I'm all excited about my November delivery!!!  I have been trying to figure out what I'm going to do with the body of the car and some of the boxes when I'm working on the frame.  My wife won't be happy if she can't park her car in the garage so I'm limited to a little more than one car space for this project.  I've been working out a pulley system in my mind but it was going to be pretty complicated and difficult to use.  Today I found this on Amazon for $110 dollars.  I ordered two of them.  I'll use one to lift the body and a couple boxes and the other for for more boxes and misc parts.  They're really awesome.  They have a 250 pound capacity and are operated using a drill gun with a long extension.  I'm going to install one and give the kids rides to test it.

Did I mention that I'm really excited?!?

I placed my order today

I called Factory Five and ordered a Coupe kit today.  ETA is about the second week of November. I can't wait!  Fortunately, I have to because I'm not ready yet.  Between now and then I have to clean a spot in the garage and figure out what I'm going to do with the body while it's off.

Starting on the engine

Like I said earlier I got a used 351 Windsor engine block and had it machined.  It's a '91 truck block probably out of a Ford van or a pickup.  There are 'better' 351Ws but they're harder to find, more expensive and I like this one because it's set up for hydraulic lifters.

I uncrated it, looked it over, cleaned it and prepped it for paint.

I think it turned out pretty good.

I had hoped that I'd put the engine together and get lucky with all of the clearances.  I started with the camshaft.  It's easier to put in if the crankshaft isn't in the way.

I used the camshaft timing gear as a handle to make the installation easier.  BTW, the machinist installed new camshaft bearings for me.

Next I installed the main bearings and laid the crankshaft in place.  I used plastigage to check the bearing clearances.  It's not very precise, especially for the tight clearances on the crank and connecting rods but everything checked out.

Next I installed the wrist pins in the pistons.  They have these crazy spiral locks to hold them in.  They're really hard to install but once I got used to them things sped up a bit.  All of the piston rings had to be gapped a little bigger.  That took awhile.  Then I ringed the pistons and installed them.

BTW, I ran into a problem.  I bought these connecting rod stud 'condoms' to keep the studs from scratching the cylinder walls when I installed them...but my connecting rods have bolts - not studs.  So the condoms wouldn't fit.

I didn't want to scratch my cylinder walls so I hunted around the garage looking for a solution and BAM...the answer was right there in my hands the whole time.

Yay for gloves!

The pistons all went in pretty nicely but once I tightened down the mains the crank seized up.  I checked and re-checked my clearances.  Everything looked good using plastigage so I measured with my cheap micrometers (still looked good) but the crank still seized up when I torqued the mains past 75 ft-lbs (they need to be torqued to about 95 ft-lbs).  My two running theories are A. the clearances are incorrect and my cheap tools aren't precise enough to catch it or B. the webbing on the crankshaft is big enough to ride on the main bearings keeping them from seating properly and seizing the crank.  I decided to take the block, crank and connecting rods to a local machine shop and have them check all of my clearances.  There are bearings made to compensate for smaller crank journals and bigger mains but I have the opposite problem so I'll probably have to get the crankshaft journals polished to shave a couple thousandths off if the clearances are actually too tight.  If the problem is the crankshaft webbing interfering with the bearings I'll just chamfer the bearing edges for clearance.

I'll keep everyone updated.

Cobra class

Before I start blogging about my build I have to mention a class that I took.  There's a Community College in Michigan that offers a class once a month for aspiring Factory Five kit builders.  They have a Roadster (Cobra replica)

and a '33 Hot Rod.

The classes alternate, one month students work with the Cobra and one month the Hot Rod.  Over a three day period the students get to assemble one of the cars with two experienced teachers guiding them and a significant chunk of the class fee gets applied to the next kit that you purchase.  I happened to have some business in Wisconsin so I extended my trip to include the Cobra class.  The Cobra and the Coupe that I'm building are very similar kits.

Since the two kits get reused over and over for different classes some of the assembly work had already been taken care of but we got some good hands-on time and I learned a tremendous amount.  This class will easily shorten my build time and I'd recommend it to anyone building one of these for the first time.

Our engine block (relatively stock 302 iirc) and fearless professors, Scott and Todd

The frame - we'd already done a lot of work at this point - I'm bad about remembering to take pictures.

My hand.  First injury in the whole class.  I had just taken off my gloves, too!

Installing the wheels before dropping the frame to ride height to make some basic suspension adjustments.

Our fearless leaders were kind enough to bring their Cobras on the second day of class.

One of them even brought donuts after class ;)

Engine installation was the only part of the build we weren't allowed to do ourselves.

The shortest drive shaft I've ever seen...and when the car is finished, you're almost sitting on it.

 First start up!

Dropping the body on - that red finish is  gel coat that would later be sanded and painted over.

Almost finished.

Unfortunately, I had an early flight out so I didn't get to see the kit driven but I learned a lot and really enjoyed the class.

Yet to be determined

Warning: Boring post - I figured someone might be interested though.

There are several decisions I've made (I think) that I'm not committed too yet.

I'm planning on using a Tremec TKO500 manual transmission with a midshift option.  I've chosen my gear ratios but I don't have them on hand.  I haven't chosen any clutch options yet except that I'll use a clutch cable instead of a hydraulic system (maybe).  I'll also be using a Moser 8.8" rear end and a 3 link rear suspension.

I'm considering power steering.  I don't think I'll need it but my wife would probably appreciate it.  I'm definitely installing an air conditioner.  I seen several people install a barrier (usually plexiglass) between the front seats and the 'trunk' area so that the AC will be more effective.  I'll probably do something like that, too.

I'm planning on installing a pair chambered mufflers and high flow cats under the hood.  The side pipes on these cars can be deafening.  Most guys ride with ear plugs in.  That seems a little excessive to me so I'm planning on doing a lot of work to muffle things a bit.

I'm might be installing a custom electrical system using some programmable modules that I've been evaluating at work.  It'll cut down on the wiring a bit but more importantly it'll give me the ability to add features like RFID based keyless security (you don't have to start the car with a key but it has to be in the car for the start button to work), unique programmable switch logic (you can't start the car without turning on and off the switches in some weird pattern), unique programmable outputs (the interior lights slowly dim off after a short delay or the turn signals blink on but slowly dim off) and GPS tracking.  I could also use this system to monitor all of my gauges and alert me if something is out of spec with flashing lights, a buzzer or a screen with rolling text.

I'm going to use the optional high back Kirkey race seats that come with the kit.

I tried both seats and I'm too tall for the thicker standard seats.

I haven't decided which tires and wheels I want to use.  I really like the vintage look of Goodyear BlueStreak tires with the Halibrand wheels included with the kit

 
but the tires aren't approved for street use and I been told they wear out very quickly.  Actually, all of the higher profile tires have that same problem so I'll probably use a more modern low profile radial setup.  The kit comes with Halibrand vintage looking rims but the low profile tires look a lot better with these BBS rims.

Hopefully I can work out a deal to exclude the rims and save some money to buy the BBS rims.

I'll probably install a propane system in addition to the gas system that I've already chosen.  Propane burns cleaner than gas without sacrificing much power or range but it is difficult to start a propane engine when it's cold and good propane is hard to find.

I'm not installing a radio or power brakes and I have no idea what kind of paint job I'll go with.  The only other exception to the standard build that I'm planning is relocating the emergency brake to a cmore convenient location.  Everything else will be pretty much by-the-book.