GT40 Australia #27

[Peter D]

Hi Bill,

Thanks mate - it was worth the panic to get it semi-ready, but I don't think I'll go there again. I should have learnt about critical dates from the rego exercise - put a drop dead date in front of me & good old Murphy is guaranteed to make an appearance ! From now on, things will be done according to my own time frame & not a minute sooner !

Re the 40's design - there seem to be just 2 types of "car people", young or old - those that know exactly what a GT40 is, & those who are just blown away when they see one. Either way, they all agree that it is the quintessential sports car. While the reaction of these people certainly give me a buzz, it is also a bit humbling - I feel like I am some kind of simple custodian of something magical.

I take my hat off to you regarding working with s/s - I wimped out with most of those little brackets & did them in aly, then either polished & coated them with POR Glisten, or got them ceramic coated for high temp situations. Nowhere near the final effect of s/s, but fit for the purpose in the short term. Once I get the g'box back in & the interior finished, I'll probably revisit the brackets & heat shields with a view to s/s. As you say, it keeps us out of "other things" !!

Kind Regards,

Peter D.

[Peter D]

Major milestone - the gearbox is back in after rebuild #2 & I have all gears working & vastly improved synchros.

After the meltdown of one of the CATs (2 cyls not firing for a few kms), I "cleaned out" both CATs & its running better than ever (& dare I say it, a tad louder) !

The upholstering of the seats is now under way, to be followed by door trims & roof lining - I'll post some progress pics.

Enthusiasm has returned !!!

Kind Regards,

Peter D.

[Peter D]

This is a totally useless post - just to see what happens when you go from 699 posts to 700 posts !

[Peter D]

Obviously nothing - I was "six tenths", I am still "six tenths" - more likely "3/5 of 5/8 of ..."

[Peter D]

I took the car out this morning for a "shopping run" & had the accelerator cable break right up under the dash about 8kms from home - not impressed !

The local road service (NRMA) turned up with a large tilt-tray truck & we were soon on our way home.

BUT, the truck was too big to get up my 100m battleaxe driveway ! To my surprise, a few neurons in the left-brain kicked in - car starts & idles ok, just not fast enough to get up the drive, .... take a receipt out of wallet, fold it a few times & stick it under the idle-screw adjustment on the throttle bodies - voila ! - idles at 2000rpm - easily enough grunt to get up the driveway !

If that thought had occured to me before the tow truck arrived, I reckon I could have nursed it all the way home !

My, this is fun !

Kind Regards,

Peter D.

[Paul Thompson 'Hooligan']

Hi Peter
Your car looks great! - I love the deep blue.. - what's the paint code if you don't mind saying?

Also - your roadtest story reminds me of the time we first were tuning Roy's GTD on the M20. The motor was initially very rich but as it was leaned out (Accel EFI), it became crisper, more responsive and the Lambda settled to more sensible levels. One thing as a consequence was the idle rpm rose too, to the point where we could cruise at 60Mph without a foot on the throttle! - got a bit loud and lary when on the clutch at junctions though.. [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/blush.gif[/img]

Never a dull moment owning or driving a 40.. [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

[Peter D]

Thanks Paul - I'm not sure what the actual paint code is, but it is a mid-late '90s Honda Prelude colour called Marine Blue. I got the local Spies Hecker guys to match it up & add a hint of pearl. Let me know if you need the actual code & I will do some serious digging (its somewhere in the huge file) !

60mph with foot off - that's called ICC - "Inexpensive Cruise Control" !! With the grunt that Roy's car has, it probably wouldn't even notice the hills at all ! Could be a bit exciting when pulling up beside Constable Plod at the lights !

Murphy's Law always comes into play when drving these cars - when I got it off the tow truck & revving like hell on the driveway, there were the neighbour's ancient parents heading toward me down the shared driveway in their stately Honda - never mind that there is a GT40 coming up, didn't notice the giant tow truck with flashing lights behind it - just keep on coming down ! The neighbours now have 2 parallel trenches in their lawn as a result of my evasive actions !

You wouldn't be dead for quids !!

Kind Regards,

Peter D.

[Peter D]

Finally some progress to report - throttle cable is now fixed (with a much shorter pedal travel - a bit more adjustment & should be able to heel & toe.

After chopping up the original DRB f/glass seat shells (narrowing, then widening again), I settled on a shape that worked for me. Off to the uphosterer, just a few more dollars, & viola - a set of seats that I am really happy with !

Next project is the door trims.

Kind Regards,

Peter D.

[Peter D]

Stripes Added (at last) :

[JackW]

Looks awesome

[Paul W]

Looks awesome Pete, what tyre widths are you running on it ?

[Peter D]

Thanks Jack & Paul - we are getting there !

Paul, the tyres are 235/45/17 Falkens up front on 8" rims & 275/40/17 Falkens on the rear on 10" rims.

Wheels are Simmons FR17's, fake knock-offs by DRB.

I reckon the front tyres are just right, but that the rears should be 285's or even 295's. Neither size is easy to find here in Oz, hence the 275's for the time being.

The upholsterer who did such a nice job on the seats took one look at my amateur carpeting job, then simply raised one eyebrow - that was enough to make my wallet cringe (again) !

Kind Regards,

Peter D.

[flatchat(Chris)]

Is that a real one mate ? [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crazy.gif[/img]
'Bout time you brought it back to its birth place for a bit of show and tell -- etc -- a 1st weekend of a month would be good , lots of gt40 and cobra stuff happening then [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

[Peter D]

Chris, I have been planning a trip up north for a sausage sizzle for over a year now !! Every bloody time it looks do-able, Murphy makes sure that something comes up :

- Dud wheel bearings
- Dud uni joints
- Electrical dramas
- Gearbox rebuild (x2)
- Exhaust rebuild
- Throttle rebuild
- Seats

You would think that Murphy would show some level of pity towards a person of Irish descent - apparently not !

Its starting to become an obsession now, so I will make it, even if I have to bloody well walk !!

Kind Regards,

Peter D.

[Bill Hara]

Peter

Car is looking great. I know you've been having trouble with Murphy, but you have the proven giant-killing record of David, so Murphy won't stand a chance [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/flehan.gif[/img]
Love the new seats too. Funny thing, I was only tonight messing with your old RF seats, finding the best position for me in my car before I bolt them down.

Cheers

Bill.

[JackW]

Hi Peter,

you should update your avatar with the new picture. Mind you, i should probably actually get an avatar before I start offering up advice on that.

Cheers

Jack

[Pete.]

Peter the car looks fantastic, Mr Flatchat is right, head north for the sizzle,the crownies,the surf , the fishen, we will guarantee you a good time. [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/banana.gif[/img] [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/banana.gif[/img] [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/beerchug.gif[/img]

[Peter D]

Thanks guys - you all know how much a bit of encouragement means - a lot !

Bill, funny thing also - as I was fitting the seats, I was wondering how you were going with your seats too! Have you found the "sweet spot" to bolt them down ? Are you happy with them (can you fit) ? etc ?

Jack - good suggestion - now all I need to do try to remember how I shrank the last pic to keep the aspect ratio correct !

Pete - I have been stretching the legs of the 40 of late, trying to get that feeling of confidance which will allow a round trip of some 1500 kms - not far away now (fingers crossed) !

Kind Regards,

Peter D.

[DAZPT]

Peter maybe your car just needs another set of eyes to go over it, just run it up the F3 drop it of at my place for a few weeks and I swear to look after it.


Just kiding
Darrell
DRB #46 LS1 G50