Build thread OttawaFFRer MKIV

[OttawaFFRer]

Since I'm up in the middle of the night packing boxes for my move to a 2 car garage, attached to my wives new home...I figured I'd break for 5 minutes to start my build thread.

FFR # unknown, pickup is slated for April 16.

Here we have my donor, a 1987 gt convertible. This is a pic from the previous owners house, my wife wouldn't allow a scrap yard at our place:)
http://i753.photobucket.com/albums/xx175/ottrunner/9915kna_20.jpg

I picked up a MAF sensor and computer from an '89, it should be arriving shortly

The donor is apart and it's remnants are somewhere between cohens scrap yard and a new life as beer cans. I demolished the donor in a single car garage, it was extremely tight. As well as a household worth of goods, I'll be moving an engine, trans, gas tank, rear axle, driveshaft...etc. to my new home. The joys of having to move all this stuff has me giddy...lies.

I have received a few shipments from Factory Five, a few photos:

Lower Control Arms
http://i753.photobucket.com/albums/xx175/ottrunner/P1120080.jpg

A 15" replica Halibrand
http://i753.photobucket.com/albums/xx175/ottrunner/P1120081.jpg

I suppose my next purchase was a 2 car garage, that really blew my FFR budget. I had expected to pay off what's remaining on my car but that will have to wait until after the house closes on February 28. So now I'm gunning for March 15, which will only leave me 4 weeks to hit up Transport Canada.

Once in the new house I plan on wiring, insulating, and drywalling the garage. Then I'll put up another of my purchases. A Kouros banner:

http://i753.photobucket.com/albums/xx175/ottrunner/P1120082.jpg

That's it...I started to clean up my the rear axle housing but will wait to be in the new place...besides, I have lots of packing to do.

Cheers,
Vic

[F5RSN8K]

That donor looked to nice to tear apart.

[OttawaFFRer]

looks can be deceiving. Although the body was in good condition externally, I think the car had been kept on long grass. It was terribly rusted out underneath, the shock pillars had been built up with 1 inch steel sections as they were totally rotten. The convertible top was finished, the interior was filthy...some farmer owned this thing and it seems like he used it to transport everything from bails of hang to cattle...

But it purred, tranny was tight...and just $1200. I'm not sure how much of it I will use, but for the price it seemed okay.

[MPTech]

Looks like fun (not the moving part).
How did you get parts already? I placed my kit order 3 weeks ago and was given a tentative date of 3/18, but I wasn't expecting anything before then.

I'll be following your thread with great interest, as our plans sound similar (except I'm sourcing most of my parts locally and from the FFCars forum) and picking some up new (radiator, gas tank, and a couple other items I didn't want donor parts for.
What are your plans? IRS? pwr steering? boosted brakes? original or race seats?

here's my plan: http://www.ffcars.com/forums/showthread.php?t=264052

[OttawaFFRer]

That is a thorough plan, I had been following it at ffcars.

Parts shipment:

When ordering my kit, mid December, I was trying to take advantage of the sale for 3-link, LCA, and hali's. At that time the thought was that the sale was going to end soon and I didn't want to get the kit before spring (snow), and a good thing seeing as I'd be moving it to my new home. To get the sale and a mid April pickup I had to pay for the upgrades up front, plus I paid $600 for a Canadian deletion kit, after shipping it was short of $5000 CDN, the dollar wasn't quite as strong then.

Shipments started arriving quickly, I had some of the 3-link parts before the end of December and the Hali's early January. There are still some 3-link parts to arrive...maybe they come attached to the frame when I pick-up, I'm not sure.

It's like Christmas! 3 weeks ago I received a cobra poster and letter from Dave telling me not to give up the dream. :) I'm just getting started!

My plan:
Some donor parts obviously, but many of the parts I removed from the donor, are not going on my new roadster.
-I will likely buy a new rad, stock fox rad is mugly.
-I'm considering wilwood pedals
-I will do a 5 lug conversion, I think with 89 lincoln fronts...not sure about the back yet
-need wiring, haven't figured out what to go with, donor wiring is gone, I have a new ford racing engine harness, just need the rest of it.

302...I hope for 300ish ponies, I have been looking at top end engine kits, I will likely buy this from a new forum sponsor. Heads, intake, cam...
-the engine is an '87 so I'll be converting it from speed density to maf, picked up the maf and computer from ffcars classifieds, waiting on arrival.

I'm excited/scared. I would like to get this done by spring 2012, that I think I can do, if I don't get lost in it. I'm begging for a build wiki, I need thorough instructions.

Begging...so many options, to hard to find

Cheers,
Vic

[Barrhavencobra]

Hey Vic, what part of Ottawa are you in.

Jim

[OttawaFFRer]

I'm in riverside south, just across the river from barrhaven. Once the new bridge is done we're neighbors!

Vic

[MPTech]

Sounds cool Vic, keep us posted!

[OttawaFFRer]

Paul,
what is the benefit of using 94-95 spindles over fox spindles with lincoln rotors?

Maybe I'll have yet another donor part to replace...

Cheers,
Vic

[OttawaFFRer]

Well I hit the big 4-0 this week, survived thus far pretty good.

http://i753.photobucket.com/albums/xx175/ottrunner/P1120090.jpg

Paid for my roadster after a bit of banker abuse, now I just wait for my paperwork for the gov of the great white north and a trip to pickup.

I've decided not to use the donor 302, which means I pretty much am not using anything from that old fox. I picked up a '96 roller 351 windsor for a rebuild, some aluminum heads and maybe a bit of a stroker kit.

Now I have to decide on a million more things!

Cheers,
Vic

[MPTech]

Congrats on the birthday, now get that build in gear!

[dv/dt]

Happy BD Vic! So when are you picking it up? I thought it was suppose to be this weekend. Need to let us know so we can drop by and take a look at the Mk 4.

Cheers, Rod

[OttawaFFRer]

Rod,
right now I'm waiting on my paperwork from factory five for Transport Canada, so I suppose I'm still 2-3 weeks away.

I can't wait...

Vic

[AC Bill]

I've decided not to use the donor 302, which means I pretty much am not using anything from that old fox. I picked up a '96 roller 351 windsor for a rebuild, some aluminum heads and maybe a bit of a stroker kit.
Now I have to decide on a million more things!

Ka ching...let the mods begin!:p Throw out your original budget, and get a clean sheet of paper..

OK Guys, let him have it..lol:)

[OttawaFFRer]

I have to tell you...when my wife walked into the room as I hung up the phone and said "Did I just hear you buy another engine for your car? You have an engine in the garage!"

I'm glad it was my birthday.

[PaulW]

Paul,
what is the benefit of using 94-95 spindles over fox spindles with lincoln rotors?

Maybe I'll have yet another donor part to replace...

Cheers,
Vic

Vic,

I don't know if there are any geometry improvements. I liked the separate hubs and rotors and I was able to put 2-piston calipers on. I got a real good deal on them from an autowrecker 5 minutes from home. So unless it someone else knows better for me it just one of those self-rationalization projects. I am having many of them so far and am getting quite comfortable with them. :-)

[AC Bill]

I believe a new replacement hub for the later models is quite a bit more expensive, as it has the built in bearings, than the simple inner/outer bearing cost of the Fox spindles. Depending on your budget, or the availability of good used ones, that could play a factor..just a thought..

[OttawaFFRer]

I picked up my roller 351w this weekend, I hope to have it apart and off to the machine shop by next Monday.

My engine plan is to get a stroker kit, I don't think I'll go to 408 but maybe. I've decided not to go efi, I will purchase a carb and intake, simply less wiring and I'm not concerned about MPG's.

I also received my paperwork for Transport Canada today and faxed it off to them, hopefully I'm good to go in a couple of weeks.

Other things I'm thinking/questioning:
I was going to go manual brakes and steering.
Will likely go with a heater and some vents for cold mornings and hot afternoons.
I will be using aftermarket wiring for lights and gauges, which you do you think is the best?

A rookie still reading dozens of posts a day...where is this wiki?

Cheers!

[riptide motorsport]

ron francis wiring harness......just throw it at the car and it installs itself.....................period.
power brakes and steering is nice to have.
def. defrost for the windscreen.

[OttawaFFRer]

I leave to pick up my roadster tomorrow so I organized a trailer and built a body buck.

http://i753.photobucket.com/albums/xx175/ottrunner/P1120198.jpg
http://i753.photobucket.com/albums/xx175/ottrunner/P1120197.jpg

[MPTech]

Very nice!

Congrats and Good Luck!

[josrodes]

Very nice, good luck, you will be very happy with this, I'm really enjoying my build too. Good luck and hit me up for any questions, I have gone through a lot of mistakes already :)