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1988-1989 Beginning 1989-1990 Mock Ups & Test Beds 1990-1992 First Streamliner
1992-1994 Second Streamliner 1994-1996 Third Streamliner 1996-1997 Fourth Streamliner
1997-1998 Fifth Streamliner 1999-2000 Fifth Streamliner 2000-2001 Fifth Streamliner
2000-2001 Fifth Streamliner 2000-2001 Fifth Streamliner 2002-2003 Fifth Streamliner
2003-2004 Sixth Streamliner 2004-2005 Sixth Streamliner 2005-2006 Seventh Streamliner
2006-2007 Eighth Streamliner 2007-2008 Eighth Streamliner 2007-2008 Visit to Thunderdome



1999-2000 Fifth Streamliner

Along about this time I was having problems with my partner in the restoration business. There was no money in the kitty, so I couldn't buy the Joplin house. Realizing this business situation had to be resolved, I loaded everything up to take back to Virginia, except Black Lightning. I left it at a buddy's in Grove, Oklahoma. Back in Virginia I set up the shop again as before. During this time Larry Feece and Don Angel gave me a call, saying that they wanted to start working on the streamliner. I had just sold a series "A" Comet, to a fellow in Los Angeles, so I loaded up the "A", headed for Grove, picked up the streamliner, headed for L.A., dropped off the "A", headed for Larry's, dropped off the streamliner, and made plans to get it going again. I also dropped off a Shadow engine that I had restored for Larry.

I won't go into detail as to the years 1999-2000, as it was the hardest time in my life.

Enough to say that the business partnership, which I had entered in to in good faith, went to the courts in 1999, the final outcome being that I lost 10 years of labor, which represented $83,000 worth of assets, and all of my tools. Then a personal tragedy entered our home in January of 2000. The streamliner was put out of mind. It was no time to play with toys, and it would have now been impossible anyway.

Patti and I returned to Kansas pulling a small U Haul trailer containing what was left of our possessions. We moved in with our daughter, Kim.

During this time I used Kim's garage to restore a couple of BMW cars, and a couple of V65 Hondas, and I gradually started buying my machinery back. The first big ticket item was an Airco 250 amp heli arc machine. We found an affordable rental house with a 22' by 22' garage. Gradually, bit by bit, things started looking better. More tools were purchased. The house, which was old and badly deteriorated, began to be livable as we repaired and painted everything.