How much experience do you need to build a GT40?

[Chris Kouba]

There are some really impressive threads on the forum where some of you show their skills. But it also made me think about my own skills. As long as nuts and bolts are involved I think I can manage. But some of you guys are making modifications, fabricating bits and pieces and even doing the bodywork yourself. I presume you need a technical background for that. Having no experience in building a car/kit is the GT40 a step too far for a beginner? Am I underestimating things and should I leave the building part to the manufacturer? Or certain parts of the build process? I can imagine the body to be a bit special and the wiring of course.

Thanks,

John

PS. See what I mean??? (from thread of Chris K)
"My dad and I got through it and had the spider aligned- or so we thought. We started with the front and rear clips and had to re-do a lot of our work. I was getting a little... frustrated. I pulled out the phone in a moment of desperation and put a call in to Hersh. I left him a message saying I needed to validate what I was doing and asked if he'd be willing to swing by. The work week came and I let it go for a while.

Hersh was by Thurs and we started back from scratch, ironically getting just about right back to where we started. That's when he gave me the "it's a 1960's racecar and it's not square" speech. We (he) got a fit I am happy with. I will need to close up some gaps on the doors though as I put any errors there and left the spider & clips as close as I could to original.

Right now I am working on the doors and getting them to hang and swing. Holy crap it's a pain in the butt. And I absolutlely massacred the passenger door handle as well. I'm sure people who've built them already know this but it's a little difficult to get a drill bit in there to get the hole for the pivot drilled. Any recommendations before I deface the driver's side? What tool do I need?"

John-

I know I'm digging this up from the past but I've been off the grid for a while and just getting back up to speed on the forum. I was entertained to see my post quoted.

I don't want to come off as being defensive and please know I took no offense at your comments. My opinion is that if you've done the wrench work on a kart and your M3 (which looks like it's not exactly stock) you'd have the skills to carry off a build of a GT40. The only thing to make sure is that you'll have the energy and commitment (and $'s) to carry through the potential hard times or roadblocks of any build.

Regarding my experience, this is the first car I have built. I am mechanically inclined and have built and maintained my own rally car(s) for about 5 seasons or so. My dad and I also rebuilt a Mustang when I was in college. I consider myself an average mechanic and previously hadn't done any work with fiberglass. This is easily the largest and most complex endeavor I've undertaken. Yes, I am trying to build the car quickly (I REALLY want to get to drive it) but I don't feel pressured- my personal schedule allows me to dedicate lengthy amounts of time to my build on a regular basis.

I will share with you the most important thing I have learned during this build: don't be afraid to try something. The door handle is an excellent example. I had an idea and I thought it would work. It didn't. I ended up mauling the hinge part of the handle recess- but I wasn't afraid to try it and wasn't afraid to fail. I posted a few questions, chatted with Fran and found out what he's doing and suddenly I'm back in business (see THIS POST as evidence). Also in that same post is the documentation of my first ever work in fiberglass. It's not rocket science, just takes patience and, well, more patience to do it correctly. I am very happy with how things have progressed (even got the gaps pretty good too - take a look)and unless you get in this game having done it before, this will be an ENORMOUS learning experience for anyone. Just as an aside, I am currently planning on doing my own bodywork as well and I have just accepted that it's going to be a long, tedious process- but I'm not afraid to try.

Long story short is that you will end up fabricating stuff you need, chasing down little widgets that didn't come with the kit, and seeing things along the way which you want to change, but in the end this forum and hopefully whichever manufacturer you choose are incredibly valuable resources. With patience and some research you will be able to build a GT to your personal specifications. As you know I have an RCR and it's not exactly a secret how visible and supportive Fran is here on the forum and how responsive he is to phonecalls and emails. That was an important part of the selection process and helped with the comfort factor of spending what will end up being an enormous (for me) amount of money. If you want to do it, make the decision and do it. Once you make that decision, it'll be up to your enthusiasm and determination to work through whatever issues you encounter.

I jumped right in the deep end and have been having a great time. I will be back at my build in the first few weeks of September so stay tuned for progress.

Hoped these ramblings helped you.

 

[Bill Hara]

Hi John

I agree with Chris, you just have to have a go. The effort that goes into a cobra is not much different than with a GT40. The first aluminium panel I worked on with my car, a mate of mine said I looked like I was holding the file like I was holding a snake. He recently saw me whip together an aluminium bracket for my car and couldn't believe the difference in how I approached the tools and materials.
In many ways, it doesn't really matter where you start with a kit, what you need is the willingness to give it a go. You will stuff things up, but you will then re-do the work and learn something in the process. I stuffed up about 6 of my 62 odd aluminium panels. They helped me improve my skills. Even now, 5 years later I am still learning things that I didn't know and that is how you progress with your build. Like Chris said, the pace you move at is proportional to your desire to drive the car plus your willingness to learn, make time and ability to overcome frustrations.
Give it a go and you will never turn back or regret it.

Bill

 

[John S]

Thanks a lot guys for your positive comments.

John

 

[MReid]

I'm just starting my build. I've built 5 other kits and restored or modified half a dozen other cars, but never worked with a transaxle or hydraulic clutch. I have to admit that I am a little nervous about that aspect of my GT40 build. I am fortunate in that Fran has been very helpful, but it does remind me vividly of the trepidations I had when approaching my first project knowing little about automotive restoration, but full of motivation to learn. That motivation and excitement can carry through all the tough spots and redos. I also say go for it! You have a lot to gain and little to lose.