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Thread: Driver turned owner, California GTM

  1. #1
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    Driver turned owner, California GTM

    Hello guys, I have raced the PDG4 GTM since 2016 and now 2019 we've reached new heights since we also entered Trans Am in the SGT class. The GTM has proven extremely competent at beating much more expensive machinery, while looking a lot hotter. Having such a good vibe with the GTM racecar it was inevitable that one day I'd end up owning a GTM of my own to drive on the road.

    I like to wrench but must be honest that I have the (im-)patience of a driver. I do best when I tinker with and optimize an already running car to extract better driveability and more performance, so I have kept my eyes open for a suitable halfway project to take over and bring over the finish line. Then very recently suddenly #82 popped up, a formerly running and sorted car needing TLC following a minor accident. Timing and opportunity = it's possible to make dreams come true! And so I got my GTM.

    Really looking forward to get it back in shape and to use the experience from the race program and other past performance car projects to develop the right blend of chassis mods to make it versatile like a thoroughbred supercar. It needs an element of ride refinement for truly enjoying it on the road while making sure it delivers credibility through speed demon handling. Let's see how good we can get it.

    I am extremely impressed by all of you who bought a kit and completed it - thanks for sharing your stories and solutions! As I get on with this project I hope I will be able to contribute to some extent.
    Last edited by RR46; 12-03-2019 at 06:56 PM. Reason: Added race facts

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  3. #2
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    Some addl car background;
    Racer since 1996, started with autocross driving my father's self-built Caterham Super 7 replica. Went into road racing with various degrees of semi/professionally operated teams in 2001. Lots of 24H (and 25H) under my belt as well as other distances and sprint races incl visits to World Challenge (pole position in most recent appearance). Have won more than 1/3 of career races entered, podiumed more than 2/3.

    Car (re)builds I have done:
    Built a Nissan 350Z from a caged non-rolling body shell into a professional level racecar.
    Repaired a front damaged Porsche 996 Turbo to become a road legal GT2 clone, I turned it into a very quick trackday car. Later I modified another undamaged 996 Turbo to become a clone of my first repair/build.
    Mechanically restored a 1971 Volvo 1800E.
    Recently upgraded a 1970 Volvo 1800E to make it a little more fun while retaining the original feel and style. I installed ITBs and AEM ECU, minor suspension upgrades are on the way.

  4. #3
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    You might enjoy this from a race I drove with the PDG team a couple of years ago: GTM vs Porsche 997 GT3 Cup 4.0

  5. #4
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    And if you like to see a GTM putting the APR wing to work you'll like the first lap of this race.
    LIVE: PDG4 @ NASA Endurance Jun 23 2018 6-9pm - YouTube

  6. #5
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    The #82 street GTM chassis repairs were done at the Prototype Development Group's raceshop (HUGE SHOUT OUT to Richard for the amazing support and fabrication!!). Everything up to the HVAC was straight. Front right arms and upright were a direct replacement, a couple of bent right front corner chassis tubes from prior owner's accident were simply cut out and new ones welded in. The frame is simply too strong to attempt stretching out btw. Once the new tubes were welded in, it was good to see the cross measurements come in inside 1/16", radiator fits perfect, all lateral bars front to back are level to ground and cockpit.

    Here's the gocart after a recent test drive. The chassis feels super good, as do the brakes and the LS1 motor is an absolute screamer, expected it to be a bit dull since I'm used to a LS3 6.2 with ASA cam. Not been able to track down what head work and cam this LS1 has but I will get some clues when I do a power pull on a dyno.

    As you can see I took the opportunity to route the coolant pipes outside of the chassis to reduce the amount of heat generated in the cockpit.
    ffr.jpg
    Last edited by RR46; 12-03-2019 at 06:57 PM.

  7. #6
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    Fast forward.

    Shakedown on track (70 laps)
    trackday-gtm.JPG

    More parts added back on (headlight covers, splitter, ...). Registered and smog exempt in California. Still in primer white
    IMG_1625.jpg

    Primer white
    IMG_1619.jpg
    Last edited by RR46; 08-25-2020 at 06:54 PM.

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  9. #7

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    Quote Originally Posted by RR46 View Post
    You might enjoy this from a race I drove with the PDG team a couple of years ago: GTM vs Porsche 997 GT3 Cup 4.0
    Holy crap! 175bpm - I was at that just watching it. Amazing stuff, thanks!
    James

    FFR33 #997 (Gen1 chassis, Gen2 body), license plate DRIVE IT says it all! build thread
    My build: 350SBC, TKO600, hardtop, no fenders/hood, 32 grill, 3 link, sway bars, 355/30r19
    Previous cars: GTD40, Cobra, tubeframe 55 Chevy, 66 Nova, 56 F100

  10. #8
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    I assume this is you Carl in my former GTM. Looking Good! Glad you were able to sort out the registration issues. Your history on this car might be of interest to other owners as it has had a rather extensive journey around the US and Europe since I first built the car.

  11. #9
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    @cob427sc that is me and the car is going great and getting fun upgrades.

    The history after Jack sold it: The car went to New York for a few years, the owner loving it and the insane attention it drew, but eventually his wife thought it was too much attention and he got a Viper. Quietly I wonder how much less attention that yielded. The GTM was very very pretty in bright silver with stellar body and paint work, excellent panel fit, super shiny chassis, alu panels, engine bay, and it quickly sold to an Army medical doctor in Texas. This guy had an assignment in Germany and had it shipped to him to drive it there! He owned the car for many years and unfortunately ended up having an accident (no major injuries). He said it was a freeway lane change mishap where a pickup truck wanted the same lane at the same time and a quick avoidance resulted in a spinout and contact with a barrier. No injuries thankfully. Not being a vehicle restorer, he ended up taking the insurance payout for it. He kept one of the key and remote sets as memorabilia, but when he heard that the car was rescued and lives on, he invited me to pick the set up since it turns out he now lives in CA, just a one hour drive from me! How small the world can be sometimes.

    Sadly, the car got very grimy during its time in the salvage yards, and it's outright difficult to get the alu panels, control arms, transaxle case etc back to the original sheen. I used S100 cycle cleaner which is awesome, it took the engine bay and components from a 2 to a 6-7 on a 10 scale. The new "used" front lid is not panel gapped yet, but the door gaps are still very nice. My focus has been completely on making this thing 2020 level fast on a racetrack while being very user friendly and reliable, but I am looking fwd to cleaning up one item at a time.
    Last edited by RR46; 10-09-2020 at 08:09 PM.

  12. #10
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    Btw, registering an out of state GTM in CA is definitely quite involved, and I have a write-up of the steps if someone's interested.

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