New 2nd Gen Coupe

[Dave Smith]

Guys,

Mad Dog will post the details tomorrow, but we are launching a new version of the Coupe and introducing it at the winter Moochfest in the morning. Russ, I love you brother, and I cant let you keep bragging about all the cool mods (code for fixing our goofs) you help everyone make.... glass hatch, mk4 front suspension, new body, flux capacitor, ball bearings (its all ball bearings these days)...

Dave Smith
I gotta get cool with those avatar thingys and cool quotes
FFR 001 (that's sorta cool).

[Garry Bopp]

Dave,

I kind of figured that a new version of the coupe would be out soon. Looking forward to the details. Wish I could have made the Mooch-Fest ... maybe next year.

Garry

[Dave Smith]

Garry, No worry! I am grateful you're part of the new forum and bringing your expertise to so many people. I have your car (picture at that rustic gas station in desolate midwestern town) as one of my rotating screen savers.

Hey, was talking to Tim Suddard at GRM about the Mitty. We are doing a design competition with his magazine for the new FFR subie powered car. I thought of you right away.

Dave Smith
I gotta get cool with those avatar thingys and cool quotes
FFR 001 (that's sorta cool).

[Garry Bopp]

Dave,

subie powered car?? I guess there will be lots of surprises tomorrow. Should be a great day at FFR ... enjoy! It must be a good feeling to see your company emerging from the many challenges of the last few years. Congrats.

Garry

[Dave Smith]

Yeah. About 20% of our cars are exported and we needed to develop a "world platform" car kit. At first look it's so not Factory Five, then when you look closer, its ALL FFR, patriotic as hell, and at a few metal shavings shy of 1800lbs, ought to rip.

Dave

[Dave Smith]

More tomorrow.

[Bill Shaw]

Is the new glass hatch going to be retrofitable?

[Hankl]

Lets see, how do I cut out the old 2x2's and put tubes in, Hmmmmmmmm

http://i179.photobucket.com/albums/w284/hankl_album/Steering/111-1141_IMG.jpg

Hank

[Todd Baumann]

Can't wait to see all the new updates, just gives me the itch to build another Coupe. Just got to find the money again to do so.:p

[Mike N]

The Gen2 Coupe was VERY impressive. The body seams are even better than the MkIV Roadster.
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5056/5439671975_4279a15d25_b.jpg

Glass rear hatch
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4138/5439671747_dba12ac821_b.jpg

Frame front
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4146/5440275156_749f322537_b.jpg

Frame rear
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5299/5439671529_383e2c91b9_b.jpg

[Garry Bopp]

Mike,

Thanks for the great pics!

Garry

[Russ Thompson]

Dave, not a problem bud! It's great that this new forum is finally in the works. My mods only made a great car better and it's wonderful ffr is working on new improvements. I do expect a shot at fitting the new glass to the older bodies, more then happy to pioneer this for the older bodies. :-)
I'm glad I can be a part of this new forum.

[ram_g]

Will the new Coupe accommodate a modular engine? The fact that the old Coupe could not is the #1 reason I chose a Roadster instead of a Coupe.

[cobrathegreat]

Oh baby!!!
Look at that coupe...I am in love all over again!!!
Congrats on a great upgrade to the coupe...

[Dave Smith]

The glass hatch is going to be a mixed blessing. We made and paid for the glass tooling and it fit pretty good. The guys decided that the fit wasn't good enough, so one of the only SHAPE changes to the new Coupe body was some small opening trims to the hatch opening.

Right now we will make the rear glass and hinge arms available for a reasonable price to all existing Coupe guys. I can tell you the fit is tighter than the new 2nd gen coupe. I put the glass hatch on my own older coupe (it was in the showroom at mooch). You can fit two nickels in the gap between the glass all the way around EXCEPT for the top "corners" where it bends back in. its really tight there. Still the richness of the part is so good and it makes the plexi work go away (lots of hours there saved).

I know the glass is enroute (I had to buy about 250 windows!) so I'll update you guys when we get it in the building and have the retrofit kit in the parts catalog.

Dave Smith
FFR001

The engine bay aluminum wasn't made to take the 4.6 so cant do that engine without serious mods (no). We were going to try the Coyote and see where we might go, but thats not on the docket going forward for now.

[Chris Canning]

Gday Dave, I was interested to see that you estimate approx 20% of your cars are export orders. I know when we met last year you were doing some research into a right hand drive option. Im seeing a coupe in my near future, (Roadster's about to go to paint).
The Roadster was a pretty simple modification.Not sure about the Coupe but I think with the Roadster you could almost just reverse the bends on the existing aluminium, leave the engine offset and just provide a right hand rack. Modify the steering plate on the chassis and the rest pretty much works.
How about a 15th Anniversy Coupe?
Could be a little early for me but Im sure I could find the room somewhere.
Cheers
Chris

[Georgia Coupe]

Dave,
Can you confirm or deny if the new coupe was designed with a more curved hood to allow about 1.5" more clearance for taller intakes?
Ryan

[Shaun R]

Man I love this car!

[FFRSpec72]

I hope that the new coupe will meet SCCA/NASA cage/side bar requirements or can be modified w/o much trouble (with some direction suppled by FFR).

[Dave Smith]

The hood is the same. We made new molds but did not change the shape of the plug. The reason is simple. We won the dismissal of the ****** suit on the shape of the Coupe but the appeal deadline had not been reached as we were making these changes. IF we changed the shape of the body that would give ****** a reason for appeal or a chance to muddy the waters. It was unfortunate timing, but we figured we could make a new nose down the road if we chose to. Jim will be looking at the NASA and SCCA reqs on the cage IF the car is agreed to join the challenge cars next year (that is up to the racers and the series). The only body change we made was a small opening change to better fit the new rear glass. The shape didnt change but the MOLDS are all-new and the doors are new to reduce bodywork.

Chris! I still have the Roo sign in the showrrom! Looking ahead I am interested in the RHD applications as the business is doing more work on export.

DAve Smith
FFR001

[Dave Smith]

Shoot I censored myself!!! we've done such a good job on the site I cant even spell out the chicken farmers name! ***** above means Chicken farmer guy that likes to sue people.

[Colonist]

One of the $64 questions -- Is it possible to mount the doors on the new coupe without use of a sawzall, a complete blacksmith shop, and a half stick of dynamite?

[Dave Smith]

Andy spent two weeks on the Coupe and most of that time on the doors, door steel and new molded doors. yeah. I will miss the Blacksmith shop tho. Ha. Call and speak with Andy in Tech as he did great work on the second gen doors.

[Geezer]

Dave, your reference to the Coupe possibly being included in the Challenge series is intriguing. Please let us know how this idea progresses. I, for one, would "like" to play (if unskillfully), though there is no doubt my current-build engine and mods won't qualify.... Maybe V2.0....

Ken Stroh

[Mustang Man]

Ram-G, there are several modular coupe builders on the "other" forum. It appears the main issue is footbox aluminum, as Dave alluded to above. Most have simply purchased the modular aluminum panels from the Roadster separately and used those in their Coupe build. Exhaust fitment is going to be one off depending upon what engine/heads you are using, but it can be done with a minimum of fuss. The Coyote is much shorter (but wider) than say a 351W, so hood clearance should not be an issue.

I guess we'll know soon if a Coyote will fit if our project gets the green light...

HTH...
Mark

[GotVic]

Jim will be looking at the NASA and SCCA reqs on the cage IF the car is agreed to join the challenge cars next year (that is up to the racers and the series).


Dave, your reference to the Coupe possibly being included in the Challenge series is intriguing. Please let us know how this idea progresses.

Is it proposed the that coupes run along side the roadsters in the same class, or will they have their own spec class?

I'd say leave the roasters as a "budget" class and let the coupes be a little faster; Coyote motors, bigger brakes, bigger wheels.

[Dave Smith]

The entire issue of the Coupes in the race series is a dream of mine... Still, it is only my idea, and the racers and Jim (who is in charge of the series) will have to make that call. Right now Jim is working with the racers and NASA to evaluate changes to the series that will make the cars faster, more competitiove, and yet still affordable.

MARK!!! Welcome. Your talent and knowledge will be really appreciated here. I will call you in a bit on Dougs Coupe and the mod stuff.

Dave Smith
FFR001

[Hotrod]

Ram-G, there are several modular coupe builders on the "other" forum. It appears the main issue is footbox aluminum, as Dave alluded to above. Most have simply purchased the modular aluminum panels from the Roadster separately and used those in their Coupe build. Exhaust fitment is going to be one off depending upon what engine/heads you are using, but it can be done with a minimum of fuss. The Coyote is much shorter (but wider) than say a 351W, so hood clearance should not be an issue.

I guess we'll know soon if a Coyote will fit if our project gets the green light...

HTH...
Mark

I would love to build a coupe with a Coyote in it. Well, I would like anything with a new Coyote in it for that matter. lol

[Roy Hewson]

On an older gray bodied coupe (#181) Is the Glass rear window a case of removing the prior window, changing the hinges and latch or is there a fitting issue.
Roy

[loeffler1]

Dave

For the guys who had problems with the driver's door, would the new gen coupe door fit. I am about to start on the doors in a few weeks and was pondering this question.

Bill

[Andy@FFR]

Bill,

The shape of the doors did not change so new doors will fit existing Coupe bodies. All we did was reposition the inner liner which should eliminate having to modify the doors to get them to fit.

[Mustang Man]

Dave, thanks for the personal welcome! I'm looking forward to sharing our build (once again) here with the new forum.

I've been in and out of the shop all week with another Mustang project, but will be at my desk pretty much all day today and tomorrow. Of course you can always email me (I'll get it on the Crackberry) or call my cell direct whenever you have time to discuss.

Mark

[Geezer]

The shape of the doors did not change so new doors will fit existing Coupe bodies. All we did was reposition the inner liner which should eliminate having to modify the doors to get them to fit.

So what will you do to offer this fix to existing owners? I'd be interested in the cost of a new part vs. fixing the old factory problem (black body) as a TRADE OFF. Will you offer a discount for this fix to existing owners, and if not, why not???

Ken

[John Dol]

Dave,

A lot of us have talked about a group buy of the rear glass. Is that something you would consider?

Thanks,

John

[riptide motorsport]

Dave use numbers for letters, such as C0bra or She1by.........Steven

[Geezer]

or She1by.........

Hmmmm Sound like Cheby -- not for me!

[Aldous Snow]

Dave: Are the 2nd gens ready to ship? If I ordered one now, would I get a 1st or 2nd?

Aldous

[Georgia Coupe]

Aldous: I would guess that you would get the new Coupe as I picked mine up in late December.
http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=103&d=1297558592

[Russ Thompson]

Roy, the problem may be one of fit, there is little adjustment room in the front corners from what Dave told me at SEMA. It has holes for the latch , hinges and struts and doesn't use a frame.

[Rusty_S85]

Glad to see that the coupe finally gets a rear glass hatch. Will be buying one when I get the money and the room together. Economy really did a number on me.

Only question I really had though is how is the glass hatch attached now? Does it come with a frame work and predrilled to be bolted to the frame? I hope something like that since I like the race car look of the attachment of the rear hatch. I just hope theres none of this glued hinges on the glass hatch cause ive had glued glass windshields on motorcycles that failed in 5 years of use.

[Russ Thompson]

Rusty, the glass doesn't use a frame. I has holes for the hinges, struts and the latch handle.

[Dave Smith]

I am pretty sure the shipment of glass is due this week if it hasn't already arrived. The best thing for me to do is to make a quick you-tube video showing the specific fitment of the new glass on the old coupe (it is on my Coupe right now in the showroom), and Russ is right, its tight at the top where it bends in.

We havent put together a retro-fit package yet, but that was always in the works. We are only making Gen 2 Coupes right now in production. I would love to do a special run of 15 yr anniv cars but am focusing on making sure the launch of the gen 2 Coupe goes well first here.

Dave Smith

[Rusty_S85]

Russ, that doesnt sound too safe. If the glass hatch doesnt have a frame what is to keep it from cracking or shattering?

Just the thought of holes in the glass for hinges, struts and the latch handle and the glass otherwise unsupported just sounds like there will be a big risk of the glass cracking in normal everyday useage, especially on rough roads.

[PhyrraM]

There have been quite a few factory cars that do this. Also, about 1/2 of the rash of SUVs over the last 10 years have this also. As long as the glass is up to OEM/DOT specs, I cannot forsee a problem.

[RonSchofield]

I am pretty sure the shipment of glass is due this week if it hasn't already arrived. The best thing for me to do is to make a quick you-tube video showing the specific fitment of the new glass on the old coupe (it is on my Coupe right now in the showroom), and Russ is right, its tight at the top where it bends in.

We havent put together a retro-fit package yet, but that was always in the works. We are only making Gen 2 Coupes right now in production. I would love to do a special run of 15 yr anniv cars but am focusing on making sure the launch of the gen 2 Coupe goes well first here.

Dave Smith

Dave,

Is there anyway for use coupe guys who have the skills get the hatch and the parts on the Gen2 required for attachment? Myself, I don't want to wait for a retro-fit package. I would like to purchase one as soon as they arrive.

[Dave Smith]

I met with Jesper in Engineering and we reviewed final prices and configuration. Most of the fasteners and parts are in staock and we are only waiting on the glass. Here is what Im going to do. Since retro-fitting the glass hatch will involve a different fit than the new Gen 2 body, I am going to do a short you-tube video with close-ups of the glass hatch INSTALLED on my older Gen 1 Type 65 Coupe an alos mounted on the new Gen 2 red body cars. I should have the prices, video, full details and everything in a short week or two... just waiting on the glass shipment (100 units ordered and due shortly). At the same time the parts catalog, order forms and BOM's will be ready.

As far as the frame is concerned, there is none. The hatch is hinged and latches at the bottom center. There is a perimeter black paint on the glass to cover the body interface, but it is safe and strong and engineered well.

Dave Smith

[KodiakCoupe]

Thanks Dave!

Just want to thank you for providing us coupe builders with an awesome upgrade available for a so-called Gen 1 coupe. Thanks also for what I'm hearing to be a nice retrofit package. I hope to order the glass very soon.

BTW, just curious but it seems that the gray body coupes are more representative of a Gen 1 and the black bodies Gen 2 making the red body a Gen 3. What's the reason you didn't distinguish them that way. And also, what are all the specific differences between gray and black models? This seems to be the cause of some confusion particularly with bodywork (i.e., doors and hood) on the other forum.