Factory Five Roadster Build Part 5 - Skinning The Snake

Here's one reason you'll want to use a Cleco to temporarily mount your aluminum panels. We had some minor interference between the panel and a weld bead, preventing the panel from laying flat. A few minutes with a grinder for some added room, and we were good to go.

Many people suggested mounting the panels with only Clecos until we were absolutely sure we were done with our work in that area. Popping the panels off to work on the suspension proved them right.

With the panel held in place by the Clecos, use the already drilled holes in the aluminum as a guide to drilling matching 1/8-inch holes in the frame. Work slowly and remember there are hundreds of holes to drill. While we had success with an 18v cordless drill and two battery packs, a corded drill will prevent any battery-charging downtime. Purchase extra drill bits, too-you'll need them.

After all the rivet holes are drilled through the frame, the aluminum panel is removed, and the marker and digital lettering from the aluminum processing plant are quickly removed with some lacquer thinner. Some of our panels will be powdercoated; others will be covered with carpet or left bare.

The passenger-side F-panel has a large opening in it for the upper radiator to pass through. Since we're using Factory Five's aluminum radiator, this upper hole is no longer used. It could be blocked off or left open, but for appearance's sake (to match the left side) we ordered this blank replacement F-panel from a company called FFMetal ($55 with shipping from its Web site). Linwood Gorham, owner of FFMetal, has plenty of trick options to enhance your enjoyment of your FFR Roadster, this F-panel being one of them.

The aluminum panels and their temporary assembly made it look as if great progress had been made on the Roadster, only to have us remove the panels after all of the drilling was complete. Friends would stop by and ask why we took the car "back apart."

The 1/8-inch drill bit made it about 25 percent of the way through the job before succumbing to the vibrations from the cordless drill's bent chuck (someone dropped the drill and hasn't owned up to it yet). But I had a plan.

My plan was to use a step bit, which allows multiple-sized holes to be drilled without changing the bit. Due to its larger body and weight, the drill's bent chuck had less of an effect on it. The step bit you see here made it through the rest of the drilling without a hiccup.

On to the floors! The largest by far of the aluminum panels are the two floor sections, which also include the transmission tunnel sides. The floors require a bit of twisting and pushing to get into place, but once in, they don't move. We used Clecos through a few holes to maintain alignment, and drilling the floors went fast and easily.

Here's why you want to remove the aluminum panels after drilling instead of riveting them right away. All of this metal dust is from drilling into the frame. If it were left where it was, the bare metal shards would quickly rust and start working on the frame. Cleaning up all of this mess is the best way to keep things clean and make the build last.

The rear cockpit wall is made up of one large wall section and several corner sections with compound bends. Using Clecos and a few small clamps will help keep your wits about you when working at the rear of the cockpit.

You can see why we mentioned using clamps. These cheap ratcheting clamps will be the perfect third hand for your build, too. Simply clamp the aluminum in place as if it was already riveted, and drill away.