Mk4 Roadster build - Young

[John Young]

Received a complete Mk4 Roadster kit the first of May and finally decided to post to the forum since I keep having questions and find the forum to be very informational. The build is actually going much better than I expected. I have never really work much around cars (other than changing oil and replacing brake pads every now and then). I got interested in racing from taking a Skip Barber advanced driving course with my son a couple of years ago, which I followed by a 3-day Formula 2000 racing course. I am an electrical engineer and have been mentoring high school FIRST robotics for about 10 years, so I do have some build experience (mostly electrical and programming). Anyway, after about a month of cleaning out the garage, I finally had room for the build. I put the body outside under the deck, but was able to move it into the garage today since I have unpacked most of the boxes (or moved them in the house). I've finished most of the front end (front control arms, shocks, brakes, steering, pedal box and front brake lines). Unfortunately, the rear end has not come in and the gas tank is back ordered. I just started with the dash components and plan to start the body work (still have not ordered an engine or transmission). Can any give me hints on how to finish the body? What should I use for filler material and primer? Best way to sand and buff, etc. I plan to do all the body work and painting so any help on painting is also appreciated (suggestion on paint sprayer, type of paint, finishing, etc.). I plan on the classic blue with white stripe.

[edwardb]

Welcome to the forum, and congratulations on your Roadster build. Looks like you're making great progress. I wouldn't go too much further than you have already until you finalize your engine and trans choice. Plus it's easier to run gas lines, brake lines, and wiring at about the stage you're at now. Hopefully that's the sequence you're planning. Your questions about body work are pretty general. There will be some information already on this forum. If you haven't already, I would recommend joining the other forum as well (FFCars.com) and doing some searching. It's been around longer plus probably still has more traffic for Roadsters. So a tremendous resource.

Also, if you look at my Mk4 build thread (link in sig line) there is some information and pics of the body work I did. But I had it painted. No DIY for me at that point. I applaud anyone who has the skill and patience for that.

Good luck with your build!

[John Young]

I had hoped to post during the build, but ended up spending most of my time just working. I now have a running chassis and I'm trying to get everything installed so I can apply for a VIN. However, I am having an issue getting the exhaust pipes to fit. I fit the body to the chassis before the engine arrived and everything appear to fit fine. I also installed the exhaust pipes to the engine and chassis without the body and they appeared to be high based on the mid-pipe hangers (only about a 1/4 inch clearance to the frame). With the body on the chassis, the exhaust pipes do not line up with the body cutouts. I had some friends over today to try to adjust the engine positioning on the mounts, but we were not able to get proper alignment. We also play with moving the body on the chassis using the doors as a reference for how far out we could move the sides of the body. The passenger side is close. I could increase the size of the cutout by about an inch and get the pipe out from the body and probably use the pipe hangers without modification, but possible interference of the hanger with the underside of the body. However, the driver side would require increasing the cutout about three inches to get the pipe to pass through the body and I would have to modify the driver side pipe hanger to get it to fit around the body. We were able to lower the engine mount on the driver side almost all the way to bottom of the guide pin (see picture) and rotate the engine in the mounts slightly to favor the driver side, but still not enough to get the pipes to fit through the cutouts. I have searched the forums for suggestions and the only options appears to be adjusting the engine positioning on the mounts or making new mounts. It appears that the driver side headers are not built properly for the proper angle from the engine. I ordered the MK IV complete kit with the 302 headers (14858) (I using a 302 engine) and the engine/trans mounts (13083). Has anyone solved the problem with the headers not lining up with the body cutouts, without increasing the cutouts by more than a couple of inches? Should I try different engine mounts or another set (at least driver side) headers?

Body and Engine.JPG
Driver Side Exhaust.JPG
Drivers Side Mount.JPG

[edwardb]

First, it's completely normal to have to increase the size of the cutouts in the body. They are purposely undersized. So don't draw too much from that. Second, don't try to adjust the body to align the pipes. You may have to tweak the body to get other stuff to fit the best, e.g. the doors. But not the exhaust. Third, you should have the splash guards in the front before trying to get final header/pipe alignment. Can make a difference. Finally, would be helpful to also see pictures of the passenger side, including the motor mount on the passenger side. My experience is that the passenger side is typically low and the driver's side high. It's possible the motor mount pin is against the top of the slot in the chassis. Some, including me, have had to cut that slot a little higher. But don't go there yet. Your driver's side picture doesn't look all that bad, to be honest, but hard to say for sure without seeing the other side.

[John Young]

Thanks for the reply. The body adjustment we did was really to make sure it fit properly for the doors and the front jacks (not really the pipes, but the body was originally too low in the front). I also expected the cutouts to be undersized and the passenger side is really quite good. Only need about an inch along the top and probable 1/2 inch towards the back of the car. The driver side is the problem. I would have to increase the size of the cutout by about three inches and then there is still the issue of the side pipe hangers hitting the bottom of the body. We lowered the driver motor mount as low as it would go (see earlier post). The pin is about 2/3 rds down, but I think the bolt may be hitting the bottom of the slot. We used a C-clamp to pull the mount down. The passenger side motor mount is as low as we could get it (again using the C-clamp).

Passenger Side Exhaust.JPG
Passenger Side Mount.JPG

[edwardb]

You alignment is really pretty good. The passenger side is slightly lower than the driver's side, and I might try to get it to go up slightly, which would lower the driver's side slightly. There's a lot of force involved. I personally adjust by loosening the motor mount nut and then putting a floor jack under the end of the low header. Just a little bit of pressure, then tighten the motor mount with the jack still in place. Works very well. I would still encourage to not draw any conclusions until you have the splash guards in place. The small section of body behind the wheel well and in front of the pipe cutout is pretty flexible, and you want the location set by the splash guard. Also don't think you have to cut the body so that the complete end of the header is showing. With the angle of the headers and the pipes, you'll find the top part of the header still looks a bit covered but the pipes exit with enough clearance. As for the side hangars, are the pipes parallel to the ground with the car at ride height? If they're pointed up at the back that's going to affect clearance. If everything is adjusted properly, and they still don't fit the way you want, you may have to look at where they're located on the bottom of the chassis or even mod the hangars themselves. Some even leave them off, although I personally don't recommend that.

[John Young]

Again thanks for the reply. The pipes seem parallel to the ground and the hangers will fit, but they will be against the underside of the body, which may not really be a problem. I'll try installing the slash guards and see how it looks. I still think the drivers side is still quite a bit too high and I really don't want to raise the passengers side too much (I like it's present position), but I may try your suggestion on moving the engine mount again and see how far the passenger side moves. I read a post of someone changing the header angle by grinding the headers:

"The fix for the too-high position was to mill an angle on the header flange. My local machine shop did this for $50, and it worked perfectly. You just have to figure out how much you need to change the angle of the flange face. In my case it was 2.5 degrees".

I'm not sure I'm ready to go that far, but it seems reasonable. Any thoughts?

I

[edwardb]

There's no way yours are off enough to require milling. There are builders who would kill to have them as close as yours are now. I guess you aren't ready to believe that yet. I hope you're not trying to move the two sides independently. When one goes up the other goes down. All I can say (again) is that when you start trimming, go a little at a time fitting the pipes as you go. You'll be surprised (I think) where the opening ends up. Lower than you think. Good luck. Maybe some others will have some input as well.

[John Young]

Ok so I'm probably the worst blogger ever. I meant post all during the build, but this is only my fifth post and I finished the build last week!

Completed.JPG

[RickP]

Congratulations, she's a beauty. Love your color choice!

[GoDadGo]

Congratulations!

[edwardb]

Congrats. Coming from one who has been documenting almost every rivet (no comments please... ) nothing wrong with staying in the shop and getting it done. Looks great! Now go enjoy it.