460.465USMC's MK4 Build #9890 - Gel Red is Rad. Blue is Better!
Link to Build Thread Index
Happy Independence Day! One of my favorite holidays! I'm thankful for the freedoms we have, and especially for all those service members and families who have sacrificed.
This last week was also big for me for another reason: I ordered a complete MK4 kit July 1. It is supposed to be ready for pickup Sept. 12. I live in Spokane, WA, so will have it shipped here. I am so excited to take on this project!
Like many other first time builders on this forum I'm also a novice. This will be by far the largest car project I've ever undertaken. To be honest, it's a little intimidating given my meager mechanical skill. But, I have great hope for success after reading through several other first timers such as Shark92651, Papa, Straversi, VAHokie, JohnK, JB in NOVA, Jazzman, Wareaglescott, Yama-Bro, RRAC20, etc. I've done a good amount of my own vehicle maintenance over the years, and various home projects. I also have a technical background in electronics/RF. Hopefully, this will be a strong enough foundation for me to be successful.
It's been very enjoyable to read others' build threads. I am learning so much from the builders mentioned above, not to mention Sir Edwardb, and comments and tips from others like Jeff Kleiner and many others. Thank you! I'm reading through the FF build manual for the second time. I also just found out I have a neighbor (SteveP) just 15 minutes from my house who's really close to sending his MK4 off for body work/paint. So, a great resource "in the neighborhood". The number of helpful, friendly people I've encountered through this forum is really something. What a great group of people!
What I ordered from FF:
- Complete MK4 kit
- Setup for Coyote/TKO600 drivetrain
- Powdercoated chassis
- Coyote full length ball headers
- Hydraulic clutch master cylinder
- Body cutouts
- Vinyl seats
- FFR (Speedhut) GPS guage set
- Front and rear sway bars
- IRS
- Passenger side rollbar (black)
- 2018 IRS 3.55 center section and spindles
- 13" Wilwood brakes
I haven't yet ordered the drive train. I'm considering ordering from Fortes. Also, not sure if the $300 mid-shift upgrade is better than rotating 180 deg. standard shift location. I'm looking for a short shifter, not the classic angled long handle shifter that attaches at the rear-most location on the TKO.
**Edit: I ordered the Coyote Gen 3 + TKO600 from Forte WITHOUT the mid-shift option. Will just flip the shifter around.
Mods: there will probably be a few minor Mods I will consider, but overall I plan to do a straight forward build with the version of kit I ordered. I figure a standard build will give me more than enough challenge. It will be a slow build given the limited time available I have each week. I hope to be able to carve out time to document a bit as I go along, and will definitely seek out advice from all of you master-Jedi builders who have gone before. If you've done one build, in my mind you are at master-Jedi level! It will not be a 100% classic build (obvious from my drive train decision), and will include other departures like non-Halibrand replica style wheels (haven't decided which ones yet), mid-shift (or similar), black roll bars, black exhaust, black wheels, etc. As far as paint color goes, I don't yet have a clear vision, and more than plenty of time to decide. I'm partial to orange and to white, but again, a long way off.
I got the idea to mark out the build space from Shark92651. Since I have plenty of time to finish making my garage ready for the build, the outline of the MK4's dimensions on the floor gives me a good reference point.
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/atta...8&d=1601085592
From the build threads I've read, I don't think the four post lift--seen in a couple of these pictures--will be practical until the build is pretty much done. I've had the lift for four years--it's great for maintenance, etc.
**Edit: great tip from JohnK on using four-post lift. I’m hopeful I can follow his lead.
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/atta...0&d=1593984421
Finally...I must be honest up front and say I'm a Chevy guy at heart. I'm a huge fan of pretty much anything from the 60's (Chevy II/Nova, Chevelle, bubble tops, Camaros, etc.), and Tri-Fives. I like modern Chevrolet muscle as well. My forum name also references my Chevy roots from the HP/Torque in a C7 I used to own; the USMC reference is from my five years in the Marines as an avionics technician.
I e-mailed FF this weekend to see if they have visibility to when the Wilwood brakes will ship to me. Would be fun to get those partially assembled while I wait for kit delivery over the next 12+ weeks.
**Edit: Wilwood brakes were received in early August. Hats assembled to rotors, and safety wired.
Chris
Kit Delivered - Inventory Almost Complete
At long last my complete kit arrived last Thursday: 116 days from date of order. Really glad it's here, and more than ready to get my hands on it.
Kelly from Stewart Transport was awesome! He couldn't have been more helpful. I have a 250' or so gravel driveway, so we loaded it onto his cart, then pulled it the 250' into my garage. Several trips back and forth later and it was all safe and sound in its new home.
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/atta...2&d=1603169869
Great job, Kelly! He's on the right, and yours truly on the left.
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/atta...3&d=1603169898
Now, on to inventory. Don't ask me how long it took. :rolleyes: IT was a bit more involved task than I expected, but I think the hours of investment now will pay back throughout the build. I'm MUCH more familiar with the parts that are part of the kit, and even had a nice surprise to see the polished knob and short shifter included as part of the Coyote/TKO600 drivetrain.
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/atta...4&d=1603169929
Next, I'll take a number of pictures to document the body placement (relative to panel accessibility with body-on), remove the body, suspend it from the ceiling for storage until needed, and finally take copious amounts of pictures of panels before removing them. Really looking forward to starting the front IFS assembly. The IFS LCAs are on the POL, but there should be plenty of other tasks to keep me busy for a while.
Body Suspended - IRS Started
After taking pictures to document fitment, panel accessibility, etc. with the body on, I took more photos to document the panels with the body off.
Then I suspended the body (my garage ceiling is 12.5'), preferring to preserve my floor space. I got this ratcheting pulley idea from Edwardb. As recommended, I placed a stick between dash and rear cockpit to keep body from distorting while suspended.
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/atta...4&d=1603557377
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/atta...5&d=1603557386
F-panels: One interesting note is F5 removed the upper rear corner with a nice radius to allow room for wiring to pass through--see picture below. Saved me the step--nice little improvement!
I installed the F-panels per F5 instructions. I broke three 1/8" three drill bits before I even finished drilling the holes. They were pretty old anyway. I will be exploring other drill bit options before tackling the remaining 1,200 some odd holes. Also, before installing the F-panels I played around with the brushed aluminum look--a la Straversi and GTBradley and others, which is how I will be treating the few exposed panels that will be visible in the engine compartment.
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/atta...6&d=1603558863
A couple firsts (for me) on this step: first use of a rivet tool (hand operated), and first rivnut installation.
I'm installing 10-32 nutserts along the rear edge of the F-panels per Edwardb's recommendation, for a more serviceable attachment to the splash guards. I ordered a nutsert installation tool from McMaster-Carr. The hex socket head screws it came with were 10-24. Of course I didn't notice the thread incompatibility until I after the first one was installed. And not a great installation at that! The screw broke during installation. Doh!
Another first: used my new Dremel tool (birthday present last summer) to clearance a couple edges of the F-panels. Fun!
Since my front LCAs are on backorder, I began IRS assembly. It was not a comfortable idea to lop the ears off of brand new spindles! Out came my trusty hacksaw, and I slowly cut the ear off of each. I don't have any power tools that will do this. The cuts were certainly controlled! I left more material on the spindle than the F5 manual showed--followed Edwardb's lead again. Also, I wanted to check out Dupli-color clear gloss engine enamel, hence the blue painters tape.
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/atta...0&d=1603556179
Wheel studs out: preferring to follow the hydraulic press approach, I made a dozen phone calls to local shops. All but two wouldn't touch them because of liability concerns. Of the two that would, neither were available until next week sometime, and told me "$153 out the door", or "$50-$100 depending upon 30 or 60 minutes of labor". No thanks. I instead followed the F5 instructions and they popped out pretty easily--about two solid blows per stud. (The first thing I tried was my 4.5" bench vise. Used a cheater pipe to apply more torque than the vise handle alone could to squeeze the studs out. Abandoned that idea after no movement. Not willing to damage the gear drive of my bench vise. Perhaps a larger vise would provide/could handle the necessary torque.)
Replacement studs in: hand filed one side of each stud head to ensure adequate clearance to the center of the hub. Probably could have gotten away with not, but the originals were filed, so played it safe and followed suit. Two pictures below show the difference in clearance--both are the newly installed studs.
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/atta...1&d=1603556211
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/atta...2&d=1603556220
As others have said, my neighborhood Ace is my new best friend. The cool thing is our youngest son works there, and is eligible for a sweet discount on certain things, like fasteners.
Now on to attach the hubs to the spindles, and IRS assembly. This is fun!
IFS Underway - IRS Complete - Rear Brakes Started
I had the opportunity to take some vacation, so had a blast making some progress...slow but sure.
Up first was assembly of IFS components. I have most of the components in place as shown below, but not yet torqued. And, I just received my LCAs, so finishing the IFS will be up soon. The plastic bag over the upper ball joint is to keep from getting grease everywhere until I attach the remaining components. I also have my power steering rack in place--will update with picture once IFS is complete.
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/atta...4&d=1604261030
IFS: A couple things I encountered when assembling the components (not breaking any new ground here): (1) the first upper ball joint (Mevotech) went in a little tight, but I managed without any extra persuasion--the vise-tightening method worked well. The second upper ball joint threaded in more easily, so I switched to my pipe wrench, which was a bit more efficient for me than the vise-tightening method. (2) I replaced the MevoTech dust cover boots with Energy Suspension 5.13102G per numerous experiences/recommendations from this forum. (3) I won't be using the reluctor ring (AKA tone ring?), so I removed it from the hub with a hacksaw. Cut most of the way through, then tapped lightly with hammer and punch to finish breaking it apart.
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/atta...6&d=1604261328
IRS: Since I have all of the components I spent the majority of my time here. First, I prepped the parts that could see some corrosion/rust over time (front of center section, CV axles, rear hubs, front and rear sway bar brackets, and the front hubs) with POR-15. This is my first use of this product, and I think it turned out awesome! It's takes a good amount of prep. and time, but I think it will be worth it. It feels very durable. I used Duplicolor clear gloss engine enamel on the rear cover of the center section. I hit it with my drill and a wire wheel before applying.
Center section installed! Wow, is that ever a tight fit! I installed it solo--okay, my wife ran the floor jack at a particular dicey moment--using mostly straps and my floor jack. Knowing I would be solo I drilled out the front mount holes to 11/16" beforehand (slightly larger than the 5/8") to provide a bit of wiggle room to insert the front bolts. I got that idea from Edwardb's 20th anniv. build. Thanks, Paul! I think it helped.
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/atta...0&d=1604262613
The CV axles went in without any drama with a little persuasion from my rubber mallet. Here's the 1/8" gap the instructions say we should look for once the axles are fully seated.
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/atta...2&d=1604262724
I filled the ABS holes in the top of the spindle with silicone. Easy and effective IMHO. Here you can see the POR-15 on the hubs, and my yellow paint pen marks to keep track of which bolts are torqued.
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/atta...3&d=1604262820
IRS sway bar installation: The IRS sway bar turned out to be a lot more difficult than I expected. First, the welded mounts were too narrow for the rod ends plus spacers. (In fact, EVERY set of mounts for my IRS (UCAs, LCAs, toe adjuster) were too narrow). I spread the mounting tabs quite a bit, but still couldn't get the rods in with the spacers. I did not feel comfortable spreading the mounts any further. So, I ground off a bit of material from the longer spacers using my bench grinder. This allowed them to slide further into the welded mount tabs, so I could pass the bolt through. That worked. I discovered after torqueing the nuts the mounting tabs came back to parallel, which made me feel better.
The next issue was for the life of me I couldn't get the rod ends to fit on the outside of the sway bar as shown in the instructions. Maybe if I applied enough torque I could have forced both the DS and PS rods to the outside. However, the instructions say not to preload the sway bar. So, I ended up with the PS rods on the outside of the sway bar, and the DS rods on the inboard side--see picture below. I don't think this will affect the function of the sway bar, or be any less structurally sound. However, as a noob I very much welcome your input if you disagree, or have advice.
The good news is my rod ends came at the correct length, so I didn't have to cut them down to 0.5" of thread. I'm not too upset about NOT having to cut those given the numerous comments about their hardness, and my cutting tool is my trusty hacksaw.
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/atta...6&d=1604263004
Wrapping up the IRS install I copied Travis' (Fman) idea for the center section vent tube. Less than $8 from Amazon.
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/atta...5&d=1604262858
I have the rear Wilwood brakes mostly attached. Next up will be to finish those, then back to the IFS to finish assembling it.
I very much welcome anyone's input or suggestions! I'm very green at this whole thing, and could easily have messed up something(s) thus far.
Rear Wilwood Brakes Installed
After a couple weeks I was able to get back into the garage for a few hours of build time yesterday. It was nice!
I finished installing my rear Wilwood brakes. It was a fun process, and after a PM with Edwardb (thank you, Paul!) I think they are put together correctly.
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/atta...7&d=1605406301
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/atta...8&d=1605406317
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/atta...9&d=1605406332
My flexible brake line attachments are loose until I can get to an auto parts store to pick up some thread sealer for the 1/8" - 27 NPT fitting that threads into the caliper (per Edwardb recommend).
Next up: pick up where I left off on front suspension install. My LCAs were POL and came in recently, so I now have everything I need to complete the front suspension.
P.S. Yes, I'm putting off the rear sway bar correction on the DS--move heim joint to outside of sway bar. I will get to it, but I need a little instant gratification on the front suspension. In my case, "instant" means many hours.
IFS Complete - With Wilwoods
IFS update continued:
I then installed the Wilwood brakes and flex lines. Assembly was pretty straight forward. I followed the Wilwood instructions (included with Wilwood kit). Made sure to install the rotors (calipers as well--although those are pretty obvious) on the correct side, as they are directional--see red circle around arrow on rotor below.
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/atta...5&d=1606616112
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/atta...4&d=1606616094
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/atta...6&d=1606616124
If you see any mistakes, or have recommendations, I welcome them!
Next up: perhaps the e-brake cables (pulleys are on order) and mock-up the e-brake? Then, maybe the Kleiner quick jack Mod, followed by gas tank install. I'm very open to recommendations if there is a better sequence to follow next. I'm pretty much following the F5 manual's build sequence.
