Those exhaust hangers were initially used with shorty headers and J pipes as they were known to sag and stress/crack the J pipe over time.
In the past, with 4 into 4 long tube headers, hangers were not needed. With the addition of the ball joint in the headers, the hangers will help keep the side pipe from sagging over time.
I've made these front hangers for the J-Pipes as well as the ball flange headers. Left unsupported the front of the sidepipe can rotate downward if the ball flange loosens.
Lance
Thanks for the offer for the hooks. I already have a set of nice Stainless Steel ones from Ace. Actually they were eye bolts that I cut off a section of the eye with just enough room to install the rubber hangars, which I picked up at NAPA. Currently waiting on a set of closed stainless turnbuckels I picked out of the Bezos catalog. Got my headers mounted today. Side pipes and collectors will be done next week. So'll I'll be lashing it all up the end of next week.
1ST ENGINE RUN IN THE CAR TOMORROW !!!!! I'll post a report.
Got the master cylinders changed out to Tilton, personal preference and leave it at that. Stayed with 3/4 bore on all three. Tilton has a 3-AN outlet, best fit for me was to use a 3-AN to 1/8 NPT on the outlet, then use the 1/8 NPT to Flare that came with the wilwoods for the brake lines. I had enough give to fit them in. For the clutch, I used a 4-AN banjo bolt that fit right in with the clutch line. Brakes bled and verify the switches for clutch and brake still set correctly. I changed out the supply line from the reservoir with the 5/16 hose provided in the Tilton box.
Onward for more body fitting! of course, I will take another test drive and I want to run thru the alignment again just for fun so I can learn it better with the body off.
Got the bed liner laid in the body, picked the 1 weekend of the last month that we may have rain, so I snuggled it next to the body in the garage. Raptor said it should not get wet for 72 hours...Son is in town for a week and we have Indy Car races to go to next week end, so slow progress will continue. Raptor undercoating applied to Body.JPGtaped ready for raptor 2.JPG
Looks sharp Lance.
Your still a week or so ahead of me. That Raptor looks great. Can't wait to get mine (grey) done. Soon I hope. I've been busy with the local car show since last Thursday. By the way, a Backdraft Cobra won the Best of Show at the Wapato Showdown, over 300 cars at the show! He got my 4 votes as I put 4 cars, (including the MK4) into the show.
I plan to get back to the body sanding in the morning. Give me a shout when you are about to fit your body on the car, I'll pop over to help.
I have been working thru some details before body drops on again. Since I will be shipping the car out for body work and paint, I decided to get it prepped over the winter for licensing before I do that, including installing most items, but trying to not make to much to be redone by the pro...
Finished up trunk courtesy lighting, wired in a switch that I will attach to the hinge to on/off the lights. A basic amazon tilt switch. Rear Curtesy lights.JPG
I sealed up the drivers foot box, that seems like a big milestone for me and a real sign of forward progress. Driver Foot Box Closed up.JPG
Started the carpeting, but ran out of glue so did not get to much done, and found some issues to address with the carpet. I really like the ease of the DAP indoor/outdoor glue, it has been mentioned here many times. Gives a little work time, but still has a good grab after about 10 minutes. Can't seem to get it locally, so ordered out.
Partially done with driver side foot box, but had some issues with the center carpet dash piece being to short, left a 1/2+ gap at the floor inside driver side. I ended up putting 2 more layers of heat insulation on driver side floor to help close that gap and will secure it when I get more glue. I also made a carbon fiber cover plate that I will put over the cutoff switch after carpet is down. Driver footbox partial with dead pedal.JPGCutoff Carbon Fiber Plate.JPGPassenger outside wall.JPG
Was not to satisfied with the carpet for the upper trunk, it was almost 1/2 short width wise and supper large holes around the roll bars. It made the upper trunk wall look a little "jenky". So I ended up making a panel to cover that area and will carpet it as well. I know some do the whole area back there and I was trying to avoid that. I had ordered a second trunk set of carpet so I would have enough to manipulate the drop trunk carpet Not yet glued down but happy with the cutting and planning I did. I also cut a carbon fiber plate for the fuel pump access I screwed up the cut. so it is a little bigger than I wanted. The bottom of the drop trunk will get edge trim and just a sit in place that can be removed. Upper trunk side panel.JPGFuel pump access cover.JPGTrunk Carpeting.JPG
Took another neighbor around the block, got to love that "vroom vroom"
Yo Lance, The carpet looks sharp. Looks like your getting close to getting the body back on. Let me know when your ready, I'll stop by and lend a hand and bring over those windshield jigs.
Allyn
I wrapped up trunk and Cubby carpeting. Looks pretty good, the camera shows weird stuff in the carpet that the eye does not see, it looks pretty good and I am satisfied to have that part done. Trunk Carpert done.JPGTrunk Carpet done 2.JPG
I also tackled the ever present Submarine strap issue. I really like the ones that have that function built in to the 4 strap setup, but did not want to pay $500.00 plus a set at this time. I spent a bit of time reviewing this problem and the various solutions across multiple forums. Then I looked thru the boxes of attachment hardware I have sitting around from previous belts I have bought and came up with a satisfactory solution that I feel is close to design needs. Having the seat slider created a unique parameter to work with, I saw others have just attached them to the seat, but if the car hits the track for a track day, I wanted a proper set up. I will not be to excited to cut up my new seat bottom, but I was able to track down a good pass thru piece, which took a lot of effort to find.
Here is picture of sub strap with the seat fully pushed to the rear, which for the passenger side will be the norm. Sub Strap Full seat rearward.JPG
Here is the picture with the seat 3-4 inches forward, should be the max movement for driving Sub Strap seat forwrad 3 inches.JPG
Here is the anchor point under the car Sub Strap Nut.JPG
And I also decided to use the clip on for the shoulder straps, thought that will make it much easier for removal/re-attachment in the future Rear Harness attachment.JPG
I also dropped off a couple carpet pieces to have some edging installed and some vinyl pads for the floor and gas pedal sew on so I can finish the carpeting hopefully next week, trying to get the body on before hunting season starts in a few weeks.
Finally got the carpet installed, really looking like a "real" car now. I did have a couple pieces that I had wished were a little longer so I could trim them, had to do some messaging and very close fit.
Really curious about the difference between the passenger and driver floor pieces, why cheat the passenger side and do 2 pieces and not get the full wrap around the front frame tube? Kind of cheesy in IMHO. I did put a small piece of carpet along the frame, I know it is not really visible, but if the passenger has flip-flops or no heel shoe, may be more comfortable. I just hope the edge does not peel back, I can see it getting a lot of abuse unless I get the floor mats installed.
Banding the front of the center piece was a nice choice to give a more finished edge in a really visible location. I also banded the floor piece for the drop trunk since it is a removable piece.
I like the vinyl pieces i had sewn into the driver foot box and hopefully save some wear and tear.
Waiting for a leather boot, console cover and brake lever cover from online shop. Turned out well to carpet the center top under the dash and shorten the tunnel cover, I have 4 bolts to hold it in place. Still debating a cup holder, not to late yet....
Moving on to set the body on again, think I am ready having made some adjustments to the front mounting points and added to the frame rails a rubber strip on the front and a couple rubber bumpers up the side to help with leaning on the body.
I installed my sub belt seat pass thru. Started with a plastic 2 piece unit that I trimmed with some leather on the seat side flange. Cut thru the seat, foam and seat heater to get the piece thru. Kind of hated to cut a perfectly good seat, but the leather trim makes it look like it belongs there! Cutting Foam.JPGBelt Insert Part.JPGSub Strap Passthru.JPGSEat Belt pass thru in car.JPG
Time to do an update on my build. Been doing bits and pieces here and there, but not enough time over the last 3 months to do a lot at any one time. Finally accumulated enough points to post an update. I think I am still on track to get it on the road this spring, in gel coat!
I also was internally debating how far to go with the build before I select a final body person, I know I will not be do the final fitting, finishing and painting. Lots of “save it for the expert” if you are unsure flying around. Fit and finish not my strong skill, but I decided it best to lay off the internet some and just get ‘R’ done, if it is not what the expert would do, hopefully they can tweak it as needed. I keep reminding myself I took this on to do it myself, so onward!
Got the final body position set, pretty happy with the final lay out, and it looks good.
Set the hood, did the car center line thing and went ahead and cut the scoop out. I did 1 very minor trim on the frond driver side corner of the hood, but that was all, and there are some big gaps at spots on all 4 sides, so centered and adjusted as best as I can get it. Got the latches mounted as well, kind of weird the passenger side bumper at the latch is big and the driver side small, so I leave the final to the experts, looks even now with the hood closed and it is fully functional and looks good as well. Front View with Scoop.JPGInside scoop mounted.JPGScoop Cut 1.JPGScoop cut 2.JPG
Opened up the roll bar holes and dropped them in. Driver side was out by ½ inch, so had to open a big hole, but it is smaller than the trim ring, so no problem.
Got the trunk set with the latch installed and that was pretty easy, no trimming and only hinge adjustments to get a good fit. Instructions on the latch was a head scratcher for my small brain just eyeballed it and drilled, nice snug fit but no way to get that nut on the back side. I love when the have instructions that are completely out of sequence, "drill from the back...????" Trunk with latch.JPG
Temporarily attached the breeze shroud in the front with 5 rivets so it can be easily removed. Breeze shroud.JPG
Next Up Windshield, doors and side pipes and that seems to be the hardest part left, then fit and finish details.
I found the breeze panel was a challenge to get on and off with the hood hinges in the way. FYI you will want that in before paint or find a way to get your hood off without damaging the paint. I didn't install mine until the car was completely finished.
Car looks great. I respect the can do attitude on the body work.
Last edited by Blitzboy54; 12-13-2024 at 12:58 PM.
So, funny story on my story to obtain some leather bits for the interior. I originally selected redlinegoods, they were great, I was not. When we finalized the set up, I confirmed the measurements and got what I asked, great shjift boot, great parking brake boot, But...tunnel cover was to short "Ah CR$$", not my first or last redo.... I used the factory provided panel, cut short because I carpeted under the dash part of the cover. I ended up going local to get a cover done, they did a great job, 125 + beer money. And, while chatting, the gentleman mentioned that piece looking familiar, I told him it was going in a cobra replica-Low and behold he said "factory 5, I used to do door panels and dashes for smith..." Small world.
I started with the supplied parts, shortened the tunnel cover a bit. Installed the oval cover plate using counter sunk rivets. Then installed 4 riv nuts for the trim ring. Used 2 layers of 1/8 inch closed cell foam from the craft store. First layer went around the oval cover piece, second layer over everything, helped make the oval cover less prominent. Then to break up the flat top, had him sew some stitching in to match the boot cover. Great conversation piece-"WHY IS THE COVER OFFSET FOR THE SHIFTER?" Not obvious when looking from either side, but straight on, it is a statement to the asymmetry of the car...
Car looks great! Nice work. I’m a big fan of the tranny cover
The pass-through piece was a great find. I have some leather scraps around, so should be able to cover it. I’ll add that to my list while waiting for Jeff to call.
Last edited by John Ibele; 12-14-2024 at 11:58 AM.
MK4 #7838: IRS 3.55 TrueTrac T5z Dart 347
The drawing is from ~7th grade, mid-1970s
Meandering, leisurely build thread is here
Lights installed. The headlight was a head scratch-er and had me spinning circles for a bit. The adjustment ring has 3 tabs, but was only properly drilled for 2. SO, spinning up and trying many things, I realized it was not correct, and drilled the other hole for the 3rd tab in the correct location and it fit like it was supposed to. Driver side light, the rubber piece did not have the proper holes, spinning again, I got the punch out and made it right. Last issue with the head lights is the trim ring, looks great but the retaining screw that comes in from the bottom does not line up with the screw boss, so I will have to drill a new hole. Chased that damn clip about 6 times since it seemed to fly off every time I popped the trim ring off, note to self if I ever do that in an uncontrolled environment...
Also made a cover for the trunk lid access. .020 aluminum panel and some carbon fiber vinyl. Trunk Access cover.JPG
I opened up the front windshield box only to find I had 2 driver side supports and no passenger side. Factory 5 has responded and the proper part is on the way already. I feel that they have been super good to me on customer support, much appreciated these days.
Been working over the holidays on Doors. Glad to have it done, satisfied, cried a little every time the screws loosened just a bit to much and the whole hinge went out of whack. I think I had them just right, about 10 times, then go away for a day and come back and get it just right again, only to try and better fix 1 corner and have the screws loosen to much...
For the passenger side, I cut off the existing post bracket, left a little nub and re-welded a new bracket on to give enough room for the door to close. I tried opening up the old bracket too the very end and still need 1/8 inch, cut and redo did the trick. Was careful to cover and protect the carpet and interior with canvas tarp and welding blanket, all worked out in the end.
Driver side, I ended up elongating the hole a small amount to get the last bit of pull in for the door, but that was pretty minor surgery with a round file in the drill.
One thing I should have payed more attention to was the distance at the side of the latch. I should have moved my latches in 1/16 of an inch more to the inside to ensure clearance when the cover is on and the door swings open I am pretty close to the side and had to shim the case with a couple washers to move it toward the inside.
Latches installed per the manual, 30 pages...and they "Close Like Butter" They do seem to be pretty nice and when set correctly, the door practically springs open when unlatched, little force to close.
Nice milestone. Not the same but I went through a similar process fitting the side windows on my last project. It literally took me weeks of frustration off and on but eventually they all worked as they should and it turned out well. Satisfying I am sure to hear the click/thunk of the door closing well.
So, the windshield was a bit of a slug-fest for me over the past week, lots of issues and a bunch of learning and a little insurance money spent for later if needed. As posted before Christmas, I went to start my install and was met with have 2 of the same side post. F5 took care of it and sent the opposite post promptly.
Started last week to install the side post and passenger side only 2 of 4 screws were lined up, so began my first issue. I ended up taking the long brass piece out of the window frame. In order to make that happen, I had to take out 2 corner screws that hold the corner bracket in place as they interfered with getting the side brass out. I was able to cut the side brass in the middle and get all 4 holes to line up. As you can see I had almost 1/8 inch gap to get everything to line up. Side bar cut to fit.JPG
Then the @@** got real, trying to get the corner lined back up to get the 2 screws in to the corner bracket. I got a little over zealous with mallet and realized I was deforming the side edge a "bit". But, perseverance paid off and the screws went back in. Went thru a cycle of fitting the window and pulled it off only to notice the corner was apart again...Well, turns out the corner bracket had cracked, that was not my doing, but required a new L bracket. So a few days later the material I ordered from Mcmaster showed up-not dimensional correct, So I worked it over a bit. Took 4 tries over 2 days to get that corner back together, and it still is not quite right but close enough to continue. Corner bracket broken.JPGPulling window frame togather.JPG
Then the insurance, I ordered a new complete setup from F5 in-case this frame was too damaged or leads to a cracked window due to the handling...
I must say, I had to bend the frame tips for both sides to get them to fit better around the top curve and a fair amount of manipulation to get a proper fit. I over cut the holes, so will need to back fill those later at final body and paint. I threaded the bolt holes in the sides, huge help there with final install. Ended up with no shims on driver side and 1 washer top passenger side and 3 washers lower passenger side. A couple fit up issues during the process, but end result the window is installed and another tough task in the books!
I think this will go down as one of the harder steps in the build for me. If I had a second chance, I would have done the first part of the window fitting with the body off-Getting the end post set to the mounting location, just not drilled the holes. A lot of twisting and bending of the side post would have been easier with out the body. I also determined it was easy enough after the window was sitting in the hole, removing the side piece while on the car instead of pulling the window out each time to make an adjustment P1100026.JPGP1100028.JPG
Spent a couple days on the exhaust, wanted to make sure I was getting it correct. Lots of take off-put back on different configuration until I got a good fit. A little give and take on everything, threw away the laser, pulled out the old school yard stick! Not exact side to side but close +/- < 1/2 inch on all measurements. Cheat a little on the level, cheat a little on the height, but side to side is pretty close.
I order 1 each of the wedges from Breeze, figured If I need more I would order more after setting up each side.
1 min wedge used on driver side, used 1 max + 1 Mid on passenger side. I tried to use the gaskets, but they add to much to the overall stick out so ended up with RTV Copper gasket stuff I had on Hand. RTV Gasket Copper Ultra.JPG
Challenge #1 was the hanger on the body. Driver side no way the existing hanger was going to work as planned. Passenger side was close, probably would have worked put I figured I would make them both the same. I re-drilled the hole in the hanger and cut out the 2 pre-drilled holes, allowed the bracket to rotate a bit down to increase clearance to the bottom rail. I have about 1/2 inch between bracket and side of car and same on the bottum. Exhaust bracket mod final.JPGDriver side hanger.JPGHanger bracket mod layout.JPG
Challenge #2, the tip drooped after my set up and first run wanted to maintain close to 4.5 inch clearance to the floor. Solution, I used metal zip tie on the engine side hanger and 3 grunt torque on the ball flange after heat cycle. Final heat cycle and rev'ing and the tip height was good Metal Zip Tie.JPG
I suppose the old saying "if it looks right, then it's right" probably applies here. You would never be able to see 1/2" of difference side to side for obvious reasons.
Got all the inner fender stuff ready for coating. I will stick them on with out any silicone while i drive around this summer so the can be easily removed for final body work.
Rears went pretty well on Passenger side, very little trimming. Driver side kind of a PITA, had to bend up the edge of the gas tank and a bit more trimming required. I also made the filler panels for the opening in the rear of the driver compartment. Just to note, I mounted them just aft of the 3/4 tube mentioned in the manual, gave more rivit space. Driver side rear fender insert.JPGDriver side rear forward insert.JPGPassenger side rear fender insert.JPGPassenger side Rear forward insert.JPG
Front required some modifications and extra parts purchase, they really did not fit well and I had 2 choices, make new or get some bulb seal that was larger, Mcmaster has 1 inch that should work, at 1 point it is nearly 1 inch from the body work. Seems that some others have had this problem before. The bottom did not line up well with the F-panel, thank god I am not to OCD, so I let it ride....I had to cut the bottom tab off and add another tab, both sides were to tall to fit otherwise. I also bent the flange a bit to get the panel to angle toward the rear of the opening. Dropped the car on the wheels to check clearance, looks good. Both sides were nearly identical fitment issues. Front Driver side insert.JPGFront fender insert trim.JPG
Working on front end Aluminum and oil cooler install...hopefully this weekend it will be done.
I also turned a weekend job into a multi week, harder than it should have been event to get the oil cooler installed and all the front Al pieces. I ended up making all new pieces, I did mis-drill the oil cooler holes, so that had to be re-done and I did not like the fit of the provided panels for the side. Not sure I did much better, but they fit a bit better. I now need to get some hose holders and finish plumbing the cooler. For the front piece, I stuck 2 studs to the fiberglass to bolt the front of the panel to the cowl, a little HSRF goes a long way! I used Tinnerman nuts for the other screws in the radiator and attaching to the side panels. I used bulk head fittings at the side and routed under the cross tube. This week I will install the thermostatic plate and secure the hoses.
Lance
I think I may have some extra screen for your oil cooler inlet. Let me know if you need it. I also have the "bucks" for forming them.
I think you managed to get a "vacume" seal on those plash shields! They look great. Oil cooler install looks great as well. Looks like your down to the "short strokes".
Thanks Rebostar, I have brake duct, oil cooler and front end cover from Breeze. Not sure I will use the front cover. I did order some rad protection as well. I just drug the nudge bars out of my storage and will start windshield wipers here as well. Had a little trouble with oil line hook up, nothing a few more parts and a few bucks wont solve...
Few more items knocked off the list, Wipers and nudge bars, which I still do not know weather I will use the bars, over-riders or quick jacks. More decisions for after paint.
Front Nudge bar, new style i guess as it has the over riders pre-welded to the bar. I think I got luck on this, they pretty much bolted right up. I will some final tweaking after paint to get the distances more uniform, but pretty happy that it went as planned. Since the overriders are pre-drilled and threaded, I can see some some tolerances adding up to make it much more difficult, but worked for me. Front Nudge bar.JPG
Rear bar was pretty straight forward. Since I have all thread, I drilled out the threaded holes and used nuts on the back side of the overriders. Everything lined up pretty well again, so happy about that! I see some have added a smaller bolt between the bars and the overriders in the center, not sure the exact reason, maybe to line everything up and prevent shifting. Will possibly do that at final assembly Rear Nudge Bar.JPG
Wipers-Did not have to give up my first born, but it was close. Not sure the measurements in the instructions are optimal, but the will work.
Drilling the hole was the first task, Used the install tool to locate the center of the hole. Then used a counter sink bit to start the hole because the regular drill bit was dancing around. An acrylic bit would probably be best option and tried to drill thru the alignment tool, but could not get it to stay steady either, so I approximated the angle and finished with regular 1/2 bit then finished the hole to the correct size with a dremel sanding drum. Wiper holes.JPG
I did a little sanding on the rubber angle piece to get a best fit. Originally they were to tall and the driveshaft did not extend far enough to put a collar and nut on. Then fidled with the supplied stainless rods, hit and mis at best and had real trouble getting the retaining nut on the wiper box and getting the first piece to line up, but my "light bulb" moment hit and I loosened the motor mounting bracket and was able to better align everything. Bending that stainless was areal PITA and my first attempt failed but left me with a long enough piece for the section inbetween the 2 motors. Then I made a flare and forgot to put the nut on for the motor side, but was able to re-flare and still have enough to fit up. packed everything with grease and assembled.
I had to bend the wiper blade a bit to get a good alignment with the window bottom, but at least 1 time they parked perfect! Under no illusion it will always be like that. Had trouble installing the blades on the shaft, not sure how they will ever come off again.
Lance
Great job on getting all that done. I might come over to see how those nudge bars look. Good on ya for installing the wiper system as well. I have one too. It's in a box where it will stay until, (1), I sell the car (2), wreck it because I could not see out of a windshield full of rain, or (3), the "chief wants it on.
Did you drill the firewall for the wiper motor mount before you fit the body? I have a heater/defroster and that leaves only so much room for the wiper motor mount
Maybe another way to ask is if it mattered that much about the angle of the motor mount to work with the shape of the cable guide/sleeve that you bent?
Did you drill the firewall for the wiper motor mount before you fit the body? I have a heater/defroster and that leaves only so much room for the wiper motor mount
Maybe another way to ask is if it mattered that much about the angle of the motor mount to work with the shape of the cable guide/sleeve that you bent?
Craig C
I eyeballed the location based on pictures way back when I installed the fire wall, kind of snugged it as close as I could to the frame in that corner and added an angle. No heater for me to work around. I would say you diffidently want to minimize the bend, but it will need to go over your box, so line it up as best as you can.
I will add an update, I was playing around with the wipers and the more I played around, the funky stuff started. I could not get the arms to seat very well on the knurled shaft, so I played with that, then the wipers started popping in/out as they cycled. Thought it was a little weird so I pulled it all apart again and fiddled. Fiddled a lot....Then the wiper arm and the retaining clip gave me the bit of distress. I found that trying to push the wiper blades on the shaft was bending the retainer lever arm in the wiper box, giving me all kinds of slack so the gear would move up and down. So, I fiddled some more, and some more and ended up pulling those retaining clips and getting some set screws. With the retaining clips removed, the wiper arm would seat much better on the knurled knob and then tighten the set screw, re-bent the tab by the gear, reinstalled and wow, what a difference, much smother operation and pretty sure they won't fly off the first time I use them at 60 MPH. Much happier
So I decided to get a passenger side rear view mirror, so I ordered 1 from Factory five. They are shipping the new Convex lens, so I got a great comparison. Here is a couple shots for comparing the difference, when I get on the road this spring I will determine which I like best and make them both the same. Both pictures taken at similar distance to the mirror.
Appears you can just change out the lens, although I did not do that, they appear to be same construction and I pulled the new one apart because it was sloppy on the mount, found the 2 inside screws loose so had to tighten them.
I've been thinking about that change, too Mostly because I like symmetry and I was told that with a standard mirror in that location, it's difficult to see over the Roadster's "hips"...
Can you verify that you've got a good rear viewing angle now?
I've been thinking about that change, too Mostly because I like symmetry and I was told that with a standard mirror in that location, it's difficult to see over the Roadster's "hips"...
Can you verify that you've got a good rear viewing angle now?
Craig C
I will have to get it on the road to verify. The passenger mirror is a little behind the windshield post, wanted both sides to match and with the aluminum panel there got be a bit careful on locating. I can see 80% of the mirror and was waiting until I drive it for full visibility evaluation. If I deem it is not helpful enough, I will remove it before final body work.
The field of view from a convex mirror is pretty significant comparatively, especially considering the size of the lens. I think you will really appreciate the increased visibility.
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Originally Posted by egchewy79
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. The bottom of the drop trunk will get edge trim and just a sit in place that can be removed.
