Officially joined the Maddness

Good story and great pics!

That's the way! WTTM!

Very cool. Beautiful car. 

Lobbies are always a safe place to park.

Cool! See you in SLO.

Welcome aboard!

That hood opening problem might be cured by loosening the hood latch stud lock nut (up inside of the hood) then turning the stud out 1 turn or so - it sounds like the latch isn't closing on the topside of the stud bulbous end.  Extending the stud a bit should make it latch securely.  While you're at it, clean and re-lube the latch mechanism and stud with some white lithium grease (same as for trailer hitches).

Best of luck with the new toy and enjoy the drive!

Excellent score on your new ride, Bob! What a great adventure driving a newly purchased 2nd-hand Speedster 600 miles home. 

Looking forward to having you & wife join the SOC shenanigans in San Luis Obispo! 

Nice! Looks like it was an awesome road trip!

My issue was lack of heat not A/C. I got extra top material and piping from Kirk and had my boat upholstery guy ad extra material to the side curtains. Very air coming in or out now. Would be a must with A/C. Less than $100 with material and labor. 

Congrats... 

WTTM, and glad you drove it home! It's a good looking car. Al

Congrats!

Congratulations Bob. WTTM and I'm glad everything worked out on the drive home. 

From one Bob to another Bob, congratulations.

BTW, just wondering how many Bobs are on this site now? 

Sweet! WTTM.

Nice story Bob; nice car.

What about Bobs

Very nice speedster you have Bob. It must be scary driving within the large semi's at high speed with such a small car. Congratulations.

Bob, WTTM and fix that hood latch asap!

Looking forward to meetin you in SLO, our cars are twins...

@Gordon Nichols, were you describing a fix for the rear lid or front?

ordered hood straps today , will be seeking advice on installing. Drilling holes in the new toy is a scary concept.  

Slowly and with the drill in reverse.  Otherwise you risk chipping of the gel coat.

I would try to have it adjusted then go over a bumpy roadway to see if it dislodges itself, as even with Straps you still want it to stay closed and well sealed.  You do not want to just rely on the belts otherwise the rain will go in if you do not notice it ajar.  Just saying. 

P.S. I had door latches that would click open over a bump.  Trial and error over a washboard road was the test ground. 

if you're drilling an 1/8" hole, use a 3/16" drill first to make a shallow countersink for the 1/8" hole, likewise for any hole size, start first with one size larger countersink

fiberglass will immediately or later, craze outward from drilled holes otherwise, large holes, drilled with a hole-saw (gauges, etc.) don't require this extra step

I learned that trick as I rigged bass boats, 8 of them down through the years

I'm not sure about your trunk lid, but mine has both an upper/outer and a lower/inner shell that are bonded together.   When my straps were installed, an opening(s) had to be made in the inner shell in order to fasten the nuts onto the little machine screws holding the straps on.  That is, otherwise you have to use really long machine screws and the nuts are visible on the inside.  You'll probably want to use the screws that come with the straps, though.

I guess I am just trying to say that be sure wherever you drill the holes on the exterior of the lid, that you can install the nuts on the inside.  I don't have any shots of that, but if I can - and if it will help - I'll see if I can take a couple.

The buckle part of the strap goes right through the body, so you install the nuts from underneath (underneath the car, that is).  It also doesn't hurt to put a little Loctite on the threads to hold the nuts tight.

I'm just gonna leave this here:

http://blackflag.jalopnik.com/...d-latches-1793956745

WTTM, Bob!  Stay safe!

Run the drill in reverse half way through the fiberglass.....

Very nice ride!!!

Mike McKelvey:  that was for the front (frunk).

The engine cover has a latch more like a door latch and requires a different approach to make it latch tighter.  

The frunk latch has a stud in the hood with a conical plunger on the end and the latch captures the top of the plunger after it goes through the latch opening.  It's pretty easy to adjust, but I've seen a bunch at Carlisle that have to be really pushed (or slammed) to get them to latch.  Not cool.  You should be able to push down on the front of the hood with both palms and hear a definite "click" when it engages.  If that happens, it should not let go because the "click" is the sound of the latch grabbing the stem of the plunger.  If it doesn't give a definite click, you run the risk that you're catching the plunger near the top before it fully engages and THAT will allow the stud to pull out of the latch and let go for a re-enactment of the Will Hesch flying hood incident.

"The Will Hesch Flying Hood Incident"- You realize that you now have an event named in your honor (just like Lane's Great Carburetor Bumble of 201(5?))? And you haven't even been a member for 2 years- I'm impressed!

...oh just watch what other great things I can do...when my brain's not engaged...

I do wish I had footage of the incident, it really did fly.

I'm sure it was amazing, Will!

Saw that happen on Boston's infamous Route 128 a long time ago, but it was a mattress, instead.  It's amazing how much elevation a mattress can gain when it catches air at 60 mph - and quickly, too!

Another time we were taking my daughter and her horse to a show and driving on the Mass Pike (I-90).  The tow vehicle was one of those woody-sided Jeep Grand Wagoneers of years gone by pulling a double-horse trailer.   We had just passed an on ramp and as I looked in the mirrors I saw this 4-car crash-em and smash-em right behind me from someone entering the traffic flow too weirdly and other cars trying to avoid each other.  A whole lot of A.J. Foyt maneuvering was going on back there.  I was just ahead of it all and kept on truckin' and the horse didn't notice a thing.  Good thing, too - whenever he was pissed, he would get thrashing around in the trailer which would then start pitching around like a tornado was going on back there -  along with the BAM-BAM-BAM of his hoofs on the tailgate.....Just to get our attention.