Put the deposit down! Very excited for this journey

[jrohrig]

Put an order in for a complete mk4 kit! It will be ready in July. Have been around this forum and ffcars for years, mostly reading and researching. I'm pleased with my decisions on the options I chose, with a few minor details I still have to work out. I decided on a more tradition & simple build with the ultimate goal to (hopefully) keep the modifications to a minimum. I am most looking forwards to enjoying the the build process with my Dad and kids, and hope to get this thing on the road sooner than later. I'm estimating 2-3 years. This will be strictly a street car. With 3 kids, finding time in the garage is gonna be one of my biggest difficulties. Thanks to everyone who has posted their builds over the years. I have read many of them and they have all helped in my decision making process. I don't know if Ill have the time to post all of my build but I definitely want to take a few pictures and document the experience. I'm also sure I'll be asking questions here and there along the way. I'm grateful for this forum and the potential assistance it provides with the build. The FFR community was the final reason I decided to go with Factory 5. Shout out to Frank at i.e 427 for your help so far. I live in Rancho Cucamonga CA and he was kind enough to answer my 100 questions the other day

James

[mladen]

Congrats and welcome to the family!

[GoDadGo]

Congrats and welcome to the family!

Double Ditto & Yes The Journey Is Worth Taking!

[Wayne r mckee]

Congratulations I live in Rancho too! Will probably see you around town

[Tbev]

Congratulations! My only regret so far is that I didn't do my build when I was younger when my father was healthier and able to be part of it. He passed away this summer after a long illness, but at least he got to see my build in progress. Cherish every moment.

[Tooth]

I'm on a two year plan. Three teenagers and too many interests, so time is limited. Hardest part of a here and there build is keeping organized. I did what others have done in regards to organization by putting the packing slips on the outside of the boxes, but if it's a bit of a crap shoot finding things. If I were to give one piece of advice it would be to put things into clear bins when doing inventory. I'd still put the packing slips on the outside or somewhere accessible. Have fun, and congratulations.

[CraigS]

Welcome to a life changing event. With your busy life forcing you to work in short spurts, I recommend a tablet sitting on your workbench. A couple of real short notes each time you knock off work about what you need to do next may help so that the next work session you don't spend 30 minutes trying to remember where to start.

[R. Button]

Welcome from a very early builder. You have a very supportive forum, that I see you have made use of.
Following along with what Craig mentions, use post-it notes on any page that you have questions about or to remember where you left off. I use to post notes to myself to tighten up the "thing" when the new part, wrench, or tool arrives!
I was cleaning up my shop just the other day and paused to flip through the OLD Mark I build manual - about 60 pages of the actual assembly work - and found some of my old post-it notes to myself! :)

[CaptB]

Welcome, I'm at the back end of my build but I remember the anticipation. There are a lot of threads on what to buy before the kit comes in.

Use google, the search engine on the forums sucks.

You'll find that Mike Forte and Gordon Levy Racing are very welcoming on questions, concerns, etc. and there are some old pros on the forum. Don't be afraid to ask stupid questions, except for a couple of folks you'll get thoughtful answers.

Capt. B

[John Ibele]

Welcome and congratulations! And yes, I very much doubt you’ll find a more supportive community anywhere. My 2-3 year build plan with 3 kids didn’t work out, so don’t follow any advice I might give in that area. But - still having fun building. My build is liberally peppered with painters tape marked with a sharpie for on-car reminders.

[jrohrig]

Mr Button! What an honor to get a response from you. Thanks for the advice. I'll definitely find a means to keep track of my work to be more efficient.

[Fordfan96]

I hope yours is more complete than mine. These back orders and missing bits are killing me. Ordered January, ready for delivery September 19. Delivered October 26. Big shout out to Stewart Transport for backing 1/2 mile down my driveway. I’m running out of things I can do. Still waiting on IRS lower arms and hardware to mount center section and rear suspension. Still waiting to hear about the broken door it came with. Tried installing the throttle cable tonight and cable is missing locknut. After attending build school I guess I was expecting a bit too much. Thinking about starting the engine off a boat tank just to feel better about project. FWIW, I think FFR is still the best company for these cars. I think there are a few areas business wise where they have room to improve.

[jrohrig]

Ford fan, that's a bummer to hear. I went to the build school too and gained a big boost of confidence. I'm hoping the majority of my order isn't on back order. Jeff Ryan from FFR mentioned to me the other day they are extremely busy. I was gonna wait a few more months before putting in the order but have a feeling that prices are gonna be going up again soon

[Fordfan96]

Ford fan, that's a bummer to hear. I went to the build school too and gained a big boost of confidence. I'm hoping the majority of my order isn't on back order. Jeff Ryan from FFR mentioned to me the other day they are extremely busy. I was gonna wait a few more months before putting in the order but have a feeling that prices are gonna be going up again soon

I think they got hit with the double whammy of people looking for projects as a result of COVID, coupled with supply issues caused by COVID. I’m mainly just venting. It’s a fun project. It just hasn’t gone as smoothly or as orderly as I’d hoped. I’ve been skipping around to do what I can. The rear end is a big issue because I can’t really do the rear brake or fuel lines without it in place to know where to put everything. I know FFR is doing a major inventory overhaul right now. Hopefully they’ll be back on trac soon.

[AA-ron]

Congratulations! I'm 4 months into my build and having the time of my life. Picked up my complete kit Sept 6th and just did a first start 3 days ago. No sweeter sound!
Enjoy!

[jrohrig]

AA ron, congrats on the first start! I have 3 kids, and am not even close to to that "empty nester" time of my life. I decided to pull to the trigger cause as this isn't probably the best time for me to build the car, it's a good time. I have waited a long time to build this car and realize there will never be a perfect time to take on this project. My Dad and my kids are gonna be helping with the build, and that's one of the reasons I'm so excited about it. I'm motivated to get the car built and drive it, I just hope I can find the time! :D

[jrohrig]

Wayne r, is your car complete? Would love to see it

[Wayne r mckee]

Wayne r, is your car complete? Would love to see it

I’m about 95% complete just finishing the punch list . 177660

[David Hodgkins]

Welcome James!

I'm also from So-Cal and have built 2 roadsters; a MkIII and a MKIV. I got through both of them with a ton of help from this community and the fellowship that existed then is still alive today. There are a lot of local builders and one of the absolute best painters of these cars anywhere is right down the road in Temecula. Say what you want about So-Cal (rhetorical statement, don't get excited) but there's a lot of us and we love to build cars! Here's the first start party I had with my 1st build, ol' 5369. John (JJ's snakpit), Frank (ie427), Kouros and many more community members helped me along the way at one of me several build parties:

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=92985&d=1536596734

I had 3 young kids in the house when I started my build which was - wow - 17 years ago. I built my first super simple, with manual steering, brakes and transmission. It feels like a giant go kart, which I love. But I digress. I walked away from the build twice. Once for eight months, once for six. To do dad stuff usually. And I still got it to a driving state in under 3 years. Took my time driving it in gel coat and had it painted in the 6th year by Da-Bat.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=92416&d=1535842673


Here's to your journey James! I've met a ba-jillion people, learned a ton of new skills, hosted a few killer parties and have made some of my most cherished friendships along the way on mine:

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=85282&d=1525200786

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=85283&d=1525205325

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=53520&d=1462288739

...and it's not over yet. I haven't posted as much lately but I'm here every day and will help where I can.

:)

[nucjd19]

Congrats jro on your decision!!! I so enjoyed the build process and hope to do it again soon. If you don't have time for a build thread I would recommend doing what I did. I just used the picture upload function into a build file as my personal build thread. Much less stress than a build thread and you can go back and reference when needed. Finished mine recently and is just a blast to drive. My daughters ( 9 and 11yo) LOVE going for rides. I am glad I did it when I did. When my girls were younger I would have zero time and I am only getting older LOL!
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=173280&d=1664747154

[F500guy]

My kit is due to be completed in June, add shipping and expect delivery to be early July. Look forward to following along and comparing notes. Now, back to the stock market-My retirement can't take to many years like last year or my Cobra Project could be in jeopardy...

[jrohrig]

David H, awesome story man. I love that first picture in the go cart phase. You can really see the excitement and passion! I got lots of Dad stuff which is my number one priority, but I am very motivated to complete the car in a timely manor. I too will be doing a basic build, which is what I want.

Nucjd, love that blue! Great tip on taking pictures. I will definitely consider that.

You know, it's funny. I only put the order in a few weeks ago, and I'm still like 7 months from delivery, but I am already obsessing on building this car! It's all I want to think about! I feel like a kid lol. Can't wait:) In the mean time I have a few things to keep me busy. Finishing up my son's Gobra for one. If I figure out how, I'll post a picture

[jrohrig]

177882177883

[BRRT]

David H, awesome story man. I love that first picture in the go cart phase. You can really see the excitement and passion! I got lots of Dad stuff which is my number one priority, but I am very motivated to complete the car in a timely manor. I too will be doing a basic build, which is what I want.

Nucjd, love that blue! Great tip on taking pictures. I will definitely consider that.

You know, it's funny. I only put the order in a few weeks ago, and I'm still like 7 months from delivery, but I am already obsessing on building this car! It's all I want to think about! I feel like a kid lol. Can't wait:) In the mean time I have a few things to keep me busy. Finishing up my son's Gobra for one. If I figure out how, I'll post a picture

I placed my order early December - I feel the same way. I scour the forums most every day.

[DanQ]

I just placed an order for a 33 Hot Rod on 12/30/22. I was torn between the Roadster and the Hot Rod for many years, but it was my wife who said she really liked the 33 better, and as I would be happy building either, the 33 Hot Rod it is.
Like you, I have been looking at Factory Five for a loooong time. If this build goes well, it may become my retirement job. I have restored and built many vehicles, so the concept of assembling all new parts and no rust/sheet metal repair is a real treat to me.
Good luck with your journey. My kit is scheduled for a May 20, 2023 completion date, and I hope to see it by the end of June. Minnesota has a short summer, so I want to get as much done before I need to turn the heat on in my garage.

[phils88gt]

I was trying to cram through the car in mere months before my dad passed away. That really sucked a lot of air out of the room. I also bought an airplane that was also a bit of a project that took me on a year detour. Just stay excited and it will become real.