Mike in Texas FFR Roadster Build - The finish line is in sight!

[OB6]

Way to go Mike!

[460.465USMC]

They sit low indeed. Just wait until you go-kart. I still can't get over how low these sit.

[Mike.Bray]

My goal for today (Saturday) was to get the engine and transmission dropped in. I don't work on Fridays so I spent the day getting everything prepped and ready to go which didn't take as long as I thought it would. I got the car positioned, the engine/tranny assembled, and got it raised on the hoist. About 4 PM my wife finished work and came downstairs to see what I was doing. When she saw everything was staged and ready to go she said "Why wait until tomorrow, let's do it now!" She's a real peach.

It was just the two of us but I felt we could do it with a little planning.







Once we started we had it in place in about an hour so I didn't think that was too bad. It's almost exactly 3 months from kit delivery so making decent progress.

Of course I'm biased but I like how it looks.

[F500guy]

That looks amazing! quick work you have made of this and it is a quality job all around!

[Chopper]

That engine is a thing of beauty. Congrats!

[Chainsaw]

That is a good lookin' engine. Big milestone.

[Tim B]

Only 3 months since kit delivery...WOW! Can't wait to see the rest of your build, very impressive!

[Yama-Bro]

You are building way faster than me. LOL. Engine looks amazing! nice work!

[Mike.Bray]

You are building way faster than me. LOL. Engine looks amazing! nice work!

Thanks for that. As I was typing that I was surprised it had only been 3 months. It's been so hot here in Texas this year and since I'm older than dirt I haven't really been able to put in the hours like I would have in the past. I think what helped keep me moving along is I had a lot of prep work done like the engine built and rear end ready, my POL list was not bad at all, and I know enough about building cars that I can skip around instead of strictly following the manual. I'm really hoping in a couple of months to have it ready to ship off to Ken Pike for paint.

[OB6]

You are building way faster than me. LOL. Engine looks amazing! nice work!

The pictures really don't do it justice. I've seen Mike's work in-person a few times, and it's meticulous.

[egchewy79]

you're working too fast. before you know it, you'll be needing another project

[Mike.Bray]

you're working too fast. before you know it, you'll be needing another project

I do like the GTM Supercar from FFR.......

[Mike.Bray]

Been a couple of weeks, nothing major to report like dropping the engine in. Just been chipping away at a bunch of little things.

Fuel supply and return lines connected from chassis to the engine.

All ECU and electrical connections made to the engine.

Transmission A-frame installed and TKX secured.

Transmission filled with fluid (was terrified I was going to forget).

Pinion angle set and driveshaft installed.

Hydraulic line run to clutch and bled. Clutch pedal has a very nice feel, moving up to the 13/16" bore MC was the right thing to do.

After a very firm brake pedal I noticed a few days later I could feel a couple of air bubbles in the system. Looking I found a very small drip from the left rear caliper coming from the flex hose connection. I snugged it up but the next day it was back. Ended up replacing the AN adapter and Wilwood flex hose to that caliper. I'm not nearly as impressed with Wilwood as I used to be.



Took care of the final install of the dash, RT turn signal, steering wheel, and courtesy lights for my wife.





I went with a Flex-A-Lite fan in place of the jet engine fan FFR supplies. I'm paying big money for these nice sidepipes, I want to be able to hear them. I installed it with the breeze fan shroud, a nice piece IMO. https://www.summitracing.com/parts/FLX-105390

[Mike.Bray]

Chipping away part II Evidently there's a limit on the number of images allowed in a post.

Radiator installation. Went with the Breeze top and bottom mounts, lower hose kit, and lower hose support. The upper hose kit is from Boig.









Installed the headers.

[Mike.Bray]

Chipping away part III

Power steering. Used a nice little Holley remote reservoir https://www.summitracing.com/parts/HLY-198-212 and ran the lines.





Installed the RT throttle pedal and connected the cable which was a fun exercise.





I think next I'll install the sidepipes and start saving up for some gas to start the engine.

[Mike.Bray]

Continuing on with wrapping things up in preparation for engine start and go kart. System is filled with coolant, power steering reservoir is filled, TKX is filled, Rear end is filled, and finally saved up enough to buy some premium gas.

The side pipes were hung on the Cobra with care.



Rigged up a test station to run the in-tank fuel pump to check for leaks and confirm fuel pressure. Had one small leak but was easily fixed.



Confirmed fuel pressure at the manifold.



Did a small correction in the fuel pressure table in the ECU so that the systems "sees" the actual pressure.



And finally installed the Breeze trunk prop rod and buttoned up the trunk.



Maybe tomorrow we'll see if it will start again.

[Chopper]

Mike - great progress. Very clean and methodical.

Just a note, gas will melt that red plastic cup on your filler neck pretty much instantly. Ask me how I know...

[Mike.Bray]

Mike - great progress. Very clean and methodical.

Just a note, gas will melt that red plastic cup on your filler neck pretty much instantly. Ask me how I know...

Same way I know? LOL

[Mike.Bray]

Had a setback. Just about to the point of cranking the engine and going for a go kart when I noticed a couple of drops of coolant under the car. Not so bad until I realized it's coming out of the back of the engine. This block has screw in core plugs and I can see a couple of others seeping also. As they were already installed when I got the block I never thought to check them. Obviously there's no sealant on the threads. Fortunately as most of you know the engine isn't all that difficult to get out of one of these cars. Just bummed though about going backwards.


Definitely one or both of these are seeping.

[mtackett73]

Frisco here... Mk3

[BRRT]

Had a setback. Just about to the point of cranking the engine and going for a go kart when I noticed a couple of drops of coolant under the car. Not so bad until I realized it's coming out of the back of the engine. This block has screw in core plugs and I can see a couple of others seeping also. As they were already installed when I got the block I never thought to check them. Obviously there's no sealant on the threads. Fortunately as most of you know the engine isn't all that difficult to get out of one of these cars. Just bummed though about going backwards.


Definitely one or both of these are seeping.

Ugh. That's disappointing.....

------------------------------
Jeff

[Mike.Bray]

Pulled the engine out yesterday to have a look at the seeping core plugs. My helper (wife) was busy so ended up doing it by myself but wasn't too bad.



All of the O-Rings on the core plugs looked like this.



The plugs were tight. I suspect the problem came from the machinist not removing the plugs when he hot tanked the block (twice). Anyway it is what it is, new O-Rings are installed, lubed, and the core plugs reinstalled in the block. I filled the engine with coolant and let it set overnight and so far no seepage. Hopefully problem solved.

Today the goal is to get the engine/clutch/transmission put back together and drop it back into the car.

[egchewy79]

Pulled the engine out yesterday to have a look at the seeping core plugs. My helper (wife) was busy so ended up doing it by myself but wasn't too bad.



All of the O-Rings on the core plugs looked like this.



The plugs were tight. I suspect the problem came from the machinist not removing the plugs when he hot tanked the block (twice). Anyway it is what it is, new O-Rings are installed, lubed, and the core plugs reinstalled in the block. I filled the engine with coolant and let it set overnight and so far no seepage. Hopefully problem solved.

Today the goal is to get the engine/clutch/transmission put back together and drop it back into the car.

I was able to get to mine w/o pulling the engine. I actually didn't recognize that these were needed until I started filling my cooling system and heard a bunch of antifreeze hitting the ground. I thought they were ground points, and actually tried putting my ground strap to one of these holes, but couldn't find the right sized bolt to fit (I think they're NPT sizes).

[Mike.Bray]

I was able to get to mine w/o pulling the engine. I actually didn't recognize that these were needed until I started filling my cooling system and heard a bunch of antifreeze hitting the ground. I thought they were ground points, and actually tried putting my ground strap to one of these holes, but couldn't find the right sized bolt to fit (I think they're NPT sizes).

There's two kinds of screw in core plugs, NPT tapered pipe thread and straight thread w/O-Ring. Ford NPT plugs are 1 1/4" NPT https://www.summitracing.com/parts/f...BoCOW0QAvD_BwE

The other plugs are 1 5/16" straight threads (AN -16) and use an O-Ring for sealing like these: https://www.holley.com/products/plum...ts/AT981316ERL

There are two in the rear of the block that I couldn't get to without pulling the engine

[Mike.Bray]

I feel I should pass on some learning from my last adventure with the engine.

The first time I installed the engine/transmission I knew I needed a leveler so I bought this one from Northern Tool. It had good reviews and I certainly trust Northern Tool over HF. https://www.northerntool.com/shop/to...0936_200640936

It turned out to be a real bear to use, mostly due to the extreme angle required to get the transmission into the tunnel and the oil pan to clear the top radiator support bar. With weight on it and the angle required it was very difficult to adjust and the handle interfered with the chains. I spent more time fooling with the leveler than actually installing the engine.

When I needed to remove the engine to replace the core plugs I did a little research and settled on this one. https://www.summitracing.com/parts/WMR-W41036

A little more expensive than the Northern Tool one but not too bad. The difference was night and day! The threaded rod is a more conventional thread and it turns with easy when loaded, even by hand. The handle can be removed and a socked used on the hex that's on the end of the adjusting rod. I used a speedhandle with a socket for adjusting although you could also use a cordless drill. With it I was able to remove the engine/transmission and later reinstall it alone.

If anyone is interested in the old one trash day is Wednesday.

[Derald Rice]

I have found out that if the handle on a load leveler is removed and then replaced with a double nut.... Ideally on both ends of the screw shaft.....Then.....

The leveler can be manipulated very easy with a rachet or an impact wrench without having your
knuckles or the chains being in the way. even if the angle is extreme.

I have used a HF leveler for 20 years with no issue, but some models of levelers the handle cannot be removed.

[JohnK]

A good leveler is worth its weight in gold and a bad one is just an exercise in frustration. The HF leveler I bought was used exactly once, caused immense heartache, and went straight into the recycling bin.

[Mike.Bray]

Been kind of busy the past few days but this morning got a chance to get back into the garage and try to start the engine. To my huge surprise it started! Oil pressure is good, all of the EFI parameters are acceptable for now, nothing running on the floor (yet), so far so good. Tach is reading wrong but I know what I did. No water temp reading so have to troubleshoot that.

[Papa]

Congratulations, Mike! On the water temp, the gauge won't register until the water temp comes up a bit. Low temp on the gauge is 60 degrees C (140 degrees F). Depending on the location of the sensor, the T-stat may have to open before you get a reading.

[John Ibele]

Way to go Mike, great to see particularly after your setback with the plugs. And quick recovery, by the way.

[Mike.Bray]

Congratulations, Mike! On the water temp, the gauge won't register until the water temp comes up a bit. Low temp on the gauge is 60 degrees C (140 degrees F). Depending on the location of the sensor, the T-stat may have to open before you get a reading.

Awww, now I see the C on the gauge! Duh. I probably only got to about 140F so probably good. The sensor is right next to the sensor for the ECU and it's got a good reading.

Thanks!

[Mike.Bray]

Had a minor wiring issue, the switched 12V to the MSD box was coming from an accessory circuit making it difficult to start. Moved it over to the EFI/Coil circuit and all good now. Spent yesterday tuning the engine a little, got the throttle bodies close to balanced and the timing in the ballpark. She's running a lot smoother now with a nice throaty sound.

[Mike.Bray]

Had an interesting problem with the tach, it didn't look like it was working. I noticed at rest the needle wasn't on "0" but I didn't really pay much attention to it while it I revved the engine.



Turns out the stops for the needle can be adjusted and for some reason they were off on my tach. The chrome bezel unscrews and the lens can be removed. From there just move the needle to move the stops. Took less than 5 minutes and all is good now.

Here's a video on changing the needle but the process is similar.

[Mike.Bray]

Started running the engine more, set the timing, and tuning the ECU. I noticed the engine temperature was acting strange, like it had a steam pocket trapped or something. I added some more coolant and thought this is too much, better stop and check some things before running it anymore. Pulled the dipstick and spotted some coolant in the oil. UGH!

Pulled the intake and saw coolant in the lifter valley. Flipped the intake upside down and immediately say the issue, wrong intake gaskets! When I ordered the Stack system from Borla I asked for a recommendation for the intake gasket and they gave me Fel-Pro number so that's what I used. Aww, but the Borla intake is not like a standard Ford intake and I never noticed.



It's a little hard to see but the design of the Borla intake with standard gaskets creates a path for coolant to get to the lifter valley.

Got the correct (and special) Roush Racing gaskets, much better.



Drained the old oil/coolant and cleaned as much of the lifter valley and valvetrain area as I could. Put some standard oil in and used my oil pump primer to circulate . Drained and cleaned everything good and started reassembling.

Actually removing and reinstalling the intake wasn't that big of a job, it helps that all of the electrical is on plugs and the fuel lines are AN fittings. Reinstalled the distributor (had everything marked) and filled with fresh Comp Cams break in oil. It cranked right up and the timing was spot on. Oil pressure is good so topped off the coolant and the engine temperature is now acting normal. Whew!

While I was having fun I decided to redo the throttle cable as I wasn't happy with it. The Borla (and Ingeles) stack EFI system are things of beauty but are certainly not designed for ease of service. The fuel rails are mounted on the inside of the throttle bodies so accessing the wiring, IAC, MAP sensor, or linkage is damn near impossible. To get the new throttle cable threaded into the fitting in the linkage I ended up removing one side of throttle bodies.



When I reinstalled the throttle bodies I managed to nick one of the O-rings in the fuel rail block.



Fuel spraying out at 43 PSI is very exciting! LOL

Fortunately it's a standard O-ring so I was able to replace it easily and get back to running and tuning. With just the small amount of tuning and balancing I've done so far it's starting to sound really good.

[Railroad]

Great job on the repair. Better now than later, the Fel Pro papers would have let you down without the mismatch opening.

[Mike.Bray]

Now that everything is back together, the coolant is staying away from the oil, and the fuel rails aren't spraying all over the garage it was time to do a little more tuning in preparation for go kart. After a few minutes of running/tuning I noticed some fresh oil from the back of the engine on the floor sending me into a full blown panic. Rear main? Cam plug? Oil pan? I was extremely meticulous building this engine so I was having trouble trying to figure out where it was coming from. I got underneath the car with the engine running and with the most powerful flashlight I have to have a look and was able to spot it. A clear case of dummy on my part. I only had the valve covers sitting on the heads as I wanted to run the valves again. Oil was coming out from the valve covers and running down the back of the block. Not a lot but enough to scare the crap out of me. At least it was an easy fix lol

The tuning is to a point it's ready to go for a drive. I really like this Fast Sportsman ECU, stack EFI can be temperamental but it dialed right in. Just need to button a couple of things up and go kart time!

[Mike.Bray]

Had a little bit of time this afternoon and it was a nice day here in Texas so went out to the garage. I could still feel a tiny bit of air in the brakes so had another go at bleeding them. I'm pressure bleeding at 15 PSI and the last time only a couple of very small bubbles came out. This time I let quite a bit of fluid bleed out (almost drained the reservoir) and at last about a dozen air bubbles came out of the RF caliper. That was it, now I've got a nice firm pedal.



I think I've done all I need to do for now with it on the stands, time to put it on the ground for the first time. After months of working on it in the air it sure does seem low LOL





A view of my engine from a different angle lol I love my stack injection!



Tomorrow I'll dig out my turn plates and try to do a proper alignment on the front end.

[Mike.Bray]

I wanted to get the front end aligned somewhat close before going out for a drive. After a few runs around the block she should be settled some and I can dial it in closer.





If it doesn't rain in the next couple of days it's time to go. Wish me luck!

[Scott L]

Really nice job Mike! I go carted ten years ago and still remember it as a personal high point. Good Luck.

[Ted G]

Looks amazing my friend! Can't wait to see it move! I thought I was moving fast.... WOW!

Ted