Anyone do a MK4 with LS and FFR LS parts offered?

[wallace18]

I have a good customer that wants me to build him a MK4 with a LS and manual transmission. I see FFR now offers LS engine mounts and headers in the order form. Has anyone built one with these parts? I would like to hear how it worked out vs trying to source everything myself. Thanks. :cool:

[maclonchas]

I did originally order the FFR kit with LS options, but the LS3 engine from BluePrint was on perpetual backorder for the intake so I switched to a SBF. The kit does come with the engine mounts and several folks van used them on LSX engines with no problems. They do make a driveshaft specific for the TKX/ LS combo that everyone I talked with seems to work fine. The issue is the transmission mount if you go AOD or the six speed manual. Then you must go custom. The wiring and gas pedal are similar to the Coyote with fewer connections. If you can go CANBUS, your dash wiring is really simplified and digital dash gauges are incorporated into the data outputs.

I did a lot of prep work before I had to make the switch, so I can tell you what I ran into if you have something specific.

Thanks

Bill

[BRRT]

My kit with LS mounts and exhaust arrives in a few days. FFR has an instruction sheet on installation and some of the parts that are required. They don't mention a few things, like front drive components.
Scroll down to "Roadster LS Install Instructions":
https://www.factoryfiveparts.com/instructions/

[wallace18]

Thanks guys.

[VKannan]

I’m currently building a Mk4 with an LS3 crate engine. Ordered all of the LS options with my complete kit. A few thoughts:

1) engine mounts worked fine, no issues with dropping in the motor. It is paired with a TKX transmission which also went in smoothly with no issues, and the drive shaft length was perfect.

2) Accessory drive is a pain in the butt. None of the ICT billet options worked for both power steering and an alternator, none of the dingo options did either, and no other option aside from an extremely expensive Holley set up that replaced the water pump as well seems to fit. Rather than go that route, I had a custom power steering bracket built by a friend who can weld.

3) wiring with the connect and cruise package was a breeze, possibly the easiest part of the entire build, just plug and play.

4) power steering ended up being much more challenging than I thought it was going to be, in addition to having to build the bracket you also need a flow reducer in order to have it work with the Ford rack that the kit comes with, and this flow reducer did not do a very good job. I ended up having problem after problem and ultimately gave up on the system and went with a manual rack because I no longer had confidence that it would be reliable.

5) this does not seem to be the experience of others, but my headers did not fit terribly well, they were rubbing against the pedal box. Again, luckily I have resources around to help me with welding so we modified the header to make it fit more easily

6) I will say the connecting cruise package is extremely reliable and has been flawless. It starts up every time, there were no issues with oil pressure, fuel pressure, etc. And most importantly for me, as I intend to do a series of long road trips across the country in this car, it’s extremely easy to work on these motors and find replacement parts. I think it strikes the perfect balance between having modern technology that is reliable and also being easy to work on.

7) the last thing, and these are in no particular order, is the fuel system. You will need to have a fuel pressure regulator as with any other electronic fuel injection system, but bear in mind that there are a number of options out there specifically for the LS engines that run the fuel at a set pressure without being modifiable. They are extremely easy to use, but the Corvette style regulators have been known to fail under aftermarket high flow pumps, so I went with a Holley regulator that does the same thing as the Corvette style, but can accept a much higher flow rate.

I’m planning on the first go kart test ride today, so I don’t have thousands of miles on this build yet, but these are my thoughts at this point in the process.

[nashuanuke]

Matt's been posting videos of his LS build for the last couple years, really helpful for anyone, especially LS folks: https://www.youtube.com/@AmateurHourGarage

[Mountain-Metalworks]

2) Accessory drive is a pain in the butt. None of the ICT billet options worked for both power steering and an alternator, none of the dingo options did either, and no other option aside from an extremely expensive Holley set up that replaced the water pump as well seems to fit. Rather than go that route, I had a custom power steering bracket built by a friend who can weld.

4) power steering ended up being much more challenging than I thought it was going to be, in addition to having to build the bracket you also need a flow reducer in order to have it work with the Ford rack that the kit comes with, and this flow reducer did not do a very good job. I ended up having problem after problem and ultimately gave up on the system and went with a manual rack because I no longer had confidence that it would be reliable.



I built with a LS3/T56Magnum combination before Factory Five offered the LS options. I feel it was a nice addition by them for the (small) audience that wants to go that route.

#2) I too found that the aftermarket LS accessory mounting options were either mediocre(at best) or silly expensive. Especially when only needing alternator and power steering. I designed and built my own that have 7000 miles on them and they have worked out great. These are from steel but the original intention was billet aluminum. I believe I used a Cadillac alternator and an aftermarket PS pump with remote reservoir. All spacers and alignment was off the crate motor LS3, but all LS should be the same pattern.
I have my hands VERY full trying to take over the Russ Thompson parts manufacturing at the moment, but would there be a market for something like this in the future?

#4) I don't vividly remember the details about my PS setup, but I'm curious what issues you into? This aftermarket pump with remote res has worked flawlessly with off-the-shelf fittings, though I custom made the lines just to get the correct lengths.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=69549&d=1498709081

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=69545&d=1498707706

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