North Florida 289 Build, #10306

[Chainsaw]

I’m working on finalizing my order details, so I thought I’d start this while I watch the movers box up our household for the move to St. Johns, FL. Went back and forth a bit on this, but I’m going with the 289 USRRC kit. I’m loosely basing my build on CSX2557. I don’t want to go full retro so there’ll be several modern conveniences added. The car will be used 90+% for cruisin’, but I’ll probably hit an autocross once in a while.

Here’s the major details I have settled on (I think):

Powder Coated Chassis
Hydraulic Clutch
289 USRRC Style Trunk
Power Steering
IRS
Vintage Low-Back Aluminum Race Seats
289 GPS gauges
Vintage Halibrand Replica Wheels, 17” X 9” all-around
Wind Wings
Sun Visors
Vintage Wiper Kit
Front & Rear Sway bars
Center Dash Support
Front Brake Ducts
Wilwood brakes

Drivetrain-wise, I’m leaning to a 306 with ProFlow 4 EFI with a TKX (wide ratios), mid-shift conversion*, and a 3.55 diff. (*Assuming I can get a true mid-shift conversion for the TKX.) I might could be talked into a 347, but my death wish isn’t as strong as it used to be. Based upon all the chatter on here, I’m leaning to going with Mike Forte for the engine/drivetrain, but I need to have that conversation with Mr. Forte. That part is a bit farther in the future.

Various and sundry add-ons, including but not limited to:
Russ Thompson Turn Signal mod and drop trunk
Boig Quiet pipes & Cool pipes
Lots of Breeze Engineering stuff
Cruise control
Etc. Etc. Etc.

I’m sure all you forum members will happily help me spend my money on the “etc.” part.

More to follow.

[narly1]

In the next few weeks I'll be dropping a PF4 (pending it's delivery) onto a 302/306 that I've been working on rebuilding.

I'll post up my experiences as far as that goes on my build thread.

Earl

[Straversi]

Sounds like you have a good plan. Welcome. Enjoy the process and keep us updated.
-Steve.

[cnutting]

Welcome to both the FFR family and the smaller 289 family! Mike is great to deal with. He built my 289. You have a good plan going.

[Chainsaw]

Thanks. Reading yours and VSpeeds’ build threads played a big part in leading me to the 289 solution.

[Chainsaw]

While not used on any racing 289 Cobras to my knowledge, I’ve got a real hankering to paint the car in a style similar to the ‘68/‘69 Gulf Oil-sponsored GT40s. Not really my style, but maybe that’s why I like it. The GT40s were the first race cars that really caught my attention and there’s something about that sky blue/marigold orange paint scheme on the Gulf cars that really stands out. I was/am also a big fan of the Gulf Porsche 917s. I’ll need to hash out how the orange nose would work out on a Cobra. Has anyone seen a Cobra in those colors?
Anyway, still hashing through the idea. Otherwise, I’ll default back to my original gunmetal gray with dark blue stripes.

[Vspeeds]

I’m looking forward to following your build. Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions.

[CobraboyDR]

While not used on any racing 289 Cobras to my knowledge, I’ve got a real hankering to paint the car in a style similar to the ‘68/‘69 Gulf Oil-sponsored GT40s. Not really my style, but maybe that’s why I like it. The GT40s were the first race cars that really caught my attention and there’s something about that sky blue/marigold orange paint scheme on the Gulf cars that really stands out. I was/am also a big fan of the Gulf Porsche 917s. I’ll need to hash out how the orange nose would work out on a Cobra. Has anyone seen a Cobra in those colors?
Anyway, still hashing through the idea. Otherwise, I’ll default back to my original gunmetal gray with dark blue stripes.Maybe something like this in the blue/orange?

https://imagizer.imageshack.com/img922/2380/TbgfsN.jpg

[Chainsaw]

Maybe something like this in the blue/orange?

https://imagizer.imageshack.com/img922/2380/TbgfsN.jpg

Very similar. I think I’d continue the orange (yellow in the picture) around the oil cooler and under the headlights to the wheel arches.

[CobraboyDR]

Very similar. I think I’d continue the orange (yellow in the picture) around the oil cooler and under the headlights to the wheel arches.Maybe some yellow fangs hanging down...;)

[2FAST4U]

A GT40 paint scheme like the one I had on my GT40 woukd look really cool

https://thumbs2.imgbox.com/13/73/L5VohHta_t.jpeg (http://imgbox.com/L5VohHta)

[BlueMud]

While not used on any racing 289 Cobras to my knowledge, I’ve got a real hankering to paint the car in a style similar to the ‘68/‘69 Gulf Oil-sponsored GT40s. Not really my style, but maybe that’s why I like it. The GT40s were the first race cars that really caught my attention and there’s something about that sky blue/marigold orange paint scheme on the Gulf cars that really stands out. I was/am also a big fan of the Gulf Porsche 917s. I’ll need to hash out how the orange nose would work out on a Cobra. Has anyone seen a Cobra in those colors?
Anyway, still hashing through the idea. Otherwise, I’ll default back to my original gunmetal gray with dark blue stripes.

Neat idea. The Gulf Livery is super cool. Here are a few photos to drool over. The GT500 racecar was on display at Ford Nationals in Carlisle, PA a few weeks ago. The GT40 is an ERA and was being stored there last year. Different interpretations of the blue and the orange, but they're close.
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[Chainsaw]

Neat idea. The Gulf Livery is super cool. Here are a few photos to drool over. The GT500 racecar was on display at Ford Nationals in Carlisle, PA a few weeks ago. The GT40 is an ERA and was being stored there last year. Different interpretations of the blue and the orange, but they're close.
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That #6 car (or one painted like it) was the inspiration for the idea. A pic of it is the wallpaper on my iPad.

[Chainsaw]

Well folks, I retired last Friday, so I bit the bullet and ordered my 289 kit yesterday. I did it late in the evening and on-line. Haven’’t heard back from FFR yet. The order was as noted in the first post. Here we go.

[Jeff Kleiner]

...Has anyone seen a Cobra in those colors?


Here ya' go:

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=151670&d=1628124109

Enjoy your build and keep us updated!

Jeff

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[KDubU]

Congrats! You’re in for a lot of fun.

[Vspeeds]

Congratulations on retirement! And enjoy your build.

[Chainsaw]

Here ya' go:

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=151670&d=1628124109

Enjoy your build and keep us updated!

Jeff

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Yes. Like that. Thanks!

[Chainsaw]

Expected completion date is 2/5/22. I've got a bit of work to do to complete our move to St. Johns and get the garage space ready, so it's good that I have some time.

[Chainsaw]

Current status: Received the Russ Thompson drop trunk hardware last week. Ordered the 3.55 IRS diff and knuckles/hubs from Mike Forte yesterday. I also had a great conversation about engines and transmissions. I’ll have to sort that out soon.

[Vspeeds]

Exciting!

[Chainsaw]

I’m still pondering transmission choices. Has anyone dropped a T56 in a 289 yet?

[Jimtmich]

The 289 car is the Mark IV with a different body and appearance items. So, you could search in the Roadster section as transmission options are the same.

[Chainsaw]

The 289 car is the Mark IV with a different body and appearance items. So, you could search in the Roadster section as transmission options are the same.

Thanks. I should have been more clear. I meant that more as a question about uniqueness than about fitment. A few people have done it with an Mk IV, but some tunnel mods are required. Those mods are possibly more than my meager mechanical skills can handle. Still pondering.

[Chainsaw]

(Insert Final Jeopardy theme) Waiting, waiting, waiting. ONLY 124 days left to the "scheduled" completion date.

I've been busy with my consulting gig the last 3 weeks, but I did receive the rear end/differential hardware from Mike Forte and will get to work on that stuff when I'm done traveling later this month.

Clock is ticking.

[Chainsaw]

Still Dullsville here, but made the payoff to FFR and have been receiving several upgrades in the mail. No updates on build status, so I'm assuming, naively maybe, that the build is still on schedule for the week of 2/5.
Rebuilt my work bench and worked some on hubs. Will start building the chassis dolly and body-buck-on-stilts this week. With new consulting work starting this week, I'll be hard pressed to get the dolly and buck done, but should still beat the car delivery.

[Zach Bohn]

I know the feeling, my kit is to be completed January 29.

[Chainsaw]

Talked to Factory Five today and the car is done. :D Stewart Transport indicated to expect it in late February or early March. Luckily I got the chassis dolly and body buck on stilts done yesterday. Game on.

[Chainsaw]

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Just practicing putting photos on here. My current and future DD.

[Chainsaw]

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IRS mods underway. (Crazy exciting, right?)

[Chainsaw]

Well. I thought my FFR had a completed my car, but as of last week they were still finishing it up.
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I hope to receive it sometime mid to late March now.

[Zach Bohn]

Hang in there! My 289 Roadster completion date was 01/29/2022, I just received my kit on 02/27/2022 (So Cal).

[Chainsaw]

Quick update. Got the call from Stewart today. The car should be here between 3/11 and 3/13 barring any bad weather or transport mechanical issue. :D
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[Fman]

Subscribed. Looking forward to following your build journey the 289 is a great looking car. FWIW I am running the Edelbrock PF4, so far it has been awesome

[JeffP]

Quick update. Got the call from Stewart today. The car should be here between 3/11 and 3/13 barring any bad weather or transport mechanical issue. :D
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Congrats, mine must be in there with yours - picking it up Thursday!

[cnutting]

Looks like another wave of 289s. Congrats all!

[Chainsaw]

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Car arrived Sunday. Been working on inventory the last 2 days. I'll take off the shell Wednesday or Thursday to finish the inventory. Lots of parts/assemblies on the POL and a few minor parts missing.

[KDubU]

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Car arrived Sunday. Been working on inventory the last 2 days. I'll take off the shell Wednesday or Thursday to finish the inventory. Lots of parts/assemblies on the POL and a few minor parts missing.

Awesome! Let me know if you need help on anything and I try to get down there.

[Chainsaw]

Will do. Thanks.

[Chainsaw]

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Removed the shell, aluminum panels, and crammed it all into my garage.

[Chainsaw]

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Slow going as I'm still missing parts here and there and work/landscaping getting in the way. Ready to install the diff/IRS hardware when I return from a work trip to west Texas.

[Chainsaw]

Slow progress as I was away on work travel and we had family in town for a week after that. How hard can one crank down on the brass outlet fittings on the master cylinders? I know they need to be pointed up, but I’m not sure they’re in tight enough.
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[Jimtmich]

If you can figure out the type of pipe thread it is, then you can simply look on a chart to find what that joint is designed to be torqued to.

Example NPT (National Pipe Thread) torque chart:
https://www.engineersedge.com/hardware/pipe_thread_installation_13424.htm

[Chainsaw]

A little more progress, but stuck on this task awaiting parts.

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Also, having a tough time getting the last bolt in on the IRS diff installation (aft passenger side bolt into the diff housing). It’s off just enough that that I can’t get the threads started. Still working on it.

[Chainsaw]

So after letting the car sit for 5 days, I come back, clean up the PS rear mounting hole threads on the diff, and the bolt goes right in. Diff installed and most of the suspension, but missing 2 bolts to allow me to finish*. That’s the story of this car and my POL wait list. I can’t finish much as there is a bolt missing for that assembly, a part for the other assembly, etc. I did receive the electrical harness and driveshaft this weekend, but not anywhere close to the point that I can even consider installing those. I will get one of the rear uprights/hubs installed today and then steering shaft, but I’ll have to switch to full-time aluminum body panel prep here shortly.

*Does anyone know where on-line I can buy M16x2.00 110mm bolts without having to buy a pack of 25? I’ve not had any luck tracking those down. I only need 2 to finish the IRS installation less shocks (no springs yet).

[sam_sturdy]

I bought a 5 pack from McMaster. They’re a different finish than the others but were stronger.

[Chainsaw]

I looked there and could only find 100mm length and regular hex head vs the flange head. I don't care about the finish. I'll look again. Thanks.

[JeffP]

I bought a 5 pack from McMaster. They’re a different finish than the others but were stronger.

edit - replied to wrong message.

[JeffP]

So after letting the car sit for 5 days, I come back, clean up the PS rear mounting hole threads on the diff, and the bolt goes right in. Diff installed and most of the suspension, but missing 2 bolts to allow me to finish*. That’s the story of this car and my POL wait list. I can’t finish much as there is a bolt missing for that assembly, a part for the other assembly, etc. I did receive the electrical harness and driveshaft this weekend, but not anywhere close to the point that I can even consider installing those. I will get one of the rear uprights/hubs installed today and then steering shaft, but I’ll have to switch to full-time aluminum body panel prep here shortly.

*Does anyone know where on-line I can buy M16x2.00 110mm bolts without having to buy a pack of 25? I’ve not had any luck tracking those down. I only need 2 to finish the IRS installation less shocks (no springs yet).

Not sure if you have 'Do it Center' hardware stores around, but my local mom and pop place had every grade 8 bolt that you could possibly imagine. I was able to find everything on my POL list for about 50$ and kept right on moving. I would imagine an Ace hardware might be similar, but the smaller places surprisingly have a crazy selection vs HD or Lowes.

[Chainsaw]

The Ace Hardware I went to already didn’t have the flange head bolts that long. I have another close by that I’ll check.

[Chainsaw]

Some progress on the rear end. Did the passenger side IRS install.
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Still a few things to work on that I can complete (sway bars, tank installation, steering shaft, body panels.) Fun times.

[Chainsaw]

Finished the IRS installation with the sway bars, but still don’t have the rear springs to finish the shock build up and installation. Thanks to FFR in expediting the 2 missing M16x110mm bolts to me. :)
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Re-centered the power steering rack and cleaned up the installation.
Installed the steering shafts/knuckles. Everything seemed to go together pretty well (which frightens me and makes me think I screwed it up somehow.)
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Will start installing the fuel tank and several body panels next.

[OttawaFFRer]

I'm also building mine loosely on 2557. I may go with a lighter color but I'm planning on attempting the dash layout/interior.

I was able to get speedhut to print my speedo and tach with SW logos. I went with a 3 3/8 speedo and 4" tach.
The center dash gauges are larger than the standard FFR gauge package.
oil temp, oil pressure, water temp and amps gauges are 2 5/8 SW and the fuel is a 2 1/8 SW.

3D printing my glovebox and will machine a glovebox latch as close as I can muster to the originals.

I have just about everything I need to start building other than Control Arms which Gordon Levy has for me sitting in a box somewhere between his shop in Arizona and my house in Ontario Canada.

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[Chainsaw]

Working on body panels. Fuel tank next.
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As some have stated on the forum, the instructions can be a little vague. Sorting out what extra steps you have to do is part of the fun, I guess.

[Rocket Rob]

Try Belmetric. They sell individual bolts.

https://belmetric.com/bolts/?DiameterThreadMetric=M16X2.0&Length=110mm&

[Chainsaw]

Taking a couple of days away from the project. Got the floor and footbox panels mounted. Now waiting on parts and working my consulting gig (=making some money for more parts.)

[OttawaFFRer]

You're already ahead of me. Awaiting control arms all around, somewhere between Levy's shop and my home?

Things are looking great on your build. The brushed aluminum looks really good.

[Chainsaw]

You're already ahead of me. Awaiting control arms all around, somewhere between Levy's shop and my home?

Things are looking great on your build. The brushed aluminum looks really good.

Thanks. It helps to be mostly retired.

The Scotchbrite scrub really works out, but it can be tedious. Thanks to whoever came up with that one. I'm still waiting on front upper control arms and the Wilwood brakes to finish up the corners. POL stuff is coming in slowly, but coming in. Got my windshield last week.
Ready to install the fuel tank next, then hook up the MCs and run some brake lines. Buying plenty of stuff from Breeze, Russ T, Period Correct, etc. to try to keep the parts coming in to stay on track.

[Chainsaw]

Made a little progress. Assembled a 255 lph Walbro pump and ProM hangar and installed in the tank. The pump is overkill for my project, but if I go with more power later, I didn’t want to have to redo the pump/hanger. Tank ready to install as soon as I tighten up the coupler nuts on the “Kleiner mod”. Waiting for the POR15 on the couplers to dry.
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Made a bracket from some unused body panel material and installed the Scotts Hotdods triple reservoirs. I think the unit positioned okay, but please advise if I should consider moving it. Still need a grommet for front of the foot box for the three hoses running to the MCs.
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I’m going to redo the reservoir bracket with some .063” 6061. The .040 stuff is probably okay, but I don’t like the flex I’m seeing even with the hoses attached.

[Chainsaw]

Tank installed

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[Chainsaw]

Received the front UCAs yesterday and worked on them today. I think I did things correctly, but it was a long wrestling match today to get the IFS completed. I still have to torque the hub nuts.
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Still waiting on Wilwood brakes. :(

[Chainsaw]

Got on the list with Spotlight Customs for paint/body. Lead time is roughly 6 months. Should match up good with my pace (if I get a move-on.)

[Chainsaw]

Finished the Breeze engine compartment battery box installation. Had to break out the HF pneumo rivet gun to install those SS rivets. I didn't have enough lead in my pencil to do those manually.

Ran the front brake lines. The NiCop line is pretty easy to use overall, but getting it straight seems to be a challenge for me. My engineering and QA tendencies were definitely triggered, but I had to get past that.

Moved on to running the rear brake line. Made several minor errors that eventually caused me to realize I needed to "rip" all that out and start over, but I learned a lot. That was another humbling experience in this long series of humbling experiences.

I did get some help which may have distracted me.
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[Chainsaw]

I want to add some lower bracing to the dash. Are there any strong opinions regarding using Mike Everson's under dash panel vs the Breeze support brackets?

[Chainsaw]

Re: the above, I ordered Mike Everson's under dash filler panel.

For any owners in hot-n-humid areas, do I need to go with a larger coolant expansion tank than what's provided by FFR? My ride will be mostly a cruiser, but I will do some autocross and maybe some HPDE runs on a track. I'd rather bite the bullet now than try to redo the system later.

[GoDadGo]

I did get some help which may have distracted me.
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Best Helper You Could Ever Get!
....Wrench On Chainsaw, Wrench On!

[Chopper]

For any owners in hot-n-humid areas, do I need to go with a larger coolant expansion tank than what's provided by FFR? My ride will be mostly a cruiser, but I will do some autocross and maybe some HPDE runs on a track. I'd rather bite the bullet now than try to redo the system later.

I'm in Virginia, not as hot as you, but it gets pretty warm and humid in the summer. I used a larger tank, with my 302 it was difficult to get the right level in the FFR supplied tank. I found one on Jegs that was similar in style to the FFR expansion tank. My notes say it was this one (Jegs 52oz 3x16 inch stainless coolant overflow tank):
https://www.jegs.com/i/JEGS/555/511036/10002/-1
OF course there are many choices, I just liked the look of the FFR tank and decided to find one of a similar size.

[Chainsaw]

Best Helper You Could Ever Get!
....Wrench On Chainsaw, Wrench On!


My grandson acted like he knew what he was doing which is more than I can say about my work.

[Chainsaw]

I'm in Virginia, not as hot as you, but it gets pretty warm and humid in the summer. I used a larger tank, with my 302 it was difficult to get the right level in the FFR supplied tank. I found one on Jegs that was similar in style to the FFR expansion tank. My notes say it was this one (Jegs 52oz 3x16 inch stainless coolant overflow tank):
https://www.jegs.com/i/JEGS/555/511036/10002/-1
OF course there are many choices, I just liked the look of the FFR tank and decided to find one of a similar size.

Going with the JEGS tank. Thanks for the recommendation.

[Chainsaw]

POL stuff coming in after a dry spell. Roll bar assembly came in today. Some fastener hardware and rear springs on the way.

Got the brake lines done (UGLY, but functional.) Still fighting with fuel lines. I also got the TrickFlow fuel filter located and mounted (similar to Mr. Borror's 20 Anniv build).
Received some Fragola hose end fittings yesterday and found out today that I ordered the wrong ones. Ordered the right fittings today and sending the wrong ones back.
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Got the DS elephant ear temporarily mounted before I ran out of time. Will do the PS on tomorrow. I should have done this when I installed the F-panel. Lesson-learned.
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[Chainsaw]

Got the fuel hard lines fitted in yesterday. They look far better than I expected. Now to work on building the hoses.
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Rear springs showed up on my doorstep today. Built up the rear shocks and then couldn't find the 4" bolts for the top shock mount. They must've walked away, so I made yet another trip to Ace and secured 2x. Too hot to work in the garage this afternoon (feels like 130F in there), so I'll finish the shock installs next week.

[Chainsaw]

Another POL shipment due today and my wheels are supposed to arrive this coming week. I’m trying to keep the outflow of boxes at least equal to the inflow of new boxes.

[cnutting]

While I didn't have the POL issue, I had to manage boxes coming in from other parts/tool suppliers to keep them under my wife's RADAR....

[Chainsaw]

While I didn't have the POL issue, I had to manage boxes coming in from other parts/tool suppliers to keep them under my wife's RADAR....

Oh, yeah. My wife keeps wondering why there’s still so many boxes stacked up in the garage since so many parts are on the car and I’ve thrown away or recycled many boxes already. “Gee, I don’t know, honey.”

[Chainsaw]

Big screw-up yesterday. I was cutting the 3" hole for the DS blast gate using an adjustable hole saw. Just as the saw was cutting through the adjustable part decided it wanted to adjust itself right then and there (set screw unset) causing some significant spiral scratching on the foot box front face. Not structurally significant, but quite ugly. :( It won't buff out without removing significant material. I'll pass.

So I ordered some .040 6061 sheet stock to attempt to make a bezel for the front face of the foot box and bought some real hole saws.

While I wait, I'll read up on and start on the electrical harness install.

[Chainsaw]

The Before with scratches and the mis-drilled holes due to a drill template that didn’t exactly match what needed to be drilled.
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And the After with the new bezel to cover the hideous stuff in the picture above.
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Fun times.

[Chainsaw]

On to the PS vent and how it should looked installed.
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I'm not doing the final install as I assume I'll need to punch this through the carpet and insulation first.

Wheels arrived today, but 2 of them are 17x10.5. Not that I wouldn't want them, but per everyone they're too wide for the 289 Roadster. Waiting for FFR to contact me back about a swap for the correct 17x9.0 versions.

[Chainsaw]

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Question on the installation of the blast gates. I really don't want to mount the blast gate on the outside of the footbox, but I'm not sure I'll have enough thread engagement on the outside of the box after pushing this through the insulation and carpet. Does anyone have any guidance and/or recommendations on this?

[Fman]

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Question on the installation of the blast gates. I really don't want to mount the blast gate on the outside of the footbox, but I'm not sure I'll have enough thread engagement on the outside of the box after pushing this through the insulation and carpet. Does anyone have any guidance and/or recommendations on this?

I am a little confused by what you are asking, thread engagement? It looks like you already have the gate mounted and would just cut the insulation/carpet around the gate on the inside of the footbox. You just need to use a hose clamp to affix the hose to the lip sticking out of the gate. On the inside I ended up using a choke cable attached to the gate to manually open and close mine which has been working good.

[Chainsaw]

I was intending to put the insulation and carpet down first and then install the gate on top of that. I am concerned that the thickness of the insulation/carpet would be such that I can’t get enough thread engagement and/or enough engagement for the 3’’ hose clamps to get a good grip on the gate. I’ll probably put the insulation down first and punch through for the 4 attachment studs and the 3” lip. Then, I’ll cut the carpet around the most of gate assembly as you mention above. Thanks for the input.
I have the vent pull knobs and cables from Period Correct that I’ll attach.

[Chainsaw]

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Soooooo, I was working on installing the Russ Thompson turn signal hardware and opening up the steering shaft hole in the dash. After doing so, I realized that the FIA 289 dash won't work as it is cut from FFR. When centered on the pre-cut hole, the larger steering shaft hole makes the dash sit too high on the DS, such that the tach and left-most gauge won't fit under the hoop. The turn signal/high beam indicators are now sitting in the hoop. Also, the bezels for the gauges and the RT mod interfere, so I can't open up the hole any more in the vertical. The speedo fit was marginal with the hoop already, so I can't move that side up. At least part of this is on me, for sure, as I didn't imagine things would be this far out of whack. :(
I can see where things need to move, so I'll be calling FFR for a blank dash here shortly. Yeehaw.

[Chainsaw]

While I wait for brakes, other POL items, and the new blank dash, I did install the side panels for the trunk aluminum. Next week, I'll mount the modified tank vent charcoal filter and then move on to the trunk floor with the Breeze cubby and Russ Thompson drop trunk. I also must replace the front hubs as they're leaking (my fault). On a positive note, my side pipes showed up Wednesday.

FFR doesn't sell cats for the 289 any longer. I assume if I buy some hi-flow cats, a competent muffler shop/weld shop can modify the current j-pipes or are there other options?

[Chopper]

I swear I saw a post a few years ago where someone got long tube headers with cats integrated from Mike Forte.

Regarding the J pipes, shouldn't be too hard as that's all the once offered Factory five cats were (cat welded into a J pipe). If you go that route, you may want to wait until you have the body on so you perhaps the exhaust shop could adjust the J pipe angle on the passenger side as it will probably be a bit off.

For reference, here's one of my cats (ordered from Factory five in 2014, then coated).

https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-886DJP6/0/535f185f/X2/i-886DJP6-X2.jpg

[Zach Bohn]

Would it work if you did not use the collar?

[Chainsaw]

Been in Texas working the past week and making some $$ for parts. I hope to get back to the build this week. In my efforts to increase my knowledge of the 289 Roadster build, I may have discovered and/or proven I’m an idiot. More to follow.

[Chainsaw]

Okay. I’m not a total idiot, just a partial one. The dash still sits too high and I will need to build my own with the blank dash I received.

I did get some work done on the trunk section and have the RT drop trunk installed.
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And in even better news, my Wilwood brakes arrived yesterday. :)
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[Chainsaw]

Brakes on. Will hopefully fill and bleed the systems and get the emergency brake installed this coming week.
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[Jimtmich]

Looks like a lot of quality work going on with great parts. Enjoy!

[Chainsaw]

Slow going with a lot of babysitting grandkids and work. I did get the Breeze cubby metal work done and got my wheels and other parts back from powder coating. I put the wheels on the car to see what they look like and to save storage space. I’m pretty happy with how it all turned out. For the record, the spinners will remain unpainted.
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I’ll order my tires here shortly. I’m going with the Falken Azenis RT615K+ as they look like they’re a good compromise for local driving conditions and what I want to do with the car.

[Chainsaw]

Got the brakes bled using the old fashioned method with Mrs. Chainsaw assisting on the pedal.

Got the elephant ears done with the fan blower installed and the 3” duct fitted and temp installed.
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Cut the 1-3/4” hole for the RT turn signal mod and got the dash where I wanted it.
172867

I also temporarily installed one spinner just to see what it looked like. I’m happy with it.
172868

I’m going to cut the holes for the gauges today and start working on the dash.

[Chainsaw]

Need to get some pics up, but making slow progress. Dash and under dash filler panel drilled and fitted. DS foot box drilled and fitted. Awaiting vinyl from FFR, so I blew that off and ordered a roll from Amazon so I can skin the dash and move on with gauge/switch install. Mike D says they'll get my carpet done on the next cutting, so I hope to have that soon.

Ordered more stuff from Breeze and cobraheat. My budget is so busted and beyond fixing. I'm glad the wife doesn't really ask anymore and that I still have side hustle $$ coming in so I don't have to dip into the retirement savings for this project. It's still cheaper to do things right or the way I want them done than doing things multiple times. (That only happens when I screw up which is too frequent.)

BPE stuff probably won't be here until November at the earliest. I need the extra time to get ready for that delivery since I've been working a fair amount and then there's this TS/Hurricane Ian rolling up the coast now. I hope you guys in SW and central Florida are coming out okay.

[Chainsaw]

Dash work
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DS footbox
173201

[Chainsaw]

Boring stuff, I know, but I think I’ve finally completed the emergency brake linkage. It seems to work, but I need to change out the rod end. The one I could find locally at Ace has a 5/16” ball with is really too big for the assembly. I have ordered a 1/4” rod end with an oversized 5/16-24 threaded section which will work on both ends of the linkage. I didn’t want to do this mod, but the cables were just too long to make the standard FFR hardware work with the modification to run them over the 4” tube.
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[Chainsaw]

Small progress, but I put the car on the ground. The seats are just sitting in the cockpit as it seems to be the best place to store them.

173337

Now I have a chassis dolly if anyone needs one in North FL or South GA.

[mcwho]

Hello Neighbor,
Im only about an hour south of you. Hows the build going?. Early on I decided on Power steering power brakes and hydralic clucth early on. . I am gettin no yuonger and made my decsions based on what I saw and expeienced in the build school.

[Chainsaw]

Hello Neighbor,
Im only about an hour south of you. Hows the build going?. Early on I decided on Power steering power brakes and hydralic clucth early on. . I am gettin no yuonger and made my decsions based on what I saw and expeienced in the build school.

It’s coming along pretty well. Just in a slow period right now while we’re babysitting some of the grandkids this week and we have trip next week. When we get back, I’ll get the dash skinned, gauges installed/wired/tested and start on the non-standard electrical wiring after that. I’ve got the PS and hydraulic clutch stuff ready to go for the engine/transmission installation when they arrive. I haven’t decided if I’m going to get the Heidt proportioning valve for the PS system, but I’m leaning that way.
Just eating the elephant one bite at a time.

[Chainsaw]

Due to work and family, it’s been a while since I was able to work much on the car. I did get the radiator mounted today.
174429174430174431

[Chainsaw]

Still working on the dash wiring. I did get word the engine/transmission are complete at BPE. I asked them to delay shipment a week as I’ll be out of town next week. I should have it here by Thanksgiving.

[cnutting]

Is that the Breeze radiator mount? I had clearance issues withe the body and had to mount it at a shallower angle than the suggested MKIV radiator angle. I talked it over with Mark at a show a couple years ago.

[Chainsaw]

It is the Breeze mount. What angle did you wind up with?

[Ted G]

Hey Jack,

You might want to check the Breeze Cubby wall height. I had to cut mine down almost an inch as it was riding very high and lifted the rear of the body way too much. From your picture, it looks about an inch high. Not sure why, but I know this has been an issue with others too.

Ted

[cnutting]

I'll grab a photo tomorrow for you. Basically mounted the hinge to the top of the 3/4" tube.

[Chainsaw]

Hey Jack,

You might want to check the Breeze Cubby wall height. I had to cut mine down almost an inch as it was riding very high and lifted the rear of the body way too much. From your picture, it looks about an inch high. Not sure why, but I know this has been an issue with others too.

Ted

Thanks for that. I had seen that on Dan’s YouTube build videos, too. I just gave that area a look and you’re correct. I’ll have to cut it down some.

[Chainsaw]

While getting my head right concerning with the harness wiring, I decided to work on the NRG/Russ Thompson turn signal mod. Things appear to come out pretty well, but not as pretty as most.

174703174704174705

I have found a problem. The NRG mechanism has always been difficult even when not installed. However, now that I’ve installed everything I can’t get the tabs to fulyl engage to lock the mechanism. The tabs start to engage, but I can only turn the collar about 1/4 of the way to full lock. Has anyone else experienced this?

I don’t see any interferences and with the hub or wheel interfaces and all of the screw heads are countersunk with no interferences. I’m assuming the tabs are just a bit too thick. I’d prefer not to remove any tab material, but that’s my only path forward at this point. Any ideas?

[Namrups]

I lightly filed the tab material and added a thin layer of grease a little at a time until I got mine to engage. Go lightly as it doesn't take much.

[Chainsaw]

I think I have the NRG mod working now. Took more filing that I thought, but I just did a little at a time and eventually got full engagement. I also built up my hood hinges (not installed yet) and added a bunch of electrical spade connectors to the dash wiring to make the power and instrumentation connections.

Based upon my electrical adds, I decided to put in positive & ground bus bars. I’m waiting on those arriving, but I went fishing for the battery feed cable in the harness to see how accessible it was. Before I cut into that, is that the right cable to go after for an always-hot power input to the positive bus bar? Seems like a dumb question, but too important to get wrong.

[Chainsaw]

BPE delivery today. Everything seems to be in good order.
175321

Dyno run info. 372 hp/365 lb-ft. It’ll definitely work for what I want out of this machine.
175322

Silver Sport mid-shift kit on order. Should be a real treat installing that set up, but I’m looking forward to it.

I’m still arguing with myself on the need to go ahead and install an adjustable fuel pressure reg or just use the Sniper’s reg.

[Ted G]

Looking good!

[Chainsaw]

Thanks for that. I had seen that on Dan’s YouTube build videos, too. I just gave that area a look and you’re correct. I’ll have to cut it down some.

I pulled the bulb seal off and put a level on the 2 bulkheads. The Breeze bulkhead is just a smidge higher than the cockpit bulkhead assuming total leveling which I probably shouldn’t. However, eyeballing the 2 bulkheads they are very close to even. Should the cubby bulkhead be lower?
175811

[Chainsaw]

So, I still haven’t decided on which fuel pressure regulator to use. Has anyone had any bad luck with the Holley Sniper regulator that’s already part of the system?
I plan to dump the Sniper system sometime in the not-too-distant future for the Edelbrock ProFlow 4 or, if I hit the lottery, the Inglese 8-stack system. This makes me think I should go ahead and install the adjustable regulator from Mike Forte.
Decisions, decisions.

[zee]

I pulled the bulb seal off and put a level on the 2 bulkheads. The Breeze bulkhead is just a smidge higher than the cockpit bulkhead assuming total leveling which I probably shouldn’t. However, eyeballing the 2 bulkheads they are very close to even. Should the cubby bulkhead be lower?
175811

I'd love to see if someone has a photo of what the level should actually be.

[lasse2]

I pulled the bulb seal off and put a level on the 2 bulkheads. The Breeze bulkhead is just a smidge higher than the cockpit bulkhead assuming total leveling which I probably shouldn’t. However, eyeballing the 2 bulkheads they are very close to even. Should the cubby bulkhead be lower?
175811

My 289 kit was delivered a couple weeks ago. I haven't removed my body from the chassis yet and have a Breeze bulkhead that I ordered. I tried a test fit and it will definitely need to be cut down. My plan was to measure the clearance and cut it now to make sure it fits so I don't have a problem when I put the body back on later. I'm guessing it will need to be cut down .5-.75" to have clearance for the bulb seal. It looks pretty uniform across the span but will confirm dimensions tonight.

[DW66]

I made mine removable. Makes things easier to reach in the long run. You can trim it to fit after the body is on. Comes out easily to mount and adjust the seat belts.176101

[lasse2]

My 289 kit was delivered a couple weeks ago. I haven't removed my body from the chassis yet and have a Breeze bulkhead that I ordered. I tried a test fit and it will definitely need to be cut down. My plan was to measure the clearance and cut it now to make sure it fits so I don't have a problem when I put the body back on later. I'm guessing it will need to be cut down .5-.75" to have clearance for the bulb seal. It looks pretty uniform across the span but will confirm dimensions tonight.

For what it's worth, I was able to measure the clearance for a bulkhead on my 289 kit. I used a point 11" back from the rear of the cockpit as noted in the Breeze instructions. On each side, from top of trunk aluminum to the underside of the fiberglass I have 7 1/2". In the center I have 9 15/16". This would require that approximately 1/4" be trimmed from the top arc of the bulkhead just to stand vertically. Additional clearance will be needed for the bulb seal.

[Chainsaw]

Slow going lately with the holidays, grand kid invasions, and colds, but making some progress with a lot of grunt work. Got the wiper motor, Hyperspark CD box, and fuel pressure regulator mounted, added insulation to the back of the firewall, and been sealing up some of the panel gaps in preparation for adding cockpit insulation. I’ve also been working some wiring stuff and got my TKX front shift mod done. I need to test out the electrical system, gauges, etc., this week and then I hope to install the engine/transmission.
177797177798

[Chainsaw]

Got the new stick hardware in from Silver Sport. The TKX still appears to shift with the mod (good news). I think it will look good, too. Ready to get the dash connected up so I can get the final length wires done, add 2 more connectors and then test what I can.
177914177915

[Chainsaw]

Still grindin’. Made 2 fuel hoses and attached fittings to test fit to the fuel reg. I still need to pressure test these 2 hoses. Worked on and installed the firewall extension.
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My goal is to install the engine/transmission next week and sort out the location to install the Hyperspark coil. I may wind up installing it on the DS foot box or way over to the driver’s side of the firewall. Need to avoid the mech throttle linkage in either case.

[Chainsaw]

Big day today. Got the engine/transmission dropped in and bolted up. No too bad for 3 guys that had not done this before. I got the transmission a-frame installed, too. Had to cut the tunnel crossmember to get the shifter in place. Need to fill the transmission with fluid.
178238178239

On to hooking all of the engine stuff up, fitting the mechanical throttle linkage, and finishing the dash wiring and testing it. Break-in oil on the way. Headers on back-order, but ordered.

[Chainsaw]

Driveshaft installed. Need to set the pinion angle next.
178473

[Chainsaw]

Working on a removable headrest for the Kirkey vintage racing seats.
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[Chainsaw]

Still working on hooking up the Sniper wiring, but I did get some things done - installed correct length power steering lines and the fuel pressure regulator to Sniper fuel line, installed the Hyperspark coil, added Mike Forte’s transmission spacers and AC pedals, and installed the Breeze lower coolant tube x-brace bracket.
179136179137

I hope to get done with some of the more exciting stuff soon.

[Chainsaw]

Coil installation.

179166

Headrest prototype mostly complete.

179167179168179169

It’s a very solid connection, but I might need to add a bracket of some sort on the upper section of the sleeve below the upper thumb screw. I’m using button head screws for the connections through the seat back. There are 4ea 10-32s through the seat back and tapped into the 1/2” 6061 block inside the sleeve & 2ea 1/4-20s which go through the seat back and sleeve. The 1/4” bolts were also intended to act as a stop for the headrest shaft but the bottom of the halo makes contact with the seat cover before the shaft hits the bolts. There are also 2ea 1/4-28 thumbscrews which locate the headrest shaft and are threaded through both the shaft and 6061 block. After sitting in the seat I don’t feel the screw heads through the padding. The headrest is a little close to my head, but it’ll work. Might be a problem with a helmet on. Also, I’ll have to see how the seatbelts interact with the headrest which might cause me to adjust the blocks a little on the next iteration.

The headrest addition seems rather brute force, I must admit, but wanting to make the headrest easily removable led to some complications.

[Jimtmich]

Great idea with the removable headrests. Looking forward to seeing it finished up.

[FredG]

You are having wayyyyy too much fun ... as you should be.

[Chainsaw]

Slow going lately due to travel both personal and for work, but last week I did get the headers installed and the J-pipes in place, but not torqued down yet. Got the oil lines in and routed to the remote filter with my hokey attempt at getting the oil temp sensor in using fittings. I'm pretty sure it will work when stuff gets to steady state, but not sure how it'll respond when the oil is warming up. I couldn't find the fittings I really wanted so there's a couple extra potential leak paths in there.

Thanks to Jeff P for his help with my Sniper/manual fan wiring finished up today. Nice to have a EE 10 minutes away. :) Still a lot of electrical stuff to test out before I can close that part of the build, for round 1 anyway. Got the clutch plumbing done and will fill/bleed the system in the next couple of days. Spent a lot of today grouping wiring and tying a lot of it down to the back of the dash.

[Chainsaw]

Getting ready for the first start. Got the side pipes in position, but something seemed off.
181476181475
I think FFR sent me 2 of the same side. The attachment tabs are in the same place. when I flip the pipe over the tabs are in very different orientations and my guess is one of them won't attach to the hanger arm. Can someone verify for me? Thanks.

[lasse2]

Getting ready for the first start. Got the side pipes in position, but something seemed off.
181476181475
I think FFR sent me 2 of the same side. The attachment tabs are in the same place. when I flip the pipe over the tabs are in very different orientations and my guess is one of them won't attach to the hanger arm. Can someone verify for me? Thanks.

I got mine a couple weeks ago. They definitely sent you two of the same side. I’m still waiting for the hangers and flange gaskets so I can hang them.

[Chainsaw]

181527181528
Just confirming to myself (and FFR) that one of the pipes is wrong. PS pipe looks correct to me. DS pipe ain't right.

[Chainsaw]

Got FFR to agree that they send me 2x PS pipes and they're sending me a DS pipe (someday soon?)

[Chainsaw]

Slow going because I'm too busy with my "part-time" work, family visiting and waiting on the side pipe. New headlight switch (to replace the one I broke) and the DS side pipe are on the way. I hope to get them tomorrow. Checked the settings on my Koni shocks and a good thing. One was different than the others. Did some eyeball measuring for how I'm going to to adjust the angle of the radiator (Thanks for the heads-up, Chris.) Checked the power to the gauges and they're getting some. I'm ready to get this thing started. I'll get the engine primed with oil after our visitors head out Saturday morning.

[Chainsaw]

I couldn't wait for next week. After Lee Bush in StA helped me remove my head from my rear end (pop!) and get my wiring corrected, I was able to spin the motor and slosh the oil around some. I also had to remove the BBK headers and grind off the flanges to be able to get the #1 and #8 plugs in/out with out removing the headers every time. The flange near #1 plug needs a bit more grinding.

[Chainsaw]

Went to check fuel pressure yesterday in prep for 1st start and discovered my battery soiled itself. Did a lot of troubleshooting with Jeff up the road (via phone), but to no avail. Put it on the charger/tender overnight, but no-go. Parts store put it on their tester today, but not enough voltage to even trigger the tester. Got a swap and installed in the car, but working ($$) the rest of the day.

[Chainsaw]

Got a new battery, but still not sure how the other one went tango uniform. I did spin the engine again yesterday and it sounded like it should without actually starting. Will check fuel pressure and look for leaks tomorrow. Got most of the insulation installed in the cockpit yesterday and today. I still need to cut the DS outer foot box piece, but that'll come later. Fixed an oil leak yesterday in my kluged oil temp fitting set up. I hadn't fully tightened one of the adapter fittings. It didn't appear to be leaking after I spun the engine yesterday.

[Chainsaw]

Got fuel pressure and fixed several leaky fittings. Tried to start the beast but no spark. Hyperspark and Sniper both have power. Fuel pressure was about 62 +/- psi so I’ll need adjust that at some point. Have some pondering to do.

[Chainsaw]

Turns out I wasn't really ready for the start. I've been so busy I didn't finish all the reading up I needed to do and missed some more work that needs to be done first. I considered doing what needed to be done to the current MSD, but I didn't feel that comfortable with the task. Not required, but I decided to just order the Hyperspark distributor to make it all the ignition parts go together.

[Chainsaw]

Got the seat heaters wired up, but haven't tested them yet.
Hyperspark distributor is installed. Still sorting out which clean power wire to use with the distributor. All my keyed power lines appear to be in use, so I may tap into the coil power wire from the harness that's already supplying the ignition box.
Some status pix.
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[lasse2]

Looking great Jack. We are almost exactly at the same stage in our builds. How much ground clearance do you have for your side pipes?

[Chainsaw]

About 3", but they're just loosely attached with bungies right now. I don't want to attach the brackets to the frame until I fit the body and I haven't set the ride height yet either. I'll use some pluming strap to hold them a little better as the bungies are relaxing a bit and may get a bit hotter than they like once the engine gets running.

[Chainsaw]

Got the distributor installed. Tried a a first start today, but no joy. Still no spark. Research/troubleshooting in work.

[Chainsaw]

The Sniper isn’t getting an RPM signal which it requires to make spark confirmed by both the handheld Sniper monitor and the CD box (amber light). The tach may not be getting a signal either. The Sniper brown wire is connected to the purple tach coil wire as I gleaned (correctly or incorrectly) from other build posts. Sniper monitor is reading the other sensors. Troubleshooting the wiring configuration, but if anyone has any ideas, sing out.

[Chainsaw]

So, I think I had a wiring problem with the Hyperspark set up, so I've reverted to the original Blueprint set up to get the car running and then I'll sort out the Hyperspark situation later in this car's life. However, we still couldn't check the static timing. The coil is firing (timing light triggering), but I'm not getting enough current in the spark plug wire to triggers the timing light. Timing is close (according to the BPE chisel marks.) I did continuity checks on the wiring to the distributor and all good there. We moved wires around, rechecked TDC and #1 location, etc. I figure there's something simple that I've missed, but can't sort it out.
FYI: This is a BPE 306 with Holley Sniper EFI.

[Chainsaw]

Sooo, me and a couple of other nearby FFR owners (1 built, 1 in work) did a significant amount of trouble shooting and still couldn’t get fire from the distributor. Coil is firing, so we shorted the #1 plug wire from the distributor to ground and got no spark. We then jumpered the coil straight to #1 plug and it triggered the timing light. I called Holley and talked to them about the symptoms and our troubleshooting and Holley said my distributor is bad. I’ll call BPE tomorrow and see what I need to do, either get a replacement electronics module or if I need to swap the entire unit.

I did get my seats located and mounted and finished my driver’s side headrest. Ready to install some/most of the carpet now. I also almost figured out my parasitic draw that’s killed 2 batteries already. It was either my Hyperspark wiring (now disconnected) or my fuel level sensor (reading full when key off, but battery connected). I’ll sort that out later.

Just trying to keep some forward progress, no matter how slow.

[Chainsaw]

I did all the testing recommended by BPE and them some. I appeared to have spark at the ends of the spark plug wires, but it still wasn't triggering the timing light and I couldn't check the start timing. Soooo, I finally had enough and just stuck the fuel pump relay back in and tried to start the car. Lo and behold, it did start, but I could only get it to run 2-3 seconds before it died. I could keep the car running if I gave it throttle, but it was running rough regardless. I ran out of time for the day, but I'll try to clear the learning memory and start the process over. I suspect the idle air setting off, but I'll see what I can find out tomorrow. I might call BPE back for additional insights.

[Chainsaw]

First start 7/20/2023. Cleared the Sniper log memory per a suggestion from my Cobra friend Jeff down the street. Fired up after redoing the Sniper Wizard. Still rough and high idle, but running. As others have noted, it’s LOUD. I’l get a video later.

[cnutting]

Congrats!

And yes, surprisingly loud.

[Chainsaw]

Finally this clip of the first start uploaded to YouTube.

https://youtu.be/JdCfLLQ3IXY

[Chainsaw]

And the second start video, a longer clip. The engine is missing a little. I need to sort that out.

https://youtu.be/OHB82hHGFwA

[Zach Bohn]

Sounds great!

[Chainsaw]

Slow going on the car as it's been crazy busy with family and consulting work as well as the 110F+ heat indexes we're having here in North FL. I did get some things done though.

Had a scare last week as the car wouldn't start (again.) However, I was able to get it started yesterday and had 3ea 5 minute runs on it. I think I might have been having an EMI issue as the yellow Sniper wire to the coil negative was right next to or touching my alternator. So, I moved it away as far as I could and then wrapped aluminum tape around the wire for that belt-n-suspenders vibe. Not sure which one worked, but work it did. Engine was still running rough, so I fiddled with the timing a little and things smoothed out a fair amount.

Fixed another fuel leak and coolant seepage I had discovered. I still need to tighten up the 2x plugs in the remote oil filter adapter on the block. Getting a fair amount of seepage from those. It is going to take some finagling to get a hex key in there as it's really crowded in that area. I also have a small oil leak coming from my kluged oil temp sensor plumbing, but at least the thing does read oil temp. I might have another fuel leak at the rear of the car, but I didn't see the drip spot soon enough to verify where the leak was from. After initially working, the H20 temp gauge quit during the 2nd run yesterday.

I also set the ride height set (for the first time), 4" in the front and 4.5" in the rear. After I get to the go-kart phase, I'll repeat.

I'll get back to carpet, dash support, and seat installations next week, as well as the required fixes and troubleshoot for the above items.

[Chainsaw]

Carpet installed and seat brackets mounted. Working through some head rest, tunnel cover, and dash support fitment issues. Developing plan for cubby door build. I'll need to start the rough alignment soon as well. Very close to first go-kart run, I think. It's been so dang hot lately, that it's tough to spend much time in the garage.

[Chainsaw]

Some interior shots. I really need to get the rough alignment done so I can go karting in the neighborhood and terrorize everyone. ;)
189205189206189207

[Vspeeds]

Nice work. Love the first start videos

[Chainsaw]

Rear alignment done. On the the front end alignment. I imagine I’ll need to check the tracking after I get the front set (and do it all again). Also, much thanks to Jeff B down the street for the use of his Longacre digital camber/caster gauge.

I also need to bleed the cooling system again/better. Coolant is getting pretty dang hot after a 5 minute idle session even with the fan running.

[Chainsaw]

Front end alignment completed as best I can do it for now. Working on the trunk carpet and seat belts. I'm considering switching to a cam-loc belt system. We'll see.

Will get the suspension joints greased up, if they're not already done, and will bleed the cooling system. Time to get the go-kart session going.

Even as loud as it is, I'm starting to get used to the sound of this thing as I continue to run it. (I do have hear plugs in most of time.) I did order the Car Chemistry inserts as I'm sure Mrs. Chainsaw will ultimately have a say on this topic.

[Chainsaw]

Finished out the carpet installation in the trunk. Rather than bleed the coolant system now and redo it after I reposition the radiator angle for the 289, I went straight to the radiator reposition. Drained most of the fluid out and raised the bottom of the radiator as far as I could. I think it's not high enough yet, but I need to drop the front of the car back down to check it. Seems about 45 deg vs the 40-41 that I need. The Breeze lower radiator support won't shift any higher with the current holes in the 1" tubing. My desire is to get the placement close to where it needs to be while leaving some adjustability for when I get the body on and nose panels installed.
189853189854
2 questions for those that have done this.
1) Do I need to reposition the Breeze lower support holes to allow the support to come higher?
2) Do I also need to reposition the upper mount to the back side of the horizontal 1" tube?

[cnutting]

The way I did it was mount the breeze tab on top of the 3/4 tube so that it would lift it up a bit. I have yet to reinstall my lower mount since everything is packed in so tightly. You may need a longer length elbow to make the bottom connection.

[Chainsaw]

Thanks for the upper tab input. That will certainly help some. I will def need a longer lower elbow. I think I'll have to adjust/trim some of the upper stuff as well.

[Chainsaw]

I've been working a lot, so it's been hit or miss on getting anything done on the car. I did the the radiator angle redone which required some modifications to the Breeze lower radiator mount. I'm not sure how it's going to work once the body is on and I have to fit the other sheet metal in there. I then put the shoulder belts in because I was bored one day.
190427

I also added a flex hose for the lower radiator connection and attempted to bleed the air out of the cooling system using a no-spill funnel. I'm still not sure I got that done right, but no more bubbling and it wouldn't take any more fluid.
190425

I then got the LeMans gas cap in approximately the right position which required some modification to the back of the Breeze cubby wall. I may make a patch piece to put over the tube to close up the hole in the cubby wall a better. I also got most of the carpet in the trunk completed and added the bulb seals in a few places.
190426

Lastly, yesterday I did a first movement test of the car in prep for my first "around the neighborhood" go-kart test, which I hope to do today or tomorrow. It wasn't much, but I wanted some assurance I could get the car back into the garage on it's own. A small step, but I was still pretty stoked.

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/YgwYHFuPIFg

Of note, as you can see in the video, the front turn signals come on when I brake. Sorting out why nothing was working on the tail lights was already on my list and now I have another piece of data. Also of note, when I actuate the turn signals, the interior indicators flash correctly, but both front turn signals flash. I'll probably have to pull the dash again to do some troubleshooting as there's too much going on in there to track the wiring with the dash on. With the front/rear harnesses already wired up, it's a bit baffling that the brake light signal is going to the front instead of the rear. Hopefully, this is all because I was stupid and hooked something up incorrectly in the harness and will be an easy fix.

[Chainsaw]

Well, it's done. Big milestone, but scads of work still to do. Lots of wires to bundle up/tie down (like the radiator fan wires hanging down in the first video.)
Part 1

https://youtu.be/HHg43LCgPCk

[Chainsaw]

Part 2:

https://youtu.be/rQyLPmp64oM

[Chainsaw]

The coolant still seems to be getting too hot (240F+) even rolling at 20mph w the radiator fan on. After this last run today (#3), I could hear percolation in the engine after I shut it off in the garage. I'm not sure if that's bad, but it sure seems like it shouldn't be doing that. I previously tried to bleed it at the fill cap which the highest point in the system, but the system still seems like it might have air in it. I am a bit of a doofus on this stuff, so any recommendations are appreciated.

[Chainsaw]

Did some research and asking around. Culprit may be a stuck thermostat. I’ll check it out when I return from my business trip to Seattle. I’ll also bleed the radiator itself from the upper peacock again.

[lasse2]

Might be worth checking that the thermostat isn’t upside down. I may have made that mistake a few years back….
Enjoy your visit to Seattle. After a beautiful summer, the rain finally returned this week. Hopefully it isn’t too wet while you are here.

[Chainsaw]

thanks. The thermostat came installed from BPE, so I hope it wasn’t installed incorrectly. I’ll find out shortly.

The weather in Seattle was very acceptable. A little rainy Wednesday, but Thursday turned out very nice.

[Chainsaw]

Slow going with work and family trips.

I’m still not sure why the car is showing it’s hot. The fan is working and I bled the system fine. I tested the thermostat and it’s fine. I did have trouble getting the thermostat housing to seal when I reinstalled it. After 1 gasket (fail) and 2 rounds of using Permatex, I got it reinstalled without leaking. I made the mistake of not checking the Sniper CTS readout during my initial runs. Maybe the dash gauge is just off. I need some more “engine on” time.

I got my side pipes back from getting ceramic coated. They look good. I’ll get them temporarily installed back on the car and move on the the next problem. I still have an issue with the harness wiring that I have to sort out. Brake light signal is going to the front harness, hazards and turn signals not working correctly, and tail lights are not working at all.

[Chainsaw]

Got the pipes back on and ran the car for a while. The Sniper CTS (coolant temp sensor) indicated 180F +/- 5F once it got up to temp. The H20 gauge went up to 240F eventually while the other sensor via the Sniper display was still indicating the 180F-ish. No overheating problem. That’s a relief. Now I can get some drive time in go-kart mode around the development. I’ll contact Speedhut tomorrow to see what I can do about the H20 temp gauge. Oil temp gauge seems fine so far.
I think I have the fuel gauge calibrated now. Time will tell after I add some more gas to the tank.
Now on to the other electrical issues.

[Chainsaw]

Checked all the wiring on the taillights and redid all the connections on the converter in Weatherpaks. All looks good, but still no the taillight function. Looks like I’m going to have to pull the dash and start digging into the harnesses there. But, I’ll first try make sure the converter is seeing any power. Maybe it’s bad?

[Chainsaw]

The taillight converter is fine. I have taillight power (12.96VDC) to the last Weatherpak connector on each taillight. Neither light comes on. I also connected both taillights to directly to the battery and tried both taillight and brake light connectors and had no illumination. Going to have to ask FFR about this one.

[Chainsaw]

Talked to FFR about the taillight and other electrical issues. The tech wasn't sure what was going on, so he'll have to get back with me on that one.

Took the car for a ride around the neighborhood; went about 2 miles. It was mostly good. About 1.5 miles in, I noticed the idle had ratcheted up to 1900 rpm and wouldn't come down, so I headed back to the house to check it out. I pulled into the driveway and stopped the car short of the garage and before I could turn off the ignition the car quit. It wouldn't restart and the fuel pump wouldn't fire up (and no fuel pressure.) In addition, the Sniper display was indicating "No Data" on any channel, so I'm thinking maybe the ECU crapped the bed. With my neighbor and Mrs. Chainsaw, we got the car back into the garage. About an hour after the car initially stopped running, I thought I'd hit the starter again and the fuel pump came on and the car started and idled at it's abnormally normal level of 1000-1100 rpm. I let it run for for a bit and then it quit again. When I tried to restart it, the fuel pump engaged, but per the display the Sniper wasn't getting rpm signal, so no start again. I hung it up for the day.

[Chainsaw]

Did a little more troubleshooting yesterday. Started the car and it ran with the idle jumping around a bit, but then it more or less settled out around 900 rpm. It gradually increased to a little over 1000, but was pretty smooth. The car then shut off again. As I checked the display, it was showing flashing “No Data” indications on all of the sensor values. I turned the key off, let it set for a bit, and turned the ignition switch back to accessory mode. The display indicated it was searching for the ECU, which it did not find during the 1-2 minutes I had the device powered. My guess is this is an ECU problem/failure, but I’ll call Holley on Monday to discuss. I was logging during this time so I have some record of what went on; however, I need to find a compatible SD reader to pull the file and transfer to my home computer.

[Chainsaw]

Got the pipes back on and ran the car for a while. The Sniper CTS (coolant temp sensor) indicated 180F +/- 5F once it got up to temp. The H20 gauge went up to 240F eventually while the other sensor via the Sniper display was still indicating the 180F-ish. No overheating problem. That’s a relief. Now I can get some drive time in go-kart mode around the development. I’ll contact Speedhut tomorrow to see what I can do about the H20 temp gauge. Oil temp gauge seems fine so far.
I think I have the fuel gauge calibrated now. Time will tell after I add some more gas to the tank.
Now on to the other electrical issues.

Received a new sender unit from Speedhut. We'll see how it works.

[Chainsaw]

Talked to Holley support and did some troubleshooting with them. ECU is cooked. Have to send the Sniper and handheld display in for repair/rebuild. 4-6 week turnaround. Ugh. That should give me plenty of time to work out my electrical wiring issues.

[Chainsaw]

Maybe I'll buy a Holley 600 cfm carb and run it that way for a while.

[Chainsaw]

Had my friend Jeff B come over on Friday and he was able to solve my tail light issue. All good there now.

[Chainsaw]

Just tidying up the engine compartment with p-clamps and more/new tie wraps. Also, my hood scoop hole wasn't cut by FFR. I would have thought it would have been done by them, but that ship long since sailed. Does anyone have the correct dimensions or instructions for cutting the scoop hole?

[lasse2]

Hi Jack,
I don't have dimensions with me as I write this but for my hood I ended up cutting the opening just a little inside the thickness of the fiberglass and then sanding it to flush it out on the top and bottom. The sides were a little different due to the inside curve of the scoop. I ended up creating a bit of a rounded corner on the bottom so that it looked good to me. It leaves a bit of a step on the inside of the vertical portion that isn't perfectly smooth but shouldn't be very visible. The bottom of the opening where the hood extends back under the top lip of the scoop is a bit of a pain to finish as well. It sits low and needs to be filled to match the surface of the hood. I used HSRF filler and glaze to build it up. If you do this, I would recommend you creep up on it rather than do a heavy fill and sand due to the difficulty of sanding the inside of the scoop. While I was at it I worked a bit of the filler into the transition/step at the sides as well to blend them. Hoping to hear that you get your ECU issues figures out soon. I fought my (new in the box) Coyote ECM for a couple months only to learn that it hadn't been programmed correctly by Ford. I was where you are thinking I should have just gone with a SBF with carburetor right up until I heard it fire up for the first time.

[Chainsaw]

Got the repaired Sniper back today and installed it, but I haven't started the car up yet. I also received some more trunk carpet from FFR and cut pieces to finish out the drop trunk. I also started work cutting out the hood scoop opening. Drilled a few holes and cut through them to connect the dots. I started filing down the edges, but I realized it would go a heck of a lot faster if I just bought a new Dremel tool to replace the one that died recently. I'm going into holiday mode now, so no work on the 289 until Friday at the earliest.

[Chainsaw]

The car runs again. Really rough idle at the start, but it smoothed out and idled around 1000-1100. I still need to adjust the idle screw appropriately. Now that I'm back from work travel, I can get some stuff done.

[Chainsaw]

Car is dying again. Seems like the same thing as before. I did check the injector electrical connectors and zip-tied them. They all seemed to have good connection already however. No help. Frustrating. I'm ready to buy 600-650 cfm carb and move on.

[Chainsaw]

I did some more troubleshooting with my electrical engineer tech advisor (and FFR Roadster owner) Jeff. I ran the car for about 10 minutes, idling only, with no problems. When he arrived, I restarted the car. It ran fine for about 1 minute and then died. I restarted the car and it ran fine for 5 minutes and then I shut it off. We looked at the data logs on the Holley software he downloaded, but we can't really diagnose it due to gross ignorance of how to use the software. :confused: We did see in one of the files that several measurements went nuts during one of the events. The measurements (TPS, AFR, and one other) started rapidly railing to both full scale and null and then the file ended. In other files for when the car didn't die, everything seemed nominal.

One thing I did notice the last time I drove the car and it died is that the tachometer went to zero. As I understand from Holley, if there's no tach signal the Sniper won't start, so I'm assuming it won't run either. After I had the car in the garage again and tried/failed to restart the car, I was getting a "Stall" indication on the display for RPM, which is indicative of no tach signal. Typically, when cranking the display will show 100+ rpm before starting. I'm going to have to call Holley when I can find the time to do so (family and allegedly part-time work are interfering).

I did finish getting my cruise control installed and wired up, but it needs troubleshooting. I also built up the door latches. I have a limited number of things I can do until I have to switch over to body work. It's time.

[Chainsaw]

I'm also doing a lot of research in the Edelbrock ProFlo 4 system as an alternative. Cost-wise it's a better solution for me, but I sure do love the Borla and Inglese stack systems. Dang, those systems look sweet.

[Chainsaw]

Jeff and I also got to compare the relative sound difference between my 289 (BPE 306) and his 427 (BPE 347) with FFR side pipes. The 289 sound is definitely harsher (racier?), but both are sweet sounding. My car was louder, but sitting in the garage it would be. It was still harsher sounding.

[Chainsaw]

I'm also doing a lot of research in the Edelbrock ProFlo 4 system as an alternative. Cost-wise it's a better solution for me, but I sure do love the Borla and Inglese stack systems. Dang, those systems look sweet.

And after studying Mr. Inglese's website, I'm also enamored with the Weber 8-stack carburetor set up, too. Glutton for punishment, I am.

[Chainsaw]

Still fighting with the Sniper. Sent a couple of files into Holley for analysis. Apparently there's also some EMI that popping in and freaking out the rpm signal which makes the IAC and injectors react. Upon Holley's recommendations, I reset the idle, which put the IAC where it should be and this seemed to help for a bit. Then it died straight away after running 5 more minutes. I've got shielding on every Sniper-related cable and wire now except the display cable. I have a BPE-supplied EMI shield that blocks the ECU from the distributor, coil and the alternator. My only other known culprit is the cooling fan potentially causing a problem, but the fan kicked in 3-4 times before the car died, so there's something else involved. Grrrr.

[Chainsaw]

Got tired of fighting the Sniper RFI issues. :( Reverting to a carburetor. Holley carb due in today. Someday, when I can afford it, I'd like to put the 4 Weber system on the car.

[Chainsaw]

Carb mounted, but I am waiting for the correct pressure regulator. Ordered the EdwardB recommended studs to mount the louvers. I still need to determine why the cruise control system control panel isn't seeing any power

[Chainsaw]

Got everything put together and the car runs. After some adjustments, it runs pretty good, but was still dying once things got hot. In the course of troubleshooting this problem and the fact that my tach isn’t working, my electrical engineering support, Jeff Bell, discovered what appears to be my RFI issue (crazy and intermittent coil voltage readings from my DVM when the DVM was in one particular spot). This may have been the RFI causing my Sniper unit to freak out. Jeff thinks this may have fried the tach as well as the source RFI is very near the tach. We also are thinking the tach failure is sending this RFI down the cable to the coil and causing the engine to die. After pulling the tach wire from the coil, the car ran fine and didn’t die. I’ll be running a new ground wire to my ground bus bar to see if that fixes my issue. I’m hopeful. Maybe one day, I’ll try to put the Sniper back on.

Back the tach failure, I tried to reset the tach pulses following the directions from Speedhut. Held the reset button down, went to acc power and the tach swung to 8000. Upon releasing the reset button, the tach went to zero and refused all further attempts to do anything. Calling Speedhut later today.

[Chainsaw]

Redid the ground scheme with a 2-ga wire from the battery negative to the ground bus bar. However, the RFI anomaly is still there, at least with the tach connected to the coil, and the tach still isn't working. Next step is to remove the tach coil wire and see if the RFI disappears. I'll try to get to that tomorrow. All the grand kids are at the house today. Car ran okay after having a hard time starting. Missing when cold, but steadied as it warmed up. This is quite frustrating.

[Chainsaw]

Did the checks recommended by Speedhut and the tach is shot. Pulling that today and will get it shipped in Monday.

[Chainsaw]

Tach is on it's way to Speedhut. The RFI gremlin seems to is still there, but the car runs. I do need to adjust the cold idle. I did run a couple more ground wires I missed (windshield wiper motor and cruise control) over the to the ground busbar. Also, my water temp gauge isn't working, but the cooling fan switch is kicking in, so I know when the water this 180F.

[Chainsaw]

Got the tach back and installed. Still doesn't work. Also, my water temp gauge is inop as well. We're thinking I have a gauge power break somewhere or poor connections to those 2 gauges. I did drive the car around the neighborhood this past Saturday which felt good - stiff suspension, obnoxious exhaust. :D The car tracks straight, but the steering is so light. I'll need to either add the Heidts valve or install the pressure reducer to get it where I want. No driving for a while as i sustained an avulsion fracture in my right heel which requires me to be in a boot for 8 weeks.
I have made progress in cutting my scoop inlet and shaping the opening. So beautiful is the learning experience of working with filler. Well, maybe not beautiful, but certainly a learning experience. Next up is gel coat application.

[Chainsaw]

SOooooo, I partially tore the Achilles on my right foot, so I’m in a boot for 8 weeks and no driving for 2 weeks (my wife really loves that). That and increased consulting work is going to really limit my garage time. We’ve decided I have some sort of power problem to the 2 gauges that aren’t working. I did get the hood scoop opening profiled a little better. Time for gel coat.

[Chainsaw]

Now 3 weeks out of the boot, I'm back to tinkering on the 289. Finally sorted out the tach issue. The purple tach wire was some how broken so no tach signal was getting to the tach. Ran a new wire with spade connectors and now she works. For bonus points, the water temp gauge seems to have started working again. I'll have some time to tinker with it tomorrow or Saturday to make sure it's still working. My USB connector doesn't seem to be charging my iPhone, but that may be a problem with my phone. I also need to get the courtesy lights working. After that, I'm moving on the body work. About time to call Spotlight Customs back and get back in the queue.

[Chainsaw]

Itching to get back to work on the car, but I'm working too much (for an alleged retiree) and out-of-state visitors keep arriving. Hopefully this weekend I'll be able to get busy on the 289.

[Chainsaw]

Took the car out for a spin Saturday morning. Everything seemed fine at first but then it died on me. I restarted and I thought everything was fine and the idle started running really high like the throttle was sticking, but it was intermittent. So I took it a little farther around the block and it really crapped the bed, eventually coming to a stop and and no response. No fire, no tach signal, plenty of gas. Called my Cobra mentor Jeff who's 10 minutes away and he came over to help me diagnose the beast. (I really appreciate his help on this one as it was becoming seriously Florida hot even at 1100.) He started using his DVM and checking things as I hit the starter when directed. The coil wasn't getting any power. So, Jeff ran a hotwire directly from the battery positive to the coil positive terminal. I hit the starter and voila, ignition. I drove the car the 1/4 mile home. Did some trouble shooting on coil wiring and there's a 10 ohm resistance in the circuit somewhere as checked from the coil power input wire (disconnected from the coil) to chassis ground. From the coil to the output side of the fuse panel has <1 ohm resistance, so the 10 ohms is coming from somewhere upstream of the fuse panel. More work to do. Maybe this is the gremlin that I've been having since I first started running the car. The 10 ohms eventually makes something too hot and shuts TBD circuit down?

[Chainsaw]

On a happier note, all my dash gauges are working now.

[Nigel Allen]

Bad ignition switch? Plenty of reports of them failing. Now that the gauges are functioning ok with the hotwire in place, indicates this could be the case. Pretty easy to check out with a multimeter.
1. Remove hotwire.
2. switch ignition on.
3. measure DC volts between positive battery terminal and ignition on terminal. If you see any voltage, it is likely across the switching contacts of the ignition switch, indicating contact failure.
4. Feel if the ignition switch is getting warm.
5. Let us know what you find.

Good hunting,

Nigel

[Chainsaw]

One of the connections on power wire to the coil looked a little suspect to Jeff, so I redid that. We then tested the switch and it doesn't appear to be bad, no voltage leak and it didn't get hot. Jeff had his scope so we looked at the wave forms on the ignition circuit and they looked normal. The car ran fine, but I didn't have time to let it get good and hot, so I'll try that this weekend.

[Rocket Rob]

Just a thought, do you have an infrared camera? Those can be handy to spot hot spots.

[Chainsaw]

Made some progress on the body as I was finally able to apply the Herculiner to the underside of the body. No problems, just tedious.

203555203556

I'll be adding the brake bias adjuster next. I also received the fuel cap shield from Nick Acton.

[Chainsaw]

Finally got the brake bias adjuster installed and operational. The instructions were a bit lacking, but Wilwood answered my questions quickly and got me squared away.
203680

[ehansen007]

Man Jack I'm so sorry to hear you've had all these problems. I wish I were closer to help out. Hope your achilles is okay.

[Chainsaw]

Thanks, Eric. Achilles is coming along fine. Done with formal PT now. I am getting some time to work on the car some, but not as much as I'd like. Jeff Bell (Jeff's First FFR on this forum) lives 10 minutes away and has been invaluable with his help. I've been working a lot which is good for the bank account, but less so for finding time to work on the car.

The car is getting there. It seems to be running fine, but haven't had time to drive it any distance to get things hot to see if the problem returns. I've got some filler to add to the cockpit edges to clean up some rough spots on the body, spray a little gel coat, and I'll be putting it on.

[Chainsaw]

I will add that building this car is as much about the journey as it is the destination. I get frustrated often, but it's just part of the journey. Up until this project, I've just been a parts-changing dabbler and car maintenance performer. I've learned a ton and I have a great sense of satisfaction when I get things correctly done even if it takes me 3x to do it right.

[ehansen007]

You're absolutely right. You'll notice that after you're done there is a sense of accomplishment and you'll love showing it off and driving it, but for me, and you might find this, I was ready to build again. I miss it.

[Chainsaw]

While I might miss the build, I'm sure my wife will not. :D Right now, I'm just ready to drive the thing for real, not just around the neighborhood.

[Chainsaw]

Drove the car yesterday down the street and back. I had to move things around to get my Z in the garage in prep for the potential mess from the approaching hurricane. 289 is back under the body/buck in bay #3. Now looks like Helene won't affect us too much in this area.
The car seems to be running okay and didn't die after letting it idle for 5+ minutes after I got it back in the garage. Ran it about 15 minutes total. Someday I might trust it.
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/qa3sSMR2Ao4

I also got my Heidts valve mounted, but need to buy/build the new flex hoses.
204501

Now that the body is up in the air, I can see the spots in the undercoating that I need to touch up with Herculiner.

[Chainsaw]

So Helene and Milton both missed us, but got more wind and rain from Milton. Fortunately, my friends and workplace back on the Space Coast didn't get much damage as the storm moved very quickly through the area. Friends on the west coast of FL got messed up, but dodged big damage. My heart goes out to those with big damage and flooding.

Been working too much to get any time on the car. I have to go in the garage and get my head around it. I've got a bunch of braided teflon hose that needs to be made useful with some Breeze fittings for connecting the Heidts valve and touch up some spots with Herculiner on the underside of the body. I bought a nice little thermal camera that attaches to my iPhone to look for hotspots behind the dash if the car is still dying when I can get to drive it again. The work I'm doing is eating up a lot of what used to be time I could work on the car. I've really got to do better at retirement.

[Chainsaw]

Got some time in the garage, so I touched up some of the undercoating where I could see light shining through. Then I made my 4 hoses for the power steering rerouting to the Heidts valve.

206240

I hope to get those installed this week while I'm home and not working too much.

[Chainsaw]

Installed the hoses for the Heidts valve. No leaks! I'll have to adjust it once I start driving it again.

206370

I love those fittings from Breeze. Thanks, Mark!

[Chainsaw]

Soooo, I think I'm really fully retired now as of 12/20/2024. Trying to get my head turned around and start working on the car again. To that end, i just ordered the Edelbrock ProFlo 4 EFI from Mike Forte. I've always wanted that system, so I went for it. i was never happy with the Sniper that originally came with the engine and the carb set up, while fully functional, just isn't how I wanted to go. Plus, installing the PF4 will be a little easier, from the wiring standpoint at least, before the body goes on. Body on is the next big event.

[Chainsaw]

Committed to finishing the driver's side footbox.
208980
I also glued on the carpet to the front-facing wall of the cubby. I'll attempt to make some sort of lockable door for the cubby while I wait for the PF4 to arrive (allegedly this Thursday.)

[mburger]

Hey Jack,
Henry is building my 289 in Port Charlotte with a little help from me.
Just browsing your build thread and it's looking great!

[ehansen007]

Glad to hear you're back and fully retired! Looking forward to hearing more.

[Chainsaw]

THE NEW PHONE BOOK'S HERE! THE NEW PHONE BOOK'S HERE! I'm somebody now. (IYKYK). But really the ProFlo 4 arrived today.
209153
Started taking things apart in the engine bay to make the swap over.

[Chainsaw]

Glad to hear you're back and fully retired! Looking forward to hearing more.

I'm actually ready for it this time, but I would have liked to be with my old team at Blue Origin for this upcoming launch. Hopefully it happens early Thursday.

[Chainsaw]

Got everything pulled off and out of the way except the manifold itself as I ran out of time yesterday. I don't want to pull that until i have time to get the new PF4 one in place, too.

I'm thinking of using Ultra Gray as my RTV and stickem on the gaskets. Any recommendations to the contrary?

[Chainsaw]

ProFlow4 work on-going. Current status in pictures.
209914209915209916

[Cutter 54]

Do you honestly think you will use the cruise control? The Roadster is NOT a corvette. Just my own observations.

[Chainsaw]

Do you honestly think you will use the cruise control? The Roadster is NOT a corvette. Just my own observations.

I removed all the cruise control hardware.

[Chainsaw]

i got most of the PF4 harness hooked up yesterday. I still need to drill out the air cleaner housing for the air temp sensor install, remove or relocate some of the wiring that was used for the Sniper or carb set up, and tie up or tie down all the harness and wiring. I also need to figure out the fuel pump wiring. I'm also waiting on the last fitting needed to make a new fuel line from the reg to the fuel rail. There's probably something I'm forgetting.
210132210133

[Chainsaw]

Almost done with PF4 install.

210249210250210251210252

Yesterday and today, I did some clean up work on the wire routing and tied a lot of them down. The big success was wiring the PF4 fuel pump harness into my existing fuel pump relay. Routed the PF4 harness through the firewall and then made some wiring to attach the harness fuel pump positive wire (orange) to pin 86 where I had previously attached the Sniper positive wire. Then I attached the harness ground wire (tan/white) from the harness to the upstream (inertia ground) side of the inertia switch. I used a 2-pin weather pack connector (provided) to attach the new wires to the PF4 harness. To test the wiring, I turned the key to run to see if the fuel pump would trigger. No go. I suspected the ECU wasn't getting power as I couldn't see the ECU on the Edelbrock PF4 app on my phone and I was right. I swapped from the EFI power wire (light blue) to the coil driver wire (orange) from the F5R wiring. Turned the key to run and success the fuel pump triggered and ran for ~8 sec as advertised. I also connected the phone app to the ECU. :D I had already capped the regulator output, so I set the car to run again and checked the fuel pressure - 40+ psi. I'll need to adjust that when I get the fuel line built.

After all this, the Breeze 180-deg fitting arrived in the mail this afternoon, so I'll make that fuel line this weekend sometime and I should be ready to fire it up. I did a test fit of the 180-deg fitting and determined I should move it back to the passenger side of the engine. It's slightly shorter run and there's less interference between the fitting and the plug wires. I also had to buy some air cleaner spacers on Amazon as the throttle arm was hitting the bottom of the air cleaner. Those should be here tomorrow as well.

[Chainsaw]

Engine runs with no leaks currently. There's a few clean-up items with the wiring and tie-downs I'll probably get to and i need to bleed the cooling system tomorrow. I originally started the engine up Saturday, but couldn't get the IAC sorted out. Came back this morning and started the car. It was backfiring out the exhaust. I messed around with the timing and got it to settle down some but was at about 24 deg. No-go. After some research on here and elsewhere I figured I had installed the distributor one tooth off. Reset the 12deg BTDC (again), lifted up the dizzy and advanced the rotor by 1 tooth. Started it and checked the timing again and got it back in around 12 deg at idle. It wasn't backfiring anymore at least, but still seems a little rough. I then adjusted the idle screw to get the IAC % in range. Seems to be okay at the moment. I do like the PF4 app as it's informative and relatively easy to use. I hope to get the neighborhood's most expensive golf cart on the road this week to get some learning started in the ECU.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4WoQYgGQMC0

[Chainsaw]

Took the car for a drive yesterday. Running a little rough at the start. Drove to the end of the cut-de-sac, and it didn’t seem totally well, but idle was steady. Then I took it around the block and it started backfiring again and stumbling a little. I got back to the house and it stalled when I paused before going into the garage. I got it restarted (not an easy start) and it surged and then settled down and I got it back in the garage. I think the timing is still off. :( I checked to make sure the distributor was still locked down (it was). I’ll get back on it tomorrow and check the timing again.

[Chainsaw]

Started the car to check/reset the timing this morning and found a fuel leak at the fuel pressure sensor fitting. Took all of that apart and applied new thread sealant to the NPT threads on the sensor fitting and reassembled everything. Letting the sealant cure a bit before I run the car again. Before I saw the leak, the timing was way off, but I’m not sure if I bumped the distributor after I loosened up the hold-down bolt. Got the timing reset to near 12 degrees before I saw the leak, so I locked the distributor down until I restart the car.

[Grubester]

Seeing good work everywhere! Congrats!
A question, a favor, really. I'm running a similar setup in my Mk 4 (started kit in Aug '24), BPE 347 with reversed BBK shorty headers (engine not installed yet),
but I also pushed the wall of the driver's foot box into the engine bay a bit. It's about 1.25" (in the lower half) closer to the engine and the top half tapers from that to 3/16" "kick-out".
If I could ask, how much clearance does #8 cylinder's header branch have to the footbox wall? That panel already (by design) has a "kick-out" in it, but I'm not even sure if the header branch is at -- or above -- that kick-out.
Thanks for anything you're able to comment on. (nice to see yours "fired up!")

[SteveWorth]

I have a 289 with a Blueprint 302 using BBK shorty headers under construction with standard foot boxes. Here are a couple of pictures showing the clearance to the foot boxes.

210522210523

Hope this helps!
Steve

[Grubester]

Great pics -- thanks! Just a quick question, is that header branch for a #8 cylinder just slightly above the outcropping on that side of the driver's foot box?

[Chainsaw]

Seeing good work everywhere! Congrats!
A question, a favor, really. I'm running a similar setup in my Mk 4 (started kit in Aug '24), BPE 347 with reversed BBK shorty headers (engine not installed yet),
but I also pushed the wall of the driver's foot box into the engine bay a bit. It's about 1.25" (in the lower half) closer to the engine and the top half tapers from that to 3/16" "kick-out".
If I could ask, how much clearance does #8 cylinder's header branch have to the footbox wall? That panel already (by design) has a "kick-out" in it, but I'm not even sure if the header branch is at -- or above -- that kick-out.
Thanks for anything you're able to comment on. (nice to see yours "fired up!")

My header clearance is pretty much like Steve's shots above. I didn't measure, but I'd say the clearance is 1.25"+ to the vertical foot box wall and about 1.5" from the diagonal surface.
210543210544

[Chainsaw]

Reran the wizard again today. No backfiring, but I still have a miss which could be a contributing factor to backfiring when the pipes get hot. Most of the backfiring previously came from the passenger side pipe. I tightened up the strap that is helping hold it up in case I was hearing the bracket under the car banging on the floor. I'll pull the plugs tomorrow and check them.

[Chainsaw]

pulled the plugs today and 3 of them (3, 4, and 8) were wet and less sooty than the other 5 plugs. Maybe an intake manifold leak? Maybe, but I sprayed around those areas with no effect. It's possible the plug wires weren't seated well on the plugs, so I snugged all of those back up (twice). Restarted the car and it was still running like crap and missing. Once again I pulled the distributor and reinstalled it and was able to get it in slightly different position. Started the car and dorked around with the timing and seemed to get it running better with no missing. Revved it up some and got a back fire on the wind down. Ran out of time today. I'll play with it some more Thursday or Friday. However, none of this is preventing me from having a body installation party, so I need to quit procrastinating on that. I am concerned that, while I have the radiator at 41 degrees, I think it's too far forward as it sticks out 2" in front of the quick jack mounts. I think this is going to cause an interference with either the cowl opening or with the aluminum trim panel. I'm going to take some measurements on Jeff's car to see if I'm already in trouble here.

[mburger]

Jack, apologies if you've already seen and have worked through this.
https://edelbrock-files-v1.s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/forums/PF4-Distributor-Install.pdf

[Chainsaw]

Jack, apologies if you've already seen and have worked through this.
https://edelbrock-files-v1.s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/forums/PF4-Distributor-Install.pdf

Yes. Thanks. I was using that as well. Just a bit of pain getting the dis in the right/best position. Based on my quick run yesterday, I'm encouraged that I have it correct now. Been crappy weather here today, so I wasn't able to work on the car (have to move the body outside to be able to work on the car.)

[Chainsaw]

I was going to trial fit the body on Thursday, but had to abort due to a scheduling snafu. But on Wednesday, I did get the lights installed. As my friend said, the headlight cutouts are a suggestion. Had do do a bit of work on the passenger side hole and got to use my new high speed air saw. I used that for the gross cuts on the PS cutout and finished up with the Dremel tool/sanding wheel. Had to also do a little work on the DS cutout, too, but only had to use the Dremel tool on that side.
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Thursday, I did a lot of measurements and eyeballin' to try to locate where I should make the cut out for the fuel filler cap since there weren't any markings from FFR. I made a small hole to try to get better sighting once I get the body on for the first time. I think it's close enough I can make it work.

[Chainsaw]

No work on the car, but I did get to go to the Amelia Island Concours today. So many beautiful old cars. Got to see an original 289 slab side for the first time. Very nice. That was the only Cobra I saw today except for the Superformance display - also nice.

[Chainsaw]

We tried to put the body on Tuesday, but it was a no-go. I had to trim a bit off of the lower rear fiberglass and adjust the radiator to make is not extend past the quick jack mounts. I thought the latter was going to be an issue and it was. I hope those two changes and some better coaxing of the body will allow this body to go on to see if I still need to trim the cockpit opening, front and rear. I will also check my expected gas cap location with the body on.

[SteveWorth]

We tried to put the body on Tuesday, but it was a no-go. I had to trim a bit off of the lower rear fiberglass and adjust the radiator to make is not extend past the quick jack mounts. I thought the latter was going to be an issue and it was. I hope those two changes and some better coaxing of the body will allow this body to go on to see if I still need to trim the cockpit opening, front and rear. I will also check my expected gas cap location with the body on.

Jack,
I have had the body off my 289 several times in order to get it to fit well. There was quite a bit of trimming around the gas tank as well as shaving off the front and rear cockpit edges. The trimming around the gas tank allowed the body to move forward enough to allow the doors to fit.
For me this has been the most challenging part of the build so far!
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Steve

[lasse2]

Jack,
I have had the body off my 289 several times in order to get it to fit well. There was quite a bit of trimming around the gas tank as well as shaving off the front and rear cockpit edges. The trimming around the gas tank allowed the body to move forward enough to allow the doors to fit.
For me this has been the most challenging part of the build so far!
211446211447

Steve

Something I ran into when fitting my body was that the front quick jack bolts ended up holding the body too high and the rolled edges on the bottom of the body couldn't drop below the frame and were held out slightly. Aligning the hood hinges was proving to be a challenge as well. To correct this, I ended up redrilling the quick jack bolt holes in the frame about 5/8" lower to drop the nose a bit. This seemed to help everything align correctly. The body tucked under the fame as it shood, the hood hinges allowed the hood to sit correctly and the radiator aluminum lined up where it was supposed to. I don't know if this was specific to my frame but I thought I'd mention it in case you start noticing any of these issues. As Steve mentioned, there was quite a bit of trimming around the gas tank and both the front and back of the cockpit were trimmed significantly. I probably had the body on and off 4 times before I was done. Each time, I marked the areas with close tolerances so I only removed material where I needed to. I also found that even with the trimming, my passenger door hinge needed to be set back about 1/4" using spacers. The drivers side was fine. I also ended up grinding out a radiused notch where the hinges open into the body to get the doors to open fully. I think these are nuances that exist from the adaptation of the 289 body to the MK4 chassis. In the end, everything fits and looks good.

[Chainsaw]

Soooo, we got the body on this past Friday.
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But it was not without hiccups. Ruined the bulb seals on the trunk sides, so I had to ditch those. We couldn't get the nose up to anywhere close to where it should be due contact Breeze lower radiator support brackets and the fact that the body was coming in contact with the trunk floor sheet metal.
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Front wheel arches were way off, but we pushed and pulled on the car for a bit and got them closer to correct, but not good enough. These are the before photos.
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Also, the door hinges wouldn't open fully. Ultimately we just couldn't get the body forward enough.

[Chainsaw]

So we pulled to body back off and I went to work. I cut as much of the trunk sheet floor metal as I though I could get away with, about 0.5"+ and trimmed the front edge of the cockpit (1/4"). I also rehung the top of the radiator from the back of the 3/4" tube to move the radiator back some and I moved the breeze lower mount around to let the radiator shroud rest on it.
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This put the radiator back to 41 degrees but it's still sitting proud of the quick jack mount and I think the radiator is still sitting too low. I'm still sorting out ideas for raising the radiator a bit as there's an inch+ that I can move it up & back. Assuming the quick jack holes are in the right place (see lasse2's post above), lower sheet metal that goes between the lower rad opening in the body and the radiator lower flange won't be in a good place, but maybe a workable place. We'll have to put the body back on to see.
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[lasse2]

So we pulled to body back off and I went to work. I cut as much of the trunk sheet floor metal as I though I could get away with, about 0.5"+ and trimmed the front edge of the cockpit (1/4"). I also rehung the top of the radiator from the back of the 3/4" tube to move the radiator back some and I moved the breeze lower mount around to let the radiator shroud rest on it.
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This put the radiator back to 41 degrees but it's still sitting proud of the quick jack mount and I think the radiator is still sitting too low. I'm still sorting out ideas for raising the radiator a bit as there's an inch+ that I can move it up & back. Assuming the quick jack holes are in the right place (see lasse2's post above), lower sheet metal that goes between the lower rad opening in the body and the radiator lower flange won't be in a good place, but maybe a workable place. We'll have to put the body back on to see.
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Just a quick note here. I did use the Breeze hinge at the top but I don't think the Breeze lower radiator bracket will work properly with the 289 body unless it has a large range of adjustment. The radiator needs to sit at a much shallower angle to line up with the body.

I had to trim a fair amount off the rear trunk aluminum to get the body to go forward. With the body on, I traced a line about 3/4" further forward. The line I traced wasn't parallel with the edge of the aluminum piece because the body is not perfectly symmetrical. I included space for the bulb seal in my math.

I removed as much of the rolled edge at the dash as I could and still maintain the full radius. I was worried about how it would look against the dash but it doesn't bother me at all. I think I mentioned it before but I had to shim the passenger door hinge back about a quarter inch and added a rounded notch in the body where the hinges make contact to get the doors to fully open. It looks fine now and I don't think about it.

[Chainsaw]

Just a quick note here. I did use the Breeze hinge at the top but I don't think the Breeze lower radiator bracket will work properly with the 289 body unless it has a large range of adjustment. The radiator needs to sit at a much shallower angle to line up with the body.

I had to trim a fair amount off the rear trunk aluminum to get the body to go forward. With the body on, I traced a line about 3/4" further forward. The line I traced wasn't parallel with the edge of the aluminum piece because the body is not perfectly symmetrical. I included space for the bulb seal in my math.

I removed as much of the rolled edge at the dash as I could and still maintain the full radius. I was worried about how it would look against the dash but it doesn't bother me at all. I think I mentioned it before but I had to shim the passenger door hinge back about a quarter inch and added a rounded notch in the body where the hinges make contact to get the doors to fully open. It looks fine now and I don't think about it.

Thank you for the info and copy all. I'm expecting to do additional trimming on the front cockpit lip. I took off what "looked" right, but understand it may not be enough. I need to get the body back on again to see if and how much more needs to be cut.
And I don't have the Breeze lower mount attached per Mark's instructions for it. More correctly, the lower bracket isn't attached to the radiator at all. I pulled the Breeze lower mount up as tight to the chassis tubing as possible and canted to the rear of the car. The radiator shroud is sitting on the bar. The weight of the radiator, the bar, and the stiff lower radiator flex tube I'm using have the radiator pretty snug.

Also, I may have to follow your lead on the door hinges. I hope to find out tomorrow when we put the body on again.

[Chainsaw]

Thursday we installed the body.

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It certainly wasn’t as hard as the last time, I still need to trim the rear cockpit lip as there a little bit of interference there. The front sits a little low and I had to lift it up to get the quick jack bolts in. The radiator needs to be pulled up and back a little and I think I have a way to do that.

211982

The bigger issues seem to be the DS body at the rear seems to be about 1/4”-1/2” farther out than it should be. Not sure how to squeeze it in. I may need to open up the rear QJ holes a little to give me some wiggle room on the rear body L/R balance.

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Also, I believe I’ll have to cut away a little bit of the body to allow the exhaust pipes to pass underneath. I moved the DS header as much as I could, but the DS pipe definitely won’t fit right now and I’m not sure if the PS pipe will either. The cubby back wall is not interfering with the body. The wheel arches look pretty good, but a little off on the DS.

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[Chainsaw]

I also cut the hole and temporarily mounted the Le Mans gas cap. It sits a little farther forward than the info I received from other builders who had factory cut outs, but the cubby wall forced my hand on the current location. I still have room for the Acton wind deflector.

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Also, as lasse2 mentioned re: his build, my door hinges won’t fully open but the body won’t move farther forward as the rear of the body is right up against the Kleiner mod couplers. I’ll have to shim them to the rear or trim some of the door opening lip (last resort). I’ll have to get the doors out of the attic and see how they fit before I do anything there.

We dropped the hood on just to see how it fits and it almost dropped in; however, it’s slightly long and I’ll need to trim/sand off the back edge to get it to sit down all the way.

[Chainsaw]

After taking a week off to travel back to see our moms, I got the hood installed as well fitting the exhaust pipes. I had to trim the body a small amount to allow the DS side pipe and header to fit in the right place. Getting the hood installed was a bit harder than I expected, but it’s on.

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Put the quick jacks on to hold the body, not that it can move very much.

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I also sanded out some of the mold lines in the door and trunk openings so I can fit those next.

[Chainsaw]

Working on trunk fitment, but is the trunk lip supposed to look like this?

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The bulb seal won’t work this way, so I guess I’ll be breaking out the air saw again to do some significant trimming later.

[lasse2]

Working on trunk fitment, but is the trunk lip supposed to look like this?

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The bulb seal won’t work this way, so I guess I’ll be breaking out the air saw again to do some significant trimming later.

I trimmed the extra lip off leaving a surface parallel to the body so the bulb seal would fit. I also ended up going with a taller bulb seal because the one provided by FFR let the trunk lid drop too low relative to the body.

I ordered bulb seal from Amazon with the following dimensions: Height: 16.5 M.M Width: 14 M.M Edge thickness: 3.5 M.M Grip range: 1.0 : 3.0 M.M. This seal is a little tall at first but after compressing fits perfectly.

[Chainsaw]

I trimmed the extra lip off leaving a surface parallel to the body so the bulb seal would fit. I also ended up going with a taller bulb seal because the one provided by FFR let the trunk lid drop too low relative to the body.

I ordered bulb seal from Amazon with the following dimensions: Height: 16.5 M.M Width: 14 M.M Edge thickness: 3.5 M.M Grip range: 1.0 : 3.0 M.M. This seal is a little tall at first but after compressing fits perfectly.

Copy that and thanks for your seal specs. That trimming job was my next major task. Did you use an air saw or a cutoff wheel to trim the lip?

[Chainsaw]

WRT my trunk latch hole location, I suppose I’ll just use the template for the license plate holder and drill those holes, test fit a license plate and go from there. I have a rough location from JeffP down the street. I’ll see how that works with the license plate test fit.

Also, my trunk shape is off, so I put some heavy stuff on it and maybe it’ll relax into the proper or, least closer, profile.

[Chainsaw]

I did get the roll bar temporarily installed today. I had to hog out the outboard hole in the body to get the hoop to line up with the stubs. I had scrubbed off some of the powder coat on the lower bracket and the Petty bar stub on the hoop to get those to fit. Got all of the holes drilled and a hole punched in the floor. I’ll add the pucky at a later date then things are more finalized. There are a few flaws in the powder coat on those three hoop parts, so I’m going to get those redone locally.

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