Getting the Kit on Order, Preparing the Work Space

Monday, February 22, 2016

We are now in and without financial pain, there is no turning back. Hooray! We can stop the back and forth and go forward, a little scary, but really invigorating.

Our kit includes a lot of options, but the website makes it easy to configure the build for the engine, transmission and rear end that we chose. To summarize here is what we are planning on building:

1933 Ford Hot Rod 

From Donor Car: 1997 Lincoln Mark VIII
Engine: 1997 Lincoln Intech Modular 4.6 Liter, 8 Cylinder, DOHC( Dual Overhead CAM shafts), 32 Valve, EFI ( Electronic Fuel Injection), Aluminum Teksid Y-shaped Block Romeo assembled
280 hp and 285 lb·ft torque 

Transmission: 4R70W automatic overdrive 

Rear End: Independent Rear suspension

From Factory Five

Removable Hard Top Coupe 
Full fenders with running boards
Power Windows and door locks
Black Leather seats

For more that comes with the standard kit go to this link
http://www.factoryfive.com/kits/33-hot-rod/what-you-get-complete/ 


Preparing our workspace

To get ready for our shipment from Factory Five, which will include the frame, the body and body parts, as well as 40-50 boxes of parts that need to be inventoried and stored for the build; we set up a seldom used corner of Larry's shop, only a few 100 square feet of the 12,000 he has - so no worries of getting in the way.

We decided to build a work bench so we had a surface for detailed work and a place to refer to the assembly manual and any other paperwork we would need like wiring manuals, repair manuals and a computer for internet searches close at hand.

We also configured the space to use 8-foot racking shelves to support a platform where we could place the fiberglass body parts out of the way to keep them from damage during the build - Larry's forklift will come in handy getting it up and down for test fittings. The shelves will also house and stage our build parts from Factory Five and our donor car. 

We also built a rolling dolly for the frame so we could build the car on it and move it around before we have wheels & tires. The main design choice was to get it high enough so we could get underneath it, as well as high enough to work on it from a rolling chair. There is no need to be bending down during the build. It's a purposely built to be little wide, so we can trim it when the actual frame comes in. We will also see if we need more support on the extended end on the left, and if not we will cut that off as well.