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Edwardb�s Gen 3 Type 65 Coyote Coupe #59 Build

165K views 376 replies 54 participants last post by  Fat Larry”s Garage 
#1 ·
Edwardb’s Gen 3 Type 65 Coyote Coupe #59 Build

Time to start another build! This will be my fourth FF build, and the first one that doesn't look like a Roadster. I’ve always had my eye on the Type 65 Coupe. When Factory Five announced the Gen 3 Coupe, I started considering it more seriously. I saw it in person for the first time at the 2017 Open House in Wareham. Then again at the 2017 London Cobra Show. I like what they've done with it, and am excited to start this all over again. I really enjoy the build process and this looks like an interesting challenge. This will be a 99% street cruiser. Of course performance is important. But also want it to be streetable and relatively comfortable. With a top and HVAC, maybe some added comfort compared to the Roadster. Still a fair weather car though and will spend Michigan winters in hibernation. I'm planning to take my time with the build. Probably in the 2 year range. The 20th Anniversary Roadster isn't going anywhere though! It's staying right here. So, something to build and something to drive. Doesn’t get better than that.

I had the first week of September circled on my calendar as the right time to order my Coupe. That fit with some other stuff going on including getting my garage and workshop rehab completed. When the time came, thank you Factory Five for announcing the first sale on the Gen 3 Coupe! I placed my order and received a November 18 completion date. I ordered the following:

Gen 3 Type 65 Coupe Complete Kit
Gloss black powder coated chassis
Body cutouts and Nose Scoops
GPS Gauge Set
31 Spline Coyote T-56 Magnum w/IRS driveshaft
5.0L Coyote Install Kit
Vinyl Roadster Seats. Will replace with high backs. TBD
2015+ Mustang based IRS
Double Adjustable Koni shocks
Black Carpet Package
Leather Steering Wheel
Front and rear swaybar
18-inch wheels (free with Fall Sale!!)
Wilwood 12.88-inch brakes front and rear, black calipers
Stewart Delivery

This is the first time I haven't picked up my kit in person. Not sure how well it would fit into my 14-foot SE plus I really don't need the long drive and mess around with sales tax which wasn't the case before. I'm still working on the details of the actual build plan. Lots of TBD's that I'll decide about as I go and start mocking things up, plus watch and learn from other builds.

Like my Anniversary Roadster build, this will be a Coyote build. Just can’t say enough good things about that engine in these cars. The Roadster is just awesome with the Gen 2 Coyote it has. With the 2018 Mustang, now in production, Ford introduced the Gen 3 Coyote. More power (of course!) and some interesting new features. Somehow Gen 3 Coupe and Gen 3 Coyote has a nice ring to it and I enjoy trying new stuff. Ford is saying they will have a crate version of the Gen 3 Coyote “sometime” in 2018. I will stay on top of it and hopefully that will work out.

I've also decided to go with a T56 Magnum to get 6 speeds plus supposedly it shifts nice. The price is only slightly more than the Liberty modified TKO's I've used on my last two builds. A little bit bigger and heavier, but looks like it fits into the Gen 3 Coupe OK.

The IRS, sway bars, shocks and brakes are all the same as on my current 20th Anniversary Roadster. Everything about that car is absolutely perfect, so I'm not changing anything there. I'll be doing heat and A/C for the first time. Still looking at options for the PS and A/C pumps on the Coyote. There are several. I'm not going to go crazy, but I want the interior to be nicely finished and detailed. Carpet, headliner, nice dash, etc. I'm going to decide about seats later as well. We'll see how that all works out.

I'm also pretty certain I'm going to try a hydraulic throw-out bearing setup. I've done a hydraulic clutch on my last two Roadster builds, and love how well it works. Plus with the Wilwood pedal box it's easy at that end. But I'm leaning towards not doing the external slave and instead doing an internal hydraulic TOB. That's what the newer Mustangs use. I've heard nothing but good things about the Tilton 6000 TOB, so that's what I'm considering. Yes, it's risky because of major tear-down in case of issues. We'll see.

So, these are the details of my build plan so far:

2018+ Gen 3 Coyote Crate Engine and Controls Pack
4 into 4 straight tube headers (TBD)
QuickTime bell housing (only option with the T56)
Ford Racing billet steel flywheel
Ford Racing / Centerforce dual friction clutch
Tilton 6000 hydraulic throw-out bearing
Tremec Magnum T-56 6-speed transmission (2.66, 1.78, 1.30, 1.00, .80, .63)
3.73 Torsen 2015+ IRS center section. Interested to try the Torsen version, plus the 3.73 ratio matches up with the T56 perfectly
Heater, defroster, and A/C (details TBD)
Heated seats if possible (orders from the boss)
Hydraulic power steering (likely Breeze rack and KRC pump)
Manual brakes (kit supplied Wilwood pedal box)
Full aluminum panel powder coat and Lizard Skin insulation
Mustang style coolant routing and aftermarket expansion tank
High finish interior including dash, gauges/switches, carpet, headliner, etc.
Cruise control (maybe)
Aftermarket wipers and washers (not Lucas)
All LED lighting, footwell lights, trunk light, backup light, center brake light in spoiler
Breeze locking cap under LeMans cap
Rigid stainless fuel and brake lines, Pro-M 3/8-inch fuel pump hangar
Floor mod above trunk (like in the Roadsters) to claim unused space above the tank, with a hinged cover
Color and stripe (if used) TBD. Thinking about blue, but I’ve said that before. Kind of stuck on candy red. We’ll see.

Received word and a picture from Factory Five that my Coupe was finished on the promised date and ready for pickup. Lost a few days due to the Thanksgiving weekend, but Stewart picked it up earlier this week and today was delivery day. Driver arrived just before lunchtime as promised, and everything is in my garage now. The backorder list is about one page long. Shorter than my Anniversary Roadster, but missing some key parts. Front LCA’s, all four IRS control arms, and toe arms. Once I complete the inventory I’ll talk to Factory Five and hopefully get some updates about the backorders. In general, the chassis and body look great. No obvious defects with the body that I can see. As noted in the title, my Coupe has serial number 59.

I’m doing this build thread with the pictures hosted on the forum. I’ve used Photobucket for some years. But because of changes they made regarding third party hosting and costs, going another direction. First pic is in the rack at Factory Five. Balance are from the delivery completed today.








Away we go!
 
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#34 ·
I really like the look of those seats in the coupe. Do you still have the Kirky high back seats that you can take a picture of the two side by side? Since I'm going to be really space constrained already, I'm not sure these would ever fit in mine, but I love the idea.
 
#35 ·
Sorry, I don't have any Kirkey seats. I received standard Roadster seats with my kit, and have since sold and shipped them.
 
#37 ·
Like my Anniversary Roadster build, this will be a Coyote build. Just can’t say enough good things about that engine in these cars. The Roadster is just awesome with the Gen 2 Coyote it has. With the 2018 Mustang, now in production, Ford introduced the Gen 3 Coyote. More power (of course!) and some interesting new features. Somehow Gen 3 Coupe and Gen 3 Coyote has a nice ring to it and I enjoy trying new stuff. Ford is saying they will have a crate version of the Gen 3 Coyote “sometime” in 2018. I will stay on top of it and hopefully that will work out.
Paul I started a conversation with Mike Forte regarding what I need for my build and he just checked with Ford Performance about the 2018 Coyote and they told him they haven't even started the design of the new electronics/control pack yet because they "have so many 2nd gen Coyote's left to sell". When asked for an ETA they said "no time soon". Mike's thoughts are it may be Nov/Dec, maybe.

We both will probably be helping to clear out those Gen 2's for the next crowd of builders. But at least the Gen2 is a known entity.
 
#39 · (Edited)
They have a Gen 3 Coyote crate in an older model Mustang mule. Showed it at PRI in Indy some weeks ago. So seems like they are making a little progress. Of course I have no idea what the electronics/control pack setup is in there. Regardless, I'm becoming more and more convinced that the timing for the Gen 3 isn't going to match my build plan. I agree it's probably months away at least. Plus there's the uncertainty about whether it will even fit in the Gen 3 Coupe. I'll probably be making a decision over the next few weeks, and agree I'll likely be helping with their inventory situation on the Gen 2's. I don't consider that a bad thing at all. Love the Gen 2 in my Roadster. The same thing in the Coupe with the added benefit of the 6-speed T-56 should be excellent.
 
#38 ·
Paul
I put the fuses in the same spot you did and ran the wire harness up and to the right of the steering column, tight but it fits. There is not much room for the front harness to fit around the master cylinders and I have not yet cut the hole for it in the front foot box aluminum. I am using Forte's mechanical throttle linkage and I want to get it in and finalized before fitting the wire harnesses. There is room for the fuel lines high on the right side of the transmission tunnel, run the back brake line and wire harness high on the left side.
The Coupe build is different than the roadster and I think the Gen 3 has some new challenges or as I refer to it as "fun" I know we are all a little crazy. I have had a few people half joking tell me "you know you can just buy a car already built"
Cold here some days as well, a few mornings -34C or about -27F glad I put a heater in like yours.
David W
 
#40 ·
Thanks for the hints. Much appreciated. I'm not going to do too much more with the harness until I know what's required for the heat/AC ducts plus the Coyote harness. For the DS footbox, also have to keep the brake and reservoir lines in mind. One thing I'm pretty seriously considering for the front harness is to remove the connectors and hard wire it to the main harness. That would save some space and make it easier to snake through there. We'll see.
 
#41 ·
I am also planning to get the AC ducts in before going too far with the wiring. I am working on getting the side pipe alignment sorted out first, FFR sent me a set of 351 headers that will get here today, we will see if they fit better. Then I will take the body off and open up the passenger foot box to work on the AC system. There should be lots of space behind the dash with the AC unit in the foot box. Your engine fills the engine bay way more than mine and you have much more wiring to fit, some different issues to figure out.
David W
 
#46 ·
IRS Completion Plus

Pretty good week for the Coupe build. On Monday Factory Five shipped two big boxes of backordered parts. Wednesday the FedEx parts delivery truck arrived. I’m down to two missing parts for the entire kit. Headlight covers and side pipes. One apparently a vendor issue, the other waiting to get through the shop at FF. Neither will hold up my build for many months so no more excuses. For the record, that’s just short of seven weeks from kit delivery to basically all the parts needed. That includes holidays, blizzards, etc. In hindsight, not too bad I guess and probably pretty typical. Doesn’t make it any easier though and I don’t claim to be the world’s most patient person. But it’s done and behind me now and will soon be a distant memory.

The main parts I was waiting for were the three sets of IRS arms and a couple bolts. With those in hand, I completed the IRS assembly pretty much the day the parts arrived. Not too much to say about all this. For the Gen 3 Coupe, they all appear to be the same parts as used on the Roadster, so it was a bit of a re-run putting it all together. This has all been pretty thoroughly documented before, so I’ll spare the blow-by-blow description. Four tips from my side though: (1) Grease the fittings before assembly. Pump the grease until it comes out the little holes in the ends and then smear it around on the poly bushings. This not only makes sure the joints are properly greased, but makes it a bit easier to assemble. (2) Figure on spreading all the tabs. I used the threaded rod/washers/nuts technique described by others and mentioned before. Works great and doesn’t mar the powder coat. Doesn’t take much, so don’t overdue it. But spreading them out slightly fixes where there is zero or less clearance (pretty common) and also just makes it a bit easier to assemble. (3) I did find the UCA was probably 1/8-inch or so too narrow. There was no way that was going to go in with spreading the tabs, grease, a big hammer, whatever. I used my floor jack to spread the UCA's and that worked great. They hook between the front axle and lift pad of the floor jack and after a couple tries they slid right in. The bolts went in fine as well so bending them out just a bit didn’t misalign anything. Likely just had moved a little when welded. (4) Finally, the tapered bolts I talked about in the Anniversary Roadster build thread continue to be a huge help to get everything in and aligned. For anyone putting this suspension together for the first time, just prepare yourself. Everything is really TIGHT and it can be a bit frustrating. But it works and is a beautiful thing when it's all together.

Once the IRS assembly was completed, fitted up the Wilwood rear brakes. Those are kind of fun to work on. The instructions are excellent and the parts fit perfectly. Went through the steps to shim as described. Ended up with no shims on the mounting bracket, and only one shim under each caliper mounting bolt. Alignment and centering appears to be perfect. Nice job Wilwood. Still need to run the e-brake cables.

With that done, completed both sway bars. I didn’t have the mounting bushings until this last part shipment, so couldn’t do the front before. Now was able to complete both. I backed off the coilover springs and used a 2x4 and a floor jack to push the suspensions through their travel. I confirmed the rod ends for both front and back are basically perpendicular when the suspensions are at ride height. They angle in/out when the suspensions are full up or down, but confirmed they did so without binding.

Not much else to say except post pictures. I’m really happy with the POR15 black painted knuckles. Blends right in with everything else and looks nice. Absolutely nothing gained or meaningful, but I don’t care. I like it. I followed my usual practice of putting a red paint dot on each bolt as the final torque value was set.





This is a pretty cool view of the underside of the chassis. Shows once again how different the Gen 3 Coupe is from before and also from the Roadster. Also shows how nice it is to have a lift.


This is the completed sway bar on the front suspension. Not much to see here. The mounting is different than the Roadster on the front of the 4-inch tubes. Other than that, very similar.


So really big news on another front. As described in my first post, the intended engine for this build is a Gen 3 Coyote. Even though I have several contacts at Ford, still no definitive word on when the crate version will be released. Their policy is that release dates are provided right before the actual release. There was some chatter on the forum that they haven’t even started the PCM programming and the crate version might not even be released this year. Based on feedback I’m getting, that doesn’t appear to be the case. Best guess remains first or second quarter this year. Maybe as late as summer. Since I’m just a few weeks away from really wanting the engine and trans for mockup, I’ve been talking to myself about going with the Gen 2 Coyote. That’s an awesome engine and love it in the Anniversary Roadster. But a part of me didn’t want to give up on the Gen 3 idea. Then I had a brainstorm that if could get a Coyote block, even a scrap one, I could mount the bell housing and transmission, put the assembly in the chassis, and proceed with the build. Would buy me some months at least. Long story short, I was able to obtain a loaner Gen 2 block! It has a hole in the side right next to where it looks like #7 had a bit of an incident. I have to give it back, but no time limit. This absolutely meets my needs. In the next weeks, I’m going to get the T-56, bell, etc. and drop this into the chassis.


I’ve been working on lighting – all LED – and will report about that probably in my next update.
 
#49 ·
Once the IRS assembly was completed, fitted up the Wilwood rear brakes. Those are kind of fun to work on. The instructions are excellent and the parts fit perfectly. Went through the steps to shim as described. Ended up with no shims on the mounting bracket, and only one shim under each caliper mounting bolt. Alignment and centering appears to be perfect. Nice job Wilwood. Still need to run the e-brake cables.
FWIW, on my '33 with the IRS and Wilwood brakes I found that the e-brake cables had to run under the diff, not over as shown in the manual. The cables just weren't long enough to route over the top. (Also, I agree that all of your assembly tips and kudos to Wilwood apply to the '33 versions as well!) Keith
 
#47 ·
Great update as always!

I didn't think about using a jack to spread the upper control arms, so I'll give that a try.
You're really making me wish I had a lift like yours too - the pictures you're getting are acting as my references so I don't have to keep crawling on the floor under mine!

Also, nice job finding a spare block. I've already found my spare to be useful so I'm glad to see you can progress on everything else while you eat up the time waiting for the Gen 3 engine.

Do you have a time limit on the Gen 2 vs Gen 3? Seems like you could even do bodywork, interior work, A/C setup, etc. but I'm sure the bug will get to you at some point.
 
#48 ·
Do you have a time limit on the Gen 2 vs Gen 3? Seems like you could even do bodywork, interior work, A/C setup, etc. but I'm sure the bug will get to you at some point.
Yea, having the block and being able to mock up the drivetrain opens up lots of work possibilities. Fuel lines, brake lines, wiring harness, aluminum panels including powder coat and Lizard Skin, interior, rear storage box, just to name a few. Body work is certainly another possibility. I only like to do that when it's warm so I can take it outside. This will easily get me to summer. I'm planning just to keep my ear to the ground on the Gen 3. Hopefully by summer it should either be released or at least have a better idea when it will be.
 
#51 ·
I had to cut about 12 inches off my cables and crimp new ends on them. On the coupe with the irs and Wilwood brakes you only need 4 or 5 inches of cable length more than the sheath.
David W
 
#52 ·
Agreed. The cables FF provided are 71 inches long, conduit 65-1/2 inches long. Difference of 5-1/2 inches. Dorman C95240 as mentioned previously. I already know they're going to work without modification. They must have supplied different cables for yours.
 
#55 ·
LED Lighting Plus

My plan for this build is for all LED lighting, exterior and interior. It’s bright, draws low current, and lasts a long time. If you believe the claimed hours, probably the lifetime of the car. That’s what I did with #8674, and after living with it for a year, like it a lot. Fortunately, Factory Five did provide some LED fixtures with the Gen 3 Coupe kit. So that’s a good start. The Speedhut gauges, as most probably know, are a combination of electroluminescence panel and LED needles. So nothing to do there either. For the rest, I’ve been studying and shopping for the last few weeks, and think I have everything nailed down.

The first thing you learn when you start looking is that the market is inundated with LED lights. Of every size, kind, and variety. Most from China which is no surprise. The second thing you learn is a very high percentage of it is low quality, even junk. The third thing is that a lot of what’s advertised as automotive related is not DOT/SAE compliant. Whenever you see the words “for off-road use only” it’s pretty certain it’s not DOT/SAE compliant. For some builders, this doesn’t matter and their inspection/titling/registration process doesn’t check for it. For others, it is a big deal and could keep the build from being titled. In my case, even though not checked in Michigan, I still chose to use only DOT/SAE compliant fixtures. Just prevents any issues down the road, and in very general terms, I found lights with these ratings were generally higher quality.

Another criterion for me is that I wanted the lighting to look traditional or classic as much as possible. There are a lot of fixtures out there, especially headlights, that are very modern looking with halo rings, integral turn signals, etc. Nothing wrong with that if that’s what you’re going for. I’ve seen some of those products on cars at London and elsewhere. It’s pretty cool especially when done along with other modern style touches. But not my thing for this build.

After a couple purchases and returns, I found LED products from Maxxima to generally be decent quality. As you’ll see when I talk details, some of the lights from Factory Five and also Watson’s Streetworks are from there. For LED headlights, here the market seems especially flooded. You can find bulbs from $20 a pair to ten times that and more. As I found out, it matters. On #8674, I have the LED headlight package from Watson’s Streetworks. They are Hella H4 Vision Plus lenses with LED replacement bulbs. They’re excellent. I’ve got a lot of driving on them in #8674. They’re bright, crisp, and make driving at night easy compared to the stock flashlight halogens. But at $249 a pair, I thought I could be clever and do the same thing for less. Bought the same Hella lenses, and some highly rated LASFIT H4 LED bulbs from Amazon for $60. You know the old cliché about you get what you pay for? After just a few minutes, realized these were not good and exercised Amazon’s quick and simple return process. They weren’t very bright and the light pattern was all over the place. After a lot more looking, reading, watching YouTube videos, etc., bit the bullet (budget? What budget?) and went for a pair of GTR Lighting Ultra Series 3rd Generation LED H4 bulbs. Arrived today and I’m very happy with them. Quality seems outstanding. Here they are installed in my kit provided headlight parts and Hella lenses.


Unlike some other products on the market, they use an external driver that won’t fit inside the bucket. But there’s an in-line connector so they install in the plastic kit buckets through the regular grommet with the driver mounted on the outside.

For the rest of the front lighting package, FF provided four Maxxima M09300Y marker lights and M50112 SS covers for the running and turn signal lights that go in the covered headlight area. For the fog/driving lights used on the Coupe, FF provided a pair of halogen lights. They’re a little small for the opening and power hogs. My 12+ amp power supply won’t light a single fixture. Plus no DOT/SAE markings. After a lot of looking, I went with KC HiLiTES 493 4" Gravity LED fog lights. They’re slightly larger and seem to be excellent quality. Again, not cheap (recurring theme??) but I think will be perfect. I’ll need to fab something to mount the flat base to the round interior of the opening. But that will be easy. They have a tilt adjustment screw, so will be easy to aim. Because of the low current draw, don’t take heavy wiring or relays. They came with a very nice harness including Deutsch weatherproof connectors. This is the entire front lighting package:


For the rear lights, FF provided the LED running/turn signal/brake light fixtures. These are a super nice setup made up of United Pacific Industries ’37 Ford taillights (that’s right!), trim rings, gaskets, and a mounting bracket held in with an internal snap ring. They are quite bright. Very happy with these.


For the rest of the rear lights, I think I’m going to do a 3rd brake light buried in the spoiler. I have a Maxxima M63319R 9 LED light bar that I’m tentatively planning for that. I have a smaller version that I might use but expect will go with this one. I’m planning to install a back-up light. I’ve chosen a Maxxima M42206 14 LED surface mount fixture. Finally, there’s the license plate light that FF provided with an incandescent bulb. I cut out the bulb socket and replaced it with an MAL-S-WW2 LED license plate bolt from superbrightleds.com and two SS fender washers. One on the front and one on the back. Easy mod and works great. This is the same LED license plate bolt used on #8674 and other builds to mod the Roadster license plate light bracket.



This the entire rear lighting package:


Last but not least, for the interior I’m going to install footwell lights on the underside of the dash, like I’ve done before, tied to the courtesy light circuit. Twisting the headlight knob will turn them on and off. For those, I’ll be installing Watson’s Streetworks L96WCL white LED lights from Maxxima. Also, not lighting related, but the interior will have a 12V accessory outlet and a dual USB outlet. These fixtures are from Blue Seas Systems. Always decent quality.

That’s it for all that. Will be a while before most is installed. But for now I think it’s all sorted out. As for the actual build, yesterday I completed the e-brake cable installation. Couple of slight glitches with the provided Dorman cables. I had to trim a bit off the end of the crimped piece at the calipers. Interfered with the provided Wilwood connector parts. No big deal and plenty left to hold. At the e-brake handle, the cables were actually a bit short. Wouldn’t reach the male/female rod ends coming off the handle assembly. Using a hacksaw and leftover rod ends from #8674 because I had used a Lokar piece on that build, I cobbled together a 3/4-inch extension, and all is good. The e-brakes work perfectly.


Finally, spent some time yesterday aligning the IRS. It looked really wonky plus I wanted to do a sanity check on wheel spacing while the body was still on the chassis. Got the rear alignment really close I think, but will check it again when I have a rolling chassis. Most Gen 3 Coupe builders have reported the tires tuck in too far on the body, and at least a 1-inch spacer is needed. With #8674 sitting there with the same wheel/tire package I’m planning for this build, I hijacked the rear wheel/tires for a couple hours to complete the alignment and check how they fit to the body. I too found that spacers are needed. Minimum 1-inch. Maybe even a bit more. Most everything I found was either 1-inch or 1-1/2 inches. I went with the 1-inch. Ordered Eibach 90.4.25.010.3 Pro-Spacer hub centric 1-inch spacers. These are 09-2014 Mustang parts. Hub spacing is the same as the 2015+ and has the same 1/2-20 lug nuts as the rest of the build. A little pricey, but these are critical parts and I’ve been very happy with the quality of Eibach parts in the past.

Today I started work on mounting the radiator and the first sheet metal pieces on the radiator tunnel. I have some fitment issues I’m working through, including the small opening and angle for the lower radiator hose. I’ll figure it out. Also looking at other builds. Next week I’m planning to order my T-56 and bell and prepare to drop in the engine mock-up.
 
#57 ·
Yes. Forgot about that. They also will be LED's. The Speedhut gauges already have turn signal and high beam LED's built in. I've tested them and they're not super bright. Pretty sure they'll be OK as is. I'll be adding two additional LED's -- MIL (Multifunction Indicator Light, aka Check Engine) for the Coyote and an indicator for the cooling fan. I like to see a light when it's switched on and running. I haven't picked the exact lights because I'm still designing the dash. Not worried if the MIL is too bright. In general, LED indicators are pretty easy to tone down by putting a resistor in the +12V feed.
 
#58 · (Edited)
Radiator Tunnel Plus

Since the last update, got out the #30 drill bits and clecos and started at it. First up was the radiator tunnel. This is where we get to play how many clecos does it take.


I mentioned in my last update that I had a couple of fitment issues with the radiator tunnel. Two things. First, initially I couldn’t get the radiator down far enough for the top mounting bracket to sit down properly on the frame rails. The solution was to trim 1/8-inch off the back edge of the lower radiator channel. (not sure what to call it…) That allowed the radiator to push down just enough to get the top mounting bracket installed. Second is the angled lower radiator outlet. With the radiator centered in the lower mounts, the outlet is obstructed and it would be very difficult to get the lower radiator hose properly attached. Sliding it over toward the driver side helps, but then the lower mount on that side interferes. This is also mentioned in another build thread and it was suggested to bend the ear on the mount enough to push the radiator over. That’s what I did. You can see it if you look closely at the picture above. Some of the powder coat peeled off when bent that much. No surprise. I'll touch it up with gloss POR15. Matches perfectly.

It’s still going to be challenging to get the lower radiator hose installed, but I think it will work. Kind of ironic. I struggled with three Roadster builds. The Afco radiator used on those had a straight lower outlet, which points the lower radiator hose right at the frame tow hook mounts used on Roadsters. The newer angled radiator solves that problem very nicely. But sure would be nice to have a straight lower outlet on this Coupe build instead of the angled one. I think it would work much better. Oh well. These don’t show the issue too well, but this is the area in question. From the front and the back. The lower radiator hose will still be pressed against the square frame member. But I think it will go in. I’m planning to check out the Boig Motorsports upper and lower Gen 3 Coupe Coyote hoses. Hopefully they’ve taken this limited space into account.



This is the radiator tunnel with the mockup basically complete. You can see how it's off-center to the driver's side. I’m using a radiator shroud from Breeze. It’s tight, but it works. Now back apart and out for powder coat.


Couple more updates. Yesterday my Corbeau seats arrived. We went with the red stitching version. Very happy with how they look. These have pre-installed seat heaters, which I tested and work OK. Only pull 3.6 amps each on either high or low. So shouldn’t be any trouble finding a circuit for them.



Today my 1-inch Eibach rear wheel spacers arrived. Super nice quality and perfect fit. I’ve very impressed. Made in Germany actually. No surprise the existing wheel studs are longer than 1-inch, so protruded through the spacers. But I knew the FF wheels had indents between the lug holes on the back side of the wheels, so assumed they would fit. Well, we all know about assume. The indents of the wheels didn’t line up with the protruding studs so of course the wheels wouldn’t mount properly. So back apart and out with the air cut-off tool. Took it slow and easy (no choice since those tools are air hogs) and trimmed the ends off. Wheels mount perfectly. I'm probably going to put some of the Eastwood Extreme Chassis Black I've been using elsewhere on them. They do show a little through the spokes of the wheel. Can't have that. Kind of of stand out against the black Wilwood brakes.


Family activities the next couple days. But back at it next week. Pretty happy with the progress two months in. Ready for spring, but staying warm working in the garage.
 
#59 ·
Nice progress Paul!
I like those seats, they would’ve looked really nice in my car but the gen 2 does not have enough room for them.
Top notch so far.
Are you going to go with the classics color scheme then?

John
 
#60 ·
Thanks. Still considering several options for the color and color scheme. Red is a leading contender (big surprise, I know), thinking about stripes or no stripes, almost for sure no numbers or sponsor stickers. Thinking clean and modern sports car look vs. race car look. But still lots of time to decide, and change my mind.:mf_w00t1:
 
#61 ·
Paul,

I hear you, it’s one of the biggest choices on the car I think. I’m waiting for my painter to call with an opening, and then she’ll go in finally!
I’m currently spray painting my model coupe in different schemes to see what I think. Might still go with my original design in my avatar, but I’ve cooked up another one that I’m going to spray this weekend.

John
 
#62 ·
I Love Do-Overs, Gen 3 Coyote News

Couple of things since my last update. When I posted about the installation of the Eibach 1-inch rear wheel spacers last week, which involved shortening the existing wheel studs, I had only completed the driver side. Then took the weekend off. First thing Monday went after the passenger side. I still had my calipers set for the amount to trim off the ends of the wheel studs. Checked one of the pieces cut from the other side just to be sure. Looked good. Marked where to cut them, zipped off the five pieces with the air cut-off tool, cleaned up the ends with a file, and proceeded to install the wheel spacer. Uh-Oh. Big problem. The studs were too short. The lug nuts holding the spacer had at least 1/8-inch of open threads. Never acceptable, but especially for something as critical as wheel lug nuts. I can’t believe stuff like this happens, but it does. I remembered that when I went to install the kit supplied 1/2-20 studs, there were two slightly different styles. The tapered end on five was slightly different than the other five. Of course I put the matching five together on each side. Just what I do. What I now know, which didn’t register until now, is that one set was 1/4-shorter than the other. As a result, my cut off studs were now 1/4-inch too short. The warning signs were there, but I blew right past them and didn’t check carefully enough before cutting. You know the old carpenter’s line – I cut it three times and it was still too short. I guess that applies to building cars as well. I had no choice to but tear everything apart and replace those five studs. One step forward, two back.

Checked local parts stores, and no one had the right studs in stock. Checked Summit and they had multiple options. Ordered Dorman 610-290. Only thing available was a package of 10, so enough for another do-over (!!). Price was right though. I like ARP stuff, but theirs were three times the price for 5. I figured the Dorman parts were equivalent to the ones I already had, which turned out to be the case. While waiting for the parts to arrive, tore the rear suspension down and removed the bearing hub. Wasn’t too bad. After getting the brakes off, with the UCA and toe arm bolts out, the knuckle swung far enough out to get the CV axle out of the way and access to the four bearing bolts. Pressed out the now too short studs, cut the new ones to the proper length once they arrived (after checking my math multiple times), installed them into the hub, and put everything back together. All worked out fine and the replacement studs were exactly the right length. Good grief. What a pain. I put some Eastwood Extreme Chassis Black Satin rattle can paint on the spacers and installed torquing the nuts to 85 ft/lbs. Now really done on both sides. I think. :rolleyes:


On a separate note, a little bit of news about the Gen 3 Coyote. Last Saturday, our local club (Great Lakes Cobra Club) had a club meeting at a restaurant in Dearborn. Just down the street from Ford world headquarters. We had a special speaker from Ford Performance who presented some information about Coyotes, especially related to their crate versions and use in our cars. He gave some general information about the upcoming Gen 3 Coyote crate, and afterwards I spoke with him in more detail. The high level summary is they do expect the crate Gen 3 to be released later this year. Probably by summer. They have a completed version running in a mule Mustang. Pricing hasn’t been finalized, but it will be more expensive. Apparently the DI components added are not cheap. They will have the Gen 3 crate Coyote displayed at the Ford booth at the Detroit Autorama March 2-4, along with the mule Mustang. I always attend that show so will take the opportunity to see it in person and talk to the Ford people in the booth. Maybe I can get a further update about availability at that time. Also will be using the next month to confirm if it will fit in the Gen 3 Coupe. That DI pump on the RH cylinder bank is an open question. Based on that, I’ll hopefully be able to make a decision about the Gen 3 Coyote for my build. I was also told they have about a one year supply of the Gen 2 Coyote crates in the Ford Performance warehouse. So doesn’t seem there’s too much danger of not being able to get one of those if I decide to go that way. I won't be disappointed if that happens. But not going to give up on the Gen 3 version quite yet. We’ll see. On a separate note, the Fast 'N Loud "winning" Pantera and (I think he said...) Factory Five Snap-On Coupe will be in the Ford Performance booth at Autorama as well. Will be interesting to check those out in person.

Speaking of engines, hopefully the parts needed to start mocking up the drivetrain in my build, including the T-56, will be arriving soon. That’s next up.
 
#63 · (Edited)
Preparing for Engine Mockup Plus

Lots going on since my last update. Not the least of which was oral surgery after cracking a molar eating breakfast cereal of all things. Happened before Christmas, but our dentist wasn’t able to save it and it was hurting like crazy. So he recommended I meet his friend the oral surgeon. All over and mostly healed. Feels much better. Meanwhile, spending lots of money the past week or so. Making a dent in the shopping list. That’s my story anyway. I think my wife mostly believes me. No worries. She’s very supportive. I have everything I need, and tomorrow plan to drop in the engine/trans mockup. But first some other updates.

Several have commented about the Corbeau Sportline Evolution X seats I’ve decided to use, and specifically asked about the mounting brackets. I ended up with Corbeau C22059 Single Slider Brackets. These are one of three recommended universal brackets for these seats, and result in about 1-inch added height. Perfect for what I wanted. This is a view from the bottom. They bolt to the seat at four corners, and then flat to the floor of the cockpit. Fit very well. Also visible here is the wiring and relay for the factory installed seat heaters.


While waiting for parts to arrive, did some more planning for the instrument panel. It’s starting to come into focus. I want to stay with the basic Factory Five design but try to (hopefully) class it up a little. I’m planning to cover the dash with vinyl like the seats with 1/8-inch cushion on the face of the dash. I'll work with the interior shop I’ve used before to add some red stitching. Also like the seats. Same for door cards. For the dash itself, I’m going to follow my usual practice and hide all the fasteners. Just something I like to do. Once I finalize the gauge layout, I’m planning to make a new piece and install it flush into the dash held with a doubler on the back. I appreciate the Factory Five design that uses separate panels for the various gauge options and a common dash. But I want to clean it up just a little and the doubler will make it a little more solid.

First thing I’ve actually done is to attach the dash ends. I used hammer set flush solid aluminum rivets and put the first pass of filler on the edges. The vinyl will be wrapped around for a clean seamless look. I’m going to add an extension on the bottom center for switches and the HVAC controls. Just playing with some paper patterns right now. I’m probably going to use the brow piece. But we’ll see. Also tentatively planning to fab a glovebox similar to #8674. Handy to have plus I like the look and I think there’s room. Still very much a work in progress, but where I’m at right now.




In the general category of why I could never build one of these in the several hundred hours suggested by Factory Five, spent some time cleaning up the door hinges. They’re nicely made and once installed only the arms show. I decided I wanted to remove the seam and small gaps on the visible corners of the arms, making them look solid. Well from one side anyway. Since I don’t weld, took them to the guy who’s done welding for me before and he ran a small bead along all eight corners. Then ground, sanded, filed, etc. (I’m not really too well equipped for this sort of thing) until they looked like this. Now off to powder coat and I think they’ll look good. Absolutely unnecessary and non-valued added work. But something I wanted to do.


After looking at every option I could find, went ahead and ordered the Factory Five heat/defroster/A-C setup. There are a number of systems out there, e.g. Vintage Air, etc. I just wanted to make sure I had the best option. In the end, the space available in the Gen 3 Coupe is very limited and the Factory Five offering looks like the best and maybe only solution. I’m going with it. Also found out the Gen 3 Coupe side windows are now available for sale. The design is firmed up and fabrication and powder coat underway. Hopefully I’ll see them in a few weeks. But no rush. It will be a while before I need them. The part number BTW is 60371 Gen 3 Coupe Side Window Components.

So on to the engine/trans mockup. I talked about the Gen 2 Coyote block I borrowed in a previous update. I ordered the Moroso pan and pickup, QuickTime RM-8080 bell housing, and Tremec T-56 transmission. I was able to score a great price on the QuickTime bell housing on eBay. A shop in California had one NIB for not that much more than the Tremec aluminum bell. So I grabbed it. Arrived today and exactly as advertised. As I understand the aluminum bell for the T-56/Coyote combination is being discontinued. So the QuickTime appears to be the only solution going forward. One thing I did notice. This is an SFI approved bell housing, and has a full circle with a line of bolts on the bottom. I suspect it's going to hang below the oil pan. I don't know yet how much it may hang below the frame. I'll find out when I mock it up and decide what to do. Probably some trimming will be required.

The T-56 I bought is actually a Ford Performance M-7003-M6266, but is a Tremec TUET11010 with a Ford Performance label. Just picked it up today and it looks good. It’s bigger and heavier than the TKO’s I’ve used, as expected. Nothing to trim off though, which is nice. One minor thing I was a little surprised about. It came with a metal plug with O-ring and bolted retainer in the mechanical speed sensor location. Not the usual rubber shipping plug. Nothing to do there. Pieces look like this right now:



Tomorrow I’ll get things bolted together and dropped into the chassis.
 
#64 ·
Engine/Trans Mock-up Installed

Today I was able to get the block/bell housing/T-56 assembled and installed into the chassis. I don’t have a flywheel, clutch, or throw-out bearing installed since the block is just a temporary mockup. So that made the assembly pretty easy. Without that stuff in the way, I could confirm the input shaft length into the pilot bearing. All went into the chassis pretty easily once I removed the shifter from the T-56. I thought it might go in with it still installed, but I was wrong about that one. Did the installation myself. First time I’ve tried that. Wasn’t too hard since just a block and not the whole engine. But help to tug, push, pull at all the right times is certainly a better choice. Not too much to say except post some pics and offer some observations.

A Coyote without heads, intake, and front dress fits pretty easily.


As mentioned, I had to remove the shifter mid-installation. Don’t make that mistake. Take it off before dropping the engine in. Way easier. Plus as I found out, it needs to be turned around. Perfect location for the shifter. No mid-shift needed (or possible) with the T-56/Coyote combo.


I have the Coyote spacers in the motor mounts. You can actually see them in the upper corners of this pic. The Moroso pan is a little above the frame rails. It will be slightly lower when I get the real engine installed. My mock-up block doesn’t have the pan gasket/windage tray assembly. So the pan is slightly higher without that added thickness. Engine is sitting nice and level.


The QuickTime RM-8080 does extend below the frame however. You can see how much here. I’ll be trimming some/most of this off. Will affect the bottom three bolts, and in theory I guess invalidate the SFI rating. But not an issue for my use. I wouldn’t want that extra amount hanging below the frame. All seven of those bolts in this location are just holding the block plate to the bell. None are actual bolts into the block.


The only real issue I had was the transmission mounting plate. The picture in the assembly manual showed it upside down. Once I figured that out, found that with it mounted on top of the frame tabs, the shifter was hard against the bottom of the transmission tunnel frame. Had to trim it slightly and put below the frame tabs. Height for the T-56 in that position was perfect.


Test fit the kit supplied driveshaft and it’s fine. Don’t need quite that much slip joint exposed for IRS, but it still has plenty of engagement. Pinion angle is fine. All good.


Overall bottom view of the installed drivetrain. The T-56 fit has easy clearance all around. Not at all the tight fit like the Roadster. Very nice. While I don’t want to ever have to do it, I think it would come out pretty easily without removing the engine. Clutch changes, etc. should be relatively routine. With the rear mounting plate removed, the transmission is pretty free to move around and swing out.


A few details to wrap up, but now onward with fuel and brake lines. No big surprises.
 
#65 ·
Paul
nice progress.
On the dash check the clearance between the steering wheel and the dash "eyebrow" I mounted Russ's turn signal so the steering wheel is close to the gauge panel and there is not much finger room to the "eyebrow". Also look at the space between the AC outlet on the left side of the steering wheel and the vertical part of the "eyebrow"
David W
 
#66 ·
All great comments. Thanks. I'm on the waiting list for one of Russ's turn signals. I'm planning to see how the eyebrow piece fits once the the final steering wheel location is determined. I want to use it, even if cut down. But we'll see. I want to put the AC outlet on the front of the dash on the LH side as you mentioned, rather than underneath as the FF instructions show. That's one of the reasons I'm expecting to have to move the gauges around a little to make room. Waiting for AC system to arrive to decide about that.
 
#67 ·
the AC unit comes with a nice looking switch panel and a mount to install it under the dash. I am putting mine in the dash above the ignition switch. The heater/evaporator fan unit is a tight fit in the passenger foot box - you have to set it so the lines fit around the frame rails. The air hoses come out the front.
On the angled transmission cover I will have switches for cruise, door poppers and a 12 volt outlet and usb outlets.
David W
 
#70 · (Edited)
Fuel and Brake Lines Plus

Lots going on. But the main thing is last night I finally finished the fuel and brake lines. I’ll go through that in some detail and then a few other happenings. I started using rigid stainless tubing for fuel and brake lines on my second build. I really like the final result and find the process interesting and challenging. Is it necessary or required? No. But once done should be bulletproof and last the life of the car. Plus I think it looks cool. So the Coupe gets the same treatment. Even though this is my third time, I’m far from an expert. There’s enough time between each that it takes a little practice to get back into the swing of it. I wouldn’t say using SS is hard, but it’s definitely a little tedious and takes the right material, tools and process.

The way I do it takes an especially long time (and some would say is totally redundant…) because I don’t trust myself to bend the SS tubing until I’ve made patterns that are confirmed to fit. It’s not forgiving. Once you make a bend, it’s pretty hard to go back. So I use the supplied steel brake lines to make patterns for the SS brake lines. Then I use a piece of 3/8-inch soft copper tubing from Home Depot to make patterns for the 3/8-inch SS supply and return fuel lines. Both materials allow multiple do-overs and fine tuning. When good, duplicate in SS and install. Works well and every piece went in OK. But it does take some time.

The other challenge with SS tubing is doing the usual double flares. I buy my SS tubing from InLine Tube, a well known on-line supplier of brake and fuel tubing, parts, etc. They’re local for me, so I’m able to pick it up at their place in straight pieces. Nice. No coils to straighten. The material is the proper annealed SS. But you still have to be very careful and have an exact process to make the flares. I used the Eastwood Professional flare tool, which is awesome. It makes flares in other materials like butter. But for SS, if everything isn’t just right the flare can crack. When it does, 99% of the time on the second step, and 99% of the time my own fault because I pulled too hard. You have to use a light touch on the second step and they come out perfect every time. I check them under low magnification just to be sure. I practiced a lot with scrap material and developed a pretty predicable process. Most of the time…

The brake lines are all the usual routings with SS fittings and double flares at each connection. For the fuel lines, I’m using 3/8-inch SS for both supply and return. Did the same after a lot of research on the 20th Anniversary Roadster Coyote build, and it works well. Rather than trying to flair the 3/8-inch tubing and come up with the right adapters for -6AN flex at each end, I use a very cool compression fitting. There are a couple brands. The one I use is a Ham-Let SS 316 Let-Lok Compression Fitting, Adapter, 3/8" Tube OD x 37 Degree Flare. Breeze has them and that’s where I normally get them. I’ve also found them on eBay and Amazon on occasion. I believe Forte also sells them. These are a one-time installation on the end of the tubing and are bullet proof. As I recall they’re rated for something over 1,000 PSI. So I think they’ll hold up to the fuel line pressure. Once installed, a standard -6AN fitting goes right on. Perfect.

Lots of discussion on the forum lately about regulators with the Coyote setup, and specifically using a fixed regulator by the tank versus the usual Aeromotive adjustable regulator in the engine compartment. Definitely some simplicity and cost advantage for the fixed regulator approach. The regulator is cheaper and only a single line is required to the engine compartment. For this build I chose to (again) duplicate what I did with #8674 with the adjustable regulator in the engine compartment and two lines. Note also for the Coupe it’s necessary to run the fuel and brake lines through the transmission tunnel. With the frame design, it’s not possible to run them outside the tunnel like with the Roadster. If you did, the lines would be the lowest point on the bottom where they had to get by chassis rails. Not acceptable obviously. I installed all three lines in the top DS corner of the tunnel, staying as far away from moving parts (e.g. the driveshaft) as physically possible.

With that said, here are a bunch of pictures. First brake lines, then fuel. For the pedal box, I chose to replace the kit supplied right angle fittings out of the Wilwood MC’s with Wilwood 220-0628 straight fittings. This made the tubing bends a little more to my liking, plus eliminates the issue (for me anyway…) of getting the position of the angled fittings correct without stripping something out. Ask me how I know about that. First picture is the front and rear brake line connections at the pedal box. The front circuit comes out the top corner of the footbox. The rear circuit follows the path shown in the manual over to the corner of the footbox, down a diagonal rail, and then through the transmission tunnel to the back.


For the front, along the top rail of the chassis and turned down to the DS wheel. Not visible in the picture, but where it exits the footbox, I put a 1-inch long double layer of dual wall shrink sleeving. Did the same thing for the rear line where it exits the footbox. Will act like a grommet next to the aluminum panel.


Just like Mike Everson did on his build (thanks Mike!) I found the routing for the front lines at the wheels worked best on the back of the frame rails in that area. So cut semi-circles in the aluminum panels and mounted them as shown here. The DS has the tee connection to go to the PS. I ran the crossover on the top of the frame rail across.


Then back up on the other side. For these visible mounting clamps, I used the same ALL18320 Allstar Performance clamps with 10-32 screws and tapped holes as on previous builds. I just think they look better. All the rest (through the tunnel, in the back, etc.) are normal cushioned clamps.


This is the outside of the PS showing the attachment and flex line to the brake caliper. Same on both sides. For all the attachments to the frame like this plus the cushioned clamps I used 3/16-inch steel Q-rivets. From McMaster-Carr (where else?) but are available elsewhere. They’re many time stronger than the usual aluminum pop rivet and set really nice. They are a little tough to pull by hand though. I used my pneumatic riveter wherever possible.


For the rear circuit, as already mentioned, leaves the MC and goes down the diagonal tube where it exits the footbox. This isn’t the best picture, but this is the exact routing FF shows in the manual and their pictures are better than this. Note also this is the same exit point I'm planning for the rear harness and hydraulic line to the clutch.


From there, it goes down the top corner of the tunnel, and up to a tee between the rear wheels.

 
#71 · (Edited)
Fuel and Brake Lines Plus (continued)

Then to the flex attachment points.


That’s it for brakes. For the fuel lines, I’m planning to put the adjustable regulator on the angled firewall area on the DS. So routed the lines accordingly. Here’s where they come into the engine compartment. There will be SS flex with -6AN fittings to the regulator from here. Same as at the fuel tank.


Then through the tunnel to the back. I had to take a jog around the T-56 shifter.


Then out the back and turned to the Trick Flow TFS-23006 fuel filter I’m using. Same (again…) as #8674.


Now that I have the lines installed, I can make up the flex lines to the Pro-M Racing fuel pump hangar. Already mentioned that in a previous post. Has true 3/16-inch in and out and pre-installed -AN6 connections. Perfect. The rear harness is just laying there right now. Next up is get the locations finalized and I’ll install with some padded clamps. Here’s an overall view. Feels good to get this part done.


So on to a few other points. Several have asked about the tools I use for brake and fuel lines. Based on multiple recommendations on this forum, picked up the Eastwood Professional Flaring tool during my first build. Not cheap, but they’re regularly on sale. I highly recommend. The quality of the flares are as good as any factory ones. Often better actually. Just need to practice on SS to get the right pressure mainly for the second step.


For bending tools, I started out with an Eastwood triple head bender on my first build. I didn’t feel like it worked all that well, especially for SS. The handles are pretty short, so for 3/8 SS was literally almost more than I could do to bend. I’ve since settled on these three dedicated size benders. All work very well. Ridgid provides decent benders that are better IMO than the average run-of-the-mill benders. Not Swagelok quality, but a fraction of the cost. I use a Ridgid 36097 3/8-inch, Ridgid 36117 3/16-inch, and a smaller 3/16-inch bender from InLine Tube. It does an even tighter radius when that's needed. All highly recommended. Here are pics of each and the bends they make in SS.

 
#72 · (Edited)
Fuel and Brake Lines Plus (continued)

Next up I’ll be working on the rear wiring harness and get it installed. I mentioned before that I added wires for the T-56 reverse solenoid and back-up lights. I ordered the required connectors to be added to the harness. Just a quick word on the T-56 reverse solenoid. This is something I haven’t seen before on the T-5 or TKO’s. Tremec added a solenoid to the T-56 that needs to be energized to open the gate and allow reverse to be selected. It’s a nice feature. I’m sure I’m not the only one who’s bumped up against reverse while driving and gotten that awful grinding sound. OK, maybe I am the only one… I tested the T-56 solenoid the other day with my Power Probe and it works exactly as advertised. With power to the solenoid, makes a healthy click and the shifter slides easily over into the reverse gate. Without, it’s a hard springy stop. I’ve done some research and found several approaches for this. Some live with it and just jam it in. It is possible. Some disable the function by cutting down the spring. Tremec strongly recommends against both of these approaches. Says it adds undo wear and possibility for breakage. Some add a switch to the brake pedal and energize when the brake is pushed down. That’s OK I guess but could open reverse during regular driving while braking and shifting. Others add a switch to push for reverse. It would be cool to wire something like that into a T-handle reverse lockout on the shifter like back in the day. But don’t see any easy way to do that without some fabrication. The other way, which is what I suspect is the case for Vipers and older Vettes where this transmission was used, is to have an electronic module that senses speed and turns the solenoid on and off. There are several available and that’s what I’m planning. Ties into the speed sensor. So when stopped the solenoid is energized, then released when the car is in motion. I like it.


Another detail I’ve decided about is the brake/clutch reservoirs. I’ve used CNC reservoirs on all builds to date and like them a lot. Durable, functional, and look good. I want to put the reservoirs in front of the DS footbox, instead of on the firewall like some have done on Coupe builds. I want to save that space, plus in front of the footbox makes the supply hoses short and direct. I'm going to route them through the unused clutch cable hole. Unfortunately, the CNC piece is just too tight there. So I’ve decided to use the Tilton 72-576 triple reservoir and just received it the other day. It’s plastic, so not as shiny as the CNC piece. But like other Tilton products, seems very high quality. I use and really like the CNC pressure cap method for brake bleeding. Found that Tilton offered just the cap, so picked up one of those. I’ll drill a hole in the top and add a Schrader valve and duplicate with the Tilton setup. The tape labels are just temporary. :eek: I need all the help I can get so do that kind of thing often.


Took my first batch of parts for powder coat last week. Should have those back pretty soon. Mainly just all the steel parts (hinges, brackets, etc.) plus the radiator tunnel and shroud. All those parts I’m doing in gloss black like the rest of the chassis. I’m thinking right now all the aluminum panels will be the silver/glimmer color like on #8674. Really like the color. Last week I ordered the Boig Motorsports upper and lower cool tubes for the Gen 3 Coupe / Coyote. They arrived a few days later and look really good. Bob is a pleasure to work with. It will be some months before I actually install them. But a nice upgrade over the standard parts plus addresses that difficult and very narrow transition at the lower radiator hose connection. My A/C system just shipped from Factory Five. Will be my first time for that kind of thing so looking forward to digging into that.

Finally, this coming weekend is the Detroit Autorama. I’ve talked to my friends at Ford Performance and will check out the Gen 3 Coyote in person for the first time. They will have one crate version installed and another on a stand. They’re still saying “summer” for anticipated release. See if I can learn more in person.
 
#73 ·
A/C – Heater – Defroster

I ordered the Factory Five Gen 3 Coupe / Coyote A/C – Heater – Defroster setup a couple weeks ago and today received a quite large 55 pound box. There was a lot of stuff packed inside. Just spent a few hours going through it and familiarizing myself with the parts and instructions and thought I would share because this is pretty new. The list of parts was almost three pages. Felt a little like inventory time at kit receipt. Especially since this is not anything I’ve had experience with. So many of the parts are unfamiliar to me. There’s one minor parts issue that I’m sure will be resolved. Everything was present and account for.

I mentioned this before. Because of the space frame and overall layout of the Gen 3 Coupe, there just isn’t a lot of space for heat and A/C. I had looked at a number of systems on the market, and not one of them would fit. At least not in the traditional locations. The heart of the unit, the evaporator in the cockpit, that Factory Five provided is very compact. Interestingly, it’s a Siroco brand from France. It hangs in the top of the PS footbox. I’ve seen pictures of it installed (thanks Mike, again!) but helps to see it in person. Looks like it will be out of the way and not interfere with the PS seating. The overall system itself is pretty basic. There are two outlets on the evaporator. One is split off to the dash vents. The other to the defroster vents. All run all the time. The controls are temperature, low/medium/high fan, and A/C on/off. So not exactly multi-zone automatic climate control (!!!) but pretty much what I expected and should do the job. We've never had anything but heated seats in our open top Roadsters. So a roof with heat, A/C plus heated seats will be a pretty big change.

I’m impressed with everything I received. The compressor is an actual Ford OE part and made to bolt onto the PS bottom front of the Coyote. The kit includes the mounting bolts, drive belt, etc. (Note there's still room for the KRC power steering setup above it.) Many of the parts (fittings, hoses, bulkhead plates, etc.) are Vintage Air parts. The drier, condenser and several others are Omega brand. The kit includes the proper constant flow heater control valve, a trinary switch, a nice panel with knobs and a lighted switch for the A/C, all the ducting, registers, mounting brackets, wiring, etc. The instructions, available on FF’s website, are 109 pages long (!) and are very thorough. I put some power to the fan terminals and it’s alive. Overall, I’m impressed. I won’t be installing too much for a while. But with all the parts on hand will be available for mockup as I’m working on wiring, aluminum panels, etc. The front outside corner of the PS footbox needs an access panel added.

I will need to get an A/C hose crimper as there are a number of connections to complete. Factory Five recommends the Mastercool 71550. Or maybe take them to a shop and have them done. Factory Five recommends the Mastercool 71550. We'll see. Here are a few pics.






We’re doing a winter storm warning today in SE Michigan, with 5-9 inches of snow predicted. There’s been a bunch already. Heavy wet snow that's weighing down all the trees. It was almost 60 degrees yesterday. Crazy. Supposed to warm back up tomorrow and through the weekend. Won’t be slowing me down getting to Autorama on Saturday. I’ll post some pictures of the Gen 3 Coyote afterwards.
 
#74 ·
Just a quick note. I love your work. I had the same idea to prebend the lines. I used a piece of about #6 solid copper ground wire available at Home Depot, etc. It bends easily, but it might be a little harder to straighten. For the gas lines, I used pre-made 3/8 galvanized steel lines available at auto parts stores, just cut off one end. I used -6AN connectors, push-loc hose, tube sleeves, and tube nuts. I started at both ends and worked to the center where I joined the tubes with a compression union. I never had a leak in 20 years and several rebuilds. I know you are not supposed to use 45 deg flare with 37 deg AN fittings, but it works perfectly with softer steel lines, and everything is reusable. The push-loc hose is good for 300 psi, so PS and brakes are out. I tried to add a picture, but I'm a rookie.
 
#76 · (Edited)
Gen 3 Coyote

Today I attended the 2018 Detroit Autorama at Cobo Center in downtown Detroit. Walked the entire show upper show floor and as usual lots of amazing builds. I heard from someone the number of cars was down slightly this year. But hard to tell for sure. It was pretty packed and generally the aisles were wall-to-wall people. The car hobby seems to be going quite strong. Several Cobras of various brands including FF and also several Daytonas. The hand built sports class (what I’ve been entered in the three times I exhibited) had a number of nice entries. So it will be competitive. There were massive lines waiting to get autographs from WWE wrestler Roman Reigns and Dale Earnhardt Jr. But I avoided those. Besides I didn’t bring a WWE belt or quarter panel for an autograph. (People carried those things in there…). Back on task, one of my big missions for the day was to see the Gen 3 Coyote for the first time and talk to the Ford Performance guys. Probably spent and hour or so doing that.

Here are pictures of the Gen 3 Coyote. First a walkaround. Here’s the front. Don’t notice any differences.


Left side. The hose connection right in the center with the plastic cap is the PCV connection. You can just barely see the fuel supply connection right above it. Also with a plastic cap. In the same general area as the previous versions.


Rear. Don’t note any differences here either. CMCV vacuum motors as before.


Right side showing the new Direct Injection (DI) pump and plumbing. Looks like because of space the Coil on Plug for #3 was reconfigured. The DI pump body plus the connector are the interference concerns. More on that later.


Another angle of the right side.


And then there’s the famous new cover.


Doesn’t look too great from that angle. It was up pretty high. Looks a little better in the Mustang mule that has the prototype Gen 3 crate installed.


Not much to say about the cover at this time. There are no coil covers for the new version. Too much going on so they just made the top cover wider. JLT Performance has shown some pictures of the new cover with custom paint. Doesn’t look too bad. The cover is basically the same width as the distance between the upper frame rails of the Gen 3 Coupe. Although it would sit above the rails. So clearance isn’t an issue. Jury is still out on this one.
 
#77 · (Edited)
Gen 3 Coyote (continued)

So no red flags at this time except the same question as before, which is will the DI pump and related clear the Gen 3 Coupe upper frame rails? I have a Gen 2 Coyote block installed in the Coupe now as reported earlier. This helps a little but still isn’t too conclusive. The block alone looks kind of lost in the engine compartment. So gives the appearance of lots of room. But the Coyote heads are so big, it fills it to the top and then some. After looking at the completed Gen 3 Coyote, tried to come up with a way to measure where the DI pump falls. Best I could come up with was sighting from the back of the engine, the pump and connector are just under 14 inches above the top RH bell housing bolt. As in this pic. Note you can’t see the the pump in this picture. It’s eyeballed to the end of the tape measure as best I can tell.


Taking this dimension to the installed block in my Gen 3 build, 14 inches is exactly the available space. So as was mentioned before, it appears to be very close. But what isn't easy to tell is whether the actual potential interference would be above the frame rails, and then there wouldn’t be any interference. Or maybe there's just no interference at all. This picture is maybe the most enlightening, and gives me hope it might fit. This is looking straight down the right side from the front. Note how the pump and connector do not extend past a vertical line on the outer edge of the engine.


Looking at this picture from Mike Everson’s build of an installed Coyote in a Gen 3 Coupe, seems like it would clear. Note the aluminum cover on top is sitting loosely off to one side. Look at the frame rail itself.


So that’s what I have to report. I’m very interested it what others may observe from these pictures. Especially interested in some real world feedback of how much clearance there is to the RH side of the Coyote in their Gen 3 build. Also, the Ford Performance guys are still saying “summer” for the release. They said everything is done except final changes to the PCM. Also checked and they said everything is exactly the same as the Gen 2 as far as installation. Same cable layout, PDB, fuel setup, etc.

Bonus picture time. If the Gen 3 Coyote won’t fit, there’s always something like this as a plan B. If it fits in a Mustang, should fit in our builds. Saw this on display today and takes the award for the most outrageous setup at the show. Plus they got the color right. :p

 
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