SpeedRacer
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Posts posted by SpeedRacer
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Hey Chelle, glad your are still around but I thought you sold your GTO replica quite awhile ago????
Anyway, I found some plastic chrome trim to replace the old trim on my headlight covers. It's just OK, and will do for now, but I still want a metal trim ring. So thanks, I guess I will attempt to make a set.
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Wow, the car looks awesome Peter. I'd say it was definitely one of the best, if not THE BEST, Z car – GTO conversions in existence. Glad you got it done and you should be quite proud because you tried a lot of different things and it shows! Yup, I would say it came out looking great!
Hmmmm.... you drove my GTO replica – can I drive yours?
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Hey TomoHawk - Maybe you could use real Ferrari 250 GTO door pulls:
Just kidding! So how is the project coming along? Got any recent pictures?
Speed
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Hi again Mark,
Thanks for the quick reply. Tried John Washington already and he doesn't have them. My current ones are actually Cowles ProtektoTrim flexible stick on chrome wheel opening molding which worked well for over ten years but now the chrome is separating and bubbling. Unfortunately Cowels no long makes the molding I need and I would really like to replace them with real metal ones.
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Hey Mark,
My headlight covers are still in great shape but I sure could use a set of trim rings. Do you know where I could get a set like the ones in your pitures? Thanks in advance for your help.
Speed
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Problem is that, except for the front fenders & hood, the body panels a glued to the body so you can not just take them off and install them on another car.
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Thanks again Chris. For some reason I thought Bobby Alloway's shop was in Memphis. I gave some serious thought to building his SpeedStar 33 Ford at one time. I'll at least give him a call.
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I could make them but to be honest I don't know if it would be economically feasible for you. I would have to make hammer forms and that would take a considerable amount of time (anywhere from 20 to 40+ hours for a pair). Then there is the issue of trying to make them using only the cover and not having the actual headlight bucket to fit the form to. And with the Ferrari replicas buckets being integrated with the fender it would mean I would have to have the car in order to make something that would fit nicely. If there's any way you could get one of the cars to my shop and let me have it for a week or so (I'm aprox 6 hours away from you) then I could come up with something. Whether or not you want to invest the time and money is up to you. Wish I could be more help. Let me know.
Thanks for the quick response Chris. I'm thinking that 20 - 40 hrs adds up to be quite a bit of cost plus I would have to trailer the car over to you. That friend I mentioned that is building a GTO kit says he might have somebody local to him that may make us both a set so I'm going to hold off for now.
Thanks again for getting back to me. Speed
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Hey Chris,
Would you be interested in making a set of stainless trim rings for a Ferrari 250 GTO replica? I need a set and so does a friend of mine who is almost finished building his kit. I could send you my covers to use as a template. Please let me know. Thanks.
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BTW you should check out the FAQs "Body Kits & Paint" section on this forum because there is a long 250 GTO Owners thread there.
Also here is some additional info from a reprinted Kit Car mag article. http://www.zparts.com/history/articles/kit_history/articles/3calGTOs2.html
John Washington has some history and a 250 GTO Replica Registry here http://www.reactionresearch.com/gtorr/ReplicaHistory.html
You will note that the mold ended up in the UK at OM Sportscars who had a web site and sold the kits but disappeared a while ago.
The Alpha 1 GTO kit had a big problem with aligning the hood to the front panel as the thin area between the air scoops and the hood opening tended to warp. The Alpha kit also used custom made (and very poorly designed) hood hinges. When Tom McBurnie got the molds from Joe Alphabet he made a new front end set of molds that moved to hood back and adapted 80's Corvette hinges mounted on the radiator support to solve the problem. As a side note John Washington solved the problem by making the nose a one piece tilt unit for his Velo Rossa GTO kit.
So, an Alpha based kit uses the Datsun cowl panel in front of the windshield and has the hood moved forward so the strip of fiberglass between the hood and the front panel is only a couple of inches wide. The McBurnie front end moves the hood way back and there is a small strip of fiberglass that ties the rear of the front fenders together and runs in front of the windshield replacing the factory cowl panel.
The real GTO's were all hand made so every one them is different. Most of them had a very oval shaped grille opening but one had a more squared opening which is what ended up on the Alpha kit. The other change that McBurnie did when he made a new set of front end molds is he changed the grille opening to the more common oval shape.
So, the car you just bought has the more squared off grille opening but the rest looks very much like the McBurnie kit. I am not sure of all that went on in the UK with the kit back then but I think you may have a locally modified McBurnie version of the kit. It is a real shame that the car was left outside so I hope you can restore it and bring it back to life! Good luck and if I can help please let me know.
Oh yeah, Peter - AKA Boy from OZ, is documenting his Puckett GTO build so you might ask to be on his distribution list. http://forums.hybridz.org/user/1266-boy-from-oz/
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Welcome to the forum Chatz. Its hard to tell from just one picture but that looks like a McBurnie 250 GTO kit. It is a McBurnie or a later kit (Blue Ray, Stable Autoworks, Reaction Research, etc.) based on the McBurine molds. And, if it was really built 25 years ago then it is a McBurine. If you could post some additional pictures I might be able to help with the identification. BTW the most accurate 250 GTO kits were actually made from real Ferrari molds sold to the Colonel in England so his racing team could make new aluminum body panels after accidents. They were usually installed on a real Ferrari chassis such as a 330 GTC. The most acurate Datsun based Ferrari 250 GTO kit I have seen was made by Puckett and they are quite rare. Also, while it makes for a good story, Ferrari was never able to have any of the molds destroyed. The Ferrari lawyers were however, able to stop companies from building and selling the kits but that was it. Tom McBurine actually fought them in court but lost so he stopped making the kit and sold the molds Jim Simpson at Blue Ray Engineering and the molds have been through many hands since.
The first Ferrari 250 kit on a Datsun was designed by Eagle Manufacturing and sold buy Joe Alphabet as an Alpha 1 GTO. I bought my Alpha 1 GTO from Joe back in 1986. http://forums.hybridz.org/garage/vehicle/82-ferrari-250-gto/
John Washington from Reaction Research stills sells the kit (both coupe and spyder versions) and is a great guy. You can find him here http://www.reactionresearch.com/automotivedetails.htm
It is a great car and gets lots of attention so I hope you fix it up and enjoy the ride!
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There is nothing wrong with a T-5 and the WC (World Class) version is a really good smooth shifting transmission with good gear ratios. I have been putting 400 HP through my for over 10 years and had zero problems. Torque is the big problem but I think the WC is rated at ~300 Lb-Ft so if you don't turn that 400 into a monster it should be OK.
Also, I have always thought the 1984 and later Corvette bell housing was a better option than the Camaro version for a couple of reasons. First, it installs the transmission straight up instead of the 15 degree tilt that the Camaro used. Second is the fact that it uses a much, much more elegant clutch solution that is very easy to install in the Z car. I used a 7/8” bore Wilwood (Tilton) master cylinder through a braided stainless steel line connected to the stock Corvette slave cylinder. You will however, have to heat up and bend or get a different shifter to correct removing the 15 degree layover.
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Here is another pretty good looking Ferrari GTO replica listed on eBay. http://www.ebay.com/itm/111617495043?_trksid=p2060778.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT
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Wow, talk about lifting all boats - how about a "By It Now" of $140,000!!!!!! http://www.ebay.com/itm/400873630999?_trksid=p2060778.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT
If they get anywhere north of $50,000 I might just have to sell.
Update: Wow it got up to $74,011.00 but didn't meet the reserve.
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Since my car doesn't look like a Z car I didn't think my dash should either.
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I used a 1984 thru 1996 (C4) and later Corvette bell housing because I think it has a much better hydraulic slave cylinder setup than the Camaro offers. The clutch is operated by a 7/8” bore Wilwood (Tilton) master cylinder through a braided stainless steel line to the stock Corvette slave cylinder. Works great and feels like the factory designed it as the clutch takeup is very progessive and smooth.
BTW, I hope you used the Jags That Run (JTR) conversion for your SBC install. If you don't have the manual I would recommend you get one.
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TomoHawk - I believe the hinges are from a 1963 to 1967 Corvette. I assume you are talking about these two photos.
I have a Alpha 1 GTO so my hood hinge setup is custom and different from the one on a Blue Ray. I think the Blue Ray setup uses the same hinges but mounted to the radiator support.Merry Christmas to you too! -
Momo - here is another GTO listed on eBay. It has been listed a few times, probably because of the price but at least it has a V8.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/281516729679?_trksid=p2060778.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT
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Mono - I know nothing about it but an Alpha 1 GTO just turned up on eBay. http://www.ebay.com/itm/301441649272?_trksid=p2060778.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT
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You may not want to hear this but I used a 1984 and later Corvette bell housing with my T5 trans because I think it has a much better hydraulic slave cylinder setup than the Camaro offers.
The clutch is operated by a 7/8” bore Wilwood (Tilton) master cylinder through a braided stainless steel line to the stock Corvette slave cylinder. Works great, provides reasonable clutch pedal pedal pressure but is easy and smooth to operate.
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Wow!!! What a gorgeous color and boy does it look smoooooth!!!! Yeah, it takes many, many hours of sanding, guide coating, sanding, guide coating, sanding, etc. to get the panels to look like metal but it is really worth it in the end.
Please keep us updated as I can not wait to see the finished product.
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Thanks for the info Kclank. I'll have to check out the local high school and see what they offer.
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Thanks for the info Kclank. Darn, I thought maybe you had a local fabricator for the trim rings.
Yup, one of the neat things about cars is you get to do your own thing and express yourself. Like I said, I am not a big fan of the rear hatch, but to each their own. If you love your car when its done then that is great!
Take care.
Speed
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Hey Kclank,
Pretty engine and the car is looking good but sorry, I am not a big fan of the rear hatch.
Where did you get your headlamp trim rings?
Speed
250 GTO Owners Thread
in Body Kits & Paint
Posted
Thanks for the offer Peter and I may just take you up on it. I would have to ship the headlight covers to you ahead of time since the holes to hold them on are already drilled. We have time so I will let you know.