Because Racecar.........! Team Eircooled Drag Project.

[Dirty1]

The cars was exactly like the pictures in Rocky's For Sale thread when we pulled it out yesterday, then we started to strip it an chisel out some of the fibreglass, here's some pictures I took after we were done!
Passenger side lower door hinge.

Drivers side lower A pillar.

Passenger side.

Inside view of drivers side C pillar - fiberglass!!

From inside the car looking out through the rear quarter panel/arch - alloy mesh.

Glassed in battery tray.

Battery area/rear lower corner, no metal, just glass!

This was all 5mm deep in glass, the whole floor right up to the pedals (an under throttle plate) an up B post an over front of heat exchanger! Under the fiberglass was a pop-riveted plate. - Notice the repair panel welded externally over the hole.

Passenger side footwell/heater channel.

Drivers side inner engine bay. Note fiberglass panel and welded in rusty(tacked) repair section from a donor car. Opposite side is the same.

The worst bit -Roof and Gutter above drivers door.

This is what we pulled out of the roof that was used to support the filler on the outside, 2.5 inch think lump of fiber filler!

A wheel barrow full of fiberglass, there's no metal in that pile!

Mum was good though......

 

[Kevin O'Brien]

Good old mums, eh?

Looking forward to this thread. Looks like you've plenty of work on your hands. I thought my yoke was bad for rust and filler! Take loads of pics of the metal replacement if you get a chance, I'll be watching and learning

 

[riggsi]

Jeasus theres not much left of it.

 

[JustinOval]

Ah, sure it looks grand.

 

[Roadcow]

Make me a list and I'll send over repair metal. It probably won't make it there in time though. I have a 74 coming in and I'll give you first priority for parts free.

 

[duts]

Lads i prob have some of them panels in the rotten shells i have. Can't be sure cos of course they all rot in the same places but i'm sure the gutters were decent and the engine bay area was always dry!

 

[BLZEEDUB]

...some serious glass fibre mattin/P40/filler 'abuse' in that thing - I thought Colm's one I did the welding on was bad; this is another level; looks like the door pillars were glassed to whats left of the heater channels; the mind boggles!!

Are you going to sack off the body, or weld in bits from a donor car? the upper bits of the body dont look too healthy -rust/filler/not there at all etc etc.

 

[Mikey]

Are you going to soda or shot blast the body?

 

[riggsi]

You might be better off cavity block blasting it.

 

[knk]

Are you going to soda or shot blast the body?

There'll be nothing left if they do that!

I have a full nose section left from the body I got off Trev a few years back for the Lexibug if that's any good for parts? I'll grab a picture of it tomorrow and see what's left on it.

EDIT: Just had look at your photos and the front nose cone on GZR looks in good condition?

 

[bugeye]

Good luck with this one lads, gonna require a few hrs work and a good stock of tea bags to get her ready for the strip.

 

[kombi.noise]

jd mans sections look like they are very cheap...

 

[caddy]

tzar shall i put this engine into wraps till christmas lol

 

[Dirty1]

Thanks for all the offers of parts an body panels etc from all you guys, we'll have to have a further poke around an see what direction we are going to go as far as repairs/welding. I've even had the offer of a better shell to start with but for some kind of fucked up whatever (it's not sentimentality) i'd kinda like to resurrect GZR using this shell, otherwise it wouldn't be the same car with its random/chequered history within the club. I kinda like the idea of a club build for GZR too as so many members know it or have owned it in the past.

The reason I bought it is, well there are 2, one was as a cheap car as a basis to build a Volksrod an the other was to build a rally beetle for my Dad to compete in retrospective/historic rallying. It's too bad to be a donor for a volksrod in a way an as it's so bad I don't think I'd be too upset if it was stuck in a ditch/tree as a rally car.

After seeing Dave/Ben/Cathal racing their cars around the circuit at the Enniskillen revival the idea of a car that handles an goes around corners appeals to me more that a pure straight line car, and it makes sense as there's not too many drag strips down south but there is cheap track time at Classic Car live etc. There's not too much difference in the set up anyway. That's where I'm at, a street legal (barely-NCT exempt remember) Track/Strip/Rally car.

As far as the work, I guess we're going to have to lift the body off anyway, build up the chassis an see how bad the body is. It definetly needs a secton of gutter on both sides, particularly the drivers side as you can see, that's the main bit cosmetically that can't be formed from sheet metal.

Regarding the front clip, it has some fibreglass but does look okay but so did the arches till I saw the repairs at stick over the rust an sealed with silicone. The rear valance actually has new bumper hangers compare to some of Trev's photos but there's filler there so what's beneath I don't know yet. The plan would be to cut off the rear anyway an make a removable valance an Dzus fasteners on the rear wings for quick engine removal. I'd cut it like a Baja so carbs are accessible, not just at the centre panel. The front bonnet will also be held on by bonnet pins.

2 heater channels an some floor pans to start me thinks!

Don't be shy, what do you think??

 

[Endfloat]

Don't be shy, what do you think??

I think it's a shitbox.

In fact, watch this video from 1:20 onwards and your man sort of sums it up pretty well. Just substitute the word boat for car and it fits the bill...

 

[caddy]

Don't be shy, what do you think??

bin it!!

start off with a shell that has a solid roof .
repairing the bottom 6 inches is the norm, but to start fitting roof and scuttle sections, thats for 50's cars with some value.

 

[JustinOval]

WWASD.

(What would Andy Sweeney do?)

 

[Lazy Dog]

WWASD.

(What would Andy Sweeney do?)

Go on, ask him........... I dare ya..................

 

[Lazy Dog]

I think it's a shitbox.

Well you've just given us the reason to persist with it..................

 

[duts]

As i said i'm nearly certain mine has decent gutters anyway shout if needed