Zerrari GTO

Not much "outsourcing" going on at Ferrari!

What kind of powdercoating do you do?

Boy from OZ- click on the link I put in my previous post; the steel rails running front to back with the blue tape on them are sub-frame connectors. They are straight from Pete's plans...thanks Pete!

I concentrated on the sub-frame connectors and removing and replacing any rotten floor and body panels while my car was on the rotisserie. After I was finished I painted the bottom with Rust Encapsulator and then coated with bed-liner. I built the rotisserie in a couple of days and it really, really made things easy. I would strongly recommend using one. http://forums.hybridz.org/showthread.php?t=104151

Is there a picture of your car there? I was kind of stuck on the girl in the bikini (I've never seen ol' glory look so good!) Oh yea, there it is. Looks great! What kind of hood locks did you use on the top? They might be an option for my Velo Rossa tilt front. Please post a close up of one if you can (girl & the hood lock).

Don't loose sight of what you are trying to do. $34.99 for a ready made cradle or... $700+ welder, ?$ steel, $20 casters, $$time. I've got a great Miller welder but for $34.99 I won't waste my time making one.

Does anybody have suggestions on an end for the internal fuel pick-up line in the gas tank? I would like to have some type of screened end fitting to block any large debris from getting sucked into the tube. It was mentioned to me that you could use one of those filter socks (made of fine mesh fabric material and are often used over the pick-up line of airless paint sprayers). Because these are made of such a fine material I am concerned that the sock itself could be drawn into the tube. I'm not so sure how durable one of these would be either. Thanks.

Here's one from Northern Tools for $34.99: http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_6970_406688_406688 This is probably the way I will go.

Dale yours looks like a female; maybe lots of little hairy babies on the way! Congratulations!!!

Thanks, I just wanted to be sure.

I am using a 1990 RX7 fuel tank on my Z so that I can run a Ferrari style dual exhaust (comes with dual heat sheilds for the mufflers). I've made all the mounts, straps, etc. for the tank and have fabbed a custom mount for my 280Z fuel sending unit. This sending unit mount also incorporates the fuel pick-up line. I've got a 3/8" elbow coming out of the tank and now need to make the internal pick-up line in the tank. Can I use regular rubber fuel line for this or should I use metal? Is there any problem with using brass fittings inside of the tank? Thanks for any help.

Dan's right. Ground clearance becomes a big issue with this kit; sectioning the strut tubes really brings the car down. I used Pete Paraska's plan for modifying the front differential crossmember to have provisions for dual exhaust (used his plans for subframe connectors also). Oil pan from a corvette, etc, etc, etc.

Hi Phrozin, I was bitten by the Velo Rossa bug a couple of years ago. I have completed all the structural modifications and am ready to install the body (I have some of the body components now and will have the rest shipped asap). Here is what I have learned. 1). You don't have to reinforce the window frame but some builders have driven a steel rod through the pillar and welded it in for added strength. 2). The latches for the convertible top are bolt on. John Washington did not origionally make the car with a rag top so everything is retrofit. I took a ride in Steve Graber's car before commiting to this project and his was the first Velo Rossa to have the conv. top added. It looked and worked OK but I am still considering other options for a top. 3). I don't know about the lug pattern; I'm going with wire knock-offs (probably from Dayton). 4). The body kit alone is a major undertaking (sub-frame connectors, new fuel tank for dual exhausts, added bracing just to name a few things) so I wanted the engine swap to be as easy and straight forward as possible. Went the SBC route due to all of the information available. 5). The later model Z's were stiffer and had more reinforcement. Since you will be cutting the top off of the car I went with a 78 280Z (usually less expensive than a good 240Z too). 6). Often the reason for using the front bonnet from a company other than Reaction Research is to have a hood set-up like the origional GTO rather than the tilt front on the Velo Rossa. I like the tilt front for accessability to the engine and since Enzo never made a convertible GTO, origionality is not big factor. Good luck with everything! Keep us posted on your progress.

010/020 refers to high nickle content in the block casting (makes for a stronger block). The 010 or 020 is stamped on the block in the timing chain area (I think) if it is indeed a high nickle casting.

Quote from Lason: L98 heads are good heads but there are more than one story about box stock vortec's outflowing them and making more power. Heres a story with flow numbers http://www.chevyhiperformance.com/techarticles/41598/index4.html No doubt the vortec's flow better but you should be able to achieve 275-325hp with the inexpensive and lightweight L98 heads. I'm a firm believer in using as much aluminium as possible on a V8 when doing a swap into a Z. You can also pick up an aluminum intake that will fit this combination for around $50 if you look around. Good luck with whatever you choose!

Weight. Pick up a pair of L98 aluminum heads. You can get a good rebuilt set for $500. It looks like that engine has flat tops so should be around 10.4:1. For this build they would be great.

I went on a business trip this week and picked up the April edition of Hot Rod for something to read on the plane. I hid the magazine until I was seated so as to avoid the stares a 43 year old man gets when seen reading a rag like this. Here is a summary of the first article in the series on paint and body work. -If you're going to do this you need a lot of patience -You can either strip to the bare metal or paint over good origional paint. -The hardest part is the prep work- you need a lot of patience. -Boy, you need a lot of patience. -Please buy lots of stuff from Goodmark Industries.

I got a couple if you need- let me know.

I have the Miller 175 and can't say enough about it. When I bought it I was doing a lot of commercial sculpture and artwork and it performed incredibly (never ever a problem). It has done equally well for subframe connectors and floor pans!

Sweet! I can't believe there isn't a Z based kit for that car. I thought it was a drop top Z with a G nose at first. Hmmmmmm.

I heard on the news this morning that GM was discontinuing the GTO. I'm sorry to see it go but not surprised. It was expensive compared to it's main rival- the Mustang and the styling wasn't that great. It looked like a hopped up two door Grand Prix to me. If I was going to spend about 40K for an optioned out GTO I would want something a bit more distinctive. Too bad...I hate to see a good source for LS series engines go!

Here is a 15 lb 153 tooth that is usually on ebay for around $83.00 http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/New-Steel-Light-Flywheel-Chevy-153-tooth_W0QQitemZ8039216192QQcategoryZ33732QQssPageNameZWD6VQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Cool. Glad they went to a good home- on a fast car!

Thank you sir. I've got a whizwheel and the vocabulary of a truck driver so I guess I'm ready to start.