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Thread: Meindl Mk IV Build - Graduation

  1. #41
    BadAsp427's Avatar
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    I think you should set the seats in the appropriate position, then get some support across the hood area and set up a 45" tv and have a "drive-in" movie night now and then... Just no eating or drinking in the roadster...

    Mk4 20th Anniversary #8690 (#8 of 20) Purchased 8/18/18----Build Started 8/19/18
    Build Thread Click Here / Registry Entry Click Here / BluePrint Engines 347ci / TKO600
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  3. #42

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    Ha! I love it. The 'drive in' will be open this weekend!

  4. #43
    Dreaming.... Duck62's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by PeteMeindl View Post
    I think we now have one of the best pieces of art i've seen in a living room in quite some time!


    Inventory is almost done and has gone well - thanks for the pointers, guys. We're just trying to iron out the coyote engine parts from ford as i think we might be missing a page or two of the packing list (and it's been a little harder for us to tell what the parts are there and whether they've already been installed in the engine...). But hopefully we will figure that out shortly.

    Here's the current state of car. Not fully disassembled yet but on our way.
    Now that is a mans man. I would be sleeping beside it if I evern tried that!

  5. #44
    Senior Member Fixit's Avatar
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    So we were thinking of storing it outside but then Sarah said, we use our living room barely even once a year so why don't we put it there? And so there it is!
    Give that incredible gal a big 'ol smootch for all of us!
    John D. - Minneapolis 'Burbs

    1965 El Camino - LT-1, 4L60e, 4wh discs, SC&C susp.
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  6. #45
    Mark Eaton's Avatar
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    You definitely married the right girl
    MK4 #9130 , complete kit, arrived 8/10/2017, Street Legal 2/14/2020.
    DART SHP 347, EFI, TKO600, IRS
    http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/showt...n-Build-Thread

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    Sarah says thanks for the compliments! We are basically finished with inventory and have taken all the panels off the car. Here's how things look at time 0.

    Now time to start building! We're all excited.

  8. #47
    Senior Member Kool AC's Avatar
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    Congratulations, exiting times. Just curious, what is in the large Ford Performance box at the rear of the frame?

  9. #48

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    Hi Kool AC, the Ford Performance box holds a bunch of engine accessaries that come with the Coyote package from factory five. Control pack, some sensors, hoses, etc...

  10. #49

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    F panel installation

    Today we drilled the F panels, cleaned them off with acetone, sharkhided (or sharkhid?) them, drilled the chassis and learned to rivet them on the chassis. Felt great to get them on the car! That sharkhide is pretty strong stuff...

    Here's the left panel.

    And here's the right.

  11. #50
    Senior Member SSNK4US's Avatar
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    O. M. G. !
    If everything seems under control, you’re just not going fast enough....

    Build thread

    MKIV complete kit # 9395 delivered 7/31/18

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  13. #51
    Senior Member Yama-Bro's Avatar
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    You have a great start Pete!

    It looks like Factory Five added the cutout at the top of the elephant ear tabs that Edward B suggests adding in his build thread. Some one is listening at FFR.
    Started dreaming of a Cobra around 1987
    Purchased Complete Kit 6/9/2017, Delivered 9/4/2017, Rolling Chassis 3/30/2018, Engine Dyno'ed 3/4/2022, Engine installed 8/27/2022
    Click here for my build thread
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    Design Engineer at BluePrint Engines

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  15. #52

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    Thanks, Yama-Bro! I'm really enjoying your build thread, by the way - thanks for the thorough documentation as I'm learning a lot from it!

  16. #53
    Senior Member Yama-Bro's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by PeteMeindl View Post
    Thanks, Yama-Bro! I'm really enjoying your build thread, by the way - thanks for the thorough documentation as I'm learning a lot from it!
    Thanks! Glad to hear that you are getting some use from it.
    Started dreaming of a Cobra around 1987
    Purchased Complete Kit 6/9/2017, Delivered 9/4/2017, Rolling Chassis 3/30/2018, Engine Dyno'ed 3/4/2022, Engine installed 8/27/2022
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  17. #54

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    Front lower control arm question

    Hi guys,
    Our next step is installing the front lower control arms. Like i've noticed in a number of build threads, one of the brackets on the chassis that holds the lower control arm is a little too tight for the arm to fit in. From the threads, it sounds like the best thing to do is just bend the bracket out a little bit. What's the best way to do this in a controlled manner? Thanks for your helpful advice! And remember, you can safely assume i know nothing and won't be insulted by any overly simplistic answers. Thanks again for your help!
    Pete

  18. #55
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    Quote Originally Posted by PeteMeindl View Post
    Hi guys,
    Our next step is installing the front lower control arms. Like i've noticed in a number of build threads, one of the brackets on the chassis that holds the lower control arm is a little too tight for the arm to fit in. From the threads, it sounds like the best thing to do is just bend the bracket out a little bit. What's the best way to do this in a controlled manner? Thanks for your helpful advice! And remember, you can safely assume i know nothing and won't be insulted by any overly simplistic answers. Thanks again for your help!
    Pete
    Probably one of the easiest is a short piece of threaded rod with a couple nuts on the inside and then just thread them outwards to the desired width. Of course I would suggest th use of some washers and a little lubrication to help prevent tearing up the powder coat too much. (wd40/30w, etc)

    Mk4 20th Anniversary #8690 (#8 of 20) Purchased 8/18/18----Build Started 8/19/18
    Build Thread Click Here / Registry Entry Click Here / BluePrint Engines 347ci / TKO600
    Carb/Heater/Heated Seats/Cruise Control/Drop Trunk & Battery/Custom Cubby

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  20. #56
    Senior Member Fixit's Avatar
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    Another quick method is a BIG adjustable wrench. Lay some protective tape on the jaws, close around the frame tab, and give a little "tweak".
    John D. - Minneapolis 'Burbs

    1965 El Camino - LT-1, 4L60e, 4wh discs, SC&C susp.
    2013 F-150 Platinum - Twin Turbo 3.5
    2018 Mk4 Roadster w/ Coyote - #9365 - Build Thread Delivery 7/3/18, 1st Start 1/4/19, 1st Road Mile 5/5/19, Legal 6/18/19, In Paint 2/25/21, Done (?) 4/2021

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  22. #57
    Senior Member cv2065's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by PeteMeindl View Post
    Hi guys,
    Our next step is installing the front lower control arms. Like i've noticed in a number of build threads, one of the brackets on the chassis that holds the lower control arm is a little too tight for the arm to fit in. From the threads, it sounds like the best thing to do is just bend the bracket out a little bit. What's the best way to do this in a controlled manner? Thanks for your helpful advice! And remember, you can safely assume i know nothing and won't be insulted by any overly simplistic answers. Thanks again for your help!
    Pete
    Probably won’t be the last. I had to spread mine out on just about every fitting. No big deal. As has been said. Make yourself a spreader with threaded rod, some nuts (no nylocks) and some hardened washers (grade 8). Keep it handy as you’ll most likely need it again .
    MKIV Roadster - #9380 - Complete Kit - Delivered 7/17/18 - SOLD 5/2023
    Build Thread #1: https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/show...V-Build-Thread
    MKIV Roadster - #TBD - Complete Kit - Delivered 11/6/23 - In Progress
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  24. #58
    Senior Member Yama-Bro's Avatar
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    I did what fixit described. It worked perfect. Just don't get crazy with the bending.

    While you in this phase, I'd suggest putting some pre-lube on your bushings before doing the final assembly. Just to prevent squeaks when you start driving it. I didn't, wish I would have. Hopefully, the grease zerks will do what they are supposed to on mine.
    Started dreaming of a Cobra around 1987
    Purchased Complete Kit 6/9/2017, Delivered 9/4/2017, Rolling Chassis 3/30/2018, Engine Dyno'ed 3/4/2022, Engine installed 8/27/2022
    Click here for my build thread
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    Design Engineer at BluePrint Engines

  25. #59
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    I think I used 5/8" threaded rod on my spreader.
    Mk4 #8861 Complete kit. Delivered: 27 Apr 2016, currently a roller.
    Gen-2 Coyote, clutch, TKO600, midshift, and solid axle from Forte. Many pieces from Breeze and Replicarparts.

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  27. #60

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    Thanks a lot, guys - that's really helpful and clear. I appreciate it!

  28. #61
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    For the control arms, I found that the real issue on mine was the bushing sleeve was slightly long. Even with the tabs bent outward they would only go 8/10ths of the way in. I bent the tabs back parallel and used by bench sander to take a slight amount off the bushing until it was just snug enough to be tapped in. I then put them back in the arms and tapped in to place. Each one fit quite snug without the fighting. I also found you may need to clean the inside of the mounting tabs as there was an occasional weld splatter on the inside that the bushings would get hung up on during install.

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  30. #62

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    Grease, grease gun, and pre-lube recommendation

    Another naive question - does anyone have a recommendation for a grease gun and type of grease to use for all the grease fittings around the car? Yama-Bro, you mentioned a pre lube that would go on the portions of the control arms touching the brackets - any recommendations there?

    Thanks a lot, guys!

  31. #63
    Boydster's Avatar
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    Pre-lube should be the same thing you'll be greasing it with... some greases dont play well with others. I use Royal Purple Ultra Performance Synthetic grease. Great for everything.
    Last edited by Boydster; 09-27-2018 at 03:46 PM.
    ---Boyd---
    MkIV #9042 build thread
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    427W, TKO600, Moser 3.55 rear.
    Delivered Feb 2017, Graduated Nov 4, 2019

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  33. #64
    Senior Member cv2065's Avatar
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    I second what Boyd said on the grease. I use the Royal Purple as well. I use a garden variety grease gun with flexible hose. Just remember that some of the grease gun tips will lock on to the grease fitting, and you’ll want to gently rock the grease gun tip back and forth to remove it from the fitting. Don’t get aggravated and pull on it or you could damage the fitting itself. Usually loosens up after a few uses.
    MKIV Roadster - #9380 - Complete Kit - Delivered 7/17/18 - SOLD 5/2023
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  35. #65

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    Thanks a lot, Boyd and CV - i'll get some royal purple and we'll be good to go!

  36. #66

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    Front lower control arms

    Hi guys! Today, we were able to install the front lower control arms. We haven't torqued them up yet but i think the installation went ok, thanks to all of your help. We used one washer on the rear bracket on each side. Special thanks to BadAsp, Fixit, CV, Yama-Bro and Initiator for the advice on how to make a spreader for the brackets. I needed this on the front left bracket and your ideas worked like a charm. Also, the bolts wouldn't fit through the bracket but a little filing away of the powder coating inside the hole, as many of you have suggested, quickly solved that problem. Here's a picture of one arm. Thanks for the help, guys!

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  38. #67
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    Getting there, buddy! Make a few more steps like this and all of a sudden you'll look at it and realize it's starting to look like a car!
    Mk4 #8861 Complete kit. Delivered: 27 Apr 2016, currently a roller.
    Gen-2 Coyote, clutch, TKO600, midshift, and solid axle from Forte. Many pieces from Breeze and Replicarparts.

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  40. #68

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    Front upper control arms

    Just a quick update - got the front upper control arms reassembled this weekend per some great ideas from Yama-Bro, and got the ball joints in there. It definitely took some force on them while they were in the vice! I wasn't sure we were really going to get them in there but we eventually did. Also installed the grease inserts.

    Here's how they look - i think they are correctly configured but if you guys see anything that's wrong, please let me know - Thanks!



  41. #69

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    front suspension assembly

    This week we've been working on assembling the front suspension. We attached the upper control arms, adjusted them to approximately the size mentioned in the manual, attached the spindles, and then the steering arms. We assembled the shocks with the springs and all but we didn't install them as it turns out we don't have the snap ring and it looked like it'd be a lot easier to deal with that while the shocks were off rather than on. So we'll be on hold for the shocks til we get those.

    We were able to get grease in all the grease inserts without exploding grease all over us - so a much better outcome than i had expected. We torqued down the bolts for the lower control arms to 110 ft lbs. We were then torquing down the bolts that connect the upper control arms to the frame. One bolt went fine but the second just kept turning and turning, without that much pressure. We tried to back it out to see what might be going on but it just kept spinning. So i guess maybe we stripped that somehow?

    A couple questions for you guys
    - Any thoughts on the best way to get that nut/bolt off? I know this is a super novice question...
    - Anything we probably did that created this problem that we should avoid doing in the future?
    - When getting a new bolt & nut to replace this one, do you guys generally recommend buying them from factory five (i'm not sure if they sell small little pieces of hardware like this) or do you just head to home depot/similar place and get a similar sized nut & bolt?

    Here's how things look right now on the right side:

    And on the left:


    Please let us know if you guys see anything that is wrong. I kept worrying about how on the upper control arms, there's a bolt in front of the ball joint on one side of the car and a bolt behind the ball joint on the other side of the car. But from what i can tell, maybe this is the way it's supposed to be? Thanks again!
    Last edited by PeteMeindl; 10-14-2018 at 04:31 PM.

  42. #70
    Senior Member edwardb's Avatar
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    Definitely sounds like your UCA mounting bolt is stripped. Those are pretty stout and should be able to handle the 100-110 ft lbs the manual describes. Sure your torque wrench is accurate? Otherwise, maybe one of the pieces is defective. I don't have any magic suggestions to get it off it it spins without the nut moving. Maybe grab the head of the bolt with some vicegrips and pull as you're turning it? You could unbolt the pivots on the control arm and get it out of the way so you have more leverage. Once there's a little separation, you could probably get a pry bar or screwdriver tip under the bolt or the nut and apply pressure as you're turning. Just be careful and don't gouge things up. Once it's apart, you can look at the parts and maybe see what they look like and if something failed. I'd call Factory Five and get replacements, explaining what you did and what you found. They will sell you basically anything that's in your kit. But if the part is defective, they should replace it without a charge.

    Very unlikely you'd find those specialized bolts at Home Depot. For the most part, the entire suspension has hardware that isn't real common, e.g. some is metric, flange heads, deformed lock nuts, large sizes, long lengths, etc. To be honest, I stay away from the big box stores for hardware on these builds. Some of it might be OK, and I know people use it. But I find the quality not that great. Our local Ace Hardware has a whole row of hardware that's all from Hillman. In general, I find the quality pretty decent. Better than the local HD or Menards, the two big box stores that are closest to me. If it's specialized, I generally order from McMaster. I haven't gotten a bad part from them. Some guys hook up with their local industrial suppliers, like Fastenal. Haven't tried that, but another option.

    From what I can see, your suspension is assembled properly. Totally normal that the upper control arm has the fixed part in the front on one side and on the back on the other. It works. And you're not the first or probably the last to ask about that.
    Build 1: Mk3 Roadster #5125. Sold 11/08/2014. Build 2: Mk4 Roadster #7750. Sold 04/10/2017. Build Thread
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  44. #71
    Senior Member Fixit's Avatar
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    I'm going to throw out there that you've got the wrong nut on the UCA mounting bolt... It would take some serious effort to strip a bolt/nut of that size - and using hand-tools you're not going to strip or snap one unless it's obviously defective.

    I've had many a time where a metric or fractional nut will "appear" to thread on just fine and work, until you try to apply some torque. They're just close enough to spin on, but...

    Double check yourself on the fastener.

    As far as the UCA assembly (welded/fixed point vs. bolted point) the arms are welded up without Left or Right in mind. It really doesn't matter, as it's just geometry when they're installed. You crank the adjuster sleeves and they'll move the pivot point in the same way - if the fixed point is fore or aft.
    John D. - Minneapolis 'Burbs

    1965 El Camino - LT-1, 4L60e, 4wh discs, SC&C susp.
    2013 F-150 Platinum - Twin Turbo 3.5
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  46. #72

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    Thanks a lot, EdwardB and John! I'll try your suggestion to get the nut off and see what might be going on. Thanks for the good advice in terms of where to get hardware, too - i'll go with ff or mcmaster then.

    Good idea to check the calibration on the torque wrench - i didn't know how to do that but just found a good video showing how to and it seems pretty straightforward. So i'll make sure that's ok too. And John, i'll check on whether i had the correct nut - I thought it was the right one but i certainly could have made a mistake. It wouldn't be the first and it won't be my last! Thanks for the once-over too on taking a look at the suspension.

    We may not be back at work on the car until next weekend but i'll let you guys know what we find out. Thanks again for the helpful advice! Have a good week!

  47. #73
    Mark Eaton's Avatar
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    Be careful with those upper control arms and don't confuse the pivot shaft lock nut with the bolt that hold the arm to the frame!

    https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/show...l=1#post308193
    MK4 #9130 , complete kit, arrived 8/10/2017, Street Legal 2/14/2020.
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  48. #74
    Senior Member edwardb's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Fixit View Post
    I'm going to throw out there that you've got the wrong nut on the UCA mounting bolt...
    That's a very good possibility and one I didn't think of.
    Build 1: Mk3 Roadster #5125. Sold 11/08/2014. Build 2: Mk4 Roadster #7750. Sold 04/10/2017. Build Thread
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  49. #75

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    Great progress! Will it be possible to insert the shocks with the spindle installed of will some disassembly be required? I'm at about the same point on the fronts but was waiting for the shocks to arrive before installing the spindles.
    Mk4, IRS, (Forte: 427 with EFI, T-56 MAG, hydraulic clutch, mechanical linkage, reverse lockout control module) (Breeze: Front and Rear Double adjustable QA1's, Cockpit cubby, LED Lights, Fan Shroud, Fan Lower Support, Oil Cooler Coil, power steering hose kit) (Russ: Drop Trunk, Turn Signal)

  50. #76
    Senior Member edwardb's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by miller7448 View Post
    Great progress! Will it be possible to insert the shocks with the spindle installed of will some disassembly be required? I'm at about the same point on the fronts but was waiting for the shocks to arrive before installing the spindles.
    There's no issue installing the coilovers into a fully assembled suspension. Front or back. Would be an ongoing maintenance challenge if it weren't possible.
    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
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  51. #77

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    Finally got that stripped bolt & nut off!

    This weekend - and i know this doesn't sound like big leaps forward - our main piece of progress was finally getting that stripped bolt/nut off of the front upper control arm. We started off by removing most of the front upper control arm triangle so we could get better access to the bolt. Then we tried for a while to pull the nut away from the bolt with a pair of vice grips to get the nut on some of the threads that are in better shape while at the same time we were ratcheting the bolt. We just couldn't get it to break out of the stripped area, unfortunately. We then started trying to drill through the nut and to basically try to cut through it to get it off. During this process, one of my sons found a tool I'd never heard of - a nut splitter. We tried that and it worked like a charm, splitting the nut and allowing us to get it off.

    Here's the bolt. Note you can see the area where it's stripped:

    Here's the nut. The threads seem to be in a little better shape than the bolt:

    Here's the nut splitter, just in case somebody hasn't seen one before (as i hadn't until this weekend). Great tool!


    Here are some thoughts:
    - Taking Paul's advice (thank you!), we've ordered a new bolt and nut from factory five rather than trying to find a substitute locally.
    - One good suggestion for the cause of this stripping was that we used the wrong nut. We went back and looked at all the nuts that came in the bag for the front suspension, and it really seems like the nuts we used are the ones that seem to fit these bolts the best. I could be wrong but i think they're ok. Is there a good way to test to confirm that they are right?
    - Once we get the replacement from factory five, we'll be able to check whether the nuts match, which could also be a good check for us.
    - One thing we haven't done yet is check the calibration of our torque wrenches, which is also a good idea. I haven't figured out just yet how to rig up something to hold 100 lbs off of the horizontal handle of the torque wrench to check the calibration. But i have some ideas i'll try next weekend and hopefully something will work.

    Thanks, everyone, for all of the help and advice. Hope you all had a good weekend!
    Last edited by PeteMeindl; 10-21-2018 at 09:43 PM.

  52. #78
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    In case you didn't know, torque is measured in lb-ft, that is pounds of force x feet of distance from the bolt center to where the force is applied. If you applied 50 lbs of force at 2 feet away from the bolt center, you'd be applying 100 lb-ft (50 x 2) of torque. A fish pull spring gauge could be used for a rough estimate of force.

    I've never done a manual calibration check with weights and such, but I do have a beam-style torque wrench that I consider my reference. To check my click-type wrench, I'll torque a bolt with the beam-style one, then set the click-type to to the same torque and try to tighten the bolt. If it clicks right about where the bolt starts to move, then I know they're pretty close.

    A beam-style torque wrench is less prone to losing its calibration, but you can still screw it up by dropping it, piling things on top of it, etc.
    Mk4 #8861 Complete kit. Delivered: 27 Apr 2016, currently a roller.
    Gen-2 Coyote, clutch, TKO600, midshift, and solid axle from Forte. Many pieces from Breeze and Replicarparts.

  53. Thanks PeteMeindl thanked for this post
  54. #79
    Senior Member Pat427's Avatar
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    What kind of rivets are those that you used to attach the F panel to the frame?

  55. #80

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    Quote Originally Posted by initiator View Post
    In case you didn't know, torque is measured in lb-ft, that is pounds of force x feet of distance from the bolt center to where the force is applied. If you applied 50 lbs of force at 2 feet away from the bolt center, you'd be applying 100 lb-ft (50 x 2) of torque. A fish pull spring gauge could be used for a rough estimate of force.

    I've never done a manual calibration check with weights and such, but I do have a beam-style torque wrench that I consider my reference. To check my click-type wrench, I'll torque a bolt with the beam-style one, then set the click-type to to the same torque and try to tighten the bolt. If it clicks right about where the bolt starts to move, then I know they're pretty close.

    A beam-style torque wrench is less prone to losing its calibration, but you can still screw it up by dropping it, piling things on top of it, etc.
    Thanks, Initiator! Good comments. Yeah, despite having a year of physics in college, I never quite understood what a foot pound of torque really meant until i started trying to figure out how to calibrate this torque wrench. It's nice when things actually come together and make sense 30 years later! What i was thinking of trying to do was put the wrench on a lug nut and have the wrench be horizontal to the ground. Then i'd rig up something to hold some weight on the handle and add weight until it clicks. And adjust the wrench such that it clicks around the value of the distance times the weight. I don't have too much more than a foot of length so i need a lot of weight and that's where i'm trying to figure out how to hold it all. Thanks!

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