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250 GTO Owners Thread


Duke

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ok thanks. was thinking of a thinner wheel up front, but it is hard to find off the shelf wheels that have a 6-6.5" front matched with a 8-8.5" rear, even when staggered .

 

These Rotas were the only off the shelf wheels I found with the stock Z bolt pattern, back spacing and widths I was looking for. They also had a nice price.

Originally I was looking at custom rims from Boze. Nice, but expensive.

Edited by Fauxre
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These Rotas were the only off the shelf wheels I found with the stock Z bolt pattern, back spacing and widths I was looking for. They also had a nice price.

Originally I was looking at custom rims from Boze. Nice, but expensive.

 

I understand. I have a few more options, as I have 5x114.3 hubs for mine. I found a fair amount of wheels with 7" wide front and 9-9.5 inch wide rears. I also am looking at 16" fronts and 17" rears which opens a few more options. Just have to finigle the offsets.

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  • 2 weeks later...

If you plan on using a Thunder Ranch body kit, you'd better plan early and order it a good 2-3 months before you actually need the body panels. He doesn't just have any complete kits sitting around on the shelf, you're going to have to wait for him to lay one up in the molds.

 

 

It is worse then that. Thunder Ranch, under Tom McBurnie, did not deliver when promised, and kept giving me stories about the changes they are making without giving cred. to my issue., They were slow, almost reluctant, to correct when there were discrepancies with the as received vs. as ordered kit. They are going thru a complete reorganization with a company named Carrera Coachwerks. Records are misplaced, agreements and promises are negated. I have nothing but contempt for my business dealing with this company. I originally placed my order in May, 2012 with a promise, oft repeated, that they would deliver in tree weeks. I still have not received all my parts here in Oct. 2012. If not for the records i had kept and emails i kept i would never have received as much as i have. i expect no service after the sale since the new management knows next to nothing about the GTO and McBurnie is invisible, if he is even still with the company. SO buyer beware!!! To be fair i believe the new management is trying to make it right but it is not high on their "to-be-done" list and if Mcburnie is still around he is hard to get info from. Just my experience, so if others have done better then maybe i am an unusual case. I do hope Carrera Coachwerks is successful and responsive to the needs of the kit car community.

Edited by Kclank
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I understand. I have a few more options, as I have 5x114.3 hubs for mine. I found a fair amount of wheels with 7" wide front and 9-9.5 inch wide rears. I also am looking at 16" fronts and 17" rears which opens a few more options. Just have to finigle the offsets.

 

I forgot to ask. What offset did you use?

Edited by Kclank
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I forgot to ask. What offset did you use?

 

Back spacing for both wheels is 4.5 in. That makes the front offset -13mm and the back -19mm. This pic has all the dimensions and compares both wheels and tires.

 

post-4015-086831200 1349313072_thumb.jpg

 

 

And I used a 2" spacer on the rear and a 1" spacer up front. Needed the rear spacer to fill the fender well. I needed the front spacer only because the center cap would not snap on over the Datsun dust cap.

Edited by Fauxre
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Kclank -

 

Firstly, you look like my long lost twin! There must be something about GTO kits and grey beards.

 

Secondly, what are the panels in photo #12?

 

Thirdly, did those bonnet (hood) hinges in photo #8 come with the kit? I still need to get a set.

 

regards

 

BFO

 

1.I was separated from my 350 identical twins at birth so you being one of those is no surprise. Welcome back to the family.

 

2. Those panels came from Thunder Ranch and are supposedly the 1/4 window close out panels. I have a photo from Thunder Ranch showing the placement (http://s24.photobuck...-DSCN2616-1.jpg)

 

3. Those hinges also came from Thunder Ranch as part of the original kit.

Edited by Kclank
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I have posted the latest photo of my GTO in the photo album. It's there just to make everyone else feel good.

 

http://album.hybridz...php?photo=11545

 

I haven't really been that slack, I've put together a 100+ page project manual showing all the proposed work. I have now got an 'in principle' agreement from an authorising engineer that the car can be registered when the work is finished - 250GTO kit, Gen 111 (LSX), T56, r230 & Arizona Z brakes. The project manual is actually 22 MS Word files and includes numerous photos and task description from Hybrid Z, but all set out in an easy-to-read printable format.

 

If any GTO folk are interested I can e-mail the files - just let me know an e-mail address. You can print a copy and watch your friends start to salivate!

 

 

Hey Brother do you still have a copy of your manual? If so I would like. I realize it is an old post. pm me

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It was not a 'how to' manual but rather something I put together to show the authorities what I was proposing to do so I knew I could get it registered when it was finished - I thought that would be 3 years but that was nearly 7 years ago! The registration requirements down here are very tough - think California and then multiply by 2.

 

If you send me a private message with your e-mail I'll send some sample files and you can see if they are of interest.

Edited by Boy from Oz
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  • 2 months later...
  • 2 weeks later...

I attended the Goodwood Revival last month where there was a special event to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the 250 GTO.

 

There was also a special tribute to Dan Gurney.

I watched it on theSpeed  channel.  It's too bad they didn't cover the GTO race, or even the Cobra race, which would seem more appealing to Americans.

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Hey all:

Been a while since I've been on the boards, computer crashed, can't remember passwords, life gets in the way, etc.  I'm starting to buy up some parts for the spring rejuvenation of my 240.  Here's the deal: I've never been comfortable telling people it's a Ferrrari when they ask, ( took the Ferrari badges off almost as soon as I put them on.)and the only person I think I ever fooled was a blonde gal. (Nothing personal, Chelle... lol) Besides, nobody who knows cars believes they are seeing a 15 million dollar car in the Wal-Mart parking lot.

What I'm thinking of doing is putting a stock 240z front clip back on, leaving the wide-body rear and doors, painting it Matte Silk Black, slamming it down to the ground and messing around with a huge tail fin, something like a RWB Porsche. Does anyone have pics of their build with the stock Z front clip and the 250 rear clip attached? I don't have the original parts so I'm going to have to buy a donor car and don't want to spend the money on it if someone else has already done this and knows if it will work or just look goofy.... maybe some front fenders from Subtle Z?

Thanks

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Hey all:

Been a while since I've been on the boards, computer crashed, can't remember passwords, life gets in the way, etc.  I'm starting to buy up some parts for the spring rejuvenation of my 240.  Here's the deal: I've never been comfortable telling people it's a Ferrrari when they ask, ( took the Ferrari badges off almost as soon as I put them on.)and the only person I think I ever fooled was a blonde gal. (Nothing personal, Chelle... lol) Besides, nobody who knows cars believes they are seeing a 15 million dollar car in the Wal-Mart parking lot.

What I'm thinking of doing is putting a stock 240z front clip back on, leaving the wide-body rear and doors, painting it Matte Silk Black, slamming it down to the ground and messing around with a huge tail fin, something like a RWB Porsche. Does anyone have pics of their build with the stock Z front clip and the 250 rear clip attached? I don't have the original parts so I'm going to have to buy a donor car and don't want to spend the money on it if someone else has already done this and knows if it will work or just look goofy.... maybe some front fenders from Subtle Z?

Thanks

 

Zwolf has the original looking front end and a wide rear, although not the GTO rear.  http://www.cardomain.com/ride/3805308/1970-datsun-240z/

 

post-4015-0-68887600-1356972352_thumb.jpg

 

Or you might consider Coyotegary's approach, using the GTO rear with a Cobra front clip.

post-4015-0-36131900-1356972351_thumb.jpgpost-4015-0-07773100-1356972350_thumb.jpg

 

Of course finding a Tomahawk Z front end is near impossible. :(

 

Both are stunning IMO.

Edited by Fauxre
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Need a source for headlight cover metal trim rings (Alpha GTO replica).

I thought ThunderRanch had them but here is how I made them. Any sheetmetal fabrication shop should be able to made them for you. You need the lexan covers to use as a template.

 

1 Curve the sheet (I used aluminium) (edit). 1.0mm thickness.

2 Use the headlight cover to mark the centreline.

3 Use a swage tool to create the dome form

4 Mark out the securing tab locations.

5 Cut out.

6.Carefully trim

post-1266-0-51512300-1357095565_thumb.jpg

post-1266-0-29287700-1357095577_thumb.jpg

post-1266-0-60056900-1357095589_thumb.jpg

post-1266-0-61788400-1357095601_thumb.jpg

post-1266-0-69497800-1357095613_thumb.jpg

post-1266-0-33574200-1357095629_thumb.jpg

post-1266-0-56678600-1357095641_thumb.jpg

Edited by Boy from Oz
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