Digital recreation of Ferrari California 250GT SWB

I am in the process of digitally recreating the entire frame, tub chassis and body of the 1961 Ferrari California. I have gathered lots of material online and from other various sources. This blog is my attempt to document the process and share information with others.

What I really need is some accurate chassis blueprints of the frame or at least the basic frame dimensions. We have been unable to find the height dimensions (side profile) of the main tubes. We are close but would love some exact dimensions if they exist somewhere. Any help will be appreciated and results shared on this thread as we progress.
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76.3mm oval and 55mm round is what we have from the drawings. That's basically 80mm since oval don't have any accurate tolerance references. It's confirming the dimensions for all the bends and distances that has been the problem. Gilco made the original 250GT frames in 1958 but the spacing is slightly different between mains and I have no idea what the actual heights are. Photos have gotten us close but not where we want to be.

There must be some accurate measurements floating around somewhere out there.

 

The key to any successful 3D model is starting with accurate measurements. These are the basic design dimensions that I first must confirm for the 1961 California SWB. There is no point in going further until I can be sure this is correct. If anyone has access to some of the original dimensions/drawing, I would be happy to provide you a copy of the digital versions when they are completed.
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Here is an update to the progress I have made with the 250GT frame. I now have all the factory original blueprints.

 

The 250TR has 80mm main tubes.

250GT and 330GTE/C use 3” tube squished oval to 55mm x 72mm as per the factory drawings which I have now.

 

Typo correction: the oval is 55mm x 92mm

 

My frame design is 100% accurate. I have a complete set of Ferrari factory blueprints for the frame.

 

I have the frame, traversa and other various structure parts. I also have a full wood buck for body panel shaping sourced from a original SWB Ferrari California when it was damaged and needed body reconstruction. I am only missing drawings for the support structure under the body that attaches to frames and door design info. I should be able to recreate most of it but if you know of any more factory accurate info, please let me know.

 

My DIY project is moving forward now that i have a very accurate buck for making the body panels. Will be 3D Scanning this over the next few months.
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Building a 250GT frame now. In process of figuring out how to turn 3" round tubing into 92mm x 55mm oval now. We ran some experiments and they went pretty well. We still need to improve the process but we are on the right track.


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As far as the drivetrain goes, I am hoping to use a V12 Columbo and matching transmission but not sure how/when I will find one. I probably will go to Italy and find them in a shop. Any similar sized engine could be used with the frame but I plan on trying my best to get the correct engine. The car will be a resto-mod with some tweaks to the drivetrain and other part to improve reliability.

 

Progress with theTelaio and Scocca portante
I have started to document the build process at DIY250GT.com for those interested in following along.


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