Jim B in San Antonio 347 Mark IV Build Thread--Miscellaneous Rambling

[buttsjim]

After way too many years of dreaming, I’m finally starting my Cobra. Over those years, I’ve built at least 50 in my imagination; they all came out perfectly, but now that I’ve finally started one for real, I’m not so sure perfection will be the result. Accordingly, I'm going to try and post my progress and take advantage of the experienced builders on this site who are so helpful with their advice. As much as I’d like to, I doubt that I’ll be contributing much (other than how NOT to do things), but I’ll be taking a lot away. My hope is that the “pros” will be looking over my shoulder and keeping me straight. Selfish, but true.

My mechanical skills are moderate, and I’m comfortable with my ability to build the car—how well I’ll build it is the big question. This is my dream car; it’s capable of very high performance, and it’s expensive, so top quality workmanship is essential, and that’s going to be my big challenge. It’s humbling to see what others on this site have accomplished, and I’m not sure I can build to that standard. I hope to.

I got the complete kit configured for a Ford small block, with the expectation of ordering an injected 347 with TKX and hydraulic clutch from Blueprint. Notable options include:
Powder coated chassis
IRS
Leather seats
17” replica Halibrands
Heater
Standard Factory Five front brakes and 13” rears (busted the budget with the IRS, so forget the Wilwoods)
Powder coated rollbars instead of chrome (budget again)
Power steering
Deleted the headers & sidepipes (going aftermarket, but maybe a mistake to have deleted them)
No glove box
RT drop trunk, Breeze fan shroud, upper/lower radiator mounts, battery box and cubby, and Russ Thompson .090” firewall are all ordered and on the way.

I’m thinking about the mechanical throttle linkage and the RT turn signal mod. I want them but am already spending too much money. We’ll see. Buying the heater for the San Antonio climate may seem unnecessary, but my driving season will primarily be September through May—it’s too darn hot to drive a non-AC convertible around here in the summer. In the late 70’s my daily driver was an Alfa Spyder, and I remember having the summertime choice of either roasting with the top up or broiling with it down. I’m passing on that pleasure this time around and will use the heater to keep toasty warm while driving during the winter months. Snow isn’t an issue.

I received my kit on 29 August via Stewart Transport. Driver Jeff was very helpful, and together we got it all safely into the garage. We used my small garden tractor to pull everything up the long, steep driveway, rather than trying to pull the cart by hand. Inventory took about 10 hours—in addition to 40 or so items on the POL (lots of show-stoppers on that list), there were about 15 missing items, varying from fasteners to a roll bar.

So far, I’m about 30 hours, 4 beers, and 3 band-aids into the project. I’ve inventoried, got the body and sheet metal off, assembled the front suspension, except for some missing items, and modified the rear spindles. I’ll post all that stuff once I can post pictures, and then y’all can get busy, grading my work!

Wow. This is a long post. Thanks for reading if you’ve made it this far.

My First Question: During delivery, I could see sunlight through the molding seams (front fenders) when the body was suspended coming off the truck. Is this common? Will it need reinforcing from underneath? There are also a lot of variations where the panels don’t match perfectly, and a 2” diameter dimple in the hood. Is all that stuff typical?

[John Ibele]

Welcome, and congrats on the purchase, adventure, and the decision to do a build thread. You'll have plenty of folks looking over your shoulder. In answer to some of your items:

It is possible to make your own throttle linkage from readily purchased components, as one option. Not sure it leads to real cost savings, however.
David Hodgekins can change your status and ability to post pictures once he knows you're a kit owner. Send him a PM.
I would encourage the RT turn signal mod, but you've probably read that multiple times before. I remember being strongly focused on overall budget earlier in my build (and its been a looong build), and now think of it in terms of how much I spend on my hobby on a monthly or yearly basis.
I too got PC'd roll bars, but have decided that black is not my color either. I plan to talk to my painter about stripping them and painting them the stripe color, whatever that turns out to be. Just one alternative you may not have considered.

Someone else with more experience will have to chime in on the body appearance.

Looking forward to your pictures and updates, welcome to the fun!

[Chopper]

Hello and welcome!




I’m thinking about the mechanical throttle linkage and the RT turn signal mod. I want them but am already spending too much money. We’ll see. Buying the heater for the San Antonio climate may seem unnecessary, but my driving season will primarily be September through May—it’s too darn hot to drive a non-AC convertible around here in the summer. In the late 70’s my daily driver was an Alfa Spyder, and I remember having the summertime choice of either roasting with the top up or broiling with it down. I’m passing on that pleasure this time around and will use the heater to keep toasty warm while driving during the winter months. Snow isn’t an issue.

In VA I was required to have a defroster. Not sure what the rules are in TX.

If you are even considering adding any type of top in the future, you want to think about having a defroster. Also, on this note, it is possible to put AC in one of these. I know a lot of people have had success with various solutions, North Racecars also sells a kit (https://www.northracecars.com/heat_ac.html). I can't comment as to how well AC works in a roadster, but again, if you plan on adding a top at some point this may be a consideration. Typically in warm weather as long as you're moving it feels ok, but when you stop you really start to boil. As is pointed out by those wiser than me, the greatest fatigue comes from the lack of shade.



My First Question: During delivery, I could see sunlight through the molding seams (front fenders) when the body was suspended coming off the truck. Is this common? Will it need reinforcing from underneath? There are also a lot of variations where the panels don’t match perfectly, and a 2” diameter dimple in the hood. Is all that stuff typical?

The doors, hood, trunk are oversized and will not well off the truck. The body also will be tweaked when installed and aligned properly which helps.

[460.465USMC]

Hi Jim! I'm excited you get to build your dream Cobra car. What an awesome opportunity.

Regarding the RT turn signal mod, I went for it. Though I'm only in go-kart phase, I like the idea of the turn signal in a daily driver position. Plus, you get a bonus button at the end of the stalk you can use for some other function. In my case, I made it my high-low beam switch with help from Ididit relay module.

Yes, it's way too easy to go over budget! At first I had high ambitions of keeping mine to the basic build, but along the way couldn't resist many of the great improvements on display in other's builds. One thing to keep in mind if budget is a concern, unless you're going to complete your build within a few months, there is opportunity for the Cobra "slush" fund to recoup. As a slow builder with a budget, the time factor to rebuild the cash pot has been key.

Welcome aboard!

[TMartinLVNV]

Welcome to the madness Jim. I visit SA twice a year to visit family and will be there in the first week of Oct. I'd be happy to stop by if you would like. It would be a welcome diversion to doing honey do's around the house for my 79 year old mother.

You will probably regret deleting the F5 headers. They are good stuff.

[buttsjim]

Thanks, everyone, for your warm welcomes, and advice.

[sasteel43]

Jim, I'm in Schertz if you ever need a helping hand.

[buttsjim]

Jim, I'm in Schertz if you ever need a helping hand.

Thanks!

[buttsjim]

I was hesitant to start this blog knowing that I’m not good at documenting, or taking pictures of my activities. Turns out, I was exactly right—I’ve been busy at work on the car, and posting nothing, but I’ll try and catch up. Then, I’ll try and keep up.

The front suspension went well, as far as I could go. My Konis, flange nuts for the lower control arms, and tie rod ends are all POL. The ball joints screwed in surprisingly easily. I cut the ends off the rear A-Arm adjusters to be able to get the initial alignment setting. I torqued my spindle nuts to 250 ft-lbs, but will re-torque them when I eventually get my wheels on the ground. I have a ¾” drive Snap On dial torque wrench (got it for $11 on E Bay about 20 years ago—my best buy ever!), and I can slip a 24” breaker bar into its handle to get plenty of leverage. The problem with a dial type torque wrench is that my arms aren’t long & strong enough to enable me to read the dial when I’m applying the torque. I usually ask my wife to sit on the floor with her foot on the wrench head to keep the socket securely on the nut, and she tells me when I hit the torque requirement. So, we’ll do that before I put the dust caps on.

I’m using the FFR standard front brakes, which went together without problem. I was missing the caliper mounting bolts but ordered the proper Allen head bolts from Amazon. They’re a Chinesium Alloy, but rated as 12.9 grade, so I’m sure they’re plenty adequate. By the way, I just mentioned to FFR customer service that they were also missing when I was whining about my missing IRS fasteners, and I was surprised to received the proper bolts from FFR in the mail today. I don’t need them now, but that's great customer service!

The FFR power steering rack went in without much hassle. The bushings are a very soft rubber, and got distorted, so I think I spent as much time trying to get them properly seated as I did getting the rack in.

The front suspension is now complete, except for my POL items. My photography skills are horrible, but please take a look at what I’ve done—ball joints, A Arm orientation, etc. I think it’s all right (but then, I always think I’m right) but it’s much easier, at this point, to correct any mistakes that you can point out. So, any advice/criticism is much appreciated.

Questions: It seems like there’s not much space between my inner tie rods and the steering arms, and that the tie rods go down at a steep angle. Does this look right? I installed the steering arms angled out and down. I know out is correct, but should they also point down?

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=199622&d=1716331385

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=199624&d=1716331385

[John Ibele]

Okay, I know you're better at photos than that :)

Contact David Hodgkins and ask him to bump you to Senior Member status. That should get you the power you need.

[buttsjim]

Okay, I know you're better at photos than that :)

Contact David Hodgkins and ask him to bump you to Senior Member status. That should get you the power you need.

OK, thanks. Actually, I'm not better at photos than this :( What should I improve when I get that my new powers? I want people to be able to see, so that they can help!

[buttsjim]

I assembled the rear spindles, hubs, control arms, calipers, etc. Everything is ready to hang on the chassis, but I don’t have the IRS Fastener Pack required for mounting any of it. Frustrating, but FFR is working on it.

I have a press, so I thought that replacing the lugs in the hubs would be quick and easy—that was a bad assumption. I opted to use the vise and hammer method proposed by FFR to remove the old lugs, it worked well, and I had all the lugs out in about 5 minutes. I then tried using the press to install the new, but I couldn’t get the lugs started straight. They’d go crooked, get wedged and stop, and I felt that I was using too much force to continue. Straightening them would cause them to fall right back out with no forward progress. I have a large ball joint separator that looked like the perfect tool for the job, but it had the same result. I ended up putting the lugs in the freezer, and afterwards using my impact wrench—it’s supposedly 500 ft-lb, but even with my compressor regulator at 140 psi, it still had to work its butt off to pull the lugs in. The build manual says to torque them at 100 ft-lbs, which is amusing, considering that I was using about 300 just to get them pulled in.

I must have stared at the portion of the assembly manual describing the spindle modifications for at least an hour—it was obvious from the picture what to do, but I just didn’t want to do it, thinking that I’d somehow cut/drill the wrong thing and screw up a high dollar part. I finally started cutting the mounting ears off with a hacksaw, to get a nice clean cut. Quickly realizing that this would take forever, I switched to a reciprocating saw with a short Milwaukee “Turbo” 16 tpi blade and lots of cutting oil, and quickly achieved a clean cut in both spindles. I used a Bosch black Oxide 5/8” drill to enlarge the two mounting holes, and that was a slow and slightly painful process, as the bit cut very aggressively and would frequently grab. Using the drill’s clutch to eliminate backlash didn’t work, as it always slipped immediately. I was concerned about getting off-centered as the bit seemed perfectly capable of blazing its own trail away from the original hole. However, the job turned out okay, but one of the bores isn’t very pretty. I switched to a more powerful corded drill to enlarge the front mounting holes in the center section and bored both of those in just a few seconds using oil, very light pressure, and moderate drill speed.

Despite not having the fastener pack, I wanted to get the center section off the floor and into the chassis, so I decided to get it in place and use a temporary method of keeping it there. I was especially anxious to install it, as I was doing the job by myself and knew that it can be problematic to get the diff into position—I wanted to get it over with. I have some kayak pulleys mounted in my garage ceiling that I formerly used to store my dearly departed kart, and their spacing seemed perfect to pull the differential up into place—this worked well, and I had it pinned in its proper mountings in about 30 minutes. I used some 5/8” tapered pins for the front mounts, and two quick jack bolts for the rear to keep it in place.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=199649&d=1716331588

It seems like the differential should be a very tight fit, but I have about a ¼” clearance between the mounts and the chassis (which explains why it went in so easily). I emailed FFR, and Dan replied not to worry, that this is common. That advice was reassuring, but I don’t see how it all pulls together.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=199620&d=1716331385

As soon as I receive the fastener pack, I’ll get it all bolted in and torqued fairly quickly. I think. I still need the half shafts and shock absorbers—both those items are POL.

[460.465USMC]

OK, thanks. Actually, I'm not better at photos than this :( What should I improve when I get that my new powers? I want people to be able to see, so that they can help!

Hi Jim. I think what John is saying is no photos were posted in your update. At least my laptop is not showing any. Once David resets your profile, you can embed photos into your thread by following his instructions here: How to use the Image Gallery to embed pictures in posts (https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/showthread.php?18962-How-to-use-the-Image-Gallery-to-embed-pictures-in-posts&p=212068&viewfull=1#post212068)

P.S. nice job getting that IRS diff. prepped and installed solo. It's not easy IMHO.

[buttsjim]

Hi Jim. I think what John is saying is no photos were posted in your update. At least my laptop is not showing any. Once David resets your profile, you can embed photos into your thread by following his instructions here: How to use the Image Gallery to embed pictures in posts (https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/showthread.php?18962-How-to-use-the-Image-Gallery-to-embed-pictures-in-posts&p=212068&viewfull=1#post212068)

P.S. nice job getting that IRS diff. prepped and installed solo. It's not easy IMHO.

Thanks. That's really weird--the photos all show up on my computer, including three that I added for the IRS. They also show up when I preview my posts. I followed David's instructions for posting, and I think that I had permission, but somehow they must be local to my computer. I'll ask David, and try to get it straight. Thanks again for letting me know--I'm not going to get much help without showing what I'm talking about.

I think I see what I did wrong--I set my album up as "private". Hopefully it's fixed.

[460.465USMC]

FYI: I'm seeing pictures now in post #12 above.

[Jeff Kleiner]

...My First Question: During delivery, I could see sunlight through the molding seams (front fenders) when the body was suspended coming off the truck. Is this common? Will it need reinforcing from underneath? There are also a lot of variations where the panels don’t match perfectly, and a 2” diameter dimple in the hood. Is all that stuff typical?

Hey Jim,
I missed your post until today so apologies for being late to the party! Fiberglass without gelcoat is translucent so it's not unusual or worrisome to see daylight shining through it along the mold parting lines (they aren't seams) where gelcoat is either thin or nonexistent. Not to worry. Panel match on either side of the mold lines is hit or miss---hit is good but lots of times it's miss. Either way it's all part of the bodywork. I'm going to assume what you're seeing and calling a "dimple" in the hood is one of the common low spots near the outer perimeter. If that's what it is these too are common---caused by the heat from the bonding agent between the inner and outer skins drawing the outer surface down---and also addressed as part of the normal bodywork process.

Front suspension looks good! Carry on :)

Jeff

[buttsjim]

FYI: I'm seeing pictures now in post #12 above.

Great, thanks!

[buttsjim]

Hey Jim,
I missed your post until today so apologies for being late to the party! Fiberglass without gelcoat is translucent so it's not unusual or worrisome to see daylight shining through it along the mold parting lines (they aren't seams) where gelcoat is either thin or nonexistent. Not to worry. Panel match on either side of the mold lines is hit or miss---hit is good but lots of times it's miss. Either way it's all part of the bodywork. I'm going to assume what you're seeing and calling a "dimple" in the hood is one of the common low spots near the outer perimeter. If that's what it is these too are common---caused by the heat from the bonding agent between the inner and outer skins drawing the outer surface down---and also addressed as part of the normal bodywork process.

Front suspension looks good! Carry on :)

Jeff

Thanks, Jeff!

I'm hoping my budget will allow doing some business with you about a year, or so, down the road!

[buttsjim]

I hesitate to post this because it’s philosophical, rather than mechanical, but the missing IRS fastener issue made me realize that I needed to make a major attitude adjustment regarding my project. The wife’s and my daily drivers are old (mine has 370K), and I’m the mechanic—they never go to the shop. So, when one breaks, I do whatever it takes to get it back into service as soon as possible, and I keep at the repair until it’s done. With that mindset, I got extremely frustrated looking for the fasteners for the Cobra’s rear suspension, not remembering that I hadn’t checked them off my inventory. I probably spent 2 hours up until midnight looking, re-looking, and re-re-looking through boxes for them, and finally sent a less than cordial email to Factory Five (not bad, but not cordial). Afterwards, I realized that I was completely defeating the purpose of getting the kit—it’s supposed to be fun! I bought the kit as much for the build as for the finished product, and there’s no rush to get anything done. I’m not under a timeline and can walk away from the Cobra whenever I want, so I decided no more goals; I won’t go out to the garage with the intention of installing this, or finishing that, I’ll just go out and work on it. If I get stymied by whatever I’m trying to do, I can stop and try again later. If I make forward progress, that’s fine. If it takes me an hour to mark and drill two holes, that’s fine too. This is a great project, and I plan on enjoying it.

I ordered my injected Blueprint 347 with power steering pump and TKX. I thought it was too early, and don’t have garage space to have it sitting around until I’m ready to drop it in, but I wanted to lock in on the price. Turns out, it was a good thing that I called them—there’s a 7-month backlog, and my motor won’t be delivered before next April. That timing seems like it’ll be just about perfect for me, and I’m glad that I didn’t wait to call about it. Learning from that lesson, I also ordered my Gas-N headers and Touring pipes. I think there’s about a 4-month wait for those. The only major item left for me to purchase is a set of tires.

[Jeff Kleiner]

...I got extremely frustrated looking for the fasteners for the Cobra’s rear suspension, not remembering that I hadn’t checked them off my inventory. I probably spent 2 hours up until midnight looking, re-looking, and re-re-looking through boxes for them, and finally sent a less than cordial email to Factory Five (not bad, but not cordial). Afterwards, I realized that I was completely defeating the purpose of getting the kit—it’s supposed to be fun! I bought the kit as much for the build as for the finished product, and there’s no rush to get anything done. I’m not under a timeline and can walk away from the Cobra whenever I want, so I decided no more goals; I won’t go out to the garage with the intention of installing this, or finishing that, I’ll just go out and work on it. If I get stymied by whatever I’m trying to do, I can stop and try again later. If I make forward progress, that’s fine. If it takes me an hour to mark and drill two holes, that’s fine too. This is a great project, and I plan on enjoying it...



You got it man! I've reminded a few guys of this when they have contacted me with similar feelings of frustration. There are only a few of us for whom this is a job, for everyone else it's supposed to be fun...a stress reliever, not a stress causer...a form of therapy! If it's not doing that shut off the lights and walk away :)

Jeff

[Ted G]

Congrats on your start! I am almost exactly six months in and have felt some of your frustrations as well. About a month ago, I received my last part off my POL from FFR (door latches), so now I have all parts from FFR!! Even though it seemed I was always waiting for a "crucial" part, I always found something else to do on the build that kept me moving forward and busy. I am now a roller and just waiting for my engine (about a month out). The block was the main delay after ordering it 10 months ago (DART 427 just arrived). I'm hoping to be go-karting by Thanksgiving. Here are some other things you can work on:


Dashboard layout

Brake lines

Fuel lines

Pre-fit all lights and LeMans cap to body before paint (or you'll be drilling through good paint)

e-brake set up

Radiator pre work (I installed mine, then uninstalled it till after engine goes in)

Plan out any custom work you are doing (electrical, grab bars, seat heaters, etc.)


This is a great journey, enjoy!

[John Ibele]

OK, thanks. Actually, I'm not better at photos than this :( What should I improve when I get that my new powers? I want people to be able to see, so that they can help!

Sorry, please ignore my post Jim. There must have been a time lag or other glitch since no photos showed when I posted that note. They look fine now.

[buttsjim]

Sorry, please ignore my post Jim. There must have been a time lag or other glitch since no photos showed when I posted that note. They look fine now.

No, you were exactly right--I had my albums set to"private", and wouldn't have realized that only I could see the pictures, had you not pointed that out. Initially, I didn't understand your post, because the pictures looked fine to me. But, no one else could see them. Thanks for the heads-up!

[buttsjim]

Here are some other things you can work on:


Dashboard layout

Brake lines

Fuel lines

Pre-fit all lights and LeMans cap to body before paint (or you'll be drilling through good paint)

e-brake set up

Radiator pre work (I installed mine, then uninstalled it till after engine goes in)

Plan out any custom work you are doing (electrical, grab bars, seat heaters, etc.)


This is a great journey, enjoy!

Thanks!
I am trying to keep moving with the items that I do have, but jumping around too much concerns me--it makes it easy to forget/overlook important steps. I do plan on enjoying this great journey, though. Good luck with yours!

[460.465USMC]

I hesitate to post this because it’s philosophical, rather than mechanical, but the missing IRS fastener issue made me realize that I needed to make a major attitude adjustment regarding my project....Afterwards, I realized that I was completely defeating the purpose of getting the kit—it’s supposed to be fun! I bought the kit as much for the build as for the finished product, and there’s no rush to get anything done. I’m not under a timeline and can walk away from the Cobra whenever I want, so I decided no more goals; I won’t go out to the garage with the intention of installing this, or finishing that, I’ll just go out and work on it. If I get stymied by whatever I’m trying to do, I can stop and try again later. If I make forward progress, that’s fine. If it takes me an hour to mark and drill two holes, that’s fine too. This is a great project, and I plan on enjoying it.

Well said, Jim! I've adopted the same approach to my build. Mostly, because I'm incredibly slow. But also because I want to savor the build process. The only goal I set is to try to get out to the garage on a regular basis, and try to do something (e.g. "mark and drill two holes") even if I only have 15 minutes.

[buttsjim]

This post is a catcher-upper. Althouogh I haven't made a whole lot of progress on the Cobra, I've made even less progress writing about it. I'll do multiple posts to catch up, rather than one long one.

Thanks to Terry from Las Vegas who found time to stop by last Friday evening, and give me some pointers, along with a good opportunity to quaff a couple of beers. Especially helpful was that Terry noticed that my steering arms were mounted upside down (something I’d wondered and asked about, but guessed wrong on). Turns out that the proper mounting was simple common sense, if only I’d noticed that the holes for the tie rods were tapered. Jeesh—I knew that!

The week before Terry’s visit was busy with non-Cobra stuff, so I didn’t find much time to work on the Cobra. I drilled/cut the firewall for the heater, and drilled and mounted the front cover panel, firewall, and the passenger side footbox. I originally cleco-ed all that sheet metal, but once everything was fit together, I decided to go ahead and silicone and rivet it permanently. I know a lot of people leave everything cleco-ed until much later in the build, but I didn’t see the point for these pieces. With an experience level of zero, I suspect I’ll soon see the point and regret my decision. I’ll probably leave all the other sheet metal cleco-ed form this point forward.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=199621&d=1716331385

I had decided to use a natural satin finish on the exposed aluminum by brushing it with a sanding pad, and sealing with Sharkhide. So far, I’ve done the F-panels, the firewall, pedal box cover panel, and the right side footbox, and I’m second guessing myself. I really like the look, but many of the panels have scratches (some of which are by me) and etching, which my light sanding doesn’t cover. Even oils from handprints were difficult to remove using successive treatments of mineral spirits, acetone and lacquer thinner (I’m wearing latex gloves to avoid skin oils). I recently tried wet sanding one of the smaller pieces using Goo Gone as the lubricant, and that seemed to work well, with all the skin oils, and some of the etching disappearing. If I ever build another one (I wish!) I’ll go with a dark painted or powder coated finish, which will cover all the blemishes and show the motor better. I'll post some pictures in a future post.

I assembled and installed the pedal box, but without the clutch master cylinder. FFR sent a 5/8” master cylinder for the clutch, and are exchanging it for a ¾” unit, which is what Blueprint recommends and what my FFR inventory says I should have received. I also didn’t install the throttle pedal, as I’m not sure that I want to use that one with the Forte mechanical linkage.

I have too many key items on my POL and MIK lists to be able to progress in any type of order, so I’m not sure what I’ll do next. There’s plenty that I can do, I’m just not sure what makes the most sense.

[Windsor]

Even oils from handprints were difficult to remove using successive treatments of mineral spirits, acetone and lacquer thinner (I’m wearing latex gloves to avoid skin oils). I recently tried wet sanding one of the smaller pieces using Goo Gone as the lubricant, and that seemed to work well, with all the skin oils, and some of the etching disappearing.

Isopropyl Alcohol ("rubbing alcohol") at 91% or higher should do the trick.

Good to see update posts. :)

[buttsjim]

It’s been a long time since I posted, but that’s because it’s been a long time since I’ve done anything worthwhile—I’m mostly just doing odds and ends while I wait for back ordered suspension parts. I’ve been drilling and cleco-ing most of my sheet metal, and permanently riveting those panels that I think won’t be in the way of installing future items.

I assembled my gas tank components and temporarily installed the tank, but I’ll be replacing the fuel pickup with the Pro-M hanger and the Walbro 255 lph pump per advice in Blueprint Engines' FAQs. I was able to get the tank in place by carefully balancing it on my floor jack, and I was also able to use the supplied bolts to attach the straps in the front, although my poor arthritic thumbs were squealing with pain trying to push the strap up enough to meet the bolt.

I then removed the tank so that I could assemble the Russ Thompson drop trunk, which is a very nice unit. That part is assembled, the rear trunk floor cut out, and all mounting holes drilled, but I've removed all those panels from the chassis until I figure out the process for the fuel lines, brake lines and wiring harness. The more open the chassis, the better.

I think my beer-to-band aid ratio has improved to about 4 to 1 over the last couple of weeks, and I’m thoroughly enjoying the build. I’m already wishing that I could build another one.

[Railroad]

I might have missed it, but did not see mention of replacing the filler neck to tank grommet with the Ford brand part.
Please save yourself some grief and use the Ford part. It is not the installation process that creates the issue, but the quality of the material.

[buttsjim]

I might have missed it, but did not see mention of replacing the filler neck to tank grommet with the Ford brand part.
Please save yourself some grief and use the Ford part. It is not the installation process that creates the issue, but the quality of the material.

Thanks for looking out for me! As a matter of fact, I did replace the FFR gasket with the Ford part. BTW, I thoroughly enjoyed reading through your build thread a couple of years back, and took notes on several of your ideas!

[buttsjim]

Well, my front end is complete. On separate days I received the flange nuts to attach my lower A-arms, and then my Koni shocks. I had opted to buy the Moog tie rod ends, rather than wait for the backordered FFR units, so now the front end is all together. At least for a day or two—I decided to replace my steering rack bushings with the Breeze offset bushings, so the power steering rack is coming back out. Also, after spilling a drop of red paint on my front calipers I decided that the paint looked pretty good, so I’m going to take the calipers off and disassemble and paint them a semi-gloss black. I’m kind of just kicking around at present, waiting for the supply chain to catch up with me, so this would be a very good time to do that.

A question: I have my Breeze offset bushings, but they’re too tight—I’d have to drive them in with a hammer, if they were to go in at all. This won’t work--they need to be tight, yet loose enough that I can rotate them to adjust the rack. I plan to clean the paint off the inside of the rack mounts, which may be all that’s needed, but the question is, is this common?

[TMartinLVNV]

I didn't have that issue. You are correct, they need to be able to rotate inside of the housing. Hopefully, just some sandpaper scrubbing inside of housing will be enough to clean it up.

[buttsjim]

I didn't have that issue. You are correct, they need to be able to rotate inside of the housing. Hopefully, just some sandpaper scrubbing inside of housing will be enough to clean it up.

Yep, it was the paint that needed to be cleaned off. I used a sanding drum with a die grinder, and it took about 5 minutes. The paint came right off without cutting into the metal. I had measured beforehand, and the hole was .035 smaller than the bushing--it was all paint. By the way, I enjoyed your visit, and I bought the offset bushings after your explanation of their purpose.

[TMartinLVNV]

I had fun too. I love seeing other peoples projects and hearing what their plans are. I had a ton of people help me through mine. I'll be back in SA in about 5 months. I expect significant progress :p

[buttsjim]

I’ve been busy working around the house, working on my wife’s car, traveling, and being lazy the past few weeks, and haven’t spent much time on the Cobra. When I do work on it, I’m way out of sequence with the instructions due to missing items, and I think I spend more time looking at the car, thinking about what I want to do next, rather than actually doing anything. But, I enjoy it, nevertheless.

I assembled my radiator components using the Breeze shroud and upper and lower mounts. These pieces all went together very easily, and I really like the finished product. I used a sanding pad to give the shroud a brushed look to match the rest of the engine bay. The FFR radiator reservoirs looked pretty good, so I tried to polish them a bit before applying Sharkhide. It didn’t come out as good as I had hoped, but it looks nice--much better than this picture:

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=199726&d=1716398800

The radiator top mount instructions call for drilling through both sides of the ¾” tubing and tapping through both sides for a ¼” bolt. I thought this would only provide a total of about 3 or 4 threads for the bolt and had concerns about the strength of those joints. I decided to try tapping through for one fastener first, and if dissatisfied, I could enlarge the top hole and use a nutsert. I took great pains to keep my drill perfectly perpendicular to the tubing to ensure that the holes aligned properly, but during the tapping process, I managed to let the tap get misaligned so that there was no way of properly threading both sides of the tube. So, I used 5mm nutserts with stainless button head bolts, and am very pleased with the result.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=199725&d=1716398800

After mounting the top portion, I ran a bungee cord across the chassis at the bottom of the radiator and let the radiator rest on the cord so that I could slide the cord back and forth to adjust the angle. That worked well. I may take the radiator back off when it’s motor installation time, but there’s no real need so long as I’m careful. On second thought, I guess I better take it back off.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=199724&d=1716398800

Although I prefer to follow the sequence in the build manual, it’s impossible to do so due to missing/backordered items. However, I’ve made a list of workarounds that I can continue with, and I can always drill and cleco more sheet metal when I don’t know what else to do. I’m thinking of the Breeze battery box next.

[CaptB]

"Out of Sequence" is everyon's mantra when you're building these cars.

[buttsjim]

"Out of Sequence" is everyon's mantra when you're building these cars.

Yeah, I kinda figured that one out. I just wanted to be special. :rolleyes:

[TMartinLVNV]

It was not necessary for me to take the radiator off when installing the motor. There is plenty of room. I followed the advice of several people on here and taped a piece of cardboard on the front side to keep anything dropped on it from bending the fins during the build.

[buttsjim]

I installed my Pro-M hanger/Walbro fuel pump assembly. Based on advice I’d seen in this forum, I used Perma-seal butt connectors to make the electrical connections between the hanger and the pump. I was under the mistaken impression that these connectors were the low-temp solder type connectors, in addition to being impervious to gasoline. They didn't have the solder feature, so I squeezed extra hard on my crimping tool to ensure they stayed put, and I expect they’ll be fine.

I didn’t trust the filter sock’s attachment to the fuel pump, so I cut a little groove in the circumference of the pump inlet with a hacksaw (it’s not nearly as deep as it looks in this picture). This made for a very sure connection, and I’m sure it’ll stay. I decided not to use the clamp shown in the picture.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=199625&d=1716331427

I then had a minor fit trying to get the hanger/pump/filter sock assembly to seat properly when inserted into the tank. The hanger and pump would seat without the sock, but with the sock it just wouldn’t sit flat. I marked the hanger’s orientation when it seated properly without the sock, but still couldn’t get it—the sock also needs to be rotated to just the right position on the pump before it will all go into place.

I eventually had to take the tank’s filler pipe and gasket back off so that I could look through that opening to see what was causing problems and be able to work everything into place. I was then able to get the assembly perfectly aligned (and it does have to be perfect—the hanger/pump to the tank, and the sock to the pump) so that it seated properly.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=199673&d=1716398267

It’s funny how easy it is to spend 2 hours on a ten-minute job.

I used a 12V DC power supply to run the pump for a second to ensure that it worked properly, and then mounted the tank back on the chassis. I’m not sure if the tank will have to come back out (I’ve already done the Kleiner mod), but it only takes a few minutes to install if it does.

[460.465USMC]

It’s funny how easy it is to spend 2 hours on a ten-minute job.

Oh, boy. I wonder how many of these I've had on this project? I think I've decided I don't have any ten minute jobs. :)


I used a 12V DC power supply to run the pump for a second to ensure that it worked properly, and then mounted the tank back on the chassis. I’m not sure if the tank will have to come back out (I’ve already done the Kleiner mod), but it only takes a few minutes to install if it does.

I don't know if I'm alone on this, but I've dropped my tank too many times to count. Seems like there was always a need to move it out of the way. Like when I ran my rear wiring harness, etc. etc. Thankfully, my tank drops all occurred before I added fuel.

Keep up the good work and enjoy.

[buttsjim]

Oh, boy. I wonder how many of these I've had on this project? I think I've decided I don't have any ten minute jobs. :)

Keep up the good work and enjoy.

Thanks, Chris. I think maybe we share some of the same perspectives on this project!

[buttsjim]

I have an embarrassing confession: I did a neat job of installing my drop trunk, except that I installed it backwards. Standing behind the chassis, looking forward while reviewing the instructions, I got my thinking backwards and started to view the part farthest from me as the “rear”, whereas it was actually the front (I didn’t misunderstand the instructions—I just wasn’t thinking correctly).

As a result, my drop trunk is an inch further back than it’s designed to be. This location is solid and functional, but it required an ugly mod because the back lip of the drop trunk had to go over top of the ¾” tube in the rear of the chassis. This meant that instead of lifting the piece straight up into place, I had to lift it up, and slide it back over the ¾” tube. This in turn meant that the slots I cut to clear the frame diagonals had to be enlarged by an inch to enable the sliding—it’s not what most people would consider fine craftsmanship. It’s all going to get patched, siliconed and covered with carpet, but I still hate that I did that.

At the start of my thread, I said that my contributions to this forum would probably be in the form of what NOT to do, so I guess I’m being true to my word. I just hope that I’m not too prolific with that sort of advice.

[buttsjim]

I wasted almost an entire 3 day weekend doing household chores and yard work, so only spent about 4 hours on the Cobra (my opinion, not shared by my wife, is that a perfect 3 day weekend is 36 hours spent on the Cobra, but nothing else about this project has been perfect, either). My 4 Cobra hours were spent on finalizing my front brake system. Other than household plumbing, I’ve never done any tube bending and routing, so I had no idea how it would turn out.

I used some vinyl-clad clothesline wire to make a template so that my lengths and bends would be close. That product worked fairly well—it held the bends with no problem, but it would also twist, so that it didn’t do well with compound angles.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=199694&d=1716398587

In addition to the more common type of tubing bender, I used the Eastwood plier type bender for some of my touchup bending. That tool works very well, except that it tends to scar the tubing finish. I used some electrical tape to cushion it and that helped somewhat.

I ran the wheel-to-wheel brake line along the front X-member, just like I’ve seen everyone else do, and I’m happy with that result.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=199687&d=1716398563

I ran the line from the front tee to the master cylinder along the ¾” frame tube. I think that I put a bit more bend in that line than needed, but I’m happy with it. There is no need to coil the line going into the MC, as there is no stress from chassis flex on this line. However, this was a “design as you go” effort, and when I got back to the MC, I decided that it would be easier to coil the line, rather than cut and re-flare it. The coil takes up some space, but there’s still room for my back ordered clutch MC and line.



The clutch and rear brake lines, I plan to run to the right, and down the inner footbox wall, and then along the 4” tube. I’d like to do this near the front of the footbox, but since I haven’t installed my throttle pedal, I don’t know what kind of clearance I have in that area.

I wanted to have my IRS in place before plumbing my rear system, but I’ve decided to go ahead with that task next, and route everything based on what others on this forum have done.

All my cushioned clips are on backorder, so I'm temporarily using masking tape to support the lines, if needed.

[Mike.Bray]

All my cushioned clips are on backorder, so I'm temporarily using masking tape to support the lines, if needed.

Instead of waiting for the cheap and ugly cushion clamps take a look at these (https://www.summitracing.com/parts/NTH-1316-6). They work great and can barely be seen.

https://www.imagecoast.com/images/MichaelBray1/20220624162020mediumrotated.jpg

[buttsjim]

Instead of waiting for the cheap and ugly cushion clamps take a look at these (https://www.summitracing.com/parts/NTH-1316-6). They work great and can barely be seen.

https://www.imagecoast.com/images/MichaelBray1/20220624162020mediumrotated.jpg

I like those! I can get by with just one package of six, if I only use them in the places where they're visable. Thanks!

[TMartinLVNV]

Jim, you are making great progress. Your brake lines look really good. As for your backwards drop trunk install, you now can call it a "custom" installation :cool:

[buttsjim]

As for your backwards drop trunk install, you now can call it a "custom" installation :cool:

Thanks Terry--I like the way you think!

[buttsjim]

I was excited to finally receive all the fasteners for my IRS last week, and wasted no time in getting my rear suspension in place.

Since I'd already assembled all the components, I thought that I could bolt everything on the car in an hour or so. Not true. I already had the center section temporarily mounted, but it still took a bit of struggling and care to get all the bolts to line up, especially since there’s the possibility of stripping the rear mounts in the center section. Then, once everything was finally in, I decided to put spacers in the front mounts to fill the quarter inch gap that I had there. Dan Golub at FFR said not to worry about that gap, but I just couldn’t see where there was any flexibility in the chassis or the cast center section mounts to close it. So, I removed the bolts from the front mount, inserted two large washers in each and then re-bolted it.



The control arms also were a bit of a struggle to get them to fit in their mounts. Again, there were gaps (which are probably common in a welded up chassis), that concerned me. Once again, Dan said “no problem, press on”, so this time I did. The pictures are typical of the gaps and bent mounting points. In the pictures, all bolts are torqued properly, and the steel portion of the bushing has solid contact, but I can’t see how the rubber portion of the bushing can perform its function. However, I expect this is true for all the Mk IV chassis, so I sucked it up and pressed forward. I still lack my rear springs, but otherwise, the suspension is complete and this thing is finally starting to look like a car. Springs will only take a few minutes to install when they arrive.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=199685&d=1716398519

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=199684&d=1716398519

Rear brake lines are next.

[Alec]

Hey, Jim. I just wanted to touch base. We are pretty-much neck-and-neck on our builds. I'm just failing repeatedly to keep up with my build thread. We have R&L foot box aluminum powder coated and installed (save for drivers outside wall), front suspension done, steering rack in with the steering shaft hanging like yours (need the d-tube still), all brake lines run, rear center section and upper arm in, but waiting on IRS fasteners to complete it. Hitting fuel system next. Fully prepped engine/trans sitting in the garage begging to be installed. Where r u located (just curious)? (NVM - just read that u are in San Antonio, and that you received your kit about 2 weeks before we did!).

[460.465USMC]

Springs will only take a few minutes to install when they arrive.

There 'ya had to go and say it. :p

Yeah, that IRS is very tight fit. Nice work getting it buttoned up. I'm enjoying following along.

[buttsjim]

Alec, thanks for reaching out. Sounds like you're a little bit ahead of me with your build. I'm waiting for both my D tube and steering wheel. I'll probably be starting on my fuel lines next.

[buttsjim]

[QUOTE=460.465USMC;509964]There 'ya had to go and say it. :p

I guess I kind of jinxed myself there.

It seems like I would eventually learn: whenever I do a job around the house or on the car, I always estimate how long it'll take, precise to the quarter hour. If I would just learn to multiply that estimate by four, I think I'd have a sportin' chance of being halfway close.

Thanks for your comments and encouragement--I've enjoyed your thread as well.

Jim B

[buttsjim]

I completed the lines for my rear brakes last night, but I’m not entirely happy with the result. Wanting a continuous run with no unions, I bought a coil of 3/16” copper nickel. I chose the copper nickel thinking that the soft material would seal better at the fitting and be easier to work with. After buying it, I discovered that I actually prefer working with the steel lines provided by FFR-the CuNi bends too easily.

I straightened the coiled line with my homemade tubing straightener that I based on a YouTube video. The straightener fits in my vise, replacing its jaws, and it worked well. I already had the aluminum bar stock, so it just cost about $15 for the 8 little pulleys to make the tool.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=199628&d=1716331427

I ran the line between the two rear calipers as shown in the pictures. I remembered a recommendation somewhere in Yama Bro’s thread to mount the flex line brackets horizontally to keep the flex line working in a single plane. That advice made a lot of sense to me, so that’s the approach I took, and mounted the brackets on top of the ¾” cross member. I tried to locate everything with maintainability in mind, and I should be able to get to any of the connections without too much trouble. It’s hard to see in the pictures, but I have about an inch clearance between the top of each line’s curvature, and the trunk floor—plenty of room to remove the line if necessary.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=199692&d=1716398587

I used the clips suggested by Mike Bray earlier in this thread to secure the line to the chassis. These clips are neat, sturdy, and hold the line very securely, and I thank him for his suggestion.

Starting at the tee, I ran the copper nickel line down to the 4” tube and forward to the master cylinder. I originally planned on running the line on the inside of the footwell to the master cylinder but didn’t like the idea of drilling and sealing a hole in my cockpit floor. Instead, I ran the line diagonally up the front of the footbox and then back to the master cylinder. I put a small coil in the line to make it easy to connect to the master cylinder, just as I did for the front line. I haven’t secured any of this portion of the line yet because I don’t like it. The workmanship and functionality are fine but, considering the front and rear systems together, it seems cobbled together and unprofessional.

I had used the FFR provided lines for the front but switched to the copper for the back. Using different materials for similar parts of the same system makes it look like an emergency repair job accomplished with whatever materials were on hand, rather than a thoughtful and deliberate design. I’m also second-guessing myself about the little coils at the master cylinders, as they’re not very elegant. Nobody will see that when it’s all buttoned up, but I don’t like them. I also don’t like the look of the diagonal line in front of my footbox (for some reason, it seems like these lines should be horizontal and vertical, and run close to a protective chassis member). And finally, I can’t find any instructions for the clutch hydraulics, but all this is going to get even worse when that line is added. Ugh.

I’ll be re-doing a portion of the system to achieve a product that I’m happier with. If I remain content with the type of results I’ve just described, I’m not going to be very proud of my final product when the car is complete. There are several ways to fix this, I just haven’t decided which way yet.

This thread could eventually become quite popular in terms of providing examples of what NOT to do.

[buttsjim]

It’s been a long time since I’ve posted anything, and I haven’t done much, what with the holidays, a bout with covid, and a bunch of other activities. I finally got back to work this past week, starting with the fuel lines.

I decided on 3/8” copper-nickle alloy for the hard lines, black nylon rubber hose for the flexible portions, and compression AN fittings to put it all together. That combination should be good to at least 300 psi, plenty enough for fuel injection. However, don’t ask me why I chose compression fittings—I’ve never gotten along well with them, and I had the capability to make the 37 degree AN flares (I bought the Eastwood tool several years ago for his specific purpose, so ???). Rather than a permanently mounted pressure gauge, I added a Schrader valve to the supply line, and used the clips suggested by Mike Bray (earlier in this thread) to fasten it to the chassis.

I used a small in-line fuel filter from Summit and had planned on mounting it with the same type of roll bar clamp that Papa used on his. However, that size clamp wasn’t available, and I decided I didn’t need it anyway. Instead, I fit a piece of 1” square aluminum tubing into the unused chassis bracket over the rear wheel, fastened with 3/16” rivets, and used that as a mounting block for hose clamps on either side of the filter. The block provides a sturdy mounting for the filter and the lines, and the filter is easily assessable over the rear wheel.



I ran the hard lines to the engine bay just like everyone else. I’m not super happy with the way the lines look in the engine bay—they should be closer together and more parallel—so I may try and adjust them a bit. Later, maybe.

IMG]https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=199636&d=1716331515[/IMG]

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=199635&d=1716331515

For those interested in gory details, I experienced quite a lot of self-inflicted frustration when fabricating the hard lines and ended up doing them twice. After bending and fitting the first set, I found that the compression fittings didn’t fit over the tubing because the tubing wasn’t perfectly round; the diameter varied from about .352” to .394” when measuring around the tube. I spent a good 30 minutes carefully sanding down the high spots and finally got the fitting to fit, but the completed fuel line wouldn’t hold pressure—not for one second. So, that proud effort was a big fail.

I didn’t realize it at the time, but I had flattened the tubing using my vise mounted tubing straightener, by slightly over tightening the vise to get the tubing as straight as possible. But, blaming the tubing, rather than myself, I ordered another 25’ roll, and was just starting to make the same mistake again, when I realized what I was doing. After a good slap to the forehead, I backed off on the straightening pressure, and ended up with a pretty good set of lines. I tested the new ones with about 90 psi, and didn’t have any bubbles when I submerged them, so I called it all good and installed them. I really like the look of the black nylon rubber flexible lines, and will use those to finish the system when the motor goes in.

Edit: the flexible lines are not rubber as stated, but steel reinforced nitrile, rated for ethanol.

[460.465USMC]

It might be one step forward, one step back at times. But, progress nonetheless. :) I, too, like the black lines. Nice option.

[Fman]

Looking good! One question for you are those black nylon braided hoses PTFE?

[buttsjim]

Looking good! One question for you are those black nylon braided hoses PTFE?

Thanks! Those lines are NOT PTFE--they're rubber. Plenty good for fuel injection, but not brakes or power steering. Besides liking their look, I thought that they'd be more flexible, and a tiny bit easier to work with. And cheaper. By the way, your thread has been very helpful to me.

[Mike.Bray]

Thanks! Those lines are NOT PTFE--they're rubber. Plenty good for fuel injection, but not brakes or power steering. Besides liking their look, I thought that they'd be more flexible, and a tiny bit easier to work with. And cheaper. By the way, your thread has been very helpful to me.

If you're going to run pump gas you definitely want PTFE lined hoses.

[buttsjim]

If you're going to run pump gas you definitely want PTFE lined hoses.

I will be running pump gas, and the car will be driven regularly. I don't understand why I would need teflon, so could you explain? Now's the time for me to make the change, if that's what I need to do. Thanks for your input/advice!

Jim B

[buttsjim]

I will be running pump gas, and the car will be driven regularly. I don't understand why I would need teflon, so could you explain? Now's the time for me to make the change, if that's what I need to do. Thanks for your input/advice!

Jim B

Oh....ethanol, I bet. I think this hose is ok based on Summit's description (I used the term "rubber" too loosely--it's steel reinforced nitrile), but I'm checking with Summit to be sure.

Edit: Summit replied, it's rated for ethanol and methanol.

[Mike.Bray]

Yep, it's almost impossible to buy pump gas without ethanol in it these days. Almost all hose manufacturers like Earl's are going to recommend PTFE lined for pump gas. I used Hot Rod Fuel Hose (https://hotrodfuelhose.com/) for my fuel lines and have been very happy with it. PTFE lined, good quality, and a fair price.

[buttsjim]

Yep, it's almost impossible to buy pump gas without ethanol in it these days. Almost all hose manufacturers like Earl's are going to recommend PTFE lined for pump gas. I used Hot Rod Fuel Hose (https://hotrodfuelhose.com/) for my fuel lines and have been very happy with it. PTFE lined, good quality, and a fair price.

Yeah, I know that PTFE is best. That's what I had planned, but when it came time to order, I went a completely different route. I think the extra cost of the PTFE compatible fittings, the higher cost of the hose, and the better flexibility of the nylon/nitrite were the main reasons. By the way, your workmanship on your Cobra is outstanding, and I really appreciate having someone with your skills looking over my shoulder.

[Mike.Bray]

I think the extra cost of the PTFE compatible fittings, the higher cost of the hose

I never was one to cut corners when building cars, I always strived to "do it right" as my engineering mind told me to. Especially with these FFR cars that are basically street legal race cars with more power to weight than anything you've probably ever driven. In any build there are two areas I would never never even consider cutting corners, brakes and fuel. Brakes for obvious reasons. Fuel lines as a bad one can burn your car down and possibly you with it. Non-compatible hoses can start to deteriorate and clog your fuel filter, regulator, and injectors. It's just not the place to try and save a buck to me.

These are from Hot Rod Fuel Hose
https://www.imagecoast.com/images/MichaelBray1/20220707100003mediumrotated.jpg

[buttsjim]

I never was one to cut corners when building cars, I always strived to "do it right" as my engineering mind told me to. Especially with these FFR cars that are basically street legal race cars with more power to weight than anything you've probably ever driven. In any build there are two areas I would never never even consider cutting corners, brakes and fuel. Brakes for obvious reasons. Fuel lines as a bad one can burn your car down and possibly you with it. Non-compatible hoses can start to deteriorate and clog your fuel filter, regulator, and injectors. It's just not the place to try and save a buck to me.

These are from Hot Rod Fuel Hose
https://www.imagecoast.com/images/MichaelBray1/20220707100003mediumrotated.jpg

Thanks again. I understand and agree completely with what you're saying, but the hose I'm using is high quality (Summit 240620B) and compatible--it's just that the PTFE is even better. However, I like your hose (and everything else you've done!), and will check it out. It would require new hose AND fittings, but at this stage, that's not too big a deal.

One thing I try to keep in mind is that I love to second guess myself, and know that if I take a shortcut now--even a perfectly acceptable one--I'll second guess myself later because I'll think that I don't have as good a finished product that I could have otherwise (hope that makes sense). So, it might be worth the additional effort/expense to bring the fuel system up a notch, just for personal satisfaction.

Again, I really appreciate you (and others on this forum) looking over my shoulder. I'm a decent mechanic, but a build like this where lots of planning, decisions and design are required is a first for me, so your advice is extremely helpful.

[Mike.Bray]

Summit says your hose is E85 compatible but "PTFE is better". Interesting comment.

[buttsjim]

Summit says your hose is E85 compatible but "PTFE is better". Interesting comment.

Well, now that you mention it, that is an interesting comment. My interpretation is that the PTFE is virtually indestructible whereas the nitrile will eventually wear out.
Funny thing, I'm seriously considering your reccomendation for a completely different reason than the PTFE vs nitrile issue. I hate that I chose compression AN fittings (I really can't explain why) rather than flared. Flared fittings seem like a much more solid/reliable mechanical connection to me, and I would be a lot more confident/comfortable had I used flared. I'm contemplating changing to those, even though I'll probably have to re-do my entire fuel line assembly. Converting to PTFE hose would make that a more worthwhile effort. And, as you suggested earlier, the PTFE is more appropriate for the car.
I'm just about convinced.
Do you ever come to San Antonio? You've got a place to stay if you do, which I'll trade you for free advice.

[Mike.Bray]

My brake lines are stainless with 37 degree flares and AN fittings. I bought 3/8" stainless tubing for the hard fuel lines and it wasn't annealed enough and kept splitting when I tried to flare it. I ended up using AN compression fittings (https://www.summitracing.com/parts/EAR-AT165106ERL) from Earl's and they're working fine. They're rated at 250 PSI which is about 5 times what an EFI fuel system operates at.

Be careful what you wish for, I do get the SA occasionally.

[buttsjim]

I bought my tires the week before Christmas—the Nitto NT555 G2. I had planned on getting them later in the spring, but I saw that they disappeared off Tire Rack, and became concerned that they were being discontinued. However, they were available through Discount Tire (now an affiliate of Tire Rack), and reasonably priced. The sales and labor staff got a pretty big kick out of them due to their size (even though my wheels are “only” 17’s instead of 18s) and the brand new wheels that I brought to mount them on. I’m extremely happy with how they look, and they feel nice and soft and grippy (no picture—everyone knows what a tire looks like). Now that they’re on the Cobra, it’s starting to look like a real car. I’m still a long way from making “vroom—vroom” noises, but having wheels sure seems like a big step towards the big day

[buttsjim]

I like the look of the FF5 fluid reservoirs, so I decided to use three of those (I found my third reservoir in the “for sale” section of this forum) for my brake and clutch fluids instead of an aftermarket product. I made a bracket from 1/16” aluminum, and overlapped the cannisters’ clamps to try and make the assembly as compact as possible. I attached a length of 1” aluminum angle under the ¾” chassis tube, and then used two rows of 3/16” rivets to attach the bracket to the chassis tube and to the aluminum angle—it’s very sturdy. I used 6mm rivnuts and allen head bolts to attach the reservoir clamps to the bracket. I measure 11” from the footbox to the front end of the bracket (or, 22” from the front crossmember), so it should fit nicely. I mounted the backing plate to be parallel with the 4" chassis tube - I see now that it would have looked a bit better if I'd mounted flush with the 3/4" member, and made my reservoir clamps parallel with the 4" tube, but I'm happy with it. I'm not sure if the reservoirs are level with one another in this picture, but they are now. The rear most reservoir is for the rear brakes, the middle one for the front brakes, and the foremost one is for the clutch--easy for me to keep straight.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=179710&d=1676072131

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=179712&d=1676072131

I had purchased nice brass bulkhead fittings to bring the fluid lines into the footbox. However, I just couldn’t justify drilling 3 more holes when I already had that big unused hole already there. So, I made this little cover plate (I used the scrap that I cut from the .090” firewall for the heater), drilled a hole for each hose, and ran them straight through without the bulkhead fittings.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=179701&d=1676072079

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=179711&d=1676072131

I still don’t have my clutch master cylinder, so the rest of this assembly is on hold until I have all the pieces. I re-did my brake pressure lines, because I hated the way I originally had them. The front’s still the same as I previously posted, but I took out the coils going into the master cylinder. I Rre-ran the rear line down the inside of the footbox to an AN Bulkhead Elbow, then along the 4” member (those pics didn’t come out), and up to the ¾” crossmember.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=179709&d=1676072131

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=179706&d=1676072113

After mounting my tires, it was obvious that I’d made a poor choice for my original location for the flexible brake line brackets, so I moved those outward. Finally, I replaced the NiCu line that I’d previously used with the FF5 supplied lines. I had originally wanted to avoid using a coupling, but I’m decidedly happier with the way I have it now, and the coupling will be easy to reach in case of a leak. The copper line was nice, but I just didn’t like the concept of using one type of material for the front line, and another for the rear, when it was all part of the same system. I could have changed the front to copper, but I like the look and hardness of the steel lines better. So, that was that. The NiCu wasn’t a complete waste—I used it to make templates before bending the FF5 supplied line. I also used the CuNi as a temporary hard line from the master cylinders to the reservoirs when I did my bench bleeding, so I got a bit of limited use from it.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=179707&d=1676072113

[460.465USMC]

Hi Jim. I like your cover plate. Turned out real nice. In hindsight, I would have placed my clutch reservoir in the same spot as you. At the time I was concerned about clearance. Mine is on my firewall, and will be more than a little inconvenient to reach now that I see it with the body on. Good choice on your part.

[buttsjim]

Hi Jim. I like your cover plate. Turned out real nice. In hindsight, I would have placed my clutch reservoir in the same spot as you. At the time I was concerned about clearance. Mine is on my firewall, and will be more than a little inconvenient to reach now that I see it with the body on. Good choice on your part.

Thanks Chris--your comments are always very encouraging, and much appreciated.

[dherrenbruck]

Jim, this reminded me of some great advice I received from Mike Yager of MidAmerican Motors 15 years ago when I did my first frame off restoration on a 72 corvette. He said "when doing a build or restoration, don't have a budget or time frame because you'll blow right thru both of them and become frustrated". And I took his advice and it worked well since both happened. I'm enjoying reading your blog since I'm looking to order a MK4 this week. David

[buttsjim]

Jim, this reminded me of some great advice I received from Mike Yager of MidAmerican Motors 15 years ago when I did my first frame off restoration on a 72 corvette. He said "when doing a build or restoration, don't have a budget or time frame because you'll blow right thru both of them and become frustrated". And I took his advice and it worked well since both happened. I'm enjoying reading your blog since I'm looking to order a MK4 this week. David

Thanks, David! Good luck with your order, and upcoming build--your Corvette experience will serve you very well with the Cobra. I'm finding that there's a huge difference between being a "pretty good mechanic", simply diagnosing and replacing parts, and being a "builder", which takes a lot of forethought and careful planning--your prior experience will be extremely helpful in that regard. I don't have that experience, and it's constantly biting me in the butt. I'm looking forward to following your build.

[buttsjim]

My brakes were bled, and I thought I was done with them until the go kart stage (please add that thought to my list of bad assumptions). After 4 rounds of bleeding, I had a nice hard pedal, without a trace of mushiness. So, I re-mounted my rear wheels, only to make a heartbreaking discovery—the flex line ferrules coming from the banjo fittings rubbed against the wheels. (I have the FFR 17” wheels and optional 13” FFR Mustang brakes). I was able to correct the left side by simply rotating the fitting, but the ferrule on the right side slanted straight up into the wheel, enough so that it dug in and scratched. I attempted to gently (really!) reduce the upward angle by tapping the ferrule down with a plastic mallet, but the fitting started to separate just when I was starting to make progress. Pumping the brake pedal confirmed that my tapping had created a minor leak at the ferrule.

So now the questions, and there are many. First, I can’t figure out what size banjo bolt I have—I think it’s an M10x1.5, but it could just as easily be a 3/8” coarse thread. Does anyone know? Wrenches are no help—both my 14mm and 9/16” wrenches fit the bolt head equally well. So, what size line do I need? Or, maybe since it’s sealed by the crush washers, it doesn't matter, and either a 10mm or 3/8” will work (that’s another question). And, where can I find the flex line I need—a 20” line with a straight ferrule and (I think), a 10mm banjo bolt. As an alternate to finding a different style line, has anyone ever mounted the FFR supplied line with the ferrule upside down? It seems like that might work. Maybe I routed my lines poorly and that’s the problem; I ran them from the ¾” crossmember, behind the shock, to the caliper. Maybe I should have run them in front of the shock to the 3” member that the roll bars mount on? Any opinions on that? Finally, even if I get the required clearance for the wheels, I’m only a quarter inch away from my rear springs—is that enough?

Any advice is deeply appreciated. This is a small item, but leaky brakes is a critical issue that I need to resolve. And, I don't want my brake lines getting tangled up in my suspension. Thanks!

[460.465USMC]

Hi Jim. Sorry to read about your disappointing discovery. In my build, try as I might to plan well, unexpected stuff still happens. I'm not using banjo style connections as my brakes are Wilwood. I'm pretty sure I still have the banjo connections on the flexible braided lines that came with my kit. If these would be helpful to you, happy to send them your way (no charge).

[buttsjim]

Hi Jim. Sorry to read about your disappointing discovery. In my build, try as I might to plan well, unexpected stuff still happens. I'm not using banjo style connections as my brakes are Wilwood. I'm pretty sure I still have the banjo connections on the flexible braided lines that came with my kit. If these would be helpful to you, happy to send them your way (no charge).

Thanks for the offer, Chris. I found some lines on Summit with straight ferrules, that will work perfectly, and I'm going to order those.
I'm enjoying following your body fitment, and it's going to be a great reference for me, one of these days!

[buttsjim]

Ain't she purty? It's Blueprint's injected 347 with the TKX. I took delivery before going to work this morning, and couldn't resist taking a peak at it before leaving. I'll uncrate it when I get home this evening, and check it over. Looking from the top, I didn't see any damage, and judging from the way it's crated I don't think there'll be any.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=180421&d=1677093205

450 HP and 430 ftlb ought to be about enough. I'm very pleased with those numbers--they're higher than I was expecting. I opted for the .68:1 fifth gear, which will be plenty strong enough (for me, anyway) with that torque curve.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=180420&d=1677093205

I'm not ready for the engine. It was scheduled for April delivery (not complaining!), but came early. I'm still fiddling with my e-brake, and haven't even started my wiring, so I'm not sure if I should put it in yet. I don't think it would be in the way if I installed it, but I'm suddenly feeling like I'm trying to rush things. However, it's currently sitting in my wife's parking space, and will create a diplomatic crisis if I don't do something with it pretty soon.

[buttsjim]

I reversed the manual’s instructions when mounting the handle assembly. I placed the front bracket above the chassis mount and on the inside of the handle, and the rear bracket below its mount. I also cut just a tiny bit of the tunnel aluminum. Finally, I trimmed a bit off the short “L” on the anchor bolt to avoid it snagging on the carpet.



I considered running the cables per the manual and gluing a small sheet of Teflon on the 4” member to protect them from friction, but instead I borrowed from Edward B, Sunshine Garage and John Ibele, to end up with something like Fman’s result (nothing new under the sun, etc., etc.). The pulley I used required a 5/16” axle—I didn’t like the idea of drilling a hole that large in the chassis’ ¾” tube, so I used John Ibeles’ design for a bracket that I could rivet in place. Then, to gain a little extra clearance, I bolted extensions onto the brake handle’s lever arms, ala Sunshine Garage. I couldn’t source the Lokar clevis/cable clamp, so I made one from ½” aluminum bar stock (actually, I made 4—two ¾” stock and two ½” stock—before I was completely happy with the bar thickness and cable hole spacing).

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=199680&d=1716398481

When installed, the cables lined up at least an inch to the left of the brake handle’s lever arm. I tried to correct that by moving the pulley to the opposite side of my mounting bracket, but that location caused the cables to rub against the ¾” chassis tube. So, I took everything back out and re-worked the handle assembly with a spacer in the rod end’s proper position and the lever extensions and rod end all attached to the bracket's left side, instead of being centered. That gained me half an inch, and I let the rod end’s heim joint compensate for the remainder. I’m tempted to make a different cable clamp (#5!) with both of the cables run on the left side of the clamp and the threaded rod on the right (instead of centered), as an experiment. Doing so would line everything up just right, but I suspect that such an offset layout might create too much bending stress on everything. It’d be an interesting experiment though.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=180965&d=1677683611

I ended up with two clicks total movement to lock my wheels, but with a very hard pull. I probably doubled the resistance with the extensions that I put on the lever arms (I think Fman took his back off for that reason), but some of that tightness might be due to the mis-alignment that I described. I’ve never noticed this in anybody else’s threads, but I can’t see where I’ve done anything wrong, other than my method for moving the handle away from the transmission tunnel. I’d appreciate any comments on that. Absent any suggestions for fixing or improving what I’ve done, I’m calling the job complete, and moving on to wiring.

[buttsjim]

By the way, I think the Lokar clamps might not be availale anymore. I'll mail my trial cable clamps (my first attempt went into the trash when I broke my tap in the last set screw hole, and I couldn't extract it) if anybody wants one. I'm not a machinist (obviously!) but they are servicable. They already have 4mm set screws installed, and the hole for the threaded rod is tapped to 1/4" - 28, same as the FF5 supplied rod end. PM me if you want one, and I'll pay postage (I'm not generous, it's just easier that way).

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=180963&d=1677682646

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=180962&d=1677682646

[Blitzboy54]

Enjoying following along with your build. I have no specific comment ither than keep up the good work.

[buttsjim]

Enjoying following along with your build. I have no specific comment ither than keep up the good work.

Thanks! It's very reassuring - and important - to know that experienced builders are looking over my shoulder!

[buttsjim]

Is this mounting tab on the TKX used for anything? There's interference between it and my e-brake mounting bracket, so that I can't align the transmission mount properly. I want to cut the tab off, but need to be sure the tab is unnecessary. I noted that the instruction manual said to cut off a mounting "boss" (but not on the TKX), but the boss that they showed was dirctly under the shift lever. This tab is about 8 or 10 inches forward of that point. I think that I can cut it off, but can someone with experience confirm it? Thanks!

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=181042&d=1677858417

[Blitzboy54]

No it's not used on the Cobra. Feel free to cut it off. It's what a lot of us did.

[buttsjim]

No it's not used on the Cobra. Feel free to cut it off. It's what a lot of us did.

Great, that's what I thought, but it's good to be sure. Thanks!

[buttsjim]

Although I wasn’t quite ready, I went ahead and put my engine in the chassis last week, and torqued all the mount fasteners. However, it’ll be quite a while before first start, because I’m not ready to do the wiring, throttle linkage, cooling system, etc. Also, I want to have an operational clutch before starting it, and I still don’t have my clutch master cylinder.

I had some friends lined up to help, but I ended up doing it by myself. The crated engine was sitting in my wife’s spot in the garage, so we had to leave her car outside. Wouldn’t you know it—the first hail storm we’ve had in maybe two years, picked that week to attack. Luckily, we got by with a medium dent in the roof and a small dent in a chrome strip (my last car to be attacked by hail was totaled!), but since more hail was expected the next night, I needed to do something.

So, out came the hoist, and in went the motor. Once I had the chassis positioned (I put the back about 16” higher than the front), the leveler attached, and the hoist ready, it took about 40 minutes to get it in. The only problems I experienced were that I had to remove the radiator to get the hoist close enough, and it took a bit of coaxing to get the left side motor mount into its slot in the chassis. A little bit of firm shoving took care of the latter. Once in place, I had some self-inflicted glitches getting all the fasteners torqued but, all in all, I think I had it all done in a little less than 3 hours, spent over a couple of days.

At least I thought I was done—I had forgotten to attach the grounding strap to the mount, so a bolt needed to come back out for that. I was a little concerned when I removed it, thinking the motor might shift, but I had no idea it would shift the way it did—when I pulled the bolt free, the motor gave a mighty “pop” and rotated at least half an inch counterclockwise. I couldn’t even see the mounting hole in the block, much less start the bolt back in. When originally mounting the motor, I didn’t tighten any fasteners until the motor was completely free of the hoist, so I don’t understand how I ended up with so much tension. Hopefully, that’s corrected now—I backed off all the remaining fasteners about a quarter inch, brought the hoist back out, and got everything to line up using very slight pressure. So, now I have a car with a motor that’s hopefully tension-free, and ready for all its accesories.

My photography skills are horrible, and these pictures don’t show how good the motor looks, sitting where it belongs. I’m quite happy with it, except for a very minor issue with a fitting on the power steering pump.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=181575&d=1678891282

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=181576&d=1678891282

[seagull81]

The Cobra is coming along really well considering all the missing parts. I may have missed it, but have you done the modification for the quick Jack or Overrider modification? If you don't you have to drop the tank to get the bolts in.
I hope to see you at the TCC Spring Meet in a couple of weeks.

[buttsjim]

Thanks, Steve. Yep, I did the "Kleiner Mod" way back, when I was looking for stuff to do. The TCC Spring Meet would be a great opportunity to get involved in the Cobra community. I'm not sure if I can make it, but I hope so!

[460.465USMC]

Sorry to hear about your wife's car, Jim. What unfortunate timing.

Congrats on getting your motor installed. I remember what a good feeling it is to see it in place. Did you put in the transmission as well, or is that coming later?

[buttsjim]

Sorry to hear about your wife's car, Jim. What unfortunate timing.

Congrats on getting your motor installed. I remember what a good feeling it is to see it in place. Did you put in the transmission as well, or is that coming later?

Thanks, Chris. I was dissappointed about her car, since we had just bought it (used, but in perfect condition). But, I knew it could have been much worse, so I really did consider us to be lucky. Years ago, my 20 year-old perfect-condition RX-7 Turbo was totalled by baseball-size hail (reported by the news as such) while I was traveling to Shepard AFB. I finished the trip with huge dents, broken windows and windshield, and a broken heart for my dearly beloved. So, yep, we were lucky.

I put the engine and transmission in as a unit. The self-inflicted issues I had mentioned encountering all had to do with getting the transmission properly situated, mostly because of interference with the emergency brake brackets, which took some sawing and grinding. I put the driveshaft in the next day, so I now have a complete drivetrain. But, I'm a long, long way from first-starting or go-karting.

[John Ibele]

Nice progress and a nice looking car taking shape, Jim. You won't regret having put the engine in and backing it out to do the wiring. It's a great chance to see what the space looks like, and where you're best off putting the wiring from battery to main cutoff and / or bus bar, and also to the starter. It looks like you have a Sniper sitting under that painters tape ... you'll want to think ahead so that you have the power wires for the Sniper going down to the battery as well. I had most of that scoped out pretty well before putting the engine in the first and only time, but I did have to sneak the Sniper wires down to the battery. Nothing's easy in that arena once the engine is in.

[buttsjim]

Nice progress and a nice looking car taking shape, Jim. You won't regret having put the engine in and backing it out to do the wiring. It's a great chance to see what the space looks like, and where you're best off putting the wiring from battery to main cutoff and / or bus bar, and also to the starter. It looks like you have a Sniper sitting under that painters tape ... you'll want to think ahead so that you have the power wires for the Sniper going down to the battery as well. I had most of that scoped out pretty well before putting the engine in the first and only time, but I did have to sneak the Sniper wires down to the battery. Nothing's easy in that arena once the engine is in.

Thanks, John! That's a great compliment coming from you, as I think your car is going to be stunning. I am stealing so many of your ideas and designs!

I was hoping to leave the motor in; in fact, I've put the driveshaft in, and was planning on installing my headers this week. Based on what you've said here, I guess I'll wait on the headers, and focus on my wiring. Between the Ron Francis instructions, the Blueprint wiring guidance, the Sniper instructions, Mark Reynolds' battery instructions, and everything I've read on this site, I am just totally confused, and have been stalling that phase of the project.

I'm really enjoying following your build, and looking forward to seeing your finished Cobra!

[John Ibele]

Thanks, John! That's a great compliment coming from you, as I think your car is going to be stunning. I am stealing so many of your ideas and designs!

I was hoping to leave the motor in; in fact, I've put the driveshaft in, and was planning on installing my headers this week. Based on what you've said here, I guess I'll wait on the headers, and focus on my wiring. Between the Russ Francis instructions, the Blueprint wiring guidance, the Sniper instructions, Mark Reynolds' battery instructions, and everything I've read on this site, I am just totally confused, and have been stalling that phase of the project.

I'm really enjoying following your build, and looking forward to seeing your finished Cobra!

Thanks for the kind comments ... but at the same time, remember I've got a grand total of 3/4 of a car built. Lots of others out there with more experience who may comment. And I always like to remind myself that there's often way more than one right way to do things. Having said that ... the way I did my wiring from battery up to starter, main cutoff, and bus wouldn't have been possible with the engine in. Similarly, I can't imagine putting the battery box in place without the room to move around standing in the engine bay.

I understand the comments about putting off wiring! I'm more mechanically inclined, and I didn't look forward to the wiring part. But as with anything, you steadily get better the more you do it, and fortunately it's tough to make big mistakes that are hard to correct. And once you get the hang of it, it can be kind of fun. Part of the trick is to take it step at a time. You don't need to understand it all at once, just the little bit you're doing now. And fortunately, if you test each circuit when you're done with it, you get immediate feedback and the satisfaction that comes when the test is successful. Spoken by a guy who recently was overwhelmed by the whole thing, and can remember the feeling.

Perhaps a few comments about order of only the items you mentioned will help.

It's just fine having the harnesses in now, as the order in the manual calls for. In fact it's a great way to start to visualize how everything is going to come together.
While the manual order is generally fine, if you have a front battery location you'll have some wiring that's hard to do after the engine is in place. Best to do it before the engine is in (or think about how you're going to work around that, and decide if it's worth it).

Get the Breeze battery box in place, and for that matter, the battery. That will tell you exactly where your large cables need to start / terminate.
Lay out your wiring that goes low on the frame that will be inaccessible with the engine in place. This should include anything mentioned by BP or Sniper regarding things that need to be connected directly to the battery (I don't know about BP, but Sniper has a few wires that should go directly there).
Know where your ground straps are going to go. I go from battery straight to the frame, and from there to the engine, with a separate strap from frame to starter motor mount. Many other options work.
Decide if you're going to take power to the starter post, main cutoff switch, straight to the remote solenoid (few do this anymore and I wouldn't recommend it) or to a bus bar (many do this, I did).


Then you're back to the order in the manual. Drop the engine / drivetrain in.
Tackle main wiring detailed in the Ron Francis manual. I wired the dash harness into my dash while it was on my workbench, tested everything I could there, then mounted it in the car.
With the dash wired and in place and the engine in, you're in a great spot to connect the final wires up to sensors on the engine so the gauges work.
And lastly, the Sniper wiring gets completed. These last two steps can go together since everything's accessible atop the engine.

It may have just been me, but somehow it helped to remind myself that every wire has a 'from' and a 'to' (pretty profound, I know...). When I got stuck, I found I often didn't have both of those clearly identified and in front of me on the car. Once I did, I knew what I was doing. You can apply this thinking to every single wire in the wiring diagram (and eventually you will, and will be done).

As always, use what helps here, and apologies for the rest of the needless rambling :rolleyes:

Good luck!

[buttsjim]

As always, use what helps here, and apologies for the rest of the needless rambling :rolleyes:

Good luck!

It all helps...thanks!

I don't think well in the abstract--I do much better with things that I can see and touch. Therefore, having the engine in the chassis is pretty essential for me to be able to tie everything in with it. I hope to leave it in permanently but if it has to come out, it will have paid big dividends for the effort to put it in and take it out.

The Breeze battery box and battery are both in place so installing them isn't a problem. I'll trial route all the wires to their proper locations, and hopefull I'll have room to do so without having to pull the motor. I bought the buss bar recommended by EdwardB, but I have no idea what I'm going to do with it (the Blueprint guidance seems to want direct dedicated power to everything, and recommend against a buss bar for anything to do with the Sniper). I have a traditional solenoid mounted on the starter--the buss bar will probably be helpful with that as I think 3 large wires go there.

It's great advice to do one item at a time, test it, and move on, and I'm going to try and exercise the discipline to do so (once I get going, I tend to want to do everything at once). Likewise, everything else that you've stated--I'm probably going to do all that you've suggested. Right now, I'm just laying the harnesses out to visualize everything, and I'm re-reading all the various sources of instruction--I want the Sniper and Blueprint guidance firmly in the back of my mind while I'm wiring the Ron Francis harness so that I don't do something with item A that totally screws up what I need to do with item B.

Thanks again for looking over my shoulder and all that advice--it won't be wasted!

Jim B

[buttsjim]

I waited until the motor was in before installing Forte’s throttle linkage. It took a bit of fiddling, but I ended up with great pedal feel, and the ideal (for me) ratio of throttle plate to pedal movement. I have the 0.09” firewall, which provided a solid mounting with no additional bracing necessary.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=181885&d=1679404375
(I think that little bit of slope in the pivot shaft is an illusion)

I had a couple of issues (as always). I couldn’t use the bronze bushing I bought for running the pivot shaft into the pedal box. The idea was the pivot shaft into the bushing, the bushing into a grommet, and the grommet into the pedal box. Everything fit and it looked nice, but the pedal box wall was at too much of an angle to the pivot shaft. I had tried to size the hole and grommet to provide some leeway for this; the sizing helped to line everything up, but the forced alignment put too much pressure on the pivot shaft so that it didn’t rotate freely. I might have reduced that pressure with a bigger hole and grommet, but I didn’t want to keep drilling bigger holes, and then have it still not work. So, I just went with the pivot shaft in the grommet without any bushing. I smeared tire mounting compound in the grommet to eliminate friction, and I think it will last a while.

When all was assembled, I checked clearances in the footbox, and found that the lever arm couldn’t fully open the throttle without hitting the footbox cover. Why? I don’t know. I mounted the pivot shaft assembly about 1-1/4 inches above the 2x2 frame member—to mount it any lower I would have had to discard or file down the large washers provided for the inside of the firewall, so I’m not sure why the clearance issue (these types of issues always make me wonder what the heck I’m doing wrong).

The best fix I could see was to get the hacksaw and lop the top off the lever arm.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=181884&d=1679404375

When I finished with the top-lopping, I tapped one side of its slot and used a 4mm screw and a spacer to maintain some sort of structural integrity. It’s not pretty, and not as “good as new”, but it’s solid, and it works well. The finished linkage has a smooth action and great feel to it, and I like it.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=181883&d=1679404375
(that's the jamb nut visible on the left side of the lever arm (which is now tight)--not part of the 4mm screw which is cut flush with the lever arm. (with my photography skills, a word is worth a thousand pictures).

[buttsjim]

The electrical connector on my Pro M fuel pump hanger was installed backwards by the manufacturer. I had started laying out my electrical harnesses, and thought that I’d go ahead and make the sending unit and fuel pump connections. This was my stopping point for the day, as it wasn’t a happy moment.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=181930&d=1679492356

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=181931&d=1679492356

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=181932&d=1679492356

It's a lesson learned: don't take good workmanship for granted, regardless of the supplier—everything needs to be checked out and, the sooner the better!

By the way, these pictures reminded me of another lesson learned. My gas tank appears dirty in the pictures, but it isn't. I once wiped it off with a cloth that had a bit of lacquer thinner in it, and this was the result--no paint!

[egchewy79]

shortening the rod between the pedal and linkage might have allowed you to rotate the arm inside the footbox down a bit, preventing the need to cut off the top. however, what's done is done and if it works, that's all that matters.
did you file a flat spot for the set screw in the arm? I ended up drilling and placing a roll pin in the lever after I was able to get the lever to slip with some firm pedal pressure. if you use a roll pin, leave a portion out on the footbox side in case you ever need to disassemble the linkage. trying to tap out a roll pin upside down in a finished car doesn't sound like fun.

[buttsjim]

Hmmm...I expect you're right, since no one else has had to cut their lever arm down. I tried a lot of different combinations of pedal location (forgot to mentiion that I have the Russ Thompson gas pedal, which works great with this linkage), lever arm angle, and rod lengths, and this combo worked best without hitting the footbox, firewall or chassis members. I played with things a bit after discovering the clearance issue, and decided that the lever arm would have to be in an almost horizontal position in order to get the required clearance. I didn't think the linkage would work smoothly in that configuration.

I hadn't thought of the lever arms slipping on the pivot rod. Filing a flat spot would be easy, but my setup doesn't use set screws; what you're seeing in the picture is the threaded end of a clamping screw--maybe Forte switched to that design because of slippage issues. I'll have to use roll pins. Forte provided two tiny diameter roll pins with the kit, I guess for this very purpose. And you're right--now's the time to do it. Thanks!

[egchewy79]

get a cobalt tipped bit, slow speeds, constant pressure, and plenty of cutting oil. drilling through the stainless steel rod is a bit of an adventure. you'll know when you get through the other side when the small chips of metal become a long thin ribbon of aluminum again.

[buttsjim]

It seems like it would be good practice to remove the unused hot rod wiring from the harness, but I'm not sure of the ramifications. I assume that I'd need to remove the bundle from its conduit in order to pull the uneeded wires without disrupting the rest of the bundle. Do others normally do this? Or do you just tie that portion of the harness back as instructed in the manual? Likewise, there're other unused wires in other harnesses, that could probably be removed. Is doing so worthwhile--or is it overly anal? I'd appreciate some opinions regarding this.

[460.465USMC]

Hi Jim. I'm just a novice, but I removed the hot rod wiring, as well as pretty much all unused wires and connections. Same for the Coyote harnesses, which I know don't apply to you. I liked the idea of having a "cleaner" wiring install. It also frees up precious space behind the dash. I'm sure the way the manual shows will work okay. It was just a preference for me. It definitely added time to my wiring phase, but maybe, just maybe if I need to troubleshoot a wiring gremlin someday, my efforts will pay off. I think this puts me in the overly anal camp. :p

[Fman]

It seems like it would be good practice to remove the unused hot rod wiring from the harness, but I'm not sure of the ramifications. I assume that I'd need to remove the bundle from its conduit in order to pull the uneeded wires without disrupting the rest of the bundle. Do others normally do this? Or do you just tie that portion of the harness back as instructed in the manual? Likewise, there're other unused wires in other harnesses, that could probably be removed. Is doing so worthwhile--or is it overly anal? I'd appreciate some opinions regarding this.

I left all the existing wiring and just covered the connection up with gorilla tape. Not the best looking results but I was afraid of screwing something up removing wires. Definitely a cleaner look doing it like 460.465USMC, I just did not trust my dieting skills ;)

[edwardb]

It seems like it would be good practice to remove the unused hot rod wiring from the harness, but I'm not sure of the ramifications. I assume that I'd need to remove the bundle from its conduit in order to pull the uneeded wires without disrupting the rest of the bundle. Do others normally do this? Or do you just tie that portion of the harness back as instructed in the manual? Likewise, there're other unused wires in other harnesses, that could probably be removed. Is doing so worthwhile--or is it overly anal? I'd appreciate some opinions regarding this.

The hot rod connector and related wiring can be removed without affecting anything else. Just make sure to do it properly because those are live wires. If you look at the schematic you can see that they're parallel connections to other active wires in the harness. You can cut them off where they enter the harness. Or you can strip back the convolute and get at or near the source. I don't recommend the latter unless you're 100% confident of what you're doing. Make the wire cuts offset (so none are possible to touch the end of another) and cover the ends with shrink sleeving (ideal) or electrical tape. As for other unused wires, unless you're really pressed for space, I'd probably leave them alone unless you're comfortable reading the schematic and understand exactly what they are. The RF harness is a decent fit for the Roadster and unless you're really packing things behind the dash, fits without too much effort. It's a little different for the Coupe, and quite a bit different for the Hot Rod and Truck. But that's a different story.

[buttsjim]

You can cut them off where they enter the harness. Or you can strip back the convolute and get at or near the source. I don't recommend the latter unless you're 100% confident of what you're doing. ... The RF harness is a decent fit for the Roadster and unless you're really packing things behind the dash, fits without too much effort.

Thanks everyone for your advice--it's just what I was seeking. I think I'm going with Paul's suggestion to stagger cut the hot rod wires, and leave the rest alone. Thanks again for your inputs!

[John Ibele]

It's a lesson learned: don't take good workmanship for granted, regardless of the supplier—everything needs to be checked out and, the sooner the better!

It's good you're onto this early in your build. When I started this project years ago I had never run across the term 'blueprinting' before. It takes time to verify proper operation of each component, and very few have the tools and expertise to test absolutely everything before they put it on the car. But it's worth the time to test what you can, verify proper operation and setup, and often, improve what came out of the box before you put it on the car. While it takes time, it sure saves headaches later when everything has to work at once, on demand.

[buttsjim]

I was removing the 3 ground wires from my RF sensor harness, with the thought of grounding them near the fuse box. I wanted to lighten the bundle going to the engine compartment, in order to redirect a couple of other wires into that bundle. I found that the 3 wires I wanted to remove actually tied into 1 wire of the same guage coming from the connector. I can understand finding 3 wires from the connector going into one to the ground point, but not vice-versa. It seems to me that once I establish a good clean ground, it would be adequate for all three wires, but the fact that RF has split that single ground into 3 branches tells me that establishing 3 separate grounds is important. Is this correct? Thanks for any and all advice regarding this, as I'm probably going to run into the same situation elsewhere.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=183009&d=1681515420

[F500guy]

probably for reliability. I have not seen the harness, electrically it would not matter unless there is reason to put one on the engine, and a couple on the frame at different points to ensure there is always a ground and not single point.

[buttsjim]

probably for reliability. I have not seen the harness, electrically it would not matter unless there is reason to put one on the engine, and a couple on the frame at different points to ensure there is always a ground and not single point.

Thanks for that, and it's kind of what I was thinking. However, it just occurred to me that the harness might be done this way to provide for sensors that have two terminals (12V and ground), rather than being grounded by the sensor body. That would make sense, assuming there are such sensors.

[edwardb]

Both answers are correct. Multiple grounds for reliability (how many threads end with a solution "bad ground"?) and to have grounds for sensors if required. I wouldn't remove anything until you're positive to have everything covered. Older versions of the RF harness had IMO (and others) minimal ground connections. The latest ones are much better.

[buttsjim]

Both answers are correct. Multiple grounds for reliability (how many threads end with a solution "bad ground"?) and to have grounds for sensors if required. I wouldn't remove anything until you're positive to have everything covered. Older versions of the RF harness had IMO (and others) minimal ground connections. The latest ones are much better.

Thanks, Paul. My original thought was to ground all three of those wires at a single point near the fuse box. Seeing that all three went back to a single wire gave me second thoughts about that idea. My plan is fine if the reason for the split is to accomodate sensors with two terminals, but not if the split is there for reliability. I still plan to remove the ground wires from the sensor harness tubing, but will come up with a grounding method that ensures long-term reliability. Thanks again--I really appreciate your checking out my thread and offering your advice.

[buttsjim]

My goodness, it’s been forever since I’ve been on this forum, either to post, or to read about anyone else’s progress. Likewise, I’ve done very little on the car, and I’m not a whole lot farther along than when I last posted. I haven’t spent much time on the Cobra and when I do, my efforts are random—I seem to spend 95% of my time thinking and looking, and 5% actually accomplishing anything, so no progress. In April, I was on an easy schedule to attempt my first start on Memorial Day—I not only missed that target, but I’m still at least a month away. Indecisiveness, frustration, confusion, apathy, low energy, time, and competing priorities are to blame. Not to mention that I’m lazy. And now, due to a job change, I’m only home on weekends, so I’m having to squeeze in my Cobra work amongst a zillion things to do around the house.

When I quit on the Cobra, I was about halfway done with the wiring. Now that I’ve picked it back up, I see that I’ve forgotten where I was going with my wiring plan, so I’m having to learn that all over again. As a result, I’ve just been doing a little wiring at a time and completing other tasks while I think about the wiring. This picture gives an overview of my progress to date (it’s a mess). I’ll try and catch this thread up with a few posts re-capping what I’ve done to get there without going into a lot of detail, which would make for extremely long and boring posts. I’ll try to describe it in the same order in which I did the work.


https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=188611&d=1691711830

[buttsjim]

I received a replacement for my faulty Pro M hanger (see post #95) and installed it. I was irked by Pro M’s indifference to having sent out an obviously defective part and then making me pay to return it, but they replaced it promptly, and it’s now all back together and properly wired. I used Perm Seal butt connectors for the pump wiring, as they’re highly recommended on this forum. By the way, for all other permanent wire connections, I’m using heat shrink butt connectors that have the low temp solder ring, and I’m using Weather Packs for everything that needs to be dis-connectable (I think I just made that word up). The butt connectors are strong (I can’t pull them apart), and have a very low resistance, and the Weather Packs are fun to assemble, and they provide a secure connection. I’m happy with both of those items.

I’ve installed my Gas-N headers and, like always, I encountered a few problems. The most time-consuming issue was aligning the bolt holes in the header flanges with those in the heads. Georgie warned in the instructions to make sure all the bolts would thread in before installing the engine. I did this, but wanting to grind the minimum metal from the flanges, I got the bolts to where they would just barely fit in. Well, this didn’t work with the engine in the chassis—there was one bolt on each bank that just refused to thread in easily. Not wanting to strip/cross the threads in the heads, I was super cautious, and ended up trial fitting each side 3 or 4 times before finally grinding away enough of the flange to get all the bolts to thread in easily. Then, there was a problem with the numbers 1 and 8 spark plugs; there wasn’t enough clearance to get a socket on them, so I had to grind away even more of the flanges to get a halfway decent shot at the plugs. I ground away as much as I dared on the flange, and then ground down the end of a thin wall spark plug socket and drilled out its inner plug retainer to make it wobble. The modified socket did the trick.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=188610&d=1691711830

Georgie provided all necessary gaskets and hardware, but I decided to go with Remflex gaskets and, because I’d ground so much off the header flanges, I opted for an ARP header bolt set that came with thick washers, rather than using the set provided by Georgie.

My first trial fit of the headers showed that my plug wires were contacting them, so I decided to use heat wrap. I hated to cover those beautiful headers but decided I preferred ugliness to melted plug wires. I’d never used heat wrap before, but it wasn’t difficult, although I think I could have done a nicer job with a little 20/20 hindsight. Nevertheless, I’m satisfied.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=188609&d=1691711830

I was also concerned that the headers were only about two inches away from where my hard fuel lines from the tank connect to the flex lines to the Sniper. I put a bit more bend in the hard lines to move them a couple more inches away, but they’re still closer than I’d like. I might need to put some sort of shielding over them.

[buttsjim]

Here's some more work that I did in April (I'm catching up my thread):

I received my steering wheel from FFR in April, so I assembled my Russ Thompson steering mod and checked it all out—it fit, but the dash didn’t (more on that later). I will be using the turn signal stalk to dim my headlights, and bought the relays for that, but haven’t wired them yet. I made a little hoop to go over the steering column, so that the wiring harness would lay on that instead of the column. I cut an arc along that blue Sharpie line to give the harness a bit more breathing room. And, that glob of silicone is now gone. I need to start removing silicone before taking pictures, instead of afterwards. I get rid of all the residue after it hardens, but I think my pictures give a bad impression.


https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=188717&d=1691880819

Now the dash—I didn’t properly do my homework before ordering my kit, and assumed that the dash would be blank since that was what I’d seen in the forum threads I’d been reading. I was a little disappointed to receive a dash with all the cutouts already made, but decided it wasn’t a big deal since I didn’t have a clear idea/preference of how I wanted my layout anyway. However, the factory cutout for the tach interfered with the ¾” tubing in that area, and the oval hole for the steering column was too low. I fixed both issues by extending the oval ½” upward, and filling in a ½” at its bottom, which allowed me to lower the dash to its proper location.


https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=188719&d=1691880819

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=188718&d=1691880819


I need to drill a few holes for the toggle switches and make a decision on my heater control before starting to cover the dash. The heater control is an issue, as it’s ugly and doesn’t match with the headlight switch. I could hide it facing downward at a 45* angle in a lower dash brace, but this puts a severe bend in the cable making it hard to open and close the heater valve. So, I need to decide between looks or functionality.

I made two braces to support the lower part of the dash, and brackets to connect the grab handle to the 3” square tube. I also JB Welded a backing plate to the dash for the ignition and headlight switches because I didn’t like the way they fit in their pre-drilled holes.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=188720&d=1691880819

[460.465USMC]

Welcome back, Jim. Good to read you are able to get in a little build time here and there. I like the hoop you made to protect the wiring from contacting the upper steering shaft. Nice!

[buttsjim]

Welcome back, Jim. Good to read you are able to get in a little build time here and there. I like the hoop you made to protect the wiring from contacting the upper steering shaft. Nice!

Thanks Chris...you're always so encouraging! I hadn't been on the forum for several months, but will be catching up on your thread later today.

[buttsjim]

Catching up (April Tasks)
I mounted a buss bar and the Sniper fuel pump relays near the center of the firewall in the engine bay. My electrical power runs from the battery to the cutoff switch inside the cockpit, and then back out to the buss, from where it’s distributed. I had a 10 pin connector from the Sniper in that area that had only one wire, so I cut that connector off and replaced it with a single pin Weather Pack. I’m trying hard to get a clean look in the engine bay, but this area looks nasty. Some people have a knack for doing nice clean wiring jobs, but my knack is for making a rat’s nest out of a two-wire circuit.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=188761&d=1691975263

I liked the oil pressure and water temperature sending units and wiring that came with the gauges, so I opted to use those instead of the Ron Francis wiring for those items. I stripped the appropriate RF wires and pins from the harness and ran the gauge wires under the intake manifold to their respective sending units. I checked with Dan Golub about this alternative and was told that others had done the same, so I don’t anticipate any problems with it. This is a horrible picture but you can sorta-kinda see the wire to the water temp sensor, as well as the two wires to the coil. The wire to the oil pressure sensor is there as well, but I don’t think you can really see it.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=188760&d=1691975263

I finally received my long-awaited clutch master cylinder from FFR, so my final task in April was to install it and run the hard line. I routed the line from the MC to the front of the foot box, then down and over to the transmission tunnel, where I used a 4AN bulkhead elbow fitting for the flexible line to the clutch. Looking at it today, I don’t remember why I have the line so far out from the footbox panel—it doesn’t interfere with my pedal movement or foot space, but it will be awkward when it comes time to install the carpeting. I remember the comedian Red Skelton once saying after a bad joke, “I just do ‘em, I don’t explain ‘em!”, and sometimes I think that should be my mantra with this project. Regardless, I’m loving it.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=188758&d=1691975263

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=188757&d=1691975263

[buttsjim]

I accomplished a variety of small tasks in May. In the wiring arena, I have it in my notes that I modified my rear harness to plug in my fuel pump and fuel level sender. I don’t remember why I did this, what I did, or if it was even necessary, but I must have done it because it’s in my notes. I also extended the Sniper power wire to enable it to run along the 4” chassis member to the battery a little more neatly. I installed my master cutoff switch onto a lower dashboard bracket that I’d made, and as mentioned earlier, brought my power into the switch, and then back out to the buss. I ended that month’s electrical work by installing battery terminals that I found on Amazon. These terminals have multiple inputs—both for large gauge and smaller gauge wires, so I used most of them. As a result, I have lots of redundancy, such as two power wires for the Sniper (both connecting to the exact same place) and multiple grounds for the negative side. It’s probably silly, useless overkill, but I had the means to do it, so I did. Sometimes when you do stuff like that you just create more opportunities for things to go wrong, but I don’t think that’s the case in this instance.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=189003&d=1692304744


I had some trouble with the power steering lines. I was expecting 20-minutes to complete this task, but it took several days before I had them in and, I’m still not confident that the return fitting won’t leak. I had a fit getting that fitting to fit, and I just don’t understand it. The high-pressure line took about 5 minutes, and it was done. But the fitting that I had for the return port wouldn’t even turn in a full turn. I took a picture and sent it to Dan G at FFR, and he provided the fitting specifications. I ordered that fitting to be sure I had the right one but nope, it didn’t fit either. I then spent hours looking through my kit parts for a fitting that would fit and found nothing in the parts provided with the kit. Eventually, I tried an AN conversion fitting that I’d mistakenly purchased for some reason, and it was close, turning in about 4 turns (I don’t remember what type of fitting the non-AN side was. I thought this fitting would work, but since it didn’t screw in very far, I had clearance issues above it. I tapered the bottom 1/4” of the fitting so that those first few threads wouldn’t engage tightly (only those threads at the top portion of the fitting would engage), which allowed me to turn it all the way in. So, it’s in, it’s tight, and it looks like it’s supposed to look, but there’s a fair chance that it will leak—I think the pressure gets up to about 100 psi on the suction side of the system, so the opportunity is there. If it leaks, I’ll have to pull the rack and take it to a machine shop. We’ll see.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=189006&d=1692304744

[egchewy79]

I received a replacement for my faulty Pro M hanger (see post #95) and installed it. I was irked by Pro M’s indifference to having sent out an obviously defective part and then making me pay to return it, but they replaced it promptly, and it’s now all back together and properly wired. I used Perm Seal butt connectors for the pump wiring, as they’re highly recommended on this forum. By the way, for all other permanent wire connections, I’m using heat shrink butt connectors that have the low temp solder ring, and I’m using Weather Packs for everything that needs to be dis-connectable (I think I just made that word up). The butt connectors are strong (I can’t pull them apart), and have a very low resistance, and the Weather Packs are fun to assemble, and they provide a secure connection. I’m happy with both of those items.

I’ve installed my Gas-N headers and, like always, I encountered a few problems. The most time-consuming issue was aligning the bolt holes in the header flanges with those in the heads. Georgie warned in the instructions to make sure all the bolts would thread in before installing the engine. I did this, but wanting to grind the minimum metal from the flanges, I got the bolts to where they would just barely fit in. Well, this didn’t work with the engine in the chassis—there was one bolt on each bank that just refused to thread in easily. Not wanting to strip/cross the threads in the heads, I was super cautious, and ended up trial fitting each side 3 or 4 times before finally grinding away enough of the flange to get all the bolts to thread in easily. Then, there was a problem with the numbers 1 and 8 spark plugs; there wasn’t enough clearance to get a socket on them, so I had to grind away even more of the flanges to get a halfway decent shot at the plugs. I ground away as much as I dared on the flange, and then ground down the end of a thin wall spark plug socket and drilled out its inner plug retainer to make it wobble. The modified socket did the trick.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=188610&d=1691711830

Georgie provided all necessary gaskets and hardware, but I decided to go with Remflex gaskets and, because I’d ground so much off the header flanges, I opted for an ARP header bolt set that came with thick washers, rather than using the set provided by Georgie.

My first trial fit of the headers showed that my plug wires were contacting them, so I decided to use heat wrap. I hated to cover those beautiful headers but decided I preferred ugliness to melted plug wires. I’d never used heat wrap before, but it wasn’t difficult, although I think I could have done a nicer job with a little 20/20 hindsight. Nevertheless, I’m satisfied.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=188609&d=1691711830

I was also concerned that the headers were only about two inches away from where my hard fuel lines from the tank connect to the flex lines to the Sniper. I put a bit more bend in the hard lines to move them a couple more inches away, but they’re still closer than I’d like. I might need to put some sort of shielding over them.

FYI, I bought some heat retardant boots that fit over the spark plug wires that shields them from the headers. Just in case you want to show off your Gas-N ones.

[buttsjim]

FYI, I bought some heat retardant boots that fit over the spark plug wires that shields them from the headers. Just in case you want to show off your Gas-N ones.

Thanks! I'd be very interested in the heat retardant boots. Can you post the info?

[egchewy79]

amazon....
https://www.amazon.com/JDMSPEED-Black-Shield-Protector-Sleeve/dp/B01HMAGPMW/ref=sr_1_2_sspa?crid=6Y39QLB0J3R5&keywords=spark%2Bplug%2Bboots&qid=1692318393&sprefix=spark%2Bplug%2Bboots%2Caps%2C108&sr=8-2-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGY&th=1

[buttsjim]

I regret ordering the heater with my kit, and further regret immediately doing the cut-out for it in the firewall. The heater and hoses clutter up the engine bay, the heater cabinet is very cheaply made, the control looks cheap and is hard to locate, and I really don’t need the thing in the first place. If I hadn’t made the cut-out in the firewall, I could have not installed it, and tried to sell it. But the holes in the firewall committed me, so I made the best of it.

The heater fan assembly attaches to the coil housing through the firewall using 6 small sheet metal screws screwed into 1/16” plastic. I didn’t trust that, so I put small strips of metal with riv-nuts inside the coil housing and used small button head screws to hold the two halves together. It looks nice, and it’s much stronger.

I had a self-inflicted adventure with the heater coil. I thought that the two ½” tubes from the coil (the stub-outs that connect to the aluminum 90* elbows) should be staggered, and I didn’t anticipate any problems in making them that way. I’ve sweated lots of plumbing fittings—I’d learned how to properly do it in high school many years ago; I’d never had one to leak, and this job looked like more of the same. My plan was to cut a couple of inches off the outboard stub-out, de-solder the fitting from the portion I’d cut off, and then solder that fitting back to the shortened stub out from the coil. Easy-peasy, I thought, but apparently there’s a pretty low limit to my plumbing expertise—I couldn’t de-solder the fitting! I had it red hot using a MAAP torch but never fazed the soldering, which must have actually been welding. As a backup, I could have cut a short section from the middle of the stub-out, and then rejoined the two pieces with a half inch coupling. However, I’d used vise grips trying to separate the tubing from the fitting and deformed it beyond any hope of reusing. I went through all my plumbing parts looking for a replacement fitting but couldn’t find anything that was compatible to the one on the elbow. The next day I managed to walk into Ferguson’s Plumbing Supply when only the counterman was there, so we spent a good 20 minutes going through the aisles looking for the perfect fit. A 5/8” MIP came very close—it threaded, but it didn’t seem like a firm fit until it was screwed all the way in. Luckily, that joint seals with an “O” ring, so I went with the 5/8” MIP, and put in a thicker “O” ring to ensure a good seal. I also used multiple layers of Teflon tape on the threads to tighten up the joint as much as possible (I’m using Teflon tape on all my water connections, and Permatex Thread Sealant on everything else). I’m very sure the joint won’t leak, but it might not remain tight if vibrations are present once the car is started. It’s another wait and see situation. The picture shows the aluminum elbows after staggering, but check out the wires coming from the fan motor—that’s the way it came and it's what I’m talking about when I say the heater seems cheaply made.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=189004&d=1692304744

[buttsjim]

I didn’t do much during the month of June. I cut my hole for the cubby (5 by 17), and permanently riveted the trunk sheet metal, and the cockpit rear wall. You might recall from an earlier post that I made the cuts for my Russ Thompson drop trunk backwards. It was good to get everything riveted in place, and it all looks fine now, and is plenty solid. By the way, I used an air saw to cut the cubby, and it’s amazing to me how easy it is to make perfectly straight cuts with that tool. I think it’s a great addition to the tool box, especially when it comes time for the body trimming (assuming that time ever comes).

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=189063&d=1692468647

I attached heat shields on the outside of my footbox panels to reduce some of the heat from the headers coming into the cockpit. I used Design Engineering non-adhesive heat and sound insulation, and it was easy to work with. I have some big, heavy-duty scissors that cut through it easily, so it was just a matter of making the templates, transferring those to the heat barrier, and then cutting along the lines (I remember old Miss McCombs telling our 4th grade class, way back when, that boys didn’t know how to use scissors and couldn’t cut along the dotted lines the way that the girls could, but I sure proved her wrong here. Except for the one I measured wrong. I’d send Miss McCombs one of the panels just to show her, but she’s been dead the last 40 years and probably doesn’t care (sorry...that was a short trip down memory lane)). I cut the barrier a half inch bigger all the way around and stripped the insulation from that half inch strip, so that I could fold the barrier back on itself to have a clean, solid edge. Then I used Gorilla spray glue to temporarily hold the material in place on the panel before finally making it permanent with rivets through the folded-back border. All in all, it was a straight-forward task that went quickly. I had previously finished those panels with a satin finish and Shark Hide, and I was happy with that look, but I like the new look just about as well. Plus, it's much more functional. Ignore all those scraps of silicone in my pictures, and silicone that's oozing out of the joints. I let it harden and go back later with a razor, and it peels right off. However, I seem to take all my pictures before doing so.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=189062&d=1692468647

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=189061&d=1692468647

That was it for June—no wonder I’m making slow progress!

[buttsjim]

July was another do-little month. I live north of San Antonio, and since last May I’ve been working in Corpus Christi, TX, so I’m only home on week-ends (I have a 10-hour/4-day work schedule, so that helps a bit). I drive home to SA on Friday thinking I’m going to spend all day Saturday working on the Cobra, but then I’m lucky to get 2 hours to work on it—there’s just too much other stuff that needs doing. In the past, I made my best progress working on the car for an hour or two each evening, rather than trying to spend all day on it. Now that I can no longer work on it in the evenings, it’s really slowed me down.

Nevertheless, I completed my cooling system in July, and attempted to finalize my clutch. Both jobs were a little problematic.

First, the cooling system. I started my heater circuit with 90* elbows, taking the supply from the port behind the thermostat and the return back to water pump. I got the elbows (ACDelco Professional 16198M from Amazon) and joined them to my Evil Energy heater hoses using ICT Billet 5/8” hose repair couplings, also from Amazon. I had to cut quite a bit off the short end of the elbows to reduce their height and avoid them kinking at the bend. The hose from the coupling to the heater might be a little long, but I wanted a straight run going into the fittings on the heater, so I settled for what you see in the picture in Post #110. I intend to support the heater hoses with a bracket from the firewall, so that the valve is horizontal. It's okay the way it is, but I don't like the way it looks.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=189488&d=1693275104

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=189485&d=1693275104


I borrowed from YamaBro (thanks Frank, if you’re reading this) for my upper and lower radiator hoses, and used his exact design. It works very well, although it looks like I have a minor kink in the upper hose (see Post #110). I think the right combination of twisting at the joints might eliminate that, but if there’s room under the hood, I can just raise the hose a tad to pull out the kink. However, I don’t think there’s any problem with it being just the way it is. For my filler, I used a Moroso 63730 radiator hose filler. I’m not very impressed with the casting quality of this piece considering the price (43 bucks!), but it’ll do. Finally, I put the heater valve in the heater’s supply hose, connected the hoses to the heater fittings and ran the control cable into the cockpit. I haven’t decided where to mount the heater control/switch, so it’s just dangling around at this point.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=189487&d=1693275104


I thought I was done, but when I filled my system with coolant and pressure tested, I discovered this:

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=189493&d=1693276157

I hated the thought of draining the coolant and pulling the radiator, and really had to fight with myself to resist patching the hole with JB Weld. I emailed Dan at FFR—they had no radiators in stock, but Dan said they’d re-imburse me for getting the radiator welded. I found a shop in San Antonio that advertised aluminum welding; they welded it while I waited in the shop and did a terrific job. Luckily, I’d printed the picture of the leak and brought it with me, because the leak was so tiny, they couldn’t find it. We ended up using compressed air and spraying the leak area with Windex while I held my hands over the upper and lower fittings, so that they could locate the hole by the bubbles. Even then, they were very cautious to make sure of the hole before welding. After paying (aluminum welding is expensive—125 bucks, when I was expecting 40!) I brought the radiator home, put everything back together, re-filled, and pressurized it to 10 psi. An hour later, I still had exactly 10 psi on the gauge, so I’m calling that job complete.

As an aside, the shop I went to was run by a lady who was the great-great granddaughter of the man who started the business 103 years ago. Chatting with her in her little office, with pictures of her progenitors on the wall s surrounding us was a great experience. I love doing business with small shops like this, and this pleasure more than repaid me for the inconvenience involved.

The radiator leak was problem #1, and it was a pretty easy fix. I'm still thinking about how to deal with problem #2. After filling the hydraulic clutch, I discovered that I couldn’t properly bleed it. I first attempted to do it by myself using a one way valve in a tube immersed in clean fluid--my favorite method. When I opened the bleeder and pumped the pedal, fluid came out the top of the bleeder fitting (where the blue arrow points), in addition to flowing through the bleeder. When I pushed the clutch in, fluid came out of that area, so when I released the clutch, air went right back in. That doesn’t work. I thought I could work around the issue by using a Mity-Vac (my least favorite method) instead of pumping the pedal. This should work since I was constantly drawing a vacuum downstream of the fitting, and any air sucked in through the fitting is being pulled right back out again. The problem with this method is that I had no way of knowing when the job was complete, as I was constantly sucking in air, and constantly getting bubbles (big ones!) as a result. The system between the master and slave cylinders might be free of air, but I’d never know since I would always be getting bubbles from the air being sucked in around the fitting. Finally, I got the wife to come pump the pedal for me, and we tried the old fashioned two-person method. I’d close the bleeder while she pumped a few times, then she’d hold the pedal down while I opened and closed the bleeder, then she’d release the pedal and we’d do it all over again. This also should have worked, but we quit because every time I opened the bleeder, fluid sprayed everywhere from around the top of the fitting.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=189484&d=1693275104

In my opinion, the bleeder hose is either defective, or a bad design, and should be replaced. This is a Blueprint Engine, so I emailed their customer service, but have yet to receive a satisfactory answer. So far, their response has been to send me a link to a YouTube video on bleeding the clutch, but I don't think know-how is the issue. I love my Blueprint engine, but I’m not happy with what they’ve provided to bleed the clutch. Blueprint's FAQs state that any problems with the hydraulic clutch are almost certain to be due to improper bleeding; if so, they should provide the means for doing it properly. Blueprint seems to be very good supplier, so I'm hoping for a good follow-up to this issue. Or, if my ignorance is the problem (that's usually a pretty good bet), I'll be happy to learn something new and be corrected with the proper methodology.

[F500guy]

Jim,
I am not sure that is abnormal, I have not got to that stage but the fitting seal is the face of the bleeder port and the fitting face. As soon as the bleeder port is unscrewed, the hose is no longer sealed. In the video, the whole assembly is submersed in the fluid during the bleed, that may be why.

[buttsjim]

Jim,
I am not sure that is abnormal, I have not got to that stage but the fitting seal is the face of the bleeder port and the fitting face. As soon as the bleeder port is unscrewed, the hose is no longer sealed. In the video, the whole assembly is submersed in the fluid during the bleed, that may be why.

Thanks, and I think you're right about this being the norm for an internal slave. I've thought of using the bleeding method in the video, and will probably end up doing it that way, but I foresee making a big mess. It requires a container filled with enough fluid to submerge the entire valve assembly, and a wide mouth to allow me to get my hand or a wrench in to open and close the bleeder. Lacking 3 hands, I'm sure I'll manage to spill most of the fluid. An adapter fitting, with both the male and female threads matching the bleeder's, could be screwed in to hold the port tight when the bleeder is loosened. But I don't think there is such a fitting. At any rate, this isn't an insurmountable problem, I just think there could be a better way of doing it. One where I won't be mopping up brake fluid when I'm done.

[Mike.Bray]

I have a hydraulic throwout bearing and used a power bleeder (https://www.summitracing.com/parts/MVP-0107). Took me literally 5 minutes to bleed my clutch by myself.

[buttsjim]

I have a hydraulic throwout bearing and used a power bleeder (https://www.summitracing.com/parts/MVP-0107). Took me literally 5 minutes to bleed my clutch by myself.

That would work. You'd still get fluid leaking at that same place on the fitting, but with the constant positive pressure you'd see when all the air's out of the system. I think you may have just given me justification to feed my tool fetish. How did you adapt the power bleeder to your reservoir opening?

Your car is looking great--that blue is electrifying! I'm looking forward to seeing it all back together.

[Mike.Bray]

That would work. You'd still get fluid leaking at that same place on the fitting, but with the constant positive pressure you'd see when all the air's out of the system. I think you may have just given me justification to feed my tool fetish. How did you adapt the power bleeder to your reservoir opening?

Your car is looking great--that blue is electrifying! I'm looking forward to seeing it all back together.

My reservoir is from Scott's, I ordered a spare cap from them and drilled & tapped a 1/8" NPT in it for a hose barb.

https://www.imagecoast.com/images/MichaelBray1/20220814163325mediumrotated.jpg

[buttsjim]

My reservoir is from Scott's, I ordered a spare cap from them and drilled & tapped a 1/8" NPT in it for a hose barb.

Thanks! I think I have an extra cap that matches my reservoirs and can mod it similar to yours.

[buttsjim]

Before describing August, I forgot to mention in my April catch-up that I got my door panels from Herb, made with leather that I supplied. I wanted to state how happy I am with his product, and what an enjoyable person he is to work with. His service was very personable and very fair, so count me a very happy customer.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=189755&d=1693938433

Now, on to August. I mistakenly stated earlier that I filled and tested my coolant system and had the radiator repaired in July—that was actually done in early August, and it was the only thing I did to the car that month. I had thought that I was back to working on it in earnest, but I guess not—there’s just too many other things that need doing.

My first year anniversary with the Cobra slipped by without me noticing, so I forgot to celebrate—I received my kit on August 29, 2022. I expected to be about 2/3 or more done by now; instead, I think I’m less than halfway. According to Microsoft Excel, I’ve spent 336 hours working on the Cobra, applied 11 Band-Aids, and drunk maybe 60 or 70 beers (not tracking that last one). I’m also not tracking mistakes, temper tantrums, or cusswords. I am tracking dollars, but I’m over budget and subject to blackmail, so I’m keeping that number to myself. At the rate I’m going, I’ll have about 750 hours in the car before bodywork.

Some reminiscing:

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=189753&d=1693938433

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=189754&d=1693938433

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=189756&d=1693938433

Ignore the messy garage, as it doesn't always look that way--in fact, it's at least ten times that messy now. Maybe worse.

I have high hopes for this weekend. My wife’s in Rhode Island helping my daughter, so I have the whole house and the whole weekend to myself. I’d plan on two twelve hour days but, frankly, 2 or 3 hours per day working on the Cobra is all I seem to have the energy for. Nevertheless, I hope to get a good re-boot working on it, and to see some progress. Cross your fingers for me.

[Mike.Bray]

I have a spreadsheet where I track everything I've purchased along with the cost. And I have a second one with adjusted costs I'm willing to show my wife:) Basically the decimal point is shifted one place over.

[buttsjim]

I have a spreadsheet where I track everything I've purchased along with the cost. And I have a second one with adjusted costs I'm willing to show my wife:) Basically the decimal point is shifted one place over.


Well, I'm already convinced that you're an outstanding engineer/builder/mechanic; now I see that you're also a brilliant accountant!

[buttsjim]

I haven’t posted for a while, but I’m still making very slow progress on the Cobra because I’m only able to spend 4 or 5 hours a week working on it. As a result, I don’t seem to have time to dig into any big jobs, and just end up doing odds and ends.

Here’s a question: looking at my outside trunk panels, in the area above the rear suspension, there are rectangular gaps, maybe a ½” wide by 5 inches long (stating from memory). Should I be making patches for these gaps, or will they get fixed, or somehow come into play later? Thanks for any and all inputs!

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=190479&d=1695774251

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=190480&d=1695774251

Now. I had cut the hole for my cubby some time ago, but last weekend I finished the cubby by placing its rear wall and adding the corner braces. The metal seems a little flexible towards the middle of the car, but I think this will get stiffened once I’ve added the carpet, which will be on both sides of that rear panel. Before doing the cubby, I cut and added side panels for the upper trunk, just as I’ve seen so many others on this forum do.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=190483&d=1695774279

I patched all the openings in my drop trunk, and covered all the seams with aluminum tape. The drop trunk looks pretty ugly, partly because of the aluminum tape, but mostly because it's installed backwards, which required an interesting array of rivets. I'll be glad when it's all covered! I also started patching the holes in the foot boxes, and will tape those as well. I used a light in the foot boxes to shine through the openings so that I could spot them all (there were a lot less than I was expecting). I’ll be using Thermo-Tec Cool-It for heat/sound protection, which will provide the final seal, but I want to be sure that the underside of that product remains dry.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=190478&d=1695774251

I’ve seen different ways of mounting the fuel sender and fuel pump covers, and different looks for doing so, but I decided to keep it simple. I used #10 by ½” sheet metal screws to mount them directly in place, and will cover them with the carpet. I’ll use Velcro, instead of glue, to fasten the carpets in those two areas so that it can be easily pulled up for service. I made a rubber gasket for each cover plate from an old inner tube to make sure that everything will be water tight.

And, I finally bled my clutch (see post #122) and made a couple of discoveries that others might find useful. This time around, I went with Mike Bray’s suggestion and used a power bleeder. I had used a Motive Products’ power bleeder on a BMW’s brakes some years ago, deemed it not worth the trouble, and got rid of it (that’s just my personal experience/opinion—if you check out the reviews on Amazon, people have excellent success with that product). This time I thought I’d try a different brand, and went with one called SmotivePro: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B095JYYQ2P?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details .

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=190482&d=1695774279

I like it—it has a quick disconnect on the reservoir fitting, so that the tubing doesn’t get all twisted around, and then—surprise of surprises—the reservoir fitting actually screwed straight onto my reservoir without modification (discovery number 1)!

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=190481&d=1695774279

After hooking everything up and pressurizing, I opened the bleeder fitting, and got the huge mess of brake fluid that I was expecting (much more fluid came out around the top of the fitting than through the tube into the bleeder bottle). Nevertheless, I donned my life preserver, ignored the rising level of brake fluid all around me, and persevered till the job was complete.

Later while cleaning up, I tried to blow the remaining fluid from the bleeder tube into the bleeder bottle, and discovered that the one-way valve I was using had some serious back pressure, such that I could barely blow through it (yes, it was facing the right direction). That was discovery number 2—excessive back pressure from the one-way valve had been causing the huge mess from the top of the bleeder fitting. Seeing this, I took the valve out (it was redundant, anyway) and went back under the car for one more bleed, just to make sure, and this time I got no air bubbles (as before), and a whole lot less mess. So, my bleeding trouble was yet another (semi) self-inflicted problem. But it’s done now, and I’m moving on.

By the way, while bleeding the BMW I mentioned earlier, I’d filled the Motive Products bleeder with fluid, per the instructions, and didn’t like having to clean the power bleeder after the job was otherwise complete (one reason why it wasn’t worth the trouble). This time around, I didn’t put fluid in the power bleeder--I just used it for pressure, which had the drawback of requiring me to remove the reservoir cap periodically to top up the fluid. I definitely recommend the latter method, as no cleaning was required when the job was complete.

That’s it for the last couple of weeks. I hope to do better this weekend. The hold-up on finishing my wiring and moving on to the first start is my dashboard and gauges. I should have finished that 3 months ago, but just haven’t had the inclination to do it (I really don’t know why). That’s my objective for this weekend--I doubt I’ll finish it complete with upholstery, but I do hope to at least get it set up and test-wired. Cross your fingers for me, and I’ll try not to cross my wires.

[Blitzboy54]

July was another do-little month. I live north of San Antonio, and since last May I’ve been working in Corpus Christi, TX, so I’m only home on week-ends (I have a 10-hour/4-day work schedule, so that helps a bit). I drive home to SA on Friday thinking I’m going to spend all day Saturday working on the Cobra, but then I’m lucky to get 2 hours to work on it—there’s just too much other stuff that needs doing. In the past, I made my best progress working on the car for an hour or two each evening, rather than trying to spend all day on it. Now that I can no longer work on it in the evenings, it’s really slowed me down.

Nevertheless, I completed my cooling system in July, and attempted to finalize my clutch. Both jobs were a little problematic.

First, the cooling system. I started my heater circuit with 90* elbows, taking the supply from the port behind the thermostat and the return back to water pump. I got the elbows (ACDelco Professional 16198M from Amazon) and joined them to my Evil Energy heater hoses using ICT Billet 5/8” hose repair couplings, also from Amazon. I had to cut quite a bit off the short end of the elbows to reduce their height and avoid them kinking at the bend. The hose from the coupling to the heater might be a little long, but I wanted a straight run going into the fittings on the heater, so I settled for what you see in the picture in Post #110. I intend to support the heater hoses with a bracket from the firewall, so that the valve is horizontal. It's okay the way it is, but I don't like the way it looks.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=189488&d=1693275104




I hate to be the bearer of bad news but your going to have an issue with your heater core supply hose on that side of the thermostat. I originally put mine there as well. The issue is if your actually using the heater is the thermostat opens and closes regularly while you drive. Whenever it does your heat goes away. Then when you get to a stop light it will turn back on. This effectively means if your cruzing on a cool day the heat just doesn't really work. You have to tap into a spot before the thermostat unfortunately. I didn't have any open spots so instead of tapping one into the intake manifold I tee'd off the bypass that goes right to the pump.

Car is coming along nicely. Good luck

[buttsjim]

I hate to be the bearer of bad news but your going to have an issue with your heater core supply hose on that side of the thermostat. I originally put mine there as well. The issue is if your actually using the heater is the thermostat opens and closes regularly while you drive. Whenever it does your heat goes away. Then when you get to a stop light it will turn back on. This effectively means if your cruzing on a cool day the heat just doesn't really work. You have to tap into a spot before the thermostat unfortunately. I didn't have any open spots so instead of tapping one into the intake manifold I tee'd off the bypass that goes right to the pump.

Car is coming along nicely. Good luck

Thanks! Your news isn't too bad--I'd wondered about that issue when I was considering that port, but decided that there must be a reason for it's being there. Although I'm sure I'll experience the issue you've described, I think I'm going to leave it as is for now and wait and see what happens. I'm not convinced that I even need the heater in the first place, and if the port does turn out to be a problem, it'll be just as easy to modify it after the car's built. Thank you for looking over my shoulder--I need all the help I can get!

[460.465USMC]

Here’s a question: looking at my outside trunk panels, in the area above the rear suspension, there are rectangular gaps, maybe a ½” wide by 5 inches long (stating from memory). Should I be making patches for these gaps, or will they get fixed, or somehow come into play later? Thanks for any and all inputs!

Hi Jim. Keep plugging away. I probably sound like a broken record, but I found even small amounts of time in the garage really added to some progress over time.

I decided to seal those gaps along the side trunk panels you pointed out above. I used Dynatron seam sealer (https://www.amazon.com/550-Permanently-Fast-Skinning-Non-Staining-Non-Sagging/dp/B005RNFBMC/ref=asc_df_B005RNFBMC/?tag=&linkCode=df0&hvadid=312174029912&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=2144651711404110518&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9033787&hvtargid=pla-569861758010&ref=&adgrpid=60913153863&th=1), as suggested by JohnK on his build. I believe John said he used it previously in a marine application, so should do a good job.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=166246&d=1651771954


Once the tube was opened in addition to the trunk panels, I sealed as many areas as I could find. That stuff is really strong, and provides some rigidity to the panels as well, so used it inside the DS FB along the bottom where the panel meets the chassis tube.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=166248&d=1651771999



Now. I had cut the hole for my cubby some time ago, but last weekend I finished the cubby by placing its rear wall and adding the corner braces. The metal seems a little flexible towards the middle of the car, but I think this will get stiffened once I’ve added the carpet, which will be on both sides of that rear panel. Before doing the cubby, I cut and added side panels for the upper trunk, just as I’ve seen so many others on this forum do.

Great work, Jim. I found side projects like the upper trunk panels were some of the most rewarding parts of the build.


And, I finally bled my clutch (see post #122) and made a couple of discoveries that others might find useful. This time around, I went with Mike Bray’s suggestion and used a power bleeder.

Local builder Jim came over with his Motive power bleeder to help me bleed my Wilwood brakes and hydraulic clutch. Boy, what a great way to do it. He also didn't add brake fluid to the bleeder like you found, just air pressure to the reservoirs. Like you said, it really cut down on the cleanup afterward. One more thing checked off your list!

[buttsjim]

Thanks, Chris! I will use the Dynatron as you suggested, and seal those places. I made a nice patch for the driver's side footbox, but I think there are a lot of other small gaps where the Dynatron will be useful. I'll try to find and mark all of them before opening the tube.
Edit: After looking at your picture of the trunk area again, I see that you sealed it before adding the interior side panels. I wish I'd have thought to do the same, as it makes for a much simpler, more effective patch. My 20/20 hindsight just keeps getting better. Thanks again!

[TMartinLVNV]

Jim, I have my heater hose routed from the water neck after the t-stat. Once the motor is at full operating temp, it works fine. I've driven in 20 degree temps and heat was coming out of the vents

Just my experience.

[buttsjim]

Jim, I have my heater hose routed from the water neck after the t-stat. Once the motor is at full operating temp, it works fine. I've driven in 20 degree temps and heat was coming out of the vents

Just my experience.

Thanks Terry! Hopefully I'll get enough heat to survive the winter temps here in San Antonio!

[buttsjim]

After months of stalling I think I finally have my dash about ready for installation. The picture shows it temporarily installed-it needs to come back off to connect the dash harness wiring, which I think I have all sorted with the proper terminals, except for the headlight dimmer. I want to use the button on the end of the Russ Thompson turn signal stalk for that—I have the needed parts but need to study Russ’ wiring schematic a little bit more, and I need to decide where to put the two relays. The power/lighting wiring to the gauges is complete (only took a minute) so I just mounted the dash and the steering wheel to see what it would look like. Then I turned off the garage lights to see the gauges all lit up (using house current with a DC power supply). What a good feeling—for the very first time since starting this project I went in and told my wife, “Come look!” and puffed out my chest a little bit

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=191290&d=1697586009

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=191289&d=1697586009

I had started the dashboard three weekends ago and completed the hole drilling, mounting details and upholstery. I think I spent about 7 hours in the garage that weekend, and most of it was on the dashboard. Two weekends ago was a 4-day weekend for me and although I had great plans for the car, I didn’t spend a single minute working on it. Bah! This past weekend, I spent about 6 hours on the dashboard and got the gauges in, made a few mods, and got the wiring all figure out (but not attached).

The dashboard layout is the standard FFR version that comes with all the larger holes pre-drilled. That wasn’t what I was expecting to receive, but it’s what I got because I didn’t properly do my homework before ordering my kit. So that’s the logic for the layout that you see in the pic--it's by default.

I covered the dash with the same 1/8” foam that Edward B used on his 20th anniversary Cobra, and covered that with a cow from ebay. The leather is black, but it has a slight grey cast to it that I can’t see, but my wife notices right away. I guess you’d call the color a very dark graphite. I’m using it for the dash, the tunnel cover and the door panels, and it looks to me like it matches the leather on the seats very closely. Or, at least it complements it—I can’t tell the difference, but Deb (the wife) thinks they go together well, so it must be good.

I’m not doing a glovebox, which leaves a big blank space above the passenger grab handle. I don’t think every blank space needs to be filled, but I have a Carroll Shelby autograph decal that I’m considering for that location. He signed quite a few of the Cobras that he sold, so I think that addition might be kind of nice, assuming the decal sticks to the leather.

There aren’t too many construction details to relate. The large holes in the leather were easily cut using an Exacto knife. The smaller ones for the indicator lights and the toggle switches were much more difficult, because I couldn’t cut the full half inch out using the knife. I eventually risked using a ½” sanding drum on a dremmel tool, and that worked perfectly and almost instantly. I took another risk drilling two ¼” holes through the leather, the padding and metal on the bottom lip of the dash in order to attach to a lower mounting bracket that I’d made. I was afraid the drill bit would pull the leather loose, but it cut right through it without problem. I wiped a bit of sweat off the forehead after that one.

Rather than use the provided oval head sheet metal screws for the Mike Everson trim around the steering column, I made a backing plate and used 8-32 oval head machine screws with nylon lock nuts (I'm kind of proud of that and will provide a picture after I take the dash back off).

And finally, I thought I’d prefer visible mounting fasteners as they’d have a sort of serious, “business-like” look about them. These were 5mm flat-head Allen screws mounted in counter sunk washers, screwed into rivet nuts set in the ¾” dashboard hoop. The end result looks okay but doesn’t really have the effect that I had imagined. I’m still glad that I went that route, though, and plan to use the same method when mounting the transmission tunnel cover.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=191291&d=1697586009

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=191292&d=1697586169

I’m feeling better about my progress than I have for the last 4 months. Next weekend I will finish all wiring (and it’s about time) and test all the circuits. The following weekend, I will re-check my engine/transmission fluids, go through Blueprint Engines’ pre-start checklist, and (hopefully) accomplish my first start. Exciting times ahead!

[buttsjim]

You can’t tell by looking, but I made some more progress on my dashboard this past weekend. Pictured is the backing plate that I made for the Mark Everson steering column trim piece. I’m a bit proud of it, sure, but the reason I bring it up is because I think it’s a good idea to go this route. The dashboard sheet metal is thin, and there’s the chance that the sheet metal screws that come with the part might not hold over the long term (this car will be my daily driver (September - May) if it’s ever finished). In my case, I did so much cut and patching in this area to get the dashboard situated correctly that I was concerned about there being enough material left for the sheet metal screws to bite in to. Using a backing plate and machine screws resolved my concerns. If you’ve read all through my thread then, besides being a masochist, you also know that my suggestions always involve what not to do (i.e., my mistakes). This might be my first suggestion of what to do!

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=191530&d=1698189524

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=191531&d=1698189524

If you want the details, I marked the mounting holes from the Everson trim piece onto scrap 1/8” aluminum, drilled them, and used Mark’s provided screws to attach the scrap to a 1x8 piece of wood. Then, I used my drill press and circle cutter to cut the outer circumference, and a hole saw for the inner circle. Both the circle cutter and the hole saw use about a ¼” drill for the pilot bit, so if you keep everything mounted on the wood backing board, you can use the pilot bit hole in the wood to keep the two larger holes concentric. After cutting the circles, ten seconds with a die grinder cut the notch for the wiring, and the piece was done.

That’s a lot of words for a tiny part of the car. Moving on…

I have just about everything wired, but I’m not sure if I want this wiring effort to be my end result—after installing the dash and looking behind it, I saw a big mess. It doesn’t really matter; everything fits, and I can tie all the wiring up to prevent any rattles from the connectors hitting the firewall or the dash backside. And, everything is easily dis-connectable in case the dash needs to come out. But it’s ugly. I can make it look better and have a cleaner installation if I cut all the zip ties (including the original Ron Francis) and cut and re-route the wires more directly. But, cutting wires to make them shorter often means splicing them back together, which introduces failure points. And, it takes time, everything works fine the way it is, and I want to move on to starting the motor. I’m not sure what I’m going to do.

Keep in mind that I can only work on the car on weekends. So, on Mondays, I think about what looked fine to me the previous Saturday and start to second guess myself and think about better ways to do things. The following Saturday, I often end up modifying the previous week’s work. It makes for a slow build process, but it’s a good thing because it helps to ensure that I do things in the best way that I can. It also frustrates the heck out of me.

My first start will be either next weekend or the following, based on whether I call the wiring complete. Regardless of whether I change the wiring, I plan to remove all the electrical fuses, and then re-install them one by one to test all the associated electrical components before moving on to first start. Once I’m satisfied with the wiring, I will do the following mechanical work before my first start:
- Install the shifter
- Set the relative driveshaft and transmission angles
- Install the driveshaft safety hoop
- Install the side pipes
- Go through Blueprint Engines’ pre-start checklist
- Re-check the fluids
- Put gas in the tank
- Do whatever else I can't think of at the moment
- Cross my fingers
There’s a good chance that I can do all my wiring checks, plus my pre-start checklist next weekend, but I think it’s important not to rush that first start. This might be a true test of my patience!

[John Ibele]

Hey, good to see the progress, Jim. I can understand the occasional frustrations that come with working on the car in small chunks. When I had those (rare) big blocks of time - say, 8 hours or more - I marveled at how much I could accomplish. But persistence is the key, and it gets fueled by those periodic milestones (nice dash!).

For the wiring behind the dash, I get it. I was in that big camp that doesn't look forward to wiring, and I started with a bout of analysis paralysis. Finally got going and chewed through it all. As for the rat's nest behind the dash, I personally wouldn't prioritize that over reliable connections. Make sure you test everything and trust the connections, and make sure nothing will get disturbed or pulled apart when you put the dash in the final time. It gets crowded in there, particularly if you have heater hose going behind the dash, and don't have the firewall forward option (not sure what you have, but I had the heater hose / standard firewall combo). And, even if you've tested everything a bunch, test everything immediately before you put the dash up for the last time. Ask me how I know.

Good progress and good luck!

[John Ibele]

Keep in mind that I can only work on the car on weekends. So, on Mondays, I think about what looked fine to me the previous Saturday and start to second guess myself and think about better ways to do things. The following Saturday, I often end up modifying the previous week’s work. It makes for a slow build process, but it’s a good thing because it helps to ensure that I do things in the best way that I can. It also frustrates the heck out of me.

Been there! As have so many others! As has been said often, we probably build these cars three times over. As someone completely new to cars, that was certainly true for me. First time: no way I could live with it. Second time: that was good but I know I could do better. Third time: Sometimes good enough ...


My first start will be either next weekend or the following, based on whether I call the wiring complete. Regardless of whether I change the wiring, I plan to remove all the electrical fuses, and then re-install them one by one to test all the associated electrical components before moving on to first start. Once I’m satisfied with the wiring, I will do the following mechanical work before my first start:
- Install the shifter
- Set the relative driveshaft and transmission angles
- Install the driveshaft safety hoop
- Install the side pipes
- Go through Blueprint Engines’ pre-start checklist
- Re-check the fluids
- Put gas in the tank
- Do whatever else I can't think of at the moment
- Cross my fingers
There’s a good chance that I can do all my wiring checks, plus my pre-start checklist next weekend, but I think it’s important not to rush that first start. This might be a true test of my patience!

That's a very ambitious weekend plan - good luck!

[buttsjim]

That's a very ambitious weekend plan - good luck!

Thanks John! I have 3 day weekends, so we'll see how I do. I'm anxious to start the engine, but I don't think it'll bother me too much if I have to wait an extra week to do so. I'm definitely not going to rush it!

[buttsjim]

For the wiring behind the dash, I get it. I was in that big camp that doesn't look forward to wiring, and I started with a bout of analysis paralysis. Finally got going and chewed through it all. As for the rat's nest behind the dash, I personally wouldn't prioritize that over reliable connections. Make sure you test everything and trust the connections, and make sure nothing will get disturbed or pulled apart when you put the dash in the final time. It gets crowded in there, particularly if you have heater hose going behind the dash, and don't have the firewall forward option (not sure what you have, but I had the heater hose / standard firewall combo). And, even if you've tested everything a bunch, test everything immediately before you put the dash up for the last time. Ask me how I know. Good progress and good luck!

Thanks John! Somehow I missed this post earlier. I spent a lot of time several months back reading through the wiring-related posts for your build, and found a lot of good advice in them. I also appreciated your earlier advice to me to check every electrical component as I went. I didn't always do that because I had a lot of loose wires laying around and was concerned about accidental welding if I hooked up the battery. That's why I'm pulling all the fuses and checking each component one-by-one now.

[buttsjim]

That's a very ambitious weekend plan - good luck!

That turned out to be one heck of an understatement! I spent 6 hours working on the Cobra last weekend, and all of it on the dashboard—the same dashboard that I claimed was done in my last progress update.

Two weeks back, in my zeal to get the dashboard and gauges wired and mounted, I lost patience trying to figure out how to wire the Russ Thompson steering mod button to operate my headlight hi/lo beams, and decided to just use the toggle switch provided with the kit. Last weekend I decided to pull the dash back off, and wire the Russ Thompson switch so that I could use it (I knew I’d end up doing that).

I decided to mount the required relays to the flat metal plate that is welded under the steering column, using a plastic mounting plate that I'd fabricated. I had some heat-formable plastic (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07ZQRMRVV/ref=ppx_od_dt_b_asin_title_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1) that I'd never used before, and was surprised by the nice solid piece I ended up with. The plastic is easy to work with—I could cut and trim it with my heavy duty scissors, and it was easy to form using my heat gun. I will rivet it to the plate under the steering column, and the relays will be easily removable using a Phillips from below and an open end wrench from above.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=191791&d=1698800645

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=191789&d=1698800645

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=191790&d=1698800645

I spent an inordinate amount of time wiring and re-wiring. The wiring between the relays was straight forward, but I kept getting confused by the wiring going to the switches (ignition, headlight, and RT button) and indicator lights. It’s not exceedingly difficult, but I seem to be exceedingly slow on the uptake, and it took a while before I was sure I had it correct.

I didn’t quite finish that task—I had a couple of friends coming over that night to check out my progress, so I quit working on the wiring, and put the dash and steering wheel back on the car in order to show it all off. I’ll finish that task this coming weekend, and I hope to also check out all the wiring. The following weekend is a 4 day weekend for me, so that’s my new target for my first start.

I have a question: I received the below items from FFR with absolutely no explanation. I know from others' threads that there's a problem with the LED taillights, and suspect this is the solution... has anyone else received this package? Any ideas how to use it? Thanks!

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=191792&d=1698800645

[sasteel43]

191795

[buttsjim]

191795

Perfect--thanks!

[buttsjim]

During the past two weekends, the most recent of which was 4 days, I’ve managed to find just 5 hours to work on the Cobra. It’s frustrating. I want to update my thread, but in order to properly do that, I’d have to delete half my previous two posts because my progress has been backwards. Instead of doing that, I think I’ll just press forward with another “what not to do” post.

Two weekends back, with my dash wiring “complete” and the dash installed, I connected my battery and turned the kill switch on. The good news was that I didn’t see sparks or hear any sizzling. The bad news was that only my headlights worked. And they worked all the time, independent of the light switch. However, the button on the end of the Russ Thompson turn signal stalk did dim them properly, so I was happy with that. I only had an hour to work on the car that week, so I had to quit at this point and spend the following week brooding about what I’d done wrong.

Last weekend, I was able to reverse my negative progress, and get the situation back to neutral. While brooding the previous week, I remembered that in hooking the chassis harness to the gauge harness, things didn’t seem right, so that’s the first place I looked. Sure enough, there are male and female 10-pin connectors on the chassis harness that connect to counterparts on the dash. I had properly connected them several times previously, so I don’t know how the heck that this time, I managed to connect the two chassis connectors together, and likewise the dash—two beers certainly don’t explain that mistake. But, inexplicably, that’s exactly what I did (I have a garden tractor in my shed, and sometimes I think its best use is to pull my head out of m….well, you get the point, and there’s no other explanation). Anyway, this was an easy fix, and after correcting those shamefully incestuous connectors, everything worked properly. Except the headlights, which were still constantly on.

I thought the headlights would be a simple fix: they use red wiring for both the low beam to the headlight, and power to the switch, and I suspected that I had simply confused the two. Nope—I’d managed to get that wiring right. The next suspect was the relay wiring, which I had double, triple and quadruple-checked while putting it all together. Fifth time must be the charm—I took all the wires off the relay terminals, and then re-attached them, and voila! It all worked just as it should! Everything, and the dash is good to go!

I think I might have mis-spoke in an earlier post where I stated the wiring was complete. I still need to figure out the wiring for the parking lights and signals (and much thanks to sasteel43 for the link for that!). Then I’ll move forward to my first start checklist, with the expectation of starting the motor over the Thanksgiving holidays. Thanks for reading, and keep your fingers crossed for me.

[maclonchas]

Buttsjim,

Do not get discouraged here on the wiring install. Yes it can be frustrating as you expand the circuits and make modifications to the RF Harness. I have a separate build book an map out each circuit and identify the test points along the way to ensure I have good electrical circuit. When I try and complete too many steps before simple checks, I run into problems and get frustrated. An example is the headlights. I started with just a portable power source and checked that I had power and light at the front harness connector (used simple wag connectors to handle the multiple wires), then to the dash harness, with the switch in place, and finally the headlight switch in operation. Yes this was tedious, but it allowed me to check for continuity along the way and break up the verification checks so it felt like I was making progress. The other benefit for me was it forced me to really understand the circuits and fuse panel operation.

Hang in there. I am working on getting ready for first start also. I need to get the power steering fitting resolved for the low pressure side and then fuel checks. I also hope to be firing off this weekend.

Thanks

Bill

[KDubU]

Wiring for me was the hardest part of the build so fully understand your frustration. For some it’s easy but for those of us who are challenged in this area, it can seem like a roadblock to getting the project complete. Hang in there, ask questions as much as you can, there are no “dumb” questions.

[Mike.Bray]

The bad news was that only my headlights worked. And they worked all the time, independent of the light switch. However, the button on the end of the Russ Thompson turn signal stalk did dim them properly, so I was happy with that.

everything worked properly. Except the headlights, which were still constantly on.

Sorry Jim but this made me laugh out loud. Not at your troubles but how you phrased it. For some reason I kept thinking about John Candy in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles when he gets pulled over in that burned out car. Nothing worked but the radio, somehow it still worked lol

[John Ibele]

During the past two weekends, the most recent of which was 4 days, I’ve managed to find just 5 hours to work on the Cobra. It’s frustrating. I want to update my progress, but in order to properly do that, I’d have to delete half my previous two posts because my progress has been backwards. Instead of doing that, I think I’ll just press forward with another “what not to do” post.

You're just more open than a lot of other builders. You can see in many build threads, though. Builder is 90% done with something, and then suddenly introduces a new topic with a phrase like, "Meanwhile, I've been working on something nifty on the other end of the car ...". Dead giveaway.

[buttsjim]

Thanks, Mike. I think that keeping a good sense of humor is an essential tool for this project. I used to play with a scratch golfer who, when he hit a bad shot, would cuss, laugh, and then forget about it and focus on his next shot. I try to use that approach, but sometimes the humor doesn't hit me until after I've put the tools away. I always appreciate your comments, and am really looking forward to seeing an electrifyingly blue Cobra in the near future!
Jim B

[buttsjim]

Thanks Bill, Kyle, Mike and John for your comments and encouragements. I need to make it clear that the frustration I sometimes feel always has to do with not getting time to work on the car and my lack of progress. The work itself seldom frustrates me--it's always enjoyable!

Jim B

[buttsjim]

Buttsjim,

I need to get the power steering fitting resolved for the low pressure side and then fuel checks. I also hope to be firing off this weekend.

Bill

Interesting. I also had issues with the fitting on the low pressure side, which I described in my post #116. I wonder if your issue is the same?

[maclonchas]

Jim,

I did see your issue and that is the reason I opted for the Breeze hardware for P/S. I could have used the hoses and fittings that FFR supplied, but I was never happy about the fittings seated into the low and high pressure sides at the tank and reservoir. I did not have a problem on rack end of P/S, but rather with the return low pressure side at the reservoir. Breeze provides a 3/8" line and my 90 out of the tank happens to be a 1/2" barb. Finding that barb fitting orb or npt has been illusive for me, but I believe I should have the right one in later today.

Keep the positive mind set. Small victories are what I always shoot for and keep a list of must do's and other do's to allow me to make progress when an area is kicking my butt.

Cheers,

Bill

[buttsjim]

I don’t know whether or not I made any progress this past weekend—I can’t seem to get past the electrical portion of the build. I had expected to finish the wiring (parking lights, tail lights, signals and license plate light), but a problem popped up, and I spent all my time working on that. Adapting the LED taillights with the converter and flashers supplied by FFR was easy, and when I powered up and tested, every single item worked perfectly, including all the features of the Russ Thompson switch. Then, after about 15 seconds, I noticed that my headlights were rhythmically fading in and out. If you think of the pendulum on a grandfather clock, that’s about the rhythm at which the lights were fading in and out. Tik…tok…tik…tok. Switching the lights off and back on resulted in the same sequence: 15 seconds of constant light, and then the fading in and out.

I have a cheap analog electric meter which works great in these situations. Whereas the digital meter just constantly scrolled numbers, I could watch the needle on the analog flip back and forth with the same rhythm as the lights—in this case, between 12 and 3 volts DC. So, starting with the voltage at the Russ Thompson switch, I worked my way back and isolated the problem at the light switch FFR provided with the kit. Measuring to ground, with the harness connector attached, I got the voltage fluctuation at the terminal for the blue wire coming off the connector. When I disconnected the connector and measured at the terminal on the switch, there was no fluctuation, so either it was only happening with the circuit under load, or the connector was faulty. In order to determine between the two, I disconnected the connector and used jumpers between it and the switch. With this setup, I got the fluctuation at the switch. Now my question is, what would cause this? I can understand the switch possibly heating up and creating separation at a bad internal connection, but it seems like that would be an on-off situation rather than a voltage fluctuation.

Not sure what to do at this point, I went the lazy route and ordered a $15 light switch from Amazon. I’ll switch the switches this weekend and hope that fixes the problem. If so, I might look for a higher quality switch (assuming the low cost of the one I ordered reflects its quality). If not, I’ll temporarily quit on the electrical work and move on to the short list of mechanical work I want to do before first start. I’ll just let the electrical issue simmer in the back of my brain, and the solution will eventually dawn on me. However, I’m impatient to start making some forward progress, and hoping the replacement switch fixes the problem.

Thanks for reading, and if you have any ideas regarding this I'd sure like to hear them!

Edit: I should have mentioned that my first suspect was some sort of cross-wiring with the LED flashers, so I took them out of the circuit before further testing.

[buttsjim]

I’ll ask my question first: how much is too much drive line angle, and how much spacer under the transmission mount is too much?

I had never aligned my transmission and pinion shaft, and since I had the driveshaft safety hoop sitting around, I thought I’d do both jobs together. Starting with the alignment, I found that I’ll have to raise my transmission about 2 inches to get within an acceptable range (measuring at the harmonic balancer and the adapter plate on the pinion shaft). With no spacer, my transmission is down 3.4 degrees at the rear, and the differential is down 0.7 degrees at the front, giving me a relative angle of 4.1 degrees. I have a couple of pieces of ¾” aluminum stock which I had planned to use for a spacer: one piece reduces the relative angle to 2.8 degrees, and adding the second piece further reduces it to 1.6 degrees. I was shooting to get within a half degree, but I’ve already got 1-1/2” of spacers, and I’m still not close. I have a piece of ½” stock that I can add to get me down to about 0.7 degrees, but then I’ll have a full 2” of spacers under my transmission mount. Is this acceptable? It seems like everyone else is having to use about ¾” or so—why would I be so different? By the way, I have Blueprint’s 347 with the stock FFR mounts, and the IRS.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=192605&d=1700930487

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=192602&d=1700930487

The pictures show the placement of the two spacers (I haven’t cut them yet), and how the engine sits in the chassis with the two spacers in place. I know there are solid motor mounts available that will drop the front of the motor, and improve its angle, but I prefer not to go that route. Also, my oil pan is already exactly level with the bottom of my chassis, so lowering the motor would present more problems. Do those of you with experience with this think that the 1.6 degree angle is too much? Would adding another half inch spacer be a bad idea? I’d appreciate any advice/ideas that you can provide.

Now my progress update. I only got to work on the Cobra 4 hours this weekend, even though it was a 4 day holiday for me. I installed the replacement light switch that I mentioned in my last post, and with a minor exception, everything worked properly, confirming that the FFR switch was faulty. But just to check, I put the FFR switch back in, and the fading in and out problem re-occurred. By pressing hard on the terminal corresponding to the blue wire going to the headlights, I could alter the frequency of the fading, and the terminal was hot. Eventually, the FFR switch failed completely. The terminals on the new switch didn’t correspond to those on the FFR switch, but they were easy enough to figure out; however, I’ll need to do some more splicing to make the tail lights work correctly (presently, they work when the parking lights are on, but not when the headlights are on). It will be an easy problem to correct, but ’ve already done too much cutting and splicing in the headlight circuits, first for the RT dimming feature, and then to isolate the switch problem, and I don’t want to modify the wiring any further. Accordingly, I emailed Dan Golub at FFR and asked for a new switch. I prefer sticking with the FFR switch, but can go either way. In the picture, the FFR switch is on the bottom, and my $15 replacement switch is on the top. Likewise the diagram showing the terminal positions. My dashboard remains off the car until I hear back from FFR, and I’ll press on with mechanical work.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=192604&d=1700930487

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=192603&d=1700930487

[buttsjim]

I was able to spend 4 hours on the Cobra this past weekend, and I think I made a little progress. I finished (subject to comments from the forum) aligning my driveline according to what seemed the best compromise. As I mentioned in my previous post, my transmission was down 3.4 degrees, and my pinion shaft was down 0.7 degrees at the front (0.7 degrees up using the proper front-to-back terminology), so that my total operating angle was 4.1 degrees. My goal was to get the operating angle within 0.5 degrees—I was able to get it to 0.4 degrees by stacking three ¾” pieces of aluminum bar stock to form a 2.25” spacer. However, by doing so, the U-joint angles looked pretty severe, and the driveshaft was so high at the front that I couldn’t install the driveshaft safety hoop. The compromise solution was to remove one of my spacers and reduce the lift to 1.5”, which resulted in an operating angle of 1.4 degrees. Unless I get some “no—don’t do that!” comments from the forum, I’ll leave at that until the car is road worthy, and I see what kind of vibrations occur.

Even by reducing my spacer to 1.5”, I still had clearance issues with the driveshaft safety hoop. I resolved this by stacking two thick washers between the hoop and the bracket at each bolt. This raised the hoop about 3/16”, so that I now have ¼” clearance between the hoop and the driveshaft. I’m not sure how much up and down movement the driveshaft will experience with the IRS, but I’m hoping I’ll have no interference. If I do, I’ll probably switch to the solid motor mounts to reduce my motor height and improve the driveline geometry. But, I really don’t want to do that. The first picture shows the clearance between the hoop and the driveshaft, looking from the top. The second shows the hoop installation using the washers for spacers. I haven't read of anyone else having to do this (uh-oh!).

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=193153&d=1702263041

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=193152&d=1702263041

I received my replacement light switch from FFR and mounted it, but didn’t wire or test it. I had such a disorganized mass of wiring behind my dash, that I just couldn’t stand it any longer. I disconnected everything, removed the dash from the car, and started trimming, re-routing, and organizing the wiring to try and get some semblance of order and neatness. I ran out of time and had to quit before finishing, but I think it’s already looking better. The downside is that my first start gets pushed back yet again. And, I have to figure out how to hook everything up all over again.

I’m starting to wonder if I’ll finish the car in this lifetime.

[egchewy79]

I definitely needed spacers to raise my driveshaft loop. SBF, poly motor mounts, 3 Forte shims under trans.

[buttsjim]

I definitely needed spacers to raise my driveshaft loop. SBF, poly motor mounts, 3 Forte shims under trans.
Thanks for telling me that. It really helps to know that I'm not the Lone Stranger in dealing with these types of issues, and it's especially good to hear it from someone who's had his Cobra on the road for a while!

[buttsjim]

December was a very busy month for me, but it was a “do-nothing” month as far as the Cobra was concerned. Likewise, the first week in January. However, I think I’m back on it now and have made a little progress.

The dash is in, and everything works, including the replacement FFR light switch. An unexpected bonus of the light switch issue is that I was able to replace the heater’s knob with the one from the faulty switch, so that both knobs now match. I don’t have any pictures, but will edit this post later to add one or two.

I had chosen a poor location to mount my headlight dimming relays, because you could see everything hanging out below the dash. So, I drilled out the rivets and relocated the assembly on the chassis tube right above the chassis number.

I ordered a stick-on LED lighting strip from Amazon (there wasn’t enough in the kit) and used it for the driver and passenger foot wells, the cubby, and the trunk, with all four areas controlled by the same switch. Wiring to the cubby and the trunk was a bit of a challenge, because all the metal is permanently in place there, and it was hard to find an opening to run the wiring through. I ended up running it through the rear harness conduit and then through a tiny gap adjacent to the seat belt anchor. From there it runs in the corners up to the LED strips and will be covered by carpet.

It’s been almost a year since I put in the engine, so I removed the spark plugs and squirted oil into each of the cylinders. I waited a day, hoping that the oil would make its way to the cylinder walls, and then turned the engine over in a series of 10 second bursts with the fuel pump disconnected. I’ll do this again before attempting my first start.

I finished the weekend’s work by temporarily mounting the Gas-N Touring sidepipes—they’ll look great after I’ve removed the cling wrap. Except for several very minor tasks (such as removing the cling wrap), I’m ready to attempt my first start this coming weekend. I had plenty of time to start it this past weekend, but it was too doggone cold (any temp less than 40 qualifies as “too doggone cold” in south central Texas). Besides, I think Terry (from Las Vegas) might stop by this Friday and he can help/advise/sympathize/laugh, as appropriate.

It's good to feel like I'm finally making a little progress.

[John Ibele]

I had such a disorganized mass of wiring behind my dash, that I just couldn’t stand it any longer. I disconnected everything, removed the dash from the car, and started trimming, re-routing, and organizing the wiring to try and get some semblance of order and neatness. I ran out of time and had to quit before finishing, but I think it’s already looking better. The downside is that my first start gets pushed back yet again. And, I have to figure out how to hook everything up all over again.

I’m starting to wonder if I’ll finish the car in this lifetime.

Yep, I remember that. Including removing the dash, doing an additional round of dieting and cleanup including completely unwrapping and rewrapping the dash harness, before being satisfied. You'll get beyond it, and yes, you'll finish the car, and it'll all have been worth it ;)

[TMartinLVNV]

I stopped by Jim's house today. He has made a lot of progress. His BP 347 lives! We got it going after a little bit of troubleshooting. It was great to see him look as excited as a 9 year old in a toy store ��.

[buttsjim]

I stopped by Jim's house today. He has made a lot of progress. His BP 347 lives! We got it going after a little bit of troubleshooting. It was great to see him look as excited as a 9 year old in a toy store ��.

Terry, I'm so very glad that you came by--what a huge help you were!

To the forum: First of all, my throttle linkage had originally been perfectly adjusted (see post 94), but I hadn't pinned the levers, and they'd somehow slipped so that both of them were in a horizontal position. I hadn't noticed, but Terry caught the problem, which could have been a show stopper. I think he might of thought that I was pretty stupid at that point, but we pressed on. Then, I either didn't know, or had forgotten, that the Sniper needed some minor pre-programming in order for the car to start. The car would never have started without his advising me on that.

When we were finally ready to start it, the motor would catch and start right away, and then die just as quickly. We decided that I had a fuel delivery issue, so we got the Sniper tech involved. After narrowing things down to the yellow wire from the coil negative terminal (which I had changed to green (I can explain that...somewhat)), Terry discovered that the pin for that wire was bent inside the seven pin connector, and not making contact. He straightened the pin, and it was ecstasy every after. And yes, I was very excited! I put a couple of vids on YouTube (I'm even worse at YouTubing than I am at photography). Debra (my wife) videoed and narrated (a little bit), and it was a fun time for all of us.

Thanks again for all your help, Terry!

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

https://www.youtube.com/@jb19511/playlists

[460.465USMC]

Wahoo! Congrats, Jim. Such an exciting (and rewarding) milestone. You did it. Well done. So cool to have another builder there for First Start.

[BRRT]

Congratulations Jim, that's great!!

I think Debra was scared of a little oil smoke :-)

[TMartinLVNV]

I'm happy to help out Jim. I had a lot of people help me during my build. I know that it would have taken a lot longer and with much more frustration without the help of others.

[John Ibele]

Well, that's just cool. Those vids are the best. You've reached a huge milestone that can help carry you through whatever future challenges you have with the build. But for me, once I had the wiring done the worst was behind me. Having a builder who's been through the challenges to help you work through the bugs is huge. Congratulations!

[buttsjim]

You've reached a huge milestone that can help carry you through whatever future challenges you have with the build. But for me, once I had the wiring done the worst was behind me. Having a builder who's been through the challenges to help you work through the bugs is huge. Congratulations!

Thanks, John (and Chris!). I was really looking forward to my first start but got totally hung up with completing the wiring. Which, I made much worse by quitting for several months and forgetting what I had in mind to do (I took some notes, but where the heck did I put them?). I'll spare you the details, but one of those changes caused a lot of confusion when Terry and I were troubleshooting my first start failure. Terry was incredibly helpful throughout the first start process, in addition to being very patient and a great guy to work with.

I feel like I've crested a mountain now that the motor is running. A lot of the hidden, detailed work is done, and it's on to big things that show obvious progress: sealing gaps, sound barrier, carpeting, seats, etc. I get the feeling that I'll approach all these tasks with a lot more enthusiasm, and that things will start to go quickly once again.

By the way, I added another short to the YouTube playlist linked above. It shows the very first attempt, where the engine started and immediately quit. Quite a lot of smoke!

[buttsjim]

A couple of weekends have passed since my first start, and I’ve settled back into my routine of not getting much done. Including posting any progress.

Two weekends ago, I spent about 3 hours on the Cobra, tackling odds and ends related to my first start. Per Terry Martin’s suggestion, I added a secondary spring assembly to the Forte throttle linkage. The spring set came with the throttle linkage, and installing it was an easy job that took only a few minutes. I still need to install roll pins to keep the levers from slipping—2 pins came with the linkage, but their diameter is about half the diameter of the pivot shaft, which seems larger than necessary. I ordered smaller roll pins and will install them next weekend.

I spent the remainder of my time checking the fluid levels, nuts, bolts, and hose clamps, looking for leaks, etc. On my first start we noted that the engine fan was working intermittently; I traced that to an improperly crimped wire in the Weatherpack, and the problem was easily fixed. The only other issue I found was a lackadaisical tachometer needle that operates completely independent of engine RPMs. I sent an email to Speedhut, who are very responsive and helpful, and they’re working on it. I posted a couple of videos on Youtube to help them troubleshoot—they think I’m getting interference with my signal from the coil and are sending me a filter to correct that. I hope it works!

After my first start, my driveway had traces of green liquid that indicated a coolant leak, so I tightened all the hose clamps and double checked everything. Again. This past weekend I pressure tested the system at 16 psi and left the tester in place overnight. Fourteen hours later, I still had exactly 16 psi, so I considered the coolant leak fixed, and moved on to front-end alignment.

The alignment went well. I started by centering the power steering rack. The wheels were hitting the “F” panels at full lock, so I first added two steering limiters to each side of the rack to eliminate that happening. The limiters reduced the steering from 2-1/2 turns to 2 turns lock-to-lock, so I centered the steering shaft so that one turn in either direction brought me to full lock. I next loosened the rack and rotated the Breeze offset bushings to center it, measuring per Karlos’ instructions from this forum. Finally, I used the string method to adjust the wheels to be perfectly straight ahead. I thought with this all done, I should have an approximately equal number of threads showing on each inner tie rod, but the left side had about a ¼” more threads exposed. So, I shifted the rack 1/8” back to the left to make everything even. This means that the steering rack is probably off-center (relative to the chassis) by about an 1/8”, but my steering is centered with the wheels pointing straight ahead, and needing one turn to full lock in each direction. I still need to pull the shaft and rotate it a couple of splines to properly orient the steering wheel, but I think I’m otherwise properly centered.

I set my ride height to 4-1/4” all around using blocks of wood for a gauge. I had to adjust each end and each side of the car a couple of times before I got a consistent measurement at all four corners.

I then used the Longacre Caster Camber Gauge (https://www.summitracing.com/parts/LNG-78260) to set my caster and camber and, boy, do I ever love it. Using it is a quick, foolproof process, making it my favorite type of tool. The gauge came with an attached magnet to hold it on the hub, but the magnet isn’t compatible with the Cobra’s hub (nor my daily drivers), and I found that it wasn’t even necessary. It was easy to just hold the tool against the hub, and keep it flat and level. For caster, instead of trying to judge when my wheels were at a 20* angle, I just always turned the steering wheel to full lock and then back a quarter of a turn to ensure consistency. It took two adjustment iterations—caster, camber, caster, camber—on each side to have everything right on the money, with consistently repeatable measurements.

I had also purchased the Tenhulzen toe plates (https://www.summitracing.com/parts/TNH-2200) to set my toe-in, but ran out of time before I could do that. That will be a quick job for next weekend, and then I’ll clock the steering wheel to finish up the front. By the way, it was easy to justify purchasing those tools, because they work on all my cars and will pay for themselves within a year or two.

I had thought my “coolant leak” was fixed, but after starting the car and maneuvering it around the driveway, I still found numerous spots of green fluid on the pavement. This was a perplexing problem, and I couldn't understand how I could be completely leak free with a cold engine, but dripping lots of fluid with it hot. I looked everywhere and spent a lot of time with a shop towel wiping every joint in the system, with no sign of fluid. It was dripping from somewhere onto the 4” chassis crossmember, and then to the pavement, but where the heck from? Finally, I saw a couple of green drops at the fitting for the transfer tube that attaches to the top of the right side of the steering rack. I checked my container of unused power steering fluid and, sure enough, it was bright green—my “coolant leak” was actually power steering fluid! I should probably feel pretty stupid about that, but I don't. Anyway, the leaking fitting was already very tight, but I further tightened it as much as I dared, and the dripping stopped. I’m hoping it holds, but there may be a problem with the fitting that requires further correction.

Next weekend after finishing the front-end alignment, I’ll start on the rear (I think the IRS might be a bit harder to align), and maybe see how it drives.
Thanks for reading.

[Mike.Bray]

The alignment went well. I started by centering the power steering rack. The wheels were hitting the “F” panels at full lock, so I first added two steering limiters to each side of the rack to eliminate that happening. The limiters reduced the steering from 2-1/2 turns to 2 turns lock-to-lock, so I centered the steering shaft so that one turn in either direction brought me to full lock. I next loosened the rack and rotated the Breeze offset bushings to center it, measuring per Karlos’ instructions from this forum. Finally, I used the string method to adjust the wheels to be perfectly straight ahead. I thought with this all done, I should have an approximately equal number of threads showing on each inner tie rod, but the left side had about a ¼” more threads exposed. So, I shifted the rack 1/8” back to the left to make everything even. This means that the steering rack is probably off-center (relative to the chassis) by about an 1/8”, but my steering is centered with the wheels pointing straight ahead, and needing one turn to full lock in each direction. I still need to pull the shaft and rotate it a couple of splines to properly orient the steering wheel, but I think I’m otherwise properly centered.

When centering the rack make sure the pivots are inline with the upper & lower A-arm pivots. Here's a good post showing it. https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/showthread.php?48189-Has-anyone-used-the-Edelmann-2133-Power-Steering-Rack&p=547415#post547415

[buttsjim]

When centering the rack make sure the pivots are inline with the upper & lower A-arm pivots. Here's a good post showing it. https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/showthread.php?48189-Has-anyone-used-the-Edelmann-2133-Power-Steering-Rack&p=547415#post547415

Thanks Mike--that makes perfect sense. I never even looked at that relationship when I centered the rack, but I'm eager to check it out this weekend! I'm not sure what I'll need to do if things don't line up, but it'll be an interesting problem to figure out.

[buttsjim]

When centering the rack make sure the pivots are inline with the upper & lower A-arm pivots. Here's a good post showing it. https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/showthread.php?48189-Has-anyone-used-the-Edelmann-2133-Power-Steering-Rack&p=547415#post547415

Hi Mike, I think I need some advice. The pivot on my inner tie rods is about 1/4" short of the point you describe on both sides. I can screw them each out 1/4" and use a lock nut (if I can find one) or roll pin to hold them, but that leaves about half their threads showing, and I'm not comfortable with that. I was looking for some type of extended inner tie rod but couldn't find one (maybe I haven't looked hard enough). It seems to me that if this situation is true for me, it should be true for everyone with the FFR steering rack, so I'm wondering if 1/4" is close enough? I really don't want any bump steer with this car's power to weight ratio--I'm easily overwhelmed! Please tell me what you think.
Thanks--I always appreciate your advice.
Jim B

[Mike.Bray]

Hi Mike, I think I need some advice. The pivot on my inner tie rods is about 1/4" short of the point you describe on both sides. I can screw them each out 1/4" and use a lock nut (if I can find one) or roll pin to hold them, but that leaves about half their threads showing, and I'm not comfortable with that. I was looking for some type of extended inner tie rod but couldn't find one (maybe I haven't looked hard enough). It seems to me that if this situation is true for me, it should be true for everyone with the FFR steering rack, so I'm wondering if 1/4" is close enough? I really don't want any bump steer with this car's power to weight ratio--I'm easily overwhelmed! Please tell me what you think.
Thanks--I always appreciate your advice.
Jim B

Hey Jim,
I don't think you want to be backing the tie rods off. What I would do is, with the car on jackstands, remove the shocks so you can move the suspension up and down by hand. Then take a couple of pieces of 1 1/2 x 1 1/2 angle about 24" long and attach them to the brake rotors so that they are horizontal. Now you can measure the bumpsteer while moving the suspension through it's cycle. I suspect you're fine.

Hope this makes sense.

[buttsjim]

Hey Jim,
I don't think you want to be backing the tie rods off. What I would do is, with the car on jackstands, remove the shocks so you can move the suspension up and down by hand. Then take a couple of pieces of 1 1/2 x 1 1/2 angle about 24" long and attach them to the brake rotors so that they are horizontal. Now you can measure the bumpsteer while moving the suspension through it's cycle. I suspect you're fine.

Hope this makes sense.

Thanks Mike! It makes perfect sense, and I think I'll try that. Although it would be more of an interesting experiment, as I wouldn't be able to change the result.

By the way, I definitely wasn't going to back the tie rods off, after seeing how much thread I had to work with. I actually had an inner and outer tie rod come apart on a military cargo truck I was driving many years ago, and the result was interesting enough that I still remember it.

[buttsjim]

Time flies… but I crawl. I am only home on weekends, and I’ve recently had too many commitments to find much time to work on the Cobra. And, for a while there, all my progress seemed to be in the wrong direction. But I did move forward enough this past weekend to provide the following laundry list of updates. The post is too long, so I put the key point for each task in bold font so that you can just read the portions you're interested in.

I noted in post 171 that the fitting for the ¼” transfer tube on my power steering rack leaked. Tightening it as much as I dared didn’t help, so I removed the fitting and used Permatex on the threads. This remedy stopped the leak; however, I’m concerned—Permatex should be an insurance against leaks, rather than a first line of defense, so, this is another wait and see situation. I’ve had several issues with this (FFR supplied) rack, and I’m not entirely happy with it. However, it works well, and I like the amount of steering assist.

I also had some issues with two of my gauges—the tach needle was everywhere but the right spot, and the voltmeter was consistently inaccurate. For these, Ayden at Speedhut provided outstanding tech support, responding to my emails promptly, with advice that was always right on target. I would post videos on YouTube of what was happening and send Ayden the link; he’d watch the videos, and then tell me the remedy. Very efficient. The tach needed a filter (which Speedhut speedily mailed) due to a dirty signal from the coil, and both gauges needed their needles turned a rotation counter-clockwise to reset them to zero. These were all simple fixes, and everything now works perfectly.

I had never torqued my rear axle nuts, so I did this before setting the rear alignment. I have a seldom-used, 0 to 600 ftlb, dial torque wrench, so I did a little experiment just for kicks. I first torqued the nuts to 95 ftlb using my regular torque wrench and then used the big one with a cheater bar to turn the nut an additional 45 degrees. Doing so resulted in a reading of 340 ftlb when I reached the 45 degree mark. I've seen some questions regarding that torque on this forum, so there's the answer. The torque wrench has a sticker stating it was last calibrated in 1971, but my back was telling me that that number was pretty close.

I put the car back on the wheel dollies so that the wheels could move easily, and then used the Longacre Camber Gauge and Tenhulzen Toe Plates to set my rear alignment. That task was a little frustrating due to tool issues. First, the toe plates need to stay firm against the wheel, but they kept shifting. After I put some weight on each one, they were rock solid, and that issue was fixed. Second, I didn’t have big enough open end wrenches to turn the hardware for the camber adjustment. I do have some large Crows Foot wrenches that I was able to use, but that’s where I encountered the frustration—those wrenches (Sunnex) must be cheaply made because they wouldn’t stay on the breaker bars that I was using them with (one was a Snap On, and the other was a Craftsman, so probably not their fault). I’d turn the nut a quarter turn, and then have to crawl under the car to retrieve the wrench that had just fallen off. At least a hundred times… maybe a thousand. I forget which, but one of Newton’s laws of motion states that when an object is dropped from above a car, it remains in motion until it arrives at the most inaccessible spot under the car. It’s really irritating. Nevertheless, I finished the job, and the car drives perfectly. I’ll eventually get it professionally aligned, but I’m satisfied that, right now, it’s as good as I can make it.

After the alignment (and a little test drive), the Cobra went back onto its jackstands.

My fuel line had developed a big leak at the filter outlet, and I thought the fittings just needed re-tightening. Nope—they were very tight, so last week I polished up the mating surfaces and used Permatex (although I don’t think you’re supposed to use sealant on AN fittings). This failed also, so I just went ahead and ordered a new fuel filter, and two new AN hose fittings. The new parts are working fine with no trace of leakage. Good.

I secured my Forte throttle linkage with 1/8” roll pins. I wasn't looking forward to that task, but it turned out to be a very easy one. I marked the linkage and removed it, so that I could do the work on my bench instead of on the car. Then I drilled successively larger holes in the mating pieces using lots of cutting oil. I inserted one of the roll pins on the bench, then reassembled everything in the car, and inserted the second roll pin when all was in place. I need to add a stop behind the throttle pedal, but otherwise I’m quite happy with the linkage and the throttle feel.

I repaired my emergency brake. I had originally tightened the cable clamp’s set screws on the cable sheathing, rather than directly on the cable. This didn’t work—the screws cut through the sheathing, allowing the cables to slip back out. So, I removed that portion of the sheathing and properly clamped the cable. That’s another what-not-to-do lesson for those who haven’t reached that point in their build.

Finally, I increased my spacers under the transmission from 1-1/2” to 1-3/4” by replacing my two pieces of ¾” aluminum bar stock with two ½” pieces and one ¾” piece. This gets the pinion angle down to .7 degrees, and that’s as close as I’m going to make it. I now need to raise my safety hoop a bit more to provide adequate clearance for the driveshaft, but that’s going to have to wait until next weekend.

By the way, I had wanted to check my bump steer using the method suggested by Mike Bray. However, there’s nothing I can do to change it (checking would just have been a matter of curiosity), so I decided to skip that and use the time toward making forward progress.

Like I said earlier, this update is a laundry list—not very exciting to read, but it’s progress!

[buttsjim]

I'm installing my ThermoTec heat insulation, and am uncertain about what to do with the seams between the pieces. I was planning to use aluminum tape to join them, but I'm not sure what impact that might have with my carpet installation--the tape will add another layer of adhesive and another chance for something to come unglued. I'm very confident with the ThermoTec's bond to the sheet metal, and I'm assuming that the carpet adhesive will bond well to the ThermoTec. But, I'm wondering about the longevity of the aluminum tape's bond to the ThermoTec, and am concerned that it might eventually pull loose.

I'd be using the tape in the corners, which is the very area in which the carpet needs a tight bond in order to have nice, crisp seams. If the tape comes loose there, then the carpet won't have that crisp look, and may also start to pull loose from the surrounding ThermoTec. So far, I'm getting very tight seams between the individual ThermoTec pieces, and am therefore wondering if there's any added advantage to using the tape.

Any opinions/ideas/suggestions?

Thanks for considering, and any replies.

[Mike.Bray]

I used this and it worked great. https://www.amazon.com/Nashua-367-17-FoilMastic-Rubber-Sealant/dp/B079ZCJ8KC/ref=sr_1_3?crid=ICRE2IIRCA4O&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.rYeoMLKeZCc-PNTZQzjkx_r44eOvCZrG_-UeOTLPnnzzYDd6jv-zOlgiScXLT6AIYbtwuCIHIAmCi7n3RPfTNVC9uJGk6xmaocz_x sXSiIzQ9AqfrUwhHFXzlLXc0GL2n8TT7UdaBMAmtXs2-FX-ZQzq6CneaNXh8XfO5zMKBvDzXZnPvF29r-WKJEY8wgns90okuSj3nGapn-vJqXVcsEIElbPb_XKiFrcxRPWKS1I.PKVh_5O9YcxUqF7_N8rB jHukYFdOQT_VZFTXQWjdOag&dib_tag=se&keywords=foilmastic+sealant+tape&qid=1711722336&sprefix=foilmastic%2Caps%2C121&sr=8-3

[buttsjim]

I used this and it worked great. https://www.amazon.com/Nashua-367-17-FoilMastic-Rubber-Sealant/dp/B079ZCJ8KC/ref=sr_1_3?crid=ICRE2IIRCA4O&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.rYeoMLKeZCc-PNTZQzjkx_r44eOvCZrG_-UeOTLPnnzzYDd6jv-zOlgiScXLT6AIYbtwuCIHIAmCi7n3RPfTNVC9uJGk6xmaocz_x sXSiIzQ9AqfrUwhHFXzlLXc0GL2n8TT7UdaBMAmtXs2-FX-ZQzq6CneaNXh8XfO5zMKBvDzXZnPvF29r-WKJEY8wgns90okuSj3nGapn-vJqXVcsEIElbPb_XKiFrcxRPWKS1I.PKVh_5O9YcxUqF7_N8rB jHukYFdOQT_VZFTXQWjdOag&dib_tag=se&keywords=foilmastic+sealant+tape&qid=1711722336&sprefix=foilmastic%2Caps%2C121&sr=8-3

Thanks Mike!
From its description, that product seems like the perfect match for the ThermoTec, and it has the strong bond I want. But, whooo-boy, it sure is expensive. I ordered, but it will be over a week before I receive it, so I need to find something else to work on.

By the way, I'm looking forward to seeing some pics of an electrifyingly blue Cobra, hopefully this week!

[Mike.Bray]

Thanks Mike!
From its description, that product seems like the perfect match for the ThermoTec, and it has the strong bond I want. But, whooo-boy, it sure is expensive. I ordered, but it will be over a week before I receive it, so I need to find something else to work on.

By the way, I'm looking forward to seeing some pics of an electrifyingly blue Cobra, hopefully this week!

Strong bond is an understatement! It is seriously good stuff.

Here's my car the other day right after buffing.

https://www.imagecoast.com/images/MichaelBray1/img2444mediumrotated.jpg

[egchewy79]

many of us will spray paint the areas under the carpet seams black, to avoid any shiny bits of aluminum/tape/sound material visible at the junctions.
just food for thought.

[Nigel Allen]

Nashua also do a Matt Black 'gaffer' tape. Just as sticky, and negates the need to spray any joins black.
Use a slow tacking gel adhesive so you can maneuver sections of carpet.

Cut your carpet 2mm oversize. It will make for tight, seamless joins.

Use a soldering iron to make holes.

Have some mineral turps handy to remove any adhesive that gets wiped when installing pieces.

Have plenty of forced ventilation. Especially for footboxes.

[buttsjim]

Here's my car the other day right after buffing.

https://www.imagecoast.com/images/MichaelBray1/img2444mediumrotated.jpg

Wow! I think that just might be worth the wait...it's beautiful!

[buttsjim]

Egchewy79:
many of us will spray paint the areas under the carpet seams black, to avoid any shiny bits of aluminum/tape/sound material visible at the junctions.
just food for thought.


Nigel Allen:
Nashua also do a Matt Black 'gaffer' tape. Just as sticky, and negates the need to spray any joins black.
Use a slow tacking gel adhesive so you can maneuver sections of carpet.
Cut your carpet 2mm oversize. It will make for tight, seamless joins.
Use a soldering iron to make holes.
Have some mineral turps handy to remove any adhesive that gets wiped when installing pieces.
Have plenty of forced ventilation. Especially for footboxes.


Thank you both! All good suggestions, and I will implement all. Thanks again!

[buttsjim]

I’ve been working on the Cobra’s interior the last two weekends, but don’t think I’ve made a lot of progress. The work’s not difficult or unpleasant—I just didn’t seem to apply myself to getting it done. I think for every five minutes I spent working, I spent about ten resting, or thinking, or chasing after distractions, or catching my breath, or whatever. It’s weird, because I’m at a very exciting part of the build and eager to move forward, yet I lollygag. It’s hard to understand.

Well anyway, I finished sealing all the gaps in the cockpit; some by applying sheet metal patches, others using sealant and some with both.

After patching, I moved on to installing the ThermoTec and am almost finished with that. I still need to do part of the left side footbox, and I’m having a bit of trouble in this area trying to get the ThermoTec in behind the 2” tube at its front. I think I will put in small scraps in front of the tubing to fill that area, and then slide a small piece under the tube without taking the backing paper off. It won’t achieve its full effect that way, but it’s better than nothing. Otherwise, the fit’s too tight to squeeze the material under the tube without the mastic taking hold and stopping it.

Other than that, the ThermoTec installation went quite well. I used poster board to make the templates. To make them, I first tried to measure all the dimensions of an area, but this was a very tedious (and hopeless for me) process since every cockpit shape is irregular. I switched to a lazy approach and started cutting one large piece of poster board to line up with an area’s longest dimension and putting it into position. Then I would cut and Scotch tape scraps to that piece to flush up to all the other borders. This made for a quick process with only one measurement required for each area, but it also made for some very ugly templates. However, it was easy to get each template perfectly sized, and I have very good seams in the ThermoTec as a result. To seal those seams, I ordered the Nashua Mastic Butyl Rubber Sealant recommended by Mike Bray, but it hasn’t arrived yet. Next week will finish the ThermoTec.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=201293&d=1719936717

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=201289&d=1719936558

You might notice in the second picture that I had to relocate the shifter hole in my tunnel cover. I’ve had second, and third, thoughts about this, as I think it indicates a problem with my engine installation. I double checked my motor and transmission mounts and both sides are even, and everything is seemingly centered. Yet, something seems wrong. I’ve already had to raise my transmission more than most to get a reasonable pinion angle in the vertical plane; now I suspect that I’m also way off in the horizontal plane. Something ain't right. Next weekend, I’ll loosen every mounting bolt and give the engine a mighty shake at the tailshaft, and hope that it somehow settles in with better alignment. If not, I’ll press forward with what I have, but I’m concerned by it.

One of the distractions I referred to earlier was a productive one. I took a break from ThermoTec'ing to temporarily mount my seats with the Breeze mounting plates, and then painted the brackets, so that everything's ready to bolt in after the carpet installation. Because the seats are going in on top of the carpeting, I’m using 5/16 – 18 – 1 button head bolts instead of the supplied rivets for the mounting plates. I’ll use a hot soldering iron to punch up through the holes I’ve already drilled in the chassis to make the bolt holes in the carpet, and I think it'll be a quick process to get them in.

Although it's strongly recommended to locate the seats with the body on, I took a chance and chose mounting locations based on others' videos and pictures and, crossing my fingers, I think I’ll be okay (I’m 5’11”, and don’t need the seat all the way back against the rear cockpit wall). With the mounting plates, the driving position is absolutely perfect for me with the seat in its rearmost position; unfortunately, I won’t be able to move it far enough forward for Debra to be able to drive the car. Funny—the CCR song “Bad Moon Rising” popped into my head as I typed that last sentence. Uh-oh.

[460.465USMC]

Jim, nice progress on the insulation and carpet prep. FWIW, I used regular HVAC foil on my seams, and haven't had any issues with separation so far through numerous heat cycles. Hopefully, that remains true. In hindsight, I wouldn't have bothered with the seam tape, and don't plan to on the Thermotec in my Coupe build. I don't think the juice is worth the squeeze. However, it gave me warm fuzzies at the time when I applied it. So, maybe that counts for something? :p

I agree with Nigel's comments above about cutting your carpet. I, too, was worried about the Thermotec flash-through at my carpet seams. I got some good advice at the time like Nigel's, and it turned out to be a non-issue. Just food for thought.

Keep up the good work.

[buttsjim]

I’ve finally finished the ThermoTec insulation, including taping it, and painting the seams black. It should have been a one weekend job, but it took three weekends, due to schedule and laziness factors.

I used 4 rolls of ThermoTec and have about 4 square feet left over. I did all the cockpit (including the underside of the tunnel cover), and inside the cubby, so the cockpit is completely isolated from road noise. It might help a little to also do the trunk to reduce road noise coming from the rear tires, but I’ve had to draw the line on spending, and I think what I’ve done will be adequate—I don’t think I’ll be hearing a lot of road noise over the exhaust anyway. I’m not quite as well insulated from heat, as I couldn’t cover all of the top of the driver’s footbox; however, the header wrap, and the reflective insulation that I added to the outside walls of the footboxes will help in that regard.

I used the Nashua 367-17 butyl rubber tape recommended by Mike Bray to cover all the ThermoTec seams—it’s a great product, but I’m not sure that it adds any value. After ordering it, I learned too late from Nigel Allen that the same tape was available in black—that would have been a better choice and eliminated the need to paint the seams. Painting these with a brush only took a few minutes, but it concerns me that I now have four layers of adhesive between the carpet and the cockpit metal: the carpet glue, the ThermoTec glue, the tape glue, and the paint. I hope it all sticks!

I used the pictured rollers to get the tightest bond that I could achieve. The three wooden-handled rollers ( https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07TV19PQF?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details ) seemed to work best as they really concentrated the pressure, and the serrated rollers helped to push the materials into all the crevices. The trim tool was a big help in the corners.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=198583&d=1713919806


I’m looking forward to starting the carpet this weekend, and hope to make better progress with that.

[buttsjim]

I had a great weekend working on the Cobra’s interior this past weekend and made good progress.

I first completed the transmission tunnel cover. The cupholders I installed are small—just the right size for a 12 oz. soda can, or a Topo Chico bottle, and that’s all I need. I had planned on using hose clamps on the tunnel’s underside to hold them in place, but it occurred to me that the ThermoTec would work much better, so I wrapped a strip of that around each of the cupholders to secure them. For the upholstery, I used some of the same 1/8” padding and leather that I had used on the dash. I mounted the cover like I did the dash, except I used black Oval Head Phillips sheet metal screws and counter-sunk washers instead of bolts and rivet nuts. The carpet tucks up under the sides of the cover about a quarter of an inch.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=198794&d=1714415969

My transmission is raised 1-1/2” at the tail shaft, which caused interference between the shifter stub and the shift lever boot. I corrected this, as best I could, by grinding down the stub to match the contour at the base of the shift lever. It’s still a very close fit, but it all works. I plan to have a leather boot made from my extra leather to go over the rubber boot.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=198793&d=1714415969

I also carpeted almost all the cockpit but ran out of time before finishing the driver’s side floor. I am extremely pleased with how FFR cut the pieces—they all fit together almost perfectly with just a tiny bit of trimming, and the carpet seams look very professional. I used 3M Super 90 High Strength contact adhesive, which worked great—although it’s a contact cement, it allowed me to shift the materials to line everything up before it bonded completely. I had some overspray, which was easily cleaned using mineral spirits. I’ve used one and a half cans so far and need to order one more to be sure that I have enough for the trunk, drop trunk and cubby (I ordered extra carpet from FFR so that I could completely cover the cubby).

I mentioned in an earlier post that the leather I ordered from Ebay was a very dark graphite instead of pure black. I couldn’t tell the difference at that time, but now that everything is coming together, it’s apparent that I have a three-tone interior. The carpet is very black, the seats are slightly lighter in color, and the dash, tunnel cover and door panels are lighter still. I’m not sure what I think of it at this point—I kind of like it, and I kind of don’t like it. I’ll wait and see how it looks when the door panels are in place and will dye it a blacker color if I’m unhappy with it.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=198791&d=1714415969

The passenger seat is just sitting in place in the picture. I’ve already set up the Breeze mounting plates and just need to poke the holes through the carpet to bolt them into place. So next week after finishing the driver’s side carpeting, I’ll install the lap belts, mount the seats, and then start on carpeting the cubby and the trunk. I’m starting to think that I might actually be driving a Cobra at some point in this lifetime!

[Mike.Bray]

Looking good! I like those little cup holders, I might have to rethink my anti-cup holder stance.

[buttsjim]

Looking good! I like those little cup holders, I might have to rethink my anti-cup holder stance.

Well, just in case...

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00911UWSE/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1

[460.465USMC]

The cupholders I installed are small—just the right size for a 12 oz. soda can, or a Topo Chico bottle, and that’s all I need. I had planned on using hose clamps on the tunnel’s underside to hold them in place, but it occurred to me that the ThermoTec would work much better, so I wrapped a strip of that around each of the cupholders to secure them.

I like your idea, Jim. Should work well, plus help keep your beverage cold. :D

[buttsjim]

I had another good weekend. I finished the cockpit carpeting, installed the seats and lap and anti-sub belts, and started the trunk and cubby carpeting.

First of all, I want to thank i.e.427, a supporting member of this site who has a very helpful Youtube video showing one of his carpeting installations. It isn’t a how-to video, but he offers lots of tips and helpful advice. My carpeting has gone quickly and smoothly, and I think it’s in large part because I gained a lot of know-how, confidence and get ‘er done attitude from watching his video. Twice. Anyway, I’m very happy with how the carpeting has progressed, and how it looks.

I had already assembled the Breeze seat mounts and drilled the mounting holes (yes, I’m taking a bit of a risk doing this without the body, but I’m using very conservative mounting locations, and think it will work fine). Rather than using a hot soldering iron to bore through the carpet, I first used a sharp punch for each hole, then used a butane torch to heat progressively larger punches to push through the carpeting. This method worked well and resulted in perfectly round, correctly sized bolt holes.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=199109&d=1715040776

As do all his products, the Breeze mounts worked great, although I had a slight misunderstanding in how they were supposed to work when relocating the seats. I thought the upper portion of the bracket would remain attached to the seat, and that the seat could be moved simply by removing the 4 flange nuts. No way. The seat must first be removed from the upper bracket before the flange nuts can be accessed and the upper bracket removed from the base. No big deal, except that I don’t entirely trust rivet nuts for repeated fastening and unfastening duty, and the upper bracket uses them. On the other hand, I’m not going to be moving the seat, so what’s the problem?

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=199108&d=1715040673

One fastener on each of the lap belts was a minor pain, as the bolt was an eighth of an inch too short for what I had in mind. I ran the bolt through the transmission tunnel, per the instructions, and had planned on drawing it up very tight to pull everything together, and then backing it off so that the belt could swivel, relying on the nut’s nylon insert to hold it in place. However, backing the bolt off enough for the belt to swivel caused the insert not to engage. The simple solution was to run out and buy longer bolts, but I opted to grind the side of the nut opposite the insert down about an eighth of an inch so that the insert could engage. I then added a drop of red Locktite just to be sure.

I’ve had some bicycle training wheel brackets hanging around the garage for over 20 years, and they finally found their true meaning in life by being re-purposed as anti-submarine belt brackets. Twenty minutes with a hacksaw, grinder and drill, plus a little paint, and they’re perfect for their new job. My car is now safety-equipped by Tonka Toys!

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=199105&d=1715040673

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=199106&d=1715040673

I mounted them to the floor, rather than the seat base, because I didn’t want the belt cutting into the seat’s leather. I’ll install the shoulder harness after I finish carpeting the cubby.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=199107&d=1715040673

I have great plans for next weekend: it shouldn’t take to long to finish up the carpeting, then I’ll take a little test drive to confirm the pedal placement and then, I’ll finally close up the driver’s foot box. I’m starting to see some light at the end of the tunnel!

[buttsjim]

I haven’t been able to do much work on the Cobra these past two weekends, but I did enough to raise a question: I used bulb seal that came with the cubby on its rear wall—should I have? The picture shows how that bulb seal is about ¾” higher than the seal along the sides, and I’m concerned that it will interfere with the body’s fitment. I know that we don’t use the bulb seal along the rear cockpit wall, except for the area between the door jamb and side rails; it seems that the reason for that would also apply to the rear cubby wall. So, I guess I have two questions. Is it supposed to look like this? And, should the bulb seal be used? Thanks for any input!

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=199614&d=1716295205

Edit: Sorry for the huge picture--I didn't realize it was so big!

[buttsjim]

Well, I'm still looking for an answer from the forum regarding my bulb seal question, but I guess I already know the answer based on all my searches--it depends on what happens when I mount the body. So, I'll just wait and see.

I had really trashed my garage over the past few weeks while installing the carpet and, since I'm ready to move on to a new stage (body!) I thought that I should take a break to tidy everything up. I had to pull the Cobra out to do that, and since I didn't want to shut down a cold engine, I decided to take a little cruise. I ran through all 5 gears (lugging in 5th at 1100 RPM) and the car runs great! For those of you with 8 minutes and 56 seconds of your life to waste:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HbKlcSelW94

I hope YouTube doesn't add an ad to the video--it's pretty boring just as it is (but not for me!)

Now, it's time to put the Cobra back on its jack stands to double check all my fasteners, and then start on the body!

Jim B

[460.465USMC]

Hi Jim. I agree—unwise to shut down a cold engine. :).

I have the bulb seal along the top of my cubby wall. I agree, wait until you get the body on to see if any adjustment is needed. I ended up trimming my cubby wall a bit.

Moving on to body fitting is a good feeling. Looking forward to seeing it on the chassis.

[buttsjim]

Thanks Chris! Your Coupe is moving right along!

[Mike.Bray]

The mounting screws for your dash look pretty high, make sure the body doesn't obscure them and prevent you from getting the dash off later.

[buttsjim]

The mounting screws for your dash look pretty high, make sure the body doesn't obscure them and prevent you from getting the dash off later.

Thanks Mike. I always appreciate your advice (even when it's bad news).

I had attached the dash directly to the hoop using rivet nuts. If it turns out to be interference with the body, I hope to just move the dash down by attaching brackets under the hoop, and use a similar mounting. Unfortunately however, Murphy's Law dictates that the new attachment point will be at the seam between the hoop and the bracket, so that I can't use rivet nuts. If that's the case, I'll try to use sheet metal screws just like I did for the transmission cover.

Hopefully, everything's okay, just as it is but, if not, there will be work-arounds. Or, I can just make a new dash, which I'd love to do!

By the way, your car is looking great, and I do love that BLUE! And, the sound at idle is just downright orgasmic (sorry everyone, for the sexual allusion, but it's true!)

Jim B

[TMartinLVNV]

Coming along nicely Jim. I'll be back in SA in Aug and can come by to help out again.

[buttsjim]

Coming along nicely Jim. I'll be back in SA in Aug and can come by to help out again.

Thanks Terry, I'm looking forward to your visit--you're fun to work with and lots of help! I'll be working on the body then, and I'm sure I'll have questions and lots of mistakes for you to fix!

[buttsjim]

It’s been a while since I’ve posted, and although I haven’t spent much time on the Cobra, I did want to report some progress. It’s disjointed, so I think I’ll describe it using several posts.

The Cobra body has been sitting outside, out of sight and mostly out of mind, since I received the kit in September 2022. We had started a major renovation project on the house at the same time I received the kit (my getting the Cobra was sort of quid pro quo for agreeing to the renovation), and the garage was overloaded with kit items, and even more construction materials. Plus the wife's car? No way was that body ever rolling into the garage. The garage ceiling is only 9 feet, so I didn’t want to hang it either. I had no choice but to exile it elsewhere on the property and basically forget about it for the last 20 months.

I didn’t really forget about the body, but I did avoid thinking about it, hoping that no permanent damage would occur. This is slightly off subject, but I remember someone in my home town had bought about 20 small fiberglass motor boats in the late '60s and stored them in the weeds behind a local grocery store. I guess his business never took off, because when I went by there about 15 years later, the grocery store was still there (abandoned), and so were the boats! But now, there were trees literally growing through some of their hulls! I tell you this because that’s exactly what my mind pictured every time I thought of my poor Cobra body sitting out in the “lower 40” all by its forlorn, lonesome self.

That’s a long lead-in to just a little bit of progress.

When I retrieved the body, it was extremely dirty with dust, pollen, sap, and residue from tape I’d neglected to remove.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=200883&d=1719167770

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=200884&d=1719167770

Amazingly, with the help of a little GooGone on the tape, it washed up quickly and easily. The tape residue took a little time, but washing took less than 15 minutes. I forgot to wash the trunk lid, so I stuck it on to show the contrast. If you’re wondering, that is a scratch on the trunk lid. I’m sure it didn’t come from FFR that way, but I have no idea what caused it.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=200890&d=1719167798

After washing, I sanded down the parting seams enough to avoid tearing up a foam buffing pad, and then got a nice shine using Meguiare’s Boat and RV polish.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=200892&d=17191678191

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=200882&d=1719167770

Afterwards, I flipped the body and applied two heavy coats of Rustoleum bed liner to the underside, using one and a half quarts of that product (no picture, but trust me (fingers crossed)--the results were stunning)

I’m not sure what I’m going to do about paint and body. I’d love for someone like Jeff Kleiner or Jeff Miller to finish my car, but I think with time, transportation costs, etc., it’s probably not do-able. I had originally planned to do the body and paint myself (Debra (the wife) likes to occasionally incorporate a bank shot in her maneuvering technique, so I’ve developed some body/paint experience), but my results are mediocre, and after this investment of love, time and money, mediocre won’t be acceptable. So I will finish the car’s construction and drive it in gel coat until I decide what to do (looking for San Antonio area advice here!). The point is, I’ve done all I’m going to do with the body, as I don’t want to do anything that might interfere with whoever ultimately does that work.

[Mike.Bray]

Check out Brent's Customs in Lewisville. He's done a few FFR Cobras now, does really nice work for a fair price. The one he's just wrapping up is a candy red and it just spectacular.

[egchewy79]

She shined up really nice. I'd drive it in gelcoat for a while until you find a painter.
Jeff Miller (da bat) has hung up his paint guns, from what I'm hearing.
I think some of the members around Houston might chime in re painters in TX area.
Plenty of builders who've done their own body work and paint and many threads out there to guide you through the process.

Edit: Mike chimed in right in time as I was replying.

[buttsjim]

Posted by Mike Bray: Check out Brent's Customs in Lewisville. He's done a few FFR Cobras now, does really nice work for a fair price. The one he's just wrapping up is a candy red and it just spectacular.


Jeff Miller (da bat) has hung up his paint guns, from what I'm hearing.
I think some of the members around Houston might chime in re painters in TX area.
Plenty of builders who've done their own body work and paint and many threads out there to guide you through the process.

Thank you both for those great suggestions!

[buttsjim]

Before installing the body, I wanted to do some final detail work on the chassis.

I checked the torques on all my fasteners and I’m glad I did: I’d neglected to tighten the jamb nut on the left rear toe arm, and all the nuts on the gas tank straps were just finger tight. This was all easily corrected.

I couldn’t tell if I’d done a remarkably clean job greasing the rear suspension joints and fittings, or if I’d never greased them in the first place (I’m pretty sure that I did), so I greased them all again until I could see signs of grease at all the joint edges.

In the interior, I found a small gap in the carpeting at one of the corners and patched it. I also found a good Carroll Shelby autograph transfer on ebay and applied it to complete my dash. I think the interior is good to go, unless I have to do some trimming for body fitment.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=200894&d=1719167819

The engine bay also appears complete. I knew from a long-ago trial fitting that I couldn’t install the inner left side footbox cover without scratching the heck out of my .090” firewall. This I did, but I was able to easily sand out those scratches and touch it up with Shark Hide. I think the engine bay is complete.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=200885&d=1719167770

I found a small leak at the high pressure fitting on the power steering pump. I think I fixed it, but I hate how tight I’m having to turn some of these fluid fittings. My experience with brass and tapered fittings is that they shouldn’t be super tight, but lots of things on this car don’t seem to confirm that experience. Nevertheless, I closed my eyes and held my breath, and kept turning it in until the leak stopped. Hopefully, that's the last of the leaks.

Finally, it’s time to trial fit the body.

[buttsjim]

Once I was satisfied that all was well with the chassis, I put it on its wheel dollies so that I could position it for the body’s trial fit. After removing the side pipes and putting towels over the bulb seal, dash and seats to avoid potential damage, I was finally ready to make the Cobra look like a Cobra.

I have three sets of kayak pullies mounted to the ceiling that I formerly used for my kart (the kart had to go to provide room, time and money for the Cobra). I relocated one of the pulley sets to match the center-to-center wheel well spacing on the body. It’s better to lift from the front and rear of the body so that the ends will pull out to clear the chassis, but my garage door interferes with locating the pullies for that, so I went with the wheel wells. With a little patience, and a lot of alternately tightening or slacking the pullies to get clearance at each end, I got the body in place.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=200891&d=1719167819
(I don't know why I didn't think to get a picture with the chassis in place under the body)

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=200889&d=1719167798

That was last weekend. Today I’ll try to note all the areas with interference and then pull the body back off to try and correct it all. At first glance, I see that my cubby wall is at least ½” too high, and that the spacing between the cowl and dash is inconsistent, varying from 1/2" clearance on the right side to almost no clearance on the left (I haven’t properly centered the body on the chassis yet, so I’m hoping that’s the issue with the dash).I also see that I should have gotten the 18” wheels—the 17’s I have in the rear don’t fill out the wheel opening very well. The good news is that the seats fit within the cockpit with no interference issues.

I printed Chris’ (460.465USMC) 15 tips for body fitment and will be relying heavily on that for this stage of my build (thanks Chris!). Wish me luck!

[buttsjim]

I didn’t get much done today, partly because I was helping my daughter with her car, but mostly because I was a little reluctant to move forward with the body fitment, and super-cautious when I did.

To make it easier to measure and center the front of the body, I attached an “S” hook to a tape measure, so that I could hook it into the spare mounting hole at the top shock mount and get a consistent measurement.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=201482&d=1720226024

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=201483&d=1720226024

There was an inch difference between the two sides, which I was unable to correct due to interference with the lip on the hood opening and the ¾” chassis member (also, the mounting plate for my hydraulic fluid canisters).

So After pulling the body back off the chassis, my first mods were to trim 3/8” off my rear cubby wall to lower the body, and about an 1/8” off the vertical section of the hood opening lip, so that I could center it. I used electric tin snips for the cubby wall (took about 2 minutes for a nice, clean cut), and a pneumatic saw for the hood opening. I’d done a really neat job of mating the carpet up to the bulb seal on the cubby wall, but now it’s a bit of a mess due to the trimming. You can’t see that area with the body in place, but I’m not happy with it, and will re-trim the carpet before permanently mounting the body.

After those minor adjustments, the 2nd body fitment seemed fairly close. I was now able to properly center the front of the body, and the body rocker panels fit properly under the chassis side members. Further, the spacing between the cowling and the dash is a consistent ½”, and the rear cockpit wall fits nicely under the rear deck. Everything is starting to look good. However, I still have 3 issues: my rear quick jack bolts are off about an 1/8”; the body only comes about an 1/8” forward of the door striker plates (should be ¼”); and, I don’t have the required ½” clearance between the end of my dash hoop and the body. That last issue puzzles me—the instructions imply that the tubing is easy to bend, but I’m not sure that I’m understanding them correctly. Using a ¾” wrench as suggested, I can only deform the tubing walls, but not bend the entire tube downward. I can probably bend it down with a hammer and block of wood, but that seems like excessive force, so I’m not sure that I’m doing it right. Any suggestions?

A few more corrections ought to do it. Looking at the bulb seal, my right trunk side panel needs ¼” trimmed from it in places, as does about a 2” length of the right side rear cockpit wall. I think these cuts will fix the issues with the quick jack bolts and the forward/aft body positioning. Assuming I can figure out the issue with my dash hoop, I should then be ready to fasten down the body. We’ll see.

[F500guy]

On my first fit (not yet done as I took the body off again) I had the front fiberglass resting pretty solidly on that dash hoop tube as well, did not like the plan to bend it down since the dash is attached...Thinking may need some rubber or something if it is going to touch there, but interested in other inputs and recommendations as well.

[buttsjim]

On my first fit (not yet done as I took the body off again) I had the front fiberglass resting pretty solidly on that dash hoop tube as well, did not like the plan to bend it down since the dash is attached...Thinking may need some rubber or something if it is going to touch there, but interested in other inputs and recommendations as well.

Thanks for that--it's always reassuring to hear that I'm not the Lone Stranger when encountering these types of issues. And, like you, I'd be really interested in hearing inputs from others regarding this.

[TMartinLVNV]

You are making great progress Jim. When I'm there in Aug, if you have any questions for me about the bodywork, my answer will be "I paid a guy to do it" 😂 .

[buttsjim]

You are making great progress Jim. When I'm there in Aug, if you have any questions for me about the bodywork, my answer will be "I paid a guy to do it" �� .

Thanks Terry! I heard that the guy you paid to do yours has hung up his paint sprayer, so one less option for me. Looking forward to your visit!

[buttsjim]

Wow, and I apologize, as it’s been over 2 months since I’ve posted (I flatter myself that I’ve been holding everyone in suspense). I’ve been very busy with other stuff, and very lazy when I’m not very busy, so I've done very little on the Cobra. However, I have made some progress--very little.

There might have been no progress if Terry (TMartinLVNV) hadn’t come by in mid-August to check on me. As usual, he got me re-motivated (I think it wore off soon after he left), had some good ideas, offered lots of tips and advice, and helped me put the body on for the final (I hope) time. Terry is always an encouragement and a great help—I really enjoy it when he can stop by.

We decided that I was being anal about body fitment, and that all the important checkpoints were good except for lacking the specified ½” clearance between the body and the dash hoop. We raised the body ¼” in that vicinity with hard rubber padding attached to the frame rail. Later, if I have issues fitting the doors, I’ll just have to pull the body back up and trim down my dash to get the full ½” clearance. I hate the thought of that.

After Terry left, I mounted my speedometer antenna using adhesive magnetic strips and installed my defroster vent. I am only using one defroster outlet, so I chose an off-center location that’s biased toward the driver. I’m second guessing myself on the location—I should have put it more directly in front of the driver, as it looks odd where I have it—sort of like I don’t know how to measure a center point.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=204279&d=1726621931

The picture is meant to show the defroster vent, but it's jumping the gun a little bit--I'll tell you about the hood adventure in the next post.

I temporarily mounted the rear bumper and front quick jacks to get the correct body height. I’ll have full bumpers at both ends but needed to temporarily mount the rear bumper in order to modify the overriders according to Jeff Kleiner’s specs. That went well.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=204274&d=1726617087

At the front, I used the quick jacks to center the body height. It looks good, except that I think the upper left side body cutout is resting on the quick jack bolt a tiny bit. I’m wondering if that might eventually cause the body to crack?

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=204276&d=1726617087

I think that little bit of work finished the month of August for the Cobra. I did a bit more this month, which I’ll post later.

By the way, I saw this Cobra on display at the mall in Corpus Christi—I think it might be Mike Bray’s.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=204273&d=1726617087

[Rebostar]

Jim
Did'nt know if you knew about these. Thought I'd pass them along.

204280204281

F500guy turned me on to them.
Metro Moulded Parts Inc. P/N EX-17-B, also requires 2 feet of 3/4" OD 1/2" ID SS tube from McMaster Carr

Great Build, coming along nicely!
Allyn

[Mike.Bray]

By the way, I saw this Cobra on display at the mall in Corpus Christi—I think it might be Mike Bray’s. What do y’all think?

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=204273&d=1726617087

You found it! Been looking everywhere for my car!

https://www.imagecoast.com/images/MichaelBray1/order101421v6whitebg.png

[buttsjim]

Jim
Did'nt know if you knew about these. Thought I'd pass them along.

204280204281

F500guy turned me on to them.
Metro Moulded Parts Inc. P/N EX-17-B, also requires 2 feet of 3/4" OD 1/2" ID SS tube from McMaster Carr

Great Build, coming along nicely!
Allyn

Thanks Allyn, they're perfect! I will order those!
Jim B

[buttsjim]

You found it! Been looking everywhere for my car!
Glad to help! No finder's fee required.

[buttsjim]

I forgot to mention that in August, I enlarged the cutouts for the side louvers and made a stupid mistake. I made a template using the louvers (Finish Line) and cut the opening accordingly—the exact same size as the louver! This means that I’ll have to position the louvers perfectly in order to fully cover the opening I cut. They’ll cover the opening, but I sure made things difficult for myself. I’m using the same fasteners for them that EdwardB used on his 20th anniversary roadster.

I also enlarged the cutouts for the side pipes, which raised a weird issue. I had to enlarge my right side toward the rear of the car, and the left side towards the front (the left cut almost hits the back of the fender lip). It’s weird because this indicates that the engine is canted in a clockwise position. Yet, I had to modify the transmission tunnel cover because the engine seemed to be canted in a counter-clockwise position. So, which one is it? What the heck is going on here? It’s not like doing algebra, where the two sides cancel each other out! I’ve quadrupled-checked everything, and it all checks, so I’ll just have to wait and see what kind of vibrations I get at speed. If, someday, you happen to see a Cobra going down the highway sideways, that will probably be me!

[Jeff Kleiner]

I also enlarged the cutouts for the side pipes, which raised a weird issue. I had to enlarge my right side toward the rear of the car, and the left side towards the front (the left cut almost hits the back of the fender lip). It’s weird because this indicates that the engine is canted in a clockwise position. Yet, I had to modify the transmission tunnel because the engine seemed to be canted in a counter-clockwise position. So, which one is it? What the heck is going on here?

Simple. The left side of the body and the right side are not mirror images and aren't the same. Just like the hood opening isn't centered on the body (which explains why you were having issues with getting it centered when using the chassis tubes as a reference).

Jeff

[buttsjim]

Now, we're up to September.

The hood scoop install was a little stressful, but it came out perfectly. I found it hard to correctly measure and find the hood’s exact center points due its shape (alright, I was being anal), and I think I spent over an hour measuring before I was confident enough to mark and cut. I measured the center point at the rear, in the middle, and at the front, intending to draw a straight line through the three. I did this maybe 5 times before I was able to connect all three marks with a straight line. Is it time for a visit to the optometrist?

Cutting the hole for the scoop was a bit stressful, but fairly easy by just following the instructions (a good picture of the cut is in post 213). I cut inside my lines, and then sanded to get the correct outline. I radiused the corners (1/2”) at the front of the cut to eliminate any stress concentration at those points and filled between the two layers of fiberglass with fiberglass resin. I still need to radius the cutout edges, but you’ll never notice them when they’re done.

The scoop's rivet holes are spaced evenly, although I used slightly different dimensions for the rear curved portion than those specified in the instructions.
The scoop is a flexible plastic, so I cleco’ed each hole before drilling the next to ensure that nothing could shift. I generally don’t put a cleco in every hole, but I think that you need to with the scoop. Besides, I have a zillion of them. It came out perfectly.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=204277&d=1726617087

Finally, I installed the hood and its latches (pic in post 213 again, but it doesn't show the cam wedges on the latches). This was way easier than I expected, and maybe took half an hour to install the hinges, struts, and latch hardware. The hood was about ¼” proud of the body at the rear edges, so I placed each latch at 12-¾” from the center line (instead of 12") to pull it down. This worked well, and the hood is perfectly flush with the body.

Edit: Based on Jeff Kleiner's comments and a closer look at the picture, I think the scoop will be slightly off-center relative to the car body. I'm not sure how bad the ramifications are.

[buttsjim]

Simple. The left side of the body and the right side are not mirror images and aren't the same. Just like the hood opening isn't centered on the body (which explains why you were having issues with getting it centered when using the chassis tubes as a reference).

Jeff

Thanks Jeff! It's always a big relief to know that the pros are looking over my shoulder!

[Jeff Kleiner]

Thanks Jeff! It's always a big relief to know that the pros are looking over my shoulder!

Now, about that scoop...is it centered on the hood? Or the entire car? Remember what I just said about the hood not being centered on the body... ;)

Jeff

[buttsjim]

My plan was to install the windshield last weekend, but my 30 year old Craftsman air compressor died while I was sanding my hood opening. Exploratory surgery showed that my abuse (it ain’t intended to constantly run a die grinder) had deformed the piston seal.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=204275&d=1726617087

I was amazed when I did a search using the model number, that repair parts are available! For 16 dollars! The entire cylinder, piston, rod and bearing assembly were available for $48, so I ordered the whole kit. It took just a few minutes to install, but I ended up having to fabricate a new pipe from the compressor to the tank due to a failed seal, and that took a while. So, last Saturday was air compressor day, and the windshield had to wait. Maybe this weekend.

[buttsjim]

Now, about that scoop...is it centered on the hood? Or the entire car? Remember what I just said about the hood not being centered on the body... ;)

Jeff

Yes, I noted what you had said (uh-oh). I centered the scoop on the hood. Will this cause issues with striping? Thanks again for looking at my thread!

Looking at the picture in my post 220, I think i can see what you're saying here

[Rebostar]

Yo Jim
Your not the ony one!
I learned.....(also from J.K).... about the hood not being centered on the car right after I finished installing the scoop. I'm a bit ahead of you so when I figure out the stripeing I'll let you know how it went.
Allyn

204339

[gbranham]

I'm no pro, but if the scoop isn't centered to the body, and the stripes are, things aren't going to look quite right...


Greg

[buttsjim]

Yo Jim
Your not the ony one!
I learned.....(also from J.K).... about the hood not being centered on the car right after I finished installing the scoop. I'm a bit ahead of you so when I figure out the stripeing I'll let you know how it went.
Allyn

204339

Thanks--I suspect that there are quite a few of us!

[buttsjim]

I'm no pro, but if the scoop isn't centered to the body, and the stripes are, things aren't going to look quite right...


Greg

I'm tempted to say that my car's striping will just be unique, except that I suspect there are quite a few like this. Anyone who does the scoop strictly according to the instructions without applying the expert information available in this forum will end up in the same boat (er... car).

[Jeff Kleiner]

Jim,
Got your PM but figured I'd answer here since Rebo and others are talking. Yeah, if the scoop isn't on the true center it can cause you to have to do some "gymnastics" to hide it and get the stripes looking right (no stripes...no problem!). Remember, you just have to make them look right, even if they don't necessarily measure right! This guy apparently chased them around to try to get things to fall onto the off center scoop and then back to the center of the nose and unfortunately it didn't turn out so really good :(

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=204346&d=1726845735

I wrote up my methods for layout (as well as addressing the off center license plate lamp pad/trunk latch) in this post a while back.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/showthread.php?47054-Looking-For-some-input-on-stripe-dimension-options-and-guidance&p=535646#post535646

As I said there, I draw a center by pulling a string (no fancy lasers here!) from the center of the license plate lamp all the way to the front midway between the headlights.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=204349&d=1726846214

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=204350&d=1726846271

Hope that helps!

Jeff

[buttsjim]

Jim,
Got your PM but figured I'd answer here since Rebo and others are talking. Yeah, if the scoop isn't on the true center it can cause you to have to do some "gymnastics" to hide it and get the stripes looking right (no stripes...no problem!). Remember, you just have to make them look right, even if they don't necessarily measure right! This guy apparently chased them around to try to get things to fall onto the off center scoop and then back to the center of the nose and unfortunately it didn't turn out so really good :(

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=204346&d=1726845735

I wrote up my methods for layout (as well as addressing the off center license plate lamp pad/trunk latch) in this post a while back.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/showthread.php?47054-Looking-For-some-input-on-stripe-dimension-options-and-guidance&p=535646#post535646

As I said there, I draw a center by pulling a string (no fancy lasers here!) from the center of the license plate lamp all the way to the front midway between the headlights.

Hope that helps!

Jeff

Thank you, Jeff. I remember reading that post--I wish I'd remembered it before cutting the hood! I do want to stripe the car, so I'll have to figure something out. It's a shame about the car in the picture you posted--the crooked striping is pretty obvious, and detracts from an otherwise nice looking paint job. I'll have to think about it, but I think I'd prefer the striping being a little off-centered (either on the scoop or the whole car), rather than a mis-match like the one shown.

Thanks again for posting--I bet this is a fairly common occurrence.

Jim B

[Rebostar]

Even a blind pig finds an acorn now and again! It was time to take the body off and put it back on the buck for sanding, prep and paint. Before I did, I took a close look at J.K.'s pic above and followed his instructions. I put the deck lid back on and pulled the windshield off then taped a string to the center of the liecence plate light housing. I found the center of the nose and marked it then pulled the line down and taped it. Seems the front of the scoop is spot on in the center and only off by 1/8 inch on the rear of the scoop! My scoop is 11 inches wide. I have 5.5" on each side of the center line. The battery went dead on my camera as I was taking the LH side pic. But its centered! Thats a win! maybe FFR fixed the off center scoop issue???
Jim if you can run that string and check your center line, you might get lucky as well!

Allyn

204390204391

[buttsjim]

Seems the front of the scoop is spot on in the center and only off by 1/8 inch on the rear of the scoop! Thats a win! maybe FFR fixed the off center scoop issue???
Jim if you can run that string and check your center line, you might get lucky as well!

Allyn



I thought that it was beer-thirty, but after reading your post I went back out and checked--my results aren't quite as good as yours, but they're pretty close!
I'm spot-on in the front, and about 3/8" off in the back (you have to look closely in the pics to see my gold marker lines from when I cut the scoop opening). I think it's close enough that I'll stripe the car just as if everything is perfectly centered. I don't think it will be too noticeable.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=204400&d=1726961631

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=204401&d=1726961631

I think the variance in the rear of the hood resulted from how I trimmed the hood to fit the opening.

Thanks for your post!

Edit: For those of you who, like me, don't know what they're doing half the time, I spent about 60 seconds running that string line, whereas I spent an hour trying to properly mark the center of the hood for the scoop onening. If I'd thought to run the string line instead of measuring for the scoop opening, I would have saved an hour and achieved a much better (perfect) result. Live and learn.

[Rebostar]

Jim, Great news!
Its a shame FFR wont edit their build manual anymore. It would have been an easy update to find that centerline using J.K.'s string method. Go figure!

[Jeff Kleiner]

I thought that it was beer-thirty, but after reading your post I went back out and checked--my results aren't quite as good as yours, but they're pretty close!
I'm spot-on in the front, and about 3/8" off in the back (you have to look closely in the pics to see my gold marker lines from when I cut the scoop opening). I think it's close enough that I'll stripe the car just as if everything is perfectly centered. I don't think it will be too noticeable.


I think the variance in the rear of the hood resulted from how I trimmed the hood to fit the opening.

Thanks for your post!

Edit: For those of you who, like me, don't know what they're doing half the time, I spent about 60 seconds running that string line, whereas I spent an hour trying to properly mark the center of the hood for the scoop onening. If I'd thought to run the string line instead of measuring for the scoop opening, I would have saved an hour and achieved a much better (perfect) result. Live and learn.

You'll be able to work with it. As I said earlier, you have to make it LOOK right even if a tape measure says it isn't and you may have to do that by tricking the eye but still hitting the landmarks. For example, you want the stripe to be equidistant on both left and right sides from the front edge of the scoop flange, even if it means that the overall width of the stripe on one side is maybe 1/4" less than the other. Our eye won't pick up on that...but if the stripe is 1/4" from the scoop on one side and 1/2" on the other we WILL see that.


...but I think I'd prefer the striping being a little off-centered (either on the scoop or the whole car),

Just don't be like this guy! The stripe doesn't hit the center of the radiator opening...or the scoop...or the rivets at the front edge of the hood...even the rear view mirror.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=204420&d=1727104448

That's one of those "once you see it you can't unsee it" deals!

Jeff

[Jeff Kleiner]

While we're on the subject. For those of you playing along at home, I do the scoop hole cutout differently than what FFR says (My California buddy Ken Pike does his similarly for the same reasons).
This accomplishes two things; first of all it is smaller than the inner profile of the scoop which allows "wiggle room" for getting the scoop placed exactly where you need it and secondly it falls centered inside of the indentation on the underside of the hood. If the cut out is done precisely to the inside of the scoop and it ends up offset the hole will also be offset on the underside in relation to the indentation and will look "off" when the hood is raised. This pic shows the dimensions; corners are done with a 3 1/2" hole saw.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=204424&d=1727105157

Here you can see the screw holes that show the outside shape of the scoop in relation to the cutout.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=204425&d=1727105183

Carry on! :)

Jeff

[buttsjim]

You'll be able to work with it. As I said earlier, you have to make it LOOK right even if a tape measure says it isn't and you may have to do that by tricking the eye but still hitting the landmarks. For example, you want the stripe to be equidistant on both left and right sides from the front edge of the scoop flange, even if it means that the overall width of the stripe on one side is maybe 1/4" less than the other. Our eye won't pick up on that...but if the stripe is 1/4" from the scoop on one side and 1/2" on the other we WILL see that.Jeff

Thanks, Jeff! There's lot's of good advice and ideas in this post and your others - both to help me recover from my mistake, and to keep others from doing the same. I definitely want stripes, and I'll be using your suggestions to make them look right. It kills me that I spent all that time trying to measure the exact center point on the hood, when I could have gotten a much better result in about 60 seconds using your string method. I need to build another Cobra so that I can apply all that I've learned!
Jim B

[gbranham]

Thanks, Jeff! There's lot's of good advice and ideas in this post and your others - both to help me recover from my mistake, and to keep others from doing the same. I definitely want stripes, and I'll be using your suggestions to make them look right. It kills me that I spent all that time trying to measure the exact center point on the hood, when I could have gotten a much better result in about 60 seconds using your string method. I need to build another Cobra so that I can apply all that I've learned!
Jim B

What about buying a new hood from FFR, and cutting that hole properly, now that you know the correct method? Seems like a little more expense now would save you frustration later.

Greg

[buttsjim]

What about buying a new hood from FFR, and cutting that hole properly, now that you know the correct method? Seems like a little more expense now would save you frustration later.

Greg

I've thought very seriously about that, but I have to take a wait-and-see approach. I retired from my job last week (at age 73), and now I'm on a budget. No more "fire at will" when it comes to buying Cobra goodies. I will at least check the price of the hood with shipping, but I think that with Jeff's suggestions, I can make do with what I have. By the way, I presume that by "cutting the hole properly", you mean cutting according to Jeff's method, rather than by the instructions--if so, I agree with Allyn that it's time for FFR to edit their manual!

[gbranham]

I've thought very seriously about that, but I have to take a wait-and-see approach. I retired from my job last week (at age 73), and now I'm on a budget. No more "fire at will" when it comes to buying Cobra goodies. I will at least check the price of the hood with shipping, but I think that with Jeff's suggestions, I can make do with what I have. By the way, I presume that by "cutting the hole properly", you mean cutting according to Jeff's method, rather than by the instructions--if so, I agree with Allyn that it's time for FFR to edit their manual!

Factory Five has a MkIII hood in their parts section for $600...I assume a MkIV would be a similar price. Yep, by proper method, I mean the JK method. Agree with you that the FFR manual could use some help in this section.

Congrats in your retirement!! Big milestone.

Greg

[buttsjim]

Everything went well with the windshield installation. I opened up the post openings according to Terry Martin’s suggestion, and since I was installing the windshield by myself, I put lots of masking tape around the openings to prevent scratching the gel coat.

I found that the easiest/safest way to get the windshield in place was to hold it horizontally until the posts could drop into their respective openings, and then angle the windshield up into its proper position. The windshield slid all the way into place and rested on the body without having to shorten the side posts.

I marked the ½” holes 3 different times with 3 different color Sharpies to be sure of their correct location. The lower hole on each post was close to the edge so, instead of ½” holes, I drilled and tapped for M12-1.75x30 bolts, which are slightly smaller than the supplied ½” bolts. The ½” washers worked fine with the M12 bolts (using SAE 7/16” bolts might have been better for consistency’s sake, but I used metric because that’s what I had on hand). The smaller 13/32” threaded holes for the M12 bolts left me about an 1/8” between each lower hole and the edge of the posts

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=204465&d=1727190856.
I take horrible pictures - that isn't black paint on the post, but the reflection of my phone.


I put temporary 1/16” spacers between the windshield and the body before bolting it down in its final position. I think that the smaller bolt holes made it easier to start the bolts, as I got all four screwed in finger tight in about 2 minutes. The right side was a piece of cake. On the left side, I turned the car’s power off at the kill switch to make sure that I didn’t do any accidental welding, and was able to reach in above the fuse panel without much trouble.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=204466&d=1727190856

The results are good--the windshield measures exactly 27” from the door opening to the center of the top screw on the post, and it’s still in one piece. And, I’m happy.

[buttsjim]

Factory Five has a MkIII hood in their parts section for $600...I assume a MkIV would be a similar price. Yep, by proper method, I mean the JK method. Agree with you that the FFR manual could use some help in this section.

Congrats in your retirement!! Big milestone.

Greg

Thanks! I think you guys with all the experience need to contract yourselves to FFR as consultants to update their manual! Thank-you for looking over my shoulder--it's greatly appreciated!

[Jeff Kleiner]

You don’t need a hood. It sounds like you’re close enough to make it work now that you know that it might not be a matter of just “connect the dots” and might require you to adjust a bit. Worst case you glass in a couple of inches all around and call a mulligan. Now, if you did like my buddy da’ Bat did a couple of years ago and cut the hole backwards…you’d need a new hood :D

Jeff

[buttsjim]

Now, if you did like my buddy da’ Bat did a couple of years ago and cut the hole backwards…you’d need a new hood :D
Jeff

Thanks again for your advice - it's extremely helpful.

It's gratifying to hear that even the pros can make silly mistakes. I managed to install my drop trunk backwards early on (reading the instructions while looking from the rear of the chassis, I got to thinking that the front of the car was the rear, and vice-versa, because that's what it was in relation to me). I managed to make that installation work, but I felt awful about it. It was for that very reason that I wrote "Front" on the front of my hood when cutting for the scoop. I'm perfectly capable of making the same mistake twice!

[buttsjim]

I'm finding mounting the doors to be sort of a Catch-22 - you have to trim the door to get it close, and you have to get it close in order to trim it. I'm working on the right side door, which is supposedly the easier of the two.

This difficulty has caused me to double check the position of the body on the chassis. I have the required quarter inch between the chassis latch bracket and the body on the right side, but only an 1/8" on the left side. I loosened everything up and tried pushing the body forward, but it won't budge. I'm now considering taking everything off, pulling the body back up, and trimming my trunk sheet metal a bit more so that the body will move forward (any opinions on that?)

I know that this isn't the issue with the right side, but I'm concerned that it might exacerbate the difficulty of fitting the left side. What to do?

I think that what I'll first do is trial fit the left door, and see what happens. I'll also look at the latches and do any necessary assembly to see if there are any clearance issues. Otherwise, I'm not sure what I'll do. I'm super-wide open to any advice from the forum regarding this!

[Jeff Kleiner]

You can probably work with 1/8" but...have you trimmed the underside roll of the cowl to assure that it isn't hitting the dash thus preventing the body from moving forward? If so before trimming the aluminum lip at the trunk (haven't had to do that for 5 or 6 years) you can try to get the body to move using my favorite method---Take your rear leg of the rollbar and slide it onto the outside forward chassis stub so that it's just barely engaged (maybe about 1/4") and has lots of wiggle. You can then use it as a lever to nudge the body farther forward. Do the same using the inner stub and also if you have a passenger side bar. I have a damaged chrome one that hangs on the wall for just this purpose!

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=204487&d=1727295727

Regarding trimming; only do the bare minimum for now and save the actual gapping for last, after all of the bodywork and shaping has been done. You're going to find that during the bodywork and shaping process you'll wind up making adjustments by moving the doors up & down, in & out, forward & back (probably multiple times!). If you do the gapping early it'll lock you into place and won't let you make those minor adjustments.

Good luck!

Jeff

[Jeff Kleiner]

You can probably work with 1/8" but...have you trimmed the underside roll of the cowl to assure that it isn't hitting the dash thus preventing the body from moving forward. If so before trimming the aluminum lip at the trunk (haven't had to do that for 5 or 6 years) you can try to get the body to move using my favorite method---Take your rear leg of the rollbar and slide it onto the outside forward chassis stub so that it's just barely engaged (maybe about 1/4") and has lots of wiggle. You can then use it as a lever to nudge the body farther forward. Do the same using the inner stub and also if you have a passenger side bar. I have a damaged chrome one that hangs on the wall for just this purpose!

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=204487&d=1727295727

Regarding trimming; only do the bare minimum for now and save the actual gapping for last, after all of the bodywork and shaping has been done. You're going to find that during the bodywork and shaping process you'll wind up moving the doors up & down, in & out, forward & back. If you do the gapping early it'll lock you into place and won't let you make those minor adjustments.

Good luck!

Jeff

[Rebostar]

Jim & Jeff K.
I wish I knew about waiting till the door was completely fit (adjusted) before gapping. Makes sence. Might have read that somewhere but it did'nt stick! I did it as I was fitting. A little gapping, a few adjustments, rince and repete for a few hours till I liked it. Done now though, and I'm happy with it. Would have been quicker J'K's way ! Go figure.
I did cut the 3/8 off the front and rear cowl lips. Turned out that was the perfect amount. I also had to cut the rear sheet metal (also 3/8") to get the body forward enough. I also mocked up the latches as I did the fitting. I drilled and bolted them when all was fit.
Thanks Jeff for all you do!

Allyn

[460.465USMC]

Congrats on your retirement, Jim! Wahoo! (I don't want to think about how many more years until I can. Oof!).

You have a windshield! Another great milestone in the books. Looking good!

[buttsjim]

Take your rear leg of the rollbar and slide it onto the outside forward chassis stub so that it's just barely engaged (maybe about 1/4") and has lots of wiggle. You can then use it as a lever to nudge the body farther forward. Do the same using the inner stub and also if you have a passenger side bar. I have a damaged chrome one that hangs on the wall for just this purpose! Good luck!
Jeff

Thanks once again! That's a great idea using the roll bar - I was wondering how I might get some kind of leverage to move the body forward, and never thought of that!
I have about 1/32" between the cowl and the dash, so I'll need to trim it a bit in order to get the body far enough forward.

[buttsjim]

I apologize for my sporadic posting—it’s because I work on he cobra sporadically, so often don’t have any results to report.

Yesterday, I worked on the right side door and had some problems, which made me wonder if I need to take the body back off and re-adjust it. The end result isn’t too bad—the door swings completely freely, and seems pretty well centered in the opening (finish gapping still needs to be done).

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=204757&d=1727885503

However, I have two issues.

First, even with the body sill all the way in, it still protrudes beyond the lower edge of the door. I put two washers between the lower two hinge holes and the door panel to cant it out at the bottom, and the front and rear alignment is good, but the body sill protrudes in the middle area. I looked closely at the FFR YouTube door trimming video, and it appears that the door in that video may be the same. So, my obvious question here is, “is it supposed to be this way?”

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=204758&d=1727885549

The second issue concerns the top of the door where it transitions into the dash cowling. I just can’t get the front of the door high enough to align in this area. In fact, I had to do quite a bit of grinding here to even get the door to swing shut. I thought that I could simply raise the hinge on the chassis, and then adjust the hinge on the door to vertically align the rear, but every time I raise the hinge on the chassis, everything binds. Badly. Especially along the front edge of the door.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=204760&d=1727885549

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=204759&d=1727885549

This second issue has me thinking that maybe I need to reposition the body. I’d mentioned in an earlier post that was unable to get ½” clearance between the body an the end of the dash hoop—I’m wondering now if my dash is pushing the body up too high in the cowl area and creating the problem. I hate the thought of pulling the body back off to adjust it, but I will if that’s what it takes to get it right. Any suggestions?