Leaks, Charcoal Filter, Coupe Winterize
Busy week and not a lot of build time. So, this is a minor update. I’ve had more issues with coolant leaks on this build than any other. Two have been bugging me since I filled the system. Not gushers. But slow drips that I just couldn’t get stopped. But finally, success.
The kit supplied overflow tank dripped coolant out of the drain side. Even though coolant wasn’t near the top of the tube inside the tank. Didn't make any sense. Additionally, often belched some coolant every time I started the engine. The DEX orange coolant is hard to miss. Checked the fitting in the bottom of the tank, which I installed with the proper sealant, and it looked OK. This week drained the tank and took it apart. Found the problem. The tube that extends inside to near the top of the tank is threaded into the drain fitting in the bottom of the tank. But only about 1/4" of somewhat roughly cut threads, not very tight, and no sign of any sealant. Highly suspect and clearly would be easy for coolant to leak past it. Cleaned things up and set the tube back into the fitting using JB Weld on the threads and a filet around the top. JB Weld makes a good sealant if you don’t want it back apart. Ever. Now back together and confirmed no longer leaking. Something other builders may want to check with that tank.
The lower radiator hose connection also dripped coolant occasionally. I have Gates heat shrink PowerGrip hose clamps on all the upper and lower radiator hose connections except the actual connections to the radiator. There I chose to use T-bolt clamps for serviceability since the Gates clamps are one-time use. But no amount of adjusting or tightening would prevent a slight leak from the lower radiator hose connection. So drained fluid and replaced the T-bold clamp with another Gates PowerGrip clamp. No more leaks. Can’t explain why the T-bolt clamp didn’t work. They're usually very reliable. But the heat shrink clamp certainly does. In addition to the cleaner look, they work well. Highly recommended.
Finally, I’ve used charcoal filters on the gas tank vent line for each of my builds. This is to prevent gasoline odors in the garage. Some report no gasoline odors without a filter. Some report gasoline odors even with a filter. I only know I’ve used them on each of my builds and have never had any odors. For my first build, I used a Mustang charcoal filter with the purge valve disabled. They’re not particularly cheap and also not serviceable. Several years ago there were a bunch of forum posts about making your own using aquarium filter charcoal and various containers. Jeff Kleiner showed making a container from PVC pieces, which I patterned mine after. These are standard plumbing pieces from HD or Lowes and dirt cheap.
Here are all the pieces I used to make and mount the filter.
http://i867.photobucket.com/albums/a...psf62dhqzq.jpg
The mounting bracket isn’t necessary, but I like how it mounts the filter with hose clamps and looks somewhat professional. The three PVC pieces are the main body of the filter. The one I use is actually a 2-inch coupler, and then caps for each end with a 3/4-inch hole. One end gets the hose barb glued in for the vent hose, the other end is left open. Two circles of Scotch Brite go in each cap to keep the charcoal pieces inside. The charcoal is from the pet section at Walmart. I glue on one end cap and leave the other end loose. It’s a tight fit also held in place by the large hose clamp. Would be very easy to remove the assembly from the mounting bracket and put in new charcoal if necessary. This is the fourth build I’ve used this exact setup and, in all cases, haven’t noticed any odor afterwards.
For the other builds, typically installed in the area of the tank filler. For the truck, not really a good place to mount there and have the hose routed the way I wanted. I’m using the Breeze 70648 Big Bore Vent Check Valve Kit. Taking a cue from Mark’s instructions, I routed the hose along a chassis brace and mounted the filter on the LH side.
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/atta...5&d=1637468390
With the weather changing, unfortunately I’ve decided the driving season is over. So, off the lift with the truck and replaced with the Coupe. Will do the usual annual maintenance. Oil/filter change, chassis lube, Stabil 360 in the nearly full tank, and general look over, clean up, etc. Initial review including brakes looks really good. Should be a quick and easy process. Then back on the truck build. I do have one small spot under the nose to touch up. I’ve managed to rub the underside of the nose on the Coupe several times now. It’s longer and lower than I seem to be able to get used to. Even after two driving seasons.
Also, if you look closely at the Coupe windshield on the LH side, right above the London Cobra Show sticker, you can see a glint or shiny line. Yup, a broken windshield. My son and I were out cruising and we took a rock (or something...) off the windshield. Started off as a pretty deep star near the top and several inches of crack. Now has spread and of course needs to be replaced. Have had a windshield on order with Factory Five for some months now. They are in stock, but apparently waiting for a suitable box or packaging method. Trying to remain patient... Not looking forward to getting the old one out and going through the installation process again. But thankful it didn't hit the body. It was a hard hit and would have done serious damage.
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/atta...6&d=1637468512
Transmission Tunnel Cover
This week I finally finished installing the fiberglass transmission tunnel cover. Took way longer than I expected. Lost track of how many times I had it in and out in the process. But it’s done and I’m satisfied with how it turned out. But sure a lot of fiddling around. The manual says you can cut it down in some cases. Specifically to make it narrower. I’m assuming with a much smaller manual shift transmission. But for the GM 4L65E automatic I’m using, it must stay full size as provided and just clears. But still requires some trimming and adjusting for the best fit. Plus the cutouts for the shifter and e-brake. One of the decisions is whether to make it removable or not. I decided it needs to be for future serviceability. I used 10-32 screws around the perimeter on the floor and firewall. Most are open on the other side for a lock nut. But for several along the back and the top front, they are blind holes. So there I installed nutserts. For the fill piece on the top, I bonded and riveted nut plates on the underside of the main cover and the fill piece is held in place with six screws. I’ll install insulation and carpet later and leave it loose in the areas where there are mounting screws. Wouldn’t be easy to take everything out, and hope I never have to because it wouldn't be particularly easy (or fun). But the option will be there if needed.
Before wrapping things up and attaching the cover for hopefully the last time, had a couple small wiring tasks to complete. One was to wire the Lokar ES4L60EFMP Electronic Sport Shifter. I think I mentioned this before. But I had contacted HGM, the supplier of my transmission controller, and they provided the wires and installation instructions. Installed into the controller previously. Same setup as used for a paddle shifter. But had never actually hooked them up to the shifter. Completed through a 4-cavity Weather Pack connector. Once done, did a brief test and confirmed operation. The HGM controller has a Bluetooth connection and an app on my iPhone. The app dashboard shows the gear the transmission is in. With the rear wheels elevated, started and ran through the gears. When in “sport mode" with the shifter pushed to the right while in drive, the shift lever bumps the gears up and down just like it’s supposed to. Cool. Also permanently wired the starter safety switch. I only had it temporarily wired previously. The switch is also part of the Lokar shifter and I have the RF blue solenoid start wire routed through it. Only completes the start circuit if in park or neutral. Tested and works the way it’s supposed to.
Another open item was all the cables and hoses I had routed through the transmission area. Early in the build decided to go that way and had my doubts a few times. Posted a separate thread asking how others had done it. Didn’t get a lot of feedback. Some routed on the underside of the chassis. But that was too late for me and didn’t want to go back anyway. Got everything routed and tied off and I’m OK with how it turned out. Mainly the only thing touching the trans is the vent tube. And by design it has to touch. With everything in this build, lots going on through those cables. Main battery power, rear harness (with added wires for the transmission cooler and back-up light), transmission control harness, power window wires (to switches between the seats), and the sport shifter wires mentioned previously. Hoses include the transmission vent and transmission cooler lines going to the powered cooler under the truck bed.
Pictures of all the above. Still need to fit a boot around the e-brake. The kit provides the Roadster style boot and says to cut to fit. Same as they did with the Coupe.
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/atta...3&d=1640143841
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/atta...4&d=1640143841
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/atta...5&d=1640143905
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/atta...8&d=1640144994
Another item of note this week is I had another leaker. I’ve never had this much trouble with leaking in previous builds. Nearly every fluid on the build has leaked at some point. Good grief. Several days ago, noticed some brake fluid on the frame and floor from the area of the master cylinder and related connections. Found the issue was the brake pressure switch. It was leaking fluid between the main switch housing and the insulator out the front where the wires attach to terminals. Everybody knows how corrosive brake fluid is (it's evil) and sitting on powder coat for several days at least left some marks on my frame. I’d be really upset if I wasn’t going to install the engine side covers. But with those installed, won’t be noticeable or probably even visible. But still don't like messing up that very nice powder coat. I ordered a new Wilwood switch. It arrived and it’s slightly different than the one that came on the assembly, including having an engraved part number and a date code. The original part didn’t. Guessing it’s a knock-off and maybe not great quality. Wilwood parts can fail too. But I'll still take my chances with those versus what appears to be a lower quality generic part. Installed the new part and watched for a couple days including exercising the brakes repeatedly. No leaks. I've had nothing but trouble with that master cylinder and booster assembly purchased for this build. I've talked about it several times. Could we please stop with the leaking action? This pic is the new part installed and a catch rag in case needed. It wasn't.
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/atta...6&d=1640144031
Made a pretty big decision this week. I’ve been going back and forth on what to do with seats. Trying to find something that fits and also that I can elevate to improve visibility and legroom. Hadn't found any better options IMO, so basically decided to go with the Roadster seats and adding headrests. Something I also consider mandatory since the back wall of the cab is right behind your head. In another recent thread, forum members were discussing seating options for the truck, and one member cited experience with https://www.wiseguys-seats.com/. Upon further review, their 16-inch buckets seemed very interesting. Based on the dimensions, looked like a good fit. Plus look great and should be very comfortable. After several back and forths with Nicole, who was very helpful to answer my questions, decided to go with them. So, my order is placed. Will be black vinyl matching the kit provided door cards, a rolled design that is quite attractive, headrests, sliders, and 4-inch risers. Leadtime is 12-14 weeks, so can’t be in a big hurry. But works with my build schedule. Not cheap (there’s that again) but this is a huge part of the finished product and these are exactly what I was looking for. Should give the interior a higher end more custom look. I’ll sell the NIB Roadster seats which will offset the cost some. The headrest options I was looking at weren't cheap either. Related to this, and also to the transmission tunnel cover discussion above, I’m planning to fabricate a center console that takes in the shifter, the window switches, some cup holders, and an armrest between the seats with a hinged cover and storage inside. Important since there's no glovebox. Won’t start on that until the seats arrive.
Finally, I was able to get outside and finish up the rough clean-up of all my fiberglass parts before winter got a little more serious. We now have snow on the ground and temps are mostly below freezing. Got it done just in time. There are 19 fiberglass parts on this build when you count everything (!!!) so it adds up when doing the full boat with fenders, hood, etc. Next up I’ll be working on the front grille surround, hood, and engine side covers. Just barely started. First up have to figure out how to manipulate those side covers around the front suspension. Some kind of puzzle, right?
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/atta...2&d=1640143798
That’s it. Merry Christmas everyone.
More Fiberglass Work Including Doors
Lots going on since my last update, some not build related, so not too much to report. Our main home office computer crashed. A Windows file was corrupted and nothing I could do to get it back or to reboot. I do regular backups, so didn’t lose anything. But major hours spent on a complete rebuild. What a pain. Plus, now I’m doing fiberglass body work which for me seems to take forever. But making some progress.
I received the can of HSRF so put the break in the engine side covers as discussed in my last update. I don’t have pictures of every step, but this is what I did. Cut a piece of 1/8” aluminum 5” x 1-1/4”. The idea was to have one side bonded to the cut-off pieces and the other side mounted to the covers with 5/16-18 cap screws. I put the cap screws on one side of the aluminum pieces with T-Nuts on the other side. Then with a piece of plastic over the underside, used the aluminum pieces and clamps to mold HSRF into roughed-up sections in the covers. Took a pretty good amount to fill, but that was the plan. The T-Nuts are buried and completely solid. Then removed the aluminum pieces and cut the engine covers apart. Done this way the alignment between the two pieces was exact. Then bonded the aluminum onto the fixed sides. Happy with how it turned out. Goes on solid and lines up well. Checked and (surprise) now I can get the engine covers over the suspension.
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/atta...6&d=1642306782
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/atta...5&d=1642306782
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/atta...4&d=1642306782
While waiting for the HSRF to arrive, decided to start working on the doors. I know I said this would be last. But I decided I could mount the hinges and get the doors onto the body. No fiberglass cutting or gaps set. Was able to get it mainly done, and I’m reasonably happy with how they fit. Too early to say for sure, but mostly just 1/4-3/8” proud at the bottom rear corners. Interestingly, both sides are off nearly the same mount. Will see what happens when I final fit them and get serious about the hinge alignment and gaps. But I can pull out the bottom rear corners of the cab if I have to. But FWIW I did learn some things in the process of setting the hinges and the doors in the openings. I see now first hand why some consider mounting these doors to be a pain. The hinge access on the body is challenging to say the least. The dash must be dropped to reach the top hinges. Major gymnastics are necessary to get the bolts and nuts into their proper locations. Expect to be dropping stuff multiple times… The instructions show tapping 5/16-18 threads in the outside top body hinges because there isn’t enough room for the nuts on the other side. I found this was true for the bottom hinges as well. Plus I changed the supplied 3/8” long hex screws with 1/2" long hex drive round headed screws for those holes. Uses all the threads better plus (maybe) a bit easier to install/tighten. Mounting the doors and adjusting the hinges will be even harder once the windshield is installed. For final assembly, it will be best to get everything done first and hopefully won't have to get back in there again.
In general, I was impressed with how everything lined up. But did have one problem. Previously, I cut all the hinge locations and slots in the doors using the supplied templates. What I didn’t notice at the time was the lower hinge mount on the left side was over 1/4" different than all the others. Now noticed and it's a problem. Visible in this picture.
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/atta...7&d=1642306782
If left this way, the body side of the hinge would be outside the offset in the opening and likely outside the adjustment range of the hinge mount on the frame. So I made a spacer out of stacked scrap pieces of fiberglass and bonded to the door at the hinge location. It’s sanded smooth and dead flat on the outside. So should disappear when painted. Looks like this now and moving back to the engine covers and hood.
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/atta...8&d=1642306782
One other important update. I’ve been eyeing the Traxxas version of the truck. Factory Five made their supply available to order so decided I needed one. Chose red. Imagine that. It’s pretty cool. Don't know how much I'll actually drive it. Maybe when the grandkids are around. For now, it has a prominent display location in my man cave and could be interesting to take to shows with the full size version. We'll see.
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/atta...1&d=1642309048
More Progress With Body Parts
I’m plodding along slowly. But making some progress getting body parts mounted. Feeling a little burned out with them, to be honest. Amazed how many hours I manage to spend. But will try to keep moving forward. The end is in sight.
With the engine side covers mounted in their proper positions, and the lower edge of the hood trimmed, set the hood in place. Did an initial pass at getting the front and rear gaps where they should be, then marked the hinge locations from underneath. The manual shows to attach the hinge brackets with the kit supplied 1/4-20 nutserts. They’re nice parts, and I’ve used a bunch of them. But they are primarily for metal and a relatively small “roll” on the underside holding them in place. For high strength into plastic (or in this case fiberglass) I feel better using nutserts intended for that application like these. https://www.mcmaster.com/97217A393/. The "wings" spread out wide on four sides. I’ve used these in several other locations in different sizes. Like the dash and the firewall. With the hinges attached and adjusted, the hood now opens and closes. Waiting to install the prop rod and latch until later when everything is set. I like that the hood kit latch, a bear claw style like the doors, comes with an inside release. So that, along with the door handles that come with locks, means the truck can be locked and secured. Nice.
Next up finished fitting the engine side covers around the front suspension including the small piece that I made removeable as shown previously. Since I’m installing fenders, appearance isn’t super critical. But still tried to keep everything neat. After fitting the sides to the radiator cowl, checked all the clearances with the suspension at ride height and full hang. Several adjustments to the molded cutouts were necessary. Including one that was my fault because of where I mounted the front brake flex hoses. Now done.
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/atta...1&d=1643200863
With everything getting finalized, my radiator/grille/cowl position has to remain exactly where it is now. Any movement in height or angle would make a mess of things. The assembly is held in place by very robust brackets underneath the front UCA bolts. The brackets are slotted for adjustment but held once the UCA bolts are tightened. However, could theoretically move if the bolts were loosened. Not good. The brackets have a 1/4" hole in the area of the frame tabs. Although not mentioned in the manual, maybe these are intended to pin the radiator mount brackets in location? Whether that’s the intent or not, I used them for that. Drilled through the frame tabs and installed grade 8 1/4" bolts on both sides. Ignore all the messy looking tape on the suspension parts. Was trying to keep from scratching them up with all the on and off of the engine side covers.
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/atta...0&d=1643200863
Discovered an “oops” after installing the engine side covers. One of my A/C connections is only about one inch away from the side and pointed right at it. I struggled a bit with fittings and hose installation back when I was setting all that up. Totally miscalculated and missed how close it would be. Not sure what to do now. Really don’t want to reconfigure hoses and go through that again. But may be the best choice. There are right angle fittings I can get for my manifold set. But not sure there’s room for that either. Could drill a hole through the side cover. Not liking that idea much. Or remove the fender and engine cover each time a connection is needed. Not liking that idea too much either. Anyone have any suggestions? The system isn't charged yet.
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/atta...9&d=1643200863
Another issue I discovered, and to honest was suspecting it, is that the top of the radiator cowl isn’t level. It’s low at the back. This is partly a function of the height and angle of the radiator/grille assembly. But I have mine in the only location/angle possible to prevent interference with everything around it, e.g. the frame, shocks, etc. including the A/C condenser. It’s all very tight fit, and at least in my case, not a lot of adjustment possible. But the engine side covers matched up pretty closely. So I’m thinking the location and angle I have is very close to what’s intended and it's just a function of the cowl piece itself and how it was shaped and molded. With the hood in place, the top of the cowl isn’t on the same plane as the top of the hood. If I align the hood with the lip on the cowl, then it’s not a straight line. Every picture I’ve seen of the truck with a hood this is a straight line and agree that’s how it should be. Wouldn't look right otherwise. So I set the hood hinge location for a straight line to the front of the radiator cowl. Whoever does my body work will need to do some filling on the radiator cowl to fill the gap. Don't think it's a big deal.
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/atta...2&d=1643200863
One thing I’ve gone back on forth on this build is whether to install vents in the side of the engine covers. I know some do this on their builds. Some don’t. I’ve looked at a bunch of different products, and so far haven’t found any that I’m super excited about. Adds a little complexity and cost, and I think I prefer the clean look anyway. I’d be more than happy to not have them. My pretty mild all aluminum LS3 isn’t super tight in the engine compartment so I’m thinking (hoping?) cooling isn’t an issue. Suggestions or comments?
Next is fenders and running boards. What that, I’ll be officially out of loose fiberglass parts. Set them in place just for inspiration. Not remotely aligned or at the proper height. But this is what I’m going for.
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/atta...8&d=1643200691
