Mk4 #7750 Build Progress Update

[edwardb]

Wow, you do really nice work. My only suggestion is on the pedal linkage. If there is room inside the foot box, you could flip the cross shaft so the levers are pointing upward. That would give a more horizontal angle for the rod going to the carb.

Thanks for the compliment. Curious why you're suggesting a more horizontal angle for the throttle pushrod to the carb. Appearance only or something else? I played with a lot of combinations and locations and looked at a lot of pictures before deciding on this arrangement. My main motivation for having the levers down was the pushrod from the accelerator to the inside lever. The top pivot point of the Russ Thompson pedal was already well below where the rod end could be mounted. Pointing the levers up would cause that pushrod to be up at an even sharper angle. Somewhere in the 50-60 degrees range. By pointing the levers down both pushrods had the straightest shot to their respective pivot points. It's a bit of a moot point, because I don't have room to flip it over in the footbox. But still wondering about your suggestion.

[edwardb]

Well, today was the day. Buttoned up all the items on my checklist and it was time to see if this thing is alive. Posted a new thread about it here: http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/showt...50-First-Start!

After putting the engine in the chassis a few weeks ago, finally completed all the details leading to today. Got all the wiring to the engine installed and hooked up. Installed upper and lower radiator hoses and the overflow tank. Installed the headers and side pipes. Installed the driveshaft and put fluid in all the right places: Transmission, engine and cooling. Today I put fuel in it for the first time (Shell 93 octane V-Power), and also removed the distributor and valve covers and primed the oil pump. Confirmed I had oil at all the rockers and oil pressure indicating on the gauge.

With the checklist done and fire extinguishers at hand, cranked it a couple times with the ignition module switched off. Confirmed I had fuel at the carb, switched on the ignition module, and cranked for real. It immediately fired, but popped and made some unhappy noises. Tried again and the same. Decided my first estimate at the distributor location and timing wasn’t close enough, so gave the distributor a slight twist. Worse that time. Went the other way, and the first video is exactly that moment. I had the camera running on the other false starts, but they’re not pretty. I’m not sharing.

You can see the timing light flashing in the first video. After the first start, looked everything over. All was good except radiator fluid was dripping onto the ground. Quite a bit actually. Checked hoses and the water pump, all looked OK. It was coming out of the main radiator cap filler area. Weird. Tried a few things and still haven’t figured out what’s happening. Put a zero PSI cap on temporarily, and it’s OK for now. Getting a free flow into the overflow tank.

Once that was temporarily under control, started again and set the timing with the timing light. Now we’re getting somewhere. Then shot the second video with a walk around. All the gauge indications so far look perfect (plus they all work!). You can see a little smoke at one point. I think I'm getting a little blow-by, but the rings aren't seated yet so nothing to panic about. Started it again later and let the clutch out on first and a little in second. Works perfect so far. All smooth with no bad noises. Getting an indication on the speedo. Uncalibrated of course. The transmission tunnel cover is off, so kind of interesting to see that little driveshaft and U-joints spinning around.

In summary, obviously a huge relief that it started without any big issues. I asked Jim at FordStrokers to give me a strong but still very streetable setup, and that’s what I think I have. It’s idling comfortably at around 800 rpm. Lumpy but not extreme. Sounds very strong. Throttle response is just instant. And this is without any carb tuning yet. Now can’t wait to drive it. If we ever get some warmer weather and clean streets, go-kart isn’t too far away!

Picture before first start:



First Start Factory 5 Mk4 Roadster, Video #1 - YouTube

First Start Factory 5 Mk4 Roadster, Video #2 - YouTube

[edwardb]

The only issue I had was a puddle of green antifreeze on the ground near the front of the engine after the very first start. I was a little scared at first thinking it might be something with the water pump or timing cover. Wouldn’t be happy to be working on that again this early in the game. But closer review showed the leak was from the cap on the Jegs fill neck. In fact if you look closely at the first start video, you can see the green fluid bubbling out occasionally. Couldn’t see anything wrong. But picked up a new Stant 10331 16 PSI vented cap (the same one I used on my Mk3) and a full heat cycle run yesterday showed no leaks. So the shiny Billet Specialties cap gets put into the spare parts pile for now. First start is now officially completed with zero issues to resolve.

Going back a bit, one of the questions I had was which overflow tank to use and where to mount it. With the front battery mount plus the Fast Freddie electric power steering/brake pump, real estate on the front x-brace was limited. I really wanted to use the same 2 quart Canton 80-201 tank as in my Mk3, but just not enough room on either the front x-brace or the side F panel. So I went with a 1-1/4 quart Moroso 63766 tank mounted on the F panel as pictured below. Fit well, although slightly less capacity than I wanted. But I carefully monitored the lower and upper levels during the first starts, and looks like it will be enough.



Another concern I had (and others have talked about as well) is how loud the Fast Freddie electric power steering pump is. I used Honda power steering fluid as many suggested. Running the pump without the engine running sounded a bit loud, but I wasn’t sure if really a problem. Yesterday while running the engine through a complete heat cycle checking the cap and just monitoring everything really closely, I turned the pump on and let it run. I have Gas-N pipes, so relatively soft sound. Even then, the pump is unheard. Standing right next to it can’t hear it over the engine running. So I’m officially dismissing that as a non-issue. Also noted that with both the pump and cooling fan running, the voltage gauge only slightly drops from the 14+ volts indicated at idle, showing the 100 amp alternator is working well and seems to have adequate capacity. Final test will be with all the lights installed. But looks promising.

As mentioned, did another complete heat cycle run-through with the engine yesterday. It started immediately. Tweaked at the idle speed a little. It’s very happy around 850 rpm. The cooling fan clicked on at exactly the right temp. Juiced it enough times to make sure the neighbors all knew what stage I was at. Started to show some heat in the oil, so that gauge is working as well. Shut it down with no issues or leaks. Did I mention it runs great? Couldn’t be more pleased at this point. I’ve got to get going on my taxes, and have another business trip. So progress will slow a bit. But next steps are to bleed the brakes and get the e-brake finalized. Then it will be ready for go-kart. Have a list of smaller things to do, but then will be fitting the body and get ready to go to paint in the next few months.

[Jazzman]

Thank you so much for your very detailed thread. It really is helping me prepare for my own build. This question would have been much more timely if I had asked it a year ago when you were actually working on your engine. What can I say, I wasn't really consider this project at that time. So . . .

In a post a long time ago, you made the comment that you "had decided to do a 347 stroker" engine. Can you help me to understand your thought process as to why this particular engine configuration as opposed to a 302, 351, 408, 427, etc., all of which can be done in a small block format. Based upon context, it appears that your decision might have stemmed from your prior experiences on your first roadster. What did you learn that led you to the 347?

Quite a bit later you discussed that you were changing the rear end gears. You commented that your new gears should better match your engine. How and why did you decide upon the smaller gear ratio?

I really like what you have done, and am seriously considering following in your engine building footsteps. Thanks for your counsel. Keep up the good work.

[edwardb]

Thank you so much for your very detailed thread. It really is helping me prepare for my own build. This question would have been much more timely if I had asked it a year ago when you were actually working on your engine. What can I say, I wasn't really consider this project at that time. So . . .
In a post a long time ago, you made the comment that you "had decided to do a 347 stroker" engine. Can you help me to understand your thought process as to why this particular engine configuration as opposed to a 302, 351, 408, 427, etc., all of which can be done in a small block format. Based upon context, it appears that your decision might have stemmed from your prior experiences on your first roadster. What did you learn that led you to the 347?
Quite a bit later you discussed that you were changing the rear end gears. You commented that your new gears should better match your engine. How and why did you decide upon the smaller gear ratio?
I really like what you have done, and am seriously considering following in your engine building footsteps. Thanks for your counsel. Keep up the good work.

You’re welcome. Glad you find the thread useful. As I’ve said several times, it’s fun building and it’s fun sharing. I’ve gotten a lot out of other build threads and glad to pay forward where it helps. For your questions, happy to give my responses. I will only say there are no absolutes, so the answers are subjective at best. These are topics that are frequently discussed in multiple threads, so I don’t want to turn my build thread into a debate. I’ll just give my reasoning FWIW.

First, the two topics absolutely go together. The third part of the equation is the transmission you use and which final gear ratio you select. The fourth part of the equation is how you’re going to use the car. A street cruiser might be quite different than one where you want to run quarter mile passes vs. auto-x vs. track use, etc. The engine, transmission, and final drive all work together to give the kind of performance you are looking for.

So for me, the decision path was as follows: The intended use for my car is mostly as a street cruiser. It’s possible it might see a track or strip at some point, but that’s not the primary use. So while performance is important (isn’t it always?) streetability and comfort are also important. I wanted to stay 302 block based as in my Mk3. I like how easy they are to work on, the wide range of aftermarket parts available for “reasonable” prices, they’re relatively light and compact and fit into the Roadster very well. Because they fit with a little room to spare, there are less heat issues for the passengers and the possibility to maximize the footboxes. This is a pretty big issue, because the passenger side footbox in my Mk3 is pretty small and uncomfortable for my wife. She doesn't complain about it, but really wanted to do something better. The Mk4 is better from the start, plus the small block allowed me to make it even longer and wider as explained earlier in the my build thread. I wanted to have more power than the 306 in my Mk3 (for obvious reasons plus to be different) so going with a stroker was a natural progression. 347 used to be pretty much the max, but with aftermarket blocks (DART, Ford Boss, etc.) 363 is now completely practical. But I chose to stay 347. The Mk4 will be roughly 100HP more than the Mk3. A pretty big bump. A lot of guys go to the 351 small block at this point (including progressions to 393, 408, 427, etc.) because it meets some of these same ideas. It’s a good option. But they do get a little tighter to work on, somewhat fewer parts available, there have been even more header fitment issues, and there are some limitations to induction due to the higher deck. None of these are insurmountable at all. Just lead me to stay with what I knew and was comfortable with.

The additional power took me to the path of a TKO vs. the T5z in my Mk3. Driving experience in my Mk3 showed that the 3.55 final drive, while probably perfect for that car, does have a very short 1st gear. I couldn’t imagine it being even shorter with the new build and the additional power. Plus the .63 final drive made 5th gear basically only a highway gear with a big change between 4th and 5th. As you probably saw from the beginning of my build thread, my Mk4 was purchased from the original buyer. It was barely started, but many of the parts were already selected including the rear axle with a 3.73 ratio. For the reasons stated above, when I ran the numbers, it clearly didn’t fit my design ideas. So I knew I was going to change it. Then what to change it to? 3.55 was OK, but 3.27 looked even better. Ran the numbers through a calculator (used one on the Tremec website) and came up with these numbers:

Calculations for T-5Z and current Mk3 (From Tremec calculator)
Engine RPM = 6000, Tire diameter = 25.68 , diff = 3.55
2.95 1st 43.77
1.94 2nd 66.56
1.34 3rd 96.36
1.00 4th 129.12
.63 5th 204.96
RPM @ 70 mph in 5th 2050

Compare this to the calculations for the Mk4 build with TKO-600
Engine RPM = 6000, Tire diameter = 25.68, diff = 3.27
2.87 1st 48.84
1.89 2nd 74.17
1.28 3rd 109.52
1.00 4th 140.18
.82 5th 170.95
RPM @ 70 mph in 5th 2450

For the TKO, you can get either a .64 or .82 final drive. I chose the .82. From this data you can see (1) 1st should be more usable, (2) similar "gap" between 4th and 5th as the other gears, so should be usable more than just at highway speeds, (3) RPM at 70 mph is slightly high (maybe) but still completely reasonable and should be able to put it in 5th and stay there even when speeds drop a little. Plus the reality is that in 2+ years of driving my Mk3, I don't spend a lot of time on the highway. So I chose a more all around 5th gear vs. one that was basically only a highway overdrive gear. Note that while there is math and theory behind this stuff, in the end it's how it feels and drives. I would have been uncomfortable making these kinds of evaluations and decisions without the real world experience of driving the Mk3 for the last couple years. Hopefully before this year is out I will find out how these decisions work in the real world with the Mk4.

Hope that helps. Good luck with your decisions and your build.

[carlewms]

Congratulations on a very successful first start. Your detailed threads are extremely helpful. Carl

[mcwho]

Thats a great build documentation site. I see you have put a lot of work into the build process and those are great photos.

[edwardb]

Finally some progress to report. Last weekend was pretty lost doing taxes and some financial planning stuff. Then I managed to tweak my back and had to lay low a few days. Seems that happens every year or two. Much better now. One of my goals for this weekend was to get the brakes bled and checked out. The whole system hasn't seen fluid since installed, including all my rigid SS brake lines. With the CNC reservoirs, a pressure cap is available. I used that on my Mk3 build, and it was a piece of cake. So used that method again. First though bench bled the master cylinder, and right away something didn't seem right. I was able to get it bled, but it just didn't seem like the fluid was flowing they way I'm used to. Especially the rear circuit. But I continued by then bleeding all four corners with the pressure cap in the sequence PS rear, DS rear, PS front, then DS front. The FFR Wilwoods have a couple unusual aspects. For the rears, the way they're mounted the bleeders are pointed down. So the only way to bleed is to unbolt the calipers, flip them over pointing the bleeders up, bleed, and then bolt back on. For the front 6-piston calipers, there are separate bleeders for each side. At least they point up. (Actually there are bleeders on both the top and bottom.) The recommended procedure is to bleed the outside first, then the inside. Once everything was finished, time to try the pedal. Nothing! No resistance, no piston/pad movement, nothing. Not a soft pedal. Nothing. Re-bled everything just to be sure, no bubbles, nothing changed. So put up a thread on the other forum and received some good advice. Rather than repeat here, this is the thread with pictures, responses form other forum members, and fortunately also the solution:

http://www.ffcars.com/forums/17-fact...sure-help.html

So the good news, after the drama and a lot longer than I was planning it to take, is that I have functioning brakes. As mentioned in the other thread, also checked very carefully for leaks at all the brake line joints. Nothing! All dry. That's another pretty big milestone given all the work on the rigid SS brake lines. It sure looked like the Eastwood flaring tool was making great flares. Now seems to be proven. Will continue to watch of course.

Finished installing the Wilwood e-brake cables, and put all the wheels back on. I actually got out the torque wrench and did the lug nights right. I guess that means I'm optimistic for a go-kart ride pretty soon. When the weather cooperates. Next week I'm going to try to wrap up the e-brake with the handle and boot, work on the wires for the heated seats (they'll be buried in the corner of the cockpit under the carpet and tunnel insulation), and work on the tunnel cover. I have a shifter boot and ring on the way from Mike Everson, so will get the hole cut and that set up. Have those same parts on my Mk3, and they're a bit nicer looking than the FFR standard parts IMO. Not much left before the body goes back on.

[edwardb]

Some progress to report from last week, even with limited build time.

Finally got the Mustang e-brake handle assembly where I wanted it. I'm using the stock location on the side of the transmission tunnel. Lengthened the slots in the bracket a bit to move the whole assembly over for a little better clearance from the TKO600, plus move the handle slightly away from the side of the tunnel. Didn't take much. Only about 1/8 inch and clearance is much better and still lines up with the cables OK. I'm using the FFR boot and Mike Everson's e-brake handle cover and button. I'll add those parts after the carpet is in. But for now the handle assembly is bolted in. Hooked up the cables and pulled the pin on the e-brake tensioner. It snapped into place, and I have e-brakes. All seems to be working exactly right.

Another bit of an issue I was having was setting the timing. I have a nice INNOVA 5568 digital timing light. I was able to set the base timing pretty OK during first start, even though it was bouncing around a bit. Last weekend I tried to confirm the timing again and also set the advance curve in the MSD distributor with the different springs and bushings. The timing mark was just bouncing all over place, would disappear and come back, settle at really strange places I didn't believe, etc. So just gave up. There is known issue with certain timing lights and the MSD ignition boxes. Some apparently are too sensitive and get confused with the multiple sparks. That and the digital features (tach, dial-back, etc.) just don't work. I saw this a little on my Mk3 with the older analog 6AL box, but was still able to set timing OK. But the digital 6AL-2 box in my Mk4 is now officially not workable. After a bunch of Google searches, found this was a very common problem especially with the newer MSD boxes. The recommendation was to get a cheap analog light, and many recommended the self-powered light from Flaming River. So got one from Summit and tried again yesterday. Not quite as bright, but timing mark is rock solid and a piece of cake to set. Turned out the installed MSD bushing was right, and changed to the light color blue springs, and I'm getting the advance curve I'm looking for. (Have I mentioned lately how great the engine runs? Man, can't wait to get it out of the garage.) Also noticed my odometer is showing .4 miles now. I guess I've been spinning the wheels with it up on the jack stands a little more than I realized.

Last thing yesterday was to cut the hole in the transmission cover for the shifter. Received the shifter boot and ring from Mike Everson. Those are a perfect match with the ********** 427 shifter. Really happy with how that's going to work. But now I'm away on business for a week, so progress stops. Weather is looking like it might finally take a turn warmer when I get back home. Not only should get to go-kart the Mk4, but get the Mk3 out of storage and back among the living. I hope so.

[DaleG]

Getting real close!

[carlewms]

Thanks for the heads up on the timing...I have the new MSD 6AL box and EZ EFI and still have all that to sort out.

Carl

[edwardb]

Lost some build days on business travel, but still making progress. These builds are a bit like building a house. Early on, the changes are big over relatively short times. But later on, the time is spent on smaller details that don’t look as impressive. Since the last update these are the things I’ve been working on. Small steps but progress.

Located and cut the shifter hole in the transmission tunnel cover. I had installed the filler piece with flush hammer rivets before powder coat. Now cut out the hole to match the reversed rear location on the TKO. I installed 10-32 nutserts for the shifter trim ring. Happy how it turned out with the ring and boot from Mike Everson.

I decided to not put cup holders in the transmission tunnel cover like I did on the Mk3 build. Not very authentic, and I’m surprised how many people point that out. Plus the depth is somewhat limited with the TKO. Instead I’m installing a reproduction ash tray from **********. Without the insert, it provides a little bit of storage for ear plugs. Probably not much more. The ash tray isn’t sealed at all, and there’s quite a bit of air pressure in the trans tunnel. So I made a little box out of .025 aluminum from HD. I’ll put some black rattle can on it and rivet to the bottom of the tunnel cover. I put a 1/8 strip on the bottom of the box, and tapped for the two mounting screws in the bottom of the ash tray. BTW, still plan to have cupholders. Probably folders of some kind.

Another project was the trans tunnel vents. Have these on my Mk3 and I’m very satisfied with how they work. I originally saw this idea several years ago on the mk4build.com site. I made the scoops out of .040 aluminum, and had them powder coated with everything else. This weekend, I located and drilled the holes for the Billet Specialties vent assemblies. I cut off the end of the vent tube (the part with the threads for the bezel) and glued into holes drilled in the tunnel sides. I’ll pop rivet the scoops in place next week. Things were a little tighter for the scoops with the TKO compared to the T5 in my Mk3. But there was enough room and turned out well.

Well, I’ve probably really jumped the shark now, but I’ve decided to add a stereo to the build. Been thinking about it for awhile, and now I’ve decided to go for it. Not sure how much I’ll use it while driving, but may be nice to have while parked at shows, etc. We’ll see. But if I'm going to do it, now is the time. After some research, reading reviews, etc., picked some Polk Audio marine rated speakers for the rear cockpit wall. I ordered an Infinity marine rated head unit that will fit in the glovebox. Has AM, FM, Bluetooth, aux and USB. I’ll show more details when I have something to show.

Working on installing the wires for the seat heaters and now speaker wires. It's actually warming up a bit. Hope to be able to go-kart in the next few weeks.

[edwardb]

Rest of the pictures:

[VdubJoe]

If I may where did you get the brake handle assembly and did it come with the equalizer bar. [ I think that's what it's called ] Im looking at going that route instead of the FFR one. That's what we used at the build school and worked great.

Joe

[edwardb]

If I may where did you get the brake handle assembly and did it come with the equalizer bar. [ I think that's what it's called ] Im looking at going that route instead of the FFR one. That's what we used at the build school and worked great. Joe

The handle is a Ford PN F5ZZ 2780 AA. I believe used on 87-93 Mustang, but that doesn't matter too much. Just search for the PN. I found this new one on eBay for about $75. Note that it had a vinyl/plastic handle and cover that I removed. The shiny part at the end is where I had to sand it down a bit to fit the Mike Everson handle and button that will be installed later. The equalizer is a Ford PN E7ZZ 2A603A. Got it from Mark Reynolds at Breeze. With the Wilwood rear brakes I had to get actual Wilwood cables. The ends at the calipers are slightly different. But everything fits up OK and is working well.

[VdubJoe]

Thanks found one .

Joe

[edwardb]

Well today was the day. Everything was far enough long plus the weather cooperated. So took the go-kart out of the garage and up and down a side street in our sub probably 5-6 times. The streets are still a little dirty from our ridiculous winter, so I managed to throw quite a collection of small stones and dirt into the cockpit, trunk, etc. That’s about the only negative thing I can say. Everything else was absolutely perfect. Clutch engaged a little higher than the Mk3, but other than that is great. Nice and smooth with reasonable effort. Never over 20-25 mph, so can’t draw too many conclusions. Although not broken in or bedded, the brakes seem to work really well. The hydroboost powered Wilwoods (read earlier in my build thread for the background) felt great. Not overly sensitive. I think they will be fine for my mainly street driving. The power steering is a bit light, so may want to turn down the boost a bit. But still too early to change anything. Engine ran great (again). Was near full water temp after 20 minutes or so of messing around. Oil pressure still looked great. Oil was just starting to get a little temp. Back in the garage with not a drip or run anywhere. The engine is really lively and felt very strong. I think I’m going to like this thing!

Here are a couple videos. First is a walkaround just before backing it out. Not the greatest quality, but still maybe interesting.

First Go-Kart Factory 5 Mk4 Roadster, Video #1- YouTube

This is one of the back and forth runs in our sub. Can’t tell too much, but all good.

First Go-Kart Factory 5 Mk4 Roadster, Video #2 - YouTube

Finally, had to post this. Today I also decided to get the Mk3 out of off-site storage and back into the garage where it belongs. Now life is starting to make sense again after our long winter.

[edwardb]

Time for another update. Absolutely beautiful 70 degree and sunny day in Michigan today. About time, and we earned it. Had two nice cruises in my Mk3. One solo, and one with my wife. Car is running great after its winter hibernation. Was great to be back out again. I have the best of both worlds. A car to drive and another one to work on. I'm very lucky... Anyway, back to the build. I don’t regret my decision to add a stereo system to my build, but (as usual) is turning out to be more work than I expected. Not exactly new news there. As mentioned before, after a lot of searching decided on an Infinity head unit that fits into my Alex glovebox. Then selected some Polk Audio 6-1/2 inch coax speakers for the rear cockpit wall. These are top rated speakers, and sound great. But just barely fit. I placed them as wide as they could go without running into the roll bar stubs. Turns out that was about right. They are slightly behind the seats, but still pretty exposed. First listen was good, but decided could be better. So adding an Alpine 190 watt amp and 5-1/2 inch front speakers. Talk about scope creep! The Alpine unit is nice because it’s real compact and uses standard wiring. Nothing special. But gives a little added power and punch. I could tell the difference immediately when I hooked it up. Here are pictures and description of progress made so far. Still a ways to go for the installation to be complete.

6.5 inch speakers on the rear cockpit wall. They look pretty prominent right now. But with the seats and carpeting hope they don't look too out of place. I've got some carpet pieces behind them to simulate the spacing.



Then from inside the trunk. Just fit.



Here’s the head unit in the glovebox. Just fits, but I think it’s perfect there. Just barely sticks out the back and mounts with the supplied bracket. Since I don’t have a heater (just heated seats) room for everything in this area. Before I cut the glovebox and finalized this location, I wired the head unit and amp in this location wired to the rear speakers. Then started and ran the engine. I was a little worried about noise being this close to the MSD box, engine, etc. All good. No stray noises. I suspect the MSD filter capacitor I installed to protect the MSD box is also keeping noise out of the radio. It should. That’s the main thing it’s designed to do.





This is the Alpine amp that will mount next to the head unit behind the glove box.



It would have been way easier to install the rear speaker wires while I was doing the rest of the wiring before the aluminum panels and drivertrain was installed. I still probably could have taken them through the transmission tunnel, but I’ve had enough time on my back under the car. Plus I needed to install the wires for my heated seats anyway. So this was just a little more. What I did was plow some troughs in the Lizard Skin and glue the Monster speaker wire in it. Then will brush some Lizard Skin back over to bury. Same as the seat heater wires. There will be a slight bump along the back wall, but it’s completely behind the seats. The carpet will cover everything. Not done yet, but this is where I’m at so far. You can't tell from the pictures, but the wire is just slightly above the level of the Lizard Skin.

[edwardb]

One other minor thing I completed was the trunk light mounting. I added a wire to the courtesy light circuit and pulled into the trunk when doing all the wiring. I made a bracket and used the same LED light as in the footwells. I’ll wire a pin switch probably on the trunk hinge, so that it lights when the trunk is opened. I tried to minimize how much it hangs into the trunk opening, since the space is so limited. It still gives a decent amount of light. A minor touch, but an easy addition to make the car more friendly.





I have a list of all the things needed to be done before the body goes on for final fitting. Still quite a few items, but I’m making progress.

[edwardb]

In an earlier update, I described making a box to fit up the ash tray. (Is that PC to say any more? How about small storage bin?) I brushed some Lizard Skin on the inside of it, then first glued to the bottom of the transmission tunnel cover. Then added four rivets around the perimeter. Provides a solid mounting, plus is sealed from air pressure and sound.



With that done, proceeded to silicone and rivet the transmission tunnel cover in place. I know many choose to make this part removable, so may not agree with this choice. But I’m OK with it. I’m going to add a layer of Dynamat over the whole tunnel before carpet. Did the same thing on my Mk3 and I like how it turned out.



Then, brushed Lizard Skin over the rear speaker and heated seats wiring. In my last update, I described how I dug out a tunnel in the original Lizard Skin layers. Then glued the wires into the tunnel, and now covered with a new layer of the sound and heat Lizard Skin. There’s a slight bump along the back cockpit wall and under the dash. All the rest is in corners. The carpet will completely hide.



Since I put the stereo head unit inside the Alex glove box, I wanted an easy way to open/close the glove box door. As supplied by Alex, the glove box doesn’t have a catch or stop. The only thing is the key lock, and I didn’t want to use that every time. So after a little looking around, decided to use a latching magnetic catch. Found a decent quality black one (same color as the glovebox interior) at Lowes. Took my time finding exactly the right location and square to the opening, and bolted in place. Since the glove box interior curves down, sanded an angle on the base of the catch so it sits nearly square with the opening. Looks perfect there like it belongs.



The only thing I didn’t like about the catch supplied by Lowes was the metal plate that the magnetic part sticks to was a very “kitchen cabinet looking” square metal plate. Plus was dark brown vs. black. Just would have looked really out of place on the glove box door. So found a steel washer and added a countersink to the hole for a small flat head screw. Then polished both up and attached to the door at the right place. Looks better than the plate. I have to say this works fantastic. I would recommend this catch for anyone with an Alex box. Close the door and push it a little, and the magnetic catch latches and pulls it into place. To open, push again and it pops out plenty far to grab the edge of the door to open. I will use the lock when security is a concern (same as the trunk) but for normal use, this works great and is easily accessible without using the key.



Next thing up was to add the front speakers. I found some 5-1/2 inch marine rated Polk Audio’s that just fit into the sills by the doors. I pulled the wires up through the 2 inch tubes in front of the doors. I put some shrink sleeving over the wires where they go through the tubes, and added some black silicone to seal. These speakers don’t come with speaker grills (strange) but found these on eBay. Fit perfectly.

[edwardb]

Next up was to install the 190 watt RMS Alpine amp. Put it behind the glovebox, and wired everything up including the speakers. The speakers will sound better with the body installed, but for now the system sounds really good. The front speakers are not in an ideal location, but the system sounds quite a bit better than it did with only rear speakers. The only detail I don’t have worked out yet is the antenna. Bought a small marine antenna that is basically just a length of coax with a connector. Reception is not good at all. More work to do. I will mainly use Bluetooth (Pandora, etc.) and my MP3 player, but still would like the tuner to work.



Finally, also wrapped with the wiring for the heated seats and made/installed the harness for the wipers. I punched the wiper harness through the firewall and have it ready for the wiper motor when I install it later. I did confirm that everything works, including wiper high/low/park. Yea!



Only a few more details and the body will be going on. Have some family stuff going on the next few weeks plus hope the weather cooperates for some cruising and car shows. So progress will slow a bit. But still on track to get to the painter this summer.

[edwardb]

Still plugging away. Just a couple more things to do before the body goes on, hopefully for the last time before paint.

First, finished up the stereo installation. It was a little more work than I expected, but it's done and I'm glad I did it. Played with several antennas. None work great, but this little powered one was the best and this location worked the best. I tried everywhere.

This isn’t much of a picture, but it’s a pretty big milestone because now electrical is completely done. All circuits are wired, everything works, I’m good to go. Have to plug in the trunk light and hang the exterior lights and snake the license plate harness when the body is on, but those are easy final steps.



Put on all the bulb seal. Pretty easy step.



Most of my time has been spent with final body details. One was the side louver openings and setting up the mounts for the louvers. I got in on one of the group buys for the stainless steel louvers from Performance Automotive in Florida. Nice pieces. But one thing, they are HEAVY. So no industrial strength Velcro or whatever is going to hold them. So I decided to bond 10-32 perforated base studs from McMaster to the body with HSRF. But the challenge is getting them perpendicular and in exactly the right position so the louvers are centered over the opening. First order of business was to clean up the pre-cut louver openings to the right size and the same angle as the louvers. From there, I quickly made two holding fixtures out of some scrap shelf material. Figured out the location for each of the studs matching the mounting holes in the louvers.



Roughed up the mounting area in the body with 40 grit paper, applied HSRF to the mounting area and to the studs, and pushed them into place held in the opening with a stick and wing nut.





Some of you are shaking your heads right now (I know you are...) thinking this is really overkill. But it didn’t take long and worked exactly as I hoped. Once the HSRF set, removed the fixtures, and the studs are mounted perfectly. Ground off the excess HSRF and good to go. (Nice view of our Cleveland Pear in the front yard through the opening. Just starting to bloom.)



Both sides fit exactly right. I will cut off the excess thread length a little.

[edwardb]

Finished product. These pictures were taken tonight as the sun was setting, and the SS looks almost black. Trust me. They’re like shiny silver mirrors.





Finished the night by cleaning up and applying a coat of Zaino to good old Mk3 5125. She still looks good.



Little more glass work to do, and next update should have the body on the chassis.

[edwardb]

This afternoon my son and I dropped on the body for (hopefully!) the last time before going to paint. Still some tweaks to get it where I want, but it’s on and another milestone. But quite a bit of work since the last update to get to this point.

First on the body, temporarily mounted and confirmed all exterior lights. Had to adjust some of the FFR cut-outs and holes a bit. Then cleaned up the openings for the radiator, oil cooler, brake cooling ducts. All required some trimming from the back side to get everything straight and parallel. Then flipped the body over and used HSRF to fill the back of the wheel well openings to make them have a more rolled appearance. In the process, found some voids in the glass along the underside of the cockpit by the dash. Patched those with HSRF as well. If you time it right, you can sand the HSRF before it gets completely rock hard and it’s not too bad.

Finally, back to the chassis, confirmed tire pressure and adjusted ride height. Then worked on front alignment. It’s way easier with the body off. Not the last I’ll mess with the alignment, but I was able to get the camber at -.5, caster at +8, and toe-in at 1/16 inch. Used the Fasttrax for the camber and caster, and I’m pleased they’re dialed in pretty well. Used the string method for the toe-in, and not quite as happy with that. May spring for some toe plates. Seems that would be more reliable. Anyway, at that point, ready to drop on the body.

With the usual pushing and pulling, the body is in place. This is the first time with the engine in, dash on, all the sheet metal, etc. It’s starting to look like something. The dash location looks perfect. The fit around the back is also really good. I’m not quite as happy with the front, but will tweak some more. I feel like I’ve got a little too much gap between the tops of the front tires and the wheel well openings. The ride height is at 4 inches front, 4.5 inches back. May need to lower a bit, but won’t do anything yet. The hood and trunk lids look like they’re going to fit well. Haven’t tried the doors yet. Too soon to give a verdict about the header openings. Definitely will need some trimming, but until I add more parts, won’t do anything.

Now on to my punch list of stuff before paint. Here are some pictures:

Trimmed openings:



Wheel well openings:




Working on alignment, with my high tech trash bag turn plates. Actually works quite well.



Body on!!!



Dash area. Fit turned out really well.



Engine compartment looks a little different:

[edwardb]

Rear wheel opening:



Front wheel opening:



Lots more to do, but this is real progress.

[edwardb]

It’s been awhile since I’ve posted any updates. Been really busy with family stuff plus with the warmer weather finally a couple of events to attend with the Mk3. Last few days have been getting ready to head off to the London show. But still plodding along.

In my last update, I described dropping the body on for hopefully the last time. Well, after checking everything over, turned out it needed to come back off for a few adjustments. There were 5-6 things, most pretty minor and maybe could have been done with the body on. But the biggest issue was the DS front chassis horn containing the lower radiator mount and front body mount. It was nearly 3/8 inch off to the outside. The front bolts were way off plus the body mount was interfering with the brake cooling inlet. This isn’t an unusual problem. I had to “persuade” the same area on my Mk3 a bit as well. But best with the body off, radiator mount removed, etc. Takes a couple pretty good swings with a wood block and dead blow hammer, and didn’t want to try that with the body on. So lifted it off with the hooks I have in my garage ceiling and small pulleys. Really not hard and mainly able to do it without help. Once the body was lifted, made all the necessary adjustments. One other thing I did was to round off the four corners on each of the front body mounts, and touch up the PC with some POR15. Those corners were really sharp, and digging up the inside of my body like crazy every time I took it on and off.

The body is back on now. It's reasonably well centered and I’m happy with the alignment of the wheels in the openings, hood opening, etc. I have the back bumper mounts in place and working on the front. I pulled the sills under the body and taped temporarily with some duct tape. Then dropped on the hood, trunk and doors. Nothing is trimmed or finalized yet, but I can see already (again) how much improved all this is over my Mk3. I really sweated out the trunk lid on the Mk3 (and so did my painter) but it’s nearly perfect already. Once I get the front bumper mounts done, I’ll put it back up on jack stands, take off the wheels, and mount the splash guards. Then the windshield and finalize all the panels. So far I'm optimistic my header and side pipe alignment is going to be OK. We'll see about that soon enough as well. Still hoping to get to paint in the next month or two. Didn't have any takers for my raised body buck. Instead of throwing it away though, broke it down and put in the rental storage unit where I have my trailer. Who knows? I may need it again...

One other brief mention. In an earlier update I described doing my front end alignment and that I wasn’t particularly happy with the string method for setting toe. I picked up some Heidts TA-003 toe-in alignment plates and a Bosch magnetic laser level. The Heidts plates are steel (some of the other brands are aluminum) so the magnetic laser level sticks and works great to check the front/back track. Basically an electronic version of the string method. Plus of course the plates and provided tape measures work to measure and adjust toe-in. I tried out the new parts on my Mk3 and found that I had too much front toe-in. Readjusted and am able to repeat the 1/16 inch toe-in measurement easily and quickly. I can’t tell that it drives any differently, but no doubt a bit easier on the tires. I’ll post some pictures of this in use on my Mk4 when it’s back on its wheels.

Couple of pics. Body temporarily removed for (hopefully) final adjustments:



Kind of dark, but this is the front chassis mounting plate that’s now moved over and rounded off a bit:



No progress for the next few days. Off to London tomorrow morning! Looking forward to it. Hopefully the weather will cooperate. Stormy and wet here this AM.

[edwardb]

It’s been awhile since my last update. Progress nearly stopped for several weeks. My oldest son and family visited and we’ve been out of town for the last several weekends. They live out of the country, so we don’t get to see them too often. Great time to catch up with them and the grandkids. Priorities! The last week or so have been back at it a bit.

Finalized mock-up of the front and rear over-riders. The back uses the coupler and threaded rod mod, to eliminate having to drop the tank. I’m using the ********** 3/4 inch polished aluminum tubing vs. the FFR supplied 5/8 inch tubing. I really like the thicker look. For the front, I’m using the ********** grommets and 3/4 inch tubing. The front of the body will just float in the grommets vs. being captured by the sleeves. This has been discussed a lot in several threads, with many reporting good results. Now that I have it all bolted in place, it’s rock solid. I’m more than pleased with it. Pictures and explanations:

This is one of the front over-riders. I’m not using the hoop. I like the look better without. Took a little work with the sleeves and angles to get the over-riders on the same angle as the radiator opening, but turned out OK.



I’m planning to use the Dark Water Customs splitter. Doesn’t seem to be any real practical value other than maybe improving cooling a bit. But (again) I like the look. This is where the mounting bracket lined up. Same on the other side. Bolts to the back of the Q-J/over-rider bolts. I will space it back a bit, but width between the two brackets is just right.



DS front over-rider. Here you can see the ********** grommets even better. I spent quite a lot of time getting the nose in just the right place height-wise and side-to-side. Then enlarged the holes to fit the grommet and have the 3/4 inch tube in just the right place. Both sides turned out pretty good. One other trick. Since the 3/4 inch tube is quite a bit bigger than the 7/16 threaded rod, something needs to be done to keep the rod centered. Especially since it’s holding the body down. I found some bronze bushings at McMaster (pn 6391K192) that are a perfect press-in fit to the tubing. Can’t see ‘em, but trust me they’re in there.



Rear bumper hoop and over-riders. Nothing too special here. I did space the bumper out 2-1/8 inches, slightly more than normal, to give reasonable clearance for the key into the trunk handle.

[edwardb]

So the big news, for me anyway, is that I’ve had a lift on my wish list ever since my first build. Some months ago I did some research of available lifts, also taking into account my pretty normal suburban 21 x 22 garage and wife's Durango has to go in during the winter. Not negotiable. 4-post was out. Just took up too much space, and actually not all that easy to work under. The main advantage is storing two cars in the place of one. But my ceiling height, or more importantly garage door height, makes that nearly impossible for me anyway. So looked at two posts. Found one, the DanMar MaxJax 2-post lift, that seemed about ideal for my situation. Not super high, but about as high as I could go. 2-post has some advantages and barely fits into my garage. So I had one on my “watch list” and discovered Costco had a several day sale for $1,999 including shipping. The best price I’d seen. So placed my order a little over a week ago. Danmar called the same day, and said it was shipping and would be delivered on July 2. On July 1, Conway called for delivery the next day. Great service. Spent some of July 4th finding the best layout. Yesterday, rented a hammer drill and finished the installation. My house is relatively new and has a 6 inch garage floor. Confirmed the thickess when I drilled the 10 holes. According to the instructions, this is more than adequate for the 6,000 lb rating. Had a leaky fitting, turned out to be operator error. With that fixed, have it working. The install was pretty easy. Just a lot of heavy parts. Now this is going to be nice! Can’t believe I’m two builds in and finally get to stop crawling around on the garage floor. I’m going to like finishing up the Mk4 standing or sitting upright. Will be great for ongoing maintenance and see what happens with future builds.









Can’t believe I get to put in the wheel well liners (elephant ears) standing up:



Now to keep charging ahead to get ready for paint. Was hoping to take a week off in July, but work schedule filled up plus another week of travel.

[Markie D]

Good Morning,
A friend of mine sent me the link to your MK4 build. I've just ordered my MK4, it should be here in mid October, I can't wait to get started. This will be my first attempt at building an entire car. Looking through your post it seem a bit intimidating, but I think I can do it. I'm planning on attending the Build School in late October or early November. I was reading through your post, and noticed in your very first comments that theres a new profile for the body buck. I've tried to locate this but no luck so far, can you direct me in the right direction, or is it the body buck drawing in the back of the assembly manual? I've joined the Houston Cobra Club a few days ago. Looks like they will have their monthly meeting in a couple of week which I plan on attending. Thank-you for your time, by the way, your Cobra build looked AMAZING!!!

Regards,
Mark Danna

[edwardb]

Good Morning,
A friend of mine sent me the link to your MK4 build. I've just ordered my MK4, it should be here in mid October, I can't wait to get started. This will be my first attempt at building an entire car. Looking through your post it seem a bit intimidating, but I think I can do it. I'm planning on attending the Build School in late October or early November. I was reading through your post, and noticed in your very first comments that theres a new profile for the body buck. I've tried to locate this but no luck so far, can you direct me in the right direction, or is it the body buck drawing in the back of the assembly manual? I've joined the Houston Cobra Club a few days ago. Looks like they will have their monthly meeting in a couple of week which I plan on attending. Thank-you for your time, by the way, your Cobra build looked AMAZING!!! Regards, Mark Danna

Hey Mark. Thanks for the kind words. Fun to share, as I've said several times. And always interesting to see where this ends up and glad to hear people find it useful. Congratulations on your upcoming delivery and build. Just take it a step at a time and ask for help whenever you need to. The build school is an hour or so from where I live, although I haven't attended. Just jumped right in... This link to the other forum has info on the revised rear body buck profile. The profile isn't super critical as long you're getting good support. But might as well make it as close as possible if you're bulding one. Good luck! http://www.ffcars.com/forums/17-fact...ml#post2387270

[edwardb]

This has been a busy summer with work, travel and family activities so haven’t made the progress I had hoped. Plus I’m always amazed how long some tasks seem to take. Anyway, enough excuses. Have made a number of steps forward since the last update. Plus I've been able to sneak in a few vacation days and really focus. Of particular note (for me anyway) is all of the work done for this update was with my new 2-post lift. Not sure how I’ve gone this long without that. Boy does it make things easier.

I had a drivershaft loop on my “maybe” list, and when a thread for the Metco piece started several weeks ago, looked like a nice option. Bolts on plus is very substantial. Put my name on the list and received it a couple weeks ago. It did not disappoint. Bolted up in minutes. I have a one inch spacer under the rear of the TKO, which is a little more than some. But with the 5-link rear suspension, gives the best all around pinion angle setup. So I did add some steel spacers to center the driveshaft a little better. I ran the suspension through the full range of movement, and it probably would have worked without the spacers. But they keep things centered up really well. Simple steel spacers from my local Ace hardware along with some longer grade 8 bolts. Note the instructions from Metco mentioned this may be required in some cases.



Next up was the four splash shields, aka elephant ears. I messed around with these a bunch during my Mk3 build, and was much the same this time. The difference though was all four eventually worked. On the Mk3, I gave up on the rear ones and made all new. This time around for the rears, I did have to clip the corner on the DS to clear the edge of the fuel tank. This profile does barely show from the back under the car, so trimmed the PS the same amount. (OK, I know that’s pretty anal…). On the PS, the shield fit best when pushed a little back into the opening, but then ran into the fuel filler cap area. So trimmed around that. For the fronts, they fit pretty well. Did have to trim the bottom a bit, and also cut a hole for the MC on the DS. With the hydroboost it just barely goes through the splash shield. Thought about a cover of some kind but don't think I'll bother. Installed all four shields with 10-32 nutserts and 10-32 SS button head screws. The nutserts for the rears are in the chassis side. I installed nutserts in the front F-panels before installing them. Nothing very photogenic here, but this is the front DS:



Next up was the windshield. I installed the Whitby SS inserts replacing the soft and pretty fragile brass inserts. Unfortunately, the holes didn’t line up exactly right, but there’s enough length that I was able to drill and tap new ones about 1/2 inch offset from the existing ones. They weren’t off much, but they need to be dead on for the screws to go properly into the countersink on the windshield side posts. Then the provided 10-32 screws weren’t long enough. Had a couple other things I needed from McMaster, so added some 10-32 chrome plated oval head countersink screws and used those. I adjusted the length of each one so they just bottomed in the holes while still tightening the side post. It’s kind of a tedious process. But with only 1-1/2 to 2 turns of threads engaged (at best) needs to be pretty accurate. Then cut off the side posts, marked and drilled the holes, enlarged the holes in the body as needed, and the windshield bolted in pretty nicely. The spacing on the arms to the body mounts was nearly dead on, so no spacers were necessary. The seal needs to settle in a bit, but that’s pretty normal. I put the windshield at the 27 inch angle (from top screw center to top of rear door opening) to fit the FFR premium top should that ever happen. Kind of a pipe dream at this point, but keeping my options open.



With the splash shields and windshield in place, now to fit the doors. Managed to spend about a day on each one, but they turned out pretty well. The PS is nearly perfect. It could just about be painted as is. The DS has the usual low spot along the front lower corner. For both sides, I went back and forth adjusting the hinges and then the lower sills to find the best locations. The PS pushed all the way in turned out to be fine. For the DS, again the problem child. Had to pull out the back, and then push the center and front in as tight as possible to get three out of four corners to align. Here’s where I may have gone a little over the top. I’m not a fan of the FFR suggested method of just putting a couple of pop rivets in the sill. I decided to use some 5-16 flange head bolts on the underside, same as used on the sides of my Mk3. I was just going to tap the frame, but decided to use 5/16 nutserts instead. I installed three on each side. One near the back, one near the front of the door, and one behind the pipe cutout. Was a somewhat tedious process, but I now have a repeatable location for all six bolts that I know gives the best door alignment and provides rock solid and serviceable mounting for the body. For the DS rear, since it was spaced away a bit to give the best door alignment, I put a piece of rubber stopper material on the frame where the plastic plug is located. This gives me something solid to push against and repeat the location when reassembled after paint.

PS door:


DS door:


Spacer at rear DS frame location:


Couple of the 5-16 bolts in nutserts holding the body sill:

[edwardb]

Finally, took the plunge to install the pipes. This is one of the most discussed and for some troublesome parts of the build. Getting the engine at the proper level, the headers installed, the body cutouts done, the pipes aligned, etc. is a really tedious process with a lot of moving parts to consider. Very small differences can become big differences pretty quickly. I think the main observation for me anyway is that you can get crazy measuring and trying to get every dimension perfect. Probably this will be frustrating and probably not successful. Better is to get everything in place, and then keep adjusting until it looks right. My engine is rotated a bit, probably 1-2 degrees high on the PS. This gave the best location, but still that header is slightly lower than the DS. The DS header exit is also slightly closer to the body side than the PS. Anyway, nibbled away at the body openings until the Gas-N pipes bolted up to the FFR supplied BBK 4-into-4 headers. I had previously determined that a couple wedges were required, and had those on hand. Long story short, the pipes are where they’re going to be. There are minor dimensional differences between the two sides, but to the eye they look good. What’s amazing to me is I have the Mk3 parked next to the build in the garage. When all was said and done, the pipes are almost exactly the same as the Mk3. The same side a bit higher, the same side a bit closer, etc. Also a SBF with BBK headers and Gas-N pipes. So for me, nothing has changed from Mk3 to Mk4. And for the record, I've had the Mk3 on the road for several years and many shows including a couple major ones. Never has anyone said anything about the pipe alignment. Now that I have the pipes in place, need to go back and create a little more clearance around the body cutouts. Then they’ll be done.


 






Next up is door latches, which already have the carriage bolt mod, then the hood and trunk. Paint time is getting close now.

[Jeff Kleiner]

As usual excellent craftsmanship and a great writeup!

A couple of things; the first regarding the hole in the splash panel for master cylinder. If you decide you'd like a quick and easy solution to close it off stop by a pet food store (or probably even Wal-Mart, Target, etc.) and pick up a small stainless steel pet food or water bowl about 3 or 4 inches in diameter. Rivet or screw it on and you're done!



I've used "Fluffy's bowl" on 3 or 4 cars now!

When you get ready to do the door latches I've found that the easy way that almost totally eliminates having to fuss with adjusting the striker to meet the latch is to work in the opposite direction. Obviously you first want to make all of your door fitting adjustments. Afterwards mount the striker to the chassis about mid way in the adjustment slot then engage the latch mechanism on it. Now bring the door to the latch, mark and attach it. Using this method I've found that further adjustment is minimal, if any. Use a countersink bit to add a bit of chamfer to the hole in the striker and the pin will drop in easier. I'm on Mk4 #4 now and I have found that all required the latch spacer on the driver's side but none have needed it on the passenger side. That brings up an observation...all of the body fitting points you mentioned I have encountered as well; the easy fit of the passenger door and the push/pull on the driver's side, the same "massaging of the splash panels, etc. Can't say that they aren't consistent! When you get to the back I bet you'll find that the lower valance is proud of the trunklid---if you shorten the quickjack spacers you will be able to easily draw it in flush to meet the lower edge of the lid. On one car I also had to trim the aluminum along the edge of the horizontal lip at the rear of the trunk floor.

Good luck as you move forward! As outstanding as your Mk3 is I know this car will exceed it :yes:

Jeff

[edwardb]

Hey Jeff! Thanks for the nice words. That means a lot. Thanks for the suggestion on the door latches too. I remember reading that approach from you before, and was planning to try it. While I was doing the carriage bolt mod, I also adjusted the hole and striker so they fit better. I learned this the hard way on my Mk3. I didn't know about that potential issue and after the very first ride in the Mk3 with my wife, her door wouldn't unlatch. The pin was wedged into the hole. I had to unscrew the latch body from the door to get the door open so she could get out. Talk about first impressions! Fixed and hasn't happened again. And don't plan for it to happen on the Mk4 either. Actually the problem can be even worse. I talked to a guy at a show and he asked me if my doors regularly flew open while driving, because his did!! Turned out his pins were just barely going into the hole and would unlatch occasionally. So this is something every builder should look at.

[skullandbones]

That Metco driveshaft loop is pretty cool the way it hooks up. And as usual, you are the fastener king! I've used your suggestions like in the hood hinge screws. Keep up the good work.

Thanks,

WEK.

[edwardb]

That Metco driveshaft loop is pretty cool the way it hooks up. And as usual, you are the fastener king! I've used your suggestions like in the hood hinge screws. Keep up the good work. Thanks, WEK.

Fastener king, huh? OK, that's funny. Didn't know I was in the running for that one. I guess that's the reason the guys at Ace don't even ask if they can help me. I just walk straight to the hardware aisle and probably know where things are better than most of them. Between them and McMaster I guess I'm earning the title. I've been called worse...

Here's another picture of the Metco driveshaft hoop from a different angle. Shows better how it's attached to the transmission A-frame. Uses two of the existing transmission mounting bolts and then two new ones. Does protrude into the ride height area, but since the back is usually slightly higher than the front, probably no more vulnerable than the front. These were specifically designed for FFR Mk3's, but work also in a Mk4. Metco has done a couple runs based on interest in a thread on the other forum. Nice piece.

[rwantin]

Beyond amazing work, really enjoyed going through this post. Thank you.

[edwardb]

Continuing to plod away at my punch list prior to taking to the painter. Got the door latches working pretty well. Got the gas cap and filler all hooked up. Got the hood and trunk lids hung. Still some tweaking to the hinges and gaps, but doing OK. For whatever reason, ran out of adjustment on both sides of the hood hinges. Had to lengthen and lower the main bracket just slightly for the best fit. But working pretty well now. As with my Mk3, I bonded and riveted the hood hinge and gas strut brackets to the hood and will let them get painted over. Nice and strong (probably way more than necessary) plus looks more finished IMO. Probably will do the same with the trunk brackets. Those weren’t used on the Mk3.

FFR still hasn’t solved the issue with the large opening between the inside front of the rear wheel wells and the chassis. It’s open into the cockpit, and I don't consider carpet as sealing material. It was a wide gap on my Mk3 (and I guess earlier Mk’s) and I filled with pieces from Dark Waters Custom. The Mk4 is somewhat less, but still a gap. I made some fill pieces from .040 aluminum and bulb seal. Just cleco’d in for now. Will powder coat and final rivet after paint.

Passenger side:


Driver’s side:


Also started mocking up the Breeze roll bar. The body openings were in exactly the right place (dead on actually) but had to be enlarged for the 1-3/4 inch Breeze bar. Need to finalize the fit, drill for the mounting bolts, and then take to get welded. Then planning to send out to have chromed.



It was a nice evening earlier this week, so couldn’t help myself. Drove the car around the block in my neighborhood a couple times. First time it’s been out of the garage since go-kart time. Never got out of second, and took it real easy. Can’t wait to drive it for real. But everything seems to be working fine. Stopped in a small court area and took a few pics. It was near sunset, so the lighting and angles are a little sharp. But still starting to look like a real car. I continue to be amazed how much lower the whole back of the car is compared to the Mk3. You really notice it when they're side-by-side. The lower body profile, space under the rear of the body, etc. It really makes it look quite different, which I like.







Finally, my company always has an employee car show the day before the Woodward Dream Cruise. About 40 signed up at the location I work. So trailered the Mk4 build and it’s officially in its first car show. My Mk3 won its class last year (pre-80’s) but not sure all will appreciate a partially completed car. But fun to have it here. This was earlier this AM with just a few cars here.



Still need to cut out the hood for the scoop and install it, install the wipers, bolt down the seats, install the trunk latch and decide how I’m going to handle the famous Mk4 rear license plate issue, and a couple other minor items. Then really decide on the final color and get to the painter. Tomorrow is the Woodward Dream Cruise, and will join the local club for our usual festivities with the Mk3. Looking forward to it!

[edwardb]

Received an anxiously awaited package today. Didn't want to do a Powered by Ford badge since it isn't. Also not a fan of the 427 badge since it isn't that either. So after some research contacted Billet Badges (http://www.billetbadges.com/) to make some custom badges. They worked with me to incorporate the DART logo into the traditional Cobra styled badges. They finally arrived today, and they're like jewelry. The pictures don't remotely do them justice. They look amazing. I will be happy to hang these on my car after paint. They came with the 3M emblem tape already applied.

This is the final artist rendering received a couple weeks ago:



These are the finished products received today. CNC cut from 1/8 aluminum, polished, color filled with automotive paint:



One caution. Not a complaint, because they're custom badges and they kept me in the loop the entire time through the design process, proofs, etc. But time from initial inquiry to completed badges was just over 4-1/2 months. I don't know if that's typical. But glad I started plenty early. They're also not cheap. But I highly recommend if that's a direction you want to go.

Quick update about my first car show at work. Didn't place with the people's choice style voting. Not surprised as many questions indicated people didn't quite get the "under construction" status. Also had to chase off a couple people who weren't very knowledgeable about car show etiquette. (You mean it's not OK for me to open the Lemans gas cap to see what's under there or put my hands all over the body to feel the fiberglass? Grr...) But that's OK. Had a good time getting it out, showing to my co-workers, starting it up lots of times for those that wanted me to. Kind of blew the doors off the tricked out Neon next to me. The loudest noise it was making was the sub rattling the license plate. Nice...

One other pretty important detail I forgot to mention in my last update. I was having a problem with the e-brake on the FFR supplied Wilwood rear brakes not releasing completely. They were dragging a bit and I could envision a heat problem or worse. The Mustang handle was still putting just a bit of tension on the cables, and the return spring on the Wilwood calipers just wasn't up to the task. There were a number of threads on this and other forums about defeating the auto adjusting mechanism on the handle. But I wasn't convinced that would help because the cable was pretty loose already. There was another thread on the other forum where this was discussed, and solved by putting an additional compression spring between the fixed portion of the e-brake cable and the ball end at the caliper. Took a couple trips to the local hardware store and some serious digging through the Hillman spring drawers. But finally come up with the right one, and it works like a charm. Puts just enough additional push on the caliper end of the cable to completely release the e-brake. Problem solved.

Now up early tomorrow AM for the Dream Cruise. Chance of storms in the late PM. But otherwise sunny, cool, low humidity. Should be a good time.

[rezell3d]

Hello Edward,

I just purchased my complete kit yesterday with a delivery date of 10/11/14. I hope you don't mind, but I want to duplicate your build. You are a true artist. I love everything that you did in your build. As a matter of fact, your post is one reason that push me over the edge and placing my order. I hope you don't mind, but I am your new pesty stalker. J/K.

Thanks, Rod