Roadster #6103 was delivered in Carmel, IN on 6/11/2007. I began working on it in the middle of July 2007 and I was not in any hurry as I had other things in my world and I wanted to take my time and enjoy the experience. I made it a “roller” the day after Christmas 2007. With the help of a friend I dropped the engine in on August 17, 2008 which was about 3 weeks after I found out that I was about to lose my work in Indiana. After that I did very little on the car as other things in life took priority. About the middle of December I learned that I would relocate to Beijing, China for work as of the first of February. For the first 2 years in China when I came home I had a long list of other tasks to get done including spending time with my family and therefore very little work got done on the roadster.
In April 2011 I came home with a plan to get the engine started, drive it and then take it to a body shop to get it painted. I got the engine running and took each of my family around the block and then I called Spitzer Enterprises to pick it up and take it away for paint and finishing. Well because Mike is a perfectionist and a very patient person, combined with the fact that he was willing to keep the car in the shop and work on it when he had idol labor it took another year & a half to finish it. Also Mike and I agreed to have him do more work to the car including building a carbon fiber dash panel for it. I do feel some guilt for not finishing myself, but since I only spend about 5 weeks a year with my family in the states and I wanted it to get done, it seemed the best way forward. Now it is licensed as of 8/14/2012. Of course there are a lot of little things that need to be made better so I will have plenty of opportunity to work on it going forward. Also I am still living in Beijing and I plan to be here for about 2 more years which means that it is not going to get too many miles on it initially.
I would like to say thank you to so many on the forum. While I did not post a lot to the forum, I did do a lot of research on it and leveraged a lot of the knowledge that is here. There are also no shortage of really gifted mechanics and artists that have created amazing cars. I also used this as a source of drive to complete the car. Thank you all.
Chris
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Mk III #6103 Delivered 6/11/2007
Roller 12/26/2007
Engine in 8/17/2008
First Start 4/1/2011
Go-Kart 4/4/2011
Licensed 8/14/2012
Last edited by topher; 10-07-2012 at 07:48 AM..
Reason: Revise Title
Very, very nice! I like that dash a lot, can't say I remember seeing one quite like it! What's under the hood?
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-Mk 3 #4900, home built '94 408W, Tremec 3550, 3.55 IRS, FFR 9"/10.5" wheels and 255/40Z17 - 315/35Z17 Nitto NT-05, ISIS...didn't follow the budget at all but having a blast. First go-kart 21 Sep 2011!
FFR 7330 Delivered 9/18/10
Powdercoated silver & rolling 10/22/10
Machine work done on 331 2/3/11
Body Painted Raven Black 6/17/11
Wiring done 12/19/12
First Start and mini go-cart 1/1/2013
Your build looks great. Congratulations! Welcome fellow member of the red/white club. That looks like Ford E4 Vermilion Red (same as I chose for my Mk3). Is it?
More technical details about your build including engine shots would be nice.
Very nice car! I am glad you have been able to keep your interest up over this very weird work situation and get the car on the road one way or another. I hope work will bring you home as soon as possible for the FFR and, more importantly, for your family
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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
Shell Valley Daytona Coupe, (SOLD and thankful for it) 550HP 347, T56 Six Speed.
1957 Ford Thunderbird
"It's loud, smells like gasoline, and shakes, shudders, and bucks. It makes your arms tired and your feet hot. You nearly crash about once every ten minutes. It's so damn wonderful you can’t believe it." -Automobile Mag. Oct. '04
looks great
from me working on mine since 4/09 i wish i would of stepped back and relaxed more with my daughter, i was hoping she would get involved that didn't happen, se is now 15 and i wish i had that time back, boys is all she thinks about now
i couldn't do what you have done only 5 weeks a year with my family, get home to the states and relax.
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"Torque is the grunt
that gets us going, and Horsepower
is the force that keeps us moving"
MK3.1 #6945 her name is Buffy
p/u 04/04/09 roller 08/27/09
start-up Pearl Harbor Day 12/07/10
go-cart Memorial Day 2011
body on 11/11/11 Veterans Day
all legal except paint 02/12/12
372w handbuilt
__________________ Flying is the answer...What was the question?
Doug
Arrival: 11/26/06 (My Birthday) Roller: 4/20/08 First Start & Gokart: 10/18/08 Body back on for the first time since delivery: 1/18/09 Registered: April 2010 Graduation: When it's finished!
The engine is a 302 with an Edelbrock 600 carb on an Edelbrock manifold. At this time there is not really anything special here. I wanted to keep it simple and reasonably cost effective. It is hooked up to a Tremec 5-speed, and I have 355 gears.
The Color is Viper red, but I do not have the paint code with me in China. The white is BMW Alpine white.
As I said Mike built the dash and the layout is similar to other rods I have seen. Most of the switches are along the bottom and there are not many. As I said I like simple. The two switches that are on the face of the panel are the push to start button and the horn button. I have not bought door panels yet and I have not decided if I want them. I will post more photos in December next time I am home.
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Mk III #6103 Delivered 6/11/2007
Roller 12/26/2007
Engine in 8/17/2008
First Start 4/1/2011
Go-Kart 4/4/2011
Licensed 8/14/2012
I was hoping that both my son and daughter would have been a bit into the project. The timing was forced as we moved to Indiana from Tokyo and we knew that there would be a follow-on international assignment. So my daughter was 12 and my son was 8 when it was delivered. They did not seem to show much interest at that time, but looking back over the project and seeing what they know now it is obvious that the project did have a positive impact on them. They are both prone to working with their hands more now:>) I guess I am saying that the results are not always obvious at the time.
Chris
__________________
Mk III #6103 Delivered 6/11/2007
Roller 12/26/2007
Engine in 8/17/2008
First Start 4/1/2011
Go-Kart 4/4/2011
Licensed 8/14/2012
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Nice Car
#6945
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