Driver foot box access panel?

[MaxVmo]

I’m about to begin the go cart stage. I’ve got the driver footbox cleco’d together for fitment and am wondering about the top access panel. What’s the consensus on this piece? Rivet or rivnuts?

I’m leaning rivnuts but I’m not very sure about how to properly measure—the panel overlays the footbox with varying amounts of room on the sides and I’m not sure I’ll get the rivnuts mounted correctly.

Happy to hear suggestions!

Also—anyone have an in with Finish Line? I ordered sleeves and grommets back in July and can’t get a hold of them for an update via text, call, or email….

Thank you!

[Scott Zackowski]

Whatever you decide to do keep in mind that when the body goes on the edge of the hood opening will be very close and sometimes over the panel. You may want to stay with it cleco'd until you start to fit the body.

[MaxVmo]

Totally agree with that for sure. Initial fitment was already made up at Ken Pike’s place.

[Rebostar]

I installed 6-32 aircraft nut plates with countersunk 426-3 rivits so the plate sits flat on the footbox top. I wanted access to the brake cylinders without drilling rivits out. This is also where I attached the FFR data plate. The official State of Oregon VIN plate/sticker is next to the Vehicle S/N on the frame below the steering wheel.

209986209987209989209991

[PMD24]

I installed 6-32 aircraft nut plates with countersunk 426-3 rivits so the plate sits flat on the footbox top. I wanted access to the brake cylinders without drilling rivits out. This is also where I attached the FFR data plate. The official State of Oregon VIN plate/sticker is next to the Vehicle S/N on the frame below the steering wheel.

Thanks for sharing that Rebo. Those nutplates and rivets are both pretty slick. Great way to keep that cover flat against the mating panel. Can you post a photo showing the cover under the edge of fiberglass. Curious about clearance to get to the screws back in there. Thanks.

[gbranham]

Good luck with **********. It's hit or miss, sadly. Based on what I've experienced, I won't order from them ever again.

[Rebostar]

I installed 6-32 aircraft nut plates with countersunk 426-3 rivits so the plate sits flat on the footbox top. I wanted access to the brake cylinders without drilling rivits out. This is also where I attached the FFR data plate. The official State of Oregon VIN plate/sticker is next to the Vehicle S/N on the frame below the steering wheel.

Thanks for sharing that Rebo. Those nutplates and rivets are both pretty slick. Great way to keep that cover flat against the mating panel. Can you post a photo showing the cover under the edge of fiberglass. Curious about clearance to get to the screws back in there. Thanks.

I just took the cover off to have my new Oregon VIN # engraved in the FFR data plate, then re-installed it. I used a #1 philips screwdriver. No clearence issues. I'll get a pic posted on this thread tomorrow.

[CraigS]

I have seen people make the outer edge of the panel fit w/o fasteners. So slide it into position and then use fasteners where they will be accessible.
210050

[F500guy]

I just used a few rivnuts, just do not put them on the fender side.
210053

[kgkeys]

I have seen people make the outer edge of the panel fit w/o fasteners. So slide it into position and then use fasteners where they will be accessible.
210050

Yeah, that's what I did. Pretty sure I copied someone else. I'll see if I can find a picture.

-Kyle

Edit: Adding picture. I actually do have two screws/rivnuts on the fender side, as well. It looks like the access panel may have gotten bigger at some point? My car is a fairly early MkIV at chassis 8013. Anyway, I made a clip like Craig showed, and used four small rivets to attach it at the outside corner.

210054

[rich grsc]

I bent a complete new top panel. It extends down the side almost even with the bottom of the valve cover. Cut out the side panel leaving about 3/4" to be covered by the new top, gives you a bunch more working room. I started bending that retaining clip years ago.

[dbo_texas]

I used rivnuts on mine. To get the location, I traced the panel opening from the inside of the footbox, then drilled the holes in removable panel first, then mounted it to the footbox and match drilled the holes on the footbox panels. Detailed in my build thread post #122 (https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/showthread.php?40632-ATX-MKIV-9644-Coyote-Build-Thread-(Index-Post-137)&p=519481&viewfull=1#post519481). I left off the screws on the edge which will get covered by the body.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=181165&d=1678120980
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=181166&d=1678120980
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=181167&d=1678120980

[Scott Zackowski]

Here are 2 images showing the edge clearance issue.
If you use rivets or screws on the hatch plate along the edge of the hood opening, you will have difficulty getting a tool in there to remove the hatch once the body is on.

I took a little different (more simple IMHO) approach and just screwed in button heads (I believe #8) right into the footbox, with blue thread locker and they held just fine for hundreds of miles. Just make the holes in the footbox AL a little small so the button head threads will grip. I could then use an angled Allen wrench to remove the button heads along the hood edge. I did have to cut the angled arm on the Allen wrench shorter to get clearance, but I had already done that for other aspects of the build.

210058
210059

[JohnK]

I used 6-32 rivnuts along the two sides, as others have shown, avoiding the areas that are blocked by the body. As many others have done, I used rivnuts on several panels around the car to make them accessible down the road. In retrospect, and after having drilled out a number of aluminum rivets to repair/modify things, in the future I would not bother with rivnuts. Aluminum rivets are extremely easy to drill out. Aluminum rivnuts, especially smaller ones, have very delicate threads and if a little too much pressure is applied when installing them they are just a headache waiting to happen down the road (especially if using SS screws with them). Personally, I wouldn't bother with rivnuts. I'd just use some aluminum rivets and drill them out if you ever need to access that area down the road.

[Rebostar]

As promised here are a few pics of the panel installation. There were no issues with the clearance for a #1 screwdriver. The one screw in the exact corner needed the screw driver at an angle of about 10', just slightly off center without touching the body. No issue at all with tool fitment and screw access.

210071210072210073

[rkl20678]

Learning from your footbox question and thanks. As far as Finish Line I ordered ~$500 of stuff in October and crickets. Sent a couple of emails, no response and then dug deeper into reviews and saw the complaints. I wrote it off as a loss. I emailed the website and said I accept the loss but your Karma is in the toilet. A week later I received an apology and received my order the next week. No kidding! The name at Finish Line is Taylor and he exists. Good luck. I feel I got lucky.