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Thread: Al C's MK4 Coyote Build

  1. #81
    On a roll Al_C's Avatar
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    If I hadn't taken this path I would always wonder "what if..." . It's a learning experience that's worth every minute!
    Mk IV Roadster - #8650 - delivered 7-17-2015 - first start 7-28-2018 - first go-kart 10-13-2018 - licensed and on the road 9-9-19: body/paint completed 3-17-2020.
    Complete kit / 2015 Coyote / TKO600 / IRS / Wilwood brakes / Mid-Shift mod / Power Steering / Heater and Seat Heaters / RT turn signal / Breeze radiator shroud and mount

  2. #82
    On a roll Al_C's Avatar
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    I like this time of year. There is less going on so I get to spend more time working on the car. You’ll recall from a recent update that I needed to move the expansion tank and power steering reservoir and I fabricated some new brackets. I more or less finished that little job this past weekend.

    I had done the cutting and drilling on the brackets a few weeks ago, but hadn’t dealt with the frame. Initially, I drilled 3/16 pilot holes, in the hopes that rivets would suffice. My local “advisors” said, nope, drill and tap them. Easier said than done. But, now I have a new skill! If there had been no engine in the way, this would have been a piece of cake. If I had (hmmm – maybe I should get one of these!) a 90 degree drill, it would have been easier (or at least straighter). But, I got through it. Everything would have lined up perfectly if I had drilled everything in place, but the “in place” drilling was the pilot holes. The larger, tap-specific holes were done separately and ended up being less than perfectly perpendicular. Whatever. I just drilled the brackets one size bigger and everything fit fine. Here’s what it looks like from up top:



    I used aluminum that I cut out of the center of the Breeze radiator shroud, which is significantly heavier than the kit aluminum we know and love. Nevertheless, once I tightened the piece down, I noticed it bent to fit the contour of the X frame and tends to wiggle a bit. I think I want to reinforce that with some angle aluminum (is this the best label? It certainly isn’t angle iron…) so I can make this a bit more rigid. The reservoir will be in the way so you won’t see any of that, and the vibration should be eliminated. Once that’s done, I can fix the length of the hoses and put everything back together. Of course, fixing the length of the hoses is easier said than done, but I should be able to fix all that in a couple of hours. Maybe. Maybe it will take the whole freaking day.

    On to wiring! Last time, I worked my way through the controls pack harness and pretty much have everything identified and labeled. My thinking is to identity and label the whole mess before I do any cutting or connecting. This past weekend’s project was to understand the RF harness and how to integrate it with the Coyote.
    As a side note, it’s interesting to note (at least to me) how my perspective on these things has changed. It’s all about context. I had no idea earlier this year what I was doing and naively thought I could work through the entire wiring process in a weekend. Now that I have a bit more understanding I realize how ridiculous that initial estimate was! Still on the perspective piece, what I thought was a huge undertaking or achievement doesn’t seem like such a big deal anymore. I guess I’m finally beginning to understand. I like the fact that when this is done and on the road, I’ll know that I had my fingers into everything. But I digress…

    The fuse box got installed with the RF harness months ago. It’s been dangling out of the pedal box looking rather hagged for longer than I like to think, and I’m finally dealing with it all. I laid out my FFR schematic, EdwardB’s wiring spreadsheet and the Ford instructions and set to work! My hope here is that by documenting all this I have a record of what I’m doing/have done and get feedback that maybe something could be done better. Additionally, and this is the big part – I HAVE QUESTIONS! Hopefully, you can answer them!

    There are four wires taped together (not in convolute) labeled “coil efi crank”. They are:
    • Efi crank – blue. Is this needed?
    • Coil or EFI – orange. My original assessment was get rid of this. EdwardB spreadsheet says it gets used, “details elsewhere”. According to the schematic, this is the power feed to the ignition switch. Yes? No?
    • Speed sensor green. This goes to the speedometer.
    • Speed sensor gray. Also goes to speedometer. The other ends of these two wires are connected to the transmission.

    Headlight switch bundle.
    • Plug. The connector fits into the headlight switch. This is where it goes.
    • Black wire. Ground.

    Starter Solenoid bundle.
    • Blue wire. Keep or lose? I’m thinking I don’t need this.
    • Battery feed. Connect to battery? Is this my main power supply for the RF fuse box?
    • Alternator feed. Is this another main power supply for the fuse box?
    • Do I keep the above two leads or lose them?
    • Ignition switch lead. I’m thinking no.

    Radio/Heater/Wiper bundle.
    • Red courtesy light. Connect to courtesy light.
    • Grey courtesy light. Connect to courtesy light.
    • Brown. Goes to heater.
    • Red – radio memory. Tie off and keep for possible future use.
    • Purple – wiper. Goes to wiper.
    • Grey – radio power. Tie off and keep for possible future use.

    Sending units / electric choke bundle.



    • I’m thinking I need to lose the connector and match up various sending units with these wires. Yes?
    Alternator bundle.
    • Brown – “to ignition switch”. Needed?
    • There are three red wires. Two go to the starter; one to the alternator. Do I need any of these to go anywhere? If so, how do I tell the difference?

    Inertia switch.
    • Black – ground.
    • Black to relay. That connects to the tan wire in the rear harness.
    • Take the tan wire out of the fuse box and connect it to the green wire out of the coyote pigtail (C160A).
    Ignition switch bundle. (this is going to be fun…)



    Coyote pigtail:
    • Red: HAAT
    • Yellow: key on
    • Blue: starter request
    • Green: starter

    RF:
    • Red – headlight
    • Red – battery
    • Brown – accessory
    • Brown – alternator – yes/no?
    • Orange – ignition feed – yes/no?
    • 2 blue – leave out? One is efi-crank – probably don’t need it; 1 is clutch safety switch which I’m not using.
    • The FFR instructions say connect the pigtail light green to the orange coil wire and that nothing else gets used. This conflicts with the Ford controls pack instructions. Who gets their way???

    Here is what I believe is the Hot Rod column bundle. Yes? I can lose this, right?



    OK, two more items. Any idea what this thing is? Is this for Mustang donor builds? I can’t find any connector in the harness that it mates to.



    Finally, once I know what wires I can get rid of, I want to thin things out. I know that some of you undo the whole harness and remove the wires completely. That seems like a lot of effort, and I’m wondering if it’s worth it. Can I cut them / tie them off where they exit the various convolute bundles? This applies to the A/C wires and intercooler wires on the controls pack as well… thanks for your input.
    Mk IV Roadster - #8650 - delivered 7-17-2015 - first start 7-28-2018 - first go-kart 10-13-2018 - licensed and on the road 9-9-19: body/paint completed 3-17-2020.
    Complete kit / 2015 Coyote / TKO600 / IRS / Wilwood brakes / Mid-Shift mod / Power Steering / Heater and Seat Heaters / RT turn signal / Breeze radiator shroud and mount

  3. #83
    Senior Member edwardb's Avatar
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    Glad to hear you’re getting more comfortable with the wiring. No question the Coyote installation adds to the wiring task. But don’t let it intimidate you. Take it one step at a time. Rather than answering every single point, let me offer this explanation. (1) The Ron Francis harness is installed exactly as shown in the RF instructions for most everything. That includes all the lighting circuits, gauge circuits, heater, radio, ignition switch, etc. (2) The Coyote is installed as described in the Ford Performance and FF Coyote instructions. Important to understand is that the Coyote is basically a standalone system. There are only these interface points, and once this is understood, hopefully most of the answers are clear:

    1. Battery +12V supply to Coyote PDB

    2. +12V signal to Coyote pigtail light green when key is on to wake up the system and tell it to stay alive. Provided by the RF orange EFI/Coil wire.

    3. +12V signal to Coyote pigtail light blue when key is in start to tell it to initiate the start sequence. Provided by the RF blue EFI Crank wire.

    4. Coyote +12V fuel pump supply pigtail green grafted into RF harness. This allows the Coyote PCM and PDB to control and power the fuel pump, while utilizing the existing RF wiring to get the voltage back to the tank mounted fuel pump.

    5. RF large alternator wire to the large post on the Coyote alternator. Provides battery charging from the alternator back through the RF harness and to the battery.

    6. The 2015+ Coyote Controls Pack doesn’t have a tach connection. So it’s necessary to graft the RF harness/Speedhut tach wire into one of the Coyote coil on plug harnesses. Shown in my build thread.

    That’s it. With those basic connections, and the two systems wired per their respective instructions, it will work. Several additional points:

    1. I recommend using the cooling fan control only by the Coyote system. Hook the cooling fan wire from the Coyote harness to the radiator fan per the Ford instructions and don’t use the RF cooling fan wires or circuit for the fan.

    2. I also recommend using the start function only by the Coyote system. So the Coyote start wire goes to the small post on the starter motor. The blue RF start wire is only used for the Coyote start sense wire previously mentioned. Note this also means the RF clutch safety wiring (part of the blue RF wire circuit) is not used. The Coyote harness has its own clutch safety switch.

    3. The FF Coyote instructions show installation of the water temp and oil pressure sending units to the Coyote. Also interface points, but not mandatory to make the Coyote system work.

    4. Finally, I did use the always on wire (HAAT) in the Coyote pigtail to power the GPS speedo keep-alive wire as well as the Speedhut clock. So technically also these are interface points.

    Everything I’m describing here is in point-to-point detail in my spreadsheet you mentioned. I assume you see there are multiple tabs in the spreadsheet? Some information is in several places. So if something doesn’t appear complete, check the other tabs. I recommend you use it exactly. It works. Several other builds have followed it, and I'm happy (relieved?) to report they're also running and/or driving.

    For some of your other points, it's not mandatory to remove wires you're not using. Also not mandatory to undo the harnesses any more than necessary to get stuff to reach and be somewhat neat. Do as much as you're comfortable with. I did some, but not as much as many. I did remove the Hot Rod leg simply for space reasons. The yellow wire in the Coyote pigtail is not needed. Tie it back as described in the spreadsheet. The plug with wires you pictured is a relay socket. Probably not needed for your build unless you're adding a relay somewhere. I think that's it and hopefully helps.
    Last edited by edwardb; 11-03-2017 at 11:13 AM.
    Build 1: Mk3 Roadster #5125. Sold 11/08/2014. Build 2: Mk4 Roadster #7750. Sold 04/10/2017. Build Thread
    Build 3: Mk4 Roadster 20th Anniversary #8674. Sold 09/07/2020. Build Thread and Video. Build 4: Gen 3 Type 65 Coupe #59. Gen 3 Coyote. Legal 03/04/2020. Build Thread and Video
    Build 5: 35 Hot Rod Truck #138. LS3 and 4L65E auto. Rcvd 01/05/2021. Legal 04/20/2023. Build Thread. Sold 11/9/2023.

  4. #84
    On a roll Al_C's Avatar
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    Thanks, Paul! Back at it again on Saturday and we'll see how it goes.
    Mk IV Roadster - #8650 - delivered 7-17-2015 - first start 7-28-2018 - first go-kart 10-13-2018 - licensed and on the road 9-9-19: body/paint completed 3-17-2020.
    Complete kit / 2015 Coyote / TKO600 / IRS / Wilwood brakes / Mid-Shift mod / Power Steering / Heater and Seat Heaters / RT turn signal / Breeze radiator shroud and mount

  5. #85
    On a roll Al_C's Avatar
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    Once again, it’s more than 6 weeks since my last update. Why change now? It’s been busy around here.
    Related, but not really, we traveled to the Gilmore Auto museum near Kalamazoo in early November. Wedged in between a couple of other cars is this original Cobra.



    It looks an awful lot like Gumball’s car… OK, back to reality.
    When I ordered my kit, I elected to get a cut off switch.


    Master cut off, if you will. I was thinking theft-deterrent rather than racing, but I knew I’d need one if I was going to take the car on the track. (who am I kidding…) After I started going through all the Coyote documentation, I wrote the thing off, because I didn’t consider the obvious way of maintaining the HAAT lines for the engine. But, reading a number of threads, I came to the conclusion it would work and I really should install it. But where? I looked at a number of options, none of which were that great, and finally settled on the spot below the dash where many others have installed theirs. The problem was – the engine is already in! I’m not about to pull the engine again just to install the switch. Well, it’s in, and I can actually reach the connection points below the firewall. It would be easier without an engine in the way, but we’ll get past that.



    Next up is the conflict between the crossmembers on the frame and the mid-shift. Last time we discussed that topic here, I got way more input than I ever expected. To me, 2BKing had the best advice, so I went for it. It was a bit nerve-wracking to cut the frame, but I figured I had measured enough times that I should just go for it. I put a piece of plywood between the frame and the transmission and made the cut with the angle grinder.



    I used two different sized steel bars: one that is the same size as the tube, and one that fits nicely inside. Here it is before I trimmed and powder coated the backing piece:



    And here it is completed.



    Here’s the only concern I have: you’ll notice that the right side of the mid-shift is pretty close to the frame piece that I cut. When you stand at the back of the car and look forward, the transmission seems to be offset. I’m thinking that maybe I loosen things up and shift it toward the driver’s side by about ¾ of an inch. Maybe I’m just being anal. Maybe you’ll have an opinion.
    Mk IV Roadster - #8650 - delivered 7-17-2015 - first start 7-28-2018 - first go-kart 10-13-2018 - licensed and on the road 9-9-19: body/paint completed 3-17-2020.
    Complete kit / 2015 Coyote / TKO600 / IRS / Wilwood brakes / Mid-Shift mod / Power Steering / Heater and Seat Heaters / RT turn signal / Breeze radiator shroud and mount

  6. #86
    On a roll Al_C's Avatar
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    On to wiring. Again. The Coyote controls pack comes with a rather long cable that has two connections at each end. This thing is designed to drop into a Mustang, so they made it basically as long as a Mustang. I don’t need all this wire. But I need the ground wire, and I needed to see where the cables were joined inside the convolute. I’m sure some of you have experienced this quirk: the ENTIRE cable is wrapped by non-adhesive tape. By the time I got the whole thing unwrapped, I had a ball of tape about the size of a baseball.



    After Thanksgiving I made my usual conference trip to Las Vegas. I had the better part of the first day in town to myself, so I made another pilgrimage to the Shelby museum just south of the strip. The tour guide was excellent. He had worked for Shelby himself many years before and had a ton of stories. He was really interesting. They also had a deal going with Exotics Racing, who have a facility at the International Speedway. They had brought a GT350 to the museum and were promoting “laps” around the industrial park for a pretty reasonable fee. I bit. It was supposed to be three laps around the block, but I ended up driving for the better part of 25 minutes. It was a blast. Who knew you could go fast dodging semis? Yes, I am an idiot...



    When I got back home I started working on the dashboard in earnest. I mounted right angle brackets on the back of the dash using countersunk rivets



    Mk IV Roadster - #8650 - delivered 7-17-2015 - first start 7-28-2018 - first go-kart 10-13-2018 - licensed and on the road 9-9-19: body/paint completed 3-17-2020.
    Complete kit / 2015 Coyote / TKO600 / IRS / Wilwood brakes / Mid-Shift mod / Power Steering / Heater and Seat Heaters / RT turn signal / Breeze radiator shroud and mount

  7. #87
    On a roll Al_C's Avatar
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    Then I got busy with the veneer. I was a bit nervous about gluing the veneer on the dash and having everything lined up. I was also concerned about whether the countersunk rivets would show. So, I did a trial run on a piece of scrap and everything worked out well on that little experiment. Jazzman came through with some really good advice and I ran with it. I lined up the wood grain where I wanted it and applied the contact cement to both the veneer and the dash. I had planned to use dowels to keep the wood and the dash apart while lining things up. Jazzman suggested pencils. But, the guy at the wood shop where I bought my supplies suggested wax paper. That worked out really well. I hadn’t considered rolling the veneer over the bottom of the dash. I was going to cut it flush. Again, Jazzman came through and told me it wouldn’t be that hard. The best part was that it took no softening of the veneer whatsoever. It rolled much easier than I ever expected. Here are a few photos of it’s evolution, the last being with two coats of clear. I need to add one more coat before I cut out gauge and switch holes.









    Hopefully, the weather will moderate and I’ll be able to get into the garage for a longer period of time. It’s currently 3 degrees here with wind chills in the -15 range. That tends to limit the amount of time I want to spend in the garage.
    Ducky2009 made a bracket for my heater valve (his recommendation there, too).



    I’ll powder coat this and get it installed, soon, hopefully. I need to finish the power wiring and then I can work on the dash wiring and the heater. I agree that it makes more sense to finish the heater hoses behind the dash so I can see what room I have to work with.

    Maybe you noticed that I mentioned a lot of other forum members in this update. I’d be lost without you! Thanks everyone for your continuing support. There’s still lots to do. Still too many projects going on simultaneously, but what can I say!
    Mk IV Roadster - #8650 - delivered 7-17-2015 - first start 7-28-2018 - first go-kart 10-13-2018 - licensed and on the road 9-9-19: body/paint completed 3-17-2020.
    Complete kit / 2015 Coyote / TKO600 / IRS / Wilwood brakes / Mid-Shift mod / Power Steering / Heater and Seat Heaters / RT turn signal / Breeze radiator shroud and mount

  8. #88
    Senior Member wareaglescott's Avatar
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    Hey Al. Glad to see you back at it. Good work.
    It is normal for the transmission to be biased towards the passenger side like that. It is supposed to be like that. Looks good to me.
    Look forward to the next update Feb 16! Hahaha. Just messing with ya. Hope you and the family had a great holiday.
    MK4 #8900 - complete kit - Coyote, TKO600, IRS - Delivered 6/28/16 First Start 10/6/16 Go cart - 10/16/16 Build completed - 4/26/17 - 302 days to build my 302 CI Coyote Cobra - Registered and street legal 5/17/17
    Build Thread http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/showt...e-build-thread
    PHIL 4:13 INSTAGRAM - @scottsrides

  9. #89
    Jazzman's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Al_C View Post
    Your Veneer work looks to have come out great. I like the fine grained wood. Just a couple of thoughts. Looking at the photo above. It may just be an optical illusion, but it looks like the veneer might not be fully bonded to the panel above the middle of the three smaller gauge holes. Be sure it is all fully bonded before you proceed.

    My dash was made from a blank, uncut, dash panel. I used hole saws to cut the holes in the locations that I wanted. I selected appropriate hole saw sizes to make my holes just big enough for the gauges, but not sloppy. It appears you are using a stock FFR dash panel. The cutout holes in the stock panel are slightly oversized to allow for the thickness of the traditional leather/vinyl dash material to be cut and folded through the holes before the gauges are installed. If you simply cut around the inside of the existing holes to remove the veneer material, you will end up with holes that are too big for your gauges. Here is my suggestion for how you deal with this problem. From the back side of the dash, drill very small marker holes in the exact center of each of the holes. Cut out wood veneer disks the same size as each of the holes. These wood filler disks will just about fill the thickness of the aluminum dash panel. Glue the filler disks into the holes from the back side. Cut a piece of .040 aluminum large enough to cover each gauge hole and over lap the space by at least 1" all around. The five small gauges and the holes for the ignition switch and light switches should all be done with one filler panel. Using the same contact cement that you used for the veneer, glue the filler panel on the back side of the dash covering all of the holes. You are basically gluing up one large lamination of wood and aluminum. Be sure to apply solid pressure all the way around the filler plate to make sure it is thoroughly bonded to to the aluminum dash panel. Once the cement is fully dry, use appropriately sized hole saws to drill through the marker holes from the front of the dash panel and through the aluminum filler panels. (See my build thread, post #488. Hole saws used are 2" and 3.875". I use DeWalt hole saws. I bought them at Home Depot.) This should create holes in the same place as the originals, but have holes that are the right diameter to just fit your actual gauges and switches. The threads on the gauges are plenty deep to allow for this additional thickness of wood and aluminum. I hope this helps.
    Last edited by Jazzman; 12-26-2017 at 11:07 PM.
    Jazzman

    MKIV #8745 "Flip Top" Roadster, Custom Tilt front, Coyote Engine, Tremec TKO600, Custom Interior. Best of Show winner, Huntington Beach Cruise In 2018.

    1967 Ford Mustang Coupe build thread updated 1/22/2021

    Roadster Frame Dolly Plan

  10. #90
    Not a waxer Jeff Kleiner's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Al_C View Post
    ...Here’s the only concern I have: you’ll notice that the right side of the mid-shift is pretty close to the frame piece that I cut. When you stand at the back of the car and look forward, the transmission seems to be offset. I’m thinking that maybe I loosen things up and shift it toward the driver’s side by about ¾ of an inch. Maybe I’m just being anal. Maybe you’ll have an opinion.
    Al,
    The entire drivetrain is offset to the passenger side by about an inch by design. What you are seeing is normal. Veneer turned out well!

    Jeff

  11. #91
    David aka Ducky2009 Ducky2009's Avatar
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    Al, the dash looks great. Be sure to post pics after installing the gauges. Love the look
    MK4 Build #9035 Delivered 2/17/17, First Start & Go-Kart 6/2/17, Licensed 9/1/17
    Paint - Lightning Blue Metallic, No Hood Scoop, No Stripes
    Gen 2 Coyote Engine & TKO-600. Solid Axle, 8.8-3.55, Power Steering, Power Brakes, Dual Roll Bars
    Heater and Glove Box, Drop Trunk, Wipers, Radio, FFR Vintage Gauges, Custom Dash
    Build Thread: http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/showt...MK4-Build-9035

  12. #92
    On a roll Al_C's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jazzman View Post
    Your Veneer work looks to have come out great. I like the fine grained wood. Just a couple of thoughts. Looking at the photo above. It may just be an optical illusion, but it looks like the veneer might not be fully bonded to the panel above the middle of the three smaller gauge holes. Be sure it is all fully bonded before you proceed.

    My dash was made from a blank, uncut, dash panel. I used hole saws to cut the holes in the locations that I wanted. I selected appropriate hole saw sizes to make my holes just big enough for the gauges, but not sloppy. It appears you are using a stock FFR dash panel. The cutout holes in the stock panel are slightly oversized to allow for the thickness of the traditional leather/vinyl dash material to be cut and folded through the holes before the gauges are installed. If you simply cut around the inside of the existing holes to remove the veneer material, you will end up with holes that are too big for your gauges. Here is my suggestion for how you deal with this problem. From the back side of the dash, drill very small marker holes in the exact center of each of the holes. Cut out wood veneer disks the same size as each of the holes. These wood filler disks will just about fill the thickness of the aluminum dash panel. Glue the filler disks into the holes from the back side. Cut a piece of .040 aluminum large enough to cover each gauge hole and over lap the space by at least 1" all around. The five small gauges and the holes for the ignition switch and light switches should all be done with one filler panel. Using the same contact cement that you used for the veneer, glue the filler panel on the back side of the dash covering all of the holes. You are basically gluing up one large lamination of wood and aluminum. Be sure to apply solid pressure all the way around the filler plate to make sure it is thoroughly bonded to to the aluminum dash panel. Once the cement is fully dry, use appropriately sized hole saws to drill through the marker holes from the front of the dash panel and through the aluminum filler panels. (See my build thread, post #488. Hole saws used are 2" and 3.875". I use DeWalt hole saws. I bought them at Home Depot.) This should create holes in the same place as the originals, but have holes that are the right diameter to just fit your actual gauges and switches. The threads on the gauges are plenty deep to allow for this additional thickness of wood and aluminum. I hope this helps.
    Kevin, That was very astute of you to see the little bubble on the top of the dash. It isn't an illusion - it's a goof. I didn't notice that until after I had stained the piece. I've been debating whether I should try to fix it or just leave it alone. You won't see it, because the top will be under the lip of the body. But, if it will eventually pull away, then I guess I need to address it. The problem is how to fix it without creating a bigger problem. In your opinion - can I just squeeze a little contact cement into that opening and roll it out? I look forward to your thoughts there.

    On to the gauge holes. I planned for the differential in size for the tach and speedo and have o-rings that take up the slack. I tried it out earlier and they worked pretty well. Based on your comments, I'll need to check the smaller holes, but I had the gauges in the raw aluminum and don't recall there being much slop in those. I don't think the stock holes are much over 2" if they are at all. (I'm visiting Martin's build this afternoon, so I'll check his out...) If I need to, I'll see if I can find some o-rings for those too (it's just easier), but failing that I'll go the laminate route.
    Mk IV Roadster - #8650 - delivered 7-17-2015 - first start 7-28-2018 - first go-kart 10-13-2018 - licensed and on the road 9-9-19: body/paint completed 3-17-2020.
    Complete kit / 2015 Coyote / TKO600 / IRS / Wilwood brakes / Mid-Shift mod / Power Steering / Heater and Seat Heaters / RT turn signal / Breeze radiator shroud and mount

  13. #93
    Jazzman's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Al_C View Post
    Kevin, That was very astute of you to see the little bubble on the top of the dash. It isn't an illusion - it's a goof. I didn't notice that until after I had stained the piece. I've been debating whether I should try to fix it or just leave it alone. You won't see it, because the top will be under the lip of the body. But, if it will eventually pull away, then I guess I need to address it. The problem is how to fix it without creating a bigger problem. In your opinion - can I just squeeze a little contact cement into that opening and roll it out? I look forward to your thoughts there.

    On to the gauge holes. I planned for the differential in size for the tach and speedo and have o-rings that take up the slack. I tried it out earlier and they worked pretty well. Based on your comments, I'll need to check the smaller holes, but I had the gauges in the raw aluminum and don't recall there being much slop in those. I don't think the stock holes are much over 2" if they are at all. (I'm visiting Martin's build this afternoon, so I'll check his out...) If I need to, I'll see if I can find some o-rings for those too (it's just easier), but failing that I'll go the laminate route.
    You are right, you likely will not see it. The only concern might be when you have to install/remove the dash, will it get caught on the body and crack away. Can't really tell, but it would be more safe if it solidly laminated to the dash panel. You might begin by just clamping that bubble between a couple of pressure pads to see if the contact cement that is there will just set up and hold it in place. If that doesn't work, a small paintbrush full of contact cement might do the trick.

    Glad to hear you are on top of the hole size differential problem. I will look forward to seeing your "O" ring solution. Please post when you can show it, as I haven't seen O rings that size. Keep up the good work!
    Jazzman

    MKIV #8745 "Flip Top" Roadster, Custom Tilt front, Coyote Engine, Tremec TKO600, Custom Interior. Best of Show winner, Huntington Beach Cruise In 2018.

    1967 Ford Mustang Coupe build thread updated 1/22/2021

    Roadster Frame Dolly Plan

  14. #94
    On a roll Al_C's Avatar
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    The Dash is complete: January 14. This took way longer than expected, but I am pleased with the result. If I decide to do this again – or if anyone else is thinking of doing a veneer on a dashboard – don’t get a pre-cut dash! Yes, that little detail – all the holes done for me, at the factory, in advance – resulted in more “fun” for yours truly. For all my kicking and screaming, I finally took the laminate path – twice!

    Those of you who are still following along (I suspect that there are those who have thrown up their hands exclaiming ‘what is taking this guy so darn long!’) the issue was that the pre-cut holes are larger than the gauges themselves to accommodate the vinyl or leather that most people use. While that covering serves to cushion the gauge and ensure it’s nice and tight, it becomes somewhat of an issue with the veneer. More or less. Probably not, but Jazzman planted enough doubt in my mind that I bit the proverbial bullet. In the end, this route is the better one.

    Jazzman recommended I fabricate a laminate of sorts (above) to fill in the extra space and enable gauge-sized holes. The only challenging part there was finding the exact center of each hole, which – again with an assist from Kevin – turned out to be no big deal. My math teacher daughter was aghast that I couldn’t recall something this basic – I should have just let her do it. Marking the center allowed me to drill a pilot hole from the back and then cut the correct sized hole from the front of the dash. Here are the intermediate steps:





    Considering that I had one shot to get these things right, I drilled a test hole with my “existing” 2 inch hole saw to ensure everything would go as planned. I was surprised how much wobble there was with the arbor (in this case, essentially a drill bit held in place by a set screw). That resulted in a new hole saw. It worked much, much better. This is the difference between the store brand and the name brand. That’s not always the case, but this time it was true. Anal? Perhaps, but I really didn’t want to screw up the work I had already done. It was worth the 20 bucks or so it cost.

    The next challenge was the headlight switch. The pre-cut hole is ½. The locking cap for the switch has threads that are 7/16.



    In and of itself, that’s not a big deal, but there’s a locking tab on the switch which is to hold it in place when you rotate the knob. While the hole really should be 7/16 with a notch at the top, this thing will fit inside the ½ inch hole, but it will be off a bit vertically. If vinyl were in the picture, it would probably hold everything in place where it should. I decided that while I’m being anal about it, why not just move the switch? To that end, I posted another thread here: https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/show...-measure-handy
    The idea was to move the headlight switch to the left of the speedometer. As it turns out, the overwhelming opinion was “this is not a good idea”.

    OK, no problem. I got the whole laminate thing down now, so let’s do it for the switches, too. I made a paper template to accommodate the headlight switch (with tab), hazard switch, wiper switch, and heater switch. The two switches in the middle are standard ½ inch diameter, so they fit nicely with the pre-cut holes. The outside switches – headlight and heater – are smaller, but are centered on the same line as the center switches. I drew out the spacing for each of these – the heater switch is actually a “D” – and drilled them out. The paper template worked really well and everything came out just about perfect.





    The center switches actually hold the backing piece in place, so there was really no need to cement anything. This turned out to be far easier than trying to mess around with the dash itself and allowed me the luxury of being able to re-do it had I messed up on the first one. The backing piece has the 7/16 hole with a notch for the headlight in the right spot vertically, as well as a “D” hole for the heater switch that also fits inside the half inch hole perfectly.
    Mk IV Roadster - #8650 - delivered 7-17-2015 - first start 7-28-2018 - first go-kart 10-13-2018 - licensed and on the road 9-9-19: body/paint completed 3-17-2020.
    Complete kit / 2015 Coyote / TKO600 / IRS / Wilwood brakes / Mid-Shift mod / Power Steering / Heater and Seat Heaters / RT turn signal / Breeze radiator shroud and mount

  15. #95
    On a roll Al_C's Avatar
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    Lastly, I found that using the Dremel with a cutting bit and sanding drum worked far better than a razor knife in cutting the holes out through the veneer itself. Here’s how it came out.



    You can see the bezel for the steering shaft in the photo. When all is said and done, it’s held in place by a few screws. In my mind, there isn’t that much material in the dash for those things to screw in to, so I’m thinking about making some sort of backing piece for it. That would also provide a little more strength to the area around the shaft, as the stock dash has the long oval opening there. I haven’t decided if I’ll do that in wood or metal yet.

    January 21. The snow is melting, it’s actually warm enough to work in the garage. Time to wrap up the power wiring. Or, at least try.
    I got these little details complete:
    1. Ran the battery cable from the battery in the trunk box through convolute through the trans tunnel to the cut off. Included the ground wire from the C500 connection in that bundle. The Coyote controls pack instructions insist on connecting that ground wire to the battery, which seems a bit extreme to me, but I’ve got the wire, I’ve got the room to run it, so what harm is there in actually following directions for once?
    2. Made the connections from the cut off to the PDDB and the 250A fuse.
    3. Made the connection from the cut off to the starter and connected the Coyote starter cable. Just need to anchor the cables to the frame. Still need to ground the engine to the frame, too. Between the controls pack cable, the kit battery cable, and the RF wiring, there were enough extra pieces of appropriate gauge wire that I could make everything I needed with just a little soldering and crimping.

    Little by little, I’m making progress. One of these days it will warm up and I’ll actually be able to function in the garage!

    January 28. Not much happened this weekend. Yesterday, the 27th was the 23rd annual K of C Pasta Dinner and Auction that I chair annually. We did OK this year. Not great, but OK. It’s a lot of work, but it’s important. We raise funds for people on the margins – those who have some serious medical issues but fall thru the cracks with insurance. Believe it or not, there’s a lot of people like that. We used to do it in November, but for the past 2 years had to do it in January (venue availability). I want to move it back to the fall. I think we’ll get our numbers (attendance and revenue) up by moving the date. But I digress… The issue build-wise now are little things like wiring connectors and crimpers that don’t work that great.

    February 3, 4. I finally figured out why I can’t get my 10 gauge wire into a 10 gauge connector: it’s really 8 gauge. Boy, don’t I feel better! Of course, it took 2 of us to figure that one out. Whatever. This little issue is standing between me and having my power wiring complete. I need a connector on the alternator wire, the starter solenoid wire (it’s the same one!) and the cutoff to junction block. FFR told me I’d be OK with 10 gauge for the main feed from the cutoff, but I’m happier with the 8 ga. I found the right connectors and ordered them.

    In the meantime, you may have noticed my thread here (https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/show...-cable-concern) about my clutch cable. The backstory here is two-fold. I sought opinions at the very outset about cable vs. hydraulic clutch and the feedback was pretty much split. Since there was no real “winner” I went with the cable because we took that approach in build school. Then I saw Bruuce’s graduation thread and it got me thinking. Bottom line: until something drastic occurs, I’m keeping my cable. The manual suggests mounting the bracket that comes mounted on the cable to the ¾ inch lower frame rail. That might be OK, but it will be outside the steering shaft and that will pull it closer to the header. Instead, I’m securing the cable to the block using one of the lift bracket holes. Here’s a photo of my home made bracket:



    I ran this idea by a couple of you and so far, I have the thumbs up. It should keep the cable safely away from the header, and it also provides a place to secure the alternator wire that goes back to the RF harness, keeping it, too, away from the heat. I call this my “ghetto bracket.”

    Yes, there is a story that goes with that name. I sell Identity and Access Management software, and a couple of our engineers came up with a creative way to store passwords for multi-factor authentication. An example of multi-factor is when you get a text message with a code to enter at the web site you’re trying to log in to. Well, we presented this method of storing passwords and solving the multi-factor problem for older applications and these guys at the customer site started calling it “ghetto MFA” because it wasn’t a “purist approach”. Maybe it wasn’t purist, but it got the job done easier and less expensively than the approach the customers wanted to take. Anyway, my bracket may not be “purist”, but it gets the job done. Ghetto bracket it is.

    Feb 11,12. Power wiring is complete. Finally. It’s amazing how easy things are when you have the right parts. I got the 8 ga. Connectors and they fit perfectly. What I struggled with for what seemed like hours last week took no time. I also swapped out the old crimper. As it turns out, the crimper I had was made for weatherpack connectors. That’s all well and good except for the fact that I’m not using weatherpack connectors. These are molex-style heat shrink connectors. The heat shrink jaws in the new crimper make this much, much easier. Lesson learned.

    Feb 17,18. More problems solved. I’m probably making things more complicated than I need to, but I’m coming to the place where I’m fine with this project being done when it gets done. Jeff Kleiner helped a lot in that regard, reminding me that this is a hobby and that I’ll probably miss the build when it’s done.

    He’s right.

    So, new approach – Let’s see how long that attitude lasts!

    Here’s the clutch cable/ghetto bracket/alternator cable all wrapped up:



    I suppose I could have chopped off a bit more on the clutch cable part itself, but I wanted to leave a little wiggle room if I needed it. It’s on now, and you’ll really have to stick your head in the engine bay to see it. I like the way everything is away from the header, but I’m a bit concerned about the engine harness plug that goes into the rear of the alternator. I think I saw something on Wareaglescott’s thread about that, but I have to go check that again. Here’s another photo:



    I need to get a nut for the alternator wire, too. Either I never got a nut on that post or I lost it. I tried another nut I had, but I think that post is fine thread and I didn’t want to force the nut I had. Anybody know what the thread count is on that post?
    I got the battery ground done, too. I put that on the inside of the large square tube near the battery box. I think this is a decent location. Here’s a photo:

    Mk IV Roadster - #8650 - delivered 7-17-2015 - first start 7-28-2018 - first go-kart 10-13-2018 - licensed and on the road 9-9-19: body/paint completed 3-17-2020.
    Complete kit / 2015 Coyote / TKO600 / IRS / Wilwood brakes / Mid-Shift mod / Power Steering / Heater and Seat Heaters / RT turn signal / Breeze radiator shroud and mount

  16. #96
    On a roll Al_C's Avatar
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    I also got back to dealing with my power steering system. It seems like a long time ago (it was!) that I had put everything in, but then I had to move the reservoir because it would be in the way of the hood hinge. I fabricated a bracket that I bolted to the X frame, but I’ve been postponing dealing with that. A good part of that postponement was because I was unsure how I was going to route and connect everything and it was easier to put it off. Time to face the music.

    The main issue here was that when I routed the large hose (feeding the pump from the reservoir) it was too close to the lower control arm. I could shorten the hose as one way to solve that, but Mark Reynolds didn’t think that was a great idea. So in order to keep the hose out of the LCA’s way, and not interfere with anything else, I made yet another ghetto bracket. The original concept was to have that bracket mounted vertically to the ¾ inch tube, but then I had contention with the radiator overflow tank. However, by having the bracket extend horizontally, it holds the hose where I want it and keeps it away from the overflow tank, too. Here’s what it looks like, all nicely powder coated.



    Here’s what it will basically look like when it’s installed:



    The last thing I did over this weekend was get going on the trunk drop box. Here you can see the in-process stage of the box itself



    Next up is dropping the gas tank so I can get the box and trunk floor in place. I’ve been holding off on those until I had all of the rear harness wiring buttoned up. It’s much easier to access things from above than below!

    I hope to get the trunk done as well as finish the PS plumbing next weekend. And maybe I’ll find the right nut for the alternator. I had these grand plans about working on gauge wiring this weekend. Then I took a good look at the manual. Oops. The gauges in the manual are different than what I have. It looks like the instructions are centered around the Autometer gauges, and I have the vintage gauges. Time for more study before I start cutting anything.
    Mk IV Roadster - #8650 - delivered 7-17-2015 - first start 7-28-2018 - first go-kart 10-13-2018 - licensed and on the road 9-9-19: body/paint completed 3-17-2020.
    Complete kit / 2015 Coyote / TKO600 / IRS / Wilwood brakes / Mid-Shift mod / Power Steering / Heater and Seat Heaters / RT turn signal / Breeze radiator shroud and mount

  17. #97
    Jazzman's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Al_C View Post
    Looks Great, Al!! Nice wood choice. Cherry? Your hard work paid off. Congratulations!!
    Jazzman

    MKIV #8745 "Flip Top" Roadster, Custom Tilt front, Coyote Engine, Tremec TKO600, Custom Interior. Best of Show winner, Huntington Beach Cruise In 2018.

    1967 Ford Mustang Coupe build thread updated 1/22/2021

    Roadster Frame Dolly Plan

  18. #98
    Senior Member edwardb's Avatar
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    Nice progress. Like the dash a lot. Cherry is one of my favorite woods. Agree with Jazzman, that's what it looks like. For the alternator nut, one didn't come with mine either. I checked my build records. All I wrote was "metric nut for alternator wire" from my local Ace hardware store. Not too much help, except that it's definitely metric and something easily available.
    Build 1: Mk3 Roadster #5125. Sold 11/08/2014. Build 2: Mk4 Roadster #7750. Sold 04/10/2017. Build Thread
    Build 3: Mk4 Roadster 20th Anniversary #8674. Sold 09/07/2020. Build Thread and Video. Build 4: Gen 3 Type 65 Coupe #59. Gen 3 Coyote. Legal 03/04/2020. Build Thread and Video
    Build 5: 35 Hot Rod Truck #138. LS3 and 4L65E auto. Rcvd 01/05/2021. Legal 04/20/2023. Build Thread. Sold 11/9/2023.

  19. #99
    On a roll Al_C's Avatar
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    Thanks for the compliments on the dash! Yes, it is cherry. Now I just need to wire up the back side so I can install it!
    Mk IV Roadster - #8650 - delivered 7-17-2015 - first start 7-28-2018 - first go-kart 10-13-2018 - licensed and on the road 9-9-19: body/paint completed 3-17-2020.
    Complete kit / 2015 Coyote / TKO600 / IRS / Wilwood brakes / Mid-Shift mod / Power Steering / Heater and Seat Heaters / RT turn signal / Breeze radiator shroud and mount

  20. #100
    Senior Member broku518's Avatar
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    Hi Al, the dash is looking awesome. I like the steering shaft cover. Where can I get something like this?

    Thanks,
    Martin
    Life is short, so start living it.
    Build thread: http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/showt...-in-the-garage!
    delivery date: 10/31/2017, first start 2/24/2018, title and registration passed 6/22/2018

  21. #101
    On a roll Al_C's Avatar
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    Martin, The steering shaft cover is part of the Russ Thompson turn signal. Russ is one of our vendors listed here on the site: http://www.norcal-cobras.com/store/r...uss_garage.htm
    Mk IV Roadster - #8650 - delivered 7-17-2015 - first start 7-28-2018 - first go-kart 10-13-2018 - licensed and on the road 9-9-19: body/paint completed 3-17-2020.
    Complete kit / 2015 Coyote / TKO600 / IRS / Wilwood brakes / Mid-Shift mod / Power Steering / Heater and Seat Heaters / RT turn signal / Breeze radiator shroud and mount

  22. #102
    Senior Member broku518's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Al_C View Post
    Martin, The steering shaft cover is part of the Russ Thompson turn signal. Russ is one of our vendors listed here on the site: http://www.norcal-cobras.com/store/r...uss_garage.htm
    oh, so this is part of the turn signal assembly? I am not getting one, was just looking for some nice cover/clean look.
    Life is short, so start living it.
    Build thread: http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/showt...-in-the-garage!
    delivery date: 10/31/2017, first start 2/24/2018, title and registration passed 6/22/2018

  23. #103
    On a roll Al_C's Avatar
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    OK, time for an update. As updates go, this one is not very exciting. In our last episode, we had made some progress on a number of fronts, and the prospect of a first start was on the horizon. The summary version of this update is that confidence levels are increasing, tasks are getting checked off, and the prospect of a first start is very real – before my kit’s third anniversary! (That’s in July, for those of you keeping track) On the other side of the ledger, time continues to get eaten up by all sorts of things like business travel, fun travel (see photos below), and family events. As I transition into retirement (which I discussed with my management) I expect to have more time to spend on the build. Maybe. We’ll see. So far, that hasn’t worked out so well. I’m still hitting the office every day. Back to the build.

    One of these days, (soon) I will start adding fluids. The brakes need to be bled, as does the Power Steering. I can do that now, because the power steering system is complete. At least until we discover some leak caused by the questionable threads on the bottom of the aluminum reservoir. Hopefully that is a non-issue, but we’ll reserve judgement.







    I need to get a new oil filter because the original got pretty beat up when we dropped the engine into the frame (the first time, before I removed the stock oil cooler…) I also need to get the oil into the transmission. Before I mount the cockpit aluminum. But, then again, I need to finish the e-brake routing before I do the aluminum. Everything is set up to employ the stock set up. Clearly, there is doubt in my mind, because I haven’t made the connection yet. Still debating if I should leave it as is with the stock, under the frame approach, or go the pulley/lokar route. I’m thinking pulley approach. The cables don’t reach, and I have no idea where the extension pieces are that were supposed to be with the brakes. (I have the Wilwoods) Without the extensions, the cables don’t reach. I’ll poke around in the “extra parts” box and see if I can track down the extensions, but I’ll probably spring for the lokar part and pulley anyway.



    You can see that with the extension, all would be good.

    I had started working on the RT trunk drop box last time, and was able to finish it before “the trip”. There were two things I needed to do before I wrapped up the trunk. First, I needed to run a wire through the rear harness for a backup light. It sounds simple (and probably should be), but it was a pain in the neck. I would love to get my hands on some kind of tool that spreads the convolute apart and lays a wire in it. I couldn’t find anything like that – maybe I should try to fabricate something. In any event, it’s too late now. I ran a wire back through the tubing, got that set, and then attached the rear harness to the frame. Then I could focus on installing the drop box and trunk itself.

    It was all pretty straightforward until I got the sequence wrong. I don’t think it’s a big deal now, but I was annoyed at myself for a while when it happened. Everything fit quite well, so I was ready to silicone and rivet when I realized that I needed to rivet the lower trunk floor onto the frame. At the rear. As much as I thought I had everything in the proper place at the outset, the action of riveting the floor to the rear frame members served to push the floor forward about 1/8th inch. Maybe not even that much, but it was enough to throw the drop box out of alignment with the frame and everything else. Some pushing and filing and we got things pretty much where they should be, but it wasn’t perfect as it was before. Nevertheless, this is all going to be covered by carpet so unless you had read this missive you wouldn’t even know that was an issue. Here’ a look at the before and after



    Mk IV Roadster - #8650 - delivered 7-17-2015 - first start 7-28-2018 - first go-kart 10-13-2018 - licensed and on the road 9-9-19: body/paint completed 3-17-2020.
    Complete kit / 2015 Coyote / TKO600 / IRS / Wilwood brakes / Mid-Shift mod / Power Steering / Heater and Seat Heaters / RT turn signal / Breeze radiator shroud and mount

  24. #104
    On a roll Al_C's Avatar
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    Having the floor in place allowed me to get the rest of the rear end aluminum in place. One good thing about doing aluminum: it’s a visible sign of progress!
    I got a roll of heat tape that Wareaglescott recommended and used it on the alternator wire. There isn’t a lot of clearance here between the alternator and the shorty headers, but I think this will do the trick. From there, I ran the oil pressure and water temp sender cables and bundled them together. I taped up the water temp sender, too.



    April was a busy month. It started with a couple of days of business travel and ended with a week of business travel. In the middle was two weeks in SoCal and Hawaii. It was wonderful. A bit of a digression from the roadster, but here are a few photos:






    Look! It’s a Mk IV Roadster! No, actually, it’s a lava flow. Everybody was watching the lava pool at the top of Kilauea – it had just started erupting 90 minutes before we arrived. In my twisted mind, it was more fun to photograph all the tourists looking at the lava pool. I did manage to get a video of the lava, but I’ll spare you all here. Last one:



    You didn’t want to miss the green on this hole. Thankfully, I didn’t. OK, back to work.

    The gauges are coming along nicely. Everything is pretty much identified as to where it goes, all the sending units are connected to the engine and wires are bundled (mostly) neatly in the engine bay. Here, I haven’t really done justice to the whole dash wiring effort. I’ll cover that in more detail in the next update when I outline in detail where everything went.
    Mk IV Roadster - #8650 - delivered 7-17-2015 - first start 7-28-2018 - first go-kart 10-13-2018 - licensed and on the road 9-9-19: body/paint completed 3-17-2020.
    Complete kit / 2015 Coyote / TKO600 / IRS / Wilwood brakes / Mid-Shift mod / Power Steering / Heater and Seat Heaters / RT turn signal / Breeze radiator shroud and mount

  25. #105
    On a roll Al_C's Avatar
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    I followed EdwardB’s writeup (almost to the letter) for the tach connection and that seemed to work out pretty well. It was a little nerve-wracking to strip the spark plug wire, but it looks like everything came out pretty well.





    Next are the heater vents. I covered that topic in this thread here:
    https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/show...-about-heaters!
    I got some ideas there, and here’s what I ended up with on the DS.



    Getting the air hoses in place actually helps, prior to the wires. I test fit the dash in place and it seems that there’s room for everything. In fact, there’s more room than I expected.

    Speaking of the dash, I did a trial fit of the dash with the RT turn signal “tube”. Thankfully, it fits. (it did before, but you never know…) I have the Mike Everson bezel that goes on the dash around that tube, and since my dash has the veneer, there isn’t a lot of material to screw that bezel to. I decided to fabricate a backing plate, and then bolt the bezel to it. That should also provide a bit more support for the whole thing around the steering column. I made the backing piece out of 1/8 inch steel. Nothing fancy, but it fits well and will do the job. I’m still cutting these pieces with the angle grinder and Dremel tool. I missed out on the band saw I wanted to buy, but maybe one will show up for sale (at a reasonable price) again soon.



    While we’re looking at powder coated items, I need to do a plug for Eastwood. This was an example of what I consider really good customer service. You’ll notice that the wonderfully fabricated backing piece is not very glossy in appearance. It should be. The powder I used is “glossy black”. So I shot a note to Eastwood with the photo because I wanted to find out what I was doing wrong. The customer service guy (Sean) determined from my photos that it’s not me – it’s the powder. He told me that if I got him the original order number, he’d replace the powder. Kudos to Eastwood. I didn’t expect that, and am pretty happy with them!

    I got the RT steering tube bolted down in place. As noted above, I had to ensure that the dash was going to line up where it should. Just to be sure, I tried it twice before I locked down the tube in place and started drilling. While I was at it, I drilled the bottom of the frame hoop where I’ll mount the dash. It’s long enough ago that anybody reading this is not going to remember that I flush mounted right angle pieces onto the dash so I can connect them from below with no visible bolt heads on the dash face. Truth be told, this has turned out to be a bigger pain than it is probably worth, but we’ll see how it turns out once the body is on. So far so good!



    Next up:
    1. Finish dash wiring – this weekend.
    2. Cooling system
    3. Fuel connections between regulator and fuel rail
    4. Fluids
    5. Battery
    6. Start.
    Should have more time in the next few weeks, so I’m hoping for some major progress soon! (didn’t I say that last time?)
    Mk IV Roadster - #8650 - delivered 7-17-2015 - first start 7-28-2018 - first go-kart 10-13-2018 - licensed and on the road 9-9-19: body/paint completed 3-17-2020.
    Complete kit / 2015 Coyote / TKO600 / IRS / Wilwood brakes / Mid-Shift mod / Power Steering / Heater and Seat Heaters / RT turn signal / Breeze radiator shroud and mount

  26. #106
    On a roll Al_C's Avatar
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    Yes, sports fans, it’s finally time to get this thing updated! It’s only been what – 4 months? Lots has taken place in that time, and you may (if you were so motivated) read about some of it in various other threads. Nevertheless, let’s get started!

    When we left off last time, I had gotten the RT steering wheel tube in place so I was ready to get going on putting the dash in. Just needed to ensure I had all the wires where they needed to be There were a few fits and starts on that, because I kept forgetting things – like putting the bezel backing piece on before I put the dash over the steering column! The bezel backing piece is something I decided to make to reinforce the dash and the bright metal bezel steering column collar. The original piece came with sheet metal/wood type screws that would probably be fine in a vinyl or leather dash application. With the veneer, it didn’t seem like there was enough material for them to hold on to. So, I fabricated a giant washer and then sandwiched the dash between the washer and the bezel. Nice and solid. You just have to remember to put it all together before the dash goes on…

    I decided to use the momentary switch on the RT stalk for my dimmer switch. Now that I understand how the parts interact (i.e. relay), it makes sense and wasn’t all that difficult. It, like everything else, just took forever.

    I also needed to get the hazard light switch integrated with the RF wiring. The discovery there was that the switch has a different size connection. It’s smaller than the typical male connector. Fortunately, the old guys at the auto parts store had them in stock.



    Once I got that done, things fell in to place. Except for the wiper switch. This is one of the challenges of opting for goodies like windshield wipers and a heater. We’ll get to the heater in a minute. You may recall that I did another sandwich job on the dash to accommodate the “D” shaped heater control. While I was doing that, I just plugged in a single pole switch as a place holder to keep everything in place. Now it was time to put in the wiper switch and button things down. Guess what: the wiper switch is a different diameter! While most of the switches are ½”, this thing was bigger. Like 5/8”. The only difficulty there was I wanted to keep everything centered on a line. Not that difficult, but it took forever (again).

    On Father’s Day I finally got the dash in place, more or less permanently. Less, as it turns out, because now I want to re-do my wiring. Keep reading – we’ll get to that later.



    It was now time to tackle the cooling system. I went back and forth on this more times than I can remember, but I finally bit the bullet and went the Ford route.
    The Ford route meant pulling out what I had done with the FFR expansion tank and replacing it with a bigger one that would accommodate all of the hoses the coyote expects. Edwardb had a really good writeup on this approach, and he had a complete parts list. I went with most of it. I got to do more fun fabricating (I really do enjoy this part of the build) making brackets that would be strong enough to hold the tank in place and in the correct position. Like Paul, I made mine out of 1/8” steel, but they’re shaped differently as I have the Breeze radiator hinge installed. Here are a few shots of the tank and its surroundings:







    Thankfully, several of you reminded me that I needed to ensure there was room for the hood hinge and the air intake elbow. There isn’t much as you can see, but it’s clear. Ducky2009 told me about a support bracket he made for the air intake, and I think that’s a good idea for this build, too. It will definitely keep the elbow away from the tank and reduce the vibration that could promote wear on the reducer (rubber? Plastic?) that connects the elbow to the throttle body. That can wait until I get it started.

    The coyote has this interesting little need for continuous coolant flow through the heads. That isn’t a big deal, unless you decide to put in a heater. Fortunately, I’m not the first one to have to address this. There are a number of options, some more expensive than others, and Ducky2009 found a great solution. He sent me a bracket to use along with the part number for the valve. This thing allows me to route coolant through the heater or bypass it.



    I had to get this all in place before the dash was installed because the cable from the heater switch had to be routed through the firewall to the valve. It took a little tweaking, but it works pretty well.
    Mk IV Roadster - #8650 - delivered 7-17-2015 - first start 7-28-2018 - first go-kart 10-13-2018 - licensed and on the road 9-9-19: body/paint completed 3-17-2020.
    Complete kit / 2015 Coyote / TKO600 / IRS / Wilwood brakes / Mid-Shift mod / Power Steering / Heater and Seat Heaters / RT turn signal / Breeze radiator shroud and mount

  27. #107
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    With that done, I could hook up heater hoses and plumb the rest of the cooling system. This was all pretty straightforward, with the exception of the lower radiator hose. In my never ending quest to employ the parts that came with the kit, I wanted to use the flexible stainless tubing for that. I thought that the 90 degree bend required at the engine was a bit extreme for the stainless, so I bought a rubber 90 degree piece for that end of it. It was reasonably easy to attach the stainless to the radiator, but I couldn’t find an adapter to connect the stainless and the 90 degree piece. OK, scrap that idea. I found a flexible rubber hose (Gates) that fits both ends and makes the whole trip as a single piece. Currently that’s installed, but that may only be a temporary solution. The hose is pretty darn close to the frame and may wear pretty quickly. Had I been smart, I would have filled the system with water. Bit no! I had to go with coolant. So now I’m going to need to recover coolant when I get around to re-doing the plumbing, rather than just let it drain out on the floor. Here are some photos of the plumbing:





    Two items remained before I could do a first start: fuel lines and connecting the battery. I wanted to wait until the last minute to connect the battery just on general principle – it’s easier to work on everything knowing that you aren’t going to get zapped or short anything out. That almost worked out.

    I got the fuel line connected from the regulator to the fuel rail and then started dealing with the CMCV plumbing.
    There are a few differences between the generations of the coyote as far as vacuum is concerned. I have the 2015, and it has two lines: one on the drivers side, and one on the passenger side of the intake manifold. The PS side connects to the engine; the DS connects to the intake elbow. I still need to drill holes in the elbow, but I constructed a hose that fits the Ford connection (intended to go on a Mustang air intake) and the block.



    With these things complete, it was time for a first start. Maybe. The plan was to do the first start on the engine’s delivery anniversary – June 30. I had a bunch of friends over, including Gumball and Broku518. I told everybody it was either going to be a celebration – or a disaster of monumental proportions. It was neither – just a dud. You can read about some of the issues here:

    https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/show...tion-on-coyote

    With that bump in the road, it was time to get everything fixed. Dan, my GTO friend and electrical expert, got involved. We started working through the electrical system, looking for faults.

    Elapsed, it took about a week. In man-hours, it was probably three hours. Not too bad. It was the coyote pigtail “starter request” wire that was connected to the RF orange “efi/crank” wire that caused the problem.
    Once that was identified, we had a running fuel pump and an engine that would turn over. Unfortunately, as soon as the fuel pump started, leaks appeared. Let’s count each one:
    1. Quick disconnect at the tank let go, spewing gas all over.
    2. Connection from fuel filter output to hard line.
    3. Union of hardlines.
    4. Hard line to braided line in the engine bay
    5. AN connection into fuel pressure regulator.
    6. AN connection out of fuel pressure regulator.
    7. Hard line union on the return.

    Yikes! That’s just about every connection that could leak. Thankfully, I haven’t needed to employ the fire extinguisher. Dan and I talked about replacing the fuel lines with braided line from the filter all the way to the pressure regulator. While I’m not a big fan of rework, I like the idea. More on that later.

    The fuel pressure regulator was the toughest nut to crack. At least time-wise. Wondering why there were so many leaks on the regulator, I got in touch with tech support at Aeromotive. My new friend Brett asked for photos so he could see what I was dealing with. By now, I was getting adept at installing/removing the connections AND the regulator itself, so this was no problem. First comment he made: “those aren’t Aeromotive fittings”. It’s been two years since the engine arrived. In the box was the fuel pressure regulator and the accompanying fittings. I don’t know the exact source of those items, but the fittings I got were aftermarket, apparently. In this case, it seems like it really does make a difference. First, I changed out the return fitting on the bottom of the regulator. Didn’t solve the problem. Next, I needed to isolate where the issue was. I took some paper towels, a couple of twist ties, and wrapped each connection so I could see which got wet when I powered up the pump. The return connection (aeromotive part) was dry. The other two were wet.

    Elapsed time to fix: 3 weeks. Man-hours: about 3. 4 if you count on-line research. The biggest issue here was shipping charges and time to delivery! Whatever.
    Finally, I got all the pieces together on July 28. I decided that I was going to start it whether I had leaks or not! While I do have some drips, at least they’re under the PS floor rather than in the engine bay. And here’s the result (also in its own thread):

    https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/show...te-First-Start
    Mk IV Roadster - #8650 - delivered 7-17-2015 - first start 7-28-2018 - first go-kart 10-13-2018 - licensed and on the road 9-9-19: body/paint completed 3-17-2020.
    Complete kit / 2015 Coyote / TKO600 / IRS / Wilwood brakes / Mid-Shift mod / Power Steering / Heater and Seat Heaters / RT turn signal / Breeze radiator shroud and mount

  28. #108
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    Where to from here?
    1. I need to get the brakes done. Go back over all the connections and make certain they are secure. Then load up the system and bleed the brakes.
    2. Finish installing the lokar parking brake clevis. (The pulley is already in)
    3. Adjust the Power Steering pump pulley. It needs to come forward about 1/32nd of an inch. It’s offset just enough to have the belt work its way off.
    4. Re-do the fuel system. I’m going to go 3/8 braided line on feed and return. No more hard lines. I want one connection at the filter and one at the regulator. One piece of braided line in between. I hate to think about how much time and aggravation I went through dealing with 5/16 feed and ¼ return lines initially. It was frustrating, to say the least, finding the fittings for that, but at the time I wanted to use the parts that came with the kit. I’m past that now. I’ve gone so far off the reservation I’ve lost track.
    5. Change out the problem wires in the dash. Maybe it’s too drastic to re-do everything, but I need to ensure the key wires are solid.
    6. Drill the air intake elbow for the CMCV connection and PCV connection. I’m not looking forward to this one. I got the JLT kit, and they’re telling me one of the holes is 7/8”. I need to talk through this with a few folks (including Ducky2009 because I believe he already did it) before I start drilling.
    7. Fabricate a bracket to support the air filter. It looks like it would vibrate considerably given the flex in the reducing collar. David (Ducky2009) and I already talked through this one.

    All of the above in this post was written but never got posted. It’s been a busy summer and we haven’t been home much. But now I should be geographically stable for a couple of months so I should have some time to make progress. We’re now at early September. I have managed to squeeze a few minutes here and there, but mostly, I’ve been acquiring parts needed to deal with the above list! I’ve run the car a few times, but I really haven’t gotten it up to temperature yet. Nor have I set the tach yet. The needle moves, so I know the connection works, but it needs to be calibrated.
    Last weekend, I pulled the fuel supply plumbing out.



    I put plastic bags on the ends so I wouldn’t leak gas all over the place. For the most part, that worked. It was painful to see these things come out after the challenges I had getting it all in place. I can’t help but think about the time and frustration in getting all of the fittings in place. Lesson learned: 3/8 inch is way easier than any other approach. Period. I have the new braided line ready to install – hopefully in the next week or two. One little problem I ran into was the quick disconnect fitting (to AN-6) for the fuel return at the tank. I measures ¼ inch, but a quarter inch fitting won’t go on. I have a 5/16 fitting that just arrived. We’ll see if that fits better (and hopefully isn’t so big it leaks!).

    I started working on the brakes, too. So far, I only found one leak – at the junction of the hard line to the flexible front wheel hose on the passenger side. I should be able to finish this task by next weekend and get serious about finishing the new fuel system. I also got a couple of weatherpack connectors waiting to be installed on the ignition wiring. Hopefully that will solve the wiring issues.

    My goal is to get these things addressed an post another update before the middle of October. Who knows, maybe I’ll actually meet that schedule!
    Mk IV Roadster - #8650 - delivered 7-17-2015 - first start 7-28-2018 - first go-kart 10-13-2018 - licensed and on the road 9-9-19: body/paint completed 3-17-2020.
    Complete kit / 2015 Coyote / TKO600 / IRS / Wilwood brakes / Mid-Shift mod / Power Steering / Heater and Seat Heaters / RT turn signal / Breeze radiator shroud and mount

  29. #109
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    Well, we didn’t. Here it is, the beginning of December, 2019. What a bum! I haven’t updated this log for nearly 15 months!

    So, let’s review: in our last episode, our hero didn’t know what he didn’t know. Now, 15 months later, while still not completely cobra-competent, we have a pretty good idea of what we don’t know.

    All of the following clearly is in the past, but I want to document it for the sake of completeness. If you’ve stuck with this log until now, you either have the patience of a saint or you have too much time on your hands. Maybe both. As you have seen, or will see, there are some huge time gaps between various activities. Why? Lots of reasons. But so what? It just took a little longer! I don’t work that quickly. I think I know what I’m doing, and then try to do it. Then I realize I have no clue, so I have to figure it out before I screw something up. I hate to think about how many items I have completed, scrapped and redone. I have probably completed two builds on one frame, given how many things I’ve re-done! So here’s the executive summary:

    1. Made slow progress until I retired in the spring of 2019.
    2. At Jeff Kleiner’s recommendation, I completed the car to the point of being able to register it and drive it prior to bringing it to him.
    3. I ran into some interesting problems along the way that seemed insurmountable at the time, but don’t seem like such a big deal now.
    4. I have come to grips with my own level of mechanical competence and confidence. I thought I knew what I was doing, but admit that I’ve had my head handed to me more than once! I have learned a lot over the past 4 and a half years and finally, now, at the end of 2019, am beginning to feel more confident. We’ll see how that works out…
    5. I am now onto “interior 2.0”. Yes, the concept for this car has changed significantly. For the better, I believe.
    Does that pique your interest to read on? Let’s get caught up.
    Mk IV Roadster - #8650 - delivered 7-17-2015 - first start 7-28-2018 - first go-kart 10-13-2018 - licensed and on the road 9-9-19: body/paint completed 3-17-2020.
    Complete kit / 2015 Coyote / TKO600 / IRS / Wilwood brakes / Mid-Shift mod / Power Steering / Heater and Seat Heaters / RT turn signal / Breeze radiator shroud and mount

  30. #110
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    September, 2018. The first order of business was making the connections to the elbow and installing a support bracket for the air filter. I know this because those photos are time-stamped earlier than the fuel lines! We had the engine connections before, but we hadn’t completed the connections on the air intake.







    Mk IV Roadster - #8650 - delivered 7-17-2015 - first start 7-28-2018 - first go-kart 10-13-2018 - licensed and on the road 9-9-19: body/paint completed 3-17-2020.
    Complete kit / 2015 Coyote / TKO600 / IRS / Wilwood brakes / Mid-Shift mod / Power Steering / Heater and Seat Heaters / RT turn signal / Breeze radiator shroud and mount

  31. #111
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    Remember the fuel lines? That was one of the “did, scrapped, re-did” items. I should have just taken this approach from the outset, but I was bound and determined to use the parts that came with the kit. I’m sure there are plenty of people who had success with 5/16 feed and ¼ inch return on a Coyote, but, sadly, I was not one of them. Here are some photos of the new approach:







    I’m very happy with these lines, especially considering I installed them after the aluminum was in place. I would have been much easier to do this initially… These lines are going to be a cause of concern later on!

    The power steering setup has been a challenge from the outset. It’s easy enough – reservoir, pump, and rack, with a total of three hoses and six connections. What could possibly go wrong? You may recall from way back in the build (don’t forget – this odyssey has been 4 years in the making!) I mounted the reservoir in a spot that would have prevented the hood from closing, I mangled assembly of the reservoir to pump line, and I messed up the threads on the bottom of the reservoir. Leaks have been a persistent issue, to say the least. So, I pulled the reservoir out so I could fix it once and for all. Ha! Notice the threads:



    The idea here was to see if the threads were salvageable or if I needed to get a whole new reservoir. We’ll come back to this later.
    Mk IV Roadster - #8650 - delivered 7-17-2015 - first start 7-28-2018 - first go-kart 10-13-2018 - licensed and on the road 9-9-19: body/paint completed 3-17-2020.
    Complete kit / 2015 Coyote / TKO600 / IRS / Wilwood brakes / Mid-Shift mod / Power Steering / Heater and Seat Heaters / RT turn signal / Breeze radiator shroud and mount

  32. #112
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    October, 2018: A troubling development here was the brake leak at the right front wheel. I talked about that in a thread here: https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/show...and-go-karting

    Here’s the offending connection:



    And offending connector:



    The end result was to completely replace the DS to PS front brake line along with a new connector at the right front wheel. Keep in mind that this brake line is attached to the X frame and was originally installed before anything else (steering rack, etc.) was in place. It was a little more crowded in this area now… But, it’s in. Boy, that was fun! Here’s the new connection. Look! No loop!



    October 14 was a good day. It was 8650’s maiden voyage! Here’s a link to the go-kart thread complete with video: https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/show...rt-run-of-8650

    I also fixed another initial problem. I had used spade connectors for the coyote pigtail starter request wires and the RF wires, and that was problematic. I cut the spades off and replaced them with a two-wire weatherpack connector. I know there are some who don’t care for those connectors, but it works pretty well.



    Here’s what the whole thing looked like in October:


    On my first few go-kart runs, I noted a clicking sound coming from the right rear axle. I posted another thread about that here: https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/show...ght-rear-wheel. This issue was present for some time – like until just recently. It cured itself. Here’s my thinking: the bearings weren’t lubricated because they sat for a long time – i.e. almost 4 years… Finally, after enough revolutions, they are back to the way they should be. I heard the clicking right after I got it registered, but then after a few trips, I didn’t hear it anymore. Problem solved – or at the very least, delayed.

    The following weekend, I brought self-embarrassment to a whole new level. Here’s a link to the original posting: https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/show...-backfires-Why

    You had a number of good ideas. The problem: it was out of gas. The real issue here was that the fuel gauge had not been correctly calibrated, so it was not really evident. Lacking any other good ideas, I added fuel and voila! It started right up. Don't I feel like an idiot.
    Mk IV Roadster - #8650 - delivered 7-17-2015 - first start 7-28-2018 - first go-kart 10-13-2018 - licensed and on the road 9-9-19: body/paint completed 3-17-2020.
    Complete kit / 2015 Coyote / TKO600 / IRS / Wilwood brakes / Mid-Shift mod / Power Steering / Heater and Seat Heaters / RT turn signal / Breeze radiator shroud and mount

  33. #113
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    Between the end of October and Thanksgiving nothing was accomplished on the build. Instead, we went on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. Our trip was led by a Carmelite Priest, with a Jewish guide and a Palestinian bus driver. These guys were amazing. They’ve been working together for almost 30 years. The trip itself was life changing. I have a million photos, but I’ll just share one here:


    An olive tree in the Garden of Gethsemane

    Back at work on the car, the next item was to finally finish the e-brake. I had been putting that off, but I knew it would need to be completed eventually. This was another one of those tasks that I had no clue about. I chucked the kit-supplied clevis, and sprang for the Lokar part. It was much easier to deal with, except that the block of the clevis where the cables are secured was binding on the bottom of the frame. My solution (maybe good, maybe not) was to fabricate an extension to the e-brake handle. This way, the pull location had a better angle on the cables allowing it to go under the frame without hitting it. Here’s a link to a related thread I started at the time: https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/show...frame&p=350556

    And, some photos:






    This sub-project took me through Christmas.

    Some time ago, I had made up some brackets for the backup light and installed them. I checked my measurements again, and decided that I needed longer brackets to get the light lower. Otherwise, it would only light up the body… I made these brackets, but as it turned out, they were too short, too!

    Mk IV Roadster - #8650 - delivered 7-17-2015 - first start 7-28-2018 - first go-kart 10-13-2018 - licensed and on the road 9-9-19: body/paint completed 3-17-2020.
    Complete kit / 2015 Coyote / TKO600 / IRS / Wilwood brakes / Mid-Shift mod / Power Steering / Heater and Seat Heaters / RT turn signal / Breeze radiator shroud and mount

  34. #114
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    Next up was dealing with the seat heaters. Another one of those projects that I had put off. The heaters had been aging a while in the office, so it was time to get them installed!

    I started a thread here: https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/show...-for-a-circuit
    Getting the elements into the seats themselves was relatively straightforward. It was probably the easiest part of the whole installation. The challenging part was the wiring. And, of course, my choice of routing and switch location only made it more complicated. I decided I wanted the switches on the tunnel, in front of the shifter. This way I didn’t have to extend the wiring. I also wanted to run the wires inside the tunnel. That necessitated drilling holes large enough in the floor aluminum to fit the connection points on the seat heater wiring. Then, I needed to insulate and secure the wiring inside the tunnel. I thought it’d be a piece of cake doing this from above. In hindsight, it probably would have been easier from underneath. Here are some photos of the wiring:







    Two trips to Florida and a couple of business trips later I was able to focus once again. I did spend a little time at the end of January on light wiring (see this thread https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/show...to-the-harness )
    and elected to use weatherpack connectors. Overall, I think that was a good choice.
    Mk IV Roadster - #8650 - delivered 7-17-2015 - first start 7-28-2018 - first go-kart 10-13-2018 - licensed and on the road 9-9-19: body/paint completed 3-17-2020.
    Complete kit / 2015 Coyote / TKO600 / IRS / Wilwood brakes / Mid-Shift mod / Power Steering / Heater and Seat Heaters / RT turn signal / Breeze radiator shroud and mount

  35. #115
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    All of a sudden, it is March, 2019. I’m thinking about everything that needs to be completed before the body goes on for the final time (at least in my garage). One of those items was the fuel vent filter; the other was roll bars. Let’s cover the filter first.

    There’s some good documentation on Jeff Kleiner’s approach to fuel venting. Depending on the weather, the fuel level and recent activity, I could get some fairly strong gas odors in the garage. I read Jeff’s instructions a few times, compared those to edwardb’s, acquired all the requisite parts and got to work.



    Did I take a photo of the completed filter? Of course not. Whatever.
    Mk IV Roadster - #8650 - delivered 7-17-2015 - first start 7-28-2018 - first go-kart 10-13-2018 - licensed and on the road 9-9-19: body/paint completed 3-17-2020.
    Complete kit / 2015 Coyote / TKO600 / IRS / Wilwood brakes / Mid-Shift mod / Power Steering / Heater and Seat Heaters / RT turn signal / Breeze radiator shroud and mount

  36. #116
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    I had put off the cockpit and trunk aluminum as long as possible. It is much easier to access everything from above than crawling underneath! But, the time had come to get the clecos out again and button everything up. This was another job I thought would be pretty quick and straightforward. Maybe it was straightforward, but it wasn’t quick by any means. Here are some photos:







    I could also finalize the seat heater wiring and mount the seats. Learning from edwardb, I elected to put spacers under my seats, too. The purpose was two-fold – raise them a bit, and provide a path for the seat heater wires without them getting squashed. The only impact was that I needed to get longer bolts to mount them.







    I learned the hard way that the main frame rail is just about in the center of the seat. My first seat hole went inside the frame rail. Well, I guess that isn’t going to work, is it? Next try was outside the rail, but guess what else is there! The brake lines! That one was closer than I would have liked to think about. Keep this in mind, because this topic will raise its ugly head yet again…
    Mk IV Roadster - #8650 - delivered 7-17-2015 - first start 7-28-2018 - first go-kart 10-13-2018 - licensed and on the road 9-9-19: body/paint completed 3-17-2020.
    Complete kit / 2015 Coyote / TKO600 / IRS / Wilwood brakes / Mid-Shift mod / Power Steering / Heater and Seat Heaters / RT turn signal / Breeze radiator shroud and mount

  37. #117
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    It’s the end of March already. Still haven’t pulled the retirement trigger completely, but we’re close. It’s getting warmer outside and it’s easier to work in the garage. By now, I have all the lights plugged in using the weatherpack connectors. Typically, I left the master cutoff switched off, just on general principle and so I don’t fry myself. But this day, I had it on. Why are my brake lights on?

    Duh! The switch isn’t seated properly. I need to get this fixed before I can button up the outside of the footbox.



    I talked about these little issues in a thread here: https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/show...be-not-so-much
    So, while I’m messing around trying to adjust the switch to work, I had the brake light on top of a towel on the floor. The towel was between the lens and the floor, ostensibly to protect the lens from the concrete. Wrong. Check it out:



    Thanks to 2bking, I got a new lens. I’ve made a lot of friends here – I thank God for everyone on this forum and their willingness to help!
    Check out what’s in the manual:



    Thanks to the nut on the switch body side of the bracket, the switch won’t extend far enough. I had to either eliminate the nut on the backside, or get a thinner nut. I bought a new switch, and sure enough, the nuts that came with it were these really cheap thin things. It worked perfectly! Or sort of. We’ll see this later, too.

    Here are the two nuts:



    I know you are supposed to be able to adjust the pedals themselves, but I have yet to figure that out.

    I decided I wanted to be able to remove the trans tunnel cover if needed, and I wanted something other than carpet on it. I looked into different pieces of leather, but nothing really got my attention. I settled on marine vinyl – it looks good, only the trained eye will know it isn’t leather, it was relatively easy to install. Ducky2009 (David) pointed me in the direction of volara closed cell padding. I used 1/8th inch.

    So I plugged the original shifter hole, covered the whole tunnel top with insulation



    Then glued on the pad, then glued on the vinyl. I was hoping that the multiple layers would mask the oval mark from the covered hole, but you can still see it a little. You have to look for it, but it’s there. Here’s the finished product:



    Don’t get too hung up on this piece of vinyl, because you’ll see later that it’s getting re-done.
    Mk IV Roadster - #8650 - delivered 7-17-2015 - first start 7-28-2018 - first go-kart 10-13-2018 - licensed and on the road 9-9-19: body/paint completed 3-17-2020.
    Complete kit / 2015 Coyote / TKO600 / IRS / Wilwood brakes / Mid-Shift mod / Power Steering / Heater and Seat Heaters / RT turn signal / Breeze radiator shroud and mount

  38. #118
    On a roll Al_C's Avatar
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    Aug 2014
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    I completed the Jeff Kleiner mod so I wouldn’t have to drop the fuel tank to get the quick jack bolts in place. I had the double female parts installed – I just needed to get the long pieces in place. I bought a 36 inch threaded rod, cut it down to size and voila! Everything works.



    I buttoned up the footbox and got the seatbelts installed.




    We’re making progress.

    The roll bars were interesting. The driver side parts fit pretty well. I was able to get everything together, drilled the holes and got the bolts in place. The passenger side was another story. The hoop fit just fine, and the brace went into the angled socket fine, but getting the hoop to line up with the brace was not in the cards. It was off by a good 1/8 inch, if not more. I sanded, pulled, tugged, you name it. It wasn’t going to happen. W.C. Fields had a good quote that fits well here: “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again. Then give up. No sense being a damn fool about it.” There you have it. I kicked the can down the road, knowing that everything was going to come apart in Mr. Kleiner’s shop anyway. He didn’t seem concerned about getting it to fit!

    Remember the complaints earlier about the power steering reservoir? It’s back. This item is one that has just kept coming back to haunt me. I started another thread on this topic here: https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/show...29-Teflon-Tape!
    Your collective ideas solved that problem. Just one left. It still leaks. We’ll come back to this.

    I have a co-worker/friend who is restoring an older Corvette (C3). He took it down to the bare frame and is rebuilding from there. I think his project is more complicated than mine. I got this in the mail from him:



    It is “proudly” stuck on the side of my tool box…

    Working through my list of issues, I asked for help with the water temperature gauge. I didn’t think it was working and was concerned that either the sender was bad (not my fault), or the installation of said sender was bad (definitely my fault). I’d run the engine for a while, but nothing seemed to register. I started this thread on the topic for your advice: https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/show...perature-gauge

    By the way, the clock is reasonably accurate. Or it was until we went to standard time. Now it’s off by an hour!
    Mk IV Roadster - #8650 - delivered 7-17-2015 - first start 7-28-2018 - first go-kart 10-13-2018 - licensed and on the road 9-9-19: body/paint completed 3-17-2020.
    Complete kit / 2015 Coyote / TKO600 / IRS / Wilwood brakes / Mid-Shift mod / Power Steering / Heater and Seat Heaters / RT turn signal / Breeze radiator shroud and mount

  39. #119
    On a roll Al_C's Avatar
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    Aug 2014
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    Before the body could go on (remember, everything is focused on this activity…), I needed to undercoat it. I had planned to do that a couple of years ago, but I guess time got away from me! I went shopping for truck bed liner and settled on Duplicolor. It worked pretty well. Here are some photos of the process:







    Just a few items remained: mount the lights on the body, install the rearview mirror, and drill holes for the wipers. Doesn’t that sound like fun? These tasks were much easier with the body on a buck rather than on the car itself. The only one of these that was nerve-wracking were the wiper holes. Even though the wiper kit includes a jig/template to use, there were plenty of opportunities for me to screw it up. Thankfully, it came out pretty well.

    Mk IV Roadster - #8650 - delivered 7-17-2015 - first start 7-28-2018 - first go-kart 10-13-2018 - licensed and on the road 9-9-19: body/paint completed 3-17-2020.
    Complete kit / 2015 Coyote / TKO600 / IRS / Wilwood brakes / Mid-Shift mod / Power Steering / Heater and Seat Heaters / RT turn signal / Breeze radiator shroud and mount

  40. #120
    On a roll Al_C's Avatar
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    Wheaton, IL
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    I was all set to mount the body and happened to have a conversation with Martin (broku518) regarding carpet. I wanted to ask him about what he used in the trunk. During the course of our conversation, he suggested that it was a whole lot easier to install carpet without a body in the way. Boy, am I glad I listened to him. I also asked your advice on glue in this thread:
    https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/show...52-Carpet-Glue

    I used a combination of silicone and 3M 77 adhesive. Six months in, everything is still in place.

    Painting the seams black was a good idea:




    Here are some other carpeting photos:




    Mk IV Roadster - #8650 - delivered 7-17-2015 - first start 7-28-2018 - first go-kart 10-13-2018 - licensed and on the road 9-9-19: body/paint completed 3-17-2020.
    Complete kit / 2015 Coyote / TKO600 / IRS / Wilwood brakes / Mid-Shift mod / Power Steering / Heater and Seat Heaters / RT turn signal / Breeze radiator shroud and mount

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