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Yes, I actually cut at the ends of the sleeve right at the end of the hex shape as it transitions into round. I cut off both ends so that it would match. Then I cut off about 3/8-7/16 off of the one end. I did not cut the solid end on the ball joint bracket. I figured that I really did not need to worry about not having enough threads as even with the cuts, I'm almost bottomed out to get to the 7* In fact, at the bottomed out point I was about 8.5* so I was happy with it there...
NOTE: THIS PHOTO IS ONE FROM MY DRIVERS SIDE but on the passenger side it is set up like this with the rear of the vehicle to the left of the photo.
Drivers Side Front modification.jpg
Mk4 20th Anniversary #8690 (#8 of 20) Purchased 8/18/18----Build Started 8/19/18
Build Thread Click Here / Registry Entry Click Here / BluePrint Engines 347ci / TKO600
Carb/Heater/Heated Seats/Cruise Control/Drop Trunk & Battery/Custom Cubby
Yes, I actually cut at the ends of the sleeve right at the end of the hex shape as it transitions into round. I cut off both ends so that it would match. Then I cut off about 3/8-7/16 off of the one end. I did not cut the solid end on the ball joint bracket. I figured that I really did not need to worry about not having enough threads as even with the cuts, I'm almost bottomed out to get to the 7* In fact, at the bottomed out point I was about 8.5* so I was happy with it there...
My curiosity got the better of me, and I wanted to see if I could get away with not cutting the threaded shafts of the UCA's, just shave off a bit from the adjuster sleeves. I made up an "X-Ray Vision" tube from some 3/4" EMT, to simulate the adjuster sleeve. I basically removed the machined/turned down ends of the sleeves.
**Note** If you look at one end of the sleeve, there's a groove machined into the round surface. This is the L.H. threaded end. Re-mark or pay attention upon re-assembly after cutting the sleeves.
017.jpg 018.jpg
The solution seems to be pretty consistent... I'd be pro-active and just do the mod now!
Last edited by Fixit; 04-07-2019 at 06:32 AM.
John D. - Minneapolis 'Burbs
1965 El Camino - LT-1, 4L60e, 4wh discs, SC&C susp.
2013 F-150 Platinum - Twin Turbo 3.5
2018 Mk4 Roadster w/ Coyote - #9365 - Build Thread Delivery 7/3/18, 1st Start 1/4/19, 1st Road Mile 5/5/19, Legal 6/18/19, In Paint 2/25/21, Done (?) 4/2021
Mk4 20th Anniversary #8690 (#8 of 20) Purchased 8/18/18----Build Started 8/19/18
Build Thread Click Here / Registry Entry Click Here / BluePrint Engines 347ci / TKO600
Carb/Heater/Heated Seats/Cruise Control/Drop Trunk & Battery/Custom Cubby
John/Jeff/Carl, thanks for all the great info, specs and pics. Did the mod tonight, slapped some anti-freeze in the sleeves and packaged it all back up.
MKIV Complete Kit #9494 l Delivered 1/5/19 l First Start 11/28/20 l First Go-kart 4/11/21 l Carb'd 347 l Mid-shift TKO600 l 3.55 IRS l P/S l Forte Mechanical Throttle Linkage l RT Turn Signal, Drop Trunk l Breeze Upper/Lower Radiator Support, Fan Shroud l Boig Upper/Lower Cool Tubes & Quiet Pipes l 18" FFR Gasser Wheels l Build Thread
Anti-Seize right????
Mk4 20th Anniversary #8690 (#8 of 20) Purchased 8/18/18----Build Started 8/19/18
Build Thread Click Here / Registry Entry Click Here / BluePrint Engines 347ci / TKO600
Carb/Heater/Heated Seats/Cruise Control/Drop Trunk & Battery/Custom Cubby
MKIV Complete Kit #9494 l Delivered 1/5/19 l First Start 11/28/20 l First Go-kart 4/11/21 l Carb'd 347 l Mid-shift TKO600 l 3.55 IRS l P/S l Forte Mechanical Throttle Linkage l RT Turn Signal, Drop Trunk l Breeze Upper/Lower Radiator Support, Fan Shroud l Boig Upper/Lower Cool Tubes & Quiet Pipes l 18" FFR Gasser Wheels l Build Thread
Of all the knuckleheads on this forum, you're one of the few I'll trust... but i still gotta prove it to myself. Can't get away from the ingrained machinist gotta know - believe it when I see it mentality.
John D. - Minneapolis 'Burbs
1965 El Camino - LT-1, 4L60e, 4wh discs, SC&C susp.
2013 F-150 Platinum - Twin Turbo 3.5
2018 Mk4 Roadster w/ Coyote - #9365 - Build Thread Delivery 7/3/18, 1st Start 1/4/19, 1st Road Mile 5/5/19, Legal 6/18/19, In Paint 2/25/21, Done (?) 4/2021
So... as I'm sitting in a hotel room in Monrovia CA... 60+ deg's - while my wife is calling me asking where the heat gun is to thaw the frozen kitchen pipes (-25F ambient)... should I feel bad??
John D. - Minneapolis 'Burbs
1965 El Camino - LT-1, 4L60e, 4wh discs, SC&C susp.
2013 F-150 Platinum - Twin Turbo 3.5
2018 Mk4 Roadster w/ Coyote - #9365 - Build Thread Delivery 7/3/18, 1st Start 1/4/19, 1st Road Mile 5/5/19, Legal 6/18/19, In Paint 2/25/21, Done (?) 4/2021
Welcome to California John! It was 70 here yesterday 2 hours north of you in Bakersfield. Today it’s pouring rain and 55.
You can feel sorry for her for a minute...but enjoy it while you can. I feel sorry for you that you have to go back to that
And everybody else that has to live and work in that stuff. I grew up in SoCal and this is about as far away as I wanna get from there.
Kurt
If everything seems under control, you’re just not going fast enough....
Build thread
MKIV complete kit # 9395 delivered 7/31/18
Well the "supercold" is gone, and it got to +35 over the weekend... just nice enough to melt sheit and then REFREEZE. Now we're getting snow at about 1"/hr over ICE.
(Mother Nature is off her menopause meds again... hot/cold/hot/sweats/cold/whatever)
I was finishing up a control panel pre-build in the 40 Watt and needed some hydrocarbon therapy. Reached over and fired up #9365 for some NOISE and fumes!!
John D. - Minneapolis 'Burbs
1965 El Camino - LT-1, 4L60e, 4wh discs, SC&C susp.
2013 F-150 Platinum - Twin Turbo 3.5
2018 Mk4 Roadster w/ Coyote - #9365 - Build Thread Delivery 7/3/18, 1st Start 1/4/19, 1st Road Mile 5/5/19, Legal 6/18/19, In Paint 2/25/21, Done (?) 4/2021
It's been too damn cold to keep the heat up in the garage, and Mother Nature's been hitting us with anywhere from 2 to 6 inches of white stuff about every three days.
I was clearing the driveway (again) and the machine was snagging on the expansion joints like crazy...
After 10 years the front skids finally gave it up and wore through. Hey! I've got a project that generates heat!
skids 001.jpgskids 002.jpgskids 003.jpgskids 004.jpgskids 005.jpgskids 007.jpgskids 008.jpg
John D. - Minneapolis 'Burbs
1965 El Camino - LT-1, 4L60e, 4wh discs, SC&C susp.
2013 F-150 Platinum - Twin Turbo 3.5
2018 Mk4 Roadster w/ Coyote - #9365 - Build Thread Delivery 7/3/18, 1st Start 1/4/19, 1st Road Mile 5/5/19, Legal 6/18/19, In Paint 2/25/21, Done (?) 4/2021
Nice work! My snow blower has been working hard this winter as well. Almost a whiteout here just south of the Wisconsin border now. Need to get the drive cleared again because the Factory Five truck will be here on Tuesday!
MKIV #9542 Complete Kit, Coyote, IRS - Delivered - 2/19/19, First start - 9/8/19, Go Cart - 9/14/19
1965 Mustang Convertible 4v 289
Build Thread HERE
Been a LONG time since an update... better part of 1-1/2 months (being 3 pages down on the thread proves this!) Between Mother Nature's tantrums and my work schedule there's been no time to tinker on #9365.
(In all honesty this has been a good thing. I've found that on any major project, be it recreational or other - you just have to "walk away" from it from time to time. Clear your head, clean the shop, regroup, and use the time for doing something else.)
I did have one Roadster-related day earlier this month. The guys & gals in my Chevelle Club have been nudging me to host a "Show N Tell" day at the 40 Watt Garage. They've all been very interested in the build, and now that the car is on it's wheels and runs, curiosity is high.
I highly recommend hosting a get-together at your shop. At the very least it'll force you to clean the place up, put tools away, and have some interaction (instead of being a garage hermit!).
Thank you's to "Mrs. Fixit" for making up a big crock-pot of chili and pan of cornbread, and not minding the crew tramping through the house!
ShowNTell_190309_01.png ShowNTell_190309_02.png ShowNTell_190309_03.png ShowNTell_190309_04.png (I'm the one in the FFR shirt)
John D. - Minneapolis 'Burbs
1965 El Camino - LT-1, 4L60e, 4wh discs, SC&C susp.
2013 F-150 Platinum - Twin Turbo 3.5
2018 Mk4 Roadster w/ Coyote - #9365 - Build Thread Delivery 7/3/18, 1st Start 1/4/19, 1st Road Mile 5/5/19, Legal 6/18/19, In Paint 2/25/21, Done (?) 4/2021
Good to see you back....
Mk4 20th Anniversary #8690 (#8 of 20) Purchased 8/18/18----Build Started 8/19/18
Build Thread Click Here / Registry Entry Click Here / BluePrint Engines 347ci / TKO600
Carb/Heater/Heated Seats/Cruise Control/Drop Trunk & Battery/Custom Cubby
Glad to see you back John. Great workshop!
MKIV Roadster - #9380 - Complete Kit - Delivered 7/17/18 - SOLD 5/2023
Build Thread #1: https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/show...V-Build-Thread
MKIV Roadster - #TBD - Complete Kit - Delivered 11/6/23 - In Progress
Build Thread #2: https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/show...Build-Thread-2
John-
I am certain it feels good to be back in the garage getting some items knocked off the checklist!
Chili and corn bread, mmmmm way to go Mrs. Fixit!! That's a sure way to keep folks happy.
Glad you are back at it, and I look forward to seeing your updates.
Regards,
Steve
That's great John, your shop looks very clean and organized. Gotta appreciate your wife!
MK4 #9130 , complete kit, arrived 8/10/2017, Street Legal 2/14/2020.
DART SHP 347, EFI, TKO600, IRS
http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/showt...n-Build-Thread
Chipping away at the "final" punchlist before getting the body down out of the rafters and starting on that ughknown...
One of the items was routing and locking down the front lighting harness to the frame tubes, and mounting the horns. Believe it or not this took the better part of a day!
I didn't want to run the PS side wiring across/along the bottom of the radiator, I wanted to run it across the top. Where RF/FFR cuts in and taps off for the PS is in the wrong place for across the top, so I had to do some surgery on the harness. This also enabled me to break out the horn wires where I mounted the horns.
F_Harness01.png This shows why I made the bracket for the Tilton reservoir as it is... built in wiring channel.
F_Harness02.png Along the DS "F" panel
F_Harness03.png Horns on the DS down-tube
F_Harness04.png Backside of horns
F_Harness05.png Across the upper radiator support using the screws for the upper mount
F_Harness06.png Down the PS tube
John D. - Minneapolis 'Burbs
1965 El Camino - LT-1, 4L60e, 4wh discs, SC&C susp.
2013 F-150 Platinum - Twin Turbo 3.5
2018 Mk4 Roadster w/ Coyote - #9365 - Build Thread Delivery 7/3/18, 1st Start 1/4/19, 1st Road Mile 5/5/19, Legal 6/18/19, In Paint 2/25/21, Done (?) 4/2021
Nice work John! I prefer to run across the top also...and...if you use the Breeze radiator cowl cover they'll be hidden (in addition to cleaning up the whole area and promoting better cooling).
https://www.breezeautomotive.com/sho...th-ffr-hinges/
Cheers,
Jeff
I've spend the last few days/surftime going over several threads about the initial body fitting process. This is what I've come away with:
- Install the foam stripping and bulb seal as described in the manual... however, it would be prudent to protect it in some way, either with poly sheet or something.
- protect the top edge & face of the dash from scuffing.
- the rolled lip of the dash and rear cockpit seem to cause some clearance issues.
- if possible, have 4 people on hand... one front, one rear, and one on each side.
Here's a question for y'all...
Should I just scribe a line about 3/8" to 7/16" back from the rolled edges of the front & rear of the cockpit opening, and trim off the excess body material? Clean up the factory edge to a known clean edge & eliminate the (possible) clearance issues before even setting the body on?
John D. - Minneapolis 'Burbs
1965 El Camino - LT-1, 4L60e, 4wh discs, SC&C susp.
2013 F-150 Platinum - Twin Turbo 3.5
2018 Mk4 Roadster w/ Coyote - #9365 - Build Thread Delivery 7/3/18, 1st Start 1/4/19, 1st Road Mile 5/5/19, Legal 6/18/19, In Paint 2/25/21, Done (?) 4/2021
My experience with two Mk4's is the following: The dash lip I trimmed straight and clean back even to the shortest point, and fits with adequate clearance. Did the same with the rear edge, but in both cases ended up taking more in order to fit the rear wall and carpet underneath. You end up with less than a full round on each end, but still looks fine. Just watch the first install on the dash of course. It should clear OK but as you said don't want to mess up your dash. The rear cockpit wall you may have off/on a couple times (I have) but if still just plain metal can't really hurt anything. The rear wall is flexible in the middle, but not so much on the ends of course by the shoulder belts. So needs to have adequate clearance.
Build 1: Mk3 Roadster #5125. Sold 11/08/2014. Build 2: Mk4 Roadster #7750. Sold 04/10/2017. Build Thread
Build 3: Mk4 Roadster 20th Anniversary #8674. Sold 09/07/2020. Build Thread and Video. Build 4: Gen 3 Type 65 Coupe #59. Gen 3 Coyote. Legal 03/04/2020. Build Thread and Video
Build 5: 35 Hot Rod Truck #138. LS3 and 4L65E auto. Rcvd 01/05/2021. Legal 04/20/2023. Build Thread. Sold 11/9/2023.
Thanks Paul & Jeff...
Another question:
I've installed the Breeze Cubby divider panel, per the instructions at about 11" back... but now I'm looking at it and it seems to be quite a bit taller/proud than the cockpit rear wall and the trunk hinge hoop.
Should the divider panel be the height/follow the contour as if I laid a straightedge from the cockpit wall onto the trunk hoop, or does the body rise in this space?
John D. - Minneapolis 'Burbs
1965 El Camino - LT-1, 4L60e, 4wh discs, SC&C susp.
2013 F-150 Platinum - Twin Turbo 3.5
2018 Mk4 Roadster w/ Coyote - #9365 - Build Thread Delivery 7/3/18, 1st Start 1/4/19, 1st Road Mile 5/5/19, Legal 6/18/19, In Paint 2/25/21, Done (?) 4/2021
Been getting home early, so I enlisted the help of Mrs. Fixit to get the body down out of the rafters. The last couple of days has been spent fitting the lamp housings, fuel filler, and then prepping & coating the underside of the body.
I had FFR cut the body openings. I think it was money well spent, they did a nice job. There is a "however"... the holes for the headlight buckets and lamp assemblies will take a little massaging to get perfect. They are a bit undersize for the buckets & housing to sit nice and flush to the body. Nothing that a carbide burr in the air die grinder didn't handle in a few seconds.
Lights01.png
I did a little custom mod to the fuel filler. I wanted the unit to sit in the fender with the hinge at 11:00, latch at 5:00... but this puts the drain hole at about 11:00, on the high-side (nothing will drain!). I went as far as taking the unit apart to try and "reclock" it. No go, the hole never wound up at the low point. Ok, fine - drill another hole.
Here's the custom part. I didn't want any spilled gas just dribbling out inside the fender. I cut the nipple off of an 1/8" hose barb, threaded it 1/4-28, drill the proper hole in the filler and tapped it, and now I can put a length of hose on the filler and direct spills down & out.
FuelCap01.png FuelCap02.png
I then took all the shiny bits back off the car, got it off the sawhorses & buck, and turtle'd it. The next several hours were spent working on the underside.
Per Jeff K & Paul's advise, I just went pro-active and shaved off about 3/8" of the dash rolled lip, and about 1/4" off the rear cockpit lip. There's still plenty of rolled edge, and it should now just be a matter of sanding for clearance, not surgery.
I knocked all the boogers & stray strands down with some 80 grit, roughed everything up, vacuumed, and wiped it down with some acetone. The better part of a roll of tape, and on went the bedliner. I used the same stuff as the floorpans.
I masked off around any edge that will need attention during finish bodywork. I don't want the product reacting to body & paint products, or getting in the way/causing extra work for Mr. Kleiner.
Prep_01.png Prep_04.png Prep_05.png Prep_06.png Prep_07.png Prep_08.png
This is the 1st coat. It will get at least one more, probably two.
John D. - Minneapolis 'Burbs
1965 El Camino - LT-1, 4L60e, 4wh discs, SC&C susp.
2013 F-150 Platinum - Twin Turbo 3.5
2018 Mk4 Roadster w/ Coyote - #9365 - Build Thread Delivery 7/3/18, 1st Start 1/4/19, 1st Road Mile 5/5/19, Legal 6/18/19, In Paint 2/25/21, Done (?) 4/2021
Looking great... Nice mod with the fuel filler drain.
Mk4 20th Anniversary #8690 (#8 of 20) Purchased 8/18/18----Build Started 8/19/18
Build Thread Click Here / Registry Entry Click Here / BluePrint Engines 347ci / TKO600
Carb/Heater/Heated Seats/Cruise Control/Drop Trunk & Battery/Custom Cubby
Just thinking ahead for the next guy... I figure I'll have to get in the wheelwells, etc., and "black-over" any overspray that gets by your masking, so I'll hit the spots that didn't get coated then.Thanks John! I just started one that didn't get that kind of attention and it's left me with a helluva mess
I layed another coat on this morning before leaving for work. When I got home everything was dry, so it was unmasked. Here's the result:
Prep_09.png Prep_10.png
John D. - Minneapolis 'Burbs
1965 El Camino - LT-1, 4L60e, 4wh discs, SC&C susp.
2013 F-150 Platinum - Twin Turbo 3.5
2018 Mk4 Roadster w/ Coyote - #9365 - Build Thread Delivery 7/3/18, 1st Start 1/4/19, 1st Road Mile 5/5/19, Legal 6/18/19, In Paint 2/25/21, Done (?) 4/2021
Mk4 20th Anniversary #8690 (#8 of 20) Purchased 8/18/18----Build Started 8/19/18
Build Thread Click Here / Registry Entry Click Here / BluePrint Engines 347ci / TKO600
Carb/Heater/Heated Seats/Cruise Control/Drop Trunk & Battery/Custom Cubby
Earlier yesterday afternoon I took some 6mil poly I scored from a jobsite and cuts some strips. I layed it over the bulb-seal and foam, and tacked it in place with some tape. This was done to give some "slippery" if I have to reef the body around to get it to set right.
After dinner I enlisted the help of "Mrs. Fixit" and we set the body down over the frame.
Holy Crap!! It looks like a car in the garage!
BodyOn_01.png BodyOn_02.png BodyOn_03.png BodyOn_04.png BodyOn_05.png
I was very surprised at how easily it popped down over the frame, and snuggled into position.
I'll be working on getting it centered/squared the next few sessions, but all in all it looks good!!
John D. - Minneapolis 'Burbs
1965 El Camino - LT-1, 4L60e, 4wh discs, SC&C susp.
2013 F-150 Platinum - Twin Turbo 3.5
2018 Mk4 Roadster w/ Coyote - #9365 - Build Thread Delivery 7/3/18, 1st Start 1/4/19, 1st Road Mile 5/5/19, Legal 6/18/19, In Paint 2/25/21, Done (?) 4/2021
Looks fantastic, John!
The FFR manual is lacking about "body fitment".
In my case, the rear of the car pretty much settled down into perfect. I opened up the rear QJ/Overrider holes just a touch and my bolts spun in without a problem.
In the front is another story.
The build manual has you install the foam stripping, and gives a very non-descript explanation of how to measure if the body is centered on the frame... even suggesting you run a few screws into the frame tubes to hold things in place.
In my instance the body just snuggled down on the frame, and everything just seemed to line up perfectly - except the front QJ/Bumper mount holes! To get these bolts through the front end of the body needed to be raised about 5/8" (well above the foam strips).
After a few well spent minutes on the phone with Jeff K., I got the "real" poop.
The body DOES sit "proud" of the frame tubes near the radiator tube(s) transition, and if it doesn't you'll play hell with getting the hood to sit flat, due to the design of the hood hinges. As it turns out, the FFR drilled holes for the front QJ/Bumper bolts are SPOT ON. When I raised the front of the body to where the bolts/sleeves were centered in the holes all things were lined up.
I just placed an order with ********** for their front grommets.
These are now apparently essential in maintaining the alignment of the nose. The FFR provided steel "eyebrows" that sandwich into the frame mounts are (for all practical purposes) useless for holding the nose of the car in position. (how do they expect a few 10-32 machine screws through a lamp housing to hold the nose of a car in place...??) I'll use the eyebrows for an anchor point, but the grommets will be the main positioners.
Last edited by Fixit; 04-14-2019 at 06:10 AM.
John D. - Minneapolis 'Burbs
1965 El Camino - LT-1, 4L60e, 4wh discs, SC&C susp.
2013 F-150 Platinum - Twin Turbo 3.5
2018 Mk4 Roadster w/ Coyote - #9365 - Build Thread Delivery 7/3/18, 1st Start 1/4/19, 1st Road Mile 5/5/19, Legal 6/18/19, In Paint 2/25/21, Done (?) 4/2021
Another few hours on #9365 today... installing the side louvers.
I'm kinda of mixed opinion/value here about having FFR cut these openings. Dimensionally they're good for the supplied "bend your own" louvers, but aren't quite nice for the aftermarket **********/FFR upgrade louvers.
With the holes already cut in the body, you're held hostage as to making the upgrade louvers fit... and on one or two corners you're really cutting it close for a nice fit with enough reveal of the body edge. At best it's a cosmetic compromise. You fit the upgrade louvers to make the best of the already cut holes.
Without going into a "step by step", I traced the OD of the louver onto a piece of cardstock, cut it out on this line. Then took this template and made the best compromise of placement on the FFR cut out hole - all the while trying to maintain at least 1/8" to 3/16" of body material showing. (remember, my template was of the OD... there's 1/16" of aluminum, then the body edge). Using an air-recip saw and a Dremel w/ sanding drum I opened up the holes to fit my louvers.
I made my own perf'd screw-stud gizmos from some material I had around (hate paying for something I can make), and used some panel bonding adhesive to mount them to the fenders.
(Rather than riveting the "L" brackets to the louvers, I roughed up the "L's" and the louvers with 40g, and JB-Weld'd the "L's" to the louvers a few days ago).
The adhesive I used has a 30 minute "open time", 2-hour "sand time" and after that you're screwed. Everything was dry-fitted before application of the glue.
I used a length of aluminum channel and some velcro strapping to hold the pieces in place during cure. I also had a piece of poly sheet between the "L" and the bracket to prevent any squeeze-out from sticking to the louver.
Louvers_01.jpg Louvers_02.jpg Louvers_03.jpg Louvers_04.jpg Louvers_05.jpg
Last edited by Fixit; 04-14-2019 at 06:09 AM.
John D. - Minneapolis 'Burbs
1965 El Camino - LT-1, 4L60e, 4wh discs, SC&C susp.
2013 F-150 Platinum - Twin Turbo 3.5
2018 Mk4 Roadster w/ Coyote - #9365 - Build Thread Delivery 7/3/18, 1st Start 1/4/19, 1st Road Mile 5/5/19, Legal 6/18/19, In Paint 2/25/21, Done (?) 4/2021
Between a lot of travel for work, and then having my DeWalt cordless tip over and shatter my phone (no pics, orphaned from the "world") for a week I'm still alive...
Lots of progress on #9365 over the last month (when I can get some wrench-time). The doors are fitted, trunk, license light, latch & handle are fitted, rear-wheelhouse "elephant ears" are mounted, V1.0 of the forward rear wheelhouse ears/splashguards are fabricated (there will a V2.0+, don't like the 1st attempt... why there's no supplied "tin" for this???), and the front body "eyebrows" are carved up/bent/modified to where they'll actually work & line up to help hold the nose in position with the ********** grommets.
I'll get some pics shot and posted soon on all these items...
John D. - Minneapolis 'Burbs
1965 El Camino - LT-1, 4L60e, 4wh discs, SC&C susp.
2013 F-150 Platinum - Twin Turbo 3.5
2018 Mk4 Roadster w/ Coyote - #9365 - Build Thread Delivery 7/3/18, 1st Start 1/4/19, 1st Road Mile 5/5/19, Legal 6/18/19, In Paint 2/25/21, Done (?) 4/2021
As promised here's the photo update...
Some detail shots of the fuel filler mounted:
FuelCap03.jpgFuelCap04.jpgFuelCap05.jpg
There was a bit of trimming and some forming (basically creating a clearance bump around the fuel filler on the PS) for the rear "elephant ears", but they went in easily. Note the grommet and the fuel filler grounding attachment on the PS... Don't forget to do this! The panels were attached to the frame at the vertical 3/4" square tube in the trunk, and at the wheel opening body edge. 1/4-20 nutserts on the frame, 10-32 nutsert for the body mount tab.
RWheelhouse01.jpg
The forward face of the rear wheelhouses has been a sore point with me. There's a large gap straight from the wheelhouse right into the "under door" area. Tons of crud and muck can get thrown into here! I totally understand why FFR doesn't supply a piece for this, as it'd be near impossible to pre-bend this piece with any chance of it fitting - the cars are too individual. I made my own.
I cut a piece of beer/pop case cardboard oversize, and taped the straight edge to the 3/4" tube that forms the kink in the rear cockpit wall. Using a spray bottle, I wetted down the cardboard to where it was pliable, and formed it into the space. A quick blast with the heat gun kinda "dryed" it into shape. I marked it with a Sharpie for a generous cut-line, and it was removed.
I've got a big sheet of 1/8" ABS plastic knocking around the shop, and I thought "why not?". The template was cut on the lines, and flattened out on the ABS. A quick trace with a utility knife a few times, and the piece was snapped out of the sheet. (Repeat with the template flipped for the other side).
A little time with a sanding block to dress the edges and they were ready to fit.
I layed out equally spaced mounting holes and drilled them 3/16". There's really no curvature to the upper-most part of the piece, so I wiggled it in place and screwed it down - having 3 more screws and the screw-gun at the ready.
With the top anchored, I played over the piece with the heat gun. As it got pliable, I worked the straight edge against the 3/4" tube... not worrying about the rest of it, just the straight part on the tube. As it formed into place, screws were run into the steel tube. Let cool.
With the leftover 8" piece of 2" rubber fuel filler hose in-hand, I heated up the rest of the panel. As it got pliable, I used the rubber hose to roll/work it onto the contours of the fender. Just go slow & easy and let it heat and cool to stay in shape.
Total time for this was 1/2 hour per side.
RWheelF01.jpgRWheelF02.jpgRWheelF03.jpg
Fitting the trunk wasn't too bad. It's a LOT of back and forth playing with the hinges. I used a calipers to scribe a line around the trunk panel. The caliper was set to an "average" of the gap around the opening, being on the generous side of tight. I didn't want to remove too much material, just enough to get the panel to fit in the hole. It's a lot of sand, test, fit, sand, test fit.
Trunk01.jpg
Fitting the license light (Kleiner modded) and latch assembly is straight forward, following the assembly manual and templates. I used a stiff piece of wire to snake the license light wires through the trunk lid, and a grommet where they broke out near the PS hinge.
John D. - Minneapolis 'Burbs
1965 El Camino - LT-1, 4L60e, 4wh discs, SC&C susp.
2013 F-150 Platinum - Twin Turbo 3.5
2018 Mk4 Roadster w/ Coyote - #9365 - Build Thread Delivery 7/3/18, 1st Start 1/4/19, 1st Road Mile 5/5/19, Legal 6/18/19, In Paint 2/25/21, Done (?) 4/2021
SidePipes - I am using the FFR supplied stainless sidepipes.
There was zero chance of them fitting back on the header collectors using the FFR cut-outs on the body. As it turned out the cut-outs were OK fore & aft, but about 3/4" too short on the vertical.
Using the FFR template in the assembly manual, I basically just moved the upper radii & fore/aft line up about 1". Using a small air-powered recip saw I carefully cut on the inside of my new lines. Test fit the sidepipes. A little more here, a little more there, and then a final dressing with the Dremel and a sanding drum. I'll leave the final sweetening to Mr. Kleiner. (The driver's side looks good for "Parallelism", the passenger may need a wedge.)
Pipes01.jpg Pipes02.jpg
Nose Trim/Mounting:
Do yourself a favor and order the rubber grommets from either ********** or Metro Moulded. There's really no way to locate the nose of the car without them.
Again, I had FFR do the body cutouts, and the holes for the QuickJacks/Bumpers are spot-on. The nose of the car has to sit about 1/2" to 3/4" "proud" of the frame tubes near the hood hinges. Using the grommets in the holes, and lifting the body up revealed the FFR drilled holes were perfect.
FFR steel "eyebrows"... These things are so far off from working they almost became wall art. I spent a LOT of time altering the supplied holes to get them even in the neighborhood of lining up & fitting. Short story is that I welded on extra material off the side of one (mounting holes), and extended the mount holes on the other. Both sides needed the through-hole for the lamp assembly re-bored.
NoseTrim01.jpg NoseTrim02.jpg FWheelhouse02.jpg
Rollbar:
The FFR holes again were spot-on. Just a tiny bit of sweetening with the Dremel for a perfect fit with even gap all around. Give careful consideration about the mounting holes for the trim rings & grommets! Think about access from underneath, and from above with a screwdriver. I did have to grind/file/sand down the male stub on the hoop (for the outrigger) a bit so the outrigger would just slide up and slip onto the stub (the alignment wasn't quite perfect. It was close enough to twist it up and on and a thump with a rubber mallet would seat it, but you'd never get it off again.
RollBar.jpg
John D. - Minneapolis 'Burbs
1965 El Camino - LT-1, 4L60e, 4wh discs, SC&C susp.
2013 F-150 Platinum - Twin Turbo 3.5
2018 Mk4 Roadster w/ Coyote - #9365 - Build Thread Delivery 7/3/18, 1st Start 1/4/19, 1st Road Mile 5/5/19, Legal 6/18/19, In Paint 2/25/21, Done (?) 4/2021
I did the FFR mods to the door latches using the carriage bolt, but took it a step further. I have access to a metal lathe, so instead of grinding the head down, I chucked it up and turned off the “dome” to a flat. I also drilled and tapped the chrome knob to 6-32, but instead of a screw I chose to do a stud and flanged nut.
DoorLatch01.jpg
All the threads about dis-assembling the door latches, de-burring, lubing… got me thinking. My latches out of the box worked perfectly. After a drop of oil, there was smooth actuation, didn’t stick, and they worked just fine. (hmmm).
I may have found the reason for “sticking” door latches.
On my car, in order to get the striker/latch bolt in the middle of its adjustment range with the door closed I used the FFR supplied laser-cut spacers for the latches. I ran a length of tape around the perimeter to hold the spacer in alignment to the latch body.
DoorLatch02.jpg
After fiddling around and getting the holes marked, drilled & tapped 8-32 (another change from the supplied sheet-metal screws) then the latches mounted I had doors that closed and latched with a nice sounding & substantial THUNK.
Then I went to open them… My previously perfect latches now were sticking…
I took the latches off the door, and pulled the tape. When I separated the spacer from the latch there were witness marks on the pieces.
DoorLatch03.jpg
Then using a straightedge I found that the pivot mechanism sits about 3/32” proud of the latch body.
DoorLatch07.jpg
The laser-cut hole in the FFR spacer is about 1/8” too small! When the spacer and latch are clamped together by the mounting screws it inherently binds the pivot.
I used a “Uni-bit” that goes up to 1-1/8” and opened up the hole. The spacer is mild steel and will cut easily. (**Clamp it in a vise to drill it! The pic is just a visual)
DoorLatch04.jpg DoorLatch05.jpg DoorLatch06.jpg
The larger hole now registers totally around the latch pivot, and does not bind. I also took a mill file and dressed off all the boogers and the raised LH/RH lettering off the latch. The two pieces now mate together flush.
Back on the car and the latches work perfectly.
Last edited by Fixit; 08-11-2019 at 10:36 AM.
John D. - Minneapolis 'Burbs
1965 El Camino - LT-1, 4L60e, 4wh discs, SC&C susp.
2013 F-150 Platinum - Twin Turbo 3.5
2018 Mk4 Roadster w/ Coyote - #9365 - Build Thread Delivery 7/3/18, 1st Start 1/4/19, 1st Road Mile 5/5/19, Legal 6/18/19, In Paint 2/25/21, Done (?) 4/2021