Hank's Type 65 Build Thread [Archive] - Page 2

rhk118

03-08-2025, 10:05 AM

9 Month Update

Hi All. Life's been busy. Work has been busy. My car is sitting in a buddy's shop and I've been heading in there on days off and vacation time to work. They have a lot of cool tools! He helped me measure and build some custom brackets and modify the safety hoop to fit the 302-T56 combo into the frame as this combo doesn't fit in the car with the factory five mounting points.

So the next several posts will be just a bunch of photos...hope you enjoy. Ask questions, I'm game!

So here is the transmission in and mounted:
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=211221&d=1741443990

Yes the transmission is slightly rotated toward the driver side, that's how it mounts. Actually good for hand position for shifting, so no issues here. BUT with the way it mounted the fuel lines were in the way, so they needed to be moved over in a less than elegant way...

And another photo of the hoop, after all the modification this thing needed, I would stay with the basics Summit or JEGs safety hoop, much easier!
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=211257&d=1741445047

Next, a cool and very useful gizmo for making holes in aluminum: Vevor Hydraulic Knockout Punch Kit:
https://www.vevor.com/hydraulic-knockout-punch-c_10829/vevor-10-ton-hydraulic-knockout-punch-driver-kit-hole-tool-1-2-2-with-6-dies-p_010785491583

You drill a hole in the aluminum, thread the punch on either side, pump the handle and it cuts like butter very clean holes:
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=211233&d=1741444052

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=211234&d=1741444052

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=211223&d=1741443990

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=211224&d=1741443990

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=211225&d=1741443990

rhk118

03-08-2025, 10:33 AM

Fuse Box Mount

I looked at 2 areas to mount the fuse box - along the side of the footwell off of the outer post which would be to the left of my knee, and the place Paul mounted his. I like where he mounted his and will be out of the way of my legs. So completely copied his scheme - thanks again Paul, I'm still reading your posts like the encyclopedia on how to build this even now. I used angle aluminum to brace the box like he did as well. It needs the extra rigidity IMO.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=211229&d=1741444029

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=211230&d=1741444029
Ugh...my bends in the brake lines...not pretty, hopefully functional! The black plastic line is the brake bias adjuster cable.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=211231&d=1741444052

Wiring
In prep for wiring I stripped the main wiring harness of all convolute and pulled out the branch for the truck. I followed those wires to their respective wiring connectors and cut them off at the pins so nothing is exposed or needing to be capped. I will do the same for the other harnesses - there are A LOT of wires to fit behind my dash! Anything I can remove, re-route, or shorten I will. This will take a lot of time, but in the end will be worth it to not rush through.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=211232&d=1741444052

Here is the "space" behind the dash:
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=211226&d=1741444029

And here are all the "brains" that need to get mounted in there:
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=211228&d=1741444029

from the top left to right:
1. Bussman Relay-fuse box (might need this, might not)
2. EPAS controller (Electric steering)
3. BusBars - I have several...
4. Wildwood EPB controller (electronic parking brake)
5. 520 Speedworks lighting controller - will allow the Russ Thompson push to pass, and modifies how the rear lights work for braking/blinking.
6. Digital Guard Dawg electronic ignition. This has 2 open 60A relays. I might not need the Bussman relay/fuse box because of this.
7. White box - that is a USB power source. Its USB-A...since I bought it I might switch it out for USB-C
8. Terminator X ECU
9. MSD Ignition box
10. Terminator X display. I will make this mountable hidden behind the dash, or visible in the car...

I'm going to try and keep the engine compartment as clean as possible so will try to get these behind the dash....I'm also running vent tubing to 4 AC vents on the front of the dash and the 2 defroster vents.

On unhappy discovery is that the aluminum defroster vent adapter from Factory five that mounts below the dash doesn't even come close to lining up with the vent holes in the dash, it is 5-6 inches too short. Doesn't surprise me since I have an exactly post-pandemic car and they were scrambling to get these kits out. I bought two $16 vintage air plastic adapters from Summit that line up and fit the Factory Five vent holes. No biggie.

Finally have the rear trunk box parts powdercoated and cleo'ed in place right now:
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=211227&d=1741444029

rhk118

03-08-2025, 10:38 AM

Turkey Pan

I'm going for the vintage look. Adding a turkey pan to the Inglese Weber EFI. Leaving it tall until the body is fit, then will cut it down. Going to convert the fuel lines to hard lines inside with AN fittings on the back of the turkey pan. I'll be cutting a hole in the hood to feed air but either a manual or a solenoid-controlled door to open and close it in case of rain.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=209544&d=1737783343

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=209545&d=1737783343

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=211254&d=1741444380

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=211255&d=1741444380

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=211258&d=1741445047

PS: I badly want to take that mini for a rip. I cannot believe how much room there is inside of that thing for the driver. I'm really liking it!

rhk118

03-08-2025, 10:56 AM

Seat Mounting

I'm going to use the Intatrim seats I had made, and decided to use the Corbeau sliding seat mounts with them. The Intatrims fit perfectly up against the back wall of the cockpit at the perfect angle. They are narrow and have good shoulder bolstering, not so great hip bolstering, but good enough. With a lot of messing around with seat angles I determined a 1" rise in the front and a 1/4" rise in the back of the seat is a very comfortable angle for me, and having the seat all the way back gives my legs plenty of room to stretch out and not be cramped in the footwell. So I will mount them just about to the full rear position and allow the sliders to slide forward from there. Mounting some bar iron to the sliders and will mount the seats to those.

Ended up making bar iron pressure bars to mount to the bottom of the seat mounting pan. Seems sturdy, although still wondering if I should mount to the frame somehow? ie is just mounting to that thin FFR baseplate strong enough?

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=211259&d=1741448756

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=211245&d=1741444104

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=211247&d=1741444130

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=211246&d=1741444130

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=211264&d=1741449230

BUT I really like the stock roadster seats from FFR. They fit me great. So I will make mounts for those as well so I can switch seats on these mounts...seems excessive I know, but will also give me the ability to put in a full race seat as well if this ends up seeing a lot of track time (which it might)...to be continued...

rhk118

03-08-2025, 11:11 AM

Engine Compartment

After a lot of thought, I decided for now to just put a master ground disconnect to the battery mount. That will let me "pull the flag" for security if I'm parking the car somewhere, or for winter storage and will add a trickle charger hookup here as well for storage. If this car ever gets raced I can change this to mount in the rear or a push lever system in back if needed. I know that will be a PITA to do later, but I really I don't see this being a "class" racer....Just track days a few times a year. This will simplify wiring to the firewall a little, but I really just want the ability to "disconnect" and this will serve that purpose.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=211253&d=1741444153

Fuel regulator behind the turkey pan:
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=211243&d=1741444104

Going with an Evil Energy 2L coolant overflow tank from amazon...High quality, very happy with this:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CGDS19NJ?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title&th=1

I'll determine where to mount this once the radiator lines and oil cooler are installed:
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=211239&d=1741444075

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=211240&d=1741444075

Going with an Evil Energy 2L coolant overflow tank from amazon...High quality, very happy with this:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CGDS19NJ?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title&th=1

PNWTim

03-08-2025, 11:22 AM

rhk118

03-08-2025, 11:24 AM

Dash Mockup

Given everything I need to mount to this car (want the vintage look, but everything is newer tech behind the scenes) I really looked at how to get some extra surface to mount things to, so built an oblique "shelf" that will easily fit behind the dash and hopefully help add some space to mount things to and keep the engine compartment clean. So here it is:

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=211244&d=1741444104

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=211249&d=1741444130

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=211250&d=1741444130

I will need to cut a hole for the vents, but it adds some room behind there for organization....we will see!

rhk118

03-08-2025, 11:24 AM

Finally mocked up the dash with the gauges and my switches...Need to figure out where I'm going to put my indicator lights:
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=211236&d=1741444075

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=211237&d=1741444075

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=211238&d=1741444075

I am going to be using Alpinetech LED indicator lights, 8 mm black (not sure I will use them all, or if all will be on the dash):
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=211242&d=1741444104

I have to say sitting in this thing with the gauges in and the switches there....wow it is a great space. I am so excited about this car. Thanks Factory Five, and thank you all for your inspiration and help...

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=211241&d=1741444104

As you can see I'm just going basic setup. I have a bunch of old plastic knobs for the lights, wipers, heat...etc. The 2 black buttons are Lucas-stule push buttons and the left side will be horn, the right side is electronic ignition to toggle the Digital Guard Dawg (see prior post for his this is set up) which will have a remote LED on the dash with EdwardB (Paul) smartly pointed out that needs to be seen as the number of flashes can indicate activity state ve error codes...

OK so I will be wiring for quite a while now, but that is where I am to date.

Have a great weekend all! :cool:

rhk118

03-08-2025, 11:48 AM

Great photos and updates. Just a couple of comments in order of appearance:

The hydraulic knockout kit is pretty slick. I am assuming the cutting edge is hardened steel? Curious if it slightly warps the aluminum while cutting? It doesn't look like it.

I think dieting the harness is pretty wise and while a bit time consuming, not terrible difficult. I also like to replace the plastic convolute with split soft loom, but that's just me.

Many years ago, I spent a New Year's Eve ripping around downtown Paris in a Mini very similar to the one in your picture. And you are absolutely correct - they are much larger on the inside that one would think.

I would be curious how the FF recommends mounting their low back seats. If they have you bolting them through the pan then it should be OK. I suspect an amount of force necessary to tear those bars out of the pan would be relatively unpleasant regardless. My only concern would be if you can feel the seat flex or move when sitting or getting in or out.

Hey Tim!

It doesn't warp things, it just warps the piece coming out, VERY clean cuts. Yes hardened steel. Its Chinese so the measurements are off...the 1" cuts just short of 1-1/4" for instance...but it works great and is relatively cheap. Also worked well cutting a couple holes in the firewall....where I cut through the bend in that one photo it did flatten the aluminum bend a bit, but just put it in the brake and re-bent it.

Yes, when he gets that Mini running again I will definitely be taking it for a drive!

I will be converting to split-loom as I modify how the wires run.

FFR says nothing other than get the positioning right, drill holes and install the bolts..no word on where to install the bolts...they seem pretty darn solid.

Shakey

03-08-2025, 03:00 PM

Hank, nice work! You have been making a bunch of progress. I used the same Corbeau seat track on my build and it worked out that I had to move all 4 of the stock holes to get them to go through the seat mount plate or the car frame. If I remember right, the top right bolt(weld nut) in the below picture is like 2.5inches long and goes all the way through the frame tube. At the time I was wondering like you did, if just the plate was sturdy enough so, I went ahead and made sure a bolt went all the way through the frame.
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=193108&d=1702172065

V/R

Shakey

rhk118

03-08-2025, 04:36 PM

Hank, nice work! You have been making a bunch of progress. I used the same Corbeau seat track on my build and it worked out that I had to move all 4 of the stock holes to get them to go through the seat mount plate or the car frame. If I remember right, the top right bolt(weld nut) in the below picture is like 2.5inches long and goes all the way through the frame tube. At the time I was wondering like you did, if just the plate was sturdy enough so, I went ahead and made sure a bolt went all the way through the frame.

V/R

Shakey

Thanks Shakey - yes I think I'm going to just find one frame member under there and get a bolt in...These seats are so narrow (17" at their widest on the floor) that to bolt them in they fit squarely within the floor pan there. I think it's strong enough, but will feel better if it's in one or two of the frame tubes. Thanks!

CSX427

06-01-2025, 08:41 AM

Do the perfect seats exist? (basically me just talking out loud, not much useful here)

Hoping for input here guys...

To Be Continued….

Posting late for future reference. I struggled with the same issues. I wound up making my own seat mount from a couple of pieces of 1/4x1 steel in an H pattern on it's side. I welded the sliders to the top and bottom of the H sides and bolted it down, in my case, inside the sliders. I used those large L seat side mounts that allow adjusting seat angle. You can make the H any size that fits. In an early iteration, I welded the tracks together to locate them and mounted the tracks at the front and back on home-made brackets with different lengths to get a fixed seat to lay back. To get the maximum leg room, the seat needs to point a little towards the driver side front tire, like the original ones did. FFR, please remove the seat belt tabs and add seat belt mounts to the side of the tunnel and side of the cabin.

LateApex

06-02-2025, 12:06 PM

+1 on the stock FFR seats. They are comfortable. They lack a head bolster however, and this is an ongoing project for my coupe.

As far as alignment and / or lifting a seat a bit, I used some hard maple shims under each rail (in my case to lift the passenger seat a bit for my gal). It's easy-peasy to use that approach to skew a seat if desired. The steering column indeed angles toward the left front wheel (Daytona legacy? Look out! Another left turn!) I left my seats pointing directly ahead. The slight angle of the steering column doesn't bother me.

The foot box IS narrow though. I wear gym shoes (like LEMS, or I suppose you can spend money on a pair of Ferrari driving shoes ....) It is all pretty much second nature for me now. Note that I don't have any issues with the temp of the foot boxes. A lot of track time perhaps would perhaps color this observation.

If I were to choose seats again, I would choose ones with a similar fit as the FFR buckets, but with a head bolster for whiplash protection.

rhk118

02-06-2026, 07:53 PM

Differential Vent

Someone had this in their build thread and I copied their diff vent, pretty clean. Search “Exhaust Muffler G1/4 Male Thread Strainer Stainless Steel Breather Pneumatic Air Flat Muffler” on Amazon and you will find this. Screws right into this part “DERNORD 1/4" Barbed Hose x 1/4" NPT Female - Home Brew Fitting 304 Stainless Steel” on Amazon and that goes into the tubing.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=225262&d=1770425187

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=225258&d=1770425187

rhk118

02-06-2026, 07:58 PM

Front Wiring Harness

Nothing fancy here, followed EdwardB (Paul’s) thread on how to run the front wiring harness…nothing different other than I ran the wires that go to the passenger side through the tube behind the radiator tunnel rather than along it. I also mounted the horns using Snakebite Motorsports Horn mounts to put them behind the radiator tunnel which looks cleaner to me.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=225263&d=1770425257

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=225267&d=1770425257

That is all mocked up and the mounts now at powder coating.

rhk118

02-06-2026, 08:04 PM

Dash and Extra internal Shelf

I am going with a powdercoated dash only, I’m not going to upholster it…Got it back in a textured black and think it looks pretty clean….enjoy the background eye candy at my buddies garage! The Gauge visor is the Factory 5 visor, I just cut it down so the “legs” on each side are shorter.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=225259&d=1770425187

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=225260&d=1770425187

This is the diagonal “shelf” I had photos of a few posts back, now ceracoated.

From the under side:
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=225265&d=1770425257

Space between the dash and the shelf:
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=225261&d=1770425187

rhk118

02-06-2026, 08:12 PM

Snakebite Motorworks Glove Box

I have to give a shout out to Brent at Snakebite Motorworks for a lot of the parts he is making for these cars. I have the horn mounts, a couple of his oval access panels I will put in the trunk to get to the rear lights if I ever need to get back there, Just ordered some of the “Daytona” Stainless door sills (great quality), and he made me a custom glovebox to my measurements to fit my dash and not crash onto that diagonal shelf I made to hold all the ECUs I need to mount in there. Unfortunately this was a late development for me and I had the dash powdercoated before cutting the hole. Thankfully with a lot of tape and very slow careful undercutting followed by a lot of filing, I managed to mount the thing and not ding up the textured powdercoat at all…some chassis black painted the raw edge of the cut in the dash aluminum nicely.

It is precisely cut, bent and perfect fit, I couldn’t be happier and I certainly could not have done this as well on my own.

I’m also mounting the glovebox with all nutserts/screws so that I can remove it if I ever need to get into the dash to work on anything, hopefully that is never :rolleyes: .

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=225266&d=1770425257

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=225264&d=1770425257

Glovebox parts are now off at Powdercoating.

rhk118

02-06-2026, 08:26 PM

Wiring

I have the front wiring harness mounted, and the rear harness mounted. Started to mount some of the ECUs on the extra shelf. Pictured here are the digital guard dawg, and the Wilwood Electronic Parking Brake computer. On the upper portion I have the engine ECU and the MSD ignition box. The big wiring harness coming through the transmission tunnel is the Terminator X harness. It is BIG. Also have my main power coming up through and a big ground to chassis.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=225268&d=1770425302

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=225269&d=1770425302

I’ll get into more details of these as I do more wiring. Right now my main power goes from battery to starter and from starter to cockpit. I installed a main ground (black) disconnect to the battery rather than a disconnect on the main power in (red) just for ease of storage and tending to the battery, plus ALL the stuff I have going on with my dash. It’s just out of the way and accessible enough for my needs.

Power Surge

02-06-2026, 08:31 PM

Glad to see you posting again! I love following your build.

rhk118

02-06-2026, 08:43 PM

Thanks! Moved a business which was a serious distraction, still not fully 100% running there after 5.5 months but starting to get a little breathing room to get back to work on the car. I had a lot of understanding of the wiring just about over a year ago and time to get back on the horse!

burchfieldb

02-06-2026, 09:23 PM

It's looking really good Hank. I like the powder-coated dash, that will look sharp. I also feel your pain on the wiring, I was on and off of mine over the course of a year. Always took a little bit to figure out what I was doing. A coworker recommended that I should take a narrated video of what I was doing at the end of the day so I could reference it, once I got back to it.

rhk118

02-06-2026, 09:46 PM

Narrated video - that is a great idea!

460.465USMC

02-07-2026, 10:52 AM

It's been a while, so great to see your progress. I'm also a big fan of a powder coated dash. It's a clean look, and a nod back to that era. Looks great!

rhk118

02-21-2026, 10:36 AM

MAIN FUSEBOX AND HARNESS “DIETING” - Posting this from another thread of mine for reference, thanks to everyone for chipping in on this information

IGNITION/START SWITCH CONNECTORS:
1. Completely removed the Brown (ALTERNATOR IGN) and large red alternator (ALTERNATOR FEED) wires, which includes the Solenoid wire which is the other 1/2 of the large alternator wire
2. The small blue “EFI CRANK PWR”, Left the other, slight larger, one as that goes to the clutch safety switch for starting. I will tie my starter wire (purple) coming from the digital guard dawg into this so that the clutch needs to be in for the starter to crank. This part seems different than how the Coyote’s work, so will leave the FFR blue wiring/clutch safety switch intact so I don’t crank while in gear.

HOT ROD COLUMN CONNECTOR
- Pulled all those wires out of there, where they tied into other connectors, I cut them, capped, and shrink tubed them but left enough length (2” or so) in case I’d ever need to tap into the wire for any reason or repurpose that position on the connector

SENDING UNITS/ELEC CHOKE CONNECTOR - **ONLY IF YOU HAVE SPEEDHUT GAUGES**
- Removed:
1. Oil temp (light blue) - capped this at the dash harness connector, completely removed the other side of this from the dash harness
2. Oil Pressure (gray) - capped this at the dash harness connector, completely removed the other side of this from the dash harness
3. Water Temp (dark blue) - capped this at the dash harness connector, completely removed the other side of this from the dash harness
4. PURP-COIL—>TACH (purple) - This wire is a free wire in the EFI/COIL bundle and removed this entirely in the main harness as well as from the dash harness as my Tach wire comes off of my Distributor (MSD) and will connect directly to the tach gauge

What I Kept:
1. All the 3 grounds for the sensor wires on the dash harness side of things that I removed in case I need them, probably won’t and will trim them out as needed when I install everything, but no need to diet them out for now
2. Fan Thermo Switch (Dark green) - going to tie the Terminator X fan control ground relay wire into this wire - that way the Terminator X will control my fan from its temperature sensor, and I can set the parameters for temps it turns on/off in the Terminator X (I think the FFR sensor is on at 185 F and off at 150 F)
3. Electric Choke Wire (Tan) - This runs back to the fusebox to a fused line - I will keep this one and use it to power something else that needs a fuse
4. ORG-EFI OR COIL - This wire is in the bundle of EFI/CHOKE free wires (not going to a connector) and kept this one as it also goes to the fusebox to a fused position fed by Ignition power - so will use this to power something else that needs a fuse

DASH HARNESS
- I have the Speedhut gauges that come with their own sending units, and an old enough set that mine came with all the jumpers and dimmer, for better or worse, will be wiring those up today.
- Because of this I was able to pull the sensor wires out of the harness since the Speedhut gauges come with their own sending units that plug right into the gauges EXCEPT:
- Fuel level - this will come from the fuel level sender in the RF harness
- Speed Sensor - My Speedhut gauge for speed is a VSS version—not the GPS version (you can send in your GPS version and they will convert it to a VSS version for the cost of shipping alone)—so I kept the Gray and Green Speedo wires for now which connect to my transmission computer that sends the speed and controls the reverse lockout on the T-56
- Obviously I’m keeping the Dash lights (white), Gauge power feed (Brown), and Speedo-Clock Mem (Red) wires so that simplifies things a bit, complicated by running the sensors out of the engine bay and to the respective gauges.
- Also as mentioned above there are about 4-5 ground wires in the dash harness that I will keep in there for now and trim back once its wired.

So out of the 90 or so connections coming out of the main harness I pulled 16 out, not including grounds which will get pared back as I install things. It is crazy how much smaller and more manageable things are now. I don’t find pulling all the coverings off of the harness get into it as complicated, as things are taped and zip-tied together underneath, so it isn’t like its all going to fall apart into a bundle of wires, you can selectively take things apart, re-route as needed, then re-wrap….the wires everywhere problem happens when you go to install it all :rolleyes:

rhk118

02-21-2026, 11:24 AM

Initial Cockpit Wiring

Ok just a few pictures of how I’m organizing things in my cockpit, will get more detailed later, but just something for everyone to look at, and yes, wires absolutely everywhere. I’ve read a lot of threads, contacted a lot of you, and taken a lot of notes! Appreciate everyone on here, and while this is daunting, I’m having fun at the moment.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=225840&d=1771689188
This is a screenshot of a video I took for myself. Someone suggested taking a video and pointing out where you are with certain things and what your plans are, so if you can’t work on the car for a few weeks, you can remember where you were and this was a good tip. In this picture is my power distribution. Looking at the transmission tunnel cover - Black power distribution connector on the right is grounded to the frame, just like Paul Did. Red power distribution block will be my main power line coming in from the engine bay—the red wire on there is not my main power, that is the 12V power wire for the electric steering. My main power will go from battery to starter, and starter to cockpit, 12V on all the time. The power distribution bar to the right of the red distribution block is a Blue Seas connector that will connect to the Digital Guard Dawg ACC power then go on to the ACC in the fusebox. These will be things that need switched power but turn off during cranking - things like the electric steering unit (you can see the red switched power trigger for the EPAS already on there), the entire ACC side of the fusebox..etc. The Digital Guard Dawg also has an ignition wire that will go to the ignition part of the fusebox, and to the 12V triggers for the Terminator X and the MSD ignition controller that need to have constant power during cranking. The Digital Guard Dawg finally also has a purple wire that is the starter signal, and I will run this through the blue clutch-safety switch wires in the RF harness so that the signal isn’t sent to the starter during cranking unless the clutch is in.

You can see the digital guard dawg to the left and to the right of that is the ECU for the Wilwood electronic parking brake. You can also see the EPAS electronic steering ECU in the left side of the image on the inside of the firewall. Fits nicely in there. The huge harness coming out of the transmission cover is the Terminator X harness. It is HUGE and has relays and fuses built in which you can see hanging off of it. Some will get mounted underneath the panel, some will need to be on top.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=225841&d=1771689188

This is just the top of the panel I built for under the dash to mount things to. To the left is the Terminator X and to the right is the MSD ignition controller. For sound deadening I’m using Boom mat which is weighted, spongy, and aluminum without breaking the bank. I will double it up where I can but came to the conclusion that hearing protection is a must no matter how much you try to deaden/insulate these things so I’m going to do my due diligence but not go crazy trying to make this quiet…it won’t be! Biggest thing for me will be no rattles.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=225843&d=1771690441

And this is where things are now. My fusebox panel is still at the powdercoaters so this photo is me seeing how best to run the wires out to the dash and trans tunnel cover from the fusebox. Because I used electric steering, the EPAS motor sits exactly where most run their main dash harness. I have to run mine underneath but high enough to keep it away from the steering column, so a couple of P-clamps to the frame hold it up nicely. Once I have the fusebox mounted that will allow me to shorten the front and rear wiring harnesses. As it sits I have about 8 inches of excess front harness, and about the same on the rear harness. So they will need to be shortened and likely direct-wired like most have done. I have the power and ground harnesses made for the MSD box on top, Terminator X box on top, DGD ignition, and the Wilwood electronic parking brake made so they are now just bolt in.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=225844&d=1771690929

This is my Starter (Power Master) which connects directly to the battery, and the smaller wire is the 12V trigger that will come off of the Purple Starter wire from the Digital Guard Dawg, but run through the RF harness and the clutch safety switch so I don’t accidentally start it in gear.

Anyhow, the photo of the wires everywhere is daunting, but we all have a version of that!

rhk118

02-21-2026, 11:39 AM

Couple of Odds and Ends

Just a couple other random things. Removed the crossbars in the frame and moved them up a bit as well as bowed them. I can sit in the drivers seat and my head clears the crossbar from side to side now. This was measured with the body on and they don’t contact.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=225837&d=1771689188

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=225838&d=1771689188

Also my fan tunnel aluminum seriously oxidized so just bit the bullet and had them powdercoated. Did it 2 tone with silver on the inside and black on the outside.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=225842&d=1771689302

burchfieldb

02-21-2026, 08:00 PM

Looks good Hank. I did the same on mine with the rollbars and feel better about driving it without a helmet.

- Brent

edwardb

02-21-2026, 08:40 PM

rhk118

02-22-2026, 05:28 PM

Nice work Hank. It can be overwhelming but stay at it. I'm at this exact stage on my Mk5 build. A little less complicated but then again a little less room. No DGD this time around, but do have cruise control which is a similar size box. Trying to pull of ducts in the dash (again) with a glovebox.

Thanks Paul, always enjoy watching your builds and appreciate your input…I think you might build 2 FFRs and a Plane in the time it takes me to get this coupe done!

rhk118

02-22-2026, 05:58 PM

Dash and Gauges

Spent some time putting the gauge cluster together today and for the most part it seems done. I’ve had the gauges in the panel and the car before but now thinking about layout with all the wires seems rational, then you put in 2 sets of jumpers to the gauges and instant birds nest:

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=225930&d=1771799166

Not to mention how to get everything else in there. I have the Vintage Speedhut gauge kit, and converted my GPS speedo to a VSS speedo that will take the gray and green transmission wires from the T-56 computer and convert to speed. What I learned today is you lose the clock that is otherwise in the GPS gauge, so guess I’ll be wearing a watch when driving :p . My gauges also come with the dimming switch and converter and they work and dim when hooked up to the power probe. I also bought Alpinetech 8 mm black LED indicator lights for turn signals, high beam, low beam, fog light, and Digital Guard Dawg ignition and added these to the dash, they’re high quality and subtle.

To get the wires organized and attached I made a bracket that goes over the 4 smaller gauges and sits on their spacers so its gapped a bit from the front panel, then is held down by the screw on backs of the gauges. So the gauge goes into the panel, then the spacer, then the screw on back.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=225935&d=1771799920

I then added a couple of brackets to it - one to hold the dimmer resistor (3M auto taped and zip-tied to the bracket), and the other to hold where I imagined the main part of the harness would attach. I then drilled a bunch of holes into it like a peg board so I could insert zip-ties here and there and hold things down…that ended up working nicely. Not the prettiest, but works.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=225932&d=1771799166

Here it is installed without wires:

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=225933&d=1771799166

And here it is “Finished”

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=225937&d=1771800456

Not really finished, need to hook up 3 gauges to their senders still and need to run leads in for the headlight, fog light, Digital Guard Dawg indicator lights. The red plus sign was the most generic that they had, and I will be burying the DGD ignition button under my dash and it will be activated by an old Lucas-style button. I tapped into the LED of the DGD ignition button and the red “+” sign will light up on the dash to let me know what the DGD is up to (thanks Paul for this tip, as the DGD gives info to the driver via its LED light).

Here are the wires up close. I know it’s a birds nest, but it seemed to fall into place. The zip ties through the holes of the bracket came in very handy. Not sure this is totally finished as need to run in the other wires as noted above. There was a system to the wiring, then it all went out the window.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=225936&d=1771800456

Final pics in the next post:

rhk118

02-22-2026, 05:59 PM

Dash and Gauges (cont’d)

Finally, here she is…I’m a right side Tach person, not sure there’s a rule here for speedo vs tach position:

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=225934&d=1771799219

And if anyone needs help testing electronics with the Power Probe, I am happy to show up to your place with beverages and power probe away. I love the thing…all the lights work (I even tapped the signal and highbeam lights in the speedo to the indicators in the dash in case something burns out, didn’t add any wires to the project). The needles and bezels light up, and the dimmer works. I will say at full brightness, the gauge faces aren’t that bright, so I’m not sure the dimming adds that much, but it’s there. I also ran a common ground wire to everything in there (16G), used one of the 2 “Gauge Power” brown wires (removed the other one), and trimmed out the 4 or 5 white gauge face wires to just the primary wire. I left the Clock/Memory wire in there and capped it, just in case.

And here are the indicators…This is before I hooked up the turn signals and highbeam indicator in the speedo gauge indicators, but they will now turn on with their respective indicators…After this picture I flip flopped the position of the Fog and main Headlight indicators after this picture, dunno why, just a feeling…

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=225931&d=1771799166

I’m very happy with this, also took more time than I thought it would. I will likely re-jigger the wiring in there, so if anyone has suggestions, I’m all for them!

For interest here’s a picture of the indicators I used and their part numbers:

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=211242&d=1741444104

PNWTim

02-22-2026, 08:40 PM

rhk118

02-22-2026, 09:05 PM

Looks great Hank. I received a Power Probe for Christmas at the same time my car arrived and I have yet to use it (14 months later). Mostly because I don't know how but I probably need to dig into it - I'm pretty sure it can help me.

There are a couple of great videos out there on it, once you use it a bit it is absolutely second nature. You can test anything, check for ground, continuity, apply 12 volts, check voltage reading…etc. Really super easy to just put the leads on a + and - and test something. It’s fun. Not sure I would have found the wire for the LED light in my ignition button harness without it.

460.465USMC

02-26-2026, 01:11 PM

Great progress, Hank! Wiring can seem like it will never end at times. You're moving right along. Times two on the great functionality of the Power Probe. I used it to individually test all my circuits one at a time instead of waiting until the end and flipping the master cutoff switch. I plan to do the same on my Coupe build. Thanks for keeping us up to date.

Doc76

04-06-2026, 05:03 PM

Back at it…pun intended...

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=188327&d=1691249468

OUCH! This happened last Thanksgiving and 100% would not recommend a herniated disk with pinched nerves (not even 1 star out of 5 on yelp). It’s been 8 months and I’m starting to have more good days to the point that I feel safe working on the car again despite my body’s “new feature”. All I have to say about that is don't drink water too hard (haha). Or sneeze with your head in the wrong direction.

Not much has happened in the past 8 months. Tires got mounted. My kids pointed out that they look exactly like wheels on any Lego car….I can’t say they’re wrong but it made me laugh as I didn’t make that connection and maybe just living out a childhood dream…Tires are Michelin Pilot Sport all season 4. Live in New England and these will see time in winter during the build and likely during some shake down runs. I don't want to have to worry about using a summer tire in 20-30 degree weather and wondering if any skittishness is the suspension setup, swaybars contacting in a corner, or just cold summer tires that have turned to plastic under 40 degrees. I'm sure these won't last long and are great for the roller and "honeymoon" phase...

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=188326&d=1691249468

Not much else has happened over 8 months. Got some panels powder-coated. Still don’t have an engine (been almost a year at the builder now) and it seems that will be another 6 months at least as I’m completely on other people’s timeframes with that. The engine needs to get dyno’ed, tuned, and painted, then I need to build a custom front end on it. Then need to mate the T-56 and test fit to see if I need to modify the transmission mount or cut the crossbar as other’s have had to do and see if I have the correct driveshaft length. Also waiting on some welding that I’m going to have a shop do as I don’t weld. Also on other people’s timeframes. Was going to be March, then May, then June, and supposed to get in early July. I am hoping for before next year at this point.

In the meantime, I did get the fuel filler neck into the gas tank and here is my iteration of that. I was able to use the FFR supplied bracket and used a nut-sert on the frame with a bolt going through the holes on the tank and the bracket:

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=188325&d=1691249468

Disadvantage of this vs making my own Paul-style “U” shaped bracket is I need to drop the tank to change that if anything leaks or needs replacing and it can’t easily be taken off.

Also got the evaporator installed in what seems like the same orientation as the manual. This was much more straightforward than I thought, or maybe sometimes its better to be lucky than good. Seems all the rear end hookups are far enough from the frame that there won’t be interference. Ask me later when that all needs to be hooked up.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=188324&d=1691249446

Yesterday I installed the Tolton 90 degree adapter for the Wilwood brake bias adjuster.

How have you found the Michelin Pilot Sport AS4 on the car?

rhk118

04-07-2026, 09:39 AM

For now they are doing well just sitting there on the car haha! It isn't a driver yet, plan is for this summer. I got those as it is currently snowing here today, and I need something that will work for driving in the summer fairly aggressively, but also perform well in the marginal spring and fall weather that crops up on us. They get good reviews, and the Corvette guys like them, so I imagine for my daily driving they will do well. But still a lot of wiring to go, then can finish putting the engine together and fire her up!

jgray

04-20-2026, 11:49 PM

Hi Hank,

I have spent the last half hour reading through your posts. Not only are you doing a great job at building your car you are an excellent technical writer!
I was partly reading through because I want to replace my headlights with the trident ones and I remembered you had them. Sure enough I found them neatly logged and indexed in your thread! I also bought the diff vent parts you bought because mine is currently just pointing down towards the ground.
I rushed quite a few things last spring/summer to get my car on the road. I do not regret it and thoroughly enjoyed the 1000 miles I drove. I am now replacing a leaky power steering pump, trying to get my AC working, fiddling with the webers, and chasing an oil leak. I took all the webers apart which kind of felt like taking a watch apart when I was a kid. I have them back together but have not run the engine yet. I am also working on getting the p/s door to fit better, tidying up wiring. I entirely redid my wiring at the end of 2023 because it became such a mess. I followed much the same process youl are following and am very happy I did. I got to the end and then realized I did not have wiring for the fog lights, so I added couple of relays (one to only allow the fog lights to come on if the low beams are on, and the other to actually switch them on). I had intermittent issues with the headlights going on and off - apparently there is a the headlight switch has some sort of heat based cutoff. I did not realize there wasn't a headlight relay, so I added one. I also added air fuel wideband sensors to help me tune the webers (another relay) and am adding a microcontroller to allow me to add heat sensors and a few other gadgets. Anyway, I am about ready to rewire a second time because of the additional wires. Fortunately I labeled every wire which has saved me many times. I mention the relays in case you have not dealt with the fog lights.
Anyway, keep up the great work!