Ghostbusters Ecto-1 Project: The Largest Ever

Hey buddies!

It's been long...I apologize. I'm in the midst of 22 straight work days essentially...this is my 21st day. Anyway, I figured it was time for the next California update...chapter #3.

Day #3 started off with DONUTS…well for three of us at least. Fernando was too busy running…loser. Anyway, we were heading over to visit Sean Bishop. What a dynamite guy…just one of the nicest people you could ever meet. He was super cool to us all, just as he had been to my buddy Matt and I last year. Another super cool dude was over at his place working on prop stuff…so a big shout out goes to you as well, Doug. We sat around and shot the crap for quite a while. For those of you who aren’t aware, Sean has a beautiful Ecto as well:


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So pretty…this was the second Ecto-1 we were seeing in 2 days. Sean showed us plenty of his other goodies and then we decided to go get food. Our destination: ROSCOE’S CHICKEN AND WAFFLES (VISIT #2, BABY!). Yes, it was good, but they didn’t have any French fries, and apparently it would have taken at least an hour to make them (I guess they had to grow the potatoes). This is what Sean gets for not ordering waffles like normal people…shame on you, Sean. We went back to Sean’s and hung out for a bit longer before heading out to visit Doc Brown’s 1955 house from ‘Back to the Future’ aka The Gamble House. The garage is still there too. No, there was no time machine in it…bummer. From here we went to go search for some ice cream and ended up at the Stick Station. It was a hipster ice cream place. Fernando was introduced to hazelnut flavoring and the world is now a better place. Jonny wowed us all by explaining why there is no grape-flavored ice cream, and we went back to the hotel, and eventually day #3 came to an end.




Day #4’s agenda included a trip to Sony Pictures for the backlot studio tour, and Roger (the guy working on my car) joined us. His 63rd birthday actually fell on day#3 of our trip, so the tour was just the first part of our celebration. The home of Sony Pictures is really cool. If you stroll around the lobby, you may run into a few things you recognize…

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They have some other screen-used items on display, and at one point they had another proton pack and one of Dan Aykroyd’s GBII suits on display, but those have been taken back to the archives to avoid any further sun-damage (and to hide it from some untrustworthy fans).


The tour started and we crossed paths with this beauty:


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That is the screen-used Ecto-1. It looks good from a distance, but once you get close, you can see how she’s in need of another restoration (and hopefully a good one for once…if she gets another, that is). We had a few minutes to snap a bunch of photos, and because of my first trip to CA, I knew we’d be able to return to the car as it was right across from the Sony gift shop (convenient how the tour concludes with a 15 minute stop at the gift store…hmm).

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The rest of the tour was cool. We saw one of the guys who is in a number of Adam Sandler’s movies (Allen Covert) and Bryan Cranston’s car (sadly, he was in his office and we didn’t get to meet him). We finished up the tour and then it was time for the next part of our birthday celebration: ROSCOE’S CHICKEN AND WAFFLES VISIT #3. Yes, we ate there three times in 4 days…and it was still just as awesome.



That night, Fernando had an awesome idea of going to get food at this place called Saddle Ranch (on the Sunset Strip). This place was really, really cool. Plenty of good-looking women, decent music, decent food, and a mechanical bull = a good time, for some. Jonny was very clear the moment we got there that he was brave enough to ride the mechanical bull, and, being a good sport, Fernando said he would too. Both of them required some alcohol to get ready for the tournament…yes, tournament. Every night, this place recruits around 10 people to ride the bull in competition (whoever holds on the longest in the last round wins). 8 people took part in the competition this night.
The first round was like a warm-up. The second round was pretty much for entertainment…if the rider agreed to ride the bull on the “hard” setting, they automatically advanced to the next and final round. Both Jonny and Fernando strategically agreed to ride on the “hard” setting to assure they’d advance to the final round. This was an intelligent decision, or was it?

Fernando actually finished in second place…missing first place by less than 2 seconds. If he had just held on a bit longer, we would’ve gotten a free meal. Nice going, Fernando. Day #4 of our trip was complete.

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Well guys,

I had the intention of finishing off a summation of the California trip, but there's too much going on, and all of the Ghostbusters-related stuff that I could post has been shared here (there was more, but I cannot elaborate on that now). Actually, there is something I can share that I have not yet...

When we were out there, we visited Michael Gross, one of the associate producers of Ghostbusters and executive producer of Ghostbusters II. I had visited with him a few years prior when 3 of my buddies and I had taken the first California trip. We had a blast with him then, and he didn't disappoint me or my trip buddies during this second visit either. The stories he tells are amazing...it's a shame many fans will never get to hear them.

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When we were heading back to his place from lunch, he said to me "I've got something for you...something I want you to have." I explained to him that he didn't need to give me anything and that he had already given me enough just from the conversation/memories I'll carry with me forever. He insisted, and gave me this:

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That is his workbag from the past 30 years or so...he wanted it to end up in good hands. Now, to most people, a workbag wouldn't seem like a big deal, but to me, this was a BIG deal. This is Michael Gross's personal bag. The man who created the Ghostbusters logo GAVE ME HIS BAG. I honestly wouldn't have needed anything more than this to be excited, but the bag contained some awesomeness:

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There is a very rare Japenese Ghostbusters program I have honestly never seen before, and of course, 35mm slides from production of Ghostbusters, highlighted by Slimer production and the Mr. Stay Puft roasting. There are also a few of the terror dogs.


The bag also contained more awesome things...

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35mm slides from the film Heavy Metal, and an old hand-drawn rendition of his most famous National Lampoon Magazine cover.


I do have an actual car update coming, but this post would have had way too many photos, so I'm waiting a little to post that update!
 
I said I had a car update coming and I didn't lie. Plenty has been underway the past few months. The rear window installation is a monumental process, and it's getting very close to 100% completion:





It's looking just how I had dreamed it would...




The rocker panels also needed some love and they GOT IT.





So straight and perfect...




After the final official test fitting, the window moldings needed to be restored...




(This is just some of the pieces, of course...)




The pieces were sent off for restoration (to be re-anodized) and they have turned out BEAUTIFUL...







Until next time, be safe my friends!
 
Just incredible! Great work! Are you going to have it back in PA and drivable for the premiere of the new movie?
 
As I prepare for my trip to California in 2 days, I figured I'd post a few photos of the car that I received over the past 2 days. These are just what I needed to perk me up after Dragon Con (which was a let-down this year).

The front end parts have been test-fitted and they look amazing!







So pretty!

I'll post more after my visit to California. The trip is mainly intended for visiting Michael C. Gross (associate producer of Ghostbusters and executive producer of Ghostbusters II). I will accompanied by some very awesome friends for this and we'll be filming it for an upcoming Ghostbusters fan documentary titled "Ghostheads".

See you all soon!
 

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