6 replies to this topic

[NeilR]

I found this thread on another forum very interesting: http://www.build-thr...lm-restoration/

 

It details the restoration of a ferrari f40LM

[Lee Nicolle]

I glimpsed through this. To me foam filled tanks encased in fibreglass and c/f in not a long term proposition. Foam starts to break up after about 5 years. Been there and done that!
That diff pinion looks tiny for supposedly 700 hp. And removing the intercoolers? What the?
He is spending huge amounts on the fancy suspension. Unless he is going to seriously race it it seems a waste. The R888 Toyos are a decent tyre but not really a road tyre. All semi slick race tyres turn to crap with a couple of thousand road km. Bloody wide though !

[NeilR]

I reckon it must have been a very profitable car for ferrari to make. Not that complex really. The foam filled tanks were replaced with alloy later in the thread. I think a couple of thousand km will be a few years running.

[Lee Nicolle]

I reckon it must have been a very profitable car for ferrari to make. Not that complex really. The foam filled tanks were replaced with alloy later in the thread. I think a couple of thousand km will be a few years running.

They made new tanks, foam filled f/g and c/f encased. Since the car is built around the tanks the longevity will be a problem. Fibrerglass and fuel really is not a good idea though for racing I understand why they do it, regularly however. A bag tank would have been simpler, though the bags too have a 5 year life. For road use just a simple alloy tank would suffice and keep them full when not using the car and they will last decades.
In aircraft the foam is replaced every couple of years. I have had an alloy tank built at the RAAF and the foam blocked the pickups at under 5 years old. Though my old Sports Sedan seems to be going ok with a tank I made nearly 15 years ago. Though that does use an oil filter as a fuel filter. Hopefully that will save the carb and pump.I feel the foam I bought from K&A is better quality. Though the spare block I had left on the shelf is disintegrating.

[NeilR]

I just skipped over that bit. Seems odd to wrap the alloy up. I agree on the foam - it works well but does not last.

[kikiturbo2]

that is exactly the technique I want to use to build my tank... thin alu for the tank, wrapped in kevlar for strength... Although, I was told that pure CF tank is also ok, and that there are epoxy resins compatible with fuel.. Any thoughts on that?

[swintex]

From a purely aesthetic point of view, I'm not entirely convinced by the OZ wheels.

 

Richard