Thanks Mark. It's great to hear that you are getting some value from my thread. I got so much benefit from reading other's threads, that I decided to document mine. I'm sure much of it is repetitious but that's not necessarily a bad thing. I read here on the forum almost daily and learn something every single time!
Pat
MK4 complete kit Nov 2024, Blueprint 347, TKX, Hyd clutch, IRS, 3.55, touring shocks, 17" wheels, 11.65 brakes, Build Thread
Installed the Forte windshield brackets this afternoon. No instructions provided, but pretty uneventful after doing my forum homework. JohnK gave me some specific guidance and topherchrisb was kind enough to send me a set of his positioning disks (see photo below). Like others, I cut the tip off the top and bottom rear corners due to interference with sheet metal. You will also need to drill one new hole above the bottom rear one, which isn't usable. Not sure why Forte drills it there. On the PS side you can't that location for drilling. And on the DS you would be right up against a frame member with your drill bit. Also, others have drilled a new hole below the top front hole because it is close to the edge of the frame steel. I decided to use that hole as supplied. It ends up being maybe a 1/4" from the edge, but I believe it will be fine. If these brackets ever move, I'm going to have something bigger to worry about (like being upside down with a crushed windshield).
I also didn't use the flange bolts and nuts supplied with the kit. I went with shorter 5/16 x1" grade 5 bolts with nyloc nuts. The temporary bolts in the photo below are grade 2 and will be replaced with the grade 5.
Note that the center hole is NOT drilled at this time. This hole is for the quick release pin. It will be drilled after the windshield is properly positioned on the body, similar to when the windshield post are marked for drilling when you aren't using these brackets.
One last thing... if anyone needs these positioning disks, let me know. I'll send them to the first person who asks (at no cost). I'm paying them forward.
Pat
MK4 complete kit Nov 2024, Blueprint 347, TKX, Hyd clutch, IRS, 3.55, touring shocks, 17" wheels, 11.65 brakes, Build Thread
Been lax in keeping up to date with posts here, but progress is being made. Did all the fitting of the trunk sheet metal. Went well. Spun my wheels for a while going through boxes and inventory details trying to find the sheet metal pieces that are on the inside of the upper trunk sidewalls. They show in the manual in several photos but not in the box 10 inventory or the Box 99 sheet metal list. They also don't show in the sheet metal diagram in the manual. Spun my wheels some more searching the forums but couldn't find anything specific to those pieces. Reached out to Waterman who lives nearby and recently completed his car. Got a confirmation that those pieces are no longer part of the kit. Should have texted him an hour or two earlier!!
Did a little trimming and grinding here and there to provide clearance at welds. trunk sm fitting lr.jpg
Also, Kleiner mod in place. I had originally planned to tack weld nuts on the back side of the plates instead of using the couplers. Decided to stick with Jeff's approach because the coupling will provide a longer stretch of support for the loom that will cover things in the future. trunk sm lr.jpg
After thinking through how many times I would be installing and removing the lower floor piece I decided to make a change at the PS fuel tank mount. I cut out the sheet metal to allow the piece to slide fully over the tank mounting bracket and bolt. I had previously cut of the frame tab that's above that mounting point as well. trunk sm PS tank mount 1 lr.jpg
Made up a small cover that slides over the tank mount bracket and also covers the hole for the frame tab above (which I cut off). Cut the slots in this piece with a 1/8 thick masonry blade for an angle grinder. Perfect width for the bracket slots. So, this new piece, along with the one in the kit for the opening at the bottom of the bracket, will make for a clean, finished look. trunk sm PS tank mount 2 lr.jpg
Disassembled everything, completed the sheet metal drilling, reassembled and drilled most of the frame holes. Removed side pieces to begin prep for coating the wheel well sides with Raptor.
MK4 complete kit Nov 2024, Blueprint 347, TKX, Hyd clutch, IRS, 3.55, touring shocks, 17" wheels, 11.65 brakes, Build Thread
Prepped several aluminum panels for Raptor application. Applying it to exposed sides of panels in the wheel wells. F-panels were already installed so sanding was challenging, even with a large and small detail sander. Sanded with 80 grit (mini detailer was 60 grit). Plus I had to do a bunch of masking. Note to self for next build... coat panels before final install. raptor sanded 2 lr.jpg
Everything was wiped down twice with acetone and Raptor was rolled on with a 4" roller with 1/2" nap. Two coats, one hour apart. First time using this product. Easy to work with and looks great. Raptor panels lr.jpg
Have a little bit of touchup to do where tape was in the way. Will do that when splash guards are installed, so touchup can be done on everyting.
Wore a respirator and goggles and glad I did. Even with a fan blowing out one door and another door open for air to come in, I was shocked at how strong the odor was when I took the respirator off. Crazy bad! Even after the one hour wait for the second coat it was still strong. Sprayed the second coat and ran the ventilation for 3 more hours. Had to close up the shop for the night though. Odor was still pretty strong in the morning, but ran the ventilation again, and moved the panels to an adjacent storage space for final cure.
After seeing how this turned out I wish I had coated the underside of the floor panels. Will do that on my next build!
Last edited by PMD24; 11-05-2025 at 08:14 PM.
MK4 complete kit Nov 2024, Blueprint 347, TKX, Hyd clutch, IRS, 3.55, touring shocks, 17" wheels, 11.65 brakes, Build Thread
After reading a few times about converter failures I took a look at both front and rear splicing and mounting options. Ultimately decided to do it behind the dash. Primary driver of that decision was having the two purple wires available in the rear harness for other uses. Also, in the rear of the car it wouldn't be that much more accessible, and it would get more moisture exposure in the rear. Granted, it's a sealed unit but moisture is pretty good at finding its way into places you don't want it.
Spliced it into the main harness with crimp butt connectors using a good crimping tool, not stacon pliers. Then sealed each connection with adhesive lined shrink sleeves. Also updated post 155 with wire by wire details of the connections and unused purple wires. converter spliced lr.jpg
Added loom to clean things up and mounted it on the bottom of the 2x2 tube to the right of the steering shaft. Good access if replacement is needed. Fastened in place with a heavy duty zip tie. I may end up moving the inertia switch once I get further into the work behind the dash. Coverter mounted lr.jpg
MK4 complete kit Nov 2024, Blueprint 347, TKX, Hyd clutch, IRS, 3.55, touring shocks, 17" wheels, 11.65 brakes, Build Thread
Did a solo install of the engine and transmission last week. Went in without a problem in an hour and 15 minutes. Didn't lift the rear of the car or lower the front. For lifting, Blueprint had a pair of brackets on opposite corners. I moved the one on the rear to the front where the distributor was fastened. On the rear I used two standard lifting ears from Amazon.
When the transmission was close to level and still forward of the 4" tube the driveshaft was inserted. I loosely zip tied it to the 3/4 frame member above so it couldn't slide out. Over the course of the next several days I sorted through several issues. Mostly minor except for the dreaded "pan below the frame". I was pretty sure it was going to be a problem, was hoping for the best, but no luck. Blueprint has a specific set of packages associated with the partnership with FFR. They even send you a link to a unique webpage with the various options. I don't understand why FFR allows them to configure it with an 8" pan, given the number of people that end up with an issue. Several months ago when I checked the depth I contacted both Blueprint and FFR. Blueprint said it should sit flush. FFR sounded less sure that would be the case. So, over the last week or so I got really good at lifting the engine part way up and sometimes forward. Probably moved it a dozen times. Here's what I worked through.
> The DS motor mount didn't want to sit down into the indexing hole even with leaving the block mounting bolts loose. Lifted the engine a few inches several times while sorting out the transmission mount, driveshaft alignment, etc. Happened every time I lowered it into place. Could get it to seat by tapping it into place but wanted to track down the cause. Ultimately, after making the adjustments detailed below, it drops into the mounts perfectly every time.
> A tab on the PS of the transmission interfered with the e-brake mounting bracket. By lifting the transmission as high as it would go in place and pushing it toward the DS, I was able to cut off the tab using a 20V one hand recip saw. engine tkx tab.jpg
> With the transmission mount in place and the motor mounts fully seated, the tail of the transmission was contacting the top of the 4" tube. One 1/4" spacer was enough to get it to clear.
> The position of the transmission at the mounting point was skewed to the PS by approx 3/4". I could move it toward the DS about half that distance but did not have adequate play in the motor mounts to move it further. Lifted the engine a couple of times and reset it but no change. Lifted the engine far enough to be able to remove the motor mounts. The mounting holes are slightly oval as supplied. On both mounts I marked opposing sides of each oval to remove maybe a 1/16". A small change here would allow for quite a bit of movement at the tail of the transmission. Dropped the engine in and it slid in perfectly, without the DS mount hanging up on the indexing pin. And the transmission mount lined up perfectly.
> The oil pan was hanging below the frame by approximately 1/4 inch at the rear. In two steps I added two more 1/4" spacers under the tranny mount. It made no difference. This does make sense though. The rear of the pan is very close to being in line with the motor mount so lifting the end of the transmission begins a rotation of the pan with essentially no upward movement. Started by adding three washers under each of the four motor mounts. Ended up with four. Four measured out at 0.30". The washers have essentially the same contact area as the machined surface on the block and provided sufficient lift for the rear of the pan to be slightly above the frame (maybe 1/16th inch). I considered adding another washer but decided to go with it this way. The pan is now above the frame. engine mount washers lr.jpg
I know there's a regular debate regarding the angle of the driveshaft to the differential and the need for adjustments when using IRS, but while into this I decided to check it out. With the 3/4" of spacers in place under the transmission mount the difference was three degrees. For fun, I pulled the spacers and it moved to approx 6 degrees. So, I chose to leave the spacers in.
With that complete, all mounting connections were tightened and torqued. Any connections without locknuts got blue loctite Torque values were based on bolt size and grade, wet.
Tomorrow I will connect the driveshaft and the drivetrain installation will be complete! Major milestone!
MK4 complete kit Nov 2024, Blueprint 347, TKX, Hyd clutch, IRS, 3.55, touring shocks, 17" wheels, 11.65 brakes, Build Thread
Had previously run the rear harness through the firewall and back through the tunnel to the rear of the car. A friend who recently got his MK4 on the road (Waterman) had stopped by and advised me to start to dig into the details of the wiring before securing the harness in place. Good advice. Over the next few days I spent several hours getting my head around the wiring for the Sniper2 EFI, seat heaters, neutral switch, reverse light, USB ports, and trunk lighting.
Removed the rear harness, laid it out on my 4'x8' work table, opened all of the loom, and began to make changes. Before removing from the car I marked the loom at each of the locations where I wanted the additions or changes. As I opened the loom I marked those same locations on the wire bundle with a piece of tape.
I also opened up the Holley EFI harness to facilitate changes to how various wires split out of the loom, to better match how I was laying out my wiring and locating relays and connectors.
The following changes were made to the rear harness:
> The blue fuel pump wire from the Holley harness was added to the rear harness. The tan RF fuel pump wire was cut near the fuel pump connector and pulled back to the cockpit for use as the power feed to the seat heaters. The blue Holley fuel pump wire was spliced to the tan wire at the fuel pump connector.
> For the reverse light, a switched ground will be used. Adjacent to the transmission reverse switch location, split-off ground wire was added by splicing the two stripped ends of the cut ground wire back together, wrapping that splice with the split-off wire, soldering these together, and sealing the joint with adhesive lined shrink tube. This new wire will be the ground side of the reverse switch. Added a new ground wire from the other side of the reverse switch, running back to the reverse light. (Edit - Power for the reverse light will be a new brown wire. I chose to run a new wire instead of using the other available purple wire so that only one purple wire is in the rear harness, for clarity in the event of future troubleshooting. The second purple wire was removed from the rear harness.)
> Seat heaters - the tan RF fuel pump was pulled back to split out of the bundle near the end of the tunnel. This wire will be the power source for both seat heaters. Each seat heater has a short ground wire for grounding direct to the frame. I still need to sort out the changes at the main harness and fuse block for the relay and inertia switch. More on that in a future post. For now, I have a power and ground for the seat heaters sorted out.
> Neutral switch - I prefer the neutral switch over the clutch switch for start. May ultimately wire in both, but for now I need provisions in the rear harness for the neutral switch. Decided to repurpose the existing e-speedo pigtail since my gauge uses GPS. Moved where it comes out of the bundle. A pigtail with matching connector is available through Summit but decided to cut the connectors off and use weatherpaks.
> Trunk light - moved where the license plate wiring comes out of the bundle several inches toward the front so it exists the harness in the upper trunk area. Moved the other purple wire that was freed up via the converter install to exit at this same point. Laer I'll tap into the ground in this bundle, for the trunk light.
> USB port - decide to not add USB ports. Don't recall ever using one in my daily driver, even on trips, so I certainly won't need one in this car.
Last edited by PMD24; 12-02-2025 at 09:42 AM.
MK4 complete kit Nov 2024, Blueprint 347, TKX, Hyd clutch, IRS, 3.55, touring shocks, 17" wheels, 11.65 brakes, Build Thread
Amazing shop remodel. Congratulations. Shop work is even more fun in pleasant (and warm) surroundings. At least for me... Good decision regarding the power steering. You won't regret it. You will probably need to think about some way to turn down the boost so it's not too light. I know, probably not want you want to hear after the effort and $$ to add it. But often the standard boost is too much. Couple of approaches but they can be added later after you have a chance to drive it. For the Breeze offset bushings, that was definitely a thing on Mk3's and earlier. Everyone was chasing bump steer. This was before the FF 2-piece spindles basically eliminated it. Plus the PS mounts from that era were slightly off center. I had them in my Mk3 build and they worked as advertised. I put them in my first Mk4 and they adjusted out exactly centered so basically didn't do anything. I didn't put them in my second Mk4 or any builds since. FF fixed the centering issue. Bump steer is a non-issue. Confused about the comment that the kit uses rubber bushings. Not the case. The stock rubber bushings are removed and the kit includes poly bushings which have little/no movement. Won't hurt anything to put them in now that you have them. But I haven't found them necessary.
Build 1: Mk3 Roadster #5125. Sold 11/08/2014. Build 2: Mk4 Roadster #7750. Sold 04/10/2017. Build 3: Mk4 Roadster 20th Anniversary #8674. Sold 09/07/2020. Build Thread and Video. Build 4: Gen 3 Type 65 Coupe #59. Gen 3 Coyote. Legal 03/04/2020. Build Thread. Build 5: 35 Hot Rod Truck #138. Build Thread. Sold 11/9/2023. Build 6: Mk5 Roadster 30th Anniversary #11,258. Build Thread.
Amazing shop remodel. Congratulations. Shop work is even more fun in pleasant (and warm) surroundings. At least for me... Good decision regarding the power steering. You won't regret it. You will probably need to think about some way to turn down the boost so it's not too light. I know, probably not want you want to hear after the effort and $$ to add it. But often the standard boost is too much. Couple of approaches but they can be added later after you have a chance to drive it. For the Breeze offset bushings, that was definitely a thing on Mk3's and earlier. Everyone was chasing bump steer. This was before the FF 2-piece spindles basically eliminated it. Plus the PS mounts from that era were slightly off center. I had them in my Mk3 build and they worked as advertised. I put them in my first Mk4 and they adjusted out exactly centered so basically didn't do anything. I didn't put them in my second Mk4 or any builds since. FF fixed the centering issue. Bump steer is a non-issue. Confused about the comment that the kit uses rubber bushings. Not the case. The stock rubber bushings are removed and the kit includes poly bushings which have little/no movement. Won't hurt anything to put them in now that you have them. But I haven't found them necessary.
Thanks for the feedback Paul. I will pay attention to the power steering and adjust accordingly when the time comes. I went back and looked at my post regarding the centering bushings but didn't see a reference to rubber. Wherever it was, I'm guessing I was just referring to 'rubber" generically. If you get a minute to point out where that was, I'll edit it so folks aren't confused by my comment.
Pat
MK4 complete kit Nov 2024, Blueprint 347, TKX, Hyd clutch, IRS, 3.55, touring shocks, 17" wheels, 11.65 brakes, Build Thread
Applied blue loctite, connected the driveshaft, and torqued the screws to 70ft-lbs, in line with spec for size, grade, and wet. That was a lot of torque for the screw size! Installed the Metco safety hoop. Went in perfectly. I did need to flip the rear bolts on the transmission a-frame. Normally one would install bolts like that with the nut on the bottom so that in the event a nut comes loose you have some chance that the bolt will stay in the hole. In my case I needed to place the nut on top because the tip of the bolt and nut interfered with the safety hoop mounting bracket.
Assembled the Breese fan shroud, and upper and lower mounting hardware. Good instructions. Went together with no issues. Sharing a few things that may help others.
I cut the tube pieces off the frame with a 20V cutoff tool and 3" wheel. Felt like I had better control than with my larger 4 1/2" tool. I chose to cut the tube piece instead of the weld because the weld is much harder material. Also, I didn't want to risk cutting into the frame tube. After the piece of tube was removed, I used a 4 1/2" grinding wheel on the welds. Once the welds were ground, the remaining side of the tube piece that was against the frame tube, peeled off easily. Did final cleanup for paint with a file and orbital sander. Radiator frame 1 LR.jpg
When mounting the fan on the shroud, the fan wiring pigtail goes to the side of the shroud with the wider flange. radiator shroud lr.jpg
The instructions say to clamp the hinge in place, lay out 14 holes, and drill through the radiator channel and the hinge at the same time. I recommend drilling the holes in the channel first, then clamping the hinge in place and getting a hole drilled on each end, adding clecos, and then drilling the rest, similar to how the aluminum panels on the car are done first and then the frame holes are drilled. The stainless hinge is pretty hard material and this approach allows you to move clamps and add clecos close to where you are drilling, so everything stays where you want it. radiator hinge 1 lr.jpg
Before laying out the 14 holes, note that you are also going to be drilling two 1/4" holes for the 3" bolts and spacers coming through from the fan shroud side. Pay attention to where these two holes fall on the 14 rivet layout. I didn't, and Murphy's Law worked perfectly. Both 1/4" bolts fell right where rivets were. No big deal. I simply drilled the rivets out and drilled the 1/4 holes, but you can avoid that by noting where the 1/4" bolts will go. Lay out the 14 holes so the 1/4" bolts go between rivets, or better still, in place of two rivets. radiator bolts lr.jpg
Although it's not needed structurally, I also chose to install four fasteners along the bottom of the shroud, and will add a third fastener to the top. Did this because it seemed like a spot where vibration (noise) might occur.
MK4 complete kit Nov 2024, Blueprint 347, TKX, Hyd clutch, IRS, 3.55, touring shocks, 17" wheels, 11.65 brakes, Build Thread
Installed the radiator and lower Breeze mount. Pretty uneventful. Clamped the upper hinged to the frame at level position. Used a floor jack to hold the bottom. As recommended by many here I used the sheet metal side pieces to set the angle. Checked the angle out of curiosity. Came out to 47 degrees from horizontal. FFR's PS sheet metal fits well. DS , not so good. I'm not sure if I'll use them or try Mike Everson's. Don't need to decide that now.
DS sheet metal sits high compared to PS. Even when shifted to the PS to line up edge with radiator fins, the cutouts are still end up about 1/2" above the holes in the frame for the quickjack bolts. Ultimately it won't align with the radiator opening because they are mad by FFR for the radiator sitting 5/8"off-center toward the DS; whereas the Breeze upper mount has the radiatr centered. Radiator with sides lr.jpg
And you're fighting the unsquare 3/4" tube your Breeze hinge is fastened to. It's just not square in the frame. Mine certainly wasn't. Mine sloped 'up' to the driver's side, which explains your situation.
Greg
Built an early MkIII years ago, sold years ago. Back after 18 years to build a MkIV Build Thread Here Partners: Levy Racing, Summit Racing, LMR, Breeze, Forte's Parts, Speedhut, ReplicaParts
MkIV Complete Kit Ordered 4/18/23, Delivered 7/11/23, First start 3/15/25. Legal 6/13/25. Boss 427W, Edelbrock Pro Flo 4, TKX (.68 5th), IRS, Wilwood Brakes, 18" Halibrands, Toyo R888R Tires, Custom Speedhut Gauges
Yep, mine slopes the same way. But, when I fastened the hinge to the 3/4 tube I set the bottom of the radiator level... and they still fit poorly on one side. Seems like most all do. Not complaining. It's all part of what makes it a fun and challenging project.
MK4 complete kit Nov 2024, Blueprint 347, TKX, Hyd clutch, IRS, 3.55, touring shocks, 17" wheels, 11.65 brakes, Build Thread
Those FFR radiator shroud pieces are hit or miss. My first build they fit ok, but my second they where not even really close. You might consider making your own?
Those FFR radiator shroud pieces are hit or miss. My first build they fit ok, but my second they where not even really close. You might consider making your own?
I like that suggestion... an excuse to buy the Eastwood Versabend!
MK4 complete kit Nov 2024, Blueprint 347, TKX, Hyd clutch, IRS, 3.55, touring shocks, 17" wheels, 11.65 brakes, Build Thread
Installed the lower radiator tube and connecting elbows. Messed around with it for quite a while after seeing photos here on the forum where the tube passed over the sway bar. I couldn't get a layout that I liked. The elbow at the pump came out too close to the belt, clearance at the sway bar was ~1/16", and the elbow at the radiator connected to the tube at an angle. The layout that I liked the most placed the tube under the sway bar. I also wanted more length on the radiator side of the lower elbow. Found a hose at NAPA (their #9070) and cut a new elbow from it that gave me the added length I was looking for. Hit the tube and the Breeze mounting bracket with Flitz polish and a wipe of Sharkhide.
I shared in a prior post that I wish I had coated the exterior side of some of the aluminum panels prior to install (floor panels), so I took the opportunity to apply Raptor to the exterior side of the trunk panels and some of the rear cockpit panels. With the tunnel still being exposed aluminum I needed to choose where to make the transition to the Raptor finish. Decided to place the transition at the vertical 2x3 frame member. I will still have to coat the underside of the floor panels in place. Will probably do that in the spring when I do the underside of the body.
Completed all of the changes to the rear harness as detailed in post 168. Put everything back into the loom. Changed a few split-off locations and sorted out routing for the license plate/truck light loom. Left extra length for fuel tank sender and fuel pump. If I ever need access to the fuel pump, the tank will need to lowered. That Pro-M hanger is never coming out through the access hole in the trunk floor. Debated cutting a large triangular opening between the frame tubes in the area and adding a large cover, but it was still questionable that the cross brace would interfere with removal. Ultimately decided that lowering the tank would take similar effort... and likely won't be needed, at least for a while.
Sharing some info on problems that I had with stainless steel fuel hose/fittings supplied with my engine from Blueprint, in case others run into this. Note that I have not seen any mention of this on the forum and I was not able to determine the cause. Maybe I was assembling the fittings wrong or tightening incorrectly. The supplied fittings have no marking to indicate manufacturer. I had called Blueprint when planning the fuel line routing to find out the manufacturer in case I needed additional or different fittings, but they were not able to tell me the manufacturer, indicating their suppliers change from time to time. Ultimately, I decided to switch to a known manufacturer with a good track record.
Rear fuel hoses were previously made up and mounted in place with a plan to test the full length of each line at once. Instead of doing that I decided to test the flex lines alone before installing the trunk sheet metal. Using an Earls test kit each of the hoses were pressurized with oil free compressed air to approx 75psi. All three failed to hold pressure. After double checking the ferrule nuts for tightness, I removed the hoses from the car and switched to submersion testing to see the leak points. All leaks were occurring at the ferrule. Again checked tightness and all seemed ok. Disassembled one and reassembled with new ferrules. Same result. Tried tightening beyond typical and still leaked. Made up another hose and tightened less, same result. Disassembled a few of the fittings and could noy establish the cause. Decided to ditch the BP hose and fittings and start over with products from a known manufacturer. First stop was Hot Rod Hose. Unfortunately, they were out of the hose that I wanted. Moved to Earls. After tallying up my total and seeing the cost, I choked and decided to look elsewhere. Ended up with Fragola through Summit. New hoses made up and tested. One minor leak, quickly remedied with slight tightening. All rear hoses reinstalled and AN connections tightened. Will leave trunk sheet metal off until fuel pump/regulator pressure test.
Pat this just made my heart sink because I just ran mine with the blueprint provided SS lines just a couple days ago. Sorry to hear about your issue and thanks for throwing that out there. I will be sure to check mine. I did a little looking around last night when I read the post and saw someone mention to possibly lube the threads to get a better bite. Not sure if you've already done this or if its worth the try at this point. Crossing my fingers that I don't run into the same issue.
I used Evil Energy throughout my fuel system. Cheap, readily available on Amazon, and great reviews. I've had zero leaks, knock wood.
Greg
Built an early MkIII years ago, sold years ago. Back after 18 years to build a MkIV Build Thread Here Partners: Levy Racing, Summit Racing, LMR, Breeze, Forte's Parts, Speedhut, ReplicaParts
MkIV Complete Kit Ordered 4/18/23, Delivered 7/11/23, First start 3/15/25. Legal 6/13/25. Boss 427W, Edelbrock Pro Flo 4, TKX (.68 5th), IRS, Wilwood Brakes, 18" Halibrands, Toyo R888R Tires, Custom Speedhut Gauges
Pat this just made my heart sink because I just ran mine with the blueprint provided SS lines just a couple days ago. Sorry to hear about your issue and thanks for throwing that out there. I will be sure to check mine. I did a little looking around last night when I read the post and saw someone mention to possibly lube the threads to get a better bite. Not sure if you've already done this or if its worth the try at this point. Crossing my fingers that I don't run into the same issue.
Hopefully yours will be fine. I haven't come across others having the same problems so maybe I just got some bad materials, or it was my assembly method. The odd thing is that these fittings are really straightforward. And, the Fragola's went together with no issues. Yes, you should lube the threads and the ferrule, but that's more about reducing binding as you tighten. Also, it's very easy to overtighten these types of fittings, so go lighter at first, test, and then tighten more if needed.
Pat
MK4 complete kit Nov 2024, Blueprint 347, TKX, Hyd clutch, IRS, 3.55, touring shocks, 17" wheels, 11.65 brakes, Build Thread
Pat, Sorry to hear about your leaks. You were the one that mentioned during my visit a few weeks back about the inline fuel gauge and that helped me test everything... not just the lines. I used the gauge as a RETURN. Instead of the 2 lines going to the Sniper, the 2 lines went to the gauge to create a loop. I then temporarily powered the fuel pump to test pump, relay/wiring, lines, filter, set regulator pressure AND this test flushed the line thoroughly. Had a small leak in the regulator gauge connection plug otherwise all good. As you know I sourced all my fuel line and fittings from Breeze and all went together well. Maybe do similar test before first start. Others may not know I have changed a bunch on my MK4 to convert from a old carb 302 to a new 347 w/ sniper2.
Pat, Sorry to hear about your leaks. You were the one that mentioned during my visit a few weeks back about the inline fuel gauge and that helped me test everything... not just the lines. I used the gauge as a RETURN. Instead of the 2 lines going to the Sniper, the 2 lines went to the gauge to create a loop. I then temporarily powered the fuel pump to test pump, relay/wiring, lines, filter, set regulator pressure AND this test flushed the line thoroughly. Had a small leak in the regulator gauge connection plug otherwise all good. As you know I sourced all my fuel line and fittings from Breeze and all went together well. Maybe do similar test before first start. Others may not know I have changed a bunch on my MK4 to convert from a old carb 302 to a new 347 w/ sniper2.
Thanks Anthony. I sure am glad that I bought that handy Earls test fitting. As I was making up the front hoses today (all tested good) I was thinking about the same thing you describe. So, your details are timely. I like the idea of testing of everything, even if I've already tested all of the flex lines. Still a ways to go before I'm ready, but getting more time on the car lately. I'm hoping for a January first start.
Pat
Last edited by PMD24; 12-16-2025 at 08:57 PM.
MK4 complete kit Nov 2024, Blueprint 347, TKX, Hyd clutch, IRS, 3.55, touring shocks, 17" wheels, 11.65 brakes, Build Thread
Installed the regulator and front hoses. Much happier with the Fragola hose and fittings. One leak at a ferrule, slight tightening, and good to go. For leak testing the entire system I tied the throttle body hose connectors together using a 6AN bulkhead elbow I had on hand. At the tank I put a plug on the supply side and the test fitting on the return. Pressurized the whole system to 75psi. Lost 10 psi in an hour. Disconnected the elbow at the throttle body and tested just the return side, anticipating a small leak at the regulator o-ring fittings. Held 75psi overnight. The next morning, I tested the supply side. Dropped 10psi in an hour. Went through all of the connections checking tightness. Got about 1/8 turn on one of the NiCopp compression adapters. Tested again. All good. Reconnected supply and return to the throttle body. Fuel lines are fully tested and ready for fuel!
When I was making up the stainless steel flex hoses, just for the heck of it, I tried several of the ways various manufacturers recommend for cutting the hose (hacksaw, chisel, high leverage cable cutters, cutoff wheel, etc), including trying different kinds of tape. I landed on masking tape and a 3" cutoff wheel in a 20V cutoff tool. I took photos of each of the tests and hope to share the details when I have more time.
MK4 complete kit Nov 2024, Blueprint 347, TKX, Hyd clutch, IRS, 3.55, touring shocks, 17" wheels, 11.65 brakes, Build Thread
Electrical tape and a cutoff wheel worked best for me, too. The purpose-built big ole pliers I bought merely crushed the PTFE.
Fuel lines are looking good!
Greg
Built an early MkIII years ago, sold years ago. Back after 18 years to build a MkIV Build Thread Here Partners: Levy Racing, Summit Racing, LMR, Breeze, Forte's Parts, Speedhut, ReplicaParts
MkIV Complete Kit Ordered 4/18/23, Delivered 7/11/23, First start 3/15/25. Legal 6/13/25. Boss 427W, Edelbrock Pro Flo 4, TKX (.68 5th), IRS, Wilwood Brakes, 18" Halibrands, Toyo R888R Tires, Custom Speedhut Gauges
I found that the less sticky the tape is, the better. I had a little bit of drafting tape around and that was the best. It's like masking tape but less sticky. It's probably hard to find these days since drafting on mylar or paper is a thing of the past, but I also mess around with some art stuff and similar tape is available in art stores. In my testing stickier tape tended to open up the mesh a bit when removing it, which made getting the ferrule nut on a little tougher.
MK4 complete kit Nov 2024, Blueprint 347, TKX, Hyd clutch, IRS, 3.55, touring shocks, 17" wheels, 11.65 brakes, Build Thread
FFR hoses were waaaay to long for my liking, so to make things easy I ordered the Breeze kit. As always with Mark's stuff, great quality and great instructions. You still have to make-up the hoses for your personal routing/length. Mark's instructions are very clear on checking for chamfers to establish the need for the extra sealing washers. I did use the washers and have no leaks at static pressure.
Started to mount the FFR overflow tank using the provided stainless mounting plate. Didn't like how the rectangular plate lined up on the pitched upper 3/4 frame tube and really didn't like the idea of no support provisions for the lower end. Tossed the mounting plate into the spare parts bin and made a new upper mounting plate out of 1/8" aluminum. Clamped material to tube and marked bottom edge level, and top edge scribed along frame tube. Sides were marked perpendicular to bottom with width similar to the plate provided by FFR. Using a piece of 2x4x1/8 aluminum angle a mounting plate was made for the lower 3/4" frame tube. Bottom edge was marked level, sides were marked perpendicular to the bottom and aligned with strings hung from the upper tube at the mounting plate edges. The strings were also used to measure horizontal at the lower frame tube for the angle needed on the top of the bracket. All cuts for both brackets were made with a variable speed jig saw. Drilled holes in both brackets for riveting to frame tubes, and holes for overflow brackets. Used a hand file to soften the corners and clean up the edges. Sanded both with 120, polished with Flitz, and sealed with Sharkhide. Installed brackets and mounted tank. Looks good and rock solid.
Started to prep for mounting the horns but didn't care for the FFR mounting method. Started to prep a bracket out of 1/8 aluminum but recalled that I had just recently freed up the stainless mount that FFR provided for the overflow tank. As luck would have it the holes in the overflow tank bracket were spaced at ~4", just about right for the spacing on the horn mounting studs. Checked the hole size in the FFR horn brackets and found that by using a size P drill to enlarge the holes in the overflow bracket, the knurled boss on the horn stud would engage nicely. Drilled out the two holes, added a third rivet hole at the top of the bracket and installed the bracket and both horns. Looks better and more secure. Ready for wiring.
Started to prep for mounting the horns but didn't care for the FFR mounting method. Started to prep a bracket out of 1/8 aluminum but recalled that I had just recently freed up the stainless mount that FFR provided for the overflow tank. As luck would have it the holes in the overflow tank bracket were spaced at ~4", just about right for the spacing on the horn mounting studs. Checked the hole size in the FFR horn brackets and found that by using a size P drill to enlarge the holes in the overflow bracket, the knurled boss on the horn stud would engage nicely. Drilled out the two holes, added a third rivet hole at the top of the bracket and installed the bracket and both horns. Looks better and more secure. Ready for wiring.
Holley Sniper2 wiring removed from loom to allow for changes to split-offs for my personal routing and possible removal of unused wires (more on this later). Temporary EFI wiring completed as detailed below. All connections are crimped or soldered. After first start, final routing configuration will be decided, connections will be redone as needed, and all wires will be re-loomed. I anticipate changing all engine bay loom from the split plastic to something more cosmetically appealing.
The Blueprint 70 page FAQ document and Holley's 80 page detailed Sniper manual are NOT current relative to the Sniper's current harness configuration. Both documents refer to 10, 8, and 7 pin connectors, while the current configuration is 16 and 6. More importantly, wire colors referred to in these documents are different in some cases on the 16/6 harness. For example, both documents refer to a light blue ground trigger (Pin C on the 10 pin) for fan relay ground trigger. However, on the 16/6 harness, Pin B, black/yellow, of the 6 pin I/O harness is designated as output #1 (-) for fan trigger. The Quick Start Manual does show the current 16/6 configuration. Engine is a Blueprint 347 with distributor and coil.
Made EFI wiring connections as follows:
> S2 main harness red direct to battery (+), will be connected later
> S2 main harness black direct to battery (-), will be connected later
> S2 main harness pink to RF harness tan "Electric Choke"
> S2 main harness blue direct to fuel pump
> S2 main harness yellow to Coil (-), coil (+) gets power from RF harness orange "Coil/EFI"
> S2 throttle body M8 Can1 to 3.5" Display, harness Can2 not used
> S2 throttle body O2 to sensor in exhaust bung
> S2 throttle body coolant sense, installed by Blueprint to temperature sensor in intake manifold
> S2 main harness white - not used
> S2 main harness 3pin connector - not used
> S2 I/O harness Black w/yellow stripe, Output 1 Ground to RF harness green fan "Thermo Switch". All other wires in the I/O harness are not used. Possible exception is grey tach out. See question below.
Holley states explicitly that the engine ground should be 1 ga or larger (wow!), wired direct to the battery. They further state that grounding the engine to the chassis is not sufficient for their electronics. I have the braided engine to frame ground in place and will leave it (no downside) but will add an engine to battery direct ground as well. Might get crazy and go less that 1 AWG!!
Holley also states that once EFI wiring is complete and verified, all unused wires should be de-pinned and removed. Will be doing this also. Need to do some homework on locating plugs for de-pinned slots.
The 6 pin connector has a grey output wire for aftermarket tach. Vintage Gauge info says use coil (-) or ECU tach out. Any thoughts on one versus the other would be appreciated.
Any critique on where I'm headed is welcome and appreciated. If any changes are made to the above detail, I'll edit this post accordingly.
Thanks,
Pat
MK4 complete kit Nov 2024, Blueprint 347, TKX, Hyd clutch, IRS, 3.55, touring shocks, 17" wheels, 11.65 brakes, Build Thread
I mounted the heater before installing the engine and ended up being unable to install the elbow on the left connection tube due to interference with the PS valve cover. Even if I had installed the heater after engine install I don't think I could have installed it far enough to the right because the wiper assembly also has to fit in this area, to ovoid the elbow interference. No big deal removing the fan/motor and pulling the coil side, but altering the tubes is a little more involved. My plan was to cut off both threaded fittings install 45 degree elbows, reconnect the threaded fittings, and go with straight adapters from Vintage Air. I thought about altering just the one tube with the interference but concluded that having the two tubes shaped differently would prevent me from getting them back through the holes in the firewall.
Considered using compression fittings but decided against them due to size. I've read here on the forum that compression fittings wouldn't work because the copper is thin wall. That's not the case. The tubes appear to be type L hard copper which is fine for compression fittings, and others have used them here successfully. In fact, you can use compression on thin wall and even soft copper. Inserts for thin and soft are available to support the ferrule compression, similar to the concept applied for compression on pex and other plastic-type plumbing tubing.
First step was to cut off the threaded fittings. I chose to make the cut leaving more length on the core side for two reasons; to allow room for heat transfer wrapping during soldering and for another cut if ever needed. Joints were cleaned with emery tape and flux applied. heater tube cuts lr.jpg
Elbows were then soldered on the fitting side first. Used a higher temperature solder for this side so that it would be less likely to re-melt when soldering the final joint. heater adapter solder lr.jpg
Next, the plastic box was wrapped in aluminum foil for protection from radiant heat from the solder flame. I'm using a b-tank (acetylene) so it's quite a bit hotter than propane. The acetylene is a big advantage over propane because I can get that joint up to temp very quickly which minimizes heat transfer down the tube toward the core. The tubes were also wrapped with heat shield putty to prevent heat transfer up the tube to the core solder joints. It's likely that the core solder joints were done with a lead free high temp solder and I'm using 50/50 for the final joint so I could probably get away with just a wet wrap on the tube, but these heat shield products work great, and I had this on hand from when I did a bunch of solder joints on the manifold for the radiant heat in my shop floor. They also come as spray-on gels that evaporate and leave no residue. The putty is a reuseable product. heater heat sink lr.jpg
Installed the straight tube adapters from Vintage Air. The final assembly is a little off-parallel because the tubes coming out of the heater are off-parallel. Ultimately this solution allows for heater core removal with no cutting. I'm waiting for the manifold adapter for connection of the heater supply hose. That will be here in a couple of days. I'll then install the valve and hoses. Might sort out a way for a low pressure compressed air leak check before filling the system with coolant. heater straight tubes lr.jpg
MK4 complete kit Nov 2024, Blueprint 347, TKX, Hyd clutch, IRS, 3.55, touring shocks, 17" wheels, 11.65 brakes, Build Thread
Pat, I also saw the 1AWG recommendation on the engine ground to battery minus. In my case I had some 6 AWG on hand so used that. Rear mounted Battery to a bellhousing/engine bolt, flowing thru the tunnel. Easy to run and tie in at both ends. 1AWG sounds a bit crazy and only really comes into play during cranking IF the existing braided straps are compromised.
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Originally Posted by edwardb
