Cobra Completion Fundraiser for 767Jockey

[patrickt]

Originally Posted by elmariachi

On the subject o this thread, could someone please update us on the progress of getting Doug's car finished?

It's a grueling three way speed contest between Doug's car, Blykins' FE engine, and peace in the Middle East. Personally, I'm betting on peace in the Middle East to come in first.

[767Jockey]

Originally Posted by FatBoy

Hi,

I thought I'd update you on Doug and mine's visit to the Goodwood Revival last weekend.
Unfortunately, Doug's other commitments meant that he could only stay for the Revival, so it was a bit of a flying visit as he had to be back home for Tuesday.
I picked Doug up from the airport at 7:00am on Thursday and we drove the short distance to my home for breakfast before loading the cars up for the 150 mile drive to Goodwood. My wife was taking all the luggage and equipment down in our Range Rover, before going on to spend the weekend with her parents, which meant the Cobra was pretty empty.
A flat battery on the Range Rover due to a cool box being left turned on meant that we were a little late getting away, but we eventually arrived at Goodwood at around 5:00pm, just as a pair of Spitfires were going through their display over the race course.
The roads were pretty busy on the way down, but we were able to stretch teh Cobra's legs on a few occasions and once we got off the motorways, the roads through the country were and villages were very scenic, with plenty of other "classics" heading in the same direction.
We pitched up on the campsite next to a couple of guys with a beautiful 1928 4½ litre "Blower" Bentley in British Racing Green. At the time, we thought it was a bit of a rarity, but it became a bit of an "in" joke as there were at least a dozen more of them in the "Classic" car park over the weekend.
Friday was warm and sunny and after getting breakfast in the NAAFI marquee, we had a great day watching the practices and qualifying for the various races on Saturday and Sunday.
We met up with some other members of The 289 Register for dinner on the Friday evening and Doug was keen to sample some British fish & chips. The plan was to drive into nearby Chichester and find a chip shop, but instead, I managed to blag a table at the Goodwood House Hotel restaurant, which apparently, had been booked up for at least 6 months prior to the event. As it turned out, fish & chips were on the menu, so we all had that, although Doug wasn't too keen on mushy peas.

I'll let Doug pick it up from here if he wishes. If he doesn't, I'll come back and tell you about the racing.

Paul

The whole Goodwood Revival was an incredible experience. The best part, far and away, was meeting Paul and his wonderful family. I can't begin to tell you all what a great guy Paul is, I was and remain so happy to meet him and to spend this time with him. He is indeed a great friend. The trip to England was a bit long, as I live in Houston and my airline does not go to Birmingham directly from Houston. I had to go to NY first then board another flight to Birmingham. I had some pilot business to conduct in NY anyway, so it all dovetailed together very well. I got to NY (actually Newark), conducted the business I needed to attend to, and continued on. I left Houston on Wednesday at about noon Houston time, and I arrived in Birmingham at about 7:00 AM on Thursday morning. I was fairly worn out by the time I got there, but the great times were only beginning, the adrenaline was flowing, and my motor luckily kept up on that very long first day.

I met Paul in the airport, he was waiting outside customs with a sign with my name on it. I said "that's me" and we started to walk away together. About 10 steps later, in my fatigue numbed state, I finally thought to ask, "Are you Paul?" We had a good laugh over that, and basically had a great time from that point on. We jumped into Paul's beautiful Range Rover for the trip to his home. For those wondering, yes, I did try to get in on the right hand side of the car, and no, it wasn't the last time I did that. We drove to Paul’s beautiful home on some acreage in the English countryside, to say that the home and surroundings are beautiful is a vast understatement. It was there that I met his wife and daughter, who are so wonderful and made me feel immediately at home. We walked outside to Paul’s garage, opened the barn style doors, and there sat his fully polished Kirkham. What a gorgeous car, just beautiful. We pushed it outside into the morning sunlight, and it just sat there, gleaming in the early morning sun. It is truly a thing of beauty. We had a light breakfast at Paul’s home, and then proceeded to load up the Range Rover for the trip to Goodwood. The plan was to load all the stuff into the Range Rover, and to have Paul's wife drive it to Goodwood while we went along in the Cobra. All was working well until we went to start the Range Rover only to find a dead battery. Paul had a "cool box", essentially what we would call a cooler but with a very small refrigeration unit built in. He had left it plugged into the lighter outlet in the Range Rover while we ate breakfast, and I guess the load was too big and it quickly killed the battery while we ate. We finally got that rectified, and off we went.

The drive to Goodwood was nothing short of incredible. We were on major highways for about 2/3 of the way down. Every chance Paul got, when there was an opening in traffic, he would lay into the throttle. The car is nothing short of a rocket. The acceleration is amazing, and the bark of the sidepipes is what ripping steel must sound like. The best part however, was the last 1/3 of the trip down, through the beautiful rolling hills of the southern English countryside. Narrow winding roads, lined on both sides for miles and miles by ancient English hedgerows, a dewey, foggy mist clinging to the hillsides in the distance, reflecting the light of the English countryside while cows and sheep grazed peacefully, the bellowing of the engine hammering off the hedgerows back at us as we blasted through the canyons they have created for centuries - I am so eternally grateful for having the opportunity to ride in a Cobra through the streets of the heritage into which it was born, and yet on a much smaller level at the same time disappointed that I will likely never have that thrill again. To see the gleaming Cobra in it's element, to hear the engine and suspension work, and to watch Paul expertly guide the Cobra through the climbs, dips and turns, it was in short one of my life experiences that I will never forget. I am so thankful for having that wonderful experience.

We arrived in Goodwood after a glorious 3+ hour drive, and set up a tent and campsite, ready to prepare for the excitement of the three days ahead. We got the tent and campsite set up just at dusk, Paul’s lovely wife headed out to visit local family members for the next few days, and we settled into the darkness to use Paul’s VERY cool camping grill to whip up a few burgers by flashlight (we had no electricity nor light at the campsite) before turning in for the night. The burgers were delicious and expertly cooked, and we chatted while we ate in the dark about Cobra’s, life, and our common affliction of cancer. By this time, I was so tired I was almost comatose. I have had a very difficult time regaining some sort of stamina, and on a normal day I’m about toast at 9 PM or so, being awake about 15 hours on a normal day. On this day, I was awake for about 34 or so hours, with only a brief catnap on the plane over, as I don’t sleep well on aircraft. To say that I was dead on my feet would be about right. We turned in for the night, and I think I was out cold before my head made the pillow warm. I don’t remember a thing, however Paul was not quite that lucky – one of the wonderful side effects (of many) that I came away from all this treatment with is a terrible snoring problem. I’ll let Paul fill in the details…… Sorry, my friend. At least you know I’m still alive!

We awoke the next morning, headed over to the showers, dressed, and proceeded to awaken the entire campsite with the mere turn of a key! The beast barked to life, and everyone came over, smiles on their faces, to see the magnificent alarm clock. The smiles on peoples faces, the thumbs up, the yells that come directed toward it.... this car gets tremendous positive attention, and rightfully so. It’s as if royalty is rolling through.

Now the fun really started. Goodwood has two parking fields, one for older classic cars, and one for “normal” cars. We of course parked in the classic lot. That may be the best part of the show. Paul is far better versed than I in identifying the various ultra rare, ultra exotic, ultra expensive European cars that are parked in this huge grass field, unattended, the way most of us would leave our everyday driver in the lot at the local Home Depot. It was just incredible. Millions and millions and millions of dollars (actually pounds Sterling, to be precise) in incredible cars just sitting there unattended, waiting for their owners to return to them at the end of the day. Ferrari's, Bentley's, Maserati's, Bugatti's, Jaguars, and SO much more, all vintage racing era, all just sitting there looking like the parking lot of the Heaven branch of Krogers. I was, and I remain, simply astounded, and we hadn’t even walked into the gate yet. By the way, I got a stern lesson in the proper English pronunciation of Jaguar. It's NOT Jag-waar. It's Jag -u - aar. Paul made VERY sure I understood that, and it's a lesson well learned. I'll never (I hope) say Jag-waar again. Having seen all the incredible cars in this beautifully kept and trimmed grass field, I thought that it couldn't possibly get any better than this. We were about to walk through the gate, and I was about to be proven oh, so wrong.... so VERY wrong....

This is getting long, and I need to take a break (I’m a bit worn out, as I had another recent “tune up”.) There’s SO much more to come, I hope you all (assuming anyone reads this ancient thread anymore !!!!) enjoy this first installment, I’ll be back in a bit to add on.

Paul, if you are reading this, once again, I have no words that are even remotely sufficient to thank you properly. This whole experience was truly one of the highlights of my life. Wherever life takes me, whatever is in store for me, I shall take this time with me. You are a true, dear friend, and I thank you so very much. Of all the highlights of the trip, meeting you is easily at the top, thank you so much, my friend.

More to come, gotta take a quick break……

[CobraEd]

Originally Posted by patrickt

It's a grueling three way speed contest between Doug's car, Blykins' FE engine, and peace in the Middle East. Personally, I'm betting on peace in the Middle East to come in first.

I feel bad since I was the one who started this whole effort, but it is out of my hands now and I have said too much already in earlier posts in my normal blunt manner.


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[patrickt]

Originally Posted by CobraEd

I feel bad since I was the one who started this whole effort, but it is out of my hands now and I have said to much already in earlier posts in my normal blunt manner.

I think you would feel better if you continued to speak candidly about your concerns over the timeliness of this build. Now is not the time to "hold your tongue."

[CobraEd]

If I felt that running my mouth at the expense of being the bad guy/asshole would help, I would do it gladely but my words or anyones words are just that, . . . words with no ownership or authority over the core aspects of the holdup.

My wife said that I was too young to retire (WTF!!!!) so I am working again and can't go work on Doug's car. But here is an idea. Maybe there is a group of us here who 1) have the time and 2) have the means to go where the car is for a week to pull together and GET IT DONE for Doug. Just a thought. Easy to say, not as easy to do.

We all donated MONEY and PARTS. For those who have the time and ability to go where the car is, it could be a fun, rewarding activity if they could donate TIME all in the interest of helping a fellow Cobra enthusiast. It could be a good time meeting fellow Club Cobra members all working together for a great cause!


Thoughts????



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[Clois Harlan]

Where is the car now?

[elmariachi]

I don't have a dog in this fight, other than I have been involved with plenty of close friends and family with cancer and Doug and I have become friendly acquaintances via Club Cobra. To that end, this has gone on a year and I'd like to suggest a few options to get this moving:

1. As CobraEd suggests, we pick a date and converge on Ed Combs' place to wrench and make substantial progress.

2. We find someone else with the available time to get busy working on the car.

3. I live in NW Houston and Doug lives 20 miles NE of me in the Woodlands. If we could get the car down here Doug and I could work on it together with other very talented HCC members in my 3-bay garage and finish it. Hell, he could have a key to my garage and work on it as if he were home. It may be possible for me to take a few days and go get it in late October, but that's very tentative at this point. I could more likely meet someone mid way between Texas and Michigan.

I'd like to hear from others on these options, especially Ed Combs. Bottom line, this needs to start happening one way or another.

Jim

[elmariachi]

Originally Posted by Clois Harlan

Where is the car now?

As I understand it, Pentwater Michigan. Just south of the North Pole.

[Igofastr]

Besides the heads, is there anything still needed? I have a few items left that I could donate.

I have all new badges (front and rear cobra badges, side 427 emblems) and other things. Sorry if this has been covered, but I just cant read through the 23 or so other pages to get caught up.

[YerDugliness]

Originally Posted by elmariachi

I'd like to suggest a few options to get this moving:

3. I live in NW Houston and Doug lives 20 miles NE of me in the Woodlands. If we could get the car down here Doug and I could work on it together with other very talented HCC members in my 3-bay garage and finish it.I'd like to hear from others on these options, especially Ed Combs. Bottom line, this needs to start happening one way or another.

Jim

I split my time between Huntsville and Rosenberg (about 30 miles SW of Houston on US59).

I am retired and have plenty of time to help with a group effort. I am attempting to go back to work, but we all know how hard it is to land a decent paying job in this recession, and my retirement does allow me to survive, if not prosper, so I suspect I'll have time for quite a while.

Let me know if I can provide some "sweat equity" for Doug (YEA!! Another Doug!!).

Cheers from (a different) Doug !!

[mtpockets]

ElMariachi> We have contacts in northern Michigan, I'll reach out to them today. Count me in on the completion team.

[CobraEd]

You guys are great. It seams we are moving toward some progress again. This is what Club Cobra is all about!!!! Good for you !!!!!


.

[elmariachi]

Great Bill. Let's see what Ed Combs says, if someone who knows him can call or email him for a response. I don't want to crash the party, but here may be a chance to get this rolling if he is unable to.

Thanks Bill,

Jim

[elmariachi]

Doug, Bill and all,

Thanks for the offline notes, emails and offers for assistance. I have emails into Doug and Ed to see what we can do to get this rolling. If we bring the project to Texas we'll get a list of what's still needed and see what can be done to round up those parts. I will post back here as soon as I hear what our options are.

Thanks for everyone's support,

Jim



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[elmariachi]

Well, like Doug's car, the one is dead in the water. I have emailed Ed Combs and he has chosen to ignore me. I guess we sit and we wait.

[Double Venom]

elmariachi, etc!
I DO NOT IGNORE ANY E-MAILS-PERIOD! I had NO idea that this was going on!. I answered the raised questions, pages and pages ago.
If you guys want to finish the car then by all means I certainly will not get in the way, BUT lets review here a little:

#1 For those that DO NOT KNOW, the car IS painted, striped assembled, buffed. It IS a ROLLING Chassis.

My phone number and address, with the proper e-mail=DV4477@gmail.com (for over a year. (?) has and is posted numerous places and also times.

I have talked to "Doug" Consistantly, and less than a week ago. There is NO transmission, I just received the clutch parts about two weeks ago. The Engine at best is a short block on a stand. Even though I have found numerous sets of heads for the engine they are not the kind that will work on Doug's car-per Doug. I found him at least two sets of complete-finished Heads, but the cost of the heads and shipping them to me was over what Doug thought they should be!

Doug was also under the impression up to last week that his car could be assembled like a Superformance car! I explained that this would be impossible as I have no idea how to hook up his linkage, wiring, gauges, sending unit locations, etc., without the moltor being in the car!

I have mentioned numerous times to Doug that the only thing holding up the process was the drivetrain. Having plenty of work in the shop. Doug having two un-expected surgureys, etc. also have not helped get this project in motion.

Under the current situation I WAS CERTAINLY NOT GOING TO BOTHER DOUG ON THE MOTOR!

As of right now, 10-3-11 I only have one streetrod in the shop and Doug's car! I have cleared my entire schedule this winter to devote to Doug's car in anticipation of having it done by early Spring- Michigan Spring Not Houston!

I can't believe some of the people on this board and it aint all good! Some of the PM's Doug has received are down right insulting-and anonymous no less!

Here's a guy with a "World" of problems hopefully none of us will have to go through! He has asked for nothing! And yet he has been accused of committing fraud to down right scamming the people on this board!

Ignorance is not bliss! It's shame full.

Gentlemen, as for me...I am just waiting........How ever if Doug or any of you want to pick up the car, by all means, it's ready to go!

I told Doug before I even got the car that I was in no Hurry! When HE had time, money, means to get me that parts, I would finish the car. In the mean time it will sit in the middle of my shop covered up until such time that he is fully capable and willing to move on!

Once again my e-mail is: DV4477@gmail.com. (My old e-mail;@ "Ferguson=Motorsports" has been dead for a year +/-!)

My phone is 231-869-4608 8AM 10:30PM EST.

Call me, write me, PM me, send me mail by USPO, whatever! It will NOT be ignored.

If it hadn't been for a phone call yesterday I would have no idea this was going on!

DV

[elmariachi]

All,

I had a nice conversation with Ed Combs (DV) this morning. He had not received my email, so his post above was to be expected. He is very interested in helping get the car done for Doug, and now has the shop space and time to do it this winter. By his estimation he needs a set of heads and a transmission to be able to get it together. I know Doug has a line on a set of good heads and he is hopeful he can get them this week. Not sure about the transmission, Doug can shine in on that.

Ed has not yet gone through all of the boxes of parts but assuming Doug has a list of what was shipped, I think we should take CobraEd's suggestions and pick a date to convene in Pentwater, MI for a an assembly weekend. The priority would be to take the existing engine short block and get the heads, valve train and sheet metal on it and get it in the car. I didn't ask DV if he had and engine stand but if he does that might be a good intermediate step. Next steps would be to get the engine in the car and make as much progress as we could as group, then leave Ed to work through the winter in buttoning it up.

So if those who could contribute time and the expense of travel want to chime in on possible dates, Ed is ready for us to come up and pitch in. Mid to late November would be best for me. Ed's shop is heated, so we got that going for us.

[John McMahon]

Ed stated in his response that it is just a short block on a stand...so it is on an engine stand.

[elmariachi]

Originally Posted by John McMahon

Ed stated in his response that it is just a short block on a stand...so it is on an engine stand.

I was meaning a break-in stand so we could start it before putting it in the car.

[Double Venom]

A flat table, John on the left, ??? on the right, and I will hit the starter button!

But sorry, no running stand

My shop is a glorified Hobby Shop. I left the business in Ohio!

DV