Factory Five Forums - Blogs - The Wrenchette: A Girl Buils a Roadster by Wrenchette https://v1.thefactoryfiveforum.com/blog.php?2801-The-Wrenchette-A-Girl-Buils-a-Roadster Builder community site for Factory Five Racing. en Sat, 02 May 2026 17:52:17 GMT vBulletin 10 https://v1.thefactoryfiveforum.com/images/misc/rss.jpg Factory Five Forums - Blogs - The Wrenchette: A Girl Buils a Roadster by Wrenchette https://v1.thefactoryfiveforum.com/blog.php?2801-The-Wrenchette-A-Girl-Buils-a-Roadster Tranny A-Frame modification https://v1.thefactoryfiveforum.com/entry.php?999-Tranny-A-Frame-modification Tue, 02 Apr 2013 03:32:27 GMT Before I could start laying out where the fuel lines would go, I needed to install the fuel filter. Once again, it's nice to be able to fit into tight spaces to reach tough spots for drilling.

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I switched to an in-tank fuel pump, which had a different sized fitting. So the semi-rigid line that came with the kit was replaced with flexible fuel line, which got rid of an ugly kink in the line.

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This is where things get interesting when you go off the ranch. The tranny A-frame interfered with the oil pan of my auto tranny. So I called in the help of Fabrication Boy (Zac) and he modified the frame with cuts and welds to clear the pan. Here's the jig for keeping everything in place during the modification work.

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Zac welding up the frame.

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Modifications complete.

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Since the engine and tranny are temporarily installed, the A-frame was mounted up un-painted. When the engine and tranny come back out, I'll paint the A-frame glossy black.

The modified A-frame in place, now clearing the tranny pan.

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View from below looking up at the completed A-frame.

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I have a few tabs on the tranny that will need to be filed down (like the one shown below) where it currently interferes with the frame. Also, the bracket for the starter may require a notch in the frame, but we'll see once everything gets bolted down. I also temporarily put the header on to see where to route tranny cooler lines, the tranny dip stick, and fuel lines.

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]]> Wrenchette https://v1.thefactoryfiveforum.com/entry.php?999-Tranny-A-Frame-modification <![CDATA[1st Engine & Tranny fit]]> https://v1.thefactoryfiveforum.com/entry.php?998-1st-Engine-amp-Tranny-fit Mon, 01 Apr 2013 05:03:49 GMT Last summer (June 2012) we were able to do the first installation of the engine and transmission. I wanted to get the engine and tranny in to see how... Last summer (June 2012) we were able to do the first installation of the engine and transmission. I wanted to get the engine and tranny in to see how they fit, and where I would be able to route all of the fuel, brake, and tranny cooler lines, along with all of the other plumbing. My plan was to do a first fit, make the modifications, pull the engine and tranny back out, paint the aluminum engine bay panels, permanently rivet them in, and then install the engine and tranny for real.

It was easiest to move the tranny around on a furniture dolly with padding.
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Bolting the tranny up to the engine.
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Wheeled the engine shipping crate and the tranny dolly as close to the car as possible before the big lift.
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Engine finally free of the shipping crate.
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Bolting the motor mounts on.
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Finally getting the engine and tranny in.
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Of course, this stuff doesn't go smoothly on the first try. Here's a short video of the process sped up 4X. There's lots of checking for interference, and jacking the car up off of the chassis dolly before the engine and tranny finally clear the frame. But now we've got an idea of where the tranny interferes with the frame and what modifications need to be made. After the changes, the engine and tranny should go in much smoother the second time around.

[video=youtube_share;m-ol0_ZBxbU]http://youtu.be/m-ol0_ZBxbU[/video]
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]]> Wrenchette https://v1.thefactoryfiveforum.com/entry.php?998-1st-Engine-amp-Tranny-fit Engine arrived and fuel tank installed https://v1.thefactoryfiveforum.com/entry.php?413-Engine-arrived-and-fuel-tank-installed Sun, 08 Apr 2012 04:56:51 GMT I'm back! I took few months of the build off to help my parents with some work on their property. Now that I'm back I need to update a few things from the break.

I left off with the steering system. In early January I drilled the front panel and painted it hammertone grey to match the F-panels, and riveted the panel on.

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Back in January, my engine and transmission arrived. The top questions I get related to the build are 1) What color are you going to paint it? and 2) What engine are you putting in it? So here's the answer to Question #2:

[LIST][*]Ford Racing 302[*]GT 40 Heads[*]Edelbrock Performer RPM Manifold[*]Holley Avenger Throttle Body Injection[*]Ford Racing Valve Covers and Air Cleaner (Christmas gift)[*]TCI Streetfighter AOD[/LIST]

My goal is a nice street car. Racing motorcycles I learned street vehicles are for the street, track vehicles are for the track. All of the crazy stuff will happen when I build an FFR Coupe for the track. ;) It's amazing how critical people become when they learn what you are putting in a car [U][B]you[/B][/U] are building. [I]A 302? That's it?!? AOD? Everyone knows manual transmission shifting is the extension of a penis![/I] Yes, well, my response is that if they don't like it, they can do whatever they want when they [U][B]build their own car[/B][/U]. Which many are not. Ah well.

The engine had to be picked up at the freight depot, so Zac picked it up in his truck. Many jokes ensued online about a Ford engine in the back of a Chevy truck.

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Getting the crate out of the truck was a bit tricky.

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Figured it would be best to get the manifold on to cover up some of the holes. First, I painted the gasket sealing surface with raspberry jam (not really, but the adhesive sure does resemble it).

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Then installed the gaskets and manifold and torqued. It was going to be awhile before I get the engine in, so I re-bagged it to keep garage debris out.

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So that's as far as I got before the break. This weekend I started the build back up again by installing the fuel tank. Here's the tank out of the box. Always nice to get a big cardboard box broken down.

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Then I installed the mounting straps. The straps required some custom bending, as the tank was a tight fit. Once the bends were in place, the straps could be secured. I put the fuel tank on a jack to wheel it into position and hold it up while I got the straps in place.

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And here's the tank installed on the frame. I installed the filler tube and sender unit. I left the fuel pickup out as my in-tank fuel pump is on order. An in-tank pump will be much easier to deal with during hot Tucson weather, and quieter.

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Now that the tank is in, I can determine where to install additional storage cubbies in the trunk space between the frame and the tank.
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]]> Wrenchette https://v1.thefactoryfiveforum.com/entry.php?413-Engine-arrived-and-fuel-tank-installed Steering system installed https://v1.thefactoryfiveforum.com/entry.php?332-Steering-system-installed Sat, 31 Dec 2011 16:33:57 GMT Next on the list was the steering system. I borrowed my husband's drill press to drill the holes for the brake light switch mount.
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Then drilled the holes in the frame for the master cylinder mount.
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Master cylinder mount brackets were painted glossy black to match the frame.
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Getting the brake and accelerator pedals installed. Always nice when you can sit in the engine bay of the car to reach these places.
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Once the pedals were installed, I had to do a test fit of the driving position. ;)
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Installing the steering shaft.
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Got the front steering rack bolted on and the shaft attached.
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And the shaft from the rack to the cockpit.
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Everything has been fitted up, so I just need to temporarily disconnect the shaft to paint and install another aluminum panel, which is the one that goes behind the master cyclinders. After that I'll install the shaft again, do the final bolt up, and loctite all of the screws that require it.
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]]> Wrenchette https://v1.thefactoryfiveforum.com/entry.php?332-Steering-system-installed <![CDATA[Panhard rod & rear brakes installed]]> https://v1.thefactoryfiveforum.com/entry.php?329-Panhard-rod-amp-rear-brakes-installed Mon, 26 Dec 2011 01:15:10 GMT I'm on vacation from work right now, so my FFR build is on FIRE! Updating the blog is lagging a bit behind the actual work.

Got the panhard rod installed.
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And the rear rotors and brake calipers got installed. Had to do some shimming to get the calipers on the rotors straight.
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Now that the front and rear brakes were assembled, I could do a test fit of my wheels. Opened up one of the wheel boxes and fit the rim up. Here's the front, and now you can see why I painted my F panels this color:
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And the rear:
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So far so good. I ordered a pair of cleco pliers and set of clecos for the upcoming aluminum work. And this week I'm going to place an order for my engine, tranny, and EFI system. Details on all of that in future blog posts.

Since today is Christmas, here's what Santa brought me for my FFR.

Torque wrenches:
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And Cobra valve covers and air cleaner:
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Santa knows girls like shiny things for Christmas. :)
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]]> Wrenchette https://v1.thefactoryfiveforum.com/entry.php?329-Panhard-rod-amp-rear-brakes-installed Front brakes and rear end installed https://v1.thefactoryfiveforum.com/entry.php?327-Front-brakes-and-rear-end-installed Fri, 23 Dec 2011 21:23:22 GMT The day after I installed my front shocks, Koni sent a recall alert. Thankfully my date codes were easy to access and were outside of the affected... The day after I installed my front shocks, Koni sent a recall alert. Thankfully my date codes were easy to access and were outside of the affected date range, so I was good to go. I'm not very far along in the build and haven't bolted many parts on, so it would suck to have to unbolt the parts that I [I]just[/I] put on and send them back. So the build continues.

I got my front brake calipers assembled, which was easier to do on the workbench.
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Then it was time to put the front rotors on and bolt the calipers on.
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Assembled front end.
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Next was the rear end, which has been sitting on a furniture dolly ever since it was painted and assembled. I got the control arms bolted on, then we wheeled the rear end under the car.
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Just a few small snags here. The bolts to mount the control arms to the frame were missing in the hardware bag, so Zac made a quick run to Ace hardware to get temporary bolts. We ordered the correct strength bolts through McMaster-Carr, which will be here next week and I can switch the temporary bolts out. Also, the rear shock springs came in contact with the frame, so we decided to flip the shocks upside down for better clearance.

I'm glad I painted the rear end glossy black, which matches the frame nicely.
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And here's the rear end with the floor jack rolled away! In the background, more cardboard boxes broken down. I can now fit my wheels and lower steering shaft boxes in the garage and move them out of the front living room.
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]]> Wrenchette https://v1.thefactoryfiveforum.com/entry.php?327-Front-brakes-and-rear-end-installed <![CDATA[Garage update, and front suspension & hubs installed]]> https://v1.thefactoryfiveforum.com/entry.php?325-Garage-update-and-front-suspension-amp-hubs-installed Tue, 20 Dec 2011 15:56:52 GMT First, a very important garage update. The floor is done! We finished coating the floor of the first bay, Zac installed the baseboard trim, and moved... First, a very important garage update. The floor is done! We finished coating the floor of the first bay, Zac installed the baseboard trim, and moved everything back against the walls. Here's an update pic of the garage before the motorcycle lift and all of the motorcycles moved back into the first bay (they were crammed into the 3rd bay while the work was going on).

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My FFR build is taking place in the 2nd bay in the middle, where it's easy to reach the rack of boxes. Hard to believe the garage is now this complete. We have a few things left to do (another row of lighting and a drop ceiling) but at least the garage is to a point where everything major is now in its place, the floor is done, and we can now work on projects.

And now back to the build. With the F panels painted it was time to silicone and rivet them in place. The seasons have changed and it got cold in the garage, so for the next few months of pictures I'll be in my Dickies.
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In anticipation of my build, Zac bought me an air riveter a few years ago. I finally got a chance to use it!
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These are now, officially, the first parts installed on the car. Major milestone!
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With the F panels in place I could now bolt on the upper and lower control arms.
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This pic signifies another major milestone. First FFR cardboard box empty and in the recycle bin! Box 22 was the first to be emptied.
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Next, I assembled the Koni shocks and started the install onto the car.
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The spacers were too large to fit, so I called in the assistance of Machine Shop Boy. Zac put all the spacers up on the lathe and turned them down so they would fit. Yay for Machine Shop Boy!
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Next, the front hubs went on. These had to be torqued to 225 ft-lbs (I start having trouble torquing around 100) so I called in the assistance of Brute Force Boy, who had to put his body weight into it. Given that he's 80 lbs heavier than me, I think this was the correct call. I'd rather these be the correct torque than have my front wheels fall off. However, I was able to handle the dust cap installation without an issue.
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Look, a front end! At least parts are going on the frame so that the innocent passerby can now differentiate the front of the car from the back. When you have a naked, black, spidery looking frame in the garage, most people have a hard time telling it's a car.
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At this point, Box 1H just had steering components in it. I repacked those into Box 15 (a smaller box), re-labeled it, and sent big Box 1H to the recycle bin.

Next on the list is installing the front brakes, and installing the rear end. The rear end is still sitting on a furniture dolly under the back of the car, so it will be nice to get that bolted on.
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]]> Wrenchette https://v1.thefactoryfiveforum.com/entry.php?325-Garage-update-and-front-suspension-amp-hubs-installed Wheels, aluminum, and a glossy rear-end https://v1.thefactoryfiveforum.com/entry.php?311-Wheels-aluminum-and-a-glossy-rear-end Sun, 27 Nov 2011 15:03:01 GMT Travel for work has ramped up over the past couple of months, so I haven't been out in the garage to work on my car as much. This is why I like not being on a schedule and building when I can...I don't feel guilty for not being out there working on the car. I feel with all the other souces of stress in life, the build of the car shouldn't be one of them.

My husband was telling me that my car's rear-end was getting in the way in the garage, and I really should get it prepped to get it out of the way. (Yes, I realize how unique my situation is, most guys have their wives complaining about the car). First step was to get it prepped for paint.

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It was time to finally purchase a hoist, which will get used for a bunch of other projects. The rear-end was hung from the hoist in the front yard so that I could coat it in glossy black acrylic enamel to match the frame of the car.

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The paint didn't come out too bad!

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The next day after the paint was cured I removed the axles, installed the rear brake brackets, re-installed the axles, added oil, and sealed it up.

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Next I removed all of the aluminum panels. They are now in organized piles, stored up in the garage attic where they can't get stepped on or damaged.

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The car is officially naked.

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The F panels are the first to go on, so I drilled those and painted them a hammer grey. I left them to cure in the garage during the week, since this is how far I got in a weekend.

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In other news, my wheels and lower steering shaft arrived. They take up a lot of room, so right now the boxes are living in my living room. I could throw a nice cloth over the wheel boxes and use it as a coffee table next to the couch.

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Like a kid at Christmas, I couldn't resist opening one of the wheel boxes. I also unpacked my FFR box with the FFR badges inside. My plan is to purchase 4 additional FFR badges and attach them as decorative caps on the hubs. My husband is already planning on how to machine a backing plate (he loves doing such things).

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]]> Wrenchette https://v1.thefactoryfiveforum.com/entry.php?311-Wheels-aluminum-and-a-glossy-rear-end <![CDATA[Body off, aluminum marked, & wheels ordered]]> https://v1.thefactoryfiveforum.com/entry.php?248-Body-off-aluminum-marked-amp-wheels-ordered Mon, 03 Oct 2011 00:41:57 GMT With the body buck complete, it was time to move the body off of the chassis this weekend. I kept an eye on the weather, because a tropical storm in... With the body buck complete, it was time to move the body off of the chassis this weekend. I kept an eye on the weather, because a tropical storm in Mexico had been causing high winds. Saturday morning the weather was perfect, so I called Ryan over to help Zac and I move the body.

[I]While I unbolted the body from the chassis, Ryan and Zac moved the buck into the back yard.[/I]
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The plan was to get the body buck in the backyard, wheel the chassis out to the front yard, lift the body off, lift it up and over the fence, and place it on the body buck. This is because right now we don't have a gate large enough in the front yard to wheel the car through.

Lifting the body is definitely much easier with three people. Ryan was at the front, Zac was at the back, and I ran around the outside while they lifted to peel the sides up and over the chassis, and to make sure it didn't get hung up on any parts of the frame.

[I]The guys getting psyched up for "The Big Lift."[/I]
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[I]I managed to get this photo while we were in the middle of lifting the body over the fence.[/I]
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It was much easier to move than expected. Later on we put a stabilizer bar in the cockpit, and tied the body down to the buck. I didn't want to risk it blowing off in high winds. Zac and I then pushed it under the porch for storage.

[I]I'm thinking a few patio chairs and it would make a nice table. That would be the dining room window it's next to. I can now gaze out the window at breakfast or dinner and see my car's body.[/I]
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Once the body was off, we wheeled the chassis back into the garage. The next step was to go through and mark all of the aluminum where it contacted the chassis, and where the panels overlapped. I marked the overlaps of interest with a letter on each side, then an "O" for over and "U" for under. I started with A, and by the time I was done I ended with AT.

[I]Marking the panels. Zac loves that he can sit on the fender of his '57 Chevy and work in the engine bay. I joked that I can do the same thing right now and sit on the frame rails.[/I]
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[I]There was lots of crawling around underneath to do the markings on the underside. Advantage #1 of being a girl...I'm smaller and fit under there easier.[/I]
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[I]An example of all the markings. The kit looks like it's prepped for surgery.[/I]
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After I finished all of the markings, I took a bunch of pictures with my camera to refer to later on when the panels are ready for assembly. I'll spare the blog readers that volume of pictures. The next step will be to remove the panels and put them in the attic for storage, where they can't get damaged. It's amazing the amount of disassembly, even on the complete kit, that is required before you get to the assembly steps. I have yet to install my first part, but I figure this prep time and attention to detail now will pay off later when I'm staring at a panel wondering which way it goes.

Today I also ordered my wheels. Wheels are one of the first aesthetic choices for the car that has to be made. I've been thinking about this for a long time, and it helped to attend the FFR car show at Huntington Beach earlier this year. I was able to compare the looks of several different types of wheels, and took a ton of pictures to refer back to later on, which I pulled up and reviewed today. I kept going back to the look of my favorite set.

[I]The final choice: Mustang Bullitt wheels in Anthracite grey, size 17 x 9 purchased from OE Wheels.[/I]
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These had previously been on backorder, and when I checked the website today, they were in stock. So I went ahead and placed my order. All four wheels will be 17 x 9. I thought about 17 x 10.5 on the back, but I just don't care for the deeper dished-in look on the rim that the 10.5's have. My current thinking on tire size is 245 up front and 275 in back.

I won't be purchasing new tires for the wheels yet, since I won't need good tires until the car is in the go-cart stage. I figure, why purchase new tires only to have them sit around for who knows how long? So my plan is to buy a set of used, cheap take-offs to put on for now, then switch them out later on (which may be a year or so down the line...who knows). Hey, it works well in the motorcycle racing world, so I figured the same idea will work well for my car.

Today I went to Ace Hardware and picked up Rustoleum hammer paint in dark grey for the engine bay aluminum panels. I think the grey will go nicely with the gloss black frame and tie in well with the Anthracite color of the wheels.
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]]> Wrenchette https://v1.thefactoryfiveforum.com/entry.php?248-Body-off-aluminum-marked-amp-wheels-ordered <![CDATA[Inventory, chassis dolly, & body buck complete]]> https://v1.thefactoryfiveforum.com/entry.php?246-Inventory-chassis-dolly-amp-body-buck-complete Mon, 26 Sep 2011 05:11:59 GMT I have finally worked my way through all of my FFR boxes and taken inventory on all parts. I unpacked each box one at a time, checked off the items... I have finally worked my way through all of my FFR boxes and taken inventory on all parts. I unpacked each box one at a time, checked off the items on the packing list, taped the boxes back up, and labeled the outside of each of what is inside so that it is easier to identify each box.

I also removed the hood, doors, and trunk, and unpacked the hood scoop. The main body will be stored outside in the heat on a body buck, but I didn't want to worry about the hood and other loose parts blowing away in high winds. So those parts moved upstairs into the attic of the garage. It gets nice and toasty up there, so it will work well as a bakeout oven.

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The chassis will need to move in and out of the garage while we finish a section of flooring, so I wanted to get the chassis off of the jack stands and build a chassis dolly. We had an old cart that belonged to a welding table that we purchased at a surplus sale. The welding table is planted on the floor of the garage, so we decided to turn the leftover frame with wheels into a chassis dolly.

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The circular cutouts are lined with carpet to protect the powdercoating of the frame. All 6 wheels lock, which keeps the chassis from drifting on the floor. The floor isn't exactly level, so having 6 wheels works nicely. We've wheeled it around, and it's quite stable.

The next step was to build a body buck from the plans provided in the manual. Zac picked up some wheels from Harbor Freight so that we can easily move it around in the back yard, and helped with the layout.

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I'll add some insulation to protect the underside of the fiberglass where it contacts the buck, and then it will be ready for the body to be installed. Removing the body from the chassis and getting it on the buck and into the back yard will be a 3 person job, which I'll save for next weekend.
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]]> Wrenchette https://v1.thefactoryfiveforum.com/entry.php?246-Inventory-chassis-dolly-amp-body-buck-complete Delivery Day! https://v1.thefactoryfiveforum.com/entry.php?203-Delivery-Day! Mon, 12 Sep 2011 03:06:15 GMT Today my kit arrived! I was sweating the schedule a bit on my kit delivery. My kit was scheduled to be completed on 9/3/11, with Stewart Transport... Today my kit arrived! I was sweating the schedule a bit on my kit delivery. My kit was scheduled to be completed on 9/3/11, with Stewart Transport picking up at FFR somewhere between the 6th and 9th. Unfortunately I had to go on travel for work the 12th – 15th, so that would put me in the red and the car possibly arriving while I was gone. I did NOT want to miss my delivery day! I called FFR early in the first week in September and they verified my kit was done and ready to go. I then called Stewart Transport, and they were scheduled to pick it up on the 2nd, which was earlier than expected. They anticipated it arriving in Tucson the weekend of the 9th. I’d be cutting it close, but it was possible that it could all work out.


My Stewart Transport driver was Bill (I kept joking that Santa’s name is now Bill) and he called me on the 3rd to say he was on the road and left FFR with 9 cars, and I was 5th in the delivery line. He was dropping them off and making his way across the country as quick as he could. On Thursday the 8th I found out he was in Kansas, on his way to drop off a kit in NM, then would be making his way to Tucson.


Saturday morning Bill called to say he had dropped off in NM and was now headed to Tucson. It’s about a 5 hour drive from where he had dropped off, and he mentioned he could possibly drop off that evening. I called and left him a message that Sunday morning would work, as my husband was finishing up drywall work in the garage. About 5:30 PM the wind and rain hit, and didn’t let up until 9 PM, so it turned out to be a good thing to wait until Sunday morning. Bill said he’d plan for a 9 AM drop off.


I woke up at 6 AM, too excited to sleep. It was Christmas morning and Santa was on his way! ;) I had all sorts of excited energy, and the waiting was killing me. I even resorted to cleaning the house to take my mind off the waiting. My husband Zac came in the house at about 8:50 AM and said “There’s a big truck outside” and sure enough, it was Bill from Stewart Transport. My kit had arrived!


I called my friend Ryan, and he came over to help with the unloading. I had the chassis with the body, and 23 boxes to get into the garage. Bill called out the box numbers while I checked them off the list, and we loaded them onto his cart and wheeled them down the driveway and into the garage. Finally it was time for the chassis and body to come out. Stewart Transport has a very cool crane system that easily lifts the entire thing out of the truck and onto the cart. All sorts of cars were driving by slowly as the Roadster crept out of the back of the truck and onto the cart. After the car was securely on the cart, Zac and Bill rolled it into the garage, and Ryan helped with getting it onto the jack stands.


Bill and I finished up the paperwork, I sent him on his way with a tip for taking care of my car, and I began unpacking boxes to inventory them. I’d unpack, check the items off the packing list, then repack and label the outside of each box. I also pulled the duct tape off the body right away, to prevent tape residue from welding to the gel coat. I actually don’t have too many items on backorder, and already have an email that one of the items has already shipped.


Up next on my to-do list is to build a chassis dolly to wheel the car in and out of the garage, as we still have one section of flooring to finish and I’ll need to move the car out of the way. I’ll also build a body buck to store the body outside while the kit is being built. I don’t have a timeline that I’m building to, as I’m focused on taking my time and enjoying the build.


Thankfully the entire schedule that I was sweating worked out. I had just enough time to get the kit in the garage and the boxes inventoried before heading out of town for the entire week. But when I return, I’ll have plenty to do on the car.

My first blog video on delivery day:
[video=youtube;lagxr7Wswz0]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lagxr7Wswz0[/video]

And now the pics.

[I]The Stewart Transport truck arrives:
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That's a big truck!
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First glimpse at my Roadster.
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Waiting for my Roadster to emerge.
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My husband Zac helping with the boxes.
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My friend Ryan helping unload.
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Boxes!
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Ryan getting the boxes steady.
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The chassis all hooked up to the Stewart Transport crane.
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Bill & I.
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]]> Wrenchette https://v1.thefactoryfiveforum.com/entry.php?203-Delivery-Day! First Part Has Arrived! https://v1.thefactoryfiveforum.com/entry.php?193-First-Part-Has-Arrived! Sun, 28 Aug 2011 02:28:17 GMT Yesterday the first part of my Roadster arrived. I ordered the Moser 8.8" rear end because I'm going with the 3-link rear suspension. This ships from Moser Engineering in Indiana, so it arrived ahead of the kit. I was eagerly awaiting my first box, which was to arrive by freight between 3 PM and 6 PM. The sounds of school buses and garbage trucks were driving me crazy as I waited! Finally the doorbell rang and the freingh truck was out front with my crate on a pallet jack.

The coffin it arrives in:
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We took the lid off the box so that we could check out the rear end. Since we are still working on the garage, it will stay on furniture dollies for a few weeks while we get everything setup. With the crate this weighed in at 273 pounds!
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Cool FFR logo:
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Without my kit there's not much to do with the rear end except look at it in the box. In the meantime, work continues on the garage. Today we painted the floor of Bay #3 with epoxy coating. Curing should be complete by tomorrow, when Zac plans to do the drywall work. All of the metal working and wood working tools and benches will be on this side, so once those move over sometime next week we'll have more room to work on Bay #2, where the Roadster will be built.
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]]> Wrenchette https://v1.thefactoryfiveforum.com/entry.php?193-First-Part-Has-Arrived! The Nesting Phase https://v1.thefactoryfiveforum.com/entry.php?181-The-Nesting-Phase Sun, 14 Aug 2011 02:03:21 GMT I don't have kids, and I've never been pregnant, but they say people that are go through a "nesting" phase of needing to get everything in order before the big day arrives. That seems to be the phase I'm in now with my kit. My Roadster kit has an estimated completion date at FFR of September 3, 2011. When I look at the calendar, this seems really close, and I've started getting everything ready. I'm an OCD planner, so I guess all of this plays to my skills well.

I've contacted Stewart Transport, the trucking company that will bring my Roadster frame, body, and 35 boxes from Wareham, MA to Tucson, AZ. They don't require the kit to be crated before shipping, as they have a cool crane that lifts it out of the truck, which can be seen on their website [URL="http://www.stewarttransport.com/index.php?go=factory5"]here[/URL]. The truck gets filled with 8-10 kits before leaving FFR, and then the truck drops the kits off at the various points across the country. Given that I'm in Tucson, my kit will probably be towards the tail end of the trip, unless there's been a run on FFR kits from CA, WA, and OR.

September 3rd falls on the Labor Day weekend, so Stewart estimates picking up my kit somewhere in the 6th to 9th range. It will then take approximately 7-10 days to make it across the country before mine arrives. So for now I'm looking at a mid-September arrival. Did I mention that seems really close? I've already paid for my shipping in full, which for those curious is $1600. This may seem like a lot, but with the price of fuel and the amount of transportation required, it's not bad at all. There's no way I'd want to do that drive. I've done the drive from Tucson to Mid-Ohio, and Tucson to Daytona and back, with a trailer full of race motorcycles and it's not fun.

August 6th was the 12 year wedding anniversary for Zac and I. He surprised me with a 12V DeWalt rechargeable drill and a 10 pack of 1/8 inch drill bits, "since you'll probably go through a bunch of those" he said. I asked if he got the 12V drill because it was our 12th anniversary. "Um, yeah..." he replied. Ha! I was just kidding around. It was a great gift and adds to the pile of tools I'm collecting specifically for my build.

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A few years ago, Zac got me my own toolbox and Craftsman tools, with the anticipation of me building my kit. You see, it's important to have separate tools. I'll be able to keep track of my tools for my build without them wandering off to be used on other projects. I'm the type that puts my toys away when I'm done with them at the end of the day. My husband, not so much. He had them all engraved with "For Elaine, Love Zac" as part of the gift, so they are easy to tell apart from the other garage tools. I've already played with them when working on motorcycle projects, but now they'll finally get used for their intended project.

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The other part of the preparation is our garage. When we purchased the house (a fixxer upper), the garage was unfinished. This was fine, because that meant we could set up the garage the way we wanted. Now that my kit has an arrival date, Zac is working on getting the garage together so that I'll have a place to build. It's a 36 ft by 36 ft detached garage, with 3 large roll-up doors. Most people think this is huge, but given the number of hobbies we have and the fact that it isn't completely finished means it isn't quite organized. I told Zac that people have built kits with far less space, so even if we push motorcycles and bicycles over it should be fine. We'll see how far we are in September.

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]]> Wrenchette https://v1.thefactoryfiveforum.com/entry.php?181-The-Nesting-Phase <![CDATA[This girl's building an FFR Roadster!]]> https://v1.thefactoryfiveforum.com/entry.php?171-This-girl-s-building-an-FFR-Roadster! Mon, 25 Jul 2011 01:32:15 GMT I finally did it. Today I finally filled out the online order form for an FFR Mk 4 Roadster complete kit and clicked the "submit order" button. Deep breath...and so it begins.

This will be my first car project, as all of my projects before this were of the two-wheeled variety. I learned to ride a motorcycle 15 years ago when my husband (then boyfriend) dug up a 1970 Hodaka Super Rat frame and engine out of my parent's backyard. My husband was always into motorcycles, and since we were both in college, fixing up the little 100cc dirtbike would be the cheapest way to get a bike for me to learn to ride. We cleaned all of the parts, disassembled and re-assembled the engine, and fabbed what was broken. The Super Rats were notorious for having broken side engine cases because you can shift from 5th to 1st in one swoop, at the cost of the shift mechanism hitting the inside of the case. Too many times of that caused the aluminum cases to fracture. My husband, being a mechanical engineer, was able to patch the case back together, and fab up a spring that was missing for the shift mechanism. We made several trips down to Star Cycle, a small motorcycle salvage shop and dug through bins of parts to find anything to make the bike functional. I sewed a seat cover for it and cut foam to bond to the seat pan for a seat. It wasn't period correct, but it was enough to make it work. After a few kicks the bike fired up and came to life. It was annoyingly loud, like a weedwacker on speed. But it moved under it's own power, and that was enough for me to learn how to ride a motorcycle.

My first ride on the Hodaka:
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After a year or so of riding the little Hodaka, I wanted a bike that I could ride on the street. I saw an ad in the paper for a 1972 Honda CL450 scrambler that was disassembled and in boxes. I bought it for $100 and brought it home to start assembling. It had a broken cam chain, but other than that the engine was good enough to put back together. Being a parallell twin, it was perfect for learning engines as my husband could show me what to do on one cylinder, and I could repeat the process on the other cylinder. We made more trips down to Star Cycle for cables, seat pan, and headlight shell. The original seat cover was shot, so I made a pattern off of the rotting cover and stitched my own out of vinyl. The guy that had begun restoring it painted the tank an awful fuschia color, so we sandblasted that off, and I learned how to do body filler on the dents, prime, sand, and my husband did the paint.

Sanding the tank:
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Completed bike!
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A closer look. I'm proud of that seat. :)
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After awhile, I wanted a sport bike. But not just any sport bike. I fell in love with the MZ Skorpion, a bike made in Germany but powered by the Yamaha XTZ660 engine. It was a 5 valve single. Talk about a thumper! This bike was my first big purchase, and I commuted back and forth to college classes with it. Unfortunately, while stuck in homecoming game traffic on the University of Arizona campus, I was rear-ended. I rode out the crash, put the bike on the kickstand, and sat down on the curb as I took off my helmet. As I sat there, at eye-level I could see the subframe had been ripped from the frame. My Barker aftermarket exhaust was folded in half. After I calmed down and dealt with the insurance company of the guy that hit me (I put an impressive dent in his hood), it was time to make lemonade out of lemons. I bought the bike back as a salvage from the insurance company, and purchased the MZ Skorpion Replica, my dream bike, as a replacement streetbike. The little yellow Skorpion was now destined for the track as my first track bike. My husband welded the subframe back to together, we fixed the pipe, and I learned how to ride on the track.

Riding on the track leads to racing...it's inevitable. Being a girl on a lightweight bike was a perfect combo. Over time we started modifying the little MZ. A custom aluminum subframe was made to remove massive weight off the bike. I had the stock 660 bored out to 686cc. The stock carbs were ditched for flatslides. We added a dual exhaust system. It got a wire diet. Suspension got dialed in. We added different wheels and I was able to run slicks. All of this happened over a few years at the track. I learned to troubleshoot issues and what jetting was needed for the different elevations. And I became competitive. We chased race series, points, traveled to tracks all over the west and the championship races at Mid-Ohio and Daytona. Daytona was the Race of Champions for the Championship Cup Series we followed, and I won my race and took home the Amateur Supersingles National Champion title.

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Over the years I'd race several bikes including a TZ250, a Yamaha R6, a Ninja 650R, and even the '72 Honda CL450 scrambler was retrofitted for vintage racing. After awhile our garage got a bit small, and our lifestyles no longer fit with the homeowner's association (they didn't like that our race trailer would be parked out front for loading/unloading on race weekends, and wouldn't let us build a detached garage). So we moved in 2007 to a fixxer upper home (that we are still working on), but it has a 6 car detached garage. Most of the motorcycles in this story I still have, so we needed the garage space! Unfortunately the racing budget had to be diverted to the house, so the bikes have been parked for awhile.

So that was how I got into learning about wrenching on things with engines. A few years ago, I had remarked to my husband that I loved the vintage roadsters, and he told me about Factory Five. I immediately went on the website and ordered a DVD and watched it several times over. In 2007 I attended the Mott Build School, just to feel out how difficult a build like this would be. I had a great time with the class, and there were people in the class that had never even picked up a wrench. The instructors were great, and I walked out with a ton of notes and the feeling that yes, I could build the car.

Graduation!
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We set up a special savings account, and over the years I saved up for my kit. In May of 2010 I was on travel to Boston for work, so I arrived a day early to travel down to the FFR factory. While there I met Brian, and he took me on a tour where I took a billion photos, including one of me sitting in the new Mk 4.

I want one!
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Earlier this year we attended the FFR show at Huntington Beach, and I knew I'd be purchasing the kit this year. Today I finally decided to pull the trigger and order my kit. We are still working on the garage, but this will be the motivation to get it to the point where I'll be able to work on my project car.

This will also be my first solo project. As you can see above, my husband and I have shared many projects together. But the FFR Roadster is one that I want to build myself. I'll use him for quality control, and helping lift things like the body and the engine into place where everyone needs more than 2 hands. But I told him he's not allowed to turn any wrenches on it unless I specifically ask. This is one thing that I want to build and say that I did it.
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]]> Wrenchette https://v1.thefactoryfiveforum.com/entry.php?171-This-girl-s-building-an-FFR-Roadster!