Dondero Father Son Mk4 build thread: Cooling System

[Dondero14]

Well it has started. We picked up the car Monday, got it setup in the garage and had a celebratory whiskey to cap off the day. Was able to make light work getting the chassis off the trailer by picking it with my tractor and then used an engine crane to wheel in into the garage. I've been plowing through boxes as much as time allows me and have only a couple more left. My dad came by on Thursday for day 1. We only had a few hours to work on it together so we were able to remove the body and store it away outside, as well as remove all the aluminum panels from the chassis. For the body buck I built, I combined the plywood measurements from the FFR template along with some ideas and dimensions from a low profile body buck I saw in a past forum post. My plan was to store it under my pool deck in the background of the picture and only had about 38" of clearance, which ended up being more than enough. Getting together again on Monday to crank through the front suspension. I'm still flying high with excitement to finally have this home in my garage now. FFR did a great job with everything and helped make an amazing, memorable day for us.

We ended up deciding on going with the Mk4 Complete Build kit. Some of the features it will have are Blueprint 347 EFI, IRS, double chrome rollbars, SS side pipes with Drummer Mike heat shields, and 17" Halibrand Wheels with Nitto 555 G2s. We are planning on putting in a quick release steering wheel in combination with one of Frank's I.E. 427 Garage turn signals as well.

Here are some pictures of the arrival day and progress so far:

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[gbranham]

Congrats! Sounds like a great build plan! I'm looking forward to following your progress! Awesome that you have your dad helping you make memories.

Greg

[Justin]

Sweet! Enjoy the time in the garage!

[cv2065]

Congrats on your new kit! Must be nice to be local where you can just pick it up versus spending $2K on shipping. You can spend that on upgrades! ;)

[Mike.Bray]

That's going to be a nice build. Cangrats!

[mrmustang]

Wait, no cigar?


Congratulations to you and Hank, can't wait to follow along.


Bill S.

[Dondero14]

Thanks fellas, appreciate all the kind words.
cv2065, I'm fortunate to only be about 25 minutes down the highway from FFR so its very convenient. Will pay off especially if I run into a roadblock during the build and want to put a set of eyes on what I'm working on, I can always shoot down there and it won't be much time out of my day at all.
Bill there will be plenty of days for cigars in the future for sure haha. I was all over the place so much that day I don't think I would have been able to sit down and enjoy one for the life of me.

[Dondero14]

Congrats! Sounds like a great build plan! I'm looking forward to following your progress! Awesome that you have your dad helping you make memories.

Greg

Greg, I was browsing through your build thread and noticed your drivers side F panel when delivered was kinda all out of whack and not lining up....just like mine. The majority of the angled piece doesn't line up with the panel at all. Did you do much trimming for it to fit and if so do you want the F panel as close to the bracket for the shocks as possible or do you want a bit of a gap. Also is there anything to consider while trimming and moving the panel forward to think about down the line when the splash guard gets installed since it won't be in the exact spot it initially was. If I'm looking at this under a microscope in too much detail let me know because I'm sure overthinking everything is going to be my toughest challege building this haha.

[JsMoose]

Congrats, and enjoy your build! I just got my Mk4 kit and starting to dig in. Have fun.

For what it's worth, I just put on my F panels yesterday. My driver's side was okay, but I trimmed the top edge of my pass. side as well as the inner F segment that interfered with a weld. I have no idea if it will be an issue, it just bothered me how poorly it was lined up.

Jay

[Dondero14]

Congrats, and enjoy your build! I just got my Mk4 kit and starting to dig in. Have fun.

For what it's worth, I just put on my F panels yesterday. My driver's side was okay, but I trimmed the top edge of my pass. side as well as the inner F segment that interfered with a weld. I have no idea if it will be an issue, it just bothered me how poorly it was lined up.

Jay

Awesome congrats to you too as well. We will be alongside each other going through the highs and lows of the build. Look forward to following your build as well. I ended up doing the same as you, just trimming it to shape and fit along the frame as best as possible. Worked out well and onto the next.

[Dondero14]

Picture of the body stored under my pool deck. Like the deck was built knowing it was gonna house the body. Body buck setup worked flawless. Always looking to save a buck, instead of paying $6/caster and dishing out $25 for them, I ended up just buying a little dolly rated for 800lbs from home depot for $11 and pulled the casters right off of that and used them. Worked perfect.
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[Dondero14]

My father came by this morning and we put a few hours into throwing parts on the car. We got the F panels on, upper and lower control arms, shocks and spindles. Happy to finally add a little character to the frame. Everything went in nice and smooth and all the tolerances were nice and tight. We stopped at the point where we had to add the steering arms to the spindle because in the manual I noticed they used button head bolts and I only had 1/2" bolts. After searching around a bit and going through the hardware box and not finding anything, I figured I'd contact FFR or check the forum. This forum is utter gold with the information it contains. Low and behold I found a post from last year explaining that they don't use the button heads anymore and the remaining 12 point bolts, which I was also questioning, went with the brake calipers. Problem solved. Going to hopefully get together again on Friday to chip away at some more. Hoping to wrap up the front suspension and get started on the IRS. Once the IRS is out of the way I'll be in a lot better shape space wise with what little space I have to work with. In the meantime I'll be organizing the work space and staging the tools and parts needed so we can jump right into it when my Dad comes back.

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If it looks like we went rivet happy on the F panel the reason why was my father hated the holes left by the holding screws from delivery haha. After adjusting them to fit properly the screw holes didn't properly line up with the template pattern.

For anyone who follows along, any and all constructive criticism is welcomed. If you see something in any of the pictures that's questionable feel free to point it out. I'm virtually new to all of this so the input is welcomed.

[Justin]

The blue ball joint boots are junk. Replace the ball joint boots.

Also, if going power steering get the turnbuckle cuts knocked out. High recommendations for power steering on these little cars.

[JsMoose]

Yeah, I'm at the same step and observing that finding the right hardware is more than half the battle! Can anyone confirm Dondero14 has the right bolt and the manual has the correct nut for the steering arm?

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Thanks!
Jay

[Dondero14]

Yeah, I'm at the same step and observing that finding the right hardware is more than half the battle! Can anyone confirm Dondero14 has the right bolt and the manual has the correct nut for the steering arm?

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Thanks!
Jay

Hey Jay,
I noticed that same thing while installing the steering arms that the bolts in the manual were different from the ones provided. I DID get confirmation from a previous post that they stopped using the button head bolt for that. In addition the manual doesn’t do a good job showing which one goes where. I’ve also read that the steering arm should be pointing up and out with the larger hole on the bottom. In the picture I have that steering arm on the wrong side of the car. Did some more building yesterday and corrected it all before anything was bolted in.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/showthread.php?48242-Steering-arm-to-spindle-mounting-bolts

Mark

[JsMoose]

Hey Jay,
I noticed that same thing while installing the steering arms that the bolts in the manual were different from the ones provided. I DID get confirmation from a previous post that they stopped using the button head bolt for that. In addition the manual doesn’t do a good job showing which one goes where. I’ve also read that the steering arm should be pointing up and out with the larger hole on the bottom. In the picture I have that steering arm on the wrong side of the car. Did some more building yesterday and corrected it all before anything was bolted in.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/showthread.php?48242-Steering-arm-to-spindle-mounting-bolts

Mark

Ugh... I installed it backwards, down and in. Looks like I get to experience the fun one more time! In an effort to help future readers and make sure I get it right this time.. a couple questions:

1. Up and Out, got it. The arm points towards the front of the car, right?
2. Looks like I need to take off the Hub Nut and Hub to get bolts that hold the arm out. Once I do this, is the Hub Nut still okay to reuse?
3. Is there a secret to redoing this that doesn't involve taking off the Hub? I don't think there is.

Much appreciated...

-Jay

[Dondero14]

Ugh... I installed it backwards, down and in. Looks like I get to experience the fun one more time! In an effort to help future readers and make sure I get it right this time.. a couple questions:

1. Up and Out, got it. The arm points towards the front of the car, right?
2. Looks like I need to take off the Hub Nut and Hub to get bolts that hold the arm out. Once I do this, is the Hub Nut still okay to reuse?
3. Is there a secret to redoing this that doesn't involve taking off the Hub? I don't think there is.

Much appreciated...

-Jay

1. Yes the arms point toward the front of the car.
2. I’m not entirely sure and will let someone else answer that.
3. I don’t know much of a secret but just by looking at the length of the bolt and the clearance between the head and the hub I don’t think it’s enough to clear the castle nut for the spindles. May be worth trying it out anyways since you’re going to have to take the steering arm off regardless.

[Dondero14]

Well Friday we had a day for sure. Me and the old man wrapped up the front suspension, got the front brakes on and started chipping away at the IRS. Cutting the piece off of the rear spindle had me stressing leading up to it but went surprising smooth. Used 10 tpi metal sawzall blades and they made a nice accurate cut through. We got all the mustang lugs replaced with the supplied lugs, spindles cut and drilled for install including the extra lobe for the brakes. My step son helped us install the center section, which was a huge help having the extra set of hands. After the pumpkin was in place we installed the vent and ran the vent line up the frame.

I’ve gotta say, being someone who has never really messed with cars before I am loving every bit of doing this build. It is so rewarding and fun watching the frame grow and start to come to life. My father said with the time we’ve spent building, we are light years ahead of where he was compared to when he did his builds years ago. He is very impressed with how smooth everything has been able to get installed compared to all the redrilling and retrofitting he had to do back in the day with his. We put in about 6-7 hour of work together. He planned on sleeping over for the night so we capped it off with a couple large glasses of whiskey and a cigar together mulling over how much fun it’s been.

For anyone that hasn’t watched it, Random Werks on YouTube has some amazing advise watching his build. One of the biggest takeaways I got from watching his videos was to cut the addition lobe off the rear spindle to install the 11.65” IRS brakes. For those putting in an IRS that haven’t gotten to that point, it doesn’t reflect that additional cut in the manual until the spindle is completely installed on the car. It’s only mentioned in the additional instructions for the 11.65” 2015 IRS Brakes. This will either cause you to have to cut it while on the car or do much disassembly to take it off and cut it.

[Dondero14]

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[Dondero14]

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[JsMoose]

Man that’s incredible progress and great work. My new plan is to make sure you are at least 2 steps ahead of me so I can learn from you before trying it myself. :D

Thanks for the heads up on the IRS. After having to redo the front I’m going to be more careful and check around before proceeding.

Jay

[Dondero14]

Haha Thanks Jay appreciate the compliment. I’ve been scouring this forum and the manuals for a month before my kit came out of pure excitement and wanting to learn it all. If you have the time def try and check out some of those Random Werks videos of his build. They are a great watch and have a ton of great information. The guys is very thorough and meticulous with everything he does. Very talented.

[mrmustang]

Haha Thanks Jay appreciate the compliment. I’ve been scouring this forum and the manuals for a month before my kit came out of pure excitement and wanting to learn it all. If you have the time def try and check out some of those Random Werks videos of his build. They are a great watch and have a ton of great information. The guys is very thorough and meticulous with everything he does. Very talented.

Tell your father I have these if and when you needs them.
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[Dondero14]

Question out the IRS center section alignment. Is this offset normal and should it be lined up that close to the e-brake bracket. Not sure if I’m overthinking this or if I’m tightened down more to one side with the center section mounting bolts.
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Mark

[gbranham]

Yep, normal. You can't really install it wrong. Well, you could maybe use the wrong bolts, but it sits where it sits.

Greg

[gbranham]

Kind of a bad pic, but you can see mine is offset as well.

Greg

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[Dondero14]

Tell your father I have these if and when you needs them.
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Bill - What are those little gadgets for?


Greg thank you for the reassurance!

[gbranham]

Ah, yes...the pedal bender! I remember that from my MkIII days!

Greg

[Dondero14]

Tell your father I have these if and when you needs them.
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Bill my father has actually never seen those tools before. For his first accelerator pedal he stole one of my moms big sturdy spoons and used that haha. Said it worked great for heel-toe shifting.

[Dondero14]

Well we got a few more hours in on the build yesterday. Was able to get the upper and lower control arms, toe arms, cv axles, and left side spindle assembly all installed. Everything went pretty smooth with minimal bumps in the road. Definitely had a few take aways for when we do the right side spindles. Some things we found and luckily I saw it on a previous forum post is to keep the thread even on both sides of the linkage adjusters on the upper and toe arms due to the fact that they act like turnbuckles in a way. In addition, most of the parts went into the frame brackets smooth with the exception of one of the control arms and one of the toe arms. We had to pry apart the lobes on where they connect to the frame just a bit to allow them to slide in place. A couple bolts had trouble sliding in as well even though they were lined up but a brass hammer was able to do the trick. Upper and Lower control arms connected to the spindle easily but had trouble with the toe arm to the spindle. We pried apart the lobes on the toe arm for the spindle to slide in but was still too tight deeper into the opening. We used a pipe wrench to bend open one of the lobes slightly further in at the weld and that opened it up just enough to get the bolt through. A bit of caution if anyone does need to do any prying on the toe arm is to check the spacing to the spindle ahead of time before install and use a vice to hold it while prying. If installed already use caution while prying so that the toe arm rod end eye isn't getting torqued on against the frame. Once toqued down, all the lobes that I bent open a bit all pull back into where they should be. To add even more excitement we found out that our Blueprint 347 EFI will be delivered on Tuesday Woohoo!

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[Dondero14]

***Need some help here***

We got the IRS all wrapped up, threw on the 11.65" brakes and ran into a road block that's kicking our butt and I'm sure others have had the same issue. We are having the hardest time figuring out how to attach the e-brake to the rear calipers. Tried a few different angles but nothing seams to work and safely clear the cv axels. Not to mention the directions in the manual show the brakes in a totally different position with a totally different bracket. Any and all help would be great and if you can include pictures even better. Is it worth swapping the 12 point bolt out for a hex head? I'm totally at a loss. Easy enough to move on to the next part of the build and go back to it later when I find better information. I've seen some people have countersunk the bracket and used flat head bolts but is that sturdy enough? I just want to make sure I'm going about it in the safest and cleanest manner possible.
Thanks,
Mark

[gbranham]

Pictures of your installation would be helpful.

[JMD]

There are a lot of threads about mounting the e-brake as that's a common difficulty. I can't help because I didn't use it and dodged that bullet, lol.

[Dondero14]

Pictures of your installation would be helpful.

I got some good advise from Mike Everson to countersink the hole and use a flathead bolt where the bracket bolts to the caliper right underneath the hole that gets elongated for the e-brake. I tried interchanging the hex head bolt and the 12 point bolt to see if I'd be able to slide into the hole easier but had no luck. The instructions are terrible and only reflect the 13" calipers for routing the ebrake. Another bit of advise he gave me was that the 11.65" brakes are usually used for the 15" wheels where as the 13" brakes are used for the 17" wheels (which is what we have). One of those situations where you don't know what you don't know. Kind of wished that got reflected in the descriptions when configuring the build kit. Since I'm going the direction with the countersunk flathead bolts, I'm wondering if anyone has any suggestions where to route them. I've scanned the forum and some of the routing applies to some older LCAs from what I've seen or different brake setups. I just want to make sure I clear the half shafts safely along with not getting pulled on too much by the IRS control arms.

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[Dondero14]

Aside from my issues with the rear brakes, since that wasn't holding anything up, we decided to move forward when we hit that road block. We were able to get the front and rear swaybars installed, the front drivers side footbox and firewall panels installed, and got most of the steps complete for the pedal assembly. Sway bars went in pretty smooth for the most part but had some extra spacers and an extra bolt for the front swaybars. Pedal assembly went in pretty smooth. We added oil and friction modifier to the pumpkin as well. I read up on that ahead of time and had mixed responses it seamed like. I pulled the drain plug out and it looked as if it was empty so I added the friction modifier to one of the quarts of oil. After dumping the whole quart in and pulling the fill tube out I used, I found that it was overfilled so my guess was that it must have had some oil in it already. I plan on draining out the excess oil to the appropriate level and adding a touch more friction modifier to hopefully replace what was dumped out. We also received our Blueprint 347 EFI as well. Thing is beautiful and cannot wait for the day we get to fire it up.

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[Dondero14]

Pedal assembly went together pretty nice and lined up great. Was concerning a bit because the hardware that was in the box did not have alot of the hardware needed for installing. Even on the checklist, some of the parts were not even included. Various nuts were missing, 3 of the 4, 3/8" button head bolts and nuts for the front bracket that mounts to the front footbox panel were not included, as well as the washers for the rear mount bolts. Was able to find some extra button heads in the hardware box but not sure what they may go to in the future or if they were actually for this. All in all was able to muscle through just fine. Had a bit of a dummy moment for the both of us when trying to figure out how to set the proper alignment spacing for the balance bar. After the master cylinder push rods were all installed we noticed a wide gap between both of the pushrod mounts. After playing around with the threaded rod and figuring out how the assembly worked we couldn't figure out how to close the gaps without removing the threaded rod for the balance bar. The directions for this setup kind of suck and even in the Wilwood videos online still don't show how to close the gap to 0.25". I ended up calling Wilwood customer support this morning and the fine gentleman I spoke to enlightened me that all I had to do was disconnect the master cylinder push rod and spin the pushrod mount in closer on the balance bar rod haha. I literally was dumbfounded it was that simple and couldn't believe how overthought and complicated I made it in my head and got a good laugh at myself over it. In the end it was relieving knowing that it was a simple fix and will get to that tonight after work. All in all the build is moving along nicely and my father and I have been having a blast so far.

[Dondero14]

Been getting some work done. Completed aligned the balance bar and the push rods for the brake master cylinders. Started to dig into the accelerator pedal and we weren't to thrilled with how flimsy the throttle cable assembly was. We were going to get a lokar throttle cable setup but after doing some more research we decided we are going to go with the Forte mechanical throttle linkage instead and upgrade the accelerator pedal. We moved onto installing the steering rack and steering shafts next. Steering rack went in nicely and have a good even thread count on both sides of the tie rods. The steering shafts went together nicely until we got to the upper steering shaft, which was extremely tight. We ended up hammering it in and getting it all set in place...OOPS! After reading up on centering the steering rack I came across a couple threads about the upper steering shaft needing to go into the DD shaft smoothly without the need for hammering. So out came the steering shaft and I was able to pound out the upper shaft with a wooden dowel and a hammer. I hand sanded the shaft so it went in smoothly by hand and with extra tightness from the spring washers and tightened up the assembly again. In addition the the steering shaft we also attached the soft brake lines to the front brakes ensuring they weren't hung up on anything when the assembly was turned in both directions.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=220491&d=1761020950
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[Dondero14]

Thursday my father will coming by to work on running the hard brake lines. In the mean time I started lining up the aluminum panels for the passenger footbox. I have to say I kind of dreaded doing the aluminum work but have found it to be actually very enjoyable. FFR does a nice job with the way the panels all fit together. I plan on getting all the panels drilled and cleco'd together first to ensure everything fits the way it should before I start throwing silicon on them and buttoning them together with rivets. I plan on grabbing a rivnut tool for some of the paneling for easy disassembly on area that may need access to for whatever reason. I'd love to hear some suggestions of what people have decided to rivnut rather than rivet to get some ideas. So far my plan is to rivnut the transmission tunnel cover, the dash, and any access covers. I read a few threads to rivet from the engine bay into the footboxes to create a nice clean look under the hood and that the rivet ends on the inside will get covered by the heat/sound proofing and carpeting.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=220487&d=1761020711
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[JsMoose]

Hi Dondero, nice to see your progress. I'm slowly chipping away, just got the IRS finished and about to start working on the firewall panels, then pedals and steering. Happy to stay at least a few steps behind you so I can learn!

Jay

[Dondero14]

Well its been a while since I've given an update. Between birthdays, vacations, and holidays its been busy but have still been steadily making progress. Since my last post I finally tackled the rear brake caliper issues with the E-Brake fit and route its to be ran. I was extremely pleased with how they came out. In addition, thanks PMD24 for your thorough attention to detail on the rear brake calipers not being centered on the rotors. I was able get a couple more of the same size spacer washers and added an additional spacer to each bolt. This helped out a ton. I took the time to recess the bolts in the bracket because I wanted to route the E-brake along the back side of the shocks so that it was out of the way of the half shafts and didn't want to worry about making an additional bracket to hold it. Someone gave me a hand countersinking the holes at work but because it was in a loose vise and not clamped down, the hole ended up being off and when the bolt was in it sat at an angle. Luckily Factory Five is a stones throw away and was able to hook me up with a couple new brackets. Second time around I used the junk brackets to practice and found some really good clamp downs for the drill press to ensure it was level and had no movement. In addition, I was told by a friend to run a drill bit through the hole that's the same size so that I have the bracket nice and centered. I was more than happy with the holes in the end and threw it all together immediately to be done with it finally.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=222465&d=1764895830
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[Dondero14]

If anyone is interested in countersinking the rear brake brackets, I have 3 extra bolts and the countersink to get the job done. I'd be happy to send it to whomever asks free of charge to help anyone else out there who may need it and to save them a couple bucks with the hopes that it also get paid forward to others as well. Feel free to PM me about it.

[Dondero14]

Hi Dondero, nice to see your progress. I'm slowly chipping away, just got the IRS finished and about to start working on the firewall panels, then pedals and steering. Happy to stay at least a few steps behind you so I can learn!

Jay

Thanks Jay. Glad to hear your moving along as well. Will check out your thread and see your progress so far.

[Dondero14]

Not gonna lie, I got no enjoyment over running brake lines and was satisfied when the job was complete. To those who do a beautiful job running them, I have an enormous amount of respect for you because this is an artform. I stuck with the FFR brakes because I didn't want to spend the money on the Nicopp but if I were to do it all over again I will def go with Nicopp instead. Either way, we muscled through the process and got it all done and were happy with the results. A takeaway I had found with tightening the banjo bolts for the soft brake lines.....*****DON'T TORQUE THEM DOWN PER THE MANUAL*****. The rear banjo bolt calls for 32 ftlb of torque and the damn thing shear in half on me. Luckily Napa had a replacement and was able to get it right away. Ignore the torque requirements and tighten as needed so that it doesn't leak brake fluid and thats it. A few days later my Dad came by and we bled the brakes together. Everything went nice and smooth with the process and all the fittings held great with no leaks. Took a few times to bleed all the air out in the rear but we didn't run into any issues. Definitely a happy experience finally at a point where things were starting to be functional. It was really cool spinning the rotors and having the brakes clamp down on them like they should.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=222466&d=1764895856
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[Dondero14]

The car finally has feet. We went with Nitto 555 G2 tires after seeing alot of guys on the forum recommend those. 255/40/17 for the front and 315/35/17 for the rear. Had them mounted the same day we bled the brakes. After throwing them on it was really cool seeing how much everything has been coming together. Its really starting to look like a car now.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=222462&d=1764895830
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[Dondero14]

Worked on the fuel tank yesterday. We put together the EFI in tank pump along with all the other components that go into it. I saw on the FFR build videos that they recommend using a sealant called Seal-All on the rubber gaskets. I called them about this due to the fact that it hardens in place and sounds like a pain in the *** to deal with if a repair is ever needed to be made. The videos are pretty dated and the tech instructed me that nothing needs to be used on the gaskets. The fuel sender and pickup both come with square o-rings with the parts but FFR tech instructed me to use the round o-rings they included separately in the box. We ended up shooting to Home Depot to grab some heat shrink butt connectors as well as the ones that were included with the in tank pump weren't heat shrink. Maybe its not crucial but they are waterproof and with add a little extra grab for the wiring. We got the fuel tank up in place and strapped it in. The strap on the passenger side seems to need to be finagled to line up with the hole properly when wrapped around the tank. Curious why they have you bend down the lip on the tank because it seems to be more in the way than anything.

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Has anyone out there experienced the filler neck retainer ring facing the opposite direction as shown in the manual? We used one of the already provided holes because it somewhat lined up with it and didn't see the need to drill an additional hole. Is this the correct direction we should take.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=222492&d=1764986292

Next we will install the Charcoal and Fuel filters and run the flexible fuel lines. Any pictures and suggestions would be helpful as to where to run them to best align with the Holly Sniper 2 EFI. The fuel ports to the EFI are on the passenger side but the directions show to run them through the transmission tunnel on the drivers side. In addition, we plan on putting a mechanical throttle linkage in too so some of the space on the driver side firewall will be taken up by that.

[PMD24]

Mark, thanks for the shout out. That's a great solution for the bolt heads being in the way and no longer having to oval the holes in the casting for the cable. That's so much cleaner than the FFR approach. I see that solution came from Mike Everson. He's got so much knowledge about these cars. I see he's got a car for sale on BaT right now. People are raving about the quality of his builds.

Where did you get those clamps for the drill press? They look super handy and versatile. Wouldn't mind having a set.

Pat

[Dondero14]

Mark, thanks for the shout out. That's a great solution for the bolt heads being in the way and no longer having to oval the holes in the casting for the cable. That's so much cleaner than the FFR approach. I see that solution came from Mike Everson. He's got so much knowledge about these cars. I see he's got a car for sale on BaT right now. People are raving about the quality of his builds.

Where did you get those clamps for the drill press? They look super handy and versatile. Wouldn't mind having a set.

Pat

Not a prob Pat. Yeah Mike’s a great resource and extremely helpful. We are going to be having him doing the body prep and gapping for us. That’s an area I know nothing about and feel more comfortable having someone with experience handle that part.

As for the clamp downs for the drill press I’ll have to get back to you. I did that at work and will have to ask one of the guys there where he bought them from. I do gotta say they worked amazing.

[Railroad]

Unless your filler neck grommet came in Ford product bag, I suggest you remove and throw away.
Replace it with a Ford manufactured grommet.
You can verify the necessity for this by googling the issues.
My build took a few years and my original grommet split before I finished the build.
Good luck with your build.

[Dondero14]

Unless your filler neck grommet came in Ford product bag, I suggest you remove and throw away.
Replace it with a Ford manufactured grommet.
You can verify the necessity for this by googling the issues.
My build took a few years and my original grommet split before I finished the build.
Good luck with your build.

Thanks for pointing that out. I've never picked up on that from other threads but when I searched the forum about the issue I was surprised how many people actually went that route. Perfect timing too because I was going to be placing an order for a accelerator pedal at Breeze this week and saw on a thread that they actually carry the OEM Ford filler grommet there too. Killed two birds with one stone.

[mrmustang]

Slow and steady wins the race. Relax, take a deep breath, this is supposed to be enjoyable, not stressful.


Bill S.

[Dondero14]

Slow and steady wins the race. Relax, take a deep breath, this is supposed to be enjoyable, not stressful.


Bill S.

I completely agree. My stress comes from always overthinking things and aiming for perfection, which I'm like with mostly all hobbies and projects haha. I'll usually research and read information until I nearly reach the end of the internet. My father has truly been invaluable with the advise and knowledge he has with this build and has made life a hell of a lot easier doing it.

[Dondero14]

Unless your filler neck grommet came in Ford product bag, I suggest you remove and throw away.
Replace it with a Ford manufactured grommet.
You can verify the necessity for this by googling the issues.
My build took a few years and my original grommet split before I finished the build.
Good luck with your build.

Railroad, I just want to give you another thanks again for you suggestion about the filler neck grommet. I got the ford grommet from Breeze and you can totally tell a difference between the two. Much much tighter fit with the Ford grommet not only around the filler neck but also around the tank. Great bit of advise.

[Dondero14]

Fuel lines have been ran! Used the short run of black flexible fuel line provided with the FFR EFI kit from the tank to the fuel filter. From the fuel filter to the engine bay and the tank return to the engine bay, we used the SS braided fuel lines provided with the Blueprint EFI kit. We liked the SS lines due to them being smaller in diameter and more rigid, but flexible enough to allow us to tuck them up along the frame tube for better protection. I'm holding off on installing the pressure regulator for now until after the engine is dropped in first to be able to have a better idea on placement. We are going with Forte's mechanical throttle linkage so I'd like to install that first before I attach anything to the firewall. After the throttle linkage is in, we will find the best placement for the wiring harness holes to go through, stage and have an idea where the window wiper setup will go, THEN install the fuel reg. The only thing I know for sure is that the fuel regulator will be over on the passenger side since the Holley Sniper 2 fuel ports are on that side. Blueprint provides a ton of length for their SS fuel lines and shouldn't have any issue with needing enough. In addition, they also provide a great amount of AN fittings for various setups, including a couple 45 deg and 90 deg fittings that will work great for the EFI attachment. I still need to install the drivers side inside footbox in the next couple days because our plan is to drop the engine in this Wednesday. Huge milestone both of us are extremely excited for. Its crazy to think back to when this project began and how far its all come along in the past 4 months. This has became a huge highlight of life and I can't even explain how much enjoyment the whole process has been for me and how much I've learned too.

[Dondero14]

My takeaway from tonight’s work on the inside wall for the drivers side foot box…..you cannot trust the self tapping screw hole lineup from factory five from when you first get the car. Line each panel up cautiously and remember, duct tape is your friend. Many pictures from many peoples build threads on this site helped greatly as well. Definitely needed to do some trimming as well where the panel meets the flange on the center A shaped panel above the transmission tunnel.

[Dondero14]

Some photos of the fuel lines we ran last week. Finally getting around to taking some pictures.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=222977&d=1765949071
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=222981&d=1765949071
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=222980&d=1765949071
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=222979&d=1765949071
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=222982&d=1765949093

[Dondero14]

I finally finished the driver's side inside foot box tonight and I'm glad that task is over. Very pleased with how it came out and took my time working through it. It definitely takes some time and patience. Fitting it in place I once again used a bunch of duct tape to keep it as lined up as possible. Drilled a hole, added a cleco and repeat. I got everything drilled and cleco'd up until the flange that attaches to the firewall. I used the inside top panel for the footbox as a guide as to where to rivet the flange to the firewall. The directions don't say to do this step until much further along in the build, but since I'm adding the mechanical throttle linkage, I wanted the panel to be lined up properly to accurately install the linkage. After I was happy with how everything lined up I loaded the flanges and seams with silicon and cleco'd everything back in place again. Pulled a cleco, added a rivet and repeat. I'm now fully prepared for my father to come by tomorrow so that we can drop the engine and transmission in the car. Extremely excited and have been looking forward to this little milestone.

Prep Work

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=222972&d=1765948961
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=222987&d=1765949103

This end that gets riveted to the A panel in the center definitely needed some trimming to fit properly. I lined up most of the other stuff first, in addition to adding the inside cover too for a more true lineup so that I could scribe a line along the A panel flange and trim the end piece.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=222974&d=1765948961

Driving her home

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=222983&d=1765949093
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=222984&d=1765949093
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=222985&d=1765949093
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=222973&d=1765948961

[Dondero14]

Any suggestions would be helpful as to what the best material is to fill some of these larger gaps in the drivers side footbox. I'm guessing adding a large layer of just silicon isn't the best approach with the amount of exposure to heat.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=222976&d=1765948961

[cv2065]

Any suggestions would be helpful as to what the best material is to fill some of these larger gaps in the drivers side footbox. I'm guessing adding a large layer of just silicon isn't the best approach with the amount of exposure to heat.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=222976&d=1765948961

You could fab up a small metal piece, use seam sealer or both. If using the stick on sound proofing, you could seal with aluminum duct tape and then cover with the sound proofing tile. There are also caulking strips that will conform to the area and seal it up, then just cover with insulation. Lots of options.

[PMD24]

I had a similar gap that seemed just too large for caulk or the 3M strips. I cut a piece of aluminum and riveted it in place. Not pretty but will be covered on the inside anyway. And I tried to make the rivets look decent on the engine bay side. Post 144 in my thread.

The 3M strip caulk is very handy. gbranham put me on to that and I've used it in several places so far.

[Highplainsdakota]

I used metal tape on a lot of that, but for many areas I used JB weld. I roughened up both areas and filled it in. Using the metal tape on one side will help with the amount of weld to use. I have used both the putty and goo. The putty is far easier to shape to larger defects.

[Highplainsdakota]

Also, in the trunk area I used strip caulking from 3M. You can find it at summit racing. It doesn't harden and will melt in hot areas, but it's easy and quick for larger gaps that are hard to fill with silicone. Finally, don't forget to buy some black silicone. The clear was good for most things, but the black blends in well where you might see a bit of it through the carpet, cubby, engine, etc. My aluminum pieces are powdercoated black though.

[Dondero14]

Thanks guys for the response about filling in the gaps in the footbox. I'll be figuring out something soon and tackling that.


Finally getting back to updating my thread. Two Wednesdays ago was a big day for us. The car kissed the ground for the first time and had its first roll in the garage. In addition, dropping the engine into the car was a great success. It all took most of the day start to finish between setting everything up, properly rigging the engine up and getting everything buttoned up in the end, but because of the extra time taken, the whole process went nice and smooth. One of our family friends also came by to lend a hand with everything, which helped out tremendously. My work had a lot of valuable parts I was able to use including eye bolts for hoisting, and some switchgear bus jumpers that worked perfect for solid extension pieces. With the rigging setup that comes with the blueprint engine, they have two lifting brackets opposite each other on the front and back. I got the idea from Pat to move the bracket from the back of the block to the front. Thankfully he told me ahead of time that the bolt holes aren't all the same so I was able to prepare for that. I used eye bolts on the back side with a few washers in place to have a nice tight bite without dinging up the block. In the front of the engine I used the blueprint lifting brackets with those bus bar brackets to extend the pick point above the distributor and alternator. Kind of funny, I noticed the brackets that the engine was attached to the shipping container with would have been perfect bracket extenders but had no way of getting them off unless the engine was picked. None the less I'll hold onto them incase I need them in the future (hopefully not). With the engine in, and the holidays over, we will start putting more pieces to the puzzle together again.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=223394&d=1767036629

I added those bracket extensions to keep the chains away from everything.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=223400&d=1767036649

The eye bolt in the block are two different sizes. 3/8" which is what the bracket bolt hole was and 7/16" for the hole on the opposite side.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=223398&d=1767036649

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=223399&d=1767036649

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=223393&d=1767036629

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=223395&d=1767036629

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=223397&d=1767036649

[Dondero14]

Had Blueprint put the shifter on the midmount position. Checked with FFR and OK to cut the tubing in the tunnel for the shifter and will not impact structural integrity.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=223392&d=1767036629


***If anyone is in need of extension brackets for the engine hoists I could send a couple of these to whomever. They are nice and sturdy.***

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=223396&d=1767036629

[Dondero14]

Ran into a minor issue with the transmission when getting it bolted to the mounts. It seams like there is some interference against the emergency brake bracket. I emailed James at Blueprint to find out if I can trim a little bit off the transmission where that hole is without it voiding warranty. I tried pulling the e-brake bracket out with a strap to use it like a come along but it didn't budge it that much. In addition, when I went to thread the bolt into the transmission it wouldn't thread in. Upon further inspection of the issue I found that the threads were all buggered up and a chunk was missing from the transmission where the bolt goes. It appears like it was an issue with the forging process through Tremec. James from Blueprint verified this and mentioned that this will not impact the integrity of the transmission being bolted down. I just need to run a tap through the threads and that should fix the problem. Unfortunately I need to pull apart the transmission mount and bracket to get a straight shot at the threads. Just a small speed bump in the process.

Bolt hole issue

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=223405&d=1767039554
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=223404&d=1767039554

E-brake bracket issue

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=223407&d=1767039554
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=223406&d=1767039554

[gbranham]

Yep, trimming those tabs on the tranny is well-documented here on the forum. I knocked mine down with an angle grinder right before installation.

Greg

[gbranham]

Oh, and that one ear isnt a casting issue. They're all like that. Its a relief in case you install a VSS. I confirmed that with SST when I inspected mine and saw the same thing. Look at pics of TKXs online, and you'll see it.

Greg

223414

[Dondero14]

Oh, and that one ear isnt a casting issue. They're all like that. Its a relief in case you install a VSS. I confirmed that with SST when I inspected mine and saw the same thing. Look at pics of TKXs online, and you'll see it.

Greg

223414

Yeah you’re right it’s almost identical looking. Good to know. I read about the tabs on the tranny a while back but figured I’d be able to pull that ebrake mount out with a little more ease but that wasn’t the case haha.

[PMD24]

Congrats on getting the engine and tranny in. Big milestone. I had the same interference issue at the ebrake and was able to get to that tab by lifting the engine off the mounts, pushing the trans to the drivers side, and I could get in there with my DeWalt 20V one handed recip saw and cut it off. If you don't have one, here's an excuse to get one. I use it all the time. One of my fav tools.

If you haven't already removed the lifting setup, I'd suggest leaving it in place. I lifted mine multiple times, messing with clearance for the oil pan, spacers at the rear mount, getting the tranny mount in, etc.

How's the clearance on your pan?

Pat

[Dondero14]

Congrats on getting the engine and tranny in. Big milestone. I had the same interference issue at the ebrake and was able to get to that tab by lifting the engine off the mounts, pushing the trans to the drivers side, and I could get in there with my DeWalt 20V one handed recip saw and cut it off. If you don't have one, here's an excuse to get one. I use it all the time. One of my fav tools.

If you haven't already removed the lifting setup, I'd suggest leaving it in place. I lifted mine multiple times, messing with clearance for the oil pan, spacers at the rear mount, getting the tranny mount in, etc.

How's the clearance on your pan?

Pat

Thanks Pat! Yeah I saw the tab issue on your thread but had the thought in my head after the fact worrying if I made any type of modifications it would void the warranty. After I heard back from Blueprint that it wasn't an issue I was able to hack off that tab with a sawzall and a long blade. Thank you for the suggestions about the oil pan. I looked into this alot more and see many people with the same issue. Our oil pan sits roughly 1/4" below the tube eyeing it. Either way we are going to shim the front mounts like I've now read. I however did scan your info on the wiring harness and luckily I didn't run into the same issues with the backwards wiring. I did find that the connections to the fuel sender and fuel pump were kinda wonky and two of the rubber seals at the end weren't in all the way so I appreciate you surely mentioning that.

[Dondero14]

I'd like to take a minute to tip my hat to some of the GREAT venders I've dealt with so far.

Drummer Mike - Ended up getting a set of the Drummer Mike heat shields for our sidepipes a while back. I've read nothing but great reviews and talked to a couple guys on the forum here about how they personally thought of them and everyone had nothing but good things to say. Mike was a great guy to talk to and was very responsive with my request. I had a great conversation with him when I spoke to him and was great to work with. Thanks Mike I'm looking forward to slapping the heat shields on when the time comes.

Breeze Automotive - I've known about Breeze Automotive for a while now though a lot of the talks on this forum. I've browsed Mark's site for ideas and possible upgrades. I had a great suggestion to upgrade the fuel filler neck grommet from the one provided in the kit to an OEM Ford grommet. After poking around for a while I saw Mark had some available and was already thinking of upgrading my gas pedal to his Russ Thompson replacement pedal. After giving him a call to make sure he had the items in stock and seeing if it was worth my while picking them up to save on shipping (I'm only about 45 minutes away), I pulled the trigger on both items. Mark was a great guy to talk to and extremely helpful. Both product came right away and were great, especially the gas pedal.

I.E. 427 Garage - Another great guy to work with. Frank has some awesome and informative videos out there that are extremely helpful with the builds. What caught my attention to his products was that he was selling the self cancelling turn signals and the hubs to go along with them. In addition, his custom hubs are designed to connect to two different quick releases for the steering wheels. After watching his videos I ended up going with the motion raceworks quick release and jumped on the turn signal as well. I had a lot of question for Frank and he had a ton of patience with me and was able to answer my question perfectly. He helped me not only understand exactly what I wanted but also how it all went together to properly fit with the application I was hoping to achieve.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=223561&d=1767421141

[Dondero14]

Forte's Parts Connection - This post is separate because there is a little story that goes along with it. I met Mike Forte back in June during the FFR 30th open house. When my dad introduced me he mentioned that he still has my father's first MK1 chassis that my father crashed up at the track. Originally, what set me on this journey was looking for his second car that he built that I had driven up at Walkins Glen, which was last known to be in Hawaii back in 2012. I ended up calling Mike out of curiosity that he still had my fathers old chassis after not having much luck tracking down the other. I wasn't sure if I wanted to buy a cobra at the time or what I was really thinking but I know I had some bug in my head that I was trying to figure out. After throwing it out to Mike about the possibility of him selling me the old chassis (that was still very incomplete), he mentioned that he had a mk4 that he was completing that he could sell at a lot more cost effective price. My father had no clue about all of this at the time. I had some great conversations with Mike about cobras and some of the stories of my father and him up at the track together in the early days of the Mk1. It was those conversations that I had with him that ultimately made me make the decision to pull the trigger on a cobra and take the leap. I ended up blindsiding my father with this all and in the end with a lot of back and forth and research, we ultimately decided to start fresh and build one from scratch. Like I've said before, I've was never a huge gear head growing up, but I have learned so much along the way with this build and have been loving every minute of it.

Mike has been nothing less than incredible to talk to and work with. We bought his mechanical throttle linkage, heated seats, pedal spacer (for us short goombas), and his custom AC pedals. I highly recommend working with Mike. His knowledge about these vehicles and all the components that go into them is invaluable. We both took the trip out to his shop to pick up the parts and say hi and had a great time hanging with him.

The reason we went with the pedal spacers is because with the limitation of how close we can get the brake pedal and already how much closer the steering wheel is going to be with the turn signal and quick release steering wheel, I was worried it was going to create a funky setup that wouldn't be so comfortable with the steering wheel being so close and a bit of a reach to get to the pedals comfortably. The only way around it was to bring the pedals closer and I wondered if it was possible to put spacers on the pedals. Low and behold Mike already had them thought of. After installing them and sitting in the cockpit with the seat in there, the fit of the pedals with where the steering wheel is couldn't be anymore perfect for both our size. While we were visiting Mike, he gave us a 1 of 1 prototype he made for his mechanical linkage kit. I'm very excited to install his setup and his little addition he made I think is a great idea to add to the kit. Will have pictures of it next week when we get it installed.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=223563&d=1767421221

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=223562&d=1767421141

[Dondero14]

Been a while since I've posted anything but we've still been working steadily right along. I've taken the free time to seal both foot boxes with some industrial aluminum tape on the insides and industrial HVAC aluminum silicon on the engine bay side of the panels. The aluminum silicon is great cause its rated for up to 400 deg F and the same color as the panels, which blends in nicely.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=224553&d=1769054403

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=224552&d=1769054403

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=224551&d=1769054403

In addition, we installed the hydraulic clutch line through the footbox inside wall and ran it to the hydraulic throwout bearing connection and bled the system. Neither of us have driven anything with a hydraulic clutch before, let along the use of a hydraulic throwout bearing. We bled all the air out until there were no bubbles and closed the bleed valve per the instructions. After everything was sealed up and the clutch pedal was pressed in, it didn't feel like there was much of a difference from when it didn't have any fluid in the lines. If anyone has any experience with hydraulic throwout bearings and can let me know if this is normal or not or a good way to tell if the bearing is actuating properly I'd appreciate it.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=224550&d=1769054403

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=224549&d=1769054403

[Dondero14]

Past few days working with my father we installed Forte's mechanical throttle linkage. About a month ago, we swung by his shop to say hi and pick up some stuff we ordered, including the throttle linkage kit. Mike had showed us a little mock up that he created in house of a spherical bearing that gets mounted to the DS footbox inside panel where the rod passes through. I thought it was a great idea and takes away the hassle of using grommets to try and seal up the area the rod passes through. He asked us if we'd mind being the guinea pigs for him and giving him feedback with how well it works. Its a 1 of 1 product he had made so we were pretty psyched to be able to try it out. When we started installing the linkage kit, we installed both rod ends to the firewall like everyones setup shows and then the footbox spherical bearing last. We quickly figured out that the tolerances in all three are so tight that the slightest bit of being off will bind the rod. We ended up removing the rod end closest to the footbox so there were only two spherical bearings for the rod to pass through and it all worked out sooooo much smoother. After talking to Mike a few days later to give him our feedback he mentioned that only one rod end was needed with the footbox bearing and that's how he intended it to be. With everything adjusted and tightened in place, I honestly believe this spherical bearing is a great addition to his mechanical throttle linkage package if he decides to add it. Not only does it seal the pass through on the footbox extremely well, but it adds a degree of rigidity to the setup too. I've noticed guys having to add angle brackets on the back side of the firewall due to the rod ends flexing where they're attached to the firewall. This spherical bearing and its location pretty much take away any bit of flex on the firewall at the rod end. Mike didn't give any hardware with it but I simply used SS 3/8" button heads with some filed down fender washers, lock washers, and nuts. If anyone is interested in utilizing this footbox spherical bearing or for Mike to start including them in his linkage kits, I'm sure Mike would like to hear your requests and feedback as well.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=224555&d=1769054418

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=224556&d=1769054418

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=224567&d=1769058506

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https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=224571&d=1769059136

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=224570&d=1769059136

[Dondero14]

Additional photos from the above post that wouldn't fit.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=224566&d=1769058335

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=224559&d=1769054452

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=224562&d=1769054452

[Mike.Bray]

Hydraulic throwout bearings are typically very easy and smooth to operate. They're self-adjusting so you need to actuate it a few times to get it set.

To test, with the trans tunnel top off just put it in gear, grab the driveshaft and try to turn it while engage the clutch. When the clutch releases you should feel it and be able to easily rotate the driveshaft.

[Dondero14]

Hydraulic throwout bearings are typically very easy and smooth to operate. They're self-adjusting so you need to actuate it a few times to get it set.

To test, with the trans tunnel top off just put it in gear, grab the driveshaft and try to turn it while engage the clutch. When the clutch releases you should feel it and be able to easily rotate the driveshaft.

Awesome thanks for the info Mike. I’ll give that a try when I get the driveshaft in. Hopefully shooting for next to install it.

[Dondero14]

Well I've taken a bit of a hiatus from posting on the forum. No real reason in general, just been busy and haven't gotten around to it. We have been making great headway nonetheless in the past month. My father took off to Florida for the next month and a half so I'll be doing little tweaks and adjustments that have been put on a check list, along with progressing more with the cockpit and trunk aluminum.

Since my last post we have added stiffener brackets to the back of the firewall where the throttle linkage goes, as well as a bracket to that weird tab that sticks down on the RF fuse panel. We wrapped up installing the pressure regulator on the firewall and ran the rest of the fuel lines to and from the EFI. I plan on adding a stiffener bracket to the back of the firewall where the regulator is to give it added rigidity. Installed the driveshaft and loaded the transmission with fluid. Upon testing the hydraulic clutch, it was not actuating properly so we will try bleeding more air out of the line when he gets back from FL. Decided to upgrade to the Breeze battery box and took time to get that installed, along with chipping away with more of the wiring harness. What a great setup that is and I'm extremely impressed with how sturdy it is once in place. Thing is rock solid. Hooked up the 185 deg thermostat switch, water temp sensor, and the oil pressure sender to the engine as well. While I was at Forte's a couple months ago he sold me an extender for the oil pressure sender unit which save a minor bump in the road for us installing it.

Got these brackets for $0.89 each in the decking section of home depot. They worked perfect!

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=225879&d=1771732039

Rivnut the fuse panel to the bracket from the inside for ease of removal if for whatever reason I would ever have to do so.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=225880&d=1771733621

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=225878&d=1771732039

Absolutely love this setup especially the hardware that's included. The soldered filled battery connector is awesome and I'm waiting on one to come in for the positive terminal as well. Once I receive it I'll be able to run the wires from the starter to the battery inside a loom and fasten them down with clips.
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=225877&d=1771732039

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=225876&d=1771732039

I've been racking my brain about the best placement for the sniper 2 wiring harness. I was thinking this spot would be pretty good, especially in the future we plan on upgrading to the hyper spark setup. My logic was that the red and black battery wires had a short run, the yellow wire can be landed easily on the coil, the blue and pink wires could be ran back into the dash area through the sending unit harness and the unused could be secured in place to the frame. I'm not using the blue wire for the fuel pump but intend to use it for the seat warmers since its setup with a 30A fuse. My other thought is to put the sniper 2 harness over by the passenger footbox and run the pink and blue wires through the grommet I'll use for the wipers. Any input on placement would be appreciated.
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=225875&d=1771732039

[Dondero14]

I took some time the past couple days to readjust the upper steering shaft. I’ve read that it is meant to telescope in incase of an accident and I just haven’t been happy with the setup how I left it last. This is the second time taking it apart. The first time putting it together we hammered it in because the fit was so tight. I later read that was a no no and it should be sanded down to fine tune it to slide in and out smoothly. I did this a while back, reinstalled and left it be. A couple weeks ago I checked to see how easy it would be to slide the upper shaft out when I place to be ready to install my self canceling turn signal when the time came. That resulted in the upper shaft being stuck in place yet again. I removed the Upper shaft and DD shaft and hammered the upper out with a wooden dowel. Gave it a light sanding and this time greasing it with all purpose grease. It was still too tight when I put the spring washers in, which I believe is the biggest problem with the whole setup. Ended up lightly hammering the spring washers until they flattened to a point where it was a very tight fit but still allowed me to move the upper steering shaft. Reinstalled everything and the upper shaft was now getting bound up in the pillow block bearing. Hit it with some emery cloth where the set screws tightened down on it and fixed the issue. Huge difference and much happier with the fitment of everything.

Frank at IE 427 Garage for the win with his turn signal videos, especially the one how to upgrade the turn signal lever to a chrome mustang style version. Worked like a charm and love the look of it.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=226365&d=1772594487

Upgraded lever. Very simple to retrofit and install. Short money to replace too.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=226366&d=1772594487

[PMD24]

Hey Mark, don't know if I'm too late with this info but I just saw your 2/21 post regarding info on putting the EFI wiring on the PS footbox. That's the direction I took. It's all documented in recent posts in my thread. Still working behind the dash. Lots of opportunity there for cleanup.

Pat

[Dondero14]

Hey Mark, don't know if I'm too late with this info but I just saw your 2/21 post regarding info on putting the EFI wiring on the PS footbox. That's the direction I took. It's all documented in recent posts in my thread. Still working behind the dash. Lots of opportunity there for cleanup.

Pat

I did see that as well. I staged everything over at the PS footbox and kind of like that setup a bit more. Currently reconfiguring the loom a little bit to better accommodate the location. Only problem with that location I found was the need to add some additional length to the yellow wire to the coil which isn't a huge issue at all.

[PMD24]

Yeah, I took the yellow wire through the firewall extension, behind the dash, and then out with the tach wire in the same loom. Routed them through the manifold. Looks very clean.

[Dondero14]

Yeah, I took the yellow wire through the firewall extension, behind the dash, and then out with the tach wire in the same loom. Routed them through the manifold. Looks very clean.

Thats actually a great idea. I may look into that. Would definitly save the trouble of using a single loom just for that only to jumper it over to another loom in the engine bay. Thanks for the tip Pat!

[Dondero14]

Couple questions for the group before I get started on these steps and would appreciate the input:

Does the upper trunk floor aluminum panel get installed before the trunk side panels or after? I'm just not sure about those 90deg lips on the side panel whether they are suppose to go on top or underneath. Directions in the manual are vague but also say to install the side panels first but not sure if they're outdated or not.

In regards to the Kleiner Mod for the rear quick jacks, specifically with the tank side bolts, do people usually put in a washer or a lock washer or loktite the threads?

[JCB52]

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=QYw0gEfi2gA

This video might help with the aluminum work. And to answer your question: First

[PMD24]

It doesn't matter. Most seem to place the sides first. It's just one thing to get done while you leave the floor off for access to brake lines, electrical, and fuel lines during testing as the build progresses through those phases.

I've had my sides in place for some time and have fitted the rear cockpit pieces and trunk floor pieces for future install. Will be testing rear lighting soon and after that trunk floor pieces will be installed permanently.

Pat

[Dondero14]

Been making slow but steady progress the past couple weeks. I've got the red and black sniper 2 wires as well as the ground and starter wires ran to the battery. I put them in looms and secured them to the frame with rivnuts and cable clamps. With the breeze battery box I added a couple strips of rubber to take up the space where the vertical part was riveted to the x frame as well as a thin strip of rubber roof to the hold down bracket for a small bit of cushion against the battery casing. I put the headers on with a couple bolts finger tight so that I could see how much space I had while running the wires and if what I had in mind would work. I did find that the fuel lines that are ran up the passenger side footbox will be pretty close to the headers, so I'm going to put some heat shielding wraps around them. I found some stuff at AutoZone that is also sold at Summit called Design Engineering Vapor Block Fuel Line Sleeves that I'm gonna give a whirl on the fuel lines and a section of the brake line that comes down the drivers side footbox. I finished riveting the rear cockpit panels in place as well as the trunk side panels. Had a blast with the trunk side panels cause my little 5 year old gave me a hand riveting and pulling clecos. I staged the cockpit rear wall while getting the rear corners in place so that I could get the best alignment between all three panels. It definitely took a little back and forth adjusting, as well as clamping panels in place to get it to the way I felt had the best fitment. When I drilled the holes for the corners, I also drilled the holes for the rear wall along the 2" tube so that it would fit in place the same way when it came time to install it.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=226952&d=1773891070

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=226950&d=1773891055

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=226953&d=1773891594

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=226951&d=1773891055

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=226948&d=1773891036

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=226949&d=1773891036

[PMD24]

Nice to see your son involved in the build.

[Dondero14]

It was great, I was all smiles. After a couple tries and some help with the clecos he was able to put the wrench on it the right way and squeeze it together. I gave him a little help pulling them out but I got a huge kick outta how well he did figuring it all out.

[JsMoose]

It was great, I was all smiles. After a couple tries and some help with the clecos he was able to put the wrench on it the right way and squeeze it together. I gave him a little help pulling them out but I got a huge kick outta how well he did figuring it all out.

Glad you are involving the kids and keeping it fun for both of you. I'm mostly having a blast with my 2 boys as well. I just need to remember to be patient and I will say it can get a little tense when safety is involved (heavy stuff, brake and fuel items, etc)...

You are making great progress by the way. I'm still back at the brake lines... had to take a break due to life. :)

Jay

[Dondero14]

Glad you are involving the kids and keeping it fun for both of you. I'm mostly having a blast with my 2 boys as well. I just need to remember to be patient and I will say it can get a little tense when safety is involved (heavy stuff, brake and fuel items, etc)...

You are making great progress by the way. I'm still back at the brake lines... had to take a break due to life. :)

Jay


Thanks Jay. Yeah it was a perfect job for him to help with the rivets in an easy location. Definitely slows the build down in a good way to appreciate the time. It’s all good with the progress, I’m just glad the brakes are over with for myself haha.

[Dondero14]

Well I had a very successful past couple days. I’m getting ready to tackle the cooling system and was not very keen with the corrugated hose setup. I ended up getting the breeze upper and lower radiator mount as well as the lower cooling line setup. I also plan on getting the Boig upper cooling line setup in a couple weeks as well. I think it’s definitely a well spent upgrade for longevity to avoid any issues and making it a solid install. I also ended up finding a small puddle of brake fluid in my drivers footbox and located the problem being at the 90 deg fitting coming out of the pressure side of the clutch master cylinder (which explains why I couldn’t properly bleed the line and get any pressure). Yesterday I cut off the small 3/4” square tubes that the radiator normally mounts to, dropped the car on the ground and rolled it outside to grind the welds and rest of the tube off. After that was complete, I rolled her back in the garage and pulled the M/C fitting off and added some thread sealant and reinstalled. Today, I put the car back up on jacks and used a pressure brake bleeder to purge the air out. Thing worked great. Pumped the tank to 10psi and purged all the air out. What a difference in the feel with the hydraulic clutch. Just as stiff as the brakes and can feel it pushing against the clutch fingers. I had my wife sit in the drivers seat and put the tranny in 1st gear. I had her slowly depress the clutch until I could spin the rear tires freely, which was a good verification the throw out bearing was working properly. That was a huge victory for us getting that situated. Before I wrapped up I also verified the car was level on the jacks to prepare to mount th radiator. I must have been grouped into a good batch of chassis’ cause the 3/4” tube to mount the piano hinge to was dead nuts level.

[Mike.Bray]

I’m getting ready to tackle the cooling system and was not very keen with the corrugated hose setup. I ended up getting the breeze upper and lower radiator mount as well as the lower cooling line setup. I also plan on getting the Boig upper cooling line setup in a couple weeks as well. I think it’s definitely a well spent upgrade for longevity to avoid any issues and making it a solid install.

I did this exact same setup and can tell you it's well worth the money. Topped it off with Power Grip shrink sleeves. https://www.summitracing.com/parts/AAF-ALL30257

[PMD24]

Love those power grips. Not only do they look great, they work really well. I have 48hp John Deere tractor with an odd hose connection that I've never been able to stop weeping. Power Grip took care of it!

[Dondero14]

I did this exact same setup and can tell you it's well worth the money. Topped it off with Power Grip shrink sleeves. https://www.summitracing.com/parts/AAF-ALL30257

Hi Mike. Thanks for the suggestion on the Power Grips. I just browsed through your build thread to check those out. Did you use them more for looks to replace the hose clamps or were you finding small leaks. Also how would one get them off if needed?

[Mike.Bray]

Hi Mike. Thanks for the suggestion on the Power Grips. I just browsed through your build thread to check those out. Did you use them more for looks to replace the hose clamps or were you finding small leaks. Also how would one get them off if needed?

I used them for looks although they do work better than hose clamps. You have to cut them off, Amazon has a tool but I've never had much luck with it so I just use a box cutter being very careful how deep I cut.

227097

[Dondero14]

Started messing with the radiator tonight. I cut some cardboard out to protect the fins and to avoid any metal getting in there. I then started installing the Breeze upper mount while triple checking that I had the radiator the correct direction and was on the correct lip because the last thing I wanted to do was drill the wrong side. Pat had a great suggestion to put clecos in the corners after they were drilled out for a better hold on the hinge. I also noticed that the end of the radiator lip bends a little bit when pressed down during drilling so I found some scrap wood and shimmed them in the inside channel where I was drilling. I drilled and cleco'd all the holes first, filed the burs after I was done, and riveted the hinge in place. For anyone that doesn't feel like doing the math out I went 3/4" in on both ends and from that mark spaced the holes 1 5/8" apart from both sides (hope this helps). In addition, I bought a 1/8" Cobalt drill bit for $5 meant for drilling SS. Worth the cost and drilled through great. I went through a few bits learning the hard way when I installed the battery box. After that was complete I installed the radiator fan to the back of the radiator. I'm gonna try my luck without the breeze fan shroud for now even though I know its a very popular item everyone gets. I'm being kind of picky with what and where I plan on spending money for upgrades and if I can get away with installing it down the line to spread out the money a bit. Hundreds turns into Thousands really quick and I felt spending the extra money on the Boig upper cooling line was money better spent. I bought my kit back in Sept 2025 and was given the fan install hardware for the MK 5. Anyone who has bought a MK 4 around that time or after you'll need to refer to the Mk 5 manual for the fan install. Very straightforward and went together nice and smooth and feels sturdy.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=227219&d=1774409888

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=227220&d=1774409888

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=227221&d=1774409888

I added this photo to show something I learned from Frank at IE 427 Garage. In one of his videos, it talks about pushing in the passenger side floor panel along the tunnel and riveting it to the square tubes that are at angles. Doing this will help gain a small amount of space for the emergency brake handle so its not rubbing so hard against the tunnel wall. In addition, with doing this on the drivers side it helps you gain a small amount of space in an already cramped area. I may not need the extra space but there are a lot of guys a lot bigger than me that probably think every bit of extra space counts.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=227222&d=1774409888

[Dondero14]

For my after work shenanigans tonight, I was able to bang out mounting the upper portion of the radiator to the frame. I centered the hinge on the 3/4” tube the. Clamped it in place. Measured in 2” from each side and spaced the bolts 6” apart. I used that 1/8” cobalt drill bit for a pilot hole just to get a start on the SS hinge. Drilling and tapping went smooth and put loctite on the bolts when I installed them. Love the Breeze products I’ve gotten. The parts are solid as a rock and the directions are very thorough. Next will be installing the Breeze bottom mount hopefully tomorrow.

[Dondero14]

Radiator is in place. Love the Breeze upper and lower mounts for it. Thing feels rock solid in place. Called Tubular Automotive yesterday about the upper cooling tube and they are waiting any day now for the shipment to come in. In the meantime I'll be playing with the Breeze lower cooling line to get that installed. My father is making his return from Florida this week so it will be back to a two man crew soon. When he gets back we will prelube the engine, then flush the fuel lines and check for leaks. A little bit of rough wiring and we should be good to fire this up.

58 deg angle
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=227475&d=1774742068

[Dondero14]

Well my father is back from Florida and we were able to put a solid day in yesterday. Got a ton done together during the day and getting even closer to the first start.

Prelube Engine
We started out by prepping everything to prelube the engine per the Blueprint procedure. We pulled the connection off the in tank fuel pump so that it wouldn't run while we cranked the engine. My father wired up the ignition switch and pulled the sparkplugs out while I filled the engine with oil. We only had gotten 6 quarts of oil from Blueprint and after adding all 6 we still had no level on the dipstick. After talking to Blueprint on the phone they said that it should be 7 quarts total, 6 for the sump and 1 for the filter, which still should have shown on the dipstick. Nonetheless we ordered a couple quarts of Blueprint Break In oil through Summit to get here in a few days to top it off. Decided to move forward with the prelube since there was still 6 quarts in the sump and should be enough for the pump to pick up. We gave everything a quick lookover and cranked away. Was a pretty awesome feeling even just to turn the key for the first time and hear the starter start cranking the engine. Cranked for 20 seconds and gave a break about 5 times and called it a day with that.

Headers
While my father reinstalled the sparkplugs, I installed the headers with the supplied gaskets FFR provided with the kit. Never-seized all the bolts and got them all snug by hand. Since there really is no way of getting a torque wrench in there or a ratchet even for that matter, I used a 10mm combo wrench starting with the middle two bolts and worked outwards alternating each side one bolt at a time. Repeated this step several times with both headers until all bolts were nice and tight throughout. Installed the O2 sensor into the passenger side header fitting and connected it to the Sniper 2 connection.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=228035&d=1775939843


Cooling System
We installed the Boig upper cooling line to start. We trimmed the rubber elbow where it connected to the engine to lower the angle of the line and make it level due to the elbow sitting high. Went in nice and smooth. Moved onto the Breeze bottom cooling line which proved a bit more trouble and some work. We tried to mount the line above the front sway bar. We started trimming both rubber hose connections to get better fitment but it just seemed way too tight against the X frame and against the swaybar. My father also didn't like the tension it also had on the radiator. We decided to run the cooling line under the front sway bar and it make a world of a difference. Running it under the swaybar gave a lot better clearance from the swaybar, put it in a good position next to the X frame, and still sat about 1 1/2" - 2" above the bottom of the 4" tubes. After doing some additional trimming, we were able to get a great fit and placement for it. I installed the Breeze mount for the X frame and it fit perfect without the need to shim at all. After we got the cooling lines and the mount installed, we started filling the engine with coolant. Was able to pour about 2 1/4 gallons into the cooling system and added more as the air worked its way to the top. When we drop the car off the jacks we plan on jacking the front of the car up to help elevate it to pull any trapped air in the engine out. Took some time after to throw the coolant overflow tank in. Am going to have to figure out some type of mount to attach to the lower portion.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=228038&d=1775939843

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=228037&d=1775939843


Cooling line sits in the bracket nice and loose so it won't get bound up from and movement but tight enough to hold it in place.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=228036&d=1775939843

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=228041&d=1775940207

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=228040&d=1775939868

[Mike.Bray]

I guess I just noticed, no power steering??

[Dondero14]

I guess I just noticed, no power steering??

No power steering. My father didn't have it in his cobras back in the day so we decided that it was an area we could sacrifice and be able to save some money when deciding on the build and where else to spend it instead. I've definitely noticed its one of the more highly recommended upgrades to include the more I've read build threads and browsed the forum. I'm sure a couple years down the line it will make a nice winter project to upgrade when the wallet cools off a bit even though its going to be some work to swap out.

[PMD24]

Great progress Mark. And quality work. Take a look at post 192 in my thread. Might give you some ideas for your lower mount for the overflow tank.


Pat

[Dondero14]

Great progress Mark. And quality work. Take a look at post 192 in my thread. Might give you some ideas for your lower mount for the overflow tank.


Pat

Thanks Pat appreciate it. Actually got the idea to go under the swaybar from your thread.

[Mike.Bray]

No power steering. My father didn't have it in his cobras back in the day so we decided that it was an area we could sacrifice and be able to save some money when deciding on the build and where else to spend it instead. I've definitely noticed its one of the more highly recommended upgrades to include the more I've read build threads and browsed the forum. I'm sure a couple years down the line it will make a nice winter project to upgrade when the wallet cools off a bit even though its going to be some work to swap out.

I've told this before. I was exactly the same school of thought, I didn't have PS on my Cobra back in the 90s so why would I need it now. Now that the car is finished there are three things I really enjoy about driving it.

The overall in your face over the top Cobra experience. You know what I mean.

The hydraulic throwout bearing, the clutch actuation is soooo smooth and easy to operate.

The power steering. Besides the obvious decreased effort and steering ratio PS allows more caster to be run which gives the car a lot more stability. These things are so short they tend to want to be twitchy so any stability you can add just makes driving them that much better.

IMO, adding PS after the car is finished is going to be a bigger job than you think it is, especially when you consider the mods you need to make to the front suspension. Food for thought.

[cv2065]

IMO, adding PS after the car is finished is going to be a bigger job than you think it is, especially when you consider the mods you need to make to the front suspension. Food for thought.

I'll second what Mike said. Once the body is on and painted, you are not going to want to fool with the rack if you can help it. Getting in there to uninstall and then mount the rack, finding a spot for your reservoir (every setup can be different), running new hoses, etc.

This is one of those yeah, "the wallet is burning but the drive experience will be significantly enhanced" moments that you just have to do.

[Dondero14]

IMO, adding PS after the car is finished is going to be a bigger job than you think it is, especially when you consider the mods you need to make to the front suspension. Food for thought.

Mike, I appreciate the honesty and advise. When you mention mods to the front suspension are you talking about the need to replace parts in the suspension or more so having to realign everything.

[Mike.Bray]

To get the 7-8 degrees of caster you want to run with PS you will need to remove the rear adjuster on the upper A-arm and machine some off of each end. You might need to cut some off of the mating part also. Plus the new alignment. None of this will be very fun on a completed car.

If you read through the forum no one regrets doing PS, it changes the entire driving experience for the better.

[Dondero14]

Well I’ve looked into adding power steering and I think I screwed myself a bit. When initially talking to Blueprint when we purchased the engine, it was made to sound like it was as easy as throwing a new PS pump on and getting a new belt. When I spoke to Blueprint this morning they directed me to CVF Racing, which is where they get all of their front accessories from. Unfortunately it’s going to be significant more work than throwing a PS pump and belt on. I need to add an additional belt and swap the crank pulley for one that accommodates 2 belts due to the current rotation of the water pump. In addition, according to the specs it looks like there isn’t enough room anyways to fit it writhing the space. If I’m measuring correctly it looks as if the steering shaft will be in the way of where the PS pump will need to go. Needless to say does anyone have any other options I should look into to clear this bump. I know I’ve seen some people go the electric PS route. Any suggestions would help

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=228117&d=1776102834

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=228118&d=1776102834

[Mike.Bray]

That setup is never going to work on an FFR car. A lot of people including me use a GM Type II pump with a remote reservoir for clearance.

Talk to CVF about that option or maybe Forte. I made all of my own custom stuff so can't help much more:(

[gbranham]

And don't forget a place to mount your PS cooler and plumbing to/from it. I hit the easy button and called Gordon Levy. He sent me everything I needed for my front dress.

Greg

[PMD24]

Mark, I have the same setup as you and did not have the interference issue you mention; although my pump doesn't look like what's shown in the photo above. Maybe CVF supplies Blueprint with a different pump specifically for the engine configurations for FFR. As you know, the BP engine configurations for FFR are unique part numbers and pricing. It was a late add for me as well but I made the change before the engine was shipped so mine came mounted. I'll get a photo of it tonight and post it here.

Pat

[Dondero14]

Mark, I have the same setup as you and did not have the interference issue you mention; although my pump doesn't look like what's shown in the photo above. Maybe CVF supplies Blueprint with a different pump specifically for the engine configurations for FFR. As you know, the BP engine configurations for FFR are unique part numbers and pricing. It was a late add for me as well but I made the change before the engine was shipped so mine came mounted. I'll get a photo of it tonight and post it here.

Pat

I guess the key difference between our setups is that the water pumps are different rotations. I had mine setup without the PS pump to start which is built with the water pump rotating the same direction as the crank pulley. Because you were able to get your request in on time, they were able to built it the normal way they would with the PS pump included in a one belt design. Your cooling water pump actually rotate opposite direction of the crank pulley. This is why they suggested a separate belt because if they were to use the same belt setup that is in yours my water pump would be rotating in the wrong direction.

[Dondero14]

Thanks Mike and Greg for your advise. I’ll probably reach out to Mike Forte tomorrow and pick his brain and if I don’t have any luck I’ll try reaching out to Gordon. I got the bug in my head now to move forward with this so now I’m determined to figure out a solution.

[PMD24]

Thanks for the explanation of the difference with my setup. Sounds like a new water pump, crank pulley, and belt could get you to the configuration that I have?? Switching the water pump wouldn't be too bad. Here's the photo of my PS pump.

228141

[Dondero14]

Thanks for the closeup of your setup Pat. Yeah that is definitly an option I'll look into. I just found a setup on CVF Racing website specific for cobras that has an idler pulley attached to the power steering bracket. I'm not sure why the person I spoke to didn't suggest this option unless its not sold as a single item. I'm gonna give them another call tomorrow to see if this will work because it would be the perfect solution without having to mess with pulling parts.

https://cvfracing.com/ford-289-302-serpentine-conversion-kit-high-mount-special-cobra-configuration-with-water-pump/

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=228142&d=1776134210

[Dondero14]

Well I just got off the phone with CVF Racing and I’m back in the game baby. Since I have the cobra setup with the high mounted alternator the power steering with the idler pulley will work with my water pump setup WooHoo. Since the above picture is for a conversion kit specifically for cobras, they don’t sell the bracket setup as a stand alone part. The sales rep I talked to was able to work some magic and get the PS pump and bracket assembly priced as a stand alone part and get me the appropriate serpentine belt for this application. I talked to factory five yesterday and their PS racks are back ordered for possibly a couple months at the moment. I’ll wait until I have everything together before I dive into installing everything. In the meantime I’ll order the breeze PS hose setup and grab a cooler from Forte.

Thank you fellas for the push. I know it’s not gonna be regrettable and will be worth it all in the end, especially while I’m in the building phase.

[PMD24]

Aside from the backorder timeframe, all good news. Glad to hear that it worked out.

Pat