Howdy, y'all, from a Texas newbie

Doug Sainlar · 03-29-06, 02:56 AM

Good morning from the great state of Texas! I am nearing retirement and plan to occupy my newfound free time with satisfying a lifelong dream--that of owning and driving a kit car. I have been a True, Blue oval fan since the early 1960's--I was that teenager you saw drooling all over that 289 Cobra street car in the dealership in 1965. Needless to say, the GT40 was next as we stripped Enzo of his title and his arrogance. I have followed the kit car industry since the late 1960's, and really got interested when Kelmark introduced their 246 Dino replica. So far, though, I've been a good boy and dedicated my time and $$ to family matters, but as an empty nester it is time to get on with it. Recently I have declined on 2 projects, believing very much that the right one will introduce itself when the time is right. Two Ford engines (a 302 EFI from a T-Bird and a 351 Cleveland from another dimension) reside in my garage at this moment, awaiting further massages. It's inevitable--I can feel it, and I am so fortunate to have all y'all as guides to success while I learn how to do it right the first time from this forum. I promise to learn to use the search function. I hope I don't insult anyone. May I get flamed only when I am past the newbie stage (or should we just do it now and get it over with?).

YerDugliness,Esq./PostNoBills

Paul W · 03-29-06, 04:32 AM

Hi Doug,

Welcome to the forum, mostly a pretty friendly and helpful bunch here.
Have you decided to build a kit or looking for an already completed car ?

Mark Worthington · 03-29-06, 02:08 PM

Welcome, Doug. Where exctly is Rosenberg? I went to HS in Dallas and college in Nacogdoches and I have fond memories of Texas.

Glad to hear you plan to build a GT40. You know the nicest thing about building a car up from a bare chassis, as opposed to restoring an older car? Your hands don't get too dirty. [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

Doug Sainlar · 03-29-06, 03:11 PM

Good day to you, Paul and Mark. Thanks for your welcoming words--I have been reading the forum for quite a while, but had not registered until this unfortunate incident with RF SA arose. For some reason that motivated me to join the community--I wanted to contribute to the legal fees drive.

I do plan on building a kit--pretty standard fare with one of the Ford motors I mentioned (most likely the 302). I am quite mechanically inclined and have no doubts about my ability to complete the build process--but I realize more and more as I read the postings in this forum that pre-build planning can save a whole lot of angst later on. At this point, with the demise of RF SA, I think the RCR40 is at the top of my short list. Mark, I notice you are building an RF with a 347--my target motor is a 331 or 347 with a centrifugal blower and one of the new throttle body based EFI systems. I plan on checking the search function to see if people are using blowers in their GT40 kits--I don't seem to see much mention of blower motors on the threads I've read for some reason.

Rosenberg, TX is about 30 miles to the southwest of Houston, TX, on US 59. I go through Dallas/FW regularly as I head for north-central Kansas to visit friends and through Nacogdoches a bit less frequently as I drive up US 59 headed for southeast Arkansas to go kayaking on the Cossatot River. I have a connection in Dallas who will help me with the construction if I need help. By the time the kit construction takes place, I may have relocated to southwest Kansas for retirement purposes. Considering the registration issues that Kansas has with kit cars, however, I suspect I will maintain some sort of residence in Texas. Of course, we can always hope SEMA can work its magic in KS, too.

I'll be seeing you in the forum, guys! Thanks again for the warm welcome!

YD,E./PNB