Im in the process of planning the parts of a MK4 build with the Coyote 5. With all the information on line its very positive to see all the open support. Im also looking for fellow cobra builders in the area to better understand what would be better on the build or what to avoid.
Seattle area Cobra owners to talk with on a MK4 build
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Hi there. I'm in the Seattle area and received my Mk4 this last Sunday.
Mistakes I've made:
1. Ordered the windshield wiper. I'm not going to be driving in the rain and can keep / use a detachable manual one should it come to it. Space behind the dash and above the passenger footbox is at a premium and there isn't room for the wiper motor, defroster, and glovebox. Should you really want an electric wiper, there are better electric ones out there.
2. Ordered the vinyl dash. It seemed convenient at the time but I don't like the cut-outs as they are. Moving them and filling in the precut holes would both be a pain and look terrible. I was also doing diamond stitch and my wife was planning on sewing the dash cover in the same pattern.
The biggest mistake might actually be yet to present itself. I was going to buy a transmission from Monster but wound up switching to Gear Star. I made sure with Monster to have a 31-spline count input shaft but after checking with Gear Star, it appears I didn't share that with them. It doesn't say on my BOM and now I'll be counting the splines this weekend. If it is off, then I'm having to purchase another drive shaft (~$450 w/ shipping.)
I ordered the Wilwood brakes but was told that they are overkill for nearly everything but track. Even on the track the standard brakes are usually sufficient. Since I plan on taking the car to the track, I'm not too worked up with this.
I could have deleted some of the parking brake components as well and saved a little. I plan on using an electric one from EStopp.
I stuck with the single-adjustable Koni shocks. Even the track guys said that unless it was going to be a track only car, not to bother with the double-adjustable.
I'll let you know if I messed up on the drive shaft.
Cheers!
Mistakes I've made:
1. Ordered the windshield wiper. I'm not going to be driving in the rain and can keep / use a detachable manual one should it come to it. Space behind the dash and above the passenger footbox is at a premium and there isn't room for the wiper motor, defroster, and glovebox. Should you really want an electric wiper, there are better electric ones out there.
2. Ordered the vinyl dash. It seemed convenient at the time but I don't like the cut-outs as they are. Moving them and filling in the precut holes would both be a pain and look terrible. I was also doing diamond stitch and my wife was planning on sewing the dash cover in the same pattern.
The biggest mistake might actually be yet to present itself. I was going to buy a transmission from Monster but wound up switching to Gear Star. I made sure with Monster to have a 31-spline count input shaft but after checking with Gear Star, it appears I didn't share that with them. It doesn't say on my BOM and now I'll be counting the splines this weekend. If it is off, then I'm having to purchase another drive shaft (~$450 w/ shipping.)
I ordered the Wilwood brakes but was told that they are overkill for nearly everything but track. Even on the track the standard brakes are usually sufficient. Since I plan on taking the car to the track, I'm not too worked up with this.
I could have deleted some of the parking brake components as well and saved a little. I plan on using an electric one from EStopp.
I stuck with the single-adjustable Koni shocks. Even the track guys said that unless it was going to be a track only car, not to bother with the double-adjustable.
I'll let you know if I messed up on the drive shaft.
Cheers!
Good to hear your in the Seattle area and that the kit has arrived so you can start the build.
My arrival date is the end of June so not far away to get the garage opened up just in time to fill it up with good car stuff. As to the engine / trans part my last hot rod was done by myself and that was an adventure to say the least, all the parts that go around very fast was a bit intimidating but got done. This time Ive enlisted the help of Mike Forte out east to assemble that portion of the build for this car.
Your input above was great, just removed the windshield wiper off the order form even though it does rain a bit here in the NW.
Id love to hear more on your progress as this car takes shape. Seattles not that big so keep in touch.
My arrival date is the end of June so not far away to get the garage opened up just in time to fill it up with good car stuff. As to the engine / trans part my last hot rod was done by myself and that was an adventure to say the least, all the parts that go around very fast was a bit intimidating but got done. This time Ive enlisted the help of Mike Forte out east to assemble that portion of the build for this car.
Your input above was great, just removed the windshield wiper off the order form even though it does rain a bit here in the NW.
Id love to hear more on your progress as this car takes shape. Seattles not that big so keep in touch.
I'll do so as well as keep updates on my build.
Cheers!
Cheers!
Joined
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1 Posts
I'm in North Seattle and started building a Mk4 289 USRRC with a Gen 3 Coyote in January. My progress has been pretty fast because I took a two month sabbatical from work. Back at work now and progress will be slower. I have a build thread on the Factory Five Forum. The challenge I've faced is availability of parts from FFR. I've been able to stay pretty busy but I'm currently waiting for my gauge sending units so I can get fluids into the engine and fire it up. If it weren't for that I could attempt go carting. I'll be putting the body on this weekend to start fitting panels. Given that we live in the Northwest, I went with a heater and wipers even though I don't plan to drive in the rain. The decision was easier because a glove box isn't an option with the 289 dash that has the speedometer on the passenger side. Since ordering my kit I've read there are better wiper options than the one FFR sells and I probably would have gone that way if I had known at the time. They are really only for an emergency so I'm not too concerned. Since I couldn't have a glovebox I went with the storage cubby behind the seats for things that I might need while driving. I also went with Wilwood brakes. I really wanted to build the car with 15" wheels but was unhappy with the tire options available. Given the performance of the roadster, I felt it should have true performance tires. Once I went to 17" wheels, it made room for the larger brakes and I figured it couldn't hurt. Mike Forte was excellent to deal with and I bought my engine/trans, differential and brakes from him. Glad to see I'm not alone and I'm looking forward to meeting a few other Cobra owners in the Seattle area.
Lars
Lars
Lars, that sounds a lot like my thought process. I did the Mott build school in Flint with two of my kids who are going to be building with me. It was there that I learned that the wipers and defroster don't both fit in engine bay. As it is, the defroster has to go into the engine bay unless an opening is cut (about 4" x 10" if I recall) in the firewall behind the dash. The dash I have has the glove box with it. I'm tempted to replace it, lose the glovebox, and do my own cuts.
-Shawn
-Shawn
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