Papa's Retirement Type 65 Coupe Build - Index in first post

[Papa]

My NRG steering wheel arrived today and I like how it looks and feels!

[i.e.427]

My NRG steering wheel arrived today and I like how it looks and feels!

Glad you like the new hub we sent out and thank you for being patient while we worked out the machinist issues.

Frank

[Papa]

Glad you like the new hub we sent out and thank you for being patient while we worked out the machinist issues.

Frank

No worries, Frank. Thanks for keeping me informed about my order while you worked things out.

Dave

[Papa]

Today I mounted the washer pump to the clamp I'll be using as a bracket and connected the tubing to the reservoir and pump so I could test it.



With no nozzles restricting the flow, the pump drained the reservoir in just a few seconds. I'm thinking I'll get a couple of squirts on the windshield from this small volume, but that's likely more than enough.

Next, I drilled the hole for the shifter in the blank transmission tunnel cover I bought from Brent. I then added nutserts for the trim ring the exact same way I did them for the MK4. The only snag is that there is a cross bar that runs directly under where one of the screws needs to go.



I just drilled the cross bar so that the nutsert can sit inside the cross bar. After looking at Paul's cover, I'm thinking of doing leather on this and the lower dash extension that the A/C controls are mounted in. I still have some of the leather hide I bought for the MK4. I also ordered a black suede shifter boot with red stitching. I'll decide if that will be my solution once I receive it and determine if it will fit and if the quality is acceptable.

I also posted another short video on my YouTube channel today:

[Papa]

I got another good day in the shop today and accomplished a few tasks. I positioned and drilled the instrument panel for the I.E.427 steering wheel adapter and test-fit my position in the car with the seat and steering wheel in place.





It is definitely going to be cozy in this car.

I also wrapped the glove compartment door in the carbon fiber vinyl I used to do the instrument cluster in.



And finally, I received my rearview mirror today and got to fiddle with that a bit. I installed the OEM-style mirror mount, which is very nice quality.



I also connected the GPS antenna and rear camera and powered it up on the bench. Everything worked and looks crystal clear from both cameras.

[Lugnut Mark]

Hey Dave … how do I get in contact with FRANK from I.e 427 to order this identical setup with the quick release for a NRG steering wheel ? Thanks in advance !

[Papa]

Hey Dave … how do I get in contact with FRANK from I.e 427 to order this identical setup with the quick release for a NRG steering wheel ? Thanks in advance !

Mark,

Frank is a forum vendor. His contact information is on his vendor link:

https://www.facebook.com/IE427-891650054204648/

And his profile link on the forum:

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/memb...?22850-i-e-427

Dave

[Papa]

I'm in the process of ordering my custom-fit wheels from Stark Forged Wheels. I just really like the look of the HEM45 wheel they offer ... it speaks to me!



I'm going with these exact finishes, which are a fully polished rim and center with dark gray bolts and emblem.

I ended up ordering using the same specs for these wheels that the FFR 18" wheels have except for the offset of the rear wheels. I don't want to run a spacer, so instead of the 12mm offset the FFR wheels come with, I'm doing a -13.4mm offset, which reduces the backspace by an inch and pushes the outside edge of the wheel an inch further toward the wheel opening. This will also give the wheel a bit deeper dish. I just started the ordering process with them and have been very impressed by their attention to detail. We've had several back-and-forth e-mails to clarify all the details. They've asked for clearance measurements for the brakes, which I was able to send directly from what Wilwood provides. They clarified the bolt pattern, lug size, center bore of 70.5mm front and rear and even wanted to know the height of the front dust cap from the wheel mating surface.

[JimStone]

Those wheels look MEAN!

Look fast just sitting there

[Papa]

Thanks! To the best of my knowledge, my Coupe will be the only one with these wheels.

[Lugnut Mark]

Thank you sir ! Btw those wheels look killer !

[8secDuster]

Love the wheels Dave! Can't wait to see them on it.

[Papa]

Love the wheels Dave! Can't wait to see them on it.

Thanks! I should have 3D drawings in about three days based on my specific specifications. Once I approve those, they will go to production. They take 4-6 weeks in this stage, then about a month to ship. I didn't want to pay for expedited shipping.

[PMD24]

Those wheels are definitely killer. Stunning look!

Pat

[Papa]

After seeing Paul's beautiful glove box door work on his MK5 build, I decided I needed to revisit my glove box door. I'm using the glove box from Brent at Snakebite Motorworks. His design places the door flush with the dash, which allows the installer to fine-tune the opening in the dash based on whatever covering will be used. My metal skills are crude at best, and here is how the door fit after my less than masterful work cutting the opening.



I planned to cover the door with Vvivid carbon fiber wrap that I also used to cover my instrument cluster with. Here is what my door looked like with the wrap.



Not horrible, but not nearly as finished as the approach Paul took. So, I removed the wrap and fabricated an outer skin that would conceal the gap around the door and let me have a more finished look inside the door as well.

This is the outer skin before refining the radiuses on the lower corners. I originally made the door about 1/4" wider on all sides but had to reduce that on the lower edge due to the clearance that the hinges provide.



Once the panel was refined, I wrapped the new outer skin.



From the outside, it looks pretty good. I found some helpful tips on how to get the wrap to form cleanly around the corners, which worked really well. The part I could not figure out was how to get the backside of those corners to lay flat without bunching up. I suspect I'm going to need to do some precision pie cuts to get it to lay flat. This would be a great case for hydro-dipping!



I've also been talking to Brent about some ideas that I'll let him work on and present if he chooses to do so that I think will be a hit. Once I have the outer skin finalized, I'll also finish the original door, likely in black satin powder coat.

[Papa]

After some helpful comments in another thread related to bolt orientation for the steering rack and LCA bolts on the Coupe, I ended up reversing my original orientation. The power steering rack is a few inches from the radiator aluminum, but not enough the get the long bolts holding the rack in to come out when put in from the front of the car like I had. Similarly, the front LCA bolts are right up against the radiator aluminum and would have the same issue. I reversed those at well and the bolts are very close to the radiator aluminum, but not touching. It will still be a royal pain if I ever have to remove the LCA, but at least it will be possible to do without taking half the car apart now.







My next senior moment came while I was working on more of the A/C system. I powder coated the FFR supplied bracket pieces and figured out where the drier would mount. Then came the issue. As I looked at the A/C instructions, the drier looks different than what I received. That isn't usually cause for concern, but when I looked at the drier, it didn't look like there was a port to mount the trinary switch to. The location that it would go had hex-heads that looked to be cast into the drier, and not removeable.



So, before assuming I could just put a wrench on the hex and unthread it, I wanted clarification that this was the case and I wasn't going to break a cast part by trying to wrench a non-moveable head loose. After a call to Vintage Air, who makes the drier, I was assured that the hex-heads were in fact threaded parts and that they just had paint applied after they were installed. The technician helped me confirm the flow for the Coupe application and warned that a lot of people assume the label should point to the exposed side of the drier, but that may not be the case. The "out" port goes to the switch on the evaporator and the "in" comes from the condenser. With that clear, I mounted the trinary switch to the drier and mounted that to the frame and connected the A/C harness wires.



I also connected the power, ground, and fan wires inside the car. The thermostat wires that will pass through the top of the foot box are still not connected, and the compressor connection will be made once the engine is in the car.

[Papa]

My build log is now up and working on the new forum. I like the new format, but there are a few improvements I've recommended that will make it even better.

https://thefactoryfiveforum-bkhxambg...ild-logs/16389

[460.465USMC]

A new forum? Guess I'm out of the loop. Is this current forum being retired?

[Skuzzy]

My build log is now up and working on the new forum. I like the new format, but there are a few improvements I've recommended that will make it even better.

https://thefactoryfiveforum-bkhxambg...ild-logs/16389

That URL may be temporary. Pretty sure he is going to move it to the domain in the near future.

[Papa]

That URL may be temporary. Pretty sure he is going to move it to the domain in the near future.

I assume it is temporary as well. I'm posting any new content related to my build to the new forum going forward. I know most people resist change, but I'm ready to give it a fair shake. My discussions with Dave have been very positive and fixes have been made very quickly.