachment for the gas shocks for the hood, which eliminated the latch pin hitting the top of the grill when opening the hood.

[myjones]

nice fabrication work on the bracing, simple and functional.
Kudos

Dale

[duff33]

Still trying to decide what to do about the slot in the door for the window, I still think the specified slot is too narrow for the supplied rubber strips, so I moved on to the door handle ( which needs to be done before the window anyway). Had to make a new clevis because the cable is too short9338293383 and had to shorten the long leg of the spring because it rubbed on the inside of the door. But the garage needs a new roof, so that has taken priority.93384

[duff33]

9545095451Finally solved my issue with the weather strips for the power windows, found a weather strip that fits the cut slot nicely. Door handles are in and working, windows go up and down. Did have to put a small piece of angle iron on the top of the upright for the windows, cut them at length per the manuel but when the window was full up the nylon piece would ride higher than the upright. Really did not want to weld on a piece to make it longer.
Next I think I will try to figure out the small sheet metal pieces and what weather strips to use on the interior, near the door hinges, looks like they over lap some of the other sheet metal.954529545395454

[duff33]

not sure if the pictures of the windows loaded correctly, so try again.9545795458

[FF33rod]

Looks great! where did you end up finding the right weather strip for the windows?

[Tampa33Build]

Really like how it turned out, where did you get the weatherstrip?
Like your door handles also, where did you get them?

[duff33]

Door handles came with the kit, weather strip came from Steele Rubber Products #70-3854-99

[wrp]

Re4ally a nice clean look, good job.

[34_40]

I agree, came out nice. I'll have to check it out in person.

[Plimpton]

I like your wheel and tire selection. Could you share the exact selections?

[duff33]

Hey Plimpton I searched for a long time for wheels and tires, saved the ones I liked in my favorites and after saving the same ones several times that made the choise. They are Mickey Thompson Street Comp 245-45R17 and 315-35R17. Rims are American Racing AR105M 17x8--4.5 back space and AR105M 17 x 10.5 with 6.875 back spacing. The problem was the rears did not have enough back spacing, tire was way to close to the inner fender well, so I added a .875 wheel spacer to move them out. But in order to do that I had to go with longer wheel studs, which ment pulling the axles. I plan on running full fenders and I should move the rears out a little more to "fill" the fender opening but are reluctant to add more wheel spacer. At the present time I have 5" ride heigth rear and 4.75 in the front.

[duff33]

While I am at it here is a quick update on the build. I have trimed and fit the rear cockpit cover, thats a real joy. To located where the roll bar passes through I took a laser pointer and suspended it over the center of the tube that accepts the roll bar, then with out moving the pointer reinstalled the cover and marked the point, repeated for the other side. i think it worked out well. Roll bar needed some work to get it to fit down far enough. All back out to do the covering for the cockpit cover.
Next was fitting the front portion of the engine side cover and front fender (did the vinyl cover on the side cover). Installed the front side cover, installed the head light though the side cover into the bracket beside the radiator then tried to put the fender on, it doesn't fit, head light is in the way. Looks like if you are running full fenders the headlights should be mounted on the fender, not through the side cover, unless I am missing something. 9746297463974649746597466bummer.

[CVOBill]

There's two holes in the bracket, the upper hole is for full fenders and the lower hole is with out.

[duff33]

I am in the upper hole, looks like if it was about an inch higher it would be fine.

[Plimpton]

Hey Plimpton I searched for a long time for wheels and tires, saved the ones I liked in my favorites and after saving the same ones several times that made the choise. They are Mickey Thompson Street Comp 245-45R17 and 315-35R17. Rims are American Racing AR105M 17x8--4.5 back space and AR105M 17 x 10.5 with 6.875 back spacing. The problem was the rears did not have enough back spacing, tire was way to close to the inner fender well, so I added a .875 wheel spacer to move them out. But in order to do that I had to go with longer wheel studs, which ment pulling the axles. I plan on running full fenders and I should move the rears out a little more to "fill" the fender opening but are reluctant to add more wheel spacer. At the present time I have 5" ride heigth rear and 4.75 in the front.

Duff, thanks for the detailed reply. I will definitely use the info.

[duff33]

Solved the head light fit. I was in the top hole in the bracket 97690, but that set the head light on the fender. Made an extention for the bracket 97691, that moved the head light up 2". Now all fits, one of those things that you do that no one will ever know.9769297693

[duff33]

Couple of questions, I would like to mount the switches for the power windows on each door but the bezel that comes with the switches is to mount them side by side not individually, does anybody know where you can get individual bezels that would fit the supplied swithes?? Other option would be to mount them together on a console with the supplied bezel, is there a "universal" console that a company has that would fit the 33 or are they all "custom" made?? I don't like the idea of mounting them under the dash.

[1932]

If you are by yourself and switch is in door how will you open or close window ? PS

[duff33]

You are correct, I would not be able to open the PS, good point. Console might be the way to go.

[HVACMAN]

Couple of questions, I would like to mount the switches for the power windows on each door but the bezel that comes with the switches is to mount them side by side not individually, does anybody know where you can get individual bezels that would fit the supplied swithes?? Other option would be to mount them together on a console with the supplied bezel, is there a "universal" console that a company has that would fit the 33 or are they all "custom" made?? I don't like the idea of mounting them under the dash.

Check this out. http://www.classictruckconsoles.com/

[duff33]

Thank you, I will do some research

[HVACMAN]

I forgot about this one. http://www.modernclassicsinteriors.com/

[wrp]

I picked up a console from Innovative Rodding a few years ago, do not know if he still does them. We just built a box out of wood for the console glove box. Mounted the Window switches on it. Then used the contact connectors in lieu of wiring through the door. I am pretty happy with the look and function. We used the panel contacts versus wire through the doors for the electrical connections.

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/kcw-10633/overview/


985649856598566985679856898570985719857298573]98574

[duff33]

Thank you guys !!!

[JimLev]

Duff, where did you get the trim ring for your shift boot? I need a rectangular one similar to yours.
Nice work on the console.

[duff33]

Hey Jim
I am still dreaming of a console, trim ring is on wrp's build

[wrp]

Aaah I got mine from Summit I think. I believe it was a lokar, let me check. Pretty wide variety of them.

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/bsp-279310/overview/

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/lok-70-sfr/overview/

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/oer-9780055/overview/

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/ems-ms110-64p/overview/

[JimLev]

Thanks guys.
I'm liking the Lokar 70 one.

[wrp]

Kory told me to clean up my garage, she'll be coming home soon, unless I get more good ideas.

98721987229872398724987259872698727987289872998730

[HVACMAN]

Kory told me to clean up my garage, she'll be coming home soon, unless I get more good ideas.

98721987229872398724987259872698727987289872998730

Bill,

I thought you were going to do an LS swap, or was I dreaming?

[wrp]

I went ahead and sold the LS motor I had. It has taken a year to get this far so I thought I would just leave it with the small block and LS the next one. LoL, did I post this in your thread?

[duff33]

Going to run full fenders and running boards and have been afraid if someone stepped on the running board that would be the end of them. I have seen several posts where folks have made braces under them. So took those ideas and came up with ones that will clamp on the chassis and support the bottom side of the running board. Seem to work OK, I can stand on one brace at a time and it supports my weight. Just had to undo my brake line that was fastened to the chassis so I could slip the top piece over the chassis, then reattached the brake line. This was a good cold weather project, welding warms up the hands.99295992969929799298

[duff33]

I have been able to get a few things done on the hot rod in the past couple of weeks, trunk aluminum is in place ( this time I did not drill through the gas tank!)100260. Rugs are in place and tacked down, seats are just set in place for the time being. Working on a console that will go between the seats, hopefully a storage area and be able to put the power window switches and a couple of others ( wipers, power steering and any other dodad I want to add)100261. The console will get covered with the faux leather that was for the rear cockpit cover. Did have to change the shifter to a longer stem, just couldn't reach the short one when I had the seat belts on, that was a little more detailed than I was figuring on, but its done.

[duff33]

I think everybody is right and it has been fairly quite on the 33 forum, must be the winter doldrums. I have for the most part finished the console.101001 Its covered in the faux leather, (which now needs to be cleaned) supplied arm rest is hinged and set at a nice hieght to be able to rest my arm on it and have some storage.101002 Switches are wired up but still waiting on a usb port that will be placed between the power window switches.
On the supplied arm rest I did have to reglue and install some screws to hold it together where the top wraps around the sides onto the metal backing. I have noticed the same issue on a couple of pictures from other builds so I guess its a comman problem.
I was going to pull the fenders off today to get them ready for the vinyl wrap, but seeing its only 4 degrees I will wait a couple of days for it to warm up some.

[duff33]

I am sure this has happened to everyone who is building, or at least I hope I am not the only one. You are working on a project and you say Oh no I shouldn't have done that, I'll have to get back to that. Well one of mine was when I was fitting the hood last summer, I had to build up on of the front corners with resin, I had the grill taped off but not well enough and had a couple of drops of resin drip onto the edge of the grill. Well it was time to get back to that. So with a razor knife I carefully scraped of the drips but that still left a discoloration, now what. I took some 600 grit paper and cleaned the discoloration, looked good but now the rest of the grill didn't match. One of the other shouldn't have done that moments was when I first opened the hood and the stricker pin scraped the top of the grill. For that I had to sand the mark with 400 grill paper to remove the scratch. I ended up doing the entire grill with 600 grit, then 800 grit, then 1500 grit all with aluminum polish as a lubricate. I think it turned out well, but that was 10 hours I had not planned on.102122

[wrp]

Looks really good

[duff33]

OK here is another interesting little twist. Way back last summer I fit the trunk lid, opened and closed nicely, left the brackets tight and just removed the bolts into the trunk lid itself. In the mean time I have installed the truck sheet metal. Now its time to reinstall the trunk lid, so I put the bolts back in the original position, closed the lid and it binds and I could not open it again. Went back to the directions and you are suppose to reach up from underneath to adjust, thats fine if you dont have the floor in. I was able to pry up the corners to get the bolts back out and remove the lid. Looks like I am going to have to remove the sheet metal so I can reach up and readjust everything. Just another case of put it together and take it apart.
I have been able to do more of the vinyl wrap, learn something everytime, someday I might be able to do a section without any errors.

[DS9941]

I was wandered what i would do if the trunk would bind and i can't get it opened, so i bolted the cover for the hole directly below the latch from the outside with rivnuts. So now i can crawl under, remove the cover and reach up and get to the latch.

[duff33]

After days of adjusting the trunk lid I have it as close as its going to get for the time being. I did not have to remove the trunk floor. Opens and closes fine, still does not close tight with the weather strip across the bottom, might have to lower the lip that it slips over. I was not a big fan of the supplied trunk latch so I went a different root. 104503The latch hook was too wide to bolt to the trunk in the land on the lid so I made a plate that bolts to the lid with rivnuts on the flat, the bolted the latch hook to the plate. Then made a plate that bolts to the body with a 3/8 bolt that the latch hook goes around and put a piece of polyethylene on the plate so its not metal on metal. 104504 Still have to shorten the square shaft for the handle but thats easy. Works out well.

[Dodgeman]

Where did you find this trunk latch / assembly? I have been looking but no luck, any help would be appreciated.

Bob Hunt

[duff33]

Hi Bob I did an internet search and found it at Dannys Rod Shop. I looked this morning and don't see it listed anymore. I will search again, I did see it a couple of other places.

[JOP33]

Where did you find this trunk latch / assembly? I have been looking but no luck, any help would be appreciated.

Bob Hunt

You might find Soutco or Austin Hardware to be helpful on the latch. It may take some looking though.

[1932]

speedway has some.

[duff33]

It has been awhile since I posted anything, just trying to tie up a lot of loose ends, tail lights, licence plate holder, cowl plates, things like that. I also temporarily installed the interior door panels figuring that when the hard top goes on for the final time I might have to adjust the side windows to make sure they line up well with the hard top. Before drilling the holes for the push pins in the doors I used the specified drill size and drilled a hole in a scrap piece of fiberglass, then had to use a claw hammer to get it back out, so I stepped up on the drill size. As I said I want to be able to remove the panel but also want it tight. After transfering all the pin locations in the door I drilled a couple of holes, put the pins in the panels and put the panel inplace. Turns out the thickness of the fiberglass will determine what drill size you should use, the thicker the fiberglass the smaller the drill if you ever want to remove the panels and the thickness of the door varies quite a bit.
Hopefully fenders will be going on in the next few days and then it might be ready to come out in the sun shine.

[duff33]

Finally out in the sunshine107946107947107948107949 Still a lot more to do

[duff33]

Ok so here is amother interesting little twist, put in the head liner and proper gaskets thought I had installed the hard top for the final time. Then put the windshield inplace, didn't fit ( see post in body & interior). So, remove hardtop and find that the opening had a small bump on the side allowing the windshield to rock top to bottom. Groung down the bump and it fit, but the black edge of the windshiled is 3/4 and the flange that it sits against was 1 1/4, so made a adaptor for the dremel and cut the flange back, did the same for the rear window. Scariest thing I have done since the first start, keep in mind the hard top is now painted. Of course this opened up voids in the edge. 108820 glassed and repaired those and had some paint left over and was able to touch up where it had be ground.
Now ready to install windshield and back window, going to use 3m window weld, have read that it can be very messy so hopefully have everything masked off. 108821My question is how much of a bead should I apply, need enough to completely cover at a uniform thickness but dont really want it squishing out all over the place?

[duff33]

Windshield is in and it was relativly easy, did have everything masked off and maybe a little overboard but wanted to be safe. I could have uniformally applied more 3M than I did so that I did not have the voids, would have been better if it oozed out all the way around.109483. Any place that it did oozed was easily cut away after it cured both inside and outside. I then ran a bead of black silicone around the edge (after masking off everything again), that filled in the gap and covered where there was not enough 3M.109491. I would not be afraid to do it again.

[JOP33]

Nice job! The car looks great!

[duff33]

Received my VIN number yesterday from the state. I will post the story in Northeast Discussions. Making baby steps to get it on the road.

[duff33]

Baby steps continue, set up insurance and went to the RMV and got a set of plates, BUT when I take it out on the street the motor will just die on me, sometimes 50 feet up the street, other time about a quarter of a mile. Acts like it runs out of gas, sputters and dies. All fuel filters are clean, plenty of gas in the tank. I put a clear fuel filter just before the carb and its always full. Motor will start right back up with out a problem. It will sit and idle all day long, rev to say 3000 rpm and it will hold it as long as you want. Motor has a quick fuel carburetor 302, vac advance, electronic distributor, pretty straight forward, AOD trans, nothing fancy. Timing is good. I am very confused, I think its fuel, a buddy seems to think its electrical. I know there are a lot of people out there much smarter than I am

[sethmark]

I haven’t been able to find a picture of your fuel lines, but my immediate thought is the carburetors floats are too low and the bowl is emptying.

Do you have a fuel return line?
Have you verified fuel pressure at the carburetor? You should be able to hold the fuel line and feel the pulse if it’s mechanical...

[duff33]

Carb has sight gauges on the sides and the level is mid way. No return line. If the bowels were emptying I don't think it would start right back up, you would have to crank and pump? Not sure what the fuel pressure is but you can feel it pulse. Just put a new coil on but that didn't make a difference. Under acceleration its good, but when it shifts and the rpm drop it starts to sputter, give it gas and it recovers, but on the back roads that's not such a great idea because it will get up and go, take your foot of the gas and she dies. This is a crate motor and it ran fine in the go cart stage and even when the body first went on. Going to put it up on jack stands and double check all fuel line just to make sure.

[sethmark]

Sounds like either a ignition problem or fuel pressure. Have you checked the squirters to make sure that they’re delivering fuel when you open it up? If you pull the air cleaner and manually manipulate the throttle, you can see the two squirt nozzles work.

[wrp]

I had a situation where after sitting for several years the floats in my Holley would literally leak/fill up/sink. This was exacerbated by my regulator being positioned over the headers, albeit nearly a foot away. After about an hour of running the car would go completely rich. I replaced the float, the needles, and the power valve. We did re jet it.

[duff33]

Squirters work fine, when it starts to die if you kick it into neutral and pump the gas a little bit the motor will recover, then put it back into gear go a little bit and it dies again. Going to go be process of elimination, start with fuel delivery, carburetor is going to get dissected first.

[sread]

It does sound like some type of fuel restriction issue. You mention fuel filters - how many do you have and where are they located? With a mechanical pump you probably only need one - after the pump, before the carb. Some aftermarket fuel filters are very restrictive and will cause problems if used on the suction side of the system.
A wideband O2 gauge would be a huge help in determining rich/lean and can be invaluable for tuning not only efi but carb systems.

[sethmark]

How about a stuck a needle and seat? Perhaps it’s flooding the bowl?

[duff33]

112209Pulled the carb and took it apart, I am amazed at how much crud was in it, not exactly sure what it was, some of it seemed to be the gaskets falling apart? 112206112207112208. There is a fuel filter just after the tank and a filter between the machanical pump and carb, double checked those and find no crud. Rebuilt kit has been ordered so it will be a few days to see if this is the issue.

[sethmark]

Wow, That’s awful. Definitely a good place to start. I did my last carburetor rebuild on the side of the road on power tour last year in Alabama. Too much ethanol and backcountry gas stations.


Best of luck. I hope it helps.

[34_40]

112209Pulled the carb and took it apart, I am amazed at how much crud was in it, not exactly sure what it was, some of it seemed to be the gaskets falling apart? 112206112207112208. There is a fuel filter just after the tank and a filter between the machanical pump and carb, double checked those and find no crud. Rebuilt kit has been ordered so it will be a few days to see if this is the issue.

Well that is certainly a problem! Do you use any stabilizer in your fuel? I use STA-BIL brand at twice the recommended dose and don't have any troubles. I also dump in a pint of Marvel Mystery Oil just before I park it for the winter. The gas in the coupe is 2 years old right now, and I know it'll start and run good. It's a pain in the butt sometimes to remember to add it but it saves me the headache your having right now.... I wanted to go bother you yesterday but I had/have to many chores that need to get done. But maybe this week?

[sread]

That looks like corrosion from water in the fuel - either from condensation or absorbed from atmosphere (caused by ethanol content)

[duff33]

Carb has been rebuilt and I can go down the street without it dying. Still messing with metering screws for adjustment, making adjustments don't seem to make a difference. Putting on a vacuum gauge I have 0 inches at the carb nipple for the vac advance at idle, give it some RPM and I do have vac.

[sethmark]

I assume the vacuum gauge is about the butterflies? Put it on full manifold to get a proper reading....

[34_40]

Check to ensure you're on the Ported Vacuum nipple, sounds like you're on the NON Ported side. You can go direct to the manifold if you have a port available.
There should be a spot on the carb below the butterflies.

[duff33]

I have been on the nipple on the side of the metering block and on the nipples that are below the primary bowl, get zip for vacuum at idle on those, great vacuum at idle on the nipple for the pcv valve. I will probably "T" into that one

[34_40]

Any updates ?? Progress??

[duff33]

Good to hear from you, I still have about 3 weeks of being "legal" ( got to love the laws of this state, yes that's being sarcastic) I've put about 150 miles on it in the past couple of weeks, still have not calibrated the speedometer yet. Took it to Plum Corner last Monday night and might take it back there tonight. Also might register for Cruisin New England Spooktacular first Sunday in Oct. and Plum Corner Oct 13th. Still looking for a crusher, found a 68 ford LTD but its been sitting for 35 years so it doesn't meet the criteria. Defiantly coming up with a list of things to do to it this winter, it sits way to low so have to figure how to raise it up a couple of inches and have to change the supplied mufflers to something a little quieter ( not sure what the supplier mufflers are), no way am I going to hear a stereo with the supplied ones.

[34_40]

The stereo is the exhaust pipes.. 1 on each side of the car! LOL
Plumb corner, I was thinking of doing the final show as well. Maybe I'll see you there?

[34_40]

Fun hanging out with you today. Some nice cars and folks too.

[duff33]

Happy Thanksgiving everyone. Just a tidbit of information, I received a catalog the other day that has die cast cars, it has several 33 Ford Hot Rods in it ( Custom Ford Coupe) some with hard top and another without. ---Fairfield Collectibles ---. It also has some Cobras for those folks.

[34_40]

Haven't had an opportunity 'til now, but Happy Holidays to you and everyone here.
Hope you get at least some of what you want and all of what you need! 8-)

[34_40]

Well, it's been almost a year exactly. And no updates. HMmmmm........ SLACKER! LOL.