Importing Factory Five Racing kit parts into Canada by yourself isn't that difficult. I recently imported a Type 65 Coupe and there are steps that have to be followed.

Before you start the process, the first thing to know is that there are restrictions that are put on the importation of kit parts. Transport Canada (TC) does not allow the importation of kit cars that are less than 15 years old into Canada. Since Factory Five Racing does not sell completed kits, then importing one falls under the heading of kit parts. This is allowed by TC with some exceptions. Those exceptions have usually to do with drive train, brake parts and some suspension parts. In the case of Factory Five Racing, this means that not all the parts sold in a Factory Five Racing kit can be imported, and in some cases, complete kits are disallowed as there are too many parts that need to be removed from the kit to make it viable. The kits that are allowed are the 65 Roadster Mark III, the Challenge Series Racer, and the Type 65 Coupe.


The steps that I took are as follows:

1. Decide which vehicle you want and choose the options that are available in Canada. The independent rear suspension (IRS) is not allowed so you have a choice between the 4-Link and 3-Link rear suspensions. If you choose the 3-Link suspension, then the option you want it #13321 which is the 3-Link Retro-Fit Assembly. This is the 3-Link minus the tubular rear lower controls and coil-over shocks. Another option that is not allowed by TC is the tubular front lower control arms. Decide if you want to pick up the kit yourself or have it delivered to the border.

2. Call Factory Five Racing and place your order. Tell them that you are from Canada and don't ask for those parts that you know are not allowed. You will need to give your initial deposit of $1000 US.

3. You will then receive your "welcome kit" in the mail.





Check the invoice to make sure that everything is in order. If anything is out of place, then call Factory Five Racing and get it sorted out. They are very receptive and helpful. You will also receive documents thanking you for your purchase and information on what to expect with your kit order.

4. When time gets close to your ship date, six weeks before in my case, call and organize the final payment. This involves getting the wire transfer information from Factory Five Racing. Get the name and address of the bank, the account and routing number and the outstanding balance of your invoice.

5. Go to your bank and wire the money to Factory Five Racing.

6. Give the banks a couple of days to finalize the transfer then call Factory Five Racing and check that you have a zero balance invoice. Give Factory Five Racing a fax number where they can send you the paperwork that needs to be sent to TC. They will fax you the invoice with the zero balance, NAFTA Certificate of Origin paperwork and the pack list.







There is around 25 pages that will be faxed to you.

7. Create a cover page to TC asking for import approval. Include where and when you plan to import the kit parts. Fax all the documents that you received from Factory Five Racing including the cover page to

Transport Canada
Attn: Sylvain Lalime
Road Safety and Motor Vehicle Regulation
Transport Canada
330 Sparks Street
Tower C, Place de Ville (ASFA)
Ottawa, K1A 0N5

The fax number is 613-998-8541

8. You will receive a Declaration To Import Motor Vehicle Kit Parts via Fax.



Fill it out with the correct information. In the Importer number field, leave it blank if you are importing it yourself. In the Vehicle Model use the name that Factory Five Racing uses to sell the model. When the declaration is filled out, fax it back to TC.

9. You will then receive a fax from TC stating that allows you to import the kit parts into Canada.



10. Drive down to Factory Five Racing. Bring the approval from TC on your trip. Arrive at Factory Five Racing on the morning of your delivery date. Arrive early as there can be a few picking up that day. If you haven't done so, go for a tour of the factory.

11. Drive to the border. When you arrive, state that you have a declaration of the amount that you paid for the kit parts. You will have to go inside to pay the tax. They will need to fill out a Casual Goods Accounting Document. If they want you to fill out a vehicle import declaration, tell them that you are only import auto parts and don't back down no matter how much they push. They might even tell you that you will not be able to register the vehicle if you don't declare it as a vehicle. Just stick to your guns and tell them you are importing car parts. Pay the tax, you will pay either GST or HST depending on the province you live.



12. You now have your kit parts legally in Canada. Now start building.
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Since I am finishing my Coupe to the level where I can show it, I wanted to use new or near new non-donor parts. I bought new parts from the Ford Dealership or looked on eBay for parts in very good condition. Sometimes though you have a part that is obsolete from Ford, it's not a common part that would apprear on eBay, and the chance of finding one in good condition is almost impossible. The rear center brakeline bracket (E6ZZ-2073-A) is one of those parts.
I was lucky and was able to find someone who located the bracket in a junkyard for me. They know who they are so, "Thank You". It was very rusty, but not damaged.

After a little bit of sandblasting, it's easy to see that this bracket can still be used.




I could have painted it and used it, but since I wanted to show the car, it required some work to make it look like it came from the parts department at the local Ford dealership. I started by using a flat metal file, a round metal file, a orbital sander with 80 grit paper, and some emery cloth that plumbers use to clean copper pipe. After a little work..



I then gave it a final sandblasting to soften the look of the surface of the bracket. At this point, I only touch the bracket with Vinyl gloves to keep any oils on my hand from affecting the paint. I currently use Stanley HandHelpers that come in packages of 100.
Once sandblasted, I applied a couple of coats of Self Etching Primer from Eastwood. I then sanded the part down so that the primer filled in the low spots. I continued this until the surface of the bracket's surface was smooth.



The next step was to give the bracket the finish that is close to what it would be from the factory. Ford liked to protect some of it's brackets using zinc dichromate plating. It's the S36 extension to the Ford part numbers. To duplicate this coating, or to give the impression of it, I used the Golden Cad system from Eastwood. It uses three colour coats put on in the correct order and then a coat of clear.
The first coat is a full base coat of gold. This is sprayed as a full coat to cover the primer. Two light coats are good.



The next coat is a random light coat of Red Zinc Dichromate Tint. You want it to have some parts that are light and some that are very light. You should always see the gold through the coat. If you make the coat of red too thick, you can always let it dry and spray a light coat of gold over the red.



The next coat is a random light coat of Green Zinc Dichromate Tint. This coat can be a little thicker than the red coat. Again, if you spray too much green, you can spray a little red and/or green. This isn't a bad thing as it will give some depth to the colouring. It helps to use a bracket or part that has a factory coating of Zinc Dichromate as a guide to your colouring.



When you are happy with the colouring, the final coat is the clear coat of DiamondClear from Eastwood. Once the part is dry, you should have something that the average or even above average car guy couldn't tell from the factory piece. Below is a picture of some factory pieces and some pieces that were done with the Golden Cad system.

I have added an article section to the myCoupe site. This will have articles that may of be of some help to others who are build a Factory Five Racing car. The topics will cover all aspects of the build process.