Edit --
This GT has a new owner - Mitch Krause.
More about that can be found on the following post -
http://www.gt40s.com/forum/507380-post138.html
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<=>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
A new beginning.
I promise that this first post will not set the tone of the rest of this thread. I feel that I have to explain some of what has transpired before I can go on.
This is a continuation of my Build Log that you can find here:
Big-Foot's RCR-40 Build Thread - "SuperCar"
Over the years, I’ve watched many others build their cars on GT40s.com and it certainly seemed like it was pretty straight-forward and the bodies were better than what I was used to. Pictures and build logs like this can only impart “so-much” to the reader. As far as kit cars go, this is no kit. This is a compilation of parts that, when put together skillfully and complimented with personal touches, will become a replica of one of the first Supercars the world has ever known. I’ve got a lifetime of building cars and fabrication. I’ve built a half dozen kits from other manufacturers – so this was not my first rodeo. My thread above seemed to irk a few people, and certainly it showed how exasperated I was with the body on this car. What I didn’t know when I started down the road of building a GT40 was that these cars were all really one-offs rather than being mass-produced with computer and laser guided accuracy with perfect symmetry. I blame only myself for my ignorance of GT40 lore.
My career, working for Corporate America, had become more and more demanding which left less and less time for me to enjoy working on my GT40 and most other things. I’ve learned that when you run out of your own time to do things, you sometimes have to step up and buy someone else’s time in order to realize any progress.. IE – Hire someone to do some of the work. That’s what I did. The car was moved from my small shop to a professional shop run by a couple of guys that did absolutely fabulous work. I won’t bore you with any of the details, but 3 years later, the shop went out of business and my car was left behind and with the exception of the wide hips being roughed in and some blocking and primer on the front clip – nothing else was done by the shop. Over the few years that the shop was still in business, I was able to make it to the shop on weekends and I did do a lot of work there on my own.. It was more than an hour drive and I had plenty of time to decompress and plan my day’s activities.
So here I am, roughly 4 years down the road and I am not a lot further along.
While I am a pretty good fabricator – I’m not the best body man. Oh, I can do bodywork and have done a substantial amount of it – most of it on racecars. I know the basics, but grow impatient with my progress as I am too much of a perfectionist and perfection takes time. On a racecar, perfection really didn’t matter a lot as long as you maintained the aerodynamics and it looked reasonably good at speed.
I’ve received an offer of help from another member here which was really unexpected and I was really quite honored – however, this is a job that I find I need to finish on my own. I may, however, farm out the paint work. Chuck, your generosity and talents are endless.. I hope you’ll give me some pointers along the path.
This GT has a new owner - Mitch Krause.
More about that can be found on the following post -
http://www.gt40s.com/forum/507380-post138.html
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<=>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
A new beginning.
I promise that this first post will not set the tone of the rest of this thread. I feel that I have to explain some of what has transpired before I can go on.
This is a continuation of my Build Log that you can find here:
Big-Foot's RCR-40 Build Thread - "SuperCar"
Over the years, I’ve watched many others build their cars on GT40s.com and it certainly seemed like it was pretty straight-forward and the bodies were better than what I was used to. Pictures and build logs like this can only impart “so-much” to the reader. As far as kit cars go, this is no kit. This is a compilation of parts that, when put together skillfully and complimented with personal touches, will become a replica of one of the first Supercars the world has ever known. I’ve got a lifetime of building cars and fabrication. I’ve built a half dozen kits from other manufacturers – so this was not my first rodeo. My thread above seemed to irk a few people, and certainly it showed how exasperated I was with the body on this car. What I didn’t know when I started down the road of building a GT40 was that these cars were all really one-offs rather than being mass-produced with computer and laser guided accuracy with perfect symmetry. I blame only myself for my ignorance of GT40 lore.
My career, working for Corporate America, had become more and more demanding which left less and less time for me to enjoy working on my GT40 and most other things. I’ve learned that when you run out of your own time to do things, you sometimes have to step up and buy someone else’s time in order to realize any progress.. IE – Hire someone to do some of the work. That’s what I did. The car was moved from my small shop to a professional shop run by a couple of guys that did absolutely fabulous work. I won’t bore you with any of the details, but 3 years later, the shop went out of business and my car was left behind and with the exception of the wide hips being roughed in and some blocking and primer on the front clip – nothing else was done by the shop. Over the few years that the shop was still in business, I was able to make it to the shop on weekends and I did do a lot of work there on my own.. It was more than an hour drive and I had plenty of time to decompress and plan my day’s activities.
So here I am, roughly 4 years down the road and I am not a lot further along.
While I am a pretty good fabricator – I’m not the best body man. Oh, I can do bodywork and have done a substantial amount of it – most of it on racecars. I know the basics, but grow impatient with my progress as I am too much of a perfectionist and perfection takes time. On a racecar, perfection really didn’t matter a lot as long as you maintained the aerodynamics and it looked reasonably good at speed.
I’ve received an offer of help from another member here which was really unexpected and I was really quite honored – however, this is a job that I find I need to finish on my own. I may, however, farm out the paint work. Chuck, your generosity and talents are endless.. I hope you’ll give me some pointers along the path.
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