Home

The Factory Five Racing 65 Roadster kit

The Factory Five Racing 65 Roadster kit is designed to use a 79-93 Mustang 5.0 as a donor car. The idea is with their kit and a Mustang, you have all the parts you need for a basic build. But then the builds don't stay basic for long. This site documents my first FFR project.

Donor parts needed:

Engine w/computer and harness, transmission, driveshaft, rearend, brakes, wheels/tires, all suspension control arms, rear springs, guages, and miscellaneous other parts. Any of these parts can be rebuilt or upgraded using the huge Mustang aftermarket to get the performance level you're after. With a stock 225-hp 5.0 V8, FFR claims their 2,000-lb. roadster will do 0-60 in a little over 4 seconds. Not too shabby at all, but who's gonna stay stock? I had originally planned to...but it didn't work out that way. I'll be using a carbed 351 Windsor, stroked out to 395 cubic inches. Should be good for 400hp or so!

A few sample shots of the progress - click on the links at left for more details on the build and finishing process.

10/09/05.

As done as a project like this ever is, anyway. Back on the road and terrorizing the streets, with people ogling at every stoplight. The paint color seemed to lighten up as it cured...I'm very happy with how the color came out. The gapping on the doors could have been better, or I could have been more patient and built the edges back up more. If I waited until everything was absolutely perfect, I'd never be driving the thing. As it happens, as my luck would demand, got a big old ding in the paint as we were bringing the chairs over to re-install them. OUCH! Oh, well If it was a high-dollar pro paint job I could get upset.

Some shots from what could be the last cruise of this summer...Oct. 7, up near Palisades Reservoir/Swan Valley, Idaho:

And my favorite shot in this car, my wife too the photo of me and my pal Mikey while looking out of the drivethrough of the pharmacy where she works.

Last updated 4/28/06

Well, my baby is gone. It was a complete blast to build and drive, but gotta focus on other things for now. Fear not, however...I'll be building another one someday (like after all our student loans are paid off). The only tough questions are Roadster or Daytona, or GTM? Small block or big block? Hmmm...time will tell. She's going to a good home, though. Seems like he's someone who will drive it and enjoy it, and not sit at car shows with it rubbing it with a diaper.

As it turned out, ol' 4760 was not going to be my last project. About a year later I ended up picking up another one from someone who didn't get it quite finished, and I ended up doing a full teardown and rebuild - in a much nicer job. Click HERE to go to the rebuild website for FFR-3144.