FAQ
Q: What exactly are you building?
A: The car that I’m building is a component car kit (kit car has such a bad connotation to it) that I bought from Factory Five Racing. The model is called the “’33 Hot Rod”.
Q: So it’s a 1933 Ford?
A: No, it’s just styled to resemble one. The chassis is essentially a modern, racing-style space frame tube chassis with a modern automobile suspension. The body is made from lightweight fiberglass and isn’t structural in any way. It’s just made to look pretty.
Q: How long have you been working on it?
A: The car was delivered on February 19, 2009. It took a couple of days to inventory all the parts before we began actual construction.
Q: Have you ever built a car before?
A: Nope. My experience is limited to bolt-on upgrades for my own cars and a general mechanical aptitude. I once helped a friend rebuild a 5.0 liter Mustang engine and it seemed pretty straightforward. I don’t know if that counts for anything, or not.
Q: Why did you decide to build your own car?
A: I grew up in Michigan, just a few miles from the General Motors proving grounds and have loved cars ever since I can remember. I’d been thinking about building a car for quite a while and figured that since my kids were still young enough to want to spend time with me that they’d enjoy the experience, too.
Q: How long will it take to build?
A: Factory Five says that it takes approximately 300 hours for a person with average mechanical ability to build. I’m planning to take my time with each step and do it right along with implementing a few upgrades along the way. Since I’m a novice, I’ll be pleased if it takes me under 500 hours.
Q: What is included with the kit?
A: The kit contains everything you need to build that car except for engine, transmission, rear axle, wheels, tires, battery, and fuel pump. It contains carpet, gauges, seats, fasteners, and washers along with everything else.
Q: What engine do you plan on using?
A: When you order the kit, you specify the type of motor mounts that you want. They’ll supply mounts for either a small block Ford or a 4.6 liter modular engine (also from Ford). I specified mounts for the “mod motor” and plan to buy a new crate motor.
Q: What transmission do you plan on using?
A: I’m planning on using a Tremec T-56 6-speed manual transmission. This transmission is very strong and is used in many high performance cars including the Corvette Z06 and the Dodge Viper. I also plan on buying this brand new.
Q: What rear axle do you plan on using?
A: The kit accepts a Ford 8.8″ axle or a Ford 9″ axle modified with the same mounts as the 8.8″ one. Since I plan on having less than 500 horsepower and the car is very light, I’m going to use an 8.8″ axle with Truetrac (limited slip) and 3.73:1 gears.
Q: What color are you going to paint it?
A: I think I’m going to use Porsche GT Silver Metallic with black accents. I like that “colorless” look. I’d also like to add some “ghost” flames to the front though, as I believe that every hot rod needs flames.
Q: Will you paint it yourself?
A: Nope. Since excellence goes hand-in-hand with experience in that field, I’ll leave the bodywork and paint to the experts.
Q: How much will it weigh when complete?
A: The finished car should weigh between 2,100 and 2,200 pounds.
Q: How much horsepower will it have?
A: My goal is reliability so I’m planning on between 350 and 400 horsepower.
Q: Will it be fast?
A: Since it’s so light, it doesn’t need a lot of horsepower to be fast. The answer is: yes, very fast. The top speed will be higher than I am willing to drive.