PROJECT CAR | GARDNER DOUGLAS T7070 September 2019 http://www.completekitcar.co.ukKit: Gardner Douglas Sports Cars,
Grantham, Lincolnshire. T: 01476 567180.
E: [email protected] W: http://www.gdcars.comCrate engine: Partsworld Performance,
Cannock, Staffordshire. T: 01543 431941.
W: http://www.partsworldperformance.comWheels: Image Wheels, T: 0121 522 2442.
E: [email protected]
W: http://www.imagewheels.co.ukOil hose and connectors: Speedflow,
Cheddar, Somerset. T: 01934 864310.
E: [email protected]
W: http://www.speedflow.co.ukFuel hose and connectors: Pegasus Auto
Racing Supplies, United States.
T: (001) 800 688 6946.
E: [email protected]
W: http://www.pegasusautoracing.comCustom switches: Billet Buttons, Australia
T: (0061) 043 904 9403.
E: [email protected]
W: http://www.billetautomotivebuttons.comAluminium fixings: Pro-Bolt, Tewkesbury,
Gloucester. T: 01684 851940.
E: [email protected] W: http://www.pro-bolt.comHeat shielding and sundries: Car Builder
Solutions, Staplehurst, Kent. T: 01580 891309.
E: [email protected]
W: http://www.carbuildersolutions.comGas fire system: Fire Extinguisher Valve Co
Ltd (FEV). T: 01243 555566.
E: [email protected] W: http://www.f-e-v.co.ukBlack chrome plating: Merridale Polishing
and Plating Co. T: 0121 5563636.
E: [email protected]
W: http://www.merridalepolishingandplating.co.ukPowdercoating: Nottingham Powder
Coating, Nottingham. T: 0115 940 0466.
E: [email protected]
W: http://www.nottinghampowdercoating.comAnodising: Colour Anodising, Manchester.
T: 0161 723 2637.
E: [email protected]
W: http://www.anodising.comUSEFUL CONTACTS
I’m always working up until the last
minute for a deadline, so it wasn’t until a
couple of days before the show that I bolted
the engine and gearbox together and slotted
it into the car. Despite all the worry of a
massive V8 and heavy gearbox dangling on
the end of crane and denting the chassis
tubes, fitting it proved easy with the help of
my son Sam and my mate Steve. The actual
engine and box fit took under 30 minutes
and was one of the quickest major build
items to do.
This was another milestone moment and
after many hours of work it was brilliant
to have it on display on the GD stand and
get lots of appreciative comments from
showgoers. It really does help motivate you
when fellow enthusiasts can see all the effort
you put into it.
With the body on and the engine in place,
you think you’re on the home straight, but
the reality was that there was a vast amount
of smaller jobs to tackle before you can get to
that fateful day when you get to turn the key
and hear that thunderous V8 fire up...By far the biggest engine bay job prior
to the first fire up was to plumb in the
dry sump oil lines. The two oil coolers,
two thermostats, remote oil filter mount,
scavenge pump, dry sump tank and flat sump
all need to be connected via a complex series
of hoses and aluminium fittings. It took
weeks to figure out the best run and fitting
to use and lots of trial and error.
The fuel system was slightly less complex
but still fiddly and the big worry was that
the super duper race-spec fuel line I was
using cost £1 per centimetre. I checked every
measurement several times before cutting!
By August 2018 the wheels had arrived
and this meant that I could finally bolt on
the brake calipers (the build wheels had
cleared the discs but not the calipers) and do
the final push in the build. Handbrake cables
were connected up, clutch and brakes bled
(which took an age as all the calipers are
four-piston). The fuel system was also bled
and the engine carefully primed according
to GM’s instructions. It was the moment
of truth...Peter is a Douglas Adams fan and, by sheer
coincidence, his car is chassis number 42...ABOVE: In its
current tune, the
LS3 produces
500bhp and the
same figure in lb ft
of torque.BELOW: Access to
the 6.2-litre Chevy
LS3 engine is very
good.BELOW RIGHT:
Image three-piece
billet wheels
powdercoated to
look single-piece.066 GD T70.indd 70 01/08/2019 12:46 pm