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Angelina: Build Story of my 4-wheeled Motorcycle
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
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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
Last edited by cc2Arider; 06-04-2023 at 04:30 PM.
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Senior Member
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.
Chris
Coupe complete kit delivered: 4/22/24.
Build Thread. Coyote. T-56. IRS w/3.55. Wilwoods. PS. HVAC. Side windows.
MK4 Complete kit.
Build Thread Index. Delivered: 10/15/2020. Legal: 7/25/23. Coyote Gen3. TKO600 (0.64 OD). IRS w/3.55. PS. Wilwoods. Sway bars. This build is dedicated to my son, Benjamin.
Build Thread.
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Thanks guys -- I truly feel I've finally joined this brotherhood
Craig C
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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
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Removing trunk lid, hood, and doors
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
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Hi Craig,
Congratuations ! Looking forward to following the progress!
-Vaughan
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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
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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
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Senior Member
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?
Chris
Coupe complete kit delivered: 4/22/24.
Build Thread. Coyote. T-56. IRS w/3.55. Wilwoods. PS. HVAC. Side windows.
MK4 Complete kit.
Build Thread Index. Delivered: 10/15/2020. Legal: 7/25/23. Coyote Gen3. TKO600 (0.64 OD). IRS w/3.55. PS. Wilwoods. Sway bars. This build is dedicated to my son, Benjamin.
Build Thread.
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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
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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
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Senior Member
Originally Posted by
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
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.
Chris
Coupe complete kit delivered: 4/22/24.
Build Thread. Coyote. T-56. IRS w/3.55. Wilwoods. PS. HVAC. Side windows.
MK4 Complete kit.
Build Thread Index. Delivered: 10/15/2020. Legal: 7/25/23. Coyote Gen3. TKO600 (0.64 OD). IRS w/3.55. PS. Wilwoods. Sway bars. This build is dedicated to my son, Benjamin.
Build Thread.
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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
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Senior Member
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!
Chris
Coupe complete kit delivered: 4/22/24.
Build Thread. Coyote. T-56. IRS w/3.55. Wilwoods. PS. HVAC. Side windows.
MK4 Complete kit.
Build Thread Index. Delivered: 10/15/2020. Legal: 7/25/23. Coyote Gen3. TKO600 (0.64 OD). IRS w/3.55. PS. Wilwoods. Sway bars. This build is dedicated to my son, Benjamin.
Build Thread.
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Powertrain package set to ship from Forte'!
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
Last edited by cc2Arider; 06-19-2023 at 04:41 PM.
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527 HP. Nice!
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Getting Powertrain home from Shipper: Sketchy but Effective
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
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Senior Member
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!
Chris
Coupe complete kit delivered: 4/22/24.
Build Thread. Coyote. T-56. IRS w/3.55. Wilwoods. PS. HVAC. Side windows.
MK4 Complete kit.
Build Thread Index. Delivered: 10/15/2020. Legal: 7/25/23. Coyote Gen3. TKO600 (0.64 OD). IRS w/3.55. PS. Wilwoods. Sway bars. This build is dedicated to my son, Benjamin.
Build Thread.
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Excuse to buy a 20 ton shop press while it was on sale
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
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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
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Assembled Wilwood hats to rotors
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
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Assembled coil-overs
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
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Reaming out the IRS front mounting boss
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
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Good call on the reamer...
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Originally Posted by
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
#10333 Complete Kit, Carbed 427w, TKX, IRS and many other upgrades
- Order Date: September 11, 2021 - 20th Anniversary of 9/11
- Delivery Day: April 1, 2022 - April Fool's Day
- First Start and Go-Kart: January 20th, 2023
- Graduation Date: July 4th, 2023 - Independence Day!!
- Legal Registration Date: October 4, 2023 - My Birthday!!
Visit my MKIV Build Thread (#10333)
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Thanks for the tip, Ted
I didn't...but now I know I should --> Thanks!
Craig C
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Senior Member
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.
Chris
Coupe complete kit delivered: 4/22/24.
Build Thread. Coyote. T-56. IRS w/3.55. Wilwoods. PS. HVAC. Side windows.
MK4 Complete kit.
Build Thread Index. Delivered: 10/15/2020. Legal: 7/25/23. Coyote Gen3. TKO600 (0.64 OD). IRS w/3.55. PS. Wilwoods. Sway bars. This build is dedicated to my son, Benjamin.
Build Thread.
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Originally Posted by
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.
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
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Preparing the IRS Spindles
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
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Safety wiring the Wilwood hats/rotors
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
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Suspension arm details
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
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Al panels and suspension mockup
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
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Rear end and IRS suspension arms installed
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
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IRS spindle hub assembly
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...
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CV axle install
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
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