What happened to the Mulholland "King of the Hill" RSR?

[Banning]

Originally Posted by Parabolica

I believe that's one of James Glickenhaus's projects. I know of the car, but that's a nice look at the build.

As for the Great Pyramid, I think Architect Jean-Pierre Houdin has the most plausible theory on how it was built: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ws4O5LOCI68

Best theory so far. I think there is more to come from this.

[TCracingCA]

My Father very much like Charley and others used to run the Corvette and his 356 Porsche thru Mulholland having worked out in West LA, back in the day.

[TCracingCA]

Yes I used to play up on Mulholland also, but this is my backyard!!!!! Turnbull Canyon and our old 1978 T-Shirt for our Club- The Turnbull Canyon Road Racing Society

Also if you are a Whittier cruiser, this is where I spend most of my racing time!!!!! I created the names for the turns back in 1978!!!! We wore these T-shirts down on Whittier Boulevard while crusing!!!


Here is the Turnbull Canyon Race Course Map from that old t-shirts!















I almost consider this my own private racing track!!!!!!!!!!! Why I haven't been slaloming for years and years!!!!!!!

[Jeff Hail]

We have a contingent amongst us. Welcome aboard! Cool pics and thanks for sharing a bit about your Dad.

[Banning]

Originally Posted by TCracingCA

My Father very much like Charley and others used to run the Corvette and his 356 Porsche thru Mulholland having worked out in West LA, back in the day. He would detour up to Mulholland and take a pass thru coming home from work once or twice a week. He wasn't one of the late night racers, but he scared many a fast car on those stretches of Roads! He had all of the Road Racing modifications and Guldstrand components. Some of my family were GRA group members.

Me I was up there in the 1978-1987 eras with a Road raced 914, and a very Road Race capable 1967 Camaro and a 1969 Z-28, then a flared modified 1964 Corvette Roadster. And I would borrow Dad's car also (sneak it out!)

I was one of the founders of the Turnbull Canyon Road Racing Society and out Whittier/Hacienda Heights we were doing our own thing! We would basically close off the road with sentries and walkie-talkies and then hold very organized runs up thru the Canyon. I will post some of this up! But I also did quite a number of visits at Mulholland and Van Nuys Boulevard in the dark of night and participated in the related activities with the locals and am familiar with a number of the cars talked about!

Here is my Dad's car!

My father James Ekas in his hip clothing! Back in the Day! Every car in the picture has a California Black Plate last issued in 1969. The bus is an out of state plate. All of the cars look to be pre-1970 in the lot (The Mustang, the Bus, the Dodge, Plymouths, etc., etc.)

Cool story and very nice Guldstrand Corvette. Glad your dad kept it.
Thanks for showing the Turnbull Canyon photos, looks like you had your own Mulholland Drive-like road in your area. Good info. Love that you named all the turns.

[Banning]

Moved the Targa to the west side of the garage to work on.



After adjusting the roof carefully, it seems to line up fairly well now.





Using cardboard as a medium to transfer the shape, a piece was cut to fit into the gap between the roof and the rear body.



Here is the near-completed cardboard splice.

[Banning]

Using tin-snips, a copy of the cardboard splice was made.



Here is the completed splice made of sheet metal. Ready to weld in.
I will mig weld the piece in tomorrow morning. Any last minute adjustments will be made then.



Then, after the drivers side splice is made and completed, all that remains is to weld the B pillars to the body, box in the C pillars, install the glass, and we have a "Coupe" ready for paint.

[Jeff Hail]

Chris,

Allow and anticipate for shrinkage. Cut the pieces about 1/8 inch larger on all sides.

[TCracingCA]

Originally Posted by Banning

Cool story and very nice Guldstrand Corvette. Glad your dad kept it.
Thanks for showing the Turnbull Canyon photos, looks like you had your own Mulholland Drive-like road in your area. Good info. Love that you named all the turns.

I have followed your car since the early days. I have always loved it! My brother is just finishing putting back together his Porsche 2.8 liter and plans to attend the Phoenix Club Porsche meet.

I also revised my Raceway Google Map picture to closer to the actual start/finish lines showing the actual 2.1.

I only hooked up with the actual MRE guys I think twice and I appreciated their hospitality. I connected up with other racers on Mulholland on other occasions. And we all (The Club) traveled out from Hacienda Heights as guests on your guys road on 4 or 5 occasions. But I have driven Mulholland over a 100 times at true race speeds or very quick touring speeds!

You have great taste in cars! I might throw up my old 914 Picture with the Chevy V-8 Rod Simpson setup, to see if any of the members remember my car that night!!!! The other time, the area was too hot with Police for racing and we ended up partying at someones house instead of racing!

LASTLY, I GIVE THE MULHOLLAND CROWD FROM THOSE OLD MID 70'S HOT ROD ARTICLES AND CAFE RACERS ARTICLES FOR MY INSPIRATION TO NAME TURNBULL AND FORM UP OUR OWN CLUB! I ALSO THANK THAT INSPIRATION FROM THE MULHOLLAND CROWD FOR BASICALLY A LIFETIME INTEREST IN MULTIPLE ROAD RACING CAR OWNERSHIP AND PARTICIPATION!!!!

[Banning]

Originally Posted by TCracingCA

I have followed your car since the early days. I have always loved it! My brother is just finishing putting back together his Porsche 2.8 liter and plans to attend the Phoenix Club Porsche meet.

I also revised my Raceway Google Map picture to closer to the actual start/finish lines showing the actual 2.1.

I only hooked up with the actual MRE guys I think twice and I appreciated their hospitality. I connected up with other racers on Mulholland on other occasions. And we all (The Club) traveled out from Hacienda Heights as guests on your guys road on 4 or 5 occasions. But I have driven Mulholland over a 100 times at true race speeds or very quick touring speeds!

You have great taste in cars! I might throw up my old 914 Picture with the Chevy V-8 Rod Simpson setup, to see if any of the members remember my car that night!!!! The other time, the area was too hot with Police for racing and we ended up partying at someones house instead of racing!

LASTLY, I GIVE THE MULHOLLAND CROWD FROM THOSE OLD MID 70'S HOT ROD ARTICLES AND CAFE RACERS ARTICLES FOR MY INSPIRATION TO NAME TURNBULL AND FORM UP OUR OWN CLUB! I ALSO THANK THAT INSPIRATION FROM THE MULHOLLAND CROWD FOR BASICALLY A LIFETIME INTEREST IN MULTIPLE ROAD RACING CAR OWNERSHIP AND PARTICIPATION!!!!

I recall a Rod Simpson 914 conversion on Mulholland but only on one night. It stuck in my head because I had met Rod.
When I worked for the Porsche Clinic in 1972 in Santa Monica Rod Simpson would come by with one of his latest conversions. I remember an early 911 he would come by in. Those were good times. We loved the 70's for it's great music, great cars, and fun times on streets like Mulholland Drive, and also cruising Van Nuys Blvd.

We were all inspired back then. For myself it was Crazy Charley who was the inspiration. Before I got my license, late at night I would hear Charley in his uncorked Guldstrand Racing Corvette coming from Laurel Canyon to the 405. About 1969. Since I lived in the middle of that course I could hear him getting louder and louder as he approached Java. It was an incredible sound. So Loud you would not believe it, full throttle. Then it got quieter as he kept going toward the freeway. Then it would repeat as he went back to Laurel. I heard it many times and wondered who it was.

One night in 1974 with Bruce K as passenger, Charley passed me with his headlights off in front of Grandstands. He was in his old GMC Pickup.
I went after him in my 1973 Porsche 911S and had the best night race of my life.

With a beer can thrown out of the window at Coldwater Bruce and I were amazed at his driving. This old beater Pickup was taking up all of Mul, sweeping back and forth across all of the road. No stunt driver could duplicate his driving, it was unbelievable. I barely passed him in European Straight and lifted off of 2 wheels entering the first turn. Almost didn't make it. Bruce slugged me yelling, "You Almost Killed Us".

I gained distance and when I was entering the bottom of the Esses he was entering the top. I killed my lights now as he had done and entered my street after the blind bottom turn. He came around the same turn and I had disappeared. LOL

An awesome night to remember and now was the inspiration to build the RSR. This was a turning point for me. I owe everything to Charley.

Later in 1980, we met when he worked on my SCCA Racing Camaro at the gas station where he was for many years. We never really got to know each other well, I wish we had become friends. I will always remember him with great respect and admiration. Rest in peace...my legendary comrade.

[TCracingCA]

I didn't have a camera back then, and just have a few shots of each of my own cars. I am trying to remember whether I had paint yet or the Rod Simpson 914 was still in primer when I took it up there, it went thru two colors, and then eventually I put the Box Flares and full 916 spoilers on it and painted it ultimately Porsche Racing White. Your UFO encounter with a Rod Simpson V-8 must have been someone else and probably not me, because if you had that super great 911 RSR there that night, I would have remembered you from your car that night, unless you were undercover and left the Porsche parked at home. I do remember some guy in a Capri!

Yes Rod Simpson's operation was over in our neighborhood. His cars and Nardi Motors used Turnbull Canyon all of the time. In modern days we have Hotchkiss and a bunch of the Tuner guys around, BDS, Moon Eyes, and a bunch more of the speed shop guys still around locally, etc.. Even John Force, Pisano Brothers, Doug Thorley headers and on and on where Whittier Boulevard Cruising guys!

I am on the Corvette Forum mostly, so I have posts I put up with pictures there of this stuff, and here is some of that stuff to share here!

Here is Nardi in the modern day at the head of Beverly Boulevard, just down the road from Turnbull and his full race 930 he owns to this day, behind the Graffiti'd windows! He was an ex-IMSA racer also!



And here is what I believe was the fastest creation that Rod Simpson assembled. This is the back of his personal car! I know Stick City (largest used Hot Rod car lot in the entire Country off of Whittier Blvd.) usually was trying to sell one of his creations! Some serious playing would occur up in them there hills!!!!!! These guys went up to test on a regular basis!!!!!!!!!! Our club had made both Rod Simpson and the Nardi guy honorary members of the Turnbull Canyon Road Racing Society back in the day, we just couldn't caught up to these guys in these cars to tell them and give them their T-Shirts!!!!



AND WHEN STUFF LIKE THIS SHOWED UP, THE REST OF US LOWLY HUMAN BEINGS WOULD KNEEL DOWN AND THANK THE CAR GODS FOR THE SHOW!!!!

[Banning]

After removing the temporary stay, it looked like this.


Here is the splice laying in the section to be joined.


Some minor filing and adjustment is needed to fit perfectly.


We are almost ready to weld the roof onto the Targa.
Still debating weather to mig weld or gas weld the splice in.
This is so interesting to do, can't wait to drive it.

[TCracingCA]

Originally Posted by Banning

After removing the temporary stay, it looked like this.

Here is the splice laying in the section to be joined.

Some minor filing and adjustment is needed to fit perfectly.


We are almost ready to weld the roof onto the Targa.
Still debating weather to mig weld or gas weld the splice in.
This is so interesting to do, can't wait to drive it.

To give back!

For this type of patch, I have used mostly gas to melt the sections together. It is a little more difficult than Mig Welding it. On Mig, I have tacked the piece in place and then carefully cut a blade width line to lay the Mig run down on/in to join the two panels. With a Mig if you just stitch weld, then you get all lumpy on the other side where it is hard to smooth out the area or access the area for grinding. Thus I have used a laying bead on bead technique where I lay down the first bead or spot weld and then I let that cool and then lay the next right on top and drag it slightly into the cut slot or groove, let it cool and then lay another on top with another slight drag of material. Thus everything to grind is on top and I am just dragging enough to fill the groove or slot I cut. Also I can tend to tap down the metal or cut and slice for adjustments as I work from one side. I don't like to tack tack tack all over, because that is how you tend to get lumpy or wavy panels. I gave more of a description about Mig welding, because most guys would tend to use a Mig or have a Mig. If you know how to gas weld, you don't need any advice.

PS I like to use those twisted wire wheels for prepping the area and then weld thru primers!

[Banning]

Originally Posted by TCracingCA

To give back!

For this type of patch, I have used mostly gas to melt the sections together. It is a little more difficult than Mig Welding it. On Mig, I have tacked the piece in place and then carefully cut a blade width line to lay the Mig run down on/in to join the two panels. With a Mig if you just stitch weld, then you get all lumpy on the other side where it is hard to smooth out the area or access the area for grinding. Thus I have used a laying bead on bead technique where I lay down the first bead or spot weld and then I let that cool and then lay the next right on top and drag it slightly into the cut slot or groove, let it cool and then lay another on top with another slight drag of material. Thus everything to grind is on top and I am just dragging enough to fill the groove or slot I cut. Also I can tend to tap down the metal or cut and slice for adjustments as I work from one side. I don't like to tack tack tack all over, because that is how you tend to get lumpy or wavy panels. I gave more of a description about Mig welding, because most guys would tend to use a Mig or have a Mig. If you know how to gas weld, you don't need any advice.

PS I like to use those twisted wire wheels for prepping the area and then weld thru primers!

Good info and I agree. The MIG when used to stitch can create a bumpy surface.
However gas welding can also warp sheet metal even at low heat.
Perhaps one side can be gas welded and the other MIG welded and we can compare. I am a better gas welder than MIG to start with so I may start there but I'm low on Acetylene so may have to get more to finish.

Thanks for sharing your experience with welding.

[TCracingCA]

Originally Posted by Banning

Good info and I agree. The MIG when used to stitch can create a bumpy surface.
However gas welding can also warp sheet metal even at low heat.
Perhaps one side can be gas welded and the other MIG welded and we can compare. I am a better gas welder than MIG to start with so I may start there but I'm low on Acetylene so may have to get more to finish.

Thanks for sharing your experience with welding.

When I bought my first self darkening welding mask, the accuracy of placement and the ability to watch the weld develop vastly improved because I wasn't needing to constantly flip the mask up to see what I had done or where I was going to try to hit next. That is when I developed the bead on cooled bead technique.

My bead on bead method, it stacks a lot of material to grind off of the top (and I use the edge of a metal cutting disk to skim that off, because a grinder will put too much heat back into the metal), but the joining of thin panels with a Mig really got better when I started to use this technique.

Also on patches like this, I tend to go 1/16 thicker on the metal than stock, because by the time you grind on the panel, you have thinned it down. Thus the 1/16 extra thick really give you the ability to contour the metal in the skim down the weld/sand technique process without thinning it too much! I use a 90 degree little grinder and put the screw in coarse sanding disks into the tool to smooth it all out. On something like this, I can get a perfect panel patch without any need for body fillers. Even on some of the pitting where the welding missed that shows after sanding the surface flush and contouring it, I will go back and spot weld any pit or area that wasn't filled and then re-sand.

I tend to be a perfectionist on this stuff, and it being my own project-- I can devote twice as long as any body shop in the country would take to do one weld.

Yes Gas welding, heat is the hardest thing to master and control of it! You have to have experience more so with Gas to do these kinds of things! It is also easier to blow thru the rust with gas, but sometimes that isn't necessarily a bad thing. It just causes you a bigger hole to now consider patching! With Mig if you are hitting rust, then you can tell that you aren't getting a good arc strike.

PS I also hope that you test fitted that back glass before doing the permanent welds!!!

[KevinP73]

I've had a couple requests for the New West magazine article about "Bonzai Runners" by David Barry. If you're interested in having a copy pm me with your e-mail and I'll send it your way.

[TCracingCA]

Originally Posted by KevinP73

I've had a couple requests for the New West magazine article about "Bonzai Runners" by David Barry. If you're interested in having a copy pm me with your e-mail and I'll send it your way.

I am trying to figure out the etiquette on this forum and especially on this thread! It looked like it was about road racing the canyons, but then some guys actually end up being highly interesting and the thread evolves into their own running thing, which is kind of cool. All of the years on some of the other forums, I just never thought of running my own thread about what I want to talk about. That is kind of cool.

I was looking over the Magnus thread, and this one and good stuff. I see why they get the hits! It is cool to see the next canyon road warriors being born!!!!!!

Yes this New West was like a trending type magazine, way prior to trending! I do believe they ran another article that was similar and in my vast collection of stuff, I have this article and all of the others on Café Racers, Mulholland etc.. Thus there is nothing better than taking an outlaw hobby and romancing it with a professionally written story. I am sure after that one published, many more wanted to go break the Law! That is a cool article to have! And to share! Thanks!

Heck, I am even tempted to get the folding chair and go up to Turnbull Canyon to see if guys are road testing my 1978 turn map of the Raceway!!!!! I will go up in a plain car to check out who is up there and doing what! A lot of Japanese imports mostly, but every now and then something interesting will run.

I just on Tuesday drove a part of Mulholland and seemed like every slow moving driver was commuting through at the same time. The flow of traffic in the opposite direction was super heavy and I actually for me, only got a few passes in here and there to just try to maintain only the speed limit.

[Banning]

The rear quarter panel is lining up almost perfectly.



You can see the matching, down the line of the roof towards the rear tub.



At this time it seems to do this correctly, I must align and weld in the B pillar in it's intended place.
The roof was cut off with a cutting torch, so the B pillar is short and looks like doo doo.



To fix this, I left the shims in to raise the height, and now using a clamp and metal splice, the drivers side to passenger side alignment was achieved.



Close up.



I used the MIG to weld the metal together. Now much stronger and the rear alignment went into place correctly as it should.

[Banning]

Time to tack in the splice.
Having the MIG already out and using it, I decided to tack with the MIG.

It seemed like the upper sheet metal mating was thin and wanted to blow thru.
See the weld second from left, it's spotty.

That's because when beginning, I had to hold the splice with my left hand while welding with my right.
Too difficult to see initially with welding goggles.
So the first weld I did with my eyes closed so as to not damage my vision. Then I was able to use the welding shield to finish with no problem.

The bottom was difficult because we are welding onto the Porsche body where it is thicker and has some body filler or lead or whatever they use to finish off near the rear glass. However it worked.




Here is how it looks now.
The Roof lines up with the rear body.
I will finish with a gas welder and post more photos.



I have drip rail from the cut off front A pillars of the old roof. They can be used to add drip rail to the splices.

[fourblades]

Nice work. I love this targa-to-coupe project.

John