[Gbeck]

I've reached a major milestone today. I have this coupe kit in my garage for a bit over three years, and I've finally got to the point where I can take off the body.

What better time to start a build thread!

This video should explain why it took so long to get here ...

And here are a few pics to back it up ...
https://flic.kr/s/aHsmdxz4E2

Enjoy!

 

[John Dol]

Nice round up Glenn!
Can’t wait to see the rest of the build

John

 

[Gbeck]

Thanks John. I've been following your stuff for a long time.

BTW, it's Glenn ... guess I should update my sig.

 

[JimS]

Looking good Glenn

 

[mtwarog]

That's looking nice. Pretty impressive modifications.

Keep us posted on the progress.
Thanks.
-Matt

 

[John Dol]

BTW, it's Glenn ... guess I should update my sig.

Glenn, sorry about that. I knew that too, don’t know how Keith slipped in there.

John

PS. Watching my stuff for a long time, with the emphasis on long!!

 

[Gbeck]

Today I finished up the firewall support frame. As I mentioned in the video, it will support the heater/ac unit, and probably some other under-hood and under-dash stuff. It’s the horizontal piece in the foreground.

I also did some design work on the changes to the rear framework. The plan I had for the forward fuel tank support was questionable. I can do something much more solid by building off the rear X tubes of the IRS cage. And adding the 2" square tube across the rear that I mentioned in the video is gonna get interesting.

I think I'll dive back into Seattle Dad's build thread for some research. ;-) Thanks, Michael!

 

[Gbeck]

Rear trunk wall mods iplace

Today a friend and I tackled the mods to the rear trunk wall. The lower 3/4" square tubing is replaced by 1" square tubing. It's re-positioned slightly for the rear fuel tank strap of my custom tank. There is also a hoop of 2" square tubing at bumper height to better protect the fuel tank.



More details here: https://flic.kr/s/aHsm9s5AaY

 

[northshore2014]

nice.. I just added a crash bar to the rear of mine in roll cage tubing.. good solution..

 

[M DOUGHERTY]

Wow Glen
looking good
You have come a long way on this project.
keep it up

 

[Gbeck]

Today I welded some stringers in the trunk floor and added the mounts for my fuel tank.
The tail end of the car will be a lot stiffer, will give decent protection for the fuel tank, and will add about 3 cubic feet of space.

And thanks for the compliments, guys. I always appreciate a little friendly feedback.

I’m fighting my way out of that hole, Mark!

 

[Gbeck]

Frame Modifications

I'm making some serious progress on my frame modifications. And I'm immensely grateful for my friend Bob for his help. He's not just a fantastic welder, but he's a great sounding board for ideas and plans.

Probably the most anxious frame mod so far is cutting out the original solid rear differential mount in preparation to install my new mount with a bushing. It was kinda scary cutting it off ... sort of a "point of no return".

Here's a link to my Flickr album ... https://flic.kr/s/aHsm9s5AaY

 

[Gbeck]

Pass-throughs for undercar exhaust

One of my big "wants" for this build is under-car exhaust. I haven't seen anybody do this with a Coyote in a Gen 2 coupe, but I'm going to give it a go. A big item for pulling it off is to run pass-through tubes through the rear 4" round cross member. The Travelling Builder posted up pics of an approach to this a while back. I thought it made a lot of sense.

I did the grunt work while my friend Bob did the challenging stuff. I think it turned out very nicely. I'll attach a couple of pics here. More pics are in my Frame Mods album on Flickr that I mentioned in an earlier post.

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. Thanks, Mark!

 

[noclot]

That looks great. I wish you success. I so wanted to do undercar exhaust on my Gen3, but I gave up. There is just No room. I welded several mock-ups, I tried oval pipes to the side and then over the tires, but no way. There is no room in the transmission tunnel.

 

[Fluge]

Lots of great work there Glenn! I’m going to have to follow this one more regularly! Everyone keeps stepping it up!!

Good luck with the rest of it.

Marc

 

[northshore2014]

Nicely done... looks like it will hold.. !! What are you going to do with the scallops in under the doors.. fit a cover or build them out so they look like they were never there..?

 

[daveS53]

Great work! Your post is timely because it shows how much effort is required to put power windows in this car. That's how the total project hours can grow to twice what was expected, for a standard build.

Even though I've never built an FFR car, I have experience with putting power windows in a fiberglass car, where the doors have no provision for them. My '37 has one piece doors with hollow-framed window openings that made the job very challenging and took many hours of hard work.

 

[Gbeck]

Nicely done... looks like it will hold.. !! What are you going to do with the scallops in under the doors.. fit a cover or build them out so they look like they were never there..?

I have a few thoughts on that. Adapting some side pipe covers is a possible option. But I'd prefer to have something functional like ventilation or storage space.

 

[Gbeck]

Great work! Your post is timely because it shows how much effort is required to put power windows in this car. That's how the total project hours can grow to twice what was expected, for a standard build.

Even though I've never built an FFR car, I have experience with putting power windows in a fiberglass car, where the doors have no provision for them. My '37 has one piece doors with hollow-framed window openings that made the job very challenging and took many hours of hard work.

Thanks! I know people who have built their car in less time than I have in these doors! And there are easier ways to do it. But in any case building the track and making the glass move is only the beginning of the work.

 

[Gbeck]

I wrestled the diff into place to prepare for the final frame mod. I’ll be installing a new rear diff bracket that uses a bushing.
I’ll be shooting for the diff to be nose up at 3 degrees.