JimLev's Build

[JimLev]

Finally got PO’d about trying to adjust the ride height with the standard Koni coilover that came with the kit. I needed to raise the car 1/2” more than the specified ride height so the running board outer edges wouldn’t scrape going over the berm at the end of driveways.
There is nothing to keep the black threaded tube from turning while you try and turn the adjuster ring on the bottom.
Next to impossible to get at and then try to hold the black tube when they are mounted in the car, no room.
A few days ago I pulled all 4 coilovers, drilled and tapped some holes for set screws to keep the tube from turning.
I bought QA-1 needle bearing thrust washers which helped a lot. I set all 4 up 1/2” higher out of the car, will install them this weekend.

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[33fromSD]

Finally got PO’d about trying to adjust the ride height with the standard Koni coilover that came with the kit. I needed to raise the car 1/2” more than the specified ride height so the running board outer edges wouldn’t scrape going over the berm at the end of driveways.
There is nothing to keep the black threaded tube from turning while you try and turn the adjuster ring on the bottom.
Next to impossible to get at and then try to hold the black tube when they are mounted in the car, no room.
A few days ago I pulled all 4 coilovers, drilled and tapped some holes for set screws to keep the tube from turning.
I bought QA-1 needle bearing thrust washers which helped a lot. I set all 4 up 1/2” higher out of the car, will install them this weekend.

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Are you using the 8" springs that came with the kit Jim? If yes, I think you have the threaded collar clip in the wrong groove in the shock body. There is a 2nd groove about 2" up from the one your in which is meant for shorter springs 8" & 9").. The upper groove will give you a lot better lift when adjusting the collar. In the upper groove I was able to hold the collar with a channel locks to prevent them from spinning (before I switched to QA1s).

The groove you're in now is for longer springs (10" or 12").

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Jim

[JimLev]

Yes, I have the 8” springs, 400Lb in the front and 300lb in the back.
I’m pretty sure the manual showed the clip in the bottom groove for the front shocks and in the upper groove for the rear shocks. I’ll double check it.
The shocks are back in the car. I still need to finish the paint and then it’s time to get it registered.

[33fromSD]

Yes, I have the 8” springs, 400Lb in the front and 300lb in the back.
I’m pretty sure the manual showed the clip in the bottom groove for the front shocks and in the upper groove for the rear shocks. I’ll double check it.
The shocks are back in the car. I still need to finish the paint and then it’s time to get it registered.

Okay, you're raising the front, I missed that. Yes, then you're 100% correct, the front use the lower groove.

Jim

[JimLev]

Finally found some time to paint the roof and then install a thin sheet of wood wrapped with a piece of vinyl for the head liner.
Just need to finish painting the body now. All of the removable parts are now painted.

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[JimLev]

Roof is temporarily on to check fit. Hope to have the rest painted in a week or so.

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[Mastertech5]

Beautiful Jim! That is one of my maybe colors. Nice to see one to help decide.

[JimLev]

Started to work on getting the back of the body done but then decided I should install the Pete & Jake’s nerf bars now so I don’t need to figure out how everything is going to fit and align after it’s painted.
Had to weld an angle iron frame to mount to the FFR frame, I’ll pull it off tomorrow morning so I can paint it.
The welds aren’t the best, I’m still learning.

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Then attached the nerf bars.

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[JimLev]

Rounding 3rd base and heading for home, lol.
The body is coming off today, hope to get it painted and back on soon, then it’s time to get it all put back together, aligned, and registered.

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[Kamp]

Jim check the pan depth to frame, your pan looks pretty deep, you don't want it lower than the frame.

[JimLev]

Kamp, it’s the stock LS3 aluminum oil pan that came with the engine.
It is a little lower than the frame however I’ve raised the suspension so the edges of the running boards don’t hit the berm at the end of my driveway.
The bottom of the pan is 6” off the ground.

Pulled the body off today and found all the hardware I’ve dropped down the sides over the last 2 years.
Looks like one of the other cars will be spending some time parked out in the driveway.

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[Mastertech5]

Looking good! Seeing how you have an LS like I do, in my GM install instuctions, it says to attach a 12 volt feed from the vehicle to the pink ignition wire in the harness (this is required to enable the proper power-up sequence of the ECM) the 12 volt power source must be constant during crank to ensure the ECM remains powered during engine cranking. This can be routed into the passenger compartment with the accelerator pedal connector and diagnostic link connector.
The 8 gauge constant battery power to the GM fuse box is not the problem. I can't locate this pink wire they are talking about except the supposed output in the bulkhead connector. How did you manage this? If this is an output, wouldn't I need to add a fuse to power this from the ignition switch EFI crank wire in the RF harness? This would be back feeding that circuit.

[JimLev]

The pink wire is in the GM harness that goes to one of the 3 ECU connectors, let me know if you can’t find it. I’ll be in the garage all day today.
It gets connected to the Orange wire from the RF fuse box which is labeled IGN SW, which gets it’s power from the 15A fuse labeled EFI/Coil.
The org wire gets 12v whith the key in run and crank position.

[Mastertech5]

The pink wire is in the GM harness that goes to one of the 3 ECU connectors, let me know if you can’t find it. I’ll be in the garage all day today.
It gets connected to the Orange wire from the RF fuse box which is labeled IGN SW, which gets it’s power from the 15A fuse labeled EFI/Coil.
The org wire gets 12v whith the key in run and crank position.

Is it loose in the harness or do you have to pull it out and splice into it? And about where in the harness? I know it feeds the injectors and coils but there doesn't appear to be a wire sticking out like the fuel pump and cooling fan. In the middle of the instructions is this picture. It seems out of place.
IMG_20221128_104545_hdr.jpg.
Or it just an example on using the pink wire in the GM bulkhead connector.

[JimLev]

The elusive pink wire is located.
I was scratching my head for a while and looking thru my pics and the GM LS3 pages.
The pink wire terminates in a connector, see pics. I do remember ordering pins a few years ago so I must have added the pin and wire to connect it to the RF ECU/Coil wire. I’ll be out it the garage shortly to verify.

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[Mastertech5]

I did order the pins and seals for that bulkhead connector too, in anticipation. That was the only place I could see to connect to. You can just post to my build thread so as not take up any more space in yours. Thanks!

[JimLev]

Hope to shoot some primer tomorrow.

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Today’s update.

First coat of primer done. I see a few spots I missed.

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Second coat of primer is done and sanded, Friday’s plan is to paint the dash titanium silver and clear it.
I have most of it masked off and ready to go.

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[JimLev]

Looking in the manual I only see alignment specs for the front wheels. What did you guys set your rear wheels too? I won’t be racing it, just street driving.

Sprayed and cleared the dash yesterday with titanium silver.
Got the body sprayed with 3 coats of base this morning. Hope to do the clear tomorrow morning.

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[RoadRacer]

Looking in the manual I only see alignment specs for the front wheels. What did you guys set your rear wheels too? I won’t be racing it, just street driving.

You must be one of those fancy IRS folks Jim For the rest of us we just throw an 8.8" in the back and forget about it

[JimLev]

LOL James,
Yes, once you’ve had IRS you’ll never go back. Mine is an 8.8.

I was surprised the manual only has the 3 specs for the front, nothing for the rear.
Somebody here must have IRS and got it aligned….help!

My dash pic.
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[Mastertech5]

Sweet! Looks awsome

[progmgr1]

I found the following long screed in my "build tips" file (no guarantee of utility or accuracy)(unfortunately, I didn't save the source either):

REAR ALIGNMENT--IRS

To make adjustments to the IRS control arms, you will have to unbolt the rod ends when you twist them in or out as needed, which obviously cannot be done with the weight on the rear wheels. IRS alignment is a somewhat tedious process of trial and error, but it only has to be done once. The process is made much easier if the rear cockpit panel, the upper trunk floor, and body shell are not yet mounted, so do this early in your build!.

First thing you need to do is sit the frame on blocks, at ride height, on perfectly level ground (check and shim with Masonite, cardboard, etc.). The wheels need to be exactly level from side-to-side. Measure with a long 2x4 across the tops of the tires, or a long clear plastic tube filled with water. Or park them on a flat surface that you have confirmed as level. Most garage floors are close to level, but you may need shims. The car need not be level fore-and-aft. Remove the rear coilovers or back the spring way off. This way the control arm angles will be as at ride height, with the frame weight resting on blocks, and the tires resting on the ground, and you can still move the suspension arms as needed to adjust the rod ends. [If the body is on, you may want to put the frame on jackstands, and block the wheels up so that the suspension is at ride height, so that there is enough room for you to get underneath the car to turn the rod ends. Be glad that it will only need to be done once, or maybe again if you change ride height]

You will need a camber gauge to set rear camber accurately--Behrents has one for $40 (get the rim type, not hub type) (www.behrents.com). You can set it by eyeball for now, top of tire leaning "in" by about 1/2" relative to bottom of tire. We will do the final camber adjustment AFTER rear toe-in has been adjusted, since changing toe-in will change camber, while camber changes will not affect toe-in. To adjust camber, twist the UPPER control arm Heim joint in or out of the control arm until it is right. This will be a process of trial and error.

Next we need to string two strings, one on each side of the car, perfectly parallel to the 4" frame tubes, and to each other, at about mid-axle height. The best way to do this is to build trammel bars across the front and rear of the car, so that the strings will maintain their relationship to the car even if it rolls or moves. The quickjack bumpers supplied by FFR are ideal for this purpose. If you are in go-cart stage you will want to mount the quickjacks onto the frame now. Next take the two 7 ft PVC pipes and mark notches about 3" in from each end, so that the length between the notches is EXACTLY the same on each pipe; this will ensure that the strings remain parallel to one another. Next, put the PVC pipes under the quickjacks, so they are wedged into the notch on the bottom of the quickjack, secured by wrapping the quickjack and pipe with an elastic cord, centering from side-to-side, by eyeball for now. The pipes will now run across the front and rear of the roadster, more-or-less centered. Now tie a length of monofilament along each side, from the front trammel bar (pipe) to the rear, using the notches to insure that the strings remain parallel to one another (i.e., the ends of the strings are equally far apart at each end of the car).

Now we need to make sure that the strings, which are parallel to each other, are parallel to the frame. Do this by measuring carefully from the 4" frame tube, using the square or a plumb bob, sliding the pipes in the quickjack notches from side to side as necessary. They should ideally be equidistant from the 4" tubes on each side, or very close, so that we can be sure that the wheel track is centered on the midline of the frame. This is probably the hardest, or at least most tedious part; but accuracy here is important. The 4" frame tubes should be parallel: if slightly off, just use one side for a reference. Once you have the monofilament parallel to the frame, I recommend marking the pipe at the quickjacks, and being sure that the elastic is firmly holding the pipe. This is insurance, so that when you accidentally bump the string or trip over the pipe and knock it out of place, it will be easier to reset it accurately.

Now we are ready to check rear toe-in. You may use either use the wheel rim, if you are sure they are straight (spin'em to check), or wrap a big piece of masking tape around the tire and mark a line around it while rotating the tire, in the plane of rotation, to use as a reference.

Now simply measure from the string to the rim (or mark on tire). We want to have the distance, from the string to the rim, equal on both sides of the car. Measure toe-in as the difference of the front of tire versus rear of same tire or rim: 1/16" total, or 1/32" for each rear wheel..

Unless you are VERY lucky, when you first measure it, toe-in will not even be close. Adjust as needed, by turning in or out on lower control arm Heim rod ends. To make the changes, I find I can just unbolt one of the Heims, then kind of cradle the wheel/control arm in my lap while I twist the rod end in or out. Then you must remount the rod end into the frame with the bolt and shims. If you need to move it a lot, try to turn one in and one out: if you do all the adjustment at one joint it will affect camber somewhat, which is not a problem at this point. Also try to keep an equal distance from the string on each side of the car, so that the rear track remains centered on the midline of the vehicle. You may need to turn all 3 (upper and lowers) in or out to adjust width. Be sure that you don't unscrew the rod ends so far that there is too little thread remaining threaded into the control arm.

After toe-in is correct, it should stay that way unless you alter ride height significantly. Recheck camber after toe-in is set, and adjust as necessary, adjusting ONLY the upper control arm. If you compete, you will want to adjust camber later according to tire temperature measurements, otherwise leave it at 1 to 1.5 degrees negative (FFR calls for -1 degree). Camber will change quite a bit with ride height changes, BTW.

HTH, Keith HR #894

[edwardb]

Those IRS instructions appear to be the former T-Bird based design. I haven't done IRS on the Hot Rod. Only on a Roadster and Coupe. But the newer 2015+ style doesn't require unbolting anything to adjust. It has built-in adjusters that only require loosening a jam nut to adjust. One of the many improvements for the newer design and (from what I understand) a common mod to the former system. I'm assuming the Hot Rod would have the same alignment specs as in the Roadster and Coupe:

Camber: -0.5° to -0.75°
Total Toe: 1/8” Toe in

I find they interact more than what that write-up describes. At ride height, set the camber first, then the toe. Then back and forth tweaking each as needed unto they're both to spec. Pretty easy with the body off. Not so nice with body on.

[JimLev]

Thanks for the info guys. I do have a bubble camber gauge and a digital gauge too.
Fortunately I have the design that Edward is referring to that has jam nuts, don’t have to undo anything. See pics.

As I was looking thru the manual while drinking coffee this morning I see that there are rear alignment specs for the IRS on the next page after installing the IRS, not sure why the front and rear wouldn’t be on the same page?
The rear is the same as you posted above Edward.

The front is:
Total Toe 1/16”
Camber -0.5º to -0.75º
Camber 6-7º

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[JimLev]

Got the body sprayed with 2 coats of clear this morning. Only one small run that will need fixing.
I’ll get a few friends over tomorrow afternoon to help me put the body back on the chassis.

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[RoadRacer]

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So jealous. I always wanted to get mine on the road ASAP (and hence using the limited money available rather than saving up for better options) - but the IRS is dreamy.

[Mastertech5]

Got the body sprayed with 2 coats of clear this morning. Only one small run that will need fixing.
I’ll get a few friends over tomorrow afternoon to help me put the body back on the chassis.

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I wish we lived closer, I would be there in a flash to help. The body looks soooo good! You just had to move.

[JimLev]

After too many years putting up with the long cold MA winters (2014 & 2015 were the worse), our daughter transferring to ABQ, got married, and had a baby it was time to try out the southwest. Yes it would be good to live close to other FFR guys, not many here in NM.
Our oldest son lives in CO so that’s just a 6-7 hr drive.

The body is on the chassis with the help of 6 guys from the local car club here that I’m a member of.
The AC and defroster hoses under the dash from the Vintage Air system that came with my kit that run to the 4 vents are a PITA to install, not a lot of room. I had to lower the ECU about an inch to get 2.5” hose more space to get it to the dash vent and to allow the body to drop all the way down.
Looking at some pics of what comes with the Gen 2 kit the heater/AC box is completely different than what they were shipping 4 years ago.
Now to finish putting it back together, minus the fenders and running boards, then take it to at local tire shop for a 4 wheel alignment. Then I’ll install the fenders, etc.

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[Jeff33Ford]

That is really looking great. Keep the lessons coming.

[JimLev]

Thanks Jeff.
I’ve done a lot since my last update.
It’s almost ready to take in for an alignment, just need to install the front and rear glass.
I’ll bolt on the fenders and running boards after alignment.

Anybody got any tips on installing the glass without making a mess with the 3M windshield goop?

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[RoadRacer]

I had a mobile installer come over.. he put a thick bead of it in and then placed it in using those suckers. Made it look easy.. but I still wouldn’t do it myself.

[JimLev]

Thanks James. I’ve got those section cups to hold the glass so I think I’ll give it a try.

Latest pic.
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[Mastertech5]

Love the plate bracket. How about 2FAS4U FOR the plate

[JimLev]

Love the plate bracket. How about 2FAS4U FOR the plate

Nice, I’ll add that to my list for a vanity plate.

[progmgr1]

There was a roadster builder in my area who had CA plates "2FAST4U". Last I heard he had moved to the SF Bay area, but I haven't seen him on the forum for a few years.

Keith HR #894

[e36m3]

Thanks Jeff.
I’ve done a lot since my last update.
It’s almost ready to take in for an alignment, just need to install the front and rear glass.
I’ll bolt on the fenders and running boards after alignment.

Anybody got any tips on installing the glass without making a mess with the 3M windshield goop?

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Looking great Jim, nice to see another car coming to completion. Gives us all hope.

Thanks,
Andy

[JimLev]

Got the front and rear glass installed, then mounted the wiper motor and blade.
Also mounted the rear license plate frame.
I’ve started the process of getting it insured, hope to have that done by the end of the week.

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[Mastertech5]

Looking good. Is the glass tinted, it looks like it is. I hope so. Did you use urethane to glue the glass in? It looks like you drilled a hole in the glass for the wiper. What kind of bit did you use? What kind of wiper system is it?

[33fromSD]

Got the front and rear glass installed, then mounted the wiper motor and blade.
Also mounted the rear license plate frame.
I’ve started the process of getting it insured, hope to have that done by the end of the week.

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Looks great Jim. Such a great feeling when the finish line nears. Since I completed my 33 I've been working on a 55 Ford F100 which is also near the finish line so it's exciting to see all the visions / work come to reality.

Great Job.

Jim

[JimLev]

The side and rear windows are tinted, not the front.
I used 3M single step primer and 3M urethane Windo-Weld to install the glass. I taped off everything around the openings and still got the black windo-weld on the body. It does clean off real easy with lacquer thinner on a rag.
To drill the hole thru the glass I used this diamond hole saw and water for lubrication. Go slow and clean the bit often. The plastic between the layers of safety glass will clog the bit.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...0?ie=UTF8&th=1

Pretty sure I got the wiper from Speedway, it’s not that great. I only need it to get it registered. It doesn’t rain much here. I had to shorten the blade so it doesn’t hit the body, the stroke is only about 90º.
Here is the one I bought, however I remember only paying about $35 for it. Maybe I got it from Amazon??
https://www.speedwaymotors.com/Unite...de,419260.html
The box says model TY-302, made in Taiwan.

Jim, yes it feels real good to be almost done. Post a few pics of your F100, it has such a nice body style.