#9405 erstanl's MkIV build

[ydousurf]

I'm digging your build, erstanl! I got it bookmarked and will follow along with your progress... Way to dig into the fully and build it all pretty much all of it! Keep at it and keep posting your progress pics too!

Dj

[Joel Hauser]

I really enjoy this thread and your build. I am so impressed at how neat and clean and organized everything is, as well as your attention to detail. Your car is going to be amazing.
My garage was a mess from start to finish, and it's still a mess. And my roadster's be "done" for a couple years.

Keep up the good work.

[Gizmosrcool]

keep it coming. I love the engine build details.

[erstanl]

Alright. The replacement oil pump came in as scheduled. I disassembled it, used a die grinder to remove some of the casting flash in the oil passages, and cleaned it really well. Installed it and checked all the clearances, its a go! I am using a Champ Pan and pickup. Its a high capacity pan for road racing. It has a windage tray and the pickup area has trap door baffles. Other than a little warpage from the welding, its a nice piece.

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The guys from Champ pans are good dudes. They recommended that the pickup be 0.25-0.50 from the pan. I used the play-doh in the ziplock trick. Place that on the pickup, installed the pan, removed the pan, and measured the thickness. The pickup doesnt sit exactly parallel with the pan, so I measured all four corners. It averaged out to about 0.280. Should be solid.

[erstanl]

Trying to check the piston to valve clearance. Big valves, big cam, so seems like the prudent thing to do.
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The triple valve springs are way too stiff for an empty hydraulic roller. Even with test springs, the lifters cant handle it. I am putting together some locked out hydraulic lifters to force the valve to its max position in the cylinder. That should give me the worst case scenario for pistons smacking valves.

[erstanl]

Ok. Piston to valve clearance is good. I ended up taking 2 of the old lifters and gutting them. I then took some of the 3/8" NiCopp and cut a piece that fit into the lifter in place of the plunger and spring. I put the cap back on and the retainer spring. Worked well. Didnt move at all.

Now on to the next problem
Went to install the heads, and found that my brand new Ford lifters have an issue.
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Going by the image, D2 will not work. Its the wrong diameter. 0.8738-0.8743 seems to be an appropriate range. The outlier, and there is only one, is 0.8756. Wont even fit into the lifter bores. Guess I will call Mr. Levy and see what we can do.

[erstanl]

Okay, so Mr. Levy was able to send me a single lifter that matches the rest. Mic'd it, and it checks out. Time to start the top-end of this beast! Next!

I talked to Mr. Forte about a TKO600, he got me all setup. There was a snag though, the flywheel I got from my machinist was a PRW 164 tooth. The QT bellhousing that Mr. Forte is supplying needs a 157 tooth flywheel.

This is the incompatible flywheel:
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Its a PRW FWS-30280 164 tooth, w/ 28oz imbalance.

[erstanl]

Update. Bunch of stuff going on at the same time. The engine build is moving fast now. Installed the RHS heads, champ oil pan, balancer, new front brake lines (rigid and flex). The only issue thus far is is a single pushrod guide plate. Its a Comp part, and for some reason, the groove is far wider than the other 15 plates. So much so that the roller is only halfway on the valve stem.
Not good.
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Good.
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I contacted Mr. Levy as he supplied the top end kit for this 408. RHS is already sending me out a replacement. Awesome!

Got most of the accessories mocked up, and everything looks good. Only thing left is to get the alternator and make sure the belt lines up.
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Got the last Fragola fuel line for the tank (Christmas gift from the in-laws). Its a -6AN setup that is PTFE lined. Nice stuff.
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Received a mess of parts from Mr. Forte. Got a Ram clutch, ACE flywheel, mini starter, QT bell housing, and a TKO 600.
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Also got a powder coater lined up, will be dropping the wheels and the intake manifold off this week. Can't wait to see them!

[erstanl]

Got the alternator on last night. Fits nicely with the Speed Doctor bracket. Measured the belt, and it turned out to be 53".
Attachment 120757

Also got the wheels back from powder coating. They look sweet.
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[cv2065]

Wheels look good!

[erstanl]

So, got the intake back from powder coating. Looks, well, wet

Got the belt figured out, and the valve covers on. This thing is about ready for a tranny.
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I have heard that when it comes to installing the engine, that one should do it with the tranny installed. Also, that it was a good idea to get tires on so the front end could be on the ground. I'm guessing that its a good idea to raise the tail end up to help with the angles. Any other tips or tricks?

[edwardb]

So, got the intake back from powder coating. Looks, well, wet

Got the belt figured out, and the valve covers on. This thing is about ready for a tranny.
IMG_6178.jpg

I have heard that when it comes to installing the engine, that one should do it with the tranny installed. Also, that it was a good idea to get tires on so the front end could be on the ground. I'm guessing that its a good idea to raise the tail end up to help with the angles. Any other tips or tricks?

Engine looks nice. Absolutely put the engine/trans in as one unit. Not even something to consider without. Getting the TKO in/out with the engine installed can be done, but there are some tricks and not easy. Yes, some suggest raising the rear wheels. I personally haven't on any I've done and didn't have any issues. For your engine, I'd use a carb plate to lift. Leveler if you have one but not mandatory. Hook it where the engine hangs down in the back. Take the shifter off the TKO. Makes things easier back there. With a helper or two, it will tip in pretty easily. Some put the transmission A-frame in ahead of time. I don't. I just have it ready to install once the engine/trans is in.

[erstanl]

Got the wheels wrapped in Nitto NT555G2 rubber, 255/40ZR17 up front and 315/35ZR17 in the back. They look mean. So excited to see this thing on the ground. Its been on fully extended jackstands for over a year, so ive forgotten how small of a shadow these things cast. Looks wicked

I got the RAM clutch and ACE flywheel from Mr. Forte, and they worked out great. Simple install, and parts fit well together. Bolted those up and then got the TKO 600 attached. I was so excited to see it all come together I had to drop the car down and get the whole thing installed!

A few things I learned this time around:
1) Its easier to install a clutch fork in the QuickTime bellhousing before its bolted to the transmission. It is possible to install after, but a bit tougher.
2) The pad on the transmission where the poly mount bolts to has 2 different thread options. Inner is a M10x1.5 and the outer is a 1/2-13. The outer one is the location for the FF supplied poly mount. I had to source some 1.25" long 1/2-13 bolts to make that work.
3) My engine hoist gets trapped under the frame rails once the weight of the engine is on the mounts. Simple enough to remedy, but annoying.
4) It is not bad to install the whole drivetrain yourself. Took me about 5 minutes to get it all in without banging anything up.

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NEXT!

[cv2065]

Looks great! The handle assembly on the engine leveler looks pretty stout! Did you modify it or did it come that way.

[erstanl]

cv, it’s a well built leveler. It’s an OTC stinger my wife bought me like 10 years ago. She’s been buying me tools for almost 20 years now, just for this project.

[erstanl]

So I mocked up the FFR 351 headers on Saturday. Everything seems to fit and clear just fine. However, I noticed one thing thats a bit concerning. The exhaust ports on the RHS 215cc heads I have are ~1.3" wide and the header ports are ~1" wide. Its not much, but its certainly not matched well. Did anyone else run into this, and what did you do about it?

[erstanl]

Several things to report.

1) After dropping the engine in, I found that the clutch pedal throw was not so great. The pedal was above the brake pedal by about 3 inches. After using the different notches on the clutch quadrant I determined that the clutch fork itself was the culprit. So, out comes the engine again. I'm getting really good at this.
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2) I wish I had a better picture to describe the problem. When the throwout bearing is just touching the pressure plate springs, the clutch fork was too far forward. This wrecks the mechanical advantage and made the the end of the clutch throw less than useful. The pic below is after I corrected the clutch fork angle. It is now on the opposite side of orthogonal. For future builders, when I first installed the clutch the fork stud was at 40mm from the bottom of the head to the bellhousing. This was the problem. After pulling the bellhousing from the engine, and also from the transmission, I backed the stud out to 44mm. Put it all back together, stuffed it into the frame, and now I can use the closest quadrant notch and limit the pedal to match the brake pedal height. Perfect.
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3) Got the sniper mounted up, looks great. This means that wiring is next on the list. Looking forward to it.
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[SamNavy]

Gotta say... that might be the best looking engine I've ever seen in a cobra. I've never been a fan of chrome under the hood, and those black valve covers look simply awesome. I don't know if you had a specific goal or "image" in mind when you started, but excellent work.

[erstanl]

SamNavy, thanks! I'm terrible with aesthetics. My wife can vouch for me

Really, I am just avoiding chrome, and not shying away from some of the other available colors. Except maybe blue when possible.

I kinda like the angry no-nonsense look for a cobra.

[erstanl]

So a few things since the last update:
1) Completed the necessary wiring for a front battery, and a Holley Sniper. I haven't bundled it all up yet, its still a bit untidy. I took special care to separate ignition wires from everything else. It would appear that the most dissatisfaction in using a Sniper comes from RF/EMI gremlins caused by ignition interference. The wiring really wasn't too bad, this is such a simple car. One of the reason I am attracted to it.

2) I primed the engine with the oil pressure gauge hooked up. 60psi Pretty happy about that number.

3) Welded in an o2 bung on the primary for cylinder 5.
Attachment 129381

4) Installed and timed the Dual Sync distributor:
Attachment 129382

5) Attempted to fire!!! Big disappointment ensued. I turned it over, but no fire. I checked the coil, it had spark. I checked cylinder number 1, it had spark. There was definitely fuel. After playing with a few things I decided that I it would be best to leave it alone for the night and calm down a little. I was really surprised at how anxious one gets when trying to start an engine he has spent a year building
The next morning I decided that this is just a timing issue. Its too far out to make the burn happen. In the sniper instructions, everything is based off 50 degrees BTDC. I took a closer look at my balancer, and realized I had measured 50 degrees from the wrong scale! Once I re-established the scale that actually represented true TDC, things started happening. On the first bump of the ignition, it started firing. After I calmed down (and the neighborhood showed up), I officially started it! She runs, and sounds pretty good. I didnt run it for more than 15 seconds though, as I dont have a cooling system just yet, so I cannot warm it up and start dialing it in. Needless to say, I am pretty happy at the moment!

https://youtu.be/xyPOAIkN4wg

[Straversi]

Congrats! Big milestone moment.
-Steve

[erstanl]

1) Getting busy with the dash. I made it removable by putting some nutserts in the bottom of the dash hoop, and riveting/epoxying some angle brackets to the back of the dash. Also added some stiffer supports to the bottom side of the dash.
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2) Got the forte mechanical linkage installed. Its nice, works as intended. Id do it again.
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3) Shortened up a bunch of wires behind the dash, just too long for my liking. Mainly the headlight switch and the ignition. If you are doing a lot of electrical, I would highly recommend going over to ceautoelectricsupply.com. They ship fast, and make it easy to find some connectors that are hard to source otherwise.
4) Got the cooling system in. Used boigs upper and lower, and a sweet ebay overflow tank.

[erstanl]

Started working on buttoning up the wiring, in prep to go cart this thing. So I am working on laying out the wiring for the seat heaters. Decided to swap out the switches and use the FF ones. Also added a metripack connector in the mix.
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Here is a shot of the cooling system, and the engine put together enough to run.
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[erstanl]

Got the dash in. I didnt like how the switches looked against the padded covering. I ended up getting some stainless washers and putting those under the outmost nut. I also removed the nut against the switch body, so the switch is right up against the aluminum. I added a little hot glue between the two, and that eliminated the twisting of the switch.

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Also getting the dash wiring debugged. Added a panel for the seat heater relays and fuses. Decided to move the inertia switch away from the driver side. Just felt wrong.

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[erstanl]

Post engine start, the power steering system finally was able to be pressurized. Amazing, all my custom hoses worked well, but the the new power steering rack is garbage. It is a sport version, using a ford casting. The passenger seal is mangled. Not so great.
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Here is the replacement version. Also a sport rack, but using the TRW design. It is leak free, and smooth. Awesome!
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[erstanl]

Decided to increase the trunk space using the Breeze trunk drop kit. Its a lot of extra work, but I think it will be worth it.
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[erstanl]

So im happy to say that it works! Its actually drives and seems somewhat safe It is definitely torquey, can break your neck if your not careful. Maybe should add another spring to the throttle. Other than that, the first go-cart resulted in much happiness, and no additional work. The cat is out of the bag though, so my neighbors are asking me about it all the time.
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[erstanl]

Big milestone, in November 2020 I made the 700 mile trip from SLC to visit Jeff Miller

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He's a great guy, fun to talk to, loads of experience. I cannot wait to see the final product. Its starting to feel like a car, not just a project!

[GTBradley]

Decided to increase the trunk space using the Breeze trunk drop kit. Its a lot of extra work, but I think it will be worth it.
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It is:

[erstanl]

GTBradley, what shade of blue is that?

[GTBradley]

GTBradley, what shade of blue is that?

It’s a custom color made from the original Guardsman Blue, specifically the 1964 Ford Mustang blue by Dupont - now known as Axalta. My painter took my ideas for something a little lighter and removed all the black tint from the original formula.

[erstanl]

We now have color! Thanks a bunch to Jeff Miller. He's a great painter, and a nice guy to boot!

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[GTBradley]

There ya go! That’s a pretty color and I feel partly responsible.

PS. Don’t boot Jeff Miller, he deserves better.

[erstanl]

Started putting her eyes in. Took a good deal of trimming to get the buckets in. Jeff made me promise to not use a file, so a die grinder it was! Worked well, the buckets are now in and looking good.

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[erstanl]

Went to put the fuel filler on, noticed that the latch is cracked. Contacted FFR, they are on backorder. You guys think I could get away with installing it until the new one comes in? Meaning, are the screw holes consistent between them? Id hate to punch unnecessary holes in the fiberglass...
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[D Stand]

I just drilled mine, no paint yet. I’d say install it. Even if new one is slightly different you can just open the holes more for adjustment. Just to let you know I changed my hardware out to flat head machine screws and nylon nuts versus the supplied tapping screws.