Eaton's Mk4 #9130 Oregon Build- First Year of Street legal driving

[Mark Eaton]

Thanks for the pics and details on the engine mounts with the Dart block. I've got the same block, and I'm glad I saw your write-up.

Build looks great!

You bet, I'm glad it was helpful.

[Mark Eaton]

I had purchased the Energy Suspension tie rod and UCA Dust boots on Amazon, part numbers 9.13101G and 5.13102G. They were only like $14 and I wasn't sure I would put them on. It seemed like a lot of extra work but I figure its easier now than later. I was glad I got them because when I went to inspect the FFR boots I noticed the left UCA boot was cracked in one spot and actually had a hole in another.

Here is the crack



and the hole/tear



Here are the new boots from Energy Suspension. sorry about the quality of these photos.



The LCA boots looked good. I'm not sure why this happened but I'm guessing its because the front suspension had been "hanging" for a couple of months because I was waiting on my coil springs? It looked like maybe they got pinched against the spindle assembly in that position.

Just before I wrapped up for the evening I over tightened the locknut on the pivot shaft of my left UCA. The gasket ruptured. I can't believe I dd that Really?! did I really do that??? UGHHH!!!!

[TexasAviator]

I understand your frustration. I feel like I move fwd and then have to go back and redo something else.

[Mark Eaton]

I mocked up the fuel tank and went to install it.



Hard to see in the photo but one of cross bars is blocking the tank from coming all the way up.



I realized when I first measured I hadn't bent down the sides of the tank Hmm. No worries, here is where I am with the fix.






I'm learning to be more proactive about reading ahead in the manual. And, I know, I need to make sure there will be no issues with the rear wiring harness...

I'm planning to PM robertjamesellis of this issue before he tries this mod.

[robertjamesellis]

No PM needed. I've been keeping up with your thread. Thanks for the heads up on this. My tank is on order from Breeze and when It gets hear I'm going to tackle the trunk modification. I'll take note of this. Thanks for making the sacrifice for me and finding those hiccups before I do!

[Straversi]

Don’t beat yourself up. I have a decent sized scrap pile of brackets and braces made and re-made. It’s all part of the education. Gotta enjoy the process.
-Steve

[Mark Eaton]

Theoretically the differential fluid status of the IRS from FFR should be pretty simple, however, Jazzman and Edwardb both drained theirs and had to refill with new fluid. It hasn't been completely clear to me where the drain hole and fill holes are. I took an educated guess and opened what I think is the "fill" hole and used a pipet (just like in High school chemistry) to check for fluid. Sure enough, clear yellow clean rear diff fluid!

The red arrow is the fill hole where I put the pipet and I assume the yellow arrow is the drain hole.



I think I just saved myself $50 in differential fluid. Ask me how I know!

Maybe that will pay for that pivot shaft bushing that I blew out over the weekend...

[Mark Eaton]

I took out my steering shaft and installed two set screws to keep it from wobbling. They are 1/4"-20.



I have a Holley Sniper EFI with my DART 347 and it came with an "inline" fuel pump. I made a bracket to mount it on.



I mounted it just behind the differential. Holley website says to get it as low as the lowest part of the fuel tank and as close to the tank as possible. Couldn't find a lot of threads demonstrating this, it seems that most people use the "in tank" pumps. I figure I'll go with it, at least until I run over a skunk or raccoon and it gets yanked off...



Finally, started working on my rear Wilwood brake install. Got the hats and rotors put together using red locktite and my inch/lb torque wrench! Used my $10 Harbor freight safety wire twisting pliers ( which work great! ) to apply the twisting wire.



Incidentally, for any new builders like myself, Wilwood brakes are great but be careful because they paint (powder coat?) right over the bolt or nut threads. This makes it difficult the first time you install them to thread the bolts/nuts, its easy to cross thread them which can be a very expensive mistake (Ask me how I know !). I read one forum member who was a helicopter mechanic recommending you should always tap or die important threads. Tap and die sets range from like $30 on Amazon to hundreds of dollars. I started with the Amazon $30 set, after I broke two taps I went to Harbor Freight and got their upgraded $85 Titanium sets, both metric and SAE, and have been very happy with them. I also use Tap Magic cutting fluid.

[GoDadGo]

Looks Like You Are Rolling Right Along!

[Mark Eaton]

I got the rear Wilwood brakes installed. It went smoothly.




I do have a question . I used thread sealer where the White arrow is and did not on the Blue arrows. Should I?



I struggled with the E brake all weekend. Had multiple little frustrating issues. I'm hoping to finish it this weekend before the Super Bowl. The good news is that it will be a solid functioning weather proof install.

[Mark Eaton]

My 14 yo helped me this weekend in prepping and painting a bunch of panels.



He prepped and painted them all while I was wrestling with my E Brakes and rear brakes. I was really proud of him. It was a lot of work. Here is the paint he used.



The result: My panels look like they have been painted by a 14 yo boy . And I'm just fine with that!!

If I didn't have kids this age I would just have the whole lot powder coated for about the same price.

As promised for his effort I gave him his first lesson in MIG welding.



Not bad for his first weld!!



It was a good weekend

[edwardb]

I do have a question. I used thread sealer where the White arrow is and did not on the Blue arrows. Should I?

Correct. Yes sealant on the 1/8-27 NPT fitting where it goes into the caliper. The taper on NPT threads along with a sealant material allows them to form a seal. I use Permatex or Loctite sealant from a local parts store.

No sealant on the -3AN fittings on the flex hose. AN fittings seal via a metal-to-metal tapered seat. You didn't ask, but seems many do. Also no sealant on the double flared brake lines once you start doing those. They also seal via a metal-to-metal tapered seat. When doing those, a little lubricant on the double flare and tube nut threads is a good idea. You need to crank those down pretty good, and lube helps them seat properly. I use a touch of brake fluid.

[Mark Eaton]

Thank you edwardb

[Yama-Bro]

Trading paint for a welding lesson is a pretty good deal for both of you.

[Mark Eaton]

I got the E-brake finished, edwardb/carlewms style.



I didn't use the pulley from McMasters. I was at our local Farmers supply store and found these pulleys rated at 480lbs each and weather coated! Bonus!



I then removed the E-brake to put in the PS foot box and floor.





Rather than leaving them finger tight with clecos I went crazy and used Silicone and rivets.

I also replaced my ruptured UCA pivot bracket gaskets with new ones from Summit. Interestingly, the Gaskets by themselves were $20 but they also sell the pivot bracket with the gasket already in it for $25.





Finally, I got some work done on the pedal box.

[Mark Eaton]

Spent the weekend working on more cockpit panels. I am not riveting anything else at this point, just drilling and using clecos.

I also adjusted the rebound on all of the shocks. Two of them were on the lowest setting (J Kleiner's recommendation), one was set at mid resistance and one was on full resistance. So, I was glad I did it, they are all the same and at lowest setting or softest now. I didn't have to remove the rear shocks to do it, I just unbolted the upper attachment site. On the front shocks I found it easier to remove them. I went ahead and shortened my front swayer bushings and I think they look better now. Other than alignment, hopefully I won't have to mess with my front suspension any more.

[shark92651]

Hey Mark. I'm new to the forum and skimmed over your thread so I apologize if you mentioned this already. I notice the rivets on the front of your footbox are different than the rivets inside your cockpit. Are you using something other than the FFR supplied rivets in certain areas? If so, why?

Thanks,
David

[Mark Eaton]

David, Those are Ultimate rivets from Summit Racing SUM-ABS4246LURR2 . They are 1/8" rivets I bought because they are black. I thought about painting the panels black and then changed my mind. I felt like trying them on those panels anyway and i like the way they look. However I plan to put Lizard skin over the whole thing so it won't really matter.

cheers,
Mark

[shark92651]

David, Those are Ultimate rivets from Summit Racing SUM-ABS4246LURR2 . They are 1/8" rivets I bought because they are black. I thought about painting the panels black and then changed my mind. I felt like trying them on those panels anyway and i like the way they look. However I plan to put Lizard skin over the whole thing so it won't really matter.

cheers,
Mark

Ok thanks, I just wasn't sure if you wanted rivets with larger heads of something. If the rivets that ship with the kit are good enough then I'll just stick to those.

[Mark Eaton]

Last weekend a buddy helped me drop the engine in again. I was going to do it with my 14yo boy only but I was glad I didn't. The adult hand was helpful, we got it in in 2hr 20min this time.



She's still a bit high in the Fame mounts but definitely more comfortable with the "adjusted" engine mounts.



Some initial mock up of heater, wiper, subwoofer location...



That's a RPC 52oz overflow tank I got from JEGS, I really like these FFR radiator hoses

[Mark Eaton]

My son Tom showing one possible location of the ABS module

[Mark Eaton]

I used the fancy iPhone app from Tremec that Sbhunter talked about to set my pinion angle today. It worked great! Here is the photo of the app before the spacers and then after with the corrected pinion angle.





It was easy to use. Here's the "eyeball" pinion angle.



Here are the spacers. I made them myself, obviously.

[Mark Eaton]

I switched the shift turret on my tko 600 from the most aft position to the next forward. Finally a mod that doesn't cost anything and didn't take forever. I was thinking about a mid shift conversion but it turns out that this put the shifter in a comfortable position for me.

here is before and after.

[sbhunter]

He,y the TREMEC app didn’t cost anything either. I guess it’s not actually a mod though. I was surprised how well it worked and how easy it was to use. Car is looking great!!

[Mark Eaton]

It's a little premature but I couldn't help but toss on the wheels, cats, and side pipes, lower her down and check the ride height. 4-1/2" in front and 5-1/8" in rear, also about 1/16" lower on the DS. Over all I'm surprised at how good that is given I put on the coil over shock assembly with no experience (finger tight ). Of course I will tweek the heck out of these later on. I was going to do my first alignment but I am waiting on my turn plates from Longacre.





I also re-routed my rear brake flex lines so they would be easier to access when the build is complete.





Next up I will put on the body for a fitting. Looking for any advice on that, I know Martin recently put his on. I will read his thread for the advice.

[shark92651]

Looking good Mark! It's really looking like a car now.

[edwardb]

I also re-routed my rear brake flex lines so they would be easier to access when the build is complete...

I'm not sure it's good practice to route the brake flex line through the suspension like that. Close to the UCA, CV axle and coilover. In an earlier picture you had the flex line attachment behind the suspension. That keeps it clear of everything and is the better choice IMO. Maybe some others have feedback. I wouldn't normally say anything regarding personal preferences. But this seems like a safety issue to me.

[Mark Eaton]

Thanks for the input Paul, I thought about that but it looks like it clears them pretty well. I'll try to take some more photos this week to illustrate. Further, unless I'm mistaken that is the second option listed for flexible flexible brake line mounts with IRS on the October 2017 version build manual, page 205. They ran it over the UCA, I ran it under because it looked like there was more room.

[Jazzman]

Some initial mock up of heater, wiper, subwoofer location...

I can't wait to see/hear/feel that subwoofer! Yes, it's crazy, but it's fun! May I suggest a minor modification of location? In order to keep the speaker as far away from the heat of the engine and exhaust system as possible, as well as attempt to avoid it being damaged by rocks and water while driving, would you want to mount the subwoofer in the top of the PS footbox inboard of the frame rail facing downward? You could then encase the subwoofer in a sealed box on top of the footbox. Just a thought.

Your car is coming along great! We are all enjoying building your car vicariously. Thanks for posting!!

[Mark Eaton]

I can't wait to see/hear/feel that subwoofer! Yes, it's crazy, but it's fun! May I suggest a minor modification of location? In order to keep the speaker as far away from the heat of the engine and exhaust system as possible, as well as attempt to avoid it being damaged by rocks and water while driving, would you want to mount the subwoofer in the top of the PS footbox inboard of the frame rail facing downward? You could then encase the subwoofer in a sealed box on top of the footbox. Just a thought.

Your car is coming along great! We are all enjoying building your car vicariously. Thanks for posting!!

Thats a great idea on the subwoofer. I'm actually thinking about putting a powered subwoofer in the trunk with a "inlet" into the cockpit and maybe putting 6 x 9" speakers in the PS and DS foot-box and 3" midrange in the door panels and maybe 1" tweeters in the dash or nearby... Music is a BIG deal to me and I need to overcome the 80-100dB of engine and road noise. I don't care what the neighbors think.

[BTHWarrior]

My son Tom showing one possible location of the ABS module

That is the location I used for my ABS controller Unit. I had to make a bracket from angle iron to bolt the factory bracket to.

[Mark Eaton]

Here is a photo of location option #2 for rear brake flex line from the digital manual, Oct 2017 version.



I believe this is the same view of the way I did it.



It looks like I place it about two inches lower and on the fore side of the square tube than in the manual. That wasn't my intent. The question is should I move it to the same position as in the manual?? The routing looked better below the UCA which does bring it closer to the CV axle. I think it clears the coil over pretty well. Any opinions?

[Mark Eaton]

I don't know how this looks to you guys but it looks DAMN good to me!







Was planning to rivet the CNC reservoir bracket I made to the inside of the frame here. Its a little tight but there seems to be room. I think I got the idea from a photo Dave Hodgkins posted.





Oh, and is there a dog seat belt mod?

[broku518]

Nice and low, dang, Mark, that car looks shiny! Great progress, ended up trimming anything?

Martin

[Mark Eaton]

Thanks Martin, I only ground out the roll bar holes a little bit. Haven't had a chance to read much about the body fitting or trimming yet. But I needed to get some general measurements for other things, like the CNC reservoirs, radiator hose, my ABS brake module, stereo and speakers. Stuff like that.

[wareaglescott]

Looking good! I like the blacked out roll bars. Are you doing the pipes and any other parts to match?

[Mark Eaton]

Thanks Scott,
Yes I'm currently planning on black side pipes and louvers and quick jacks. I also like the idea of black windshield trim but I'm not sure that would be worth the effort and of course would need to black the headlight trim as well. Maybe thats a complete blackout??

[cgundermann]

Trucking along and looking sweet!

Chris

[Joe Campbell]

Great thread, and not too far away. Was just looking for clarification on the motor mount notches needed for the Dart blocks for my upgrade project.

[Mark Eaton]

Trucking along and looking sweet!

Chris

Thanks Chris