Carl's FFR Mk4 Roadster Build

Eric,

Yes. There is a fuse box just above the battery which has fuses sized to the appropriate loads. There is also a large fuse between that panel and the battery.
 
I got one more item on the punch list completed: Replacement of the wimpy sounding FFR horns with a mini air horn by Trombe-Stebel. At 139 dB I think it will be plenty loud and more appropriate than the “beep” from the Factory Five Racing Version.

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A new bracket was fabricated from some spare aluminum to use the same holes that the mounts for the FFR “Road runner” sounding horn. The kit didn’t have the bracket; it did have the nut and bolt to attach the horn to a bracket. Although the kit comes with a relay, it was not used because the circuit from the POWERCELL is rated at 25 amps.

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I may paint or powder coat the bracket in the future.

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From the bottom ...

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I decided to get three coats of Slick Sand applied to the body ... working in the early morning to avoid the heat.

I pulled the body out on the driveway and set the front up higher to get better access to the openings in the cowl. After sanding to 80 grit and cleaning with degreaser and then blowing everything down with compressed air I got three good coats with just a few bugs and bits of dust included.

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In addition to those pests I also managed to hit the body with the gun or hose in some spots which will require some additional attention. On the positive side I did manage only one area with a run. A few things I learned ...

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1. Once the body is essentially the same color the imperfections seem to pop out. Some of these I just plain missed but others are a lot more subtle.
- One that should have been obvious- Here is one that was a lot harder to see until I blocked sanded with 120 grit.

2. Applying the SS helped me understand the ups and downs of applying future layers like the base and clear coats. Some examples include:
- Keeping the hose away from the body;
- Paint from the inside out ... meaning lean over the car and the inside horizontal surfaces like in front of the cockpit, around the hood seating surface and front of the the trunk before painting the fenders and sides;
- The rollovers in the cockpit front and rear standing inside the cockpit;
- Painting the body where it rolls over the frame under the car; and,
- Practice a lot on the trash cans and other surfaces before attempting to put pain on the body.

I ended up using one gallon of Slick Sand to cover the body with 3 layers of sanding primer.

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Next ... a lot of block sanding with guide coat.
 
After 3 coats of Slick Sand I started the process of taking it off ...

I used the longest Dura-Block I have ... 16 inches with 120 grit sandpaper and guide coat for the larger sections and the softer foam blocks for other areas where the Dura-Block's would not fit well.

After applying the guide coat the long Dura Block was used on the larger open surfaces criss crossing the sanding patterns.

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I found some low spots in front of the DS door opening. These blocks are harder or stiffer than the foam blocks and, at least for me, worked better to highlight the low spots.

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I used a carpenter ‘s pencil to mark areas for further repair or filling (I figured that is better than tape or a marker ... I hope I am right).

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A couple of low spots (circled using the pencil).

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I also found some low spots on the surfaces between the rear cockpit edge and the trunk ...

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Questions:

1. Should I continue with the 180 grit to see the full extent of the areas to be repaired or fix the low spots first?

2. Should I fix the low spots with Rage Gold or Slick Sand? I am thinking Rage Gold but I want to make sure there are no issues with going over the guide coat and Slick Sand.

Any other recommendations/suggestions would be appreciated.
 
Folks,

This is a very overdue post ... the work was actually done at the beginning of the month.

While I am spending most of my time in NC on the project of rebuilding our home on the coast ... I did get a chance to finish the Slick Sand sanding to 180 grit before coming back down to continue work. This mean that I have applied at least three coats of Slick Sand and sanded it to shape on the body, doors, trunk lid and hood.

Here are some photos:

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As I sanded and inspected the body I continue to find areas to fix ... here are a few of the minor but irritating ones ...

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Of course here is the worst or most scary part of the work ...

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Folks,

This is a very overdue post ... the work was actually done at the beginning of the month.

While I am spending most of my time in NC on the project of rebuilding our home on the coast ... I did get a chance to finish the Slick Sand sanding to 180 grit before coming back down to continue work. This mean that I have applied at least three coats of Slick Sand and sanded it to shape on the body, doors, trunk lid and hood.

Here are some photos:

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As I sanded and inspected the body I continue to find areas to fix ... here are a few of the minor but irritating ones ...

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Of course here is the worst or most scary part of the work ...

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EEEEK!!!
 
Folks ... lots of water over the dam since my last post. We sold our home in Nokesville last year and in August moved down to North Carolina in a little place called Cedar Point ... near Swansboro.

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I have spent no time on the car ... but a lot of time renovating our old house and, as soon as that is done, I will finish the car.

The car is basically in the same position it was when shown above. The next step is fitting the body back on the car one more time to check the gaps, etc. again ... then off for 2K primer, base and clear coat painting.

The renovation of the 1940's era house has involved lifting it about 11 feet to meet the current FEMA flood standards, new decks, new stairs and a complete gutting of most of the interior.

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The process has taken more time than planned and a couple of trees worth of paperwork to get to the point where the foundation is in ... starting the concrete pilings this week. Permitting was a nightmare.

Carl
 
Seems like a huge undertaking! keep us updated. I'd like to see it when it is finished....and the cobra too.
 
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