Battery Box

Mounted the ground cable, battery box and the power through the trunk today.


After that I blocked off the EGR opening on the exhaust manifold and shaved down the end where it was close to the block. Now the engine/transmission are ready to go in to the car!

Brake and Fuel Lines; Wood Frame for Transport

Finished the rear brake lines and ran the fuel lines..





Then my dad and I built this wood frame to hold the body. This week Ill take it to the painter.





Hmm, now that we have steering and brakes what could be next?


We put the new oil pan and pick-up on first. Then, reversed the manifolds and put the A/C eliminator bracket on. Its almost time..

Front Brake Lines and ABS

Today I mounted the ABS unit. Yes we are going to try and utilize the ABS which means, that paired with the massive Mach 1 brakes (same as the cobra) will stop this little car very, very quickly.



Then I put the stainless lines on and routed the front metal brake lines to the abs unit and master cylinder.

Steering Rack, Linkage, and Wheel

Today I finally got our awaiting steering rack in and attached the tie rods to the spindles.



Then I connected the linkage and U joints to the cockpit through a piece on the firewall.






And the remaining linkage as well as the factory five wheel. I love the look of it!

Rear Quad Shocks (again) and Interior Panels

Thank you to Eddy for suggesting a fantastic idea of mounting the quad shocks upside down. This way they just fit with I'd say 1-2 cm of space!



After mounting those quad shocks I riveted the rear cockpit panel..


Then the remaining rear panels.

Brake Hydroboost, Floors & Foot Wells

Started today by installing the brake hydroboost/master cylinder after taking the back of it apart and adding a special adapter supplied by FFR..




Then I hooked it up to the brake pedal and installed the brake light switch.



After that I spent some time riveting first the floor pans..



You can see below the rivets before the end is popped off. Basically you apply a bead of silicone under each panel where it contacts the frame or other panel, then put the panels on with a few sheet metal screws. Next you carefully measure so the rivets are spaced evenly and straight, drill the holes, and put the rivets in.




Lastly I riveted both driver and passenger foot well panels.



Still more riveting for the interior and trunk.

Rear Shocks and Aluminum

Factory Five informed me that with the wheel size and tires they mentioned (the widest possible) the rear quad shocks would not be used so I removed them. This means there is a possibility that the car might have some wheel hop but we'll have to wait and see. I saved the brackets and quad shocks so if there is wheel hop Ludi can always add them later. Different wheels and/or tires would be required or spacers but you always want to stay away from spacers..



I then began the riveting process on the front aluminum foot well on the driver side. I got the bit needed to drill a hole for the pedal box assembly so those are now mounted. Just a few more steps until the engine goes in.

Pedal Box Assembly

First I had to modify the pedal box and accelerator pedal for the car with a sawsall and drill. Then I was able to attach the assembly.





Now I just need the correct drill bit to complete the assembly and move on to the next step of the car.

Fuel Tank

I started by torquing all the rear suspension bolts down to proper specs with the car on the ground.



Then I installed the fuel tank which I had to modify slightly at the straps..

Rear Wheels

I got the rear wheels and tires back today and put them on but even with the car on the ground they're rubbing the shocks. I contacted factory five to see if we need spacers or what. We purchased the wheels from them and they recommended the tire size..




Its getting there..

Wheels/Tires (2) Mounted & Rear Suspension

Today I finished up the rear with the brackets needed. Turned out they were on the donor car, not in the kit. I put the new rear shocks on and finished mounted the last bolts/nuts. Now I just need to torque everything done to proper specs when on the ground with weight on the suspension.




The tires just came and they are enormous. The rears are 315/35/17's on a 17x11 wheel!



We had the front wheels mounted and balanced today but Good Year couldn't quite finish the rears because of the width so Ill have to bring them somewhere else.. The bead isn't seated all the way on the outside (it takes a lot of pressure and they didn't want to mess anything up).



With the wheels on the car..


The rears just barely touch the quad shocks but when the car is on the ground and everything shifts I think there will be room. If not, a shim/spacer will be needed.. The front just barely cleared the brakes with only millimeter's to spare.

Rear Axle & Brakes

Today I put the rear axle in. It's a 2 man job so I used the jack..



After drilling some holes in brackets it was mounted.


Unfortunately FFR forgot a bracket for the rear quad shocks so I wasn't able to finish it completely. I also need to pick up some new rear shocks. At least its starting to take shape.

Front Brakes & Preparation for Rear Suspension

Today we started by having a machine shop resurface the rotors all around as they're very thick. We also picked up some new brake pads front and rear. With these parts we were able to mount the new brakes on the car up front.




Then we painted the rear calipers..




..as well as some misc. brackets supplied by FFR.




Chuck at the Boost Factory came through again, cutting a coil out of the rear springs as required by FFR in the build.



With that and the newly painted pieces we were able to get the springs ready for the rear end..



After thoroughly cleaning/sanding and painting the rear axle it's ready for installation.