Roaring Forties #95 - 4.6 quadcam

Well a few poeple have been asking about how my turnkey RF GT40 is going. S0:
* This car is Roaring forties' first 4.6 Cobra engined car.
* When i ordered the car way back in April last year, the plan was to take the car through a full ADR (Australian Design Rules) compliance process. The main stumbling block would be engine emissions, which are very strict nowdays in Oz. The emissions approval process for "kit" cars is very much a PITA, but must be done.
* The car was pretty much assembled and ready to "fire up" at the end of december 2004, and delivery was promised by march (for the Aus GP, in fact), it was to be emissions tested, then painted and trimmed etc. This did not eventuate, some delays with christmas etc, meant that the car was not going to be ready for the GP.
* In march, i was in Melbourne for the GP, so i went to visit. Mods were being made to the clutch, flywheel etc. The car was still waiting to be started, but i would be soon.
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* (insert long wait here)
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*
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* On the 12th of SEPTEMBER the car passed its preliminary emissions test. YEEE HAAAR!
* BUT, to actually certify the car, it has to go to Ford factory. Since the Toyota plant is not currently able to do the certification, but was very generosly helping to "get it right" and ready to go to Ford.
* So where are we today? Still waiting for the car to go to Ford. RF have decided they want to change the exhaust, and re-test it. That will happen soon i hope, as time is draggin g on............
* Robert Logan has promised that i will have my car before christmas. so i do hope he keeps that one. I am VERY keen to get hold of it. The 18 month wait has been somewhat of a torture. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crazy.gif

Tim,
Was your delays caused by Robert not working on your car and thus allowing time to pass or was it due to some of these unforseen ADR requirements being tougher to meet than originally thought? Most of all Has the RF personell been honest with you on every step of the way. I personally can understand this delay when you take into account the hundreds of man hours it took to R&D all of the various new parts such as the intake, exhuast, and all the new mounts. This kind of work is not cheap. That motor was a super challenge to get in that car properly as I see it. I really feel bad that you have been delayed no matter the reason. I do know that your car is unique and it will be done right or not at all. I'm certain Robert wanted your car done on time as much as you did.
I'm also aware that there has been another asking you about delays concerning RF cars. These people need to be aware that your car has nothing to do with the South African factory. The S.A. factory has had a delay but as posted in the RF forum all are aware of this. The only cars effected by this delay were the first four. All other cars in the sequence were given estimated dates of delevery with the delay taken into account.
I hope this clears things up.

Hersh /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Hi Tim,

As a non-Oz resident, I was wondering - does every turnkey car need to pass ADR or just the first one(s) from a given mfg with a particular drivetrain combination?

Also, is there a financial or regulatory incentive for Ford or Toyota to certify cars they do not mfg (e.g. certification charge)?

Best regards and I hope Santa is good to you this year!

Al

Hersh,
I hope that my post didn't come over the wrong way. I am not trying to have a swipe at RF here. I just get a lot of folks asking me what's happening with my GT40, and why it has taken so long when the original delivery date was given as Christmas 2004. I fully understand the amount of ground-breaking work that Roaring Forties has put into it. And the work carrried out has been absolutely first class.
As for the cause of delays? I don't know. I'm a thousand kilometres away from the factory, so i rely on phone calls or e-mails for progress reports. As you can imagine, i wait for my car assuming (selfishly of course) that RF have their guys flat out on my car all day every day. This can't always be the case.
I have been given a few revised delivery dates along the way, as some hurdles have delayed the car's progress, and this was the main reason for my post. To let people know where the car is at, so they can stop asking me "have you got your car yet?" /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crazy.gif
I know that, when i do get my RF40, i will be as happy as a pig in sh%t, and the build process will all fade as i enjoy the car. THAT, i look forward to very much. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif
Robert and his guys have always been happy to keep me informed, we all realised, as the project evolved, that it was going to take time and persistance. And to their credit, Roaring Forties have kept at it to produce a very good car. From all reports, it drives beuatifully.
With regard to the other point, that person was made aware of the speciality of MY car, and that the SA cars were in a different factory, and that i could not comment on SA lead times in comparison to mine.

Al,
Once this car is certified, then Roaring Forties can sell fully registered cars with this "package" up to 50 cars per year (i think). No more tests required, until the rules get changed.....again.

It will be worth the wait Tim. RF build quality is very high. They certainly put a lot of effort into my car.
Any time being spent at RF on getting your car right will be worth it in the end.

I'm sure Robert would back me up when I say that I focus a bit on getting things right /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif and he/they did their utmost to satisfy my demands and to make sure I had an outstanding result.

I have had to make some changes (with a few more to come) to the car but this was expected by all parties. Most of these changes have been to setup the car better for the track. I consider them to be normal development.
RF have been very helpful in the development of my car and I hope that the work I've put into it will be of some benefit to everyone.

When it comes to standing out in a crowd this has been a whole new experience for me. This car gets a LOT of attention. I find it all a bit embarrassing to be honest. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/blush.gif
The high quality of the car is always noticed by engineers etc that look at it.

Good luck with your car and may all your Christmas's come this time. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Tim.

Tim,
I thank you for your honest response. I really want your car. As a matter of fact I tried to talk Robert into selling it to me. I absolutly love that motor especially in that car. I really envy you. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif
Roaldin, You sir have an outstanding car that I too drool over. I'm sure you work hard for what you have and you deserve some accolades for that. I appreciate your comments towards Roaring Forties. I Believe in Robert's quest to become the best GT40 replica maker out there. He has always been a straight shooter to me and has never let me down. I value his opinion and mostly his friendship. It is not in his blood to knowingly do wrong to someone. He really cares. If he didn't he would have disappeared a long time ago. Not the kind of behavior that is exhibited by a retired Royal Naval Officer.

Hersh /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Just like you TimOz40 I have also ordered a turnkey RF GT40 chassis #T133 with the 4.6 quadcam engine. I ordered it early this year and hope to see it by early next year. Unfortunately there always has to be a pioneer when changes are made to the rules and for those of us that have ordered the RF GT40 since yours (with the new engine configuration) owe you a great deal of thanks for your patience and commitment until final ADR approval.I live interstate (Tassie) so I rely on a lot of emails and phone calls to keep in touch with progress. The car I have ordered has got a lot of extras so it may blow out the delivery date. I visited the RF workshop last July to finalize a few details and you have to be suitably impressed with the standards that Robert and his crew place on their workmanship and final product. Have a bit more patience my friend. You won't get the grin off your face when you finally take delivery.

Thanks for that David. I'll be down in Tassie in the GT40 next easter. I'll try to call by.
I'm not sure which has been "tested" more: my car or my patience. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smirk.gif

I have been informed that the next test is booked for monday 24th. If that goes well it's off to Ford.

Hang in there Tim, I can assure you that it is worth the wait. My DRB turnkey took about a year longer than the projected delivery date. A number of reasons, not the least being the changes to the ADR's and changes I made during the build.
I am ecstatic with the quality of the finish of my car and from what I have heard about Robert he will construct a car you will be equally as happy with.
Lets hope the bureaucrats stop changing the bloody rules.

Thanks Pete. Yes, in the long run, the wait will seem insignificant. But here and now, it really sucks. It's looking less like pre-Christmas as each week drifts by. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif

Tim, great choices in your car setup! I love the 4.6 4 cam motor...

Hmmmm 12th september seems like so long ago now. Still no test certification. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif
Tick-tock. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif

Geez Tim the Hayabusa/clubman might be looking good for the Tassie trip.Just a tip though the ladies like a roof and a heater.That's why I bought the Europa.Cheryl's hair goes frizzy even in moist air.She hates that.
Ross

You might be right Ross. The clubbbie would be sensational, BUT not for 10 days straight /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crazy.gif. I think even I would baulk at that plan. Mrs Mackie is staying home anyway, so i don't have a passenger to worry about. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif
I have had it comfirmed today that they WILL NOT have my RF40 finsihed by Christmas. Another day, another promise gone.....

Tim, what you need is a little project to fill in the time whilst you are waiting for the '40 - NOT !!

That's how I indirectly got into building the DRB - really pissed off waiting for progress on the '71 Vette rebuild. That's been going on since 1997 !!! Every time we did some work on the damn thing, we discovered more problems - yes, rust (the very reason I sold the XJ12 to buy the Vette) - who ever heard of rust on a plastic car with a truck engine = me ! Waiting for a replacement chassis (18mths), waiting for a replacement scuttle/windscreen frame (6mths), etc, etc. To ease the frustration, I bought an clunker of an '89 Vette & got it sorted out over 12 months - still waiting for serious progress on the '71. That's when I started to look for something else, found the DRB & swapped it for the '89 Vette. Out of the frying pan & into the fire !

If that hasn't put you off, there's always the possibility of some mods for the 'Busa - did you see the link to a guy in Canada (I think) who grafted 2 of them together into a V8 ? If that's a bit too easy, you could always look at the latest Evinrude 250hp outboard - not a lot bigger than the Busa, & will eat the newest emissions regs for breakfast !

Seriously, that's a big PITA about the RF not being ready by Xmas - hang in there, play with the Busa, it will be worth it in the long run !

Kind Regards,

Peter D.

Peter, the thing that i'm really having trouble dealing with, is that the car passed 79/00 8 weeks ago. From there it SHOULD have gone straight to Ford for the certification test, and i would have had the car by now! But It was decided by RF (and this decision would be of NO benefit to me, the owner of the car) to remove the pre-cats from the extractors, and see if it passes with that (cheaper for future cars) configuration. I was led to believe that tihs would be done in a day or two, and no time would be lost. But it took them 8 WEEKS to do it and of course , now it has failed. So we've made bugger all progress, and 8 weeks have sailed by. The painter can't finish the car in the time left, so....... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif

Tim, what sort of a discount is RL going to offer you for using your car as a generic test-bed ?

If you have all the other docs for rego, and proof that it passes ADR79/00, can't you just process the paperwork with the RTA, get a VIN, take the car for a blue slip, rego, & drive off into the sunset ?

Any lawyers in the extended family ?

Kind Regards,

Peter D.

Hey Tim,
Sorry to hear of the delay! Peter he doesn't need a lawyer just a car trailer, i't would hurt more if Tim took the car away unless the test result's have already been completed. What's the expected delivery time now Tim? We will organise a drive day around your expected delivery, let Robert know that so he is under more pressure from the Sydney GT40 community, our next drive day is in his hands.

Steve K