OK, OK, I’m being pressured and rushed by a few guys to hurry up and post, so here goes… Warning: long posts ahead, serialized for your reading annoyance!

Many of you have heard or read about my early 4.6 modular-powered MKIII car, built back in 2004. I have lifelong memories of the guys I met, the fun of the two build parties, and working on the car night and day. I blew my original timeline, but I had the time of my life doing it.



Just a bit of history, and I’ll try to leave out most of the bitterness… Some of you are also aware of the Moroso oil pan issues which have plagued 4.6 builds. In no uncertain terms, the first two or three pans provided were defectively designed and often defectively manufactured. At last count, more than a half-dozen engines have been ruined by oil starvation attributable to that pan design. FFR keeps redesigning the pan while not admitting a problem, but most of the wise guys here have looked to Richard Oben and Champ Pans for a safe pan design. Good move, guys – please keep supporting the guy that worked to design and produce that pan for us!



After having seen Paul Westerbeck’s engine puke its guts out, and one or two others as well, I was nervous. My car was never drag-stripped, tracked, autocrossed, or otherwise. True to my build plan, it was a weekend cruiser. Even so, last summer I began developing an ugly rod knock in the engine. I pulled down the (third) oil pan, and saw just what I suspected – spun bearings, loose enough to wiggle the connecting rods on the crank by hand. A used oil analysis confirmed the diagnosis, with unbelievable readings on lead and other metals used in the bearings.



I decided the car was unsafe to operate and pulled it off the road – I didn’t want to have the Westerbeck Engine Experience on a Houston highway or around my neighborhood. I could have dropped another 4.6 engine in quickly and easily, and by that time there was even a pan I would trust.



But if you’re taking the car all apart and you have a little budget, why not build it back the way you want it? Or better yet, why not go all-out and build something that no one has ever done with a Factory Five before. Lots of guys like to talk about the chassis as a “blank canvas,” and I decided to take my chances. A torch and a welder were added to my tool collection, along with some new pipe and tube, and I started making some changes. Meanwhile, I sourced a new (used) engine, and went completely through it to make sure everything was tight and so on. I also kept it bone stock, because I trust the OEM to have gotten it right. You’ll see why…shortly.



I made the frame modifications necessary to fit the new engine and OEM transmission in the chassis myself. Some new tubing was added to restore strength where other tubes and sub-assemblies had to be cut or modified. A custom billet aluminum driveshaft adapter was sourced to mate the non-Ford tranny to a slip-joint driveshaft and the 8.8” Ford solid axle rear. The original defective Bilsteins up front were replaced with the FFR-supplied Koni coilovers. New engine and transmission mounts were welded to the frame, and the driveline was bolted down solid.



Now, I’m not totally stupid… I learned the first time that engine wiring is not my forte. OEM wiring was out of the question, so I called our friend and expert Wayne Presley. He prescribed an Electromotive TEC3R control system to run the engine, and of course he is equipped to actually make up the harness and do the dyno tuning to perfect everything. I took the car to him over the 4th of July weekend. He asked for eight weeks.



Of course, like any good project, I had a big case of “scope creep.” Given the work I have seen Wayne do on cars for some of you, I told him to go all-out and fabricate an intercooled twin-turbo system for the car. Wayne never flinched – he just got to work with his welder, built exhaust headers, sourced turbos, welded up a beautiful custom aluminum intake to my design requests, and more. I can cram an engine and a transmission in a chassis, but I knew I wouldn’t regret having a pro do the hard work for me!



True almost to the day, I picked the finished car up just before Labor Day and trailered it back to East Texas. (I’m in Houston now, but am in the process of relocating to Tyler, for those of you that know the state a little bit.)



So…next post, let’s tell you what the car is and show you a few pictures…