I thought I should start a build thread so I can repay this wonderful forum for all that I have learned from the super talented people here. I am sure my contributions will be in showing others what NOT to do. This will probably be a long introduction followed by hopefully short “Screw Up of the Week” reports.
First, I have been asked about the screen name. My name is Bill. My wife thinks I am a genius. She calls me Einstein all the time. Usually prefaced by some words of encouragement like “Way to go…”. She really loves me.
Background? Yeah….I have a long list of diverse projects where I have found new and imaginative ways of screwing up. I grew up on a potato farm with all the fun machinery fixing involved in that. When I was 15 I built a Meyer’s Manx dune buggy and drove it to school as soon as I was old enough. Car projects through the years include two Model A fords, 1946 Jeep CJ3, 1963 Jeep CJ3B, 1985 Jeep CJ7 (with a corvette engine), 1967 fastback Mustang GT, 1967 Camaro, Jaguar V12 xjs. Motorcycles, bunch of Harleys and one custom hard tail chopper with 150 hp. My dad, brother and I also restored and flew antique and experimental airplanes. Those projects included 1928 Arrow Sport biplane, 1931 Brunner Winkle Bird biplane, 1928 Travel Air biplane, 1918 Fokker D7 biplane, 1946 Aeronca Champ, 1940 Rearwin Cloudster and a Kevlar/carbon fiber seaplane we built from a kit. I also got into boats and restored a 1960 33’ Rhodes sailboat, 1941 53’swordfishing yacht, and a 1987 53’ trawler.
I can no longer fly due to an unfortunate collision between myself and the planet Earth. There was a ladder involved. Three months in a body cast was less than fun. That was when that movie Spartans 300 came out. I was trying to get somebody to spray paint some abs on that cast. (note: you can’t mess with gravity. It’s like a law or something). They had to put a pacemaker/defibrillator in which I no longer need but they can’t take it out. I figure if they ever execute me I will just keep coming back, so at least I have that going for me.
Anyway, back to the Grand Scheme of Things. I finally retired last year. We spent a year fixing up the aforementioned 53 foot trawler. It had 4 diesel engines, 4 toilets , 5 showers, 6 air conditioners. I had great fun fixing all the systems. The plan was my wife and I would take it south from NY every fall to FL or the Bahamas and come back north each spring. We got down to Florida where an idiot dock hand put 400 gallons of gasoline in our diesel tanks. We ran for 8 hours before the engines stopped. At the same time our grown daughter back in NY got very sick. We had an offer to buy the boat for what we had in it so we ended up back home to think about what’s next.
My wife was very worried that without businesses to run or a big yacht to maintain and captain I would go crazy. She said “The last time you had nothing to do you took my Jaguar all apart”. She knew I had always loved Cobras and had followed Factory Five since the 90s. When we saw the announcement of the Mark V and how larger people could fit in it she said “So why don’t you build one?” Oh yeah, I guess I should mention I am 6’5 280 lbs former tight end.
We took the ferry from the east end of Long Island over to CT and drove up to FFR. We met Dave Smith and all the wonderful people there. I sat in the Mark V and found I fit! My wife was ready to buy the complete kit right then.
I came home to think about it. My dad had passed away and my brother had moved upstate. I inherited a 70’x 80’ airplane hangar still full of old airplanes, engines, etc. Luckily it also has almost every tool in the world as well. I would have to get rid of all the planes and stuff, build a heated shop inside the hangar, install a lift etc.
Ok now finally we are getting to the car build stuff. I commend any of you who are still with me here. I got the hangar mostly cleaned out. (I still have the experimental seaplane with an experimental engine ….want to buy it? Lol). I have the 30’ x40’ new shop almost framed and rocked , spray foam insulation is scheduled.
I ordered a complete Mark V kit. It should arrive early May. I included all the bells and whistles including Heat and AC In case I want to add a hard or soft top. Although I suspect with a top on when I get out of the car it would look like it is giving birth.
I ordered a stacked Godzilla engine with ridiculous horsepower from FL.
My wife said “Is that safe?” This is the woman who let me do aerobatics in antique airplanes. I said “There is nothing safer than a Cobra with 675 hp”. This engine combined with the new Mark V may give me some engineering challenges but that is kinda what this is all about.
Today I went to meet the great Mike Forte and pick up my transmission, bell housing, clutch etc. I am not even as smart as I look but I know when you meet somebody like Mike you listen to everything they say.
Even though I have painted boats and airplanes before I hope when the time comes I use my brain and get somebody like Jeff Kleiner to do it.
I don’t claim to have any great skills despite all the projects. Wait until you see all the stuff I am about to screw up. Before I can build the car I have to finish building my shop in the hangar. The plan is to work slow and make it last. My wife said “Don’t build it too fast or you will have to build another one”. Stay tuned.
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