Hi all! I have been lurking on this forum for years, wanting to build a roadster, but was resigned to building a hot rod because of my height (6'6"). I have sat in a few completed FFR cars over the years and was frustrated by the fit, and didn't "love" the hot rod enough to commit to it. When the truck kit was announced I literally lost sleep over it. I live in Alaska and I wasn't sure if I would fit or not, but I knew that if I did fit I would build one. It is beautiful. My wife gave me a thumbs up (do not overlook this very important step), I am fortunate enough to have the money and time to do it, and I flew down to Boston to visit the factory and see for myself if I could fit in the truck. The only truck there at the time was the brown truck, which was the very first prototype. I fit, but it was a little tight. Doable though, but I'd have to give up the clutch pedal for better drivability. Dave and the crew reassured me that the newer chassis has even more room and eliminated the crossbar behind the seat which opened it up even more. I pulled the trigger. I ordered a kit with a ready date of 9/14/19. Note, they actually said it could be done about 3 weeks after I put in my order but I didn't have my $$$ together for sure so I opted to push it back a month. Since I am up in Alaska I have to crate it and ship it through a number of different companies to get it up here. I can't do Stewart Transport unfortunately.

Here is the summary of my order:

'35 Truck Gen II Kit
Satin Black Powdercoat
Coyote Mounts
Black Vinyl Bench (I'm planning some custom leather down the road)
Deluxe Grille (no hood or sides or fenders)
3 link rear suspension
Platinum gauges
Sound insulation kit
EFI in tank fuel system
Electric steering
Hot Rod A/C Kit
Coyote installation parts
Stake Bed Components
Wilwood Brakes front and rear
Aluminum interior handles
Koni double adjustable shocks
8.8 Rear end
Paintable tilt column
Extra windshield glass (our roads are hard on windshields)
Crated

Mike Forte is putting together a package with the Gen3 Coyote (no more Gen2 motors left!) with an AOD for me. I haven't put in the order on that though, I have to wait for the dust to settle on the truck before I mention that it didn't technically come with an engine/trans. If everything goes well, I'm hoping to have the motor going in around Christmas when my dad will be visiting for a couple of weeks.

I am fairly mechanically minded, but I have never taken on a project this big before. I am a junkie for big complicated projects though and I look at this as an excellent way to learn about every aspect of a vehicle. I also have a great team of mechanic buddies who can help fill in what I am lacking in knowledge. My last project was also ambitious, as I spent the last 3 years building our entire house from foundation to shingles on my own. House is done (hence the happy wife part) including a dedicated 40' shop for projects like this, and I am ready to take on my next project. Its gonna be a ripper. I'm going to go with matte black chassis and components with a body color of Sting Gray. It's a love/hate color, but I REALLY love it. Contemplating powder coating all of the aluminum panels matte black, but I need to see one in person again to see which panels will be visible with my own eyes.

A couple of questions:

Does the fitment of the Gen3 coyote match the Gen2 or should I expect some additional headaches?
Does anyone have a list of the aluminum panels that are visible from the outside that would need powder coating?
How much trimming should I expect to do on the aluminum panels on the truck kit? Everything I have read is about the hotrod and all of the headaches guys have getting the body level and straight without contacting any of the panels.
Does anyone want to come up to Alaska and help? (Kidding... kind of.)

I look forward to working through the build with everyone on this community. I don't have any builds/builders nearby so I will be leaning on you guys a lot. Happy trails!