No more lurking - MK4 build!

[lahrs37]

Hello folks!

My name is Laurence H. and this is my introduction post. I have been lurking and and reading up on this project since 2010 when the MK4 came out. At the time it was my first year of law school and I definitely couldn't do it - heck I didn't even have a garage! Fast forward 6 years and I finally am in a place to start my build.

As you might imagine, I have been planning out my build for quite some time. That being said, I still have a lot of questions. The completion date for my kit is September 3rd, and I am attending the September build school. I live in Philadelphia and I would love to chat with any folks nearby and pick your brains. I also have never actually been for a ride in one of these babies yet...

The kit was technically a base kit, but I ordered it during the half off sale and pretty much turned it into a complete kit.

As far as the specs of my build, here is the basic plan and the specs so far:

IRS
Power steering
Complete kit brakes, spindles, tubular A arms
FFR wiring harness - body and EFI engine
heater/defroster, windshield wipers and a bunch of the other goodies
catalytic converters
wilwood pedals
kirkey intermediate seats
ffr gas tank system
ffr cooling system

I ordered a '93 Mustang engine/transmission from MPS Auto Salvage. They give you a freshened up transmission, the PCM, and all of the accessories. I plan to rebuild the engine as I have always wanted to do that. I am probably going to go with forged pistons and moly rings, but leave the top end for a later date. That should be arriving in about a week.

My overall goal for the car is to road trip it all across the country and drive it spiritedly on winding roads. I love to work on cars and i have more experience than the average joe, but way less than a real mechanic. For anyone who is reading this - can you link me to information about hydroboost brakes, and where to buy a kit? Or does anyone have experience with most the Whitby vacuum unit and hydroboost?

I think that is it for now. I am so excited to be starting and joining this community for real! Cheers!

[GoDadGo]

I totally get it and welcome to the family.

In 2005 Katrina took it's toll our way of life and after 9 years of rebounding from all of the fun we ordered our MK-4 on November 10th, 2014. A garage had to be rebuilt and money had to be saved and a car had to be ordered. It arrived late in January of 2015 and I started the build in early Februay.

At this point our car is about 75% done and we're very close to the Go-Kart stage so again, I totally get it. My advice is get and read the manual before you go to the school and then learn, learn and learn some more! Just remember to do a Very Detailed Inventory as soon as your kit comes in. Doing both plus going to the school will make the process a lot easier.

Anyway, Good Luck & God's Speed On Your Quest To Build Your Dream!

Steve >> aka: GoDadGo

[lahrs37]

Thanks Steve for the nice words and good advice Steve! I am sorry you have had such a rough time of it. I can't even begin to imagine dealing with the devastation of Katrina. Good for you for keeping at it. I bet that first Go-Kart is going to be that much sweeter for what you went through to get there! Cheers!

[edwardb]

Congratulations on your kit and realization of your dream! Looks like a good build plan. Several of us from the local club here in SE Michigan are planning to cruise over to the build school on Saturday, Sept 10. We'll be there around lunchtime. Hope to see you there.

[GoDadGo]

Congratulations on your kit and realization of your dream! Looks like a good build plan. Several of us from the local club here in SE Michigan are planning to cruise over to the build school on Saturday, Sept 10. We'll be there around lunchtime. Hope to see you there.

Check Out EdwardB's Galleries Because They Are A Huge Help!

[lahrs37]

That is cool edwardb. I am looking forward to seeing y'all!

Thanks for the tip Steve, I will dive into it!

[wareaglescott]

Congrats on the order. Have a great time. I am about 2 months into this build. The forum is a tremendous resource and everyone is very willing to help. I am a true newbie to car building and pose some pretty stupid questions at times and always get great feedback. I am sure with your experience you will love the project.

[lahrs37]

Thanks for the encouraging words wareaglescott! I will be sure to follow your build!

[Misterfubar]

Nice. Can't wait to lose my lurker status myself.

[lahrs37]

Misterfubar: Doesn't replying to this count? 😉

[Misterfubar]

I lack a kit, I think that keeps me in the lurker category.

[WIS89]

Laurence-

Welcome to the forum, and the community of builders! I was a lurker for a while before I got my kit, and it was some of the best time I have spent on the internet!

I was able to really focus on what I wanted to build, and how I wanted it to look. The folks here were invaluable to me then and now.

Best of luck as you get started and enjoy build school.

Regards,

Steve

[David Hodgkins]

Congratulations. You are going to have a GREAT time building your dream car.

...and we're here to help!!

[Jacob McCrea]

Welcome; I think you'll find that building one of these things requires a lot of the same skills as your career - critical thinking, problem solving, planning many steps ahead, anticipating what can go wrong, research, etc. Don't hesitate to ask questions; everyone is here to help.

[lahrs37]

Steve (WIS89),

Thanks for the kind words. Over the past 6 years I have scoured these forums as I zeroed in on what I want my build to be. Every time I have been debating something, a we google search has usually led me to one of these forums. I look forward to starting!

Cheers

[lahrs37]

Thanks David! I am sure that I will be leaning on this community heavily as I move forward!

[lahrs37]

Thanks for the insight Jacob. It definitely appears to be a complex project, but that in of itself probably attracts the type of folks who like such things. The only stupid question is the one that isn't asked, right?