Carl's Mk 4 Roadster Build

[carlewms]

The productive work yesterday ...

I torqued the IRS axle nuts to 200 ft-lbf and then checked the jam nuts I had purchased to make sure they were tight against the axle nuts.

The auxiliary dash was installed under the main dash ...



The transmission tunnel cover was installed ...



It fits like a glove ...

The only thing left for go kart is a rough alignment ...

[Jeff Kleiner]

Carl,
One thing that I learned after spending over a decade working in one of General Motors Engineering test labs is that it's all in perspective and how you want to spin it. Instead of thinking of it a dumb move just call it a live verification of the functionality of your neutral start safety system. See, doesn't that feel better

Have a good week!

Jeff

[carlewms]

Carl,
One thing that I learned after spending over a decade working in one of General Motors Engineering test labs is that it's all in perspective and how you want to spin it. Instead of thinking of it a dumb move just call it a live verification of the functionality of your neutral start safety system. See, doesn't that feel better

Have a good week!

Jeff

You just raised my spirits a bunch of notches... and inspired me to get back in the garage and Get Er Done....

Thanks,

Carl

[carlewms]

The trunk hinges on the Mk 4 as provided by FFR need to be painted or powder coated prior to installation. I also will have a trunk light (wired through the InfinityBox) which I want to have come on when the trunk is opened.



As I have done before, the parts were disassembled, sanded/wire brushed and treated with POR 15 before getting 3 coats of rattle can gloss black.



After looking at several locations for the switch, I selected the PS hinge and fabricated two aluminum pieces; one to mount on the 3/4" trunk hoop and another to the hinge. The pin or jamb switch (self grounding) is mounted to the fixed vertical bracket.





Final fitting will be after test fit of the body to see how much room there is above the hoop and how far the hinge moves with the trunk lid installed.

Carl

[carlewms]

After a couple of weeks of frustration and ups & downs ... I just decided to go out and see what it felt like to drive this beast on the driveway.

It was simply great ... and a bit scary at the same time...

Here is the video ...



I still have some issues to work out ...

1. EFI: The system is still not working like it should ... some of it may be a noise interference or it may just be a faulty system. The idle started off fine (850 rpm) but by the end of the go kart it was idling at just under 2000 rpm. After I stopped I could not get the EFI system reprogrammed. Update: It turns out I blew a cap off one of the vacuum ports; once fixed it idled properly

2. Belt: Needs to be tightened a little;

3. Power Steering: Cut the spring on the power steering pump to reduce the amount of assist a little and get the steering wheel straightened out;

4. Final Alignment:It was very roughly aligned for the go kart; and,

5. Check Hydraulic Clutch: I was having a little trouble with clutch engagement when I started (as you can hear a couple of times in the video). At the end of the runs it was operating much better with engagement about 1/2 from full depressed;

Thanks to Susan as the camera operator and to all you folks for keeping me encouraged enough to get er done. My buddy Craig for helping me without hesitation.

Anything you all can hear or see from the video please let me know ... I think I was too excited to catch everything.

[Jeff Kleiner]

Congrats on the milestone Carl! At about 1:50 I thought you were pulling into the grass to do some donuts and give yourself a lawn job

Happy to know that the goats approve!

Jeff

[ThickCobra]

Carl, I really enjoyed the video as I watched it during breakfast. It clearly looked liked you were enjoying yourself. I am hoping my "go car" stage is not far off. Looking forward the progress on your build.

[GoDadGo]

Congratulations! It won't be long now! Keep up the effort and you'll be cruising all over the place. Congratulations Again!

[carlewms]

Folks,

Thanks for the kind words ... and encouragement. With the summer coming up I am going to finish up the body in gel coat so that I can get it registered and licensed to enjoy the summer.

Carl

[carlewms]

First my thanks to Craig Stuard (CraigS) for doing the alignment while training me on the principles and process. Craig also provided the specialized tools needed to do the alignment.He was very patient with my many questions.

The ride height was set to 4" in front and 4 7/16" in the rear checking these measurements at all 4 corners (near the ends of the 4" tubes).

In my case with IRS we started with alignment of the rear suspension. Having the modified lower A arms with Mike Fortes' adjustable ends makes the job a whole lot easier ... without the mod you have to pull the Heim joints out to make any adjustments (of which there are many in this iterative process). This is a mod well worth the costs.

The shims installed on the rear Lower Control Arm (LCA) bolts were removed after making sure the front LCA were shimmed up. As I understand it this allowed the rear LCA to float until all the adjustments on the A arms were completed. In order to reduce the variables, Craig started with the front LCAs in one position ... the same on both sides of the car. This allowed all the adjustments to be made on the one Upper Control Arm (UCA) and the rear LCA. After several iterations the camber and toe in, both slightly negative, were completed (see table below).

The next step was the front end ... which first required getting the steering wheel aligned with the front wheels and then completing the final alignment.

Since the best way to do this is to change the steering shaft coupling to position the steering wheel on the rack splines, this involved (at least eventually) taking out the rack bolts and washers,

First we tried to see if we could adjust it by changing the rack using the Breeze eccentric bushings. There was a little adjustment but not enough. So Craig marked the position of the bushings with yellow paint for future reference. This left us no choice but to get the rack in position to remove the coupling which on up the Mk 4 is frankly a pain in the butt. Additionally we loosened the bearing at the front of the DS foot box to get a little more play in the shaft along with partially lifting the rack out of position. Craig moved the coupling position to position the steering wheel while I moved the or held the steering wheel in position as needed and inserted the collar back on the rack after getting the rack moved to roughly straighten out the tires. After several iterations these are the final results:

Steering wheel aligned:



The castor (for power steering), the camber and toe in were adjusted and then the tracking checked against the rear tires

Alignment Numbers:



We then went back and reinstalled the shims in the rear IRS LCAs.

Yesterday I reinstalled the steering rack stops to prevent the inside of the tire edge from rubbing on the F-panels. I ended up with 2 stops on both sides with one on the DS being the slightly wider version that is supplied with the Breeze power steering rack.

These photos show the stops installed before covering with larger boots:

DS



PS



Here are the resulting gaps (with the suspension at ride height):

DS



PS



The last task was painting the inner control rods where the paint was rubbed off.



Key Lessons Learned:

1. If you have not done this before ... Make sure you have someone who can show you the ropes And explain the process;
2. If at all possible don't take the vehicle to an alignment shop for the first alignment ... unless they are experienced in alignment on FFR cars. The total elapsed time for us was about 8 to 9 hours and Craig has done it many times. My guess is an inexperienced shop would charge a boatload of labor and still not get it right;
4. Get the rear IRS A arm modification from Mike Fortes;
5. Get the Breeze offset bushings;
6. Keep a log of the results of each adjustment. Craig even took photos of the camber and casto results after each adjustment; and,
7. Do all this before installing the body.

Again much thanks to Craig ...

[carlewms]

The location for the Mk 4 license plate light/holder does not provide enough room for a standard plate ... resulting in the plate covering the handle.

Photo Source: FFR Website

Jeff Kleiner came up with a great modification to change the internals and the clear plastic cover to give enough room (about 3/8") of clearance to the handle. I also modified the light to use 2 LED lights instead of the 1157 incandescent bulbs. Basically I gutted the bulb holders and their support sheet metal; fabricated a new bracket and the drilled new holes for the LEDs. Here are all the parts before reassembly.



The LEDs were angled to maximize the 120 deg light fan on the plate.



Here are the results and the parts list.









Again, thanks to Jeff and the others that paved the way for this modification.

[carlewms]

I am getting ready to start the body work and have gathered or am ordering all the materials ... or at least I think I have ... thanks to Gumball for looking over my list and recommending these items:

1. 3M Marine High Strength Repair Fiber (1qt). Is this the right stuff to use to "glue" and build up say in the mold seams if they are too deep or change the fairing for rectangular tail lights?
2. 3M Marine Premium Filler (1qt); Do I really need this if I am using Evercoat Gold or Gold Ultra?;
3. Evercoat Gold or Gold Ultra (1g) ... which one is best to use?
4. Dura-Block Sanding blocks in various shapes;
5. One Pool Noodle to use for sanding;
6. K-Block brand soft rubber sanding block;
7. Cleaner/Degreaser (1g)
8. Adhesive backed sandpaper starting with 80 grit ... but with so many choices of grits what increments should I get?
9. Norton SpeedGrip Adhesive - 5 min (220 ml)

Other question: Do I have the right quantities?

Again Thanks to Gumball for starting the process ...

Carl

[Jeff Kleiner]

I am getting ready to start the body work and have gathered or am ordering all the materials ... or at least I think I have ... thanks to Gumball for looking over my list and recommending these items:

1. 3M Marine High Strength Repair Fiber (1qt). Is this the right stuff to use to "glue" and build up say in the mold seams if they are too deep or change the fairing for rectangular tail lights?This is what you use for voids, to pack the gap between the inner and outer hood layers after cutting the scoop hole and for bonding things like side louver studs, etc. I do all of my rectangulat tail light filling with Rage
2. 3M Marine Premium Filler (1qt); Do I really need this if I am using Evercoat Gold or Gold Ultra?;I've never had a need.
3. Evercoat Gold or Gold Ultra (1g) ... which one is best to use?I use Rage Gold for filling. For a Mk4 a gallon is plenty. Miller tells me that they'll sometimes skim or "butter" over Gold with Ultra (?) or another thinner product.
4. Dura-Block Sanding blocks in various shapes;I use AFS blocks but it comes down to a personal choice. Here is a good AFS set to start with: http://www.tcpglobal.com/AFSPROKIT.h...A#.VxFI3dQrKKo
5. One Pool Noodle to use for sanding;Sure---when all is said and done you will have improvised all sorts of tools!
6. K-Block brand soft rubber sanding block;As above.
7. Cleaner/Degreaser (1g)PPG MX190 or generic equivalent for a few bucks less(My jobber gets a wax & grease remover from "Refinisher's Choice")
8. Adhesive backed sandpaper starting with 80 grit ... but with so many choices of grits what increments should I get?I use 40 to knock down parting lines and do the initial shaping of filler, then 100 and 150. 240 to 320 before Slick Sand.
9. Norton SpeedGrip Adhesive - 5 min (220 ml)Like with the Marine Premium Filler, why????

Other question: Do I have the right quantities?

Again Thanks to Gumball for starting the process ...

Carl

Good luck Carl!

Jeff

[carlewms]

Jeff,

Thanks very much for the response .. I pretty much have all on order just waiting for it to come in now.

Carl

[carlewms]

I am going to attempt putting on the body for the first time tomorrow ...

I need to determine the position for the dashboard, the height of the rear wall of the Breeze "cubby" and the cutout for the side pipes (I did not have them precut by FFR).

Do I need to have appropriate seals in place to do this?

Or perhaps a better way to ask the question ... do I need to go through the whole body fitting including the 4 bolts in the front and rear, any trimming of the sheetmetal, door installation, etc. BEFORE or can I get enough information from just putting the body on the car?

Carl

[carlewms]

Thanks to CraigS ....

Craig admiring his work ... the body has been adjusted but does not have the weatherstrip or quick jack bolts installed yet.



Carl day dreaming ....



I needed to get the body on to check the position for the cutouts for the side pipes, the amount to trim on the rear wall of the Breeze "Cubby" and to check dash position.

After getting the body on the chassis we decided to go ahead and mount the hardware for the front and rear bumpers.

Carl

[carlewms]

One of the lessons learned from the go kart tests was the throttle was way too sensitive. After some adjustments including a makeshift return spring and research, including checking the FAST EZ EFI instructions, I found a FAST part normally used to mount return springs on a throttle cable system.



Three modifications:

1. The bracket normally is attached to the DS of the throttle body with the arm facing aft to attach a throttle cable; in this case I reversed the arm so that it faces to the front to attach the return springs to the adjustable closed circle throttle bracket. This allows adjustability of the tension of the return spring system;



2. The mechanical throttle linkage is attached to the upper point on the throttle body actuator; and,

3. The 1" screws that come with the throttle body are not long enough to engage with the added thickness of the bracket so I installed 1.5" screws.

I set the initial adjustment so the inner longer spring was un-tensioned with the larger but shorter spring under slight tension. Final adjustments will be made after another test drive. Here are side and top views of the setup.

Side View



Top View



I decided to give the body a complete exterior cleaning with a degreasing cleaner just to get all the dirt and grime off the body and see how the gel coat really looked after sitting out side for nearly 3.5 years.

[carlewms]

There are several ... many multiple ... things I have learned from the go karting.

Probably the most important was having someone who has driven these cars for a while take it out for a drive or two. As a newbie builder and driver I wanted to have someone experienced behind the wheel to check it out.

Craig pointed out the throttle sensitivity and a problem with the steering still being too stiff. He also validated the braking and tracking.

Carl

[carlewms]

I chose not to have FFR cut the holes for me ...

Here are the photos from the work this weekend ...

Headlights

Headlight template centered. I used the template and the light bucket to make to verify the center and mark the two smaller holes (at 12 and 9 o'clock) and then removed it for cutting.



After the cut was made ...



With smaller holes drilled out ...



After the experience it would have probably been easier to use a rotary saw or Dremel with a cutter to cut through the fiberglass (it really was rough on my cutter having to sharpen it three times).

With the bucket ...



Front Parking/Turn Signals The rubber gasket on the light was used as a template.



After I got the holes drilled for the studs holding these lights to the body I noticed that the studs were not aligned to the tabs on the front of the lens (if that matters to you then you would have to clock these holes to the right to have the tabs line up vertically).

[carlewms]

After taking the informal poll, I decided to install the cap with the latch toward the side of the car clocked a little clockwise to allow more room for the fuel nozzle.



Although I used the template, I double checked it using the rubber gasket for the Lemans cap ....This time I used a standard hole cutter to make the cut.

I mocked up the fuel filler before drilling the holes around the perimeter to match the position.

Top Views:

:



Side View: Shows there is plenty of clearance with the top open so that it will not hit the body.



Carl

[carlewms]

I had originally planned to install rectangular lights with two LED bulbs for the tail lights. Since this would have involved body work that would have delayed things a bit, I decided to take this modification before the final paint job (some time in the future).

In this case the supplied template was very useful; The base of the lights on the body is just big enough for the lights so vertical and horizontal alignment is critical.



After first hole drilled ...



With the upper light ...





With both lights ...



In order to be able to install the 3 pin WeatherPacks on each light on the bench and still feed them through the body, additional material was removed from the horizontal edges of the hole.



Carl

[carlewms]

1. Under Trunk Storage: After installing the body I found I could not open the bifold lid I fabricated to cover this storage area. I pulled the cover off (meaning drill out a bunch of rivets), modified an existing part of the door and fabricated new covers for the rest. I will do the final install when I have the body back off;

2. Side Louver Cut Outs: They are done ... but not after a little angst in making the largest cuts on the body so far. I will post up more details later but here are the results:







3. Side Louvers: I purchased the Finish Line version which is already assembled and much stouter than the FFR version. I fabricated new brackets and validated the installation with Perforated Base Studs on to the body; and,

4. Rear Lights: The round lights have been modified to now have LED's and individual weather pack connectors. Since I gave away two of them thinking I was going to have rectangular lights ... I ordered two more from FFR.

Carl

[carlewms]

I have been wanting to get the body back off the car now that I have the first fitting done and need to do some trimming of some of the panels and install the bulb seal and weather stripping ... but 15 days of straight rain have put a damper on that idea.

So I continued where I could ...

Tail Lights: I received the additional tail lights from FFR and wired them up. I have ended up with the following plan for the dual intensity on the two lights (per side). Dual intensity meaning high = Full and low = 1/2 "elements" of the LEDs.

Brake Lights: Upper Light High Intensity
Turn Signals: Lower Light High Intensity
Parking/Running Lights: Both Lights Low Intensity
Four Way Flashers: Lower Light High Intensity





My thought process was the putting the brake lights higher is better .... Am I correct?

Turn Signal/Four Way Flasher Buzzer: When at TCC in 2014 Karl showed me a buzzer he had installed to let him know his turn signals were still on. While I am using the RT Turn Signal System which has a mechanical (actually VW) system to turn off the lights after completing the turn, I still wanted to have something that told me the signals were still on in addition to the light. Thanks to EdwardB, I was checking out http://watsons-streetworks.com for LED headlights and I found this neat buzzer system to mount on the dash (or under it) that works.





Side Pipe Heat Shields: I initially did not plan on installing these ... the originals did not have them as far as I can tell. But after go carting and several warm ups I decided better have them. There is a fellow (DrummerMike in the FFR forums) that makes a nice set of plain/simple heat shields which could be coated creamily and will "blend in" with the side pipes ...



So I have plenty to do this weekend ...

Carl

[Jeff Kleiner]

Brake Lights: Upper Light High Intensity
Turn Signals: Lower Light High Intensity
Parking/Running Lights: Both Lights Low Intensity
Four Way Flashers: Lower Light High Intensity

That's how I do them if I don't incorporate a brake light/turn signal logic module. Let us know how the LEDs work out for you visibility wise; I installed a customer provided set on a car I built and was not impressed (in fact when the owner saw them he agreed and I switched them back to incandescent bulbs).

Have a good weekend Carl!

Jeff

[carlewms]

Jeff,

Thanks for the quick feedback ...

After I get everything installed I am going to do a test with the LEDs and the incandescent in full daylight, dusk and night to see how they compare.

When I tested them on the bench (which is not really under operating conditions) they appeared a little brighter ... so we will see.

Carl

[carlewms]

Here is a video of the buzzer/light in action using a 12v battery .. in other words not on the car yet ....



I don't know if I will be able to hear the beeping sound but the light flashing would be pretty visible.

Carl

[DaleG]

Great idea re the turn signal alarm; I'm sure you will be able to hear it. The list just keeps getting longer for the next build.

[CraigS]

Carl, you will miss all the fun of trying to figure out how long you left the T/S on and how many other drivers you may have pissed off.

[Gumball]

Carl,

Good to see your progress - lots of great work there!

[carlewms]

After cleaning the body numerous times I started taking down the mold seams ...

As background the body has been outside through three winters and summers ... so it has had plenty of time to "cure".

After reading Jeff and Chris body works threads (thank you very much) I finally built up the courage to put the grinder/sander to the body ....

Here are the results so far ...

PS just above the headlight looking to the rear:





Front Cowl looking to the DS:



Front Cowl PS:



Last but not least is an computer enhanced shot to maximize the detail ...



Am I on the right track?

[carlewms]

I have almost finished knocking down the mold seams (correction parting lines) ....maybe. By the end of the day I should have the remain PS rear quarter parting done but I am wondering if I am not going deep enough.

Here is a closeup example showing what I think are the voids and pin holes ....



Sure seems (no pun intended) like a lot of em ...

Question: Do i now have to take a Dremel clean these out or will the filler take care of it?

[edwardb]

The issue with the parting lines other than the occasional voids and pin holes (which fill pretty easily) is gel coat. Earlier Mk's as the mold pieces got worn allowed gel coat down into the parting lines, and it needed to be ground out. I don't believe that's been nearly a problem with the Mk4. I had little/none in #7750. Haven't started grinding on the new one yet, but looks about the same as #7750 when I received it. After you've ground them flat, a common test is to shine a bright light from underneath and you can see if there is any gel coat remaining in the parting line. Just based on the pictures, yours look pretty decent. I'm not sure more grinding is required, but put on a light on them and see what you see. Don't grind out unnecessarily, as IMO some do. Hopefully others with more experience than me (j.miller, Jeff K.) can agree/disagree or add more detail.

[Jeff Kleiner]

You're fine. Like I told ya' in another thread or forum don't be afraid to get after it---you aren't going to hurt it any! Fair it out a couple of inches or so from the parting lines (remember, they are not seams).

Jeff

[Carlos C]

Carl:

Just make sure that you've knocked down all the jagged edges and the parted lines are as fairly flat, apply low pressure air in the crevices in order to get rid of any contaminants and ground fiberglass particles, clean areas with acetone, and then get after it with filler. Have fun with filling, sanding, filling, sanding, filling, sanding......

Carlos

[carlewms]

Thanks everyone for the feedback ...

I just went out and tried the light trick on the parting lines and it's pretty cool to see what shows up ... I just did part of the lines and so far have only found a couple of spots on the DS front fender where in meets with the line going across the nose that might be suspect ...meaning there looks like a spot just below the surface.

Again you guys are great .... this new phase (completely new to me) is turning out to be fun ...

Carl

[carlewms]

After getting the holes completed for the lights, etc. the next thing was dealing with the infamous FFR parting lines (i incorrectly used the terms seams in previous posts). in the latest version, the Mk 4, the parting lines for the molds are much less of a problem than on the previous versions.

While I did have some voids and plenty of pin holes, I did not have the gel coated filled versions or any uncured gelcoat or resin in the parting lines ... so it is a little easier to "fix" and you do not have to dig out the seams as much.

Since I do not have an air compressor capable of operating a grinding tool or a DA sander, I used my Festool 6" inch electrical DA sander with 60 grit paper to initially knock down the lines.



Using a trick from the guys that have prepared (Kliener, Da Bat and Edward B ... Chris) painted many of these bodies ... i used a light on the underside of the body to check for voids under or inside the fiberglass. I only found a few which I took care of with the Dremel tool.



I then took a Dremel tool with a small grinding bit and opened up some of the pin holes and voids to make sure that the Rage Gold would flow into them easily .... and to make sure that any loose stuff was out of the voids/holes.



Next step ... Rage Gold

[carlewms]

This next step as was the first was totally new territory for me ....

Here are the tools and materials used ...



Not shown: A roll of shop towels and all the sanding tools ...

Before applying the filler material I completely cleaned the parting line area with the Eastwood Pre Painting Preparation and used paper towels to clean it off remembering not to use the same face of the towel more than once to make sure not to spread any contamination.

Rage Gold is a two part filler ... the base material and the blue hardening agent. The first batch I mixed cooked off so fast I could not even use it ...



You really have to adjust the amount of harder depending on the local conditions ... meaning in this case I had way too much hardening agent. If you try to apply it when is getting too hard ... it will not spread:



When I got the mixture right ...



After sanding first with the DA sander then blocks ...



Yesterday's total work ...



I obviously still have some spots to work on ... and the parting lines on the rear part of the car to do ...

Carl

[DaleG]

You're braver than I am.

[carlewms]

You're braver than I am.

Dale it is probably more likely I am "stupid" or just ignorant of the dangers. I did not originally plan to do the body work but the money is tight to finish so I must put some more sweat equity into the deal...

Carl

[carlewms]

Over the last three days between working on the driveway and other to do list items I managed to continue my therapy sessions in Olde Goat Garage on the body of the cobra ...

I figure I have put in about 16 hours so far with about 2 hours left on the parting lines. Although messy I sure am having fun in this phase ... I am glad now that the budget kind of forced the situation.

With the heat and humidity getting the right ratio of hardener to Rage Gold has been a bit of a crap shoot ... sometimes i have had too much hardener and it cooks off very quickly; the optimal seems to be much less hardener than the recommended ratio.

The You Tube videos as well as the help from the forum is very helpful ... although I am not using their filler the Eastwood series of videos by Kevin Tetz are very instructional showing the specific techniques he uses to apply and sand a filler. These led to using less filler and less hardener and more shaping of the filler before it cooked off.

Here are some photos of work in progress:

The PS Rear Quarter ...



Looking down the PS side front fender ... the areas circled in black sharpie need additional attention...



Starting to shape the outside lip of the fuel filler area of the body ... the parting line runs right along the outside edge which requires rebuilding some of the lip...



From the top of the fuel filler area ...



Almost finished ...





The tools of the trade ...



Carl