HEY, WILF - - -

IF WE USE YOUR UK - SVA MANUAL, DOES IT MEAN THE WE WILL HAVE TO MOVE OUR STEERING WHEELS TO THE OTHER SIDE OF THE CAR, DRIVE ON THE WRONG SIDE OF THE ROAD AND TALK FUNNY ?????

Y'ALL HAVE A REALLY GREAT DAY,

BLACKJACK (THE BLOODY COLONIAL).

Blackjack - if I had the time, I would go through the SVA Manual and change every reference to "petrol" to "gas", "Discs" to "rotors", "bonnet" to "hood" and so on.

What I can't do is ensure that you guys would pronounce any of it correctly. You carry on, we understand each other just fine! :lol:

... torch to flashlight, spanner to wrench, parafin to diesel, rose joint to (what the hell is a rose joint anyway)...

OK,

Before we get to far off track. I've heard, if we do this that we are headed for national scrutiny. I don't want anyone to tell me how to build my car. ASE mechanics are nothing more than trained monkeys. (Now that was low!)
On the other side I have heard that this could be good. I mean even Australia and England are willing to help!

Here are my suggested guidelines. Actually I borrowed most of them from the very, very successful NSRA.

I will take a vote here and now: All in favor of at least investigating this with the option of instituting it, say aye...

The Aye's have it! I feel safer already.

Second order of business, how many "rules"? and What will the rules be?

I suggest that for now and ever more, each owner will have the choice to have his car inspected.

All of the rules will simply be suggestions.

If someone requests the inspection and fails, he simply either ignores the test, or brings his car up to the standards that "WE, ourselves" have set.

All rules must be voted on and passed by a majority of the voters, or by elected officials that "we" have chosen.

I suggest we have a trial period of one year. Working out any faults that show up, or to implement ungraded ideas.

The so called "INSPECTION SHEET" will be the same for every Cobra on the market. No exception, no exclusions. It will be the same for coast to coast.

I also suggest a Cobra owner preferably a builder with at least two builds of "any" kit car under his belt to be a district or regional inspector of his State. He will be responsible for making sure that any Cobra owner in his state that wants an inspection to either do the inspection, or send the owner one of our forms with instructions on how to get the car inspected.

I also suggest, for the lack of inspectors that a certified ASE Mechanic do the inspection on a pass/fail basis.

The owner then would be responsible to send his signed form back to his States Inspector. The State inspectors will then sign off and send it to a central selected point.

All inspectors, without fail, including the ASE mechanic who did the inspection will be excused of any possible liability by the owner.

I also suggest that inspections will be available to any Cobra owner that wants his car inspected at all large Cobra events. I.e.; Knotts, Run N Gun, SAI events, I'd like to think the Fling would be included and any events I may have missed.

In my way of thinking, this will not be popular with some, but the most flagrant AND dangerous build tactic, for lack of a better description, are the following:

In no particular order,
1. Fuel caps
2. Steering Columns
3. Door latches
4. fuel lines

please add on

I have received numerous requests to set up a voluntary inspection station at the Fling. How can I resist? So here it is, call it a trial, call it what ever you want. For the first time we will have an area set up for any Cobra owner to voluntarily have his car inspected.
By then I hope "we" will come up with "the basics." The inspection(s) will take place Sunday morning during our Sunday event.

Besides, this will give you something to do before your turn comes up! Ohh, did I tell you? We will not be running at the Lake! Another Venue has been obtained. Yup, as usual you heard it here first!

If there really is a true and honest subjective interest in doing this, and not just something to debate over long winter nights, then, with your permission Steve "Klayfish" and I will plunder on. One of my Attorney friends says it's about damned time. He is willing to at least get us started down the right path with the inspections, and the right path(s) needed to put some teeth into this! He will help set up the charter and anything else that will be needed. AND, he is one heck of a FLING supporter.

DV... it may have taken 13 years, but NOW IS better than later!
Bless all of you for your support! Once again, "we" can do this!

aluminium to aluminum, "on holiday" to "on vacation", fags to cigarettes, crisps to chips, chips to fries, a "leg-over" to "gettin' laid", boot to trunk, birds to girls, bangers to sausages, ....................(I served in the USAF at RAF Greenham Common in the mid '80s; had a REAL good time!)

DV,
Here is a simple test to see if you can get this of the ground.
Try to get a concensus what maximum HP should be allowed in a Cobra. You can do it in here, you can do it by a poll.
The response may overwhelm you and others.

TURK

Turk,
We have brought this up many, many times. But, what the heck!

If the insurance company's don't care about the horsepower why should we?

Personally, I dont car if you have a 1000 HP or 100 HP. Either one will get you over 28 mph! This is the speed where actual "hard" impact will kill.

DV

Hey DV,

Not to change the subject, but did you or anyone else take a good look at the car in your photos. It appears that it was a pretty good impact and yet the car, a CR as you mentioned, appears to to still be structurally intact. Yet the steering wheel is ugly, as I'm sure is the event that caused it, and I notice that the seat appears to be well forward in it's track, "interesting". Overall though, the car still looks fairly straight. Makes me glad I'm driving a CR and not, say a FFR. This was not to offend any owners of FFR cars, but I'm sorry, I've seen them up close and I think the rusults of this crash would have been much different had it been a FFR instead of a CR. DV, it's no wonder you like this car so much.

Again, this was not to offend anyone, just a $.02 observation.

Jim Downard

Wow,

I just re-read my reply after it was posted and boy did I do a hatchet job on the typing. I think just trying to read it gave me a headache. Oh well, ca-ser-blah-ser-blah.

Jim Downard
typist extrodiaire

Jim,
I would love to spend a few hours with the pictured car. Re-hone my old skills if you would. Not to go to far off this thread, but as ugly as the car looks, it appears that the frame structure held up well. The left bumper bar is still attached. The question is, was it a 20 mph impact or a 40+ mph impact? It doesn't take much speed to rip off a fiberglass fender. Only an inspection will tell. If anyone has the details of this accident, I would love to hear them.
You can e-mail me at V10Cobra@aol.com

I do like the fact the the drivers door took a fairly serious hit, by the visible twist of the door, and damage to the left rear quarter, and remained intact. It simply suggest that the inner steel beam and the "Bear Claw" latch did it's job.

DV...have a great and safe day people- for you easterners, don't slip on the ice!

As usual, DV has made the points perfectly. This is not some debate about which kit crashes better than the other, or how much horsepower is too much.

I won't speak for everyone in the industry, but my underwriters have told me that they aren't too concerned with horsepower in the car. They will write a 600+ hp street rod if they are confident the owner knows how to use it and will do so responsibly. Nobody is proposing limitations on horsepower. We're starting to overcomplicate this. It's just this simple. Come up with a list of safety items, get the car inspected, pass and be part of the group. No liability on the inspectors or the companies that built the kits. This is done by US, supported by US and shaped by US. WE change things as WE need to. Drive safely, then go to the insurance companies and prove what we have done. It will work. It has to work. Yes, the details of setting it all up will take some work, but we will get through that. Yes, it will take some time, but it will pass.

I don't want to turn this into any kind of debate or argument about insurance companies vs. lawyers (as my first thread has sadly devolved into despite my pleadings not to), or kit vs. kit, or anything else.

Maybe we should post a poll. How many people would be interested in participating? I'll list all the benefits (again) in the poll of such a group. I can't imagine why someone wouldn't, but it's up to them. What do you think?

Steve

Guys as a soon to be owner of a Unique (Feb 8th) I would love to participate in a group effort. I see more upside than downside. Who can argue safety, responsibility and obtainable insurance at a reasonable price. Sign me up!
Just looking at the Local Clubs listed we have 15 and seem to cover most of the country, (appology to the across the pond group inserted here).
If egos are checked (my so and so is better than a lo and lo), we work to get all of the cars on the same page safety wise as well as all of the drivers we should be successful in our goal. I think the biggest issue will be drivers then common minimal standards for the cars. Move forward DV and Steve, I'll do whatever I can in Georgia.

Randy

Safety check
 

Yes it sounds good to me.
If there is something not right with my car I sure would like to be aware of it now, and be able to correct it.
Rather than have my family and friends pick up the pieces later.
And for the used snake value, I would be more inclined to buy a safety checked car than one that was not.
Arcenio