It's about time i get around to starting my build thread, even though i'm pretty close to having a rolling chassis!
This is my second factory five build. Around 2004-2005 i build a MKIII roadster which i later regrettably sold. For this build i want to do a nice vintage tribute to Dan Gurney's 1964 FIA car CSX2323. The plan is 15" wheels with vintage looking tires. I'll be running a 5.0 small block with aluminum heads, small cam and a FITech or similar fuel injection system to maintain a carb look along with a midshift T5. The build should be pretty straight forward and using the complete kit, hopefully will have it on the road in time for spring driving weather.
Here's a couple pictures from delivery day. I like the new FFR trailer! I didn't even realize i still had my BFGoodrich cobra banner from my first build over 10 years ago. We just moved into a new house and happen to come across it in a box. Ironically, the cobra on the banner is a 289 with the same color/stripe combo i will be using on this build! Meant to be?
Managed to get the inventory done, body off, and aluminum panels marked and removed all on the first day. It definitely helps that this is my second build and even though my first was over 10 years ago, everything feels very familiar.
For this build i wanted to have the engine bay panels black. I got a couple of quotes from local powder coating companies and it seems like they didn't want my business! The lowest quote was just over $600 to do only 9 panels. So i did some research on both sites and decided to try the Rustoleum Hammertone black for the visible panels. First i cleaned the panels with brake cleaner, then scuffed them with 400 grit sandpaper, then cleaned again with brake cleaner. Next, i applied 3-4 light coats of aluminum primer and let the panels dry for 48 hours. I then applied 3-4 heavy coats of the Rustoleum Hammertone paint. While not as durable as powder-coating, i am very happy with the end result. I have a few minor scratches i'll need to touch up, but with the slightly textured paint this shouldn't be noticeable. The black in the photo looks uneven and streaky, but in person looks great.
I'm only able to work on the build on the weekends and even then it's usually only a couple hours early in the morning. Running two busy practices keeps me out of the garage during the week and the weekends are filled with my daughter's volleyball games/tournaments right now. Even with the limited time, i'm surprised how fast the build has come together. My first build was a basic kit and i remember having to source parts every step of the way. SO much nicer having the complete kit and having everything handy. Here are a few shots of the front suspension and steering shaft installed.
I didn't touch the build for the month of August. But during that time, I did manage to source a used, but clean 8.8 rear end off craigslist for $200. I bought new Ford Racing 3.55 gears, new 31 spline 5 lug axles from Richard Oben, all new bearings/seals, and a new 31 spine Trak-loc differential. All together, i have about $1000 in the 8.8 with 100% new parts inside. A local performance shop installed everything for me for a couple hundred dollars. I went back and forth about buying one of the complete Moser rear ends from Factory Five, but sourcing parts on my own and having it built locally saved me quite a bit of money.
Happen to come across my MkIII build from WAY back in the day. This picture is from the second owner who added the hard top, sidepipe covers, and chrome over-riders. I did all the bodywork on this car through primer. I had a pro spray the color and clear. I had never done any type of bodywork prior to this. In fact the entire build i had never done anything like building a car before. I remember being frustrated on MANY occasions, but it turned out pretty good. I think the attention to details and my patience will be much better on my 289 build. Amazing what 10-12 years of life experience and knowledge does for you.
I've been working on plans for my engine. I've ordered a rebuilt 306 short block with a trick flow stage 1 came installed. My plan is to build up the rest of the engine myself. Looking forward to the challenge as i've never built up an engine before. Additional parts i'll be needing are trick flow 11r heads (undecided on 170cc vs. 190cc). There is a whole thread on corral.net site about 11r combos and it seems everyone is recommending to go with the 190cc heads, even on a 306. Edelbrock air gap intake and Fitech fuel injection. Of course all the misc. parts- roller rockers, pushrods, lifters, timing cover, water pump, oil pan, etc, etc. Hoping for 375+ horsepower. May seem crazy but i plan on painting the aluminum heads black to give the engine more of a 1964-1965 289 hipo look.
Hi Bguetter,
Looks like you made a lot of progress already, and are doing your homework on the engine. I had to look twice at your serial #, my 289 is #8955, which has an original 1965 289 with a BW 4 speed, however I painted it Ford corporate blue, an old can of Tempo paint that still worked, just because I liked it better.
Build School: July 14-16, 2017
Kit purchased: July 25, 2017
Kit delivered: September 13, 2017
First Start: December 22, 2018
Body painted and kit completed and drivable: July 2019 (but still not done)
CA SB100 Registration: January 2020
Mk4 - 289 USRRC Roadster kit, Roush 427SR with Schneider Racing custom camshaft, Fitech EFI, TKO600 (.64-5th gear), 15" wheels, stock brake calipers, under car exhaust with Spintech 7000 muffler, no roll bar, Russ Thompson turn signal, removable steering wheel, and many other small upgrades and modifications
I'm going with a similar paint scheme, difference being the yellow team stripe like CSX2260. Adding a couple 289-ish tweaks to the build; side marker lights, splashguard. Like Pete, my car also has a vintage 289 block (built up by Mike Forte).
FFR #8833 289 FIA 3-link
1965 289, TKO600 from Forte's Parts Connection
Body and Paint by Mike's Auto Restoration
Picked up 3/5/2016, First start 4/22/2017, MA legal 7/11/2018
Build Thread http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/showt...FIA-build-8833
"Insanity is contagious" - Joseph Heller
Pictures of the rear end installed. Pretty straight forward install. Some where between inventory and installing the 3 link i lost the hardware to attach the upper link to the frame. I emailed factory five to re-purchase and they sent it out to me no charge. Kudos to their customer service!
The moser wheel studs are too long for the factory five Halibrand cover. I'll need to trim those down at some point.
Some miscellaneous pictures. Fuel tank installed. I contacted Mark at Breeze for his fuel pump assembly that has the -6AN fittings installed. I'm running braided hose and AN fitting for fuel lines. I also used fuel vent hose kit from Breeze. As always, great stuff from Mark.
Cockpit aluminum. .....and i realized i didn't trim the passenger floor for the 289 roll bar. Hopefully not too messy to make the cuts after the panel is already in.
I roughly layed out the wiring in the chassis over the weekend and installed the fuse panel. I'm dreading the wiring, but the Ron Francis harness seems much more organized than the universal Painless harness i used on my first build! Started gluing the vinyl dash to the aluminum as well this weekend. Quick tip on the dash padding. For the vinyl that is folded over the dash and glued you can use a razor blade and remove the padding from the vinyl. This makes it fold over and stay glued MUCH better. I'll take a few pictures tonight when i get home.
Also got an email from Creb Engineering that my short block will ship this week. I did a pretty basic 306 with forged pistons and had them install a Trick Flow stage 1 cam. I will be building up the engine from the short block.
Also mounted up my wheels and tires this weekend! Factory five 15" Halibrands with Hoosier Quick times DOTs. 245/60 and 275/60. While not technically the correct wheels for the 289, budget kept me from going pin drive and 289 wheels. I MAY powdercoat these wheels black or a dark charcoal to give it the racecar look.
And of course since i mounted the wheels and tires, i had to get it down off the jack stands for a picture! My beautiful wife jumped in her seat and is just as excited about this project as i am. There are lots of little things to do on the chassis still, so i'll be putting it back up on the jack stands this week.
Just about ready to start wiring the dash. I’m a bit confused as i thought the gauges were plug and play with the Ron Francis wiring harness, but the connectors are different between the harness and gauges.
Any tips on how to wire up the 289 gauges?
Edit: i posted this on the main forum. So the 289 gauges are different and need a little harness surgery to make them work. Crap. Wiring isn’t my strong suit.
Ugh hit a little snag tonight. Got the gauges installed in the dash along with the switches. I’m just not happy with how the supplied vinyl looks. I will probably be taking it all apart and sourcing new material for the dash. Has anyone used a different material for the dash. I want to keep a standard black look.
Did you get the padded or non-padded vinyl? I somehow ended up with a piece of each. I used the non-padded stuff and was happy with how it turned out. Other builders have used leather, wood, etc.
FFR #8833 289 FIA 3-link
1965 289, TKO600 from Forte's Parts Connection
Body and Paint by Mike's Auto Restoration
Picked up 3/5/2016, First start 4/22/2017, MA legal 7/11/2018
Build Thread http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/showt...FIA-build-8833
"Insanity is contagious" - Joseph Heller
Did you get the padded or non-padded vinyl? I somehow ended up with a piece of each. I used the non-padded stuff and was happy with how it turned out. Other builders have used leather, wood, etc.
I used the padded stuff included in the kit. I did a little searching and it seems a lot of guys use a piece of vinyl from JoAnne’s with either no padding or a piece of felt behind the vinyl. I think i would prefer no padding. I went through your build thread and your dash has a smoother finish i like.
I am following the lead of EdwardBs anniversary build and using leather on my dash. I actually purchased a hide from this place. https://leatherhidesonline.com/
This foam backing is thin and sourced from here. https://www.yourautotrim.com/1thscfo.html
I'm using the additional leather for the door panels and possibly the transmission tunnel.
I am following the lead of EdwardBs anniversary build and using leather on my dash. I actually purchased a hide from this place. https://leatherhidesonline.com/
This foam backing is thin and sourced from here. https://www.yourautotrim.com/1thscfo.html
I'm using the additional leather for the door panels and possibly the transmission tunnel.
What is the cost involved using leather? Nevermind i see it listed in the link.
This weekend i was able to finish up the 3-link upper link. Thanks to factory five for sending me out the hardware so quickly that I lost. Getting the 3-link wrapped up allowed me to finish the trunk aluminum. I finished building the -6AN fuel lines an ran them from the tank to the engine compartment.
Started installing the Breeze front mount batter box as well. I had to go out and buy a few tools for this install. I didn't have the taps needed or a 90 degree drill. Yay, more tools!
Finally, i wasn't happy with the FFR supplied dash padding. Took apart my dash and the wife and i made a trip to JoAnn's Fabric store for some black vinyl. $15 for 10 yards! Haha i have some extra. One crucial mistake.......i took my wife to JoAnn's, so my $15 turned into $125 real quick. Happy wife, happy life. I was able to glue down the new vinyl and we'll see how it looks tonight.
Picked up my short block Friday evening from FedEx freight. Of course it was during a downpour and i was soaked. I was worried about how went the short block would get, but when i got home and started unwrapping it i was pleasantly surprised about how well Creb Engineering had packaged everything. Multiple layers of boxing and plastic wrap kept everything bone dry. I'll upload pictures this afternoon.
Bguetter
Have you fitted the body on with the wheels and tires yet? Just wondering how they fit with the body on. Im looking into wheels now and am sizing based on your same wheels and axel width
Build School: July 14-16, 2017
Kit purchased: July 25, 2017
Kit delivered: September 13, 2017
First Start: December 22, 2018
Body painted and kit completed and drivable: July 2019 (but still not done)
CA SB100 Registration: January 2020
Mk4 - 289 USRRC Roadster kit, Roush 427SR with Schneider Racing custom camshaft, Fitech EFI, TKO600 (.64-5th gear), 15" wheels, stock brake calipers, under car exhaust with Spintech 7000 muffler, no roll bar, Russ Thompson turn signal, removable steering wheel, and many other small upgrades and modifications
I used the padded stuff included in the kit. I did a little searching and it seems a lot of guys use a piece of vinyl from JoAnne’s with either no padding or a piece of felt behind the vinyl. I think i would prefer no padding. I went through your build thread and your dash has a smoother finish i like.
Sorry, I'm a little late to the party. What did the original FIA/USRRC cars have for a panel covering. In the homebuilt aviation world, we would often just paint the panel with black crinkle paint.
Is that a 306? creb did mine and it’s a work of art. Solid as a rock, and pulls like a freight train.
Last edited by chuckster; 09-03-2018 at 07:39 PM.
Reason: Left out a ?
“Privateer”
289 USRRC Chassis #9188 p/u 9/11/2017 Go kart 3/18/2018, road legal 6/16/2018
Ford full roller 306 built by my son and me Holley Sniper EFI
TKO600 2015 IRS 3:55. 17” FFR Hallibrand replicas, Power steering
FFR Vintage instruments, Wipers and Heat/defrost
Lots of parts and advice from Mike Forte & Mark Reynolds (Breeze Automotive)
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Originally Posted by cnutting
