gen 3 in north carolina

[jwhit]

been about 3 weeks since kit arrived.making a little process 121438121439121440121441121442

[jwhit]

few more pics[/ATTACH]121443121444121445121446

[q4stix]

That's some quick progress! Congrats and keep the updates coming!

[Tuftster]

A little progress? Looks like more than I got done the first year! Keep it up.

[jwhit]

had slight issue im installing small block ford with t5 transmision had to cut cut brace in tunnel also had to adjust hole on motor mounts slightly (cheap autozone )121463121464

[Automan]

had slight issue im installing small block ford with t5 transmision had to cut cut brace in tunnel also had to adjust hole on motor mounts slightly (cheap autozone )121463121464

Wow, thats a serious modification for a T-5.

Im putting in a 65 289 with a TKO 500. Engine is in but waiting on funds for the TKO. Shouldnt have to go through what your going through

Great progress by the way!! are your tins painted black or powder coated.

Nelson

[jwhit]

Wow, thats a serious modification for a T-5.

Im putting in a 65 289 with a TKO 500. Engine is in but waiting on funds for the TKO. Shouldnt have to go through what your going through

Great progress by the way!! are your tins painted black or powder coated.

Nelson

epoxy powder coated

[jwhit]

just pass info along for anybody who might buy base kit like i did. i was told to use sn95 spindles with mine so i could use 5 lug wheels .all seemed to be fine untill i went to mount wheels last night .it would take 1" wheel spacers to fit
after making call to ffr (note its important to talk to right person who knows coupe) my 1st call i was told to take pictures since they had never had issue with that wheel combo (ffr hilibrand wheels) on coupe .so i asked if i could talk to the coupe guy. glad i did he said that change was made and that gen 3 coupes could not run sn95 spindles and would throw geometry on front out of wack and that spindles should have been included with my kit. so he is shipping me out a set ffr has been good with making wrongs right with me and i give them credit where its do,i sure hope the sales guys get the memo so this doesnt happen to another builder.

[bil1024]

just pass info along for anybody who might buy base kit like i did. i was told to use sn95 spindles with mine so i could use 5 lug wheels .all seemed to be fine untill i went to mount wheels last night .it would take 1" wheel spacers to fit
after making call to ffr (note its important to talk to right person who knows coupe) my 1st call i was told to take pictures since they had never had issue with that wheel combo (ffr hilibrand wheels) on coupe .so i asked if i could talk to the coupe guy. glad i did he said that change was made and that gen 3 coupes could not run sn95 spindles and would throw geometry on front out of wack and that spindles should have been included with my kit. so he is shipping me out a set ffr has been good with making wrongs right with me and i give them credit where its do,i sure hope the sales guys get the memo so this doesnt happen to another builder.

Happened to me except I had the donor stuff from a 93, nothing worked, FFR had to send me a setup

[jwhit]

got 1 door on not quite complete Still need to drill hole for striker and mount latch ,this is hardest part to date for me ,doors were way over sized and had to grind
about 3/8 off front and maybe 1/4 off rear .also ran into several other issue had to add 7/16 spacer from frame to door to keep it from sticking out that far
not sure about pass side yet hope to work on it next week ,but did have another issue on pass side that hinge would not open at all without removing metal move hinge part ,hope you can see it pics below
122562122560122563122561

[edwardb]

I'd really strongly recommend you get the nose mounted and properly positioned and closed/latched before fitting the doors. Some of what you're experiencing might be from the body not quite being in the right place. Plus I found the nose fitment, once where it needed to be, changed the shape of the main body piece slightly and affected the door fitting. All the work (and material you're removing...) might not be what you really want once the nose is installed. That was my experience, plus I think the manual also says to mount the nose first. I can't stress enough how important that is. I know it's a lot of words, but I put a bunch of detail in my build thread about fitting the body and doors. So have some other build threads.

[jwhit]

I'd really strongly recommend you get the nose mounted and properly positioned and closed/latched before fitting the doors. Some of what you're experiencing might be from the body not quite being in the right place. Plus I found the nose fitment, once where it needed to be, changed the shape of the main body piece slightly and affected the door fitting. All the work (and material you're removing...) might not be what you really want once the nose is installed. That was my experience, plus I think the manual also says to mount the nose first. I can't stress enough how important that is. I know it's a lot of words, but I put a bunch of detail in my build thread about fitting the body and doors. So have some other build threads.

i had nose on and fitted didnt think about it effecting doors i guess i can put it back on , ihave been thru your build thread thanks for sharing
did you consider making bracket to bolt crowl in center? i am thinking about making some type of bracket after i install wipers since the crowl
seems to move alot

thanks again love your car

[edwardb]

i had nose on and fitted didnt think about it effecting doors i guess i can put it back on , ihave been thru your build thread thanks for sharing
did you consider making bracket to bolt crowl in center? i am thinking about making some type of bracket after i install wipers since the crowl
seems to move alot

thanks again love your car

Thanks, and you're welcome. The cowl affects the doors a lot in my experience. Not just sitting there, but latched down to where the alignment is as good as can get with the main body and pontoons. Then fit the doors with the cowl down and latched. Yes, the center of the cowl seems a little floppy at this stage. I wondered about that too. But with the windshield bonded in place, it's much stiffer and IMO just fine.

[David Williamson]

I used some washers between the door frame and inner door to bring the door in enough so it fit. Of course that meant longer bolts as well. I didn't move the body mounts in the door sill from the factory location but you could do that as well to move the body to the left. Lots of options and you have to make a judgement call a figure out what works best for you.
David W

[jwhit]

taking what was said from edward and david i spent about an hour today going over doors and have decided to stop and heed advice
week week when i have time i will remount nose and lathes and install sheet metal that ties pontoons to frame ,also i had 2 screws
per side in sill plates i have already taken them out and looks like body pushing out enough on its own where i may not need any or at least
alot less spacer from door to door frame to match body ,i guess i jumped the gun with my doing quick nose fit and removing to get that out of way
i know hind sight is 20/20 but if i could start over i would do all body fitting 1st then start sheet metal and wiring and motor install
i have fiberglass dust every where now , anyway hope to repost later this week with what i hope is good news and better out come
on doors
thanks for the insight guys

[edwardb]

Good luck. I don't think I agree it would have been better to fit the body before all the sheet metal and related. For starters you would want the firewall and dash in place to get the height correct at that point. Plus the radiator tunnel in the front kind of sets the height for the hood at the front. Probably other examples. I think the overall assembly sequence in the manual is pretty much spot on. Fiberglass dust happens. Wait until you start sanding body filler and primer...

[jwhit]

took the day to work on body fitting ,nose and doors i spent about 10 hours today to get everything real close ,all is lock in now so all i have to finish is little more trimming here and there .this process is a dance you move this a little and then move somthing elese a little .my biggest mistake was trying to line up body in door sill section even with frame it just want work mine was happy about a 1/2 fron edge

122810122809122808122811

[jwhit]

tweeked doors a little more got them real close finsh up at paint time
got rear hatch on hinge brackets still need to add gas springs
123102123103123104

[jwhit]

got radiator hoses done ,i didnt like the ss flex so i searched out rubber hose that i could make work
also started on ac ran into few road blocks not long h of the #8 hose to work but biggest
road block is condensor i have it fittted in place and noticed that hinges would hit before front clip was rasied
just a little . i will contact ffr in morning to see what the will do

123533123538123534123535123539123536123537
123540123541

[edwardb]

Curious why you have the spacers for the front hinges on one side like that. The instructions show using a spacer on each side which centers the rod end in the hinge. It's a tight fit, but that's not helping. Also, assuming you have A-C hoses only mocked up in the fittings? Doesn't look like any are crimped yet. You're going to find those short hoses between the evaporator and the bulkhead fittings are critical lengths and the effect of the crimping has to be considered.

[jwhit]

Curious why you have the spacers for the front hinges on one side like that. The instructions show using a spacer on each side which centers the rod end in the hinge. It's a tight fit, but that's not helping. Also, assuming you have A-C hoses only mocked up in the fittings? Doesn't look like any are crimped yet. You're going to find those short hoses between the evaporator and the bulkhead fittings are critical lengths and the effect of the crimping has to be considered.

the hinge spacers was to correct my error i set hood to body without doors and then i had to start over to get all to line up and ran out of slot so i had to improvise
on hoses i assume they will shrink when crimped so i have those short hoses super tight right now it requires bowing foot box panel to get in ,so i have fingers crossed
that it will come out ok .

how did you get your condensor to fit??

[edwardb]

the hinge spacers was to correct my error i set hood to body without doors and then i had to start over to get all to line up and ran out of slot so i had to improvise
on hoses i assume they will shrink when crimped so i have those short hoses super tight right now it requires bowing foot box panel to get in ,so i have fingers crossed
that it will come out ok .

how did you get your condensor to fit??

Actually you'll find the hoses expand when crimped. When doing my installation, I practiced making one with spare parts, measuring before and after. What I found was the hoses grow a little less than 1/8-inch. Closer to .1000 inch. So took that into account when I made the final pieces and was able to get them installed. Was tight though. With yours tight before crimping, could be challenging. Discussed in this post in my build thread plus a picture. Scroll down a bit. https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/showthread.php?26630-Edwardb%92s-Gen-3-Type-65-Coyote-Coupe-59-Build-Complete-and-2020-Detroit-Autorama&p=350347&viewfull=1#post350347.

As for the condenser, full disclosure I didn't use the kit provided one. It arrived with a bunch of fins crushed. Plus IMO it was marginal quality and the fit wasn't optimal. I suspect FF would have replaced it, but I didn't want another one like it. So bit the bullet and picked up a Vintage Air 03263-VUC condenser. I suspect many wouldn't agree with the extra $150. But that's what I did and it worked perfectly. What I'm not quite understanding about your experience though is the Vintage Air piece I used at 24-inches wide was actually wider than the one I received from FF. It fit between the hinges fine. But having said that, you're not helping the situation by having the hinge assembled other than intended. Hope you can get it sorted out.

[jwhit]

Actually you'll find the hoses expand when crimped. When doing my installation, I practiced making one with spare parts, measuring before and after. What I found was the hoses grow a little less than 1/8-inch. Closer to .1000 inch. So took that into account when I made the final pieces and was able to get them installed. Was tight though. With yours tight before crimping, could be challenging. Discussed in this post in my build thread plus a picture. Scroll down a bit. https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/showthread.php?26630-Edwardb%92s-Gen-3-Type-65-Coyote-Coupe-59-Build-Complete-and-2020-Detroit-Autorama&p=350347&viewfull=1#post350347.

As for the condenser, full disclosure I didn't use the kit provided one. It arrived with a bunch of fins crushed. Plus IMO it was marginal quality and the fit wasn't optimal. I suspect FF would have replaced it, but I didn't want another one like it. So bit the bullet and picked up a Vintage Air 03263-VUC condenser. I suspect many wouldn't agree with the extra $150. But that's what I did and it worked perfectly. What I'm not quite understanding about your experience though is the Vintage Air piece I used at 24-inches wide was actually wider than the one I received from FF. It fit between the hinges fine. But having said that, you're not helping the situation by having the hinge assembled other than intended. Hope you can get it sorted out.

thanks for the heads on on hoses i will trim .120 off to allow for growth ,i assumed they would shrink,i dont have crimp tool so good to know before i take to crimp shop

[Automan]

took the day to work on body fitting ,nose and doors i spent about 10 hours today to get everything real close ,all is lock in now so all i have to finish is little more trimming here and there .this process is a dance you move this a little and then move somthing elese a little .my biggest mistake was trying to line up body in door sill section even with frame it just want work mine was happy about a 1/2 fron edge

122810122809122808122811

Hi, Wondering, did you have to trim the cowl at all? You have such a nice tight line going across the firewall and along the latch?

Mine from the factory was awe full im afraid. I had to cut it. Im still trying to line everything up. I do know that i made a huge mistake by not mounting the hood first before trimming it. Really upset with my self. Hopefully after this weekend i will come out ahead with a hood locked down and latched with just a little filler to be required to give me my 3/8 lines.

[jwhit]

Hi, Wondering, did you have to trim the cowl at all? You have such a nice tight line going across the firewall and along the latch?

Mine from the factory was awe full im afraid. I had to cut it. Im still trying to line everything up. I do know that i made a huge mistake by not mounting the hood first before trimming it. Really upset with my self. Hopefully after this weekend i will come out ahead with a hood locked down and latched with just a little filler to be required to give me my 3/8 lines.

i mounted front clip and driver side needed about 1/4 off but right side only needed about 1/8 i used tape and grinder and took a little at the time untill it was close it still needs some tweaking
here is what i learned hardway when setting nose i drilled and screwed body at doors sills (big no no ) so when i went to set doors they would have required 3/8 of shims on driver side
so i had to regroup remove screws from door sills shift body left or right as needed to make doors work out (my body at door sill maybe 3/8 or more away from inside frame ) then i had to readjust
nose again. i would highly doing doors and nose at same time also keep in mind you have to lock in pontons at same time to adjust nose
good luck

[jwhit]

got ac unit mounted and hoses run ,just heads up do not follow instruction for mounting condensor they are not correct the new coils are wider than what was in manual so you will have to center up
which will put the #6 ac line outside of sheet metal for you could do it hard way like i did and remove flange off 1 side on coil so that #6 line will stay inside shroud,but doing this also made me
notch my hinges
123596123597123598

[jwhit]

been few weeks but with covid 19 going around i had some time at home to get some work done
most wiring complete just have to do headlights and tail lights also got side pipes hung the new ball socket
it way better but i will go ahead and warn others that you have to modify hanger brackets ,i had to cut about 1 1/2 off both sides
pipes look great ,real close from side to side only about 1/8 from side to side

124582124583124584124585

124586

[jwhit]

1st start saturday with a small test run see you tube vid https://youtu.be/qF7Gsvr5rvo

i will now do final tweaks and put car together complete and then tear it back apart for body work and paint
125279

[Automan]

1st start saturday with a small test run see you tube vid https://youtu.be/qF7Gsvr5rvo

i will now do final tweaks and put car together complete and then tear it back apart for body work and paint
125279


Congratulations on getting your build to this point. Looks good. Very quick!!! no messing around eh lol
Nelson

[jwhit]

more progress 95% of wiring done all lights done and went for small test ride today 125668125670125673125675

[jwhit]

after test ride i didnt like seat position so i had to make some brackets to angle seat and move forward 2"

125699125700

[jwhit]

started body work this weekend ,i will admit the seams on my body looked real bad as far as alignment but so far they are cover ok
im using fiberglass putty to get seams covered and then i will go back and skim with upol gold filler .have my fingers cross that all comes out
good

127620127621127622

[sperger72]

Looks great so far. I was thinking of building a gen 3 but do not want to fight the body lines

[jwhit]

got body in primer now ,i will say that seams on my body looked real bad ,but it didnt take as much work as i thought to fix .hope to get some paint on it soon

128463 128464

[jwhit]

got my paint now and starting to make some progress .not looking to bad for home paint job

131818131819131820

[nskaats]

Looks great! What color code did you go with? Might be the light, but it reminds me of GM Electron Blue Metallic used on the C5s

[jwhit]

Looks great! What color code did you go with? Might be the light, but it reminds me of GM Electron Blue Metallic used on the C5s

Dark Quasar Blue Metallic from urechem paints they make great product at good price .
the color changes base on light condition,hope to paint body this week end if the temps will go down some its been high 90 all week here

[jwhit]

got main body painted this morning

131878131879131880131881131882
131883

[TheMole]

That looks great. I enjoyed reading your build thread so far.

My kit arrives next month and will use what I read (and learned) here!

[jwhit]

That looks great. I enjoyed reading your build thread so far.

My kit arrives next month and will use what I read (and learned) here!

lot of good info on this site
good luck with your kit mine has been fun and pain in rear at same time
try to go thru others builds so you can see how and how not to do things

[jwhit]

putting car back together now ,wow i thought this day would never come
132130132131132132132133

[Briansshop]

Looking good! I'm impatiently waiting for my late September delivery date. Your build is making me think I won't have any problems driving mine by this time next year.

[jwhit]

got little more done
132310132311132312

[John Dol]

Nice job on the body work and paint. Wish I had the skills for that, but I don’t.
It’s an exciting time when you get to put everything together for the final time!
You know you can’t keep that license plate holder in this butt hurt country of ours right?!:rolleyes: ;)

John

[jwhit]

i know hopefully no one has gotten offended ,sorry im from the south and dont see it as hate sign just happened to be plate laying around for fitting every thing up

[jwhit]

got rear quarter windows in now i had a gap to deal with on mine so i made a alum z bracket to fill gap and to hold weather strip
i made mine removable just like others i saw post on fourm with addtion to a notch in glass that matches clip for stop and centers glass up
132645132646132647132648
132649132650132651

[jwhit]

im getting real close now almost ready to deal with dmv inspector for title
133839133840133841133842133843

[Briansshop]

Looking good!

[Automan]

im getting real close now almost ready to deal with dmv inspector for title
133839133840133841133842133843

Did you put clear coat on your paint?

Looks great!!!

[jwhit]

[QUOTE=Automan;424409]Did you put clear coat on your paint?

Looks great!!![/QUOTE
yes its base clear paint i used urechem out of misisssip great pricing on there paint

thanks i still need to buff but i will wait till all is done

[jwhit]

my car is done been waiting on dvm since oct 28th last word i got was maybe end of october before i have papers to get title and tags
i did make an arm rest/cup holder and added backup cam and built some sill plates


136250136251136252136253
136254

[jwhit]

all done got everthing from dmv today including tags

[q4stix]

Congratulations! That's a huge milestone!
Have fun on the road and be safe

[TheMole]

Wow..that was a fast and good looking build!

Congratulations!!

[Fbird]

Can you bolt the hinge loose with the struts in place and then ratchet strap the body back towards the main tub? When it is tapped tighten down the hood hinge. It might be less filler than you think. T.poe