topherchrisb's project | Hood Pins

[topherchrisb]

Well it's about time I can start a build thread officially I think. I can't promise I'll be as thorough as the threads I've taken inspiration from but I'll do my best. I'm to take delivery of my kit from Stewart transport around mid week (1/12/22) at the moment. This is pretty exciting as the thought of building one of these has been in the back of my mind for about a decade (common story I know). I've gotten a few "you're finally doing it?" type comments from friends after finding out I've had a kit on order. Those comments are going to evolve to "when's it going to be done?" in the near future. I have no expectations of completing this build for a long while because of having a pretty ambitious plan. I feel like I've looked
at so many builds and decided to take all the most complicated aspects of them. I'll also probably be one of few that won't mind a POL due to it helping throttle me from the behavior of slapping parts on hastily.

I ended up checking quite a number of boxes on the FFR order form. I also plan on getting many of the quality of life options the popular vendors make available. I haven't started ordering anything outside of the kit yet but again... not really worried about the time to build at the moment. I'm planning on an ford avalanche gray/white stripes/black pin stripes color combo while blacking out all the chrome/stainless. I also want to go with an 18" wheel/lower profile tire setup. I like the tires a little wider than the wheels so probably the 10.5" over the 11". Still some research to do there as There seem to be so many variations.

Stand out FFR order items:
complete kit
coyote headers with cats
diamond stitch seats/door panels
coyote power steering
IRS
hydraulic clutch master cylinder and bearing kits
wind wings/sun visors
carbon fiber dash
passenger roll bar
leather steering wheel
front/rear willwood brakes

3rd party stuff I'm confident in:
heated seats (once I see if the diamond stitched seats don't have any blocking complications)
wilwood electric parking brake
keyless ignition
russ's turn signal setup
adjustable seats (my wife is a foot shorter than I am)
bunch of breeze stuff
forte's coyote/tkx package (maybe hydraulic clutch setup too)

Things I'm highly considering:
convertible top and ac
2bking/jazzman's "filp top" mod (still need to reach out to them for documentation)
arm rest and mid shift kit


I'm headed out for the day to pickup a new puppy for the kids. Tomorrow hopefully I'll get a chance to finalize the shop space and build a frame dolly based on Jazzman's plans (https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/showthread.php?24433-Frame-Dolly-and-Body-Buck-Plans-for-the-FFR-MkIV-Roadster&highlight=plans). Maybe I'll even come up with a project name too.

Thanks to everyone contributing to the forum here! Not only has it helped keep me interested in this project... but the amount of information I've consumed have made things seem so much more simple than what I originally thought. I hope to now convert to the contributing side of that relationship.

[Ted G]

Welcome aboard! My build is about 60 days behind you.

[John Ibele]

Welcome to the fun. My calendar says this could be a big day for you - if so I'm sure you'll remember to take a few photos and post them in your build thread. Delivery day is a great experience.

I got a kick out of your 'most complicated aspects of all of them' comment. I'm pretty sure that I didn't do that, but I'm still vying, I'm sure, for 'longest build without giving up' status. Not that that's something to strive for.

Not sure I could provide an aspect of my build for your 'most complicated' list, unless maybe it's the console box to add another 10-15 hours onto your build. Thing is, it's all fun. I'm trying to be focused now though on charting a more direct course between where I am and being on the road.

Didn't mean to ramble ... great to have you joining in, and look forward to your updates. With Jazzman's flip top as just one complicating factor, it should be entertaining! Cheers - John

[topherchrisb]

Thanks guys. I got the call from the driver. There are two CO deliveries tomorrow and mine is the second. The first one is mid-day so depending on how that situation goes I could possibly get pushed out to Thursday. The weather looks great though so we should be good. I have a small stretch of dirt road that goes back to my shop that hasn't thawed yet unfortunately. The driver told me he just washed his truck and he likes to keep it looking good. So I have the 20' flatbed queued up so he can drop it on and I can make the last little leg with the pickup.

There are a couple of minor updates outside of that. I did get to making the frame dolly... just not as soon as I had hoped. My plan was to get that done this past Sunday but the new puppy was more fun/work than I anticipated as well as I had received an unexpected package from Fedex with a new toy(PCP air rifle) I ordered about six months ago that distracted me. With the delivery date fast approaching I needed to put some priority on that dolly! I didn't have many work meetings yesterday so I made a make shift workstation in the shop to take conference calls... and it worked too well. I ended up ordering some hardware to make a more permanent and productive work situation happen in the near future.

Anyway I was able to get the frame dolly built in between meetings. One thing you'll notice is the backbone protruding in the middle there. I had cut the 5' length according to the plans mentioned above but realized I could possibly get my quick jack setup still between the middle support and the casters. The jacking rails on the quick jack are also 5'. So after looking at a few pictures of frames and deciding it's likely not going to cause any interference issues I pulled the dolly main rails in about 1.25" on each side to sit a little more comfortably on the jack. Maybe after delivery tomorrow I'll try to post a picture of the frame on the dolly with the quick jack up in the air to prove my theory. I did add a second set of 2x6" for increased vertical height. I used 5" casters with locks instead of the 6" in the plans. First time attaching a picture so let's see how I do? Well it's sideways some how. Looks like I need to go to the forum attachment school.
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=161357&d=1643383487

Also I got excited and started looking at third party vendors. I have the form filled out for Russ' turn signal system but haven't hit submit yet, I ordered an NRG steering quick release system, and lastly I have a shopping cart at breeze containing all the radiator helpers, the front battery mount, and the offset steering rack mount hardware. I'll probably hit go on those tomorrow or Thursday.

One other thing I think I need to ask is.. who do I need to write in order to get permission to edit my profile? I haven't been able to get access to make any changes to my signature or other profile settings just yet.

[edwardb]

Welcome aboard! You're in for an excellent journey. You've got a high option build there and should turn out great. Couple of real quick comments: The hydraulic clutch option from Factory Five is intended to use an internal hydraulic throw-out bearing. The hydraulic setup from Forte is an external setup using a stock clutch arm and throw-out bearing with a slave cylinder mounted outside the trans. If you order both you'll have some duplicate parts. You'll get different opinions. I've done both and am now a big fan of the internal hydraulic throw-out bearing. I have a Tilton in my Coupe and it works great. I'd finalize that order from Russ Thompson. I know he just received another bunch of switches. But over the past few years they've been in short supply. Best to get your name on one. As for your profile, I believe you need a certain number of posts. 20? Something like that. Or a message to the mods and they could open before that. Good luck with your build!

[John Ibele]

One other thing I think I need to ask is.. who do I need to write in order to get permission to edit my profile? I haven't been able to get access to make any changes to my signature or other profile settings just yet.

Answer: David Hodgkins. Knowing you've ordered a kit, he'll give you full posting rights.

[topherchrisb]

Yesterday was fun. Al (the stewart transport driver) was great. It worked out that it was more efficient to make my delivery before the ft collins one. I met him at the end of my block as he pulled up. He got out of the truck right away and cheerfully shook my hand. I could tell he enjoys delivering these big toys to eager customers. I didn't get very many pictures unfortunately as I wanted to make sure he could keep schedule for his next delivery. I pulled the flat bed up perpendicular to back of his trailer and we started going to work with inventory. Wow... I got a lot more boxes than I thought I would get. One benefit of the kit sitting at FFR after completion through the holidays is I got a few extra boxes that would have originally been on POL. I did ask Al if it was alright he be in one of the pictures.
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=161361&d=1643385761https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=161363&d=1643385761

This is the state now in the shop. I need to figure out how to get the frame off the trailer and on to the dolly next. I'm thinking I'll get the pulley system mounted to the ceiling for the body and get that up in the air first. Then likely I'll inventory and mark all the aluminum panels so I can remove those too. That should reduce the weight enough I can get the frame off with a couple people and some wheel dollies.
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=161362&d=1643385761


Welcome aboard! You're in for an excellent journey. You've got a high option build there and should turn out great. Couple of real quick comments: The hydraulic clutch option from Factory Five is intended to use an internal hydraulic throw-out bearing. The hydraulic setup from Forte is an external setup using a stock clutch arm and throw-out bearing with a slave cylinder mounted outside the trans. If you order both you'll have some duplicate parts. You'll get different opinions. I've done both and am now a big fan of the internal hydraulic throw-out bearing. I have a Tilton in my Coupe and it works great. I'd finalize that order from Russ Thompson. I know he just received another bunch of switches. But over the past few years they've been in short supply. Best to get your name on one. As for your profile, I believe you need a certain number of posts. 20? Something like that. Or a message to the mods and they could open before that. Good luck with your build!

Yeah I know I would be duplicating parts. One of the unfortunate side effects of uncertainty and impatience mixing. I guess I should assume that if there are no mentions good or bad about the bundled internal setup it's probably working as intended. I did have a little time to look over the inventory list and I did see the steering wheel boss as included in one of the received boxes. I'm going to verify I have it and get my request for Russ' turn signal setup ASAP on your advice.


Answer: David Hodgkins. Knowing you've ordered a kit, he'll give you full posting rights.
Thanks John for the direction to a moderator. I'll get him a PM to see if he can help me out.

Next question... is there a parameter I can add to the attach tag that'll rotate the pictures?

[Jazzman]

Congratulations! Now the fun really begins!! Feel free to ask questions. The folks around here are very helpful!

[John Ibele]

Next question... is there a parameter I can add to the attach tag that'll rotate the pictures?

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/showthread.php?18962-How-to-use-the-Image-Gallery-to-embed-pictures-in-posts&p=337562&viewfull=1#post337562

Glad your delivery went well, and enjoy going through the inventory. Seems a little OCD to be counting every single nut and bolt before checking each box on the inventory, but it's actually a pretty fun way of getting to know the kit and wrapping your head around the project in the next level of detail. Folks have their own methods for accessing the inventory list as they go through the build. I have the originals in a 3 ring binder, copies on the front of each box, and (by far the most used) a photo of each sheet accessible by either laptop or phone. Just one way to go at it. Have fun getting started!

[Russwood]

Congrats, and welcome! I just got my delivery in mid-December, and I'm having a blast. Similar build plan as you, but with some variations. You'll love the Coyote/Tremec combo - it's a perfect set up. I opted for the T-56 over the TKX, but you won't be disappointed with the TKX. I scored a 3.73 Torsen IRS center section out of a donor, so that's also a win. I'm also looking at the electric parking brake from Wilwood, but haven't pulled the trigger yet. If you get yours before I do, let me know what you think about it.

All the comments given here are exactly spot-on, and I agree with edwardb on the hydraulic TOB. I installed a Tilton as well, and it's worth the investment IMO.

On your pics, the best way is to resize them and then upload them into a photo album on this forum, then you just copy/past the BB code and you are set. I use a 750 x 1000 pixel size, and that's about as big as I prefer when they embed into the posts.

Subscribed and looking forward to following your build.

[JB in NOVA]

Congrats! Welcome aboard.

[2bking]

Congratulations on your new journey! It's a fun ride and lots of smiles along the way in between some "do it twice or more" moments. For some reason I like the tilt front idea and think it will also put some grins on your face. We like lots of pictures!

[topherchrisb]

Thanks again everyone. Last night I got the hood, doors, trunk stashed away and the body ready for removal when I can get some help this weekend. I also started inventory. Dang you guys aren't kidding when you say every nut and bolt! That stack of inventory papers doesn't seem so big when you have 100 line items in some of those boxes. I made it through box 11-1 with the IRS CV axles. A couple things came up during inventory...

The Serial number is sort of hard to read. Are we allowed to do anything to this in order to make it easier to ingest with the eyeballs? I imagine it's only going to get harder to see once the dash is in place. I was thinking about putting some courteous lighting under the dash. I might just have to take viewing that spot into consideration when doing that.
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=161365&d=1643386022

When I opened the first box I found the below. Maybe FFR is expecting me to become a salesman? I have a few neighbors that expressed interest when I told them about why I was building the shop. Maybe I can find a use for some of them at least. The only thing I found missing out of the first 11 boxes was the front delrin spring washers. That popped up right after discovering the stack of marketing material so I thought I was going to be in for a long night of trying to find missing items, but it smooth. I have a couple boxes of items that were originally POL too so they might be in one of those and just not marked with location properly.
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=161364&d=1643386022

When getting to the aluminum panel and carpet boxes I was easily distracted trying to figure out where each piece went as I pulled them out. When I got to the seats... of course I had to get them out and sit in them. They were more comfortable than I thought they were going to be. The funny thing is I went out there with the intention of ONLY trying to locate the steering boss so I could get my order in with Russ... and four hours later I came into the house without knowing if I have the boss, saw the order form filled out and laughed. I'll have to be more targeted with my mission this afternoon. I can see myself in the future going out there for hours not getting anything even done on the car and still have a smile on my face when I come back up to the house.

Oh... and I'm thinking project mako. Respect for one of the fastest fish in the ocean.

[jiriza84641]

That's the Frame serial number, you'll get a VIN once you. register the finished car. easy to see when dash is on.

The literature is some swag to pass along, you'll find neighbors are like "whatcha buildin back there" the slip. them one of those. Less talking on your part!!

Inventory is time consuming, make sure you have all your parts that were delivered, if not make a note and able check the POL list and any others on there and contact FFR.

Plenty of assistance from other builder here, you'll get plenty of knowledge.

[Russwood]

When I opened the first box I found the below. Maybe FFR is expecting me to become a salesman? I have a few neighbors that expressed interest when I told them about why I was building the shop. Maybe I can find a use for some of them at least. The only thing I found missing out of the first 11 boxes was the front delrin spring washers. That popped up right after discovering the stack of marketing material so I thought I was going to be in for a long night of trying to find missing items, but it smooth. I have a couple boxes of items that were originally POL too so they might be in one of those and just not marked with location properly.
160220


They call that stack of brochures the "Car Show Pack" or something like that. Free advertising ;)

[Zach Bohn]

Congratulations! My completion date is 01/29/2022, cant wait!

[460.465USMC]

Next question... is there a parameter I can add to the attach tag that'll rotate the pictures?

Welcome aboard! Great looking option list! You'll have no problem finding many more great ideas/options on this forum as your build progresses. :p I haven't seen many new Coyote builds recently on the forum, so pretty cool to see you go with that motor. I'm always looking for ideas/tips from other Coyote builds.

If no one has answered your picture rotate question yet, simply open the photo in Paint, a free app. that comes on Windows machines. Rotate the picture in paint, then Save it. Then upload the Saved photo to your picture album here on the forum. If you need to downsize the photo as Russwood mentioned, then do that before Saving it in Paint. Saving the picture in Paint fixes the rotation issue. If you are on a Mac, then perhaps it has a similar free photo editor app. that will do the same?

[NYMike]

This is the state now in the shop. I need to figure out how to get the frame off the trailer and on to the dolly next. I'm thinking I'll get the pulley system mounted to the ceiling for the body and get that up in the air first. Then likely I'll inventory and mark all the aluminum panels so I can remove those too. That should reduce the weight enough I can get the frame off with a couple people and some wheel dollies.
160127


Welcome aboard! Looks like a great build plan and I can't wait to follow along. I see in your picture that you have another interesting project hiding back there in your shop. Also, might be a bit late, but if you haven't already gotten it off of the trailer, with two people we were able to get it off our trailer using 2 wheel dollies in the front and picking up the rear and rolling it back onto the frame dolly. It was heavy, but not as bad as we thought it would be.

[topherchrisb]

Well I disappeared for a while didn't I? I had got Covid after delivery so I was unable to have anyone over to help me get the car off the trailer. We were then gone on a bit of a family vacation and tax season is full swing now. I may just have to submit I am going to be slower at this than I originally thought. Again... not in a hurry.

I'm still struggling to decide what to do with the aluminum. I would like to do the lizard skin but it looks like it should only be applied during times of temps above 60 and we haven't really been near that at all in CO lately. So I'd have to setup a spot indoors to spray or wait till spring comes. Still up in the air.

I did get my NRG steering wheel quick release but bad news is the steering boss is something that was mis-marked as in a POL box during inventory. I had an aluminum center section that wasn't marked on the sheet so I'm guessing someone just missed the intended line. That means I can't get on sir RT's order list just yet. I was going to order a drop trunk kit from him but it's not available on his site anymore. Does anyone else have a prefabbed kit or is that going to be my first made from scratch part?

I was able to have a buddy over last Sunday and we made some progress. Got the body off the frame, the frame on to the dolly, and the body hung up in the air. I have plenty of room to walk under it but I still duck my head every time I do. It's a little weird to have it up there. I'll get used to it eventually. I'm not using any type of body buck framing for this hang job. Should I be worried about warping the body over time? I tried to leave the back of the car a little lower to transfer some of the weight and I tried to use hanging locations I thought would put the least amount of flex. I measured my gap between the front and rear rolled edges for the cockpit to be 34.75" if I remember right. I haven't got up there to see if the gap is still the same. I plan on adding one of those gap brackets eventually. I wanted to give it a few days to see if it is actually sagging over time.
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=161374&d=1643392299

I did spend time yesterday getting the rear end installed. That was quite a task by myself. Drilling out the front mount holes to 5/8" was an exercise in patience. A lot of bit speed, cutting oil and barely pressing at all was the combo that worked for me in the end. Then I busted the walls off the packing material and used it for support while on the floor jack while slowly jacking it up. Every inch or so I would re-tighten a strap I had wrapped around the back anchor points to help maneuver into position as it went up. Still not torqued in yet.
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=161376&d=1643392299

It seems there is just one piece missing on nearly every corner of the suspension to be able to get to a point where I can put in the hubs. I did a quick test fit on the front lower control arms. Than manual says to use a shim washer on the rear bushing when using FFR's arms. It might be hard to tell in this picture but I actually have enough room to use one on the front bushing too. There were four supplied in the hardware... should I add one to the front if I can too? And if so does it make sense to put the washers towards the back of the car to push the steering arm forward possibly helping with bump steer? If I had the steering rack and geometry for the steering arms I might have a more educated guess but thought maybe someone has an opinion?
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=161377&d=1643392299

More parts ordered. I went to Breeze and ordered a bunch of parts... 255LPH fuel pump kit, battery mount kit, steering rack offset mounts, radiator cowl, fan shroud, lower radiator hose clamp, upper and lower radiator support mounts. Then I went to Summit and ordered a trick flow fuel filter, and the Wilwood electronic parking brake kit. Then Amazon I went and ordered a bunch of small stuff nicopp brake line, line tubing straightener, li ion battery, fastener stuff I couldn't find at HD, and a number of pilot dash lights like in the picture below(turn indicators, brights, check engine, oil pressure, water temp). I think they'll fit the more modern theme I'm going for nicely.
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=161375&d=1643392299

[topherchrisb]

Well seems like I'm going to be one of those guys that disappears for a month between updates. Kids started indoor soccer, tax season and a couple trips were distractions from progress while waiting for some parts. I did get my steering boss last week and it's off to Russ for the turn signal kit. I also received a drop trunk kit from him, but have only really unboxed it. I also got a number of items from Mark at Breeze. The only part from that group I've worked with so far is the fuel pump kit. Hopefully this weekend I'll have an update on some fuel tank progress. I also bought a cheap keyless ignition from amazon with a small fuse block to setup a simple test bed for electronic components. I'll see if I can clean it up a bit and hook up the wilwood electronic parking brake kit to demo it's functionality as a test platform.

I want to give a shout out to Russ, Mark, Kevin (Jazzman) and King (2BKing). You can tell that they really care about the service and parts they provide. Mark called to make sure I should order the return line kit with the larger fuel pump before he processed the order. It was something I overlooked when I read the description for the fuel pump but it was pretty awesome for him to reach out like that. Same with Russ... once he knew I was interested in getting the turn signal kit he was in communication every time he knew an FFR batch was sending out to see if mine was received yet. Kevin and King have there stuff together when it comes to documentation surrounding their flip top mod. When emailing with them you can tell that they want to provide as much help as possible to make the attempt successful. I haven't decided completely if I'm going to do it yet. I have a fabricator buddy who volunteered to teach me how to weld but haven't been able to coordinate that.

I did get the wilwood front brake kit a couple days ago. I'll have to get it mounted before I should have a complete opinion, but I have some reservations about some of the choices they made with the calipers. They are definitely quality components but there seems to maybe be some esthetic based decisions I would think would be different with in a "race" brake kit. I would think ease of changing brake pads would be the priority. For the size of the calipers the pads seem pretty small. Of course with the weight of the car I'm really not worried about it. Also from what I can tell is you'll need to remove the caliper in order to put new pads on. The pad retaining pins slide in from the rear with a recessed c clip holding them in. I guess you might be able to pull them out with a 90 degree needle nose and a few cuss words? Then the middle support of the caliper is not removable to slide the pads in from the top. I've never had two piece rotors before so maybe they're just as easy to slide from the bottom (when caliper is oriented to the top of the rotor). That is also not a huge issue as this will just be a street car in my case. I won't need to change pads for a long while I imagine. I'm missing some spindle hardware so I can't get to the point where I can mount them for a better understanding. They do look pretty though.
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=163729&d=1646935742


Last week I also got a set of .75" Jam nuts I was waiting for in order to set the rear upper control arms in place. I'm still waiting for the toe arm rod ends so I can't button everything down just yet, but getting there.
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=163726&d=1646935742

The front I was able to get the control arms in place but was waiting on springs. I don't have the F panels set but I just barely decided on a color to get that stuff powder coated in. Need to get that going.
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=163727&d=1646935742https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=163728&d=1646935742

[460.465USMC]

Than manual says to use a shim washer on the rear bushing when using FFR's arms. It might be hard to tell in this picture but I actually have enough room to use one on the front bushing too. There were four supplied in the hardware... should I add one to the front if I can too? And if so does it make sense to put the washers towards the back of the car to push the steering arm forward possibly helping with bump steer? If I had the steering rack and geometry for the steering arms I might have a more educated guess but thought maybe someone has an opinion?


Hi TopherChrisB (is it Christopher by chance?),

I installed shims on front and rear of the front LCA rear mount. I don't have any knowledge as to whether it helps with bump steer.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=163733&d=1646946015

[Springsyeti]

Where are you in CO? We are in CO Springs and getting our kit delivered first week of April and can't wait. I will have to look into the Russ Thompson turn signals and some of your other goodies to add to our build.

[topherchrisb]

Hi TopherChrisB (is it Christopher by chance?),

I installed shims on front and rear of the front LCA rear mount. I don't have any knowledge as to whether it helps with bump steer.


Yeah it is Christopher. I had a class in school one year with three Chris' in it. So one was Chris, one was Christopher and one was Topher. I got Topher and it became a username I use a lot as I don't see it really anywhere. Yeah I don't think shimming it one way or another would make a difference for me. I really don't know much about bump steer dimensions outside of what I read on this forum.



Where are you in CO? We are in CO Springs and getting our kit delivered first week of April and can't wait. I will have to look into the Russ Thompson turn signals and some of your other goodies to add to our build.
I'm north of you quite a bit. I live in Frederick which would be about Longmont as far as things go you might be more familiar with. Yeah it's a lot of fun even just picking boxes off the back of the trailer when the truck arrives. I've only gotten a couple hours a week to work out things so far... but it feels great every time I get even a bolt put on.

[Ted G]

Looking good so far!

[topherchrisb]

Well i realized I missed an update so it might seem a little out of place but I'm trying to fix the order. I haven't received the steering arm mounting hardware yet but I wanted to see the brakes on the car. The just look so cool. I had received the front springs and it seemed like I would be able to deal with the steering arms as long as I didn't permanently mount the hubs so they could be easily removed once the hardware comes in. So I went for it. I safety wired the hats after torquing the bolts to 55 in/lb (didn't get a picture of that) and temporarily mounted everything. Yes... still no decision on powder coat vendor. So no changes to the aluminum panels yet.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=164696&d=1648502238 https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=164697&d=1648502238

[topherchrisb]

Well I was on spring break with the kids for a bit and didn't get to spend much time on the car over the last couple weeks... but some decent progress considering.

Got the fuel tank assembled and hung. I went with the 255 LPH fuel pump assembly that Breeze sells. I originally didn't notice that the description on Breeze's site recommends the high flow return kit they also sell. Mark actually called me to verify that I didn't want the return kit before he completed the order. I might have mentioned this previously but... that's great service there. The return kit comes with a 6AN fitting but I bought the fitting on the fuel pump separately off of amazon. It was a simple EVIL ENERGY screw on quick connect. You probably can't tell but the return line on the fuel pump is pinched and kinked. I just have the black soft cap on there for it to look better maybe? Another thing I didn't capture in the picture is my fuel neck retaining bracket mounts the opposite direction the manual says. There was also already a hole outside the pinch welds on the tank that it pretty much mounted to. I just had to bend the fabricated profile a bit and it went together without drilling. Still testing the proper size for pictures. Trying to get them not so large when they come off the phone but I might be compressing them too much now.
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=164674&d=1648476119

Also worked on the power steering rack. It was something I was waiting for on back order but had received right before we left last week. The rack came with bushings and sleeves already assembled on to the unit but the manual references using supplied parts. In my bag of parts for the rack I did not see any bushings but I did see sleeves. So I read it a couple times just to see if I could understand the inconsistency but didn't really come up with anything. I had also ordered from Breeze the solid offset steering rack bushings so it didn't really matter trying to understand the manual. Again because of my compressed pictures you might not be able to tell but I twisted the bushings till the rack was offset from center towards the passenger side about 3/8". That seemed to be center for me measuring off a couple points on the frame and one on the lower control arm. In the instructions provided by Breeze they mention they push the rack that way a bit too. So I'm pretty sure I got it dialed in.
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=164672&d=1648476051
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=164673&d=1648476051

[topherchrisb]

Been busy all over the place so haven't got to work on the car much but even less so update the thread. Looks like I'm on pace to be one of those two year builds.

My plan for the layout of the frame dolly to work with the quick jack worked nearly as intended. I did have to take about a 1/4" off one of the gusset supports but easy to remedy.
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=169909&d=1658682675

With it bit higher in the air I started mocking up the fuel lines. I started with some heavy magnets and thick wire to get my route templated...
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=169908&d=1658682675

I bought a cheap tube bender, straightener, steel and stainless 3/8" rolls from amazon and got to work. It seems I forgot to take pictures of the straightening process but nothing earth shattering there. I straightened the steel tubing first and cut it into three lengths. The vise position on one of my tables was perfect for leverage when using the bender to get some pretty precise bends... for my first time anyway.
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=169907&d=1658682675 https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=169906&d=1658682675

I ordered some fuel and brake line brackets from ls billet works out of Greeley CO. I had gone back and forth on solutions a number of times but supporting a local business ended up winning me over. I don't have them put on the car yet but I'll be adding that update when I get the return line mocked up based on bracket placement.

I also got the trick flow filter in place by just tapping a couple holes in a suspension mount not used on the IRS setup. I do have a couple PTFE lines attached but seems I also didn't get a picture of that yet neither.
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=169905&d=1658682675

I'll add some pictures for the straightening and soft lines when I get back home. We're in Michigan for some relaxing this week. Thought I could spend some down time while kids are napping to update the thread with any photos I already have on my phone.

[Blitzboy54]

Are you planning on a MAKO color scheme? Like the Corvette? I haven't seen that on a cobra and I think it would be pretty cool.

[topherchrisb]

Are you planning on a MAKO color scheme? Like the Corvette? I haven't seen that on a cobra and I think it would be pretty cool.

Wow I didn't know about this mako corvette concept car. Now I feel I should probably change the thread title. Everyone is probably disappointed when finding out I'm doing a gray paint job. My plan is to match the modern gt350 avalanche gray paint scheme.

171250

I scanned through your build thread. I love the black on dark green with red accent combo. Looks great! I'm not sure I'll even have the engine in the bay as quickly as you got yours together.

[topherchrisb]

Lots of things worked on... with nothing really "complete" or checked off the list. I did some initial fitment, drilling, de-burring, and rivnuts on the f panels. I'll update this post with more pictures later when I get the tops of them shaped to match the frame and figure out how I want them finished. I keep rotating through a few options... satin black powder coat, dark gray powder coat, or just the ceramic lizard skin coating. I plan on doing the v raptor wheel well liners so it's likely the black powder coat is going to win.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=169914&d=1658683090

And yes... I realize I offset the center of the rivnuts from my guide line. I made a mental adjustment as I was punching the holes for a reason I don't remember now. I think I punched those holes a few months ago now.

[topherchrisb]

Another small project ready for finishing after initial fitment is the battery box from Breeze. I've ordered a lot of stuff from them. I have a the standard radiator pieces from them, fuel pump and return kit, dead pedal and recently I ordered seat mounts, black coated mirrors and the cubby wall.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=169913&d=1658683090

It'll likely be powder coated satin black or black bed liner finished in the end.

[CaptB]

Yes I too bought a significant amount from Breeze. Working with Mark has always been a breeze.

[topherchrisb]

Nothing too special here... got the lower linkage fitment finalized but not torqued down just yet. Then started spacing and drilling some holes for future rivet placement. This is something I did a while ago too... just haven't had time to update the thread. I came into the office a bit earlier today in order to get some quite time dedicated to adding some of these simple updates.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=169910&d=1658683090

Here you can see I'm installing the upper linkage with the RT turn signal setup for those of you that recognize it making an appearance on the right side of the frame.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=169932&d=1658683292

[Blitzboy54]

Wow I didn't know about this mako corvette concept car. Now I feel I should probably change the thread title. Everyone is probably disappointed when finding out I'm doing a gray paint job. My plan is to match the modern gt350 avalanche gray paint scheme.

171250

I scanned through your build thread. I love the black on dark green with red accent combo. Looks great! I'm not sure I'll even have the engine in the bay as quickly as you got yours together.


You can't possibly disappoint anyone by building a cobra. lol

I wouldn't worry about how fast you get anything put together. I clearly have a tolerant wife and insomnia. Thank you for the kind words, I think that grey will look incredible.

[topherchrisb]

Another functional system started! It feels good to walk by and push the pedals even though they aren't hooked to anything yet.

Test fitting the bracketry for the pedals...
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=169912&d=1658683090

Testing the steering linkage clearances. It's hard to see but I did put a coat of rubberized black spray paint on the brackets for no particular reason. You can now see a little more of the RT assembly and how it mounts up. I need to figure out how to get that shiny steering boss and turn signal handle to be finished black at some point.
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=169933&d=1658683324

From the drivers seat. Hard to tell but there is plenty of clearance between the steering shaft and the vertical bracket.
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=169934&d=1658683328

Alignment of pedals to the cross member and back of foot box.
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=169936&d=1658683401

And adjustment of the balance bar into the evenly balanced setting.
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=169935&d=1658683334

[F500guy]

I just looked up that Wilwood E-parking brake, that looks pretty slick compared to the other I saw on another thread. They have a picture of it on a FF car. Hope to see an update about it when you get in.

[topherchrisb]

I just looked up that Wilwood E-parking brake, that looks pretty slick compared to the other I saw on another thread. They have a picture of it on a FF car. Hope to see an update about it when you get in.

I do have the calipers in... but the wire harness, switch, and computer are not in yet. I'll try to supply detail about them in the future... but I'm really using most the info I got from this thread as the research for getting them situated.
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/showthread.php?37274-Wilwood-EPB-Electric-Power-Brakes

[topherchrisb]

Well someone had DM'd me about considering the ff metal fat tire f panels for the wheel/tire setup I'm likely to use. I had previously considered it but thought I would get to test how restrictive the stock ones were when I acquired wheels... but I'm still trying to figure that out. I KNOW I want to go with 18" in a more modern look but can't decide on a wheel pattern yet. I was ordering a forward firewall kit from them anyway so I tacked on the f panels.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=173482&d=1665173689 https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=173483&d=1665173689

[topherchrisb]

Next it was time to try to shoe horn the coyote drive by wire setup in. After trimming down the pedal assembly according to instructions... I ended up drilling a couple new holes in order to raise the mounting bracket a little. That initially got me the clearance I needed on the cross member for the steering column support...

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=173485&d=1665173689

but it didn't feel right having to remove all the master cylinder bracketry to remove the assembly for future serviceability. So I decided to cut out the cross member and do my first weld job ever moving it over about 1.5". It's a horrible weld I know... but I didn't have any like material laying around for testing. I had thicker material I practiced a couple times on. Those settings burned through this thinner material easily on initial attempts. So I ended up having to fill in a bunch because of that. If this was something more structural I would have had a buddy welder come over and teach me a bit before attempting.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=173484&d=1665173689

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=173490&d=1665173736

Probably never have to take it out, but it was still fun coming up with a solution and seeing it to fruition.

I forgot to take pictures of it all cleaned up and re-assembled with all the pedals in place. I'll update this when I get a chance to take that picture.

[facultyofmusic]

Good call man. TBH looking back at my pedal I should have done what you did here. Would have saved many past and potential future headaches. I guess when the time comes I'll just grind the bar off :p

[topherchrisb]

Another thing accomplished was getting most of the fuel lines set in their final places. I tested them with a AN/schrader fitting set I got off amazon.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00MEMIIAQ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I went PTFE steel braided lines from the tank to a bulkhead setup just behind the passenger cockpit.
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=173489&d=1665173736

Mounted the bulkheads on a simple bracket I made (don't mind the mismatched hardware). Then 3/8" hard steel lines along the traditional route into the engine bay. Added a rivnut to the passenger footbox to secure my mounting hardware. I also coated the steel lines with rattle can rubberized flat black paint to match it to the frame. I got the hard line brackets from a vendor that is somewhat local to me http://www.lsbilletworks.com/.
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=173488&d=1665173736 https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=173487&d=1665173736

I like the way it turned out.

[460.465USMC]

Congrats on getting your fuel lines completed. I like how you coated them to match your frame. Nice detail!

[topherchrisb]

Long time no talk. I've got the same excuse as everyone... just busy with life, so not much progress is being made. My youngest gets to start school in Jan so I'm hoping that'll afford me some more time in the shop. Counting the days!

One of the things I spent some time on was making sure my adjustments for the coyote pedal translated to something I can operate with my feet. I have ordered a dead pedal from breeze but not really to the point I can try to test that. Hoping I can get to that before the end of the T-day weekend here. I also have not got any driving shoes yet and was testing with a pair of shop slippers. I am pretty anal about keeping the floor clean out there so I switch to some slip ons when trekking through the weathered yard. That allows me to test worst case scenario for the spacing though. I'm pretty happy with the spacing and alignment. Happenstance the amount I shifted the coyote pedal mounting hardware sets up the alignment across the bottom of the pedals dead even.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=175471&d=1669244290

[topherchrisb]

I thought I was going to work on the brake lines next. I stared for a while and thought I came up with a good route/plan and started drilling a hole in the bottom of the floor pan, inserted a rubber grommet, and realized I won't be able to just take things apart easily when the brake lines are in place. After more staring I decided that I couldn't really plumb the brake lines till I got some final fitment and some finishing (powder coat) of the driver's foot box. Then that led to me wanting to have as much as I can available to take to the powder coating shop. Ugh... got to work on as many of the panels as I can now.

Going back and forth in my head about which panels need coating and which are just going to be lizard skinned was taking time. Still not convinced I'm to my final decision on all that, but I needed to get things fitted regardless of direction. So I started working on the drop trunk and breeze cubby.

So I thought I was being smart diverging from the instructions by putting the lip of the drop on top of the trunk metal but if I were to do it again I would probably stick to the direction Russ provides. My thinking about the lip on top was easier assembly(didn't have to drop the tank) and the trunk being tucked under the lip providing more structural support weight wise. I centered the sending unit under the hole in the bottom panel so my placement is a little more driver's side and forward. I can still put the lip under the trunk piece during final riveting and I may do that, but it'll make sloppier edges due to making the hole larger to allow for the walls to come up through easily. It also forces you to make the cutouts for the cross braces a little larger since you have to traverse horizontally for placement instead of just vertically from the bottom. A bit sloppy but this is getting lizard skin and carpet so likely not going to be able to tell once it's all finished.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=175470&d=1669244290

Over all progress photos as of now. You'll see the wire harness for the wilwood electronic ebrake sitting there. You'll also see the FF metal forward firewall. Have a couple emails out to vendors for AC/heater unit planning before I get too far on that piece. I've thought about starting the wiring routing and dash planning next, but we'll see what my next revelation is during a staring contest with the car.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=175469&d=1669244290

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=175468&d=1669244290

Sorry the compression on the uploads is still getting me. Have to go back and read the recommendations for photo upload to see what I'm doing wrong there.

[topherchrisb]

Well I was able to spend a bunch of time getting panels fitted like I had hoped over the holiday weekend. I got up to where I was sizing up the hole for the Breeze cubby and decided I should probably fit the roll bars and figure out what kind of access I needed to get those lower bolts in. Glad I did... cause this happened. I started off being confused about what I did wrong for about five long seconds or so then started laughing. It won't hold up progress right now as I'm just trying to figure out how I'll get them on later. Hopefully it doesn't take too long. I started thinking I was going to mock up dash components then realized I completely forgot I'm still waiting for gauges to show up. I wrote over to FFR to see how we can proceed about the roll bar and follow up with my gauges. I still have plenty to help me forget about those gauges again. Just need to decide if I should work on the smaller panel fitments, radiator fitment, wiring, or seat fitments now.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=175957&d=1669647359

[460.465USMC]

Too funny. Some additional good news is from the picture/angle it looks like the rear diagonal leg (DS) fits well to the hoop. I had trouble with the gap on the PS.

[topherchrisb]

Too funny. Some additional good news is from the picture/angle it looks like the rear diagonal leg (DS) fits well to the hoop. I had trouble with the gap on the PS.

Yeah they went in fairly easily... just flap disced the powder coat off the inside of the female ends and they slid right on. The stubs on the frame gave me plenty of room to shift them into place.

I heard back from FFR on both the hoop and the gauge pack. For the hoop they are starting a replacement and return operations to get me straight there. The gauges are a little more complicated... apparently Autometer sent a whole batch of 7 gauge packs to FFR with only 6 gauges in them. So they are working on resolving that before they can send out a gauge pack for me.

[John Ibele]

Staring contest with the car … I like that one, we’ve had many of those in my garage.

Brake lines - for the brake line to the rear, I put my hole in the bottom DS footbox panel at the very front, where the bent tab of the front panel overlaps the bottom. In other words, where you silicone the two panels together. I made a groove in the front of the bottom panel and a matching groove in the tab. When assembled, the two grooves formed a hole through the overlapped panels. Makes getting things aligned much easier. You can slide a grommet on the brake line early, or just use gasket maker at the end to seal it up and protect the brake line.

I wouldn’t stress much about the drop trunk, particularly if you’re going to cover it. I used OEM trunk liner, which was easy to use and turned out great.

Also FWIW, I was pleasantly surprised at how the footbox width felt the first time I go karted. I have the DS box without either of the bump outs they’ve added over the past few years. I just wore the used up trail running shoes I had on, and didn’t feel any risk of getting my feet snagged anywhere, or hitting two pedals at once. I was concerned the go pedal might seem too far to the outside of my right foot, but that felt solid as well. Unless you have pretty wide feet I think you won’t feel cramped.

[Mike.Bray]

You can slide a grommet on the brake line early, or just use gasket maker at the end to seal it up and protect the brake line.

You can also use bulkhead fittings.

https://www.imagecoast.com/images/MichaelBray1/20220623151832mediumrotated.jpg

[topherchrisb]

The marathon continues... but a couple decent updates. I know installing speakers are hit and miss in terms of worth the money, but I love listening to music and I have it available every where I go. It seems like the people whom think the speakers are worth it mention needing a lot of power. I didn't want to go all the way into getting a dedicated sub but went with some 6x9s to hopefully get a lot of potential punch in an open air environment. I bought a 4 channel amp to run these and potentially two smaller speakers some where up front. I also coincidentally need speakers in the land cruiser so if I can't make them worthwhile here I can use them there.

I re-enforced the breeze cubby wall with some 1/2" MDF and angle the speakers a little to make room for the trunk struts. This current positioning was a second attempt after realizing my first position had a bit of interference with where the struts would have passed through. Part of this position is moving the frame side strut mounts to in between the seat belt pass through slots. It does put the struts resting placement at a bit of an angle... but I think they'll be fine. I also ordered a set of 20lb struts to test in place of the 28lbs that come with the kit. The 28lbs seem like overkill at the moment. I put the speakers in rubber baffles hopefully helping with the sound a bit.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=177237&d=1672157254

From top of cubby:
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=177234&d=1672157254

From rear:
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=177235&d=1672157254

[topherchrisb]

I also spent a bit of time with some of the Breeze components dealing with the radiator mounting. This at the moment involves the fan shroud, upper and lower mounts, as well as the upper cowl from Breeze. No need to go into how great these parts are... if you've been on the forum for any length of time you've seen references to these multiple times likely.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=177236&d=1672157254

You'll also see the radiator shroud from replica parts. I order a bunch of parts from him as well recently... seat belt, roll bar, windshield and RT turn signal trim pieces. I did order the under dash support piece as well but I didn't receive it. I haven't heard back from my inquiry about it missing but haven't been too worried as it's holiday season.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=177233&d=1672157254

Now if I could just pick a color scheme for the powder coating I could get some of these pieces mounted permanently. I'm still bouncing around between matching the frame, doing a dark gray to provide a bit of contrast against the frame, and a lighter gray for something that matches more with the intended body color(or a combo of the three).

As for next... I did get out the rear wire harness for a possibility of running that. I still haven't got any indication on when the FFR gauge kit will be ready for shipment. I think I may just start ordering some gauges from another vendor. Then I can start staring at the dash forever trying to design that layout.

I love the multi color setup as well as the trim pieces with the button head screws on this:
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/showthread.php?44076-Custom-button-sizing&p=504159&viewfull=1#post504159

There is one layout I absolutely love with a yellow/black gauge combo and these thick black screwed in bezels but I can't find it anymore. I think the general gist I'll go for is dual colors for the gauges, modern buttons/indicators, and some sort of trim pieces that break up all the carbon fiber.

[topherchrisb]

Looking at the date from the last post... has it been two months already!? That's a little embarrassing but starting to get into things that are a little more detail oriented. I started playing with ideas on dash layout. Below are two pictures of what I'm thinking. I've been wanting a more modern look and function. So at the moment my mock includes white background main gauges with gray supplemental gauges. I ordered them as they are mocked from speedhut. I like the look from the driver's point of view with the gauges a little off center to the left. It's hard to understand how weird it'll look in combination with the stripes. I'm planning on an under dash center console for a navigation unit. I still can't figure out a good image format for the compression when uploading photos. So a bit of detail is lost. To the left of the fuel gauges is the push button ignition, right of the fuel is the horn button and center main dash is the hazards button. Above the steering wheel are all the pilot lights left to right top to bottom is left turn, high beam, right turn, oil pressure, engine mil, emergency brake. I ordered an IDIDIT high/low beam relay set for the RT turn signal button and the goofy unit left of the steering wheel is a modern ford headlight switch from a focus. I'm still working on reverse engineering that switch and will add a dedicated thread in the roadster forum asking for help/guidance on how to do that. The drop down portion of the carbon fiber dash will be driver's seat heater, wilwood electric parking brake switch, heater/ac controls (still planning on soft top with ac), and passenger seat heater.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=180127&d=1676740178

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=180126&d=1676740178

The headlight switch I'm attempting to reverse engineer...
https://partshawk.com/ford-focus-headlight-switch-standard-motor-products-hls-1582.html

[topherchrisb]

With the dash layout coming together I also have started planning/testing some electrical. I'm going with a Digital Dawg PBS1 unit for the ignition. The first unit I got I could not get the keys to work. The unit worked fine with the push button over ride and was I unable to repair the keys while in maintenance mode. Brian over there called me after submitting a support request and he talked me through all the reprogramming steps just to be confident I was doing it properly. We still couldn't get the keys to pair so he hooked me up with an RMA for the device. They were very timely in getting the unit back to me and it worked as intended after. I wrote Brian to ask him what was wrong and he said they had to put a new receiver in the unit. Great product, great support and great experience. Highly recommend using their unit if you want to do push button start. I am trying to do a more factory looking theme so I switched out the button with a modern bronco button. All that's needed for the unit to function is a normally open momentary switch. The bronco button has 6 pins on it but only need 4 of them to work with the ignition... the 2 for the LED to light up and 2 that have continuity when pressing the button.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=180125&d=1676740178

Recommendation for cheap items that have made this type of electrical testing much simpler. Alligator clips and a 9v battery clip connector. I'm not an electrical guru by any means. I know connecting things that were meant for a 12v dc circuit to the car battery wouldn't blow things up, but it still make me nervous sometimes. Previously in the thread you'll see I tested some pilot lights I ordered with a 9v battery. That was sort a "let's just try it" moment. I was pleasantly surprised when it worked! Since then I've used these little clips often for this type of testing.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=180122&d=1676740178

Using the 9v clip connector to test the electric trunk latch. I did find a normally open set of terminals on the trunk latch that closes when the trunk is not latched. I think I can use that for the courtesy lights and possibly a trunk open warning light on the dash if I decide to go that direction. I may just run the wire for the dash light but not use it for now. I'd like not having to have one but if I find myself using the trunk more than I think I'll like having the option to easily add later.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=180123&d=1676740178

I've found the pigtail for the headlight module but haven't really looked for the one that the ignition button or the trunk latch use yet but I came across this PDF doc that is useful when looking for pigtails when dealing with ford electrical devices.
https://www.fordservicecontent.com/pubs/content/connectors/images/connectorcatalog.pdf

[topherchrisb]

Well it's been longer than a month since the last update. The cadence for updates is getting wider as the kids start soccer/tennis and the yard work is ramping up. Slow and steady is still the case for me.

After rearranging some things I got the quick jacks positioned under where I've had the body hanging from the ceiling for about a year now. It was easier to get back on then what I remember when taking it off initially. Just a little at a time and guiding each side a bit as things go.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=182345&d=1680292908

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=182608&d=1680804174

Drop the nose over the "outriggers" (I think that's what they are referred to) up front initially, spread the sides as the center comes down and get that trunk over the rear aluminum panels. After testing a large number of positional differences I ended up putting the dash in a temporary position to check gaps and compare the witness marks I made before putting the body on.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=182344&d=1680292908

First time I used the glove box. I do have the replica parts under dash support holding that drill up in there.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=182343&d=1680292908

A few areas that stuck out as needing strong persuasion for fitting... the left outrigger was wider than the right one, the lower trunk floor preventing body forward movement, and right side cockpit clearance(dash and striker bracket). I've read somewhere about people "adjusting" the outrigger positions with the BFH move and I'll likely attempt to get that left one about a half inch towards center doing that. I think that'll allow me to move the body to the right side a little to help fix the cockpit issue as well. The rear trunk floor I'm pretty confident I can take a half inch off. That's about the same distance difference between the lower body and bottom trunk lip when just temporarily held in place. Real scientific stuff here.

[topherchrisb]

I had got my new gauges from speedhut a big ago but hadn't done anything with them till I had the body at least temporarily in place to verify spacing and such. I went with white backed main gauges and gray colored supplementals. I got the stealth black trim pieces as they said they were the most "matte" finish they had... but wish it was a bit more matte. The glare shines off the edges pretty good still. I'm hoping outside where there aren't so many light sources causing glare it'll be better. A few people have already asked me about the 120mph gauge. I felt I would hardly ever be going over that speed and I preferred the 60 at the 12 o'clock position in my peripheral.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=182347&d=1680292908

A couple of new hole saws and some tense sessions with the drill press and we were there!

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=182611&d=1680804174

And with it put in place and from this angle you can pretty much get the driver's view.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=182607&d=1680804174

Still some things to figure out... am I doing AC... will I put the controls on the dash... the headlight switch... the trunk release button... the parking brake switch... the seat heater switches... do i need more pilot lights... but I am happy with it so far.

[F500guy]

Looks good, I was also thinking of a modified 427 S/C layout, but I will be adding oil temp and ditching the clock, so will have 5 small and the 2 large.

[danmas]

I had got my new gauges from speedhut a big ago but hadn't done anything with them till I had the body at least temporarily in place to verify spacing and such. I went with white backed main gauges and gray colored supplementals. I got the stealth black trim pieces as they said they were the most "matte" finish they had... but wish it was a bit more matte. The glare shines off the edges pretty good still. I'm hoping outside where there aren't so many light sources causing glare it'll be better. A few people have already asked me about the 120mph gauge. I felt I would hardly ever be going over that speed and I preferred the 60 at the 12 o'clock position in my peripheral.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=182347&d=1680292908

A couple of new hole saws and some tense sessions with the drill press and we were there!

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=182611&d=1680804174

And with it put in place and from this angle you can pretty much get the driver's view.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=182607&d=1680804174

Still some things to figure out... am I doing AC... will I put the controls on the dash... the headlight switch... the trunk release button... the parking brake switch... the seat heater switches... do i need more pilot lights... but I am happy with it so far.

This is pretty sweet in terms of layout. I really like the look. I assume you are going to put a head unit for music in the square about the transmission tunnel? Can't wait to see it on the road. There are actually about 10 of us or so in a 50 mile radius that are building or have built this beast.

Really admire your build so far.

[topherchrisb]

This is pretty sweet in terms of layout. I really like the look. I assume you are going to put a head unit for music in the square about the transmission tunnel? Can't wait to see it on the road. There are actually about 10 of us or so in a 50 mile radius that are building or have built this beast.

Really admire your build so far.

It turned out better than I expected. Yeah I have a buddy from high school that has a fab shop in firestone. That was the template I gave him to fab me up a little thicker piece of metal than I could handle comfortably. I've been studying Andriod head units to put in there. I got a teyes cc2 plus already, but I may try to sell it and go with an atoto s8 ultra instead. They are much more capable than the big name brands... the only downfall so far is no HD radio I've been finding. Sounds like the licensing for that is a little complicated. Most units come with the ability to put a sim card directly in the unit. So they can reside on your cell service independently which is pretty neat. It'll mostly be used for navigation and a TPMS system outside of music. It'll give me some cool features in the future though if I get bored. Easy USB expand-ability and the Andriod app store allow you to do OBD2 apps and such.

I should have some free time this week to go pick it up the console from my buddy's shop. He's going to let me rummage through some scrap for some future mods. One of them being putting in some framing to hold 6.5" speakers high up in the foot wells. I think the amp I got will push 100w to each corner so hopefully that'll overcome the noise at speed but at minimum I'll have some low speed tunes. I have been watching your build thread as well. I'll reply in yours to keep the conversation targeted.

[JV1953]

Build is looking great! Enjoy the process! I am in Firestone if you ever need an extra set of hands my MK4 is in go cart stage about to install the body.

John

[Tooth]

Just noticed your build thread, and that I'm doing allot of the same crazy stuff you are. So, dumb question, but when wiring the digital ignition did you use both brown wires to the same acc lead? I'm at the overthinking all the electronics stage.

Thank you

[topherchrisb]

Build is looking great! Enjoy the process! I am in Firestone if you ever need an extra set of hands my MK4 is in go cart stage about to install the body.

John

I would love to see what you're doing some time. You could also come over and see how I slip the body on and off as I'm doing it about once a week right now in order to make adjustments. I'll send you a PM.


Just noticed your build thread, and that I'm doing allot of the same crazy stuff you are. So, dumb question, but when wiring the digital ignition did you use both brown wires to the same acc lead? I'm at the overthinking all the electronics stage.

Thank you

I'm not sure it is a dumb question as I haven't done anything with the RF harness at all yet. I was barely even planning on where to place the ignition control box this morning even. I looked at the manual for the harness just briefly and I'm assuming you're talking about the two in the book marked brn-gauge feed/brn-radio power and brn-heater? I'm assuming I will hook both those up to the ACC 2 wire on the digital dawg controller at the moment. If I remember correctly that is the wire that is dead when the starter crank mode is on. But I'm shooting from the hip there a little. I bought a secondary mini fuse panel that's half always hot half ignition triggered for the trunk where I'm going to power my wilwood electric parking brake controller, trunk latch, trunk lights, and a phone charging station. I also have the IDIDIT dimmer relay set for the RT turn signal setup. I imagine I'll be breaking away from the book in a number of areas with all that stuff in use.

[JV1953]

[QUOTE=topherchrisb;523876]I would love to see what you're doing some time. You could also come over and see how I slip the body on and off as I'm doing it about once a week right now in order to make adjustments. I'll send you a PM.

Great! Always good to bounce ideas! Cant wait to share mine build and see yours.

[460.465USMC]

Just noticed your build thread, and that I'm doing allot of the same crazy stuff you are. So, dumb question, but when wiring the digital ignition did you use both brown wires to the same acc lead? I'm at the overthinking all the electronics stage.

Thank you

Hi Tooth and Topher, I connected the BRN-ACC Feed wire (Brown) from the RF harness wire to the Accessory 2 wire (also brown) on the DGD. I used the ACCY 1 (Pink/Black wire) to run daytime running lights (LEDs).

[topherchrisb]

Well... it's been a while. Summer was a pretty busy period for me this year. I haven't got to work on the car much at all. I'm hoping shorter days and no yard work after the raking leaves season is over will allow me more time in the shop. Let's get to it before I have to figure out the next thing the kids destroyed during their after dinner routine.

I did start stubbing out runs of electrical. Just temporarily putting in place the front and rear harness to get ideas of routing so I can thinking about adding additional wires into the existing looms or making new runs. Probably the most interesting thing I decided so far is to run a secondary bus bar and fuse block in the trunk. I'll be able to run a number of things off of this... seat heaters, electronic trunk latch, in trunk lighting, speaker amp, electric parking brake controller, usb ports, etc.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=191362&d=1697676101

The next thing I did was getting the front speakers situated. I made some simple square brackets out of square tubing...

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=191361&d=1697676086

Welded the brackets onto the frame of the car. Made some ABS panels for a more finished look and added some rubber baffles. One in the top of the drivers foot box... (sorry this picture got a weird aspect ratio)

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=191360&d=1697676086

And this one in the passenger kick panel. You can also see in this picture I got the grab handle and the glove box installed... (Hard to see over on the right with the black on black on black)

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=191359&d=1697676086

In this picture you can see what I did with the tweeter portions of the front components there in the under dash console. You can also see grab handle bracing. Those are just magnets holding it in place. The way I cut holes in the under dash panel I need to have it in place permanently before I set it as I want to weld it in place instead of bolting it in there. I did make sure I made those cut outs in a way I could easily unscrew the grab handle when I do need to get the dash off.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=191358&d=1697676086

Right now I'm tackling the front brake hard lines. Hopefully I'll have an update on those sooner than six months from now.

[toadster]

pretty innovative setup you've got going there!!

[topherchrisb]

pretty innovative setup you've got going there!!

Thanks. I get inspiration from so many sources on this forum. Your site is definitely one of them. I've read and re-read your sections on AC a number of times lately. I have reduced the number of complications on my build due to how little time I've had to work on the car... but a soft top and AC is still on the list! Just haven't felt great about any designs I've come up with for evaporator and controls yet. That's why you see the place holder button templates on the bottom lip of the dash still there.

[topherchrisb]

I was testing some electrical stuff to verify function and ideas. I got distracted for a bit and decided to test the lighting on one of the gauges. I don't know why I hadn't done that yet after having them for quite some time. Pictures are that awkward shape again.

Testing the easiest first... volts man!
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=191521&d=1698180525

Let's see the speedo at work! I plugged in the GPS antenna just to get rid of the "acquiring" text for the photo.
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=191522&d=1698180525

All together now!
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=191520&d=1698180525

Things I learned from the test. The needles and the pilot lights are bright!!! I got on speedhut's site after the test to order the dimmer for their LED gauges to see if I can take some of that intensity out of it. I thought maybe I could take the needles off and put a little black paint on the back to reduce the bleeding glow effect. But after getting the gauge apart I didn't feel comfortable trying to pry the needle off. Hindsight I'd probably order needles in the darker red and without the tails on them. I like the way the brighter red looks during the day more though... and would bet I'll be driving during the day more anyway. I might buy some small resistors to see about dimming down the pilot lights as well.

While I had them in there I calibrated the fuel gauge to the sending unit as well.

[topherchrisb]

This one took me a bit to be happy with. I ended up using the breeze front battery shelf but knew I wanted to use a more modern smaller lithium battery. I went with an Antigravity ATX-20-HD with 900ca. It was popular on the mustang forum I'd frequent when I was shopping for one of the new GT350s before I ordered the cobra. That left a lot of room to take up in the battery box. I tried making my own hardware and adapting existing sets to form but wasn't really happy with anything I came up with. So I broke down and bought one for the specific application. It was a LOT more than I thought it would be but I am very happy with the result. It's the MMR S550 billet tray. Very nice piece. I just drilled a few holes in the bottom of the breeze tray and attached this one using some tapered screws for countersinking under the battery. And you get a little peak to some of my brake hard line in the picture too.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=191523&d=1698180538

[topherchrisb]

Well clearly I've had more time to work on the car in the last week in a long time. It feels good!

This is something I've thought about doing for a while. I have to admit it's another thing I evolved from someone else's idea. A while back I went over to a fellow builders house to help him drop his body on for the first time. When looking behind his dash I saw he had built some hardware standing off from the firewall for mounting components behind the dash without having rivnuts sticking out in the engine bay. I knew immediately that would be handy for what I'm doing. Instead of making custom bracketry though... I used a whole firewall! I am using the FFMetal forward firewall piece. That afforded me the whole firewall that came in the kit as a false back behind the dash. A couple tweaks and now I have a whole wall to mount all my controllers I need to put in for the electronics. So far it's the ididit headlight relays, a button controller, the trailer brake adapter and the wireless ignition. There is about a half inch gap on the back between the two firewalls to run wires too but I don't have any decent shots of that yet. One example being I put a grommet in by the ignition controller and ran the wire harness for the ignition in the gap coming out down by the steering column to plug straight into the button.

Controllers... they're everywhere.
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=191518&d=1698180525

The mess is just for testing... it'll get cleaned up as I finalize locations.
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=191519&d=1698180525

[toadster]

the false wall is a great idea to mount your electronics behind the dash - did the same in my car, removes the extra rivets, screws, etc from coming out on the firewall

build is looking great!!!

[topherchrisb]

Well I have made some good progress on the electrical stuff... but still do have a lot to do, so I'm going to have to give an update on that later. This update will be about the brake lines and how I've run them. I have a bit of ADD when it comes to this project and I'll just randomly start working on some other portion of it with the realization I forgot what was was trying to accomplish with my previous task. Not as efficient but the tasks end up having more thought and perspective into them when I get back to them. Hopefully allowing something to be more robust or serviceable when I change my mind or do something a second/third time.

Oh speaking of ADD let's do a quick update on wheels before we get to the brakes. I had been trying to get a hold of Forgestar for a while to order some F14s... and when I say a while I mean a LONG while. I think my first attempt at contact was in April and I tried a few more times after that both using their support forms and just email. I usually try to do that type of stuff when I'm on a meeting for work and don't end up calling. That was my down fall. I was originally going to order the satin black but really like the way Junbug's looked in satin bronze when he posted. I wasn't hearing back from my inquiries so I DM'd Junbug to get hopefully get a contact he had worked with to get his order placed. He was awesome and responded quickly and now I had a Forgestar employees direct contact info. Well after emailing that contact I didn't get a reply neither. After about another month went by I finally decided to call and got Tim on the phone. I explained to him I had been writing emails and not getting any replies and he was perplexed as well. He ended up checking his spam mail and coincidentally he found my messages in his spam box. After he did a bit of research he determined since I was attaching the link to the FFR 18" wheel sales page (to show target sizes) it was being flagged as spam. Darn it... just need to pick up the phone sometimes.

Tim has been a pleasure to deal with. Keyword HAS and not WAS. I'm still going through this saga a bit as you can see what happened with my first order in the picture below. Two different finishes! After some back and forth I decided to order a second set at a discount so I could have one set for strict summer tires and a second all weather set for the sunny CO days in spring/fall(maybe even winter) to get more driving days in. I haven't thanked Junbug yet for trying to help me out as I wanted to get through the whole ordeal so I could give him the whole story at once, but if you're reading this thanks man.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=194991&d=1706287009

Fitment pictures:
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=194990&d=1706287009

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=194989&d=1706287009

[topherchrisb]

OK so now we're getting to what I intended to write about in the last post. BRAKE LINES!

There is nothing earth shattering here. For the front traversal between the two calipers I went with the route Frank (I think that's his name) from the ie427 you tube channel recommends. I watch all his videos about the cobra builds he does and you can pick up a lot of good info from them. Especially for me lately cause his last couple have been coyote builds. I try to watch all the people documenting builds on you tube. Tons of things to pick up in them. Maybe I'll start a thread on the main forum to aggregate all the channels out there. I'm sure I'm missing a bunch but some of the others I check out are Dan's Garage, Amateur Hour Garage, Random Werks, and Cars are People Too just off the top of my head. That dang ADD thing again... back to the topic on hand. I coated everything in a black rubberized paint so it's hard to see the routes as they are blending into the frame in the pictures. I followed them with some green digital lines so they are easier to pickup on visually.

Front Traversal:
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=194988&d=1706287009

On the split for the driver's side caliper I wanted to keep everything as tucked to the side as possible. So probably a little different than most but it seams to fit pretty well. I use some simple aluminum 3/16 clamps (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006K8HOBO/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1) I got off amazon to hold everything down. Also painted them black so they are hard to see as well.
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=194987&d=1706287009

Foot box entry:
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=194996&d=1706287065

Foot box routes:
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=194995&d=1706287065

For the run under the driver's floor pan I did add some of the spring wrap guard (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07KX6Y22C/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1) just for the heck of it. It's tucked up there tight enough I'm not sure it'd help anything but it's cheap insurance.
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=194994&d=1706287065

[topherchrisb]

There is a max picture count per post so had to split it up...

Up the rear of the cockpit:
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=194993&d=1706287065

Rear split:
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=194992&d=1706287065

On the rear brackets I did something a little different than most probably. I used the brackets we get in the kit but adding 90 degree bulkheads to allow the line a more natural position/flex. The bulkheads are much smaller than the standard couplers but I added rubber grommets for them to pinch on instead. Not sure it it helps with anything vibration wise but it worked and they'll be easy enough to replace if I see them wearing funny over time.
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=194998&d=1706287118

Pass soft line:
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=194997&d=1706287118

[John Ibele]

You've got a great build going. You went for a totally different look than I did, and you're carrying it out really well. Part of the fun of reading build threads is seeing how many different kinds of delicious are out there, and watching the builder's vision take shape. Along those lines - dash is going to look great. Thanks for sharing.

[gbranham]

***Nevermind***...I see you did get Mark's return kit, and have the hanger return blocked off.

Great looking build! I have a question for you...your fuel pump hanger...is that the kit-supplied piece, or the Pro-M Race hanger? If it's the kit-supplied, that return line inlet is 1/4", and will cause cavitation. And if both your feed and return lines are 3/8", it's a choke point. Can't tell from the pics.

[topherchrisb]

***Nevermind***...I see you did get Mark's return kit, and have the hanger return blocked off.

Great looking build! I have a question for you...your fuel pump hanger...is that the kit-supplied piece, or the Pro-M Race hanger? If it's the kit-supplied, that return line inlet is 1/4", and will cause cavitation. And if both your feed and return lines are 3/8", it's a choke point. Can't tell from the pics.

You are correct that I have the breeze fuel pump kit and return. I just scrolled up to look... and at the angle I took the picture it's hard to tell the return line is separate from the hanger and directly behind the return line visually.

I don't know why I never posted this picture but I already had it uploaded to my album...

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=164674&d=1648476119

[Mike.Bray]

On the rear brackets I did something a little different than most probably. I used the brackets we get in the kit but adding 90 degree bulkheads to allow the line a more natural position/flex. The bulkheads are much smaller than the standard couplers but I added rubber grommets for them to pinch on instead. Not sure it it helps with anything vibration wise but it worked and they'll be easy enough to replace if I see them wearing funny over time.
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=194998&d=1706287118

Pass soft line:
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=194997&d=1706287118

Installing bulkhead fittings in rubber grommets for the transition from hard lines to flex lines makes me all kinds of nervous. The flex line is in constant motion when driving and when the grommet fails the stress from flexing will be transferred directly to the hard line. In time the hard line will probably see a fatigue failure. If I was a safety inspector I would fail the car based on those connections.

Get some aluminum angle and make a bracket to fit the bulkhead fitting proper so you have a good ridgid connection.


Mike

[topherchrisb]

I was going to hold off on updating till I had more of the wiring complete... but I realized it'll take me a bit to have that check box marked. So I'm going to do some incremental updates here before the picture is complete.

One thing I wanted to do is add a 3rd brake light/reverse light combo. I want to do as little work as possible with this so I looked for something that exists for more modern cars already with the plan to adapt it. The light pictured below has the perfect functionality/brightness and ease of use combination... but it's LARGE. It's an over cab light for a GM pickup if I remember correctly. The bed light works just fine for a reverse light... and the brake light has a switch to enable the racing brake like blinking functionality. Just not sure it'll look decent at all. Going with a blacked out theme it'll stand out less... and tucking it up under the curve of the trunk makes it less visible from up close but this will continue to be a work in progress. I might be able to take the electronics out of it and adapt them to another light that is more aesthetically pleasing if I find something.

It's BIG:
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=195461&d=1707408867

Reverse:
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=195459&d=1707408867

Brake:
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=195460&d=1707408867

[topherchrisb]

I did also start to clean up the dash wiring. I did put in the ebrake switch and the seat heater switches since the last update but you can only see them from the back here in the dropped down part of the dash. Right now I'm trying to finish more of the logistics on the wiring going to the controllers mounted to the firewall before finalizing the guage dimmer and feeds and looming everything else.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=195452&d=1707408833

I did a number of tests with the lights, switches, and gauge functionality before putting the terminators and wraps in. Try to minimize the rework as much as possible. Bench testing brakes, blinkers, hazards as well as getting familiar with the wiper motor wiring.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=195419&d=1707325836

[topherchrisb]

This was a bit rewarding but still not a finalized situation... testing the front lights I picked out to replace the ones that come in the kit. For a more modern look I decided to try some halo themed lights up front. I happened to also find some halo style blinker lights I'm pretty sure I can adapt into the stock trim rings. There are a number of ways to set them up as both headlights and blinkers have halos, running light and blinker functionality. One weird thing I haven't had time to do research on yet is having both blinkers on the same circuit does not yield the same blinking rhythm. There must be some type of smarts in the headlights allowing for it's own control of the blinker timing. So I'll likely not use the blinkers in the headlights if I can't figure that out. Lights are attached to my temporary wooden bumper. I know the headlight is upside down but it was easier to temp attach to the bumper in this orientation for now.

Both running lights on:
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=195418&d=1707325836

Both blinkers on:
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=195417&d=1707325836

Headlight on:
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=195416&d=1707325836


Also starting to play with some courtesy light options. Think I'm going with a blue color for sure but trying to figure out how much to use at the moment. Here is my test of the cubby lit up. I'm using those flexible LED strips with the soft silicone diffuser used to make fancy curved patterns on walls.
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=195415&d=1707325836

Lights with temp tape mounting:
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=195429&d=1707325965

[topherchrisb]

With some of the added electronic goodies I have, I'll have a lot of wiring going back and forth through the trans tunnel. So I test fit the trans A frame, the trans mount, and the drive shaft safety loop just to help reference the amount of free space I'll have. Since I was there I put the drive shaft adapter in as well. I couldn't find any of the spacer hardware with the trans mount... but I'll be more worried about that when I actually have a drivetrain on hand and fitting. Want to get wiring mostly complete and some panels finally finished before that happens. It's hard to see in this picture but I built a couple of Z channels out of galvanized steel for each side of the tunnel to help hold the wire looms out of the way. The loom on the north side of the picture holds all the audio cables... low voltage rca cables to the amp, one rca for the back up camera, and two normal two wire speaker cables. You'll see how I'm thinking I'll route the extra 4g cable from the front battery to power the rear supplemental fuse panel and amp. It's going through some rubber grommets installed in the bracketry normally used for the parking brake cables. I'll add loom later when I'm sure it's what I want to do. On the south side of the picture I have the rear wire harness from the Ron Francis kit.

Trans Tunnel:
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=195447&d=1707408754

I plugged the ebrake cutout as most do when they aren't using the stock location or go with an electronic version. You can see some of the planned rivet locations for the z channel. They are the ones running horizontally up the middle here.
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=195420&d=1707325919

I figure I would likely like to get the tunnel top off for serviceability but that's a challenge with the way the dash overlaps the center console . I could redo the console so it would go up under the dash but I doubt I'd like the finished product there. So for now I'm submitting to the fact that I'll have to take the dash off in order to get behind the console. Better get that wiring done right! With that in mind I chopped the front of the tunnel off to allow it to stay in place while opening the rest of it. You can see the harness carrying the audio stuff poking through the passenger side grommet here. Also look at that wiring mess... sometimes I feel I would have been better off starting from scratch on that harness. I've pretty much taken the whole thing apart.
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=195453&d=1707408833

I added a rear panel to the console to mount the cross overs for the front speakers. I also de-pinned all the wires from the stereo harnesses I wasn't using to allow for less clutter once installed. I think I ended up taking about half of them out... even with less clutter it's going to be a challenge to get things hooked up in their final locations here. Again... better get the wiring done right the first time! Lots of testing.
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=195456&d=1707408833

[topherchrisb]

Another thing I used as a break from all the wiring is the dead pedal fitment. I debated back and forth on actually doing a dead pedal at all. I have enough spacing between the clutch and the outside panel and my foot is skinny enough I could easily get my foot behind the clutch and into a nice cruising rest position. Probably a few cringe faces out there reading that statement with safety concerns. That's something I don't think I would be doing outside of long straight interstate travel but it's an option. I also bought the Breeze dead pedal kit to try out as another option. It's a simple kit with some angled aluminum and mounting hardware. The size of the pedal allows for the perfect fitment between the foot box chassis tubes when sitting flush with the kick out panel ledge. That also allows the ledge to increase the foot placement surface area somewhat. I won't really get to test it completely till I can get some seat positions finalized and make vroom noises.

I did have to drill some recesses into the pedal to allow for rivets to countersink and sit more flush:
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=195451&d=1707408754

Fitting:
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=195425&d=1707325965

From the outside:
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=195430&d=1707325999

[topherchrisb]

I have made a lot of progress on the behind the dash wiring but have also started the rear power distribution as well. The rear components that exist so far are a couple of two post distribution terminals, a four channel amp, the aux fuse panel seen previously, and the wilwood ebrake controller. Probably the most interesting thing I've done here is I drilled through the ground distro block, welded a flanged nut to the square tube frame and ran a bolt through the distro block into the welded nut. I've added similar grounding points in a few other places that'll pop up in future posts.

Top view:
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=195421&d=1707325919

Grounding post:
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=195422&d=1707325919

From the rear:
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=195423&d=1707325919

[topherchrisb]

Installing bulkhead fittings in rubber grommets for the transition from hard lines to flex lines makes me all kinds of nervous. The flex line is in constant motion when driving and when the grommet fails the stress from flexing will be transferred directly to the hard line. In time the hard line will probably see a fatigue failure. If I was a safety inspector I would fail the car based on those connections.

Get some aluminum angle and make a bracket to fit the bulkhead fitting proper so you have a good ridgid connection.


Mike

Hey Mike. I wasn't ignoring your advice here... I wanted to do some testing before I responded. I will go with your advice. The grommets I used are really robust and the way the bulkhead fits into them is surprisingly form fitting like they were meant for it. During my testing I saw something I wasn't expecting but should have in hindsight. The connection felt solid every time I tried to flex it. But your words "constant motion" made me change my testing behavior where I simulated flexing the line over and over as though the suspension was active over a period of time. Now I didn't have anything torqued to spec as the fittings are just temporary. What I found was it was easier for the fitting to twist in the grommet which started to introduce loosening of the hard line to the bulkhead connection and also the retaining nut itself. Likely torquing the hard to hard surface (flared surface) wouldn't allow that. But I can't really get reliable torque spec (especially over time) when mating metal to rubber. That is definitely concerning and not worth the worry. I won't get to fixing it just yet but it's on my list and will when I get some material.

[Railroad]

Impressive work. I would radius the corners of your dead pedal. Probably never know the difference, but something might get caught on the corners.

[topherchrisb]

Impressive work. I would radius the corners of your dead pedal. Probably never know the difference, but something might get caught on the corners.

Thank you... I did think about trying to put some finishes on the dead pedal that make it look more cohesive with the wilwood pedals, but haven't executed yet. So rounding and a pattern of holes or something.

[topherchrisb]

Well... I've made some decent progress. Still a long ways to go but getting it done one wiring at a time, and sometimes redoing one wire at a time, and possibly redoing a wire a third time. Everyone knows the drill. I decided I really want to be able to go cart early summer so I need to get my butt in gear. I should probably call Forte and see what his leave time is on coyote/tkx packages are soon. I'm assuming they aren't that long these days, but you know how assuming goes. With the new sense of urgency I started getting up much earlier than I have in a long time, going straight to the shop and getting a couple hours of build time in before the house is active. Definitely have some momentum right now but soccer, spring break and yard work just around the corner. :(

There are sooo many wires in this build due to all the tech goodies I'm adding. A few things that may be out of the ordinary but mostly done in some fashion before... keyless ignition, brights relay system, stereo/nav, warning speaker, supplemental rear fuse panel, possible AC, and a few others that I think are really unique I'm not ready to divulge yet.

I did get a headlight warning speaker (https://watsons-streetworks.com/product/headlight-reminder-buzzer/) from watson's street works. It's got a good mid tone triple beep sound pattern to it. It also has a read light ring for a visual queue as well. I wanted to be stealthy with it and wasn't really worried about the light so I mounted it into the dash under panel, just left of the steering column bracket. I didn't use the relay that had come with it though. The provided relay is only a four wire with a normally closed circuit. I got a hair brained idea and also wanted to wire the fuel pump inertia switch into it as well. So I needed a normally open circuit added for when the ground breaks on that switch. So now when a combo of no ign/headlight on or no inertia ground/ign on the warning is active. I had read a couple instances where people didn't realize their inertia switch was open and it caused a large waste of time on the road, so this will sort me out in a hurry if that occurs. The load for the speaker is small so I went with a medium size relay you can barely see behind the fuel pump inertia relay in the second picture. Another thing you'll see here are additional grounds. The large one forward of the warning speaker that goes up to a ground distribution block, and a bolt through the fuse panel mount to supplement my additions and the flashers.
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=196455&d=1709651922

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=195450&d=1707408754

[topherchrisb]

Here are a number of pictures displaying the progress on the tidiness of the wires. Still doing tons of testing so will have to re-loom most things... but I was able to get the gauge/switch wiring cleaned up. Just five 6-pin molex style connectors and an extra run for sending units(and I don't even have AC controls picked out yet).

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=196454&d=1709651922

Behind the dash with it in place. Still not re-loomed

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=196456&d=1709651964

Some wires for the wipers and AC if I end up going that route. Plenty of room still too.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=196461&d=1709651984

The rear is still even more of a disaster while testing. I did get extra wires ran for the cubby lighting, rear fuse ign trigger, rear view camera, etc...

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=196457&d=1709651964

[topherchrisb]

I am constantly testing things as I add runs and connect them. I am making everything so I can get it apart once the body is on... but it's not going to be fun. So double and triple check everything!

IGN, headlights, turn signals, brights, pilot lights, stereo power, fuel gauge, switch panel... check! The switch panel won't go in place till I get the transmission in and can properly space everything on the tunnel. You can see I still have one blank in there that I don't have a use for yet. I took the picture with the hazards on right when they flashed so I could get the pilots in an active state in the picture. I also did check the turn signals individually to make sure my diodes were wired properly with the single output hazard switch. I do have the speed hut dimmer that can cycle through six different gauge brightness levels. The button is mounted to the back side of the square framing behind the starter button. It also has the button for the manual override of the ignition system. Both of those tested with success as well. I also calibrated the fuel gauge and moved the float manually to verify it's in working condition. You can see the low fuel warning light active there.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=196459&d=1709651964

Speaker amp, stereo sound... check! I got these JBL GTO939s due to them being recommended for open air environments. Still it's an open air environment that'll hopefully get a more full sound with the body on and the trunk shut. I had to tune the EQ on the stereo quite a bit to get the low end depth I was looking for. I think I might add an all in one 8" sub enclosure to get the bass drum punches I like. I still have to finish the runs for the front speakers. Only have up to the cross overs wired there so far.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=196460&d=1709651964

One of the reasons I went with the stereo I did go with. I don't have the antenna positioned or the sensors installed in the wheels yet... so nothing to display at the moment. I did do a bench test with everything connected and a tire pressure warning pop up appeared on the screen while in navigation mode. So pretty confident it'll work as intended.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=196458&d=1709651964

[topherchrisb]

One thing I wanted the capability of doing but still on the fence is a reverse view camera. With that I wanted the stereo to show the camera view automatically when in reverse. I don't need the speed sensor wiring in the RF harness with a coyote/gps gauge setup so I repurposed those wires for a reverse switch I'll put in the transmission when I get to that point. I used the gray wire as an IGN feed and continued that feed to the rear fuse panel for it's IGN trigger source. Then I used the green wire for a reverse trigger to the stereo and ran an extra feed to the back feeding a reverse light through the drivers side rear harness. I put a clamp on my button so I could take the picture. I tried to capture the rear view mode on the stereo but it's too far away to tell it's working. I just temporarily set the camera on the top trunk shelf behind the pliers. It's hard to see as well.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=196452&d=1709651922

I'm still testing and on the fence about the third brake light as well. I re-added the purple brake light feed into the harness before the trailer light conversion in order to allow it to feed that possible third light. Here is my temp setup for that test.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=196451&d=1709651922

[John Ibele]

Another thing I used as a break from all the wiring is the dead pedal fitment. I debated back and forth on actually doing a dead pedal at all. I have enough spacing between the clutch and the outside panel and my foot is skinny enough I could easily get my foot behind the clutch and into a nice cruising rest position. Probably a few cringe faces out there reading that statement with safety concerns. That's something I don't think I would be doing outside of long straight interstate travel but it's an option. I also bought the Breeze dead pedal kit to try out as another option. It's a simple kit with some angled aluminum and mounting hardware. The size of the pedal allows for the perfect fitment between the foot box chassis tubes when sitting flush with the kick out panel ledge. That also allows the ledge to increase the foot placement surface area somewhat. I won't really get to test it completely till I can get some seat positions finalized and make vroom noises.

You have better foresight than I did. I put my dead pedal in almost the exact position you did. And I do use it. But for this six footer with narrow feet, while the dead pedal is plenty comfortable and still allows plenty of room on the pedals as well, my favorite cruising position is with my left foot stretched out under the clutch. Something I never anticipated and not great for safety but sure is comfortable.

[topherchrisb]

Two months can go by just like that. Soccer, spring break, school assemblies, field trips, colds and boom... you realize you haven't made progress on the project much at all. Another excuse I have is the lack of gen 3 coyote crates available. I really thought I had enough momentum going that I would want to order a motor in April. Well by the time I got around to it the Gen 4 hadn't been announced yet and the gen 4 aluminators didn't have wire harnesses available. I did get a quote for a gen 3 aluminator SC from Forte but I truly didn't want spend the extra money with no intention of forced induction. I was patient and the Gen 4x announcement happens. So I'll be looking to get one of those in the near future.

I mentioned earlier I would like to put a small sub in to have a little more thump behind the bass drum hits in the tunes. I ended up getting an "all in one" JBL enclosure that had some decent ratings. Some extra wiring in place, a few mount points configured and we are up and running. Nothing is permanently attached yet so it just rattles all the sheet at the moment, but it's very effective.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=198827&d=1714486270

With that completed I just needed to run some wires off the supplemental fuse box to the seat positions for any electrical there and I was confident I had the rear wiring all figured out. I couldn't terminate the wires though as my connectors would not fit through the pass throughs I've put in the panels. I didn't want to make the holes any bigger than I had to... so I need to finish the panels and get them attached permanently before that happens. Part of that is something I've ignored for a while now but needed to find it's final resting position too, the Charcoal canister. Nothing crazy here... PVC, barbed fitting and an antenna pole mount (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01M71U4D4?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details) and that was taken care of. Just need to put some paint on, find better fitting hose clamps, and fill it full of material.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=198826&d=1714486270

[topherchrisb]

In the previous post I said the rear wiring was done. But I hadn't mentioned any of the trunk lighting yet. I have a "cool blue" light working in the cubby location. I'll have the same color for the front courtesy lights working off the same trigger points. Those being grounding switches on the doors and one of the buttons on my programmable switch panel. The voltage runs through a fade in/out LED controller (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01ERE1F1W/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1) to give it a little more cool factor when they come on. Picture is just a side shot without the body on so the lighting is flooding everything but you get the idea.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=198828&d=1714486270

In this picture you can see the inside trunk lighting. This LED strip is a "cool white" strip and runs directly off the electronic trunk latch. The wiring here was another one of those things I redid a couple times. I wanted a pilot light on the dash to come on if the ebrake was on or the trunk latch was open. Well not realizing the wilwood brake controller switch light was ground controlled I had wired the trunk with the opposite polarity in mind. After a few different setups and a new diode in place I got it all working. I don't have a picture of the dash light but it is a standard parking brake light in red matching the size of the turn signals I've shown previously. The wiring consists of the dash light always being charged positive while the trunk and wilwood switches completing the ground. The diode simply just keeps the wilwood switch from lighting up when the trunk is open. You'll also see the brackets I made to mount the lighting. Some simple flexible light C channel (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07WMML11P/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1) and some galvanized sheet I had sitting around.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=198825&d=1714486270

[topherchrisb]

As I was starting to get pieces finalized and wanting to attach them in their final places permanently, I decided I wanted to take on powder coating the smaller pieces myself. I got a decent size toaster oven, a small paint tent, some powder and a powder coat gun (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09WVHCVKR/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1) off amazon to try my hand at it. I started with those lighting brackets I had shown in the previous post. Those I could mess up and no one would know the better. I don't have a picture of them complete at the moment... I'll try to remember to get one next time I'm out there taking pictures.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=198831&d=1714486303

I want to go the black out route so TONS of parts to prep and coat. There are some bigger pieces I'll have to take to a pro shop but it feels good to get some of this stuff done myself. I got a flat black which I really like but worried about longevity when trying to clean it. I can imagine it slowly turns more satin as you try to keep it clean? I also tried multiple coats on a couple pieces to see if I could make things a little more robust. You couldn't tell looking at them but you can feel a difference. The second coat doesn't go on as smooth as just a single coat. Maybe just the way I'm doing it? Probably just need some more practice. I also need to figure out what I can do for some sort of clear coat on top. I think that'll help keep the finish more consistent over the long run but realize that'll probably add more sheen to the look. There are clear powders you can use but not sure if it's worth the effort over just finding a hard spray clear or maybe even a ceramic coat. If anyone has any experience/opinions there I'd love to hear them.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=198832&d=1714486303

[topherchrisb]

There are a couple of pieces I want to position with the body on. The main three right now are the coolant expansion tank, the cool guy fan controller, and the tilton brake/clutch reservoirs. I dropped the body down a bit and decided to do some light fitting before I put it on completely. That'd allow me to size up and finish weather packs for the lights.

I still need to take the bezels off for the rears and powder coat them but getting the placement down. They aren't exact with the shape of the body... but with the pre-drilled holes not much room for interpretation. I'm assuming a body guy will want to do the massaging there when it's time.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=198830&d=1714486303

Now it was time for me to start working on the front turn signals. I got a set of jeep halo turn signals (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07KTW2QPS/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1) to match the look of the halo headlights. The have a smoke lens over them too which I like. I needed to figure out how to make them fit to my application though. Here you can see I had to un-soldiered the wiring in order to get it all taken apart. I had the one supplied in the kit torn apart too so I could try to create a plan. It ended up being fairly straight forward. Cut the square mounting plate to my needed round shape, re-soldier the connections, drill some holes in the matching mount positions, epoxy some machine screws, re-assemble with black sealant for weather proofing.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=198824&d=1714486270

Finished turn signal
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=199039&d=1714926506

And here you can see the turn signal in place. I also fitted the headlights... one I had finished powder coating the trimmings black by this point.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=198829&d=1714486303

The turn signal does look a little goofy from the side as it has a pretty deep profile. I've started designing a bezel for them which should be a softer transition and fit the curves of the body molding better. This is my first CAD/3D printer project so plenty to learn here too.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=199041&d=1714927378

[GTM_Vet]

Very nice bro! I applaud your attention to detail! This is going to be killer when completed! Look forward to seeing more updates!

[topherchrisb]

Very nice bro! I applaud your attention to detail! This is going to be killer when completed! Look forward to seeing more updates!

I appreciate the words. I've put a bit of time into this project. I really want to be able to drive it as much as possible. So trying to check all the creature comfort boxes. Honestly though... I could slap an engine in it, put the wheels on, drive it around in gel coat and probably be happy for a quite a while.

[topherchrisb]

After yesterday's post I was able to spend a little time on the car.

I did get a picture of the completed rear courtesy lighting brackets. Here they are powder coated, riveted on, and with the lights pressed in place. I thought about painting the sides of the silicone encasing the LEDs to have them blend in more but the light does leak through the sides a bit. They'll also be tucked up under the body rolls and hardly visible anyway.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=199063&d=1715006905

I also got my test turn signal bezel fitted to the light. Here you can see the profiles of one with the bezel and the other without.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=199064&d=1715006905

Here is the initial test fitment to the body. You can see how far off center those holes are drilled from this angle. I think that's something the body person will probably be able to fix easily.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=199065&d=1715006905

I liked the way the first version of the bezel fit so I printed another one. They had a deal on these elegoo neptune 4 (https://www.amazon.com/ELEGOO-Firmware-Leveling-Extruder-8-85x8-85x10-43/dp/B0C749177C/ref=sr_1_6?crid=137IN2OLH3Z1H&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.grQeVKDJFFiCB4GhikmII7Rnybugn_dhv xgjdgOrT9C680Gm3fHO5a6os48rrJgs6PE68ufe_n-sNnqZijiYptemJhU0ruVIzBaOThVjzVW4-RhmUMbn95wEupUjbC7vN510vBXlL1QOjjug-YqeBxiMwBPPuNLX4GpFwt56uaFkVc3akMn5WPkqyuz5qlDGcDh lKCZgCu0nieigRIQZ6KXhVUv_8_dINnuWERf1TG0.EdBz9s1eG Tu2AvV8SrUOU1CuiUAtyhBcGbVTL2-hoBc&dib_tag=se&keywords=elegoo+neptune+4+pro&qid=1715008505&sprefix=elegoo+neptune+4+pro%2Caps%2C116&sr=8-6&ufe=app_do%3Aamzn1.fos.1740e8b9-be2d-46a4-a376-9d8efb903409) printers a little bit ago. Very good ratings as a first 3D printer so I took the plunge. Took me a bit to get all the software working, calibrated and configured but it's working fine for what I want.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=199062&d=1715006905

[toadster]

awesome job on the 3d printing!!
are you using suitable product for UV protection and heat?

[topherchrisb]

awesome job on the 3d printing!!
are you using suitable product for UV protection and heat?

I know I did get some UV resistant material but can't remember what it was exactly. I'm not much of a 3D printer guru and I put the printer in storage after I made these. I have a few more pieces to design but needed the table it was sitting on for some other stuff.

[topherchrisb]

I haven't updated in a while but I have made some progress. One thing to note is I do finally have an engine on order with Forte. He is getting a batch of gen4x coyotes in early August if things go according to plan. I have one of them reserved for myself. He did mention to me that the driver's side(if I remember correctly) exhaust flange has a different bolt pattern. Unfortunately I have a set of FFR catalytic converter headers for the gen 3. I'm hoping I can get an exhaust flange in the new pattern and find someone to do a welding switcheroo for me. Fingers crossed. Having the engine on order gives me a soft deadline of having everything else functional though. I always work better towards deadlines.

I tried a couple of methods for the foot well courtesy lights and liked this one the best. I wanted indirect lighting that mimic's something we have in one of our daily drivers. I shaped some scrap metal to some of the framing in the foot wells and added some of those c channel clamps mentioned previously on the trunk/cubby courtesy lighting post. I must have forgot to get a picture of the passenger side so you'll have to use your imagination there for the time being. I did powder coat the brackets as well but I did that after I took these pictures. They create a cool blue light concentrated in the foot wells and bleeds softer into the main cockpit. I don't have the cubby lights on in this test so there is additional light that bleeds from the back when fully functional.

Driver's side bracket:

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=201014&d=1719419683

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=201013&d=1719419683

Lighting Test:

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=201012&d=1719419683

[topherchrisb]

I wanted to start getting some of the panels coated on the external facing sides and mounted permanently. I started inventorying to do that and realized... what if I need to "massage" some of these panels still as the body gets fitted. So I put on some bulb seal, cut up some yard bags for "lube" between the mating surfaces and dropped the body on. I think I've got it in a pretty good initial spot but do feel it may still be sitting too high in the cockpit area. The body isn't sitting on the front and back firewalls in the middle as there is play in the center of the panels. It does feel pretty rigid on the outside edges though. So I'm thinking I need to trim the tight fitting panel edges to get rid of the "squeeze"?

Drop the nose:

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=201011&d=1719419683

Slide the butt on:

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=201010&d=1719419683

Funny thing is I am having an easier time fitting the driver's door than I am the passenger door the way things are at the moment:

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=201018&d=1719419720

Dash reveal looks good. You can see I put the center gauge cluster off center. It fits the contour of the steering wheel from the driver's perspective well and I am always aware I'm likely not going to get anything centering on the stripes when they are in place. So intentional off center is the plan on anything i can get away with.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=201017&d=1719419720

Everything seems like it's going well and then I notice this. Sorry for the grainy picture. I must have been shaking trying to extend my arm with the level.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=201023&d=1719419745

I was trying to look for some photos of finished cars without exhaust so I could see how the body line typically flows but didn't have much luck. Again... all I can think is I'm smashing that body around the cockpit instead of it sitting more naturally around the frame. I'll be gone for a week so maybe just need to do another attempt when I get back in a different mindset.

[topherchrisb]

And while you're trying to think about why the body isn't exactly lining up... you start to tackle more of the wiring and testing the repeatability of all the complexity you added. I removed and reinstalled the dash enough times to know I'll be able to do it whenever needed. I do sit on the trans tunnel while I'm doing it though so it'll be more of a challenge with the interior completed. I also wanted to get all the body mounted lighting terminations figured out since it's a good time for that.

This is how I did my driver's side front light wiring. The loop under the frame and brake duct is to make it less visible when someone is looking at it from the front. I also added single wire connectors for the halos in each light to make it easy to disconnect them if I decide I'm not content with them in the future.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=201016&d=1719419720

Similar setup on the passenger side outside of running out of wire due to my extra loop on the driver's side. I ended up adding a new hole in the light bucket and plugging the higher one with a grommet. I also made sure I reversed the connector patterns so it's easier to identify which side each bucket goes on. I'll probably still put them in backwards before the next time I install them.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=201021&d=1719419745

I crossed the harness using the breeze shroud mounting locations to keep it tight and out of sight. You can also see here I added a couple additional wires for the fan wiring. I'm using a cool guy fan controller so there is a dedicated ground and power off the battery there. I'm going to mount the controller inside the engine bay just off the driver's F panel. That update should be in the near future hopefully.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=201015&d=1719419720

And they work:

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=201022&d=1719419745

I didn't get a picture of my tail light terminations... but they are working as well. Also did decide to add the controversial third brake/reverse light combo I had mentioned earlier. It did shape nicely to the bottom of the body with just a few holes to patch if I decide otherwise. So why not for now.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=201020&d=1719419745

[cv2065]

LED turn signals are a great touch. Looks simple to install as well. You selling more bezels? ;)

[topherchrisb]

LED turn signals are a great touch. Looks simple to install as well. You selling more bezels? ;)

I am happy with the way the bezels turned out... but I'm not sure I have confidence in them to sell them. I can provide the files for anyone who is interested in them though. Since then I've added a cut out for wiring and some holes for the bolt pass throughs. I wasn't impressed with the way the drill goes through this printed plastic stuff. :P

201939

And just so there is a direct relation for anyone seeing this in the future... these are the lights I modified for this.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07KTW2QPS/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1

[topherchrisb]

I've had these brackets I fabbed up for the reservoirs and the auto guy fan controller for a while now but hadn't really wanted to do prep/staging to weld on the body again. With the body fitment test I was able to have confidence in where I wanted to mount them... so it was time. They were hard to pick out so I highlighted them in green in the first photo. Front one is for the fan controller rear is for a tilton 3 chamber res set.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=201926&d=1721225861

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=201925&d=1721225861

I drilled and tapped through both sides of the square tubing for the reservoirs... slightly off center. Was reaching over the bar and pulling the drill instead of pushing from the side I could see and the bit walked. No biggie.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=201924&d=1721225861

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=201923&d=1721225861

I added all the needed wiring into the front harness for the fan controller. It works but I didn't take the warning of the fan pwm buzz as seriously as I should have. It is noisy. Would never hear it with the car running and it almost goes away with the fan noise even at low speeds but I went ahead and ordered a buzz box to supplement later anyway. I have four ways of triggering the fan now... radiator sensor, manual over ride button, AC trigger(if I end up there), and a fail safe 12v wire which I'll attach to the coyote ecu when I get it.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=201927&d=1721225887

The rainbow coloring scheme was the kids' idea. I let them go into the wire box and pick out some colors for me to use.

[topherchrisb]

I took a little bit of material off my engine bay firewall in places the body was fitting a little tight. This was with the hope of getting the body to settle down a little easier and more consistently. It worked... but didn't fix the body line for the front wheel wells to cockpit transition around the exhaust cut out. Look up a couple posts for clarification. It's as good as I'm going to be able to get it for now. The body can't really drop any lower without some major interference issues, but maybe I can use the wheel well aluminum to massage the front profile into place. I may be being just too picky. With the exhaust in the way I don't believe the transition will be noticeable anyway.

With the body back on we can test the final fitments of the new additions. Looks good.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=201932&d=1721225930

I also wanted to start getting familiar with how the wheel wells will go together... and if you're doing that you might as well test some wheels too! Unfortunately the desired tires sets I wanted haven't had the desired sizes available for a bit now. Not too sure how that industry works but I couldn't find a good 315/255 combo anywhere. I was sure I read somewhere that staying around the 26" diameter size would be pretty safe for everything... so I did the best I could with that info and got nitto nt05s in 295/35 for the rear and 245/40 for the front. A little disappointing but it'll work for now.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=201935&d=1721225930

When I took the wheels in I completely forgot about the TPMS system I had wanted to use and hence left the sensors at home. The installer asked me about that when I took them in though... so just a round trip home, searching for some batteries and doing a quick test it was back to the tire shop. After getting them back home I tested the TPMS app on the head unit and they are connecting but still have to do a calibrate and set thresholds.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=201936&d=1721225930

[topherchrisb]

One thing that's on the list is to figure out how I want to configure the hood. One thing that'll be difficult to integrate but I really want to do is push style latch releases. My best quick answer to that at the moment is building some extra framing off of the 3/4 tubes that run along the sides of the hood opening to mount them on. I also got some louvers from a vendor. I was originally thinking about powder coating them black but I'm more leaning towards them being painted to match the hood now. I'm also still undecided about the scoop, but I think if I do that I want to form a fiberglass one seamlessly instead of having the hardware mounted look.

This vs that:

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=201938&d=1721225952 https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=201937&d=1721225952

[Mike.Bray]

I'm also still undecided about the scoop, but I think if I do that I want to form a fiberglass one seamlessly instead of having the hardware mounted look.

CSX and Shell Valley have fiberglass scoops they sell if you're wanting to mold it in.

[topherchrisb]

Well it's time for my monthly update I guess. Nothing too exciting over the last few weeks. In this small update I show how I handled setting up my trickle charger hookup. I got a cool magnetic connector that is keyed for a directional hookup and internally disconnects while the connecting end is not in place (identified by the magnet and it's polarity). It's called a MagCode power clip (https://www.juicemyride.com/products/magcode-power-clip-plug-12v?_pos=2&_sid=b5260efed&_ss=r). It's sort of pricey... but it's really handy. I originally thought I was going to install this in the nose of the car sort of hidden out of the way. That's close to the battery and would be easy to reach from outside the car. Then when I was trying to test different locations I suddenly became worried that I could drive off with it still plugged in. Obviously the magnetic nature of the piece will help that action not be so destructive but I still didn't feel good about it. So I went with a more obvious route and hooked it up under the driver side dash. The hookups aren't any less efficient due to being able to tap it into the bus bars on the firewall and this also makes it completely obvious that the cable is in place when entering and exiting the car. Hopefully I don't forget to unplug it from there!


Blurry picture again. Cable in place:
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=202966&d=1724266705

No cable in place:
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=202965&d=1724266705

Charger I'm using:
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=202964&d=1724266705

[topherchrisb]

I have an engine coming soon. A gen4 coyote from Forte. So I wanted to get to the point I was comfortable attaching some of these panels around the engine bay and trunk permanently. The trunk pieces were more so I could get all that supplemental wiring terminated and fixed in place finally. I don't have pictures of everything but I tried to get the general ideas captured in this set. And as I'm typing this I realize I didn't capture any pictures of how I did the rear wells. I'll have to come back to that later.

I went with the rivnut/bolt approach for attaching the panels. No reason other than personal taste really. I have the FFmetal large wheel f panels so some extra fitment love was needed. I feel they fit pretty well overall though. I also got some vraptor wheel well liners and in this first picture you can see the extra set of rivnuts in place to mount them.

Front driver raw format:
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=202962&d=1724266705

Vraptor in place:
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=202971&d=1724266750

You can't see the other screw behind the brake rotor here holding the front in place. I use some simple angled aluminum off of the outriggers to place the front of the liners where I wanted. You can see I had to notch it out a bit for the horn. Didn't foresee that one coming. You can also see I added some extra lighting bling with rock lights. They are connected to my programmable buttons for power and the stereo for configuration. I can configure the buttons in sets and will be able to trigger these lights as well with the courtesy lights if so desired. Stupid... but makes me smile.
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=202970&d=1724266750

[topherchrisb]

So yeah... engine is very close to complete. I got a message from Forte yesterday. Just trying to figure out a new oil pickup with moroso and the package should be able to be finished and shipped out. I did watch a youtube on how much the oiling package had changed on the gen4 engines yesterday. I'm a bit surprised it was only the pickup that was a challenge. I still need to find someone to be able to swap out the driver's exhaust flange for me but I'll worry about that more when I have the engine in hand.

Gen4 oiling changes (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3EfUlDEM2GI)

Panels mostly removed once again:
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=202972&d=1724266784

Using some acid etching degreaser. It's funny to think my cars floor pan can fit in my sink...
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=202969&d=1724266750

I did still use some sandpaper for some extra scuffing... then did some acetone... then laid out as much of the material to be coated as possible.
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=202976&d=1724266784

I used a paint that was closer to a bedliner type finish but still wanted a harder, smoother easier to clean finish. I used this durabak-18 stuff and like it. Got black for any outer facing panel faces... and a grey for any inward facing panels. Doing three layers spaced one day of drying time apart. Only through the black for now and prepping panels for grey at the moment.
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=202975&d=1724266784

[topherchrisb]

It's been a couple months now since my last post. Lots of activities to distract me since school started. It feels like of put a bunch of work in on the car but it doesn't seem like progress. Someone from work that hadn't seen it since everything was mocked up came over recently and stated it looks like it's going backwards. :P I have gotten a lot of the panels I've painted attached permanently now. The inward portions of the panels will be coated with lizard skin soon hopefully. Then I can run a lot of the electrical and mount some hardware for the final time. Leaving the outside and upper foot well panels detached till I get the plumbing/electrical done after the LS treatment. I'll also come back and paint over the rivet heads if I need to burn some time before the engine gets here. Still waiting for a new style of pickup from moroso for forte's gen 4x coyotes.

trunk panels mounted:
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=205384&d=1729188565

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=205383&d=1729188565

F panels:
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=205382&d=1729188565 https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=205381&d=1729188565

engine bay panels:
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=205386&d=1729188627

[topherchrisb]

I had an empty spot in my button panel and was trying to determine what I should fill that spot with. I had a crazy idea to want a "valet" mode and have been trying to come up with an idea to facilitate. I had started to research throttle signal interceptors/modifiers with the most promising being the pedal commander. I still may go that route but I decided to initially try something more simple. I had seen mentions on the forums of people wanting to reduce power for a more tame experience when initially learning how to drive these cars. I saw the most simple of the suggestions being something that reduces throttle travel and thought... that's as simple as it gets. Well, we can't do things that simple can we.

The length of the pedal arm allows a small restriction at the base of the arm to dramatically reduce the travel at the pedal. I got a couple of the smallest linear actuators I could find on amazon and tested their travel. I was trying to design an arm that could hinge into position but I shortly realized even that was more complicated than I needed. I just needed to get a little longer actuator and be able to push the obstruction completely out of the way to allow full pedal travel. So I made a bracket that could mount to the coyote pedal mount. I formed the bracket to give a little protection of the hardware and keep it from interfering with the brake pedal travel if ever there were a hardware failure. I also slit a slot to act as a rail for the obstructing bolt to travel along as a guide. It's wider at the bottom to allow a little hinging if needed and traverses along a skinnier guide once it pulls into place behind the pedal.

I'm in the middle of designing the mini pcb for the control of the actuator right now. Some learning still has to be done there... but it's relatively simple. It uses two small five pin relays to reverse polarity on the actuator depending on if there is 12v on the line or not.

Left is retracted and obstructed position, right is extended pedal full movement position:
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=205389&d=1729188627 https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=205388&d=1729188627

Button panel is now full with the limiter button:
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=205387&d=1729188627

Mounted fitment:
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=205392&d=1729188674 https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=205391&d=1729188674

Travel slot guide:
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=205390&d=1729188674

[topherchrisb]

Pretty boring update here... but there was a lot of work into it. I thought I was taking photos of the work area and taping off everything and such but I either didn't or lost them in between phone migrations. I had ordered some buckets of lizard skin on sale last Christmas with the intention of using them sooner than I did. Well that stuff has a shorter shelf life than I was expecting. I think it was 2yrs but when buying a clearance deal for product that's been sitting on the rack in the middle of winter for something that is also temperature sensitive is a horrible idea. The sound product had an expiration date of 4 months after I bought it. :P What that boiled down to is the product being too thick to spray through the gun properly. I did have the lizard skin gun as well so I knew that wasn't the problem. I waited a couple days for a new bucket to arrive and the next attempt went MUCH better. I ended up doing 3 coats of sound and two coats of heat.

Still a number of pieces left off for easy access while finishing wiring and such.
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=207084&d=1733248222

Trunk panels completely put together in final form and skin on.
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=207083&d=1733248222

Passenger foot well.
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=207082&d=1733248222

And cause I think I forgot to post it... an example of the engine bay with the gray smooth bed liner coat.
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=207081&d=1733248222

[topherchrisb]

I wanted to get the trunk wiring finished but needed the carpeting in place before I started. I had picked out a thin material initially as I was worried about anything I was bolting down and the length of hardware I already sourced. The material just wasn't robust enough though. During initial cutting and test fits I could see the carpet already wearing in places I was massaging for creases and bends. It was disappointing as I had cut and steamed ALL the pieces before realizing the issue. So I went back to Amazon and found a boat carpet that claimed to be more ready for wear.

Initial product (right side) vs what I installed (left side).
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=207085&d=1733248251

You'll use anything to hold this stuff down while the contact cement dries...
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=207087&d=1733248251

Close up of transitions and the lizard skin on side. Haven't decided if I want to do the sides yet.
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=207088&d=1733250494

All the temporary wiring back in place and working again.
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=207092&d=1733250494

[topherchrisb]

Well my hair brained idea for the pedal limiter ended up not working as gracefully as I thought. After the lizard skin I was more apt to putting items into the cockpit permanently. At this point it's only for places where the items won't interfere with carpet installation or final layout of the firewall. The firewall uncertainty is because I STILL don't have the engine! It's out of Forte's hands now though. He shipped it out the week before Tday and according to the tracking it's been in Denver for a little over a week. I can't get anyone there to return my calls about scheduling a pickup now though. In the hopes I would be able to pick it up soon I wanted to do everything I could to be ready for fitting ASAP. Polished more wiring, connected all the brake lines (not filled or bled yet), rudimentary alignment, test seat position for mounts, and reconnect the steering. That last one is where I messed up with my original pedal limiter plan. The limiter worked perfectly outside of not being able to test how much I'm actually limiting till I can fire up the engine. Well that and the steering column not being able to pass by the new bracket I installed for it!!! It was an easy decision to want to be able to steer the car over having a mechanical valet mode so we ditched it and added a pedal commander. It is more flexible in terms of number of pedal response maps you can have and the sensitivity of each. But it's definitely not as easy as just hitting a button.

I mounted it here under the steering column mount.
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=207090&d=1733250494

[topherchrisb]

Finally we have progress on the engine side of things. After not hearing back from the freight company a number of times I decided that it's not too far from me and traffic isn't as bad during this holiday month... let's take a chance. So I drove down to commerce city during lunch and walked into the office with hopes that they'll just release the package to me, and they did. It was actually pretty simple once I got to talk to the right person. A simple scan of my ID and a signing of a couple papers and they loaded it into the back of my truck. I should have taken a picture of the packaging setup without the cardboard covers. It was way easier than I thought it was going to be to get it out of the create. There were a number of lag bolts on each side holding on a wood cage. Just remove those... pick out all the supplemental boxes packed around the engine and lift the cage off. Drag the crane over, hook it up, unbolt the engine stand from the crate and you're golden. Mad props to Forte Parts.

Hard to tell but just a half inch too long in order to get a short bed tailgate shut...
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=207159&d=1733417106

Needed every inch of that crane length...
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=207158&d=1733417106

And setup inside the shop and waiting. You can see I opted in for the forward shift kit.
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=207157&d=1733417106

[gbranham]

Congrats! That's an exciting day, and a great milestone to keep the adrenaline going for the build.

[topherchrisb]

Congrats! That's an exciting day, and a great milestone to keep the adrenaline going for the build.

It was... I haven't done anything beyond getting it unpacked yet though. Being super sick with a sinus infection has had me not doing much the last few days. It's starting to turn the corner though so I'm hoping I can maybe get arranged for a test fitment this weekend.

[danmas]

so I'm hoping I can maybe get arranged for a test fitment this weekend.

If you need an extra hand shoot me a note. I’m 20 minutes from you…

[jklapp]

Great build! What part/model did you use for the third brake/reverse light? I've been considering options here...bought a few different reverse lights from Amazon, but not really happy with anything so far. -Joel

[topherchrisb]

Great build! What part/model did you use for the third brake/reverse light? I've been considering options here...bought a few different reverse lights from Amazon, but not really happy with anything so far. -Joel

I'm using this at the moment for that third brake light. It doesn't fit flush with the body at the moment though. The profile of the curve is nearly identical but there is a counter sunk portion to the light you'd either have to cut a larger whole into the body... or build up a form to match the outer profile. I haven't decided which way I'm going to go yet. If you look at the picture of the back of the light with the wiring... the portion with the foam gasket is the section I'm talking about. It'd be a rather large hole. Because of that I'm leaning towards building up the body instead. I could probably see about modifying the light casing as well but just not a priority for now.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09VQ42M9C/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1

[topherchrisb]

If you need an extra hand shoot me a note. I’m 20 minutes from you…

Thanks for the offer. There are at least four people in the area that have roadsters in flight or just driving that I know of. It's hard for me to schedule any of my progress. It's usually a "I don't have anything to do for an hour, I'm headed to the shop" situation. I could be out there with my lunch, or with my computer while I'm waiting on work, or in the middle of the night when I can't sleep. I have been thinking about hosting a gathering of those people though. We don't necessarily need to work on a car or anything but have some snacks and drinks and just talk shop.

[gbranham]

Thanks for the offer. There are at least four people in the area that have roadsters in flight or just driving that I know of. It's hard for me to schedule any of my progress. It's usually a "I don't have anything to do for an hour, I'm headed to the shop" situation. I could be out there with my lunch, or with my computer while I'm waiting on work, or in the middle of the night when I can't sleep. I have been thinking about hosting a gathering of those people though. We don't necessarily need to work on a car or anything but have some snacks and drinks and just talk shop.

I had many offers to help shove my engine in the chassis, but it ended up being a spur of the moment, 'hey, I've got an hour' activity. Plus, I think I kind of wanted to do it on my own. Can't really explain why. I will say, though...my 427/TKX, while doable by myself, would have been much easier with a 2nd pair of hands, even with the engine leveler in play. Could've saved a lot of wiggling/shoehorning if I had someone to push the tranny snout down a few inches to clear the frame near the firewall. I can imagine the Coyote is even more of a challenge without any helping hands. Good luck, though, and post up some pics! I love seeing pics of folks dropping in their engines. It's an exciting event.

Greg

[topherchrisb]

Well I was no where near a position where I could do a test fitment of the engine in the car. My original plan was just to push it in as is to do some fitment marks and checks for firewall mounted items like fuel pressure regulator, AC evaporator, brackets for hood pins and such. The amount of effort to even get to that point seemed like I may not want to pull it out once I have it in place. So I decided to start prepping it for a permanent placement. Maybe I'll be ready to do that next weekend... but probably the weekend after that if I'm realistic.

First the power steering. I went with the KRC option from FFR. There are two pools of people with that pump placement: 1. everything fits nicely and although it's tight... it fits. 2. There is interference on the upper corner of the reservoir with the head and it's nearly impossible to get the belt on with the amount of travel the interference allows you. I was in camp 2. :( I took the angle grinder and ground a little on the head and the reservoir to be able to get the thing on. What's funny is with the pump and pulleys sitting on the bench I couldn't get the belt to get around them gracefully. The belt could be just bit longer in my opinion. It was obvious it would be a pain with the pulleys on the engine. I ended up getting it to fit by doing things in this order: mount the pump, pre route the serpentine belt as much as I could without tension, get the steering belt on both pulleys, mount/torque the water pump pulley, tension the serpentine belt, then adjust the steering pulley tension. I didn't even mention the time cover bolt that had some extra stand off threads on it I had to grind down to get the bracket to fit... or that one of the spacers is no longer the right depth so I replaced with a stack of washers for correct depth. Early adopter problems.

Final form:
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=207341&d=1733782717

Initial interference (Looks like it should fit that bracket hole... but it doesn't):
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=207344&d=1733782717

Stand off that I ground down:
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=207352&d=1733783985

[topherchrisb]

Then I tackled the senders. This went just as the FFR documentation says it should. On the gen4 there is a false hole and mount you can see just behind the third party oil sender in the picture below. I'm sure it's a parts efficiency thing... but it's weird to have non functional castings of that nature. It definitely looks like some sort of fluid will come shooting out when the engine is running. I almost got the bore scope out to verify the documentation that it's not machined through. I was feeling too lazy for that kind of action at that point though. I did opt to get a 3/4 to 1/8 npt adapter instead of going with the daisy chain set of three you get in the FFR kit. Just a little cleaner... couldn't find a tee with direct sizing for the oil side of things. So that went as the FFR package is intended.

Senders:
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=207348&d=1733782747

[topherchrisb]

One thing I forgot to mention that feels bad is the gasket around the timing cover. More specifically there are a few spots where the gasket is protruding from the valley it supposed to reside in. I looked up images of the gaskets for the gen3 and it doesn't seem like there are locations for overflow like this. It's hard to believe that if this was a problem it wouldn't have been noticed till now though. I think ford runs all these engines for a bit before shipment... right? There were three places that I found of a similar nature to the one pictured below. I think I might send the pictures to Forte and see what they think.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=207350&d=1733782866

[topherchrisb]

Well... ford is definitely not taking this harness back. I've already mutilated it quote a bit. So much bloat... another one of those manufacturing efficiency things. This part is not as straight forward with FFRs instructions anymore. It seems to be making sense to me so far though. An example being... one of the first things the FFR instructions mentions when getting to wiring in the coyote instructions is handle connector C400 for the intercooler pump. Well in the new version of the wire harness there are two intercooler connectors C1217 and C1743. So now you handle both of those in the same way. Also there is no mention of dealing with a PATS module connector in the instructions(FFR or Ford)... but I'm hesitant diet that out till I have a successful start and can verify I don't need any of that. There isn't anything in the connector that seems scary... ground, key on, HAAT, and can bus.

Diet out some wires and leave labeled. Will probably diet them out completely after first start.
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=207342&d=1733782717

Then tear the whole thing apart anyway so you can reroute the fan feed into the cockpit cleanly for the relay/PWM fan contoller.
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=207347&d=1733782747

[topherchrisb]

So an eventful number of days has passed as I've been prepping to drop the engine in. I have this thread (https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/showthread.php?50412-Coyote-Gen4-header-bolt-pattern-adapter&p=570234&viewfull=1#post570234) on the roadster forums about adapting the gen3 left side header to the new gen4 bolt pattern using Forte's new offering. I don't want to rehash all of that here but here are the end results of test fitting the headers and how they look inside the engine bay. I'll do an engine install post next for more detail as to how I got there.

Left side with adapter:
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=207925&d=1734916319

Right side no adapter needed:
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=207926&d=1734916319

From the rear:
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=207927&d=1734916319

Left side in the bay:
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=207944&d=1734916460

[topherchrisb]

I know I've read so many posts about how tight the fitment of the coyote is for this roadster setup... I don't think you can actually verbalize how tight it is. My best way to describe it is... I had to remove a piece of cardboard I was using as protection between the left side valve cover and the foot well to get it to slide in properly. When I was rocking the engine back and forth to adjust the height on the ends of the header collectors I scratched the foot well wall with a bolt stand off on top of the valve cover. It's the only scratch I got from the install... but jeesh there is no extra room at all in this setup.

I definitely want to give everyone on the forum props for all the info provided. There were definitely things I knew about ahead of time, but there were also things I had to adapt to that had some form of motivation from info received here. Like I was having a hard time mating both mounts into the plates on the frame at the same time. It was SO much easier just detaching one of them, placing it in the mount plate loosely and then attaching it as the engine came down. I would like to say it only took me a half hour like most... but two attempts and the tight squeeze made it about three hours for me. But you couldn't have smacked the smile off my face after it was done. I can still say I've done all of this work by myself. Paint and body work is the only thing on my list that is questionable on keeping the integrity on that statement.

My first attempt I setting up everything perfect...

Stage the engine:
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=207932&d=1734916362

Lift the engine and roll the car under on casters(it was easier to move the car than the engine crane under load):
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=207934&d=1734916400

Tilt the car, the engine and lower into place:
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=207943&d=1734916432

And then hit your engine hoist bracket on the top rail cause the damn engine is soooooo wide:
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=207941&d=1734916432

Then cut up some old tow chains and some rip chord for less profile and your golden:
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=207939&d=1734916432

And it's in!!!:
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=207945&d=1734916460

[topherchrisb]

I may be doing things a little out of order but a lot has been done and I'm not good for attention when it comes to producing content. A couple wiring things I did before the engine install. I did end up getting the OEM AC compressor setup. Ford performance had a 20% off sale this month so I ordered from them for an extra $200 off. I also had it two days after I ordered. Pretty impressive. I still hate installing those stretch belt setups though. After struggling on that install for a while I ended up using the slide the belt behind the crank pulley with the zip tie technique. Way easy that way... just took me a lot of struggling before I was deflated enough to try it. Wasn't comfortable putting the belt behind the pulley... doesn't feel good when you're doing it, but it's a hidden gem for sure.

OEM AC compressor:
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=207681&d=1734562055

I decided to wire up my OBD2 setup near the clutch wiring so I didn't have to mess with changing the harness from that regard. I placed it so I can barely get my bluetooth reader in it. The reader connects to my stereo so I can use any android app from the screen to get diagnostics on the road. I did modify the check engine wiring to use the light I installed in the dash previously. That's why you don't see it in the bracket.
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=207678&d=1734562055

This one may not get very well received but I actually like the setup. I'm using a two post distribution near the battery to split off all my main power lines. I made a plate that is attached to the 4" frame and the engine mount as a bracket to hold a couple breakers and also used it for wire management. The top breaker goes into the cabin for the main power there, the bottom goes to the trunk fuse box for use there. They are 100amp breakers but I think I can reduce them more. My fan runs off it's own fused circuit (small wire on the battery termination), my lights are LED using WAY less power, and my other components use capacitors and batteries as buffers to reduce large load spikes. The rear runs two speaker amps and the seat heaters however... might have to increase that one after some real life sea trials. The line down the middle runs to the starter position.
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=207930&d=1734916362

My coyote fuse block I slid out away from the firewall as much as possible while still being able to route the cables up the edge and down the top frame rail. I wanted to have as much room as possible for my future AC upgrade while still being able to route the wiring cleanly out of the way once the body is on. You can also see I pre-ran the flex fuel lines as I thought I wouldn't have enough room to tighten those when the engine was in place.
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=207929&d=1734916362

[topherchrisb]

Well I'm about a week past when I would have expected to have a first start attempt. I hadn't planned as well as I thought I did. My major shortcomings were for the coolant plumbing. I'm using a UPR expansion tank... and I didn't get any of my plumbing pre-planned. I am currently just awaiting one hose for the top of the radiator to engine route and I should be good to go. I ordered the f150 hose (KM5114) that seems to have a better fitment by popular opinion but none were in stock at the parts stores around me. Things I have been working on to get that first start... power steering plumbing, air cleaner fitment, starter wiring, ecu mounted/wired, and fuel plumbing/testing. One thing I can do with that delay though is get ready for a first go cart instead of just a start. So on top of start preps... I also primed/bled the brakes, filled the transmission/rear end, mounted the seat belts, installed a temp shifter handle, and rearranged the shop for an easy roll out the door.

I used the power steering hoses that came from FFR. They seem to work just fine for what I need. You can see I mounted the fuel pressure regulator in the middle of the firewall. I'm hoping to cover as much of it as possible with the gen4 engine cover (https://www.ford.com/product/2024-mustang-50l-engine-cover-kit-p2921237597?fmccmp=marketplace-gs-cta-accessories). I like the look of the new covers and have one on the way from ford now. It seems impossible to have set of coil covers right now... it's busy on top of those heads.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=208232&d=1735586614

Nothing special... just better shot of the fuel line routing.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=208231&d=1735586614

On the air cleaner fitment I ended up having to take out my buzz box for the fan controller. I wasn't really impressed with it's performance nor will I likely hear the fan buzz from the PWM. So the loss is not consequential I believe. I did have to seat the filter much closer to the MAF sensor than the hard tube intended. Might have to tweak some things a bit once we can see how it runs.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=208230&d=1735586614

I deviated from the plan with the computer mount. I made a bracket that is a little further forward and stands off a bit more than the FFR plan. I also flipped the computer over and added a couple more holes in the bracket for a less flimsy fit. The way the harnesses flow this felt like a more natural layout for them. I could also tuck the wires between the frame and the bracket for hopefully a less cluttered look once the body is on.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=208228&d=1735586614 https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=208236&d=1735586757

[topherchrisb]

I finally had got the last cooling hose on New years eve... but I was at a kids party when it showed up and for most the afternoon. So I didn't get to have a new year's eve first attempt... but I didn't party too hard and was able to get up early to have everything ready for a new years day lunch attempt. We had success but it didn't go without a hitch... the problems were self induced.

Issue #1 fuel pump circuit:
I had decided to attempt to prime the fuel system before the start to be able to check for leaks and such. Well I figured I could go through a couple ignition cycles of the PCM to have it do it's normal system on routine which includes the fuel pump run for a bit. No go. I tested as far back in the circuit as I could go even taking out the fuse in the PDM and jumping it with a HAAT wire I've been leaving handy for all these tests. Fuel pump ran fine... so must be the ECU right? I had an extra button I wasn't using on my panel anyway so I decided to splice it into the circuit behind the dash so I could just have a manual pump ready to go. You'll see me messing with things in the video before the start attempt and that was one of them. What I didn't realize till later though is after the initial start... I never used the button again and the engine was starting instantly. So probably a lot of worrying and work for nothing.

Issue #2 understanding the start request condition:
The first time I hit the button the starter barely kicked, same with the second time. Crap... I did something wrong? I took the starter out and bench tested it with a jumping battery I had laying around. Smooth as butter. So I took the battery I had in the car out and tried it with that... same thing smooth as butter. Put the starter back in wired it back up and same result. I'm using the digital dawg ignition system so in order to turn things off completely you need to hold the button down for a period. When I attempted to shut things off I was in a state where it would attempt to start and low and behold the starter just kept going as long as I held the button.... wow I'm an idiot. I made the assumption that the coyote ECU would just take a momentary signal and it would control the starter until it sensed the engine was running like the stock mustang configuration. Again.... a lot or work for nothing.

Then was first real start attempt now that I know everything is working correctly. I didn't plan on making it available to the forum but only to buddies over phone messages. I played the damn video and sent it to so many people I decided it was probably worth it to create a you tube account. It cranks for a while in this video but every time you hit the button after that first start it fires up instantly and furiously. Almost 3 years apart from delivery to actually being able to drive it.

https://youtube.com/shorts/iNtYUhvSnHU?feature=share

[topherchrisb]

I wanted to make sure I took some time to highlight things that were things I wish I was more confident about or knew before installing the engine. Like I said... I was excited to get it in and rolling as quickly as I could but a little more thought earlier in the process and I could have probably saved a weeks worth of time.

Coolant plumbing:
This was way easier than I made it out to be. I tried to look at all the popular build threads, youtube build videos, specific coolant forum threads and I didn't recognize for a while I was really seeing the same parts called out. They all just had slight variations of part numbers and vendor opinions of the same pieces. The list of items I specifically used were: a upr coolant expansion tank (https://www.lethalperformance.com/upr-coolant-expansion-tank-black-aluminum-2015-2023-mustang-gt-5026-05.html?srsltid=AfmBOorpHj5RXTR2f5wKYpylRGGhTl2VRu YYVGFzhOo8GelojWliITZfR24&gQT=2), a mishimoto hose kit (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01LYMZCIT/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1) for said tank, a 3/8" hose barb to 1/4" NPT fitting for the radiator (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0C4B871LK/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1), a 90 degree hard tube (https://www.jegs.com/i/Vibrant-Performance/231/13032/10002/-1), a bracket to support said hard tube (https://breezeautomotive.com/shop/lower-radiator-hose-bracket-for-round-tube-x-brace/), and a more easily fitting upper radiator hose (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0CZ73CSKF/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1). I used the FFR provided lower hose cut into a couple sections with the 90 hard line for the bottom.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=208686&d=1736216143

Wiring fun:
There are a number of portions of the wire harness I am not using. I'll edit this post in the near future with a list of their actual termination labels off the harness when I'm back in the shop. The important one I want to stress right away is the alternator control 3 wire plug. I had see this one mentioned in posts to unplug if you're having high voltage issues. I had to do the same thing. I swear I saw the voltmeter jump up to 18 volts at one point and the engine idle was all over the place. I unplugged that and everything stuck at a consistent 13.8 volts and the idle remained a solid 750rpm. I would suggest everyone just start with that unplugged. I actually got my first minor snake bite trying to unplug it when my hand slipped and I grazed the catalytic converter. The paint was still warming up to cure and it melted right onto my hand. I'm five days out and the dead skin is just now starting to break open and show the raw skin underneath. Can't wait to get the big one on the calf. Generically there were a bunch of terminations I haven't used... super charger related connections, extra O2 sensor items, and a few I don't even know what they are for yet.

I did buy a set of 16" O2 sensor extensions (https://bbkperformance.com/products/ford-mustang-gt-front-or-rear-o2-sensor-extensions-16-inch-18-24) to allow for the stretch I needed between the collectors.

The MIL is ground triggered! I had originally wired this with a constant ground and only hooked up the positive. The light originally didn't come on and some simple test showed a constant continuity on 12v and the line. Also testing the pinout on the ECU connection showed continuity to the ground wire for the MIL. So had to redo that wiring a bit.

The finicky fuel pump circuit. I just did an ignition cycle this morning and verified after five days sitting the fuel circuit initiates a prime as expected now. My best guess is the initial attempts were either seeing a high enough pressure from my manual priming it didn't think it needed to prime itself... or the oil pressure wasn't high enough and it decided to hold off till a few cranks could get it up before kick on? I may call ford performance to see if they have a take but it's working as expected now.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=208357&d=1735777327

Engine drop in:
There were two things in particular I wish I had realized before dropping the engine in. The first was the clearance issues with any hardware used for the crane hookup which I previously mentioned in my thread. The other is dealing with a standoff on the left hand side right behind the oil dipstick. That standoff is the only thing that scratched my finished panels on drop in. Had I known I would have cut it off before hand and I'm recommending anyone with a gen4 do the same before the drop. The clearance is so tight I think the scratches are actually from trying to level the engine side to side when getting final placement in the mounts.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=208235&d=1735586757

Transmission:
Pinion angle was something I've seen stressed over on the forum but it wasn't a big deal. The coyote/tkx/irs package has been proven to be pretty consistent with needing a slight shaft lift to be in tolerance. I just went with the recommended three shims from forte out the gate. When I measured I calculated about 1.3 degrees which is about what you'd want. It's been a bit but I think I was -.5 on the crank and +.8 at the rear. So I'd repeat what I've heard... three shims from forte is the money spot.

The reverse sensor wiring is further forward than I expected so I have to do a little rearranging there. I was thinking it was going to be closer to the tail of the transmission when it is closer to the front. Not a big deal just something to note for others whom are going to use it. I bought a pigtail (https://bowlertransmissions.com/products/bowler-reverse-light-switch-harness) for it as the studs are so close together I couldn't find a reliable ring connector that wasn't capable of shorting to the other stud.

Gen4 engine cover:
I think it looks good but doesn't hide very much. I was optimistically hoping this would fit the gen4x as well but it doesn't. It's likely the 4x intake shares the same arrangement for the engine cover as the gen 3. I'll still try to figure out a way to adapt the gen4 cover to what I have before it's done. I want to find some subtle coil covers when said and done too.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=208685&d=1736216143

First gokart:
Don't drive with your shop slippers on. It's nearly impossible to hit the brake without touching the accelerator with wide shoes. I ordered a pair of puma speedcats before I take it out again. Treadwear 200 tires are sticky even when cold. You can see my breath at one point in the start video as I think the temp was about 30f here in CO that day. Well that didn't mitigate the tires from picking up every pebble on the road and tossing them in every direction. I didn't expect to have to vacuum out the car the first time I took it around the block. I'm sure glad I got the vraptor wheel wells for it's final form.

[Blitzboy54]

The MIL is ground triggered! I had originally wired this with a constant ground and only hooked up the positive. The light originally didn't come on and some simple test showed a constant continuity on 12v and the line. Also testing the pinout on the ECU connection showed continuity to the ground wire for the MIL. So had to redo that wiring a bit.



Can you expand on this? The MIL is contained in the control pack and harness that comes with the coyote. As far as I understand it there is not external input required to make it work. What did you originally do and what did you need to change?

[topherchrisb]

Can you expand on this? The MIL is contained in the control pack and harness that comes with the coyote. As far as I understand it there is not external input required to make it work. What did you originally do and what did you need to change?

I incorporated a MIL (engine logo) light (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B097SDGDPY/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1) in my pilot light cluster previously. So I wanted to use that instead of the one built into the harness. I had created the wiring terminations for that a long time ago with a common ground amongst most of the pilot lights planning on only needing to feed them the 12v signal to activate any of them. I have turn signals, brights, check engine and a parking brake light. I previously found out the same type of thing for the parking brake where the wilwood switch has 12v hot all the time and the ground is closed for the light to come on. So I had to take that ground out of the common ground in the pilot cluster previously.

The coyote mil is the same but in order to test it you have to tap into the wire or cut it off. You can see that it has 12v live even when the ECU isn't plugged in if your PDM is already live. Then if you go to the FFR instructions for the coyote control pack (https://www.factoryfive.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Engine-Controls-Coyote-Gen-4.pdf) page 28 you can see pin 34 is the MIL lamp trigger. If you test that you'll find that it as continuity with the ground wire on the built in MIL instead of the 12v line. So the ECU is shorting that pin to ground in order to trigger the light on.

What I had to do to fix it is simple but was rework like a lot of things I've done. I removed the ground for the dash light from the common pilot light ground and hooked it up to the ground wire that is coming from the ECU for the stock MIL and I had already had the ECU 12v on the light because I originally thought that was the trigger. So no change from what I had done on the 12v side.

The long explanation can be shortened to... just use or tap into both wires provided for the stock MIL if you're going to use an external indicator. Don't try to share the 12v or ground with any other circuits.

[Blitzboy54]

Oh I got it. That makes sense, I did something similar but just tied power and ground to the new light with the wires from the MIL. I see what you were thinking and why it didn’t work.

All is well that ends well.

Can you do me another favor and add a picture of your transmission in the tunnel? I am also using a TKX Coyote and would like to see where my shifter is going to end up. Also I would like to get ahead of the tail light wiring you mentioned.

PS. Your car looks great. The interior is really sharp. I’m enjoying your thread for sure.

[topherchrisb]

Oh I got it. That makes sense, I did something similar but just tied power and ground to the new light with the wires from the MIL. I see what you were thinking and why it didn’t work.

All is well that ends well.

Can you do me another favor and add a picture of your transmission in the tunnel? I am also using a TKX Coyote and would like to see where my shifter is going to end up. Also I would like to get ahead of the tail light wiring you mentioned.

PS. Your car looks great. The interior is really sharp. I’m enjoying your thread for sure.

That interior is just lizard skin at the moment. I have an upholster local to me I'm going to work with but was waiting till I could drive it before I got it to him. He's only about 1/4 mile up the road but winter finally showed up on the CO front range once I could start this thing up. So have to wait for some more consistent nice days but I'm glad the snow could wait till I could drive it at least once. I have a few more wiring things to polish and finalize anyway. You can see the wiring hanging in the trans tunnel picture here. That is the reverse light/camera trigger wiring and I polished all that up this morning. The shifter is just like that for temporary use. I have an offset adapter from MGW going in as soon as I get the shorty shifter handle turned down about 1/16" before I can finish that. Still have to figure out an AC/Heater solution but I think I read somewhere FFR has a new solution for the MK5 that I can hopefully retro fit to the 4. The reverse sensor connection is laterally under that cable clamp barely sticking out on the left forward side of the tunnel if you're interested. I ended up removing the wiring from the loom and just tapping into it instead of trying to stretch the wiring I had pre-run. Couldn't find a wire stretcher on amazon.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=208018&d=1735057739

[topherchrisb]

Long time no talk. It's finally been colder and snowier on the CO front range for a bit. Not so easy to do any shake down drives but supposed to be back up to almost 60F this weekend... so I better get things back together for some more tests. Then hopefully I'll be confident enough to diet the engine wire harness some more. I think I still have 6 connectors I can take out.

Alignment. My original eyeball alignment was just that... an eyeball alignment. I never got over 10mph on my initial test but could feel the rear end skating back and forth a bit. It was apparent why when I got around to doing a string alignment. I had the rears pointed slightly out on both sides. Now I think I have everything about as good as I can get it (to recommended specs) after putting a number of hours and multiple iterations into it. One thing I did have to do is chop a little more of the rear coupler on the passenger side upper control arm to get the recommended caster setting. My original shortening of it just wasn't enough. My first setup I had an 1/8" toe in on both sides when the recommendation was TOTAL toe. So I redid it again after noticing the misread.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=209497&d=1737659859

Passenger Grab Handle. I had been not welding in the grab handle bracket because my under dash panel becomes permanent at that point. I was thinking I could leave it apart till I had the upholsterer work his magic. Figured the easier it was for them to work on, the cheaper the bill would be. After a little thought though... I was becoming afraid of burning any carpet when the hot metal starts flying. So lets burn the lizard skin instead! I'm not that great at welding. I took off some powder coat, attached the dash and under dash in their final positions and welded the bracket on. I've since covered it with some black paint matching the powder coat to make it look a little cleaner.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=209495&d=1737659859

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=209496&d=1737659859

Added some extra heat shielding... cause why not?

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=209493&d=1737659859

Foot well ventilation. I went with one of the latest ventilation trends of driving air from the rear cockpit into the foot well. I had asked @Mike.Bray for the schematics on a design he came up with. He was very helpful with providing the files and giving me tips on vendors and materials for printing them. I had originally picked larger 4" fans that were quieter but didn't have the know how (more like patience) to modify the 3D file to work with them. So I stuck with the fans (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08FL73F6G/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1) he designed them for. On thing I did do is attach these LED dimmers (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B085TK13SH/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1) to allow me to turn them up and down as desired. The other knob in the picture here is the gain setting for the sub in the trunk. Newer songs typically have too much bass and older songs tend to not have enough in my opinion. So making that easy to adjust is helpful for me.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=209494&d=1737659859

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=209498&d=1737659884

Things I have in flight right now... finishing the stereo head unit off, transmission tunnel layout, and some cool new seat belts (https://www.schrothracing.com/item/profi-ii-asm/fia-4-point-asm).

[Sarcasticshrub]

On thing I did do is attach these LED dimmers (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B085TK13SH/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1) to allow me to turn them up and down as desired. The other knob in the picture here is the gain setting for the sub in the trunk.

Really nice! One thought: are you going to be able to reach those once the seats are in?

[Rian_Colorado]

Hey Chris!

That alignment setup looks handy - wanna come over and do my alignment!! lol

With the Coyote in my Daytona, I was happily surprised at the LACK of heat. Seems like Ford has done a good job on keeping things cool No where near as bad as the SBF setups I think. I'm interested to see how the floor cooling system works in your setup though. I'll be cerakoting my headers, and maybe heat wrapping - as well as heat shielding as you have done. Great build so far, look forward to seeing it sometime!

Hope you get a chance to take it around the block a bit this weekend with the nicer weather!

[topherchrisb]

Really nice! One thought: are you going to be able to reach those once the seats are in?

That is a good question. The space there is tight but everything you see there is on the outside of the seat belt mount loop. The controls line up just in front of where the seats upright transition starts. So you have to know they are there but they are useable. They'll disappear a little more once I get the brackets powder coated and the black knobs.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=210001&d=1738544590

[topherchrisb]

Hey Chris!

That alignment setup looks handy - wanna come over and do my alignment!! lol

With the Coyote in my Daytona, I was happily surprised at the LACK of heat. Seems like Ford has done a good job on keeping things cool No where near as bad as the SBF setups I think. I'm interested to see how the floor cooling system works in your setup though. I'll be cerakoting my headers, and maybe heat wrapping - as well as heat shielding as you have done. Great build so far, look forward to seeing it sometime!

Hope you get a chance to take it around the block a bit this weekend with the nicer weather!

That was the first time I had ever done a string alignment. You might want to see if I run off the road before you invite me to seal a similar fate for your car. You can use the tools when you're ready though. I have some turn plates as well you don't see in the picture.

Yeah I don't think there will be a lot of heat to worry about with my setup as well. Just so easy and not much cost to do that kind of mitigation now. I'm on the fence about buying some touring pipes from GasN and if I do I'll have those cerakoted... but I haven't been able to find anywhere near me to have my raw steel FFR pipes coated. So they'll likely just be painted like the headers. The headers turned out great visually though. Can't complain at all for a rattle can job.

I only got to fire it up and let it run for a bit while backing up and down the drive for some testing with the pipes on. I have about 30yds of shady dirt road between the shop and the main road. It'll be a muddy mess for a little longer as the last traces of snow burn off. One of my projects this summer is to rock that in order to avoid so much mud on the days after a rain.

[topherchrisb]

Mentioned above I tested some exhaust solutions this last weekend. I tried some different mounting hardware and test fit some new heat shields I got from ACP. Nothing but good things to say about the heat shields. The packaging was very robust and well thought out, the finish is perfect, and the way they attach to the pipes is clever too. One minor thing is... I wish they were providing black hardware with the black finishes. Easy to remedy if I think it's worth it later though. In the end I went with some blackend stainless 3/8 bolts (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CCJ8W93Q?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title&th=1) and some larger brass hex (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DKW348DV?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title) nuts to connect the pipes.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=209999&d=1738544590

Two things came up during my testing. I knew the coyote oil pressure would spike above 100psi when cold and under load but for some reason I ordered a pressure gauge that maxes out at 100. The oil took longer to get up to temp and I thought either the gauge or the sensor weren't working for a while. Once it was at temp though it was in the expected range. Not sure if the break in oil I got with the engine is thicker too possibly? May have a higher than normal oil pressure while that is in the engine? Also is it bad on a gauge to have it maxed out for so long?

The second thing was quite annoying but I'm not sure how to go about fixing it right now outside of calling Ford tech support. The check engine light won't shut off. Using a couple OBD2 readers I have neither one of them say the MIL is on and there are no stored codes on the computer. The light stays on past IGN shut off for about 6 or 7 seconds and I can hear the relay in the computer click when the light does finally shut off. So I think that suggests the wiring is correct. I may have to commit an afternoon to digging deeper into the wiring though. All I can come up with at the moment is I don't have the gas tank sealed with a proper gas cap. But I don't think Ford would have a check for that type of thing on a crate engine computer. I'm not even sure how the sensor for that type of system works. If anyone has any advice on what all information I should have handy and what I need to be ready to do before calling Ford I would appreciate it!

More interior decisions have been finalized. Here is my first dash fitment with the passenger grab handle attached to the newly welded bracket. It's SOLID! I don't think I have to worry about it too often... but I have some large friends that'll want to go for at least one ride. I wanted to make sure that thing was stout before so and it is.

I also got the nerve up to wrap my head unit console in the closest dash matching carbon fiber pattern I could find. I was really worried about getting the pattern to look like it's flowing from the dash to the console. The colors are slightly different but the pattern matches really well. I'll try to remember to take a close up of it when I have more of the painters tape clear. I also had a hard time finding a bezel for the stereo I chose. One of the reasons I chose it was because it was so shallow depth wise but with that came a slightly different than standard front profile. That resulted in a little gap with light leakage. Probably not something anyone else would notice but it drove me nuts. I bought some black cosplay foam (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B082NNL9RQ?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title) and filled the inside gap with a bead of it which helped a bunch but the black is a slightly different color. It's a lighter black but only noticeable in direct sunlight. Traded one annoyance for another. I'll probably try to paint the foam the next time I have the console out.

Other choices were just one cup holder and on the passenger side as that's the side I tend to use when in my daily driver. I'm still using the FFR shifter as a temporary one. The handle I plan to use is more vertical and won't interfere when something is in the cup holder. The machine shops near me don't want to do a five minute lathe job on the new handle... so I may end up ordering a cheap lathe to get it done and make the switch. Then I have to find a place to store the lathe when not in use.

The buttons are placed slightly forward of where my hand falls naturally when resting on the tunnel. The upholsterer will build up the tunnel a bit with foam so the button panel will end up either flush or slightly recessed hopefully.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=210056&d=1738598552

[Rian_Colorado]

That was the first time I had ever done a string alignment. You might want to see if I run off the road before you invite me to seal a similar fate for your car. You can use the tools when you're ready though. I have some turn plates as well you don't see in the picture.

Yeah I don't think there will be a lot of heat to worry about with my setup as well. Just so easy and not much cost to do that kind of mitigation now. I'm on the fence about buying some touring pipes from GasN and if I do I'll have those cerakoted... but I haven't been able to find anywhere near me to have my raw steel FFR pipes coated. So they'll likely just be painted like the headers. The headers turned out great visually though. Can't complain at all for a rattle can job.

I only got to fire it up and let it run for a bit while backing up and down the drive for some testing with the pipes on. I have about 30yds of shady dirt road between the shop and the main road. It'll be a muddy mess for a little longer as the last traces of snow burn off. One of my projects this summer is to rock that in order to avoid so much mud on the days after a rain.

Just a note - I used 5 star coatings up in Greeley. They did a nice job on my powder coat for the Daytona, and I think they charged me like $275? to cerakote the headers. Working with a shop in Longmont this time around - mainly due to the MUCH shorter drive. I KNOW it's gonna be more expensive though!

I may take you up on borrowing the alignment gear at some point!

RR

[topherchrisb]

I thought I got lucky when I found some spacers (https://fatfender.com/products/gen-4-coyote-engine-cover-adapters?srsltid=AfmBOooOeaY_aoo6a-Fv0R0sOkJ4Da5WN2Sk5zi_zPH8a79LboMUVZSo) that can offset the mounting points of the gen 4 cover to a gen 3 engine layout. The spacers work as intended but they add another 1.25" to the height of the cover. That extra height put the cover up above the side rails of the engine bay that I think will cause interference with the hood. I could probably plan the hood scoop cut out to be in the affected area but it's probably more safe to come up with an alternative. I wouldn't think the intake runners (especially the composite material) wouldn't ever really get that hot... I could probably just get some industrial strength velcro to hold it in place. Can't wait to try to figure out a coil cover setup that'll work.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=210822&d=1740436850

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=210820&d=1740436850

Side profile. Still some wiring clean up to do.
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=210819&d=1740436850

[topherchrisb]

I wanted to try to bring the shifter more center in the trans tunnel and have been trying a few options. The one that is my favorite at the moment... but also likely to have an interference issue is the one in the pictures below. It's an offset kit I got from MGW and feels solid. I like the positioning but the bulkiness in how the adapter attaches to the shift kit only allows about 1/8" of clearance to the cross member. I'll have to wait for the mud to dry again before I can do another go cart to see how much vibration I get at the shifter when the engine is under load in fifth gear. I have a different knob on order that's a traditional ball gray with white rally stripes. Just using this bare metal one while waiting for the other to come off back order. I have a more simple 8" with 2" offset (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B087RM1MVG?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title) lever if I can't make this work.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=210824&d=1740436906

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=210823&d=1740436906

[topherchrisb]

I have been trying to finish as much as I can before doing another body fitment. The check engine light is still a thing and I'm still doing some tests before I most likely end up sending the ecu back to ford to have them test/reflash it. I tapped into the wire that is supposed to trigger the MIL and found that that wire is carrying 3.5v while the PDM is IGN triggered. The positive line is HAAT. If my unit is working properly should I really expect the trigger line to come up in voltage to shut the light off? That complication seems out of place in a system they try to make as simplistic as possible for the crate engine. I also did some testing with my pilot light I'm attempting to use and it is super sensitive. 3.5v will light it up pretty easily... and reversing the polarity will also light it. It must have some smarts internally so it can be so handy. I know it's getting a net 9.5v [13-3.5] on the line now. Was just hopeful I could see a state change on either wire when the light is supposed to go off and I could adjust my setup accordingly. Just for the sake of being thorough I re-wired the original light back into the mix just to make sure it was lit up too and it is. One really goofy thing is even though the scanner says the MIL is off there is a pending code P06446 for an evap problem. I don't have a gas cap on the tank yet... but I don't think this is even supposed to be a thing on the crate motor ECU. The date on the ECU is labeled 22-08-24. If you use world wide standard date code that would be a 2022 date, but if you use mexico standard date format(where it was made) that's a 2024 date which would line up to be correct. My favorite quote about standards... "the good thing about standards is there are so many to choose from." Another call too ford. :(

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=210832&d=1740442969

[Nigel Allen]

Try using an incandescent pilot lamp. The extra load on the circuit might make a difference.

[topherchrisb]

I've done a bunch more testing on the check engine light situation since the last post and still can't figure it out. I really think I have something wrong with my ECU. I made some videos of some of the more recent tests I've done to maybe get some more suggestions. I did temporarily wire in the light that came with the control pack to see if it would make a difference but it did not. Another thing that leads me to believe I have something wrong in the ECU is I'm getting code P0446, an evap vent circuit error. I don't think that code is supposed to be possible on a crate engine control pack?

P0446 code:
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=211340&d=1741624535

So at that point I wanted to rule out as much as possible. I got a little extreme and cut the trigger wire right after exits the PCM harness where it hooks up to the ECU. That way I could be 100% positive there is no other wiring coming into play. First video shows continuity between pin 34 on the harness and the wire I'm using to verify it's correct before the cut.
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/29i4znzMKac

Next video I show there is no voltage when the ECU is off but I get 3.5v when I turn the IGN on.
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/uiXl_HaK49o

Then in this video I show I have the evap code P0446 after starting the engine. You can also see the MIL indicator light on my ODB reader is on. I manually erase the code using the reader... the MIL indicator turns off... but I still have the same 3.5v on the trigger wire. I say at the end there has to be something physically wrong with it but I realize that there could also be logic on the computer that controls that voltage as well.
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/DohsbpIysWM

I'm definitely not all knowing on the electrical stuff... but shouldn't I see a difference in voltage on that wire between the two states of MIL on and off?

[topherchrisb]

All though I have the P0446 code and the check engine light circuit bafflement I have been able to put about 35 miles on it just driving around the neighborhood giving rides. My brother rode with me last week and was taking this video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hNVjPzo60YQ) while we were doing a warm up lap. Spending all that time on the alignment has really paid off. The car feels very stable at speed and with slight wheel spinning digs from launch. The base tune on the control pack works well but I can tell there is a hesitation in throttle position changes. I think it's taking a bit for injector signals to be adjusted from all the sensor data adjustments from the fuel map. I started a conversation with wengerd performance about them tuning for me once I get the ECU situation straightened out.

The stars finally aligned with getting to meet the upholstery guy and show him the car. I am scheduled to drop it off on 3/31... so hopefully if I am sending in the ECU to be reflashed it won't be a long turn around so I can have it running when I need to get it over them. With that on the books I need to make sure I have all my fixtures in place before carpet goes down. Got my breeze seat mounts permanently attached and started testing my new seat belts.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=210831&d=1740436938

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=210830&d=1740436938

One thing I wanted to try to do was powder coat the RT turn signal stalk to match my black out theme. Well that thing was much harder to get apart then I anticipated. I ended up breaking the button on the end trying to get it out, and then the stalk was so tight I was having to twist it back and forth to get it pulled out and I decided it would be nearly impossible to get the wiring back in there if I took it out completely. So I changed direction and bought a jopex rebuild for a 67 beetle that works with the same mechanicals internally. I took it apart and put some extra grease in a few places and cleared some powder coat to help free it up a little. It works really well and I like the look a little more so worth the extra time in my opinion.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=210829&d=1740436938

[topherchrisb]

I just realized you could see my windshield frame intruding on my turn signal picture in the previous post so I may as well get to the update on that. I ordered some of Forte's windshield brackets a while back and didn't really mess with them at all until about a couple weeks ago. I was worried about trying to fit up the windshield without the body on at first. So I spend a lot of time initially making sure the frame fit well and the holes in the body would allow the posts to travel in easily. I definitely had all the challenges mentioned in previous posts about the situation... length of the posts, twists in the posts and alignment of the screws into the brass bracket. But I may have went further than I had seen mentioned before. After all those adjustments I had a hard time getting the top wrap arounds to fit/align properly. I have this picture showing the top where I trimmed the end off a bit but I forgot to take a picture after I shaped the edge so the transition between the frame pieces is much softer. I'll be having the frame powder coated so I wasn't worried about the chrome finish.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=210825&d=1740436906

Once I realized a pattern of everyone saying to center the holes your drilling into the posts the forte brackets became easy to figure out. I designed and printed some centering plugs that help me align the brackets for the appropriate angle. Then it was just a matter of adjusting the height of the bracket along that centered traversal and viola. I did trim off a couple corners I didn't like and redrilled two new lower holes to make attachment easier as well. The inner diameter of these plugs fit in the holes on the chassis frame while the larger diameter fits inside the channel on the forte brackets. I should have taken more pictures illustrating how they work... but I didn't think about it at the time.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=211341&d=1741624535

Once fitment was good I put a coat of black paint on and attached them in place. Windshield slides right in... easy peasy. I'll drill the holes through the posts once I have a confident placement of the final body position in the future.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=211349&d=1741649903

Placement with out the body.
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=210827&d=1740436906

[Blitzboy54]

What is your HAAT voltage when the MIL is off. I assume 12v? I agree my chief assumption is your ECM is spitting out a code that it shouldn't. I'm guessing you are right and the computer needs to be re flashed. Ken Kot over there told me they have a "stack" of them to get to.

I would be curious to hear how fast they get that turned over.

P.S. your eye for design is great. I love the direction of this build. Any thought to color?


**Edit, the color is literally in the title of your thread.... doh**

[Nigel Allen]

I've done a bunch more testing on the check engine light situation since the last post and still can't figure it out. I really think I have something wrong with my ECU. I made some videos of some of the more recent tests I've done to maybe get some more suggestions. I did temporarily wire in the light that came with the control pack to see if it would make a difference but it did not. Another thing that leads me to believe I have something wrong in the ECU is I'm getting code P0446, an evap vent circuit error. I don't think that code is supposed to be possible on a crate engine control pack?

P0446 code:
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=211340&d=1741624535

So at that point I wanted to rule out as much as possible. I got a little extreme and cut the trigger wire right after exits the PCM harness where it hooks up to the ECU. That way I could be 100% positive there is no other wiring coming into play. First video shows continuity between pin 34 on the harness and the wire I'm using to verify it's correct before the cut.
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/29i4znzMKac

Next video I show there is no voltage when the ECU is off but I get 3.5v when I turn the IGN on.
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/uiXl_HaK49o

Then in this video I show I have the evap code P0446 after starting the engine. You can also see the MIL indicator light on my ODB reader is on. I manually erase the code using the reader... the MIL indicator turns off... but I still have the same 3.5v on the trigger wire. I say at the end there has to be something physically wrong with it but I realize that there could also be logic on the computer that controls that voltage as well.
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/DohsbpIysWM

I'm definitely not all knowing on the electrical stuff... but shouldn't I see a difference in voltage on that wire between the two states of MIL on and off?

Thanks for the video clip. It helps. There is probably nothing wrong with the mil trigger wire. What you are measuring is a 'floating voltage'. The trigger is negative switched. You need to put some load on it. Get a 12volt pilot lamp and put one side of the lamp on the trigger wire and the other to battery or ignition positive.

[topherchrisb]

Thanks for the video clip. It helps. There is probably nothing wrong with the mil trigger wire. What you are measuring is a 'floating voltage'. The trigger is negative switched. You need to put some load on it. Get a 12volt pilot lamp and put one side of the lamp on the trigger wire and the other to battery or ignition positive.

I thought I had mentioned in one of the posts that I had already tried the ford provided light with similar results. I quickly scanned back through my posts and don't see where I did though. So I decided to make a couple more videos this morning doing the same procedure while using the ford light in line to demonstrate that behavior. I didn't really think about the scripting when I executed... so excuse the verbiage fumbles.

First video I just show that I have the provide HAAT line plugged into the positive side of the light and s

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/JlftlC79KiM

Then in this video I trigger the MIL by pulling a coil wire, checking the brightness of the light and the voltage during both on/off states. I don't notice any difference. Am I still crazy?

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/GY7q8L7wl9o

[Nigel Allen]

Bummer. I am out of ideas.

[topherchrisb]

Bummer. I am out of ideas.

The good part is the ford tech line was interested in seeing my videos too. Their quick diagnosis was I probably need a reflash of the unit but they are sending the video links to second level to do due diligence. They were really confused that I was getting the P0446 error as they are under the impression that it shouldn't be possible on this setup neither. I'll update when I hear back from them.

[PMD24]

Read through your whole post last night. Impressive detail in your build approach. Thank you for documenting it here. When I came across the recent post on the Forte windshield brackets, I decided to reach out and ask a couple of questions.

In preparing to install mine I came across JohnK's thread where he did the same thing to center the brackets on the frame holes. He also found that the edge of the Forte bracket was at a different angle than the frame piece and sat further forward as well. He even drilled another set of holes in the Forte bracket. At that point I stopped my install because it seemed unusual to me that Forte would supply a bracket (with no mounting instructions) that intuitively doesn't install aligned with the frame piece. I reached out to JohnK to find out if the install being done based on aligning the centerline of the bracket with the centerline of the holes, ultimately worked out with the angle of the windshield coming out to the typical distance measurement from the rear of the door to the top screw in the windshield bracket. Unfortunately, JohnK's build is done and it appears he hasn't been in the forum recently. I also contacted the Forte rep but haven't heard back.

Have you, by any chance, put the body and windshield back on to see how the measurement came out?

Has anyone else out there done so? I have read a few threads that suggested that the windshield ends up slanted further back if the Forte brackets are installed with their front edge aligning with the frame piece, but not 100% sure of that.

Last question... if I decide to use the brackets and do the centering approach, would you be willing to print a set of those alignment jigs for me? Happy to pay for T&M and shipping.

Thanks,

Pat

[Mike.Bray]

These are the buttons I made for installing Forte's windshield brackets.

https://www.imagecoast.com/images/MichaelBray1/plugadapter.jpg

[topherchrisb]

Read through your whole post last night. Impressive detail in your build approach. Thank you for documenting it here. When I came across the recent post on the Forte windshield brackets, I decided to reach out and ask a couple of questions.

In preparing to install mine I came across JohnK's thread where he did the same thing to center the brackets on the frame holes. He also found that the edge of the Forte bracket was at a different angle than the frame piece and sat further forward as well. He even drilled another set of holes in the Forte bracket. At that point I stopped my install because it seemed unusual to me that Forte would supply a bracket (with no mounting instructions) that intuitively doesn't install aligned with the frame piece. I reached out to JohnK to find out if the install being done based on aligning the centerline of the bracket with the centerline of the holes, ultimately worked out with the angle of the windshield coming out to the typical distance measurement from the rear of the door to the top screw in the windshield bracket. Unfortunately, JohnK's build is done and it appears he hasn't been in the forum recently. I also contacted the Forte rep but haven't heard back.

Have you, by any chance, put the body and windshield back on to see how the measurement came out?

Has anyone else out there done so? I have read a few threads that suggested that the windshield ends up slanted further back if the Forte brackets are installed with their front edge aligning with the frame piece, but not 100% sure of that.

Last question... if I decide to use the brackets and do the centering approach, would you be willing to print a set of those alignment jigs for me? Happy to pay for T&M and shipping.

Thanks,

Pat

I haven't checked the windshield angle with the body on yet. I normally would have but we'll be gone for the kids' spring break next week and I have to deliver it to the upholster on the 31st. They are supposed to be calling me to drive it down there to check the color samples they ordered. So I'm trying to keep it as gokart as I can for them right now. I also can't get to the ECU as effectively with the body on. So with everything currently in motion and that deadline I'll have to wait to test more thoroughly. I'll be sure to detail the measurement and my opinion... but it likely won't be till the week of the 24th at a minimum. If it all works out... I don't really need the center locators I printed anymore and I can send them to you. I printed three in case I lost one somehow. That happens with my lack of focus some times.

[PMD24]

Thank you Topher. I'll PM you with my mailing address. I'll hold on doing anything with the brackets and will keep an eye on your thread for updates on the measurements. I really don't need to install them until later anyway.

Pat

[danmas]

I haven't checked the windshield angle with the body on yet. I normally would have but we'll be gone for the kids' spring break next week and I have to deliver it to the upholster on the 31st. They are supposed to be calling me to drive it down there to check the color samples they ordered. So I'm trying to keep it as gokart as I can for them right now. I also can't get to the ECU as effectively with the body on. So with everything currently in motion and that deadline I'll have to wait to test more thoroughly. I'll be sure to detail the measurement and my opinion... but it likely won't be till the week of the 24th at a minimum. If it all works out... I don't really need the center locators I printed anymore and I can send them to you. I printed three in case I lost one somehow. That happens with my lack of focus some times.


Who are you using for upholstery and what are you doing?

Thanks!

[topherchrisb]

Who are you using for upholstery and what are you doing?

Thanks!

I'm not doing anything special really. Just some dark gray carpet, floor mats, and a center console that flush mounts my button panel and a flip up arm rest. The console will be black most likely. I'm using a shop on the frontage road off i-25 between 52 and 119 called Rusty's. I can drive there without worry of being not legal yet.

[danmas]

I'm not doing anything special really. Just some dark gray carpet, floor mats, and a center console that flush mounts my button panel and a flip up arm rest. The console will be black most likely. I'm using a shop on the frontage road off i-25 between 52 and 119 called Rusty's. I can drive there without worry of being not legal yet.

Awesome. I will likely do very similar. I will give them a shout tomorrow. Did you make the arm rest?

Dan

[topherchrisb]

Boring update but I have to write something so I can feel like I'm making progress maybe? Well my appointments with the upholsterer have been delayed a few times so I'm just sitting around waiting for them to be able to take the car. Now the rain has started and I won't be able to get the car out of the shop till all the mud subsides. That'll probably be another week as there is a chance for rain nearly every day for the next week. The good part about that is I finally decided it's time to rock that drive so the weather won't have such an impact on the fun.

I think some I've got some reassuring news on the ECU side of things though. I called the ford tech line for a follow up on a feedback from the engineers watching my videos. I first got the same response everyone has been giving me about the light not being the one they provided. Then I made sure they looked at the second video where I used their light with the same result. Then they just subtly happen to mention that the wire they use for the crate motor control pack check engine trigger wire is repurposed from the stock mustang evap system! Ha... I just shook my head secretly while I tried to guide them to water, gently reminding them that I'm getting an evap engine code on the ECU when I'm messing with the light. Well I got them to agree to reflash the ECU and I agreed that if that doesn't fix the problem it's not anything they need to worry about anymore. So I emailed them all the info they needed to send me a shipping tag last week... and now I'm on hold while I'm calling in to remind them they were going to email me the shipping label. More and more of the hurry up and wait pattern is showing up as I get closer to the finish line.

[topherchrisb]

What is your HAAT voltage when the MIL is off. I assume 12v? I agree my chief assumption is your ECM is spitting out a code that it shouldn't. I'm guessing you are right and the computer needs to be re flashed. Ken Kot over there told me they have a "stack" of them to get to.

I would be curious to hear how fast they get that turned over.

P.S. your eye for design is great. I love the direction of this build. Any thought to color?


**Edit, the color is literally in the title of your thread.... doh**


I actually created that thread title not knowing there was a famous mako shark concept corvette. I just thought with my grey color and the louvers on the side, some what resembling gills it would make sense to code my project after the fastest shark in the ocean... but it's a reach and the confusion with the corvette has got me in a couple posts now. I think I posted early in the thread that before I started this project I was trying to buy one of the modern GT350s. I had put a deposit in at a dealer that fell through, scanned auto trader for allotments at decent prices across the country, and maybe obsessed a little too much about it for a while. I fell in love with an avalanche grey/white stripes car I had put so much effort into acquiring but just wasn't comfortable with a service history that hinted there was a problem with the engine. I think that scheme would look good on a cobra however... so that is currently my plan.

https://www.svtperformance.com/threads/2016-gt350-avalanche-grey-track-pack.1152937/

[topherchrisb]

Nothing noteworthy for spectators of the thread... just documenting some notes for future use if needed.

My momentum has been crushed by this engine ECU thing. I'm just not letting go. I did send the thing into Ford for a reflash and they turned it around pretty quick. I see a hand written date on the ECU tag indicating someone probably did something with it. I was excited when I got it back, plugged it in immediately and started my testing. First I got the OBD2 reader out and read a pending code of P0446. What the heck!? I would assume a reflash would wipe the history on the computer but maybe not. Fired up the engine and the same result as before. So disappointing.

One good thing has come of it is that I've let go of the notion that Ford knows what's going on and how to fix it. So I was convinced that I was going to be one of those drivers who chose not have a check engine light. After sleeping on it though I decided maybe I could figure out where the stock check engine light pinnout is and test that line to see if I can use that location?

I found this thread post (https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/showthread.php?47398-Coyote-wire-diagram&p=565155&viewfull=1#post565155) which has a 2018 mustang ECU pinout diagram. Pin 34 is not being used for the EVAP on this diagram but it's used for the PC3 solenoid control which seems to be related to an automatic transmission. There is no mention of the MIL trigger in that diagram though. So that must be why they are repurposing other wire locations in the crate motor control pack. I'm having trouble finding any other versions of the pinout documentation right now. I thought it would be easier to find those diagrams.

Probably best to just move on to talking to the tuner and seeing if they have a solution.

[Rian_Colorado]

That really sucks Chris - I file stuff like this under "yup, nothing's done right unless I do it myself"

I suppose there's a few options.

1) Could push back on Ford and start the process over
2) take it one step further and demand that they send you a "new crate motor ECU" as a test unit to see if the same results occur
3) Nuclear option - BUY a new controls pack ECU and test it (hopefully from somewhere you could return it)? If it fixes the problem, then DEMAND Ford compensate you for the cost or provide a new ECU.
4) Go with an aftermarket option? (power by the hour etc.) this is probably a "throwing $$ at it" answer, that involves more work and fewer guarantees
5) Screw it - no CEL.

Just trying to think outside the box!

You're welcome to plug into my gen3 Coyote in the Daytona and compare values of things, but I don't know that it would tell ya much. Maybe one of the motor suppliers (Forte? Levy? others?) might have a crate ECU they would lend ya to try and compare?

Sorry, sucks to have a problem like that when you're so close to "on the road"!

Rian

[topherchrisb]

That really sucks Chris - I file stuff like this under "yup, nothing's done right unless I do it myself"

I suppose there's a few options.

1) Could push back on Ford and start the process over
2) take it one step further and demand that they send you a "new crate motor ECU" as a test unit to see if the same results occur
3) Nuclear option - BUY a new controls pack ECU and test it (hopefully from somewhere you could return it)? If it fixes the problem, then DEMAND Ford compensate you for the cost or provide a new ECU.
4) Go with an aftermarket option? (power by the hour etc.) this is probably a "throwing $$ at it" answer, that involves more work and fewer guarantees
5) Screw it - no CEL.

Just trying to think outside the box!

You're welcome to plug into my gen3 Coyote in the Daytona and compare values of things, but I don't know that it would tell ya much. Maybe one of the motor suppliers (Forte? Levy? others?) might have a crate ECU they would lend ya to try and compare?

Sorry, sucks to have a problem like that when you're so close to "on the road"!

Rian

Yeah I thought about the nuclear option for a bit. I thought maybe it would be handy to even have an extra ECU laying around. I'll let the gen4x package settle for another year before I try to get an updated firmware on a newer one if I go that route. That is awesome of you to offer a trial on your ECU. I'm not sure if the gen3 is compatible with the 4x. The control pack part numbers are different without a visual difference in hardware... so I have to assume the firmware is different between the two packages.

I started a conversation with wengerd performance this weekend. We'll see where that goes. I also started doing research into can bus/GPIO arduino modules. If I can figure out the basics there I can make that light do whatever/whenever I want then.

[topherchrisb]

Well more bad news... even less luck with the ECU. The software the tuner uses can't identify the ECU as a valid option for tuning. They insist that the software is compatible with gen4x control packs. The error when trying to read from the ECU suggests otherwise. This is the last communication between us...

"HP tuners makes the software and does support the gen 4x. RTD flasher will read it and you can install the drivers from hptuners.com.
We went ahead and issued a refund as this has nothing to do with us. This is the only software out there that supports a gen4x currently.
Your order has been refunded and canceled"

So now I've started a thread on the HP tuners forums to see if there is any help to be had there.

I also haven't heard back from the upholsterer but I'm not pushing it. I'm gone a lot over the next month so it wouldn't be convenient to coordinate that fun while I'm not home. With that in mind though I haven't been worried about putting the car back together and getting some more fitment operations complete.

Bought some overriders and got the front ones powder coated after a quick test fit. The rears I need to modify to use the rod and coupler technique from the famous JK mod. I have taken the body on and off a number of times so that mod has paid dividends to me.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=214048&d=1747666855

I also started fitting the driver's roll bar with the body cutouts. I had to wallow them out a little to the center and rear of the car. The trim pieces will be hard to fasten firmly on that front side due to how large the whole as to be but I don't think I'm the first person with that problem. I'll build in some extra fiberglass there when the time comes. When I had the body more backward to align with the premade cutouts I didn't have the clearance one recommends for the door striker mounts. It's funny, when I first got that body I was trying to be so careful with it. Now I'm literally sitting on top of the thing with an air driven carbide bit just slinging fiberglass dust all over.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=214049&d=1747666855

I told my youngest I WOULD pick him up in the roadster before the end of the school year. Monday was the last day I was going to have a chance to do that. His school is just a mile up the county road here with hardly any traffic. That'll change once a new high school gets completed in a few years less than a half mile from the house. Not looking forward to that day. I now have 85 miles on the car. No doors, no hood, no problems.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=214051&d=1747666855

[danmas]

Well more bad news... even less luck with the ECU. The software the tuner uses can't identify the ECU as a valid option for tuning. They insist that the software is compatible with gen4x control packs. The error when trying to read from the ECU suggests otherwise. This is the last communication between us...

"HP tuners makes the software and does support the gen 4x. RTD flasher will read it and you can install the drivers from hptuners.com.
We went ahead and issued a refund as this has nothing to do with us. This is the only software out there that supports a gen4x currently.
Your order has been refunded and canceled"

So now I've started a thread on the HP tuners forums to see if there is any help to be had there.

I also haven't heard back from the upholsterer but I'm not pushing it. I'm gone a lot over the next month so it wouldn't be convenient to coordinate that fun while I'm not home. With that in mind though I haven't been worried about putting the car back together and getting some more fitment operations complete.

Bought some overriders and got the front ones powder coated after a quick test fit. The rears I need to modify to use the rod and coupler technique from the famous JK mod. I have taken the body on and off a number of times so that mod has paid dividends to me.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=214048&d=1747666855

I also started fitting the driver's roll bar with the body cutouts. I had to wallow them out a little to the center and rear of the car. The trim pieces will be hard to fasten firmly on that front side due to how large the whole as to be but I don't think I'm the first person with that problem. I'll build in some extra fiberglass there when the time comes. When I had the body more backward to align with the premade cutouts I didn't have the clearance one recommends for the door striker mounts. It's funny, when I first got that body I was trying to be so careful with it. Now I'm literally sitting on top of the thing with an air driven carbide bit just slinging fiberglass dust all over.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=214049&d=1747666855

I told my youngest I WOULD pick him up in the roadster before the end of the school year. Monday was the last day I was going to have a chance to do that. His school is just a mile up the county road here with hardly any traffic. That'll change once a new high school gets completed in a few years less than a half mile from the house. Not looking forward to that day. I now have 85 miles on the car. No doors, no hood, no problems.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=214051&d=1747666855

This is an epic photo….

[Blitzboy54]

I'm sorry to hear about your engine. You seem to be coping well.

Love the picture of your Son. That's a keeper. (the pic, keeping the kid seems like a given)

[TXeverydayDad]

Really sorry to hear of your issues with the ECU. I’m probably a few weeks away from first start with my Gen4x. It’ll be interesting to see if I get similar behavior.

Really great that you could pick up your son as promised anyway!

[Mike.Bray]

That's a keeper. (the pic, keeping the kid seems like a given)

Almost spit my drink out at that one!

[topherchrisb]

Spring has really slowed down my progress on the car. Lots of time away from the house and yard maintenance. I want to try to license it this summer though so I need to get more aggressive.

I started talking to the vendor that makes the tuning device I was expecting to be able to use for mapping the ECU. They had a beta version of their software they were expecting to function with the coyote 4x but still can't get progress on my setup. So they make some changes and I submit application logs to them in a recursive nature right now.

Still no progress with the upholsterer... but it's not holding me up anymore that I've decided to just move forward with body fitment. That has presented a new challenge to ponder. I am a bit puzzled on how my trunk is fitting. I had been worried about getting the body forward to the point the door striker mounts have the proper clearance from the body rolls where the rear doors seat. I felt like I had great positioning with all other tests I've done... then I tried to attach the trunk to the hinges and the below happened. This is as far forward as I can get the lid on the hinges. I definitely had to extend the holes for the roll bars towards the rear of the body... but if I move the body backwards enough to get the trunk to seat in the cutout the doors will hit the frame on closer. I'm headed out of town for the weekend so I have some time to ponder. I really like the body position now with the alignment on wheel wells and doors. I'll probably just cut the trunk hinge arms to be about an inch shorter and weld up some support for them.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=214632&d=1749048347

Current striker positioning. The jack is holding the body up there so it's sitting as high up as I can get under the frame as well.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=214629&d=1749048347

Rear of the lid fitment. You can see I'm testing a few washers forward of the quick jacks to help pull the body in a bit right now. That'll all switch to the over riders as I get more confident in body placement.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=214631&d=1749048347

I would like to even go forward a bit more to get the front wheels more center. If I go backwards another inch with the body I think the front wheel wells will look really goofy that much off center.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=214630&d=1749048347

[topherchrisb]

Well it's been a while. Much harder to find time to work on the car during summer months. We also decided to remodel our basement so that took quite a bit of spare time. I have made progress on a few things though. I did end up cutting out about a half inch of the trunk hinges to help the fitment with the body in my preferred body more forward position.

Cut out comparison.
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=217548&d=1755098686

Welded back together, cleaned up and in place for my next fitment.
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=217560&d=1755100316

I didn't get a good photo from the side profile that shows how the gap has now closed up. I don't have the body on right now to supplement with the new fitment. The best I could find was my picture goofing around with finding the center of the car for some body work planning. I used a combo of tape measure, string method, and laser for marking the center.

Trunk fits better now.
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=217545&d=1755098686

Center through the front using string and laser to really put the overthinking it method to work.
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=217547&d=1755098686

Close up of the offset on the license plate mount position. About a 1/4" as I think most are aware of on the MK4. I'm thinking I want to cut it out and center it instead of do the stripe migration behind the plate technique. I've briefly talked with another member about buying an unused trunk lid off of them just to have on hand if I mess things up too much.
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=217553&d=1755098763

[Jeff Kleiner]

Chris,
Sorry that I haven't kept up with all of your progress but a couple of observations.

Your photo showing the door striker indicates that the body placement is good!

Do not take the string to the trunk latch but instead put the plate lamp on and take it to the upper center of that. If you "jump" the stripe center under the lamp and behind the plate the center discrepancy will disappear (remember, 1/4" difference = 1/8" per side) but if you are determined to have the latch and trunk blister align it'll be MUCH easier to simply fill the latch holes and move it than it will to cut off the hump and move it.

Speaking of easier...I've encountered a few trunk lids that needed to go farther forward than the existing adjustment range allows. Rather than cutting and welding the hinge arms there are two ways of addressing it (1) extend the horizontal slot in the hood bracket or (2) Move the entire trunk bracket rearward by installing new rivnut inserts about 3/8" back from the existing ones.

As far as the wheel centering in front---if the car hasn't yet been aligned it's current placement means nothing.

Cheers,
Jeff

[topherchrisb]

Since it was in the peak heat season of the year I decided it was probably the best time to paint the exhaust pipes. I used the engine hoist and some cardboard I got from the engine crate to make a half enclosure to keep it as tidy as I could. I was originally going to cerakote the pipes but I used a high temp silicone paint on the headers and I've been impressed with how they've held up in the first 100 miles. So I decided to use the same paint on the pipes. I have the ACP heat shields that have a fantastic finish on them that'll cover anything I had messed up as well. I did a bug in my electrical deign that I'm not sure I really need to fix yet. To help cure the paint I mounted them, started the engine and set the throttle to 4.5k rpm for ten minutes. That got them nice and toasty. Usually my fan controller keeps the fan running for a bit after shut down but this time it didn't. Went to start the car and had no power. Took a second to realize my breaker on the frame near the passenger header had been tripped. I may build a heat shield for it later... but I honestly don't think that'll be a normal operating condition for me. If I keep any speed with those engine temps it should be flushing enough heat to keep it from triggering is the thought.

Keep it tidy
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=217549&d=1755098686

This is after I had the heat run and sat on the car for a week. They turned out better than I expected.
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=217561&d=1755103599

Passenger fitment.
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=217554&d=1755098955

Driver side fitment.
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=217550&d=1755098763

[topherchrisb]

Chris,
Sorry that I haven't kept up with all of your progress but a couple of observations.

Your photo showing the door striker indicates that the body placement is good!

Do not take the string to the trunk latch but instead put the plate lamp on and take it to the upper center of that. If you "jump" the stripe center under the lamp and behind the plate the center discrepancy will disappear (remember, 1/4" difference = 1/8" per side) but if you are determined to have the latch and trunk blister align it'll be MUCH easier to simply fill the latch holes and move it than it will to cut off the hump and move it.

Speaking of easier...I've encountered a few trunk lids that needed to go farther forward than the existing adjustment range allows. Rather than cutting and welding the hinge arms there are two ways of addressing it (1) extend the horizontal slot in the hood bracket or (2) Move the entire trunk bracket rearward by installing new rivnut inserts about 3/8" back from the existing ones.

As far as the wheel centering in front---if the car hasn't yet been aligned it's current placement means nothing.

Cheers,
Jeff

Hey Jeff,

The easy part first... yeah the car is height adjusted and aligned. I only have 100 miles of county roads on it but I love the way it drives at it's current settings. I have more confidence in it's stability than I thought I ever would and I'm pretty sure I can attest that to your standard power steering alignment specs.

Now the trunk stuff...
It's funny how easy it is to over think things. moving the mounting holes and refilling the old ones would have been easier for sure. That didn't even cross my mind. Here I am talking about cutting out and moving the license plate bump and didn't even think of something as simple as re-drilling some holes. I did consider extending the tracks in the hinge that allow the front/back adjustment but it didn't seem like I would have enough material to remove and keep the end of the track capped. But I was doing welding anyway... I could have just as easily welded on extensions instead of cutting the arms.

Again... you and your simplicity! I hadn't thought about moving the latch. I'm using an electric trunk latch so I don't even need that hole. I do have to make the stripes align with my third brake light down low though. You've convinced me I should probably at least draw the full line patterns and get a more detailed picture in my head before I start cutting anything. Thanks.

[topherchrisb]

With my recent body fitment en devours I fitted my driver door for latch placement. I figured if I could make that door work I'd be confident in my placement for the body. It seems it's the most challenging of items to fit anyway. I was having a difficult time getting enough depth into the latch for the striker as expected. I was not fond of adding the extensions for the strikers so I went a different route than I imagine most have. I cut away the fiberglass layer over the latch mounting plate and tapped the holes instead of using the nutserts. This gave me the extra depth in the profile I needed to avoid using the extension. I've only done it on the drivers door so not sure if this will work on my passenger side yet.

Fiber cut away. The extra cut is for the latch casing to fit into the recess as well.
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=217557&d=1755098955

Striker still needed some forward profile. I'll find something prettier than washers later.
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=217556&d=1755098955

I just realized I didn't take any pictures of the door fitment from other angles. So reposting this one I used on the exhaust profile for now.
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=217550&d=1755098763

I also did my door stop straps in a vinegaroon solution like most. I used this link (https://leatherworker.net/forum/topic/73637-my-guide-to-the-best-vinegaroon-youve-ever-made/) for my solution as it really went into some depth about the science and more importantly explained how to keep the rust from forming. You can see how clean my solution still is while dying second strap.
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=217551&d=1755098763

[topherchrisb]

Another thing that happened during my time away from the forum.. upholstery! Mostly anyway. They had a defect in the carpet they ordered so they couldn't get all the carpet in. They got most of the cockpit done but still need to do the back cubby shelf and the door/footwell kick panels. I think the did a great job on the carpet. They also got the console done. I'm mostly good with it... just not found of the arm rest cap. It was probably just a miscommunication or assumption on my part there. It's easy enough to fix later as it just screws to the hinge. So I'll make a new top for it later. Everything is curved on the car so I thought I would get more rounded corners and more "poof" in the cushion. It would have been nice to have that same stitching done on it as well for a little more cohesiveness, but it's functional for now.

Carpet.
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=217559&d=1755100316

Console.
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=217558&d=1755100316

[gbranham]

1) When you say 'they' regarding your carpet, I assume that means you had someone install it for you?
2) When you made your vinegaroon, which method did you use...the nails in vinegar for a month, or steel wool in vinegar for a half day? How long did you leave your straps in the 'roon?

Greg

[topherchrisb]

1) When you say 'they' regarding your carpet, I assume that means you had someone install it for you?
2) When you made your vinegaroon, which method did you use...the nails in vinegar for a month, or steel wool in vinegar for a half day? How long did you leave your straps in the 'roon?

Greg

Your assumption is correct. I had a shop do the cockpit upholstery stuff. I had done the trunk and was good with the result but I wanted the stuff that was going to be more visible and get weather exposure to be done by professionals.

I did the steel wool method. I used a quarter bat of wool and only let it soak for a day. I kept it in my office with a wooden sish kebab skewer to help keep it submerged. That also allowed me to stir it every few hours to release the air trapped in the wool and keep more surface exposed directly to the vinegar. I did NOT do the neutralization step that was labeled as optional in the link though.

[topherchrisb]

One thing I forgot I had a picture for is the beginning of the shaping of the wheel wells and liners. And I mean A picture... I'm not sure why I didn't take more pictures of that process while I was doing it. I did the drivers side wheels when the body was on before taking it to upholstery. I had taken the body off to allow them to do less contortionist style moves to get carpet in the foot wells and rear cubby. So here is my one picture of that work. The rear side of the drivers front wheel well. I think I left a little more lip on the body than suggested but I like the way that extra shapes with the well liner. I'm using the v raptor liners. They are attached using rounded hex head bolts and rivnuts in strategic places. They help a lot with the debris noise chatter.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=217552&d=1755098763

[danmas]

Your assumption is correct. I had a shop do the cockpit upholstery stuff. I had done the trunk and was good with the result but I wanted the stuff that was going to be more visible and get weather exposure to be done by professionals.

I did the steel wool method. I used a quarter bat of wool and only let it soak for a day. I kept it in my office with a wooden sish kebab skewer to help keep it submerged. That also allowed me to stir it every few hours to release the air trapped in the wool and keep more surface exposed directly to the vinegar. I did NOT do the neutralization step that was labeled as optional in the link though.

Which shop did you end up going with? I’m going to need the same…

[topherchrisb]

Which shop did you end up going with? I’m going to need the same…

I used Rusty's Upholstery off the west frontage road between 52 and 119. It's right near my house if you remember how to get there you're 99% of the way there from Mead.

[topherchrisb]

I had some time recently to work on polishing things on the car into their final forms. On the body I noticed my exhaust cutouts had a bit of discoloration from heat. So I widened them a hair and increased the height a bit more. I've been checking my engine mounts often as under acceleration it seems the engine rocks quite a bit. I'm sure I'll have to keep tweaking that opening as the testing continues. With that I also started laying out my louver cutout polish. I traced my louvers, scanned the trace, reduced the size of the image digitally and printed it out. That gave me a template that was just smaller than the louvers in a consistent manor. Then I cleaned up the corners and marked them out on the body. I'll have to wait till I get the body back on in order to have confidence the driver side won't interfere with the foot well before I take more action on them.

I started working on some of the cockpit finalization before I put the body on again. I needed to get the wiring and blower ducting in before installing the seats again. I went with the ducting behind the seat option that has gained some momentum lately. I used a 3D template Mike Bray offered up for the ducting and tailored it a bit to my needs. I ran heavier gauge wires down from the supplemental trunk fuse panel. When they get to their locations behind the seat I spliced into them to provide power to the seat heaters, the blower, and a 12v power plug on each side. The blowers are attached to potentiometers you can see attached to the end of the ducts. They allow you to control the speed of the fans as they can get quite powerful and with that power... noisy. The 12v power supplies are intended to be used in conjunction with some ventilated seat covers (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01CIID1FM?ref_=ppx_hzsearch_conn_dt_b_fed_asin_ti tle_1&th=1) I can keep in the trunk. Should help in the hotter months when stuck in traffic. I still haven't figured out an AC solution I'm comfortable with so if this works well enough I can stop pursuing that.

Temp testing.
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=219341&d=1758810197

Driver's side in final wiring form. Hard to see but there is a second knob on the duct work that is a level control for the sub in the trunk.
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=219344&d=1758810197

With seat and belts installed.
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=219342&d=1758810197

Test run for the ventilated seat covers.
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=219343&d=1758810197

I cleaned up the trunk wiring as much as I could outside of the items needed inside the trunk lid.
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=219340&d=1758810197

Before the clean up:
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=207089&d=1733250494

[topherchrisb]

This one will be a fun one for most I think. I'm sure there are some that think otherwise. I don't believe I've seen anyone do puddle lights on the doors before... hopefully this is inspirational for the curious. I mentioned before that I had been looking at the GT350s before I decided to get the kit. They had added cobra logo puddle lights in the tech package for them that I thought looked pretty cool. I had ordered a couple and have had them sitting on the tool box for a couple years. Off and on I had been trying to think of how I could incorporate them and I finally executed!

Main parts:
LED fade controller (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01ERE1F1W?ref_=ppx_hzsearch_conn_dt_b_fed_asin_ti tle_3&th=1)
Door jamb switch (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B093F8TSMJ?ref_=ppx_hzsearch_conn_dt_b_fed_asin_ti tle_13)
Diffused LEDs (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09Q39D58G?ref_=ppx_hzsearch_conn_dt_b_fed_asin_ti tle_43&th=1)
Shelby Puddle Lights

Here is a video of the operation:
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/UFMcpByNNO0

I welded a flange on to the hinge of the door. The jamb switch has two wires pigtailed into it, the ground side of the puddle light and a ground trigger for the LED fader. The LED fader is tied to LED strips in each foot well and the cubby behind the seats. I ran all the wiring through the square cross members of the frame. The wiring into the door is tucked up under the hinge arm and enters through a small hole vertically above where the hinge attaches.

Flange welded to hinge arm and jamb button:
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=220671&d=1761345339

Flange pressing on jamb switch. Still have to refinish the raw metal:
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=220670&d=1761345339

Holes in the door for light and wiring:
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=220669&d=1761345339

Light installed and wire routing polished:
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=220667&d=1761345339

Door open state:
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=220672&d=1761345362

[gbranham]

Pretty slick!

[JayOH]

That is such a creative idea, and off I go down another rabbit hole.

[TXeverydayDad]

A cool unique solution! Looks great!

[Blitzboy54]

So cool. Well done

[danmas]

You did it! So cool. Well done….

[Nigel Allen]

That is next level. Love it

Cheers,

Nige

[cv2065]

Very cool. Never seen anyone do that. Nice work!

[Mike.Bray]

Very cool.

[topherchrisb]

I've been continuing to get all my panels secured so I can start the registration process. I got the passenger door on and lined up as best I could with everything in place for the courtesy light triggers to work outside of wiring. I figured this time I'd just wait till I take the body off again for the wiring there. I'll be able to do it with a cleaner solution and it will for sure be easier to execute with the body out of the way. I've also got the exhaust hanger brackets on but I am debating on how to polish them due to some interference concerns I have when the engine torques. I started a thread in the roadster section to ask for some opinions but I think I'm leaning one way after a first test drive with them in place this weekend.

The post is about what's happening with the trunk lid right now. For some reason I didn't take any pictures of details but I did record this video this morning to demo the whole functionality. So you may just have to pause it in places to look more closely if you're interested.

The wiring still needs a bunch of clean up but it is working. The temporary solution is tight and ugly but my end state solution will have a connection point near the hinge instead of at the latch. That'll be an easier disconnect when ever I need to take the lid off in the future. Still need to decide on my license plate bracket solution before I finish up that portion of it. That'll be most of the mess you still see in the video.

The reverse camera ended up working in the latch hole that FFR had cut already. I took a rubber washer and wallowed it out to build a gasket for the camera to keep it water tight. Then it was just a matter of influencing the fingers on the retention clip to fit better. The navigation shows the picture full screen when the reverse switch on the transmission is triggered but I stays up on half my screen when not in reverse and the ignition is on.

For the latch I went with an 05-07 mustang latch I got off of amazon (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09GDZKFBZ?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title). There are three pins on the terminal. When the latch is closed two are connected through the release on the latch, when the latch opens the common pin connects to the third available pin. So I wired the common wire to a direct ground, then the latch closed wire to my button that is set to send a temporary 12v when pressed, and the third wire to the ground side of my warning light on the dash. Luckily my wilwood parking brake controller indicator is also ground driven. So it was easy to add this ground trigger to that same warning light. I just had to use a diode in between the brake switch and the warning light to keep the indicator light on the brake switch from coming on when the trunk is open.

My striker solution is a little different too. I ended up getting this more modern striker used in GM vehicles (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0F75GS628?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title). I ground down the radius so it would fit but still be pretty tight when clamping into my latch. I then found some rigid abs of the height I needed (3/4" in this case) and made a little mount for the inside of the trunk. Got some hefty bolts going through the trunk deck and through another thinner piece of abs to keep everything from flexing when the lid is shut.

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/TmBLrI9X__8

Next on to the hood!

[Blitzboy54]

It's tough to innovate new ideas with so many builds in the books but you have managed to break a lot of new ground. Nice work all around

[topherchrisb]

I don't think I've seen this type of mod very often so hopefully this may bring a little inspiration to some. I wanted to continue a more modern look into the hood of the car and I figured I could do that with using some quick latch hood pins (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07L428V3W?ref_=ppx_hzsearch_conn_dt_b_fed_asin_ti tle_22&th=1) I got off of amazon. It took me a bit to figure out how I was going to get the pins mounted. I thought it was going to be super complicated trying to triangulate bracing off the framing to create the bracketry for the pins and was stressing out a bit. I got some inspiration from this quick latch kit (https://www.quik-latch.com/factory-five-roadster-mini-quik-latch.html?srsltid=AfmBOooF5ZH8x1r2EUZCl96bPxQio-Zeb18HU3T391KxPostA2qfqSvL) I saw online. I had a grand plan of using some tubing to create recesses like they had in their kit. Then I realized when I started forming the brackets I could just allow my arms to hang lower and reduce the complexity of fabrication all together.

I started by drilling some small holes in the hood to locate where I wanted the latches. That helped me figure out the templates for the bracketry. I picked up some heavier gauge steel sheet and slowly but surely massaged the shape I needed. I could only use the brake on the first bend. Then I had to use the vice, whammers, and a crescent to get the rest of the shape. I drilled a couple holes through the top and front of the hood lip recess. Then I fused some m3 rivnuts into the brackets and they simply attach through the drilled holes. I purposely put the holes at different depths of the lip to spread across a pivot point. Again that was me over complicating things as it felt sturdy enough on the first that I felt I didn't need to do that on the second one. I also wrapped the lip of the bracket around the curvature of the body mold to create a pressure point to counter the pivot as well. I'll also add some reinforcement between the hood layers once I have a couple other things in queue to patch up. They do flex a little still and have to have a pretty quick push right now to get them to latch. I think I can clear that up with a gusset or two on the bracket the next time I have the welder out. I still have some minor adjustments to do but I'm happy with the results. I have a number of things ready for powder coating now. It's probably time to break out the oven again.

Bracket:
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=222593&d=1765211480

Installed:
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=222595&d=1765211480

Second one after I learned from the first. Much cleaner:
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=222598&d=1765211512

Latch from underneath:
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=222594&d=1765211480

Latched shut:
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=222599&d=1765211512

[Blitzboy54]

I don't think I've seen this type of mod very often so hopefully this may bring a little inspiration to some. I wanted to continue a more modern look into the hood of the car and I figured I could do that with using some quick latch hood pins (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07L428V3W?ref_=ppx_hzsearch_conn_dt_b_fed_asin_ti tle_22&th=1) I got off of amazon. It took me a bit to figure out how I was going to get the pins mounted. I thought it was going to be super complicated trying to triangulate bracing off the framing to create the bracketry for the pins and was stressing out a bit. I got some inspiration from this quick latch kit (https://www.quik-latch.com/factory-five-roadster-mini-quik-latch.html?srsltid=AfmBOooF5ZH8x1r2EUZCl96bPxQio-Zeb18HU3T391KxPostA2qfqSvL) I saw online. I had a grand plan of using some tubing to create recesses like they had in their kit. Then I realized when I started forming the brackets I could just allow my arms to hang lower and reduce the complexity of fabrication all together.

I started by drilling some small holes in the hood to locate where I wanted the latches. That helped me figure out the templates for the bracketry. I picked up some heavier gauge steel sheet and slowly but surely massaged the shape I needed. I could only use the brake on the first bend. Then I had to use the vice, whammers, and a crescent to get the rest of the shape. I drilled a couple holes through the top and front of the hood lip recess. Then I fused some m3 rivnuts into the brackets and they simply attach through the drilled holes. I purposely put the holes at different depths of the lip to spread across a pivot point. Again that was me over complicating things as it felt sturdy enough on the first that I felt I didn't need to do that on the second one. I also wrapped the lip of the bracket around the curvature of the body mold to create a pressure point to counter the pivot as well. I'll also add some reinforcement between the hood layers once I have a couple other things in queue to patch up. They do flex a little still and have to have a pretty quick push right now to get them to latch. I think I can clear that up with a gusset or two on the bracket the next time I have the welder out. I still have some minor adjustments to do but I'm happy with the results. I have a number of things ready for powder coating now. It's probably time to break out the oven again.

Bracket:
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=222593&d=1765211480

Installed:
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=222595&d=1765211480

Second one after I learned from the first. Much cleaner:
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=222598&d=1765211512

Latch from underneath:
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=222594&d=1765211480

Latched shut:
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=222599&d=1765211512

I considered the same but was concerned the base the pins sit in would not be rigid enough or would stress the fiberglass when pushing the hood closed. How is the closing action?

[topherchrisb]

I think it was a couple weeks ago when I took the car out for another shakedown drive and safety check. Everything ran great and now some of the rattles and squeaks are vanishing as I get pieces put in their final places. It feels good. One thing that didn't feel good though is the ignition stopped working after that run! I have the digital guard dawg PBS-1 setup and it wouldn't disarm using the key after that run. It didn't work with the backup key neither. It did work with the emergency bypass though. Unfortunately I had this problem before with this setup before I installed it. The wireless module in the ignition had gone out. They had replaced it for me under warranty the first time as it was just a couple weeks of testing the previous time. Now I'm 3 years into ownership. I took it apart to see if I could identify the module they use and try to source a replacement myself... but I couldn't find anything related to the labels I could see. I called them with the intention of trying to get info about the chip but they had the feeling that maybe there is something else causing the chip to burn up. So they let me order a replacement computer unit for a heavy discount. That should be here shortly and hopefully I won't have any more problems.

I decided it was time to make the dash easy to remove while the body was on. I only needed to do some minor shaving of the dash board wings and now it's easy to get in and out. In order to get it out that first time though I needed to manipulate the body more than I was comfortable doing. That's not the important part of wanted I wanted to communicate here though. I'm to tell you I think everyone should have this moldable, paintable foam (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B082NNL9RQ?ref_=ppx_hzsearch_conn_dt_b_fed_asin_ti tle_9) in their shop! It came in handy again in a place I didn't even think about using it. My heated seat switches had the slightest play in them from me being a little too aggressive wallowing out the holes through the dash. I took a smidgen of this foam and shaped it around the back side of the dash when the button bezel goes through, let it dry for a couple days and viola!

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=222601&d=1765211512


I also worked on figuring out my trim rings for the roll bars. I had bought some after market ones from somewhere but I didn't like the way they fit. I decided to try the FFR ones and I can say they fit great. I didn't ever order a second one for the passenger side though as I thought I wouldn't be using them. I got another set on order and I'll add them to the powder coat pile!

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=222597&d=1765211512

[Presdough]

Nobody offers them for the Spyder and they are on a compound curve, so I went to Ace hardware and bought some toilet tank gaskets. they work great.

[topherchrisb]

I considered the same but was concerned the base the pins sit in would not be rigid enough or would stress the fiberglass when pushing the hood closed. How is the closing action?

That's one reason I didn't go too overboard with the thickness of the metal. I figured I wanted the metal to flex before stressing the fiberglass too much. I went with 16 gauge and it feels fine right now. The pins need to line up with the holes pretty spot on though to allow there to be as minimal friction as possible when latlching. I got them fairly close starting with a small bit through the hood and using a straight wire with paint on the end through the hole to mark the pin location on the bracket. Then I used the hole in the hood to be my center for a step bit till I reached the size I needed for the latch to go through. Then after putting the pin in I just hand bent the bracket left/right or forward/back and got the alignment spot on. Then since there is slight flex in the hood I do have to quick snap it in vs just a soft long force down. I'm hoping I won't have to be as quick when I reinforce the hood layers with some hsrf. That section of the hood is two layers with about 3/8" between them or so. I also thought about plasti dipping the end of the brackets to allow a better form fit to the fiberglass. That should take any of the high force spots and distribute the load a little.

Overall I'm glad I did it... but I'll try to update after some miles of vibration set into them. This was the last thing I was worried about designing before making my inspection appointment. I have the gas cap left... but appointments are 1.5months out. I'm hoping to start that process very soon and have plates before late spring.