Pt 2 of 3:
I got home, and called Frank and Peter. I told them
what I saw, and how I even had thought of
"Bustercluster" as a good, catchy name that would
probably reel in 3 or 4 other people. Both
immediately said "I'm in."
Fast forward to February, another meeting with Buster,
this time at his beloved Mexicasa restaurant(which is
Spanish for "many, many beans for a very, very few
pesos") where, despite his irritation that the prices
had climbed to over $4 for an entree, we enjoyed
dinner and more conversation about the Sprite. Buster
told me of how he and Pam loved to entertain guests,
and how they used to travel before circumstances came
about that made it almost impossible. We brought some
Mexicasa home for Miss Pam as I call her, and again
she seemed to brighten up a bit. Pam pulled me aside
and told me how much Buster enjoyed hanging out and
BSing cars with me. So basically Pam told me how
important it was to her for Buster to be happy, and
Buster told me how important it was to him for Pam to
be happy. I called Peter and Frank again, told them
that if Buster enjoyed having one Spridget guest, 5 or
6 of us would be even better. We decided the
Bustercluster had to happen, and I was tasked with
doing an inventory of parts on my next visit.
My next trip 2 weeks later was for 13 days, and I got
to see Buster several times, including tours of Miss
Pam's childhood home, their first date spot, and so
on. It was all about Pam. In my mind, I pictured
what eventually took place on July 30th. Peter
mentioned it to Billy Zoom, who lives maybe 3 miles
from Buster, and he was in as well. We had 4. I told
Buster about the cluster idea, and he had me tell Pam.
She had a stunned look on her face and tears in her
eyes. That did it.
I got home and started writing a draft to the list
about the idea, and while writing it I get an email
from Larry Daniels, telling me what a great guy Buster
is and maybe we can arrange something out in
California. Unbelievable. As Pete Townshend wrote in
a song about mods, "ain't it funny how we all seem to
look the same?" Both Billy and Larry couldn't join us
because of their jobs, but you guys were there in
spirit.
So I announce to the list, and Buster has told you
what the initial response was - staggering. I confess
that I am the one who said "don't worry, only 5 or 6
people will end up being able to come." OK so I'm
wrong...it's not the first time (note to Buster: upon
reflection we didn't have ARP bolts and re-tapped
crankshaft holes, so I shouldn't have talked Glen out
of using loctite, It'll be fine for at least a week).
The date starts getting closer, and Buster is
starting to freak about the size, shape, logistics,
etc. The phrase Clusterfuck is uttered a few times.
No worries from me, though. From my winter project, I
was hailed as some sort of god for pulling off a
business move on schedule with happy people at the
end. These are the magic rules many nimrods outside
our hobby don't get:
1) Know what you want to do very clearly, and make
sure everyone shares your vision. Not "work on the
Sprite". For all of us, it was "Pam and Buster will
ride in this completed car by Sunday".
2) Do all stages of the vision with integrity,
respect, and good humor for those you are working
with. Even if some of them have Triumphs too.
3) Take care of your people. Coffee, food, beer, and
an occasional reflective cigarette help.
4) Pick the number of good people needed to fill your
own gaps in knowledge and ability. If 8 are needed,
make sure 10 are there.
5) Show people the vision in little pieces. One walk
through by Miss Pam always seemed to get us motivated
and reminded us why we were there.
Ron Soave
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