Heard it all now

Hal Copple · #1 (**permalink**) 02-24-2003, 08:00 PM

By now, with all the driving i am able to do, i have heard just about every comment that one can hear from passerby. Usually very sincere and complementary, inquisitive, to which i do my best to reply in the way they want. I even keep some Olthoff brochures in my car, which i occasionally give to someone who seems a possible buyer.

But met my daughter and wife at a local eatery after church sunday, she in her Wrangler: i had put on some Black Magic by Hella front driving lights, awsome power, for when Becky drives home from college, and there are deer and such about.

They left, i and buckled up all five hard points of my Simpson, was warm and sunny, when this gentleman, maybe 35 years old or so, came up and asked about my SPF. I stayed belted, but turned off the Stroker, and talked about my car, replicas, etc. Gave him one of my Olthoff brochures, for which he thanked me.

But then he proudly told me that being a machinist, he was going to build his from scratch, frame on out. No "kit" for him, he would make the entire car.

I wished him well, and hit the Accusump switch, the aircraft toggle for the CSI starter, and fired it up, and eased on out.

I just was amazed at someone thinking they could build one of these cars. I mean, the frame, the suspension, the body, all that stuff?? Why doesn't he just go to his brother's garage, and fire up the Real One stored there all these years, and hit the road?

I think i will get to work on a space station, myself. I have my old Erector set, # 8.5, so shouldn't be hard. Gotta start working out the details with NASA.

agro1 · #2 (**permalink**) 02-24-2003, 08:10 PM

I would stay in touch with that guy...Let him buy all the stuff to start the build and then when he realizes how much time, money, effort and know how goes into building one of these cars, buy all that "stuff" off him at a nice discount

ToyCollector · #3 (**permalink**) 02-24-2003, 08:11 PM

Hope he's a machinist well versed in Fiberglass or with an English wheel. You HAVE heard it all. I know you would recognize a hospital outfit if you saw one, so I won't ask the obvious

.

Turk · #4 (**permalink**) 02-24-2003, 08:55 PM

Before you dismiss that guy as some crazy old fellow...make sure he is not related to this guy from Quebec or Montreal who showed up at Run and Gun in 2000 with a scratch built Cobra from surgical grade stainless steel.

It may be his uncle or something, and if they are related...all bets are off.

TURK

Turk · #5 (**permalink**) 02-24-2003, 08:58 PM

Turk · #6 (**permalink**) 02-24-2003, 08:59 PM

I believe he works for a company who manufactures hospital equipment

Turk · #7 (**permalink**) 02-24-2003, 08:59 PM

It was a beautiful piece of work.

Turk · #8 (**permalink**) 02-24-2003, 09:02 PM

He claimed to have built it without plans by himself by taking careful measurements from some other car.

If I am not mistaken, the entire car (including the frame) was built from stainless steel.
If there were others attending that event who can remember it better than I am able to, please chime in.

TURK

Turk · #9 (**permalink**) 02-24-2003, 09:05 PM

I think he also was the fastest in his class on the strip.

TURK

Excaliber · #10 (**permalink**) 02-24-2003, 09:18 PM

Stainless steel? From scratch? OK, talk about a rare bird! I worked a little with stainless steel, that stuff is impossible to do anything with. You can't cut it, burn it, drill it or bend it, I gave up!

Ernie

Turk · #11 (**permalink**) 02-24-2003, 09:20 PM

He is a machinist, and I believe it is his name on the valve covers he built. Before this becomes a urban legend, maybe others know who this guy was, can tell us more about hiom and his car.
He was there with his wife.
She was cute too.

TURK

STEPHEN BROHOLM · #12 (**permalink**) 02-25-2003, 02:18 AM

G'day Turk.
I have an article of this car in an issue of Kit car illustrated ,dated
Feb 2001.
The article explains how he fabricated the chassis from stainless steel , however the body is from Everett Morrison. The shell is glass and has been painted in Porsche gray. The rear suspension is from an 86 Corvette , with carbon fibre rear springs.
This is one beautiful beast.

Aussie Mike · #13 (**permalink**) 02-25-2003, 02:22 AM

Check out the Feb 2001 Kit Car Illustrated for the complete feature on the car. The guys name is Bruno Angers and he is a machinist from Laval, Quebec. The body is an Everett-Morrison but the chassis and much of the suspension is stainless steel.

Cool car with the go to match the show (11.49 sec 1/4 mile).

Hal, I wouldn't dismiss the machinist too quickly. I've known a lot of guys that have built awesome cars from nothing. You only need to look over at what the hot rod guys are doing. A lot of guys down here have just bought a body and built the rest. I considered building my own chassis for the Cobra but in the end it was easier to buy a basic body/chassis kit (no hassle with engineers reports for registration).

Cheers

Aussie Mike · #14 (**permalink**) 02-25-2003, 02:24 AM

Stephen, you beat me to the post button

STEPHEN BROHOLM · #15 (**permalink**) 02-25-2003, 02:32 AM

Hi Mike , hows the beast coming along?

CobraDan · #16 (**permalink**) 02-25-2003, 02:32 AM

I have a 72 year old member to our club that bought a fiberglass Cobra body and built a nice Red/White Cobra from scratch with a 454 Chevy Marine engine and an automatic 400 turbo trans. It took him 7 years to complete, it was no kit. I like his engine and trans choice.
Dan

Aussie Mike · #17 (**permalink**) 02-25-2003, 02:41 AM

Hi Stephen,

Progressing OK, not as fast as I'd like. I might finally have my engine in the next couple of months.

Building a Cobra chassis from scratch wouldn't be to difficult. You couldn't get a much simpler chassis than the ladder frame used under one of these things. There is plenty of info out there to help you build one, dimensions, drawings and pictures.

Cheers

mr bruce · #18 (**permalink**) 02-25-2003, 05:08 AM

Build one of these things from scratch? What's so mind boggling ? I know a guy who built a Cobra, Gt40, a Cheetah, and a Daytona Coupe'( one of the MAJOR Kit companys thought enough of the Coupe to have it comissioned for their car) COMPLETELY from scratch , starting with a wood and plaster plug.How do you think anything gets done in this world, sumbuddy steps up and DOES IT.

PSB · #19 (**permalink**) 02-25-2003, 06:12 AM

For those of you who think it can't be done, here's a guy who built a Daytona Coupe from scratch - including the body:

http://members.aol.com/coupechuck/index.htm

Pete

289FIA · #20 (**permalink**) 02-25-2003, 07:18 AM

I met Bruno 3 years ago at local Montreal radio station event. The "Stainless Snake" as he refers to it, is work of art. One could spend all day admiring the underside of this Cobra.

About a year later, I caught up with him at a lapping session just north of Laval. He was out with the Porsche club of Montreal. The "Stainless Snake" was the second fastest of the day.... bettered only by a Porsche GT1!