Hello from NASCRAP country

[Mike Mooney]

Name is Mike. After a few years in the Marines pre-VN, and a career behind the badge, I've been driving and have owned many Ford-powered cars over the past 50 years, owned some GT-40 metal (H-M experimental "325" engine and other assorted hardware) had a 289 Cobra, own two Mk I Tigers, worked for Mark Donohue as factory test driver at Griffith Motors in New York back in the 60s, authored a few stories and books, including one tech manual on the GT-40, still flying small airplanes, taking aerial photos for commercial contractors, daily driver - a diesel Excursion --- warm weather ride - Honda Valkyrie with a wet 6-cyl boxer powerplant --- looking to chat occasionally about Ford power and have some neat stories to share.
If I step over the line in any of the chats, slap me down fast so I can get up stronger.
My websites include Griffith 200 & Griffith 400 - Griffith Club -Griffith Motorcars -- The Cobra Alternative and Mike Mooney Aerial Photography - Quality Aerial Photography for North Carolina & South Carolina

[David Morton]

Welcome Mike.

[Mike Mooney]

Thanks David. I'll be off line until the 4th - a road trip to pick up a collector vehicle with a friend.
Cheers.
Mike

[Jeff Young]

Welcome as well.

Where in NC are you? Ron Earp who runs this site is in Cary; I'm in Raleigh. Ron flies planes and drives race cars, and crew chiefs my car, which I break repeatedly so that he has things to do.

Would love to get together for a beer, garage talk or dinner sometime if you are close.

Let us know when you get back.

P.S. Ron has a Lola T-70 replica in his garage that is quite cool.

Again, welcome.

Jeff

[John]

Jack goes to my church down in Jacksonville, FL! I force him to talk about cars every now and then. It's like pulling teeth.

[Mike Mooney]

See below

[Mike Mooney]

See the correct reply below... I'll still learning how to delete a message that was erroneously posted ... Saturday was last night, y'know.

[Mike Mooney]

Jeff,
Re: --- Where in NC are you?
I'm about 12 miles from Hickory just off I-40 Exit 138.

--- Ron Earp who runs this site is in Cary
Hmmm. CARY - Containment Area for Relocated Yankees?

--- I'm in Raleigh. Ron flies planes and drives race cars, and crew chiefs my car, which I break repeatedly so that he has things to do.
Been flying for 40 years, (turned a Cessa 172 Skyhawk into a Seahawk in the Atlantic City intracoastal about 25 years ago) was qualified as a bona fide "Crash Test Dummy" at a government test lab in 1963, raced very fast cars for lotsa years, driving my 15th bike, fly out of Statesville (NC) airport, crewed for GTP-Light IMSA team after I retired in '86 and drove a transporter for Darryl Waltrip, broke and fixed my own cars and gave me little time for much else 'cept drinkin' and drivin'. You'll understand that if you read "Thr Right Stuff".

--- Would love to get together for a beer, garage talk or dinner sometime if you are close.
Coors Lite or Bass Ale

--- Let us know when you get back.
Got back two nights ago - still recovering from a 13-hour trip. Report follows:
On Wednesday, January 2, 2008, Virgil Hoffman and I drove to NJ to pick up our newest parade vehicle. It is a semi tractor powered by a big old noisy and nasty diesel engine. Well, in order to get it back from New Jersey safely we had to drive it, fresh out of not even knowing what we were getting ourselves into. After about three hours in 16-degree windblown weather about 400 yards where the Hindenberg fell from the sky in Lakehurst, NJ a long time ago, Virgil and I and three guys from the Government surplus sales did all we could do to eventually get it running fairly decently and we took off for home.
After seven hours of driving this thing, fully (almost) protected with foam earplugs (not enough....) I gave the driving duties over to Virgil who took it the next 6 hours arriving back in Conover at 0215 on Thursday. We both came home with what will probably become a five-day hearing loss... but it was all worth it.
Along the way we became intimately aware of all of its minor problems during those 13 hours from NJ to NC including some oil leaks, inoperative brake and running lights and a muffler that had only three sides, the open side being directly facing the passenger side of the firewall, depositing lots of loud noise, layers of coal-pile soot and some situations that would give nightmares to an OSHA safety inspector.
In Virginia we were collected by a State Trooper who wanted to speak to us about the inoperable lights. He eventually listened to our tale of woe and gave us a wave off to go home unscathed and unticketed. Virgil was impressed, I think. The Trooper was probably impressed with my retired police badge but Virgil still thinks it was his good looks that got us off the hook.
I'll set up a link soon to view the photos of the truck the morning after its arrival at Virgil's shop. You will be able to easily pick out the exact location of some of the lube leaks, the soot on the right side of the cab, the driver side power steering fluid leak residue and whatever else was wrong with it but, as Virgil sald, "they're all minor things that can be fixed."


--- P.S. Ron has a Lola T-70 replica in his garage that is quite cool.
Very cool!

Mike

[Mike Mooney]

Say Hi to Jack for me. How is he doing lately? I sent him a Griffith polo shirt and hat last month. He still would like to go very fast....
Mike

[Jac Mac]

Hi Mike,

Welcome to the Forum-there are a few TVR fans on here,so your not alone. This one is probably responsible for a few gray hairs & sleepless nights over the last few years, it is kinda cool to watch it blow porsches etc into the weeds though.

[Mike Mooney]

JacMac:
Looks like ya got one mean Tivver there, mate. I understand that down under you design the car, insert the oversized engine and then wonder where you will place the driver. Sounds normal.
Mike

[Jac Mac]

That would normally be my design parameters, but in the case of that car we had to play within some 'guidelines'- original chassis-8" wide rims-DOT tyres-4speed box and fit the owner/driver who is around 6' plus. --- which turned it into the usual 10lb into a 5lb bag trick.

[Mike Mooney]

Jac,
Sometimes ya just have to work within the guidelines to get a place on the starting line.
As far as I'm concerned, there isn't a car, a motorcycle or an aircraft that is "Too Fast" for us to have fun in. Hope to catch up with you some time.
Mike

[Big-Foot]

Welcome to the forum...
I enjoy ALL automotive competition - including NASCAR.

[Dave Peterman]

Racers are racers no matter what series they run in. Nascar puts bread on the table for a lot of us around here.

[speed220mph]

Hi Mike from right up the road. You're showing up everywhere . . . even on GT40s.com! Welcome to the sight.

Tom M.

[Gordon Levy]

Mike, sounds like you've had a lot of fun through the years. I'm a builder in Phoenix and we just opened up our east coast shop in Moorseville.

[Mike Mooney]

Dave,
Nothing against NASCAR... I've made my $ and had my fun in the sport and Cup Stuff. I worked for DW for awhile and my son handled the 50th anniv. PR program for the France family as well as running the first three years of the Nextel Cup Series for Nextel and then Sprint. Just google his name (same as mine) along with NASCAR and you'll see the results.

[Mike Mooney]

Tom,
My goodness! Never know where I'll show up, and it that case, you too!
I hear that there are some changes being made in the ol' club.
Hmmmm!