Hi everyone, I'm new.

[Casey]

My name's Casey and i'm in Missouri. Currently I don't own a GT40 (or any Ford for that matter) but I would like to own a GT40 by the time I'm 30. My current project is a 71 Cuda which will likely end up copperhead orange pearl with a built 440/4spd combo and a rollcage.

Right now I'm just shy of 22 years old and try as I might I just can't get over the old cars. My first car when i was 17 was a 69 smallblock Camaro, and that was fun, but I had to get something more practical for college, so that car went away. Now that I'm almost done with school I'm going through this Cuda but I've wanted a GT40 for a fairly long time. Strangely, though, I find that I don't like the new GT very much at all.

I do have a few questions:

1(ish) Is the weight difference between a 5.4 smallblock Ford engine and a 427 Ford a large difference? I'd like for the car to be as light as possible while also having the largest possible displacement.

2. Can I fit a supercharger (I'm thinking Vortech) as well as air conditioning into the car, as it has fixed windows and I find air conditioning necessary?

3. I've been looking at the Roaring Forties kit a lot recently, and I've heard that their customer service is pretty good, but I'd like to hear from those of you who already have these cars as far as the experiences you've had with whatever company you used.

I believe that will be all for now. All help will be greatly appreciated.

Casey

[Dutton]

We've all been there, Casey. Welcome to the group.

1) You may be surprised at how large a small-block can become. Depending on the block, crank and rods, there are quite a few possibilities. I would never urge a builder to reconsider their engine size, but I would offer that a smaller displacment engine can make some pretty ferocious horsepower at a far smaller budget; one forum member has described his 347 at above 460 hp. You be the judge.

2) Give some thought to the transaxle you'll be using. In this hobby, anything is possible but sometimes it comes down to how many one-hunderd dollar bills you're willing to put down on the table to make things work out. Some of our friends in Australia have been working at using the 5.4 and will be of great help as you're putting together your list of needed components. The 427 will likely require a serious Porsche or ZF transaxle which is better suited to taking that heavy torque I'm betting you're looking for (what am I saying... we're all looking for it!).

As for #3, the new Roaring Forties company seems to be working at getting their legs under them, and their first order of business is taking care of existing RF customers from its former ownership. I'd say more but you'd probably appreciate arriving at your own conclusion, so give the forum search engine a go and do some reading for yourself. The entire forum wishes them every success and look forward to learning about satisfied customers in the days to come. As an alternative I would suggest you consider some of the other manufacturers out there; RCR, Turn Ten and Superformance immediately come to mind and all offer some pretty nice packages. You've probably seen some of the RCR projects already; I have one in my garage as well and am looking forward to next summer when my car is on the road.

Finally, the best advice any forum member would offer is to take some time and get familiar with the forum search function. Play with it a bit, try some different angles and wording just to see what you can find. Trust me when I tell you that there is more information on this site than you can digest in several weeks. When you are at a dead-end, don't be shy about asking a question; contributors here are some pretty sharp folks who know their stuff. They're pretty friendly, too!

Best of luck in your quest,

T.

[JackW]

Hi Casey

Welcome to the forum, I wish you the best of luck in getting a 40 by the time you are 30. I am 31 and to wish I had a 40 by the time I was 30. If that makes sense.

Cheers

Jack