Speaking of the dash, IMO one of the more interesting and maybe challenging build sequences to mull over is upholstery and dash assembly.
Background: I am upholstering the dash in a leather similar in grain and feel to the roadster seats. I am also adding a bit of foam (either 1/16" or 1/8", depending on where it is being applied) for a bit of "feel".
The stock dash is not trivial, in that there is a separate gauge panel, end caps and gauge visor. Add to this the option that one may wish to have fasteners either revealed or hidden (or some combination) under the upholstery, and sequence gets a little complicated.
Let's look at the visor for example. One is not going to stretch a piece of leather over the dash and also accommodate the visor in that same piece. The visor likely needs to be upholstered separately and then attached almost last in the dash build sequence. This implies that the fasteners to attach the visor are probably not cheesy rivets, rather maybe some nice button head machine screws. This implies appropriate use of rivnuts. Perhaps the same attachment scheme that one might use for the gauge panel. (Note: I decided early on to make the gauge panel easy to remove to gain access to the wiring nest behind the dash - this implies the gauge panel is "outside" the main dash, and attached with 8-32 machine screws.) The visor sheet metal is maybe 0.040" (or whatever), and if I am going to use foam as a leather backer, this suggests where I might use 1/16" versus 1/18" foam at certain places for a nice transition between top or face of dash and top or face of visor, for example.
The end caps are maybe easiest to think about. They can be done first, both foam and leather, without any dependencies, except as may be related to accounting for the leather thickness for proper bending of the tab that attaches to the cross rail. These layers can be bonded with a spray contact adhesive.
Independently, the dash proper can be done. Spray contact adhesive can be used for the foam layer, noting the cutout areas for where the visor might attach (no foam here). And then the dash is attached to the frame and firewall using rivets and/or machine screws where appropriate. And then I need to lay down the leather. This sequence is my doing, as I want a smooth top of dash, without fasteners. Using spray contact adhesive at this point will be a mess, so a brush is used. Wrapping and clamping the leather is a bit of a pain in the A$$ with the dash already installed (and wired, and ...)
Well, it IS Friday, and I am about to call it wrap (no pun intended) for the weekend (as the snow and skiing is first class ATM)
I am using all available flat surfaces for assembly these days. Here is one of the aforementioned dash end caps in the middle of being upholstered. Note it is resting on a charcoal gas tank vent filter of Edward B's design. As well as the gauge panel being wired for ground and power (bullet connectors in the works for easy removal of the panel as suggested). Speakers in the background, despite my comments elsewhere about managing dB :-) Multi-taskers R' Us
Light switch (left of tach) and ignition switch not shown - they are already wired into the harness.
Ready to mount and connect up the dash harness just as soon as I can wrap up thermal and noise insulation on the forward upper tranny tunnel panels. Yay!
All gauge panel connections are bullet connectors. As you may see, the gauge panel is attached to the dash with 10-24 Phillips head machine screws with associated Riv-nuts so that it may be easily removed to gain access to the zoo between dash and firewall.
As mentioned previously, the gauge panel is a carbon fiber layup over the kit gauge panel. The dash is a leather hide that actually has very similar pebble to the FFR leather seats. I've underlain the leather with 1/8" closed cell foam (except where I've used 1/16" near the visor to accommodate the flange stackup) for a nicer "hand" or dash feel.
Gotta go pour a beer now, to knock off the buzz from inhaling too much contact cement :-) This part of the build was kinda fun and a new experience for me :-)
Now, if I can just find a chrome "Daytona" emblazon, or a passenger grab handle (more practical ;-) for the PS dash face ...
My Type 65 Coupe: Ordered May 27, 2021. Arrived November 19, 2021. I would like to treat my gas pedal as a binary operator. It would be nice to get the cooperation of everyone in front of me.
The dash looks terrific; I love the white gauge faces!
You put a lot of thought into how to make the dash come together, and I think it shows, nicely done!
I also have to comment that you are extremely brave. I noticed that you have the rear glass laying along the wall in your garage. You see, if I were to do that, I would absolutely somehow end up destroying that piece by some errant flying piece of something! It is just how things go in my garage... You are clearly far more confident than I.
Keep up the good work, she is coming together nicely!
The dash looks terrific; I love the white gauge faces!
You put a lot of thought into how to make the dash come together, and I think it shows, nicely done!
I also have to comment that you are extremely brave. I noticed that you have the rear glass laying along the wall in your garage. You see, if I were to do that, I would absolutely somehow end up destroying that piece by some errant flying piece of something! It is just how things go in my garage... You are clearly far more confident than I.
Keep up the good work, she is coming together nicely!
Regards,
Steve
Hi Steve. My glass (front and back) is in my office, so hopefully protected from FOD. With Winter in progress, I am doing a lot of wiring (and fitting leather) indoors these days :-) Another way of saying I am spreading out - Ha!
A couple of switches (running lights, hazard, wipers) to hook up, as well as the 12V buss bar, cut-off switch and the Terminator-X, and wiring inside the firewall is done ... :-)
I need to move things around a bit in my shop, so have been hankering (is that REALLY a word?) to get off the jack stands in place for the past five months. As you can see, I don't have wheels on the front end (due to POL items such as shocks and axle nuts), but it is nice to get the Beast down to ground level. I borrowed my son's late model Mustang Summer wheels / tires for the rear - almost the same wheel diameter.
This little drill this afternoon has been actually quite nice. I have not appreciated how low and mean this whole car posture is until now. It gives me a different perspective on what I am building.
I am waiting on various bits that are part of the prescribed build sequence, and am plodding ahead in any case. I am finding that this is focusing me to think a little more critically about building my kit. Not quite "paint-by-numbers", if you will.
Oh well. Plumbing done, wiring almost done, just a few bits left before suspension is done, firewall complete. Engine and EFI ready for install. Bodywork looms. I am sure I have forgotten something - Haha
POL and MIK List parts came in this week. At least most outstanding items. Still need wheels and tires and a few other bits. But have no good excuse for not being fully engaged at the moment.
FWIW, my kit was completed on August 7. Almost 7 months to this point. Items such as engine mounts and suspension items and certain body parts have been major blockers over the past months. Into hyper drive now ;-)
Thanx muchly to the FFR team for delivering in what has been a tough time for all!
With maybe a couple of minor exceptions, POL and MIK list items have been received or are en-route. The biggie, being tires and wheels are due Monday. My To-do list is long, but every day, several items are being knocked down.
If wishes were fishes, I'd wish for a hoist. Instead, I roll around under the car, wishing for better light, and pick up every bit of aluminum fleck that my broom has missed, which is soon to be deposited on office chairs, car seats and carpet everywhere. I imagine spotting some shiny bit a decade from now, and laughing at what a great little project this was.
Working up inside a tranny tunnel, or with sharpies everywhere has me a blood donor. Copper-based anti-seize will take a day or two to clean up. All the hand washing has me re-thinking use of skin moisturizers. My gal on the other hand loves these working man's hands.
Finishing up wiring the motor and EFI. Target first start and go kart in two weeks. Likely ahead of schedule. Gotta install seats, bleed hydraulics, get the cooling system installed and any of a number of other bits shortly :-)
I may have commented on this earlier on a separate thread - my apologies for any repeat material.
This is all about wiring. I installed RT's stalk mounted turn signal. That process actually went pretty well. The more complex bit is the wiring, following in some manner the installation notes that RT provides. I have decided that I really want to document changes to the Ron Francis harness that I have made, if anything just to compensate for my consistent short term memory loss (Hah!), or better put, to document wiring for future maintenance.
There are things that one can do when integrating the turn signal stalk, like for example, hijacking the Hotrod Column connection wires - I mean, the wires are right there! I think that having the extra relay bits and wiring changes documented will be useful for me in the future, and maybe to others. I am in process of editing the Ron Francis Harness schematic. If others are interested in that edited version, please let me know.
Part 2 of this is changes I am making to the Holley Terminator-X "output / P1B" harness. The short story is that I am integrating Jim Inglese's Weber-style EFI system, and due to indefinite back-order times, I chose to use a Holley 550-937F ("F" meaning Foxbody) version of the Terminator X, instead of the generic 550-937. The 937F has a longer harness to accommodate the typical installation of the ECU under the passenger side seat, which is a minor PIA, but otherwise it appears to be a useful alternative, in these times of extended back-order. "Almost" is the key word here. I find myself now modifying the P1B harness to accommodate a four wire IAC motor, instead of the two-wire that was standard in the Foxbody time frame. I can bore you with harness editing details if you like, and I can also use this same wiring diagram software to share those changes to this group.
One hose to my overflow tank, and coolant plumbing is done.
Hydraulics done.
Swapping in a Dual Sync distributor this week. Else Engine Bay wiring / ECU ..., etc., done.
Ride height and first pass at alignment done.
Tracking to go-cart this time next week. Looking forward to waking up the neighbors ;-)
Yikes - it has been almost 6 weeks since my last post on this thread. I have been heads-down, although also occasionally posting on other more specific threads.
"Heads Down" means I received the last of my POL / MIK items last month, I am putting in 4-6 hours a day, primer is being shot on the body tomorrow, and I am finishing interior carpeting and sound / heat insulation, using up extra wiring harness clips, and starting to make my final checklist.
"Final" means a very long but tractable list of things to do. Ranging from leak checks to brake bias to wiring rear speakers to installing lights and lenses, to ... My measure of progress is the number of boxes of bits I have yet to install. I am down to 2. Or maybe 3. The third is the box of fasteners, ranging from rivets to wiring clips to zip-ties to nuts and bolts I haven't figured out a home for. The second is soft items like bulb trim and wiring sleeves. The first is lights, mirrors and other hard bits that will be installed when the body is back and on the chassis. And then there is a stack of AL sheet metal, at least what I have not already affixed, and bits of carpet.
There was a point where I did not have a good idea when this little project would be done. A lot of that was aggravated by supply chain issues, which are ... aggravating. Now, things are smoking because they are moving so fast. I have actually reviewed (again) state titling requirements and procedures.
Maybe 30 days out?
I'll offer that this whole process is quite interesting. At least for a first time builder like myself. The more senior members of this esteemed forum take all this in stride, or maybe have forgotten the trials and tribulations of their first build. Hats of to them in any case, if only for all the support and advice they have provided me and others.
Best ...
p.s: will post a couple of photos of the finished build shortly
Update: Primer is on the body. This is code for "I better get the rest of the chassis ready"
Past couple of days have been trimming and installing remaining (pre-body install) sheet metal and heat/sound dampening. Note every interior panel has Bimat, Quadmat or Cool It layers under carpet.
Today is carpet. THAT is a bit of a project, all 28 pieces of it, especially if one installs various layers of aforementioned dampening ;-)
A good pair of shears is a nice toolbox item at this point
Measure twice, glue once is my mantra today. This photo has no glue yet.
I haven't yet decided what to do with carpeting at the rear roll bar meets frame cross member just aft of the tunnel. It is a bit of a mess at that eyeglass shaped union of square and round tubes. Maybe a couple of chrome escutcheons will work ;-)
Carpet done. It is amazing how fast time flies when sniffing 3M Super 77 fumes. Yikes!
Seats and belts tomorrow. And then waiting for my paint shop and time to tie off a few little bits on the To-Do list.
As you may be planning carpet at some point, there is a lot of dry fitting to do, and installing for example in the foot boxes with a spray adhesive is ... um ... challenging. But then, I am easily challenged :-)
You can have any interior you want, as long as it is black (and gray and chrome and CF)
The side pipes are loud (as many have commented on in various threads)
This morning I decided to cut off the side pipe turn outs - there is a gut check for you. It is the only way to get access to the internals of the dual side pipes. Do this with the right equipment. SS is a PITA.
Then I added Car Chemistry 3-disk inserts, and clamped the turn outs back on with Borla Stainless Steel Accuseal Clamps. Here is a first pass look at how this looks all buckled back together:
When I install the body (after paint) next week, I will twiddle the clamps so the bolts are minimally invasive. I will also drill the thin wall SS to anchor the inserts with 3/16" SS rivets. In part, this is to prevent losing those nice turn outs to vibration. In second part, this is to keep the inserts from vibrating. They are approximately in the middle of the tail section atm, and really won't go anywhere, but I want to use them to reinforce the joint.
A secondary benefit of whacking the turn-outs off is that I can adjust the angle of the output, perhaps angling down a tad to the Macadam.
Oh yes! So I fired the beasty up (like within 5 minutes of securing the side pipes). I would estimate 10-12dB reduction in sound at idle, and the note still reflects how angry the motor is.
Thought to share this, as there are numerous threads that discuss decibels. The look of the clamps is clean - they require a bit of rouge and polishing.
When I did the tour of the neighborhood with the naked side pipes a few months ago, I had a few folks come by and comment. One comment was "Are you going to quiet that down at all?" I hate having to sneak out of my garage, don't you? HaHa.
So THAT (my first post) is what I started with. It has undergone a few changes during the build. This is maybe a more complete list FWIW
Type 65 complete kit
Powder-coated chassis
Hydraulic Clutch
Black Leather Seats
14" Leather Steering Wheel
3-link rear suspension
17" FFR wheels with MT tires
Platinum gauges
Mounts for SBF
FFR Headers and twin side pipes
Car Chemistry Exhaust inserts with Borla AccuSeal Clamps
Wilwood Balance Bar Adjuster
Remote Battery Terminals
Battery Cut-off Switch
Hydraulic clutch
FFR leather seats and carpeting
3-link rear suspension
Battery cut-off switch
Front sway bar
Nose scoops
17" Halibrand wheels
Front Sway Bar
Wilwood Brakes
Moser 8.8" rear axle
Eiback ERS helper springs
Blueprint / Marshall Engines 347
TKO-600 and mid-shift option
Eight-Stack Systems Weber-style EFI
Holley Terminator X ECU
MSD Dual-Sync Distributor, Phasing Rotor and Ignition Box
MSD 8.5mm Super-conductor Spark Plug Wires
Optima RedTop 12V Battery
Earl's Performance Line Clamps (of various sizes to suit fuel and brake lines)
Seals-it Firewall Grommets of various types and sizes
Zero Clearance, Bimat and Quadmat noiswe/heat insulation
Run Cool Louvers
NRG Steering Wheel Quick Release
Russ Thompson Turn Signal setup
Activated Charcoal Gas Tank vent filter
Alpine iLX-W650 Video Receiver with Polk Audio front and rear speakers
Longacre rear-view mirror
BRE Side mirrors
Period Correct Front License Plate Bracket
Dead Pedal
Shooting paint color (Ford Brittany Blue - M1624) as we type, clear coat to follow, then matte black on the inside surfaces and select areas, e.g.: behind the side pipes after some masking. It's getting very close ...
Looking forward to seeing picture of this. I have considered satin black behind the side pipes. Really would like to see what that looks like.
My Type 65 Coupe: Ordered May 27, 2021. Arrived November 19, 2021. I would like to treat my gas pedal as a binary operator. It would be nice to get the cooperation of everyone in front of me.
I'll post some photos as the final assembly moves forward.
I am going with a very light texture (a.k.a. thinned) version of a Raptor like product. So, not a lot of pebble, a flat finish (flatter than a typical satin finish), and still quite "strong". This is going under the bonnet, in the wheels wells of the body proper (including certain aluminum pieces), behind side pipes and in the interior. Re: the latter, I am waiting to see how it looks before I decide on headliner. The included kit headliner material is kinda meh, and installing it (for example _after_ painting the body like my sequence) is fraught with peril.
It is funny how some of my decisions are still in pencil at this late stage in the build :-)
Picked up the body from my painter this morning. Placed (or wrestled) the body into place this afternoon (many thanx to Rian_Colorado for the tag team on that wrestling match, and all the other bits he has helped with!!)
Here is a photo that shows off the body color. No fasteners applied yet. More to follow.
My Type 65 Coupe: Ordered May 27, 2021. Arrived November 19, 2021. I would like to treat my gas pedal as a binary operator. It would be nice to get the cooperation of everyone in front of me.
The thing I might do differently is blacken the bottom of the outside wall of the foot boxes - right now it is Zero-clearance, which is great stuff, but due to how the side-pipe holes were pre-cut, that is revealed - just a nit ...
My personal opinion is that the "matte" black works pretty well with my body color choice and my black interior.
Looks great Bob! Thanks for the tip on the foot boxes and blackening them - is it just the outside wall you see through the exhaust port? Seems you'd have to be pretty low to the ground to see that on the couple coupes I've seen in person...
I thought it would good and it does. I'll be doing mine, but using blood red for the inset color, to match the stripes.
My Type 65 Coupe: Ordered May 27, 2021. Arrived November 19, 2021. I would like to treat my gas pedal as a binary operator. It would be nice to get the cooperation of everyone in front of me.
Thanks for letting me help! Great to get a chance to see how things will fit for me down the road. The paint job is fantastic, and Bob has done an amazing job with the body work before it went to paint.
You also got a LOT done after I left man! Can't wait to see the bonnet and doors on next week....
Got the bonnet back from my painter yesterday. Today was all about installing same and aligning body and bonnet. I have come to the conclusion that body parts alignment is an iterative thing, which is code for install the bonnet, get the best alignment, tweak the body placement, rinse, lather, repeat, settle on body fitment, bite the bullet, install screws or rivets into door sill frame members and front posts, and go back to tweaking bonnet hinges, AFTER install bonnet rollers, locating pins and latches. I guess we'll see whether this strategy (or lack thereof) works :-) I am pretty happy with how it looks at this point :-)
I'll post a photo of my roller design on a separate thread that has discussed this in the past.
So, during the final build, I go to install things like lights and all the last minute bits post paint. I open up the packaged sub-assembly for the tail-lights - there are no mounting rings. I really should have caught this way back when. Shoulda, coulda, woulda.
I contact FFR, and they offer to send me out the parts - great! A lead time of 3 -5 weeks plus shipping time from when I first contact FFR. This has been a challenging few weeks to deal with parts issues, as FFR to my understanding has undertaken a major inventory control upgrade (this is goodness), and it is Summer time, yadda, yadda.
What to do? Hmmm. Well we are builders. This is how one fabs mounting rings for coupe taillights:
I found 3" diameter, 1/16" thick aluminum discs on Amazon. These are too thick with the snap ring assembly of the lights. So I found 1/32" pipe gaskets from McMaster-Carr. Then I purchased some 10-24 PEM studs. These self-clinching studs are almost flush when mounted in sheet stock. One does have to drill exactly the right size hole in the sheet, and build an anvil or press. Ta-Da!
Lights are now installed. Maybe 2 hours of work, modulo delivery times for the parts needed.
What's left to do??
Install a windshield. Install headlight covers and rear window scoops. Mount the wiper blades. Install one more running light (Thanks Hank!). Get a 10-day temp permit. Visit with the Colorado State Patrol for a VIN. Register vehicle. Start on my run-in checklist. It has been almost exactly a year since I received my kit.
There are a few trim items (such as mesh) that are not critical. I also have items for this Winter, such as striping the car. And yes, I probably have forgotten something :-)
I'll post a better photo of the finished product one of these Fall days :-)
My Type 65 Coupe: Ordered May 27, 2021. Arrived November 19, 2021. I would like to treat my gas pedal as a binary operator. It would be nice to get the cooperation of everyone in front of me.
Light just got mailed to you, hopefully 2-3 days only Bob. Looking great and nice fix on the mounting plates for the rear lights, elegant. Loving that color. Question what size rims/tires are you running? Sorry if its in your build but "laziness pays off now" (and I'm at work)
Here are a few photos in the sunshine on a great Colorado Fall afternoon.
Note the windshield and wipers to be installed mid week, but aside from the endless list of little bits to add over the Winter months, she is done, and running well.
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Originally Posted by WIS89
