Chad,
Be forewarned that those windshield arm escutcheons will not allow the windshield assembly to drop down as far as the FFR pieces which can lead to the bottom rubber gasket not contacting the cowl all the way across. That's why the FFR pieces are "C" shaped.
Jeff
Wow…Thanks for the warning Jeff! I still have the FFR ones. I can’t recall if I used these from the last build.Quote:
Originally Posted by Jeff Kleiner
I started on my hood latch fitment and channeled the holes for the latches using low profile 10-32 weld nuts (Mcmaster Carr 98001A125) with HSRF to bond it all together. I've never been a fan of screwing things through the fiberglass and this held up well on the last build.
https://hosting.photobucket.com/239a...720&fit=bounds
I first measured the holes for the hood latch and drilled all 3 of them. I then used an air saw to connect the larger hole with the two smaller ones, as its necessary in order to get the weld nuts into position. When connecting the holes I tried to come in just a little less wide than the smaller hole itself so that the 10-32 screw that I have through the weld nut just kind of pops into place and makes it easier to locate. I drilled a hole into each side of the weld nut to get a better hold with the HSRF, then slathered it on to both sides and put into position. One thing to note is when waiting for the HSRF to dry, you don't want to pull up on the screw/weld nut too hard, as it can squeeze too much of the material out from under the weld nut and the hold can be compromised.
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https://hosting.photobucket.com/239a...720&fit=bounds
Once cured, tightened down the latch for a clean install. I came back around and added a little more HSRF from the back side for additional hold. I broke up a popsicle stick into slender pieces to apply as it's challenging to get up inside the hole evenly. All done and I think they are very secure.
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Now I just have to go get these latches powder coated. Yeah, I had this done before and found out one thing. These latches can be powder coated without any kind of disassembly, but there is one catch. You need to have them unlocked before doing so. If you don't, the lock will freeze up and you won't be able to unlock with the key. The key fits in just fine, but the tumbler will not turn, so I'm not sure if something in the locking mechanism is impacted by the heat, but the assembly rotates just fine afterwards if initially unlocked. Needless to say, had to get another set and start over.
Finally finished up all of the interior bits. The e-brake boot was the last to complete. I mentioned before that there was a lot of back and forth with Redline, but for good reason. The boot fit very nicely. The e-brake works 'ok', but takes a little effort to engage. Maybe I need to adjust the cables and loosen them up a bit, but good for now. The trim ring is raised and matches pretty close to the shifter trim ring from Backdraft.
The Wet Sounds remote works great in the console. Very happy with the overall look and integration.
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Everything is speeding up now that I'm coming to the end. Headlights were next. I used the same ones that I used on the last build as well as the same ones I used on my wife's Jeep! These things look so sexy and are black with black smoked covers.
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The great thing about these lights is that there is no modification. I did get a couple of bad ones right off the bat but easily replaced and good to go. The mounting ring that comes from FFR fits right on these and no other modifications are needed. I had that powder coated black. I did not put the finishing ring on as I'm just going to take them back out for paint, so I'll wait. Quickjack nuts will be replaced with black chrome acorns when it comes back from paint.
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https://hosting.photobucket.com/239a...720&fit=bounds
https://hosting.photobucket.com/239a...720&fit=bounds
You can get them here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01B376YOE...n_title_5&th=1
So I had to re-powder coat my hood latches. This time I had him tape off the keyed area and made sure they were unlocked. Got em back and they work great, so just keep that in mind if you go down the same road. They have to be unlocked before you send them in.
I installed the paddles in again and the catches in the hood opening. For the latches I used a rubber gasket to finish it off which is red to match the color of the hood and then drilled the latch for a cotter pin just for added safety. I will most likely have to file down the catch just a little as my paddle is a little too far down on the stalk and blocks the pin. Five minutes with a grinder when I get the chance.
Again, I didn't use machine screws to drill into the fiberglass for the catches and hood bumpers. I used 8/32-1" screws and nuts. I like the hood to just catch and not have a ton of force keeping the hood down.
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The Roush air cleaner DOES NOT fit under the hood. My painter said he could get there when the scoop is cut out but wanted to see it. I also couldn't fit the traditional Cobra oval air cleaner under there either due to the length. The Victor Jr. is giving me more height than the lower profile intake I had with the BP engine. Guess we'll see how it works out!
Rollbar and new trim rings came back from powder coating and I installed them. Can't be more pleased with the Breeze version. Low profile, reclined, thick and no Frankenstein bolt.
https://hosting.photobucket.com/239a...720&fit=bounds
https://hosting.photobucket.com/239a...720&fit=bounds
I also bent the outboard trim ring and rear QJ trim pieces over my shop grinder housing so that it conformed to the body. Worked great!
As a PSA, when I went to install the rollbar again, it easily installed over the inboard receiver but kept getting hung up on the outboard receiver. Installed it a few times and still the same thing. There was a lot of sand in the tube from the powder coating blasting, so thought that might be it but wasn't either. I then rotated the coupling sleeves a little and it fit correctly. I guess my sleeves are oblong just enough to where fitment is only easily achieved when it's rotated to the correct side of the sleeve. This caused me to have to drill another hole to secure the bar. Not a big deal but something to think about when one is fitting the bar with coupling sleeves.
Purchased my Lexan windshield from Greg at 520 Speedworks. Great guy, easy to get a hold of and sells some interesting upgrades. The Lexan wasn't plug and play though. After my frame was powdercoated, I installed the Lexan with a little soap and water. Went in easy enough but I could not get the corners to go in far enough to get the frame together flush at the corners. I had about a 1/16" gap. Tried a few times and gave up and reinstalled the glass, which ironically, went in perfectly.
First thing was to mark, cut and drill the arms. After watching one of Frank's videos at i.e.427, it was brought to my attention that FFR is now sending out precut windshield arms, so you no longer have to trim off a few inches as before. I measured it and sure enough, 13" from the bottom hole, right on the money. Lucky I didn't cut it!!
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I prepped the arms by drawing a line down the center of each one with a black marker. so that I could easily center it up on the frame brackets when marking for the holes. Dropped the fuse panel and then dropped the windshield into place. I then marked the arms through the frame holes with a marker, then drilled and tapped with 1/2-13 tap. Due to the softness of the metal, I could literally tap it while holding on to it, but I did place in the vice anyway.
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I pulled the windshield flush against the driver's side bracket so that I was only shimming the passenger side due to ease of access. I used thick washers from Ace Hardware. It took one at the top and 3 at the bottom, which I taped together so they wouldn't move. A telescopic magnet is your friend!
As I was working the correct angle to bolt up, I noticed a few chips on my frame that I must have hit with a ring or somewhere else. DOH!!! They were larger and noticeable. Not sure how that happened but knew it would bother me and possibly turn into a larger issue, so I disassembled my windshield and took it back to the powder coaters. He was NOT happy to see me and yes, I'm a certified nut job.
It was kind of a blessing in disguise as I got it back a week later and gave the Lexan one more shot. This time I shaved about 1/8" off the top of the Lexan to the sides and rounded them a bit more. Installed it again and boom, fit right up, flush at the corners. I was really happy as I don't have to worry about the glass cracking down the road and I also won't have the expense of adding PFE to the glass which I did last time as the glass was getting really pitted from road debris.
Once it was all bolted up to the car, I was really happy with the fitment. On the last build with glass I had a little spot on the passenger side where you could see daylight under the rubber seal. This time around, it fits true and flat and is about 27-1/4" from the bottom screw to the inside of the rear door jam. The Lexan is very solid in the frame and when bolted up. STOKED!!
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I'll keep the protective film on until after paint. I did have to pull a little of it back to be able to see when driving. :p I did buy some cleaner for the Lexan though. Rain X also has a special version for plastic as well. Clean and dry!
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Still chasing down a radiator cap leak. I've used a couple of different caps and burped the system one last time. Didn't see any air come out except maybe something small when the t-stat opened up. Fluid is good, overflow level is correct (unpressurized) and temps are always good, so unfortunately, I'm going to guess that the filler neck on the Boig's cool tube upper is not manufactured correctly and causing a sealing issue. Since Boig doesn't sell them anymore, I'll be removing it at some point and reinstalling with regular hoses. Bummer, BUT, I did find this snazzy filler neck at Summit from Fluidyne. Man this thing is high quality. Almost hate to powder coat it.
https://www.summitracing.com/parts/FLD-ACCRFNCHR150
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Now that I'm thinking about it, I think I saw a thread where someone had the same issue and they installed a high temp, o-ring washer in the filler neck and it sealed up when secured. Maybe I'll try that as well.
Doors and Trunk were fitted very loosely. Painter said he would rather deal with them raw than after I've screwed them up, as my fiberglass skills are so GOOD! :cool:
Loosened all of the bolts up and 'pressed' the door into the opening and bolted it up. The passenger side door bolted right up with little issue. The driver's side was a mess and although Mike didn't want me to touch it, I needed to take a little off the front just so it would somewhat close. Left off the door latches so that they could be properly aligned with door fitment was completed.
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Same method with the trunk. It fit right up into the opening when it would close evenly, so was satisfied with that. I left the struts off at this point. Reinstalled the license plate bracket but as with the doors, left off the handle and locking mechanism to be fitted once the trunk is correct.
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Sadly but exciting enough, most of the build is complete and we are off to paint. Mike at Spotlight Customs was able to fit me in so I did not want to miss the window. The car has about 42 miles of run time, which is about what I had before paint on the last build. Aside from the radiator cap leak, it's all running great. In fact, seems as if the engine sounds better each time I run it as it gets into its own groove.
Mike will be fitting the nose aluminum as well as the aforementioned items. I forgot to load up the splash panels so I guess I'll be doing those again when the car gets back, along with the other finishing touches.
One thing I will note is that the ball on the headers seems to move the pipes a little every time I run the car, no matter how tight I get them. Not sure if anyone else has this issue, but I either don't have the adjustor sleeve in the right spot or maybe once fitted for the final time, I need to have a small tack weld to keep the ball in place. We'll see.
I contemplated having it picked up by a bidding type of carrier but decided to run it up to Dahlonega GA myself. It's about a 7.5-hour drive from my house in Orlando. I don't have a pickup, or a trailer so rented a pickup from U-Haul that can tow about 6500lbs and then found a 20' enclosed car trailer on a website called 'Neighbor's Trailer'. The cost was $150 a day, which was cheaper than I could get the open auto hauler at U-Haul. Lots of rain on the report for that day, so glad I had the enclosed deal. It included all of the tie down brackets and straps in the trailer. It also came with race ramps for really low cars but the rear flipped down low enough where I didn't need them.
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Got a long time buddy of mine to take the trip with me and off we went.
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Did the entire trip, there and back in one day. I don't recommend that....:p
Not sure what the time line is at this point, but I'm thinking maybe by Feb or March I'll be seeing her again. I've narrowed it down to these combos and leaning towards the Race Red. The grey metallic stripe in the Race Red picture is Ford's Magnetic Grey. The only issue is that it gets really light in the daylight. I'd like the darker color in the picture to be the actual color. Any suggestions?
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Time for some garage cleanup!
Race red is insane! love it...
Man! Either color choice is going to be stunning! I am sure Jeff will jump in with a suggestion, if there is an option for that grey.
Higgy
Going to look amazing. Congrats
Well, as a matter of fact...Quote:
Originally Posted by Higgybulin
Chad, be careful with the Magnetic Gray. I've used it and like the color but it's like many silvers and grays in that there are different tones hiding in there so you have to be really careful what you combine it with. Many times those tones don't come out until you get it next to something else that they clash with. In the case of Magnetic it has a lot of green and some brown to it and if you put it next to Race Red which has a lot of orange and pink they may not play well together. Might be wise to have Mike do an actual spray out before you commit because as you know photos don't always tell the real story. I have spray outs of almost everything that I've ever used and just pulled these for you:
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/atta...2&d=1765635672
That's Race Red with "Punaluu Stone" from PPG's Charley Hutton custom color collection (#936863). It's very nearly the same as the Lambo Grigio Lynx that Craven used but has a bit more pearl and different flake. It's a nice color and to my eye combines well with the Race Red.
Cheers!
Jeff
Attachment 222812
Excellent Jeff! That’s exactly the feedback I was hoping to get. I’m looking at a black pinstripe against the grey metallic. Will there be a decent amount of contrast between the two?Quote:
Originally Posted by Jeff Kleiner
Edit: Found a cool video with that grey. Says that the Punaluu Stone is one of the most unusual colors they've used on the show. They named the Caddy, "Heavy Metal". Very cool.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M-zHOpGqILA
There should be contrast but not a lot. I think you'd need to be right on the car to see it...probably disappear from 8 feet away. Just kind of depends on how apparent you want it to be. You could go the other direction and use my favorite bright silver, Mercedes Benz Crystal Laurit number 977 for the pin or border stripe. It's basically liquid aluminum...the formula has only 2 components; medium aluminum flake and a clear binder.Quote:
Originally Posted by cv2065
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/atta...7&d=1765662640
It's more intense than photos show. I recently used it on Bill Elliot's car and I think he posted some pics in a graduation post.
Jeff
Race Red!
Mike said it so you gotta do it.Quote:
Originally Posted by Mike.Bray
Love Race Red, but Torch Red may be calling my name...:cool:Quote:
Originally Posted by danmas
Well, red is my favorite color and the majority of the cars & trucks I've owned have been red. My wife's favorite color is blue so we ended up with a blue Cobra. One thing I've learned is you have to be very careful with red as they run the range from maroon to orange. When I was doing street rods lots of people were painting their cars with Porsche Guards Red. I had a red with a purple tint to it and if I parked next to a Guards Red car it would literally make it look orange. It was really kind of crazy.Quote:
Originally Posted by danmas
Personally, my favorite red currently is the Randy Candy Red from Painthouse.
Attachment 222887
Attachment 222888
Agree Mike. My last car was a Porsche color, Carmine Red. It was more of a deep red on the bluish side as I didn't want a red that looked orange at night under street lights. It was a great color and got a lot of compliments on it.Quote:
Originally Posted by Mike.Bray
Recognizing that I spend very little time driving under street lights at night...:p I wanted something a little brighter this time. The Race Red seems to be more on the Orange side where the Torch Red, more on the red side. At least to my eyes. Both are great colors, so still on the fence.
Carmine Red
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https://hosting.photobucket.com/239a...720&fit=bounds
The Carmine Red is a little dark don't you think? Mazda has a gorgeous red if you haven't seen it, has a purple tint to it.Quote:
Originally Posted by cv2065
I've always felt Cobras were cartoon cars, I mean when you think about it they're kind of ridiculous. With this thought I always felt like they should have an in your face cartoon color. When my wife wanted to do blue I wasn't very excited, the old cobra standard Guardsman Blue is, well, bla. We looked at some modern blues like Subaru Rally Blue and the Jaguar Casium Blue. I was worried if we painted it a Jaguar blue it would leak oil so that was out:) Ended up with a HoK candy blue over silver that you can hear before you see. Literally everyone we meet says something about the color.
Good luck, I'll be following along.
Attachment 222893Attachment 222894
For a red that doesn't go orange, or pink, or blue or purple but just stays red take a look at Mazda True Red, code A4A
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/atta...5&d=1765816264
By the way Chad, I just used Carmine for the outside border stripe on one last month :)
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/atta...6&d=1765816500
Jeff
Attachment 222895Attachment 222896
Jeff
I used Ferrari Rosso Red on this and will again on the truck.
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/atta...2&d=1660933118
Agree on the cartoon car comment. I had someone tell me the exact same thing at a car show once. He said these cars are so over the top that anything goes really in terms of color, engine, etc. The one pic for the Carmine Red was taken at dusk, so looks a little dark. That's a funny color as it gets brighter in the day, then a blood red at night. I did have a quick thought about blue with the red pin striping like Jeff is showing in his picture. Your color combo looks great and Jag comment hilarious. ;) Always nice to get to the really 'fun' part of the build with color selection.Quote:
Originally Posted by Mike.Bray
Thanks Jeff! As I mentioned to Mike, I saw that same blue/red/black color combo in your picture on a Cobra on the Vanguard Auto Sales website. Had me thinking that way for a moment. I think I'm going for 'over the top' this time around so the brightness will come with some drawbacks. Race Red, Torch Red and Rosso Corsa are on the docket. Was at a Jaguars football game yesterday and had a chance to see a Mustang with Race Red and a Chevy Silverado with the Torch Red close to each other in the parking lot. Torch Red looked a little less orange but I guess you'd have to see the formula to be sure.Quote:
Originally Posted by Jeff Kleiner
The more I see examples of the Punaluu Stone, very impressive contrast.
Here's that one as it went home to Virginia a few days ago:Quote:
Originally Posted by cv2065
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/atta...1&d=1765822583
I think you're looking to make a more "over the top" statement though!
I've done Rosso Corsa and it's also a pure red:
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/atta...2&d=1765822620
Decisions, decisions :p
Jeff
Attachment 222901Attachment 222902
OK OK OK...You may have just sold me on the Rosso Corsa. Holy Moly!!! Now how would that roll with the Punaluu Stone?Quote:
Originally Posted by Jeff Kleiner
This is too hard. You probably need a second one so you can sit them next to each other….Quote:
Originally Posted by cv2065
That Rosso Corsa is a pretty red!
Rosso Corsa #30012 on the left, Punaluu Stone center, Race Red on the right.Quote:
Originally Posted by cv2065
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/atta...0&d=1765895285
Photo kind of shows how orange RR is but in real life it's even more apparent---which is why you should always make color decisions using a spray out done with the actual paint that will be used.
Cheers,
Jeff
Attachment 222940
Thanks Jeff. Really appreciate you pulling those for comparison. The Corsa looks like a better choice for me.Quote:
Originally Posted by Jeff Kleiner
I'm at the point of designing and drilling my carbon fiber dash. Any tips on getting the steering column hole drilled as perfectly as you did? I'm also using I.E. 427's turn signal. Thanks!Quote:
Originally Posted by cv2065
Not Jesse, but have the same setup. You don’t really need it perfect as the turn signal base is much bigger than the hole you need to drill.
Best way I've found is to slide your steering shaft back a bit, get your dash positioned where you want it, the bring the steering shaft up until it just touches the back of the dash. Take a marker and circle where the shaft meets the back. Then pull the dash and make your cut.Quote:
Originally Posted by RogerRoger88
Good part about Frank's turn signal is that there is a nice margin for error because of the hub, so you don't have to be perfect. Good luck with your build!
Thanks! If my build is half as good as yours, I'll be happy. I've enjoyed following your build. It has helped me many times.Quote:
Originally Posted by cv2065
Glad you found it helpful. Good luck on your build and feel free to reach out if you get stuck.Quote:
Originally Posted by RogerRoger88
Both look great!
My preferences/build (in my head currrently), are either:
Carmine Red exterior/black interior, no stripes
or
Chalk Exterior/red interior/carmine red calipers
i hope to see it once it is done, as I'm in Winter Park!!!
Very cool. I'm in Winter Garden. We'll have to hook up at some point.Quote:
Originally Posted by Stiglitz