Here are some pics of my version of a GT engine lid. I think I am gonna put the porsche letters on the solid bar in between the grills but haven't completely decided.

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I cut a kerf in a 1x board in the shape of the firewall side of the lid so I could shape the grill material to a nice curve. I cut the 90 degree edge off the extra mesh grill I was using since the new opening I cut was smaller than the mesh piece. I transferred that shape to the 1X and cut the curve with my jig saw. I slid the mesh into the slot and lined up the bend line on the mesh with the kerf edge. I put a clamp at the open end of the kerf and used a body hammer to bend the mesh over into 90 degree corner. When i removed the mesh from the form I had a perfectly matched curve to the lid.


I still have a little work to do on the ends to take out a little bit of the curvature to flatten it the mesh out front to back due to the way the stock grill curves down to the trunk lid. I also drilled out the spot welds on the cross bar and removed it and added some lightening holes mainly for style. I see why these things cost so much money, they take alot longer to build than you think!

more pics.........

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Very nice, would you be willing to make one for my 76?

The rest of the pics are here if you want to check them out:

gtlid on picasa

still have some things to finish up but thought i would post the progress so far. still have to strip the who lid, do a little metal work, prime, and paint (the whole thing is gonna be black) but i am pretty happy with it. Oh and still have to actually drill some holes to mount the new grill in its opening too.

Let me know what you think,

Jim

How much $$$ or do you have?

Jim

PM sent.

We do need "member vendor" for GT grills

Very nicely done Jim. I especially like that little touch with the lightening holes. This has inspired my work today (it is Labor Day after all) and get at my GT lid. BTW, I think you're right about painting the whole thing black.

Tom

Hi Jim...nice work. My very first GT grill, the one I made a couple of years ago, was based on the same idea of a "cut" edge along the window side of the lid. What I did to secure the grill was weld a thin strip of metal on the underside of the lid creating a long slot with about an 1/4 inch gap. I then cut the grill so it would have tabs that would slide into the slot. This secured it flush and without rattlles. The stock pins on the front side of the lid by the latch held everthing secure.

The last 20 or so lids I made I went with a different approach.
Looking forward to seeing it all done.
Mark

Thanks Mark,

Since i bent the edge down all the way around the opening I have plenty of area to fasten the grill. I am thinking once it is all painted I may just rivet the grill to the bent flange. That was one of the considerations when building it was to allow a place to fasten it once the grill was inserted into the new opening. A side benefit of the flange is the lid is very rigid and doesnt flex very much at all even with the cross brace removed.

If I was going to build them for sale I would build them more like the ones I have seen you build for sale. The time involved in bending that flange down inside the whole opening would make for a very expensive lid if charging by the hour.

Jim

Jim

here ya go. he has been making them for years! Sergio's GT lids

Nice work!! Someday when funds allow I will have one of those lids too...by the way I just noticed you have 914 posts...congrats!!

Nice project and write up.

Thats a real cool version of it. Nice work !

Mittelmotor do a GT lid also about 300 Euro....

I did one for the race car too... for about $60.

The tough part was bending the other grill on top... but fun to drill holes like you did...

Thats Kewl!

I just realized when I posted in another thread that I had 915. I figured it had to have happened in my gt lid thread. Only happens once so I guess I am going to go celebrate

Like a needed a reason to drink one of those

Jim