Factory Five build school – my son and I had a BLAST!
My son and I attended Factory Five build school in Howell, MI. As a result, we left confident we can finish kit #9772 at home.
Related notes live on the Factory Five Cobra build hub.
Why Factory Five build school matters
One option when building a Factory Five roadster is the build school! It’s in Howell, MI (not Massachusetts!). Also, it’s local to a lot of great automotive history.
My son and I had a fantastic time at the build school. We made some new friends. Then we had some great food. Ultimately we really enjoyed our time together!
You walk into the class. First you see the usual gel-coat red roadster…
Then the work begins. Because Factory Five build school packs a lot into three days.
Three days from parts to driver
Next you disassemble the chassis. Just like you would in your own garage. Remember to take pictures of all the pieces. Because there’s a test later to see if you know where parts came from.
It’s not impossible. Still, the pics really help in re-assembly! Here’s a video of day 2 startup!
There’s a schedule that really flows. Each day you have goals. As a result, you go from a chassis and parts to a fully functional vehicle in 3 DAYS!
Day 3: instructor takes it for a spin
Everything from a body buck, to rivets, to engine hoists, to finishing the wiring. Seriously, this is one amazing course! Here’s the end of Day 3. The instructor takes the car out for a spin. And wow does it go!
So if you’re wondering if you can build one of these cars, GO TO THE CLASS! It’s worth its weight in gold! See the Two Guys Garage video below. It’s seriously THAT GOOD!
You can see all our pictures here!
Extra day: Roush, Rouge, and Henry Ford
Not only did we attend the course. Also, my son and I scheduled an extra day for local attractions. We saw the Roush Collection & Museum. It has a ton of vehicles from old to new. Besides that, it’s free and worth the visit!
Ford Rouge Factory Tour
We also took 1/2 a day for The Henry Ford Museum and Ford Rouge Plant tour. The Rouge Plant takes about 1.5 hours. Then you see the whole process of building an F-150 truck.
Every 53 seconds, a truck is completed. Over 7,000 per week. And they’re all sold! Amazing! So you’ve gotta see this in action! Plus, I was happy to see where my 2017 Ford Raptor was born.
The Henry Ford Museum
The Henry Ford Museum is a lot of history… My son and I took about 5 hours there. Meanwhile our heads were spinning. Definitely worth a day or two. We didn’t even see the village!
It’s worth every penny. So definitely check it out! There’s everything from Model-Ts to airplanes. Likewise, even Star Trek! It’s just awesome!
All in all, the class is totally worth the money. Therefore we have no doubt that this can be done by the average joe. Seriously, if you don’t believe me, attend the course! It’s like a Stage 5 Revel model — with some heavy bits 🙂
