Fmans Dart 427 build #9818 - 14" Leather steering wheel

[Fman]

The clutch pedal stop is nice too, is that a hardware store item?

It is a hood stop for a Camaro and I used a 2 1/16" circular hole saw to cut the backing plate from 1/8" aluminum. The backside of the hood stop has a nut on it as well.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[TMartinLVNV]

Looks great Fman. Fantastic work!

[Fman]

Looks great Fman. Fantastic work!

Terry, thank you... I have been referencing your build thread (and many others) to help me out. I am starting the wiring now, I have to admit I am a little intimidated by the entire wiring process. There seems to be quite a few guys adding more fuse panels, relays, grounding blocks, etc. to what FFR sends with the car trying to keep it as simple as possible. I am still awaiting my engine completion and until my engine is installed have come to a little bit of hault in the build process. If you or anyone else does have any tips on wiring please post it up!

[TMartinLVNV]

Are you using the autometer or classic gauges?

I really like my extra fuse box. It is only hot with the key in the on position. That way, if I leave my seat heaters on, USB acc plugged in, or cruise control on when I shut off the car, no power will be drained from the battery when off.

[JohnK]

Nice work on the clutch stop! I don't know yet if I'll need one but I had a similar idea using a swiveling leveling foot from McMaster but the hood stop is brilliant.

[Fman]

Are you using the autometer or classic gauges?

I really like my extra fuse box. It is only hot with the key in the on position. That way, if I leave my seat heaters on, USB acc plugged in, or cruise control on when I shut off the car, no power will be drained from the battery when off.

I am using the classic gauges, also planning on using the RF battery switch. I will have to read over your build thread to take a look at what you ended up doing, sounds like a good setup!

[Fman]

I was able to spend a couple days working with my dad on the build, these are some special times, I really enjoy working with him on the car. I can't wait for him to take this car for a rip someday!

I gave him rivet duty and he did the entire cockpit area, he is now a certified pro rivet master! he did such a good job I told him he could come back and hit the trunk later on in the build



His finished product...



We also were able to get the HF 2 ton hoist put together



Speaking of engines, I got a few pics from my engine builder today... the Dart 427 is starting to come to life!

[Fman]

Visit this page for fresh air vent change (hose and coupling)
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/show...-change/page11

One other task I was able to accomplish was installing my footbox vents. I want to thank silver_pilate for giving me all the information to duplicate his system, it is mucho appreciated! He has been using this setup for awhile now with good results, you can get all of these items for around $120 all in. It is simple but seems like it is going to work great.

The only part I still need is some type of hose cushion clamp for a 3" hose, still searching around for something to hold them in place. I used some zip ties to temporarily hold them up.

Here is a link to all the parts:

Stainless duct clamps:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Blast gate:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Attwood bilge blower:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

20' RV sewer hose:

EDIT: NOT USING THIS HOSE ANYMORE
https://www.ebay.com/itm/201997860428

Went to this stuff: Insulated and much better.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I also used a couple small stainless buttonhead bolts with nylock nuts in each blast gate to hold them on (2 on each gate).

Drivers side




Blast gate, I ended up reversing the lever so it was on the same side as the set screw. It is very easy to open and close the vents. You do need to manually open and close them, there is no cable on them but that could be added very easily if desired.




Passenger side




I was also able to get my elephant ears rivnuted to the F panel and cut the hole for the 3" footbox vent line.



A very productive week, I am reaching a point where I need my engine to move forward. I will be holding off on fuel lines, regulator, electrical grommet holes in firewall until my engine is installed and I can get a good visual on where I would like everything to go.

[TMartinLVNV]

I am using the classic gauges, also planning on using the RF battery switch. I will have to read over your build thread to take a look at what you ended up doing, sounds like a good setup!

If you choose to use a secondary "key on" fuse box, this is how I wired mine (with assistance of BigBlocker).

10 gauge wire with a 40 amp inline fuse going from the battery to under the dash near the regular fuse box. My 6 bay aux fuse box is mounted adjacent to the regular fuse box. 10 gauge ground wire to the frame.

The two 10 gauge wires going to a 50 amp rated relay. Relay wired to be closed** until activated by brown radio power wire in the "Radio/Heater/Wiper" bundle which is keyed on.

I have my cruise control (10 amp), two seat heaters (10 amps each) and USB (minimal amps) wired to the aux fuse box. I still have two bays in the aux box open with probably about 15 amps of capacity left. I think when I looked at a wiring amperage chart, the 10 gauge wire was actually good for 50 amps for the length that I ran even though I put a 40 amp fuse inline.

I actually have third 4 bay fuse box that is HAAT that I use just for my dash clock that I added. I can use it for radio memory as well if I ever decide to put one in.

**I used the wrong term in the above description above. I actually wired the relay to be "open" (electrons not flowing) until the key is on. That way if i leave something on, it will not kill be battery with the key off.

Car hasn't burned down yet

[toadster]

One other task I was able to accomplish was installing my footbox vents. I want to thank silver_pilate for giving me all the information to duplicate his system, it is mucho appreciated! He has been using this setup for awhile now with good results, you can get all of these items for around $120 all in. It is simple but seems like it is going to work great.

The only part I still need is some type of hose cushion clamp for a 3" hose, still searching around for something to hold them in place. I used some zip ties to temporarily hold them up.

Here is a link to all the parts:

Stainless duct clamps: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Blast gate: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Attwood bilge blower: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1
20' RV sewer hose: https://www.ebay.com/itm/201997860428

I also used a couple small stainless buttonhead bolts with nylock nuts in each blast gate to hold them on (2 on each gate).

A very productive week, I am reaching a point where I need my engine to move forward. I will be holding off on fuel lines, regulator, electrical grommet holes in firewall until my engine is installed and I can get a good visual on where I would like everything to go.

WOW looks amazing Travis! Great work by your dad too!!!

I'm tossing around the idea of those footbox vents, seems like a no brainer for $120!
assuming those you have to manually reach down and open/close them?

[Fman]

WOW looks amazing Travis! Great work by your dad too!!!

I'm tossing around the idea of those footbox vents, seems like a no brainer for $120!
assuming those you have to manually reach down and open/close them?

Hey thanks! yes they are a manual open and close gate. You could add some type ofcable to attach to the gate which would not be hard to do. I figure I will more than likely always leave them open during spring/summer and close them during the cooler months.

[460.465USMC]

Great progress, Fman! Hard to believe you've only had your kit for ~4 months. Very cool! I'm a bit jealous as I wait for mine to arrive.

I took a note on your foot box vents. Climate is a bit cooler up here in Spokane, but we surely have our hot days in July-Aug. I'm still following along. Keep up the great work.

[v1-vr]

Stewart Trans will be here tomorrow yea
Your thread has been so helpful with great ideas and lots of pictures along with email address of suppliers in getting prepared. Thank You Travis
Hope GrassValley gets your power done soon. Looks like a beefy lower end.
DaveThanks

[Fman]

Glad my posts are giving some people a few ideas, most have been taken from other builders on this forum. I am also currently doing the same following other build threads trying to figuring this car out. Currently starting to plan out my wiring, just starting to look over the wiring schematic... good times ahead

v1-vr and 460.465USMC looking forward to seeing your builds...

[Fman]

Slow week... did get a little more electrical work done and ran rear harness, wired ignition switch and also installed my Aeromotive stealth in tank fuel pump and ran my first short line of Fragola PTFE steel braided line. I did get a few more engine pics from my builder he passed along, slowly coming together.

[Fman]

Hope everyone is doing well and staying safe, California is having a terrible fire season, work has been ridiculously busy and the air quality has been the worse I have ever seen.

This week I was able to make a little more progress on my build, I completed my Fragola PTFE fuel lines, Aeromotive pump, filter and pressure regulator install. I chose to run Fragola 3/8" PTFE lines the entire run with no hard lines. The Fragola line is very strong and durable, not expecting any issues with it more than likely this stuff will be around long after I am gone. I also found a local label shop to make some labels for my CNC triple reservoir and added a vent cap to my diff breather line.

My next hurdle is wiring, I have run front and rear harness, completed my gauge wiring harness and am starting to move into the IDIDIT and RT turn signal. My engine is just about done, we are waiting on some serpentine pulleys/PS pump from Levy Racing to arrive. Hopefully by end of next week my builder will be able to finish it up.

3/8" Fragola lines with Aeromotive pressure regulator



Nothing fancy here, definitely not the most glamorous fuel line run but hopefully functional




Aeromotive 10 micron fuel filter, Aeromotive stealth fuel pump



CNC Triple with alum labels installed



Vent line cap, $6 and good to go.
https://www.amazon.com/Dorman-924-28...0144137&sr=8-1



Here is my next wiring venture, thanks again to Paul and Dave for the information on these items, now I have a much better idea of what I need to do.

[JohnK]

Nice work on the fuel lines. They look great! You must be excited to get the engine. It looks like it's coming together very nicely.

[JB in NOVA]

Looking good! Nice work on the fuel lines.

[Fman]

Nice work on the fuel lines. They look great! You must be excited to get the engine. It looks like it's coming together very nicely.

Thank you John, nothing near as nice as what you are putting together your SS lines look amazing!

The wiring is going to be my biggest challenge with this build, feel very fortunate to have the more experienced builders here for help!

[nucjd19]

I have spent the last hour or so between work catching up on your thread. First let me say just amazing work. Your powder coat is beautiful and your attention to detail is impressive. I have already earmarked your clutch stop and air vents for my build ( 11/14 finish date ). Thanks for the detailed explanations and links

[Fman]

I have spent the last hour or so between work catching up on your thread. First let me say just amazing work. Your powder coat is beautiful and your attention to detail is impressive. I have already earmarked your clutch stop and air vents for my build ( 11/14 finish date ). Thanks for the detailed explanations and links

Thank you, I am a newbie just learning myself learning as I go. As I have mentioned before just about everything in my build thread has been taken from some other builder on this forum. Maybe my claim to fame will be my $3 clutch stop

I hope my thread helps you along your journey and congratulations on your order!

[Fman]

I was able to spend a little more time today wiring up the IDIDIT relay, RT turn signal, and started running my accessory wires. I definitely will be picking up a grounding bar, can see that will be needed. I have most of the "core" wiring hooked up, if it actually works TBD when I put a battery on the car.

RT and IDIDIT important info, I was having problems figuring out the wiring for the IDIDIT relay, and RT turn signal and the host of other wires coming from the dash harness. Edwardb and Papa gave me a lifeline and explained how the wiring works along with what switches RT and IDIDIT were replacing. I wanted to post up EdwardB's reply so it is in my build thread for others to use down the road. I can guarantee in a few months I won't remember how to do it again I really can't thank them enough, would have been stuck without there feedback!

"Exactly. Nearly everything is in the RF chassis wiring harness schematic.

- The three turn signal wires on Russ's assembly replace the turn signal switch in the RF schematic. Wired exactly as pictured there. The grey feed wire is attached to the common lead. The dark green (left) and light blue (right) to the appropriate other two wires.

- Assuming you want the button on the end of the turn signal stalk to do the high/low beams, there are the two wires from the switch out of Russ's assembly. One goes to ididit switch tan wire. The other to ground. Doesn't matter which. Pushing the button grounds the tan wire and switches the ididit switch.

- For the actual high and low headlight wiring, the iditit switch replaces the dimmer switch in the RF schematic. Wire exactly as pictured there using the purple, green and yellow wires from the ididit switch. You just need to add +12V battery power and ground for the ididit switch. You did get the instructions that came with it, right? Shows and explains pretty clearly. Just got that piece for my new build and it seems exactly suited to our needs. Much simpler than putting together the circuit yourself like the schematics that came with your RT turn signal assembly. And does the same thing, e.g. high/low beam switch plus flash to pass.

From TedG's build a very nice wiring schematic to simplify the IDIDIT/RT turn signal wiring. Thanks Ted!



Here is a pic of the IDIDIT relay, RT turn signal and accessory bundle from the RF dash harness



The rats nest of wires forming behind my dash, I am going to hold off on housekeeping until I confirm everything is working properly. I am 96.4% confident I did everything right....



Started to pull my footbox blower wires through along with the accessorie bundle from RF harness. I am going to be using the heater, wiper, and radio hot wires to power my heated seats, USB charger and footbox vents.

[JohnK]

Hey Travis, thanks for posting the question about the Ididit relay. I'm a bit behind you but I'm planning to use that same Ididit relay with the RT turn signal so I'm very thankful that you've documented the wiring of that.

[Fman]

I was able to pick up my engine today along with my tk0600 and QT bellhousing. The engine has a few bolt on items remaining to be completed which I will take care of myself. Unfortunately after I got home and was looking over the engine I noticed the oil pan is 8" deep which I think is not going to work and hang down below the frame rail. I am a little bummed about this because I requested a 7.5" deep oil pan. Not a huge deal but a little bit of a buzz kill of the hype of the new engine.... Oh well, things happen and we will have to switch it out. If anyone has a link for a good 7.5" pan please send it my way, I found a Moroso 20534 that I think will get the job done.

I was also able to get my tko600 tailshaft cut off and started coming up with a game plan for mating up the TKO an QT BH. My engine builder already spec'd everything for me and installed my clutch, he said just bolt it together and should be good to go. The clutch fork is the only thing I have to do some more research on, I believe it needs to be at 90 degress with BH attached to the engine and TOB touching clutch? Maybe someone could confirm this is how I should do it? It seems pretty straight forward but definitely want to make sure I do this correctly.

Here is the Dart 427 with the Edelbrock Pro Flo 4




Here is the Canton oil pan at 8" deep, I ran a level on it and it definitely looks too low to me...... bumma! my engine builder wants me to install everything and see where everything lands. He said he would install another pan later on if needed.




Tko tailshaft cut down, I ended up using a sawzall to cut it




Looks like another trip to Ace, these bolts that were sent with my transmission mounts are not even close to being long enough. Not quite sure what they were thinking on this one? EDIT: these short two bolts are for the underside of the mount, the two longer bolts that attach to the transmission do not come with the mounts.

[Fman]

Couple other little items, I was able to get my grounding bar installed which helped clean up a little more wiring.

Here is the link for the grounding bar:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1



IDIDIT relay is also mounted to firewall now temporarily held up with some heavy duty velcro. Will add a couple stainless bolts later on, better having it tucked out of the way to clear up some space behind the dash.



Mike Fortes hydraulic clutch setup

[D Stand]

I purchased this one for my ford racing 427. It fits perfect and I hear these guys built the original cobra pans.. It is part number 155-55356


http://aviaid.com/shopsite_sc/store/.../155-55356.gif

[Fman]

Today was a fun day, I want to thank Dave (V1-Vr) and my dad for helping me get the engine installed. Also want give a shout out to Elliott at Mustang Corral and Gordon (Levy Racing) for giving me phone a friend to make sure everything was done properly.

Overall a few small challenges but in the end everything went great! Still have plenty of items to take care of but slowly getting closer to my first start!





We made sure engine was leveled before tightening down motor mounts

[JB in NOVA]

Nice! It looks great. Looking forward to your first start.

[JohnK]

Congratulations on getting the engine in. Looks great!

[Fman]

Thanks fellas, it definitely is nice to have her in the cradle. The harbor freight load leveler worked fine other than the crappy plastic handle they use on it. That handle is a joke, needs to be replaced with a metal handle that can sustain the force of turning the handle. The two ton engine hoist worked great.

I have a long punch list of items to still take care of but starting to see the light.

[460.465USMC]

Sweet! Great milestone reached. That motor looks like it's begging to roar to life. Keep up the great work.

[jiriza84641]

Motor looks good there at home!

[TMartinLVNV]

Fman, that thing is going to be a beast. My little baby 347 scares me. I can't imagine driving a car with the power that yours will have. Your engine bling choices all came together really well. Everything compliments each other without look gaudy. I am happy with my Holley Sniper, but I do sometimes think about the Edelbrock multiport FI setup. It seems to be a great setup from all of the reviews that I have read.

[Fman]

Fman, that thing is going to be a beast. My little baby 347 scares me. I can't imagine driving a car with the power that yours will have. Your engine bling choices all came together really well. Everything compliments each other without look gaudy. I am happy with my Holley Sniper, but I do sometimes think about the Edelbrock multiport FI setup. It seems to be a great setup from all of the reviews that I have read.

Terry, thank you I appreciate the motivating words... so far everything is slowly coming together. The engine cam on this 427 is on the mild side but still right around 480-500 HP. I am hoping the Pro Flo 4 will live up to the feedback I got from a few guys running it who all seem to really like the setup. Time will tell, I will definitely give a full report on how the pro flo 4 ends up working out.

[KDubU]

Engine looks fantastic! Congrats on this milestone. I am also interested in how the Pro Flo 4 performs for you. From reading, it seems like a great solution.

[Fman]

Chipping away at my punch list, still lots to do but checked off a few more items. I was able to get my serpentine belt system installed with Alternator and Jones Racing PS pump. Still waiting for the lines to arrive but everything is mounted. I was also able to get Fortes throttle linkage installed and hydraulic clutch set up. Still have to fill and bleed the system but everything is mounted and ready to go.

If anyone notices any issues please red flag them for me. Everything I installed pretty much has no directions other than pics I could find online.

Serpentine belt system all set up. The Jones PS pump comes with a cooler and remote reservoir which I installed. This complete serpentine system can be purchased from Gordon Levy, he has been excellent to work with.
http://lrclassicsllc.com/





Forte's throttle linkage, everything seems buttery smooth
https://fortesparts.com/product/mech...e-linkage-kit/





Forte's hydraulic clutch setup - I ended up allowing 3/16" clearance between the TOB and clutch pressure plate diaphragm springs, this is what Forte recommended.
https://fortesparts.com/?s=hydraulic+clutch+kit

[mark jones]

great job you are doing on your kit. It's wonderful to know there are so many Cobras close to where I live in Petaluma. Hoping to get one going my self. Searching for a place to build one. A question I have, pardon me but I see these copper sleeved studs sticking out of the sheet metal, what are they?

[Sdonnel]

Do yourself a favor. In order to make sure you have the clutch actuator rod cut to the right length, get in and push the clutch pedal all the way to the floor. Make sure the piston stays inside the housing and none of the O-rings are visible. It can lead to rides on a rollback. Ask me how I know.

Scott

[Fman]

great job you are doing on your kit. It's wonderful to know there are so many Cobras close to where I live in Petaluma. Hoping to get one going my self. Searching for a place to build one. A question I have, pardon me but I see these copper sleeved studs sticking out of the sheet metal, what are they?

Thank you, as you probably can tell I am learning as I go. This forum has been a huge help for me, first time I have ever tackled this big of a project before.

The coppered sleeved studs you are referring to are called Clecos, they are basically a temporarily rivet that can be removed and installed instantly. A must have to build one of these cars, I have used them countless times throughout this build.

[Fman]

Do yourself a favor. In order to make sure you have the clutch actuator rod cut to the right length, get in and push the clutch pedal all the way to the floor. Make sure the piston stays inside the housing and none of the O-rings are visible. It can lead to rides on a rollback. Ask me how I know.

Scott

Scott, are you referring to the master or slave cylinder? I am assuming this can only be done after the system has been bled out? Do you have a clutch stop installed on your build? How far forward should the slave arm move for full clutch engagement?