Before I Order

[Clover]

Hello everyone,

I have been interested in building my own car since before I could drive but only came across Factory Five a few years back. At that time, I started saving and after years of day dreaming, I am now about ready to take the plunge and buy a Gen 3 Coupe complete kit. I have been on here for years doing lots of research and just plain enjoying others builds. However, now that it is time for me to order, I am concerned that I am going to make a few uninformed choices when ordering my kit. Before I placed my order, I wanted to place my plan up hear and get all of your feedback and advice with the hope of avoiding headaches and extra expense. Thanks in advance for all the help.

I want to drive the kit on nice days and up into the mountains for some canyon cruising. I do enjoy AutoX and plan to do some track days here and there. Probably get into doing some time trials but I don't think I will be doing any door to door racing in it. One wildcard, I do have some health issues that make handling heat a real issue for me, so I am planning on doing as much heat insolation as I can and AC. I may put a barrier between the back hatch and the cockpit as well.

Gen 3 Complete Kit
Black powder coating
Body cut outs
GPS gauge set
Coyote Mounts
33920 Headers: 5.9 Coyote shorty headers (do I need J pipe too?)
31 spline Coyote T-56 Magnum w/IRS
Competition aluminum high back racing seats(Should I buy aftermarket?)
Coyote Power Steering Components (Can this work with AC? I see some with coyote PS and AC but they indicate it won't all fit.)
2015 Mustang IRS
AC Heater Defroster
Windshield Wipers
Carpet kit
Battery cutoff switch
Front and rear sway bars
Coyote install kit
Nose Scoops
EFI Fuel System
Double Adjustable Shocks
2015 Mustang IRS Rear brakes (I will have large wide wheels)
Wilwood Front Brakes

I was thinking of doing a Coyote and a T-56 Magnum as well but have also been on the fence with a 347 or 427. The 427 sure seems to cost a lot though and money is a constraint for me. The reason I was thinking of the Coyote is that I will be doing fuel injection since I plan to take this up to the mountains in Colorado. In addition, I think I like the higher revving engine. On the down side, if I decide I want to sell the car in 15 years, the Coyote will not be so cool anymore where an old V8 would still be. Thanks for all your help everyone.

[David Williamson]

On the choice of engine, it seems the Gen 3 is really set up for a Coyote. I have a Dart 363 and it is much smaller than the Coyote so access is easier. Both are good and I think it really comes down to what you want the "look" under the hood to be. The 351 based engines are taller so under hood air cleaner clearance becomes an issue.
If you go with shorty headers you need "J" pipes - it looks better with the long tube headers.
good luck with it
David W

[nkw8181]

Welcome to the club! Here is my .02 I have the below headers and like them.

16295 - Headers 5.0 Coyote Stainless 4 Port Full Length Headers

I know there is a vendor offering a quieter exhaust. I believe it is Boig Motorsports that does it.

I also put in lizard skin both thermal and sound deadening. I don't have much to say about feedback from them yet other then they really cut out a lot of vibration.

I originally planned on going with a t-56 until my situation came about. I will say the tko500 is lighter and the shifting feels really good. Oh and a bit cheaper

As far as power steering factory five has a kit that allows for a.c. and power steering. That didn't work for me with the supercharger so I went with an electro hydraulic power steering. Below is what I have used and it feels pretty good. Plus you can turn it off.

http://www.fastfreddiesfabrications....p?id_product=4

I have the a.c. and have it plumbed but still need to put in the vent hoses. I think it will work out pretty good. I also added heated seats. They where ~50 on Amazon and 120 for a local interior upholstery to put them in.

I also have the IRS, front and rear sway bars and wipers.

I ordered the carpet but ended up not using it but rather webt with a different color. Hope this helps.

[John Dol]

If you want a more period correct look under the hood go with the 347, but its hard to beat the coyote for HP and user friendliness.

John

[Clover]

Thanks for the input everyone. It is truly wonderful how everyone takes time to help each other on here. Sometimes 5 minutes by someone who knows about this or that can save hours or even days for someone else who does not have the same knowledge.

I like the idea of the seat heaters for sure. I had no idea they were that cheap but my wife loves the things. She will turn on the AC so she can have the seat heaters on when it is hot out. I think I will try to surprise her with that as an added bonus.

I will look into the electric power steering too. I remember someone mentioning it at build school because they did not feel they could fit the AC and standard power steering.

Does anyone else have any ideas I should consider or recommendation on things I may want to change?

[bil1024]

If budget is an issue go with a smaller EFI engine, Coyote is pricey, give Mike Forte a call and chat with him, he is a ton of knowledge , not sure if you need sway bars, but ask him that to, congrats on the order!

[John Dol]

Clover,

If you are trying to build on a budget, you can also go the donor route. I did that and saved a ton of money.
I actually took all the components, and then sold the remainder for more then I bought the car for.

HTH

John

[CraigS]

There are several aftermarket efi system out now so you can go old school engine w/ new school induction. I am a strong proponent of a 351 based engine. Leave it 351 or bore stroke it larger. To keep your budget in check a 351 w/ a top end kit from Edelbrock or similar is an easy 415 hp engine and a tko500 trans is relatively inexpensive. Also, w/ the weight of these cars, a 6 speed is an extra gear that really isn't needed. The 302/351s are much smaller than a Coyote so all the questions about things fitting go away. There is no question that in a coupe you need AC so glad you listed that. The 2015 IRS is a great system. Buy a salvage unit that has the brakes included and you can save a bunch of $. Don't go crazy on the front Wilwoods, whatever FFR supplies will be fine and work well w/ the Mustang rears. The Kirkey seats that FFR supplies are great seats. Nothing better available other than an upgrade to their halo style which wouldn't work on the street. You and your wife will be surprised how comfortable they are. And because of the design of the cover, it is easy to slip in some extra foam if needed to custom fit them to you shape. BTW welcome to a huge change in your lives. you will love it.

[Clover]

Thanks again everyone. I just ordered my kit to take advantage of the Winter Sale. Woo Hoo, somehow it is Christmas in February. I did make a few updates to my order based off of suggestions I received and some frantic research. I am going to go with the long tube headers instead of the short ones. I am also skipping the Wilwood front brakes for now and will be sourcing a rear differential with 3.73 gears from a modern Mustang to save a little. In addition, I am pretty sure I am going with a Coyote and a TKO.

I plan on doing a pretty detailed build log and probably some videos for YouTube of my build. Hopefully I can help others out and save people some time. After all, I am sure I will make plenty of mistakes and have ample opportunity to show people what not to do. I have always had a knack for doing things that should not be attempted at home or without the supervision of a professional.

[nkw8181]

welcome to the joy of building your own car!!

[Safrican13]

Fantastic read... I think I'm 12-14 month behind you, so glad I don't have to ask the same questions again. My turn will come when I need to ask these questions, and hope I get some directions too. already have a somewhat clearer idea just off this thread, and hopefully watching your build (and a few other builds) I'll be ready to take on this project in 2019.

GOOD LUCK!

[CraigS]

" I am also skipping the Wilwood front brakes for now and will be sourcing a rear differential with 3.73 gears from a modern Mustang to save a little."
SN95 calipers and rotors will be fine for the front. Be careful on the 373. As far as I know all 373s came w/ the torsen diff. That's not a bad thing but really increases the $ for the donor rear suspension package. A 355 would be fine since you FFR will easily be 1000# lighter than a Mustang..

[forcefed1]

Im pretty far along with my G3 build. it's my first build. I just got mine November. The last FFR part just showed up Thursday. I was surprised that so many major roller parts were backordered for so long. I got my IRS parts in Feb. The steering rack same time. the AC and PS parts and Exhaust just showed up this last week. The IRS not coming held me up quite a bit I couldn't finish the roller and order wheels with out all of that.
SO be patient.
Take a look at my build thread.
I returned a pile of parts from the complete kit to get a refund.
I went with the same headers after doing the shorty ones.
I am doing a variety of custom parts. I used 2015 Mustang 6 speed. 2015 brakes front and rear. custom headlights, mirrors, ac vents, shifter, and dash. I went with the front splitter and rear wing. I went the PS and AC and Coyote route.
Enjoy the ability to make it yours. the hardest part BY FAR is choosing your color. I finally thing I have it figured out but I have been driving through car dealerships and large parking lots taking photos for MONTHS.

[John Dol]

I have been driving through car dealerships and large parking lots taking photos for MONTHS.

That was you? I almost called the cops!

John

[GSides9]

Welcome to the craziness! Parts compatibility is a large issue when building these cars. Everything looks like it fits in a catalog. I used Mike Forte for the parts needed to complete my complete kit after my crate engine arrived. Everything fit perfectly together. There are other great vendors here too waiting to help. Have fun!

Glen

[Clover]

Thanks, I am now working to get my garage organized and ready for when the kit arrives. I seems like I still have a long way to go but I have already built a shed and moved a lot of stuff out of my garage. There is still too much in there but I need to get rid of a lot of wheels and tires and parts from my BMW that I am selling. I have three sets of wheels and tires for it plus lots of parts that should free up a lot of space in my two car garage. I am also waiting on my new tool box right now and am very excited. My old box was a cheap HF box that only fit around a third of my tools, so I have tools all over the workbench and garage now. My new box is 72 inches and should hold all of my tools and be a good additional workspace for me. After I get the tools organized, I plan on installing two LED lights for additional lighting and a 220v outlet. Then, comes better insolation, new drywall, texture, paint and an AC unit. Seems like a lot to get done when all I want to do is ready the instruction manual and build threads. I also have this pesky work thing that takes up most of my time. At least I get to think about the build when I go to bed instead of what I need to do at work tomorrow.