Well it's about that time. I'm ready. Jason's MK IV

[flyboyjy]

Time for another update. I gave the park brake a good long look, decided that I was going to use the kit set up and mine will work! I assembled the handle and worked on getting it put in place. After messing with it I changed the direction of the bolts holding the chrome barrel to the handle. I also trimmed off the end of the rod and put a C- clip on the end to hold it in place, although even with out the clip it would not have come out of the pull lever. to make it fit the factory mount got in with my die grinder and cut off wheel and cut a piece about 1/4 of an inch out. The way it was bolted in was also completely different than the manual showed. BUT I had determined that it had full travel and was not going to get hung up on the panel or frame behind it.
HANDLE1.jpgHANDLE2.jpg



To run the cables I did something similar to EdwardB except I used two steel pulleys. The stock cables are supposed to run under the 4 inch crosstube which means lots of friction and rubbing on the paint, not cool. I had already ordered the Lokar cable block. There used to be a complete linkage set up but apparently Lokar no longer produces it. So I purchased a 5/16 rod from the hardware store along with some spacers and proper length bolts. I threaded one end for 5/16-24 to match the block. From Speedway Motors I ordered the clevis and assembled it all. Then cut off the end of the cables and did the final assembly.
ROD1.jpgROD3.jpgROD4.jpgROD2.jpgCABLE1.jpgCABLE2.jpg

I tested the best I could and could not get the rotors to budge but the final test will be when the car is in go cart stage.

[flyboyjy]

I also got the fuel tank in. The passenger side front strap bolt that comes with the kit does need to be at least 2 1/2 inches long, the 2 inch was to short. Again another bolt from the hardware store saved the night. Now I suggest you don't do like I did initially which is to put the tank up and forget the RT dropped trunk. So yes I had to drop it, strap the dropped trunk in and put the tank back up. It happens.
GAS TANK IN.jpgTANK IN.jpg

I am farther along than all this but don't have all the pictures yet to post. STILL waiting on shocks to be able to set this on the ground. I am considering getting some black pipe then cutting and drilling to the length I think it needs to be just to be able to mount the engine and go cart it. Although it was -10 degrees and snowing so I can wait a little longer before thinking about driving this.

[egchewy79]

I also had to drop the tank to get my RT drop trunk mod in.
What's going to drive you nuts is dropping it again if you're doing the "Kleiner mod" with the nut coupler for your rear quick jacks.
the PS lower bolt can't be put in unless you remove the tank again.

[flyboyjy]

Time for more updates. I went ahead and decided to use two reservoirs for the brake master cylinders so the front is isolated from the rear. I made a round plate and using bulkhead fittings ran the feed lines thru where FFR shows the front wire harness is supposed to go thru. It was no problem to relocate the hole to get the harness out and I was more concerned about the brake system. After mounting the reservoirs I got 20" and 30" pieces of brake tubing and bled the master cylinders. Then came time to actually run the brake lines. Constantly asked myself while planning out the brake lines "how would Mike Bray do this" seeing as how his brake lines are exceptional. But I got the fronts in then plumbed in the rear. I think mine look ok as well. Since I am running a carburetor with a mechanical fuel pump I went ahead and laid out the fuel line from the tank to the front and it worked out best to run right alongside the rear brake line.

RESERVOIRS.jpgBRAKE FEED LINES.jpgBLEEDING MASTERS.jpgFRONT BRAKE HOSE.jpgREAR BRAKE LINES.jpgBRAKE AND FUEL LINE.jpg

I put a wheel on to check for clearance between the wheel and brake caliper. Plenty of space.BRAKES CLEAR.jpg




So I have everything for the car EXCEPT shocks. IF I had known it was going to be a major hang up a year ago when I placed the order I might not have gotten the double adjustable shocks, although I have been told they expect them in soon. BUT I needed a way to be able to put this thing on the ground. Through some research I found Speedway Motors sells a pair of ride height setting devices that go in the place of shocks so the ride height can be set and then the shocks made to match. SO I bought two pairs for a temporary solution. I would not drive on these but at least now the tires can be put on and the car moved around.
SUBSTITUTES.pngSUBSTITUTE1.jpgTIRES FIT.jpg

[flyboyjy]

I fit the rear cockpit wall, took some tweaking of the panels but it all fits. Then I started installing the wire harnesses. I test fit the dash panel and like others before me I am not impressed with the fit. I considered getting another sheet of aluminum and custom cutting it to fit then decided just to go with what I had. Boring the 1 1/4" inch holes in the dash makes a big mess. I installed the harnesses and put the fuse box in place then decided it was time to put that engine and transmission in so things could be connected. I cut 4x6s and made it so my ramps would fit. I moved the engine out of its corner and got the transmission back out of the box. Slid them together and bolted up. My Dad and brother are always telling me they will come help and I know I can put the engine in by myself but I called them and had them come help anyways. I got the car turned around, put on ramps and blocks and had the engine/ transmission mounts on by the time they started arriving. Less than an hour later it was in and we decided it was time to go have lunch.

REAR WALL.jpgDASH FITTING.jpgMESS.jpgWIRE HARNESS.jpgRAMPED.jpgENGINE MOUNTS ON.jpgENGINE GOING IN.jpgENGINE SET IN.jpgENGINE SET.jpgENGINE SIDE VIEW.jpg

[flyboyjy]

This is the plug that Tremec puts on the transmission output shaft and it does take some pulling to get it off. I pulled it off when I assembled it to the engine and would not recommend trying it in the car. Later I came in from the top and had room on the drivers side to slide the driveshaft on and bolted to the differential in just a few minutes. I forget to mention I had already mounted the Breeze front battery tray. I do think it would be easier to put in before the engine got put in but certainly not impossible if done later. I also found the CVF bracket for the steering pump sits way to close to the steer shaft to be used. I could have trimmed the end off but the pulley still would be right up against the shaft. CVF makes another bracket for the 351C to use if the 351W is to tight, I ordered it and it showed up last night so now I get to change it and measure for a new belt.

PLUG.jpgDRIVESHAFT.jpgBATTERY IN.jpg

[flyboyjy]

Quick tool review for those that are curious or will be starting a build in the future. I try to show and recommend what works well and what you may need(WILL need).

I recommend a good set of aluminum AN wrenches, keeps from marring aluminum fittings and especially the front upper control arm sleeves. Next I used a good quality nutsert rivet tool, this one is compact and fits most places. I've seen arguments for and against using pneumatic rivet tools as opposed to manual rivet guns, use what you want but I have pulled multiple 10s of thousands of rivets on semi trailer repairs with this one. And it easily pulled the 3/16 stainless steel rivets with the Breeze battery tray. The brake line flare tool I used does double flares and can do lines on the car or in tight spots. I like the Eastwood one I've seen people use here as well. After cutting large holes in aluminum or steel an easy way to deburr the hole is to use a deburring tool, easier in some cases than a file and doesn't leave file marks. Last was the Husky low profile floor jack. It did not come with a rubber pad but I picked up one from online sources. It goes as low as 3 3/8" and lifts to 19". Over all it has so far worked well and was the best priced 2 1/2 ton jack I could find. Also in the picture of the floor jack is a vacuum brake bleeder. It is able to bleed brakes by yourself using it however for the final bleeding I had one of my boys put pressure on the brakes while I used the tool and wasn't getting air out, mostly for the peace of mind all the air is out.

AN WRENCHES.jpgRIVET TOOL.jpgRIVET TOOL1.jpgFLARE TOOL.jpgHOLE TOOL.jpgLOW PRO JACK.jpg

[Fman]

Nice work on everything! not sure if you were aware but your pictures are really small and hard to view at least for some us with aging eyes

[flyboyjy]

Nice work on everything! not sure if you were aware but your pictures are really small and hard to view at least for some us with aging eyes

Thanks Fman. As far as the pictures being small I seem to remember reading in the posting guide lines to send the smallest version possible due to the size of the files sent. BUT now that I see that they are small I will try and start posting the next size up and see if that makes a difference.

[flyboyjy]

Ok time for a quick update from the weekend. Temperatures were up in the mid 60s over the weekend so that meant it was time to coat the exhaust system. I have taken a chance on a product called Zybar from a company name Zycoat to coat the headers and exhaust pipes with. There is a process to the madness. First everything had to be sand blasted and cleaned. I sand blasted it all, blew it off and wiped down the surfaces with a surface cleaner from Eastwood called PRE. The stainless steel headers were still shiny even after sand blasting and after looking closely they were roughed up. So it took 32 ounces shot thru my Devilbiss spray gun then I let them hang out and degas for the rest of the day, application instructions say that takes about 2 1/2 hours to degas. The application instructions call for being placed in an oven at 450 degrees for 3 hours to cure OR kept at a constant 70-90 degrees for 5 days for air curing. I don't have access to an oven that size and certainly not one on short notice, so I put them in a small basement bathroom with a thermostat controlled heater with the door closed to let it all air cure. So far it looks good. I also got to fitting the power steering bracket. I got the new 351C bracket on in place of the 351W that the CVF racing setup I'm using and realized the steer pump pulley and other pulleys were about a half inch off. I have enough spacers to make it fit but it comes in contact with the water pump pulley, so I guess I will be grinding and clearancing the bracket to fit.

ZYCOAT.jpgEXHAUST PAINTING.jpg351C BRACKET.jpg

[flyboyjy]

I determined that after looking at the brackets, spacers, hardware and installation instructions from CVF to throw the instructions in the garbage where they belong. After some trial fitting I had all the brackets and pulleys on with the belts and it all does line up.

I had been emailing with the Factory Five parts department about the double adjustable shocks, the last item on my POL. I was told it has been 15 months since they have received any BUT they were told that shipments of them would come in April and May. I would get mine depending on how many they got in and how far down the list I was. A few weeks ago I got a Fedex notification about a 49 pound box from FFR being delivered. When I got home I found they had shipped me a set of Wilwood brakes. So first of all I am not happy with thousands of dollars of brakes sitting on my front porch but what really set me off is the fact the brakes were never on my POL and should not have been sent. Couple of email exhanges later I had a shipping label from FFR and sent them back.

I had gotten a Fedex notification that a 12 pound box had been sent from Factory Five that was set to be delivered today was early and actually arrived Tuesday. I marched into the bosses office and informed him that there was a box that had been delivered and there was a possibility it was my missing shocks I have been going on for months about. His response was "why are you still standing here and not going to find out?" A short time later I got home to find this.KONIS.jpg Needless to say I am happy and went and found the box with my springs and assembled the shocks.SHOCK, ASSEMBLED.jpg


So of course this required for them to be installed.SHOCK, FRT.jpgSHOCK, REAR.jpg


Last night was spent putting the headers on, installing the engine oil cooler and started plumbing the power steering lines. The passenger side header was no problem, however that drivers side took twice as long to put on. My oldest son came out and offered to help with the last three bolts on the drivers side. True he could have easily reached in and started the bolts but the thought of him potentially getting into contact with copper anti-seize and it then getting everywhere and finding it in places for months or years later made me decide to tough it out and finish it myself.
HEADER, DRVR.jpgHEADER, PAX.jpg


So my plan is to jump back on the wiring and get it finished. As soon as the rest of my fittings show up for the fuel and steering systems this will be real close to being a go kart.

[flyboyjy]

Time for another update, I didn't realize it had been this long. So I have been slowed down but still getting stuff done. I got back to work on the wiring. Decided I wanted a clock so I ordered one from Autometer that matches the rest of my gauges. I also decided to not run an LED and incandesent light combination but instead just run all LED lights. Along with the clock I ordered enough gauge lights to convert them all. I also ordered the headlight/ turn signal set from Breeze. I looked long and hard at the Russ Thompson steering column and ordered the Ididit module to make all this work like TedG has on his car. I was not impressed with the fit of the dash panel. The build manual says mount 3/16" at the hoop corners ABOVE the hoop. I had seen others here all say mount the dash panel 3/16" BELOW the hoop corners. So I had thought about getting a sheet of aluminum and cutting it to fit the way I think it should fit. In the end I laid out and drilled all the holes in the panel and mounted it where it looks like it will work the best. I cut accessory holes in under dash filler panel I got from replicaparts.com and riveted it in. Then spray glued the vinyl to the dash and started installing the gauges and wiring them up.

DASH FIT.jpgDASH GLUEING.jpgDASH FINAL.jpgDASH WIRING.jpg


I had also found that the light switch that comes in the kit may not work well with LED lights. Autometer has dimmer units that will do the job but only support 6 gauges/ switches per dimmer and I had 10. So I put 2 dimmers in and split the load between them. They got mounted just below the center of the dash. DIMMERS.jpg

I mounted the dash and started connecting wires and running wires for sending units and ignitions system.DASH IN FOR GOOD.jpg

The Ron Francis wiring harness is made to fit at least 3 different cars with multiple different engines and transmission combinations. I quickly came to flat out hate the Ron Francis wire harness. I had seriously considered ripping it out and buying a Painless fuse block and rolls of bulk wire and building my own from the ground up. After a considerable amount of time studying the schematic in the wire harness book I chose to strip it all down, and reconfigure it to suit my build and go with it.

[flyboyjy]

Somewhere in the process I stopped and engineered my own mechanical throttle linkage. I also mounted the radiator. I was trying to plan where to put the expansion reservoir but I did not like how close to the alternator it was going to need to be. So I found a smaller squarish one off Amazon that the wife wouldn't complain about the price on and used it instead. Made mounting brackets and put it in. I also decided to live with the idea of having the engine oil dipstick tube from the Kevko oil pan running up between the headers and just being super hot when checking the oil. But the tube did not fit the bung on the pan. I tried every combination I could but I could not find
the right adapter. So the plug that came with the pan got reinstalled with a copper washer and instead I popped the plug on the front cover and put a normal dipstick in.

COOLANT TANK 1.jpgCOOLANT TANK.jpgRADIATOR IN.jpgTHROTTLE 1.jpg

I forgot to put a picture of the dash filler panel and starter solenoid.DASH FILLER.jpgSTARTER SOLENOID.jpg



In the end it worked the best to mount the starter solenoid right above the bellhousing and run the wires to it. I'm not sure about the rain letting up this weekend long enough for a first go cart this weekend but I will continue to tie up loose ends and see how it all works out. Might have to wait one more weekend.

[flyboyjy]

First engine start with the engine put in the car. They say if there is no video it didn't happen so here is the proof.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m2VDWizqz2Y

[flyboyjy]

Keeping up with the theme "if there is no video it didn't happen" here is the long awaited FIRST GO KART. Split into two videos, my son who was filming it stopped when I went up the hill and started again when I came back down. I will post more build pictures later.

https://youtu.be/4kRIHnJQgfE

https://youtu.be/U57qpcoGBbk

[flyboyjy]

Going to back up a bit on the build pictures. I had found that using the forward firewall and a heater with a 351W there is almost no room between the valve covers and heater core pipes. Holley finally produced some more of the Earl's Ez Beader 010 tool and I got one. I cut the ends of the heater pipes off and put a flare in each pipe, then I was able to install the water shut off valve and put coolant in.

EARL'S 010.jpgHEATER PIPES1.jpgHEATER PIPES2.jpgHEATER PIPES3.jpgHEATER PIPES4.jpg

[flyboyjy]

I had finished installing the dash right before the first engine start. While the engine was running on another day I noted which gauges were not working and found that my cooling fan was never coming on. My dash lights would not come on and the turn signals acted like flashers when the turn signals were turned on even though I had put diodes in to stop back feeding. I found the water temperature gauge reads about 20 degrees hotter than it really is, not sure what the solution to that is yet and the other gauges that weren't working just needed better grounds. I found the dash lights that are all LED had to be ALL oriented in the sockets the same way or they would not work. But I still was not getting power to the dash lights. I traced power into the light switch but wasn't getting any out. Its just a GM style light switch, so I ordered the same one that would fit my 1972 Chevy Blazer sitting in the back ground photos and installed it. Looks to be a better quality switch an it works. A couple of more diodes in the flasher/ turn signal system took care of the back feeding. Another thing I found is that what ever type switch that is used for the emergency flashers has to be a dual pole switch, using a single pole also causes back feeding.

I'm sure others have had better success with the Ron Francis wire harness. I have no idea who thought the relay for the fan circuit needed be wired the way it came but IT DOES NOT work. I ended up after tracing out the fuse block wiring cutting the orange wire which I think is pin 85 and running it to ground. And then I connected the other end of the orange wire going to a fuse back to power and amazingly everything worked.

DASH IN FOR GOOD.jpgDASH LIGHTS.jpg

[flyboyjy]

A while back I had purchased all the items to set the alignment. FRONT CASTER N CAMBER.jpgLONGACRE TOOL.jpgREAR ALIGNMENT.jpgTOE PLATES.jpg




I also went ahead and changed the needles and jets in the carburetor for altitude. It was just running a bit rich and there was no way to lean it out enough.CARB KIT.jpgCARB REJETTING.jpg

[flyboyjy]

I wanted the seat mounted before the first drive. That meant the rear cockpit wall needed to go in and the Dark Water Customs glove box had to be at least fit. It was easiest to install the glove box permanently with the rear wall out. In order to install the rear wall with the glove box installed the trunk aluminum had to go in first, then the rear wall and finally the seat and seat belts. It is possible to mount the "Kleiner mod" before putting all the trunk panels on and there is no reason to drop the fuel tank to do it, at least I didn't have to.
TRUNK ALUMINUM2.jpgREAR COCKPIT WALL.jpgREAR WALL.jpg

So my first impression after the go kart session is simply WOW. The steering works great. The brakes needed minimal bedding and stops great. The transmission shifts smooth.

Now the bad: the oil pan leaks out the rear when parked on the sloped driveway. The Kevko pan instructions state not to turn the engine upside down while installing it and it is a real tight space in between the pan and block plate. So after putting the car on stands and crawling around a bit I ordered a new pan gasket, more black RTV and different bolts. Instead of the hex cap socket bolts I'm going to use 12 point ARP bolts and hopefully be able to get the pan to seal better this time around.

[cc2Arider]

Is that a mock-up location for your seat mounts? I ask because it looks like you have to favor towards the passenger side in the middle picture above.

I put my driver's side seat in (to make vroom-vroom noises) this past weekend, and my side to side position was about equi-distant between the two seat belt mounts...

Craig C

[FLPBFoot]

Is that a mock-up location for your seat mounts? I ask because it looks like you have to favor towards the passenger side in the middle picture above.

I put my driver's side seat in (to make vroom-vroom noises) this past weekend, and my side to side position was about equi-distant between the two seat belt mounts...

Craig C

Careful on seat placement. You need the body on to do final seat location as the curved back of the cockpit can hit the seats. Mine favor the center of the car and actually point outward from back to front along the tunnel. Looked weird and felt weird at first but once you get accustomed to it no big deal. Once the car is complete you don't notice it at all.

[flyboyjy]

Is that a mock-up location for your seat mounts? I ask because it looks like you have to favor towards the passenger side in the middle picture above.

I put my driver's side seat in (to make vroom-vroom noises) this past weekend, and my side to side position was about equi-distant between the two seat belt mounts...

Craig C

I only have the drivers seat in and its only got 4 rivets holding it in place to be honest. The Breeze seat mount in the picture is only sitting there unattached at that point. It took a lot of moving around and putting the seat on it for me to decide I had the best reach on the pedals and steering wheel. In reality it is mounted a little more forward and left than what the picture shows. And it might move again once the body is on in a week or two.

[flyboyjy]

Update time. So after several go kart runs I got a neighbor help me get the body down off the body buck. I then removed the body buck from the frame made the frame it was mounted on to a mobile lifting frame. We put the body on the buck and put it all on now frame dolly, rolled it outside and washed it. It's not hot and not cold yet here so I decided to do a takeover of the garage. Once the body was back in I got to work on the last things that needed to be done before I felt the body could be put on and work on it started. The red backlit horn button was wired in and the horns connected. I made a larger block off plate that covers the slot on the drivers side front foot box. I had purchased cabin vents from Paul at Period Correct, cut the holes and mounted them in the foot boxes. I went a head and mounted the fans on the F panels and ran the wiring. It all works I just haven't put the tubing in place yet. The controls for both are tucked behind the dash.

BODY MOVING.jpgBODY WASHING.jpgHOSTILE TAKEOVER1.jpgNEW BLOCK OFF.jpgFAN LT.jpgFAN RT.jpg

[flyboyjy]

More pictures from previous post.

VENT LT.jpgVENT RT.jpgHORN BUTTON.jpgVENT LT.jpgVENT RT.jpg

[flyboyjy]

AIR CTRL LT.jpgAIR CTRL RT.jpg Vent controls.


Even with the extended firewall it gets real crowded behind the dash with heater parts and wiring. So I got the heater plenum from northracecars.com and bonded it in after what seemed like hours of measuring, and yes I used Vinylester resin.
PLENUM BONDING.jpgPLENUM BONDED.jpgPLENUM.jpg

I also ran the wiring inside the transmission tunnel for the seat heaters. I used grey Marine Tex to seal in gaps around the seat belt mounts and a few other places that just could not have a patch panel put over and black silicone didn't seem like the right fix. I also used seam sealer I got from Eastwood to fill some of the gaps in the foot boxes. I went ahead and mounted the drivers side foot box panel.

I made my oldest son come out and help me get the body off the buck and turned upside down. I trimmed the cockpit edges 1/4". We suspended the body and I cut the front wheel wells down to the 1/4 inch. After some consulting with Jeff Kleiner I trimmed the area below the headlights between the oil cooler opening and wheel wells. FRONT TRIMMED2.jpg

[flyboyjy]

I pulled the exhaust off after pulling the car under the suspended body. The 4 into 4 gasket literally fell apart so I have new ones on order and the final assembly might just be done with the red high temp silicone I have seen others using. The wiper motor is in place.

I had the wife and kids come out and 10 minutes later the body was lowered back into place. Now for the fun of fitting panels and bodywork.
BODY ON1.jpgWIPER MOTOR.jpg

I had read over the years that the body cutouts when done by FFR are sort of close but not always in the right spot which is why I chose to do them myself. I'm going to try the Eastwood dustless sanding blocks. I have it connected to a Homer bucket and the shop vac attachment Home Depot sells that fits it, a couple of test passes on the sharp mold parting lines and it seems to work pretty good. I also checked and where FFR marked the openings for the side vents are no where close to the same measurements, the drivers side is almost 2 inches off the passenger side.
DUSTLESS SANDER.jpgLOUVER SIDE2.jpg

[Mike.Bray]

I pulled the exhaust off after pulling the car under the suspended body. The 4 into 4 gasket literally fell apart so I have new ones on order and the final assembly might just be done with the red high temp silicone I have seen others using.

Give these a try, hard to beat Remflex.

[flyboyjy]

Give these a try, hard to beat Remflex.

Thanks Mike that's what I was looking for.

[flyboyjy]

I have been poking at more body work. Got the exhaust holes cut out on both sides. Spent a lot of time looking at other build posts here to get a feel for where everyone else has theirs cut. Keep in mind my heads have raised runners and ports, it's also a 351 and sits higher than a 302 block. So after many many many measurements and marking I finally made the cuts then test fit the pipes. The pictures are deceptive but with the exhaust pipes on i have a comfortable 1/2 inch gap from pipe to body.DRIVERS EXHAUST CUT OUT.jpgPAX EXHAUST CUT OUT.jpg.

I have done a little smoothing work around the gas cap and I have to agree by hand is the best way to work it in.

And as most have found and there is just no way to beat around the bush, my doors suck. The low spots in the body sure don't help matters. After several putting the doors on and marking then removing and trimming they fit fairly well now. I thought the drivers door was going to be the problem but with a little adjusting it fits great, the passenger door not so much.

DRIVERS DOOR TOP EDGE2.jpgDRIVERS DOOR LINES.jpgDRIVERS DOOR3.jpgDRIVERS DOOR REAR.jpg. So just a little more sanding work here and there on the drivers side.

[flyboyjy]

Now the passenger door. It took less trimming to fit but just still fits terribly, also I didn't pay much attention to it when I received the car be the top rear edge is chipped and will take some building up to match the body.

PAX DOOR1.jpgPAX DOOR CHIPPED EDGE1.jpgPAX DOOR CHIPPED EDGE2.jpgPAX DOOR CHIPPED EDGE3.jpgPAX SIDE VIEW.jpg

It's hard to tell from the pictures but the body under the door needs to move in but is already hitting the frame there so it looks like body filler will have to be used on the bottom edge of the door and build up the area in front of the door where the body dives in.

I had trouble finding HRSF when I was looking but found the same stuff GO DAD GO used to build up his upper door edges to meet the front cockpit and I think it will work to build up the rear of the door as well. I will find out and report back.

I have the trunk loosely in place. I am thinking that maybe I might get all the body panels on, all the lights put in place, windshield, wipers and heater connected I might go ahead and register it even though the driving season is largely done here then drive it in gel coat for a while starting next year.

[John Ibele]

It's hard to tell from the pictures but the body under the door needs to move in but is already hitting the frame there so it looks like body filler will have to be used on the bottom edge of the door and build up the area in front of the door where the body dives in.

When you say "hitting the frame", I hope you're not talking about the inner edge of the body hitting the frame. The bottom of the body goes below the frame and is pushed inboard, so you can put a fastener straight up through the body and into the frame, locking it in place. Some do a slot instead of a hole in the body, so it's adjustable in / out. The only shot I have shows the DS side, near the O2 sensor for my Sniper, and no fastener within view. But it's still a useful shot: the inboard edge of the wire loom is a good indication of where the outside edge of the frame sits in relation to the inner edge of the body (looks like a bit more than 1" overlap). The PS door generally fits better than the DS, with only some in / out adjustment of the body at the bottom to dial it in.

Of course, as you push it in, it eventually will 'bottom out'. Which may be exactly what you're facing. Just want to make sure you're not missing an easy fix. Good luck.


Untitled by John Ibele, on Flickr

[flyboyjy]

When you say "hitting the frame", I hope you're not talking about the inner edge of the body hitting the frame. The bottom of the body goes below the frame and is pushed inboard, so you can put a fastener straight up through the body and into the frame, locking it in place. Some do a slot instead of a hole in the body, so it's adjustable in / out. The only shot I have shows the DS side, near the O2 sensor for my Sniper, and no fastener within view. But it's still a useful shot: the inboard edge of the wire loom is a good indication of where the outside edge of the frame sits in relation to the inner edge of the body (looks like a bit more than 1" overlap). The PS door generally fits better than the DS, with only some in / out adjustment of the body at the bottom to dial it in.

Of course, as you push it in, it eventually will 'bottom out'. Which may be exactly what you're facing. Just want to make sure you're not missing an easy fix. Good luck.


Untitled by John Ibele, on Flickr

Thanks John. No the body is wrapped around frame like it is supposed to with the front and rear quick jack bolts holding it in the right spot, looks exactly like yours in the picture. But to make the door on the passenger side line up better at the bottom the body would need to move in almost 1/2 inch. But the body comes in contact with the 2x2 frame rail before that. I have spent some more time studying it and I think maybe with some more tweaking and using some washers on the lower studs of the door hinge I can angle the door out more then look at building it up. I've seen Go Dad Go split the doors to take care of this but I'm not ready yet to go that way.

[John Ibele]

Understand. Too bad. I do recall having to push the side in pretty aggressively, to the point where the body edge moved down away from the frame (until I tightened up the body-to-frame fastener). Hopefully you won’t have to spilt the door. Sounds like a major pain. Good luck.

[flyboyjy]

Time for a 2024 update and I hope everyone had a Happy New Years day.

So from where I last left off the passenger door seems that it came trimmed a bit to much from FFR as I had little to do to in the way of trimming it down but there are some gaps that are to large and may need to be filled in bottom door opening in the body. Adjusting it took hours and days of trying different spacers between the door and hinges to get it all lined up. Once that got done the door latch got put on. Onto the drivers door. Once it was trimmed to fit in door opening it fit great and took a minor amount of adjusting. No washers or spacers needed, door latch went on easily.

PAX DOOR1.jpgPAX DOOR GAP.jpgPAX DOOR2.jpgDRIVERS DOOR3.jpgDRIVERS SIDE1.jpg


https://youtube.com/shorts/gGPrKhpt6...F_rQo09GhdE6y8
https://youtube.com/shorts/8e6XwLWB4...DyxW_dBvpx-qUh

[flyboyjy]

Next I took a whole day and got the hood ready. I sand blasted and assembled the hood hinges then mounted them. Trimmed the hood to fit, and LOTS of measuring and remeasuring and tracing the hood scoop followed by more measuring. Finally drilled some small holes and used the air saw to cut the hole for the hood scoop. Then more plotting and finally drilling the holes around the scoop and bolting it on. I don't think it looks bad.
HOOD SCOPE HOLE.jpgHOOD SCOOP IN.jpgHOOD OPEN.jpg I tried to put the hood gas shocks on but the front of the hood kept on getting pushed up when it was closed. So I took them off and it sits flush again, so I ordered the Breeze hood dual hold open kit and the truck lid hold open kit but have yet to mount them.

The trunk lid went easily. I put the weather stripping on and set the trunk lid in place an marked it, trimmed it and put it on. Fits nicely.
TRUNK LID1.jpg

[flyboyjy]

Starting last Friday the temperatures started dropping into negative temperatures so nothing got done over the weekend other than binge watching John Wick movies on Netflix.

The weekend before and all through the week was a flurry of activity. Now that the body, door, trunk and hood fit had been figured out I needed to lift the body and install the hoses for the defroster and heat vent in the foot boxes. So everything came back off and the body raised up high enough to get all the hoses put in then set back down and all the stuff put back on. Only really takes a few hours at this point.DEFROSTER HOSE.jpgPAX HEATER HOSE.jpg

I went ahead and mounted the headlights and front running lights, as far as adjusting the headlights I will have to worry about that someday later. The front bumpers got put on as well.
HEADLIGHTS.jpgBUMPERS, FT.jpg


I did a bunch of measuring again and marked then cut the holes in the sides of the front fenders for the side vents. The roll bar holes were cut and the roll bar put in place.
SIDE VENT CUTOUTS.jpgSIDE VENT LEFT.jpgSIDE VENT RIGHT.jpgROLL BAR HOLES.jpgROLL BAR.jpg

[flyboyjy]

As the temperatures plummeted Friday night and the garage heater running non stop I got the passenger exhaust mounted back to the header and the mounting points under the car determined the pipe got strapped up to be finished when it was warmer out. However the seat heaters did get put in the seats, the seat vinyl spray glued and carried back inside to dry. The wiring has been in place for some time just waiting for the seat install.
EXHAUST FIT.jpgSEAT HEATER INSTALL1.jpgSEAT HEATER INSTALL2.jpgSEAT HEATER WIRES.jpg

I have been considering getting and installing the vents in the hood, seen a couple of pictures with them installed but just not completely convinced yet.

[flyboyjy]

MORE build update. I drilled the holes out on the rear overriders which took a surprising amount of effort. Then put them in place and Jeff Kleiner is not lying about how hard it is to get the nuts started inside. Once on they look great. I got the tail lights installed and they are nice and bright. After that I got the trunk latch installed. Getting all the holes lined up and drilled not such a big deal, getting the nut on the long bolt with the dropped trunk, now that was a big deal. There is little room to get between the fuel tank to get up there and get the washer and nut on. Once accomplished I tried the latch out and it works great.

REAR OVERRIDERS.jpgTAIL LIGHTS.jpgBRAKE LIGHTS.jpghttps://youtube.com/shorts/Dg6scOeZuno?si=vCquAV-P9HJs4hth


Funny story on the video of the trunk opening and closing. I put it on youtube as a short for no good reason. My oldest son puts videos on of his Pokeman things he is doing and he puts some effort into the video. He was so excited that after 3 days he had 318 views. Then saw my video with no effort put into it with 5.6K views after 2 days. So needless to say he doesn't understand why people want to watch a trunk open and close and I can't explain it either but it is very funny.

[flyboyjy]

Moving right along I went ahead and finished the transmission tunnel cover. I used the FFR panel to decided exactly where the shifter hole needed to be placed. Then I transferred that and where the cup holders needed to be placed to cardboard and test fitted it. Once I was happy with the placement I transferred all those markings to the trans top from FFMetal. I fit that and drilled holes where the top will mount to nutserts in the frame. I then used a padded vinyl with a diamond pattern sewn into it to cover the top using spray glue. I let it dry 24 hours, cut the holes out and bolted it into place. I think I will end up covering the glove box lid in between the seat with the same vinyl.

TRANS TUNNEL TOP1.jpgTRANS TUNNEL TOP2.jpgTRANS TUNNEL TOP3.jpgTRANS TUNNEL VINYL.jpgTRANS TUNNEL4.jpg


TRANS TUNNEL5.jpgTRANS TUNNEL6.jpg

[flyboyjy]

Windshield. I have been avoiding it but the time has come. After tons of measuring and carefully slotting the holes and more measuring the holes in the body were in the right spot. I finally had to have my Dad and brother come help me hold the windshield in the right place to get the 27 inches from door opening to screw hole. While they held it I got the posts marked where the holes needed to be drilled. We then removed the windshield and went to work on drilling and tapping the holes. My Dad is a retired machinist so suffice it for me to say the holes were drilled and tapped perfectly. We put the windshield back in and loosely bolted in place so I could shim it and avoid putting any undue stress on the glass. After seeing where exactly the windshield was mounted I was then able to map out where the defroster vents needed to go. So the windshield came out one more time and the defroster holes were cut and diffusers mounted. Then carefully put the windshield back in place.DEFROSTER DR CUT.jpgDEFROSTER DR MARKED.jpg

DEFROSTER PAX MARKED.jpgDEFROSTER PAX CUT.jpgDEFROSTER FINISHED2.jpg



I have got the windshield wipers now mounted. To fit I did have to cut about 3/16" off the rubber spacers to fit through enough to get the nut started on the gear box. I'm still working on getting the cable and wiring worked out. And I am adding a windshield washer system. I am replacing the stainless steel tube for 5/16" brake line. It's up under there so I don't care what color it is but that stainless is near impossible to bend and match the curve of the body.