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I guess if Shelby could put Corvair tail lights on the Ford GT Mark IV, Zora can stick a 60's British handbrake in the G.S. (if anyone wonders, I'm going to have to cut and paste the Mongoose to copy the side mount lever and create simply a cut-out for your hand not a shelf for a top mount)
Larry T.
<br >
Thanks for sharing that video Ken. I had not seen it, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. Now I want one............................I've got the perfect engine for it.
Found another short video of what looks like Chassis #3. Not sure if this is the real deal #3 since so many "New" Grand Sports are looking so good now days. Maybe someone knows a little more about it.
Have you heard of an upgraded brake kit, (Part number(s) that you would feel comfortable recommending for Street and Track that you would use the way you drive?
What pads do you use for street and track? Is Wilwood the best Source for something that is guaranteed to work with the wheels I have?
Will running a wider rotor create any fitment issues?
With the 17 and 18 inch wheels being up to 12 inches in the rear and 11 inches in the front, what size tires are the best fit for you, and are there any rubbing issues?
Thanks,
Ty O'Neal
*** Notice of Car name change ***
Was "Gulf" Grand Sport, now changed to just
simply, "EnGulfed". Seems to me to be a literal fit since I have been determined to have one since I was 16, now 53.
===============================
Originally Posted by Bill GS
Jim, I have been looking at Larry's 17" wheels and found the hubs to be different than mine. Yours look even different than ours.
Found another short video of what looks like Chassis #3. Not sure if this is the real deal #3 since so many "New" Grand Sports are looking so good now days. Maybe someone knows a little more about it.
Ken
Yep, Ken, that is #003 as it looks today and that video was made at the Sears Point track.
#003 has a few deviations from its original state. Most noticeable are:
1. Wheels - those are what I call Cobra-style. Only a passing similarity to GS wheels
2. Steering wheel - small diameter
3. Driver's seat - replaced with a modern racing seat.
There are other deviations which can not be seen in that video.
Have you heard of an upgraded brake kit, (Part number(s) that you would feel comfortable recommending for Street and Track that you would use the way you drive?
What pads do you use for street and track? Is Wilwood the best Source for something that is guaranteed to work with the wheels I have?
Will running a wider rotor create any fitment issues?
With the 17 and 18 inch wheels being up to 12 inches in the rear and 11 inches in the front, what size tires are the best fit for you, and are there any rubbing issues?
Thanks,
Ty O'Neal
*** Notice of Car name change ***
Was "Gulf" Grand Sport, now changed to just
simply, "EnGulfed". Seems to me to be a literal fit since I have been determined to have one since I was 16, now 53.
===============================
Hi Ty,
Nice to see you posting again.
I couldn't find any off-the-shelf HD brake system which I could just bolt on. Not Wilwood, not Baer, not anyone. The problem wasn't that no one made C4 brake conversions; lots of companies did (and may still do). The problem was getting any of the offerings to fit inside an archaic 15" wheel AND to not collide with the spokes of the replica Halibrand GS wheels.
Necessity, motherhood, invention, and all that..... I decided to just roll my own after getting smart about how to do the calculations for F/R proportioning, braking torque, piston diameters, etc.
As far as fitment issues due to the wide rotors, in general, every dimension affects fitment and must be considered.....rotor thickness, brake "hat" height, caliper overall width, steering knuckle caliper mount points, etc.
At the time I developed the HD brakes, I had a cheap 2D drawing program which I used to evaluate fit issues. I made "models" of all the pieces.... rotor, hub, caliper, GS wheel, etc and moved the pieces around on my screen looking to see what collided with what. You can see one of my simple sketches here:
For pads, on my GS, I use Carbotech pads on the front and garden variety NAPA street pads on the rear. Rear brakes, BTW, are stock C4 with the narrow rotors.
Regarding 17" and 18" wheels, it ought to be much easier to find a HD brake package since there is a generous interior diameter which will easily accept large diameter rotors. You'd still need to examine the brake system in cross section (like in my sketch) to look for interference between caliper and wheel spokes. In general, you'll have an easier time fitting 2 piston calipers than 4 piston calipers.
I'm sorry I don't have any specific experience with the wheels you want to use.
If you want to attempt duplicating my brake system, I'll be glad to supply part numbers for the few off-the-shelf pieces I bought, and
help you with the rotor modifications. You'd have to verify, in the same way that I did, that everything will bolt on and fit as you need it to.
As always you input is very helpful. If I find any surprises with this I'll get them posted to you. I'll post again when I get closer to this so I can look at the part numbers.
I love the original GS wheel in 15 inch so much better that the GT40/Cobra Wheels. They are distinctively different and I believe a lot better looking on these cars.
I would guess however, there are a number of people looking to put good Brakes for the track and street on all these cars running the 15 inch wheels.
I think the market would be pretty big as there are a million Cobra's and GT40's running around with the larger wheels since the 15's are more difficult to deal with.
When I look at them (all the cars from the 60's) I have a really difficult time seeing wheels greater than 16 inch on any car. They look ok just not correct, especially if the rest of the car has an out right 60's look to them.
Do you think most people would feel this way, but just don't have a choice given what is out on the market?
The small sidewall's are another similar issue, ok but just not correct.
Thanks again,
Ty O'Neal
"EnGULFed" Grand Sport
================================
Originally Posted by jim lockwood
Hi Ty,
Nice to see you posting again.
I couldn't find any off-the-shelf HD brake system which I could just bolt on. Not Wilwood, not Baer, not anyone. The problem wasn't that no one made C4 brake conversions; lots of companies did (and may still do). The problem was getting any of the offerings to fit inside an archaic 15" wheel AND to not collide with the spokes of the replica Halibrand GS wheels.
Necessity, motherhood, invention, and all that..... I decided to just roll my own after getting smart about how to do the calculations for F/R proportioning, braking torque, piston diameters, etc.
As far as fitment issues due to the wide rotors, in general, every dimension affects fitment and must be considered.....rotor thickness, brake "hat" height, caliper overall width, steering knuckle caliper mount points, etc.
At the time I developed the HD brakes, I had a cheap 2D drawing program which I used to evaluate fit issues. I made "models" of all the pieces.... rotor, hub, caliper, GS wheel, etc and moved the pieces around on my screen looking to see what collided with what. You can see one of my simple sketches here:
For pads, on my GS, I use Carbotech pads on the front and garden variety NAPA street pads on the rear. Rear brakes, BTW, are stock C4 with the narrow rotors.
Regarding 17" and 18" wheels, it ought to be much easier to find a HD brake package since there is a generous interior diameter which will easily accept large diameter rotors. You'd still need to examine the brake system in cross section (like in my sketch) to look for interference between caliper and wheel spokes. In general, you'll have an easier time fitting 2 piston calipers than 4 piston calipers.
I'm sorry I don't have any specific experience with the wheels you want to use.
If you want to attempt duplicating my brake system, I'll be glad to supply part numbers for the few off-the-shelf pieces I bought, and
help you with the rotor modifications. You'd have to verify, in the same way that I did, that everything will bolt on and fit as you need it to.
Thanks for sharing that video Ken. I had not seen it, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. Now I want one............................I've got the perfect engine for it.
Rex
Rex, what make manifold did you use?
I used a Pierce intake manifold modified with oil fill tube, manifold vacuum and LS engine crankcase breather.
I used a Pierce intake manifold modified with oil fill tube, manifold vacuum and LS engine crankcase breather.
Pierce Intake with 48MM Webers
Beautiful engine you got there Bill. Mine is a Mickey Thompson aluminum block (MT cast only about a dozen or so for his 1967 Indy 500 cars) with a set of 1960 Corvette aluminum heads, Mackay intake and real 58mm Webers. Now I just need a car for the engine.
Beautiful engine you got there Bill. Mine is a Mickey Thompson aluminum block (MT cast only about a dozen or so for his 1967 Indy 500 cars) with a set of 1960 Corvette aluminum heads, Mackay intake and real 58mm Webers. Now I just need a car for the engine.
Rex, that is a very special engine with unique/unobtanium (in my world anyway) hardware, I would be interested to know how you obtained it whole or in pieces?
Rex, that is a very special engine with unique/unobtanium (in my world anyway) hardware, I would be interested to know how you obtained it whole or in pieces?
Bill
Sent you a PM Bill.............................:thumbs :
New here - I mostly hang out on a Trans Am forum but had recently come across some interesting info about the 1953 Corvette that my buddies Dad helped to design so thought I'd join this forum.
Another friend owns the body shop where I had my own 1971 Trans Am painted and they also did one of the original five a few years back, too. This car has since changed hands for somewhere around 1.5M and I don't know the current whereabouts, but you can see the car on their web site. Byers Custom and Restoration in Auburn, WA.
They had a typo in the title and called it a 1963....lol
Is anyone interested in the info on the 1953 Corvette that I know about? Some fairly current and interesting news. I would start a new thread about that but I don't want to bore anyone.
03-24-2016, 11:05 PM
