Those who made it possible

People to whom I owe thanks :-

Engine rebuild and clutch. Anthony Shepherd of SCG Performance up on the Sunshine coast has looked after my engine for several years now. When he used to work for House of MG at the Gabba, he fitted all my cams, throttle bodies etc in 2007, and whenever I have had engine work to do, he has done it.  Well worth the trip to the Sunshine Coast (nice drive anyway) to utilize his services, and knows K series engines like the back of his hand.

He did all the engine work this time, and fitted the PRRT, new clutch, new oil feed rail, hi flow water pump, gaskets and belts etc.  If I have a problem, I call Anthony.
scgperformance@gmail.com     Tel 0424 823 826      Lives in Woombye, 4559.

Tyres and Wheel Alignment.  I have got my tyres and wheel alignments done for some time through Matt Kingsley at Action Tyres in Southport.  He won the last Elise series, so knows the cars pretty well, and has a good facility for working on race cars as he handles a lot of the Qld Porsche cars.  Good service, and always help me out at short notice, whether it be the Elise, the Merc, or the Motorhome !

Fitted the Advan Neova AD08’s for the trip.  Also fitted all my new bushes, ball joints, and a wheel bearing, and carried out my final wheel alignment just before departure.
Action Tyres and More www.actiontyres.com.au    07  5532 4599

Passenger Foot Rest.  Fabricated, powder coated and shipped to my home by Tim and Dave Mackie down there at Kirrapak / Prancing Wombat Racing in Bowral.  Glad to have a piece of your superb work in my car for my trip. guys – You are great friends.

Kirrapak Sheet Metal   http://www.kirrapak.com/Kirrapak/Home.html   02 4872 1944

 Rear Boot Box.  Fabricated and powder coated to my own design by Rod Wilson at Noel K Sheetmetal on the Gold Coast. Looks fantastic and will know if it works properly about 6 months from now !!  But right now seems perfect.

www.noelksheetmetal.com.au    07 5597 2561.

 Boot rack supports.  Fabricated by trial and error to solve a problem, and although they seemed a bit bigger than expected to start with, now they are fitted to the car the look to be working perfectly.  Designed to apply slight pressure upwards underneath the rear boot rack supports to prevent the clam from flexing and cracking under the weight of the boot box when travelling on bumpy roads, especially dirt roads like the Top of the World Highway in the Yukon, and the Dalton Highway in Alaska.

Alan Huish   Huish Fabrications and Welding Services, Southport.   0414 762 207

Spare parts.  Half the things on my car are supplied by Eliseparts in Kimbolton in the UK, and have been for the past 10 years !  Good range of things available, friendly and knowledgeable service, and prompt delivery – What else could you ask for ?   Will be carrying virtually no spare parts on the trip as I know they will quickly courier them to me anywhere in the US, so why bother to carry anything ?  Good to finally meet you down at Phillip Island in November Geary - Nice to have a face to put with the name !
http://www.eliseparts.com

Shipping.  Brian Booth is a neighbor, but a very useful one once I found out he was in the shipping business !  I will comment further once Elsie is safely in my hands again in America, but to Brian and Errol at Skelton Sherborne,  thank you for making the exercise so far so painless.

 http://www.shipst.com/    

And if I have forgotten anyone – Remind me and I will add you in !!!

 Many thanks to everyone who has helped get Elsie to the stage where she is ready to go on the journey of a lifetime. And to my wife and children who have not only had the patience to watch me prepare, but also to pluck up the courage to offer me advice and suggestions along the way (a lot of which I have taken, even if I have not admitted it openly !!)   Thank you for your love and support.

Finally, to all my Lotus friends and fellow Elise Owners  not just around all Australia, but the world – far too many of you to mention by name !  The last 13 years since I bought my car have been an endless source of fun, great driving, top motorsport competition, and many many new friends. 

This trip is for all of you – Without your friendship, enthusiasm, and support, this trip would never have happened. 

May you never ever stop picking dead flies from your teeth.  Stop talking, and just drive the bloody thing !!!