Scratch built GT40 finally running
Discussion
CR6ZZ said:
The MKIIs (427 cu in) were putting out about 465 hp in 1966 as I recall. The MK1s were in the range of 350 - 425 (or thereabouts) depending on engine specification.
Not bad going then!Edited by CR6ZZ on Friday 17th August 10:56
I see you've got an electric water pump - is there any reason to go for that an not just a crank driven one? And why carbs not injection - if you've got a EWP and presumably electronic ignition why not go the whole hog?
Although the carbs do look lovely, as does the bundle of snakes headers!
shalmaneser said:
I see you've got an electric water pump - is there any reason to go for that an not just a crank driven one?
Often done to avoid the intrusion into the cabin space. Plus with the long run between front and back can give better control over temperature. With a crank driven pump and depending on where the thermostat is located you can get some fairly extreme temperature variation in the cooling system. As a bonus as well can help to prevent heat soak after shutdown.
As Fastdruid says, there are number of advantages to having an EWP, not least of which for me (at 6'4") is the lack of protrusion into the cabin. Also, being primarily a road car it will need to cope with stop/start traffic quite a bit so cooling in those situations is better handled by an EWP, as is the head soak issue.
Yes, injection would be better if performance and economy were paramount, but the IDAs are more original, look great and add to the soundtrack.
Yes, injection would be better if performance and economy were paramount, but the IDAs are more original, look great and add to the soundtrack.
CR6ZZ said:
Yes, injection would be better if performance and economy were paramount, but the IDAs are more original, look great and add to the soundtrack.
As with any "replica" the amount of "true to original" is up to the builder, both in depth of pocket and in for want of a better word, caring. Some builders don't care as long as it looks roughly like a GT40, some go to extreme lengths to make it as absolutely original as possible. Everyone else falls somewhere in the middle between those two extremes.
You can of course have ITB's with individual stacks and EFI, I'm going that way with mine but then again mine is not going to be a patch on CR6ZZ's!
CR6ZZ said:
As Fastdruid says, there are number of advantages to having an EWP, not least of which for me (at 6'4") is the lack of protrusion into the cabin. Also, being primarily a road car it will need to cope with stop/start traffic quite a bit so cooling in those situations is better handled by an EWP, as is the head soak issue.
Yes, injection would be better if performance and economy were paramount, but the IDAs are more original, look great and add to the soundtrack.
<Pedant mode on> Except that Mk IIs (the OP's car) were fitted with the 427 block and either one (1966) or two (1967) 4bbl Holley carbs. I won't say they NEVER had Webber IDAs as some smart Alec will find a picture of one. Yes, injection would be better if performance and economy were paramount, but the IDAs are more original, look great and add to the soundtrack.
The MkIs and Mirage GT40s with the smaller block engines had Webbers.</pedant off>
I cannot take much credit. By my investigations and through talking to a lot of people who have a wealth of knowledge I have been able to track down a lot of period correct parts (such as the ZF transaxle, CAV ammeter, fuel pumps, Lucas 608 rear view mirror, etc., etc.), and also been able to determine what other cars/models other period parts were used on or modified from (e.g. door striker plates from Phase IV Vanguard, demister grille from MKIII Zephyr, handbrake from 105E Anglia, door latches from Rover 90, etc.). However, the vast majority of the research on actual construction was done by Dave Brown at Classic Car Developments. The monocoque, steering, pedal box, suspension components, and a list too long to post here, are all recreations cast or fabricated from Ford drawings.
The body was sourced from a guy in Massachusetts who used to work on the original racers back in the day (in fact the rear clip and my snorkels still had the dimples left by the rivets from the original car they were cast from).
As mentioned earlier, mine is neither a MKI nor a MKII, but an amalgam of both (i.e. MKI nose, MKII tail) simply because I like that look. Thus I was not confined to using a 289 or 302 or 427 with Holleys, but instead have opted for a 351 with Webers, a combination that was used at least once by one of the mirages, and in a couple of other cars that raced in South Africa.
It was never my intention to recreate any particular GT40, but apart from the EWP and aluminium heads, pretty much all the parts on this car are correct for some GT40 or other, at some stage of the production run of the original cars. Some people think I should have pursued a more faithful representation, but when I embarked on this journey 18 years ago, the aim was to build my imagining of my perfect GT40. Hopefully, sometime before the coming Christmas, I will have realised my dream.
The CCD lads have done other GT40s, one of which is an absolutely faithful copy. It is simply superb and has been awarded its Historic Technical Passport in the UK.
However, their bread and butter, so to speak, are Jags (SSKs, C-Types and D-Types).
The body was sourced from a guy in Massachusetts who used to work on the original racers back in the day (in fact the rear clip and my snorkels still had the dimples left by the rivets from the original car they were cast from).
As mentioned earlier, mine is neither a MKI nor a MKII, but an amalgam of both (i.e. MKI nose, MKII tail) simply because I like that look. Thus I was not confined to using a 289 or 302 or 427 with Holleys, but instead have opted for a 351 with Webers, a combination that was used at least once by one of the mirages, and in a couple of other cars that raced in South Africa.
It was never my intention to recreate any particular GT40, but apart from the EWP and aluminium heads, pretty much all the parts on this car are correct for some GT40 or other, at some stage of the production run of the original cars. Some people think I should have pursued a more faithful representation, but when I embarked on this journey 18 years ago, the aim was to build my imagining of my perfect GT40. Hopefully, sometime before the coming Christmas, I will have realised my dream.
The CCD lads have done other GT40s, one of which is an absolutely faithful copy. It is simply superb and has been awarded its Historic Technical Passport in the UK.
However, their bread and butter, so to speak, are Jags (SSKs, C-Types and D-Types).
CR6ZZ said:
As mentioned earlier, mine is neither a MKI nor a MKII, but an amalgam of both (i.e. MKI nose, MKII tail) simply because I like that look. Thus I was not confined to using a 289 or 302 or 427 with Holleys, but instead have opted for a 351 with Webers, a combination that was used at least once by one of the mirages, and in a couple of other cars that raced in South Africa.
With my pedant mode turned off, I prefer the MkII tail too. 
Good on you for building the car you want instead of yet another Gulf replica. As you say, The Mirages, and I think the Alan Mann "lightweight" Mk Is (running as Prototypes), used the 351 which they felt was a faster car than the 7 litre MkII.
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