Considering a kit - what does a powertrain cost?

[Mike Dozier]

Obviously a lot of this thread is based on
personal situations. In most cases there is
more than a single way to reach a goal.

The Ford small block will perform just fine
in such a light car no matter whether you
have a $ 500 used 5.0 or a $ 5000
crate motor. It's all a function of how fast
you want to go! SPEED = MONEY.

Some people would NEVER install used parts in their car. That's their preference.
However history and dyno tests have shown that well cared for used engines lose
VERY LITTLE power and reliability vs new.

Regarding build sequence, be prepared to install and remove the drive train more than
once unless you are very well organized
(and lucky). This is not a big deal since
the rear clam is easily removed.

Unless you have your heart set on high HP,
I can't see why anyone in the US on a budget would not use the Getrag since they are cheap and adapter parts are now available from RF and Kennedy.

At worst this would require fabricating new tranny mounts. However if you ask the
Aussie's nice, I'll bet they'd install
Getrag mounts at the factory.

The key to keeping a budget is planning,
patience, and discipline. It is SOOOO easy
to upgrade in so many areas of this car.

MikeD

 

[Pete]

You can install a fresh rebuilt motor with a nice cam and carb then run it on a chassi dyno and get respectable horsepower for now and upgrade later to your ideal engine combo and tranny. As stated earlier a car this light will have plenty of go.

 

Mike DD,

Well said. I'm all for the savings at the beginning if that's all a person can afford. It's better to have a nice looking GT40, that costs less, than to not have one at all.

Lots of folks only have a $30,000 (or so) income to raise their family with. No way can they afford the nice factory kits that are currently available. Ah, the 'free market' of GT40's!

Have fun!

John

 

The phased approach actually works for me, and will probably be the way for me to go. Because of the time involved, I'll likely get a rebuilt motor and tranny, 305 HP. This is alot of horsepower for the weight, really. My Viper (modified) dynos around 525 at the crank for a 3500 lb car, and runs around 4.1 0-60 and 11.9 in the 1/4. For a 2500 lb car this would equal a 375 HP motor (all other things being equal).

So, I'll look for an affordable platform to start, and then figure out where to add 100 or so HP later on when I get done. Thanks alot to all the members here for their advice - I'm becoming more and more cemented in the idea of getting a GT40 Kit.

 

ntmatter
It's always interesting to here the feed back of any given topic.All of our chatter help for sensible decisions. Good luck on your road to owning a gt40..

 

[Mike Dozier]

That's the beauty of the small block Ford
(and Chevy). The cost to increase the HP
from stock engines is really low, so long as you keep it reasonable.

In fact it's downright cheap compared to
the cost to upgrade the trans, brakes,
wheels/tires, add A/C, change the paint
color, etc, etc etc.

So if your budget is tight, starting off
with a basic engine, even USED!! makes
a lot of sense. And like John says...
it's better to be on the road with 250hp
rather than not be on the road at all!
Good luck.

MikeD

 

I might get alot of flak for suggesting this but if you want a cheap 300+ horsepower and you aren't fiercly brand loyal, you can easily find a camaro LT1 engine with harness and computer for around $2000 canadian here and the harness is real easy to modify and the engines are fairly new so may not have many miles on them.

 

[Mike Dozier]

Eric

The use of non-Ford engines in GT40s
was discussed in prior threads.
The consensus was that in the US market,
it hurt the car's resale value more than
the potential savings.

In the UK that seems less of an issue.
Not sure what the story is in Canada.

MikeD

 

Eric,

Here in the USA it would be a "no-no" for the GT40 to be ran by GM-power. Chevy is the 'enemy' of Ford just like the Farrari and Porsche were in the Lemans epic of the 60's.

Have fun!

John