Hi Chris, nice build ---- any updates??
Thanks
Thanks
Rcr 40-31
- Thread starter ckouba
- Start date
Chris Kouba
Supporter
Hi Peter,
Hard to believe it's been almost 2 years without posting. Time flies...
The car is ridiculously quick with only a modest amount of power. This summer I got it out a number of times but haven't sorted it completely. It competes with other obsessions and typically plays second fiddle to them, as well as having a second sabbatical this summer (~3 months away) plus getting prepared for being away for 3 months. I set a goal of 1000 miles by the end of the year and am only a cruise or two from hitting it.
It's still nowhere near "finished". I need to sort out better CV boots as the supplied ones seem to wear out rather quickly (2 split at the bellows at ~750m). I have a few wiring issues to sort and will need to pull the dash apart. My A/C is also unfinished which makes true summertime cruises a little sweaty if it's over 72°.
I can't stress this enough- if you build one, complete all your systems before you register it... I haven't been able to bring myself to decommission it to address some things as if it's nice, I want to drive it.
Despite all the headaches (what marvelous headaches they are to have...), all I need to do is get in and hit the starter. The noise is simply intoxicating. And then it moves. All the hassles and headaches simply fade in your conscience...
Even on old BFG Comp T/A's, the car is able to get going and maneuver incredibly respectably. I am in awe of what this thing can do. And did I mention the sound?
Proof it moves:
One of my favorite pics:
I should take it out right now...
Hard to believe it's been almost 2 years without posting. Time flies...
The car is ridiculously quick with only a modest amount of power. This summer I got it out a number of times but haven't sorted it completely. It competes with other obsessions and typically plays second fiddle to them, as well as having a second sabbatical this summer (~3 months away) plus getting prepared for being away for 3 months. I set a goal of 1000 miles by the end of the year and am only a cruise or two from hitting it.
It's still nowhere near "finished". I need to sort out better CV boots as the supplied ones seem to wear out rather quickly (2 split at the bellows at ~750m). I have a few wiring issues to sort and will need to pull the dash apart. My A/C is also unfinished which makes true summertime cruises a little sweaty if it's over 72°.
I can't stress this enough- if you build one, complete all your systems before you register it... I haven't been able to bring myself to decommission it to address some things as if it's nice, I want to drive it.
Despite all the headaches (what marvelous headaches they are to have...), all I need to do is get in and hit the starter. The noise is simply intoxicating. And then it moves. All the hassles and headaches simply fade in your conscience...
Even on old BFG Comp T/A's, the car is able to get going and maneuver incredibly respectably. I am in awe of what this thing can do. And did I mention the sound?
Proof it moves:
One of my favorite pics:
I should take it out right now...
I have to agree with Chuck. I rarely put my side windows on. There is only a gentle breeze in the cabin even at 70 mph. No wind noise at all. It will get a little warm during the summer months, but you aren't sweating profusely as you might think. If so then you don't have enough Dynamat.
On one of my trips, I put the windows in due to 50s temps in the morning. Had trouble getting enough heat in the car(no heater installed). After arriving at my destination(40 miles) I removed them and the long sleeved pullover,and drove the rest of the day without them in the mid to high 80s. Very comfortable
Bill
On one of my trips, I put the windows in due to 50s temps in the morning. Had trouble getting enough heat in the car(no heater installed). After arriving at my destination(40 miles) I removed them and the long sleeved pullover,and drove the rest of the day without them in the mid to high 80s. Very comfortable
Bill
Chris Kouba
Supporter
Hey Bill,
I thought about it but in the end never pulled them. In the NW, there's always a possibility of rain and I'd feel a little conspicuous leaving it in a parking lot with no windows in it. I realize it's not much effort to break into, and they are only psychological theft deterrents, but they are deterrents none the less.
Do you just walk away?
Also, did you store them in the car on the trip where you had them in for the morning?
Chris
I thought about it but in the end never pulled them. In the NW, there's always a possibility of rain and I'd feel a little conspicuous leaving it in a parking lot with no windows in it. I realize it's not much effort to break into, and they are only psychological theft deterrents, but they are deterrents none the less.
Do you just walk away?
Also, did you store them in the car on the trip where you had them in for the morning?
Chris
Hi Chris, I'm sending you a PM...
When I removed them I stored them in the floor in front of the passenger seat as best as could. There is a little room behind the passenger seat as I mounted it a little forward of the drivers, and as long as the seat is empty one of the windows will fit there. The passenger footwell(when not storing stuff like a chair or cover) allows the passenger to fully extend their legs. The bad part was that they had nothing to support their legs. When ever you go into a curve, the passenger's legs would flop around as you had nothing under their feet to hold them down. The foot rest helps them to feel more stable in their seat. I made the rest from the old trailing links and cut them up along with some large tubing left over from my throttle linkage to make a three point foot rest for the passenger. The front support is welded to the housing around the lower A arm of the front suspension. The large bolt heads and Delrin leftovers you see, are there just for show. The whole thing is welded to the steel sub floor and frame.
This gives them a stop pedal so to speak, as this car is frightfully fast. Even at posted speeds it seems faster than it is going due to the closeness to the ground.
Bill
This gives them a stop pedal so to speak, as this car is frightfully fast. Even at posted speeds it seems faster than it is going due to the closeness to the ground.
Bill
Chris Kouba
Supporter
Catching up on things, not much has happened with the car in a while. I did manage to run it over 1000 miles but various things have kept me from really logging serious time in it. I never felt good about doing big distance in it and taking it to work was losing its luster so I finally decided to decommission and address the things which were stopping me from enjoying the car.
What'c on the hit list?
I am hoping that at the end of this, I will kick myself for not starting sooner. Writing all these items down kinda makes it seem like there aren't too many things to do to truly get it functional, but reality is a cruel mistress... I figure it will take all winter. I hope to surprise myself.
Step 1 - Disassembly: Started!
So what to do first? The rad is out now. With all the connections up at the nose, I assumed it was leaking from one of the hoses and for the longest time, DREADED the thought of taking out the rad. Drained the system last week and dropped it off. Got a call that afternoon, pressure testing revealed leaks in its corners. That was disappointing. I should have it back this week though.
All the connections:
Since the coolant was drained, it seemed like a good time to replace the outlet as well. The output hose had 1/4" of clearance from the firewall at ambient temp, but upon pressurizing the system, it would start rubbing the firewall right at the edge of the opening for the removable panel and was starting to wear a groove into it. I wasn't fond of the idea of splitting a coolant hose, so time to do something...
But I couldn't find the piece that I really wanted (because no one seemed to make one which came out in the direction I needed in the space I have. So I got creative. Chuck and Ryan bought a cast one and bent/rewelded it in a more suitable angle. I took that one step further, finding an alu one, machining a step on it, and welding a completely new neck onto it in the needed configuration.
As part of doing this, I blocked access to one of the securing bolts, so I studded that to remedy. Pics tell the story:
Initial Machining:
Initial Fitup:
First Pass Welded Up:
New Outlet Attached:
Hand-beaten Panel to Cover the Gap:
(this is the part which I wish I could have done a little prettier, but my "skills" are what they are and my car isn't going to win any awards anywhere)
I cut up a bike tube and hose-clamped it to the outlet and my airgun, and clamped a plate to the t-stat side, dunked the whole assembly in a bucket of water and pressurized it to pressure test. Happily, it passed with no rework needed!
So I installed it:
Not exactly glitzy and glamorous fab work, but completely functional, and most importantly, it felt great to actually do something productive and creative on the car again.
I am out of town for a few days, but looking forward to spending a bit more time back in the shop.
Chris
What'c on the hit list?
- Rad leak
- Sump gasket leak
- Dash electrics to sort out (bad ground somewhere, I think)
- Rebuild rear bodywork support structure
- Find a lasting solution to the self-consuming CV boots
- Re-configure the coolant outlet (output hose chafing on the firewall when pressurized)
- Make some door adjustments
- Improve "weatherproofness" of cabin
- Make the AC functional
- Clean up the engine bay & its wiring & hose routing
- Trim down the wiring harness from the truly extra circuits not being used
- Improve the HVAC performance- specifically defrost on the windscreen
I am hoping that at the end of this, I will kick myself for not starting sooner. Writing all these items down kinda makes it seem like there aren't too many things to do to truly get it functional, but reality is a cruel mistress... I figure it will take all winter. I hope to surprise myself.
Step 1 - Disassembly: Started!
So what to do first? The rad is out now. With all the connections up at the nose, I assumed it was leaking from one of the hoses and for the longest time, DREADED the thought of taking out the rad. Drained the system last week and dropped it off. Got a call that afternoon, pressure testing revealed leaks in its corners. That was disappointing. I should have it back this week though.
All the connections:
Since the coolant was drained, it seemed like a good time to replace the outlet as well. The output hose had 1/4" of clearance from the firewall at ambient temp, but upon pressurizing the system, it would start rubbing the firewall right at the edge of the opening for the removable panel and was starting to wear a groove into it. I wasn't fond of the idea of splitting a coolant hose, so time to do something...
But I couldn't find the piece that I really wanted (because no one seemed to make one which came out in the direction I needed in the space I have. So I got creative. Chuck and Ryan bought a cast one and bent/rewelded it in a more suitable angle. I took that one step further, finding an alu one, machining a step on it, and welding a completely new neck onto it in the needed configuration.
As part of doing this, I blocked access to one of the securing bolts, so I studded that to remedy. Pics tell the story:
Initial Machining:
Initial Fitup:
First Pass Welded Up:
New Outlet Attached:
Hand-beaten Panel to Cover the Gap:
(this is the part which I wish I could have done a little prettier, but my "skills" are what they are and my car isn't going to win any awards anywhere)
I cut up a bike tube and hose-clamped it to the outlet and my airgun, and clamped a plate to the t-stat side, dunked the whole assembly in a bucket of water and pressurized it to pressure test. Happily, it passed with no rework needed!
So I installed it:
Not exactly glitzy and glamorous fab work, but completely functional, and most importantly, it felt great to actually do something productive and creative on the car again.
I am out of town for a few days, but looking forward to spending a bit more time back in the shop.
Chris
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Chris Kouba
Supporter
Happy to feed the need for you Randy. I don't know why the pics aren't posting. This is the current state:
Hi Chris,
Glad to see you back at it. There must be a disturbance in the force, I have been up to some of the same adventures.
I have been putting off finish work forever, now I am back at it.
Let's touch base with a call soon.
Howard
Glad to see you back at it. There must be a disturbance in the force, I have been up to some of the same adventures.
I have been putting off finish work forever, now I am back at it.
Let's touch base with a call soon.
Howard
Chris Kouba
Supporter
Re: Rcr 40-31 - Separation Anxiety
Or not:
The sump gasket which I thought was leaking was not! Yay! The oil pressure sender was though... Easy enough to fix. I think. The stud where the sender wire hooks up now spins freely and the crimped flange also rotates under tightening pressure for the unit. Do I need to replace it? I would hate to have to swap it out once the motor is back in the bay:
Thoughts or recommendations anyone?
Things came apart reasonably easy, not that I want to do it every day, but I had been dreading the process and it wasn't that bad. We'll see how I feel once I try re-fitting it again.
Next up is cleaning up the engine bay and the wiring, improving shifter cable routing and security, cleaning the inaccessible pockets of the motor where the grease from the split CV boots resides, and I am sure there are a number of other things I am ignoring right now.
Or not:
The sump gasket which I thought was leaking was not! Yay! The oil pressure sender was though... Easy enough to fix. I think. The stud where the sender wire hooks up now spins freely and the crimped flange also rotates under tightening pressure for the unit. Do I need to replace it? I would hate to have to swap it out once the motor is back in the bay:
Thoughts or recommendations anyone?
Things came apart reasonably easy, not that I want to do it every day, but I had been dreading the process and it wasn't that bad. We'll see how I feel once I try re-fitting it again.
Next up is cleaning up the engine bay and the wiring, improving shifter cable routing and security, cleaning the inaccessible pockets of the motor where the grease from the split CV boots resides, and I am sure there are a number of other things I am ignoring right now.
Chris- Man, you are really getting after that thing. Good work! I hope you can get everything finished up and working by this spring. I am taking mine in to the paint shop within the next couple of weeks. Hopefully, I will be getting it finished up as well. Maybe we can get together sometime this spring and have some fun! I hope I don't have CV boot problems to look forward to in the future. Sorry to hear you are going through that. Do you know if anyone else is having this problem? I really like the looks of your car. Looking forward to seeing it up close and personal sometime in the future. Keep up the good work. I will be giving you a call in the next couple of weeks for an update. I'm still planning on getting some of that Alaskan halibut and salmon to you. Thanks for all the help in the past. Good luck on the car. Vaughn
Chris Kouba
Supporter
Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving... I did.
On the car, slow progress being made.
I have re-routed the shifter cables, re-installed my water outlet (this time with the thermostat), re-plumbed some of the soft lines in the engine bay with hard lines, double-checked all the hose routings, sourced 930 CV boots to replace the failing ones, and replaced the remote oil filter hoses I sliced when repeatedly installing and removing the driveline when validating shifter cable routes.
In addition, I fired up my mill and made a small retainer to hold the oil lines which should reduce their tendency to be ventilated during drivetrain install/removal and hold them in a proper place when everything is in the engine bay and working. It also keeps them from leaning on the CV's while they're spinning. Sounds like a good thing, right? Much more elegant than the, ahem, zip tie which previously retained them...
The holder:
The oil pressure sender is reinstalled and it's getting closer to time to put the motor back in. I also remade the remote oil filter holder as well because I didn't like it. It's not glamorous, just a 1/4" plate of alu, but it's much better now. To improve the wife's experience, I also installed a foot rest on the passenger side, tailor made and installed to her seated position. Again, nothing glamorous, but helps her enjoy the ride more.
Need to check over a few lists and make sure I'm not missing anything but I think it's close to going back together.
Chris
On the car, slow progress being made.
I have re-routed the shifter cables, re-installed my water outlet (this time with the thermostat), re-plumbed some of the soft lines in the engine bay with hard lines, double-checked all the hose routings, sourced 930 CV boots to replace the failing ones, and replaced the remote oil filter hoses I sliced when repeatedly installing and removing the driveline when validating shifter cable routes.
In addition, I fired up my mill and made a small retainer to hold the oil lines which should reduce their tendency to be ventilated during drivetrain install/removal and hold them in a proper place when everything is in the engine bay and working. It also keeps them from leaning on the CV's while they're spinning. Sounds like a good thing, right? Much more elegant than the, ahem, zip tie which previously retained them...
The holder:
The oil pressure sender is reinstalled and it's getting closer to time to put the motor back in. I also remade the remote oil filter holder as well because I didn't like it. It's not glamorous, just a 1/4" plate of alu, but it's much better now. To improve the wife's experience, I also installed a foot rest on the passenger side, tailor made and installed to her seated position. Again, nothing glamorous, but helps her enjoy the ride more.
Need to check over a few lists and make sure I'm not missing anything but I think it's close to going back together.
Chris
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Chris Kouba
Supporter
Its heart beats again:
It went back together rather well and have burped the cooling system a number of times now. It's still not completely full but I am getting coolant circulating through the rad and back, and the temp is stable at 180°.
After the pic was taken, I reattached the rear two corners of the suspension and all that remains for it to be mobile is attach the CV's.
I do need to break them down and put on the new boots. The ones it came with are wearing out super quick. The first two went in ~800 miles. I have stock 930 boots going on now. They have many more pleats to them and I am hoping to get significantly more mileage out of them.
Once the car is back on its feet, I will reconstruct the rear clip support and clean up the engine bay wiring. After that, it's on with dash wiring and HVAC work. I don't know why I waited so long to get on with this...
Merry Christmas everyone! May whatever holidays you might be celebrating be excellent for you and your families.
Chris
It went back together rather well and have burped the cooling system a number of times now. It's still not completely full but I am getting coolant circulating through the rad and back, and the temp is stable at 180°.
After the pic was taken, I reattached the rear two corners of the suspension and all that remains for it to be mobile is attach the CV's.
I do need to break them down and put on the new boots. The ones it came with are wearing out super quick. The first two went in ~800 miles. I have stock 930 boots going on now. They have many more pleats to them and I am hoping to get significantly more mileage out of them.
Once the car is back on its feet, I will reconstruct the rear clip support and clean up the engine bay wiring. After that, it's on with dash wiring and HVAC work. I don't know why I waited so long to get on with this...
Merry Christmas everyone! May whatever holidays you might be celebrating be excellent for you and your families.
Chris
Chris Kouba
Supporter
If I were you, I would understand the temptation but hold off. They obviously work for some people, you may be one of them.
I think the number I measured for drive angles was ~11° off horizontal with the digital level. This configuration has to be fairly similar to what other people are running based on the hard points of the brace across the top of the horseshoe and the mount lugs on the trans, but I don't know why I am so "special". The only variation should be the fore/aft location and that won't impact the total angle too much.
For what it's worth, it's easy to tell when the boots are starting to wear- the bellows will develop wear marks around their outer circumference, just shy of their peaks. It's also easy to tell when they fail if you miss them wearing out. I can take a pic of either scenario if you'd like.
I will post when I have similar mileage on the 930 boots. Hopefully it won't take 3 more years to accomplish.
Thank you kindly and same to you and yours. Congrats on the upcoming retirement. I am VERY jealous- enjoy it!!! Your rig looks fantastic, now get to work on the GT!
Chris
Thanks Chris.. No pics necessary.. I don't recall my axle angles right off. I did move the engine further forward than recommended in order to reduce the angle fore/aft. Ride height will also come into play when I get to that point... I'm running a G50/03 transaxle.
I retired October 2nd and the wife and I are Snow-birding in Gold Canyon AZ.. I won't see the GT again until April sometime - but plan on spending most of my summer working on it..
I retired October 2nd and the wife and I are Snow-birding in Gold Canyon AZ.. I won't see the GT again until April sometime - but plan on spending most of my summer working on it..
Chris, I live in the Portland area and have been looking at GT40 replicas for over 10 years. I considered one eleven years ago when I bought my last sports car. Although I have no regrets with what I bought, I have always still wanted the GT40. I am now strongly considering making the change and spoke with Fran at RCR last week about options with his package. It looks like you are in the Portland area. I would appreciate the opportunity to speak live and maybe meet for a beer to discuss in more detail what you have experienced with your car. If I "check out" ok I would also like to see your's as I haven't seen an RCR in person yet. Please PM me if we can catch up some time. Sorry all for the public post, but the forum didn't seem to allow me to PM without at least posting once. - Alan
Chris Kouba
Supporter
No worries Alan, would be happy to talk about my experience with RCR. Will PM my contact info and we can figure something out.
Chris
Chris
