Gen 3 Coupe #16 finishing details

[David Williamson]

The paint is done so I thought I would share some of the finishing details as I put the car together.
This is a sill plate from Russ Thompson, I gave it a quick polish to clean it up and used 10-32 screws to mount it. The inside row are into the under door frame rail and the outer row are just into the fibreglass.
111169
David W

[Bob Brandle]

Nice look Dave. I've also got these same Russ Thompson Sill Plates, but I'm still a year away from installing them on my Gen 3 Coupe. Did you or might you consider clear anodizing them to harden the surface and thus give them super scratch resistance? Bob

[jdavis500]

Nice touch. Clear protective film would work well on the threshold. I use it on all my cars. Metal seems to scratch so quickly here.

[David Williamson]

I test fit the windshield and decided to use rubber trim on it, the fit without it did not look "finished" i am using the same rubber trim as many others 19mm UM1913BR. The black primer for the glass edge is messy stuff. I found it at a local auto glass shop for $5 vs on line $49 !! Canadian price but still, pays to look around. I also put 3/16 inch door edge moulding on the body around the top and sides of the windshield opening to give a finished look from the inside. You can see it in the picture, I made the black primer wider to hide it better after I took this picture.
111228
I found the glass fit without any "adjustments" on the body.
Early on I decided to add a turn signal to the mirrors because I did not think the small lights in the head light buckets would be enough. The lens in the mirrors look great
111229
David W

[David Williamson]

My car is an early Gen 3 and it came with the old style back lights not the LED's. I added 2 more white lights of the same type as back up lights. Originally my plan was to put the LED 3rd brake light in the spoiler but it did not fit so it ended up on the back of the car body. The lens is 1/4 X 10 inch and it hides well until the light is on. What look like flaws in the paint are really reflections.
111375
This is a picture of how I mounted the back wall to the body. I used nutserts and 10/24 X 1 socket head screws, i think it looks better than rivets and you can use the screws to pull the aluminum up to the body. Much easier than trying to push the aluminum up to the body with broom handle.
111376
David W

[David Williamson]

No pictures yet. Started putting the carpet in, Don't know if it is the same carpet as the MklV but it is much better quality than my 15 year old Mkll. I also found the pieces fit with almost no trimming, not like the Mkll where every piece required trim to fit. Getting the carpet fit into the foot boxes is really tight, should have installed it when the foot boxes were open.
David W

[JOE A]

111529
Here's another take on the sill plaque. I had the RT plaque but I did not like the look of the square plaque with the "tapered" sill. I had my water jet guy scan the text and cut two pieces out of 1/8" S.S.
A little polishing and there you have it.

[David Williamson]

So many custom ideas on these cars.

We put the windshield in, I followed Matt's method. I used some 2X4's wraped in old towels and a ratchet strap to hold it in place. The fit with the rubber trim was perfect.
111612
The carpet is mostly done, lots of small details left.
David W

[David Williamson]

Over the last few days I was able to put a few hours into finishing carpet and most of the interior work.
The transmission cover is padded with 2 layers of head liner covered with the vinyl I used on the dash. The cup holders are located to fit around the frame. I still need to put the trim and boots around the shifter and E brake handle
111858
The carpet fit mostly without much cutting. I found the best way to attach the carpet was with a spray contact cement. My method was to spray the carpet back and with the glue still wet attach the carpet. This works and keeps the mess out of the car. My wife spend a few hours in the trunk working on the trunk carpet. The area around the "V" in the roll cage between the seats took a while to get looking good.
111859
I put the seats and seat belts in. I used the Kirkey floor and back mounts, the seats are solid but of course they are not adjustable. I found the seat was too flexible without the back mount.
111860
Then we went out for a short ride. All went well but there are a few minor things to sort out. I don't like the look of the chrome wipers with the color of my paint, I am thinking of painting them black.
We killed a few bugs.
111861
Not quite ready to graduate but getting close
David W

[Boig Motorsports]

Over the last few days I was able to put a few hours into finishing carpet and most of the interior work.
The transmission cover is padded with 2 layers of head liner covered with the vinyl I used on the dash. The cup holders are located to fit around the frame. I still need to put the trim and boots around the shifter and E brake handle
111858
The carpet fit mostly without much cutting. I found the best way to attach the carpet was with a spray contact cement. My method was to spray the carpet back and with the glue still wet attach the carpet. This works and keeps the mess out of the car. My wife spend a few hours in the trunk working on the trunk carpet. The area around the "V" in the roll cage between the seats took a while to get looking good.
111859
I put the seats and seat belts in. I used the Kirkey floor and back mounts, the seats are solid but of course they are not adjustable. I found the seat was too flexible without the back mount.
111860
Then we went out for a short ride. All went well but there are a few minor things to sort out. I don't like the look of the chrome wipers with the color of my paint, I am thinking of painting them black.
We killed a few bugs.
111861
Not quite ready to graduate but getting close
David W

Love those Quietpipes and the color of your car. Outstanding build!

[jdavis500]

Would you mind showing how you finished your splash guards? I am working on making them look good and haven't been satisfied yet on the front.

[David Williamson]

I had all the exposed aluminum powder coated. The upper front splash shield is rivited in and I added a small section bulb seal on the lower edge, not sure if I will leave it on. The lower is bolted on with SS socket head screws, I used nutserts on the aluminum inner area because it is hard to reach the back.
111911
111912
111913
David W

[Geoff H]

I saw David's car yesterday. Amazing build - high quality pieces and workmanship. Hard for any pictures to do it justice - very nicely done!

Geoff

[jdavis500]

Thanks, David. Does it look good when the hood is closed and the panels butted?

[David Williamson]

Other than the part attached to the pontoon you really don't see them with the hood closed. I put the rubber moulding on to reduce the dirt from the tire going past the splash shields. One side does sit about 1/4 inch further forward than the other but unless you look under the car and compare them you won't see the difference
David W

[Bob Brandle]

Dave, Looking Outstandingly Good!!
I've got the same Boig QuietPipes but I'm at least year behind you in my build. Received my Gen 3 Coupe kit mid Sept 2018. It looks like the outlet end of the sidepipes is drooping just a bit, i.e., there is a lot of space in the body recess above the outlet end of the exhaust. In the fully bolted together system, except for the rear hanger bracket attachment, is there any flexibility in the system to raise the outlet end a bit, 1/2 to 1 inch? I would still want to keep the sidepipe parallel to the car body, but it looks like some adjustment might perfect things. I would adjust or modify the hanger bracket if needed, but wouldn't want to put any undue stresses on the sidepipe & header assembly. Yes, I'll find out for myself down the road, but I'll be thinking about this for some months now.

[David Williamson]

Bob the pipes are straight, maybe the angle of the picture. The pipes as it came home from the paint shop were not set quite perfectly, I had to take them off to put the Ultra copper gasket material in and I put them back on straight. There is some space behind and above the pipes and because they are bigger than the dual pipes they sit out a little more. I used a modified FFR hanger with a single bolt on the pipe and a single long bolt with a rubber isolator, it is stiff but there is some give to it. I have already had the side pipe mounts hit a few times, seem to be the low point on the car. I did lift the ride height and it might have settled again.
David W

[Bob Brandle]

Thanks David. Yes, camera angles always come into play. I can see that the rocker cutout for the sidepipe(s) is designed for the narrower but dual stacked sidepipes and they may tuck in more. Also the squared off rear of the cutout is designed for the stacked dual sidepipes. What I'm thinking of doing is a bit of fiberglass work to reduce the gap and also do away with the squared off cutout back end and make it look more like the "bullet tapered" of the front end where the sidepipe exits the engine compartment. Bob

[David Williamson]

continuing work on the details.
The side windows are installed but I still need to figure out the weather strip between the door and window frame. I found a 5/8 inch "L" shape rubber trim and I think I will try it out.
112318
I have one of Russ's pontoon covers on and it gives it a nice finished look. I am undecided about powder coating it to match the other aluminum, probably keep it as is.
112319
The dash is done except for the E brake boot.
112320
David W

[P100DHG]

Omg looks amazing. 2 questions

What’s your engine setup? Upload some pics

Is that a midshift on the TKO600?


Love it love it love it! Great job

[David Williamson]

Hard to get a good picture of the engine with the hood on but here is one. It is a Dart 363 with Fitech injection by Levy, I wanted the old school look with injection. I have about 250 miles on it so far, it runs OK but it still needs some fine tuning. Yes it is a TKO 600 with a mid shift. I need to tidy up the plug wires still.
112343
The "quiet pipes" are not as loud as the FFR ones but it is still loud and with this engine nobody with mistake it for a normal car.
I had it out today to a shop to discuss putting 3M type paint protection on it. It was about 75 deg here today and with no AC (not charged yet) and the side windows in place it was a warm ride.
David W

[Automan]

continuing work on the details.
The side windows are installed but I still need to figure out the weather strip between the door and window frame. I found a 5/8 inch "L" shape rubber trim and I think I will try it out.
112318
I have one of Russ's pontoon covers on and it gives it a nice finished look. I am undecided about powder coating it to match the other aluminum, probably keep it as is.
112319
The dash is done except for the E brake boot.
112320
David W

I love the Pontoon covers. Can you provide the link to purchase them. Nice build!!! Congratulations

[David Williamson]

in the Forum vendor list look for "Russ's Garage" I have the pontoon covers, door sill covers and turn signal.
Russ has been making custom parts for our cars for many years. Let him know it is for a Gen 3 coupe
David W

[David Williamson]

well still working on some finish details. The Fitech tune is better but not yet perfect, still jurky when you let off the accelerator but close.
The big stuff left is the head light covers, oil pan gasket leak and cruise control tuning.
I made some removable quarter windows but they are not installed in the pictures
I took it back to the body shop for some final touch ups and polish today and a few pictures, one with me and Rob, the guy who did all the fiber glass work.
114486114487114488
David W

[timsmitaruba]

Hard to get a good picture of the engine with the hood on but here is one. It is a Dart 363 with Fitech injection by Levy, I wanted the old school look with injection. I have about 250 miles on it so far, it runs OK but it still needs some fine tuning. Yes it is a TKO 600 with a mid shift. I need to tidy up the plug wires still.
112343
The "quiet pipes" are not as loud as the FFR ones but it is still loud and with this engine nobody with mistake it for a normal car.
I had it out today to a shop to discuss putting 3M type paint protection on it. It was about 75 deg here today and with no AC (not charged yet) and the side windows in place it was a warm ride.
David W

Hello David, is that a fan shroud I see in that engine pic of yours? I live in Aruba and want to get one for my gen 3 Coupe also. Also have one on my Roadster and works great.
Thx again,

Tim

[David Williamson]

the fan shroud is from Breeze, fits easily and works.
David W

[David Williamson]

Still working on final details. I have a significant oil leak that looks like the oil pan gasket, changed the gasket and it is reduced but still dripping.
We took it out for a ride and my wife took some pictures, the Fall colors are just about finished.
116008116009116010116011116012
I still have a number of things to finish over the Winter that should keep me busy.
My wife has decided on a name for it "The Beast" might have something to do with the way the engine sounds, even with Boig quiet pipes it has a good rumble.
David W

[7tvette]

Looks great David!

[edwardb]

Looks really good. Can't wait for mine to get to that stage. Going to check progress at the painter in the morning. ;)

[Fbird]

Looks awesome. I can’t wait to get that far some day.

[GashF16]

David, your car is beautiful! I will be installing the Boig Quiet Pipes too...I can't tell from your photos. Are those the "stock" header cutouts on the body, or did you do those yourself? Thanks.

[David Williamson]

The header cut outs are close to the FFR cut outs but the body shop did work on them to get the fit. They are not that visible so not a critical fit. My kit had the engine mount brackets welded on backwards and because of it I had exhaust fit problems and I had cut the header cutouts large trying to get them to fit. I now have offset engine mounts so the engine is in the correct location and the "Quiet Pipes" fit well. It was a long saga working with FFR to sort it out.
I have a list of things to fix and one of them is to lift the back of the side pipe so it is straight.
David W

[jdavis500]

Can you tell us more about your side markers? Are they reflective or LED?

[P100DHG]

Hard to get a good picture of the engine with the hood on but here is one. It is a Dart 363 with Fitech injection by Levy, I wanted the old school look with injection. I have about 250 miles on it so far, it runs OK but it still needs some fine tuning. Yes it is a TKO 600 with a mid shift. I need to tidy up the plug wires still.
112343
The "quiet pipes" are not as loud as the FFR ones but it is still loud and with this engine nobody with mistake it for a normal car.
I had it out today to a shop to discuss putting 3M type paint protection on it. It was about 75 deg here today and with no AC (not charged yet) and the side windows in place it was a warm ride.
David W

David, I just saw that you didn't need to relocate your oil filter. I am hoping it is the same for a 351W any pointers here?

Thanks,
Danny

[David Williamson]

Danny - the filter relocator is really only needed if you use the reverse headers and "J" pipes. Any of the FFR or in my case Boig headers leave lot of clearance for the filter.

On a different topic I put the wheel spinners on today. There is some discussion about anti seize or not on the threads, I found a WD40 dry PTFE (Teflon) lube that won't attract dust so I am giving it a try. I also put 4 smalll set screws in each of the hubs to hold them in place. So far all good.
David W

[David Williamson]

I made some removable quarter windows similar to what a number of others have done. They are about 1 inch longer than the kit supplied windows so there is a seal with the door window. It is easy to cut the plexiglas with a jigsaw. a few pictures
116304116305116306
and a reflection of me taking the picture.
I added a roll bar pad to the side roll bar, it is the one your head will easily hit.
I had a guy stop and chat with me at a gas station, the turn signals were not working and the flasher had failed after only a few hundred miles. An easy fix but not something expected.
David W

[jwhit]

I made some removable quarter windows similar to what a number of others have done. They are about 1 inch longer than the kit supplied windows so there is a seal with the door window. It is easy to cut the plexiglas with a jigsaw. a few pictures
116304116305116306
and a reflection of me taking the picture.
I added a roll bar pad to the side roll bar, it is the one your head will easily hit.
I had a guy stop and chat with me at a gas station, the turn signals were not working and the flasher had failed after only a few hundred miles. An easy fix but not something expected.
David W

how did head liner work out in your car ? i am getting ready to start my build and build guide says turn body on its roof that seems crazy
your car looks great

[David Williamson]

Yes the easiest way is to flip the body. The body is easily handled by 2 people. I used Dynamat and the head liner. There is not much room above the roll bars but it has been done with the body on
David W

[edwardb]

I turtled mine a few times during the build. No sweat. Help is good, as stated. The sides are pretty flexible as it's going over. But once on the top, no big deal. This picture was when I was cleaning up all the edges, openings, etc. On my driveway to keep all the dust out of my garage shop. I did a spray on insulation (Lizard Skin) above the cockpit area and then a spray on finish (U-POL Raptor) on the entire underside versus the headliner. Whatever you do, definitely easier upside down and without the roll cage in the way.

https://oi867.photobucket.com/albums/ab234/edwardb123/Factory%20Five%20Daytona%20Coupe/Misc%20Pics/th_IMG_0900_zps7px3b21g.jpg (http://s867.photobucket.com/user/edwardb123/media/Factory%20Five%20Daytona%20Coupe/Misc%20Pics/IMG_0900_zps7px3b21g.jpg.html)

[David Williamson]

I made some simple door cards using some scrap aluminum covered with the same fake leather as the dash. They are attached with velcro. I also have some black leather door pulls to install that I think will go on the lower door.
117171
David W

[David Williamson]

My door pulls arrived and I put them on. I decided to go with a minimal sort of race car look, they are simple black leather kitchen door handles.
118065
I think they fit the style of car well and do the job.
David W

[jwhit]

do the brackets that hold side windows get in way while driving?

[David Williamson]

no the coupe is wider inside than the roadster and your shoulder is further back, once you get in there is lots of room. The door sill is wide and it can become an arm rest. I have my Kirkey high backs on mounts and 1 inch square tubing so they are about 2 inches off the floor.
David W

[jwhit]

no the coupe is wider inside than the roadster and your shoulder is further back, once you get in there is lots of room. The door sill is wide and it can become an arm rest. I have my Kirkey high backs on mounts and 1 inch square tubing so they are about 2 inches off the floor.
David W

great thanks i was concearned they might be in the way

[David Williamson]

It's been a while and not much is new. I did install the fittings for the head light covers but because I have to take the hood off for minor paint repair I have not drilled the and installed the covers yet. Winter is here big time now, -40 deg here this morning and even with heat in the garage it is too cold. -40 deg F or C no matter it is the same.
a few pictures of the head light covers, measure many times and drill once. It looks like the covers will fit without sanding the edges. I just drilled and tapped the fibre glass and they seem secure but i will use a thicker rubber washer so the holes in the covers are not too close to the edge of the plastic.
120605120606120607
David W

[Doug Logan]

Thanks David for great pics and documenting these finishing items. Great build! Be Proud!

[edwardb]

Those fittings look nice. I bought the same ones but maybe you saw in my build thread I chickened out and didn't use them. :p Sounds like you're getting our cold weather. You can have it. Winter here in SE Michigan (so far!) has been pretty mild.

[David Williamson]

I have not done much on the Coupe recently, even with the heat on it is still cold in the garage but Paul got me motivated to install the rear mesh screens. I took a slightly different approach and used 1/2 inch wide black tape to protect the paint. The tape looks slightly wavey because of how the mash cuts but once it is installed you can't see it. I used some of the small rubber bumpers that come with the kit as spacers, SS screws and a SS washer to hide the black rubber. My car is all red so I did not put any black behind the mesh, the red is dark enough. The pictures are done without a flash, just an LED floor light so the look is close to what you see in real life. I am happy with the way they turned out.
122494122495122496122497
David W