40 Watt Garage & #9365

[Fixit]

Let me introduce myself - I'm John D. (Fixit) on here - residing in Frostbite Falls, MN. (actually the Minneapolis 'burbs)
I've placed my order for a Mk4 Complete Kit, using a Coyote, TKO-600, and IRS.

I have been a "lurker" on this Forum since August of '17, gathering information and convincing myself to pull the trigger on this project. I have wanted to build a Cobra replica/tribute since my late teens - it's only taken 35+ years to achieve that goal!

I am in need of another automotive project build. I completed my last project car (Yeah, Yeah,... I know... they're NEVER "done") about 5 years ago, and have been driving the wheels off it on Club cruises, autocross events, road-course track days, and of course on nice weekends to local shows with my sweetie.

By trade I'm an IBEW "Limited Power Technician" - read that Low Voltage guy. I specialize in commercial security, things like CCTV and Card Access systems - so I'm no stranger to complex & bizarre DC control & relay circuits. Hopefully I can return the favor on my build questions with electrical help or suggestions.

[PeteH]

Congrats and welcome. Youll enjoy the challenge of the build. Im in the final paint prep stages on a 289 Bodystyle.

[TexasAviator]

Welcome, I feel you will be right at home here. It would seem that there are many of us with varying backgrounds and technical expertise. I have to say my build has been going on for just a few months but I am nearing the engine start and go cart phase. I believe what I find difficult is not the build but the finishing touches. Plan ahead for paint and body, especially if you are one who gets a build done quickly. By the time that car is ready to drive you will want paint and it will take a while to get into someones schedule.

[Fixit]

The madness has started...
Why wouldn't Mother Nature go off her meds the day a 500lb. IRS assembly needs to get out of my truck and into the shop!

My plan was to use the engine hoist to pick it out of the truck and wheel it into the 40 Watt - but the hoist is in the shed... behind the garage... with a full-season's of snow (plus an extra 6") in my way.

Cleaned the driveway, and carved a path to the shed with Mr. Toro - 7 trips later the hoist is assembled and the IRS is dangling. It's rolled in the shop and tucked behind Blackie for a future day.

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[wareaglescott]

Welcome aboard. Look forward to following along.
Nw forum rule - If you mention your recently completed project car you must post a picture! Let us check it out.

[Yama-Bro]

Congrats! Yeah, let's see that other vehicle.

[Fixit]

Here is the future Mk4's stable-mate

I'm the 3rd owner, originally a 327/Pglide car, about 65,000 on the clock. I've still got the original 327 & trans (pickled, in storage).
I swapped the powertrain from my Dad's '96 Roadmaster into it, so it's now an EFI LT-1/4L60e combo, 3.08's out back. The LT-1 is bone-stock other than headers, some throttle body & intake work, and a tune.

This car/swap/project convinced me to go Coyote on the Roadster. 23 mpg, starts at 15-below, idles in traffic when it's 95 degs out, and holds it own at the stoplights.
When I did this swap there weren't any "kits" out there. You couldn't reasonably buy a stand-alone ECU or harness, so I modified the '96 Buick one. With the practically "Plug-n-Play" system for the Coyote it'll be a breeze.

8164281643

[wareaglescott]

Nice work John!

[Jeff Kleiner]

Agreed! Nice :)

Jeff

[Garry Bopp]

Down south, your lovely El Camino is called a "Georgia Jaguar"! It's a beauty!

Garry

[Yama-Bro]

Very nice!

[Fixit]

Spent a pleasant 30 minutes on the blower with Mike Forte yesterday... This guy's a stitch! We worked through my requests/quote and came to an agreement. I can see why so many people here buy from him!

[glastron351]

Welcome to the madness! I`m sure you`ll have a blast! I`m about 8h north of you (Winnipeg, MB) May have to check out your build some time if I get down that way.

Nice to here from another IBEW member. I`m a member of local 2034. Power Electrician (other end of the spectrum..mostly high voltage stuff) but am familiar with the fun of low voltage circuits (have low voltage ticket as well)

Nice to see someone else in a snowy climate doing a build.

Cheers

JG

[Soulstice]

Spent a pleasant 30 minutes on the blower with Mike Forte yesterday... This guy's a stitch! We worked through my requests/quote and came to an agreement. I can see why so many people here buy from him!

Everyone I have ever talked to had great things to say about Mike.

I am very excited to see your build come along. Your off to a great start.

[Fixit]

Since it's a soaring 40 above zero today, I decided to start breaking down the IRS cradle/assembly I got for the roadster. Switched on the shop heat, backed out Mrs. Fixit's daily driver, and got started.

I've really got to get my head wrapped around working on new or nearly new parts... I was done in an hour. It's just foreign to me for bolts to work like bolts, nuts to just spin off, and things to just pop loose with gravity or a "love-tap".

Having worked on 50+ year old stuff the last 10 years, I'm used to starting with 3/8" drive, then 1/2", then the breaker bar, then a cheater on the bar, then the gas-axe! Not being bathed in penetrating oil and getting totally filthy is also a new experience!

Tools used:
1/2" drive - Breaker Bar, Impact Wrench, Ratchet, 1-1/4", 13/16", 18mm, 15mm sockets
3/8" drive - Ratchet, 6" extension, 10mm socket
1/4" drive - Ratchet, 3" extension, 8mm socket
18mm & 15mm Combination wrenches
Dead-Blow hammer (just to pop rotors off hubs)
"Persuader" (wedged between lug studs to loosen axle nut, and pop axles out of diff)

Now to try and get rid of/sell the leftovers...

[Fixit]

Here's a question...

On the OEM half-shafts at the hub/wheel end there is a (for lack of a better term) dirt/crud/water "slinger", that kind-of seals the back of the axle/wheel bearing. (middle pic above)

Does this come with the FFR half-shafts, or should I save the OEM's?

[stack]

mine did not have them from F5. I did not use them. Take them off if you can. You can always decide wether or not to use them later

stack

[WIS89]

John-

Love that El Camino! I have always liked them, a bit more than the Ranchero personally. You did a great job, and I bet she goes like a scalded dog!

I admire your take on the weather. I don't recall ever calling 40 degrees "balmy," but your optimism is great!

I look forward to following along.

Regards,

Steve

[Fixit]

When we hit +40 in March, out come the shorts & T-shirts!... then Ma Nature gets off her meds and throws 10+ inches of snow at us (that happened the last 36 hours).
When you live in MN, any day when you can go outside and the air doesn't HURT, it's a good day.

[edwardb]

Here's a question...
On the OEM half-shafts at the hub/wheel end there is a (for lack of a better term) dirt/crud/water "slinger", that kind-of seals the back of the axle/wheel bearing. (middle pic above)
Does this come with the FFR half-shafts, or should I save the OEM's?


Mine did not have them from F5. I did not use them. Take them off if you can. You can always decide whether or not to use them later. Stack

Just reading your thread. Congrats on the upcoming build. Receiving that IRS pallet looks familiar. Did the same thing with my 20th Anniversary Roadster build a couple years ago. That build was early in the 2015+ Mustang IRS option, so getting them like that was one of the only options. Ford wasn't selling the individual pieces yet. Worked out great for me, and should for you as well. Good luck selling the unused parts. I didn't have much luck. Got rid of everything on eBay except the frame. It went out with recycle. Zero response from Craigslist for anything. Didn't make much and just covered shipping. Maybe the demand has picked up a little since that option has been on the market longer now. My impression is that people are buying aftermarket parts. Not OEM replacements. But good luck!

Regarding your question, maybe the response you received was about the dust covers for the disk brakes? True, those aren't supplied in the kit but you also don't need them. Not even sure they would fit. The pieces on the ends of the CV axles I think you are asking about are included on the axles from Factory Five. These are the axles supplied just a few weeks ago for my Gen 3 Coupe build. Same exact ones as what's used on the Roadster. You can see the parts in question are there. I shot some rattle can clear on the parts to keep them from rusting. Here hanging in the basement while they dry.

http://i867.photobucket.com/albums/ab234/edwardb123/Factory%20Five%20Daytona%20Coupe/Misc%20Pics/th_IMG_0152_cropped_zpsia95dqtb.jpg (http://s867.photobucket.com/user/edwardb123/media/Factory%20Five%20Daytona%20Coupe/Misc%20Pics/IMG_0152_cropped_zpsia95dqtb.jpg.html)

[Fixit]

Yup, the little discs just below/inboard of the hub splines were what I was asking about. I'll let 'em go with the OEM half-shafts.

No kidding about responses on Craigslist or other... My only goal at this stage is to recoup the shipping cost (or at least some of it). I've been "trolled" twice already by fakers or tire kickers, nobody serious. I've even put the word out to a couple of collision shop owners I'm friendly with - seeing as (according to YouTube) most new Mustangs wind up bent in the first hours of ownership (! ;)) I thought they'd like to know I've got parts!

Thanks for the reply! I'll be using many of your ideas and referencing your detailed build threads with my car - I hope to mirror your postings with my own.

[Fixit]

Just to warn others about this potential problem... I bought a rotor to rotor "take out" assembly. You'll be disposing of 75% of it.

One of the problems I had tearing it down dealt with the forward two mounting bolts of the differential housing.

From the factory, the 4 bigazz bolts holding the diff to the cradle are coated with thread-locker Blue.
The "aft/rear" bolts come out easily once you crack them loose with a breaker bar.
The "Forward" bolts might give you a problem.

The OEM Ford bushings have a LOT of twist/flex built in them. So much so, that they've built a little "tang" on the bushing, that registers against a mating tab on the differential housing. When I was attempting to break the death-grip of Loc-Tite on the forward bolts, all of my energy was spent on twisting the rubber - not cracking loose the bolt - until I gave it a closer look.

I wound up using the "persuader" to lever the diff housing forward against the built-in tab/slot mechanism, then my breaker bar energy was correctly transferred to the bolt - not the rubber bushing. One bolt came out easily, the other I nearly rounded off the "tab" on the diff trying to get the mutha loose.

Keep this in mind before you get yourself into a problem!

[Fixit]

As much as I'd love to dig into this thing, I've delayed shipment until Ma Nature gets back on her summer meds, her winter tantrums have melted, and I've got time to get the "40 Watt" in shape for a project.

Here's my order list:
MkIV Complete Kit
Chassis Powdercoat
Coyote mount kit
Coyote Install kit
Coyote Full Length Headers (SS upgrade)
IRS
Body Cut-Outs
Vinyl Seats
FFR GPS Gauges
17" Halibrands
SS Bumper Kit(s)
Wind Wings
Visors
Heat/Defrost (I'm in MN)
Wipers
Assembled Louvers
EFI Fuel Sys
Chrome Roll Bar (DS only)
Roll Bar Grommet kit
Dash Support
Power Steering (Coyote)

I've got a quote from Mike Forte on a Coyote crate & TKO600 setup, (and will be timing that with Stewart's anticipated delivery date.)
I'm going with the .82 Overdrive - Doing the numbers on the .64 vs .82 with my tire height & axle ratio, the .64 calc'd out to 85-ish MPH at 2200 R's. With the speed limits & roads around here I'd never see 5th gear. The .82 calc's out to about 65 MPH - much more in the usable range.

Further digging and research here have revealed some other "must have's", and I'll probably go with them... Advise?
Dropped trunk floor
DS footbox (whose ??)
Column Turn Signals
(Spend my money!)

[John T]

I've really got to get my head wrapped around working on new or nearly new parts... I was done in an hour. It's just foreign to me for bolts to work like bolts, nuts to just spin off, and things to just pop loose with gravity or a "love-tap".

Having worked on 50+ year old stuff the last 10 years, I'm used to starting with 3/8" drive, then 1/2", then the breaker bar, then a cheater on the bar, then the gas-axe! Not being bathed in penetrating oil and getting totally filthy is also a new experience!


I can relate my last build was a 67 Mustang. I am ready for a build using new bolts.

[Fixit]

I can relate brother... I was heavily into Mustangs in my HS years, and worked on many "Flintstone Specials" ('cause that's all I could afford). No floors left, rear springs poking into the trunk, cowl/torque boxes rotted... yech.
82601

[edwardb]

I'm going with the .82 Overdrive - Doing the numbers on the .64 vs .82 with my tire height & axle ratio, the .64 calc'd out to 85-ish MPH at 2200 R's. With the speed limits & roads around here I'd never see 5th gear. The .82 calc's out to about 65 MPH - much more in the usable range.

Further digging and research here have revealed some other "must have's", and I'll probably go with them... Advise?
Dropped trunk floor
DS footbox (whose ??)
Column Turn Signals
(Spend my money!)

Those numbers don't seem quite right. What differential ratio are you calculating with? What about tire diameter? .82 might be the right choice but I think you're going to be seeing higher RPM's than that in cruise.

Dropped trunk floor = Russ Thompson has those. They're also pretty easy to fabricate.
DS Footbox = With the newest kit and using a Coyote, there's very little to be gained. Little tuck here and there maybe. Talked about in other threads. But nothing from a vendor.
Column turn signal = Russ Thompson has been the most common for a long time. He makes them from a VW turn signal assembly. He's currently backordered waiting for a new supply of the VW parts. He has a waiting list. I'd let him know if you want one. As long as you are in line behind me for the one I need for my Coupe. :o

[Fixit]

Calc's were done with a 3.15 final drive, 26" tires, using 2200 RPM. (TKO600 w/ .82)

T (http://www.tremec.com/calculadora.php)remec Calculator (http://www.tremec.com/calculadora.php)

[edwardb]

Calc's were done with a 3.15 final drive, 26" tires, using 2200 RPM. (TKO600 w/ .82)

T (http://www.tremec.com/calculadora.php)remec Calculator (http://www.tremec.com/calculadora.php)

That's what I suspected. That's pretty tall in my opinion. I did a build with the .82 TKO and 3.27 diff. I did like how usable the .82 was in town and that there was less of a gap between 4th and 5th. But the RPM was a little high in cruise, and acceleration was a little on the soft side compared to my Mk3 with 3.55. The anniversary build I went back to the .64 TKO and 3.55. Acceleration is back and cruise RPM is reasonable. What doesn't show in the data is that the Coyote has a very flat torque curve approaching 300 ft lbs as low as 2500 RPM. You can drop it into 5th at well below cruise speed and it doesn't complain a bit. I don't think your assessment of never using 5th with .64 would necessarily be the case. FWIW.

[John Ibele]

Paul's got the right idea ... get in line for the turn signal, somewhere behind me too :) Actually, Russ called me last week and let me know his next batch was in and he was ready for my steering wheel boss; I shipped it to him last weekend. So he's working through his backlog now.

Looking forward to my official photographer duties when your kit arrives ... and watching you grow smaller in the rear view mirror as you start the inventory process. Actually, its not bad, and you'll be so thrilled at how shiny and new all the parts look, as opposed to rusted and frozen with MN road salt. Big adventure on the horizon!

[Fixit]

That was one of my questions... I've got no experience with a Coyote 5.0, and don't know where it's "sweet spot" is.
(My turbo'd 3.5 V6 in the F-150 doesn't give a rip, stomp on it and it throws boost until the tires cry Mama!)

I really don't mind buzzing in the low 2K's to have the power "on tap". I just don't want to be gear-hunting at highway cruise when I want to pass someone. (My '65 Camino "Blackie" has a 4-spd Auto, w/ 3.08's out back. At cruise MPH (70-ish) he's barely off idle! Any press on the loud-pedal results in a downshift.

You touched on another sore-spot too... gear spacing. I'm not too crazy on the severe jump between 4th & 5th with the .64 OD. I'm looking for more of an extension of gearing, than an economy/rpm savings....

[Fixit]

Well Mr. John - "grow smaller"... challenge accepted!:cool:

I've got an engine crane & leveler that's available for the asking, blast cabinet in the "40 Watt", and other "stuff". Going rate is Shiner Bock or Fat Tire.

[Jeff Kleiner]

John,
I think you've stumbled onto the double edged sword that comes with the TKO. If you want the .82 fifth gear you are forced to take a 2.87 first. Overall ratio in fifth with a 3.15 rear end = 2.58:1 but on the other end the overall reduction in first is 9.04:1---a little soft in my opinion (I like to see somewhere around 10.0 to 10.5:1 for a good useable yet snappy first gear on the street). If you go to the 3.27 first gear it nets a nice 10.30:1 overall if you combine it with a 3.55 rear end but then you are locked in to the .64 fifth resulting in a 2.27:1 overall which may be a higher than you're after, not to mention the big step between 4th and 5th that you seem to wish to avoid. I've always wondered why TREMEC didn't ever offer the best of both and build one with a 3.27 first and .82 fifth...:(

Jeff

[Fixit]

I'm also thinking about power-to-weight, and traction... with 430+/300lbft just off idle on tap even with a sticky/wide tire I'll take a bit of an expected "lull" before things get interesting out back.

[RR20AC]

Just ask Forte when you order. He fixed me up being a novice and the results are incredible.

[JoeAIII]

Those numbers don't seem quite right. What differential ratio are you calculating with? What about tire diameter? .82 might be the right choice but I think you're going to be seeing higher RPM's than that in cruise.

Dropped trunk floor = Russ Thompson has those. They're also pretty easy to fabricate.
DS Footbox = With the newest kit and using a Coyote, there's very little to be gained. Little tuck here and there maybe. Talked about in other threads. But nothing from a vendor.
Column turn signal = Russ Thompson has been the most common for a long time. He makes them from a VW turn signal assembly. He's currently backordered waiting for a new supply of the VW parts. He has a waiting list. I'd let him know if you want one. As long as you are in line behind me for the one I need for my Coupe. :o

I went with the rt turn signal, shipped him my steering boss this week. Fix it, if you decide you want one, reach out to him well ahead of when you think you need it. Edwardb, I would reach out for an update if you haven't already heard from him, I can't imagine I got on the list before you did.

[edwardb]

I went with the rt turn signal, shipped him my steering boss this week. Fix it, if you decide you want one, reach out to him well ahead of when you think you need it. Edwardb, I would reach out for an update if you haven't already heard from him, I can't imagine I got on the list before you did.

We're all set. Steering boss on it's way out.

[sbhunter]

Wait a minute! I’ve been on his back order list for turn signal since December. He didn’t call me. I’ll have to call him tomorrow. Sorry to go off topic.

[Fixit]

Mother Nature's still off her meds in the Northland... We should be bumping 50 degs, not the TEENS!! (and potentially several inches more of the white-stuff on Sunday). This is getting really old.

Been surfing the "Must Have" threads, and finding more ways to spend money...

I've sent in a "change order" for my kit, substituting a blank dash panel for the pre-punched one - I'm going to do my version of the S/C layout instead of street - but also add the glovebox. The gauge layout of the S/C makes much more sense, but that expanse of "nothing" on the right just doesn't look right IMO.

What is the group's experience with the Alex glovebox? So far it seems to be the best option, as the door is done, and material(s) supplied to cover the dash to match.

Edwardb... On one of your build threads, you built your own glovebox. This is intriguing, as I'm also going to run a heater. I really don't care if the glovebox is practically useless, but I want the look of it over on the right. Do you have any dimensions/templates/parts list?

[Jeff Kleiner]

What is the group's experience with the Alex glovebox? So far it seems to be the best option, as the door is done, and material(s) supplied to cover the dash to match.



Good, but just be sure to allow for lots of lead time 'cause it seems to take a while between order and delivery.

Here it is in one I built for a customer a few years ago:

http://www.ffcars.com/photopost/data/500/medium/stevedash2.jpg

You may have seen that he also offers a shallow version to allow room for the heater.

Jeff

[edwardb]

Edwardb... On one of your build threads, you built your own glovebox. This is intriguing, as I'm also going to run a heater. I really don't care if the glovebox is practically useless, but I want the look of it over on the right. Do you have any dimensions/templates/parts list?

That was the 20th Anniversary Roadster, and mainly driven by using leather for everything and I wanted the glovebox door to match. That lead to fabricating the whole thing, lining the inside with leather too. The usual scope creep. That build doesn't have a heater and the glovebox I made wouldn't have allowed for one. I don't have any dimensions or patterns. Strictly a one-off. The shape of the door is roughly similar to Alex's (which I mentioned in the thread) and in reality like most Roadster gloveboxes. **********, etc. I highly recommend the Alex glovebox. That's what I used on the previous build (#7750) and it turned out nice. I like the vinyl he supplies a lot. As Jeff said, his order process can be a little long. If you want one, best to order sooner rather than later. It will eventually arrive. Also as Jeff said, he has a shallow version made to work with a heater. It looks fine, just doesn't have a lot of space inside which makes sense of course. It actually doesn't have hinges. The door is loose with pins at the bottom that drop into holes and then the catch on the top.

[doddmoore]

Hopefully I can return the favor on my build questions with electrical help or suggestions.

I plan on wearing out my welcome with that! The electrical part is my biggest weakness by far. I'm red green colorblind mildly and an electrician friend of mine told me to never touch it, so I have stayed away. Now that means I just don't have a base of knowledge, and that bugs me. I love learning stuff. If you have cooking questions I can help, but not many come up building a car I'm guessing.

[Fixit]

Well, I spent the better part of Saturday and a few hours this morning building my version of a chassis dolly.

After looking at several ideas/plans here, picking ideas, I came up with a plan. I wound up going with a center spine design, but threw a little twist into the uprights.
Since this thing will take the better part of a year to assemble...
- A requirement was to get the thing up to a comfortable working height where I'm not stooping over, or can roll under it easily.
- To be able to work SAFELY, without worrying about it falling off jack-stands or something.
- A rig where you can do some serious tugging/prying/pulling and not have it move around.

The main chassis tubes will sit in the round "saddles", and the ratchet straps will snug the assembly down tight. The rear casters are fixed, the fronts are swivels. I added some lift-jack/locks to the front as well - stomp these down and the frame/dolly isn't moving anywhere.
(Now I have to find that scrap carpet I was saving for someday to line the "saddles"...)


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[Jeff Kleiner]

Looks plenty stout! Curious about how you intend to get the assembled chassis off of it and back on the ground.

Jeff

[CdnCarNut]

Looks plenty stout! Curious about how you intend to get the assembled chassis off of it and back on the ground.

Jeff

Skyhook!

[Boydster]

Looks plenty stout! Curious about how you intend to get the assembled chassis off of it and back on the ground.

Jeff

My exact thought too. Forklift and lift straps comes to mind...

[Yama-Bro]

Nice dolly. Your back will thank you for it later.

[Jeff Kleiner]

I've got access to a "gantry crane" rig (think swingset that breaks down, with a chainfall) that a buddy built for lifting bodies off frames. Once "done" enough I'll just sling it and lower it down.

:cool:

Jeff

[Fixit]

Nice dolly. Your back will thank you for it later.

That is primarily the reason for the height. The 4" main tubes will be about 30" AFF. I'd (and my back) would much rather need to work needing a milk-crate than bending over.
(The photos kinda mess with your sense of proportion... the last pic against "Blackie" is a fooler - he is slammed down that low, 3" clearance(!).

[Fixit]

I actually started working on car parts tonight!!

Made some plugs from PVC pipe fittings for the axle holes, capped the vent, and tossed it in the blast cabinet for a cleanup. A couple of coats of satin clear and it's ready.
8502085021
(The pipe plugs did require a little work. I had to chuck them in the lathe and turn them to the correct 46mm dia. to fit the seals. Had to take about 2mm off the dia.)

[Fixit]

Update:

Had a Chevelle Club meeting yesterday, and was thinking about the height...

So, when I got back to the 40 Watt I removed 10" off each upright of the dolly. In hindsight this actually seems to be better. It will put the dash hoop at about countertop height, and make the logistics of getting the chassis down on the ground easier.

(drafting up some AutoCAD drawings to share).

[Fixit]

It's getting very real now... Did my final kit evaluation, final payment, and talked to Jolene at Stewart. I'll be having a big truck on my street the week after Memorial Day!!

[DavidW]

Update:

Had a Chevelle Club meeting yesterday, and ran into "my guy" that had the gantry lift... he doesn't have it anymore!

So, when I got back to the 40 Watt I removed 10" off each upright of the dolly. In hindsight this actually seems to be better. It will put the dash hoop at about countertop height, and make the logistics of getting the chassis down on the ground easier.

(drafting up some AutoCAD drawings to share).

The guys that have lifts and build these cars should have to do it with one arm tied behind their back. On the ground is the way to go... said no one ever!!! Wish I had a lift, had my car on the lift for inspection the other day and wow wish I could of had that in my garage during the build. Getting up and down from the floor, sitting or laying on the concrete floor gets the job done but not as pleasant as I would like....I'm procrastinating on doing the aluminum around the radiator, I think its because of that hard concrete floor, now if had a lift it would have been done already..haha.

Good luck with your build, it can be a roller coaster ride, have fun.

[Fixit]

Yeah, a lift would be a great addition to the 40 Watt, but it just won't work... Garage is as big as the city will allow, and then there's the issue with Mrs. Fixit's daily driver. It would fit, but I'd have to wear a helmet in there or risk a crack in the head at every turn.
I've got buddies in the Chevelle Club that have "Garage-mahal" setups - either purpose-built outbuildings or custom garages/toy boxes on their homes - and it would be nice!

[Fixit]

Spent the better part of last Saturday doing something wonderful... wandering around a couple of area salvage yards looking for ideas & parts.

Managed to come away with a few items that'll come into use a bit later in the build:

DS & PS footbox "air" control cables ('67 Galaxie PS cowl vent control cable x2)
Dash switch bezels ('65 F100)
Windshield Washer Squirt Nozzles ('65 Buick Riviera)

855958559485593

A little cleanup with "409", a buff on the rag-wheel, and some paint fill and 50 years is gone... looks & works like new!
Total Cost: $20

[Mark Eaton]

Nice!

[Yama-Bro]

Spent the better part of last Saturday doing something wonderful... wandering around a couple of area salvage yards looking for ideas & parts.

Managed to come away with a few items that'll come into use a bit later in the build:

DS & PS footbox "air" control cables ('67 Galaxie PS cowl vent control cable x2)
Dash switch bezels ('65 F100)
Windshield Washer Squirt Nozzles ('65 Buick Riviera)

855958559485593

A little cleanup with "409", a buff on the rag-wheel, and some paint fill and 50 years is gone... looks & works like new!
Total Cost: $20

Oh yeah, those are sweet!

[WIS89]

John-

Great finds!! They are going to look great. Thanks for making me look like a slacker!

Regards,

Steve

[Fixit]

I'm pretty fortunate to have a junkyard (sorry... Automotive Recycling Specialist) within an hour's drive that doesn't crush "old" stuff! French Lake Auto Parts (http://www.frenchlakeautoparts.com/)

It's a total time-trip to wander this place... and they let you in there with tools! There's Stude's, Hudsons, Nash, IH, name it, from the 20's to the 70's in there, and it's not a place where a weedwhacker or chainsaw's needed to get to something.

The two passenger side vent pulls (about 4' long) came from two cars next to each other in the "Ford" section. Where else are you going to find TWO '67 Galaxie's ten feet apart?
The windshield squirters were taken from one of FIVE '65 Rivvy's in the "Buick" section.

They've got late model stuff up front, they are in business to make money... and it's a hike to the vintage area - but at least they HAVE a vintage area!!

[John Ibele]

Let me know as delivery day gets closer and I'll bring the good camera and some Shiner Bock along to grease the proceedings. For some inspiration, I spied a sister to your El Camino a few weeks back while vacationing in New Mexico. Looked like a car port for a sheltered show car, but the owner happily came out, fired it up and drove away after I snapped the pics.

Getting close now - exciting!

Cheers,

-- John

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/963/27191330777_c7a8188822_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/HqNFiT)

[Fixit]

Today was supposed to be the day!! My kit should be on a truck and headed west... It's getting real!

[grooml]

Do you mind if I visit sometime this summer. I have a MKIV started up here in Thunder Bay Ont. as well. Just started working on it again after our Arctic winter here. I'm usually in Minny a few times each summer. Mine is a MKIV as mentioned, coyote, TKO 600, IRS(older style). I'll be ordering running gear from Mike Forte soon. Would like to see all the builds nearby if possible.

[Fixit]

If you can find a time when I'm "in town" (not traveling on business) or not "up Nort" at the lake house, by all means!

When you know when you'll be in town, shoot me a PM and we'll see if our schedules jive.

[Fixit]

A shout-out to forum member John Ibele :cool:. With nothing more than a few messages here, a text or two and a phone call he welcomed me to his home/shop to see his MkIV build and do some bench-racing. We're only about 20 minutes apart, and have already made a pact to swap skill-sets. Car-clubs/car-guys are the best!

I also made a stop at the bank and transferred a chunk-o-Benjamins to Mike Forte. My Coyote/TKO package will be headed west soon!!

[John Ibele]

I had a blast as well, and from the description of your shop and a peek at that El Camino, I'll soon be happily swapping go-fer duties in return for advice. Looking forward to seeing your shop on delivery day!

[Fixit]

Due to labor problems, and my work travel commitments, my kit delivery will be bumped another week... It's a bummer, but you gotta roll with the punches.

[John Ibele]

Due to labor problems, and my work travel commitments, my kit delivery will be bumped another week... It's a bummer, but you gotta roll with the punches.

I guess there's looking on the bright side, and figuring that gives you at least a decent chance of unloading in something less than 95*, with 70% RH.

[Fixit]

There's a Coyote in the 40 Watt Garage!

Arrived this morning via XPO Logistics. The driver was cool enough to lend a hand rolling it up the drive and using the pallet jack to get it set on some moving dolly's for me.
I used my recently arrived lifting brackets from the Engine Factory - worked like a charm (I supplied the eyebolts).

It comes very nicely crated from Ford. If you carefully remove the uprights and lower frame, the "saddles" at the front & rear of the block (attached by metal straps) can be reused to set it on a dolly. It's all rebagged and rolled in the corner - now I need a car to bolt it in!


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[grooml]

Jealous, wish I had mine here. Talked to Mike yesterday. Hope to order drivetrain from him soon.

[Fixit]

Christmas in June...
The last tidbits from Forte's Performance were waiting for me on my return from TN!

Everything is in good shape, no breakage. Thanks Mike & your Team for a great job!

86845

[Fixit]

Jolene c/o Stewart got back to me today... I'm guaranteed to be on the truck for delivery Father's Day week. Ugh!

[Stillwater35]

Jolene c/o Stewart got back to me today... I'm guaranteed to be on the truck for delivery Father's Day week. Ugh!

Sorry man

[Fixit]

"When Life Gives You Lemons..."

Because of the rain today, Mrs. Fixit's plans to power-wash the house and clean windows/screens was postponed. (Aw Shucks!) So I headed out to the 40 Watt and started doing some pre-assembly on my parts from Mr. Forte.

Today was spent fitting up the clutch & pressure plate, bellhousing, transmission, and clutch slave cylinder.

1st order of business was to get the (Ford) block-off plate installed (I'd pre-painted it last week). This meant pulling the flywheel, slipping it in place, and reinstalling the flywheel... also installing the rubber plug. Hands-down the easiest job of the day!

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After bolting and torque'ing the flywheel back on, the machinist in me kicked in and decided to check the run-out of the flywheel. DeadNuts on the money! .001" over 6 revolutions, high-spot in exactly the same place. (Ford did good). Bolted the friction disc & pressure plate on, using the supplied alignment dowel (nice touch Ram Clutches!)
I also fabbed up some installation "helpers" for the transmission. My bellhousing is machined for 7/16-14 hold-down bolt for the transmission, so I picked up a few 3-1/2" bolts, cut the heads off, sawed a slot in the shaft (for screwdriver removal later), and threaded them in.

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I'm a little ahead of myself here, but see the next post about the parts I made for the throwout bearing fork...

[Fixit]

I am very impressed with the engineering & quality of the hydraulic clutch cylinder setup from Forte's Performance - with a single exception...
The mounting of the supplied/machined clevis to the throwout bearing fork.

They've done a great job using the OEM stamped clutch fork, designing an adapter for the Heim rod, and machining a bracket for the cylinder... but the attachment to the fork is a little hinky - just a 1/4-20 bolt and a flat washer.

I took measurements of the punched hole in the fork, made an average, and machined an insert bushing for the hole from brass. It is just enough oversize to require a smack or two with a hammer to drive in, and this compensated for the not-quite-round punched hole.

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A piece of round-stock chucked up in the Sherline mini-lathe, turned to diameter, drilled 1/4", and parted off to the thickness of the fork material.

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[Fixit]

Here's the end result... IMO a much more secure & solid attachment for the clevis

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[Fixit]

My setup from Forte's included a stamped tin cover for the clutch fork opening. This piece is designed for a cable clutch, but a few mods make it quite suitable for the hydraulic setup.

I punched a 1-1/8" hole in the endcap for the bellows clearance. Difficulty is that the screws are inaccessible with the slave cylinder mounted :confused:... So a few studs were made from some 10-24 machine screws, loctite'd in, and nuts/washers used hold the cover in place. The punched holes in the cover were snipped out into slots, and now the cover is removeable with a wrench.

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[Fixit]

The TKO-600 is all bolted up and ready to go.

I didn't mention earlier that while I had the dial-indicator out, I checked the concentricity of the bellhousing bore to the pilot bearing/crank centerline. Tremec did a good job - it's well within spec... my setup is +/- .003.

The trans slid right in all the way up to where the front bearing carrier registers into the bellhousing bore. Then it got tough. It is a very snug/precise fit! A few choice cuss words and some wiggling/jiggling and THUNK - it slid in.

If you'll notice, I only used 3 guide studs to fit the transmission. I purposely left the 4th open to enable a bolt to be threaded in finger tight. The bolt is ONLY to hold the trans in place (and not lose what I'd gained). DO NOT use the attaching bolts to "pull in" the transmission! At the least you'll bend the clutch disc, at worse crack a mounting ear off the transmission, and in-between strip out a mounting hole in the bellhousing.
If everything is right, the gearbox will slip into place with some fiddling & grunt work.

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[Fixit]

One of my backorder pieces arrived from Ford the other day - the engine cover/valve cover plastic.
Since I still don't have a car to bolt things onto (read that Stewart) I'm satisfying my need to tinker by working on what I can.

The VC's just cried for a little detailing "pop", and I thought that a inlay of "Ford Blue" in the text would do the trick.

I used 3M's #471 vinyl tape to mask off the covers. Its a very stretchy and sticky product, but leaves no residue when peeled off. Being a vinyl/plastic tape (not paper backed) it cuts with an absolutely clean edge - great for detail items.

I wiped down the pieces with acetone, and overlayed everything with a layer of 471. Then using an X-Acto knife (and about 6 blades) carefully "edge-cut" all the lettering. Having a very sharp blade is key here... just slide along the edges of the plastic and slice the tape. If it starts to drag/bunch up, hone or replace the blade.

After cutting I rubbed down the edges again with my finger, another wipe with acetone, then shot on about 8 "fog" coats of Dupli-color Ford engine blue. The parts sat for a day and then were unmasked. There was a little bit of "paint bleed" under a few spots, but easily cleaned up with some solvent and a Q-Tip.

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[Fixit]

At the risk of putting a jinx on things...
I talked to Jolene yesterday afternoon - my kit will be loaded on the truck today, and will be delivered this week.

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[Fixit]

It is on the truck! It was the 1st kit on the truck, which means it's the last off the truck, but it's on the truck!!

[Stillwater35]

It is on the truck! It was the 1st kit on the truck, which means it's the last off the truck, but it's on the truck!!

What great news!! Let me know if I can help with the unload. I'm done traveling for the month after tomorrow.

[Clover]

It is on the truck! It was the 1st kit on the truck, which means it's the last off the truck, but it's on the truck!!

Wow, I had the same thing happen to me. Jolene had me thinking my kit would be delivered in a week and then I ended up as the first kit on the truck and will be the last off the truck. I did not find out I was last on the truck until after the truck had already driven by me. Last on the truck sucks, feels like it should come with a discount due to how long it takes. I hope you still have some hair left by the time your kit gets to you.

[cv2065]

Nice! Mine ‘should’ get picked up this week and delivered next week. Hopefully that schedule keeps!

[Fixit]

Spoke to the Stewart driver yesterday afternoon. He's on track for delivery Monday 7/2, mid-morning! 87996

[cv2065]

Spoke to the Stewart driver yesterday afternoon. He's on track for delivery Monday 7/2, mid-morning! 87996

Nice!! Perfect timing for the holiday! Did the driver call you right when he picked up your kit or after he was on the road?

[Fixit]

After getting all the kits loaded for a run and planning his route, this particular driver (Jim) calls each owner the evening after leaving FFR. Depending on your slot in the truck, he gives a rough estimate on arrival. Once he get got closer he called and gave me the day and an expected ETA time window.

(I have called him directly twice this past week, just checking that things are going to schedule... not being a "noodge or expectant mother", but I've got a LOT of irons in the fire right now and Monday has to be MkIV day. He has been very cordial and understanding.)

[Fixit]

One of the "irons in the Fire" going on is moving my Mom from an Independent Living senior apartment to a Hospice Care facility (Her Pulmonary Fibrosis ramped waaaayyyy up, and she's not able to care for herself anymore).

What to do with a 3" memory-foam mattress topper?? Those things are impossible. Bought a "Space Bag" and folded the thing up and in, but how to suck all the air out??
Found a new use for a Ford IRS center-section!
A hundred pounds of steady-pressure weight and an occasional suck-out of the air and this thing'll be flat in no time!

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[Fixit]

Foremost I'd like to thank "Stillwater35" and "John E" for giving up a few hours of their Holiday weekend to stop by and help with the unload! Their help with the boxes and photography really made the job go quickly!

My long wait is over!

Advise to others for delivery day:
- Drive the route into your place with a big-rig in mind. (If there's low branches or too-tight corners you'll be unloading somewhere other than your driveway! I met the driver out on the "main" road, he parked, and I drove him into my neighborhood to check and be satisfied he could manouver/get out.)
- Have some helpers on hand (It will go much quicker, and the driver will thank you)
- Designate a photographer (you'll be too busy & grinning like an idiot to take decent photos)
- Have your chassis dolly/jackstands ready! (Steward has a big tire'd cart to get the car up the driveway, but after that it's on you)
- Have at least 10' x 10' of clear floor space for your boxes, and a place to open them and do inventory later.

Enough gabbing... onto the fun stuff - #9365 is in the house!
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[KDubU]

Now the fun begins!

[Fixit]

Finished my inventory yesterday afternoon.
Only 1 item "AWOL" - the entire hood hinge package... it isn't here. (at least I won't be needing that for a year!)

There's several items on the "POL" sheet, but only two that are mission critical to get started - the 4 threaded sleeves for the shocks/springs, and the CV/axle shafts. Not having these parts puts a stop to hanging the suspension pretty quickly. I'll call FFR after the holiday and try to get an ETA on those, and report the missing hinges.

That's about it at the 40 Watt. Going to head "up nort to da cabin doncha know".
Have a safe Independence Day - come home with all the fingers you started with!

[Higgybulin]

I am so jealous right now!!!!! I'm sure you'll be enjoying your holiday!!! CONGRATS!
Higgy

[GoDadGo]

Congratulations Mr. Fixit, Congratulations!

[edwardb]

There's several items on the "POL" sheet, but only two that are mission critical to get started - the 4 threaded sleeves for the shocks/springs, and the CV/axle shafts. Not having these parts puts a stop to hanging the suspension pretty quickly.

Sounds like a short POL. Nice. You can get a ton of work done on the front and rear suspension without those parts. The assembled coilovers can easily be added to the completed front and rear suspensions. The CV axles can be added into the rear suspension by removing the UCA to knuckle bolt. The knuckles swing down and allow the axle to go in. Just don't tighten that top bolt until you have the axles.

[Fixit]

Yup... the POL is mostly some of the option parts ordered, the PS hoses, and the roll bar - nigglypiggly stuff that can arrive as it does.
Seems that Koni parts have been a problem (at least what the threads are reporting).
I'm tempted to fab up some "dummy" solid shocks/springs out of some tubing to have a rig to bolt in. Not too crazy about having all the suspension stuff hanging at full-droop for a month or better.

Brings up an interesting question. How much fun would it be for those of you with completed cars (established ride height) to get a center to center measurement (+/- an eighth inch) of the upper & lower shock mounts bolts? Front & Rear would be needed.

[Fixit]

Made some progress today...
Got the body separated from the chassis, and fab'd up a flying rig to hang the body from the ceiling.

I used the dimensions from the numerous "Body Buck" plans out there, but be warned - they are close but no cigar. You'll have to take the main "humpy" pieces and fine-tune them to contour to your body.

I'm mainly on my own for all shop sessions, and this was no exception. I built the flying rig, removed the body, set it on the rig, and got it flown with one person. (Not gonna say it was easy, but common sense, my engine crane, and going slow & easy are the key).

"Blackie" is a bit nervous tonight... not too crazy about #9365 in the upper bunk.

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[edwardb]

Not too crazy about having all the suspension stuff hanging at full-droop for a month or better...

Not that much difference between full-droop with or without the coilovers. Especially the rear suspension. IMO not an issue.

[Boydster]

Brings up an interesting question. How much fun would it be for those of you with completed cars (established ride height) to get a center to center measurement (+/- an eighth inch) of the upper & lower shock mounts bolts? Front & Rear would be needed.

As I found out when setting ride height and my car was quite different from some other, very popular builds... so much so that I thought something was wrong. A small weight change on the front can make a significant difference in the shock ride height settings. They will NOT all be same, some may not even be close.

[Jeff Kleiner]

Congrats on the arrival!

I agree that letting the suspension hang is a non-issue however if you do wish to make up some tubes to serve as place holders for mock up with the typical 4.5 to 5" ride height the front is ~14" center to center, rear with 3 link is ~16" and T-Bird IRS is ~14". I do not have a car with the '15 IRS here right now so can't help with that dimension if that's what you are using. Perhaps Paul or someone else with that configuration will get that for you.

Cheers,
Jeff

[Ducky2009]

Made some progress today...
Got the body separated from the chassis, and fab'd up a flying rig to hang the body from the ceiling.

"Blackie" is a bit nervous tonight... not too crazy about #9365 in the upper bunk.......

Well John, if your garage is too full, I'll volunteer to safe keep your El Camino for a year while you're building the roadster. LOL

Congrats and welcome!

[Fixit]

Well John, if your garage is too full, I'll volunteer to safe keep your El Camino for a year while you're building the roadster. LOL

I've already got a Chevelle Club buddy offering space in his shop...
The last of my "direct from Ford" backorder (via Forte's) arrived yesterday - the Controls Pack for the Coyote.

Now that I've got the dang car here, I don't have any time to wrench! I'm doing "Road Warrior" nearly every week for the next 90 days!

[Jeff's First FFR]

CONGRATULATIONS! I'll be following your build closely 'cause I am just about ready to order. Gotta finish my new house first. However I'll be doing an old school SBF BOSS 302 with IRS, Love your dolly.

[cv2065]

Hey John. Thanks for the delivery day advice. Started thinking about a few things. When I had my 67 Camaro picked up once sold, a guy came into our neighborhood with a pretty long car carrier connected to a Dualie, that I would say held 5 cars in a row. He didn't seem to have any issues coming in, but we do have a lot of morons that park on the side of the road when they shouldn't be. My roads look about as wide as yours. That FFR truck looks pretty long. I take it the driver tries everything he can to get into the neighborhood.

I guess if it doesn't fit, then its time for a U-Haul trailer of some kind? I'll have ask the driver what would need to be done as a 'Plan B'.

[Fixit]

Yeah... a 5th-Wheel car hauler on a dualie is nothing compared to a Kenworth w/ dbl sleeper pulling a 53' trailer.
The driver's concerns are:
Tight radius corners (90-deg w/ parked cars)
Width (again parked cars)
Low hanging branches or service lines (Leaved limbs that would brush out of the way seemed to be OK, but nothing that'd scratch/gouge/hole the trailer)

Plan B could be as simple as a couple buddies with pickups for the boxes, and if it's not too far, your chassis/body can make it to the driveway on Stewart's big-tire cart. (2nd pic on delivery set above)

[Fixit]

I've been on the road all week, with an itch I couldn't scratch!
Lucky for me I have a wonderful/beautiful/compassionate woman who told me "I know it's killing you, go out to the shop and work on your car... BUT - You're taking me out to dinner tonight!" DEAL!!:cool:
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Some of the 1st steps in the build manual instruct you to pull all the tins, save the screws, and get started with the "F" panels and suspension.
However this got me thinking.
Looking a the panel attachment/alignment from the factory - It's really pretty damn good! Whoever's putting the panels in, and running the TEK screws in is doing a very good job. Why waste all this work?

I decided to work on the footbox & firewall tins first. I've got all the tins from the firewall forward fitted, trimmed, holes deburred, and in a pile for paint.
Tools:
Supplied spacing gauge
12" & 36" stainless straight-edge/ruler
Fine-point Sharpie
Cordless drill
1/8" HSS bit
RH, LH, and Straight tin snips
Fine-tooth Mill File
Counter-sink bit
Panel Seamer (HVAC/Ductwork tool (https://www.homedepot.com/p/Wiss-3-1-4-in-Hand-Seamer-WS3N/301293863) - you can get them cheaper than HD, but just for an idea of what to get)
Cleco's (Got my kit from these guys - Trick Tools (https://www.trick-tools.com/1_8_inch_Cleco_Kit_100_Piece_Cleco_1_8_100_SP_1370 ))

The only trimming needed was where a panel layed down/ended on a flat near a weld bead. (I'm guessing the tins were laid out off of the CAD file for the frame, and if there was no weld bead, the edges would line up exactly.) I had to trim off between 1/8 & 3/16 in a few areas to get the panel to sit flat. No big deal.
Also, when the panels are Cleco'd together, mark any areas or corners that really should have a radius on them.

After all the holes were drilled and the panels removed, I twirled the countersink (by hand!) in each hole to break the burr off. (Don't reshape the hole, just break the edge.) Take your file & snips and make any radii that you noted.

Today will probably be deburring the long edges & cleaning, and shooting the panels with some acid-etch primer. (Haven't decided on final color yet).

You'll also see a few reasons for my "elevated" chassis dolly.
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[Stillwater35]

Dang. There is a lot of aluminum on the roadster! It's so fresh and clean looking too.

[cv2065]

Plan B could be as simple as a couple buddies with pickups for the boxes, and if it's not too far, your chassis/body can make it to the driveway on Stewart's big-tire cart. (2nd pic on delivery set above)

I’m thinking this is the way we’ll have to go. How many people did it take to transfer the frame/body to your dolly from the big wheeled cart?

[Fixit]

The Chassis/Body was lowered right from the truck onto my dolly - no transfer - no effort.
The whole rig only weighs a few hundred pounds. 4 guys would be plenty to lift it off of the Stewart cart onto your dolly/jackstands.

[JoeAIII]

When mine was delivered the driver lifted one end off the cart at a time so we could fit jack stands under it. I have since done the same easily

[cv2065]

Looking a the panel attachment/alignment from the factory - It's really pretty damn good! Whoever's putting the panels in, and running the TEK screws in is doing a very good job. Why waste all this work?


I was thinking the very same thing!

[Fixit]

Back from a wonderful week in Wausau WI... job from hell/wrong parts/subs not done/spent more on next-day...

Anyway - Had a bunch of my POL items waiting for me when I got back home, most importantly my CV/Axle shafts!

[doddmoore]

Do you have plans for that dolly, OR what I really would need are the dimensions you used for the width and the length where the dolly meets the frame.

Thanks in advance.

[stevant]

The width of the dolly between the two shoulder stops should be 19" that leaves room to wrap with carpet for protection if you choose, the overall length is 60". That could be more if you prefer.

[Fixit]

Total overall length is 60"
Distance between the "saddles" is 24" (to the bottom/center of the 4" radius cut into the 4x4 uprights)

(Haven't gotten around to making a dimensioned drawing of the rig yet.)
Casters & Step-Jack Locks are from Northern Tool

[Fixit]

Time for an update. After a wonderful week in Brookings SD, I was able to spend some quality time in the 40 Watt Garage on the roadster.
Friday was front suspension day.
Saturday was rear suspension day.
Sunday was flying to Greenville SC...

Friday:
After gathering all my parts together I got started assembling. I am impressed with the weld & jig quality by FFR. I didn't have any problem getting the lower A-Arms into the sockets, although getting a wrench on the upper A-Arm cross-shaft nuts is a bit tricky.

I have the exact same style upper A-Arms on my '65 El Camino, and I learned an important lesson installing those - lube the crap out of the adjustment sleeves before bolting them on the car.
You'll have to dis-assemble the arms to flip the balljoint hole to the correct angle, and this is the perfect time to do it.
(If you don't lube them up, it will be very difficult to crank the adjuster sleeves when there's weight on the suspension... don't ask me how I know. A liberal slathering with Anti-Seize inside the adjuster will do. Just be warned - this stuff is diabolical and regardless of how careful you are...
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Shock & coil assembly is straightforward (why don't they include an adjustment spanner??)
Spindle & steer-arms is also straightforward (pay attention to the instructions!! You install the steer-arms on the "wrong" side of the car)


Here's a few pictures:
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[Fixit]

Saturday:

Time to get that 85lb. lump of aluminum off my parts washer cabinet!

Surfed around for a bit, and of all places Menards had the required 5/8" drill bit (about $12) to open up the mounting holes on the differential housing and the suspension knuckles.
Word of Caution Here:
For those who haven't done this type of operation before, there's a few things to be aware of...
- you're opening up an already large hole, by not very much - and the 5/8" bit IS going to grab and pull in hard.
- have the workpiece securely clamped or have a helper really hang on to it.
- try and feed the bit in slowly and take small bites at it.

Cutting off the "ears" on the knuckles:
If you don't have a metal-cutting bandsaw, a "Porta-Band", or a reciprocating (SawzAll) saw, beg/borrow/buy/rent one. It will make this job a breeze. Measure twice, cut once.
After the tabs were cut off, I dressed the surface and edges with a mill file. I also filled the ABS sensor holes with clear silicone.

Mounting the Differential:
This thing's a beast, and it's HEAVY. There's not much room to work. Have the following tools & supplies ready:
- A couple of long drift punches
- Rubber Mallet
- Old Towels
- Required mounting bolts from the hardware kits.

Install the bushings and sleeves per the instructions

I set the differential on a couple of milkcrates, and slid it under the car. I laid a towel on the frame crossmember (under the U-joint area) and got mentally ready for this.
- With a hefty grunt, lift the differential up & over the crossmember, and get the forward ears on top of the lower control arm mounting tabs.
- Have a drift punch ready, and pivot the rear of the diff up. Get a drift through one of the mount tabs, and into the diff housing.
- Hang on to it, and get the other drift into the other hole.

There will be some space between the rear mounting ears and the frame tabs. The diff will be resting ON the control arm tab, the drift punches holding the rear - it's really close to being aligned.

- Get the forward bolts and the rubber mallet ready
- Lift up on the front of the diff, and slide it rearward on the drift punches (don't let them fall out of the frame tabs)
- Get a forward mount bolt into the hole, and persuade it into the frame tab with the mallet. Repeat on the other side.

You should now be able to replace the drift punches with the proper rear mounting bolts (one at a time!)
- NO TOOLS here - Get the bolts started into the threads by hand!
- Once both bolts are started by several threads, then break out the tools.
- Torque all fasteners to the recommended amount.

I installed the differential by myself, in under an hour. If you work carefully, smart, and have the right tools at the ready it is not a bad job. Having the differential 95% of the way up into it's hole (milk crates) was a huge help - I only had to lift it about 6" to get it up and into the frame.
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Control Arms & Knuckles:
After the differential, this was a breeze. The instructions aren't as clear as I'd like, but things go together well.
- I'd advise doing the anti-seize slather on the upper main arm, and toe-arm internal threads (where the reducing bushing and Heim joint go together.)
- Your friends will be the drift punches and rubber mallet.
The arms fit very tightly into the frame tabs.
I did "tweak" the lower ends of the tabs outward a bit to get the arm bushings started into their spots - use a BIG adjustable wrench gently closed on the tab, and give it a little bend.

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(Attentive readers will note there's something missing... No Axle Shafts! I want to replace the axle shaft seals on the differential housing before installing the half-shafts - so none of the arm bolts are final torqued, or the coil overs installed yet.)

[Jeff Kleiner]

Great progress with nice photos and good text John!

Question: I think yours is the newest I have seen photos of; maybe it's just the pics but it appears that your powder coating is a satin finish black. They've always been gloss black. Which is it?

Carry on!

Jeff

[Mark Eaton]

I have the exact same style upper A-Arms on my '65 El Camino, and I learned an important lesson installing those - lube the crap out of the adjustment sleeves before bolting them on the car.

Thanks for the tip. There's something else I will go back and redo...

[Fixit]

For whatever reason my chassis and suspension parts are a satin/semi-gloss black... and I actually don't mind. I prefer the lower gloss (hides scuffs/scratches better!)

[Jeff Kleiner]

For whatever reason my chassis and suspension parts are a satin/semi-gloss black... and I actually don't mind. I prefer the lower gloss (hides scuffs/scratches better!)

Hmmm, I'll check with FFR to see if that is now the norm. Have to say that I'm not a fan of it. About to place a Coupe order and if satin/semi is what they're doing on everything now I'd rather go uncoated and get it done here.

Jeff

[cv2065]

For whatever reason my chassis and suspension parts are a satin/semi-gloss black... and I actually don't mind. I prefer the lower gloss (hides scuffs/scratches better!)

Same with mine. It’s a Satin finish on the frame.

[Fixit]

Got back from South Carolina yesterday afternoon... I don't know how you "Southern Boys" handle that humidity - everytime I stepped out of an air con'd building my glasses fogged over for 3 minutes! (I guess you could ask how we handle 15 below zero for a month, but you know if the air HURTS, you're still alive...)

Being pro-active on the way from the airport, I stopped at my local NAPA and picked up a couple of axle seals. My little alarm bell didn't go off when the putz behind the counter asked me "What gear ratio is the rear end?" (Why do you need to know the ratio?) Whatever... $30 lighter I got home and checked. NOPE, wrong parts. Ran the number and he gave me 2 pinion shaft seals, not axle shaft seals. I've got the correct parts on will-call via online, and will hit the door when they open.

Today should be "Rear Suspension Day - v2.0" - I'll try and remember to take pictures.

[Fixit]

Made a little progress yesterday running the braided flex and hard-line crossover pipe. The instruction manual isn't very clear on this, so I did a "sit and stare at it" session for a bit. Criteria was tucked up out of the way, clearance from moving suspension, but serviceable (future flex line replacement), and ultimate routing of the main feed from the rear master cylinder.

I settled on mounting the flex to hardline tabs midway on the diagonal tube for the upper control arm
8962489625

Here's a few shots from further back... note the blue marks on the tabs. I clipped the fittings in place on the bench, and marked the tabs for the minimum clearance to have the retainer clips fully engage.
896268962789628

The "T" fitting is on the Driver's Side. I'll be running the main feed from the Rear Master down this side of the car.

Here's a few shots of the hardline "crossover" pipe. This was a cut-to-fit piece, and needed to have one end properly double flared.
89629896308963189632

This line is tucked up against trunk floor cross-brace. I'll lock it down with some of the rubbery/coated clamps.

[Fixit]

After the rear brake line job, I started on the Wilwood pedal assembly.

One of the things that has concerned me was that others have had interference issues with the 3/4"sq. upper chassis/body tube and the clutch pedal (travel).

I jigged up the pedal assembly, bolted it in, and my clutch pedal is at 98% of travel (before hitting the footbox tin) when it contacts the 3/4sq. tube.
89633

I'm not going to cut the tube, splice, bolt/weld, whatever at this rate. I'll imagineer an adjustable stop-bolt off the 3/4" tube, and play with the throw adjustment at the slave & master cylinder.

The Wilwood pedal assembly went in without a hitch... (the directions suck) but it's in there. Also in these pics is the Forte's Performance hydraulic clutch master cylinder (Wilwood piece).
89634896358963689637896388963989640

Next step will be Cleco'ing the DS footbox tins back in place and determining hard line routing out of the footbox.

[Fixit]

Had the last couple of days off from my whirlwind trip of SD, WI, and SC, and got back into the shop for some quality decompression & build time. (Amazing what a DVD in the player and tinkering will do for your mental health!)

Since there's no "set" plans on routing, and it's pretty much left to builder's discretion... here's my take on the hardline-to-flex line transitions.
905819058290583905849058590586905879058890589

[Fixit]

Now that I had an "Aiming Point", I could route the hardline between wheels, and figure a way out of the footbox for the main feeder.

Using the Wilwood front footbox panel, there are 3 holes in the steel "bulkhead" that are unused/covered up.
I decided to utilize the outboard-most hole for my exit from the footbox for the main front brake feeder. I opened up the bulkhead hole to 5/8", cleco'd the panel in place, marked the hole, and drilled the aluminum panel to fit a 3/16" (ID) rubber grommet.

The wheel to wheel crossover pipe was bent and tacked to the front "X" brace and routed to each wheel coupler.

9059190593905949059590596

[Fixit]

This was a real "sit and stare at it" session. There's a LOT going on in this little space, and the only access to it is either through the top hatch, or upside-down on your head in the footbox when everything is glued n screwed together.

Figuring out a way to exit the footbox for the rear brake main feeder was the biggest challenge. I wanted to keep in INSIDE the footbox, away from the headers/sidepipes, but not in the way of anything. There's this neat little channel/space between the 3/4" sq. tube and the round front floor/nerf bar tube. I was able to snake the line through this gap, and it's protected and out of the way.

90597


This is what the finished product looks like, and you can see a better angle of the front main feeder line exit.

9059890599

[Straversi]

Nicely done. I really enjoyed running brake lines for some reason. Good problem solving challenge.
Yours is well planned and executed.
-Steve

[Fixit]

Had a few FFR boxes waiting for me on the stoop... Down to 2 items on my POL list
Tie Rod ends
Bumpers

[Gobozo]

Had the last couple of days off from my whirlwind trip of SD, WI, and SC, and got back into the shop for some quality decompression & build time. (Amazing what a DVD in the player and tinkering will do for your mental health!)

Since there's no "set" plans on routing, and it's pretty much left to builder's discretion... here's my take on the hardline-to-flex line transitions.
905819058290583905849058590586905879058890589

Im concerned. It looks like your flex line will rub when the suspension travels upward.

[Fixit]

Im concerned. It looks like your flex line will rub when the suspension travels upward.

Nope... 1" clearance on the upper A-Arm at all times unless the steering is broken & the tire is rubbing a hole through the "F" panel (bigger problems)

[Fixit]

A little more progress on the braking system the last few days.
The supplied single reservoir and "Tee" fitting/hose arrangement has always struck me as a bit "oogie", and leaves no provision for a hydraulic clutch. Enter the Tilton 3-chamber reservoir.
It'll set you back about $110 bucks, but solves all the problems in a really nice, all-in-one unit... until you consider the options. They make them with AN fitting output, or hose barb output.

I ordered the hose-barb version. Problem is that the hose fittings on the Tilton unit are for a 3/8" hose - the barbs on the Wilwood master(s) are for 1/4".

So, I voided any warranty and sawed off the molded-in hose fittings, drilled the nubs, and tapped the bottoms of the reservoirs for 1/8" NPT. A trip to the corner hardware store netted three 1/8" NPT to hose barb 90deg fittings, and they're threaded into the Tilton piece.

A few hours, some .040 aluminum sheet and a mounting bracket was fabbed up, some RivNuts set, and the Tilton reservoir is in place. Now to bleed the brakes and see if I can still do double-flares correctly!

9104091041910429104391044910459104691047

[Fixit]

I am using the 2015 and up Mustang IRS & disc brakes. This led to a dilemma with the Emergency/Parking brake cables.
I'm assuming that the earlier IRS/T-Bird calipers used a slotted arrangement for the wheel end of the cable - where a "knob/stop" was swedged on the end of the cable.

This is not the case with the later calipers, and the available cables from FFR won't work with the 2015 & up Mustang brakes... here's why
91139 The Mustang calipers use a hook & slot setup on the axle end of the cable 91140

This means I'll have to reuse the cables from the Mustang.
(I purchased a complete rotor-to-rotor rear axle assembly - a zero mile "take-out" unit - that included the springs, shocks, ABS sensors, and E-Brake cables).

Step 1 - using a lineman's pliers or big sidecutters, nip off the handle-end swedged knob on the end of the inner cable (NOT the end pictured above!) Slide the inner cable out of the sheath and set aside for later.
This should leave you with two outer cable sheaths something like this... 91141

Step 2 - Removing the un-needed mounting brackets. The only bracket you need to save is the one about 6" from the caliper - everything else can go.
91142 Mark the bracket, and cut off the ear for the ABS sensor cable 9114391144

The brackets are very easy to remove from the sheath. Clamp the bracket in the vise, and use a BIG straight-blade screwdriver to coax the rolled area open
911459114691147 When you're done, you should have a pile of brackets...91148

Step 3 - Shortening the cable sheaths
The chassis end "fitting" (grey plastic) of the cable sheath is not glued/swedged/whatever on the end of the sheath.
91149
It is threaded onto the outer jacket, and is removeable (!). It is however Left-Hand thread. A really good grip on the sheath and a twist to the right will spin the fitting off the sheath (sorry, no detail pic of them off the cable).
- Remove the ends and test fit the cable ends in the holes on the frame mounting tab. (I needed to file the holes a bit for them to snap in)
- Remount the cables on the caliper end(s), and snake them cables through the frame, and through the mounting tab on the chassis.
- In my instance, the DS side went through the bottom hole, PS through the top.

Play around with this a bit, think about routing, clearance, smooth bends/radii, and potential hazards from suspension parts. Also consider locations on frame tubes for mounting a retainer clip or two for the cables.

- When you've determined your routing, mark the cable sheaths at the point where they go through the frame tab holes, and remove.

My cables wound up being 42" on the Driver's side, 36" on the Passenger
Measured from here (caliper end): 91150 to here 9115191152

I recommend using a hacksaw with a 32 tpi blade to cut the cable sheaths. There's the outer jacket, the metal core, then the inner sleeve. Go easy on it and they cut through very cleanly.

Re-install the grey end fittings on your newly shortened sheaths, and slide the inner cables back in. Install them on the car.

[Fixit]

I'm not too crazy about the "recommended" routing of the E-Brake cables under the main 4" frame cross-tube...
(Knowing my luck, the 1st speed-bump or hunk of road debris I encounter will take out the cables)

I can see why FFR suggests you route the cables under the frame tube - the radius of the frame tube sends the cables in a straight shot to the parking brake handle clevis for a nice clean pull on them - however this method induces a lot of friction in the mechanism.
Here's my take on the pulley modification that's been done by many others...

The route from the frame tab, under the proposed pulley mounting, to the handle clevis is not a straight line... there's a bit of a "kink" in the run.
I needed robust, large diameter pulleys, but something with extended flanges to guide the cables, for 1/8" cable - enter the garage door repair parts aisle at Home Depot.

91153

With the pulleys in-hand, I measured the distance between the 4" frame tube, and the bracket on the 1x1 tube - split the difference and drilled a 3/8" hole through the tube. 91154 91155

The through-bolt is a bit of custom work. I wanted to create a solid "axle" for the pulley hubs - not having threads where the hubs ride. I used an extra-long bolt with enough un-threaded shank for the hub area.
- Slide the bolt through the frame
- Slide the pulleys on, mark the shank at the edge of the pulley hub
- Remove everything, and cut new threads to your mark
- Reinstall everything, install the retaining nut, mark the bolt
- Remove everything, cut the bolt and clean up the end/threads.
- Reinstall the pulley assembly.
9115691157 (Sorry about the crappy pictures... my camera wants to focus on the floor, not the object)

Here's where it gets interesting. You will have to install new crimped/swedged ends on the raw cable ends. There's a couple of options.

- I used the FFR supplied clevis parts on the E-brake handle, and crimped new ends on the cables (In another life I did a lot of rigging/flying of pro-sound gear, and have access to the NicoPress tools to make these ends).
- Imagineer a method, make a crimping die, and swedge the ends on yourself.
- Purchase a crimping tool
- Check for a local "Chain & Cable" or "Rigging" supplier. Bring your cables to them and have ends installed.
- Look for a non-crimp cable end device. Many guys have used something from Lokar.

91158 I slid the cables through the clevis, marked them, cut them, and crimped on new ends.

91159 The completed job. (I'm thinking about putting a "skid plate" between the clevis and bracket. The pull isn't quite straight, and a plate would give a smoother slide surface for the clevis than the head of the carriage bolt)

**Note** The passenger side floor/tunnel tin will need a divot dimpled in to clear the bolt head so it'll fit flush.

[edwardb]

Nice job with the e-brake pulley mod. I don't care for the cables routed under the frame either. Although if you're hitting them like you mentioned, you have bigger problems than the cables. Way too close. :eek: You mentioned the Lokar S-8078 clevis some of have used. It helps with an improved angle and also clamps the cables so they don't have to be swaged. But what you did looks great. I don't know about your brakes, but the Wilwoods I used on my setup don't require much cable movement. Basically just tightening the cables and the e-brake engages. I suspect most don't move too much. The pulleys are mainly routing the cable as much as they are turning. Same with the clevis area moving over the head of that carriage bolt.

I am a little nervous about your placement of the Tilton reservoirs. You need to keep the area clear starting at 11 inches in front of the intersection of the 3/4-inch rail and the footbox. The hood gas strut and bracket will drop into that area. Also, I've found the caps shouldn't be more than about 1/4-inch above the top of the 3/4-inch rail. Otherwise they may interfere with the hood. Hard to tell from your pictures, but looks like you may be close on both accounts. Something to check.

Your build is looking great. Lots of good work and informative build thread. ;)

[Fixit]

As you've described using the Wilwood brakes, the Mustang brakes only take about 3 clicks and the E-Brake is engaged like a rock. (Enough to where I could install & torque my driveshaft adapter on the pinion hub and NOTHING moved!

Tilton Reservoir.
Yup... I discovered a dyslexia moment in my calculations and template for the bracket. It does sit too "proud" of the 3/4" upper tube, and I should kick it "inboard" about a half inch. Oh well, nothing wasted but some sheetgoods, a few rivets/nutserts - It'll do for bleeding and karting.

[Fixit]

I don't know if FFR has changed the layout of the frame tube in the pedalbox area on recent kits.
Many of the earlier build threads have detailed a modification to the upper 3/4" frame tube for clutch pedal clearance - where you cut the tube, and graft on another piece creating a "void" for the last bit of pedal travel.

I'm using the Forte hydraulic clutch setup and the FFR supplied Wilwood pedals. In my particular instance the clutch pedal lever contacts the 3/4" frame tube with only about 1/8" of travel left to go (and about 1/2" clearance to the front footbox wall). I'll give up 1/8" travel in exchange for not cutting/splicing the frame tube!

This exchange warrants some type of positive stop for the pedal arm. I don't want to contact the frame tube, nor use the cylinder piston as my travel stop. Here's what I came up with...

Started out with some barley pop case cardboard for a template and made two, 1" squares on it. You need to determine the angle of the down tube in relation to "square" of the pedal assembly. Where the frame tube joins the main 2x2 dash crossbar (near the door hinge) is where I calculated from. This isn't brain science or rocket surgery, you're just making a stout bracket.
913589135991360

Once the basic shape was established on the template, some mounting slots were cut out, and those were transferred to the 3/4" down tube. Spend a bit of time here, making sure the pedal arm contacts your bracket just before it would hit the frame tube. Mark the frame tube with the bracket slots outlines.
9136191362913639136491365

(no pic) - I drilled the frame tube for 10-32 NutSerts. The holes were placed in the center of the bracket slots for maximum adjustment travel.

[Fixit]

The next step was to transfer the template to some steel. I had a chunk of 3/16 mild steel plate in the scrapbox.

The shape was scribed on the plate, some holes drilled, and over to the bandsaw for cutting (this could easily be done with a jigsaw or handsaw as well...). After cutting the edges were eased/deburred, a trip to the blast cabinet for cleanup, and a coat of primer applied. Once dry it was fitted on the car.

91369913709137191372913669136791368

[Fixit]

#9365 will be running a Gen 2 Coyote 5.0 courtesy of Mr. Forte.

I haven't been closely following the Coyote install updates, but something was nagging at me about the clutch position switches - there was talk that Ford has eliminated the need for one of them. Whatever... I'll install both switches and if one isn't needed it'll just be along for the ride.

FFR provides some beautiful laser-cut brackets for the FoMoCo switches that come in the Controls Pack kit for the Coyote...
However (isn't there always a "however"??) FFR hasn't addressed the needs for a builder that's using a hydraulic clutch. FFR's bracket for the "gray" bottom-travel switch is designed for a cable clutch car.

(There are no modifications needed for the "black" top-travel switch. Install this switch as described in the assembly manual. (I drilled and tapped the adjustment holes for 8-32 machine screws, but the provided self-tappers are fine... OCD machinist moment)).

Modifying the FFR provided "gray" bottom-travel switch bracket(s) for a juice-clutch car:

Switch Mounting:
Snap the switch into the FFR bracket, and install it on the pedal box as described in the manual. Snug it down in the middle of it's adjustment range. Mark the switch plunger shaft where it's fully seated/engaged.

913789137691377

Actuator Bracket:
My idea here was to use the protruding "nub" of the clutch pedal clevis pivot as the anchor point for the bracket. A 2nd smaller point would be used for a hold-down.
Get the FFR "actuator" bracket (for the cable clutch setup). You'll need to do some layout work.

91379

Project a line down from the "contact pad" of the bracket down onto the oval shape. I just used a straight-edge on the pad, slid it down onto the oval, and scribed. Then scribe a 2nd line perpendicular to this, through the center of the original hole, off the end of the oval.

91380

This is where it gets a little difficult, and you'll need your "X-Ray Specs" from the cereal box.
You're going to need to SWAG where the center of the clevis pivot pin winds up on the switch attachment bracket when the clutch pedal is fully depressed. Make a mark on the bracket where this point is.

91381

With the clutch pedal fully depressed, hold the FFR bracket in place against the switch - pushing it in fully. Using your previous mark, transfer the pivot pin location to the oval part of the bracket. You need to be as accurate as possible here, keeping the bracket parallel and perpendicular.

91382

Back on the bench, finish your intersecting line on the oval part

9138391384

The pivot pin is 3/8". Get ready for the scary part... next post "Pt. 2".

[Fixit]

On my car, the new hole needed for the clevis pivot pin "nub" wound up leaving only about 1/16" of meat between it and the original hole.
This is where it gets a bit scary, as you don't want to tear-out this little bit when drilling.
I recommend you sneak up on the final size.
Start with a 5/16, then step up through the drill index to 3/8". Go Slow, use some oil/cutting fluid, and make as clean a hole as you can.
91385

From the center of your new 3/8" hole, mark and drill a 3/16" hole, 9/16" aft/rearward on the oval. This will be your attachment hole for the mounting screw.
91386

Remove the clevis from the top of the clutch pedal arm and actuator rod. Be careful with the snap-ring or you'll find out why they also call them "Jesus Clips" (don't ask me how I know). Slide the pin through your bracket and into the clevis. Mark the clevis for drilling.
91387

Drill the clevis for a 10-32 hole (#21), and cut threads into the clevis.
91388

Reassemble the clevis and actuator rod back onto the pedal arm (You get a 2nd chance to find out why they call them "Jesus Clips", unless you bought a spare from the previous chance)
91389

Using a 10-32 x 1/2" machine screw, a small flat washer (shim), and a drop of Loctite, install your new bracket onto the clutch pedal clevis. You'll see how the bracket registers over the pivot pin "nub", the washer takes up the difference, and it locks down tight.
913919139291390


https://youtu.be/1PrQoS_tsYY

[edwardb]

Nice work and detail. Couple comments.

No question FFR has changed the frame or the pedal box location or something to eliminate the frame interference with the clutch pedal. I guarantee those of us who dealt with that weren't cutting the frame, notching something, or whatever to gain 1/8-inch. The clutch arm was hitting with several inches of clutch travel remaining. The remaining 1/8-inch will easily be offset by insulation, carpet, etc. So effectively there's no interference. Glad to see confirmation that's really been fixed. Your stop looks good. Where it's positioned, or even if needed, will be determined by your clutch setup and mainly the master cylinder/slave cylinder combination. You want the maximum clutch pedal movement possible while still not driving the slave beyond it's rated travel. I've found that with the right combination, even with the pedal pushed hard against the back of the footbox, the master isn't against the stops and the slave hasn't exceeded its rated travel. Your stop hopefully allows as much travel as possible. Less travel = increased effort.

For the Coyote clutch switches, I've seen from multiple build threads and also from looking at the most current Gen 2 instructions (Ford and Factory Five) that the top clutch switch has been eliminated with the 2017 version. Nice work on the bottom clutch switch to make the FFR cable setup brackets work with the hydraulic clutch. Will be doing something similar with my Coupe build.

[JoeAIII]

Nice work and detail. Couple comments.

No question FFR has changed the frame or the pedal box location or something to eliminate the frame interference with the clutch pedal. I guarantee those of us who dealt with that weren't cutting the frame, notching something, or whatever to gain 1/8-inch. The clutch arm was hitting with several inches of clutch travel remaining. The remaining 1/8-inch will easily be offset by insulation, carpet, etc. So effectively there's no interference. Glad to see confirmation that's really been fixed. Your stop looks good. Where it's positioned, or even if needed, will be determined by your clutch setup and mainly the master cylinder/slave cylinder combination. You want the maximum clutch pedal movement possible while still not driving the slave beyond it's rated travel. I've found that with the right combination, even with the pedal pushed hard against the back of the footbox, the master isn't against the stops and the slave hasn't exceeded its rated travel. Your stop hopefully allows as much travel as possible. Less travel = increased effort.

For the Coyote clutch switches, I've seen from multiple build threads and also from looking at the most current Gen 2 instructions (Ford and Factory Five) that the top clutch switch has been eliminated with the 2017 version. Nice work on the bottom clutch switch to make the FFR cable setup brackets work with the hydraulic clutch. Will be doing something similar with my Coupe build.

I am not as far along but my experience matches this, no meaningful interference with the wilwood clutch pedal.

[lgordon]

I was wondering how I would mount the bottom clutch switch in my MK4 when I read John’s solution. After a bit more thought and lots of measurement, I believe its possible to switch out the clevis pin for a longer, 1”, pin, move the switch mount closer to its front limit and attach the actuator to the clevis using its existing 3/8” hole. I’ll still have to drill and tap for a small screw to keep the actuator from rotating but but it will be securily captured under the clevis pin retaining ring. I’ll let you know how it works out.
https://www.mcmaster.com/#93890a149/=1e6u2bw

[Fixit]

If I recall correctly I contemplated using the original hole before deciding upon drilling a new one.
I think you'll run out of switch travel (it'll be buried) before the clutch pedal is fully depressed, and there's not enough slot in the mounting bracket to compensate...

Check it out and let us know - it would save a bit of work!

[lgordon]

First the good news. Using the switch mount and actuator from the FFR Clutch Quadrant seems to work well. The clevis pin Wilwood uses for the clutch pedal has an effective length of 1” so all I had to do was eliminate the brass spacers Wilwood had behind the retaining rings to have room to capture the actuator. After that I followed John’s lead and used a machine screw to keep the actuator from rotating. The only new part needed was the 8-32 machine screw I had left over from a previous job. There’s plenty of adjustment range left in the switch mount for when I correct the frame interference.

9148291483

The bad news is that, at least for my kit, received March of this year, FFR hasn’t corrected the problem of the frame interfering with the brake pedal travel. It’s preventing the last ~ 1.5 inches of pedal travel. My next step will be to review how Paul and others corrected the problem.

[Fixit]

91524
(I hope you factored in that the pivot pin is going to move aft another 1/2" when you get the frame clearance issue resolved...)

[Fixit]

No big updates to report (yet).
Been doing a lot of fitting of the rear cockpit & trunk area tins. I'd like to have a big batch of panels ready for a paint session. I also made my own "upper/inner trunk" panels from some sheetstock (edwardb?). This will make carpeting the trunk area much easier.

I used my air nibbler to rough cut the panels. I love this tool, other than there is one downside - it ejects these little razor-sharp 1/2-moons as a byproduct of cutting. After cutting about 4 linear feet of material there was approximately 387,456,274 of these little buggers all over the shop floor. The upside is that I'm forced to take a break and do a good cleanup job.

So as a bonus #9365 got outside for some sunshine.
916759167691677916789167991680

[cv2065]

Looking good John! What did you paint the bottom part of your calipers with? I can get the POR15 caliper paint to stick pretty good to the top parts, but the bottom seems to be 'extra shiny' and doesn't respond to sanding.

[Fixit]

I'm fortunate to have a sandblast cabinet in the 40 Watt Garage, so the brackets & mounts got a session in there to rough 'em up and give some "tooth" for the paint.

[cv2065]

I'm fortunate to have a sandblast cabinet in the 40 Watt Garage, so the brackets & mounts got a session in there to rough 'em up and give some "tooth" for the paint.

:cool: Nice!

[lgordon]

91524
(I hope you factored in that the pivot pin is going to move aft another 1/2" when you get the frame clearance issue resolved...)

Yes, there was plenty of adjustment room. I took the approach of notching the clutch pedal enough for the pedal to depress to 1/4” from the front panel of the drivers footbox. I’m still not out of adjustment range of the switch mount.

[Fixit]

Just an off the cuff question...

Up till now everything on the build/assembly has been going great. FFR's product has been fabulous, the secondary vendor's stuff is great, and the car is going together without a hitch.
Here's the question:
So far the most difficult aspect of the build has been the "management" of the sheetmetal! A bunch of weird sized & shaped pieces that don't stack or nest together, and once you've done paint & prep work on them you need a warehouse of storage to keep them nice or out of harm's way.

(I've found myself Cleco'ing them back on the car for "storage", and removing as needed for an assembly step)

Anyone else feel this is true?

[cv2065]

I'm with ya John. I've got panels all over the floor and just a matter of time before one gets stepped on or falls. I've thought about putting them back on the car....all but the floor panels and the upper trunk panel, as these are a little harder to get in and scratch the powder coat on the frame.

[Straversi]

Wrap them back up in the shipping paper. Write the name of the piece on the paper. Think about the order in which you are going to need them again, then box them or stack them and get them way out of the way.

- Steve

[cv2065]

After the rear brake line job, I started on the Wilwood pedal assembly.

One of the things that has concerned me was that others have had interference issues with the 3/4"sq. upper chassis/body tube and the clutch pedal (travel).

I jigged up the pedal assembly, bolted it in, and my clutch pedal is at 98% of travel (before hitting the footbox tin) when it contacts the 3/4sq. tube.
89633

I'm not going to cut the tube, splice, bolt/weld, whatever at this rate. I'll imagineer an adjustable stop-bolt off the 3/4" tube, and play with the throw adjustment at the slave & master cylinder.

The Wilwood pedal assembly went in without a hitch... (the directions suck) but it's in there. Also in these pics is the Forte's Performance hydraulic clutch master cylinder (Wilwood piece).
89634896358963689637896388963989640

Next step will be Cleco'ing the DS footbox tins back in place and determining hard line routing out of the footbox.

Hey John. When you put in your Master Cylinders (all 3), did you have to shorten any of them before you installed? Directions say to cut 5/8" off, and I'm finding that's just about right. Did you do the same? Thanks!

[Fixit]

Yup... If I recall correctly 5/8" is about what needed to be trimmed.
(Don't forget to thread a nut on the shaft BEFORE cutting. The nut will be a "thread-chaser" and clean up the threads after cutting/dressing the raw end)

[Fixit]

Update Time...

Here's a word of warning to builders that have "options" on their kits... such as wipers, heat/defrost, and Coyote engine... Don't mount your firewall until you have "paged ahead" in the assembly manual and made provisions for these options!!

I'm sure it's possible to punch/cut the needed holes in the firewall for these options after it has been "glued & screwed" to the frame, but why??
Each of the aforementioned options "invade" the dictated space described in the assembly manual. Measure twice, cut once.

Heater:
FFR/Vintage Air supplies a very nice template for cutting the firewall... except it isn't quite perfect. The holes for the inlet/outlet aren't quite in the right spots. The pic shows just how much "off" the inlet/outlet holes are. Measure twice... cut Once.
92095

Wipers:
The wiper motor gets whatever space is left over when the heater box is mounted. The basic instructions are to mount the motor with the drive cable pointed in a smooth arc to where the wiper arm boxes will be. This tucks the wiper motor in the left-most corner of the firewall. I wasn't satisfied with mounting the motor on the .040" aluminum panel. A little flimsy for my tastes. I made up a mounting bracket for the motor that ties it to the major crossmember of the dash.

920989209692097920999210092101921039210292104

[Fixit]

Firewall - Electrics

The wiring for the main harness & engine sending units, then the wipers, heater, & front body lighting all require a path through the firewall. Add in the necessary feeds from the Ford Performance ECU for the Coyote engine and there's a lot of wire that needs to get from the engine bay to the cockpit!!

FFR does provide a detailed description of where to punch the holes for the wiring grommets, but (again) has forgotten about "options". If you punch the holes for the Coyote ECU harness, and mount the underhood fusebox as described - it FOULS the connection to the heater core for the coolant hoses.

(again... measure twice, cut once.)

I had to sneak the Coyote ECU harness hole a bit to the driver's side, and mount the underhood fusebox a bit forward of the prescribed location so there's free-air to the heater core fittings. (If someone was "cookbooking" this thing together pagebypage they'd be in a problem).

9210992110921119211292105921069210792108.

I also replaced the FFR "nut & bolt" solution with NutSerts for the engine computer

9211392114

** Tip for drilling sheetstock with a holesaw**
Securely clamp the workpiece to the bench with a "sacrificial" block of wood under. Pre-drill through the stock with the diameter of the pilot-bit of the holesaw into the block. Chuck up the holesaw, and touch-off on the workpiece BACKWARDS a few dozen turns! This will start the "groove" the holesaw will cut on. Stop the drill, reverse to the "correct/RH" rotation, and cut the hole. This will help minimize "wander" of the holesaw and give you a clean hole.
It's all about speed and feed using a holesaw - the balance between cutting cleanly or chatter/wander. Using a variable speed drill motor greatly helps.

[Fixit]

Took a break on #9365 for the Holiday weekend... putting my energies towards lake cabin maintenance (I'll never run out of jobs!)

We're having a MAJOR Thunder-Boomer up here in the Northland, so I decided to spend some time surfing around and seeing how others are doing on their builds.

One of my new best friends is this little deburring tool.
92472
General Tools - Deburr (https://www.acehardware.com/departments/tools/hand-tools/taps-and-dies/26307?x429=true&cid=CAPLA:G:Shopping_-_Catch_All&k_clickid=04fd6a2c-8b98-4eb7-8834-2a2fa01e50f9&gclid=Cj0KCQjwlK7cBRCnARIsAJiE3MhX4grtNPLu6M4HdClw I5wnwaG4icnzuyRiBLOL1nA9wvFz1AS30KMaAnd8EALw_wcB)

I didn't have my "tins" powder coated, I'll be spraying them at home - with either paint or some variant of Lizard/Bedliner Goo.
I previously detailed how I'm using either holesaws or electrical fitting punches to cut the holes in the various panels. As good as these are (or any method) they'll still leave a razor-sharp burr on the rim of the hole.
Enter the above tool. For less than $20 and a few seconds this guy will shave off the burr and leave a nice 45deg chamfer on the edge.
(It takes a little practice to learn the angle to hold, and the correct pressure/stroke, but man does it work sweet!)

I ran the tool along every edge (inside & out) of all the panels. It really makes a difference - no more little finger slices, and the edges are ready for prep/paint.

Another inexpensive shop tool:
Estate/Garage sales.
Sometimes you can score big on tools (usually not) but there's a chance.
The main reason I'll stop at one is bath towels & bedding. For just a few bucks you can come away with a stack of new shop towels & rags.

[Mark Eaton]

Thanks for the tip on the deburring tool, I just ordered one on Amazon!

[Fixit]

#9365 is a March-ish 2018 kit.
FFR has done some modifications to the pedal box area in kits of this date or later. The 3/4" frame tube (that previously fouled the Wilwood clutch pedal) has been moved outboard, granting full clearance for the clutch pedal arm, and the pillow block mounting bracket for the upper steering shaft has been reworked.

These changes to the frame design necessitated Russ to re-design his mounting system for the turn signal kit he provides. If you are going to purchase his kit, make note of the build date of your frame, and contact Russ to ensure you get the correct version of the turn signal setup.

Here's a breakdown of the installation of the turn signal setup. From unboxing to bolted on the car was less than an hour. I'm sure there will be "final tweaking" once my dashboard panel is in place, but the core of the installation is done.

92901
Here's the parts laid out in an exploded view - adapter bracket, hdwe, FFR pillow block, RT mounting tube

92902
The parts assembled. The pillow block fasteners are just "snug"... you can still move stuff around with some effort, but the parts will stay in place.

92903 New mounting bracket, with countersunk fasteners for the pillow block

92904
(Yellow tape on the column support bracket for clarity). The assembly mocked up and in place on the car.

**Note** The steering shaft is not perpendicular/90degs to the FFR frame bracket welded to the 2x2 tube.
(RT's adapter bracket has the holes for the pillow block mounting drilled "canted", anticipating the average angle of the steering shaft.)

This is where you need to pay attention.
- Get your RT assembly jigged up and snug, but still moveable. Slide the RT tube/bracket & FFR pillow block assembly onto the steering shaft, and get the RT mounting plate "squared up" to the FFR frame bracket. (I moved the RT bracket just a touch aft of contact with the 2x2 cross-tube, for mounting washer/fastener clearance).
- The steering shaft should just slip through the pillow block and the nylon RT bushing with NO binding. Slide it on & off a few times. NO binding and the RT mounting plate should "square up" with the FFR frame bracket every time.
- Tighten the FFR pillow block to the RT bracket - and RE-TEST the slip fit on the steering shaft. If something moved, re-adjust and try again.
- Mark the mounting holes on the FFR frame bracket.

92905
Mounting holes marked and center punched for drilling
92906
Center punch marks.

92907
I had an extra-long 1/4" drill bit. This enabled me to drill the pilot hole for mounting without removing the firewall panel. If your firewall is permanently installed, a 90deg angle drill or an extra-long bit will probably be needed to drill a pilot hole.

92908
Once a pilot hole has been drilled from above, you can open up the holes to the required 5/16" from below.

92909
Mounting holes drilled and deburred

92910
Pillow block and turn signal mounting tube installed.

(The above very closely parallel the installation directions provided by Russ. I've just added my twist & detail to the installation.)

[Fixit]

These are some detail pics of the installation.
The steering hub is not in it's final/fully-seated-on-the-shaft position!

The final position and length of the steering shaft & RT mounting tube is yet to be determined. It may/will require adjustment once I get the dashboard installed.

This option is worth every penny. Russ has done a beautiful job making a very well engineered and easy to install product.


9291392914929159291692917

[cv2065]

Looks awesome John! Can't wait to get mine...as soon as I get this steering shaft thing worked out..LOL. I sent Russ a note just as a reminder that I have the same frame setup as you. Thanks for the pics!

[Fixit]

Because of the geography of my current residence, and Mrs. Fixit being "Thermally Challenged" - the heater/defroster option in #9365 was a "must have".

The downside to this option is that a glovebox becomes basically useless. The heater box/core takes up every bit of space that would be used by a glovebox. This leaves only door pockets for convenient storage of "stuff" - enter the trunk divider Cubby Hole kit from Breeze.

I hemmed and hawed about this, but seeing as #9365 is running the IRS setup, a rear "sunken" battery was out, and looking at that upper trunk area from an accessibility standpoint from the trunk convinced me to order the Breeze Cubby kit, and their front battery box mount kit.

I jigged up the divider wall at the prescribed 11 inches aft of the cockpit cross-tube, and made some marks with a Sharpie. I did some tweaking to the supplied angle mounting pieces, and clamped things in place. (I chose to put the bottom edge attachment/wavy edge into the cubby area, not into the trunk... it can go either way.)

(One thing you'll notice is my home-built upper/inner trunk side panels. Why FFR doesn't supply this is beyond me. They will make the trunk interior trim-out so much easier and cleaner)

I haven't done any mods to the (FFR supplied) rear cockpit wall. Breeze supplies dimensions for an access hole, and edge trim/pinch moulding for the opening. I've got a few ideas rattling around in my head for a sliding access door into this area.
92919 92920 92921 92922 92923 92924

[Fixit]

This is my 1st FFR build. I'd like to share some tips/pointers that I've used or discovered that IMO will help other 1st-timers, and hopefully the seasoned builders will chime in too.

I've done (and helped with) a few frame-off restorations on 60's muscle cars. As I'm putting this thing together I keep flashing back to those projects.
- All the fluid piping is in place
- Filters, pumps, cable brackets, are all in place, or attachment points are planned
- Wiring harnesses are routed
- Any "add-ons" are anticipated and planned for

Why? 'Cause once you lower that 1200+lb. welded steel body back down on the frame it ain't coming off again... and snaking stuff through/up/around/over with the body in the way is sometimes impossible.

Enter assembling a MkIV
- There are no factory provisions made for the above - YOU choose where to final route & mount things.

This said...
To date, only three pieces of aluminum are a permanent part (riveted) of the car - the "F" panels, and the Driver's front footbox panel. Every other piece of "tin" is still held in with a few Cleco's.

- This allows me to think about and jig up whatever I'm working on with finished obstructions in the way.
- I think about future serviceability, and tool access (can you get a wrench in there?)
- Consider moving parts, pinch points, sharp edges, clearance issues

Now within a few minutes I can squeeze a few Cleco's and all the "tins" are out of my way.
- I've got clearance for a drill
- I just gained "X-ray" vision (no sheetgoods in the way)
- I can easily work under/over/around/through the frame components
- I can easily alter a panel - punch a hole, cut a notch, trim an edge - on the workbench

I'm guessing I've had the sheetmetal on & off of this car about 6 times now... and it'll probably be 6 more times before another rivet gets set.

[Fixit]

Hey All... The last several days has been muddling through everything that happens in/under/around the trunk, and making provisions for the standard FFR stuff, and additions & options that I wanted to do.

(This all goes somewhat out of sequence with the FFR manual, but (IMO) all of these things need to be dealt with before you start even thinking about setting a rivet in a trunk area panel. Once those panels are locked down with "glue & screws" it's going to be a real PITA to make alterations or additions.)

I wanted to get everything from the rear cockpit wall to the bumper bolts planned out, mocked up, and (if necessary) bolted down before any tin went on.

Options I chose to do or add to #9365:
- The Russ Thompson "dropped trunk floor".
- Breeze storage cubby/divider panel
- Upper Trunk side panels - 40 Watt
- Backup Lamp circuit - 40 Watt
- Trunk illumination - 40 Watt
- Storage Cubby illumination - 40 Watt

FFR Items:
- EFI/Coyote Fuel System
- Roll Bar(s)

Coyote Engine Related
- Forte's EFI/Coyote Fuel System parts (provided with my engine package - to either substitute or add to the FFR provided parts).

All of the above aren't really a problem until you put the dropped trunk into the mix. The trunk box necessitates moving the wiring harness a bit, and totally messes with any after-install access to mount or route things back there - even if you drop the gas tank.

(The dropped trunk IMO this is a no-brainer option. With a few hours work you gain a cu.ft. + more trunk space... however...
The new trunk box, and the FFR floor are an assembled sandwich around the trunk floor diagonal braces. Once it's in there, it's more or less permanent.)
This modification impacts:
- Rear Body Wiring Harness routing
- Rear Bumper Bolt access
- Fuel Sender & In-Tank Fuel Pump electrical plugs (routing)
- General Access for drilling, brackets, etc., back there.

Dropped Trunk:
Russ provides some beautiful panels that fit together with no tweaking. You're gonna need a bunch of Cleco's.

- Get your lower trunk floor in place, and get it Cleco'd basically at the corners - but not in the "field" where the diagonals come across. (You just want a few fixed/repeatable points where you can take the panel in and out and have it lock in the same place every time.)
- Dive under the car, and trace out all the frame members on the underside of the trunk panel.
- Build & Cleco the new trunk box, but not the trunk floor mounting flange.
- Remove the FFR lower trunk panel, and lay out the cutting lines per the RT instructions. (Measure twice, Cut once).
- Cut the rough opening in the trunk floor
- Set the new trunk box in place on the trunk floor pan, double check everything and at the box's 4 corners, Cleco it to the trunk floor.
- Transpose your tracings of the trunk area frame braces onto where they contact the new trunk box.
- Remove the trunk box and carefully trim the box to your marks.
- Take the parts over to the car, and see if they fit. Cleco them together in the car with your 4-corner "master" mounting points. Trim/adjust as needed.
- Once satisfied with the fit of the new panels, remove it all, and do your final drilling, and trimming of the box to the trunk floor opening. NO RIVETS YET.
- Now put it all back in the car, and make reference marks on the frame members where the new trunk box gets in the way of the frame members.
- Now take it all back out of the car again!

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Set these panels aside for the moment, and get ready for some electrical harness work.

[Fixit]

Rear Electrical Harness - Mounting and Mods


I'm adding the Breeze "Cubby" divider panel, and Russ Thompson's dropped trunk floor kit to #9365.
My own additions will include:
- Trunk courtesy light
- Cubby courtesy light
- Backup/Reverse light(s)
- 3rd/High Mount Brake Light (Jury's still out on this - but I'm prepping for it)

The FFR supplied Ron Francis wiring harness does not include circuits to do any of the above. You will have to add them. 18ga. wire is adequate.
- Backup lights need a fused Ign. switched +12v feed to the transmission switch, and the subsequent +12v switched (via the transmission) feed to the rear of the car.
- Trunk courtesy lighting needs a fused "HAAT" (Hot At All Times) +12v feed to the trunk area. (switches to be figured out later)
- 3rd Brake Light needs a feed tapped off of either the L or R brake light circuit in the trunk area, and routed to the accessible upper trunk area.

I am not going to install a radio.
The RF harness has provisions for one - which solves two problems - a fused IGN switched feed, and a fused HAAT feed are provided.
I'll be tapping off of these feeds from the dash harness, near where the rear harness enters the firewall, behind the dash.
The 3rd Brake light feeder will be "T-tapped" off of one of the existing L or R wires, and routed with the license light wiring.

I'm not going to detail a lot of pictures, as this job is simply pushing a wire or two into the rear harness zip-tubing.
- You'll need to measure where your transmission's reverse switch is located, approximate that location on the frame, and break out of the main rear harness at that point.
- You'll need to plan where you intend to have the (RF) license light break into the (accessible) trunk, and add the HAAT & 3rd Brake feeders through the main and into that leg of the harness.
- You'll need to run the switched reverse/backup feed through the rest of the rear harness (from the trans switch then aft), and drop it out at your intended backup light(s) location (adding a ground as well).

The dropped trunk floor necessitated moving the rear harness to the PS a bit. Once above the rear diff, it'll angle over and run between the fuel tank kickup and the box.

I'm not Ty-rapping the harness to the frame tubes. I installed Ty-rap cable clamps with TEK screws to the frame. Looping a Ty-rap around a frame tube creates a hump where the panel won’t sit flat. (Why not rivet? I don't have access to UV-stable clamps. In a few years these will get brittle - as long as you don't pull on them they'll be fine, but if you do - they'll break. I wanted an easy way to replace them.)

At the lower right it shows where I routed the License Light loom along the trunk diagonal, under the cross-tube, and up-n-out near the PS roll-bar outrigger. I’ll punch a hole in the upper trunk floor and install a grommet here. The loom will then go onto the curved trunk hinge support tube to about the middle.
93172

I didn’t punch the prescribed 3 harness holes in the firewall. The Sending Unit loom is small, and leaves plenty of room in the grommet for the Rear Body harness. They both go through the same grommet. (The Coyote harness is the one to the right, not part of a “standard” install). This shows where my “added” +12v switched, and +12 HAAT feeders break out. I’ll install a keyed connector on them, with its mate tapped into the RF radio wires.
93173

This is a good shot of the temporarily installed dropped trunk kit, and where I installed a grommet for the licence, 3rd brake, and trunk courtesy lights.
93174

This shows where I dropped the transmission switched +12v “backup” light wire out. It’s about center in the rear, and I added a ground wire (T-tapped into DS lights ground, and also landed to the steel center support plate).
93175

The reverse gear switch on a Tremec is centered on the driver's side main case. Measuring the length of the driveshaft, and doing a “swag” on it, I dropped the switched +12v feed, and the feed to the rear lamp(s) out of the Rear Harness at this point. (I added the split loom)
93176
Tail/Stop/Turn
Since my backup lights, fuel sender, and fuel pump wiring need to snake between the trunk box and the rearmost frame/bumper mounts, I decided to just punch a hole in each side, install a grommet, and run the Tail/Stop/Turn harnesses out here.
93177

[Fixit]

40 Watt Garage - Mk4 Build - Trunk Area – Fuel System

(This all goes somewhat out of sequence with the FFR manual, but (IMO) all of these things need to be dealt with before you start even thinking about setting a rivet in a trunk area panel. Once those panels are locked down with "glue & screws" it's going to be a real PITA to make alterations or additions.)

I wanted to get everything from the rear cockpit wall to the bumper bolts planned out, mocked up, and (if necessary) bolted down before any tin went on.

I’ll be using the Forte’s Performance supplied fuel delivery components in the Coyote Package.
Mike provides:


In-Tank pump & pickup
Integrated filter & regulator
Pre-made quick connect lines (supply & return to filter/regulator)
Adapter tube (filter outlet to quick connect line)
A length of fuel line with quick connect ends (filter to engine)


Ford Performance (via Forte’s) provides:


Evap Canister


FFR provides:


Fuel Level sending unit
Fuel Tank & mounting straps


I installed the fuel lever sender and Forte’s pump/pickup into the tank per the FFR instructions, and with some experience of my own doing this on other vehicles.
Tips:


Smear some Vaseline or chassis grease onto the O-rings. I’ll help hold them in place, and let the parts slide around a bit when seating the locking rings.
There’s a sump in the fuel pickup area of the tank. The filter sock must be oriented the correct way on the pump for it to fit. Look through the filler hole with a flashlight to see what I mean.
Make sure the filter sock is fully seated on the pickup nose of the pump! It’ll fall off wiggling the assembly into the tank if it’s not. (Don’t ask how I know…)
The locking ring “ears” invade the space for the discs on the sender & pickup. You’ll have to finagle the parts around to get them past the ears and onto the O-rings.
If everything’s seated in place correctly, the locking rings will easily spin around into position with a few light love-taps with a hammer & drift. Make sure all three ears are engaged.


Here’s the in-tank pump and filter sock
Double check the tightness of the machine screws and the outlet hose clamp. (The large hose clamp around the pump body was to keep the pump from moving while pressing the filter sock on. It was removed before installing the pump)
93182

This is the integrated supply/return/regulator fuel filter, with the Forte’s supplied tube adapter on the outlet.
93183

This is the raw bracket I made up for the filter unit, some 2x2 aluminum angle, and a 10-32 rivnut
93184

Bracket & Filter
93185

Mocked in place on the car
It’s roughly above the axle shaft, aft of the UCA forward pivot, on the main frame rail
93186

After a trip to the blast cabinet and paint
93187

Riveted on the car, with Supply and Return hoses attached
93188

Shot from forward of the brake rotor. The filter outlet hangs just below the main frame member, angled out
93189

Fuel Tank with Fuel Level sender, and Fuel Pump installed. The Filter/Regulator is at top-right.
93190

Fuel Pump with quick-connect lines attached
93191

[Fixit]

40 Watt Garage - Mk4 Build - Trunk Area – Evap Canister

I wanted to get everything from the rear cockpit wall to the bumper bolts planned out, mocked up, and (if necessary) bolted down before any tin went on.

This is provided with the Coyote install kit from Ford Performance. It’s kind of a big clunky thing, and others have made up their own with Aquarium filter parts. I decided to use it.

FFR provides a laser-cut stainless bracket for the canister… but I didn’t/couldn’t find it until I made my own. As it turned out the FFR bracket wouldn’t have worked where I wanted to mount the canister.

I did use an FFR provided bracket for another (previous version?) fuse panel. I opened up the hole on one end for the canister mounting tab, and drilled/nutserted the other for a mounting screw. The bracket was riveted to the frame on the PS side, forward of the trunk kickup, hanging down above the IRS.

93192 93193 93194

The 3/8" inlet was capped off, and on the 1/4" inlet a length of fuel hose was routed to the fuel tank vent

[cv2065]

These are some detail pics of the installation.
The steering hub is not in it's final/fully-seated-on-the-shaft position!

The final position and length of the steering shaft & RT mounting tube is yet to be determined. It may/will require adjustment once I get the dashboard installed.

This option is worth every penny. Russ has done a beautiful job making a very well engineered and easy to install product.


9291392914929159291692917

Hey John - I received my RT Turn Signal kit and thanks to your pictures, you really made it a 30 minute install. Just wanted to say THANKS! One question on your steering boss. When you lined it up on the steering shaft, did it slide on easily? Mine stops about 1/2" in and am not about to force anything. The flat sides are aligned with the shaft flat sides, so seems to be aligned correctly. Maybe one of those, tap tap tap press fit deals? RT did say that once in you’ll need a steering wheel puller to get it off again.

[Fixit]

One question on your steering boss. When you lined it up on the steering shaft, did it slide on easily? Mine stops about 1/2" in and am not about to force anything. The flat sides are aligned with the shaft flat sides, so seems to be aligned correctly. Maybe one of those, tap tap tap press fit deals?

No, my steering wheel hub is not a "slip fit". I could push it on by hand (dry) about 1/4", then it stuck. I threaded the retainer bolt in and just snugged it so I could test the signal system (by hand, no wheel attached).
Many others have stated that it is a tight interference fit, and final install should be done only after the dash is in place - as you will need a puller to get the hub off again. When I get a little closer to that phase of assembly, I'll look more closely at the fit to see if any minor filing/fitting will be needed.

[Fixit]

One of the other builders PM'd me about "T-Taps" on wiring.
I'm adding several circuits to the RF supplied harness (backup lights, courtesy lights, 3rd brake light) and in a previous post mentioned a "T-tap".

(Disclaimer - I am not a degree'd electrical engineer, but my 25+ years of making connections on low-voltage circuits - many on life-safety systems - count for something. There are as many ways to do this as there are words to describe it, but I'll hold true to history and the "old-school" way for doing this).

There are dozens of quickie/zoomie electrical connectors out there that will accomplish the same thing in about 3/10ths of a second (as opposed to the following) - and they will work... for awhile. "Awhile" meaning a few years. Corrosion & vibration will set in and you will have an intermittant connection.
Quickie connects are mechanical. They rely upon parts touching each other.
Soldering is "bonding". The parts are physically "welded" together with a common medium.

Making a "T-tap"
Supplies:
- Wire Stripper
- Sharp blade (razor blade/penknife/utility knife... you get the point)
- Rosin core solder
- Soldering iron/gun or pencil
- GOOD electrical tape or shrink tubing

Locate the spot where you want to tap off of a wire. Without breaking/nicking the copper inside, remove about a 1/2" of the insulation from the "parent" wire.
Spread the strands open, and insert the stripped end of the "daughter" wire into the hole.
93930

Twist/wrap the "daughter" around the "parent".
93931

Solder the connection.
93932

Insulate the connection with tape or heat-shrink.

This connection won't fail or go intermittant unless the wire breaks.

[Duck62]

I have had guys say that their butt connectors and crimp splices are as good as a well soldered wire joint. I still think soldering is the best way to go.

[Fixit]

The last several sessions in the shop were prepping, painting or coating of most of the interior panels and installation of the trunk panels.

I chose not to powdercoat. About 90% of the panels aren’t visible after installation – they’re under the car, or covered with carpet, or coated with a sound-deadener/heat shield product.

I’m doing #9365’s panels with a combination of rattle-can paint, and Rustoleum Truck-Bed liner. For me this was the most cost-effective way to get some protection on the aluminum.

After drilling & fitting the raw panels (with Cleco’s)
- Dive over/under/around the car and using a scribe, mark the panels where the frame members contact, and other panels overlap.
Then they are all removed and the following steps done:
- All rivet holes touched/deburred with a countersink
- All large holes and edges are deburred (I use one of these) (https://www.amazon.com/General-Tools-482-Swivel-Deburring/dp/B00004T828)
- The front and back sides are given a liberal sanding (120G, try not to remove all of your scribe marks).
- Panels are wiped down with Acetone or “Wax & Grease” remover (wearing gloves).

Prep is relatively easy. Wear gloves to avoid contaminating the panels with skin oil.

Masking:
- Using a combination of various widths, mask off the contact areas (frame to panel, panel to panel).

Painted Panels:
- Each painted panel/area is shot with a light coat of acid-etch primer. Let dry.
- Apply several light coats of topcoat/color per instructions.
- Set aside to fully dry
- After final installation (riveting), go back and hit the rivet heads with paint.

Coated Panels:
I chose to use Rustoleum Truck Bed Coating (https://www.rustoleum.com/product-catalog/consumer-brands/auto/truck-bed-and-undercoating/truck-bed-coating) on the insides and outsides of panels that won’t be visible and/or those covered with carpeting. It’s easy to apply, relatively inexpensive, and easily touched up. It’ll handle rock chips, and crud will wash off easily.
The plan is to do two coats (finished) on underside/exposed to elements sides, and one coat on interior sides. After final fitting, sealing and riveting, go back and apply the 2nd coat (on the interior) to seal everything up.

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Panel Installation:
I’ve done all the modifications/additions needed for the rear end of the car. Electrical, Fuel, and Accessory bits have been added or planned for. Time to set some rivets.

FFR suggests using clear silicone adhesive to set the panels. I totally understand this – it’s readily available, does the job intended, but (IMO) has drawbacks:


Nothing (but silicone) sticks to silicone
It’s not paintable
It’s a body/paint guys NIGHTMARE


I decided (upon consulting some of my pro-bodywork guys) to use “autobody seam sealer” instead of silicone sealant to set/glue the panels together.
Pro’s:


Available in common caulk-gun tubes
Available in black, gray, white
Paintable – doesn’t contaminate everything
Used by OEM’s for 50+ years

Cons:


Expense - $13+ a tube
Tough to clean up – nearly as diabolical as Anti-Seize


Prior to setting the trunk panels into place, I squeezed a 1/16” bead of sealant between “panel to panel” seams, and about a 1/8” bead on “panel to frame” areas.


Lay the panels in place, and Cleco them together.
Let it sit for a bit, and let the sealant “squeeze out” from the joint.
Working from the inside of a rivet “run”, remove the Cleco and rivet working outward.
Manage the “squeeze out” of the sealant as you go, wiping & tooling it to a nice edge.

(The Cleco’s will be goo’d up with sealant as you remove them. Have a pan of Acetone or solvent and drop them into it to dissolve the goo off of them as you go.)

94174 94175 94176 94177 94178 94179

[Kool AC]

John, enjoying following along on your build. Lots of great info and photos. Posts are well layed out and easy to read. This question is probably a bit premature but do you intend on using the same truck bed coating on the underside of the body?

[Fixit]

I probably will. I am going to consult with my potential body/painter guy and see if it'll cause any problems, and how "far" I should go with the coating.

[Fixit]

Time to bite the bullet, and cut the access hole in the rear cockpit wall.

The hole is 17-1/2” wide, 5” tall, with rounded ends. I did a LOT of “measure six times, cut once” and got my layout lines and cut lines marked on the panel.
Enter the 5” diameter holes.

94324
Unseen is a 12x18 piece of MDF under the proposed hole opening as a backer board/sacrificial element. There are a few screws in the future “waste” area (between holes) to hold it in place, and the panel with backer board is clamped to the bench. You do not want this to move while cutting!

94325
One down one to go.

My drill press doesn’t have enough throat to handle this cut. I used a DeWalt battery hand drill.
Swinging a 5” holesaw on a cordless drill gets interesting. (You will have “Popeye” forearms when done)
Old Guy Tips:


Pre drill your pilot hole into the backer board.
Exchange the pilot drill in the holesaw mandrel for a piece of solid rod (no flutes/cutting edges).
Set the gear reduction on the drill to the lowest speed.
Touch-off on the workpiece backwards a few turns – establish the initial groove.
Switch to forward and cut slowly!


Holesaws have a nasty habit of wandering or chattering, and when they do that, the flutes on a pilot bit will “egg out” the pilot hole. No flutes = no “egg out” = clean hole.
You have to think of the cutting speed and tooth count! Holesaws have a pretty low “tooth per inch” (TPI). They want grab and CUT – just what we don’t want. Easy feed, low speed, easy pressure.

94326
After the holes were cut, the center section needed to be cut out. I clamped a length of ¼”x1” aluminum bar to the panel, spanning the holes, with the edge just touching the tangent of the holes.

94327

A minor amount of filing, deburring, and cleanup was needed.

94328
The finished hole in the rear cockpit wall

94329 94330

(See Pt. 2 for the door)

[Fixit]

I’ve been imagineering things in my head for an access door to the cubbyhole, and it kept coming back to some type of sliding door… That’s what I settled on.



I’ve had this 1/8”, 4’x4’ sheet of ABS plastic knocking around the shop – re-gifted by a Chevelle buddy. I’m thinking it’s stiff, easy to work, why not?
The ¼ x 1” aluminum bar I used as a saw guide didn’t get nicked up at all, so I still had clean/factory edges on the sides. I ran it through the bandsaw and now have 2) ¼” x ½” lengths, each with a clean edge. These will be the spacers and tracks for the doors.
I ripped a few 5/8” wide strips from the ABS sheet to form the guides to keep the doors in place
Next was to cut 2) 5-1/2” x 10” doors from the sheet


(I apologize for not taking more pictures of this – when I get “in the zone” with an idea I’m a bull in a china shop.)

94331 94332
These pics are from the DS, front & rear of the cubby. You can see the ¼” aluminum “spacer”, and the ABS guide strip. They are riveted into a sandwich through the rear cockpit wall.

94333
A shot from the PS inside



All of the parts (upper & lower) were Cleco’d and trial fitted about two dozen times.
The cockpit wall and frame members are not quite square, but my parts are…
It took some considerable filing and a session on the benchtop belt/disc sander to “shave off” some of the lower aluminum spacer to tuck it into the tight space left between the access hole and upper trunk floor. (If I was to do it again, I’d consider making the access hole 4-1/2” wide instead of 5”.)


94334 94335 94336 94337
The (almost) finished doors.


At top-center of the opening there is a rivet set just on the lip of the opening. This is a stop for the sliding doors to not go over center (a small notch is in the top corner of the door)
The guide tracks are ¼” wide, the doors 1/8”. The doors are also about 1/8” less tall than the track to track dimension. This gives me some wiggle room for upholstering.


This wasn’t an easy project… This took the better part of an entire 10-hour day to get to this stage. I’ve still got to establish upholstery, handles, possible locking, and a courtesy light switch tripped off the doors.

[cv2065]

Love that sliding door John. I'd have to copy your excellent work if I wasn't thinking about some speakers back there. Now all you need is to hook the doors up to a remote and sample the Star Trek sound as the doors open and close. :D

[Straversi]

That’s really nice work. Thanks for the tip on replacing the pilot bit with the aluminum rod. I’ll file that away for later use.
-Steve

[Fixit]

Replace the pilot bit with steel rod stock Steve...

I had a 12" long, 1/4" bit that broke. I salvaged the shank (about 8" worth of good tool steel), cut it into 4" lengths (cut a groove with the bench grinder and snapped it), and now have two tool-steel 1/4" pilot "rods".

One of the other metalworking projects of the day was to fab up a center firewall support bracket. In an earlier post I'd commented about how I wasn't too keen on how the firewall just kinda flopped around in the center.
After cutting out the lower trunk floor for the RT Dropped Trunk, I had some nice material left over.
Took some measurements, bent the 90, punched some holes (Greenlee electrical fitting punches) and painted it up.

94340 94341

(I'm painting the inside of the dashboard area, and the upper parts of the DS footbox in Gloss White. There's a LOT of stuff going on in there, and when the body is on seeing will be a problem. I wanted as much reflected light as possible!)

[Fixit]

Just a reminder to y'all to work safely, and be aware at all times - in the shop and in the house.

Had to go back on the road Monday and make some money.
Come Tuesday morning I'm in the hotel room shower, washing the shampoo out of my hair, and the next thing I know I'm on the floor of the bathroom tangled up in the shower curtain with Tweety & Sylvester spinning around my head! On the way down I caught the corner of the partition wall between the can & vanity (the corner protectors work, not a mark on the wall).
Had a 1-1/2" gash/split in the back of my head - which took 8 staples to close.

Luckily I didn't get knocked out, and the hospital/ER was literally across the street.

Take nothing for granted, and keep "action = consequence" in your mind at all times.

[miller7448]

I'll add these to my modification list! White paint, center support, pre-drilled holes. Not sure if the 4 large holes were for weight reduction or wire routing but great thought.

[cv2065]

Life can change in a split second. Glad you weren't severely injured John!

[Fixit]

Took a few days away from #9365 to let my head heal a bit. Lemme tell ya that having staples in your noggin isn't any fun.
I got back to it, and I've been working on the main wiring harness (fusebox/behind dash) and of course the wiring OCD geek in me kicked in full force, and the usual "project creep" set in.

The Ron Francis harness is a beautiful piece of workmanship, but for my tastes the "universal fitment" part of it bugs me (see above OCD/wiring geek). I'm working through some modifications, routing, sub-circuit breakouts, etc. Then the project creep set in... I need aiming points for wires - which means getting the dash & gauges layed out. I chose to substitute a blank dash panel, and am doing a variant on the S/C dash.

I promise to be good, and take lots of pictures and notes.

[PeteMeindl]

Geez - really sorry to hear about your fall, John. Hope you feel better soon.

[Yama-Bro]

Nice work, I like those sliding doors and your firewall support doesn't look to shabby either. ;)

[Fixit]

As I stated in an earlier post, "project creep" had set in when I started to clean up the RF & Ford Performance wiring. I ran into the stumbling block of needing "aiming points" for the wiring... So I needed a dashboard.

I don’t know how many hours I surfed trying to find a decent “working” drawing of the 427 S/C dash… but it was a lot! I finally found one that was dimensioned, and actually useable as a guide when printed. I used this as a baseline, and made alterations as needed to suit my particular build.

(I have a dimensioned .pdf of my dash, and if you PM me I'll be glad to forward it.)

The 1st order of business was to get the FFR blank dash to even fit onto the car. I’m using Russ Thompson’s turn signal setup – and the supplied adapter/tube/mount is larger than the FFR provided steering shaft hole.
The FFR modifications to the frame and column support bracket on chassis manufactured from about mid-March 2018 necessitated a change in the Russ’s turn signal mounting system, and moved it upward about ¼”.
#9365 is one of these newer frames.

I measured the diameter of the RT turn signal tube, and transferred the measurements to the blank FFR dash. Keeping future upholstery clearance in mind, the needed opening wound up to be about 3/16” larger in width, and about ¼” higher.
96046 96047

Once the steering shaft opening was altered to fit, the dash panel was fitted to the frame. Using the numerous resources on the forum and my optional FFR dash center-support, I established the final mounting point for the dash panel. I drilled two 1/8” holes through the ends of the panel into the ¾” support tube, and Cleco’d the panel in place. These are my repeatable/pinned down reference mounts (that will be un-used and covered by upholstery later).

I chose to do a “concealed mounting” of the dash panel, using ¾” aluminum angle, and countersunk/flush fasteners through the dash. (This procedure has been well documented in other builds… do a search for details.) Using my Cleco’d mounting points, I cut and fitted the angle pieces, and installed Nut-Serts in the frame hoop, and countersunk screws through the dash into the angle. I also fitted the FFR lower dash support brackets using 10-32 Nut-Serts and button head screws. I now have a locked down, repeatable mounting system for the dash panel.

Layout:
Using a Sharpie, combination square, steel straight-edge, and a scribe I laid out the working lines and locations of the gauges and switches. Pay attention to obstructions on the backside! The frame hoop takes up more space than you think! Also think about access to the mounting screws for the dash (through the angle brackets). You’ll need to get to them from below.
I laid my gauges on the photocopier, zapped them, cut them out, punched a center hole, and taped them to the dash panel.
96048 96049 96050

Attentive readers will notice a few differences in the next picture…
After setting the seat in place, (temporarily) putting the steering wheel on, and climbing in and making vroomvroom noises I changed a few things…
Gone is the cigarette lighter and driver’s side “air” control, the ignition moved, and the headlights and heat controls moved.
96051
This is the final layout.

The next step is layout/cutting of the glovebox opening, and fabricating a glovebox.

[Fixit]

Using the dimensions of the drawing, I layed out and cut the opening for the glove box into the dash panel.

I actually layed out two sets of lines. One for the outer opening of the glove box, and another for inner (actual dimension) of the glove box door. There’s about 1/8” difference between them. This allows for upholstery.

The straight cuts were done with a jigsaw and fine-tooth blade, the radius cuts with a Dremel and abrasive cut-off wheel. (the radius of the ends is too tight for the jigsaw – the blade will bind). After rough-cutting, the openings and edges were dressed by filing and sanding to get smooth lines and an even gap between the two pieces.
96052 96053

A trip to Home Depot netted a piece of 1”, 2x2 ft. piece of pink insulation foam. Easy stuff to cut, sand and shape to fit. Perfect stuff for making a “plug” to mold fiberglass around!

I cut a few pieces, spray-glued them together, shaped, sanded, and produced a really nice mold plug for my glovebox cavity. Mixed up some resin, and layed up the fiberglass.
96054 96055 96056 96057 96058 96059

What I didn’t do was pay attention to the type of fiberglass resin I chose to use. Regular ‘ol polyester-based resin (available everywhere) will react to the foam board… and it’s not immediate. I laid on the ‘glass & resin, smoothed out the air bubbles, and went to bed to let it set up & dry.

96060

The next day…
96061
Junk.

The resin attacked the foam, and made a useless part.
(There is epoxy-based fiberglass resin available – and it will not react with the foam. However plan on spending about $80+ for a quart of A & B components. Lesson learned, on to “Plan B”.

[cv2065]

Not to laugh, but you gave me a chuckle John. The before and after 'junk' pictures reminded me of my wife's cooking..LOL. I'm going to be getting to the dashboard soon as well, only issue with mine is that it is plastic. Russ's instructions for the signal mounting tube is to cut a hole 1 3/4" as the mounting tube is 1 5/8". Then a 3/8" notch is needed for the signal wire bundle. Looks like you got it all worked out! Thanks for going down this road first and getting me thinking about it.

[Fixit]

Glovebox Part 2 – Success!

Another trip to Home Depot and with a 2x2ft. piece of ¾” and ½” MDF in-hand it was back to the shop. A few hours of cutting & shaping and I had a mold plug that fitted the opening nicely. I used some body-filler to radius the edges, and fill the screw holes.
96203 96204

(**Warning** If you choose to use MDF for your mold plug, cut and shape it outdoors, or in another county. I now have a thin layer of brown dust over EVERY surface of the shop. It makes a MESS!! It took 3 times as long to clean up and wipe down as it did to make the damn mold plug!!)

I screwed the “plug” to a left-over piece of MDF, and gave it several coats of rattle-can clear to seal up the pores and give a slick surface to it. Once dry, I coated it with several HEAVY applications of paste wax as a mold release.
96205

I pre-cut a bunch of pieces of fiberglass cloth and mat, and mixed about a pint of resin – then started the layup of fiberglass
96206

After a few hours cure-time, I got under the edge with a putty knife and started to pry it loose
96207

Using some wedges, it finally popped free.
(An important tip about making a mold-plug – everything has to be tapered inward, with no built-in “locking keys”. The final part has to be able to lift off of the plug!)
96208

After trimming off the ragged edge to about a ¾” lip around the opening, the glove box insert was clamped in place, and marked/drilled/countersunk for screws and attached to the dash panel.
96209 96210 96211 96212

I’m very pleased with the results. The inside surface is nice & smooth, and can be easily covered with fabric, leather, or “speaker box” carpet or similar.

Including the screw-ups, I’ve got about $60 in materials involved. I learned a lot, and got to refresh a few old skills with woodworking and fiberglassing

[miller7448]

Great approach to maximizing the glove box space. When can I place my order for fiberglass glove box :)

[Boydster]

Very cool and good work, John.

[Fixit]

Thanks for the nice words guys... This was a fun diversion - I wasn't happy with what I'd found for options for a glovebox using a heater, so attack & conquer.
About 90% is about 1" deep, but the bottom flares out to about 2" deep, and the larger area to the extreme passenger side.

It'll be enough to stash a cell phone, earplugs, or (duh) a pair of gloves!

My next problem at hand is finding some hinges for the dang thing. I've seen them! They're on ceiling access hatches and junction boxes. I searched and found exactly what's needed - a light duty, non-sprung, flush closing, "out & away" compact curved hinge.
Problem is they're about $2 each, supplier has a $25 minimum order, and shipping will be $15. I don't need 12 hinges...

I've hit the big box stores, the specialty woodworker stores, and the local Mom & Pop "have everything but space" local hardware store (love this place). Arrggg

[Yama-Bro]

Great job on the glove box. I'm excited to see how you do the hinges and the door.

[Fixit]

Dash Cutting – Scary Stuff!

After confirming the placement and layout of the gauges & switches for the 27th time I got down to cutting the holes in the dash panel.

**Tips**
Don’t take the chance of ruining your finished dash panel.


Use some scrap material and make a bunch of test holes. The holes for the switches aren’t the same size, some have “keys”, some have “flats” or are “D” shaped.
Drill these holes and take notes… initial size, what step on the Uni-Bit, etc. Break out the jeweler’s files and cut the keyways and/or flats and test fit the switches.
Jig up the circle cutter/hole saw and make a few holes. Get used to how they react and cut. I’ll stress to cut your gauge holes undersize, and sneak up to final dimension with a file.
Don’t forget to take into account the thickness of your upholstery material.
Center punch the gauge locations, and scribe the final/finish diameter of the hole on the dash panel! This will give you a guide-line for filing to finish dimension.



I started with the two large holes for the Tach & Speedo. Two reasons:
1) I didn’t want hours of work wasted if I screwed up these holes
2) I wanted all the material possible in place for strength while cutting.

Using some sacrificial lumber under the panel, it was clamped in place and I drilled the pilot hole and “touched off” on the panel with the cutter. Then, flip the pilot bit end for end. There’s now a solid shaft for it to spin on, and the flutes won’t egg-out your pilot hole.
96334

Success! Both large holes went off without a hitch. Go very slowly with a gorilla-firm grip on the drill. Even with the best attempt, the holes didn’t cut completely through all the way around. At best each hole was about 50% through the aluminum and into the wood. This is OK. There’s a deep enough groove in the aluminum for the other 50% to just break out with a little prying.
96335

I cut the smaller gauge holes with an undersized hole-saw, and snuck up on final dimension with a file.
96336

The switch holes were next. They were done with a combination of standard twist drills, and a multi-step “Uni-Bit”. The keyways or flats were done with jeweler’s files.
96337

The gauges and switches were mounted and the semi-finished dash re-mounted in the car. This is a great time to check clearances, mounting screw access, and make vroomvroom noises.

I’m pleased with how this turned out… just take it slow & easy - one screw-up and a LOT of hours of work could go down the drain.
96338 96339 96340 96341 96342

[Fixit]

Spent last week on a whirlwind tour of Seattle & Salt Lake City. What was nice is my hinges for the glovebox were waiting for me.

Hopefully I'll have some time to tinker this weekend!

[Fixit]

This is a bit backdated - I finished carpeting the trunk about 10 days ago.

I ordered the material from Crutchfield. It's speaker box carpet, in black. This is nice stuff - pretty dense, stretchy, and easy to cut. I've used dozens of yards of this stuff in a previous life doing high-end Car-Fi.

Tips:
- Paint the surface being carpeted the same color as the carpet being used.
- Have a stash of single-edge razor blades handy - a LOT of them.
- "Bondo" spreaders work great for smoothing and "jamming" the material into corners and edges
- Have a few cheapo "acid brushes" handy. They're great for daubing glue into an area.
- Use good adhesive. 3M's Super 77 is all you should need.
- Mask off anything you don't want glue on!
- Change razor blades often! This stuff eats blades, and cutting against metal kills the point quickly.

I was able to carpet the entire floor (cockpit wall to bumper), and the upper side-walls with one piece of material.
96841

Measure and pre-cut some slits for the seat belt mounts and roll bar tubes.

96842 96843
The "lower/rear" sidewalls of the trunk are separate pieces. The seam is just aft of the rollbar outrigger posts, where the FFR panel and my upper panels overlap.

This material is stretchy. You can pull & work it into odd shaped areas and it will stick... **However** it will only stretch/conform so far before the "weave" breaks and it gets thin and transparent. (This is why you paint the substrate - some accidental "thin spots" won't show through).
Follow the directions on the adhesive - a light coat on both surfaces, time to flash-off & tack up, then apply.

96844
The material over the dropped trunk was cut, leaving as much as possible hanging down into the hole for the future seam

96845
The trunk floor and L/R trunk sidewalls were done in one piece. The F&R trunk walls were separate pieces.
The seam is about 1" down from the edge. The carpet pieces were overlapped, cut through as one, then separated and the waste removed.
Another application of glue and the seam was worked together.

96846 96847
The Breeze divider panel will get carpeted and final installed after the rear cockpit wall is upholstered (I need as much room up there as possible)

I'll cover the access hatches, and maybe the diagonals at a later date.

[PeteMeindl]

Good progress, John! By the way, I always learn a lot from your 'tips' sections that you put in your posts - thanks for taking the time to do them and share your knowledge with us. It's really helpful!

[Fixit]

Glovebox Part 3 – Door Hinge

I found a supplier in New Hampshire that would sell in small quantities to an end-user at a reasonable price.
Northeast Hinge Distributors (https://www.nehinge.com/Panel.html)

I ordered 4 hinges. Only needed two, but knowing myself I wanted backups in case of a screw-up!
Know this going in, they are a bit “sloppy”, but they’re intended for an electrical junction box, not a precision piece of cabinetry. (As I suspected, the inherent mis-alignment that will happen while fabricating the door will take up the slack, and they work beautifully)

I removed the glovebox insert (part 2), and jigged them up on the dash panel using my favorite “all purpose” tape – 3M’s #471 (https://www.3m.com/3M/en_US/company-us/all-3m-products/~/3M-Vinyl-Tape-471/?N=5002385+3293242769&rt=rud)
97020

I removed the tape holding the door in place, and verified the action of the hinges. A little fudging around and the hinges were called “good”. A 9/32 hole was drilled through the hinge and door/dash for a 6-32 screw. The dash & door were then countersunk, and the door reassembled for a final check… good again.
The glovebox insert (part 2) was set in place, marked for notching, and the slot for the hinges cut with a Dremel – no real tricks here, just measure twice, cut once.

Now it’s time to lock all the mounting screws in place with good ‘ol JB-Weld, and turn the screws into studs.
I put a piece of tape over the mounting holes of the glovebox & hinges, and pre-punched a hole in it.
You don’t want the JB-Weld squeeze-out bonding the glovebox & hinges to the dash panel!
97021

The parts were re-assembled, a size-able batch of JB-Weld mixed up, and one by one the screws/nuts were removed, goobered up with JB, and reinstalled.
(You’ll also see there’s 4 holes with no screws – I had a senior moment on the 1st attempt at hinge placement – didn’t use tape to test, thought I had it nailed and drilled it – didn’t work. Now I’m filling my mistakes.)
Another tip: Use a Dremel or similar and rough-up the aluminum around the screw holes. It'll give the JB-Weld some "tooth" to grab on.
97022 97023 97024

After letting it dry for a few days (yes days… the “original” JB-Weld takes a LONG time for full cure) the parts were disassembled. Now you’ll see why I put the tape on the glovebox & hinges... The JB-Weld squeezed out as anticipated, but did what I wanted – making a fillet around the screw, and filling the imperfections.
97025

A few more pictures of the finished job after sanding off the excess JB.
97026 97027 97028 97029

I'll get to upholstering the glovebox interior, and doing the dash panel & door next!

[Fixit]

I wanted to get started installing the cockpit sheetmetal for good, which (again) caused “project creep” to set in.

In a previous post I detailed my doors for the Breeze Cubby option.
During the thought process for this, the question of upholstery came up. I didn’t want carpeting all the way up the rear cockpit wall – I wanted to transition to same material as the dash & future door panels on the area where the cubby hole is.
(My thought is that this would carry over the “styling” of the interior, the upper ½ in “leather” all the way around the car, the lower ½ in carpet)

The project creep is the transition. I needed something to create a nice break between the two materials. Enter the floor tile aisle at Home Depot. I found a stick of tile transition that fit the bill perfectly. Polished aluminum, and only 5/16 high.
I’ll upholster the upper area 1st, then trap the lower edge of it with the aluminum. When it’s time for carpet, the upper edge of the carpet will just tuck into the rolled opening on the aluminum.
97180 97181 97182

I started on the upholstery of the rear cockpit wall. I found some really nice material at our local Joann Fabric store – outdoor rated, but not too thick, and it’ll stretch & pull a bit without breaking down. It’s 54” wide, I bought 3 yards…
One yard of material is going to Herb Fraser, so my door panels will match the dash & rear wall.
The other 6 foot length will be cut lengthwise into pieces that will cover the dash, rear wall, and trans tunnel top.

Using a combination of 3M Super 77 & Weldwood Contact cement the material was placed and bonded in place.

97183 97184 97185 97186 97187 97188 97189
(I’m not too crazy about how the rivet heads printed through, but 90% of them will be hidden, oh well – I’m not pulling it off and doing it again – the camera doesn’t lie, but in reality they’re not that visible.)

[Fixit]

Here's some pics of covering the doors, and the final product.

97190 97191 97192
Super 77 on the "field", and a border of Contact Cement on the backside perimeter. A little careful use of heat and the material gets pliable enough
to stretch and pull around the corners.

97193 97194

[BadAsp427]

I really like the "two-tone" approach for that back wall. I've been looking at mine off and on trying to decide if I want carpet all the way up. I think that is going to really look nice especially with matching tunnel cover.

[Fixit]

Finding that tile transition piece cemented the plan... the in-house Design Consultant (Mrs. Fixit) planted the seed about having the leather kinda "wrap around the car" up high - dash to door panels to upper rear wall a few weeks ago, and I agreed.

The polished edge between the carpet & leather will also tie the small amount of "bling" (chrome bezels, door latches, rollbar) all around the cockpit.

[BadAsp427]

Finding that tile transition piece cemented the plan... the in-house Design Consultant (Mrs. Fixit) planted the seed about having the leather kinda "wrap around the car" up high - dash to door panels to upper rear wall a few weeks ago, and I agreed.

The polished edge between the carpet & leather will also tie the small amount of "bling" (chrome bezels, door latches, rollbar) all around the cockpit.

FYI, I'ma gonna steal this idea... :)

[Fixit]

Last weekend was spent upholstering the dash panel.

I opted to use the FFR blank panel, and use a modified S/C layout. In a previous post I detailed the cutting of the gauge & switch holes.

Materials:
Vinyl or Leather of your choice
Padding material of your choice
3M “Super 77” spray adhesive
Weldwood Contact Cement
Good/Sharp scissors (not your wifes!)
Supply of single-edge razor blades
A few #11 X-Acto blades
Heat Gun

Several years ago I redid the floor in the breezeway with Pergo. I still had a length of the underlayment foam padding… hmmm. It’s about 1/8” thick, dense but with some “cush”, and doesn’t shred like other foam. This is what I used for the padding on the dash.
The padding was attached using “77”, allowed to dry, and the holes cut out for the gauges, switches, and mounting screws.

The vinyl is from our local JoAnn Fabrics – I purchased 3 yards.
2 yard length (54” wide) is for the dash, trans tunnel, and rear cockpit wall
1 yard length is on it’s way to Herb Fraser for door panels.

A piece was cut with about 2” extra all around for the dash, the dash & vinyl sprayed with “77”, and allowed to tack up. The vinyl placed on the bench, and the dash carefully layed down.
97509
A stripe of contact cement was painted around the entire perimeter on the vinyl & dash, and allowed to dry (15 minutes min).

The vinyl was worked/pulled/stretched and stuck to the dash – making pie cuts as needed, or playing it with a little heat to make it pliable for tight corners.
**Be very careful using a heat gun!**
97510

Flashback… One of the things I did after cutting the holes and JB-Welding the mounting flanges to the aluminum panel was to bond several Ty-Rap cable clamps to the back of the dash. Anticipate possible places for wiring to be bundled, put a pea-sized blob of JB down, and press the clamp into the blob. The JB will squeeze up through the hole, and form a “rivet head”.

Continue working around the perimeter, making cuts as needed, using heat as needed.
97511

The finished panel without holes
97512 97513

Each gauge opening was painted with Contact Cement around the perimeter of the hole, and onto the vinyl. Pie-cuts were made, stopping about ¼” from the edge.
The material was pulled/stretched over & around, and stuck to the aluminum.
Each gauge was installed afterward, and snugged down (basically as a clamp).

The switches are a bit tricky. There’s not a lot of room for error or forgiveness here, and you can’t pull the material through the hole like the gauges. The vinyl has to be trimmed just a hair smaller than the actual hole. The only thing holding the vinyl down is the retaining nut, and there’s not much of a flange there!
97514

The glovebox opening was next, and you can see the perimeter stripe of contact cement
97515

The finished product
97518 97516

I decided to not use the FFR supplied turn & highbeam indicators or the Ford "MIL" lamp. I didn’t like their appearance, and the speedo has the turn & Highbeam indicators built in.

On one of my scrounging sessions at a local surplus store, I scored a handful of these really neat “vintage” control panel indicator lamp bezels. They have a glass jewel, and just look period correct.
I made up some housings for LED’s, and will be using these for “headlamp ON” and “MIL” indicators. They are flanking the Oil Pressure gauge.
97517

[Fixit]

I hope everyone had a Happy Thanksgiving, and has emerged from their "Food Coma" without any ill effects other than the scale going redline...

11/25 - It's been awhile since an update on #9365, so here's the first of three.

Wiring - This is where I'm my own worst enemy – an occupational by-product/hazard is I’m OCD about routing, labeling and neatness of cable routes and wiring.

The supplied Ron Francis harness(es) are beautiful pieces of work, and being adaptable to more than one car is a great benefit to FFR and us. The circuit layout, connectors, and routing are simple and easy to follow/troubleshoot.
However this “adaptability” pops off my OCD – extra length on pigtails, feeders not breaking out of the main harness at just the right spot, etc.
(As supplied the harness will work perfectly for 99.9% of everyone out there… I’m just one of the .1% who’s a wiring geek and has to change things.)

The way the harness is built (with the split-loom, taped tap-off’s/feeders, and being internally taped/ty-rap’d it’s pretty inflexible – it wants to lay in the way it’s set, and twisting it around is tough. I found that the feeders weren’t “pointed” in the direction I wanted, etc. when the loom was in place. Enter my OCD.

I carefully cut the taped joints, and removed the split loom. As the split loom was removed, ty-raps were placed to hold the wiring, and preserve where feeders broke out of the main harness. The masking tape on the conductors (pre split loom) was also removed (this allows free twisting of the bundle, and removal of individual wires. I now have a basically “naked” harness – still as RF built it, but not in a strait-jacket.
New breakouts for groups of wires were made as needed, trimmed to length, and ends installed
98142

Modifications:

Trunk Courtesy Light & Backup Lights
A “Hot At All Times (HAAT)” and “IGN” +12v are needed into the rear of the car.
- I pulled back the supplied radio power & memory feed, and broke them out at where the rear harness plugs in.
- A new connector was installed at this point

Hot Rod Steering Column Connector & Turn Signal Indicators
This connector is not used in the Roadster.
On the Roadster, the turn signals & 4-ways are handled by toggle switches, or a combination of a toggle for the 4-ways, and RT’s column mounted VW switch.
- With all the wrapping out of the way, I carefully pulled back on all of the “Hot Rod” column connector wiring and clipped them out of the harness
- Ends were left about 3” long and capped off

Dashboard turn & High Beam indicators can be individual lamps, use the ones integrated in the speedometer, or both.
I chose to use the speedometer indicators & no outboard/dash mounted lamps.
- The harness indicator feeds were trimmed back, and broken out of the harness behind the speedo.
- A new 3-pin connector was installed on the harness leads and the speedo leads.



Headlight Hi/Low Beam switching
This can be done simply with the supplied toggle switch, or via a relay system using a light-duty momentary pushbutton (Russ Thompson or other). The relay system also adds the option of “Flash to Pass”.
Via Toggle switch is straightforward – follow the assembly manual instructions.
Via Relay system – a little bit of work is involved.

Many builders have made up a sub-panel with terminal strips for the relay connections. Being a glutton for punishment I designed, etched & soldered up a circuit board with sockets for the required relays (Hi/Low beam & Flash-to-Pass) and removable terminal blocks for easy connection. The whole package is about 3” square. (It can be dropped out with 2 screws for access to the windshield post holes) I also included connection/pass-through points on the terminal blocks for the turn signal wiring - from the VW switch, FTP pushbutton, flasher feed, and out to the lamps - everything is in a neat little package.
VW-FTP link (https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/showthread.php?27544-The-40-Watt-Garage-9365&p=347758&viewfull=1#post347758)

98143 98144

The Coyote “connection to the vehicle” plug, and sub-harness with the clutch switch, MIL, etc. was unwrapped, and unnecessary lengths trimmed out. The big Ford plug was eliminated, and the wiring hard soldered to the RF harness at the appropriate points. Proprietary connectors (clutch switch, accelerator, etc.) were saved, and the wiring soldered & shrink wrapped back together. The Ford wiring was bundled with the RF wiring.
The split loom was reinstalled, and the harness held down with ty-raps and Velcro tape
98145

The dashboard harness was put on a diet as well, and unnecessary lengths trimmed out when possible. The RF and SpeedHut wiring was secured to the dash panel with ty-rap clamps (JBwelded to the panel previously), ty-raps & Velcro tape.
98146

The dashboard was reinstalled, and connected
98147

[Fixit]

11/25 2 of 3

(I'm using Russ Thompson's turn signal setup. He includes some very nice instructions on how to connect the High Beam & Flash to Pass wiring, but the diagram has a lot of "extra" stuff that may be confusing to some.)

This is an explanation of how the VW Headlight Hi/Low relay and a Flash-to-Pass (FTP) relay interact, and how they will work when using a single momentary pushbutton to activate the circuit. I've included a schematic with just the basics needed to make the circuit work.

VW Headlight Hi/Low Relay
Part Numbers:
VW # 111 941 583
Standard Automotive Products # LR-35
NAPA/Echlin # AR284
Price ranges from $15 to $50

This is a specialty relay – it is a mechanically latching or “toggle” type relay.
Terminals:
S = Relay Coil negative (-)
30 = Relay Coil positive (+)
56 = Relay Common
56a = Relay Output #1
56b = Relay Output #2

Operation: (assuming 30 is energized with + voltage)


Apply a momentary (-) input to S and it will latch 56 to 56a (turning off 56b)
Apply another momentary (-) input to S and it will latch 56 to 56b (turning off 56a)

Quirks:


It operates on a momentary input signal – not a constant trigger feed.
It doesn’t share the standard/common connector footprint of the other general purpose “Bosch-style” 5-pin relays


Bosch/General Purpose Relay (5-pin, 20/30/40 Amp)
Part Numbers: Too many to list
They are available everywhere for $3 to $10. They are a staple-item in the automotive world.

Terminals:
86 = Relay Coil negative (-)
85 = Relay Coil positive (+)
30 = Relay Common
87a = Normally Closed Relay Output
87 = Normally Open Relay Output

Operation: (assuming 85 is energized with + voltage)
“At Rest” terminals 30 and 87a are connected


Apply (-) to 86 and the relay will change state – connecting 30 to 87
Remove (-) to 86 and the relay will de-energize – connecting 30 to 87a


Circuit Operation – What the Momentary Pushbutton or Switch does:
Headlights OFF – “Flash to Pass (FTP)” function is available.
Action = Energizes Hi Beams for the duration of the input.

The VW relay is inactive – it does not have +12v from the headlight switch to operate.
The Bosch relay changes state, and momentarily sends +12v to the Hi Beam wiring

Headlights ON - “Flash to Pass (FTP)” function is bypassed.
Action = Toggles the VW relay between Hi & Low Beam wiring

The VW relay is active – the headlight switch is now supplying +12v to its coil.
The Bosch relay still changes state, but its output is over-ridden/negated by the VW relay.

Purpose of the diode in the negative trigger feed between relays:
Think of a diode as a “one-way” electricity valve. The diode in this case prevents residual or “breakdown” voltage from the relay coil(s) from messing with each other – causing unwanted or erratic operation.

98148

[Fixit]

11/25 3 of 3

When I routed the rear harness I also included a few wires that weren’t “factory” supplied. These were inserted in the loom at the rear harness connector behind the dash and a 2-pin connector installed:


A “HAAT” (hot at all times) +12v feeder
A “IGN” (switched) +12v feeder

I repurposed the “Radio Memory” and “Radio Power” wires for this duty.

Additionally, a tap was made off of one of the brake light feeders with a length of 18ga, for a future “3rd Brake Light”. All of these wires were combined into the “Licence Light” loom, and routed together. These wires were broken out in the trunk area near the passenger side rollbar outrigger post.
98149

The harness was routed up onto the trunk hinge hoop, using ty-rap clamps. A small 2-post terminal block was installed on the forward face of the hoop for connections.

Cubby Hole Lighting
I made up a small “Z” bracket for a toggle switch, and installed it on the rear cockpit wall hoop. A length of LED strip lighting was stuck down (https://www.superbrightleds.com/moreinfo/Automobile-Exterior-Accent/outdoor-led-light-strip-with-switch-led-truck-bed-lights-with-18-smds-per-ft-1-chip-smd-led-3528/1631/3994/), and the wiring routed over (under the carpet) to the trunk terminal block.
98150 98151 98152 98153

The switch is just visible from the passenger compartment. I can now finalize the divider wall installation.

Trunk Lighting
A little “L” bracket was made up, and a small micro-switch mounted to it. I found the switch on a scrounging session at a local surplus outfit. AXMAN (https://www.ax-man.com/)
The mounting hole for the bracket is slotted, and the switch was adjusted so the trunk hinge arm makes/breaks contact with the arm on the switch. Wiring for this and the cubby switch was landed on the terminal block (just out of frame to the left of the hinge).
98154 98155 98156 98157


https://youtu.be/c0Jr2jeT_wU

[Fixit]

Received my replacement voltage inverter from SpeedHut today. I was wiped out from work today, but couldn't resist installing it and checking it out


https://youtu.be/9f-CINA1xT4

[Fixit]

(Since I had the cell-camera out, and was editing video anyway, I decided to shoot a bit about the front LED lamps I chose to run. I was going to clean up a little, and "produce" a more structured movie, but nahhhh! The shop's usually a mess, I'm usually a mess, and that's my story and I'm sticking to it!)

I purchased the clear front lenses via Roger's Motors (https://jollyrogersmotors.com/store/p/770-Lucas-L539-Clear-Lens-Rim-Pair-New.html), and the LED switchbacks from SuperBrightLED (https://www.superbrightleds.com/moreinfo/tail-brake-turn/1157-switchback-led-bulb-dual-function-60-smd-led-tower-a-type-bay15d-retrofit-car/1915/4479/)

I've had this type of LED lamp in the front of my '13 F-150 for years, and I really like them. They serve like Daytime Running Lights (DRL) whenever the vehicle's "on", and automatically flip to amber on a turn signal or hazards condition.
They do require an ignition switched +12v source, which can be tapped into the main front harness parking light wire (before it splits L & R). It is imperative that "blocking" diodes be installed on the source and parking light wire(s) to prevent a backfeed to the rear taillights and other ignition switched circuits.


https://youtu.be/vFsGG4739vU

[Straversi]

That’s a nice feature. Very cool.
-Steve

[Fixit]

Well I bit the bullet, and after triple checking that I'd not have to do anything "major" under the car I rigged up the crane & floor jack and took #9365 down off the dolly!

98818

I only had to raise it about 1" to clear the "saddles" in the uprights, and slide the dolly out sideways. Then a little bit front, rear, repeat and it's on the wheels.

98819

IT IS SO WEIRD TO HAVE IT DOWN NEAR RIDE-HEIGHT!

Since July it's been about 20" off the ground while getting it to this stage, and now it actually is looking like a vehicle, not a project on a stand.

98820 98821

Now to get Mr. Wile E. Coyote off his dolly, and into the chassis (maybe ACME tools can help?)

[PeteMeindl]

Congrats, John! That's great news. Yeah, i can only imagine how weird it must be to have the car down low. Sometimes i feel like i'm working on what's going to be a jeep since it's always lifted up off the ground on the dolly. Nice going!

[Boydster]

Yay!! The first time mine hit the ground, I was surprised at how low and little it looked. And the suspension was still too high. Congrats and keep on trucking....

[Fixit]

Only 1 minor mishap...
I get it down on the ground, and try and roll it a few feet. It moves about 6", and there's this "jerk/stop" then it moves. Then another foot, and "jerk/stop" move. WTH?? And now it rolls freely.

As it was rolling I heard two clunks as something hit the floor.

Both rear wheel weight balance strips got sheared off by the calipers - they were stuck on in an "interference" area of the wheel!

[Fixit]

Got home from work, had dinner, and decided to jig up the engine on the chains/leveler to get ready for a thrash session tomorrow.
After a couple of up & down sessions off the dolly to get the chains set right I decided "why not".

Believe it or not this was one of the EASIEST engine/trans combinations to slide into place! Literally no cussing involved, and nothing scuffed up or damaged - just a slow-dance between lowering, tilting, easing in, repeat... total time was less than an hour.

98990989919899298993989949899598996989979899999003

The only item that wound up being a clearance "issue" going in was (of all things) the side drain plug on the pan. I had to remove it for the oil pan to snuggle past the motor mount risers on the frame.

[Jeff Kleiner]

Yep, that's how it's supposed to work :)

Jeff

[BadAsp427]

Wow, that's kinda how mine ended up in the hole. I still do not see how you guys get the headers on the DS with those... Looks great!!!

[cv2065]

Nice work John. Big milestone on the build! Hopefully I'll be there before Xmas break is over.

[PeteMeindl]

Awesome! Congrats, John - that's great news!

[Mark Eaton]

Very impressive

[Fixit]

Had another productive day in the 40 Watt Garage...

Mr. Wile E. Coyote is now bolted in, and locked down. Spent the next few hours finalizing everything from the bellhousing aft.
- The transmission "A-Frame" is in place
- Hydraulic line from the clutch master is on the slave, and the clutch system filled & bled.
- Driveshaft is installed
- Transmission is filled with nearly 3qts. of Mobil 1 Synth ATF
- Sat in the car and made lots of vroomvroom noises while rowing some gears!!

Questions for the group... I'm running the IRS rear axle.

The trans A-frame, mount adapter plate, and mount all went in "as spec'd" by FFR (meaning this on top of that, etc.). But as bolted in, my forward driveshaft yoke hit the bigazz 4" cross-tube on the frame. I had to fab up a 1/4" thick spacer plate to go under/between the mount and A-frame for spin clearance.
- I haven't checked driveline angles at all yet... I know there's going to be some shimming involved here.
- Is this common?
- What's a typical amount?

Clutch
I'm using Forte's hydraulic setup. Again, this is 3 minutes into the install... no adjustments yet.
- Surprised at the effort needed for a "juice" clutch... reminds me of a mechanical.

[edwardb]

My Coyote/TKO/IRS Roadster build needed a 3/4-inch spacer to raise the transmission tailshaft over the 4-inch tube and to the proper pinion angle. A spacer is normal for a TKO. You'll see it described in nearly every build thread. Not sure why it isn't mentioned in the instructions.

Lots of variables that contribute to clutch effort. I've had both cable and hydraulic in these builds. Can't say that I've noticed a huge difference in effort of hydraulic over a well routed and quality cable setup. There are other advantages and I prefer hydraulic. But it's still a pretty good push.

[Railroad]

Just as a precaution, I would plumb in the hyd clutch and make sure the fork does not have any interference through its range of motion. My pivot bolt was the wrong length and I had to pull the trans to correct. It can be done, but pulling the engine/trans combo might be a better option, if you have to make any corrections.
You will need someone to look inside the bell housing to make sure the fork does not contact the pressure plate. I could not adjust it to clear with the external adjustments and would not consider putting a stop under the clutch pedal travel.

[Fixit]

Looks like today is going to be setting/correcting pinion, output shaft, and driveshaft angles....

After a 1/2 hour Search & Rescue I found my angle finder in the wrong drawer, and can begin.
My initial check shows that the pinion flange is about 1 deg "down", and with the IRS this is a locked setting. The trans output shaft has to go "up" a considerable amount - like about 3/4"+ (spacer) - to get it near zero, let alone to + 1 deg. to null the angles.

I'm thinking about locking the trans at zero. Driveline torque will bring the pinion angle to near zero under load... Thoughts??

[Fixit]

My Coyote/TKO/IRS Roadster build needed a 3/4-inch spacer to raise the transmission tailshaft over the 4-inch tube and to the proper pinion angle.

Update:
Spent most of the day messing with this. Remember the scene from "Apollo 13", when the news guy is describing the miniscule angle of reentry with the basketball?? That's kinda how I felt until the brain kicked in and remembered a few things...

- I bolted the engine in with the FFR supplied 1/2" spacers in both motor mounts. So add 1/2" height and whatever angle/degrees that adds/alters in relation to the trans mount.
- FFR does not supply any "spacers" for the trans mount. Only the 1/4" thick adapter plate to go from the Tremec to the mount alters the relationship.
- The IRS center section is locked in a fixed position. It's going to be at the angle that the mounting points are jigged and welded to.

Add all these things up and to "null out" the 1/2 (zero) degree down of the IRS input flange, I ultimately needed a 1-1/2" spacer between the A-Frame and the transmission mount.
This drove me nuts, as it seems to be a large amount... but the angle gauge doesn't lie, and I had my wife come out and verify - without prompting - just explaining what to measure and why - and she came up with the same numbers.

None the less everything's locked down, and just "looks" right.

990969909899097

As it turned out I had a chunk of 1-1/2" square tubing in the scrap box from another project. Some layout, drill, and paint and done.

[edwardb]

I've never heard of adding a 1-1/2 inch spacer. Haven't seen it in my builds, the several I've helped with, or any of the many build threads I've followed. That's a lot. I'm assuming your shifter isn't hitting the underside of the cross-braces in the tunnel? But I'll bet it's close. The 1/4-inch plate at the transmission mount is unique to the Coyote installation. Due to the shorter and more forward location of the Coyote block. The 1/2-inch spacers in the motor mounts, again a Coyote thing, affects things a little. But not that much. Having the final pinion angle exactly at zero isn't necessarily a good thing. The U-joints are made to swing a little and a 1/2 - 1 degree offset is considered desirable. Not to offset how a solid axle diff tries to rotate upward during launch, since the IRS diff is fixed as you already pointed out. But it's apparently better for the bearings. My IRS build, with the exact parts as you are using, has the added plate, 1/2-inch engine mount spacers, and a 3/4-inch transmission spacer. Pinion angle is just under 1 degrees and is glass smooth through two seasons of driving.

[Fixit]

This has been "nagging" at me all day... and one of the things that flashed to mind was to recheck the static level of the frame/chassis.
If the frame isn't level to the world fore & aft, the fixed location of the IRS will mirror this error, and add this error factor to the pinion flange angle... making me compensate with a overly large spacer.

[BadAsp427]

Yes, you are exactly correct, sort of... It is all the relationship between the two ends of the drive shaft... It could be straight vertical... as long as the angle between the two is within the desired specs. FYI, I have the same build as EdwardB (Paul) with my 20th Anniversary build... I had to put in right at 3/4" of spacer to bring my tail shaft up. Of course I'm not running the Coyote, but from what I can see I had the same correction to make. I did not get all fancy with a custom made spacer, just used a stack of grade 8 washers on the two bolts going between the "A" frame and the trans. And as Paul noted, you do not want it to be dead on 0* as this will not allow the bearings to rotate at all. A very slight angle is preferred.

CHECK THIS OUT (https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/showthread.php?22594-Driveline-Setup-(aka-Pinion-Angle))

[edwardb]

This has been "nagging" at me all day... and one of the things that flashed to mind was to recheck the static level of the frame/chassis.
If the frame isn't level to the world fore & aft, the fixed location of the IRS will mirror this error, and add this error factor to the pinion flange angle... making me compensate with a overly large spacer.

This is discussed on here a lot. There are a lot of "recipes" out there for measuring pinion angle. Google "pinion angle" and be prepared for a lot of reading, and a lot of different suggestions. For these builds, keep it simple. Measure the relative difference between the engine and the diff. Chassis can be whatever. I typically put an electronic angle gauge on the crankshaft balancer and measure how far from vertical. Then measure the diff. Easy with the driveshaft off across the pinion flange. Then calculate the relative difference. With a 3/4-inch spacer, mine came out 1 degree difference, e.g. engine down 1 degree more than diff pointed up. Other factors, such as driveshaft angle, working angles, etc. are well within desired limits.


Yes, you are exactly correct, sort of... It is all the relationship between the two ends of the drive shaft...

:confused: See above. As I said, this is discussed a lot. What I'm describing has been discussed and recommended on these forums as long as I've been around, and has worked well for me on my builds.

[Fixit]

I'm going to go over all of this again after dinner tonight, and find the answer.
- I have measuring from the pinion flange (driveshaft off)
- I have been measuring from both the crank and water pump pulley flats

I still think it's because the frame isn't level, which means the IRS diff isn't level, and I'm neglecting to subtract this added angle from the readings off the pinion & crank pulley flanges. This isn't brain science or rocket surgery, it's reading a dial on a pendulum... I'm missing something simple.

[Jeff Kleiner]

I still think it's because the frame isn't level, which means the IRS diff isn't level, and I'm neglecting to subtract this added angle from the readings off the pinion & crank pulley flanges.

The frame doesn't have to be level John; for all that matters you can measure pinion angle with the car hanging from a tree with it's nose down (or up, it won't matter) ;)

For some reason talks of pinion angle often seen to treat it as if it's some black art or voodoo but it's really quite simple---when we speak of pinion angle we are referring to the pinion shaft relative to the transmission's output shaft.
Don't get caught up or confused on any thoughts of horizontal. Think of it this way; when looking at the car from the side if you were to project one line from the transmission output forward and another line from the pinion shaft forward with your pinion angle at zero they would be parallel. If you put any angle to the pinion the two lines would no longer be parallel and would get farther apart as they go forward. If the pinion were to be angled UP (relative to the trans) it's line would go upward above the output line; if it were angled DOWN the pinion line would angle down. Below is what we're after. Clear as mud?

My method for ease of measurement:
For a live axle set ride height then put the car on jackstands so that the axle is loaded---obviously this does not come into play with an IRS car. We don't care if the frame is dead nuts level; we're only going to look at the difference between output shaft & pinion. We know that the crankshaft and trans output shaft are parallel therefore the face of the damper/ crank pulley is perpendicular to the output. We also know that the pinion flange face is perpendicular to the pinion. See where I'm heading? For me it is easier to get a good measurement with the magnetic angle finder by reading vertically on the crank pulley/ damper and pinion flange rather than trying to work with the horizontal shafts themselves. Once you can see the two angles you can then calculate the difference. Generally with these cars we want the pinion down ~1-2 degrees (once again, meaning the input is pointing down in relation to the transmission output shaft). Reason being is so that when the axle/differential tries to rotate it's input upward under acceleration the pinion angle becomes less. This rotation is greatly reduced with the fixed diff of an IRS car, especially when the differential in an IRS car and virtually eliminated if it is installed with solid or poly bushings vs. rubber.

Hope that makes sense and helps!

Jeff

[Fixit]

I've got this dyslexia thing where I can't "flip/visualize" things in my head... I have to make notes or sketches to "see things like this. I now realize that the frame level makes no difference, as the induced angle will effect both items being measured.
I bought a new angle gauge today, my other one was sticking. We'll have some answers soon

[BadAsp427]

I bet when you are all done, you'll have about 3/4" (+/- 1/8") of spacer raising the rear of your transmission... Then it will all make total sense...

[Fixit]

Then it will all make total sense...
There's never been a problem with the concept of the angles, or the theory & practice of U-joints, drive, and driven members.

The old rule of "Test Your Test Equipment" hails true yet again. Don't trust/use wonky measuring devices.
My gut just told me something was wrong, and it wouldn't let that dog sleep.

New angle gauge netted 1deg up on the pinion flange and with the 1-1/2 spacer in place, dead nuts zero on the engine.
(Not too crazy about being "up" on the pinion, but it ain't going anywhere with poly bushings, and I can't do anything about it)

I cut a piece of material to 3/4" and slid it under the trans mount and re-measured... 1-1/2 degs down - gives me an acceptable .5 deg difference, and a shaft angle within tolerance.(Wouldn't you know...)

Didn't have any 3/4" square tube around, so I sliced up the other spacer into 3/4" chunks, a quick braze job, a blast in the cabinet, some paint and NOW it's done. In the car. DONE. This dog can sleep tonight.
99170

[BadAsp427]

Awesome!!!

[Fixit]

Spent several hours out in the "40 Watt" today doing some wiring and plumbing on the Coyote. Stripped out a few un-needed Ford wires, shortened and dressed up a few other looms (not the O2 wires...) and sorted out the PCV & vacuum plumbing.

Ordered some fittings for the fuel lines and PCV, and hopefully Santa will bring some stuff for the heater plumbing.

[Fixit]

One of the things that really frosts my nuggets is being held hostage to proprietary tools or parts... special tool XYZ123x9 is needed for this, etc. I suppose I should be used to it, as I own another black hole you throw money into - a boat with a Mercruiser I/O drive.

Just spent awhile surfing around and ordered the "Ford Only" hoses for the coolant expansion tank. Dropped $125+ for a few feet of rubber hose with some bends molded in, and a checkvalve in one of them.

Why aren't these available in the aftermarket yet? Looking at the fitment charts they work on about a zillion Ford cars, and I'd think by now you might need a few in collision repair or maintenance.

[aquillen]

I'm running an 818 build but occasional read other builds for fun and enlightenment. I noticed up above (#206) on your relay wiring, you tied a Bosch style relay pins 85 to + and 86 to -. This will work for the relays that do not have a built in diode. But if you grab and drop in one with a diode (could happen some day if you weren't watching for this), the diode will fry...

Pulled from an info source I trust (and relays with a diode usually have the pinout and diode legend on the outside of the cube):

According to DIN 72552 the coil should be fed with +12V to terminal 86 and grounded via terminal 85, however in practice it makes no difference which way around they are wired, unless you are using a relay with an integrated diode.

[Fixit]

According to DIN 72552 the coil should be fed with +12V to terminal 86 and grounded via terminal 85, however in practice it makes no difference which way around they are wired, unless you are using a relay with an integrated diode.

Good info... I will update my drawings and reference data!

[Fixit]

Question for Edwardb or someone who's done the molded hose/stainless pipe mod for the lower radiator hose...

How long do the "legs" of the SS elbow need to be from the bend? I may already have a source for this, but I don't know if it'll be long enough, and I don't want to order the suggested.

[edwardb]

Question for Edwardb or someone who's done the molded hose/stainless pipe mod for the lower radiator hose...

How long do the "legs" of the SS elbow need to be from the bend? I may already have a source for this, but I don't know if it'll be long enough, and I don't want to order the suggested.

I assume you have the newer style radiator with the angled bottom radiator hose connection? My build was with the previous Afco Racing radiator with the straight lower hose connection. So pretty sure the layout would be different from mine.

[Fixit]

Yup, I've got the angled Inlet/Outlet...

As it turns out, the Ford supplied upper hose (came with the Performance Pack) fits beautifully. If it was 3/4" longer it would be PERFECT - but as supplied it has to stretch out just a tiny bit to slip on.
And again, the Ford supplied lower hose (installed backwards from the markings and cut) will line up nicely for a SS pipe/elbow under the X-brace to the Dodge V8 Ram hose off the engine.

I'm finalizing radiator mounting today, and will get some decent & detailed pics of this setup with the angled radiator connections.

[Fixit]

12/29 Update 1 of 3

I’ll always give credit where it’s due… my mounting system was inspired by the unit(s) offered by Breeze Automotive.
Upper Mount kit (https://www.breezeautomotive.com/shop/heavy-duty-hinged-radiator-shroud-mounting-kit/)
Lower Mount kit (https://www.breezeautomotive.com/shop/lower-radiator-support-kit/)
I’m also using the Breeze radiator shroud (https://www.breezeautomotive.com/shop/radiator-fan-shroud/), and incorporating its mounting with the radiator.

Materials:
3’ section of piano hinge
3’ stick of ½” aluminum “U” channel
3’ stick of 5/16” “All-Thread” rod
2) 1-1/2” x 3” x 1/8” aluminum flat/strip stock
10-32 “NutSerts”
5/16”, 8-32, and 10-32 fasteners as needed
Rattle-can Primer & Paint of your choice

Upper Mount Tips & Pointers:


The small ¾” tubes welded to the upper crossbar of the frame need to be removed.
I used a Dremel type tool with a cut-off wheel to cut the welds, and big channel locks to pry the pieces off.
An angle grinder was used to clean up the rest of the weld beads.
The piano hinge was cut to fit the radiator flange, taking into account using the factory holes, and aligning them to the FFR suggested 5/8” offset.
The 4 mounting points on the upper cross tube are 10-32 “NutSerts”
The 6 mounting points on the radiator flange are 8-32 screws, with serrated flange nuts.
The mounting points for the upper end of the shroud (not in photo) were drilled 3/16”. 8-32 screws, with serrated flange nuts are used to mount the shroud.
Measure twice, cut once.

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Lower Mount Tips & Pointers:


The “U” channel was clamped to the frame member and marked/cut for an exact fit to the outside of the ¾” frame tubes.
The elliptical hanger(s) lower holes are slots, for adjustment.
The radiator location is offset to the DS by 5/8”, as recommended by FFR
The shroud, radiator flange, and “U” channel were jigged up, and mounting holes drilled through all three for 8-32 threads, then disassembled.
The shroud & flange holes were opened up to 3/16” to allow for an 8-32 screw.
The “U” channel was tapped to 8-32, and machine screws used to mount the shroud to the “U”, sandwiching the flange.
Final length of the “all-thread” rod was determined after jigging up the assembly.


9975799758997599976099761

[Fixit]

12/29 Update 2 of 3

I chose to not use the FFR supplied SS flex hose for the radiator connections. I prefer the look of the molded rubber hoses, and a simple straight pipe section. #9365 is running a Coyote 5.0, and was shipped with the “newer” radiator that has an angled inlet and outlet.

Parts Used:
Upper Hose - (Shipped with Ford Performance Controls Pack)
Motorcraft # KM 5290 (https://parts.ford.com/shop/en/us/hose-radiator-7835711-1)
Ford # FR3Z-8260-C
Lower Hose - This will be made up from two molded hoses, with an elbow tube to connect them.

Engine end: (fitment is for a 1994 to 2001 Dodge Ram 1500/2500/3500 w/ V8)
NAPA # 8726 (https://www.napaonline.com/en/p/NBG8726)
Dayco # 71713
Radiator end - (Shipped with Ford Performance Controls Pack):
Ford # BR33-8286-BA (https://parts.ford.com/shop/en/us/hose-radiator-7840639-1#partMatched)
Motorcraft # KM5136
(These numbers do not want to cross-over to any aftermarket vendor, Gates/NAPA/Dayco, etc.)
Connector Pipe:
What’s needed is a 1-1/2” O.D., 90deg bend, with at least one of the straight legs 12” long. The other leg can be as short as 2” long. You can get creative, or…
Jegs # 679-MB1040 (https://www.jegs.com/i/MBRP/679/MB1040/10002/-1)

(I’ll tag a disclaimer on here as it’s up to you to determine the fitment & parts will work, and assume you’ll be offsetting the radiator the FFR recommended 5/8” to the Driver’s Side)

Upper Hose:
No modification needed. The supplied hose is nearly a perfect fit – if it was ½” longer it would be perfect. A little stretch and it works.
Lower Hose Engine End:
I can’t stress the old rule of “Measure Twice, Cut Once”…
Fit the hose on the engine nipple, and mark where it intersects the frame member.
In my instance it wound up being about 7” down from the inside of the molded 90. (near a slight kink in the straight section). Cut here.
9976399762

Lower Hose Radiator End:
The hose works when installed backwards.
Trim off about 1” from the end marked “ENG”.
From the “ENG” end, at the last bit of straight section (towards the end marked “RAD”), cut off the remainder.
Fit the hose on the radiator nipple.
Connector Pipe:
Jig up/fit the pipe and measure where the hoses end. Mark the hard pipe.


Allow for at least 1” engagement into the rubber hoses. More is better.
Cut the hard pipe
Test fit

9976499765

Attachment to the frame member(s) is up to you. There’s a myriad of clamps or brackets, or make your own.

[Fixit]

12/29 Update 3 of 3

While waiting for the paint to dry on the radiator mounting pieces, I tackled a few “odd n ends” in the engine compartment.

Fuel System:
I’m not using the supplied FFR regulator assembly. My engine kit from Forte’s included the GM bypass/regulator fuel filter system. The supplied 3/8” pressure line made it to the center of the firewall. I needed a way to get it to the engine fuel rail.
Parts:
Summit SUM-221330B (https://www.summitracing.com/parts/sum-221330b) (3/8”M quick connect to AN-6)
Russell 640730 (https://www.summitracing.com/parts/rus-640730) (3/8”M quick connect to 3/8”F quick connect w/ 1/8” NPT port)
(FFR Coyote Install kit) 30” 3/8” quick connect to AN-6 braided hose
(FFR Coyote Install kit) Fuel Pressure gauge


I made up a support bracket from some aluminum angle for the line coming up from the frame
I disassembled one end of the FFR hose assembly and shortened it about 6”.
Using some Teflon tape, thread the pressure gauge into the fuel rail port.
Snap on the quick connect fittings and it’s done.

997699976899767

Brake/Clutch Reservoir:
I reworked my original mounting bracket for the Tilton 3-chamber reservoir (https://www.summitracing.com/parts/til-72-576). It was too high, and didn’t have any offset for the hood prop strut to fold into.
99770997719977299773
99856 99857
(a previous post details cutting off the hose nipples and threading in 1/8" NPT to 1/4" hose barb 90deg fittings (https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/showthread.php?27544-The-40-Watt-Garage-9365-Coyote-Plumbing&p=335575&viewfull=1#post335575))

Engine Vacuum & PCV:
I got a fitting kit from JLT Performance (https://www.jlttruecoldair.com/factory-five-coyote-swap-intake-fittings/). It includes the needed quick-connects for the cam vacuum solenoids and the Driver’s side PCV hose.
Using a Uni-bit, I drilled a hole in the Spectre intake elbow, installed the grommet with some sealant, and connected the hose with the quick-connect adapter.
The molded hard hose (Ford Piece) was about 1/2" too short "at rest". You can pull it to fit, but this puts tension on the connections.
I slit the foam cover (along the bottom) with a razor blade, removed it, and clicked the hose into place. With very careful use of the heat gun I was able to "relax" the hard plastic hose to where there was no tension. The foam cover was put back on and held with ty-raps.

9977499775

For the vacuum solenoids, a 3/8” quick connect to hose barb fitting (JLT) was used at the stub-end near the intake inlet, a 3/8”- 3/8” hose barb 90 (JLT), and a ½” to 3/8” 90deg. hose barb fitting (hardware store) at the port behind the throttle body.
99776

As I was writing this up, my full-bypass heater control valve showed up… more to come.

[Bayfunktionkev]

For the vacuum solenoids is there a reason why you plumed it behind the throttle body? I have mine connected to a nipple on the intake pipe elbow.

[Fixit]

See the attached vacuum system diagram from Ford... I highlighted the vacuum path in blue.
According to this diagram the CMCV motors get post-throttle body vacuum via a pipe system (that we don't have).

Since we don't have the pipe system, I connected the CMCV motor vacuum feed to where it ultimately does wind up.

99806

This vacuum system/supply for the Gen 2 Coyote has been tossed around and around, and via my searching (here and other sources) this seemed to be the last update or reiteration.

[Fixit]

Update 12/30

Mrs. Fixit went to do some damage at "Mall of America" with a friend, and left me to my own devices this afternoon... so more time in the "40 Watt".

Full Bypass Heater Control Valve

Running a Coyote with a heater requires the use of a “full bypass” heater control valve.
The coolant flow (through the heater on a Coyote-equipped Ford vehicle) includes a crossover path from cylinder head to cylinder head in its design, and this is why when installing this engine without a heater, they require a “crossover” hose be installed on the ports from head to head.
A typical heater control valve just shuts off the coolant flow through the heater core – deadheading the coolant flow from supply to return. Not good – eliminates the “crossover” needed by the Coyote.
Living in MN with a “thermally challenged” spouse required a heater be installed in #9365. This will detail what I came up with to supply the heater kit.

Parts:


1) Old Air Products 25-1018 (https://www.oldairproducts.com/product/25-1018-bypass-heater-valve-pull-to-open) “pull to open” bypass valve
5ft. 5/8” generic heater hose
2) 5/8” molded 90deg heater bypass hoses

NAPA NBH9807 (https://www.napaonline.com/en/p/NBG9807)
Dayco 80400


8) Gates “Powergrip” heat-shrink hose clamps (https://www.gates.com/ymm/search/part/details?part-number=32925)

NAPA NBH42925 (https://www.napaonline.com/en/p/NBG42925)


The two 5/8” quick connects from the Controls Pack
Some scrap aluminum sheet, misc hardware.


I wanted everything to be tucked up nice & neat under the engine cover.
The supplied aluminum elbows in the FFR/Vintage Air heater kit somewhat influenced my choice on mounting, as well as the length & bend radius of the control cable. The corner of the PS valve cover just worked.

With the aluminum 90’s in place, and the control valve laying kinda where it needs to go, I got a visual on how much to trim off the hoses and the tubes. Measure twice, cut once. There’s a lot of “fudge” room here for trimming, so be generous on your initial measurements.
Using a tubing cutter I trimmed off the ends of the aluminum tubes & deburred them. I wanted a way to put some kind of “bell” on the end, but my flare tool wouldn’t go big enough. I found a socket with a nice flare to it, put it in the end of the tube, and gave it a few smacks with a hammer. The soft aluminum “bell’d out” just nice, and gave a lip for the hose to seal on.
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A little playing around/trimming with the hose elbows got the control valve laying where it needed to be.
9981499815

[Fixit]

Next was fitting the supply/return hoses. Working with the natural curve/set of the hose, I marked and cut to fit the supply/return hoses. (the shrink clamps are not set). The ty-raps are to hold the hoses in relative location.
9981899817

This is what I was after… nice clean install
9981999820

I made up a mounting bracket from some scrap, and attached it to one of the unused studs on the intake. It locks the hoses in position, and in combination with the aluminum elbows the control valve doesn’t move during actuation, but has some “give” for engine movement.
99821998229982399824

[Cruzzz]

Great work John! I really appreciate the time you have taken to include part numbers and links. Originally I was going to go with a 347 carb’d because the traditional look and what I am familiar with. Based on recommendations from many and your build detail (among others). I think I’m going to switch to a Coyote.

I don’t think I have read where you put the hard fuel lines in yet, correct?