View Full Version : Jman's aka "Sandman" MK4 Build Thread - Houston TX
I figured I should probably join the build thread party that this forum is, since I've already learned so much from it.
The plan is a MK4 Roadster with a Carbed 302, T-5Z and IRS. This MK4 will not have a hood scoop or roll bar and I'm still on the fence about the exhaust.
MK4 Base Kit ordered 2/17/2018 with a completion date of 4/21/2018 - arrived 5/15/2018:
Base Kit with:
Powder Coated Chassis
No body cut-outs
'15 IRS with Torsen 3.73 Differential
FFR Front tubular control arms
FFR Spindles
Wilwood Disc Brakes Front & Rear
FFR manual steering rack
FFR front & rear swaybars
Roadster Cooling Systen
Wilwood Pedal Box
Chassis Wiring Harness
Ultra-lite gauges
The engine & trans will be sourced from my 1969 Mustang Convertible, as it will go under a complete overhaul once the FFR project is complete and will receive a twin turbo Coyote motor:
302 seasoned roller block, bored to 306 with 12:1 CR
"Cam" of questionable specs
DART II iron heads
Victor Jr intake
Holley 650 Aluminum HP double pumper
T-5Z trans
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6BfkR71E6dA&t=68s
I am a non-conformist and I genuinely enjoy seeing vehicles that are "a little bit different", so I will probably be building my FFR a little outside the box, and the plan may take a few turns as the build progresses.
My build will not go as fast as some others as I am still holding down a full-time (plus) job, full time marriage and full time handyman on our fixer-upper home, currently remodeling a gym addition by myself, so I will post updates as they occur, however they will never be as fast as I want them to be.
Before my kit was delivered, this showed up first:
2017 Mustang Gt Performance Pack IRS with 14K miles:
3.73 Torsen Differential
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I honestly got a bit excited... I currently have 2 sets of wheels for my 2015 Mustang GT and I promised myself that I would wait until the FFR was ready for Go-Kart before I bought wheels for it, since I have rollers to use until then. However my wife picked these out:
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And then it finally happened. Stewart transport had warned me of a 21 day delay and as I followed up with them 2 weeks after my build date, I got a call monday night from the driver saying he would be there the next afternoon! Our neighborhood was a bit sketchy for the truck to get decently close to the house, so he delivered to my office (only 4 miles away):
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With help from my wife, we unloaded all of the boxes and introduced the newest member of our family to her sisters in the garage:
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My wife, being the amazingly patient woman she is, suggested we take all of the boxes of parts inside the house for the inventory process:
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Teddy (our cat) looks on with mild amusement...
John Ibele
05-18-2018, 03:39 PM
Well...SOMEBODY's got to be the first to respond to your build thread progress. Welcome to the adventure and congratulation on the receipt of your kit! And, your roadster sure has got some fine company in the garage - nice!
You look like this is not new stuff to you, but if not you can see what folks have to say about the value of doing thorough inventory. Well worthwhile, and kinda fun going through every box and seeing what's where. Its actually part of the process of getting your arms around this big project. My son and I went down to counting every bolt, nut and washer so we knew quantities were exactly right. Copies of the inventory sheets in a 3 ring binder, copies posted on the front of each box, and photos of each sheet in your phone are all handy in different ways, and some subset of those options is required in order to keep everything straight, and keeping the parts count in your 'where did this come from' box to a minimum.
I've got an older kit that initially saw very slow progress, but is getting more attention these days. Family, work, honey-do list all got priority, as they should, but quality time in the garage is easier to come by now. Don't worry about the build pace - actually, if you enjoy the process at all, you'll enjoy the detours that make your car unique.
Looking forward to updates!
Cheers,
-- John
Boydster
05-18-2018, 04:01 PM
Nice toy box. Congrats on the purchase, waiting and delivery. Build time is fun... take your time and enjoy.
WIS89
05-19-2018, 06:59 AM
Sandman-
Congratulations on your delivery! I have some serious garage envy though! Your stable mates are pretty terrific, and I am sure you will enjoy getting the newest ready to join the rest.
Welcome to the forum, and to a pretty solid group of folks that have helped me more than I can share! Don't be afraid to ask questions, or to ask for help over a stumbling block. I assure you that there are some very talented people who will jump in to help steer you through!
Best of luck as you get started, and I will look forward to seeing your progress!
Regards,
Steve
So... 3 months later and I finally was able to free up some time to even look at my kit. My dad visited for the weekend (rode his goldwing from Virginia to Houston!). My wife suggested we get started on it. So, we took a day and built a body buck and removed the body and stored it under Sheila (the convertible). Sheila is providing the motor & trans, so she will not be lowered until time to pull the driveline. My garage is insulated, so the ceiling height is lower than most and they would only fit if Sheila's top was down and I had to push ever so slightly down on the body to squeeze it under the side of the lift. I decided to simply put the chassis on stands for now as I have plenty of room to work around it without having to move it. I debated about building a chassis "cart" like I've seen some others do, however I shouldn't need to move it until it is a roller. Pulling the body off has surely lit a fire and I can't stop thinking about tackling the next step!
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Was able to spend a few hours over Labor Day weekend to work on the project. I started to read ahead to see what was coming up so I could prep some of the painted parts etc...
I cleaned and prepped the super 8.8 with POR-15:
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I removed all of the aluminum panels and prepped & clear coated the 2 front panels. Instead of powder coating everything, I simply scuffed (in one direction) and rattle-canned clear coat on the panels. Turned out decent, so this is most likely what I will do for most all the panels. I really like the aluminum look, but wanted to protect from oxidation over time.
I worked fairly quickly through the front suspension and ended up like this in a couple hours or so:
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There were only 2 things I noticed and had questions about:
First is the mis-matched colored wheel studs on the hubs I got from FFR:
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While the part numbers match, and they are identical in every way, one set of studs are black and the other is silver. I will probably swap these out for some ARP gold studs like I have on my other vehicles as this little detail will drive me insane.
The other question I had was about the second set of holes above the upper coil-over mount. The manual shows the chassis without these holes and other builds on the forum show the MK4 chassis without these holes, but some that have these holes. Just curious what these could be used for at this point.
Sigurd
09-06-2018, 11:10 AM
The other question I had was about the second set of holes above the upper coil-over mount. The manual shows the chassis without these holes and other builds on the forum show the MK4 chassis without these holes, but some that have these holes. Just curious what these could be used for at this point.
The upper holes are for for lowered, as in racing, cars
The upper holes are for for lowered, as in racing, cars
That's what I had thought, however the body of the shock doesn't quite fit in between the "C" section in order to reach the upper set of holes. I didn't try very hard though. Now that you've said that, I will be trying to use these mounting holes to get the lowest stance possible. I like them low! :)
Wow, didn't realize it's been a year since I lasted updated this. I've taken hundreds of photos, but I've failed to update this thread... Big news from last weekend though, first start!
https://youtu.be/l1kStd8ZFG4
Here is a little video after the timing is set, 2nd heat cycle and the cam broken in:
https://youtu.be/3eV8OrSOJ4U
Straversi
09-16-2019, 03:49 PM
Congratulations. Looks and sounds great.
-Steve
cv2065
09-16-2019, 05:25 PM
Looks and sounds great JMAN! Love the blacked out wheels. I did the same....:cool:
Getting some small details worked out in preparation for Body work:
I read about the side louvers and how difficult they can be to get right. I thought through it and made a "clamp" for the top and bottom. I used some scrap wood and screwed 2 flat boards to another piece of 2x8 which gave me a solid base to bend the flaps to. I used a straight edge to ensure all were on the same angle. Turned out pretty good... ready to coat.
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One of 2 creature comforts I will add... Cup holders! Next to fabricate an aluminum panel cover for the original shifter hole since I'm running a mid-shift on the TKO600.
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Well, honestly, I've put about 50 miles on her now, but I'm not very good at updating this build thread obviously... Here's a couple little vids of the first drive:
https://youtu.be/kPK89IgWJ0g
https://youtu.be/9nHtXnL8FJU
Continuing on the process towards Body work... wrapped the dash in marine gradde vinyl from Jo-anns. I read a lot about this from some of the experts on here and decided to peel the foam from the FFR vinyl cover and using 3M90 adhesive, I glued the foam to the dash and trimmed the holes. Then I glued the marine grade vinyl to the foam. the marine vinyl has a better texture and feels much more high quality. Hopefully should last awhile.
Marine vinyl (TOP) vs. FFR
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I picked up some 1.25" plumbing pipe from a sink repair kit from home depot. This fit perfectly inside the back of the steering wheel. It was chrome, so I scuffed it up to match the brushed aluminum. Paired it with a wall bezel from the same sink repair aisle and painted it black. Turned out decent IMO.
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This was done awhile back, but I never updated my build thread. Here was how I modified the trans tunnel to accept the mid-shift kit. I used a jigsaw to remove the diagonal cross bar and relocated it back far enough to allow clearance for the Pro-5.0 shifter. I removed the powder coat to weld and sealed all metal with POR-15.
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In order to give myself flexibility for future upgrades to the fuel system (should I ever upgrade the motor of go EFI) I went with SS braided PTFE line. -6 AN from pump to pick up. Since I am running a mechanical pump, I chose to run the fuel line along side the brake line on the drivers side.
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I'm particularly happy with how the engine compartment turned out. I tried to keep it clean and simple. No wires in the fire wall and minimal wires visible in the engine comp. I will be getting a new air cleaner and rocker covers once I get the body on and see how much clearance I have from Carb to hood. I used to run a 1" carb spacer on this motor, but removed it in anticipation of not enough room and I'm not running a hood scoop.
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Straversi
02-20-2020, 12:52 PM
Beautiful
-Steve
Looks great, glad your making headway on your build!
Walt
BadAsp427
02-29-2020, 12:02 AM
Well, honestly, I've put about 50 miles on her now, but I'm not very good at updating this build thread obviously... Here's a couple little vids of the first drive:
https://youtu.be/kPK89IgWJ0g
https://youtu.be/9nHtXnL8FJU
Your build is coming along really well. That engine sounds very healthy.... and looks great in the engine bay... nice job... Oh, by the way, your HOA said it was time to take down the Christmas lights....