Garage Refresh Completed. Bring on the Coupe!

[edwardb]

I've had the first week of September circled on my calendar as the right time to order my Gen 3 Type 65 Coupe for a while now. The time has finally come, and thank you Factory Five for announcing the first sale on the Gen 3 Coupe this week! Today I placed my order. Delivery will be in mid/late November. Whoo-hoo!

This will be my fourth FFR build, and the first one that doesn't look like a Roadster. I've seen the Gen 3 Coupe in person twice now and given it a good looking over. I like what they've done with it, and am really excited to start this all over again. Still a fair weather car and will spend Michigan winters in hibernation. But with a top and HVAC, maybe add some comfort. But mainly I just enjoy the build process and this looks like an exciting challenge. I'm planning to take my time. Probably in the 2 year range. The 20th Anniversary Roadster isn't going anywhere though! It's staying right here.

I ordered the following:

Gen 3 Type 65 Coupe Complete Kit
Gloss black powder coated chassis
Body cutouts and Nose Scoops
GPS Gauge Set
31 Spline Coyote T-56 Magnum w/IRS driveshaft
5.0L Coyote Install Kit
Vinyl Roadster Seats. Will likely replace with high backs. TBD
2015+ Mustang based IRS
Double Adjustable Koni shocks
Black Carpet Package
Leather Steering Wheel
Front and rear swaybar
18-inch wheels (free with Fall Sale!!)
Wilwood 12.88-inch brakes front and rear, black calipers
Stewart Delivery

This is the first time I haven't picked up my kit in person. Not sure how well it would fit into my 14-foot SE (likely not too well) plus I really don't need the long drive and mess around with sales tax which wasn't the case before. I'm still working on the details of the actual build plan. Lots of TBD's that I'll decide about once the kit is here and I start mocking things up. I'm definitely doing another Coyote build, so that's locked in. The timing looks like it's going to be perfect to use the upcoming Gen 3 Coyote. I have a couple contacts at Ford and feel confident the timing is going to work. I've also decided to go with a T56 Magnum to get 6 speeds plus supposedly it shifts nice. The price is only slightly more than the Liberty modified TKO's I've used on my last two builds. A little bit bigger and heavier, but supposedly fits into the Gen 3 Coupe OK. These are the details I've got so far:

2018+ Gen 3 Coyote Crate Engine and Controls Pack
4 into 4 straight tube headers (TBD)
TBD bell housing (aluminum or QuickTime)
Ford Racing billet steel flywheel
Ford Racing / Centerforce dual friction clutch
Tilton 6000 hydraulic throw-out bearing
Tremec Magnum T-56 6-speed transmission (2.66, 1.78, 1.30, 1.00, .80, .63)
3.55 2015+ IRS center section (alum or iron TBD)
Space heater, defroster, and A/C
Heated seats TBD
Power steering (details TBD, consider electric assist setup)
Manual brakes (kit supplied Wilwood pedal box)
Full aluminum panel powder coat and Lizard Skin insulation
Mustang style coolant routing and aftermarket expansion tank (to be confirmed)
High finish interior including dash, gauges/switches, carpet, headliner, etc.
Cruise control (maybe)
Aftermarket wipers and washers (not Lucas)
All LED lighting, footwell lights, trunk light, backup light
Color and stripe (if used) TBD

The IRS, sway bars, shocks and brakes are all the same as on my current 20th Anniversary Roadster. Everything about that car is absolutely perfect, so I'm not changing anything there. I'll be doing heat and A/C for the first time. I'm not going to go crazy, but I want the interior to be nicely finished and detailed. Carpet, headliner, nice dash, etc. I'm going to decide about seats later as well. We'll see how that all works out. I'm going to try hard to use one of the electric power steering options. Eliminates some clutter under the hood plus not having to add a PS pump on the Coyote along with the A/C pump. There are several solutions out there, but they're complex and pricey. We'll see on that one too.

I'm also pretty certain I'm going to try a hydraulic throw-out bearing setup. I've done a hydraulic clutch on my last two Roadster builds, and love how well it works. Plus with the Wilwood pedal box it's easy at that end. But I'm leaning towards not doing the external slave and instead doing an internal hydraulic TOB. That's what the newer Mustangs use. I've heard nothing but good things about the Tilton 6000 TOB, so that's what I'm considering. Yes, it's risky because of major tear-down in case of issues. We'll see.

First order of business before the kit delivery is to finish getting my garage in shape. We've been at our new place 11 months now (hard to believe) and 99% of the work has been on the living area. Imagine that! But most of that is done now and I've started on the garage. I've changed the openers, patched and painted the ceiling, added LED lights, and now finishing up patching and painting the rest. Ahead is still getting my new 2-post and heater installed. Ordered those today too (expensive day...) then will get my Racedeck installed. I'm only putting it in two bays. Same tiles I had at our last house just with a few new pieces added since the space is a little larger. I'll post some pics when it's done. It's going to be a nice place to work I think. And only 6 steps down to my basement workshop.

I'm planning to do another build thread. Maybe it won't be as long or detailed as the last two, but we'll see. Need to sort out the photo hosting thing. My Photobucket pics are still showing in my other build threads, but only because I had purchased the lowest tier paid account in the past. They'll disappear at the end of next year if I don't pony up for their new pricing schedule, which isn't going to happen.

That's it for now! Fire away with ideas or suggestions on my build plan.