Getting closer to joining the family...couple mod and PPI q's


daytrayd

GT Owner
Mark II Lifetime
Apr 23, 2010
557
Austin, TX
I am negotiating to buy a members car here, I forget his tag as I found him on ebay and his post is deleted from our classifieds, but its the blue w/white stripes with whipple, and had the front clip resprayed.

I am curious if you all would have any hesitations with a car being resprayed? I plan on driving it and keeping it for a very long time, so I'm not looking for a low mile kind of car anyway. Just curious on you all's opinion and if it could hurt value or raise any flags.

Also the car has a spec clutch, how is that clutch for daily drivability vs stock? I could always reinstall a stock clutch I suppose.

Lastly, his car is in Arizona and I'm in Texas, any recommendations for a PPI in the Tuscon area?

Thanks for the help guys, truly hope to be behind the wheel soon. Wish me luck.
 
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Email or PM me and I can speak with you to offer assistance.
 
to me its no big deal if its been sprayed, especially if it has some miles and you plan or driving/keeping it. I resprayed the whole front clip of my car after only 5000 miles.
 
My spec clutch is holding up well to the beating I give it.
 
Get a PPI to make sure the respray was for cosmetic issues (stone chips and the like) and not accident repair.
Shadowman/ GT Guys/ Kendall (nota4re) are 3 folks I would trust to inspect these.
Haven't personally drive a Spec clutch - the Stillen clutch (if the same?) is quite nice.
 
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Been emailing Marc on and off since I saw the post on the forum and he was and still is pretty firm on the price. We have gotten off the path a little in the emails and started a discussion about legality of DOT slicks for public streets. Good luck with the purchase. Maybe Marc will pop-up in this thread.
 
If this does not work out...i know of an 05 Late Build with 2K miles that is for sale...White / Blue all 4 options.
 
If this does not work out...i know of an 05 Late Build with 2K miles that is for sale...White / Blue all 4 options.

Thanks, but I'm looking for a blue/white specifically. The white is nice just not for me.
 
Thanks, but I'm looking for a blue/white specifically. The white is nice just not for me.
It's been proven that White/blue is the fastest most reliable color, that's why they made the most of them!!!
 
It's been proven that White/blue is the fastest most reliable color, that's why they made the most of them!!!

I think the mile events have proven that the yellow/blks are the fastest and the wht/blu are 2nd fastest.
 
It's been proven that White/blue is the fastest most reliable color, that's why they made the most of them!!!

They made more Red/White than White/Blue.
 
They made more Red/White than White/Blue.
Who's side are you on?
 
Is the white and blue still for sale?
 
Who's side are you on?

Lower volume = higher price :biggrin
 
Is the white and blue still for sale?

I am sure it is. It is Frank Barba's car. He has mentioned it several times on the forum over the past couple of years as being for sale. Send him a PM
 
Haha, you guys are funny. I think technically Yellow is the fastest at the moment, hope you keep the record buddy!

Back to the subject though, the car I'm looking at appears to have run some methanol at some point, trying to find out more on that, seems it was only on the car for a few months. What is yalls opinion on that? I wouldnt worry to much about the reliability cause we all know its a strong engine. Would a compression check cool any worries for yall? Also, the halfshafts were replaced with custom ones. Knowing the car ran slicks, there could have been some stress on the transaxle, would that worry any of yall too much? Whats it going to cost if that goes out?

Thanks for the help guys!
 
ttt
 
Transaxle swap will run you $15k+ (probably more)
All the other question really depend on how the car checks out....
 
Stock v Spec:
IMHO, the stock clutch is friendlier for daily driving, it has a longer engagement that is further down on the travel of the clutch peddle. I have the Stillen clutch, I would called the engagement "crisp" but some might call it grabby. It also engages at the top of the peddle travel so it has a very on/off feel to it but it can be negotiated in heavy traffic, it just takes a bit more thought/focus. I can't speak specifically about the Spec clutch as I have not driven one. The problem is, with almost any generation of the Whipple SC, the engine will consistently produce more torque than the stock clutch can deal with.

Spray nose clip:
No biggie on a car with miles (if it was done right). Look for ridges along the racing stripe. The white stripes were put on after the clear coat so there is a noticeable ridge along the white stripes. Most painters clear coat last, 95% of potential buyer would never notice that but Shelby would. ;) Mine has been repainted as well. I will probabley repaint it again in a year or so. The Dallas North Tollway is basically a giant sand blaster.

Meth/Transaxle:
I haven't heard of methanol causing any problems in the motor. The problem comes when people tune for methanol and the meth system fails to spray for some reason. I would do a compression check just because the car obviously twisted the 1/2 shafts and was driven very aggressively. I doubt the transaxle would be damaged with the amount of power a Whipple would muster. Ray's 270mph, 2200 est HP, GT ran at that power level with the stock transaxle. However, driver error could easily torch the gears and if the owner was rowing thru the gears quickly, it is not unreasonable to assume he missed a gear or tried to jam a gear without proper clutch engagement.

My biggest concern would be how it was tracked and what maintenance was done before/after tracking. For example, I change my transaxle fluid, motor oil, brake fluid and sometimes air filters and coolant after tracking my car... overkill maybe, but overkill on maintenance issues is almost always a good thing.

Good luck.
 
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GO with a stock car; too many mod unkowns, and at >$100K, not something to roll dice on, given avail. of many others.