lars

Thought I'd show off my latest garage project…. It's not a Vette, but it's all 'glass like a Vette…. The owner's design objective was to build a Porsche that would be "faster than a Vette." Only way to do that effectively is to lighten it up. Start to completion time: Just over 5 weeks.

Here we go: All the steel is chopped off and removed - pulled the fenders, hood, doors, deck lid, and cut off the quarter panels. New, hand-built 'glass quarters with 8-inch flares can be seen in the background up against the GTO:


In the front, all sheet metal is removed. Aluminum fuel cell. Dual master cylinder brake system with 13-inch rotors:


Finished project. 'Glass hood, fenders, doors, quarters, and deck lid. The process and materials used are exactly as described in my "Corvette Body and Paint Basics" tech paper available here on the Forum. Yes, you can do this stuff in your garage:


Custom built, adjustable rear wing producing over 200 pounds of downforce under 80mph. Hand-built quarter panels. Custom spring plate rear suspension:


Car weighs in at only 1900 pounds, and is set up so it can run in the Super-Pro Class in PCA & FIA sanctioned racing:


Under the deck lid is a Bosch-injected 3-liter normally aspirated 6-cylinder pushing 315 hp on the dyno. 315 horse in 1900 pounds makes this little over-sized go-cart a real rocket:


Now, I gotta' get back to doing some 'Vette tuning…..

MikeC

Wow!

Great craftsmenship on the fabrication of the rear quarters.

lars

Thanks, Mike! Too bad the photos are a bit dark in the rear wing area - The upper wing is hand-layed 'glass, and the supporting uprights are CNC-machined aluminum with integral stiffening ribs in a geodesic pattern. The wing has vortex end plates and a Gurney-lip to maximize effect.

ScubaJKD

Once apon a time I built a 1966 911 2.7 liter turbo racer and had my hands full with the wider flares front and rear. I really respect your talent. That is some great work. Not a C3 but I love it. Post additional photos as they become available I would love to see them. " TRUE CRAFTSMANSHIP " :seeya

thejaf

Good work Lars! Remember this conversation :lol:

Jeff -
Save that picture and compare it to the one I'll be sending you of my
completed project when I get the film developed.....

-----Original Message-----
From: Jeff Fisher [mailto:jfisher@env-eng.com]
Sent: Friday, September 14, 2001 12:02 PM
To: Lars Grimsrud
Subject: Porsche parts


Lars,

Here's some ghetto mods for your Porsche!

Jeff


Here's the pic :D

Chris Fowler

:eek: :eek: Wow!

lars

Hey Jeff -
Did I tell you it would be close, or what...? Pretty funny.... difference is that the one I built is actually functional....

Chris -
HI! Good "hearing" from you!! I had to post this to show that I'm one of the new-age, sensitive kind of guys who is practicing understanding and cultural diversity.... I work on GTOs, Vettes, AND Porsches... doesn't get any more diverse than that, does it? But just so you don't get the wrong idea... I still don't work on anything that's built west of California....

Brutal64

Awesome job Lars. The last time I saw that car it looked like it did in the second photo. Turned out great!
After seeing the results that forum members have achieved, I've decided to do the body work and paint on my car myself. I printed out your tech tips sheet and got the book from Ecklers but expect to hear from me quit a bit for advice.

Steve

lars

Steve -
I'll even bring beer and come over with my own sanding block to help out..! I love it whan I can trash somebody else's garage!!

Blkblt

Sheesh..... Lars is going to bring the beer???

He's been bringing around some pretty good stuff recently....since he quit consuming that Keystone Light stuff. :D

I might have to stop by also. :yesnod:

************

************
Jeff
Ô66. Modified L72
ŇThe Silver BeastÓ
Keep on :seeya :seeya :flag :cheers:


[Modified by Blkblt, 12:04 PM 12/13/2001]

Brutal64

You got a deal! I plan on starting after the holidays so I'll keep you posted.

Brutal64

Asbolutely! The more the merrier. Kurt is looking forward to using my car to learn body work and paint as well. I quess my only question is will the beer help us do a better job?

lars

Never, EVER work on a car sober. Forum member Jeff ("thejaf") out in Roanoke tried that once, with terrible results... Learn from his mistakes, and drink heavily at all times. Not only does this mask the miserable pain of doing body work, but your relaxed mode will help you created much smoother body lines.

Paul 75 L82

Lars- you ARE the man! I just wanted to say that I never could have done my paint job without your "Paint Bacis paper". Thanks again.

Maxd_out

Me like! :cheers:

lars

Paul75 -
Glad to see the paper came in handy for you, and great to see you just diving in and doing it! It takes some guts to load up that sanding board and to start making the first cuts on your Vette when you haven't done it before, but it's a great experience if you're willing to put in the effort and the hours. Doesn't that K36 sand nice...? Great job!!

Max -
Thanks!

ZD75blue

looks great... i guess we'll have to give you a break... the park bench thing on the back actually works so <shrug> its like a super fast pinto... you dont race it, but its still a pinto

The porsche looks great, and 5 weeks time too, jeeze your fast

ZD

VolVette

Wow! I want one! Maybe I need another project! Great work, Lars!

Do you have other examples of your work? I would love to see them!

Cheers,

Stephen

lars

There's actually a little more to the "park bench" thing than you might think....
First, it's designed right on the hairy edge of the limits to stay within PCA and FIA rules. There are max dimensions for width, length, height, and how far aft of the rear end of the car the wing is mounted. This one is at the max for everything.
Then, the airfoil itself is pretty radical. It's taken from a NACA airfoil design, so there are real numbers available for it in terms of its performance. It's set up to be fully adjustable using an Indy-Car type adjustment system.
Once it was mounted on the car, I "tested" it by standing on it and giving it a few light jumps (prior to painting, of course..). I'm 180 pounds, so light jumping probably put about a 300 pound load on it.
During practice laps with the car, the wing produced so much downforce that it broke the rear deck lid - so it put more than 300 pounds on the rear end. This has since been fixed, and a little less angle of incidence is now used in the system....

And by the way - I used to race a Pinto in SCCA Solo II competition. Set up with a Ford Ranger roller cam, Offy dual port intake with a Holley 390 4-barrel mounted crossways, SB Chevy valves in the head, and headers. Ran "C Street Prepared" and was quite competitive. If you run into a plain brown Pinto with really fat tires that sounds like it has headers.... be a little careful... :lol:

lars

Thanks, Vol!
I have a whole portfolio of photos of stuff I've built over the years. Maybe I'll scan a few in and post a few of the more interesting projects in a separate folder just for fun...