So here we are. Arrival is imminent; it’s time to start the “official” build log. Many of you have heard all or parts of this before, in person or on this forum, but for the sake of having a complete record, allow me to start at the beginning.

My wife and I started thinking about what we’re going to do when we retire. It didn’t take a lot of exploring to come to the FFR conclusion. Well, for me anyway. Not sure this was ever on her radar screen. A little encouragement from a few friends and with spousal approval the die was cast. Then the ultimate question came to mind: why wait another couple of years? Why not start now? The planning started mid-2014. I started lurking on the forum in July and joined in August, 2014. The planning went into high gear in the early fall. By the spring, I had a pretty good idea what I wanted. All it took was a trip to Huntington Beach in April, 2015 and the project was set!

Here’s the plan, and the thinking behind each component. (If you aren’t interested in my thought process, you’re welcome to skip this part…)

Roadster. I mean, really, was there ever any question? I want new parts, so the complete kit made the most sense. Acquiring and dismantling a Mustang was never part of the plan. It’s easier this way.

Powder coated frame. Little debate here. Seems like a no-brainer.

Cutouts. I’ve heard different perspectives on this one, too. I decided to roll with it. If the hole’s in the wrong place we can always glass over it. Maybe “glass” isn’t the correct term here, but you know what I mean…

Ford Coyote. I debated the engine choice endlessly. I had a number of people promoting the small block concept. However, I wanted new technology, and the “cool” factor the Coyote offers. Tony from the FFR tech team helped to convince me, reporting that new sheet metal offers significant improvements in the footbox. I sat in a few, and it’s all good. We’re looking at an engine that will be somewhere around 412 – 420 HP. That fits in my sweet spot. I need to sell some more software before I pull the trigger on this component, but that shouldn’t take too much longer. Realistically, I’m not going to be ready to install an engine before the fall, so there isn’t that much of a hurry anyway.

Tremec TKO-600. Choosing the Coyote pushed me (in my mind) beyond the limits of a T-5. Might as well put in a transmission that can handle the torque. Coming out of the Volvo community, I have seen way too many people modify and tune their engines to the point where the transmissions and Haldex systems couldn’t handle the power - and then whine when they would break parts. Angle gears were a common complaint. C’mon people – think about it!

IRS. Independent rear suspension just makes so much more sense to me. What more is there to say? Actually, what is to say is that I need to order the pumpkin and a few other parts pretty soon.

17” wheels. I like big brakes. Big brakes and 15 inch wheels aren’t always compatible. I know, the car only weighs 2400 lbs., and has brakes designed for a much heavier vehicle, but I like big brakes. The Volvo has Brembos on it and they work really well. It’s a little easier to find tires to fit 17 inch wheels than it is to fit 15 inchers, too. If I was going to go for a period look, I would need to go with 15 inch, but since I chose a 21st century powerplant I might as well go with different wheels. I really like the 18” idea, but the cost tradeoff wasn’t worth it. So, we have 17X9 in the front, and 17X10.5 in the rear. Should be fun.

Tires. I rely on my buddy Ken for recommendations, so I’ve basically outsourced the task of choosing the best option here. Likely will be 245/45 – R17 up front; 315/35 – R17 in the rear.

Dual roll bars. No, this isn’t traditional. It’s the logical answer to the question, “what? I don’t get my own roll bar?” (see Spousal approval above)

Wilwood brake upgrade. There was a fair amount of debate on brakes – other than the fact that I like big ones. I have seen a few cars where anti-lock brakes were installed. I was thinking in those terms. I even posted a question about it that got way more attention than I expected. The result: probably not necessary, but if I do decide at some point to install them, at least I know that the Wilwood’s will support ABS. See commentary on wheels above. One last sane remark on ABS. Why do I like them? They’re really good on slippery surfaces. Am I going to drive the roadster in rainy, snowy or icy conditions? No. So tell me again why I need ABS?

Big and tall seats. I am not a small person. These seats work. End of discussion.

Wind wings. Seemed like a good idea. With the 50% off sale going on, it only made sense to pull the trigger now.

Visors. See wind wings. I can always take them off if they don’t look good. Btw – I drive east to go to work, and west to go home. The sun is always in my eyes. Unless it’s still raining.

Wipers. One of these days, it might stop raining in Illinois. Until that happens, wipers are a good idea. Besides, I’m not sure I can register the car without wipers in this state. Try as I will, I can guarantee you that at some point we will get caught in the rain. At that moment, we will look at each other and ask “why didn’t we get wipers for the inside, too?”

Heater. I debated this item. The presence of the heater pretty much precludes having any useful glove box, but the absence of the heater limits the season. Seat heaters are nice, but they don’t do much for your feet. We both like warm feet. Heater got included.

Over-riders. Originally, I was thinking of just the quick jacks. Then, after looking at a lot of cars, I decided I like the over-riders only look rather than the full bumper look. Not that those bumpers would offer much protection anyway.

Stainless side pipes. In my mind, they look better. At least with the probable color scheme, they look better. And, they’ll match the chromed roll bars. I seriously considered heat shields, but decided against those. Even with the shields, I think you can still get burned. It’s an easy fix to learn the right way to get in and out of the car…

Power steering. Another item that resulted in spirited input from forum members. The “yes” votes won. I’m thinking the 3.0 turns lock-to-lock set up.

Cold air vents for the footboxes. Chris, Lee, and Kevin sold me on that idea. I’m sure there will be other customizations. Why plan them all now when it makes sense? It’s much more fun to try to do something last minute when you have to undo stuff to make something else fit!

Color? I’ve gone back and forth on this topic. It will be fun to look back on this writing after the project is completed and painted. The candidates? Burgundy with white or cream stripes, Green with undetermined stripe, or navy blue with white or gold stripes. I prefer the darker shades (burgundy vs. red; navy vs. guardian blue). Still need to figure out who’s doing the painting and who’s doing the body work (me or the painter…).

I registered for Build School, and will be there in August. I’m looking forward to that weekend.

Thanks to the 20th anniversary 50/50 sale, I dove in on May 8, 2015. My “ready for pickup” date was June 27. Nevertheless, the waiting isn’t over. Depending on Stewart, it should be delivered in the next week or so. It was supposed to arrive this week, but apparently the truck had an accident on the way to the factory. It is definitely time to get the garage in order. Tasks to be completed prior to arrival:
1. Clean the garage. Seems pretty straightforward, right? You’d be amazed at how much miscellaneous stuff accumulates. As of July 3: done.
2. Fix the floor. I painted the floor last fall in anticipation of this project. That effort was a little less than successful. In hindsight, I should have applied two coats of epoxy instead of one. The good news is that the folks at Rust-Oleum provided me with a patch kit that fixed up the spots that wore out or bubbled. As it turns out, research shows that the consumer DIY kits result in a 3 mil epoxy surface. Not much on a garage floor. Even when you follow the preparation instructions, you stand a pretty good chance that something will go wrong if you only apply one coat. Tell me again why I didn’t know this before? I’ll leave it as patched until the roadster is completed, then re-do it so the completed car has a nice clean floor to sit on. As of July 1: done.
3. Assemble the engine lift. My wife knew I was committed when she saw the lift delivered to our driveway. It’s been sitting in a corner of the garage patiently waiting assembly for a number of months. Most of the assembly is done, but it takes up less space in its current form. It’s time will be here soon enough!
4. Modify the body buck. I’m the beneficiary of Chris Russell’s body buck. He has lots of space in his hangar; I don’t. I need to modify the buck so it goes over the frame. I am doing my build in half of the two-car garage. Part of the deal was that Nancy gets to keep her car inside. It looks like I’ll only need a few 2X4’s and some bigger casters. More on this later.
5. Get some more lighting installed. I need to put in another fluorescent fixture. It will be easier to install that without the car in the way. Planned: July 11.

Here’s another interesting aspect of this project: a lot of people are interested. Fascinated, even. People who are not even connected to the FFR community. It’s like the arrival of a new child – there’s a rather long list of people I have to notify when “the baby” arrives! Ted, Matt, Ken, Joe, Patt, Joe S., Mark, John, Ben, and others. And that doesn’t count the forum! Next update? When I hear from Stewart.