Materials used in Construction
The main sections of the original car, as constructed for the 1968 race season, consist of an aircraft riveted aluminum tub with a fibreglass body. It has a big block Chevrolet engine and a Hewland LG gearbox. It had cast magnesium wheels and ran Goodyear tyres.
The chassis of the car is constructed from aircraft quality aluminum riveted and polymer glued over steel bulkheads. The aluminum is a part of the stressed chassis components and this type of construction is known as a monocoque chassis. The bulkheads form the basis for the chassis and are the main stressed components that then carry the suspension pick up points, the engine mounting and the stressed aluminum that forms the monocoque chassis.
The engine oil tank and cooler share aluminum construction with the tanks and fittings used throughout the cars cooling and fuel system. The cross flow radiator and its supports and air ducts are aluminum, as is the transaxle oil cooler for the Hewland Gearbox.
Present condition
When the M8A was gifted to the Bruce McLaren Trust it was in a major state of disrepair. As mentioned in its background (Paragraph 1) its reconstruction as a Goodyear show car included many severely damaged and incorrect parts. Added to this, it had also been fitted with an incorrect fibreglass body and the engine and gearbox were only a “dummy” being made up from a collection of old/damaged engine and gearbox parts.
During its time in New Zealand it unfortunately suffered extreme deterioration by being left outside underneath trees on a farm for some years. Whilst under the control of the Northern Sports Car Club it was kept in secure dry garaging but as no work was done on it, due to the ownership dispute, further natural deterioration also occurred.
Therefore little of the original car is safely salvageable or can be used in the reconstruction. However, these parts are invaluable for patterns for reconstruction and will also form part of the visual display in there “deteriorated” condition. The tub section, which forms the integral part of the construction of the car, was visually thought to be able to be reused in part. However, on further examination, deterioration of the inner strengthening bulkheads proved that the tub was unsafe and a decision was made to totally reconstruct the tub. The aluminum tub has painstakingly been dismantled by hand grinding out the 1000 odd steel centered rivets and the many pieces will be used in conjunction with the line drawing plans to reconstruct the new tub section.
As the fibreglass body is the incorrect body for the car, a totally new body will be reconstructed from old mould sections and original panels that have been procured by Group 7 Sportscars Ltd.
All wheels, tyres, windscreen, and other components also need to be fully replaced due to deterioration.
N.B. - The safety factor in the case of this project is of enormous priority. As the M8A is an extremely powerful and fast sports car and will be driven by well known personalities and used to take passengers on special occasions, no old parts of the original vehicle can be used where they could compromise strength and safety.
