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Hey Boyd, Yep the Roush 427SR is 351W based, I also have a mechanical pump which is another reason for the higher mount. Many of the options I had explored would have interfered with the mechanical fuel pump I have. Good luck and let me know if you needed anymore info. Cheers
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Dash - So I spent a lot of time thinking and planning the dash layout. First debated the standard dash vs the competition dash. One I decided on Comp dash, I did a layout similar to how edwardb suggested, sitting in the car and laying out the dash. Bought a bunch of circle stickers from Amazon in sizes which matched gauges and just sat in the car with the steering wheel and placed them in the spot I thought worked best which cleared the steering wheel. I marked where the body was sitting so I was sure not to have any interference with the gauges. I also decided to add an Oil Temp gauge. Contacted Speedhut and ordered one which matched my custom 20th Ann gauge with MK4-009 on them. I used to provided blank dash to mock everything up, measured a bunch of times, then measured again, and then cut the dash. Laid it out with the gauges and once I was happy I worked with Nick from Acton Cobra and he cut me a dash with the exact measurements I gave him, used the steering column as a reference. I chose Nick's dash as there is a bend across the bottom and the dash is supper solid. I used the under dash lip to mount the dash to my underdash filler panel. With a similar grab handle mount that edwardb did, the dash is rock solid, doesn't move. I actually put some brackets with the 3m hi strength velcro to hold the dash against the mounting tube. Tried a bunch of different ways to bond the 3m velcro to the aluminum brackets. Thought I had it with contact cement then didn't hold. With the way the dash was built I didn't need it anyway. Couple of points, Nicks dash is a little lower right in the middle, so with the way mine lined up I didn't fully cover the 3/4" frame. So I had to make sure not to trim too much off front body cowl as didn't want to see the top of the dash. As a precaution I painted the 3/4"frame tube black to blend in with the dash. I had about 1/4" right at the high point. Also ask mentioned previously it took quite a bit of fitting, trimming, bending to get the dash to fit properly. As it's so stiff this took a little time. In the end it all worked out and I'm very happy with the dash. I don't like the puffy look with the dash so I didn't use any padding behind the leather. Very happy with how it turned out. Nick did a great job and was bang on with the measurements along with cutting the ignition and switch holes with the straight sides so they don't spin.
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Nice work. I just installed my bumpers but am using the **********s with a welded in nut. I NEVER thought I would get it, but I did.
Highly suggest using the F5 units like you did.
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Senior Member
Originally Posted by
Boydster
Nice work. I just installed my bumpers but am using the **********s with a welded in nut. I NEVER thought I would get it, but I did.
Highly suggest using the F5 units like you did.
Thanks Boyd. Funny I had a similar experience, let's just say there were a lot of choice words used trying to get those nuts on! I did buy these stubby flex head ratcheting wrenches which helped and have come in handy a few times since. Cheers
https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/...?ie=UTF8&psc=1
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Removable Trans Cover - As mentioned above I used 4 6/32 black screws which I tapped into the frame to hold the transmission cover on. Didn't want anything across the top and these screws blend in nicely with the black leather. With my setup I was able to turn around the shifter top of the TKO600 to move the shifter I little father forward. Just had enough clearance to the 3/4" frame. I used the FF Metal .060" Trans top, no hole was cut, so I was able to align the hole in the dead center. This piece is also wider than the original which really helps as you need the clearance if you want the carpet to tuck up underneath. Even so I still had to bend out the sides a tiny bit, a little more in the corners, and had to trim a little in front corners. Centering the shift hole also allowed me to put a nutsert in the 3/4" frame and use the top center screw from the shifter ring to hold down the transmission top from the middle. Not sure it was necessary but it all ligned up. I used the lizard skin on the underneath of the transmission cover with the addition of the lizard skin black finishing spray. Underneath the leather I used a very thin piece of padding, so different to my dash which has no padding.
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Such an amazing car! great work!
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Dark Water Sills - I went with the Dark Water Aluminum Sills. Go them unfinished and once I did all the fitting, trimming, banging etc to get them to fit they were polished. I highly recommend fitting these before you paint. To get them to fit properly I spent a while with a hard rubber mallet getting the curve right and minimizing the gap to the body. Similar to edwardb I trimed the front short just under the hinge to avoid any interference, also easier to fit. I tried to line up the other side to the top of the latch. Messed one set up as cut the top side too short, so started again, to fill as much of that gap as I could. There was a decent amount of trimming to get proper clearance from the carpet to get it to sit flush on the fiberglass. In the end happy with the results and I think was worth the effort.
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Oil Pressure Sending Unit - Instead of using the oil pressure sending unit that came with the kit. I decided to get one from Speedhut. As I have the mechanical fuel pump right there I liked that this one was more compact and wiring was a little cleaner. I had to swap out the internals of my gauge so it was compatible with this sensor. Speedhut did that along with building be an Oil Temp gauge with my 20th Ann markings. Again I used the speedhut temperature gauge sending unit for both the oil temp and my coolant temperature, wiring and connections matched. For the wire braiding that was right close to the engine I didn't use the painless classic braid used on the rest of my build, I used Insultherm from WireCare.com. It's a resin coated fiberglass which protects up to 1,200. I thought they had some pretty good products. I also used this to protect the wires running along the top of the engine from the dash.
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Hood Gasket - Originally I was planning on using the small rubber bumpers placed around the perimeter of hood opening on the body. In discussions with my painter, he had suggested using a thin gasket placed in 4 places on the hood and only needing 2 rubber bumpers on the body hood opening. The two rubber bumpers went on the dark blue, top and bottom, as did the gasket around on the hood. This allowed for a clean look on the body opening when you open the hood. He glued the ends shut of the gasket to give it a finished look. Given the dark blue color of the body, the gasket blends in well. By also not placing the gasket all around the hood the should allow for increased air flow. Hood is good an snug when closed.
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The level of detail is outstanding, nice job!!!!!
Mick
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Too many nice and cool mods and details. Congratulations!
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It's an absolute work of art and I think we all love it too! Paul, you"ve taken your build to the top level and you went, well, way beyond it! Nicely done!
Dj
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Alternator Wiring - As mentioned the wiring took me a while as did lot of thinking and research. I changed some of the harness, one was removing all the alternator wires. My set up had a single wire alternator. As my battery was in the front with the Breeze mount. I decided to run a wire from the alternator to a manual reset circuit breaker. I went with 150 amp Blue Sea one. Then directly to the battery. This was a nice short run that kept any of the wires out of the cockpit and by adding the circuit breaker gave me a little protection should the alternator fail. Thought this was cleaner than running the wire back up to the battery cutoff switch. Made a bracket for the breaker out of aluminum and used nutserts should I need to swap out the breaker. Where it's placed it's easy to access. I have a JL Audio battery connector which has 3 inputs, only 2 were use, one line from the alternator/circuit breaker and the other goes to my battery cut off switch mounted in the front middle under the dash.
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10-18-2019, 06:28 PM
#100
Senior Member
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10-18-2019, 07:36 PM
#101
Senior Member
25th Anniversary Roadster #12 of 25
Gen 3 Coyote
TKO 600 mid-shift
Car
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10-19-2019, 06:25 PM
#102
Really like the door hinges. Nice choice
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10-20-2019, 10:38 AM
#103
My God, that is a beautiful built. Well done Paul.
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10-20-2019, 11:19 AM
#104
Senior Member
Meant to ask in case I missed in in the really nice thread. What is the source for the passenger grab grab handle. Wife could really use that.
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10-20-2019, 12:03 PM
#105
Senior Member
Got the Grab Handle and mounting bracket idea from edwardb's build. It was a great addition. Made the mounting brackets out of steel and had them powder coated to match the frame. Really helps keep the dash in place. Grab Handle is from Eddie Marine - part # 275-24
https://www.eddiemarine.com/index.ph...&search=275-24
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10-20-2019, 12:15 PM
#106
Senior Member
I did the Breeze locking gas cap option. It's a really nice piece. You need to do a little work to the original cap but I think the finished product is a nice look. I also changed the grounding wire. Made my own from and wrapped it in the painless classic braid, matches what I used throughout my build.
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10-20-2019, 12:23 PM
#107
Senior Member
I used Weatherpack connectors on all the exterior connections in the build. After a few practice runs with the right crimping tool they were pretty easy to put together.
I finished all the wires with ancor marine black shrink wrap. Kept the original wire covering which came with the lights. Made installing and removing the lights pretty easy, something that I did many times throughout the build.
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10-20-2019, 12:42 PM
#108
Senior Member
Here is another photo of the painless classic braid I used. I also changed all the battery wires. I switched to 2 gauge for the power cables from battery to cut off and also for the starter. I used 2 gauge for the grounding wires. I used 4 gauge wire to the alternator. Thought the ancor marine heat shrink was good quality. Only thing I didn't like was the name written on it, I tried to always have that towards the back so you don't see it. I tapped the frame to hold the clips in place.
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10-31-2019, 06:07 PM
#109
Senior Member
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11-08-2019, 03:55 PM
#110
Senior Member
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11-09-2019, 12:52 PM
#111
Senior Member
Tried to use LED's in the build where I could. Used the small low profile LED indicators from Watson's StreetWorks, similar to edwardb, in the dash. Tried both the large and small and settled on the small low profile. They have a nice finish which matches the chrome on the speedhut gauges. They are bright and easy to see during the day. The nut on the back was a pretty tight fit over the wires, one LED came with a wire slightly frayed, easily replaced, but something to keep an eye on.
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11-16-2019, 09:41 AM
#112
Senior Member
Update Crystal Clear 2K Chip Guard - post #88 above - So after 1200 miles wanted to update on clear chip guard I used on the front & rear elephant ears. Think it held up pretty good. Roads around me aren't great so a reasonable amount of rocks/debris. After wiping them down with a mild cleaner, only marks you can notice are very very small clear chip marks. So far happy with the way they have held up and allows me to keep the matching colors throughout the wheel well. As I made both the front and rears removable, worst case if they don't hold up after a full season is to remove and spray with the black 3M which was used on the body. So far so good.
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02-09-2020, 08:55 AM
#113
Senior Member
Gorgeous build. Your attention to detail is flawless.
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06-28-2020, 05:52 PM
#114
Senior Member
2000 Mile Update & Build Suggestions.
First off, I hope the FFR community and your families are healthy and safe during this time.
The weather in NY has really been amazing, at these last 2 months, so have had the chance for some great drives. Outside of today, was bound to happen at some point, but got caught in the rain for the first time. Thought I would provide a 2000 mile update. One of the biggest decisions is the engine. I went with a Roush 427 SR, it had 516 hp and 527 ft lbs torque at the flywheel. I got the polished version, matched the block, valve covers and air filter housing color to the body. Came out great and wouldn’t change a thing. I read some previous issues of minor leaks, knock on wood, so far, no issues. It has plenty of power for the weight of the car, you can lose the back end fairly easily in 1st and 2nd and possibly 3rd but really fun to drive. It does have a pretty rough idle, something I presume you don’t get using the Coyote. However, it really sounds great. I don’t think it’s too much power for the car and so far, I’m really happy with how it drives.
For the side pipes I went with the Gas-N along with their headers. I can’t comment if they are any quieter than the polished FFR ones that came with my kit, but I think they sound great and are not too loud at all. Some wear ear plugs, I don’t. However, it’s up there. You don’t want to be driving beside a concrete highway divider for too long!
Having 2 kids, I also bought drummer mike’s polished side pipe shields. These really came out great and I would certainly do it again. I actually got caught once before having them on and it’s not fun.
Lots of debate around a stereo or not. In the end I’m glad I put it in. Hid as much as I could, you can only see the 2 speakers on rear cockpit wall. I certainly don’t use it much on my solo drives, but my eldest daughter enjoys playing DJ when she comes along, so I’m glad it’s in to make her want to come on more drives! If I had to do it again, I would likely hide two speakers in the front somewhere to give is slightly better sound. Above 3k and it’s really tough to hear.
For the mirrors I got the billet ones from Breeze which attach to the side wings. At first, I thought they were a little close, but they are great mirrors. You can really see a lot and they look great. Much more functional than the fender bullet mirrors on my MGB. So, I would definitely recommend these.
For the shifter location I did the following. Have a TKO600. I turned the shifter around so it sat a little further up. I also used the finish line bend shifting arm, 427 T5 handle. I managed to pretty much center it on the removable transmission cover I did. The location is very comfortable and easy to drive. I have a fire extinguisher mounted on the rear cockpit wall and everything works fine with no interference. I wouldn’t change a thing with the shifter.
I have the stock radiator that came with kit, I didn’t install an oil cooler. I did however install a larger overflow canister. Living in NY, I’ve never had any issues with the car overheating. I installed Replica Parts Roadster Aluminum Panel which I think turned out great and I have the breeze Fan shroud which will help a bit as well. Driven the car when it’s 95 degrees out with no issues and no coolant leaks in the garage.
Used the Dark Water aluminum door sills. Polished these up and think they look great. Very happy with these and they give the interior a nice finished look.
I did the lizard skin heat & sound spray insulation. I don’t have any air vents; you can feel some heat in the footboxes if its really hot out but it’s not a big deal at all. I also had the headers ceramic coated at Jet Hot. Very happy and no issues with the cockpit getting too hot at all.
Installed the Russ Thompson dead pedal, happy I did. It’s nice to have a spot to rest the foot when driving on highway.
For the clutch I have a McLeod Super Street Pro Clutch and the Forte hydraulic setup. I’m happy with this. The car is very drivable in traffic. The one issue to note with the McLeod clutch is I believe its narrowed then a Centerforce. This means you need a longer clutch fork pivot ball to get the right fork angle. The longer McLeod pivot ball has an indentation right at the end so it’s not as wide as the one that comes with the QuickTime bellhousing. This gives you some play when its connected on the fork unless you press the springs closer together. I had an issue with it popping off when I was adjusting the clutch. A huge pain as I had to pull the engine out to fix it. I would either try and find a pivot ball without this indentation or go with a Centerforce clutch.
The one big mistake I made in the build was when I attached the transmission to the engine. I underestimated how heavy the TKO is and how tight of a fit it is with the engine. Pulling and installing the transmission on my 64 MGB was easy, slide right on every time no issues. First time I installed it on the roadster engine, I lifted it on my own and really had to push/rock it to get it to close into the engine. It was really tough and a tight fit. In the process I think I knocked the fork off one of the springs holding the pivot ball and I got some noise in the go-cart stage. Probably made easier from the issue I mentioned above. In any event I had to pull the engine and trans out fix this. I certainly got some good practice at putting the engine in and out along with installing the tranny. In any event, the second time I reinstalled the transmission I took some longer bolts, cut the heads off, narrowed them a little on the end and screwed them into the bellhousing. I used these as guides so the transmission lined up right from the start and stayed that way even as you push it on. I found this really helped and wished I would have done it the first time.
The other thing I would do differently is when you have the rolling chassis. Set the ride height up correctly here with how you want it just before the car goes to the body shop. Mine wasn’t set even and I had it set a little high thinking it would settle it was also easier to jack the car up that way. It went to the body shop not at the right height so a little adjusting had to be done to get the body just right.
I did leather door panels and glad I have the pockets in there. Perfect place to put my cell phone and now a mask! I didn’t do cup holders; I don’t miss them. I like the clean look of the black leather on trans cover.
I used the Watson Streetworks Billet Dash LED indicator lights. I used the small ones. They are great. Bright so you can easily see them during a sunny day. They look great.
Used the Tangent Blind Roll Bar kits, these are really great. You don’t have to drill into roll bar, nor do you see a bolt. Holds them good and tight together. Certainly, recommend these.
I will add more as I think of them.
For anyone on the fence about building one, bite the bullet and do it. For me it was probably the most rewarding project I have completed to date. Now that it’s finished, I actually miss all the research and the build. I highly recommend this to anyone. I will say that driving it is also ton of fun, you get a lot of looks and questions from all types of people!
Be safe n healthy!
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06-28-2020, 07:46 PM
#115
Senior Member
Great update! Congrats on the 2K mile mark. Glad to hear it's working out for you without any issues and that you're having a good time driving it. My 20th (#3) is almost to 7K miles. Still absolutely love driving it, although it has to compete with the Coupe now for drive time. Be safe and stay well.
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
Build 5: 35 Hot Rod Truck #138. LS3 and 4L65E auto. Rcvd 01/05/2021. Legal 04/20/2023.
Build Thread. Sold 11/9/2023.
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11-07-2020, 01:27 PM
#116
Senior Member
3600 Mile update - Hope everyone had a great driving season and you and your families are safe and healthy. Currently 70 in NY, so got some great drives in last few days!! Car has been driving great, lots of fun. However I do really miss the building, that was a great release and a fun challenge. One of the the gauges I added was an oil temp gauge, had them weld in a bung in back left top of oil pan beside the dipstick. Speed Hut matched my 20th Ann gauges. Works really well, and is a really clean install. Glad I did this. I received a clock with the 20th Ann kit. I added it to the custom competition dash I did to the right of the speedo. I like the look of the dash, however I never use the clock. Also I use the batter cut off switch as security as well so it cuts all the power. I did install a jumper fuse but didn't want any drain on the battery even if it was small. Plus I always wear a watch so I wouldn't install the clock if I had the choice again. Stereo is debated, I enjoy having it, even if you can't hear it too clearly with the side pipes, nice to have for my 90 min rides, plus kids like it. Something I am looking for is clear type plastic to cover the metal strap adjusters on the seat belts. You have to be really careful when taking the belt off not to catch the top of the door, or the polished door sills...outside of just being careful, if anyone has an idea please let me know... For my engine Roush has the idle at 950, that was pretty lumpy when stopped, I adjusted it up slightly to 1000/1050, which is better. The wind wings and visors work well and have stayed in place. As mentioned above I really like the integrated mirrors. I installed a dead pedal and enjoy having it. Nice place to rest your foot, I installed it pretty much level with the clutch. Took some nice photos today and video which I will post next.
Last edited by Paul Mischenko; 11-07-2020 at 03:36 PM.
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11-07-2020, 01:47 PM
#117
Senior Member
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11-07-2020, 03:15 PM
#118
Congrats on your build completion. I have #15 of the 20th Anniversary roadsters.
Hopefully all I lack is Jeff K doing his magic.
Looking forward to posting some completed pics too.
20th Anniversary Mk IV, A50XS Coyote, TKO 600, Trunk Drop Box, Trunk Battery Box, Cubby Hole, Seat Heaters, Radiator hanger and shroud.
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11-07-2020, 03:32 PM
#119
Senior Member
Awesome pics and congrats on a great driving season and miles. One suggestion for the shoulder belts. Agree the outside ones can wreak havoc on the paint. Suggestion: Always swing them to the inside of the car. I got in the habit of doing that myself, e.g. always swinging the belt over my head and behind me to the inside. And instruct my riders to the same.
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
Build 5: 35 Hot Rod Truck #138. LS3 and 4L65E auto. Rcvd 01/05/2021. Legal 04/20/2023.
Build Thread. Sold 11/9/2023.
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04-10-2021, 04:12 PM
#120
Senior Member
Been a while since I've updated. I hope everyone is healthy and doing well. Weather is finally nice in NY and got the Cobra out last weekend for a nice drive. One thing I noticed when putting it away for the winter was a small leak, traced it back to the drivers side valve cover. Did read previously that others with Roush engines had this problem. Tightened it up, which seems to have addressed the issue. For winter storage I've used the Race Ramp curve blocks for under the tires. Pretty pleased with these. Easy to use and no flat spots on the tires at all. I also bought their blocks to set the tires on when working on the car. They work well too.