new member northern CA

[T. J. Marrone]

New member here, just purchased a FF 1987 kit with 1967 Mustang II parts that is still in the wrapers.  So far the challenge has been to see what is missing, like wiring harness, wipers, back-up lights, …. still looking.

Good news is outside of the wiring harness most stuff is reasonable.  I do have the Mustang II harnesses and may just try to work with them.

Anyone know of a source for the wires with the color stripes?

Anyone have any wisdom to share about converting to a 5 speed?  Seems like this should get now rather than later.

Hope to hear from you and hope to share this build experience here.

Thanks,  T. J.

[secretagentcat]

Welcome to the club TJ! I cant help you with your question I have the VW based Duchess kit but I know you will get your answer soon. I just wanted to say hi and look forward to hearing more about your new toy.

[billnparts]

Welcome.

Bill Ascheman
Fiberfab Ford
Modified 5.0, 5sp., 4:11
Autocross & Hillclimb
"Drive Happy"

[newkitman]

Welcome TJ.

Allen Caron
VW based 53MGTD - "MoneyPenny"
"If one thing matters, everything matters" - from the book The Shack

[Johnny L. Baxter]

Welcome T. J., I’m also building a Ford based TDr. Maybe we can limp along together. I just discovered (for the second time) a wiring diagram for the kit. If you need a copy I’ll be glad to send you a copy. Just let me know via this forum. JohnnyB

[Bill Hartwick]

I’m sure u will like it here.

[Jim Langan]

Just figur out how many circuits you need and buy a Painless wiring kit. Go on there site it will ask what stearling coloum ect. I use the universal looms. It’s easy to follow. Remember it’s only one wire at a time.

[davearoy]

Welcome TJ, we are glad that you found us. There are a bunch of talented folks here to help with any problem you may have, and we also have an excellent archive of former topics discussed, and problems solved. I have a Classic Roadster Duchess, that is VW powered so not much help on your engine and trans issue. Just one quick comment, when you are looking at wiring your car, remember our cars are fiberglass, so you need to have a ground wire to each guage, light, plug etc. When I wired my car, I took the wiring schematic, and color coded it so I could get a “minds eye view”, of where each wire went. If you do not have a Fiber Fab assembly manual, look in the manual down load area on our site. Good luck, take your time, stop when you get frustrated, and ask lots of questions here. Most important ” HAVE FUN WITH YOUR BUILD”. I look forward to following your adventure………….

Dave 🙂

Lakeland, Fl

Dave
Lakeland, Florida, where we drive Topless every day

[crash55]

I bought a harness from some guys in fla ,much cheaper than painless post their name next time I go to the garage oh also welcome these are a great bunch of guys

[davearoy]

Crash, you are probably thinking of MG Magic, which now is in California. They still have their Florida phone number,
954-680-2010. This is an excellent parts resource, TJ, and have offered several of our site members suggestions and solutions for their Fiber Fab Kits.

Dave

Dave
Lakeland, Florida, where we drive Topless every day

[billnparts]

Just reread your initial post concerning a 5-speed conversion. I used a Thunderbird Turbo coupe bellhousing. I snagged the flywheel and clutch while I was at it. Any T-5 trans will mate with this. To simplify this, there are two you can use. A V8 trans and a 4cyl. trans. The only major differences are input and output shafts. The 4 cyl has a smaller pilot on the input. Using the V8 trans requires machining a custom pilot bushing for the flywheel. The V8 trans also runs an overdrive ratio of apx .6. The 4 cyl trans is apx .8. I ran the V8 trans for several years and even with 4:11 gears, 5th gear wasn’t all that useful. At any rate, the bell housing can easily be modified to accept the Pinto clutch cable. You’ll find the trans mount remains the same. I don’t recall for sure, but a new slip yoke for the driveshaft could be required.

Bill Ascheman
Fiberfab Ford
Modified 5.0, 5sp., 4:11
Autocross & Hillclimb
"Drive Happy"

[T. J. Marrone]

So I go this route if I can’t find an ’84 – ’86 SVO T5 and bell housing that already has the cable based clutch?  Sounds a lot easier to find, thanks.

One more question, why the three link instead of 4 link parallel arms?  I am building a lotus 7 with my son and that is the route we went, along with most everyone else.  I have read it is easier to get the lengths right, that the three link can be a bit trickier to get right?  You thoughts??

[billnparts]

Reused the kits upper center strut. Already had the panhard rod installed so all I needed was the two lower links. I just measured and adjusted so the wheels were centered in their fenders and the wheelbase was the same side to side. Quite simple really.

Bill Ascheman
Fiberfab Ford
Modified 5.0, 5sp., 4:11
Autocross & Hillclimb
"Drive Happy"

[T. J. Marrone]

Completely forgot about the original center strut.  Did the bracket work on the larger 8″ rear or did you weld brackets onto the housing?

Thanks, T. J.

[billnparts]

Cut that silly bolt on original bracket and had the strut mount welded to the 8″ housing.

Bill Ascheman
Fiberfab Ford
Modified 5.0, 5sp., 4:11
Autocross & Hillclimb
"Drive Happy"

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