Kiwi scratchbuilt

[Russ Noble]

Sorry Ernest, I hope you don't think we are slacking! [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/shocked.gif[/img] Lots of work but not much new to show. Still doing the 2nd body. Front and rear clip, roof inner and outer and both sills for Lims car are now all out of the molds. Both inner and outer doors yet to do. It'll be another couple of weeks before they're done and we're back into the chassis. And a bit longer before there's anything of interest to post. Patience my man! [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smirk.gif[/img]

btw, what's a Bradley GT2? (No I haven't tried the search button!)

Regards,

[ErnestH]

Originaly a VW powered Gullwing kit car, that i am going to convert to midengine on a custom frame.

[Russ Noble]

Well Christmas has come a few days early this year! Santa arrived with my tyres this week and I have fitted them up to the rims. [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif[/img]

We've just been doing silly little preparatory jobs lately nothing particularly visible or interesting. I'm hoping to make great strides over the two weeks of my Xmas holidays.

To reiterate from earlier, tyres are Dunlop Post Historic, on the left 530/1500-15 and on the right 430/1160-15. Fitted to PSE 14" and 10" pin drives

[Russ Noble]

Another photo with a different perspective. Rear on the left, front on the right.

[John Shand]

I see your wheels are five pin drive not six? are you going to make your own spindles or use a standard ford hub?

are the wheels mag and what was the cost landed in NZ

thanks John Shand

an other Kiwi builder (mono 289 ZF)

[Russ Noble]

Hi John,

Will be building my own drive flanges, uprights etc. However I am running into certification problems with the pin drives for road use. To date I have not found a way to get these accepted. Have you looked into this yet?

The wheels are spun aluminium rim/cast aluminium centre with forged aluminium spinners. The cost for all of these including airfreight and GST was near enough to NZ$4000.

BTW do I recollect meeting you at Dave Browns after SFOS a couple of years ago, or maybe I'm getting my wires crossed?

Good luck with your monos.

Regards

[Ian Anderson]

I don't know about NZ but in the UK the SVA prohibits spinners / wingnuts on the wheels but they will allow a center nut that complies with the necessary radiuses for their safety. (Really how you can run someone over with a spinner is beyond me - the car would hit them long before the spinner.)

That said some people have used my bolt on wheels and tyres for the SVA test - after the test the car was altered to take the knock ons. this does not seem to be against the law! - After all you go and buy a Ford and then change the rims on a road car - no one minds - or you fit a roof carrier for the surf board, boot rack, spoiler , body kit or whatever - are these cars then outside original specs -YES but do they fail an annual check (MOT) NO.

Perhaps the Kiwi testers are more wide awake!

Ian

[91740Gt]

Ian,

It,s not the car hitting someone first that spinners are not allowed with the SVA laws now, but the serious damage that they can, and have sometimes, inflicted on people caught up in them after the initial hit, or if they come undone and fly away like sythes.

Although many do swop over their hub set-ups after the test do be aware that if a cute policeman or insurance assessor checks your car for whatever reason, you could make the vehicles insurance null and void. I believe that secondary checks are becoming a possibility and that tighter restrictions are in the pipeline.

Graham.

[Russ Noble]

Thanks for your replies Ian and Graham.

The spinners are not a problem. If I had splined wheels eg Jag or MG wires they would be OK. It's the pin drives. At present I'm arguing that "ordinary" wheel studs are essentially pin drives, it's just that they also have nuts on them to hold the wheel on. I'm trying to get a definitive answer on that one at present. It's obviously not a safety issue, just another beaurocratic minefield to negotiate!!

Regards

[Russ Noble]

Coincidentally, I have just heard back from my certifier in the last few minutes. He advises that the powers-that-be have recently realised that the pin drive system was inadvertently omitted from the initial legislation. This will be addressed at the time of the next legislative review.

In the meantime he is of the opinion that the pin drives and spinners will be OK. Well, that appears to be a satisfactory conclusion to a bit of a long running saga!

[Russ Noble]

I'm just posting this article that I wrote for my local car club mag on why I am building a GT40. This is in response to Rons thread "Making your own chassis - Unique to GT40's" Although there is some duplication of what is already in my build thread it does go into the reasons behind the decision to build.


A better mousetrap

The reasons I decided to build a GT40


The story, for me, starts with my TR7V8 which I originally built to be a road car with the idea of doing some competition, in the form of classic racing and Targa, hillclimbs, sprints, etc.



However, any one who has ever done that will know as soon as you put a full cage in a road car, that’s the beginning of the end for streetability. It’s the point of no return!

So over the ensuing couple of years it became virtually a road registered competition car. And it was relatively successful, usually being in the top handful of local cars at classic race meetings. However after a bit of development it rapidly became apparent that the car could not be made a lot faster and yet stay within the classic regs. Realistically, if one wanted to have a chance to consistently beat the local Porsches then it was going to take a Porsche to do that job. Megabucks in comparison to the TR7V8 that was snapping at their heels.

So I need a P car but can’t afford one!

At the end of the 2005 season the TR’s Rover V8 engine was stripped for a precautionary off season check. It had been performing magically and everything seemed OK until the cracktest results came back for the reciprocating assembly. Every rod was cracked, every journal in the crank had two cracks in it except front and rear mains which had only one. Pistons were fine. The whole lot had been cracktested before assembly at the start of the season. Disaster! I reckon the whole motor was only about half a lap away from hand grenading! So, contact Ross Calgher to see about getting something that will hold together. Can do, so I order crank and rods which eventually arrive on special order from Pom Land. No reflection on Ross who actually gave me a good deal, but astronomical price for not even forged stuff, and I’m thinking for less than this sort of money I could get all forged Chev or Ford internals that would deliver twice the power from a Yank motor.

For classic racing I needed a better mousetrap than the TR7!

What about a Cobra replica with some good, cheap, Detroit muscle in it to beat those pesky Porsches? Certainly it would be faster and cheaper than a porker. Once you start looking in that direction it is not a quantum leap from a Cobra to a GT40. Still cheaper than a fast P car. IF you build it yourself. And should also be able to deal to the overseas entries that come over for SFOS and annually dust off us locals. 

So a decision was made to scratchbuild a GT40 replica. But what to do about a body? Checked on the internet and found an excellent GT40 site, and started digging around for info. The site is predominantly UK, US and Oz dominated but there is also quite a contingent of NZers there. (Jac Mac a member of this club from Gore is a knowledgeable and prolific poster on that forum) Anyway, contact was made with a fellow NZer who had an uncompleted kit and he generously offered to allow us to take molds from his body. Problem solved! What we didn’t know was the amount of corrective work we would have to do to his car and body before taking off those molds! Maybe he did!!! Still a good deal though.

About this time, enter one Tan Boon Lim a Singaporean Chinese who has been living in NZ for about 20 years. A friend of an employee of mine, Lim has always wanted to build a GT40. Lim is a tool and die-maker of exceptional talent and has access to all the right gear. This could be a marriage made in heaven! I could supply a body, he could do all the tricky machining. It didn’t take long to agree to a mutually beneficial deal J

So we are building two cars. They will be similar but different.


Similar in so far as they will both be Mk1 replica’s, spaceframe construction with fabricated uprights and suspension arms and traditional GT40 type 15” replica BRM pin drive wheels. Power units will be Ford 351W engines with ‘crossover’ exhausts coupled to Porsche 911 Turbo LSD transaxles. (Because anything else that will take the torque is too expensive!) Both cars to be stopped front and rear by 300x32 vented rotors and Wilwood 4 pot calipers And that’s about where the similarity ends!

Lim’s car is being built for predominantly road use with occasional track time. A reasonably powerful, streetable, injected 351W mated to a G50/52 five speed transaxle with 8” front 10” rear width rims and Dunlop GT Qualifier tyres, nolathane suspension bushes, the whole lot all held together by a relatively rugged 35x35x2 tube spaceframe chassis and covered by the Mk1 ‘standard body’.

By contrast my car will see mainly track use though it will be road registered (just in case I want to do any tarmac rallies!). Motor may be a bit more ‘peaky’, dry sumped, forged internals, roller cam and rockers, 825 cfm carb driving through a four speed 930 transaxle which will have a billet side plate and an oil coiler and spraybar added. This is the strongest production 911 trans it’s also cheaper and marginally more readily available than the turbo five speed and has a better range of custom ratios available if I want to go down that track later. There is also a custom dogbox option with the alternative ratios that is not a lot dearer. Wheel widths are 10’’ front, 14” rear running 430/1160x15 and 530/1500x15 Dunlop Post Historic period treaded race tyres. Suspension is fully rose jointed. Shocks will be 8212 series aluminium double adjustable Konis The spaceframe will be different to and somewhat lighter than Lim’s but will incorporate a MSNZ full rollcage. Body will be the Mk1b which has the traditional ‘Gulf flares’ to shroud the wider wheels. Also, borrowed from the Mk2 ‘40’s and fitted also to some Mk1’s, will be twin brake scoops (snorkels) on the rear deck. Horny looking!! And practical.

With all that decided all that remained was to do it. More later.




So that's it. Must get back to work on the car! I need to update this thread soon too, but there's heaps of half finished stuff that depends on something else before it can be finally completed. There's not much excitement in photo's of brackets etc.

Cheers,

[Russ Noble]

I have finished most of the bracketry around the front of the car. The spyder has been mounted and I have bonded in the screen so it holds it's correct shape. The hinges for the front clip have been done and the clip is mounted in position.The roll cage is well underway and I am slowly moving back through the chassis. Today was something of a milestone in that for the first time I sat a motor and trans in the back in what will pretty much be it's final position. The chassis is sitting at ride height and everthing looks good. Now I've just got to figure how to stop the whole lot falling onto the road! Might need something to hold the suspension too!

[Russ Noble]

Double post deleted

[Russ Noble]

Also placed the rear clip in position, first time I've actually had it looking like a car and sitting at final rideheight.

[Russ Noble]

View from a different angle. Outer door skin is only roughly taped in position. I still have to fabricate hinges and latches put a strengthening bar inside the inner and bond inner and outer together.

[Ross Nicol]

Looking good Russ, I think your a wee way off having it ready for the 2007 Festival of Speed though. Keep up the good work.
Compliments of the season
Ross

[Jac Mac]

Originally Posted by Russ Noble

View from a different angle. Outer door skin is only roughly taped in position. I still have to fabricate hinges and latches put a strengthening bar inside the inner and bond inner and outer together.

Good to see that my quick visit inspired you to take the tyre's and cyl block down off the shelves Russ, was that you or Lim I heard making brmm brmm noises as I left. Going by the number of Emails I have had today I assume the engine mounts etc are ready to be welded in place!!

Jac Mac

[Russ Noble]

Ross,
With a month to go SFOS 2007 is beginning to look a little doubtful. It was more a "nice if we can do it" idea. Just had a few too many issues that weren't straight forward and took too much time to resolve! I think that's typical with all GT40 builds. My original target date of mid winter looks to be a goer still though, I think I've got most of the tricky stuff under control now. Actually started doing some mechanical work last week, stripping the 930 and trying to suss out what I need to do to build an internal spray bar and billet side plate. Looks pretty straight forward. Should have a few meetings under my belt before SFOS next year.

Jac Mac,
As always you're a source of inspiration, I spent the best part of New Years day on the drawing board, hence all the emails to check details. What's your excuse for being by the computer all day!? BTW without giving too much away at this stage, the engine mounts are going to be aluminium, so they won't be getting welded to the steel chassis. Just part of my over riding plan, 'Keep It Simple Stupid' and 'Keep It Light n Low' All will be revealed later.

Cheers

[KevinBox]

Russ progress is looking good - Mine is just coming out of storage so will be getting back into it !!!

Hope all is well with you and Lim

Regards KB

[Bill Hough]

Russ,
I make the MKII "snorkel scoops" and the internal ducting. if you need some. Email me at datonabill@msn.com