Hello Factory Five Forum,

I’m looking to build a Factory Five Roadster with my father in-law. I’m in the early planning stages, and my wife and I hope to surprise him for his birthday next October. The Forum has been awesome to see what other’s have done. Special thanks to Straversi (my favorite build), Papa, Edward, and Jazzman for your Roadster build threads. My build goals are to make this a safe, fun, multi-generational sports car. We’re on a budget, but I want to prioritize comfort and drivability along with safety over HP and additional weight. My hope is my father in-law puts thousands of miles a year and drives it every weekend when the weather is nice. I live in Santa Cruz, California, but the build will be done in Indianapolis, Indiana at my father in-law’s house. As this is supposed to be a birthday surprise I’m hoping to get the communities help to ensure we’re getting off on a good start. I don’t want to figure each and everything out, as I hope my father in-law and I can do this together, but I also want to avoid trying to squeeze a square peg into a round hole later because I chose the wrong thing from the start. The biggest thing I need help with is selecting a motor, and making sure I’m thinking about it correctly with wanting a Small Block 302. I’m an engineer and my father in-law is a very talented tile/glass installer. Between my technical skills and planning/financial competencies, and his craftsmanship and attention to detail, I’m hoping we put together a piece of art. Also I just had a son in March so this is going to be a three generation build. I’m looking forward to the project, and hope this community can assist throughout our build.