Chuck and Ryan's RCR Build

[Phil]

Tom:
Very interesting setup , and I would say you got great results. I recently had to do one and we could not get numbers as good as you got, the chassis had a lot of anti-dive and as you can imagine there was quite a bit of change at the steering arm from ride height to full bump so we took a compromise setting on rack position, and the result was the major change was in full droop, from the higher rack position... as you stated the car would be off the ground and that does not count last I looked.
Meanwhile Chuck, go out and enjoy your ride.
Cheers
Phil

 

[EGLITOM]

Jim:

Will post a more objective response when time permits. In the meantime . . . .

Our first post rebuild ride was on Saturday. Monday, when senior engineering students had the day off, Ryan took the GT for its second post rebuild drive. Here is the message he texted me as I toiled away at the office:

It was epic. This car is awesome. Throttle feels much better. Put the foot down in fourth gear, 3000 RPM, 60 mph . . . . WHEEL SPIN! My dreams have come true.

I then messaged him if he could tell a difference with the prior engine. His response:

Well. . . . I couldn’t get the wheels to spin beyond second gear . . . . So yes, massive improvement. This car is awesome.

It is looking like we may need to upgrade the tires sooner rather than later.

Time to buy a set of AVONS CR6ZZ now urgently !!!

TOM

 

[Chuck]

Tom:

You nailed it. I called Sasco this morning to order a set of Avons. They are out of stock until the next shipping container arrives from across the pond - a month or two. Ryan is dedicated to wearing out the BF Goodrich tires now on the GT within the next 30 days. I think he is serious.

 

[Jimmy P]

Given the state of Ryan's apparently heavy foot.....better order 2 sets!!

 

[Chuck]

Given the state of Ryan's apparently heavy foot.....better order 2 sets!!

I buy the first set of Avons. Ryan buys the second set.

 

[Jim]

Jim:

Will post a more objective response when time permits. In the meantime . . . .

Our first post rebuild ride was on Saturday. Monday, when senior engineering students had the day off, Ryan took the GT for its second post rebuild drive. Here is the message he texted me as I toiled away at the office:

It was epic. This car is awesome. Throttle feels much better. Put the foot down in fourth gear, 3000 RPM, 60 mph . . . . WHEEL SPIN! My dreams have come true.

I then messaged him if he could tell a difference with the prior engine. His response:

Well. . . . I couldn’t get the wheels to spin beyond second gear . . . . So yes, massive improvement. This car is awesome.

It is looking like we may need to upgrade the tires sooner rather than later.

I like your son's assessment and is desire to burn up the BFG's! I have the Avon's and man are they sticky. They say tires are one of the largest "noticeable" improvements you can make on a car. It's nice that all of your hard work made a difference.

 

[Chuck]

Jim:

That is good to hear. Anxious to get the Avons on board. The BFG are the weak link at this point.

 

[Tony Owens]

Hi Chuck,
First off let me say what a fine GT40 you have built. The methods you used were well thought out and it shows in the final product. Your patience was the key. Good color choice by the way. It is a beautiful car and that’s coming from a guy who’s GT40 would be painted in Gulf colors or solid Ford candy apple red.
A friend of mine has been talking about purchasing a RCR Superlite Coupe (I had never heard of it at the time) and mentioned that RCR also builds GT40’s so off I went to the RCR web page to check it all out. My friend also encouraged me to read the build pages here so I have started that as well. “Chuck and Ryan’s” was the first one on the list at the time so that’s where I started. I’m glad I did because it has been very informative. And now it has prompted me to join the forum and ask a question: What was your prior mechanic/building experience? I’m just trying to get a feeling for my own ability to build one. Reading through your build (I’m up to page 22) the build process seems a bit intimidating. I have done some auto restoration on 60’s Mustangs (disassembly, cleaning, painting, reassembly underway, etc.) but I have never had to figure out which components to purchase or assemblies to engineer like you have had to do with your build. My biggest short coming is electrical. Let’s just say my brain is not “wired” for it. My friend and I are planning a trip to look at a Superlite Coupe as soon as it is delivered to the customer in a near by town. I hope that will shed a little light on the project as well.
Thank you for the documentation of your build. It has helped me to understand what is involved in building a RCR GT40. I would really like to build a MkIV but after Fran pointed out in an email how few MkIV’s there are in the world and thus how few people there are to ask questions I may have to return my original plan of a MkI. And that’s not a bad thing.
Thanks for your time,
Tony

 

[Chuck]

Tony

Welcome to the forum.

My experience level before building the GT? Virtually none. Seven years ago we built our first car: an Everett Morrison Cobra, which was essentially a bolt together proposition with no body work and every single nut and bolt furnished. Not a lot to learn. Had so much fun with that project we ordered a GT40 from Fran. It was a bit more challenging.

Before the Cobra my experience was an occasional oil change over the last 20 years. I am not an engineer, never worked as a mechanic, never raced cars, and had never used a spray gun before. I had no idea how a clutch worked or how to bleed brakes.

I am guessing we spent about three hours on the internet (much on this website) for each hour actually building.

Sounds like you have some practical construction experience. With a bit of patience, willingness to research and ask questions, you can do it.

The RCR is a well sorted design and enough have been built that most any issue that will come up has been addressed by someone, somewhere.

Go for it!

 

[Tony Owens]

Chuck,
Thanks for the vote of confidence. We’ll see down the road. Maybe I will go with the MkIV. For now I’m just in the planning stages. First, I have to complete my wife’s ’70 and my ’66 mustangs.
How much did the assembly manual from RCR help/guide/suggest parts?
Thanks again for your vote of confidence and help,
Tony

 

[Chuck]

Tony

PM sent

 

[Seymour Snerd]

My friend also encouraged me to read the build pages here so I have started that as well. “Chuck and Ryan’s” was the first one on the list at the time so that’s where I started. I’m glad I did because it has been very informative.

Tony -- You were fortunate in landing on "Chuck and Ryan's" early on because it is (IMO) the best written of all the build logs. There are some other execellent ones but this one really stands out for not only documenting the build but also the reasoning process behind it.

 

[Chuck]

Steering Wheel

Long ago we replaced the RCR steering wheel with a Grant leather wheel and added a GT 40 logo. It was okay, but we wanted something with a bit better feel. Finish Line sells a GT40 OEM wheel, manufactured in England by Moto Lita. The original was 15" and dark blue in color. We wanted a 14" wheel and black in color. So we called Finish Line and asked. Six weeks later it arrived. Very nice.

Unfortunately the six hole mounting pattern is not a standard configuration and a suitable adapter to fasten it to the quick release hub could not be found. Using his CAD program, Ryan drew up detailed specs of what we needed, after which he machined it from a $10 piece of aluminum.

The exposed surfaces were sprayed with black epoxy paint. Typically this would have a glossy finish, but by baking it at 400 degrees for one hour it develops a semi gloss, very smooth surface; almost like powder coat. (We did not paint the surface area that mates to the back side of the wheel).

A search for an OEM bezel and GT40 logo that won't cost an arm and a leg is ongoing. In the meantime the metric button head screws with the blackout center section give a look that is quite satisfactory for now.

The Moto Lita wheel is flat, not dished, like the RCR and Grant wheels. This puts the steering wheel an inch forward which is better suited to Ryan's longer arms and makes the dash toggles more easily reached while holding the wheel.

The 14" size, the color, and especially the feel are right.

 

[Chuck]

Weber Heat Shield

Something about a fuel line an inch away from the exhaust headers makes me a bit nervous. Separating the two was high on the priority list now that the new Weber IDAs were in place.

Looking at countless photos of vintage GT40s, one can see several different cold box designs. The early ones placed a shield on top of the carbs at the base of the velocity stack, and then added shielding below the plate on the back end to shield the carbs. This early design gave way to the more commonly seen box that had its base plate between the carbs and the intake manifold. Variations on these designs can also be seen.

We decided to make it simple: just a shield between the headers and the carbs. An original style cold box would have required a host of cut outs and holes to accommodate the linkage. Access to the adjustment screws would be hampered. And it would be a lot more work. So for now, just a shield will do.

The base plate is made from 1/8" aluminum and is held in place by the four aft carb bolts. We used aluminum because it is easier to work with than stainless. The shield, however, is stainless because of its close proximity to the headers. A section 12 inches square, .030, was ordered from McMaster Carr. Although there were only a few cuts to make we wore out two blades on our saw.

Nutserts were added to the base plate since getting a wrench on the bottom side would have been nearly impossible.

The shield sets about a quarter inch from the headers on the back side and just clears the carb return spring on the front side. Tight fit.

 

[Randy V]

Nice work Chuck! A very nicely executed and reasonable solution.

 

[EGLITOM]

"Hope it has enough power" (Ryan)

hey Chuck

what is the distributor you are using?

Thanks
TOM

 

[Chuck]

Tom:

MSD

 

[EGLITOM]

Tom:

MSD

#nr ?

But i see also that your intake is much shallower than mine in this area, probably because i´m using an intake with a vacuum plenum and yours is likely not.

THanks
TOM

 

[Dwight]

Chuck I noticed you worn out two blades on the stainless. Next time try spraying water on the blade as you cut. Water also work great when you cut aluminum. It keep the blade cooler.

Dwight

 

[Chuck]

Chuck I noticed you worn out two blades on the stainless. Next time try spraying water on the blade as you cut. Water also work great when you cut aluminum. It keep the blade cooler.

Dwight

Good tip. The piece being cut was small and the blade went from cutting well to not cutting rather quickly. Seems there is a sweet spot between the speed of the saw and the pressure applied. Air saw has only one speed: fast, which probably did not help. With a saber saw I keep the speed down which reduces the heat and seems to get more life out of the blade.