250 GTO Owners Thread

[mclark999]

Rod - I'm on the East Coast but unfortunately a different continent! Thank you for posting the pages from the article they will be most helpfull when I start on the bodywork next year.

 

Just a little bit of encouragement for those still building their kits - Mine has just been taken off the rotisserie after nearly two and a half years, with the project now getting close to five years in total. Like most others I have other commitments and I treat this very much as a hobby. I enjoy each little milestone without worrying about when it will be on the road.

 

 

Are you making a custom intake manifold? I've never seen this one before.

[Con Brio]

When I see how beautiful your car is, kind of makes me wish I'd done a coupe instead of the spyder. I have to say yours looks even better than the black one in Vanilla Sky.

mclark999,

Thanks for the compliment.

I went back and forth with the coupe vs spyder debate as well.

Bought a Vela Rossa from AZ, before getting the coupe, but due to transportation issues (a story best told over beers) was forced to sell it before I could even get it home.

A coupe will just have to be your next project.

The one from 'Vanilla Sky' is actually dark blue, but it does look black in the movie.

Edited November 25, 2010 by Con Brio

[ol fiat]

This is a great looking car Mr. Brio. Thanks for sharing.

 

I do like it in black it shows the lines of the body really well.

[Con Brio]

Haha...yeah, the black looks great.

But it's so true what they say, "It's a HUGH PIA to keep clean"

And the tobacco interior will only look new the day it was. Wears/soils very quickly.

Good thing I enjoy washing my car.

Helps that I keep it in the garage during the winter too

Other than that it is NOT a trailer queen. Was purpose built to be driven.

[ol fiat]

Haha...yeah, the black looks great.

But it's so true what they say, "It's a HUGH PIA to keep clean"

And the tobacco interior will only look new the day it was. Wears/soils very quickly.

Good thing I enjoy washing my car.

Helps that I keep it in the garage during the winter too

Other than that it is NOT a trailer queen. Was purpose built to be driven.

 

I agree, I've got a black truck, and it is a PIA. Looks super when cleaned, only great when it's not.

[Con Brio]

Had a chance to put my car in her very first show and shine when I was back home. It was a charity event collecting donations for the food bank. And although I didn't take home any awards I did receive loads of very positive comments The weather was not co-operating but I still had fun. The most frustrating thing was people commenting on the silliest little things i.e. Wow!! Real knock off wheels. That was the easy part, just opened my wallet and "Viola". All comments were nice but no one ever said anything about all the modifications that I spent hours and hours fabricating and customizing

Edited December 14, 2010 by Con Brio

[mclark999]

If you want a V12 for your car, here's the deal of the day at ebay. BMW V12 for $650. Just like Chelle has.

 

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/BMW-V12-Engine-M70-B50-Motor-750iL-750-850-E31-m70-_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQhashZitem483dfa83a4QQitemZ310277473188QQptZMotorsQ5fCarQ5fTruckQ5fPartsQ5fAccessories

[Con Brio]

And if you're looking for a more original weber carb look add these throttle bodies.

They're manufactured by ENGL Production.

Edited December 15, 2010 by Con Brio

[mclark999]

And if you're looking for a more original weber carb look add these throttle bodies.

They're manufactured by ENGL Production.

 

 

Sweet!

 

Thought about putting this efi on my V8 to make it look more proper, but at $6000, maybe not.

[chelle]

And if you're looking for a more original weber carb look add these throttle bodies.

They're manufactured by ENGL Production.

 

Wow, good timing for me to start peeking in here again looking at people's progress

 

that does look good, though i think i still like Henry's setup more becasue the ITBs are verticle and closer together so they look more like the 2bbl webers from a real 6 carb V12.. definitely kewl though..

 

Con Brio, your car's looking wonderful! hope i get to see it IRL someday

 

I haven't done much this year other than drive and enjoy ours.. i did upload some of the video from the filming at the Ferris Bueller's day off house video shoot if anyone wanted to get a better look/listen to the car.. i suck at filming and video editing, but i did upload it high enough resolution that you can watch all the way up to 1080p HD.

 

video here:

 

i hope to cut into the car this winter and really make a lot of changes.. haven't finalized much yet though as i'm trying to decide how crazy i want to get or how crazy i can afford to get .. i made a aluminum trunk lid, and am thinking the fiberglass trunk hing panel will be changed, and a more correct looking back window fabricated.. either way a lot will change on the car this winter..

 

Nice to see everyone is still working hard on their cars!!

[BRAAP]

You let the Today show put a shoe on you car!

 

Never the less, very cool.

 

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JRBgoIIhfJM&feature=related

[chelle]

You let the Today show put a shoe on you car!

 

Never the less, very cool.

 

 

 

lol, yupp, but he didn't really push it with his foot.. i was at the back pulling it out from under his foot.. it was worth it

 

see? here's the pic pulled back

[Boy from Oz]

'chelle' – good to hear from you again. I’m particularly interested in the body work you are proposing as I have just about finished the mechanicals on mine and I’m planning in earnest the body work.

 

There appears to be two fundamental differences between the kit and the real thing; firstly, the longer wheelbase on the Ferrari (which you have addressed) and secondly, the higher waist line on the S30. Regarding the second issue I am proposing to lower both the window sill of the door and the rear ‘hips’. The door I intend to do by removing a 50mm section from the thickest area of the door below the window - by removing in this area I should not have any thickness variation when I butt the two remaining section back together. I’m still unsure how the ‘rear view mirror’ section will pan out.

 

As far as the hips are concerned I am going to follow Gary’s idea of cutting up the rear panel and sitting it lower. This will probably mean scalloping out the wheel arch edge a bit.

 

Any thought – from anyone?

Edited December 23, 2010 by Boy from Oz

[Boy from Oz]

More. If you download these two images of ol fiat's car to your computer and open them is separate windows you will see what I'm trying to achieve by toggling between the two images (windows).

[chelle]

More. If you download these two images of ol fiat's car to your computer and open them is separate windows you will see what I'm trying to achieve by toggling between the two images (windows).

 

I agree completely about the doors.. I do want to replace them too. Some of my changes are going to require redoing the paint anyway, so I'm not too worried about the paint. My preference is to toss the doors completely and make new ones from aluminum. This will accomplish so many things.

1, I can save weight

2, Aluminum doors skinned in aluminum will look a lot better, sound and feel better when closing, and no potential moisture trap causing rust. When you look in the door gaps you'll just see the thin edge of a metal door rather than the thick edge of a glass skin glued to the Z's steel door.

3, an new aluminum door will allow all the dimensions to be brought more in line with how the GTO's are supposed to look. I can use a smaller door, extend the back of the front fender back, raise the door sill, and change the angle of the opening at the rear.

I attached two profile pics, one with a grid superimposed on it and one without the grid to show the side by side comparasin of our red GTO replica with the extended wheelbase shown above an original GTO being restored with the door removed.. The stock GTO door is smaller in all directions, which actually makes our lives easier.. we don't have to cut into the rocker or door jamb, we "just" have to add material to fill in the gaps if a more correct door is made

I hope that helps anyone trying to come up with a way to make changes (assuming you want to - stock wheelbase is still a darn attractive car in my mind)

I honestly think the rise of the rear fender is pretty accurate and with a smaller door opening you could correct the angle of the back esge of the glass frame and extend the curve of the rear fender forward enough to make the hips line up with a new more correct door .. i'll do another pic so show what i mean

 

Other differences the rear wheel openings are bigger on the original too and the windshield wraps around more.. oh, and the fenders curve down quicker at the front.. and the ScorpionZ guy's rear spoiler is a lot more accurate than most of the others

Chelle

[chelle]

this would prolly be easier to see if i was better with photoshop.. i took the profile pic of our red car and pasted part of the area surrounding the door over it at 65% opacity.. so if you look close you can see the doorseam through the image over the top of it..

 

hopefully this is easier to understand than my description lol

Chelle

[Boy from Oz]

Chelle - Do you have the ScorpionZ rear, which as you say is more accurate?

 

This image indicates the hips on an Alpha rear really do need lowering.

[chelle]

Chelle - Do you have the ScorpionZ rear, which as you say is more accurate?

 

This image indicates the hips on an Alpha rear really do need lowering.

 

Nope, i have the Alpha rear.. I don't know if they still sell the ScorpionZ taillight panel/spoiler seperately, but i know he did for a while. I'm already planning on getting rid of the fiberglass trunk crossbar, but if I redo the rear spoiler i'll just bite the bullet and do it in aluminum.. I'm really on the fence thought because the car already works.. if i redo the rear fenders and spoiler I'll be tempted to just start completely over again.. My preference is to do the doors, trunk, and a front 2/3 tube chassis on this car but keep this engine, trans, nose, etc and use my other engine/transaxle for a completely new GTO from the ground up.

 

really torn, I want this car to be better, but i think for perfect I want that to be on the next car, which is gonna cost exponentially more

[Boy from Oz]

Chelle - good luck with your dilemma.

 

I have a less complex issue that someone may be able to assist. I have installed the headlights (early Mini with the small rim) and I have made the covers and the cover trims but I can't find the 'Ferrari' way the cover trims are attached. Here is a photo of the brackets for sale for a 246 Ferrari, they would be easy to make but I cant quite figure out how they work - anyone know?

[chelle]

Chelle - good luck with your dilemma.

 

I have a less complex issue that someone may be able to assist. I have installed the headlights (early Mini with the small rim) and I have made the covers and the cover trims but I can't find the 'Ferrari' way the cover trims are attached. Here is a photo of the brackets for sale for a 246 Ferrari, they would be easy to make but I cant quite figure out how they work - anyone know?

 

the way GTO's attached the covers was not with brackets at all. The GTO's had tabs that were part of the front sheetmetal. For us this creates a dilemma .. do you attach tabs to the glass somehow or use brackets? I considered using a dremel too and cutting slots in the fiberglass inserting a metal strip like 3/4" wide all the way through and glassing it in from the backside so it couldn't move to make it more accurate, but after seeing some original GTO's that had had the tabs cut off retrofitted to them when owners went back to using covers.

I'll post some pics of original gto's with covers on an off to show you.. and then another post to show what I did..