Please Stop My Confusion

[Hector]

Well folks I really appreciate the advice given here on this board and still have not pulled the trigger on a direction yet. My follow up comment on the Corvette C1 was not the supercar conundrum, but rather whether to build a newer kit car (SLC, GT-R, GT40 or the Ultima) or go in a different direction and do a restoration. Both ways will require significant funds and I have my eyes wide open here to that fact. I already have a Corvette C8 HTC which I absolutely love and a FFR Roadster MK4 that was a blast to build. I have sold off my Triumph TR6 and BMW Roadster and looking for my next project. Let's just say my wife would like me to build model cars or some other hobby . I just want to be sure of which way I want to go as any of the cars will be a wait in ordering or finding the right project car.
Thanks
Bill

Bill:
Good luck with your decision, for me, watching Cam's driving videos and detailed build web page did the trick. i could not be happier with the end product, I already have close to 5000 miles on my car, two 500 mile round trips and a 1000 mile round trip, I was stranded once due to a rear clam hinge failure and a couple of belt failures (my fault , poor alternator aligment). I drive it at least 2 - 3 times a week to work. Heck I even go to the grocery store in the SLC. Granted I am a complete outlier.
so far it has been reliable and lots of fun, I still get an adrenaline rush every time I drive. It is raw, loud, impractical and so much fun.The crazy attention is definitely something you have to get used to and judiciously and kindly figure out what questions are worth detailed responses to. Otherwise, you would spend lots of time on every parking lot or gas station. Always draws a crowd everywhere you go. Oh and forgot to mention everyione wants to race you, especially young drivers , even in minivans , crazy!!!

The only thing I was not prepared for was the time required to build the car I wanted, for me it was about 5 years and 3000 hours. And that is a conservative estimate. (ask my wife ) The interior , headlight and taillight mods were a massive time suck. probably 10 times longer than my best estimates.

 

[Neil]

Bill:
Good luck with your decision, for me, watching Cam's driving videos and detailed build web page did the trick. i could not be happier with the end product, I already have close to 5000 miles on my car, two 500 mile round trips and a 1000 mile round trip, I was stranded once due to a rear clam hinge failure and a couple of belt failures (my fault , poor alternator aligment). I drive it at least 2 - 3 times a week to work. Heck I even go to the grocery store in the SLC. Granted I am a complete outlier.
so far it has been reliable and lots of fun, I still get an adrenaline rush every time I drive. It is raw, loud, impractical and so much fun.The crazy attention is definitely something you have to get used to and judiciously and kindly figure out what questions are worth detailed responses to. Otherwise, you would spend lots of time on every parking lot or gas station. Always draws a crowd everywhere you go. Oh and forgot to mention everyione wants to race you, especially young drivers , even in minivans , crazy!!!

The only thing I was not prepared for was the time required to build the car I wanted, for me it was about 5 years and 3000 hours. And that is a conservative estimate. (ask my wife ) The interior , headlight and taillight mods were a massive time suck. probably 10 times longer than my best estimates.

I know what you mean. My car too was a daily driver for a while. I drove it to work, to car shows and on short trips. It was always the center of attention and attracted many clapped- out Mustangs to challenge me- I resisted. As I've posted before, a car like yours will always generate 3 questions from curious onlookers:
1. What is it?
2. How fast will it go?
3. How much did it cost?

 

[Hector]

I know what you mean. My car too was a daily driver for a while. I drove it to work, to car shows and on short trips. It was always the center of attention and attracted many clapped- out Mustangs to challenge me- I resisted. As I've posted before, a car like yours will always generate 3 questions from curious onlookers:
1. What is it?
2. How fast will it go?
3. How much did it cost?
View attachment 148225

Well, mine does not hold a candle to yours , regarding how radical it is . Great job !!! Amazing looking rocket ship

 

[Rob Klein]

Folks,
I would all appreciate your honesty here as I am driving myself crazy reading all these threads on GT40, Facebook and other forums. I am looking for my next build after completing a FFR MKIV and understand that the SLC, GT-R from Superlite, Ultima RS, and the Factory Five GTM will be totally different builds. What keeps me up at night and from pulling the trigger on my next build is all the banter on quality control (or lack thereof) that is being seen on these different cars. I know that these cars are not build by number and take a lot of customization and some of the forum traffic is problem solving, but there seems to be a lot of gripes about the component quality and hardware used by different manufacturers.

Factory Five GTM - Out of production, body is a challenge, heat management is a major issue and parts support is waning due to diminishing donor cars in acceptable condition. The one positive is that I have found a virgin (not started) Gen II GTM.

Superlite SLC and GT-R - Much banter about the quality of product and parts coming out of the manufacturer. I am not sure it his Fran's fault, as I here he is a stand up guy and when I talked with him he always answers my questions.

Ultima RS - Long standing design, foreign produced and very costly compared to other kits.

Please give me your thoughts on this subject. I understand that these are not mass produced cars and do not expect the same quality as seen from big manufacturers.

Thanks

Bill

I have thought hard about the Ultima RS, and have talked to several folks who have built one along with SLC.

The Ultima RS is a great car and the quality of the body work, components, and now the electrical system is all top notch. The interesting thing is people that build them, end up selling them pretty quickly. I attribute this to, it's basically a track car that you can get a plate for.

Having some time with the Gelscoe on the road, I understand this. My car is built to 1968 race specs plus 100 hp. My Gurney weslake motor is right at 580 hp, and the car is 2,200 lbs soaking wet. So basically it has another 100hp than what won Le Mans is 68-69. The car is hard to see out of, it's hot, and on the street it attracts every mustang, M3, GT3, and corvette. I am not sure where they all come from but they all want to play.

The RS, is hot even with A/C, so basically it's a spring and fall car. Same with the Gelscoe. If it's over 80* out the Gelscoe stays in the garage with zero A/C and a heater at your back.

My advice is, what are you going to use the car for. The more HP, on paper sounds great but HP stresses all the systems. High HP motors run hotter, need more power, and just make the car more of a track car or show car.

If you want a GT touring car none of these check that box. I really would like to build a RS, but if I do I will use a nice stock crate motor and make it more drivable than the Gelscoe.

My Gelscoe is not easy to drive on the road. It's the little things that you do not think about. Here is an example, the seams on all the overpasses are basically designed for SUV's and modern suspension. If you are going over 60 mph and drive over a overpass and hit the seam from the highway to the bridge it feels like you hit a pothole. My guess is this is the same with the RS.

Also I feel like if I go on a drive with the Gelscoe it has to be a road that I know, Because curbs and speed bumps are a NO GO.

It's easy to get sucked into making a car hyper fast, but you have to think about how you are going to use the car. If you want a GT touring car, buy a 1965 mustang and build it to GT 350R specs.