Order placed ! now the wait begins !

[TrackDay17]

After lurking here and learning all I can for the past year I placed my order today !
I attended the build school last week and it really helped me see the overall project.

Ordered

Engine choice, I decided to go SBF instead of Coyote, Blueprint 347 fuel injected TKX mid shift with .68 overdrive.

MK5 with dual painted roll bars
IRS
Power steering
Brake booster
Wilwoods Red
!8 inch Halibrands ( to be painted black with polished spinners)
Gauges Speedhut custom setup
Seats custom Intatrim Stoneleigh with heat
Carbon dash
Leather steering wheel ( maybe an MPI or other aftermarket)
2 inch seat belts
ABS hood scoop
Wind wings
Sun visors

I'll definitely be adding some parts from vendors here such as Breeze and others for sure.
I'm planning on a more modern looking car with high back seats and 18 inch wheels.

Paint and bodywork will be left to the experts, colors I am all over the place on.
Blue is my favorite color but I am a fan of a lot of the new gray colors and some reds like Rapid Red.
I'm planning on blacking out my trim as I've never been a big fan of chrome.

A little on my background, retired postal worker, recently retired motorcycle road racer and track day guy, I've been riding motorcycles since I was 5 and I'll turn 60 soon.
I grew up around racing because my dad raced sprint cars. After he hung up his driving suit he and I started racing karts when I was 12, we ended up mostly road racing endurance karts. I turned 16 and we migrated back to the dirt tracks and I ran micro sprints and later 1200 cc mini sprints and I got a couple of seasons in a midget before we just got priced out of the game.

My father was a sheet metal work by trade and could build anything out of metal and he built and welded his own chassis.
Dad passed away at age 67 in 2007 and I'm dedicating this build to him, a true gear head and tough racer behind the wheel.

I've got to thank my new friends and forum members GBranham, JMD and Kirby who all live within 30 minutes of me here in the KC metro.

GBranham invited me over to look at his build when I first joined and his car was what set the hook.
I got a ride in his 427 powered beast and that power and torque is intoxicating !

JMD for giving me my first ride in a Factory Five, that 302 really runs well and seems like a well balanced car.
Kirby for the advice and things he learned from his Coyote build that he just got street legal.

After seeing the quality of the work in many of your build threads I've got a lot to be inspired by and try and do an equally quality build.

Can't wait to get started, I'm shooting for a November delivery !

Greg Bilhimer
Shawnee, KS

[burchfieldb]

Congratulations and welcome to the club.

[rickshank]

Greg,

Very cool! I just picked up my MKV and drivetrain on Tuesday and brought it back to the Pittsburgh area. Your build looks pretty well thought out and the 347/TKX is exactly what I chose. I want to add heated seats to mine and haven't picked a solution yet.

Sounds like you've got some crack dealers within short driving distance! :) Very cool to have a small community there in KC.

Best wishes that November comes along quickly for you!

[TrackDay17]

Greg,

Very cool! I just picked up my MKV and drivetrain on Tuesday and brought it back to the Pittsburgh area. Your build looks pretty well thought out and the 347/TKX is exactly what I chose. I want to add heated seats to mine and haven't picked a solution yet.

Sounds like you've got some crack dealers within short driving distance! :) Very cool to have a small community there in KC.

Best wishes that November comes along quickly for you!

Thanks, I've been watching all the MK5 build threads including yours.
It's great having the forum and local guys to guide me through any issues who have been there done that.

On the heated seats, I know Mike Forte has a heated seat kit that will work with the FF seats that doesn't look to hard to install, I've seen it somewhere on a thread or two here.
Maybe some of the other vendors here do also.

I'll definitely start a build thread when I receive my kit.

[gbranham]

Congrats, buddy! I know you are super excited to get started, and I cant wait to live vicariously through you, since I'm going through build withdrawal! I know you'll build a heck of a car, and I'm here for whatever help you need!

#firedup

Greg

[JTG]

Your build sounds great, but I mostly love that this is a tribute to your Dad.
That hits me right in the feels.

I look forward to following along on your progress.

Jon

[Mike.Bray]

Sounds like you've got some crack dealers within short driving distance! :)

Well that's interesting:rolleyes:

[TrackDay17]

Your build sounds great, but I mostly love that this is a tribute to your Dad.
That hits me right in the feels.

I look forward to following along on your progress.

Jon

Thanks Jon, COPD got him at the age of 67, way too soon.
I miss him every day. When things get tough in the shop sometimes I'm always thinking I wish he was here to give me some pointers.

[gbranham]

Well that's interesting:rolleyes:

I had to finance my car habit somehow, dude! :)

[lewma]

Congrats!

[MaxVmo]

Congrats on pulling the trigger. I waited years to purchase but figured it was now or never. I had a big influence through my Swiss immigrant father as well—a chef by trade but a vintage car enthusiast at heart. His big dream was a 1950’s Mercedes 300SL roadster but had to settle for a 190sl project instead. I loved the thrill of a ride in it as a kid and it was soon sold off to pay on the house. He would take me to Laguna Seca a few times for the big vintage rallies, and I soon found he had a big liking for the Cobras and Healey cars. A buddy of his took us for a ride in a Cobra replica when I was 8 and the dream was planted. Last month, my 76-year old hero came to TN for a visit and got to ride in my Cobra for the first time.What a memory making machine!

I wish you the best of luck in your project! The folks on the Forum have been the superior source for my often basic (let’s call it incompetent) questions, and their enthusiasm to help is inspiring and encouraging.

[JMD]

Finally! We've been waiting for you to pull the trigger! Looking forward to following along with your project this winter.

[Rebostar]

Good on ya for taking the plunge. I had my 1st FFR promo package 3 years before I ordered my MK4. Drooled over it for many a night. Built it in my mind several times. I get the feelings for your Dad as well. My father was a lifer in the Coast Gaurd. He worked as An AD. That is an aircraft mechanic. First on the Grumman SA-16 Albatross, then transitioning to Sykorsky Helicopters. The guy could fix ANYTHING! I followed in his footsteps, becoming an A&P mechanic working on Cessna and Piper aircraft (aluninum rain!). Then transitioning to helicopters in 1980. I retired in 2022. I've been building hot rods for the last 15 years as a (expensive) hobby, finishing up my MK 4 in April.

Good luck with your build. Please post your progress, lots of pics!

Here's the MK4 I finished in April

218225218226

[TrackDay17]

Good on ya for taking the plunge. I had my 1st FFR promo package 3 years before I ordered my MK4. Drooled over it for many a night. Built it in my mind several times. I get the feelings for your Dad as well. My father was a lifer in the Coast Gaurd. He worked as An AD. That is an aircraft mechanic. First on the Grumman SA-16 Albatross, then transitioning to Sykorsky Helicopters. The guy could fix ANYTHING! I followed in his footsteps, becoming an A&P mechanic working on Cessna and Piper aircraft (aluninum rain!). Then transitioning to helicopters in 1980. I retired in 2022. I've been building hot rods for the last 15 years as a (expensive) hobby, finishing up my MK 4 in April.

Good luck with your build. Please post your progress, lots of pics!

Here's the MK4 I finished in April

218225218226


Rebostar, beautiful car ! I definitely read your thread among the many I've watched intently.

My dad was the sheet metal guy in the shop he worked. anything that went out of that shop he most likely built it.
Elaborate custom copper hoods and things like that he built.
I can still drive through a very exclusive neighborhood in town and point out copper work on top of multi million dollar homes I watched him build one summer when I was helping him in the shop at work. Funny thing is all of his sprint cars were Chevy powered but we mostly owned and drove Ford products except for the 70 El Camino 454 SS I wish I had now !