Stewart Transport should be in Wisconsin this Friday or Saturday. My 15 year-old son did a great job on the body buck and the garage is ready. Can't wait to build this with him over the next couple years. Some of the custom work you all do is amazing and I wish we were capable of that. I think we are planning to stay in our lane and keep to the book. We are already learning a lot from the many build threads here. Thank you for those and thank you in advance for any advice along the way!!
MKIV Complete Kit
BPE 427 Carbureted
TKO 600 transmission
Mechanical Fuel Pump
Manual steering
Hydraulic clutch
Powdercoated chassis
Lowback vintage seats
17" Halibrand wheel/tire
2018 IRS 3.55 center section/spindles
FFR 13" IRS brake kit
FFR stainless side exhaust
Chrome driver rollbar
Swaybars front/rear
Wind wings
Sun visors
Heater/Defroster
Body cut outs
Paint = my son wants to do black with grey racing stripes
cheverett, looks like you have a solid plan and you just can't go wrong with a 427 carb'd - old school baby! I'm going with EFI on mine, but you might want to go with the new TKX transmission? Make sure to video that delivery from Stewart Transport. I tell you, that was, for me, and incredible highlight and so glad I captured my emotions. Other than that, enjoy building it with your son (priceless) and other family members & friends. I too will be following along...
Dj
Dj or Doug or TheLateDude
----- #19 of 25th Anniversary MKIV 9769 -----
Build Link: https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/show...-Slow-Progress
Ordered: Oct 07, 2019 / Production: Dec 28th, 2019 / Shipped: Jan 19th, 2019 First Start: In the future... / Graduation: Even further in the future...
Congratulations, that will be a great project with your son. Good call on the 427 fun engine to have in these cars! I am with Railroad on adding power steering, would definitely consider adding it to your build. Also would look into Mike Forte's mechanical throttle linkage. With the current part supply shortage do not be surprised if you have to bounce all over on the build and divert form the build manual, usually you can always find something to work on.
Have fun with your build, looking forward to seeing it come together.
Come to think of it... You might also want to consider integrating some of (RT-Russ Thompson) product's? The (DT- Drop Trunk) kit is very cool, not to mention his (TS-Turn Signal) and other accessories he has to offer. Check em out, you will not be disappointed! I have the DT/TS and throttle pedal for my build. I also added the NRG Steering Wheel Thin / Slim Quick Release Version and did that mod to remove my steering wheel. None are simple mods to do, but with the right planning, tools and just taking your time carefully, they can be accomplished. Enjoy the journey...
Dj
Dj or Doug or TheLateDude
----- #19 of 25th Anniversary MKIV 9769 -----
Build Link: https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/show...-Slow-Progress
Ordered: Oct 07, 2019 / Production: Dec 28th, 2019 / Shipped: Jan 19th, 2019 First Start: In the future... / Graduation: Even further in the future...
Hey, welcome to the fun, and thanks sharing the journey with a build thread. Building with your son is such a great experience, and from the sound of it he's both motivated and capable, which is cool. It'll be fun to see your updates. Where in Wisconsin are you? I'm in the Twin Cities if you're ever over this way. Cheers -- John
MK4 #7838: IRS 3.55 TrueTrac T5z Dart 347
The drawing is from ~7th grade, mid-1970s
Meandering, leisurely build thread is here
Hey, welcome to the fun, and thanks sharing the journey with a build thread. Building with your son is such a great experience, and from the sound of it he's both motivated and capable, which is cool. It'll be fun to see your updates. Where in Wisconsin are you? I'm in the Twin Cities if you're ever over this way. Cheers -- John
Thanks! We are 30 minutes north of Milwaukee.
Chad
It's such magical day! I know I was on cloud nine, er, five all day long... And Kelly is such a cool person and delivered mine too. I so want to believe... (pun intended) That if I was a truck driver, I would love to work for Stewart Transport and play Santa delivering for Factory Five! I still remember when he dropped mine off, it was Christmas and I was a young boy again Have a great time and just enjoy each and every moment. All the best on your build journey!
Dj or Doug or TheLateDude
----- #19 of 25th Anniversary MKIV 9769 -----
Build Link: https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/show...-Slow-Progress
Ordered: Oct 07, 2019 / Production: Dec 28th, 2019 / Shipped: Jan 19th, 2019 First Start: In the future... / Graduation: Even further in the future...
John
Gen 3 Coupe #334 received 11/4/21. Coyote, IRS, TKX, Wilwoods
'02 GT donor, 4.6 sohc, Received #5488 on 5/29/06. 3-link, ps, pb. Hoosier Cobra member (Hoosiercobra.com)
Inventory finished! Like most we are waiting on some key parts of front suspension, IRS, and many other items. My son and I are excited to start chipping away at what we can while we wait. We are planning to start with Sharkhide on all the aluminum while the weather is still decent.
Congrats! So awesome that your son got to put the first wrench on it. You guys are in for a great adventure together. I look foward to following along.
MKIV Complete Kit #9822 l BluePrint 347 EFI l TKO600 l Power Steering l Heater/Defrost l Build Thread
Acetone to F panel and a coat of Sharkhide. Clecos are a great help - thank you to the forum for that! Rivet gun works really well too. FPanelRivet.jpg
Thanks to the great advice found on this forum we kept from breaking my small bench vise. My son took off a little coating of the upper ball joint threads with this nylon brush on the cordless drill. Just took some of the black paint off the threads. We were afraid to rough them up too much. Blue thread locker and we could screw it almost all the way into the upper control arm with a small pipe wrench. Then we tightened it in the vise. NylonBrushBallJoint.jpg
Just hand tightened and did not grease anything yet, but we have a start. Waiting on lower control arm and brake pads to go any further with this area. We have not yet decided on what we will work in the meantime. FpanelUCA.jpg
Rear spindle prep done with the couple holes enlarged to 5/8" and ears cut off. Sawzall worked well with finer tooth metal blades. Hubs torqued onto each spindle. RearSpindles-hubs.jpg
Driver front footbox panel on. Acetone again to clean and Sharkhide coating on both. DriverFrontFootbox.jpg
An unknown 28 pound package from FFR is set to arrive by FedEx tomorrow! Really hoping front LCA and shocks are in there or the center section mounting hardware. Otherwise we will sort out what else we can peck away at while we wait for delayed parts.
Probably a simple answer that I am too slow to sort out, but why do some of my photos rotate counter-clockwise 90 degrees upon uploading here?
Probably due to how you take the shot - landscape or portrait. I found that if you "edit" the photo, i.e., trim a little off the edges, or orient it the way you want it, and then save the photo prior to uploading, they'll orient correctly when you post.
MKIV complete kit w/powder coating and cut outs, serial #9189 delivered 10/10/17, first start - 10/5/18, legal - 10/08/20. Blueprint 306 w/Holley Sniper EFI, TKO 600, power steering, Breeze fan shroud, trunk cubby, & engine compartment battery kit, CNC brake reservoirs, RT turn signal & gas pedal, mechanical throttle linkage, METCO safety loop, GASN side pipes, drop trunk, dual chrome roll bars, vintage gauges, glove box, custom center console, cup holders, and speakers.
Probably a simple answer that I am too slow to sort out, but why do some of my photos rotate counter-clockwise 90 degrees upon uploading here?
Hi Cheverett. Welcome aboard!
If you're using a laptop with Windows, open the picture using Paint (free accessory that's part of windows) and Save. No need to adjust or alter the picture. I, too, have the picture rotation issue, but I Save any picture that is rotated and the issue is resolved.
Chris Coupe complete kit delivered: 4/22/24. Build Thread. Coyote. T-56. IRS w/3.55. Wilwoods. PS. HVAC. Side windows. MK4 Complete kit. Build Thread Index. Delivered: 10/15/2020. Legal: 7/25/23. Coyote Gen3. TKO600 (0.64 OD). IRS w/3.55. PS. Wilwoods. Sway bars. This build is dedicated to my son, Benjamin. Build Thread.
The spindle mod, what's up with that? I think I saw a couple of mentions about it...Thanks!
We are still waiting on some parts to get deeper into the rear suspension but I believe the modified portion of the spindle is where the IRS upper control arm will be attached. Attached using a 5/8" bolt so we opened up the hole to that size and sawed that extra ear off to keep it from getting in the way.
Our only obstacle to getting the pedal box going was one missing switch mount. You can't even tell which one my son fabricated in the shop at the high school. Awesome learning experience for him and now we can still move forward a bit despite all the missing parts for every other step in the build.
We finally went back to replace the studs in the rear hubs. This little gadget with a bearing in the back of it was AWESOME! Impact wrench to the lug nut and it pulled each stud straight through and tight in about 15 seconds.
Filed head of stud like the OEM ones were to stay clear of the rubber ring. FiledStud.jpg
The manual states that it is possible to replace the studs with the hub on the spindle but easier with it off. The main issue was being unable to fully back out the old studs with the spindle in the way. We had to cut the old studs in half to then pound them and back them out. The more narrow studs from the kit insert back in easily with the spindle attached.
Pedal box is in. QUESTION: When the time comes to adjust the brake and clutch switch positions, how far does each pedal have to actuate the white button on the end of each switch unit? Half way? All the way? I'm asking now because even if we bottom out each switch unit on the mount, the white button does not get pressed all the way in. Thought about slightly bending the mount toward each pedal or using a thin washer (or nothing) between the mount and the switch unit in order to set it back further toward the pedal?? BF1134E4-ED70-41F6-8F70-5246D59F6C7B_1_201_a.jpg
Pedal box is in. QUESTION: When the time comes to adjust the brake and clutch switch positions, how far does each pedal have to actuate the white button on the end of each switch unit? Half way? All the way? I'm asking now because even if we bottom out each switch unit on the mount, the white button does not get pressed all the way in. Thought about slightly bending the mount toward each pedal or using a thin washer (or nothing) between the mount and the switch unit in order to set it back further toward the pedal??
Only way you're going to know for sure is with a continuity tester or VOM across the terminals on the switch. Highly recommend one or the other, preferably IMO a VOM, as a basic tool requirement for one of these builds. There are many great choices. No need to go real expensive or pro quality. Also wouldn't recommend too cheap. I'm very happy with my Klein Tools MM600.
Last edited by edwardb; 12-30-2021 at 11:33 PM.
Build 1: Mk3 Roadster #5125. Sold 11/08/2014. Build 2: Mk4 Roadster #7750. Sold 04/10/2017. Build Thread Build 3: Mk4 Roadster 20th Anniversary #8674. Sold 09/07/2020. Build Thread and Video. Build 4: Gen 3 Type 65 Coupe #59. Gen 3 Coyote. Legal 03/04/2020. Build Thread and Video Build 5: 35 Hot Rod Truck #138. LS3 and 4L65E auto. Rcvd 01/05/2021. Legal 04/20/2023. Build Thread. Sold 11/9/2023.
Only way you're going to know for sure is with a continuity tester or VOM across the terminals on the switch. Highly recommend one or the other, preferably IMO a VOM, as a basic tool requirement for one of these builds. There are many great choices. No need to go real expensive or pro quality. Also wouldn't recommend too cheap. I'm very happy with my Klein Tools MM600.
CLUTCH/BRAKE SWITCH
Thank you edwardb! Per the VOM it looks like the white switch only has to move about a third of the way in to function. We backed the switch units in a bit further toward the pedals using a thin washer between the mount and the unit instead of the provided thicker nut. This almost bottoms out the white switch button in neutral pedal position. 35272CA9-179D-4CCA-8597-5296AF2D8C25_1_201_a.jpg
FWIW I ended up adjusting my brake light switch once the tail lights were installed. It is easy to adjust and fine tune in, mine is set to come on as soon I put any pressure on the pedal obviously to alert other drivers I am beginning to brake. I chose not to run a clutch safety switch, seemed like one more little item that could cause a no start issue down the road. So far after 2200 miles I have no regrets not having a clutch safety switch. I have always started the car while sitting in drivers seat and confirmed it is in neutral.
Triple reservoir mounted and connected to master cylinders. We made a quarter inch aluminum mount for in front of the foot box. (Seen on this forum - Thanks Papa!) Very stable in place. Drilled an extra 1 inch hole in the front foot box panel and ran the 3 hoses to the master cylinders. Bought some grommets and cushion clamps at the hardware store so we could get this done.
Triple reservoir mounted and connected to master cylinders. We made a quarter inch aluminum mount for in front of the foot box. (Seen on this forum - Thanks Papa!) Very stable in place. Drilled an extra 1 inch hole in the front foot box panel and ran the 3 hoses to the master cylinders. Bought some grommets and cushion clamps at the hardware store so we could get this done.
Kudos to you for drilling through the front wall of the DS footbox! That is thick and it ain't easy...and a 1" hole at that. I like your reservoir setup, and the aluminum bracket to mount them on just makes sense, doesn't it? Looking good, Cheverett!
Chris Coupe complete kit delivered: 4/22/24. Build Thread. Coyote. T-56. IRS w/3.55. Wilwoods. PS. HVAC. Side windows. MK4 Complete kit. Build Thread Index. Delivered: 10/15/2020. Legal: 7/25/23. Coyote Gen3. TKO600 (0.64 OD). IRS w/3.55. PS. Wilwoods. Sway bars. This build is dedicated to my son, Benjamin. Build Thread.
Kudos to you for drilling through the front wall of the DS footbox! That is thick and it ain't easy...and a 1" hole at that. I like your reservoir setup, and the aluminum bracket to mount them on just makes sense, doesn't it? Looking good, Cheverett!
Chris,
Full disclosure here . We only had to drill the 1" hole through the aluminum panel for the front brake reservoir hose. The black fixed front footbox wall portion had a 1.5 inch hole in it already. I don't think we will need anything else going through that hole? Thanks!
Chad