John in KC - Roadster Build Thread

[JMD]

Hi all, my name is John and I've been on these forums for months gleaning info for a build I planned to start later this year. As it turns out things moved along quicker than I first thought and I've actually already started! I booked a build school for this coming weekend a couple of months ago for one of my sons (16), my father (81), and myself to get an idea of how to go about doing this, but wound up receiving delivery of my kit and have already started! This forum has already been a huge resource in the many questions I've had in just the first week of the build. I did spend the past few months reading through countless build threads on the forums, watching videos and taking about 12 pages of notes with build tips and lessons learned from other's mistakes. Hopefully that smooths out the process a bit, but we shall see!

I haven't had a project car in a long time, but spent a lot of time working on and driving cars & motorcycles between college and when we started having kids in our late 20's...so it's been about 15 years. Before kids I participated in autocross events, several track driving schools (at VIR & Rockingham Speedway), and even made it to Tail of the Dragon with a group of friends and fellow enthusiasts. I've owned a '69 Camaro SS back in 2004 that I performed a restomod in during college (kept me out of trouble) and then had a '93 Mazda RX7 for a number of years. I've also had several sportbikes and standard motorcycles over the past 20 years. The '69 Camaro was my dream car, but I overbuilt it with a supercharged 383, loud exhaust, no power anything...it was a sweet car but not easy to live with. Sold it to pay off student loans. The RX7 was a beauty and did everything well. It was practically the perfect car, with the exception of the 80+ vacuum lines (or however many there were). I definitely had a love/hate relationship with that car. I've been eyeing a FFR MKIV for the past 7 years and finally got the chance to make it happen this year. (Almost pulled the trigger back then, but found out kid #5 was on the way...there went any extra time and money!) I feel like the MKIV will combine what I loved most about the RX7 (handling and lightness), motorcycles (open air motoring), and my '69 Camaro (American muscle and simplicity). I know it's an incredibly impractical car, but I'm thinking I'll be able to drive it more than I would a motorcycle, so that's a plus. I would love to get into motorsports again someday, so while I'm not looking to build a track car right now at least it's something that can evolve over time to do most anything I would want to get into.

That being said, here's what I went with:

MKIV Complete Kit
302 - Blueprint long block being fully assembled by Mike Forte w/ Sniper II EFI, alternator & power steering pump
TKX 5 spd
IRS 3.55 ratio
FFR power steering rack w/ supplemental parts from Forte
Wilwood brakes from Gordon Levy (to fit 15" wheels)
Hydraulic parking brake from Levy
FFR sway bars front & rear
FFR Dual rollbars - black
Gas N stainless headers & touring sidepipes
15" Halibrand wheels
Pro M fuel pump hanger
Walbro 255lph pump
Fragola 6000 PTFE fuel lines
FFR heater/defroster
Forte external hydraulic clutch
Forte mechanical throttle linkage
Forte TKX mid shifter
Breeze cockpit storage cubby
Breeze upper & lower radiator mounts
Breeze stainless lower radiator hose tube & clamp
Breeze Coolant Fill 'T' kit
Breeze radiator shroud
Breeze front battery box
FFMetal Firewall forward & transmission blank cover
Metco driveshaft safety loop
Pertronix Digital Rev Limiter
Flex A Lite radiator fan 238
Derale 12" cooler for PS fluid
Scott's Hot Rods Remote Reservoirs
Billet Specialities 2gpm Flow Control Power Steering valve
Summit Racing Stainless Overflow Tank
USB ports
...and more add on's as I go!

I spoke to a few people who have built kits (or are in process) and decided not to go the donor route and have an engine/trans built and delivered. Building an engine sounds like a lot of fun, but added to building the car I think it would be a bit much all at once. I also don't want to disassemble, clean parts, and reassemble, find missing components, research what works with what...simplicity is the name of the game here and I want something to drive down the road ASAP. Assembling all new parts sounds about the right amount involvement to me at this time in life.

I will start adding posts with build pics and hopefully point out things that I wish I had known ahead of time that may help others as they go about their build. My goal is to have a functional, driving vehicle by the end of the summer. Maybe that's optimistic, but that's the hope. I'm also keeping track of my hours as I'm curious if the '300 hour' estimate is anywhere near accurate. Guess we'll find out!

[JMD]

5/15/24 Delivery Day

4 hrs - Inventory & Organization

So, I'm building this in my father's garage as we currently don't have one at our house and are in process of building one (which is why I originally didn't plan to start this build until after that was completed). He only lives about 8 minutes away and has one car in a three car garage. Unfortunately my mother passed away as they were finishing up this new build so my father moved in all by himself after losing his partner of 60+ years. Needless to say it's been a difficult process, but I thought it would be the perfect time and place to start this project. My father likes cars and likes to stay busy, so having a project in his garage was a great fit as he had the space and it gives me plenty of opportunity to spend time with him. One of my teenage sons is also excited about this, so I thought it seemed like a great way to spend some time with family.

My kit was supposed to be completed 5/11 but Stewart Transport had a truck there on the 8th and communicated with FFR to have it ready early. (Thanks so much Todd at Stewart Transportation and Factory Five!) I told my father I was going to come by to bring some tools to put in his garage, so he was surprised when he looked outside and saw me loading boxes out of a semi across the street! Fun way to start the build.

The delivery driver, Kelly, was great to work with and did a great job getting us all set up.

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The whole process took about an hour to get all the boxes loaded and unloaded and the chassis situated in the garage. Man this thing is light! I could practically push it up the hill to the house with one hand. I know it's going to get heavier, but I couldn't help think how easily motivated something this light is going to be by a healthy V8. :D

Spent the next 3 hours organizing and taking inventory. The only items missing, aside from a few backordered parts (wheels, steering rack, shocks/springs, and a pair of IRS bushings) was a door hinge bolt and nut that had fallen out during transport. Trunk brackets had mostly come loose, but the hardware was still contained within the trunk so it was all good. Made sure to label all boxes and bags for later reference and organize similar parts near each other in the garage. I can tell this is important as it is so easy to forget where things are.

[JMD]

5/17/24

4.5 hrs - Build body buck & transfer body shell

Used some scrap lumber and plywood that had been leaning against my shed for over a year to build the body buck, per manual dimensions. The schematic was a bit confusing at first, but I figured if I couldn't figure that out I didn't have any business building a car. Fortunately after studying it for a few minutes it all made sense. It's pretty neat how you can get both end pieces out of one sheet of plywood. I then mounted the body buck to a rolling frame that I purchased from a fellow member of the Mid-America Cobra Club (which I joined last month). Sure does come in handy to be able to roll it around.

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Next removed the doors, trunk, hood & body attachment bolts. (Be sure to label individual bolt locations before throwing them all in a bag together.) Got some neighbors to help lift the body off and set on the body buck. The kit delivery sure got the attention of the neighbors and will bring any car guys out of the woodwork to lend a hand. Great way to meet neighbors and recruit volunteers. ;)

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[JMD]

5/18/24

3.5 hrs - Remove aluminum panels, start front suspension

Traced frame and adjacent panel overlaps, labeled panels and removed. Took lots of pics for future reference. My son Jasper came to help out today. Definitely wear gloves, these things can be sharp. Had to zip tie one door hinge as the bolt and nut fell out during transport. Other bolts fell out as well, but they were all still contained in the shell except that one set. Probably on the semi somewhere.

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Moved on to starting the front suspension. Got the upper and lower control arms on, but came to the first moment of not being sure exactly where to attach something. The manual says to use the upper mounting holes for the upper control arm unless using the FFR supplied pieces, then use the lower vertical holes. I wasn't sure which to do so left it un-torqued until I could do some research on the forum. (I encourage everyone to refrain from torquing to spec until all pieces of the assembly are accounted for and in position. Makes it easier to fit components or reposition later if needed.) Turns out you do exactly what the manual says (which isn't always the case, I'm finding out). I left it here after that first day but came back and moved it to the lower vertical mounting location a couple days later.

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[JMD]

5/20/24

4 hrs - Front Suspension

After doing some forum research, I came back to the garage, moved the upper control arms to the vertical mounting holes and went about adjusting the upper control arms to the proper position. I had come across a picture posted by Jeff Kleiner showing upper control arm measurements to get property alignment. It was a bit different than what the manual stated, but I know it adds camber which is desirable for power steering so went about doing that. Unfortunately the rear arm doesn't allow it to be short enough to get the desired camber so I had to cut off about 1/4" of the sleeve to accommodate. Fortunately there is a line on the sleeve about 1/4" from the end that I used as a guide. I used a hacksaw to cut through very slowly and carefully and it worked out great. Used a dremel to smooth the edges and it came out perfectly flat. Quick note: the female threads on the sleeves were extremely dirty. I wound up unscrewing all the sleeves, cleaning them out with a nylon brush, cleaning male threads with nylon brush, and coating with anti-seize prior to reassembly.

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Once I knew everything was in the right place and facing the right direction we torqued the pivot nuts to spec. (Apparently there is no torque spec for the nylon nuts on the outside of the upper sleeve bushings? The manual basically says to tighten until snug, so that's what I did. Just enough to eliminate any gaps and play in the bushings. Someone correct me if I'm wrong.)

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Moved on to the spindle. Not much in the manual about how to attach, but realized both castle nuts would tighten past where the cotter pins could hold them so researched forums (again) and surmised that the big hardened spacer goes below lower castle nut (tapered side down) and hardened washers are needed to take up any extra space for upper castle nut (not provided by FFR). Had to do some shopping around to find hardened washers as that's not something the big box hardware stores seemed to carry. I've found that working 2-4 hours at a time is perfect because I always end up needing to go buy something to move on to the next step.

Another thing the manual doesn't tell you to do is install the steering arms before the hubs. Fortunately I saw a video showing this or else I wouldn't have known to do it at this point. I was so pleased with myself at remembering this...until realizing two days later that I had put them in backwards. I knew they pointed out, but didn't know they were supposed to point up and out so the taper is oriented correctly. This comes back to bite me later. (Following pic shows steering arm oriented incorrectly.)

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[JMD]

5/21/24

5 hrs - Front suspension, prep rear hubs & mod rear spindles

Installed hardened washers on front spindle upper control arm bearing bolt, torqued castle nuts to spec, installed split and cotter safety pins, and greased all zerk fittings.

Knocked studs out of rear hubs and started the rear spindle modification. Pretty simple but nerve wracking to cut into such a major component. Triple checked my measurements and description in the manual. They do a good job of describing it and I was grateful for that. Marked the cut line...

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...started it with a hacksaw then used a sawsall with 10-14 tpi blade. Had my dad spray with WD40 every 15 seconds or so and took it slow.

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Voila! Used a dremel to deburr the edges and an orbital sander with 120 grit to sand the flat smooth.

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Used a 1/2" drill bit to start enlarging the spindle hole before moving to a 5/8". This really helps reduce the material removed by the larger bit and keeps it from catching so much. Check the hole regularly to make sure you are removing a consistent amount on each side to stay true to the original hole trajectory. Again, lots of WD40 as you go.

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Used the washer method with lots of grease and motor oil to pull the new 1/2" 20 Dorman wheel studs through the rear hubs. I read that lots of builders had trouble pulling these through so I put them in the freezer the night before to shrink them ever so slightly, greased the heck out of them, as well as covered everything in 10w30 as I went. I also found out that at least half the stud threads had some galling so ran a nut down each one (again with some oil) to chase the threads before attempting to pull them through. Some of them were so bad I had to grip them with pliers and use a wrench to progress the nut on in several spots. Make sure to put the nut on backward when you do this so you don't mess up the leading edge of the nut for future use.

Frozen studs:
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Air Impact Wrench came in handy:
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[JMD]

5/22/24

3 hrs - Finish spindle mod for other side, complete rear hub prep

So I pulled through studs on the first hub using the washer method, but obtained a stud tool and used that for the second hub. It worked fine, not really better or worse, but left marks on the hub where the washers had not. Even though I lubed it up, I'm guessing the pressure pulled the hardened shell of the tool onto the hub face and marked it. The scratches are superficial and can barely be felt, but kind of annoying. I would stick with the freezer and washers if I had to do it again.

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Assembled rear hubs and spindles. The manual shows the wrong bolt for this. The correct bolt is a flanged head bolt w/ integral washer and 15mm hex head. Marked as a 10.9 and looks to have a galvanized finished, although I'm not sure that's what it is. Just FYI.

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[JMD]

5/24/24

2 hrs - Assemble rear suspension components

Put together the rear suspension arm bolts, eyes, etc. The female threads in the arms are rough and dirty. I suggest cleaning with a nylon brush and wiping them down thoroughly prior to assembly. I just do this with any threaded component at this point, male and female. Anti-seize on all adjustable components and adjust to specified lengths. Grease in all zerk fittings until it starts to come out the sides.

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[JMD]

5/25/24

3 hrs - Correct the steering arm orientation

Well it finally happened. I had to go back and uninstall significant parts that I had thought were complete. Realized the day before that my steering arms were on the wrong sides. They were pointing out but down instead of up. I had looked at many pictures and threads before installing them and thought I had it right, but no. To fix it I thought I could just remove the steering arm nylock nuts, separate the lower tapered joint in the lower control arm and swap them...but no. The lower control arm refused to be parted from the spindle. I tried several tricks I found on the forum to no avail so finally conceded defeat and instead removed the rotor, caliper, and hub. I was thinking the hub removal was going to be a big hairy deal but it wasn't at all. Used a 24" breaker bar to loosen the nut and the hub pulled right off. Swapped the steering arm to the correct orientation, reinstalled the hub (with a new nuts from Autozone for a 89-97 Mustang, thanks again forum friends), torqued to spec and reinstalled the rotors and calipers. Now that I know how all of this goes together and have all the correct parts I can do in 15 minutes what it took hours to do the first time.

Corrected steering arm orientation:
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Please someone tell me it looks right!?!?

[gbranham]

Yep, steering arms up and out. Where are you in KC? Somehow, I missed your introductory thread. I'm in Tonganoxie if you want to stop by and check out my build, or if you want some experienced hands with yours. Happy to help! There's actually two of us in the process of building here in Tonganoxie...both MkIV, both IRS, one Coyote and a 427 stroker. My short block arrives Tuesday of this coming week! I can't wait to start building my engine! I'll be home all Memorial Day weekend; hit me up if you want to stop by!

Also...do yourself a favor and replace those upper blue ball joint covers on the front while it's easy to get to. They will crack. Mine did before I even had it off the chassis dolly. It's a $10 affair on Amazon...Energy Suspension 5.13102G. The kit comes with two uppers and two lowers; make sure you use the correct ones from this kit for your uppers.

Greg

[JMD]

Hi Greg! I've seen some of your posts on the forum and I'm pretty sure at least one of them has already helped answer some questions I've had! I didn't post an introductory thread, where's the best place to do that?

I'm on the other side of KC from you, on the edge at the south eastern-most tip of city limits. Grandview is right across the street from me so I'm pretty much never anywhere near you, but would like to make time to come out and take a look at some point. You both went big with the engines, eh? Nice. I'm looking for something light where I can put my foot down without driving it being all about throttle management.

Is separating the upper control arm from the spindle anywhere as difficult as the lower? Sounds like a good idea to replace the boot, but those tapered joints are a bear to remove. (I've already torqued it down.)

[gbranham]

Shove a pickle fork (ball joint separator) in there, and whack it with a BFH, and it'll release. Happy to come help you with it.

[FatherAndSon]

Man, you got your kit quickly! It's looking great so far, you're going to be done before I finish the truck!

[JMD]

Good to hear from you, Matt! Glad you're here on the forum as well and thanks for saying 'hi'. My goal is to have it driving and functional by the end of July...but we'll see! I just got an email tonight that 5 or 6 boxes are on the way from FFR. I received most of my kit on delivery day but had the wheels, steering rack, springs/shocks, front differential mounting bushings and rear brake t-block backordered. It didn't seem like much at first, but I haven't been able to get a single major portion of the build done because I'm missing one piece! Hopefully that changes here soon.

[JMD]

5/27

3 hrs - Correct Steering Arm orientation

I thought this would be so simple. Separate the lower control arm where it bolts to the spindle, drop it down and unbolt the steering arm. Nope. I learned that those tapered joints are not to be trifled with. Couldn't get it off. Had to remove the brakes and hub assembly to remove the steering arm bolts, which really wasn't that bad other than the fact that I had to go buy new spindle hub nuts as they are a one time use item. My first big frustrating waste of time undoing something to correct a tiny mistake...but now I know. Note to future builders: the steering arms point up and out. Remember that and you'll be fine. (Wide part of tapered joint goes down.)

Incorrect:
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Correct:
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[JMD]

5/27

3 hrs - Install differential & major rear suspension components

I had my son help me hoist the differential into place. Definitely a two man job, although I've heard that a few brave souls have done it on their own with straps and hoists. The manual instructions are good and clear for this step. Quick note on the correct mounting bolts: the rear diff mounting bolts thread into the housing. I probably spent 10 minutes trying to find bolts long enough to put a nut on the other side until it dawned on me to check and see if the holes were threaded. They were. Can't mount the front bolts yet as the bushings are on back order.

Checking the install:
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My son resting after some heavy lifting:
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Attached the rear upper and lower control arms, as well as toe link. Instructions clear on this as well, prompted me to install the rear sway bar mount at this time...but the rear tabs for the upper and lower control arms were too far forward. The upper ones were fairly easy to bend back to fit (use plenty of grease), but the lower ones were thick gauge steel and tough to move. Used a 1/2" threaded rod about 1' long with shop towels to protect mounting point to lever it out. Tried the threaded rod and nut trick, but it kept wanting to move the forward mounting tab. Also make sure to clamp your bushings prior to install as they want to push outward after being greased.

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I'm waiting to install the axles until I can get the differential locked in place. I've heard it can be difficult getting all 4 bolts lined up and don't want to deal with the axles while trying to do it.

[JMD]

5/28

3.5 hrs - Install Steering and start aluminum panels

Got the firewall and front pedal box aluminum panels drilled and cleco'd in place. Going back and forth between getting the firewall forward kit, but decided to stick with the stock piece and eliminate the glovebox in order to mount the heater. I'll keep the glovebox door as access behind the dash.

Started the steering. Instructions pretty clear except I didn't know to split up the mounting brackets for the pedalbox mounted pillowball and mounted both sides on the engine side. [Edit: learned at build school that both flanges go on engine side, just don't tighten them down until the steering shaft is inserted and located.] Now just waiting on the steering rack.

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[JMD]

5/29

5 hrs - Prep & install gas tank

The manual instructions were not great on this. Look up the FFR build video #9 and the EFI supplement in pdf online if you are using the FFR supplied in tank fuel pump. Everything went real well until I had to connect the fuel pump to the harness in the mounting bracket. I guess you could just use the connectors on the mount to crimp onto the fuel pump terminals, but I didn't like that setup. I chose to use the fuel pump plug as it seems very secure and splice the wire. Tried to crimp it at first but wasn't happy with the outcome. Decided to solder instead and that worked out well. Took me so long because I had to take two trips to the hardware store to get all the needed supplies. Also used the OEM Ford filler neck gasket as I read lots of builders say the FFR supplied part tended to leak.

Used the round gaskets and lubed with motor oil instead of sealant as that seems like the best way to do it, per advice of many on the forum. Be sure to lube every gasket prior to install.

I'm using all the FFR supplied parts for my engine as it's a moderately powered 302. I will run 3/8" hardlines to future proof in case I decide to add a supercharger or swap engines. Installing a different pump and connecting lines would be pretty simple to do if needed, I just don't want to have to replace hardlines in the future.

Pics inside gas tank:
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Ford gasket:
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The gas strap eyelets were too small so I greased up a sacrificial bolt and ran it through to open it up a bit. The mounting bolts were still snug, but not enough to damage the threads.
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I didn't have any trouble using the provided hardware to secure the straps. I've heard some need longer front bolts, but if you bend the flanges just a little bit it helps gain a few fractions of an inch.

In tank fuel pump ready to go, just need to connect the wires.
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Solder and heat shrink.
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Make sure to line up mesh filter with the baffle box so it doesn't interfere with installation.
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It's in!
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[Edit: A couple weeks later after further research I end up ordering and installing the Pro M fuel pump hanger assembly with 3/8" inlet & outlet. Keep scrolling to find it.]

[gbranham]

You might consider not installing the rear sway bar with your IRS, and see how it drives first. I bought both front and rear sway bars with my complete kit w/IRS, and the general consensus seems to be you don't need or even want the rear sway bar with IRS, unless you've really dialed in your brake bias for track use. I also struggled with the fact that installing the rear sway bar on an IRS setup basically makes it 'not IRS' at that point...so I removed it. Just something to ponder.

Greg

[Mike.Bray]

A couple of quick notes for you John.

If you transfer your pictures from your phone to your computer, open them in Paint, and then resave it will sort out the rotation issues and save me from getting a kink in my neck.

You might reconsider the forward firewall, there's not very much space behind the dash and the extra it gives you is really nice. Plus it's thicker so more sturdy.


Mike

[kirby]

Super jealous of the time you are getting to spend. I haven't touched mine in a month. As Greg mentioned I am just outside of KC also if you want to stop by the shop or need anything let me know!!

[JMD]

Thanks for the input, Greg. I did a lot of research on this and only got the sway bar because I do hope to get on the track one day and sway bars are really helpful in tuning the suspension. If this was just a street car I probably wouldn't have messed with it. I figured I could always remove them later if I didn't like them, but I generally prefer a relatively soft spring setup with a hefty roll bar as opposed to crazy stiff springs. You are right that it does connect the rear tires in some fashion, but WAY less than with a solid axle and using one spring to help firm up the other upon load transfer is really helpful. But who knows where I will actually end up with it. These cars are so light you can't always use the same setup as with a heavier car, so I expect to learn as I go. ;)

[JMD]

Mike, thanks for the tip. Will certainly do that with the pics from now on.

I just attended the FFR build school this past weekend and that was one decision I made as we built the car. I was going back and forth about the firewall (not wanting to spend the money unless it was really needed), but it does make a lot of sense and makes use of space that would otherwise be wasted. I also changed my plans in a few other areas, will post about that shortly.

[JMD]

I received some back ordered items from FF while gone to the build school this past weekend. Only took about 2 weeks after receiving the kit to get them.

-15" Halibrands
-springs & shocks
-rear diff bushings
-brake t-fittings

The only thing I'm waiting on now is the power steering rack, which they just shipped yesterday. Should have all my parts by the end of the week!

[JMD]

Super jealous of the time you are getting to spend. I haven't touched mine in a month. As Greg mentioned I am just outside of KC also if you want to stop by the shop or need anything let me know!!

Thanks, kirby! I will have to find time to come visit you and Greg this summer. Are you the Coyote or 427? [Edit: just noticed Greg's signature has the 427, guessing you're the Coyote?]

[JMD]

Also got these while I was away:

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SVE FR500 in 17x9 and 17x10.5 for track tires. These things are a steal at $200 each and free shipping. I weighed them on my scale this morning and the smaller ones are 21lbs and the larger 22lbs. I was surprised at how light they were as they feel pretty chunky and strong. Going to put rubber on them down the road once I'm ready for some track events. Using the 15" Halibrands for the street.

[JMD]

5/31-6/2 Build School Weekend

Had a great time at the build school with my dad and son Jasper. The instructors Scott and Todd did an amazing job and each have over 15 years of experience with these cars. They weren't selling or pushing anything but just talked through different options available and pointed out ways that the kit could be improved upon or areas that might need further attention. They weren't shy about telling you when a supplied part or factory instruction was lacking. I learned a ton and met some really great people. I took a lot of notes and will list a few things I learned that may be helpful to anyone else reading this or contemplating a build who will not attend the build school. Most everyone there who was on the fence about whether or not to start this project decided they could do it and plan to in the near future. It's a lot, but not really rocket science. If you have a good working knowledge of each system and how it's supposed to work, some reasonable mechanical inclination and can pay attention to details you can figure this out...but it's not for everyone.

A few tips:
-Use correct rivets for application. Short rivets are used to join two panels or a panel to thin wall frame (such as 3/4" tubing). Use longer rivets for anything else. [Edited to specify frame tubing thickness thanks to Greg's comment.]
-Extend the grooves in suspension bearing around and up the flat faces so that grease can lubricate the flat surfaces.
-Plumb each front and rear brake reservoir to the respective MC separately, don't use a y fitting from one reservoir. Because safety.
-Do one or all of the following: reinforce the gas pedal mounting bracket so it doesn't get pushed forward (it's not very strong), cut the top hole off the FF supplied gas pedal, or use a different gas pedal that mounts to the frame (I'm getting mine from Breeze). There is a chance that if you mash the gas too hard it could bend the mounting point and wedge the pedal in at full throttle position. Any of these solutions prevent that possibility.
-Check your inertia switch and reset prior to initial startup. Chance is good it got tripped on install and nothing will work until it's reset.
-Cut passenger side windshield support if longer than 9.5" as otherwise it could bottom out before setting down flush.
-Use black paint under carpet seams before setting the pieces in place to prevent visible gaps. Also, there are no scrap carpet pieces. Each piece is cut to fit a particular spot and there is no extra carpet. The pieces in the kit are almost perfectly cut for their respective panel, so almost no trimming is needed except around the doors.

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[Mike.Bray]

Plumb each front and rear brake reservoir to the respective MC separately, don't use a y fitting from one reservoir. Because safety.

Not actually true with the Wilwood pedal box, see this thread (https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/showthread.php?47955-Opinion-Do-you-feel-that-two-brake-reservoirs-are-preferrable-to-one) for further explanation. But it does make it easier to power bleed.

[AndrewIdaho]

Hi John,

Thanks for the review of the build school tips. I receive my kit towards the end of July and I am starting to prep for the build. I found the following comment interesting:
"-Extend the grooves in suspension bearing around and up the flat faces so that grease can lubricate the flat surfaces."
Could you expand upon which bearing as it was not clear in my search of the manual as well as what tool was recommended to extend the groove?

Thank You, Andrew

[JMD]

6/6

5 hrs - Complete Rear Suspension & Diff Install

You're in luck Andrew, this is exactly what I did today before finishing up my rear suspension. Fortunately I hadn't torqued anything down as I was waiting for my front diff bushing to arrive from FFR. They did arrive this past weekend so I finished up installing the diff (loosely install all 4 bolts first, then tighten starting with rear bolts), modified the bushings, reassembled the suspension, installed the axles and rear spindles, and torqued it all to spec (except axle nuts).

Here is a picture of the bushing before and after (I said bearing earlier...it's actually a bushing...I think). No special tool needed. Put the piece in a vice (protected with a towel) and use a hacksaw to score the face of the bushing where the inner grooves terminate. You are basically extending the groove that carries grease to lubricate the bushing sides. The new grooves allow grease to reach these surfaces and keep them from needless friction and resistance to movement. The front upper control arm bushing already does this. Notice when you grease the fitting how it pushes out through the sides of the bushing. You are basically modifying all bushings to do the same.

Here is a before and after pic:
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Installed diff vent (like $2-3 from Amazon):
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Had to spread the mounting tabs for the spindle toe and lower mounts:
200370

Installed axles, spindles, completed rear suspension. Let me know if something looks off, but I think it's good to go. Moves smoothly with no play at all. Tightened the hub nuts down to 80 ft/lb and made a note to tighten further once rear brakes are installed and can keep it from turning. Didn't want to potentially bend the lug nuts by using a lever...
200371
200372

[AndrewIdaho]

Thanks John,

The explanation and pictures are very clear. Thanks for the tip.

Andrew

[gbranham]

-Use correct rivets for application. Short rivets are used to join two panels or a panel to frame. Use longer rivets for anything else.


This doesn't seem correct to me. I used short rivets for panel-to-panel, but longer rivets for panel to frame, with maybe the exception of panel to 3/4" square tubing.

Greg

[JMD]

This doesn't seem correct to me. I used short rivets for panel-to-panel, but longer rivets for panel to frame, with maybe the exception of panel to 3/4" square tubing.

Greg

Good catch, Greg. Upon reviewing my notes that is a distinction I forgot to make. The short rivets are for panel to panel or panel to thin wall frame member (such as the 3/4" square tubing). Longer rivets are for panel to thick wall frame member or multiple panels to any frame member. (I'm sure using long rivets for panel to thin frame member is perfectly fine as well, just not the other way around.) I'll probably use short rivets for joining panels and long rivets for everything else. I will go back and edit to make that distinction in my original post.

[JMD]

6/7

5 hrs - Coilovers & Pedals

Finished installing the coilovers today. Pretty painless except for the blood blister I got trying to push the threaded sleeves past the bump stop to seat on the snap ring. I lubed the rubber stop with some motor oil, which helped a lot, but then forgot not to hold the shock body while pushing the sleeve over it. Scott at the build school said this would happen... Also verified the shocks were all set at full soft. Some of the upper mounting points were too close together for the shock w/ spacers, so had to spread some of them out a bit. Red Koni's can be mounted body up or down. I chose up to reduce unsprung weight and less vibration to shock body itself. Probably doesn't make a huge difference though. [Edit: 500lb springs up front, 400lb in the rear.] (Didn't they used to come with 350# instead of 400 or was that just with the solid axle?)

Final pic of rear suspension:

200411

Pedal box was intimidating to start, but simple if you follow the FFR supplemental instructions. I had to google to find them online. It's always intimidating to cut into a new part, but there is a bit of drilling and cutting here. Brake MCs are identical at 3/4" bore. Not using a cable clutch, so didn't set that up yet. Waiting for the Mike Fortes hydraulic external slave clutch kit. Did cut the MC rods as I'm sticking with manual brakes after all. Pretty good day overall!

Cutting the plungers:
200413

Pedal brackets installed and MCs done:
200414

[Sarcasticshrub]

400lb springs up front, 500lb in the rear.

Typo? 500lb go up front.

[gbranham]

Typo? 500lb go up front.

Correct...500# front, 400# rear.

JMD...slow down, buddy! You're doing a lot of rework...

[JMD]

Typo? 500lb go up front.

Just making sure those of you following are paying attention. :-D I think working on the pedal box used up more grey cells than I anticipated...

[JMD]

Correct...500# front, 400# rear.

JMD...slow down, buddy! You're doing a lot of rework...

Hehe. Can't stop, won't stop. :evil grin:

[JMD]

6/8

3.5 hrs - Coilover check & Steering rack

So the first thing I did was spend time verifying that the 500# springs were up front and the 400# springs in the rear...and after 20 min or so they were. Lucky me. ;) It did get me thinking about how easy it is to swap out coilovers on this car. Instead of swapping springs for street and track it makes a lot of sense to just run two separate sets of coilovers. 30 min to jack the car up and switch them. Keeping that thought in the back of my mind for future use.

Received my backordered steering rack from FFR yesterday, so started on that today. Removed the old bushings and installed the new ones with metal sleeve, cleaned out the rod end threads (they were pretty junky) and got it all set to install. Took me a while to figure out why one tie rod was about 2" longer than the other. After much thought and double checking measurements I realized I was assuming the steering rack was centered in it's travel. Put the steering shaft on to check and it wasn't. Problem solved. Centered the steering and installed the outer tie rods after much research about whether they needed cutting. (Didn't want to find out they did and I didn't have enough adjustment available upon aligning.) I jacked up the front suspension after disconnecting the upper shock mounts, getting the lower control arms parallel to the ground to simulate ride height and appoximated where the front hubs needed to be to point straight ahead. Still a good 1" of adjustment left in either direction, which would be more than enough to get the toe correct. Applied some anti-seize to rod ends and threadlocker to rack mounting bolts and torqued to spec. Mounting the rack is tight, but apply lots of WD40 to the bushings and mounting tabs and it slid right in...with a little persuasion.

Always clean out fresh cut threads:
200487

Pull out OEM bushings and install FFR supplied (poly?) bushings. Much firmer.
200488

Close up at estimated ride height:
200489

All buttoned up:
200490

Lots of great forum threads on installing steering rack. It seems like there is no need to cut anything if using the FFR supplied power rack...but as supplied parts change that might as well. But mine seems to be fine as is.

[JMD]

6/9

1 hr - Reinstall steering shaft

After removing the shaft to install the steering rack I then reinstalled it, with a few minor changes. I installed the footbox pillow ball with the set screws facing toward the footbox instead of the engine bay. This allows more space so that the steering shaft can be removed from the rack without having to move the rack. This was also a tip from the building school instructors. I also corrected the installation of the pillow ball, putting both flanges on the engine bay side of the footbox...just don't tighten down until the shaft is in it's final position. I also dimpled under each set screw in the shaft to ensure no slippage. Any intrusion into the universal joint can limit the movement, which would be bad.

Bottom of flange was barely contacting the universal joint, smoothed it down with dremel:
200632
200631
200633

[JMD]

6/10

4 hrs - Passenger footbox (initial assembly and fitment)

Started fitting the panels, building and holding it all in place with clecos using only the factory pre-drilled holes to make sure all panels are positioned correctly before drilling additional holes for rivets. The manual is actually pretty clear on how to do this, just make sure you have all the panels in their correct place with good fitment at the seams and frame members before drilling your final holes. You'll be glad you marked the panels showing which tabs go where. Temporarily mounted f-panels.

201106

[JMD]

6/11

4.5 hrs - Brake balance bar adjusted, charcoal vent install, passenger aluminum footbox finalized

Did a lot of research on setting up the balance bar. It's really easy to miss something here. I advise searching the forums and watching the wilwood video if you don't quite understand how it's supposed to work. Made sure mine was properly engaging the master cylinder plungers, brake pedal cleared from hitting frame, correct distance between clevis and pedal shaft, bar centered, and set screw adjusted to allow the 'click' for each turn of the balance bar. I had cut 5/8" off the MC plungers but still had to draw them into the clevis a ways until they weren't pushing against the pedal at rest. Thinking of installing the remote bias adjuster, but not at the moment. Looks to be pretty easy to get to even with the footbox panels in place.

200763

Trimmed shoulder panel on passenger side. Apparently this panel always needs trimming from the factory, per build school. If you don't, the body will hit and be pushed up in this area and you'll have a heck of a time trying to make the door fit properly.

201105

Installed charcoal vent. I bent the bracket to lay on top of frame member. If mounted on the side of the frame member as shown in the manual the bottom rests against the IRS framing. Bringing it up an inch helped it clear. Added hose clamps.

201104

Took apart the passenger side footbox, got out the silicone and riveting tool and went to work. Since all the holes were in the right spots I was able to silicone and rivet in panels as I went along. Worked out pretty well. One thing I will say is the rivets they give you aren't very pretty (or maybe it's my rivet tool). I'm trying to decide if it bothers me enough to drill out and replace with nicer rivets in the more visible areas. I'm much more excited about how the car drives than the appearance of such things. I'm not putting it together to be a show car or work of art...it's going to be a driver. I do plan on painting the engine bay, so what kind of rivets used is probably not worth losing sleep over. Also started drilling for the new firewall forward received from FFMetal.com. (Well, I got Jasper started on it. ;) Quality piece and I'm glad I got it. (Thanks for the recommendation!)

201102
201103

[JMD]

6/12

3.5 hrs - Tires, transmission mount, start spindle modification for brakes

Today started out fun, then became less so... Ordered tires online last week and had them delivered to local company who brought them out and mounted them in the driveway. Pretty cool! Only took him about 30 minutes from start to finish. I've loved the look of a Cooper Cobra 295/50-15 from the moment I first saw one. They fit the vintage aesthetic of the car and just look like they mean business.

201099
201100
201101

Installed the transmission mount. Build school guys said to do it before dropping the engine in. It can be done either way, but they preferred doing it first. Some builders have to enlarge one of the mounting holes to get it to fit, I was able to fit it without doing so but it was a struggle.

201098

If you're running 15" wheels there's no way to get around having to (further) modify the rear spindles to fit brakes. The FFR 11.65" brakes require it, as do the Gordon Levy Wilwood brake kit. Wish I had known this before torquing everything down. I was really hoping I was done with the rear suspension, but had to remove the spindle to make another cut. Gordon Levy's instructions are good, as are the FFR supplemental brake install guide you can find by searching online. I didn't get a pic of the finished product, but sanded it down smooth and had to grind two additional places so the rotor would clear. Rear rotor is about 12.25" and front is about 11.75" with this kit.

200644
200645

[AndrewIdaho]

Hi John, I am following your build thread with great interest. I appreciate how you tie in the build school learnings.

You wrote: "Trimmed shoulder panel on passenger side. Apparently this panel always needs trimming from the factory, per build school. If you don't, the body will hit and be pushed up in this area and you'll have a heck of a time trying to make the door fit properly."

Unfortunately the pictures are not coming through. How did you determine how much to trim off the shoulder panel?

Best Regards, Andrew

[Theshandman]

Looking at your 5/29 post... That stock F5 fuel pump has a short return pipe that dumps fuel back in the tank at or above the tank fuel level. That may cause cavitation. If you are interested, and it ain't cheap, but Pro-M has a nice alternate pump hanger that eliminates the cavitation issue with a return pipe that goes to the bottom of the tank (next to in intake). https://www.promracing.com/high-flow-fuel-pump-hanger-for-1986-1997-mustangs.html. There's a nice video there that describes the issue.

[gbranham]

Hi John, I am following your build thread with great interest. I appreciate how you tie in the build school learnings.

You wrote: "Trimmed shoulder panel on passenger side. Apparently this panel always needs trimming from the factory, per build school. If you don't, the body will hit and be pushed up in this area and you'll have a heck of a time trying to make the door fit properly."

Unfortunately the pictures are not coming through. How did you determine how much to trim off the shoulder panel?

Best Regards, Andrew

Cut an inch and a half to two inches off the end of the firewall extension piece on the passenger side.

[gbranham]

Looking at your 5/29 post... That stock F5 fuel pump has a short return pipe that dumps fuel back in the tank at or above the tank fuel level. That may cause cavitation. If you are interested, and it ain't cheap, but Pro-M has a nice alternate pump hanger that eliminates the cavitation issue with a return pipe that goes to the bottom of the tank (next to in intake). https://www.promracing.com/high-flow-fuel-pump-hanger-for-1986-1997-mustangs.html. There's a nice video there that describes the issue.

This is true, and exactly what I did when I was going to use a Gen3 Coyote. For his mild 302 build, though, the stock hanger might be fine. I know I used the stocker on my MkIII 302 build, and it worked well.

[gbranham]

6/12

3.5 hrs - Tires, transmission mount, start spindle modification for brakes

Today started out fun, then became less so... Ordered tires online last week and had them delivered to local company who brought them out and mounted them in the driveway. Pretty cool! Only took him about 30 minutes from start to finish. I've loved the look of a Cooper Cobra 295/50-15 from the moment I first saw one. They fit the vintage aesthetic of the car and just look like they mean business.

200640
200641
200642

Installed the transmission mount. Build school guys said to do it before dropping the engine in. It can be done either way, but they preferred doing it first.

200643

If you're running 15" wheels there's no way to get around having to (further) modify the rear spindles to fit brakes. The FFR 11.65" brakes require it, as do the Gordon Levy Wilwood brake kit. Wish I had known this before torquing everything down. I was really hoping I was done with the rear suspension, but had to remove the spindle to make another cut. Gordon Levy's instructions are good, as are the FFR supplemental brake install guide you can find by searching online. Got one started, but will have to finish tomorrow.

200644
200645

***EDIT...Nevermind...I see how this works***

I'm confused by this cut you made on the spindle. Didn't you remove one of the two mounting bosses for the caliper by doing this?

[JMD]

6/13

3 hrs - Swap fuel pickup, Install rear sway bar

Of course another thing I'm going back to redo...the fuel pickup. After the build school and doing more research on fuel requirements, I decided to go ahead and get the Pro M hanger with 3/8" supply and return lines. It may not be an absolute necessity at my power level, but seemed prudent to avoid fluctuations in the fuel pressure and now is the time to do it. It also future proofs the car fueling system in case I even swap engines or add a supercharger. While I was at it I verified the pump is a 255lph Walbro. And of course the new part required additional modifications to install in the form of grinding away a couple of areas in the top of the fuel tank. I laid in a bunch of tape to catch the material and went to work with a dremel. So glad it's a dry tank.

200807
200808
200809
200810
200811

The rear sway bar was straight forward and the manual described the process well. The only variation is to swap the spacers to make sure your end links are as vertical as possible. Don't have a pic of that, sorry.

[JMD]

6/14

4 hrs - Buying tools, fitting Levy front brakes

Spent some time getting safety wire, red threadlocker, and a torque wrench that measures in inch/pounds to assemble the Wilwood brake kit. Gordon's kit came with everything I needed (bolts, fittings, shims, braided lines, etc) except the safety wire. No big problem here except the Wilwood hat wouldn't fit over the front wheel studs. After trying everything I could think of short of altering or damaging any parts, I emailed Gordon with the problem. He replied within 30 minutes and told me what needed to happen. Apparently these studs have wide shoulders and the hubs need to be drilled out to fit over them. Once I did that it all went well. Didn't have time to finish, but at least got all the problem solving behind me so I can finish it up tomorrow.

Pic of the hat that I sent Gordon (yes, i know the hat is on backwards, just did that to illustrate the issue):
200812

[JMD]

6/16

3 hrs - Finish front brakes, modified Kleiner mod (Papa mod?), start assembling rear hat & rotors

Finished assembly of rotors & hats, red threadlocker on bolts, tighten opposing bolts to spec in sequence, and installing safety wire (which takes longer than I thought it would). Calipers went on easy, just took some time to measure and shim caliper mounting points to center the rotor. I don't have a great tool for this so used the shims themselves to measure gaps and make sure they were uniform.

Measuring:
200813

Safety wire:
200814

Finished assembly:
200815

Wheel weights clear the caliper on the front, but barely!
200816

Also had to drop the tank to change the bolt for this mod. I couldn't find a coupler for the 7/16-14 bolt I used originally, so had to swap it with a 7/16"-20...hopefully the last time I have to drop the tank.

200817

[JMD]

6/17

3.5 hrs - Rear Brakes (continued)

Put the modified rear spindle on the right side and torque all suspension bolts to spec. Safety wiring the rear rotors is a pain and took forever because of their orientation to the hat. Had to get creative in fishing the wire through the bolts...

200818

Painted brake mounting brackets from Levy Racing:
200819
200820

[JMD]

6/18

2.5 hrs - Tap brake calipers and finalize right side assembly

Learning how to tap on my brand new Wilwood calipers was a bit stressful, but fortunately it went very well. The holes were already the correct size for the 7/16" bolt supplied in the brake kit so I didn't even have to drill them out. Tapping into aluminum is about as easy as it gets, just make sure you cut threads through the backside and not the front. Always double check your bolt orientation first. Fortunately I thought of that before proceeding. Bolts threaded on perfectly. Got both calipers done and finished the passenger side rear brake install.

200821
200822
200823

This is when I found out the wheel weights contact the caliper. Man that clearance is tight!
200824

Finished product. Was a lot of work, but I'm super happy with the result. Props to Gordon Levy for a good quality kit with all the right parts to cram the biggest disc brake possible in a 15" wheel.
200825

[JMD]

6/19

2 hrs - Driver side rear brake install

Now that I know what I'm doing and already had the calipers tapped, brackets painted, and rotors secured to the hats before starting, I was able to remove the spindle, modify it, reinstall, and install the rear brake assembly all within 2 hrs. Hell yeah. No pics...looks the same as the passenger side. Brakes done. ;)

[JMD]

Hi John, I am following your build thread with great interest. I appreciate how you tie in the build school learnings.

You wrote: "Trimmed shoulder panel on passenger side. Apparently this panel always needs trimming from the factory, per build school. If you don't, the body will hit and be pushed up in this area and you'll have a heck of a time trying to make the door fit properly."

Unfortunately the pictures are not coming through. How did you determine how much to trim off the shoulder panel?

Best Regards, Andrew

Sorry, just saw this now. I took pics at the build school of the piece they had already cut and modified. Will see if I can find it to post up here...

200830
200831
200832

[JMD]

***EDIT...Nevermind...I see how this works***

I'm confused by this cut you made on the spindle. Didn't you remove one of the two mounting bosses for the caliper by doing this?

Yeah, you actually end up using one of the hub bolts to mount the other end of the caliper bracket. Sucks it in nice and tight to the hub. Gordon Levy provides custom made brackets.

[JMD]

6/21

3.5 hrs - Engine delivered, start fuel lines

The long awaited day has come and we now have an engine! I had called Mike Forte at the end of March when I ordered my roadster after talking with Blueprint Engines and finding out their delivery date would be September or October if I ordered from them. Mike was very helpful and talked through some options. I was set on a hopped up 302 as I feel like it's the engine that best suits the car in size and output. I didn't want the driving experience to be all about throttle management. I wanted the power available to be useable power that I could tip into without instantly smoking the tires. Also, the most fun I've ever had on track was with my '93 RX7, which had right around 300 whp for about 2800lbs of weight so I used that as my benchmark. At ~2300lbs I figured 280-300 rwhp would be just about right for a fun street and track car. I also didn't want the power to be torque heavy and prefer it to be linear and pull hard up top, which is why I chose the engine I did and not something with more displacement. I also wanted it to be daily driver friendly and not buck at low rpm (as radical camshaft engines tend to do). Supposedly it can even run on 87 octane (which I probably won't do just to be safe but is just one less thing to worry about as an owner). So here we go. Looking at the torque and hp curves I think this is going to deliver what I'm looking for.

Mike also installed the Sniper II, Ram clutch, flywheel, TKX with midshifter, external hydraulic clutch setup, Champ roadrace pan (low profile for clearance) and his custom 6 rib black pulley system with PS and one wire alternator. Assembled, dyno tuned, and delivered as a turn key package. The crating was impressive and I can tell the engine builder paid attention to detail during assembly. Super clean and tidy. I'm loving the black and machined silver theme and am consciously continuing it throughout the car. Not for the body paint, but for all mechanicals as much as possible.

201107
201108
201109

Started running fuel lines. As many others have done, I scrapped most of the FFR supplied EFI kit and ordered flexible lines to run the whole way up and back. After a good bit of research I chose the black coated stainless steel Fragola 6000 series ptfe lines as they have a conductive core and the black coating provides abrasion resistance. I like that this does away with a lot of connections and fittings and gives me more flexibility (see what I did there?) with my final engine bay routing. Wound up using my drill and tap kit again to mount the fuel filter bracket to the frame. I also left extra line in the engine bay so I can terminate with fittings after the engine is in and get them exactly where I need them to be. Installing the ptfe fittings is a huge pain and I suggest getting the proper tools recommended for doing so. I have experience with the regular stainless rubber hose fittings and they can be a bit of a challenge, but the ptfe is a bit more difficult. I suggest cutting back the black coating at least an inch from the cut as it's almost impossible to slide the fitting over the black coating. I'm leaving extra line above the gas tank so I can drop it without disconnecting the fuel lines, if needed. Will tidy things up after I've finalized the engine fittings and it's all been pressure tested. Ran the lines along the passenger side frame rails, but the bottom line is too low for my liking so will pull it up higher upon final install.

201110
201111
201112
201113

[JMD]

6/22

2 hrs - fuel lines, remove rear sway bar to paint brackets

Finished up a fitting on the fuel lines (already pictured) and realized that the brackets for the rear sway bar were not painted and I had used the original LCA bolt when I had installed them, which was only long enough to barely reach all the way through the nut and was supposed to be replaced with a longer one supplied separately with the sway bar mount and kit. Removed the rear sway bar and brackets, painted the brackets and swapped out to use the correct mounting bolt that was supplied with the sway bar kit (about 1/4" longer).

Unpainted bracket:
201114

Beautiful day for painting:
201115

Original bolt vs longer bolt:
201116

Bracket mounted (the next day, but will put the pic here):
201117

[Mike.Bray]

Getting to and removing that fuel filter for servicing once the car is finished might be a little challenging. Before you button everything up I would suggest you lay under the car and check the access.

[JMD]

Getting to and removing that fuel filter for servicing once the car is finished might be a little challenging. Before you button everything up I would suggest you lay under the car and check the access.

Good point, Mike. I was trying to figure out a mount for the filter that also kept the lines pointed in the direction of flow to minimize bending or potential kinking of the line. It will be a bit challenging to access, but made sure all bolts use an angled allen wrench to tighten or loosen. None of these bolts have a high torque value so it should be fine. One should be able to get a wrench on the fuel fittings as well with enough room to articulate. Thanks for the suggestion!

[JMD]

6/24

1.5 hrs - Acquired engine lift from member of Mid America Cobra Club and assembled in garage. Thanks, Thomas! Can't wait to use it...

[JMD]

6/25

3 hrs - Install painted rear sway bar bracket with appropriate bolts (already pictured), install Breeze battery box & clutch master cylinder

Trying to think of everything that needs to be done before installing the engine. The battery box could be done with the engine in I believe, but much easier to have the space with it out. The instructions provided by Breeze are detailed and helpful. All hardware and fittings included. Used my tap set (again) to tap screws into the frame rail...so glad I got it! My first time using stainless rivets...they are a bear to install with my Arrow manual rivet tool! Definitely tested the limit of grip strength. Aluminum box with stainless hardware, nothing needs coating unless you want to. I did end up painting the battery hold down bar just for looks (not pictured).

201363
201364

Installed clutch MC from Forte:
201365

[JMD]

6/26

2 hrs - Start brake hard lines

I haven't bent brake lines since I was in college and have definitely been putting off doing this for a few days as it's not something I'm looking forward to. But today was the day to start. It actually went really well once I did about 30 min of forum research and could visualize the end product. Using the Breeze battery box kept me from running the front brake line along the frame rail as pictured in the manual so I copied what edwardb (and many others have done) by following the top of the x-brace. I put it in front just to be less visible when opening the hood. Pretty simple bends and the 5' length was just a little bit more than was needed. I put a couple large bends in each end to compensate. If it had been much longer I would have cut and flared it, but I like having a bit extra to work with to ensure nothing is bent too tightly and the ends can go straight into the fittings without any side loading.

201367

[JMD]

6/27

3 hrs - Rear brake lines

Installed the rear brake line between the rear tires. Another 30 minutes of forum research regarding the best place to place the fittings on the frame let me once again to mimic what edwardb did and place them on the 2x3 behind the rear wheel facing down as my calipers are on the rear. (If your calipers are in front of the tire go with the standard placement according to the manual.) Simply ran around the perimeter of the 2x3 framing with a bracket in the middle and on each front corner. Did have to cut and flare the 5' line down about 6" for this run.

201368

[JMD]

6/28

4 hrs - Trunk cubby, fit DS aluminum, fit rollbars

Used a 4.5" hole saw to cut the cubby opening on the rear cockpit wall. Screwed the aluminum to a 2x4 and everything went smoothly. Most builders seem to use a 5" hole saw, but I had a 4.5" on hand and actually like the opening size better a tad bit smaller aesthetically. I also spaced the cuts so the opening is 14" wide. I wanted the opening to fit between the seats, not go behind them.

201991
201992
201993

Worked on finalizing fitting for cockpit aluminum. Started to drill final holes and cleco everything into place. Dad jumped in to drill some holes:

201995

Fitted rollbars. It really helped to put a thin film of grease on the mounts. Drilling the holes was not as difficult as I thought. Just made sure to start with a small bit then work my way up to the right size. Just make sure to pull the diagonal bar up to mount tight with the hoop before drilling for the lower bolt. (I did on first one but almost forgot on the second!)

201996

[JMD]

6/29

4.5 hrs - finish up with cockpit aluminum, run front brake line

Finished what I started yesterday fitting the cockpit aluminum and cleco'd all of it in place.

201997

Ran front brake line from MC. Decided to change which MC I had in mind for front and rear. Used the middle one for front as it was an easy bend that already lined up with the path I'd chosen. Trying to keep everything as simple as possible and eliminate unnecessary bends or fittings. Didn't use a loop, but all bends are very large and gradual to minimize stress points. Notched the footbox aluminum, ground the cut and used a piece of fuel hose to protect the brake line even though it didn't contact the aluminum...just a precaution in case something wanted to shift or vibrate loose.

201998

[JMD]

7/1

3 hrs - finish brake hard lines

Tackled the most daunting hardline, the one from the MC to rear. I can't use the usual route because I'm using a ball valve in the rear brake line as a parking brake instead of the e-brake lever. Couldn't use the FFR e-brake with the Wilwood brake setup I got from Gordon Levy to fit inside the 15" wheels. Seemed like my options were to use a pinion brake or this, so I went with this as it is the simpler option.

202098
202099
202100
202101

It was a bonus that the FFR supplied brake lines were enough to get all this done. Will put something on the rear brake run to protect it, but it's pretty well tucked up in the center of the car and probably less likely to be damaged than running lower along the frame rails. Will also be installing a driveshaft loop, which should protect it in case of catastrophic driveline failure. Will probably tidy up where it runs through the firewall. Used fuel hose and duct tape for the time being. Not aethestically pleasing, but effective.

[JMD]

7/2

3.5 hrs - connect braided brake lines to calipers, make bracket for brake reservoir, run reservoir lines

No pics for any of this...getting to the point where I would rather get more done than document and post about it.

Ordered Scott's triple reservoir from Summit, got it, started mocking up a bracket mount it (out of 1.5" angle aluminum) but decided I didn't like the polished aluminum look in the engine bay. Nothing else in the engine bay is polished and it just didn't look right. So I ordered the black one to replace it and won't get that until a few days later. But was able to use the bolt spacing to cut some angle aluminum, drill holes to fit the reservoir then painted it black. Started attaching the reservoir lines to the MCs. (Had to undo this a few days later. Spoiler: don't use fuel lines for brake fluid.)

[JMD]

7/3

3.5 hrs - adjust clutch and brake pressure switches, mount reservoir bracket, remove/clean/install cockpit aluminum

Adjusting the pressure switches was pretty simple. It's easy to tell where they 'click' to engage/disengage and I just had to make sure they were positioned properly to do so after a short travel of the pedal. Turns out they just need to be fully extended. I wasn't convinced the clutch switch was being fully depressed when the clutch was let out so used a washer instead of the supplied nut to brace it and allow it to extend another 1/16" or so toward the pedal. This probably isn't the case for all clutch pedals, but was for mine.

202120

Had to trim a small amount off the inner footbox panel where it meets the trans tunnel cover. Just couldn't get it to sit properly otherwise. It seems to fit well everywhere else, not sure if this is unique to my kit or not. Trimmed it off with a cutoff wheel pretty easily and finalized the cockpit aluminum. Felt good to rivet so much in place!

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202123

[JMD]

7/5

2 hrs - final install driver side lower and inner panels, fuel line brackets in engine bay

Trying to move toward installing the engine soon, want to make sure I've done everything needed before access is blocked by the engine. Placing the fuel lines where they run up the firewall to drill for brackets as I won't be able to get my drill in at the right angle later on. Using screws to attach, getting them in and out won't be a problem later...but drilling the hole would.

[JMD]

7/6

3 hrs - install brake reservoir & new hoses, bleed & test brakes

The triple reservoir in black arrived and I was able to install it along with new lines to the reservoir. Out of the blue it dawned on me to look up using fuel lines for this application and I found out that they will weep over time and you need to use EDPM rubber hoses instead. Great...another item to order...except my local Tractor Supply had them in stock! Apparently that kind of hose is also used for certain pesticide sprayers. They are also made by Goodyear. Lucky me! So removed the fuel lines and replaced with these lines. Another headache avoided. I'm really trying to make sure every little part of this build stands the test of time.

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It really didn't need it, but I also installed a grommet where the hoses enter the pedalbox wall just to help seal it up a bit better.

Bled the brakes using a small handheld vacuum pump to draw the fluid through the lines. Worked a lot better than gravity bleeding. After about 45 minutes of working every line twice (starting on passenger side, then driver side because of the dual MC setup) I had an extremely hard pedal with no leaks! I don't know why I was expecting to have to chase down a leak, but super happy I didn't have to. Another major phase completed!

[JMD]

7/8

2 hrs - Install Firewall Forward, start wiring

Riveted in the firewall forward and opened the big box of wires. Definitely a part of the build I'm not looking forward to, but know that I can figure it out. I have experience with residential wiring and have done my share of installing car stereos back in the day so I have the basic knowledge...just not looking forward to it. Hoping beyond hope to go slow and get it all right the first time because chasing down electrical issues is one of my all time least favorite things to do.

[JMD]

7/9

4 hrs - Wiring harness, dash gauges

One thing I do like about the firewall forward is that you can route the wires down instead of having them stick straight out of the firewall into the engine bay. I removed the wire loom to better feed through the cutout and learned that the alternator wire simply connects to the starter, which then routes power using the starter lug as a junction to the rest of the harness. I think I'm going to simplify that and use a 4 gauge wire to run from alternator to starter to battery, ensuring a simple and straight path for those connections. Will then use another 4 gauge from battery to feed a junction behind the dash instead of at the starter lug so there are fewer connections at the starter and the harness power comes directly from the battery so it can be used as a buffer between the alternator and starter. With the Breeze battery box up front a bit of modification to the harness is needed anyway...might as well clean it up a bit in the process.

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Trying to at least get the engine bay wiring located so I can drill for mounting points before the engine goes in.

Also started installing the gauges in the dash. Thought this would be one of those easy steps...turns out the pre cut holes in the dash are a bit small and needed some gentle massaging with a grinder to fit the small gauges. I could get the big ones in with a bit of effort, but I was afraid I would crack the plastic case of the small ones if I pushed on them much more. Still waiting to get my oil temp gauge from speedhut. Not going to use the clock.

[JMD]

7/10

2.5 hrs - wiring, drive shaft adapter

Lay out front and rear wiring harnesses and zip tie in place temporarily. Drill mounting points for stainless clamps in the transmission tunnel and along front frame rail.

Install driveshaft adapter. Made sure to use 12.9 rated bolts 25mm in length. There are other 12.9 rated bolts that are .75" and 1.25" long, just be sure to use the right ones. Red thread locker used because I can't imagine a circumstance where I would ever need this removed.

[JMD]

7/13

2.5 hrs - engine install

FINALLY! Today is the day! And actually the hardest part was figuring out how to get the hoist close enough to lift the engine. Darn crate was in the way. My first thought was to pull the pallet up and prop it on something so we could get the hoist legs under it, but wound up simply using a sawsall to cut away portions of the crate so we could connect straight to the engine. (I actually wound up cutting more away than in the pic to get it connected.)

202433

The other challenge was how to connect the leveler to the engine. I've seen lots of guys lift using only two attachment points, one and front and back at opposite corners...but that just seemed like a lot of stress to put on the heads. I wasn't able to connect all four chains because of the Forte accessory drive system spacers, but could get the alternator off the front fairly easily so compromised using 3 chains. I feel like the two connections points at the rear are probably sharing the majority of the weight evenly. Had to go get the right sized bolts, and zip tied some microfiber cloths to the chains so they wouldn't rub on the engine. I wasn't aware that some accessory bolts are 7/16 while others are 3/8". Learn something new every day.

202432

The actual installation went well. The most annoying part was a tab off the right side of the transmission kept getting hung up on the e-brake frame mounting points. My tip here is to cut it off prior to install (as well as leave engine mounts the slightest bit loose). The driver side engine mount needed some persuasion in the form of a 2x4 and mallet, but popped into place easy enough with some specific pressure. Tightened up the engine mount bolts but left the large mounting bolts loose for now until I can get the transmission lined up with the driveshaft. Didn't really need 4 people, but it sure helped and made things go a bit faster than if there were only 1 or 2. I can see how this could be a one man job, but highly recommend helpers!

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202436

Celebration time!

202437

Big milestone, the engine is in!

202438

[gbranham]

Congrats! Your attached pics in your last post don't seem to work, however...

Greg

[kirby]

I thought Greg was going to beat me to the finish line but now I'm worried about John. Way to go I suspect a first start will happen very shortly

[gbranham]

I thought Greg was going to beat me to the finish line but now I'm worried about John. Way to go I suspect a first start will happen very shortly

I'm definitely winning bronze out of the three of us...:)

[JMD]

Congrats! Your attached pics in your last post don't seem to work, however...

Greg

Don't know why it does that. I upload them and they show up fine for a day then the attachment is invalid. I even downsize them quite a bit and save as jpeg using Paint. Anyways...fixed now!

[JMD]

I thought Greg was going to beat me to the finish line but now I'm worried about John. Way to go I suspect a first start will happen very shortly

Lol. I'm hoping so. I was actually supposed to be in Iceland this week for a hiking trip, but flights got cancelled and I was stuck in Chicago for two days and they still couldn't get me to Iceland for another two days and I wouldn't have made the excursion on time and perhaps without my gear, so I just came home. Super sad it didn't work out, I've been wanting to get to Iceland for years...but having a car to come get running is a good consolation prize. I haven't caught up the build thread with my progress yet, but hoping to crank it up sometime this week!

[JMD]

I'm definitely winning bronze out of the three of us...:)

If you're just talking about the three of us there are medals enough for everyone! Anyone completing one of these things should get a medal anyway, imo.

[JMD]

7/14

2 hrs - Install Driveshaft, transmission & engine mounts

Had to cut a tab that was contacting the frame and keeping the TKX transmission from centering on the mount properly. This is pretty typical for this transmission and an easy fix with a sawsall.

Before & after:
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202768

Had to use (3) 1/4" spacers (provided by Mike Forte with the engine) to lift the transmission tail in alignment with the rear differential. You'll need longer 1/2" diameter bolts. I almost used 7/16" as they thread in and seem to fit at first, but make sure to use 1/2" instead. The mounting tab on the transmission is open at the top so I used a slightly longer bolt than necessary to engage with all the threads. Oh, and a quick tip...install the driveshaft before mounting the transmission. I had to undo all of this to fit the driveshaft. No need to move the engine, just getting some lateral movement in the tail of the transmission is all you need here.

202769

Here is where my midshift ended up on the TKX behind a 302 sbf. No intereference issues with the shifter. The midshift was sourced from Mike Forte and preinstalled for me with the engine package...one less thing for me to have to mess with. There is plenty to do without having to install that!

202770

[JMD]

7/16

3.5 hrs - clutch line, adjust pedals, reinstall engine accessories, safety loop

Installed the braided clutch line to the external slave & bleed (no pics), adjusted pedals and the MC threaded rods for proper travel (no pics), reinstalled the alternator and engine belt (no pics), and the Metco driveshaft safety loop (pics below). Definitely getting to a point in the build where taking pics is less and less a priority for me. I don't want to talk about getting it done...I just want to work towards it! But will definitely want pics down the road so will keep taking them, but maybe not of every...single...thing... ;)

Spent some time adjusting the pedal travel for the clutch using the threaded rod on the MC. I had to bring the clutch pedal up about 2" forward of the brake pedal to get enough throw to depress the plunger and clutch fork. I could gauge whether the clutch was releasing by trying to turn the driveshaft by hand when the clutch depressed. I could feel where it would grab as I let the clutch out slowly while spinning the driveshaft by hand. I was worried that I would need to adjust the slave, but didn't have to. Clutch fully disengages about 1" from the bottom of pedal travel, which is fine. (Spoiler: I just ran it through the gears today, forward and reverse and it's working great. The slave and clutch were well adjusted the way it came from Forte.)

So installing the Metco safety loop was a bit more involved than I thought it would be. Bolt it up and go, right? Wrong. First of all the transmission mounting bolt nuts were too big and interfered with the loop mount. It wouldn't sit flush with the transmission brace. The solution was simple: invert the bolts. The head of the bolt was thin enough to clear. Boom. Crisis averted.

Nut interference:
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Comparison pic:
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That taken care of I bolted the loop plate to the transmission brace, and installed the loop. It's touching the driveshaft. (Hard to tell in the pic, but it is...trust me.)
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This was concerning. Ok. How to make it work... There was about a 3/4" gap between the loop flat plate and the 4" frame cross tube. If I could adjust the angle of the loop flat plate it should raise the loop itself about twice that much. So I took it off (again) and inserted a very thick washer between the front two holes of the flat plate and transmission mount, keeping the rear holes snug against the top plate. This snugged the loop mounting plate up to within 1/8" of the frame rail and gave me the clearance I needed! I don't recall the exact measurement, but I think it's about 1-1.25" gap between the top of the driveshaft and the loop. Since neither the transmission or diff move much at all with the IRS setup that should be plenty. The u-joint clear just fine. Super happy with the result and the fact that it doesn't reduce ground clearance hardly at all.

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Oh, and make sure to run a tap (or thread chaser) through the threaded holes before mounting. They were very much gunked up with the powdercoating to the point I was concerned about messing up the threads.
202861

[JMD]

7/17

3.5 hrs - install shifter, fill transmission, begin install of mechanical throttle linkage

No pics for any of this, sorry. Put Pennzoil Synchromesh in the TKX as it was what Forte sent with it. Took just a hair under 3 bottles. Some really like it, others say its too thin. Will run it for a bit and see what I think. Getting to the fill plug is super tight. Glad I didn't have the e-brake handle on. I've heard some have to cut a square bit of bar stock into a 1" piece and put an open end wrench on it because the head of the socket won't fit between the frame and fill plug. Just FYI.

Installed a Hurst 6" shifter. I like the shifter location with the mid-shift position, but actually was hoping it would be a couple more inches further forward. I think it is with a Coyote, but not the SBF. I put the slight dogleg angled forward, I think it will work just fine.

Started installing the Forte mechanical throttle linkage. Definitely not a bolt in job. After about an hour and a half of research, geometry, and placing the initial pieces my head was hurting, so pressed pause until tomorrow.

[JMD]

7/18

3 hrs - finish throttle linkage

So this thing was a bit of a pain to install, but I'm super happy with it. Quite a bit of customization required, but quality materials and it's incredibly smooth.

Things I would have done differently:
-Mount it a bit lower on the firewall. I have the firewall forward so mounting to the 2x2 frame as many others have done didn't appeal to me. I mounted it as low as I could using the large washers, but later saw how others had cut down the washer to get it even lower so there is more clearance between the footbox arm and the top of the footbox. I think doing that and brining it down another 1/2" would have been nice, but it still works perfectly well where I have it. The FFMetal firewall is plenty sturdy and there is no movement at the mounting points at all. You have to cut and tap the rods to fit your application (they come about 6" longer than needed), but that was pretty simple. I also used the Breeze gas pedal and had to do a bit of custom work to get that to fit, but it turned out great. So much is adjustable that it can be a bit daunting trying to make it all work the way you want relative to each other. I spent an embarrassing amount of time getting it right, but wanted to get the pedal position & length of travel just right. Also ideal throttle actuation from fully closed to fully with no slop or dead space.

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One thing I did do differently was replace the roll pin with self tapping sheet metal screws. I did predrill through the stainless rod with the same size as the tip of the tapping screw so it would fit (you will break it trying to self tap into stainless), but the threads bite into the aluminum lever arm well and I think it's probably stronger than using the roll pin. And a bonus is that you can remove it fairly easily if needed! This is a must as you can't tighten the arms enough to clamp the bar without spinning under load.

202905

[JMD]

7/19

2.5 hrs - gas pedal stop, add engine oil, install heater

After installing the throttle linkage I wanted to have a pedal stop so the throttle pivot didn't get too stressed if I mashed the gas pedal a bit too hard. There was a point at which pushing the gas pedal the last 5% of travel just caused the throttle linkage to flex. I bought one of those flip down door stops at Lowes, removed the floor pad, cut it to fit and bolted it through the frame so that the gas pedal stops at the same point the throttle blades were wide open. No more flexion in the throttle linkage. A $6 fix, cheap but effective.

203433
203434

I also installed the heater. It went in beautifully, but as I stood back to admire my handiwork I noticed that part of it was sticking up too high over the hoop. Crap. I had mounted it too close to the passenger side. I took pics, marked where it protruded then optimistically posted to the forum asking if that would be a problem. Yes...it would interfere with the body. Crap. Spent the night trying to think of a way to make it work. Modify the housing, etc. But no...it needs to be moved. On to plan B. But that turns out to be a good thing in the long run as I followed GTBradley's lead and reinstalled it in such a way as to be able to still use the full glovebox. Here are pics of the lovely install that will have to be uninstalled. Sigh...

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203437

[JMD]

7/20

3.5 hrs - finish fuel lines, remove heater, start wiring battery

I had left an extra 2' or so of fuel line in the engine bay so I could go back and install the fittings at the exact right spot after the engine was installed. Marked that spot, removed the fuel lines, installed the fittings and reinstalled the fuel lines. Using screws to mount the clamps until everything is pressured tested and I know nothing else needs to be adjusted. I will replace with rivets later on. Am pretty happy with where it's all run as it looks neat in the engine compartment and stays well away from the headers.

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Removed heater and started running the 4 gauge wire to the battery. (No pics.)

[JMD]

7/21

2 hrs - research power steering, lay out parts needed to install radiator, tap frame for battery negative cable

Trying to figure out the fitting needed for my power steering pump. I am custom making the pressure hose from leftover Fragola PFTE hose that I used for the fuel lines (it's rated for 3000 psi), but need the correct fitting that comes out of the pump to connect to the female 6 AN fitting. It didn't come with the engine and I wasn't sure what pump Forte used. Turns out is the GM Type II w/ integrated reservoir. I found a billet fitting from Summit to fit it and also reduces the volume of the pump from 3 gpm to 2 gpm. This kills two birds with one stone as I had heard that a lot of pumps tend to overboost this steering rack. I was planning to do some sort of mod to reduce the pressure, but this fitting should do the trick.

[EDIT JULY 2025: Once I started driving the car I found the best power steering flow restrictor for the FFR power steering rack and GM type II pump is a 1.3 gpm unit. The 2.0 gpm worked but was still kind of twitchy. With the lower flow unit it feels very neutral and intuitive. The assist isn’t much different from the pump, but the response rate is lower so that a jiggle in the road doesn’t translate into an accidental steering input. The one I’m using now is a Turn One 301-020. And I'm happy with it.]

The pump:
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The part I used:
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I didn't get the part until a few days later, but here are pics of it and the difference between the stock fitting and the reduced volume fitting I bought from Summit:
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I really like that it's one piece instead of two pieces...keeps to my theme of going for the fewest amount of connectors and fittings that could come loose or cause problems down the road. Simpler is better.

Installed on the pump:
203469

Also got the parts out to prep for radiator install and realized I didn't have the Breeze upper radiator mount I thought I had ordered. Hopped online to order ASAP. Also tapped the 4" frame to ground the battery negative terminal. (No pics.)

[JMD]

7/22

1.5 hrs - more research, start glovebox assembly

Pulled out the molded dash and started on the glovebox assembly. It's pretty straight forward, if a bit tedious. Make sure not to clamp directly to the dash as it will leave a mark. I protected mine with the stock transmission cover that I'm not using but there was a very small spot where a clamp came in contact with the dash and left a mark the next day. Fortunately it came out on it's own after a day or two, so no permanent harm done. Also put cardboard strips around the perimeter of the glovebox to keep it uniformly spaced. Used almost every type of clamp I own to get it right, hehe.

203470

[JMD]

7/23

3 hrs - finish glovebox, mount dash, buy 4" hole saw

Finish installing the glovebox latch and gauges and mounted to the hoop using the 3M dual loop industrial velcro as I have seen other builders do. That stuff works great. Definitely better than what you think of with generic velcro or what is on kids shoes or something. Almost 'clicks' into place and holds firm. The FFMetal firewall forward is great. If I haven't recommended it in this thread yet I should have. I really think it's a 'must have' for a build. So much more space behind the dash and I end up needing about all of it. I wouldn't want to try to run wires and have a glovebox or heater at the same time...but with the firewall forward it does work out nicely.

Also went to store to buy a 4" hole saw to cut the FFMetal blank transmission cover for my TKX midshifter.

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[JMD]

7/24

7 hrs - cut trans cover, Sniper wiring harness

Long day today! Got lots done. Started out by cutting the hole for the midshifter. (Hint: make sure you correctly identify the front and rear before measuring...I almost had it backwards for some reason. Just looked natural the other way around I guess, but then I test fit it and realized my error.) I also had to go buy a 3.5" hole saw to cut out for cupholders (possibly the most important aspect of the build). Careful measuring and making sure to clear the frame ensured great success.
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Also did lots and lots of reading up on the wiring harness to decide where to start. Figured I would start with the Sniper harness and integrating it into the Ron Francis harness. Between the wonderfully clear illustrations in the Holley manual and so many posts on the forum about this made it pretty simple after some research. But I went super slow and triple checked each connection before proceeding. I wound up removing the alternator exciter wire (using one wire alternator), cut out the tan RD fuel pump wire and used the Holley blue to power it straight from the Holley harness. Going to use the tan 15amp fused wire to power the seat warmers instead, I think.

[JMD]

7/25

3 hrs - wiring, grounded alternator, installed rev limiter

More wiring. Grounded alternator to frame with 10 gauge wire. Finding a bolt to fit the ground on the alternator body was a pain. It's metric for mine, M8 1.25 coarse thread. Installed the rev limiter, decided to mount it on the firewall as it's out of the way and easy to access. Also keeps the wires away from direct heat. I wasn't crazy about putting it on the footbox.

The rev limiter:
203626

Wiring progress pic:
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[JMD]

7/26

6 hrs - more wiring, install power steering fitting, grounded starter to frame, wired up starter & alternator, run power wires from battery

I think the summary is probably enough explanation. I removed the hyperspark pigtail from the Holley sniper harness and kept it in case I wanted to splice it back in for a Hyperspark. I wired in the ignition switch. Not crazy about how it looks and may want to replace it with something nicer down the road, but figure it would be an easy thing to swap out or dress up later. Ran the fan relay into the sniper harness to be controlled by the EFI computer. Trimmed and re-loomed the rear harness as there was a bunch of excess wire I didn't need. Removed about 3' from the fuel level sender unit. Weight reduction, right?? Grounded the starter directly to the frame, connected the starter and alternator to the battery. Ran power wires from battery. I only have 3 wires connecting to the positive battery terminal: 1) Holley sniper power wire, 2) 4 gauge to starter which is a junction for the alternator power, and 3) 4 gauge to power distribution behind dash for RF harness and then on to trunk fuse distribution block.
203628
Extra sender wire:
203629
Battery/starter/alternator:
203630

[JMD]

7/27&28

6 hrs - wire in tach, dash harness, heater core install, power steering hose

Did a bunch more wiring (no pics), and reinstalled the heater core similar to what GTBradley did to keep the glovebox. Basically attached both halves of the heater, cut a hole to set the entire thing in with it pushed about 1/2" into the engine bay, mounted with angle aluminum on the sides and sealed the edges. Not as pretty as the first install, but secure and functional. A bonus is that it just touches the back of the glovebox, helping eliminate any flex. More importantly, it clears everything.
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Also installed a power steering hose I custom made from the Fragola 6000 PTFE hose left over from the fuel lines. The FFR provided lines were way too long and ugly, so I am running my own. Also going to plumb in a power steering cooler.
203634

[JMD]

7/29

4 hrs - finish battery wires, start radiator install

Finished running the battery power and ground wires. Decided on two grounds to frame, one where front crossmember joins drilling and tapping directly into the 4" tube and a second to the same bolt grounding the engine block and alternator. Ground powdercoating off both sides of the bolt mounting hole and coated in dielectric grease. (I also ran a ground from starter mount directly to frame as well, but I think that was at a later date.) I did some research about using a main fuse but it seems like something that could cause more problems than it solves so I decided not to fuse the wires between the alternator, battery and starter. Instead I am running a separate power wire from the battery to the rest of the car using a 120 amp breaker that can be tripped and reset. This gives me some peace of mind in case something large shorts out behind the dash or in transmission tunnel. I mounted on the passenger footbox with riv-nuts and added silicone booties to cover the connections (not in picture). I figured I could also use this when leaving the car unattended by easily disconnecting as additional security against hot wiring.

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[JMD]

7/30

3.5 hrs - Radiator install

So this definitely took longer than I expected. I bought the Breeze upper and lower radiator mounts, fan shroud and the lower radiator tube assembly. First of all I'm super happy with the quality and design of every piece...but it took a good bit of work to assemble. Grinding off the 3/4" radiator mounting tubes was a chore. Those things are not spot welded...at least, mine weren't. I cut through all surface welds and it didn't budge. Took a 4" grinder wheel to it and still nothing. Wound up using a sawsall and cutting through the entire weld. Every square millimeter of that tube was attached to the frame. Getting it off and cleaned up was a huge win. Hit the bare spots with some paint and moving on!

Note missing tubing:
203863

Next up mounted the radiator shroud, fan, and upper mounting assembly. Lots of drilling near delicate places so went slow. The instructions say to mount the upper 4 screws by tapping into the frame, which is probably fine, but I tapped two and through bolted the other two just because it made me feel better. Happy with the result.
203865
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More drilling and tapping for lower tube and mount. This just seems so much better than using what FFR supplied. I don't want it to look cobbled together and appreciate the design and durability of these pieces. Simple, sturdy, effective.
203866

[JMD]

8/5

4 hrs - install F-panels, overflow tank, power steering cooler & hoses

Couldn't figure out how to get the FFR supplied overflow tank to fit and wasn't crazy about the size and shape anyway, so replaced it with a slightly larger one from Summit. Finalized the install of the F-panel so I could mount this to it. We shall see if I regret mounting the F-panel so soon. It's something I've heard some builders say not to do until the very end, while others do it first thing. I've done it halfway...so there. Worst case scenario I'm drilling out some rivets and pulling it back off. Not the end of the world.
203859

After buying 3 different size coolers, I decided on this 12" frame mounted Derale for my power steering cooler. This isn't a track car, but I want to be able to track it without having to go back and rework major parts of the car...hence the largish cooler. I cut a 1.75" piece of angle aluminum, notched it to fit between the steering rack mounting tabs and bolted it through, mounting the the cooler on that. My first thought is that it would get great airflow being behind the radiator fan, but then I had doubts about it being behind the radiator and so much hot air. After more thought and throwing it out to the forum for discussion (https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/showthread.php?49596-Power-Steering-Cooler-or-heater) I think it will be just fine.

Before:
203860

After:
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203862

[JMD]

8/6 - 3.5 hrs - run front harness, wire in radiator fan, install horns

Laid out the front harness now that the radiator and supports are in. Wired in the 3000 cfm Flexalite fan I purchased from Summit (heard the stock fan was super loud). Fan is run by the Sniper ECU and I created a redundant ground directly on the passenger side outrigger frame where I am not just grounding the radiator fan but also connecting to the passenger headlight ground wire. I did this with my fuel pump as well, grounding directly to the frame along with one of the harness ground wires so there is redundancy for both the harness and motor in case one ground goes bad it has another ground path to use. Also installed horns, which took a while as I had no idea where to put them. Found out locations other builders had used and picked one. (Tested it later and these things are loud!)

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204010

8/7, 8/8, 8/9, 8/10 - 11 hrs total

Wiring. Lots and lots of wiring. Started and finished the dash wiring over the course of a few days. Took my time to fully understand where things were going and what they were doing. I simplified some things, deloomed a bunch, and repurposed a few wires (making sure to write notes on my diagrams for future reference and potential trouble shooting, of course).

I highly recommend using these things for the dash wiring. The gauge wires are so small they are difficult to splice unless soldered, but these spring clips held them nicely. Got them off Amazon. The bandaid is a result of an incident with a utility knife. I'm usually extremely careful, but one time I wasn't and that happened. The flap of skin fell off after a few days and it was fine. Good thing I only had to use my thumb much every 10 seconds or so while wiring...
204011

So the headlight pull knob doesn't disassemble the way you think it does. There is a little button that releases the entire shaft. Just push the button. Don't try to remove the knob from the shaft. Trust me.
204012

Random progress pic.
204013

[JMD]

8/11

3.5 hrs - fit passenger side Gas N header, relocate coil, install heater hose, put fuel in tank

So the Gas N headers are gorgeous and amazing. Works of art. I got mine in uncoated stainless. Lovely welds, fit and finish top notch. But only 4 of the 8 header bolts went in without modification. Didn't matter which ones I started with only 4 would go in without modification. Modifying 3/8" stainless steel flanges is not easy if all you have is a drill, grinder and dremel. Spent about 2 hours opening the holes to get all bolts to fit. The picture makes the hole on the end look further off than it really was, but you can see what most of them looked like.
204008

Another unexpected adventure was putting heater hose on the manifold fitting. Went to get some at the local autopart store a couple days ago and the only hose they had was fuel hose. Did some research and found that could work fine, but has more limited longevity than actual heater hose specifically made for hot coolant. So ordered the correct heater hose from Amazon. Went to install it but found the Pertronix distributor was too close to my fitting. Fortunately I only needed a little more space so used a hacksaw blade to clearance the plastic. Voila!

Too close:
204005
Some careful hacksaw work:
204006
Done:
204007

[JMD]

8/13

3 hrs - fit driver side header, install sidepipes

Same issue on driver side header. One nice thing is that the flanges are cut away so that getting the spark plug boots on is no problem. But so much grinding and fitting and grinding and fitting...but they're on!

203982
203983

[JMD]

8/14

1 hr - install heater valve

So after some thought I decided not to use the heater knob control. I didn't like the manual heater valve and running the cable behind the dash and getting it all located to work properly and be aesthetically pleasing seemed highly unlikely. So I did some forum searching, posted up my question and found exactly what I was looking for. (https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/showthread.php?49615-Heater-Valve-Servo) This allows me to open and close the valve with a toggle switch mounted on the dash and control the fan separately using a three way switch on the dash. This only gives me two fan speeds, but I don't think I will ever need the 'low' speed so I chose to keep the medium & high speed functions. (Yes, the toggle switch is rated for the amperage.) I put a lot of thought into this and am super happy with the result.

So today I made a bracket to mount the electric solenoid valve out of 3/4" aluminum. I removed two screws from the housing and used two identical but longer screws to bolt it through the bracket. I think the location should be accessible but inconspicuous. All materials used are either aluminum or stainless for longevity.
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203991

[JMD]

8/15

2.5 hrs - upper radiator hose, connect battery to test

I was planning to use the FFR supplied upper radiator hose, but didn't like the plastic filler neck so ordered a metal one and the rubber 90 degree elbow kit from Breeze. The plastic is probably fine, but seemed like something that might be a problem years down the road and I just want to do it right the first time. Everything went together great.

203992

I also connected the battery for the first time, switched on accessory power and did some testing. Everything seems to power up properly, the fuel pump primes and everything appears to be ready for a first start. There was one small fuel leak at the pump hanger fitting, but after tightening it up a bit more it held pressure and stayed dry. I think I'm ready for a first start.

[JMD]

8/16

1.5 hrs - FIRST START!

I added coolant to the radiator (removing the upper heater hose to let air out, which worked great), ran through the Sniper sensor check using the handheld, made sure we had fuel pressure...and cranked it up!


https://www.youtube.com/shorts/EYyHEAzIs5E

That smile on my face is the 'we have oil pressure' smile.

Went through a bunch of checks to make sure everything worked as intended. Radiator fan comes on at 190 degrees and rotates the right direction, fuel pressure holds steady, voltage is good from alternator, test rev limited by setting to 3k rpm to ensure it functions, switch the heater valve open and make sure both heater hoses get hot, purge and top off power steering fluid, etc. Wow. It's all working. What a relief. Taking the rest of the day off. ;)

[gbranham]

Congrats on the first start! For the few cars I've built over the years, it was always a nerve-wracking experience! I shake like a leaf! Great feeling, isn't it?

Greg

[JMD]

8/18

Had to crank it again just for fun. Also topped off coolant, etc.


https://youtu.be/s161q23W8Ig

[JMD]

Congrats on the first start! For the few cars I've built over the years, it was always a nerve-wracking experience! I shake like a leaf! Great feeling, isn't it?

Greg

Sure was. I don't know what I expected, but it sure went as smoothly as I could have hoped. Thanks to Mike Forte for a great engine package and my own obsession to triple check every little thing as I went. ;) One of my peculiar fears was to have a power steering leak at the rack as that's a pain to get to and uses teflon o-ring fittings...but not a drop! Should probably be more worried about a fuel leak, eh?

[JMD]

8/19

A bunch of misc items that needed attention. Put in a footbox bracket, tightened clutch reservoir fitting that was weeping the tiniest bit, bled the clutch again, tightened coolant clamps as the lower one had a tiny leak and the rest seemed to loosen after running the engine a few times.

Footbox bracket: a L-bracket that I trimmed and bent to fit. Riveted to frame and epoxy to aluminum.
203993

[JMD]

8/20

5 hrs - center steering wheel, add tab to dash hoop, plastic over fuse panel, move O2 sensor, wire in flat 4 tail light converter

The next step is getting the car ready for a first drive. Put on the steering wheel but it's not straight. Disconnected the steering shaft from the rack and moved it over a couple of teeth to get the wheel straight when the wheels are straight. I figured the alignment will do the fine tuning. Funny enough the little roll pin in the rack protrusion lined up perfectly with the set screw when it was on the correct tooth. Not sure if that is coincidence or a deliberate indicator. Of course I tightened the set screw on the flat spot, not the teeth.
203994

I also used a piece of 3/4 angle aluminum to fabricate a tab attached to the underside of the roll hoop. Not sure if I'm going to have to drop the dash down on the hoop like I've read about in older builds, but just wanted to make sure there was something solid back there if I did. Put some of the dual loop 3M on it as well (not pictured).
203995

I've heard that there can be an issue with water intrusion from the windshield post dripping down to the fuse panel. I thought attaching some plastic over the top like a little umbrella wouldn't hurt and an easy way to protect the fuse panel from water. I didn't seal it down completely as it still needs airflow, but thought it might save me some trouble down the road. (see what I did there... ;) )
203996

Couldn't figure out a good way to route the wire from the O2 sensor on the driver side, so moved it over to the passenger side. Much better and no wire routing issues there.
203997

Wired in the 4 flat LED tail light converter:
203998

[JMD]

8/21 & 8/22

5 hrs - trunk aluminum, flasher relays, buy more rivets

So I ran out of 1/8" rivets and bought more from Harbor Freight. The rivets I bought are much nicer than the ones supplied by FFR. The heads are smoother and less prominent. I always thought the rivets I was using were pretty ugly, but I didn't have a frame of reference as I've never riveted before. If I was going to do another build I would use different rivets from the beginning. Fortunately most rivets won't be visible and I can always go back and drill out the old ones and replace them in visible areas if it really bugs me...but I don't think it bothers me that much after all. I just wish I had used nicer looking ones from the start.

Installed the trunk aluminum over two days. I love the drop trunk mod, but didn't want to take the time to do it right now. I don't really have the skill or tools to fabricate aluminum so it would be a learning process (i.e. slow process) and I'm ready to get this thing on the road. While the extra trunk space would be nice, I don't see it being a necessity for my anticipated use of the car.
204038

Installed the LED flasher relays in the fuse panel, grounded them directly to the frame.
204039

[JMD]

8/23

4 hrs - interior/courtesy lights

I had ordered some LED light strips to use throughout the car. I knew I wanted some back lighting in the cubby, but also put one in the trunk, two in the engine bay, and one in each footwell instead of the FFR supplied light strip. Wired them to a toggle switch under the dash powered by an accessory wire instead of the battery as I don't want to leave them on and accidentally drain the battery. I am happy with the brightness. I wanted them to be useful at night, more than just accent lighting but not crazy bright. Putting another on the other side of the trunk might have been nice, but even one is WAY better than none and should be sufficient for most purposes.

204040
204041
204042
204043
204044

[JMD]

8/24

3.5 hrs - install front USB port, rivet cockpit rear aluminum, paint Breeze seat bracket, drop car on wheels for first time

I wired in a USB port on the center lower vertical panel underneath the dash. Not very visible but useful spot. Riveted on the cockpit rear wall aluminum panel. I had read somewhere not to attach it before doing the trunk, and that was certainly good advice. You really need to be able to pull it away to drill and rivet the upper trunk floor aluminum directly behind it, but now that was done I didn't see a reason not to secure it permanently. Cleaned, sanded, painted the Breeze seat bracket for driver side so I can install tomorrow. Set the car down on it's wheels for the first time and pushed it back and forth to see where the ride height was. It came in at 5" front, 5 5/8" rear. I've heard it will settle a bit so I'm not going to make any adjustments at the moment. This is the ride height with the coilover collars just barely snugged onto the springs so there's no real preload yet.

No pics today, sorry.

[JMD]

8/25

2.5 hrs - install driver seat & seatbelt

Mounted the driver seat up to the Breeze mount. The process went smoothly overall. The instructions are incredibly long and detailed (as with every product I've purchased from Breeze), but the pictures were helpful and it's really pretty straightforward. Just make sure to put the bottom plate oriented correctly. (I almost put it in backward.) The mounts have multiple holes and are technically adjustable, but the clearance between the seat and threaded stud is almost nil and reaching the rear nuts is almost impossible, even with the body and side aluminum off...so adjusting it will probably be a big hassle. I thought about getting sliders, but like the reclining position of the Breeze mount and using both didn't secure the seat to my satisfaction. The Breeze mounts are plenty strong so I'm just sticking with them. I've also heard not to mount seats before the body, so it's a bit of a risk but I can move them later if necessary. I do know to keep them tight to the tunnel and to leave enough space in the rear for insulation and carpeting, so am optimistic that I have them in a position that will work.

One thing I noticed with the slight reclining angle is that it does push the lower part of the seat closer to the pedals than if you did not recline them. I'm 6' tall with fairly long legs and it just barely fits for my driving position. Any closer and I would feel cramped and might have to do without the recline to gain more leg room.

204069
204070
204071

I may try putting washers between the seat and upper bracket to give some additional clearance for the nut that secures the seat. I am mounting the lower bracket directly to the frame as that seems more secure to me than putting it on top of insulation or carpeting. I will put sound mat around the bracket on the floor and cover the bracket with carpet, cutting holes so the mounting studs come through. That little bit of spacing the carpet takes up might give just enough clearance between the top of the stud and seat to install the nut more easily. That's the hope anyway.

[JMD]

8/26

Initial walk around:


https://youtu.be/fbIaObCsOYM

FIRST DRIVE:


https://youtube.com/shorts/IQzAXs4vKPw?feature=share

It went better than I could have hoped. Man, this thing is light! Even with this small 302 you just let out the clutch and it idles right along. Sure does feel more like a go cart than a car.

I was surprised at how risky putting it on the road felt (neighborhood only, of course). Operating this vehicle that I've spent probably 200 hours building to road debris and other cars and the possibility of something random happening to it...I felt surprisingly protective! (After driving it a few times that does normalize a bit, as I knew it would.)

Hell yeah.

[JMD]

8/28

3 hrs - 3rd brake light

I knew I wanted a 3rd brake light on my car, but hadn't come across an idea that I liked until I saw a builder use these Oznium bullet LEDs in the supporting legs of his roll bar. (Sorry, I don't remember who it was!) They are tiny but bright, and best of all you can drill and tap the rollbar to screw them in. I've been looking for something that was aesthetically pleasing, didn't distract from the lines of the car but would be effective as a brake light. This fit the bill perfectly, but instead of putting them in the roll bar support in a vertical line I wanted to put them at the top of the rollbar, right in line of sight with another driver's face. Also not wanting to use so many that it cluttered up the space, I decided to use three. Measured, drilled, tapped and installed the lights with some Permatex seal lock on the threads. Fishing the wires down and screwing in the lights was tedious but worked fine. I drilled another hole toward the base of the roll bar for the wires to exit and a flat trailer connecting plug to the 3rd brake power wire so I can easily install and remove the roll bar without having to rewire each time. (The wiring isn't finalized in the pics.) The wires are secured above the 3/4" frame in the cubby so they won't get pulled on, can't be seen but are easy to reach.

204068
204067
204066
204065
204064

Next time I drove the car, my brother said he could see the brake light come on halfway down the block in broad daylight. Definitely a success.

[gbranham]

I dig those brake light LEDs in the roll bar. Was thinking of something similar. Do you have the model number or a link for those LEDs? I see a lot of Oznium on Amazon, but they are all bigger. I like these little guys.

Greg

[Blitzboy54]

Looks sharp. If i was to do a 3rd brake light that would be it.

[JMD]

I dig those brake light LEDs in the roll bar. Was thinking of something similar. Do you have the model number or a link for those LEDs? I see a lot of Oznium on Amazon, but they are all bigger. I like these little guys.

Greg

Here you go: https://www.amazon.com/BRIGHTEST-Light-Bolt-Interior-Motorcycle/dp/B01AFU4QB8?ref_=ast_sto_dp&th=1

I believe the body is the coarse M6 thread, but you will want to double check that. They're not cheap, but seem worth it for the build quality. They are waterproof, the threaded body seems robust and the wires high quality.

[TTimmy]

8/28

3 hrs - 3rd brake light

I knew I wanted a 3rd brake light on my car, but hadn't come across an idea that I liked until I saw a builder use these Oznium bullet LEDs in the supporting legs of his roll bar. (Sorry, I don't remember who it was!) They are tiny but bright, and best of all you can drill and tap the rollbar to screw them in. I've been looking for something that was aesthetically pleasing, didn't distract from the lines of the car but would be effective as a brake light. This fit the bill perfectly, but instead of putting them in the roll bar support in a vertical line I wanted to put them at the top of the rollbar, right in line of sight with another driver's face. Also not wanting to use so many that it cluttered up the space, I decided to use three. Measured, drilled, tapped and installed the lights with some Permatex seal lock on the threads. Fishing the wires down and screwing in the lights was tedious but worked fine. I drilled another hole toward the base of the roll bar for the wires to exit and a flat trailer connecting plug to the 3rd brake power wire so I can easily install and remove the roll bar without having to rewire each time. (The wiring isn't finalized in the pics.) The wires are secured above the 3/4" frame in the cubby so they won't get pulled on, can't be seen but are easy to reach.

204068
204067
204066
204065
204064

Next time I drove the car, my brother said he could see the brake light come on halfway down the block in broad daylight. Definitely a success.

Here's a tip that will help those that follow you run the wires through the roll bar... or at least this is works for me. Seal up all openings with tape except the "source" and "Destination" holes. Best to use the larger hole as the destination. Grab some dental floss and your shop vac. Attach the shop vac to the destination end and turn it on. Feed the dental floss into the source hole. The vacuum will pull it through for you. This becomes your pull string. After which you can attach the LED wires to the dental floss and pull it through. Do this as many times as necessary.

BTW, I love the LED brake light idea and will be doing the same - thanks!

[JMD]

Here's a tip that will help those that follow you run the wires through the roll bar... or at least this is works for me. Seal up all openings with tape except the "source" and "Destination" holes. Best to use the larger hole as the destination. Grab some dental floss and your shop vac. Attach the shop vac to the destination end and turn it on. Feed the dental floss into the source hole. The vacuum will pull it through for you. This becomes your pull string. After which you can attach the LED wires to the dental floss and pull it through. Do this as many times as necessary.

BTW, I love the LED brake light idea and will be doing the same - thanks!

That is an excellent method! Thanks for sharing. I'm happy to have started a new trend in rollbar brake lights. ;)

[JMD]

8/29

2.5 hrs - attach heater vents, rivet back cubby wall, order AC pedals from Forte, install toggle switch labels, prime Breeze seat brackets

Not many pics today. After driving the car a few times I realize I need to do something different with the pedals. The placement of the gas pedal is too close to the inside footbox panel (which will only get tighter as insulation and carpet go on), and my feet kept getting grabbed by the medal perforated Wilwood brake pedal...I couldn't slide them easily from gas to brake, but had to lift my foot off in an exaggerated way to get the tread of my shoes out of the holes before I was able to move my foot laterally to the other pedal. Doesn't sound like a big deal, but actually felt a bit panicky not being able to transition them quickly. (Things happen fast in this car.) I bought a Wilwood rubber pedal cover from Summit that I'm going to try, and the retro looking AC pedals from Forte that are a bit skinnier to use for the gas. Will play with it a bit and see what works.

I painted the driver side seat brackets with a one step paint & primer paint from Rustoleum, but wasn't happy with the outcome. Even though I scuffed and cleaned it thoroughly, the paint scratches off too easily on contact with other hard surfaces. So for the passenger side brackets I'm going with a metal primer first, then topcoat with black once dry. (Future self jumping in here to say it worked much better!) I know, I know...powdercoating is the way to go. But I want a seat in now, so painting it is. It's something I can pull back out and refinish in the future if I really need to, so no big deal.

205177

I also had ordered some engraved plastic labels for my toggle switches. I've been looking around for something classy or retro but also needed them to be customized...couldn't find anything I liked so tried these. They're from a place in NC that I found from an earlier post in the forum. Not very expensive and you can customize them a good bit, so I thought I'd give them a try. At least I'll know what my switches do until I can find something better. Turned out that once I put them on I like them more than I thought I would.

205178

Went ahead and riveted the Breeze cubby back wall in place.

205179

[JMD]

9/1

3.5 hrs - cubby carpet, 12v & usb, rear fusebox, painted passenger seat brackets

Decided to use contact cement and speaker box carpet for the cubby wall. Cut the carpet to fit prior to install and brushed on the contact cement. Then installed the FFR supplied trunk floor carpet.

Before:
205180
After:
205181

Installed a USB charging port, as well as a 12v socket and the little fuse panel to feed them, as well as any other items that may need power in the future. (No plans to install a stereo, but who knows?)
205182
205183

[JMD]

9/2

3 hrs - modify handbrake bracket, cover hole, mount passenger seat, give rides!!

I'm not using the standard e-brake lever or assembly (can't with the Gordon Levy Wilwoods that fit in 15" wheels), so am going to patch over the hole. The bracket intrudes into the space a bit, so I made a cut and moved it just enough to be able to put a panel of aluminum flush over the hole. I'm wary of removing it completely, so this way I can reverse the mod and bend it back to it's original position if needed. I can always cut it off from underneath later.

Before:
205184
Move bracket:
205185
After:
205186

No, it's not a work of art, but once covered with insulation and carpet I don't think it will ever be noticed unless looked for. (Quick reminder that it's a driver's car, not a show car... ;) )

I also mounted the passenger seat and gave rides. It's so fun to share the experience with others! Had lots of fun riding around the neighborhood. There's a large area yet to be developed with nice long streets that dead end with zero traffic. Great place for some shakedown runs. And fun runs. Which are kind of the same thing...
205187

[JMD]

9/4

Alignment!

A friend of mine owns a local shop that does all sorts of cool stuff, so I took it to him to get a full alignment. Took about 2 hours, but well worth it. The tech was super thorough, triple checked every adjustment, road tested it (me driving of course), went back and did some fine tuning...turned out great and definitely an improvement over my eyeball method.

205188
205189

I was worried that I hadn't cut the UCA sleeve enough to get the caster I wanted, but turns out I was running about 11 degrees so he actually had to dial it back a bit. Got it set to 8 degrees for my power steering. Happy there's plenty of adjustment available there.

[JMD]

9/7

4 hrs - swap/adjust pedals, lengthen upper radiator hose, loom battery wiring in engine bay and secure, measure driveline angle

On my first couple of go cart drives I noticed that I didn't care for the pedal setup. The gas pedal is too close to the inner footwell and the holes in the metal pedals catch the tread on my tennis shoes so I couldn't slide my feet on or off the pedals at all and had to intentionally 'lift' them up to switch pedals. Very clunky and you'd be surprised how a split second to do that when trying to transition to braking can be pretty nerve-wracking...even at moderate speeds. So I ordered a set of pedals from Forte and replaced my Breeze pedal with one of those, also moving it slightly away from the inner wall. I also put a rubber cover on the Wilwood brake pedal as I didn't really want to move it closer to the clutch. MUCH better. The gas and brake are still closer together than I would prefer, but I no longer feel panic at not being able to get on the pedal I want when I want.

I also modified the mounting bracket to raise the pedal by about 1/2".

Breeze pedal:
205597

AC pedal installed as accelerator, and rubber cover on brake:
205598

I have another AC pedal I can try on the brake or as the clutch if I want to experiment. I actually like the clutch pedal the way it is, I don't mind it being 'grabby' on my shoe as my shoe never needs to move from it unless cruising. I can see why some people modify the inner wall to give more space. Another 1" of clearance would be nice, especially once carpeted. Worth a thought to do now instead of later. I think it's livable...but certainly not ideal.

I noticed that I wasn't able to completely top off my cooling system as the radiator cap wasn't the highest point. The easy way to fix that was to use a longer upper radiator hose to elevate the filler cap area. (I used the metal Breeze unit and 90 degree bend instead of the FFR supplied parts because I didn't care for having a plastic filler housing.) In retrospect it would have been best to cut down the 90 degree elbow about an inch or so, but I think this solution works. I've since fit the body and it seems to clear the hood, so I'll leave it for now.

Before:
205599
After:
205600

I also took some measurements of the driveline and determined that I needed to lift the trans tail up a bit more than the 3/4" the spacers provided. I won't go into it in detail here, but will in a later post. I was able to determine that the transmission angle measured on the top shifter plate was the same as measured at the engine crank pulley (at least on my engine).

205601
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205603

[JMD]

9/9

3 hrs - misc aluminum, caulk footboxes, prep for first body fitment

Nothing very interesting today. Went through the box of misc aluminum and put on various pieces. Epoxied L-bracket to driver aluminum and riveted to frame (probably not necessary but wanted a solid connection to keep that panel from wobbling). Used rope caulk in footbox seams. I put painters tape on the frame to protect from body contact for first fitment. Don't want to put seals on yet as I know there will be numerous adjustments needed...just want to get an idea where they are needed before putting on the seals.

205900
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[JMD]

9/19

Dyno day! Curious about how much power this engine puts to the wheels. It came from Forte with 368hp on the engine dyno. I was thinking about 300 at the wheel, which was my target for this build...and I'm sure it would be except for the restrictive exhaust. I put on the Gas N Touring pipes (which I love), but they really kill top end power.

Ran it on the dyno and got up to 250rwhp at ~4500 rpm then it flat lined. At first we thought maybe the air cleaner was too small or timing was off. Removed the air cleaner and checked everything. The engine was running great, AFRs good, the engine sounded good...but definitely down on power. During the course of conversation I told Justin (of Justune here in KC) that my sidepipe exhaust had a 2" perforated tube as the only outlet and he was certain that was the issue. I basically have a dual 2" exhaust, which is fine up to about 300 flywheel hp, but it just wasn't going to flow enough to get more than that. You can also tell from the graph that it was on track to hit 300hp up until 4500 rpm where it choked out. The wheel hp is consistently about 10-15% below the engine dyno power curve I got from Forte until 4500 rpm. My conclusion is the touring pipes chop off the top 35-50 hp at the very top of the rev range where the restriction really limits airflow.

I would like to put the standard Gas N pipes with 2.5" tubes on at some point and see how much that bumps the power, but it's still a super quick car that sounds great so I probably won't mess with it right now. I know what I need to do if I decide I must have the extra power. I just need to decide if the increased noise is worth it. I've heard of guys losing 100hp using a 'quiet' exhaust on these cars, so I'm not shocked...just a bit disappointed. With a sidepipe setup you really can't have significant power without a lot of noise...

205904
205905

[Edit 2025]: I think I found another factor to the limited top end power. Yes, the exhaust isn't the most open, but I don't think it accounts for a 50hp loss. I was reading about the Sniper EFI at efisystempro.com and came across a paragraph talking about fuel fittings. Now I made sure to use the proper size fuel pump, upgraded hanger, fuel lines, filters, etc, but when I connected the fuel line to the Sniper unit I used a close 90 degree fitting without any consideration as to what that does to fuel flow. Basically, never use them as they create problems and the moment I thought about it, what I had done became glaringly obvious. I now suspect I was depriving the engine of fuel once it got to the 300hp mark. I ordered 'full flow' 90 degree fitting that I suspect will make a big difference when the engine is requiring a larger amount of fuel at high revs. I don't have a plan to go dyno it anytime soon, but will eventually to see if my hypothesis is correct. Here they are:

Original 90 degree fitting (it's like the fuel was hitting a wall!):
214914

New fitting:
214915

I'm sure this will have nothing but positive effects on the fueling system. I never noticed an issue on the street, but suspect this will be a noticeable difference in giving me the top end power I would have never known I was missing except it showed up at the dyno.

[JMD]

I had someone PM me about the fuel regulator requesting additional pics. Here is the best one I have. It came mounted this way from Mike Forte and I asked him if it was ok to leave it like this or if it needed to be moved. He said this would be fine so I cut the fuel hoses to fit this configuration. I like the simplicity of it and the fact that there are fewer hoses and connections to leak. My only concern is if the engine vibrations will loosen the connections over time. I may go back and use some Permatex seal and lock compound on the threads (not the mating flange) to help with that.
207735

[Mike.Bray]

Just don't leave that gauge on there permanently, they tend to fail in time and can squirt gas in places you don't want to be squirting gas like on the headers.

[JMD]

Just don't leave that gauge on there permanently, they tend to fail in time and can squirt gas in places you don't want to be squirting gas like on the headers.

That's what I've heard. I plan to remove it once I start putting miles on it. Already have the plug to replace it in the workbench drawer. ;)

[JMD]

Well, quite a bit has happened since December 2024. The project sat for about 4 months with no progress, but after that I was able to get the body fitted (that took about 3 tries and lots of tweaks), the door/trunk/hood panels trimmed to function (with some help from a local expert), door/hood/trunk hinges and latches on, body cutouts massaged to clearance rollbars and exhaust, lights installed & connected, rear view mirror & side view mirror installed (I might go back and post some pics on that process at some point), windshield installed, fuel cap installed, seatbelts in and final install of sidepipes with hangers. In all probably about 30 hours of work to get roadworthy since my last update. So here it is...ready for the road.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nOjlObLHh74

I have since installed the quick jacks. There is a whole list of relatively minor things I still want to do, but looking forward to putting miles on and letting the ecu do some learning. I've been delving into the Sniper 2 efi program and feel confident making any tuning adjustments needed.

I think I found out why the engine was down on power at the dyno last year. I had a close 90 degree fitting between the fuel line and sniper inlet. I'm betting that once it got to trying to flow more than 300 hp of fuel it just couldn't. Replaced the fitting with a 'full flow' radiused 90 and look forward to some road tuning. Here is a pic of the fitting in question:

215023

I took so much time and effort making sure the fuel system was adequate and then slapped that fitting on at the very end. Hah. Oh well. Won't make that mistake again.

I'm going to finish the interior when the body comes off for paint, hopefully later on this year. It's so fun to finally have something resembling a real car to drive. And there really is no feeling like knowing you assembled it yourself. Pretty darn cool.

[gbranham]

Congrats, buddy! Looking great!

Greg

[JMD]

Thanks, Greg!

Changed the oil for the first time today. Ordered some Blueprint Break In oil as the engine is still so new. It was run on the dyno at Blueprint, then again at Forte's after he changed the configuration, added the Sniper 2, correct oil pan, distributor, etc. (I was able to dig up the datalogs of the dyno runs at Forte's, which was pretty cool.) I've put some miles on it go karting, but thought why not change the oil and filter? Can't hurt anything and there is probably some fuel dilution with the new rings seating, etc.

Oil looked good and only smelled a bit like gas (actually less than I was expecting). There was some metal 'dust' on the drain pan magnet, but nothing crazy. Pretty normal for a new engine, I believe.

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I also took the opportunity to install the oil filter adapter plate, solely for the purpose of placing my oil temp sensor. Here is the part and number in case someone is wondering which one fits a 302 block. I have the gauge in the dash but hadn't connected it to the sensor yet. Got that installed:

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That went smoothly. No leaks and I can now see what my oil temp is doing. Filled up with the BP oil:

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Cut open my oil filter to see if there was anything interesting. Not really. Thumbed through the filter pleats but nothing to see.

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Some junk in the outer housing, but nothing alarming. All good news and everything went according to plan. I've learned to treasure such moments...

[gbranham]

That sammich adaptor looks familiar! Nice job, buddy!

[JMD]

That sammich adaptor looks familiar! Nice job, buddy!

Did I get that idea from you? It's very possible. I've read so many build threads to get ideas they all blur together!

[JMD]

Fabricated a ground for the gas tank. Already grounded the fill cap, but saw this done on another build and thought it wouldn't be a bad idea. I'm sure the tank is grounded some other way, but just making sure. Can never have too many grounding points.

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I also adjusted the rear shocks from the softest to second from softest setting. I've found the rear end to be a bit bouncy just driving around the neighborhood and think this will settle it down a bit. Will see how it does. I'll probably end up installing the rear sway bar at some point, but wanted to see how it behaves with just the shocks and springs as they come from the factory. I prefer a car to oversteer rather than push, but want to see how the car acts before I start making major changes.

[gbranham]

Looking good! Now that I've logged 350 miles, I think Im going to put my rear sway bar back on, to see how it feels. I initially built the car with it installed, but removed it months ago, because I got hung up in the fact that I have IRS, and the rear sway bar somewhat negates that. I'm sure I'm wrong.

[JMD]

Looking good! Now that I've logged 350 miles, I think Im going to put my rear sway bar back on, to see how it feels. I initially built the car with it installed, but removed it months ago, because I got hung up in the fact that I have IRS, and the rear sway bar somewhat negates that. I'm sure I'm wrong.

Almost every car with IRS also has a sway bar. That way one corner doesn’t have to deal with a huge dynamic load all by itself. The lighter the car the less need there is for such assistance, but I think it’s still beneficial. The corners are still largely independent, it doesn’t negate the benefit of the independent suspension setup...but does modify how it works. With such a unique vehicle I think it’s smart to try different setups to see what best fits your preference and driving style.

[JMD]

6/28 & 29

Installed wheel well liner splash panels, sealed trunk seams and gaps with rubberized rope caulk, then scuffed, cleaned, masked and coated the aluminum panels with 3 coats Rustoleum bed liner and two coats rubberized undercoating. It's amazing how much finishing off the wheel wells makes it feel like a proper car. Masking took forever, and there were a couple of runs, but overall I'm happy with the outcome. I was impressed with the spray on truck bed liner, but have to make sure to go with light coats as it will run in a second. Seems to be a very durable coating and should be easy to clean.

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Also swapped out the BP-10 Wilwood front pads for some BP-20 to get a bit more initial bite in the braking. Will see how that goes.

[Mike.Bray]

I'm running the BP-20 pads and they seem fine to me. Certainly better than the BP-10s.

[Grubester]

JMD: I know this is a year after your June 6th 2024 post about modifying the faces of the polyurethane bushings, but I'm including a picture of your modification which I also did on my Mk4. I wanted to point out the burr on the steel sleeve (probably sized to length with a cut-off saw and have very rough faces). I'm including your original picture to show the burr that's on the face of the steel sleeve. What's crucial is that the surface of the face of the sleeve is sufficiently flat and smooth so that it will seal up against the frame bracket so that grease doesn't leak between the bracket and the steel sleeve face and flow out along the bolt on either the hex-head side of the bolt or out the other direction where the nut is on the 5/8 bolt. If grease is flowing in those regions it means it's not as effectively flowing up the face of the poly bushings.
I carefully resurfaced the faces of those sleeves but then added some precision punch-die buttons (McMaster-Carr) that were the same OD as the steel sleeve but we're in thicknesses of 0.003" and 0.005". This allowed me to build up the length of the steel sleeve again so that there wasn't undue pressure on the bushing faces when torquing down on the 5/8 bolt.
The rough surface is typical of the face of these steel sleeves.
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[JMD]

Good point. I'll put smoothing the faces of the sleeves on my list to do before I re-check torque on all the suspension bolts. Thanks!

[Grubester]

I feel a little bit bad to have brought it up since to inspect them now means tearing down the control ams to actually remove the sleeves from the poly bushings, dress them up, etc. If you're fully assembled I'd say just let it go and hopefully the extra grooves in the poly bushing faces will make the difference and you won't have a grease flow problem.

[JMD]

I think I could remove the bushings without disassembling the whole control arm. I did look at it yesterday and there were two areas (one on each side of the front suspension) where a significant amount of grease is pushing out. The other bushings looked fine. I'll put it on the list to address. I still need to put some miles on it and I'm sure will have a punchlist of things that need attention in the first 100-200 miles.

[JMD]

IGNITION TIMING

Well, I've been doing a bit of a deep dive into ignition timing over the past few days, trying to educate myself on the best timing curve for this engine. Took it for a long drive yesterday and while it ran well, it didn't seem to have the get up and go that I remember. It didn't seem slow or sluggish and would definitely move out when I pushed the throttle, but I thought I remembered it having more instant torque on tip in. Maybe I'm getting used to the power, I thought. Or maybe because it was crazy hot outside...who knows. But I realized that I didn't know how the distributor was set up and wanted to find out.

I decided to explore the distributor...find out exactly what springs and limiters were there, play with idle, see where the engine likes to idle best and build from there.

After warming the engine up and letting idle stabilize, I removed the vacuum hose to the distributor, plugged it and swept the initial timing between 8 and 14 degrees advanced while keeping an eye on the Kpa reading. It idled anywhere in that range ok, but seems to pull the most vacuum with 10 degrees so that's where I left it. I was also able to use the Sniper to drop it down from 850 to a smooth 800 rpm. Great. (As a bonus it also starts up real easy when hot at that timing, as well. This 114LSA cam is very accommodating.)

From there I had my dad hold it at 3500rpm and took a reading...right at 32 degrees. That's fine. I also took a look in the Pertronix distributor and found the #10 limiter on there and a pair of silver springs. (The #10 limiter is supposed to limit the advance to 20 degrees, but obviously it's allowing 22 degrees. No biggie.) So far so good. But I still wasn't sure how the vacuum advance was affecting things. I've read that Blueprint advises not to run vacuum advance timing on their engines at all, so I decided to take a drive without it and see how it felt. Holy crap, batman. The throttle response was much sharper than before. I actually spun the tires a couple times on takeoff without intending to...man, it felt good! I had thought Blueprint advising not to run vacuum advance was just something they said to give a big safety margin so people don't damage their engines by using too much advance, but now I see that (for my engine, at least) it actually performs noticeably better without it. Power on takeoff, passing power on the highway, low rpm power under load...it felt better everywhere.

I'm a big fan of vacuum advance and think it's a great way to improve the economy of an older engine if you aren't controlling the timing with an ecu, but in this specific instance it was causing some unwanted side effects. I'm sure I will lose some fuel economy by disconnecting it, but that's not something I'm too concerned about. The smiles it gave me on that drive compared to the previous drive was enough to convince me to run it solely on mechanically advanced timing. Smiles per mile > miles per gallon!

As always, your results when tuning your timing may vary...but I found what seems to make my particular engine happy. I could always swap out the springs and see how it responds to a quicker timing advance, or bump it up a couple degrees and see what happens at 12 and 34 degrees timing...but it was crazy hot and and I'm very pleased with the way the car is running, so I'll leave that experiment for another day. :)

[gbranham]

Three letters for you, my friend...E.F.I. I just don't understand why anyone wants to mess with carburetors, when the EFI options are so good these days.

[JMD]

Three letters for you, my friend...E.F.I. I just don't understand why anyone wants to mess with carburetors, when the EFI options are so good these days.

I think I rewrote my post after you read it, it makes a bit more sense now.

I have the Holley Sniper EFI, but it's not controlling timing. (Weird, right??) I originally ordered my engine with the Hyperspark, but somehow Forte had trouble making it work with the crate engine. After he messed with it for a while he asked if I was ok with running a regular Pertronix distributor and I said fine. At that point I just wanted my engine! It's not a race engine and I kind of like the old school vibe. The Pertronix uses some nifty tech to solve the maintenance problems of the old style distributors. The hyperspark was my first preference, but oh well. I haven't used a timing light in two decades so it's fun to play with one again. I'm happy with the overall package and it gave me plenty of smiles today, which is really the point of these cars, right?

[gbranham]

For sure, John! I thought you were EFI, but your pics of your engine looked like good ole carbed. When you're ready to ditch the Sniper and move up to, say, ProFlo4 or Terminator, let me know. I'll help you with the swap. ;)

Im teasing. Sort of.

[JMD]

That's one of the reasons I picked the Sniper to begin with. The benefits of EFI (even with the limitations of throttle body EFI), but the old school looks. I didn't want any new technology visible in the engine bay (fuel rails aren't very attractive). A multiport EFI is definitely the superior design, but I think a well set up Sniper should be able to run just as well in most conditions I'm likely to encounter and that's enough for me with this build. If I do another build it will probably be more track oriented and use a more modern engine setup. This one is more of an homage to the original design.

[gbranham]

You'll get it dialed in, John. You're a smart dude. And I'm sure it'll run awesome for you! Can't wait to see it in person!

[Mike.Bray]

FWIW

Sniper I is a great, great concept with poor execution. I appreciate your desire for old school looks, especially in a Cobra, so if you get a chance to upgrade to the Sniper Ii it is a huge improvement. It's basically the Sniper Holley should have built in the first place and fixes most if not all of the problems the Sniper I has. I recently picked up a brand new never used Sniper II at the Summit scratch & dent place for $300. I've seen them on FB Marketplace a few times also.

EFI timing control is a great tool, you should seriously consider the Hyperspark. Gives you plug & play EFI controlled spark.

This might help some, this is a Spark Landscape Map for an EFI system but still applies to any engine.

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[JMD]

Thanks for the input, Mike. I'm in total agreement. I actually made sure to get the Sniper 2 because of the issues they originally had with the Sniper 1. In fact, you quoted me on this very thing on a previous thread: https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/showthread.php?51672-First-start-Holly-EFI-no-fuel-pump&p=584889&viewfull=1#post584889

I'm guessing you forgot that was me. ;) I love the Holley tuning software and have already been able to solve a few issues I was having using it. Between the tuning and datalogging capability it's easy to diagnose problems if you know how to interpret the sensor data. It doesn't control spark, but does pretty much darn anything else I could want. I'm convinced that 90% of people's issues with the Sniper 2 is due to them not taking the time to learn how to tune it properly or them blaming it for other issues that are actually unrelated. Setting it up and tuning isn't hard, but does take a good bit of research and patience to learn. A large percentage of the problems with the Sniper 1 were actually due to the Sniper 1...lol.

I know the Hyperspark is a better setup, but I'm pretty happy with the way it is for my application. As SuperFastMatt would say: certified good enough. :)

[Mike.Bray]

Thanks for the input, Mike. I'm in total agreement. I actually made sure to get the Sniper 2 because of the issues they originally had with the Sniper 1. In fact, you quoted me on this very thing on a previous thread: https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/showthread.php?51672-First-start-Holly-EFI-no-fuel-pump&p=584889&viewfull=1#post584889

I'm guessing you forgot that was me. ;)


You have to go easy on me, I'm old and that was last month:p

I am happy you have the Sniper II. I'm thinking about putting the one I bought on my 68 Camaro to get rid of the ancient carburetor it has now. I'm planning on installing a 489 BBC with EFI port injection but that's down the road some so the Sniper would give me EFI until then..

[JMD]

Once I started driving the car at speed I found the best power steering flow restrictor for the FFR power steering rack and GM type II pump is a 1.3 gpm unit. The 2.0 gpm I had previously installed worked but was still kind of twitchy. With the lower flow unit it feels very neutral and intuitive. The assist isn’t much different from the pump, maybe requires a little more effort but still very easy to turn. Overall the response rate is lower so that a jiggle in the road doesn’t translate into an accidental steering input. The one I’m using now is a Turn One 301-020 and I'm happy with it. The only side effect I've noticed is that the reservoir seems to splash a bit of fluid out of the cap vent hole upon vigorous driving. I'm guessing that's because so much of the fluid is getting diverted back into the reservoir from the restrictor instead of going through the steering rack?

I like how the reservoir is integral with the pump on the GM type II unit I got from Forte, but it doesn't seem like a great fit to use a pump that is trying to push so much more fluid than is necessary. I think the 'typical' restrictor used in these units is a 3 gpm, which is more than twice what my steering rack needs.

[JMD]

Been busy on the car but haven't updated much lately. One thing I'll throw on here real quick is how I'm finishing the footwells...at least for now. I happened to see on his build thread where CV2065 put diamond plate in his driver side footwell. I liked that idea as I've been reconsidering installing the interior carpet. I'm driving it now with bare metal interior and kind of loving how maintenance free it is. Any dirt or grime that gets tracked in is super easy to wipe off. As a permanently open vehicle, keeping interior clean is an ongoing task. We had a convertible Mustang for a few years and you just knew that if you wanted to pull the top down that you had about two days before the interior got dirty and dusty.

I also hate wet carpet. The smell, the texture...ugh. So I'm considering alternatives. I looked at aluminum tread plate, but wound up ordering some rubber diamond plate rubber flooring rolls from Amazon and cutting it to fit the footwells. I've had them in for about a week and love it, so far. They give great grip, don't move around and are removable if needed for cleaning. I thought if I liked them I might glue them down, but there's really no need. A half roll did both pieces and it was super easy to work with. I'm thinking I may do the rest of the floor with this and only carpet the vertical interior surfaces. Here are some pics:

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Link to product if you're interested: https://a.co/d/fuuaz0R

[Wicked427]

Been busy on the car but haven't updated much lately. One thing I'll throw on here real quick is how I'm finishing the footwells...at least for now. I happened to see on his build thread where CV2065 put diamond plate in his driver side footwell. I liked that idea as I've been reconsidering installing the interior carpet. I'm driving it now with bare metal interior and kind of loving how maintenance free it is. Any dirt or grime that gets tracked in is super easy to wipe off. As a permanently open vehicle, keeping interior clean is an ongoing task. We had a convertible Mustang for a few years and you just knew that if you wanted to pull the top down that you had about two days before the interior got dirty and dusty.

I also hate wet carpet. The smell, the texture...ugh. So I'm considering alternatives. I looked at aluminum tread plate, but wound up ordering some rubber diamond plate rubber flooring rolls from Amazon and cutting it to fit the footwells. I've had them in for about a week and love it, so far. They give great grip, don't move around and are removable if needed for cleaning. I thought if I liked them I might glue them down, but there's really no need. A half roll did both pieces and it was super easy to work with. I'm thinking I may do the rest of the floor with this and only carpet the vertical interior surfaces. Here are some pics:

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Link to product if you're interested: https://a.co/d/fuuaz0R



I am ordering a MK5 kit in the next month or so and wanted to say your build was fantastic. The pics and info you shared and timestamped were extremely valuable and I'm sure took a herculean effort. I will be using a Ford Crate 427 stroker based off the 351 with carb, manual steering, wildwoods, 17" wheels and tires, Tremec TKO, 8.8 3 link. What type of heat protection did you use on the panels and did you undercoat or paint the inside of body? I am in Texas and will not be running ac or heat, as it would be futile anyway, but wanted to try and minimize header heat as much as possible.

[JMD]

I am ordering a MK5 kit in the next month or so and wanted to say your build was fantastic. The pics and info you shared and timestamped were extremely valuable and I'm sure took a herculean effort. I will be using a Ford Crate 427 stroker based off the 351 with carb, manual steering, wildwoods, 17" wheels and tires, Tremec TKO, 8.8 3 link. What type of heat protection did you use on the panels and did you undercoat or paint the inside of body? I am in Texas and will not be running ac or heat, as it would be futile anyway, but wanted to try and minimize header heat as much as possible.

I'm glad you've enjoyed the thread! It sounds like you're in the 'read all the build threads I can' phase of the building process. That's the one where you look at a bunch of builds and get ideas for what you like, what you don't, and take notes on all the problems everyone else had and how to prevent or solve them. At least that's what that phase looked like for me. I had 8 typed pages of notes before I even got my kit.

I used Raptor roll on bed liner to coat the underbody, Themo-tec Cool it mat on the interior aluminum, Dynamat 1/2" closed cell foam insulation on top of the Thermo-tec just on the front walls of the footwells, and generic Summit brand reflective heat shield on the bottom half of the aluminum panels near the headers. (I thought I had pics of that but can't find them...) I've put about 400 miles on the car and haven't had any uncomfortable heat in the footwells even on 90 degree days, so I think that's all I'm going to need. I was coming up with plans for a footwell blower, but don't think that's going to be necessary.

If you're not doing a heater it may be a good idea to get heated seats and install 12v outlets for a heated vest or blanket or something, in case you ever did want to drive in chilly weather.

[JMD]

Well, I've been working on the car just a little bit almost every day this week. First experimenting with how my engine liked different initial timing settings, curves, etc. I started at 10 degrees initial timing and worked up to 17 degrees. Car was hard to start hot with that much advance, so I backed it down and settled on 14 degrees as the best compromise. Tried different spring combinations in my Pertronix distributor and found that the lightest springs were too weak and timing would swing quite a bit at idle rpm, causing a surging idle that wouldn't settle down. I wound up with two of the medium (silver) springs as they are the lightest I can run that don't cause bad behavior on start or low rpm. They bring the total advance all in before 3k rpm, which seems to be a good place to be. I know having full command over ignition timing would be better in every way, but I'm kind of enjoying the simplicity of the traditional distributor. It actually goes with the theme of my build quite well and I am pleased with the engine performance and behavior.

(I attended a local car show with Greg (gbranham) a couple of weeks ago. Chip Foose and his team was there, so that was the big occasion. Lots of exotic, cool and classic cars from the KC area. I actually got a lot of thumbs up and waves on the way to the show and as I pulled past the crowd. It was a lot of fun. I really wasn't expecting the car to get that much attention, but people really seemed to like it.)

After setting the timing I worked on my Sniper 2 AFR target table for quite some time. Got some good input from tuners on the Holley Sniper forum and came up with a map that I feel will work well. My engine seems to like it. I actually had to reconfigure the fuel map resolution to gain control of sub 30 kpa fueling. This helped me tune out the excessive exhaust popping on decel. I've got it mitigated to an occasional pleasant burble. Engine is happy at cruise and smooth on throttle application, low rpm and everywhere else. I'm super happy with it. I did a ton of research on AFR maps and had a hard time finding good examples, so I'm posting mine here for anyone else to reference, if needed:

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One point of interest: even though the table shows AFR for gasoline, the O2 sensor is actually just using percentage of lambda. This is pretty cool because no matter if you're running straight gas or gas with E10 ethanol, it's basing it's measurement off stoich for whatever fuel is being burned, so no need to change your AFR ratios for gas with 10% ethanol (which is different than pure gasoline). That was a big controversy and misunderstanding a lot of Sniper users had when setting up their AFRs. Set it up for pure gas and no need to change if you have a small amount of ethanol in it. You can also convert the table and tune using lambda values if you prefer. Just FYI.

The next thing I worked on was tuning the hot & cold startup and idle. This was fun. I really had to learn how each variable worked to make the appropriate adjustments, but it fires up instantly both hot and cold and idles quite nicely in all conditions. I had to work on the IAC holdoff settings and ramps to cure a high idle issue when warm, but got that figured out as well.

At the moment I'm working on dialing in the acceleration enrichment tables. No dyno, just good old fashioned street tuning and datalogging on rural roads. It's coming right along.

The Sniper 2 runs pretty well out of the box but you're really missing out on what it can do if you're not using the free desktop tuning software. You can diagnose and solve most any problem, fine tune your fuel delivery and all sorts of other parameters to get it to run the way you want it to.

[JMD]

I enjoyed the meetup, Greg (gbraham) & Don (kirby). It was fun to get the cars together so they could socialize. ;)

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[gbranham]

It was a fun day! Couldn't ask for better weather. Looking forward to the next meet-up...closer to your neck of the woods this time!

Greg

[JMD]

I was posting on a thread about tires and thought it might be helpful for someone for me to relate my experience with the 295/50-15 Cooper Cobras I'm running.

The bottom line: they are great tires for this setup, which really surprised me. For 300-400hp motors they work remarkably well. They will spin through first and into second, but then they grip and rip. I really thought the car would be more tail happy than it is. The 295 width meat and trak-loc differential do a great job keeping the rear end planted so much that I have to really jab the throttle and attempt to unsettle it to get it loose. Sure you can roast the tires if you want to, but they don't really spin excessively unless you do a hard launch or a quick shift from 1-2 and 2-3 before just gripping and going. First gear launches best feathering it up to ~70% throttle through first gear then rolling up to 100% after engaging second. Both gears go by pretty fast then it kind of settles into 3rd gear for a more sustained pull. Of course this is during the summer months, maybe that will change as temps drop. I feel like they would be great tires up to about 400-430hp before you really had to be more careful on the throttle. Probably not a great tire for anything bigger than a spicy 350 ci engine.

Of course one thing they do is 'float' a bit while cornering at speed. Not sliding, but the sidewall rolls a bit before taking a set when changing direction, causing it to feel a little disconnected from the road the first split second of a steering input. You can get used to it and account for it and it's not really a problem as traction is still good, but it takes a little getting used to. The 50 and 60 series sidewalls at 23 psi aren't real rigid. But for even spirited road driving it's totally fine and does not feel unsafe at all. I'm also running the IRS. A rear solid axle might be a bit more tailhappy...

All said, I've been pleasantly surprised. I've heard all sorts of negative things about 15" radial tires and was expecting them to slide everywhere. They don't. I think it really mostly depends on what engine you're running and for a 302 or 347, I think they are quite adequate for most situations and drivers. For maximum grip get something with a softer tread compound.

[JMD]

Big milestone this week: I think my tune is pretty much dialed in. I've been working on it for weeks now, starting with the ignition timing, deciding on a final AFR target table, dialing in my hot idle and hot & cold startups, then once my learn table was only showing 1-3% values I started fine tuning them manually and working on my acceleration enrichment tables. Actually swapped out my air cleaner because I could see the kpa drop in the manifold during a power pull. Lots of datalogging, some experimenting, and just a few days ago ran the car in the first open loop tune to see where the fuel table really was without the closed loop affecting it. It actually ran great. I took a bunch of datalogs, did a few more rounds of fine tuning the AE & base fuel table manually and think it's about done. (Well, tuning is never 'done', but good enough that no significant changes are needed.) It really is amazing how an engine can seem to run pretty well when 'in the ballpark', but paying attention to the details and sensor data and making changes based on that data will certainly give you a sharper, crisper and stronger feeling engine. My father thought I was crazy to keep messing with it. He thought it ran fine and it did...until I made a change and you could feel it improve. He kept thinking 'that must be as good as it gets, why do you keep messing with it?'. But at this point I do think I'm finally about there. Some in depth dyno tuning might pick up something here and there, but I'm pretty sure it's about where it needs to be. You've got to be willing to experiment and find what the engine likes. Totally worth it!

The Sniper wizard setup and learning will get your engine running decently well, but there are a lot of parameters that need to be custom set for each engine. There are multiple parameters that dictate how the IAC works, which affect your hot and cold starts and how the car idles and comes back to idle after throttle. Not to mention the 6 different AE tables that tell you when and how much accel enrichment there is and where, temperature offsets for startup and fueling, cranking fuel tables, startup enrichment tables, how your closed loop and base fuel tables learn...so much. You're never going to get a great starting and running engine with a 'box tune' that simply adapts the fuel table to an overly simple AFR table. So yes, the Sniper is great, it will usually do a good job of getting your engine running safely, but you will need to get it tuned or learn to tune yourself if you really want it to perform properly. (Lots of Joe Simpson videos on this topic on youtube.) Ok, stepping down from my soapbox...

I've really enjoyed learning the Sniper EFI system and so glad I did. If you can't tell, I do tend to geek out about this kind of thing quite a lot. Definitely one of my favorite parts of the build. :rolleyes:

[JMD]

I wasn't going to do this originally, but after looking at the sensor data while tuning the engine I had to do something.

I could see my MAP sensor reading 99kpa atmospheric before startup, start a power pull at 98kpa (which is great, indicating minimal intake restriction, practically none!), until I got up around 4k rpm where it would start dropping and end up around 94kpa at redline. I was pulling vacuum and losing power because of the air filter. Probably not much...maybe 10 hp at the top end, but I couldn't let it go.

Greg actually had a spare 14x3 K&N in his garage that he gave me and I cobbled the rest together. It fits, but barely. Maybe 3/8" clearance to the hood but 3x the filter area than before. I wasn't expecting it, but the engine seems to run more smoothly at all RPM and certainly pulls harder up top. I had to increase fuel by about 3% in several areas and richen the idle because it went from 14:1 to 15:1 just by changing the filter. Super happy I did it. Probably overkill for my engine, but certainly doesn't hurt to have it!

The Cobra oval: I really like the look of it! Sad to see it go.
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The replacement: Not as pretty, but more functional and that better fits the theme of this build.
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[F500guy]

I was not sad to see the thin large cobra air cleaner go. I have a K&N like that and a bling air filter to test out. What MAP sensor did you use for that? I was looking to get one for my data system but It is new area for me and not sure what would work best.

[JMD]

I used the MAP sensor built into the Sniper 2 and the free Holley EFI desktop software to read all the sensors and change the tune parameters.

[Mike.Bray]

Airflow is important?

I saw a dyno test not long ago on EFI stacks and different screens and filters. Of course nothing on the velocity stacks yielded the most power. What was surprising is how much power was robbed by putting K&N filters on them. I can't remember the exact number but something like 40-50 HP. It was a lot.

I just have screens on mine which was about a 10 HP drop.

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[JMD]

There's always going to be a balance between airflow and filtration. The better the filter the greater the restriction. Some designs are better than others, but generally this is always going to be true. For me the K&N is the least amount of filtration I want to have for my engine while using a larger element to make up for airflow. It will keep out any larger particles while still flowing so much better than a paper filter element. There is no significant drop in manifold pressure at any rpm with this setup, which tells me it's flowing plenty for my application. The same size filter may restrict an engine much bigger, but not this 302. Screens will keep out the squirrels, rocks, and large bugs, but that's about it. ;)

[gbranham]

Following Mike's line of thought, this is my new filter setup. Lol. Just ribbing ya, Mike.

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[Mike.Bray]

Did I tell you Greg I'm planning on a ProFlo for my Camaro? Building a 427 SBC for it.

[gbranham]

Did I tell you Graham I'm planning on a ProFlo for my Camaro? Building a 427 SBC for it.

You did! I'm looking forward to hearing your experience with it. I'm really happy with mine. Wouldn't have gone that route had it not been for you steering me away from other options. Thanks again, my dude!

Greg

[Mike.Bray]

You did! I'm looking forward to hearing your experience with it. I'm really happy with mine. Wouldn't have gone that route had it not been for you steering me away from other options. Thanks again, my dude!

Greg

I'll keep you posted. I'm paying as I go and right now with the purchase of the car plus all of the upgrades I've done so far to get to a nice driver stage I'm afraid the 427 build is not moving very fast. I'm hoping by the end of the year to have a short block and heads done. After that I'll drop it in at some point replacing the existing anemic 350. I'll keep the existing Edelbrock intake and carb (ugh) along with the existing headers and 2" exhaust for now. Take a few months to recover and I'll do the ProFlo and new headers with 3" exhaust.

At some point I need to install the 9" rear I've built along with a new gas tank and EFI pump setup.

So realistically at least 12-18 months out. But it's very exciting.

[UKSNAKE]

6/11

4.5 hrs - Brake balance bar adjusted, charcoal vent install, passenger aluminum footbox finalized

Did a lot of research on setting up the balance bar. It's really easy to miss something here. I advise searching the forums and watching the wilwood video if you don't quite understand how it's supposed to work. Made sure mine was properly engaging the master cylinder plungers, brake pedal cleared from hitting frame, correct distance between clevis and pedal shaft, bar centered, and set screw adjusted to allow the 'click' for each turn of the balance bar. I had cut 5/8" off the MC plungers but still had to draw them into the clevis a ways until they weren't pushing against the pedal at rest. Thinking of installing the remote bias adjuster, but not at the moment. Looks to be pretty easy to get to even with the footbox panels in place.

200763

Trimmed shoulder panel on passenger side. Apparently this panel always needs trimming from the factory, per build school. If you don't, the body will hit and be pushed up in this area and you'll have a heck of a time trying to make the door fit properly.

201105

Installed charcoal vent. I bent the bracket to lay on top of frame member. If mounted on the side of the frame member as shown in the manual the bottom rests against the IRS framing. Bringing it up an inch helped it clear. Added hose clamps.

201104

Took apart the passenger side footbox, got out the silicone and riveting tool and went to work. Since all the holes were in the right spots I was able to silicone and rivet in panels as I went along. Worked out pretty well. One thing I will say is the rivets they give you aren't very pretty (or maybe it's my rivet tool). I'm trying to decide if it bothers me enough to drill out and replace with nicer rivets in the more visible areas. I'm much more excited about how the car drives than the appearance of such things. I'm not putting it together to be a show car or work of art...it's going to be a driver. I do plan on painting the engine bay, so what kind of rivets used is probably not worth losing sleep over. Also started drilling for the new firewall forward received from FFMetal.com. (Well, I got Jasper started on it. ;) Quality piece and I'm glad I got it. (Thanks for the recommendation!)

201102
201103

BEND THE CHARCOAL BRACKET....... GENIUS !!!!!!! took me long time to find this excellent tip. Thank you.

[UKSNAKE]

Can you share any pictures of the rest of your fuel tank/ filter connections please?

[JMD]

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219197

Here are a couple, I hope they help. I left an extra loop of fuel supply and return line so I can drop the gas tank without disconnecting the fuel lines. I thought that future me might appreciate it when and if he ever had to do so. In retrospect I might put the fuel filter elsewhere. I might still go back and move it when my body is off for paint. It should be reasonably accessible where it is, but I'm sure I could find a different spot that would make changing the fuel filter element easier. (Trying to make things as easy as possible for future me.)

Another thing I would probably do differently is eliminate as many 90 degree bends as possible. I think I only have two (one going into the fuel filter and another going into the Sniper EFI), but I've heard that a 90 degree bend is the equivalent to adding 3' of hose as far as pressure drop. So the fewer the better. And definitely make sure that any 90 degree bend is a wide radius bend, not a sharp angle fitting. I made that mistake of connecting a hard 90 to the Sniper and had to go back and fix it later.

[UKSNAKE]

Looks great. I like the idea of helping future me.

So you are running the braided flex the whole way to the front and back again or did you transition to hard lines anywhere?

Chris

[JMD]

I decided to use as few connections as possible to minimize potential failure points, so no hard lines. I ran one piece of braided flex from the fuel tank to the filter, another piece from the fuel filter along the outside the 4" tube and up into the engine bay and directly into the Sniper 2. (Go back and check out post #87.) It then exits the sniper, into the fuel pressure regulator, and then one long run in braided line back the way it came and all the way into the fuel tank.

[JMD]

Oil Change & Frame Touch Up

Performed my 1k mile oil change today (second time I've changed the oil in this engine). It was thankfully uneventful with the exception of misjudging where the oil pan should be positioned. I'm still not used to the force at which 6+ qts in an oil pan will flow out when given the chance. It hit the pan surface, but surged over the edge until I could get it moved further away. Bit of a mess, but what's an oil change without an oil mess to clean up??

The oil looked pretty good overall. Brown but not black. I had used the BP break in oil for the past two changes. Using their standard engine oil this time with one quart of break in oil for good measure.

219633

There was some metal on the drain plug magnet (which is a crazy strong magnet), but that's to be expected in the first 1k miles as the engine breaks in. Nothing excessive as far as I can tell.

219634
219635

I also took the opportunity to touch up a scrape on my frame rail due to deep ruts in a rural road that I didn't see in time. The middle swell kissed the frame at 50mph. No real damage done, but it did scrape off the powder coating. I lightly sanded it, cleaned it, masked and sprayed on some underbody coating to keep it from rusting. I'm so glad no part of the engine hangs down below the frame rails!

219636
219637

[gbranham]

Dang, dude! You've been logging the miles! I thought I was doing good, and I'm at 750. I'm going to do my first oil change and tranny fluid change in the next weekend or two. I read in the TKX guide that it should be done after the first 500-1000 miles. Gotta do the GT350 oil change, as well. 17 quarts between them. Sheesh!

Greg

[JMD]

Dang, dude! You've been logging the miles! I thought I was doing good, and I'm at 750. I'm going to do my first oil change and tranny fluid change in the next weekend or two. I read in the TKX guide that it should be done after the first 500-1000 miles. Gotta do the GT350 oil change, as well. 17 quarts between them. Sheesh!

You know all those times you drive the GT350 to events instead of the roadster? Well, I don't have a GT350 to distract me like you do. ;)

[gbranham]

You know all those times you drive the GT350 to events instead of the roadster? Well, I don't have a GT350 to distract me like you do. ;)

Fair point! I like my A/C in the summer! :)

[JMD]

Drove the roadster 115 miles yesterday, averaged about 18mpg. Mostly highway but some city driving. I'm guessing it's getting about 20mpg on the highway, not too shabby!

The Sniper learn table is now mostly in the 0-1 range with a couple spots correcting up to 2%, but I think at this point it's more dependent on driving variables than actual tuning. I've run it extensively in all different areas of the map, so I believe the fuel tuning is pretty much complete. I had an issue with it lean surging at idle after a heat soaked start and found a way to mitigate that with the tuning (raised idle rpm below operating temp, increase IAT fueling at high manifold temp, increased after start enrichment decay rate and reduced the closed loop compensation parameters around idle as it was overcorrecting and making the problem worse). I had to manually tune some parts of the map, but the learning has done a decent job with the majority of it. Reducing the learn parameters and base fuel learn gain as any further adjustments are going to be weather related, change with the seasons and don't necessarily need to be applied to the base table. Also creating an open loop version of the tune in case the O2 sensor goes bad. It should run fine in open loop if the fuel table is dialed in properly and I can upload that tune if an exhaust leak or faulty O2 is causing issues.

*Holley Sniper 2 tuning tech talk warning* One thing I've done that will help keep the Sniper from wacking out if there's a problem with the closed loop system is reduce the learn parameters for different parts of the map between 2-5%. I also reduced the closed loop compensation limits to +/-5% at idle and WOT and +/-15% everywhere else so faulty input data won't make it go crazy rich or lean. In some areas of the map and depending on driving conditions it will sometimes over compensate and hold on to bad data for the learn table. Such as around 2k rpm when you open the throttle real fast from 5% to 100% it will read so lean that the CL will add too much fuel and take a half second or so to pull it back out. It then interprets that as it needs more fuel at WOT at 2k rpm and less at 3500 when it's really pulling fuel because it gave it too much initially. This will lead to the base map being too rich at 2k rpm and too lean at 3500rpm. Also when you close the throttle on decel it will show rich and pull a lot of fuel, which is fine but it is always trying to pull fuel from those low kpa cells when it doesn't need to. Limiting the CL compensation in those areas helps keep it from doing that and ultimately leads to more accurate fueling.

[JMD]

Just dropped the car off to the painter a couple days ago. He's going to have it for a few months, but it's perfect timing as it's mostly going to be too cold to drive anyway. Can't wait for it to be ready in the Spring.

No pics...sorry...

[TrackDay17]

Can't wait to see it all painted and completed John, I'm sure it's going to look great !

[PMD24]

Congrats! Big milestone. Perfect timing for it to go to paint. I'm hoping to line mine up that way in late 26.

Pat

[gbranham]

Congrats, buddy. I'm jealous, and excited to see it finished.

Greg

[JMD]

Congrats, buddy. I'm jealous, and excited to see it finished.

Greg

Me too!!

[JMD]

Painter has adjusted and gapped the panels, as well as built up the door transition and other spots that needed some work. I now have the chassis back while he finishes body prep, then paint. Getting closer!
227373

[TrackDay17]

Looks like you'll have some color on it soon, looking forward to seeing the finished product and on the streets again this summer !

[JMD]

The car is back in my garage! (Well...most of it.)

227762

The body is with the painter as he is finishing up the prep, will paint the body off the car, then I'll take the chassis back for the body to be reinstalled. But that's a good thing because I have about 3 pages worth of 'to do' items before the body goes on for the last time. I've been able to get a good number of those items completed this week.

I changed the fluid in the TKX. I had Pennzoil Synchromesh in it to start, and replaced it with Mobil 1 ATF synthetic. The Pennzoil was fine, but it's always been harder to get into 3rd gear than I liked, so I'm changing the fluid to see what effect that has (if any). It shifts pretty nicely overall, but I've done a lot of reading and it seems like they prefer a thinner fluid because of the carbon synchros. Usually putting a better, thicker oil in a manual seems to make it shift smoother, but my research has led me to believe that in this newer transmission that can actually prevent the synchros from engaging properly and doing their job. Tremec specifically recommends the Mobil 1 ATF (it's thinner than synchromesh) and I've read a number of posts where other users really like the way it feels with that fluid...so giving it a shot. Took it for a very short drive in my neighborhood but wasn't enough to see if the fluid change made a difference. Pretty much felt the same, but I didn't drive it too hard so we will see.

The Pennzoil was originally a very light amber and has darkened quite a bit here. Doing it break-in thing, I guess. Not much in the way of metal streaking, and no chunks or flakes so I'm happy about that.

227756
227757

I also used the #2 fan output on the Holley Sniper 2 to trigger a red light I installed on the dash. It can be programmed to come on at any temp. I'm using it as a warning light that will come on if coolant gets above 200 degrees. My normal operating temps are around 185-195 and this just gives me peace of mind that if something is getting hotter than usual it will catch my attention before it gets too serious. I programmed it to come on at 100 degrees to test, and it works!

227758

I also installed a dedicated manual switch for the radiator fan and a blue light to show me when the switch is on so I don't forget to turn it off. Don't know if I'll ever really need it, but would rather have it and not need it than the other way around. And wiring is so easy to modify with the body off that I would be kicking myself down the road if I didn't do it now. I put the switch under the dash just to keep it out of the way.

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Also started the process to swap my master cylinders from Wilwood to Tilton. Originally I had no plans to do so, but I needed different size MCs for my brakes anyway so thought why not. (Going from the FFR supplied 3/4" to 5/8". The 3/4" were extremely firm and I wasn't able to get the line pressure needed to brake the way I wanted to.) I'm replacing the clutch MC just for the heck of it. Maybe I'm a bit OCD and want them all to match. Changing MCs with the body on is something I hope I never have to do. Will have pics of all that up next week.

I hope everyone has a wonderful Easter weekend.

[JMD]

Radiator Protector

I really liked the way CV2065 protected his radiator, so ordered a piece of screen from the same vendor and used 3 bolts and slit some fuel hose I had lying around to cover the edges that might contact other metal. I had to drill 2 holes for the upper bolts, but that was about it. I could have had it all done in one evening but I wanted to use stainless hardware so had to make a trip to the local hardware store to get it, then finished up the install the next day. Easy peasy. It's not super finished looking yet, but I will do that after the body goes back on. Maybe install a spacer on the bottom bolt, trim the bottom edge back and put some weather stripping around it once my final bottom aluminum piece goes in. I didn't have any spacers except nylon and wasn't sure they would hold up to the heat, so I simply used a few stainless nuts to hold the screen away from the radiator.

I thought about buying it already powdercoated black (the vendor had some powdercoated scraps available), but think it would just show dirt and bugs more so left it natural aluminum like the radiator. No chips or scratches will show that way. I want to spend my time driving it, not cleaning it. I be smart. ;)

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Waiting for some parts to finish up my master cylinder swap, will update when finished.

[cv2065]

Looks great!

[JMD]

Looks great!

Thanks! I’m really enjoying following your build. You’ve got quite a car taking shape there!

[JMD]

Brake Tuning

Ok, so I've been diving deep into the rabbit hole of brake maths. First of all, there are a couple of really good websites I want to share. I used many webpages to calculate many things, but these two were the most straightforward and helpful for me:

Joe's Master Cylinder Math (https://www.joesracing.com/master-cylinder-math/) - Good information, explanations, and math formulas.

Brakepower Bias Calculator (https://brakepower.com/share/19d93d258c9) - Great calculator for brake bias and behavior. Click on it and it will show my saved inputs from data I've gathered from my brake components and car. Remember, I'm using the Gordon Levy Wilwood brake kit that has smaller calipers and rotors than most Wilwood systems as they fit in my 15" wheels. Replace any of the data with your car's specs, hit 'calculate' and it will update for your specific situation. I think the target brake line pressures are generally a bit lower than I would want, but it's a great overall snapshot of what your brake system should be doing and what you need to adjust to get there.

I replaced my FFR supplied 3/4" brake MCs with Tilton 5/8" MCs, both front and rear. For my setup the dual 3/4" MCs were too large. The pedal was incredibly hard, had very little travel, and wouldn't even consider locking up front or rear no matter how hard I beat on them. So I went down a couple sizes. The bottom line is that it's great. A bit more pedal travel, but so much more stopping power. The good news is that I could now lock wheels, the bad news is that it was only the rear that would lock up. (Once I found that out I didn't try to stomp on it hard enough to lock the fronts as well.) So instead of doing a bunch of guessing, I bought a brake pressure gauge and took some measurements.

Front brakes:
228224

Rear brakes:
228225

The front brakes actually spiked to 1000psi on hard pedal application (the pic only shows 900). I took videos while applying the brake in different ways, and it consistently topped out right at 1000psi. Which is pretty darn good. I'm not bracing myself in the seat to apply them, just doing what I feel like I would normally do in the car while driving and wanting to stop fast. According to my calculations, this is basically me applying 100lbs of force to the pedal, which is then dividing it between the two MCs and applying ~50lbs to the front MC. With a pedal ratio of 6.25:1, I'm getting exactly what is shown here on the Wilwood chart:

228226

With the 5/8" MC I should see 2016 psi for every 100lbs on the pedal. I'm getting exactly half that by applying half the pressure. Checks out. The strange thing is that the rear brakes are getting close to 1100psi with the same size MC. Not sure why that is. Perhaps has something to do with the way the balance bar is adjusted (I thought I had it equal), or the fact that the rear piston area is much smaller than the front, which causes more rise in the pressure than in the front when additional pedal pressure is applied. Whatever the cause, that's the data.

The next step is to replace the rear MC (again) with a .70" MC. That should give me the target ~15% lower rear line pressure than the fronts that I need for my size calipers to achieve a roughly 68/32 dynamic brake balance. My math says I'm currently at about 60F/40R brake bias and the rears lock up too soon. (I calculated that using the above calculator, and my real experience and testing has verified the data so far. Also, I encourage you to read up on the difference between dynamic and static brake balance by clicking the question mark beside that field in the calculator. It's worth a look.) There is no magic number or ratio, but you basically want as much braking as you can get with the fronts locking up just before the rear. With my rears locking up just before my fronts regardless of how I adjust the balance bar, it's time for a different size MC.

I also adjusted the balance bar to see how that affected the rear brake pressure. I calculate that each turn of the balance bar changed the bias by 1.5%. I ran out of adjustment before getting the rear line pressure below the front, hence the change in MC. Once I get that on and get the line pressures in the right ballpark relative to each other, I can use the balance bar to fine tune which tires lock up first.

I should be able to get that done in the next day or two. Will post my results. In the mean time, if anyone wants a brand new Tilton 5/8" MC that's only been driven about 3 miles, hit me up.

[JMD]

Wrapping Up Brake Tuning

I changed the rear MC from 5/8" to 7/10". I've done so many MC swaps that I can have them done in about an hour and a half. Hopefully that skill will not be useful to me in the future...

With 5/8” front & rear MC and neutral balance bar had:
Rear pressure 1100 x 3 (caliper piston area) = 3,300
Front pressure 1000 x 4.8 (caliper piston area) = 4,800
Gave 59F/41R brake bias

With 5/8” front, 7/10” rear MC, neutral balance bar:
Rear pressure 900 x 3  = 2,700
Front pressure 1000 x 4.8  = 4,800
Gives 64F/36R brake bias

Even with the larger size MC in the rear I still wound up adjusting the balance bar 5 full turns toward the front brake to further reduce the rear line pressure to show about 850psi on a panic stop (65/35 final bias). This should keep the rear brakes from locking up, but I have yet to do my final testing. If they do still lock (I don't think they will), I can adjust the balance bar a little bit more and/or put in some brake pads with a bit less bite on the rear. But I think this puts me about where I want to be. The brake bias I calculated above is accurate given brake pads with same coefficient of friction. It can still be further adjusted with pad selection, if needed, but I didn't want that to be absolutely necessary. Swapping pads to achieve good brake behavior can often be a crutch for a badly designed system. I want it to balanced well enough that you're not choosing pads just to compensate for sub-optimal clamping force.

Here is the 1000psi reading for the front caliper:
228321

With everything in the ballpark I was aiming for, I flushed the whole system with a bottle of some good stop juice:
228322

Two notes:
1) Don't use the expensive brake fluid until you're fully happy with the braking system. I'm glad I didn't put in the good stuff until after I was finished swapping parts. The Valvoline or Prestone Dot 3/4 fluid you can buy anywhere is great for testing as it's ~$12/bottle. I probably went through three big ones with all the changes I made. It's actually fine for 99% of street driving as well. Upgraded fluid isn't really necessary until you start doing track stuff.
2) Testing brake lockup is SO much easier in go cart mode. You can see and hear the tires so well that you're not guessing as to what's going on. Do your testing with the body off, if at all possible.

[TrackDay17]

Jealous, you and Kirby's cars are going to be done for prime driving season this year !
I bought one of the Wilwood brake adjuster knobs just to make my life a little easier, still need to mount it.
I'm hoping the booster on my brakes won't make things too sensitive.

[Mike.Bray]

I bought one of the Wilwood brake adjuster knobs just to make my life a little easier, still need to mount it.

Install one of these to ease the cable routing.

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/til-72-560

[cv2065]

Install one of these to ease the cable routing.

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/til-72-560

I have one as well. At $93, Tilton is sure proud of that piece!

[TrackDay17]

Install one of these to ease the cable routing.

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/til-72-560

Sigh, I guess I"ll add that to my list too.
I was trying to be stubborn and use the FF supplied Wilwood master cylinders, but I think I'll just do it all now and avoid the later inevitable headache for being stubborn.
It just kind of galls me to have to replace new parts, wouldn't be much of an issue if they were more accessible.

[cv2065]

It just kind of galls me to have to replace new parts, wouldn't be much of an issue if they were more accessible.

I guess you just have to remember that you are replacing all of these parts on the assumption that the kit supplied stuff is going to fail. Many have used the Wilwood stuff with no issues, including myself. As with any mechanical item, there’s always a chance of failure regardless of the brand.

[JMD]

Sigh, I guess I"ll add that to my list too.
I was trying to be stubborn and use the FF supplied Wilwood master cylinders, but I think I'll just do it all now and avoid the later inevitable headache for being stubborn.
It just kind of galls me to have to replace new parts, wouldn't be much of an issue if they were more accessible.

I wouldn’t say failure of the Wilwoods MCs is inevitable. I think there’s a much higher chance that they will be perfectly fine for the life of the car than failing…but the complete headache that it would be to replace once the body is on led me to go with a brand that I think is slightly better. I probably wouldn’t have swapped them out in the first place if I didn’t need to change the MC sizing for my brakes to work properly. One of my brand new Tiltons could also fail. There’s no certainty either way.

The list of parts I kept adding to my build did get much longer than I anticipated, as well. But it really is better to build it the way you want and with quality parts from the beginning than wish you had later on.

[TrackDay17]

I wouldn’t say failure of the Wilwoods MCs is inevitable. I think there’s a much higher chance that they will be perfectly fine for the life of the car than failing…but the complete headache that it would be to replace once the body is on led me to go with a brand that I think is slightly better. I probably wouldn’t have swapped them out in the first place if I didn’t need to change the MC sizing for my brakes to work properly. One of my brand new Tiltons could also fail. There’s no certainty either way.

The list of parts I kept adding to my build did get much longer than I anticipated, as well. But it really is better to build it the way you want and with quality parts from the beginning than wish you had later on.

John, I've added plenty to my build sheet by my own doing for sure, it happens when you read build threads and get new ideas !
I knew I would but I have jokingly nicknamed this project Cost Over Run !
I'd rather spend it now to get it like I want than to regret it and either live with it or do it over again.

[Mike.Bray]

I guess you just have to remember that you are replacing all of these parts on the assumption that the kit supplied stuff is going to fail. Many have used the Wilwood stuff with no issues, including myself. As with any mechanical item, there’s always a chance of failure regardless of the brand.

I try to analyze/research and make informed decisions. A lot of people on the forum advise to replace the gas tank fill pipe grommet with an authentic Ford one as the FFR supplied piece tends to leak. Same for the clutch cable if you're going that route, the FFR supplied cable is not nearly as nice actuating as the genuine Ford cable. For the master cylinders, the odds are on your side the FFR supplied Wilwoods will be just fine. To me, just the reported failure rate for this critical device is way too high for my comfort. And this has been known for decades. Not to mention the absolute PITA they are to change.

To me, a clutch MS failure means you're on a tow truck. A brake MC failure means you have very limited braking capacity (thanks Paul).

Of course everyone is free to make they're own decisions.

[cv2065]

I try to analyze/research and make informed decisions. A lot of people on the forum advise to replace the gas tank fill pipe grommet with an authentic Ford one as the FFR supplied piece tends to leak. Same for the clutch cable if you're going that route, the FFR supplied cable is not nearly as nice actuating as the genuine Ford cable. For the master cylinders, the odds are on your side the FFR supplied Wilwoods will be just fine. To me, just the reported failure rate for this critical device is way too high for my comfort. And this has been known for decades. Not to mention the absolute PITA they are to change.

To me, a clutch MS failure means you're on a tow truck. A brake MC failure means you have very limited braking capacity (thanks Paul).

Of course everyone is free to make they're own decisions.

Agreed. I changed my clutch out to the Tilton as it's the hardest to get to (thanks Mike :D). That said, I think a Tilton will be harder to replace than the Wilwood if it did happen to go out. I guess its 6 of one, half dozen the other.

[Mike.Bray]

Agreed. I changed my clutch out to the Tilton as it's the hardest to get to (thanks Mike :D). That said, I think a Tilton will be harder to replace than the Wilwood if it did happen to go out. I guess its 6 of one, half dozen the other.

You know, I'm sure Tilton has MC failures also but in over 30 years of using them I've never heard of one. If you watch the video in the link below there is quite a bit of difference between the two in both design and materials.

[JMD]

Rear Differential & Friction Modifier

I don't remember how I came across this, but I was watching a video about differentials on the Flyin Miata youtube channel (it has a ton of great content, a good bit of which pertains to cars like ours) and learned why my Traction-Lok differential chatters the inside wheel on tight turns.

On a tight turn where the outside wheel needs to go a much further distance proportionally than the inside wheel, it can cause the clutch pack to engage and try to mitigate the relative difference in wheel torque/speed. So it's basically engaging the differential clutch to drive the inner wheel while you want it to turn. This can cause the car to 'push' and the inside tire to chatter during a tight turn. This isn't right or wrong, it's just how it behaves in our cars with the standard 4 oz of friction modifier. But one thing you can do to help each wheel move more freely and get rid of the chatter is add more friction modifier to the diff fluid as that is what modifies the clutch engagement (hence the name).

I'm wondering if the much lighter weight of our cars makes a difference here. Perhaps much heavier cars like the Mustang need more clutch engagement, but lighter cars don't need so much?

The spec calls for 4 oz added to the diff when you fill up the fluid. I did that when I assembled the rear end, but it chatters under certain circumstances. It's ok to add more friction modifier so that the clutch plates can slide a bit easier, if needed. I read on an older post where Gordon Levy adds 6 oz instead of the standard 4 oz. (He's been tracking these cars for a long time...I trust his advice.) So I'm adding 2 more ounces. You want the clutches to engage and give you the limited slip, but you don't want them to engage so much that they inhibit the differential wheel speeds needed for regular driving. And if they engage too aggressively it can actually cause the inside wheel to try and speed up on a tight turn, which can cause the car to push as the rear tires are trying to go in a straight line when you actually want them to turn. So bottom line, limited slip is good for traction but there is such a thing as too limited of a slip that prevents the car from rotating and handling the way you want it to on the street. If you're a drag racer you want the clutches to engage aggressively, but for the street or road racing/auto-x not so much.

So here we go. Jacked up the back end, sucked out 2 oz of diff fluid:
228513

Measured to make sure I was taking out the same amount as the amount of friction modifier I was adding. (I had the fluid level with the fill hole when I first filled it, so didn't want to over fill by adding more fluid.)
228514

The fluid looked pretty good, which is should with only about 1300 miles on it. I thought about changing all of it, but really no need if it looks good:
228515

Added half a bottle of friction modifier and done!
228516

I should be able to feel the car more willing to rotate with less understeer under power in a tight turn now that the wheels aren't locking together quite so aggressively. These cars already tend to understeer with the stock suspension setup and I think this will help get more toward the neutral feel I'm looking for. One step at a time!