The Build

Spring Has At Least Started....

2011-03-20T16:54:00.002-05:00

....and seize the moment they say, so I just returned from the first REAL drive of the season......81 wonderful degrees today!

Had to end the season a little prematurely last fall thanks to a ruptured disc in my lower back, and surgery to fix it, so it's been an especially long winter for me this year.

I have managed to go out and start it over the winter to let it run and that first time getting in was a bit uncomfortable so I was a little worried then. But the back has been just fine in the car so far the past two days. Racked up over 150 miles total with no issues. And that has put the odometer over 20k! Next thing to do is get it up on the ramps and get it serviced for the coming season!

Is It Time To Come Out Yet?

2011-02-18T21:37:00.000-06:00

Spring can't get here fast enough. "...hot metal and oil, the scent of country air. Sunlight on chrome, the blur of the landscape...".*

*'Red Barchetta' by Rush
From the album 'Moving Pictures'
Lyrics by Neil Peart
Music by Lee and Lifeson

October POM

2010-11-25T09:59:00.001-06:00

We got lucky and were selected as the Picture Of The Month for October on the FFCars forum!

I've said it many times here but I'll say it again, my sincerest thanks to everyone that has helped me with this car from start to finish and everywhere in between. If things go like normal all cars chosen for POM will be put into a calendar the forum sells each year.

Once that information becomes available I'll update this post or put up a new one in case anyone wants one. I know they usually sell out.

Yes it's a bit late but the forum is not his day job. Personal matters have taken him away from the forum for sometime now, so we're just glad that perhaps better times are now here for him again.

******

Edited 12/10/10- The new 2011 POM calendar is now available at http://www.cafepress.com/peirspeed.494115613

Driving Adventures

2010-10-18T18:39:00.000-05:00

Today we revisited the shop full of "real classics" from our trip back in July with my brother. More cars have been added since that trip, so we had to go check them out.

This time my passenger was our intrepid blog master Jeff. Only took all summer to get him out with us! And I'm pretty sure he'll agree it was worth it as the owner of these classics proceeded to insist we drive a few!

Got to tool around in a 1964 Corvair, a 1967 Mustang GT-A Convertible, and a 1937 Packard. The Corvair was surprisingly peppy given the 110 hp 4 cylinder and auto trans.

My favorite of the group was the Mustang. I had a 68 fastback way back when and the 67 was very similar as far as the dash, seats, and overall size of the car. Add the 390 and it's a drop top......I was in love. It was tough parking that one.

So that leaves the Packard. I was a bit hesitant to hop in this one. It was an experience. It was really easy to drive, impressive ride, and brakes that were really good. I have sat on home furnishings that were not anywhere close to the comfort level of the seats in that thing.

Obviously I had to take our host out for a ride in the roadster. He really seemed to enjoy it, and I made sure he got the full experience shall we say. We took lots of pics of all the cars, including many we didn't drive. This trip. We're invited back.

Gallery

Must Drive More....So We Did!!

2010-10-10T17:20:00.000-05:00

All that interstate running yesterday was great, but it is tiring. We wanted a little slower and relaxed pace today, allowing us to take in a bit more of the view, so we ventured north and east on a little interstate and a lot of two lane.

Destination, Montgomery, IN for lunch at the Gasthof Amish Village. Another new place for us and we were not disappointed. The buffet was large, if you couldn't find something you liked you weren't trying. I stopped myself at about two bites shy of miserable.

Once again we saw a couple of nice rides out enjoying this wonderful driving weather. All too soon it'll be gone.

Fall Is Here....Must Drive More!!

2010-10-09T19:21:00.001-05:00

A light jacket and gloves this morning. A perfect blue sky. Trees just starting to display the colors of orange, gold, red, and yellow. And the open road. What a wonderful, serene, setting. That I promptly assaulted with the roar of sidepipes, echoing from the sides of guardrails, overpasses, and bridge sides! What a great day to get in some miles. Right at three hundred to be exact, as we traveled south and east to Barren River State Park.

First time we've been there. Dined at the parks restaurant, having the buffet. Not great food, but not bad either. Nice views of the water from the lodge area, where we saw boaters getting in some of the last outings for the year, same as us. A couple of nice old cars in the parking lot, along with some bikers, doing the same.

Fall would be perfect if it just didn't have to end....in winter. Must drive more!

Perfect Weather...

2010-09-25T20:22:00.008-05:00

...so we went to one of our favorite, long distance spots, The Doe Run Inn in Brandenburg, KY! Only 44 more miles to Louisville from there. It's a great destination with good food, and some nice scenery right behind the building. Which is visible from the porch while you're dining.

We always walk around the property after we eat, it's so peaceful. Look real hard and you'll see my navigator in one of the pics. She has a yellow shirt on. We'd like to spend a night there sometime.

We took Highway 60 most of the way, love the scenery it provides as you head east. And sometimes it's just more enjoyable to cruise at a somewhat slower pace, rather than blast down the interstate. You see so much more. Such as the odometer hitting 19k, and the little car lot in Harned, KY. There's a potential donor there, and a few other nice rides. What a great day! If only every bug in the world didn't want to die on the front of my car!

Long Hot Summer

2010-09-18T19:47:00.018-05:00

Not too many good driving days this season. But we've managed to take cute girls for rides, done a couple cruise ins ( haven't won anything but the car is always well received ), splattered bug guts all over the new paint ( and chipped it too ), found great roads to drive on, enjoyed some great scenery, and visited interesting places. And we'll keep doing it until it's too cold!

Morning Drive To Huntingburg

2010-08-09T04:34:00.004-05:00

In order to get these pictures I had to leave the neighborhood at 5AM ( my neighbors love me) but it was worth it. Hard to believe I was cold on the way up, considering how hot it was this afternoon. And I was wearing a jacket and gloves!

It's amazing just how big those things are up close. I have submitted a photo, not in this group, to the forum as a candidate for Picture Of The Month. Maybe we'll get lucky with it.

Special thanks to my son Dennis for getting me in!

Back In 2006...

2010-08-07T18:41:00.005-05:00

...the car had only been on the road about a month when the pic in gelcoat was taken. Today, only a week shy of four years later, I went back to that spot. I honestly didn't plan this, it was just somewhere to go today. And it was just as enjoyable as the first time.

Three States Today

2010-07-10T21:22:00.008-05:00

It's not hard to do given our location, I've done it before. But today I had another special passenger along, my brother and co-builder, David. And our destination was a shop full of REAL classics. 42 Ford, a couple Model A's and an all original 37 Packard. Flatheads rock! Thanks to Walt for hooking us up. We had a blast today, thanks!

As a side note, I got a whopping 25 MPG on todays outing. That's a new high!

Birthday Road Trip

2010-06-26T11:13:00.004-05:00

Took Dad for an extended cruise to West Baden, IN yesterday. Nice present for myself I thought! Car was great as always and so was the company. Glad you enjoyed it Dad.

Hope your butt didn't get too numb! Hahaha!!

Time To Thank (more than) A Few People

2010-06-14T05:21:00.003-05:00

I'm still somewhat in disbelief that I've pulled this off. Seriously. And I got the kit in 2005! Like Jeff said, a frame and a bunch of boxes has become this. And it had a lot of help getting to this point. Obviously I have to thank my wonderful wife, Debbie, who went along with my silly idea to do this. She could have easily told me I was nuts and to forget about it. But she didn't. That was only the first hurdle, as I knew I couldn't do it alone. That's where my brother David comes in.

Before the kit was ordered, I asked if he would be willing to help me with this. Had he said no, it wouldn't be here today. His help and guidance was invaluable to me. He put a lot of weekends into it, so I also have to thank his wife, Angie. Then there is my friend Mark, who did a bunch of bodywork and paint, for free. I bought materials, no more. One more time, thanks buddy! I've already mentioned Jeff, who had this crazy idea about creating a blog to document the project. A what? Didn't even know what he was talking about! And look at what it has become. Yes, it's a place where friends and family have been able to follow along. But it has been viewed by people around the world! I just hope they found it useful.

Speaking of useful, there is a very, very large group of people that are members of a forum dedicated to the kits that Factory Five builds. Their willingness to share ideas, expertise, and just answer questions has been just amazing to me. I hope I've managed to help a few folks there as well. I could go on and on, but it would get to be a boring read I'm afraid. To all of those that I haven't mentioned, I hope you do not feel slighted. Every comment posted, every email you sent to me, every opinion, good or bad, that you all have given me, has been deeply appreciated.

Now that it's done, where do we go from here? I plan on continuing with coverage of upgrades, repairs, failures, etc.

Anything else we should cover?

It's All Back Together.

2010-06-05T05:30:00.002-05:00

I think! Need to go through the boxes and make sure everything in them is suppossed to be leftover. Started in today figuring we would finish it in the morning, but Deb was up for installing the windsheild when she got home from work, so it was on. She knew this day was coming, dreaded it actually, and from the pics you can see why. What a great lovely assistant she is!

Once that was finished, it was just attaching visors, wind wings and a mirror. Oh and wiper arms. You'll notice the new door panels as well as the fender spats. And at long last, the nose emblem is finally installed. I'm sure I'm leaving something out, but it's been a long day. Enjoy the gallery. I think I'll go out in the garage and stare at it for awhile.

Gallery

Overriders Show Up A Day Early!

2010-06-03T19:36:00.017-05:00

Spent the morning changing the oil and lubing everything. Took the wheels out back and gave them a scrubbing, inside and out. And then the FedEx truck brought the new rear overriders. Alright! My joy was soon replaced by frustration as everything I had read about the rear install became painfully true before my eyes. It can be done without dropping the tank by exchanging lengths of all-thread for the bolts.But it's not done easily. I was just about ready to drop the damn tank! But I finally managed to get the last one on. Whew!

Put in the trunk prop rod, adjusted the lid a bit, adjusted the passenger door a bit, and then Deb helped with the sidepipe installation. What a wonderful wife!

Where's The Progress?

2010-06-02T19:41:00.005-05:00

Doesn't look like much, partly because I didn't take many pics. But I did get those holes in the rear deck filled today, roll bar is on! Started in on the splash panels and then decided to include the rear cockpit walls as well on a coating of the truck bed liner. Had to clean and scuff and prime before the coating, so I spent most of my time on that today. One more thing was accomplished, Mark stopped by on his way home from work and we put the other door on! Thanks buddy! Something is getting done, I have the empty boxes to prove it! Tomorrow I plan on servicing it, and wait on my lovely assistant to get home from work so we can tackle the sidepipes. Just about out of things I can do by myself. Just might have it driveable sometime this weekend!

More Reassembly......Would Have Been More!

2010-06-02T04:18:00.007-05:00

Got the radiator surround and guard in to finish up the front, then moved to the rear. And stopped. Now due to the way the over-riders are mounted in the rear, I knew it would be a bit time consuming to install them. You either drop the fuel tank or you get some all-thread and buck the system. I have the all-thread. And it's a good thing I bought more than needed, as my trunk mod is going to require me to use it on both sides of the car instead of one. Fine. I got it.

But there is one other little detail......Factory Five sent me all fronts. Oops. I got one on, but the angle was wrong. Searched the forum and found there is a difference in the way the mounting plate is welded into the shiny piece. Mine all looked the same, so I called FFR and they verified that there is a difference. They were very sorry and the rears have already shipped! Now that's customer service.

There will be a return label enclosed for me to send the others back as well. So I soldiered on and installed the lights, license plate, the access cover, and roll bar trim rings. Cleaned off some compound, and took some pics.

Front Nearly Complete

2010-05-31T18:21:00.002-05:00

I have a Memorial Day function to attend today, but had a little time this morning so I put the lights and brake duct screens in. All that's left up front is the radiator surround and guard, they'll have to be cleaned up and polished first.

Undercoating, Gas Cap, and New Front Bumpers

2010-05-30T16:42:00.005-05:00

Using do-it-yourself truck bed liner to undercoat the fiberglass. And boy does it stink! Did two coats and then abandoned the garage. Had to wait for the fumes to subside and the crap to dry, then put in that last splash shield mentioned previously.

Then it was on to fighting the filler tube back into position, polishing and installing the gas cap and checking out the look of the new front bumpers! They're called over riders, but I don't know why. I'll be adding a set to the rear as well.

Rear Cockpit Fender Seal

2010-05-29T22:22:00.004-05:00

Or splash panel, whatever you want to call it. This does not come with the kit, but it should. Quite a few people on the forum have done various things to help seal this area, but this one is probably the best one I've seen. There is actually a vendor that now offers these, but since I had all the material needed, I made my own. I got them both made, but only have one installed. I ran out of steam for today. We'll put it in tomorrow. Then I plan on rolling on a couple coats of truck bed liner to the underside of all the fenders.

Under Door Aluminum

2010-05-29T21:53:00.010-05:00

Figured I would start with the hard stuff. Fitting and trimming the aluminum for the under door area. This was never done before, as the body was obviously coming back off. So it took a while to figure out just how I was going to put it in. These are not kit pieces but an upgrade purchased from a forum vendor. Factory Five has since changed their design to one similar to this. It's a huge improvement to the kit pieces I recieved, believe me.

I discovered why everyone bitches about the door edge trim too. I don't mind the look of it, but it could fit better. But that would require altering the body. A bit late for that. It can't really be seen unless the door is open anyway, so it'll be fine for me.

The Body Is Back On!

2010-05-23T15:10:00.003-05:00

At long last, she's finally red. As in Ford Redfire Metallic. Wow. It was like when I first got the kit last night, just kept opening the garage door and staring at it. Don't pinch me, I don't want to wake up! It was amazing to see how putting the body onto the chassis from the buck just transformed how it looked yesterday. And we would have had pictures, but I'll leave the explanation as to why we don't to our intrepid blogmaster. So I shot these today. You'll notice we're missing a door. Little problem with the clear on that one that wouldn't buff out, so Mark is going to re-shoot it. No biggie. There is a whole lot of work still ahead to get it back on the road, but it won't be long now.

And this should, and probably will be, a separate post a little later, but I just have to thank a few people right now.

Mark, you made this happen and I cannot begin to express my gratitude to you. Thank you so,so much. Mike, thanks for the transportation for the car. Having it in an enclosed trailer certainly took a few worries off my mind. Frankie, thanks for spending time on the bodywork with us, it was great to work with you. David, Jeff, what can I say to you guys I haven't said a hundred times already? Thanks. Again.

Gallery

[editors note- Forgetting that most cameras use a three step format for taking pictures, (point, focus, click) the dozens of pics I took of the days activities wound up as being a basically empty directory. Just as well, the pics taken for the gallery are in much better lighting conditions. -jwane]

Buffing And Sanding and Sanding And Buffing

2010-05-21T04:07:00.003-05:00

Starting to see light at the end of the tunnel. I think all, at least near all, the wet sanding on the body is finished. As is nearly all the buffing. A couple spots are going to have to be re-shot on the body and one door. They are small and Mark plans on getting them done tomorrow. Still hoping to get it back on the chassis this weekend. Wish us luck.

Buffing Sucks

2010-05-16T17:46:00.006-05:00

The end result is nice though. We got the hood and trunk lid done today. They are slick. The doors and body are wet sanded. You'll notice I forgot to take pics of the trunk lid. Duh. Whole lot of buffing still to do though. We are hoping to get it back on the chassis next weekend, but I have my doubts.

We Have Paint!

2010-05-15T20:43:00.007-05:00

Look! It's finally red! Going back tomorrow to wet sand and buff out the damn bugs that crash landed in the clear. Going to roll on a little black paint on the inside of the body in a few areas as well.
It's finally painted. I can't believe it!

Going Backwards?

2010-05-08T19:05:00.006-05:00

Sure looks like it, but this is the Featherfill primer. It comes in three shades, just happened that the paint shop carried this one. Took these pics before it was all wet sanded. A few spots will require another coat (or two) and then more wet sanding. Overall though, the body is looking real smooth. Mark sure has an eye and hand for this stuff.

It's amazing how much you feel the imperfections rather than see them. We were hoping to shoot the color on the underside of the hood and insides of the doors today, but this goofy weather stopped us. No sense in heating up the shop just for that. Where did those 8o's go?

But yes, we are that close to color!

Footbox Access Cover

2010-05-05T20:38:00.008-05:00

I've thought about doing this everytime I see another post on the forum about broken clutch cables. As you can see, it would be real difficult to get to from underneath. Plenty of guys have included some form of this on their builds. Figured while the body was off, and I know what gets covered by the body, I better add one. I had everything I needed except the screws. Even had material to make a gasket for it, so this should have been a cheap upgrade. But I let the smoke out of the Dremel cutting the cover panel. Hmmm, made in Mexico. Thanks Dremel. Other than that, I'm happy with how it turned out.

First Round Of Wet Sanding

2010-05-02T08:14:00.003-05:00

-
Title sums it up, that's all that was done today. The good news is that there isn't a lot of filling that will have to be done before the next coat of primer. Would have got to that, but this cold or allergy crap I'm fighting had me cutting things short. Bleah.

Primer At Last

2010-04-24T20:38:00.007-05:00

Took almost another whole day of sanding and, damn, another spot to fill, but it's finally under primer. And already it's doing what it's supposed to do, reveal more places to fill and sand. Noticed a couple places right off. Sure couldn't see them before! Next step is wet sanding all of it, which will reveal all the hidden flaws. But these will be small places that can be addressed much quicker than all the smoothing, shaping, and building up we've been doing. I hope.

I Hate Bodywork

2010-04-17T21:38:00.003-05:00

Mark had to work today, so progress was limited. I sanded for seven damn hours on that bastard and it still isn't ready to prime. The pics show little pieces of tape I stuck where I found pinholes or assorted blemishes that will have to be filled. They are on the trunk lid and doors as well. There will be more filling after the first coat of primer, I'm ready for that. Just wish I could get to that point.

Sanding, Fabricating, and Sanding

2010-04-10T20:36:00.008-05:00

Well I was hoping to have pics of at least the hood in primer, but I sand too slow according to Mark. We're having fun though. At least I am. I've always enjoyed working with him, it's like old times. I think he's enjoying it too, despite his cursing "the curvy bastard"! All that aside, the hood is ready to prime, with the body not too far behind. But then that will lead to more sanding. Argh.

To break up the sanding monotony today, we fabricated a cover for the access hole in the trunk lid. Turned out really nice. The entire trunk lid will be body color so there is some more sanding to do on the underside of it now. The cover will be removed and painted separately, obviously. Like I said before, the slow process continues.

A Little More Bodyshop Progress

2010-04-03T17:43:00.004-05:00

As you can see we actually shot a little primer today. Didn't get to the hood though. It's Easter weekend, so we cut the shop time off a little earlier than normal. We're moving forward not backward, so I'm happy.

Hood Modification

2010-03-27T20:16:00.007-05:00

Wasn't sure we would try this or not, but after some discussions with Mark, we're doing it. In the picture above on the left you can see how the hood scoop has looked. The picture on the upper right shows what we're doing to it. Extending the hood under the scoop for a much better look. This is a popular modification that I've seen on quite a few cars on the forum.

It has slowed down our overall progress, but I think you'll agree it's time and material well spent. Unrelated to the hood, but we are real close to having the doors and trunk ready for finish sanding. Once the hood gets finished up, we should have those parts ready to primer. Then we'll move back to the body.

Battery Cover Revisited

2010-02-19T17:29:00.003-06:00

A fresh piece of vinyl and a different adhesive, contact cement, solved the puffy edge problem. Painted the screws and washers with a little of the Rust-Oleum Hammered Finish paint. I'm happy now. Or at least until the fumes wear off!

Trunk Carpet Completed

2010-02-07T17:57:00.003-06:00

It turned out pretty decent. The right-side, rearmost corner in the dropped floor section had me vexed as to the best way to put it in. Couple of options, but both with drawbacks. I went with the more difficult option of course. Required a small piece be trimmed to put in the corner, matching the angles of the larger piece. Took a little more time, but I like the results. You can see it in one of the pics, apparently I didn't match the grain of the carpet so to speak. Seems to depend on how the light hits it. But you'll have to stick your head in the trunk to see it after the body is back on, so it's good.

The battery cover will be re-done as I'm not satisfied with it. Need a different adhesive, despite what the can says it will work on. But it is the look I wanted. It's going to be weird the first few times I open the trunk after seeing the aluminum for so long.

Gallery

More Bodywork: The Slow Process Continues

2010-02-06T20:59:00.009-06:00

A day of shaping and scuffing mostly. It doesn't really show in the pics so much, but progress was made. We discussed a couple of possible enhancements, that we may pursue, time and money permitting.

More on those when and if they happen. Nothing major, so don't get too excited. At least not yet.

Carpet Progress

2010-02-03T19:53:00.012-06:00

Finally got the carpet, and have some of it installed. The paper templates I made previously have been pretty helpful.

It's still a slow process, trim, fit, trim, fit. I tried to paint the corners black so if I didn't get a piece quite to the edge the aluminum wouldn't show. But the spray adhesive took it right off and made a mess, so I swithched to black duct tape.

Worked much better and it was easier to apply! I'm happy with the results so far.

Bodywork Has Started

2010-01-23T19:39:00.014-06:00

Ah, the sweet smell of body filler. Followed by the cloud of dust. The sanding and filling has begun! All of the major areas on the body have been started. Apply filler, sand , repeat. And I enjoyed every minute of it.

Thanks for taking this project on Mark! You have no idea how much I appreciate this.

Trunk Carpet - Phase One

2009-12-26T16:19:00.017-06:00

While the body is off, I'm going to carpet the trunk. Figured some templates or patterns made from paper would be easier to fit than the carpet itself. Some allowances will have to be made once I start actually cutting the carpet, but hopefully this will make the job a little easier and reduce the amount of carpet wasted from errors. Note I said reduce. I know how I am. This also gave me the opportunity to think about in what order to install it all. I have one joint that I'm not happy with how and where it will end up, but can't come up with a better solution so far.

New Side Louvers

2009-11-15T15:35:00.004-06:00

Received the new louvers last week. Much nicer than the ones supplied in the kit. They look too small at first compared to the kit version, but if you look closely you can see the clean area on the old ones matches up closely to the new ones. The new ones will certainly look better up close than the old ones. I'm not complaining about the ones in the kit, from a manufacturing standpoint, it's easy to see why they supply them the way they do. If nothing else, this is just another example of the tremendous aftermarket support for the FFR kit vs. others. Since I had to replace them because I broke one, it was nice to have an upgrade available.

The Body is Off to Paint

2009-10-26T11:27:00.013-05:00

We loaded it up and took it to the painter today. Didn't take long to get it off and onto the body buck.

Managed to get a couple pics. Not what I had intended to get, but it's hard to get all the pics you want and get the job done too.

Did get a bit of video when we brought the chassis back. Unloading it with the open headers. You'll notice it makes a great leaf blower!

Tearing Things Up

2009-10-20T03:00:00.004-05:00

Started in on the last remaining items to remove tonight. My painter has advised me he'll have access to an enclosed trailer, so my to do list just got a bit longer. Anyway in removing the louvers I broke one. That industrial velcro really works, a little too good! I'm a little upset, but on the other hand, they are some flimsy bastards. I can get more from FFR ($24) or probably find a set even cheaper in the forum classifieds.

Lots of folks upgrade to some that are much nicer from other sources such as Whitby Motorcars and Finish Line Accessories. But they run around $85. So here is the dilemma. I've pretty much decided I want the louvers painted to match the body. I'm really not sure the FFR ones will take paint to good or if it would even stay on them as flimsy as they are.

Not crazy about dropping $85 on the others either.

Teardown Continued

2009-10-10T20:15:00.005-05:00

Boy she really looks funny now! The only thing left to remove is the fender badges and louvers. They were the last thing put on, so it seems somewhat fitting I remove them last. You'll probably notice that the hood latches, door latches, and trunk hinges and latch are still in place. Those won't be removed until after transport to the painters. I'd like to thank Jeff for coming over today and lending the extra pair of hands needed to remove the windshield and sidepipes. Much appreciated! More posts to come soon.

Tear Down- Day Two

2009-10-04T17:02:00.008-05:00

Moved to the back of the car today. And once more it wasn't without incident. There isn't much room to work in the rear fender area near the tail lights and in trying to unplug one of the lights from the harness I wound up pulling the wires out of the base of the fixture. Which sent the contact plate and spring sailing down the driveway. With my head wedged in the fender, I had no clue where they went. Spent a good bit of time looking for them, but did find them and was able to repair it. The only other issue was getting the roll bar off. It wasn't too bad but it took a good bit to do.
The third leg has been rubbing on the body, so I'll be opening that hole up a little. And those damn fender louvers are on the edge of being loose again. I have got to figure out a permanent fix for those. They just don't fit the body that well is the biggest problem. That'll be something to fool with this week. Then hopefully I can get the rest of the stuff off next weekend.

When I removed the wiper arms today, found this big dent in the underneath side of the arm on the passenger side of the car. Looks like the wiper arm may have saved the windshield! We've heard things hit we've never seen, a couple have been loud enough to make us jump. This was probably one of them!

Tear Down Started

2009-10-03T21:28:00.008-05:00

Well it's up on jackstands and parts are removed. Everything in and on the front has been removed, along with the front splash panels. The windwings and sun visors are also removed, along with the fender mirror. Ran into a little problem trying to get the headlights off. When it was put together, I had planned on just removing the wires from the backside of the plug at the headlamp. They didn't want to come out as easily as I had figured they would. Not being able to get the wires out of the bulb socket meant I couldn't get the headlamp bucket off the fender. So knowing full well that, "if you screw wth something long enough, you'll screw it up", I went to Carquest and picked up a couple of plugs to add to the harness. Of course that slowed the progress down. That along with cleaning off bug guts, bubble wrapping chrome parts, and bagging and tagging everything.
That really slows things down.

Road Test Complete....Time for Paint

2009-09-27T20:04:00.008-05:00

Took the car to Paducah via Highway 60 today for it's last trip of the year. It was a great drive. And it's last trip (under it's own power anyway) in gelcoat. Because, believe it or not, we're finally going to paint it. As much as I've been glad it wasn't painted as we've ironed out the bugs, I'm really ready to "finish" it. It won't be a showcar paint job, because I didn't build a showcar. Putting the time, money, and effort into a perfect paint job would be absolutely stupid. We DRIVE this car, so however it turns out, it'll be good enough. These pics show what the paint job is in for. It was clean when we left this morning. And as you can see from the mileage, it's been road tested. We'll be posting the progress/process as best we can, so stay tuned!

Tune-up Time......Already?

2009-08-20T20:45:00.004-05:00

I mentioned previously the car still feeling a tick off, but not sure of the cause. Been thinking about it, and taking it out a couple of "test" drives just to focus on what I was feeling. And it took a while but I finally figured out what it reminded me of. I've been driving cars with platinum plugs in them so long I forgot what a set of good old copper core plugs felt like when they start going away. Pulled a couple and they really didn't look too bad.

Looked at the cap and the aluminum contacts in it were kinda rough, and at 15k miles! I remember only getting about 20k out of a set of plugs back, make that way back, when. And that was without an MSD box beating the snot out of them! So I put in a new set of the same Motorcraft plugs, a new Ford rotor, but switched the cap to an MSD unit with brass contacts. It's even black. So I had to disguise the gray Ford lower cap to match it. Shot it with the Krylon Fusion black paint I had on hand. Made for plastic but I don't know how it will hold up to the heat. And the results?

I was right. That little "off" is gone. And it looks pretty good too.

Vacuum Advance Failure

2009-08-09T15:49:00.005-05:00

Shortly after getting the car back on the road after the radiator problems, the car just seemed to be a little "off". I attributed it to it not having been driven very much. However it has gotten more noticeable, with a slight popping in the exhaust at part throttle, and progressively worse throttle response at what I call tip in.
So today I started doing a little trouble shooting. After checking for the obvious loose bolts or missing plugs, I hooked up my vacuum pump to the vacuum advance. Couldn't pull an inch on it. This is a Crane Cams adjustable unit I installed right after we got the car running, so it lasted a whopping 15k miles and died. The reason for getting the adjustable style was to try and insure no preignition due to too much advance. But the adjustable ones are hard to find in an oem replacement. Figured I would try one more Crane unit, but discovered they went out of business in February this year. So much for that, it's not available anymore. After discussing the options with David, we decided to just put the oem that came with the distributor back on and listen closely for any pinging.
The results of my test drive were favorable. All of the driveability issues were instantly gone and under various types of load I never heard anything to indicate preignition. Engine temps and oil temps were right where they always are. Looks like this problem is fixed, but you can bet I'll be listening to it hard for awhile.

Update 8/11/09

Good news from S&S Cycle:

S&S Cycle of Viola, Wisconsin acquired certain assets of Crane Cams, Inc. on May 7, 2009. Those assets include the inventory, intellectual property, and trademarks for all Crane automotive and motorcycle electronic and valve train products. The intellectual property portion includes designs, drawings, and cam profiles. Crane Cams was founded in 1953, and like S&S Cycle, founded in 1958, it has become a respected and iconic brand in the high performance industry.

More Info

New Radiator Installation

2009-07-04T17:20:00.004-05:00

Started the re-installation process today. At first I had a strictly bolt on idea, but it shifted to a "some welding required" setup. So David came over with welder in hand for the assist.
He tweaked my idea a bit, as is normal. It was no easy task since the access points are in the fender openings and through the grill opening. It required some alterations as we went along, but we made it work. It's basically roughed in at the moment. The brackets and mount will have to be removed, cleaned, and painted obviously. The nuts you see in the pictures between the brackets are being used as spacers at the moment. They will be replaced with washers to fine tune the fit at the top. As the brackets at the bottom are tightened together, it pushes the top tighter into the rubber mounts at the top And the top is still a work in progress so I don't have pics of it yet. But I know how it will be now. The radiator is now suspended in the car with only rubber mounts. The only thing bolted to the radiator will be the shroud, and it will be altered slightly so that those bolts don't restrict movement. Once I get this part done, it'll be on to re-fitting all the nose aluminum.

You can see a rubber block on the frame that the radiator lip rests on. This is where it was bolted to the frame before. On the back side of the frame tube is another rubber block. With it all in place the top of the radiator is touching nothing but rubber, with no mechanical fasteners involved. It's held snuggly but not to the point that the rubber is fully compressed.

The lower mount is what carries the full load of the radiator, so it is now much larger and made from steel instead of aluminum.

By adjusting the size of the spacer between the mounting points the radiator is in no danger of being pushed up too tightly at the top, but keeping it in place, while still allowing for expansion and contraction.

The rubber mounts and brackets used on the bottom are genuine Ford parts. One is from the drivers side of a late 80's Lincoln, the other from the passenger side of a similar year Grand Marquis. Couldn't use the opposing side from these cars as that mount was smaller. As you can see in the pics, they look like they were made for this radiator. The rubber blocks at the top are whats left from some other lower/ upper radiator mounts I snagged on the same trip to the salvage yard, all from various Fords. Bandsaw made trimming them to size easy. Now I just have to clean them up a bit.

Installation Gallery

New Radiator

2009-07-03T16:43:00.009-05:00

Picked up the new radiator after work. The top mount is still in question......I have a maybe plan at this point. The wiring harness will have to be moved though. Where? Not sure yet.
The shroud looks to be a direct bolt-on as planned. The nose aluminum and the top block off I made will have to be re-done.
The block off will be the hard one. I knew this was going to be a PITA!

Radiator Failure Update

2009-06-09T19:24:00.005-05:00

Since I have pics, I guess a new post is in order. It's not good. Stress cracks. Going to be down awhile I'm afraid. Just what I'm going to do, or be able to do, I'm not sure of yet. A better mounting setup is a must, and with the body on, it will be quite a challenge I'm afraid. Right now I have more questions than answers for sure.

Radiator Failure

2009-06-07T15:38:00.003-05:00

It finally quits raining, get in a couple drives, now this! My first thought was it took a hit, but you can't see anything on the front of the radiator as far as damage or even a wet area. Took out the guard, top cover, and shroud. It actually looks like it has multiple leaks, but I don't want to jump to conclusions yet. This is as far as I've got with it today. I'll add comments to this post or add a new one as I learn more.

Finally...

2009-05-31T19:38:00.008-05:00

...a clear day! Road Trip!!
Went back to one of our favorite places, West Baden, IN. We always enjoy walking around the place, inside and out. And you can't beat sitting out on the large porch in one of the rockers, having a waffle cone full of Rum Raisin ice cream. If you've never been there, you should really consider making the trip. The restoration of the place is nothing less than spectacular. And you never know what you'll see in the parking lot. I always park in the less populated lots, for obvious reasons. Went to leave and found my car surrounded, by Jaguars! The owner of one even left the hood up unattended! Braver than I am!

Will It Never End?

2009-05-26T20:36:00.001-05:00

Well here it is, nearly June, and we've gone nowhere. Rain, rain, and more rain. And if it isn't raining, I'm at work. Most depressing. Seems getting a Saturday without rain is about as likely as winning the lottery anymore. I'll quit bitchin' now.

Coolant Overflow Capacity Issue

2009-03-07T19:10:00.002-06:00

We've always had a mysterious coolant disappearing act with this thing. Once I found the leaking intake gasket and repaired it, I thought it would go away. Not so. Now we're not talking a large amount, but I would have to add a couple ounces every two or three outings to get the level back over the pickup tube in the tank. Recently I was letting it run in the driveway and saw it dribbling coolant out the overflow tank! Apparently, if it gets warm enough, it will actually overfill the overflow tank, leading to coolant loss.

So I guess that it would do this if I sat at a couple of traffic lights and I had no way to know it was doing it. After seeing this I began to do a little research on the forum. Sure enough, I found that others had seen the same problem using a tank like mine.

It isn't big enough and won't hold all of the expanded coolant. It needs to hold a couple quarts. Obviously mine doesn't.
The others who had replaced there tank had either went with a Canton tank or one offered by one of the forum vendors, Breeze Automotive. I really like the Canton tank, but went with the Breeze unit. That hundred dollar price difference was too big to ignore.

The literature that was included with the tank states that "We believe that this type of reservoir is the smart choice for your car because it is lightweight, inexpensive, requires no maintenance, will not corrode, and the coolant level is visible at a glance. It will probably not win you first place at any car shows." Luckily, I could care less about that; I don't show it!

Breeze shows it mounted differently, as they sell a radiator for the FFR's as well that puts the upper rad hose on the opposite side of the car. So I made a couple of brackets to mount it in roughly the same spot as before. I let the car run until it got fully warmed up like the day I saw it spill. No problem, didn't loose a drop. The picture was taken right after I shut it off and as you can see, there is still room. Time will tell, but I think this will solve the mystery. At last.

Winter Wonderland

2009-02-08T14:58:00.003-06:00

Winter. Have I mentioned I hate it?

Bah Humbug!!

2008-12-04T12:31:00.002-06:00

427 Style Shifter

2008-11-09T07:11:00.007-06:00

I've always liked the look of the 427 style shifter in these cars, but at $100+, just for looks, I could live without it. But a recent sale of excess and/or discontinued items by FFR put one in my hands for over 50% off. Sweet! It was easy to install, just remove the boot and take out the two bolts that hold the shifter in place. In order to get the boot over the non-functional reverse lockout ears you have to remove a set screw from the end. It has a spring under it so hang on to it. The spring holds the ears in place so they don't rattle and allows it to move as if it really worked. Pull on the spring (it doesn't come all the way out) until you can pull the ears out of the shifter. As you can see in the before and after pics, the geometry is quite a bit different. A short test drive revealed it will take some time to adapt to it. Or yank it back out. It's not love at first shift. At least not yet. It might just get "massaged" a bit!

More Cobra Fun

2008-10-27T10:53:00.006-05:00

Long time no update! It's been a pretty good summer of driving it without issues, so I've had nothing to post! Put nearly 7k miles on it. Fuel mileage has been excellent, consistently above 20 mpg average. On most tanks anyway. There have been a few that reflected a better usage of the vehicle, shall we say. We've had the video camera out with us most trips, so I've put a few clips into a little music video. Thanks to former Crew Chief Dave, now Stunt Driver Dave, for helping me get some of the exterior shots. And that's his 05 Mustang I'm following in a couple spots as well. Hope you like it!

1967 Mercury Cyclone GT

2008-07-16T16:34:00.003-05:00

Here's a video of a project that chief mechanic David and Ken have been involved with for nearly two years. The car was originally powered by a 390 but at some point that was replaced by a 410 from the full size Mercury. Like the 390, the 410 is also an FE series engine with a 390 bore and 428 stroke. This particular example uses a Tri-Power induction set-up. The car had become more than a little ragged around the edges and needed a restoration. An engine and transmission rebuild, extensive interior and body work including fresh 'Arrest Me Red' paint has brought one of the great muscle cars of the era back to life. Great job guys.

Cyclone Photo Gallery

Sunday Drive

2008-07-07T04:13:00.003-05:00

After reading about this car for nearly three years it's time for you to go along for a ride. Just a short trip through the backroads of Kentucky.

Camera Mount Test

2008-06-25T20:33:00.011-05:00

I finally decided to get a real video camera awhile back. It's a Canon FS10. It required a couple of accessories though. A remote mic and a roll bar mount! Sweet! The camera mount came from Maximum Motorsports and the remote mic is a Sony ECM-MS908C.
Put together a little clip of the first time out test drive. It works!

Celsius vs. Fahrenhiet

2008-06-11T05:18:00.004-05:00

The Autometer Gauges I paid extra for with the kit have celsius reading water and oil temp gauges. A bit odd but once you know where the gauge reads normally it's no big deal. Except that mine, well the water temp, has always read a bit cold. I base that on what others on the forum say theirs run at. This has resulted in replacing a thermostat that was most likely fine and trying to figure out why the fan never comes on. And replacing those switches as well. I finally decided that the gauge is defective. There is no way I thought I could get another mechanical unit in with the dash in place. And Autometer doesn't sell an electric version that matches these, so I needed to find something else, in an electric, close as far as looks. I went with the Stewart-Warner 82307. I really don't need a gauge that reads to 280. I wanted it because, in addition to it's close looks, the needle should point nearly straight up at normal temps. Which will closely match where the oil pressure gauge just above it stays at cruise. So the two most important gauges can be monitored at a glance instead of having to decode one, then check the other. A bonus is the lighting is similar as well.

And now for the educational segment. Read the instructions that come with the sending unit. I didn't and had a new gauge that read hot vs. the old one that read cold. Huh? I then bought an infrared laser thermometer to see just what kind of temps I actually had. Normal. Another junk gauge?!? WTF? I re-read the gauge instructions, making sure the wires where correct etc. Everything was. But when I finally bothered to look, the sending unit has very specific instructions on how tight you install it. I was waaay past the recommended 15 INCH POUNDS! It actually says a half turn beyond finger tight. Then if it leaks another 1/4 turn or 15 in.-lbs.!

So I loosened and then re-tightened to spec, but the damage was done it appeared, as that didn't help. So I ordered another sending unit. It arrived today and was promptly installed, properly. And it now reads at or slightly above the thermostat temp of 192.

And I feel like a moron.

Tuning Updates

2008-05-14T21:21:00.003-05:00

Back in March I had mentioned doing some tuning on the carb in the post concerning the intake gasket problem. Well I've seen no signs of a leak and coolant levels have remained steady so I'm calling it good. I need to mention that the timing advance was not working properly way back when we set the carb up so we were basically trying to fix the wrong problem. The timing has to be right BEFORE attempting any carb adjustments or changes. At the time we thought the timing was correct. Oops.

Three sets of jets and as many power valves later, along with the intake gasket repair and running two cans of SeaFoam through it, I've finally been able to drive it enough to comment on the early results. The primary jets are back to what was in the carb new, 65's. The secondaries were never touched and remain at 68. The power valve is also back to oem, 6.5. The shooter is the only thing that remains changed from original, it's up from original but I can't remember what's on it currently and I'll have to remove it to find out. So that hasn't happened yet. I'm still debating if it needs to be changed or not. The car has a slight stumble at tip in, sometimes. Not always, and seems to be temp related so for now I'll leave it be. The results of all this? A more responsive throttle, the pedal is a bit touchier than before. I now understand why some people opt for an aftermarket pedal vs. the modified Mustang unit. For me it's not to that point. Yet. You have to move the pedal very little to achieve the desired results. So yes, it feels even faster. Like that was a problem. The best part, considering gas prices, is an increase in fuel mileage. I don't have any highway results but the overall mpg for two days of to work and back netted 21.1 mpg. Granted that was, for the most part, " no chance of getting a ticket" motoring. So I can at least afford to keep driving it. Just maybe not as much as I'd like.

Miller Motorsports Park Museum Tour

2008-05-05T19:21:00.003-05:00

Fuel and Additives

2008-04-24T17:49:00.008-05:00

I put 7.5 gallons in it Monday morning to fill it along with a can of SeaFoam as recommended by David. I could feel a difference in the car by the time I got to Evansville. Going to Mt. Vernon I swear the car got quieter as throttle response improved. Apparently the shit works quick! They claim it does. I'm a convert for sure. I'll get more and put it in the Ranger and Focus. And I'm changing to Chevron gas. According to Ford they recommend BP on my gas cap! Trouble is, how the hell do you know what you're really getting? But I've been running a pretty steady diet of BP since I got the Ranger. Same in the Cobra. From the same station. The valves in the Cobra looked like crap when I pulled the intake. All of them, not just the ones next to the water ports. David says that todays gas is made for all the hot running EFI stuff and just doesn't burn right in carb apps from what he sees with the mowers. So the Cobra will most likely be on a routine diet of SeaFoam for a few tanks anyway. Hopefully the Chevron gas is actually what I'm getting and it works as advertised.

BP (Wikipedia)

Chevron (Wikipedia)

Side Louvers Reinstall

2008-04-18T18:22:00.005-05:00

I said I had reservations about the Velcro. It failed first trip out. Top speed was 60 mph sustained. Didn't lose them but they were both on their way. The drivers side was hanging by the top only. The Velcro itself stayed stuck but the adhesive let go of the body. So this time I went ahead and used the side badges I was saving to install after paint. The louvers have holes on them that match the pins on the badges so they can be secured at the top. The pins are smooth so I used a 6-32 die to cut threads on them for some nyloc nuts I purchased. That leaves the bottom unsecured. Damn, back to the Velcro. I sanded the area more vigorously this time, trying to really smooth it out hoping to insure a better bond.

And the results are in. Everything stayed put during a sustained 70 mph stretch in windy conditions. There was an instance of speeds in excess of that. Very briefly. Oops.

Looks like this combination might hold up.

Radiator Cover

2008-04-13T21:31:00.008-05:00

Tackled one of those annoyances today. The top of the radiator wasn't what you would call attractive. Wire harness and bolts showing. It didn't really bother me though. Don't want my Cobra too civilized. And that big gap in front of the radiator. The look of it didn't bother me either at first, but it has a side effect. Bug guts collect on the underside of the hood! Not good. That's not the easiest place to reach for cleaning. Which I should have done while I had the hood off, duh! Anyway, now the top of the radiator is covered and the hole is blocked.

Decorative and functional. I can live with that.

Side Louvers

2008-04-11T21:29:00.011-05:00

One more thing added to help it look a bit more finished. I've seen the Industrial Velcro mentioned on the forum as an option for installing these. I have to admit a bit of skepticism but the glue that is on the back side can about peel off your fingerprint! It ain't your mommas Velcro! I did sand the inside of the body to give it a smoother surface to stick to.
Time will tell.

A New Look

2008-04-10T15:47:00.008-05:00

As you can see I've done some remodeling.
The width of the blog should now fit all monitors. I've added some videos and the Archives is now a collapsible menu. I hope to add some racing newsfeeds in the future. I'd also like to get a front angle view of the car. Get busy on that Ken.
Hope you like the changes.

Zololkis the Spammer

2008-04-08T17:23:00.010-05:00

Zololkis is a spammer that you'll see using the comment section from time to time. He doesn't have a blog, just a link to www.onlinexpscanner.com but the page doesn't load. Or at least nothing happens with Linux. Maybe the link loads something else but only Windows users can answer that question.

I've looked at Blogger's terms of service and they say "We do not allow spamming or transmitting malware and viruses" but I can't find anyway to actually report it so I guess what they really mean is they don't allow anyone to bother them about spamming, malware, and viruses. I've deleted several of his posts but it seems he really wants to participate so I'll let him. If I find a way to report it I'll just send them the links to his posts and let them do what they will. In the meantime, everyone say hi to Zololkis the Spammer.

It's been confirmed that his link uses javascript to resize your browser and creates a pop-up that allows you to run a 'test'. Yeah right.
I will start moderating all comments which means none will get posted until after I've read them. After you make a comment I'll get an email with the content and I will then either allow it to be posted or rejected.
For Windows users who run Firefox I still recommend the No Script extension.
Thanks Ken for using the Dell as a sacrificial lamb.

Update 04/09/08:
Here are three sites explaining what onlinexpscanner does and Malware Remover has a removal tool if you're bitten. Thanks for the links Ken.

Malware Remover
Bharath's Security Blog
McAfee Site Advisor

The comment moderation is working too because I've caught him attempting to post here twice since yesterday.

Brake Duct Screens

2008-03-30T17:29:00.005-05:00

After completing the radiator screen I had some leftover material to play with.

So I made a couple of screens for the brake ducts too.

You can buy some screens from FFR as well as others. They're no more than aluminum gutter cover. But they look nice and I would have gone that route if I hadn't bought the stainless.

This stainless mesh is a little tougher to work with than aluminum would be but it was still a simple project.

A couple of bends are all you need, like a U shape. One side of the bend just needs to be higher with a couple of reliefs cut to clear the bolts in the opening. Loosen those up and slide it in between the body and frame. Then tighten it back up to hold it in place.

Radiator Guard

2008-03-30T07:54:00.004-05:00

I had originally intended to make a screen to protect the radiator once the body was off.

But that isn't going to happen now. The economy, and some recent layoffs at work, have caused me to back away from spending the money for paint.

But I'm going to keep driving it so I wanted to do so without worrying about taking a boulder to the radiator.

Once again I saw a post on the forum that gave me this idea.
The screen is stainless from Pegasus Racing and the rest is just aluminun stock from the hardware store.

I used some speednuts and stainless fasteners to secure the screen in place. This way I can also take it out with the body mounted. I consider this a plus of this design. But it has a couple weaknesses as well.

It isn't as wide as the opening so something could take a funny bounce and get behind the screen. There is also the possibility for something to get over the top of it the same way. Anything coming straight at the fins should hit the screen though.

That's what I'm hoping for.

Radiator Guard Gallery

Intake Removed, Reason For Leaks Discovered

2008-03-17T17:26:00.006-05:00

The pictures speak for themselves.
Never seen an intake gasket look like this so I turned to the forum for help and/or advice. I discovered I wasn't alone as others posted pics of similar failures of the "Fail Pro Printo Leaks" as one member described them. Many recommended the Victor Reinz Nitroseal gaskets. If I hadn't already bought the Ford gaskets I would have got a set. But another member explained that the Ford gaskets were made as a result of failures they had as well. The Ford gaskets are made by Fel-Pro but are similar in material and construction to the Victor Reinz gaskets. So following the installation tips provided by the responses, I'll install the Ford gaskets I have.

Hopefully this is the right choice. But if these fail, the Nitroseals will be the next set.

Edelbrock Performer Air-Gap.pdf

Holley Bowl Vent Baffle

2008-03-14T16:49:00.006-05:00

I tore the carb apart and did everything I had planned to it.

On a quick/hard stop the engine always tries to die from the rear bowl pouring gas in the vent.

This little vent extender from Holley should take care of it.

Installation instructions.pdf

Intake Gasket Woes

2008-03-13T19:59:00.007-05:00

Well it's finally starting to warm up a bit and that means I'm going to need a drive. SOON!

Unfortunately, repairs are in order first. The pesky intake gaskets decided to leak once more over the winter. I guess they had nothing better to do. They leaked a little once before but after a re-torque of the intake they stayed dry all last summer. Cheap gaskets? Bad installation? All the above????

Whatever the reason, they have to be replaced. This time I have some over-priced Ford Racing gaskets so I'm hoping they do the trick. I do know they are thicker than a comparable Fel-Pro.

They are a Print-O-Seal gasket so Fel-Pro is making these for Ford obviously.

Since it has to be apart, I'm also going to do some carb tuning as well.

Long story short, when David and I tuned the carb before the timing wasn't as good as it should have been. So I'm going to try a jet change and a couple other things and see what happens.

General Instructions.pdf

Another Summer Winds Down

2007-10-18T11:26:00.001-05:00

Random thoughts as the driving season is about over. Can't believe it's been on ( and off ) the road for over a year now. One look at the odometer though and you know it's true. Over 8000 miles. Some problems have cropped up as we've tried to document here. Nothing more money hasn't fixed. Picked up a 20 dollar cover at Wal-Mart to help keep the dust off while it's in the garage. Can't believe how dirty it gets just sitting in there. Hopefully you've found the blog informative as well as somewhat entertaining along the way. Thanks for putting it together jwane, I still go back and look through it all sometimes. Always puts a smile on my face re-reading some of the comments. Having said all that, I'm now starting to look ahead to getting some paint on it. Due to some financial constraints and some other factors, it looks like I'll be painting it myself. I never intended for it to be a show car so if it isn't perfect I really don't care. It will still be red, but not the Redfire Metallic I had hoped to have. The current thinking is using an enamel vs. the base/clear type. The bodywork worries me more than the paint at the moment. That's about all I have for now. Plan on driving it as long as weather and time permits for the remainder of the year. Then over the winter I'll start taking it apart to start the bodywork next spring.

Footbox Vents

2007-08-12T16:18:00.001-05:00

Another great idea lifted from the forum. We went to Owensboro for breakfast this morning and tested them out, work great! I would have never guessed you could get so much air from a vent in this location but it works really well. The air is barely even warmed by the engine. It feels about the same as sticking your hand out in the air beside the windshield. Any moving air is welcomed down in the footbox on a long drive and this little project has really been worth the effort. I did make some small scoops to put on the backside of the vents in the trans tunnel to help direct the air in. Plus you don't see the side of the trans when you look into the vents. The vents do have one downside though. They're a GM part. Hopefully the Krylon Fusion paint I put on them will seal the Chebby cooties in!

Footbox Vent Gallery

Gas Mileage Update

2007-08-11T20:39:00.001-05:00

The last tank, which consisted of back and forth to work, was 19.9 mpg. Did the average overall and it's at 21.1 since I started keeping track. Way better than I expected. Of course that could be interpreted as I'm not driving the car correctly!

Bloggers Beware

2007-08-09T06:20:00.000-05:00

I've removed the following comment twice in the past month. I've deleted the links here.

Camiseta Personalizada said...

Oi, achei teu blog pelo google tá bem interessante gostei desse post. Quando der dá uma passada pelo meu blog, é sobre xxxxxxx, mostra passo a passo como criar uma xxxxxxxx bem maneira. Se você quiser linkar meu blog no seu eu ficaria agradecido, até mais e sucesso.(If you speak English can see the xxxxxxxx.If he will be possible add my blog in your blogroll I thankful, bye friend).

This post uses XSS to transfer malicious code using javascript from his personal website to CamisaOnline which is a legitimate site. His site shows you how to purchase a T-shirt from CamisaOnline and provides a link to CamisaOnline. It's that link that runs the script. I'm running Linux so I don't know what the script does but if you run Windows and Firefox you can protect yourself from XSS and other javascript vulnerabilities with this extension.
So you have now been added to my blog as you requested. Bye friend.

Koni Road Test

2007-07-29T17:35:00.001-05:00

Left click to view video in browser (MediaPlayer plug-in required)
Right click and select "Save as" to download. (102.5MB)

With the Konis all on it was time for a road test. 170 miles should be adequate! The difference is immediately noticeable. Even Deb could feel it. The ride is smoother with smaller bumps being absorbed better. Larger irregularities, such as long patched areas, don't seem to upset the car as much either. It still has a firm ride but without the harsh edge it had before. A bit more forgiving could be another way to put it. And the spring rates are actually slightly higher than with the Bilsteins. You would think the ride would be even stiffer. So how does it handle with a seemingly slightly softer ride? Better. I'm no suspension expert but it feels like the car stays flatter in the turns. It definitely feels faster through the curves, some of them were pretty tight today. Just ask Deb! Or download the video she quit on, so she could hang on! I'm not at all sorry I chose to go this way. Even though it cost me, I just felt it was the right thing to do. Now I know it was.

See the western Kentucky scenery of the test drive here.

I Got One In

2007-07-26T19:20:00.001-05:00

Started the Koni install this evening. It's a bit of a slow process since I have to enlarge the clearanced areas on the LCA's. Anyway I have the drivers front in.

The Wait is Over

2007-07-25T16:12:00.000-05:00

I decided to go with the Konis. I could have got the front Bilsteins and new correct springs free. At 40% off on all four I really felt like the Konis were the way to go though. Yes it cost me some money. Quite a bit even with the discount, but peace of mind is priceless. The pics show the new shocks and springs along with some comparison shots to one of the rear Bilsteins and the rear spring from it. The fronts went back to FFR. The rear frame has to be modified a bit for the Konis so I did get that done tonight. Just looking everything over it looks like the fronts will be pretty easy to install but the rears will pose a few obstacles.

Click here for Koni Install .pdf

Rod End/Heim Joint Seals

2007-07-15T18:19:00.000-05:00

I just ordered enough of these from Speedway Motors to do the shocks and the rod ends on the three link as well.
Mustang & Fords magazine built an FFR and used them on their build.

Shocks to be Replaced

2007-07-11T20:43:00.000-05:00

I tried to take pics that related to the issues covered by FFR. Everything is placed so that you can use the FFR tech bulletin to look at the parts. They are labeled by vehicle side as well. I have issues with the coil count as well as the rod end galling FFR has mentioned.

Shock Absorber and Coil Spring Report

2007-07-10T20:53:00.000-05:00

Factory Five Technical Alert

About a year ago we received reports from customers regarding breakage of the Bilstein brand shock absorbers included with their Factory Five Racing kits. At that time we conducted an investigation and concluded, based on the evidence at hand, that there were two factors that had caused the small number of failures of Bilstein shock absorbers.

Read article here.

Shock Results are In

2007-07-07T09:25:00.000-05:00

From:
Dave Smith
Supporting Vendor

Just over a week ago, and at my direction, the engineering staff at Factory Five began a comprehensive investigation into reports from customers of a number of part failures regarding Bilstein shocks on Factory Five chassis kits.
At this time I am confident that my guys have determined the reasons for these failures and are ready to implement some urgent corrective action.

Read full forum post here.

Sidepipe Repair (Again)

2007-07-04T18:56:00.000-05:00

David did a fine job on the sidepipes. The added metal should make them stronger. The downside is having to keep the header paint applied to the patches on the backside of the pipe. Oh well! I'm going to work on fabricating some engine tie downs to limit movement and take some stress off the sidepipes as well. Can't drive it so may as well work on it! Back on the jackstands!
I cleaned up the welds and painted the patch plates. The paint used is Dupli-Color High Heat with Ceramic in Flat Aluminum. I put on three pretty heavy coats. Hopefully it holds up and the plates don't start rusting. At least for a little while.

FFR Shock update

2007-07-02T19:50:00.000-05:00

From:
Jim Schenck
R&D Engineer
Factory Five Racing

Here's the update:
We are getting close to being finished with data collecting and we are now seeing two seperate trends developing which encompass almost all failures. Right now we are in the process of trying to find any cases that do not match up with our findings...

Read the FFCobra forum post here.

Shock Update

2007-07-01T15:10:00.001-05:00

While waiting for the results of the shock inquisition I have checked mine. They are definitely the 12 coil, 450# units and are all of .462 wire diameter. More like .472. I haven't pulled the wheels yet to check the end thickness of the spring per the tech update from FFR. From what I have read to this point though, it looks like these may be the problem. Before I do anything else I'll wait for the final results from FFR. On a side note, since I won't be driving it for a bit, I yanked the side pipes off and hauled them with me yesterday so David can weld the cracks at the hanger mount. He is on vacation all this next week. He needs stuff to do!

Shock Failures

2007-06-29T20:57:00.000-05:00

There have been several instances of broken shocks. I've been reading these in fear for my car as well. Not enough info to really understand what is happening so now I'm pretty much afraid to drive the thing. But last week FFR got involved and they have launched an aggressive investigation. I've been watching and waiting all week for some info. Still don't have a final answer but do have an update at the forum.

And yet another victim.

My car looks like a candidate for a front shock failure based on the preliminary news. I think FFR will do the best they can but figure it will cost me some money. Some guys are buying these from one of the forum vendors. Scroll down. Sweet but pricey and I wonder if they wouldn't be overkill for a street car.
FFR has a new shock upgrade that is more affordable but is it the answer? An obvious improvement over the Bilstiens and probably the way I will go dependant on what solution FFR offers.

Trunk Lid Prop

2007-05-21T16:58:00.000-05:00

Another great idea stolen from the forum. Got tired of holding the trunk lid open with my head. Used a leftover fuel line hanger and a piece of aluminum rod and wiring loom holder I bought. Got about $4 in it. Swivels around the quick jack mount.

Sidepipe Repair

2007-05-21T16:39:00.001-05:00

Hopefully this will eliminate the problem. Ken's explanation of what he did is at the forum.

Sidepipe Failure

2007-05-11T22:02:00.000-05:00

It seems that several are experiencing this problem.

FFRCobra Forum

I think I see the reason behind the damage I'm seeing. It has to do with the way the mount functions. The full range of motion is not really allowed for. Once at the limit then the remaining force is transferred to the wall of the sidepipe. The wall on the sidepipe isn't heavy enough / and all the force is centered at the top and bottom of the tab on the pipe. Basically a somewhat flawed design. I'm going to tinker with the mount tomorrow. Ideally the engine still needs to be lower in the car and / or the sidepipe mount needs a radius that will allow more clearance under the frame without hanging lower than the pipe. I think I can relieve some of the stress by removing one of the bolts on the pipe tab and loosening the other just enough to allow it to swivel a bit. If I can relieve the stress then perhaps I can at least slow down the rate of damage. I knew something caused this. But without the damage I don't think I would have seen this. That doesn't make much sense does it? Try this. If, after reading about the problem, I had looked at mine and not seen anything abnormal, I would not have seen this coming. Would have figured this guy did something wrong or got a bad pipe or something. The pipes are already fucked but metal can be welded over the damaged area later and fix that. I'll work on fixing the cause first.

Better Weather at Last

2007-04-30T18:29:00.000-05:00

Last Saturday was a great day for a road trip. Call it a further seat test. Picked Jeff up once the temperatures were more to his liking and took him to Island, KY for a greasy cheeseburger at the Dairy Freeze on 431. The seats have made trips like this a real pleasure for sure. Money well spent. We had a real nice trip down and back. I wasn't sure if Jeff would notice the difference in the seats due to the limited amount of time spent in the others, but he said he could tell a big difference. He liked them from a comfort aspect, however he does have a couple issues with them. I'll let him fill that part in. Another part of the trip involved taking vacuum readings under various conditions to help with an upcoming carb tuning project. It's too hard to watch a vacuum gauge laying on the trans tunnel and keep your eyes on the road. We have readings for various cruise speeds and WOT. Before last Saturday I had never really put my foot in it with Jeff in the car. That has changed now. I believe his exact word was "Shit!". And despite the four or five "demonstration" runs I got 22.6 mpg too! It was a good trip. Thanks for coming along Jeff!

Shifter/Seat Test

2007-03-05T21:55:00.000-06:00

Well these are very preliminary results, but I took the Cobra to the hardware store this evening. That's a ten minute trip each way. Woohoo. The shifter is great, very slick to operate. No having to make sure I went over far enough for third. The seats are going to be harder to describe. The seat position is different so I was paying more attention to that than the comfort level. Have to move my legs a little differently so have to make sure to get feet in the right places. It's minor. Once I got onto the concrete, subdivision type, rough ass, side street to the hardware store my first thought was the car seems to be taking this a bit better than I remember. Then I realized I just wasn't feeling it like before. The seats? Damn. So very promising. My big problem before was on long trips so while promising, I'm not getting too excited just yet.

Pro 5.0 Shifter Installation

2007-02-24T16:23:00.000-06:00

During the build I thought about doing this but couldn't rationalize spending the money on it. The transmission had a shifter on it so why do it?
For all the same reasons the Mustang owners do it, the included shifter leaves a bit to be desired. If you've never had an aftermarket shifter then perhaps you would be happy with it. But having had a better shifter in other cars, I was not happy with this one. My major complaint was the 2-3 shift. After reading numerous reviews and opinions I settled on the Pro 5.0. This is a favorite of the Mustang crowd so it seemed the logical choice. Once again Jeff foolishly agreed to assist so we put it in today.
The installation was pretty much what I had expected. We had to take the trans mount out and lower the trans onto the rear crossmember. This also involved disconnecting the sidepipes from the side mounts so they didn't bind up or break a mount. One thing I hadn't figured on was the Pro 5.0 had to be disassembled to get it into place on the trans. Oh great, let's take the new shifter apart! It was really no big deal and should not discourage anyone from doing it. Just take your time and look at where things go. We marked things with a Sharpie to make sure we had things oriented the same way it came apart.
Once everything was allowed for, the shifter was really pretty easy to put in. The kit shift handle did require a little grinding. The front lower corner had to be ground off to clear the stop on the shifter. No big deal. Took just a couple minutes to do.
No road test yet but the throw is shorter and the 2-3 shift doesn't require you to think about it now. It just falls into place.

Pro 5.0 shifter gallery

Another Project Off the List

2007-02-13T05:33:00.000-06:00

What a surprise, the high dollar Ford gaskets don't fit. I had a feeling. If you look in the FRPP catalog on page 107 of 228 you will see M-6584-A50. Read the description and you will see the problem. My covers have a lip. Now these are not the gaskets I ordered. I just ordered gaskets for a 1985 Mustang GT as a normal service part. But what I got looks just like these. The part number on what I got is F1ZZ-6584-B. Hmmm? Coincedence? I think not. The real kick in the ass is I gave, as a service part, a total of $64.11 for them. Had I ordered the part number in the Ford Racing catalog the price on those is $27.95. I would be willing to bet the difference that they are the same damn part. Not that it would have helped since they don't fit, but it sure wouldn't have pissed me off as bad. That's just wrong. Dempewolf will be seeing a dissatisfied customer. Moving on, I called Advance Auto Parts and asked if they carried Fel-Pro gaskets. Yes, three different ones for a 1985 GT Mustang. I took a cover with me and checked out the selection. First up was a rubber gasket that may have worked. It did fit but seemed a bit too flexible. It had no steel core to help it retain it's shape. Next was the one that is listed as a high temp gasket. It looked exactly like the ones I got from Ford back when I had the GT. The bottom half closest to the exhaust is a different color than the upper half and it has the steel inserts at the bolt hole to insure you don't over torque it. And they fit in the valve cover perfectly. Part # VS 50029 C. Sold!! For the sum of $9.68 plus tax. The ones I put on the GT were the last set I put on it. No more leaks. Hopefully these work as well.

On a side note, the Cobra hasn't been started since around the first part of December. I didn't want to run it with the leaky covers. So after I put it all back together I fired it up. Pumped the gas 4 times, set the choke, and hit the button. Fired as soon as I hit it and kept on running with only a little tweak on the choke. Let it run until it got all the way up to temp, then pushed in the choke and blipped the throttle. Let it idle a bit until I had to turn on the fan. Let the temp stabilize and shut it off. You have no idea how bad I wanted to take off in it. Good thing it's on jackstands. Otherwise you could have stuck a stick up my ass and called me Popsicle!

Cobra Roadster SS Seats Installation

2007-01-16T17:47:00.000-06:00

Well I finally gave up on trying to make the supplied seats work. I added foam,
changed the mounting angle, but any longer than an hour behind the wheel and my
behind was ready to get out. So after consulting the forum for advice and
suggestions, I now have Cobra Roadster SS seats from Sube Sports.
Jeff came over Saturday to lend a hand, and am I ever glad. What an ordeal. If Deb hadn't been here to help me on Sunday I'd probably still be fighting the drivers side seat.
We knew it would take awhile since we had to make our own mounting brackets but
that was nothing compared to trying to put them in. That one inch tall mount feels
just right from the seat, but it didn't leave nearly enough room to get a tool,
your hands, or anything else in there to assemble the mess. It's no fun having
to use a mirror and flashlight to see under the seat so you can get the wrench
you duct taped to a dowel rod on the fasteners. It only took all weekend to
accomplish, but they're in there. I sure hope they're worth it!

SS Seat Gallery

Ignition Fine Tuning

2007-01-01T08:24:00.000-06:00

Back when David and I were setting up the distributor we found that the vacuum advance was advancing the timing too far. So we came up with a stop to limit the arm on the advance. We wound up pretty conservative on what it could travel. Detonation was NOT going to be a problem for sure. Problem solved sort of.
Recently found an article on tuning the Ford DuraSpark distributor and discovered better ways to solve the issue. According to the article the Ford advance unit has a screw in it to adjust the travel, or amount of advance. Well mine didn't. ( I wasn't surprised.) So I had been looking online for a unit that could be adjusted. Could never find one that mentioned this feature in a stock replacement. Maybe they had it but you wouldn't know until you got it. Uh, no thanks.
Summit Racing and Crane Cams to the rescue. Crane has one for my distributor.
Put it on and set it up today. Pretty easy with David telling me what to do on the phone! I'm sure there is a bit of room for more fine tuning but it should be close. I really don't want to try and stretch it too far as detonation will be real hard to hear in this car. Better safe than sorry. Sorry costs a lot of money.
A quick and chilly road test confirmed we're on the right track. The seat of the pants meter was pegged on "HOLY SHIT!!" when I stood on it. Cruise is smooth and the exhaust note is changed a bit. It seemed to be quieter at cruise. It definitely has more torque than before. I hope to do a little more road testing, weather permitting.

Update:

After the favorable results on the first run Crew Chief David told me to put one of the smaller shooters back on the carb. Did that this morning and then went for one of Deb and I's hundred mile lunch runs. Sixty degrees in December, gotta love that!
Throttle tip in is smoother than it has ever been and the car now pulls from 40 mph in fifth with no hesitation. A check of the fuel mileage also proved favorable with a new high of 21.8 mpg. This was achieved even though I was doing a lot of throttle squeezing on hills, holding it longer in each gear as I pulled away from stops, and lugging it in town to test the new setup.
The car has never been as good as it is right now from a driveability perspective.
Also noticeable at cruise and light load conditions is a quieter exhaust note. Under hard acceleration it's as loud or louder than ever though.
And I love it!