Building hours ?
- Thread starter MoPatrick
- Start date
I built my own engine and did all the prep for paint including the filler/primer coat and block sanding. Starting with a frame, boxes of parts and the various body pieces I spent about 1500 hours to get to the drive it out the door stage. Most of the manufacturers were telling me that it would take about 600 hours. However I think they assumed that I would buy a crate engine and have someone else do the body and paint work. I also spent some extra time in lowering the seat area of the cabin floor about 1 1/2". Hope this helps you. For reference my car is a GTD, which is similar to Toranado, Southern GT, Bailey, DRB, RF etc.
Attachments
Six months, crates to plates.
http://www.gt40s.com/forum/gt40-build-logs/22724-tornado-ts40-875-a.html
http://www.gt40s.com/forum/gt40-build-logs/22724-tornado-ts40-875-a.html
I think build times are highly subjective...
Motivation
Funding
Sourcing or recreating those hard to to find or very expensive "Correct" parts
More motivation
Free time
Spousal support
A bit more motivation
Level of detail desired such as functional scoops, ducts, etc..
More funding
A load more motivation..
For some of us, it is more about the journey than the destination.. If you're not that much into the journey aspect, then trade a bit more funding to either buy one mostly completed or turn key..
Motivation
Funding
Sourcing or recreating those hard to to find or very expensive "Correct" parts
More motivation
Free time
Spousal support
A bit more motivation
Level of detail desired such as functional scoops, ducts, etc..
More funding
A load more motivation..
For some of us, it is more about the journey than the destination.. If you're not that much into the journey aspect, then trade a bit more funding to either buy one mostly completed or turn key..
Randy.....you forgot the most important reason...driving one!
Howard Jones
Supporter
BF has it right.
Actual hours? Hands on or thinking, both? Total elapsed time? "standard build"(whatever that means), mods, lots of mods?
Kinda like asking, how long will it take to be married? It takes as long as you want it to. In all honesty there isn't a good answer to that one, but expect a year or two to be done if you work on the car most days (5 of 7 a week) a couple of hours each weekday and 6 to 12 on the weekends, some more some less.
The trick for me is just DO SOMETHING almost every day.
Just put the ring on, jump in the sack, and go for it. Same deal in so many ways.
Actual hours? Hands on or thinking, both? Total elapsed time? "standard build"(whatever that means), mods, lots of mods?
Kinda like asking, how long will it take to be married? It takes as long as you want it to. In all honesty there isn't a good answer to that one, but expect a year or two to be done if you work on the car most days (5 of 7 a week) a couple of hours each weekday and 6 to 12 on the weekends, some more some less.
The trick for me is just DO SOMETHING almost every day.
Just put the ring on, jump in the sack, and go for it. Same deal in so many ways.
Thanks, that was what i wanted to know.
Many manufacturers say you need about 600-800 hours. But i guess you need a lot more.
It not that i don't look forward to the journey. I just wanted an honest answer about what to expect in reality.
I agree..
I know there are many parameters to take into account.
To be married..is for life. I don't hope it will take that long before i can drive it..
But thanks for your answer
I would think the actual required number of hours would be very dependent upon what kit you start with. I would assume a Tornado vs. a RF vs. an RCR would be quite different as the type of chassis and design vary so greatly.
I can tell you one of my customers did the completion, i.e. engine/transaxle install and all needed installations on a Superformance MK I he fitted with a 351 stroker with Webers and he has about 200 hours in the job. That includes hose fabrication, reworking the Weber linkage on the manifold to work properly and all of the small, unseen things needed to complete the chassis in a high level of quality and workmanship.
I would postulate that any build will take longer than you are told by the seller.
I can tell you one of my customers did the completion, i.e. engine/transaxle install and all needed installations on a Superformance MK I he fitted with a 351 stroker with Webers and he has about 200 hours in the job. That includes hose fabrication, reworking the Weber linkage on the manifold to work properly and all of the small, unseen things needed to complete the chassis in a high level of quality and workmanship.
I would postulate that any build will take longer than you are told by the seller.
Really? So what does "Driving one" have to do with the number of hours it takes to build one?
Patrick - As has been pointed out numerous times, your question is highly subjective. You may as well have asked how long it takes to paint a house.
How big is it? Do you want to do special things with the trim? Are you using a sprayer, a brush or a roller? Do you have scaffolding or working off of a wobbly old ladder?
Similarly with these cars.. Most are not truly all inclusive kits.
Do you want functioning ducts? If so, you will likely need to do a lot of your own fabrication as I have and others. At what cost? A heckuva lot of time and yes money. What about the rest of it. Do you want Gulf-Wide? Many mfgrs only have standard width body work and flares that you will need to adapt yourself. Time and money. It goes on and on and on...
What takes one person 1000 hours may take someone else 2000 hours. The average being 1500 hours. So what number do you like?
So, please don't be put-off by answers you get to questions like this.. Or at least, try to understand the vantage points of those answering you..
Patrick
Build time on out kit is approx 350 hours if you have never done one before.
The quickest customer built car was 6 weeks.
Scott built his car in 6 months of evenings and weekends.
Our kits are very comprehensive and include every single part required including all screws and washers etc.
There are no parts for the builder to fabricate, design or source. Its all there.
We also have a very comprehensive build manual including a DVD disc containing 380 step by step pictures.
You simply follow the instructions and fit it all together.
Thanks
Andy
Build time on out kit is approx 350 hours if you have never done one before.
The quickest customer built car was 6 weeks.
Scott built his car in 6 months of evenings and weekends.
Our kits are very comprehensive and include every single part required including all screws and washers etc.
There are no parts for the builder to fabricate, design or source. Its all there.
We also have a very comprehensive build manual including a DVD disc containing 380 step by step pictures.
You simply follow the instructions and fit it all together.
Thanks
Andy
Unless you buy very comprehensive kit (i.e. one that includes EVERYTHING), do not discount the amount of time required to "find" the bits and pieces you will require. I figure I have spent at least 200 hours (and likely far more) tracking stuff down, obtaining it, and refurbishing where necessary. Mind you, mine is not a kit as such....
Howard Jones
Supporter
My reference to the wife is to inject a bit of humor into the conversation. But the truth is you may also have your GT40 for life. They truly are a labor of love. Like any good marriage, it requires commitment, weathering the inevitable bump in the road, and a lot of hard but rewarding work.
The other thing you get with one of these cars is a good number of new friends. This may be the best unforeseen aspect of building a car like these. All of my really good friends are car guys now. Great bunch of people. The journey is a fascinating one. Don't get in too much of a hurry to finish if it means not taking the time to "smell the roses".
Just do it...........it's fun!!!
The other thing you get with one of these cars is a good number of new friends. This may be the best unforeseen aspect of building a car like these. All of my really good friends are car guys now. Great bunch of people. The journey is a fascinating one. Don't get in too much of a hurry to finish if it means not taking the time to "smell the roses".
Just do it...........it's fun!!!
I was not put off by the answers. But my question was how many building hours you have on your car ? Not how many hypothetical hours i would use on building my kit.So far iv got two who has answered that question .
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Howard Jones
Supporter
OK a number hum...............I built my GTD over 8 year period. The car was running on the road after 5, then I took a couple of years of track time (call it 12-14 days) to get it setup the way I like it.
It that context, The build portion went something like this: about 2-3 hours a day 3-4 weekday evenings and about a total of 10-15 weekend hours, with a few very long days now and then stretching to 12-14 hours. This went on about 48 weeks a year give or take for 5 years. Call that something like 3500 hours.
Then the development pace was much slower. This came down to a lot of thinking and reading about a issue and then a couple of weekends to make/buy and install the fix, take it out and try it and then figure out what else I wanted to do next. All in the total amount of took time wasn't much more than a couple of hundred hours over the next two years or so to finish the setup.
All in lets say 3700. By the way my SLC is going much faster even with all the changes I made. It's going to be half that maybe even a lot less than half.
I would set a pace somewhat like mine. Most weekday eves for a hour or two and then most weekends until you are done.
It that context, The build portion went something like this: about 2-3 hours a day 3-4 weekday evenings and about a total of 10-15 weekend hours, with a few very long days now and then stretching to 12-14 hours. This went on about 48 weeks a year give or take for 5 years. Call that something like 3500 hours.
Then the development pace was much slower. This came down to a lot of thinking and reading about a issue and then a couple of weekends to make/buy and install the fix, take it out and try it and then figure out what else I wanted to do next. All in the total amount of took time wasn't much more than a couple of hundred hours over the next two years or so to finish the setup.
All in lets say 3700. By the way my SLC is going much faster even with all the changes I made. It's going to be half that maybe even a lot less than half.
I would set a pace somewhat like mine. Most weekday eves for a hour or two and then most weekends until you are done.
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Tim Kay
Lifetime Supporter
How long you ask? Long enough that it drove me to drinking, a lot. Oh wait.....it was road going when I bought it ten years ago, then I stripped it down to the frame......then I started drinking, a lot. So after I thought I was done, it turns out I wasn't......ten years and counting my GT40 is in a perpetual build stage, sometimes complete, sometimes not.......and I continue to drink….
Not long ago, while drinking, I came up with an alternative plan that I thought would end having my GT40 in various stages of completion....I bought a factory built, SPF road going GT40. Didn’t seem to solve a thing……I now work on two GT40s and yes I’m still drinking…a lot.
Some would say if working on the build is an endless endeavor don’t even start but I come at it from another direction. Start the build and never look back, it’s an evolving project which becomes a part of you just like raising a puppy…..you’ll want to kick it’s butt every once in awhile but boy what a smile it’ll put on your face 97% of the time.
Patrick, this may not answer your question but probably close to the truth for many on this forum. :chug:
Not long ago, while drinking, I came up with an alternative plan that I thought would end having my GT40 in various stages of completion....I bought a factory built, SPF road going GT40. Didn’t seem to solve a thing……I now work on two GT40s and yes I’m still drinking…a lot.
Some would say if working on the build is an endless endeavor don’t even start but I come at it from another direction. Start the build and never look back, it’s an evolving project which becomes a part of you just like raising a puppy…..you’ll want to kick it’s butt every once in awhile but boy what a smile it’ll put on your face 97% of the time.
Patrick, this may not answer your question but probably close to the truth for many on this forum. :chug:
I'll drink to that!
