1965 Mustang Coupe Build... [Archive]

digitalsolo

11-16-2014, 07:57 PM

My name is Blake and I just purchased a 1965 Coupe. Car has lots of new sheet metal and is solid, but is basically just a roller.

Current plans are:

Mustang II front cross member w/ coilovers
SN95 Cobra brakes all around w/ power booster
9" rear w/ 4 link
Custom gauges (Speedhut from a previous project)
Looking at either a Coyote or an LS motor with a T56 and some kind of turbo or blower setup. Still up in the air.
ProEFI engine management (depending on the motor choice)
A/C (modern)
P/S (possibly electric)
Subtle body mods (shave drip rails and door locks, probably a few other small things)
British Racing Green paint
CCW classic style wheels
Modernized interior (power seats, custom center console, modern stereo system, etc.)

Probably more I'll come up with along the way. I am considering flush mounting the glass, but we'll see if I can come up with an easier way to achieve the look I want.

Here are a couple shots of previous cars I've done:

1988 Mazda RX7 - single turbo LS1/T56 ~750 RWHP

105290

105291

1993 Mazda RX7 - twin turbo LSx/T56 ~1100 RWHP

105288

105289

I did all of the turbo fabrication in both cars and most of the remaining fab, though a friend does the TIG work. I built the custom 4 link (8.8) in the 1988 RX7 as well as some of the engine build in the '88 and the transmissions in both.

digitalsolo

11-16-2014, 08:05 PM

Here is the car when it was unloaded from the trailer (which was done at 3 AM after a 10.5 hour drive through the mountains in the rain/fog, ugh, not a fun evening):

105292

And pushed up my mountain of a driveway into the garage. I mocked up my wheels to get an idea of how it would look. I like it.

105296

Floors are new but done so-so. I need to tweak a few things, but not terrible:

105294

105295

Half of these boxes have brand new parts in them. Car came with a new rear bumper, valences, side glass, etc. also.

105293

digitalsolo

11-16-2014, 08:13 PM

So after some more digging, the lower cowl is pretty trashed. It's not rusted THROUGH but it's close enough that I'm just going to replace it. Also going to add torque boxes (since the '65 didn't include them) while I'm at it.

I did get an ugly patch removed and cleaned up the other shoddy repair work on the driver's side cowl area.

Here are is a before/after of the patch area:

Before (after I took off the patch panel... which came off with a few taps from a chisel. No weld penetration. But hey, that's why we fix things like this, right?):

105301

After. I made the patch in a coupe of layers. The first (outside) layer mimics the flange on the pillar, the second (inner) layer is the cowl side panel. This made the repair look a little more "factory" than just doing it in one layer. I realize you can't see this once the car is assembled, but I know it's there... ;)

105300

Going to fix a couple of small areas on the passenger side then start on the cowl. There are a couple of small areas that are pinholed up at the top of the firewall and cowl side panels right near the drain on the lower cowl panel so I will fix those areas when the cowl is out since it will be easy to reach everything that way. This seems to be the only area on the car that wasn't addressed when the previous owner replaced the rest of the sheet metal.

And the front driver's side of the car cleaned, etch primed, sealer primed and coated in bed liner. I did not bother with the shock tower since it will be going away anyway when I update the front suspension.

105299

105298

And a shot showing the inside of the cowl. It's probably repairable, but if I'm going to rip it open, I would rather just replace it all.

105297

digitalsolo

11-16-2014, 08:20 PM

So very many spot welds!

105304

Damaged area on the driver's side removed:

105303

Picture of the nastiness that is the "fresh air towers" on the cowl. There is some misc. damage in the firewall/panels around these, but it's minor so I'll fabricate new pieces to patch it and sort it out.

105302

Fabricated a new flange/panel for the damaged areas at the top of the firewall/cowl side panels where the fresh air towers had rotted them out. You can't see it from the angle of the picture but it actually has the little 90* lip on the front for factory appearance. I'm pretty happy with how it came out; a lot of this sheetmetal fabrication is my first time trying it, so I'm glad it's turning out decently.

105305

Nasty old fresh air tower:

105310

Nice new towers:

105309

Finished lower cowl:

105308

Upper cowl reinstalled:

105307

Gaps need some work (yay aftermaket panels) but the cowl alignment is alright:

105306

BlueGhost93

11-16-2014, 08:46 PM

Nice work! Project is looking good. I was lucky on my 64 falcon to have no cancer (at least I haven't found any yet.lol), but those mustangs always seem to have one pesky spot! Keep up the good work though. Cant wait till its done.

~Reagan

digitalsolo

11-16-2014, 08:59 PM

Driver's side torque box installation completed.

105317

Drip rail shaved and welded (still need to tweak a small area at the front and fix a couple spots where the roof was joined (lead) and the quarter panel was joined (bondo by previous owner):

105318

105319

Aftermarket door fits like crap... let's fix that:

Before:

105320

After:

105321

It took a TON of work to get the alignment, well, aligned, but it's dramatically better. The bottom of the door "C" body line is still way off, going to have to be cut and moved to align correctly. Oy.

105322

digitalsolo

11-16-2014, 09:09 PM

Passenger side torque box installed and seam/plug welded:

105328

And I'm thoroughly dedicated to the updated front suspension now...

105330

105329

You'll notice the "slice" out of the fender apron. That will be a part of the bracing system I'm building to support the front end and tie it into the firewall/subframe/cowl/torque box with 1.5" tubing. Objective is to make up for the loss of the strut towers and export brace/monte carlo brace and then some. There will be a custom made export brace style piece that will tie into my tubular pieces and the firewall. I plan to integrate a master cylinder brace (or braces, not sure on my MC design yet) into the tower/firewall brace as well. Stiffer is better, after all! ;)

It took two tries but here is the start of the bracing:

105326

105327

105325

105324

105323

The bar that attaches to the firewall is attached to an 1/8" plate that is welded to the firewall. There will be a second bar that will come out from the same joint at the "shock tower" to run to the corner of the cowl/firewall and a third bar that will drop down to the torque box that I added. I will also be adding in metal where the gaps are around the outside of the "shock tower" and then seam welding it all up as well as adding a couple more gussets. Once the suspension is done (someday...) I will add some sheet metal to the inside of the "shock tower" as well to close it in as much as possible. I'm pretty pleased with how it came out though. Second time's the charm I guess. The only down side to the stuff I've finished on the driver's side is I have to do it all over again...

digitalsolo

11-16-2014, 09:13 PM

And progress up through tonight (11/16/14):

Note, though my welding isn't super pretty, the ugly you see is just some seam sealer to seal all the joints up. It will be finished very nicely under the hood, but honestly from the wheel well side I'm fine with "decent" as far as finishing quality goes. Most of this gets hidden behind splash shields under the fenders, so.

105332

105334

And the visible side:

105333

The big empty area will get a panel made (with some bead rolled detail if I can find someone do to it for me or lend me a bead roller) after the suspension goes in so that I can validate clearance. It's not necessarily easy to see but the bars split out to the corner where the firewall, cowl and side cowl meet and then down to the torque box which is nice thick metal and tied into the subframe, floor pan and rockers. It should help spread the load out nicely and be MUCH stiffer than what came on it and worlds better than the car would have been with the shock towers cut out for the Mustang II suspension. I will be adding some kind of "strut tower" bar (not really strut towers but you get my drift) to help tie the subframe together as well as adding some tubes up front that crossover with the core support as the stock support is pretty floppy.

I'm pretty stoked about how it all came out. The tubes are offset into the body for 3 reasons: 1. By seam welding them into the fender aprons I get even more stiffening. 2. By keeping them super tight this way I guarantee no interference with the tire/wheel since it cleared the metal before. 3. Most importantly, it looks cool in the engine bay. :P I am going to hang/align the fender and add some braces that tie into the flange that the fender mounts to. This should help keep the fender solid since the flange is a touch floppy stock. I plan to gusset the "hoop" to the subframe rails once the suspension is done also.

Next up... do it all over again on the other side, along with the door gap and drip rail delete. Then I need to raise the transmission tunnel 2" for T56 clearance and start working my way backward on the car...

Oh, and quick mockup with the fender and wheel (ride height will be a tiny bit higher than this, but it was close enough).

105331

andrewb70

11-17-2014, 07:03 PM

Nice work Blake. I am looking forward to more progress!

Andrew

67cougnut

11-18-2014, 03:05 PM

I like the tube work. I may have to copy you!LOL

wfo guy

11-18-2014, 04:19 PM

You have plenty of skills. Please rethink the Mustang II front suspension. it looks to me from your previous build that you want things to be really good. There's way better stuff out there. Nice progress!

digitalsolo

11-19-2014, 05:14 AM

I like the tube work. I may have to copy you!LOL

Hah, by all means, go for it! :)

You have plenty of skills. Please rethink the Mustang II front suspension. it looks to me from your previous build that you want things to be really good. There's way better stuff out there. Nice progress!

What is the problem with the MII based stuff? My biggest concerns were getting the additional space in the engine bay for whatever engine choice I end up with and having something adjustable (coilovers). What recommendations do you have for front suspension systems? I have a MII style crossmember en route currently, but I'm not particularly heavily invested in it. I don't have the money to drop 5-6k on something like the DSE setup though.

wfo guy

11-19-2014, 10:24 AM

Having owned an original Mustang II and knowing how poor it drove started my dislike for them. The wide spread use in the street rod world has allowed several variations of a-arms and attaching points to be used. There have been enough failures to document shortcomings of the design but my main complaints are lack of travel and geometry adjustments. As to a suggestion, there are people with way more exp. than me but I would look at alternatives that allow large brakes, long travel, and geometrically advantageous attaching points. I fully understand the budget concerns. I treat toys as a business. My observation has been that any time we spend too much, we tend to be real unhappy in the end.

andrewb70

11-19-2014, 12:45 PM

Blake,

I just noticed that you are chenneling David Frieburger...LOL

https://www.pro-touring.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=105304&d=1416197738

I haven't used the MII suspension before, but I have to believe that in this day and age there are better options.

Andrew

digitalsolo

11-19-2014, 01:20 PM

Andrew, you're right, that photo is very Freiburger.

As far as the MII suspension goes, here's my thoughts:

I don't have the time to dedicate to designing a clean sheet design, so that's out immediately. My research shows that 95% of options on the market either utilize stock strut towers (not going to work for me due to space) or some MII descendant. I do know of the DSE setup which is slightly differing from MII, though it looks like a descendant of some kind also. I've looked at retrofitting a modern car setup, but again, the amount of research and likely trial/error needed to really dial it in is probably excessive for a car that is unlikely to ever see a road course.

The crossmember I ordered is 3/16" plate and the front subframe will be plated where it attaches. I will then gusset it to the "hoop" that gussets to pretty much everything else. I will be using tubular arms and coilovers and I plan to use 13" late Mustang dual piston brakes. I expect to have around ~1500-2000 dollars in the entire setup, brakes and all, likely closer to the 1500 mark. My expectation is that by keeping everything well braced I should be able to get whatever performance is available in that suspension out of it.

That's my idea anyway, I guess I just need some specific holes shot into it to help me understand why not to go that way. It seems to be a pretty popular swap and setups like the TCI seem to even be competitive at Auto-X and such. I really just want a car that can handle like a modern chassis; I don't expect this to out corner my MINI Cooper, but I'm hoping to get close to my old RX7 with stock suspension on it. Is this a realistic goal? Please don't take this as me being combative, as I'm not at all, I am super happy to get advice as this is all somewhat new to me. I don't really have a dog in this fight (other than my wallet) but I guess I just don't want to let "perfect" get in the way of "good enough", particularly if my intended usage (street car) is not likely to notice the improvement.

FWIW, on the rear I am planning on the TCI torque arm setup since I like the x-brace and torque arm design.

wfo guy

11-19-2014, 02:58 PM

andrewb70

11-19-2014, 03:09 PM

What about the front kits from TCI? Are those Mustang II based?

Andrew

69stang

11-19-2014, 04:25 PM

I've been looking at these but think I might go with the Martz setup on my 69.
https://www.cachassisworks.com/Attachments/Catalogs/BG_300.pdf
http://roadstershop.com/suspension/64-72mustangcrossmember/
http://martzchassis.net/products/front-independent-suspension/1965-68-1969-72-mustang-suspension-systems/

digitalsolo

11-19-2014, 05:11 PM

I fully appreciate what you said. I respect that you want facts and not opinions. Because there is so much to be found in one's own exp., I suggest you find something with the mII front end and go for a ride. If it meets your expectations, you've found your answer. I based my suggestion upon seeing the components and workmanship on your previous projects that your desire to really improve the Mustang's suspension wouldn't be met by the mII conversion. I've owned 17 Mustangs in my life not including the lone Mustang II. 1 of which was a 67 GT350. None of them are remotely close to modern cars. With what I observe on this section of Pro-Touring, it appears to me that more people are attempting to make most of the projects as good or better than modern cars. It sounds to me like you have done lots of homework before making the decision. I wish I had a first hand Mustang conversion to tell you about that would give you something to compare to but I don't. I agree that removing the towers for space should be a first step on any good Mustang update. Great start and good luck and may the project gods smile on you. :)

Thanks! It's nice to be on a forum and have a good conversation, it's appreciated very much, as is your input on this.

I wish I had more options to try and drive something similar to really get a good view. It is worth nothing that the setup I'm using isn't straight MII, it's just a derivative of it. Geometry is slightly updated and the coilover setup and brakes are quite different. It is still stock style MII spindles though, for sure. I will see if I can find someone with one in the area, I agree that's the best plan, for sure.

What about the front kits from TCI? Are those Mustang II based?

Andrew

I think the upper control arm design has been fiddled with quite a bit on the TCI, but it sure looks like a descendant of the MII.

I've been looking at these but think I might go with the Martz setup on my 69.
https://www.cachassisworks.com/Attachments/Catalogs/BG_300.pdf
http://roadstershop.com/suspension/64-72mustangcrossmember/
http://martzchassis.net/products/front-independent-suspension/1965-68-1969-72-mustang-suspension-systems/

That Martz setup is pretty neat. I really dig the Roadster shop setup, but I just can't justify 6k+ for it, kinda like the DSE stuff. Is it worth the money? Probably. But I'd rather put another 3k of my budget into top shelf engine management. I'm already going to be into this thing pretty deep, my wife might kill me if I put 15k into suspension/brakes, haha.

edit: Oh, a fun fact on all of this... I've never driven a car older than ~1986. Ever. I've never ridden in an early Mustang. Shoot, I've only ridden in 2-3 Mustangs total, ever. So I have no idea how good/bad these things handled stock, LOL. I do know how floppy it was when I got it though. Wowza it was a wet noodle! I come from Mazda RX7 land (built like 20+ of those) and they are RIGID even stock. Going to be interesting, haha.

langleylad

11-19-2014, 06:19 PM

What about the front kits from TCI? Are those Mustang II based?

Andrew

I've installed the TCI kit on my Cougar and according to TCI it is not Mustang II based as some of their street rod stuff is.

andrewb70

11-19-2014, 08:02 PM

....

edit: Oh, a fun fact on all of this... I've never driven a car older than ~1986. Ever. I've never ridden in an early Mustang. Shoot, I've only ridden in 2-3 Mustangs total, ever. So I have no idea how good/bad these things handled stock, LOL. I do know how floppy it was when I got it though. Wowza it was a wet noodle! I come from Mazda RX7 land (built like 20+ of those) and they are RIGID even stock. Going to be interesting, haha.

You better lower your expectations. My FC with stock suspension and a LS6 was a great little car. These old cars need a lot of help...a full cage helps a lot in the chassis rigidity department.

Andrew

digitalsolo

11-19-2014, 11:23 PM

Yeah, a cage is 100% out. Part of the reason I sold the RX7 was no rear seats so I couldn't take my wife/son with me places. The Mustang needs to be family friendly so <700 RWHP and no cage are high on my list of requirements.

I suppose I may not be able to reach FC levels of handling, but I'm hoping I can get it somewhat close. My big priority is going to be chassis rigidity though. Even a crappy suspension is crutched a lot by a stable chassis. We'll see how good my theory works out. If all else fails at least all my tube work looks cool, LOL.

Jetfixr320

11-20-2014, 05:57 AM

With the way your build is looking. I think you will be fine with the Mustang II type suspension.
I have two cars with R&C kits. I would let you drive mine if your near Indy.

I like the way TCI uses shims to adjust the upper control arm verse the sliding t-bolts.

And stick with power steering. I went manual being cheap and have switched one to P/S and will do the other someday.

I was looking at my Falcon yesterday and wondered about longer control arms to get the wheel out a little further.

I've posted this before, but its interesting. http://www.stangnet.com/mustang-forums/threads/torsional-rigidity-test-67-coupe.723029/

Good luck with your build.

digitalsolo

11-20-2014, 07:20 AM

Yeah, the sliding T-bolts seem to be an issue. I am kicking around an idea to fix them though. :)

I will 100% have power steering, but I am currently looking at a manual R&P and an electric column. That way I can avoid a P/S motor and lines. I did order a wider stance (2" total) crossmember to push the wheels out a bit so that I can fit my "modern style" offset wheels without 1" spacers on each side.

manOwar

11-20-2014, 07:56 AM

There are a couple options to improve handling and geometry that can be added to the MII based suspension...

Wilwood Pro Spindles are a half inch taller and improve roll center and body roll. The steering arms are bolt on and can be used with either front or rear steer and can be installed on either side which allows you to install the tie rod on either top or bottom to help with bump steer. http://www.wilwood.com/PDF/flyers/fl193.pdf

Then there's SPC adjustable upper control arms. Page 91 here; http://www.spcalignment.com/images/stories/catalogs/SPC_Cat_2013-web.pdf

I have the R&C kit in mine with the 2" drop pro spindles and 14" brakes. I went with an 18x8 wheel which required 6.25" BS. I went with a 225/45 tire but may end up with a 225/40. There's room for a 245/35 or 40 however, it's real tight and would require stops installed on the rack.

digitalsolo

11-20-2014, 09:08 AM

Awesome, keep it coming guys, I really appreciate the input.

I will take a look at those Wilwood spindles. I want to do a late model Mustang 13" brake setup. I can have brackets cut by my buddy with his plasma if needed, I know my way around AutoCAD pretty well (used to do drafting proofreading when I was 10-11.. not a typo) so I may draw it up if need be.

Those pictures are great too. I have a 235 on a 17x8 +35ET that I -think- I can make fit pretty well. It's a short tire, so that helps a little. I don't mind adding a stop to the rack or the arms as needed, though I'm hoping not to have to limit too much as I know the MII setups widen the turning radius a little. I suppose I can always steer with the rear, haha! ;)

85coupe50

11-20-2014, 11:46 AM

Nice ride.. I am about to dive into a 66 Mustang myself.

feeble

11-20-2014, 02:52 PM

Car isn't done yet, but I have a MII front suspension with Wilwood Pro spindles (std height), Ridetech lowers, & SPC uppers and brakes very loosely based on 13" SN95 Cobra brakes. Still need to figure out the anti-roll bar since switching to the Ridetech lowers and buy the front RT coil overs.

Hoping it will handle very well.

EDIT: I'd have to look back through my designs, but if you are using SN95 brakes and a Wilwood 2" drop spindle, I may already have the caliper bracket design you need.

digitalsolo

11-21-2014, 04:14 AM

I'd have to look back through my designs, but if you are using SN95 brakes and a Wilwood 2" drop spindle, I may already have the caliper bracket design you need.

That'd be super awesome!

feeble

11-21-2014, 08:51 AM

I will see what I can dig up. The design I came up with uses the early Mustang drum brake hubs like the Mustang Steve kit.

digitalsolo

11-21-2014, 10:40 AM

I happen to have a set of '65 drum brake 5 lug (V8) hubs in my garage. :) Only thing I kept from the stock front suspension. Just need to put new studs in them.

Mustang Steve's stuff is exactly why I kept them and one of the places I was looking at for brake kits. He seems to have several neat things on that site.

On a side note, a 20 ton press and a 5 lbs hammer, when combined, are great for getting 30+ year old drums off of a hub. :P

Jedrattle

11-21-2014, 11:06 AM

Nice build! It looks like you've built some nice cars before. I was wondering if you could take a measurement of the front frame rails for me. I'm trying to find a front suspension for my `48 Plymouth coupe. It looks like the clips for early novas and mustangs seem like the right wms to wms but I need frame measurements (inside and outside of the frame rails) to see if it's close enough to work for me. I would be grateful. Thank you!

manOwar

11-21-2014, 12:01 PM

Jedrattle

11-21-2014, 12:58 PM

manowar.....thank you.

Crestronwizard

11-21-2014, 02:31 PM

Looks good.

digitalsolo

11-21-2014, 05:25 PM

That's a neat document. Jedrattle, if you need any other measurements, let me know, it's all torn down and about 10' from my couch, haha. :)

digitalsolo

11-25-2014, 06:24 PM

I plated 2 out of 3 sides of one of the frame rails where the subframe will mount. It's tough to see but this is the inside of the frame rail and the top, which got some nice thick ties into the hoop also:

105712

And playing with fender gap. It's way worse than this makes it look, LOL. Nothing some 1/8" filler rod and a couple hours of profanity cannot sort out at least.

105711

I received the crossmember kit (ships unassembled, you have to "fold" it up and weld it).

My welding only moderately sucks:

105710

Assembled, ground and mocked in place to get a look at it's position:

105709

nokones

11-25-2014, 06:48 PM

If you want to stiffen up the chassis without a cage on a Mustang, contact Mike Maier, Inc. in Livermore, CA. Mike can help you with your build.

langleylad

11-25-2014, 07:34 PM

Did you get your crossmember from Paul Hortons ?

digitalsolo

11-25-2014, 08:11 PM

I've looked at the Maier stuff, their subframe connectors look great.

The crossmember came from West Texas Speed. It's similar to the Paul Horton unit, just a little different in the upper/coilover mount. It's a beefy SOB though, I'm very pleased with the quality/fitment (and shipping/service for that matter). The Paul Horton Welder Series stuff looks really nice, too.

digitalsolo

11-29-2014, 02:50 PM

Front end bracing on passenger side:

105923

MII suspension in. I added a bunch of gussets to it.

105924

I'm going to get some square box tubing to gusset the torque box/pillar/cowl/rocker together with an x-brace. That should give a good load path into everything. That's my theory anywho.

The tabs will connect heim joint ended rods. They angle is pretty shallow and there isn't going to be much load path, but the main goal is to have a spot to brace the master cylinders (brake/clutch) to, to help mitigate flexy-firewall syndrome.

digitalsolo

12-05-2014, 06:13 AM

Little bit more progress on the front end. Built some internal aprons to cover up the fender wells. The bottom area of these may get a little trim/tweak once the arms get in and I can check clearances. I also want to add a brace on the rear of the MII upper arm mount that will have a bolt that can be used to set pressure against the upper arm pivot to prevent "walk" under load. I'll build a mockup of it once the arms are installed so that I can see if it will work like I want it to.

106173

And restoration of the hubs. Here is a shot of before/after..

106174

And both completed...

106172

I'm not sure why the studs look goofy in the pictures, it's just the camera, they are nice and straight. Big fan of my 20 ton press for... persuading... 50 year old parts to play nice. ;)

Not much progress beyond this right now. Finishing up a mil-spec harness for a guy with a 1994 RX7 right now, then I have a conversion harness for an LS1 in a Crown Vic, THEN I should be able to get back to the Mustang. That reminds me, after body work is chassis electrical. :D

stangreen

12-05-2014, 09:24 AM

looks good so far with the progress I like it I love when people build the coupes I have one myself

andrewb70

12-05-2014, 09:26 AM

Nice progress Blake. Sent you a PM.

Andrew

bikefreak600

12-06-2014, 11:01 AM

like your project. i am doing a 65 fastback, take a look at my thread i have done a ton of chassy strengthening that is not very invasive, everything is subtle & effective

digitalsolo

12-15-2014, 04:58 PM

Been super busy at work and out and about (PRI in Indy and elsewhere) so I haven't had a lot of time to work on the car.

I did get the TCI torque arm rear suspension kit ordered up, looking forward to getting that setup!

digitalsolo

01-04-2015, 04:02 PM

PROGRESS !!! !!!

Body work on the driver's side inner fender panels is done:

107200

107203

And got a start on filling/cleaning up the firewall:

107202

Took a break from body work (sort of) to play with fender alignment at the door. These fenders/doors fit like total garbage. No clue what brand they are (PO bought them) but wow, they suck. Anywho, here's about 5 hours of work tightening this tiny little area up:

107201

Subframe connectors are in, as well as x-brace:

107199

107210

Outrigger/jacking plates are built...

107197

So what is the little cylinder you ask? That will get a delrin insert (who wants to machine some delrin for me?) to function as a jack point without tearing up my undercoating. :)

My welding is improving steadily:

107196

Front installed:

107212

Rear installed:

107211

Up top:

107209

107208

Those are welded to the subframe/connectors and the rockers, as well as the floor. Unlike the RX7, I decided to use "through floor" style as my research says it helps to increase stiffness, which on this thing, well, every bit helps.

Rear panhard mount, coilover mounts and swaybar mounts:

107198

Rear end with brackets and cleanup. This was 2.5 hours of misery grinding all of the last 50 years of crap off of it. Ugh, not fun. Not bad for a 50 year old axle:

107213

And with the torque arm mocked up:

107207

I need to cut the ends off to center the pinion up properly. I ordered a set of big bearing ends and will have a friend of a friend with a jig weld them on straight. :)

andrewb70

01-05-2015, 09:51 AM

Good progress Blake!

Andrew

manOwar

01-05-2015, 10:06 AM

You've been busy... looks great!

digitalsolo

01-05-2015, 11:00 AM

Thanks guys!

I just ordered up some durablock sanding boards as I only have some small hand sized sanding pads and those no-workie on the big panels/curves, so I'm hoping the big blocks help get everything nice and straight. I'm no expert body man, but I figure it can end up better than average with enough sweat equity.

I'm really looking forward to setting it on the ground at ride height right now. Can't wait to see how it'll look!

Crestronwizard

01-05-2015, 11:44 AM

I like seeing other people making progress. Inspiring :). Looks great!

digitalsolo

03-08-2015, 07:09 PM

Okay, been SLAMMED at work, traveling all over, plus my son's birthday and some mil-spec harness work for some other people, but, I present to you... progress!

Since I improved load path into the cowl area, I though it prudent to improve load path from the cowl area into the hinge pillar and rocker:

109981

Axle housing done. My buddy welded it for me with a jig he has setup. TIG'd it. Makes my welds on the brackets look pretty ****ty, haha! He does great work and charges me much less than he should because he's a cool guy.

109980

109979

The fender gaps. Oh lord the fender gaps. Good news: I'm getting better at this stuff. Bad news: There is a lot to do and "better" does not equal good. By the time I get all the way around the car I ought to be a pro though. Here is the method I used to tighten up the 1/4" gap to my "just under an 1/8" gap" that I'm trying for everywhere:

Step 1: Weld some 1/8" mild steel TIG rod into the area you need. Just tack it and work it with a body hammer (work it baby!):

109978

Step 2: Weld it, more:

109977

Step 3: Grind it till it looks sorta right:

109976

Step 4: Mock the two panels together and, using a cut-off wheel in a grinder, work the gap until it is much closer. I don't have a picture of this since I can't grind and take pictures at the same time without dismembering myself.

Step 5: Skim coat with mud. I skim over the gap then use a razor blade to slice out the mud in the gap once it starts to go off, but before it fully hardens. This looks sorta thick but it's not:

109975

Step 6: Remove the fender, backfill with a little more mud and dial it in, then prime it to seal:

109974

Step 7-25: Repeat steps 5-6 until you're tired/angry/swearing. I don't drink, but alcohol may help soothe these steps, though excessive application may cause further repeating of steps.

Step 26: Voila!

109984

While I was at it, I decided I didn't like the flexy fender behind the front wheel, so I added a small brace:

109982

Still need to fix the door/fender gap the rest of the way down, but that's easier than the whole door/cowl/fender/pillar combo area at least. Then I need to fix the door/rocker gap, fix the door cowl line (OMG that's going to suck) and then blend the 1/4 to rocker and 1/4 to rear cowl areas... then I get to do it all over on the other side! Ugh.

andrewb70

03-08-2015, 07:40 PM

Nicely done Blake. Way more work than I want to do on the Cougar! Lol

Andrew

rickpaw

03-09-2015, 04:55 AM

Nice work Blake.

Hope you don't mind but I'd like to copy your idea on the frame rail bracing. I'm working on a 65 Mustang fastback right now with DSE front suspension, and the owner/I were both thinking about ways to brace the front frame rails.

digitalsolo

03-09-2015, 05:55 AM

By all means! 90% of my ideas are stolen from or inspired by the work of others. That's what these forums are for! :-)

Jetfixr320

03-09-2015, 11:08 AM

Awesome work. Thanks for the how to on the panel Gaps!

Dave B

03-09-2015, 11:30 AM

Nice Work!

Munssey

03-09-2015, 01:16 PM

The flexy heim joints are the only part that i'm iffy on (I like solid, no moving connection points which is up for debate but preference mostly)

With that one item mentioned... Excellent build and eight thumbs up! Cant wait to see how this one progresses.

digitalsolo

03-09-2015, 02:32 PM

You mean the braces on the top of the engine bay? I doubt they'll do a ton anyway, but yeah, heim joints can definitely move some. I can pre-load them as well though.

And, thanks!

xsboost90

05-04-2015, 06:24 PM

digitalsolo

05-05-2015, 03:20 AM

looks good! Working on my 64 coupe, trying to get the drivetrain squared away so i can start doing the body work. Im used to doing body work and paint on the side but this car is freaking me out alittle. Good to see someone else being picky.

Thanks! Yeah, I'm super picky. I'll never be 100% happy with my own work, but I'm willing to trade perfection for the pride of doing it all myself. :)

That said, I have decided I'm going to toss the driver's door and both fenders for some better pieces. As I work on these things, I keep looking at another 5-10 hours here, another there... I'd rather spend 800-900 dollars on better fitting pieces that I can fix 1 or 2 small areas on, instead of having to basically redo every stamp line completely.

Unfortunately, I'm part way through building a new house right now, so progress is basically nil until this fall. No money for goodies until the house is done, and no place to do body work/fab until the house is done. The new place has a big attached shop with a lift though, so that will be pretty cool. :)

StreetMachine82

10-07-2015, 08:37 PM

Great work! What did you use as "mud" to smooth out the transitions from the fender structure into the tubing? With my own build, I'm concerned about heat in the engine bay and stress cracking do to thermal expansion. Did you use anything special?
P.S. your RX-7s are sick!

Little bit more progress on the front end. Built some internal aprons to cover up the fender wells. The bottom area of these may get a little trim/tweak once the arms get in and I can check clearances. I also want to add a brace on the rear of the MII upper arm mount that will have a bolt that can be used to set pressure against the upper arm pivot to prevent "walk" under load. I'll build a mockup of it once the arms are installed so that I can see if it will work like I want it to.

106173

And restoration of the hubs. Here is a shot of before/after..

106174

And both completed...

106172

I'm not sure why the studs look goofy in the pictures, it's just the camera, they are nice and straight. Big fan of my 20 ton press for... persuading... 50 year old parts to play nice. ;)

Not much progress beyond this right now. Finishing up a mil-spec harness for a guy with a 1994 RX7 right now, then I have a conversion harness for an LS1 in a Crown Vic, THEN I should be able to get back to the Mustang. That reminds me, after body work is chassis electrical. :D

rhurley

10-08-2015, 05:18 AM

What wheels are those on the car right now?? size maybe?

Z06killinSBF

10-08-2015, 06:41 AM

Man this car will be awesome, keep up the hard work.

digitalsolo

10-08-2015, 01:57 PM

Crestronwizard

10-08-2015, 05:03 PM

Coming along nicely. I like seeing more coupes being built :)

I_make_oil

10-08-2015, 09:11 PM

Coming along nicely. I like seeing more coupes being built :)

I agree 100%. There really are nice coupes being built. The attention to detail on this one is very inspiring. I can't to wait to see it finished.

digitalsolo

10-10-2015, 05:21 AM

I've been working on the passenger side of the engine bay, getting the bodywork dialed in closer. Don't let the mess of glazing putty worry you, it's just slathered on then I sand like 99.99% of it back off, but I get sick of finding tiny pinholes in the mud, so I just coat it then sand it back off. Anywho:

118212

I found a small high spot in the apron just forward of the tube on the passenger side that I've worked on since this picture. I'm hoping to get back on it today. I need to get my welder back from my buddy (he borrowed while I was building my house, he races circle track and they tend to wad cars up regularly, so the welder is handy). I ordered up a new (not new, but new to me) door and passenger fender that are actual OE pieces, so I'm hoping I can get them to fit with a bit less work.

Once my welder returns home, I'm going to finish the passenger side bracing and then I think I'm going to do the rear tubs to get another 2" or so of clearance.

andrewb70

10-10-2015, 05:45 AM

Looking good Blake! Glad to see you back on this.

Andrew

digitalsolo

10-26-2015, 03:46 PM

Thanks Andrew!

Been making a bit more progress. Firewall is smoothed out (not going for super-smooth here, just cleaning it up):

118773

And the passenger side cowl bracing is in and finished.

118772

I'm working on the body work for the shaved drip rails and the shaved (welded up) cowl/quarter seams now.

I also just picked up a Ford pattern TR-6060 and a spec billet twin, so I guess I'm pretty well dedicated to a Coyote or other mod motor. I'll probably do a truck 5.0L Coyote and add the turbos a little later. Well see.

Jetfixr320

10-26-2015, 10:06 PM

I really like the way you tied the aprons into the firewall. Great idea!

Chad-1stGen

10-31-2015, 10:20 PM

Awesome build! Man you have an eye towards detail! The hours into doing this thing right will pay off in the long run but I envy your patience! Can't wait to see more progress!

digitalsolo

11-04-2015, 05:51 PM

Some progress on the drip rail shave and rear cowl seam shave (welded and filled):

119175

119176

New toys! TR-6060 out of a GT500 + Spec Billet Twin w/ aluminum flywheel:

119177

And control arm progress! I wanted to do some customization on these, so I started with a basic tubular and modified it. It's not quite as pretty as I'd like, but it's plenty strong and doesn't look too bad. The next one will probably look a bit more pretty. Need to redesign the upper mounts now.

Original on left:

119178

119179

Crestronwizard

11-05-2015, 01:27 AM

Looks great. What color are you going with?

rhurley

11-05-2015, 09:39 AM

How bad were the drop rails to shave? Did you use a tig?

digitalsolo

11-07-2015, 07:32 AM

Thanks! Current leader is British Racing Green for something a bit different than the norm. Might even do some Lotus/Aston inspiration and put yellow calipers on it. We'll see, I change my mind a lot and I'm at least 10-12 months from any paint going on it.

Drip rails were tedious but not too bad. It was done with .030 wire on a Millermatic 135 MIG. Basically just fused the layers together then built up a touch of extra on the edge to allow it to be worked back to true. A TIG would probably have been easier, but I do not have one (yet).

Did some test fitting of one of the rear wheels up front and it looks like I can fit a 275 on a 17x9 in there no problem, so my current plan will be 275s all around for a square setup. Working on the upper coilover mounts next, what I had is too low and wouldn't have allowed enough travel in the suspension for my liking. I'm setting it up for a QA1 DS502 right now, so I'll raise the upper mount about 2" from it's current location, which will require tweaking the inner fender aprons inside of my U braces in the engine bay. I'm just going to clearance them a bunch to let the upper control arms get clear for removal, then add a bolt on aluminum cover panel to dress it up and seal out the fenders from the engine bay as much as possible.

275s mocked up front:

119335

I_make_oil

11-07-2015, 10:00 AM

You might want to turn the front wheels and see how the wider tires affect your turning radius. I went with 255's on the front and cannot get full lock as the tires hit on the inside.

digitalsolo

11-07-2015, 02:37 PM

Yeah, I need to find the stock angle; I don't have any stops in this so it does eventually hit the frame rails. I just don't know what stock radius was, so I'm not sure how it compares. I may just measure my Focus ST as a reference point. That is my one concern with these, I lose some angle vs my 17x8" wheels I test fit.

digitalsolo

11-10-2015, 06:14 PM

Picked up a "new" fender. Original 65-66 piece in pretty good shape. ASSuming Greyhound didn't lose my door, I will have an OE door the driver side also. :)

119490

Progress on the upper coilover mounts. They're probably overbuilt, but I figure there's a pretty good bit of load in this area; the edge pieces that look like angle iron are basically there to get more surface area attached to the crossmember; there isn't a lot of room to work with on the Mustang II stuff, everything is pretty tight in there. The inner fender panel will get an aluminum panel to cover it all up once it's done.

119489

119491

119492

1bad68cat

11-11-2015, 08:25 AM

digitalsolo

12-13-2015, 09:10 AM

Working on the front structure a little more:

120877

120878

120879

digitalsolo

12-13-2015, 09:26 AM

And working on passenger door alignment:

120880

120881

120883

120884

Rear cowl seam gone. This was seam welded and worked back then blended:

120882

And starting on trunk drip rail and rear area:

120885

digitalsolo

12-13-2015, 09:59 AM

Trunk drip rails are done:

120886

Passenger side quarter panel extension. Wow, what a pain in the butt these guys are!

120887

Haven't started on the driver's side yet. Maybe this afternoon if I get motivated.

120888

Rear valance blended in. This was welded up and then worked.

120889

Rear bumper fitment needs a bit of work... nothing a little metal and a lot of effort can't fix.

120890

Overall shot of the back of the car. It's getting there... slowly.

120891

Crestronwizard

12-13-2015, 12:46 PM

Coming along! I hated those rear quarter extensions. Took some time but ditching them and making new ones out of metal worked out for me. How much longer till you paint?

digitalsolo

12-13-2015, 03:36 PM

Quite a while till actual paint. If all goes well I'll put it in epoxy primer this spring which will be where it stays until drivetrain and brakes/suspension are completely sorted. Then I'll tear it back down and get it sprayed. Probably about a year or so, give or take.

PT9

12-13-2015, 03:55 PM

Great work. Let me know if you are ever bored. I can definitely use your help.

xsboost90

12-13-2015, 07:31 PM

sounds like my time line...when's it gonna be done? couple years....

MZ 500

12-15-2015, 06:16 PM

Nice work on the body lines and gaps its a lot of work but you will like the outcome in the end!

digitalsolo

01-27-2016, 03:46 PM

Okay, been lax on the updates, but here's what I've been up to:

First off, the trunk... it fit like crap. The arch of the quarter panels did not match the arch of the trunk lid (stock lid, aftermarket quarters).

The below pictures are after I reworked the arch on the edge of the trunk lid to line up correctly. Correctly is a relative term.

123025
123024

Okay, so now the arch is close, but the gaps.... oh the gaps. Ugh. Let's start on those:

Passenger side cleaned up:

123023

Cowl alignment wasn't bad right off:

123022

Passenger side needed more work:

123021

Getting closer:

123020

Underside cleaned up and primed:

123019

And all finished up:

123018

andrewb70

01-27-2016, 03:48 PM

digitalsolo

01-27-2016, 04:02 PM

Let's start with the crappy fitment on the new Dynacorn driver's door...

WOW that gap sucks. This is after I worked the metal to be in the same plane (or at least very close):

123026

Hard to see here, but alignment along the 1/4 panel is all over the place down the edge of the door:

123027

We're going to use this piece of 1/8" TIG rod to help fill in the super crappy gap at the top:

123028

And put it right here...

123029

Like this...

123030

Areas that aren't so far off I just weld to the edge of the door:

123031

Work the rod along the contour (hehehe):

123032

It would appear I was drinking when I started this weld. Don't go too far at once or you'll warp the door (it'll "pull" in at the weld):

123033

Closing in on it:

123034

123035

Okay, checking fitment we're getting closer:

123036

And after another bead laid along the edge of the TIG wire:

123037

I add weld until it's too tight, then grind back to the right spot. Here we're ALMOST there:

123038

Now we're getting somewhere:

123039

1/8" thick stir stick (or bondo dip stick...) to check gap:

123040
123041

Grind back the inside to keep it level. This will get a skim coat of bondo when it's all done just to make it seamless:

123042

Here's a before/after for reference:

123026
123043

It's worth noting that's not 100% dialed. There are a couple waves in the edge that will get added to/ground down. It's a slow process and you kinda creep up on it.

Hopefully that helps show the process I use for dialing the door gaps. :) Once it's all done, I skim coat it with bondo to smooth it out, but it's 95% steel.

digitalsolo

01-27-2016, 04:03 PM

Or keep it in primer, have it wrapped, and beat the snot out of it.

Andrew

Ha, I'm too particular for that, long term. It may stay in epoxy primer for a season though, just for debugging purposes.

digitalsolo

01-27-2016, 04:08 PM

Next up... wheel/tire clearance...

I was filthy during most of this, so I didn't do a great job documenting it.

Tubs removed (well, started removal):

123045

And... magic. New tubs installed:

123044

And wheels/tires in their proper location:

123046

kencobra

01-27-2016, 07:36 PM

Nice work, keep the updates coming.

digitalsolo

01-27-2016, 08:14 PM

Thanks! I have to actually go do more work to post more updates! Haha! Been sick and busy the past several days, but should get back at it this weekend. Planning to have some brake parts porn in the next couple weeks too.

digitalsolo

02-03-2016, 06:22 PM

Collecting goodies...

Wilwood brake components...

123412

6 Piston calipers for the front:

123413

Billet hubs:

123414

Manual pedal assembly:

123415

Saturn EPAS column for electric power steering retrofit:

123416

andrewb70

02-03-2016, 06:31 PM

Blake,

Eager to see how the electronic steering works for you. I may do something like that on the Cougar. What I really want to do is integrate the steering with the Holley Dominator ECU so that I can have the effort variable based on vehicle speed.

Do you plan on getting a little control box? Do you know how it works?

Andrew

digitalsolo

02-03-2016, 07:19 PM

Andrew,

Phase 1 is little dial and control box. Phase 2 will be VSS based from my ECU.

digitalsolo

02-15-2016, 02:10 PM

This turned out to be quite a bit of work...

Some of the bracing for the pedals; pedal box can be moved forward up to 2" as needed. Throttle pedal is also on an adjustable set of stands to allow it to follow the pedal box. You can see the adjustable mounting points for the pedal box here:

123967

Pedals and column in place:

123965

Reservoirs will fit here no problem:

123964

View from the driver's seat:

123963

And out the window:

123962

rhurley

02-17-2016, 11:35 AM

Glad to see im not the only one with a dynacorn door that wasn't even close

digitalsolo

02-17-2016, 12:20 PM

Glad to see im not the only one with a dynacorn door that wasn't even close

Yeah, it was WAY off in all 3 dimensions. It's not the car either, as 2 different stock doors (both torn up/rusted) fit fantastic. Oh well, it fit better than the non-Dynacorn door I had at least. I have (literally) a stack of driver's side doors sitting in my garage right now.

rhurley

02-17-2016, 12:42 PM

Yeah, it was WAY off in all 3 dimensions. It's not the car either, as 2 different stock doors (both torn up/rusted) fit fantastic. Oh well, it fit better than the non-Dynacorn door I had at least. I have (literally) a stack of driver's side doors sitting in my garage right now.

That's exactly how mine was. The worst was actually where the hinge mounted, I had to cut out about 5 inched for the hinge to sit back where it would pull the door in to be flush with the fender

Throttle

02-17-2016, 06:11 PM

Looks good.

digitalsolo

07-04-2016, 06:23 PM

Clausen Rust Defender poly primer....

128851

128852

128853

128854

128855

digitalsolo

07-04-2016, 06:27 PM

Blocking...

128858

Had a few waves in the hood so it got a coat of standard poly primer:

128859

digitalsolo

07-04-2016, 06:33 PM

Epoxy primer:

128862

128863

128864

Unmasked:

128865

digitalsolo

07-04-2016, 06:34 PM

Coyote installed on mounts...

128867

digitalsolo

07-04-2016, 06:38 PM

Engine bay painted...

128868

And reassembled....

128869

128870

128871

128873

Transmission tunnel modified to clear the TR6060...

128874

Annnnnnd... so, I don't really like '65 Mustang tails. I do like '70 Camaro tails... Mustang guys are gonna hate me, but I designed these:

128872

They are LED motorcycle tails that I inset into the tail panel. I then designed trim rings in AutoCAD and 3D printed them on my printer. The ones in the picture are the plastic 3D printed pieces. I had aluminum ones machined off of my CAD design by a friend. Came out really well.

DrFraZZy

07-05-2016, 07:11 AM

I totally dig the taillight. That s win in my book.

andrewb70

07-05-2016, 08:07 AM

Great progress Blake!!!

Andrew

digitalsolo

07-05-2016, 03:24 PM

Thanks guys! The tails look great to me too. I'm really happy with how they came out. I'll be curious how many non-Mustang people even realize they're different. :D

Deepblue66

07-06-2016, 05:08 PM

Thanks guys! The tails look great to me too. I'm really happy with how they came out. I'll be curious how many non-Mustang people even realize they're different. :D

I didn't know you had this thread here. I've seen your car at vmf. Love your work and it will be appreciated much more here than at vmf and all the ppl with broomsticks buried up their butts there! I'm digging those tails! Hope I can get skilled with welding to do something like that

xsboost90

07-06-2016, 07:14 PM

i like the tails. Lots of cool stuff going on here keep up the progress..

T34

07-06-2016, 07:21 PM

I like round tail lights! I really wanted to integrate 73 barracuda tail light panel into my 67 mustang... Maybe next time)
Great project! Mustang with Coyote - can't get much better!
Art

digitalsolo

07-06-2016, 08:07 PM

Thanks! I'm glad people like the tails. I liked them (which is really the important part, hah) but it's nice to get some outside backing on them. They'll be even better when the aluminum rings are on. I did some work on it today (just a bit) getting the steering linkage mocked in place. Turns out Coyote engines are huge, LOL. I have it in place and when I turn the wheel the rack turns so that's a start.

I need to build a plate for the firewall that will function as a support and I have a heim joint to function as a support for a small jog I put into it for better clearance around the headers. Pro tip: It still sucks. Luckily I'm going turbocharged and will build log manifolds, which, in my head, will fit fine. So far ideas in my head have worked fine, which means that I'm about due for something to go tragically wrong. I'll post pictures of it all shortly.

Oh and I purchased an Arduino and an opto-isolated relay stack to build an intelligent control system for the vehicle systems. I'm planning to write some code on the Arduino and run a separate set of opto-isolated analog inputs which will be fed by the controls. That will let the controls switch low voltage/low amperage with the relays firing basic systems. I plan to use this to do some things like one touch up/down windows, RFID based starting, yada yada. I'll share whatever I come up with if anyone else wants to be a super nerd.

vernlee

11-30-2016, 05:08 PM

Any recent progress ?

digitalsolo

12-02-2016, 06:23 AM

Lots actually, I need to spend an hour or so and upload all the pictures/info. :) 3D printing some fuel and brake line brackets for it right now, actually. I'll try and get it updated this weekend. :)

Wldtang

12-02-2016, 04:53 PM

Not sure how I missed this project.
Very nice

shikwann

12-02-2016, 07:28 PM

Hi Do you have the diagram or places where you cut to fit this saturn steering adapter? I bought one and still trying to figure out where to cut.

digitalsolo

12-03-2016, 10:32 AM

Hi Do you have the diagram or places where you cut to fit this saturn steering adapter? I bought one and still trying to figure out where to cut.

I don't. I kind of eyeballed how to build it then just did the alignment with my calipers/dial indicators for runout. It's yet to be seen how well it works. There is a huge guide on one of the other forums that I think has some pretty good specifics. :)

digitalsolo

12-03-2016, 10:45 AM

Okay, so some progress!

First off, I got the car turned around so that I could use my lift. Wow is that thing ever convenient!
134718
134723

Next up was getting clearance for the exhaust manifolds. The engine is offset slightly to the driver side to make transmission fitment a bit easier which is great, except it meant the already very tight driver side manifold needed a scallop in the framerail for clearance. Passenger side fit fine. The original steering rack location is visible in this picture. It didn't work so it was relocated.
134719
134720

Here you can see the steering layout, dodging turbos and other things. The old hole in the firewall will be filled/smoothed over. You can also see the scallop for the manifold clearance.

134721

Transmission mount added to the X-Brace under the car. It's actually braced in all axis, just not obvious from this picture. Bushing and the tube it's in is a 1988 Mazda RX7 swaybar endling with an Energy Suspension bushing, haha.

134724

Toys!
134722

I need to take some pictures of the up pipes (which point down...) for the turbos, but they're schedule 10 stainless and as short as possible to keep temps up into the turbos. Turbos are On3 GT35Rs with water cooled CHRAs and stainless V-band housings. Gates are Tial MVRs

134728
134727
134729
134726

More to come...

digitalsolo

12-03-2016, 10:55 AM

Next up was some more bracing. I didn't like the way the panhard bar/framerail area looked in the rear as I feel like high side loads could cause some deformation, partially due to the fact that the tubs were cut/widened and the new tubs aren't quite as beefy as the originals. So, brace the things to all the other things!

This is a piece of .090 wall tubing that is welded to 1/8" plates on either side. These plates are then tied into the panhard bar/frame rails with more 1/8" plate. The plate in the center is sort of to keep things square, but is mostly a future fuel filter mounting point.

134730

Oh, and parking brakes! I have a Wilwood 4 piston rear with an integral hat style parking brake. I bought the Wilwood cable kit and a Fox body brake handle. The handle is lifted up because the future center console will look better this way. For now it just looks weird naked. :D

134732

134733

I built a new location for the pull mounts and custom cables from the handle. This keeps it more clear of the exhaust system than the original location and was easier to deal with for the pieces I used:

134734

andrewb70

12-04-2016, 08:27 AM

Looking good! How much boost can a stock coyote take?

Andrew

Crestronwizard

12-04-2016, 05:33 PM

Looks great. I am digging the turbos. I am running around 8 lbs of boost right now. Was thinking of cranking it up more but the tires already don't handle all the power :). Good luck!

digitalsolo

12-04-2016, 05:56 PM

Thanks guys! Only crappy part is draining them and getting filters, but it is worth it to keep A/C, etc.

I have a bunch more progress to post; cooling system, charge pipes, radiator/core support, etc. and exhaust.

craigF

12-04-2016, 06:29 PM

Nice build you have going on there. I'll be following this thread.
I have had heaps of issues with aftermarket panels and they take some work to get them looking reasonable.
Have a look at my build on this site, I used a Chassis works rear end set up and a Total Cost Involved front end set up. Both went together really well and look fantastic. Can't tell you how they drive yet but both companies were really helpful with and questions i had and delivery down here in Australia.
I chose Boze rims and have just ordered a Detroit speed mini tub kit to finish the inside wheel wells.
Look forward to seeing your progress.
Craig.

digitalsolo

12-05-2016, 05:33 AM

So first up was building some small plates on the bottom to put pins on for the bottom of the intercooler to key into. These will get rubber washers eventually.

134780

134779

Next was building some upper mounting structure. I like this 1/4" bar as it's relatively rigid but easy to work with and doesn't block much airflow. Here is the beginning of the mounts:

134781

134782

And here is the radiator/fan to engine clearance. Miles compared to what I'm used to dealing with:

134783

Next was reattaching the upper part of the core support. I wanted this removable as it makes engine installation and removal much easier. Basically I built a lip that registers into the rest of the core support and then welded some 1/4-20 nuts to the back. The bolts in these pictures are mockup, it will get stainless button head bolts in the long run. I'm also starting to mock up the upper radiator mounts at this point also:

134784

134786

134785

134788

Then I built some aluminum shrouding to force air into the radiator. This was built from 1/8" thick aluminum angle and was my first attempt at TIG welding. Mostly it was grinding practice, haha. It also bolts to the core support to add rigidity to everything. I'd like to take this thing out to a 1/2 mile or something sometime, so having as much strength as possible to keep things in place at high speed is important:

134794

134793

Then I (mostly) finished the upper radiator mounts. The bolt in under the core support with a captive nut in each, and then hold the radiator in place. They will have foam rubber pads in the long run and a small bolt sticking up to capture the upper radiator fan mounting points:

134789

134787

134795

I don't have a picture here, but I then boxed the upper core support area to add some rigidity as well as function as ducting into the radiator, and added mounts for the A/C condenser between the intercooler and radiator. Finally I added some more strength to the intercooler mounts which also help tie everything together. In the long run I'll probably drop some horn mounting brackets on these as well.

134792

134791

And the front assembled to this point:

134790

rhurley

12-05-2016, 06:51 AM

Can i ask what E-brake parts and kit you used?? looks like lokar?

digitalsolo

12-05-2016, 07:06 AM

Handle is a 1990 Fox Body, rear cable assembly is Wilwood (matches the rear brake assemblies) and the front cable I built out of a 1993 F-150 cable and excess sheath from the Wilwood rear kit.

digitalsolo

02-05-2017, 12:58 PM

So, I tore the engine down to the short block as it was pretty nasty on the outside. Luckily, the interior was in great shape. Since there was some corrosion on the outside of the block, I went ahead and painted it. I used the bright (old) Ford blue as it is mostly hidden once installed.

138328

And then mocked it all up. I put in all new stainless fasteners on the exterior, with ARP stuff everywhere inside. The front cover I cleaned all of the corrosion off, then hit it witch an acid bath a few times, then sealed it with satin clear. The manifold bolts are Stage 8 stainless locking fasteners.

138325

138326

138327

digitalsolo

02-05-2017, 01:01 PM

I also ordered a new fuel tank and put in an Aeromotive Stealth setup, along with a stainless pickup/fuel level sender that I hacked up to only be a sender. It's the bigger of the Stealth setups and rated for E85. There will be an E85 sensor in the return path near the tank. Also visible is the pile of hard line and fittings to build the under car lines, which will be all hardline to bulkheads on either end of the car, 8 AN feed, 6 AN return.

138330

138331

digitalsolo

02-05-2017, 01:05 PM

And a quick side project... clamps for the fuel lines and brake lines, 3D printed in PETG.

138332

138333

andrewb70

02-05-2017, 01:06 PM

Nice progress!

Andrew

digitalsolo

02-05-2017, 01:09 PM

Annnnnd, gauge cluster. I took a factory style bezel (aftermarket clone) and hacked it up to fit my Speedhut gauges that I kept from the RX7. I also 3D printed some pieces to hold the wires in the back and to shroud the turn signal indicators so that I can add LEDs to them in the near future. I'll seal all this up from the back eventually and put a Metripack connector to feed it all so that it plugs in like a late model cluster. The whole assembly is only about 2.5" deep, which helps with clearance to the brake parts behind it. It also keeps it easy to remove to check/top off fluids.

138334

138335

138336

138337

digitalsolo

02-05-2017, 01:14 PM

And then there was the Rally Pac... I had two more gauges left over and nowhere to put them. Handily enough early Mustangs had the Rally Pac option. Less helpfully those things are pricey. Somebody came up with a 3D printed one that they sell on eBay, but I wanted it to perfectly fit my Speedhut gauges, so I whipped up a new design in Autodesk Fusion 360:

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2017/02/index-1.php?action=media;sa=media;in=8872

And printed it (this is slightly tweaked from the original render above):

138338

138339

138341

I added a hidden pathway inside of the print for wire management that dumps it out the rear center (where it will go between the column/dash, out of sight):

138340

The whole thing will get body worked then coated with SEM texture finish and interior black (the65project logo will get a hand brushed silver finish so that it's visible). That will finish it off to look pretty much just like a factory cast piece.

Here's the whole gauge set:

138342

digitalsolo

02-05-2017, 01:22 PM

That brings us mostly up to current, as far a pictures go anyway. The other projects I've been working on are:

Designing a custom "body control module" based on an Arduino. This will control a bunch of things like:

1 touch power windows
Turn signals, including "convenience mode" where you tap it quickly for 3 blinks for lane changes, etc. Blink count is configurable.
Center brake light "blink" mode. When you touch the brake it will flash a configurable amount of times before going solid. I also made this so that it only does it if it's been >30 seconds since the last time, so that it doesn't give the person behind me in traffic a seizure.
Fade in/out interior lights

and hopefully:

VSS based control of EPAS assist
CAN communication to ECU for... I dunno, neat things
Display of information on a small LCD

And finally I've been working on the undercarriage. The previous owner put a floorpan in the car... poorly. He cut out the rust but left the tunnel, overlapped the new floor and sorta half-ass rosette welded it together. The fitup was okay, but the welds were crap. So I cleaned all the seam sealer off, worked the seams to be tighter, then seam welded it all and ground back the welds and redid the seam sealer. It's not a Ridler winning design, but it's strong, has no rust and looks presentable now. The whole floor assembly is dead solid now. Today I've been undercoating the whole thing with 3 coats of Duplicolor Bed Armor. I've also been starting on the undercarriage fluid lines, and I hope to have those done next weekend.

After that will be final body work on the firewall, then a few tweaks to the front suspension and maybe some adjustments to the cooling system layout (I don't like the small diameter intercooler pipes, they look weird).

wfo guy

02-05-2017, 06:50 PM

What is the capacity of the 3d printer?

digitalsolo

02-05-2017, 08:20 PM

I have two of them, but both are just under 10" cubed.

digitalsolo

03-13-2017, 10:57 AM

Well I'm building a wiring harness for a V8 RX7 project for a guy right now, so work on my car is slow. I also got hosed on my bonus, so I lost about 50% of this years funding, and ARP apparently won't make me any head studs (been waiting 2+ months now) so I can't build my engine... if this keeps up I'm going to sell the Coyote setup and put an LS1 into like I should have in the first place...

Anyway, progress!

Underbody panel work has been completed. the car had floors put in both sides with a lap joint to the tunnel. The metal work itself wasn't too bad, but the welding was... crap. Very, crap. So I seam welded the joints all the way around, then metal worked them to a smooth joint (not flush, just smooth) then seam sealed it all, then undercoated the entire car with 3x layers of Duplicolor Bed Armor. I also put in Rivnuts (I use the ones for Plastic as they have the best purchase against the metal) for the fuel line/brake line brackets and got a start on the brake lines. I cannot finish the engine bay side as I need the engine in to validate clearance and I can't put the engine in until it's reassembled, and I can't reassemble it until I get head studs... Ugh.

138323

138324

I also ordered up a few goodies:

Splined front swaybar + JGS 56mm BOV:

138322

V3 of my shifter setup... MGW GT500 shifter. This thing is NICE. It was also bloody expensive for a shifter, but such is life.

138321

Not pictured is a new intercooler and piping as I'm redoing the cold side. I didn't care for the 2.5" pipes and long path they were taking so I'll be redoing it all with 3" pipes, a larger core, less couplers and an all around better design.

digitalsolo

03-13-2017, 11:04 AM

And a bit of progress on the front suspension. The swaybar will mount inside of the tube as seen here with Delrin bushings. The tube itself is 1.75" .125" wall DOM steel, so it's silly beefy. Since it's so strong I decided to tie it into everything up front... the braces that replaced the strut rod mounts are fully welded to the frame, and now fully welded to the swaybar tube. I'm also boxing the tube into the frame on the front/rear. The rears are done (can't see them in the picture unfortunately) and the fronts will be next. The metal shop gave me the wrong thickness (1/4 instead of 1/8) for the plates that I need to bend up for the boxing and 1/4" is way too thick. I did buy a SWAG finger brake for my 20 ton press, so I can do some better brackets going forward. Next up is a set of dimple dies. :D

Oh and don't mind the booger welds between the tube and framerail. The frame had a contaminated spot that got into the weld and it was all downhill from there. It was just there to hold the tube while I did the rest of the boxing and keep it true. It'll be boxed over anyway, so it's our little secret.

138320

Also, go the rearend rebuilt. It's a '67 housing which was centered and redone for the TCI 3-link with Ford Big Bearing "old" style ends. Brakes are Wilwood 4 pistons with integral brakes, axles are 31 spline units and the diff is a Detroit Locker Ratchet piece that's been worked over a bit. Gears are Ford OE 3.70s (new) and it has a Daytona support, new Timken bearings, solid spacer and a billet 1350 yoke. Need to touch up the paint and buy some soft lines, but it's mostly finished up. Slogging around that 9" pumpkin was a workout. Wowza.

138319

rickpaw

03-14-2017, 12:44 PM

I'd be interested to see how the "body control module" is built/designed.

Great job on the car so far.

Wldtang

03-14-2017, 03:47 PM

For some reason I can't see any of your pics on the last several post

digitalsolo

03-14-2017, 05:32 PM

For some reason I can't see any of your pics on the last several post

Any better?

kencobra

03-28-2017, 06:43 PM

digitalsolo

01-13-2018, 07:35 AM

Wow, sorry, I've been pretty remiss in updating this...

I'm working on some video updates right now, I'll come back through with pictures after the fact. Here's the first video (sorry for the quality, I'm not a professional YouTubde personality...), going on a quick walkaround on the exterior.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cVPmhjJPtrE&t=

JRANGER

01-13-2018, 03:27 PM

Very nice build. I dont like the 65 tails either but i went with 69 cougar lights for mine...They are massive but it the fins should look cool

JayinMI

01-14-2018, 04:21 PM

And a quick side project... clamps for the fuel lines and brake lines, 3D printed in PETG.

138332

138333

Looking for something similar and also to make some hose separators to fit the PTFE line I just ordered.
How does PETG hold up to temperatures in an engine bay? Did you make them yourself? What 3d printer did you use?
I'll probably have some prototyped on Shapeways.

Jay

digitalsolo

01-14-2018, 08:33 PM

Looking for something similar and also to make some hose separators to fit the PTFE line I just ordered.
How does PETG hold up to temperatures in an engine bay? Did you make them yourself? What 3d printer did you use?
I'll probably have some prototyped on Shapeways.

Jay

Jay,

I'm not using any of them in the engine bay, just under the car (away from exhaust). I think they'd be suspect under any load in an engine bay, especially mine with the turbos, A/C, etc. FWIW, I may remake them on my CNC machine later.

I do all of my own 3D printing CAD work and manufacture (I actually build my own printers as well). These were done on my Ultimaker 2 clone. Shapeways has some better options for higher temp stuff. I did my first round at 35% infill and they were too weak, the ones on the car now are 100% (solid) infill.

Also, did another video today, doing some work preparing the car to come apart for paint work:

https://youtu.be/I0bRI88iEUo

Crestronwizard

01-19-2018, 05:19 AM

Nice to see other coupes being built :)

digitalsolo

01-19-2018, 06:03 AM

Nice to see other coupes being built :)Thanks! It's not quite to the level of yours, but I'm learning as I go. :)

digitalsolo

03-13-2018, 05:16 AM

So I've not been posting updates, but I have been working on this... Redid the suspension a bit in the front so that I can use hims to set camber instead of the MII setup I had. I doubt the MII ability to stay locked in properly. 0 shims = 0* camber.

I also finished the bodywork in the engine bay, got it epoxy sealed and sprayed it with Eastwood 2K Ceramic "Extreme" chassis paint to hopefully keep it in decent shape.

150407

Reworked suspension:

150408

150409

150410

And the bay with the bulkheads and such going back in place.

150411

I cut out the tunnel recently to make it if the shifter/parking brake better, so I'm currently seam sealing all of the reworked areas under the car, then I'll redo the bedliner there, get the parking brake cabling finished/tested and heat shields fabricated, then the drivetrain can go in and start getting ready for initial fire. Final chassis paint and interior will be completed after the drivetrain works properly.

andrewb70

03-13-2018, 05:35 AM

Looking good Blake!

Andrew

digitalsolo

03-14-2018, 11:44 AM

Very sweet build! I am also building a vintage Mustang (1966 Coupe) and just mocked up my Coyote this weekend. I realize now that I will need a remote oil filter kit. What are you using for this?

Thanks in advance and keep up the great build.

Thanks! I am going to be using an Improved Racing remote filter + thermostat unit as I have a front mount oil cooler. I have an MMR block adapter on the engine itself. I previously had a "Torques" remote mount and an Earl's thermostat, but using separate units ate up too much space.

Looking good Blake!

Andrew

Thank ya sir.

I have the undercarriage done now, except welding in seat belt mounting points (shipping snafu slowed down their delivery, but I'll put them in this weekend). If all goes well, the drivetrain will go in this weekend (and hopefully stay there for a few years), which will be pretty exciting.

digitalsolo

03-14-2018, 12:13 PM

Okay, let's add some more progress that I missed...

I wanted an export brace... but more fancy. So, I made this. It ties the tubular "strut towers" into the center of the firewall/cowl torque box. There are also angle iron supports that are plug/seam welded to the lip and firewall in this area, to help spread the load out. I hope that this plus the tube bracing in the sides of the bay and the cowl bracing to the hinge pillar area should really stiffen the front of the car up. At the very least it looks like it would, LOL.

150455

I picked up a '65 grille (aftermarket). It sucked. Fit and looked like crap. So I bought grille material, fabricated an aluminum frame and closeout panel and made this, which I like MUCH better.

150448

150451

So, minitubs. Minitubs are a PITA if you have a back set. Especially if you take them to the frame and use generic pieces. So the rear interior panels were modified to clear. I also narrowed the seats around 4" total, and reshaped the lower seat to make it fit. These will get custom upholstery (as will the front) to dress it all up. I'm thinking saddle brown quilted leather, but we'll see. I also stitch welded a piece of 0.090 steel over the opening to the trunk (which will be seam sealed) and over the rear decklid area. Rigidity and fire suppression being the primary goals. I think you can see the plating through the seat frames here.

150447

150446

Next was making the transmission tunnel fit the way I wanted. The PO had made this area into a patchwork quilt of random metal, so I cut most of it out and fabricated a new tunnel. The big panels remove so make it easy to put the shifter in from the top (this MGW shifter is SWEET, but it's HUGE). This will be under a custom center console. You can also see where I cut out the seat risers and made my own tubular setups there. The mounts are plated to the tunnel/sill and boxed to the floorpan, so it add rigidity and lowers the seats about 1.25" vs. the stock risers. The boxing also ties into the outriggers I ran from the subframe connectors to the door sills, so all the things are braced to all the things...

150454

150453

These are the seats I'll be using, ProCar pieces. They're not bad, but I plan to have them reupholstered to match the rest of the interior.

150452

This is just a random shot of the AC plumbing in progress. I need to CNC up a mounting system for the drier.

150445

And a few parts I made on my new CNC machine. One is a bracket for a boost solenoid (which has the start of my wiring setup on it). The second is a bracket for my Magnafuel regulator. I'll be making some more goodies for the interior/engine bay on the CNC and 3D printer in the near future.

150450

150449

wfo guy

03-14-2018, 03:34 PM

Good to see updates. Glad you're still going forward. :)

kstuck

03-15-2018, 05:31 AM

Have you done any further development on the Arduino?

Love your work!

Thanks for all your posts and insight into how you are handling things.

digitalsolo

03-15-2018, 06:01 AM

I am still working on the Arduino/CANbus stuff, actually.

Here's the BCM circuit board/prototypes and final builds. This will fire relays in a Bussman PDU fuse/relay center. These modules are CAN addressable so you can add as many as you like to the vehicle bus and then control them with CANbus. All of it is programmed in Arduino IDE and will run things like turn signals, flashing 3rd brake light, hazards, etc. I need to finish the PCB design for the "master" for this soon as the car is almost ready for it.

150477

150478

150479

150480

I also wrote an interpreter that talks to the AEM ECU on AEMnet (CANbus) and displays live data from the ECU on OLED gauges. They even have a fancy little startup procedure with the Ford/Mustang logos. You can click through a few pages of configurable live data. I need to finish the PCB design for this also, as it's just a breadboard (though I have a PCB about 95% designed, just need to send off the files to China and have it etched/drilled).

150481

Here's the display (prototype) in motion:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e52GF5V-idA&t=1s

rhurley

03-15-2018, 11:16 AM

Looks great! Those electronics are so far over my head its not even fair!!!

JayinMI

03-15-2018, 05:44 PM

I am still working on the Arduino/CANbus stuff, actually.

Here's the BCM circuit board/prototypes and final builds. This will fire relays in a Bussman PDU fuse/relay center. These modules are CAN addressable so you can add as many as you like to the vehicle bus and then control them with CANbus. All of it is programmed in Arduino IDE and will run things like turn signals, flashing 3rd brake light, hazards, etc. I need to finish the PCB design for the "master" for this soon as the car is almost ready for it.

Here's the display (prototype) in motion:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e52GF5V-idA&t=1s

I did something similar with an I2C protocol relay board on my last car. I used an Arduino to read the resistance based steering wheel controls coming to my radio, then filtered out certain commands and passed the rest on to the factory radio (and later a SWC interface for my tablet) then used some of the relays to change volume and cycle through options on my signal processor. This stuff is pretty cool. Wish I understood Eagle well enough to map circuit boards. Amazing work!

Jay

digitalsolo

03-17-2018, 12:18 PM

Thanks! Arduino and the like are so easy to work with, makes it a lot of fun to play around.

I fabricated some heatshields for the transmission tunnel and the fuel/brake lines where they're closest to the turbos.

150531

nitroracer

03-19-2018, 03:51 PM

Your progress is looking good!

What is your heat shielding made from?

digitalsolo

03-19-2018, 04:20 PM

Thanks!

It's embossed aluminum heatshield, that I bought in sheet form.

Z06killinSBF

03-20-2018, 12:31 PM

Have a link?? I need some

digitalsolo

03-20-2018, 02:18 PM

Here ya go:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Embossed-Aluminum-Heat-Shield-1000mm-x-1000mm-Turbo-Manifold-Exhausts-Electrical/152769355998?hash=item2391c360de:g:jYEAAOSwqDVZd10 b&vxp=mtr

digitalsolo

03-28-2018, 06:13 AM

So I've been working on lots of boring stuff. Tore apart the interior, cleaned everything, hit all the welded stuff with a flapwheel, then seam sealed it all, primed it, then coated it with bedliner inside. It'll get some RaamMat/Ensolite over top of key areas for sound deadening, but the bedliner does a decent job of taking the "ring" out of panels as well as sealing everything up nicely.

I removed the pedal box and fixed one of the master cylinders that had a broken fitting in it, cleaned it all up and got it ready/reinstalled. I put in a brake switch on the rear brake master (I may add a second one on the front just for redundancy's sake) and got it labeled with a heat shrink label and put a Deutsch connector on it (everything will be either Deutsch or Metricpack connectors, mostly Deutsch). I ordered up some more CuNiFer lines to finish the last of the hardlines in the interior, and started plotting out where the lines will run and how to secure/support them all. Looks like it shouldn't be too bad and will look nice (even if you can't really see 99% of it).

I also fabricated a spacer for my DBW throttle pedal. Next up is sorting the steering column to get the turn signal wiring in place and reterminate the plugs on the electric power steering so that I can that permanently installed.

Hoping to get the last few pieces I need for the engine/transmission to install them early next week and get started on wiring it all up for fuel/oil/cooling/electrical and see if all this crap actually functions properly.

digitalsolo

04-04-2018, 08:37 AM

Engine is back in, now to start finishing hoses/wiring!

151294

Z06killinSBF

04-04-2018, 06:30 PM

Very nice, I saw you posted in one of the FB groups. Looks great

digitalsolo

04-07-2018, 02:32 PM

Thanks! More progress!

This doesn't look like much, but these are the main power feeds for the starter and starter solenoid. Getting these in place, crimped, heat shrinked, anti-abrasion wrapped and fireshield wrapped, plus adding routing and firewall bulkheads took almost 5 hours. Just a ton of work for something you generally never think about or see. All in the name of not having to do things twice, and HOPEFULLY not having it leave me stuck on the side of the road or track in the future.

151397

After that was two days of working on the turbo system. Ended up redoing all of the lines because I was unhappy with the fitment in a few places. MUCH happier now. The coolant feeds, oil feeds and oil scavenge lines are all in place here; I -might- redo the oil scavenge at some point to get rid of the weird 90, but it is currently required for clearance (space is TIGHT in this area). Everything forward of the turbine housings gets covered by a 1/4" aluminum skid plate (hence the "save your ass bars" on the sides). This is the lowest point on the car, so I figured I'd rather be save than sorry. Skid plate will probably get some NACA ducts to force air at the turbo air filters at some point. :D

151398

wfo guy

04-07-2018, 02:48 PM

How do you handle heat management around the turbos? That's all very interesting to look at. 2 lbs of stuff in a 1 lb box. :)

digitalsolo

04-07-2018, 03:37 PM

Well, I have the heatshields in some areas, then anything that I don't expect to like heat (hoses, fuel lines, battery cables, etc) are wrapped in firesleeve to protect it as well. Most of it (aside from the stuff that actually feeds the turbos) is also kept as far away as possible.

I'm trying to keep mindful to assure that I don't have any issues once I get it on the street, but there are always fun things to learn once you get a car like this running, LOL.

rustomatic

04-08-2018, 07:12 AM

Wow, nice package!

JayinMI

04-08-2018, 08:52 AM

TWSS. (Sorry, I COULD NOT resist.) Carry on. LOL

Jay

digitalsolo

04-08-2018, 09:39 AM

I'm just glad someone said it before me! LOL

I went out today to mock up my nice TIG welded stainless exhaust... and the driver side has about 1/8" of gap to the v-band that I can't clear out. I'd be more annoyed, but I figured that'd be the case because I adjusted the turbo "angle" slightly to improve other clearances. No biggie, I'll cut a little pie slice out of some pipe and fix it. I need to add the wideband bungs anyway, so the TIG was getting used regardless.

All in the name of "as close to perfect as my fabri-cobbling skills allow", haha.

digitalsolo

04-17-2018, 04:52 AM

BRAKES WORK!

My very understanding wife sat in the car and worked the pedal for me and I bled all 4 corners. Shockingly, I didn't have any leaks (or at least none have showed up yet) and it bled pretty well between the pump/pump/hold technique and some MityVac work.

Here's a few shots of the setup on the interior.

Master Cylinders:

151657

Brake Switch:

151658

This shot is dark, but this is the clutch line and rear brake line firewall passthroughs. You can also see an aluminum plate at the top. This has a piece of foam on top of it that supports the brake lines against the pedal bracket to help minimize vibration and unsupported runs:

151659

And the passenger side passthrough to the front brakes (and my battery/starter solenoid cables in progress):

151660

I also managed to get the clutch bled. It was a PITA as the master I used for that was used and the PO had cut the shaft down just enough to make it not long enough to work for me. So I had to make a little screw on extend-o-bolt to sort it. Anyway, bled that via the pump 11 million times and MityVac the bleeder valve (I can't use my normal method because of clearance) and it seems to have worked very well with a very solid pedal. The only bad news is the pedal is freaking heavy, definitely heavier than my Spec Super Twin in the FC was. That said, I don't have a seat in the car, so it may not be quite so bad once it's all in place and I can get proper leverage.

I am thinking about making a little brace for the front of the master cylinders as they do flex a tiny bit under full load and I think it'd be fairly easy to add a little brace for them, so I'll probably add that in, but beyond that, looks like that's one system off the list.

Next I'm going to adjust the parking brake a bit to get that dialed in 100% and start on finishing up the steering linkage. I'm hoping the driveshaft is done this week; once that comes in I'll fill the transmission and diff and mark those off the list.

Oh, and I have a big whiteboard to hang on the wall so that I can start writing tasks down that need finished before first fire, and before paint. :D

Dons67

04-17-2018, 05:39 AM

Fantastic work - wish I had a 3rd of your talent

digitalsolo

04-17-2018, 09:28 AM

Thanks! I swear, I'm "meh" at best at most of this stuff. It's just sheer determination, mostly. LOL

digitalsolo

04-26-2018, 05:39 AM

Quick video update (I'll have more pictures/in depth stuff soon, just short on time at the moment):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PAtt7GpF1jw

digitalsolo

05-02-2018, 07:04 PM

Starting wiring in the bay:

152166

Labeled and loomed up:

152165

digitalsolo

05-05-2018, 04:05 PM

A bit more wiring progress; passenger side is almost done, just need to finish joining the separate harness sections at the mil spec connector then build the stress relief loops and terminate it at the connectors. Then do it again on the driver side, then start on the interior side of all of it.

Good news is once I wire up everything and build a few more fuel lines, I should theoretically be able to fire it up!

152200

152201

152202

slimjim

05-05-2018, 04:17 PM

great attention to detail on the wiring!

What wire sleeve tubing did you use to cover it? and the where is the anti-abrasion cover used on your main starter cable come from? this is exactly what I'm putting together at the moment

digitalsolo

05-05-2018, 05:05 PM

Thanks!

The sleeving is just a generic high-heat expandable loom, nothing super fancy. The ends are done with adhesive lined heatshrink. The starter cable is wrapped first in the same sleeving as the rest, then covered in flameshield high-temperature sleeve to protect it from the heat.

digitalsolo

05-06-2018, 01:23 PM

Passenger side wiring all finished up. At least forward of the firewall. Next up will be doing the driver side, testing/validating/documenting all of it, building fusebox/ECU brackets inside and then wiring the inside up.

THEN START IT!

152225

152226

152224

andrewb70

05-06-2018, 01:34 PM

Exciting progress!

Does that engine have stock internals? How much boost can that handle?

Andrew

digitalsolo

05-06-2018, 02:02 PM

Andrew,

Yes, mostly stick minus ARP head studs. I'm planning around 550-600 RWHP, which seems to be pretty safe from my reading.

-Blake

digitalsolo

05-09-2018, 05:01 PM

There's almost as much of a lack of space behind the dash as in the engine bay! Working on stuffing the various ECUs, fuseblocks, power distribution, etc, behind the dash. Keep in mind that I have HVAC, electric power steering and all the master cylinders (3 of 'em) back here too. Youch.

The aluminum bracket in the first picture has the Eaton PDU on it (looks like this):

152331

Power will feed in from a distribution block mounted on the side by the door pillar, which is fed from the battery and feeds the ignition cylinder, this fuseblock and a second smaller Bussman unit that will be mounted where the glovebox will be. There is also a ground bus plate here to split grounds out as well.

152330

This shot is the looking under the dash at the HVAC box/hoses and the lid of the Eaton block. It's not sexy down here, but it's effective. I need to build the #6 A/C hose and have them both crimped and add my Gates shrink clamps to the heater hoses.

152329

Next is getting the power distribution block mounted up, ground mounted up and figure out how to fit a few more things in the glovebox area. Then figure out how to mount the AEM Infinity, 3x mini ECUs that I designed, and a few other bits. Then more wiring. THEN FIRE!

digitalsolo

05-10-2018, 07:16 PM

Glovebox fab. Fabricated aluminum glovebox isn't overkill, right? RIGHT?

152388

152387

I made this out of .090 6061, welded and then ground/metalworked on the sides for clearance. You can see in the next pictures how it fits in (it screws in along the top/sides). I'll be adding a Bussman box inside also, with a little bezel to support it all around. It can't be taller/bigger or it won't fit in from the front, and order of operations says it has to, so I'll probably line it with carpet and make a little "sack" at the bottom out of the cloth to finish out a little more nicely and make it so that I can keep my registration, etc. in it still since I have zero other storage in the car.

152390

152389

andrewb70

05-10-2018, 07:22 PM

Look great. Those Bussmann boxes are awesome too. I installed one in a buddies 70 Cougar. Added relay and fuses for his fans, ignition, and fuel pump. Had two positions to spare.

Andrew

migg400

05-11-2018, 10:34 AM

Project is looking good!!!
Best of luck with the rest of the build....

digitalsolo

05-20-2018, 04:13 PM

So, I've been fighting with how to fit all of my various systems behind the dash. I have a center console that I need to design/build still, but the tunnel is high enough that it won't really fit much, so behind the dash it my target for as much as possible. Add to that an obsession with ease of service and cleanliness and... it's a real pain.

The fuseboxes are sorted, as I showed in the previous post, but the ECU was not yet. I finally decided to mount it in the driver side kick panel area, on the side cowl, above where the dead pedal will be placed. To make sure it doesn't get kicked, and give it a nice mounting surface (and because I wanted to practice fabrication more...) I built a 1/8" aluminum plate box. This bolts to the chassis, then the ECU mounts to the box on rubber isolators, then the cover mounts to that. It's clearanced to allow the USB stick in/out easily for logging, though I'll probably put that on an extension so that it's easier to reach.

Here's the box itself with the ECU mocked up inside:

152704

152703

152702

And mounted in the car without the cover on:

152701

And the ever more full dash:

152700

JayinMI

05-20-2018, 04:28 PM

Glovebox fab. Fabricated aluminum glovebox isn't overkill, right? RIGHT?

Nope. Not at all. lol

152388

152387

I made this out of .090 6061, welded and then ground/metalworked on the sides for clearance. You can see in the next pictures how it fits in (it screws in along the top/sides). I'll be adding a Bussman box inside also, with a little bezel to support it all around. It can't be taller/bigger or it won't fit in from the front, and order of operations says it has to, so I'll probably line it with carpet and make a little "sack" at the bottom out of the cloth to finish out a little more nicely and make it so that I can keep my registration, etc. in it still since I have zero other storage in the car.

152390

152389

Look at flocking it. It looks a lot like suede...or a stock late model glove box/center console storage bin and you won't get any seams.
Like this:

http://www.leevalley.com/us/wood/page.aspx?p=44669&cat=1,250,43298,43300,44669

Jay

digitalsolo

05-20-2018, 04:43 PM

Flocking is a good idea. I'll have to keep that in mind, thanks!

digitalsolo

05-30-2018, 05:28 AM

Redid a bit on my steering column (the shaft was out of true when I previously modified it, so I cut it apart, put it in my mill, trued it up and welded it back together, all better now) and picked up an adapter and a steering wheel:

153000

xsboost90

05-30-2018, 07:12 PM

Nice wheel 😉

digitalsolo

06-01-2018, 10:16 AM

Thanks!

Can I ask for some advice? My lowest point is my oil pan/turbos, but I build a bar/skidplate system to protect them, and it's 1/4" 6061, so fairly stout. I'm working on ride height and it looks like the skidplate will be around 4" or so off the ground. It's almost all encompassed by the front wheels (as in the skid plate is roughly 2' across, and centered along the wheels) so it's got the advantage of not being much "overhang" vs. axle centerline.

Does 4" of clearance seem good? It 'looks' low, but I measured my Focus ST and it's about the same and I've never scraped that.

I'm probably overthinking this, but overthinking is kind of my modus operandi, so...

Thanks all, for any input at all.

digitalsolo

06-03-2018, 07:23 PM

So I'm finally back to wiring work after a front suspension detour. The EPAS control box is mounted (it's at a weird angle on a crossbar support because... well, that's where it would fit), and the coil ignitor modules are mounted up on a nice chunk of aluminum to keep them cool (and have heat sink paste behind them). The wiring is in process, I've got about 50% of the engine wiring terminated in the ECU connectors, after that I need to run the I/O for the ECU and power for the ECU and connect up all the power for the engine harness/fuseboxes.

Here's the "in process" wiring mess:

153122

And the nice, wrapped (Tesa tape) harness behind the dash. I'll be adding a support for strain relief shortly, just haven't gotten to it yet.

153123

Coil ignitors mounted up and wired:

153124

And an overall of the dash. Power wires run over to the fusebox that sits behind the dash, under the glovebox.

153125

And finally, the engine bay with the bulkheads final installed, the intake in place and the harness laid in place:

153126

JayinMI

06-04-2018, 02:48 AM

digitalsolo

06-04-2018, 04:34 AM

Harnessing looks great! As someone who works with automotive electrical systems daily, I appreciate the work that went into them.
I plan to use Tesa tape and Techflex on my project as well, after ALL THE RUST IS GONE! :banghead:

Are you worried about resale value since you cut the dash for an aftermarket radio? (lol...j/k)

Jay

LOL, I -knew- someone would say something about the stereo hole! Hahaha!

The wiring work is so tedious, since I'm basically double/triple checking all of it, but at the end of the day, that's what tends to fail and leave you stranded, so doing it right the first time is just so worthwhile.

I'm really, really excited to have power in the chassis. This car last ran in the early 80s from what I've been able to discern, so it's kinda neat to me to see systems "wake up" on it as I finish things. I really do hope to have the electrical systems functional by the end of this coming weekend (June 9-10).

A few other little details that aren't immediately noticeable; all VR sensors are twisted pairs to minimize noise, and the crank sensor is shielded with a mesh and a drain. Hopefully that keeps noise at a minimum on the critical systems.

wfo guy

06-04-2018, 09:05 AM

4" under the crossmember will work. There's lots of hot rods that have that number. You do have to pay attention to obstacles in the road. :)

digitalsolo

06-04-2018, 11:34 AM

4" under the crossmember will work. There's lots of hot rods that have that number. You do have to pay attention to obstacles in the road. :)

Cool beans. Thanks for the input. I think I'll set it at 4" and see of I whack the skidplate on anything. :D

Project Bike Truck

06-04-2018, 12:44 PM

Some awesome stuff on this build, good work!

JayinMI

06-04-2018, 03:48 PM

LOL, I -knew- someone would say something about the stereo hole! Hahaha!

The wiring work is so tedious, since I'm basically double/triple checking all of it, but at the end of the day, that's what tends to fail and leave you stranded, so doing it right the first time is just so worthwhile.

I'm really, really excited to have power in the chassis. This car last ran in the early 80s from what I've been able to discern, so it's kinda neat to me to see systems "wake up" on it as I finish things. I really do hope to have the electrical systems functional by the end of this coming weekend (June 9-10).

A few other little details that aren't immediately noticeable; all VR sensors are twisted pairs to minimize noise, and the crank sensor is shielded with a mesh and a drain. Hopefully that keeps noise at a minimum on the critical systems.

I was also wondering if having your coil ignitors inside the car, in close-ish proximity will cause radiated noise/degraded radio reception when you put audio in the car. Someone always comments on cut radio openings...if you're already putting quarters or floors in a car, doesn't seem like fixing a radio opening would be a big deal. lol

Jay

digitalsolo

06-05-2018, 05:30 AM

I hadn't considered the radio/coil igniter proximity. That's a very valid point. I'll keep an eye on that. I will say that for my needs, the stereo will basically always be playing MP3s anyway, I basically never listen to the radio. As long as I don't induce noise into the speakers, I should be okay from that perspective. Hmmm.... always another detail, haha.

I did complete some work last night; engine harness <-> PCM wiring is all terminated and I added all the I/O from the ECU. I need to replace the clutch master (it's leaking... grr) and then get the power wiring sorted out, then I can move on to the next thing... LOL.

JayinMI

06-05-2018, 03:23 PM

I've been doing car audio/security/accessories for the past 24 years. I always think of things like that. It's getting close to the Woodward Dream Cruise, so we are seeing an influx of classic cars with hacked wiring that people always seem to be OK with until it causes a problem. That's one of the reasons I really like this build...you are doing your wiring right (and the Arduino type stuff/custom BCM is pretty sweet too.)

I wasn't sure how far you were going with the audio system, but if you do something like component speakers (midrange/tweeter with a crossover) try to keep the crossovers as far from the ignitors as possible. Those, HID ballasts and things like MSD ignitions are notorious for causing noise...usually getting induced/radiated in through the crossover.

Jay

digitalsolo

06-07-2018, 09:12 AM

Jay,

I very much appreciate the tips! I do plan on some component speakers (eventually). I'll make sure the crossovers are well away from the ignitors, and the same with routing of the RCA cables (which I can always shield with a drain if need be).

I've got LED lights everywhere, so those at least aren't particularly noisy.

On the ECU wiring front, it doesn't look like a lot of progress, but it really is... I have a video made that I need to edit/upload to YouTube still also, but here's where we stand on the grind:

All engine harness wiring is validated, and all of it that runs to the AEM ECU is completed patched and dressed in.
All engine harness wiring that doesn't run to the ECU is identified and tested (not terminated or dressed in). This is some of the wiring you see hanging out of the gauge hole by the steering column. Things like gauge senders, AC compressor, trinary switch, etc.
All ECU I/O wires are installed and documented, and run up to where the gauge wiring, etc. is. This is the rest of the wiring by the steering column.
All ECU and engine power wiring is extended to roughly where it goes and identified, but not fully terminated yet.

Overall:

153257

Wiring mostly dressed in and secured:

153259

153258

All in all, lots of progress. I have 2 more evenings and all day Saturday/Sunday to keep at it, so I'm still hoping to be testing gauge senders, DBW systems, etc. by the end of the weekend. If it goes VERY well, I'll get the HVAC stuff put back in, install fuel lines, mount the fuel tank, install air systems, install cooling system, oil the motor up, and test fire it. That's a big ass list, though, so I'll keep plodding forward towards the end goal.

And then.... tear the body down for final bodywork touch up and PAINT! And glass! And weatherstripping! And.. oy, that's a lotta crap left to do.

andrewb70

06-07-2018, 09:18 AM

Blake,

Are you using the BMW spec tape for the harness?

Andrew

digitalsolo

06-07-2018, 09:29 AM

It's high heat Tesa tape. I'm not sure if it's specifically any OE spec though.

JustJohn

06-07-2018, 11:20 AM

It's high heat Tesa tape. I'm not sure if it's specifically any OE spec though.

Tesa cloth tape was originally Bosch OE spec for O2 sensor wire harnesses up through ~ 2000.

digitalsolo

06-07-2018, 12:46 PM

Yep I dig it, but they make a few different tapes, so I'm not sure if the specific one I'm using is a grade that any OE spec'd. It's way nicer than working with vinyl tape though!

JayinMI

06-07-2018, 12:53 PM

It's high heat Tesa tape. I'm not sure if it's specifically any OE spec though.

Tesa cloth tape was originally Bosch OE spec for O2 sensor wire harnesses up through ~ 2000.

I'm not a big fan of using the cloth tape like digitalsolo is using in wet environs, it soaks up water. The Exterior tape is different.

Yep I dig it, but they make a few different tapes, so I'm not sure if the specific one I'm using is a grade that any OE spec'd. It's way nicer than working with vinyl tape though!

They make all kinds of tapes and body protection films. I use a lot of 3/4" and 3/8" cloth tape on interior harnesses when I do high end audio jobs. I also have used their exterior tape on some engine compartment stuff. It's denser and you need to cut it (It won't just rip easily.) I haven't used it yet, but they also have an adhesive "tape" that you can use to tape door edges, jambs, etc. so you don't scratch the paint when you're working on the car.

Check this place out. He has some good examples of their products.

https://www.ecwid.com/store/tesajkstore/

Jay

digitalsolo

06-07-2018, 07:34 PM

Yep ^

For what it's worth, my engine bay side wiring uses Kapton tape to hold the wires in bundles under the heat shrink/flex wrap.

Here's a quick video update of my progress up to yesterday:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HXqMjhv-zJI

digitalsolo

06-11-2018, 07:32 AM

Well, the pile of wiring in the dash continues to grow, but I'm making good progress. The engine systems are all wired up to the ECU and the fusebox, and the fusebox is in turn wired up to main power distribution. I need to build an umbilical from the main PDU to the battery in the trunk to power up the chassis itself still, as well as run the leads for flex fuel, ignition signal, brake switch signal, CANbus (for my body control modules) fuel level and fuel pump signal back to the rear of the car in that trunk as well. Hoping to get that sorted this week.

153476

The dash at least doesn't look like it's covered in colorful spaghetti anymore:

153475

And the trunk area is starting to come along. Battery mount is... mounted, battery is in place, fuel tank is bolted in (and sealed to the body with a closed cell foam gasket) and the misc. filters/flex fuel sensors/fuel pump wiring is in place. Next up is finishing a few hoses (need a couple fittings) and wiring it all up properly.

153477

Slowly but surely...

digitalsolo

06-16-2018, 06:12 PM

It runs!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_O_tiPqsb6M

wfo guy

06-17-2018, 03:51 AM

Kool!

jetmech442

06-25-2018, 11:12 AM

It runs!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_O_tiPqsb6M

Sounds awesome man! you're first start-up went Waaaay better than mine(and my 2nd and 3rd, lol). I'm a big fan of all the work your doing and the attention to detail is a great benchmark for what I strive for(but often miss). Keep up the good work, I'll be following in hopes of seeing more cool techniques.

BTW, also big fan of arduino. I have a LP lift pump to a 1L surge bottle that feeds to Walbro. I found while dialing in my VE tables that as I would cruise to my test zone the HP pump would circulate into the surge tank and heat up, significantly(but not dangerously or anything), the first high load pull use the hot fuel but the second and and sometimes third would mix in a bunch of “cooler” fuel and have me chasing VE values-not a ton mind you,, but several percentages.

So my fix for now is for my Arduino Uno to poll the MAP sensor and if below 75kPA(this may change), then PWM the pump down to 50%. Each time the pressure goes above, it will set the PWM to 100% for about 45 seconds(anticipating more hoonigan behavior).

It also does minor things like read the fuel sensor and report the value on a stepper motor.

Man was I proud of myself when I made this thing- wires organized, labled, properly bolted down,,etc…but in the pic below it doesn’t look all the great. Sigh, anyway, just thought I’d share.
153930

digitalsolo

06-25-2018, 02:53 PM

That's super cool jetmech! I just love how many novel things that Arduino and similar microcontrollers can do in an automotive setting. I just got my BCM control boards back from fabrication and assembled the first one. I need to sit down and test it and see if it works, haha.

I'll be sharing out all of my body control module code and circuit designs/Gerber CAD files so if you ever want to play with it, my work is always open source. I figure much smarter people than me can do impressive stuff with a little bit of a start. Someone built a cool AEM simulator with some of my gauge code.

I'll get some updates on all my progress shortly. :)

digitalsolo

07-12-2018, 06:08 PM

Another quick video update. Had to redo the cooling system piping due to some leaks, so it's all AN fittings now. Lower fittings need tightened a little bit, but my wrench didn't fit so I'll fab a new wrench.

https://youtu.be/0Fqog1Isfk8

JayinMI

07-13-2018, 05:43 PM

...my wrench didn't fit so I'll fab a new wrench.

Sure. Why not. LOL Sounds like you need an AN fitting adjustable wrench!
That's the best quote I've heard in a while.

Jay

digitalsolo

07-15-2018, 07:16 PM

LOL, if you have the tools... I just opened up an existing (XRP) 20AN wrench about .125 in my benchtop mill to fit my Fragola fittings (my old car had BMRS fittings that the XRP wrench fit). :D

digitalsolo

07-30-2018, 07:54 AM

Relatively big update!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7R8hyojn2p0

Annnnd, working tail lights!

https://youtu.be/CkUE5RO9tJA

JayinMI

07-30-2018, 04:46 PM

Sweet. Big milestone. That must feel pretty good. Did it backfire when you drove out of sight?

Jay

slimjim

07-30-2018, 05:14 PM

That must be so rewarding! congratulations

digitalsolo

07-31-2018, 04:30 AM

Sweet. Big milestone. That must feel pretty good. Did it backfire when you drove out of sight?

Jay

Thanks! It's great to have driven it (after 4 years!). Still fixing some odd behavior in steering, but I think that's sorted (or mostly) now.

And yeah, it backfired on decel; the tune is SUPER rough right now and that was the first time it was driven under any load. I thought something fall off at first, LOL.

I'm finishing the electric power steering (it at least works now, just finishing the wiring for it) and the CANbus boxes that control everything. Then center console and a few other details, than I'm out of excuses for not painting it.

andrewb70

07-31-2018, 04:56 AM

Hey Blake,

What did you use for your electronic steering?

Andrew

digitalsolo

07-31-2018, 06:49 AM

Andrew,

It's a Koyo unit from a Saturn with a "driver" box from eBay. Works great so far in my limited testing.

Regards,

Blake

digitalsolo

09-02-2018, 03:15 PM

Put some color on it! :)

156159
156160
156161
156162
156163
156164

wfo guy

09-02-2018, 05:05 PM

Nice!

JayinMI

09-02-2018, 05:47 PM

Put some color on it! :)

156160

At first I thought it was an old GTR, because of the taillights, and I was like "Wait, wat?" lol
Coming along, looks awesome!

Jay

andrewb70

09-03-2018, 04:49 AM

At first I thought it was an old GTR, because of the taillights, and I was like "Wait, wat?" lol
Coming along, looks awesome!

Jay

Jay, I thought exactly the same thing!

Looking good Blake!

Andrew

digitalsolo

09-03-2018, 05:59 AM

Thanks all! I'm looking forward to getting it all assembled and the cut/buff done to clean up a few orange peel spots and some dust/crap from my makeshift booth, but overall I'm pretty happy for my first time ever shooting base/clear.

JayinMI

09-03-2018, 06:03 PM

Ha! TT Coyote = no one will see the orange peel. lol

Jay

digitalsolo

09-03-2018, 07:30 PM

A bit more progress. :)

156209
156208
156207
156206

andrewb70

09-03-2018, 08:02 PM

I voting for gold center on the wheels. Would look amazing with that color.

Andrew

digitalsolo

09-04-2018, 04:03 AM

You're not far off Andrew. I'm planning on bronze Konig Hypergrams. About the same color as my strut tower brace.

rickpaw

09-04-2018, 08:00 AM

Nice.

digitalsolo

09-14-2018, 11:00 AM

Thanks guys!

So, random fun thing I found the other day. I had jacked up the car and put the front on jack stands. What I hadn't realized was that I put the driver side stand up 1 "notch" higher.

Why is this interesting? The driver rear tire was actually pulled off the ground enough I couldn't break the lugs loose. Considering the floppy noodle this thing was when I started on it, I'm pretty excited about that outcome from a chassis rigidity standpoint. I'm very much looking forward to driving this thing in anger. :D

Currently working on color sand/buff and finishing up some electrical work; then I need to do seals/glass/trim.

rickpaw

09-16-2018, 08:37 AM

Thanks guys!

So, random fun thing I found the other day. I had jacked up the car and put the front on jack stands. What I hadn't realized was that I put the driver side stand up 1 "notch" higher.

Why is this interesting? The driver rear tire was actually pulled off the ground enough I couldn't break the lugs loose. Considering the floppy noodle this thing was when I started on it, I'm pretty excited about that outcome from a chassis rigidity standpoint. I'm very much looking forward to driving this thing in anger. :D
...

I put torque boxes/sub frame connectors on my friend’s 65 fastback, and the result was similar to yours. Jack one corner up and the corner at the other end lifts up as well.

Love the work you’ve done to the car.

digitalsolo

09-23-2018, 04:51 PM

I've been working on color sanding the car. Wow, that's a freaking job that is! Anyway, after using the hood/trunk as a "learning experience" I'm working on the chassis (hood/trunk had some paint problems and needed reshot anyway, not a big deal). Roof and both sail panels are done, as is the rear fill panel below the rear window (between window/trunk), the tail light panel, rear valance, driver quarter panel and driver door. The rest of the panels... are... not done. Damn. Anyway, I'm pretty happy with how they're turning out. Sanding this stuff has been a real learning experience. Here's my current system:

1. First I use a single edge razor blade to "nib" any dust/dirt/drips/runs off the clear. Hold it 90* to the panel and drag it lightly. This is way easier than it sounds and drips no longer worry me after learning how to do this. Easy-peasy.
2. For heavy orange peel panels I have a 3/32 throw random orbital with 1000 grit on a foam interface pad, I use it damp, stopping every 5-10 seconds to clean it to prevent pig tails (they are my NEMESIS).
3. After that (or if it wasn't needed on the panel in question) I use Meguiar's Unigrit 1500 on a Motorguard "Holey Terror" pad for flat areas, and tri folded by hand in tight curves/small areas. I do this VERY wet and wash the paper constantly. I clean the panels with a foam Durablock sanding block as a squeegee as it doesn't mar the paint. I clean every couple minutes to check the status and watch for any scratches that I've not cleaned out. Work diagonally and run at 90* to your previous grit.
4. Repeat step 3 with 2000 grit, 2500 grit, and 3000 grit Meguiar's Unigrit. I clean the panel often and
5. Final each panel with 3M Trizact 3000 grit foam, damp. By hand on the tight areas, on the 3/32 orbital (with foam interface pad) on the flat areas.
6. Buff with a wool pad on a rotary, using Meguiar's M105. Be careful here... you can ruin your day with a buffer, quickly. I run around speed 2-3 on edges, always running the buffer OFF the panels (so it spins OFF, not onto, the edge) and I'll run upwards of speed 4-5 on flat areas to bring a little heat into it as I go. I move at a medium speed and run the product until it dusts off, occasionally hitting it with some spray detailer to keep it wet.

I have not gone past that stage yet as I need some foam pads, but I have a Chemical Guys kit coming, with 4 levels of foam pads and 4 levels of compound/polish. I'll be going over everything with an orbital polisher and whatever compounds/polishes/pads I find to work best. I have Yellow/Orange/White/Black pads and V32-V34-V36-V38 en route, so I figure that ought to cover my needs.

I will say the paint looks better in pictures than in real life. If you get in close and at the right angle, there are small scratches here and there from sanding, and there are some waves/imperfections, but this is literally the fist time I've done any major body work, including all the metal work/panel refitting/hammer-dolly/etc, and my first time shooting base/clear and my first time polishing a car properly (I tried to polish my old RX7 on a ****ty paint job, but that did NOT go well, hahaha). Considering body shops wanted 20-25k to do the body/paint, and most wanted 7-8k dollars just to shoot and cut/buff it, I'm content with what I've got here I think.

Anyway, on to the photos! The specs and stuff on the reflection shot of me aren't paint issues, it's just compounding dust. :)

156857

156856

156855

156854

andrewb70

09-24-2018, 01:47 PM

For a DIY paint job, that looks pretty awesome.

Andrew

slimjim

09-24-2018, 03:20 PM

Kudos for doing it yourself, I'm doing the same on a lesser level, taking care of a lot of body work myself to bring the cost down. It's not that I have a problem with what they're charging for paint + body, it's a crazy amount of work and I have a whole lot more respect for the process, and if I had a car that just needed a respray then I'd happily pay it, but building a car from top to bottom, for me it get's a little hard to tack on another 25k+ for paint and body(especially when I have a lot of free time)

digitalsolo

10-07-2018, 04:50 PM

Thanks guys!

Here's a quick video update on status:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YpVlHrE1X6Q

langleylad

10-07-2018, 09:54 PM

Looks great , what did you use for your final cut ? . I'm doing my final cut before I buff and I'm using 3000 grit trizact on a d/a and it looks awesome !.

Z06killinSBF

10-08-2018, 05:04 AM

What color is that?

digitalsolo

10-08-2018, 06:04 AM

Thanks! I used Meguiars Unigrit for the main cutting and Trizact for the final cut.

The color is BMW Laguna Seca Blue. 2003 M3 to be specific.

LS122

10-08-2018, 02:14 PM

One of my Favorite colors, 03 to be specific. Going to (already does) look great. Are you going to leave the wheel centers as they are now?

craigF

10-08-2018, 09:58 PM

Great build. Better paint than some of the professional panel shops around here. Well done, inspiring.

digitalsolo

10-12-2018, 07:36 AM

Are you going to leave the wheel centers as they are now?

I'm planning on different wheels. Enkei Hypergrams in satin bronze. :)

Thanks for the compliments all! I'm really looking forward to getting it all assembled.

andrewb70

11-19-2018, 02:11 PM

Blake...check your PM...need your help!

Andrew

digitalsolo

01-15-2019, 12:00 PM

Updates!

Ordered (and received) some goodies:

FAST 88# fuel injectors:

160358

Corbeau Trailcat seats:

160357

Painted the inside of the door with texture paint and stain black:
160351

Sound deadened the roof, floor and passenger door (still need to do the driver door and rear seat pass through area (which has been welded shut):
160352

And started building a center console! This is just construction foam and hot glue. I am going to wrap it in fiberglass, then sand/finish it and wrap it in vinyl/leather upholstery.
160353
160354
160355
160356

digitalsolo

01-15-2019, 12:09 PM

Wired up the glovebox mounted fuseboxes. The one on the left is power windows (2 relays per window) and the one on the right is the ancillary systems like HVAC, stereo, IGN+ controlled enablement of the power windows (runs the other fusebox), power door lock ECU power, CANbus ECU power, etc.):

160365

And the center console wiring, mostly done. There is a ton of stuff here. The center console contains:

1. Stereo, which has a USB CANbus adapter to read and display ECU information from my AEM Infinity using an AVR compatible microcontroller assembly and code I authored.
2. BMW E36/E39 window switches for all power windows, including an "all down" window switch.
3. BMW E36/E39 power door lock "unlock" button
4. AEM Trim Pot for fuel/boost map control.
5. "Billet Buttons" hazard button (lights up surround when active)
6. "Billet Buttons" traction control button (lights up when pressed, which disabled 3 channel traction control in the AEM)
7. A few spare connections for future use if needed (like signal when parking brake is set).

160359

And the center console progress. It's now fiberglassed, finished out and wrapped in leather-look vinyl. The top plate is aluminum and attaches with neodymium magnets. I don't have the armrest in place yet, but it will be shortly. The top plate will get painted black texture finish to match the dash/door panels/etc. The shifter boot isn't quite finished out yet and I still need to make one for the parking brake lever (as well as a handle for that).

160362160361160360160363160364160366