Mk IV inventory tips

[Junbug]

I’m about two weeks out from receiving my complete kit. Everything is paid in full and Stewart has confirmed a delivery window, I’m just waiting for the driver to contact me with a specific date.

I’d be interested in hearing any tips and necessary “stuff” to have on hand to help with the inventory. I understand my kit will be delivered as part of the “new” inventory process based off of this fall’s FFR warehouse/supply chain update/upgrade.

I appreciate any help/tips/recommendations to assist in the inventory process.
Thanks!
-Bryan (Junbug)

[Ted G]

My pantry, linen closet and coat closet all helped!! I would definitely have a micrometer available or a bolt sizing tool. After my delivery and now that my build is almost complete, I have about 50 extra bolts, and had to buy at least 50 other bolts, mind you that I was in the middle of the supply-chain issue and I had to source bolts elsewhere to keep moving. Hopefully the new system will help that out.

Good luck and enjoy the build. It'll be amazing, empowering, frustrating and confusing all in the same day!!

[edwardb]

My biggest hint is take your time and see it as not only an inventory but also a chance to touch all the parts, see what they look like, where they're used, etc. I'd recommend having the build manual on hand and for parts you don't recognize, look them up and see what they are. Especially for new/inexperienced builders. Which I don't know is your situation. But I see guys getting anxious and diving into the build without investing quality time in the inventory process. I understand, but taking your time up front will pay big dividends later in your build and help eliminate surprises some describe.

My second biggest hint is stay organized. I highly recommend leaving the parts in the boxes they came in and use the inventory sheets to retrieve the parts when needed. Related, I'd recommend as POL items come in, put them into the boxes they were supposed to be in and mark your inventory sheets accordingly.

My kits were all before the ERP implementation so I don't know the exact implications of the changes made. From what I've read on the forum, mainly two issues: (1) How hardware is packaged and provided is different. Has created some challenges for some. (2) There has been (it seems) more than the usual parts unaccounted for, e.g. not on the inventory list and also not on the POL. The FFR website kit list (e.g. "What You Get") is relatively detailed. Wouldn't hurt to do a sanity check with what's listed there. Good luck.

[Tooth]

I kept everything in the boxes and put the inventory sheets on the outside. Didn't keep me from digging through the boxes every time I started a new step. Putting everything in clear plastic bins by category has been a game changer when I'm looking for something. Biggest issue I and others have had in recent times is things that you should have, but are not accounted for anywhere. Kind of, you don't know what you don't know. For me it was mostly small stuff, but the big one I was missing was the entire coyote install box. It took me a few months to figure this out, then another few months to get it.

As I was going through I'd google anything that I couldn't identify. Although I don't think I rushed it and thought I was organized, if I could do it over again I'd spend more time on the inventory.

[CaptB]

I did the opposite I bought tubs and marked them with box numbers. That way it was stackable and looked better than a "pile" of boxes.

[edwardb]

Tooth raises a good point and one I should have included in my response. Make sure everything on your confirmed sales order is accounted for. All of us place kit orders with multiple options. Make sure each is either physically received or on the POL. I'm amazed (no offense meant...) how many builders discover something they ordered wasn't accounted for until later in the build.

FYI, you'll find stickers all over the boxes that say discrepancies have to be reported to Factory Five within 45 days. Certainly best to report them within that timeframe. If you discover something later, they're usually pretty lenient. But don't count on it and especially if it's a long period of time. I've heard of guys going back a year or more and surprised when they get push back. No excuse for missed parts or errors. You deserve getting every single thing you paid for. But keep your end of the deal and report them in a timely manner as best you can. For me it's not complicated. I paid a lot for this stuff. I'm going to take the time to make sure everything I paid for is there.

[dallas_289]

Hey Bryan (Junbug) - welcome!

I just got my Kit delivered on November 28th (2022), which was shipped using FFR's new ERP/Inventory system (to my knowledge). There seems to be some teething issues with their new Inventory system as I was missing critical parts from my kit that were not on my POL or inventory. FFR even sounded surprised at what I was missing. I'm talking Lower Control Arms, Fuel Tank Straps, Hubs, Spindles, etc.

As the folks here said, take inventory seriously and check each part/box. I went a step further and compared my inventory to another member's posted inventory tracker. I started discovering discrepancies in my POL/Inventory that I then sent to FFR. They were great about documenting my missing parts inventory (MIK), and I appreciated the call to walk through it.

Inventory Tracker I referenced is here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Uef9TQxjs7tWFECppbf3PGPJCVaLGfxL0MGpOWnnWBk/edit#gid=627606035

I wish I had kept track of who made this/where I found it, but many thanks to whoever did - it saved me a ton of time!

So far, I'm still waiting on my MIK parts and stuck in my building process due to the critical parts/amount of parts missing. I'm staying busy with other items but getting frustrated as weeks tick by, and I see other kits getting delivered with the same parts that are holding me up (it's only been a couple of weeks, just talking out loud). I plan on following up in a bit with FFR as I've heard from others that "gentle" reminders seem to get parts shipped.

Overall - I hope that you're going to enjoy it. Every second I've spent so far (even inventory), I've enjoyed and am optimistic FFR will sort out any missing parts we may have.

dallas_289 is my Instagram for my Build Log.

-Nate

[mladen]

Inventory Tracker I referenced is here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Uef9TQxjs7tWFECppbf3PGPJCVaLGfxL0MGpOWnnWBk/edit#gid=627606035

I wish I had kept track of who made this/where I found it, but many thanks to whoever did - it saved me a ton of time!


That would be me :) I'm glad folks are finding it useful.

There were a couple of us that had parts missing (driveshaft in my case) that weren't on the inventory list or POL. Hopefully this is mitigated with the new inventory system but you can do a cursory glance through my inventory spreadsheet and see if anything obvious is not on yours. (of course there are many different configurations so naturally there will be differences)

I'd echo everything folks shared so far. That spreadsheet really came in most handy when I needed something and wasn't sure where it was, it made it super easy to search through and pinpoint the box (so yes, do keep things in their boxes).

In that sheet you can see things I found that were missing. There were a few other small issues along the way, such as the center section and irs bolts I got were not flanged and they were supposed to be, so take a look at that while you're checking too.

It's really worth it to take the time to do this at the start as you won't have to pause or stop work because of some small item missing. (even though you don't have to do this precisely in the same order as the manual has it, many steps can be done independently)

Enjoy your build and welcome to the community. You have lotof really fun times ahead. (and a few frustrating ones for sure :) )

[MB750]

My two suggestions:

You might not know exactly what you're looking at in each kit or box. Just start checking off what you DO know what is what, then as you narrow down the number of items it'll make sense regarding what is remaining.

ALSO, go over your original BOM. As mentioned, my delivery was missing some items (like my driveshaft), and there was a few other things missing as well that didn't manifest themselves until I got rolling on the build (like rear Koni fasteners). I made it crystal clear to FFR that I thought it was BS I was missing things that weren't even on any part or kit breakdowns for each box, to which I was "reassured" that the 45 day grace period would be "loosely enforced" (I'm paraphrasing here) in those cases.

My argument was that if I didn't know I was supposed to get something there was a very slim chance I'd know it in 45 days. Like mladen's driveshaft. He didn't get around to needing it for well over 45 days, but he was supposed to get it per the original sales order BOM.

[DIBaledo]

I received my kit on November 28, 2022. So I have had my kit for a bit more than a month now. It was shipped using the new inventory program. Due to scheduling, my kit remained at FFR for about 4 weeks before Stewart delivered it, which was great because a large number of POL items were included and my POL list was relatively short. Key items missing at delivery included windshield, headers, IRS fasteners, fuel sending unit and a bunch of smaller items that haven't impaired my early progress. The windshield arrived a week later; still waiting on the rest. Only a few items were MIK and FFR took care of those right away. The IRS fastener pack has been the only thing that has created a problem, but many trips to the hardware store and a good sized order with McMaster Carr solved everything and the rear end is now "finished.

I can't recommend enough what others have said about the inventory - take your time and become familiar with each part - whether you keep them in the same box or go the route of plastic see-through boxes (I took a hybrid approach), identify where things are so you waste time looking for them. Also, as you are working on item, be familiar with what comes next so you don't have to take things apart that you've already torqued down or find yourself going to the hardware store 5 times in a single day.

David...

[Jim S]

A few thoughts to add on and to emphasize those already made:

- Have something to measure the bolts. Many of the boxes have a number of different fastener sizes in one plastic bag. You will need to measure both diameter and length during inventory (and when doing the install). I used a vernier caliper so I could get length and diameter. Also note that their will be a mix of SAE and metric fasteners. Use SIRI / Alexa, etc. to convert from metric to inches if you can't measure in metric.

- Don't assume the FFR inventory list of accurate. I found a number of mistakes. Don;t get me wrong. I think FFR did a fantastic job packing such a large number of parts and dealing with supply chain issues. They were adding parts to the shipment as they were coming in causing some boxes to be a "catch all" box. They would add notes to a box inventory sheet to say: "See box 28." The things of note that I found were:
-- Parts marked as shipped that were not shipped
-- Duplicates of some items (i.e. I got 2 of the corrugated radiator hoses and a few others)
-- I found 1 part that was marked as not shipped in the detail inventory list but it was not placed on the Parts Order List (POL)
-- The driveshaft was not shipped, not listed on the POL, and not on any detail inventory list. Don't just inventory against the paperwork and the shipment received. Also inventory against your purchase order.

- With many pages of parts, I found it best to highlight with a yellow marker any missing items. I then confirmed the missing items were on the POL

- Keep the parts in the original boxes. They are logically grouped (for the most part) by assembly step. When you have missing items, on receipt, I would suggest putting them into the box they would have gone into had they not been missing

- I scanned my inventory list into my PC and created an Excel spreadsheet of all parts. This not only made it simpler to identify missing parts but during the build I was able to search for part numbers / item names so I knew which box the part was stored in. While I doubt our build will be the same, I can share my Excel file if you think it would help you.

Jim

[Real Time]

Bryan,
Thank you for this post.
I should be expecting my kit in two or three weeks as well.
Never thought to ask this and I'm sure this post will be a great help to me.

Thanks to all who contributed!!
George

[Sarcasticshrub]

Same here.

Really appreciative of all the inventory advice for the upcoming delivery (less than 2 weeks out now).


That would be me :) I'm glad folks are finding it useful.

Added this spreadsheet gem to my quiver as well and yes, quite useful, thanks. :o Now I don't have to start from scratch.

[AA-ron]

I'm about 4 months into my build and I can say that I'm very glad I took the time to label the contents of each box in large lettering on a piece of printer paper and tape it to each box. Make sure you can see the labels when the boxes are stacked. It takes a ton of time in the beginning, but man does it save time and frustration during the build. The other thing I'd highly recommend is to list out the back ordered items on these labels and highlight them so you know what box to put the parts in when they show up. This also helps you keep the POL in order.
And lastly, and this really applies to the newbies like me, take the inventory time to learn about what the parts do and where they go in the build. I know very little about cars, so when I came across a part that I wasn't familiar with, I did a quick google search to learn what I could. This helped me better understand when I might be digging through some of the boxes I was stacking.