GT40 Kit Car Build - Ep 13 - Chassis Extension Panels & Cooling System

[@JonLupen]

Man, with the amount of issues you've been having with this kit, tolerances, clearances, instructions or lack there-of, bolt lengths, etc... One might believe the manufactures never actually built their kit before committing it to production. Good on you for keeping at it! Personally, I likely would have already chucked the whole lot in-the-bin.gif lol

[@graham6229]

That would be a AUD$100,000 bin :)

[@suparoo100]

I would be looking for a substantial refund

[@liamsrides6023]

I don't think he's experienced any unreasonable issues yet. Adjusting a few fastener lengths and trimming custom radiator tubes are standard for a custom project.

[@MyBlueZed]

@@liamsrides6023 Is this a custom project? I thought it was a kit. Is it unreasonable to expect a kit to be complete and have all the correct components, hardware and holes in the correct locations?

[@liamsrides6023]

@@MyBlueZed it's certainly not a factory vehicle. Every restoration / modification project I've done has required significant fabrication and messing around, so I would expect a kit car to require significantly more. It hasn't been manufactured to factory tolerances, it's effectively a hand built, custom designed, one of a kind. It's not a lego set or even a Tamiya remote control car kit than you expect to just click together without any minor custom fab work required. I've watched all of Dan's vids and I'm actually so impressed with the kit that I've listed my last project car for sale to try to raise the funds to buy my own GT40 kit.

[@paulschenkel6919]

great work thus far, some factory five kits come with the same flexible tubing and a lot of builders have problems with it splitting and also they claim it restricts flow so they have hard tubes made in stainless,

[@RoyalPainless]

When you're installing pipes into rubber tubes or vice versa, like the coolant hoses at the front radiator, spraying a bit of carb cleaner into the hose or onto the pipe will help them go together easier. The carb leaner acts as a lube briefly, then evaporates so as to not leave any unwanted liquid inside.

[@BuiltbyDan]

Thanks for the advice Mark, much appreciated. I'll keep that in mind for next time.

[@richardpetty6104]

Dan, build is coming along nicely. When tapping through Aluminium, a light spray with WD40 or similar will help the cutting. Mate, you definitely don't need to apologise for OCD or being pedantic, I have been accused of this, but I use it to my advantage, I truly think the end result is alot better. Plus who doesn't like symmetry? Keep up the excellent work.

[@Kerry70]

Finally!!! Someone else who realizes that the bolt on a hose clamp has a hex and uses it to tighten instead of a slotted screwdriver!!! Nice video and great job! Taking your time might be frustrating to you and us but it will make the finished product so much better!

[@graham6229]

When you finish this fantastic car build, try opening a restaurant where patrons eat off the floor and not plates :) Great work once more Dan and a very good point about ground clearance. I might even go to dome heads if they meet the specs for torque and so on.

[@terrybrown6057]

Those aluminium tubes will act as an extra heat sink so longer the better... 👍 Lookin good. Can't believe manufacturers still don't give FULL assembly instructions... Been there and it's very frustrating

[@carlmclelland7624]

Very good job, Dan. No comments or questions. Keep up the good work and... when it's complete... I'll fly down and test drive it for you!! (HEY! What are friend's for)?!?!?!

[@fredstarr9690]

Very cool project Dan! It's a hand built car, that gives you the creative license to do it the way you want. If you see an improvement or a better way to something do it! If people don't like it tough, it's your car. I'm building a 59 corvette resto mod, ls2 motor, C4 suspension, SR111 tube chassis. Everyone has an opinion, you should do this you should do that. I've had to do a ton of backyard engineering but it's on the road and running. I can always come back and re do anything that's not perfect, as you can too! Cheers mate from the US.

[@ronbeckhaus7326]

Great work, Dan, keep up your careful habits and attention to detail and you will be rewarded with a stunning car in the end. Cheers, mate.

[@johntasker9145]

Another great video Dan, Yes you may have issues with components not fitting correctly And it will be a pain in the backside but when it’s all done you can look back at a great car and say I built that 👍

[@chrisgarside7974]

Great content, please keep it coming. The minor frustrations you are dealing with will all be worth it when you have a complete GT40 - the envy of all subscribers I suspect !

[@rayurlich]

Looking good Dan! :)

[@billywhizz98]

Well done Dan at least you have got the presents of mind to test fit the parts and panels as you progress through the build I think the manufacturers need to take a leaf out of your book as yours is proving to be a better fitting process than theirs

[@macman6107]

Great work there Dan.

[@noyfub]

I think you need to add clamp/support to where the flexible pipes run over and under to keep them from rubbing and vibrating. You definitely would if it was an aicraft.

[@gordonbradford4054]

Dan Why not use a Silicon 90 elbow where the pipe exits the tunnel, it may make things a bit tidier for you rather than have a S bend in the semi rigid pipe

[@shirleyboy8859]

You are doing a great job Dan....The Kit is not perfect but you seem to be coming up with solutions ... :-))))

[@bobfuller9159]

I'd toss those flexible rad hoses and fab up some aluminum tube ones. No need for all that extra flexible junk.

[@arthur4493]

totally agree toss those flex hoses

[@BuiltbyDan]

I have seen some aluminium tube pipe setups and they do look a lot neater. Something I might look at as a future upgrade.

[@craigw422]

I would use stainless braided lines! Toss that flex stuff!

[@Pantera-if3fy]

Dan, Just a suggestion..consider putting some sort of a divider between those two flexible water tubes as they come out of the foot well. I’m thinking about an issue of these tubes hitting each other and rattling not to mention wearing against each other. Great Job!!

[@BuiltbyDan]

Thanks for the suggestion. I did think that as I was putting it together. I might look at some rubber strip's to separate them. 👍

[@brrraaaapp8502]

for the radiator flexhoses, consider to use some 90deg silicone bends connecting to the pipes. It will be a much shorter route of the flexhoses.

[@graham6229]

Length is a distinct advantage as it give more time for fluids to stay in the tubing and get partially cooled from all the fins. The longer the better.

[@dion9146]

@@graham6229 I was thinking the same thing. In the end it looks goofy, but will have less connections and failure points than multiple angled hoses.

[@phillipward937]

The A/C condenser coil is forward of the radiator, the evaporator coil is inside of the cockpit.

[@marcogottardo6175]

Wow!love it!!🖤💥

[@cjstein2000]

Coming along nicely. In one of the channels I follow he uses a cordless ratchet driver with the torque settings to tighten the bolts. It could save your wrists and get the right torque. Snapon have one but I'm sure there are others much cheaper.

[@BuiltbyDan]

I've been meaning to look into them for a while. It's on my list of things to research over the holiday period.

[@patd5146]

Really enjoying the build, please consider replacing the zinc hex head bolts with stainless ‘Allan’ button heads...much more aesthetically pleasing. Keep up the good work. Pat

[@s.hall.4187]

Looking good Dan, how quickly does the kit supplier respond to a clarification request.

[@BuiltbyDan]

It varies. Could be an hour, could by a month... or more.

[@chrishollis9425]

I hope Ryobi have come to the sponsorship party. You seem to be using a lot of their tools.

[@BuiltbyDan]

Not yet, still waiting for the call 🤣

[@kennethcroll6972]

hello Dan, 14.49 the hinge bolt & nut, the nut is flush with the bolt, were at 14.53 the bolt is protruding. i wonder if they bolts are for the thermo fans, maybe try swap them ?

[@BuiltbyDan]

That's a really good suggestion, I'll have a look into that!

[@cloudfrontsystems]

The manufacturer should pay you for research and development

[@Boi_819]

Yay a new vid

[@grahamreid827]

Enjoying the build, my favourite car so would be great to build one, just one comment those bolts for the radiator look small for the holes in the side panel and also the brass washers, just wondered if maybe the sleeve that goes through the grommet fit into the brass washer and into the side panel, that way you would have the bolt going through a ss washer, side panel, brass washer, sleeved grommet, ss washer then the nut, just a thought. Keep up the good work.

[@BuiltbyDan]

Thanks for the suggestion Graham. I'll test one out to see if that works.

[@062241kdp]

One would think with your blog working on this kit, PACE would be bending over backwards helping you and rectifying their poor engineering.

[@seanhiggins704]

nice bit of kit. how thick is that aluminum plate?! looks nice and thick

[@nevillebutler8172]

I was looking at all the nuts and bolts you are using. , and it occurred to me that you might consider using a nut set kit , I know it may be a cost impost , but would be a huge step to making the assembly more professional .

[@BuiltbyDan]

G'day Neville, I've actually purchased a rivnut (or nutsert) tool for another project to try it out and see how it goes. For the GT40 simply intended to run with the supplied screw and tap the threads for the initial assembly and would then consider drilling out the threads later for rivnuts if I decide to go that way.

[@nevillebutler8172]

@@BuiltbyDan Good luck with the build , I will be watching to see how you go

[@petrolbokehlicious]

Dan, you really need to add bleeding facilities on the top of at least one of the radiatior's tanks. Even better, you could add a radiator cap to ease fill-up from the front. Beware of the flex tube routing from the top of the radiator's RHD-side tank: you don't want it turning down below your transfer pipe's water level and back up again: you will end up with an air pocket trap in that kink. Be mindful of air pocket traps throughout the lenght of your coolant piping: those are every remotely mounted radiator car's source of overheating issues, and in your case it might be even more critical as you are using a radiator that is significantly smaller than your engine uses in its OEM application. Also, don't think about air pocket traps only during fill-up, think about those air pocket traps filling with steamed coolant during full throttle driving: that's what really provokes overheating even on a properly bleeded remotely located radiator cooling system.

[@BuiltbyDan]

G'day, thanks for taking the time to provide those tips and suggestions. I'll definitely take note of them, particularly the routing of the flex tube from engine to top of header tank. The left hand side tank (overflow tank) does have an overflow tube that will discharge to ground, I assumed that would allow the system to bleed, but I guess that will only be operational when the system is pressurised... I'll definitely be consulting a mechanic to give it a once over before starting/driving it.

[@gordonbradford4054]

You may also need an air vent or some other device, to get the air out of the top of the radiator.

[@tobihall2247]

What's the purpose of leaving the rad pipes so long? I'd have thought you want to keep them as short as possible with just a little room for movement? Seems a waste to have them snake around like that? Oh and rivnuts and rivets are your friend. You should watch Rob105 another aussie building an ultima with impeccable attention to detail... May give you some ideas... very smart dude!

[@nevillebutler8172]

yep , I called then "nut set" but u are correct , makes it look very professional

[@BuiltbyDan]

To be honest I was working off the images supplied in the build manual. Other have noted the length should not be an issue as the additional ribbed pipe will allow for heat to dissipate a bit more... not sure if I'll keep them like this or switch to a 45d silicone adapter off the centre tube and shorten the flex hoses as you suggest.

[@tommagruder9692]

I REALLY AM ENJOYING THE VIDEOS DAN BUT I HOPE THE FOLKS AT ABSOLUTE PACE ARE PAYING YOU TO FIX ALL THE DESIGN ISSUES WITH THEIR CAR KIT

[@BuiltbyDan]

🤣🤣🤣

[@colinmills2581]

Everything is quite normal some bolts don't need nuts just lock tight

[@ryanlove5332]

Maybe get some plastic skid blocks and bolt them in now before you go to much further. Some plastic chopping boards cut up and bolted in place would do the trick.

[@BuiltbyDan]

Good idea, bit of sacrificial material.

[@bekamsxvilidze3147]

👍

[@MrScottr1958]

How do you get the air out of the cooling system? Pull a vaccum?

[@richardswain9143]

Can’t say this is a positive advertisement for the kit manufacturer…

[@graham6229]

Amen to that. I would be getting just a tad angry at them.

[@MyBlueZed]

The Ultima kits seem of much greater quality.

[@billweston6579]

I find the radiator hoses to be a very sloppy option. Why couldn’t they use alloy pipe with welded bends. Would have been a lot cleaner looking.

[@mikeradman]

Do the instructions tell you that the center bottom tube is the hot tube and the top tube the cold? if so, I would have the hot tube go to the top of radiator and the cold tube return out the bottom of the radiator. Just my 2 cents, I really like your videos.

[@BuiltbyDan]

Thanks for the suggestion! The manual is not clear on which is hot or cold, I've basically just followed the image in the manual in terms of which pipe connects to top or bottom of radiator. I'll definitely make a note of this though and revisit when I do the rest of the cooling system fit-off in the engine bay.

[@nevillebutler8172]

@@BuiltbyDan I think the radiator hot and cold pipes should replicate how it works on a real car

[@terrybrown6057]

Will that actually be a watertight seal on the ally outer face? First impressions are that it's a weak link

[@BuiltbyDan]

Apologies for the late reply, is that in relation to the hose clamps holding the silicone adapters to the radiator and centre coolant tubes?

[@terrybrown6057]

@@BuiltbyDan crikey I can't remember what it was about now... 😂

[@smartfurious581]

So how closely similar is this kit to the original Gt40????

[@BuiltbyDan]

The chassis is nothing like the original as it is semi monocoque aluminium, rather than tubular steel space frame, but body and interior is quite similar.

[@sonsrc1326]

Love symmetrical I hate when cars have one reverse light and one fog light Great pipework washes look right to me not that I’m an expert good job tho

[@kululv]

I admire your patience! But I would definitely give this "manufacturer" some grief! If they had ever put this version together, they would have found and corrected these interferences and inaccuracies. And updated the build manual. Those flexible water hoses are absolute junk. Throw those away and have a couple pipes bent! Make sure you hook up the central pipes to the correct side of the radiator. I'm sure the hot side should go to the low side of the radiator.