Zack's First MKIV Build! #10157

[zackmd1]

So I figured it was about time to create a build thread for my MKIV. Ordered my kit back in April 2021, competition date of August 28th, 2021 with a delivery date of September 10th, 2021. What I ordered is listed below...

MKIV Base Kit:

-Front Lower Control Arms
-IRS
-Diamond Stitched Seats
-Wind Wings
-Front and Rear Sway Bar
-Carbon Fiber Dash
-Assembled Side Louvers
-Trunk Gas Strut Kit

Engine:

-2004 Mach 1 4.6 Block
-2015 Coyote Crank (yes you read that right, cheap forged steel crank that will fit in a 4.6 block. Bumps displacement to 289ci :D)
-DSS Forged Pistons (10:1 compression)
-DOHC C Heads
-2013 GT500 Cams
-Sullivan Carb Intake (Throttle body fuel injection to be used)

Transmission:

2001 T-45 5 speed


The goal behind this car is to build something that can be driven, not to build a show car that requires constant cleaning and maintenance. With that said, some of the part choices (like the engine) might be a bit unconventional but are intended to make the vehicle more drivable and receptive in the future to mods. Also helps that a lot of the parts (especially the engine) are leftover parts from previous project cars...

Time for the pictures!!! Engine Rebuild...

[zackmd1]

Delivery day for my MKIV!

[zackmd1]

I wasn't excited to begin working on it at all.... Something I did a bit different with the panels, only certain panels got truck bed coating (expected high wear areas). All other panels were coated with a clear sealant called "protectaclear". Leaves behind no trace but seals the aluminum to prevent stains and oxidation. Also used automotive seam sealer here instead of silicone. Just didn't feel right using hardware store silicone on a vehicle....

[zackmd1]

Using a vacuum brake booster with a 2004 pedal box. Pedal Box has also been modified to accept a wildwood compact master cylinder for a hydraulic clutch. Also plan to mount the E-Brake Handle towards the top of the tunnel which required removing the brackets and plugging the hole for the stock location.

[zackmd1]

Using a Holley Fuel filter and set regulator to eliminate a return line having to be run to the front of the vehicle. Aeromotive 340lph Fuel Pump.

[zackmd1]

Ran the front brake lines a bit differently. I have always found it better/less stressful on the flex lines to run them in front of the coilover and loop them back towards the caliper. Puts less stress on the hose end/fittings. I have had lines break at the fittings due to excessive bending required when the wheel turned.

[zackmd1]

Using a 3.31 manual IRS pumpkin. POR 15 works wonders!

[zackmd1]

Decided to modify a hot rod steering column for use in the MKIV. Plan is to have full turn signals, hazards, and horn on the column.

[zackmd1]

Went with a Painless Performance 18 circuit universal harness. Also using their bulkhead connector to keep the runs into the engine bay clean and easily removable in an event in which the engine needs to be pulled.

[zackmd1]

Using New Vintage CFR gauges here. They have integrated turn signal indicators and high beam so it keeps the dash nice and clean. Headlight and Ignition are 1965 mustang switches. And yes those are heated seat toggles! I figured since I am not building this with heat, I can at least add heated seats for those chilly mornings going to work.

[Skid]

Enjoying following your interesting build. I hope to start my build later this year and will follow some of your leads.

[zackmd1]

That is one tight fit with DOHC heads...

[zackmd1]

So like most, both my front and rear control arms as well as all Koni shocks were on the POL when my kit was delivered. Thankfully just after the holiday I received a large portion of my POL including my control arms and shocks! Rear went together quite well but the front is another story. I chose to use Mustang II front spindles as I already had a Wilwood 12.88 brake kit that was installed (modified from a 68 mustang kit). From what I was able to gather online, these spindles would work and are better then using the donor spindles but not quite as good as the Factory Five spindles. Unfortunately when I received the front lower control arms it was discovered that the ball joint is much bigger then a standard Mustang II even though the upper balljoint fits with no issues. The plan here is to ream out the lower balljoint fitting on the spindles to match the FFR supplied lower control arms.

And that is the current state of the build! About 3 months worth of weekend work so far.

[Ted G]

Looking good!

[egchewy79]

Ran the front brake lines a bit differently. I have always found it better/less stressful on the flex lines to run them in front of the coilover and loop them back towards the caliper. Puts less stress on the hose end/fittings. I have had lines break at the fittings due to excessive bending required when the wheel turned.

if you're doing truck bed liner on the panels facing the wheels (F panel, elephant ears, rear elephant ears) don't forget to spray the back side of the rear cockpit sides.
I wanted the wheel wells coated and realized late that the back of the cockpit rear sides also forms the front of the rear wheel wells and had to tape off and spray while on the car.

[zackmd1]

if you're doing truck bed liner on the panels facing the wheels (F panel, elephant ears, rear elephant ears) don't forget to spray the back side of the rear cockpit sides.
I wanted the wheel wells coated and realized late that the back of the cockpit rear sides also forms the front of the rear wheel wells and had to tape off and spray while on the car.

I almost forgot this as well... Thankfully remembered before I permanently installed them!

[zackmd1]

Managed to ream out the Mustang II spindles today and get them installed. Much easier than expected to complete. Also started installing the brake flex lines. Originally purchased a 45 adapter for the front caliper but will likely be going with an 90 degree for the final setup to get the line farther away from the coilover. Coilover also has QA1 450lbs springs installed instead of the supplied 500lb springs.

[Real Time]

Thanks for all your posts.
Should I move forward with this project, you were a big help already!

[zackmd1]

Got the E-Brake mounted and the lines completed today. Still have to fine tune it but works well! I checked the lines at full suspension travel and no binding. Just hope the lines clear the rims now.

[Blitzboy54]

Hardy congrats and welcome aboard. So far your build is looking great! I have a couple questions.

1. When did you take delivery? It looks like you have been moving along for some time. Curious how long it took you to get to this point.

2. I am fascinated with your engine choice. Do you plan to dyno it? I would love to know what it pulls.

[zackmd1]

Hardy congrats and welcome aboard. So far your build is looking great! I have a couple questions.

1. When did you take delivery? It looks like you have been moving along for some time. Curious how long it took you to get to this point.

2. I am fascinated with your engine choice. Do you plan to dyno it? I would love to know what it pulls.

Thanks!

- It was delivered in September 2021 so its been about 3 months of weekend only work so far.

- I would love to get it on a dyno but there is not alot of options where I live so it might be a bit difficult. Based off of other engine builds similar to what I have chosen, it should be in the neighborhood of 400hp at the crank. It should be capable of accepting a supercharger to bump power over 600hp safely if I so desired...

[zackmd1]

Front and Rear Sway Bars installed. That officially completes the suspension! Brake lines are also complete after I received the two 90 degree fittings for the font calipers. Will be filling with fluid tomorrow to see just how many leaks I have... :cool:

Also completed the belt routing on the engine. Since I do not have power steering I found a company making a power steering delete bracket. Had to swap the pulley out for a smaller one though since its so close to the steering shaft...

[NYMike]

Wow! This is such a unique and cool build and it's looking great. I love your gages and a coyote crank in a 4.6 blew my mind. Very cool. Will definitely keep following along.

[zackmd1]

I don't think I could get any tighter fitment on these rims.... 10.5" deep dish in the rear with stock 13" brakes, will be wrapped with 315/35s. Brakes are now officially done as well! Had only one leak at the proportioning valve. Apparently my flare tool couldn't quite make a good enough flare for that damn valve so I had to use one of the smaller brake lines FFR provided with pre-made flares to solve the issue.

[zackmd1]

Anyone know if the hood hinges and trunk hinges are stainless steel or mild steel? I am debating on if I need to paint them... If they are stainless then I will leave them as is.

[zackmd1]

FYI for those wondering.... The hinges look to be Stainless. Magnet will not stick which actually indicates a higher quality stainless.

[Fman]

The hood and trunk hinges are stainless, mine have shown no rust at this point. Here is what they look like mounted up raw I did not polish them at all.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=145721&d=1617680574

[zackmd1]

Well the cobra now has a functional clutch. I ordered a pull type slave cylinder not thinking that the low profile oil pan would be in the way of mounting on the engine side of the bellhousing. That lead to the below config... It works, barely.... It has just enough clearance for the clutch fork to travel without hitting the cylinder body. It is mounted with rubber washers on either side to allow the cylinder to move with the clutch fork. FYI for those wondering, a 7/8" pull type slave with a 7/8" master has JUST enough travel to actuate the clutch for a T45/TR3650. I initially had a 3/4" master for a softer pedal but this did not provide enough travel in the slave cylinder to fully actuate the clutch.

Also got the Breeze Battery Box installed.

[robmccon]

Just curious, where did you find the triple reservoirs-they look great!

[zackmd1]

Just curious, where did you find the triple reservoirs-they look great!

They are actually just the stock reservoirs that came with the wilwood master cylinders that I arranged in the triple config. They were good enough for what I needed so there was no sense in spending $200+ on a billet triple reservoir!

[zackmd1]

Started laying out the engine harness and components this weekend. Even with a stripped down MSD harness there are still alot of wires to run this engine.... I re-wrapped the MSD harness after rerouting a few leads and mounted the ignition box. Next up is the Holley Sniper harness and integrating the two together. Also got the throttle linkage done.

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[John Ibele]

Looking great so far. Integrating the Sniper wiring is taking me a bit of time, first due to being a first-timer to just about everything, and second just figuring out how much to diet / clean up before really knowing that I have the Sniper dialed in and working to my satisfaction. Will be good to see what your wiring and engine layout looks like as you progress. Thanks for the updates.

[zackmd1]

Side pipes are in!

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[zackmd1]

So many wires... Got the sniper harness integrated with the MSD harness and with the vehicle harness. Ran all gauge sender wires as well. Now its just down to the high current alternator and main power wires.

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[zackmd1]

Finally got the majority of the engine wiring done. Just have to sleeve everything up and it will be complete. Now I can move on to other things!

PS: When you have tape covering the exhaust ports, don't try and tap the starter to test... Scared the sh*t out of myself testing starter engagement when the tape gave way and let out a loud bang due to compression.

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[zackmd1]

Got to work on the above systems these past few weeks. Fuel is compete, oil is complete, now just the cooling system is left. Also got confirmation my headers have shipped! Might be able to start this thing in the next 2-3 weeks!

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[Fman]

Keep up the great work, really enjoying watching your creation come to life! Nice choice on those wheels, totally different unique and classy look.

[zackmd1]

Headers arrived! Had to clearance the drivers side just a bit to fit but otherwise awesome quality! Tested out a few more systems so all that should be left before a first start is filling it with fluids! (Coolant system won’t be finished yet as I am still trying to figure out the plumbing…)

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[zackmd1]

Well unfortunately the first start attempt did not go well... I have no spark. Looks to be a bad MSD box as I cannot connect to it with a PC and I have verified all wiring and sensors. Sending the box out to MSD tomorrow for an RMA and hopefully will have a working one soon. The weekend was not a total loss however, I did get the radiator mounted. Still need to work on the shroud and get more hardware for the radiator but its coming together!

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[zackmd1]

Been awhile since I last updated! As I am still waiting on MSD to return the ignition box, I have been able to get alot of the smaller mechanical items completed! The car now has a complete cooling system (minus overflow, still deciding on a tank), wheels and tires, and a steering wheel! I had to clearance the OEM calipers for wheel weights since they were so close to the outer wall. I also modified the factory five supplied steering wheel for a standard horn button and 6 bolt adapter.

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[zackmd1]

Haven't posted in awhile! I still have not received my ignition box back from MSD... Apparently with my RMA they discovered their entire last batch of inventory is effected so no replacements are available for awhile.... Because of that I decided to move forward with installing the body! Just rough fitting everything right now.

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[zackmd1]

:cool:


https://youtu.be/elhbOioMuCo

[zackmd1]

Been awhile since I have posted.... Sneak peek of what is to come!

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[zackmd1]

Almost there…

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[Ted G]

Almost there…

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Wow, looking great!!

[zackmd1]

It’s amazing how much this body can change sitting on the frame even with all bolts aligned… Have had to adjust every panel so far!

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[zackmd1]

Just a few things left before it’s complete! The drive home in 45 degree weather was interesting for sure!

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[Nigel Allen]

Too nice. Hope you are feeling really proud of a great achievement.

[zackmd1]

It’s complete! Still some things to tweak/tune but it’s fully assembled!

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