Part 2 – The Factory Five Mk4 Roadster
NOTE: This car comes in a box!
The Factory Five Mk4 Roadster is the world’s best-selling, best-engineered, and best-performing replica of all time.
The Mk4 Roadster is designed to accurately reproduce the looks of the legendary 427 Cobra. Fabricators Factory Five vows to keep its essence intact while using modern technology, parts, and materials to improve performance, reliability, and comfort.
The Mk4 Roadster Base Kit costs a mere $12,990, and does require a Ford Mustang donor car). You can also throw another $7,000 on top, for the “Complete” kit, which includes ALL factory-new parts, where all you’ll need is your own engine, transmission, rear end, wheels, tires, and a slick paint job.
Just remember, the base Mk4 kit, and a running 1987 through 2004 Mustang GT donor car, is enough to keep you busy in the garage all winter. But when you emerge, you’ll be able to drive your own, totally convincing Cobra replica.
According to Factory Five, most purchasers of the MK4 kit have an average knowledge of automotive systems and parts. They also have an average set of automotive tools. That being said, the time-to-completion is about 300 hours. This estimate will vary widely depending on your individual knowledge, tool accessibility, the number of people building and working on the kit, the relationship of the people working on the kit, whether or not alcohol is included in “garage time”, what kind of music is playing, and finally, whether or not the builder “follows instructions well”, or likes to “wing it”.
If you’re considering a project like this, we’ve learned that Factory Five is possibly the most dedicated replica producer ever. Here are a few nods to their design and production methodology.
They use an authentic 4” round tube design, a period correct, 4” round tube frame, which is exactly like the original legend, including the tubular ladder-style frames used in the 1960s. While originality is key, Factory Five used CAD technology, better materials, and more consistent manufacturing methods to make their frame more than twice as strong.
The MK4 frame sports over 800 welds, with hundreds of individual pieces of steel. And it arrives completely welded assembly and requires no welding or cutting.
The entire cockpit, trunk, and engine bay of the Factory Five Mk4 is precision laser-cut 6061-T6 aluminum. 6061 is a demonstrative cut above conventional 4000-series aluminum, with far greater strength in tension.
The composite body is a one-piece, hand-laid vinyl ester fabrication, that is engineered to perfectly hug the aluminum and steel chassis. The hood, doors, and trunk have molded liners and come complete with hinges and pre-drilled mounting holes. The body shell is laminated to a thickness of 3/16” all around, with a .015” red gel coat outer finish.
Even better, the composite body is shipped pre-assembled to the frame! BUT the parts are unfinished and definitely require bodywork.
The Mk4 Roadster Kit is delivered ready to accept bolt-on rear suspension components from a donor car. Interestingly, Factory Five offers an Independent Rear Suspension (IRS) option, which is designed for those looking for the most comfort, authenticity, and performance.
The IRS can be added to either the base or the complete kit. It includes a welded-in cage, upper and lower tubular control arms, high-end KONI mono-tube rod-end coil-over shocks (matched to the fronts), and custom-assembled axles and CV joints. The IRS option for the Mk4 kit requires the 8.8” center section, rear spindles, and brakes from a 2015 or later Ford Mustang.
So, maybe you’re thinking, 12 grand is a lot of dough for a “kit”, and then you have to find a donor Mustang. Well, to be brutally honest, it’s not. It’s an incredible value for what you get. (While all of this is from the Factory Five website, here are the highlights of what is included in the BASE kit:
Complete jig-welded original style 4” round tube frame. Includes all mounts ready to accept small block Ford and 1987-2004 Mustang running gear. The kit can be ordered to accept a wide variety of engines/suspensions.
Front suspension comes ready to use. Mustang lower control arm/spindle and brakes, including:
Their 4-link and 3-link rear suspension options include rear axle brackets, fasteners, and axle straps to mount your Mustang 8.8” rear solid axle and brakes. Comes with all hardware required for installation.
The Mk4 base kit is configured to accommodate big-block Ford engines, small-block Ford Windsor engines, and modular 4.6L and 5.0L Coyote engines.
The Base kit parts are included to adapt the Mustang wiring harness and EEC IV computer. Kit comes with components to build your car with an authentic street-style dash. Complete assembly comes with a covered aluminum dash, dash buttons, toggles and indicator lights, switches, and horn.
The Mk4 base kit comes with all the interior accessories you need to create a full interior that is period correct, including:
Along with the fit and finish on the inside of the car, the Mk4 base kit is overflowing with authentic (replica) exterior parts and trim:
Pedal Box Components:
Utilizing the Mustang pedal box, we supply you with a pedal box adapter kit, fasteners and accelerator cable, pedal capture, return spring, and ball stud retainer with fasteners.
More than 1,500 top-quality zinc plated, chrome, and stainless steel USS and SAE fasteners, numbered and packed individually by the assembly.
Bound 400+ page assembly manual, (also available in PDF format).
Factory Five offers a link to Blueprint Engines, which are super-slick performance engines starting at $6,000.
Fraser Engine Company offers many compatible engines, fully-rebuilt and tested for a 1/4 to 1/3 of that price!
Check out our Ford engines here: https://fraserengineco.com/4-2-liter-engines/
In this article series, we’re going to talk about the heart and soul of Ford’s off-road dominance—their engines, with a special focus on the formidable
Issue 31 • Engine & Transmission Tips Undercoating your vehicle. Is it worth it? And, can you do it yourself? If you have a new
Issue 19 • Engine & Transmission Tips That’s why we remanufacture engines and transmissions. Just because a part of a car fails, it doesn’t mean
Issue 6 • Engine & Transmission Tip Here at Fraser Engines, we build a LOT of engines, and of course, we know about engine oils
Part Three of a Three-Part Series Gone are the sweeping, curvy lines. In bounces the Tumbler Introducing The Tumbler Gone are the sweeping curves of
Issue 15 • Engine & Transmission Tips Every production car manufactured in the United States has a VIN, or vehicle identification number. This 17-digit code
