I visited with Mark Towle on Wednesday afternoon for a look at my Bat "in progress" and to discuss some of the build details. I was in LA for a few
days to see my brother so the ride over the San Bernardino was a piece of cake.
Mark was very accomodating and we genuinely had a good time talking about the project. I enjoyed meeting his two brothers along with Adam and Lori, two of his associates. The shop is very stealth. With the exception of a bat logo on the rear door, you would never know what cool stuff awaits inside.
My observations are as follows:
The body is mounted to a Vette chassis. The body is only in gelcoat with raw filler so I am unable to comment on any finish details. My car was right next to Joey's and his is much farther along than mine so I used his for insight on what I could expect (looking good in primer Joey! - I emailed your pics.) The stance of my car on the Vette chassis looks great and the Radir wheel spacing and depth on Joey's were excellent. I was impressed. The body is thick and sturdy. I am extremely pleased with how substantial and solid the entire body is and how rigid the mount to the chassis. I put my full weight on the rear corner and the car moved on its suspension just like a factory vehicle. No creaking or give from the body. I was worried going in that a kit car would be thin, flimsy or overly "delicate" but those concerns are gone. This car is very solid.
The doors, hood and trunk are all cut. The door jams are roughed in and work was underway on the interior door panels while I was there. I can finally comment from first hand experience on the quality and sturdiness of Mark's door hinges....THEY ARE SOLID AS ROCK. NO PLAY, NO SLOP, AND HELD MY WEIGHT ON THE END OF THE DOOR. Seriously, this aspect of the build leaves me with no worries.
The bulk of the interior is complete with most of the big pieces including the roll top dash present, but still not in final form. Seats were not installed yet. Steering wheel is still absent. I will have A/C, heat and defrost on my car and got to see the rough location of these controls below the center section of the dash. All looks good. Plenty of factory Vette wiring to deal with thats for sure!
There is still so much detail and finish work to do that it is impossible to comment on the stuff that casual fans of the car will care about (paint detail, interior finish quality, gadgets, etc...)
I went to see my car in this stage to gain assurances regarding the fundamental underpinnings of the build quality, materials and structural integrity of the vehicle itself. I assume lots of people can pretty up a kit car and make it LOOK good, but I intend to drive my car regularly on the road and use it like a real car. I am satisfied that this car is solid. I can always haggle, change or delete niggly fit and finish items should I encounter them down the road, but there is little you can do to fix a crooked or weak body mount, flimsy fiberglass or proportion problems. These boxes are now checked on my list so the next visit will focus on the fit and finish details. Looking forward to a return to California at the end of March. Lets keep the ball rolling Mark! Get the Joeymobile out the door...I got a 4 year old with a Robin costume that wants me to drive him to preschool yet this year!
I spent three hours in detailed conversation with Mark about how he will approach the balance of my build and the specific details he will put into my car. Based on the time with him and the work done to date, I feel good about how this is going to turn out.
I'll be glad to answer any questions.
Kasey
Mark was very accomodating and we genuinely had a good time talking about the project. I enjoyed meeting his two brothers along with Adam and Lori, two of his associates. The shop is very stealth. With the exception of a bat logo on the rear door, you would never know what cool stuff awaits inside.
My observations are as follows:
The body is mounted to a Vette chassis. The body is only in gelcoat with raw filler so I am unable to comment on any finish details. My car was right next to Joey's and his is much farther along than mine so I used his for insight on what I could expect (looking good in primer Joey! - I emailed your pics.) The stance of my car on the Vette chassis looks great and the Radir wheel spacing and depth on Joey's were excellent. I was impressed. The body is thick and sturdy. I am extremely pleased with how substantial and solid the entire body is and how rigid the mount to the chassis. I put my full weight on the rear corner and the car moved on its suspension just like a factory vehicle. No creaking or give from the body. I was worried going in that a kit car would be thin, flimsy or overly "delicate" but those concerns are gone. This car is very solid.
The doors, hood and trunk are all cut. The door jams are roughed in and work was underway on the interior door panels while I was there. I can finally comment from first hand experience on the quality and sturdiness of Mark's door hinges....THEY ARE SOLID AS ROCK. NO PLAY, NO SLOP, AND HELD MY WEIGHT ON THE END OF THE DOOR. Seriously, this aspect of the build leaves me with no worries.
The bulk of the interior is complete with most of the big pieces including the roll top dash present, but still not in final form. Seats were not installed yet. Steering wheel is still absent. I will have A/C, heat and defrost on my car and got to see the rough location of these controls below the center section of the dash. All looks good. Plenty of factory Vette wiring to deal with thats for sure!
There is still so much detail and finish work to do that it is impossible to comment on the stuff that casual fans of the car will care about (paint detail, interior finish quality, gadgets, etc...)
I went to see my car in this stage to gain assurances regarding the fundamental underpinnings of the build quality, materials and structural integrity of the vehicle itself. I assume lots of people can pretty up a kit car and make it LOOK good, but I intend to drive my car regularly on the road and use it like a real car. I am satisfied that this car is solid. I can always haggle, change or delete niggly fit and finish items should I encounter them down the road, but there is little you can do to fix a crooked or weak body mount, flimsy fiberglass or proportion problems. These boxes are now checked on my list so the next visit will focus on the fit and finish details. Looking forward to a return to California at the end of March. Lets keep the ball rolling Mark! Get the Joeymobile out the door...I got a 4 year old with a Robin costume that wants me to drive him to preschool yet this year!
I spent three hours in detailed conversation with Mark about how he will approach the balance of my build and the specific details he will put into my car. Based on the time with him and the work done to date, I feel good about how this is going to turn out.
I'll be glad to answer any questions.
Kasey
