Contemplating a Gen I Purchase

[GrooveM]

Has anyone here built a Gen I? Is there anything I should be aware of about the Gen I Daytona’s compared to the later versions? Any issues to stay away from or reasons to hold out for a newer version? I have some experience and would not be afraid to make changes to the frame if needed. However, it is powder coated so if it doesn’t need it I would rather not. Looking for some sage advice from all of you veterans.

[David Williamson]

The big difference is the Gen1 frame is a 4 inch round ladder design vs the Gen3 space frame. The Gen1 might have a plexiglass back window not glass, FFR had an upgrade to glass available at one time. The Gen3 space frame gives it more interior room and it is stiffer. There were a number of other changes made over the years but nothing critical so if the price is right go for it.
David W

[Jeff Kleiner]

Gen1 has a reputation for being rather challenging as far as body fit. It also locks you into using the Mustang spindles unless you make the necessary frame mods to relocate the upper control arms so that the FFR proprietary spindles with improved geometry can be used. In regards to geometry the Gen1's steering rack location results in less than ideal bump steer characteristics. If you're a very big guy, especially tall with a long torso, you'll probably find that the cockpit is pretty cramped and short on headroom.

Jeff

[Smith is Retired]

I built a Gen I in 2003, using box-stock Mustang engine and drive train. There were a number of issues that I recall, one being that there was an error in the construction of the frame. Not a big error by the welder, but it magnifies out so that the engine sits a bit high on the right side so that the hood did not clear the throttle body. The fix was to add a small bubble to the hood. As it was, the hood required extensive trim work just to get it to fit (apparently, as I understand, this situation continues on the next generations).

The plastic rear window on the hatchback required extensive trimming before it fit. I basically burned out my Dremel tool fitting the hood and rear window.

The stock Mustang rear springs were too tall and made the back end of the car sit up like a stinkbug. I cut them down and the result is a rather harsh ride.

Think long and hard about wiring the car. If you go stock as I did, with EFI, you will need the computer that, to my knowledge, is no longer available from Ford; its computer's case was not available when I built the car and I had to make one. I did not spend enough time or thought to wiring the car and purchased stock Mustang wiring harnesses piecemeal from salvage yards (Ford had stopped offering them), not realizing that there were differences with respect to circuitry from one year to the next and one model versus another; then I went near insane and blind working from wiring diagrams to strip out the unnecessary circuits. I do not know if this was necessary, but I did keep in place certain emission information circuits, which meant that I had to have bungs welded into the header pipes for the O2 sensors.

Back to the body, I recall that the main body did not fit over the aluminum work, requiring the aluminum sheetwork be trimmed.

Small issue, but the supplied headliner was junk. After the car sat in the sun for a while, the glue disappeared and the headliner material dropped down. Efforts to correct this failed decisively.

I purchased but did not install the A/C system (I recently gave it away, after two decades sitting unopened in my garage).

I used the stock Mustang steering rack & pinion without keeping the power steering. Big mistake that I only corrected last year when I added an aftermarket power steering kit; this required removing the aluminum radiator ducting and cutting clearance ways for hoses and tubing. The car steers so much better now.

These are the major issues that I an think of. Make no mistake -- I really enjoyed the build and I still own and enjoy the car, but there are challenges that are not fully addressed in the assembly manual. I did have enormous help from FFR's help line -- they always answered the phone and were quick to get answers for me.

[GrooveM]

David,
The space frame with more room and stiffness is always good but I also kind of like the idea of a structure similar to the originals. Indeed the back window is plexiglass so that might be something to look for if any glass replacements still exist. Good info to consider and I thank you for your response.

[GrooveM]

Jeff,
So far the body, hood/nose and doors have already been fit so that's a big step done (although I would probably go through them and make sure all gaps are what I want). I'll have to ask about the location of the upper control arms. It does have the adjustable upper control arms (my Roadster has the older Mustang style without the adjusters). As for my size, I'm only 5'-6" and have had an opportunity to get in and out of another local guy's Daytona last summer so headroom for me isn't as much of an issue. As I mentioned to David, the extra room of a Gen III would be better but for the price and considering how much is already done the price is looking very good. If I do get it I'll have to get your opinions on body and paint work for the type of material these bodies were made from. I really appreciate your help as well in my decision process.

[GrooveM]

Mr Smith,
Wow! That's a lot of good info and I really appreciate you're sharing what you learned going through the process with a Gen I. Indeed the engine mount is quite high. In fact there is already a cutout in the cowl for the air cleaner to accommodate the engine the owner was planning to use. Not sure if I'll end up going with another engine and glassing that back closed or leave it. I never considered having to cut the rear window to fit so that's something new. Unless I can get a glass version somewhere.
Power steering is also on my list. Either from the engine or electric assist. I still have to weigh the pros and cons of those two options but I would do one or the other.
I am glad to hear that despite the frustrating moments (Dave mentioned in the manual to expect to have plenty of them) that you enjoyed the experience of building it and that you are still driving it today. There is also a huge amount of info and experience in this group to draw from which makes me want to build one all the more. Take care and stay tuned!

[Smith is Retired]

Couple of additional points.

The chassis comes out of the factory ready for a stock 1989-93 5.0 Ford engine. I am not sure if this configuration works for the larger block -- someone else may be able to add on this or there may be an instruction in the build manual. But as I recall, the buyer has to tell FFR in advance if they are fitting an earlier engine such as the period-correct 289.

Back to power steering. The build manual tells you to fit the stock Mustang rack & pinion which is set up for power steering. If you follow this instruction but neglect power steering, the car will handle like an old truck at low speeds. As I mentioned, I only added P/S last year, fitting a kit from LMR.com (#LRS-3674KA) the required some additional pieces. This kit includes a bracket that deletes the A.C compressor and provides a mounting for the P/S pump.

[turbodon]

Cutting the rear plexi window is easy. use a lot of painter tape. lay window in place. Mark with a sharpie from inside the opening. Cut with a jig saw about a 1/4" out from sharpie mark. Use a belt sander and sand down the edges to fit. go slow and do not sit in one area and over heat the plexi. You can use 36 grit to rough in close and switch over to a finer grit to smooth and touch up the fit.
The same goes for the front head light plexi covers. Use the belt sander clamped in a vise to shape covers.

[David Williamson]

The Gen1 and 2 coupes were designed for Windsor block engines so either 302 or 351 based blocks fit with no changes to the engine mounts or frame. The taller 351 based engines are a tight fit so either low profile intakes or hood mods are required. Does the coupe you are looking for at have exhaust headers? they are different for 302 or 351 based engines. One of the changes made to the Gen3 was the exhaust, the Gen3 uses the same 4 into 4 headers as the Mk4 Cobra with different side pipes. The older coupes had a 4 into 2 system. The Gen3 coupe was designed to fit Coyote and LS engines as well and I am sure with some work they can be made to fit in the older coupes as well.
I went with the short deck 302 based engine in my Gen3 so it fit under the hood, mine is a Dart block 363. It looks old school but is new.
David W

[cob427sc]

I built an early Gen I and the biggest problems I remember were body related in that some areas required extensive work. The rear window was plexiglass but not a big deal to install. I used the independent rear and fit was not an issue. I did use a 351 block and had to bubble the hood to clear the carb.