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Surfdog57's Gen 3 (#12) build journal.

74K views 425 replies 33 participants last post by  SurfDog57 
#1 ·
Hi Ya'all I thought I'd start a thread to document my build. My kit is scheduled to be complete at the end of June. This will be an Occasional daily driver but mostly a track car! (I daily drive a family truckster when Ive got the kids in tow, and my 370Z when I'm solo, so this ride is mostly for summer cruising and the track (High Plains Raceway in Denver)
So here we go! Here are the options I have picked.

-Complete coupe Kit (yay!)
-shipping crate
-powder coat chassis
-FFR vintage gauges
-coyote 3v headers
-Roadster Coyote straight tubes
-body cutouts
-Comp aluminum race seats
-heat/AC
-wiper kit
-MKII floormats
-Carpet
-Battery cutout
-17" Halibrand replica wheels
-roadster Coyote installation kit
-IRS components
-12.19 IRS Wilwood brakes (I'm working to mod the order to slotted only, not drilled)

My plan is to drop in a Ford 5.0 (302) Coyote motor from Ford racing, paired to a Tremek TKO or T-600. The back end will host a Quaife LSD.



I have poked around a little bit and am suspecting to hit a few snags.

-I suspect it might be a bit of a challenge fitting my steering column around the coyote motor. (I don't think the kit was built with Coyote motor in mind)

-I will have to build up a custom drive shaft (no biggie)

-I foresee fitment challenges with the header/exhaust.

-I have to keep my wife from vetoing the project at every stage.(I plan to use the forgiveness better than permission technique primarily)

Wish me luck folks. My kids and I are super exited to get this project off the launchpad.

Here are some questions I need answered.

-Will a Ford Racing 5.0L 4V DOHC Aluminator XS Crate Engine fit under the hood (with that tall intake manifold up there) or am I limited to a "Ford Racing 5.0L 4V DOHC Aluminator Crate Engine"

-What gear ratios and specific Tranny would be best (Assuming that I'll probably be limited to the smaller 420 HP motor) (I'm thinking a T-600 but don't know about gear ratios etc so am starting from square one)

-How stiff is steering, and should I put in an electric power assist kit? Is it difficult to "retrofit" one if I decide later its needed, or should I do it on the initial build.

-should I do roll up windows or stick with scoops and sliders (remember I'll have AC) I lean toward roll-ups (despite the weight) primarily from a security standpoint (I will occasionally have to lock the car and leave it unattended I would guess)

Thanks in advance for any input you all generously provide. I look forward to bumping into you around the community.

-Cliff
 
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#62 ·
Full droop. And I agree about the extra bolt I just don't currently have one that exactly fits. The "spacer" is just acting as a long washer. It's good to have a washer by the Zeus fitting (is that how it's spelled?) to allow for full range of motion without binding.

I showed my setup to a guy who builds lots of racing suspension setups (ignite performance in denver) and he likes my new configuration much better than the original setup. He also says that the direction of forces should work perfectly and not induce any adverse lateral motion in the bar. The slight angle on the connecting king should be no problem.

We will know soon enough as this is a track build so the forces will be way more than a street build would likely face. I'll be monitoring the setup for play and or wear. Stay tuned!!
 
#65 ·
Those panels look great. I like the look of the dark panels with the white chassis.

-Matt
 
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#68 · (Edited)
I tried to put silicone all the places where aluminum panels touch metal.



I think the rivets look pretty cool on those dark panels. Also I put rivnuts (removable) with some thin closed cell foam (like a gasket?) over my brake pedal assembly to make access easier for doing brake bias adjustments. This was my first time using them but they go in pretty easily you just have to be really careful not to cross thread them.
 
#69 ·
nice post, sum questions



yeah this confirms it i need some rivnuts...

do you use a proportioning valve for bias, right? which one?

you think large ones would cross thread less?

nice idea on the foam... would it be as watertight as necessary? (not that i intend to drive it in the rain much but theres no undertray unless you make one)
don't forget about the AC/heat removable panel if you have it/made it
 
#70 ·
I just drilled and taped the frame rails for 10-32 stainless socket head cap screws. Not as good as rivnuts but it works. You only get 3 or 4 threads but it is lots to hold the aluminum on.
David W
 
#75 ·
Drilling and tapping, particularly with a combination drill & tap should work fine, at least with 1/8" wall thickness. A typical 10-32 nut is only 1/8" thick and the threads are chamfered on both sides, so 1-2 turns of engagement is lost. If the tubes are only 1/16" thick, then there's far less thread, but certainly enough to hold a panel in place.

I have a lot of aluminum upholstery panels on my car. The brackets that hold them are all 1/8" thick aluminum that were match drilled and tapped 10-32. I know that I have a couple of 1/16" thick brackets that have caused no problem.
 
#74 ·
E-Brake is in.

FFR sent me two brake kits so I used parts from both to make the brake a bit sturdier (I used a second connector to have one on both sides of the cam. That also allowed me to double pin and better capture the ratchet cam.



Here are some other shots and how I routed the cables. (I'll have to give the routing some more thought.)




 
#82 ·
Great- thanks- looks like good stuff.

I was going to say "that was fast"- but then I realized that those pics are not a Gen III Coupe.

Any idea why the IRS differential mounts point down towards the front of the car (at least mine do)? I found this to be the main source of frustration getting all 4 bolts in. Perhaps this is some pre-load/tension function.

I'm a couple of months behind you but watching your build intently.

Dave
 
#83 ·
I'm about to install my front upper A-arms.

I noticed that John George's build has them placed on top of the frame mounts with spacers in-between.

I've not seen the mounting clearly spelled out in the manual.

Any ideas? Seems the way you did it with the pivot arm sandwiched in-between the frame tabs makes better sense.

Thanks,
Dave
 

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#84 · (Edited)
Perhaps John did it that way to correct for or modify his bump steer. I might goof with my geometry too, but for now am just setting it up factory spec.

Here's a picture from my factory visit a few weeks ago how the are doing it at FFR

(Notice on the John George build they also shortened the steering arm coming off the spindle a bit to speed up the turning ratio off the steering rack. That Car has very fast steering response when you twitch the wheel. If you watch the VIR cockpit videos you can see how amplified the steering is)

 
#87 ·
#89 ·
From Jim at Factory 5
(Installer of the first and for now only A52xs coyote motor) about any pitfalls of installing an Aviaid dry sump system on the Ford 5.2

Quote
No issues specific to the 5.2, it is a fairly involved process because the
timing chain and oil pump have to be removed but all those parts were the
same on the 5.2 as the 5.0. There were 2 options as far as the old oil
pump goes because it is also used as a spacer to mount the timing chain
tensioner, we removed it entirely and cut a spacer the same depth to go on
the lower mount, but the other option is to gut the internals of the pump
and install the empty housing. The second option might give better piece
of mind since it locates the tensioner exactly the same as the factory
without any measuring or cutting. The only other gotcha is that there are
2 different oiling manifolds for where the old oil filter locator mounted
and the 5.2 needs the newer style (2015+). Aviad should ask you which you
need when you order but if you already have it I would look on the order
to confirm.
End quote

I plan to gut the pump and use it as the tensioner spacer.
 
#91 ·
Rear wing mount coming along.


Also I put the brake masters in both opposite and with incorrect hardware. (I just got the manual so am catching some errors)

Heat shielding will go in this weekend as well as clutch master and some more hard lines.

Fun.
 
#96 · (Edited)
You are a fine welder.



Did you also cut-down the master-cylinder shaft lengths according to the manual?



Dave


As I just got the manual a few days ago... no not yet. I am however going over my entire progress so far and bouncing it off the manual. I'll take a look to see what you are talking about.

I'm using a full willwood pedal box which I thought was pretty much plug and play.



I am just starting to redo my master cylinders with the 90 degree fittings (which were included) to join the hard lines. (The hard lines went in badly due to incorrect threads so I'm in process pulling apart and reassembling this weekend in accordance with the manual. DOH) it seemed fishy how difficult it was to get a good fit with just the hard lines when I first put them in. Now I know why.

I will probably need to either completely replace my hard lines or cut then re flange the ends with new brass connections. My lines are now just a bit too long with the 90s in.

Live and learn.

I sure am glad I rivnutted the brake access panel as I keep going back in there to do it all again and again.
 
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