Bill's Roadster Build #10653 - Sneak Pictures of Paint

[maclonchas]

Well folks,

This has been quite a journey for me as I originally was waiting for an 818 kit several years ago and came down with Covid and had to cancel that order (Three weeks in hospital and 1 surgery). I thought my FFR days were over, but fast forward to Sep 2022 and I put an order on a Roadster MK4 with a delivery date of May 2023. Another bout with Covid (no hospital time this time). In between that time, I changed engines, flopped over to a Daytona Coupe build, and then finally back to a Roadster. All those changes landed me with a Sep 2023 date for completion by FFR.

A quick note this week to the FFR team, just checking in, and low and behold they had a slot open for the end of April and asked me if I wanted that slot and could I have the configuration closed on the the same day. I checked with my better half and she winced, but said yes and and I am now locked in for a 22 Apr 23 completion date and have paid off my balance. I am pumped.

I know my build will be unorthodox and some may cringe, but I wanted the LS3 engine based upon dropping my order for a C8 corvette. As I kept looking at the C8, the less I liked the changes to the car and the more I wanted to build my next car.

I have asked a lot of questions of folks and read more threads than I care to admit, and here is my preliminary build selections. I will add more detail as I finalize other non FFR items.

FFR
Complete Roadster MK4 Kit
Left Hand Drive
302 Mounts
Hydraulic Clutch Kit
IRS Suspension
F&R IRS Shocks
IRS 3.55 Center & Spindles
Power Steering
Gauge Delete
Vinyl Seats
Powder Coated Frame
DS & PS Choose Rollbars
Wood Steering Wheel
Blank Dash (More to Come on this selection later)
Wind Wing Set
Trunk Gas Strut Kit
Brake Duct Wire Mesh
Over-Rider Kit
Body Cutouts
DS &PS Rollbar Grommet Set
Brake Reservoir Kit (for splitting front and rear)
Assembled Side Louver Set

Outside FFR (in Hand)
Aeromotive 18638 In Tank Fuel Pump
AC Delco GF872 Fuel Filter/Regulator
3/8" PTFE lines and AN6 fittings for Fuel System
0-100 psi Fuel Pressure Gauge
0-100 psi Fuel Pressure Sensor
Dorman Fuel Neck Seal
Breeze 70648 Big Bore Check Valve
NEW 2015-2022 Ford Mustang GT 5.0L Rear Brake Caliper Left & Right w/ Rotors
MOOG ES2150RL Tie Rod Ends
POR-15 Kit
A bunch of electrical parts

Outside FFR (On Order)
BPE LS376/525 with TKX (Due May/June)

Known Items (Still to Purchase)
Russ Thompson Turn Signal Stalk
Russ Thompson Drop Trunk
Breeze Front Battery
Breeze Upper Radiator Support
Breeze Lower Radiator Support
Breeze Fan Shroud
IDIDIT Headlight Relay
LMR Mustang FR500 17x9/10.5 with Nitto tires
LCDDash 12.3 (direct hook up to CANBUS)
Kleiner for Body and Paint


Enough for now. Need to relook at schedule for cleaning up garage and getting the Triumph TR6 gone.


Thanks everyone for your help so far and I know I will need more of it once the build begins.

Bill

[OB6]

Looks like a great build! My completion date is 4/8 and I'm going LS3 too. So that's at least two "dark side" MK4 kits for FFR in April.

[maclonchas]

Well I will be watching yours closely to see what issues you run into as you progress on your build.

[RBachman]

Congratulations!

[KayzDad]

Looking forward to following your build!

[maclonchas]

Got confirmation today that Stewart will pick up next week and will deliver soon after that point. Need to get back home from this trip and do final preparations in the garage. The build is becoming more real now. Very excited!!!!

[maclonchas]

Well last night was memorable as Stewart rolled in around 8pm. After spending the day cleaning up the garage (thought I had the weekend until he got here), building a modified body buck, and unloading the truck ........ I am bushed but happy :cool: Here are a few pictures until I get organized this AM and start inventory.

183753

Coming Down the Street

183754

Arrived

183755

Getting Closer to Delivery

183756

Yes that is me.... Not a dream!!!!!!!!

183757

In the garage. ... Whew what a night. Paperwork this morning and look at the damage and POL.... Only two pages .. but will need to review.

Cheers

Bill

[maclonchas]

Finally a picture in its nest on rollers

183760

Cheers

Bill

[zarnold]

Congrats! Looking forward to your build.

[VKannan]

Another LS3 builder here. I just started building my complete kit with a crate LS3 and TKX a couple of weeks ago. Hoping to be at the point of engine install sometime in late May or early June. I will follow along with your build!

Two quick questions, you ordered the hydraulic clutch kit from Factory Five. The LS3 engine with TKX uses a "push" action to engage the clutch, whereas the Ford setups use a "pull" and that's typically what Factory Five offers. To solve this I'm using a hydraulic TOB so that I don't need to use an external means of flipping the direction of force. Does Factory Five have an offering that solves this for the LS? I'd be curious to know what their solution is.

Also curious what your solution is to mate the Chevy power steering pump to the Ford rack. I've seen a conversion kit, but I've also seen a forum member mention that the flow rate is an issue and requires an adaptor. Is this something you've already worked out?

[GoDadGo]

Welcome To The Dark Side!
OA Beast It Will Truly Be!

[maclonchas]

VKannan,

Not sure I am answering your question here on the hydraulic clutch setup, the factory five options provides the hoses, couplers, wilwood .75 master cylinder, reservoir and various other fittings. The TOB (McLeod) -- Hydraulic is provided by BPE as part of the engine/TKX package, so that will be hooking that hydraulic line to the circuit. As far as pressure goes for this system, both this forum and the LS forum recommend a reducer to go to the power steering rack. I will be using a Borgeson Universal Pump Reducing Kit ....https://www.borgeson.com/GM-P-S-Pump-Pressure-Valve-Shim-Kit.html. The instructions are on their website. It shows three shims needed for a mustang rack.
The Following Chart is for reference only different pumps may vary pressures. Mustang Rack and Pinions generally require Approx 1000 PSI.

Hope this helps.

Bill

[maclonchas]

OK I am going a little out of order.... not anything new here from a process standpoint. After reading and re-reading several builds on the upper control arms issues, I thought I would take some baby steps first and do some dry fitting. The mevotech ball joints seemed to thread easily into the UCAs with not much resistance. I took them back out as I wanted to ensure I had the orientation of the UCAs correct first. Below is a picture of the 2 UCAs set up DS (Left) and PS (Right). Let me know if I got the orientation and bolts correct. Dimensions for alignment will be next.

183848

Thanks for the help.

Bill

[maclonchas]

Well was able to get some time in the garage this AM before everyone got up and with the body now resting on its perch, I tackled marking all the aluminum and removing from the chassis. Fairly quick work as I concentrated on the beams, overlays between aluminum panels and of course a lot of snaps of what it looks like before the panels were removed. Hope this saves some effort when I install these panels later on in the build.

Here is the body on the elevated perch.

183904
183905


One question on the elevated perch. With the body flat, do I need to put a 2x4 brace across the cockpit area?
The panels removed and the chassis bare and ready to start the build.

183906

Thanks

Bill

[Jim Frahm]

Another LS3 builder here. I just started building my complete kit with a crate LS3 and TKX a couple of weeks ago. Hoping to be at the point of engine install sometime in late May or early June. I will follow along with your build!

Two quick questions, you ordered the hydraulic clutch kit from Factory Five. The LS3 engine with TKX uses a "push" action to engage the clutch, whereas the Ford setups use a "pull" and that's typically what Factory Five offers. To solve this I'm using a hydraulic TOB so that I don't need to use an external means of flipping the direction of force. Does Factory Five have an offering that solves this for the LS? I'd be curious to know what their solution is.

Also curious what your solution is to mate the Chevy power steering pump to the Ford rack. I've seen a conversion kit, but I've also seen a forum member mention that the flow rate is an issue and requires an adaptor. Is this something you've already worked out?

Mike Forte offers a clutch slave cylinder and mounting bracket if your going with the traditional clutch fork setup. The hydraulic clutch bearing or throw out bearing is the other option.

I installed a LS1 in my MK4 and only encountered minor issues. If you’re going with a BPE setup for a MK4 it should be seamless.

Good luck.

[maclonchas]

Folks,

I did not get as far as I would have liked today with yard work and doctor's appointment taking up large chunks of the day, but I was able to get the upper and lower control arms fitted and torqued on the frame. Please check my work to make sure I did not do something stupid.

Here is the driver side:

184029

and the Pax side:

184030

The Blue tape was to remind me which side the UCA went on the chassis. I did have to trim the rear legs of the UCA to get to the Power Steering rough alignment numbers.

Thanks

Bill

[VKannan]

Very helpful, thank you!


VKannan,

Not sure I am answering your question here on the hydraulic clutch setup, the factory five options provides the hoses, couplers, wilwood .75 master cylinder, reservoir and various other fittings. The TOB (McLeod) -- Hydraulic is provided by BPE as part of the engine/TKX package, so that will be hooking that hydraulic line to the circuit. As far as pressure goes for this system, both this forum and the LS forum recommend a reducer to go to the power steering rack. I will be using a Borgeson Universal Pump Reducing Kit ....https://www.borgeson.com/GM-P-S-Pump-Pressure-Valve-Shim-Kit.html. The instructions are on their website. It shows three shims needed for a mustang rack.
The Following Chart is for reference only different pumps may vary pressures. Mustang Rack and Pinions generally require Approx 1000 PSI.

Hope this helps.

Bill

[maclonchas]

Made some progress yesterday and this morning completing some parts of the rear suspension. Nothing major done different than in other builds. I am just documenting progress to allow others to observe my work and get a second set of eyes on the project:

First up was modifying the spindles. Reaming these 5/8" holes was a lot of work and had my first injury with a slap of the drill on my finger from the reamer getting stuck in the hole. Bruised and ego checked!!!!!!! The cuts required to remove one of the bolts holes was easy enough with a sawz all. Some sanding and the two spindles are ready for use later in the build process.
184140

Next up was the hubs. Removal of the wheel studs was fairly straight forward and no issue run into here. As other had suggested, I got a sacrificial locknut and washers to help set the wheel stud straight. I used my ryobi battery impact wrench to tighten the studs onto the hubs. One note to elf. When using the impact wrench, the locknuts get -- hot -- and will burn your hand.

184141

My son-in-law stopped by this AM, so we tackled the pumpkin. Installation was straight forward with two folks and a harbor freight jack. I did not have problems lining up the holes as others have noted in their builds. Factory Five jig must be a lot better than done in previous builds. We will see if I have the same luck with the upper and lower control arms and toe links that I will tackle next.

184142184143184144184145

Thanks

Bill

[maclonchas]

Well it has been almost a week since my last update and I was finally able to make some progress on my build after waiting on FFR for some parts and just buying some hardware from ACE and McMaster-Carr.

First up was completing the rear IRS. A single bolt can have you delaying work and not making any appreciable progress. The bolt for me was a Ford W718188 S439 that connects the rear spindle to the hub. I had reported the bolt missing from the package, but my first MIK package did not include that bolt. I decided to move on to other parts of the build, but was getting too many parts out and not seeing any sub item I could finish. I stepped back from the project and decided to hold for a day and see if I could come up with a better plan. I checked Amazon, Tasca Parts, FordPartsOnline and McMaster-Carr. All had a bolt that would work, but the shipping and cost of the bolt was 20x more than the price of the bolt. In the grand scheme of things, probable not an issue but I decided that was not a place I should splurge now as my better half is tallying my receipts daily and reminding of my total cost to date. That is just her thing of keeping track of all costs that we spend and not a dig on the car. I sent a note to my local Ford dealer to see if they had the bolt in stock, but I never received a response. Well, I had enough and just went down to the Ford dealer and low a behold they had the bolt in stock for $1.35 (with tax). The worrying, research, and frustration on missing parts was not worth the cost of that bolt. Lesson learned -- Use the old fashioned way of in person buying rather than always relying on the web.

Here is that bolt by the way.
184363

Now to progress and checks of my work by all the folks that know much better than me on what the build should look like at this point.
With the axles installed and the hub and knuckle seated, now time to get the toe link, upper control arm and lower control arm attached to the knuckle.

184364184365

Now was time to attach the rear brakes. I went a different direction than the FFR brakes or going with Wilwood. Mike Everson had mentioned inputs about using rear Ford brakes (NEW 2015-2022 Ford Mustang GT 5.0L Rear Brake Caliper Left & Right w/ Rotors) off an eBay seller.
184366

I had purchased these brakes several months back an cleaned them up. You will see in the pictures that I painted them dark blue with paint for calipers.

Passenger Side 184367 Drivers Side 184368

--------Question here---------
I learned my lesson on parts and ordered the caliper to knuckle bolts from McMaster-Carr. One question for Mike Everson or others is the brake hose from the caliper. Can you use this hose with a coupler to the FFR supplied tab that joins the hard lines or replace with flex steel lines and banjo bolts like LMR shows on their website? https://lmr.com/products/2015-Mustang-Stainless-Steel-Brake-Hoses
---------------------------------

Some more pictures of final rear suspension and brake install

184370184371

----------Question--------------------
I have not torqued the CV axle nut yet as I am awaiting rear brake line cables from LMR to attach directly to my brakes and I also have not put the fluid in the pumpkin yet. Can I wait to put the fluid in or shouldI go ahead and fill the pumpkin with the friction modifier and SAE 75?
----------------------------------------

Finally the FFMetals Firewall forward was installed and riveted into place.

184375

Lastly, I installed the pedal box and will look at the balance bar this AM.

Pictures to follow once that install is complete.

I will be off for a few days after today as I headed up north to see our first grand child.

Cheers,

Bill

[jvfitz]

Bill,
what is the FFMetals Firewall forward option? I don't see anything about that on FFR.
Fitz

[BRRT]

Bill,
what is the FFMetals Firewall forward option? I don't see anything about that on FFR.
Fitz

Go to https://www.ffmetal.com/

[maclonchas]

Well back from the trip up north to see the new grandchild (Cameron Jane) and what beauty she is right now.

184624

Well onto the work completed. I was able to get the steering column done and started the aluminum chassis work.

184625184626184627184628

I backtracked on the front and rear brakes. Was able to get the brake cables that will need to be cut down installed on the rear brakes and and the caliper mount on the front brakes.

184629184630184631184632

Well no jury duty for me so I can work on the car tomorrow.

That is all for now.

Cheers,

Bill

[maclonchas]

So it has been one month since I received my roadster kit. I cannot believe how much I was able to get accomplished in that time. I am awaiting on some parts, so I will start to move around the build and get some troublesome areas covered early and see how it goes. Here is quick video.


https://youtu.be/sseh04cjKfQ

It may be a few minutes before the upload is complete, so please have patience.

Thanks

Bill

[maclonchas]

As the title of the thread states, I have had to make changes mid build due to some unforeseen engine challenges. My LS build has hit a logjam as the supply chain woes continue at Blue Print with the latest bad actor (the Intake Manifold). I have talked with a lot of suppliers and the bottom line is that the LS3 intake is out of supply and there are no good dates when new intakes will be available and the LS3 line restarted at BPE. My choice is to delay the build and hope in a few months the supply chain issues will resolve itself or pivot now and deal with the inevitable parts fallout. Given I have been plugging away at the build so well to this point, and not wanting to bet on an unknown date, I am going to have to change engines to keep the build going forward. The impacts to this change will be felt across the build, but will require very little rework. That is the hope. I am headed back to a Ford engine (SBF) with a 347 and TKX. I am opting out of the EFI for now as I cannot decide between Holley and Proflo 4 as an EFI system. I will be plumbed (fuel wise) for EFI, but will put a regulator to get to the lower carb fuel pressure. I am at the redesign stage of some wiring and exchanging parts with FFR for the Ford versus LS. Not a lot of parts, but still a pain.

I will let you know once I have more details.

Bill

[maclonchas]

Well the week has been an exasperating one trying to recover from the engine change required due to lack of parts for the LS3. After discussions with both Blue Print and Factory Five, I decided that the unknowns on the LS3 were too great to just stand by and wait. I talked with a lot of engine builders and looked at some used LS engines and nothing really grabbed me until I had some long discussions with Mike Forte. Bottom line, was No matter which path I went forward with for an engine, there would be a delay.

Given that I am changing the engine, I decided to change the platform and go forward with a Ford engine and stick with a carburetor to complete the build. I would make provisions for EFI (Holley or ProFlo) after a couple of seasons of the car. Mike Forte to the rescue with a Boss 347 that he will build up for me and have ready by Late July/Early August. Not ideal, but I will use the time to make the changes to accept the carburetor and work on the dash and other parts of the build.

The engine is a Ford Performance 347
185669
Holley 670
Pertronix 302 Distributor
MSD 8202 Coil
Aero 13301 Fuel Pressure Regulator
Aero 340 Mustang Pump
TKX 2.87/.68
Cobra Valve Covers and Air Cleaners
External Hydraulic Kit
Mechanical Linkage

This will be sweet setup and does simplify part of my wiring and build process.

Now came time to make the changes that the new engine/transmission would require.
First AN6 PTFE lines from the tank to the engine bay (feed and return)
185670
I made up the lines today with new fittings and will attach the hoses to the fuel regulator when Mike ship the engine.

I also had to remove the LSX filter and procure a new 30 micron filter to put into its place
185671

I completed a large portion of the aluminum and also put sound and heat barrier down
185672185673

The trunk area is also completed. Note I have material awaiting an RMA from FFR (driveshaft and engine/transmission mounts
185674

Finally I put Breeze's forward battery and started fitting the center console from Whitby motors. I will send in a separate note on the dash once I do some initial fits to ensure it sits correct.
185673185675

Sorry for the quality of the pictures, I will try and clean up the car tomorrow and take better photos.

Thanks

Bill

[maclonchas]

Well the change in the engine has caused a little rework in the fuel system and wiring, but I am pretty much at a standstill awaiting the the engine/transmission, digital dash and some Breeze cooling components. I have done about all I can do to the car without concern of having to redo items.

I completed the electrical wiring routing and thinning of wires. I will do the engine bay once the motor is in place. I have tested the circuits on off and on the car:
a) headlights - good
b) low-high beam switch - good
c) horn - good
d) turn signals with trailer harness -good
e) hazards with relays - good
f) fan - good
g) ignition circuit and key switch - good

Insulation and heat barrier applied to car with the exception of two portions of drivers side footbox. Now I await the parts for the gas tank, the emergency brake and the other items to get back into the build. Waiting is not one of my better traits.

--------No fear -- my wife saw an opening and determined I would go crazy without a project and now I am in the midst of laying wooden floor in a study for her. --Factory Five please help me otherwise more projects will be coming for me :(

Well at least I will be using my hands on this project.

No updates until I get more parts.

Cheers

Bill

[Mike.Bray]

I had no plans today. My wife found out and boy did I have plans for today I didn't know about!

[maclonchas]

Well I hope everyone had a great and safe 4th of July weekend. It has been really hot here in Florida (as well as other places across the US) and I can only get so much time in the garage before I am dripping wet and need to take a break. I was able to get the speakers installed in the rear cubby area and some work on the lower dash.

The rear speakers are just some low end Pyle oval speakers to provide some music when the engine or wind is not drowning it out.
186812

I also wrapped the lower dash, installed the rocker switches, one of the two heat seater switches (other seat heater is due this week) and the radio with CarPlay.
186813

I like the look of the carbon fiber wrap on the lower dash, but still unsure of what I will do for the main dash. Either some more of the main dash or leather like others have done. The transmission tunnel cover will be done in carbon fiber wrap or leather also. I am completing the courtesy wiring with led bars for PS & DS footboxes, as well as a led bar for the rear cubby. My digital dash is complete and would be shipped this week for installation from LCD Dash. Here is the final walkthrough of the display.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xX3QGQBJabE

Hopefully I will get some parts from FFR on the way to button up some areas.

Thanks

Bill

[Tooth]

Ok, so now that I'm pretty much done with my dash I see this. I was flip flopping between a digital dash and gages, but now that I saw this I think I'm starting over. :eek:

[F500guy]

That dash is pretty nice, if I was doing a ultra modern build, that would be the way to go. Looks great.

[danmas]

The pictured for your dash aren’t showing up. Could you repost?

[maclonchas]

Not sure what happened here but here is the lower dash with carbon fiber wrap
186985

186986

and the final walkthrough demo of digital dash


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xX3QGQBJabE

Thanks

Bill

[maclonchas]

Well folks with the heat and the lack of some parts, the build has slowed down a bunch. I have struggled to find meaningful tasks without the engine and gas tank. The engine should be here in mid to late August. The gas tank cover finally arrived from Factory Five (Thanks customer service). Well I thought I would bring you up to date where we are on the build. I finally pulled the trigger on tires and had them mounted and balanced prior to putting on the car. The rims are 18" OE Wheels and I got 255/40ZR-18 Falken Azenis FK-510 for the fronts and 315/30ZR -18 Falken Azenis RT-615K.

188406188407

I also got the long awaited cast and cover that allowed me to finally mount the gas tank.

188408188409

The dash is now in place with the steering wheel.

188410188411188412

Now I await on the engine to get to the next steps as I have completed the wiring as fares I can go without the engine.

Cheers,

Bill

[maclonchas]

Well it has been a while since I posted here as my build stalled while I had to wait on an engine. Now that it arrived today from Forte, I can start the next set of tasks to get closer to a first start.

Here are a few pictures of the Boss 347 with Edelbrock Pro Flo 4 EFI.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=191543&d=1698196438

191562191561191560

And some other close ups

191563191564
191565

Tomorrow I will update changes I have made while I waited on the engine.

Thanks. Look forward to getting back to work on this car.

[maclonchas]

Well I thought I would do an update on Sunday as it has been a little while since my last update. First the engine/transmission are in:

192125

Not much to add from other build installs. I did insert the driveshaft into the transmission once she cleared the opening for the transmission tunnel. This made the alignment very easy.

Completed the radiator install with the upper and lower Breeze radiatior hinged upper radiator, lower support kit and fan shroud

192126

Completed the wiring for the Edelbrock Pro Flo 4. Note that I decided to mount the ECU engine bay passenger side as others have done with the coyote engine and colocated the master relay, and fuse on the same panel. You will also note the extra relay center I placed to house the IE427 HB, seat warmer, fuel and other relays.

192127

I can take more photographs if you are interested.

I completed the dash, transmission tunnel and lower dash

192128192129

I also installed the IE427 Turn signal with high beam and Horn

192130

Finally I was able to get the Mike Forte Throttle Linkage and TJ gas pedal installed. I am now waiting on the Moroso T fill and Breeze power steering hoses and fittings to finish those two subsystems and fill with fluids. After that point, I should do a final check of all systems and fluids prior to a first start next week.

At least it is a plan.

Thanks

Bill

[maclonchas]

Well a small update as I have been posting on the main thread as I have worked through getting to the end of chapter 3 of the build book and have plunged into chapter 4. I have successfully completed my go kart checks and all systems to date are working correctly.

Here is short walk round video.


https://youtu.be/KNwTOQyZShY

You will not that I have already plunged into chapter 4 with the carpet and weatherstripping mostly completed. I still need to place the aluminum on the DS outer footbox, but I have held off until I am ready to put the body on the car for the first time. Next goals are as follows:

Trunk bed liner underside of Body
Body install and centering
ride height confirmed
reinstall the side pipes
start the hood and trunk hinges
inventory the remaining parts and ensure I have what is needed
Continue to refine any areas that bug me
Wait for my slot with Jeff in April 2024

Given football season is in full swing, this is a good time to slow down the build and review everything prior to going deep into Chapter 4. I will begin in earnest again after the new year.

Cheers,

Bill

[maclonchas]

Well as promised, but a little late, here is the go-kart


https://youtu.be/iXIy8L3zDxE

[egchewy79]

excellent! what happened to your original dash?

[maclonchas]

Good question and catch on the dash. I was not satisfied with the mounting options and decided for now to hold off on the digital dash from LCD.

[maclonchas]

Well it has been awhile since my last post and I have been waiting patiently while Jeff has had my car for bodywork and paint. As you may have read from another post by Jeff, the weather warmed up a bit and we finally got color. I hope Jeff does not get mad here, put here are a few shots from his work.

207610207611

and wait for it ...the final color choice

207612

207613

Could not be happier. We shifted colors from Blue to red, to Green, back to blue and finally what my wife wanted all along.

I think the color combo is gorgeous.

Cheers,

Bill