My son, Andrew, and I just returned from Build School - the first Mark 5 build. It was a great experience. We left planning for our build. Then, we got the email for the 30th anniversary build and we took the bait. We are very excited to have our first build to be such a beautiful car. Now, we just have to do something about the garage, tools, etc. There are some nice photos of build school on social media but here are a few I took.
I just took the bait as well!
What engine are you going with?
Would you recommend the Build School?
I look forward to keeping in touch as we build these 30th Anniversary cars - they'll be awesome
Please, please, please remember to do a very detailed inventory when your kit arrives.
Make an extra copy of the inventory sheets and attach a copy to each sheet to each corresponding box.
If you do this it will make hunting for parts during the build process a lot easier.
Also, please re-read the manual to get that data ingrained in your brain.
These were things told to me that helped me greatly.
Hey Chris, really enjoyed working alongside you and Andrew last week at Build School. Looking forward to seeing your progress on your 30th anniversary build.
Wow, very cool! It was fun watching the progress of the first MK5 build school and the anniversary kits look amazing!!!! I did zoom in on some of the photos to get some detail of what lies ahead. This afternoon I purchased the brake fluid to do my initial bleed on my MK5. Looking forward to seeing some of the anniversary builds get under way.
Building a Mark V here as well. I was told the 30th Anniversary kits would not come out until the end of the summer so I decided not to wait. My Mark V kit should be delivered early May, right about when my new shop is done. Looks like a batch will be building. It will be interesting. I am going with a Godzilla engine.
Was at FFR last week and saw the frame for a 30th Anniversary 65 Coupe. They will be coming with a bronze colored powder coat. Kind of dark but certainly unique.
[QUOTE=aqsport196;579220]I just took the bait as well!
What engine are you going with?
Would you recommend the Build School?
I look forward to keeping in touch as we build these 30th Anniversary cars - they'll be awesome
We ordered a Ford 427 w/ fuel injection and the PS/AC module from Blueprint. The rep, James, was great. It was amazing to see how easily the engine went into the car and the transmission was attached on no time.
Build school was a lot of fun and a bit exhausting. I have very little experience working on cars and it was very helpful to watch the entire process. It gave me a good scope of what we were getting into. If you have a lot of automotive experience you would not need that. But the value for that person is all the insider tips and tricks from the instructors who did not hesitate to point when they thought the FFR instructions were confusing or not quite right. My son paid attention to that piece quite a bit. So, yes, I would recommend it for pretty much anyone. BTW, if you order your Blueprint engine at build school you get a 10% reduction, which more than pays for the $1000 tuition.
I just took the bait as well!
What engine are you going with?
Would you recommend the Build School?
I look forward to keeping in touch as we build these 30th Anniversary cars - they'll be awesome
We ordered a Ford 427 w/ fuel injection and the PS/AC module from Blueprint. The rep, James, was great. It was amazing to see how easily the engine went into the car and the transmission was attached on no time.
Build school was a lot of fun and a bit exhausting. I have very little experience working on cars and it was very helpful to watch the entire process. It gave me a good scope of what we were getting into. If you have a lot of automotive experience you would not need that. But the value for that person is all the insider tips and tricks from the instructors who did not hesitate to point when they thought the FFR instructions were confusing or not quite right. My son paid attention to that piece quite a bit. So, yes, I would recommend it for pretty much anyone. BTW, if you order your Blueprint engine at build school you get a 10% reduction, which more than pays for the $1000 tuition.
I've got mechanical skills from racing motorcycles and doing some car work, never a project this big though.
I'm doing the build school in August and then ordering my kit.
Good luck with your build !
Lots of good people with tons of experience here to help is a great thing too.
It's been a long summer of prep but today (Sept 1) we turned our first wrench! Installed the steering rack and lower and upper control arms. A lot of fun!
Thanks. All sorted once we got the wheel hubs off as I had rashly torqued them as directed. Finally did it with an impact wrench. They said something like this would happen in build school! I found two very helpful photos on the forum photos page. They are much better than what is in the manual.
It's been a bit of a break with the holidays, etc. but we are finally prepped for the rear suspension (after replacing hub studs, drilling out some holes in the center section, etc.). We installed the center section this weekend. It was a bit of a bear - install, partial uninstall, machined a problem and reinstall. But all done and very pleased. PXL_20260201_200733986.jpgCenter section front view.jpgCenter section top view.jpg
We had a great day installing the rear suspension. Some challenges with a few parts that were not quite machined properly, especially the IRS toe arm. But nothing like a vise and a little muscle (from my son) to get it done. This continues to be a real joy.
I have a minor question. We are installing the rear Koni shocks on the FFR IRS on a Mark 5. The instructions call for a 4" bolt connecting the top end but the IRS parts supplied have a 3.75" bolt. Obviously, not a big difference. This would not be the first time the instructions, which are generally excellent, have been off a smidge. Can anyone confirm 3.75" will be okay?
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Originally Posted by aqsport196
