Captain Midnight

[sailingadventure]

Captain Midnight

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I know most of you think I`m crazy to build a car that I can`t race because it doesn`t meet all of the safety requirements, but let me tell you why I did it.
For years I wanted to build a car that was different. Everyone had a Camaro, Mustang, or Chevelle and no matter how nice any of these cars were, they were just cars.
I have been restoring and building cars most of my life, I`m now 65, and wanted to build something of my own design and build the way it would have been built in the `50s.
I first had the idea to build this car about 1994. When I started the project, I knew I wouldn`t race it at Bonneville and at the time I didn`t know about the East Coast Timing Association .
After a failed beginning, I put the car on hold while I worked on other things.
About 2004, my brother spotted a P-38 on E-Bay and after a heated bidding war with some guy in California, I had a tank. The tank sat around until 2005, while I waited for motivation.


I wanted to build a car that not only looked good, but that  I would be able to drive. The tank was only a little over ten feet long and to install a transmission so I could drive it meant that it would have to be lengthened so I cut it in half and added 18" to the middle.




OK, now that it`s long enough I have to build the frame. This is what I made.



At this point, I was going to add a roll bar but it wouldn`t fit inside of the body and I didn`t want to make one that  would stick out of the body. If I had added a roll bar at this point I wouldn`t been able to mount the battery or overflow tank for the cooling system due to the very limited space I had to work with. I would have had a difficult, if not impossible time removing the motor. That`s why I didn`t install a roll bar.
If I`d known about the ECTA  when I began this project seven years ago, I would have built the car differently.
I have learned quite a bit over the past few years while building this car and If I build another one, you can bet it will be built to race.

Here is the finished car.

Now it`s time to start something new. If you`d like to see more about this car, go to my website,www.mccainautomotive.com Thanks for taking time to read this, and maybe I`ll see you at the track this year.

                                                                Jeff McCain

[Peter Jack]

Really nice job on the tank and a fun website to wander around. 

Thanks!

Pete

[Glen]

Great stuff, love the old Bonneville pictures. Thanks for sharing the fun build. There was a street legal tank driving around the pits last year on the salt.

[hotschue]

Jeff....Thanks for posting, great fab job, enjoyable read......

[38flattie]

I think it's a hell of a neat build!

The quality of work looks first class, and it looks like a wicked lot of fun!

[Dr Goggles]

I've watched it with interest Jeff, it's a beautiful build.Congratulations.

Dr G

[redhotracing]

You can still go 135 at ECTA events, with proper safety belts, etc. Looks like it's
got a Flattie, so opening her up at the Wilmington venue would be fun...

[Cajun Kid]

Jeff  the tank looks awesome,

How did you get my company Blimp to stay still in the background?

Charles

[grumm441]

Jeff
Nice one
G

[sailingadventure]

Thanks, everyone for the kind words. If any of you local guys are in Greensboro, come by my shop. Visitors are always welcome.
                                                                                                                                                       
Jeff

Jeff  the tank looks awesome,

How did you get my company Blimp to stay still in the background?

Charles

Charles, I had to work fast!

[grumm441]

It's a long way from my place
however, next time I'm over
G

[Stainless1]

The scooter pic looks like it was shot at the Patio Motel... nice collection of vintage pics