Angelina: Build Story of my 4-wheeled Motorcycle

[cc2Arider]

Today is the day! My MkIV Roadster will be delivered by Eric from Stewart Transport. I've asked my neighbor to help move the boxes and take some pictures -- He's also named Eric, so I shouldn't forget their names in all the excitement

I've been working hard to get my garage ready, but I didn't quite make my deadline...

6-4-23-20230604_112229.jpg

It's going to be an interesting game of Tetris to finish the garage and start working on Angelina

Craig C

[cc2Arider]

Eric from Stewart Transport gave me a heads up while he was about an hour away and drove up my street right on time! Super cool guy



While figuring out how to back his trailer a little closer to my house, we caught the attention of my other friendly neighbor, Doug, who also helped me check the boxes as they were being unloaded -- this was just like the stories you hear from other builders...the neighbors are really attracted to this big, colorful truck and what's inside

We got the unloading done in less than 30 minutes and spent another 45 minutes or so just chatting with Eric -- good times!

Delivered!

6-4-23-20230604_161643.jpg

I'll go have a cool beverage and start on the inventory next...

Craig C

[460.465USMC]

Congrats, Craig. What a big day to celebrate. Looks like you've done some great work prepping your garage/workspace. The lighting in the photo looks great. Can't have too much light IMHO. Enjoy the inventory.

[zarnold]

Congrats!

[cc2Arider]

Thanks guys -- I truly feel I've finally joined this brotherhood

Craig C

[cc2Arider]

The inventory took a little longer than I had planned, but my approach was to be extra critical/observant of any possible mistakes or omissions while I'm motivated to get my hands on every single part

It was actually interesting to see & handle each part that I've only seen in pictures up until now. One surprise was the tediousness of the fastener inventory -- geesh...another was how much a puzzle challenge it was to figure out which carpet pieces went where (since they are not individually labelled)...

In the end, I've got some missing parts, but all-in-all, not bad for a kit with this many individual packaged items.

As was previously recommended, I marked the inventory sheets and then fastened to each corresponding box. For now, I just laid them out in numerical order.

Next, removing trunk lid, hood, and doors!

Craig C

[cc2Arider]

I next removed the trunk lid, hood, and doors and wrapped them in moving blankets and stored them in my living room

I noticed a different drilled hole pattern between left and right sides where the hinge brackets mount to the front of the hood. See below for left side(driver's side):

6-9-23-crop-20230609_130119.png

The right side (passenger's side) only had 3 holes. Is this correct?

Craig C

[vschmidt]

Hi Craig,
Congratuations ! Looking forward to following the progress!
-Vaughan

[vschmidt]

Just checked my hood - PS has 3 holes and DS has 4. I'm assuming that's correct but a long way from mounting the hood

[cc2Arider]

Thanks Vaughan! I'm far from getting to that point in the build, too. I was feeling extra OCD and thought to ask sooner rather than later!

If it's wrong, we're both in the same boat

Craig C

[460.465USMC]

FYI: the hood strut brackets and hood that came with my complete kit (Sept 2020) have three holes. Not sure if something has changed since then?

[cc2Arider]

Hi Chris,

Thanks for the feedback!

I probably should've been more clear in my statement earlier -- the strut bracket and mounting pad(boss?) for it on the hood has 3 holes. What seemed odd was the mounting pad for the hood hinges nearer to the front of the hood. As Vaughan confirmed, the Driver's side and Passenger's side were different. Not sure if this was a new process, or the body prep guy is getting lazy

Craig C

PS: The missing hole doesn't bother me since I can locate it well using the 3 other holes, but I get my spidey-sense triggered when something appears out-of-place

[cc2Arider]

I got an e-mail today from FFR to confirm shipment of the missing items in my inventory -- awesome Customer Service. What was a really nice surprise was coming home from work and seeing the nice big Wilwood box (front brakes) waiting for me on my front porch

So, it looks like my missing parts/pieces are just : Aston LeMans fuel filler cap assembly, driveshaft adapter, headlight bucket assemblies, and right chrome roll bar assembly...

I'm also hoping to get my Forte' delivery soon, too

Craig C

[460.465USMC]

Hi Chris,

Thanks for the feedback!

I probably should've been more clear in my statement earlier -- the strut bracket and mounting pad(boss?) for it on the hood has 3 holes. What seemed odd was the mounting pad for the hood hinges nearer to the front of the hood. As Vaughan confirmed, the Driver's side and Passenger's side were different. Not sure if this was a new process, or the body prep guy is getting lazy

Craig C

PS: The missing hole doesn't bother me since I can locate it well using the 3 other holes, but I get my spidey-sense triggered when something appears out-of-place

Whoops! Sorry about that. I probably read it too fast. My hood had four holes drilled on both sides. However, the holes didn't line up with the hinge brackets, so I had to adjust the holes in the hood to match.

[cc2Arider]

Hi Chris,

No worries

Did you end up enlarging them...and then use rivnuts? Or were the adjusted holes still small diameter enough to use rivets?

Craig C

[460.465USMC]

Craig, I didn't need to open them too much such that a 3/16" rivet wouldn't hold. I used some stainless 3/16" left over from one of my Breeze (forward battery box) mods. Boy, are those hard to pull by hand. Oof!

[cc2Arider]

Hey Y'all,

I haven't had too much to report on my build since I'm still trying to finish my garage , but I have been busy ordering some of the recommended parts (Thanks to EdwardB, FMan, and others!)...

And here is the video of my dyno run from Mike Forte' at Forte's Parts Connection Enjoy...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-RcOiGJRXLo

I'm hoping it gets shipped out this week!

Craig C

[vschmidt]

527 HP. Nice!

[cc2Arider]

A couple of weeks ago, I faced the dilemma of getting my powertrain from the shipping company at their terminal. I chose to bring my own trailer and then figure out how to unload it in my garage...

Picking up my powertrain:
picking up powertrain.jpg

Got it home...so far, so good:
bringing powertrain home.jpg

In the garage (and disassembled my trailer box to get access):
taking trailer box apart.jpg

Had to take one trailer wheel off and lower it to get enough angle and lift from my engine hoist (note the ratchet straps):
unloading powertrain from trailer.jpg

On 4 1000lb moving dollies, but otherwise, the engine crate (and the beast within) are still intact:
powertrain on dollies.jpg



Craig C

[460.465USMC]

No one was hurt, and the beast is no worse for wear. I call that success! There's just something good about getting the motor in the garage. Congrats, Craig!

[cc2Arider]

I picked up a 20 ton shop press from HF yesterday:
20 T shop press unassembled.jpg

Assembled:
20T shop press assembled.jpg

Here's why I wanted to use this now. Old OEM IRS studs out:
stock studs out.jpg
stock rear hub studs.jpg

FFR-supplied studs in:
FFRrear studs in place.jpg

I wanted to attach a short couple of videos to show you how easy it was with the right(ish) tools. I made-do with using long-reach sockets as spacers, but otherwise this was pretty easy to do. I obsessed over supporting the hub properly...minimizing stress on the hub, making sure everything was square and true, etc. I needn't have worried...just used judgement and proceeded carefully

If you have been considering a shop press, I'd encourage you to get it if you have the room in your garage and plan to use it for other needs. I'll be able to use mine for installing motorcycle wheel bearings since it is wide enough, and I'm pretty sure I can get transmission shafts in it to change those bearings, too

Craig C

[danmas]

I have the exact same press and did the exact same thing. Having the right tools is awesome. It makes the build go so much easier.

Dan

[cc2Arider]

It's been a while since I've done anything meaningful on my build, and I'm happy to finally start on it!

A combination of me still finishing my garage and warm/humid weather made this simple project enjoyable in the house...

Wilwood hubs assembled sans safety wire.jpg

Bolted to 155lb-in with red loctite. I'm expecting to get my 0.032" safety wire tomorrow, so that will be done later this week...

Craig C

[cc2Arider]

Another quickie inside-the-house project was to assemble my coil-overs:

Assembled coil-overs.jpg

Recommended zip-ties...

zip tie on coil-over.jpg

Craig C

[cc2Arider]

Whew! The moment I've been getting ready for...finally separating the body from the frame. My garage finishing project took longer than I planned, but now I can begin my build in earnest!

My first drill press project wasn't to drill into metal like I thought, but to cut holes into wood. I made this simple cockpit support like I learned about in the build class:

cockpit support.jpg

Next, it was getting ready to lift the body "solo" ... like our more distinguished Members do Note the PVC pipe to spread the sides (Thanks Jeff!)

ready to separate body from frame.jpg

Lift-off!

body supported by hoist.jpg

Next, putting the body on the buck. Note the foam support that I had previously saved. This was another tip I got from the forum

cockpit foam support.jpg

The dreaded moment: will those ceiling lag bolts hold the combined weight of the body and buck? Yup!

body plus buck off ther floor.jpg

Lastly, it has a temporary home. I'm happy that my shop lighting layout that I planned last December allows enough lighting to still get through to my work areas

body in designated location.jpg

Craig C

[cc2Arider]

Another part of the build that caused me some anxiety was drilling out the IRS front mounting boss with a 5/8" twist drill bit. I'd heard others warn about going slow or the drill will twist right out of your hand

I ended up going another route: I used a hand reamer. I know...it sounds funny, but it is the proper tool to use. This one is adjustable...

adjustable reamer.jpg

Here it is "in use"

reamer in use.jpg

The finished hole

irs mounting boss reamed.jpg

and the cool little shavings that resulted

reamer shavings.jpg

It only took about 20 minutes, and that was because I went slow and deliberate (never used one before). I just used it like a tap, but didn't rotate backwards. I heard from someone a while back that you don't want to "go against the cutting grain" with an edged cutter, otherwise it prematurely dulls the cutting edge. Taps are different as Mike Bray pointed out. You only do that with some taps to break off the long shavings.

Craig C

[F500guy]

Good call on the reamer...

[Ted G]

Another quickie inside-the-house project was to assemble my coil-overs:

Assembled coil-overs.jpg

Recommended zip-ties...

zip tie on coil-over.jpg

Craig C

Hey Craig, just curious when you put your coil overs together, did you check the setting on each shock? I had three set at the #1 setting and one at #2 setting. I changed them all to the #2 setting. Many don't know that the Red Koni's are actually adjustable.

Ted

[cc2Arider]

Thanks for the tip, Ted

I didn't...but now I know I should --> Thanks!

Craig C

[460.465USMC]

Congrats on getting the body suspended, Craig. You're off and running now!

Great idea on the hand reamer. I went the drill route on mine, and it wasn't the greatest process as the bit would really grab. Mind sharing info. on the reamer you purchased? You know, just in case I ever have another F5 IRS to assemble. That's a tool I'd like to add to my arsenal, and I can see other uses for it as well. Thanks in advance.

[cc2Arider]

Hey Craig, just curious when you put your coil overs together, did you check the setting on each shock? I had three set at the #1 setting and one at #2 setting. I changed them all to the #2 setting. Many don't know that the Red Koni's are actually adjustable.

Ted

Hi Ted,

Per your recommendation, I went back to double-check the damper settings. I actually don't remember what the initial settings were because
I kept confirming the clicks counter clockwise and clock-wise (over and over)

I do believe that "one was not the same as the others"

I heard from others on this forum that it is a stiff ride, so I set mine to least damping for now...

Thanks again for the tip! For those who don't already have the link:https://www.koni-na.com/en-US/NorthA...t-Guides/mono/

and the black plastic end-piece needs to be carefully pried out using a flat-blade screwdriver, then you can access the "button"

Craig C

[cc2Arider]

Congrats on getting the body suspended, Craig. You're off and running now!

Great idea on the hand reamer. I went the drill route on mine, and it wasn't the greatest process as the bit would really grab. Mind sharing info. on the reamer you purchased? You know, just in case I ever have another F5 IRS to assemble. That's a tool I'd like to add to my arsenal, and I can see other uses for it as well. Thanks in advance.

Hi Chris,

I tried to take a good picture of the product label, but it is a RAANB 15.25mm to 17mm hand-reamer. I got mine on "gasp" Amazon...there might be more appropriate shopping sites to use, but they had several for sale by different manufacturers....

In hindsight, I think for my next project I'll also get the next size smaller because my hand-drill technique for the IRS spindles was less than precise

What I liked about the hand-reamer technique was that the tool itself aligns in the workpiece ... thumbs up!

Craig C

[cc2Arider]

After my success reaming out the Rear differential mounting ear holes, I got a little cocky for the IRS spindle drilling and just used a twist drill bit like explained in the manual. I used a bench vise, a portable electric drill and a 5/8" twist bit. In hindsight, it turned out OK, but next time would rather use two sets of hand-reamers for a precise job. My drilling was not precisely aligned along the original hole axis

I think the conical mating surface aligns the upper heim-joint bolt spacer just fine, though...here's a picture

drilled and cut rear spindles.jpg

Next, I tackled the job of cutting off the "ears". Reference page 83 of the manual. Here are my tools:

tools used on irs spindles.jpg

I have a sawz-all, but after seeing how imprecise my hand tool technique is, I decided to go the "slow and careful" route with just a hack-saw...the cuts were pretty straight, but you can see here after straightening the surface with a body file, how much it needed to be flattened:

filing the left spindle.jpg filing the right spindle.jpg

After filing straight, I knocked down the edges with a set of jeweler's files, then used a simple sanding foam pad to finish out

left spindle sanded smooth.jpg right spindle sanded smooth.jpg

Craig C

[cc2Arider]

I had previously loctited the Wilwood hats to the rotors and needed to safety wire them for a complete job...

My 1st effort was "OK", but learned that applying a right-hand twist on the "pig-tail-end" wasn't correct. Instead, I should have twisted left-hand.

Practice makes perfect (or at least better ), and here is my latest result:

Wilwood safety wired.jpg

For those anticipating this task: The reason it gets airplay is because there isn't enough room between the bolt head and the rotor to wrangle the wire thru without mangling it. Ideally, you would use round-tong-needle-nose pliers (made for rolling or twisting, so as to not create hard corners). Also, if you torque with a torque wrench, the available safety wire holes do not align the same every time, so you have to account for varying angles and lengths.

Craig C

[cc2Arider]

Hey Y'all,

I spent time working on suspension arm details this weekend. First up, shortening the upper control arm rods and adjusters. I used my bench grinder with a disc sanding attachment and a miter to get the edges square, then wiped the cleaned surfaces with Shark-hide just because...

shortened upper front control arm rods.jpg shortened upper front control arm adjuster sleeve.jpg

I made sure to dip into water at about a 50%duty cycle to keep the temperatures down.

Next up, I painted a chip in a lower front control arm. I didn't try to hide it by sanding smooth because I want to see how it adheres over time. Instead, I scuffed only. We'll see...

painted chipped lower front control arm.jpg

Next up, I learned from others on the Forum about the tight fit of the front upper ball joints, so I got a wire wheel for my bench grinder and it worked really well

wire brushed upper ball joint threads.jpg

Later, I used the same satin black rattle-can to touch up the visible surfaces...

Craig C

[cc2Arider]

Next up was pre-assembling the rear suspension arms. Upper:

pre-assembled upper rear control arms.jpg

Toe link:

pre-assembled rear toe links.jpg

Then, I remembered a tip from the Build Class: The suspension poly-urethane bushings have grooves inside to let the grease flow along the internal spacer, but none along the face. You can see these already shaped into the front upper control arm bushings. It was suggested to simply cut grooves using a hacksaw, but I didn't get satisfactory results with that method. Instead, I got an excuse to buy more tools at Harbor Freight , a Hot Knife...

Here is my setup since I was planning to do all of them if successful on the 1st one:

suspension bushing prep for hot knife.jpg

Spacer in the vice, setting the bushing at just enough height to create a groove, using the spacer as a depth stopper. The plan was to follow the existing grooves out to the face surface. Raw result:

suspension bushing after hot knife grooves for grease.jpg

The best part is that I just had to scrape the melted material with my fingernail. No other finishing was necessary

Assembled onto control arm

finished suspension bushing treatment.jpg

I don't think removing this small amount will change any thrust compliance characteristic. I mainly did this for longer-term maintenance concerns, and I felt good about this little detail. Time will tell if it was effective...Comments welcome

Craig C

[cc2Arider]

I finally got around to removing all the aluminum panels. Nothing new here, but I did want to share some observations for the new builders:
1) I had to "bow up" the upper trunk floor panel to get it past the various tabs and fixtures on the frame, but in order to do that, I needed to remove the trunk hinges
2) In order to remove the Passenger cockpit floor panel, I had to wedge or pry the handbrake opening past the handbrake frame, then I could lift the panel up from the tunnel area, then I needed to rotate clockwise as I was lifting it out to clear all parts of the frame
3) the Driver's side cockpit floor panel was similar, but I needed to rotate counter-clockwise as I was lifting it out.

I've been dragging my feet to get the F-panels installed since I'm still pricing powder-coating and I'd also like to get some black painted rivets

So, in the mean-time, I mocked up the front suspension

front suspension mocked up.jpg

Craig C

[cc2Arider]

As others have posted, I had to get clever with the tools on hand to install my IRS rear end by myself. Here's the setup:

rear end installation strategy.jpg

I made sure to add an old towel on the frame to avoid scratches, and I also used some spare leather gloves on the mounting "ears"

rear end installation (protecting the frame paint with leather gloves).jpg

Installed:

rear end installed.jpg

Onto the suspension arms. Others have observed the lower control arm tabs are not precisely aligned (spaced) for the arms themselves. Here was my remedy:

irs lower arm tabs need adjustment.jpg

I torqued the arms down to spec and everything seemed to line up and move without undue drag...so far, so good! The rear end unit itself I believed needed a thin shim on the passenger side front "ear", so I shimmed it with this
rear end shim used.jpg

All the arms are now greased and torqued to spec, and next I'll be adding the rear axles, hub/spindle...

Craig C

[cc2Arider]

I assembled my newly clear-coated IRS hubs onto the prepped spindles today, and wondered how I was going to properly torque the bolts to the recommended 98lb-ft

I didn't want to mangle the aluminum in my bench vise jaws, but knew it had to be snugged down tight...then I thought to use the brake caliper mounting holes with bolts clamped in the vise instead...

What I ended up doing was to simply pre-fit the assembly onto the already installed suspension arms. I used simple Hardware store extra non-locking nuts and washers and just snugged everything down by hand. Then I had the spindles properly restrained to use the torque wrench. Worked great! Finished result: properly torqued hub/spindle assembly with witness marks...

assembled irs hubs & spindles.jpg

Next...putting in the clear-coated axle shafts and final assembly of the hubs/spindles...

[cc2Arider]

I installed my R-side CV axle today...

I used some chassis grease on the machined seal surfaces, splines, and retainers, and carefully slid in to avoid any seal damage. As noted from the Assembly Manual, I had to slightly tap the axle in with a deadblow hammer to properly seat it. Gap looks good:
R CV joint gap to IRS housing.jpg

Here's how I supported it while working alone...
R CV axle installed.jpg

Next up was the spindle installation. Again, I used a little chassis grease on the splines.
R IRS spindle fitted onto suspension arms.jpg

Lastly, I installed the coil-over.
R IRS coil over fitted.jpg

I have some questions, but I'll ask those on the other forum...

Craig C