Dwight's RCR GT 40

Larry L.

Lifetime Supporter
FWIW...I've never understood the whole "lime green"/"yellow" fire truck thing even though I'm fully aware of all the pseudo-psychology-based / psychobabble 'spin' used to justify it.

Fire trucks are supposed to be R-E-D. If it ain't broke - don't fix it. :mad:

End of rant. 'Going to my room...
 

Dwight

RCR GT 40 Gulf Livery 347 Eight Stack injection
I spend today at the paint shop helping Jay fit the body. First we sat the windshield in place, next we check the front clip then removed it.
Jay was anxious to work on the doors. He had completely block sanded and primed the driver door last week. Greg had sanded and primer the front clip a couple of months ago. So it's ready. The rear clip, well that is another story. I predict it will take a gallon of filler.
It took a couple of hours to fit the drivers door. Removed the hinges a couple of time to change shims. Tommy (the owner) came in to check on our progress and when he started working on the door I went to lunch. When I returned the door was in place and looked good. Still needs a little fine tuning.
I thought the drivers door was hard but the passenger door was more of a challenge. The first time it took 15 minutes to get the two door bolts in place. After 5 or 6 times we could do it in a minute and a half.
The door was hitting the dash so I texted Keith Wilson and asked him about the problem. He responded that he had to cut the door to clear the dash. That saved us a lot of time, out with the grinder. Problem solved. I'll take that door back to my shop to fiberglass the piece back.
After lunch Tommy came back and helped Jay fit the passenger door. Took a lot of grinding.
Then Jay and I started working on the rear clip. Moved it a little but found my aluminum angle needed a 1/2" cut off so we could move the rear clip to the right. Jay had to go home so I finished remove the aluminum pieces and took them to my shop and cut them.
In the morning we'll be back at it.
Today was a good day. I felt like we got a lot done. Jay, Tommy and Greg are great body guys but they have need dealt with a door that has a top and side. The first couple of hours were a learning process for Jay.

I hope we can have the body panels fitted by tomorrow afternoon.

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Dwight

RCR GT 40 Gulf Livery 347 Eight Stack injection
I took my buddy Jeff to the paint shop today to help me align body panel. We got lot done. Monday we'll go back and set the rear clip. Now Jay can work the gaps, filler, grinding, lot of hand sanding and block sand the panels.
They tried to seal the old paint but it would blister thru the primer. So we sanded all the black cherry paint off. It would blister in a different place each time. It took 16 hours to sand the nose clip.

Next will be the doors and rear clip.

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Dwight

RCR GT 40 Gulf Livery 347 Eight Stack injection
I spend five hours yesterday removing the paint off the spider. Tommy tested the paint and told me that Allan did not use harder in the base or clear coat so all off it has to come off. We are looking at 120 hours to remove all the paint from the body. The inside of the spider is painted black cherry so it will have to be removed.
I spend most of the time washing it off with lacquer thinner.

Allan sprayed two coats of black cherry and two coats of silver onto the spider. Lots of low spot with no filler. It's a nightmare.
Good news is that the primer is good.
 

Dwight

RCR GT 40 Gulf Livery 347 Eight Stack injection
Update
the inside of the spider painted black cherry past the strip test and will not have to be sanded off. Yehooooo.
Correction on post #104 Some the of the clear coat has harder in it. I was able to wash most of the clear coat off the top of the spider but half way down the B pillar I had to sandpaper to remove the clear coat.
 

Dwight

RCR GT 40 Gulf Livery 347 Eight Stack injection
I have chased the paint codes for the Gulf Livery for several weeks. The PPG codes I was given were not in the computer system of the PPG paint store. Well two of them were not. The dark blue stripe PPG code was good.

I did a search for SPF paint. I tried using the 2006 Ford GT Heritage codes. The GL code for the blue was a good one but in BASF paint. The orange, we could not get.
Next I took a Gulf sign from my shop wall to the paint store. That did not work. They got a reading off of it but when they mixed the paint it was a couple of shades off. I'll blame that on the Chinese kid that stayed up all night painting the sign.

Then I called Eddie who has contacts with Ford. He gave me a formula for the orange which is a fleet color. But it's a BASF code that would not convert at the PPG store. Eddie then suggested I call Lee at Holman Moody. I did and Lee answered the phone. Great Guy. Told me to call back Monday and he would have the codes. Or I could call his painter David Brown whom I think he said was located in N.C.
I called David and had a long conversation with him. Another Great Guy. David has painted original GT 40s and does a lot of Superperformance cars.
He had a local paint store (Dupont) to mix the colors to match SPF. He read me the formula and then texted me pictures of the cans. In one picture I can see three GT 40. Looks like a road trip is in order. He told me several stories and I love a good story. I finally told him I had to let me go back to work. It was late Friday afternoon and he was probably done for the day but I wanted to get the paint sample before Monday morning.

I took the paint formulas to Tommy who said he could not mix them but there were two Dupont (Axalta bought Dupont paint division) stores that could. It was late on Friday so I picked the closest one 10 miles away. The boss was gone for the day but a woman mixed the orange for me. She could only do a pint mix which was way more than I wanted. Could not divide by four so I had to buy a pint $77. So be it.
Saturday I drove the 25 miles the other way to O'Reilly. They mixed the blue in a sample amount. Cost $20. The PPG store has mixed three sample for no charge. I will buy my paint from them.
Monday we will do a spray out card on the three colors. Then I will take them to the PPG store and see if they can scan them and convert to a PPG formula. Then I will have all three colors in the same brand.

Why is everything so hard on this car?

So if anyone need the paint formulas I have them.

Good weekend and both of my college teams won their games. But one will have to lose to the other in 3 weeks.
 

Dwight

RCR GT 40 Gulf Livery 347 Eight Stack injection
Thanks I read that and tried the paint code. No good. The formulas have to be used with the company that makes the paint.
Dupont black is different than PPG or BASF.
 
Dwight,

FWIW, the Haynes GT40 Owners' Workshop Manual (page 39) states the Gulf livery ICI codes as follows. P030-8013 (blue) and P030-3393 (marigold).
 

Dwight

RCR GT 40 Gulf Livery 347 Eight Stack injection
I think ICI was bought by PPG but the codes are no good. Maybe someone has not taken the time to log them into the system.
 

Dwight

RCR GT 40 Gulf Livery 347 Eight Stack injection
Here are the pictures David text me. Don't know the story about the GT 40 but I did notice tire rub on the door so I guess David is going to repaint it.
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You can see the paint number and amounts on the cans. The code 847040K has been modified by adding 827J Blue in the amount of 342.9
I'm learning alot about paint.
 

Dwight

RCR GT 40 Gulf Livery 347 Eight Stack injection
Picked up a Dart 302 Block with 4.125" bore. Now I have a dilemma. Pull the 347 short block out and install a 363?
I will not gain much in horsepower, maybe 20 but a motor that will spin to 7,500 in a GT 40. That would be awesome!

Machine work is completed and stored in a climate controlled room. I have all summer to think about it.

Body is "Still" in the paint shop.

Waiting on the ECU to return so I can crank the motor.

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Mitch Krause

Supporter
Dwight, I have the same one, I am pretty sure you have it correct. I do know / recall that you need 12V on the pos for it to work, there was some words in the documentation that initially led one to believe maybe not, but it is needed. The send goes to the gauge, and Neg is ground.
 

Dwight

RCR GT 40 Gulf Livery 347 Eight Stack injection
Erik helped me crank the motor today. We still have a problem with the MS3 ECU but have jumper around the problem. I send DIY an email asking this unit to be replaced. They have tested it three time and said it's good. But it's not.
Any way it's running and after I change a couple of things it will be ready to dyno tune.
Sounds good at 3,500

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnl75viwbJy4gxXCu4SZ9YQ?view_as=subscriber
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Dwight

RCR GT 40 Gulf Livery 347 Eight Stack injection
I have been looking for a 66 or 67 Fairlane for several years. Three months ago Tim found one for me. It had been sitting for five years in a garage. The owner had reworked it 21 years ago. Swap out the 289, C-4 and 8" rear end for a 390, 4 speed and nine inch rear end.
I'm the fourth owner and the car has been around this area it's whole life. Great find. No rust, no issues. Good looking driver.
I had to replace everything that fuel or break fluid touched. New tires, clutch return spring, clutch arm bushing, lower seat foam and a battery. Took it for a test drive. Drove it 800 miles and then swapped the top loader for a 5 speed. With the top loader to was turning 2,900 rpms at 60 mph. Now it's 2,300 rpms at 75 mph.
A couple of weeks ago I drove it 1100 miles (round trip) to the London Cobra Show in Columbus Ohio. Broke a valve spring early in the trip but we thought it was a lifter. Only clicked at below 2,000 rpms. Luck I did not drop a valve onto a piston.
When I got home I replaced the valve springs and the rear leaf spring. Should have done that before I took the trip to Ohio.

I have two grandsons, six and seven years old and this is our car. They love it. We took a cruise this morning and I hear the older one say "I love this Fairlane."
Later he told me we need to get air condition for the Fairlane. I told him that was on the list for winter upgrade.
He has been a car nut since birth.
Also looking at swapping the 390 for a 427.

Check out the picture of the sending unit that had sat in 5 year ethanol fuel.
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Dwight

RCR GT 40 Gulf Livery 347 Eight Stack injection
A little update on the Fairlane
I send the sending unit for the Fairlane to a guy in upper state N.Y and he rebuild it. Works like a new one. The aftermarket units are made in China and do not read correctly.
I've changed the T-5 for a 3550 because I bought a 427 c.o. block. I may need a stronger tranny. I dropped the block off at Craft Performance. It needs a cam bearing repair and two sleeves. It is a standard bore but it looks like it threw two rods at different times. I'm buying a pair of Edelbrock stage II heads from them and a bunch of other parts. It's over kill for a street cruising Fairlane but that's what we do best. Overkill. At least when they ask me if it's a 427 I can say "Yes"
The 40 is still quietly in the shop waiting on me to finish Donny's 68 Mustang. I should finish it this next week. Once it's out the door then Keith Wilson is going to help me finish body alignment, then off to paint!
I am doing some of the glass work on the door sills. I'll build the fare up and then let the body do the finish shaping.
Oh that reminds me. I needed a 1/4" grounded off the 3550 input shaft so I could use my FE truck bell housing in the Fairlane. Keith had a grinding attachment for his lathe so he did it for me. Looks like the factory did it. Thanks Keith.
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