Wanted:GTD chassis

A good friend of mine, Graham, has previously placed an add for a GTD chassis.
As he has stated in his last post, I am that person who is trying to locate the said chassis, can anybody help ,or does anyone know of someone who has one and hasnt started to build it and may be willing to sell.please help make a dream come true regards chris

 

Chris, you don't seem to be having much luck sourcing a GTD chassis. Having read previous posts from your friend, it appears you are on a budget. I think most on this site would agree that these cars cannot be built to a professional standard without parting with a lot of cash. For example, if you go to a '40 supplier it costs a set amount even for the basic kit. If you want a stainless crossover exhaust, prepare to forfeit going on holiday this year. If you want a stunning paint job for your pride and joy, it will cost a fortune.

What I am getting at is that whatever anyone tells you, it will cost more than you originally estimate. You can however source some of your parts secondhand...this site is a great starting point. These secondhand parts still have a certain value as people know what something is worth. You could shop around or hope you spot the odd bargain at the autojumble but effectively a lot of the GT40's parts are unique and aren't interchangeable with other kits. Screen, seats, fuel filler caps are just a few examples.

What are your engineering skills like? Can you rebuild engines/gearboxes, weld, spray paint, manufacture panels and so on? Have you got a large workshop? Do you own the necessary tools? If not, you will have to get someone else to do these for you. This is where your money will go. If you DO have the necessary skills, and money is tight, I would personally get the measurements for a chassis and make one. If not you're going to pay market value for it all and your costs will spiral out of control. You still need a body after that, and there aren't many people who would let you take a mould off their car, so again your hands are tied. A decent gelcoated body would save a few grand on paint...doesn't Mr Melia build bodies for racing in gelcoat? I know he mentioned a chassis that he'd built and sold.

Not knowing your personal circumstances, I haven't a clue what you are expecting to pay. All I would say is that if you want a job doing properly, do it yourself. Failing that, you'd better know people who own fully tooled workshops and a spray facility who are prepared to let you use these services for free. Good luck with your project!

 

Hi Chris
Why not email me? I can help.

Chris Melia

[ March 10, 2003: Message edited by: Chris Melia ]

 

[Guest]

Torn40,
Talk about trying to put poor old Chris off. Providing we can find him a chassis there is no reason that he can,t have a completed 40 for less than £10,000. You do not need a cross over exhaust in stainless steel and a majority of parts CAN be obtained very cheaply if you know where to go or who to see.A bodyshell from Chris is extremely reasonable and painting it is a doddle as all the panels can be sprayed individually if need be.
Chrisrock is on an extremely tight budget and i will show him how to build a cracking good 40 without breaking the bank and help make his dream come true.
Graham @ GTA/Gulf Racing.

 

[Fran Hall RCR]

Graham,
you should start selling cars in the USA as there is a large market here
especially for the $15-20,000 cars,and as yet I have not seen one that can be built for that price or even buying and reusing junkyard parts.
If you have a garage full of parts from a previously built GT40 replica then maybe you can do it BUT it is not possible to do it otherwise and boy have i tried,and I can weld ,paint ,panel and build my own engines and exhausts
Just my realist point of view from this side of the pond,I am an Englishman by the way so I am a little bit on the tight/frugal side.

 

GTA, I was merely offering a realistic overview to building a 'professionally' finished '40 from my experiences. I wouldn't like anyone new to this to be under any illusion that these cars are easy or cheap to construct especially from scratch, and even with access to engineering facilities. I think though, that many would be interested in seeing a professionally finished GT40 replica produced for £10K, it would appear that you could make a fortune exporting them to the US. Perhaps chrisrock could shed some light on what he expects to achieve for £10K?

 

[Julian West]

This is an interesting thread! I'm sure Graham is right, it *must* be possible to build a 40 for 10,000 UKP.

In my limited experience of the GT40 scene, there are a lot of people who tell you you can *only* get parts from certain suppliers.

If you want a 'bolt together' kit, then you *will* have to pay big money. If on the other hand you are prepared to do some research and legwork you can save a truckload of money.

Torn40, you are also right, in that building a 'proffesionally' finished car will cost big bucks! AFAIK 'proffesionally finished' means paying someone else to do all the work. There are indeed a few GTD owners who never pick up a spanner, however they must have very deep pockets!!

IMO If you're happy to just give the project to someone else & stump up for the bill then you're missing out on alot of the pleasure of ownership!

 

[Guest]

Right then, this is my last word on the subject. I do not have a workshop full of spares but i do have a lot of common sense and knowledge and providing we can find Chris a chassis i guarantee him a PROFESSIONALLY built 40 for less than £10,000.
Too many of you live in "cloud cuckoo" land when it comes to building vehicles and far too much is spoken and spent on "glitzy" parts that are no more reliable and last no longer.
Let Julian West be testament to me, my 40, and to how it can and is done both on the road and on the the track. Failing that , contact GULF.If any of you had been at the NEC this last week i could have happily watched you eat your words.
With Chris Melia able to supply a top quality shell so reasonably where do you dissenters manage to drain so much money !!!
Finally, i,ve just purchased a brand new,not reconditioned nor exchange, steering rack for £17.50p from my local factors!!!!!
You all go spend a fortune. I,ll go racing and develop the Porsche and 40 with the spare change.......
Graham @ GTA/Gulf Racing.

 

[Paul Bearman]

Graham,

I appreciate your argument for building a good '40 for £10,000. But I assume you do not intend registering the car as new, thus having a Q plate. I have tried every available option to reduce the cost of my build but if I want a newly registered car then every item but one must be (and proved to be)new.
If you know a way of obtaining a new registration using all recon parts then please let me know as my budget was blown out of the water ages ago!!

Best regards.

 

[Chris E]

Paul,

This wil not help you get a NEW registration, but you may be able to get an age related plate if you use just 2 major components from a single donor car. At least you can then put cover plate on the car rather than have to live with a Q plate.

To do this you will have to convince the DVLA that you have used say, the engine, and say the steering from the donor car. You have to prove exactly what car the engine came out of ( reg number/log book ) and if the rack also is also from a Ford then you should be able to convince them that it is from the same car.

Remember that is 'points system ' is only relevant for registration purposes and is nothing to do with whether you need an SVA test or not. I have noticed in a recent magaizine article that they have confused the two.

 

[Roy Snook]

I suppose if you found a used chassis, used bodywork, scrapyard engine, scrapyard transmission, old granada brakes and stuck it together, went with a Q plate, you might be under 10k, but would it be safe, stop, perform, be reliable, look good? I would be surprised if the end result would be acceptable. I thought I could build for 15k-18k-just not possible, if you want to live the dream you will have to spend the cash

 

[Chris E]

I keep the membership database for the GT40 Enthusiasts Club and I after reading this thread I have checked through all of the car data sheets members have submitted over the last few years and the cheapest anyone claims to have built a car for is £14,000.

The most common seems to be in the £20,000 to £30000 price range.

There are some very interesting and ammusing answers to the cost question on peoples membership forms , such as 'classified', 'top secret', 'shudder to think', ' the national debt of a third world country and 'not recorded to protect the innocent' .

The highest anyone admits to is '£60,000 so far'.

The longest build seems to be a good friend of mine who started in 1985 and 18 years later is still going. Did I here you say 2003 Brian??

 

[Brett James-McCall]

I have just started building my KVA and even with best estimates mine is going to be close to 30K.... or at least that is what I have told the other half......

 

HI CHRIS.
MY NAME WILLEM,BEEN EMAILING YOU.DONT KNOW IF YOU GOT ANY OF IT.WE ARE GOING TO SUPPLY IN KIT FORM FROM SOUTH AFRICA.I AM WORKING FOR CARCRAFT.WE ARE EX EMPLOYEES OF CAV.YOU CAN CONTACT ME ON +27832582011 OR [email protected]

 

HI CHRIS.
MY NAME WILLEM,BEEN EMAILING YOU.DONT KNOW IF YOU GOT ANY OF IT.WE ARE GOING TO SUPPLY IN KIT FORM FROM SOUTH AFRICA.I AM WORKING FOR CARCRAFT.WE ARE EX EMPLOYEES OF CAV.YOU CAN CONTACT ME ON +27832582011 OR [email protected]