John in KC - Roadster Build Thread

6/10

4 hrs - Passenger footbox (initial assembly and fitment)

Started fitting the panels, building and holding it all in place with clecos using only the factory pre-drilled holes to make sure all panels are positioned correctly before drilling additional holes for rivets. The manual is actually pretty clear on how to do this, just make sure you have all the panels in their correct place with good fitment at the seams and frame members before drilling your final holes. You'll be glad you marked the panels showing which tabs go where. Temporarily mounted f-panels.

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6/11

4.5 hrs - Brake balance bar adjusted, charcoal vent install, passenger aluminum footbox finalized

Did a lot of research on setting up the balance bar. It's really easy to miss something here. I advise searching the forums and watching the wilwood video if you don't quite understand how it's supposed to work. Made sure mine was properly engaging the master cylinder plungers, brake pedal cleared from hitting frame, correct distance between clevis and pedal shaft, bar centered, and set screw adjusted to allow the 'click' for each turn of the balance bar. I had cut 5/8" off the MC plungers but still had to draw them into the clevis a ways until they weren't pushing against the pedal at rest. Thinking of installing the remote bias adjuster, but not at the moment. Looks to be pretty easy to get to even with the footbox panels in place.

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Trimmed shoulder panel on passenger side. Apparently this panel always needs trimming from the factory, per build school. If you don't, the body will hit and be pushed up in this area and you'll have a heck of a time trying to make the door fit properly.

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Installed charcoal vent. I bent the bracket to lay on top of frame member. If mounted on the side of the frame member as shown in the manual the bottom rests against the IRS framing. Bringing it up an inch helped it clear. Added hose clamps.

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Took apart the passenger side footbox, got out the silicone and riveting tool and went to work. Since all the holes were in the right spots I was able to silicone and rivet in panels as I went along. Worked out pretty well. One thing I will say is the rivets they give you aren't very pretty (or maybe it's my rivet tool). I'm trying to decide if it bothers me enough to drill out and replace with nicer rivets in the more visible areas. I'm much more excited about how the car drives than the appearance of such things. I'm not putting it together to be a show car or work of art...it's going to be a driver. I do plan on painting the engine bay, so what kind of rivets used is probably not worth losing sleep over. Also started drilling for the new firewall forward received from FFMetal.com. (Well, I got Jasper started on it. ;) Quality piece and I'm glad I got it. (Thanks for the recommendation!)

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6/12

3.5 hrs - Tires, transmission mount, start spindle modification for brakes

Today started out fun, then became less so... Ordered tires online last week and had them delivered to local company who brought them out and mounted them in the driveway. Pretty cool! Only took him about 30 minutes from start to finish. I've loved the look of a Cooper Cobra 295/50-15 from the moment I first saw one. They fit the vintage aesthetic of the car and just look like they mean business.

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Installed the transmission mount. Build school guys said to do it before dropping the engine in. It can be done either way, but they preferred doing it first. Some builders have to enlarge one of the mounting holes to get it to fit, I was able to fit it without doing so but it was a struggle.

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If you're running 15" wheels there's no way to get around having to (further) modify the rear spindles to fit brakes. The FFR 11.65" brakes require it, as do the Gordon Levy Wilwood brake kit. Wish I had known this before torquing everything down. I was really hoping I was done with the rear suspension, but had to remove the spindle to make another cut. Gordon Levy's instructions are good, as are the FFR supplemental brake install guide you can find by searching online. I didn't get a pic of the finished product, but sanded it down smooth and had to grind two additional places so the rotor would clear. Rear rotor is about 12.25" and front is about 11.75" with this kit.

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Hi John, I am following your build thread with great interest. I appreciate how you tie in the build school learnings.

You wrote: "Trimmed shoulder panel on passenger side. Apparently this panel always needs trimming from the factory, per build school. If you don't, the body will hit and be pushed up in this area and you'll have a heck of a time trying to make the door fit properly."

Unfortunately the pictures are not coming through. How did you determine how much to trim off the shoulder panel?

Best Regards, Andrew

Looking at your 5/29 post... That stock F5 fuel pump has a short return pipe that dumps fuel back in the tank at or above the tank fuel level. That may cause cavitation. If you are interested, and it ain't cheap, but Pro-M has a nice alternate pump hanger that eliminates the cavitation issue with a return pipe that goes to the bottom of the tank (next to in intake). https://www.promracing.com/high-flow...-mustangs.html. There's a nice video there that describes the issue.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by AndrewIdaho

Hi John, I am following your build thread with great interest. I appreciate how you tie in the build school learnings.

You wrote: "Trimmed shoulder panel on passenger side. Apparently this panel always needs trimming from the factory, per build school. If you don't, the body will hit and be pushed up in this area and you'll have a heck of a time trying to make the door fit properly."

Unfortunately the pictures are not coming through. How did you determine how much to trim off the shoulder panel?

Best Regards, Andrew

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Cut an inch and a half to two inches off the end of the firewall extension piece on the passenger side.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Theshandman

Looking at your 5/29 post... That stock F5 fuel pump has a short return pipe that dumps fuel back in the tank at or above the tank fuel level. That may cause cavitation. If you are interested, and it ain't cheap, but Pro-M has a nice alternate pump hanger that eliminates the cavitation issue with a return pipe that goes to the bottom of the tank (next to in intake). https://www.promracing.com/high-flow...-mustangs.html. There's a nice video there that describes the issue.

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This is true, and exactly what I did when I was going to use a Gen3 Coyote. For his mild 302 build, though, the stock hanger might be fine. I know I used the stocker on my MkIII 302 build, and it worked well.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by JMD

6/12

3.5 hrs - Tires, transmission mount, start spindle modification for brakes

Today started out fun, then became less so... Ordered tires online last week and had them delivered to local company who brought them out and mounted them in the driveway. Pretty cool! Only took him about 30 minutes from start to finish. I've loved the look of a Cooper Cobra 295/50-15 from the moment I first saw one. They fit the vintage aesthetic of the car and just look like they mean business.

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Installed the transmission mount. Build school guys said to do it before dropping the engine in. It can be done either way, but they preferred doing it first.

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If you're running 15" wheels there's no way to get around having to (further) modify the rear spindles to fit brakes. The FFR 11.65" brakes require it, as do the Gordon Levy Wilwood brake kit. Wish I had known this before torquing everything down. I was really hoping I was done with the rear suspension, but had to remove the spindle to make another cut. Gordon Levy's instructions are good, as are the FFR supplemental brake install guide you can find by searching online. Got one started, but will have to finish tomorrow.

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***EDIT...Nevermind...I see how this works***

I'm confused by this cut you made on the spindle. Didn't you remove one of the two mounting bosses for the caliper by doing this?

6/13

3 hrs - Swap fuel pickup, Install rear sway bar

Of course another thing I'm going back to redo...the fuel pickup. After the build school and doing more research on fuel requirements, I decided to go ahead and get the Pro M hanger with 3/8" supply and return lines. It may not be an absolute necessity at my power level, but seemed prudent to avoid fluctuations in the fuel pressure and now is the time to do it. It also future proofs the car fueling system in case I even swap engines or add a supercharger. While I was at it I verified the pump is a 255lph Walbro. And of course the new part required additional modifications to install in the form of grinding away a couple of areas in the top of the fuel tank. I laid in a bunch of tape to catch the material and went to work with a dremel. So glad it's a dry tank.

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The rear sway bar was straight forward and the manual described the process well. The only variation is to swap the spacers to make sure your end links are as vertical as possible. Don't have a pic of that, sorry.

6/14

4 hrs - Buying tools, fitting Levy front brakes

Spent some time getting safety wire, red threadlocker, and a torque wrench that measures in inch/pounds to assemble the Wilwood brake kit. Gordon's kit came with everything I needed (bolts, fittings, shims, braided lines, etc) except the safety wire. No big problem here except the Wilwood hat wouldn't fit over the front wheel studs. After trying everything I could think of short of altering or damaging any parts, I emailed Gordon with the problem. He replied within 30 minutes and told me what needed to happen. Apparently these studs have wide shoulders and the hubs need to be drilled out to fit over them. Once I did that it all went well. Didn't have time to finish, but at least got all the problem solving behind me so I can finish it up tomorrow.

Pic of the hat that I sent Gordon (yes, i know the hat is on backwards, just did that to illustrate the issue):
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6/16

3 hrs - Finish front brakes, modified Kleiner mod (Papa mod?), start assembling rear hat & rotors

Finished assembly of rotors & hats, red threadlocker on bolts, tighten opposing bolts to spec in sequence, and installing safety wire (which takes longer than I thought it would). Calipers went on easy, just took some time to measure and shim caliper mounting points to center the rotor. I don't have a great tool for this so used the shims themselves to measure gaps and make sure they were uniform.

Measuring:
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Safety wire:
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Finished assembly:
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Wheel weights clear the caliper on the front, but barely!
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Also had to drop the tank to change the bolt for this mod. I couldn't find a coupler for the 7/16-14 bolt I used originally, so had to swap it with a 7/16"-20...hopefully the last time I have to drop the tank.

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6/17

3.5 hrs - Rear Brakes (continued)

Put the modified rear spindle on the right side and torque all suspension bolts to spec. Safety wiring the rear rotors is a pain and took forever because of their orientation to the hat. Had to get creative in fishing the wire through the bolts...

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Painted brake mounting brackets from Levy Racing:
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6/18

2.5 hrs - Tap brake calipers and finalize right side assembly

Learning how to tap on my brand new Wilwood calipers was a bit stressful, but fortunately it went very well. The holes were already the correct size for the 7/16" bolt supplied in the brake kit so I didn't even have to drill them out. Tapping into aluminum is about as easy as it gets, just make sure you cut threads through the backside and not the front. Always double check your bolt orientation first. Fortunately I thought of that before proceeding. Bolts threaded on perfectly. Got both calipers done and finished the passenger side rear brake install.

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This is when I found out the wheel weights contact the caliper. Man that clearance is tight!
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Finished product. Was a lot of work, but I'm super happy with the result. Props to Gordon Levy for a good quality kit with all the right parts to cram the biggest disc brake possible in a 15" wheel.
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6/19

2 hrs - Driver side rear brake install

Now that I know what I'm doing and already had the calipers tapped, brackets painted, and rotors secured to the hats before starting, I was able to remove the spindle, modify it, reinstall, and install the rear brake assembly all within 2 hrs. Hell yeah. No pics...looks the same as the passenger side. Brakes done. ;)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by AndrewIdaho

Hi John, I am following your build thread with great interest. I appreciate how you tie in the build school learnings.

You wrote: "Trimmed shoulder panel on passenger side. Apparently this panel always needs trimming from the factory, per build school. If you don't, the body will hit and be pushed up in this area and you'll have a heck of a time trying to make the door fit properly."

Unfortunately the pictures are not coming through. How did you determine how much to trim off the shoulder panel?

Best Regards, Andrew

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Sorry, just saw this now. I took pics at the build school of the piece they had already cut and modified. Will see if I can find it to post up here...

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by gbranham

***EDIT...Nevermind...I see how this works***

I'm confused by this cut you made on the spindle. Didn't you remove one of the two mounting bosses for the caliper by doing this?

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Yeah, you actually end up using one of the hub bolts to mount the other end of the caliper bracket. Sucks it in nice and tight to the hub. Gordon Levy provides custom made brackets.

6/21

3.5 hrs - Engine delivered, start fuel lines

The long awaited day has come and we now have an engine! I had called Mike Forte at the end of March when I ordered my roadster after talking with Blueprint Engines and finding out their delivery date would be September or October if I ordered from them. Mike was very helpful and talked through some options. I was set on a hopped up 302 as I feel like it's the engine that best suits the car in size and output. I didn't want the driving experience to be all about throttle management. I wanted the power available to be useable power that I could tip into without instantly smoking the tires. Also, the most fun I've ever had on track was with my '93 RX7, which had right around 300 whp for about 2800lbs of weight so I used that as my benchmark. At ~2300lbs I figured 280-300 rwhp would be just about right for a fun street and track car. I also didn't want the power to be torque heavy and prefer it to be linear and pull hard up top, which is why I chose the engine I did and not something with more displacement. I also wanted it to be daily driver friendly and not buck at low rpm (as radical camshaft engines tend to do). Supposedly it can even run on 87 octane (which I probably won't do just to be safe but is just one less thing to worry about as an owner). So here we go. Looking at the torque and hp curves I think this is going to deliver what I'm looking for.

Mike also installed the Sniper II, Ram clutch, flywheel, TKX with midshifter, external hydraulic clutch setup, Champ roadrace pan (low profile for clearance) and his custom 6 rib black pulley system with PS and one wire alternator. Assembled, dyno tuned, and delivered as a turn key package. The crating was impressive and I can tell the engine builder paid attention to detail during assembly. Super clean and tidy. I'm loving the black and machined silver theme and am consciously continuing it throughout the car. Not for the body paint, but for all mechanicals as much as possible.

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Started running fuel lines. As many others have done, I scrapped most of the FFR supplied EFI kit and ordered flexible lines to run the whole way up and back. After a good bit of research I chose the black coated stainless steel Fragola 6000 series ptfe lines as they have a conductive core and the black coating provides abrasion resistance. I like that this does away with a lot of connections and fittings and gives me more flexibility (see what I did there?) with my final engine bay routing. Wound up using my drill and tap kit again to mount the fuel filter bracket to the frame. I also left extra line in the engine bay so I can terminate with fittings after the engine is in and get them exactly where I need them to be. Installing the ptfe fittings is a huge pain and I suggest getting the proper tools recommended for doing so. I have experience with the regular stainless rubber hose fittings and they can be a bit of a challenge, but the ptfe is a bit more difficult. I suggest cutting back the black coating at least an inch from the cut as it's almost impossible to slide the fitting over the black coating. I'm leaving extra line above the gas tank so I can drop it without disconnecting the fuel lines, if needed. Will tidy things up after I've finalized the engine fittings and it's all been pressure tested. Ran the lines along the passenger side frame rails, but the bottom line is too low for my liking so will pull it up higher upon final install.

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6/22

2 hrs - fuel lines, remove rear sway bar to paint brackets

Finished up a fitting on the fuel lines (already pictured) and realized that the brackets for the rear sway bar were not painted and I had used the original LCA bolt when I had installed them, which was only long enough to barely reach all the way through the nut and was supposed to be replaced with a longer one supplied separately with the sway bar mount and kit. Removed the rear sway bar and brackets, painted the brackets and swapped out to use the correct mounting bolt that was supplied with the sway bar kit (about 1/4" longer).

Unpainted bracket:
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Beautiful day for painting:
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Original bolt vs longer bolt:
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Bracket mounted (the next day, but will put the pic here):
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Getting to and removing that fuel filter for servicing once the car is finished might be a little challenging. Before you button everything up I would suggest you lay under the car and check the access.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Mike.Bray

Getting to and removing that fuel filter for servicing once the car is finished might be a little challenging. Before you button everything up I would suggest you lay under the car and check the access.

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Good point, Mike. I was trying to figure out a mount for the filter that also kept the lines pointed in the direction of flow to minimize bending or potential kinking of the line. It will be a bit challenging to access, but made sure all bolts use an angled allen wrench to tighten or loosen. None of these bolts have a high torque value so it should be fine. One should be able to get a wrench on the fuel fittings as well with enough room to articulate. Thanks for the suggestion!

6/24

1.5 hrs - Acquired engine lift from member of Mid America Cobra Club and assembled in garage. Thanks, Thomas! Can't wait to use it...

6/25

3 hrs - Install painted rear sway bar bracket with appropriate bolts (already pictured), install Breeze battery box & clutch master cylinder

Trying to think of everything that needs to be done before installing the engine. The battery box could be done with the engine in I believe, but much easier to have the space with it out. The instructions provided by Breeze are detailed and helpful. All hardware and fittings included. Used my tap set (again) to tap screws into the frame rail...so glad I got it! My first time using stainless rivets...they are a bear to install with my Arrow manual rivet tool! Definitely tested the limit of grip strength. Aluminum box with stainless hardware, nothing needs coating unless you want to. I did end up painting the battery hold down bar just for looks (not pictured).

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Installed clutch MC from Forte:
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6/26

2 hrs - Start brake hard lines

I haven't bent brake lines since I was in college and have definitely been putting off doing this for a few days as it's not something I'm looking forward to. But today was the day to start. It actually went really well once I did about 30 min of forum research and could visualize the end product. Using the Breeze battery box kept me from running the front brake line along the frame rail as pictured in the manual so I copied what edwardb (and many others have done) by following the top of the x-brace. I put it in front just to be less visible when opening the hood. Pretty simple bends and the 5' length was just a little bit more than was needed. I put a couple large bends in each end to compensate. If it had been much longer I would have cut and flared it, but I like having a bit extra to work with to ensure nothing is bent too tightly and the ends can go straight into the fittings without any side loading.

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6/27

3 hrs - Rear brake lines

Installed the rear brake line between the rear tires. Another 30 minutes of forum research regarding the best place to place the fittings on the frame let me once again to mimic what edwardb did and place them on the 2x3 behind the rear wheel facing down as my calipers are on the rear. (If your calipers are in front of the tire go with the standard placement according to the manual.) Simply ran around the perimeter of the 2x3 framing with a bracket in the middle and on each front corner. Did have to cut and flare the 5' line down about 6" for this run.

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6/28

4 hrs - Trunk cubby, fit DS aluminum, fit rollbars

Used a 4.5" hole saw to cut the cubby opening on the rear cockpit wall. Screwed the aluminum to a 2x4 and everything went smoothly. Most builders seem to use a 5" hole saw, but I had a 4.5" on hand and actually like the opening size better a tad bit smaller aesthetically. I also spaced the cuts so the opening is 14" wide. I wanted the opening to fit between the seats, not go behind them.

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Worked on finalizing fitting for cockpit aluminum. Started to drill final holes and cleco everything into place. Dad jumped in to drill some holes:

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Fitted rollbars. It really helped to put a thin film of grease on the mounts. Drilling the holes was not as difficult as I thought. Just made sure to start with a small bit then work my way up to the right size. Just make sure to pull the diagonal bar up to mount tight with the hoop before drilling for the lower bolt. (I did on first one but almost forgot on the second!)

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6/29

4.5 hrs - finish up with cockpit aluminum, run front brake line

Finished what I started yesterday fitting the cockpit aluminum and cleco'd all of it in place.

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Ran front brake line from MC. Decided to change which MC I had in mind for front and rear. Used the middle one for front as it was an easy bend that already lined up with the path I'd chosen. Trying to keep everything as simple as possible and eliminate unnecessary bends or fittings. Didn't use a loop, but all bends are very large and gradual to minimize stress points. Notched the footbox aluminum, ground the cut and used a piece of fuel hose to protect the brake line even though it didn't contact the aluminum...just a precaution in case something wanted to shift or vibrate loose.

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7/1

3 hrs - finish brake hard lines

Tackled the most daunting hardline, the one from the MC to rear. I can't use the usual route because I'm using a ball valve in the rear brake line as a parking brake instead of the e-brake lever. Couldn't use the FFR e-brake with the Wilwood brake setup I got from Gordon Levy to fit inside the 15" wheels. Seemed like my options were to use a pinion brake or this, so I went with this as it is the simpler option.

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It was a bonus that the FFR supplied brake lines were enough to get all this done. Will put something on the rear brake run to protect it, but it's pretty well tucked up in the center of the car and probably less likely to be damaged than running lower along the frame rails. Will also be installing a driveshaft loop, which should protect it in case of catastrophic driveline failure. Will probably tidy up where it runs through the firewall. Used fuel hose and duct tape for the time being. Not aethestically pleasing, but effective.

7/2

3.5 hrs - connect braided brake lines to calipers, make bracket for brake reservoir, run reservoir lines

No pics for any of this...getting to the point where I would rather get more done than document and post about it.

Ordered Scott's triple reservoir from Summit, got it, started mocking up a bracket mount it (out of 1.5" angle aluminum) but decided I didn't like the polished aluminum look in the engine bay. Nothing else in the engine bay is polished and it just didn't look right. So I ordered the black one to replace it and won't get that until a few days later. But was able to use the bolt spacing to cut some angle aluminum, drill holes to fit the reservoir then painted it black. Started attaching the reservoir lines to the MCs. (Had to undo this a few days later. Spoiler: don't use fuel lines for brake fluid.)

7/3

3.5 hrs - adjust clutch and brake pressure switches, mount reservoir bracket, remove/clean/install cockpit aluminum

Adjusting the pressure switches was pretty simple. It's easy to tell where they 'click' to engage/disengage and I just had to make sure they were positioned properly to do so after a short travel of the pedal. Turns out they just need to be fully extended. I wasn't convinced the clutch switch was being fully depressed when the clutch was let out so used a washer instead of the supplied nut to brace it and allow it to extend another 1/16" or so toward the pedal. This probably isn't the case for all clutch pedals, but was for mine.

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Had to trim a small amount off the inner footbox panel where it meets the trans tunnel cover. Just couldn't get it to sit properly otherwise. It seems to fit well everywhere else, not sure if this is unique to my kit or not. Trimmed it off with a cutoff wheel pretty easily and finalized the cockpit aluminum. Felt good to rivet so much in place!

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7/5

2 hrs - final install driver side lower and inner panels, fuel line brackets in engine bay

Trying to move toward installing the engine soon, want to make sure I've done everything needed before access is blocked by the engine. Placing the fuel lines where they run up the firewall to drill for brackets as I won't be able to get my drill in at the right angle later on. Using screws to attach, getting them in and out won't be a problem later...but drilling the hole would.

7/6

3 hrs - install brake reservoir & new hoses, bleed & test brakes

The triple reservoir in black arrived and I was able to install it along with new lines to the reservoir. Out of the blue it dawned on me to look up using fuel lines for this application and I found out that they will weep over time and you need to use EDPM rubber hoses instead. Great...another item to order...except my local Tractor Supply had them in stock! Apparently that kind of hose is also used for certain pesticide sprayers. They are also made by Goodyear. Lucky me! So removed the fuel lines and replaced with these lines. Another headache avoided. I'm really trying to make sure every little part of this build stands the test of time.

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It really didn't need it, but I also installed a grommet where the hoses enter the pedalbox wall just to help seal it up a bit better.

Bled the brakes using a small handheld vacuum pump to draw the fluid through the lines. Worked a lot better than gravity bleeding. After about 45 minutes of working every line twice (starting on passenger side, then driver side because of the dual MC setup) I had an extremely hard pedal with no leaks! I don't know why I was expecting to have to chase down a leak, but super happy I didn't have to. Another major phase completed!

7/8

2 hrs - Install Firewall Forward, start wiring

Riveted in the firewall forward and opened the big box of wires. Definitely a part of the build I'm not looking forward to, but know that I can figure it out. I have experience with residential wiring and have done my share of installing car stereos back in the day so I have the basic knowledge...just not looking forward to it. Hoping beyond hope to go slow and get it all right the first time because chasing down electrical issues is one of my all time least favorite things to do.

7/9

4 hrs - Wiring harness, dash gauges

One thing I do like about the firewall forward is that you can route the wires down instead of having them stick straight out of the firewall into the engine bay. I removed the wire loom to better feed through the cutout and learned that the alternator wire simply connects to the starter, which then routes power using the starter lug as a junction to the rest of the harness. I think I'm going to simplify that and use a 4 gauge wire to run from alternator to starter to battery, ensuring a simple and straight path for those connections. Will then use another 4 gauge from battery to feed a junction behind the dash instead of at the starter lug so there are fewer connections at the starter and the harness power comes directly from the battery so it can be used as a buffer between the alternator and starter. With the Breeze battery box up front a bit of modification to the harness is needed anyway...might as well clean it up a bit in the process.

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Trying to at least get the engine bay wiring located so I can drill for mounting points before the engine goes in.

Also started installing the gauges in the dash. Thought this would be one of those easy steps...turns out the pre cut holes in the dash are a bit small and needed some gentle massaging with a grinder to fit the small gauges. I could get the big ones in with a bit of effort, but I was afraid I would crack the plastic case of the small ones if I pushed on them much more. Still waiting to get my oil temp gauge from speedhut. Not going to use the clock.

7/10

2.5 hrs - wiring, drive shaft adapter

Lay out front and rear wiring harnesses and zip tie in place temporarily. Drill mounting points for stainless clamps in the transmission tunnel and along front frame rail.

Install driveshaft adapter. Made sure to use 12.9 rated bolts 25mm in length. There are other 12.9 rated bolts that are .75" and 1.25" long, just be sure to use the right ones. Red thread locker used because I can't imagine a circumstance where I would ever need this removed.

7/13

2.5 hrs - engine install

FINALLY! Today is the day! And actually the hardest part was figuring out how to get the hoist close enough to lift the engine. Darn crate was in the way. My first thought was to pull the pallet up and prop it on something so we could get the hoist legs under it, but wound up simply using a sawsall to cut away portions of the crate so we could connect straight to the engine. (I actually wound up cutting more away than in the pic to get it connected.)

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The other challenge was how to connect the leveler to the engine. I've seen lots of guys lift using only two attachment points, one and front and back at opposite corners...but that just seemed like a lot of stress to put on the heads. I wasn't able to connect all four chains because of the Forte accessory drive system spacers, but could get the alternator off the front fairly easily so compromised using 3 chains. I feel like the two connections points at the rear are probably sharing the majority of the weight evenly. Had to go get the right sized bolts, and zip tied some microfiber cloths to the chains so they wouldn't rub on the engine. I wasn't aware that some accessory bolts are 7/16 while others are 3/8". Learn something new every day.

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The actual installation went well. The most annoying part was a tab off the right side of the transmission kept getting hung up on the e-brake frame mounting points. My tip here is to cut it off prior to install (as well as leave engine mounts the slightest bit loose). The driver side engine mount needed some persuasion in the form of a 2x4 and mallet, but popped into place easy enough with some specific pressure. Tightened up the engine mount bolts but left the large mounting bolts loose for now until I can get the transmission lined up with the driveshaft. Didn't really need 4 people, but it sure helped and made things go a bit faster than if there were only 1 or 2. I can see how this could be a one man job, but highly recommend helpers!

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Celebration time!

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Big milestone, the engine is in!

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Congrats! Your attached pics in your last post don't seem to work, however...

Greg

I thought Greg was going to beat me to the finish line but now I'm worried about John. Way to go I suspect a first start will happen very shortly

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Originally Posted by kirby

I thought Greg was going to beat me to the finish line but now I'm worried about John. Way to go I suspect a first start will happen very shortly

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I'm definitely winning bronze out of the three of us...:)

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Originally Posted by gbranham

Congrats! Your attached pics in your last post don't seem to work, however...

Greg

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Don't know why it does that. I upload them and they show up fine for a day then the attachment is invalid. I even downsize them quite a bit and save as jpeg using Paint. Anyways...fixed now!

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Originally Posted by kirby

I thought Greg was going to beat me to the finish line but now I'm worried about John. Way to go I suspect a first start will happen very shortly

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Lol. I'm hoping so. I was actually supposed to be in Iceland this week for a hiking trip, but flights got cancelled and I was stuck in Chicago for two days and they still couldn't get me to Iceland for another two days and I wouldn't have made the excursion on time and perhaps without my gear, so I just came home. Super sad it didn't work out, I've been wanting to get to Iceland for years...but having a car to come get running is a good consolation prize. I haven't caught up the build thread with my progress yet, but hoping to crank it up sometime this week!