Wedel456's Build Thread - Gen3 Coupe - North Carolina

[wedel456]

Reserved for Table of Contents:

[wedel456]

I'm diving headfirst into the world of car building with a Coupe – to start, at least! This journey has been a long time coming, sparked by my teenage days when my sister's boyfriend gifted me a '67 Mustang (too many years ago now to mention). That car, humble as it was (a straight 6 200 CID 3 speed that could not get out of its own way), ignited a love for cars that's been simmering beneath the surface ever since. My dad has since given me his 1971 Chevy C10 short bed with a 350.

Life's been a whirlwind since then—work (I am a technology executive and past Mayor/City Council Member), kids, and personally building my last house took precedence. But a couple of years back, my family and I made the move from California to North Carolina, and now, with a bit more time on my hands, I couldn't resist the temptation of the Spring sale to finally pull the trigger on my Coupe.

Scheduled for kit completion on June 15th, I've got Stewart Transport lined up to oversee the delivery. In the meantime, I've been devouring every Coupe build thread and YouTube video I can find. Shoutout to the legends on this forum like @edwardb and @P100DHG, and the Cobra Daytona Build on YouTube for the invaluable inspiration and guidance!

I'm hoping to share this experience with my old man, too – fingers crossed for him lending a hand every now and then, passing on his wisdom and getting his hands dirty alongside me.

[wedel456]

Complete Coupe Kit
Powder Coating Gen 3 Coupe Chassis
Body Cut Outs
Vinyl Roadser Seats (will be selling as I am still selecting my seat options now that Corbeau Evolution X do not appear to fit any more)
IRS
Center Section and Spindles
Carpet Kit – Still determining what sections will be utilized as I plan on wrapping some areas in Vinyl/Leather
Side Windows
Aero Vents
Front and Rear Sway Bars
Wilwood Front and Rear Brakes
GPS Gauges
Wood Steering Wheel – I plan on having matching wood knobs (A/C, Wipers) a la @P100DHG
Halibrand 18" wheels
Windshield wipers (Battery Cut off Switch
Hydrolic Clutch Master Cylinder Kit
351W Install Kit
351W Headers
FF Stainless Side Exhaust
Power Steering
A/C

Engine / Transmission:
Like @P100DHG, my initial thought was to bite the bullet and go with the 5.2 but an Aluminator (not Voodoo). I also looked at the Gen 3 (and now 4) Coyote, too. While I truly do understand the augments for going this path, I just could not get over the old school power, sounds, and smells that come from a push rod engine. After reading through @P100DHG’s build, and listening to his YouTubes, I eventually settled on a:

427 Stroker – 575 HP from Proformance Unlimited with Sniper 2 and a TKX

Add-Ons:
Wilwood Electronic E-brake
Digital Guard Dog Keyless Ignition
New Vintage Toggle Switch Panel
Lizard Skin Heat and Sound
Russ Thompson Turn Signal
LED lighting upgrades throughout – including adding reverse lights
BRE mirror kit
BOIG Cool Tubes
Rear view mirror backup camera kit – still looking for the one I want to order.

Seats:
Currently looking at Braum ORUE Series -
Anyone have experience with these? They have similar size measurements as the Corbeau Evolution X; however, the head rest is smaller, and I think it will let the seat go back further based upon pictures I have seen on this forum.

[korbar]

Where in NC are you at, I am a bit north of Charlotte.

[wedel456]

I am in Marvin. We should connect. PM me if you are interested.

[460.465USMC]

Welcome aboard, wedel! You spec'd-out a build with some great options. Thanks for the link to the seats you're considering. I deleted the F5 seats from my order, and haven't yet decided what to buy.

I think your 427 stroker should give enough ooomph to put a smile on your face. What are you doing for transmission?

[wedel456]

Thanks Chris. Getting hard to wait for the kit to arrive. Been following your garage build and prep tread, too. Look forward to seeing your progress.

My father has a red-eye charger and other high HP toys. This build should be a fun one, too.

As for your question: going with the TKX.

[wedel456]

Delivery:
My complete Coupe kit was completed on June 15th, and Stewart Transport handled the delivery without a hitch - loading the car on the truck on June 21st and Delivery on June 27th. Seeing the truck arrive with my Coupe was an incredible moment. I felt a mixture of anxiousness to see the car and nervousness about what I got myself into. The delivery went off mostly without a hitch, although I had to obtain a trailer the night before due to the busy street I live on, which allowed us to offload the 46 boxes that were delivered. The driver, who was awesome, drove the truck to our driveway to deliver the body/frame and hood. We had to block off a busy country road for 45 minutes. The driver was very helpful and worked with me to offload everything. I could not speak more highly of the delivery process and the driver.

Factory Five Truck.jpg

First Impressions:
When I first saw the Coupe, I was in awe. The car is beautiful, full stop. It looks so much better in person, too. This is the first time I have seen one in person and had only online versions to compare it to, and boy, was I surprised at how sexy it is. I was also impressed by the fit and finish of the frame. The welds across the frame look straight and uniform with little spatter. While I will not know more until much later in the process, the body looks great. I did not see any obvious gouging or fiberglass issues.

Body.jpg

Close Up.jpg

Car Front.jpg

Inventory:
I had to travel with the family over the 4th of July holiday so the inventory process was delayed a week. Had just enough time to get the car into the garage and the dolly built. The inventory process was much easier than I expected and only took about a 1/2 day complete, even with 46 boxes. I went through every box and counted every part, screw, bolt, etc. I already knew there were a few backordered parts (the biggest one being the rims; however, I will not need those for a while). However, during the inventory process, I found a few items that were missing that were supposed to be there. Again, this will not be major for now, as the only major item is the Russ Thompson fuse box and wiring. I will have to ping Factory Five about this oversight (I am sure it will not be an issue).

Car Dolly Build:
I do not have a lift so I decided to build a car dolly, which was slow and steady. It was built out of 2x4s with house framing reinforcements. I used four high-weight rollers, two swivel locking casters in the front, and two non-swiveling ones in the rear. The frame is resting on the jack points in the front and back of the car on all four corners and is restrained with plywood blocking. I need to find some mechanism to ensure the frame does not move on the dolly (probably going to use PVC conduit clamps). The build took about half a day as I had to refine the design a few times to ensure the dolly was strong enough to support the car and parts that are installed before I can drop it on tires. I had to add a few cross braces in the back to ensure the dolly stays together and the wheels do not slide out from underneath it.

Dolly.jpg