Danny Boy's Mk4 Build - Putting the project on hold for a while...

[facultyofmusic]

Hello FFF! Dan here. This forum is a library of treasures. After spending countless days pouring myself over build threads, I’m starting on my FFR build! Nice to meet all of you, and I look forward to conversing with you all! LET’S GO BUILDERS!

I ordered my FFR with the following options:

• MkIV Complete Kit
• Powder-coated frame
• Gen3 Coyote + T56 Magnum
• Coyote headers with Integrated Cats.
• 2015 IRS
• Wilwood Brake Kit
• 2018 IRS 3.55 Center Section & Spindles
• Manual Steering Rack

Some decisions I made when placing the order:

Q: Cats or no cats?
A: There are 2 reasons as to why I opted for cats: The smell and the reduction in sound. I’ve read on many threads here that the roadster is deafening, and I’d like to drive my roadster without requiring earplugs.

Q: Donor or new components?... or try my luck at the junkyards?
A: This decision was an easy one after considering my time constraints on this project. I don’t own the house in which I’m currently building the car, and I’d like to have the car registered and ready to drive within the next 10 months. This plus a demanding day job meant I won’t have the time and energy to find a donor just to rip out all the components and debug the parts to ensure they’re in working order. The original plan was to get a donor, but that quickly changed after carefully evaluating the situation I’m in.

Q: Rear suspension setup. IRS? 3-link?
A: IRS. If I’m building a cobra then I want it to drive like one!

Q: Manual or powered steering rack?
A: In the beginning I was very concerned with steering difficulty in parking lots with a manual steering rack. After driving my friend's kit car with a manual rack, however, I realized that it's not bad at all. Once the car starts moving it's fine. Manual it is for now! If I ever get tired of it, I'll purchase a power steering rack and install it. It can't be THAT difficult, right? (famous last words.)

Q: Why do this now? Why not do this after you get married, have kids, get kids through college, retire, etc?
A: Because I've talked to too many people who told me "you're doing the thing I wish I did when I had the time to do it." I realized that there will never come a time when building a kit car is a "financially wise" idea, nor will there ever be the perfect circumstances to get started. You either do it or you don't. I choose to make my cobra dreams a reality, and the best time to do it is now.

A bit about myself:
I’m a 27 year old engineer currently residing in Northern California. Building a car of my own is a life-long dream, and the time just felt right. I’m an engineer who mainly works with computers. I’ve done various mods / self maintenance to my cars, but never something as big as a FFR. ...but I dive into this adventure knowing that I won’t be alone! The fantastic build threads from you forum veterans give me tremendous confidence. I’ll be standing on the shoulders of giants and I’m beyond excited.

Let the building begin!

[mburger]

Congratulations! Good for you and best of luck on your build!
Just a couple comments if I may. If you’re concerned about the noise level of the stock FF pipes, I personally wouldn’t use cats for that purpose but if you have smog laws to deal with then I get it. You can sell the FF pipes and get Boig’s Quiet Pipes. Some like the Gas N’s as well. Coyote owners will need to chime in here but I think the Coyote burns cleaner generally speaking than your basic carbed pushrod engine. So the smell shouldn’t be enough to discourage driving it. (It’s a race car after all) ��
True, once moving, standard steering is fine, but since you’re spending money on IRS to drive it like a Cobra, you’ll find doing that much easier with PS, plus, with PS you can increase negative camber for much better tracking at speed and better handling. Having said that, anything you do is a personal decision and there’s no wrong answer. I always say concerning my car, “My car, my way”.
Many of us aren’t able to fulfill our “lifelong” dream until MUCH later in life, so kudos to you!
Again congrats!

[edwardb]

My welcome and congratulations as well. Nice build plan. That's almost the same driveline as I have in my Coupe build (build thread in my sig line below) and it's excellent. Two comments from me as well: (1) The sound pressure level you get with an open top Roadster is only partially from the exhaust. Efforts to quiet down the exhaust have many options. Cats being one I guess. Your choice. But you're not going to do anything about wind, traffic, etc. I've done the SPL measurements. You're making a mistake IMO driving these without some level of hearing protection regardless of your exhaust setup. (2) Echoing mburger's comments, you only cite effort for power steering. That's a common conclusion. But the change you can make to the front alignment with power steering makes the car so much better to drive. The way it tracks, returns to center, etc. is much improved. I've had both and would never build without power steering.

[mburger]

I’m curious Paul. If you could give the exhaust a percentage of the total ambient noise, what would it be? Apologies if that has been posted prior. Also, it was genuinely a pleasure meeting you at LCS and pictures don’t do your Coupe justice.
Dan, make sure to go through “edwardb’s” Cobra build thread. You’ll learn quite a lot there.

[edwardb]

I’m curious Paul. If you could give the exhaust a percentage of the total ambient noise, what would it be? Apologies if that has been posted prior. Also, it was genuinely a pleasure meeting you at LCS and pictures don’t do your Coupe justice. Dan, make sure to go through “edwardb’s” Cobra build thread. You’ll learn quite a lot there.

Thanks. It was good meeting you and lots of other forum acquittances. Hard to give a percentage of ambient noise compared to exhaust since it's so widely variable. At slower speeds and a heavy right foot, clearly the exhaust sound is mostly what you hear. But at cruise in 5th (TKO) with my Coyote Roadster and Gas-N pipes, the exhaust was barely audible compared to the ambient noise. That was with regular Gas-N pipes. They've since released the touring version which are even quieter.

[460.465USMC]

Congrats on your purchase! What an opportunity to do this at your age. Way to go!

There are other F5 builders in this forum in NorCal, so you should have a good community of support.

[mburger]

Thanks. It was good meeting you and lots of other forum acquittances. Hard to give a percentage of ambient noise compared to exhaust since it's so widely variable. At slower speeds and a heavy right foot, clearly the exhaust sound is mostly what you hear. But at cruise in 5th (TKO) with my Coyote Roadster and Gas-N pipes, the exhaust was barely audible compared to the ambient noise. That was with regular Gas-N pipes. They've since released the touring version which are even quieter.

Got it. Thanks!

[facultyofmusic]

Thank you all for the warm welcome and kind words! ...and yes, not a day goes by where I’m not grateful for the opportunity to build my own dream cobra. It’s definitely not something to take for granted.

@mburger and @edwardb, those are great points on exhaust and road noise that I haven’t considered before, I’m especially surprised to hear that the exhaust sound can be drowned out! I do plan to purchase a quieter side pipe in the future and I’m currently debating between the gas’n touring pipes vs the boig quiet pipes. Ideally I’ll visit a fellow FFR builder near me who has one of these and hear it for myself.

with PS you can increase negative camber for much better tracking at speed and better handling.

you only cite effort for power steering. That's a common conclusion. But the change you can make to the front alignment with power steering makes the car so much better to drive. The way it tracks, returns to center, etc. is much improved. I've had both and would never build without power steering.

@edwardb and @mburger Thank you for the valuable insight on alignment flexibility with power steering, I’m seriously glad you mentioned it. How difficult is it to swap in power-steering after the build? If it’s not worth it, I may need to give FF a call right now to order power steering…

There are other F5 builders in this forum in NorCal, so you should have a good community of support.

@460.465USMC Yeah and I really look forward to meeting them! Is there a subforum here for FF car meet and greet events? I’ve been to one car meet in Monterey a few years ago and saw a few FFR cobras, but if there’s a way to know where they’ll be I’d go to as many as I can to get inspiration and talk with the community. A buddy of mine is seriously considering a type65 coupe, but he isn’t sure if he’ll fit in one. Would be great if we could try out the fitment during one of these meets.

P.S. Just got all the aluminum panels taken off! Still trying to figure out how image attachment works, but pictures are coming soon!

[mburger]

“How difficult is it to swap in power-steering after the build? If it’s not worth it, I may need to give FF a call right now to order power steering…”
Definitely doable! There are threads on here on the subject. I bought my completed Mk1 without PS and had it added. Search the forums for conversion threads. I would just offer, that if you think you might go with PS, it is easier to do it during your build. You’ll save money on parts and alignments.
When searching the forums, use Google and enter this as your search string: site:thefactoryfiveforum.com <word or words to search on>

[460.465USMC]

@460.465USMC Yeah and I really look forward to meeting them! Is there a subforum here for FF car meet and greet events? I’ve been to one car meet in Monterey a few years ago and saw a few FFR cobras, but if there’s a way to know where they’ll be I’d go to as many as I can to get inspiration and talk with the community. A buddy of mine is seriously considering a type65 coupe, but he isn’t sure if he’ll fit in one. Would be great if we could try out the fitment during one of these meets.

Hi Dan. For NorCal discussions/events, click on Forums on the top menu, then scroll down to Regional Discussions, click on Pacific, then click on Norcal Discussion. Also, a fellow NorCal forum member, Fman, recently completed a really nice build. Travis is a very helpful guy, and may have other suggestions for connection with local events/Cobra owners in your area.

[460.465USMC]

Still trying to figure out how image attachment works, but pictures are coming soon!

Have you read the very helpful post by David Hodgkins on how to embed photos? This is what I used to learn how. Very helpful post.

How to use the Image Gallery to embed pictures in posts

[facultyofmusic]

Thank you @460.465USMC and @mburger for the tech tips! It's very much appreciated. That post on image gallery is a god send! ... and I'll give Travis a shout sometime as well as keep an eye on the NorCal forum.

As for power steering, I think I'll go with the manual rack for now. I have a feeling that I might kick myself for this later, but I really do want to try my roadster without power steering.

Today I put the control arms together and onto the frame. I swear I almost ripped my table off the floor getting that damn ball-joint into the UCA (upper control arm). In hindsight I should have gotten one of those vice cushions to avoid putting these ugly scratch marks on the ball-joint.
20210717_103017.jpg

Due to back-order issues, I did not receive the springs for my front KONI coil-overs. I put the coil-over together anyways, just without the springs. The IFS spindles / hubs were also back ordered, so now I've got this weird half-completed front suspension setup. It looks kinda weird, but it's the best we can do for now.
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Interesting observation: It seems that there isn't a left or right UCA. The pivot joints next to the ball-joint are not the same. One's permanently sleeved, while the other one is free rotating. I read from this post that there's no left or right UCA. I was initially worried that FF might have sent me two right UCAs. Just to make sure y'all, there IS no left or right UCA, right?
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Interesting observation 2: The factory pre-installed ball-joints on the front lower control arms have the ball-joint boot secured onto the ball-joint. I could not find anything to do the same for the UCA ball-joint. See picture for reference: Notice how the LCA boot has a black ring securing the boot, while the UCA does not. Can anyone shed some light on this? Did I miss a step?
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At this point, I'd like to dispense some fool's wisdom to my past unexperienced self. I hope this will be helpful to those who reads this in the future.

• Buy a vice cushion or use some paper/fabric when twisting the ball-joint in with the vice. The ball-joint takes a crap ton of effort and metal-to-metal contact will scratch up the prestine looking ball-joint!
• Wear gloves when assembling the KONI coil-overs. When pushing the sleeve onto the coil-over the sleeve suddenly gave and I yanked my pinky between the sleeve and t he coil-over body. I'm never working on stuff without my work gloves again. Lesson learned.
• The front F panels get in the way of front suspension installation quite a bit. I wonder why the manual suggested installing the F panel first. I don't see any rivet locations blocked off by the suspension components. If I do it again I'd drill the holes into the F panel, drill the matching holes on chassis, install front suspension, and then finally rivet in the F panel.

I want to get started on rear suspension, but I'm missing a few pieces for that too, especially the bolts required for mounting the center-section. Let's see what we can do with the parts we have. That's all for now~

[Fman]

Welcome and nice build plan. I am also a fan of power steering have enjoyed having it in my car. As far the UCA boot goes here is a pic of mine before the spindle was attached.

One other recommendation would be to use Cleco's on your panels, it will allow you to easily remove them. I was surprise during my build how many times you need to remove a panel to either fix or change something.

One last comment on your exhaust noise concern with cats, I have the Gas 'n touring pipes which definitely help quiet the car down a bit comparing to the FFR pipes. Still loud but tolerable. Each engine also plays a factor on exhaust loudness. I just helped someone install Gas 'n touring pipes on a 302 and it is MUCH quieter than my 427. Same pipes but different engines. So keep this is mind when someone talks about exhaust noise make sure it is apples to apples with the same engine.

Congrats on the arrival of your kit, looking forward to following your build.

What part of Nor-Cal are you from?

Travis

[toadster]

Hello FFF! Dan here. This forum is a library of treasures. After spending countless days pouring myself over build threads, I’m starting on my FFR build! Nice to meet all of you, and I look forward to conversing with you all! LET’S GO BUILDERS!

I ordered my FFR with the following options:

• MkIV Complete Kit
• Powder-coated frame
• Gen3 Coyote + T56 Magnum
• Coyote headers with Integrated Cats.
• 2015 IRS
• Wilwood Brake Kit
• 2018 IRS 3.55 Center Section & Spindles
• Manual Steering Rack

Some decisions I made when placing the order:

Q: Cats or no cats?
A: There are 2 reasons as to why I opted for cats: The smell and the reduction in sound. I’ve read on many threads here that the roadster is deafening, and I’d like to drive my roadster without requiring earplugs.

Welcome!!! We have a great set of builders here!! I'm in Folsom, CA but plenty around the area... check out the NorCal Discussions
and we have a Factory Five Sacramento page too, depending on where in NorCal you reside!


I also chose cats for your exact reasons, will most likely go with the GAS'N Touring pipes down the road...

[facultyofmusic]

I must admit, I think it's about time I kicked my writer's block out the window.

Over the past 2 months I've made a ton of progress on the car. I'll be playing some catch up on the build-thread, but we'll catch up soon!

Welcome and nice build plan. I am also a fan of power steering have enjoyed having it in my car. As far the UCA boot goes here is a pic of mine before the spindle was attached.

One other recommendation would be to use Cleco's on your panels, it will allow you to easily remove them. I was surprise during my build how many times you need to remove a panel to either fix or change something.

One last comment on your exhaust noise concern with cats, I have the Gas 'n touring pipes which definitely help quiet the car down a bit comparing to the FFR pipes. Still loud but tolerable. Each engine also plays a factor on exhaust loudness. I just helped someone install Gas 'n touring pipes on a 302 and it is MUCH quieter than my 427. Same pipes but different engines. So keep this is mind when someone talks about exhaust noise make sure it is apples to apples with the same engine.

Congrats on the arrival of your kit, looking forward to following your build.

Many thanks Travis for the warm welcome! I'm in the Bay Area, in Sunnyvale. Your picture gives me assurance that I'm not missing anything from mine, thank you.
I followed you and other forum thread's advice and got the Clecos; WOW WHAT A LIFESAVER THEY ARE.

As for the pipes, I plan to stick to FFR's stainless steel pipes for now as the gas'n pipes will be an extra expense. Is this a good idea? Would you say to get them now so I don't have to fiddle with switching the pipes later on, or is it simple enough that I won't need THAT much effort to switch them? A part of me says "just use what you have now and incrementally update your build as you drive it and enjoy it over the years", but another part of me says "I think you'll be too lazy to take things apart again once you've put it together."

[facultyofmusic]

I'm in Folsom, CA but plenty around the area... check out the NorCal Discussions
and we have a Factory Five Sacramento page too, depending on where in NorCal you reside!

Hey Todd and thanks for the welcome! I'd love to meet up sometime when I visit Sacramento. Can't wait to see your cobra in person!

[facultyofmusic]

Lots of work done in the past 2 weeks! The toughest part was deciding what to work on since every major component has some back ordered part. Missing bushings and bolts for the IRS… missing tie rods for steering… missing brake switches for the pedal box… you name it. Let’s keep churning along the stuff yet to be done!

I ordered new knuckles and hubs through factory five. Damn these things are beautiful when new! I almost don’t want to ruin it by using it. Oh hey, the manual says I’m supposed to take a sawzall to it. Oh no…
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Surprisingly they actually look pretty good (for my standards). Whew! As for the wheel studs, I can’t believe I broke my vice trying to get them out! Ended up buying a new vice from YOST. So much better! In the beginning I was afraid of stripping the wheel stud threads so I tried pushing the studs in using a ball joint separator. That didn’t work out too well. I broke one of the ball joint separators and one of the studs went in a little crooked. I finally gave up and decided to do it the old fashioned way of using a sacrificial lugnut. Boy that went in easy, and it didn’t damage the wheels studs at all!
20210721_204058.jpg

I wanted to start doing chassis aluminum panels, so I needed the frame higher. I bought 4 ESCO jackstands, the ones with a circular rubber top. I then cut a similar sized hole at the bottom of my frame dolly so it fits snug. It worked, but it looks kinda of dangerous when I put the whole system on top of wheel dollies. What do y’all think? Should I add some reinforcements?
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With the chassis raised to chest level, I started putting on the panels. I thought I’d be okay with putting them on the way they are, but something in me just screamed “USE A COATING TO PROTECT IT!” A few days later I was in my backyard applying sharkhide to the panels. Boy this sharkhide metal protectant is amazing! The differences are night and day.
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During the panel cleaning and coating process I learned something valuable. Get good masks that filter out organic vapours! Luckily I stopped by home depot to buy one of those dual-cartrige 3M masks. I wonder if I would have died breathing in that stuff. It smelled so bad!

It’s time for some fool’s wisdom once again! Dear past self:
Make sure to buy a good vice. A bad vice will ruin your day and your wallet.
Don’t use a ball joint separator when installing wheel studs. Just do it the old fashioned way of “sucking it in” with a sacrificial lug nut on the other side. Make sure to use plenty of washers and plenty of grease and you’ll do just fine.
Buy a good mask when working with acetone and metal protectants! Make sure the cartridges say it filters out organic vapours. That stuff smells real bad!
Coating the aluminum panels with sharkhide wasn’t as much work as I thought. I finished all the boxed-panels in 3 hours.

[Rsnake]

Congratulations on the build and living the dream! I will be following this build. I am in half moon bay and in the middle of finishing a coupe, I built and sold a roadster about a year ago which had a coyote in it. If you ever want a ride in the coupe to see how loud it is let me know.

[facultyofmusic]

It’s time to get started on the first 2 panels. The Cleco fasteners are a lifesaver. I’m so glad I got these. Decided to order 50 more of them in anticipation for the rest of these aluminum panels. Anyone wanna bet on how many Clecos I’ll be swimming in by the end of this project? :P
20210726_220628.jpg

Mounting the manual steering rack was more trouble than I anticipated. The driver side mounting bolt went through the bracket nice and smooth, but the passenger side was very obviously misaligned. Perhaps this was just a bad welding job? I’ve seen this on other build threads, so I guess it’s not just me.
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I used a level to check alignment of the mounting holes and expanded the mounting hole with a dremel. The bolt went in nicely on both ends and the steering rack was in. I hope what I did won’t cause any big issues down the line. The rack is very secure as fat as I can tell, but any calls of warning from the experienced folks would be great.
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I ended the day by finishing up the steering column. The manual said the splined end that goes into the steering rack is tight, so one might need to use a mallet to get it in. Mine was REALLY, REALLY tight. I had such a hard time getting it in that I was scared of never getting it out ever again, so I only hit it enough so it’s somewhat secure but not completely in. I have a feeling I’ll need to take it back out some day in the future when I align my steering wheel or something.
20210730_174809.jpg

I know the telescoping steering shaft is a common pain-point for these builds, but I underestimated just how much of a PITA it would be. GOD this thing is IMPOSSIBLE to get in or pull back out. I’m just gonna leave it be until I get to wheel alignment phase. I might need an air-hammer just to get it back out.

Dear past self:

• Good job buying those Clecos
• Even better job buying that dremel from a while ago!
• The telescoping steering shaft is really freaking hard to pull back out once it’s in even just a LITTLE too far. Don’t push it in unless you have to.

[facultyofmusic]

Given the parts I have with me, the next thing I can do is panel work; so paneling it is! I didn’t realize just how fast I’d go through a cobalt steel drill bit. This steel chassis is no joke! I ended up buying a bunch more in bulk. My current workflow is to use a drill bit until it no longer feels effective, and mark it for aluminum panels drilling use. The actual process of doing the panels is quite simple. Mark, Center Punch, Align, Drill, Install. The day flew by as the panels went on one by one to the sound of Bruce Springsteen’s concert recordings. Life’s good.
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I was pleasantly surprised with the wheels I ordered from LMR while working on the panels. They look beautiful… I think I lost an hour of sunlight just looking at it. What you see here is the Mustang SVE Bullitt Wheel & Tire Kit (17x9/10.5) in anthracite colour. While ordering them I had an idea how wide 10.5” is, but in person they somehow look even wider. Ugh I can’t stop smiling.
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Unfortunately I don’t have all the parts for the front or rear suspension so the wheels won’t be going on for a while. I think this is actually a good thing since there’s so many other things I can do on the car before the wheels go on. I’m sure routing the brake lines will be way easier with the suspension out of the way.

Another pleasant surprise showed on my phone: A missed call from Stewart Transport. I called back and they said they just picked up the engine from FFR and they’re on their way! I can’t wait! Although I must say my garage is getting really cramped. Where am I gonna put that thing when it gets here!?

Dear past self:

• Buy more ⅛ drill bits.
• Charge your power drill batteries.
• Those Mustang Bullitt wheels you were looking at? Stop hesitating and just get them.

[edwardb]

Nice progress. Just a hint. Better to use #30 drill bits than 1/8" for all your panels and riveting. #30 drill bit = 0.1285" which is just enough oversize to make assembly much easier. Same for the 3/16" rivets. Use a #10. The 0.193" is just enough oversize and again makes things easier. You want to get good cobalt bits. As long as you stay away from welds (typically instant breakage...) you should be able to do all the panels with a handful of bits. Also doesn't hurt to dip them in cutting oil as you're working. I've had good luck with the ones from Aircraft Spruce. Harbor Freight forget it. Big box stores bits not much better, and they typically don't have the numbered bits anyway.

[egchewy79]

good stuff. I had the same issue with my steering rack mounts being a bit off as well. A BFH helped quite a bit with that job. For the steering column, sand the upper shaft down a bit to allow it to slide easier. As for clecos, I think I did my entire build with 50. you can only keep them in every third hole once you get the panel drilled. you can also pop a temp rivet in the corners until you're ready to attach them for good, drilling out the rivets to get the panel off. This will free up more clecos for other panels. A good corded drill helps with all the drilling as well.

[JB in NOVA]

For the steering column, sand the upper shaft down a bit to allow it to slide easier. .

Concur with that. I had to do quite of bit of sanding, finishing with Scotch Brite and lubricating with machine oil to get the upper shaft to seat properly. But it eventually did.

[JohnK]

Nice work Dan! The Sharkhide looks great on the panels. All your learnings are making me smile - I had many of the same learnings as I went through my build. Yes, the steering rack is always a PITA to install, and yes the telescoping column needs a little deburring/smoothing/lubing/praying/coercing when installing.

[Blitzboy54]

Looks great Danny

[John Ibele]

Hey Danny, welcome to the fun.

You asked a question about side pipes. First, check your pipes and your kit order. Standard pipes are bare steel, and if stainless, you already paid $999 for an upgrade to those. I wouldn't pay for stainless pipes twice.

The stock bare steel FFR side pipes can work. Previous builders have noted a harsh exhaust note with the stock pipes. Also comments about getting harsher over time, as the packing degrades. If you use the bare steel pipes, you'll need to factor in cost to get them ceramic coated. Other vendor options have a deeper note and less harsh sound (although not always quieter), or in some cases are designed to be quieter. You'll find steel / ceramic coated and stainless options.

Your engine and specifically your cam selection and valve overlap can have a big influence on sound. You're doing a Coyote, hence a known quantity and other Coyote owners can comment. My cam and engine sound are a bit more of an unknown, so I'm planning on using the stock pipes that came with the kit for first start, then making a decision about whether I go with standard length Gas-N pipes, or the touring version. Just one way to approach it.

I definitely endorse doing a build thread. Everyone can contribute something by sharing their experience, and you get so many helpful suggestions if you share where you are in your build. Even the 'basic' items related to safety (like your comment on a respirator) are always worth repeating. Thanks for sharing!

[facultyofmusic]

Better to use #30 drill bits than 1/8" for all your panels and riveting. #30 drill bit = 0.1285" which is just enough oversize to make assembly much easier. Same for the 3/16" rivets. Use a #10. The 0.193" is just enough oversize and again makes things easier. You want to get good cobalt bits. As long as you stay away from welds (typically instant breakage...) you should be able to do all the panels with a handful of bits. Also doesn't hurt to dip them in cutting oil as you're working. I've had good luck with the ones from Aircraft Spruce. Harbor Freight forget it. Big box stores bits not much better, and they typically don't have the numbered bits anyway.

Thank you for the advice Edward! I did find that I have to re-drill some of the holes because the rivets won't go in clean. I'll get some #10 bits and give it a try.

[facultyofmusic]

You asked a question about side pipes. First, check your pipes and your kit order. Standard pipes are bare steel, and if stainless, you already paid $999 for an upgrade to those. I wouldn't pay for stainless pipes twice.

The stock bare steel FFR side pipes can work. Previous builders have noted a harsh exhaust note with the stock pipes. Also comments about getting harsher over time, as the packing degrades. If you use the bare steel pipes, you'll need to factor in cost to get them ceramic coated. Other vendor options have a deeper note and less harsh sound (although not always quieter), or in some cases are designed to be quieter. You'll find steel / ceramic coated and stainless options.

Your engine and specifically your cam selection and valve overlap can have a big influence on sound. You're doing a Coyote, hence a known quantity and other Coyote owners can comment. My cam and engine sound are a bit more of an unknown, so I'm planning on using the stock pipes that came with the kit for first start, then making a decision about whether I go with standard length Gas-N pipes, or the touring version. Just one way to approach it.

I have the bare steel pipes. My plan is to have them powder-coated to matte black, but it really depends on how good they sound. I don't want to spend beer money on coating them just to find out they blow out after a few drives. I've seem some other build threads mention cutting open the bend and putting in their own baffles to quiet the pipe down and improve the tone. If I plan to powder-coat them anyway I'll do the pipe surgery and powder-coat the cuts so it won't look so bad.

Ideally I'd like to find someone with the coyote + gas'n pipes so I can drop by and have a listen. It's funny though; sometimes I feel like the pickiest man in the world complaining about the exhaust note of my own COBRA

[JohnK]

Ideally I'd like to find someone with the coyote + gas'n pipes so I can drop by and have a listen.

Daniel, I have the Gas'N pipes on my Gen2 coyote that you heard last time you came over. I don't have the FFR pipes to compare to, but I'm happy with the sound of the Gas'N pipes (so far).

[facultyofmusic]

Daniel, I have the Gas'N pipes on my Gen2 coyote that you heard last time you came over. I don't have the FFR pipes to compare to, but I'm happy with the sound of the Gas'N pipes (so far).

I was about to say! I forgot if you did but I did remember feeling it isn't as loud as I thought. Thanks for the reminder John! Gas'N pipes sound good!

[facultyofmusic]

Woke up before the squirrels started running around on my roof (they make these little cute footstep noises). The FFR stewart transport truck parked outside and the coyote was finally here. Not many updates today, just that the coyote looks beautiful and once again I can’t stop starring at it.
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The engine is big though, and my garage space is very limited. Fortunately my fuel-tank and read-end/IRS parts are still back-ordered so that part of the car is nice and empty. The coyote + T56 magnum package slides right in!
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What surprised me was just how HEAVY this thing was! I previously thought that I could put it inside the house since it’s on a dolly with 4 rollers attached to it. Now I fear it may punch through a roller shaped hole in my floor. For those who were thinking of putting the engine inside the house until you need it: DEFINITELY think about the arrangement first.

A question popped up while I was looking at the attached labels. The engine and transmission had all its fluids drained, so I’ll need to purchase my own engine oil and transmission fluid. What about the rear diff that I received from ford? Is it also dry inside? I couldn’t find the same “WARNING: All fluid has been drained” tag on the rear diff. I suppose I could just open it and check…

[edwardb]

Thank you for the advice Edward! I did find that I have to re-drill some of the holes because the rivets won't go in clean. I'll get some #10 bits and give it a try.

#10 is the oversized bit for a 3/16" hole. For 1/8" rivets (the most common and I think what you're describing) you want the #30 bits for slightly oversize. Will solve the re-drilling you're describing.

A question popped up while I was looking at the attached labels. The engine and transmission had all its fluids drained, so I’ll need to purchase my own engine oil and transmission fluid. What about the rear diff that I received from ford? Is it also dry inside? I couldn’t find the same “WARNING: All fluid has been drained” tag on the rear diff. I suppose I could just open it and check…

Most have reported the 2015+ IRS diff from Ford Performance has gear lube in it. But personally I wouldn't assume anything. Check it.

[facultyofmusic]

Most have reported the 2015+ IRS diff from Ford Performance has gear lube in it. But personally I wouldn't assume anything. Check it.

I took a look a look at the diff and notices that it was sealed with a gasket sealant, which to me means they put the necessary liquids in and then sealed it properly.

[facultyofmusic]

IRS, front spindles, brakes and hubs are all still nowhere to be seen so we’re skipping over that for now. Let’s jump into the pedals.

The willwood pedalbox assembly was actually really simple and straightforward; as expected from willwood. The pedals are super close together though. Without putting the pedals in I’m already a little worried about footbox spacing. Other build threads confirm my fear. Alas, we’ll cross that bridge when we get there. The pedals can be shifted by an inch or so to each side so I hope that will be enough space. If not I’ll just ask santa for driving shoes for Christmas. :P :P :P

Having my vice clamp onto the pedalbox bracket made the whole process so much simpler. I’m sure it’s possible without it, but it just made the process much easier. I highly recommend it.

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Brainfart section: Perhaps I’m just really really new at all this car building stuff, but I COMPLETELY forgot that I don’t need the clutch cable or the clutch quadrant for the coyote engine. D’oh! I spent a good 30mins trying to figure out where my clutch quadrant and cable was only to realize that they never came and probably just isn’t a part of my order. The engine+trans package I ordered already includes a hydraulic line that connects to a hydraulic throw-out bearing installed by FFR. All I need is a hydraulic line that runs from the clutch master cylinder to the transmission and we’re good.

Now here’s the hard part: Putting the pedalbox + bracket INTO the driver-side footbox. I didn’t take pictures for this part because I had such a hard time getting it in. I didn't stop until it was all the way in and seated onto the frame. Without pictures, here’s what i can say that helped:
1. Loosen the pedals a bit. Getting the bracket in isn’t the problem. Getting the pedals AROUND the top frame cross-member is the problem. If you loosen the pedals and the hydraulic pusher stems enough you can work around the cross-member much easier.
2. Do consider installing the clutch pedal AFTER putting the pedalbox in. I didn’t do this but if I had to do it again I’d probably remove the clutch pedal just so I have an easier time.

Regardless, now that it’s in I don’t even plan to take it out again. The mounting screws that come through the front-facing firewall and the bracket is a little tight, but a small ratchet wrench does the job just fine.

And now I’m tired! Time for dinner! Tomorrow I plan to start bending brake-lines and fuel-lines. I visited JohnK who lives just a short drive away. He was incredibly kind and allowed me to borrow his line benders, the eastwood flaring tool, as well as other related tools. I’m so excited to bend my own hard lines! Stay tuned!

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[JohnK]

Looking great Danny! Can't wait to see how the brake lines turned out.

JFYI- I believe that Ford Performance fills the IRS from the factory (and puts sealant on the fill plug) but some vendors have been know to drain the IRS before shipment to the customer. When I ordered mine From Forte's he advised me that he drains them because a few had leaked in transit and had been held up for weeks as hazardous material. My point being, the presence of sealant on the fill plug, in and of itself, is not an indicator that the IRS is currently filled. I'd take the plug off and stick a finger in there to confirm fluid level.

[Railroad]

Concern for pedal spacing is justified. A tip that might help, the pedals do not have to be centered on the swing arms, as you have yours. Using the off set screw holes will provide max available spacing.

[facultyofmusic]

JFYI- I believe that Ford Performance fills the IRS from the factory (and puts sealant on the fill plug) but some vendors have been know to drain the IRS before shipment to the customer. When I ordered mine From Forte's he advised me that he drains them because a few had leaked in transit and had been held up for weeks as hazardous material. My point being, the presence of sealant on the fill plug, in and of itself, is not an indicator that the IRS is currently filled. I'd take the plug off and stick a finger in there to confirm fluid level.

Thanks for the heads up John! I took off the fluid cap from one of the half-axle sockets and confirmed that its got the fluid inside.
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[facultyofmusic]

You know how before you knew much about cars you’d think “gosh I’d be terrified of fixing my own brakes… What if I mess them up and get into an accident?” Well I’ve got news for myself. It’s brake line time.

Few weeks ago I visited JohnK (his build thread here https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/show...bias-adjuster)) to check out his build. Drove to his place super excited (you know what they say about managing expectations when it comes to strangers…) and was blown away by his incredibly detailed and quality build. John was everything I hoped for in a fellow builder and more. Super friendly, super resourceful, and incredibly generous. Seeing the pictures on his build thread was one thing, but seeing it in person was a whole new experience. I was especially impressed by his stainless-steel brake-lines. I highly recommend checking out his build thread.

John lent me some tools for bending, cutting, flaring, and straightening out brake lines. He also sent me off with a coil of ni-cop brake-lines to practice with. These resources proved invaluable later on.

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[facultyofmusic]

Ni-cop lines, compared to the lines supplied by FFR, are much softer. In fact they were bendable with just two fingers. These were excellent for mocking up the line route before going in with the real-deal. The instructions provided by FFR have a few extra loops here and some risky looking bends there; I decided to use it only as a guide and take my liberties when I see fit. The Rigid brake-line tool was a little tricky to use at first, but once you get used to swinging the handle around it’s quite easy to use. I made a mock-up line for master-cylinder to driver-side-front-brakes. Looked a little rough, but they did the job.
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Thanks to John’s line cutting and flaring tool I did not need any extra loops or unnecessary bends to take up slack. I had lots of fun cutting and flaring the lines. There’s something about purpose-build tools that serve one purpose and do an outstanding job at that one thing that just… makes me smile. These eastwood flaring tools are worth a pretty penny indeed.

[facultyofmusic]

I then used the mock-up as a template to bend the real lines. This time much slower, much more careful. Not all was smooth sailing though. I cut and flared the lines without putting on the fittings… TWICE!! Luckily the line-cutter has a recess area that fits the flared portion of the brake line so you’d only trim off about 1/4inch per mistake. In one instance I made the perfect line bend only to realize the fittings were on the wrong side of the bend. That one mistake cost me a good hour as I straightened the line again just enough for the fitting the pass through without messing up the bend.

In the end the results were excellent. Here are some pictures:
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I’d say bending and routing my own hard brake line was both harder and easier than I expected. I spent much more time than I thought I would, but the results were much better than I expected. I thought flaring would be a pain, but that was the easiest part. I thought straightening a bent-line would be simple, but that was the hardest part. I don’t java any advice to my past self other than to go slow and think each step through. Overall a wonderfully educational experience.

By the way, the manual says to drill 3/16th holes for the FFR provided brake line brackets. If you didn’t buy 3/16th clecos, drill ⅛ homes for now so you can hold it in place with your 1/8 clecos. I drilled 3/16th holes on one side before realizing I had no way to hold it in place. Here’s a picture to illustrate what I mean. Note the clecos are copper coloured (meaning they are 1/8 clecos). The other side I had to buy a tiny c-clamp to hold it in place.
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I want to end this update with another big shout out to John. Without his generosity I would have bought the cheaper line-benders from amazon and messed up a bunch of perfectly good brake lines. It’s really fortunate to have such kind strangers on this forum. Thank you.