Mike's GT40 gets redone

[BlackSnake]

Half shafts and oil catch can are back in place.

Remaining items:
*Tune carbs/set timing
*Install quick release clamshell hinges
*Recharge AC
*Install bulkhead firewall panel
*Install radiator/condenser rock screen

[BlackSnake]

Worked on the AC system the past few days. Pulled vacuum on the system down to 29” Hg and let it sit overnight. This morning it looked to be sitting at 28” Hg. From what I’ve read, less than 2” decay is good to go, so today I charged the system with about 30 or 32 ozs of R134A.

Low side gauge around 30 psi, high side a touch over 200 psi, no bubbles in the sight glass.

Just to be on the safe side, I ordered an inexpensive sniffer to check for any leaks. Air seems to be blowing cold, so one more job off the list…

[mooreken]

Big congrats on the AC....I always have both relief and pride when doing AC work. It's a little out of my comfort zone....a lot like plumbing around the house...lol

[BlackSnake]

Amen to that brother…

[BlackSnake]

Haven’t gotten much done the past few months, just too darn hot in the garage…

Overcast/rainy days are the best opportunity to get something done. With that said, I’ve been putting in quite a few hours lately trying to eliminate binding in the half shafts at full droop. I’m chasing my tail with this. I’ve R&R’d the half shafts more than half a dozen times grinding away wherever I see hit marks. Each time I do it, I think, this’ll do it…but no such luck.

The lower radius rods on each side are what limit suspension travel at full droop by contacting the aluminum chassis sponson cutout, so I decided to bolt an aluminum stop to the chassis on each side to set a higher limit and prevent the half shafts from binding.

Now it’s time to put the rear clam shell back on the car, get it back on the ground and start putting some miles on it…

[BlackSnake]

Oh, one other thing I forgot to add. I made this rock screen to protect the AC condenser and the radiator, but I’ll need to slide the front clamshell off to install it.

[Tom Wells]

Mike,

Puzzling over the binding problem. Aluminum stops seem a bit harsh! Maybe a hard PTFE block?

I assume you've seen this; just in case you haven't: https://www.gt40s.com/threads/very-basi ... ion.15631/

Some influence from the coilovers: are they correct length and stroke? I know the ones my Cobra came with were too short - when the car rolled a little in a corner, the too-short shock picked up the inside tire and the car "skipped" sideways. Putting a longer shock on the rear (yes, all four of them!) corrected the problem.

In one of your photos it looks like one side of the yoke is ground away lots more than the other. Puzzling...
Wonder what may cause the apparent asymmetry?

Not a fan of solid bump stops - directional instability could follow...

Tom

[BlackSnake]

Thx Tom, I can always count on you for solid feedback!

I hadn’t seen that post on GT40s.com before, good read and on point!

So the QA1 shocks as provided by RCR do not limit downward travel of the suspension on my car. That opens a whole other can of worms…

Not liking my chances of finding replacement shocks that will match what I already have and also achieve the required extension limit.

I looked at using something softer than aluminum stock, but ultimately concluded that I needed something strong enough to prevent the half shafts from going into bind under extreme conditions. Not overly concerned about it in droop, definitely would not want a hard stop under full compression loads…

Probably not the best remedy, but it at least gives me some sense of security that the half shafts won’t bind and do damage if I should ever unload the suspension out on the road. Meanwhile, I’ll do some more digging.

[mooreken]

The aluminum works for me...no worries until the wheels leave the ground ... then you got the landing to worry about...lol


Tom its funny on the shocks....my kit came with 9" shocks all around..only four though. I had to get 12" for the rears..it was at full extension at right height. Also there were 300lb springs all around. I think I ended up with 170 or 180 in the rear. Fronts were ok.

[BlackSnake]

Hoping not to perform any Dukes of Hazzard airborne theatrics with the 40…

The QA1s on the 40 are 8S350 Front & 10S350 Rear. The few miles I’ve driven the car revealed nothing unusual or concerning relative to suspension.