Build Day Eleven - Sunday, June 28

Finished the passenger side foot box today along with most of the cockpit aluminum. Other than a long day of drilling, silicone and rivets, it was uneventful. I'm looking forward to going back to Chicago this week to get a break from the car!

build Day Ten - Saturday, June 26

Short day, because we have to go to a friend's birthday party. No Machine shops open on the weekend, so the hubs will have to wait. Began work on the passenger foot box. We might have finished, but I broke the last drill bit.

So far: 23 drill bits broken.

I must be doing something wrong. Not enough time to get more bits and still finish, so we called it quits for the day. We'll finish the cockpit aluminum tomorrow. If all goes well, the engine goes in next weekend!

Build Day Nine - Friday, June 25

Parts Arrived! Now we can get to the suspension, and it was an exercise in frustration. Nothing fit right, nuts were buggered, causing trips to Lowe's. Instructions sucked. If it were not for the build class we took in April and the FFCobra forum, we would never have gotten as far as we did. Still undone: Fitting the hubs to the front spindles. After trying every trick posted on the forum, they still will not go on.

1. Emery Paper to smooth down the spindle - Nope

2. Boil the Hub sleeve and pack the spindle in ice - Nope

3. Put the spindles in the freezer overnight and the hub sleeves in the oven for 30 minutes - Nope

4. Take the entire set up to a machinist - We'll see

Build Day Eight - Thursday, June 24

No work yesterday. It was Krystina's last day in town, so we just messed around, then went to dinner and a movie. Still no arrival of new parts, so today we put in the driver's side foot box. It took allot longer and was allot harder than expected. A lot of drilling and a lot of rivets later and it was done. We left the top off for now, so we can get to the Master Cylinders later.

Build Day Seven - Tuesday, June 22

Got the fuel tank and fuel line in today. Maybe two hours worth of work. Took some muscle to get the tank straps to fit, but it's in now. I also kinked a fuel line while making a bend; so, that created a trip to the auto parts store. 5/16 line is a bit trickier to bend than 3/16 line. I had no issues with the brake line bends. Lesson learned.

Build Day Six - Monday, June 21

Had errands to run today, so it was pretty easy. When we got around to the car, we just put gear oil in the rear end and set the rear end to 2 degrees up. We then ran all the brake lines. This was the first day that everything went easy. That was a relief. Tomorrow - Fuel Tank and Fuel Lines.

Build Day Five - Sunday, June 20

Got the rear end end put in today. Took allot more than expected. First, I misunderstood how to put the oil in, and put in way too much. Had to empty the entire thing. Try that again tomorrow. But decided to go ahead and put the rear end in the frame. Next - a few parts, custom made by Factory Five did not fit well; so, it took some hammer and clamp assistance to get them on the axle.

Last, We got the lower control arms and the upper arm mounted to the frame, to discover that we had it installed under the Pan Hard Frame Mount, and it needed to go over it. So, another two hours to re-do that, and getting the rear end snaked over that mount was a trick. However, we got it done. One of the most valuable lessons learned in the class we took was: "Things will not fit right, and allot is left up to the builder. Figure it out". If not for that lesson, I'd have spent way too much time on the phone with Factory Five, or online trying to get answers. Instead, we just "Made it work".

Build Day Four - Friday, June 18

Got back from Chicago ready to get back to work on the car. My Daughter Krystina came up for the week, so she'll be giving a hand as well. The Rear end got delivered and we got to work. We had to pull the axles in order to install the rear brake hangers; so, we did that and replaced the cover with a silicone seal. We have to wait 24 hours to put oil in it; so we're done for the day. Tomorrow is water park day, so no work tomorrow.

Build Day Three - Sunday, June 13

Grasping for straws for something to do on the car, I decided we could assemble and install the pedal box. So, we did that (Minus the accelerator pedal, as it is on back order). We also put in the master cylinders and brake fluid reservoirs. Jon-Alec did allot of the work and learned how brakes work - In theory - he'll see once we get the brakes and lines in.

Build Day Two - Saturday, June 12 - 2010

Again, with out the front and rear suspension parts, we are limited in how far we can get. Today we removed all the aluminum panels and re-installed the ones that would not be in the way for the build. Jon-Alec did some drilling and learned how to use a riveting tool. We are now done until the suspension parts arrive.

Build Day One - Friday, June 11, 2010

Today we began work. First order of business was to inventory everything. That went pretty well, even though it took 4 hours. Everything was accounted for except one part - A piece of engine compartment aluminum. I called Factory Five, and they are sending one. Should be here next week.

So, "Accounted For" does not mean it is here; it also means that they marked it as back order. So, Road Block #1 - The rear end is not here, nor is the lower control arms for the front suspension. My build will be delayed a bit until those arrive. Hopefully next week.

We were able to assemble the brakes and shocks, as well as install the upper ball joints into the upper control arms. We went ahead and installed the upper control arms on the frame, but thats as far as we got with the missing parts.

We'll do a little aluminum work tomorrow.

Put the Body on the Buck

After taking a few hours to raise the buck, so that it would fit over the car, we removed the body from the frame. It took some juggling and some help from Marshall, the neighbor, but we got it up on the buck. It now all fits in the garage! Work starts tomorrow!

The Car Arrives! June 9 - 2010

The car arrived yesterday. June 9th at 6 PM. Unfortunately I was in Chicago, and I missed the big event. However; Derrick, the driver, and Sharon made quick work of the unload. Only one snag in the whole process. I made the body buck about 2 inches too short. So, it would not fit over the car. Body buck slept outside.

Body Buck is Complete

Spent a few hours Saturday building the Body Buck. Jon Alec had a chance to use some power tools, so that was cool. Once the car arrives, we'll put the body on the top of this buck. The whole thing can then roll over the top of the frame, so it all fits in the Garage.