Lamborghini Countach kit

[KenM]

Hand Built Lamborghin Kit car. 80% complete runs and drives. will try to upload videos later.

[KenM]

4 Photos of car.

[Sammy B]

Where is it located? What are the specs? What engine, trans, suspension, etc.?

[polo05]

how much are you asking ?

[KenM]

It's located in Northwest Indiana. The specs are EXACT to the original car. It is built on a custom tube chassis with four wheel independent suspension, dual adjustable shocks for each side on the rear with custom A-arms, Mustang II front suspension with adjustable shocks, Ford 302 adapted to a Porsche 914 transaxle. First gear hits 55mph, VERY fast. I have over $50K invested in the car and would consider a reasonable/fair offer.

[ghostmechanic]

Why the carburated 302 instead of a newer Fuelie 5.0 liter from a Mustang? And yes, I know the 5.0 liter IS a 302 (I bleed Ford blue). But the newer 5.0 liters have a lot of advantages. And seriously, you only have $50 invested? :p

[KenM]

50K invested and the consideration was the configuration on the front of the motor to firewall clearance and also the clearance to the engine cover. The motor had to be moved forward from where it was designed in order to get the axles perfectly straight under full weight of the car. Now when you press hard on the gas, the car doesn't squat, slide or even lift the front, it just presses you straight back. There are some movies here
http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=854848#post9631568

[papasmurf]

Looks nice...at 50k+ you are fast approaching the price of a used countach. I am sure the repair bills are a bit easier to swallow on the mustang V8 setup.

[TheRyder]

A decent used countach would cost you about 80k,,,ALmost wondering if maybe you shoulda financed the last 30k to get a real one?


Nice car, almost done.

[KenM]

the problem with a use Lambo is the Maint. on the thing. You have to get tune ups like every 10,000 miles because they don't run ($10,000 if you can find somebody) and don't get stuck in traffic you'll overheat. And heaven forbid you have to do anything else to it. Ya I have $50k into, but would be lucky to spend another 10k if that. But its a driver, I can let idle forever and the temp doesn't go above 180. It was built to work on and tinker with, thats part of the hobby, and still a far cry under the $80k for a used one that there selling b/c the mileage is at the point they need a tune up. But seriously, $60k total to have a more reliable automobile that you can actually use and probably sell for the same is worth it. I'm just into my heli's instead, besides college is fast approaching for the kids

[GallopingGhost]

You might be well served to run a list of how you ended up with 50 G's in a kit car. I think people need to see that to believe it.

[flynz4me]

You might be well served to run a list of how you ended up with 50 G's in a kit car. I think people need to see that to believe it.

Here here, spill it out...

[philosophicle_1]

the configuration on the front of the motor to firewall clearance and also the clearance to the engine cover.
Same basic reason Ford went to the 4.6L and if you've seen the Saleen versions of this, yea, it'll bronk you out of the saddle pretty easily.

[GFBurke]

Nice. I'm holding off for a Factory5 cobra kit.
I know how fast the money gets sinked. I dumped $20K into a 5.0.

good job though.

[Gerry__]

Ken, I agree with you, the real ones are pigs to maintain. They look fantastic, but are money pits. Anyway, nice kit, will be a real head turner when it's finished.

[KenM]

Think of like this guys, when you buy the planes for $187 for an ARF and it doesn't come with stuff and you end up spending $800 to do it with the best of everything. You spent more than you wanted, but its sweet. Remember the cost is the custom tube chassis. No motor, or trans or axles, with all the custom fitting came with it. Everthing is custom made and in the car business thats expensive. So it adds up quick just like any hobby.

[Joespeeder]

Hi Ken,

It's always fun to see someone build a dream. Sad to see you have to let it go. Could you share some details of your build? Pics maybe?

Can you tell us more about the drivetrain? Is the transaxle a 901 or 915? What kind of power are you putting through it? Whos transaxle did you use?

Whats does it weigh when complete?

If your car is similar to the Ebay car, it looks like that kit uses coil overs with adjustable spring perches. Are the shocks themselves adjustable for compression and rebound or just the perches?

You moved the motor forward from its intended position? That's a fair bit of work. Is that a common mod for that kit? Could you have adjusted the shock perches to balance the car or change springs? Or would that have messed with your corner weighting too much?

Those don't look like Porsche brakes. Are you using stock a stock Ford brake system on the front or have you done upgrades? Pads, Fluid, etc? Is the rear a Ford brake system also?

Whos wheels are those? Are they three piece wheels? Are they a standard size wheel or did it require a custom offset?

What parts come with the car? You've done a tremendous job getting it this far. I'm sure it will give someone a lot of enjoyment.

Joe



www.thecaterhamproject.com

[ghostmechanic]

Nice. I'm holding off for a Factory5 cobra kit.
I know how fast the money gets sinked. I dumped $20K into a 5.0.

good job though.
I can't even count the amount of dollars I've had in 5.0 & 2.3 Turbo Mustangs. It would just turn my stomach. It does go pretty fast. I've owned 10 of them. I got into them in the '80s when there weren't many aftermarket parts for them.

[Titan_Racing]

How much is hand built vs kit parts? I am located in NW Indidan as well and would like to come by and view the car. What exactly would I need to compelte the project? Would you take $45K? and what pieces to you have not pictured.....

[Titan_Racing]

GallopingGhost apparently you have NOT worked on projects of this nature. Hand crafted cars suck up $$ fast. I be tthe kit was $15K to $20K, the engine and trans was around $5K and to get a 5.0 V8 in a rear engine car there has to be some hefty radiators and cooling system I bet another $3K to $4k. Then you have glass, wiring, instrumentation, Lights, door mech's, exhaust, and on and on and on. GallopingGhost come on cut the guy a break look at that machine!!!!!!

[KenM]

Joespeeder - the build has been intense, i bought a kit and started over from scratch. Kit Companies talk a great story but the product isn't there. Not great quality and to make it nice you start over. Transaxle is 914 with first gear remove and 4 other gears of taller ratios(can't fit 5 anymore). The car will weigh 2200lbs complete. The shocks are adjustable not perches. As far as moving the motor and choice of 302, well the 302 is lighter and thinner then a 305 or 350 and space is critical and if you want the axles straight then this would be a standard mod. By moving the motor forward i have impoved balance and handling as it is much closer to 40front 60rear weight distribution. As far as brakes, front are Mustang II and rear are 85 olds toronado, see the rear axles are olds toronado custom fitted to the porsche, so the knuckle is also toronado but the a-arms are custom. Brake and clutch pedal are out of racing car, and all attachments custom made (clutch cable, mounting hardware and on and on). The wheels are champ 500 centerlines that were powdered coated professionally to that color. Wheels are same size as original car. If the car on ebay is the yellow one that i saw, there is no comparison in my opinion. Titan_Racing - Get in touch with me this weekend and maybe we can hook up. Lets talk, i want people to see the car to appreciate it.

[crashEMhard]

where did you get the ford valve covers to say lambo on it?

[KenM]

They were Ford motorsport valve covers that i took off ford motorsport and hand carved Lamborghini out of aluminium and put that on there. Also did the aircleaner.

[ihor14448]

what do you mean handbuild? how you build the cabin?

[Joespeeder]

Thanks Ken,

Interesting, How did you bias the brakes? Cockpit adjustable? Are the shocks and springs(spring rates) a known set up for your kit? Bilstien will custom valve a set of shocks for your car for next to nothing and it makes a huge difference. Are the sway bars adjustable?

Did you use the Renegade Hybrids adapter/parts for the motor/transaxle? Was the choice of a 914 (type 901) mainly due to the price difference of a 915? Those get expensive real quick :eek: I can't remember if the two are that much different in dimension.

40/60 is a great place to start. Once it's done and you can conner weight it, and maybe shift the balance some more if you wanted to but the weights are more critical on the diagonals then front to rear as long as it's with in reason. It always amazes me what a small turn of a perch will do. It used to take all day to set a 911 up due to the torsion bar rear end and no adjusters like on the front. Measure, disassemble, rotate the torsion bar by a single spline while very carefully trying to keep your starting place in the correct spot, reassemble the rear suspension, measure and repeat as needed..... My head spins just thinking of it, too many variables and endless arguments in the garage :).

The one I saw on Ebay was Black. Lots of pics but I think it was the same kit.

Would love to see more pics of your build. Your work carving the Lambo script for the valve covers is something I could never do. Great work. Keep the details coming. Sorry to be a pest, but I've been down this road I always learn something from others that have had to work all this out on a project. You should show off your work... After all... no one here is detail oriented and we all hate to see a fun project :D

Joe


www.thecaterhamproject.com

[KenM]

Yes there is a dial in side the cockpit to adjust the brake bias. As far as i know, there hasn't been many custom tube cars put on the road, so this has been a learning curve with no mentors. The adapter was not renegade, but i cannot recall there name without going through my paper work, but they are in LasVegas. The 914 had good specs and was proven with a V8, the 915 is longer and were stuff attached and mounted was a bit different so i felt the 914 was a better fit in the car. Still rated at 174 in 4th gear at 5200rpms. I haven't seen the one on ebay (i'll go look) but the body and chassis are completely different and were not meant for each other, so things like custom gas tanks (1 per side that draw togther) had to be made. The list goes on and on. I'd have to try and scan in images (which i don't have a scanner) to show build photos. But as you can tell there are so many things put into the car to make it what it is, it's to hard to make a list. Just keep asking. Should should come see it. Want to buy it? :rolleyes: By the way, thanks for the link, i enjoyed the photos.

[Jimmi]

For me its very easy to believe someone got 50k into this car. The things you can't get back is all the blood, sweat and tears and all the head scratching and god knows how many sleepness nights were put in. And how many pounds of coffee consumed just to keep you awake. Good luck on your sale and whomever buys this car, hopefully will keep your dream alive :) Jimmi