GT40 Kit Car Build - Ep 20 - Roof Spider Install

[@flamingmoe1805]

You have the patience of a saint. The perfect fitment you'll appreciate later

[@techo61]

I had two minds on this Dan, either the roll bar should have been designed to sit neatly under the spider without cutouts or modify the spider to recess the roll bar tubing (which I believe will give a better look finish). Either way I think Absolute Pace should have known of this and incorporated this as an opportunity for improvement. Once all is clear I believe the spider's strength could be retired by wrapping the bulkhead and tubing with thin flat rubber sheets, add a release agent then fill the spider cutouts with reinforced glass resin. As for the build, I'm really enjoying your progress and I hope we'll meet up one day once mine is done.

[@glennarnold3970]

dan being a panel beater i would use black urathane across the top back edge of the roof spider where the roll bar meets put a tape line on the roll bar about 3mm back and do the same on the roof spider put a seam of urathane across it wipe with your finger the length of the cut use a rubber glove of course then pull the tape off so it is nice and neat. urathane when it dries is flexible so it will work good with the figre glass expansion in the hot weather you can use it to seal the rear window bulkhead as well as most urathanes are structual and it can also be painted if needed a good example is wurth black KD bond keep up the great work just don't use silicone cheers glenn

[@BuiltbyDan]

Thanks for the advice Glenn, that's pretty much what I intended to do, so good to know I was on the right track! I know I often refer to 'silicone' as a general term for a sealant, but appreciate silicone and polyurethane are two different products with different properties.

[@Justins_shed]

Your patience has been rewarded, Dan. The result looks great. Other commenters have been scathing about the quality of the AP body. There is a world of difference between panels that need to be trimmed into alignment and panels that have no hope of ever aligning. I have heard of plenty of GT40 projects using well-regarded kits that needed the spider cut into four and reglassed to meet the sills and accommodate the doors. That’s the reality of fibreglass.

[@FAB7362]

First up, I am impressed with this kit and your methodical aproach to the build. As a retired mechanic the alterations you are doing to make it work are minor. Even working on standard cars with genuine replacement parts minor tweaking is part of the job. Patience is also required to be a good mechanic. You are doing a fine job young man and thank you for taking us all along by sharing your build.

[@BuiltbyDan]

Thanks for the feedback Albert, much appreciated!

[@ronbeckhaus7326]

Dan, it is looking Sweet, mate. I've said before, I like your slow, careful approach to this project and that will be reflected in the finished product. Well done and Cheers

[@adrianbaxendale4890]

LOVE IS CAR BUILT NOW GOOD WORK NOW

[@stewkeene]

You have a ton more patience than my self and thousands of others. It’s very fun to watch though Dan 👍🏻

[@chownc]

Excellent build, Dan. Living vicariously through your GT40 build.

[@dp7661]

Nice work Dan. Your patience is commendable!

[@peterwooldridge7285]

Very exciting....Even at this early stage it's a good looking beast!!

[@timdunn2387]

Hopefully the manufacturers of the kit acknowledge that they stuffed up the radii of the roll bar bends. You shouln't have to weaken the roof spider for this bodge. Love you work though Dan.

[@malcolmrosborough7389]

Exactly !!

[@rayseal1099]

They havent admitted the kit is not fit for purpose.. I pity the poor guy that tries to build one off theese crap kits after

[@mopedmarathon]

Pretty piss poor for something that’s supposed to be a premium product. If I’d made something that fitted that badly I’d struggle to justify charging money for it that’s for sure.

[@s.hall.4187]

Factory 5 make all body panels over sized. It’s up to the builder to make them fit to there tolerance

[@mopedmarathon]

@@s.hall.4187 but surely you shouldn’t have to grind away the inner structure of the spider to make 2 of their components fit together? Just can’t get my head round that being accepted as a given

[@muay11502]

Great, I am waiting next ep.

[@rayclark44]

That cockpit is beginning to look the nuts Dan. Keep up the exstreemly conchentchuss build mate. Take care & stay safe 🇬🇧🍀

[@samuelhatcher6937]

Gday Dan Sam here from Perth-have same kit ordered and not far from being shipped- have a gen 3 2020 Mustang 5.0 liter and with all wiring harness and all accessories- have done mods for shallow oil pan and inlet manifold and using Subaru STI 6 speed modified for transaxle with locally manufactured flywheel assembly- look forward to your next episode- all the best mate!!

[@BuiltbyDan]

G'day Sam, best of luck with the build! Sounds like we are running a similar setup, with the exception of the transaxle, and you're lucky enough to already have your running gear, I still have a bunch of components on back order, mostly in the US... flywheel assembly and clutch is something I still need to sort. Thanks for the support, hope the build series helps in some way with your build! Feel free to reach out via email or on Instagram if you'd like to compare notes along the way.

[@conflictchris]

slow and steady mate, looks gorgeous.

[@chriswaldron2617]

Great to see your patience in correcting all these stuff ups by the supplier, but they don’t speak to well of the supplier’s quality control, or care thereof.

[@alecgomez1716]

Beautiful project car

[@Paul_VanGo]

With these tight tolerances, just remember to do something about the future rattling, which *will* occur. Self-expanding insulation foam for instance, before final fitment.

[@timdunn2387]

I agree. I was thinking 1 or 2 mm self adhesive neoprene tape. The metal bar battering the single layer of glass will cause delamination in no time.

[@rickden8362]

Great minds think alike, Paul. I was thinking the same, including the expanding foam. Expanding foam can get a bit messy.

[@Paul_VanGo]

@@rickden8362 Ah.. Great mind. I don't think I am quite *that*, but I've built a car or 2, and that makes me experienced and practical.

[@BuiltbyDan]

Thanks for the advice Paul, any rattle would drive me crazy! Only concern I would have with using expanding foam is that it would be a nightmare to separate in the future if I had to remove the spider... I was thinking neoprene self adhesive tape to separate them (as mentioned by Tim) and then polyurethane sealant (thinking was a bead of sealant would be easier to break in the future if I had to remove the spider).

[@rickden8362]

@@BuiltbyDan One way to get the spyder to separated from the expanding foam would be to stick some clear cellophane wrap on the spyder with some spray adhesive. Also put a light coating of an oil on the cellophane. When the foam hardens it will separate easily.

[@Bocce-Kaizer]

Fantastic job.

[@tonychamberlain8057]

When I built my beach buggy I used building foam to fill and stick works a treat

[@s.hall.4187]

Now you can call it a custom car to your taste. IKEA sells kits. People have forgotten that this is your first build. The adjustments in the grand scheme are minor. Thanks for sharing this journey.

[@peterburdett8131]

You are a patient man Dan . I think Pace have done a really poor job in this area & others here agree. Can’t wait to see what’s in those boxes in the background

[@jamesbensley7914]

Episode 20 already. That went fast.

[@Murphyslawfarm]

G'day I am loving this build Dan great work

[@markevo1974]

Great work, looks fantastic.

[@georgef1176]

Great build. I am doing a similar build from race car replicas it’s a gt40 but little different they call it the gtr. It’s basically a gt40 wider and with areo. But the aluminum tub construction is very similar to the kit your doing. I’ve built a couple rcr cars and I can say your gonna love it.

[@BuiltbyDan]

G'day George, thanks for the support. Yes, the RCR kits do look quite similar.

[@ProfessorOzone]

Good slow work to get things just right. What a pain. Certainly seems like something you shouldn't have to have done. Just a thought. If the roll bar/panel makes contact with the spider, you might get some squeaking noise when you drive. Might want to put something between, like a thin rubber sheet. And remember, it might change between summer and winter. Speaking of which, why are you sweating? Isn't it winter down there? LOL.

[@BuiltbyDan]

Thanks Professor, I was intending to put some rubber/neoprene self adhesive tape on the roll bar where it gets close to contacting the spider. As for the aluminium bulkhead panel, I was going to use polyurethane sealant to separate and adhere the panel to the spider, hoping that would be enough to avoid any squeaking or rattling. Haha, this episode was filmed over almost 8 weeks! I managed to catch the last few warm days before it turned cold really quick!

[@mohammeddmalik]

Hate to think how many times you had to remove and refit that roof 😖 but it was all worth it as it looks like a great fit now! Top work, really starting to look like a car now!

[@GeoffInfield]

Stunning, loving this thanks!! 🤗

[@jeffusher4854]

Coming along nicely mate I’d be checking the door fitment before I go too much further. All that trimming could easily affect the roofline thus the door fitment

[@outlawflyer7868]

I was just about to say the same thing. Check the door fitting b4 moving on.

[@BuiltbyDan]

Thanks for the suggestion Jeff. I think I will fit them up just to make sure there are no issues. I didn't think to fit the doors as I was still working off the temporary mounting locations from when the initial alignment was done in the factory. I'll provide an update in a future episode on the fitment once doors are installed.

[@ryanlove5332]

Its interesting to see the KVA based ridge in the roof mold at the top of the B pillar. I was under the impression that the AP car was based on the RCR car, which was based on a body pulled from GT40 P1008? (could have the wrong chassis number). As the original car was a metal roof, i had always wondered if RCR used a KVA roof to achieve the fiberglass part. I guess you can be reasonably sure that the KVA based windscreen will fit. This should be good in the long run as there is lots more of this screen around than the original.

[@shirleyboy8859]

Great work Dan..... Like some others I wonder why the Spider needed so much taken away?? Surly they must be aware of this in the design.... Never made a Kit Car so not sure what is acceptable and what is just for ease of manufacturing...... Your getting there, keep up the good work...... :-)))

[@noidnomis]

Great stuff! Nice to see that all your effort, time and patience made for such a good fit. I would ask, do you think that doing a reverse support cupping of the spider with more fiberglass, to go around the bar, would help reinforce the spider and give more support for the doors (when installed) when they are in closed position. Looking forward to your next update to see what is in the large box..!

[@BuiltbyDan]

Thanks for the feedback! The spider has still retained a lot of its rigidity, even after removing a large amount of material. I think I'll need to fit the doors and see how they align and then determine if the additional fiberglassing will be necessary.

[@veryrare7647]

@@BuiltbyDan i really dont think it will be, having worked professionally on FRP/CFRP airplane parts that material looks plenty thick to support the doors. cutouts like yours barely impact rigidity of a fiberglass part with curves on multiple axis

[@thereefaholic]

Nice work as always. It’s almost as if the manufacturer designed these kits in CAD but never actually assembled one. I mean I expect some trimming with any kit but that is a shocking bit of either bad design or out of spec manufacturing. I am not second guessing your thought process. You have the car in front of you so your judgment is based on fact where as my judgment is based on watching a KZbin video. But my first instinct would have been to cut the roll bar down (cut the bottom mounts off, shorten the tube and re-weld on the mounts). Then cut off the bottom of the firewall and re-bend the bottom. probably even reposition the window down just a bit . My concern being the modified spider may now vibrate more and have some slight side to side movement with so much material being removed (leading to cracking at the bottom mounting points) That can be counteracted with a generous slathering of 3m 5200 all over the top of the roll bar but that makes future disassembling a issue. Your attention to detail is great. Thanks for sharing.

[@BuiltbyDan]

Thanks for the feedback/comment. I believe the intent of the manufacturer was to keep the roll bar as high as possible, but that approach probably should have carried through to modifying the moulds for the roof spider to allow for a rebate for the roll bar, rather than resorting to having to trim so much material out. Surprisingly the spider has retained its rigidity, it doesn't feel flimsy with that material removed, but I guess I won't really know for sure until I'm doing highway speeds with a bit of wind pressure...

[@kululv]

what a great and meticulous job! My admiration to you! I'm concerned about vibrations in the spider from the rollbar and the rear panel! maybe you could spray in some fire retardant foam?

[@graham6229]

I am surprised a kit of this cost and so on asks that the spider be fettled to that extent. How was it done on a real GT40 ? However, now it is done you did a good job Dan. When the bars come back powder coated I would line the spider with good quality dense foam and possibly wrap the top bar in foam tape. Too much do you think ? A squeak or scraping sound would be horrendous but you may not hear anything over the engine sound :)

[@BuiltbyDan]

Thanks Graham, yes already thinking of a strip of self adhesive neoprene tape where the bar comes in close proximity to the spider... a squeak or rattle would drive me insane (if I could hear it!).

[@garybenitez2757]

Was this car ever finished? Can’t find it in the channel Thanks

[@chriswaldron2617]

Wouldn’t it be better to keep the structural integrity of the spider and have to roll bar cut at the flange and rewelded?

[@chipjohnson5552]

Exactly what I was thinking!

[@BuiltbyDan]

G'day Chris, I believe the manufacturers intent was to get the roll bar up as high as possible, hence protruding through the inner spider skin, but if this was the approach it probably should have been followed through with the appropriate modifications to the spider moulds to accommodate...

[@Toyotamotorfan]

Hi dan as builder also and really into my cars , i love the attention to detail in quality. One thing that i can think of is vibration between the roof an the roll bar/fire wall . Do you think that’s is possible. Thanks

[@BuiltbyDan]

Thanks for the feedback! Yes vibration/rattling is definitely possible. I was looking at using a self adhesive neoprene tape where the roll bar is close to contacting the spider. The aluminium bulkhead panel I will be applying a polyurethane sealant between the panel and the spider. I'm hoping that will eliminate any rattling due to vibration.

[@Boi_819]

13:35 I dont know if you mentionted it yet, but are you gonna cut off that piece of metal, so the fuel line is gonna have space?

[@BuiltbyDan]

Yes, once the final alignment of the body is complete I'll core a hole for the fuel line. I want to make sure the front clip is in its final position before I do that so I can position the fuel filler/cap correctly.

[@stormkendallscott910]

Hi there Dan . Where was the Replica kit purchased from

[@BuiltbyDan]

G'day, the kit is from Absolute Pace in Queensland Australia. The details and link to their website are in the video description.

[@blakegray7248]

Has AP improved, or are they still a disaster to deal with?

[@BuiltbyDan]

Have found the responsiveness to correspondence is hit and miss.

[@glennarnold3970]

dan is that a godzilla in that big box?

[@BuiltbyDan]

I did consider a godzilla for a little while...

[@Brickedaboss07]

Whose the manufacturer of the kit And how much

[@BuiltbyDan]

G'day, manufacturer is Absolute Pace from Queensland Australia. There's a link to their website in the video descriptions. I cover what is included in the kit and the price in Ep 07 - Detailed Parts Overview (AUD100k).

[@Qp0int]

Shouldn’t the manufacturer of the kit take these interferences into account and produce a kit that fits properly or is this just the fun of putting together a kit? Your bro from across the O’

[@squeaksvids5886]

Coming on now, starting to look like a car.

[@rbshit1]

this kit sucks for the price

[@stephennixon2765]

Seems like Dan is losing interest in the build. It's been over a month now since the last video. Maybe a chance for someone to pick up a cheap half completed kit. Mate you need to post on a regular time frame.

[@BuiltbyDan]

Thanks Stephen, definitely haven't lost interest, just time poor lately. I get that regular posts help the KZbin algorithm and audience retention etc. etc. but YT isn't a full time job for me, its just a platform so share my hobby/project car build. Like all hobbies, we can't always be working on them every day/weekend. Trying not to neglect my other hobbies and family throughout the process, as well as taking an opportunity to step back and try resolve issues / missing parts with the manufacturer so I can keep progressing. More episodes in the works.

[@mattcrawford1976]

The camera recording issues make this hard to watch

[@Paul_VanGo]

I'm sure he's doing the best he can. He's building a car, not trying to score points in camera work.

[@jamesbensley7914]

I don't think it is too bad. Better than I could do. So get bent🖕

[@BuiltbyDan]

G'day Matt, a lot more hand held footage in this episode so I did notice it is a bit more shaky, usually I rely on a tripod, but it just wasn't practical for this step of the process. I am looking at purchasing a GoPro shortly, which should have better stabilisation for this sort of recording 👍 Thanks for the feedback!

[@mattcrawford1976]

Hi Dan, it's not the camera work I'm talking about. I think it's great how you get the angles to show what you're doing, is more that it seems that the actual format is having issues, line tearing etc.

[@mattcrawford1976]

@@Paul_VanGo read what I actually wrote instead of jumping in SJW style