Copyright: 20110801

Table of Contents
70DaystoRoadworthy .................................................................................................................................. . 7
1/23/10MyKitisinthemail..........................................................................................................................................................8 1/24/10PreparingtheRearend......................................................................................................................................................8 1/25/10ReceivedMyHotRodKitTonight.......................................................................................................................................9 1/26/10(Day1)EliminatingtheACandPSpumpsona4.6DOHC................................................................................................11 1/29/10(Day4)Inventoryiscompleted........................................................................................................................................12 2/7/10(Day13)Alothashappenedoverthepast2weeks:.........................................................................................................14 2/8/10(Day14)Ireceived2deliveriestoday:...............................................................................................................................15 2/12/10(Day18)Myframeisbackfrompowdercoating.............................................................................................................16 2/13/10(Day22)WheelsandTires................................................................................................................................................17 2/17/10(Day23)Beenmakingsomeprogressonassemblingthechassis....................................................................................18 2/18/10(Day24)ItsNervousSystemisAlive!..............................................................................................................................19 2/20/10(Day26)TheRapidFlasherproblemisfixed!...................................................................................................................19 2/24/10(Day30)TheEaglehaslanded!........................................................................................................................................20 2/26/10(Day32)Firewallisin.......................................................................................................................................................21 2/27/10(Day33)TheEngineisin..................................................................................................................................................22 3/5/10(Day38)EngineManagementSystemisdone...................................................................................................................24 3/7/10(Day40)Theenginecoolingsystemisdone......................................................................................................................26 3/8/10(Day41)Theexhaust,batteryanddriveshaftaredone....................................................................................................27 3/9/10(Day42)CriticalPathahead...............................................................................................................................................28 3/10/10(Day43)AirIntakeSystem...............................................................................................................................................31 3/12/10(Day45)Finishedthefuelline..........................................................................................................................................32 3/14/11(Day47)TheMomentofTruth........................................................................................................................................32 3/15/10(Day48)IgotmyPivotSleeves........................................................................................................................................33 3/29/10(Day66)WorkingMyWayDownthePunchlist..............................................................................................................33 3/31/10(Day67)Lastfewitemstogetitontheroad...................................................................................................................38 4/1/10(Day68)DoorsDoorsDoors........................................................................................................................................38 4/5/10(Day70)Installedthetrunklid,cockpittinandwindshield...............................................................................................44 ItsRoadworthy!.............................................................................................................................................................................46

CruisingandTweakingtheDetails................................................................................................................47
4/29/10Alignmentproblem..........................................................................................................................................................48 5/23/10RefiningtheDoorLatchSystem.......................................................................................................................................48 5/25/10FuelTankVentingandtheFillerNeck..............................................................................................................................49 6/3/10IGotMyPlate.....................................................................................................................................................................50 6/22/10HerkyJerkySpeedo..........................................................................................................................................................50 6/24/10SpeedometerProblemFixed............................................................................................................................................51 7/2/10Interioriscomplete............................................................................................................................................................52 7/13/10FixedtheFrontAlignment................................................................................................................................................55 7/14/10SimpleFrontAlignmentwith4CommonTools ...............................................................................................................55 . 8/21/10HoodandsideCovers.......................................................................................................................................................58 9/13/10HoodStops.......................................................................................................................................................................64 9/23/10FittingtheHardTop.........................................................................................................................................................66 10/26/10FinalTrimandMountingtheHardTop..........................................................................................................................68 11/26/10InstallingthePowerwindows........................................................................................................................................69 1/22/11TipsontheWillwoodBrakingSystem..............................................................................................................................71 2/19/11MommaNeedsBling........................................................................................................................................................72 3/2/11BatteryTray........................................................................................................................................................................74 5/23/11SoundDeadening.............................................................................................................................................................75 5/30/11Finaladjustmentofoutsidedoorhandle.........................................................................................................................77 5/29/11Finalpowerwindowadjustments....................................................................................................................................78 6/1/11Weatherstrippingthedoors..............................................................................................................................................79 SomeAssemblyRequired............................................................................................................................................................84

Bodywork,PaintandReassembly.................................................................................................................85

ThePaintScheme...........................................................................................................................................................................86 SelectingaBodyShopandPainter.................................................................................................................................................91 3/22/11BodyWorkUpdate...........................................................................................................................................................93 3/27/10SonofBlob.......................................................................................................................................................................94 4/2/11ISeeRed! ...........................................................................................................................................................................95 . 4/4/11TheHardtopisdone..........................................................................................................................................................97 5/1/11OntheRoadAgain .............................................................................................................................................................98 . 5/4/11GlamourShots....................................................................................................................................................................99

Appendix....................................................................................................................................................105
Listofadditionalitemsyouneedforthebuild............................................................................................................................105 Tipsforreliablerunninggear.......................................................................................................................................................106

Acknowledgements
Marty, Thank you for inspiring me to start this project. Building a car from the ground-up has been a deep seated dream since I was an adolescent motorhead. Many thanks to the Factory Five Racing Technical Support team who was very helpful in resolving my build questions and stumbling blocks along the way. I picked up plenty of tips and tricks from this FFCars.com forum. Particular thanks go to Arrowhead, Switta, Stack, KGB911, GeoffAv, GSowards and Jim. Thanks to the Whitby team who showered my Hot Rod with paint to impress to most discriminating eye. As for the Little Lady, thanks for being my dutiful Hot Rod Widow: You helped minimized my distractions. You endured many lonely nights and weekends. You put up with a dirty, smelly, and sometimes frustrated spouse.

Usage
This journal is meant to assist and entertain builders of the 33 Hot Rod. This document is meant to compliment (not replace) the Factory Five Build 33 Hot Rod Manual with additional details and suggestions. Reproduction of the contents of this document is not permitted without the written authorization of the author, Bill Phillips. I hope you enjoy your Hot Rod build as much as I did I've spent a considerable amount of time compiling and editing this journal for your use. If you find value in the journal, I kindly ask for a donation toward my next build project, the Factory Five Racing GTM. The GTM is my dream project, so any help you can provide is appreciated. Please donate at www.rumblesbuild.webs.com

70 Days to Roadworthy

1/23/10 - My Kit is in the mail

I just got a call from Steward Trucking. My 33 Hot Rod will arrive Monday. Its been quite awhile getting to this point. 12/2/09 - Placed order for the kit 1/9/10 - Kit completion target date 1/12/10 - Kit completion actual date 1/25/10 - Kit due to arrive at my garage door

1/24/10 Preparing the Rear-end

While waiting for my kit to arrive, I've been busy acquiring the additional parts that are needed, and preparing my garage: $2000 - 1997 Lincoln Mark VIII 32 valve V8 engine and AOD transmission. The motor was one of the last to be built in Italy. I removed a whole box full of needless components from the motor and cleaned it up. $885 - Installed a Ron Frances wiring harness on the motor. $360 - Installed Ford Racing Headers on the motor. $350 - 1994 Mustang rear end with disc brakes. I cleaned it up, removed more needless junk and painted it. Unfortunately, it was the wrong gear ratio (2.73), so I will have to swap it out later on. $100 - WalBro inline 255LpH fuel pump. $Priceless A cleaned garage, so I have a good work space for all the stuff that is about to be dropped at my garage door. Before

After

1/25/10 Received My Hot Rod Kit Tonight

I received my Hot Rod Kit today. It took about 90 minutes to fill my garage with the frame/body, a multitude of fiberglass panels and a mountain of 29 boxes. Just behind my Hot Rod in the truck, was another Hot Rod going to "Two Guys Garage". That was the chassis used for the 33 Hot Rod build episodes on their TV show. Before

After

There was "Shock and Awe" when the little lady got home tonight!

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1/26/10 (Day 1) Eliminating the AC and PS pumps on a 4.6 DOHC

I spent a weekend looking thru the FFCobra forums, Hayden.com, Gates.com and at my local NAPA store. Here is a solution for eliminating the AC and PS pumps on a 4.6 DOHC. Replace the stationary idler pulley with a smaller grooved idler pulley (2 11/16 OD, 6 grooves, .67 ID for shaft). The Hayden PN: is 5996. Its a common part used on many vehicles. Tell your local parts store its for a 1998 GMC Truck Suburban, 5.7L V8, w/o AC. The cost is $14 Replace the belt with a Gates K060480 (48 5/8"). Tell your local parts store its for 2009 COROLLA 1.8L, Accy Drive Alt, WP, AC The result is a very clean belt setup that looks like it came from the factory that way. Before

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After

1/29/10 (Day 4) Inventory is completed

It took me 3 evenings to complete the inventory. It was like 3 days of an intense Xmas. Opening boxes and being surprised at what was in them. Some of the parts are pure eye candy. Still, at the end of each evening I felt like my eyes were bleeding. I thought the inventory would be a boring but necessary step. However, it turned out to more interesting than anticipated. You end up getting familiar with your parts and then organizing them into sub-assemblies that prepare you for later. Most of the 29 boxes are already packed by FFR with the sub-assembly parts together, but some are scattered. This is also a good time to label the boxes so you can find things quickly. The inventory step is necessary to ensure you have all the parts they think you have. I found about a dozen that were not noted on the FFR to be shipped list. The FFR To be Shipped list was already about 1 pages in length.

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Labeled and organized boxes after Inventory

Getting just a little too familiar with your parts

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2/7/10 (Day 13) A lot has happened over the past 2 weeks:
1/25/10 - Monday afternoon my Kit arrived 1/28/10 - Thursday I finished the inventory 1/29/10 - Friday morning I sent my frame to powder coating

The powder coating was supposed to take a week and my frame to be returned this past Friday 2/5/10, but it didnt happen. I went to visit the powder coater on Saturday and found that my frame had not been started..Aggg! They assure me it will be done by this Tuesday 2/9/10. In the mean time, I have made progress on the bits and pieces I can attack while working around the missing frame and all the parts FFR still owes me. Heres what I accomplished over the past week: Marked and center-punched all the aluminum panels in the cockpit Assembled all 4 coil over shocks Painted the all the control arms and diff mount bracket for 4 link setup on the rear suspension. They come painted from FFR, but they didnt match my frame. Mounted the diff mount bracket on the rear end Assembled the front spindles Assembled the radiator, Trans couplings, thermo-switch, fan, and overflow tank Assembled/mounted the inside and outside door handles. This took longer than expected. There are lots of little fiddly parts that need to go together in a confined space. The first door took 2 days figure out and second door took just 2 hours. By reading the FFR forum, I discovered that there is very little clearance between my DOHC 4.6 motor and the firewall. So I removed the intake vane actuator, cutoff all the bolts that stuck out and adjusted the routing of the heater bypass lines on the back of the motor. Plugged the heater hose connection on the front of the motor at the thermostat Measured, drilled and cut all the holes in the hard top that are needed to mount it to the body. I need to wait until the body is attached to the frame and stable, before mounting the hard top. Mounted the fuel cap to the body Mounted the Tail lights to the body Mounted the hood latch handle to the body Assembled the steering wheel and Momo adapter Prepared the wiring harness to be installed. There is a surprising amount of work to do here. You need to mount the fuse panel to the bracket, change the signal relays, wire the steering column, wire the horns, block out the clutch safety switch, rewire the brake safety switch, wire the ignition switch, etc. Im glad I did this on my workbench instead of on my back under the dash. Assembled the horns Sent my ECU off to Ron Francis to be re-flashed. Ordered the gauge panel. More eye candy! It will be a custom engine-turned stainless steel oval panel. The fiberglass dash has a slight outward curve, so most rigid dash panels will not fit. I should be able to form this dash to fit the dashboards contour. Ordered a horn button for the steering wheel. FFR only sends a button that is mounted on the dash

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Ordered a Kugel remote dual master reservoir. Oh yaaaMore eye candy! Its a nice billet unit I saw others use on the FFR forum. It mounts on the firewall, so you dont need to cut the funky access holes in the top of the cowl. Got price quotes from 4 different retailers on the wheel/tire package I need to buy.

Many of the tasks above were small, but they all take time. Hopefully getting this work done now will accelerate the rest of the build. Ive been thru the build manual several times looking for other tasks I could do while Im waiting. There is literally nothing left for me to do until I get some parts! There are a number of items in the mail that will allow me to continue. In the next few days I should receive the dash panel, Kugel brake reservoirs, some of the missing parts from FFR, and of course, the frame. I think I will focus on making my final selection on a wheel/tire package tomorrow.

2/8/10 (Day 14) I received 2 deliveries today:

Kugel dual master cylinder remote reservoirs - More bling for the firewall! I bought this from kugelkomponents.com (PN:5552701). I have since found that scottshotrods.com builds the same part for less money (PN: RemoteResDbl). FFR box with some of the missing parts - The inventory sheet did not match the box contents. This is becoming a pattern, so I check the sheets very carefully and follow up with FFR quickly to resolve the discrepancies. This shipment included the hard top glass. Unfortunately, the windshield was shattered! FFR Tech Support promised to send me another.

Many thanks to Arrowhead and Stack for your advice on the driveshaft, and shoe-horning the 4.6 DOHC motor into the chassis. Looks like I have more to do there while waiting for parts. Todays High point

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Todays Low Point

2/12/10 (Day 18) My frame is back from powder coating.

I went with the Black Chrome for the powder coat color. I would call it more of a Gun Metal Gray. I think it will go well with the polished aluminum panels. The front suspension parts will be Mirror Silver. It looks like an aluminum alloy. I have all the parts back from powder coating, except the 4 front control arms. The ball joints in the control arms are pre-greased by FFR and my powder coater tells me the grease tends to drip out while the powder coat is baking and that ruins the finish. So the powder coater has had the control arms in the oven for over a week trying to get all the grease to drip out. They think it should be done next week. I received another box from FFR with more parts. The list of missing FFR parts is dwindling quickly. The Pedal box was included so I was able to assemble the master cylinders, brake light switch and remove the clutch pedal.

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2/13/10 (Day 22) Wheels and Tires

The biggest accomplishment I made while waiting for parts was a swipe of my credit card. Yes, I bought the wheels and tires! As I look back, I never would have guessed how much time Id spend selecting a wheel/tire package. However, on a fenderless hot rod, the wheels/tires literally stick out and define the personal style you want to portray. The wheels/tires are also one of the most expensive components you need to purchase. I studied the 3 FFR recommendations and then used a tire size calculator to break them down into tire diameter x width dimensions. Here is the best tire calculator Ive found -> http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/tirecalc.php. The FFR recommendations are based upon 3 of the 33 Hot Rods in their photo gallery. The range of dimensions on their suggestions are: Front: Diameter = 24.7 - 26.0, Width = 9.8 - 10.2, Backspace = 5.33 - 6.0 Rear: Diameter = 26.2 - 28.1, Width = 11.8 - 13.5, Backspace = 5.75 - 6.0 I looked at hundreds of wheels on scores of retailer websites I then narrowed it down to 4-6 styles that I thought would complement the 33 Hot Rod. In the end, there were just 2 wheels that I went out for prices quotes on: American Racing - Torque Thrust MS American Eagle - Boss 338 After 7 price quotes, the selection was made. Envelope please.. The Winner is the American Eagle Boss 338 in gleaming chrome!

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The wheel/tire sizes I selected are: Front: Wheels are 18x8 with 5" backspace Tires are Nitto 555 235/40 Overall size is 25.4 x 9.25 Rear Wheels are 18x9.5 with 5.031 backspace Tires are Nitto 555 295/45 Overall size is 28.3 x 11.6. I wanted the 295/40, but could not find them. The 295/45 is about an inch taller than I desired, but it should be fine. I have a 1994 Mustang axle. Thats about 2 wider than what the 33 was designed for. Arrowhead selected the Boss 338s as well. By looking at his PICs, I was able to visualize what they would look like on my 33. Thanks Arrowhead for sharing your PICs and the details of your axle, wheel/tires size.

2/17/10 (Day 23) Been making some progress on assembling the chassis
Hung the rear end, including the 4 link control arms and coil-overs Completed the entire steering system from tie rods, rack/pinion, steering shafts, bearings, column, steering wheel and even the new billet horn button. Installed the front coil-overs as well. Thats as far as I can take the front suspension until I get the control arms back from powder coating. Installed the pedal box with the brake pedal, brake switch and the dual master cylinders Installed the fuel tank, fuel pickup, fuel level sender, tank vent, in-line fuel filter and inline fuel pump. Im holding off on the hard fuel lines until I have the motor in and the exhaust mocked up. I formed and installed all the hard brake lines.

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At work, I was called in to help get a troubled project back on track, so that pulled me away from the garage for a couple days this week.

2/18/10 (Day 24) Its Nervous System is Alive!

I finished the wiring today. That includes laying out the main, front, rear and dash harnesses, as well as connecting the tail lights, headlights, horn, fuel pump, etc. It all checks out: High beams & low beams Turn signals Hazard lights Parking lights Brake lights License lights Horn Fuel pump EFI power Start solenoid I do have 1 problem. Both LED flashers (turn signal & hazard) flash rapidly when the key is in the on position. Has anyone else seen this problem? I havent installed the gauges yet. Im waiting for my custom engine turned gauge panel to arrive. Then Ill cut the holes in the dash and install the panel with all the gauges, switches and indicator lights as a single unit. With all that wiring, my once beautiful chassis now looks like the aftermath of a spaghetti food fight!

2/20/10 (Day 26) The Rapid Flasher problem is fixed!

I got a battery today and tried it. The hazard and turn flashers work perfectly. It was the dirty DC voltage output of the charger that caused the problem. I'm using the Ron Frances engine wiring harness and control panel for my 4.6 DOHC motor. The ECU panel is a bit of a monster, so I fashioned a firewall mount to hide it up under the dash last night. There's not much room left on the firewall, so its going to be a squeeze play to mount the vane actuator and the hidden radio. I'd hoped to add an AC/Heater unit some day, but I'll figure that out later. Its going to be around 60 degrees this weekend, so my focus will be on rattle-can painting the last few parts.

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2/24/10 (Day 30) The Eagle has landed!

My front control arms are back from powder coating. The front suspension is now installed and complete, except for the pivot sleeves. The pivot sleeves are backordered at FFR. The freshly painted calipers and rotors are installed on all 4 corners as well. The wheels and tires landed on my doorstep last night. Hmmm, Hmmm, HmmmI think Im in love all over again! Check out Mommas new shoes

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2/26/10 (Day 32) Firewall is in

I took a different approach on attaching the firewall. I decided to use stainless steel button head screws and wanted to place them in a pattern that would complement the cowl shape. After tracing the supports on the back of the firewall, I eye-balled a curve of attachment points that would hit the supports. These stick-on dots are a good way to do the rough layout.

Here it is after some spit, polish and elbow grease.

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2/27/10 (Day 33) The Engine is in

I got the motor in today. My neighbor came over to help and we had it in the cradle in only 30 min! Yup, it went in on the first try and without single gouge the firewall! I spent a lot of time scouring the FFR forum to see where the clearance problems are and what others had done. I took a little different approach to ensure the installation went smoothly: Installed the oil filter adapter specified by FFR. Thru some mix-ups at Ford, it took nearly 3 weeks to arrive. Cutoff all the long screws and anything else that stuck out on the back of the heads Removed the intake vane actuator. That will be hidden behind the firewall. I reoriented the transmission dip stick tube. I found that it tucks in quite nicely along the bell housing and the rear of the motor if you do the following Cut off the dip stick mounting tab Rotate it counter clockwise about 20 degrees Secure it with a cushioned clamp Once the motor was in, it still barely touched the firewall. So a few measured blows of a rubber hammer tweaked in some extra clearance.

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From reading the FFR forum, I could see that clearance was very close. In fact all that was really needed was another - 3/8. I will be adding AC/Heat at a later time, so I wanted to keep the heater hose connections on the back right side. I moved the motor forward - 3/8 by milling down the back side motor mount and adding washers on the front to compensate for the material I removed.

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Here is the result with - 3/8 of clearance to the firewall

3/5/10 (Day 38) Engine Management System is done

After my last road toy, I swore never to fool around with a carburetor again. However the fuel injection system wiring put me to the test. It wasnt difficult, just a lot of wires. 108 wires to be exact! The Ron Frances harness and the Telorvek ECM interface unit made it easy. The instructions were simple to follow, but it took 3 evenings to get it all done. I had a few questions on how to connect the ECU harness to the main chassis harness that comes with the 33 Hot rod. The Ron Frances Detail Zone tech support was prompt, courteous, and had all the answers on the tip of their tongue.

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Theres no problem with having enough wire. Can you say excessive?

Here is the wire harness all buttoned up and ready to fire. I fabricated a mount for the ECM to sit on top of the interface panel so it will be hidden once the body goes on. If I had to do it again, I would have mounted the Telorvek and ECM rotated 180 degrees, so the ECM connector is on the right. There is some dead space under the dash on the right and that would free up the space in the center of the dash. I mounted the IMRC intake vane actuator behind the firewall above the pedal box.

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3/7/10 (Day 40) The engine cooling system is done

Got the radiator mounted according to the assembly manual, with the brackets that attach to the upper control arm pivot bolts. I discovered that the overflow bung on the radiator was welded incorrectly and pointing to the driver side. The technical drawing and instructions show it pointing to the passenger side. The bracket for the overflow tank doesnt fit on the drivers side, so I fabricated my own. The FFR tech crew is down in Florida this week shooting a Two Guys Garage episode on building a 33 Hot Rod this week, so I could not reach them. The Two Guys Garage 33 Hot Rod was on the truck when they delivered my chassis. I ran the radiator flex hoses. I tried several scenarios and then decided to go with the clean look below. I mounted the funky looking external thermostat under the front of the frame, where its nicely hidden by the nose cone.

Here is the view from under the nose. The flex hose at the top goes to radiator, the one on the right goes to the oil filter / coolant adapter that FFR recommends, and the one on bottom goes to the front of the motor. Its all held in place with a cushioned clamp. I also ran the transmission cooling lines (on left). Ill hold off on making the final connections until the radiator is positioned in the permanent location.

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With the thermostat housing so far from the engine, it will not sense the heat of the engine. If you drill a 1/8 hole in the thermostat, that will allow enough flow to let the heated water to reach it.

3/8/10 (Day 41) The exhaust, battery and drive shaft are done
The exhaust is a thing of beauty and its all stainless steel. I love those see-thru mufflers. The pipes would fit in the muffler inlet so I had a local muffler shop stretch the muffler inlet/outlet pipes. The rest of the exhaust went together in a snap. Arrowhead brought to my attention that my Mark VIII AOD transmission tail shaft and driveshaft diameter is slightly larger than the Mustang driveshaft that FFR sent me. I explored several ways of resolving this: Change the tail shaft housing. Lets just say Im not worthy to take that on. Change the tail shaft seal. The Mustang AOD seal will fit my transmission tail shaft housing and fix the fluid leakage problem. However, there is a bushing inside the transmission that the drive shaft rides in. That means some transmission surgery to change the bushing to proper diameter. Did I mention that Im not worthy? Have a driveshaft shop build me another driveshaft. That was going to be expensive and time consuming. Change the driveshaft yoke. I went back to the salvage yard and did a little horse trading with some other Mark VIII parts I had, and came home with the driveshaft from the same

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Mark VIII as my motor/transmission. The FFR Mustang and the Mark VIII driveshaft use the same universal joint. So it was an easy task to press out the bearing and swap the yokes. Presto.Chango, I have a perfectly fitting drive shaft! In the photo, you can see that I have installed the battery a well. The FFR manual says you have several options. However, The Optima 9078-109 will not fit in the battery tray. Optima batteries dont need to be mounted right side up so I tried it in every orientation, but it wont fit. I also checked the Optima website and they dont make a battery small enough to fit in the battery tray. The auto parts stores I tried said no one really carries the old Group 70 batteries any more The Odyssey 925 fits with room to spare. Physically, it looks too small to turn over the motor. However, it is a high performance dry cell so it packs quite a punch!

3/9/10 (Day 42) Critical Path ahead

Im 6 weeks into my build now. I was hoping to drive my Hot Rod to the 4/9/10 AutoFair show at the Charlotte Lowes Motor Speedway. With just another 5 weeks to go to this very tight deadline, I made a list of the remaining tasks to complete the build. I grouped the tasks into phases to help me sequence them. I thought I was getting close, until I made this list: 1. Get the motor started (3/12/10) Get the fuel rail / fuel line quick disconnects and finish fuel lines (on order at NAPA) Purge the fuel line Construct the intake tubing with the Mass Air Flow sensor, air temp sensor and air filter (on order at Summit) Fill Motor oil 28

Connect the oil pressure gauge Get insurance. This will be the first time fuel and electricity mix, so hopefully there will be no mishap. Push the car outside and fire it up in the driveway (Excuse the pun) 2. Go Kart the chassis Final install of the rear end Install pivot sleeves Tighten all front suspension bolts and torque the front spindles Rough front end alignment Finish steering shaft Install front brake hard lines Install front and rear brake flex lines Bleed the brakes Adjusted the pedal box position so the brake pedal doesnt rub the steering mechanism Install throttle linkage Drill & polish floors Wire brake light/ECM connections Wire the tach adapter for my coil on plug ignition system Wire headlights Cut slots in radiator bracket for headlight holes Install and wire the water temp sender and gauge Install body Install trunk sheet metal floor Install shifter Modify trans tunnel to fit the shifter Final install Radiator Install throttle pedal Intake: finish connections and install Install tail lights & License plate tight Install dash panel & gauges Rough install the nose cone to position the radiator and make final cooling fan wiring, coolant & trans line connections Fill trans fluid While on jack stands, start the motor, run the trans thru the gears and test the brakes Fill coolant Fixed no charge problem by rewiring the alternator Install ignition switch Install horns Install seats Fix overheating problem Install doors Rivet floor tin and cockpit rear tin Fix mushy brakes Install windshield and hand operated wiper Install trunk lid Install seat belts 29

 Drive car on local street 3. DMV Inspection Install mirrors Install emergency brake (FFR back order) Install fuel filler neck (FFR back order) Get 2 appraisals Set appointment for DMV inspector to come and check my hot rod (1 week lead time) Conduct Inspection Submit DMV forms 4. Drive my Hot Rod to the AutoFair show Fix any discrepancies from the DMV inspection Get license plates from DMV Final Install nose cone, hood, side panels Make tool to tighten header Get professional front end alignment Fine tune front / rear brake bias 5. After the AutoFair show, during this Summer and Fall season Install radio Install hard top (Windshield is FFR back order) Install power windows (FFR back order) Install dynamat Tweak and tune all the details as I have fun driving it 6. This coming winter season Do the final body work and get the body painted Install interior trim panels After looking at this long ToDo list, I needed some inspiration. Heres a glamour shot to keep my eyes on the prize

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3/10/10 (Day 43) Air Intake System

The space between the hood and the engine is very tight. On my 1997 Mark VIII DOHC motor, the throttle body is on the right side and it points due West. There is very little room on the right side to run the air intake system, so created a mockup to get the measurements right before ordering the parts. You might laugh, but I used 3 sewer pipe to do the mockup. The 3 sewer piping has an OD of 3.5 and the OD of the flanges on the elbow fittings are 4. Those are the two typical dimensions of the intake tubing you will need. So I got a short section of 3 sewer pipe and an assortment of elbows with 90. 45, and 22.5 bends. That helped me try a few scenarios and tweak the final layout before ordering the expensive shinny bits. Once the mockup is done, I returned the elbows to the hardware store for a refund. This mockup only cost me 5 bucks!

I went to Spectre for my intake components. It will take a week for them to arrive, so I put together a temporary intake system just to get the motor started. The original intake snorkel from the Mark VIII has a cross section in the middle where the circumference is the same as the 3.5 Mass Air Flow (MAF) sensor inlet (~11.5). So I cut the snorkel in that section. The snorkel cross section at the cut is an oval shape, so I used a heat gun to reshape into a circle. Since 3 sewer pipe has an OD of 3.5. I used a sewer pipe rubber coupling to connect the snorkel with the MAF.

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File this temporary setup under primitive but effective

3/12/10 (Day 45) Finished the fuel line

I ran my fuel lines today. The fuel line quick disconnects for the fuel rail are hard to find. Luckily, there is a Ford-ologist (Ford expert) at my local NAPA store who pointed me to some connectors with barbed ends so they fit a flexible fuel line. The formal name is Spring Lock Fuel Line Connector. For a 1997 Mark VIII DOHC motor, the sizes are: Feed line - 14.7mm (NAPA PN: 730-5026) Return line 11.0mm (NAPA PN: 730-5025)

3/14/11 (Day 47) The Moment of Truth

The thing that builders fear most is a motor that wont start. The electrical, timing, fuel delivery, ECU, and a dozen sensors have to be right, or the motor wont fire. With sweaty palms and a fire extinguisher nearby, I twisted the ignition key. On the first crank, the motor vroomed to life! The motor has a distinctive purrr that sounds like something between a Ford 5.0 and a Ferrari 512. FYI, early DOHC motors like mine were built in Italy, Belle! It was quite a scene in my driveway. My wife and neighbors were amazed and cheering. I forgot to cap the transmission lines, so there was bloody red tranny fluid spewing out in front of the car. It was a wonderful mess

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3/15/10 (Day 48) I got my Pivot Sleeves

I was thrilled to see my pivot sleeves arrive from FFR.

These are the pivot points for all the joints in the front suspension. I had installed the front suspension without the sleeves long ago, so I could move my chassis around the shop and continue the build. Over the next couple days, I had to blow apart just about everything in front of the motor to install the sleeves. That included the radiator, steering rack, steering shafts/bearings, upper control arms, lower control arms, wheels, spindles/calipers, etc. I did a rough front end alignment. However, with the steering tie rod ends screwed all the way in, the wheels are still a bit pigeon toed (Toe-in). I had to cut the steering rod ends to get a good alignment

3/29/10 (Day 66) Working My Way Down the Punch list

Ive been busy working my way down the punch list of remaining tasks to get the Hot Rod on the road. Over the past couple weeks I finished the following: Did the final install of the rear end Tighten all front suspension bolts and torque the front spindles Did a rough front end alignment

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Finished steering shaft Finished the front brake hard lines Installed front and rear brake flex lines Adjusted the pedal box position, so the brake pedal doesnt rub the steering mechanism Bled the brakes Installed throttle linkage and pedal Installed the shifter. This would normally be a 1-2 hour task. After 3 Lokar transmission shifter arms and about 10 calendar days, I finally got it finished. I went the same route as Arrowhead and mounted the gear position switch upside down so it doesnt protrude as much into the drivers foot box. I will need to add a minor fiberglass bump-out to clear the arm. Changed the transmission filter and refilled trans fluid Modified the transmission tunnel to fit the shifter and trans arm

Polished the transmission pan Drilled the rivet holes in the floors and polished the underside. When you are under the car and look up, it looks back at you! Wired the brake light switch to the ECM Wired the ECM to the speedometer My 1997 DOHC motor uses a coil on plug setup, so a tach adapter is required. So I ordered and wired the adapter Installed and wired the water temp sender and gauge

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Wired and mounted the headlights. I wanted to be able remove the engine side panels when working on the motor in the future. However, the headlights are captured by the wiring in the radiator mount bracket. So I cut a slot in the bracket to slip the wires in/out. When I fit the engine side panels, Ill cut a hole large enough to slip the connector thru. The connector is smaller than the headlight mounting flange, so it wont show. I also cut the spacer in half so I could change it as well. The space is held together by tie straps.

Final install of the body Installed trunk sheet metal floor Did the final install of the intake system. This includes the Mass Air Flow sensor, air temp sensor Idle air intake line, and crank case ventilator. Its a Big Honkin Hoover that barely fits under the hood. It sucks cool air from the opening in the side panel for the suspension.

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Installed the dash panel & gauges

Installed the tail lights & license plate bracket/light Rough installed the nose cone to set the final position of the radiator. That allowed me to do my final connections for the cooling fan wiring, coolant & transmission lines. Installed the ignition switch (hidden under the dash) Installed the horns. I put them under the front frame next to the remote thermostat where they are hidden by the nose cone. Filled the coolant Installed the seats. I raised them 2 to improve comfort and to give me a bit more leg room. I still have plenty of headroom with the hard top installed. The instructions that come with the seat adjuster are for the Cobra (vs 33 Hot Rod). You will to have to improvise to make it fit the X-brace under the floor. I suggest tracing the X-brace and the cross members of the seat frame on the floor to get a sense of how to connect one to the other. I used 1x1 square aluminum tubing cut to a 16 lengths. Here is the passenger side.

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While on jack stands, I started the motor, and ran the transmission thru the gears. First the good news: There were no leaks The transmission and shifter were finally in sync All the gauges work No fire! Now the bad news: The alternator was not charging. The harness that comes with the 33 is not wired correctly for the alternator on a 1997 DOHC motor. The exciter power is connected to the center pin of the 3 pin connector in the harness. It needs to be moved to the outside pin. The motor was overheating. There were trapped air pockets in the motor. In fact, it would only take about 2 gallons of coolant. The fix was pretty simple. I had blocked off the heater hoses on the back of the motor, so I temporarily unblocked them and added clear hose to let the air escape. I then jacked up the front of the car to ensure the radiator fill was well above the motor inlet hose. I then refilled the coolant until I saw it start rising up the clear hose on the rear heater connections. This time it took a total of 3 gallons of coolant. The motor temp is now very stable and the radiator fan cycles on and off as it should. Thanks for the tip Jim! The brakes were so mushy; I had a hard time stopping the rear wheels when idling in gear (scary). I bled the brakes again. This time I used a vacuum pump to suck the air out of the lines. I went thru an entire quart of brake fluid by the time I was done. The brakes are better, but still not right.

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3/31/10 (Day 67) Last few items to get it on the road

Im getting down to a short build list of remaining tasks to get my Hot Rod on the road: Install doors Install trunk lid Install nose cone Install windshield Plus a slew of little details There are also a couple critical parts that I still need from FFR. I called FFR today to get an update on the missing part status: Emergency brake - The parts should arrive next week Fuel filler neck - This part is being redesigned and the supplier will not ship to FFR until 4/28/10. That means it will probably be another 5-6 weeks before I get it! This news was a blow. Aside from the fuel filler neck, Ill be ready for my DMV inspection in a week or so. It now looks like my Hot Rod will sit in the garage for an additional month waiting for one stinkin part!

4/1/10 (Day 68) DoorsDoorsDoors

I finished my doors today. By far, the doors are the most difficult part of the build. The instruction manual is a bit sketchy on how to install and adjust the doors. There are a number of posts on the forum on this subject to help. For example ->->
http://www.ffcobra.com/forums/showthread.php?t=202667

Here is yet another way to install the doors. I think its a bit simpler. There are 6 basic steps: 1. Mock-up all the steel brackets before the body and door skin is installed 2. After the body is installed, mount the rear standoff brackets and cut the hinge arm slots 3. Mount the striker in the front jam 4. Prepare the door skin 5. Cut the holes in the door skin for the rear hinge arms and front striker claw 6. Install the steel door brace and adjust the door to fit the body Step 1: Mock-up the steel brackets before the body and door skin is installed I suggest that you mockup the entire door assembly (steel brackets, latches, hinges, striker, etc) without the body or fiberglass door shell first. This will give you a good sense of how all the fiddly parts go together before hand. This is also a good time to mark the driver vs passenger parts so you don't fumble with it later. During the mockup, I discovered that the door hinge hits one of the bracket carriage bolts, preventing the door from closing. The fix is simple; just grind the top of the carriage bolt down. However, its one of those silly little things that you might chase for hours, if you can't see it with the fiberglass on. Step 2: Mount the rear standoff brackets and cut the hinge arm slots After the body is installed, mount the rear standoff brackets in the middle of their adjustment slot so you can move them later. The top of the bracket should be slightly above the where it attaches to the chassis. The carriage bolt that you ground down goes in the lower forward hole. 38

Note that there are 2 slightly different sizes of carriage bolts in the kit. The longer bolt are used later in the door where there are 3 brackets sandwiched together. To find the height of the upper hinge arm slots in the fiberglass, simply lay the arm on the top of the bracket and mark the jam. This gives you the upper and lower edges of the hinge hole in the fiberglass. Use a level to draw the horizontal lines.

At first glance, the hinge arms look like a curvy hunk of metal that are hard to measure. However, when the door is closed, only the straight portion protrudes thru the fiberglass. The straight portion is about 1 outside of where the bracket mounts to the chassis. This makes an easy reference point to start with. Below the arm is resting on a 1 block.

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Lay a straight edge where the standoff bracket meets the chassis and measure 1 outboard to mark the inside edge on the hinge opening (for when door is closed).

On my build, the slots were about 2 1/8 wide, so make another mark 2 1/8 further outboard (for the full open position). You now have the 4 edges of the slot to be cut in the fiberglass. I recommend that you dont cut the entire slot out at first. Instead, cut just enough out of the center of the marked slot to just fit the straight portion of the hinge arm thru (1 1/8 wide).

Now flip the arm around and orient the hinge arm as it will be when finally installed and drop in the hinge bolt. At this point, dont fiddle with the bushings or the nut to the hinge bolt. Its ok that you have a sloppy loose fit for now. 40

Now widen the slot a little at a time. In the closed position, the straight portion of the arm should point directly toward the front jam. In the full open position, the hinge arm should swing to where the door stop hole is in the top of the standoff bracket. You will probably install and remove the hinge arm several times to get the slot cut. Ive found that Demel tool and a spiral cut bit are ideal for cutting fiberglass in tight spots like this. Its well worth the $30 investment. Now put 1 bushing in the arm and 1 bushing in the top of the standoff bracket and try the full sweep of the hinge to get a more accurate final fit. Its ok that the arm drupes at this point. That completes the rough cut of the upper arm slot. The lower arm is 8 9/16 below the upper arm. Use the upper arm slots as your starting point and repeat the horizontal lines 8 9/16 below. Again, start with cutting a small slot and work your way out to the full swing of the door. That completes the rough cut of both hinge arm slots. Remove the hinge arms and hold off on the final arm install for now

Step 3: Mount the striker in the front jam The FFR Instruction manual says to install the striker bracket outboard of the chassis attachment point. On my Hot Rod, the bracket hit the outside fiberglass, so I mounted it on the inboard side. The bracket has a snug fit between the chassis and fiberglass, so there almost no adjustment available. Once the bracket is mounted, use a Dremel tool to cut the striker bolt hole from the backside. This is easier and more accurate that trying to transfer measurements to the front side of the

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jam drilling a blind hole. On my build, the striker bolt hole is at the far outboard side of the adjustment slot in the bracket. Mount the striker bolt now. Heres what it should look like.

Step 4: Prepare the door skin Use the Gorilla tape that FFR originally mounted the doors with to hold the doors in place while you mark and trim the doors to fit the body opening. You will mount and remove the doors many times to get the rough trim done. A belt sander makes short work of this. This is also a good time to install the inside/outside door handles. Here are a few pointers: The inside door handle took quite a bit filing to ensure it would rotate thru its full motion The FFR manual suggests that you might want to drill an access hole in the front of the door jam to assemble the outside handle. If you are installing an outside handle, dont debate it, just cut the hole. Its impossible otherwise. The outside handle rotates down to open the door. However, there is no upper stop on the rotation (seems unfinished). You can fix this by placing a stiff piece of tubing (~1 long) around the cable between the handle and cable stop. The first door took me 2 nights and the second door took me 2 hours. Step 5: Cut the holes in the door skin for the rear hinge arms and front striker claw Start with the rear hinge arm holes. Hold the door in place using the Gorilla tape. Slip the straight portion of the upper and lower hinge arms in their slots (from the rear) until they touch the door and are pointed toward the front jam. Using a thin scribe tool or stiff piece if wire, scratch where the arms contact the door. Remove the doors and cut to your scribe marks. With the door removed, do the final install of the upper and lower hinge arms, including all the bushings and tightening the hinge pivot bolt. With the additional height of the bushings, the hinge arm will sit higher and now rub the fiberglass slot. Loosen the standoff bracket mounting bolts and adjust it down until the arms are centered in the slot again. That completes the rear hinge and standoff installation.

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Next install the striker claw on the front of the door. The FFR manual says to stick a marker thru the striker bolt hole to mark the door. However, its easier and more accurate to install the striker bolt and use the bolt to mark the door. Once the sticker position is marked on the door, use the claw template in the FFR Manual to mark and drill the claw holes. Step 6: Install the steel door brace and adjust the door to fit the body Think of the steel door brace a connection between the striker and rear hinge arms. The door skin just comes along for the ride. Drop the steel door brace in the door skin and attach the front striker claw from the inside. Slip the hinge arms in the rear of the door and close the door so the striker is fully engaged. You may need to adjust the slots you cut in the rear of the door. Loosely install the 4 carriage bolts in the hinge arm / steel door brace / door skin bracket sandwich. Ensure the door skin bracket (long straight side down) is in contact with the rear of the door skin. The slots in the door skin bracket did not line up with the rest of the brackets so I enlarged the holes.

Now the fun begins. Its time to adjust the door to fit the striker and the contours of the body. Step A: Take a break, have a beer and relax for a moment. Step B: Tighten the bolts in the hinge/steel door brace sandwich. The front of the door is rigidly attached to the door steel brace. Step C: Attach the rear door skin bracket to the back of the door skin. If the lower or upper part of the rear of the door skin is sticking out, use the door skin bracket inside the rear of the door to adjust this. Position the rear of the door skin to fit the body contour and drill a hole in the fiberglass in the middle of the adjustment slots in the door skin bracket. Again, a Dremel tool will fit inside the door and make it easy to drill an accurate hole. You may need to adjust your hinge slot in the door to fit the body contour. Step D: Ensure the striker is reliably engaging the claw. They call these suicide doors for a reason, so this is an important step. Depending upon how you trimmed the door skin, your striker may not stick out far enough to reliably engage the claw. You can remedy this by adding a washer behind the striker bolt. You may also need to move the striker bolt horizontally in/out to get a good fit. Step E: Twist the door skin at the front so it matches the contour of the body, while you tighten the striker claw bolts.

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Repeat steps A - E above about a dozen times to get the fit right. Step A is most important!

4/5/10 (Day 70) Installed the trunk lid, cockpit tin and windshield
I was holding off on riveting the cockpit aluminum down until I had the doors mounted. The riveting was a quick ToDo to knock off the list. The trunk lid took a bit more work. The rough cut from FFR was way oversized, so there was quite a bit of fiberglass to trim off of the trunk skin. I still have a bit more to trim for the final fit. The adjustment of the trunk hinges seemed like a cinch after mucking with the doors for a full week. A couple tricks are: Bevel (back cut) to thin the edges of the fiberglass skin. Especially the edge that faces forward. Install or tape the rubber standoffs in place to get the proper height of the trunk skin First set the forward/rear position of the hinge brackets, but leave the forward edge of the skin sitting high away from the body. Then tighten the rear mounting carriage bolt on the hinge brackets and leave the front carriage bolts a bit loose. With the trunk lid closed, push the forward edge of the lid down to the proper height. Then tighten the all the bolts The roadster windshield install was easier than I expected it to be. I have a hard top as well, so I wanted the roadster windshield bolt holes to be hidden by the hard top when its installed. Here is a little easier method than the FFR manual instructions: Place the hard top on the body in its final position (per FFR Manual). Then trace where the front of the hard top sits on the cowl. Move the hard top back a few inches. You can use it to temporarily brace the roadster windshield during the installation Remove the studs from the roadster windshield For each stud hole, mark reference points on both sides of the windshield frame Make templates of where the studs are in relation to the edges of the windshield frame. You will need 2 templates. The 3 studs in the middle are all the same dimension and the 4 studs on the ends are the same.

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Place the roadster windshield on the body so it is directly over the hard top trace lines. You will feel it fit the contours of the cowl when as you move it into position and get the right angle.

Trace the outline of the roadster windshield on the cowl with a different color marker. Also mark your stud reference points on the cowl. Remove the windshield Draw lines to connect the stud reference points and use your 2 templates to mark the stud holes to drill in the cowl.

Drill the holes in the cowl. The studs on the windshield frame are all angled so they go vertically into the cowl. Place the studs back in the windshield frame and apply the weather strip Install the roadster windshield into the cowl. To make it easier to install/remove the windshield, I used wing nuts for the 3 center studs (6mm). The end studs are too close together to use wing nuts. The forward stud adds no strength to the mounting, so remove it.

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Its Roadworthy!
4/5/10 - My kit was delivered back on 1/25/10, so Im now at the 10 week mark in my build. I took my hot rod for a test drive and it is ready for the DMV inspection, except for the fuel filler neck and emergency brake that is on backorder at FFR. This is a key milestone for me because it signals that all the major chunks of the build are in place and the basic car is done. From here forward its all tweaking, details and cosmetics. There are a lot of things left to do, but is a Hot Rod ever really 100% done? In the words of Big Daddy, Don Garlits When it runs, its done.

Several people asked me why I was in such a hurry to build the Hot Rod. For me it came down to quickly resolving the two major risks in this project. I feared that: 1. I would never start the engine, due to complexities with the EFI system. 2. I would never finish the project to the point of getting it on the road With these 2 risks behind me, I can relax and drop the intensity. Ive been able to put lifes many distractions on hold, so I could focus on the build. The pendulum needs to swing back towards a better balance now. A message for the Little Lady; Throw on something lacy, Im comin in from the garage early tonight

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Cruising and Tweaking the Details

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4/29/10 Alignment problem

I took my '33 to get it aligned yesterday. They were not able to get the toe-in and caster into spec. Looks like I will need to do some more cutting of the suspension to make it all work together: Caster: I eye-balled the caster rough adjustment in my garage. It was way off. It was 18 degrees and it should only be 3-4! We adjusted the lower rear control arm all the way in and adjusted the lower front arm out as far as possible, until it started to throw off the camber setting. The best the alignment shop could do is 11 degrees. I think I have to cut 1/2" off the rear control arms to get the caster into spec. Toe in: When we tried to adjust the caster into spec, that drove the steering into a toe-in condition. I had already cut 1/2" off one of the steering rod ends. Looks like I need to cut the other rod end as well.

5/23/10 Refining the Door Latch System

No matter how much I adjusted the door latches, they would not reliably engage and remain latched. The driver door came unlatched more than once, while at speed. With suicide doors that is especially scary. So I reworked the latches as shown below. I had installed the latch cables as described in the FFR manual, but that put a significant bend in the cables and caused the cables to drag. I repositioned the lower cable bracket so it pulls horizontally on the upper latch clevis eyelet (vs downward from the other eyelets). This helps the cables move more freely. Using the mounting holes on just one side of the cable bracket seams to plenty strong. There is not enough spring tension within in the bear claw latch to reliably retract the cables after opening the door. The result was that the bear claw latch was on the very edge of its internal locking mechanism, so any vibration or bump in the road would cause it to unlock. The fix is simple; just add a spring to ensure the latch mechanism fully retracts to the locked position. The spring made a huge difference. The door now closes with a much more solid and reliable thud.

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5/25/10 Fuel Tank Venting and the Filler Neck

I finally received the fuel filler neck from FFR. Its been on backorder since Jan 2010 (4 months) because it was being redesigned. Take a look and tell me whats wrong in this picture

Thats rightthe end that goes into the tank is pointed in the wrong direction! This really isnt a big deal, but I had a chuckle over it. My local AutoZone store carries short 1 7/8 exhaust connector sections, which have a 2 outside diameter. So just cut the neck in the middle, insert the connector, rotate one end 180 degrees and use 2 hose clamps to hold it all together. Up until now, I had cobbled together a temporary filler neck to get the car thru the DMV inspection process. Like many of you, Ive experienced the fuel tank venting problem that burps fuel into my trunk (yuck!). I added a tube inside the fuel filler neck to fix the venting problem. I used a stiff piece of tubing along with some of the 1 7/8 exhaust connector to create 2 internal brackets. The brackets keep the tube at the top of the neck where air can escape while the fuel flows in underneath it. Hose clamps hold the internal brackets in place.

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FFR Tech Support gave me another tip on the fuel tank venting problem. The vent check valve has a very small orifice that restricts air flow. Enlarging the orifice helps the venting problem. Once you remove the check valve from the tank, carefully pry off the metal retainer collar and the internal valve will fall out. Then use a 9/64 drill bit to mill out the restrictive orifice. Using the same 9/64 drill bit, also ream the outlet tube down until you see it thru the orifice hole. Then just snap it all back together. If you blow air thru the check valve before and after this fix you can feel the difference. The safety aspect of the check valve still works and restricts gas flow when it is turned upside down.

With these 2 simple fixes, the tank gulps gas much faster at the pump.

6/3/10 I Got My Plate

Ive spent the past 8 weeks reading the North Carolina DMV guide, making dozens of calls to the DMV, visiting the DMV inspectors, getting appraisals, getting a Surety Bond, making multiple trips to the DMV license plate office, and then filling and refilling out a stack of forms. Thru perseverance, tenacity and finally a little mercy from the local DMV, I got my license plate! It was quite a scene at the DMV office when they handed me the plate. With my plate held high above my head, I made a victory lap around the office doing a River Dance like gig while chanting I got my plate I got my plate I got my plate I got my plate. I think it was the high point of the day for the DMV ladies behind the counter.

6/22/10 Herky Jerky Speedo

I having a problem with an erratic speedometer needle that jumps all over the dial. I removed the transmission speed sender and spun it with a drill. The speedo works fine when the key is in the Accessory position, but is erratic when the key is turned to On (even without the motor running).

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I have a Ron Frances wiring harness with a Telorvek ECU interface. The Speedometer and sender connect to terminals 86 & 59 on the Telorvek. I called both Ron Frances Detail Zone and AutoMeter Tech support lines today. They gave me a number of suggestions and I tried them all, but none fixed the Herky Jerky Speedo when the key is in the "On" position: Replaced the wires from the speedometer to the ECU with shielded wires (with shielding grounded). Routed the shielded wires far away from the rest of the harness. Replaced the wires from the speed sensor to ECU wires with very short pig tail wires. This allowed me to spin the sensor with a drill and test it to eliminate this portion of the wiring as the problem. Replaced the speed sensor Replaced the speed sensor connector Grounded the low side of the sensor (terminal 59 on Telorvek/ECU) On the back of the speedometer, jumped the "Out" and "Sensor" terminals. This reduced some of the erratic needle movement. However, when the car is stopped, the speedometer will only drop to 18 MPH. I tried and could not to calibrate the speedo. Added a resister from the sensor's high side to ground (500 - 1500ohms). Bottom-line is that I have replaced everything in the system except the speedometer and the ECU. The only thing that resolves the problem is disconnecting the speedo wires from the ECU. The Ron Frances Detail Zone Tech support tells me the speed sensor is needed for proper engine management, so I can't disconnect it. FYI, The speedo works fine when the key is in the Accessory position.

6/24/10 Speedometer Problem Fixed

I called both Ron Frances Detail Zone and AutoMeter Tech support lines again. They gave me quite a few additional things to try to fix my erratic speedometer: Check the ground. Ensure the ground goes directly to the motor block Check the Telorvek internal wiring thru to the ECU connector. Speed sensor high: Telorvek terminal 86 -> ECU pin 58 Speed sensor low: Telorvek terminal 59 -> ECU pin 33 Disconnect the alternator as a possible source of noise Physically isolate the ECU speed sensor circuit from the speedo sensor. The suggestion was to piggyback one speed sensor on top of the other at the transmission. This might require a speedo cable between them to drive the second speed sensor. This seemed like a last resort and I did not try this. I also called AutoMeter Tech support, and got thru to the lead engineer. We discussed the situation in detail. Here is how to isolate the noise coming from the ECU. Connect the speed sensor high side directly to the speedometer and disconnect it from the ECU

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Connect the Out terminal on the speedometer to the Telorvek terminal that expects the speed sensor high signal. The speedometers Out terminal produces a +5V square wave signal that is the same frequency as the speed sensor.

I now have a steady speedometer needle and the ECU can interpret the +5V square wave signal vs the speed sensors sine wave signal. Part of the difficulty in solving this problem was sorting thru the various wiring schemes that are recommended by FFR, Ron Frances, and Autometer.
WireDiagramthatcomesin FFRHarnessbox WireDiagraminFFRManual WireDiagraminAutometer Speedometerbox
Speed sensor HighLow

Speed sensor HighLow

Speedometer Terminals
+12V DashLights +12V

Speedometer Terminals
DashLights +12V

Speedometer Terminals

Outputs5V squarewave DashLights

Ground

RonFrancesTechSupport RecommendedTelorvek HighLow connection

Speed sensor 86 Telorvek/ECU 59

Speed sensor HighLow 86 Telorvek/ECU 59

Autometer TechSupport RecommendedTelorvek connection

Speedometer Terminals
+12V DashLights +12V

Speedometer Terminals
DashLights

7/2/10 Interior is complete

I finished my interior just in time for the 4th of July Cruise-Ins. I did part of it myself and left the more difficult portions to Finish-line Interiors. A couple things of note are: The stitching on the transmission tunnel and on the rear waterfall I fashioned kick panels, since FFR doesnt supply them I built some polished aluminum sill plates to finish off the door openings The radio controls are in the center pod under the dash. I thought the round pod would fit better with the style of the car and the round gauges.

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I installed under dash panels on the driver and passenger sides to give the interior a nice clean look, even if you need toe mirrors to see it. The radio head unit and speakers are mounted in the under the dash panels to hide them from view

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7/13/10 Fixed the Front Alignment

I finally got around to fixing my front end alignment problem. Back in April I took my 33 to an alignment shop and they were not able to adjust the front end to within the FFR specs. To correct the problem, I tore the front apart (again) and did a little surgery: To correct the Toe-In problem (i.e. pigeon toed), I cut both steering tie rod ends as shown below

The FFR Caster spec is 3-4 degrees. The best the alignment shop could do was 11 degrees, without throwing the Camber way out of spec. That makes the car hard to steer in tight turns. Sometimes its handy to make sharp turns, like in life threatening accident avoidance situations. To correct this problem I cut 0.60 off the lower rear control arms. This pulls the Camber in enough so the Caster can be pushed back to within spec. The cut can be done without removing the control arm

7/14/10 Simple Front Alignment with 4 Common Tools

I then realigned the front end using just 4 common tools: Tape measure Level 55

Machinist Square Inclinometer (Angle)

Before I tore my front end apart, I was able replicate the same measurements that the alignment shop reported in their spec sheet report by using the following method. That proved that I could get a good alignment on my own. Start by parking the car on a level surface for the font tires (left to right) and turn the wheel in to the straight forward position Adjust the Camber: Place a level against the tire side walls to check the Camber. Be sure to place it a little forward or rearward of where the tire contacts the floor, because the tire bulge will throw off your measurement. The FFR spec for Camber is -0.5 degrees. That is essentially vertical, so adjust the lower rear control arm in/out until the levels bubble is centered.

Adjust the Caster: Place a machinist square against both bosses on the wheel spindle. The thickness of the upper and lower spindle pivot castings are the same at the about the center line of the ball bolts, so that is where you should place the edge of the machinist square. Place the Inclinometer on the Machinist square to read the Caster angle. The inclinometer I used had a magnetic base to hold it in place. I recommend you check the Inclinometers accuracy against your level. Due to tolerances the dials printing, some of the marks were as much as 3 degrees off. Adjust the lower front control arm to be within the FFR Caster spec of 3-4 degrees. The Caster and Camber adjustment affect each other, so you may need to repeat the Caster & Camber adjustments several times to get both into spec.

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Adjust the Toe-In: Once the Caster & Camber are within spec for both wheels, you can start on the Toe-in adjustment. Use a tape measure to find the distance between the wheels at the most rearward spot and most forward spot where you can measure without something on the car interfering with the tape. A rear measurement can be done just in front of the engine and the forward measurement is ahead of the grill. With the tread pattern on my tires, it was handy to measure from the inboard grooves of each tire. Then compare the rear and forward measurements. The FFR Toe-in spec is 1/16. Basically, that boils down to where the front measurement is about 1/4 shorter than the rear. Adjust the steering tie rod ends to get the toe-in within spec.

Center the Steering Wheel: The final touch is to center your steering wheel so its straight up when cruising down the highway.

Using this above method and a little surgery, all my alignment measurements came into spec. The car now drives straight, doesnt pull left/right, and turns easily. Who needs an Alignment Shop!

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8/21/10 Hood and side Covers

I now have the hood and side covers installed. It took about as much time as the doors to complete because there are 5 separate body elements to fit together and align properly. The FFR manual is a bit sketchy on the panel fitting details and sequence, so here are some additional hints and tips. Overall, the sequence of steps is: 1. Install the hood latch and release handle 2. Rough trim the side panels 3. Fit the nose cone and align the grill 4. Fit the hood panel 5. Install the prop rod, hood hinges, alignment pins and striker 6. Install the side panels 7. Install the headlights Install the Hood Latch and Release Handle It is much easier to install the latch and release handle before the rest of the panels go on. The FFR manual has good detail on this step, but here are some additional pointers: Install the hood release handle so the cable points forward. This orients the handle 180 degrees from what the FFR manual suggests. This will ensure the cable operates smoothly and it provides lots of cable length to route to the latch. Instead of drilling a hole in the middle of the firewall for the cable, drill the hole next to the where the round frame tube comes thru the firewall in about the 8 oclock position. That hides the cable from view and maintains a clean look on the firewall. Ensure the hood latch does not rub with the radiator. In the battle between steel and aluminum, the latch will win and a leak will eventually leave you stranded on a road trip. If it does rub, do not try to bend the latch. The latch is made of very brittle metal and will snap off. You can grind off the latch lever or bend the mounting bracket to gain the clearance you need.

Rough Trim the Side Panels If you have not done so already, attach the forward most portion of the body to the chassis, near the front suspension.

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Lay the side panels against the body so the bottom is against the horizontal part of the body. Use some duct tape or gorilla tape to hold it in place during the fitting/trimming process. Trim the rear of the side panel to match the contour of the body. Also note the forward to rear position of the side panel to ensure that the openings for the front suspension are aligned. For now, leave the excess fiberglass on the front of the side panel until the grill position is adjusted.

Fit the nose cone and align the grill Install the nose cone so it butts up to the front of the body and its angle is aligned with the bottom of the side panel. To temporarily hold the nose cone in place, tape it to the other body panels and put something like a small box under the front Align the angle of the grill to the nose cone. Next stand in front of the car and ensure the grill is vertical when compared to the rest of the car. I dont think there is a way to measure this, so just eyeball it. The nose cone should fit pretty well as is, but you may want to do some minor trimming. Attach rear of the nose cone to the chassis brackets. Drill and install a screw from under the nose cone into the radiator shell. This important for 2 reasons. First it gives you a tight seam between the nose cone and radiator. More importantly, it keeps the nose cone from catching on something down the road and folding up under the car. If that happens at cruising speed, it would cause a lot of damage and could jam the steering mechanism.

Fit the hood panel Rest the hood panel between the radiator and body cowl. Start at the front and trim just enough of the hood panel so it fits the contour of the radiator Then trim the rear of the hood panel to fit the contour of the body cowl. Most of the excess hood length should be trimmed off the rear. If you trim too much of the excess length from the front, the hood will lose is curved body line and it will be too wide where it meets the radiator (due to the triangular shape of the hood).

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Install the Hood Prop Rod, Hinges, Alignment Pins and Striker Remove the side panels so you can access the underside of the hood during the hinges, alignment pin and striker installation. Install the hood prop rod. The FFR manual has good instructions here. A couple details are: Be sure to mount the top of the prop rod pivot ball as high as possible, but ensure it will not contact the body cowl when the hood is closed. Per the FFR manual, mount the prop rod retainer clamp so it is horizontal when closed. If you mount it in the vertical position, the prop rod will fallout of the clamp on bumpy roads. You will probably have to cut a few inches off the bottom of the prop rod so it will clear the radiator. To hold the hood up, I find there are some solid spots on the intake manifold to place the prop rod. Install the hood hinges Completely assemble the hood hinges. Pay particular attention to the orientation of the brass bushings. Install the hinge assemblies on the radiator. Ensure they are midway in their adjustment slots, they are vertical and they dont interfere with the side panels. With the hood panel in place, extend the hinge assembly and mark where they contact with the hood. Remove the hood and install rivnuts in the center of your marks. Place the hood panel back in place and attach the hinge assemblies. Operate the hood to ensure it opens/closes properly. Install the rear alignment pins Install the alignment pin brackets on the rear of the hood Close the hood and mark where the alignment pin holes in the brackets contact the firewall. Drill holes in the firewall and install the female receivers for the alignment pins. Round off the square tips of the alignment pins. This helps them slide easily into the female receivers and compensates for minor misalignments. With the hood closed, install the alignment pins. Operate the hood to ensure it opens/closes properly.

Install the striker Place the striker and bracket assembly into the latch and lock it in place Close the hood and mark where the striker bracket contacts the hood

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Remove the hood to drill the holes. Do this by removing just the hinge pivot bolts so you dont lose your hood adjustment. Install rivnuts in the center of your marks. The cavity where you install the rivnut is quite shallow. Ensure you have the depth you need to clear the rivnuts and mounting screws. Reinstall the hood With the striker assembly locked in the latch, mount the striker bracket to the hood. Operate the hood to ensure it opens/closes and latches properly. Install the gas shocks

Install the side panels Lay the side panels in place and temporally hold them with duct tape or Gorilla tape Trim the front of the side panels to fit the contour of the radiator. The FFR manual suggests that you screw the side panels to the radiator, the cowl and to body at the bottom. That works, but if you ever want to run without the side panels installed, the ugly screw holes will be exposed. The screws at the bottom are also difficult to remove when you need to do engine maintenance. I went a different route: I cut off the raised flanges on the side panels where they screw to the radiator and cowl. At the cowl, I fabricated an aluminum bracket that is hidden under the top lip of the side cover. I drilled out one of the existing rivets in the firewall and replaced it with a 10/32 rivnut. When the side cover is off, I reinstall the screw so it blends in with the other rivets to maintain a clean look on the firewall. At the front of the side panel, I cut a hole just large enough to fit the headlight connector thru. The hole doesnt show when the headlight is installed because its smaller than the headlight chrome mounting bracket. On the radiator mount, I cut a slot where the headlight mounts. This allows the wires to pass thru, so the headlight can be easily removed. The bottom of each side panel is held in place with a series of 4 pins that slip into holes in the body. The 4 pins keep all the individual panels sections in good alignment. As a result, the side panel comes off in flash since there are only fasteners (headlight nut and 10/32 screw). Each pin is made up of a sheet metal screw that thread tightly into a neoprene spacer. The neoprene spacer allows some flexibility when aligning the side cover pins to the holes in the body.

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Pins installed in Side Panel

Side Cover to firewall bracket

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Headlight hole in side cover

Slot in radiator bracket for headlight wires

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The hood release cable is hidden for a clean look

9/13/10 Hood Stops

I recently installed my hood and engine side covers. I had it all fitting pretty well, until I installed the gas shocks. Over about 1 week's time, I noticed that my hood began to deform in the front near where it meets the radiator. The right side flared out and the top of hood caved-in and caused a sizable dimple about where the striker bar is mounted.

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I removed the gas shocks for now, so they don't cause any more damage. Once I removed the shocks, the hood relaxed to nearly its original shape. The best advice here is not to install the gas shocks at all. The gas shocks also serve as a stop to keep the hood hinge from extending too far open. However, with the gas shocks installed, the hood still slides forward so far that the rear lip of the hood falls off the cowl and on to the engine. A fix for this is to install a slightly shorter stop cable across the gas shock ball joint mounting posts. The gas shocks extended to 12. By adding a cable that is approximately 11.5, it limits the hinges movement so the open hood stays on the cowl. You can get the cable parts at your local hardware store for only $5. Here are some tips to ensure the cable fits properly: Use a small gauge cable with the protective plastic coating to keep it from marring other components when the hood is closed. Make up one end of the cable at your bench. Use your vise to crush the ferrule around the steel cable. A vise will give you a better looking crush than the Correct ferrule crimping tool (See the bottom of the cable in PIC). Size the cable loop so it will just barely slips over the gas shock ball post. That will keep the cable from coming off later. Slip a ferrule on the other end of the cable, but dont crimp it yet. Install the cable on the ball posts and adjust the cable length so the hood is restrained from falling off the cowl and so the hood latch does not hit the radiator grill. Once you have the correct length, use Vise-grips on the cable to hold them in place until you can get it to your bench vise to crimp the ferrule. Make sure you set the cable length on both sides before crimping either ferrule.

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9/23/10 Fitting the Hard Top

I was able to shape the front of the hard top to fit the contour of the cowl with a fair amount of grinding. However, the driver's side on the rear of the hard top is angled, so it sits on the body just behind the door and angles upward to leave a 3/8" gap at the far rear.

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I ended up grinding the drivers side on the rear down all the way thru the fiberglass to get a decent fit. Fortunately, FFR imbeds a steel strip in the mounting base of the hard top for extra support. That steel strip is flexible enough do you can break it away from the fiberglass. Then you need to reinforce the hard top base where the fiberglass has been ground away. Put the top back on the body and add fiberglass cloth/resin on top of the steel strip. There is enough resin that flows down around and under the steel plate to provide a smooth surface on the bottom. It goes without saying that you need to mask the body before you start. So how did this alignment problem happen in the first place? The top was been stored in my garage for 8 months, right side up and flat on the floor, so I don't that deformed it. The problem appears to be how the body is mounted to the chassis. The FFR manual is a bit vague on how much you lift the rear section of the body before screwing it to the chassis in the wheel well. As a result, I think I mounted the rear of my body a bit low on the drivers side. In other words, I have a droopy butt!

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10/26/10 Final Trim and Mounting the Hard Top

Per the FFR instructions, I positioned the top on the body and mounted it. Tips for mounting the front Put painters tape on the body cowl and hard top where they meet. Ensure that the front of the hard top covers the holes used to mount the convertible windshield. Outline where the front of the top sits on the cowl. Use a marker thru the holes in cowl to mark the center 3 mount holes for the convertible windshield in the underside of the hard top. I drilled 2 more mount holes on the ends, for a total 5 mounting points (vs FFR recommendation of 3). Drill and install the 5 rivnuts in the underside of the hard top. Note, there isnt a lot of strength in this area of the hard top, so the rivnut may cause it to underside of the windshield casing to split. If it splits, it can be repaired by grinding out some of the fiberglass and using resin to form a bonding patch

Mount the rear Drill the 5 mounting holes and access holes in the back of the hard top, per the FFR instructions. With the front of the hard top screwed in place, use the 5 holes in the hard top to mark the body. Drill and mount the 5 rivnuts Trim the Windshield and rear glass opening Measure the width of the black-out edge on the glass to determine how much to trim the openings. Use a compass to scratch that dimension in a consistent border cut line around the window openings. Depending upon how much fiberglass needs to be trimmed, you can use Dremel, file, jig saw, etc. The edge of the windshield and rear window openings are exposed to the interior, so you should shape and sand it to a finished surface that is ready for paint. Trim the side window openings

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The edge around the side windows is used to mount weather stripping. The slot in the stripping is about . Use the compass to mark a consistent border line to cut. This edge is not exposed, so you dont need to sand it.

11/26/10 Installing the Power windows

When my 33 was delivered, the power windows were not available. Since then, FFR changed the design. The new power window assembly comes with updated instructions, but there are some other modifications and tips to note. Follow the FFR instructions for cutting the window slot in the top of the door skin. However, to get a good fit at the ends of the felted weather seals, I suggest you notch the underside of the weather seal back about . Then use the weather seal flange for your measurement to cut the window opening a bit smaller. This will ensure that you dont have an exposed raw fiberglass cut at the ends of the weather seal.

The screw that holds the inside door latch may protrude into the path of the window. Simply cut the screw so you wont be hating life the first time the window goes up (screeech)!

The power mechanism changed from the original design, so it mounts differently.

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The old power window mechanism mount is no longer used, and interferes with the new design. Use a Saws-all to cut it off.

The FFR instructions say to mount the mechanism from under the 1x1 tube (just forward of the old bracket). However, if you already have the door skin mounted, there is no room to drill the mounting holes in the underside of the 1x1 tube. An alternative is to mount the mechanism on top of the 1x1 tube. Its still difficult to drill the holes in at an angle, but it can be done with patience. You will also need to notch the power window mechanism mounting plate to fit over the 1x1 tube.

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There are some changes in the electrical system as well. The template in the FFR instructions for the mounting hole for the double switch bezel is a little off. The hole should be 1.735 x 1.735. The FFR instructions say you can mount the double switch bezel under the dash. However, there is not enough fiberglass there to make this possible. The kit also comes with 2 single switch bezels, and those will fit under the dash. The window switch changed as well. Here is the updated wiring diagram:

1/22/11 Tips on the Willwood Braking System

While I was at the Grand National Roadster show, I stopped by the Wilwood booth and told them my tale to brake woes. The Willwood Technical rep gave me some tips on setting up their brakes: Check to ensure master cylinder pushrods are parallel to each other and square to the pedal. This is to ensure the pedal/cylinders are not binding against each other Screw the master cylinder pushrods as far out as possible from the clevis. This will ensure maximum cylinder travel. Also, the front brake pushrod should be screwed a little further out so it engages the front brakes before the rear. Start with the balance bar centered (no bias to front or rear). The balance bar should be considered a fine adjustment that you do at the end. Bench bleed the master cylinders to get all the air out. Note: if you let the reservoir goes dry, you may need to bench bleed again. When bleeding the system, you need to bleed a front brake and a rear brake at the same time. If you only bleed one brake at a time, the balance bar will get cocked and you won't get a good bleed. 71

2/19/11 Momma Needs Bling

While my 33 is in the body shop, Im making progress on some jewelry for my 33. The wiper arm needed some attention as well. I didnt think the chunky square shape went with the rest of car. So I pulled out my rasp, file etc and re-shaped it into a slender rounded leg of billet.

The valve covers on my DOHC 4.6 motor needed some bling, so I made these out of some scrap 6160 aluminum.

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I wanted to dress up the firewall where 3 cables come thru it

I made this bezel. The aluminum pieces are pinned together, so I can pull it apart to install it.

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3/2/11 Battery Tray

This past Fall, the voltage regulator in my alternator failed in the full charge state. By the time I noticed that the voltmeter was reading over 17V, the battery had taken quite a beating. Even though its an expensive Odyssey AGM sealed battery, it still leaked and damaged my fresh powder coat and the polished aluminum panels I was so proud of. To keep that from happening again, I built a fiberglass battery tray that is custom fit to the Odyssey battery. The corner that sticks out is a reservoir for any nasty acid and allows me to dab the excess out. Check out the high tech mold in the background (green cardboard).

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5/23/11 Sound Deadening

My interior is somewhat noisy, especially with the hard top on. My exhaust exits just in front of the rear wheel, so 95% of the noise is from the exhaust. I've done a number of things to quiet it down: Before I put the top on, I had already: I applied 1" of Dynamat foam padding to the firewall, between the 1" chassis tubing. That also provides a flat surface to lay the carpet against. I wall-papered the interior sheet metal with DynaMat. I wall-papered the trunk sheet metal with DynaMat. I lined the door skins with DynaMat. Installed DynaMat in the hard top headliner insert area Upholstered the trans tunnel and waterfall (with a layer of foam padding). Filled the cavity in the hard top with foam Even though the waterfall is upholstered (with foam padding), I added DynaMat on the back of the waterfall as well. That made a noticeable reduction in overall noise. I added DynaMat to the forward and top facing sides of the gas tank to reduce any oil canning effect. That made a very minor reduction in the harshness of the noise. I added DynaMat to the inside of the body above the exhaust exits. I thought it would settle down the body sides and reduce the amplifying effect in that enclosed cavity. That seemed to have little effect. I added weather stripping to tighten up the cabin. That took the sharpness out of the noise, since it cut the line of sight path to the exhaust exits. I'll add a post to the Rumbles Build thread soon with the weather stripping details. I added the hard top headliner. That made no difference. I changed the gear ratio from 2.73 to 3.55. That made a significant difference in the drowning. I think a 3.73 gear would be even a better choice with my AODE. At this point, I'd say the noise level is reasonable for a Hot Rod. I'd like it a bit quieter, but I don't know what else to try. All that DynaMat and weather stripping was worth it. It gave my Hot Rod a very solid and comfortable feel that makes it a joy to drive. My only regret is that I didn't buy some DynaMat stock. My purchases alone could have raised its value.

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5/30/11 Final adjustment of outside door handle

Here a couple details to pay attention to in the final assembly of the outside door handles: At the handle and the latch mechanisms, put gorilla tape around where the cable shoulder is seated. This makes it easier to assemble, and it keeps the cables from falling out later. Ensure the outside door handle rests in the horizontal position. The key locks the outside door handle in the in the horizontal position. So if your handle rests at an upward angle, the key lock will unlatch the door.

The outside door handles dont have an up stop. They just rotate freely upwards. This feels a bit unfinished and could allow the internal cables to become unseated and fall out. A very simple fix is to place about a 1 length of tubing around the cable in the door handle mechanism.

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5/29/11 Final power window adjustments

Now that the paint is done, I can move on to the final touches that will make my Hot Rod enjoyable to cruiser. Here are a few hints and tips on the final adjustments for the power windows. The contour of the window opening in the hard top is the reference point that you will adjust the windows up position to. So before you start, ensure your hard top is in its final position and solidly screwed down. Inside the door skin, ensure the front window track is aligned with the front edge of the window opening you cut earlier. It also helps to bend the bracket rearward just slightly to ensure good contact with front edge of the window. Too much pressure could induce excessive drag on the window. I have seen where others have added a rear track as well to ensure stability in the down position. Now that I see how all the pieces work together, its clear that a rear track really isnt needed. Per the FFR Manual, raise the window to the upper position and close the slowly, to ensure you dont damage your paint. You will have to flick the window switch quickly several times to get it to its final position, where the top of window is about 3/8 from hitting the hard top. The FFR manual says to mark the bottom side of the track for the travel stop. However, if you have not yet installed the weather stripping, its better to mark it from the top thru the window opening. Also ensure the window is contacting the weather stripping around the window opening in the hard top. Then run the window to its lower position. There are several adjustments that are not covered in the FFR manual. If the window is not properly aligned in the lower position, there could be excessive drag on the window and power mechanism will move very slowly. Correct: Ideally, the window should be centered in the opening, with top edge of the window captured between the weather stripping flanges. Window not aligned: There a couple ways to adjust the mechanism if the window is pushed against one of the weather stripping flanges. First make sure you have the mechanism securely screwed down when making these adjustments. The adjustment may change even going from snug to tight. Slightly bend the bracket that mounts the mechanism to the door frame. Think of this as the gross angle adjustment. Then make final minor adjustments using the bracket that mounts the mechanism track to the door frame. Once done, re-check to ensure the window contacts the hard top weather stripping in the upper position. You will probably repeat this cycle several times to get all the adjustments right. Lower stop too low: If the window down stop is too low, the window could fall to one side and get caught under the door skin. Ensure the top edge of the window captured between the weather stripping flanges. Door Skin too thick: If the door skin is too thick, the flange of the weather stripping will not fully seat and the felt flaps on the weather stripping will put excessive force on the window. Use a grinder to grind off the underside of the door skin to 3/16, per FFR manual. I used a drill with 2 grinding wheel. The door skin is flexible enough so I could spread it and insert the grinding wheel from the top. With the drill pointed down and me pulling up on it, the grinding wheel ground the underside of the door skin.

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Clean the windows: My windows had a film on it that caused a lot of friction against the weather stripping.

6/1/11 Weather stripping the doors

The weather stripping makes a considerable difference in giving the car a quality feel. This seeming small detail combined with the sound deadening and upholstery to create a much more solid feel in the interior. Much of the weather stripping comes with the FFR kit. Some additional pieces are needed for a tight overall seal. The FFR provided D shaped weather stripping is used in numerous places. The FFR manual suggests you use it in places like between the hard top windshield and cowl, between the rear of the hard top and body, etc. But there is plenty of D rubber left for other uses. The D rubber can be used to seal the front and bottom of the doors. In fact there is an indentation in the body at the front of the door to start the weather stripping placement.

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The D weather stripping is hollow, so if you install it as is, there will be an unfinished / unsightly end in a very visible place. You can easily finish the end by putting a liberal amount of contact cement inside the end of the D rubber, wait for it to dry to a tacky state, and then clamp with low-medium pressure in something with flat jaws for awhile to ensure the cement sticks. I used my bench vise. Then trim the edge to give it a finished look.

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Here is the difference between the finished end and the raw cut (stuck on for the photo).

The D rubber can also be used between the door and the hard top. Cut short sections and stick it to the hard top in the areas circled in yellow.

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There is a wide gap between the body and the back of the door. Steele Rubber Products has a roof rail extrusion (PN: 83-0134-73) that bridges the gap. It has a peal-n-stick backing for easy installation. It seems to fit better when applied to the door vs the body.

Other air gaps to seal include: Firewall: There are lots of holes in the firewall for the rivets, cable openings and between the 2 piece firewall. There are a variety of ways to close them off using foil backed duct tape, sound deadening, etc. It much easier to do this before the body is mounted. Waterfall: The back of the waterfall seems to seal well against the carpet covered chassis. However, there are gaps between the sides of the waterfall and the chassis. Depending

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upon the width of the gap, you can use the D rubber or the thicker weather stripping used at the forward lip of the trunk between body and the chassis. Foot box: There is a huge gap between the foot box chassis tubing and the side of the body. This gap is difficult to access and it has an irregular shape, so spray foam seems to be the best choice. I suggest you stuff something bulky down in the gap to stop the foam from squirting out the other end. Use the window/door low expansion flexible type of spray foam, so you dont resurrect the Son of Blob. Transmission tunnel: The carpet and/or the D rubber will seal transmission tunnel to the floor. Key areas to check and tweak for a tight fit are in the front at the firewall, as well as the back where it surrounds the drive shaft box. Shifter boot: Ensure your boot fits snuggly around the shifter and the hole in the tunnel. Emergency brake: Hmmm, Im still working on this one. Does anyone have a suggestion?

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Some Assembly Required

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Bodywork, Paint and Reassembly

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The Paint Scheme

From nearly the beginning of the build, Ive been considering different paint schemes and colors. Some of considerations were: I wanted the flexibility of cruising with the hard top or going topless. This meant: I would not permanently fiberglass the top to the body, and there would be a seam that shows all the way around the base of the hard top. In my opinion, you cannot adequately hide the seam with a mono-chromatic paint job, so you need to work that into a multicolor paint scheme. The paint scheme on the body must look good on its own when the hard top is removed. Im going fenderless, so I need to expect some paint chips. This Hot Rod will not be a trailer queen. I dont want the fear of paint damage to keep me cruising at will. That means that I need a tough paint job that is easier and less expensive to repair. Over the past year, Ive kept my eye out for paint ideas in southern California, Bonneville, the south east, Street Rodder magazine, FFR forum, etc. One day I will need to sell the car (hopefully a long time from now). So the paint scheme must be a timeless design that wont go out of fashion, and it needs to appeal to potential buyers. Paint is one of the most expensive elements in a hot rod build, and its the #1 attribute that affects the resale price. To ensure the end result is successful, I mocked-up several different paint schemes using digital image editors and good old painters tape. Using the Hot Rod black & white images from the FFR website, I applied layers of color to try different paint ideas. One of the early mockups was this 2 tone silver metal flake paint scheme.

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However, when I used painters tape to mock it up on the body, I didnt like it as much. I think this layout would look better on a car with fenders. Also, metal flake paint is more difficult to match when repairing paint chips. Therefore, I decided to use solid colors instead .

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The hot rods I saw in southern California and Bonneville influenced me to go in a different direction. The hay day of hot rods was back in the 50s and 60s, so why not go with a paint scheme from that era. That sent me in the direction of classic colors and Lakester style scallops. This time I started by mocking up the scallops with painters tape.

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Then I used a digital image editor to apply layers of color.

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The next level of refinement was to ask the members of the FFR on-line forum for their opinion and suggestions. As a result I decided to stretch the upper scallops on the hood a bit further back. Then I worked with the painter to further refine the layout, colors and type of paint. The paint must be durable to protect against chips, so I decided to use Urethane/Polyurethane and finish it off with 3 layers of clear coat. I started out trying to use standard paint colors from car manufacturers. I compared every car I saw on the road and selected the following: Bright Red: VW Tornado Red (LY3D) Black: VW Black (LO4I) Silver: Mercedes Brilliant Silver (744/9744) These colors were close to what I wanted, but they lacked Shazzam. My painter (Jim) turned me on to House of Kolor alternatives. As a result, I changed my colors to: Kosmic Kolor Urethane Enamel Solid Jet Set Black (UFB04) Kosmos Red (UFB06) Silver Urethane Striping Enamel (U12)

Selecting a Body Shop and Painter

Choosing a body shop and painter took longer than expected. I interviewed at least a dozen body men. I used the following key questions to eliminate many of them: What fiberglass cars have you worked on? Some painters specialize in fiberglass or steel cars. How will you do the work? Candidates had many different answers to this: Some said they would take the body off the chassis before paint, others didnt. Some go into detail about getting a good straight surface thru blocking, repairing pin holes, as well as setting consistent panel gaps, etc. Some are not open about how the work will be done. I recommend you stay away from these secretive shops because you are likely to have communications problems during the job. Ask if they have a down draft spray booth. One painter I interviewed used the 2 car garage at his home that was filled with dusty household items. Let the painter take a good look at your car to size up the amount of work it will take. Notice how closely they look at any waves in the fiberglass, panel fitment and alignment. Talk about how much you will do to yourself, to save on the cost of body work and paint. For example, I rough-fit all the panels and removed everything that would get in their way (i.e. lights, gauges, door handles, interior panels, seat). Ask about how much will it cost? Prices varied greatly from $3,000-$15,000, but most were in the range of $6,500-$7,500. How will they be paid? There are many possible payment options, here are just a few: Pay 100% up front You take all the risk, so this is not recommended. Pay for body work labor upfront, and then pay for paint when ready to apply it. This shares the risk between you and the body shop.

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Pay actual labor & materials consumed each week. Wit this option, go and visit the body shop weekly to inspect. This keeps focus on weekly progress and you only pay for the work you see completed. Pay 100% at the end when you are satisfied with the result. This option sounds like you are in control, but the body shop can hold your car until you pay. There is a risk that you could be surprised at the end by the total cost, so ask if actual costs are on track with the estimate at least a couple times during the work. The body work and paint will probably take several months to complete, so choose someone you feel comfortable working with. Consider their personality, communication style, professionalism, trustworthiness, judgment and openness. If any of this bothers you while the painter is on their best behavior to get your business, you can expect it to be more troubling after they have your car. The most important question is Can I see some of the cars you have done in the past? I believe that a body shop / painter is only as good as their last car. One painter had a Riddler award to his credit! I had plenty of other candidates tell me what great jobs they did, and then saw the quality of their work was below the level of quality I wanted. In other cases, many promises were made to see their previous work, but the cars never materialized. When inspecting past work, I look for the following: Is the first impression good? Check the body surface for imperfections such as orange peel, runs, poor coverage, uneven paint, cracking, peeling, stars, contaminants/dust/bugs in the paint, etc. Open the doors, hood and trunk to check the details. Look for overspray, poor finish in the jams, etc Ask how long ago the car was painted, then make a judgment on how well it has aged. Some cars look great when they come out of the booth, but dont stand the test of time. Ask the painter for past jobs that are similar to what you are planning. There are lots of different materials, techniques and artistry in the world of paint, so its difficult to be an expert in all areas. You want to ensure your painter has experience in what is needed for your paint scheme. For example, are you are planning: A particular type of paint like metal flake, candy, chameleon, water based, lacquer, urethane, etc Artwork like Murals, flames, etc Graphics like stripes, scallops, tribal, lettering, Von Dutch pin stripes, etc Finally, ask previous clients how the painter was to work with. Key questions are: From the time you dropped off the car, how long did it take complete? My friends car took 16 months to finish! Does the painter have a high standard of quality? If their standard of quality is lower than yours, you will fight the painter thru the entire job and will probably not be happy with the end result. Were there any quality problems that you had to ask the painter fix? How amiable and flexible was the painter to working out issues or changes? Was the final cost close to the estimate? Ive heard of the cost doubling on some cars.

I selected Whitby Motor Sports to do the bodywork and paint. Whitbys key differentiators were: I saw 6-10 of their previous cars and their work had consistent high quality. I spoke to several of their past customers and they were all very satisfied.

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Whitby not only specializes in fiberglass work, but they had also done 4-5 of the FFR Hot Rods before. Their price was about middle of the pack.

3/22/11 Body Work Update

Here are a few PICs with the body work nearly finished

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3/27/10 Son of Blob

One of the things I did back in October was to fill the space between inner and outer shells of the hard top with spray in foam. The intent was to quiet down drumming noise inside the car.

Now 5 months later, this experiment went horribly wrong. The foam suddenly resurrected itself and began to expand again into the Son of Blob. Like the original The Blob cult classic sci-fi movie of the 1960s, Son of Blob quickly grew out of control to take over everything around it.

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When there was no more room for Son of Blob to expand, it used its evil strength to push in the inner lining of the hard top into heaving gout like lumps of swelling. The Whitby assault team sprang into action to meet this foe head-on. Armed drills, saws and knives, they cut the Son of Blob demon from deep with its layer. Son of Blob fought back by continuing to grow, but it could not survive the onslaught of the mighty Whitby attack team. You can see the lifeless remains of Son of Blob below.

Moral of this story: Kiddies, dont try this at home

4/2/11 I See Red!

I went to Whitby to check on the progress of the body work and layout the scallops. All the panels have their Kozmos Red paint applied, and it looks great. The solid red paint has a pure red-ness hue and 3 clear coats give the surface depth as well. In the pictures below, the body is finished and buffed out. The clear on hood, side covers, and hard top is not yet finished since the black scallops still need to be added. The painter (Jim) and I did the final layout for the scallops. Jim helped me refine them with his expert eye. The blue pinstripe tape will be the outline of the scallop.

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4/4/11 The Hard top is done

A picture tells a thousand words

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5/1/11 On the Road Again

Whitby completed the paint and delivered my Hot Rod as promised on Monday afternoon. I was able to reassemble it in time for a local cruise-in on Saturday morning. At the cruise-in I met Bcapsff33 who just got his '33 Hot Rod on the road this weekend as well. He went with full fenders and metal flake paint. Parking our cars together, you can see they have very different personalities. Indeed, many of the cruise-in attendees didn't recognize that they came from the same FFR DNA.

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5/4/11 Glamour Shots

The car is essentially finished now. There are lots of details, but I can fiddle with those on weekday evenings, between weekend cruise-ins. Check out the Glamour Shots.

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Note the engine turned metal dash, the polished aluminum sill plates and bullet pod that houses the radio controls. The transmission tunnel and kick panels upholstered There are matching under-dash upholstered panels that hide the unsightly wiring, the radio head unit and the speakers for a very clean look. The ignition switch and power window switches are hidden tooShhh

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The waterfall panel and hard top headliner has stitched upholstery to match the rest of the interior. I covered the hard top mounting holes with uphostered panels and worked in a dome light as well.

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Theres enough polished aluminum in the engine bay to blind you on a sunny day! The bling includes panels laminated onto the side covers, brake reservoirs, radiator and the firewall. I fashioned the custom brushed aluminum COP valve covers for the 32 valve motor.

The under carriage is all polished aluminum and is punctuated by a gun metal gray powder coated frame. When you look up, it looks back at you. The finishing touch is a Rumbles plate!

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The End

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Appendix
List of additional items you need for the build
FFR says all you need is a motor, trans and rear end to build the 33 Hot Rod. That's a bit simplistic. Here is a more complete list. These additional items can cost you another $4-$6 grand: Motor plus: If you are using an EFI motor, EFI wiring harness. I used the Ron Frances harness. It was simple to install and the motor fired on the first try. The Ron Frances Tech support was very good. Ron Frances also makes the 33 Hot Rod main harness, so they can help you connect it to their EFI harness as well Air intake system. Get the snorkel and Mass Air Flow sensor from the donor car. You will probably want to build custom ducting. Oxygen sensors from donor car Exhaust Gas Re-cirulator (EGR) block-off plate for throttle body Fuel line quick disconnects for connecting the fuel line to the fuel rail If you are using a 4.6 motor, 2003 Explorer oil filter adapter (see FFR manual for details) Shorty headers Heater hose connections or plugs In-line fuel pump Radiator cap Coolant Transmission plus: Shifter Trans fluid lines between the trans and radiator Trans fluid Rear-end plus: Brake calipers and rotors Hard brake lines on the rear end Flex lines to the rear end Mounting tabs and retainer clips to hold the flex lines to the chassis Emergency brake cables Other Wheels & tires Windshield wiper (required in most states) Battery Brake fluid Grease

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Tips for reliable running gear

I have done no modifications to the motor so far. For the first fire-up I wanted to keep the number of things that could go wrong to a minimum. I paid a little extra, but I was able to drive the donor car beforehand to ensure the motor/trans/ECU/MAF were in good working order. I then installed the known-good motor/trans/ECU/MAF with no modifications. I considered several vendors for the ECU re-flash, but again I wanted to minimize the things that could go wrong. Ron Frances supplies the wiring harness for the FFR 33, and they also supply the Telorvek system that includes the ECU interface and engine management wiring harness. So I paid a little extra to have Ron Frances flash my ECU as well. This kept all the complex electronics with just 1 vender. If there was a technical problem with the wiring/ECU, this eliminates the risk being caught in a situation where each vender blames the other vender for the problem. This approach paid off as the motor fired on the first try! I must say Im very happy with the 32V 4.6 motor. It always starts, it runs smooth, its been trouble free, no leaks, gets about 25MPG, and is a great looking motor that is always the Belle of the Ball at the local cruise-in! Looking forward, I want the motor to stay reliable, so I only plan to install under-drive pulleys, do a performance dyno tune, and maybe some other minor mods that the dyno tune points out (like injectors, throttle body, etc). I dont plan to make any internal modifications. The rating for this stock Mark VIII motor is 295HP at the rear wheels. With the typical 8-12% power loss in the power train, the rating at the crank is 320-330HP. I think the horsepower at the crank will be in the upper 300s with the high flow cold air intake, headers, flow thru mufflers, no catalytic converter, no EGR, under-drive pulleys, and dyno tune. Thats plenty of grunt for 2200 lb car.

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