Steve's MK IV Coyote Build

[stevencj67]

Outstanding car. The mods you made were great, although I wonder if I could accomplish the same outcomes. :-) What an inspiration. Love the color btw.

[wareaglescott]

Congrats on a great build Steve. Really enjoyed following this one from start to finish. You really did a spectacular job. Wishing you many happy miles. Keep updating us on the car periodically.

[Jeff Kleiner]

Fantastic job Steve!

Enjoy it

Jeff

[stevant]

Great Job Steve.......... always enjoy the drive!!!

[CVOBill]

Looks great Steve.

[Higgybulin]

Loved all the mods you did, car looks fabulous! ENJOY!!!!

[Straversi]

Thanks for all of the kind words. The guidance and well wishes I have received from all you forum members along the way has meant a great deal to me. Hopefully I will get a chance to meet more of you out on the road.

-Steve

[WIS89]

Steve-

My most sincere congratulations!! She turned out beautifully! There are so many details that you added that make a huge difference.

Well done, and I wish you nothing but success and enjoyment with her! Beautiful car!!

Regards,

Steve

[Duck62]

Very nice. I am getting some great ideas!

[Straversi]

Congrats on a great build Steve. Really enjoyed following this one from start to finish. You really did a spectacular job. Wishing you many happy miles. Keep updating us on the car periodically.

Scott,
We received our sequential kits about a month apart and even though the major components were the same, you managed to get yours on the road a year and a half sooner. What that meant to me was that you asked, answered and documented just about every question I had before I got there. Thanks for paving the way.

-Steve

[Straversi]

Congrats Steve. Seemed like I was reading your last few posts in warp speed..excited for your finish. Looks great!! I'm definitely going to think about your iphone mod. Have to get something going there as well.

One of the simplest mods done but one of the more useful. Since the idea came to me after I got the painted body back I almost blew it off. Glad I didn't.

-Steve

[Straversi]

Outstanding car. The mods you made were great, although I wonder if I could accomplish the same outcomes. :-) What an inspiration. Love the color btw.

I'm a first time builder myself so if I can do it, so can you. I will admit that I have a very large scrap pile under my work table. Many of the modifications on the car are second and third attempts. Enjoy the process, even the failures.
-Steve

[BadAsp427]

Steve, your car is awesome. This build thread was the very first one that I started to read when I started looking into the MK4. I was so impressed with what I was seeing you do that I knew this was for me. Thanks for the fantastic ideas.

[Straversi]

Steve, your car is awesome. This build thread was the very first one that I started to read when I started looking into the MK4. I was so impressed with what I was seeing you do that I knew this was for me. Thanks for the fantastic ideas.

Carl, Thank you. That's about the greatest thing anyone has ever told me. I'm humbled.

I gleaned inspiration from Dave Hodgkins, EdwardB, Wareagle Scott, Gumball Chris and many, many others. Anything I have done that helped you take a step closer to your dream was my pleasure and honor.

Keep posting. We are enjoying watching your 20th anniversary edition come to life.

-Steve

[RR20AC]

Fantastic seeing you and your car at Huntington Beach as a work in progress. You got an award then and now the quality of your build just shines through all that paint and body work that Jeff Miller did to try and cover it all up. Thanks for all the updates and can't wait to see some videos of you and your car out and about. Jim

[cgundermann]

Absolutely beautiful! Love the ingenuity in your build - now go have fun!

Chris

[Vspeeds]

Steve

You've created a gorgeous car. Your attention to detail is impeccable.

If ever you come up to visit you brother (and hopefully with your car), give me a call.

Eddie

[BadAsp427]

Lots of small projects in progress as I get close to the finish line.

I mounted a driveline hoop from Metco. Luckily they had one in stock so I didn't have to wait for them to process a batch. Simple and straight forward installation.



-Steve

Steve, I just did a search for the Metco drive line hoop and of course there are many different ones for different applications. Do you have the item/part # for this one? Thanks. Carl

[Straversi]

Steve, I just did a search for the Metco drive line hoop and of course there are many different ones for different applications. Do you have the item/part # for this one? Thanks. Carl

The Metco part number is MDL2500.

-Steve

[Straversi]

Steve

You've created a gorgeous car. Your attention to detail is impeccable.

If ever you come up to visit you brother (and hopefully with your car), give me a call.

Eddie

Thanks Eddie and yes, count on it. I’d love to see your project.
-Steve.

[Papa]

Steve,

Absolutely fantastic and definitely one-of-a-kind. Excellent job!

Dave

[BadAsp427]

Carl, Thank you. That's about the greatest thing anyone has ever told me. I'm humbled.

I gleaned inspiration from Dave Hodgkins, EdwardB, Wareagle Scott, Gumball Chris and many, many others. Anything I have done that helped you take a step closer to your dream was my pleasure and honor.

Keep posting. We are enjoying watching your 20th anniversary edition come to life.

-Steve

Steve, did you see my PM?

[Jazzman]

I sure hope you will be bringing your beautiful car to Huntington Beach next year! (Yeah, I know, it's only a 30 minute drive!! ) I just cannot wait to see your car. You did such a great job. It has been fun enjoying the build with you! So what's next for you?

[wareaglescott]

Scott,
We received our sequential kits about a month apart and even though the major components were the same, you managed to get yours on the road a year and a half sooner. What that meant to me was that you asked, answered and documented just about every question I had before I got there. Thanks for paving the way.

-Steve

Wow I don't think I even realized our cars were 1 number apart! So cool!!

[Straversi]

I sure hope you will be bringing your beautiful car to Huntington Beach next year! (Yeah, I know, it's only a 30 minute drive!! ) I just cannot wait to see your car. You did such a great job. It has been fun enjoying the build with you! So what's next for you?

Thanks Kevin,
I’ve walked in and trailered in; it will be nice to finally drive in to the HB Cruise in. I’ll be there.

What’s next? Don’t know. I have a friend building a plane in his hanger. I’ll help him a bit to satisfy my need to build, without actually spending money.

I have a soft spot for 69 mustangs and 240Zs but I’ve promised myself not to take on anything old without a lift and until I learn to weld. There are also plenty of projects I could do on the 64 Cadillac but that’s a hole with no bottom.

For now, I’ll tackle 2 years of “deferred maintenance” around the house.

I’m going to SEMA next month. Hopefully I can get through the FFR booth with my wallet in tact.
-Steve

[Boydster]

Nice work Steve. Machine looks really good.

[Kool AC]

Beautiful job Steve. Followed your build from the start, lot of good information and many great modifications that I may pirate for my own build.

Doug

[cnutting]

Very nice Steve, love the custom touches! I used a similar approach on my door cable for the side marker lights with the grommet and expando sleeve.

Enjoy the ride!

Chris

[broku518]

Great looking ride, so shiny!
I did the safety loop as well, just needed to add couple spacers and longer bolts. This was due to spacers under my tko600.

Now, go out and get stuck in traffic to see how your cooling and brakes works. Also, test out the trunk space by getting some groceries

[Straversi]

We were invited to a wedding in Malibu Saturday. My wife had a commitment out of town, so I had to go solo.

There is a stretch of Mulholland Hwy between Hwy 101 and Pacific Coast Hwy, through Malibu that is one of the greatest driving roads on the planet. Even though the roadster is not registered (final BAR inspection Oct 18th) I couldn't resist.

I drove to the wedding up 50 miles of stop-and-go I-405/Hwy 101. This is the worst driving road on the planet, but a good opportunity to give the clutch, cooling system, foot box vents and seat vents a thorough test. All passed.

I made sure to arrive a couple of hours early to put down some fun miles before the wedding. Sunday morning I was able to log in a few more hours of canyon driving and took the coast road home. Collected a couple hundred smiles and thumbs-ups along the way. Just a great weekend. Everything on the car functioned flawlessly. The Coyote is flat-out awesome.

Thought I'd post a couple of photos for inspiration for those still building.

Mulholland HWY - Check out those hair-pins.


Pacific Coast Hwy


-Steve

[BadAsp427]

Incredible view.... and the background scenery is not too bad either...

[stevant]

Checking off a few more projects.

When I had the body on for test fitting I realized that fitting the front splash shields was not something I wanted to do for the first time with a painted body. Since I have foot box vents I decided to install the splash shield with the body off, with cleco's for now.

Edit: I removed the photo. It was pointed out to me that I flipped the left and right splash shields. Oops. Didn't want my photo to lead anyone else down the wrong path.

So, at least I have my vent hoses in place passing through the splash panels. When I get the body in its final position I will trim the outside edges as needed. If I need to add material I'll use larger bulb seal or rivet pieces in place.

While I was working with the vent hose I decided to trim the Finish Line scoops and screen for the front. I trimmed the plastic scoop to fit the back of the body but the screen didn't look right so I reversed the order and shaped the screen first and then trimmed the plastic scoop to fit the trimmed screen.

I bent the outer shape by hand and then used a golf ball, forcing it forward from behind to get the screen to take a more rounded shape.





I followed EdwardB's lead and drilled and tapped my wheels and knock off hubs for the 10-24 x 3/4" set screws to hold the hubs in place. I was a little nervous about this modifications but it was easier that I thought.

I made a spacer ring out of .090 alum to take the place of the lug nut cover.



Several layers of HD tape to keep the drill motor from gouging the wheel paint. Even with the tape I almost dinged it. My first thought is always, what will this cost me if I screw it up. Fortunately, no harm was done.



Lots of cutting oil, frequent chip clearing and careful thread cutting.



I added a bead of construction mastic behind the hub as well. They feel pretty solid.

-Steve

Hey Steve,

How did you mount the two Finish Line vent screens for the front?

Thanks,

Steve

[Straversi]

Hi Steve,
I posted that same questions and several members responded that if you are only mounting the screens, a good bead of silicon will do the trick.

Since I was mounting the screens and the vent scoops, I used a tube of construction adhesive that I had lying around. I followed that up with an additional layer of bedliner just for looks. It is rock solid.





I have seen where some have added a couple of screws, but at this point I don't think it will be necessary.

-Steve

[stevant]

Thanks Steve!!!!

[Straversi]

I just hit the 1000 mile mark on the speedometer so I figured it was time for an update and a long overdue Graduation post (separate post).

My SB-100 registration process was uneventful thanks to Boat737 and others who have documented the process in great detail. I had my back up light zip-tied to my bumper since I hadn't determined its final location or if I was even going to keep it after the inspection. But, the brake and light inspector would not allow the temporary mount so I ran home and made a quick L-bracket that I riveted to the trunk floor. The light is minimalist (Grote DOT LED MicroNova clear).
Once installed, I decided to keep it in place. You don't notice it but it is amazingly bright when engaged.



With the BAR Inspector's "Smog Exempt for Life" sticker mounted, I had one last piece to fabricate, a small aluminum frame with a plexiglass face, to seal and cover the sticker on the firewall. Done! Registered and titled. With that, please Graduate #8901.



So now that I've been spending my Saturdays driving instead of building, 1,000 miles have accumulated quickly. So far, so good. Everything is functioning as expected.

I love this car! If I had to do it again, I wouldn't change a thing.

Love the Coyote/TKO-600/IRS drivetrain. Thank you Mike Forte.

I had a pretty good build plan in place when I started but I didn't have a strict budget or timeline and found myself at the forum's mercy to spend money on aftermarket options. Thanks to all of the forum vendors. I'm pretty sure I bought something from all of you and I am happy with the quality, service and responsiveness I received from all of the vendors. I won't list them all since they are all called out in this build thread as the components were installed.

I love the paint. Huge thanks to Jeff Miller! No matter what you do as a builder, the paint is what people notice first and last. Blue and white is not for everyone, but this is the car that I've seen in my head since I was a kid and now it sits in my garage. Still unbelievable.


Thank you to Paul (EdwardB). Your 20th anniversary build thread helped me and inspired me beyond description. Thanks to Dave Hodgkins, WareagleScott, Gumball, Jeff Kleiner and to the entire forum community. I would not have taken on this project if I hadn't come across this forum and realized that there would be an amazing level of help available if I got stuck.

Last of the thanks goes to Dave Smith and the FFR team. The MK-IV is a great car. If you buy one completed, you are getting an amazing machine. If you are fortunate enough to build one, what a fantastic experience.


Here is a photo and quick video of my completed car at one of my favorite spots. Not a bad place to be on New Year's Eve, 2018.



Short video.

https://youtu.be/Co8R7ivWN9I


Last Thoughts:

As I was packing up my receipts and documents I came across this magazine. I find it fitting to end this thread with the magazine that got this all started for me.



I had never bought or even seen a Kit Car Magazine before, but I saw this in a grocery store and the caption "You Can Do It" grabbed me. I bought it, read it cover-to-cover about a 100 times. I think I fished it out of the trash a dozen time as my wife couldn't believe I still wanted it. But this was the beginning of a great experience for me. This magazine unveiled the brand new Mark-IV, explained the SB-100 registration process, showed me that the wiring was doable and described the FFR community with a write up on the 4th annual Huntington Beach Cruise-In.





I think that was 7 or 8 years ago. When Dave Hodgkins showed me that you could modify these cars for the big and tall, there were no more barriers to overcome.


Lastly, thanks to my wife Dana. What was that...., order another one? Thanks dear!

-Steve

[Papa]

Again, Steve; beautiful car and equally beautiful New Years' weather. I'm jealous! It was -4 degrees this morning here.



Enjoy the car and all those thumbs-up. You've earned it!

Dave

[PeteMeindl]

Wow - looks fantastic, Steve! A setting to match the car, too! Congratulations.

[Paul2STL]

Steve,

Your car just looks gorgeous. I just skimmed through you build again and you did some awesome modifications. Your picks are making so excited about picking up my car this week from Jeff's same color but with silver strips. I have Gas-n-pipes on order also. Your picks are wanting me to order the bumpers also. Thanks for helping me spend more money LOL.

[Straversi]

C

Steve,

Your car just looks gorgeous. I just skimmed through you build again and you did some awesome modifications. Your picks are making so excited about picking up my car this week from Jeff's same color but with silver strips. I have Gas-n-pipes on order also. Your picks are wanting me to order the bumpers also. Thanks for helping me spend more money LOL.

Thanks, I love the silver stripes, BTW. Regarding spending money, I’m just returning the favor.
-Steve

[Straversi]

I've been noticing an increasingly strong gas odor each time I drove the car recently. It was coming from the fuel tank area but no drips. My gas gauge has never worked properly so dropping the tank has been on my list of things to do for a while but the smell made it a must.

When I dropped the tank, I immediately noticed fuel around the fuel gauge sending unit. Popped off the retaining ring and yep, the gasket had a nice twist in it.



I got a replacement at my local auto parts store. They only sell the gasket and retainer ring together $21. Thankfully the replacement gasket is slightly thicker so I don't think it will fold over like the original. I put a little gas on the gasket to lubricate it so the twisting retaining ring wouldn't grab it. I did that the first time around too but obviously it didn't work.



While I had the fuel level sending unit out, I put my ohm meter on the pins and cycled the float. It showed the proper 15-158 ohm range so I put it back in.

After I had it all back together my fuel gauge started working properly. Not ready to claim victory over the gas gauge yet but maybe the float was stuck or my connection was bad.


Side note: I covered my access panels when carpeting my trunk (looks pretty) thinking it's not that tough to drop a gas tank, should I ever have to get to the fuel pump. Easy to drop an empty gas tank, yes. Full gas tank, PITA. If I were to do it again, I'd keep those handy little access panels in place.

-Steve