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Dietrich Boy's in AZ - This might take a while.
Hey there friends!
So I guess it's time to start my long journey of documenting my first build. My two sons will be helping along the way. They are 13 and 11 as I make this thread. I'll start here with a little back story. When I was a child my father always spoke about the Cobra. He told stories of its successes and made sure to point them out if they happen to be at a car show. He was in high school during the rise of Shelby American so I'm sure many of you can relate in some ways to the influence the Cobra had on him. Fast forward to when I was in high school ('94) and I was able to buy a 1989 Mustang LX with the 5.0HO in 1993. This was when magazines were KING of media and marketing. I had multiple subscriptions, and each month read most from cover to cover. MM&FF, Super Ford, Hot Rod, Car Craft (one of my favs) and Popular Hot Rodding to name a few. I would spend hours in the supermarkets late at night (back when they were open 24hrs) just reading magazines. I can't remember when exactly but I do remember in the mid 90's reading about FFR. Probably in Kit Car Magazine or something but I know they were in other Ford mags after that too. In fact, I have a 1999 MM&FF on the shelf. I bet there is an ad in it. I did make it into MM&FF with my 1995 Mustang Cobra. Maybe in 2002 or something. Any who's, I have been eyeballing a FFR for a LONG time but until now I just couldn't justify the cost and time for such a toy.
So a few years ago I sold my ski boat (retired that hobby for a while) and I'm sitting on some fun money. I decided I needed to teach the boys a little more depth into the world of mechanics and what better way than the simplicity of a FFR Roadster. Last November I started buying some parts for the engine build. Since I have a vast knowledge of the SBF I just stuck with that. And with my 'go big or go home' attitude (slightly tamed by age and wisdom) I bought some goodies. I'll go into details on that later.
The master plan is a complete MK4 kit. IRS, Wilwoods, electric steering and eBrake, 18" wheels (undecided), build my own drop trunk, rear battery in a fender, AC/heater (11" of rain a year in Oro Valley but it gets HOT), 427 Hardtop, and a HUGE list of upgrades or changes.
So from here I'm going to see about figuring out how to insert photos (hosting site) so there are no thumbnails.
Cheers,
Justin, Jaxon and Griffin
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Senior Member
Congrats on pulling the trigger and welcome to the fun! I love hearing about what seed got planted years ago which led to a purchase today. Great that you're involving your boys, mine joined when they could and learned a bunch. And I had fun in every year of my multi-year build. In fact, although this is year two on the road, I've still not graduated. I look forward to updates in your build thread.
MK4 #7838: IRS 3.55 TrueTrac T5z Dart 347
The drawing is from ~7th grade, mid-1970s
Meandering, leisurely build thread is
here
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Senior Member
I see you have screw in freeze plugs. Be sure and install new O-rings at final assembly, don't ask me how I know....
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Originally Posted by
John Ibele
Congrats on pulling the trigger and welcome to the fun! I love hearing about what seed got planted years ago which led to a purchase today. Great that you're involving your boys, mine joined when they could and learned a bunch. And I had fun in every year of my multi-year build. In fact, although this is year two on the road, I've still not graduated. I look forward to updates in your build thread.
Thank you! I'll post some more about some of my old car roots when I have some time. I was heavy into the car scene for about 14 years before deciding I needed a break and switching gears to becoming an extreme athlete.
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Originally Posted by
Mike.Bray
I see you have screw in freeze plugs. Be sure and install new O-rings at final assembly, don't ask me how I know....
My bigger question is, should I hunt town a tool truck to find an Allen wrench/socket big enough to snug it down. Right now the o-rings are snuggling their plug partners in a box with the dowel rings.
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Senior Member
Congrats, and great engine choice. I went the same route.
Tranny4.jpgBlock5.jpgBlock6.jpg
Built an early MkIII years ago, sold years ago. Back after 18 years to build a MkIV
Build Thread Here Partners: Summit Racing, LMR, Breeze, Forte's Parts, Speedhut, Amazon
MkIV Complete Kit Ordered 4/18/23, Delivered 7/11/23, Boss 427W, Edelbrock Pro Flo 4, TKX (.68 5th), IRS, Wilwood Brakes, 18" Halibrands, Toyo R888R Tires, Custom Speedhut Gauges
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Thanks! Where did you get that nifty engine buggy?
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Senior Member
Originally Posted by
Justin
Thanks! Where did you get that nifty engine buggy?
Summit. SUM-918034. $93. I needed it once I was done assembling my engine and was ready to bolt up the transmission.
Built an early MkIII years ago, sold years ago. Back after 18 years to build a MkIV
Build Thread Here Partners: Summit Racing, LMR, Breeze, Forte's Parts, Speedhut, Amazon
MkIV Complete Kit Ordered 4/18/23, Delivered 7/11/23, Boss 427W, Edelbrock Pro Flo 4, TKX (.68 5th), IRS, Wilwood Brakes, 18" Halibrands, Toyo R888R Tires, Custom Speedhut Gauges
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Post Thanks / Like - 0 Thanks, 1 Likes
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I just started my build this last weekend and I also have this same add in one of my ol magazines this is what got me hooked. Looking forward to see your results.
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Post Thanks / Like - 1 Thanks, 1 Likes
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Senior Member
Thanks for posting that print ad. We are the same generation. Magazines were it for sure. I had motor cross mags stacked 10 high in my room. Really brings back some memories.
Congratulations on your purchase and welcome aboard.
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Senior Member
Originally Posted by
Blitzboy54
Thanks for posting that print ad. We are the same generation. Magazines were it for sure. I had motor cross mags stacked 10 high in my room. Really brings back some memories.
Congratulations on your purchase and welcome aboard.
Yeah, that ad really brings back some memories. I met Greg "The Wheelie Guy" Lapoint at a Fun Ford weekend at Norwalk dragstrip in 1999. Checked out his car and the rest as we say is history. It was definitely a different and exciting time for Factory Five. It's been a great journey. Met a lot of good people and its been fun to watch all the improvements along the way.
Justin, I hope you and your boys enjoy it as much as I have.
Some pics of Greg's car from 99.
IMG_2687_2.jpg
Greg_w_car_big.jpg
Gregs_engine_big.jpg
Last edited by JohnnyB; 11-28-2024 at 11:30 AM.
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Justin, I’m enjoying all the engine detail and magazine talk. I must be about 15 years older than you-I built my first motor in 1979-1980, a 350 Pontiac for my 1970 Firebird. Enthusiast media was all magazines and parts were found at local speed shops and in a few catalogs-Perf. Automotive Wholesale and yes, Summit Racing. The 347 I built in my current build has many parts from Summit. And I still use the old Craftsman Pointer-style torque wrench from 1979 for the first 2 torque steps on mains and rods-still great for rocking the fastener to spread the thread lube. Welcome to the forum and thanks for reminding me of the good ole days.
BUDFIVE
Complete kit order 8/28/2023
347 Ford Dyno 10/12/2023
Kit Delivery 11/28/2023
First Start 7/4/2024
Go Cart 8/31/2024
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Post Thanks / Like - 0 Thanks, 1 Likes
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Story time;
It was a rare treat to have a big race promoter show up out west in Arizona. Fun Ford Weekend came out a couple times and I think the NMRA once or twice. I participated in both FFW events. I ran my 1995 Mustang in the True Street Class. 30 mile cruise and then a couple runs on the strip to win the prize. Well, in 2003 the differential exploded (literally) on the starting line. The car made about 650hp to the tires in that trim. Since I was out of the race I decided to put the car into the car show on Sunday. I cleaned it up and rolled it to the show area Sunday morning. It was a great day with many friends and loads of laughs. I don't remember a whole lot of the weekend but I do remember watching the Pro 5.0 and Outlaw finals. Then jogging over to the car show awards that had already started. Just as a guy turns up and hears his name being called alarm bells started ringing. I was sure my car was in the way or something. Nope, they awarded me with the "Best Engine" of Show award. The old guy handed me this ridiculous 24" tall trophy that reminded me of the prize my baby sister would win at beauty pageants when I was about 10. Turning up late was kind of embarrassing. But what was a fella supposed to do? There was racing going on. They handed out the rest of the "Best of_____" trophies. Ya know, interior, paint and what has it. They handed on old man with a giant 'Best of Show' trophy and then came the last award. The Muscle Mustangs and Fast Fords Magazine Editors Choice Award. Yep, you guessed it, I was handed that plaque. Never in a million years would I have thought that would happen. I mean there were some REALLY shiny and fancy cars there. With that award came a feature in the magazine. My mind was BLOWN. So about a TWO years later, they wrote a feature with a LOT of mistakes but it was still very cool and is one of my favorite memories.
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As I sit here in the wee hours of the morning, because sleep can be an elusive prey sometimes, I have thought about the many build threads I have read thus far. So many have info that might not be relative to everyone but if it helps one person then it should be said. That said, I have a few things I noted in my mind as thing that 'might' help some poor soul in the future.
1. M-6010-BOSS351 block. As of now I have not started the engine but I would like to state that this block needed quite a bit of final machining. Everything was pretty tight and/or long. The block requires specific cam bearings, Part Number: M-6261-J351. It also required 2 -6AN o-ring plugs for the oil galley. I'm not sure why these were not included. The block did come with -4AN plugs for all the auxiliary ports. It also came with alignment dowels for the heads, timing cover and bell housing. The hardware that mounted the main caps was just grade 8 bolts. So I bought ARP Chromoly Bolts 642-2500 for the splayed cap holes. For the main studs ARP Main Stud Kit 154-5403 worked just fine. If you have a rear sump pick-up oil pan you will need a different stud kit.
2. Ford Racing Boss351 Block with a Scat 427 rotating assembly. The rotating assembly cleared all the cylinder bores just fine. There was one small area where the oil pump mounts that was a little tight. Like maybe .050". So I clearanced that quickly and easily with a cutting bit on my Dremel.
3. Ford Racing Boss302/351 Head studs. The standard small block Ford studs are too short to use with this block. This information was not on the internet to my knowledge. I searched down the rabbit hole for a while before finally calling ARP. ARP Part number 155-4201. These studs fit the 390/428 FE blocks. They are about an inch longer than the SBF studs.
4. ATI Damper. I've never used this damper in the past. Probably won't ever use them again going forward. The part required a tiny about of machining to get it to fit over the crank snout. It is press fit. It's in the instructions that this is required. I've use a few other SFI certified dampers in the past and have never had this issue.
5. Pushrod length. There are a HUGE amount of variables that come into play. But what I have found is that most 351W blocks with the 9.5" deck will want a pushrod somewhere around 8.700". With this information you can buy the appropriate size tool to measure the pushrod length for your application. I ended up at 8.750"
Obviously this is just the tip of the iceberg that is sure to come but as of now these are the things that I feel are worth sharing.
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Senior Member
My Boss 427 shortblock was missing water jacket drain plugs. After some back and forth with the Ford engineers, they sent me the correct ORB plugs the 2nd time. They were scratching their heads over this one; allegedly, they should've been installed when the short block was assembled. It caused them some concern over their QC practices.
Engine Buildup2.jpg
Built an early MkIII years ago, sold years ago. Back after 18 years to build a MkIV
Build Thread Here Partners: Summit Racing, LMR, Breeze, Forte's Parts, Speedhut, Amazon
MkIV Complete Kit Ordered 4/18/23, Delivered 7/11/23, Boss 427W, Edelbrock Pro Flo 4, TKX (.68 5th), IRS, Wilwood Brakes, 18" Halibrands, Toyo R888R Tires, Custom Speedhut Gauges
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Originally Posted by
gbranham
My Boss 427 shortblock was missing water jacket drain plugs. After some back and forth with the Ford engineers, they sent me the correct ORB plugs the 2nd time. They were scratching their heads over this one; allegedly, they should've been installed when the short block was assembled. It caused them some concern over their QC practices.
Engine Buildup2.jpg
Yeah, weird for sure. I had those plugs. They are the same as all the other oil plugs. The main galley plugs are a bit bigger and were not in the box. It wasn't hard to source them online just a minor inconvenience.
I have 3 choices for an oil level dipstick right now. HA! One in the block (I'm going to use an expansion plug for that) one 1/8NPT port in the timing cover, and a standard ¼ NPT port in the Aviaid Oilpan I do plan to use.