I recieved an e mail from a friend and he had a link to another forum where they were discussing the pros and cons of the GT 40. Most of the comments were in regards to the Gulf car at Knotts. Here is the link if you're interested.
http://www.ffcobra.com/ubb/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=037930#000002
I found several comments to be a bit harsh but perhaps I'm a bit biased here. One statement was that the getting in and out routine. I would have to say that was probably me that gave the instructions to this critic. My reason for such instructions was to prevent any damage to the new leather seats and to prevent the dash from being scratched by folks who have no expierence getting into the car. I'm sure the new owner of this Gulf car appreciated that. I found it interesting that I get in and out in less than five seconds and I weigh 230lbs.! It's a matter of technique. The Gulf car has a removable steering wheel but it's just not practical to take it off and on everytime somebody wanted to sit in it.
The critic also felt that the visibility factor was terrible. I now have near 20,000 miles on my RFGT40 and I can simply state that I have no such issues as he describes. I have great vision out the windshield and out the side glass as well. Seeing throught the rear view mirror and over the injection is fine. Sure, it's not as good as some but it has plenty there to allow safe movement from lane to lane. I have large 1984 Mazda RX 7 remote mirrors on my GT. These are the best. They give exellent vision to the rear sides and cover most of the blind spot that ALL vehicles have on the right rear quarter.
The other issue is about grabbing the upper windscreen post to get out of the car. Has anyone other than Alian V broke a windscreen doing this?
Lloyd GT40 says you can hang on the ERA windscreen post and not worry about this problem. This is because of the spyder being made of carbon fiber. I have had a few times where a friend has grabbed my windscreen post and pulled themselves out. Luckily there was no damage. So I guess the RF has a strong spyder but I still will maintain my method of exit and entry. There simply is no reason to use the windscreen post to lift one out of this car. That's why the instructions are helpful.
Another thing I would like to mention. I have a friend who owns an Everett Morrison Cobra. He had a habit of pulling himself up out of the seat by grabbing the top of the windscreen. needless to say, it popped. So it ain't just the GT with this problem. I have owned a Midstates Cobra for sixteen years. It too is a car you have to get used to driving. There are visibility issues with it as well but you become aware of this and you do what is neccasary to compinsate. Just as you do when exiting the cobra, you watch out for the hot side pipes so you don't get snake bit.
At least The critic was very impressed with the build of the Gulf car. It's a shame that he has made a decision not to build a GT because of a 2 minute sit inside one. I would luv to give the guy a ride and even allow him to drive my car so he can see first hand what it's like.
Are there any composite structure experts out there that can answer as to how thick the carbon fiber would be to maintain solid rigidity. I do know that carbon fiber is a very strong material for its weight . It's mainly used to reduce weight and maintain strength. Is it possible to make fiberglass strong enough in this area ? Or how about an epoxy layup instead of polyester resin. will that be stronger?
Hersh /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif
http://www.ffcobra.com/ubb/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=037930#000002
I found several comments to be a bit harsh but perhaps I'm a bit biased here. One statement was that the getting in and out routine. I would have to say that was probably me that gave the instructions to this critic. My reason for such instructions was to prevent any damage to the new leather seats and to prevent the dash from being scratched by folks who have no expierence getting into the car. I'm sure the new owner of this Gulf car appreciated that. I found it interesting that I get in and out in less than five seconds and I weigh 230lbs.! It's a matter of technique. The Gulf car has a removable steering wheel but it's just not practical to take it off and on everytime somebody wanted to sit in it.
The critic also felt that the visibility factor was terrible. I now have near 20,000 miles on my RFGT40 and I can simply state that I have no such issues as he describes. I have great vision out the windshield and out the side glass as well. Seeing throught the rear view mirror and over the injection is fine. Sure, it's not as good as some but it has plenty there to allow safe movement from lane to lane. I have large 1984 Mazda RX 7 remote mirrors on my GT. These are the best. They give exellent vision to the rear sides and cover most of the blind spot that ALL vehicles have on the right rear quarter.
The other issue is about grabbing the upper windscreen post to get out of the car. Has anyone other than Alian V broke a windscreen doing this?
Lloyd GT40 says you can hang on the ERA windscreen post and not worry about this problem. This is because of the spyder being made of carbon fiber. I have had a few times where a friend has grabbed my windscreen post and pulled themselves out. Luckily there was no damage. So I guess the RF has a strong spyder but I still will maintain my method of exit and entry. There simply is no reason to use the windscreen post to lift one out of this car. That's why the instructions are helpful.
Another thing I would like to mention. I have a friend who owns an Everett Morrison Cobra. He had a habit of pulling himself up out of the seat by grabbing the top of the windscreen. needless to say, it popped. So it ain't just the GT with this problem. I have owned a Midstates Cobra for sixteen years. It too is a car you have to get used to driving. There are visibility issues with it as well but you become aware of this and you do what is neccasary to compinsate. Just as you do when exiting the cobra, you watch out for the hot side pipes so you don't get snake bit.
At least The critic was very impressed with the build of the Gulf car. It's a shame that he has made a decision not to build a GT because of a 2 minute sit inside one. I would luv to give the guy a ride and even allow him to drive my car so he can see first hand what it's like.
Are there any composite structure experts out there that can answer as to how thick the carbon fiber would be to maintain solid rigidity. I do know that carbon fiber is a very strong material for its weight . It's mainly used to reduce weight and maintain strength. Is it possible to make fiberglass strong enough in this area ? Or how about an epoxy layup instead of polyester resin. will that be stronger?
Hersh /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif
