JIM C ALLOY BODIED GT40

[Jim Cowden]

Thanks Ken

It is in the middle of a big clean up and deal with a few minor issues and then its on the market.
I am in no hurry to sell but it will be going.
I have made a decision to deal with a few things as I need a sea change and the 40 is part of it I am afraid.
Several of the ozy members already know about this but I am making it public.

Rock Star. Ford GT40 - Speed Nation
Born This Way Modifiers Ep. 1 - Jim's Hand Built Ford GT40 - YouTube
Autofocus – Hand Built Classic – Ford GT40

Jim

 

[chris]

hope the tree change goes well Jim and who ever ends up with this
magic car enjoys it as much as you have building and driving it
i have been lucky enough to see and ride in this beast a couple of times.
this one of a kind build will stay in my mind forever
if you wanted a definition of street cred then R/F 105 has it in spades
wish i had the dollars to buy it
PURE ART
chris

 

[Randy V]

Jim ---
I know just how you feel.. I've recently made a massive change myself. Basically I've rebooted my stable in an entirely different configuration - although my love for these cars has never been stronger.
Best wishes in the sale and I hope that whoever gets the car will appreciate it for the effort that went into its creation..

 

[Jimmy P]

Jim, it must be like selling a child. It can't be easy for you. As others have said its a great piece of art and truly one of a kind. Its my favorite replica GT 40 on this site and if I had the ability to buy it I would. Its so unique and the level of workmanship is beyond reproach. Good luck with the sale.

 

[Dave]

Give us a number Jim.......lol

 

[Jim Cowden]

Well I see the last post was in 2017.
I never did sell it, still love it, don't track it anymore but that's not to say I wont.
I am going to do an update as it may be of some interest to some people.

When I was building this car, I was so tempted to build the under-dash unit for the air con but opted for the easy way out and used the usual heater air con combo unit for a few hundred dollars.
It has never been great, it is ok air con but is not what you would expect for such a small cabin.
I have replaced it twice and it was up for its third due to internal leaks, so I thought I would have a go and see if I can do better.
In my research a deep evaporator and a good fan are generally what make a good system.
Size is always going to be an issue in a GT40 so the STD size for most front mount evaps is 300 x 300 give or take.
That was not a practical size so I did some searching and ended up going with a rear evap from a Toyota Prado 120 ser.
The Toyota design is more efficient than the tube and fin in the unit I was using, so I have fingers crossed that it will step it up a notch.

I was going to use a Toyota Avensis front evap but after ordering it and waiting 2 weeks they told me it was obsolete, again it comes down to space issues so the Prado evap is next best choice.

 

[Jim Cowden]

I made a ply model for the Avensis evap, as it was obsolete it ended up being a waste of time to a point but I still used it to get other info for the final design.
In my original design I was going to delete the heater core as I have always had an issue having heater hoses inside the car, if something bad where to happen and a hose burst it could become a serious medical issue.
My design was going to use the hot coolant pipes as a heat exchanger and pull air through the tunnel as I dont need a lot of heater here in Australia.
But when I was at the wrecking yard looking for a suitable blower fan, I stumbled across this heater element out of a Hyundai I30.
It is a pre heater.
Im gathering while the engine is cold they preheat with the element for a period of time.
Perfect, so this will be part of the design.
I am using the I30 blower and fan resistor as well.

 

[Jim Cowden]

The evap is 300x 130 x 60.
Drew up the sheet work and cut that.
The holes in the floor is for the water to drain away, I will put a 2nd panel underneath that will catch water and ferry it out through the drain hose.
Folded upper flanges inwards and the lid will be nutserted on.

 

[Jim Cowden]

The fan housing I decided to make as a separate part as I needed a wall between the evap and fan any way.
I have to machine a block to fit onto the evap that will then get the outlets on the outer face of the box, to mount this I need to mount the evap upside down so the mounting pad screws are accessible once the lid is of the box, that I will make later.

 

[Jim Cowden]

Few other mods while I was at it was the floors, I got over having carpet a long time ago and I don't give a shit about sound deadening so I have made alloy covers that rivet in, they do give you grip getting out.
I also have a lithium battery in my footrest, and it steels some leg room. I didn't really care to much because I was the driver not the passenger, but my partner often drives the car, and I end up on the wrong side and I can't stretch out, so I made a new footrest and moved the battery in the front just back from the radiator.
Nice getting the battery out of the cabin as the last one caught fire (10 years old) (my battery supplier said change them every 5 years) so it feels safer out the front, nothing to burn out there.

 

[Jim Cowden]

The ducts on the front clip are operational for fresh air so I have made a new entry panel, I have made a butterfly valve to close it off.
I will be bringing its hose up to the fan motor entry to help drag it in, I was playing with the fan on the bench and I think I may put a vent and valve on the back face of the evap box to send it straight out onto your feet, circumnavigating the evap core and all the venting, giving more air flow, when the air con is on shut them off.
Its very apart to do this job, the dash is just sitting in there, but it was easier to do it that way.
I will add as I go, but that's it for now.

jim

 

[JimmyMac]

Tremendously good to see you back Jim.
I did miss your builds.

ps. The title of this build log does not do your hand built, aluminium bodied cars much justice.

 

[Brian Kissel]

I’m all in for changing the title to anything Jim would like it to be.
Ask, and ye shall receive.

Regards Brian

 

[Jim Cowden]

Thanks jim
JIM C ALLOY BODIED GT40.
but I am open to suggestions.

jim

 

[Brian Kissel]

Jim, until you come up with something else, it's as you suggested above. I like it. Please let me know your thoughts.

THANK YOU !!!!!

Regards Brian

 

[Clayton]

Great to hear from you Jim
Good to see you still have it and doing some upgrades.

Clayton

 

[Randy V]

So good to have you back posting Jim! Your build is quite literally legendary in my opinion….

 

[Ryan L]

@Jim C is that an electric heater element? i.e. no plumbing required?

 

[Jim Cowden]

Thank you gents.
Hi Claton yes it gets used plenty, I have about 55.000km on it.
Like I said Randy anyone who has a suggestion to a name change is welcome.

Ryan, yes it is electrical, no heater hoses, that is what attracted me.
I did a goggle here is a part # Hyundai.
Because diesels take so long to warm up, Hyundai has put the element in the system after the heater core.
This is used in the interim period until coolant temp is reached.

PRE-HEATER ELEMENT 97191-2L000​

 

[Ed McClements]

@Jim C Funnily enough I've been thinking about using one of these (PTC?) elements for a while; I guess it'll suck quite a few amps in operation, and you'll only want it to be powered-up while a fan is running to maintain some airflow over it?

Ed