Passenger Cockpit Quarter Panel

November 30, 2013 -

  I got the passenger cockpit rear quarter panel on today.  Things I learned are: it is supposed to be at least 40 degrees out to apply the silicone sealant which it barely was today, and drilling through cold steel (the frame) seem a lot tougher in the cold.  Then again my cheap 1/8" drill bits I bought in bulk could have just been dull.

Engine!

November 25, 2013 -

  I know I should show a picture of the finished hole I cut in that upper trunk floor panel from the last post... but I'm excited about the engine delivered today.  Here are some pics:

  It made it to the back of my garage.

  And when you take some of the plastic off.....

Upper Trunk Floor Cutting

November 17, 2013 -

  In using the FF Metal dropped battery box (which places the battery below the trunk space) you need to cut a rectangular hole in the upper trunk floor panel.  Cutting this hole so the edges are straight, smooth and square is time consuming.  After placing the panel in and tracing out the hole shape from below, you drill hole(s) to get it started, then snip out a larger hole, then hacksaw closer to your lines.  Then you use a file the rest of the way.  Snipping, hacksawing, and filing take a long time.  This is how far I got after about 3 hours.  Don't get me wrong, I think the dropped battery mod is a cool one and still worth the effort.

Engine & Transmission

November 15, 2013 -

  I put a deposit down on a Coyote engine and a Tremec TKO transmission.  I decided to go with Mike Forte's Parts Connection for a few reasons.  His price was competitive with Summit and Roush but I could tell that he had a lot of experience in helping folks get these into a Factory Five roadster.  (When I called him he was helping someone on the other line with exactly that.)  He said he was very willing to take calls personally if I needed help.  That could be worth a lot to me...

Trunk - Halfway

November 11, 2013 -

  I got the large lower trunk panel on as well as the small inner side triangular panels today.  The large lower trunk panel took a long time because large panels require a lot of drilling and riveting but also because the gas tank strap had to be removed and reattached which wasn't easy.

Underbody Coating

November 11, 2013 -

  With my friend's help I got the body upside down in the driveway in order to paint the wheel wells with some underbody coating.  (Thanks Damon!)  The coating serves two purposes.  One is to protect the body from small rocks kicked up by the tires and the other is to keep down the noise.  I used 3M 08881.  The stuff was like tar or asphalt in a can.  It seemed recommended by several others on the forums so I went with it.  Two coats took all of 4 cans.

Trunk - Beginning

November 8, 2013 -

  I was out of town last weekend through Wednesday on some vacation so it took a little while to have something to show.  I put on the large panels that define the sides of the trunk.  This took a while because big panels require a lot of drilling and riveting.