This build was previously teased on a planning thread, but it's time to start the Build Thread! Our kit should be finishing mid-January and arriving in February or March.
Build Plan:(preliminary - [edit] see a few posts down for the updated version)
- Coyote gen 4x or gen 3 engine
- TKX transmission
- IRS rear end
- 11" and 13" IRS brakes
- Hydraulic Clutch (Forte)
- Power Steering (Forte)
- 2x Triple Gauges (Tach and Speedo) from Speedhut (center of dash will be small backup camera/carplay screen)
- Carbon Fiber Dash w/glovebox (FFR)
- Heater/Defroster (FFR's Vintage Air kit)
- Windshield Wipers (SPW)
- Dual Rollbars Chrome (FFR)
- Sidepipes and headers (FFR)
- Side pipes heat shields (CobraStuff)
- Remote Break Booster (FFR)
- Cobra Seats Classic CS (cobra-style seats w/ headrests for safety)
- 17" wheels (FFR)
- Hard or Soft-top for 3-season driving (FFR)
... and a bunch of mods and tweaks we'll cover later when relevant.
Planning to do my own body work and paint, for a temp paint job at least, but if it comes out nice enough I might keep it. I have a decent amount of experience with resin models and airbrushing at the small scale, so I'm excited to scale up to spray guns and fiberglass (yes, I know about scary paint chemicals and fiberglass dust).
This is a joint build project with myself and my son (12). We will be attending Build School in April.
Last edited by DancingTosan; 02-21-2026 at 11:47 PM.
Reason: Added some additional details
To make the chassis easier to work on, we've fabricated a sled to store it on, until we get to the 'roller' stage.
We are repurposing some 'pipe trays' (for storing pipes for a pipe organ), by bolting two of them together and then adding some high-weight capacity wheels and a bit of carpet on the top. Dimensions of the sled are 8' x 4'.
We just used the scraps of carpet we had lying around, and they don't quite cover the sled, but we will recut the carpet if needed to match the chassis once we get it (and we have some extra carpet on a roll too).
If you make your own sled, I recommend building it out of a single 8x4' board with horizontal bracing, but since we want to re-use these as pipe trays again in the future, we stuck with what we had.
Sounds like you've got a great build in the works! Just a suggestion on the sled piece. By it's design, it looks like it might be inhibiting to get up and around the bottom area of the chassis when working with your fuel/brake lines, electrical, etc. There are plans on the forum for dollies on wheels that allow access or if you don't need to move it around, jack stands work as well. Good luck with your build!
By it's design, it looks like it might be inhibiting to get up and around the bottom area of the chassis when working with your fuel/brake lines, electrical, etc.
We're working with what we have on-hand. I'm also getting some jack-stands and a floor-jack to lift up the chassis when we need to access underneath pre-roller.
Eventually, we'll be getting a 4-post lift installed, which will be the car's final home when finished. But we need to balance our spend rate and that sort of luxury will come later.
I thought Seattle only has 2 seasons, summer and rain.
Yes, but the frequency and intensity of rain is the differentiator. Spring and Fall still have some only slightly wet roads and lighter rain.
I mostly plan to pack it up just for the worst of the winter weather. To get more than just a summer-only driver, a top of some sort is a must, just going to avoid the 'soaked' road days for safety.
This is a picture of the Chassis dolly I just built for my MK5 (delivery mid/end Jan). Highly recommend the build school, I and both my adult sons (both wrench on their trucks, but they loved the class) attended in October. We're in the Vancouver BC area, lets keep in touch as we build our MK5s My MK5 Chassis dolly2.jpg
Not knocking your sled idea, but just for a comparison, I built my roadster on a pair of aluminum sawhorses up to the point it was a roller. At the point when I was finally ready to install the engine/tranny, I used two engine jacks (front and rear) to lift it up by the frame and lower it to the floor. The added height offered by the sawhorses was great for several steps during the build.
We received the car on Valentines day! So, I'll be posting the "week 1 update" this weekend.
But, for now, let's start with the updated build plan, so you can know a bit more about what we have planned...
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Build Plan
The concept for the car is a "what Shelby might create for the 427 if he made it today". So it has a lot of classic touches and some modern conveniences.
I will be doing my own bodywork and paint (renting a paint booth).
The Coyote is a well-behaved modern engine. It's highly efficient, eco friendly and has plenty of power. It also is the most popular engine to install in the FFR Roadster and the MK5 kit was designed with the coyote as the target engine, so I figured the install should be reasonably smooth.
Fuel System - Snakebite Motorworks access panel (for gas pump)
- Aeromotive 18638 - Stealth electric fuel pump
- Tanks Inc AFPR1-F-KIT regulator/filter (washable)
- Evil Energy PTFE 6AN Fuel Line kit
- Vapor Trapper 8" carbon filter
Using an in-tank EFI pump from Aeromotive, which is apparently quiet and has good fuel flow. Trying a combined regulator/filter (washable) from Tanks Inc. PTFE flexible fuel lines, Vapor trapper for fuel smell reduction.
I wanted a nicer look than the stock ebrake handle, so using estopp's push-button system.
I am also opting for nicopp brake hardlines for easier shaping.
Suspension - FFR's IRS package
- Howe Racing 22320S upper ball joints
- Howe Racing 22399V boots
- Moog ES2150RL tie rod ends
I wanted to avoid any threading problems with the upper-ball joints, so I opted for the Howe racing ones. A bit pricy, the Moogs are apparently also good.
Steering - FFR Manual steering
- Epowersteering FFR Coupe (unwelded)
Planning to upgrade the manual rack to electric power steering via e-powersteering. They suggested it could work with their Daytona Coupe kit, unwelded, and with some custom mount fabrication.
Apparently, FFR's side pipes are better and quieter than previous versions, so I'm giving them a try. I might punt to Gas'N Touring pipes if they're still too loud.
Getting catted headers for a more eco friendly, nicer smelling exhaust (even though I won't need to pass smog, I'd like to be able to).
Using the FFR carbon fiber dash with Alcantara (generic) accents. Billet buttons (engraved) for a matching aesthetic across all of the buttons.
For gauges, two "triple" gauges: speedo + tach (each one has some other gauges embedded, like fuel, volts, etc.). This frees up dash space for the Alpine screen for carplay and backup camera (I may need to move/replace the dash support).
I need a defroster and windshield wipers for WA registration.
For the heater, getting a Summit heater and doing an "ie 427 Garage" (see youtube) style modification to reduce its behind-dash space requirements.
For wipers, I'm using SPW's wipers, which are apparently a bit more sturdy and effective for actual use (compared to the stock FFR option). Considering the Seattle climate and the planned hard-top, they will actually be used.
No A/C, because it doesn't get hot enough here, and if it's hot, I'll just use "nature's A/C" (drive fast with the top off).
Interior - Alcantara(-like) microsuede
- Carbon fiber veneer (0.25mm) for door cards + interior
Black Alcantara-style microsuede for trans tunnel, behind seats, door cards and some dash upholstery. Blending with carbon fiber veneer to tie in with the dash.
Audio - Infinity 4x6" Kappa 463XF speakers (mount behind the seats, by seat belt mounts)
- Fusion Flush-mount USB port
- Snakebite Motorworks front drop-trunk with JBL BassPro SL 8in 125W RMS powered sub
- Breeze-style cubby (DIY) trunk access
- Satechi Bluetooth Media Button
The aforementioned Alpine head unit drives some 4x6" speakers (mounted behind the seats, by the 5-point seat belt mounts). Filling out the bass end with a JBL compact 8" subwoofer. I'm planning to get the Snakebite Motorworks front drop-trunk as the installation location, with a metal grille (DIY) on top of it, making the area between the rollbars as a usable "breeze-style" cubby for the cabin. Flush-mount USB port to connect iPhone to carplay, in rear of cabin (2m usb cable).
The media button is to give prev/next track buttons (missing on the alpine unit). Dash mountable (probably pro velcro)
Backup - "Saul's Mod" 18.5mm backup camera mounted in the license plate light
- Mini Cooper R50 backup light
- Billet Specialties 257330 Polished Rear View
I'm going to try a flush-mounted backup camera in the license-plate light (inspired by Saul's build on the FFR forums). The current plan for a backup light is the Mini Cooper R50-style oval light.
For rear-view, looking at using a Billet windshield-mounted rear view for a larger, but still reasonably style-matched mirror.
Seats - Corbeau GTS ii seats (leather) (built-in seat heater) + Corbeau's mounts (1 or 2" not sure yet)
- Custom shift boot w/Corbeau leather to match seats
I want a headrest for safety and comfort. These have a nice classic-ish racecar vibe, and are reasonably affordable in the USA (there's some nice porsche-style seats I'd get instead if I was in Europe, but they're too pricy to import, for me).
I'm also going to have a custom shift-boot made with Corbeau's matching leather to tie the seats into the interior. I might use some of the leather for accents on the door cards or dash as well.
Sound/Heat Absorbsion - Second Skin Spectrum paint for aluminum and under body sound dampening
- Luxury Liner Pro cabin sound dampening
- Second Skin heat liner for footbox
- Ceramic coating for the headers & pipes to reduce the engine compartment heat (Performance Coatings).
You might say this is overkill for a topless car. But I intend to get the hard-top, when it's available, for spring/fall, so I want the interior to not sound like a warzone. Given the reported loudness of the gen3 Coupes' interior, I am hedging on the side of overkill.
The ceramic coating on the headers & pipes is for looks and to make the engine bay air cooler, which should help for consistent performance.
Badging - Cobra badges (for hood and trunk)
- Coyote 5.0 Cobra side badges (Billet badges)
I'm reusing a design from someone on the FFR forums for "Coyote 5.0 Cobra" badges in the 427 aesthetic.
Wheels
- 17" FFR Halibrands
- Michelin Pilot Sport All Season 4 tires
Odds and Ends
- Gentex genhlbp1 wireless garage door opener
Instead of a clicker, I'm looking at this nice little in-dash mountable (but battery powered) garage door opener.
Future
- FFR Hard top & side windows
When they become available, planning to get the hard-top for year-round (except snow/heavy rain) driving.
Last edited by DancingTosan; 02-22-2026 at 11:44 AM.
Reason: Forgot some items
Congratulations on your kit delivery. I'm 50-60% into my Mk5 build and impressed with the many changes and updates Factory Five has done. Your build plan has lots of interesting items. Comments about two of them: First, I question the need for the Wilwood adjustable proportioning valve. The Wilwood pedal box that comes with your kit has a balance bar that can be adjusted to do the same thing. Given the close to 50/50 weight distribution of these cars for street driving (I'm not a track guy) I've found the centered balance bar is just about right. Any changes would be very subtle and don't need the proportioning valve. Second, I've used Second Skin's Luxury Liner Pro and it's an impressive product. But I'd question that 3/8" thickness in the cockpit. Things are already tight and putting that product everywhere could cause fitment issues. Including your seats. Personally, I'd question whether that's going to make a big difference anyway over a standard product like their much thinner Damplifier Pro. There are a variety of brands as well. Free added comment: I put a pretty high end audio system in one of my builds and didn't find it useful or necessary. Haven't done one since. I'll leave it at that. Up to you. Good luck and enjoy the build.
Last edited by edwardb; 02-22-2026 at 07:26 AM.
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.
I agree with edwardb (Paul) regarding the brake prop valve. For easy adjustability you can use a remote bias adjuster which allows you to change the balance bar setting from the driver's seat.
On the subject of brakes...it's easy to go up to 13" front brakes to match the rear by using Mustang Cobra caliper mount brackets and 13" rotors. Calipers and hubs remain the same.
Personal opinion regarding the electric power steering; I'm not a fan. The cars that I've driven with it, even when properly aligned with 7 to 8 degrees of caster, do not like to return to center naturally and tend to want to continue to turn. It takes a conscious effort to stop the turn and then bring it back to center. They do track straight on center but when you come off of it don't come back. I'll stick with hydraulic. Your choice but that's my observation...
The "Week 1 Update" will come a little later today, but I'll answer the questions/comments first:
Re: EPS Thanks for your comment. I'm still going to try EPS.
Re: Audio System I'm probably only going to be able to build one of these, so I'm going to try an audio system.
I already have the head unit for mapping & backup camera purposes (I know it's not 'period correct', but it's my car, and I want these things).
Since I have the head unit, it's not too much more to put some speakers in. I might downgrade the Kappas to Reference (about -$200), but the sub is powered so it's pretty cost efficient, and the extra cost is really not that much.
I'm planning for a hard-top for all season driveability, and doing as much noise reduction as I can, so I expect I may actually be able to hear it.
...and if I still can't, I'm okay with that.
Re: Luxury Liner Pro
I was a bit brief on my description. But I will be using a combination of different sound dampener/absorb products in different amounts in different areas of the car. I will likely use Damplifier Pro in some areas where I need thinner material. I'm pretty sure I will have cutouts for the seat mounts. I will have at least a 1" riser on the seat, so I don't expect clearance issues, even with carpet and sound liner.
I know this will be an extreme amount of sound absorbsion for an open-top car. But I am getting the hard top, and I don't want Coupe-level noise when the top is on.
Re: Balance Bar
I was unaware of the purpose of the balance bar, the manual didn't make it clear when I previewed that section. I think I'll drop the balance knob, since all I wanted was a way to balance the brakes.
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Thanks for your comments Paul and Jeff. I'm following Paul's mk5 build thread with interest, so it's nice to have your thoughts directly.
I hope you will drop by again after my week 1 update goes up. I have some "?" moments that I could use some insight from more experienced builders on.
Cheers! Update coming soon, I have the photos ready, I just need to write it up.
Sounds like a solid build and look forward to seeing it on the road in the future. I'm a few tweaks away from inspection and registration, so I might see you out there.
Btw, I put a lot of weight into suggestions from the builders on this thread. Several times I have pivoted because of their experience and suggestions.
I will try to embed the photos, but if that fails, I'm also linking to photos on my google drive as a backup.
Preparing the Workshop
With the delivery date approaching, we needed to clear out our 'storage area' (the third bay in our garage) to become the Roadster workshop.
This involved adding additional shelving for our suitcases and other odds and ends, and installing bicycle hoists to clear the ground.
In this first photo, we see the cleared-out bay and our chassis sled.
Delivery Day
Our delivery just happened to line up with Valentine's Day, so that was a bit awkward. I don't think my wife was expecting a nerdy project for me on V-day... but I smoothed it over with a nice dinner out (instead of digging straight into inventory.
The only notable missing items (based on the packing lists, see pain points below for non-packing list items), were the rollbars we received were the black powder coated ones, not the polished steel (the packing list correctly called them the polished rollbars, but they're black). And we were also missing a single headlight lamp. Otherwise, the missing parts were indicated as such on the FFR packing list.
The inventory packing list is a bit tricky if you don't know the names for all of the parts that are being called for. Many of the parts are not labelled in any way (some have part numbers, but most don't), so it's a guessing game to try to line up suspects for each part.
As you will see, even after inventory, I still had some trouble finding the parts I needed.
In practice, so far, I've spent more time trying to find the parts I need for the day, than the actual wrenching time. In contrast, I was quite relieved when I got to a box like the shocks, where all of the pieces I needed were all in one box, clear and ready to go.
Body Removal (pages 27-30)
We toyed with doing some of the bodywork first, while the body was already on the chassis, but the giant pile of boxes made me second guess this plan. We decided to start installing stuff into the car, so we could chip down the box pile to something more manageable.
Getting the body off of the frame was trickier than videos have made it look. The trickiest part was getting the rump of the body over the aluminum panels. We had to deform the fiberglass to round over the aluminum, nothing sketchy, but it definitely needed some coaxing.
Word of Caution!
Wear work gloves when removing the body from the chassis. Fiberglass splinters aren't a good time -- don't ask me how I know .
We built the FFR design body buck and put it in the back yard. We painted it a neutral gray and got a gray all-season cobra car cover, so it doesn't make too many waves with the HOA. We have neighbors up the hill and they have (yes, this is true) complained about stuff we stored in our backyard -- that only three houses could possibly see. So, with our friendly neighborhood nosy and noisy neighbors in mind, we tried to blend it in with our patio concrete.
Front Upper & Lower Control Arms (pages 44-52)
I did enough research to know that the FFR supplied ball joints sometimes have some threading problems in the upper control arms. I opted to upgrade preemptively to the Howe alternative (also considered Moog ones). They went in nice and easy, using the special socket.
Minor Pain Point 1 (pages 47, 50)
The supplied bolts for upper control arm installation were 1.75" in length, which we found did not leave sufficient thread length for the nuts to seat correctly. So we sourced some 2" length bolts (grade 8) and those provided enough threads beyond the nut to make me comfortable (I think 3 threads or so).
Pain Point 2 (pages 50-51)
The manual calls for #60766 0.84" spacers (on page 51), which we could not find, and did not appear on any of our packing lists. I also noticed a discrepancy between page 50's photo and page 51's diagram; in the former the upper control arm is mounted between the mount tabs, but in the latter, the spacers are between the tabs and the arms are mounted above.
Once we decoded both options, which weren't made clear in the manual, we decided that we should use the page 50 mounting position, since we were installing using the lower 'street' mounts elsewhere. It would be better if the manual was more precise and clear here, and that the indicated spacers actually existed, so that if we wanted to do the 'race' upper mounts, we had the guidance and spacers to do it.
We found that the tabs for the upper control arms were a bit too tight, so we used a wrench wrapped in cloth (to protect the powder coat), to pry them further apart. Then we used some gentle encouragement with a mallet to get them into place (not for the last time).
Adjusting the Control Arms (page 52)
We didn't do much of this.
Minor Pain Point 3
We don't really know what 'good' looks like, and the manual helpfully tells you to adjust "the arm to the desired length" -- which turns out not to be very helpful when you don't know what the desired length is or how to find it out.
We ended up just extending them enough that we could attach the spindles and steering rack and left it there 'for now'. We will revisit after Build School (April) where we hope to get our questions answered, and when doing rough alignment when mounting the wheels.
Coil Over Shock Assembly (page 52-60)
We did the front and rear shocks all together. They went together relatively smoothly as all of the parts we needed were nicely packed all in one box, a rarity that was most welcome.
Word of Caution!
Don't over-tighten the retaining pin on the shocks; don't ask me how I know -- just tighten to resistance.
Manual Confusion Pain Point 4
It was unclear whether the "red" shocks should be mounted with the body of the shock up or down. The manual mentions "nickel plated shocks", "silver double adjustable shocks" needing to be mounted body-down (page 58), but doesn't specify for the red shocks. We mounted them body-down, since that seemed to be what the photos indicated.
I have since found that some builders mount them body up and others body down. And according to Grok AI (I asked it to scrub forums and docs to find out), they can be mounted top or bottom-down. I decided bottom-down would probably be more convenient for adjustment, since that would make the adjusting part of the shock closer to the bottom of the car, which is how it will be accessed if needing adjustment.
Word of Caution! (page 58)
Make sure to download the latest version of the manual when you start your build and check again any time you have confusion points with the manual.
I was using the PDF I downloaded summer 2025 (to prepare for the build), and there was a difference in spec on page 58 of the manual, prevously calling for 2.75" and 3.25" bolts, but I only had 3.25" bolts in my kit. The new manual corrected this to 3.25" bolts and 4" bolts for sway-bar.
Front Spindles (pages 66-69)
Pain Point 5
The parts prep list on page 66 does not mention any spacers. On page 67, it calls for #15803 "countersunk" spacer. We scoured the entire packing list, appendix H, all of the bags in the associated boxes, and could find no record of spacers #15803.
Another local builder that I asked about this, said he found spacers that looked right, in his power steering rack box. I got the manual steering rack, and it had no such spacers in it. I have asked FFR about this, but so far unresolved.
I have included a snippet of the manual (downloaded a few days ago) indicating the mystery spacers:
Front Hubs (page 69)
Installing the hub required buying a higher-spec torque wrench (the husky one) that can go up to 250 ft-lb, and a 36mm socket to be able to get around that huge nut. The manual calls for 225-250ft-lb torque (page 69), so we torqued to 240 ft-lb, above minimum, but I don't fully trust the cheap torque wrench's accuracy as much as our more expensive smaller ones, and I didn't want to over-torque it by accident. So we split the middle-ish.
Getting the dust cap installed was the trickier part. The best technique we were able to devise was to get it evenly placed and then tap around lightly in a roughly circular pattern, to nudge it in bit by bit, but keeping it balanced. We encouraged it with a hammer against a screw-driver (without a bit installed). We got there in the end.
Connecting the Tie Rod Ends and Steering Rack (pages 71-72)
We substituted our Moog tie-rod ends here, and they went on just fine. We need to muscle the steering rack and angle the tie rod end's bolt to get it to go in, but it went in without 'encouragement' (aka mallet) this time.
We left the castle nut untorqued and un-pinned, because we'll be revisiting this whole area post-build-school, when we know a bit more of what the 'desired' settings are.
Coming Up in Week 2
We have also cut our rear spindles yesterday, but I will include that in week 2's report. We also are postponing brake install until we get our rear brakes and paint both sets of calipers. Those should make it into week 2, if the delivery is on-time.
Thanks to all of the expert builders who are present on this thread. I look forward to your advise and guidance. We are the entry-level grade builders, who have much to learn.
I hope my detailed callouts of 'newbie confusion/mistakes' and manual page references will help other builders in the entry-level category navigate their builds.
Last edited by DancingTosan; 03-01-2026 at 10:44 PM.
The Great Pumpkin (pages 115-119)
We (my son and I) somehow managed to install The Great Pumpkin (IRS Differential), with our jack and about three hours of wrestling.
Now That's What I call a Drill Bit (pages 106-107)
To cut the rear spindles, we used a few tools to cut the spindle off, but resolved that the "Sawzall"-style reciprocating saw was the best that we had for that job (we also tried a cutoff wheel on the angle grinder and the multi-tool). Then we bored out the holes a bit wider, using a massive 5/8" drill bit (son's hand for scale). It was slow going, but it made a good result ("5/8" Bridge Construction Reamer Drill Bit. M2 HSS Taper Chucking Reamer").
Update on the Mystery Spacers (page 67)
I found the lost mystery spaces (see week 1) in a bag of extra parts from the lower front arms that I labelled "lwr front arms". So that mystery is solved (part #15803, I believe)
Rear Control Arms (pages 113-114 and 119-122)
These went in pretty smoothly after I discovered that I had skipped the 'prepare the control arms' pages (113-114). Going back to that step made the pages 119-122 much smoother. We got all of the arms installed, and the CV axles.
Grind the Calipers
I sourced my IRS brakes separately from the FFR kit, so I need to use the 'stock' Mustang mounting location (as opposed to the FFR special bracket). Following some advice on the FFR forums, I discovered I would need to grind off the ribs on the back of the calipers (or they will rub the 17" wheels). Since I knew I wanted to paint them, I went ahead and ground the ribs off pre-emptively. They didn't appear to be structural at all, so should be Just Fine.
Paint the Calipers
After grinding, I painted the calipers so they were all black, as they were three different shades of gray (while it's not 50, it was still too many). The paint brushes shed some hairs into the paint, I will try to buff those out with wet sanding.
Update on the Mystery Spacers (page 67)
I found the lost mystery spaces (see week 1) in a bag of extra parts from the lower front arms that I labelled "lwr front arms". So that mystery is solved (part #15803, I believe)
Good find. Just to be sure and as an FYI they get installed with the countersunk side toward the ball joint.
Spindles and Hubs (pages 108-109, 123-124)
I decided to ask a local auto machine shop to knock out and replace the hub bolts for me (about $80). With those bolts in-hand, we installed the rear spindles and hubs.
Rear IRS Brakes (IRS brakes install manual)
We then installed the rear IRS 13" brakes ('15 Mustang GT brakes). We got the wrong brake pads for the front, so the front brakes will be delayed until next week.
Note that I installed these in the 'stock' (mustang) mounting location, rather than using the FFR mount relocation bracket (that I don't have, because I sourced my brakes from Forte). I previously ground off the ribs in week 2, so that the brakes will fit in the stock location without interfering with the 17" wheels.
Pedalbox Switches (pages 192-195)
We are skipping the ebrake install until later (we'll be using the eStopp system) and we also are delaying all of the brake and fuel line install until after we attend Build School. So, we're skipping ahead to... the pedal box install.
I accidentally drilled the pedalbox switch mount holes too far back, so I needed to extend the holes forward with some extra drilling. Save yourself the trouble and double-check your hole marks before drilling them out.
We noticed that the switches are both the same in the kit (like the one shown on page 194), but the clutch switch is different in the manual (page 195). I assume the photo is just out of date.
Pedalbox Frame Installation (pages 198-207)
I found the predrilled frame bolt holes were not quite perfect, and we used caveman techniques to get the bolts in. In retrospect, I should have just drilled the problematic holes out a little wider, but sunk costs won the day.
The manual says that the rear right bolt might need to be flipped to avoid conflicting with the steering-shaft (page 200). To prevent needing to rebolt them later, I just installed it flipped from the get-go.
The front-right bolthole was particularly tricky to get wrenches onto, because it is guarded by frame bars and the accellerator mounting plate. I found it a little easier to mount the front-right bolt upside down as well, but later realized that the extra bolt length would interefere with the balance bar mechanism, so I rebolted it in the correct orientation.
The manual didn't specify what length the four 5/16" button head screws were (page 200). I found 1" screws and 1.5" screws in the fasteners supply. I tried the 1" ones and they didn't leave a comfortable length of threads past the nut, but the 1.5" bolts stuck out a bit too far. So I decided to order some 1.25" bolts, and we used those for the install.
Because of the tricky access, we did mount the left side mounting bolts upside down, and found that a little easier to get a wrench and an allen key on. They did not appear to conflict with any moving geometry on the left side, so I think it'll work just fine like that.
The triangle frame that mounts on top to a cross-bar went on pretty uneventfully.
Since we're installing a coyote motor, we tried installing the additional clutch switch mechanism (pages 202-203), but found that the clutch switch shown on page 203 is part of the coyote installation kit, which we don't have yet. So we only mounted the medal plates for this and revisit when we have the coyote kit.
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Coming up in Week 4
A snowstorm hit and caused me to retreat inside for some R&D projects!
Last edited by DancingTosan; 03-15-2026 at 03:47 PM.
Reason: clerical/formatting
Speaker Mockup
Week 4 we did a lot more 'indoor' work, because the garage was colder than usual owing to some late-season snow.
I received my 4x6" speakers and grilles that I intend to install behind the seats, so I started the week off with a mockup to test my theory of that geometry.
The harness mounting points are 1.5" back from the aluminum and far enough apart that they leave plenty of room for the speaker driver. I traced some rough locations for the different elements and test-fit the grilles to see how they'd fit. I confirmed what I wanted to know, so I will return to this later when I have the seats installed and can do a final positioning of the various elements on that panel (speakers, 3-point seatbelt hole, cubby hole).
Backup Camera Prep
I want a back-up camera, and I still want it to blend in, so I decided to try out a mod that someone on the FFR forums (I think it was "Saul"?), did with his build.
The idea is to mount a very small backup camera (~19mm I think) in the license plate light housing.
We disassembled the housing and evaluated what we had. I decided we could cut the metal mounting bracket for the outer mounting screw. We made the cut using the hole saw that was provided with the backup camera. We tested the lights after cutting the metal to ensure they still functioned correctly (they did).
Next we taped-up the metal on the housing to protect it from the hole saw, and then used the cut metal circle to position the hole for the housing cut.
We used the hole saw to bore out the housing for the camera, and test fit it. We ran the wires for the camera through the same hole that the light wires go through.
We bent some of the metal inside to ensure it won't make contact with the camera (we will also line the camera with electrical tape for the final install, to ensure it doesn't interfere), and we will also silicone it into place to it won't rotate.
The last challenge for this mod will be to devise a new mechanism for securing the housing to the light mount (we cut off the screw intended for this purpose). I am considering soldering an angle bracket and a nut (angle bracket to the housing, then the soldered nut would serve as a seat for a new bolt-hole I could drive in from the rear-side of the light housing. That way it would be removable (from the trunk side) if I need to replace a light, but also will be secured by metal otherwise. That will be a project for the future, we still have plenty of time before the light install on the car.
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Continued in Part 2...
Last edited by DancingTosan; 03-15-2026 at 03:03 PM.
... I split the week 4 update, since the image count was too high for a single post.
Sound Liner Prep
We intend to install a good amount of sound blocking/absorbing because I intend to eventually add the mk5 hardtop (after it is released). So it may seem overkill for an open-top car, but I do have A Plan.
We're pivoting into panel work starting with week 5, so I wanted to get some templates for cutting sound insulation.
Rather than 'eyeballing it', I decided to try to 'stamp' the frame impression onto cardboard, then use that to infer the sound insulation template dimensions I need.
I coated the frame section with slightly diluted black acrylic craft paint and then pressed a cardboard sheet onto it (and then wiped off the excess paint). Then I drew an outline of the template with a sharpie and a straight edge, and then cut it out with a craft knife.
Result? it worked! .... ish. The template was too large by about 1/4" in each dimension. I had to trim off about 1/2" total material from each (using scissors) to get them to fit.
The source of the error was the 'rounded' edges of the frame tubes, which didn't leave any impression on my stamp.
So for future templates, I will artificially inset my lines by about 1/4" when tracing out the cut lines and see how that fares.
Heater Template Prep
Week 4 has seen several projects starting that won't come to fruition until later. The next one to start is the heater install.
I need a defroster to pass WA inspection, and I generally want a heater (we will also have heated seats). I didn't want to go with the A/C option because I will use "Nature's A/C" (aka, drive fast with the top off) if it's ever hot enough that I'd want A/C.
I opted for the carbon dash with glovebox, which conflicts with the FFR heater install location. So I did some research on other approaches.
I decided to go with a variant of a heater that "ie 427 Garage" used in their youtube video. In that video, he cut down a heater to a smaller box.
My idea is a little different though. I am planning to mount the heater split between the engine bay and the cockpit, like how FFR and many other similar heater installs do. The 'blower' will be in the engine bay, with a panel and then the heater coils on the cockpit side.
There aren't a lot of great options for locations for a box of this size, since the frame triangles are pretty much everywhere in the mk5. My current leading idea (without the heater in-hand to test fit yet), is to mount it on top of the passenger footbox. I think the manual wants the ECU mounted here, but I think I can find another location for the ECU. The blower would mount on the engine side of the passenger footbox, and the heating coils box on the cockpit side of the footbox.
I'm a bit worried that the blower will be too tall and hit the body of the car when it's mounted, so I am exploring fabricating a panel for the underside of the frame rails at the top of the footbox. Then cut out a hole in the provided panel for the blower to poke through. This would give me another 1.5" or so for the blower height.
For the heater-box itself, I am planning to cut the 'front' panel with the 3" hose mount sockets into a smaller size. I will cut off one of the long side walls of the heater and remount the cut-down front as a new side panel. Then I will fabricate a new front panel out of aluminum and high-temp epoxy/screw it all back together.
Then the hoses would leave the heater box on the side, affording less intrusion into the footbox (I'd also be reducing the box size like ie 427 did), and having the hoses neatly lead off to the side and up into the dash and also into the open area below the dash, above the transmission. My heater outlets will be on the sides of the front of the trans tunnel, and the defroster hoses will be behind the dash (as usual).
This is "the plan", and it's at least viable enough that I ordered the heater. I'll be continuing this R&D effort once the heater arrives.
To start the process though, I made a template for the new footbox top panel that I would need to fabricate.
Coming up in Week 5
I am planning to get started on the steering column install and a bunch of panel aluminum and sound liner install.
We booked our flight & hotel for the Build School in April, so we're going to mostly be coasting on panel work until then, since I am delaying a few tasks until I have the build school experience under my belt...
Last edited by DancingTosan; 03-15-2026 at 03:20 PM.
Week 5 Update - Heater modifications and Liner Experiments
Heat Liner Experiments
I want a blackish engine-bay, so I didn't want to use a foil heat liner. I tried using "FireWall" coating, but I didn't like how it painted on, very hard to get a smooth coat.
I ended up sanding all the paint off and cutting some Damplifier Pro (2mm) as my engine-side heat/sound liner. It's good for 450F, and I plan on ceramic coating my headers, so the heat load should be well within its margin.
Several mk5 builders have fabricated a firewall extension panel. I thought I could use this panel to support some wiring holes I have planned later.
Several vendors make an extension panel like this, which are really nice products, but I decided this panel was probably easy enough to fabricate myself. So I did a 'stamp' of the relevant frame members:
Heater Modification
I need a defroster in the car to meet registration inspection requirements, so I've been researching various options. I decided to try a variant of an install that 'ie 427 Garage' did in a youtube video for a mk4, I believe.
I bought a compact, simple box heater from a vendor (I believe this is the same heater ie 427 used), and disassembled it.
My idea for this heater is to mount the blower in the engine bay, and on top of the passenger footbox, and then hang the heater radiator down into the footbox (on the other side of the panel top panel). Then I will create new ports on the side of the heater (leading to the center of the car) and run hoses under the dash, to the various heater/defroster outlets.
I was a bit worried the blower might be too tall for the hood in that area of the car, so I opted to fabricate a new panel for the underside of the passenger footbox frame members. This gives an additional 1.5" headroom for the blower.
I want to still be able to (potentially) mount the coyote ECU in the same general area, so I rotated the blower to run parallel with the dash.
The re-build is almost done, we'll see the final result in week 6.
I took a lot of progress photos of the modification process. I'll explain them in order:
So far, the heater modification is coming along great. I hope all of the placement locations work out once all of the rest of the car is assembled. I expect to finish the heater mod next week (week 6).
Coming up for week 6
I expect to do some additional sound liner (cabin side) and hopefully get to the steering column that I had hoped to get to this week.
Also I would like to finish the heater modification and get that panel ready to install when I do the passenger footbox.
Last edited by DancingTosan; 03-22-2026 at 08:19 PM.
To recap, I fabricated a lower panel for the upper passenger footbox, to mount the heater onto. This lowered mounting point improves the headroom for the blower in the engine bay. I then rebuilt the heater box to be slimmer (took off 3/4"), and also install new 2.5" hot air ports on the side of the heater, rather than the bottom (relative to the the orientation it will be installed in the car). This will afford a smaller intrusion into the passenger footbox (just 3" below the frame bars) and the hot air hoses will run to the left towards trans tunnel.
The heater box's new side and top panels are ready, and it has been epoxied/riveted onto its mounting panel, so the next step is to reinstall the heater radiator portion.
I considered installing some new bolt hardware to attach the new bottom panel to the heater, but I decided to just silicone it together (using high temp silicone) since I don't really expect to need to access the internals again, but if I do, the silicone should be manageable to pry open vs. epoxy.
Mounting the Heater
After the silicone cured, I scraped it smooth, sanded it down and touched up the paint. Then prepared the top side of the heater to be rebuilt. In these next images, I'm lining up the gasket for the blower with the hole into the radiator box and then riveting the blower onto my mounting panel.
So far so good! Next I need to install the mounting panel onto the frame, but there's a pretty sizeable gap between the panel and the frame bar, so I cut a section of angle aluminum to patch the hole. I then siliconed it and the mounting panel to the car chassis.
We can see where the hot air hoses will attach on the left side of the heater box.
I hope there's enough clearance for the windshield mount location, and also around the heater line access, I'm pretty sure they'll work okay. I'm considering creating a small access hatch behind the glove box, through the firewall, to get to the windshield mounting bolts from the cabin of the car, so I don't need to try and reach a wrench past the heater. From what I can tell though, I think it'll be manageable.
Since this is my first build, I'm guessing a bit on where other stuff will go, and what space will be available. If it turns out that the heater as I've mounted it isn't fitting when the rest of the car is in place, I'll grumble and rebuild it -- but I think this placement should work out. Time will tell.
Sound Lining the Heater Panel
I went ahead and put some Damplifier Pro on the underside of the mounting panel, and some Luxury Liner Pro (3/8") on the upper side. Damplifier is rated up to 450F, so it will be fine right next to the heater box. The mounting aluminum panel is epoxied to the original heater plastic box, so it should not transmit too much heat through to the lux liner side (rated to 150F). The heater only gets to 150-200F max, so it should be okay for the lux liner being that close to the heater, but if not, I'll trim some away from the hotter places. I'll do some testing once the heater is functional.
Coming up in Week 7
I didn't get a lot done on the car this week. I tweaked my back out and it took me out of the car building game for a few days, but I'm easing back into it now.
I've started installing the steering column today, so I'll include that in the week 7 report. I also hope to get further on the footbox aluminum and sound liner installation.
Heater Fitment Problem
I began fitting the firewall and footbox panels and discovered that the heater hose outlets would come out into the engine bay more invasively than I had predicted. For a small block engine, this would work fine, but for my Coyote, this has a potential to be a problem. (red marker lines indicate the heater hose route)
Next, I reinstalled the 2" outlet (for defroster use) on the middle slot, and plugged up the 3rd outlet hole with a circle of aluminum. it's not pretty, but it is behind the other outlets, so it won't be seen (I also sanded and painted it black after these photos).
This new configuration means I will need Y-splitters for both the passenger heater vents and the defroster vents. But it does mean the heater hose can pop out much closer to the corner of the engine bay, and then dive back into the above-trans extension where I will mount my heater louvres. The defroster hose (the 2" one) will pop up through a new hole I drilled in the engine bay, directly above the hose outlets, and then through the firewall into the behind-dash area to the defroster-vents. (the image includes a view of the new defroster hole in the panel next to the heater)
I'm pretty sure these new outlets and the planned routing should work. Though I will need to figure out a good mounting location for the SPW wiper motor, likely on the driver side.
Drilling and Clecos and Firewall Extensions, Oh My!
I finished out the week doing lots of drilling and cleco-ing on the panels, including installing a simple firewall extension (center, covering the cross-beam above the trans).
Coming Up in Week 8!
Next week is build school, but we have some free time on the weekend prior, so we'll be preparing as much sound lining and panel installing as we can.
Sound Lining Strategy Test (Rear Panel)
My sound lining strategy is almost certainly overkill for most builders. My rationale for going so heavy on the sound lining is that I will be adding the hard top and would like a quiet(er) cabin.
So, nearly the entire cockpit panel set will have three layers of sound lining.
On one side of the panel will be Damplifier Pro (2mm) CLD sound liner. This is similar to some other CLD products like Kilmat and even an amazon basics version. This will generally be on the cabin side of the panels, with some exceptions in the footboxes, where the CLD layer will be on the engine-bay side.
On the other side of each panel will be a stack of Luxury Liner Pro, which is 3/8" deep decoupler and MLV layer in one product. Then on top of that will be 1/2" or 1" (depending on the available depth, generally 1/2") "Mega Zorbe", a light weight sound absorbing foam. All of these products are from Second Skin, but I am not sponsored. I will be using Kilmat for a cheaper CLD layer in the trunk.
The fat stack side (Lux Liner + Zorbe) is intended to go between the frame bars, and will generally potentially be road-facing and subject to debris and water, etc.
To protect these layers from the elements, I will often be covering the exterior frame triangles with carbon fiber veneers. These are scrap carbon fiber (sold by the pound, relatively cheaply), which are thin (< 1mm) and reasonably strong. They also look okay, though a bit mismatched in gloss and pattern.
First I prepare templates for the gap(s) and test-fit them on the panel rear.
Then I cut out zorbe and luxury liner using the templates (I will be adding the damplifier layer on the cabin-side of the panel much later in the build).
Next I glued in (I will add some rivets to support the glue long-term) the carbon fiber back plate. I ran some silicone along the edge of the carbon fiber (from the back side) to seal off most of the inner triangle (though I generally left small draining hole at the bottom and some air gap at the top of the panels, just in case any water does get inside (zorbe is also water safe, so it can handle some exposure, I just don't want any long-term water residence).
After that, I glued the Luxury Liner to the back of the panel, and the Zorbe to the top of the lux liner.
Then I siliconed the panel into its final position, sandwiching the fat stack of sound liner between the aluminum panel and the carbon fiber panel, with a small air gap on the carbon fiber side.
05_Week8_CarbonCover.jpg
In the case of the rear test panel, I didn't bother carbon fiber protecting > 12" up the rear wall, because it would be extremely hard to get water or debris up into there, and also the welds made gluing a panel to the top of that frame bar prohibitively tricky.
Continuing the Sound Lining and Panel Installation
We continued the pattern on the cockpit floors and also on the trans tunnel side walls (part of the cockpit floor aluminum).
I will be protecting the trans tunnel inner fat stacks with carbon fiber paneling later.
Off to Build School!
With the rear and floor of the cockpit lined and installed, we called it a wrap for the week. We will be heading to build school mid-week and learning a bunch about the upcoming steps of the build (and probably some things we missed already).
Coming up on Week 9
We'll be doing some post-build school 'stuff' whatever that happens to be. I assume the school will inspire some immediate action, so you'll need to wait to find out what that is!
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Seattle Snake - Roadster mk5 - Build Thread
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Originally Posted by DancingTosan
Week 7 - Heater Rebuild Rebuild
