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61K views 298 replies 21 participants last post by  Gbeck 
#1 · (Edited)
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!
 
#268 · (Edited)
Every time I filled the tank I'd have fuel splashing on the side of the car. I think I finally solved it!

I'm using a custom fuel tank with a straight fill tube about 2" in diameter and 16" long connected to the FFR provided fuel filler cap. The tank has a flat top with the fittings at the top of the front edge.

A few things might have contributed to this but I figured it mostly boiled down to no venting in the fuel fill tube, even though the tank is well vented. I took a cue from my Mustang's filler neck and a long ago post by forum member Oxide and built a tube within a tube for my fuel fill.

Untitled by Team Limer, on Flickr

This assembly fits in my fuel fill tube just below the cap. The fuel nozzle fits inside a nipple welded to the plate and fuel flows into the tank through the attached fuel-safe hose. The area in the filler neck outside the hose serves as a vent for the filler neck.

I've done two tank fills with the nozzle at full squeeze with no splash back. Yay!!!
 
#271 ·
Glen,

Neat idea! Can you share a pic with it installed?
I'm trying to envison how the air escapes, does it come through the same hose and just by passes in the collar through the vent holes on the top?

Thanks,

John
 
#269 ·
I was hoping to take my Daytona on the Rally North America road rally in June. It would involve a 3 day road trip to Durango CO, 4 more days on the rally ending in Las Vegas, then a drive back home to PA. I'm very confident that the car would do the trip just fine. And with ear protection it's a comfortable enough ride. But the likelihood of temperatures over 100 degrees in the desert areas has convinced me to take the old reliable Team Limer Mustang instead. I need to get some summertime AC driving done before making this commitment with the Daytona.
On the other hand, things are looking good for a friend and I to partner up to finish the Lincoln Highway cruise that we had to cut short last year. I'll post up more when our plans firm up, but keep your eyes peeled for a 1977 Maverick and a gel-coat Daytona on the road this September. Maybe a meet up with my friends in the Bay Area Daytona Association (BADAss)!
 
#270 ·
The big news today is that the AC is now working! I was in a bit of a thrash when I first installed it and it showed. I fixed my control panel wiring, replaced leaking vacuum lines and a vacuum solenoid, fixed a couple of leaks in the refrigerant lines (a bad crimp and leaking schrader valve) and had the condenser pressure tested.

I've been putting some miles on the Daytona and taking it to car shows and cruises while I tackle a list of minor projects. It just keeps getting better! I really love driving this thing ... 5400 miles so far.

My friend and I are postponing the Lincoln Highway road trip that I mentioned earlier, probably till next spring. We couldn't make it fit our calendars and having a little more time to sort out our rides wouldn't hurt. More later.
 
#274 ·
I made that part from a piece of 1/8” steel with a hose barb welded to the back. It’s tacked into the end of the reducer.
I find that a fuel nozzle barely fits inside the opening. One of these days I’m going to weld in a short piece of 1” pipe between the plate and the hose barb.
 
#275 ·
At 5700 miles you'd think I'd have the car pretty well sorted. But another problem came to the surface that I had to deal with. And the source of the problem was a bit of a surprise.
For some time I've been seeing an occasional drop or two of coolant on the floor under the car, but not enough to track it down to the source. But last Monday there was a small puddle and the trail of coolant on the frame led to the welded seam on the driver's side radiator tank. The seam rests squarely on the edge of the 1/8" mount with nothing but a piece of fuel hose for cushioning. I was always a little suspicious of that setup and figured that to be the cause. I pulled the radiator out and took it to a local shop for repair. Meanwhile I made a broader support for the radiator by welding 1-1/2" x 3" piece of 1/8" steel to the outboard sides of the radiator mounts.
I was all geared up to start whining about Factory Five's radiators and the mounting method.

The trail of the leak leads to the radiator seam right above the mount.
The Trail of the Leak by Team Limer, on Flickr

The bit of fuel hose is pretty flattened, but still intact.
The Suspect Radiator Mount by Team Limer, on Flickr

While the radiator is out and at the shop I welded a couple of pads to the outboard sides of the radiator mount.
It's Out! by Team Limer, on Flickr
 
#276 ·
The radiator shop told me that the leak wasn't at the bottom where I suspected. Rather it was where the top two tubes connect to the tank. He also told me that a lot of garbage flushed out of the radiator. It's bits of thin light blue rubbery stuff as though a nitrile glove was running through the cooling system!

Another coupe owner related his experience with his radiator leaks and the notion of "Steamers" ... leaks just like mine that are caused by steam accumulating at the top of the radiator.

Putting two and two together I checked my steam hose (the hose running from the top of the radiator to the coolant tank) and check valve. Sure enough the check valve was completely blocked with this crud!!!

The repaired "Steamer" leaks at the top of the tank
Untitled by Team Limer, on Flickr

The Crud!
The Cause Was This Crud by Team Limer, on Flickr

I don't know how this stuff got into the cooling system! Since my engine came from a wrecked Mustang maybe somebody tried to seal something up with a rubber glove. In any event, I'll be keeping an eye on that check valve!
 
#277 ·
With the cooling system sorted out my current issue is with the air conditioning system. After a short drive it didn’t seem to be cooling very well. I attributed that to the small size of the evaporator until I stopped at a light. At idle the engine seemed to be surging. At home I found that the AC compressor was cycling off and on every few seconds.

Too much refrigerant? Not enough refrigerant? Incompatible compressor? To get some data we put some gauges on it and found the low side pressure looked pretty good but the high side pressures spiked very high the moment the compressor kicked in.

After talking with some people who should know it seems that the likely problem is a blockage caused by some trash in the system. I’m making arrangements to have the system purged, back flushed and refilled.

How much ya wanna bet there’s bits of a blue nitrile glove in there!
 
#278 ·
I thought I had the cooling system problem taken care of. Not so! I had it repaired a second time but its leaking again! Enough that I can smell it while driving and it leaves a small puddle on the garage floor.

Does anybody have a recommendation on a replacement radiator?
 
#284 · (Edited)
An update is way overdue! I've been busy with several projects to prepare the car for a lot of activities coming up soon.

First up was to improve the fuel fill and venting. I modified my custom fuel filler neck to reduce splash back and to better fit the standard fuel nozzle. And following a tip from i.e.427 Garage I added a fuel evap cannister.

Next was to deal with the problem of my leaking radiator. I had to have it repaired three times last year with leaks in it's upper left side where the upper tubes connect to the left tank. After some digging I came to the opinion that the left/right flexing of the tubes that support the hood hinges was forcing the upper radiator mount to twist the radiator. After trying a few approaches to better isolate the radiator from the upper nose tubes I decided to stiffen them instead. I installed some swedged tubes across the upper nose tubes behind the radiator and a gusseted brace between the nose tubes at the front. I found a reasonably priced radiator from Griffin and made a new upper radiator mount. The look of the bracing might not be for everybody, but it works for me!


The view under the hood


The view from above

I did some work on the trunk area. You might remember that I dropped the rear portion of the trunk floor by about 6 inches (the reason for the custom fuel tank and other mods). The well area looked like the perfect place to store road trip tools so I created a false floor and finished it off (for now) with some cheap carpet.


The trunk well


Lots of storage
.

Finished ... for now

Finally, I was not happy with the turn downs on my undercar exhaust so I recruited some help from The Travelling Builder to route the exhaust through the cove. This eliminates the hard bend after the muffler so I might pick up a little horsepower and maybe get rid of some noise. Anyway, I think it looks a lot cooler. And I'll probably adjust those tail lights some time.

 
#285 ·
I should express my appreciation again to friends Mark Dougherty (The Traveling Builder), Glen Sides, and Bob Blanton for the brainstorming and stepping up when my skills are lacking.
 
#286 ·
I have a list of improvements I want to make after our cross country trip. First is a simple bracket for holding a Walkie Talkie and other such stuff. It's on the driver's side of the tunnel, out of the way and just within reach. Maybe there will be a few fewer things finding their way under the seat!

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#287 ·
The amount of play between the upper and lower steering shafts makes for a minor annoyance on a road trip ... constantly having to adjust my position in my lane. I installed a couple of set screws to lock the shafts together.
Ready for a road test ... after we get by these couple of days of rain.

 
#289 ·
The amount of play between the upper and lower steering shafts makes for a minor annoyance on a road trip ... constantly having to adjust my position in my lane. I installed a couple of set screws to lock the shafts together.
Ready for a road test ... after we get by these couple of days of rain.

How did this work out Glenn?
 
#288 · (Edited)
A brief summer update.

I am really enjoying driving this car! I have about 10,000 miles on it this year!! But …

One major issue is fuel starvation under cornering or acceleration with less than half a tank of fuel. My RCI fuel tank has no internal baffling so fuel sloshes away from the pick up. Rather than Hydramat or otherwise modifying the fuel tank I plan to add a small (about 2 liters) surge tank under the hood. In the process I might move my fuel lines from the tunnel (heat from undercar exhaust) to just outboard of the 4” tubes. I’m considering NiCop line, stainless line or braided hose for the long run.

Another issue is the summer heat. With the AC on high the cockpit remains very comfortable up to about 90 degrees. Solar heat gain is a big factor. I plan to replace the door window plexi with auto safety glass and add a ceramic film.

Earlier I had added a partition between the cockpit and the rear trunk area so the AC had less volume to cool. It’s probably helped the cockpit a bit. But the rear hatch area is an absolute oven on a sunny day. I’m considering ways to ventilate that area. Anybody have any suggestions?
 
#294 ·
Sun in my eyes during the early morning and late afternoon road trips has been brutal during my road trips. i came upon a roadster builder that was selling off his Factory Five sun visor kit. I knew it would take some fabrication to work in my Gen 2 Type 65. i made up brackets to attach the hinge to the roll bar. Easy peasy!
Dress Dress shirt Sleeve Waist Grey

Musical instrument Bag Rectangle Luggage and bags Jewellery

Textile Sleeve Dress shirt Grey Collar

Motor vehicle Vehicle Car Automotive lighting Hood

Speedometer Vehicle Motor vehicle Gauge Car


i really like that it folds up and forward so that the plastic visor isn’t poised to slice my scalp!
 
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#295 ·
I tested the visors on a late afternoon drive. They were basically useless, giving little protection from the sun low on the horizon. So I replaced the tinted plastic part of the visor with a larger piece that I cut from a sheet of ABS plastic.
Much better!

 
#296 ·
The car is now off the road and up on jack stands for some winter projects. It's been a blast to drive this summer; a 13 day trip on the Lincoln Highway to the Golden Gate Bridge and back to PA, a road rally in the Appalachians through Virginia, Kentucky and Indiana, and innumerable local test drives and car shows. I logged almost 12,000 miles this year for a total of just over 20,000 miles to date. Did I mention that I really like driving this car!

There are several things that need attention. Some are leftovers from the build and some are lessons learned.
  1. Tires: Even with my cheapo build tires the car has been fun and predictable, but it's definitely low on traction. I'm going to step up to a set of Nitto G2's. I think 295/40-18s on the rear should fill out the wheel well a bit more.
  2. Splash shields: On some of my trips I've driven in rain and snow. The under hood area gets really filthy! The ECU and the air filter need a whole lot better weather protection. I'm going to extend the front splash shields with aluminum and rubber sheet to try to keep the splash from the tires a little more contained.
  3. Radiator duct: I never did finish the radiator air duct. I didn't take the time to marry the bottom of the duct to the radiator shroud. It's time to get to it.
  4. Fuel slosh tank: During the build I just assumed that my custom fuel tank would have baffles. Not so! When the fuel gets to less than half a tank I have to start taking it easy to prevent fuel starvation when the pick up goes dry. Some have used Holley HydraMat with success. I'm going to add a fuel slosh tank to the system. And while I'm at it I'm going to re-route the fuel lines to keep get them farther away from exhaust heat.
  5. Hatch ventilation: I added a partition between the cabin and the hatch area to reduce the load on the air conditioner. This "good idea" turned the hatch area into a solar oven hot enough to warp plastic. I'm considering installing a couple of NACA ducts to get some air flow back there. But I'm not sure if I want to cut a couple more holes in the body. I'll think about it.
  6. Air conditioning: My air conditioner worked great this summer ... until it didn't. While the compressor hasn't entirely seized up, it does drag enough to make the belt slip. During the build I had the AC system apart a few times and I must have lost enough oil to cause a problem. An expensive lesson learned.
That should keep me busy for a while!
 
#297 ·
The splash shields are done. I extended the original pieces with aluminum and rubber sheet. Maybe it will keep things a little less messy under the hood. It should keep the tire splash from getting all over the air filter and the ECU.

Untitled by Team Limer, on Flickr

I also took a tip from my friens gsides9 and closed in the area around the headlight buckets.

Untitled by Team Limer, on Flickr
 
#298 ·
I’m starting to put the back half of the fuel system together. This section runs between the main fuel tank and the fuel slosh tank (which is under the hood in front of the driver’s foot box).

The supply line includes a 100 micron filter and a low pressure Carter carburetor pump. There will be -8AN lines from the tank to 3/8” hard line running under the floor from the rear wheel well to the front.

The carb pump should move plenty of volume against little pressure, draws only a few amps and should tolerate running dry for a moment when the fuel sloshes away from the pickup in the main fuel tank.

Lift fuel filter and fuel pump by Team Limer, on Flickr
 
#299 ·
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