FORD GT40 - BESPOKE FABRICATION

It's a very good feeling when clients come back to you and trust you with their most treasured things. We’ve been fortunate enough to help Frank out with his Ford GT40 a couple of times in the past and we were glad to do so again when he called in earlier this year, bringing with him some very worn pieces of metal that needed a little bit of fabricator empathy.

Frank has loved motorcars since he was young. Spending time in the Royal Navy before moving on to practise commercial law he has a love of cars and engines that you only really get when you understand what’s on the inside of those beautiful hunks of metal. A frequent attendee of the Goodwood Revival and Members Meeting and other race circuit events, though his favourite takes place just across the channel, at the Le Mans Classic. A must attend event for any true fan of motorsport, you race around this usually closed circuit on public roads, really putting your treasured four wheeler to the test.

In the past we've fabricated for him a custom GT40 carburettor mounting and some stainless steel panels to create some door bin covers to improve his door pockets but this year it was all about the air conditioning, or lack thereof.

You see, in a GT40 there isn't a whole lot of air conditioning, except for a couple of 'flaps' in the windows themselves, or you can just drive with the door open or indeed off as Frank did this year taking in the scenic 1000 miles to the Le Mans Classic Centenary celebrations.

“Because you can’t just go and buy these parts ON eBAY…”

But that's not so practical or safe for racing so we were tasked with fabricating some new ones. With no blueprints or sketches it was a ‘trace around the original jobby’, then laser cut and grinded to match for a perfect fit. Bringing the car interior down to a much cooler and safer temperature.

Of course we couldn't pass up the chance to see this glorious car in person so we invited Frank to our HQ so he could tell us all about what makes the GT40 so special and if you look very closely, you’ll be able to see his lucky black cat race mascot ‘Dave’ in the photos and video that’s with him for every chequered flag.

If you are looking for bespoke fabrication for your car or anything else get in touch and we would love to help you solve your next metalwork problem.

You can follow Frank on more of his classic car racing adventures through his YouTube channel here.