Pictures of my engine

I just got some pictures of my engine from the builder.  It looks awesome!!!!  The valve covers he has on it will not be the ones that I have when it is installed.  I will be going with black Cobra valve covers
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Just longer than a week. I'm getting better.

Since my last post, I have mainly been practicing bending fuel line.  I have made a few attempts with copper, but each one has issues.  I'll be trying the real stuff this weekend.  Trying to get the bends in just the right place is a pain in the butt.  I think I have spent about 15 hours on them.

I "finished" installing the steering rack to the outer tie rod ends.  I may have to cut the inner tie rod ends to be able to get the alignment right after the engine is installed and see where the front suspension rests.

I did replace the fuel filler gasket, but I still need to trim the fuel pickup so I can install it and then remount the gas tank.

My engine should be finished this week and then shipped out next week, so I may have it by Christmas.  Sharon will have to put a big red bow on it.

Speaking of Christmas, it came a little early for me.  I got a bunch of big parts in the mail today.  The biggest being my transmission.  It is a TKO-600.

I also got my Speedhut gauges today.  The speedometer is GPS.  It is a reverse Speedo, which is what came in the original Cobras.

Last but not least, today I received my rear axle half-shafts.  They have been on back order since I got the car in June.  I have been waiting for them for almost 6 months, while Factory Five worked out the bugs of them being too short.  I didn't expect the CV joints to be installed.  That is an awesome bonus, since I was expecting to pay about $450 to have them installed.

 

I also have 3 more boxes of parts being delivered tomorrow.  I know the headers and driveshaft are coming, but I can't remember what else.  It will be a surprise.

It's been a while Part 2

I ordered an engine last week.  It will be delivered in late December to early January.  It is a 351W, with 400 HP and 400 ft-lb of torque.  The engine builder had a sale on his engine so I saved about $300 on it.  I went with the 351 over the 430 HP 347 because I will be able to upgrade the 351 sometime down the road.  The 347 was maxed out.  I can take the 351 and make it into a 408 with about 500 HP.  I also ordered the transmission and clutch components.  The tranny is a TKO-600 with a nice overdrive.

I actually did work on the car a little today.  I reinstalled the F-panels that I picked up yesterday.  I have not put the rest of the front end back together yet.  That will happen next week.  I do have the brake and clutch pedals in with the hydroboost and steering shaft.

Most of the passenger footbox and firewall are installed.  The powdercoat color is Anthracite.  It looks awesome.

I have a rope taped into the rear of the car to help plan where I want the break lines and to help me visualize the bends I need to make in the fuel line.

The new fuel line comes in a coil, so I need to straighten it.  I put groves in some 2X4's to uncoil it into and help me get it straight.  No, I am not using copper for the fuel lines.  I am using it to practice with and figure out all the bends I need to make.

More to come next week.  Hopefully.

 

 

 

 

 

It's been a while.... part 1

Sorry that it has been so long.  I blame my IT staff (Sharon).  I'm making a commitment to update the blog at least once a week now. 

I'll start with the problems I have had since the last post.  The clearcoat on the powdercoating on the F-panels started to peel off.  According to another company the first guys must not have had the oven at the right temperature.  I had to remove the panels, order new ones, match them to the originals (holes and trimming I did) and have them repowdercoated.  To do this I had to disassemble the front upper control arms.  This has delayed the whole front end.

Another problem was the steering rack.  I removed the inner tierod ends, installed new ones and installed the outer tierod ends.  Then, when I went to connect them to the spindles I discovered that I was not going to have enough thread engagement.  I called Factory Five and discovered that they forgot to send me inner tierod extenders.  So, they shipped them but, I had to pull the rack back out and remove the inner tierod ends to put the extenders on.  I put it all back in, but I had to wait for the F-panels.....

When I installed the fuel tank I noticed that the filler neck was hitting part of the frame.  This was something that others have found.  The solution is to pull the neck out, heat it up and then hit it repeatedly with a BFH (Big @*^$%@ Hammer).  The picture shows the neck after I dented it.

My other big hurdle is the fuel and brake lines.  I'm not intalling the brake lines that came with the kit (too small for the engine) and I am not routing them the same way.  The manual says to run them down the passenger side, but I am going with a mechanical fuel pump which is on the driver's side.

 

 

Rear suspension, driver's side.  Had to use a bolt with two nuts to separate the bracket that holds the upper control arm, but it worked beautifully and wasn't difficult at all.



Because the clutch will pull on this piece, I had to weld in a brace to prevent it from flexing.  This is before the weld.

The brace after the weld, but before paint.

 

The brace after paint.  It almost looks like it belongs there.

  

 

 

Starting the assembly...

Rachel installing the first rivet on the first F-panel.  This was the very first permanent task that was performed.

Kate installed the second rivet.  She didn't like the noise of the air compressor. 

The passenger side F-panel and front suspension.  The grease boot gave me a bit of trouble, but only because I was trying to do it wrong.  Getting the torque right on the bolts was a bit of a challenge too, but we got it done.

The same as above with the addition of the front brakes.

Some recent photos...

Building the passenger side footbox.  This one went together fairly easily.  After the picture was taken, I built an additional piece to block off some of the space around the frame that goes through the bottom left. 




The driver's side footbox with the forward firewall mod.  This took FOREVER to line up correctly.  It took a little bending, and a bit of trimming, but I finally got it to line up in a way that I am satisfied with.



All of the aluminum in the cockpit. 




The pumpkin from the IRS.  I need to find a picture of this after it was painted. 



The chassis after all of the aluminum has been fitted, drilled and taken off again....ready for assembly.
 

Oh yeah, I have a blog...

Between work, marathon training, and working on the car, I haven't had time for anything else, and have neglected this blog horribly.  I will try to be more consistant about it.  Since the last post, I've made a bit of progress and will post some photos either today or tomorrow.  I've gotten all of the aluminum fitted and drilled.  (The Cleco is the world's greatest invention!).  Ran into a bit of difficulty trying to get the driver's footbox lined up with the forward firewall kit, but eventually that turned out okay.  I've gotten most of the aluminum that will be visible powder coated in a color called Anthracite.  The F-panels are the only ones that have been rivetted in so far.  My oldest, Rachel, had the honors of putting in the first rivet, followed by her sister Kate, and my wife, Sharon.  I've gotten both the front and rear suspensions installed, as well as the front brakes and will be working on the battery box soon.  I'll try and post some more detailed info when I get the pictures uploaded.  (There are lots to sort through...)

Removal of body

Took the body off today, with the help of my neighbor, Mike.  We got it up on the body buck and it fits nicely.  Adjusted the jack stands a little bit so I have more room around the back.  Time to order some more parts, head to the salvage yard to collect a few, and wait for FF to send me some backordered things and we are in business.

Inventory... 6/22-6/23

Rachel (my 12 yr. old) helped me go through most of the inventory yesterday and I finished it up this morning.  Of course the few pieces that are on backorder are mostly ones that I need early on.  That will give me time to breathe I suppose and get focused before I dive in.

Thursday June 21, 2012 DELIVERY

Worked the night before, but took a quick nap before the Stewart truck arrived.  I was tired, but very excited.

The garage is about as ready as it will ever be.  Delivery is tomorrow.  And so it begins....

Got "The Call"

Stewart transport is dropping the car off on Thursday morning.  Planning to finish prepping the garage on Wednesday and post some pics.

Friday May 25th, 2012:   Ordered the kit.  Estimated completion date at Factory Five is June 16th.  Still working on some options but at least the ball is rolling.  And the Journey begins....