Leaving the USA

I learned on Tuesday that the car left New Jersey, bound for the UK and sailing into Thamesport.

I was also informed of the name of the vessel the car is on: Cosco Panama. A quick google yielded a couple of images, and even a youtube video of it's launch some years ago. Here's an image of it anyway (click to enlarge):

Approximate journey time is 14 to 18 days. This means that the car, at the time of writing, will be about 500  miles off the east coast of the USA, in the middle of the North Atlantic Ocean.

That's all for now, the next update will come when we go to pick up the car from Thamesport, at which point I will be taking a lot more pictures, and probably some video of the new arrival. In the meantime please pray for good weather, it's not unheard of for containers to fall off the side of these cargo ships in rough seas!

Thanks for reading.

Over and out..........

The start of the journey.

Since I last posted, I'd hoped to have an update for the blog a lot sooner. As it happens the company I had arranged that was responsible for collecting the car had dragged their feet a bit, and ended up taking nearly three weeks to collect. Initial indications were around a week, and I was told it was rare for the collection to take as long as two weeks.

I'm happy to say that now that car has been collected, and as you read this it will probably be sat in New Jersey docks, awaiting a container. It's likely to be another few weeks again before it's put on a ship, and another few weeks again for it to arrive and then clear customs in the UK. I imagine another 6 weeks would be a realistic guess as to when I'll actually see the car and be helping to load it onto a flatbed in the UK for the final leg of it's journey before work begins on it.

Todd, the seller, was kind enough to take some photos to document the start of the car's journey from Hudsonville, Michigan on Thursday night:

This is the first time I have seen the rear end of the car, it's all a bit of a novelty for me at this stage as I purchased the car 'blind'. I was fortunate enough to deal with a genuine guy who didn't seem to mind me calling him throughout the whole process to ask various questions and check on the progress of his contact with the shipping company. It seems Todd is just as interested as some of the KLF fans in the UK as to what happens with his car. He says it'll be missed, however knows he'll be able to check the blog for updates.

So, that's about it for now. I've not purchased any more bits and pieces for the car yet, and now the hunt begins for those elusive lights on the top. What I can say is that they are not proper police lights, they are agricultural lights. They are vintage tractor, or possibly more likely plough lights. I did see some and missed out on a pair on Ebay recently that went for £92, and have trawled the internet only to find nothing even remotely similar yet. You can see the ones that I missed here: http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/NOS-BUTLERS-VINTAGE-TRACTOR-LIGHTS-FORD-DAVID-BROWN-/170542428121?pt=UK_BOI_FarmingEquipment_RL&hash=item27b51eefd9

If ANYONE has any ideas on how to get hold of something like these I'd be very interested in talking to you, so please message me.

That's all for now folks. Thanks for reading and fingers crossed for a safe crossing for the car!

Over and out.

It begins.....

Hi, and thanks for taking the time to read the first entry of my 'blog'.

The purpose of this blog is to document a project I've been dreaming of for some 20 years or so. As time has gone by the overall project has morphed into something far more adventurous than initially conceived.
At the time of writing the project aims are:

1. To obtain a 1968 Ford Galaxie from the USA.
2. Import it into the UK.
3. Carry out a refurbishment to achieve a look that is as close as financially possible to the car used by Bill and Jimmy as the KLF/JAMs/Timelords.
4. Transport the car to the Sierra Nevada and Tabernas Desert to possibly retread some of the steps taken in the Original Motion Picture: The White Room.

As I write this, I've purchased the car, and have instructed the shippers to collect and ship the car to the UK, I hope it will be here and have cleared customs in about 2 months, but at this time I'm going to have to sit and wait. Here's an image of the car I am importing:

The car needs various work, including a white roof, black rear door, all the logos, a suitable blue light, and in my opinion the most striking feature of the original Ford Timelord: the roof mounted lamps. The seller has put back in the standard headlamps prior to shipping. Other touches to get the car looking as similar to the original will be an ongoing process. Already substantial sums of money have been spent before the car has even been registered and insured in the UK.

There are a hundred things that could go wrong which may prevent me from reaching the goal. It's a massive risk I'm taking. But if I make it to the Sierra Nevada in that car I'll have achieved a life long ambition. I'm not doing this for recognition, but if people would like to follow the progress of the project I'd be delighted to share as many of the trials and tribulations with you all as I can.

I'll update this blog as often as I have something of interest to tell you. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I hope to enjoy the project.

Over and out.