I started to connect the E-brake cables below but ran into a snag. I am about 2-1/2" shy of being able to make that connection. I see in the manual where they talk about installing the Wilwood spacer if you are using their brakes. This spacer should give me the length I need, however I don't remember receiving these or inventorying them. I guess worst case I will just cut some pieces at work. They are just slotted brackets with holes on either side (but I will check with FFR first)...
I would also appreciate some feedback from some of the more experienced or further along builders about a "ballpark" location on the waterfall. I am trying to get a sense of where the seats will actually end up and I do know that the final dimension from the dash to the waterfall is critical but does someone have some information regarding an approximate location on the waterfall in relation to the door hinge attachment area or the crossbar that runs behind the tank? I have placed pics below just for reference...
At the advisement of several builders and this forum, I have tried to take heat & sound protection pretty seriously (and in some cases I may have even over done it). With that being said today I did purchase some heat shielding material to wrap the mufflers specifically. I was able to get that on today...
The material I purchased came in a roll 24" x 42" with (4) stainless steel clamps. I believe this kit was actually intended for (1) individual muffler, but I decided I would just cut it to length and then cut it in half and just cover the top portions of the mufflers and around the radii...
I was actually pretty impressed with how the material handled, cut and installed with the straps, I'll have to wait to comment on how it actually performs though...
I placed mine all up on the floor to alleviate any heat transfer into the floor pan. 20180519_220547.jpg
I have the Lizard Skin on the bottom of the aluminum and then I will be applying a self adhesive heat shield + FFR pre-cut heat shield and sound deadener on the top of the aluminum.
33' Hot Rod Coupe/Roadster (GEN 1), Fendered, Ford 302, 350hp, EFI, AOD, 4-Link, Double Adjustable Koni Coilovers, Split Rear Exhaust, Electric Power Steering, AC/Heat/Defrost, Moser 8.8"-3.55, Willwood Front/Rear Brakes, 18" x 8" Fronts/20" x 10" Rears, Ordered: 1.26.17, Arrived: 3.29.17, First Start: 7.2.18, Go Cart: 11.4.18 Paint/Body: 2.23.19, Back Home: 11.24.19, Completed: NEVER!; View More Pics @ https://starmobileone.com/
I have the Lizard Skin on the bottom of the aluminum and then I will be applying a self adhesive heat shield + FFR pre-cut heat shield and sound deadener on the top of the aluminum.
I am also planning on wrapping my muffler. Like you I also sprayed Lizard Skin sound control and ceramic insulation on the bottom of my floor pan. But I went more overboard than you because I also sprayed it on top of the floor pans as well. I also have the sound deadening mat and head shield from FFR as well.
Here is hoping that going overboard pays off and we don't have to worry about heat in the cars.
Are yall also using the kick filler panels and hinge/waterfall filler panels from KVC or something similar?
All this work to insulate for heat - I can't imagine it would be any worse than an air-cooled motorcycle. I could see the need for heat insulation, but I chuckle when yall talk about sound insulation on a fiberglass open-top car, but I guess if you're building a coupe with A/C these are bigger concerns.
-- Mike -- TxMike64 -- @TxMGarage Gen1.5 Hot Rod '33 #1094 (Stage 1) - 302/AOD '15 IRS - Quad Built - Build Thread
Are yall also using the kick filler panels and hinge/waterfall filler panels from KVC or something similar?
All this work to insulate for heat - I can't imagine it would be any worse than an air-cooled motorcycle. I could see the need for heat insulation, but I chuckle when yall talk about sound insulation on a fiberglass open-top car, but I guess if you're building a coupe with A/C these are bigger concerns.
I have seen these products but at this point have not purchased them. In my case, with the Roadster/Coupe, that is my exact concern with keeping the passenger compartment cool...as you know, we don't need any additional help heating up this area here in Texas .
Thanks
33' Hot Rod Coupe/Roadster (GEN 1), Fendered, Ford 302, 350hp, EFI, AOD, 4-Link, Double Adjustable Koni Coilovers, Split Rear Exhaust, Electric Power Steering, AC/Heat/Defrost, Moser 8.8"-3.55, Willwood Front/Rear Brakes, 18" x 8" Fronts/20" x 10" Rears, Ordered: 1.26.17, Arrived: 3.29.17, First Start: 7.2.18, Go Cart: 11.4.18 Paint/Body: 2.23.19, Back Home: 11.24.19, Completed: NEVER!; View More Pics @ https://starmobileone.com/
I started to connect the E-brake cables below but ran into a snag. I am about 2-1/2" shy of being able to make that connection. I see in the manual where they talk about installing the Wilwood spacer if you are using their brakes. This spacer should give me the length I need, however I don't remember receiving these or inventorying them. I guess worst case I will just cut some pieces at work. They are just slotted brackets with holes on either side (but I will check with FFR first)...
Just as a follow up on this. We all seem to take our frustrations out on FFR occasionally as we hit some walls (I know I have at least). I sent an email about the missing spacers to Tony & Dan yesterday morning and by noon I had a Fedex Tracking number. So far my experiences & support by Factory Five have been awesome! Thanks guys!
33' Hot Rod Coupe/Roadster (GEN 1), Fendered, Ford 302, 350hp, EFI, AOD, 4-Link, Double Adjustable Koni Coilovers, Split Rear Exhaust, Electric Power Steering, AC/Heat/Defrost, Moser 8.8"-3.55, Willwood Front/Rear Brakes, 18" x 8" Fronts/20" x 10" Rears, Ordered: 1.26.17, Arrived: 3.29.17, First Start: 7.2.18, Go Cart: 11.4.18 Paint/Body: 2.23.19, Back Home: 11.24.19, Completed: NEVER!; View More Pics @ https://starmobileone.com/
Are yall also using the kick filler panels and hinge/waterfall filler panels from KVC or something similar?
All this work to insulate for heat - I can't imagine it would be any worse than an air-cooled motorcycle. I could see the need for heat insulation, but I chuckle when yall talk about sound insulation on a fiberglass open-top car, but I guess if you're building a coupe with A/C these are bigger concerns.
I purchased both but I have only installed the front panels so far. They make a perfect platform to mount things to, like the accelerator pedal, ECM, etc., and an extra heat shield. IMG_1147.JPGIMG_1172.JPGI like them a lot and like everything Tim sells they fit perfectly.
33 Hot Rod (Gen 1) Stage 1 delivered on 4/27/2017, Stage 2 delivered on 9/21/2018
LS3 495hp/480 lb. ft., 4L70E, Electric PS, Classic Auto Air, Lokar electronic sport shifter, 13 inch Wilwood front and 11.68 Cobra rear brakes, Ford 8.8 w 3.73 w 4 link, Billet Specialty Legend Series MAG wheels and Mickey Thompson
Sportsman S/R 26x8x18 front and 29x18x20 rear tires.
Took some time yesterday just to clean up the shop a little. I had tools laying everywhere and it was getting to the point that I couldn't find what I needed when I needed it. I have a few aluminum brackets and a cover panel that I will need to make, so I picked up a hand brake at the local "economical" tool store yesterday. I mounted it to a table and made a few mods to it and I think it will do what I need it to. Not bad for $60...
Early on the build I had purchased some Exhaust Wrap not knowing whether I would use it or not. This morning I decided I would go ahead and install it on from the collector on the headers back to the muffler. I used the 2" wrap and it was ok to work with but if I had it to do over again I would probably go with the 1" as I think it would be easier to work around the curves with. I let is soak in water for just a few minutes before installing so it would be a little more pliable...
Little bit of a rainy day today, so I thought I'd crank the radio a little and do some "relaxing" work. I purchased a box of 12" x 23" x .065" thick heat/sound deadener to put on the trans tunnel and the aluminum (I am also putting in the FFR Heat/Sound deadener as well). I cleaned up the left and right side trans tunnel (I had cut mine in half) and the trans tunnel cover with just some 80 grit and scotch brite. There probably wasn't a need to do this but I wanted to knock down some of the high points on the glass work I had done earlier too. This product was really easy to work with, it cut with a utility knife and I did break down and buy the wooden roller which was extremely useful too. All in all it took a little less than 3-1/2 sheets for me to cover the entire trans tunnel and cover.
I started with the cover as I thought it would be easier to work on (by the way I have never installed this material before, it will show in the pics)...
Make sure when you are working with this stuff that you save every little piece until you have finished. I bet I was able to use about 98% of my sheets...
All in all things went pretty well. I ended up using 1/4-20 rivnuts on the trans tunnel sides to connect the cover and that was actually the greatest challenge . I don't know why I struggle using the rivet tool FFR provided when I install rivnuts. I must be setting something up wrong. I consider myself to be someone of average strength and it always takes everything I have to get those rivnuts installed!
One last thing on the Heat/Sound barrier, it is actually a pretty cool looking material. I just wonder if anyone had considered covering the entire body of a vehicle in this stuff? It would definitely add a considerable amount of weight. Who knows I may pass on the Cowboy theme and go for the Apollo 13 look instead......Just kiddin'!
33' Hot Rod Coupe/Roadster (GEN 1), Fendered, Ford 302, 350hp, EFI, AOD, 4-Link, Double Adjustable Koni Coilovers, Split Rear Exhaust, Electric Power Steering, AC/Heat/Defrost, Moser 8.8"-3.55, Willwood Front/Rear Brakes, 18" x 8" Fronts/20" x 10" Rears, Ordered: 1.26.17, Arrived: 3.29.17, First Start: 7.2.18, Go Cart: 11.4.18 Paint/Body: 2.23.19, Back Home: 11.24.19, Completed: NEVER!; View More Pics @ https://starmobileone.com/
I purchased a replacement brake pedal to match the accelerator pedal I had installed, but I didn't really care for the black Wilwood E-Coat finish on the pedal lever. So I took to work and had them blast the e-coat off the pedal lever and then I proceeded to drill and tap for the 1/2-20 set screw that allows you to attach the pedal. The pilot hole was no issue, however the bit for the tap was a little longer and I didn't have enough throw in my small press to use the same set up, so I ended up red-necking it as you can see in the pics. In the end, I think it came out looking alright. The rough surface from the blast is a little more aggressive than I had intended, but I prefer the aluminum look as opposed to the black. Since I am running an automatic and have the extra clutch pedal lever, I am going to cut both pedals at the same location (high up) and then tig them back together with a slight offset toward the driver side. This will give just a little more room between the accelerator pedal and brake pedal...
It's not the billet aluminum polished finish like the accelerator pedal, but I think I'll stick with it...unless I get a little more adventuresome and try and polish it....
33' Hot Rod Coupe/Roadster (GEN 1), Fendered, Ford 302, 350hp, EFI, AOD, 4-Link, Double Adjustable Koni Coilovers, Split Rear Exhaust, Electric Power Steering, AC/Heat/Defrost, Moser 8.8"-3.55, Willwood Front/Rear Brakes, 18" x 8" Fronts/20" x 10" Rears, Ordered: 1.26.17, Arrived: 3.29.17, First Start: 7.2.18, Go Cart: 11.4.18 Paint/Body: 2.23.19, Back Home: 11.24.19, Completed: NEVER!; View More Pics @ https://starmobileone.com/
Started out the morning working on the trans tunnel again. I installed the rivnuts in the aluminum floor panels so that I could remove the trans tunnel if need be later...
The cast aluminum finish of the brake pedal vs. the polished billet finish of the throttle pedal started eating at me at a little. So while I still had the brake pedal disassembled I went ahead and polished it the best I could and I ended up pretty happy with the results. It's not quite as shiny as the throttle pedal, but it's better than the cast aluminum look...
I was able to cover the drivers side floor pan last night with with heat shield. I opted to leave the pans in the vehicle to allow me to cut the reliefs required for the other overlapping panels. When I am all done, I will take them out and drill from the back side for the holes...
Over the last few weeks I had noticed some Transmission Fluid around the tail shaft of the Transmission. After wiping it dry several times now, I have confirmed with the supplier that the Output Shaft Seal will need to be replaced. Never done this before (and really the main reason I ordered Engine & Trans turnkey) but I understand things happen. So it is my understanding that I will just need to remove the driveshaft, pull the seal & replace with the new one......
The plan now is to probably go ahead and install the FFR pre-cut heat shield (which thinking back now I should have used as templates to cut the other heat shielding...) on the floor pan as well. It looks to be a little more durable. I will probably wait for now on the pre-cut sound deadener. I remove all the aluminum this weekend and get to the areas I haven't covered then. May even venture into changing out the trans seal.
33' Hot Rod Coupe/Roadster (GEN 1), Fendered, Ford 302, 350hp, EFI, AOD, 4-Link, Double Adjustable Koni Coilovers, Split Rear Exhaust, Electric Power Steering, AC/Heat/Defrost, Moser 8.8"-3.55, Willwood Front/Rear Brakes, 18" x 8" Fronts/20" x 10" Rears, Ordered: 1.26.17, Arrived: 3.29.17, First Start: 7.2.18, Go Cart: 11.4.18 Paint/Body: 2.23.19, Back Home: 11.24.19, Completed: NEVER!; View More Pics @ https://starmobileone.com/
The plan today was to try and get the FFR heat shielding installed and remove all the aluminum panels to allow for a little better access to remove the driveshaft and replace the ouput shaft seal. A pretty aggressive plan to begin with, but I did have a little (very little) help in the shop today...
I had first thought that I should have used these pieces as templates for the other heat shielding that I had already installed, but after working with these pieces I am glad I didn't. They are easy to work with, but in some areas they don't seem to have been cut correctly. I actually ended up going back with some duct tape in some areas and this material seems to really "flow" in the heat, so I went ahead and put some duct tape on the edges to keep it from getting too messy as I am sure I will have this panels in and out a few more times...
Thanks Jim, will probably do that before re-installing aluminum. I had also thought about putting in a heat shield between the muffler and the aluminum floor pan, but with this current set-up there just isn't any room. An aluminum plate between would essentially just remove any airspace between the two.
Last edited by JOP33; 09-17-2018 at 06:58 AM.
33' Hot Rod Coupe/Roadster (GEN 1), Fendered, Ford 302, 350hp, EFI, AOD, 4-Link, Double Adjustable Koni Coilovers, Split Rear Exhaust, Electric Power Steering, AC/Heat/Defrost, Moser 8.8"-3.55, Willwood Front/Rear Brakes, 18" x 8" Fronts/20" x 10" Rears, Ordered: 1.26.17, Arrived: 3.29.17, First Start: 7.2.18, Go Cart: 11.4.18 Paint/Body: 2.23.19, Back Home: 11.24.19, Completed: NEVER!; View More Pics @ https://starmobileone.com/
So as previously mentioned, I had an Output Shaft Seal leak on my AOD Transmission. I had noticed it leaking over the course of the last few weeks. I finally got the seal and dove into the removal and replacement of it. By far, the most difficult thing was getting the driveshaft back in. I swear that almost every attempt of trying to get it past the chassis in the rear and the loop up front ended up with me being just 1/8" to a 1/4" away from it going in.... I was finally able to twist the front yoke and rotate as I was inserting it in past the loop meanwhile flipping and rotating the rear flange at the same time. Definitely could have used an extra set of hands on this one, but when it was all said and done...it was done. It didn't make things any easier that everything was painted as well.
I think I will probably need some spacers as I haven't set the ride height yet, but I am hoping nothing too problematic. I played around with some different ideas as far as wheels go, but I just couldn't bring myself to spending $1000 a wheel.... So I opted for the Cragars and cut my wheel & tire budget by 50%. Momma's happy & Daddy too... IMG_5051.jpg
Tires & wheels will only stay on for a day or two, then rollers are back on. There's a few things I want to finish up while I have the aluminum out and then I hope to have it back in by the end of the weekend. I then need to check out all the gauges and make sure the fan engages when it is suppose to. Then I have a punch list I'll work through prior to go-karting.
33' Hot Rod Coupe/Roadster (GEN 1), Fendered, Ford 302, 350hp, EFI, AOD, 4-Link, Double Adjustable Koni Coilovers, Split Rear Exhaust, Electric Power Steering, AC/Heat/Defrost, Moser 8.8"-3.55, Willwood Front/Rear Brakes, 18" x 8" Fronts/20" x 10" Rears, Ordered: 1.26.17, Arrived: 3.29.17, First Start: 7.2.18, Go Cart: 11.4.18 Paint/Body: 2.23.19, Back Home: 11.24.19, Completed: NEVER!; View More Pics @ https://starmobileone.com/
Thanks! I went with Cragar 18" x 8" in the front and 20" x 10" in the back...for tires I opted for Michelin High Performance and was out the door with mounting, balancing and locking lugs for less than $2200. I thought that was a pretty good deal. As mentioned earlier, I am probably going to need some spacers, but I am happy with my choice so far.
33' Hot Rod Coupe/Roadster (GEN 1), Fendered, Ford 302, 350hp, EFI, AOD, 4-Link, Double Adjustable Koni Coilovers, Split Rear Exhaust, Electric Power Steering, AC/Heat/Defrost, Moser 8.8"-3.55, Willwood Front/Rear Brakes, 18" x 8" Fronts/20" x 10" Rears, Ordered: 1.26.17, Arrived: 3.29.17, First Start: 7.2.18, Go Cart: 11.4.18 Paint/Body: 2.23.19, Back Home: 11.24.19, Completed: NEVER!; View More Pics @ https://starmobileone.com/
Just got a few small things done in the shop today. Since I had taken the E-brake out with the aluminum flooring, I decided to clean up the flash rust that had accumulated on the surface and go ahead and hit it with some paint. This was more about just protecting the surface a little than aesthetics, so I just used some Krylon "rattle can" prime/paint. I cleaned up the laser tabs that were still on the parts from FFR and then knocked off the oxidation on the edge of the parts from the laser cut so that the paint would adhere with some green Scotchbrite.
Also took Jim's advice and wrapped the exhaust coming out of the muffler and extending under the seat. This is the second time I have used this product on the car and it is very workable. I soak it in water before wrapping so I can stretch it good and tight around the pipes...
I purchased some thin gasket material from McMaster Carr that I am going to try and attach in the gap around the firewall and transmission housing. I don't know exactly how I am going to attach it just yet (hook & loop or maybe just sandwich in between the trans cover and the firewall with some screws), but I thought it may help keep some dust and trash from getting up into that area. I'll post additional pics if I get it figured out......
So much like my Cowboys Offense this evening, my productivity today was a little less than impressive! I was able to get the E-brake re-assembled (not back in the car yet, but it's back together). Then I also needed to get some heat shielding and sound deadener against the firewall behind were I had placed an auxillary fuse block in the passenger's side floor board. I also took the time to get the measurements for the final "fuse block" cabinet as well as a cover. I drew it up in CAD and hope to get it cut and formed this week. I put the driver's side floor pan back in the car and started attaching it with the 10-32 pan head screws. I am sure this will not be the final time for this to go in, but I did want to make sure that all the holes still lined up and as I tightened them down I took the time to clean up some of the excess "tar" that was being pressed out. As stated earlier, nothing to grand today, but hope to make some more progress this week and I am also hopeful that the weather will be nice for the big Good Guys Show this weekend...Looking forward to seeing many locals out there and hopefully a few 33's!
Are yall also using the kick filler panels and hinge/waterfall filler panels from KVC or something similar?
All this work to insulate for heat - I can't imagine it would be any worse than an air-cooled motorcycle. I could see the need for heat insulation, but I chuckle when yall talk about sound insulation on a fiberglass open-top car, but I guess if you're building a coupe with A/C these are bigger concerns.
I have the KVC panels, they add a nice touch. These are not the finished look, trying to decide on the anodized fasteners or the upholstered ones. and the entire effect is much better than this initial rough in. These things cover a lot of unfitted looking area that is clearly visible. One added bonus I have considered is putting a little pull out vent on each to warm feet in the winter.
Also replaced the floor pans. I will offer my opinion on this too...if I had this to do over, I would wait until all aluminum panels were covered in the sound/heat protection before drilling any holes in the chassis. I had several instances that due to the change in fit up from either the Lizard Skin or the FFR Sound/Heat Shield, I either had to shave material away or make adjustments for the fit to work...
I was able to get a few small things done this morning. My homemade fuel vapor canister has just been hanging from some zip ties, so I decided to do something a little more permanent and rigid with it. I ended up just using zinc plated conduit hangers and attached it to the back wall of the passenger compartment. I sealed the top connection on the pvc but left the bottom loose so that the charcoal filters could be replaced at a later date if needed...
I also wanted to get the transmission tunnel finally attached to the firewall (were I could), so since I had used 10-32 screws to attach the firewall, I purchased some 10-32 rivnuts. I ended up installing the rivnuts on the trans tunnel and then drilling thru the firewall for the screws. It ended up working out pretty well, but I hate when I have to drill thru the firewall (since it has already been coated). Since the gas and brake pedals were already installed a came up with set-up to allow me to drill the firewall in a confined space...
So, the horn contact in the Steering Wheel adapter had been damaged (possibly when I initially installed it, but I can't be certain), meaning that I couldn't just re-attach the Steering Wheel and move forward...I must remove the adapter and fix the contact on the horn wire. A little shocked when I realized that there are NO threaded holes in the adapter (except the small ones to attach the actual Steering Wheel) to all for a puller. I attached the Steering Wheel back on to the adapter and tried rocking it back to and fro from the 3 and 9 o'clock position...no luck. I then tried tapping the Steering Wheel spokes from behind with a dead blow hammer...still nothing. At that point, I broke down and went to the local low-budget tooling store and purchased the most expensive Steering Wheel puller they had ($34), as I wasn't sure what configuration I would need to pull this thing off. Once I got home with it, it became clear to me that this one was not going to work, so back to the store I went. This time I purchased the cheapest puller they had ($14) made more for hub, pulleys, etc., and headed back to the house. Well, not actually to the house just yet, I also had to stop at the local more high dollar hardware store as I knew that since there were no threaded holes in the adapter the only place I could grab it from would be the Steering Wheel spokes themselves ...and this would require some nuts to put on the 5/16 bolts supplied with the puller. So after getting home I spent the next half hour coming up with a configuration of bolts to nuts to washers that would allow me to grab the spokes for pulling. All I had to do now was tighten the center lug down and hop and pray I didn't bend the spokes...and it worked (with minimal damage to the back side of the Wheel). After removing the adapter the plastic fitting had to come off so I could verify what was wrong with the connector. This was done by removing the snap ring and allowing the spring to POP it the rest of the way up. BTW, when and if you have to pull or remove your Steering Wheel leave the nut holding it on threaded on the stud just a few turns, this will keep it from hit you when you finally are able to pull it off. Once all of this was off, I was able to determine that the wire had just pulled out of the small round contact that sits in the plastic piece. After soldering this back on, I replaced the plastic piece (I had marked it previously with a sharpie so I could get it back to the same position), put the snap ring on and used a socket to tap it back down, re-installed the adapter (I used some anti-seize this time) and then the Steering Wheel...
I also was going to go ahead and mount the seats to the floor and chassis today. I had opted to not use the Simpson harness that FFR provides with the kit (my lack of patience overrode my need for safety), so instead I just picked up some lap belts from the local top of the mountain store and installed them prior to the seats going in... IMG_5176.jpg
I placed both seats in the car and then marked where the tubing was with a wax pencil and then used a sharpie to mark where the tubes on the seat crossed the tubes on the chassis, this is where I ended up drilling the (4) holes... IMG_5177.jpg
I used an 1/8" bit (like the manual tells you to) until I broke it and then went a littler larger. I set a drill stop on the bit to about 1-3/4" so I wouldn't go too deep. Once I was through the seat tubes, floor and chassis tubes, I went back with a larger bit to allow for clearance for the seat hardware supplied in the kit. The yellow circles mark the holes for the seat... IMG_5178.jpg
Getting close to go karting (probably next weekend), just have a few things to work on and tighten up. Need to confirm that the fan cuts in when it should. My thought on this (since it is controlled by the EFI) is that I will go into the EFI setting and change the cut in to 100 degrees, so that if it doesn't work the temperature is not so high that it will damage the engine. In theory this all sounds good to me, but I would appreciate some feedback here. Like to have a backup plan as well. How do most builders handle checking the fan engagement at proper temperature without chancing that it may not engage?
Thanks
33' Hot Rod Coupe/Roadster (GEN 1), Fendered, Ford 302, 350hp, EFI, AOD, 4-Link, Double Adjustable Koni Coilovers, Split Rear Exhaust, Electric Power Steering, AC/Heat/Defrost, Moser 8.8"-3.55, Willwood Front/Rear Brakes, 18" x 8" Fronts/20" x 10" Rears, Ordered: 1.26.17, Arrived: 3.29.17, First Start: 7.2.18, Go Cart: 11.4.18 Paint/Body: 2.23.19, Back Home: 11.24.19, Completed: NEVER!; View More Pics @ https://starmobileone.com/