Girl Dad's MK5 Build - Steering Rack and LCAs

[GirlDad]

Okay, the time has come to officially start building the dream.

As some may have seen from my "help, give me advice" thread (MK5 Coming *VERY* Soon - Recommendations & Tips (https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/showthread.php?52431-MK5-Coming-*VERY*-Soon-Recommendations-amp-Tips)), this is what the current plan is. I'll try to keep this as up to date as possible for anyone that might want to follow along or stumble upon it in the future.

Some of the details:

Complete Kit
IRS
Wilwoods
Brake Booster
Power Steering
Heater & A/C
Dual chrome rollbars
Vintage GPS gauges
Visors
Wipers
SS Bumpers
Pretty much most options...

I'm working with Forte for a few other parts including having him build me a 351 stroker (so I can get that 427 badge) with EFI (Holley Dominator ECU).

With all of that said, most of my research was for the MK4. Now I'm looking at what additional upgrades or extra items I should get. I'm looking for any/all suggestions or recommendations. What I've had on the list:


Side pipe shields (limit the snake bites)
Drop Drunk (now included with the MK5)
FF Metal Firewall Forward (not yet available... and not sure if this is needed in the MK5)
FF Metal Transmission Top (this looks to be available for the MK5 now)
FF Metal F Panels (are these needed with the MK5 now, these panels are different but not sure) (12/3/25 - Not needed)
Breeze Battery Kit (12/3/25 - Will pass on this, not needed)
Breeze cockpit cubby
Breeze radiator shroud
Wilwood Electronic E-Brake
Heated seats
Driveshaft safety loop


Other considerations:

Mostly going to be a cruiser... with occasional track days
I'm planning on SS fuel and brake lines (12/3/25 - still debating this, will follow Paul's build and make a decision when I get to this step)
4 post lift coming in a week (I know... cutting it close) any day now (12/3/25 - INSTALLED)
Was thinking about ABS as a fun wrinkle... but might be more pain than it's worth (still debating this)
Will not be painting it myself
Debating push button start (12/3/25 - I've convinced myself that I'll do this)
Debating various lighting upgrades/changes - headlights, taillights, interior lighting, etc.


Thanks in advance for following, commenting and any/all advice and tips that come my way.

-Girl Dad

Progress Posts

Delivery and Inventory (https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/showthread.php?52545-Girl-Dad-s-MK5-Build&p=597608&viewfull=1#post597608)
Body & Panel Removal (https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/showthread.php?52545-Girl-Dad-s-MK5-Build-Body-amp-Panels-Off&p=597612&viewfull=1#post597612)
Steering Rack Installed (https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/showthread.php?52545-Girl-Dad-s-MK5-Build-Body-amp-Panels-Off&p=597667&viewfull=1#post597667)
Lower Control Arms (https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/showthread.php?52545-Girl-Dad-s-MK5-Build-Body-amp-Panels-Off&p=597670&viewfull=1#post597670)

[danmas]

Push button start is a fun thing. I would pass on digital guard dawg if I was doing it over. If you do decide to go with digital guard dawg, get the version Jesse got in his thread on his roadster.

Four post lift is awesome. Get a head helmet for when you run into it. My thread has one that I got, but a light weight plastic shell is very useful for the ole noggin.
I think the firewall forward is great. I wouldn’t do it again as I don’t need that much room and it cramped my engine bay.

Yes on the safety loop for the drive shaft. Overkill but so what. Isn’t that what a safety loop is all about?

Very much like my led headlights.

Definitely on the side pipe shields. Most definitely.

Don’t think you need the breeze battery box any longer. Sounds like the mk5 has this stock.

Breeze radiator shroud is very nice. You won’t regret that.

Resounding hell yess on the wilwood ebrake. Hell no on their master cylinders.

I wasn’t aware that factory five was shipping a drop “drunk”. Sounds fun 30 years ago. Not so much anymore.

Have a ton of fun. It’s gonna make you swear a lot and bleed a little. It’s fun. Enjoy!

Dan

[2nd2none]

Loving all the MK5 builds appearing on here now. Have went through each of them and will continue following all of these builds as I get ready for one of my own. I have to go back through all of the threads and take some notes for easier reference when I need to go back and look at what someone else did. For instance, I remember someone mentioning recently to change out ball joint caps with new ones from Energy Suspension and even posting a picture of the ones to order. Will be nice to have some notes to refer to that show something like, Ball joint cap replacements in Ricks build thread post 128.

-Jason

[GirlDad]

Alright, I took delivery on my kit October 30th. This was a few weeks ahead of what I expected when I ordered the kit. No complaints from me, I was just a bit behind on a few things (lift install, body buck, garage cleanup/prep, etc.). Alas, nothing better than an early delivery to kick things into gear.

I live at the end of a narrow private road with a lot of tree branches that would get in the way of delivering close to home. So, I made arrangements to pick it up in a Home Depot parking lot a few miles from my house. This mean renting a trailer from U-Haul and towing the kit (on my body buck) and hauling the boxes 10-15 minutes away. I had my neighbor help out with his rig and we were able to load everything up fairly well. I built my body buck according to the MK4 specs, as I heard that it'd be sufficient for the MK5. It definitely did the trick, but if I were to do it over again I'd leave out the cutouts that the MK4 round tubes would sit in. The MK5 just sat on the top of the cutout 2x4s anyway. Could have saved a little time and made it look a little cleaner. Not a big deal, but something to consider for other MK5 builders getting started.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=222356&d=1764787659 (https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=222346&d=1764785623) https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=222355&d=1764787659 (https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=222345&d=1764785623)

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=222358&d=1764787659 (https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=222348&d=1764785623) https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=222357&d=1764787659] (https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=222347&d=1764785623)

After getting through delivery... it was on to inventory. This was fun and exciting at first... then turned into a bit of a slog to push through and complete. Lucky for me, most of what was said to be included was actually there. I went through each box and familiarized myself with the parts. While I did that I also referred back to the manual and searched on the forums for other build threads and any other tips/info I could find. I think that this will be useful as I go through each step later on. This is my first build and I'm not 100% familiar with every part so trickling in some knowledge at each step of the way I think will pay dividends later on. As an aside, I used a highlighter to track what was there and what wasn't. As more parts get sent my way I'll make sure to update this as I go.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=222359&d=1764788604 (https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=222360&d=1764788604)

Oh... and one more update. I finally got the lift installed.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=222361&d=1764788868 (https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=222362&d=1764788868)

[GirlDad]

After spending a few weeks on inventory... then letting life get in the way a bit with a trip to Eugene (Go Ducks!), Thanksgiving and some family stuff, I finally got around to building my body buck and prepping for some actual build work.

I followed the steps for the body buck outlined on the forum along with the updated dimensions here: https://www.mycobra.build/index.php/build-description/body-buck. I modified this a bit as my plan is to keep the body on the buck and store it on the lift when the lift isn't being used. So, I decided to shorten the legs and leave off any storage areas that others have put on the buck. In the end, I still think that I have the legs too long and will most likely take a saw to it and remove another 12-14 inches to allow more room under the lift.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=222369&d=1764790859 (https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=222370&d=1764790859)
It's always good to have some spare hands and free labor around to help out.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=222367&d=1764790825 (https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=222368&d=1764790859)
Body off and on the buck

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=222365&d=1764790825 (https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=222366&d=1764790825)
You can see that the buck is still a bit tall for my scenario. Updates to that at some point...

When taking off all of the aluminum panels, I was a probably a bit too careful and/or cautious. I took A LOT of photos of which panels overlapped which ones, labeled all of them, took a few videos talking through things, etc. Maybe it's overkill, but it definitely put my mind at ease knowing that I had documented the process for when it's time to put the panels back on.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=222371&d=1764790902 (https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=222376&d=1764790928)
Start of taking the panels off

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=222374&d=1764790902 (https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=222375&d=1764790902)
Example of me laying out the panels in order of the way I took them off

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=222372&d=1764790902 (https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=222373&d=1764790902)
I had to undo my ratchet straps holding the frame on the dolly and lift the front end up a bit to get a few panels out. The way the frame was placed on the dolly during delivery just happened to align where some of the panels in tighter sections of the frame needed room underneath in order to get them out.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=222363&d=1764790825 (https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=222364&d=1764790825)
All of the panels off!

Okay... I'm all caught up on updates. Next step for me is installing the steering rack and some of the front end suspension components. I've already learned that installing some 90 and 45 degree zerk fittings will help out tremendously with maintenance later on, so off to the parts store I go. Hopefully another update tomorrow with some progress.

[Mike.Bray]

Fun and exciting! Enjoy the process.

[GirlDad]

More progress to report. I know that it might be getting to be a little overkill with a post for every step, but it helps me get in a rhythm for the build and will serve as a good catalog of reference for me later in the build. So apologies to any build scrollers running through. Hopefully this isn't too pedantic.

First actual part being installed on my build... the steering rack. This proved pretty straightforward. Some bushings, some bolts, a little persuasion on the rack to fit and we were all done.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=222425&d=1764879577 (https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=222426&d=1764879577)
I've got the FF5 provided power steering rack. First step was to remove the single piece rubber bushing so we can replace with the two piece bushing and sleeves. I found that a few taps with a screw driver and rubber mallet allowed me to just grip the bushing and twist/pull it out fairly easily. Getting the two piece bushing and sleeve back in was only slightly trickier. I had to wedge in the bushing a bit and then the trusty rubber mallet did the rest of the work. Doing one side first and inserting the sleeve followed by the other bushing seemed to work well. Of course, I was careful not to damage or put too much pressure on the power steering components/pipes.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=222427&d=1764879577 (https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=222430&d=1764879603) https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=222428&d=1764879577 (https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=222429&d=1764879603)
With the bushings and sleeve in place, time to fit the rack in front. The bushings + sleeve were a bit of a tight fit to get in there. Just a little jostling and, perhaps, a few rubber mallet taps and I had things lined up. Next, just a little more jostling to run the bolts through (back to front) and we were home free.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=222433&d=1764879603 (https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=222434&d=1764879617)
Next up was the steering rack safety support. You know, safety is cool and all. Simple enough install and yet another thing I can point to for my wife to think things are "super safe".

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=222431&d=1764879603 (https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=222432&d=1764879603)
And just like that, the steering rack was installed. One box down... a few more to go. I can now say I'm officially building a car.

Next up... Lower Control Arms and another box down.

[GirlDad]

After the steering rack install I was running short on time before a full night of family activities. However, I was able to quickly get the Lower Control Arms installed. This was simple and straightforward and allowed me to claim conquest over another box.

As I move forward, I promise that this build thread won't just be a personalized retelling of the build manual. :)

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=222419&d=1764879544 (https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=222420&d=1764879544)
I grabbed the LCAs and threw in some 90 degree zerk fittings. I'm told this is a good thing. As I get more familiar with the car, what parts go where and how I'll be able to service it in the future, I'm sure this will make more sense. For now, they're installed and will hopefully be of good use.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=222423&d=1764879544 (https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=222424&d=1764879577)
Similar to the steering rack, fitting the LCAs into the frame took a little negotiation. I found that installing the LCAs from the bottom up like this helped reduce the need for more rubber mallet work. As described in the manual: (1) added the washer for the rear mount, (2) used the lower mount and (3) installed the bolt from the inside.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=222421&d=1764879544 (https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=222422&d=1764879544)
The front mount for the LCA was easy enough. A little finesse getting it in and then insert the bolt from the inside out. Note that I didn't add a washer either to the bushing (not any room there) nor did I add one to the bolt since it's a flange bolt. I'm assuming this is sufficient.

Next up... Upper Control Arms or some such thing.