https://v1.thefactoryfiveforum.com/blog.php?24-R-Button Builder community site for Factory Five Racing. en Mon, 04 May 2026 23:41:50 GMT vBulletin 10 https://v1.thefactoryfiveforum.com/images/misc/rss.jpg https://v1.thefactoryfiveforum.com/blog.php?24-R-Button https://v1.thefactoryfiveforum.com/entry.php?1228-Back-on-the-road-AGAIN! Mon, 26 Mar 2018 22:52:49 GMT I've been quiet here on the forum, for a while, mostly due to work and classes. I work in the world of eCommerce systems or as some know them as, Internet shopping sites. I seem to be good enough at it, that companies want me to keep working with them. I considered retiring but would get bored too quickly. I'm also working on my Masters in Theology. This means lots of reading with lengthy papers as I focus on specific aspects of the studies I want to concentrate on and eventually hope there is a PhD paper or book in the works.
The monks at the Abbey have a “gathering”, for lack of a better way of describing it, happening on the 8^th of April. So deals were made, other staff are covering the work so I can take a few days off to be on the ROAD again!
As I’m in upstate NY now, the car was off the road for the first time in years. I managed to find a set of used FFR headers and a few other kool parts that I wanted to installon the car. The simple pull off the old headers and install the new ones turned into a complex parts changing process!
Passenger side… I had to change my coolant recovery tank to a different design as the existing one was in the way of the passenger headers. Including in the process there was some wiring that had to be moved off the F panel were I wanted to mount the recovery tank. Then there was the fuel regulator that had to be moved. I use the stock Mustang in tank electric fuel pump (from a 1990 Mustang). I retained the duel lines from the tank to the regulator but now the two lines were way too close to the header! The regulator drops the pressure down to a more reasonable fuelline pressure for a carburetor.
Driver side…I had to reroute the rear brake line to clear the driver side header. Then there was the wait for large port header heads gaskets. I was going to use the copper silicon gasket but for now opted for gaskets. And as expected, the usual header bolts problems This time I went with some header bolts drilled for safety wires that I hope will keep the bolts from loosening up. They come with a long socket allen wrench which made them install easier. Thus my very late night winter project went, in between work and papers.

So it’s time to take a break! Spring is in the air! Time to take a ROAD TRIP! The Monks contacted me in time to plan this out. This is only a half way across the country or about 1500 miles one way. But I get a little time to disconnect from the phones, computers, etc and just enjoy the ride. (And also to see how well FFR headers work too!)
So next week I’ll be back on the road again checking out how the world is doing,
I’ll be the one stopping to talk with the other road voyagers, at the gas pumps, as they peek around to see what kind of car it is.
I’ll post a few video’s as I drive along. It’s much easier now to post videos of a trip compared to having a cameraman riding along with you (back in the day 😊). The world has changed so quickly!
Next week I'm off to Shawnee, Ok

]]> R. Button https://v1.thefactoryfiveforum.com/entry.php?1228-Back-on-the-road-AGAIN! https://v1.thefactoryfiveforum.com/entry.php?1171-A-Great-Adventure-or-on-the-road-to-Factory-Five-Open-House Wed, 03 Jun 2015 14:56:34 GMT In a few days I leave the absolutely most western point of Texas - Mountain time zone - for FFR's 20th Anniversary Open House. Ya, it will be a trip of about 2400 miles one way to get to FFR but like most of my trips that will only be a pause in the trip. After the Open house I'm driving on up to what is called Downeast Maine. We'll repack the car with some additional bags, suitcases, books, etc THEN the real trip will begin! Our granddaughter is coming down to Texas for her summer adventure! To say she is excited is a vast understatement. She is only 10 years old BUT ever since she saw the Mark I, officially it has been know as HER CAR that grandpa is just keeping for her! Imagine this little 6 year old blond coming up to you in a car show to tell you, in only the kind of voice that little blond 6 year old can say, "I have a car like that, my grandpa is storing it for me!"
Grandchildren are what makes having kids worthwhile!
When my son and I replaced the engine in the ol'Mark I, throughout the entire day she had climbed into the driver seat to take up her position and thus monitored the changes being made to HER CAR! We had to pull her out of the car for lunch! Only to have her climb over the door and back into the car as quickly as she could, after she ... ate is not an accurate word ... more like gobble down her food! She did not want to miss a moment of the work.

That's what will make this long trip worthwhile! This will be HER big adventure of this summer!
She has been planning our route back with a stay at "expensive" hotels. SO I asked what kind of expensive hotel are we going to stay at? I got a response in a ...like I should know kind of voice, over skype ... "Grandpa, it's the ones with a pool and free food!"
I also noticed that the route is mapped right through midtown NYC - seems she has never, that she remembers, ever been in NYC and really, REALLY, wants to just drive through NYC. I use to work just across from Bryant Park, so this will be a revisit to the ol'City. No stops, just a drive through kind of visit.
Ya this will be an adventure - a most excellent adventure.
We're hooking up GoPro cameras to record her adventure. We'll gather all the images and video's to create a presentation she can take back to school, after the summer, to show what She did with her summer vacation! ]]> R. Button https://v1.thefactoryfiveforum.com/entry.php?1171-A-Great-Adventure-or-on-the-road-to-Factory-Five-Open-House https://v1.thefactoryfiveforum.com/entry.php?1170-Back-in-the-day-05-14-1998-the-Assembly-Manual-for-a-427-SC-arrived Wed, 20 May 2015 02:53:13 GMT IT all started with a visit at the OLD FFR offices after a trip back from New York City. On the drive home from FFR I thought about what I saw, yup... IT all started with a visit at the OLD FFR offices after a trip back from New York City. On the drive home from FFR I thought about what I saw, yup they were a real company so took a chance and ordered an assembly manual part number 10632 for $50.00, thus account number 1732 was created back at FFR.
On or about 6/10/98 the kit was complete and ready for customer number 1732 to pick it up (still wish I had paid the extra $2980 to have a carbon fiber body!)
My youngest son and I hooked up a u haul car transporter trailer to the back of our pickup, bolted two 4x8 sheets of 3/4 plywood to the trailer thus making a floor and off we went to pickup FFR1436K. On July 11, 1998 we drove into FFR parking lot and Mark Smith helped us load up FFR1436K for the return trip back to Maine.

By the end of the month of July I had begun the process of applying for a State of Maine title for this car I was building out in an old carriage house behind our home in Maine.
And so in 1998 FFR chassis 1436K officially became titled, in the State of Maine, as a vehicle approved to be driven... and driven... and driven on the highways of the USA!
And as the official VIN is just a short 6 character number it has driven, the State of North Carolina, Arkansas, and Texas motor vehicle staff crazy ... but in the end it still got licensed in each one of those states... and driven and driven and driven!

For the base price of $9,900, I had built a car... I was Henry Ford! Ok so it cost a few more dollars for the donor parts and just a couple of dollars over the years - mostly for tires and only one of two other add on go faster parts...

See you out on the road... with the good old FFR Mark I chassis number 1436... ]]> R. Button https://v1.thefactoryfiveforum.com/entry.php?1170-Back-in-the-day-05-14-1998-the-Assembly-Manual-for-a-427-SC-arrived https://v1.thefactoryfiveforum.com/entry.php?1147-I-can-sleep-most-anywhere-even-in-the-trunk-of-a-Mark-I! Sat, 15 Feb 2014 20:12:38 GMT On the back page of the latest issue (Feb 2014) of Kit Car Builder you will find a picture of me sleeping - what I call a power nap - in-between... On the back page of the latest issue (Feb 2014) of Kit Car Builder you will find a picture of me sleeping - what I call a power nap - in-between track events - in this case at the Carolina Motorsports Park. I can sleep in the seat - not while driving - or in the trunk, in the parking lot of Kennebunkport, or along road in the Arizona desert! Now if I could just find a restaurant selling green eggs with ham along Route 66, Jake and I would be off on the road again! ]]> R. Button https://v1.thefactoryfiveforum.com/entry.php?1147-I-can-sleep-most-anywhere-even-in-the-trunk-of-a-Mark-I! https://v1.thefactoryfiveforum.com/entry.php?1098-Out-in-the-shop-with-the-ol-Mark-I Wed, 02 Oct 2013 03:06:49 GMT Every so often I take a break from my work and studies to get my hands dirty working on some part of the ol’Mark I. It gives my brain a change of... Every so often I take a break from my work and studies to get my hands dirty working on some part of the ol’Mark I. It gives my brain a change of pace.

Been in the shop this past weekend working on the ol’Mark I. I ordered more tires for the rear – they do seem to wear a lot faster than the front! But more of the issue was I finally had to replace my stock oil pan with a pan that was above the frame tubes. My original stock 5.0l oil pan rear drain bolt had been bent back so much it was impossible to get it out of the oil pan. Think I might have been a little too quick over the speed bumps?? So Gordon Levy to the rescue with his oil pan that was above the frame and also has all the tiny doors in the pan to control the oil slosh when out on the autocross courses! Old oil pan came off and new pan … hummm started to go on … struggled with fitting the oil pan around the oil pickup as the pan was tight up against the bell housing and caught on my main bearing cap girdle! Eventually taking a few breaks and trying different ways to installing the pan and it all fit up on the engine ok. So now I can lay on the floor and look under the car to see my nicely newly painted Ford Blue oil pan. Do the rest of you sometimes just sit there in the shop, looking at your car enjoying the project you just completed? Particularly a difficult project like fitting rear brake calipers and emergency cables on, or rewiring a dash, or some other project that took you a few days maybe to get done. When it’s all done, in my case no leaks, just kick back and have a moment of just enjoying looking at the ol’Mark… all with the thought geezz.. I really did it and it works too!


In a few weeks IF I pass all my classes I’ll fill ya’All in on what I have been doing… IF I PASS this last one! I hate to say something then fail and have to retake the course… so next post on the blog I’ll fill ya in IF I PASS and the professors accept my paper. Meanwhile I'm out on the road wearing out what's left of the rear tire rubber! :) ]]> R. Button https://v1.thefactoryfiveforum.com/entry.php?1098-Out-in-the-shop-with-the-ol-Mark-I https://v1.thefactoryfiveforum.com/entry.php?1059-500-000-miles-or-just-another-day Sun, 07 Jul 2013 14:36:40 GMT For a while I thought that I might kind of hang at the 450,000+ miles mark as I was just driving to and from work - about 50 miles total, with my... For a while I thought that I might kind of hang at the 450,000+ miles mark as I was just driving to and from work - about 50 miles total, with my studies over - for now - at St Gregory's University in Shawnee, Oklahoma, I just was not traveling as much. Then as I began to consider retiring I had a job offer that intrigued me so off I go to El Paso, Texas. Ya know they have upped the speed limits on I30/I20/I10 so that by the time you connect to I10 you’re cruising at 80+ on smooth, open road. Just have to watch out for them "Texas Gaters" or what is commonly known as parts of truck tires left in the middle of the road! After a number of trips out to El Paso from outside of Little Rock the mileage on the ol'Mark I started to climb once more. Add in a trip to NY State, and one to Colorado and I’m right at about 500,000. It’s not so much the miles rather it’s been the journey. Meeting people along the way at every gas stop. They all seem to have heard of a neighbor, parent, or some other close friend who had one of these cars. You have all heard the stories! For me the best part is the kids! The parents want to have a picture of their kid taken beside the car and when I offer them an open door I know I just helped another kid enjoy a car as they climb in and we buckle them up with the full harness for their picture. Of course the parents, both the guy’s and ladies, have a look of can I climb in the car too for a picture! But they often seem to be afraid to ask so an offer to take their picture seals the deal for them to climb in!

I rarely do car shows as I find it hard to sit still for that long in one place. BUT when I do go a car show the people you meet make it all worth the time spent. As you look over the work that others have done to their cars you get ideas for what you might do. Also appreciate all the hours of labor that they have put into the car they have on display.
I do so enjoy the open road. We have such a diverse country and the people that come up to us all as we’re out driving the highways adds to the enjoyment of the trip. To me it IS the people. People that never would have said a word to you will now follow you to a rest area so they can have a look and ask you the same questions we all have heard many times before. We answer the same questions as though this is the first time we were ever asked. These same people that ignore you at the stop light will now stare at the car and often yell over to ask what is it and how nice it looks.
In order to accumulate this many miles on any car you have to accept that chips in the paint, carpet holes, chrome trim having rust lines, windscreens pitted from sand and road dust, all as part of the journey. I understand those that choose to put a show quality paint job on their cars whatever kind of car it is. Their car is a reflection, of what they were looking for in their car. Others build their car for racing as they are looking for something different. As mention, mine was to see if I could build a complete car – my Henry Ford syndrome. Then to my amazement I actually enjoyed driving it. I found excuses to drive the car, to the store to pick up milk, a pizza, whatever was needed. The ol’Mark I has proven to be reliable, holding up for long road trips. On the forums to hear about others who are now taking their cars out on extended road trips!
However you built your car – the pleasure you get from polishing it, the thrill you get from racing it, or in my case the enjoyment I get driving it on the open road, keep the tires on the road and be safe! ]]> R. Button https://v1.thefactoryfiveforum.com/entry.php?1059-500-000-miles-or-just-another-day https://v1.thefactoryfiveforum.com/entry.php?796-Just-another-garage-yard-sale-day-till Sun, 26 Aug 2012 03:33:53 GMT Normal garage sale day, People coming looking over the stuff we had packed into the garage. I had to pull my Mark I out in the driveway as currently... Normal garage sale day, People coming looking over the stuff we had packed into the garage. I had to pull my Mark I out in the driveway as currently my shop is home to a 1970 VW getting a body off rebuild (another story) .


A mom, her mother, and a 13 year old boy, drive up and as the boy gets out of their car he’s pointing to my Mark I asking if it is a C***a. So I say yes, a replica of a 1965, designed by Factory Five Racing. His mother says he has never seen one BUT he loves them. She tells him go get his “car” so he runs back to the car and returns with a pair of C***a, metal car models. One is in a small “shadow” box of an old car shop. He’s standing there staring at my Mark I still so I open the door and tell him climb in. He’s not saying much, kind of shaking a bit. I tell him it’s ok, it’s only a car. If something happens it will just give me something to fix or work on. So he gingerly climbs in the car. He’s looking all round in the car. Then points to Dick Smith’s signature on the glove box, so I explain who that man was, and how lucky I was to have him sign my glove box. The kid still is not saying much. His mom is taking pictures of him in the car and wants me to stand by the car for a picture.


She is telling me that he has been searching for posters of C***a’s to put up in his room. He has not found any yet. I say wait just a sec, and go get a roll of posters of C***a’s I have collected over the years and give him the roll. Finally the kid speaks! “ Has this car ever been on a race track?” I tell him of some of the tracks my Mark I has been to. He says can’t believe it, to which I tell him I have the in car videos to prove it. Wait just a sec I say as I head back in the house and come back with a couple of DVD’s I had burnt with copies of in car video’s and also one of FFR’s DVD’s. This kid is slowly walking back to his car hands full of C***a stuff, he sets them on the car seat … comes running back … to me to give me a hug and a thank you!


Now that was my day at a garage sale!:) ]]> R. Button https://v1.thefactoryfiveforum.com/entry.php?796-Just-another-garage-yard-sale-day-till https://v1.thefactoryfiveforum.com/entry.php?266-The-small-repair-project-that-turns-into Sun, 30 Oct 2011 00:48:17 GMT You know how when your “tinkering” on your car and before you realized it you have the car apart making changes to stuff. And at the same time the... You know how when your “tinkering” on your car and before you realized it you have the car apart making changes to stuff. And at the same time the cash is flowing out of your account in large quantities? Well it happens to all of us!

I was driving home from work and suddenly the temp gauge maxed out. Pull over to check, belt on, and tight, electric fan on, lots of pressure in in the cooling system… hum… Waited a bit for the car to cool down fired it back up, running really well, smooth lots of power so head on down the road only have about 5 miles to the house. Gauge is pegged to the right, not a good sign! Pull over let it all cool down, listen to an old time radio show on my iphone. Fire it backup to repeat this sequence about 5 times as I gradually work my way home. At no time did the engine fail, loose power, or otherwise act like there was a problem.
Finally arrive home, park the car in the shop, and the next evening – after it had all cooled down – started to work. I opened the upper radiator hose T and watched as I start up the car. The water did not seem to be moving much just bubbling up after the engine got warmer. Odd! Figure look at the simple stuff first as I pull out the thermostat. It looking good so slipped in the house and got one of the wife’s cooking pans filled it with some water, dropped in the thermostat as I monitored the temperature with my infrared tire temp gauge. The water got to 180 and the thermostat opened! Dumped the water but the wife came in as I was picking the hot thermostat out of the pan with her tongs. BUSTED! Run for the shop with the thermostat wrapped in a cloth. With the words of “that is one of my good pans, you are going to get me a new one aren’t you… dear?” following me as I leave the house!

I have a new thermostat so put that in just in case, but thermostat does not appear to be the problem. I take off the fan belt to look it over it looks ok but I have been wanting to replace it with a Gaterback belt as I really like them thus over on the shop computer I order a couple of new belts. (The money flow is just starting) I spin the water pump, nice and solid , no movement in the bearing. It spun a little too easily it just did not feel right so off comes the water pump and parts fall to the shop floor as I remove the water pump casting. Seem the impeller on the fan had broken loose from the shaft result, spin the water pump and no water moves!
Like most I have a few spares on the shelves, well maybe a few more spares than most! I had this new Edelbrock reverse rotation water pump on the shelf that was just screaming for me to put it on the engine. Some time ago I ordered some new hoses, not just any hose but the blue corrugated metal hose. As I had already drained the radiator I took it out and ordered a new aluminum radiator, (I not sure why just wanted an aluminum radiator ... the money faucet is wide open now) which resulted in the need to redesign the radiator upper and lower mounts, oh and ya we need a new fan shroud for the aluminum radiator. Computer in the shop is now well connected to Breeze Automotive and on the way in short order was his upper radiator mount, his lower radiator mount kit and a new fan shroud. Then I needed to order the new passenger F panel as the upper water hose position is changed, with the new radiator. I also ordered Breeze’s upper radiator aluminum panel. So now I’m refitting an aluminum radiator, new aluminum panels, cutting, drilling, and oh ya got a set of bumpers so might as well put them on too as long as I have the car in the shop, so the gas tank was lowered cleaned up in order to install the rear bumper.

By the time I’m done, the repair that should have cost me ZERO as I had the basic parts on the shelf, ended up costing…. $$ (never good to disclose the actual amounts! :)) And yes wife is getting a new set of cooking pans out of the deal too! ]]> R. Button https://v1.thefactoryfiveforum.com/entry.php?266-The-small-repair-project-that-turns-into https://v1.thefactoryfiveforum.com/entry.php?257-What-happened-to-back-ordered-Parts! Tue, 18 Oct 2011 00:29:31 GMT Back in the day ... we could at least plan on parts back ordered, usually a long list of misc parts, we could, some of us, patiently wait for. ... Back in the day ... we could at least plan on parts back ordered, usually a long list of misc parts, we could, some of us, patiently wait for. Arriving home we would round the corner, see well up the street, at the front door of OUR house, boxes piled up with FFR lettered on them. Just a little quicker we drive down the street and like kids at Christmas open the boxes to see what might have come in this delivery. You never knew what day they would arrive, you just waited. Fast forward to now... you call in, place the order, some young eager FFR employee "runs to parts room" and returns with, "We for sure have it and we'll ship it out for you." "Can we use your credit card on file? " And in a couple of minutes the deed is done. Next day arriving to our email comes a tracking number with a list of major parts in the box(es). Now I say, Where is the Mystery in all this? Where is the waiting and the Christmas like excitement opening the boxes as they arrive on random days? Now we can almost "look into" the FedEx plane and or truck, as the parts travel along it's preordained path arriving at our home at the exact agreed day and time. And we even get a text message to your cell phone saying package was delivered at the front door and signed for by Mrs.... sigh... Minute by minute I now follow the package, there is no mystery about where it is nor what is in the package as FedEx reminds me every time I look at it's status! Oh for the good old days of wondering if today will be the day the extra box of rivets will arrive? Or the side fender emblems or the ... And so I now wait for the 20th and the arrival of my box to be delivered before the close of day on or about 5:30PM Central Time! ]]> R. Button https://v1.thefactoryfiveforum.com/entry.php?257-What-happened-to-back-ordered-Parts! https://v1.thefactoryfiveforum.com/entry.php?172-Observation Mon, 25 Jul 2011 02:17:09 GMT I have been an infrequent visitor here as I have begun the path to a new occupation, thus reading, studies, classes, research, papers, and exams ... I have been an infrequent visitor here as I have begun the path to a new occupation, thus reading, studies, classes, research, papers, and exams now have been consuming all my spare time. Combined with my current work my wife has been exceeding patient as I go from studies, to work and back to studies.. oh and just occasionally some sleep! There still is nothing quite like climbing in the car, frequently with Jake as we hunt for some old two lane highways or older southern towns to visit. No cell phone, just clear the brain and enjoy the trip. These cars allow you to be part of the country side you are driving in, much like when I rode my BSA, you feel the heat while on the open road. The smells of fresh cut grass, and the arrival of the farm with fresh "fertilizer" on the field! As the sun sets, the road dips into a low area and the air temperature drops. All this you get to enjoy in a open cockpit car. More so the car just feels right, it runs smoothly, has the power to zip up the hills and loves to follow the curves of the road. As you drive along just remember you built this car! Every nut, bolt, cable, wire, and rivet! I did mention RIVETS!! Box after box of them were used to assemble the aluminum panels! After over 10 years the panels still are in place - no rattles, no creaks, no groans! I still drive the car to the office and back daily, but the long open road trips have had to be put on hold for a while. ]]> R. Button https://v1.thefactoryfiveforum.com/entry.php?172-Observation https://v1.thefactoryfiveforum.com/entry.php?13-Why-I-built-my-Mark-I Sun, 13 Feb 2011 03:34:08 GMT Yes I heard that there was a video of some guy traveling across the country that got put on the Factory Five DVD. While that trip was fascinating, a... Yes I heard that there was a video of some guy traveling across the country that got put on the Factory Five DVD. While that trip was fascinating, a camera in my face during most every waking hour of the day, well it took some getting used to, but there is more to the story. As was quoted I build my Mark I more as a could I build a car. My Henry Ford Syndrome. I did not do lots of research, I came across the ad for Factory Five, stopped by for a visit on a return trip from New York City, and sent in my deposit. When the day came to pick up the parts, I rented a U-Haul car trailer and made the drive down with my youngest son. On that Saturday, back in 1998, Mark happened to be at Factory Five and helped us load the frame on the trailer. We headed home to Maine with this new collection of parts. On the trip home I’m having second thoughts about what I had just done! Sitting at home in my old barn was a pile of parts taken from a 1990 Mustang GT side hit.
http://rbutton.com/files/data/onthetrailersideview.JPG


After unloading all the boxes, and frame, I pulled off the plywood sheets I had bolted to the trailer and headed off to return the trailer. I pull out of my drive way, make left hand turn then a gradual right hand turn and “BAM” the trailer jerks side to side as I pull off the old country road almost into the ditch to be sure I was clear of traffic. I go back to look and find on the right side, the entire wheel, hub, bearings, and brake assembly had broken off one of the axles. I pick up all the parts I could find from the road, unhook the trailer head back to the house to call U-Haul. Meanwhile, in my head I’m speculating what if it had broken on the trip back through the middle of Boston!



Over the next few months I worked on the assembly while also working my “regular” job. I provided high level support for large databases. I would work in the barn wearing a wireless headset as I had run the phone line out the window of the house, across the yard, to the barn about 200 feet away! I’m under the chassis running brake lines, or fuel lines, attaching aluminum panels, while on the phone explaining to someone in England, Sweden, San Francisco, Dodgeville Wisconsin, Italy, Germany, or New York City, the steps they needed to recover their database, fix a query, or backup a database. I’m picturing in my head the words they are seeing on the screen all while arranging the parts on my car. And yes I frequently did have to mention why they were hearing noises in the background as the air compressor started up or I dropped something. I worked that way for weeks gradually assembling my Mark I.
http://rbutton.com/files/data/ithink...ouldgohere.JPG


There was a time, again back in the day, when back orders were THE hot issue. When I picked up my parts, I had a few items on back order. Later when I learned about a few of the forums for these cars, I heard about the issues with back ordered parts. I never really understood all the chatter about back orders. It was not my daily driver car, it was a project I worked on for the pleasure of building a car. I also began to have a new since of wonder, almost Christmas like, all week long as small, large, and assorted other white boxes with blue lettering on them from Factory Five Racing began to arrive at my door. I never knew when they might arrive which created the element of wonder. Then not knowing what parts were in the box added to the Christmas like fun of opening each box. This created a real letdown when I realized that I had no more back orders. I actually looked for what I might need to order from Factory Five which they would not have in stock so I could create a back order! Sorry Dave, but I really tried to create back orders for my car!



There was a since of accomplishment when the engine started, and I was in the go-cart stage. It’s amazing that you can actually drive these cars without the body on them! When the body was painted, on the chassis, and fully assembled, I remember just sitting in the car, out in the old barn, for hours, thinking this really fits nice, I actually build a car, but now what do I do?


Then I discovered the excitement of just driving it. For whatever reason the older style seats just fit me well. The pedals, steering wheel shifter all just fit me. So much so that while I am out driving it is the gas tank that would finally point me to a stop. I’ve slept, and slept well, in my car along the road to Phoenix, under a lamp at Kennebunkport, Maine, tucked at a rest stop between 16 wheelers, and many additional locations. The seats just fit me and thus far I do not get tired from sitting in them.


I’ll use my blog to post stores from the road, of people I’ve meet while out traversing this country. Many are just ordinary people or families that I met that had tales or accounts of the one their uncle, had etc. Some of the people were really interesting people who worked for AC Cars. ]]> R. Button https://v1.thefactoryfiveforum.com/entry.php?13-Why-I-built-my-Mark-I https://v1.thefactoryfiveforum.com/entry.php?3-Owners-Manual Thu, 10 Feb 2011 15:01:38 GMT WAY back before we had any real forum to search for parts, etc., I created an Owners Manual to carry with me while traveling. It listed belts,... WAY back before we had any real forum to search for parts, etc., I created an Owners Manual to carry with me while traveling. It listed belts, hoses, plugs, bulbs, and mostly fuses! It was created as a Word Document so that others could add to it, adjust it, but it was to be a starting point for others. It was laidout to print on a couple of sheets - front and back- then folded to make a small booklet.
Here is the link to a Factory Five's ORIGINAL Mark I's owners manual I created.
Owners Manual document file

And in case you would like it as a zip file here is the same document as a zip file
Owners Manual Zip file

You may do whatever you wish with this document. There is no copywrite on it! ]]> R. Button https://v1.thefactoryfiveforum.com/entry.php?3-Owners-Manual https://v1.thefactoryfiveforum.com/entry.php?2-What-does-a-Traveler-do-when-not-traveling Thu, 10 Feb 2011 02:57:11 GMT One BLOGS!
I have holiday blogs but you'll have to wait till next holiday to get one of those.
We also have car blogs or any kool stuff you did with your car ... or in my case with 8" of snow what I did not do with it today - DRIVE IT! I can deal with rain, heat, dark, fog, cold (up to a point), pot holes, road construction, and even freshly tar'd roads.... but I can not deal with 8" of SNOW, in the SOUTH!

]]> R. Button https://v1.thefactoryfiveforum.com/entry.php?2-What-does-a-Traveler-do-when-not-traveling