Martin's mi-STRESS, 1965 Long Fleetside C10 "Rebuild in ENGLAND"

[Grizz1963]

Sometimes I really really hate technology. I use the works iPad to post these updates, but every now and then, like today, just as I get to the last bit or photo, the iPad has a hick up or brain fart and loses all you just wrote up..... An hour or more gone sometimes. As everything takes time.

Grrrrrrrrrr...!!!!


Right, we're back on track.

I am meant to be doing a load of work work, but car stuff and procrastination is so much more fun.

One of the first things that catch your eye when you walk into the massive workshop behind the offices is this oldie, but goodie.

I remember watching RR hooning around in it at arace track in one of the episodes and just hoping he would not break it or roll it.......

While we were there, speaking to Jonathan outside in the yard where a load of other future and past projects live, RR and others were busy adjusting one of the lifts legs. No idea why, but he was getting his hands dirty too.



What was interesting, meeting some of the production and film crew was that many of them were petrol heads too, and how some like Johnny had been seduced by the cars and trucks being built on the show.

So Johnny was crew and this is the truck he is busy building.

Ford, with serious wheels, power and as low as a snails willy. I do hope it gets featured at some point. Johnny was hugely interested in the 24 volt LED lights Martin and I had acquired, as every rodder looks for that something to make his/her car stand out.




Sitting quietly, brooding in one side of the shop was this Ford GT40 that GMG had recently completed.

The crew at Gas Monkey Garage teamed up with AccuAir suspension to build the lowest Ford GT40 ever for this year’s SEMA!

This updated version of the classic GT40, rests its roofline at a ridiculous 38 inches high and packs over 800bhp!

YOUTUBE LINK HERE:

https://youtu.be/2w6Qcdc_aog

JONATHAN IS THE GUY DRIVING IT. LUCKY LUCKY MAN.

He also started it up and demonstrated the Accuair ride for us once he had slithered into the black, inviting interior, I would have a problem getting in and out of it for sure. Just awesome again. The install is sooooo clean and looks factory. Everything just as a highest end buyer would want.

The car is a serious hair raising monster. The exhaust note and drone of that engine cutting through to your deepest core if you "get" cars. It is absolutely visceral and reaches out to your most primitive soul. My heart was screaming out in joy at that point. This day had already delivered so much for us. I truely felt blessed.

I cannot thank Jonathan enough for taking almost three hours out of his day to show us around and introduce us to many of the people there. I would like to believe that Martin and I contributed positively to his and the other people there's lives as well, otherwise the visit would have been a 15 minute economy tour to just "pay back" Sarah and Mike because they asked him to speak to us. This hobby is a whole lot more complex than many people realise and I guess we are all inter dependant.

Obviously, all of this is courtesy of a whole bunch of people, maybe firstly ourselves for making the effort to go out to "Mid-West" America, then the various internet Forums I frequent, the friends made over years, followed by then meeting many in person, guys like Don, Clem and Mike & Sarah Losh of Slosh Tubz for all helping us get closer to this incredible day.


Lead photo courtesy of the Internet.







We drifted in and out of the workshop, yard and various spaces over the next three, yes 3 hours.

It's amazing how time flies when you are having fun.

I think Jonathan also enjoyed our company and the fact that we were "Nickel and Dime" builders. Having to reuse, modify and often create bits to make our builds progress.
I think he was quite shocked that there is so little material, spares and the cost of importing every nut and bolt we need when they just drive down the road or overnight parts they want. So possibly a learning for him as well from us.

A Dodge Brothers panel van....... Future project, or easy flip? Who knows, at the end of the day, if you have the money, you can have the toy.



Just gorgeous, one of RR's favourites, purported to be worth a whole heap of money too. I would happily own it.



Hood ornament really says it all.



At this point Richard Rawlings came racing in on some massive fairinged Harley Davidson, music blaring and parked it, charged off into the offices and then out to the front of the yard for some photos, selfies and signing autographs and T-Shirts for fans. I just watched from a distance as mass hysteria is not my thing.
Jonathan mentioned that was how it went most days.

Martin had popped back into the workshop and grabbed a pic as he came in while I carried on chatting to Jonathan about E-Type Jaguars that they suddenly seemed to have cornered the market in, exporting them back to the UK and Europe.
There is a lot to be said for dry, warm salt free climates and winters like what the U.S. Offers, cars just survive so much better there.



Being out in the yard we were looking at many of the old projects from previous episodes and I pointed out a Ford that I had seen earlier in the day when we were outside the fences..... "Whose is that cool Ford?" I asked. Not realising it was actually his.

He proudly replied that it was his, one owner, very low mileage, and as you can see, great condition, statically dropped, with some plans for the future.

It was interesting speaking to him and some of the other guys, despite all having high powered modern cars as a convenience, they all loved their old cars, and pickup trucks ruled the roost by a very wide margin. This was after all Texas.



At this point A beard on a Buell Lightning came riding back into the yard.

Aaron was back from his lunch or possibly his other shop that he runs.

He disappeared into a side room for a while and then later came past on his way to the main offices while we carried on chatting to Johnny about his Ford truck and the Slosh Tubz he had fitted and what his ultimate plan was for the truck.



More later.