FFR #7608
The following articles document my Factory Five Cobra Build. Much of what I did was learned from the Factory Five online community and then put into practice. At other times I wasn't satisfied with the available solutions and figured out my own thing. I'm writing all this down hoping that others might find it useful and also as a reference for myself as I'm very likely to start forgetting details. It will take me some time to complete things here but I'll keep steadily at it.
Before you order your Factory Five Roadster you’ll want to spend some time on the forums and learn what your options are. They are http://www.ffcars.com and http://www.thefactoryfiveforum.com. Also check out http://www.clubcobra.com. It’s not Factory Five specific but it’s good to see how other Cobras do things.
Sign up on the forums and start reading. Find builds you like and talk to the owner about them. They’re usually happy to tell you all about their cars. As you become more familiar with the options you’ll form specific questions. Try using the search feature on the forum before posting your questions. It’s likely someone has asked the question already and sometimes forum members will get testy at the repeat.
Once you’ve ordered you’re going to spend a lot of time waiting. Factory Five has to build the kit and the the shipping company (Stewart Transport in my case) waits until there are enough deliveries across the country to justify the trip. Then if you’re like me you get to watch them bop around the country delivering everyone else's’ kit saving yours for the last delivery.
This is a good time to prepare your work area and resources. You’ll need space to do your inventory and store a bunch of large boxes. Depending on your build schedule you might be storing stuff a long time. Take this time to get the needed tools and supplies. I'll detail some of stuff I use in following articles.
This will be a good time to figure out how you’re going to store the body while you’re working on the chassis. Most folks build a body buck based on the following plans posted on ffcars.com. Might as well do it while you're waiting. The first plans below are for the older pre-MKIV body style. They work ok for the MKIV but it works better if you use Stan’s revised body buck for the rear portion. Here are ffcars.com pages on building a pre-MKIV body buck.
The build manual has a basic list of tools but it can be expanded upon. No point in duplicating that list here but I’ll talk about modifications or additions to that list. I’ll also include a description of my use for the tool. You can get by without a lot of this stuff but it defintely made it easier to get nice results.
Wire strippers/Crimpers
I don’t like combo stripper/crimper tools as they’re usually not very good at either job. I used a couple Klein wire strippers. One is 10-20 gauge and the other is 20-30 gauge. For crimping, the tool I like the most is my Accel ratcheting crimper. They actually sell it as a spark plug wire crimper (which it does well) but it also comes with a few other dies that let you crimp all sizes of wire connectors. BTW, I really dislike automatic strippers. I’ve seen em shred the insulator and conductor too often. For crimping my #4 and larger wires I used one of IWISS Cable Lug Crimper Crimping Tool. It’s not that expensive and in my opinion does a much nicer job than the myriad of whack it with a hammer tools that aren’t that much cheaper and mash up your terminal. It crimps a nice hex into your lug that’ll last the life of your car.
Cutters
In addition to the regular dIagonal, end cut, flush, etc I found these honkin Klein cable cutters that made cutting 2 gauge battery cable a breeze. They look like something someone in a mob movie would use to punish a rival.
Irwin Quick-grip Clamps
Great clamps. I used large and small ones all over holding stuff in place while I built. Quick to clamp and release and it's easily done with one hand. I can’t imagine having to use C-clamps instead.
Makita Drill Set
This is a nice set. I used the drill for.. well.. drilling. The impact drill was usually set up with a countersink bit that I used to debur both sides of every hole where possible. This ensured a tight reliable fit when riveted. I did a PILE of drill work in the course of a day and and swapped battery packs multiple times. The charger kept up with demand.
1/8” Drill Bits
Mentioned in the build manual but only in passing. This was the primary hole size I had to drill and I wore out or broke a mess of bits. Get a bunch. They’re cheap and you’ll need em.
3/16” Drill Bits
The second most drilled hole. Again get a supply of em. You don’t want to have to stop your build for a trip to the hardware store.
Step Drill Bits
I just got the Harbor Freight set. Good for quick holes in sheet metal. Also they tend to wander less than regular drill bits so they’re good for expanding a pilot hole to a larger size.
Standard Assorted Bits
Cause holes come in all sizes. I have a nice set from Nate’s Industrial Tools near me.
1/2” Countersink Bit
There are a few places where I countersunk screws and rivets but the primary use for this tool was deburring holes after I drilled. Deburring is essential for getting the tightest panel fit for riveting. If you leave burrs they’ll hold panels apart. If the burr protrudes even a little it’s enough to make your rivet set early. Then vibration wears the burr away and you have a loose joint and a jangly rivet.
Automatic punch
Best way to mark the spot to drill. Makes a nice little divot in your material that your drill will naturally center on.
Assorted Metal Files
All shapes and sizes. Used to adjust panel fitment as well as debur, smooth sharp panel edges, etc, and generally pretty things up. There’s more value to this than you think.
Sanding Block and Assorted Sandpaper
For fine tuning, de-burring and generally cleaning up panel edges. Don’t underestimate how a clean panel edge can improve your build quality. I used a combination of a rubber sanding block with assorted grit sandpaper from 120 all the way to 1000 for some of my polishing jobs.
Clecos
They’re kind of a temporary rivet. Helps hold everything in register while you’re building. I had 50 of the 1/8” and 20 of the 3/16” clecos. Lots of folks get by with fewer. I liked to have everything cleco assembled until the last possible minute and that took a lot of them. There is such a thing as overdoing it. I’m pretty sure I still have one 3/16” cleco installed behind the dash.
Cleco Pliers
For inserting and removing clecos (duh).
Rivet Gun
I have both a manual Stanley gun and a pneumatic Harbor Freight gun. I used the Stanley for all the 1/8” rivets and the aluminum 3/16” rivets. I did a bunch of stainless steel 3/16” rivets and preferred to use the Harbor Freight pneumatic gun to set those. They were stupid hard to do with the manual Stanley gun.
Adjustable Rivet Spacer
Factory Five gives you a sort of ruler with guide holes in it to help you mark your rivet holes. It works ok but only let’s you choose from two fixed spacings. The Aircraft Spruce tool makes it easy to set your holes perfectly at any spacing. One of my favorite tools.
Plastic Tote Caddy
The clecos, rivets, drill bits, punch, rivet spacer, pliers, are all related fiddly tools and I decided I wanted them all in organized and in one portable container while I worked. This caddy worked great. One side was for the rivets I was working with as well as rulers, markers, and the rivet gun. The other side was separated into two spaces for the two different size clecos. I had more 1/8" clecos so they got the larger space which made room for the cleco pliers. My jobber drill bits set in the little wells on either end of the handle. Soo much better than drilling and riveting hardware and tools laying all over the damn place.
Rivet Nut Setter
I used rivet nuts all over to make panels or clamps removable. I bought the Harbor Freight unit for around ~$20. It broke after a short while. I got another and it broke. The one after that broke as did the next one. I think I still have the fifth one. Might be the sixth. The thing is I still haven’t spent as much as my buddy who bought a really nice one sooo….
Soldering Iron
Since I did the Infinitybox electrical harness there was a pile of soldering to do. I was pretty good at it before I started and armed with my Weller WLC100 it went quickly. That being said I recently upgraded to a Hakko FX888D and it’s WAY nicer. If you’re using the Ron Francis harness you won’t be doing as much soldering as I did but I’d still advise a good soldering iron. They make a difference.
Wagner Heat Gun
For shrinking heat shrink tubing, making random things hot, and drying your hair and other body parts after a shower. (Do not use for drying your hair or other body parts after a shower)
Tubing Bender
Eastwood makes a really nice blue 3 channel bender... that doesn’t bloody work. Despite their claims of 3/16” to 3/8” its smallest channel is ¼” and you WILL kink your 3/16” lines using it. Stupid. Ridgid (not the Home Depot brand) makes a lovely 3/16” tubing bender that I used for all my stainless brake lines.
Swagelok Tubing Bender
All of my fuel tubing and fittings are stainless Swagelok. They make very high quality stuff and their 3/8” and 1/2” tubing benders are excellent.
Eastwood Professional Flaring Tool
While Eastwood's tubing bender left no goat unblown, Eastwood’s flaring tool is EXCELLENT. As I said I used stainless brake lines and you really need a good tool to flare them properly. Using the Eastwood tool was extremely easy and I did not have a single bad flare. The one downside is you can’t use it on lines already on the car as it needs to be clamped in a vise.
Hole Saws
In addition to the usual types of hole saws that we all know about I found that for the 1-¼” holes down to 3/4” Dewalt makes a really nice thin wall hole saw that cuts aluminum beautifully.
Jack Stands
I used 4 old made in USA Lincoln 6 ton jack stands with Prothane pads. These are large stands that let me raise the chassis to 26” high and are very stable. Sadly you can’t buy them anymore. The closest you can get are sold by Northern Tool and are made in China. They’re not as well made as the old Lincoln stands but they'll do.
Floor jack
Cobras are low cars and you have to reach in a long way to get at the chassis tubes. Harbor Freight sells a long reach low profile long reach floor jack that is ideal. I know folks like to rip on Harbor Freight but a friend bought one of the so-called good brands. It ended up being the exact same thing but he paid almost $100 more for it. The Harbor Freight jack has served me well.
Engine Crane and Leveler
Guess where I bought them. WRONG! I got em at Harbor Freight. I bought the 2 ton crane for extra reach. It has been invaluable. Their 3/4 ton leveler is also extremely helpful for installing the motor and trans. And so I don’t scratch up the motor in the process I used a couple Crow Enterprizes engine lift slings.
As I remember more details I’ll post them.
You've been patient and the day is finally here. The semi truck is parked in front of your house and a slightly grumpy driver is almost as anxious as you to get your kit off his truck. Have your shop ready and keep things business like. If you're like me you'll be like a little kid dancing around on Christmas morning anxious to open every package. Don't do it. That comes later.
Consider having a couple friends in attendance in case you need help. If you're like me and want pictures to document the occasion have one of those friends do it. You'll be busy helping the driver and he ain't gonna appreciate your selfie duck face anyway.
The driver will have manifest sheets that you'll want to check as he unloads boxes. This isn't a detailed inventory of the contents. Each box is numbered and you're just making sure you get every box on the manifest. This is important so have some writing utensils on hand. If a box is missing the driver will confirm it and you'll use the manifest to call Factory Five and let them know.
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