Edwardb’s Gen 3 Type 65 Coyote Coupe #59 Graduation

[edwardb]

Time to end the build thread, post a graduation thread, and move to the next project(s) whatever that might be. My build thread is quite exhaustive (some would call it something else…) so won’t go too crazy. Will keep this pretty light. Go here if you have a few hours to kill: https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/show...te-Custom-Tune.

This is my fourth Factory Five build. A Mk3 Roadster, two Mk4 Roadsters, and now the Gen 3 Coupe. And my second Coyote build. The first two builds were sold. The 20th Anniversary Roadster is in the garage next to the Coupe. Will stay that way for now. No decisions or inclinations otherwise at this point. I wouldn’t consider the Coupe a hard build. But it’s definitely more complex than the Roadster, especially when you start doing more than stock on the interior like I did, add heat and A/C, etc. Plus in the end it’s more expensive overall including the paint.

Gen 3 Coupe #59 ordered September 8, 2017. Just as I was about to place my order, Factory Five offered their first sale on the Gen 3 Coupe. So scored a slightly lower price.

• Complete kit
• Powder coated chassis
• Speedhut GPS gauges
• Body cutouts
• IRS
• Carpet kit
• Front/rear swaybars
• Coyote installation kit
• Leather steering wheel
• 18-inch Halibrand style wheels
• Koni double adjustable shocks
• Front and rear Wilwood brakes
• Sliding side windows kit
• Heat and A/C system

My build plan was first I purposely configured the Coupe similar to my 20th Anniversary Roadster since I loved everything about that car. That meant another Coyote, IRS, swaybars, manual Wilwood brakes, double adjustable Konis, KRC power steering, hydraulic clutch, etc. For the rest, planned for a Tremec T-56 since I wanted to give 6-speed a try, Torsen diff to give that a try, high back seats, keyless ignition, high finish interior while still having the legacy look, and a clean no-stripe exterior with all LED lighting. Basically a modern sports car look to a classic body. No surprise it was always going to be candy red.

My intended purpose for the build was the same as the others – basically 99% street cruising. While I wanted it to have good performance, also wanted it to be fun and comfortable to drive. We do like to go to cruise-ins, an occasional car show, and plenty of local club events. So, I like for the car to look show worthy. Within reason. But don’t call it a trailer queen unless you want to see my blood pressure go up. I happen to think it’s possible to have a nice car and still drive it. We’ve averaged 2,500 or so miles a year with our Roadsters. Not bad considering our often 6-month cold season and plenty of crummy weather in between.

I want to thank the following vendors. There were others but these are the heavy hitters that made the most contributions. (And happily took my money.)

• Boig Motorsports
• Breeze Automotive
• Brock Racing Enterprises
• Corbeau USA
• DelCity
• Dun-Right QC Coatings (all my powder coating)
• Inline Tube
• Lund Racing (Gen 3 Coyote custom tune)
• McMaster-Carr
• Motor City Solutions (simply stunning paint job)
• Paul’s Auto and Boat Interiors
• Russ Thompson
• Summit Racing
• Tasca Parts
• Treadstone Performance
• West Marine

Special shoutout to:

• Dave Smith and the team at Factory Five, including Jay Kravitz who always had time to quickly answer my questions. Amazing work designing, building, and supporting this incredibly cool car that can be built and owned by enthusiasts like me.
• Ford Performance for helping me be an early adopter of the Gen 3 Coyote crate motor and control pack. Plus answering (most of…) my many questions.
• Gas-N Performance and Georgie for the incredible headers and side pipes. These are the prototypes for Gen 3 Coupe pipes with that famous Gas-N look and sound.
• Greg Heirman, my neighbor, friend, and fellow builder (Challenge Roadster) who was always willing to drop over when I needed a hand with heavy lifting or provide his expertise.
• Thanks as well to the many forum members who followed my build thread and those that posted suggestions and encouragement. 491,000 views along the way. Crazy! I enjoy doing the build threads and getting lots of feedback. And frankly it's a bit of an accountability and motivational thing too. I sometimes found myself thinking "Get this done so you can post it in the build thread."
• And especially my wife Sharon who puts up with my crazy hobby, spending, hours spent out in the shop, and is mostly patient when I offer long winded explanations for things she doesn’t care about. But she does like to ride, so hopefully it’s worth it.

So onward to the build itself. Factory Five had it ready on the promise date of November 18, 2017. Stewart delivered on December 2, 2017. I was lucky to get it that quickly which included the Thanksgiving week. This was the first time I hadn’t picked up a kit myself. The delivery process went well.



May 11, 2018: Front and rear suspension in, brakes and SS brake lines done, SS fuel lines done, interior underway with dash fabrication nearly done.



November 24, 2018: Most aluminum panels powder coated and installed. Lizard Skin applied. Gen 3 Coyote in. As mentioned in my build thread (maybe several times…) this was the first production delivery from Ford Performance of the Gen 3 Coyote crate motor and control pack.



February 6, 2019: Electrical mostly completed. All smoke contained.



April 15, 2019: Chassis basically done. Body fitting underway. When asked about the most challenging part of the build, this was it.



January 8, 2020: Back from paint. Final assembly underway. This was crunch time trying to get it finished for the Detroit Autorama at the end of February 2020.

[edwardb]

Pictures of the interior. Corbeau seats with seat heaters and red (of course) Schroth harnesses.





Added these sill plates from Russ Thompson. Did a simple polish and filled the script with the body color.



Did my best to dress up the Gen 3 Coyote with a custom cover using a portion of the stock cover. Tried to keep everything neat, but a lot going on under there.



Ready to load into the trailer for Autorama.



February 28, 2020. Made it to Autorama. With a happy ending.





If you want to overdose on pictures, I used the image gallery here on the forum. Arranged by build category: https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/album.php?&u=287

A few videos along the way:

Gen 3 Coyote first start: https://youtu.be/aESV65nw4ok

First drive. This is as close to a go-kart as I could get. Body went on the chassis during the winter. https://youtu.be/QCdUdj6n3eM

Walkaround at Autorama. Sorry for the terrible audio. Turn up your volume. But still lots of good closeups of the finished build. https://youtu.be/w2pLNjTEJOM

Video taken today with the now Lund Racing tuned Gen 3 Coyote. Just a gauge scan from the inside. But the engine is healthy and running well now with its custom tune. https://youtu.be/mDcixNQ5rJM

As of last week, I’m officially titled, registered, and waiting from my plate from Michigan. But it’s completely legal. Just 20 miles driving and now we’re on lockdown until April 13. But initial impressions are excellent. After the tune, the engine runs great and is going to be way more power than I’ll ever need or use. Ride quality is good, chassis feels amazingly stiff, steering feels just right and is centered, hydraulic TOB clutch is awesome, T-56 shifts perfectly, brakes OK but definitely need to be bedded and have more miles. All the gauge readings are right where they should be. No leaks or drips so far. Initial concern about getting in and out greatly improved with the removable steering wheel. A Coupe shouldn’t be built without one. A huge difference. Only two mildly negative things, and both will just take some getting used to. It’s a bit hard to see out of. Did my best with mirrors, but it's still something you need to watch closely. As some predicted, you can hear the Torsen locker in the diff clacking a bit. No surprise, but it’s there.

Bottom line, I’m super pleased with it. Public response so far has been very positive. Can't wait to get it out more. A fun and incredibly satisfying build.

[Jim1855]

Paul,
Congrats on the build. Just stunning!
Jim

[shark92651]

It's amazing Paul. I think I speak for everyone when I say we need more, and newer pics - especially outdoors! I would like to see some more of the interior as well.

[Garry Bopp]

Simply awesome, Paul! I love everything about it. Have you named this beauty?

Garry

[David Hodgkins]

The new benchmark. A truly beautiful build! HB in September??

CONGRATULATIONS!

[edwardb]

It's amazing Paul. I think I speak for everyone when I say we need more, and newer pics - especially outdoors! I would like to see some more of the interior as well.

Added a few more pics. Interior, engine, and an outdoor shot. Thanks for the suggestion.

Simply awesome, Paul! I love everything about it. Have you named this beauty?

Garry

Thanks Garry. No name. Not something we've done. It's known simply as "The Coupe."

The new benchmark. A truly beautiful build! HB in September??

CONGRATULATIONS!

Thanks David. No plans for HB. Would love to, but just too far and we have other plans for this fall. Are planning for the FF Open House in June plus London a week later. Hopefully all will be OK for those to happen. Worst case get rescheduled. Not cancelled.

[David Williamson]

To repeat wveryone else - awesome build that sets a very high bar.
David W

[Straversi]

Congratulations Paul. She’s gorgeous! Enjoy the miles and the extended driving season now that you have a roof, heat and AC.
-Steve

[John Dol]

Congrats Paul, she's a beauty!!

John

[UpNorth]

Congrats Paul!
What a success!
An inspiration to us all.
Enjoy it to the max!

[Bobby Doug]

Awesome Build. If I ever get a chance to build one I'll use your build thread as a guide. Thanks for sharing.

[wareaglescott]

Amazing work Paul. We all love following your work. You are a huge asset to the FFR community. I know myself and many others routinely received so much help and advice from you on our own builds. You are very appreciated!!

Enjoy the Coupe for many happy miles!

PS. It looks like you will get bored of it quickly. Put me first on the list for chance to buy it please! hahaha

[luey2011]

unreal! stunning car. great attention to details. enjoy it sir!

[CTHiker52]

Paul, Congratulations on the completion of the build. Your attention to detail is amazing and the result speaks for tis self. The car is stunning. I learned an incredible amount from you build thread and for that I Thank you again. Enjoy the car when it is safe to do so.

Gary