Recent content by Doug M

Great job! I’ve spent much of the weekend working on my doors thanks to your guidance. The previous picture I posted of the RCR built door was a major ‘crop and zoom’ of the photo I took, which is why I didn’t really notice it until latch options were being discussed. My main reason for...

Thanks Chuck. I was looking through the old pictures I took years back at RCR and it looks like your idea is the method they used for the turn key builds. I might try to make that work since I have the parts already. One last question. Did you employ the ‘1/4 bolt in the 3/8 hole’ method...

Chuck, great points. #4 was my biggest concern, but #2 is news to me. Having never actually touched a real D Type, I was unaware of the door weight. Though it makes sense because they’re basically just used for aerodynamics. I’ll probably go the bear claw method. Having the latch on the...

Chuck, beautiful work as always. I’m screenshotting so much of this for inspiration and downright duplication. The idea of making the door hole bigger is brilliant. I’d like to think that would have occurred to me eventually, but I’m thankful for the wealth of information you provide us...

Chuck, good question. I live in West Virginia, and I’m sure things are a bit more relaxed than in other states. The certificate of origin from RCR ( or whatever it’s called- I’m not home to look at it) is a 1955, which by WV rules, means it’ll be grandfathered in like an antique even though...

Did a test fit for the passenger seat and removable headrest. It’ll look better when the interior is finished and painted black. The headrest looks awful, but it’ll seldom be used. A necessary adjustment.

Another challenge was that I wanted a passenger side headrest that could be easily removed and stored in the boot when I didn’t have a passenger. Much web searching was done, and finally found the solution in a 1969 Mustang headrest from CJPonyparts. 1969 headrest, part # SFHR Headrest guide...

A while back I made the decision to use aftermarket bucket seats instead of the ‘built in’ seat design. Since my overall look for this car will be a used race car found in the late 1960s rather than a factory fresh mid 50s D Type, the bucket seats solved a lot of problems, chief among them...

An annoying side effect of building with only one arm is that I tend to drop things more than I care to admit. For whatever reason, the ‘boot bubble’ was especially slippery and ungainly and it got away from me while I was test fitting it after some sanding work. Fortunately, I have pieces of...

Fabulous stuff. I guess in my head, I thought of the RCR supplied transmission tunnel cover as extra structural strength because it’s the same gauge thickness as the rest of the aluminum. I guess it’s just more efficient to crank it out with the rest of the parts during tub production. I...

Dino, I know you asked Chuck, but since he encourages conversation from everyone… I’m definitely planning on lighting up mine. I’ll also add the white roundels all around and also a number yet to be determined. I’m doing it for several reasons, but safety is a big reason because of the lack...

So I haven’t posted in a heckuva long time. I have been making slow progress, but still progress nonetheless. As I’ve discussed before, because I’m a double amputee, the bigger challenge has been adapting the automatic transmission to a car designed for a 4 or 5 speed. Since this D Type is a...

Splendid stuff indeed. Chuck, have you anchored down the body yet? I’ll be installing my emergency brake setup this weekend, and after that, I feel like I can start the body process. Still to be determined.

As for engine updates, I decided to forgo the RCR provided radiator and went with a D Type radiator and tank from Pro Alloy. Some modification needed, but it fits. Also added a cooling reservoir for the automatic transmission lines… might have to rethink it later, but for now, it looks like...

As for the throttle and brake… I upgraded the brake fluid reservoirs for aesthetic purposes. I modified the RCR supplied Triton brake/clutch setup and added a few custom designed pieces. Also added a button type brake light switch instead of using a hydraulic switch in the brake line. It’s...