Gentlemen and ladies, we officially put our deposit on our kit yesterday and recieved confirmation today with a shipdate of Dec 3rd!!
We purchased a complete kit, 17" wide wheels, chrome bar, polished exhaust, wipers and a few other gadgets. We are going with three link based on FF recomendations on our driving style. We are going to use a 347 stroker with tremec tko 500 trans. Hopefully we will have all the parts by the end of december so we can start the build!
About us...
I am (MIKE) 35yr old and live in Corona California, my wife Julie is 35 as well and probably more excited about the project then i am. We have two children 15yr Alyssa and 10yr old Steven. Both kids will be involved in the build. Their main goal is to get rides to and from school in it!!!! LOL.
My wife and i have always dreamed of building a kit. I have always been into muscle cars, but got out when we had kids. Tried to do some projects over the years, but the old cars just needed too much work and i just did not have the time with work. What appeals to us with the FF kit is that its all NEW parts. We wont need to remove and clean crap up before we can use it or search around town looking for that one stupid part or fastener. (I hope)
Anyway, just wanted to introduce ourselves, and we will be posting pictures and progress as it comes. Now back to doing more research!!!
Decided to move up to a 408 vs the 347. Deeper sound, more solid power.
I would like some comments about power steering and power brakes.
I dont plan on power steering because if i decide i want it, its easy to add. I did not wan the pump there and hoses.
Brakes, plan on not going power, but is that a mistake? How hard is it to manually brake these? How easy would it be to add a power booster later? I also dont like the way these look in the bay...
You could always go with power steering and hydraboost. I prefer neither, however if you want one, I feel that's the way to go.
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FFR coupe #190 SOLD
RCR GT40 SOLD to Fast and Furious 5 producer
Kirkham #690 (289 FIA) w/427w and TKO 600
1966 GT350 clone w/Boss 347 and TKO 600
1966 Bronco w/289 and 3 speed
1967 Mustang convertible rust bucket (soon to be GT350 clone)
"Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well-armed lamb contesting the vote."
are you running manual steering and brakes? how does it feel? Safe? I am a big guy, not too worried about having to apply some pressure, just want it safe.
Decided to move up to a 408 vs the 347. Deeper sound, more solid power.
I would like some comments about power steering and power brakes.
I dont plan on power steering because if i decide i want it, its easy to add. I did not wan the pump there and hoses.
Brakes, plan on not going power, but is that a mistake? How hard is it to manually brake these? How easy would it be to add a power booster later? I also dont like the way these look in the bay...
After driving mine in gelcoat I decided to add power brakes and ABS. Two reasons: first it is a royal pain to get the dual mc's balanced and the brakes never felt strong; second, I hated the idea of having the master cylinders in the footbox because if they ever leaked it would be a pain to clean off the carpet and would be tough to change out with the body on.
If you go with a vacuum booster i don't think it would be an easy upgrade as you have to cut the frame and enlarge the hole in the front of the footbox as well as cut through the pedal box frame. Hydroboost might be doable.
I went with manual steering. It is ok on the road but sucks at low speed
Whitby's sells a kit that works fantastic. You won't be disappointed.
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Steve
Got bit. Complete kit ordered. Pick up due 01/05/08. Complete Kit, Non donor, XE3M 302 Crate Engine, T-5, Dual Roll Bars, Heat. Other stuff will be added, since I keep reading this forum.
Agreed, this is the route I went. The nice thing about the Whitby's kit is that they provide the pieces for the frame modification (so the booster fits) and can also provide a proper brake pedal for this application.
Quote:
Originally Posted by NicksPapaw
Whitby's sells a kit that works fantastic. You won't be disappointed.
You have chosen well!
BUT do not be too surprised when one of the children finally is allowed to drive the car to graduation and as you arrive later at the auditorium find two massively long twin black lines - humm just about the width of your "the borrowed" car's tires - leading up to the graduation auditorium!
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Ralph Button
FFR 1436 (PROUD Owner of an Original Mark I)
400,013 miles as of 11/1/2009
417,840 miles as of 8/12/2010
435,021 miles as of 12/19/2011
Now a well broken in 347 engine
"It's not about the destination, it's the about the journey. And where is your journey taking you?"
Decided to move up to a 408 vs the 347. Deeper sound, more solid power.
I would like some comments about power steering and power brakes.
I dont plan on power steering because if i decide i want it, its easy to add. I did not wan the pump there and hoses.
Brakes, plan on not going power, but is that a mistake? How hard is it to manually brake these? How easy would it be to add a power booster later? I also dont like the way these look in the bay...
Good pads like the Hawk plus make all the difference. Not touchy, simple racing quality. People are fooled by power brakes. They don't stop better they just have a lighter effort pedal. If you want to stop faster it can be done. If you just want it to drive with a light touch that can be done too. I had the same struggle you are going through. I held off on power brakes and steering until I drove mine in Gelcoat for about 300 miles. That was the plan, a mechanical shake down and a real world test if I would like no power add ons. Its a 2000 lb car with both steering and brakes for a 4000 lb car. Seemed like it was a viable option. Turns out the steering with the FFR rack is pretty much perfect in motion. Yes there is minor effort parking but it is a bad boy no frills car. Isn't it? As for brakes mine with the standard Mustang pads was ok. I bought a $109.00 set of Hawk Plus pads and WoW. They will hang you on the belts and stop the car with low effort and are not touchy. I left myself the option with the Gelcoat shake down to change it all while the body was off for paint. Turns out my original desire to have a car built in the original spirit of the era was right for me. Simplicity and ease of repair were lost after the 60's and that is one of the things I valued in the car.
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FFR 7216 MK 4 Non Donor
3 Link Ford Racing 3.73 8.8 Posi with Yukon Axles. 4 wheel discs Brembo rotors and Hawk HP plus pads.
Ford Racing 302 340 HP T5Z 5 Speed Stainless Headers and Side Pipes. Holley 670 Street Avenger on Edelbrock Performer RPM. MSD Pro-Billet Distributor
Delivered 04/11/10 7:30 pm Roller 05/08/10
Engine installed 08/07/10 First Start 02/19/11
Street Legal 06/13/11 at 4:30 pm! Graduation 1/1/12
Back up my hard drive? How do I put it in reverse?
thanks everyone. i checked out the bolt in kit. Thats a cool setup.
3k, i think i am in the same boat as you. i wanted to see what the factory configuration is like before i rush out to upgrade something that may not need upgrading? I dont want touchy steering or brakes. I dont mind having to work a bit for my ride either. I just want to make sure i can change the configuration later without a major rework. Steering for sure would be easy. Power brakes seem a bit more, but i think its probably still doable. Guess i will see when i get the kit in my garage. Should be mid december!
"We wont need to remove and clean crap up before we can use it or search around town looking for that one stupid part or fastener. (I hope)"
You can hope all you want, but you will in fact be all over both the internet and around town looking for lots of stupid parts and fasteners. Harbor Freight, Lowe's/Home Depot, and Ace Hardware will become your preferred shopping destinations. LOL
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Rick
Mk IV 7329, '04 Mach 1 donor, 3 link, FFR lowers, heater, Kirkey seats w/seat heaters, dual rollbars, Kumho Ecsta XS 255/315s on 9/10.5 x 17 Halibrand replicas; , Lexus Indigo Ink Pearl/Arctic White stripes
-picked up 9/25/10
-first start 3/9/12
-go kart 3/18/12
-complete 7/24/12 http://s1183.photobucket.com/albums/...0Construction/
You have definately made the right move. When i wanted to get back into hi perf cars, I seriously considered a 69 Z-28. Was going to do a Penske/Donahue tribute in Sunoco blue. But- I had messed w/ a 240z about 15 yrs ago that i simply gave up on due to the work needed to repair the rusted body. I love not having to worry about rust ever.
Steering-I won't even consider manual.My MkI had a depowered Mustang rack that was unsafe as far as I was concerned.I had to plan ahead in any parking lot manuvers and realized that a quick move to avoid someone would simply not happen.So I powered it up. The ratio was a little too fast for me on the street though it was great in autocrosses.I went w/ a Breeze 3.0 turns power rack,and the cut spring mod to reduce pump output. The result is fantastic. I duplicated that in my current mkII. Now I would use the Breeze pump too but it didn't exist 4 yrs ago.
I am w/ 3kcarbon on the brakes.Mustang GT front and Mustang cobra rear w/ Hawk HPS pads in front and HP Plus pads in the rear. The Pluses offer more brake for a given pedal effort and this mismatch helps make up for the usual FFR need for more rear brake than the Mustang system. W/ the dual MC I have perfect brakes that require only slightly more effort than my Tacoma.HTH
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FFR 5353K,351/400hp,TKO 500, 3-link w/3.08 and Truetrac, Koni DA coilovers front and rear,APE hardtop,Forte front and VPM rear swaybars
Today called FF and changed the order to 351 headers. Also called stewart transport to arrange shipping. completion date is 12/03 and stewart said it would be 2-10 days to pick it up depending on how many kits are ready to ship. Then it will take 10-14 days to arrive to me in southern california. We are keeping our fingers crossed for a before christmas delivery. My son is wicked bummed that its gonna take that long, but it will be worth the wait!
I am still thinking of going with manual brakes and steering. I want to feel the car the way it was designed. Sometimes "upgrades" can be missleading. Looks to me that a proper manual system performs nicely. So we will see!
last minute upgrade to willwood brakes from FFR. They still have the completion date of 12/03/11. I am really hoping that with the free freight deal they had that will expedite my delivery giving stewart plenty of stuff to pick up!
So far ALL my dealings with FFR and stewart have been first class, hope it keeps going this way. Last night i was reading a lot about a very interesting kit builder Street beasts... man, made me thank god for vendors like FFR.
so far we have recieved the brakes and wheels from FF!! So the goodies are stacking up. Our kit is supposed to be picked up today, so hopefully we will see it in a week and a half or so!
I have been meaning to get on here to update and post some pics (never done that before, so fingers crossed). As Mike (QSL) said, we have been getting packages. In fact, yesterday Fed Ex backed a Uhaul into the driveway and started unloading (giant smile).
Stewart Transport was supposed to pick up the kit from Factory Five today. We still don't know the actual delivery date, but apparently they had a large number of kits going out and sent the "bigger" truck. That truck will be driving to Phoenix and then the kits will be offloaded to smaller trucks and delivered. Stewart says this will actually save us time. Woo hoo!
We spent a good chunk of the weekend redoing the epoxy floor in the garage. After about 6 years it had begun to peel up. The new kit deserves a much better home than that.
Sunday morning we went to the John Force car show and were fortunate to meet a few really nice guys and see some gorgeous Factory Five cars. I forgot to bring my camera, so I don't have any pics although Mike and Alyssa both brought theirs (my computer is extremely picky about memory cards).
Just a few more things to do around the garage before the big arrival. Waiting is miserable.
I am still thinking of going with manual brakes and steering. I want to feel the car the way it was designed. Sometimes "upgrades" can be missleading. Looks to me that a proper manual system performs nicely. So we will see!
I went with FFRs manual brakes and steering with the same concerns you have expressed. I finished in May and have put 4k miles on this summer and haven't looked back. It's been great. Try it first.
Congrats on the purchase and get ready for the time of your life. My daughter is only 2 but helps all the time. My best friends daughter is 17 and she took the engine out, put the new engine in, drove the fork lift to take it off the hoists I was building it on etc.
Some of my best memories over the last year or so is time spent with the kids in the garage working on the car together.
Congrats on the purchase and get ready for the time of your life. My daughter is only 2 but helps all the time. My best friends daughter is 17 and she took the engine out, put the new engine in, drove the fork lift to take it off the hoists I was building it on etc.
Some of my best memories over the last year or so is time spent with the kids in the garage working on the car together.
That brought a tear to my eye. I'm hoping for the same kind of memories.
Speaking of memories. Tomorrow should be a pretty special one. Stewart Transport will be delivering the kit in the morning and a bunch of forum members will be coming by for a delivery/car warming party. Can't wait!!!
I'll post pictures after I'm done petting the car for a few hours.
Look forward to hanging out with you guys tomorrow!
Joel
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Joel "Beef" Heft LIFE'S JOURNEY is not to arrive at the grave safely, in a well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, totally worn out, shouting "Holy Shi*, what a ride!"
Well, the day finally came and what a day it was!!! I was soooooo tired that i had to wait until today to post. Waaaaaay too much stimulation in one day for me. WOW!!!
So it starts at 8:30 AM and i get a call from stewart transport!! He is only 10min away!!!!! So we rush down stairs like maniacs and move the truck from the driveway. We also do a quick cleanup in the garage so our new arrival will be happy to come home!!
The time comes and we hear a truck driving up the street YAY!
so of course the first thing we had to do when it was in the garage was to sit in it and take it for a test spin!!! My son could not keep his foot off the gas. He just kept frying the tires. Myself? Well, i took it for a spin in san francisco for a romantic drive with my wife. I hit a hill pretty hard and here is a shot of us jumping through the air doing about 80 bullit style!
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