Paring Down Fourms

[Ron Earp]

I wish to have some input on some forums to pare down here at www.gt40s.com. Some are just not used much and could be rolled back into other categories. I'm looking for suggestions from you folks on which ones are just not really needed. Some that come to my mind are:

*GT40 LookAlikes
*Ford GT For Sale or Wanted roll to GT40 For Sale
*Move the Ford GT up to the General Discussion section but keep the "Ford GT" forum thus eliminating the Ford GT subsection.
*Dyno results, roll it into Engines
*Off Topic and Help move to General Discussion Section

Just trying to simplify a bit and keep the traffic more localized for some of the forums that get very little.

Ron

[Simon]

Sounds good to me.
people will still be able to post the issues/queries, just in a different place.
Simon

[Bill D]

I like the idea as well

[David]

Please leave the Off Topic Section. It allows people who don't want to get involved in "how boreing F1 is" to ignore the posts.

Personal opinion

thorin

[Mark Charlton]

Great idea Ron. Less (scrolling) is more in this case.

[Iron Sheik]

Ronald, The "Dyno Result" section is for those of us with small penis, we are the majority (IMHO). Please do not remove it, my last post there was 245 RWHP [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img]
I have a new engine/penis now. One must be allowed a second chance [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/mad.gif[/img]

[Ron Earp]

Dang, you mean that V8 of yours didn't kick my turbo 4 at 335 rwhp? Yeah, you might need a second chance!

[Iron Sheik]

Thank you for being a prominant member of the "Majority group". [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/shocked.gif[/img]
335RWHP?? I did NOT need to hear that,,damn a 4 banger?! [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

[patbarry]

Faili, that's why I drive an F250 diesel...

[Archie]

Well since you asked.

I have a problem with the GT40 LookAlikes section. Isn't that an oxymoron?

With the exception of the very few "real" GT40's on this Forum, aren't they all LookAlikes?

I have a few Fiero based GT40's. I can build 3 GT40 replicas for what some of you have invested in some kit that took you a year to get & that's been sitting in your garage for the last 2 years. Guess what, no matter how long you waited for it or how much money you have invested in it, it's also just a GT40 LookAlike.

I notice that on 4 of the 5 sections you are talking about, you have plans to roll them into another section. I see no such plan for the GT40 LookAlike section. Does the owner of a VW based GT40 replica have any less of a love for the beauty of a GT40? Is he any less of an enthusiast because he doesn't have $100K worth of parts sitting in the garage?

I think you have just 2 choices for the LookAlikes section.

1) You can take it out of the basement quit treating them like a half brother, roll them into the All GT40 section, with all the other Look Alikes, and treat them like the enthusiasts they are.

or 2) You can define what a Look Alike is, then bar them from being GT40 enthusiasts & ban them from joining this Forum with their Look Alikes.

Other than that, I love the Forum.

Thanks

Archie

[Steve Toner]

I think we pretty much adopted the definitions from the book by John S Allen:

[ QUOTE ]
We can talk of copies, clones, replicas and so on, but these words mean different things to different people, and those people often hold dear their own definitions. For the purposes of this text, let us settle on the following terms: replica: a car so similar to an original that only an expert could tell it from the real thing; copy: a car built along the lines of the original, but incorporating various modifications to make it cheaper or easier to build, or even - dare I say it - to make it a better car; lookalike: a car which outwardly resembles the original, but is a very different animal beneath the skin.

[/ QUOTE ]

He does go on to say:

[ QUOTE ]
The 1960's offerings could at best be described as 'look-similars', and so have no place here.

[/ QUOTE ]

Perhaps a sort of grade-inflation has occurred, as we seem to use the term look-alike to describe what he calls look-similar, and what he would call copies represents most of what we call replicas today...

[Ron Earp]

I would think Steve has it about correct. While technically all of them are different from the original car, call it what you will, there is a difference between what most of us are trying to build here and say a VW or Fiero based car.

Does that make Fiero or VW based cars any less important? No, not really, except for the forum is not geared toward these sorts of cars, hence the section was created so that those folks would have a forum to call their own and use. The lifetime of a post about these types of cars in the "All GT40s Forum" would last hours and thus many people who own the cars would never see the post unless they visted hourly.

Ron

[Mike Dozier]

The problem I have with Fierro based GT40's isn't that
they are based on Fierros....it's what they end up as....
wrong motor facing the wrong way.....

NO NO NO !!!! Must not hijack the thread !!!

Ron, Fully agree to compressing the formats.
Thanks as always for your efforts.

MikeD

[Lynn]

Archie,

Some just look more "alike" than others. I have to agree that the Fiero based and Fiber Fab types just don't look as much alike as the GTD, RF, CAV and other cars whose body molds can all be traced back to the originals. I am the first to say that there is NO one "original" GT40 and that there was variation in all of them, BUT there isn't that much variation in them to allow for the cars that were inspired by the GT40 being considered as being equal look alikes.

Archie, I am not saying your car isn't cool or that FiberFabs can't be cool or that they are worse/better than anything else: I have probably posted more look alikes than anyone on this forum, but, I am sorry, I can't pretend they are the same level of "look alike" either.

Regards,
Lynn

[Tim Kay]

Let me be the one to call the 'kettle black'.

Yes, Fiero may be a half brother and kept in the basement. For the money invested that’s where he belongs. A true enthusiast wouldn’t bastardize a legend like that.

The Fiero based cars I’ve seen, three to be exact (one GT40, two Lamborghini’s), didn't come close to original dimensions and could be spotted a mile away. Not to mention the interiors were…......Fieros. Even at that, the fitment looked like a drunk blind man assembled them....all three! Some things just don’t get respect and never will, just a fact.

Not to get anyone’s panties in bunch but I think a little bit of class envy exist everywhere.
And as you get lower on the scale of things where substantially less money was invested in a copy then that item becomes an insult due to its inaccuracy. Why just look at the clash in the vintage discussion a while back whether to allow ‘replica cars’ with the originals. It’s an ‘insult’ to the original owners as it should be in my opinion.

Being an enthusiast is great, but it doesn’t change the fact of life, money buys you rights to soar with the Eagles. And if you can’t soar with the eagles at least spend the money that gets you close to them [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]

[Archie]

[ QUOTE ]
Let me be the one to call the 'kettle black'.

Yes, Fiero may be a half brother and kept in the basement. For the money invested that’s where he belongs. A true enthusiast wouldn’t bastardize a legend like that.

The Fiero based cars I’ve seen, three to be exact (one GT40, two Lamborghini’s), didn't come close to original dimensions and could be spotted a mile away. Not to mention the interiors were…......Fieros. Even at that, the fitment looked like a drunk blind man assembled them....all three! Some things just don’t get respect and never will, just a fact.

Not to get anyone’s panties in bunch but I think a little bit of class envy exist everywhere.
And as you get lower on the scale of things where substantially less money was invested in a copy then that item becomes an insult due to its inaccuracy. Why just look at the clash in the vintage discussion a while back whether to allow ‘replica cars’ with the originals. It’s an ‘insult’ to the original owners as it should be in my opinion.

Being an enthusiast is great, but it doesn’t change the fact of life, money buys you rights to soar with the Eagles. And if you can’t soar with the eagles at least spend the money that gets you close to them [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]

[/ QUOTE ]

Have you even seen my car? Or are you just mad because you're investment in the garage is nothing more than a Kit Car just like mine?

The way you talk & treat others based on how much money they spend, I'm glad I'm not soaring with your Eagles.

This one isn't like any other Fiero based car you've seen.







You judge someone by the amount of money they spend. You judge the quality of what they've built based on some unidentified kit you've seen in the past. Should I judge the rest of the members of this Forum based on the elitism you've displayed?

BTW, if you think common people like me are envious of elitists like you, then you <font color="red"> ARE </font> flying with the birdies.

Archie

[Archie]

[ QUOTE ]
The problem I have with Fierro based GT40's isn't that
they are based on Fierros....it's what they end up as....
wrong motor facing the wrong way.....
MikeD

[/ QUOTE ]

Yeah but I still have a V-8 &amp; I have about 9 inches more interior room than you do. All on the same wheelbase. [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

Ron: Go ahead &amp; remove that forum. It's just the place where all the Eagles go to make fun of cars they find on the Internet anyway.

You can have your thread back now.

Archie

[Russ Noble]

Fellas, enough's enough.

Forget about the "class envy". There are only a hundred or so "genuine" cars to go round. Having oodles of money wouldn't necessarily guarantee that everybody could get an "original". Although owning an original for many would be a wasted exercise as they are/were predominantly out and out racers. Those that have them are undisputably fortunate. Those that don't have them for what ever reason have to make do with replicas, lookalikes etc. Depending on your outlook the replicas and lookalikes in many ways are more suitable than an original would be for the uses that their owners put them to anyway!

In my opinion the defining characteristics of a GT40 in order of importance are the shape, the rear engine Ford V8 and crossover exhausts.Some might add mono construction but really this is just a means of holding everything together!

If it looks like a GT40, sounds like a GT40, feels like a GT40, smells like a GT40, goes like a GT40 - what is it?..........

Every one that builds a replica etc is building their own interpretation to suit their own particular needs and circumstances, and having decided what is right for them shouldn't worry about what anyone else thinks, although maintaining a suitable resale value could be a consideration. By the same token if someone with (in their opinion) a "superior" car wants to take umbridge over (in their opinion ) a "lesser" car then that's their problem and the only people that should be worried about it are themselves.Certainly not the owners or builders of the perceived "lesser" car!

In anticipation of the replies, I'm about to change into my flame retardent Nomex!

Regards

[Jim Dewar]

Archie, Fantastic looking car!! [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif[/img]

[Brian Kissel]

Ecellent reply Russ !! I have seen Archies cars, and the workmanship is 30 years ahead of the Fiberfabs and the like. As they say different strokes for different folks.
Regards Brian