GTBradley's build - how far will a Coyote go w/no rad. cap?

[460.465USMC]

After giving it a lot of thought and getting quotes that ranged from $550 to $3000 to powder coat all the panels I've decided to go the JKleiner route. My panels will be natural with the visible ones cleaned, scored and treated with clear enamel.

Hello GTBradley,

Enjoying your thread! I will be doing pretty much the same build, also with Coyote/TKO600 from Forte--though I wasn't able to score free shipping [bummer!]. Regarding your choice for treating the panels, you mentioned doing the Kleiner method. I like the finished look of what you did. I'm not too excited about the $$ for PC option, so think I'm settled on following what you did. Do you have a link or info. to share on how you "prepped" the panels before applying the Duplicolor? Also, did you use two coats of the gloss clear w/ceramic? Thanks in advance for your advice.

[GTBradley]

I don't remember Where I saw it, but it was one of the first posts that I saw by Jeff Kliener. The technique is pretty simple but requires some labor. Basically, you just rub the panel down with scotch brite and acetone in the direction you want the grain to show. You’ll be able to tell when you’re done when the marks in the panel that you don't want are gone. Use some heavy-duty rubber gloves and this will help keep the finger prints out until you can get a clear coat on it. I did do two coats of the clear.

[GTBradley]

Index added, see first page.

[460.465USMC]

...and five minutes later:

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=108311&d=1559611023

I honestly laughed out loud. Heartily! Very funny.

Enjoying your thread. Kind of did it backwards by watching your completion drive video, and now going back to the beginning to see where it all started. Great documentation. Very helpful, and I'm duly noting a number of tips, etc. Thanks!

[GTBradley]

I honestly laughed out loud. Heartily! Very funny.

Enjoying your thread. Kind of did it backwards by watching your completion drive video, and now going back to the beginning to see where it all started. Great documentation. Very helpful, and I'm duly noting a number of tips, etc. Thanks!
Whatever do you mean by funny?

Ha, seriously, I did that because I was certain no one would enjoy seeing me put together the instrument panel and there are so many others that did a great job of documenting those steps. In fact, that was my philosophy on the entire build thread - where I was able to contribute I did and otherwise I spared the reader the anguish.:rolleyes: Glad it’s helpful.

[CobraKan]

I want to let you know you have some great ideas for up grades like the fan speed controller etc. I would like to PM you to ask some questions if that would be ok.

[GTBradley]

No problem, any time. Are you in Kansas?

[CobraKan]

Yes I am in Kansas, Wichita. I was wondering who you used in KC to paint I have an apartment on the Plaza so it is a normal drive for me.
Would it be easier to PM. I am ordering the fan controller and stuff for cooling system, but where did you find the ducts for the front openings.
Thanks

[GTBradley]

I grew up near the Plaza, I may end up there again, you never know. I got the ducts for the air vents mod from Finish Line Accessories and Bart Jones is the painter in Grain Valley - good guy. I sent you a PM with details.

PS There is another builder I just helped a little in the Wichita area, you might want to connect - Dieter123.

[GTBradley]

Anybody know what this is?

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=137312&d=1604800251

[Papa]

I didn't save mine, but that looks a lot like what's left after building an amazing car.

[GTBradley]

1 pound, 1 once of rivet tails - I saved them all. After separating out the chaff, 10 ounces were steel and 7 ounces were aluminum.

And now they look like this:
137315

[TMartinLVNV]

Lol, very cool. Mask off the stripes and paint it the color of your car. Awesome paperweight.

[GTBradley]

Lol, very cool. Mask off the stripes and paint it the color of your car. Awesome paperweight. I was thinking of making a small plaque for the dash. But I could totally do that, because Evan and I melted down all the car scrap, including the cut off spindle ears.
137316

[PeteMeindl]

I was thinking of making a small plaque for the dash. But I could totally do that, because Evan and I melted down all the car scrap, including the cut off spindle ears.
137316

Ha! That is very cool Bradley. :) Very fun to see.

[AdamIsAdam]

I took a trip through Rocky Mountain National Park on Monday to celebrate the graduation of the car. I made a video of it and it came out pretty nice:



https://youtu.be/yEq-DZnCa0w

Nice video. I LOVE the mountains. I need to move!

Hey, is that some sort of hat tether you have? Ingenious! Does it work? I'm always afraid of losing my hat and wind up not wearing it. Did you say you were an RPI guy? Figures ;)

EDIT: Ordered myself up some hat tethers. Gotta love Amazon, and this forum! I have to read more build threads. Great info in here! Thanks for taking the time to document.

[GTBradley]

Yeah, the tethers are more piece of mind than anything. I did find a hat that fit better and don’t even use a tether with it. The baseball caps do get to rockin around when I pass semi trucks so the tether is a good idea with those.

Rpi? Raspberry pi? Yes, but I don’t know if that’s what you meant.

[GTBradley]

Just for fun I painted the old FFR pipes white and swapped out my polished Gas-Ns. I took it for a canyon drive today and I have to say, I like the sound, but they are definitely too loud. The white is kind of interesting - any input from the peanut gallery? And yes, the paint is coming off at the turn out. Stupidly, I used regular primer and high-temp paint over it...it didn’t even occur to me until I was done. No matter though, if I do it for real I’ll get ceramic.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=138734&d=1607127203

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=138735&d=1607127231

[AdamIsAdam]

This peanut gallery guy thinks you are the man for driving your beast on snowy roads!!!

Your car needs chrome/polished pipes to match your roll bar and wheels. White pipes only look good on Daytonas imo

[GTBradley]

This peanut gallery guy thinks you are the man for driving your beast on snowy roads!!!

Your car needs chrome/polished pipes to match your roll bar and wheels. White pipes only look good on Daytonas imo

No, no. No snowy roads for me, that was just a side road I stopped on, the canyon road was clear, mostly. In fact, it took 3 or 4 tries to get the roadster backed up that insignificant little hill 20 feet.

You sound like my wife on the white pipes issue, but you might be right. Thanks for the input.

[Papa]

No, no. No snowy roads for me, that was just a side road I stopped on, the canyon road was clear, mostly. In fact, it took 3 or 4 tries to get the roadster backed up that insignificant little hill 20 feet.

You sound like my wife on the white pipes issue, but you might be right. Thanks for the input.

When I had to drive to Castle Rock last January to do my VIN inspection it was just a couple of days after a pretty good snow. The main roads were mostly clear, but getting from the main road to the inspection facility; a couple of blocks away via snow packed (ice) covered asphalt was "interesting". I got mine out last Saturday for a bit. It was right at the temperature that I needed my heated seats to keep the chill off. This weekend is looking promising for another drive.

[GTBradley]

In aviation we didn’t refer to that kind of thing as interesting - it’s a “pucker factor” and given a number from one to ten. One being “well, this is new!” and ten being “OH SH!T!” I would call that trip of yours a pucker factor 6. Rather nerve wracking wasn’t it? I ended up on a snow covered canyon road last spring and it took me a mile of driving 5 mph to turn around.

Even today was nice, I had a jacket on but no seat heat, though the tonneau was on as was the heater.

[KDubU]

The white pipes don’t do it for me but each his own. I think they work if the whole colour combo is made for that as I have seen white pipes on a coupe and they looked good.

[GTBradley]

Agreed, I really like the way Ken Miles’ number 98 looks with dirty white pipes. The big white meatballs probably help.

[AdamIsAdam]

In the northeast, if there's even a prediction of snow, the SALT is laid down like crazy. Once that happens, the toys stay in the garage until a nice, heavy rain storm washes the roads. I gotta move!

[GTBradley]

In the northeast, if there's even a prediction of snow, the SALT is laid down like crazy. Once that happens, the toys stay in the garage until a nice, heavy rain storm washes the roads. I gotta move!
I remember that from my days in KC, dirty snow sticking around for a month too. You’d think we’d have the same problem here but the sun does most of the work.

[Jeff Kleiner]

... but getting from the main road to the inspection facility; a couple of blocks away via snow packed (ice) covered asphalt was "interesting"...

A couple of blocks? If you think that was interesting how about 45 miles in 5-6 inches! My late buddy, the great Wade Chamberlain did just that back about 2003 or so:

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=138764&d=1607192480

The story as he told it was that "late day flurries" were predicted but it looked good when he headed out for a lunchtime cruise. He stopped off at a little pub, got interested in a football game on the tube and one thing lead to another. By the time he left there was already snow on the ground and it was coming down HARD---and he was a long way from home! Wade was arguably the fastest Factory Five autocrosser in the country and logged hundreds if not thousands of miles in the rain but said that NOTHING was ever as hairy or terrifying as that drive home :eek:

I miss him...

Jeff

138764

[AdamIsAdam]

A couple of blocks? If you think that was interesting how about 45 miles in 5-6 inches! My late buddy, the great Wade Chamberlain did just that back about 2003 or so:

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=138764&d=1607192480

The story as he told it was that "late day flurries" were predicted but it looked good when he headed out for a lunchtime cruise. He stopped off at a little pub, got interested in a football game on the tube and one thing lead to another. By the time he left there was already snow on the ground and it was coming down HARD---and he was a long way from home! Wade was arguably the fastest Factory Five autocrosser in the country and logged hundreds if not thousands of miles in the rain but said that NOTHING was ever as hairy or terrifying as that drive home :eek:

I miss him...

Jeff

138764

Now that right there is balls! Thankfully he had all season tires. Radial T/A's are better than summer tires at least. I'm sure cleaning the snow from the seats as fun. And that drive after a few beers... Wow 🍻 LOL

[GTBradley]

And no top...that’s definitely a higher pucker factor.

[Jeff Kleiner]

And no top...that’s definitely a higher pucker factor.

I’m sure that being cold was not at the top of his concerns!

Jeff

[Al_C]

Agreed, I really like the way Ken Miles’ number 98 looks with dirty white pipes. The big white meatballs probably help.

Just my 2 cents: if you want to go with white pipes, you need meatballs. OK, I'll be quiet now.

[GTBradley]

Just my 2 cents: if you want to go with white pipes, you need meatballs. OK, I'll be quiet now.
That’s what I think, but then I’d have to come up with a number.

[Straversi]

Always thought this one was cool with Daytona style white pipes. Saw this at Grand National Roadster show back in, well, back when there were car shows.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=138876&d=1607362220

-Steve

[GTBradley]

That’s pretty cool Steve, I like the wheels too. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a white roll bar before.

[uggb123]

I have really enjoyed reading your build thread. Lots of informative tips to learn from.

You mentioned being on the fence about the fresh air vents and wishing you had done them prior to installing the body. I am also on the fence but have yet to do my bodywork so have the opportunity to do it now. The fact that you regretted not doing it along with the detailed description you provided makes it easy for me to go forward.

Two questions now that you have had chance to use them:
1. On a hot day, do you find that the air coming into the cabin is cooled?
2. More importantly, have you found that the flexible hose you purchased can handle the heat of the engine especially on the driver side where the headers and side pipes are probably very close to that hose?

Thanks
Glenn

[Scott Walker]

Thanks so much for your build thread. Lots of great information. Really appreciate it and loved the Video with John Denver!

[GTBradley]

I have really enjoyed reading your build thread. Lots of informative tips to learn from.

You mentioned being on the fence about the fresh air vents and wishing you had done them prior to installing the body. I am also on the fence but have yet to do my bodywork so have the opportunity to do it now. The fact that you regretted not doing it along with the detailed description you provided makes it easy for me to go forward.

Two questions now that you have had chance to use them:
1. On a hot day, do you find that the air coming into the cabin is cooled?
2. More importantly, have you found that the flexible hose you purchased can handle the heat of the engine especially on the driver side where the headers and side pipes are probably very close to that hose?

Thanks
Glenn
Thanks, Glenn, glad to hear it.

No, actually I don't find it to be cooled at all. It is minimal improvement when sitting still, but moving air is always preferable to still air when it's hot. While driving you don't need to run the fan and it does help cool the footwell. I suspect though, that the area the hose runs through in the wheel well and by the headers may be raising the temperature inside the hose just a little. Not sure what to do about that or if it's really happening at all. I'll do more investigation next summer. The hose is actually very capable of handling the heat and I'm glad I found it because it's a lot cheaper. One thing about this hose is it is clear with white wire rather than the original black with red or gray wire.

[GTBradley]

Thanks so much for your build thread. Lots of great information. Really appreciate it and loved the Video with John Denver!
Glad you enjoyed it. I'll do another video this summer as I hear that area of the park now has major burn scars and it'll be interesting to see the difference.

[GTBradley]

I recently had a spare trunk lid painted and Bart did my engine covers for me too. Though, I’ll be doing the white lettering myself. Has anyone done this? I’ll be using the Wimbledon white stripe paint and I’ve been told a small paint brush will work as the paint will spread out in the letter recesses. Any thoughts?
144195

[Papa]

I recent had a spare trunk lid painted and Bart did my engine covers for me too. Though, I’ll be doing the white lettering myself. Has anyone done this? I’ll be using the Wimbledon white stripe paint and I’ve been told a small paint brush will work as the paint will spread out in the letter recesses. Any thoughts?
144195

Bradley,

I've not done it, but have seen it done a few times. Be sure the paint is thinned enough to flow freely and use a good brush.

Dave

[AdamIsAdam]

They make film/decals for this. I did it on my GT350. I believe I got mine from Ben at https://www.bemarofilms.com/onlinestore They have lettering too but 1) it's a bit cluttered looking, and 2) I couldn't be bothered. LOL

144199

144200

[GTBradley]

Thanks Dave, that’s a good point about thinner.

I’m betting too, Adam that they don’t have it in Wimbledon white and it needs to match what is already there on the main cover. Nice idea though.

[Papa]

Thanks Dave, that’s a good point about thinner.

I’m betting too, Adam that the don’t have it in Wimbledon white and it needs to match what is already there.

Try this!


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MSVHkXvSFH0

[Papa]

Another one:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=roV43SQzwGQ

[GTBradley]

Dave, you have outdone yourself! I am promoting you to head of research.

It comes with a hefty increase over what you were getting. :rolleyes:

[GTBradley]

I have almost everything I need to assemble my luggage rack:
Spare MK4 trunk lid - painted
Late 50s Porsche rack
T-handle
License plate bracket/light
Carriage bolts and thick SS washers
1950s leather Sampsonite luggage
Leather straps with buckles

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=144206&d=1615585436

I just need to figure out some stand offs.

[AdamIsAdam]

I would check with Ben in that link. He makes custom anything in many colors.

[Papa]

I have almost everything I need to assemble my luggage rack:
Spare MK4 trunk lid - painted
Late 50s Porsche rack
T-handle
License plate light
Carriage bolts and thick SS washers
1950s leather Sampsonite luggage
Leather straps with buckles

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=144206&d=1615585436

I just need to figure out some stand offs.

Look at what McMaster-Carr has for unthreaded spacers:

McMaster-Carr Page:
https://www.mcmaster.com/Standoffs/unthreaded-spacers

[GTBradley]

Yeah, thanks, I think I found the SS spacers I need at the hardware store, as I wanted to work on it this weekend. I’m thinking the washers should be separated from the paint by rubber washers, so I guess I’ll make another trip in the snow tomorrow.

[Bob Cowan]

You'll have a hard time finding rubber washers. If you look in the plumbing section, you can find sheets of rubber in various thicknesses. Pretty easy to make your own washers from that.

When I built my FFR, nobody was making any kind of washer or spacer to fit under the hood hinges. I made some out of the top of a coffee can. Worked well for more than a decade, and almost invisible.

[GTBradley]

Good advice, Bob. So, I’m curious, why is the hood hinge spacer needed?

Ace actually had a wide selection of rubber and fiber washers, gotta love that Big Toolbox for their nuts and bolts department!

[Bob Cowan]

Good advice, Bob. So, I’m curious, why is the hood hinge spacer needed?

Ace actually had a wide selection of rubber and fiber washers, gotta love that Big Toolbox for their nuts and bolts department!

Sorry. I meant trunk hinge. Not hood.

[GTBradley]

I got my coil covers done, but it was a steep learning curve. I wanted to use the original body paint, but it turns out it will react with the clear coat and wrinkle.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=146067&d=1618167274

The solution was to use enamel paint, though the color is not exact, as I mixed it myself.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=146065&d=1618158913

The process is pretty simple if you're careful. My gloss enamel paint and applicator are both from Micheals hobby store. Just be careful to keep the paint from getting on things you don't want it on and it will self-level and climb the sides evenly.


https://youtu.be/jHr2bQiJQX8

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=146066&d=1618159137

I just have the stripe on the engine cover to do and hopefully then I can leave this alone for a while, at least until I change my mind on what I want...again.

[AdamIsAdam]

Looks very good to me

[Papa]

Looks great, Bradley!

[JB in NOVA]

Wow! That's going to attract a crowd.

[toadster]

I got my coil covers done, but it was a steep learning curve. I wanted to use the original body paint, but it turns out it will react with the clear coat and wrinkle.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=146067&d=1618167274

The solution was to use enamel paint, though the color is not exact, as I mixed it myself.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=146065&d=1618158913

The process is pretty simple if you're careful. My gloss enamel paint and applicator are both from Micheals hobby store. Just be careful to keep the paint from getting on things you don't want it on and it will self-level and climb the sides evenly.


https://youtu.be/jHr2bQiJQX8

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=146066&d=1618159137

I just have the stripe on the engine cover to do and hopefully then I can leave this alone for a while, at least until I change my mind on what I want...again.


that's awesome! I really wish the 3rd gen had valve cover 'covers'!!!

[GTBradley]

Thanks. I hear ya, I’m not really a fan of any of the Coyote engine covers. It makes me want a super charger just for the looks - that would be a good use of $8000 dollars:confused::eek:

[NYMike]

That looks awesome! You have way more patience than I do and you'd never know that wasn't an exact paint match. Your car is really incredible.

[Bob Cowan]

Thanks. I hear ya, I’m not really a fan of any of the Coyote engine covers. It makes me want a super charger just for the looks - that would be a good use of $8000 dollars:confused::eek:

That's an excellent use of $8K! :)

[GTBradley]

That's an excellent use of $8K! :)
Yeah, but you didn’t do it just for the looks, I would know, I’ve seen you drive!:eek:

[wallace18]

Very nice!:cool:

[PeteMeindl]

that looks great, Bradley! Nice going.

[GTBradley]

Okay, so I'm back to finish out the luggage rack mod. This isn't a new idea and it's not cheap or easy, but in the long run probably quite satisfying.

I decided before ordering my Mk4 from FFR I was going to use it for cross-country trips and more, provided my wife got onboard with traveling by roadster. An unknowable outcome at the time I know, but it was my plan and I have stuck to it.

For carrying luggage, golf bag, picnic basket, etc., I decided to add a luggage rack. However, I didn't think that I would like the looks of it, so I set about making a spare identical boot lid which I could swap out depending on need.

What was needed:

- FFR trunk lid. I found one for sale by a forum member who was upgrading to the newer style - half price.
- Luggage rack. The Whitby rack is very nice, but also over $600 and a deal breaker - found a 1957 Porsche 356 rack on Ebay for $160 - back in business!
- Mounting hardware. This was my own design combination based on pictures of Cobras with racks - $40, approximately.
- Luggage. Vintage of course! I found multiple leather Sampsonite bags on Craigslist from the late 50s - $10 (gave the nice lady $20.) Found a four-person, wicker picnic basket, too. Leather straps and dye on Amazon.
- Paint for the new lid to match the car. My painter, Bart Jones, did this for free while doing other repair work, so I'm not sure how much this would be.
- Trunk latch T-handle and license plate bracket. I found these on the parts for sale section of the factory five forums.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=146281&d=1618503104 https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=146280&d=1618503096

The mounting hardware includes: (8) rubber washers, (8) SS washers, (4) brass ferrules (for filling the space in-between the bolts and support tubes), (4) SS bolts, (4) SS lock nuts, (4) SS support tubes, (4) fiber washers (which fit perfectly inside the rubber washers.) I threaded the fiber washers so they could hold the whole affair together while mounting the contraption to the lid.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=146278&d=1618503071 https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=146279&d=1618503085

I made the holes in the rack square so they would accommodate the square shoulder of the carriage bolt. This allows a flush fit of the bolt and prevents turning while tightening the nuts.
Positioning and alignment of the rack was based on old pictures of Cobra's with racks and my stripes, respectively.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=146348&d=1618509157 https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=146277&d=1618503057

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=146275&d=1618503034

[GTBradley]

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=146273&d=1618503009 https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=146274&d=1618503023


https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=146270&d=1618502975 https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=146268&d=1618502865 https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=146271&d=1618502988

[GTBradley]

In the end, it turns out, I don't mind the looks of the car with the rack on it as much as I thought I would.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=146267&d=1618502822 https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=146269&d=1618502951

The view out the back through the rear-view mirror is blocked, so I've ordered a center rod mounted mirror like the ones on old MGs. If that doesn't work I'll do an electronic rear display and only use it when the bag is on the rack.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=146349&d=1618510201

[Lancaster Lad]

GT
I too am planing for a luggage rack and did not anticipate limited rear vision with luggage in place.
I think your bigger problem will be when you tour through Jellystone Park and have to deal with Yogi
and your pik-nik basket.

[GTBradley]

GT
I too am planing for a luggage rack and did not anticipate limited rear vision with luggage in place.
I think your bigger problem will be when you tour through Jellystone Park and have to deal with Yogi
and your pik-nik basket.
...and we've seen what a bear does with a Cobra:
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=146361&d=1618516326

For visibility out the back I've purchased a dedicated rear-view camera system to try out. It's a wired unit as I saw a lot of complaints about the wireless ones. The display is 4.3" and folds closed for easy storage. I can set it on the dash or the center console. I'll mount the camera either to the license plate or directly to the bag. This all provided my center rod mounted mirror doesn't work, or never arrives from ********** (https://www.**********accessories.com/p-296-rear-view-mirror-with-slider-center-rod.aspx).

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=146363&d=1618517008 https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/blob:https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/d42ba93a-2d42-4515-8c87-15b87b779339 https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=146367&d=1618518377

[MPTech]

That rack turned out great, but don't let my wife see it!

Actually, I installed one on my MG Midget when I was dating my wife in college, so we could travel out-of-town for the weekend. (My dad called it my wife's purse rack)

[GTBradley]

I too had an MGB back when I was dating. They always love that kind of thing until you get married. Then the weight set, motorcycle, Lazboy recliner and “art” all get tossed.

[Lancaster Lad]

GT
I must be getting old in my age, didn't think of a rear camera. I agree wired seems to be more reliable.
What you could do is ty wrap to the rear cross bar on the rack when ever the boxes are on. With the
rear mirror on the dash not much room for the display. After looking again at one of your photos looks
like might be room to the left of the mirror, being able to see where you are going is overrated.
I want to thank you for helping me spend my non extra money as I am now looking for some luggage.

[MPTech]

I too had an MGB back when I was dating. They always love that kind of thing until you get married. Then the weight set, motorcycle, Lazboy recliner and “art” all get tossed.

LOL, yeah my weights & Farrah poster didn't make the move to "our" house. Too funny!

[Joel Hauser]

I think the rack looks perfect. Great job. If it's good enough for Steve McQueen....

[GTBradley]

LOL, yeah my weights & Farrah poster didn't make the move to "our" house. Too funny!
Ah, the Six Million Poster Woman...

[Al_C]

I love the rack and the luggage! Well done, my friend! But for golf clubs.... just put them in the passenger seat. I wouldn't want my sticks to go flying out on a corner!

[GTBradley]

I made a video of the first autocross I did in the roadster. I shared it on another post, but I’d like to see what it looks like on Vimeo - Youtube is becoming a little annoying with ads and I want to see what this service is like.

https://vimeo.com/544375799

Edit: I like the Vimeo video hosting service because of the lack of ads and general lack of busyness like Youtube. Our forum video insertion tool doesn't recognize the service (I think it's broken?) so the video link tool doesn't show it with a preview tile nor does it play in place, rather it takes you to Vimeo's webpage, but overall it seems much better.


https://vimeo.com/544375799

[460.465USMC]

Very cool! Thanks for sharing. How did you like the autocross? I've heard it can be addicting. Looks like a lot of fun to me.

[GTBradley]

Addicting is very possible, you just don’t get to drive your car like this at any other time. I wanted to push my Mk4, especially since I put big brakes on it. I had a blast and will definitely do it again.

Bradley.

[Fman]

Nice job on that luggage rack, looks great.

[460.465USMC]

Addicting is very possible, you just don’t get to drive your car like this at any other time. I wanted to push my Mk4, especially since I put big brakes on it. I had a blast and will definitely do it again.

Bradley.

I have the Wilwood 13" brakes on mine. I'm curious what you thought about the braking performance in the Autocross, say compared to a daily driver. Is it comparable?

[GTBradley]

Sorry, I didn’t see this, Chris.

To answer your question in a word: superior! I have always regretted putting the big brakes on this replica because it meant I couldn’t do the 15” wheels. Now I have new found respect for the brakes and 17” wheels. There is no need for power assist and the response and effectiveness of these Wilwoods is astounding - better than any sports car I’ve ever driven.

[460.465USMC]

Wow! That sounds like fantastic braking performance! I have the Wilwood 13" brakes on mine. Have never ridden in one (Wilwoods or otherwise), so looking forward to that day.

Keep posting the videos and updates. Really enjoying following along! That autocross video was very cool!

[GTBradley]

I will, I have registered for the next autocross on the 29th and I’ve changed the GoPro mount to go on my helmet, so we’ll see how that video comes out. I’ll post a “Second Autocross - input needed” thread. Glad you enjoyed it.

PS. I should include that I haven’t driven any really high-performance sports cars to compare the brakes to.

[GTBradley]

I recently found a smaller bag for the luggage rack. I couldn't see over the big one even with the high-mount mirror. I can see over this one, but I did mount that back up camera in the bag itself. Pretty James Bond, huh?

I recently got Peter Miles and Alan Grant to sign it for me at the big party at the Shelby American Collection Museum.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=154421&d=1634069321 https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=154422&d=1634069321

[GTBradley]

I have been looking at upgrading the wipers because I feel intermittent function would be really handy when it is misting or there's light rain, which is common in the mountains. I like my Lucas wipers and they work well, but the switch only has high and low speed settings, so I find myself activating the switch on and off a lot. There is a Cole Hersee switch available for this and it includes a push-to-activate wash/three-wipe function just like modern cars. I was unsure about mounting squirters in the body though until I researched the original Cobras and found numerous examples of squirters mounted on the 427s back in the 60s, so I was sold on the idea of mounting the system on my car.

Parts I used:
- Bag type washer kit (only used the tubing, tubing connectors and pump) from Amazon (https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B077MX1RWQ?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2_dt_b_product_details) $15
- Polished aluminum tank/reservoir from Amazon (https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B07RFGK8D4/?coliid=IZ8TX5O5VONIM&colid=232X2I3385DE&psc=1&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it) $35
- ¼" MIP to ¼" FIP street elbow and a 3/16" ID to ¼" MIP hose barb adapter and brass nut from HD
- Washer jets/squirters from Moss Motors (https://mossmotors.com/washer-jet-windshield-twin-chrome) $10.58
- Cole Hersee multifunction switch from O'reilly's (https://www.oreillyauto.com/detail/c/cole-hersee/cole-hersee-windshield-wiper-switch/ch00/7560004?q=75600-04&pos=0) $84
- Ashley Hinton old-style, wiper knob $25
- ¾" x 48" aluminum square tube from HD $20
- ¾" sq tube caps - bag of 20 from Amazon (https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B08TLHD4G8/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1) - $7.66
- Double-stick tape and various fasteners

I bought the bag style washer kit from Amazon first because it looked like the old-style washer reservoirs and was only $15. It didn't fit anywhere as it hangs too low, but as it turns out, the reservoir that I did use didn't come as a kit, so I used components from the first order.

The Cole Hersee wiper switch (part number 75600-04) works with the Lucas wiper motor without a relay, so it was worth the 84 bucks in my opinion. Wiring the switch to the Lucas wiper wiring is simple but the colors don't match. It's easy enough to interpret, but here is the wiring I used.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=154407&d=1634059465https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=154457&d=1634154180

The washer reservoir I found looked nice and had a low enough profile that it would fit on top of the right side foot box. It tucks under the fender but still has enough access to get to the fill cap. It comes with a drain port on the bottom with a rubber grommet, so I fabricated a mounting bracket from ¾" square tube to elevate the tank enough to allow a right angle adapter to be installed. I removed the grommet and tapped the hole with a ¼" plumbing tap and installed a brass nut on the inside of the tank as the metal is only thick enough for a few threads.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=154402&d=1634059197 https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=154403&d=1634059197

Access holes were drilled in one side of the square tubes so I could get my socket through to the bolt head. Drilling aluminum is always challenging for me if I want the hole as close to center as possible - the bit just walks too much with a handheld drill - so the benchpress was nice for this part.

The only place the tank is fastened with bolts is on the two ears at the top. I didn't want any vibration induced rattling go on, so I placed double-stick tape on the sq tubes where they meet the tank. It's till removable but insulates the tank from vibration. Mounting the bracket was no big deal as there is plenty of space above and below the foot box to get at the bolts. The pump I took from the first kit is simply stuck to the foot box with double-stick tape. I also bracketed it with zip tie stick on mounts and ran tip ties through them and over the motor. It seems plenty sturdy, but if it comes loose in the future I'll fabricate a better mount. The mount for the tank can't be seen from above except for the tops of the vertical sq tube and to dress that up I've ordered some black, square tube end caps.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=154656&d=1634825189https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=154657&d=1634825915

Mounting the washer jets/squirters in the body was straight forward, I just measured carefully to have them look symmetrical and positioned them for unobstructed spray from the dual nozzles on each.

FYI, I've had the nut on the wiper cable tube, where it attaches to the wiper mechanism, get loose with use. I suggest checking on this regularly.

If you need to adjust the wiper arms for their home position you'll need to pull one or both off the splined post and reposition one spline at a time. Here's how I do it: There is a tab on the the arm side of the socket down near the splined post. Push that away from the post and judiciously manipulate the base of the arm back and fourth and up all while holding the tab. It’s made a little difficult becuase of the spring load, but it gets easier with practice.

Oddly enough there is no vacuum relief in the tank, but no big deal, I just drilled a small hole in the cap. The whole project was a joy from start to finish and really easy. I say "easy" because there weren't any big issues along the way and progress continued straight through to the finish. However, I did spend three days straight working on it, albeit slowly - makes for a fun three day weekend for me.

I included a video to show the function of the system. FYI, there is a delay period near the end of the video that will make you think it's done but it shows the length of time for the long delay wipe, I think it's about 15 seconds.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=154404&d=1634059197
https://youtu.be/THpWThBVb6A

I found this on the web for a non-toxic washer fluid that might be safer for Lexan and eyes:
Mix in one gallon jug:

8 oz. of 99% isopropyl alcohol
1 oz. of liquid Castile soap
Distilled water

[GTBradley]

Had a chance to try out the new bag on a two night trip to Grand Lake, Colorado recently. Big group of Cobras too.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=154424&d=1634070244

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=154425&d=1634070353

[WIS89]

Just read your post on the intermittent wiper install -- thank you! I really like the idea of intermittent wipers.

You did a nice, clean job, and I really appreciated the detailed write-up. Please let us know how you like it in action, especially the squirters. I am reluctant to put squirters in when I get to that point, so curious how you end up liking them, as well as the rest of your setup.

Thanks again -- a nice addition to a terrific car!

Regards,

Steve

[GTBradley]

Thanks Steve, I'll definitely report back. One concern I have is that my windscreen is made of Lexan and the wipers go about as quickly as the sprayer does. The spray wets the windshield quickly enough that I don't think it would run the wipers on a dry windshield, but it might. Probably not something to worry about but I could mount a hidden, wash only button for the purpose of soaking the windshield first.

It is nerve-wracking to drill the body of a painted car, but I've done it so many times to this point that my only concern now is getting it right the first time.

Bradley

[rthomas98]

Thanks Steve, I'll definitely report back. One concern I have is that my windscreen is made of Lexan and the wipers go about as quickly as the sprayer does. The spray wets the windshield quickly enough that I don't think it would run the wipers on a dry windshield, but it might. Probably not something to worry about but I could mount a hidden, wash only button for the purpose of soaking the windshield first.

It is nerve-wracking to drill the body of a painted car, but I've done it so many times to this point that my only concern now is getting it right the first time.

Bradley

I got to thank you for this. In Michigan windshield washers are required to get titled. Wasn't fully sure how I was going to do it. But this answered all my questions. I will be following your lead. Thank you once again for sharing.

[GTBradley]

Glad it will help someone. There have been other write-ups but none that really worked for me. The simple and much cheaper rotary switch for Cole Hersee doesn’t have delay or wash function but does allow for the use of a period-correct knob, well it needs a relay and gets complicated in it’s wiring. I was pleased to find that I got all this extra functionality and the rotary switch is plug-and-play.

I just realized that I neglected to give the color coded wiring diagram. I’ll get to it next. EDIT* Added above.*

Bradley

[GTBradley]

The fill tube gasket I installed during the build has been reported many times by others to be of poor quality. I got mine in the kit from FFR and as best I can figure the gasket is a knock-off made by Doorman of the Ford OEM part. I did not change mine when I found out about this problem originally, as I knew mine installed without any damage to it. I figured I'd wait until I had an issue and replace it when the time came. Well, recently I filled up my tank and it smelled of fumes more than it should. I just have the breather tube on my gas tank, so if you stick your nose up in the area behind the wheel well you can detect a very small amount of fuel vapors normally, but not in the garage generally. So when the garage did start smelling of fumes I knew the gasket had gone bad.

I immediately ordered the OEM part # F4ZZ9072DA form Amazon (https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B004Q6QO7C/?coliid=I3PZ2E7ZKSR0XC&colid=232X2I3385DE&psc=1&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it). The OEM part is about $30 and the Doorman is about $9.

When I got the gasket out it looked fine,

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=155833&d=1636473936

but upon closer inspection I found this little tear

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=155834&d=1636473936

It was surprising to me that such a small tear would create such a big smell and that it would develop a tear at all given that it installed without issue.
My advice is to verify that the one you install is actually a Ford OEM part, as the aftermarket one lasted me less than 10,000 miles.

Replacing this was easy, just remember to take out the screws in the LeMans gas cap first. With it loose from the body the fill tube has room to rotate out of the gas tank. Spray some WD40 on the gasket first to make come out easier.

[Nigel Allen]

Hey Bradley,

thanks for the write up. I almost ordered a Dorman gasket as they were available in Australia. Glad I went to the trouble and expense of shipping the OEM out of US. I just received my gasket, which i will change after I burn off some of the fuel in the tank :) . Hadn't thought about removing screws in the cap, but will take your sage advice.

Cheers,

Nigel

[GTBradley]

You’re welcome. Yeah, it’s a quick job and a lot easier if you don’t have to take the hose clamps off, they’re way up in there. However, if you needed to you could pull of the rear fender wall too.

[Papa]

The fill tube gasket I installed during the build has been reported many times by others to be of poor quality. I got mine in the kit from FFR and as best I can figure the gasket is a knock-off made by Doorman of the Ford OEM part. I did not change mine when I found out about this problem originally, as I knew mine installed without any damage to it. I figured I'd wait until I had an issue and replace it when the time came. Well, recently I filled up my tank and it smelled of fumes more than it should. I just have the breather tube on my gas tank, so if you stick your nose up in the area behind the wheel well you can detect a very small amount of fuel vapors normally, but not in the garage generally. So when the garage did start smelling of fumes I knew the gasket had gone bad.

I immediately ordered the OEM part # F4ZZ9072DA form Amazon (https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B004Q6QO7C/?coliid=I3PZ2E7ZKSR0XC&colid=232X2I3385DE&psc=1&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it). The OEM part is about $30 and the Doorman is about $9.

When I got the gasket out it looked fine,

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=155833&d=1636473936

but upon closer inspection I found this little tear

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=155834&d=1636473936

It was surprising to me that such a small tear would create such a big smell and that it would develop a tear at all given that it installed without issue.
My advice is to verify that the one you install is actually a Ford OEM part, as the aftermarket one lasted me less than 10,000 miles.

Replacing this was easy, just remember to take out the screws in the LeMans gas cap first. With it loose from the body the fill tube has room to rotate out of the gas tank. Spray some WD40 on the gasket first to make come out easier.

That seal looks great compared to mine once I got it out.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=117315&d=1573349878

I discovered mine was shot after jacking the car on the driver's side and ending up with a puddle of gas on the garage floor. To be fair, I likely created the bulk of the damage just fighting to get the thing out.

[GTBradley]

Yeah, I remember learning about this on your thread, those things are rubbish!

[johnpinetree]

Thanks for the catch! I'll spend the 30 bucks now!

Hey, I also saw the engine cover discussion. You know one thing that I think looks even cooler than a blower are those independent throttle bodies (ITBs) folks run... at that point it's almost a shame to close the hood...

https://www.ffcars.com/threads/has-anyone-tried-the-borla-vertical-stack-setup.637690/

[GTBradley]

I’d be more willing to do the ITBs than a blower. The truth is I have enough HP and, like you, I go gaga for the look of those stacks!

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=156286&d=1636821868

This sounds like a job for a quantum computing engineer we both know ;)

[johnpinetree]

HA! Once again, we're aligned on our thinking!

Yeah well the only one I know is slacking on his build! Thankfully a bunch of MIK stuff showed up last week and another round comes Monday.

[GTBradley]

I have been in my seasonal project mode lately and this usually nets me some pretty unusual projects that sometimes are useful and sometimes aren't. The long story is my son decided to buy his own truck before he enters the Marines next summer. He could have kept driving mine, but he wanted an early 90s Toyota pickup he could learn more about mechanical repairs on. This meant he got a beater and one of the things he wanted to do was get new wheels, but keeping it in his budget meant either cleaning up the existing ones or powder coating them. So I decided to build a big powder coating oven on the cheap. This will allow me to PC my spare side pipes too!

Materials:


Light-weight metal cabinet - Craigslist, $23
Extra sheet metal from heavy-duty file cabinet - Craigslist, free
Insulation - Home Depot, $30
Oven insulator rope for door - Lowes, $27
Propane tank and burner - built for previous project
Aluminum angle - Home Depot, $30
Piano hinges - Ace, $25
Thermostat - Amazon, $8
Various screws, fasteners, etc. - leftover junk from previous projects


I needed to practice at powder coating first, so I bought a cheap toaster oven from CL and did some various brackets in black. That worked out fine and was easy. Moving on to bigger things, I got a cabinet that was tall enough to PC my spare side pipes and would eventually be used for wheels.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=159052&d=1640187233 https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=159053&d=1640187233

The only major thing about powder coating is that the cabinet needs to sustain up to 450°F for 20 minutes (high-temp PC, otherwise 400°). Insulating the thin metal cabinet is an idea that seems easy, but I’ll admit is a large amount of labor. I spent a couple weeks cutting up the free file cabinet for panels and fitting them over insulation in the main cabinet.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=159051&d=1640187233 https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=159050&d=1640187233 https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=159049&d=1640187233

The doors needed to be modified to accommodate their thicker size and that meant adding new hinges. I also needed to modify the cabinet in multiple locations to keep excessive heat from passing through gaps and causing damage to insulation. I spent a lot of time on the build, but once it was sustaining even heat and not damaging itself I could move on to PCing large items.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=159045&d=1640187197

[GTBradley]

You might be wondering about the heat source at this point. I could have gone the route of electric heat, but that means 240 volts and I don’t have that anywhere near the outdoors, not to mention the added expense of heating elements and wiring. What I did have was a propane tank and flame torch I built for smelting aluminum. The BTUs that I can make with that thing are more than adequate for this job, but I had read that you shouldn’t use flame for PC ovens. That didn’t make a lot of sense to me, as some of the large commercial ovens are flame heated, and anyway, the PC is stuck to the metal and is not in the air in the oven. So I said, what the hey, let’s see if we can make this thing explode. It didn’t, by the way, no issue at all. I did, however, keep the built-in metal shelf as a flame box. This meant that the cabinet needed to be turned upside down, but again no issue there. There is thicker metal in the flame box to handle direct flame and holes in the shelf to allow heat to migrate upward.
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=159047&d=1640187197https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=159044&d=1640187197https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=159046&d=1640187197


The issues I ran into during testing was heat escaping through gaps around the doors. This concentrates heat on the oven rope gasket and makes it fail. I simply added fiberglass insulation and some aluminum angle to help deflect the heat. I installed a 3” HVAC valve on the top to help direct the heat through the cabinet and prevent hot spots. It also helps cool down the cabinet at a steady rate rather than opening the doors. As it turns out, I think I could make enough heat, even in 30° weather, to melt this cabinet down! The initial runs created a lot of paint smell so I used a grinder to to remove paint it the firebox area and not create such a stink in the neighborhood.

What I do is preheat the cabinet to about 100°F with a small, portable electric heater while I’m applying powder to the metal auto part and then fire up the flame heater once it’s loaded and closed up.

Getting the cabinet up to 450°F takes about 5 to 10 minutes and I have to monitor it to make sure I don’t overshoot my desired temp - a disadvantage of not using electric heating with thermostatic control.

I bought a PC gun from Harbor Freight for $75 and ordered high-temp powder from Powder By The Pound for $30. You could do ceramic coating, but the prep and curing is more involved and the cost is about $100 higher. Ceramic can handle 2000° but the 1200° high-temp powder seemed sufficient for side pipes.

My observations:


Applying PC is easy, just a little technique is required. Low pressure air is used and the powder sticks to the metal through an electrostatic process.
If you get too close a spark is created and will affect the finish in that spot.
The big issue with high-temp PC is you can only process it once. With normal PC you can apply and bake more than once to cover missed spots. The answer to this for high-temp powder is to buy the high-temp spray paint for those missed spots. I have some areas I’m going to touch up, we’ll see how that goes after I receive the rattle can from Powder By The Pound.
The Faraday effect will make it hard to get powder to stick in the tight bends and corners, such as the inside bends at the 4 into 1 near the collector. Lowering the air pressure can help here.
You need a lot of light to see where powder is not covering sufficiently yet. Spotlights would be helpful when doing black powder.
If you don’t like the application, just blow it all off with compressed air and do it again.
Clean up is simple using compressed air and a broom.

I like how the pipes turned out, we’ll see how the wheels go next. We are planning on a metallic bronze with a clear coat. This a two-step PC process and I’ll be practicing in the toaster oven first. It’s nice because I can use it in the garage and it makes the space smell like pizza.


https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=159054&d=1640188529

[Blitzboy54]

This is awesome. I have become a big fan of powder coating in general. I may copy some of what you did to make a larger oven. Thanks for documenting and an early Semper Fi to your son.

[460.465USMC]

Very cool, GT! This would be a very useful item in my build. I'm doing the small toaster oven thing for my small pieces. This would be a huge improvement.

[GTBradley]

Thanks, guys. It's an investment to get started, but so much better for curing time, durability, environment, health and finish quality than the spray paints...I can't believe we can get such a quality finish without having a pro do it. I wish I had used it for the clear on my inner body panels.

[JeffP]

I've been thinking about a DIY oven myself - grabbing a cheap or free range off of marketplace and ripping it apart. I considered propane but I would think the moisture biproduct of burning propane might impact the finish. Are you using a heat exchanger?

[GTBradley]

No, but I thought about it. You could rip one out of an old furnace, put it in a separate fire box and add a fan. Some loss there, but a little extra propane would overcome that. I just decided to try it this way first and it doesn’t hurt that our humidity levels in the winter are single digits to 20%.

There is a youtube video where the guy cuts the bottom out of the upper and the top out of the lower double oven to make one big one. That way he has all the automatic controls and electric.

What should I look for in the finish?

[Bob Cowan]

I might be easier to build by putting the insulation on the outside of the cabinet.

[GTBradley]

It would if you had full size panels, I on the other hand had to patchwork this Frankenstien's Monster together with many, many pieces. I used channel aluminum to support panels here and there.

[JeffP]

I have no experience with PC so not sure what to look for or if it would even impact it. I just know my heater in my work shop can fog up the windows pretty fast but I also live on the east coast about 5min from the ocean… so even in winter it can still be 80%.. I’m sure in CO you’re probably fine.

[GTBradley]

After some experience with autocross last year I have decided to add an anti-sway bar to the front. Oversteer was never a problem, except for too heavy braking too late into a turn, and oversteer was ever present, both for throttle induced and steady state turns. From all indications that means I need a front bar. The AX guys will tell you an adjustable bar is the way to go but the one I got from Mike Forte is $189 and the adjustable one from Breeze is $495, so I'll give Mike's a try first.

The bar from Mike's, IMO, is better than the one from FFR in that it attaches to the chassis at a lower point providing a level orientation to the ground rather than angled. BTW, I learned most of what I know about ASBs from ASB thread (https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/showthread.php?42192-Sway-bars&highlight=sway)s on this forum.

Mike Forte supplies everything you need to install the ASB, but modification of the included mount brackets and drilling holes in the tie down points on the car's frame is required. I modified the brackets to make them fit, but I also saw that nucjd19 (https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/showthread.php?41704-Forte-Sway-Bar-kit&highlight=sway) had a post suggesting that the tie down holes could be maintained by modifying a little more.

Unmodified164132 Modified to fit 164133 Modified to preserve tie down hole164134 164136 Powder coated 164135

Installed
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=164137&d=1647617782 https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=164138&d=1647617782 https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=164139&d=1647617782

[GTBradley]

I did have a little trouble with the fit in that the right side did not line up perfectly with the attachment hardware. 164140. I was able to push them together enough to get the bolt through there. I can only hope this doesn't put undue stress on the components.

What limited driving I've done so far feels very good, AX season doesn't start until April.

The bar does prevent me from jacking the front of the car up from the center, even with a low profile jack, but as it turns out, I can pick up both wheels from either 4" frame tube, so I've been doing that when I need to but the front on jack stands.

Here's another picture showing that the bar doesn't reduce ground clearance.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=164141&d=1647618620

[Railroad]

I do not see any grease oozzing out from the bushings? Good job!

[GTBradley]

Next up was some autocross tires so I don't wear out my Nitto tires which I like for daily driving.

I bought Nankang AR-1 tires and a spare set of wheels from Craigslist https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=164154&d=1647619460 https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=164416&d=1648060199
The wheels are originally from Wheel Replica (https://www.wheelreplicas.com/17x10-5-Anthracite-w-Mirror-Face-03-Dish-Style-Wheel-p274316426) and are for the 94-04 Mustang. I got them used, in excellent condition, for $500 and that's a bit expensive, but finding the right size is difficult and it did save $300 over new.

For the center caps my friend Terry (TMartinLVNV (https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/showthread.php?33080-Terry-in-Las-Vegas-Build-Did-someone-say-F4U-Corsair&highlight=terry)) from the forums told me about 3D Car Stickers (https://3dcarstickers.com/product/shelby-cobra-3d-car-wheel-center-cap-emblems-stickers-decals-redblue-logowhite-background-/) and they made me the exact size I needed. Unfortunately, they took 4 weeks to arrive, but this company is located in Rivne, Ukraine and we all know the trouble they are having to deal with.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=164157&d=1647619648

I did have a little trouble with the fit of the rear wheels in that the brake calipers were too tall and rubbed the wheel. I sanded it down to clear, but I'm hearing that I should have a least 2-3mm of clearance, so I may take off some more before I powder coat the exposed metal.

[GTBradley]

I do not see any grease oozzing out from the bushings? Good job! Definitely applied though, just after the pictures. Thanks for the heads-up.

[GTBradley]

It's been a long, cold and dark winter off-season, but I stayed busy in the garage. My powder coating project was a success, as was my addition of the windscreen washers and intermittent wipers. But once those things were done I turned to autocross prep. I'm still not convinced I'll become a real competitor in the sport, but I do enjoy it. Especially, being outside and playing with the roadster.

So, you don't technically need anything other than a car and a helmet to do autocross, but I still wanted to improve my car’s handling and have a set of tires that were dedicated to the activity - rather than prematurely wear out my all weather/summer tires. Here is a list of what I've done:

- Front Anti-sway bar
- Spare wheels and autocross tires
- Kirkey low back racing seat
- Power steering cooler and higher flow valve
- PC'd FFR spare side pipes with sound suppressor installed (there are sound limits at SCCA AX events - 100 decibels at 50 feet for my events.)
- Removed the street bumpers front and back and installed quick jacks (I used the JK method (https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/showthread.php?16986-Rear-bumper-with-coupler-mod) so I can switch back easily)
- Vinyl roundel numbers and vintage decals
- I previously installed a throttle foot support to facilitate even throttle application. I also fixed an issue where the MAF tube with air cleaner would fall off.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=164420&d=1648060343 https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=164418&d=1648060199

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=164415&d=1648060199 https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=164425&d=1648063423 https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=164466&d=1648099403

My main issues last season were traction, noise, sloppy throttle application, MAF/air cleaner falling off and me sliding around in the seat. The other improvements are just nice to have and/or cosmetic.

[GTBradley]

The FFR side pipes were way too loud for my taste and I didn't want to be kicked out of an AX event for excessive noise, so I went ahead and bought the Car Chemistry two-disc inserts (https://www.carchemistry.com/2-disk-insert-3-1-2-diameter/) and added some stainless steel wool I bought from the grocery store. The end of the inserts have to shortened so they can be pounded in through the end of the pipe, otherwise they are too long. The steel wool is really handy in that it is springy and round so it fits over the inserts in front of both discs and stays in place while you install the insert. I also used the end cap supplied with the inserts that has the medium size hole in it.
164426 164428 without insert 164429 with insert 164430

I'm pleased with the sound and it doesn't feel to me that the power has changed at all. I'll still be swapping out my pipes when not AXing with the GASNs.

[Jeff Kleiner]

:cool:

When is your first event? We have both days this weekend...the car hasn't moved since October...rain Saturday...a high of 40 on Sunday...Nah, not that dedicated...I'm taking a pass and just going to go work timing ;)

Jeff

[GTBradley]

:cool:

When is your first event? We have both days this weekend...the car hasn't moved since October...rain Saturday...a high of 40 on Sunday...Nah, not that dedicated...I'm taking a pass and just going to go work timing ;)

Jeff
I just added this weekend as we just cancelled a trip to Kansas. Going to Pikes Peak Int'l Raceway (https://www.motorsportreg.com/events/rmsolo-21-22-winter-6-pikes-peak-intl-raceway-scca-rocky-mountain-solo-972414) on Saturday. There are already 70 entries and the weather forecast couldn't look better!

BTW, you timers have a tough job, I appreciate what you do. Me? I just work the cones...on both sides of the steering wheel;)

[Jeff Kleiner]

I just added this weekend as we just cancelled a trip to Kansas. Going to Pikes Peak Int'l Raceway (https://www.motorsportreg.com/events/rmsolo-21-22-winter-6-pikes-peak-intl-raceway-scca-rocky-mountain-solo-972414) on Saturday. There are already 70 entries and the weather forecast couldn't look better!

BTW, you timers have a tough job, I appreciate what you do. Me? I just work the cones...on both sides of the steering wheel;)

I look forward to hearing your impression of your changes!

Most times I work as starter or keeping the grid in order but the club is short on timing help this weekend so I'll do it---although it's not something I especially like.

Good luck!

Jeff

[johnpinetree]

Hi Bradley, figured I'd post here for the benefit of all.

I know we chatted about the vents you added to the footwells and how impactful they might or might not have been. My question is if you think they made an impact on highway driving? And I guess more to the point, when driving on the highway before adding the fresh air ducting were things cooking by your feet on hot days?

Most of my commute is highway and I'd like to think that even on a hot day I'd be excited to take the Cobra out.

Cheers!

Juan

[GTBradley]

Hey Juan, yes the fresh air on the highway is a benefit. My feet were not very hot to begin with, but it’s just nice to have air moving through the foot wells. When you come to a stop the fan is a benefit. Where it all becomes of little added value is on a really hot day in stop and go traffic. The air is pulled from the brake duct openings, so it’s pavement heated air that then gets heated again in the header area. Insulation on the ducts in the header area helps and a heat shield would do some more, but the air is always going to be warmer than ambient in those conditions.

The vents become necessary in a very specific circumstance - when traveling in rain with the top on you need them to cancel out the condensation on the windows. I can’t use the heater fan in that situation because it gets it’s air from the engine bay and it is too warm.

[JeffP]

Hey Juan, yes the fresh air on the highway is a benefit. My feet were not very hot to begin with, but it’s just nice to have air moving through the foot wells. When you come to a stop the fan is a benefit. Where it all becomes of little added value is on a really hot day in stop and go traffic. The air is pulled from the brake duct openings, so it’s pavement heated air that then gets heated again in the header area. Insulation on the ducts in the header area helps and a heat shield would do some more, but the air is always going to be warmer than ambient in those conditions.

The vents become necessary in a very specific circumstance - when traveling in rain with the top on you need them to cancel out the condensation on the windows. I can’t use the heater fan in that situation because it gets it’s air from the engine bay and it is too warm.

You've got me wondering now about this. I had pretty much decided to not do it since most of the opinions are it really doesn't make much difference but it sounds like you appreciate having them. I wonder if theres enough room to squeeze some sort of duct from the rear of the car maybe up the side between the door X brace and the body up to the footwell?

[GTBradley]

You've got me wondering now about this. I had pretty much decided to not do it since most of the opinions are it really doesn't make much difference but it sounds like you appreciate having them. I wonder if theres enough room to squeeze some sort of duct from the rear of the car maybe up the side between the door X brace and the body up to the footwell?
Let’s put it this way, if I had it to do it all over again I would definitely still do the vents and fans. What I think it comes down to is the type of use. I don’t hesitate to drive long distances at night or in rainy weather. If your use is in say Dallas for example, to and from car shows and a little cruising in the hot months, well, you might be looking into AC at that point, but you get the idea.

As far as alternative routing goes, I say go for it. It’s just the easiest route when using the brake ducts. Ideally, the vent in front of the windscreen, like the MGs had, would be the best spot to get cool air and a Cobra does have room there, but that would mean breaking from the historical look of the car.

[GTBradley]

I've been experimenting with the sound on my Gas-N side pipes lately. The problem is that they are too loud on longer drives with my wife, but are the perfect volume and note for things like car shows. I was considering getting some of the touring side pipes that Gas-N makes and switch back and forth based on need. So I tried it out with my old FFR standard pipes. I added some baffling (as detailed above) to them and it does work, but it's still too much work to switch out the two sets of pipes easily and potentially hard on the body over time.

So, instead, I decided to cut the tips off of the Gas-Ns and try different configurations of baffling that could easily be removed whenever I want.

The cut was easy to make straight with a band saw. I found a pair of band clamps that were polished stainless for $24 on Amazon (https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B09ST4BSH5?ref_=cm_sw_r_cp_ud_dp_7QW80CC3S92M2A58W WAE) and they match the pipes really well.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=166210&d=1651703618 https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=166221&d=1651704382 https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=166212&d=1651703663

The band has some pretty hefty hardware to tighten it down and holds very securely. I can hide it on the bottom of the pipe and behind the heat shields.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=166216&d=1651703663 https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=166217&d=1651703706

So, with the cosmetics figured out I started experimenting with different baffle inserts and combinations of SS wool and glass pack material. For the most part all of the different inserts I tried quietened down the exhaust enough. The problem became one of quality of sound. In all but one configuration I would get this 'shishing' sound. I think part of the problem there is that these inserts all have to go at the end of the pipe and not in the middle where that part of the sound might be lost before the exiting at the tip.

I bought the auger style inserts and, again, they worked but added a little bit of extra I didn't like listening to. I bought the Car Chemistry inserts and they are very modifiable with SS wool and caps at both ends but always with this added faint "sishing" sound.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=166218&d=1651703706 https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=166215&d=1651703663

[GTBradley]

I got to thinking that it was the holes in the baffles and coarse SS wool that was causing the sound. I could have ordered some finer SS wool but landed instead on some glass pack material for motorcycles (https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B099NGJXJ5?ref_=cm_sw_r_cp_ud_dp_6ATN88WBVEHG5C8TW RY5). One package is plenty and only cost $12, so I tried it out by wrapping the CC insert with two layers in all the areas that would hold it.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=166208&d=1651703618

That still didn't do it and was too much restriction I think. I tried various other combinations, but for my last attempt before getting the fine SS wool I wrapped just the small section between the baffles with two layers and added the provided cap with at the hole in it to the front of the insert tube.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=166220&d=1651703706

Voilà! I think I've found something that both sounds good, is not too loud, and is easy to remove so I can use the pipes as originally designed. The roadster still makes haste, but that's a moot point as my wife won't allow it anyway.

Cheers!

Edit: I have continued to play with the combinations of materials and have returned to the SS wool on both sides of the baffle and no end cap. The best part of this mod is that you can tune it to your liking.

[GTBradley]

It's been a pretty busy Spring what with autocross and graduation events for my son. He's headed to Marines boot camp in less than a week so we've been doing loads of family things together. I even got him into the roadster at autocross. Now he knows what it's like to spin out in a high-horsepower, short-wheelbase car!

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=168417&d=1655824912 https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=168425&d=1655831474

The Marines recruiting center put on a family day recently and brought in real Drill Instructors. I'm sure they held back a bit for the parents sake, but they gave those kids a taste of what's to come:


https://youtu.be/yJQJpynZY00

We've been doing some car shows too. Here's one with the the Cobra all fitted out in racing form https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=168412&d=1655824809
And a Cobra club trip to The Rambler Ranch (https://www.ramblerranch.com) in Elizabeth, CO. https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=168431&d=1655835085 https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=168432&d=1655835085

[GTBradley]

I've been wanting to buy a lift for the longest time, but really didn't want to shell out the bucks for a brand new four post lift. I also needed to modify the garage to take advantage of a high lift as I wasn't going to accept one that I couldn't walk under. My garage door is still an issue as an overhead style but I did raise it some buy cutting sections of tack off the ends and and adding them back to the vertical portions. This at least allows the door to clear the front two posts of the lift.

The truss for roof support was in the way but modifying that was relatively easy by adding 2x6 supports directly to the roof.

Before: https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=168414&d=1655824912 https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=168415&d=1655824912 https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=168416&d=1655824912

After: https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=168423&d=1655828634

My intention is to change the door to a true carriage style that swings out. That way I can stop worrying about the door position when raising the car and I won't have the unsightly door tracks anymore. Ultimately, I'll add drywall and paint the whole section and fortunately, the lift will act as my scaffolding for that project.

[Papa]

Hey Bradley,

Have you considered a roll up door?

Dave

[GTBradley]

I got lucky recently when a guy posted on our local Cobra club that he was moving and was selling his high lift Bendpak. It was already sold by the time I responded but the buyer eventually backed out and I got it for half price. It's a HD-9XW and can lift to 6' 10" under the ramps. I'm lucky enough to still have my son here before boot camp so we dismantled the lift ourselves and trailered it about 5 miles home. Once the garage mods were done, setup was relatively easy.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=168418&d=1655824912 https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=168424&d=1655829849

The thing to watch for when setting up these Bendpak lifts is that your cables do not travel over the ramp-to-crossbar bolts. The previous owner had the lift professionally installed and never knew that the bolts were being sawn through by the cables. In four years of use two bolts were cut half way through.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=168410&d=1655824809 https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=168411&d=1655824809

[GTBradley]

Hey Bradley,

Have you considered a roll up door?

Dave
I haven't looked at them yet, I assumed they wouldn't work for the HOA requirements. I'm pretty sure I can have a custom built carriage door that matches the overhead double door. They both need to be replaced anyway, so I'll be working on that next and I'll look at what's available in the way of roll ups. Thanks.

[460.465USMC]

It's been a pretty busy Spring what with autocross and graduation events for my son. He's headed to Marines boot camp in less than a week so we've been doing loads of family things together. I even got him into the roadster at autocross. Now he knows what it's like to spin out in a high-horsepower, short-wheelbase car!

The Marines recruiting center put on a family day recently and brought in real Drill Instructors. I'm sure they held back a bit for the parents sake, but they gave those kids a taste of what's to come:

Congrats on your son's graduation, Bradley! He made the best choice in choosing his branch of service! :p A young Leatherneck in the making. He's in for a few surprises when his feet hit the yellow footprints at MCRD San Diego next week. The worst part may have been the proximity to the airport...freedom was only a really big jump over a high wall and a sprint across the flight line to freedom. I'm sure he'll do great and come out the other side a new man. Most do.

One of my goals is to check out autocross when I eventually finish my build. It's been fun to read about and see your experience.


I got lucky recently when a guy posted on our local Cobra club that he was moving and was selling his high lift Bendpak. It was already sold by the time I responded but the buyer eventually backed out and I got it for half price. It's a HD-9XW and can lift to 6' 10" under the ramps.

The thing to watch for when setting up these Bendpak lifts is that your cables do not travel over the ramp-to-crossbar bolts. The previous owner had the lift professionally installed and never knew that the bolts were being sawn through by the cables. In four years of use two bolts were cut half way through.

Congrats on your Bendpak. I also have the HD-9, but I think it's standard width. I've had it since 2016, and have assembled it twice (second time because we moved). Those ramps are crazy heavy--that was the most difficult part of the assembly for me. Thanks for the tip on the cable-saw bolt issue. I'll triple-dog-check mine to be certain I didn't do the same when I last assembled it. It doesn't take too long to get used to standing (or sitting) underneath to work on the Cobra. Oil changes on DDs are a pleasure as well. Enjoy!

[GTBradley]

Thanks, Chris, I think the hardest part for him will be training me on all the acronyms you guys use:o

You can inspect the bolts with a scope tool through the ends of the cross members. It's easy to have those cables go over the bolts when threading the cable as you are blind to how they go through. I did it and had to pull one bolt out and put it back in.

Good luck on the autocross and don't hesitate to ask questions, I'll help where I can.

[Fixit]

Congrats on the lift! I've already made mine earn it's keep with two oil changes the other day.

From the looks of those bolts I would do a serious inspection of the entire mechanism. (So much for "professional installation"!) Wear some heavy leather gloves and check the cables... if they've sawn through a #5 bolt, they've probably seen some damage themselves.
Also be prepared to go through the entire leveling, lock system, and cable adjustment procedure a few more times in the next months. Since it's been disassembled, moved, re-assembled, etc. the machine will settle in again. I got mine installed on Saturday afternoon. We did the full procedure and it worked great - it was dead-nuts on the money for adjustment. Come Monday morning (after +/- 48hrs of having 4000 lbs on it) the locks didn't release properly, and the initial "take up" on the cables was wonky. Things had settled and moved around a tad.

[GTBradley]

Thanks for the advice, we think the same. I put on some gloves and oiled every inch of the cabling and it all looked and felt fine. I think what was happening was the cable was melting the bolt rather than sawing on it. Since the cable was traveling the whole time it was heating up the bolt and no single point of the cable felt the heat long enough to damage it. Kind of like a band saw blade but with pressure and heat. I did go through everything else including the emergency locks, plus greased the eight grease zirks, which were kind of dry.

I did notice a change the other day in that the top notches can't be reached. I don't need them as it's plenty high enough to walk under as is, but it does indicate that the cables stretch a bit over the days after initial adjustment.

I was on vacation last week in Kaua'i and thought of you, believe it or not, Weird, I know but while t-shirt shopping I saw this and had to laugh.
168442

BTW, Kaua'i was fantastic!

168443168444

[GTBradley]

I was asked recently where I got the decals and I would very much like to give a shout out to Bonni Acton. They really went out of their way to fix a mistake for me on the cling on decals.

The retro decals came from Acton Custom Enterprises (https://www.actoncustom.com/products/decals) and they are nice because you just clean the spot, spray with water, position the decal and squeegee. They peel right off too. The meatball I got from another place, but it uses a mild adhesive and I don't like it as much, as it picks up dirt and I can't get the dirt off very well. The people at Acton are super helpful and said they make the meatballs too.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=164724&d=1648519857

[Papa]

Thanks for the advice, we think the same. I put on some gloves and oiled every inch of the cabling and it all looked and felt fine. I think what was happening was the cable was melting the bolt rather than sawing on it. Since the cable was traveling the whole time it was heating up the bolt and no single point of the cable felt the heat long enough to damage it. Kind of like a band saw blade but with pressure and heat. I did go through everything else including the emergency locks, plus greased the eight grease zirks, which were kind of dry.

I did notice a change the other day in that the top notches can't be reached. I don't need them as it's plenty high enough to walk under as is, but it does indicate that the cables stretch a bit over the days after initial adjustment.

I was on vacation last week in Kaua'i and thought of you, believe it or not, Weird, I know but while t-shirt shopping I saw this and had to laugh.
168442

BTW, Kaua'i was fantastic!

168443168444

Kaua'i is beautiful. Here is a picture from the Pride of America cruise we've done several times and will be doing again next year as the ship sailed along the Napali Coast.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=169040&d=1657141563

[johnpinetree]

Whoa! Caught a couple bolts on my bendpak with the same issue. Glad to catch it early!169247169246

[GTBradley]

Nice. Is yours a 120 volt version like mine? Mine is pretty slow, but routing the cables correctly should reduce the load and speed it up some.

[GTBradley]

Kaua'i is beautiful. Here is a picture from the Pride of America cruise we've done several times and will be doing again next year as the ship sailed along the Napoli Coast.

My favorite spot in the world!

[GTBradley]

My trips this summer took me through some seriously hot locations, like Kansas and Utah. The Kansas trip was a steady 99°F and high humidity and the Grand Junction, Colorado and Moab, Utah trip was in the mid 90s with some serious sun exposure. One of my past mods to help with cooling in the cockpit was the vent tubes and fans (https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/showthread.php?30668-GTBradley-s-build-Heat-deflectors-for-the-vent-tubes-mod&p=420321&viewfull=1#post420321), though it was discovered that the heat from the headers is a serious issue. To combat that I insulated the tubes with foam tape and reflective HVAC tape over that. It did help, but would heat soak when sitting in traffic too long.

When I decided that the majority of the problem was coming from radiant heat from the headers rather than hot air in the engine bay, I set out to make a deflector.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=173919&d=1666199930 https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=173920&d=1666199930

This was the answer! The vent air temps dropped about 7°F and the air is actually helpful in cooling my feet on hot days.

It's a bit of labor, but the vent tubes and fans combined with tube insulation and a heat deflector finally makes the footwell more comfortable.

EDIT: By the way, I forgot to mention that the rubber bulb seal is there just to keep the deflector from vibrating, as I used rivnuts to attach it at the firewall only.

[toadster]

My trips this summer took me through some seriously hot locations, like Kansas and Utah. The Kansas trip was a steady 99°F and high humidity and the Grand Junction, Colorado and Moab, Utah trip was in the mid 90s with some serious sun exposure. One of my past mods to help with cooling in the cockpit was the vent tubes and fans (https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/showthread.php?30668-GTBradley-s-build-Heat-deflectors-for-the-vent-tubes-mod&p=420321&viewfull=1#post420321), though it was discovered that the heat from the headers is a serious issue. To combat that I insulated the tubes with foam tape and reflective HVAC tape over that. It did help, but would heat soak when sitting in traffic too long.

When I decided that the majority of the problem was coming from radiant heat from the headers rather than hot air in the engine bay, I set out to make a deflector.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=173919&d=1666199930 https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=173920&d=1666199930

This was the answer! The vent air temps dropped about 7°F and the air is actually helpful in cooling my feet on hot days.

It's a bit of labor, but the vent tubes and fans combined with tube insulation and a heat deflector finally makes the footwell more comfortable.

I haven't seen a design like that - pretty slick! you may even want to try a 2nd panel spaced out from your panel by 1/4" with some risers, it would airgap insulate a bit more as well
Awesome idea! Great job! Looks great!

[GTBradley]

I was asked recently about the cruise control I installed and responded with: well it goes like this, blah, blah and "I wrote it up on my build thread". For which the response was "ah, no you didn't" or something like that. Anyway, I remember now that I decided to omit it because others had already done it. But it may be handy to have it here for someone, so here goes...

After seeing firsthand how TMartinLVNV (https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/member.php?28540-TMartinLVNV)'s cruise control works, I purchased a cruise control kit from The Cruise Control Store (https://www.thecruisecontrolstore.com/250-1882-universal-cruise-for-drive-by-wire-etc-hotrod-classic-cars/). Since I have the drive-by-wire accelerator pedal for the Coyote I opted for their pedal interface cable. You don't need it, but working under the dash in this car really sucks and this part of the wiring is quick with the harness. For the interface I used the Universal control switch without indicator light because I wanted to mount it under the dash where it would be out of sight.

250-1882 Universal Cruise for Drive by Wire ETC Hotrod classic Cars
250-3593 Universal Cruise Control Switch Dash Mount Without Engage light
250-2761 Ford / Chrysler / Mopar Rostra Pedal Interface Harness
Installation instructions PDF (https://www.thecruisecontrolstore.com/content/250-1882.pdf)

The system is simple enough, but getting my head wrapped around the wiring took some thinking and a call to the Cruise Control Store to verify my thoughts. The problem is, their wiring schematic includes more than one model and it makes you think that you need to do more than you do.

The work is all done under dash and at the driveshaft. I mounted the control module to the left footwell wall; the control switch to a dash support bracket; and the transducer/pickup coil to the driveshaft safety loop.
There are also two magnets which are affixed to the driveshaft itself with marine epoxy and a zip tie to keep them in place until it dries. The epoxy is messy stuff and as you can see is white and tends to get on everything. The two magnets are on opposite sides of the shaft and are positioned left and right in the picture. The spacing between the transducer/pickup coil and magnets is not critical, but I set it as close as I thought I could. One caution is, don't use the speed nut provided to mount the transducer. Use a nylon locknut as the speed nut backed out on me from vibration.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=177040&d=1671579337 https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=177041&d=1671580022 https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=177037&d=1671576245

The interface harness is straight forward, just unplug Coyote harness from the pedal and connect the supplied harness in-between the pedal and Coyote harness with the third plug going to the CC module.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=174768&d=1668188381

Some connections need to be made to the brake, clutch, ignition switches and they are time consuming but not difficult.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=174769&d=1668188381

There is a divider module that gets incorporated into the wiring and it complicates things a bit but is actually not bad either. I made notes on the wiring diagram to help me visualize its wiring. Use with caution:rolleyes::

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=177042&d=1671581739

I'm very pleased with the Cruise Control unit and the support I got from the people at the The Cruise Control Store.

I love being able to pull my leg back from the gas pedal on long trips, it has made a big difference to my back comfort. The module is out of sight and I did have to get used to the functions by feel, but it's easy to access. One drawback on the location of the control switch I realized is, it is in-line with the water drip area from the windscreen post. I'll need to address that at some point.

It is very precise and quick to respond. It guns the engine a little bit to let you know it is in control, but it sticks to the speed you set it at. I can accelerate, decelerate, resume, turn off and on, but there is no cancel function, which would have been nice. A quick and slight tap of the brake pedal, just enough to actuate the brake lights, is enough to cancel/disengage the cruise, but keeps it ready to resume its previous speed.

[toadster]

awesome job!!!

[smccoy]

Bradley

I saw your mention of needing to raise the PDB due to the firewall forward. Where did you end up relocating it to? I'm laying out my Coyote harness now and don't want to install it too low (or too high) for access.

[GTBradley]

Bradley

I saw your mention of needing to raise the PDB due to the firewall forward. Where did you end up relocating it to? I'm laying out my Coyote harness now and don't want to install it too low (or too high) for access.

I moved it straight up to where the top is 4 1/2 inches under the cowel. Enough that the front plug wasn’t so close to the engine, but with enough clearance that I can still get the cover off and be able to see the fuses.

[smccoy]

I moved it straight up to where the top is 4 1/2 inches under the cowel. Enough that the front plug wasn’t so close to the engine, but with enough clearance that I can still get the cover off and be able to see the fuses.

Thanks! Since there's only the bulb seal adding thickness between firewall and body, I imagine it will be close to 4.5 from top of firewall too. This was on my plan for today, but alas got sidetracked with 5 different things to get done on the car instead...

[GTBradley]

Still kick'n

Pro-solo pics from last fall:

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=197111&d=1711038833


https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=197112&d=1711038833

[GTBradley]

So, these are my race wheels and I'm thinking about powder coating them, but don't know what color to do...

I have black pipes and the black quick jacks for the track and would like to do something crazy for these wheels. Suggestions?

[Papa]

So, these are my race wheels and I'm thinking about powder coating them, but don't know what color to do...

I have black pipes and the black quick jacks for the track and would like to do something crazy for these wheels. Suggestions?

Hey Bradley,

Good to see you are still using and abusing that car! I like those wheels just the way they are, but if I were PC'n them, I might go with a gunmetal gray. I know, not crazy like you mentioned, but would look pretty sharp.

For something a bit more crazy:

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=197113&d=1711042493

Dave

[GTBradley]

Yep, mostly abusing - front license plate bracket broke and I need those spats you have because of too many chips. Whoa what wheel does that thing come from? Ten studs!?

[Papa]

Yep, mostly abusing - front license plate bracket broke and I need those spats you have because of too many chips. Whoa what wheel does that thing come from? Ten studs!?

I have no idea what car(s) that wheel fits, but the ten holes are for two different 5-lug patterns. It was the color that I was thinking you might like. Someone was selling a set of the aluminum spats a while back. Not sure if they are still available. If not, Very Cool Parts is where I got them.

Dave

[GTBradley]

Thanks. I like the gray idea and am considering the historical white too. I saw that Doug up in Greeley was buying some of those spats - waiting to hear from him how good they are.

[ydousurf]

Hey Bradley,
I sent you a lengthy reply, but forgot to say… I got mine from Martin (magicmarto) out here on the forum, but I think you already knew that. Martin does a really good job getting them close, but you’ll have to finish massaging them into place. Maybe ask Dave (papa) regarding what he had to do in terms of getting his to lay nice? I know that the aluminum thickness has to be factored in on how easy or hard it will be in terms of getting them to match the complex curves on the body of rear wheel. I am satisfied w/Martin’s and I know they’ll hold up to even the biggest rocks/debris that get shot at them. BTW, your car looks awesome!

Doug

[JMD]

GTBradley, I've really enjoyed reading your build thread! I'm just waiting for delivery of my kit next month so am spending my time collecting as much info as possible before I begin. I noticed you had your car painted in the KC area, which is where I am located. It looks amazing and I would love to know who did it for you. Thanks and safe driving!

[GTBradley]

GTBradley, I've really enjoyed reading your build thread! I'm just waiting for delivery of my kit next month so am spending my time collecting as much info as possible before I begin. I noticed you had your car painted in the KC area, which is where I am located. It looks amazing and I would love to know who did it for you. Thanks and safe driving!Thanks John! PM sent.

[GTBradley]

So, I finally had a breakdown with the Coyote-powered Mk4…more of a mental breakdown that is! I forgot to put the radiator cap back on and found out just how far you can drive like that starting from cold.

My wife and I headed out for lunch on a sunny Saturday and before we went I checked all the fluids. I thought I would add a little coolant to the radiator and left the cap off - not sure where, but it’s gone for good! We headed out and at about two miles I smelled the sweet smell of glycol. When we pulled to a stop at the light I said, uh-oh! and my wife said “what?”. I just pointed at the hood scoop and soon as she saw the billowing white cloud she immediately went into eject, eject, eject, bail-out mode. I had to calm her down so she didn’t jump into traffic. I explained that it wasn’t a fire and we’d be fine. We turned around as soon as possible and made it home with a still normal coolant temperature showing on the gauge. However, it took two full jugs of premix to fill it back up! That stuff comes out quicker than one too many tequila shoots!

BTW, the answer is 4.6 miles!

[toadster]

So, I finally had a breakdown with the Coyote-powered Mk4…more of a mental breakdown that is! I forgot to put the radiator cap back on and found out just how far you can drive like that starting from cold.

My wife and I headed out for lunch on a sunny Saturday and before we went I checked all the fluids. I thought I would add a little coolant to the radiator and left the cap off - not sure where, but it’s gone for good! We headed out and at about two miles I smelled the sweet smell of glycol. When we pulled to a stop at the light I said, uh-oh! and my wife said “what?”. I just pointed at the hood scoop and soon as she saw the billowing white cloud she immediately went into eject, eject, eject, bail-out mode. I had to calm her down so she didn’t jump into traffic. I explained that it wasn’t a fire and we’d be fine. We turned around as soon as possible and made it home with a still normal coolant temperature showing on the gauge. However, it took two full jugs of premix to fill it back up! That stuff comes out quicker than one too many tequila shoots!

BTW, the answer is 4.6 miles!

wow - glad it was as simple as a radiator cap! in my drive yesterday of about 15 miles, the temps never rose over 190F - the coyote system is really efficient IMHO, but it needs to be sealed :)

while your wife was in bail-out mode, it's good she's paying attention! cheers to your next drive :)

[GTBradley]

Yeah, I just thought it was noteworthy that the Coyote is that dependable. Of course, I only have 15,000 miles on it, but if I had rebuilt my own engine there would be lots of issues.

How’s your ride doing, Todd?