Roaring Forties #36 Joe's Completion Log

Hey Ron! Good to hear from you! If anyone hears anything from Mark, let me know. I am just now in the research stage of the possible Lotus build but will post it if it happens, which seems likely.
 
Mark

Glad to see you are back into it.
I noticed the rear hinges I made for you still have the old top plate (the part on the wire).
I did send out emails ect that their was a modified part to stop the bending of the hinge.
Did you get a pair of me and havent fitted them or did you slip through the net.
It would have been 2-3 years ago.

Jim
 
I have sold my GT40 project to a gentleman in California. Actually, I traded it for his 1974 Porsche 911 and some cash. I expect he may want to continue this build thread. He is an experienced builder and will do an excellent job finishing the car.

This was not an easy decision to make but it simplified my life and that is important to me now.

I want to thank Ron and the good folks here at GT40s.com for all the great information, friendship and help they provided. There is some amazing talent on this board. I especially want to thank my friend Hershal Byrd for all his assistance.
 
Mark,

You will be pleased when it's completed, and you will have fun in the porker.

Win Win.

I know I enjoy updates from the GM power train engineer who bought my first GT.

Don't be a stranger here.

Cheers,
Scott
 
So I suppose it’s time to say hello and introduce myself. :) Mark shot me a note not long ago asking me if I was interested in trading off my reasonably pristine 74 911S and some cash for his GT40 project. There is a bit of back story here... Many years ago, when I bid/bought the 911 in question off ebay and post about it on another forum, Mark responded with something like... so it was YOU who sniped the car from me..? Um yeah, it was me... sorry! :D :p It was a solid platform that needed a full resto… which I did a few years ago.

Immediate thoughts after Mark contacted me... sh.t.. you bastard! going full tilt and bleeding money from a full on house remodel , not done with my current 2+ year Cobra build, I already have a complete and driving car that has been appreciating and had spent 2+ years getting together and the last thing I need is another long project waiting for me after the cobra is done... Conclusion, My wife Mary didn't throw me out when mentioning it (gawd I love her)

I’ve built and restored a few cars and “kits” including a FFR GTM which is somewhat like a GT40 build. So much so, I told Mark, I wasn’t interested in building another project of that scope, especially considering the timing… That, and I’m a bit of a loon when it comes to the way I build my cars. Taking on someone else’s project of this scale could be a nightmare. However, Marks attn. to detail, his commitment to build a quality car, this thread, and the hundreds of pictures he took tipped the scale on doing the deal.

So... there is a GT40, and pile-o-parts sitting in my shop right now...

I told Mark that I wanted to use his thread to continue the build. Mostly so folks remembered where this all started and to make sure Mark stays connected to the car and credit for his fine work.

My goal for the car is somewhat like the GTM in that I want it to remain clean and comfortable on the street. Probably get the body work to a point where I can wrap it. Figured it would be something cool to try on the car. Just would like to build on Marks work and complete the car without modding it much(which is a bit of MO of mine) Hey, lets model the chassis and do FEA on it? Now lets cut it up and make it ‘better’. Now lets model the suspension and run the numbers, etc.

The RF looks like a great platform to build “As Is” like the GTM was. The only thing I may want to look at, is exploring the front spindles. I understand they have made changes since this kit was shipped and based on what Ive read, it makes a huge difference. Just need to find out what was changed. Roll Center, scrub, kingpin/SAI, Ackermann etc? If anyone has some insight into this, please let me know.

Mark has connected me with RF about a few details we are trying to figure out. Despite the company being under new ownership, and the kit being 10+ years old, these guys are just incredible. Man the support has just been great. If they are willing to help me, I can only imagine the support for the new customers would be nothing short of world class.

So onto some build stuff. As posted earlier in this thread, the kit came with Motec M48 from RF with the complete harness etc. The engine is a 347 with stack injection from RF as well. What I need now, is a base tune to start with. Does anyone know who might be able to help here? I wonder if Roaring Forties might have something from their Motec archives that could get me started?

The greatest part of owning and building these cars, is the people whom you meet along the way. Most if not all of my best friends have come from this hobby. Something about the people who build cars from the ground up. I find they are salt of the earth kind of people.... the kind worthy of life long friendships. I feel privileged to call Mark a good friend. He is truly a solid guy and want to do him proud and have him out to CA when complete so he can drive the car he did most of the work on.

Mods, is it possible to do a slight modification to the title of the thread? Something along the lines of "Mark's (now) David's GT40 project"? I would like to keep Marks thread active, but really would appreciate having my name in the title now that I own the car.

For those bored, here are a few links to some of my projects:

Cobra Build: Dave’s FFR MK4 Build Thread - Corner-Carvers Forums

GTM Build: GTM Build Post - FFCars.com : Factory Five Racing Discussion Forum

David
 
Hi David well done on the RF project, I have read many of your posts over the years on the FFCars forums, i built a FFR Coupe about 7 years ago.

I agree RF are great to deal with, Paul ,Adrian all top Guys and really i believe the industry leaders when it comes service, information and honesty. These Guys just leave me with a smile on my face every time i deal with them.

Just contact Paul and ask him what the differences in the uprights are? i can tell you they look completely different and are designed for the purpose where as the old Cortina uprights just did the job. There is also a suspension arm change to compliment the new upright.

looking forward to watching the build progress.
 
Hi David
I am still in the parts collection phase of building a Mk1 GT40.
I had been looking at front spindles recently.
I had recently found a Wilwood pro spindle it also came with all the drawings.

Cheers Craig Young
 
Hey David,

Not sure if you remember me, but I lived up in Sacto back in 2000 - 2006. We connected back then over Cobras and such. Glad to see Mark's car has found a new home. And, yes, knowing what you have done with various toys in the past, I am sure the RF is in good hands and will turn out just fine :)

Ian
 

Randy V

Moderator-Admin
Staff member
Admin
Lifetime Supporter
So I suppose it’s time to say hello and introduce myself. :) ........

Mods, is it possible to do a slight modification to the title of the thread? Something along the lines of "Mark's (now) David's GT40 project"? I would like to keep Marks thread active, but really would appreciate having my name in the title now that I own the car.

David

I've known David for many years now having come through the ranks of a half-dozen Factory Five builds myself... We are lucky to have a man of his caliber and commitment here at GT40s.com and I am sure that this build, like his others, will be absolutely top-notch in every regard...

David, I have re-titled this thread for you. It is a bit long-ish now and it might work better to remove Mark's last name from it as there are plenty of references to both his first and last names within the body of the thread.

Can't tell you how great it is to see you here.. Please give my best to Mary..
 
Will, Dave, Ian, Randy, thanks so much for the warm welcome, I really appreciate it very much!

Dave, I will contact them re a base map. I just learned that I need another device to update the firmware on the ECU. Thats a bit frustrating honestly. I wonder if there is someone in my area that has one I can use. I dont see spending $200 just so I can update the software on the box.

Craig, thanks for the tip. As Im sure you have learned, the whole thing with spindles, is they really define the geometry when couple with the pickup points on the chassis. Even if you find a spindle that fits, it could be all wrong from a geometry standpoint when coupled with the chassis. Do you know if anyone has measured this and confirmed it matches the new spindles RF is now selling?

Hey Ian, sure I remember you... its been a long time :D Great to hear you are building one as well. Its really fun to see so many people Ive met before, both in person and online in this community. Very very cool!

Randy, Randy, Randy! Hey friend... man Ive been wondering how you have been! Shoot me a PM when you get some time and give me an update on life. :)

Man, you guys are putting undue pressure on me :D Thanks so much for the kind words, its greatly appreciated!

Im really going to try hard to build a driver... I would LOVE to drive this car without worry. Even make it something that could be driven comfortably like a modern car.... but with a vintage edge. Not sure if that resonates with anyone here. I just see so many of these types of cars get built and sit, or sold from being to raw.

The progress will probably be a bit slow for a while since I should do my best to stay focused on the cobra build. I have been spending a bunch of time sorting through stuff and studying the FI and wiring. Russ Thompson has agreed to help with the body work, and I hope to check with a few people about doing the last bit for me so I can either paint or wrap it so I can start bolting parts on for good.

Again, thanks for the warm welcome... David
 
David,
Since you are going to be a driver, you might want to consider an aid to driving these cars. As you probably know the steering is a little tough when at low speed. Several of us have added Electric Power Assisted Steering to our cars. There are several threads out there on the forum. I think it was discussed best on this one.
http://www.gt40s.com/forum/gt40-tech-fueling-electrics-engine-cooling/40446-epas-electric-power-assist-steering.html
Keith from Ireland has an electronics firm and has worked out a good help for these cars. He is working on a second generation unit that I can't wait to get my hands on. It may well automate the function so there aren't any buttons or switches to adjust. It makes low speed driving of these cars a dream.
Good luck on completing the build. I think you will enjoy this experience.

Bill
 
the new RF2 steering rack is a hydraulic powersteer unit, they dont connect it up as the steering is considered acceptable, but you can if you feel the need for lighter steer ,you could update the whole front end in one hit to the latest spec. John Bowe (famous race car driver in Oz) says it's a massive improvement over the old set up.

read here
Roaring Forties - Replica GT40s
 

Renato

Lifetime Supporter
Hi David and welcome to the forum. Congrats on your purchase!

I've seen your other builds and looking forward to seeing your progress on the GT40. Great work!


Renato
 
Bill, very interesting... Hadn't run across those PS units. Cool installations! Are those available in any cars in the US, or at least easy to get in the US somehow?

Dave, yes I read that article and it is very intriguing. I've spent some time on front suspension design and modeling so agree that getting it right is super important. Hoping I can find out what was changed in the geometry that made the biggest difference in the feel of the car. Being a DIY guy, hopefully I can tweak what I have or make something to get it close. Time will tell...

Renato, thanks so much, appreciate the welcome!

David
 
Most cars today use some form of electonic power steering. The problem is the electornics. Most manufacturers under the demands for higher fuel mileage have sought to get power eaters off the engines. You may very well see A/C units in the future.
The real problem is unraveling the electronics to work in a different car. there are some companys out there that will sell you a complete system....... at a price. We(me and others) have found that the Corsa B and C uniits(England) are easily adapted to the use in a non Corsa automobile. The secret is in the controlers. These units have either two or three levels of control. Low, medium, and high. Keith in Ireland and I worked together to formulate how it would work best for what we wanted. His electronics firm then put together what we thought would be a good compromise. For slow speed there is a need for high assist. Once over a certain time interval, the need was for low assist. The controller he makes is about the size of a book of matches.
This is how it works:
"After the 10 sec start-up delay the EasiPAS outputs, for 1 minute, a slow speed signal, this will give you 1 minute of high assistance to maneuver, after which time EasiPAS will revert to the default state of high speed which puts the EPAS into the low assistance state (as if you are driving at 45+ mph). So you always have this low level of assistance.
Next Project is a circuit to translate pulses from the wheels/shafts to the right rate to automatically adjust the assistance:-
This circuit will allow the user to program the pulse count switching points, simply by placing the product in 'program mode' by pressing and holding the button for 5 secs, then driving to 15mph, pressing the button again, then driving to 45mph and pressing again. This tells the circuit to switch from high to medium assist at 15mph, then med to low at 45mph, base on the input pulse count from the sensor on the wheels or shafts. Of course you can decide you want the switch points to be 10mph and 30mph, just press the button at those speeds instead."
Read the entire thread and most complete thread here:
http://www.gt40s.com/forum/gt40-tech-fueling-electrics-engine-cooling/40446-epas-electric-power-assist-steering.html
Sorry for the drift guys.

Bill
 
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Hey Bill,

Thanks for posting your thoughts!

A friend of mine did something similar to this a few years back re the variable boost based on speed. It worked incredibly well. The controller worked with a toyota pump which changed the boost pressure. I suspect your implementation would be a bit different but Ian is a super nice guy and was treating the project somewhat like an open source and willing to share his plans and code. Stupid smart guy, I think he has a doctorate in electrical engineering?? You could program manually, 11 steps, or based on speed. You could also program a curve based on speed so high boost in the parking lot, and boost that levels out over a certain speed etc.

Check this post for details: Power steering pump controller installed and working - FFCars.com : Factory Five Racing Discussion Forum

If interested in pinging him, let me know and I will try and make the connection.

David
 
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