Memories of Gary
Another famous incident happened after a club meeting in which Gary Kadramas (Cobra owner that let me drive his car so I reciprocated) and Larry Cockerham (Crazy Larry). Larry had just purchased a 67 GT500 and challenged us on the way home on I-205 (before the Glen Jackson Bridge, no traffic) Gary asked should we? I said just don't push it over 6,000 RPM, it's a tired old original engine. Just then Larry jumped all over the GT500. Steam started pouring out the vents in the hood and sparks were flying out from under the car and then started to turn toward us at over 100 mph! Gary grabbed 3rd gear and got on the shoulder as the 500 passed behind us. I looked out the back and saw the headlights reappear and disappear three times before stopping. We went down to Sunnyside and back to Foster to return to pick up the pieces. Larry's GT500 was facing the wrong way in the center meridian and not a scratch on it. Turns out when Larry's C6 downshifted it snapped the water pump shaft resulting in the fan cutting the lower radiator hose, transmission cooling lines and tearing into the radiator. He hit the brakes when his windshield was covered with the mixture and spun in the stuff. What a wild ride! When his car was safely put away at Burwell's Ford Specialty, I told Larry "when you race a GT350, it'll cost you $350.00!"
Ken Walker, 5S377
One thing Ken left out of this story was the fire trucks and Oregon State Police that showed up..They had a report that there was a car on its top and on fire. If it wasn't for Gary I would still be in jail.. I told the cop that I had just left a club meeting and we were all driving home when a cat jumped out in front of me. Well my buddy Gary walk down the hiway with the officer and tried to convince him that nothing was going on before the accident. As they walked down the road they looked at my skid marks to see if I had hit a cat. Well as luck would have it there was a old dead cat right in the middle of my skid marks so the officer didn't take me to jail. This was hard for the cop because after he and Gary got back I ask to use his flash light to see what had broke. When I pop the hood on the GT500 and the cop looked at that 428 & duel 4's he ask if I was sure that I wasn't blowing out the carbon in her was I.. Oh NO officer...
This story happened over 25 years ago when Gary, Ken and I were in our 30's.. Gary was a great friend right up to the end and he never gave up in his illness on the cars he loved.
Crazy Larry
SAAC N.W. President