ZZZeee Posted May 4, 2009 Share Posted May 4, 2009 Stagger... May I suggest you put a little time and money into your GTO before you sell it? Most people just want something in really nice condition with no "problems" and in very decent "cosmetic" condition. They'll pay top dollar for it because they either can't or don't want to do the work themselves. They want it the "easy way". If you doubt my words just ask blueovalz here on the HZ forum. He ran into the same issue with his absolutely gorgeous one-of-a-kind V8 conversion when he tried to sell it without the drive train. BTW, this goes for just about anything else you may want to sell. I dealt on fleaBay for a long time and I have a pretty good understanding of how people think. I can guarantee that a little know-how, some time, and a bit of elbow grease will net you much bigger rewards than just "letting it go". People will pay big money for "nearly perfect" but shy away from "pretty good". The only people buying "pretty good" are those looking to make a profit by buying your "pretty good" item and making it "nearly perfect". Again... it's just a suggestion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chelle Posted June 6, 2009 Share Posted June 6, 2009 been a while since I peeked in, we had a fun thing happen yesterday our car was on a NBC segment shown on both the Today show and Countdown. Just thought some of you might get a kick out of seeing it. Today show here: http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/26184891/#31121265 Countdown here: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3036677/vp/31132888#31132888 and as proof it's our car, when he pushes it here's a pic from another angle showing me pulling it back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Juday Posted June 6, 2009 Share Posted June 6, 2009 AAAHHHHHHH!!!!!! You let him put his shoe on your GTO!!!!!!??????? :icon52: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chelle Posted June 7, 2009 Share Posted June 7, 2009 lol, yeah, well they were really careful about it, wiped his feet several times, and he wasn't really pushing hard, was more like I pulled it out from under his foot an if it got scratched, well, it would be an excuse to redo a few things and repaint it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pparaska Posted June 8, 2009 Share Posted June 8, 2009 Very Cool, Chelle! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Filmjay Posted June 8, 2009 Share Posted June 8, 2009 That is very cool. Did you get any pics of just your car in the Ferris Bueller garage? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chelle Posted June 8, 2009 Share Posted June 8, 2009 Thanks guys, and yes, I'm sure some of the pics have just the car, I wish I had thought to get video of the car pulling out of the garage too Will post some as soon as I get a chance Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
35 Dodge Hot Rod Posted June 12, 2009 Share Posted June 12, 2009 I am a newcomer to posting on this forum, although I have looked at the postings for quite some time. My experience in cars is that of 1930's bodied hot rods and a bit of "muscle cars" thanks to my friends. I've had a 1970 240Z for a few years now, and finally I got my act together. First off, I removed the original motor and transmission. Next, I ordered the GTO body kit from Thunder Ranch. Basically my goal for this car is to make a nice streetable 11 second V-8 powered machine. The motor will be a bored and stroked Ford 302 with aluminum heads to better equalize weight distribution front to rear. With a 500 - 600 HP & Torque output, the transmission choice will be a TKO 600 5 speed. Carburetor(s) or fuel injection is trivial at this point. I don't much fancy the wire rims, and since this isn't an original car I'm going to go with a set of FFR Halibrand replica wheels. 15x8 front 15x9 rear 5 x 4.5" bolt pattern Thanks to my muscle car friends, I know it's not only possible, but easy to slightly reinforce a unibody structure to accommodate this amount of torque. What has me worried though is flexing of a hard launching unibody car with this bonded on fiberglass body kit. I plan to own this car until the day I die, and that could be decades, so obviously I only want to do the work one time. Conversely, the cost of upgrading the front suspension and brakes to 5 lug Ford bolt pattern is that or more than the cost of a complete aftermarket IFS commonly used on a hot rod. Since the R180 differential will not meet the needs of my project, what to do there too? I've read all about the R200 swap, and quite frankly I don't believe it's worth it. We're talking a ring and pinion gear only 20 mm larger - that's 7.87" vs 7.08". I've destroyed a 7.5" solid rear axle in my everyday driver with a 140 HP V-6 and street tires. An extreme case no doubt, but not something I wish to repeat in any vehicle. It was the ring and pinion that got shredded, my 28 spline axles remained intact. Through infrequently on this forum, there are people who have back halved their Z car with success. Yes I know the picture is of a Camaro and a three link, but it illustrates my idea. I may be a heretic for considering a solid rear axle, but with a 4 link setup and coilovers there is no reason ride quality has to be compromised. But now this project is getting costly. If I'm going to go to the trouble of welding in mounts for a solid rear axle, obviously subframe connectors will have to be made and welded in to stiffen the "chassis". What now? Continue the madness forward and get rid of the datsun front suspension with an aftermarket IFS? Or spend just as much money to keep the Datsun based front suspension but upgrade it? Where is this line drawn? But since my wheel offset is not something I can not change, perhaps I'm doomed to custom IFS. A cage or simple rollbar has not even been discussed at this point, but obviously either would help to stiffen the structure. What about a complete frame? Somebody was crazy enough (though in a good way) to have Art Morrison build them a custom chassis for their Datsun Z. I would like input from anyone who has similar thoughts and questions. Also, if anyone happens to have some quarter mile times they would be willing to share? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chelle Posted June 26, 2009 Share Posted June 26, 2009 Welcome "Hot Rod" I'm sorry it's take a while for anyone to reply, I guess with the warmer weather people are out using the cars or working on them. Sounds like you have a great start there with a 240. The Thunder Ranch body is a great choice as well in my opinion. Another advantage for your choice of wheels is weight. I do think the wires look right on these cars but wish I had an alloy wheel I could use for track events that would still look appropriate. I may go with some BBS centerlock wheels. A friend has a connection there and managed to get centers for the modular ones that look nice and are very strong. Perhaps some of the reproductions of the old magnesium wheels used on the P4 I know of a shop that makes those in whatever size you could want, but they are very pricey. We have 15x7 on the front and 15x8 rear on the red car right now, but Kim's white one has 15x10 and they fill out the rear wheelwells much better. Both have 275 rear tires I thought about doing a full tube chassis and if I don't do it to this car I will on the next one. With decent reinforcement of the existing chassis there's no need to fear the body working loose if the right amount of prep work is done beforehand and you use the pricey epoxy resins and bonding agents. I prefer the West Systems solutions. The biggest issue after choosing the right bonding is surface prep and sealing off the edges so moisture cannot wick into the seams. My desire to do a tube chassis have less to to with body panels staying on than they do with safety. The co-owner is a VERY competitive driver and when she has been pushing it hard she scares me.. makes me think I need it to be a lot stronger. I was going to do one of the mustang II style crossmembers and am still on the fence about it. The strut setup from ArizonaZ on a tube front end would give me more room around the front of the engine (Keep in mind I have an extended wheelbase car with a V12), but the street rod IFS setups are reasonably priced and open up a lot of options. At the rear I am happy with the R200 and have a lot of power, but since you came from street rodding I can understand why you might want a live axle. I remember back in the mid to late 80's Hot Rod magazine (think it was them) had a z car project car and I believe they put a 9" rear under it. Personally I prefer IRS over a live axle, but we do more road course than straight line. There are other options for the differential you could use and keep it IRS. I'm near the illinois/wisconsin line (Gurnee) and you are welcome to see our car sometime. We haven't taken it to a 1/4 mile track but I had a built up chevelle with a roller big block that ran 11.17 at 129mph and I feel pretty confident the GTO could stay with it. Of course the GTO is only 2200lbs and has a better f/r weight distribution.. talk anytime, and again, sorry for the slow reply. Filmjay, here's those pics from the Ferris house I promised If anyone wants any high res I have them.. and will work on piecing together some video Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
razor Posted June 29, 2009 Share Posted June 29, 2009 Dear lord what fun, I love the pics I can only imagine this is something you are going to remember for a long time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mclark999 Posted July 2, 2009 Share Posted July 2, 2009 I am a newcomer to posting on this forum, although I have looked at the postings for quite some time. My experience in cars is that of 1930's bodied hot rods and a bit of "muscle cars" thanks to my friends. I've had a 1970 240Z for a few years now, and finally I got my act together. First off, I removed the original motor and transmission. Next, I ordered the GTO body kit from Thunder Ranch. Basically my goal for this car is to make a nice streetable 11 second V-8 powered machine. The motor will be a bored and stroked Ford 302 with aluminum heads to better equalize weight distribution front to rear. With a 500 - 600 HP & Torque output, the transmission choice will be a TKO 600 5 speed. Carburetor(s) or fuel injection is trivial at this point. I don't much fancy the wire rims, and since this isn't an original car Thanks to my muscle car friends, I know it's not only possible, but easy to slightly reinforce a unibody structure to accommodate this amount of torque. What has me worried though is flexing of a hard launching unibody car with this bonded on fiberglass body kit. I plan to own this car until the day I die, and that could be decades, so obviously I only want to do the work one time. Conversely, the cost of upgrading the front suspension and brakes to 5 lug Ford bolt pattern is that or more than the cost of a complete aftermarket IFS commonly used on a hot rod. Since the R180 differential will not meet the needs of my project, what to do there too? I've read all about the R200 swap, and quite frankly I don't believe it's worth it. We're talking a ring and pinion gear only 20 mm larger - that's 7.87" vs 7.08". I've destroyed a 7.5" solid rear axle in my everyday driver with a 140 HP V-6 and street tires. An extreme case no doubt, but not something I wish to repeat in any vehicle. It was the ring and pinion that got shredded, my 28 spline axles remained intact. Through infrequently on this forum, there are people who have back halved their Z car with success. Yes I know the picture is of a Camaro and a three link, but it illustrates my idea. I may be a heretic for considering a solid rear axle, but with a 4 link setup and coilovers there is no reason ride quality has to be compromised. But now this project is getting costly. If I'm going to go to the trouble of welding in mounts for a solid rear axle, obviously subframe connectors will have to be made and welded in to stiffen the "chassis". What now? Continue the madness forward and get rid of the datsun front suspension with an aftermarket IFS? Or spend just as much money to keep the Datsun based front suspension but upgrade it? Where is this line drawn? But since my wheel offset is not something I can not change, perhaps I'm doomed to custom IFS. A cage or simple rollbar has not even been discussed at this point, but obviously either would help to stiffen the structure. What about a complete frame? Somebody was crazy enough (though in a good way) to have Art Morrison build them a custom chassis for their Datsun Z. I would like input from anyone who has similar thoughts and questions. Also, if anyone happens to have some quarter mile times they would be willing to share? Thanks for the post - got me to thinking about suspension. I know Factory Five offers 3 link, 4 link, and IRS for their Cobras. I found this article from hot rod pretty interesting: http://www.popularhotrodding.com/tech/0604_rear_suspension_guide/pictures_diagrams.html Sounds like you are into 1/4 mile racing. GTO is an interesting car for that. I'll be doing mostly road courses so will stick with the R200 and coilovers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zerrari GTO Posted July 3, 2009 Share Posted July 3, 2009 I hope whoever completes it does a good job: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=280365800069&viewitem=&sspagename=STRK%3AMESELX%3AIT ...think I'll go throw-up now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chelle Posted July 3, 2009 Share Posted July 3, 2009 I hope whoever completes it does a good job: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=280365800069&viewitem=&sspagename=STRK%3AMESELX%3AIT ...think I'll go throw-up now. sorry Zerrari you've given someone a very nice start.. I'm "lucky" in that there's no one for me to spend my paycheck on but me.. in the end you have a family, I have some toys... IMHO you win best of luck to you, Chelle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Con Brio Posted July 5, 2009 Share Posted July 5, 2009 Zerrari.. One of the sadest ebay listings I've come across. Best of luck to you and your loved ones. Mark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zerrari GTO Posted July 6, 2009 Share Posted July 6, 2009 My listing was shut down because Ferrari S.p.A filed a complaint. I wonder if this is a sign! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chelle Posted July 6, 2009 Share Posted July 6, 2009 (edited) lol... I was kinda surprised you didn't list it as Ferr@ri or something similar like most of the others that get listed.. but hey if a letter from FNA's pet lawyer gets you to keep it and just put it on hold till you have the time or whatever you need to finish it then kewl Edited July 7, 2009 by chelle fixed typo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomoHawk Posted July 7, 2009 Share Posted July 7, 2009 Yeah, maybe it's their way of hinting to you that you need to hold on to it a little longer and do a few more special things to it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
treadstone71 Posted July 14, 2009 Share Posted July 14, 2009 Hi, everybody. I'm following this 250 GTO thread with interest as I would very much like to build a 250 replica when funds become available. I have a few questions I hope you all can help me with that I haven't found answers to in the thread so far. 1) I have seen a few 240Z cars for sale between $4-6000. Would those cars, if free of rust and accident damage, be good starting points? 2) Will I be able to use a Chevy LS1 engine? I'm very familiar with the LS engines and would love to be able to power my replica with one. I don't want to build anything fancy, just an everyday cruiser that looks sharp and has the performance to go with it. In fact, I would like a Z that's in super running shape as I may wait some time to update the powertrain and suspension, so paying more for a good car isn't an issue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Juday Posted July 14, 2009 Share Posted July 14, 2009 Answers: 1) Yes. 2) Yes. "...paying more for a good car isn't an issue." Then you are already off to a better start than most guys (and gals). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
treadstone71 Posted July 14, 2009 Share Posted July 14, 2009 Answers:1) Yes. 2) Yes. "...paying more for a good car isn't an issue." Then you are already off to a better start than most guys (and gals). Thank you! I'm looking forward to following the thread further. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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