Yama-Bro's MK4 Build Thread - #9158 (Index in Post #1)

[Yama-Bro]

Hey Guys!

My kit arrived this weekend, so it's time to get this build thread rolling...

After about 30 years of dreaming of owning a Cobra I finally pulled the trigger and placed my order online during the June open house. I was planning on ordering it in September, but everything fell into place unexpectedly and I just "had" to do it.

When I was about 11 years old (30 years ago) my Mom caught me on the phone with another Cobra replica manufacturer. I was trying to get some info on their car and get them to send me a brochure (this was back before internet). My mom took the phone from me and proceeded to let the sales man on the other end have it. She explained to him that I was an 11 year old boy and had no business with one of these cars. Well, that just fanned the flames and here I am 30 years later with one in my garage.

My plan is to build this for an all around fun car. I'll be cruising around town (65%), hitting some scenic curvy roads (15%), going to a few car shows (10%), and doing a the occasional "for fun" track (5%) and autocross days (5%). I'm going for a vaguely vintage looking car with 15" billboards and the vintage gages. I have two boys that are 7 and 12. I'm really looking forward to working on this with them (and they are excited too). Since I have a family, a full time job, and many things going on, I'm planning on taking my time on this, so the build could be drawn out a little more than some of yours. It definitely won't be done in 9 months.

Here's what I ordered with the complete kit:
-Frame setup for 302/351 engine and 8.8 straight rear axle w/3 link suspension
-Powder coated frame
-Uncut body
-Power steering
-Vintage gauge set
-Stainless side exhaust
-302 ceramic coated headers
-Wind wings
-Sun visors
-Heater/defroster
-Wipers
-Driver and Passenger chrome roll bars(planning to make the passenger side removable)
-Roll bar grommets
-Center dash support
-15" Halibrand wheels
-Swapped the pre cut dash for a blank dash.

I'm also planning to get/do the following items to complete the build...
-Gordan Levy's 4 piston Wilwood brakes for FFR's 15" Halibrand wheels
-Mickey Thompson ST 15" tires (with Goodyear Eagle tire stickers or stencil)
-For the power plant, right now I'm looking at a BluePrint Engines 347 with EFI, but could go a lot of different directions. I'm also looking at the BPE 306 and the BPE 427 with the Dart block (but that's out of the price range, probably even with an employee discount)
-TKO600 tranny
-3.55 gearing in the rear end along with a 31 spline axles and Ford Track Lok diff..
-Glove box. I like the way the glove box looks in the dash, so I'm going to try to get it to work with the heater.
-Dropped trunk mod
-Battery relocated to the front or under the trunk.
-Competition dash layout.
-A second set of 17" wheels and tires for running on the track.
-Would really like to do rectangular taillights.
-I'm planning to paint it Viking blue with white stripes and blacked out wheels, although my wife and kids are pushing for lime green and black stripes.

I have a decent background of working on things, but I am no expert when it comes to building cars. Many of the steps will be new to me. I'm excited to learn some new skills. I'll be asking tons of questions along the way. Feel free to point out anything I've done wrong.

I also hope to contribute something to the forum during this build, whether it's a new designed part that others can use, a nice CAD drawing, or simply helping someone else in their build by showing my pictures and sharing my experiences.

Anyways...here we go...



Index:
Post #2 - Delivery
Post #7 - Inventory
Post #23 - Body Removal (See post 101 for body buck drawings)
Post #39 - Aluminum Panel Removal
Post #41 - F Panel Prep
Post #42 - Koni Shock Assembly
Post #43 - F Panel Installation
Post #50 - Lower Control Arm Installation
Post #53 - Lower Control Arms, Shocks, Spindles, and Hubs Installation
Post #55 - Steering Rack Installation
Post #56 - Gordon Levy Racing Front Wilwood Brakes Installation
Post #95 - Driver's Side Footbox Front Panel Prep and installation
Post #96 - Tie Rod and Steering Shaft Installation.
Post #101 - Yama-Bro's Extra Storage Body Buck Drawings
Post #121 - Axle rebuild
Post #178 - Gordon Levy Racing Rear Wilwood Brakes Installation
Post #179 - Banana Bracket Installation
Post #185 - Lower Control Arm Brackets, Lower Control Arms, Upper & VPM Banana Bracket Installation
Post #186 - Axle Assembly Bolted to Frame & Rear shocks installed = Rolling Chassis!!!
Post #208 - Fuel tank install
Post #211 - Jeff Kleiner's quick jack mounting mod
Post #222 - Heater hole in firewall and temp firewall install
Post #229 - Pedal box install
Post #233 - Tire Stickers
Post #236 - Passenger side footbox fit, drill, and temp install
Post #237 - Cockpit floor fit, drill, and temp install
Post #244 - Driver's side footbox fit, drill, and temp install
Post #250 - Trunk side panels; fit, drill, and temp install
Post #256 - Russ Thompson drop trunk mod install and lower trunk floor fit and temp install
Post #263 - FFmetals battery box install and upper trunk floor fit and temp install
Post #266 - Sway bar install
Post #269 & #284 - Flexible brake line install
Post #286 - Girling brake reservoirs and mounting bracket installed
Post #301 - Hard brake lines installed
Post #316 - Pro-M Racing hanger and Aeromotive Stealth fuel pump installed
Post #317 - Hard fuel lines bent and installed
Post #326 - Fuel filter & bracket installed
Post #329 - Flexible fuel lines installed
Post #337 - Brake bleeding
Post #346 & 347 - Fuse panel install and rough wiring harness laid out
Post #348 - Heater install and passenger side foot box final assembly.
Post #349 - Dash layout
Post #358 - Dash hole cutting
Post #362 - Fresh air/footbox vent cable pulls
Post #376 - Glove box design
Post #381 - Glove Box 3D printing, sanding, and assembly
Post #390 - Glove Box door fabrication
Post #393 - Dash locating with body on/Dash ends bent
Post #397 - Dash mounting brackets
Post #401 - FFR's Under Dash support brackets & footbox heater vents
Post #409 - Dash support tubes & extension bracket.
Post #412 - Bracket to attach passenger side of dash to frame
Post #413 - Modification of vintage knobs
Post #414 - Filing glove box screw holes prior to dash covering
Post #415 - Dash vinyl covering
Post #416 - Glove box internal paint and heat insulation.
Post #419 - Dash assembled and placed in car
Post #426 - Radiator & Fan Install (including Breeze upper/lower supports and fan shroud)
Post #433 - Emergency brake lever assembly
Post #437 - Glove box door welting
Post #438 - Seats and dual locking seat sliders - Part 1
Post #443 - Fuel tank vent tube
Post #443 - Clutch cable
Post #446 - Russ Thompson pedal install
Post #449 - Firewall stiffener bracket fabrication
Post #456 - Brake line heat shield
Post #460 - Horns Installed
Post #461 - Custom inner panels for upper level of trunk side walls
Post #466 - Fire Wall extension panel
Post #467 - Roll bars drilled
Post #469 - Foot vents
Post #476 - Firewall insulation
Post #478 - Key switch anti-rotation and dash stiffening bracket
Post #483 - Transmission and modifications
Post #486 - Steering shaft bezel from replicaparts.com
Post #487 - Dash wiring harness
Post #494 - Parking brake cables & connection to lever
Post #496 - Engine Story
Post #518 - Front Drive system
Post #521 - Tranny mated to engine
Post #522 - Engine in Chassis, Clutch cable, headers, shift lever, Metco safety loop, Tranny A-frame, driveshaft
Post #531 - Forte Mechanical Throttle Linkage
Post #536 - Preformed radiator hoses
Post #537 - Coolant overflow tank
Post #541 - Flexible fuel lines to Holley Sniper
Post #542 - 90 Degree oil filter adaptor
Post #543 - Breeze power steering line kit
Post #546 - First Start
Post #551 - Go Kart

[Yama-Bro]

Delivery day pictures...

The truck outside our place...
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4397/36894127382_4d21d18522_h.jpg

Helping Jerry unload. I had a crew of helpers. I had my Mom taking box inventory. My wife taking pictures, My Dad, brother and two sons moved boxes to the garage and my friend Jason and I lifted them from the back of the trailer. I'm the guy in the orange at the front of the car.
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4371/36894128682_0e97ea1444_h.jpg

These guys couldn't wait to sit it in it...
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4340/36894123372_3a3445bdee_h.jpg

A big THANK YOU to BPE...I wouldn't be doing this project so soon if it wasn't for the cool company that I work for.
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4362/36230179584_d6a00c52db_h.jpg

Everything all packed in my garage stall so that my wife can get her car in the garage (that's part of the deal). Once I get inventory done, I'll find a spot for the boxes that allows me to work on the car...
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4348/37064897115_aecda45cb8_h.jpg

[GKindle]

Congratulations! I am scheduled to pick up my kit at the factory on Sept. 16. I am excited to get started. thanks for doing the build thread and I will be watching your progress. Good luck!!

[Papa]

Congratulations! You are going to have a lot of fun building the car with those boys! I never made it to the BluePrint factory as my trip to Omaha didn't go as planned. My wife and I ended up leaving Denver at 6:30pm on a Thursday and we came back on a Sunday. I waved as we passed the bridge over I-80 each way.

[srobinsonx2]

Yama-Bro.

That sounds like a great build plan. Those boys are going to have a blast and will have memories that will last the rest of their lives. My kids are out of the house and didn't get an opportunity like you have. Enjoy it. They grow up fast.

I see you live in Kearney. I lived in a little town north of your, Ravenna. Didn't live their long, about a year. I travel to that area of Nebraska a couple of times a year. Maybe I will see you driving around when I am in your neck of the woods. I am looking forward to following your build.

[Yama-Bro]

Yama-Bro.

That sounds like a great build plan. Those boys are going to have a blast and will have memories that will last the rest of their lives. My kids are out of the house and didn't get an opportunity like you have. Enjoy it. They grow up fast.

I see you live in Kearney. I lived in a little town north of your, Ravenna. Didn't live their long, about a year. I travel to that area of Nebraska a couple of times a year. Maybe I will see you driving around when I am in your neck of the woods. I am looking forward to following your build.

I've been to Ravenna a few times. I know several people from there.

My boys and I did inventory on the 3rd box tonight. It probably took twice as long as it should have because every part we took out of the box had to be held up next to the car where it will go. Every time we did it my little guy's jaw would about hit the floor. LOL. It was pretty fun.

[Yama-Bro]

I recieved more goodies in the mail tonight. Gordon Levy Racing Wilwood front and rear brake kits for FFR 15" Halibrand replica rims. Very Nice! Thanks Gordon!

Rear kit
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4417/36660025300_eb8bc82bff_h.jpg

Front kit
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4349/36886068232_16cab01330_h.jpg

[CobraboyDR]

Rear drums?

[Yama-Bro]

Rear drums?
haha, no, those are the emergency brakes. The discs are to the right, wrapped in yellow plastic. Not as obvious in the picture as the drum shoes. I haven't studied up on how it goes together yet, but I assume the shoes are inside the discs.

[WIS89]

Frank-

Everything looks great. The boys looked pretty excited! You are going to have some pretty awesome memories to share with them! There has been nothing like the experience I have shared with my boys during the build! I wouldn't trade it for anything.

Good luck as you get started on your build. I know what you mean regarding a slow build. I too am taking my time with my build. Partly because my boys aren't around much to help me like they were when I started. Regardless, it is all worth it. Watching it come together is very rewarding!

Good luck selecting your power plant. BluePrint has many great choices, as you know. My 408 looks amazing, and I can't wait for first start!

I look forward to following along on your build!

Regards,

Steve

[GoDadGo]

A Big Congratulations From The Big Easy!

[Ducky2009]

Congrats! Don't hesitate to ask when you have issues. Lots of great/knowledgeable people willing to support you.

[Yama-Bro]

Thanks for the comments guys! I will definitely be using the forum for support. I have a mechanical background, but am by no means a pro at building cars. A lot of the tasks will be all new to me, so there will be lots of questions.:D To me one of the big selling points of FFr is the forum.

[GoDadGo]

To me one of the big selling points of FFr is the forum.

Amen Brother Yama-Bro, Amen!

[Yama-Bro]

I finished up the inventory at the end of last week. Going into this I had the impression that inventory was going to be tedious, so I wasn't looking forward to it too much. However, once I got going on it, I thoroughly enjoyed it. I mean, how often does a semi drop off a truck load of performance car parts on your doorstep? I lingered through every box and admired each part. I can't think of a better way to get familiar with the car that I'm going to be putting together. When it was all done, only a few parts were left out...a few nuts and a couple screws. Really nothing major. A quick email to FFR got that taken care of. I did make copies of each inventory sheet and taped them to their corresponding boxes for future reference. I've already made use of that. There are a few items on backorder; front lower tubular arms, 3 prong flasher, door latch set, windscreen, driveshaft, and the passenger roll bar. There's a shipment coming tomorrow. Hopefully, it's the lower arms. While I was doing inventory there were a few parts that got my heart racing, so I snapped a picture of them...

The exhaust pipes. To me these just scream Cobra...
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4377/37322956211_cd5be02fb8_h.jpg

The gauges. I've always loved the reverse speedometers and I can't wait to try out some of these GPS features...
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4392/36613331514_d7756c72e5_h.jpg

The headers. They are just pretty.
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4347/36613314174_2fcc692008_h.jpg

The fake knockoffs. I was expecting some cheap plastic cover to hide the lugnuts, so I was pleasantly suprised when I found some metal parts. Plus I wasn't expecting the fake spinners to actually thread on...
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4408/36613356824_82421b0444_h.jpg

The last part that got me excited was the basic wood steering wheel. I just like the way it feels. I like the slenderness of the wheel. I like the finger grips on the back side. It reminds me of my Dad's 68 GTO steering wheel. Back in the days before the insides of our cars were completely wrapped in plastic.
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4427/37300494782_3d2db187c7_h.jpg

Well, time to stop drooling and get busy with a body buck.

[WIS89]

Frank-

I am still excited when I look at the car coming together in my garage. I even have a few parts sitting in my office. I have rotated in the gauges, steering wheel, Lemans cap, etc. They just look cool! My BluePrint engine looks amazing too of course! I even leave some of the cool looking parts laying out on my workbench, even though I don't need them yet, just so I can see a little bit of bling.

Good luck as you get started. I look forward to following along.

Regards,

Steve

[Yama-Bro]

Awesome! I haven't put my steering wheel away yet either. I'm glad I'm not the only one that has the sickness. LOL. I haven't taken anything to my office yet, but that's a good idea.;)

[BB767]

Hey Yama-Bro, you haven't posted for a while, how's the build going? I am watching you closely as we are almost related; My delivery was 9/15, my number is 9160, and I got a great deal from Pete on a Dart 427, even got him to put EFI on it for me! The rest of my set-up is very similar as well. Anyway, looking forward to watching your build.

[Yama-Bro]

Hey Yama-Bro, you haven't posted for a while, how's the build going? I am watching you closely as we are almost related; My delivery was 9/15, my number is 9160, and I got a great deal from Pete on a Dart 427, even got him to put EFI on it for me! The rest of my set-up is very similar as well. Anyway, looking forward to watching your build.

Hi BB767! We are pretty close with our roadsters. Yours was probably right behind mine on the trailer. Are you doing a build thread?

My build is moving along, just not real fast. I'm working on the body buck right now. I ended up beefing up the design of the typical roll-over-frame buck so that I can store several of the kit boxes on the shelf and maximize my floor space. It has yet to be determined how much I can actually push once it's all loaded on the shelf, but I can adjust as needed once it's done.

Here's a preview...
(See post #101 for the drawings of the buck)
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4466/36828470533_9bf61eac7e_b.jpg

[BB767]

I think your buck frame will work well, as you know many of the boxes are not that heavy, the shelves will be a great place to put those. I have not started a thread, been to busy building! Have been following the build order in the book pretty much and am up to the fuel line install this evening. Keep going, it only gets better! Can you disclose what you are working on at BluePrint or is it classified?

(Tried to post a picture but failed, maybe Mr. Moderator can give me some direction?)

[Yama-Bro]

I think your buck frame will work well, as you know many of the boxes are not that heavy, the shelves will be a great place to put those. I have not started a thread, been to busy building! Have been following the build order in the book pretty much and am up to the fuel line install this evening. Keep going, it only gets better! Can you disclose what you are working on at BluePrint or is it classified?

(Tried to post a picture but failed, maybe Mr. Moderator can give me some direction?)

You are way ahead of me, LOL. I'm excited to actually get started building the car.

I can't say what I'm working on at BluePrint, but the project I'm working on is a big secret. So big that, I can't even discuss it with most of my fellow employees (even some of the other engineers). It's one of those projects that has a cool code name...always fun! :cool:

As for posting the pictures. I asked the same question awhile back. Here's my post and the responses I received...Here (http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/showthread.php?25700-Picture-hosting-posting-test-and-question)
I ended up using Flickr as my photo hosting site. I didn't like task of resizing each picture while hosting on this site. Flickr has that step a little more automated. Plus I think it does a better job at downsizing images and keeping them looking their best. The only downside I see to using Flickr is that some day they could do the same thing that Photobucket did and start charging for photo sharing.

[BB767]

Nice! You get to work on cool engines at work and work on a cool car at home! Doesn't get much better than that! Keep us posted when the project is revealed. Not gonna mess with the photo thing, rather be out in the shop. Your excitement will be rewarded, it is satisying to see when your creation starts coming together in your own shop.

[Yama-Bro]

Whoo Hoo!, We got the body off this weekend. The really fun stuff is within reach. LOL.

Cutting the contoured sheets for the body buck. I nested the front and back pieces onto one sheet of OSB like the manual shows. I used the newer layout for the rear of the MK4. It fit the curves like a glove.
A drawing can be found here Here (http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/showthread.php?18515-Mk4-Rear-Body-Buck&p=206518#post206518)
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4457/36929261643_8b9414ca11_h.jpg

The body buck in process. As mentioned above. I decided to beef the buck up a bit so I can store more on the shelf to free up some floor space. (See post #101 for the drawings of the buck)
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4444/36929261583_8f335daaef_h.jpg

My Dad and I removing the doors, trunk and hood...
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4513/37550496846_cddf1c2f83_h.jpg

It's free...
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4457/36929263563_a2856f5e2f_h.jpg

I thought the body was easy to remove, especially with this many helpers. :o
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4477/37599505431_e10a8df592_h.jpg

[Yama-Bro]

Inspecting the frame afterwards. We did find some damage to the very top of the dash hoop that was hidden under the body. I'm not sure if it's a big enough problem to mention it to FFR. My Dad has a porta power that may be able to bend it back to shape. You can see the waviness at the very top of the dash tube in the picture.
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4468/36929265413_f2525ac285_h.jpg

The boys attaching the pipe insulation for body cushioning. I decided to try stapling instead of the wire tie method. It worked great, was easy, and cheap. We'll see how it holds up over the life of the project.
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4454/36929267253_de7ff41db4_h.jpg

Waiting for the buck...
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4474/36888932414_67b76652f0_h.jpg

Body on the buck. I got a lot of the boxes on the shelf. I left off the really heavy ones and the ones that I will be using soon (like the front and rear suspension). It's not to heavy for me to push myself, however I do need the help of another person to steer the opposite end. I used four swiveling casters. It may have been better with two stationary caster on one end.
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4459/23746731518_b1f7a8f350_h.jpg

[edwardb]

Looks like you have lots of help! That's great. Regarding the bend in the dash hoop. Strange. With no damage to the body it must have left the factory that way. But if the bend is vertical (top to bottom) it doesn't matter and will be completely hidden by the instrument panel and body. You could leave it as is IMO. If it's horizontal, e.g. the dash won't lay flat against it, then yes it should be straightened. Shouldn't be hard to do. That's pretty thin material.

[WIS89]

Frank-

Looks like a whole lot of smiles in that garage! It's very cool that your Dad and your boys are there to help.

Nice work on the buck; you will be able to pass it along to someone else when done, if you choose.

I look forward to following along. It feels great, doesn't it?

Regards,

Steve

[rrrose]

hey Yama-Bro,
I would have to say the same I was sort of dreading the inventory, but like you found it way cool. While it took a fair number of hours it was of the wow I have been going through that set of boxes for 4 hours feels like I have only been out here in the garage for like 30 minutes. In the end I felt I have a much better understanding of the car its parts and how it goes together. I am a hands on sort of learner so no amount of reading moved my brain along as much as finally having my hands on the parts. I found myself a few times reading through the manual with the parts laid out on a table experiencing that ah-ha moment.

[GoDadGo]

Let The Real Fun Begin!

Congratulations!

Steve

[Jeff Kleiner]

Congrats Yama!

I echo Paul's comments RE: dash hoop.

Have fun :)

Jeff

[Yama-Bro]

Regarding the bend in the dash hoop. Strange. With no damage to the body it must have left the factory that way. But if the bend is vertical (top to bottom) it doesn't matter and will be completely hidden by the instrument panel and body. You could leave it as is IMO. If it's horizontal, e.g. the dash won't lay flat against it, then yes it should be straightened. Shouldn't be hard to do. That's pretty thin material.

Paul and Jeff, thanks for the input!
It appears to be bent mostly downwards, but the tube may have twisted slightly and intruded into the space that the dash would take up, so I may have to bend it slightly so that the dash will sit flat. I'll try to get a picture of it tonight, but I'll plan on bending it.

[Yama-Bro]

Frank-

Looks like a whole lot of smiles in that garage! It's very cool that your Dad and your boys are there to help.

Nice work on the buck; you will be able to pass it along to someone else when done, if you choose.

I look forward to following along. It feels great, doesn't it?

Regards,

Steve

My brother was there too. We had all the "boys" of the family. =)

It does feel good!

[Yama-Bro]

hey Yama-Bro,
I would have to say the same I was sort of dreading the inventory, but like you found it way cool. While it took a fair number of hours it was of the wow I have been going through that set of boxes for 4 hours feels like I have only been out here in the garage for like 30 minutes. In the end I felt I have a much better understanding of the car its parts and how it goes together. I am a hands on sort of learner so no amount of reading moved my brain along as much as finally having my hands on the parts. I found myself a few times reading through the manual with the parts laid out on a table experiencing that ah-ha moment.

Yep, my feelings exactly. There's just so much to these cars that looking at pictures and reading posts doesn't really make complete sense until you actually see the parts in front of your eyes and have the parts in your hands.

[Yama-Bro]

Here's a picture looking down at the bent dash hoop tube. It is bent forward (away from the dash) and down about .25" in both directions. It definitely looks like something was dropped or sat on it. I guess the good news is it won't interfere with the dash, but is it to big of a gap to cause other problems, if I don't bend it back into place?
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4480/37368455190_9817adbe0d_h.jpg

[Papa]

Here's a picture looking down at the bent dash hoop tube. It is bent forward (away from the dash) and down about .25" in both directions. It definitely looks like something was dropped or sat on it. I guess the good news is it won't interfere with the dash, but is it to big of a gap to cause other problems, if I don't bend it back into place?
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4480/37368455190_041edd9a3b_b.jpg

Yama-Bro,

I think I'd want it flat since whatever inward/outward curve it has will translate to the dash. One option would be to shim the dash and not try to bend the hoop. In any case, I'd call FFR. If it were bent during transport, I would expect to see damage on the body as well, so it likely left FFR's facility that way. At the very least thay may offer some compensation to make it right.

Dave

[edwardb]

I would definitely call FF and show them what you received. Don't know what they might be able to do, but at the very least they should know about it. That's not acceptable. Shouldn't be too hard to straighten. Doesn't haven't be perfect. But no point in trying to work around that much of a curve when mounting your dash.

[Yama-Bro]

Hi Guys, Just wanted to give an update on the dash hoop bend. I called FFR and explained what I found. They had me send pictures. They called back about 1/2 an hour later and explained that it's not a critical area and that the dash won't be screwed down at that point. They said I could leave it as is or try to bend it back, but in the end it will be covered and won't affect anything else. They suspected the damage was done during shipping and that something in the trailer must have deflected the body and bent the tube. I was cool with trying to fix it myself, so I was good with that explanation. Dan G ended up doing a lot more that I expected and offered me a parts credit. Factory Five has some great customer service! I'm impressed and happy!

[mach'er]

Bummer on the bent hoop. I have my chassis stripped and in a similar state right now in my garage. Do you want any pictures, perhaps with a similar straight edge aligned, or anything? I can get shots tonight and send them to you if you're interested.

[Yama-Bro]

Bummer on the bent hoop. I have my chassis stripped and in a similar state right now in my garage. Do you want any pictures, perhaps with a similar straight edge aligned, or anything? I can get shots tonight and send them to you if you're interested.

Hi Mach'er, Thanks for the offer on the measurements or pictures, but I think I can get it back to where it needs to be with what I have. If I change my mind, I'll let you know.

[Yama-Bro]

I stripped her of her undergarments and she's as bare as the day she emerged from Factory Five's welding jigs...

We removed the aluminum panels this weekend. We started with the three back-of-the-cockpit pieces, then moved to the trunk, the driver's side floor pan, the driver's side foot box, and finally the passenger side foot box. I took a ton of pictures and used a black sharpie to label and mark all overlapping panels and frame tubes. On several panels I noted which direction is up, front of car and out (or engine bay). I also wrote the description of the panel and the part number (as found in the manual) for future reference. It seems pretty easy when the panels just come off the frame, but I figured I'll need all the help I can get to remember where and how they go together when it comes time to reassemble.

My youngest working on the trunk paneling...
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4468/37675315536_b87914e329_h.jpg

A progress shot sometime Saturday night...
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4491/37675315326_0b524905e7_h.jpg

Wyatt, checking out the bottom side of the frame...
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4461/37723493211_4118dafb9e_h.jpg

On to the passenger side. My son really took to taking off the panels. We had a lot of fun.
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4472/37465857620_f96695c391_h.jpg

Naked...
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4502/37675319106_cf84b05712_h.jpg

Naked front view...
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4444/23870521528_fabdff7138_h.jpg

All the panels on the floor...
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4455/23870521448_8eddb998f9_h.jpg

[GoDadGo]

Your kids are going to be the biggest motorheads in your town when this is all over.
Congratulations On Officially Joining The Family!

[Yama-Bro]

School was back in session this week for my little gearheads;)

We marked and drilled holes in the F panels.
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4514/37832732081_b3e9a07c48_h.jpg
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4453/37801149182_5a3df24dcc_h.jpg

Then drilled corresponding holes in the frame and temporarily attached the panels with Clecos. My oldest described using the Clecos as satisfying. I can't disagree with that. It was my first time using them as well. What a handy tool they are. I'm glad I bought a hundred pack of them (1/8" size). You don't need to put them in every hole. We did because it was fun.
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4487/23980265188_a1526b25f6_h.jpg
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4488/37574966530_e3f436d702_h.jpg

[Yama-Bro]

I dug out the front shock parts and assembled them. It was a fairly straight forward process.

The parts...
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4464/37801193372_450133cba3_h.jpg

The assembled shocks...
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4445/37784330096_fed954ddf6_h.jpg

Building these reminded me of putting together RC car shocks. It's basically the same thing, except about 10 times bigger. One question I have is...Does the set screw in the collar get tightened down later or should I tighten it now?

[Straversi]

One question I have is...Does the set screw in the collar get tightened down later or should I tighten it now?

Leave it loose. You will turn that collar later to set the ride height. That will get adjusted a few times with the alignment process. Great to see you working with the boys.

-Steve

[Yama-Bro]

F panels installed permanently...

Originally I was going to leave the panels raw and let them get patina, but I started reading on the forums and you know how that goes. LOL. I ended up going the faux brushed route, as described to me by Jeff Kleiner in this post (http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/showthread.php?25070-Question-for-those-that-went-the-bare-aluminum-panel-route). To do this; I cleaned them off with brake cleaner, then gave them several uni-directional strokes with a gray 3M Scotch Brite pad. After that I cleaned them again with brake cleaner. Finally, I gave them a coat of Shark Hide to preserve the shine. At first I wasn't sure about the brushed look, but once I got it on the frame, it really popped. I really like it. I think it gives the race look, without too much bling. That and it's cheap and easy.;) I'm planning on doing this for the visible panels. I did it to both sides of these since one side will be to the engine bay and the other was just practice.

Is there a dry time for Shark Hide? I didn't see it on the can. I may have missed it.

I also added a 5/8" square notch at the top of the panel per Edwardb's build thread. This adds clearance for wiring and tubing that's installed later.

My youngest roughing up the panel. At one point during this, my wife came out to talk to me. While my attention was elsewhere my son changed direction and went perpendicular to the previous brush marks. That's what I get for looking the other way. LOL. Nothing too major. We got it straightened out and looking good.
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4445/37789841036_9954d84814_h.jpg

The supplies...
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4455/37801921092_9cc43b5a23_h.jpg

Here's closeup of the brushed look.
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4468/37575950450_381f12bc2c_h.jpg

[Yama-Bro]

The passenger side done...
I used the manual riveter on this side.
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4511/37785302556_06a08ceed6_h.jpg

Me running a bead of caulk on the frame. I used the GE II outdoor/indoor clear silicone.
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4503/37789838306_f6d9df250c_h.jpg

We used the Harbor Freight pneumatic riveter on the driver's side. It's so easy to operate even a 7 year old can do it.
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4489/37838183491_13aec747e6_h.jpg

The finished driver's side...
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4514/37838189311_c5bab75ff9_h.jpg[/url]

[mach'er]

Looking good. Looks like your helpers are jumping in and contributing.

[TexasAviator]

Nice work, we are about the same area right now on the build. I got my car earlier this month and I am just moving along. I will be watching your build as I do mine. There are a few of us with pretty close numbered cars. Great work my friend.

[Mark Eaton]

I have the exact same rivet gun and my boys love it too! Your Shark Hide panel looks great. I haven't ruled that stuff out yet. I keep going in circles on my panels. I'll probably wind up with multicolored panels. Keep up the great work!

[WIS89]

Frank-

Nice update; I like the treatment you are giving the panels. I think you will be happy with the look when they all come together. I agree with you that the bare aluminum look is quite satisfying. I like that you have roughed them up (and got a kick out of your son changing directions on you -- because that's what mine would have done), and protecting them with sharkhide.

I love the boys working with you, and it's cool that you are taking the time to take pictures. The time I have spent with my boys in the garage has been quite rewarding, and I suspect the memories you create will last a very long while!

Keep up the good work!!

Regards,

Steve

[Yama-Bro]

Thanks for the comments guys!

We made a little more progress this weekend. I worked on the passenger side lower control arm Saturday. It didn't assemble to the frame nearly as easy as I was expecting. From the posts I've read here, it sounds like this is normal, so hopefully I did it correct. The first issue I ran into was the the bolts did not fit into the frame holes. Simple fix; I cleaned the powder coating out with a file. The next issue was that the small under head radius of the bolt was not allowing the flange of the bolt to seat completely flat against the bracket. Another easy fix; I ran my Dremel around the edge of the hole and created a chamfer to add clearance for the under head radius. This may not have been an issue, but it wasn't hard to do while I was in the area. At this point I was able to test fit the arm to the frame with fasteners. There was a big gap in the front, so I put a spacer there. After getting the front lined up, the back was at a bind. I had to spread the back brackets out slightly (.06" or so each side) with a 15" crescent wrench to add one spacer back there. Once I was happy with the test fit, I took it all apart, lubed the ends of the bushing with white lithium grease and slipped it all back together. When I say slipped, I mean tapped the washers back into place with a hammer and punches. Once all the parts were in their places, I torqued the bolts down to the spec in the manual. One point of interest that appears to be a change; the bolts are now 10.9 grade metric bolts. I used a 21mm socket on the bolt, a 15/16 wrench (it just fit better than the metric wrench). My oldest son and I installed the driver's side lower arm on Sunday. Much of the same issues as on the passenger side, however on this side, the front fit about perfect and the back needed one spacer. Is it ok if they are spaced out differently between the driver and passenger sides? Will this cause problems down the road with alignment?

Here are the parts before assembly, I love the Factory Five logo that's cut in the lower arms. Nice touch...
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4484/37821262356_1d0a8fb6d6_h.jpg

Here are the tools of persuasion...
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4448/37838811372_e1a109458a_h.jpg

The passenger side final assembly. Note that I have a washer/spacer on the front and back. Is that ok, that it doesn't match the driver side?
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4508/37612690570_6a8a0061e3_h.jpg

The driver side final assembly. This one doesn't have a washer in the front, but has one in the back. It doesn't match the passenger side. Is this ok?
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4484/37612708050_e177669ba7_h.jpg

Both arms installed...
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4480/37838846192_0e87a1ff94_h.jpg

PS. Any one know what the purpose of torquing the bolts with the arms parallel to the ground?

[WIS89]

Frank-

Don't worry about the spacers not being identical side to side. I understand your concern, but the spacers are really there to ensure a snug fit within the frame without bending the tabs that are welded to the frame. If you were to snug it down (force the gap to close) without the spacers, it would bend the tabs and cause stress to the weld, and compromise the joint. The modest difference side to side is not an issue. I hope this helps!

Nice progress!

Regards,

Steve

[TexasAviator]

Mine were tight enough that I did not utilize the spacers. The arms were very snug. The build is coming along great. Nice work. I have my 3 kids working with me as well. Love having them in the garage while I chip away at the build.

[Yama-Bro]

I was traveling for work this week, so I didn't get anything done on the car. I was thinking about it all week though. =)

After getting back home I tore apart and reassembled the upper control arms as described on this post...Here (http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/showthread.php?26178-Upper-control-arm-questions-manual-book-and-parts-don-t-jive)
I installed the pivot balls with blue lock-tite per the manual. Unlike other builders, my pivot balls went together great. I almost thought they were too loose.
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4463/38027347071_c1ae9eee59_h.jpg

The upper arms installed...
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4444/37318421454_b6b4ad5554_h.jpg

All the parts for the spindes and hubs...
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4501/37973822886_57d078fe5e_h.jpg

My son helped me remove the anti-lock brake sensor rings. This car is going to be all about the raw driving experience...anti-lock brakes are not allowed. =)
We used a three jaw puller and a random chunk of steel as a stop. This got the ring to the edge, then we coaxed it off the rest of the way with a pry bar.
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4478/37973820466_d382abce76_h.jpg

My youngest son has been chomping at the bit to install these shocks. Here was his moment of glory.
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4455/37318425384_298c3606fa_h.jpg

The spindles and shocks loosely installed. My new Pittsburgh torque wrench broke after tightening the first lower control arm castle nut. Bummer. The locking screw on the bottom stripped out. Hopefully I can get a replacement soon. Once I get it, I'll revisit all the fasteners and get them cinched down to the proper spec. The worst part is; I gave away my older torque wrench after getting this one. That one served me well for 20 years...whoops.
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4460/37973825826_97ba26b878_h.jpg

We slapped the hubs on to check the fit and see how they looked.
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4490/38027418691_d96137a690_h.jpg

All the parts went together good. No sanding or modifications needed besides cleaning powder coat out of frame holes. The only issues I ran up against were:
1. Accessing the castle nuts with the torque wrenches...how does everyone do this? With the nuts installed the space is too small to get my torque wrench and socket on the nuts. I did the lower nuts with the upper uninstalled, but the top won't work that way. Maybe a shallow socket?
2. The lower shock spacers don't quite fill the gap. I may have to get a shim to fill this in?
3. Has anyone had issues with steering arms not sitting flat against the spindles? I do have the beveled edge to the cast radius on the spindle for maximum clearance. One side seems perfect, the other side has a tiny bit of daylight. It may be fine once tightened down. I didn't want to tighten the nyloc nuts down if there was a possibility I had to remove them while torquing other fasteners.

[Papa]

She's coming along nicely!

[Yama-Bro]

Progress report...

I torqued all the fasteners from the last post's parts that I assembled. To followup on my issues above:
1. For the upper ball joint castle nuts I added a washer under the nut (or above) so that the cotter pin would properly align with the grooves in the nut. Also for the upper ball joint castle nuts that I couldn't access with the torque wrench, I just tightened them as far as I could go with a wrench. I got it pretty tight. It should be fine.
2.For the gap next to the lower shock spacers, I made a run to ACE and found some approx .050" washers, that filled out the space perfectly.
3.Where my driver's side steering arm didn't sit flush with the spindle, I filed a little off the steering bracket so that the part cleared the cast radius on the spindle.

I ended up going to my local O'Reilly's and utilized their loaner program for a big torque wrench capable of 250 ft lbs. I used that on the hub nuts. It took all of my 163 lbs to get it to click. :rolleyes:.
The big torque wrench...
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4575/38144944356_091b7debbe_h.jpg

The next task was the power steering rack.
I was perplexed by the sleeve and the bushing that came with the rack. So I posted a question up on the forum and got my answers. Read it here (http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/showthread.php?26316-Bushings-and-sleeves-for-FFR-power-steering-option). I learned that there is another bushing that wasn't in the same box as my rack. So lesson learned: Don't use the sleeve and bushing in the power steering rack, use the one that comes with the kit (or purchase an aftermarket offset bushing set). A picture of the hardware is below. The parts you want to use are on the top. The parts you don't want to use are on the bottom. The bottom parts will give you a sloppy fit.
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4558/26423910969_98565919d3_h.jpg

Here's the rack in the frame. It went in pretty good once we had the right parts. I did it like everyone suggests. Mounted the driver's side first, then dropped the passenger side down into the bracket. We did give just a slight spread to the brackets to open them up to help get the spacers started into the spot.
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4537/37490948954_539e41d6d4_h.jpg

[Yama-Bro]

Next on the list is the front brakes. I purchased Gordon Levy's front and rear brake kit for FFR 15" Halibrand replica rims. These are the biggest 4 piston brakes you can get to fit inside the 15" FFR rims. What a nice kit! Everything went together great and the instructions are excellent. We managed to get a loose assembly of the passenger side mocked up. We then proceeded to torque a few of the fasteners. We still need to safety wire the hats to the rotors.

The rotors are 11.75" diameter...
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4565/24349353178_ce2fd48a91_h.jpg

We shimmed the caliper bracket to center the caliper on the rotor.
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4568/24349486878_219183d50b_h.jpg

With the 15" FFR rims...
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4548/38170332982_521788eb10_h.jpg

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4506/26425331959_66f75870c8_h.jpg
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4545/24349493288_f7d779fbe1_h.jpg

It's a tight fit, but it clears.
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4462/26425327959_279bfa1a48_h.jpg

[Yama-Bro]

And finally we had to mount the 17" rims. Of course they have a ton of room. I was a little worried that the 11.75" rotors wouldn't fill the rim and would look goofy, but I don't think they look too bad.
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4477/26425632899_e2329af299_h.jpg
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4582/37491703914_24d8c70480_h.jpg
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4486/37491701064_f28a90e660_h.jpg

[Gordon Levy]

Looks great. When you have the 15" tire mounted you will need to be careful where the weights are placed.

[Yama-Bro]

Thanks Gordon. Good tip. I'll keep that in mind.

[TexasAviator]

Nice work on thinking ahead and getting what you need to make it work. Love the classic halibrands.

[Yama-Bro]

Nice work on thinking ahead and getting what you need to make it work. Love the classic halibrands.

Thanks! Planning to go with "replica" Goodyear Eagles (i.e. stenciled or stickered Cooper Cobras/Mickey Thompsons). I love that classic look too.

[mach'er]

Looking good.

I see several threads like yours, where people installed their steering racks early. My manual has it later, after the pedal box. Is there a reason you did it now, rather than waiting? For example, I didn't catch the front sway bar was going to need a different lower shock mount bolt, and I will have to disassemble/replace that to get my sway bar in. I'm wondering if the PS rack is something else I should be doing now - for some reason that I'm just not seeing (again).

Oh, and I agree that those Billboard Goodyears are awesome looking, and give a great vintage look. You're looking at those for your 15" wheels, but also have 17" wheels? I'll have to read your build thread again and see why you're having two separate sets of wheels/tires.

[Yama-Bro]

Thanks Mach'er!

I did the rack early because the box was in my way. LOL. I read forward in the manul and didn't see any reason not to do it early. I saw others doing it, so I figured I'd give it a try. Worst case; I have to take out two bolts and take it out, but I think it'll be ok.

For the wheels; I'm going to have the 15" with good year replicas for cruising and looking cool, then I have the 17"s if I want to do a track day or autocross (or just change up the look). I was planning on doing it this way, but wasn't planning on having the 17" rims this early in the build. They are used with used tires. I got a sweet deal on them that I couldn't pass up.

[MPTech]

If you haven't gotten to it yet, I highly recommend the Expanded Passenger Footbox mod, gains your rider a LOT of wasted room if you are running a small block (the 302 SBF gains even more room than the 351, if I'm remembering correctly). It's a little more work, but you can knock it out in a day and won't regret it.
I also like the drop trunk expansion for some much needed trunk-space too.

Since you mentioned the Rack, I installed the Breeze Rack bushings and it's more solid and slightly better positioned. (I haven't felt the need for bump-steer mod or need the rack-extenders with mine. Your experience may be different).

[Yama-Bro]

I'll look into the passenger foot box mod. Haven't really gave much thought to it yet, however I am planning on doing the drop trunk mod. I need all the storage I can get.

[BB767]

Hi Yama-Bro. Been watching your build, looks good! Since you were discussing the steering rack, thought I'd pass along something I noticed. If you are picky about your steering wheel being "centered" when driving straight ahead, be sure and align it when you install the steering shaft. It is a lot easier than trying to do it later! Doesn't have to be perfect, the alignment shop will take care of that, but I do not expect to have to remove the steering shaft again to adjust it. That is a real pain.

Just received my BluePrint fuel injected 427W this week! What a thing of beauty, you guys do nice work! Should be going in the car in the next few weeks. Brien #9160

[Yama-Bro]

I am definitely picky about the steering wheel being straight when going straight. I'll make sure to center it when I get to that part. Thanks for the tip!

Glad you like your BPE 427. Those are sweet engines. My build plan is starting to creep towards one of those instead of the 347. Time will tell. Is yours the one with dual fuel injectors?

[Papa]

The simplest way to center the rack is as follows:

1. Turn rack fully to one side and measure the length from the end of the rod to the edge of the rack body
2. Turn the rack fully to the other side and re-measure the length of the same rod to the rack body
3. Subtract the short length (2) from the long length (1) and divide the difference in half
4. Turn the rack back in the first direction until the length of the rod to the body is equal to the short length (2) plus 1/2 the difference from the previous step (3)

Now install the shaft so that the steering wheel is centered and you should be good to go.

[Yama-Bro]

Sounds easy enough. Thanks Papa!

[Mark Eaton]

The simplest way to center the rack is as follows:

1. Turn rack fully to one side and measure the length from the end of the rod to the edge of the rack body
2. Turn the rack fully to the other side and re-measure the length of the same rod to the rack body
3. Subtract the short length (2) from the long length (1) and divide the difference in half
4. Turn the rack back in the first direction until the length of the rod to the body is equal to the short length (2) plus 1/2 the difference from the previous step (3)

Now install the shaft so that the steering wheel is centered and you should be good to go.

Papa, Thanks for posting that. It is simple enough but had been bugging me in the back of my mind. I'll use your technique as well.

Mark

[TexasAviator]

The simplest way to center the rack is as follows:

1. Turn rack fully to one side and measure the length from the end of the rod to the edge of the rack body
2. Turn the rack fully to the other side and re-measure the length of the same rod to the rack body
3. Subtract the short length (2) from the long length (1) and divide the difference in half
4. Turn the rack back in the first direction until the length of the rod to the body is equal to the short length (2) plus 1/2 the difference from the previous step (3)

Now install the shaft so that the steering wheel is centered and you should be good to go.

Good writeup, I did something similar to what you wrote here. I just got the correct steering fitting for my flaming river rack. Its the 26 spline adapter to the steering shaft. It even cleared my ginormous sn95 brake booster, I had to message it a bit but it cleared.

[Yama-Bro]

I took my first swing at safety wiring the brake rotors tonight. What do you guys think? Anything I did wrong that you can see?

When I ordered my pliers several months back, I mistakenly ordered the .041" wire instead of the .031". I have some .031" on the way, but I tried it with .041" tonight. I cut off three attempts that didn't work. The 4th was considerably better. By the 7th it was nice and tight. I may cut off some of these and try again. Maybe it would be worth doing them all over with the .031", once it arrives?

I purchased the pliers from Eastwood (Here (http://www.eastwood.com/safety-wire-pliers.html)). They seem to work good.
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4557/24577328458_e44897b899_h.jpg

The 7th try and the tightest.
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4532/38417169862_80e403dede_h.jpg

[TexasAviator]

Nice work. Looks good to me. I use safety wire in my plane often. Twisted to spec per the tech orders.

[Boydster]

I've been working on airplanes for over 34 years, and I've known aircraft mechanics that did worse. Yours look pretty good. I like that the wire that wraps around the bolt head gets twisted underneath, that you doubled back the pigtails to save flesh in the future. No reason to redo it with 032. If the bolts accept 041, as these obviously do, best to use the larger wire.

I would buy-off on those.

[Yama-Bro]

I've been working on airplanes for over 34 years, and I've known aircraft mechanics that did worse. Yours look pretty good. I like that the wire that wraps around the bolt head gets twisted underneath, that you doubled back the pigtails to save flesh in the future. No reason to redo it with 032. If the bolts accept 041, as these obviously do, best to use the larger wire.

I would buy-off on those.

Thanks! I didn't expect a review that good! I'll roll with these then.

[FLPBFoot]

Great pics and I gotten some great ideas for a body buc. Thank you,

I've been drooling over a Blue Print engine. Maybe I missed it but which one are you planning to put in?

[Yama-Bro]

Great pics and I gotten some great ideas for a body buc. Thank you,

I've been drooling over a Blue Print engine. Maybe I missed it but which one are you planning to put in?

Hey Thanks! I'm planning to make some dimensional drawings for my body buck and post them here, but I want to make sure the prototype doesn't collapse before I share it with the world. So far it's been working great. I have roughly 70% of the boxes that came with the kit stored on the shelf. I left off the really heavy boxes. It's a good solution for those of us that are space challenged. If you aren't storing much on it, it's complete over kill. (See post #101 for the drawings of the buck)

I haven't decided on which BluePrint Engine I will be using. Originally I was leaning towards the 347, but our 306 puts out almost as much power and it's $1000 cheaper. I've also been liking the 427 with the Dart block. I'd really like to have around 400hp, so the 427 might be too much (it's about 550hp). It would be nice to be able to put the 427 logo on the side and not be lying about it.

[FLPBFoot]

My garage is space challenged as well so details on the dimensions would be GREAT!

I am wanting to display that 427 badge as well and that's why I've been looking at the FFR Blue Print 427 carb version. I think it's a bit less but 475 hp is still a bit of a concern and agree something in the 400 hp range would be plenty.

Thanks again for all the pictures. Very nice detailed documentation.

Have a good Thanksgiving!

[Jim1855]

Yama-Bro,

I have about 540 in my 427 and it's fine. All depends on the configuration and tune. You just need to training your right foot. There really are few times that you can use it all, but it sure is fun when you can. (professional driver on a closed course and all that happy stuff).

Jim

[BB767]

I am definitely picky about the steering wheel being straight when going straight. I'll make sure to center it when I get to that part. Thanks for the tip!

Glad you like your BPE 427. Those are sweet engines. My build plan is starting to creep towards one of those instead of the 347. Time will tell. Is yours the one with dual fuel injectors?

Sorry for the delay Bro, didn't see the question earlier. I have the 427W with the FAST XFI Street, throttle body injection, single 4 barrel (not sure what it is called in EFI language but there are 4 BIG holes in it!) 509.8 HP 510.9 TQ. The TBI looks very much like a carburetor so I keep more of the old school look. The guys on your test stand said it was one of the top 5 best sounding motors they have tested! Can't wait to hear it myself. Have you made your motor decision yet?

[Yama-Bro]

Yama-Bro,

I have about 540 in my 427 and it's fine. All depends on the configuration and tune. You just need to training your right foot. There really are few times that you can use it all, but it sure is fun when you can. (professional driver on a closed course and all that happy stuff).

Jim

It's all about training that foot.:D

[Yama-Bro]

Sorry for the delay Bro, didn't see the question earlier. I have the 427W with the FAST XFI Street, throttle body injection, single 4 barrel (not sure what it is called in EFI language but there are 4 BIG holes in it!) 509.8 HP 510.9 TQ. The TBI looks very much like a carburetor so I keep more of the old school look. The guys on your test stand said it was one of the top 5 best sounding motors they have tested! Can't wait to hear it myself. Have you made your motor decision yet?

I like the old school look too. I haven't picked mine out yet. Bouncing between the 306, 347, and the 427. I have plenty time to make my mind up.

[Yama-Bro]

Here's my Black Friday progress report...The front brakes are finally installed...

I had a few hold ups on this side. It didn't go as smooth as the passenger side. First off, one of the rotor hat bolts was too short, so I had to get a replacement from Wilwood. No biggie. 2nd obstacle: None of the bolts on the rotor hat had optimal alignment for the safety wire routing, so that made it a little more difficult. It seems like if they were all just turned another 45 degrees they would be perfect. I didn't want to under or over torque them to get the alignment, so I worked with it the way they were. I did them all in .040" wire first, like I did on the passenger side. I wasn't happy with the way they came out, so I cut them off and re did in .030" wire. I ended up not liking that either. I tried one more time in .030". I still didn't like that. The .030 has a lot more flex and it's easier to work with, but after doing the passenger side with .040", I couldn't step down to .030. The .040 is so rigid once it's twisted, It just seems like it would do it's job a lot better. So, I cut those off and did it one more time with .040". The fouth time was the charm on this one. The final issue I ran up against was the rotor not seating on the hub properly. It must've been some variance in the hub's stud hole spacing causing interference. I posted here (http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/showthread.php?26506-Rotor-hat-won-t-seat-on-hub) and got some direction. I had to enlarge the stud holes in the rotor slightly to get it to seat correctly. It's all good now.

The driver's side safety wire. I'm not as happy with this side as the other, but it's gonna have to do.
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4531/37736825915_8bd4afb55f_h.jpg

Driver's side brake installed
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4563/26848766139_7653cc773f_h.jpg

The backside...
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4565/38592351782_9063907787_h.jpg

Both brakes...
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4570/37907470154_079b8b51ca_h.jpg

[Yama-Bro]

The temptation was to great not to mount the wheels...

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4538/38624987181_97e71a0a5e_h.jpg

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4552/38592411192_e2d3d94e5c_h.jpg

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4546/37736904155_d1cc6d739b_h.jpg

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4563/26848843169_5ec4c0f6d1_h.jpg

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4538/38624987181_97e71a0a5e_h.jpg

I'm planning on doing the steering next...

[TexasAviator]

Happy thanksgiving. Nothing like working in the garage on a day off.

[Yama-Bro]

Thanks! And same to you! I wish I had a few more weeks of vacation to spend on the car.

[Papa]

Hey there Yama-Bro! I had lunch in Kearney today on my way back home from my daughter's where we spent Thanksgiving.

[Yama-Bro]

Hey there Yama-Bro! I had lunch in Kearney today on my way back home from my daughter's where we spent Thanksgiving.

Awesome! Where did you eat?

[Papa]

Awesome! Where did you eat?

We ate at Perkins; didn't feel like eating fast food. Your build is coming along nicely. I hope to overcome my electrical issues and get back on track soon.

Dave

[TexasAviator]

I like the old school look too. I haven't picked mine out yet. Bouncing between the 306, 347, and the 427. I have plenty time to make my mind up.

I have to steer you towards tje 347. Great power in a compact package and you will have more tjan 450hp at your eight foot. It makes more power than the original ac cobra made in most models.

[Yama-Bro]

I have to steer you towards tje 347. Great power in a compact package and you will have more tjan 450hp at your eight foot. It makes more power than the original ac cobra made in most models.

Yep, that one is being considered for all those reasons. I'll have to make up my mind at some point.

[Yama-Bro]

We ate at Perkins; didn't feel like eating fast food. Your build is coming along nicely. I hope to overcome my electrical issues and get back on track soon.

Dave

Thanks. I've been anxiously awaiting your first start.

Since you've mentioned coming thru Kearney a few times, I thought I'd share my list of great local restaurants, if you are coming thru again and don't mind venturing a little farther into town...

Flippin Sweet Pizza - Unbelievably good pizza. Made the Zagat 50 states 50 pizzerias list. They are a little slow, so if you are pressed for time don't stop here.
Thunderhead Brewery - Great Pizza and Beer - can't pass up the Thunderpie pizza.
Luke and Jake's BBQ - Great BBQ, that's quick. The giant stuffed potatoes are the best, in fact it's the only thing I've ordered there for 20 years.
Flippin Sweet Burger Joint - Great burgers, same owners as the pizza joint but a different location, right up 2nd ave.
Little Mexico - This is a local Tex Mex that has been around forever, they are super fast and their chips and salsa are second to none.

And while you are at it, you might as well stop by and give me some pointers on my car. LOL

[TexasAviator]

I have to steer you towards tje 347. Great power in a compact package and you will have more tjan 450hp at your eight foot. It makes more power than the original ac cobra made in most models.


Yep, that one is being considered for all those reasons. I'll have to make up my mind at some point.

I must have been drinking when I wrote that. Sorry. Hey I just wanted to let you know that I had my engine dyno tuned. With accessories, stock ffr exhaust, and on break in oil, the car made 475 horsepower and 440 torque. I cant believe the power this combo was able to make. With your knowledge of engines and blueprint at you figertips you could get one of their 347's throw a Trick flow 224/232 cam in it (if your compression is up for it) and easily make 450.

I drove bobl car yesterday and he has a similar 347 with 500 hp at the top of the range. I didn't even have to get to the 500 hp and I was blown away by the experience. It was like light speed as my eyes jiggled in my head and I could see there was so much pull on that car.

My point and btw I hope you are doing well, its been a few days... my point is that I feel you will have a small mighty power plant in the 347.

Brandon

[Yama-Bro]

I must have been drinking when I wrote that. Sorry. Hey I just wanted to let you know that I had my engine dyno tuned. With accessories, stock ffr exhaust, and on break in oil, the car made 475 horsepower and 440 torque. I cant believe the power this combo was able to make. With your knowledge of engines and blueprint at you figertips you could get one of their 347's throw a Trick flow 224/232 cam in it (if your compression is up for it) and easily make 450.

I drove bobl car yesterday and he has a similar 347 with 500 hp at the top of the range. I didn't even have to get to the 500 hp and I was blown away by the experience. It was like light speed as my eyes jiggled in my head and I could see there was so much pull on that car.

My point and btw I hope you are doing well, its been a few days... my point is that I feel you will have a small mighty power plant in the 347.

Brandon

Awesome, Thanks for the update on your dyno run. I'll get over and read your post next. I'm definitely giving the 347 some serious consideration. The Blueprint engines tend to run on the conservative side of power, since we offer a 30 month/50,000 mile warranty and they all run on pump gas. But...that doesn't mean I have to do have my engine...:cool:

[Yama-Bro]

We made more baby steps this weekend. We installed the driver's side footbox front panel, the steering tie rods, steering shafts/bearings and temporarily installed the steering wheel.

Since we have the complete kit we needed to swap out the donor driver's side footbox front panel for the complete kit panel that was shipped in one of the boxes. Since the donor panel has all the holes drilled in it to locate the mating footbox panels, we sacrificed the donor panel by flattening it's tabs so we could accurately transfer the holes from it to the complete kit panel.
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4538/24950709918_b11e0dc0e1_h.jpg

Once flattened, we aligned the edges, clamped, and marked the holes for drilling. After doing it the way we did, I think it would have been easier, and maybe more accurate, just to drill when the two panels were clamped together.
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4577/23958347987_602ace0285_h.jpg

My youngest son temporarily attaching the panel for rivet location marking...
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4571/27046821649_abfbdc5fe9_h.jpg

It's a fact...kids love Clecos...

**Edit** After installing the pedal box, I discovered the three rivets in the center of the panel interfere with the pedal box bracket. If you are drilling holes for rivets, don't do the same mistake I did. The rivets I am referring to are the three directly above the lower frame tube taped with green tape in this picture.
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4559/37936618525_247eaf1edb_h.jpg

My oldest going to town giving the panel a brushed look...
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4576/27046829379_25e9c31ba1_h.jpg

The panel installed and riveted. I'm loving the way these brushed panels look. I can't wait to see the whole engine bay done like this.
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4550/27046827609_02eacda808_b.jpg

[Yama-Bro]

The tie rods installed. This is something I wasn't sure about. I centered the rack to the steering wheel using Papa's method (See post #68) and double checked by counting the turns of the steering wheel (like FFR's build video...here (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B5zGnHExZuA)). I lined the wheels up straight by eyeballing, then assembled the tie rods to the steering arms. After assembly, there's only about .75" thread engagement on the passenger side and 1.00" on the driver's side. Is this enough? Seems like there should be more. Do I need to get some sort of extension? Note: the tie rod nuts are not tightened in this picture.
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4562/24950732848_b501ab19b1_h.jpg

The lower steering shaft where it mates to the rack (pre tightening of the set screws)
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4566/38792138172_b33f5d62eb_h.jpg

Where the shaft enters the foot box (also pre tightening of the bolts)
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4560/37936646795_2c47a4bf9e_h.jpg

Wyatt fastening the bearing to the frame...
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4531/23958360327_ae23fadf47_h.jpg

A video of us testing the steering after all the fasteners were snugged up. This was a pretty big moment for us. :o
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4542/23958386087_56d64dc9a4_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/Cv7Zuc)



To finish this step, we need to Loctite the set screws, torque the fasteners, and do whatever is needed to get the proper thread engagement on the tie rods. After that we are starting on the rear axle rebuild. I'm not really looking forward to that too much. In fact, it made me think how glad I am that I didn't go the whole donor route. I'm just not excited about cleaning old rusty greasy parts. But this should save me a few hundred bucks so it'll be worth it.

[Gromit]

Take a second look at the Tie-rod End, I don't think the Nylock nut is correct fastener for that location. I think you should have a Castle nut and cotter pin there.

Love the action shot with the kids. memories that will last them a life time.
Chris AKA Gromit

[Yama-Bro]

Take a second look at the Tie-rod End, I don't think the Nylock nut is correct fastener for that location. I think you should have a Castle nut and cotter pin there.

Love the action shot with the kids. memories that will last them a life time.
Chris AKA Gromit

Thanks Gromit! I also had some doubts about the nyloc lock nut, especially since the manual shows a castle nut and the kit comes with cotter pins. So I did some research on the forum and found that nyloc nuts are another acceptable way to fasten the tie rod ends. You just have to make sure they are torqued properly. Who knew!? Thanks for bringing it up though.

Here's a link to a thread about the castle nut vs nyloc nuts. Here (http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/showthread.php?8322-Tie-Rod-Ends-MkIV). It also talks about the same concerns I have with thread engagement. It looks like I'm going to need the extenders.

[Gromit]

I stand corrected, Guess I haven't been crawling around under new cars... I still would not be happy with that setup, unless I saw threads going all the way through the nut. the plastic part is what locks it. not having a couple of threads from the stud sticking through would bother me.

Chris AKA Gromit.

[Yama-Bro]

I stand corrected, Guess I haven't been crawling around under new cars... I still would not be happy with that setup, unless I saw threads going all the way through the nut. the plastic part is what locks it. not having a couple of threads from the stud sticking through would bother me.

Chris AKA Gromit.

It's not tightened down in the picture. After I tightened it, there are about .25" of threads past the nut. I'll note that above, so it's not confusing.

[Yama-Bro]

I had a request for drawings of my extra storage capacity body buck...so here they are. Keep in mind, this buck isn't necessary unless you want to store a bunch of stuff on the shelf. For storing just the body and a few other things, the typical body buck design is perfectly fine. I had to get all my parts in the space of a one car garage, so my wife could still park her car in her stall of our two car garage. This is my solution. I have a lot of stuff on my shelf. I kept the really heavy stuff on the floor, but I managed to get a lot of the boxes that came with the complete kit on the shelf. As of this post, I've been using the buck for about two months with no serious issues. I used 4 swiveling casters on mine. It is a little squirrely when being pushed, so for that reason I feel using two swiveling casters and two stationary casters may be a good upgrade. I used 5" 300lb capacity casters from Menards. An upgrade to 6" higher capacity casters would be a good upgrade as well, if you have enough height in your garage door opening. Enjoy!

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4565/38006000105_176b763a10_b.jpg
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4545/38005999545_8c8c9296c7_b.jpg

[broku518]

Thanks Gromit! I also had some doubts about the nyloc lock nut, especially since the manual shows a castle nut and the kit comes with cotter pins. So I did some research on the forum and found that nyloc nuts are another acceptable way to fasten the tie rod ends. You just have to make sure they are torqued properly. Who knew!? Thanks for bringing it up though.

Here's a link to a thread about the castle nut vs nyloc nuts. Here (http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/showthread.php?8322-Tie-Rod-Ends-MkIV). It also talks about the same concerns I have with thread engagement. It looks like I'm going to need the extenders.

Hi Yama-Bro.

I was in the same pickle. Wasn't sure if those are the correct nuts. After reading the manual it mentioned that it could be either or. So I had to make sure the torque is right.
btw, your boys are pretty engaged! Mine thinks the car is some sort of climber or toy to beat the heck out of it! :D:cool:

[Yama-Bro]

btw, your boys are pretty engaged! Mine thinks the car is some sort of climber or toy to beat the heck out of it! :D:cool:

Haha, kids :rolleyes:....Mine may be a bit older than yours. That probably makes a big difference. My kids' interest in the build vary from day to day. Sometimes they want to work on the car, other times they are more interested in riding their scooters and hover boards around the garage or fighting with each other. I'm just thankful for the times that they are engaged in the project and for the time we are spending together. I don't mind working on it myself, so it works either way for me (although I'd rather do it with them). I am impressed with Wyatt, my 7 year old. I expected him to loose interest quickly, but he really gets into it when he's in the project mode. Its a good feeling when we come home after work and school and he asks "when are we gonna work on it again, Dad?". My older son, Cody, is 13. I've been building things with him for years. I'd say he has a high mechanical ability for his age. He can be a huge help on some of the tasks. Good times!

[robertjamesellis]

Hi Yama-Bro,

You are making good progress!! It must both all those helpers. :) Can't get my 15 year old son to find any interest other than asking me "Whats That?" as he's working his way through the garage into the fridge.

I will keep checking in as you are just ahead enough of me to check on for any hiccups along the way. Great work!

[Yama-Bro]

Hi Yama-Bro,

You are making good progress!! It must both all those helpers. :) Can't get my 15 year old son to find any interest other than asking me "Whats That?" as he's working his way through the garage into the fridge.

I will keep checking in as you are just ahead enough of me to check on for any hiccups along the way. Great work!

Maybe your son will get more interested as the car starts to take shape. Thanks for keeping an eye on me! I know I need it.

[Higgybulin]

I'm all caught up, good reading!! WHEN I get my kit I'll be going same route as you, ol'school race car!! Keep it up!
Higgy

[SliderJack]

Great read. Thanks for sharing!

[Yama-Bro]

I'm all caught up, good reading!! WHEN I get my kit I'll be going same route as you, ol'school race car!! Keep it up!
Higgy


Great read. Thanks for sharing!

Thanks Guys! Glad I can help someone out. There's a good chance you'll catch up to me with your build, I'm not the fastest.:D

[BluePrintEngines]

Just read the whole thing! I love the kids helping out (my 4.5 year old is the same way, always helping turn wrenches)

I see alot of crossover to my drag racing Chassis experience! we'll have to catch up next time i'm in town! I'll go ahead and get a work order for a 427 started ;) lol

Johnny M

[Yama-Bro]

Just read the whole thing! I love the kids helping out (my 4.5 year old is the same way, always helping turn wrenches)

I see alot of crossover to my drag racing Chassis experience! we'll have to catch up next time i'm in town! I'll go ahead and get a work order for a 427 started ;) lol

Johnny M

Thanks Johnny! Go ahead and get that 427 started...then I'll figure out a way to make sure you are my secret Santa at the company Christmas party.:p

[WIS89]

Frank-

It's been great following you along. I love seeing the boys in the garage working with you! I promise that the memory of the times you shared in the garage will last forever -- for each of you! Great stuff!!

One question though... what is with the Washington DC football team gear on one of your boys? There are teams far closer to you than that...

I look forward to following the rest of the way; keep up the great work!

Regards,

Steve

[Yama-Bro]

Frank-

It's been great following you along. I love seeing the boys in the garage working with you! I promise that the memory of the times you shared in the garage will last forever -- for each of you! Great stuff!!

One question though... what is with the Washington DC football team gear on one of your boys? There are teams far closer to you than that...

I look forward to following the rest of the way; keep up the great work!

Regards,

Steve

HAHAHA...Washington Redskins. :rolleyes: I'll tell my son you asked about his favorite team. You are right, there are definitely professional teams that are closer, but that's the team he chose to follow several years ago. I think it all started when he was watching a game on TV with a friend and they each choose a team to cheer on. My son got the Redskins and it stuck, the rest is history. LOL. I'm probably partially to blame for his selection, because I don't get into football (or any traditional sport for that matter), so I didn't steer him elsewhere. He really catches a lot of crap for being a Redskins fan, but I think he enjoys the harassment.:o

Thanks for the comments!

[Higgybulin]

I read a thread where you were asking about 8.8 rear ends, did you figure out what you were using? Donor, new?
Higgy

[Yama-Bro]

I read a thread where you were asking about 8.8 rear ends, did you figure out what you were using? Donor, new?
Higgy

Hi Higgy, I am going the donor route. I picked up an axle from an '89 Mustang GT for $150. I have been working on it for the last two weekends. I'm planning on posting once I finish rebuilding it. I'm basically cleaning it up, gutting it, and replacing all the insides with new. It should be a lot cheaper than buying a new axle. Are you going with a straight axle?

[Higgybulin]

Yes I am, have my eye on a donor as well. An 87-93 with disc and five lug all ready. The guy also has a set of SN95 front spindles to boot!
Higgy

[FLPBFoot]

Just read the whole thing! I love the kids helping out (my 4.5 year old is the same way, always helping turn wrenches)

I see alot of crossover to my drag racing Chassis experience! we'll have to catch up next time i'm in town! I'll go ahead and get a work order for a 427 started ;) lol

Johnny M

Hey Johnny - you can get a 427 ready for me! In all seriousness - Kit ships in March and will be looking for something in late summer or Fall 2018. Question - can Blue Print help set up a Hydraulic Throw Out bearing in the 427 and TKO600 build? I'd like to get the right one installed from the get go by you guys. Dan Golub at FFR gave me some names out that there might help with this. Best to call them? Thanks

Steve

[BluePrintEngines]

Hey Johnny - you can get a 427 ready for me! In all seriousness - Kit ships in March and will be looking for something in late summer or Fall 2018. Question - can Blue Print help set up a Hydraulic Throw Out bearing in the 427 and TKO600 build? I'd like to get the right one installed from the get go by you guys. Dan Golub at FFR gave me some names out that there might help with this. Best to call them? Thanks

Steve


Hey Steve,

Glad to set you up! We can in fact switch to a hydraulic throw-out if you want. Trans will still come assembled and installed on the engine as usual for our factory five kits. Its a $400 upgrade vs the cost of the regular TOB. I'd just have to set it up at time of order. my email is Johnny@blueprintengines.com. feel free to hit me up any time.

[nskaats]

It's so awesome seeing kids involved in a build like this. My middle daughter (7 years old) doesn't even know I have the car coming yet, but I know she'll want to be involved in every aspect of the build. Unfortunately my son is going to be too young to turn wrenches (he'll turn 2 right before the car gets here) but I can already see myself fighting to get him out of the car.

Seriously cool build. Keep the family involved and keep the pics coming!

[GSides9]

I built my Coupe with my son too, or maybe he built it with me. Consider torque striping the fasteners that you have completely installed, even with great helpers it is nice to know what is done. Nice job safety-wiring the rotors too.

[Yama-Bro]

Thanks for the comments guys! I'll keep the pictures coming. Once it warms up a little, I'll be back in the garage. I had the whole week off between Christmas and New Years and planned to work on the car as much as possible. When I went into the garage, the day after Christmas, it was 12 degrees outside. I turned on the heater. It ran for four or five hours and the garage only warmed up to about 40 degrees. I decided I didn't want to work on the car that bad and shut off the heater and went back in the house to stay warm with the kids. There will be warmer days and I'm in no rush.


Consider torque striping the fasteners that you have completely installed, even with great helpers it is nice to know what is done. Nice job safety-wiring the rotors too.

I have been doing a red paint marker on all the bolt heads that I torque with a torque wrench. Some of the pictures above are still in the loose state, therefore no marking. That's a great tip though. Another thing I have been doing; I have a notebook where I write down small tasks that I need to come back and complete. Some of it's easy to forget, so with this list I'll be sure to get everything (as long as I think of it in the first place ;) )

[Yama-Bro]

For the axle, I decided to go with the 3 link straight axle. I would prefer the IRS, but I felt this was an area that I could save a bit of money and still end up with good performance. Obviously, I'll be giving up some of the smooth ride characteristics of the IRS, but I need to keep the budget in check some how and I'm willing to sacrifice. I gave myself the goal of buying and rebuilding the axle for a total of $1000. After looking into parts, I decided for that price, I can get a used axle, gut it and replace all the internal parts with new parts, plus have enough left over to pay a professional to do the more complicated setup procedures if I get in over my head (or lack the tools). We'll see how this works out.:rolleyes:

Since this is going to be the only donor part in my roadster, I started on the quest to find a suitable axle long before I ordered my kit. I did some reading on the forum and general question asking. See my old post here (http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/showthread.php?20607-Width-of-8-8-axle). I learned that the axle for the Fox body GT Mustangs ('87 to '93), that Factory Five designed their kit around, is the ideal size at 59.25" flange to flange. I also learned that the axle housings for the '94 to '98 Mustang GTs are the exact same length, however the axle shafts in those years are roughly .75" wider per side. Since I was planning on replacing all the internals of the axle, the shaft lengths didn't concern me and any housing from 87' to 98' would work. If you are going to rebuild an axle and are thinking of using the stock internal parts, keep in mind that the fox body 'stangs had 4 lug axle shafts, so they would need to be replaced if you are going to use 5 lug rims. Basically, you'll be replacing the axle shafts in any axle from '87 to '98 no matter what, unless you are using 4 lug rims or wheels with a custom offset.

I called the local auto salvage yards, but didn't turn up much. I put a post on a local Facebook buy/sell/trade group and located an axle a few hours from my place that came out of a '89 Mustang GT. I picked it up the following weekend and ended up scoring the whole assembly for $150.

Here's what it looked like when we brought it home. It's not the prettiest thing it the world, but I think it'll work. With a little hard work it will look better than new. It's complete with rusty brake lines, leaky quad shocks, drum brakes, trac lok diff, and the rest of the works.

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4625/25735337488_ace4321a6d_h.jpg
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4762/27828780739_8f0835e6cd_h.jpg

[Higgybulin]

I'll be watching this part very closely!!
Higgy

[Papa]

Frank,

As you go through the restoration and upgrades on your rear end you may want to consider having the axle tubes fully welded. There was a thread several months ago describing the plug weld breaking and the tube rotating under acceleration. I think it was in the 33 Forums, but I can't find it.

Dave

[Yama-Bro]

Thanks, I've been trying to decide if I should do that or not. I've also been trying to decide if I should weld the banana bracket on or get the VPM brace...or both.

[Papa]

Thanks, I've been trying to decide if I should do that or not. I've also been trying to decide if I should weld the banana bracket on or get the VPM brace...or both.

Since you have the 4-link tabs, you may be better off going with the VPM brace and just bolting the bracket on. Some of us have been having problems getting pinion angles set with the welded bracket.

[Yama-Bro]

Here we are with Parts Removal Part 1:

The first parts we removed were the quad shocks. It took a few different removal methods to coax them off, but they eventfully gave in and came off...
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4759/27828782169_7f081926d4_h.jpg

I then rearranged my garage and parked the axle where my motorcycle usually resides. I lifted the axle up on some saw horses so it's easier to work on...
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4714/25735489728_71f4922f0b_h.jpg

With 30 years of rust and grime...some of the parts came off easy, some not so much. Shown here are all the parts we removed, excluding the brake lines and rubber grommets. You won't need any of these parts if you are building axle for a FFR roadster.
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4666/27828888969_6079972e3b_h.jpg

I handed the boys the wire brush and told them to get to work. I didn't let them go to far before I told them about the grinder with the wire wheel I was planning to use. LOL.
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4676/27828896149_376fc7ee9b_h.jpg
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4676/27828901449_c91565b46d_h.jpg

Here's what the axle looks like after removing all those parts. There are still a few more to remove, but we'll save that for later.
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4671/24738323597_588772b576_h.jpg

[Yama-Bro]

I picked up this book as a reference guide. I read through the whole thing. It seems like it covers everything. It has already been helpful.
[url=https://flic.kr/p/22ggUbf]https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4648/38897898954_5a9ec4ecf6_h.jpg

[WIS89]

Frank-

You are a dog for not telling the boys about the wire wheel!! HAHA They do look pretty intense working on that axle though...

I have enjoyed following along with you!

Regards,

Steve

[Yama-Bro]

Frank-

You are a dog for not telling the boys about the wire wheel!! HAHA They do look pretty intense working on that axle though...

I have enjoyed following along with you!

Regards,

Steve

Haha, I know! I think it's good they learn that there's more than one way to skin a cat.;) Thanks!

[broku518]

man, you should have told them...this will come around and bite you! My 7y old is wicked smart and does this stuff all the time. :D

[Yama-Bro]

man, you should have told them...this will come around and bite you! My 7y old is wicked smart and does this stuff all the time. :D

Haha, My kids are probably saving up and will pay me back when I'm in the nursing home.

[JoeAIII]

Always remember that your children choose your nursing home lol

[Dagwoods]

Thanks for documenting the rear end rebuild. I'll be starting this same thing in a couple of weeks. I'm sure the pics will help.

[Yama-Bro]

Always remember that your children choose your nursing home lol

Haha, I'll keep that in mind as we move forward


Thanks for documenting the rear end rebuild. I'll be starting this same thing in a couple of weeks. I'm sure the pics will help.

No problem! I'm glad the pictures are helping someone.

[Yama-Bro]

Class was in session...wire wheeling 101. We removed roughly 75% of the rust and grime that has accumulated on the axle over the last 30 years. Our wire wheel wore out about the same time we ran out of day light...and it got cold, so there will be a second session of this class.

"This is waaaayyy better then the wire brush..."
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4748/39576884692_17968c536f_h.jpg

It's looking shinier...
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4763/27828965979_b3e5a2d6d9_h.jpg

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4752/39576900742_c7224a7107_h.jpg

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4622/39576907712_b9b57d3b13_h.jpg

[Higgybulin]

Keep it up!!!
Higgy

[John Ibele]

Okay, now I'm caught up ... nice work, Yama-Bro! Yeah, cleaning up used parts isn't the most fun, but they are cleaning up nice and you'll be glad you did it. That book saved me from going temporarily mad from bad gear patterns :confused:. Its very clear and you'll have a good guide for getting things dialed in. Now you've got me motivated to see if I can keep pace - I've gotta go back up front and get the steering in (as well as pedal box) to stay even near you!

[rrrose]

Thats hard work cleaning up old parts. Well done to you and your boys. x3 on they pick your nursing home and can chose to not tell attendants when you need a diaper change. :eek:

[Yama-Bro]

Thanks for the comments guys!


Okay, now I'm caught up ... nice work, Yama-Bro! Yeah, cleaning up used parts isn't the most fun, but they are cleaning up nice and you'll be glad you did it. That book saved me from going temporarily mad from bad gear patterns :confused:. Its very clear and you'll have a good guide for getting things dialed in. Now you've got me motivated to see if I can keep pace - I've gotta go back up front and get the steering in (as well as pedal box) to stay even near you!

I don't think you'll have any problems catching up to me. I'm moving along at a snail's pace compared to several of the guys on here. I'll probably be following your build thread for ideas and direction before you know it. :eek:


Thats hard work cleaning up old parts. Well done to you and your boys. x3 on they pick your nursing home and can chose to not tell attendants when you need a diaper change. :eek:

When you mentioned diaper change...I got visions of the kids giving the wire brush I made them use all those years ago to the attendants for my weekly cleaning. LOL :D Ouch!

[Yama-Bro]

Since it's still a little chilly out, we decided to start taking the axle apart. We'll get back to the rust cleanup later.

The first step was to remove the cover and drain out that sweet smelling differential fluid. Just kidding about the smell. If you haven't messed with this stuff before...it smells horrible. Do it with the garage door open, if you can.

After the fluids are gone the next thing that needs to be done is remove the pin retention bolt. To my surprise, the bolt came out really easy. After closer inspection, I realized it came out easy because half of it was still in the hole. Oh no. In the 2nd picture, you can see the chunk I got out and see how deep it goes in. There's a pin attached to the end of the bolt that goes thru the large pin (the circle that looks like a quarter).
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4608/26084856278_304e450c61_h.jpg
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4753/25086548447_59f67496de_h.jpg

I did some research. It appears this is a fairly common problem. There are different ways to get it out. And of course, there are kits out there that come with all the tools you need to remove the bolt. Most of those kits come with a screw that acts as a pilot, a long drill, and a bolt extractor bit. I already have a bolt extractor kit, so I decided I could get by for far less by sourcing my own kit parts. For my pilot screw, I drilled a 9/64" hole thru a 5/16-18 socket head cap screw. Then I went to my local Ace hardware store and found a 12" long .125" drill bit. The drill I purchased was a black oxide Irwin brand for about $8.

Here's my drilled cap screw...
I suggest using a cap screw, because the hex recess in the head makes for a nice center mark for the 9/64" drill. Also, don't get a grade 8, as that will make it more difficult to drill into.
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4657/26084885308_d94335e82a_h.jpg

I threaded the cap screw into the hole where the rest of the bolt was residing. Then I chucked up the long drill bit and proceeded to drill a hole into the remaining bolt. You have to have such a long drill bit in order to have enough clearance to get a straight shot with the drill.
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4699/26084941668_382e57869c_h.jpg

Here's a close up of the cap screw in the hole. I used my magnet tool to catch metal chips and keep them out of the differential.
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4755/26084943808_61e934ab0b_h.jpg

I removed the cap screw. Then tapped in the easy out. Time for the easy out to work it's magic!
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4666/39957579601_0713787de5_h.jpg

I slowly turned the easy out with a small crescent wrench until the rest of the bolt came out. This couldn't have went better. I was expecting to spend all weekend on this, so I was pretty happy when it came out without a fight.
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4702/39957581961_5aac67a113_h.jpg

I might add that the 3 other solutions I found during my internet research were:
1. Drill into the end of the large pin that goes thru the diff. Drill to the depth of where you are getting into the retention pin bolt. Once you get into the bolt, use a small screwdriver or needle nose pliers to slowly rotate the bolt until it threads itself out the hole. If you do this you'll need to replace the bolt and the pin.
2. Take a large punch and a large hammer and pound the end of the pin until it shears the bolt into three pieces. It sounds like this method has potential to damage the diff housing.
3. Cut into the diff to remove the bolt with a die grinder. You'll most likely ruin the diff housing doing this.

[Papa]

You're much cooler than I would have been. Congrats on getting the bolt out.

[Higgybulin]

Very nice execution!! That could have easily been a weekender for sure!!

[wareaglescott]

Thanks for the thorough documentation on a difficult problem. That will surely be helpful to others. Im glad I have seen that if I ever need it.

[Yama-Bro]

You're much cooler than I would have been. Congrats on getting the bolt out.


Very nice execution!! That could have easily been a weekender for sure!!

Thanks guys. One thing I mentioned to my wife is that these days, the internet sure makes this kind of stuff a lot easier to tolerate. Twenty years ago, this would've been really frustrating. Now, I try to figure it out for awhile and If I start getting overwhelmed, I just go do some searching on the net and find all kinds of solutions from other people that have experienced the same problem.


Thanks for the thorough documentation on a difficult problem. That will surely be helpful to others. Im glad I have seen that if I ever need it.

Good point. I wasn't even thinking about the fact that this applies to all of us whether you have a straight axle or IRS, new or rebuilt.

[JoeAIII]

Excellent problem solving, yama!

[Yama-Bro]

After the bolt came out, the good times kept rolling...

The retention pin slid out without a hitch. I read these can be difficult if the axle has been abused. There can be grooves worn in the pin that don't allow it to slide out. We got lucky on this one.
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4649/26084984258_059ebb0a55_h.jpg

The next step is to push the axles into the housing from the end. This will allow access to the C-clips in the center of the differential. They can be a little tricky to remove from the groove in the end of the axle. We put a punch on each side of the clip and gently tapped them until the clip fell off into the housing.
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4650/39925944582_7f4cfad72e_h.jpg

What kid doesn't like to use a magnet tool to retrieve parts?
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4710/39059683885_fdb72c0e2c_h.jpg

One C-clip...
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4603/39925954802_2db143eb1f_h.jpg

Grab the hub of the axle shaft and pull. Make sure to have a rag handy, as this these are greasy parts.
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4716/25086647557_0ff2b17dba_h.jpg

We moved onto the drum brakes after removing the axle shafts. We removed all the parts with a couple brake tools. These were pretty dirty, but they came off easy.
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4711/26085038958_42b6858bb1_h.jpg
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4755/39059710425_0c1a780ad6_h.jpg

[Yama-Bro]

When removing the drum brake backing plates, sometimes you have to use every muscle in your body... Haha, I love this picture.
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4741/25086675467_24674cff21_h.jpg

As you can tell by the smile...it's a rewarding experience...
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4712/39926035572_5c3efc0066_h.jpg

After removing the backing plates, we moved back to the pumpkin. We started by marking the bearing caps and their corresponding area of the housing with a center punch. We marked one side with two punch marks and the other side with three punch marks. You want to get these back on the correct side and in the same orientation as they came out, because they are machined with the housing and will only work one way. Once marked, we removed the bolts. Here my helper is holding one of the bolts in his grubby mitts. He mentioned..."this is the most fun I've had my entire life". I can't disagree with him.:o
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4699/39247516044_3dc53c81cc_h.jpg

I didn't get any pictures of the diff removal process because this part was pretty hands on for me. We used a combination of large screw drivers and pry bars to pop it out of place. Then we lifted it out.
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4698/25086756267_6934010777_h.jpg

You'll want to save your cast iron spacers and record which side they go on. I threw mine in marked ziploc bags for later reuse.
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4723/39247527374_cb0ce18f5f_h.jpg

The boys cleaned out the housing with rags. I didn't have the tools to remove the pinion gear, so this was our stopping point for the day.
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4710/39957768351_211a152595_h.jpg

[SerpantFL]

Yama-Bro, Nice work by the assistants, and very clever use of the cap screw as a guide. I have had those too-easy to have been the whole screw before but not recessed like this one. Another tidbit of a good workaround to file in the build think bank.

[Papa]

Frank,

I had such a huge smile on my face reading your last update and seeing the enthusiasm your boys are exhibiting. You'll all remember these times forever; priceless!

Dave

[Higgybulin]

Better than spending the day in front of the TV!!!
Higgy

[Yama-Bro]

Thanks for the comments guys...this is a fun journey!

[Yama-Bro]

I forgot to post these pics. The same day we also pulled the bearings and seals out of the ends of the housing using a slide hammer and bearing puller kit. I didn't have either of those tools so I borrowed them from our local Oreilly's Auto store. These tools made removing bearings easy. It seems they could make a lot of other tasks easier. I added them to my tools-to-buy-list...
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4702/39957794151_3e8ab75fd2_h.jpg

Bearing and seal...
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4631/39059803595_0559851b9c_h.jpg

Empty tube end...
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4618/39926103522_a6e750247a_h.jpg

My oldest trying out the slide hammer...
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4765/28178148569_9a57ec652f_h.jpg

We cleaned up a few of the small parts that we took out. With the cold weather we've had and the garage that's not heated all the time, the solvent was ice cold.
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4709/39059823755_65af6444e1_h.jpg

I had to get a group shot, just to prove I've been working on this and not just making my boys do all the work... LOL
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4700/39926167812_46072c7876_h.jpg

[SerpantFL]

Looks like you photo shopped yourself in, lol... Just kidding

[Yama-Bro]

Looks like you photo shopped yourself in, lol... Just kidding

LOL...Busted!

My dad, brother, and I spent a year and a half building a rustic cabin that we pretty much finished up right before my kit was delivered. I'm the most tech savvy of the group, so I took all the pictures. When I look back through the pictures it doesn't look like I even did anything because I'm not in too many of pictures. I learned if you want a record of the work you were involved in...sometimes you just gotta take a selfie. ;)

[SerpantFL]

Definitely nice work by the team, you are blessed to have such good helpers... Well done guys!

[JAB]

Please , keep this build page going! Awesome watching the boys getting their hands dirty and learning stuff.

[FLPBFoot]

Nice work with the crew!

That's a 4 bolt axle. You have wheels that will fit it or are you going to change them out and go to a 5 bolt?

[Yama-Bro]

Definitely nice work by the team, you are blessed to have such good helpers... Well done guys!

Thanks Man!


Please , keep this build page going! Awesome watching the boys getting their hands dirty and learning stuff.

I'm planning to keep it going until the end. I enjoy posting the progress. I'm glad you are enjoying watching it.

Where did you find your avatar? I like that. Did you draw it?


Nice work with the crew!

That's a 4 bolt axle. You have wheels that will fit it or are you going to change them out and go to a 5 bolt?

Thanks!

You are correct. It is a 4 lug axle. I do have 5 lug rims. I have new 5 lug 31 spline axles that I am going to swap in. Basically, I'm not reusing any of the internal axle parts (besides caps, bolts, and spacers). I'm planning to sell the old parts and recoup some of my money. I know it won't add up to a lot, but I think I'll cover the expense of the axle itself and them some.

[Mark Eaton]

You're boys are having a blast. That's awesome

[Yama-Bro]

We looked for a loaner pinion flange holding tool locally, but couldn't find anything, so we improvised. We threaded disposable bolts into two of the threaded flange holes. Next, we jammed a large breaker bar between the bolts and proceeded to remove the pinion nut with our pneumatic impact wrench while holding the bar. The nut was tight, but it slowly worked it's way off the pinion. I was expecting to have to use a puller to remove the flange from the pinion. To my surprise, once the nut was off, the pinion dropped out of the housing. It almost hit Cody's foot. That was close. We were lucky. It looks like the cardboard I had on the floor to absorb spills protected the concrete and the pinion from breaking. Double lucky!

Cody with the pinion...
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4627/39926648052_a2dfdeb121_h.jpg

The pinion with bearing, crush sleeve, and pinion flange...
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4623/39958392271_53fd5145bb_h.jpg

The 2nd bearing, oil slinger, and seal. We pried the seal and slinger out with a large screw driver. It came out fairly easy once I got it placed properly. My axle rebuild seal kit comes with a new slinger. Some don't, so make sure yours does before you damage this one.
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4671/39958394771_bd94847844_h.jpg

We tapped out the bearing races...
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4615/26085732458_f564a99d30_h.jpg

And finally, the empty shell of an axle...
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4649/39926679182_f6136b8f55_h.jpg

[Yama-Bro]

Here are some pictures from part 2 of our rust cleanup. We also removed the excess brackets that aren't used in the FFR kit.

I broke out the saw and lopped off the quad shock brackets...
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4663/39407046244_4d731286dd_h.jpg

If you have a sharp blade, the saw will go right through this things...
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4648/40086096672_15036b115f_h.jpg

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4667/40119095391_cb57482b30_h.jpg

We smoothed out the remnants of the bracket with the grinder...
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4700/39407046824_413b454a70_h.jpg

We used a wire wheel for most of the rust removal, but to get into the tight spots we used a die grinder and cup shaped wire wheel...
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4648/26244875928_b0e05e074f_h.jpg

It turned out pretty decent. It's looking a lot better than when I brought it home.
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4767/40086099382_5203723b4b_h.jpg

There are a couple tight areas, that we couldn't get into, but from what I understand the POR-15 will cover it either way.
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4702/26244881778_9f963e9860_h.jpg




I have been planning on welding the tubes to the center section for a while. However, after talking to a few people and reading some things online, I've decided not to weld the tubes. Here's a link to a tube welding discussion I started...Here (https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/showthread.php?27365-Questions-about-welding-the-axle-tubes). If I end up having problems, I'll let you all know.

[Yama-Bro]

I didn't have a lot of time to work on the car this weekend, but I did manage to get a few things done...

Cleaned the remainder of the old lube out of the axle tubes, using rags and brake cleaner...
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4721/26513950638_68bd9ccf8f_h.jpg

Just like cleaning a gun barrel...
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4660/39488490525_3367bae8a3_h.jpg

I cleaned the pinion flange. It was encrusted with about 1/4" of old grease, dirt, and rust. After some scrapping, wire brushing and a dip in the cleaning tank, I sprayed it with some of ACE hardware's rust preventer paint.
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4658/39488495855_3a094795f1_h.jpg

Better than new...
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4626/26513958858_90591ccd94_h.jpg

[Scubasommer]

[QUOTE=Yama-Bro;314059]I didn't have a lot of time to work on the car this weekend, but I did manage to get a few things done...

Cleaned the remainder of the old lube out of the axle tubes, using rags and brake cleaner...

Just like cleaning a gun barrel...

I cleaned the pinion flange. It was encrusted with about 1/4" of old grease, dirt, and rust. After some scrapping, wire brushing and a dip in the cleaning tank, I sprayed it with some of ACE hardware's rust preventer paint.

Better than new...

Hey Brother
Looks great..... keep up the great work and the posts!
I am following your ( and your boys) build intensely as my MK4 is being delivered in July!!!!
Love the boys helping......you are truly blessed!!

Keep up the great work!

[Yama-Bro]

Hey Brother
Looks great..... keep up the great work and the posts!
I am following your ( and your boys) build intensely as my MK4 is being delivered in July!!!!
Love the boys helping......you are truly blessed!!

Keep up the great work!

Thanks! I am definitely blessed with more than I deserve.

Congrats on ordering a kit! I'll be watching for your build thread this summer.

[Yama-Bro]

The gears are in!

I cheated on this step and had my local tranny shop do the install and setup. The new parts installed are a Ford Racing 31 spline Trak-Lok differential and 3.55 Ford Racing ring and pinion. I utilized one of Summit's axle rebuild kits.

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4698/39641302355_53ef87fded_h.jpg

[Yama-Bro]

I applied the POR-15 this weekend. It seems like a lot of my paint jobs don't live up to my expectations. They either don't stick, don't look right, have runs, etc. Painting may not be my thing, however this stuff turned out pretty good. I did have several tiny pinhole-esque bubbles show up on the cast portion of the housing during the 2nd coat. The paint seems rock hard, so I don't think it 'll be an issue. Overall, I'm really happy with it. I ended up buying 3 of the POR15 super starter kits. It seemed like the cheapest way to go to get everything I needed without having a lot of extra that would go to waste. As it turned out, I only used one 4oz can of the actual paint, one bottle of the degreaser and one and half bottles of the metal prep. I was surprised by that, as I was expecting to use 2 cans of the paint at least. This stuff goes pretty far for what it is. I have plenty to do more projects. I'd say the paint has a medium thickness, but can be deceivingly runny if put on to thick.

I followed all the steps, just like the instructions detailed. Step one, degrease...
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4669/39730233575_0e16e4f864_h.jpg

Step 2, metal prep...
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4660/39915375774_6aae8ba9a5_h.jpg

The metal prep etches the metal so the paint will adhere like it supposed to. It left the surface a little chalky...
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4707/26754218758_6670329d16_h.jpg

Step 3, paint. I got a respirator for this part. I was glad I did. It's really strong smelling stuff. This was after the second and final coat...
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4713/39915381024_32c100acbe_h.jpg

After the POR15 dried, I sanded down the cover and painted it silver. I got this idea from Jeff Kleiner. I think it looks great and it's affordable. I hope the paint will stick to the cover. It didn't seem like it bonded to well. Maybe it just needs some time to cure.
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4706/38815921140_618276503d_h.jpg

Good looking rear end! ;)...
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4650/26754212238_c292ef6614_h.jpg

[Higgybulin]

Looks brand new!!
Higgy

[TexasAviator]

looks great I redid mine too using rattle can but I sanded and steel brushed every ounce of crud off of it to bare metal. Resealed it and used a girdle from ford performance parts svo. Old school and strong. Nice work its really coming along.

[Yama-Bro]

Thanks guys! Reconditioning the old stuff sure takes up a lot of time. I'm ready to get this thing under the car and move onto something else.

[Yama-Bro]

We finished up the axle this weekend.

Installed a new breather. Part number 4R3Z-4022-AA, if you are interested.
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4786/39858028375_40d584f6f9_h.jpg

The bearings and seals that came with the axle and the installation tool. If you don't have an installation tool, you can use a hammer, but this tool makes it a lot easier. Highly recommended.
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4797/39858028795_7d45e1512d_h.jpg

Bearings tapped in. I put a dab of grease on each of the bearings for "pre lube" to protect the bearings until the gear lube reaches them.
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4787/38942399950_1177fc4ee4_h.jpg

Seals tapped in. Before sliding the axles into the seals, put a bit of grease on the seal to help the axle glide over the seal surface.
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4782/26881897358_318f560337_h.jpg

Before we could insert the axle shafts, we had to mount the disc brake caliper bracket/emergency brake assemble. These parts are from Gordon Levy's 15" FFR brake kit. A very nice setup. Before you ask...no, my car will not have drum brakes ;), those are the emergency brakes; the disc brake calipers will mount to these brackets. Also in the picture are the Moser t-bolts that I purchased to replace the nasty old stock backing plate bolts. I tried locating some standard grade 8 fasteners locally, but no luck. Summit to the rescue again.
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4784/40709782662_2043809231_h.jpg

Disc brake caliper bracket/emergency brake assemble mounted. I used the supplied lock washers, but also put a drop of loc-tite on these.
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4777/25881782327_1d0dc4259c_h.jpg

[Yama-Bro]

The t-bolts from the backside...
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4783/38942410110_989b447b13_h.jpg

While I was at it, I purchased a new fill plug. This one has a magnet built into it's tip. Late model restoration #LRS-7860108.
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4777/25881788317_fef4db312c_h.jpg

The boys received an education on running the hydraulic press. We pressed the wheel studs into the new axle shafts.
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4788/39858045835_59e14d91fa_h.jpg

The axle shaft slipped right into place. Make sure to support the shaft when you are sliding it in; don't let the whole weight of the shaft bear down on the seal, as it can mess it up.
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4771/25881791267_5cf524d938_h.jpg

With the shaft pushed all the way in, drop the C-clips into the grooves in the end of the axle, then slide the axle outboard as far as possible.
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4779/26881906098_953510bd54_h.jpg

Drop the retention pin into the diff...
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4778/40752664811_18b6a571c2_h.jpg

Then insert that pesky pin retention bolt. Use Loctite if it doesn't already have it on the bolt.
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4797/39858060305_f206386e27_h.jpg

[Yama-Bro]

Normally you would fill the axle thru the fill hole once it's under the car, but I was curious to see how full the housing is with 2.5 quarts of fluid. As it turns out...it's quite full. I poured in 2.5 quarts of 75W140 fully synthetic. We also added 4oz of friction modifier for maximum smokey burnout capability. :cool:
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4775/40709815192_9cffb354ba_h.jpg

Here's a pic showing how much fluid is in there. It's a little tough to see...
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4800/40752667581_623226ff52_h.jpg

We used RTV gasket maker to seal the cover to the housing and torqued the bolts. We have to let it sit for 24 hours before I can move it to avoid having the diff fluid contact the gasket and prevent it from curing properly.
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4792/39858071195_03d84af56c_h.jpg

With that we are done with the axle rebuild. I have a few more parts to sell to meet my price goal of rebuilding the axle. Once I sell the parts, I will update the parts list below.

Parts and Labor and Costs:
Used axle, purchased locally: $150
Summit Racing Axle Rebuild Kit (Bearings, shims, gasket) p/n: SUM-G7919K: $69.97
Ford Racing 31 Spline Trac lok differential, p/n: M-4204-F318C: $259.35
Ford Racing Racing 3.55 Ring and pinion set, p/n: M-4209-88355: $169.97
Summit Racing 31 spline axle shafts, 29.00 long (bearings and seals), p/n: SUM-700123: $204.97
Ford Breather, p/n: 4R3Z-4022-AA: $13.84
Fill plug, LMR.com p/n: LRS-7860108: $9.99
Lucas Oil Gear lube 75W140: $35.91
Ford Racing Friction modifier, p/n: CM-19546-A1: $8.99
Moser Engineering T-bolts, p/n: 838TK: $14.97
POR 15 paint (Used two starter kits): $42.40
Labor to install ring and pinion: $336.21

TOTAL Parts and Labor: $1,316.57

Recoup on old parts (sold on ebay):
4.10 Ring and Pinion: $113.89
28 Spline Trac Lok: $125.03

Total recoup: 238.92

Total cost to rebuild Axle: $1077.65

[Higgybulin]

The kids did a nice job!! Looks like new!
Higgy

[Yama-Bro]

The kids did a nice job!! Looks like new!
Higgy

Yeah, I think for the next one I'll just sit back in the lawn chair with a cool beverage and let them work. :D

[broku518]

Man, you will know the car to the last bolt and oil drop. That is just awesome!
I am in a bit squeeze here, not working on that level.

Plus, this weekend I was adjusting the steering column, and gave my 3y old the pliers to adjust it. He started banging on the vintage speedo gauge instead!

[Yama-Bro]

Man, you will know the car to the last bolt and oil drop. That is just awesome!
I am in a bit squeeze here, not working on that level.

Plus, this weekend I was adjusting the steering column, and gave my 3y old the pliers to adjust it. He started banging on the vintage speedo gauge instead!

LOL, the speedo was backwards. He's just trying to get it flipped back around. :p

[broku518]

LOL, the speedo was backwards. He's just trying to get it flipped back around. :p

Haha, I guess so! Plus it doesn't work -need to calibrate them.

[Yama-Bro]

Rear Brake installation:

This is Gordon Levy's Wilwood brake kit for FFR 15" rims. They are 4 piston calipers with 12.19" discs and an internal emergency drum brake. They are as big as you can fit under the FFR Halibrand replicas. Very nice kit, with great instructions. These went on pretty easy.

Fitting the rotor to the axle. The kit came with a rotor registration ring that was too big, so I'll have to get a smaller one. Summit to the rescue again. I'll do the final torqueing and loc-titing of the bolts once I get the new ring.
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/787/40191537924_cc86a1952a_h.jpg

Backside view of the caliper and emergency brake bracket...
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/821/40191538734_30257550c1_h.jpg

Brake caliper mounted...
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4774/26027293767_61c916e1c2_h.jpg

Brake caliper centered. I started with the recommended number of shims, which was two. The caliper appeared excessively far inboard. I had one of those sick-to-the-stomach feelings, thinking that I might have the wrongs axle shafts. I removed all the shims, and it turned out perfect. That was a close one, as there isn't any way to move the caliper any farther outboard.
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4773/40857831572_f31266b2ec_h.jpg

Both sides done...
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/789/39090206180_015f7be37a_h.jpg

I dug out my 15" rims to check for interference...
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/791/40857832762_63939dc258_h.jpg

I measured, worst case, approx. .100" clearance with my feeler gages. Minimum per the instructions is .080", so we are good...
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/794/27029179918_aaa081ae3d_h.jpg

[Yama-Bro]

Banana bracket installation:

I dug out all the parts to install the axle to the car. I examined each piece. When I held the banana bracket up to the axle I realized the clamshell clamp area was going to either be extremely tight, or not fit. I posted a question on this wonderful forum to see what everyone else was running into. See post Here (https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/showthread.php?27798-Banana-Bracket-fit-on-axle-tube). I got a lot of good answers and determined the direction I would go.

3-Link install parts:
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/813/40948579371_3578570a0e_h.jpg

My first step was to remove the weld spatter, burrs, and some paint from the inside of the clam shell internal diameter. I used a rough half round file....
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/813/40054536005_97a349f610_h.jpg

After cleaning up the ID, I placed the bracket on the axle tube. The fit was better, but it still has about .125" to .187" to be tightened down.
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/799/40948579381_b454f4c53e_h.jpg

The bolt holes didn't line up very good at all. I ended up lining it up with a couple bolts and running a .500" drill thru all the holes so I could get the bolts thru.
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4794/40948582521_821e4211a7_h.jpg

I threaded the nuts on and tightened one at a time. It slowly squeezed the two halves together. These were very tight. I was starting to get worried about breaking the bolts off. (I'm still a little worried). But in the end, the part clamped down like others said it would in my question post.

(EDIT: I ended up getting replacement bolts and nuts. I removed old bolt at a time and replaced them with the new bolts)
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4772/40054537155_e5450c8951_h.jpg

The hole in the support bracket that goes to the front of the axle housing didn't line up either. The manual said this might happen. I drilled a 3/8" hole using the bracket as a guide. The bolt supplied by FFR was too short, so I ran to ACE, my local hardware store and got one that would work. A 2.25" long bolt may have been perfect, but all they had was 2.50"
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/794/27077628728_9ba20e7887_h.jpg

The solidly connected bracket to the axle. In the not so distant future, I will be adding the VPM brace to the banana bracket.
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4788/40906808942_bb93e221bd_h.jpg

[boat737]

Question, Do your 4 bracket bolts need washers? (I don't know that set up, just asking.) And if you're concerned about the bolts, Grade-8 are stronger.

[Yama-Bro]

Question, Do your 4 bracket bolts need washers? (I don't know that set up, just asking.) And if you're concerned about the bolts, Grade-8 are stronger.

I wondered the same thing. :o There weren't any washers in the pictures in the manual and I didn't see any in the parts bag. I don't think they'd have enough room at the head end of the bolt, but probably would on the nut side. I just followed the manual. The bolts from FFR are grade 8 already.

[Higgybulin]

Great posts, question and assembly!! Hopefully getting my rear end in the next few weeks. Keeping this thread handy!
Higgy

[broku518]

Good job on the banana bracket!

I noticed my rear brake pads aren't wearing the same way. The outside rotor is shiny, the back is only somewhat. I wonder if I need to put some spacers to line them up better. I hear people say, bed them in.
For starter, I guess, I can remove the wheel and measure the actual gap on both sides to see...

Good post!

[Yama-Bro]

Good job on the banana bracket!

I noticed my rear brake pads aren't wearing the same way. The outside rotor is shiny, the back is only somewhat. I wonder if I need to put some spacers to line them up better. I hear people say, bed them in.
For starter, I guess, I can remove the wheel and measure the actual gap on both sides to see...

Good post!

Yeah, I would start by making sure the calipers are centered. That's easy enough to check.

[Yama-Bro]

We hit a milestone on Good Friday. We now have a rolling chassis! It was an exciting day. My Dad came over in the AM to help put it in. We spent the whole day working on it. By 5 o'clock that night the car was sitting on it's own four tires.

We bolted the FFR lower control arm brackets to the axle housing. The axle is shown upside down in these pictures. The passenger's side...
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/789/41182564901_0ecf72743c_h.jpg

The driver's side...
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/799/41182564861_dbcc2c4596_h.jpg

We bolted the FFR forged lower control arm to the axle housing. These are nice pieces. Has any one ever painted inside the letters?
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/869/41182565051_712c40b7b3_h.jpg

Installation of the VPM 3 link brace.
I didn't weld the banana bracket to the axle tube, so I purchased one of these braces to strengthen the assembly. Like everyone else that has owned one of these says...it's a very nice part and very well made. The only thing I think would make it better is to have an assembled/exploded view in the instructions. The banana bracket needs to be tightened down and in it's final location before installing the VPM brace. The brace is shipped assembled in the same order that it goes on the axle. The first step is to insert the bushings in the ears of the housing. We used an undersized bolt and nut to squeeze the two sides together, but later realized the instructions call to do that with the large black rod end/bolt supplied with the part. That would have been quicker, but it worked fine either way.
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/889/40286558565_37ca10f9fe_h.jpg

Then insert the large black rod end into the bushing.
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/888/40286562365_0b00344ecc_h.jpg

Assemble the parts as pictured, then simple adjust the brace's length so the holes line up and tighten the bolts down.
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/863/26309988827_e839af5107_h.jpg

When inserting the top bolt in the banana bracket, we also assembled the upper control arm.
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/798/41182567161_01ab186088_h.jpg

Continued in next post...

[Yama-Bro]

(Continued from the previous post)

Once we had the axle assembly ready, we lowered it down onto my ATV jack and wheeled it under the frame of the car...
(Before doing this step, we cleaned the paint out the frame bolt holes and removed the pan hard bar bracket from the frame.)
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/810/27308449338_708cd3d942_h.jpg

First we lined up the lower control arms and bolted them to the frame.
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/786/41137865732_7f5dd6778a_h.jpg
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/793/41182570401_15abc7d3d7_h.jpg

Next we bolted the upper control arm to the frame...
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/783/41137868502_8b95df0e19_h.jpg

We reinstalled the pan hard bar bracket and drilled a hole and installed a bolt/nut where the lower part of the bracket joins the frame...
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/894/27308454588_63b177bee3_h.jpg

We then installed the pan hard bar and assembled and installed the shocks.
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/814/27308455488_d17cc5ece9_h.jpg

After getting everything assembled, we put the wheels on the car and lowered it to the ground. We adjusted the panhard bar to be as level as possible and adjusted the pinion angle to be 2° up, using my phone's level app. I expect to need to adjust this further as we add more weight to the frame and the ride height of the frame comes down.

We have a roller!!!
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/878/26309997857_20a811bc95_h.jpg

The boys were really hoping that we could take turns pushing each other up and down the street in the car. They were a little disappointed when I didn't share their enthusiasm for that idea.

[Scubasommer]

We have a roller!!!
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/878/26309997857_ff9e57eaf0_b.jpg

The boys were really hoping that we could take turns pushing each other up and down the street in the car. They were a little disappointed when I didn't share their enthusiasm for that idea.[/QUOTE]

Looks good brother!
Your boys still have young backs, knees, and a LOT of energy!!!!

Keep up the great work
Jimmy

[Yama-Bro]

Looks good brother!
Your boys still have young backs, knees, and a LOT of energy!!!!

Keep up the great work
Jimmy

Thanks Man!

[Pineapplehead]

Lookin' good man!

[FLPBFoot]

Yama-Bro...FYI. At Build School they recommend shock body down on the backs and shock body up on the fronts. With the springs down on the back you can run into the e-brake cables getting pinched in the springs. Set the ride height at 4.5 inches and pinion angel should be 2 degrees down.

Steve

[Yama-Bro]

Yama-Bro...FYI. At Build School they recommend shock body down on the backs and shock body up on the fronts. With the springs down on the back you can run into the e-brake cables getting pinched in the springs. Set the ride height at 4.5 inches and pinion angel should be 2 degrees down.

Steve

Thanks Steve, That's some good advice. I didn't really see a good reason to go the other way with the shocks until you posted this. I'll flip them over.

Question on the pinion angle. I set it at 2° up per the manual. Are you saying that once I adjust the ride height to 4.5" it will end up being 2° down, or do I need to manually adjust that later? Or just check it.

Thanks,

Frank

[FLPBFoot]

Thanks Steve, That's some good advice. I didn't really see a good reason to go the other way with the shocks until you posted this. I'll flip them over.

Question on the pinion angle. I set it at 2° up per the manual. Are you saying that once I adjust the ride height to 4.5" it will end up being 2° down, or do I need to manually adjust that later? Or just check it.

Thanks,

Frank

Sorry for any confusion....We had the car up on jack stands and set it at 2 degrees down. Then we set it down on the tires with 3 - 2 x 4s under the frame to get the 4.5" ride height. Then once down on the tires I think the pinion angle was close to the 2 degrees up the manual recommends. If you are on the tires and ride height close to the 4 or 4.5" recommended and you are at 2 degrees you are good.

Steve

[Yama-Bro]

Sorry for any confusion....We had the car up on jack stands and set it at 2 degrees down. Then we set it down on the tires with 3 - 2 x 4s under the frame to get the 4.5" ride height. Then once down on the tires I think the pinion angle was close to the 2 degrees up the manual recommends. If you are on the tires and ride height close to the 4 or 4.5" recommended and you are at 2 degrees you are good.

Steve

No problem Steve! Thanks for clearing it up for me. I'll make the adjustments as you suggested. I'll check it again when the whole car is together.

[Yama-Bro]

I didn't get a lot done on the car this weekend. I had a few home projects that I had to steer my attention towards. I did have time to go back and do some double checking on my 15" rim clearance and install my rotor registration rings that I have been waiting to take delivery of.

When I put the 17" rims on the axle, I noticed there wasn't a lot of space between the rim and the lower control arm / shock bracket. There is about .25" of gap. I feared this would get less and maybe even have some interference when the 15" rims where mounted. Here's a shot showing the clearance to the 17" rim...
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/866/39537820450_5133c8d02d_h.jpg

My fears were heightened because the axle shafts I'm using are about .1875" narrower than stock. Well, I got lucky on this one. The 15" rims have a ton of clearance. There must be a big difference in back spacing between the 15" and 17" rims? Or the width is a lot different? Either way, plenty of room
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/813/41346596521_f324967924_h.jpg
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/817/40633065714_ae308ad628_h.jpg

After that, I installed my rotor registration rings on the axle shafts. My Wilwood brake kit came with rings that were too big for my axles, so I ordered these from Summit...Here (https://www.summitracing.com/parts/wil-300-11901)
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/798/27474795768_c58477ee22_h.jpg

Rotor on the axle. I mounted the calipers and loctited the bolts in their final position.
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/870/40633066144_8b65dc287b_h.jpg

[Yama-Bro]

Well, I made it to one of the frustrating moments in the build. Hopefully, you guys can point me in the right direction. I've been messing with getting everything adjusted properly with the rear axle over the last few weeks. I have the shocks off the car. I have the 4" tubes sitting on blocks that are 4.5" tall (ride height). The tires are sitting on the ground. I have the pinion angle set at 2° up, and I've centered the axle in the frame by adjusting the pan hard bar. I thought I finally had everything dead on, so I started lifting the frame up to reinstall the shocks. I discovered I can only raise the frame about an inch from ride height before the banana bracket hits hits the pan hard bar mounting bracket. I can't lift the frame high enough to get the shocks back in. I thought the pan hard bar bracket and banana bracket looked awfully close while we were assembling the rear end, but didn't think to much of it. Now, after making the pinion angle adjustments, it seems it's much closer and they are actually hitting. What did I do wrong? Is the banana bracket rotated too far back? Is there something wrong with the way we assembled the panhard bar bracket? Could one of these parts be made wrong? Could something else be put together wrong that causes this?Any advice would be appreciated.

Here's what it looks like...Is this typical at ride height?

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/974/40892991435_4c17812911_h.jpg

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/944/40892993415_fa9286cab8_h.jpg

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/963/41075230394_9ae40d1a05_h.jpg

Thanks,

Frank

[JoeAIII]

I have not made it that far myself, so cannot offer any specific help, but I wonder what lower links you have? Them being too long seems like the only thing that would cause this to me...

[Yama-Bro]

I have not made it that far myself, so cannot offer any specific help, but I wonder what lower links you have? Them being too long seems like the only thing that would cause this to me...

I'm using the FFR forged lower links that come with the complete kit, so I wouldn't think that would be an issue.

[DavidW]

I remember the fit very close and it will hit when you take the weight off the suspension completely hanging the axle.
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=85159&d=1525093167

[Yama-Bro]

OK, I did a bunch of reading of old posts and think I misinterpreted the manual. It says the pinion angle should be 2° up. I have the front of my axle adjusted so the pinion is higher in the front and slopes down towards the back of the car. Basically, the front of the differential is pointing up. Now, if I'm understanding this right, I need to rotate the axle 4° so the front of the diff is actually pointing down 2°. I'm pretty sure that would take care of my bracket interference issue. Am I understanding this right? Thanks!

[DavidW]

I didn't even mess with the pinion angle until I had the alignment done the first time. I had to adjust the amount of spacers under the transmission mount during the drive line angle adjustment and adjusting the 3 link. I got the spacers from Mike Forte. I used the Tremec toolbox App to get the drive line angle right.

[Yama-Bro]

I've questioned whether I should even be worrying about this at this point in the game. Really, the only reason I am is because the manual said to adjust it to 2° up and it seems like others have done it during this part of the build.

[broku518]

The dreaded angle, oh boy. You can go so many different directions, up, down, but you need to keep in relation with your tranny shaft. Some people add more spacers, some adjust the bar to rotate the pumpkin. Look at some youtube videos to see this in reality.
It was really confusing to me at first, but Jeff K. picture and watching videos made it clear. One end goes down, other goes up. I have some notes in my build.
You can make it really complicated, or really easy ;)

Tremec app:
..However, angles that are 'equal and opposite' are most desirable...


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Idk3BVDVHq4

[Yama-Bro]

You can make it really complicated, or really easy ;)


Thanks for the post. I'll check the vid out when I get home. I think I am making this to complicated. I'm going to adjust the pinion angle until the diff is pointing two degrees down. I'm sure that will make my axle have full travel again. Then I will revisit this once I have the engine and tranny installed.

[Yama-Bro]

Last night, I got back to making adjustments. I'm almost ready to move onto the next step...

First off, all these adjustments were done with the rear shocks off, wheels and tires on the axle, and the car on blocks to simulate ride height. I spaced the 4" tubes 4.5" from the ground. This was the first stumbling block I ran into, because I found out my floor jack isn't of the low profile variety. It doesn't go low enough to get under the frame when it's set at ride height. I got by without for this step, but I'm gonna need a new jack eventually. If you are making a list of tools for your build, make sure you have a low profile floor jack.
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/978/41783407192_cf7aa09c3c_h.jpg

I centered the axle in the frame by adjusting the pan hard bar. I put a straight edge across the back edge of the tire and measured to the 4" frame tube on each side. I adjusted until the measurements were equal...
Passenger side...
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/871/41783407212_2384fba07d_h.jpg
Driver side...
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/870/40926846485_357a18967a_h.jpg

Next, I readjusted the pinion angle by shortening the upper control arm length. This time I have it set with the front of the diff going 2° down. This took care of the banana bracket hitting the panhard bar bracket. It went from about .25" interference when cycling the suspension to roughly 1.00" clearance. Much better.
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/830/40018933550_824bfa6144_h.jpg

I do have to apologize to ILPBFoot. As I was reading back thru my posts yesterday, I realized he pointed this out to me a while back. Sorry, ILPBFoot. I think the note in the manual about having the pinion 2° up really got me confused. A picture in the manual would do wonders to clear up confusion...

Sorry for any confusion....We had the car up on jack stands and set it at 2 degrees down. Then we set it down on the tires with 3 - 2 x 4s under the frame to get the 4.5" ride height. Then once down on the tires I think the pinion angle was close to the 2 degrees up the manual recommends. If you are on the tires and ride height close to the 4 or 4.5" recommended and you are at 2 degrees you are good.

Steve

Finally, I remounted the shocks. This time flipped so the coils are up. While doing this I took the opportunity to replace the shock mounting bolts with shorter versions, as the factory five bolts were about 3/8" too long and looked a bit excessive. Unfortunately, after all this, I went to put the wheels on and discovered the tires contact the coil springs. It looks like my options are wheel spacers or shocks with the coil down. For now, against everyone's advice, I am going to flip the shocks so the coils are down and see what I can do with the brake line routing. If it looks to be an issue with brake lines, I'll see what my spacer options are.
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/911/41825236911_eabaf9b174_h.jpg

[Yama-Bro]

I tried using some washers as spacers behind the wheels to see what a thick .20" spacer would gain me for clearance. Once the wheel was installed with the makeshift spacers, I discovered I had about .75" clearance between the shock and the tire....What? That can't be right?:confused: If they hit before and I add .20" spacers how do I have .75" clearance? Well, it turns out, I must've been stupid or tired the other night and didn't have the wheel seated properly. I put the wheel on without spacers and found I have about .5" clearance. So all is good.:cool:

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/957/41864985261_e0200419fc_h.jpg

Now I'm ready to move onto another part of the build...
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/829/40966765625_3b23ced0a2_h.jpg

[Fixit]

Well, it turns out, I must've been stupid or tired the other night and didn't have the wheel seated properly.

Don't beat up on yourself too much... we've all been there. (I'm juggling three 25+ camera & intercom installs across two states AND a nationwide/60+ location Card Access conversion - getting a little stupid or tired is easy!)

Got the jack covered... "Blackie" is already lower than the Roadster will be!

85621

[Yama-Bro]

Don't beat up on yourself too much... we've all been there. (I'm juggling three 25+ camera & intercom installs across two states AND a nationwide/60+ location Card Access conversion - getting a little stupid or tired is easy!)

Got the jack covered... "Blackie" is already lower than the Roadster will be!

85621

Thanks man, we'll mark it up to being tired then. ;) Most of my other "toy" vehicles have been ATVs, motorcycles, or Jeeps, so I never had a need for a low profile. I guess it's time.

[Yama-Bro]

I took Friday off last week. My plan was to spend the whole day working on the car. I didn't get as much done as I wanted, but I had a lot of fun and everything that I did do went really smooth. I also ended up selling my Harley the that day. It was sad to see it go, but the money is going to go towards the engine and tranny for the car, so that's a good thing. It also opens up a lot of space up in my garage, which is also welcome.

Anyways, the task for Friday was gas tank install...
All the parts...
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/949/40288195950_3e4d5e6a56_h.jpg

Fuel level sender parts...
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/962/40288195920_f4b59b6da8_h.jpg

Fuel level sender parts installed...
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/952/40288195830_a4841a47e8_h.jpg

Fuel pickup and vent/rollover valve parts...
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/952/40288195830_a4841a47e8_h.jpg

Fuel pickup and vent/rollover valve parts installed...
I didn't completely lock down the pickup flange, since I haven't determined my fuel pump strategy yet
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/909/42095282431_f5b4611335_h.jpg

Filler neck installed...
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/829/41375973664_67beacd1b3_h.jpg

[Yama-Bro]

In the manual it said to flatten out the tank flange so it would sit flat against the standoffs on the frame. It said to use pliers. I tried using a large crescent wrench instead. I thought it worked great. It has a wider contact patch than a pair of pliers, and I had plenty leverage...
Before...
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/951/27225379757_447b7dc3b6_h.jpg

After...
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/964/41194886355_4dee000051_h.jpg

Next, I used the always handy ATV jack to lift it up in place. I thought about selling this jack when I got out of ATV riding. I'm glad I didn't because I keep finding new ways to use it.
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/975/41375978734_d94232b809_h.jpg

Top-down view of it lifted into place...
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/906/42095287921_865783ac0b_h.jpg

I swung the straps under the tank and attached them to the frame. The driver's side looks perfect...
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/911/28222424598_09bf1526e1_h.jpg

The passenger side reached with plenty of threads, but the bolt wasn't perpendicular like the drivers side. I assume this is the way they are sometimes?
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/971/41375981744_d37e1fd0c2_h.jpg

[Papa]

Frank,

I used some aluminum tube as a spacer on the tank strap bolts to help straighten them up. Mine looked the same as yours without the tubing.

Dave

[Yama-Bro]

Next I did Jeff Kleiner's quick jack attachment mod. For anyone who doesn't know what this does; it basically allows you to remove the quick jacks (and body) without dropping the tank. Seems pretty handy to me. Note: I did this right before bolting the tank in all the way. You can't access the lower passenger side with the tank fully installed.

I looked all over town for 7/16" coupler nuts. I finally found them in a tractor store. After starting this project, I'm beginning to think I need to open a fastener/hardware store in this town :). No where ever seems to have what I need. I ended up buying 7/16-14 UNC x 3/4" long bolts. I threw on some metric washers, I believe 14mm, because they have a smaller OD than 7/16 washers. The coupler nuts are 7/16 thread x 1.75" long.
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/946/42050336572_a481bae56e_h.jpg

Bolts installed, viewing from the inside of the frame looking back...
I did put a drop of blue loc-tite on these to make sure they stay in place.
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/944/42050336752_219bd1881a_h.jpg

Quick jack mounting points as viewed from the back.
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/959/42095293061_5b5c86ade6_h.jpg

[Yama-Bro]

Frank,

I used some aluminum tube as a spacer on the tank strap bolts to help straighten them up. Mine looked the same as yours without the tubing.

Dave

Good idea Dave! I'll get some tube and give it a try. Thanks again!

[John Ibele]

Nice headway, Frank, and the rear axle looks fantastic.

Post #127 gave me a chuckle. I spent over 30 hrs chasing my tail with my IRS rear gear pattern, then I bought the same book. I kinda wish I'd switched the order.

[FLPBFoot]

Frank,

First no need to apologize in post #204. Glad it all worked out.

How long are the 7/16" coupler nuts you bought? You said a 3/4" long bolt but nothing on the nuts. Looks like about 2 inches?

Thanks

Steve

[Yama-Bro]

Nice headway, Frank, and the rear axle looks fantastic.

Post #127 gave me a chuckle. I spent over 30 hrs chasing my tail with my IRS rear gear pattern, then I bought the same book. I kinda wish I'd switched the order.

Ha ha, I'm starting to think we all have those moments. :D

[Yama-Bro]

Frank,

First no need to apologize in post #204. Glad it all worked out.

How long are the 7/16" coupler nuts you bought? You said a 3/4" long bolt but nothing on the nuts. Looks like about 2 inches?

Thanks

Steve

You are close. They are 1.75" long. They were the only option, so I went with it. I've read of other's using 1/2" long bolt, but I could find any of those in 7/16". That's also one of the reasons I decided to use a washer under the bolt, (to reduce the thread engagement).

[Yama-Bro]

Ok, so through out this build I've wondered where some of you guys are finding your information in the manual. I just wasn't seeing some of it. In fact, I've heard other people say the manual is pretty good...I was really starting to disagree with that. Well tonight, I was trying to figure out what do do with all these pedal box parts. There is nothing in the manual about the Wilwood pedal box. That's when I noticed....I have the base kit manual. LOL no wonder there's a lot of stuff left out of it. :D Hopefully FFR will send me the right one. I think it'll make the build a little easier.

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/908/40334191520_17f5ab5e73_h.jpg[/url]

[Scubasommer]

Hey Brother that only goes to show how good you are.....the instructions are cheating...lol

[Yama-Bro]

Hey Brother that only goes to show how good you are.....the instructions are cheating...lol

haha, thanks! I've been doing a lot of looking at pictures on this forum. That helps a lot.

[John Ibele]

Ok, so through out this build I've wondered where some of you guys are finding your information in the manual. I just wasn't seeing some of it. In fact, I've heard other people say the manual is pretty good...I was really starting to disagree with that. Well tonight, I was trying to figure out what do do with all these pedal box parts. There is nothing in the manual about the Wilwood pedal box. That's when I noticed....I have the base kit manual. LOL no wonder there's a lot of stuff left out of it. :D Hopefully FFR will send me the right one. I think it'll make the build a little easier.

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/908/40334191520_f7190a2956_b.jpg

Okay, that makes sense. I was thinking, "how did he get that far ahead of me, tracking down two kids and still getting to the fuel tank before I did?" Then I saw photos without anything done with the pedal box. Now I know why :p

[Yama-Bro]

Okay, that makes sense. I was thinking, "how did he get that far ahead of me, tracking down two kids and still getting to the fuel tank before I did?" Then I saw photos without anything done with the pedal box. Now I know why :p

Yep, I've been jumping around a bit and doing some things out of order. Or at least what I thought was out of order. ;)

[Yama-Bro]

I didn't have a lot of time to devote to the Cobra this weekend, but I still managed to make a little progress. We cut out the opening in the firewall for the heater and temporarily installed the firewall on the frame. I am considering Mike Forte's mechanical throttle linkage. Would this be a good time to install it? Or is it better to do once I have the engine between the frame rails? Also...is this the time to rivet the firewall? Or can we still do it later? Thanks!

I printed the pattern in the back of the instructions at 100% scale and cut it out with scissors and my precision surgery scalpel.
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/826/42208585312_bd0a97d515_h.jpg

The instructions suggested checking the pattern to the heater. Good thing I did, the holes were off far enough that the grommets wouldn't have fit right.
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/948/40447860910_21b4bb03a1_h.jpg

I relocated the holes...
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/971/42254937961_9c35e69f50_h.jpg

And taped the pattern to the firewall...
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/904/40447768650_013dba519c_h.jpg

I used a combination of metal cutting shears, drill bits, and hole saws to cut out the holes.
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/829/41533412724_db56548346_h.jpg

Then using a die grinder, I smoothed out the sharp edges...
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/981/27384620747_04e4b67920_h.jpg

The boys came out and helped drill holes and cleco...
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/961/42208526062_ba00cd390e_h.jpg

[BB767]

"I am considering Mike Forte's mechanical throttle linkage. Would this be a good time to install it? Or is it better to do once I have the engine between the frame rails?"

The linkage was quite easy to install after my BluePrint engine was in the bay. I was able to line it up and check clearance. It turned out I had enough room to mount the support arms in the 2 X 2 frame, rather than just into the aluminum as per the directions, which makes for a much more secure mounting. Also I was able to put the hole in the foot box exactly where the rod exits which may be hard to do before the foot box inner panel is mounted.

Brien

[Yama-Bro]

"I am considering Mike Forte's mechanical throttle linkage. Would this be a good time to install it? Or is it better to do once I have the engine between the frame rails?"

The linkage was quite easy to install after my BluePrint engine was in the bay. I was able to line it up and check clearance. It turned out I had enough room to mount the support arms in the 2 X 2 frame, rather than just into the aluminum as per the directions, which makes for a much more secure mounting. Also I was able to put the hole in the foot box exactly where the rod exits which may be hard to do before the foot box inner panel is mounted.

Brien

Thanks, very helpful info. Sounds like I'll wait on installing the linkage then. I was also curious if the linkage comes with instructions, but it sounds like it does. Are the instructions tailored for certain engines, or is do they show the linkage assembled to the car the same way regardless of the engine?

[John Ibele]

Nice start on the heater, Frank. I don’t remember and I’m not familiar enough to determine from your picture - firewall forward option? I’ve got the heater but would still like a real glovebox so I’ll likely go that route.

[Higgybulin]

Big points for the job you've done with the basic manual!!! I'm sure FF will straighten that out for you!! Keep up the good work!
Higgy

[Yama-Bro]

Nice start on the heater, Frank. I don’t remember and I’m not familiar enough to determine from your picture - firewall forward option? I’ve got the heater but would still like a real glovebox so I’ll likely go that route.

Thanks! My firewall is in the factory location. I'm planning to use a shallow glove box, so that I can fit it with the FFR heater. I'm going to get one of Alex's shallow glove boxes or design my own and 3D print it with my son's 3D printer.

Here's a link to Alex's boxes...
http://acroadsterinteriors.com/Gloveboxes.htm

[Yama-Bro]

Big points for the job you've done with the basic manual!!! I'm sure FF will straighten that out for you!! Keep up the good work!
Higgy

Haha, Thanks! Factory Five took care of me. I got the complete kit manual last night. It's has soooo much more of the info that pertains to my build...;)

[Yama-Bro]

This post has been in the works for several weeks. We've been working on the pedal box, but progress has slowed due to life happening. All good stuff though, and I'm not complaining one bit. We went to the Tetons and Yellowstone and also had a fun multi day kayak trip down the Niobrara River near Valentine Nebraska. All that and my oldest son has started a lawn mowing business that involves me a little more than I would like to be. Between all of that, I've been working on the car when I can. This weekend we got the pedal box installed. Here are the pics from the last few weeks...

I decided to paint the steel parts that are concealed under the body. I personally can't justify the extra cost of powder coating. I think this is a good alternative.
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/958/42050339372_133ce164ec_h.jpg

My painting setup...
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/824/40288214990_beb64370f0_h.jpg

Assembling the switch brackets and switches to the pedal box...
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/891/41034566050_a627601392_h.jpg

Assembling the FFR clutch quadrant to the pedal. It took a little filing of the pedal to get it to fit...
https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1805/27976553717_20338912c6_h.jpg

The assembled quadrant and pedal...
https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1724/42127558864_7981181754_h.jpg

The Wilwood pedal box attached to FFR's pedal box bracket...
https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1788/42127563384_546e4dd372_h.jpg

The pedal box assembled to the frame...
I did have two or three rivets interfere with the pedal box mounting bracket. The rivets that caused problems were the the ones I installed to attach the front of the foot box. Whoops. I ended up drilling them out.
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/899/42127572814_e472e91746_h.jpg

[Yama-Bro]

Next up, preparing the master cylinders...
https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1731/42127577194_d4cd59c73c_b.jpg

I cut off 5/8" (per the manual) using my dremel...
https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1766/42127587134_b85ee67a1f_b.jpg

Wyatt, working on the throttle pedal. I'm planning on getting Forte's mechanical linkage, so I didn't hook up the cable that FFR supplies. (NOTE: I ended up swapping the FFR throttle pedal for a Russ Thompson go pedal, see post 446)
https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1802/41944384395_563cd29f05_b.jpg

Here's a view from the driver's side of the cockpit. Looking good.
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/899/41944389415_88938de9d1_b.jpg

We had to mount the steering wheel up and fashion a temporary seat from scrap wood and a life jacket. Worked great and we got a feel for driving it. And yes, we all made car noises when behind the wheel. :D
https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1822/42796920672_3197febc32_b.jpg

The assembled pedal box...
https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1757/42796925382_c154bd4d46_b.jpg

A final note, this is a lot easier with the proper manual. I keep chuckling about me using the wrong one.

[DavidW]

Wow, that manual looks a lot different than what I had to work with......looks much improved. Keep up the good work!

[Higgybulin]

Looks good!

[Yama-Bro]

I did a fun little side project on the car. I picked up some BPE tire stickers from tirestickers.com to show support to my indirect sponsor (i.e. They give me a paycheck for my services and I buy car parts ;) )

The first and most important step is to clean the tires really good. Tirestickers.com suggests acetone or brake cleaner. I tried a bottle of Westley's Bleach White that I've had for years. You need to clean the tires until black no longer comes off with you wipe it with a rag. I sprayed the bleach white on, let it sit for a minute or so, scrubbed it with a brush, then rinsed it off with the hose. I did two or three cleans per tire and they passed the white rag test. My tires are used, so results may vary with new tires.
https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1821/29183378448_dc13c8bab2_b.jpg

Next step; Clean the back of the tire sticker to ensure a good bond. I used a little brake cleaner on a rag. Just enough to remove any junk that's stuck to the back of the sticker. After that locate the sticker on the tire. I located mine by lining up the piston in the center of the logo with the spokes of the wheel and by measuring from the wheel to the bottom of the stripe in the decal.
https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1809/29183377088_c06c204a83_b.jpg

After locating the sticker, flip the decal up so you can access the bottom of a couple letters. Apply glue. Do one or two letters at a time. Apply just enough to have glue on the bottom of all the decal, but not too much that it will squish out the sides when you apply the decal and not to little that it won't adhere the whole letter. This is the part I struggled with the most. I had a hard time finding the sweet spot between to little and too much. You really don't need much for it to stick. Once the glue is applied, flip the letters down on the tire, quickly double check your alignment, then add pressure for 30 seconds to the letters you just glued so that they can begin to bond. After the first few are down, work your way thru the rest of the letters until all are done. Wait about 10 minutes and peel off the overlay material. There are two layers, so make sure to get them both. Let the glue dry for awhile (30 mins or so). Once they are bonded, go back and check the corners and edges. If any of them don't have a solid bond to the tire add a little glue and hand pressure to make sure they stick. Finally step back and enjoy the new look.

As I did these, I got the hang of how much glue I should be using. The first few had way too much and some of the glue oozed out the sides. I'm not too thrilled with that, as I think it looks sloppy. After they dry really good. I'm going to go back and clean up some of the glue with a q-tip dipped in acetone. I'll let you know how it works out.

The stripe under the big letters made this a lot more complicated than tirestickers.com typical sticker. Each of the small letters and the white stripes in the large strip is a separate piece. They wanted to fall out every time I bent the decal back to apply glue, so that added to the challenge. Overall, I like the way they look on the car. I'm a fan of white walls, whiter letters, and logos on tires, so this was right up my alley.

https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1821/43055163371_405eafca72_b.jpg

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/925/41244777960_e4d358de66_b.jpg

https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1829/29183379208_abcdf16aba_b.jpg

[broku518]

Man, the stickers sure looks good! I need something like - 'front' 'rear' for my boys! :)

[Yama-Bro]

Man, the stickers sure looks good! I need something like - 'front' 'rear' for my boys! :)

That would be funny! Front, rear, left right, clockwise, counter-clockwise. LOL. It's like a preschool learning toy and a race car.:D

[Yama-Bro]

We continue to make slow but steady progress. I took the two days off after the 4th last week. We fit up, drilled, and cleco'ed the passenger side foot box, and the cockpit floor and under door panels. Based off suggestions on this forum, I'm assembling these panels temporarily that way we can take it apart alter on for access, if needed.

Day 1:
Cleco'ing this first piece. The passenger side footbox top. The boys lost interest not too long into the drilling and fitting of the panels. I can't blame them. It is a little repetitive.
https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1770/28420561307_ab9cb3212c_b.jpg

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/920/28420561267_148e0d97a6_b.jpg

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/926/29420145588_53e52f07b8_b.jpg

Inside view of the foot box once assembled...
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/914/43289810821_0c3fc635f5_b.jpg

I didn't go back and look at any of the pictures I took when we took the panels off the frame. I relied solely on the marker markings I put on them. My marking system worked really good. The manual has good instructions for these steps as well.

[Yama-Bro]

Aluminum panels continued, Day 2:

Passenger side floor install. Cody was back with me this day...
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/839/42571472654_be8754987a_b.jpg

Passenger side under door panel...
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/916/42571471914_a888c974bf_b.jpg

I was really glad Cody was helping out on the driver's side lower floor. I didn't feel like laying on the floor that day...
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/833/42386132155_86a7d13237_b.jpg

Driver's side lower floor viewed from inside the cockpit...
Are we supposed to rivet this panel to the 2" round tube?
https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1766/29420158358_4b84dec142_b.jpg

Driver's side floor...
We were putting Clecos in every hole on earlier panels, mostly because the kids wanted to, but now that we are holding several panels on at a time we had to spread them a little thin. I'm almost wishing I would have bought another 100 (currently have 100). I do like putting several in while drilling. It seems to minimize panel shift.
https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1801/41480214840_b813e46bb9_b.jpg

Driver's side under door panel...
https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1808/42571480064_224aea9510_b.jpg

Overview of the cockpit's current state of assembly...
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/919/29420159588_452ac4ff10_b.jpg

[JoeAIII]

No matter how many clecos you have, it never quite seems to be enough...
I used the minimum to hold each panel in place and still, except the floors, they required some force to keep in place due to the long bend not quite fitting right, so I wound up clecoing every hole as I drilled them, almost 70 clecos each if I recall correctly.
That has been by far the worst part for me. I only get an hour or two to work here of there so it seems like I have been fitting panels for months now. I feel your boy's pain. That job is making me look forward to electrical, of all things...
Keep up the good work and keep the boys involved!

[Yama-Bro]

No matter how many clecos you have, it never quite seems to be enough...
I used the minimum to hold each panel in place and still, except the floors, they required some force to keep in place due to the long bend not quite fitting right, so I wound up clecoing every hole as I drilled them, almost 70 clecos each if I recall correctly.
That has been by far the worst part for me. I only get an hour or two to work here of there so it seems like I have been fitting panels for months now. I feel your boy's pain. That job is making me look forward to electrical, of all things...
Keep up the good work and keep the boys involved!

Hmmm, the fit of my panels were great. I was actually impressed on how good they lined up. I must've got lucky on this one. :rolleyes:

I know what you are saying on the few hours a week too. I usually get more than that per week, but our week nights are usually packed with stuff, so it makes it tough to get car time, especially if we have something going on the weekends too. I just keep reminding myself that it's not a race. I've heard a lot of people say that they wish they spent more time enjoying the build, so I'm trying to do my best to bask in the glory of it.

[shark92651]

Are you tired of drilling holes yet? I was happy when I got past this part of the build. Seems to be a theme for me though ;)

[Yama-Bro]

Are you tired of drilling holes yet? I was happy when I got past this part of the build. Seems to be a theme for me though ;)

I'm ready for more again, but I did wake up Sunday night and my wrists were throbbing. The only thing I could think of that caused it was the drilling. I guess I'm not used to that kind of labor.:rolleyes:

[TexasAviator]

Just caught up with your thread. Great work my friend. I am moving along as well. I really like those tires stickers. I have been watching those for months and really want to pull the trigger but I am always playing games with Air FOrce deployments and the time i leave. I have to prioritize for the the time being. So I am going to do those near the end of the build. Great work as always. So jelly you get to do what you do for a living. Thank you for cranking out awesome engines. Wish your company would offer more aggressive cams however.

Brandon

[Yama-Bro]

Just caught up with your thread. Great work my friend. I am moving along as well. I really like those tires stickers. I have been watching those for months and really want to pull the trigger but I am always playing games with Air FOrce deployments and the time i leave. I have to prioritize for the the time being. So I am going to do those near the end of the build. Great work as always. So jelly you get to do what you do for a living. Thank you for cranking out awesome engines. Wish your company would offer more aggressive cams however.

Brandon

Thanks Sir! I've been watching your build thread. You are really moving along! Maybe I will catch up to you while you are deployed. :D The tire stickers are cool. I really like the way they look on just about any car. I'm going to put them on my 15" tires/rims as well. Good luck on your next deployment!

[Yama-Bro]

Fit, trim, drill, cleco, repeat. We did that for the driver's side foot box this weekend. My friend Nathan came over and gave me a hand. This side didn't go together as good as the passenger side. I had to trim the lower inner vertical panel and the upper outer panel. It makes me think something shifted when they welded the frame. It's all pretty minor though, we still got it together without a lot of hassle.

The engine compartment is starting to take shape...
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/923/42690732585_bf4980a22d_b.jpg

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/862/43548024182_e370d304bc_b.jpg

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/843/29724992428_12c61e4e47_b.jpg

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/849/29724993628_0787d48a43_b.jpg

[Yama-Bro]

Driver's side foot box temp install continued. The cockpit is also starting to come together...
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/845/42877655764_cdda1eb962_b.jpg

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/918/29724986408_30f40bb8b5_b.jpg

Here's one of the areas I had to trim. I took about .50" off the vertical edge near the trans tunnel. I also had to trim a little off the top outer cover's front edge and the back stepped edge that's near the dash
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/859/42877655404_e9fd399fcc_b.jpg

I noticed my gas pedal is very close to the foot box panel. Is that a common issue?
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/935/43595384161_0234b80d55_b.jpg

[Higgybulin]

Hey man, if its still easily accessible can you measure up the three swedged tubes in your 3 link. The sway bar, top link and the VPM tube. Just need the measurements of the tubes themselves, without the hiems.
Thanks, Higgy

[BluePrintEngines]

looking good!

[Yama-Bro]

Hey man, if its still easily accessible can you measure up the three swedged tubes in your 3 link. The sway bar, top link and the VPM tube. Just need the measurements of the tubes themselves, without the hiems.
Thanks, Higgy

Yeah, no problem. I'll do it after work tonight. If you don't hear from me send me a PM to remind me.

[Yama-Bro]

I'm inching my way thru these panels. Got the cockpit pieces drilled and fitted this weekend. My plan is to get these all in place before I route the brake and fuel lines.

Driveshaft cover...
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/856/43772173131_d7cb7f9654_b.jpg

This is my favorite area of the panels on the MK4. I love how they all come together with compound angles. I think it looks cool in shiny aluminum. To bad I'm gonna cover it up with carpet and seats. :D
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/938/43772173091_9c828122a5_b.jpg

Back corners of the cockpit...
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/851/28835794657_2cbc52eb97_b.jpg

The large panel in the back of the cockpit. Out of curiosity, I counted the holes I drilled in that panel alone. It was just under 100. Then I doubled that for transferring those holes to the frame or attaching panels. That's around 200 drilled holes for that panel alone No wonder my wrists hurt. ;)
https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1793/28835796817_6ddc782cee_b.jpg

Does anyone drill and rivet the large back panel to the two vertical tubes that are directly under the seat belt strap openings? I drilled holes in the panel for those tubes, but later realized there is a large gap between the tubes and the aluminum. I'm estimating the gap is about .25". If I rivet those, it's going to pull the panel in and distort the top edge of the panel considerably. Maybe another aluminum panel from the trunk fills that it later?

[Yama-Bro]

More panels drilled and cleco'ed this weekend. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel on these.

Passenger side outer trunk panel...
On both of these outer panels I had to trim a notch on the lower front edge to clear the frame weld.
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/849/43883934531_a0a45c62e3_b.jpg

Driver's side outer trunk side panel...
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/929/43883935081_bb32e40e03_b.jpg

Passenger side inner trunk panel...
The manual didn't specify, but I decided to attach these from both the inside and the outside. I think it will be more solid that way. I'll have to assemble the lower floor, the inner sides, the outer sides, then the upper floor. This note is as much to help others as well as to help myself remember the order later. Haha
https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1779/43883935451_649fcd4d78_b.jpg
https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1811/43166446194_56d4d14b64_b.jpg

Driver's side inner trunk panel...
https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1831/30014158858_0dcf69e586_b.jpg
https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1840/43883939851_677dd90a62_b.jpg

I loosened up the gas tank in preparation of taking it in and out several times to install the lower trunk floor and the Russ Thompson drop trunk box.
https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1795/42979331185_d5918b20aa_b.jpg