Above image shamelessly copied from Ultima Sports' web site.
Build Pages | Pictures | Tools | Performance | Misc. Info
Above image shamelessly copied from Ultima Sports' web site.
Welcome to my Ultima GTR site. The contained pages serve as a documentation of the build process of Ultima GTR chassis number 215197, started August 8, 2001. Along the way I have taken some pictures, commented on the process, and generally tried to provide some useful information to those who are planning to purchase one of these vehicles. Since this is my first kit car, and in fact my first major mechanical undertaking, you may see some obvious mistakes and/or amateur skills demonstrated in the assembly of the car. Don't take these errors as an indication of the quality of the kit, as I certainly don't have the skills to do it complete justice.
If you are looking for more information about this kit, you can visit the factory web site at http://www.ultimasports.co.uk. They have additional pictures and more descriptions of the kit itself, along with prices for those who want to own one of these.
June 3, 2003
Finally moved the site content to this new location. I also went down to Walla Walla
this past weekend and worked on the car some more. Pics will be posted soon.
March 9, 2003:
Pictures of the Seattle Roadster Show are up on the
Pics page now.
March 8, 2003:
Winter has taken a toll on the amount of time my brother has been able
to devote to the project. But he assures me that the engine is nearly
ready to go to the dyno. There is just the matter of constructing a tray
on which to place the fuel pumps. In the mean time I went to the Seattle
Roadster Show today, where Tom Heltzel had his newly completed 1995(!) Ultima
Spyder on display. Alex took a bunch of pictures of that and other cars
for me, and as soon as they are ready I'll post them up here.
November 30, 2002:
It's been a while since the last log entry. The car has been in Walla Walla
where my brother has been putting spare hours into constructing the engine and
other engine bay systems. He's put together a fuel system which will be going
in relatively soon, once some modifications are made to the fuel tanks (which
do not have large enough feeds to fuel this motor.) New pics are also
available, located on Day 53. Also, the images were shot with a Canon D60
rather than my old Kodac DC215. A good camera makes a world of difference in
the quality of the pictures (just compare previous images to the new ones.)
September 29, 2002:
We finally found out what motor mounts are required for this engine/chassis combination.
If you are building an Ultima with a small block Ford motor, and did not provided
Ultima with the motor for a template, chances are they put the chassis points in the same
location as for mine. This location will require a Federal Mogul Sealed Power engine
mount, part number 270-2286, plus a 5mm spacer in order to make the engine sit level.
Now that we know which motor mounts we need, it shouldn't be long before the engine is installed and we can start serious work again.
September 8, 2002:
I'm lazy, it's true. But for good reason! Work is still very busy, and the car has
been transported to Walla Walla, where my brother has mated the engine to the tranny
and is preparing to drop it into the car. This, of course, once he has time. I'm not
in any rush though. The longer it takes, the more time my bank account has to recover
before the final push to by the last remaining elements for the engine bay (fuel system
for example) and to complete the interior. I am thinking I may have a custom dash
constructed professionally at this point. My brother knows some people. There's still
the matter of carpeting the interior and installing the stereo as well.
I'd also like to redesign the site a bit and add some more pictures. If I could find my camera, I think I have some pics of the car when I was loading it into the trailer to be taken to Walla Walla. I'll try and find it and get those pics up soon.
April 14, 2002:
Man, it's been a while since I last updated the page. I've been so busy with
work and waiting for the weather to get nice enough that it is comfortable
to work in the shop again.
I've picked up where I left off with the cockpit section. You can see the new information and pictures in the build pages. I've also received the clutch and starter motor, with promises that the transmission will actually ship this week. Yes, I said that in February as well as you can see below. I'll reserve judgement until I see the product.
February 19, 2002:
I spoke with Roger at PowerHaus II about the
status of the transmission today. He indicated that the flywheel is presently
being worked on (it has to be set to conform to the balancing characteristics of
the motor) and that the tranny itself may be ready by mid next week.
Getting this instrument cluster done is giving me headaches. On the one hand I want it done up really nice, and preferably soon so that I can get the car ready by mid-spring. On the other hand, the price I've been quoted to have the cluster done up the way I want it is not as palatable as I would like. I am gonna keep looking and see if I can't find a better deal.
January 13, 2002:
Man, what a bummer. I was sick with a damned cold all week. Figured going
out to the shop and breathing fiberglass dust, which isn't fun even when I'm
feeling well, would be less than optimal. Have to catch up next weekend.
January 8, 2002:
Happy New Year! My New Year's resolution is to finish the GTR! I've been
slacking the past few weeks. What with holidays and all I've not spent much
time with the car. But it's getting close now, I can feel it. This month
I expect to receive the transmission, and I am in the process of fitting the
front and rear hatches. Pics with the body and wheels mounted to come
in the next week or two. Once the transmission arrives and I have completed
as much as I can here, I will take the car to Walla Walla (on the other side
of Washington State) to my brother's, where I will assist him with the
engine install and the finishing touches. Conveniently there is a drag strip
in Walla Walla, so I will be confirming my performance estimates there.
Deceember 5, 2001:
Today was the first day I had a seat mounted in the car. The driver's side
seat mounting holes have been drilled and I test-fit the entire assembly.
Pedal and steering location seem to be good, despite not having a fully
adjustable seat like I am used to in a production vehicle. It feels almost
like sitting in a go-kart, and from that you can tell it's all business.
The plan is to get both the seats ready to mount this weekend so work can
commence on the interior soundproofing.
I am also expecting I will take delivery of the transmission within the next few weeks. PowerHaus II is building a race-ready G50/52 transmission for me, complete with remote cooling system, lightweight gears and enough strength to allow me room to grow my engine, should the need arise (and it always does.)
November 4, 2001:
The seats are now stuck in customs. Hopefully they will clear soon. I am
looking forward to working on insturmentation position in the cockpit.
Also, myself and other Ultima owners/builders in the United States have started working on the formation of a U.S. branch of the factory-sponsored Ultima Club. If you are interested in this effort, please e-mail me at chronos@lightmail.com.
October 5, 2001:
I have added a Miscellaneous Information page to
the web site to cover stuff like insurance, external links, etc.
September 25, 2001:
In order to aid navigation, I have added a navigation bar, like the one
at the top of this page, to all of the pages. The Build pages also
have next and previous day navigation links to let you easily walk through
the days in order.
September 23, 2001:
I have added the Performance page to
illustrate calculated and, when I have them, actual performance
metrics.
September 22, 2001:
I finally got around to fixing all of the thumbnails on the build pages.
All links should be correct now.
September 18, 2001:
I ordered the tires I wanted: Michelin Pilot Sport, 235/35YR18 for the
front and 335/30/YR18 for the rear. Unfortunately, the front tires are on
backorder so it may be a while before I get them. Having the tires is
necessary before you can accurately fit the body panels because you must
ensure the wheels and tires are centered and will clear the body work.
I ordered them from Tire Rack.
They have both an excellent selection and great customer service. You can
have tires drop-shipped to a local tire service store which will mount
them for you.
September 10, 2001:
On Day 20 and 21, the small images on the build pages are currently broken.
However, if you click on them you will still get the full-sized image. I am
working on correcting this.
August 30, 2001:
I've added a Tools page to the site. I'll keep it
updated with tools and things I found useful to have during the build.
August 10, 2001:
I began the actual build process today. From here on out I will keep a
separate page for each build day, along with relevant information and
pictures. See the Build page.
August 9, 2001:
Today I finished inventory. The only things missing were a couple of screws
and a few washers, easily obtainable from any parts store. I posted more
pictures on the
Pics page
to cover most of the remaining items. I did not photograph the brake kit,
aluminum skin panels, grills or windows because I did not want to take the
time to unwrap each of those items (as they are easily counted while still
in the packaging.) However, those items will show up in pictures as the
build process progresses.
Next step: Start the build! The first part is riveting the aluminim skin panels to the chassis...
August 8, 2001:
Yes, last night's post was made early this morning, so the dates ARE the
same. I have started the inventorying process, and completed the Steering,
Suspension and Pedals. You can see them on the
Pics page.
August 8, 2001:
The kit has arrived! It took about 5 hours to dismantle the packing crate
in which it was packed. You can see pics
here.
July 19, 2001:
The kit has been purchased and shipped from the UK. It is scheduled to arrive
in port on the 27th of July. Once there, it should take only a couple days to
clear customs. Then I'll truck the crate up to the build location and unpack
it. I promise to provide a bunch of pictures at that time.