Garcia Family Type 65 Coupe Build - Front Suspension

[JTG]

Bear in mind that cats get VERY hot in the course of doing their job. That could shorten the life of belts and accessories.

Indeed, that is a very real concern. The Cats would be near a lot of things that might not appreciate getting that hot.
I'll have to see where they could potentially fit and then see what kind of heat shielding can be fit into the surrounding area.

[JTG]

The upstream sensors trim fuel, the downstream just monitor converter function. If you're just using two they must be before the cats.

Excellent, thanks for clarifying that.

[JTG]

I am also not going to be a good influence here, I like diving down rabbit holes. You should make some of these if you have a 3D printer, it will help a lot when laying things out. I am also planning on adding CATs for mine and custom heated and cooled seats.

https://icengineworks.com/

Yes!!! We do have a 3D printer, and something like that would help immensely in figuring out this puzzle.

What is your plan for CAT's? Are you going to go with an X-Pipe or just add cats into the headers and exit out the sides like the standard setup? I really want the crossover but that one element is going to make packaging really tight.

[JimStone]

I am also not going to be a good influence here, I like diving down rabbit holes. You should make some of these if you have a 3D printer, it will help a lot when laying things out. I am also planning on adding CATs for mine and custom heated and cooled seats.

https://icengineworks.com/

Wow, those things are cool. And expensive!

[Papa]

There was a similar design done on a MK4 a couple of years ago that you may find interesting.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/show...nd-first-start!

[JTG]

There was a similar design done on a MK4 a couple of years ago that you may find interesting.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/show...nd-first-start!

I've seen that car in person and have watched the videos of the build. Really impressive work!

Seeing that build has provided some of the inspiration for what we're trying to achieve. It all seems theoretically possible, so stay tuned.

[burchfieldb]

Yes!!! We do have a 3D printer, and something like that would help immensely in figuring out this puzzle.

What is your plan for CAT's? Are you going to go with an X-Pipe or just add cats into the headers and exit out the sides like the standard setup? I really want the crossover but that one element is going to make packaging really tight.

My plan is to run the headers towards the front, to cats, and then back to the exhuast. Hoping that I can get some extra length in the exhaust.

[burchfieldb]

Wow, those things are cool. And expensive!

Yeah, I could stomach the cost for what they are, so I printed my own for a fraction of the cost.

[JTG]

Here's a little more to help explain the routing. I'm hoping to take some measurements of the frame over the weekend and then further refine this but it gives you a rough idea of the layout.

It's obviously missing any bolted connections, and I was only guessing at the location where the exhaust exits the body so that will have to be adjusted. I also suspect the Cat is going right through a framing member as drawn, but once the frame is drawn in, I can rearrange this spaghetti.

Just a starting point to decide if I'm crazy.

[burchfieldb]

Some photos for inspiration. A guy from Canada sent me these photos of his car.

1000005327.jpeg

1000005319.jpeg

[JTG]

Some photos for inspiration. A guy from Canada sent me these photos of his car.

1000005327.jpeg

1000005319.jpeg

I was taking measurements last night and starting to feel like this idea was a bit overly ambitious, but then you sent those photos and... Woah!! That is impressive, I don't think he wasted a single square inch with that build. I'd love to know more about that.

At any rate if he can stuff a couple of turbos into that space with all the associated plumbing, a couple of cats and an X-pipe should be doable.

[burchfieldb]

I was taking measurements last night and starting to feel like this idea was a bit overly ambitious, but then you sent those photos and... Woah!! That is impressive, I don't think he wasted a single square inch with that build. I'd love to know more about that.

At any rate if he can stuff a couple of turbos into that space with all the associated plumbing, a couple of cats and an X-pipe should be doable.

I sent you a PM with his contact information.

[JimStone]

You got this!

X-pipes. And turbos?

[Jeff Kleiner]

Some photos for inspiration. A guy from Canada sent me these photos of his car.

1000005327.jpeg

1000005319.jpeg

That’s Ryan Valin’s car. Coincidentally I just spent the afternoon with him yesterday and we talked about the challenges of fitting the Godzilla in!

Jeff

[JTG]

There hasn't been a lot of activity in the Garcia household, but we did manage to get the body off and stored in the shed which felt like a good accomplishment. Nothing terribly noteworthy about that but it was a nice family activity where we needed 4 sets of hands.

[JTG]

We also received a care package from Factory Five w/ the engine mounts, a big heavy pumpkin from Ford Performance, and some mystery tabs that had no label, no packing list and no description.

I knew they looked familiar from following other builds, but it took a while thumbing through the manual to figure out what they were. I'm good now! Pedal box switch mounts

[JTG]

Because this build is moving so slowly and it will likely be a while before it's a roller we've decided to over engineer a chassis dolly. Just for ease of moving it out of the way while still giving clear access under the car. In addition we're using the dolly as an excuse to teach my son how to TIG weld, and he's picking it up really fast!! This bead is only after a few days of welding, although he does have a little experience with Stick and Oxy Acetylene welding.

I'm inclined to believe it's because of his brilliant teacher
I was also planning to do all the welding on the headers and exhaust myself, but at the rate he's going I may be able to delegate some of that work.

We should be done with the dolly this weekend, and will share more pictures then. As a side note this dolly will be available to any future builders in the area as past a certain point we will not have any need for it.

[PNWTim]

Stack of dimes coming up! Such a great skill to have.

[JTG]

We've finished the chassis dolly and are extremely happy with the results. It's mostly made out of 1-1/2" x 1/8" steel angle which is scrap from work. We have some shipments from overseas and they use this angle as protection on the corners of the crates. We also already had the jack stands, so the only items we had to purchase were the casters and caster plates which kept the whole build around $200.

I've seen plenty of builds progress quickly to the rolling chassis stage, but that is not likely to be us which is why we felt comfortable over engineering this dolly. Plus it was a great learning experience for my son. In the few days since finishing it's already quickly proven useful as we move around the garage working on other house projects as well.

This is kind of a variation of Scott (Namrups) design where he used jack stands on wheel dollies. I liked the adjustable nature of that design, only we wanted bigger wheels so we could roll it out into the driveway on nice days to make room in the garage for other projects or just because it's nice to work outside. Much like Scott's version this leaves most of the underside clear and accessible for someone (my son) to roll underneath. I'm not that old, but also not that interested in getting under cars anymore.

As previously mentioned we're moving slowly, and that has to do with finding balance as a family. There are a lot of things we love doing together and we're not going to stop any of those just because we have a car to build. We go to the climbing gym at least a few times a week, we love games, mountain biking, camping, working on house projects, spending time with friends, and just hanging out together. I could go out into the garage every night and move this project along but for us that's not the purpose. I want the memories of building this together which means it will move more slowly, but I've come to terms with that and it feels good.

Anyway, blah, blah, blah. Here are some pictures of the dolly!! And if anybody wants drawings, dimensions, or more of an explanation I'm happy to share.

[JTG]

I should also mention that there are weld tabs holding the jack stands in place so they can't tip over while pushing the car around. And the majority of the steel angle was boxed in to make the frame more rigid. Just for those out there that can see the forces being exerted on the jack stands and frame and might be worried about safety.

[JTG]

We also finally bolted some things to some other things!!!
I don't need to go into detail, as you've probably all seen this before but we had all the parts and they went in just as described.

We're hoping to drop the engine in soon so we can see what kind of clearance there is between the accessory drive and the steering rack for the exhaust nonsense we're planning.

[Namrups]

Awsome dolly!!

Scott

[Skuzzy]

Nice work!

I wish I had access to steel like that. It costs me a small fortune to purchase and have steel shipped here.

[460.465USMC]

I should also mention that there are weld tabs holding the jack stands in place so they can't tip over while pushing the car around. And the majority of the steel angle was boxed in to make the frame more rigid. Just for those out there that can see the forces being exerted on the jack stands and frame and might be worried about safety.

Way to go, Garcia family! One of if not the strongest looking chassis dolly I've seen yet. I don't think you'll regret taking your time and enjoying the build process. Good call.

[AaronR]

Nice! I'm really looking forward to seeing what you do with your exhaust. Thanks for sharing

[JTG]

We spent some more time with the Coyote because we're anxious to get a test fit and start planning the exhaust. We didn't take care of all the prep, but just enough that we could lift it into the chassis. We pulled the oil cooler, swapped the oil pan w/ the Moroso unit, installed the engine mounts, pulled the intake manifold and installed a lifting plate. A big THANK YOU to the other builders who suggested lifting the engine this way, and I would highly encourage anyone else with a Coyote to do the same. Pulling the intake manifold was really easy, and the Summit lifting plate lined up perfectly.

That's it for now, we'll probably get back to the front suspension and then hopefully drop the engine in if we have time this weekend.

[PNWTim]

It looks like you have the same lifting plate I do - Summit? If so, did you notice the plate bottoms against bolt heads in what I am going to call the lifter valley (which is totally wrong) but you know what I mean? I found when I cinched down the mounting bolts the plate steel conflicted with the heads of the bolts. I decided it didn't really matter but I didn't really like it either.

[JTG]

It looks like you have the same lifting plate I do - Summit? If so, did you notice the plate bottoms against bolt heads in what I am going to call the lifter valley (which is totally wrong) but you know what I mean? I found when I cinched down the mounting bolts the plate steel conflicted with the heads of the bolts. I decided it didn't really matter but I didn't really like it either.

Yes, that is the Summit lifting plate, I believe it's the same one you have. It seemed to sit flat against the intake ports, but now I'm feeling the need to check. I don't remember, do you have a Gen 3 Coyote, or did you get a Gen 4?

[orangemonkey65]

Just subscribed to your build thread and gonna be fun to watch yours - I see you've also got the kids involved for sure!

Those metal tabs you mentioned earlier, I didn't see anyone reply about them, but they are the mounts for the sensors on the pedal box for the brake and clutch switch. You have to drill out the back side of the tabs on the pedal box and then those are bolted on.

[edwardb]

Just subscribed to your build thread and gonna be fun to watch yours - I see you've also got the kids involved for sure!

Those metal tabs you mentioned earlier, I didn't see anyone reply about them, but they are the mounts for the sensors on the pedal box for the brake and clutch switch. You have to drill out the back side of the tabs on the pedal box and then those are bolted on.

Right. Except for a Coyote build you don't mount that tab or standard switch there. The Coyote has its own clutch switch. The switch comes with the Coyote control pack. The wiring is in the Coyote harness. If you bought the FF Coyote install kit, it includes a bracket to mount the switch.

[orangemonkey65]

Right. Except for a Coyote build you don't mount that tab or standard switch there. The Coyote has its own clutch switch. The switch comes with the Coyote control pack. The wiring is in the Coyote harness. If you bought the FF Coyote install kit, it includes a bracket to mount the switch.

Great call and add Edwardb - didn't consider the Coyote side of the clutch switch.

[JTG]

Right. Except for a Coyote build you don't mount that tab or standard switch there. The Coyote has its own clutch switch. The switch comes with the Coyote control pack. The wiring is in the Coyote harness. If you bought the FF Coyote install kit, it includes a bracket to mount the switch.

Thanks Paul, I was not aware of that!

On a side note, we're still here and will hopefully get back to building this weekend.
We took a little detour to work on our climbing / bouldering cave, tiling and cabinet install for a new pantry, and making a small spray booth to paint car parts. There are never a lack of projects!

I admire you all who have the time / dedication to work on your cars a little every day. I certainly think about it every day, but thinking doesn't assemble any parts

[JTG]

So here's an update on our little detour. We've decided to paint any parts that need coating ourselves and I prefer to spray them so we built a small booth for use at home. We also have a full size booth at work if I need to paint any larger panels since we're not going the powder coated route.

I've opted to go with the Eastwood Epoxy Primer and 2k Ceramic Chassis coating. I have no idea if this will hold up well but it was easy enough to spray and I'm pleased with the results. These first parts are not very visible so it's mostly for protection, when it comes time for more visible parts there will be greater effort involved.

The booth did a great job with the fumes, my wife said she couldn't smell anything in the house so that's a win!! The whole assembly was a bunch of guess work but it appears it was a pretty good guess in regards to the volume of air that it's moving. It's hard to tell from pictures but there's LED lighting as well which makes it really bright inside the opening.

Anyway, enjoy the pictures! And now that we have these parts painted we can get back to building.

[egchewy79]

Nice little set up. I'll be turning my garage into a paint booth this spring/summer to paint a truck project. Got a large capacity vevor exhaust fan.

[PNWTim]

Perfect for small parts. Are those bilge blowers?

[JTG]

Nice little set up. I'll be turning my garage into a paint booth this spring/summer to paint a truck project. Got a large capacity vevor exhaust fan.

Thanks, there is something very satisfying to me about spraying parts. Good luck with your project!

Perfect for small parts. Are those bilge blowers?

Yes, they're just cheap bilge blowers. We'll see how long they last. Now that we have this setup there are all sorts of miscellaneous paint projects that have magically materialized

[460.465USMC]

So here's an update on our little detour. We've decided to paint any parts that need coating ourselves and I prefer to spray them so we built a small booth for use at home. We also have a full size booth at work if I need to paint any larger panels since we're not going the powder coated route.

Looks like a slick setup. That would be so handy to be able to paint parts in the garage during the cold/wet winter months when outdoor painting is difficult. Great addition to build arsenal!

[JTG]

Looks like a slick setup. That would be so handy to be able to paint parts in the garage during the cold/wet winter months when outdoor painting is difficult. Great addition to build arsenal!

Thanks! My wife has already used it for some Spray 77 glue projects which kept the garage from getting stinky.

On a side note, now that the paint has fully cured that Eastwood 2k Ceramic Chassis Black feels really durable!
Only time will tell if I still agree with that statement after it's been on the road for a few years, but for now I'm impressed.

[JTG]

I'm overdue for an update since we've made some progress, but just thought I'd share our bone-head move since I don't recall reading about anyone else making this mistake. The upside is I've been reading everyone's build and not making their mistakes, and instead we've created our own!

We installed the bushing sleeves for the rear diff in the steering rack, which only became apparent when the bolts wouldn't fit in the sleeves as we began install of the differential... Fortunately pulling the steering rack out and swapping the sleeves wasn't too painful, although my son had no interest in helping with that so I did the deed after he went to bed last night. All things considered, not too bad.

I'll post up more pictures and progress later.

[JTG]

Ok, now I'm going to update this build thread for real, because we have been making progress!

First up is the front suspension, and I won't get into much detail because all of this has been thoroughly documented by other builders. The only comment I have, which after a little searching was confirmed by a few others is that the upper castle nut needs a washer in order to get the nut to line up with the hole and make the cotter pin actually useful. Not a big deal, but it feels like that detail should be in the manual.

Below are some pictures to prove we did a thing.

I'm probably not alone here, but I find deburring, filing and cleaning the various stainless bits very satisfying.





We had (4) shocks and (4) Garcia's so I handed everyone a pile of parts and walked them through the process. I think they all enjoyed that.





More to follow shortly