The Ford GT is an American legend and certainly one of the most aggressive and smoothest looking muscle cars ever. The original 1996 Ford GT40 was called a Ferrari Killer. Most people define it as a sports car, but I like to define it as an American Muscle Car. The Ford GT really brings out the true colors of America and what the country is about - hard work and muscle! Recently, famous car publisher and appraiser Dave Kinney predicted that the 2005 and 2006 Ford GT are destined to become the hottest sellers at car auctions because demand for the high end supercar was simply never filled, especially with it remaining so coveted in Europe. Car collectors are being told to keep a sharp eye on the Ford GT as a perennial contender for the most sought-after on the market! In 2006, the last year it was manufactured, Ford produced exactly 1601 GT’s.
So imagine my surprise when I got a call earlier this year, from a friend and a long time customer Bob Massman who lost control of his 2006 GT in a post rain condition and hydroplaned; damaged the front end of the vehicle and needed my help. The sleek beast painted midnight blue with white stripes was in sad shape when it was transported to the shop on the flat bed tow truck.
We have never fixed one of those vehicles before, but I figured “How hard could it be?” All modern automobiles have the same basic construction; frame, sheet metal, engine transmission, suspension, interior. I had a lot to learn. The Ford GT features many new and unique technologies, including super plastic-formed aluminum body panels, roll-bonded floor panels, a friction-stir welded center tunnel, a "ship-in-a-bottle" gas tank, a capless fuel filler system, one-piece door panels, and an aluminum engine cover with a one-piece carbon-fiber inner panel. The mid-mounted 5.4 L Modular V8 engine is all-aluminum with a Lysholm twin screw-type supercharger. It features a forged rotating assembly housed in an aluminum block designed specifically for the GT program. But the most challenging part about this repair was not the new technology employed, but obtaining information on repair procedures.
Information service providers such as Mitchell and CCC have volumes of repair manuals for most vehicles on the road today. With current technological advancements this information is readily available to body shops in most cases with just a click of a button on a desk top computer. However finding repair manual for GT was like trying to climb a very steep mountain without guide or any gear. Even main office of Ford Motor Corporation found my request challenging.
With the initial hurdle behind, we had to stress test the aluminum frame; to make sure there were no cracks and that the structure was not compromised in any way. Everything had to be removed from the front end to expose the frame to complete the test.
When I asked our shop manager George Mondragon what was the most challenging part of the repair, without any hesitation, he summed it up in one word:” Parts!” Indeed getting parts was troublesome. Every nut and bolt every bracket, every hose, as well as all major parts had to be special ordered and shipped directly from Detroit, Michigan.
When I posed the same question to our lead technician Sergio Hernandez, he smiled and said:” Putting everything back together and aligning everything, especially the doors." All the trim with special clips had to be installed just right on one piece door panels in order for them to provide maximum insulation from the road noise at high speeds.
A few months and several gray hairs on my head later, the beautiful beast was back together again with all the repairs and tests behind us, it was ready to go on the road. “No offence, body,” said Bob as he was picking up his prized automobile: “But I hope I don’t have to see you here anytime soon.”
