After 18 months of work I have completed my 427 DPK. Maurice and Alan have a great product!! During the first drive and several others I've taken since then, some Gremlins have surfaced that I need to address. Overall though, I'm very pleased with the car. The car moves right along, and it handles and rides very good without an alignment. I've really enjoyed the build process. The learning curve I've been on has been pretty steep, and I still have a lot to learn. The feeling of satisfaction I have knowing I've built the car is very special. The stares, thumbs up and positive comments I get when I'm driving around Naperville, IL are great! I also need to give a special thanks to the members of this forum who have helped me along the way. You guys have offered great advice even when I've had to ask questions that have been embarrassingly simple. I could not have completed the car without your help.
I'm going through the sorting out process with the car. I've read many forum threads, and I've gotten some of the answers I need, but I still have questions that I again need your help on.
1. I've got a 351W built by Bill over at SA. The engine seems to run hot (water temp typically between 180 and 190 degrees) with the pusher and puller fans running. I've got a 160 thermostat in it, which I replaced with another 160 after reading about sticking problems. It doesn't seem like the thermostat is working, as it seems to have no affect on temps. Also, I've got one 1/8 inch diameter hole drilled in it. The engine timing is set as called out in Bill's instructions. Several times in slow traffic with the fans running the temp has drifted to 200-210. When I stop and turn off the fans the temp shoots to 220+. This makes me very nervous. I'd like the temp to be more stable (I undertand that I should be able to keep it consistently down between 160 and 180) I don't want to have to worry about it all the time. The last time out I looked at the temp gauge more than I looked at the road. Would knocking out the center of the thermostat to leave a quarter size hole (as Bill recommends) be an answer? Basically, is there a simple solution to this problem? Am I missing something in my assembly? My plumbing seems right. I used the very conventional approach typical of 351's
2. When I turn off the engine and run the fans, the battery completely drains itself in less than 1 minute. This doesn't seem like it should be normal. How can I solve this problem?
3. My brake/clutch master cylinders all leak a few drops where the MC caps screw on. I've tried screwing them on loose and tight. They just leak. What's the best fix. I see that Girling caps are metal. Do those seal better. Are the Girling MC's an easy swap with the Wilwood MC's? Or would simply the white silicone sealant on the cap threads be a reasonable fix? I don't think they're designed to need sealant. Also, my rear brakes leak at the bleeder screws. I didn't think bleeders needed sealant?
4. I didn't fab an aluminum heat deflector for the 3 master cylinders. They get pretty hot. I'm loosing the ability to shift into 3rd gear (toploader) once the water temp gets high, so I'm guessing this problem is heat related. When the engine is cool, I can shift into third with no problem. If I'm right on this, I plan on fabing a heat deflector soon.
5. I crimped my speedo cable against a defroster horn when I installed my dash. The cable is toast. Where can I get a new cable?

Sorry for being so longwinded. Thanks in advance for any help you can offer. I'll post pics of the car later.

Dick Untch