Wow! I didn't read the whole thread, so how does the power/weight compare? Which engine did you use?
Give us a hint, wax. Girls, that is an awesome car! Hard to even consider it a replica with all you've put into it. I'd love to hear it fire up!
Chelle can better explain, but I believe it is a Merc V12. I think the power/weight is better than the original and it will outdo the original. Some things will be different in the interior like e.g. the seats.
Been a long time, but doing so many things here, so close to having the garage done too. My dad and I built everything up, got all the new tools and goodies in it...got the tile set on the floor and finished the grout work this week, and now putting in 250/20 outlets to run the heaters, then painting the concrete trim at the base and it will be ready for the GTO when it comes home. It has been away for a while getting some of the engine parts done like the clutch, flywheel and other little nitpicky things. Found out the fram/chassis of the donor z is pretty much perfect after it was put on the laser-alignment rack, nice and straight. We redid one engine mount, and had it realigned to make sure the engine was good and level once it is placed for good and also to have the driveshaft made. Had to make room under the floorpan of the car for the new 6 speed. And had to cut out some metal from the other side of the floorpan where the seats attach because I even had a hard time getting under the steering wheel because the racing seats sat up a bit higher than the original seats. The rollbar was re-attached with bolts and welding, and also welded in the plates for the 5 point harnesses. Also got ahold of the programable ECU (TEC 3R) that will be running this crazy monster...When and if it ever gets done, it is going to be a little screamer...but that is IF....it ever gets done The shop we brought it to makes race cars for dragracing strips...the saltflats and everything inbetween...they are slow, but are good at what they do. Figured it would be better to get it right the first time rather than have it fall apart on the road. I am still a bit miffed that I missed an ENTIRE STINKIN year of playing in the car, maybe I will hget over it this spring when....if...it it is ready to roll. I think Chelle may have a few pics of it, but not sure...I will thump her in the noodle and get her to post if she has and pics or any other tidbits...
Well hiya guys, Andreas, I'm gonna read that as April 5th, 2006.. cause in 04 all we really did was drive it.. Giles - sorry for not getting back to you sooner. As Andreas said - looks like original but better power/weight, and safer/easier to live with. The engine is a BMW V-12 with 6-speed essentially the same drivetrain found in the BMW 850csi but with more power due to opened up exhaust, better fuel and ignition management and fewer engine accessories taking away from useable power. Power to weight ratio (HP/weight) is around .217 hp per lb. To compare that to the original of about .125 A McLaren is .25, the Enzo is .20.. Of course actual 0-60 and top speed is affected by gearing and the ability to get that power to the drive wheels but still it should be scary fast. For that reason we took it to a race shop to have them check out my work and make some additions for safety like adding some reinforced seat and belt mounts and a crossbar to the rollbar. The shop we took it to does NHRA inspections and in the last few months I have seen everything from a salt flat racer (made from an old drop tank!!) to street rods, AWD rally racers, a 6 second Datsun, pro-mod cars, and an insane aluminum cobra with reinforced stainless chassis. Here's a couple pics of it sitting in the shop. Haley and her Dad have been turning the garage into a more fitting home for the car with stone tiles and proper workbenches and storage. Chelle Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
As a European I could also read that date as May 4th of 2006. Maybe an accurate prediction of when the car will be unveiled?
You just have to promise me that I'll be invited to the coming out party. I don't want to miss the unveiling. Tabs on first ride? Can't wait to see it live. You two have done some unbelievible work on that toy. You need to take it to the Nationals this year. And to think it's only a kit car - "RIGHT!"
Fret not! We have an Exciting schedule already set up for 2006! LOTS of drives planned. Hope to see you guys out and Driving with us!!!!
That's a good question. Given the attendance of some of our events this year, we seem to be doing a lot better when some serious eating is involved... Take the X-mas party for example: This will be the biggest turnout all year round... Image Unavailable, Please Login
That was sure a great sandwich. Glad Carla split it with me. Sure don't you know mention food at a meeting and you draw more attendees. So Frank I have no problem incorporating cruises and food, just make sure of variety on both.
LOL! Hey,all that Driving works up an Appetite!... Besides....It goes along with the Comaraderie of getting together and talking over alittle Food and Drink. Andreas is right. The biggest turnout of FOC Events IS the Christmas Party. Where there is just the Food part. Second would probably be the Karting event. Where there is,again,lots of Food and Drink. No "Ferrari Drive",unless someone drives theirs there.....But that doesn't count as a "Drive". But as an "Event". It strikes me funny,as,the Actual Ferrari Drives have Marginal attendence...
Beats me too, if the club is suppose to have close to 150 memebers and a standard group of about six are diehards and a scattereing of a few others. Come on people, you suppose to drive those cars! If the activities aren't what you want then speak up and mgmt can make changes for events and activities. Hey Andreas when we do carting again and if we can get a big enough turnout maybe you can see if we could have a couple of two person grudge matches, it might bring some more attendees. The old Vette club used to have either tech days or if someone had some problems to work on, they supplied the refreshments and other came over to work on the problem. Get some greese under those nails
Thanks for the extra members Rick, but you're giving us way too much credit: FOC Midwest has about 50 members, which makes us #4 within FOC nationwide (behind LA, San Diego and Florida). The format for the go kart races is pretty much dictated by the place. However the one on one shootout is a good idea and we'll do a drag racing event next year in Joliet. It was Sean's idea and he invited us over, which I gladly accepted. If we get enough interest and a garage (Spike?) we will have a tech session in the spring.
Yes,you know,Everyone here is more than Welcome to Suggest and/or Organize a Drive or Event. Not just the couple of us that do take the time to do it. And Suggestions are more than Welcome! But,you are right,Rick. We do make an actual Effort to Organize something for Everyone to do with their cars. And,all too often,it's the same few that actually show up. Which,is certainly fine for us,as,we are having a Blast on these Drives. But,they are open for everybody. And,me personally would really like to see others out there having a good time,too. Thats why I do it. Not just for my benefit. And,if driving your Ferrari with a Group of others isn't tops on your priority list. There are also Shows and Cruise Nights planned,too. Not to forget all of the great events that the FCA also puts on. So there's Always something going on! And,I usually bring my 8 year old Son along whenever I can. He loves it!, ( He definitely inherited the Oil in the Bloodline... ) And I am spending quality time with him. While my Daughter goes to the mall with her friends. (She and I do other things together some other time then.) (And we've been through this before....) Yes,I realize that Family,Home and Work take Top Priority. Mine certainly do. But,we try to plan so many that you GOTTA be able to get away and join in once in awhile.... Life is Tooo Short....And....we have Finally obtained our Dream Cars! Ferrari,or whatever it may be. How long did it take you? Enjoy them. Enjoy them with others. Not just alone.... But in any case. we'd really like to see more of everybody when they can get away for a few hours and join in. I am working on a "Points System" for next Year. You will get points for attending a Drive or event that can be accrued and turned in at the end of the Years Christmas Party for some nice stuff. Maybe things like:U.S. Grand Prix tix. Speedgear Stuff or Gift Certificates. Gas cards. Lots of possibilities. Maybe the Local Ferrari Dealerships may want to participate,too. Giving us a break on Oil Changes? Service Discounts? Any Suggestions?
Frank, These are all great ideas! We should try to get the dealers on board if we try to do what you are saying. If you are on the Nord'west side let me know and we will do a Jay's beef! Thanks. Vince
Thanks,Vince. And,if anyone else has the desire to help out in Planning,doing and helping out at Events or Drives. The help is more than Welcome. These are all there for Everyone to enjoy and be part of. And,we are lucky to have so many smart and talented people amongst us. Share that talent! Help out! Make suggestions.
St. Mary of the Lake in Mundelein. Looks just like some sort of retreat for the Pope himself as it is filled with wonderful agriculture and breathtaking buildings. There's a fun little drive around a lake with classic old bridges. If you feel like walking, take a bit of a stroll toward the pier that leads past a wonderful memorial to a fallen WWI soldier and extends into the lake in a way you would think that only a royal castle on Lake Como could come close to replicating. In my opinion, one of the most moving religious experiences and one of the prettiest locations in the Chicagoland area. Might work for a quick photo op if you are in the area. RocketBoy Edit: Forgot one more fun photo op... the back roads north of Hebron, Illinois on the WI border. There are a few intersections on a few state line roads that are used by a few stray cows and possible a tractor every other day. Neat thing is the posting of a sign saying "State Line." I once parked the Ferrari in the middle where one half was in WI, the other in the Illinois. The country setting with many greens and swaying summer trees was breathtaking to say the least.
The Saga continues! We FINALLY got the car home in the last two weeks (I can't remember exactly what day)! We have begun the final steps to getting it "done." Externally very little will change anymore from the pics we posted before it went to the race shop. A few trim pieces are all that's left on the exterior like installing the headlight covers and trim rings. Under the hood we've been cleaning, powdercoating, and painting everything to make it look better in there. I've been adding some things under the hood to make it all work better as well like brake and intake ducting. We ground down all the flashing we could get to on the intakes and powdercoated them black and late last night Haley was handpainting the raised ribs on them red. Oddly enough even though almost everything on the engine is aluminum, the valvecovers are stamped steel, so we stripped them and coated them in aluminum color to make them look better. Someday when we fabricate a new intake we may powdercoat them black to look more like an original, but with these intakes we felt black on the valvecovers would make it too dark in there. The race shop fabricated an aluminum fuel cell so we've been trimming in the trunk around that and finishing the interior behind the seats. They added a bar to the roll bar for us to mount the racing seat belts to and now all of that is installed. They also welded in another bar for us to make the biggest changes to the car since it returned home. We're reworking the dash again. The whole car is supposed to be sortof a blend of the vintage racecar GTO look and feel but with more modern GT touches to make it comfortable on drives. The dash we wanted to be a blend of looking inspired by the original but a little more polished. To that end we thought the heavily padded dash I first made lacked a lot of the look of the original. It didn't really look like a evolution of the original, so out it went. In it's place the race shop welded in a knee bar we could bolt the column and a new race pedal assembly in to. To that bar we added a smaller bar that serves as the attachment point for a new aluminum gauge pod and switch panels reminiscent of the original GTO dash. The Race pedals are from Wilwood and use three seperate mastercylinders with remote reservoirs and a really interesting "balance bar" that allows the front to rear brake bias to be adjusted remotely. There's more but for now here's some new pictures of the changes to the dash and engine The car is really really close to driving again. We will be out with it soon. Contrary to some of the naysayers I heard about we didn't give up or lose interest. The car was at the raceshop waiting it's turn and they only recently got the things we needed done. All that's really left is installing the dry sump lines, figuring out the computer, finishing the brakes, and some trimwork. Haley ordered a new aluminum radiator that was supposed to be here wednesday. I called and they said they were out of stock and are having it drop shipped to us from the manufacturer, but if that doesn't get here in time I'll use the original one until we get it here. Anyway - on to pics. I have thousands of pics now so if anyone is wondering about any specific detail I'll post different pics. Now that we have the car home again I'll be posting regularly again. I just fell silent the last couple months as it was depressing not having the car here thus not having any answers for anyone. Chelle Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login