Tom, Kelly, Alan ... I no longer have y'all's phone numbers. Please call my phone at some point tonight. I don't care when.
If we're gonna do this tomorrow, I'd like to know before I just head out to Kelly's blindly again ...
All.
I am on the road tomorrow in western PA and then into NJ along day plus, I'll have to miss the gathering.
I am on the road tomorrow in western PA and then into NJ along day plus, I'll have to miss the gathering.
Tom - Good luck, the excitement around this place is palpable.
Just a thought, any chance to JPS doing a limted edition Green Hornet run, basing it on your car?
-Jeff
Just a thought, any chance to JPS doing a limted edition Green Hornet run, basing it on your car?
-Jeff
Hey Tom,
Can't wait to hear your comments after you see & drive your coupe. Keep us posted
Can't wait to hear your comments after you see & drive your coupe. Keep us posted
More delay . . . This is killing me!!!!! Now broke out in hives (NOT CAR RELATED) allergic reaction to antibotic . . . what else can happen?????
Has it REALLY left LA?
There are almost always delays with car deliverys. The carrier may get a last minute transport and swing off the route to pick up another car that needs to be delivered somewhere just off his route to your place. When you said "it will be here if four days!" I smiled and thought "i sure hope so, but probably not". That is the way of the business for most car transports.
The route is optimized as cars are onloaded and offloaded.
Good luck, it will be worth the wait.
There are almost always delays with car deliverys. The carrier may get a last minute transport and swing off the route to pick up another car that needs to be delivered somewhere just off his route to your place. When you said "it will be here if four days!" I smiled and thought "i sure hope so, but probably not". That is the way of the business for most car transports.
The route is optimized as cars are onloaded and offloaded.
Good luck, it will be worth the wait.
I just talked to Cory and Tom, the cars are there! They arrived around 12:30 and they are attending to a few odds and ends (tail light not working on the Green Hornet and Kelly's steering wheel is loose). So, the long wait is over.... Congrats guys! Now how about some pics!!!!!
Lot's more pics tomorrow, but here are a few teasers . . .
Thanks to Wild Bill and Cory for comin' out. Cory served as Mazda Pilot
:-( sans hoopty
It was a great day!
Thanks to Wild Bill and Cory for comin' out. Cory served as Mazda Pilot
:-( sans hoopty
It was a great day!
Attachments
Images (3)
Wow, they look great.
And do they ever look small juxtaposed against the SUV in the driveway!
-Jeff
And do they ever look small juxtaposed against the SUV in the driveway!
-Jeff
Congrats to the owners !
Tom -
NICE! Now you can start weaning yourself off the Quaaludes (well, maybe not)!
Have fun with your new toy, my friend!!
Peace - Out!
NICE! Now you can start weaning yourself off the Quaaludes (well, maybe not)!
Have fun with your new toy, my friend!!
Peace - Out!
here's a link to more photos of the arrival
http://homepage.mac.com/tomdewalt/PhotoAlbum11.html
http://homepage.mac.com/tomdewalt/PhotoAlbum11.html
Tom, Thanks for the pictures. If it works for you, I can pick up on Saturday, around noon.
OMG ! ! ! ! ! ! !
What a pair of BEAUTIFUL cars on that transport ! ! ! ! !
That coupe looks just ABSOLUTELY SENSATIONAL ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !
What a pair of BEAUTIFUL cars on that transport ! ! ! ! !
That coupe looks just ABSOLUTELY SENSATIONAL ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !
Not bad for a fibreglass copy, eh TC? :)
Tom, that paint looks absolutely sensational. I know JPS has always done nice cars but I think they've raised the bar and their reputation with your Green Hornet.
I may soon have to busy open this piggy bank I've been amassing. You got A/C in that thing?
-Jeff
Tom, that paint looks absolutely sensational. I know JPS has always done nice cars but I think they've raised the bar and their reputation with your Green Hornet.
I may soon have to busy open this piggy bank I've been amassing. You got A/C in that thing?
-Jeff
Awesome... lots of smiles... nice to see.
Now, WHERE DID YOU GET THAT SHIRT WITH SPEEDSTERS ON IT????
Now, WHERE DID YOU GET THAT SHIRT WITH SPEEDSTERS ON IT????
Great to see quality pictures in the sunlight with good true colors. Those are BEAUTIFUL! I was still out a little on the multi-red theme until seeing it in the daylight. Kelly, excellent choice! Glad they got there safely so I'm off the hook for "grand theft - auto" :)
Tom has a most excellent camera. I like it.
Hey, Tom -- no photos of the Kamakaze roll-out of the primered car with no brakes? That s*** was the rocket-ride of my life! Five feet in the air with no steering, no brakes and 15-foot ramps to navigate?
WOOOOOOO-HOOOOO!
Hey, Tom -- no photos of the Kamakaze roll-out of the primered car with no brakes? That s*** was the rocket-ride of my life! Five feet in the air with no steering, no brakes and 15-foot ramps to navigate?
WOOOOOOO-HOOOOO!
Ok, so we have pictures.. I haven't heard much on how it drives and such.. is that going to be posted here?
James
James
James, I put a consumer reports-type bit in under events; the thread on "East Coast event," or some such.
Wow! Nice cars guys!
I think I'll start a thread called "It's Red!!" so maybe I can get some air time. Trouble is, I have no air time to give as all time recently is seat time. I apologize to all w/ interest for not getting w/ the program here and posting up -- just not enough hours in the day. And I do have some shots of Cory's wild ride in the primered body. I promise to post up this week end, if I can get through tinkering. Got some gas leaking out on a carb, and have to find out where & fix. So far ~ 300 mi, mostly interstate, but some good twisties late last night w/ Hoopty in fast chase - haha. And BTW them thar driving lights are BRIGHT!! Like driving at noon.
See Events thread for Drake's critical assessments. Note: he has yet to drive either of these cars, he's only smelled my exhaust and watched my tail lights disappear -- BWAHAHAHAHA. I aim to fix that ASAP.
See Events thread for Drake's critical assessments. Note: he has yet to drive either of these cars, he's only smelled my exhaust and watched my tail lights disappear -- BWAHAHAHAHA. I aim to fix that ASAP.
Kelly (and Tom) - I hope your doctor has provided you with some serious pain meds. Keeping a SEG going for several days running has got to hurt.
Tom can back me up on this, but some of the SEG time is interspersed with: WTF? Smile fatigue is not an issue right now. So what is the short version? Cars are really beautiful, turning heads at every opportunity; they really can move (2332 cc will do that), and there are more than a few "run-in" issues that need to be sorted out. More later.
Tom, Kelly ,
You guys could have pooled together a tip for the driver so he could get a "trim" :)
You guys could have pooled together a tip for the driver so he could get a "trim" :)
Alan,
I wondered about that. Is that (tip the driver) normal, or expected in this business? At crunch time I was too agog to be thinking, and when that died down, he was gone. Actually, when Tom and I were sitting by the door that whole week, getting nothing but bad news about delivery delays, we offered, through JPS, an "inducement" to the driver to get the lead out and hustle on into PA quick as can. That offer was declined.
I wondered about that. Is that (tip the driver) normal, or expected in this business? At crunch time I was too agog to be thinking, and when that died down, he was gone. Actually, when Tom and I were sitting by the door that whole week, getting nothing but bad news about delivery delays, we offered, through JPS, an "inducement" to the driver to get the lead out and hustle on into PA quick as can. That offer was declined.
Alan - Do you mean "trim" in the same way that Eddie Murphy did in "48 Hours"?
Tom and Kelly - Sorting issues are part of the initiation rite. It's in the small print of your purchase contract. That way, when you've got them all fixed, it'll truly be YOUR car.
Tom and Kelly - Sorting issues are part of the initiation rite. It's in the small print of your purchase contract. That way, when you've got them all fixed, it'll truly be YOUR car.
Yep, Lane is right. I believe the commercial says that if your SEG won't go away or lasts for 4 hours, your supposed to see a doctor right away...or maybe that was for my little blue pills? Can't remember, the blood meant for my brain has been diverted.
Lane, yea a trim !
Driver tips: ...Your driver probably declined to get the lead out to get to you because he already had a few well paying addtional zig -zags along the route to you.
If a driver goes out of his way in one way or the other not expected but always excepted. Personally I don't expect a tip....Hell everyone thinks we make a killing in this business.
Driver tips: ...Your driver probably declined to get the lead out to get to you because he already had a few well paying addtional zig -zags along the route to you.
If a driver goes out of his way in one way or the other not expected but always excepted. Personally I don't expect a tip....Hell everyone thinks we make a killing in this business.
Well, my part of the way-bill was impressive. Seemed like a lot of money.
Rates have gone though the roof with diesel now above $3.00 & 6-7 big truck mpg.
I don't know if there was a multi car discount but if not, you can figure a standard enclosed rate of $1400 - $1700 depending on the carrier.
I don't know if there was a multi car discount but if not, you can figure a standard enclosed rate of $1400 - $1700 depending on the carrier.
The driver told me he left Cali. with a full load of 6 cars.
I've got to admit, those are some damn good looking cars. Enjoy, enjoy, enjoy.
The excitement was so flowing that I neglected to get a ride in either one of them. Drat!
~WB
~WB
Wild Bill,
Thou shalt have opportunity, not to worry.
Thou shalt have opportunity, not to worry.
Here is my first reactions after a few days with some sorting issues:
My car has been a bit MORE of a nightmare of sorting issues than I would like. Right now I can't drive it while I wait for some parts. Not really getting down on John, but the couplica needs a number of tweaks - some are the kind of things I expected and others are a bit more of a surprise. Still it has turned into a bit more hands on than I expected it to be.
Here's a partial run down: 1. Deck lid didn't latch on delivery and I still can't get the deck lid to latch and STAY latched. Not enough adjustment available. 2. Developed major oil leak which was caused by JPS using hose clamps to secure the hose to the aux oil cooler and then the tire hitting it during suspension travel and causing the hose to puncture. Easy fix once I got a hose- but why hose clamps instead of hose ties or anchors??? 3. Very annoying rattle in front (perhaps under dash) when accelerating thru 3500-4000 specific rpm range. Before and after it is quiet. 4. and most disturbing - reason my steering wheel was out of sync was the rubber coupler was bad. Bolts would pull right through. John is sending new, but coupler to steering box is also not working - stripped perhaps - will know tonight I hope. John say he had a few bad ones (chrome - like mine) and is sending me a new one. Scary part is I could easily have lost steering at any moment. What I don't understand is if you've had a few problems with them - why use them anymore - EVER???? John says it was correct and worked when it left and that really was how I discovered it when he told me it he had driven it and it HAD been correctly aligned - made me look much deeper for the cause. Still should not be easy for it to fail. 5. Nerf bars I had fitted didn't fit very well and although marked came with no instruction as to which went where. I may just have them on the wrong places. They do look cool though (pic will eventually be posted). I'm still waiting for the correct bulbs for my Marchal repros and decided to install the nerfs to see how they looked last night. 6. Finally, I am more and more dispelased with the carpet install and the trim around the windows. Going to my local auto upholsterer to see if he can suggest something or what he will charge to do it up better. For anyone getting a Couplica it would be wise to demand more shake down time and miles from JPS. Still given this is #2 iteration I guess I am not all that surprised. Just expected better given John's reputation. Overall the car is beautiful and the 2332 is a rocket. It feels much more like a hot rod than the 1600 in my Beck, but the Beck is sooo smooth and quiet it comes off a much more sophisticated experience. Really different from the Coupe. I think that may change once I kill that pesky rattle up front which is VERY annoying. The Couplica handles incredible. Man does it stick to the road. No complaits with how it drives at all (aside from steering).
John has big shoes to fill when it comes to customer service. Cary Hines sets the bar EXTREMELY high in my experience. Looks like I will have the opportunity to find out. Stay tuned. I will keep all informed. Right now John is on it. He's positive, responsive, helpful and appreciates my circumstance and frustration. I knew I was going to have sorting issues. So I'm disappointed that my HOPE for a perfect and trouble free first few days was dashed by my true expectations coming a bit more true than I would have liked. John could perhaps do a better and more detailed QC Inspection.
I DO LOVE THIS GREEN CAR! We WILL get it sorted out!
Cory - the window flex you noticed does not seem to exist. I see no problem there, but I'll keep an eye on it.
My car has been a bit MORE of a nightmare of sorting issues than I would like. Right now I can't drive it while I wait for some parts. Not really getting down on John, but the couplica needs a number of tweaks - some are the kind of things I expected and others are a bit more of a surprise. Still it has turned into a bit more hands on than I expected it to be.
Here's a partial run down: 1. Deck lid didn't latch on delivery and I still can't get the deck lid to latch and STAY latched. Not enough adjustment available. 2. Developed major oil leak which was caused by JPS using hose clamps to secure the hose to the aux oil cooler and then the tire hitting it during suspension travel and causing the hose to puncture. Easy fix once I got a hose- but why hose clamps instead of hose ties or anchors??? 3. Very annoying rattle in front (perhaps under dash) when accelerating thru 3500-4000 specific rpm range. Before and after it is quiet. 4. and most disturbing - reason my steering wheel was out of sync was the rubber coupler was bad. Bolts would pull right through. John is sending new, but coupler to steering box is also not working - stripped perhaps - will know tonight I hope. John say he had a few bad ones (chrome - like mine) and is sending me a new one. Scary part is I could easily have lost steering at any moment. What I don't understand is if you've had a few problems with them - why use them anymore - EVER???? John says it was correct and worked when it left and that really was how I discovered it when he told me it he had driven it and it HAD been correctly aligned - made me look much deeper for the cause. Still should not be easy for it to fail. 5. Nerf bars I had fitted didn't fit very well and although marked came with no instruction as to which went where. I may just have them on the wrong places. They do look cool though (pic will eventually be posted). I'm still waiting for the correct bulbs for my Marchal repros and decided to install the nerfs to see how they looked last night. 6. Finally, I am more and more dispelased with the carpet install and the trim around the windows. Going to my local auto upholsterer to see if he can suggest something or what he will charge to do it up better. For anyone getting a Couplica it would be wise to demand more shake down time and miles from JPS. Still given this is #2 iteration I guess I am not all that surprised. Just expected better given John's reputation. Overall the car is beautiful and the 2332 is a rocket. It feels much more like a hot rod than the 1600 in my Beck, but the Beck is sooo smooth and quiet it comes off a much more sophisticated experience. Really different from the Coupe. I think that may change once I kill that pesky rattle up front which is VERY annoying. The Couplica handles incredible. Man does it stick to the road. No complaits with how it drives at all (aside from steering).
John has big shoes to fill when it comes to customer service. Cary Hines sets the bar EXTREMELY high in my experience. Looks like I will have the opportunity to find out. Stay tuned. I will keep all informed. Right now John is on it. He's positive, responsive, helpful and appreciates my circumstance and frustration. I knew I was going to have sorting issues. So I'm disappointed that my HOPE for a perfect and trouble free first few days was dashed by my true expectations coming a bit more true than I would have liked. John could perhaps do a better and more detailed QC Inspection.
I DO LOVE THIS GREEN CAR! We WILL get it sorted out!
Cory - the window flex you noticed does not seem to exist. I see no problem there, but I'll keep an eye on it.
I'm glad it was my imagination, Tom, but I'd still try standing back about 15 feet and asking someone else to shut the door the way you did when you first were checking things over. It wasn't shut Ford hard, but it was about the speed of Honda that you closed it with, and the window was down. I swear, I think I saw it flex.
My comments regarding the coupe (reprinted from the Events thread) from the other day, since folks probably missed it buried at the bottom of the delivery pending post:
I have to say that on a 1-10 scale, I'd put the coupe at about a seven or so, on account of the way it was final-assembled, the alignment/spacer/pulley problem, the door window frames and the overall fitment of the 'glass' being so rough -- and the decklid latch being poorly aligned and off-center.
The green paint is magnificent, the trim pieces look like they're right, and the go-bits look like they're all more or less put together well. Tom, Bro, your wiring looks like it could use some help -- and I'm happy to volunteer. Your horn should work and your steering wheel should have been tight. You shouldn't have had to put a new oil line in and they shouldn't have cut the old one by putting it up with a hose clamp.
All in all, had the car been delivered on time and with the understanding that quality control was going to get a break so you could have it on the same trailer as Kelly ... but that wasn't the case. You certainly got your money's worth, but it really ought to have been looked over one time before it went on the trailer. Caveat emptor, prospective coupe buyers -- talk to Tom before you leap (IMHO).
My comments regarding the coupe (reprinted from the Events thread) from the other day, since folks probably missed it buried at the bottom of the delivery pending post:
I have to say that on a 1-10 scale, I'd put the coupe at about a seven or so, on account of the way it was final-assembled, the alignment/spacer/pulley problem, the door window frames and the overall fitment of the 'glass' being so rough -- and the decklid latch being poorly aligned and off-center.
The green paint is magnificent, the trim pieces look like they're right, and the go-bits look like they're all more or less put together well. Tom, Bro, your wiring looks like it could use some help -- and I'm happy to volunteer. Your horn should work and your steering wheel should have been tight. You shouldn't have had to put a new oil line in and they shouldn't have cut the old one by putting it up with a hose clamp.
All in all, had the car been delivered on time and with the understanding that quality control was going to get a break so you could have it on the same trailer as Kelly ... but that wasn't the case. You certainly got your money's worth, but it really ought to have been looked over one time before it went on the trailer. Caveat emptor, prospective coupe buyers -- talk to Tom before you leap (IMHO).
I hate to repeat myself, but:
Comments made back in June under "Green Coupe is Born" Vendor Specific:
posted 6/16/2007 9:28:20 AM
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Okay, so you've been waiting a little longer than you'd hoped. And it seems even longer because the good weather is finally upon us.
Do yourself a favor and give it some time but make sure you keep on John regularly. Not every minute so you piss him off but enough so he knows you're there. Make sure he drives the hell out of them to shake the bugs out. In fact, if you can get Gerd or someone who lives close by to JPS to take your cars out to get some miles on them before they're shipped, you'll be much better off. All my issues with my car were pretty much in the first thousand miles.
I was stupid and I picked up my car with 70 miles on it. It broke down 30 miles outside of LA on the trip home. It was in the shop several times to work out bugs. It was trailered back (by John)in the first year.
You guys live a lot further away so make sure your cars are good to go.
I would also recommend that you find a good mechanic in your area and introduce that mechanic to John. If you need warranty service it'll be important that your mechanic and John Steele have a working relationship.
Cover all your bases and don't rush it. You'll end up having a much better time with your new toy.
Just my two cents from my past experience. Take what you like and leave the rest.
Now, quit bitching! As far as I'm concerned, the only people with a legitimate right to bitch are the poor souls waiting for their SAWs. ;)
And:
posted 6/18/2007 6:13:11 PM
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Excuse me while I repeat myself and sound like my buddy Gerd. MAKE SURE YOUR CAR HAS AS MANY MILES ON IT AS POSSIBLE TO SHAKE OUT AS MANY BUGS AS POSSIBLE. Or, be advised that you will be dealing with some issues long distance.
Gerd, can't you help a brother out and test drive his car? Wait, on second thought, maybe it's better you don't. Kelly doesn't want a nick in his fresh paint. ;)
Enough said.
Comments made back in June under "Green Coupe is Born" Vendor Specific:
posted 6/16/2007 9:28:20 AM
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Okay, so you've been waiting a little longer than you'd hoped. And it seems even longer because the good weather is finally upon us.
Do yourself a favor and give it some time but make sure you keep on John regularly. Not every minute so you piss him off but enough so he knows you're there. Make sure he drives the hell out of them to shake the bugs out. In fact, if you can get Gerd or someone who lives close by to JPS to take your cars out to get some miles on them before they're shipped, you'll be much better off. All my issues with my car were pretty much in the first thousand miles.
I was stupid and I picked up my car with 70 miles on it. It broke down 30 miles outside of LA on the trip home. It was in the shop several times to work out bugs. It was trailered back (by John)in the first year.
You guys live a lot further away so make sure your cars are good to go.
I would also recommend that you find a good mechanic in your area and introduce that mechanic to John. If you need warranty service it'll be important that your mechanic and John Steele have a working relationship.
Cover all your bases and don't rush it. You'll end up having a much better time with your new toy.
Just my two cents from my past experience. Take what you like and leave the rest.
Now, quit bitching! As far as I'm concerned, the only people with a legitimate right to bitch are the poor souls waiting for their SAWs. ;)
And:
posted 6/18/2007 6:13:11 PM
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Excuse me while I repeat myself and sound like my buddy Gerd. MAKE SURE YOUR CAR HAS AS MANY MILES ON IT AS POSSIBLE TO SHAKE OUT AS MANY BUGS AS POSSIBLE. Or, be advised that you will be dealing with some issues long distance.
Gerd, can't you help a brother out and test drive his car? Wait, on second thought, maybe it's better you don't. Kelly doesn't want a nick in his fresh paint. ;)
Enough said.
I always take note of this on the Intermeccanica site, whenever I visit:
"
Each Intermeccanica is factory tested for a minimum of 200 miles, fully serviced and detailed prior to delivery.
"
http://www.intermeccanica.com/roadster.html
It sounds like getting any builder to put 200-250 miles on a hand built car is a good idea. Or, as Terry said, up to 1000.
-Jeff
"
Each Intermeccanica is factory tested for a minimum of 200 miles, fully serviced and detailed prior to delivery.
"
http://www.intermeccanica.com/roadster.html
It sounds like getting any builder to put 200-250 miles on a hand built car is a good idea. Or, as Terry said, up to 1000.
-Jeff
I'm gonna put my $0.02 up in a little while, to add to Tom's impressions. Bits and pieces I have thrown out here and there. Wrt running the cars prior to delivery, John told me many a time that he runs the cars 200 mi and finds what needs attention, and fixes it. He assured me this would be done. My actual experience is as follows: I do not know when the odo was installed, but I suppose it goes in w/ all the rest of the stuff and then they turn the machine on. Anyway, on delivery day in Easton, Tom's odo read 100 +/- and mine said 11. Well, fudge! there is another platitude offered by Mr. Steele that turned out not to have much actual follow through. My car is currently off the air w/ what looks like a cracked carb body, seeping gas. OK, I know John does't build the carbs, but really, if you want to talk about snake bit -- I'm it. Deal is for me to snatch the carb out and send it back. John says he'll have my jets put in a new body, throughly checked (how that will happen, I could not say) and back in my hands Friday. So another week will go by and numerous car-centric social plans dashed. It is annoying, to say the least. The car is still mind numbingly gorgeous, and when it was running (300 mi put in so far) it was very fast and very tight. This sort of feels like Ground Hog Day, I keep going to bed and waking up to the same day I had before, and never get anywhere. Every day is wait, wait, wait. Did I say I was annoyed?