Einstein's Mark V Roadster Build

[JayOH]

Attachment 219206

Go Big Red!

[Aleinsteingenius]

Big Red. That was a LONG time ago.

Today I worked on installing the front suspension. To slightly spread the mounting tabs I used a gigantic Crescent wrench. It worked well. I purchased the Howe ball joints. They went right in using another giant Crescent wrench. I used the boots that came with the kit ball joints and they fit. The UCA measurements were close with the adjustment screwed all the way down but that would not allow any future adjustment when getting alignment done so i took off the back "turnbuckles" and cut them down 3/8" and the cut down the threaded parts also 3/8". I used a chop saw on the "turnbuckles" and a hacksaw on the threaded parts. Then i cleaned them up with a file, added lots of messy anti-seize and re-assembled. This wasn't too hard and I will probaby be glad I did it in the future. I tried to do an alignment myself on my wife's V12 XJS Jag. When I took it to an alignment shop the guys there had a really good laugh.

Oh yeah. My wheels and tires showed up today. Now I just need a suspension to bolt them to.

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[Mike.Bray]

I use a piece of all thread with washers & nuts to spread flanges. Much more controlled and you're pushing where the bolts actually go through. Also easier on my elbow than pulling on a big adjustable wrench.

[Aleinsteingenius]

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I got the front suspension in. No real issues. My wife saw it and said, "YOU did this?"

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I couldn't resist.

[Aleinsteingenius]

I guess it is time for an update. I have nothing too unique to report. The front end and brakes are all in. I pick up all the powder-coated aluminum pieces tomorrow. They got them all done in just 5 days!

Today I got to play Wackamole with the lug bolts and get the new ones in. Then I chopped off the ears of the spindles (gulp) and drilled out the mounting holes in them. By using a big cordless drill and setting it a clutch setting instead of drill so you dont get a broken wrist.

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They sent me a picture of our engine under construction. I think we are going to need a big shoehorn to get this in!
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It appears I got some extra suspension parts.

[JimStone]

Is that engine going in a Spitfire or a Cobra? Impressive!

[gbranham]

That picture of the engine is interesting. Zoom in on the valvetrain...looks like a CAD drawing. And they are brave putting that heavy engine on such a meager cart. Hummm...something doesn't feel right about that picture. Should be a beast, though.

[Aleinsteingenius]

For some reason the picture of the engine did not upload very clear on here. They sent me several pictures and in them it is clear it is not a doctored pic. Hopefully they will ship the engine on a strong enough cart. Yeah, it is a big engine "Anything worth doing is worth overdoing" lol.

[Aleinsteingenius]

I wanted to get the differential installed today, but none of my friends were around. I got my wife to come help me. She weighs about as much as the differential, so you can guess how well that went. After she stormed off, I kept trying different ways to get it in. My big floor jack didn't work because the four-post lift was in the way. The engine hoist was hard to work while muscling the pumpkin around. I kept trying different things all the while thinking "How the hell did the Egyptians build those pyramids anyway?".
Bad words were said.

Finally I got it in. There was much rejoicing....

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[Jeff Kleiner]

Ratchet straps are the best helpers for installing the center section

Jeff

[Aleinsteingenius]

Jeff, If I were smart I would have used ractchet straps. As my wife would have said "Way to go Einstein" lol.

The four-post lift, in addition to saving my replaced hip and knee joints, makes it easy to sweep the shop. Best $2900 I spent.

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[Aleinsteingenius]

Be careful I was throwing out the box from Ford that the IRS center section came in, and I found this lying in the bottom of the box. It is the fitting for the vent. I almost threw it out.

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[Ejzajac]

YES. Plastic plug should be in place during shipping and easily removed. Vent fitting is gently "plastic" hammered into place and a gas line can be used to extend the vent higher in frame. Some will add a screen if your worried about bugs.

Ed Z

[Aleinsteingenius]

OK, I said at the beginning of this thread that I would share my screw ups to keep others from making the same mistakes. Pretty much all the things that make my wife say "Way to go, Einstein".

So here is one. The bolts that attach the IRS spindles to the hubs are special bolts that come from Ford with the spindles or with the hubs. Either I never got them or I threw them out with the garbage. I learned that they are not part of the kit and should have been in with the Ford parts after a call to FFR. I then did some pretty impressive dumpster diving looking for them. My guess is I never got them. Not a big deal, I ordered them from Ford.

This next one is a good one. On page 115 of the Mark V manual, it says to "Torque the front and rear bolts to 100 ft/lbs". DO THIS. If you go to the end of the section,page 138, and refer to the Torque Specifications table, it says to torque them to 129 ft/lbs. DO NOT DO THIS. I did, and it stripped the threads in the aluminum case. Luckily, I only stripped one side. My new plan is to drill through the aluminum and use a longer 5 1/4" grade 8 bolt and nut from McMaster-Carr. FFR confirmed this is ok to do.

My wife: "Remember you are doing this for fun" ugh

[Aleinsteingenius]

Ok, update time, and I have a question for the FF Brain Trust.

I got the IRS in and the brakes installed. There were some bad words said when I stripped the treads in the horns of the rear end, but i got over it.

Now I have installed the steering shafts. I had to cut about 2" off the shorter 3/4 shaft to get it to 12.5". The longer shaft seems like it is a little too long also. lt did measure the 18.35" it says it should be in the book. The Ujoint is right up against the bearing. For the FF self-cancelling turn signals, you are supposed to use 3/8 bolts for the pillow block but the square holes in the TS bracket are too small for 3/8. I used some 5/16 button heads instead. I did not receive the spacer described in the book for the turn signal bracket so put in some washers instead. Once it was all in and tightened down, it seems like it is binding. Is this because the suspension is hanging all the way down? Should I shorten the longer 3/4" shaft? steering binding.pngsteering lower.pngsteering uppper.png

I want to do more than just ask stupid questions here, so I have a couple of tips. The first one I saw was on somebody's YouTube build, and it really works. Clorox wipes are great for cleaning up all the silicone that gushes out when pop riveting panels. They are so easy to grab where they just pop up out of the container. I am using black silicone so it is super yucky.
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The second thing is I used Mclube Sailkote dry lubricant when putting together the steering parts. It is clear, and when it dries, things stay pretty slippery. I have it because we use it on the luff of sails, so they slide up and down easily. A big can is about $50. You only need a little, so go find a sailor friend.

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[rponfick]

I put a 3/4" spacer under my rear bearing to lower the steering angle somewhat as Jeff Kleiner has mentioned. Also, my seats are raised about 3 1/2" for my small stature.
Ralph

[Aleinsteingenius]

I have the opposite problem I need everything as big as possible. I got the steering to not bind with some use of my cutoff wheel and grinder. Now I am playing with the pedals. A lifetime of working on airplanes has me big on fixing problems before they fail therefore I replaced all the Wilwoods MCs with Tiltons using 3/4" for the brakes and 13/16" for the clutch. I also have a Tilton external throw-out bearing. See Mike Bray I have been listening lol.

[Aleinsteingenius]

If you happen to do like me and order a complete kit with Wilwood MC's and then decide to install Tiltons you can rob the brass jam nuts from the Wilwoods and put them on the Tiltons. You can then double jam them and make the adjustment of the MC's easier. I am now playing with the gas pedal location. I have ordered a Lokar cable to go with the stack injection.

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[Jeff Kleiner]

If you happen to do like me and order a complete kit with Wilwood MC's and then decide to install Tiltons you can rob the brass jam nuts from the Wilwoods and put them on the Tiltons. You can then double jam them and make the adjustment of the MC's easier. I am now playing with the gas pedal location. I have ordered a Lokar cable to go with the stack injection.

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Hey Einstein! I'm afraid you're going to find that those 75 series Tilton's aren't going to fit your Mk5. That clamp on adapter is going to conflict with the chassis on the right side. I used Tilton 76 series on mine; they have a more compact body which will accept a 7/16 banjo to 3 AN fitting. After building mine with the 76s I decided to lower the pedal box about 1/2"-3/4" to achieve a pedal position that better suited me. I can't say for sure but with the pedal box moved down the 75 series might clear...MIGHT...but your feet may not like it lowered.

See ya,
Jeff

[Mike.Bray]

Tilton 76 series installed in my MKIV.

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[Aleinsteingenius]

It turns out Tilton 75's will JUST fit in a MKV without lowering anything. I would rather be lucky than smart.
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I need the pedals as high as possible because I have giant Herman Munster feet. It appears I can raise the kit supplied gas pedal about 2" without hitting anything important. Please chime in if this is another one of my dumb ideas. I have a Lokar cable on order since I will be hooking it to Indy stacks.
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I dont have the engine here yet. I have every part other than the engine. That is a little like saying "Other than that Mrs. Lincoln how did you like the play?"
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[Jeff Kleiner]

It turns out Tilton 75's will JUST fit in a MKV without lowering anything. I would rather be lucky than smart.
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As I mentioned I used the 76s, primarily because I preferred the banjo rather than the barbed supply line attachment, but it's good to know that the 75s will also fit especially since it was reported in another Mk5 build thread that they would not. One of those situations where something will either "not quite" or "just barely" fit and "just barely" is good enough

Jeff

[Blitzboy54]

It turns out Tilton 75's will JUST fit in a MKV without lowering anything. I would rather be lucky than smart.
]

Words to live by

[Aleinsteingenius]

It's been a long time since I updated this thread. I have been having fun hooking up brakes. I put in the factory emergency brake, hooked to the Wilwood brakes with the trims here and there that have been well documented. Twice in my life, I have used a handle emergency brake to sneak home after a total brake failure on single brake systems, so an electric emergency brake is not for me, especially with the balance bar; you could have total brake failure despite having two MCs.

Next came brake fluid reservoirs. I couldn't figure out where to mount them. I wanted to use all three nice shiny reservoirs, but where to mount them. I am putting in a Godzilla engine, so it's hard to tell where they will be in the way. I made a bracket to mount them in a place where they will not be covered by the body. will not be in the way of the hood struts, and will not hit the engine. I have them mounted in such a way that the mount can be unscrewed from the rivnuts in the frame, rotated out of the way until the engine is in....I think this will work (he says uncertainly).

On to brake lines. I had five flairing tools in my shop. Some of them were very expensive. None of them was worth a damn. I bought a small Titan flare tool from Summit. They are good for re-flaring lines still in the car. My track record with flairing lines says I will have to redo some of them. This $48 tool made nice flares.

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I bent up brake lines using a piece of solder as a template, as others have done. I like to leave a few inches of straight tubing before the fitting rather than a coiled loop. This gives me some extra straight tube for redoing the leaky ones I screw up. I also used zip ties to hold the brake lines in place until I get them bled and have no leaks. Then I will drill and rivet in all the cushion clips. Stay tuned

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[RobHartley]

This was the tool we used at the Build School and it seem to work well, that said is this one of the challenging flaring tools in your collection?
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[Aleinsteingenius]

I don't have one like that. I like the small Titan flare tool because if I need to I can use it to re-flare a tube without having to remove it from the car. That could be important for leaks after the car is built. Tomorrow my wife is going to help me bleed the brakes and we will see how well I did.

[Aleinsteingenius]

Bled the brakes today with the help of my beautiful assistant (she makes me call her that lol). I first back-fed the lines with a small sprayer as shown on The Roadster Experience on YouTube. We had minimal leaks, so the little Titan flare tool did ok. Now I have to clean up all the brake fluid we squirted all over. Next up is the quick-release steering wheel and the fuel system.

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[Mike.Bray]

You are making quick work! Looking good there!

[Aleinsteingenius]

Thanks Mike. The standard stuff is pretty easy. Things are going to slow way down as I get to things that are specific to the Godzilla engine. i will just have to figure it out as I go.

[Aleinsteingenius]

Some more progress to report. I installed the FFR turn signal switch, and I also installed the Breeze quick-connect hub for the steering wheel. This requires you to weld the hub to the shaft and then very carefully drill and tap holes for the steering wheel to mount to the new hub. It was kind of tricky but it will really help me get my giant self out of the car. There is a little more play between the Breeze hub and the flange you weld to the steering shaft than I would like. I may try to wrap a piece of aluminum foil in there to take up the slack. Stay tuned.

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We also got to a big milestone. The car for the first time is sitting on it's own wheels!! It rolls back and forth, has steering and brakes!

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Now I have the car rolled back on the lift so I can install the gas tank. I plan to use a motorcycle lift I have sitting here to raise the tank up to the frame. The first rule of farming "Never use anything for it's intended purpose". Stay tuned.

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[Aleinsteingenius]

Now that this beast is finally here. I am set to assemble it and put it in the car after I come back from hip replacement surgery. It SHOULD fit (looks at the car and back at the engine nervously) lol.

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[rickster991]

Nice!

[PNWTim]

That thing is awesome!

[Aleinsteingenius]

It dyno'ed at 692 hp and 675 ft/lbs of torque. Mental...I know. I should probably see if I can buy replacement rear tires in bulk lol.

[danmas]

It dyno'ed at 692 hp and 675 ft/lbs of torque. Mental...I know. I should probably see if I can buy replacement rear tires in bulk lol.

That is insane…..ly COOL. Wow. I’ve always been a bit over the top but you are overer the top.

[Nigel Allen]

Cool engine. Will fry tires in every gear. Just take care not to let it get the better of you like this:
Collector Car Driver Killed in Crash ID’d – NBC 7 San Diego https://share.google/mTWGDtR5alBAGWBmM

Saul was a regular here, and built a serious horsepower car that could break traction at any speed. Sadly, it bit him.

Really enjoying following your build, it's going to be a special car.

Cheers,

Nige

[Aleinsteingenius]

Thanks, Nigel. I decided if I wanted to do this project, I wanted to do something different. Flying antique airplanes for decades, there was also no room for screwing around. One mistake and you are dead. At 17 years old, I was flying a 1928 biplane with a 760 cubic inch radial engine. If I wasn't careful, I would not still be around. "There are old pilots and bold pilots, but there are no old bold pilots" lol

[cv2065]

Now that this beast is finally here. I am set to assemble it and put it in the car after I come back from hip replacement surgery. It SHOULD fit (looks at the car and back at the engine nervously) lol.

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Engine looks insane!!

[cv2065]

Cool engine. Will fry tires in every gear. Just take care not to let it get the better of you like this:
Collector Car Driver Killed in Crash ID’d – NBC 7 San Diego https://share.google/mTWGDtR5alBAGWBmM

Saul was a regular here, and built a serious horsepower car that could break traction at any speed. Sadly, it bit him.

Really enjoying following your build, it's going to be a special car.

Cheers,

Nige

Yeah that was very sad. Saul was running a Roush Supercharged Coyote in that car which I think was in the 750 HP range. I almost went that route.

[Aleinsteingenius]

I am on injured reserve recovering from hip replacement. In the meantime I am thinking about things I should add to my MK V. Has anybody come up with a easily attachable tow bracket for the MKV? I could see a problem winching the car into a trailer or on a flatbed when one of the screw ups I am sure to do bites me.