Anyone spoken to David Salkowski lately?
 

This guy owns what I believe is the best looking Cobra on this site, but I haven't seen anything from him for a LONG time.

I was just wondering how he is, and how that 480 cube, all alloy, 58mm Webered, FE, G-Force trans monster of an ERA is going. Did it get into the magical 9 second 1/4 mile times without nitrous or supercharging?

Thanks for any info :)

Saw him last week
 

Craig -

I SAW Dave last week-end, at the Detroit AutoRama Hot Rod Show, but did not get a chance to speak with him. I was babysitting a friend's 289 Cobra at the show, and figured he would come over for a closer look, but he didn't. Guess he was overwhelmed by the original Ford GT across the aisle.

http://www.clubcobra.com/photopost/d...008_rr-med.jpg

Last time I talked with him, he had done quite a major overhaul to his rear suspension in order to get that beautiful beast to launch straight without breaking anything. He has a fabulous car, but he doesn't attend many of the local shows. Usually only see him once a season or so.

regards,

Jeff

Jeff, thanks for the info. That sounds like a good showto attend. I hope you had a chance to get out and see the cars for yourself at some time during the show.....

You are right Jeff, I think he is smitten by the GT 40. He called me a couple of days after the Detroit show. We stay in touch and talk every month or so. He is doing fine and added a Watts linkage to his car last year. His car is a master piece, except it is not quite as quick as mine, though it might be quicker if I drove it. That ought to get a response from him. Then again mine might still be quicker if Dave drove it.

wt

Beauty!
 

Yea everytime I see Davids ERA in a Magazine I'm drawn to it! Beatuiful car! I would love to see some close up detail photos?

Hi Craig The BIG BLACK ***** is fine. It has not gotten into he 9's yet.:CRY: He is going to burn the car to the ground if it doesn't happen this year. I think he is going to put nitro in the tank next.:confused: I don't know if it will help but the big bang theory will be fun to watch. Daves is in LOVE. That GT-40 he wants in BLACK. It will park next to the M3 convertiable. The car has the power but getting it to hook up and hold the track is the whole problem. I think he is getting new slicks this year. If he wins King of the Hill, he going to sell that car. :rolleyes: I hope not. I think WT is going to get the 9 second ring this year if the Kid doesn't step up to the plate. I am hoping for a grudge match myself. 1 black car verses a red car, same motors, different fuel induction systems. I will not forget am Video camera.
Rodney I have 40 pictures of it, but no way to e-mail them to you. Go to Run&Gun this year and see the car all you want. This could be the last year he has this car.
WTcobra Let the mind games BEGIN.;) :D :D Boy a love this stuff. Got to go, I think I will call Dave.:rolleyes: :) :D Rick Lake

Craig, I appreciate your recent inquiry. Contrary to rumors otherwise...I am indeed alive and kicking! Once again, thanks for the kind words regarding my car. I knew from the first time I talked to you... that you were a man of exceptional taste! The car continues to torture me and make my life as difficult as possible. At this point, I have resigned myself to the fact that God is using my car in retaliation for all the sins I have committed over my lifetime. Perhaps an exorcism is in order! Seriously, the car has yet to crack the 9 second barrier. I can tell you firsthand.....it's like trying to break the damn sound barrier. Physics are becoming a major issue as you attempt to accomplish this feat with a naturally aspirated engine and an IRS out back. Best e.t so far has been 10.10 at 138mph. There are a variety of different modifications I am hoping to make to get those last few tenths. Traction and dialing in my clutch are far and away the biggest issues. Blazing the tires halfway down the quarter mile does not lead one to quick et's! I will keep you posted on my progress. Before I wrap up... I wanted to address some comments made from two of the larger instigators on this forum...Namely Mr. Wayne Turpin and in particular Rick Lake. These two can stir up more **** than a hand grenade in a hornets nest!!! First... Mr.Turpin... Wayne.....of course your car is fast...you have duplicated my motor almost down to the valve covers! I do thank you for not duplicating my Webers.... otherwise people might start to get our cars confused! By the way, the only reason your car seems faster to you is because at Run N Gun I run 600lbs of lead ballast in my trunk to keep your hopes alive! With all the work you do for the event I just don't have the heart to go out and ruin your day! Get strong and healthy...I want you in good shape for our next meeting! Mr. Lake...our should I address you as "Mudslinger Extraordinaire"... you are relentless in your ability to throw rocks,garbage,instigate and otherwise badmouth me at any opportunity. You do realise that I have numerous contacts within the Mafia that could have you "rubbed out" with a single phone call! Now that I think about it.... there would be some serious upside to having you knocked off.... I could use your car as a donor vehicle for spare parts! Jeff...I wish you would have said something at the auto show...it would have been nice to catch up. Perhaps we can get together this spring sometime. Rodney..thanks for your compliments... it's nice to see that people appreciate the hard work we put into these cars. It's scary.... I have owned my cobra for 18 years now and I still have not perfected the damn thing!! When will it ever be finished...thats the million dollar question!

DMSalkowski MUDSLINGER,PARTS CAR,BAD MOUTHING, AND RUBBING OUT. Every since you went over 40, your talent for bench racing has gotten better. The car has gotten older, faster, and heavier. The driver has just gotten OLDER. It's OK, you are human too. Maybe you need the Mechanic you bring each year to drive the car. :confused: It's a thought. ;)
WTCobra I can't believe that he is whining all ready this early in the year. We still have snow on the ground. Wayne if he keeps it up I am going to help make sure you get into the nine's this year. Wayne I will being the crying towels and the autograph book for the king to sign. My track record is over 800. I helped Stacy P. run 9's, Bill Dio's car win king, helped a trans repair on the Corvette high Top honors. Wayne this is going to be your year. I have tried to help Mr. Wonderful and the best he can do is call me a "MUDSLINGER":CRY: . I AM HURT. ALL BETS ARE OFF!!! Oct will not get here soon enough.
Craig Dave is Right about 2 things, the workmanship on this car is incredtiable for a rookie driver. This car is worth 1 million dollars, It is in a class all by itself, now if the teacher would get out of the way and let the car go to work and do what it is been reengineer, designed to do, this e-mail would not be needed. The Floor is Yours MR SALKOWSKI. :p ;) :D. HEY WAYNE HOW WAS THAT??:D I will wait for the reply. Rick Lake

Good job, Rick. You are wrong about him having a mechanic, as his father-in-law has signed to be my crew chief this year because he likes Braswell carbs better than those little things Dave runs and I have agreed to let him have work breaks, plus no allnighters, and with you also wanting to be on a winning team, unless he can get Jack Roush, he is going to be sleepless and crewless. Of course his old buddy from Florida, Stormin Norman, might send his son's go cart crew to help him out. You do speak Spanish, don't you Dave? They are used to working on black cars though, which is a positive thing.

wt

Dave / WT / Rick.
Please tell me that you guys are going to the Fling this year. It looks like there'll be enough "competitive" events to keep the racers happy. I'd LOVE to see you guys going at it. If all goes well next year, a few cars will be shipped over from Australia for the Run'n'Gun and DVSF4.

Dave - if you make it to the Fling, what's the chance of taking me for a drive in that monster of yours??? ;) A (nearly) 9 second Cobra with a 5 speed sounds like a whole lot of fun!!!

Craig

750 hp Craig, I just started a new job and only have 1 week vacation and are saving it for the R&G. I might go out for DV3 if a am not working that weekend. It's too hard to drive the rig that far for the show. I hope to see you there. Now for the BAD NEW, you are 12000 miles away and starting TROUBLE. I called Dave, he MF me and hung the phone up. Thanks alot. I think we hurt his EGO.
WT COBRA Hi Wayne the plan is working, I called and he hung up on me. You getting Pete as Crew Chief and me as assistant is got him on the warpath. I can see that this is going to get alot hotter before the summer is even here. Wayne if you get a chance to talk to Dave ask him if it's an over 40 thing. Maybe his throttle is starting to slick and not run as hard as it used too. I think you have him WORRYED. OBOY IS THIS GREATTTT. OH DAVEY, Where are you????:confused: ;) :LOL: Got to go. Get better Rick Lake

Wayne, I think it is a great idea that you want recruit my father in law...Pete... to work with you as part of your crew. I have given him my bessings and explicit instructions to help you in any way that he can. For instance, after her drains all your engine oil he is going to make sure to replace it with the highest quality anti-freeze money can buy! Plus.... he is going to make sure that your timing is set to the proper 64 degrees BTDC....like it should be! Seriously...I hope you are feeling a little better and stronger each day.....that was no routine surgery you went through! Finally, could someone please comfort Rick Lake. He called me crying like a baby the other day because he thought I was mean to him and that "I hurt his feelings". My God...he is so sensitive. I really don't think he is cut out for this racing stuff. I recommended that he take up ballet so that he could get in touch with his feminine side. Craig and Rodney I will try and post some pictures per you request. Bear with me though...because I am certainly no computer wiz. David

Jeff Burgy.....Help teach me to attach a photo like you did with your GT40 shot. I seem to be doing something wrong. I can get the photo to show up in the attach file box...below my message and it seems to take a while to upload like it normally does when you send a picture ..but it never seems to go through. Help the technically challenged here! I want to send a few photos of my engine for Craig and Rodney. Thanks David

I'd love to see the motor... I have a couple of Bitmap images that you sent a year or two ago.....

http://www.clubcobra.com/photopost/d...kowski-med.jpg

While I'm in a photo-posting mood, here's how my engine bay turned out. Not exactly true to the original, but it makes horsepower! :3DSMILE:

http://www.clubcobra.com/photopost/data/500/101228.jpg

Craig,

That's some serious plumbing. It's hard to tell if it's an engine or a big industrial aircon plant :D Looks like it came out of an aircraft or something. Very Cool.

David,

What are the wheel and tyre sizes on that tasty looking Cobra?

Cheers

Webers from above
 

Dave's having some trouble posting pics, so I have loaded some pictures of his awesome ERA in my photo gallery. Here's an overhead shot of the "business end" of Dave's car:

http://www.clubcobra.com/photopost/d...erhead-med.jpg



This is one incredibly FAST and beautiful machine!

regards,

Jeff Burgy
ERA P202

58mm Webers
 

Here's another shot of Dave's Webers on his 427 powered ERA

http://www.clubcobra.com/photopost/d...webers-med.jpg

If my small-block ERA ever grows up - I'd like for it to run like this one!

Jeff

Special thanks to Jeff Burgy for helping the technically challenged! Without his help...you guys would have to just make do with a written description of my induction system! Craig, Rodney and Mike you finally have some shots of my motor. Mike....My wheels are 17" Compomotive pin drives...17x9f and17x11r... the tires are Hoosier Roadrace Radials 275/35/17f and 315/35/17 rear. I am glad you like them..I have yet to see anyone with a similar set. The black centers I think go along way toward making the wheels look smaller than they really are. When I moved up to 17" ...I did not want to draw attention to their larger size. I think Understatment works well here. David

Look at that paint!!! :eek: That's also a serious looking radiator. Did you have cooling problems? Do you use air filters or filter socks on the street? How many miles have you put on the car now? Mostly street use now, or 1/4 mile at a time? Any breakages or maintenance required on your G-Force in the last year or two?

Between these questions, and all my previous G-Force questions, I think I've now used up my quota of "Twenty Questions".... :3DSMILE: