Factory Five Roadster Build Part 2: The Build School

After the aluminum panels have been checked and marked, the class is shown how to properly unbolt the body from the frame and remove it. While this step can be accomplished with as few as two people (if they know what they're doing), having half a dozen people (and another half-dozen pair of eyeballs) makes this step easy. Instructor Charles Markman looks on and offers tips to the class.

Here's a good reason to attend the build school before taking delivery of your Roadster. Our instructors showed us a great tip by running a Sharpie marker along the underside of the body and along the interior aluminum panels. If the Sharpie leaves any mark on the panel, the metal will need to be trimmed. If it is not trimmed, then later when the rubber seal is installed, the too-small gap between the body and aluminum will cut the seal. Guess who already had their body and aluminum removed before taking this class?

After removing the body, the aluminum panels that are shipped installed on the frame are marked for frame-member location and removed. Here, instructor Todd Baumann shows the class how to mark the panels and measure for proper rivet spacing.

You would think the three-day class was strictly about building the Mk III Roadster, but it also included basic automotive practices like tool safety, riveting, soldering, and more. Charles demonstrated how to use the included aluminum rivets in a sample aluminum panel and discussed rivet sizing and threaded inserts, often called riv-nuts or nut-serts.

As day one progressed, several of the aluminum panels and the front suspension were installed. The blue components are donor parts from a late-model Mustang. You can purchase a donor Mustang for your parts, buy the parts from a Mustang salvage yard like All Mustang Salvage, buy new Ford parts, or buy aftermarket equivalent parts from the huge late-model Mustang performance aftermarket.

Charles and a student check the toe settings on the steering rack, while the frame sits on a 4x4 chunk of wood to simulate 4 inches of ride height. The Roadster is now a "roller" with its front and rear suspension installed and the donor wheels and tires fitted.

Before wrapping up the first day, the class installed the master cylinder (again using a donor part). Due to time constraints, most of the brake lines (and the fuel lines) were prefitted to the chassis before the class began.

Check out video of the pedal box install and a few tips about the install.
Windows Media | Quicktime

Using a license plate frame nut, attach the throttle cable to the pedal.
Check out the video.
Windows Media | Quicktime

Even if you've never bled brakes before, the instructors will show you how. By the time you leave the class, you'll know whether this is a project for you or not.
In this video, Todd explains how to bleed the brakes.
Windows Media | Quicktime