Avalanche325
01-21-2013, 11:06 PM
My kit was delivered a year ago, so I thought I would write up a status report.
LET ME STATE THIS FIRST. If any of you are looking to build one of these in a year or less……
You can! Don’t let me scare you away with my progress or lack thereof. I work full time with a fairly stressful job. I also totally remodeled my kitchen and a bathroom myself. The kitchen was down to the floor joists and included cabinetry work, sub floor, flooring, building an island, moving electrical, plumbing, ventilation, tiling and painting. The only thing I didn’t do myself was the countertops. I also painted my 3 story house exterior (I did have a painter do a couple of waaay up there things), laid 2300 sq ft of hardwood flooring, and painted most of the interior. There were a couple furniture restoration projects thrown in just to keep me busy.
I waited for a long time (9 years) before the time was right to build an FFR. So I am taking my time and enjoying every minute. I did the inventory, removed the body and AL panels. That was about it for two to three months.
Original plan:
Base kit with 3-link, small block setup, dual chrome roll bars, 4 into 4 with stainless pipes, FFR gauges, FFR Halibrand 17x9 and 17x10.5 wheels, nudge bars and overriders.
Donor build with a Fox or a 94-95. Freshen up the engine for now. Build a serious 347 down the road.
Power steering and brakes using Hydroboost.
FFMetal under trunk floor battery kit
Russ Thompson turn signal and accelerator pedal.
Big brakes some day in the future.
I made good use of the year end sale at FFR. Kit arrived in Jan last year.
What changed along the way?
I did a bit of searching for the elusive low mileage Fox body Mustang. Here in Florida, people are very proud of their Mustangs. Even rusty, high mileage, poorly maintained ones are overpriced. The price for these was just way too high for what you get when considering it as parts. I missed one on the other side of the state and one in Georgia that looked to be real low mileage deals. I think they were each for sale for a matter of hours. One got snapped up the day it went on sale and then showed up a few days later on some small used car lot for $3000 more than the private seller’s asking price. The local Mustang junk yard wanted more than I could have bought a running car for. They won’t sell you a whole car around here because of title laws.
I went off the idea of a 94-95 because of the unusual transmission. When the 347 came, I would have too much torque for the stock T-5 transmission. I would also have to change the driveshaft, etc.
Muscle Car and wife to the rescue!!!
The FFR vs. original 427 Cobra episode came on. My wife saw the look on my face (and the small puddle of drool on the newly laid floor) when they were putting the WIlwood brakes on the FFR.
Wife: “You want those brakes, don’t you?”
Me: “Oh yeah, but I can upgrade later.”
Wife: “You just saved us thousands on the kitchen. Order those brakes tomorrow.”
I can’t remember what I said, but it was some combination of “Yes Dear” and “I love you!”
Now a donor comes down to an engine that is really just a block, a differential that will need new gears, a gas tank, radiator, steering rack and a 20 year old wiring harness. I don’t need the brakes or spindles. I don’t really want the transmission. Donors, for me, are now worth even less. I am still looking for “the deal” though.
My wife sees me searching ebay, auto trader, Craig list, auction sites, etc.
Wife: “Do you really want to put old parts on your new car?”
Me: “Well, I am just trying to keep the cost down.”
Wife: “I can’t imagine using 20 year old wiring. Half of the parts are going to be worn out anyway. Forget the donor and get new parts. You will be happier doing it right in the first place.”
Me: Some combination of “Yes Dear” and “I love you!”
New plan in motion:
I ordered the FFR Moser rear, Wilwood brakes (I waited), fuel tank, radiator, and Ron Francis wiring harness. I came out less than a complete kit and have all of the options that I wanted.
Power brakes are off the list with the WIlwood brakes and pedal / MC setup.
Where I am at today:
Suspension front and rear – Complete.
Brakes, including parking brake and pedals – Complete.
Polished and coated engine bay panels and firewall. Mirror enough to shave in. I might opt for a real mirror for doing a home vasectomy though.
Cockpit and trunk aluminum including battery box– Complete.
Custom heater install. Center mount behind dash – Complete.
Cobra Earl’s fresh air system with custom inlet on drivers side – complete.
Upgraded fuel system to 3/8”. Hard line from tank all the way to the engine bay and a carteridge filter. – Complete.
Wiring – Harnesses in place. Adding wires for seat heaters, reverse lights, etc. Complete from trans tunnel back.
Upgraded battery cables, cutout switch and separate fused circuit for clock - Complete
Dash drilled and glove box cutout done (just today).
Next steps:
Fabricate the glove box and door.
Dash padding, gauge install, and wiring.
Finish wiring.
Build engine.
Bodywork.
Mistakes and what I would change:
1. I would have skipped the wonderful experience of looking on line at overpriced, worn out donors. If you are looking at a 4.6 or Coyote, there are good ones out there.
2. I would have ordered the kit, brakes, differential, etc at the same time and saved a few hundred dollars in shipping. I would still have done the base kit because of my options.
3. Rivet the trunk floor in before the rear cockpit wall. I did find some tools that got me around this. Separate post.
4. I got the FFR parking brake handle and ordered Wilwood 95 Mustang cables. They do not work together. The FFR handle takes cables that run under the frame and use the rear mounts. I ordered WIlwood “hot rod” style cables and all is well. I sold the first cables to a forum member that was using the Mustang handle.
Overall experience:
I love it!!! Working on this car for me is a combination of relaxation, creativity, and outright passion. It literally puts a smile on my face when I go to the garage, even if I am not there to work on it. I long for the day when she is on the road, but I am afraid that I will miss the build at the same time. I guess that is what the Coupe is for!
Factory Five experience: What a great company to deal with. They helped me make decisions on my order, I can call to ask questions for all eternity, etc. The kit is very well thought out and engineered. The parts and panels fit very well, I have only trimmed one so far. I am surprised at how much comes with the base kit.
Stewart transport was backlogged and FFR had their truck headed my way. They called and said that they could deliver my kit early if that was OK (hmmmmm…..OK!). I got delivery in the FFR truck, which was an extra thrill.
One small aluminum panel was missing. The firewall extension (small panel on the passenger side). Over a year after my purchase I realized it. I missed it on my inventory, so at this point I figure it is my fault. I called FFR, and they immediately sent the panel out at no charge.
To finish this report, I want to thank all of the people here. Having this online community gave me a huge boost in confidence with FFR and building in general. Posts, pictures, PMs, etc, both old archives and direct answers to my questions have been invaluable. And YES, you helped me get that pesky budget thrown right in the trash!!! I’ll be within $5000 - $6000 if I stop reading now.
http://i1061.photobucket.com/albums/t474/Avalanche325/DSCN1962_zps7a75b3e2.jpg
http://i1061.photobucket.com/albums/t474/Avalanche325/DSCN1964_zps294deb93.jpg
http://i1061.photobucket.com/albums/t474/Avalanche325/DSCN1961_zpsc31a3108.jpg
http://i1061.photobucket.com/albums/t474/Avalanche325/DSCN1960_zpscdb1701e.jpg
LET ME STATE THIS FIRST. If any of you are looking to build one of these in a year or less……
You can! Don’t let me scare you away with my progress or lack thereof. I work full time with a fairly stressful job. I also totally remodeled my kitchen and a bathroom myself. The kitchen was down to the floor joists and included cabinetry work, sub floor, flooring, building an island, moving electrical, plumbing, ventilation, tiling and painting. The only thing I didn’t do myself was the countertops. I also painted my 3 story house exterior (I did have a painter do a couple of waaay up there things), laid 2300 sq ft of hardwood flooring, and painted most of the interior. There were a couple furniture restoration projects thrown in just to keep me busy.
I waited for a long time (9 years) before the time was right to build an FFR. So I am taking my time and enjoying every minute. I did the inventory, removed the body and AL panels. That was about it for two to three months.
Original plan:
Base kit with 3-link, small block setup, dual chrome roll bars, 4 into 4 with stainless pipes, FFR gauges, FFR Halibrand 17x9 and 17x10.5 wheels, nudge bars and overriders.
Donor build with a Fox or a 94-95. Freshen up the engine for now. Build a serious 347 down the road.
Power steering and brakes using Hydroboost.
FFMetal under trunk floor battery kit
Russ Thompson turn signal and accelerator pedal.
Big brakes some day in the future.
I made good use of the year end sale at FFR. Kit arrived in Jan last year.
What changed along the way?
I did a bit of searching for the elusive low mileage Fox body Mustang. Here in Florida, people are very proud of their Mustangs. Even rusty, high mileage, poorly maintained ones are overpriced. The price for these was just way too high for what you get when considering it as parts. I missed one on the other side of the state and one in Georgia that looked to be real low mileage deals. I think they were each for sale for a matter of hours. One got snapped up the day it went on sale and then showed up a few days later on some small used car lot for $3000 more than the private seller’s asking price. The local Mustang junk yard wanted more than I could have bought a running car for. They won’t sell you a whole car around here because of title laws.
I went off the idea of a 94-95 because of the unusual transmission. When the 347 came, I would have too much torque for the stock T-5 transmission. I would also have to change the driveshaft, etc.
Muscle Car and wife to the rescue!!!
The FFR vs. original 427 Cobra episode came on. My wife saw the look on my face (and the small puddle of drool on the newly laid floor) when they were putting the WIlwood brakes on the FFR.
Wife: “You want those brakes, don’t you?”
Me: “Oh yeah, but I can upgrade later.”
Wife: “You just saved us thousands on the kitchen. Order those brakes tomorrow.”
I can’t remember what I said, but it was some combination of “Yes Dear” and “I love you!”
Now a donor comes down to an engine that is really just a block, a differential that will need new gears, a gas tank, radiator, steering rack and a 20 year old wiring harness. I don’t need the brakes or spindles. I don’t really want the transmission. Donors, for me, are now worth even less. I am still looking for “the deal” though.
My wife sees me searching ebay, auto trader, Craig list, auction sites, etc.
Wife: “Do you really want to put old parts on your new car?”
Me: “Well, I am just trying to keep the cost down.”
Wife: “I can’t imagine using 20 year old wiring. Half of the parts are going to be worn out anyway. Forget the donor and get new parts. You will be happier doing it right in the first place.”
Me: Some combination of “Yes Dear” and “I love you!”
New plan in motion:
I ordered the FFR Moser rear, Wilwood brakes (I waited), fuel tank, radiator, and Ron Francis wiring harness. I came out less than a complete kit and have all of the options that I wanted.
Power brakes are off the list with the WIlwood brakes and pedal / MC setup.
Where I am at today:
Suspension front and rear – Complete.
Brakes, including parking brake and pedals – Complete.
Polished and coated engine bay panels and firewall. Mirror enough to shave in. I might opt for a real mirror for doing a home vasectomy though.
Cockpit and trunk aluminum including battery box– Complete.
Custom heater install. Center mount behind dash – Complete.
Cobra Earl’s fresh air system with custom inlet on drivers side – complete.
Upgraded fuel system to 3/8”. Hard line from tank all the way to the engine bay and a carteridge filter. – Complete.
Wiring – Harnesses in place. Adding wires for seat heaters, reverse lights, etc. Complete from trans tunnel back.
Upgraded battery cables, cutout switch and separate fused circuit for clock - Complete
Dash drilled and glove box cutout done (just today).
Next steps:
Fabricate the glove box and door.
Dash padding, gauge install, and wiring.
Finish wiring.
Build engine.
Bodywork.
Mistakes and what I would change:
1. I would have skipped the wonderful experience of looking on line at overpriced, worn out donors. If you are looking at a 4.6 or Coyote, there are good ones out there.
2. I would have ordered the kit, brakes, differential, etc at the same time and saved a few hundred dollars in shipping. I would still have done the base kit because of my options.
3. Rivet the trunk floor in before the rear cockpit wall. I did find some tools that got me around this. Separate post.
4. I got the FFR parking brake handle and ordered Wilwood 95 Mustang cables. They do not work together. The FFR handle takes cables that run under the frame and use the rear mounts. I ordered WIlwood “hot rod” style cables and all is well. I sold the first cables to a forum member that was using the Mustang handle.
Overall experience:
I love it!!! Working on this car for me is a combination of relaxation, creativity, and outright passion. It literally puts a smile on my face when I go to the garage, even if I am not there to work on it. I long for the day when she is on the road, but I am afraid that I will miss the build at the same time. I guess that is what the Coupe is for!
Factory Five experience: What a great company to deal with. They helped me make decisions on my order, I can call to ask questions for all eternity, etc. The kit is very well thought out and engineered. The parts and panels fit very well, I have only trimmed one so far. I am surprised at how much comes with the base kit.
Stewart transport was backlogged and FFR had their truck headed my way. They called and said that they could deliver my kit early if that was OK (hmmmmm…..OK!). I got delivery in the FFR truck, which was an extra thrill.
One small aluminum panel was missing. The firewall extension (small panel on the passenger side). Over a year after my purchase I realized it. I missed it on my inventory, so at this point I figure it is my fault. I called FFR, and they immediately sent the panel out at no charge.
To finish this report, I want to thank all of the people here. Having this online community gave me a huge boost in confidence with FFR and building in general. Posts, pictures, PMs, etc, both old archives and direct answers to my questions have been invaluable. And YES, you helped me get that pesky budget thrown right in the trash!!! I’ll be within $5000 - $6000 if I stop reading now.
http://i1061.photobucket.com/albums/t474/Avalanche325/DSCN1962_zps7a75b3e2.jpg
http://i1061.photobucket.com/albums/t474/Avalanche325/DSCN1964_zps294deb93.jpg
http://i1061.photobucket.com/albums/t474/Avalanche325/DSCN1961_zpsc31a3108.jpg
http://i1061.photobucket.com/albums/t474/Avalanche325/DSCN1960_zpscdb1701e.jpg