Dondero Father Son Mk4 build thread: Cooling System

[PMD24]

Yeah, I took the yellow wire through the firewall extension, behind the dash, and then out with the tach wire in the same loom. Routed them through the manifold. Looks very clean.

[Dondero14]

Yeah, I took the yellow wire through the firewall extension, behind the dash, and then out with the tach wire in the same loom. Routed them through the manifold. Looks very clean.

Thats actually a great idea. I may look into that. Would definitly save the trouble of using a single loom just for that only to jumper it over to another loom in the engine bay. Thanks for the tip Pat!

[Dondero14]

Couple questions for the group before I get started on these steps and would appreciate the input:

Does the upper trunk floor aluminum panel get installed before the trunk side panels or after? I'm just not sure about those 90deg lips on the side panel whether they are suppose to go on top or underneath. Directions in the manual are vague but also say to install the side panels first but not sure if they're outdated or not.

In regards to the Kleiner Mod for the rear quick jacks, specifically with the tank side bolts, do people usually put in a washer or a lock washer or loktite the threads?

[JCB52]

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=QYw0gEfi2gA

This video might help with the aluminum work. And to answer your question: First

[PMD24]

It doesn't matter. Most seem to place the sides first. It's just one thing to get done while you leave the floor off for access to brake lines, electrical, and fuel lines during testing as the build progresses through those phases.

I've had my sides in place for some time and have fitted the rear cockpit pieces and trunk floor pieces for future install. Will be testing rear lighting soon and after that trunk floor pieces will be installed permanently.

Pat

[Dondero14]

Been making slow but steady progress the past couple weeks. I've got the red and black sniper 2 wires as well as the ground and starter wires ran to the battery. I put them in looms and secured them to the frame with rivnuts and cable clamps. With the breeze battery box I added a couple strips of rubber to take up the space where the vertical part was riveted to the x frame as well as a thin strip of rubber roof to the hold down bracket for a small bit of cushion against the battery casing. I put the headers on with a couple bolts finger tight so that I could see how much space I had while running the wires and if what I had in mind would work. I did find that the fuel lines that are ran up the passenger side footbox will be pretty close to the headers, so I'm going to put some heat shielding wraps around them. I found some stuff at AutoZone that is also sold at Summit called Design Engineering Vapor Block Fuel Line Sleeves that I'm gonna give a whirl on the fuel lines and a section of the brake line that comes down the drivers side footbox. I finished riveting the rear cockpit panels in place as well as the trunk side panels. Had a blast with the trunk side panels cause my little 5 year old gave me a hand riveting and pulling clecos. I staged the cockpit rear wall while getting the rear corners in place so that I could get the best alignment between all three panels. It definitely took a little back and forth adjusting, as well as clamping panels in place to get it to the way I felt had the best fitment. When I drilled the holes for the corners, I also drilled the holes for the rear wall along the 2" tube so that it would fit in place the same way when it came time to install it.

[PMD24]

Nice to see your son involved in the build.

[Dondero14]

It was great, I was all smiles. After a couple tries and some help with the clecos he was able to put the wrench on it the right way and squeeze it together. I gave him a little help pulling them out but I got a huge kick outta how well he did figuring it all out.

[JsMoose]

It was great, I was all smiles. After a couple tries and some help with the clecos he was able to put the wrench on it the right way and squeeze it together. I gave him a little help pulling them out but I got a huge kick outta how well he did figuring it all out.

Glad you are involving the kids and keeping it fun for both of you. I'm mostly having a blast with my 2 boys as well. I just need to remember to be patient and I will say it can get a little tense when safety is involved (heavy stuff, brake and fuel items, etc)...

You are making great progress by the way. I'm still back at the brake lines... had to take a break due to life.

Jay

[Dondero14]

Glad you are involving the kids and keeping it fun for both of you. I'm mostly having a blast with my 2 boys as well. I just need to remember to be patient and I will say it can get a little tense when safety is involved (heavy stuff, brake and fuel items, etc)...

You are making great progress by the way. I'm still back at the brake lines... had to take a break due to life.

Jay

Thanks Jay. Yeah it was a perfect job for him to help with the rivets in an easy location. Definitely slows the build down in a good way to appreciate the time. It’s all good with the progress, I’m just glad the brakes are over with for myself haha.

[Dondero14]

Well I had a very successful past couple days. I’m getting ready to tackle the cooling system and was not very keen with the corrugated hose setup. I ended up getting the breeze upper and lower radiator mount as well as the lower cooling line setup. I also plan on getting the Boig upper cooling line setup in a couple weeks as well. I think it’s definitely a well spent upgrade for longevity to avoid any issues and making it a solid install. I also ended up finding a small puddle of brake fluid in my drivers footbox and located the problem being at the 90 deg fitting coming out of the pressure side of the clutch master cylinder (which explains why I couldn’t properly bleed the line and get any pressure). Yesterday I cut off the small 3/4” square tubes that the radiator normally mounts to, dropped the car on the ground and rolled it outside to grind the welds and rest of the tube off. After that was complete, I rolled her back in the garage and pulled the M/C fitting off and added some thread sealant and reinstalled. Today, I put the car back up on jacks and used a pressure brake bleeder to purge the air out. Thing worked great. Pumped the tank to 10psi and purged all the air out. What a difference in the feel with the hydraulic clutch. Just as stiff as the brakes and can feel it pushing against the clutch fingers. I had my wife sit in the drivers seat and put the tranny in 1st gear. I had her slowly depress the clutch until I could spin the rear tires freely, which was a good verification the throw out bearing was working properly. That was a huge victory for us getting that situated. Before I wrapped up I also verified the car was level on the jacks to prepare to mount th radiator. I must have been grouped into a good batch of chassis’ cause the 3/4” tube to mount the piano hinge to was dead nuts level.

[Mike.Bray]

I’m getting ready to tackle the cooling system and was not very keen with the corrugated hose setup. I ended up getting the breeze upper and lower radiator mount as well as the lower cooling line setup. I also plan on getting the Boig upper cooling line setup in a couple weeks as well. I think it’s definitely a well spent upgrade for longevity to avoid any issues and making it a solid install.

I did this exact same setup and can tell you it's well worth the money. Topped it off with Power Grip shrink sleeves. https://www.summitracing.com/parts/AAF-ALL30257

[PMD24]

Love those power grips. Not only do they look great, they work really well. I have 48hp John Deere tractor with an odd hose connection that I've never been able to stop weeping. Power Grip took care of it!

[Dondero14]

I did this exact same setup and can tell you it's well worth the money. Topped it off with Power Grip shrink sleeves. https://www.summitracing.com/parts/AAF-ALL30257

Hi Mike. Thanks for the suggestion on the Power Grips. I just browsed through your build thread to check those out. Did you use them more for looks to replace the hose clamps or were you finding small leaks. Also how would one get them off if needed?

[Mike.Bray]

Hi Mike. Thanks for the suggestion on the Power Grips. I just browsed through your build thread to check those out. Did you use them more for looks to replace the hose clamps or were you finding small leaks. Also how would one get them off if needed?

I used them for looks although they do work better than hose clamps. You have to cut them off, Amazon has a tool but I've never had much luck with it so I just use a box cutter being very careful how deep I cut.

20241215_173841.jpg

[Dondero14]

Started messing with the radiator tonight. I cut some cardboard out to protect the fins and to avoid any metal getting in there. I then started installing the Breeze upper mount while triple checking that I had the radiator the correct direction and was on the correct lip because the last thing I wanted to do was drill the wrong side. Pat had a great suggestion to put clecos in the corners after they were drilled out for a better hold on the hinge. I also noticed that the end of the radiator lip bends a little bit when pressed down during drilling so I found some scrap wood and shimmed them in the inside channel where I was drilling. I drilled and cleco'd all the holes first, filed the burs after I was done, and riveted the hinge in place. For anyone that doesn't feel like doing the math out I went 3/4" in on both ends and from that mark spaced the holes 1 5/8" apart from both sides (hope this helps). In addition, I bought a 1/8" Cobalt drill bit for $5 meant for drilling SS. Worth the cost and drilled through great. I went through a few bits learning the hard way when I installed the battery box. After that was complete I installed the radiator fan to the back of the radiator. I'm gonna try my luck without the breeze fan shroud for now even though I know its a very popular item everyone gets. I'm being kind of picky with what and where I plan on spending money for upgrades and if I can get away with installing it down the line to spread out the money a bit. Hundreds turns into Thousands really quick and I felt spending the extra money on the Boig upper cooling line was money better spent. I bought my kit back in Sept 2025 and was given the fan install hardware for the MK 5. Anyone who has bought a MK 4 around that time or after you'll need to refer to the Mk 5 manual for the fan install. Very straightforward and went together nice and smooth and feels sturdy.







I added this photo to show something I learned from Frank at IE 427 Garage. In one of his videos, it talks about pushing in the passenger side floor panel along the tunnel and riveting it to the square tubes that are at angles. Doing this will help gain a small amount of space for the emergency brake handle so its not rubbing so hard against the tunnel wall. In addition, with doing this on the drivers side it helps you gain a small amount of space in an already cramped area. I may not need the extra space but there are a lot of guys a lot bigger than me that probably think every bit of extra space counts.

[Dondero14]

For my after work shenanigans tonight, I was able to bang out mounting the upper portion of the radiator to the frame. I centered the hinge on the 3/4” tube the. Clamped it in place. Measured in 2” from each side and spaced the bolts 6” apart. I used that 1/8” cobalt drill bit for a pilot hole just to get a start on the SS hinge. Drilling and tapping went smooth and put loctite on the bolts when I installed them. Love the Breeze products I’ve gotten. The parts are solid as a rock and the directions are very thorough. Next will be installing the Breeze bottom mount hopefully tomorrow.

[Dondero14]

Radiator is in place. Love the Breeze upper and lower mounts for it. Thing feels rock solid in place. Called Tubular Automotive yesterday about the upper cooling tube and they are waiting any day now for the shipment to come in. In the meantime I'll be playing with the Breeze lower cooling line to get that installed. My father is making his return from Florida this week so it will be back to a two man crew soon. When he gets back we will prelube the engine, then flush the fuel lines and check for leaks. A little bit of rough wiring and we should be good to fire this up.

58 deg angle

[Dondero14]

Well my father is back from Florida and we were able to put a solid day in yesterday. Got a ton done together during the day and getting even closer to the first start.

Prelube Engine
We started out by prepping everything to prelube the engine per the Blueprint procedure. We pulled the connection off the in tank fuel pump so that it wouldn't run while we cranked the engine. My father wired up the ignition switch and pulled the sparkplugs out while I filled the engine with oil. We only had gotten 6 quarts of oil from Blueprint and after adding all 6 we still had no level on the dipstick. After talking to Blueprint on the phone they said that it should be 7 quarts total, 6 for the sump and 1 for the filter, which still should have shown on the dipstick. Nonetheless we ordered a couple quarts of Blueprint Break In oil through Summit to get here in a few days to top it off. Decided to move forward with the prelube since there was still 6 quarts in the sump and should be enough for the pump to pick up. We gave everything a quick lookover and cranked away. Was a pretty awesome feeling even just to turn the key for the first time and hear the starter start cranking the engine. Cranked for 20 seconds and gave a break about 5 times and called it a day with that.

Headers
While my father reinstalled the sparkplugs, I installed the headers with the supplied gaskets FFR provided with the kit. Never-seized all the bolts and got them all snug by hand. Since there really is no way of getting a torque wrench in there or a ratchet even for that matter, I used a 10mm combo wrench starting with the middle two bolts and worked outwards alternating each side one bolt at a time. Repeated this step several times with both headers until all bolts were nice and tight throughout. Installed the O2 sensor into the passenger side header fitting and connected it to the Sniper 2 connection.




Cooling System
We installed the Boig upper cooling line to start. We trimmed the rubber elbow where it connected to the engine to lower the angle of the line and make it level due to the elbow sitting high. Went in nice and smooth. Moved onto the Breeze bottom cooling line which proved a bit more trouble and some work. We tried to mount the line above the front sway bar. We started trimming both rubber hose connections to get better fitment but it just seemed way too tight against the X frame and against the swaybar. My father also didn't like the tension it also had on the radiator. We decided to run the cooling line under the front sway bar and it make a world of a difference. Running it under the swaybar gave a lot better clearance from the swaybar, put it in a good position next to the X frame, and still sat about 1 1/2" - 2" above the bottom of the 4" tubes. After doing some additional trimming, we were able to get a great fit and placement for it. I installed the Breeze mount for the X frame and it fit perfect without the need to shim at all. After we got the cooling lines and the mount installed, we started filling the engine with coolant. Was able to pour about 2 1/4 gallons into the cooling system and added more as the air worked its way to the top. When we drop the car off the jacks we plan on jacking the front of the car up to help elevate it to pull any trapped air in the engine out. Took some time after to throw the coolant overflow tank in. Am going to have to figure out some type of mount to attach to the lower portion.






Cooling line sits in the bracket nice and loose so it won't get bound up from and movement but tight enough to hold it in place.

[Mike.Bray]

I guess I just noticed, no power steering??

[Dondero14]

I guess I just noticed, no power steering??

No power steering. My father didn't have it in his cobras back in the day so we decided that it was an area we could sacrifice and be able to save some money when deciding on the build and where else to spend it instead. I've definitely noticed its one of the more highly recommended upgrades to include the more I've read build threads and browsed the forum. I'm sure a couple years down the line it will make a nice winter project to upgrade when the wallet cools off a bit even though its going to be some work to swap out.

[PMD24]

Great progress Mark. And quality work. Take a look at post 192 in my thread. Might give you some ideas for your lower mount for the overflow tank.


Pat

[Dondero14]

Great progress Mark. And quality work. Take a look at post 192 in my thread. Might give you some ideas for your lower mount for the overflow tank.


Pat

Thanks Pat appreciate it. Actually got the idea to go under the swaybar from your thread.

[Mike.Bray]

No power steering. My father didn't have it in his cobras back in the day so we decided that it was an area we could sacrifice and be able to save some money when deciding on the build and where else to spend it instead. I've definitely noticed its one of the more highly recommended upgrades to include the more I've read build threads and browsed the forum. I'm sure a couple years down the line it will make a nice winter project to upgrade when the wallet cools off a bit even though its going to be some work to swap out.

I've told this before. I was exactly the same school of thought, I didn't have PS on my Cobra back in the 90s so why would I need it now. Now that the car is finished there are three things I really enjoy about driving it.

The overall in your face over the top Cobra experience. You know what I mean.

The hydraulic throwout bearing, the clutch actuation is soooo smooth and easy to operate.

The power steering. Besides the obvious decreased effort and steering ratio PS allows more caster to be run which gives the car a lot more stability. These things are so short they tend to want to be twitchy so any stability you can add just makes driving them that much better.

IMO, adding PS after the car is finished is going to be a bigger job than you think it is, especially when you consider the mods you need to make to the front suspension. Food for thought.

[cv2065]

IMO, adding PS after the car is finished is going to be a bigger job than you think it is, especially when you consider the mods you need to make to the front suspension. Food for thought.

I'll second what Mike said. Once the body is on and painted, you are not going to want to fool with the rack if you can help it. Getting in there to uninstall and then mount the rack, finding a spot for your reservoir (every setup can be different), running new hoses, etc.

This is one of those yeah, "the wallet is burning but the drive experience will be significantly enhanced" moments that you just have to do.

[Dondero14]

IMO, adding PS after the car is finished is going to be a bigger job than you think it is, especially when you consider the mods you need to make to the front suspension. Food for thought.

Mike, I appreciate the honesty and advise. When you mention mods to the front suspension are you talking about the need to replace parts in the suspension or more so having to realign everything.

[Mike.Bray]

To get the 7-8 degrees of caster you want to run with PS you will need to remove the rear adjuster on the upper A-arm and machine some off of each end. You might need to cut some off of the mating part also. Plus the new alignment. None of this will be very fun on a completed car.

If you read through the forum no one regrets doing PS, it changes the entire driving experience for the better.

[Dondero14]

Well I’ve looked into adding power steering and I think I screwed myself a bit. When initially talking to Blueprint when we purchased the engine, it was made to sound like it was as easy as throwing a new PS pump on and getting a new belt. When I spoke to Blueprint this morning they directed me to CVF Racing, which is where they get all of their front accessories from. Unfortunately it’s going to be significant more work than throwing a PS pump and belt on. I need to add an additional belt and swap the crank pulley for one that accommodates 2 belts due to the current rotation of the water pump. In addition, according to the specs it looks like there isn’t enough room anyways to fit it writhing the space. If I’m measuring correctly it looks as if the steering shaft will be in the way of where the PS pump will need to go. Needless to say does anyone have any other options I should look into to clear this bump. I know I’ve seen some people go the electric PS route. Any suggestions would help

[Mike.Bray]

That setup is never going to work on an FFR car. A lot of people including me use a GM Type II pump with a remote reservoir for clearance.

Talk to CVF about that option or maybe Forte. I made all of my own custom stuff so can't help much more

[gbranham]

And don't forget a place to mount your PS cooler and plumbing to/from it. I hit the easy button and called Gordon Levy. He sent me everything I needed for my front dress.

Greg

[PMD24]

Mark, I have the same setup as you and did not have the interference issue you mention; although my pump doesn't look like what's shown in the photo above. Maybe CVF supplies Blueprint with a different pump specifically for the engine configurations for FFR. As you know, the BP engine configurations for FFR are unique part numbers and pricing. It was a late add for me as well but I made the change before the engine was shipped so mine came mounted. I'll get a photo of it tonight and post it here.

Pat

[Dondero14]

Mark, I have the same setup as you and did not have the interference issue you mention; although my pump doesn't look like what's shown in the photo above. Maybe CVF supplies Blueprint with a different pump specifically for the engine configurations for FFR. As you know, the BP engine configurations for FFR are unique part numbers and pricing. It was a late add for me as well but I made the change before the engine was shipped so mine came mounted. I'll get a photo of it tonight and post it here.

Pat

I guess the key difference between our setups is that the water pumps are different rotations. I had mine setup without the PS pump to start which is built with the water pump rotating the same direction as the crank pulley. Because you were able to get your request in on time, they were able to built it the normal way they would with the PS pump included in a one belt design. Your cooling water pump actually rotate opposite direction of the crank pulley. This is why they suggested a separate belt because if they were to use the same belt setup that is in yours my water pump would be rotating in the wrong direction.

[Dondero14]

Thanks Mike and Greg for your advise. I’ll probably reach out to Mike Forte tomorrow and pick his brain and if I don’t have any luck I’ll try reaching out to Gordon. I got the bug in my head now to move forward with this so now I’m determined to figure out a solution.

[PMD24]

Thanks for the explanation of the difference with my setup. Sounds like a new water pump, crank pulley, and belt could get you to the configuration that I have?? Switching the water pump wouldn't be too bad. Here's the photo of my PS pump.

PS pump .jpg

[Dondero14]

Thanks for the closeup of your setup Pat. Yeah that is definitly an option I'll look into. I just found a setup on CVF Racing website specific for cobras that has an idler pulley attached to the power steering bracket. I'm not sure why the person I spoke to didn't suggest this option unless its not sold as a single item. I'm gonna give them another call tomorrow to see if this will work because it would be the perfect solution without having to mess with pulling parts.

https://cvfracing.com/ford-289-302-s...th-water-pump/

[Dondero14]

Well I just got off the phone with CVF Racing and I’m back in the game baby. Since I have the cobra setup with the high mounted alternator the power steering with the idler pulley will work with my water pump setup WooHoo. Since the above picture is for a conversion kit specifically for cobras, they don’t sell the bracket setup as a stand alone part. The sales rep I talked to was able to work some magic and get the PS pump and bracket assembly priced as a stand alone part and get me the appropriate serpentine belt for this application. I talked to factory five yesterday and their PS racks are back ordered for possibly a couple months at the moment. I’ll wait until I have everything together before I dive into installing everything. In the meantime I’ll order the breeze PS hose setup and grab a cooler from Forte.

Thank you fellas for the push. I know it’s not gonna be regrettable and will be worth it all in the end, especially while I’m in the building phase.

[PMD24]

Aside from the backorder timeframe, all good news. Glad to hear that it worked out.

Pat