P100DHG Build Thread - Gen 3 Coupe #138

[P100DHG]

In self isolation I have succumb to impulses

Gadget 1:
Just a fun note. I think you can see if you watch my embedded videos, I like a little dramatic music, some shots that stir some emotion even. But this is going to go from awesome to Epic! Now I've thrown those videos together in under 30 minutes in a rush to get them up because I was so excited to share but with a little more time and care we can take them to the next level. I mean it's awesome to see milestones but come on action movie style is better. AND there is no better way to get those action movie style shots than from the air. I've never owned a drone because flying around spying on my neighbors doesn't really appeal to me but capturing the moment at full speed, well one in particular does that the best and I can say it's ready just in time for my go kart this fall. I'm pretty confident that this will give that video some dramatic shots so I ordered the Skydio 2. It doesn't ship till October, which will be perfect because I am going to need the next couple months to get ready for that moment but I wanted to share with you guys what's coming. It's fully autonomous and from the torture tests people put this through it's capable of well more than what I want out of it.

Substitute Electric Skateboarder for Daytona
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jzzKy_ZpIsQ&t=1s

Not Fast Enough? Substitute Mountain bike at 36mph for Daytona
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vqi-yiqYZpQ&t=9s

Can you imagine what the graduation video will look like?!

Gadget 2:
The second gadget which I wasn't going to bother with but had more than enough time on my hands to learn is CAD and 3D printing. What pushed me over the edge wasn't the Daytona but was a present for my son. Though Christmas is a long way away he's been wanting a toy garbage truck that matches the one that drives down our street. A "chain truck" as he calls it. Tonka made one ages ago but no longer makes it and all I could find is broken ones with missing parts. Fixing them is easy replacing missing parts well that's why I decided to use all that time in self-isolation to learn about 3D printing and I pulled the trigger. I was able to successfully print some parts we designed on Tinkercad for another toy he has and I learned the software so now I can pull in that design I made for the are vent and print it out if I want. The "resolution" is very good and for $200 it seems to be a worthy tools in the arsenal. Tinkercad though it's likely made for education 7-12 grade it's perfect for designing parts and frankly I am not sure I would need anything more advanced.

Just a quick rundown on 3D printing. Tinkercad is idiot proof. If you can build with shapes you can build in Tinkercad, it took me 2 hours to learn. Then learning how to convert that file to something the printer can understand takes a bit longer and then I bought the 3D printer which I think is the best out of the box solution for an affordable price and if I can just guide you get the TronXY XY-2 Pro. I did a ton of research, wrote a list of features I wanted and it matched everything I wanted. It’s a very boring subject if you ask me but the results of that research is awesome to watch when you click print.


Most importantly, I am back at home, and all clear thankfully (I wasn't really too concerned given the guys age) I got back on the car. Finished the rear lights and made what is the beginnings of my dash face.


Dash Face:
Call it a blank slate. I decided to do a concealed mounting system that way if I want fasteners showing it can be for aesthetics instead of function or both. When I get my gauges I’ll lay it out and cut it out.

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Tail lights & Turn Signals:
Rear lighting package is complete. Everything works great. Just dash electrical then headlight/fog light harnesses and electrical is done.

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What’s left before sending it out to body shop

• Hood Wire Harnesses
• Second Half of Dash Fabrication
• Dash wiring
• Aluminum sheet metal in trunk area and couple other stops (just needs to be installed , Jeff wants it installed before I bring the car to him)
• Powder coat misc parts

It all comes down to when I get my gauges at this point because I feel like I’m getting into the home stretch for what I consider the rough build.

[P100DHG]

Still waiting on my gauges...

Our roof leaked in several places last winter. Thankfully it was minor but it is well beyond repair so we are putting a new roof on before this fall. The roofers have been working 12 hour days for 2 weeks and they have another 2 more weeks to go so we’ve been leaving the house when they are here because of the current crisis. That means work on my car has been basically impossible.

I’ve got the center panel now flush with the dash. I’ve got my Dash layout set more or less. Maybe some minor tweaking. Better pictures to come, sorry about the quality.

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I’ve been screwing around with my 3D printer. I made a Daytona emblem though I don’t intend to use it.

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But for explanation purposes I can tell you that by converting a .Jpeg or .png to .svg using a free online converter you can import images in Tinkercad and create your own emblems. Super easy. 3D printers are cool but the quality is kind of janky but with some bondo and paint these could look great. But this made me think, what if I could cut my own emblems out of aluminum. I could sand them and then polish them.

Since I’ve gotten good at making models and printing them (which didn’t take very long) I figured I’d graduate to CNC milling and Laser engraving. I started with the laser. Since it’s a 2D image and thus 2 axis it’s easier to get a handle on and I’m working my way up to the CNC mill which is 3 axis. This model comes with both a laser and a router. I laser engraved my emblem into some wood.

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Then I figured out how to get the resolution and image reproduction accuracy way up. I started on some leather (very smelly) and it works awesome but my wife stopped me short, we had to leave the house and this isn’t something you want running while you’re gone.

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But the fact is that now that I understand how the machine works more or less with a laser in 2 axis I can try milling emblems out of aluminum. My goal is to make this FFR logo. Probably I’ll try to get it between 2-3mm thickness. I can feasibly make it between 300mm wide x 180mm tall. Way bigger than I would ever want it. Where I would put it on the car I have no idea and I probably won’t. It’s really just for learning purposes and fun. Im still feeling like the only branded product on the entire car is going to be the FFR key.

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But this would be awesome for making custom brackets or parts. Kind of late to the game on this one but hey better late than never. Maybe I’ll use these new skills on a roadster.

Sorry I don’t have more on the car. I think once I get my gauges and make holes in that dash and send stuff off to powder coat it’s going to progress leaps and bounds very quickly and there will be a lot more to share.

[P100DHG]

Momentum is key in these builds and I have lost a ton of momentum. Call it a forced work stoppage.

The roof probably is going to take another 3 weeks I imagine. My entire front yard is a construction site filled with material. It’s a really big roof because our home is basically 1 story. The heat and fires are not helping here. We are very close the Bobcat fire so progress is super slow. Can't blame the guys they are trying really hard to finish but how can you breathe when the air is filled with smoke. This was our sunset 2 nights ago and a view from the hills of the San Fernando Valley (area known for the “Valley Girl”) this morning. “It’s like so smokey!” Last image is a shot of Mt Wilson can’t see it cause it’s so smokey.

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The gauges are coming end of next week thank heaven. That means I can finish up the dash, the stuff you can't see, and be ready for some huge improvements. That’s predicated on the roofers winding down too. The roof has integrated solar so some wiring had to be done in the garage which means breaking and patching drywall so right now my car looks like this.

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Kind of depressing.

Tonight I am going to move forward with a serious organizational effort, I am going to reorganize and reinventory the remaining parts. My hope is by focusing on organization I won’t be looking for parts but looking at them and thus I’ll make some quick progress once I get my hands on this car. I have 4 bins I got, first bin is for parts for trimming, body work and paint, second for parts for final assembly, third parts for powder coat, and lastly extra parts. I have mentioned before waiting on custom parts probably has caused most of the delays and here we are again trying to fill time and keep momentum going in some way.

A part of the dash I completely forgot to share was a cover for the air ducts. I plan to have this part upholstered to protect the knees or shins of the passenger.

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Lastly if someone has an extra FFR side view mirror I ordered one from them but it’s back ordered. I’d like to use it on the passenger side. Maybe I can buy it off of one of you guys that isn’t using it. PM me.

Anyway momentum is key so getting back on it will have to be a focused effort. Important to note life gets in the way of these builds and don’t let them stall out.

[Snowman]

I hear you on the smoke. The entire antelope valley looks like your pictures. It's gotten a bit better as the week has gone on, but on Monday evening the sun was just a faint orange disc as I was driving towards it. Kinda reminded me of an eclipse, but with color, lol.

[P100DHG]

I clawed my way back into my garage after 4 weeks of waiting patiently. I couldn’t wait any longer for the roofers to clear the way and I even took off a day of work too. I was getting antsy.

So I mentioned I absolutely did not want wipers. But practicality seems to have won over. One major reason for not wanting wipers is because I didn’t want to see the wiper motor on the firewall. The second is that the switch that it comes with it wouldn’t match my other switches. Lastly it looks slick without the wiper blades and they are distracting to the overall look. I was willing to give on my third gripe if I could solve my first 2.

Solution to Wiper Motor placement:

The first problem was solved when I mocked up the wiper motor to the firewall. For whatever reason it’s too large. Doesn’t sound like a solution but rather a further barrier. But it prompted the solution. The solution was to put the wiper motor behind the dash.

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By pointing the motor in such a fashion a nice smooth and “easy” (per Factory Five’s instructions) bend can be achieved. I drilled a 1” hole in the dash firewall. This gave me enough play to get the angles correct. By bending the tube slowly over the round section of my vise it came to shape. But I learned this technique after destroying the first set of tubes which I reordered through McMaster Carr. And after destroying another section of tube trying to bend a 5/16” tube in a ¼” ring roll. Who would have thought that wouldn’t work ?.... Anyway the vise trick worked. Also you can see I spaced the motor off the firewall panel with a piece of 1 ½” square tube which still needs to get painted but that’s going to happen when I take everything apart for paint anyway.

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When I went to flare the stainless tube with my $17 flare tool that said it’s for copper and aluminum wouldn’t you be surprised it didn't work. I bit the bullet, returned the $17 flare tool I bought on Amazon and bought the $180 flare tool that can handle stainless and frankly I should have bought it earlier in the build for the brake lines.

Stainless is tough to work with.

So with a nice clean product we can definitely say everything under the hood is completely done. The final product is clean and free of stuff.

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The 1" hole needs a grommet still but will also get covered. I might have mentioned I want to add a touch of upholstery in that area to tie the interior and engine looks together and do something a little different.

Solution to Wiper Motor Switch:

This leaves my second gripe. What to do about mismatched switches. It’s something that I see on a lot of builds. Rocker switches, toggle switches, knobs, buttons, each one is a little different and consistency is key to a good look. So how do I get a DPDT (Double Pole Double Throw) On - Off - On toggle switch to work in place of the wiper switch provided.

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Some googling led me to a fantastic writeup after struggling to figure this out on my own.

“The MGA with Attitude” https://mgaguru.com/mgtech/electric/et219.htm. Further Info Here https://mgaguru.com/mgtech/electric/et219b.htm

First we have to know how the original switch is intended to work and so I am going to borrow some pictures from this person's post. Again the intent is to consolidate information into one thread, not to take credit for this person’s effort and information.

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The basic idea is that to park the motor the low terminal and the park terminal need to be jumped. By releasing the connection to the park terminal and powering the low terminal the motor begins to move in it’s slowest speed. Then by removing power to the low terminal and the jump between low and park and powering the high speed terminal the motor moves rapidly.

We need to replicate this using relays and here is the setup.

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Great diagrams. But I felt like it wasn’t brainless. Obviously you have to translate this diagram into the positions on the relay. Which I did and I was going to post my diagram until I found this one.

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Executing this just took patience. Don’t have the patience? You can buy it from Watson Streetworks here https://watsons-streetworks.com/prod...rk-relay-pack/

I used these relays (https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/...?ie=UTF8&psc=1) and I like how the relay holders interlock.

The final product on the bench looks like this

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Obviously wire colors and stuff are going to change depending on what you’ve got or you bought. So don’t pay attention to the wire colors. In fact don’t pay attention to this at all it’s just an example of what the end result looks like. What is most important is the second and third diagrams above.

The final installation can be seen above in the section regarding wiper motor placement.

A further update on how to wire the switch is to come.

Possible Solution to Wiper Arms and Blades:
One possible solution is paint the wiper arms body color or black and black out any chrome. The idea is that it’s not a focal point. But time will help me make these decisions.

So there you have it solutions to problems I didn’t even want in the first place. Kind of rewarding isn’t it? LOL.

TO SEE HOW TO WIRE THE WIPER SWITCH CHECK OUT "DPDT" in post #174

[P100DHG]

So here is where things are now that I have my entire house back.

1. I have to finish wiring my latching relay for high and low beams. And wire that into the Russ Thompson stalk. Turn signals and everything else works and has been wired using a 6 pin harness. I have the 5 wires plus a the horn for the horn button. I refinished the turn signal in silver to match the dash and exposed panels.

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2. Lizard skin and install the trunk panels

3. Get my gauges (this coming week is looking promising fingers crossed) and cut the holes for the gauge layout in the dash

4. Powder coat the dash and remaining panels

5. Send the car to body and paint.

The process as Jeff explained it to me is that 10 days of trimming and fitting and that I take the chassis home. During that time I’ll install the dash and finish the wiring. Then I’ll do the alignment and go kart. Then send the chassis out to upholstery.

I can’t believe it’s October already! I talked to Jeff about sending him the car mid-October but now that deadline seems impossible. Might need another 4-6 weeks. I don’t want to rush it but I want to complete it too.

I finished printing all my louvers for the airbar so check that off the list too. Here is what one bay looks like. There are 3 bays

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These sit inside the airbar and are fully concealed but they do make a difference so I’m glad I went through with making them

[ken33]

Air bar, what's it for?
great job on the build!

[P100DHG]

Air bar, what's it for?
great job on the build!

Traveling back in time to post #154 I talked about a new idea for the AC vents. Rather than putting in conventional air vents I opted to build a single long and narrow air vent. I dubbed it the Airbar because it sounds catchy and I really don't know what else to call it. Basically the way it works, is the air is forced into a single long vent that runs the length of the dash (built into the top of the dash) producing an even distribution of air across the entire dash. The idea was to avoid seeing large round air vents. This also enabled me to do a 2 piece dash with the top of the dash fixed but the entire dash face removable and have the whole thing serviceable yet clean. The opening for the airbar is 3/4" but when the dash face is mounted it dives into the inside of the airbar now the opening is only about 5/8 and when the upholstery for the dash pad wraps over the top of the dash and into the Airbar that gap will be further made smaller so the air (by my testing) is forced out evenly and at higher pressure. Also the airbar becomes so thin that it's almost unnoticeable you might look at and say why is there a gap there not realizing it's the air vent.

I designed and 3D printed the louvers because what I realized is that I actually don't want even distribution of air I prefer the air to be directed at me. Ask my wife and she'll say she hates the air blowing on her and I love it directly in my face and though the louvers aren't adjustable I designed them to my liking because it's my car! LOL!

I think there are infinite ways to tackle this build. One is to follow the directions and get yourself across the finish line using the provided parts, we paid a crap load of money for those better use em! Second is to get creative and make the car functional and comfortable. I started out the build expecting somewhere between the first and second. But as I have become more confident in the build I've pushed myself to come up with something different. Something that feels like a raw race car, a hot rod but is still comfortable. The idea of a clean and simple interior was to tie in the clean look of the engine compartment. So eliminating the air-vents means one less thing to look at. That means one's attention can be focused on the gauges and seats and other interior details/upholstery.

Thanks for the compliment. I enjoy sharing the process, maybe even oversharing. Hopefully it gives people inspiration and shows it's all doable in your garage having zero car building experience. I have to be honest I am ready to get some major milestones done and stop posting about the mundane processes but it is a process and it's all part of it.

[P100DHG]

Finally after 9 months of waiting they have arrived.

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I couldn't be happier with them.

I finished fabricating the dash. It was a good thing I waited to get some calipers on these gauges before cutting anything out. I was told they were 100mm which is about 4" but they were solidly like 96mm. Also the other gauges were smaller than quoted which doesn't matter but the hole size does. So the holes saws I bought were too big. I ran out and I got a 3 7/8" hole saw for the tach and speedo, 2 1/16 hole saw for the 4 small gauges and a 2 1/4 for the clock. Fits perfectly. I am very happy because there was no room for do overs on this dash.

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Everything fits perfectly I've tested and retested and triple tested. It's the best I can do, let me just say that. As I tell my son as long as we do our best that all we can ask for.

This is the dash in the rough, with the gauges in, before I fixed all the blemishes

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I think with the silver dash, wood steering wheel, chrome toggle switches and brown leather racing seats I am heading in the right direction. Now off to powder coating and we'll get to see some thing really pretty come together. I'm very very very excited.

Also shoutout to @Snowman. I took my son, wife and in-laws to Tehachapi this week to see the famous loop and man it didn't disappoint and what an absolutely beautiful place to live. Can't wait to return and maybe even stop by and see your progress one day.

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[Snowman]

Glad to hear you enjoyed the trip up to Tehachapi!

Definitely hit me up if you're ever in the area again. Door is open and the beer is cold!

Same offer stands to anyone else on the forum.

Cheers,
Patrick

[P100DHG]

I’m going to let the photos speak for themselves. I am just thrilled with the result.

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I keep the finished parts in a guest bedroom. Obviously that bed spread isn’t setting the right mood but to see everything together... well you get the idea. The best pictures will come when everything is put back together.

Couple items on the todo list and I’m ready for Jeff Miller to take over.

[Straversi]

Nice!
Can’t wait to see it all installed.
-Steve

[Snowman]

Bravo! That dash is a work of art.

[P100DHG]

Thanks guys I appreciate the feedback.

In the true spirit of this build nothing can be done once so of course an issue has come up. Apparently aluminum and steel take silver powdercoat differently. The steel is far darker than the aluminum. Yesterday we tried baking the aluminum panels for an additional 30 minutes at 400 degrees to darken them but unfortunately it’s like trying to bake a cookie twice. It just doesn’t work like that.

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So I am going to remake the transmission tunnel in steel. Since most everything else is upholstered the difference won’t matter so much. So of course things need to come apart.

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Also in the spirit of doing things twice, I decided to take this opportunity to address two issues. I noticed in that area.

Headlight Switch Fix

First was my headlight switch. About 50% of the time I would pull on the headlight switch and the rod would come out of the switch. The problem is that the groove on the metal rod and the retaining plate in the switch were mismatched. The groove was too thin and the plate was too thick. I took apart the switch and by sanding the retaining plate thinner and widening the groove I now get a perfect fit. I widened the groove using a hacksaw blade gently sliding the blade in the groove to essentially file it a bit and widen the groove (not make it deeper). I am confident after numerous tests that this is solved for the life of the car.

Toggle Switches

The next issue had to do with mismatched toggle switches. This could get boring so if you’ve got your mind made up and you're using the FFR switches, skip this, but if not I suggest you read this and learn from my experience. Just to preface this. I think the Lucas style toggle switches FFR provides are great quality but were just not right for my build. I wanted chrome. Also there are a couple that are mismatched so that bothered me.

Not all toggle switches are made equally and rather than going into the differences in quality, if you like what I have then I encourage you to buy Carling toggle switches. I bought a zillion before I arrived at this brand. Also Carling offers a Dress Nut that makes it look good. You can search Carling Technologies 380-08810 Dress Face Nut, Knurled Nickel, 15/32" Threads. I’ll just say this. That the toggle switches you’ll find elsewhere are M12 thread so this dress nut wont work. Also they are very snappy where Carling’s are smooth. Blue Sea Systems sells the switches and dress nuts in a complete package. So while I have the transmission tunnel open I am switching out that cheapy toggle switch for a nice Carling one to match the rest.

Now I want to take this time to explain the different types of switches. This would apply to toggle switches, rocker switches or any other style as well.

SPST - Single Pole Single Throw - ON- OFF - This is your basic switch. Great for fog lights or a cooling fan override, seat heaters for example.
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SPDT - Single Pole Dual Throw - ON - OFF -ON - Great for switching between two different loads that share the same line. This would be a good switch for turn signals
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DPST - Dual Pole Single throw - ON - OFF - Used for the hazard lights and great for activating two different things with one switch where you wouldn’t want those things to be able to make contact with each other
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DPDT - Dual Pole Dual Throw - On - OFF - On - This is what I should have used for my AC / Heat switch but the way I did it (with a SPDT and relays) works, it’s just overkill. Necessary for wiper control if you're doing the relay setup I described in a previous post
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Remember each electrical setup is unique. Each person's components are unique to their build. So I encourage you to use this info and diagrams to help assist with what you might need for your build. All this above info would apply if you're not using the FFR provided switches.

Boring...? Yes!

Helpful...? Hopefully.

Did I think I was marching toward paint? Uh, more like dragging a sack of concrete toward paint. LOL. When I complain about having to rework something or remake something, my wife says "it's all part of the fun!" Is it...?

But I enjoy sharing the failures as much as the successes because it's part of the journey.

[bkhicks66]

Hey P100DHG, What did you do to finish off the metal on the dash? Is that a coating or paint that you did or did you send it out to get coated. I really like the finish

Brian

[Sell1]

I liked how you made mention of the pattern. I had the same thoughts.

[P100DHG]

Hey P100DHG, What did you do to finish off the metal on the dash? Is that a coating or paint that you did or did you send it out to get coated. I really like the finish

Brian

It's powder coated. It's professionally done. The company who makes the coating is Cardinal and the color is Silver 30. Which is a satin silver. It's the same powder coating I used on the rest of the car. Obviously the steel took it differently than the aluminum so watch out for that. The other thing to mention about powder coating is you get no help from bondo or other products like you do with paint so anything short of perfect will show sadly. JB Weld shrinks and also comes out darker than the aluminum so JB weld isn't even a great option as I have found out throughout the project. That's the reason I made the dash in steel, because I could correct imperfections with the welder and grind back to a level surface and blend. It's a little more forgiving doing it like that, but not much.

Paint is an option, might look better in fact but my thought was make it durable and I won't have to be worried every time I touch something that I could scratch it. Mind you powder coating isn't scratch proof but it's definitely more durable than paint. Makes final assembly also more forgiving for sure.

[JohnMac]

Good to see the progress on the coupe. Only being into our build now since summer, I’m happy that we’re as far along as we are. Our engine (based on a Ford Racing 351 small block but displacing 427ci) and trans arrived a couple of weeks ago but when bolting up the bell housing, I could tell the oil pan was going to be a problem. Off came the supplied pan and a new road race pan was ordered. 52ECB1A2-110F-4299-B37C-73D02F16C4A8.jpeg Earlier this week we checked the alignment of the bell housing to the engine and found it to be with .003”. After attaching the Tipton hydraulic throw out bearing to the trans, we bolted everything together and proceeded to install the powertrain. For the most part, everything lined up. We installed the driveshaft and shimmed the mount by1/4” to level it.

This build has been kind of a impulsive decision for me, being 75, unemployed (luckily my wife still works and is happy to have me out of the house) and retired. My Friend and partner is George Alderman, 87 years old, retired Nissan, Caterham, Lotus dealer as well as a IMSA champion, SCCA member and all around great guy. I doubt that either of us would have undertaken the build had either of us had poo-pooed the idea. I’m sure my coming into the shop almost every day keeps George motivated plus he’s a great fabricator. The shop is filled with old Aeroquip hose and fittings, tons of scrap aluminum, plus a complete machine shop adjacent to the race shop for any jobs we need help on. George’s race shop is jammed full of cars and memories and is the place I spend 3-5 days a week in.

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I’ve read many of the forum posts and have been impressed by the extent others have gone to make their FF5 Coupe special. Ours will probably be rather basic because it’s not going to be used as a “daily driver”. We have Shelby’s original Daytona Coupe living up the road from us at Fred Simeone’s museum. I suspect that because of the headers literally impinging on the inside of the trans tunnel, the heat and noise is going to cancel out any attempt to hear a radio or allow the AC to cool the car enough to be comfortable. Any comments are welcome!

[P100DHG]

JohnMac I’m glad to hear you’re making progress on your build. Three things you mentioned made me think and reflect.

The first thing is the noise cancelling out the radio. Frankly I think it’s going to cancel out my ability to hear when I get older. Lol. When it’s quiet in my garage at night and I am working I think about the various creaks and things that might come up and try to think about how to make sure the build is substantial and nothing will rattle. My wife keeps reminding me I’d be lucky to hear anything at all. You’re right though a radio would be comical to try to listen to. My plan is actually to use my Bose Soundlink Mini if I ever want some tunes, it’s loud and the quality is great and it’s battery powered.

The second thing you mentioned is the idea of your build being “rather basic”. I think the best part of this process is that you’re building it for you and completing the build at all is a victory. So everything beyond that is just icing on the cake. I think a lot of kits never get completed. I think sometimes we get lost in the details and then life takes us places we didn’t expect and days become years. I’d call my build over the top frankly. I think all the customization leaves me vulnerable to getting lost in the details or way over my head technically. Also it leaves me vulnerable to parts suppliers. On multiple occasions I’ve had to stop work waiting for parts. Really I have only gotten this far because I was able to make such amazing progress in March, April and May. Los Angeles was basically shutdown and all there was to do was to work on my car. I probably would have been a year behind where I am now if that wasn’t the case. It’s not a race to the finish line but it’s risky over complicating things. So keeping it simple, keeping it basic is a wise move.

The last thing and most significant to me and frankly inspiring is that you and your partner at 75 and 87 respectively have started this project. I am 36 and the idea of continuing to learn and bite off challenges when most wouldn’t is just fantastic. I just hope I have that same spirit at that point in my life.

[P100DHG]

I am excited to report that the build is heading toward its next phase, body and paint. I have some minor assembly work to do and then I get to round that major corner. So the next update I'll have all the details nailed down. As of right now it's still a work in progress but it's very very close. This is where things stand.

Trunk panels are almost all fitted. (since the battery is buried deep in the trunk area I made the jumper points easily accessible.

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The new steel transmission tunnel panels are fitted.

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All the misc sheet metal is out to the powder coater right now and then the body can go back on once I get a few items back. Just a refresher. The trunk wing walls and rear wall is exposed powder coated metal. The trunk floor gets a leather button down mat. The sides of the transmission tunnel get leather but the top of the transmission tunnel is exposed powder coated metal.

I was saying I live in the unique area above the Rose Bowl in Pasadena (actually pictured in the second shot). Makes for amazing driving. I started exploring some areas to gather ideas for shots for future videos with the Daytona and thought I'd share some cool pictures.

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Next update I'll show the whole chassis buttoned up. I'm very excited to see the whole thing come together.

[P100DHG]

Thought I'd post this this separately from the final chassis button up post.

I took some time to think about how to tackle the voids between the body and the interior by the side pipes. Paul had recommended additional measures to reduce noise. My interior panel has both sound and heat control sprayed on it. It will likely get dynamat under the upholstery. I also added further L brackets made of scrap aluminum to make the panel more rigid.

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However that still doesn't take care of the cavity that can act like drum. No better way to fill a cavity than with foam. There is a special store in Burbank, CA that caters to the movie studios and upholstery shops called Foam Mart. I thought about exploring some rigid foam through them but what I thought was, most people wouldn't have access to such a specialty supplier in some parts of the country. So I decided to go to the hardware store and get some spray foam. Now the results are great but the process looks like a disaster. It's a controlled disaster and a process but I think the experiment paid off. Rigid foam would have been easier for sure but this worked. I'll show you the finished product now so you don't think I'm wasting your time reading this.

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My first attempt was to make a wall of tape. A form if you will and fill the form with foam like you would do with concrete and a form. But there is a problem. This isn't an AB type foam that hardens with a chemical reaction this is something that needs air to dry. Says on the directions, "Not for enclosed spaces" that's cause it won't dry. After 24 hours I removed the tape. I took pictures but for some reason they are missing but you can imagine sounds like a great idea but when I pulled the tape off I had a gooey mess. I left the gooey mess and came back to a cavity filled with foam over flowing... (not sure why this is upside down... I tried fixing it but it's hopeless)

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Not a problem. A hack saw blade make quick work of the excess foam. I found are pockets so I went back for a second coat of foam in those spaces. Removed excess again with the hack saw blade. I then used a surform plane I picked up from Home Depot for $8 and shaped the foam to a flat uniform surface. I used Acetone and a scraper to remove any residue from the frame.

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On one side I taped the frame and the other side I left without tape and I can tell you that the tape does help to keep the frame clean and clean up goes much faster. But final result is good. Does the job.

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Will this work? I don't know... But in true fashion of overkill I am thinking about adding an outer panel and spraying it with with lizardskin sound control and then heat control might make this a bullet proof sure bet solution.

I just want to say this could be a mistake too. I looked at sound control and heat control solutions but nothing would fill the cavity that is 1" thick like foam so this is my best shot at it with something you can get locally that doesn't cost an arm and a leg. Proceed at your own risk. I am sure someone will point out 100 ways I could have done better and to you I say. Where were you with such good advice a week ago? LOL

I have a weekend of details to attend to and then I have to decide to I send the car for body and paint prior to or after the holidays.

[Bob Brandle]

P100DHG, I know it may be too late for you now, but did you see my May 28, 2020 post # 986 in Edwardb's Gen 3 Coupe build thread?
I believe that I presented a good solution to this. While my demonstrated solution doesn't have the full foam fill, it's something that I can easily do most any time in the future via aerosol foam filling the 3 cavities thru small entry and exit holes.
Did you consider this?

Bob

[P100DHG]

P100DHG, I know it may be too late for you now, but did you see my May 28, 2020 post # 986 in Edwardb's Gen 3 Coupe build thread?
I believe that I presented a good solution to this. While my demonstrated solution doesn't have the full foam fill, it's something that I can easily do most any time in the future via aerosol foam filling the 3 cavities thru small entry and exit holes.
Did you consider this?

Bob

Bob, that’s exactly what I mean by an outer panel! Thank you so much for that reference.

I am going to go ahead and link your post here.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/show...l=1#post413454

Drilling holes and filling the cavity would likely work but make sure you use a foam that will cure chemically and not by air. The stuff I used probably won’t cure in an enclosed cavity.

It’s not too late for me thankfully and I can still add that panel. I love the finished look it gives it with that outer skin. Adding sound and heat insulation just as you did. I’m going to do the same.

Thanks for the advice!

-Danny

PS- I spoke to Jeff Miller today and the plan is to bring the car in for body and paint after Thanksgiving when his shop has some more space.

[P100DHG]

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Chassis Reveal is Coming....

[David Williamson]

I put 2 layers of Dynamat on the aluminum panel. I can't tell if it helps the car is loud even with the Boig quiet pipes.
David W

[P100DHG]

All my panels have been lizard skinned. Though I won’t have any carpet, I will have upholstery so wherever there is upholstery I am going to dynamat that as well. All this adds weight but frankly I could lose a few so it’s better for me to go on a diet than sacrifice the quality. Frankly in the end it will be loud as hell no matter what I do I just don’t want it to feel like a tin can.

[P100DHG]

Photos coming...

[David Williamson]

looks great, some cool details
David W

[edwardb]

Nice video.

[Erik W. Treves]

That looks really good... the Coupe Chassis is sooooo nice that it's almost a shame to cover it! I am a little "concerned" I guess is the right word.... the gloss dash cover (looks to be in the video) - as nice as it looks here... and I am only making the comparison to what I have found on now my Roadsters, GTM and Coupe - the chrome defrost vents reflect badly on the front glass... in respect to that I think you "may" not like the performance of that dash in application... not at all taking away from how nicely executed the entire build is in the video - been following your build under the radar a bit.... I really like many of your design choices! They may show up in my my next build - anyway - give it thought because changing after the body is on will not be fun.... really really nice build...again!

[P100DHG]

Erik, Dave, Paul, thanks for your kind words. The upper dash section that is black has the internal AC vent / Airbar built in and the cavity needed to be black. Also it’s made of steel so the whole thing needed to be coated. That said the black upper dash will get upholstered. The brown leather will cover the complete upper dash and roll into the Airbar.

I know it says “chassis completion”. That should have an asterisks by it. Still needs alignment, suspension adjustment, and upholstery. Those I consider more in the final assembly portion of the build. Jeff Miller who is painting the car asked I wait on upholstery till he is done with trimming and fitting. So as it stands right now, the front dash section (silver section with gauges) is back out, seats are out, the floor mats are out, the body is back on and the car is awaiting Jeff when he gets an opening.

I completely agree with you the chassis of the Type 65 is so nice. It’s a shame to cover it up with a body. I took the video and some great photos cause I knew I would only get so much time with it in this state and I wanted to preserve it in some way.

[P100DHG]

Happy Thanksgiving! Over the weekend I'll post several photos of the finished chassis and for even more photos and content, follow on Instagram @SixtyFive_Daytona

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There is still more work to do, tweaking panels for perfect alignment, (but this is a preliminary fit and photos get the point across) more upholstery and lots of finishing touches and tweaking to just polish it off a little further.

[David Williamson]

I think the bar has been raised and there are some very high quality builds out there. Looking forward to seeing it finished
David W

[P100DHG]

Shots of the engine compartment forward.

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All these great photos were taken with my Canon DSLR and a Tripod so I was able to adjust the aperture, shutter speed/exposure. I took them in my garage with the door closed so I could control the lighting a bit more.

[P100DHG]

These are the last of the shots of the chassis. The entire dash section has been removed. The body is back on and it stands ready for trimming, fitting and body work. I have color development to do. I am planing a traditional look with #5 on the side as both my wife and son share May as their birth month. I have my blue color selected but the white is still up in the air, I ordered decals from Raceline Digital. As for the interior there is so much more to come with upholstery and developing that. Needs to stay simple, classy and vintage feeling.

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[P100DHG]

Finally the Full Electrical Update:
You’ve heard me say this before. Strap in cause this is going to be a long post. It’s been months that I’ve promised to do a full electrical update and here we are finally. It took months to think through how to explain & show how I opted to route my wires. Also I’ll be honest there are things I think about now that I could have done better and so I’ll mention those along the way. I am tackling this in the same was I tackled the wiring which was to break it up into sections.

Let’s Begin:
I identified 3 main wiring systems and my battery placement, and I tackled them in this order

1. Battery Placement
2. Ignition System
3. EFI Harness
4. The Factory Five Full Chassis Ron Francis Harness

Battery Placement:
The goal was that awesome hot rod look, when you look down into the engine bay and wonder; Where are all the wires and plumbing? It’s just an engine floating there... It starts with your battery location. Frankly, Factory Five’s placement is fantastic, it can accommodate a big battery, space is ample and it’s convenient to work on. But it would have been right there for all to see, so I opted to place the battery under the trunk. It didn’t want it near the gas tank for fear that Sparks + Gas = BOOM. A smaller, more powerful solution had to be used and only one specific location would work. I used Braille’s 21lb Battery and though it’s cold cranking amps aren’t what you’d want in a Michigan winter, here in Southern California it’s more than enough. Also by placing it under the trunk I could concentrate my home runs in an inconspicuous place. AGM batteries are great because as Braille put it to me they can be mounted in any position except upside down. And they can be heavily discharged and recharged. We have AGM batteries in our boat and we come back to batteries every year that easily take a charge after 15 years of use. So with the placement set I could move on.

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From the battery I would follow the transmission tunnel to the starter using 2ga QuickCar Battery Cable Kits 57-011. I loved this kit and I found it to be perfect for what I needed. Using the same wire I connected it to jumper posts in the trunk.

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Ignition System & EFI Harness:
The second trick to a clean engine compartment is finding a spot for your Ignition Box, ECU, and Coil. Most importantly is the coil you choose. I used an MSD SS series coil because it’s compact and could, just like the battery, be mounted in various different positions. Second most important is your ignition box placement. I found that just above the bell housing, behind the firewall was a great fit and could be accessed via the panel covers on the transmission tunnel wall. Just make sure your carpet or upholstery lends itself to taking these panels off for any maintenance otherwise you’ll be dropping your transmission to change your ignition box. Gotta think 10 steps ahead here. I also engineered my dash face to come off because that would need to happen as well. It has to be acknowledged that the difficulty maintaining components has grown exponentially.

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Now with the ignition system located, the EFI computer needs to be placed. I was extra careful to put this in a central location. I placed it behind the dash. Something important about the EFI system is they want the main power feed to come straight off the battery NOT the fuse panel, even if the wires needed to be lengthened which they did in my case.

Now with the coil, ignition box, & EFI computer located it’s easy to see how the 3 systems are all now hidden and centrally located. Meaning wires can be short and direct. This also means a good ignition signal. I started wiring these components first.

------------------------------

The Factory Five Full Chassis Ron Francis Harness:

Fuse Panel:
It’s from here that you can begin to determine your fuse box location. I will say it right now I prefer EdwardB’s location however, in my case function would have to follow form. I needed something concealed. And so I made life more difficult for myself and after fiddling with the mounting location, I arrived at where I did because it would work for my specific application. If I had to do it all over again, I am not sure what I would do but I don’t see an alternative in my particular instance.

Front Harness:
In a more general sense I think the way I would route my wires for the front harness was the key to the clean look under the hood. But it came at the sacrifice of having much more wiring behind the firewall.

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I followed the frame tubes as shown by the blue lines. I then followed the AC lines on the passenger side and the lower radiator hose on the drivers side and brought the lines up to the hood hinge joint and terminated them with 6 pin connectors. It’s from here that I will connect my front lights.

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I routed the alternator wire, the oil pressure wire, the water temp sensor wire and the distributor signal wires together and routed them behind the alternator and pulley tensioner where I would combine them with the Factory Five front wire harness and follow it back through the transmission tunnel and behind the dash. I added these wires in after I routed and secured the front wire harness. It would have been much better to do this outside the car. I did not use the supplied sensor wire harness.

Ignition Harness:
I made the unusual choice. Of placing my ignition switch, my headlight switch, and AC & Heat controls on the transmission tunnel. I like the idea of having these things at my fingertips and just less clutter on the dash. You don’t have to look down; one can just feel their way around and make any adjustments. This area also highlights how I routed my wires back to the battery and the rear harness through the transmission tunnel.

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Rear Harness:
The photo says it all. I kept things tight to the frame. Made sure I wasn’t having wires crossing over wires. I didn’t do any extra storage areas in the trunk. I feel like I did enough sheet metal mods for one project and frankly this ain’t built to be a grocery getter.

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To keep this short, I used an Aeromotive in tank fuel pump and through multiple miscommunications between, FFR, Roush and myself I bought an Aeromotive fuel pump wire harness as well. Turns out FFRs wire harness has the leads for the fuel pump and so did the kit that came from Roush. I decided to use the Aeromotive harness because it was the most robust. But the lesson is. Don't buy stuff a year in advance of when you need it like I did. Thankfully this was an isolated extra purchase and added to a slightly better wiring setup. In retrospect I should have used the wire leads from FFR but I didn't realize this until I laid out the rear harness which was the last thing I did, coming months after first start. Oh well.


Advice & The Rest:
As I connected each wire I placed a check mark next to it on the wiring diagram. This insured I have no loose wires or wires that were unaccounted for. Also take notes you'll see I made sure to note the AC input wire to tell the ECU to trigger the fan needed to be 12v +.

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Also, map things out before you drill holes to make sure everything has a place & that you don't drill into your ignition box as was my ultimate fear. Which I thankfully didn't do.

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There was a lot of specialty wiring I chose to do like wiper relays and latching relays for high and low beams. I covered these in previous posts and they can be found under the electrical section of the table of contents.

Last piece of advice, buy extra wire. Buy it in different sizes and colors and be prepared to extend or shorten wires. I had to extend every wire in the front harness and all the wires for the ignition switch. Some wires had to get extended as much as 1-3 feet and others as little as 6".

I hope this helps someone. I know it will help me locate things if maintenance is ever required. So if anything this was a good post to add to the journal.

[P100DHG]

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Wouldn’t this look good in a Roadster!?

[P100DHG]

I am so freaking excited to announce my car is in the hands of a legend. It was dropped off yesterday to Jeff Miller. He’s a great guy and I’m not making it easy on him. I had a ton of special requests and he agreed to nearly all of them.

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He and I spent a good while chatting. I’m excited to be working with him. His wisdom and knowledge about these cars are really amazing. I also love his philosophy about building them.

I should have the chassis back shortly. This means the chassis gets put back together, aligned and the first road test is coming! I anticipate it going smoothly. Then off to upholstery. I’ll be honest, it’s in the hands of the experts at this point. I plan to be a good documentarian, photographer and student. Exciting new journey!

[P100DHG]

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@FactoryFive let’s wrap a MK4 Roadster round this engine!

When I was researching my Daytona, I stopped into a local dealer known for their custom Fords. In fact they have a dedicated customs shop and their work is pretty good. On their showroom floor sat that Roush 427IR. A fuel injected Borla 8 stack engine producing 560hp with a hefty price tag of $49,148. They said they would cut me a deal but even then it’s was something I really couldn’t afford. Also had no idea of what the parts alone on that engine are worth at the time. Staggering frankly.

Cut to I’m driving past the dealer and I decided to give them a call and see if that engine was still sitting there. Not only was it still there but they were tired of looking at it. I called my contact at Roush and we went over it and basically he gave it his blessing. I had the dealer do a compression and oil pressure check and the numbers are perfect. Mind you it’s brand new but why not do it anyway.

So I bought the engine. BUT I didn’t pay $49,148, I paid $13,500! That is the nature of classic cars as we know, you’re lucky if they are worth half of what you build them for and in the case of this engine, about a 1/5. But I am well positioned for a Roadster.

PS - Jeff is making great progress on my Coupe, pictures coming this weekend.
PPS- that engine has an oil pan built for a truck LOL and an AC compressor so some mods are necessary. Or a Roadster with AC

[Straversi]

I have a friend with a Superformance roadster with that motor. You are going to love it!
Congratulations.
-Steve