Now I've had time to consider the final spec. of the car, several things have become apparent. Initially, I was going to take the 'Locost' approach to the build, sourcing alternative parts where possible in order to secure the best deals and keep the cost down. Now there's nothing wrong with this approach and you can probably get a pretty-good GTR built for about 30k. But that's the trouble, it will only (to me) be 'pretty-good'. If you're going to spend a substantial amount of money on a car you may as well go the whole hog. Better to spend 40k on a car that is the Ultima(te) than waste 30k on something that's merely Adequate. Additionally, I found that in a lot of instances, whilst Ultima's pricing may appear to be a bit steep, it actually works out CHEAPER than going elsewhere. Brakes are a prime example. The 'standard' Ultima setup uses Granada brakes and disks. Now, these will happily stop the car. As Ted said - "Our tow car is a Granada and it can pull a 3/4 ton trailer with an Ultima on it and stop OK" - which is fine (although the trailer is braked!). But - if you've ever seen Ultima's 18" wheels with standard brakes it looks errr... a bit under-endowed if you know what I mean! So, the alternative setup from them is a set of AP Racing four pot calipers, with 320mmx30mm curved vane vented rotors on custom bells and billet mounts. Because the AP calipers don't have a handbrake mechanism, you also have to fit an additional pair of handbrake calipers. All up cost for this little lot (including fixings, fluid etc.) is £1850 ex.VAT Not cheap, however, for comparison I looked at a Bremsport setup which I know another builder has used. The price for these broke down into Bremsport Race/Rally Calipers 1.5" 1.625" 4 pot (£346.16 pair) with 330mmx28mm rotors (£128.78 each) on bells (159.69 each) with Wilwood handbrake calipers (approx. 100). The total for that lot came to £1946.20 and even then I'd have to get fluid, fixings and have the to fabricate the caliper mounts. So, the salutory lesson here is, don't take things at face value. The Ultima price list may look expensive at first glance but when you consider that it includes EVERYTHING you'll need for that part of the build it becomes MUCH more competitive.
So with the above in mind, I went ahead and added the AP brake option to the order and after reading some build diaries (of which there are few) decided that ordering the air-con at this point would make plumbing a lot easier to deal with. Another £3100 on the bill - gulp!
Well, the spree didn't stop there! More reading and research clarified my spec that much more (well, in my own mind!). The engine/gearbox combo can pretty much be left out of the equation for the time being unless I go for mental power which would involve a bigger rad and double fuel pumps, so I ordered the other bits and bobs that would basically give me a complete rolling chassis. The only additional bits that I'll need other than the Chevy/G50 will be the electrics, bodywork and interior. So, I updated my order (again!) to include:
My bank balance takes another battering with yet more tools that I'll need for the build. Having spoken to/read more owners comments, I thought that the following bits would come in handy:
Great, now I've got the best equipped workshop in the S.of England but nothing to work on!!! ;) Having done more research on the suspension side of things, I decided that Ultima's Intrax shocks were the best value and were matched to the car. So that's more dosh for Ted & Co!
Managed to get an exhibitors pass for 'Supercar Sunday' at the Heritage Museum at Gaydon. I convoyed up there with 2 Ultima's, Guy Thompsons Black GTR and Paul's Red one. Images of the cars can be found in the new gallery section. Great weather and some fantastic cars (of which the Ultima's ruled IMHO!) made for a top day out.
Don't get too excited! There's nothing new to report really. Not even ordered any more tools. I am however looking a digital video cameras so that I can follow my progress with that. No doubt some of the clips will find their way here too. In the meantime, you can amuse yourselves with this link which goes a long way to explain the way that I ride my Yamaha R1! Watch this!
Saturday 27th July
No real Ultima news again but, after a day's racing at Silverstone, I packed the cars away in the workshop and took the opportunity to take a couple of pics. As you can see, one of the previous occupants put a flat floor in so suspension set-up should be easier. With the racing kit I've got camber and tracking guages too so I'm hoping that I can get it setup as well as it can be. There's three bays one of which has the double trailer and the two race cars, the middle bay is currently occupied by the TVR and the final one is empty for the moment. The TVR is up for sale so that will free up the flat floor for the Ultima. I've put in a couple of tool shots and descriptions. More will follow. That's it for now.
