Which to choose from......

[Sandy]

As posted in another thread (Second tire down) -

Tire Specs for Pirelli PZero System

These are as wide a tire on 15's until you go racing. I'll bet these would work on a 14" rim but might look funny. Rated for max of 13.5", In stock at $495 Each USD.

Sandy

P.S. If anyone has a used one I can mount it on a 14" to see if it will work.

 

[MikeD]

Jmvelez,

Sorry if I stepped on your toes. That wasnt my intention and I can see how what I said can seem a little insulting. I do feel however, in this day and age, with all the technology thats available today, that ERA can and should offer a good aftermarket brake as standard, ie. Alcon, AP or Brembo. Everything you said about the Corvette brakes are true, but with the ERA running 20k more than the SPF or CAV, I would expect more.

JMHO

 

[Velez]

Jmvelez,

Sorry if I stepped on your toes. That wasnt my intention and I can see how what I said can seem a little insulting. I do feel however, in this day and age, with all the technology thats available today, that ERA can and should offer a good aftermarket brake as standard, ie. Alcon, AP or Brembo. Everything you said about the Corvette brakes are true, but with the ERA running 20k more than the SPF or CAV, I would expect more.

JMHO

I am not offended with your remarks about the brakes on the ERA. The Vette brakes are not standard on the ERA Kit. It was design to accept it. You can buy any after market brake kit for the Corvette. All those brand are available. Brake design is affected by pads material, number of piston, size of pistons, rotor, ventilation, size, master etc. Some Aston Martin, Corvette, Viper and Mustang SVT Cobras used the same brand (PBR). You can see the price difference in all of this cars.

I do not know what is the price difference between ERA vs. SPF simply because it depends in the options and how you configure it. At the end of the day I got what I wanted after the experience of the first GT. I wanted power, brakes and handling. Best of all it sounds and looks great. The only issue is to find the time to play and spend time with friends. I hope that you select it soon so your wait will be over.

 

[Owais]

Guys what about the CAV replica ??

 

[MikeD]

I did neglect to include CAV on the list but have seen there website and am quite impressed. I know Bill Andrews of sells these cars and has quite a reputation as being a great dealer to work with. I haven't been impressed with the SPF dealer in the NYC area........
The CAV seems to use a, monocoque similiar, but not identical to the original but is made with stainless.......

 

[Owais]

I am planning to buy a Cav gt40 with the Gulf spec and gulf paintjob. I don't care how to the original the suspension is compared to the replica coz I know it would and should be much better. Most important is the looks it should be like the original Gulf GT40.

So to all you expert out there give us your feedback

Sorry for highjacking your post..

 

[Jim Holden]

MikeD:

As you must by now realize, this type of question always illicits a very partisan response. Fortunately, for the consumer, there appear to be several companies out there that produce very respectable products and the odds are that you will have good luck with any one of them. It all depends on what you priorities are.

I can certainly tell you why I have dealt with ERA (now for over 25 years) and, frankly, I have not had any experience with any other company. My best advice is "due diligence"; visit the shops that make the cars, talk to owners, go to car shows and look the various cars over closely. In the end, in large measure, I believe that you get what you pay for, i.e.; if you buy cheap, you get cheap. I have my second ERAGT coming together and for me, (and I stress the "for me") I haven't seen any other product out there that I find so compelling as to want to switch companies and deal with someone else. A very important consideration for me (and I again stress the "for me"), is the people that I have gotten to know at ERA... they've always delivered on my automania fantasies.

Jim

 

[Ian Clark]

Hi Owasis,

The CAV GT with Gulf flares was our first customers choice. Including the powder blue and marigold orange stripes and white roundels. After getting over my initial worries about how the local constabulatory would look on the thing, I'm glad this was the first colour scheme on a CAV GT to hit the road in Canada (and we've had no problems with "Imperial Entanglements").

The CAV GT monocoque chassis is similar to a Safir in that it has been rationalized to simplify manufacturing, then on the other hand, making the darn thing out of Stainless Steel and leaving it in bare polished metal for all the world to see is probably more work than painting a mild steel part!

You can get to a high level of visual accuracy with the CAV GT when it comes to Gulf cars. Here's a few pics of the Gulf pair we've done and the factory built car being driven by Sir Stirling Moss at Le Mans last June.

Cheers

 

[Fran Hall RCR]

And there is always this one.....

 

[MikeD]

Regardng the SPF: it seems spot on for visual accuracy except for the shifter/e-brake tunnel and center console-they look completely out of place. Can they be replaced/removed to more closely duplicate the original cars. Am I the only one who has noticed this??

Fran, one of the reasons I've haven't looked into the RCR as much is largely due to the fact that the monocoque IS aluminum. I'm not an expert but I do know that aluminum does work harden over time. And I would think that the torsional stiffness can't be as good as steel unless its honecomb aluminum. It does look beautiful though.....

 

[Lynn Larsen]

MikeD,

I think if you'll look into it, SS work hardens the worst of the options. To me, this has always been the main argument against its use as chassis material.

Alloys used also make a big difference. The use of aluminum in aircraft that undergo a lot of flex sort of tells the story where this is concerned and as mentioned in another thread, work hardening requires flex as a precondition.

Lynn

 

[Fran Hall RCR]

Mike D,
Thanks for your explanation....you would have to examine one of our cars closely to understand the dynamics at play.
Good luck on your quest.

 

[Hi-Tech Auto]

MikeD, The centre mount shifter is fitted as most owners would find it more convenient for street use, and the same goes for the handbrake and ignition key console. We offer the sill mounted shifter and can move the ignition to the dash (where it rattles a bit). The original handbrake layout is not legal for the street . Very little else is not true to original and those that are not are only for safety or driver convenience and can easily changed back Regards Jim Price

 

[Gary Kadrmas]

Jim,

As far as a parking brake mechanism on a GT40........

Did the originals use a pull lever mounted under the dash? Without reasearching through my books for a picture, it seems what I remember is an underdash mounted handle (like you would have had on a Ford Falcon?). Or is my mind going to mush again? And your comment about the "handbrake layout not being legal for the street," what would not be legal?

Thanks,

 

[Fran Hall RCR]

Original used a handle under the dash to pull a cable to operate the footbrake pedal....

Its not legal as its not a independent secondary braking system....from what I have been led to believe.

 

[Bill Musarra]

Fran is exactly correct about the E-brake. we discovered this while working on an original where we replaced the E-brake mechanism with original parts that are as rare as hen's teeth. The cable goes to the brake pedal and would think ir would not pass any brake requirements of today.There are some very detailed pics of the 66 Road car here.

http://www.gt40s.com/forum/racetrack/15355-1966-gt40-road-car-2.html

Bill

 

[Mike Dozier]

Sorry for the thread drift...but why would FAV use such a device?
Obviously if the hydraulic system fails, that lever is just there for giggles.

Was it strictly for "parking" purposes? If so..then didn't other manufacturers
use the same method in production cars? Would seem to be cheaper
than running cables all the way to the back brakes.

Mike D

 

[Bob Childress]

Here is a picture of a stock emergency parking brake from a GT40 MK1. It completes the very detailed series of assembly pictures from Bill.

 

[Rick Muck- Mark IV]

Sorry for the thread drift...but why would FAV use such a device?
Obviously if the hydraulic system fails, that lever is just there for giggles.

Was it strictly for "parking" purposes? If so..then didn't other manufacturers
use the same method in production cars? Would seem to be cheaper
than running cables all the way to the back brakes.

Mike D

The FIA required a "parking brake" as the GT class required "road equipment." This was an expediant way of having a brake without the weight and complexity of a independant system, but this is not legal for most jurisdictions.

And yes, if the master fails the "emergency brake" is just a memory! P1116 had this system and the brake would hold for months (don't ask how I know), I didn't know my son had pulled the handle when we stuck it in the corner and covered it up.....

Rick

 

[Gary Kadrmas]

Bob,

Thanks for the photo of the lever and park brake mechanism.

Now I am going to have to look up what ERA and SPF uses. Up to this point, I never thought about it.