Body Modifications to the GT40

If this part of the build was on TV it would be called the Itchy and Scratchy episode!

Modification of the GT40's body is key to getting the look of the car right. A lot of time was spent on small details to ensure that this would become a very special looking car.

Here is a snapshot of just a few of the modifications.

Rear Flares

A slightly wider rear flare was required to fit the rim and tire package so it was time to cut of the standard ones and bond on the new ones. The new ones are only about 100mm wider, they are not full gulf flares and were applied to the car to just cover the wheels with about 10mm clearance. A very difficult job to get right. It took me to get it 90 percent right and Kaber to get it 100% right after laser scanning the car.

Rear Light Mounting and Le Mans Rear Vent Detail

The rear lights would fit better if a small indentation was added in the rear clip to stop the back of the lights from being sprayed by water. I made a mold from wood to accomplish this.

I then made a few oval type parts and glassed them into the rear of the lights. A cable assembly with a grommet was obtained and this will make a sealed cable connection to the lights. Nutserts have been glassed in to fasten the lights.

Before

After

The holes above the rear lights were in the original cars to vent air from behind the wheels. Probably also to send stones flying into cars behind them at Le Mans! I have not seen many replicas with this detail but I like it.

Door Latches and Door Striker

I decided to use Porsche door latches as I have used them before. I manufactured aluminium plates and mounted them to the doors.

The door striker support on the chassis was manufactured from aluminium and ties in with the roll cage to transmit any side collision loading to the chassis.

Interior Door Boxes

I then looked at making some interior door boxes. They give the occupants some extra elbow room in the car. I really did not like any of the door boxes available so I made my own molds quickly out of MDF as per below.

The door intrusion bar can also be seen below.

The box perimeter was then carefully cut out of the door to make a flange that matched the contour of the doors perfectly. These flanges were added to the box taken of the molds I manufactured. Fasteners are on the inside and the box has a perfectly spaced gap to the door. I like creating these gap lines in preparation for the body work! When they are painted black the gap will not be as visible.

Dashboard

I also did extensive work on the dash area to perfectly match the base of the window. I really do not want to see the fiberglass lip of the spider supporting the lower edge of the front window when I sit in the drivers seat. This is something I have seen in most GT40s. Its not a big issue it just bugs me.

Work was also done to perfectly fit the defrost grille. I cut this area out and remade it to fit the custom defrost grille that resembles the original.EndFragment

The dash was also cut to have small wedges on the sides. The reason for these is to allow removal of the dash with the roll cage fitted. As you can see without these the dash would be captive in the car.

So after getting a dash and working on the top it was time to look into the gauge and column area. I wanted a custom gauge layout, so time to cut and shut the dash.