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THE AUTO BUILDER
Featured
THE PHOENIX RISES AGAIN
July 16, 2023
PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT: Artec Industries NEW Bantam Series Bumpers
February 21, 2024
Product Spotlight: Bill Mitchell Products Aluminum LS Engine Block
If you’re building an LS engine meant to dominate the strip, carve canyon roads, or simply crush the scales on any dyno, the BMP‑086515 Aluminum LS Engine Block is your ticket. Built from high-strength 357T6 aluminum alloy, it weighs a mere 135 lbs with caps and sleeves, giving you a rock-solid foundation without the ballast of a cast iron block. In short: strength where you need it, weight where you don’t.
THE LONG HAUL
Around 1993, Bob Marion purchased a ’40 Ford cabover cab, but at the time he didn’t have anything he could do with it. He didn’t worry about it; he just thought of plans here and there, and after a full decade of on-and-off planning he finally decided it was time to do something with the old cab. He took it to Rich Brandl Sr. at Superior Custom Classics Inc.
TWO WORLDS CONVERGE
Nick Barron is no stranger to building fine performance vehicles. For more than 40 years, he has been the catalyst in handcrafting some of the finest performance machines around, a clockwork of components powered by nasty big-block Chevy engines and outfitted with the finest in custom appointments. The results of his handiwork have been seen racing on the quarter-mile and in other tortuous events. His vehicles have received many recognized awards for product innovation and consumer excellence. With a reputation for quality workmanship, performance, speed and superior handling, the success of Hallett Boats can be attributed directly to Barron. The boats Hallett has produced over the last four decades have afforded him the opportunity to involve himself in a number of new, exciting adventures. Barron is not only the owner of this new, beautiful Jerry Kugel-created full-fendered ’32 Muroc II roadster, he is also the owner of and innovator behind Hallett Boats, a high-end custom performance boat manufacturer located in Southern California.
Spotlighter
GTD Speedster
Leaving the Corporate Culture Behind to Realize True Automotive Independence
While Ferrari, Corvette and other historic vehicles may come to mind upon seeing these bodylines, the GDT Speedster stands alone as a prime example of advanced engineering, creativity and, most of all, individuality. Constructed of fiberglass over a steel frame/chassis structure, the fit and finish is as good as it gets, as it shows the real-world functionality of this one-of-a-kind machine.
Author
Stephen K. Anderson
Photography by Team GDT Speedster
The Dream Job of Car Design: Is it All It Seems?
Speaking for myself along with legions of other car enthusiasts who have been sketching their own views of automotive greatness since elementary school, few jobs are more desirable than designing cars and trucks, or so it would seem. This perception isn’t necessarily the reality many have experienced, however.
Behind the Curtain of Automotive Design: Limits to Creative Freedom
In speaking with various auto designers over the years, there is little question that this profession can be rewarding, considering the access these talented individuals have to the next generation of technology, style, and performance. But, as with most perceptions, not all is as it seems, as the most desirable aspect of this creative process—freedom—is often missing from the equation.
The GDT Speedster: An Unrestricted Vision of Automotive Artistry
This GDT Speedster is a prime example of what can be accomplished when skilled car enthusiasts are allowed to explore new concepts and processes that would otherwise never find their way beyond the sketchpad in the corporate world. Born from the combined insight of retired and current designers and engineers from Ford Motor Company and Visteon Corporation, this stylized machine benefited from the latest methodology in automotive design and fabrication.
Building the GDT Speedster: Design, Fabrication, and Innovation
Unlike most concept vehicles that are purely visual explorations, or a select few that are running, albeit limited prototypes, this GDT Speedster was designed and built to be driven anywhere you’ll find a Corvette or Mustang. But unlike these and other mass-produced cars, this specialized vehicle is the only one of its kind, and so it will be in the future, because the molds for the body were destroyed after the body panels were finalized.
Crafting a Custom-Built Machine from Scratch
Built from scratch, more than 2,000 individual components are held together with 2,129 fasteners, many of which were specially made to suit the unique nature of this car. More than 61 hours were spent welding the different elements together in custom welding fixtures based upon 719 computer-aided design (CAD) drawings, along with 84 full-sized pencil drawings.
The Precision of the Electrical and Mechanical Systems
The electrical system alone utilizes more than 1,080 components united through extensive planning and testing to achieve reliability on par with any production car. In fact, the only element missing from this complex entity is by design: the car doesn’t have cupholders.
An Iconic Design: Defining the GDT Speedster’s Unique Look
To arrive at this design, numerous sketches were prepared for consideration before the best of these concepts was chosen for a limited production of just one car. Afterward, a clay model was sculpted in 1/8th scale, transferring all sorts of two-dimensional designs into one cohesive blend of elements that could then be considered in the third dimension.
From Concept to Completion: Finalizing the GDT Speedster
With most of the major details completed, attention turned to the smaller elements, such as the wheel caps, fuel filler cap, horn button, gauge faces, and center console, all of which are emblazoned with the Team GDT Speedster logo. These were the defining details that marked the completion of the first and only GDT Speedster on November 5, 2005.
Redefining Automotive Innovation and Creativity with the GDT Speedster
In uniting their creative efforts to shape an entirely new vehicle, the GDT Speedster team underscored the importance of creative freedom. While its design is certainly not for every taste and may not please everyone, what it does represent are the dreams of generations of car enthusiasts looking to expand upon the envelope of what is and what can be.
Free of side glass and a roof, the interior was kept simple, which allowed the occupants to focus their attention on the job at hand—driving. Swathed in handsewn light oak leather, the seating and surrounding panels are as understated as they are luxurious. Special gauges display the GDT Speedster logo that is also found elsewhere in the car.
GDT SPEEDSTER BUILDUP
1. First came the definition of the vehicle architecture, and after reviewing several variants, the result of the study was a very modern, full-fendered speedster. Craig Sandvig and Larry Ronzi prepared theme sketches for the team to review prior to refining the design.
2. A point cloud is a computerized image combining thousands of coordinate points mapped by a laser over the exterior of a 1/8-scale clay model. In all, more than 20 million dots are combined to accurately re-create every body contour in free space.
3. Once the point cloud was finalized, the coordinates were converted to a surface, which was expanded to a full-scale computer rendering. The surface was then smoothed, as the laser that mapped the clay model picks up every imperfection. From there, Larry Conger matched up the right and left sides and even checked the door-swing geometry so the design could be finalized.
4. A full-sized mockup of the body was created to get a more realistic image of the shape and size of the car. Since the shop was too small to house the mockup in one piece, it was built in three separate segments that would pass through the shop door. The segments were then joined to create the initial mockup.
5. A ’94 Corvette served as the donor car for the GDT Speedster. Here, a measuring bridge is used to transfer accurate measurements to a paper grid system. Then thousands of freehand sketches were created of every component or region.
6. A 1/8-scale frame model constructed of balsa wood and components from a Monogram plastic model kit was used to analyze and improve fabrication feasibility and design strength. From there, a full-sized model could be built.
7. Larry Ronzi created a 1/8-scale clay model based on various “hard points,” specific coordinates such as the wheelbase, shoulder room and so on. Then “cutting sections” were made in the clay to determine the clearance between body panels and the underlying structural and drivetrain components. These measurements were then tabulated on a spreadsheet and then drawn to scale for future reference.
8. The clay model is about 80 percent completed and ready to be digitally scanned. The measurements were then passed along to create the full-sized body panels.
9. From any angle, the GDT Speedster definitely captures a style all its own thanks to the combined efforts of an incredibly capable team of enthusiasts, all of whom have extensive backgrounds working with and for the OEMs.
10. Using CAD (computer-aided drawings) detailing drawings for each member of the frame, three-dimensional “solid models” were manipulated and assembled into a complete structure on the computer. From there, a steel frame was joined with heavy-gauge steel plate to form the structure using a number of jigs to maintain alignment.
11. Here’s the array of donor components that were carried over from the Corvette to the GDT Speedster. While aluminum pieces were blasted with glass beads and aluminum oxide, others were cleaned and painted with Krylon Industrial “Rust Tough" black.
12. Once the door pillars, cross-car beam, transmission tunnel, dash panels and floor panels were continuously welded, the frame was checked for dimensional accuracy. The care taken from the design stages through production created variances of just 4 mm (plus or minus) from the original plans.
13. Once again, CAD tools were used to finalize the design and layout of the dash panel. This allows changes to be performed long before these images are used for the actual construction.
14. Construction methods used by rodders for decades were applied in the construction of the transmission tunnel, where corrugated paperboard was used to determine its shape.
15. Later, during the assembly, you can see how an aluminized-felt heat shield was applied to the complete tunnel. This was followed with upholstery foam and wool carpet to finish off this aspect of the assembly.
16. A CAD drawing of the instrument panel by Larry Conger was used to machine the molds for the actual panel. Classic Instruments provided the gauges that would eventually complete the appeal.
17. A mockup of the rough architecture of the instrument panel was fabricated from 1/2-inch plywood and 2x2-inch pine boards. Particleboard was used to create the gauge cluster. From there, “hard points” were used in developing the surfaces of the panel.
18. As with every aspect of the Speedster, the electrical system combined a number of technologies, including portions of a ’94 Corvette harness, which included the Powertrain Control Module (PCM). The expertise of Howell Engine Developments was called upon for all modifications and fabrication needed to power up this project.
19. The doorsills provided major challenges because they incorporated steps and pockets for the rear deck latches. A full-scale mockup was created in corrugated paperboard and hot-melt adhesive to fully visualize the surfaces during the design stage.
20. Further on in the development of the doorsills, a latch pocket was created to determine the precise location, as this would be critical in the mounting and operation of the latches.
21. To form the upper door trim panel substrate to the curved door flange, “partial kerfs” and epoxy putty were used to “freeze” the shape. These techniques are similar to those used by automakers in the design stages of production cars.
22. Fresh out of the custom molds, various fiberglass components were brought together to shape the rear of the body. The next step is to bond the pieces together as a single unit.
23. While considerable time was spent designing the headrest area, once the components were united, the area looked “too heavy.” So, the fiberglass between the headrests was cut and then bonded in 21 individual segments to achieve the revised shape.
24. Carried over ice and snow, the full-sized mockup of the GDT Speedster was moved to a reviewing site in one of the team members’ family room. You can see from the smiles on their faces that this was a big step toward completion.
