GT 40's for sale in the UK

GT 40\'s for sale in the UK

There are GT40's for sale every month in the UK Kit Car Mag with prices starting at $17000 for a KVA and from $25000 for GTD's and Tornado's most have V8 Ford or Rover engines and they are road going. The GT 40 Enthusiasts News Letter has four complete cars for sale this month, why not purchase one thats ready to go and save money?

Chris Melia

Re: GT 40\'s for sale in the UK

Sounds good to me, but it seemed like all the ones I sent email about over a year ago had lots of strange parts:

*Drum rear brakes
*Funny Rover engines
*Small front discs
*Lots of Granada/?????? suspension bits

And some other things. Are there some available for that price that are serious V8s with full non-donor suspensions etc.?

Sounds like a much cheaper idea though. Ask them to list them on the for sale section or send them to me with photos, I'll post them.

R

[ November 12, 2001: Message edited by: Ron Earp ]

Re: GT 40\'s for sale in the UK

Chris,
I agree with Ron on some of the issues about some of the parts that we can not understand. I have a KVA un finished kit that I have to build almost all of the parts( luckly I have the resources to build these parts). Could you let me know what granada spindle are in US terms.I am thinking of changing this car over to Mustang spindles. They are readily available here in the US.
Thanks,
Chris Waldemarson

Re: GT 40\'s for sale in the UK

Hi Guys, A Granada is a sedan about the size of a Ford Escort or a Chevy Cavalier. I am by no means an automotive engineer, but from what I understand,very hard cornering is more than enough to tax the spindle and bearing setup. My good friends in the U.K. have been migrating to a beefier upright with rather sizeable bearings when they decide any track use of their replica is in order. Chris, what may be right for you is to find someone with a completed KVA and get it into a race car prep shop for suspension measurements, then either find or make what you need regarding the uprights.
Regards, Brian

Re: GT 40\'s for sale in the UK

Hi

My car is a KVA MKIII with 351w/Renault 21 and Jag spindles, I did the trip to Le Mans last year (900 miles) no problems to report.
Yes the GTD and Tornado use Granarda uprights without problem and on the Track!!
If you need Granarda bits I will arange a supply. Wilwood make a kit for the GTD to upgrade the Brakes at $1500, disks and four pot calipers all round.

Chris Melia

Re: GT 40\'s for sale in the UK

Sorry Chris but I would have to disagree with you over the success GTD users have on the track with standard GTD spindles. For road use the standard items are 90% acceptable. If you are going for a blast them you can begin to suffer pad knock back as the spindles flexs. This has the undesirable effect of pushing the brake pads away from the brake disc giving you a long pedal. This may not apply so much to cars with standard brakes or small(ish) replacement rotors/discs. No-one I know has ever suffered a spindle failure on a standard spindle. I ran these spindles for many years in comptition and track situations and had to adapt my style to suit a longer than wanted brake pedal. Not fun. I would also point out that the spindle flex varies from car to car. Clearly this can be something down to the driver leaning the car in corners but also may be variances in the spindles. Some suffer some don't? I don't know. However of all the chaps doing competition with GTD 40's Car Club I can only think of one who hasn't upgraded his front spindles. I also know that he is keen to do so soon. Ray Christopher produces a direct one for one replacement set that should utilise the same suspension arms as normally found on a GTD. KVA or other users beware of variances. The new upright is good and beefy and uses large bearings that appear to cope better. Frank Catt produces a replacement upright and spindle system too. However he won't tell me much about them so I can't give much information on them. I do beleive they are also a one for one direct replacement system based on GTD suspension and Andrew Fordyce and Robin Batt both use them and are happy with them. This set up uses a different bearing system to Ray Christopher's I think, it being the same bearings as used on the original GT40. Needs more adjustments than modern bearings? Perhaps Frank/Andrew could confirm or deny this.
Both systems have slight variances in geometry. The king pin inclination and Ackerman angle are different to the standard set up. This does give a better and different feel in driving = improved turn in. There is currently great debate in Ackerman Angles within our club as to whether or not you need neutral Ackerman or positive or negative Ackerman. There isn't a lot of room for adjustments!
And just for good measure Mark Sibley (ex GTD parts manager) also produces replacement spindles/uprights. His set up also is worth consideration.
A thought - if you are running standard rubber block bushes in your suspension arms and not heim joints (rose joints) or nylon blocks, then you are unlikely to gain the maximum benefit from upgrading your uprights/spindles. Do both at the same time and enjoy a completely different and better car.

Malcolm

ps Granada's are link tanks about the size and weight of a BMW 5 or 7 series, much bigger than our UK ford escorts.

Re: GT 40\'s for sale in the UK

Hi Malcolm

interesting input on spindles as I said I run Jag XJ6 myself would like to hear what Andy from Tornado has to say on this subject.

Chris Melia

Re: GT 40\'s for sale in the UK

I am now working on the second kit that I have imported to the US. I get the UK kit car mags and have seen the ads. One of the biggest problems is that you cannot bring a completed kit car into the US that will be registered for the street. The engine and trans must come out at a minimum and shipped seperately.

Re: GT 40\'s for sale in the UK

Guys,
Sorry I led you down the wrong rath.
I was concerened about the ease of finding there parts. Are they easy to get in the UK?
There is not much difference in the size, shape or strength between the mustang and the granada spindles. If I can get these easy in the UK I would be foolish to convert this car over.I asked a few people on the granada spindles and they seemed baffled. So, I just want to be able to get parts if anything was to wear out.I need rotors, calpier and all the muonting hardware. could one of you guys point me in the right direction on who to call or e-mail.

Thanks for your help
Chris Waldemarson

Re: GT 40\'s for sale in the UK

Hi Chris

You have to weigh up the pros and cons on parts. The granada stuff is readily available in the uK but for you will always be a pain to get as it is not US easily available. Extra shipping costs plus time delays could be more hassle in the future than if you remanufacture your suspension arms to accept mustang stuff. If you genuinely can fabricate stuff to the appropriate quality, that is a very good route to consider. Also after market brake parts will fit more readily.

On brakes for gentle road use standard twin pot granada brakes at the front and single pot rear brakes will suffice. However even though the granada is a much heavier car than your 40, the braking efficiency of the granada stuff is poor when you start to push it. 4 pot brakes at the front makes a huge improvement. these can be balanced by vented granada discs at the back even sticking with the single pot caliper. However 4 pot rears are popular here with a balance bar to adjust the front rear balance. Lots of aftermarket stuff is in use so take your pick. Currently AP is the most favourite for top performance.
Malcolm M

Re: GT 40\'s for sale in the UK

Chris I've seen your car it isn't a KVA, it's a "MELIA MKIII". I don't think there is anything left on it that resembles a KVA.

Regards
Paul Campoli

Re: GT 40\'s for sale in the UK

Hi Paul

Pleased to here from you, I must confess that the only bit of KVA is the body shell and that took a lot of work to iron it out and make the gaps fit.
Next year I intend to make a tube chassis with built in roll bar for racing with a light wieght carbon MK11 body. Probably go for a chevy stroker 6.5L alloy block and G50 gearbox, Trevor Tailor yellow Mk1 has a chevy 6.5L and was in pole position at Snetterton last month, he said that it was a lot quicker than his Ford engine, and I can tell you that he was like a bat out of hell!!!

Chris

Re: GT 40\'s for sale in the UK

A Ch....a Che....I just can't say it, but to put one of those "non-Ford" engines in a GT40 is sacrilegious.

Bill D

Re: GT 40\'s for sale in the UK

Well, other than changing chassis dynamics
to fit the chevy (the block dimensions are
a tad different, even a 350 vs. 351C there's
some issues about deck height), putting in a
6.5 litre anything is just wasteful.

Hey Gordon, how about that 700HP 306?

Ian

Re: GT 40\'s for sale in the UK

Hi Bill

The ERA web site has good detail of the Corvette uprights and how to put them to gether
I also agree that its sacrilegious to go for Chevy power but it's cheap and fast and the disi sits at the back of the engine well away from the bulkhead!!!
Trevor Tailor has a Ford 351 GT40 engine for sale with real Gurney Heads and Webbers at around £6000 ($9000)US

Chris Melia

Re: GT 40\'s for sale in the UK

How hard would it be to design an option to the UK cars to allow the use of late model Corvette or Mustang spindles/calipers? The upper and lower tubular A-arms could be designed to mount these units.

The rear hubs could be done as well.

Bill D

Re: GT 40\'s for sale in the UK

Being a Ford guy but a realist, it is cheaper to make Chevy power but the egine doesn't care what is printed on the outside.

I'm certain I can build a 6.5L Ford to make as much power as any Chevy, it is all in the parts selection and matching on components.

I'd go Ford in the 40 for sure.

R

Re: GT 40\'s for sale in the UK

The ford 351 is proving increasingly popular as a power plant over here. Even us Brits are learning that there ain't no substitute for cubes! However to go non ford in a GT40? Leave that kind of behaviour to the Cobra junkies...

Malcolm M