Its bound to happen when you’re building your own car. Things go wrong, stuff needs to be changed to accommodate other stuff, things being installed aren’t done the exact way you’d like.
I did a bunch of research on how to install the Fortes mechanical throttle. Wasn’t a lot of very good info and no directions. Started installing, then a new thread about mechanical throttles came out on the Factory 5 Forum. Realized I made a huge error. I mean the next day I was now reading how I screwed up. I will keep it short… the fail was that I didnt mount the crossbar low enough for the control arm to clear inside the driver footbox. Realized it as I was assembling, so I pointed the control arms down. Angles were a bit odd, but it seemed to be working. Tubes were cut and I had gotten some LH thread balljoints and jam nuts to install so the tubes could be adjusted by turning. Now the throttle is way too notchy coming off idle and those angles that seemed OK are not.
I’ll be taking it all apart, lowering the rod ends in the firewall as low as possible, order a new throttle tube and going at it again. I dont know what I will do with the holes that are already drilled, but I will have to do something. Maybe some of those metal push in panel plugs painted grey to semi-match the powdercoat. Wont look right, but maybe it will look OK.
Decided I hated (and I never use that word lightly) my dash layout. Way too unorganized, too flippant, too slapped together. My OCD was going nuts every time I looked at it. I know I have a lot of switches and stuff, needed to find a good way to organize. Gary Luigi is driving a Coyote Roadster around in gel coat and lives not more than a few miles from me. He asked to come over one day to see what I was doing and we spent a few hours talking cars and stuff. Anyways, he custom made a true carbon fiber center console and dash for his roadster… asked if I wanted the aluminum mold he made up. Also mentioned he had a blank dash. So we did a deal and traded some stuff and I’m back in business. I laid out the switches and knobs in a much better fashion on the console. He had some holes and cutouts in it, so I had to flush patch some and others I was just able to tape over with some 600mph speed tape.
Console will be a lot of work. Virtually every wire will have to be extended down through the Replicaparts undertray I have after cutting a slot in it. I may take the opportunity to run the tail wiring through there into the trans tunnel, removing it from the firewall as designed. Then I’ll use that firewall hole for the engine sensor wiring.
Sat in the stock seat and laid out some cutouts of my gauges on the dash. These are full size outside diameter, not cut guides. I think I like it. At least much more than what I had before…
Since this was taken, I centered up the speedo and small gauges, aligned the ignition switch and horn button and moved the GR (Green Right), GL (Green Left) and BH (Blue Hi beam) led lights to center in front of the driver. Also ordered matching switches for the Haz and Eng Fan (those did have red guards over them, but I’m going with red labels instead). Liking it more and more.
However, not crazy about the footbax fan switches sticking out of the side of the console. I may move the fan switches to the front and then put the seat heat switches on the side. That way there’s not a switch sticking out of the side. Also installed a power port on the rh side that I had not found a place for before.
OK, I like this a lot more. Next few steps are to get the dash, undertray, center console and trans cover all lined up and temp installed. Then remove it all and start extending wiring to the center console. I plan on using Molex connectors for everything so it will all be easily removable in the future.
Thanks for following!!