Ricks Build Thread MK4

[RickP]

Thought I would get this thread going on my completion date 2/27. Kit is being delivered via Stewart. I considered picking up the kit myself but after crunching some numbers, doesn't make much sense. In fact, I don't think I could do it cheaper than what Stewart quoted me from FFR to the Phildelpphia area. Of course, I'm on their schedule now so I am hoping in the next week or so.

In the meantime, I do believe I have prepared properly or at least the best I can. Body buck is sucking up garage space, motor is built waiting on engine stand, tranny is stored somewhere in my sons room, and rear end is on jack stands just waiting.

This effort has been 2 years in the making and I can't tell you how excited I am to finally get started on the car itself.

Kit 112211

Base
Pdr coat frame
body cutouts
front lwr cntrl arms
4 link rear
ulta-lite guage set
leather seat
17" halibrands
roll bar grommet set
dash support
main chasis wiring
front/rear wilwoods
302 headers

motor:

SBF 331 internally balanced/blueprinted (11:8.1)

SCAT forged crank, rods, pistons (domed Mickey Thompson)
Lunati roller High eff Cam
Lunati roller lifters
Meling HF oil pump
Trick Flow chromoly rods
Scorpion 1.6 rollers
AFR 1388 Street 185 heads
Wieland street warrior intake
Wieland HF water pump
Holly Terminator EFI
CVF alt, pwr sterring pump, brackets

T5 completely rebuilt by Hanlon Motor Sports (Bob the tremac man)
rear end - 3.73 pinion and rebult with new Ford locker 31 spline

[rmiller64]

Congrats on your order Rick You'll have a lot of fun over the next year

Good luck with your build, There's a bunch of great people here to help you out

[RickP]

Congrats on your order Rick You'll have a lot of fun over the next year

Good luck with your build, There's a bunch of great people here to help you out

Thank you so much Rick. I promised myself to enjoy the experience along the way and I cannot wait to get started.

[RickP]

Wilwood brake kit should be waiting for me when I get home from work today. That should keep me side tracked for a little as I sit in anticipation of the kit to be delivered.

[RickP]

Got the call from Steve yesterday (Stewart Transport). Kit is coming tomorrow 3/6. How appropriate that the sun will be shining and the temperaure headed in a positive direction.

[Hottrodder427]

They deliver on a Sunday? That's awesome my completion date is today. Now I wait to hear from Stewart, my rear wildeood came in last week. Congrats on your kit. I'm heading to pounce de Leon fla in the morning to pick up my 390 Fe

[RickP]

They deliver on a Sunday? That's awesome my completion date is today. Now I wait to hear from Stewart, my rear wildeood came in last week. Congrats on your kit. I'm heading to pounce de Leon fla in the morning to pick up my 390 Fe

I guess they deliver on the weekend when the need arises. There is another 33 hot rod delivery very close to me happening on the same day. Funny you should say your rear Wilwood came last week. I had the same experience, but no fronts as of yet. Not really all that concerened as I will have plenty to do in the meantime. If your completion date is today, means you should be getting staged for pickup from Stewart sometime soon. I would give them a buzz just to make sure nothing has fallen through the cracks. Good luck with the 390.

[Hottrodder427]

Thanks I will be watching your build since mine is right behind. So the front and rear come from wildwood? I was wondering about that

[RickP]

Thanks I will be watching your build since mine is right behind. So the front and rear come from wildwood? I was wondering about that

yes, they are dropped shipped directly from Wilwood

[RickP]

yes, they are dropped shipped directly from Wilwood

thats only if you ordered the Wilwoods I should say

[Hottrodder427]

Yes I got the wildeood said all the way around

[Hottrodder427]

Yes I ordered them all the way around

[RickP]

Steve from Stewart Transport rolled up with this morning right on time. He had the car/boxes unloaded and in my garage in all of 45 minutes. These folks know what they are doing. Now I can work on de-"stressing" and get some inventory done.

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it's a good day here in Ricks garage

[wallace18]

Have fun and be thorough.

[Hottrodder427]

I didn't just get one 390 I bought three, but looks as one might be a cj 428 I'm am excited on your delivery man that's awesome

[RickP]

I havent waisted any time for sure. Just getting generally organized. Spent time doing inventory on all boxes. A couple of missing items but nothing that is going to hold me up in the short term. Even the back order list wont effect me moving forward. Since I am building in a very limited space, my overall concern was "will it all fit". Body came off today, and the body buck fits with ease in the garage.

Thats a major stressor out of the way. Now time to get busy.

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[RickP]

Made some great progress today. After going to painstaking lengths to capture all the panels/overlaps etc, I am down to frame.

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[RickP]

Does anyone know the proper stud size/length on the SN95 hubs? I picked up a pair off of ebay and the hubs are empty. Running the Wilwood slotted rotors and 17' Halibrand wheels. Also need to double check the studs that came with my rear axles. I think I remember seeing somewhere EdwardB mentioning 1/2 X 20 in his build thread.

Anyone?

[David Hodgkins]

1/2 X 20 sounds right to me too. I don't know the length; I ended up cutting mine for the pins of my Trigos...

[RickP]

thank you David. I can make longer from short if it comes to that.

[RickP]

thank you David. I can make longer from short if it comes to that.

or wait, I meant shorter from longer. HA!

[edwardb]

Yes, the FFR supplied front hubs came with 1/2 x 20 studs, and they provided 1/2 x 20 replacement studs for the 2015 Mustang IRS hubs. I just checked the length. They appear to be 1-1/2 inches long, from inside the heads. Hard to get an exact measurement because I have the brakes installed and the calipers have the rotors captured in place. But that length is very close.

[RickP]

Yes, the FFR supplied front hubs came with 1/2 x 20 studs, and they provided 1/2 x 20 replacement studs for the 2015 Mustang IRS hubs. I just checked the length. They appear to be 1-1/2 inches long, from inside the heads. Hard to get an exact measurement because I have the brakes installed and the calipers have the rotors captured in place. But that length is very close.

Thank you edwardb. Exactly what I was looking for.

[Hottrodder427]

I guess they deliver on the weekend when the need arises. There is another 33 hot rod delivery very close to me happening on the same day. Funny you should say your rear Wilwood came last week. I had the same experience, but no fronts as of yet. Not really all that concerened as I will have plenty to do in the meantime. If your completion date is today, means you should be getting staged for pickup from Stewart sometime soon. I would give them a buzz just to make sure nothing has fallen through the cracks. Good luck with the 390.

I just received an e mail with tracking# for front brakes. And they are picking up my kit on Friday the 11

[RickP]

I just received an e mail with tracking# for front brakes. And they are picking up my kit on Friday the 11

Nice! Your going to be getting busy very soon. Congratulations.

[Hottrodder427]

Thanks Rick does Stewart call you when they pick the kit up or the day before they deliver

[RickP]

Thanks Rick does Stewart call you when they pick the kit up or the day before they deliver

Stewart calls when your the next delivery on the truck. What I did was call Stewart the Monday after my completion date to find out the day they anticipated picking up from FFR. At the time, they told me I was the second delivery. The first being in Connecticut. Since I'm in the Philadelphia area, I knew I would be in a 3 day window from the time Stewart loaded the car.

[RickP]

OK, I need a gut check before moving forward. The base kit manual says to mount the upper control arm to the horizontal hole locations. It even goes so far as to bold the word "horizontal". In Brian Smit's book, he mounts the arms vertically. I even came across a youtube video where the FFR tech is mounting them vertically. I am assuming the difference in the mounting location is determed by what Spindle is being used. The vertical being for the complete kit FFR supplied spindles and horizontal for anything else.

I'm using spindles off a 95 (Ford part# F5Z8AA). Also, would anyone happen to know the flange bolt size for the Spindle bracket to Spindle?

[RickP]

does anyone have experience with a spindle that is binding? I mounted the drivers side control arms, coilover and spindle/spindle bracket and everything articulates as I would expect. However, on the passender side, the spindle binds or cannot be moved past a certain point when simulating a left hand turn.

I mounted the upper control arm as noted above in a previous post (horizontal) and I pretty darn certain I have the ball joints seated fully. Lets just say it's not coming off. And the spacer between the spindle and castle nut has the conical facing down. Torqued to 100ft pds.

When I move the spindle in a left hand direction, the upper control arm wants to move up. Theres only so far it can go. Am I just needing to adjust the upper control arms? I didnt have to on the drivers side.

[edwardb]

I guess it could bind if way out of the alignment settings, which you can only roughly estimate at this time. Any chance you have the upper ball joints pointed the wrong direction? That's a common mistake. Linked picture is an FF spindle vs. Mustang, but shows the proper direction with the upper ball joint tilted outward. How about posting some pictures of your assembly? Both sides.

[Hottrodder427]

Stewart calls when your the next delivery on the truck. What I did was call Stewart the Monday after my completion date to find out the day they anticipated picking up from FFR. At the time, they told me I was the second delivery. The first being in Connecticut. Since I'm in the Philadelphia area, I knew I would be in a 3 day window from the time Stewart loaded the car.

My anticipated date is tues or weds thanks for your advice

[RickP]

I guess it could bind if way out of the alignment settings, which you can only roughly estimate at this time. Any chance you have the upper ball joints pointed the wrong direction? That's a common mistake. Linked picture is an FF spindle vs. Mustang, but shows the proper direction with the upper ball joint tilted outward. How about posting some pictures of your assembly? Both sides.

Well edwardbm looks like you saved my butt AGAIN. Appears I have the ball joint (when compared to your pic) pointed in the wrong direction.

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[edwardb]

Well edwardb looks like you saved my butt AGAIN. Appears I have the ball joint (when compared to your pic) pointed in the wrong direction.

Don't feel alone. This has happened to others. You will need to take everything apart and flip that outer plate. Obviously means doing the ball joints over again. Sorry about that. The UCA's must be coming assembled differently from the supplier. I haven't had to do anything to mine. They were correct out of the box. Others haven't been so lucky, and if you don't catch it, well...

[RickP]

Don't feel alone. This has happened to others. You will need to take everything apart and flip that outer plate. Obviously means doing the ball joints over again. Sorry about that. The UCA's must be coming assembled differently from the supplier. I haven't had to do anything to mine. They were correct out of the box. Others haven't been so lucky, and if you don't catch it, well...

If I can get the spindle bracket removed from the ball joint, can I re-use the joint?

[edwardb]

If I can get the spindle bracket removed from the ball joint, can I re-use the joint?

All your parts should be reusable. Just taken apart and re-assembled with the UCA plate flipped over. The only exception would be cotter pins used in castle nuts.

[RickP]

All your parts should be reusable. Just taken apart and re-assembled with the UCA plate flipped over. The only exception would be cotter pins used in castle nuts.

Thanks edwardb. Looks like I have some work to do in the moring. I should of caught my mistake but I'm sure it will be the first of many.

P.S. you were spot on with the wheel lug advice. If I didn't have the 1.5 inches to start with that you so graciously measred, I would have been flyiing blind. OEM Ford studs for that model year range are obsolete. I cross referenced a Dorman set at the local pep boys and they are 2" from head to toe. Rears are 3'. I was able to pull fit them on the hubs using a spacer, washer combo and a correct size nut.

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[cnutting]

As I was doing inventory on my kit yesterday, I noticed that same issue with my UCA assemblies. I too will need to flip the plate.

Thank goodness for these boards, I've made a list of "common" issues that I'm keeping an eye out for as I prep each section...

[GoDadGo]

Welcome To The Factory Five Family!

You made a great decision going with Factory Five because their quality is like no other kit car manufacturer and I can honestly say that I looked at quite a few others over the period of five years before ordering my MK-4

If you haven't had a chance to ride in and/or drive a Factory Five you are in for a wonderful surprise. Before ordering my kit I was fortunate enough to not only ride in but drive a FFR MK-3 that had manual steering and brakes that was powered by a very healthy 302 with an upgraded T5. That car had the IRS rear and road and drove extremely well. About a year later I got another chance to ride in and drive a Factory Five, but this time it was a MK-4 that was crazy fast with Dyno-Sheets showing a bit over 600 HP to the rear wheels at 18 LBS of boost.

The flame that was lit with the MK-3 turned into an uncontrolled wildfire on that day and I knew I had to build one. That car had a 2003 super charged SVT modular motor, power steering and brakes, a TKO-600 with a three link rear suspension. It was so scary that I had to build one so the process began when I ordered mine on 11/10/2014 and it arrived in January of 2015.

Please know that I'm nearing the Go-Kart stage and about to install my drive train. The build process is always fun even thought it is sometimes frustrating so don't give up because it is always rewarding. Though I'm not finished yet, the build process has been great as have been the entire Factory Five Staff. You'll also meet some fantastic Factory Five Family Members too, so get ready for the experience of a life time.

Good Luck On Your Build & May God Bless You & Your Family!

Steve (aka/GoDadGo)

[NukeMMC]

As I was doing inventory on my kit yesterday, I noticed that same issue with my UCA assemblies. I too will need to flip the plate.

Thank goodness for these boards, I've made a list of "common" issues that I'm keeping an eye out for as I prep each section...

This is about the 3rd or 4th time in the forums I have read this mistake in the past month or so. I don't know if SPC is shipping the UCAs assembled this way or what (I had disassembled mine to anti-seize the threads), but I do caution folks that this is a point where the build manual actually helps. Mine shows very clearly the need to have the balljoints pointing outward at the bottom on Page 92 and has a good oblique view of a correctly assembled control arm on Page 95 (Rev 3P of the Base Manual). I knew better than to rely on the manual for many things during my build, especially with the modification I made, but I referred to it frequently during the suspension portion as it has all the torques and many tips on correctly installing the suspension, like leaving pivot bolts loose until initial alignment is done. This is also the point where you want to adjust the rebound damping on your Koni's, before installation.

[Jeff Kleiner]

This is about the 3rd or 4th time in the forums I have read this mistake in the past month or so. I don't know if SPC is shipping the UCAs assembled this way or what (I had disassembled mine to anti-seize the threads), but I do caution folks that this is a point where the build manual actually helps...

Agreed. No exageration; I know that I must have brought it to builders' attention at least a dozen times since FFR switched to the SPC arms with the angled ball joint plate a couple of years ago. Note that these arms are not unique to FFRs so SPC builds them in a base configuration which may or may not be correct for the end user's application. As Bruce also mentioned the Konis are another example; I've found that they are not all set the same right out of the box. These are the kind of things where the builders need to perform their due diligence. If you're unsure feel free to ask here... lots of us who've been down this path before (some more than once) are always happy to help

Jeff