Coyote Competition Coupe

[tcoon]

Many of you followed with great interest the construction of Karen Salvaggio's awesome competition coupe. I took delivery of mine at the same time with the idea of completing two West Coast cars to start a new coupe based series. While mine has been somewhat delayed in process, construction is now well underway, nd I hope to have it ready to race for the upcoming season!

The process started with simultaneous construction of the nascar style door bars and frame reinforcements for both cars, mine requiring a lot of grinding and powder coat removal because it was precoated at Factory Five. The end result however is a strong and beautiful frame worthy of a new racecar! Many thanks to ace builders Rick Anderson and Hank Lopez for their outstanding workmanship on this frame!

[tcoon]

Over the last month I have been busy with installation of the sheet metal. Over the summer I had major issues with engine reliability in my challenge car, the new 100 hp upgrade leading to 2 bent crankshafts and consequent engine rebuilds. in light of this problem and the fact that the "old school" 302's are now 20 years old and good blocks and parts getting harder to find, I decided to switch to the new Ford Coyote power plant. If Carroll were racing a coupe today what would HE do? More power, less weight, higher RPM...all sounds like a winner to me! And it turns out that the price is about the same for comparable power levels.

The biggest difference is the much wider profile of the new coyote powerplant. This requires the coyote roadster upgrade kit from FFR, which includes most of what you need to make the conversion, including importantly the mods to the drivers's footbox for the big a** engine! also note the drive by wire throttle pedal, for which I fabbed a mounting plate from 1/8" aluminum to mount the Lokar pedal, which is smaller and cleaner than modding the Ford pedal as recommended by FFR. I also put an access door in the top of the footbox to allow for later brake adjustment if necessary. Also note the cool brake duct mount from Agent 47, modified with a band saw to fit the FFR spindles.

[tcoon]

One of the big issues with the coyote is the advanced engine computer and engine management system. This requires a slightly different engine bay arrangement from the standard Ford 302 EFI setup. Additionally, the coupe has a different frame arrangement from the roadster, and with our race cage mods we changed things even more. Where to mount the computer? The computer is required to be mounted within the engine compartment because of the short engine harness, so I fabbed a mount to fit on the passenger footbox. Clearances are tight with the defroster installed (necessary to defog the windshield on those damp Sonoma mornings) but there is adequate room for the components and a wiper motor as well. The "black box" is mounted under the dash next to the defroster, and fuse panel in the standard location.

[tcoon]

With the computer and defroster using up the footbox real estate and a planned Accusump going behind the x member, the only remaining place to put a battery is in the trunk. Our previous Fuel Safe install used the spot normally reseved for a trunk mount, so I made a new small battery box for a lightweight racing battery to fit under the floor just to the left of the pumpkin of the three link rearend. While the weight distribution is not ideal, it is the only feasible solution in this case. Should also make for a very clean install!

The remaining rear sheetmetal is in process, and I plan for removable panels over the fuel cell to allow for easy access at the racetrack. The fuel lines and brake lines are finished...now its time for the powertrain!

[Scottseibs]

Looking good. I have the bug just waiting for the next sale from ffr.

[bil1024]

Nice work!

[Garry Bopp]

Tom,

Very nice work! I am thrilled to see the new Coyote going into a coupe ... especially in a comptetition coupe. I'll be following this thread closely.

Garry

[jkrueger]

Looks great! I'm racing to get my competition coupe done before next season as well. Can't wait to see yours done.

JC

[riptide motorsport]

With out a doubt...excellent work.

[tcoon]

Thanks all. I am impatiently awaiting the arrival of the oil pickup for my Moroso coyote FFR pan. Had to be shipped from the East Coast (bummer). Once it arrives I can install the pan and complete the drivetrain. Then it's on to the gokart stage! I can't wait! Now if the rain will just let up a little...

[Movieman]

subscribed

[Hammink Performance]

Love it allready! From our experience I know a Coyote race car is a lot of fun!

Subscribed as well!

[johngeorge]

Tom, very very cool!! that coyote engine will be awesome power and very reliable for you. Cant wait for you to get on track and get your opinion of it

[Movieman]

Tom, very very cool!! that coyote engine will be awesome power and very reliable for you. Cant wait for you to get on track and get your opinion of it

I'm waiting for YOU to get one so I just have to jump on Rt102 and drive over the Merrimack River to see one!

[rj35pj]

My coupe will only be a street car so I love seeing the full race versions born and built on the forum. Looks great.

[KodiakCoupe]

Very sweet build Tom. thanks for the post. I'm also anxious to see your progress.

[tcoon]

Thanks a lot for all the great comments! This is a really fun project. So on with the build progress...

This weekend I focused on odds and ends while awaiting the rest of my engine components. I completed the rear sheet metal, setting up the area over the fuel cell with removable panels to be fitted with Dzus fasteners so I can go tank diving when necessary. the fuel filter and pump are also accessed here for quick replacement if needed.

Moving to the front of the car I fabbed a mount for the Accusump in front of the front crossmember, and also mounted the remote oil filter above it, to reduce hose length. For now I'm using regular hoses but may switch to braided stainless or nylon later once i get all the logistics worked out. The Coyote requires a remote filter because of the location on the engine block of the stock filter very close to the frame rail. I doubt an oil cooler will be necessary.

I decided to trial fit the engine sans tranny and bellhousing just to see if this monster would fit. I am lucky to have an electric overhead engine hoist, so that makes moving the engine in and out very easy! It is one FAT engine! As you can see from several of the photos, there is contact on the right rear valve cover, so it looks like I'll be hitting the sheet metal shears a little bit more! Oh well, no one said this would be easy. Good news is the driver side footbox mods work well, just a little massaging required there; the new FFR headers by BBK are awesome and fit great on both sides. Also a big plus in the coupe...this engine is really low and hood clearance should not be an issue. Best of all the engine harness is long enough with my chosen computer location, so no change of the mount is needed. YAY!

Enough for now, tranny is off at the shop getting the midshift kit installed, and further parts are in the pipeline. I'm loading the trailer and off to Thunderhill this weekend to drive the 25 with Team Thunder Valley Racing and the speeding Saturn of Roman and Ryan. Stay tuned!

-T

[Hammink Performance]

I'm jealous!

[kabacj]

Awesome build Tom. Best of luck in the 25.

John

[Mark Dougherty]

well done Tom
I hope to catch up at the 25
later
Mark

[ClemsonS197]

The Coyote requires a remote filter because of the location on the engine block of the stock filter very close to the frame rail. I doubt an oil cooler will be necessary.
-T

I'd bet the coupe is the same, but you can run a CTS-V filter instead of remote mount. It's the same as the stock filter, only shorter. If you run in to any issues, there's a Coyote forum on here now that's been very helpful. Good luck.

[tcoon]

Thanks for the advice, need to run a remote anyway for the Accusump...I'm planning on LOTS of sustained high G forces with this car! Can't wait to hit the high banks at Fontana! Let's see...130 mph in the challenge car with 230 hp...factor in 400 RWHP and the coupe's aero...spells fun for me!!!

[Garry Bopp]

Tom,

Thanks for the great pictorial update. That is gonna be one flyin' coupe! Sorry I couldn't make it out for the 25 Hours. I was really looking forward to that.

Garry

[Rick Masters]

Tom, The coupe looks great, good luck at Thunderhill this weekend.
Rick

[Jacob McCrea]

This looks great. I appreciate all the details regarding what goes where, e.g., the battery, Accusump, etc. Thanks for taking the time to share the knowledge and good luck at the races.

[turbodon]

Tom

Great progress. I am glad you decided on the power plant.

The build looks great.

[tcoon]

1.jpg1.jpg1.jpg1.jpg1.jpg1.jpgWith the 2012 25 hours of Thunderhill now history, I have been able to get back to work on the coupe. The goal this weekend was to complete the engine preparation and install the drivetrain. Excitement!

First the passenger footbox area of conflict noted in the last installment was cut out, and a stepped box fabricated to allow room for the valve cover and the tubing connections for the defroster which were hitting as well. This intrudes a moderate amount into the passenger footwell, and will need to be addressed later.

I started by flipping over the engine on the engine stand and removing the oil pan and oil level sensor. The pan features a reusable gasket/windage tray, so no new parts were needed. I installed the special Moroso oil pickup which mates with the low profile Moroso road racing pan, necessary with the shallow FFR frame depth. I then installed the oil pressure and water temperature sending units on the lower left side of the engine block, per the FFR instructions.

Next I turned to the front of the engine, and installed the March serpentine belt system. This is quite pricey, but includes the Ford alternator, tensioner, and a Gm/Saginaw power steering unit. Of course, the polished aluminum bling looks great as well, but probably won't stay looking that way long in the racing environment.

Moving to the back of the engine, the flywheel, clutch, Quick Time bellhousing and TKO 600 RR tranny were installed. I had the Tremec mid shift kit installed professionally last week, so the shifter will be right at hand. The Coyote requires an extra tranny mount extension plate, supplied in the FFR kit. It also requires you to cut off the extra mounting boss on the bottom of the tranny. I removed this with the trusty sawzall.

Finally the powerplant was dropped in without incident, and the heart of the beast was home at last! Fitment was checked on the driveshaft and all clearances examined. I probably will use the Whitby motor mount pads, as thing are very tight around the bottom of the engine, particularly in the j-pipe area. 3/8" extra should not effect my hood clearance, and will make plumbing the exhaust much easier and more free flowing. The footbox cutout on the passenger side gives great room for the engine, but I may add a drop footbox to the floor to gain back some of the lost foot space.

Next weekend...finish up the million small details in the fuel system, plumbing, electrical...and fire it up!

-T

[tcoon]

First weigh in has total weight at 1878 lbs... not bad for all major components minus body, seats, fuel and driver. and 50% cross weight with simply setting the ride height at 4" all around. What a great design! Thanks FFR!

Yep...it's lookin' like a racecar! Can't wait to get her on the road!

[Movieman]

Looks at pictures, notices my drool cup seemed to fill by itself..:-)

[frankeeski]

All I have to say Tom is WOW! What progress you have made. I remember being in your shop back in July during the discussion about the tantrums the challenge car was having, throwing belts. At that point you had just mounted brakes on the coupe and gotten the frame reinforcements all welded in. Considering all of the set back you had with the challenge car and engine issues I think you are making tremendous progress. Looks like you are on your way to first class build. Wish I had found this thread earlier. Keep up the great work brother.

[jkrueger]

Great progress! That left rear is heavy already even without the driver???

JC

[johngeorge]

very cool Tom! keep up the good work

[WIS89]

What an awesome job!

The car looks like a beast already, and I can only imagine how it will look as you finish things up! Congratulations on a FINE build and exciting progress on what I am sure will be a work of art with the heart of a beast!! Well done, and continued good luck!

Regards,

Steve

[tcoon]

Yes a little heavy left rear...I was forced to place the battery there with all the other items dictated by engine logistics. It weighs 25 lbs. Guess I'll need to go on a diet! Haha! I will shift the fire bottle off to the right hopefully to offset that imbalance a little.

[tcoon]

The Christmas Holiday has given me several days of extended work time to address the million small details in completing a finished car. I spent most of this weekend dealing with completion of the fire safety system, dash wiring and gauge installation, and completion of the cabin sheet metal.

First I addressed the fire safety system. A must for approval and a life saver if needed, this system is best integrated into the basic layout of the cockpit, so I chose to install it now while the engine was removed for some final part installation, thus freeing up the trans tunnel access. The fire bottle was placed right rear to help offset the weight of the left mounted battery, and 1/4" aluminum tubing routed to the engine compartment and fuel cell area, with a third nozzle in the driver footbox. The pull release is placed on the dash just to the right of the steering wheel, within easy reach of the securely belted driver. I have driven a few cars in the past where the pull lever is just out of reach, and that is NOT a comfortable feeling! Notice the fire pull, horn and master cut-off...all major safety controls...are within easy reach of a belted in driver.

Next I spent a few days wiring the dash, including placement of the windshield wiper motor and wiring of the heater/defroster unit, and welding on a quick release steering hub. All connections were soldered and covered with heat shrink tubing, as I have had issues in the past with loosening of crimp connectors in the high vibration environment of a race car. I used the Classic gauge set from FFR, and found them to be very easy to wire, having all the lighting for both gauge faces and needles set up with plug and play daisy chain connectors, so I did not have to make an endless number of jumper wires to connect all the dash lighting. This is a big improvement. It did necessitate changing the sensors on my engine to the ones from the classic gauge kit, which are wired a little differently from the standard gauges, but this was easy to do with the engine removed. I also wired the speed dial adjuster, required for the coyote engine to tell the computer the car is moving and hopefully reduce the need for custom dyno tuning. (i'm sure that will be needed anyway). I did add in an extra switch for auxiliary lighting, to be wired to the fog lights and perhaps even a light bar for enduro night driving!

My final day was spent finishing the (modified) cabin sheet metal to fit around the roll cage, bleeding brakes, and fitting the front tow hook. I chose to use the standard tow hook from the challenge series cars, which will protrude slightly from the hood and require slight notching of the hood when it tilts forward. According to my calculations it should stick up through the hood opening and if I got the height right require a minimal slot. We'll see! But hey...its a race car! function first, cosmetics second. a good tow hook is critical to track safety and a requirement for that all important log book.

i'm currently awaiting arrival of power steering hoses and fittings, and a few other assorted engine supplies.
Next installment...final engine install, seats, fluids and then its go-kart time. Woohoo!

[Garry Bopp]

Tom,

Looks like a very productive Christmas vacation! Looking good!

Garry

[Made_In_America]

What rear gear ratio are you using with the Coyote/TKO 600 RR combo?

[tcoon]

I ordered my kit with the Moser 3 link, which comes stock with 3.31 gears. That should be about right. Ordered the tko with .82 5th gear, so it should be really useful on those high speed road courses such as AAA speedway. actually having a useable 5th gear and power to push it will be a novel experience for me. Also the coyote winds to 7500, also much more than the previous challenge car with stock 302.

[Made_In_America]

Thanks, I wasn't sure which ratio would be best with the Coyote. I know the new Mustangs are 3.31 but they are also 6 spd so I wasn't sure if maybe a 3.55 would be proper.

[frankeeski]

More progress. Looks great Tom!