First SFP Owner Install Completed

Lynn Miner · 06-01-07, 06:44 PM

OK guys I hope I'm not being presumptuous here. I BELIEVE that this is the first SPF GT40 install by someone other than a pro installer like Olthoff etc. If I am wrong, my apologies to whom ever I may have offended. Be that as it may - it's been a long battle put the pictures tell it all. I have over 1000 photos of how to do things, service bulletins, modifications (I've made many - look closely at the photos). I have about 1.5 GB of reference info that I can supply to anyone who wants it on DVD.

Gregg · 06-01-07, 08:39 PM

Lynn, sharp looking car. Many happy miles. What is the reason for the plexi deflection wing in front of the windshield?

SpyderMike · 06-01-07, 08:49 PM

Awesome looking car Lynn!

Mike

Lynn Miner · 06-01-07, 09:55 PM

Gregg the "wing" is a bug deflector. Not really necessary I suppose but some of the originals used them and I thought it looked cool. It was very easy to make, taking less than an hour.

johng · 06-01-07, 09:56 PM

Lynn,

Congrats! It is work of art!

I hope to be right behind you on the private side. btw I sent you a p.m.

Kim Petersen · 06-01-07, 10:08 PM

The plexiglas is a bug deflector that was used with some success at Le Mans by such immortal racers GT40s as P1076. Driving at near 200 mph, the somewhat aenemic windshield wiper on these cars proved insufficient to clear away hours of accumulated smashed bugs, so the deflector was installed to create a flow of air forward of the driver's side of the windshield.

Nice job, Lynn!

Kim

Dave Wood · 06-01-07, 10:45 PM

I couldn't help noticing that it appears you've moved the fuel pumps to a higher than stock location. I am curious about the change since I own a Coupe and one of the issues some owners have mentioned is having to lower the fuel pumps because of the belief that they were mounted too high from the factory. I have 9000 miles on 037 and have never had an issue. Your pumps are mounted considerably higher than those on the Coupe. How much mileage have you put on it and have you had any fueling issues. Are those Gurney-Westlake valve covers on the real set up or are they just dress up valve covers that have G-W on them?? Always loved those heads, about the only aftermarket Ford heads available for Decades. If they are the real deal, are they originals or some of the new ones I heard were being tooled up?

chuck smith · 06-01-07, 10:59 PM

damn nice job

Lynn Miner · 06-01-07, 11:30 PM

Woodz, the pumps are located high because I installed a swirl pot directly under them and needed the room. It doesn't seem to have any effect on how it runs and to be honest I can see any reason why it should. With three pumps I have tons of volume and a highly regulated pressure at 3psi. That Aeromotive regulator is incredible.....highly recommended. Contrary to what people might think. Having the pumps "blocking" the rear window is no issue either. I can't even see them in the mirror. I can only see the pressure gage in the far left edge of the field of view.

Sadly, the GW covers are just for show. I got them from Chris Melia (another thread on this site). They are great and Chris is a good guy to deal with but they sit on top of AFR heads.

Gary Kadrmas · 06-02-07, 02:18 AM

Lynn,

On the surface, it appears you have put some serious thought into the fine details of your GT40. Usually, when that happens, the finished product speaks for itself. From the comments already stated by other members, I must agree that your car is fabulous.

Will you be taking your car to the Portland Historics this year? I would love to see it in person.

Lynn Miner · 06-02-07, 11:06 AM

Thanks for all the kind words guys. I must add that I was somewhat remiss by not thanking some of the people without who's help I could have never pulled this off. Ian Grunes, Tim Osgood and Mike Evangelo all from Dynamic Motorsports in Ohio. These guys gave me access to info that to my knowledge no other dealer in the USA would provide. I can't say enough good things about Ian. This would have been a nightmare without his help. Rich Woerz helped with dropping the engine in (this is NOT a one man job). Also I want to give a special thanks to Steve Cioffi. We have spent hours on the phone comparing modification design ideas, and sorting out procedures to get this thing put together. Steve is a great resource.

This install took nearly 7 weeks after I got the trans (7 months later than promised). Part of the reason it took so long was fab'ing all the bits and pieces. I made countless mounting plates, brackets, fixtures etc that were in some cases, quite complicated. Not everyone out there doing their own install will NEED to do these things. You can just bolt pieces hither and yon as most of the pro installers do. As someone who builds space qualified hardware for a living I was a little more meticulous (read anal) than the average installer.

I've been somewhat overwhelmed by requests for the DVD so I'm charging $1 to cover postage. Send me an email to my personal email address (minerl@theofficenet.com) with your mailing address if you want one. It is much easier to do it that way than trying to go through the Forum's PM system since I have so many requests.

Lynn Miner · 06-02-07, 11:41 AM

The contents of the disk are evolving daily as I get info from others and generate more pictures, etc. There is a wealth of info here. Some of it is buried deep in subdirectories so look closely. In the Lynn's Mods section are subdirectories of photos of the things I made to make the various changes to the car. Some of these mods are self explanatory, others are not. My goal was to do a "write up" to go with each set of pix to detail the "how to" of each mod. I spent so much time doing the work that the write-ups never got done. This will be a project for next winter when I am house bound. If you have specific questions, don't hesitate to call, write or email me. Much of the contents of the disk are from other people who have shared info with me. If you have something I don't and think I should, please send it. Eventually I want to make a GT40 reference disc that has is so inclusive, that it can serve as a master resource for anyone going through this process.

Lynn Miner
2716 Moser Rd.
Chewelah, WA
99109
minerl@theofficenet.com
(509)935-6897

Rob · 06-02-07, 11:46 AM

Very nice Lynn. Congratulations. How about a video (w/ sound)......

Frank Catt · 06-02-07, 12:41 PM

Lynn, I would very much like a copy please, Frank

Chris Melia · 06-02-07, 03:13 PM

Hi Lynn
Your car looks great you should be very proud.

I especially like those valve covers (just joking)

Regards

Chris.

Lynn Miner · 06-02-07, 04:11 PM

Frank send me an email with your address and I'll get one in the mail.

Gary Kadrmas hit me with a great idea to use PayPal for the postage transaction. I should have thought of that but I didn't. My PayPal account is minerl@theofficenet.com . I'm sorry to have to ask for postage but I had NO IDEA how many people would respond to my offer for the free disk. Postage will eat up all the allowance my wife gave me for this month ($25). It's even worse than the post I made offering free VIN plates and switch labels.

Chris, thanks again for the valve covers. I've sent a lot of folks your way after they've seen mine.

Lynn Miner · 06-02-07, 04:24 PM

Some have asked for shots of the fake oil system. Before someone flames me for doing fake mock-up of things....remember, the car is a fake so lets keep some perspective.

Rich · 06-02-07, 04:30 PM

Lynn.............assuming you installed a RBT trans., what mods did you have to make to the trans housing and/or lower frame cross member in order to clear the same?

Thanks

chuck smith · 06-02-07, 05:46 PM

I really like the fake oil system, looks great

Lynn Miner · 06-02-07, 07:08 PM

Rich, This first part is done with the trans on the floor. The first thing I did was remove to top cover on the RBT. Drill and tap for 1/2 NPT into the boss that is already there for exactly that purpose. It sits directly on top of the output drive gears. CLEAN CLEAN CLEAN it before you put it back on so you don't get shavings in the box. There is a paper gasket that has no sealing compound on it so be careful when dealing with this and you won't destroy the gasket. Then install a 1/2 NPT to AN-12 male to male adapter. Tape it off or cap it to keep things clean. I did all this at the same time I was doing all the mods that are required to the shift linkage that SPF provides. Just in case you were unaware, the supplied parts for the linkage (at least on the early cars) doesn't even come close to fitting and need to be cut, bent re-welded etc. I have a service bulletin on how this is all done. It will take a solid day to mod the linkage if you want it to look good when you're done. Then you ignore this until the engine/trans is in.

The "pump" is made up of billet aluminum pieces I made and bolted it to the bottom of the trans at two points on the back. I removed the two nuts and replaced them with 8mm x 1.25 SS standoffs that are 36mm long. (available from McMaster-Carr). Then bolted the "pump" to those standoffs (see photo). The "pump" is NOT the lowest point on the back, if fact its' bottom is well above the frame rails that run along side so there is no threat of breaking something off. Then just plumb it over to your trans cooler with the proper AN bits and pieces. I powder coat everything I make because it's easier than falling out of bed and it will always look nice. I'm not plugging for Eastwood here but they have a great powder coat setup that's less than $200 for everything you need and you can pick up and old kitchen oven at a yard sale for $25. I powder coated every single piece I made on this car. You can't believe how easy it is.

Two important side notes: 1) All this was done in consultation with Lloyd at RBT so I didn't do anything to void the warranty. The only real mod to the trans was the hole in the top which as stated, is what the boss is for. 2) After all this is done you will have the entire system plumbed for real should you decide to put in a real electric pump. Just move the hose from the fake pump to the drain hole and run it up to a pump before the cooler.

Why did I do a fake setup? In talking to several people, Lloyd included, the consensus is to NOT cool the trans oil unless you are racing, it causes more problems than is solves. I could have put a real pump in with a shutoff valve or temp switch but that would have been several hundred dollars more for something I KNEW, I would never use. I posted a question several months ago about how to "fake it up" and got flamed something fierce, so I did it myself. Let the flaming begin