Jim Rosenthal
Supporter
That's where I sleep. I sold my house to finish my GT40. ;0
1149 Mono Replica
- Thread starter jimbo
- Start date
Jim Rosenthal
Supporter
So close....
Went by the shop today and the passenger's side door is back on the car, nice and snug, getting the fit to the outside of the windshield frame corrected by building up the outside of the door a bit. Almost done on that one...
The one significant item left to do on the bodywork before paint is to fit the eyebrows. These are little handformed aluminum pieces that are intended to hold down the tip of the top part of each door when air flow etc want to pull them up. (I have a feeling that these were a work-in-progress design add-on when the tops of the doors were found to be lifting up at racing speeds, something my GT40 is unlikely to see very often. But they are part of the design and ought to be there, so they are the next and last thing.)
They don't fit well at all. The curvature lines up with the part of the door opening nearest the front of the car, but from there back it's all wrong. They are made of fairly soft aluminum, so what I think we are going to do (now that we have Clecos etc) is set the front end of each one in place with a Cleco and then work them slowly back, bending the aluminum to fit as we go towards the back of the car. That ought to work and result in a decent fit without a lot of stress in the parts when they are in place. After that, unless I miss my guess, we really will be done with the fitting work, and then we can get all the dust out of the body and chassis and set about getting the car painted and ready to actually put together.
To say I can't wait is an understatement. Two reasons: it has taken a very long time and a huge amount of work, firstly, and secondly, the work that's coming up is actually something I can do some of, which is the most fun of the project. Like putting stuff together, wiring it, etc. I might have a happy spring out of all this.
Went by the shop today and the passenger's side door is back on the car, nice and snug, getting the fit to the outside of the windshield frame corrected by building up the outside of the door a bit. Almost done on that one...
The one significant item left to do on the bodywork before paint is to fit the eyebrows. These are little handformed aluminum pieces that are intended to hold down the tip of the top part of each door when air flow etc want to pull them up. (I have a feeling that these were a work-in-progress design add-on when the tops of the doors were found to be lifting up at racing speeds, something my GT40 is unlikely to see very often. But they are part of the design and ought to be there, so they are the next and last thing.)
They don't fit well at all. The curvature lines up with the part of the door opening nearest the front of the car, but from there back it's all wrong. They are made of fairly soft aluminum, so what I think we are going to do (now that we have Clecos etc) is set the front end of each one in place with a Cleco and then work them slowly back, bending the aluminum to fit as we go towards the back of the car. That ought to work and result in a decent fit without a lot of stress in the parts when they are in place. After that, unless I miss my guess, we really will be done with the fitting work, and then we can get all the dust out of the body and chassis and set about getting the car painted and ready to actually put together.
To say I can't wait is an understatement. Two reasons: it has taken a very long time and a huge amount of work, firstly, and secondly, the work that's coming up is actually something I can do some of, which is the most fun of the project. Like putting stuff together, wiring it, etc. I might have a happy spring out of all this.
Jim Rosenthal
Supporter
These photos are somewhat remarkable for what they DON'T show, as what they do...the plastic tent around the GT40 is mostly gone, as all the sanding of the bodywork and glass work is done. One eyebrow is riveted on, the other held on with Clecos as there wasn't time to rivet it today. The fit of the doors to the chassis is excellent, the hinges are solid and square (after much work strengthening the hinge points where the bushings are), and we've figured out how we are going to secure the windows to the bodywork once it's painted.
Next stop, body shop. Altogether a satisfying day.
Next stop, body shop. Altogether a satisfying day.
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Jim Rosenthal
Supporter
Next step on 1149 is to remove the ZF transaxle, to convert the clutch release system from an internal HRB to an external slave cylinder system. I've not heard anything good about the internal hydraulic release bearings, and was warned off them by the Kirkhams who specifically do not fit them in their cars. 1149 got one before I was well enough informed to object to it, so while all the bodywork is off, we're going to correct that. Many thanks to Fran Hall & Ron McCall from this forum and also Dennis Quella from Pantera Performance who are supplying parts and expertise and on-site help.
Jim Rosenthal
Supporter
Spent an enjoyable couple of hours with Ron taking out the ZF; all the conversion parts came very promptly from Dennis at Pantera Performance. When the conversion is done, it will all go back together and I will have a hydraulic release bearing to sell on eBay. Never used...
The fiberglass seat forms for the seat backs came this week also, from Cushman, and look very good. We're going to wait on starting the interior until the car is painted and wired, but all the leather showed up this week as well. Hardly room to move around here...
Unfortunately, the paint shop doesn't want to start until they have everything there (I can't imagine why not), and the car really can't be moved without the transaxle back in it, so she's going to sit for a week or so while the transaxle conversion gets done and it gets put back in, THEN she goes over to the paint shop.
The fiberglass seat forms for the seat backs came this week also, from Cushman, and look very good. We're going to wait on starting the interior until the car is painted and wired, but all the leather showed up this week as well. Hardly room to move around here...
Unfortunately, the paint shop doesn't want to start until they have everything there (I can't imagine why not), and the car really can't be moved without the transaxle back in it, so she's going to sit for a week or so while the transaxle conversion gets done and it gets put back in, THEN she goes over to the paint shop.
Jim Rosenthal
Supporter
Photos of 1149 in the body shop. We refitted all the panels except for the rockers, which will go on early next week. Panel fit seems acceptable, although there are some areas where things are a bit tight and will have to be relieved somewhat. The rocker panels look okay; no mods needed to the rockers.
Photos didn't come out well, but the ZF transaxle is back in place, with a great deal of gratitude to Ron McCall (and Dennis Quella of Pantera Performance in CO) Can't say enough good stuff about Ron; if you need a ZF you should call Ron, he is very well acquainted with these units.
I hope for no more than a month in the paint shop. Then we start building 1149 into a running car with all the bells and whistles.
Photos didn't come out well, but the ZF transaxle is back in place, with a great deal of gratitude to Ron McCall (and Dennis Quella of Pantera Performance in CO) Can't say enough good stuff about Ron; if you need a ZF you should call Ron, he is very well acquainted with these units.
I hope for no more than a month in the paint shop. Then we start building 1149 into a running car with all the bells and whistles.
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Jim Rosenthal
Supporter
You guys aren't paying attention...no one caught the pun I stuck in the last post. Either that, or it wasn't very funny. I thought someone on the other side of the pond would notice it. Oh, well. I shouldn't quit my day job, evidently.
Heh heh very good................. I was a mod, a very young mod.
car is loooking great, you must be so excited at getting it so close to being on the road.
Jas
Jim Rosenthal
Supporter
Jas, thank you, I thought no one was watching 
I AM excited about it. I was by the paint shop today and they have sanded the entire car and are going to remove the FRP bodywork, and prime the inside, then spray the black that goes in there. That is the next step, after which they'll get started on the outside. The car looks terrible until you run your hand over it and realize how smooth it actually is.
I AM excited about it. I was by the paint shop today and they have sanded the entire car and are going to remove the FRP bodywork, and prime the inside, then spray the black that goes in there. That is the next step, after which they'll get started on the outside. The car looks terrible until you run your hand over it and realize how smooth it actually is.
Mods and rockers........ Good grief, Jim, showing your age here.
Jim Rosenthal
Supporter
Oh, I've come to terms with all that. I just want to finish my GT40 while I can still climb into it. They can lift me out at the end of the day, if they have to. I just want to drive it while I'm still able to scare myself.
Getting older doesn't look so bad when you think about what the alternatives are....
Getting older doesn't look so bad when you think about what the alternatives are....
Jim Rosenthal
Supporter
Progress report....front clip, doors and rocker panels sprayed in gray primer, and look quite good indeed. Next the rear clip, and then some remedial work on the steel roof, which isn't as smooth and free of waves as it ought to be. So I'm going to part with a few more bucks and get that taken care of as well. Meanwhile I am rounding up more bits and pieces, some courtesy of Forum members who have been very helpful and also generous with photos of things they've put on their GT40s. I might have some photos later this week, if all goes well.
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Jim Rosenthal
Supporter
1149 in paint shop. Most of the priming is done, and they have started to spray the interior panels dull black, to match the dashboard etc. Also the insides of all the fiberglass body parts such as rockers, front and rear clips, etc. The fairing work on the monocoque turned out well; next step is to prime it and then it will be ready for body color.
The Jaguar color I found from the 60s is too red/orange. Back to the drawing board. We are going to try a darker more blue color from the Sikkens catalog in an effort to match the color that was available in the 60s. I am trying to do this from photographs. If I get even close I should be happy.
I'll try to post some additional photos; I have a difficult time figuring out which ones I am attaching and frequently end up with the wrong ones. I need to get better at this.
The Jaguar color I found from the 60s is too red/orange. Back to the drawing board. We are going to try a darker more blue color from the Sikkens catalog in an effort to match the color that was available in the 60s. I am trying to do this from photographs. If I get even close I should be happy.
I'll try to post some additional photos; I have a difficult time figuring out which ones I am attaching and frequently end up with the wrong ones. I need to get better at this.
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Jim Rosenthal
Supporter
More photos from today: the insides of the doors are painted, and some bodywork inside surfaces as well. The chassis/rood section is ready for primer and taped off. Still to paint; the inside of the rear clip, which is the most complex part of the bodywork, and has the most sections which are difficult to shoot- all sorts of twists and turns and places the gun can't get inside.
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Jim is this the car and color your talking about maybe?
Jim Rosenthal
Supporter
Kind of, Allen; except that I know Bill a little bit and was up there to see 103 before he sold it. It was more of a brown-red. That color was an old Ford color called "Fez Red"- Bill (according to him) actually wanted a bright red, like a Fez color, but there was a Ford color called Fez Red which ended up on the car, or so he told me...
The color I chose looks a lot like your photo- which only kind of looks like 103 at the time. I don't know the name of what I picked, but it's somewhat darker and cooler than the red in the photo. The red in your photo would have been fine, if I could have found one like that. I think I got close, and thanks.
The color I chose looks a lot like your photo- which only kind of looks like 103 at the time. I don't know the name of what I picked, but it's somewhat darker and cooler than the red in the photo. The red in your photo would have been fine, if I could have found one like that. I think I got close, and thanks.