Fmans Dart 427 build #9818 - 14" Leather steering wheel

[Fman]

Congrats, Travis! That is awesome. Been following your build since the beginning, and it's really coming together nice. Way to go!

Chris

Appreciate that, definitely still feeling the buzz of getting that engine fired up!

[Fman]

Thought I would post up the process to adjust the IAC on the PF4, I got these directions from Edelbrock tech support. The directions in the PF4 manual are a little vague. The Idle Air Control target is around 0-15% at idle when the car is fully warmed up. My car was running at around 56%, you can tell it is high from "air sucking" noise coming from the throttle body. When you have a low IAC it allows the computer to pull more air when needed while driving the car.

Below is the process to get it back to a lower value.

1. Warm engine up to normal operating temp (180+).

2. Once warmed up use the PF4 tablet adjust your target idle down to 700.

3. Begin to turn the idle screw clockwise to adjust the idle back up to desired value (mine was around 800 RPM).

4. Turn off the car for 30 seconds, this will reset the throttle position sensor (TPS) sensor to 0% and the throttle blades.

5. Start engine back up, your IAC should have dropped considerably. You should also not hear the air sucking from the throttle body.

6. If you are still not at the target 0-15% you can repeat the process until the IAC is at the target percentage.

[VAHokie]

Congrats on the first start and progress to date. Looks great!

[Fman]

Congrats on the first start and progress to date. Looks great!

Thank you, took her out for another go-kart today. The car seems to be driving good and shifting with no issues. I am pleasantly surprised how I can lug the engine at a lower RPM and still have it drivable, my engine builder used a mild cam for this reason and it seems to be working out. Up to 5.6 miles now, slowly starting to build some confidence in the car and engine. I will say this thing will knock your teeth out if you hammer the throttle... she gets angry real quick

[John Ibele]

Yep, congratulations on a huge milestone. It looks really sharp and sounds fantastic.

[Fman]

Today I dropped my car off to Ken Pike to start working his magic. He has had my body since June, he will do fitment over next couple weeks then give the car back to me to complete interior while he is painting the car. Fortunately I am only about 40 minutes from his shop. They were working on the body today getting ready for primer. He said the body should have primer on it by next week. If all goes well I could have a painted car by end of January early February. Also took v1-vr along with me on the road trip, thanks for coming along Dave!

[Fman]

Looks like Ken is making some progress on body fitment... after he is done with this process I will take the car back home and finish up interior and a few other punch list items while he finishes paint.

[norcalLo]

Looks like Ken is making some progress on body fitment... after he is done with this process I will take the car back home and finish up interior and a few other punch list items while he finishes paint.

Congrats Travis!!!!!! Keep us posted on the progress!!! FYI when you finally retire you can certainly do a "body buck" start up company as the one you gave me fits like a glove!!!!!

[Fman]

Congrats Travis!!!!!! Keep us posted on the progress!!! FYI when you finally retire you can certainly do a "body buck" start up company as the one you gave me fits like a glove!!!!!

Hey Larry, your welcome and it was a pleasure meeting you and your wife. I am glad the body buck is working out for you, hope you can pay it forward to another builder once your ready to let it go. Hopefully next year I will see you at a local Cobra event!

[toadster]

holy cow you're cruisin! so excited!!!

what color did you end up going with?

[Fman]

holy cow you're cruisin! so excited!!!

what color did you end up going with?

Making some progress! I wimped out on Ruby Red and black...just not my style. I have a spray out I get to look at next week when I pick up my car. Looking Sterling gray, Black racing stripe and race red pin stripe. I was looking for a color in between silver and magnetic gray, think sterling gray metallic is going to work.

[Fman]

Fitment is done, I got the thumbs up from Ken and good news is everything fit including my air cleaner! Picking up car next week so I can get started on interior. After seeing the naked chassis for so long it is kind of cool seeing it with the body on. Next mount will be the final with some color on it!

[Fman]

Merry Christmas to everyone! Hope you enjoy some time with family and friends.

Picked up my car from Ken, now I need to start working on interior...

I also got a spray out from Ken. I have my colors picked out and ready to go! he said I should have a painted body in about 6 weeks so the build continues to progress along.


BMW 472 Sterling metallic gray
Mercedes 040 Black stripe
Ford Race Red PQ pin stripe

[Vspeeds]

looking good!

[bldr.rob]

Great colors! That gray is awesome. Can't wait to see it finish painted!

[460.465USMC]

I like the body color you chose, Travis. I think that combination will be unique, and look great.

[KDubU]

Nice choice on the colours! Should look really sharp.

[Fman]

One thing I enjoy about building this car is being locked in my shop, the world is peaceful and Zeppelin playing always sounds good. What a crazy day in our country today, my prayers go out to everyone... hope we can get through this madness.

Anyway, back to the build after the holiday and some needed time spent with my family. Nice to get some build time carved in and I made some progress... finished installing all my LED interior lights, got my horn installed, cool mat is completely done. I also got my new clutch MC installed, what a huge difference! It actually feels like a normal clutch now. I also ripped around the neighborhood today to test out the new clutch MC for a go-kart run... she is running awesome, temps are right around 185 - everything moving in the right direction. Also hoping to get my leather center console and Vintage gauge bezel back from my upholstery guy sometime soon.

Here are my LED lights, I ended up picking up some China specials from Amazon. They seem to be about the right amount of light output and are also weather proof (IP66). I installed 8 of them throughout the car. Two under dash, two in the cubby compartment and four in the trunk. They turn on with the headlight switch courtesy lighting.

Here is a link to the LED lights for anyone interested:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1





My carpet is on order should be here soon. I am now ready for the install and hoping to do this next week. Per recommendation of Mr. Kleiner I painted all the seams to match the carpet. Thanks to the recommendation from GoDadGo I ordered some 20 oz Bassboat carpeting in a midnight star gray color so I used a can of dupli color to match it up for the seams.

For anyone using Cool it thermo mat, it took me 6 rolls to do the entire car including back side of the firewall.

Here is the link to the carpet. It is a nice 20oz cut, a little heavier duty than the FFR supplied carpet. Also comes with a 3 year warranty and UV protectant on it. Figured it has to be pretty tough stuff to withstand a fishing boat.

20oz Bassboat Carpet Link:
https://www.bassboatseats.com/collec...ss-boat-carpet




Also picked up my first bling item for the car, my 427 dash emblem... also a good reminder for me not to be stupid.

[Mark Eaton]

Looking good Travis! The interior LEDs look great, you're going to light up like a roman candle!

[Fman]

Looking good Travis! The interior LEDs look great, you're going to light up like a roman candle!

Thanks Mark, things are moving along... the build has really been a great experience.

yea, not sure if I will ever use the LED lights but I figured better to have them than not. Plus I can already hear my wife saying I wish we had some lights in the rear cubby to find things

Hope all is well with you!

[John Ibele]

LED's and carpet both bookmarked ... thanks, Travis.

Ditto on your thoughts on the shop. Everything retreats into the background when I step into the garage and turn on the lights. I actually like the separate garage and the short walk through the snow, knowing the heat's always at 60F ...

Congrats on the progress, things are looking really good.

Cheers, -- John

[Fman]

I was able to make some really good progress on my interior over the past few days. I finished carpet, center console, set seat belts in place, wired my hazards, heated seats, 12 volt charging accessory, and a few other little items. I still have a few trim pieces to install but overall most everything is finished up.

I ordered a 15 ft x 6ft wide carpet roll and was able to do the entire car. However, it was down to the last foot. I would recommend at least 18 feet, if you want some wiggle room for mistakes. The 20 oz bassboat carpeting feels really nice, time will tell how it wears but overall I am pleased with it.

Here was my arsenal for the carpet install. The trauma shears worked very good for cutting the carpet and putty knife was really nice to help bring all the seams together. I also used two cans of 3M super 77 for both trunk and cockpit.



The hardest and first piece I installed would really be easy with two people. I was running solo so I came up with this idea. After cutting it down to my liking I set it with clamps. Then I flipped it over on the blue moving blanket sprayed everything and flipped it down and it was just about perfectly aligned. Then i pulled the upper layer away and coated inside with Super 77. It ended up working out really well. This was the hardest piece to install.



A shot of the cockpit with the 20oz Midnight star carpet installed. I will be adding trim pieces along lower door area once the car is back from paint.



And then things started to come together. I installed my center console, vintage toggle bezel, Cobra floor mats and steering wheel emblem. I also picked up a Michael Everson leather shift boot which goes over the FFR rubber boot. I rolled the dice a little on going with this Midnight Star gray carpet but overall I really like the look of it and the contrast it adds with the black leather. True test will be when the car has some color on it.





Here is my Vintage toggle bezel I fabbed up and had covered in leather. It also houses the heated seat toggle switches along with a Ron Francis MS1 battery disconnect. The only two active switches on the vintage toggles are for the footbox fans and hazard switch. The hazard switch was replaced with DP switch for hazard wiring.



This is my 12 volt USB/cig charger, up above is the Breeze storage cubby. I bypassed a heater but with the 12 volt accessory I can plug in an electric blanket to keep my wife nice and warm.

[Fman]

For seat belts I went with these 5 point STV cam lock style. So far I REALLY like them they seem to be very well made and the 2" shoulder straps are very comfortable which expand to 3" on the chest and lap area. The lower harness coming from under the seat is a 2". They are also very easy to put on and take off with the cam lock system.



Heated seat connections



Also picked up these Cobra floor mats



Driver and passenger foot boxes. I had a goof in the passenger box... if you look hard enough you will see it but I figured nobody would ever look under there anyway.




And my trunk, nothing exciting going on here... still need to trim out the top section of the drop box



Next task is mounting the roll bars, bolting in seat belts, and checking wiring for headlights, tail light, brakes, etc...

[Straversi]

Looks great.
-Steve

[toadster]

wow awesome

[JB in NOVA]

Great job! I like the gray color.

[BadAsp427]

Looking fantastic, I really like the trunk. I'm about to do mine, really wish I had done it before getting it painted, but so it goes. Your interior looks so clean and straight forward, nice job.

[Fman]

I appreciate all the kind words, the interior has been my favorite part of building this car. Definitely nice to see some fruits of your labor start to come alive, it is actually starting to feel like a car but I still have quite a few small items to go!

[toadster]

I appreciate all the kind words, the interior has been my favorite part of building this car. Definitely nice to see some fruits of your labor start to come alive, it is actually starting to feel like a car but I still have quite a few small items to go!

yeah, can't say enough good about your build! quick q- are your trunk LEDs going to be switched with the trunk lid?

[FF33rod]

Great job, love seeing the finishing details that folks put on their builds for all the different models. Some really good ideas and amazing work.
Congrats!

Steve

[Fman]

yeah, can't say enough good about your build! quick q- are your trunk LEDs going to be switched with the trunk lid?

Todd, they are all wired into the courtesy lighting switch circuit on the headlight switch. They will not be switched with the trunk lid.

[460.465USMC]

Very nice, Travis!

[Fman]

One of my punch list items before the body goes back on was to test all the light functions. Headlights, running, brake, hazards, turn signals, hi/low beams, etc. I was pleasantly surprised that everything is working in the RF harness and I actually wired everything correctly. The IDIDIT and Russ Thompson turn signal combo is working great, very glad I ended up going with this setup. I am also up to 20 miles on my go-kart now all seems good and I think my brake bias is also now adjusted properly.

One other item I also adjusted was the brake sensor attached to the brake pedal to turn on the brake lights. It was quite delayed which for safety reasons needed to be adjusted, now I have it set to come on as soon you touch the brake pedal.

My light test, some simple wire nuts to make sure all was good.



For the rear lights I wired in the LED converter which seems to be working good.



I also installed my breeze lower radiator hose mount. This is a nice piece and works well with the cool pipes.



I was also able to finish off my trunk and trim the drop box with some 1/2" aluminum angle. Officially done with the trunk now.

[Fman]

As many others have done I wanted to install a Metco driveline safety hoop. Hope I never actually have to use this but will be some nice insurance if the driveline ever broke. There is not much metal around the drive shaft.

https://www.metcomotorsports.com/pro...p?prod=MDL2500



I also wanted to have some type of drip shield under the clutch MC to avoid fluid ever dripping on the fuse panel. I needed it to be compact and still allow the windshield to be installed. I came up with this from some scrap aluminum I had left over and think it will serve the purpose. It is a super basic design but should help catch some leaks, anything forward of this should miss the fuse panel.





One other item I changed out was my header bolts. I went to these Vibe-lock, they have a very nice locking system on them. Much easier to do this now then after the body is put on the car.

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/php-310001

[Fman]

I also decided to go with the 520 Speed works bolt less roll bar kit to avoid the dreaded Frankenstein bolt. The kit went together relatively easy other than having to grind down the spreaders for each bracket.

https://520speedworks.com/shop/ols/p...ar-kit-15-inch



You need to torque the bolt to 35 ft lbs, I tried using a strap wrench and could not get it tighter than 20 ft lbs. I ended up using this method, wrapped gorilla tape around the end a couple times with a terry cloth in the vice and it held. Did not do any damage to the chrome.



This is what you end up with, it threads right together and no Frankenstein bolt. Very clean look.



Here is a nice install video 520 Speed works put together, covers the entire install.

[TMartinLVNV]

That roll bar looks really cool. I have not seen that before. I too hate the bolt. I painted mine to make it less visible, but it is still there.

[Straversi]

Glad someone is supplying that roll bar connection after Tangent shut down. Looks great.
-Steve

[Fman]

The 520 speed works kit is a pretty slick design. Greg the owner said it will hold to 20k ft lbs of force, probably not as strong as a bolt but would hold if you went over. I am just glad I do not have to try and drill a hole into that chrome in that area, I think it would be very easy to chip and do some damage.

[460.465USMC]

I like your idea of the drip catch under the brake MC. Made a note of it. Thanks, Travis!

[Fman]

I had someone ask me about my cup holders and if they were going to clear the top of the TKO trans. I ended up going with the deeper style cup holder that will actually hold a large beverage. I mean who does not want to Super size there drink! and ya gotta go with a Venti coffee I was not a fan of the shallower "change holder" style, almost seems useless to me. I was able to fit my deeper style cup holders in with the addition of a rubber o-ring that sits on top of the center console to elevate the cup and not touch the TKO transmission. It lifts it approx 1/8"-3/16", pretty unnoticeable when in the car. I also use them on the underside to hold the cup holder down.

This is what I came up with and here is the link to the o-rings I ordered.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Stainless cup holder link
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1






I was also able to get my roll bars bolted in. I burned through a 5/16" Cobalt bit to drill all six holes. After drilling these holes I am REALLY glad I did not have to drill the upper frankenstein bolt. The chrome does chip every time you drill a hole, even with a small 1/8" pilot hole. I also used a little cutting oil to aid in the drilling process.

Mounted roll bars with the 520 speed works boltless kit installed



One other item I decided to try was some chrome seam tape to hide the seam in the upper bar. I think it worked well and can easily be removed and applied again.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1