What a Christmas

Well, the big box arrived on Christmas Eve. I got a call from the Freight company on December 23 saying that the kit had arrived. It was getting late in the day and I tried AAA Towing to see if they could pickup and deliver. Unfortunately, all of their lift trucks were busy or the drivers were off for the next few days. What was I to do? The crate weights approximately 2500 pounds and is about 14 feet long. Not something you could put in the back of the Honda Civic. Did I have friends with big vehicles? Did I know someone with a trailer....then it dawned on me the only reason I was using AAA Towing was because they were recommended. Maybe another company could do it. Sure enough, A1 towing accommodated the schedule and was able to pickup the next morning.

Wow, do you think I could sleep that night. Again, it reminded me so much of the anticipation of Christmas, and I woke up every few hours with visions of AC Cobras dancing in my head.

Finally, the day arrived, and like a father waiting for a newborn, I was distracted and waiting for the delivery. Fortunately, the driver was excellent and go to the house ahead of schedule. With a deft touch, he was able to nudge this huge box into the garage with relative ease. Oh, did I mention it is a huge box.

So, a huge box in the garage, and no idea of what to do except start pulling nails. Having sent out the word that the box was coming, Steve and Ash from the Cobra club with their willing friend and visitor Tracy arrived and promptly assisted with de-boxing the vehicle. My good friend Ken came to lend some muscle both physical and emotional. Oh, so beautiful even in its unfinished state (the Cobra's not Ken). The body is athletic but manageable in size and pleasing in proportion. Securely packed in the crate, the chassis was chained to a bed of 2x6 boards arranged over 16 foot 4x4 posts. A better boat dock has not been seen before or since.

The unpacking was facilitated by Steve and Ash, and more importantly, they took some smashing pictures that preview the coming oodles and oodles of pleasure and fun that is about to occur. Have a look at FFCobra.com and search for "Christmas arrived early in Calgary".

More unpacking and then the truth suddenly struck me. This is a motor vehicle with many, many, many parts. Just getting to the point of unpacking, sorting and cataloging the parts is a considerable task, and that is before taking up a socket wrench in earnest. What have I done??

I spent a great deal of Christmas day building a body buck for the shell of the vehicle so that this could be stored separately. This was done between meals and family events during the day.

After getting the body on the buck, Ken, who was helping, pointed out a defect in the fibreglass in the right door region. Wow, how quickly the euphoria evaporates. I think we stretched the body or something and the fibreglass cracked. Oh boy, I haven't had the kit for more than two days, and I already have a booboo. Being a fairly (very) obsessive compulsive sort of guy, I could see that likelihood of achieving a flaw free build dissolve in front of my eyes. Of course, the logical brain in me knows that this will only be the first of very many "challenges" in the future. I guess I asked for it, and I guess I even paid for the pain/pleasure of doing something that has signficant uncertainty in regards to a successful outcome.

Only one way to go...forward... with anticipation.

Christmas Eve - Big Box to Unwrap

Today's the day. I woke up every few hours last night with this in mind. Just like Christmases in the past.

The car sized box arrived in Calgary yesterday midday, but I couldn't find a flatbed car carrier to transport to my garage. After some calling around, I arranged for pickup at 10:00 am this morning. So, if things go as planned, delivery around noon today.

Since it's Christmas Eve, I would be surprised if any of my friends are able to drop by to witness the event. Well, we will see.

I just wonder... What do you do with a 14 foot box that weights about 1500 lbs? I am hoping that some car dolly wheels that were loaned to me by a friend and past builder will assist with the "schlepping" around of this thing. Otherwise, I guess it will mean moving things one thing at a time. Could be a long Christmas Eve...Christmas Day...Boxing Day.

Pictures when I get them.

Christmas a Little Early

Ah... I now remember what Christmas was like as a child. I remember the slowness of Christmas Eve followed by the pleasant chaos of Christmas day. I remember the wait as the anticipation builds and builds until the excitement of opening presents on Christmas morning. I remember having difficulty getting to sleep on Christmas Eve hoping for the morning to come, maybe even before I fell asleep.

With children, I have been able to relive this anticipation and sense of happiness and wonder for many years. But with my youngest already informing me that Santa is a known known as opposed to an unknown known, I had thought that things would be different and there would be less of that wonder.

Well, through more good luck than good planning, I received an email yesterday that my "car sized box" with my full scale car kit was arriving in town. Wow, Christmas two days early. I got off to sleep without difficulty with visions of car parts dancing in my head. And this morning was not a sleep-in day. Although I don't have to rush off to work for the next few days, I couldn't keep my brain from filling with excitement for the coming day. If all works out, I will have my FFR kit delivered today from the freight dock.

Now the fun part (and the work) begins.

Inspiration

Yesterday, we went to a Christmas get-together and saw a friend's completed vehicle. Although I knew that I liked the vehicle in the abstract, I have to say that the vehicle in front of me was a beautiful thing. Even my wife, who normally doesn't notice cars, was impressed with the lines and curves of the AC Cobra type body.

This just adds to the anticipation of the arrival of the kit. In speaking with the Freight broker a few days ago, his estimate of arrival was four or five days after loading in Mississauga (Toronto). Since that was December 19, the package might arrive in time for Christmas. This will probably be the most interesting Christmas gift ever!!

I have been thinking about doing this for about five years, and building our house was a part of the whole plan. A workshop area and large garage area really was in preparation for the car, as well as for the comfort of the inhabitants.

I have just scratched the surface of the car fanatic circle and these folks (dare I say "we folks") come in all sizes, shapes and persuasion. However, they all share in common an appreciation of the intersection of design, structure, motion and feel. Couple these ingredients with using ones own hands to create the object of ones desire and there is a recipe for a great learning experience. I also have anxiety... maybe putting together a vehicle that you plan to drive at reasonable highway speeds has some element of risk. Oh well, we'll see.

No turning back now.

How Hard Could it be?

Insanity is a gradual thing for some individuals. Occasionally, however, it sneaks up on you and without so much as a hello, you are stark raving mad. Thus my explanation for building my own 1965 AC Cobra replica. Like the early symptoms of a cancer, the "wanna build my own car" disease sneaks up on you, and it all seems so innocent. For me, it was like that.

First, I had a Dodge Coronet Station Wagon, that I used as part of the family transportation fleet (of one). One could not say that this represented a desirable and fashionable vehicle for the young man about town in the late 1970's. In fact, a large underpowered land boat with a temperamental carburetor that refused to work when the relative humidity exceeded 25%, which was almost every day in Newfoundland, where I lived at that time.

My second vehicle (of sorts since I bought it with my wife) was a Mazda GLC four dour sedan. I truly believe that the salesman saw us coming from miles away. It was the first vehicle we outright bought, and the experience left me with a sinking feeling that I had just been taken advantage of by some smooth operators. Once again, not vehicle that instilled testosterone in the young male psyche. But, it was practical (read not fun to drive).

Onward, and within a few years, a wife, a daughter and one car.... time to remedy this. What next? A sporty little two door, with lots of power and pizzazz. Of course, the first choice would be a 1972 Volvo 142 bought second, or third hand. The most that could be said was that it was safe and it had great "pound for dollar" value. I recall it was $500 and about 4000 pounds. Can't beat that math. I didn't have a guru back then who would have said, "uh Rick, maybe that equation is wrong... it should be horsepower to dollar value dude."

More to come...