15th Anniversary MKIV build thread - TROJAN

[David Hodgkins]

I still have work to do to clean up the wiring in the rear of the engine, but I did manage to hook up the TPS through a side hole in the intake, and the wide band, intake temp, Alt, oil Pressure and water temp wires are all hidden:









Here's a shot of the oil pressure sender. I had to add a 45 degree fitting so it would clear the remote oil filter:


I then worked on mounting the coil to the driver's f-panel. I'll show that work in the next post.


continued...

[David Hodgkins]

I had to set up the coil on the car since the f-panel is mounted. First I drilled the lower corners and the when to work with the dremel:




After some filing to clean up the cuts a bit, i placed the coil in the f-panel and used it as a template to mark for the mounting holes. then I drilled them out:


Then I found some extra screws in the ol' bolt can and mounted that sucker!




Easy-peasy!



PS today was all about wiring. Tomorrow I have to mount the remote oil filter and hang the radiator.

THEN, LADIES AND GENTS, I'M ADDING FLUIDS!
IS TOMORROW THE FIRST START?!?

[frankeeski]

Great work as always D. It was wonderful talking to you today.

[jayguy]

Let's get the chant going. First Start! First Start! First Start!

[David Hodgkins]

Great work as always D. It was wonderful talking to you today.

Thanks as always for your help and guidance Frank! You are always generous with your time for others!

Let's get the chant going. First Start! First Start! First Start!

FIRST START FIRST START FIRST START

Is today the day?!?

[David Hodgkins]

Well, you'd think if I had all day I could set up the oil filter relocation and hang the radiator.

NOPE...

I had issues with lack of hardware, and the bracket for the oil filter took longer than expected, with several jaunts to the hardware store thrown in. Here are some shots of the weekend's work:

Starter wiring:


I added the +voltage from the EFI harness and the voltage gauge to the main pole. Is this OK?

For the oil filter bracket, I came up with this. I drilled and tapped the X-tube and counter sunk the bolts in the bracket so the filter could be mounted flush to the bracket. It's not holding very much weight and seems real solid. The oil filter is up fairly high and I figure if something strikes it hard enough to break those bolt loose I might have bigger problems going on at that moment:




This is the bracket installed. I will be redoing it though because the scrap metal I used wasn't wide enough to match the filter bracket. Functionally though, it works...:


Here's the filter installed. I put some electrical tape on the aluminum AN fittings so that they wouldn't get scratched during install. VERY clean, if I do say so myself...


Then I installed the rad shroud:


I used button head stainless screws for the shroud. I'll be using similar ones to hang the rad itself, and will add rubber washers for insulation and dampening. I've had a similar setup on my roadster for years now with no issues...


Silly me. I took the time to go get a fire extinguisher because , you know, I was going to start it Sunday. Jeesh. I didn't even get to fluids...

[David Hodgkins]

I feel like I'm building in a vacuum. Is anybody out there?

Today was all about finishing up the Radiator install. As with my first build, I utilized a few key Breeze Automotive components. The lower Rad support, Lower Rad Clamp and upper Rad hose are quality pieces that make for a really clean engine bay and I'm really happy to recommend them. The upper rad hose will look especially nice once it's polished!

I'm still in full thrash mode getting ready for HB. I mounted the radiator with on-phone tech support from Mr. Frankeeski, Frank Maslowski. I've lost count of how many times I've leaned on him to talk through a part of the build. Frank is under the weather, and his participation this weekend is in doubt, but between wheezes and coughs he calmly talked me through Rad placement questions I had. On my MKIII build I centered my Rad, because it looked more symmetrical. This time I lined up the rad according to the tab placement and although it looks a little funky I can see little advantages to the design, the way the wiring harness lays, and especially the way the lower rad hose clears the front tow tab:









The oil filter and lower rad hose are tucked up nice and high...


I attached the upper rad hose from breeze and completed the last major project to get to go cart structurally. It's starting to look like something!

[David Hodgkins]

A few more shots:




Tomorrow I will finish the wiring, do some preliminary tests of the harness and if that goes well, start adding fluids.

Is tomorrow first start day? I can possibly run it out to Wednesday if absolutely necessary but I'd really like tomorrow to be the day!



PS feel free to chime in with questions or comments...

[Ray W.]

Everything looks great, David. I know how anxious you are to hear that engine. Do most builders run the passenger side headlight wire across the top of the radiator? I did mine across the bottom, if I'm not mistaken, like the pics in the build manual. Can you still use the FF aluminum in front of the radiator, now that it's mounted at a more vertical angle? I chose to center my radiator, and had to trim the tow hook a little for clearance. I'd like to hear more of your thoughts on the two different ways of doing it after you get the body on, now that you've done it both ways. I'm looking forward to your first start video!

[68GT500MAN]

Looks great Dave. This build is inspiring me to get back on the 33.
Doug

[MPTech]

David, anxiously awaiting your first start and thoroughly enjoying your build updates.

We have a lot of similar build designs and mods, so that tells me I made some good decisions.
Really like your coil installation, very clean.
Do you have a parts list for your remote oil filter? (basically the screw-in adapter and the filter housing, they look like nice pieces) I'd like to do this too.

Nice work, you are VERY close!

[David Hodgkins]

Ray, I didn't know you could mount the harness below the Radiator. I just repeated what I had done with my first build. The lower Rad uses an adjustable support bar from Breeze automotive, so I can change the angle of the Rad if needed. I'm planning to make my own outer Rad Shroud anyway but it's good that you noticed it's a little low. I'll correct that today.

Doug, where are you on your build?

MP, I got the remote oil setup from Mike Forte. Tell him I sent you and he'll give you no discount whatsoever.

[wallace18]

Nice work David! Mike Forte does sell some very nice stuff though. LOL.

[David Hodgkins]

I need help!

Wiring is complete and when I turn the key the fuel pump works (driven by the EFI ECU) but when I turn to the start position nothing happens.

I have the Ron Francis wiring harness with NO remote solenoid. Can anyone help diagnose the issue?

[Jeff Kleiner]

If you are not using a clutch safety switch you need to splice both legs of the light blue clutch switch wire together. This wire originates at the "start" pole of the ignition switch and runs to the "S" terminal of the solenoid. Without a safety switch or if the two sides of the wire are not joined together the start circuit is open.

HTH,
Jeff

[David Hodgkins]

If you are not using a clutch safety switch you need to splice both legs of the light blue clutch switch wire together. This wire originates at the "start" pole of the ignition switch and runs to the "S" terminal of the solenoid. Without a safety switch or if the two sides of the wire are not joined together the start circuit is open.

HTH,
Jeff

Jeff I bet that's it! Headed over to the shop to try it out.

[David Hodgkins]

Guess what?!?

[svanlare]

Congrats on the first start. Well worth the whole video for the "happy dance"!

[68GT500MAN]

Congratulations!!!!

[Jeff Kleiner]

Yahoo and congrats Dave! So, was the clutch safety switch wire the culprit?

Cheers,
Jeff

[OCMark]

Congrats Dave! It's come a long way since I saw it last year when I stopped by. Looks great!

[68GT500MAN]

Now a huge congratulations on the win at HB! The car looks even better in person and I heard good comments all day long.
Doug

[Ray W.]

Congrats on the first start! It's a good thing the engine wasn't in direct sunlight. The video would have been one big white blur because of the reflections off all that shiny metal. The only thing missing was the theme from "Footloose" playing in the background, but you can edit that in later.

[David Hodgkins]

Thanks Everyone! A special shout out to Jeff Kleiner; Jeff, indeed it was the clutch safety switch the had the open circuit. GREAT catch!

After I got the engine started I still had work to do to make in drive-able so I could get it on the trailer for the HB show but it was already 1pm and the Pre-Show BBQ was about to start so I closed up shop with the Idea that i would get back to it after the BBQ was over. Well, that didn't happen! The BBQ went until 10pm! So my only chance was to try and get to the shop super early to bleed the clutch and add differential fluid before the show on Sunday so I was at the shop at 3:30 AM the day of the show to try and "gitter dun". I could see the clutch engaging when I stomped on the clutch pedal but what I didn't see was the fact that I had only hand tightened one of the remote oil lines so when I started it up and moved it off the lift at 6:30 I discovered about a quart had spewed out and there were two huge puddles of oil on the ground under the lift and out into the parking lot. Was I frustrated? GRRR!! So I decided we couldn't wait any more. I put the build away and proceeded to HB because I had a bunch of stuff in my car that FFR needed for the show. I dropped it all off and made a beeline back to the shop to fix the leak and adjust the clutch so it would go into gear. I bought som kitty litter on the way to the shop and after a quick mop-up I fixed the leak, and after adjusting the clutch I tested the car by lifting it up and starting it to check for more leaks. It was dry(!) so I lowered the lift and tested the clutch. It went in and out of gear like butter so I loaded the chassis onto the trailer and set off to HB.

Once I got there I dropped off the chassis and then headed back out to find some drip pans for any cars that were going to park on the pier plaza. More towing around an empty trailer. Awesome.

Well, after a visit to two separate places I found 11 drip pans and headed back to the show. Finally, about 9am I was able to get back to the chassis on Main Street and the show proceeded at breakneck speed until the awards ceremony at 2PM. I met a TON of people and with most of the aluminum removed folks could see how all the different systems worked and I got a lot of really great feedback about the build.

Now, there were some cars at the show that will clearly better builds than mine. Mike and Julie's coupe (QSL and Mrs QSL) is clearly a top notch build and the amount of mods and fabrication in that build is a guarantee that when it is finished it will be one of the finest examples of a Factory Five build anywhere. Mike and Julie will need to build a bigger trophy case because that car WILL win a ton of awards! And I know of at least one other roadster build that is ultra top notch (Marcel) but he wasn't at the show. Hey Marcel, you can't win unless you bring your ride to the event Sir! A special note to both of you: Keep doing what you are doing and don't change a thing. Your builds are going to be BEAUTIFUL examples of superior workmanship! I'll never win best in show but you two might!

I did prep my build so that it was almost totally nude except for the custom passenger footbox, the engine turned firewall and other polished bits so people seemed to gravitate to it all day long. I answered a ton of questions and let some bigger guys try on my roadster for size. I wasn't judging so technically I was eligible for a prize but it was definitely a surprise to me when they called my brother's name for Best Under Construction build! So both my and my brother's build have won that award at HB. I won with my first build in 2008 and this one in 2015. Pretty sweet awards this year too:


After the show I was able to drive the build back onto the trailer and spent Sunday afternoon cleaning up the shop. after thrashing on the build for weeks before the HB show it was nice to be able to slow down and just organize the place again.

And start dreaming about next year...

[QSL]

wow, i thought we had a stressful morning. All that plus helping with the show. Wow, you are truly amazing. I am so glad that you both possess that award. That is VERY cool!!! Congrats!!!!

Oh yea, thanks for the shoutout on the coupe. I think we are going to get it done this year. Its been way too long. We hope to drive it in next year.

[Jeff Kleiner]

Congratulations Dave; you've got a great build going Glad I was able to help save some troubleshooting on the first start.

Jeff

[Carlos C]

Congrats, David. One of these years I'll try to make a trip to the West Coast for this event, since there's no such event on the East Coast. Hopefully, we can talk Dave Smith into putting together an annual event on this side of the country.

Carlos

[svanlare]

The turned firewall and the polished bits made for a very spectacular display. Very much enjoyed seeing the car and saying hi.

[jceckard]

Congrats, David. One of these years I'll try to make a trip to the West Coast for this event, since there's no such event on the East Coast. Hopefully, we can talk Dave Smith into putting together an annual event on this side of the country.

Carlos

x2 on an East Coast event. There is a town on Topsail Island, NC named Surf City. Just sayin'.

PS - Sorry to hijack your thread. Please don't ban me!

[ehansen007]

In a related story, Hansen finishes a distant 6th in Under Construction.

[David Hodgkins]

x2 on an East Coast event. There is a town on Topsail Island, NC named Surf City. Just sayin'.

PS - Sorry to hijack your thread. Please don't ban me!

That right there is pretty funny.

[David Hodgkins]

and Hansen finishes a distant 6th.

(Said in my best Paris Hilton Voice)

Dude, that's Hot!

[frankeeski]

In a related story, Hansen finishes a distant 6th in Under Construction.

Erik should have won "The Most Original Factory Five".

[ehansen007]

Frank, I'm almost caught up with you!

Dave that build is just off the hook!

[luvaz]

Congrats to the Hodgkins boys...none more deserving!
Thanks,
Will

[David Hodgkins]

Thanks Erik and Will. The build got a lot more praise at the show than I was expecting.

[frankeeski]

Frank, I'm almost caught up with you!

Let's face it Erik if you have a plan to paint yours, you've already past me.

[David Hodgkins]

Back to work...

I neglected to mention a few details in the rush to get to first start. This is how I grounded the motor to the passenger motor mount. Do you think I should have used dialectic grease here?:



I realized when I attached the battery that my Idea of using a terminal ring on the battery post - the literal interpretation of the Holley instructions - wasn't going to work out. There is play between the + and - cable ends and the ECU power cables so I re-routed the cables to the master cut off switch and frame connection for the respective + and - cables. It's a much more solid connection now:




I never posted the TKO600 to frame rear mount clearance. I unfortunately can't show you the drive shaft angle because I reset the rear ride height but this does show where the rear of the drive line sit height-wise. Newbies note: the back of the TKO600 has a tab that has to be cut off. This trans from Forte came with it already done and the mid-shift kit already installed. All I had to do was install the shifter. Here's and typical TKO 600 with the default rear shift:


And here's my mid-shift setup:



The TKO mid-shift position is just a little aft of where it sits compared to the T5-with-Chevy-S10-Tailhousing I have in 5369 so the trans cross bar had to go unfortunately.

Another "undercover" task that hadn't been completed was the lower 3-link bracket to rear frame connection. While setting that up I lowered the rear of the car closer to ride height and set the panard bar to as level as I could get, which was basically setting the adjustable side to to top of the range. Sorry, no pic of that. I'll add it later.

I have to still verify the fuel sender gauge is set up and then I'll rivet in the rest of the trunk. I also have to get back to polishing and engine turning the remote reservoir and maybe the dash. I've been kicking around a few different ideas for the dash, from fully turned to... ? I don't think polished stripes are a good idea for the dash... Maybe solid turned with a polished gauge bezel?

[David Hodgkins]

Here's today's report:

I did bubkus. Nada. Zip. Feels weird.

I just now added some more transmission details to the post above. So there's that.

[68GT500MAN]

Dave,
I always use some dielectric grease when making electrical connections. Some say it is not necessary, but I have had great success doing it especially when joining different materials such as copper/steel or copper/aluminum.
Doug