topherchrisb's project "Mako" Wiring start and Dead Pedal

[topherchrisb]

Well it's about time I can start a build thread officially I think. I can't promise I'll be as thorough as the threads I've taken inspiration from but I'll do my best. I'm to take delivery of my kit from Stewart transport around mid week (1/12/22) at the moment. This is pretty exciting as the thought of building one of these has been in the back of my mind for about a decade (common story I know). I've gotten a few "you're finally doing it?" type comments from friends after finding out I've had a kit on order. Those comments are going to evolve to "when's it going to be done?" in the near future. I have no expectations of completing this build for a long while because of having a pretty ambitious plan. I feel like I've looked
at so many builds and decided to take all the most complicated aspects of them. I'll also probably be one of few that won't mind a POL due to it helping throttle me from the behavior of slapping parts on hastily.

I ended up checking quite a number of boxes on the FFR order form. I also plan on getting many of the quality of life options the popular vendors make available. I haven't started ordering anything outside of the kit yet but again... not really worried about the time to build at the moment. I'm planning on an ford avalanche gray/white stripes/black pin stripes color combo while blacking out all the chrome/stainless. I also want to go with an 18" wheel/lower profile tire setup. I like the tires a little wider than the wheels so probably the 10.5" over the 11". Still some research to do there as There seem to be so many variations.

Stand out FFR order items:
complete kit
coyote headers with cats
diamond stitch seats/door panels
coyote power steering
IRS
hydraulic clutch master cylinder and bearing kits
wind wings/sun visors
carbon fiber dash
passenger roll bar
leather steering wheel
front/rear willwood brakes

3rd party stuff I'm confident in:
heated seats (once I see if the diamond stitched seats don't have any blocking complications)
wilwood electric parking brake
keyless ignition
russ's turn signal setup
adjustable seats (my wife is a foot shorter than I am)
bunch of breeze stuff
forte's coyote/tkx package (maybe hydraulic clutch setup too)

Things I'm highly considering:
convertible top and ac
2bking/jazzman's "filp top" mod (still need to reach out to them for documentation)
arm rest and mid shift kit


I'm headed out for the day to pickup a new puppy for the kids. Tomorrow hopefully I'll get a chance to finalize the shop space and build a frame dolly based on Jazzman's plans. Maybe I'll even come up with a project name too.

Thanks to everyone contributing to the forum here! Not only has it helped keep me interested in this project... but the amount of information I've consumed have made things seem so much more simple than what I originally thought. I hope to now convert to the contributing side of that relationship.

[Ted G]

Welcome aboard! My build is about 60 days behind you.

[John Ibele]

Welcome to the fun. My calendar says this could be a big day for you - if so I'm sure you'll remember to take a few photos and post them in your build thread. Delivery day is a great experience.

I got a kick out of your 'most complicated aspects of all of them' comment. I'm pretty sure that I didn't do that, but I'm still vying, I'm sure, for 'longest build without giving up' status. Not that that's something to strive for.

Not sure I could provide an aspect of my build for your 'most complicated' list, unless maybe it's the console box to add another 10-15 hours onto your build. Thing is, it's all fun. I'm trying to be focused now though on charting a more direct course between where I am and being on the road.

Didn't mean to ramble ... great to have you joining in, and look forward to your updates. With Jazzman's flip top as just one complicating factor, it should be entertaining! Cheers - John

[topherchrisb]

Thanks guys. I got the call from the driver. There are two CO deliveries tomorrow and mine is the second. The first one is mid-day so depending on how that situation goes I could possibly get pushed out to Thursday. The weather looks great though so we should be good. I have a small stretch of dirt road that goes back to my shop that hasn't thawed yet unfortunately. The driver told me he just washed his truck and he likes to keep it looking good. So I have the 20' flatbed queued up so he can drop it on and I can make the last little leg with the pickup.

There are a couple of minor updates outside of that. I did get to making the frame dolly... just not as soon as I had hoped. My plan was to get that done this past Sunday but the new puppy was more fun/work than I anticipated as well as I had received an unexpected package from Fedex with a new toy(PCP air rifle) I ordered about six months ago that distracted me. With the delivery date fast approaching I needed to put some priority on that dolly! I didn't have many work meetings yesterday so I made a make shift workstation in the shop to take conference calls... and it worked too well. I ended up ordering some hardware to make a more permanent and productive work situation happen in the near future.

Anyway I was able to get the frame dolly built in between meetings. One thing you'll notice is the backbone protruding in the middle there. I had cut the 5' length according to the plans mentioned above but realized I could possibly get my quick jack setup still between the middle support and the casters. The jacking rails on the quick jack are also 5'. So after looking at a few pictures of frames and deciding it's likely not going to cause any interference issues I pulled the dolly main rails in about 1.25" on each side to sit a little more comfortably on the jack. Maybe after delivery tomorrow I'll try to post a picture of the frame on the dolly with the quick jack up in the air to prove my theory. I did add a second set of 2x6" for increased vertical height. I used 5" casters with locks instead of the 6" in the plans. First time attaching a picture so let's see how I do? Well it's sideways some how. Looks like I need to go to the forum attachment school.


Also I got excited and started looking at third party vendors. I have the form filled out for Russ' turn signal system but haven't hit submit yet, I ordered an NRG steering quick release system, and lastly I have a shopping cart at breeze containing all the radiator helpers, the front battery mount, and the offset steering rack mount hardware. I'll probably hit go on those tomorrow or Thursday.

One other thing I think I need to ask is.. who do I need to write in order to get permission to edit my profile? I haven't been able to get access to make any changes to my signature or other profile settings just yet.

[edwardb]

Welcome aboard! You're in for an excellent journey. You've got a high option build there and should turn out great. Couple of real quick comments: The hydraulic clutch option from Factory Five is intended to use an internal hydraulic throw-out bearing. The hydraulic setup from Forte is an external setup using a stock clutch arm and throw-out bearing with a slave cylinder mounted outside the trans. If you order both you'll have some duplicate parts. You'll get different opinions. I've done both and am now a big fan of the internal hydraulic throw-out bearing. I have a Tilton in my Coupe and it works great. I'd finalize that order from Russ Thompson. I know he just received another bunch of switches. But over the past few years they've been in short supply. Best to get your name on one. As for your profile, I believe you need a certain number of posts. 20? Something like that. Or a message to the mods and they could open before that. Good luck with your build!

[John Ibele]

One other thing I think I need to ask is.. who do I need to write in order to get permission to edit my profile? I haven't been able to get access to make any changes to my signature or other profile settings just yet.

Answer: David Hodgkins. Knowing you've ordered a kit, he'll give you full posting rights.

[topherchrisb]

Yesterday was fun. Al (the stewart transport driver) was great. It worked out that it was more efficient to make my delivery before the ft collins one. I met him at the end of my block as he pulled up. He got out of the truck right away and cheerfully shook my hand. I could tell he enjoys delivering these big toys to eager customers. I didn't get very many pictures unfortunately as I wanted to make sure he could keep schedule for his next delivery. I pulled the flat bed up perpendicular to back of his trailer and we started going to work with inventory. Wow... I got a lot more boxes than I thought I would get. One benefit of the kit sitting at FFR after completion through the holidays is I got a few extra boxes that would have originally been on POL. I did ask Al if it was alright he be in one of the pictures.


This is the state now in the shop. I need to figure out how to get the frame off the trailer and on to the dolly next. I'm thinking I'll get the pulley system mounted to the ceiling for the body and get that up in the air first. Then likely I'll inventory and mark all the aluminum panels so I can remove those too. That should reduce the weight enough I can get the frame off with a couple people and some wheel dollies.

Welcome aboard! You're in for an excellent journey. You've got a high option build there and should turn out great. Couple of real quick comments: The hydraulic clutch option from Factory Five is intended to use an internal hydraulic throw-out bearing. The hydraulic setup from Forte is an external setup using a stock clutch arm and throw-out bearing with a slave cylinder mounted outside the trans. If you order both you'll have some duplicate parts. You'll get different opinions. I've done both and am now a big fan of the internal hydraulic throw-out bearing. I have a Tilton in my Coupe and it works great. I'd finalize that order from Russ Thompson. I know he just received another bunch of switches. But over the past few years they've been in short supply. Best to get your name on one. As for your profile, I believe you need a certain number of posts. 20? Something like that. Or a message to the mods and they could open before that. Good luck with your build!

Yeah I know I would be duplicating parts. One of the unfortunate side effects of uncertainty and impatience mixing. I guess I should assume that if there are no mentions good or bad about the bundled internal setup it's probably working as intended. I did have a little time to look over the inventory list and I did see the steering wheel boss as included in one of the received boxes. I'm going to verify I have it and get my request for Russ' turn signal setup ASAP on your advice.

Answer: David Hodgkins. Knowing you've ordered a kit, he'll give you full posting rights.

Thanks John for the direction to a moderator. I'll get him a PM to see if he can help me out.

Next question... is there a parameter I can add to the attach tag that'll rotate the pictures?

[Jazzman]

Congratulations! Now the fun really begins!! Feel free to ask questions. The folks around here are very helpful!

[John Ibele]

Next question... is there a parameter I can add to the attach tag that'll rotate the pictures?

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/show...l=1#post337562

Glad your delivery went well, and enjoy going through the inventory. Seems a little OCD to be counting every single nut and bolt before checking each box on the inventory, but it's actually a pretty fun way of getting to know the kit and wrapping your head around the project in the next level of detail. Folks have their own methods for accessing the inventory list as they go through the build. I have the originals in a 3 ring binder, copies on the front of each box, and (by far the most used) a photo of each sheet accessible by either laptop or phone. Just one way to go at it. Have fun getting started!

[Russwood]

Congrats, and welcome! I just got my delivery in mid-December, and I'm having a blast. Similar build plan as you, but with some variations. You'll love the Coyote/Tremec combo - it's a perfect set up. I opted for the T-56 over the TKX, but you won't be disappointed with the TKX. I scored a 3.73 Torsen IRS center section out of a donor, so that's also a win. I'm also looking at the electric parking brake from Wilwood, but haven't pulled the trigger yet. If you get yours before I do, let me know what you think about it.

All the comments given here are exactly spot-on, and I agree with edwardb on the hydraulic TOB. I installed a Tilton as well, and it's worth the investment IMO.

On your pics, the best way is to resize them and then upload them into a photo album on this forum, then you just copy/past the BB code and you are set. I use a 750 x 1000 pixel size, and that's about as big as I prefer when they embed into the posts.

Subscribed and looking forward to following your build.

[JB in NOVA]

Congrats! Welcome aboard.

[2bking]

Congratulations on your new journey! It's a fun ride and lots of smiles along the way in between some "do it twice or more" moments. For some reason I like the tilt front idea and think it will also put some grins on your face. We like lots of pictures!

[topherchrisb]

Thanks again everyone. Last night I got the hood, doors, trunk stashed away and the body ready for removal when I can get some help this weekend. I also started inventory. Dang you guys aren't kidding when you say every nut and bolt! That stack of inventory papers doesn't seem so big when you have 100 line items in some of those boxes. I made it through box 11-1 with the IRS CV axles. A couple things came up during inventory...

The Serial number is sort of hard to read. Are we allowed to do anything to this in order to make it easier to ingest with the eyeballs? I imagine it's only going to get harder to see once the dash is in place. I was thinking about putting some courteous lighting under the dash. I might just have to take viewing that spot into consideration when doing that.


When I opened the first box I found the below. Maybe FFR is expecting me to become a salesman? I have a few neighbors that expressed interest when I told them about why I was building the shop. Maybe I can find a use for some of them at least. The only thing I found missing out of the first 11 boxes was the front delrin spring washers. That popped up right after discovering the stack of marketing material so I thought I was going to be in for a long night of trying to find missing items, but it smooth. I have a couple boxes of items that were originally POL too so they might be in one of those and just not marked with location properly.


When getting to the aluminum panel and carpet boxes I was easily distracted trying to figure out where each piece went as I pulled them out. When I got to the seats... of course I had to get them out and sit in them. They were more comfortable than I thought they were going to be. The funny thing is I went out there with the intention of ONLY trying to locate the steering boss so I could get my order in with Russ... and four hours later I came into the house without knowing if I have the boss, saw the order form filled out and laughed. I'll have to be more targeted with my mission this afternoon. I can see myself in the future going out there for hours not getting anything even done on the car and still have a smile on my face when I come back up to the house.

Oh... and I'm thinking project mako. Respect for one of the fastest fish in the ocean.

[jiriza84641]

That's the Frame serial number, you'll get a VIN once you. register the finished car. easy to see when dash is on.

The literature is some swag to pass along, you'll find neighbors are like "whatcha buildin back there" the slip. them one of those. Less talking on your part!!

Inventory is time consuming, make sure you have all your parts that were delivered, if not make a note and able check the POL list and any others on there and contact FFR.

Plenty of assistance from other builder here, you'll get plenty of knowledge.

[Russwood]

When I opened the first box I found the below. Maybe FFR is expecting me to become a salesman? I have a few neighbors that expressed interest when I told them about why I was building the shop. Maybe I can find a use for some of them at least. The only thing I found missing out of the first 11 boxes was the front delrin spring washers. That popped up right after discovering the stack of marketing material so I thought I was going to be in for a long night of trying to find missing items, but it smooth. I have a couple boxes of items that were originally POL too so they might be in one of those and just not marked with location properly.
Attachment 160220

They call that stack of brochures the "Car Show Pack" or something like that. Free advertising

[Zach Bohn]

Congratulations! My completion date is 01/29/2022, cant wait!

[460.465USMC]

Next question... is there a parameter I can add to the attach tag that'll rotate the pictures?

Welcome aboard! Great looking option list! You'll have no problem finding many more great ideas/options on this forum as your build progresses. I haven't seen many new Coyote builds recently on the forum, so pretty cool to see you go with that motor. I'm always looking for ideas/tips from other Coyote builds.

If no one has answered your picture rotate question yet, simply open the photo in Paint, a free app. that comes on Windows machines. Rotate the picture in paint, then Save it. Then upload the Saved photo to your picture album here on the forum. If you need to downsize the photo as Russwood mentioned, then do that before Saving it in Paint. Saving the picture in Paint fixes the rotation issue. If you are on a Mac, then perhaps it has a similar free photo editor app. that will do the same?

[NYMike]

This is the state now in the shop. I need to figure out how to get the frame off the trailer and on to the dolly next. I'm thinking I'll get the pulley system mounted to the ceiling for the body and get that up in the air first. Then likely I'll inventory and mark all the aluminum panels so I can remove those too. That should reduce the weight enough I can get the frame off with a couple people and some wheel dollies.
Attachment 160127

Welcome aboard! Looks like a great build plan and I can't wait to follow along. I see in your picture that you have another interesting project hiding back there in your shop. Also, might be a bit late, but if you haven't already gotten it off of the trailer, with two people we were able to get it off our trailer using 2 wheel dollies in the front and picking up the rear and rolling it back onto the frame dolly. It was heavy, but not as bad as we thought it would be.

[topherchrisb]

Well I disappeared for a while didn't I? I had got Covid after delivery so I was unable to have anyone over to help me get the car off the trailer. We were then gone on a bit of a family vacation and tax season is full swing now. I may just have to submit I am going to be slower at this than I originally thought. Again... not in a hurry.

I'm still struggling to decide what to do with the aluminum. I would like to do the lizard skin but it looks like it should only be applied during times of temps above 60 and we haven't really been near that at all in CO lately. So I'd have to setup a spot indoors to spray or wait till spring comes. Still up in the air.

I did get my NRG steering wheel quick release but bad news is the steering boss is something that was mis-marked as in a POL box during inventory. I had an aluminum center section that wasn't marked on the sheet so I'm guessing someone just missed the intended line. That means I can't get on sir RT's order list just yet. I was going to order a drop trunk kit from him but it's not available on his site anymore. Does anyone else have a prefabbed kit or is that going to be my first made from scratch part?

I was able to have a buddy over last Sunday and we made some progress. Got the body off the frame, the frame on to the dolly, and the body hung up in the air. I have plenty of room to walk under it but I still duck my head every time I do. It's a little weird to have it up there. I'll get used to it eventually. I'm not using any type of body buck framing for this hang job. Should I be worried about warping the body over time? I tried to leave the back of the car a little lower to transfer some of the weight and I tried to use hanging locations I thought would put the least amount of flex. I measured my gap between the front and rear rolled edges for the cockpit to be 34.75" if I remember right. I haven't got up there to see if the gap is still the same. I plan on adding one of those gap brackets eventually. I wanted to give it a few days to see if it is actually sagging over time.


I did spend time yesterday getting the rear end installed. That was quite a task by myself. Drilling out the front mount holes to 5/8" was an exercise in patience. A lot of bit speed, cutting oil and barely pressing at all was the combo that worked for me in the end. Then I busted the walls off the packing material and used it for support while on the floor jack while slowly jacking it up. Every inch or so I would re-tighten a strap I had wrapped around the back anchor points to help maneuver into position as it went up. Still not torqued in yet.


It seems there is just one piece missing on nearly every corner of the suspension to be able to get to a point where I can put in the hubs. I did a quick test fit on the front lower control arms. Than manual says to use a shim washer on the rear bushing when using FFR's arms. It might be hard to tell in this picture but I actually have enough room to use one on the front bushing too. There were four supplied in the hardware... should I add one to the front if I can too? And if so does it make sense to put the washers towards the back of the car to push the steering arm forward possibly helping with bump steer? If I had the steering rack and geometry for the steering arms I might have a more educated guess but thought maybe someone has an opinion?


More parts ordered. I went to Breeze and ordered a bunch of parts... 255LPH fuel pump kit, battery mount kit, steering rack offset mounts, radiator cowl, fan shroud, lower radiator hose clamp, upper and lower radiator support mounts. Then I went to Summit and ordered a trick flow fuel filter, and the Wilwood electronic parking brake kit. Then Amazon I went and ordered a bunch of small stuff nicopp brake line, line tubing straightener, li ion battery, fastener stuff I couldn't find at HD, and a number of pilot dash lights like in the picture below(turn indicators, brights, check engine, oil pressure, water temp). I think they'll fit the more modern theme I'm going for nicely.

[topherchrisb]

Well seems like I'm going to be one of those guys that disappears for a month between updates. Kids started indoor soccer, tax season and a couple trips were distractions from progress while waiting for some parts. I did get my steering boss last week and it's off to Russ for the turn signal kit. I also received a drop trunk kit from him, but have only really unboxed it. I also got a number of items from Mark at Breeze. The only part from that group I've worked with so far is the fuel pump kit. Hopefully this weekend I'll have an update on some fuel tank progress. I also bought a cheap keyless ignition from amazon with a small fuse block to setup a simple test bed for electronic components. I'll see if I can clean it up a bit and hook up the wilwood electronic parking brake kit to demo it's functionality as a test platform.

I want to give a shout out to Russ, Mark, Kevin (Jazzman) and King (2BKing). You can tell that they really care about the service and parts they provide. Mark called to make sure I should order the return line kit with the larger fuel pump before he processed the order. It was something I overlooked when I read the description for the fuel pump but it was pretty awesome for him to reach out like that. Same with Russ... once he knew I was interested in getting the turn signal kit he was in communication every time he knew an FFR batch was sending out to see if mine was received yet. Kevin and King have there stuff together when it comes to documentation surrounding their flip top mod. When emailing with them you can tell that they want to provide as much help as possible to make the attempt successful. I haven't decided completely if I'm going to do it yet. I have a fabricator buddy who volunteered to teach me how to weld but haven't been able to coordinate that.

I did get the wilwood front brake kit a couple days ago. I'll have to get it mounted before I should have a complete opinion, but I have some reservations about some of the choices they made with the calipers. They are definitely quality components but there seems to maybe be some esthetic based decisions I would think would be different with in a "race" brake kit. I would think ease of changing brake pads would be the priority. For the size of the calipers the pads seem pretty small. Of course with the weight of the car I'm really not worried about it. Also from what I can tell is you'll need to remove the caliper in order to put new pads on. The pad retaining pins slide in from the rear with a recessed c clip holding them in. I guess you might be able to pull them out with a 90 degree needle nose and a few cuss words? Then the middle support of the caliper is not removable to slide the pads in from the top. I've never had two piece rotors before so maybe they're just as easy to slide from the bottom (when caliper is oriented to the top of the rotor). That is also not a huge issue as this will just be a street car in my case. I won't need to change pads for a long while I imagine. I'm missing some spindle hardware so I can't get to the point where I can mount them for a better understanding. They do look pretty though.



Last week I also got a set of .75" Jam nuts I was waiting for in order to set the rear upper control arms in place. I'm still waiting for the toe arm rod ends so I can't button everything down just yet, but getting there.


The front I was able to get the control arms in place but was waiting on springs. I don't have the F panels set but I just barely decided on a color to get that stuff powder coated in. Need to get that going.

[460.465USMC]

Than manual says to use a shim washer on the rear bushing when using FFR's arms. It might be hard to tell in this picture but I actually have enough room to use one on the front bushing too. There were four supplied in the hardware... should I add one to the front if I can too? And if so does it make sense to put the washers towards the back of the car to push the steering arm forward possibly helping with bump steer? If I had the steering rack and geometry for the steering arms I might have a more educated guess but thought maybe someone has an opinion?

Hi TopherChrisB (is it Christopher by chance?),

I installed shims on front and rear of the front LCA rear mount. I don't have any knowledge as to whether it helps with bump steer.

[Springsyeti]

Where are you in CO? We are in CO Springs and getting our kit delivered first week of April and can't wait. I will have to look into the Russ Thompson turn signals and some of your other goodies to add to our build.

[topherchrisb]

Hi TopherChrisB (is it Christopher by chance?),

I installed shims on front and rear of the front LCA rear mount. I don't have any knowledge as to whether it helps with bump steer.

Yeah it is Christopher. I had a class in school one year with three Chris' in it. So one was Chris, one was Christopher and one was Topher. I got Topher and it became a username I use a lot as I don't see it really anywhere. Yeah I don't think shimming it one way or another would make a difference for me. I really don't know much about bump steer dimensions outside of what I read on this forum.

Where are you in CO? We are in CO Springs and getting our kit delivered first week of April and can't wait. I will have to look into the Russ Thompson turn signals and some of your other goodies to add to our build.

I'm north of you quite a bit. I live in Frederick which would be about Longmont as far as things go you might be more familiar with. Yeah it's a lot of fun even just picking boxes off the back of the trailer when the truck arrives. I've only gotten a couple hours a week to work out things so far... but it feels great every time I get even a bolt put on.

[Ted G]

Looking good so far!

[topherchrisb]

Well i realized I missed an update so it might seem a little out of place but I'm trying to fix the order. I haven't received the steering arm mounting hardware yet but I wanted to see the brakes on the car. The just look so cool. I had received the front springs and it seemed like I would be able to deal with the steering arms as long as I didn't permanently mount the hubs so they could be easily removed once the hardware comes in. So I went for it. I safety wired the hats after torquing the bolts to 55 in/lb (didn't get a picture of that) and temporarily mounted everything. Yes... still no decision on powder coat vendor. So no changes to the aluminum panels yet.

[topherchrisb]

Well I was on spring break with the kids for a bit and didn't get to spend much time on the car over the last couple weeks... but some decent progress considering.

Got the fuel tank assembled and hung. I went with the 255 LPH fuel pump assembly that Breeze sells. I originally didn't notice that the description on Breeze's site recommends the high flow return kit they also sell. Mark actually called me to verify that I didn't want the return kit before he completed the order. I might have mentioned this previously but... that's great service there. The return kit comes with a 6AN fitting but I bought the fitting on the fuel pump separately off of amazon. It was a simple EVIL ENERGY screw on quick connect. You probably can't tell but the return line on the fuel pump is pinched and kinked. I just have the black soft cap on there for it to look better maybe? Another thing I didn't capture in the picture is my fuel neck retaining bracket mounts the opposite direction the manual says. There was also already a hole outside the pinch welds on the tank that it pretty much mounted to. I just had to bend the fabricated profile a bit and it went together without drilling. Still testing the proper size for pictures. Trying to get them not so large when they come off the phone but I might be compressing them too much now.


Also worked on the power steering rack. It was something I was waiting for on back order but had received right before we left last week. The rack came with bushings and sleeves already assembled on to the unit but the manual references using supplied parts. In my bag of parts for the rack I did not see any bushings but I did see sleeves. So I read it a couple times just to see if I could understand the inconsistency but didn't really come up with anything. I had also ordered from Breeze the solid offset steering rack bushings so it didn't really matter trying to understand the manual. Again because of my compressed pictures you might not be able to tell but I twisted the bushings till the rack was offset from center towards the passenger side about 3/8". That seemed to be center for me measuring off a couple points on the frame and one on the lower control arm. In the instructions provided by Breeze they mention they push the rack that way a bit too. So I'm pretty sure I got it dialed in.

[topherchrisb]

Been busy all over the place so haven't got to work on the car much but even less so update the thread. Looks like I'm on pace to be one of those two year builds.

My plan for the layout of the frame dolly to work with the quick jack worked nearly as intended. I did have to take about a 1/4" off one of the gusset supports but easy to remedy.


With it bit higher in the air I started mocking up the fuel lines. I started with some heavy magnets and thick wire to get my route templated...


I bought a cheap tube bender, straightener, steel and stainless 3/8" rolls from amazon and got to work. It seems I forgot to take pictures of the straightening process but nothing earth shattering there. I straightened the steel tubing first and cut it into three lengths. The vise position on one of my tables was perfect for leverage when using the bender to get some pretty precise bends... for my first time anyway.


I ordered some fuel and brake line brackets from ls billet works out of Greeley CO. I had gone back and forth on solutions a number of times but supporting a local business ended up winning me over. I don't have them put on the car yet but I'll be adding that update when I get the return line mocked up based on bracket placement.

I also got the trick flow filter in place by just tapping a couple holes in a suspension mount not used on the IRS setup. I do have a couple PTFE lines attached but seems I also didn't get a picture of that yet neither.


I'll add some pictures for the straightening and soft lines when I get back home. We're in Michigan for some relaxing this week. Thought I could spend some down time while kids are napping to update the thread with any photos I already have on my phone.

[Blitzboy54]

Are you planning on a MAKO color scheme? Like the Corvette? I haven't seen that on a cobra and I think it would be pretty cool.

[topherchrisb]

Are you planning on a MAKO color scheme? Like the Corvette? I haven't seen that on a cobra and I think it would be pretty cool.

Wow I didn't know about this mako corvette concept car. Now I feel I should probably change the thread title. Everyone is probably disappointed when finding out I'm doing a gray paint job. My plan is to match the modern gt350 avalanche gray paint scheme.

518b21d1783310d00749f94b54abdeac.jpg

I scanned through your build thread. I love the black on dark green with red accent combo. Looks great! I'm not sure I'll even have the engine in the bay as quickly as you got yours together.

[topherchrisb]

Lots of things worked on... with nothing really "complete" or checked off the list. I did some initial fitment, drilling, de-burring, and rivnuts on the f panels. I'll update this post with more pictures later when I get the tops of them shaped to match the frame and figure out how I want them finished. I keep rotating through a few options... satin black powder coat, dark gray powder coat, or just the ceramic lizard skin coating. I plan on doing the v raptor wheel well liners so it's likely the black powder coat is going to win.



And yes... I realize I offset the center of the rivnuts from my guide line. I made a mental adjustment as I was punching the holes for a reason I don't remember now. I think I punched those holes a few months ago now.

[topherchrisb]

Another small project ready for finishing after initial fitment is the battery box from Breeze. I've ordered a lot of stuff from them. I have a the standard radiator pieces from them, fuel pump and return kit, dead pedal and recently I ordered seat mounts, black coated mirrors and the cubby wall.



It'll likely be powder coated satin black or black bed liner finished in the end.

[CaptB]

Yes I too bought a significant amount from Breeze. Working with Mark has always been a breeze.

[topherchrisb]

Nothing too special here... got the lower linkage fitment finalized but not torqued down just yet. Then started spacing and drilling some holes for future rivet placement. This is something I did a while ago too... just haven't had time to update the thread. I came into the office a bit earlier today in order to get some quite time dedicated to adding some of these simple updates.



Here you can see I'm installing the upper linkage with the RT turn signal setup for those of you that recognize it making an appearance on the right side of the frame.

[Blitzboy54]

Wow I didn't know about this mako corvette concept car. Now I feel I should probably change the thread title. Everyone is probably disappointed when finding out I'm doing a gray paint job. My plan is to match the modern gt350 avalanche gray paint scheme.

518b21d1783310d00749f94b54abdeac.jpg

I scanned through your build thread. I love the black on dark green with red accent combo. Looks great! I'm not sure I'll even have the engine in the bay as quickly as you got yours together.

You can't possibly disappoint anyone by building a cobra. lol

I wouldn't worry about how fast you get anything put together. I clearly have a tolerant wife and insomnia. Thank you for the kind words, I think that grey will look incredible.

[topherchrisb]

Another functional system started! It feels good to walk by and push the pedals even though they aren't hooked to anything yet.

Test fitting the bracketry for the pedals...


Testing the steering linkage clearances. It's hard to see but I did put a coat of rubberized black spray paint on the brackets for no particular reason. You can now see a little more of the RT assembly and how it mounts up. I need to figure out how to get that shiny steering boss and turn signal handle to be finished black at some point.


From the drivers seat. Hard to tell but there is plenty of clearance between the steering shaft and the vertical bracket.


Alignment of pedals to the cross member and back of foot box.


And adjustment of the balance bar into the evenly balanced setting.

[F500guy]

I just looked up that Wilwood E-parking brake, that looks pretty slick compared to the other I saw on another thread. They have a picture of it on a FF car. Hope to see an update about it when you get in.

[topherchrisb]

I just looked up that Wilwood E-parking brake, that looks pretty slick compared to the other I saw on another thread. They have a picture of it on a FF car. Hope to see an update about it when you get in.

I do have the calipers in... but the wire harness, switch, and computer are not in yet. I'll try to supply detail about them in the future... but I'm really using most the info I got from this thread as the research for getting them situated.
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/show...c-Power-Brakes

[topherchrisb]

Well someone had DM'd me about considering the ff metal fat tire f panels for the wheel/tire setup I'm likely to use. I had previously considered it but thought I would get to test how restrictive the stock ones were when I acquired wheels... but I'm still trying to figure that out. I KNOW I want to go with 18" in a more modern look but can't decide on a wheel pattern yet. I was ordering a forward firewall kit from them anyway so I tacked on the f panels.

[topherchrisb]

Next it was time to try to shoe horn the coyote drive by wire setup in. After trimming down the pedal assembly according to instructions... I ended up drilling a couple new holes in order to raise the mounting bracket a little. That initially got me the clearance I needed on the cross member for the steering column support...



but it didn't feel right having to remove all the master cylinder bracketry to remove the assembly for future serviceability. So I decided to cut out the cross member and do my first weld job ever moving it over about 1.5". It's a horrible weld I know... but I didn't have any like material laying around for testing. I had thicker material I practiced a couple times on. Those settings burned through this thinner material easily on initial attempts. So I ended up having to fill in a bunch because of that. If this was something more structural I would have had a buddy welder come over and teach me a bit before attempting.





Probably never have to take it out, but it was still fun coming up with a solution and seeing it to fruition.

I forgot to take pictures of it all cleaned up and re-assembled with all the pedals in place. I'll update this when I get a chance to take that picture.

[facultyofmusic]

Good call man. TBH looking back at my pedal I should have done what you did here. Would have saved many past and potential future headaches. I guess when the time comes I'll just grind the bar off