Translating Cardboard Templates Into A Car Body And RoofEvery once in a while, a great car-gazing opportunity just pops out of nowhere. Sometimes it happens when you least expect it, like when you're driving down the highway and an exotic car flashes by. Other times you find a gem or two at a local car show, but it very rarely happens that you walk through a set of doors and enter motorhead nirvana.
If you're new to Last Chance Garage (LCG), I'm building a '62 Ferrari 250 GTO replica from scratch. As the first step in the process for constructing a fiberglass body, I decided to build a body plug (the plug is what a mold is made from) using fiberglass parts from a "kit" used to re-body a Datsun 240Z for a look similar to a GTO. The GTO kit for the Z does not cover the roof or fastback area of the donor car, so I had to fabricate these body parts from scratch. I needed two very important inputs to guide the shape for these areas. First, the windshield glass determines the roof front edge shape. Second, I wanted the profile for roof and fastback to match the original GTO. Fortunately, I had something to work from in both these cases.
My first challenge was finding a windshield with the right curves and also of the right size for this application. A standard GTO windshield won't work because of the extra 6-inch width in the chassis-and even if I could find one, it would be extremely expensive.
After a lengthy search, I determined the windshield glass from a '60 Chevy Impala would work. The glass needed to be trimmed on the top and sides but has similar curves to a GTO windshield on the outside edges. As the Impala is a "full-size" car, its windshield provided the needed width. After purchasing the windshield glass and determining how much needed to be cut from the top, it was easy to make a cardboard template for the shape where the glass meets the roof.
The second shape requiring a form is the roof profile from windshield glass rearward, through the trunk area, and to the top of rear spoiler. For that, I had to make arrangements for access to the original GTO No. 3943 GT. I was fortunate to have access to an original car, as something such as a profile of this length is hard to craft using only pictures. Little did I know that this field trip would be a race car fan's dream come true.
My first clue was being told, "You're really going to like the scenery at this place," when I called to get access to the GTO. I didn't think much about the comment as I took down directions to a location different from that of the other times I'd visited the GTO. Years of vintage car racing had taken its toll on the GTO's transmission and rear axle, so it was at a special garage for some refurbishment. The garage is tucked away in a neighborhood consisting mostly of old, rundown apartments and looked fairly nondescript from the outside.
You can imagine my shocked surprise when, after stepping through the door, I was greeted by a couple-dozen vintage race cars from the '50s through some fairly modern racing thoroughbreds, super cars such as Lola, McLaren, Lotus, Ferrari, Maserati, Shadow, and BMW. I almost forgot my reason for this field trip as my curiosity took over and I checked out all the fantastic race machinery packed into this building. It was plain and simple sensory overload for a car guy like me.
After a bit of browsing, my pulse began to hover in the more normal range and I got down to business. I was here to make a template of the roofline profile. It's not everyday that you can get up close and get your hands on a racing legend such as the GTO. Believe me, I enjoyed every bit of making the roof template and tracing outlines for wheel, side window, and rear tire vent openings onto cardboard. It took a couple of hours to make the templates, stopping occasionally to check out that beautiful Weber-adorned V-12 under the hood.