Gullwing Door Conversion

I am in the process of doing a gullwing conversion on my GT40. I have the Autoloc kit, hinges and actuators. Has anybody done this before?

I have cut the spider so that the top sections of the door are symetrical and will start with the steel reinforcement to support the hinges. The doors itself at the old hinge point has also been trimmed so that the door can close from the top and not catch against the windscreen pillar.

With the actuator, no locks are required and thus frees up space in the door to see if a smart window system can be used?

Will post pic's as I venture on.
 
"cool"??????
I can't imagine anything more UN-COOL!
How about some 22" wheels, some blue lights and massive sub-woofers?:laugh:
oh, and how about a 1200cc engine with a HUGE exhaust?
 

Jim Craik

Lifetime Supporter
Heinrich,

Your project may not appeal to the purists in our group, but it is a very interesting project.

For most of my life I wanted a GT40 and the cool doors was one of the big attractions. After further review, I now know why designs since have not copied this (Ford GT excepted). The doors are cool, but always in the way.

I love my 40 and would not change it, but I am very intersted to see how your doors come out. Pix please!
 
Simon, careful...you might have just described my car!! Each to their own my friend. My thoughts were along Jim's line of thinking too. BTW you didn't describe my car as, like you, I'm a bit of a purist but I'd like to see how this looks. BTW where in Essex are you? I grew up near Gt. Dunmow / Gt. Easton.
 

Randy V

Moderator-Admin
Staff member
Admin
Lifetime Supporter
Heinrich,

Your project may not appeal to the purists in our group, but it is a very interesting project.

For most of my life I wanted a GT40 and the cool doors was one of the big attractions. After further review, I now know why designs since have not copied this (Ford GT excepted). The doors are cool, but always in the way.

I love my 40 and would not change it, but I am very intersted to see how your doors come out. Pix please!

X2 on that...

I still chuckle about the post I read a number of years ago about a fellow that brought his wife home to their single car garage and neither one of them could get out of the car inside the garage. If I recall correctly - he implemented some sort of winch and ramp system to pull it into the garage and then lower it back out again when he wanted to go for a drive.

I don't recall what forum / BBS this was on.. I quick search here did not find it..

Still - it's YOUR car so do what makes YOU happy... :thumbsup:
 

Seymour Snerd

Lifetime Supporter
Heinrich --

I'm very interested in your project so please keep us posted. Being able to get the doors open in a confined space is a real benefit.
 
Randy, that was on this Forum.

Craig White, now the Australian RCR agent, formerly had a 40 with doors that popped out sideways slightly, then scissored up like a Countach. Would offend the purists, but worked like a treat and made the car usable in more situations.
 
I thought this was all about making/ building your own dream car. If it has gull wing or scissor doors then in my opinion you should go for it.There is lots of money that goes into building these cars and it's your money do with it what you will. Just do it right!
 
It would not be a 40 in my eyes.Build something else , Ultima or slc, They are not a GT40 and I often wonder why they are here on GT40s .com web site anyway. Don't they have their own home to go to? I'm here for info on FORD GT 40's and the good folks building these not this other stuff.
I know that this will ruffle feathers but this is GT40s.com site is it not?
Sorry if I offend any one, I'm fresh out of surgery with many good pain meds at work so take it for what it is.
Bill
 

Jim Craik

Lifetime Supporter
Bill,

I kind of felt that way originally, but it seems that the interests these people have are very similar. Additionally, I kind of like the SL-C guys. It might be kind of boring with just us old GT40 geezers.

Besides I think the SL-C is way cool!
 
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Jack Houpe

GT40s Supporter
I have had a Lamborghini LP400s now for 20 years, I honestly could not think of changing the doors to perform any different just as my GT40.
 

Jim Craik

Lifetime Supporter
Jack,

I always wanted a GT40, nothing more, nutting less. But I'm an old geezer. I think we all have our dreams and we all have financial limitations.

There is a guy here with a VW based Valkyrie I think that's great and we should encourage him. If someones idea of cool is 22" rims with massive sub-woofers, good for him.

We all have dreams and we all know what we would do, but let's let everyone live their dream and have friends to share them with.
 
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Tim Kay

Lifetime Supporter
I still chuckle about the post I read a number of years ago about a fellow that brought his wife home to their single car garage and neither one of them could get out of the car inside the garage.

Like Randy, I recall another post a number of years ago about a UK fellow (I believe) that would pull his GT40 into a single car garage, crack the door enough to reach out and open his kitchen door (attached to the garage) so he could continue to open the GT40 door to exit the car and step right into the kitchen!!

Was that you Heinrich? Finally tired of exiting your GT40 that way? :poke:lol
 

Ian Anderson

Lifetime Supporter
Hey

I pull into the drive
Unscrew the drivers window and reach through and steer the car into the garage while pushing it

Reinstall window to keep out dust

To take car for a drive

Reverse process
I have the whole lot down to less than 10 mins

Ian
 
I am in the process of doing a gullwing conversion on my GT40. I have the Autoloc kit, hinges and actuators. Has anybody done this before?

I have cut the spider so that the top sections of the door are symetrical and will start with the steel reinforcement to support the hinges. The doors itself at the old hinge point has also been trimmed so that the door can close from the top and not catch against the windscreen pillar.

With the actuator, no locks are required and thus frees up space in the door to see if a smart window system can be used?

Will post pic's as I venture on.

For people that have been here a while, they will remember that someone has done this before. The mechanism was massive though.

Heinrich - as someone else has posted, are you sending the dorrs directly up. The reason the previous try at doing this was the doors had to come out slightly first and then go up, so it was a two stage mechanism. You will have to consider door lift at speed if you are going up direclty. That is why most people have door eyebrows or internal catches, to stop the door top lifting.

Brett
 
Shew.... some mixed reaction, but and I take it on the chin. I can argue the why and the why nots, but hey let me keep to the technical side.

This is my 3rd GT40 and I have tried the "original" route, but do feel we kid ourselves... it is GT40 "Project" and maybe one or max 2 out there realy have the original. My issue with GT40 has always been the doors and the windows - so why not try and make driving it a bigger pleasure.

Brett, with the hinges at the top and the door opening 90 degrees up, the top is thus not an issue with the wind, the hinges do have a double action, they do have an "outward" movement so that the fibreglass roof/door will not bind. Then as for the bottom of the door, the advantage is locating pins that then will steady/guide the door in place.

Yes I know this will make purist cringe.... but hey, the fun is in doing the project and having practical use for it. To stir the pot a little further, next with the door handles obsolete, I am considering curved glass for the side sliding down.... watch this space.

Attached are some pic's of the cuts made... to the purist, please skip these pics.:laugh: Doors trimmed.jpg

Spider cut.jpg
 
personally speaking, i find this type of thing an awesome achievement and actually more of an inspiration to working on my own project than seeing people rehash the same formula 'et continuum'. after all he is making the car for himself, not to appease others... otherwise no gt40 replica would ever be built as im sure there are plenty of people out there who would boycott the car. my missus for one as getting in and out is not exactly suited to women in skirts.

for the purists, a seed of thought is if there was never any forward thinking the gt40 would never have been built in the first place. remember it got flogged and didnt even finish le mans the first 3 years it attempted it, also ford already had winning race cars in the cobra daytona... just saying.
 
Ah, sorry I mis-read/understood. I thought you were going to scissor door to make it easier to park/get out of the car.

I undertand now you love both the GT and the 300SL ;)

I guess you'll still have to have a significant gap next to a parked car though?

Good luck with your project. It will certainly stop door lift :)
 
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