The Adventure Begins: 30th Anniversary CF Coupe Build Thread

[Sea Hut]

Hello all! I’m excited to share my journey as I tackle the build of a Type 65 coupe. I was dragging my feet on having Cunningham Transport deliver my kit, in hopes that the carbon fiber body would arrive at F5 and could be included with the package. Lo and behold, with a pick up date mid January a cf body arrived and my name was placed on it! So, yesterday Mark at Cunningham called from PA and said he was planning delivery for Sunday after stops in NC and GA. Hopefully, he can stay ahead of the storm!

My planned build will be Coyote based, using one half of our two car garage. Tight quarters, but I’ll set up a rolling dolly to move the job around while I pull the cars outside. Fortunately, Florida weather should facilitate this plan going forward. I’ve been following/reading other build threads for months now and I’m excited to jump in the fray. For those “rookies” contemplating this project, follow me, as I lead the way of “learn as you go” experiences!

More to come when I post delivery pics!

Craig

[Papa]

Congratulations! I can't wait to see one of the CF bodied kits come together outside of the FFR facilities. I was on the list for a 30th anniversary kit and waffled based on my build plan, not to mention the unknown cost of the CF body at the time. As much as I would love to have one, it just wasn't in my budget, but I can live vicariously through those that are building them.

[Jeff Kleiner]

That will make 2 Carbon Fiber Coupes in Florida!

Please keep us updated as your project progresses :)

Jeff

[PNWTim]

Congratulations! Pretty exciting time and the delivery is a special event. I look forward to following along.

[65 Cobra Dude]

Congrats Craig! Where are you in FL? I’m in Port Charlotte and am working on a CF Coupe as well.

Henry

[JimStone]

I'm very interested to follow your build and see how the CF body works out

Post lots of pictures!

[Sea Hut]

I’m in Fernandina Beach. I’ll be looking to share experiences with you as we move forward! I saw the CF body at F5 during their open house unveiling and really liked it. Additionally, in discussions with some local “gearheads” in the Jacksonville area, it didn’t seem like there were any paint/body shops that had the expertise to tackle the coupe. After crunching some numbers with transport, etc, I opted for the cf route. I’m still thinking of stripe(s) and clear coat but hopefully the cf body will help me avoid the extensive work on the prep side. (?)

[460.465USMC]

Welcome aboard, Sea Hut! I'm also interested to see the CF body on a build. This will be fun. Good choice on the Coyote. :p Are you going with the Gen 4X?

[Power Surge]

Hey Craig, I'm here in st augustine building coupe 692. :cool:

[Lugnut Mark]

Good Morning Craig …. I’m right here in Folkston Georgia ….. I’m building coupe #686 ….. my wife and I go to Yulee Florida every other week to do our grocery shopping which is pretty close to Fernandina …. If you need any help pm me here thanks …..and welcome to the party ….. congrats hope to see your coupe driving around town soon !

[Sea Hut]

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Can anyone tell me whether this is the A/C drier mount bracket (60651) or the drier frame bracket (60652)? My inventory has one but not the other. And hopefully, my attempt at uploading the picture has worked….

[Sharris2]

Yes but there's another piece to it

[Papa]

It's the first one (60651) and mounts to the frame bracket, which is larger. Look at pages 56 and 57 in the Coupe AC Instructions.

https://www.factoryfive.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/AC-HEATER-DEFROSTER-COUPE-Gen-3-REV-G.pdf

[Sea Hut]

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Well, only a week after my delivery, I’ve finally cracked the case on how to upload photos! Here are some shots of the arrival. You can see that the cf body is wrapped up well and unfortunately, takes up extra space on the truck (=$). I’ve completed my inventory and moved boxes that won’t be needed immediately over to the storage container. This included the coupe body, after unwrapping and re-wrapping it. I will say that, with the exception of a couple pin size holes near the hood opening, there were no flaws at all! Not sure who does these but excellent work! I’m excited to begin the build!

[Sea Hut]

Thank you sir!

[Astrong16103]

Doing my CF build with Henry Renaud up the way from Naples wrenching (already replied). His 74th FFR build, this being his 14th Daytona Coupe. And the 1st CF for both of us! Some riddles to solve - especially the rear tail lights if not going retro/classic…and some work on the limited-terrain dash. I swapped the small gauges for dual to save real estate. When I say swapped…I mean bought more…eventually will have some mint Speedhut gauges (as well as FFR side pipes) to sell. Just enjoying the depth of upgrades…

[Sea Hut]

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Can someone take a look at this to verify I set these up correctly? The manual and most other instructions only seem to cover the red Konis. Thanks!

[65 Cobra Dude]

No, close though. The top spring retainer needs to be c- clipped to the top. Looks like the c-clip is there but needs to be clipped around the top. I’ll take a pic in a bit when I get out to the shop.


Henry

[65 Cobra Dude]

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Here ya go! Note the tie wraps holding the spring to the cap. Also, make sure the gap in the c-clip is not the same as the gap in the spring hat.

Henry

[Power Surge]

Can't wait to see this Carbon build!

[Sea Hut]

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Progress! After painting my LCA’s with 2 coats of POR, I set them up on the chassis. That step meant running to Lowe’s for a bench top grinder, as the forward bushing was a smidge (technical measurement) too long and needed some love. Next step was the shocks. With the anniversary edition, we get the silver shocks which, unfortunately have little info/pics other than to mount them “upside down” (body down, vs the red ones). As I was setting up the shocks with springs, i realized that, hey mister, there are different front and rear shocks! (Rookie builder) I also realized that I had three fronts and one rear shock. Note to those doing inventory: the inventory sheet says 4 shocks, which I saw 4 boxes, and dutifully checked off as ‘good to go’. Oops. Good news is that I have the fronts and the need for both rears is further down the road. As I mounted the shocks I found that despite the bottom spacers, I still have a 1/8’ gap. So the question is, do i disassemble and add a washer or two to sandwich the shock or let it loose with some movement within the frame mounts? Or, simply remove and break out the bfh to hammer the mount in a bit ?

And, I’ve been talking to Mike Forte about my desire to put an Aluminator 5.2 in but voicing my concerns about height. He had both the Coyote and Aluminator in his shop and did some measurements. Basically, a little over 3 inches higher. I’m thinking it is too close for comfort. I know edwardb did this, as well as the Snap On car. I have to believe that the carbon body is the same mold so am I just over thinking it?

[JTG]

Just a quick observation regarding the shocks. It still doesn't look like the snap ring is capturing the top shock mount.

Refer back to Henry's photo and you'll see that the flange of the top mount is seated down into the "hat". The snap ring should be on top of that flange.
Hopefully that makes sense, but maybe someone else can explain this better.

Good luck!
Jon

[Sea Hut]

Thanks for your advice 65 Cobra dude and JTG! I think I finally got the snap ring location and zip ties in the right place. Onto my next challenge. Using the manual specified 2.75” bolt and .40 spacers on the lower LCA shock mounts, I not only have about 1/8” gap between the shock and mount with the spacers, but the 2.75” bolt is also too short. I measured the distance between the outer edges of the LCA hole the bolt goes through and found 2.25”. That leaves about 1/2” for the washer and nut. This gives me only a few threads on the nut after tightening things. So, off to Ace hardware for 3.25” bolts and larger spacers. Not sure if this is something with the newer anniversary A arms?

[Sea Hut]

Working on the front suspension and after setting up my tie rods for 53”, I find that my driver’s side spindle is pointed slightly left while my passenger side (spindle not yet installed) is pointed even more left. I have the same number of threads out on each tie rod. With the jam nut backed off, I measure just over 1” of threads to the tie rod. Am I missing something or will it magically straighten itself after alignment or when it’s on the ground?

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[Jeff Kleiner]

Did you first center the rack? I've found that the RH side usually shows ~1/2" more threads than the LH side.

Jeff

[Higgybulin]

Working on the front suspension and after setting up my tie rods for 53”, I find that my driver’s side spindle is pointed slightly left while my passenger side (spindle not yet installed) is pointed even more left. I have the same number of threads out on each tie rod. With the jam nut backed off, I measure just over 1” of threads to the tie rod. Am I missing something or will it magically straighten itself after alignment or when it’s on the ground?

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It might be the picture, but I believe your steering arms on your spindles have to be swapped side to side. They should come forward and up when they are mounted correctly. Passenger side on the drivers and driver side on the passengers.
Higgy

[Lugnut Mark]

Hey sea hut … I think you have your steering arms (what connects to the spindle ) reversed….. like higgy said they should face forward and up … see attached photo225881

[Sea Hut]

Thank you Higgy and Mark! I switched them over yesterday to the correct sides. I swear, if a part can be mounted upside down or on the wrong side, I can do it! Much appreciated!

[Sea Hut]

Stumped again with these stupid tie rods. Here’s what I have. ‘A’ arms leveled off on jack stands. Shocks opened up to allow this. Tie rod mounting arms pointed up and out. I have my tie rods threaded in about 1.5 inches, jam nut backed all the way out. Passenger side looks pretty good regarding a sight line with the hub parallel to the frame. Driver’s side, disaster. As seen in picture, I’ve got a tie rod that is about 3” too far over. It’s threaded in 1.5 inches like the P/S side. I loosened the inner boot and cranked away on the inner tie rod shaft that connects the rack to the outer tie rod (righty/tighty?) but can’t see any tie rod movement pulling it closer to the spindle hole. Research shows discussions of centering the rack but it seems that would not correct just one side. It seems like my inner tie rod is way out compared to the other side but everything is new! Have others experienced this imbalance? So, do I pull the inner tie rod boot off/slide it down (if possible) to get a better look or am I simply turning it the wrong way and instead turn it left?

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[Jeff Kleiner]

The fact that the boot is stretched out on the LH side and compressed on the RH side makes me think that you didn't center the rack before attaching the tie rods. Have you?

Jeff

[edwardb]

There's nothing inside the boots that turns for adjustment. The only adjustments are the threads on the outside where the tie rod ends are installed. Agree with Jeff. Did you center the rack? Means turning the input shaft all the way to the stop in one direction. Then counting the turns to the stop the other direction. Then turn back to 1/2 the amount. There are more detailed explanations than that. But that's the idea. Easiest with the steering shaft installed and using the steering wheel. But you could do a sanity check by turning the input shaft directly.

[Sea Hut]

Thank you Jeff and Edwardb for your recommendations. No, I didn’t center the rack. That will be my next step. Based on the assembly manual it seemed that I wouldn’t be doing anything steering-wise (shafts, etc) until further down the road -no pun intended! I’m learning every step of the way and continue to rely on experts like you guys for your experience and knowledge. Thanks again.

[460.465USMC]

In case you haven't found a good thread on centering the steering rack, here's one I recommend. I found it very helpful.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/showthread.php?19175-Steering-Rack-Install-Setup-Procedure&p=215142&viewfull=1#post215142

[Sea Hut]

Made some progress by centering my rack and was able to get things / tie rods looking like they should! Thanks for your advice! Next stumble. Moving along with front Wilwood brake installation. Plugged along until I tried to mount the calipers over the rotor/hat. The caliper mounting brackets seem to be right in line with the caliper mounting holes. It seems that the brackets should be shimmed in about an inch but this would put them very close to the rotors. The pics are of the passenger side looking to the rear with me holding the caliper where is would center on the rotor. I’ve looked at every Wilwood video and anything else I could find but no luck. What have I assembled backward/upside down/wrong side (or a combination of any!)?226427226428226429

[Railroad]

I do not have any pics of my Wilwood calipers, but it seems the hat to rotor bolts and safety wire were recessed in relation to the rotor, not sticking out as yours are pictured.
I will dig around for some pics, while we wait on someone with a better memory or pics.

[edwardb]

You have the rotors on backwards. Should look like this with the bolts and safety wires on the inside. This video from Factory Five also shows the correct orientation: https://youtu.be/iT_YYcffxTY?t=50

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=139909&d=1609037014

[Sea Hut]

Well…. Now that I have risen from my fetal position, hysterically sobbing, I see my error. Here I was concerned that I had incorrectly fastened my caliper mounting brackets and would have to remove four, red loctite screws, I am now blessed with having to unwire and remove 24 of them! I’m clocking out for the day… one consolation: I didn’t do the back ones yet.
Signed, Calamity Craig

[JTG]

Keep at it, you've got this! But I completely respect needing to step away for a minute to collect your thoughts.

Also, I highly recommend referencing Paul's (edwardb) build thread as you're working through this. He did a great job of documenting everything and it may save you a headache or two in the future.

[Astrong16103]

Some photos. Actually not sure if they post since clueless about how this site works. Trying to go with a retro or CF mirror instead of the Brock one is a toughie. We are wondering if the CF Coyote cover will fit under the hood. FFR says no…but we shall see! Also a sneak peek at the carbon fiber paint mockup. Someone let me know how you attach photos if they don’t show (14 of them!). 226677226676226675226674226673Not sure I am a fan of this interface just yet

[Astrong16103]

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More pics

[Astrong16103]

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The super cool IDidIt st226685226684226686226687eering column doesn’t fit the Cf dash - sort of a real bummer since it has a bunch of stuff on it that would reduce the switches on the small real estate of the Cf dash. Live and learn.

[Astrong16103]

Bummer that the super cool iDidIt steering column doesn’t fit. Has lots of gizmos on it that would have saved space in the small real estate of the carbon fiber dash…

[Papa]

Here is how I post pictures in my threads:

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/showthread.php?18962-How-to-use-the-Image-Gallery-to-embed-pictures-in-posts

It feels cumbersome at first, but once you get the hang of it, it's pretty easy.

[JTG]

It's looking great! I like some of those mirror options you have.

Also curious how you make out with that CF Coyote cover as we were considering that until we heard it didn't fit.

[Papa]

I've also been told that the FFR carbon fiber cover won't work on the Coupe. I'm looking at what these guys have to offer as an alternative.

https://carbonaddons.com/products/2024-s650-ford-mustang-real-carbon-fiber-engine-cover?variant=44499642417350&ref=StoreYa&utm_source=stry&utm_medium=trafb&utm_campaign=storeya50&utm_term=pla-294682000766&gad_source=1

[Indy Shu]

I've also been told that the FFR carbon fiber cover won't work on the Coupe. I'm looking at what these guys have to offer as an alternative.

https://carbonaddons.com/products/2024-s650-ford-mustang-real-carbon-fiber-engine-cover?variant=44499642417350&ref=StoreYa&utm_source=stry&utm_medium=trafb&utm_campaign=storeya50&utm_term=pla-294682000766&gad_source=1

A few months ago, I asked Dave V at factory five and he assured me that cover would fit with a coupe and said he had even just gone out to check it before replying to me. ??

[Sea Hut]

Not sure how the mirror posts got here but it gave me some ideas! In the meantime, thanks to input from JTG, edwardb, and Railroad who delivered the bad news, I have corrected my brake situation. For those unfortunate enough to go down my path… 45 seconds on the heat gun per bolt to melt the red Loctite, cut each meticulously wound “safety” wire and 3 hours later you’re back at the starting line! So everything lined up and I feel like I can consider the front end (in its rough shape) a victory.
I decided to continue with the black POR treatment on the rear differential and as I was using my small brush to make some delicate lines, I rolled the differential only to have it, along with my small painting tray of POR, go airborne… and you all know how easy that is to clean up! Thank goodness the flying paint went away from my wife’s new Bronco! Moving forward!
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[Sea Hut]

Slow go this week. Have been meticulously putting on the POR-15 prepping for the installation of the rearend and the differential. It’s been a tough decision regarding leaving the upper/lower arms in their original silver color as some have done, or going the “black out” route. After looking at multiple build threads, I’ve opted to go the gloss black route to match the front suspension. With all the holes and angles in the various parts and my inability to tape them, I broke out the “artists’ paint brush” to insure all was covered. In the meantime, after trying to crank down the lugs using a wrench, washer and nut, I ordered a DeWalt impact wrench and deep sockets to assist. It just arrived so tomorrow I’ll move to that task (as well as recruiting a neighbor or two for the diff!).

[Sea Hut]

Wow! Can’t believe it’s been over a month since I last posted. I’ve completed the install of the differential (along with two neighbors, a transmission jack, 2x4’s, and a lot of muscle). As a small but hopefully helpful contribution to those approaching this job, and looking at all the nuts, washers and bolts in your “inventory”, here is what worked for me.

The high rear mounting points: part # 15962 - M14-2.0 x 100mm Flangehead bolts (no nuts)

The lower front mounting points: part# 15963 - M16-2.0 x 130mm Flangehead bolts and 2 nuts (part #14515 - M16-2.0mm
flanged lock nuts (from the bag of 12 nuts).

For the upper and lower control arms to frame = part #14925 - M16-2.0x110mm flange head bolts with 2 nuts (part #14515 -
M-16-2.0mm flanged lock nuts)

These seemed to work for me and seemed to match the somewhat vague instructions in the manual. Hope this helps.

My gas tank is mounted as well. I should’ve paid more attention to edwardb’s discussion on the tank neck outlet bracket. Once the tank is mounted, there’s no room to get a nut/bolt between the frame and the tank! One of these days I’ll figure out why I can’t post pictures as I could before using my iPad and iPhone… maybe , hopefully the new 2.0 website will help with this conundrum. Onward to the next adventure of bending fuel and brake lines!

[JTG]

The rear diff is fun isn't it?!!
My son and I tackled that a couple weekends ago, although I haven't updated our build thread yet.
We're pretty proud of the fact that we don't use any 4 letter words while wrestling that into place.