Looking to build a Type 65 in the near future

Hi guys,
I'm 14 and im a total noob to car building, the only mechanical thing ive ever done was change a tire. So im a game designer and my game, Corona MotorSport, is about to go live on Steam for sale, steams just a place to sell pc games but anyways ill be making enough money to purchase the complete kit plus the parts and tools required. I'm stuck between the type 65 and the ac cobra because they are both very affordable to build and seem easier than the GTM supercar. I want to go with the type 65 because it has a roof and air conditioning and the ac cobra's roof is another 3 grand and it looks very difficult to modify to install air conditioning. I'd be really happy if i could keep the total under 30k and not more than 35k. And how long would it take to build the car if i worked on it maybe 4 hours a day (get home from high school at 2 so usually have a lot of time) and sometimes have a couple friends or parents help? I've heard it could take between a few months to 10 years. I wanted to spend a max of 1-2 years on this car because by that time i can legally drive it. So is this a good first project to tackle or should i just go buy a car?

And since im a noob, what engine, transmission, and rear end (idk what that is lol) would you guys recommend that are reasonably priced? not looking for too much power, anything with similar specs to the sub 30k muscle cars out there is perfectly fine (mustang, camaro, etc). I wanted to install everything myself then get it checked out by a mechanic and professionally painted at a shop. Oh and what tools are needed for assembly? I know i need an engine hoist and a wrench but im clueless on the rest lol. I have an AutoZone like 5 minutes away from my house. And how long does it usually take for a kit to arrive?

Thanks guys!
Luke Japaridze
LucasGame

Welcome to the forum Luke. Be careful around here, these guy's will "help" you spend your money faster than you know! Where are you located?
Doug

Luke,

If you do not want to spend more then 30-35K I think going the donor route may be the way to go. My build started as a bottom dollar build, but 7 years later it is not ending up that way.(see above comment from Doug)
Buying a well equipped Mustang that you can sell parts from can generate revenue. I sold my parts for more then the purchase price of the Mustang, plus is gave me the engine, tranny, rear end (that is the part the rear wheels mount to) spindles and brakes.
You could also use the wiring harness, but for a first time build may be somewhat complex. The Cobra is the easier build out of the 2 you mentioned but I think the Coupe is much cooler.
If you worked on it for 4 hours 7 days a week that would give you 1,460 hours a year, which could be enough time to build the car. A lot is going to depend on your and your helpers skill level.
Maybe if you can disclose where you live, there could be some guys that live close to you who could show you their car and what it takes to do this.
If you are going to stay with a stock build a good assortment of hand tools, an engine hoist and engine stand, torque wrench, drill, jack and jack stands, brake line bender, flaring kit. Good thing is you don't need to have all the tools right of the start and you can buy them (or even rent them form a car parts store) as you go along.
Also ask many questions here and on the other forum and you are sure to get answers. That is the only reason that I'm able to build mine, because like you I'm also not a car mechanic!

Good Luck

John

PS if you click on someone's name you get a drop down in which you can send a private message (PM). So if you find someone nearby you can contact them direct.
The other forum has a map of coupe owners so you can see too.

Thanks John! what is the minimum year required for the donor car? and how many more hours would approximately be needed to gut the car for the tranny engine and rear end?

and thanks doug :)

Set up is for an 87-93 fox body. tear down goes pretty quick, can be done in a week.
Now it all depends whether you are going to slap the parts right on the car or refurbish and clean and paint etc. on how much you are going to spend from there. My original plan was to put everything from the car right on the coupe and build it like it had race patina and everything. Then I bought the 94-95 spindles, SAI mod, front and rear brake package, painted the calipers, and put on a power booster for the brakes. So you can see how you can go from bottom dollar to expensive in a hurry. Try to lay out a plan and stick to it.

John

thanks, 93 mustangs are pretty cheap these days but the horsepower seems kinda low. if i have extra money would a boss 302 engine fit? but if not, pretty much everything except the wheels can be gotten from the 93 mustang right?

and is using using 22 year old car parts safe?

or is there anything cheaper than a boss 302 engine above 250hp?

A 351 w/ a standard quality rebuild of the short block adding only 10-1 CR pistons but using the stock rods and crank etc w/ an Edelbrock Performer RPM top end kit is about 400hp. Scroll down to the Ford section. BTW their carbs are not recommended.
http://www.edelbrock.com/automotive/...end-kits.shtml
I see no point in a donor car. Too dang old. The other problem is that there is no one year that has everything you want. Something else to consider is that the roadster is much easier to build especially the body work part. Easy to install AC from Whitby. A soft top can be had from them for $1600 as well.
http://www.whitbymotorsports.com/UIn...ventoryid=1539
http://www.whitbymotorsports.com/UIn...ventoryid=1653
Good luck

Thanks CraigS. I don't really want to modify or dissasemble/rebuild the engine, my mechanical skills just aren't there, don't want it to randomly break down or explode lol. The cobra roof looks a bit ugly though, i remember finding one that looked ok but was 3 grand :/ a hard top or a convertible softop would be nice. the air conditioning system looks very promising and affordable too. I'll consider building the roadster too :)

You can easily use the newer mustangs as a donor as well. We used a 2002 GT

Check your insurance first, most companies will not insure drivers under 25 for these cars. (to be honest, I think these cars are too dangerous for under 25, but you sound like you may be more mature and responsible). Is this going to be a father-son project?

not really, my dad knows almost nothing about cars but im sure he will occasionally help. This will mostly be done with my friends and checked out by a mechanic. Ill go ahead and check on insurance when i get the car, if thats the case, ill just insure it to one of my parents and transfer it when im old enough. And tim, your talking about a 2002 for the coupe right? not the roadster?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by lukejaparidze

...So is this a good first project to tackle or should i just go buy a car?...

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Not intending to be discouraging, just realistic... frankly Luke, you should buy a car. From what you've said and asked here it's clear that you are not ready for a project such as this yet. Take some automotive classes in high school, learn how your car works, tinker with it, fix it when necessary, modify it, play with it. A little farther down the road after you've gained some knowledge and experience if you're still into it revisit the building idea.

Good luck,
Jeff

Hi Luke welcome to the forum.

I checked out your game, pretty sick :cool:

With your non automotive back ground check out the Factory Five build school, even though it doesn't have a type 65 build, it should give you some background on what to expect. Take your dad, some friends, some friends with their dads, whatever you think. https://www.factoryfive.com/build-school/

Good luck with your game and the build, keep us posted

Ron

"So is this a good first project to tackle or should i just go buy a car?"

Welcome to the forum. There are many pros and cons to building one of these vs., say, buying something like a late-model Mustang GT and modifying it. Here are some things to consider; none of this is intended to discourage you. This is in no particular order.

First, the Coupe kit is not as refined as the Roadster. There is an old and arguably correct saying that "everything almost fits" on the Coupe, and putting one together well takes a bit of tweaking sheet metal, grinding this and that down to fit, etc. Some builders don't mind that; others find it to be deeply aggravating. I would spend a good deal of time reviewing threads on this forum and the other forum (ffcars) where people ask things like "Where does this go" or "How did you get ______ to fit" if you want a good sense of what I am talking about.

Second, I would buy the build manual from Factory Five and read through it carefully. That will give you a great overview of what is involved in building one of these.

Third, it takes a lot of tools to build one of these. As an example, I was 33 or 34 when I bought my Coupe and had been acquiring tools to work on cars, motorcycles, dirt bikes, etc. for 20 years prior, and I owned a well-set up commercial shop for my own personal use. I STILL had to buy sheet metal shears, sheet metal pliers, various large sockets, brake line tools, brake bleeding tools, cleco pliers and pins, two torque wrenches, an engine lift, electrical diagnostic tools, and probably a few others I am not recalling. Bottom line: if you are building your tool collection from nothing, it will be expensive. On the other hand, I've never regretted a dollar I spent on those things, and they've saved me far more than their cost over time.

Fourth, you should carefully consider whether this is the best use of your time at this point in your life. Again, my personal experiance: I was heavily involved in motocross and bicycles at age 14, and as a result my school work suffered. I felt like I was really behind for my first few years of college, and had I put that time into doing well in high school I might have gone to a better college, gotten some scholarship money, etc. Things worked out fine in the end, but I sometimes wonder if playing with the bikes as much as I did was a poor use of time.

I have a few other things I would say if I did not have to get on a plane in a few hours. I will try to add those comments in a day or two.

Thanks guys! After doing more and more research this looks like its gonna be financially and physically hard, roadster looks the easiest to build, but i think i might take jeff's advice and hold off for a little bit and learn more about building these kinds of things. Im still thinking whether or not to build it though. Im sure ill have enough money soon to build one but i dont want to blow 30k+ on something i might not finish for years.

and thanks presto!

build school seems like a good idea in the future.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by lukejaparidze

And tim, your talking about a 2002 for the coupe right? not the roadster?

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Yep though I did use the 4.6 roadster footbox parts and sidepipes. Check out my blog for details...... here is the beginning page http://homeschoolcoupe.blogspot.com/...5/welcome.html

Your game looks great! It looks like quite a bit of time and work went into making all that happen, so congratulations!

I've gotta say as a young guy myself with a good bit of background in garage work, building robots, and mechanical engineering, building one of these is waaaay harder than it looks (and I've barely started!). You seem driven though, so that may not be an issue. Experience is what you need, IMO.

If I were you I would join an automotive or robotics club and learn how everything works not only in the car but also in the making of it. Power drills, bandsaws, grinders, air compressors, etc... There is quite the list of tools you need to have and know how to use correctly and safely.

Good luck with everything

Thanks timb. your blog will be very helpful for this :) and thanks mjazzka, but my school doesnt really have an automotive club. and their robotics club is a division of something called TSA, they use these kits called VEX which are basically even more expensive Lego Mindstorms. So its not real robot building. I do have some electronics experiance such as soldering and circuit building but thats usually with small household electronics. I dont wanna electrocute myself wiring up the car battery lol. My friend's cousin is a mechanic so hes taught my friend a lot so maybe he could teach me. and maybe we can use his shop for the car at a discount :)

This is what I wanted to add to this thread, but was pressed for time when I last commented:

http://type65.blogspot.com/

I think most prospective builders would do well to read the final post in this build log, titled "fail, Fail, FAIL." The author gives a very candid overview of how his project went sideways and languished for years.