We have indeed lost a true Crossfire Enthusiast! I only had the opportunity to meet him at the Dragon GTG and at midnight one dark night in Asheville. He drove down and met Lisa and I there to bring her a wheel after she had cracked hers at Bald River Falls. He had Dr's appointments the next day and was preparing for surgery and still got in his car and drove the distance. He would always go the extra mile for everyone. Jim I know you are in Heaven because you were such a kind and gentle man! God Bless

Linda,
We all send you our deepest sympathies and warmest thoughts in this sad time. If there is anything you need please let us know. I am sure with this "Family" we will find a way to make it happen.

 

On my time on the forum so far, I've heard nothing but good things about the man. For someone to have such a great lasting impact on others all around the country, it says something.

Never a good feeling to lose someone who was part of a tight knit community that tries to help out as much as possible, whenever possible.

Enjoy the cruise up there big guy, enjoy the cruise

 

Just lost for words after hearing this sad news. Stopped by his house twice. Went to a dyno pull with him. Worked on his car last year changing out his hood. And many good times at the Dragon. My heart goes out to his family. Jim will be greatly missed. Squirrel Crusher

 

Jim had just responded to me (P.M.'s) about his new rear end setup he got from Anthony; just hours before apparently. It is just so shocking. I haven't had the pleasure of meeting him directly like many of you, but he made me feel like an old friend. My deepest condolences to his wife and family.

 

I've only met Jim once when I sold him my exhaust, we both drive out to a middle point and ended up talking Crossfire’s for well over an hour. By far one of the most easy going men I've had the pleasure of meeting.

R.I.P. Jim, you will be missed by family and friends.

 

I just woke up, and see this.
I spoke with Jim and Linda several times at the Dragon meets, and found him to be one of the most pleasant individuals I had ever met.
My condolences to Linda and family.

Everyone else : don't let this put a damper on the upcoming Dragon meet, rather join together and celebrate Jim's life and reward.

 

Jim was the most giving man that I have ever met... The first time that I came to the dragon I was so nervous and he noticed that and kind of took me under his wing! This ended up with me running the with the "aggressive group" lol. Before the dragon I thought I was the fastest driver in the world but after running with Nick, Howard, and Jim(who had a giant boot on his foot) I no longer felt like I was a very good driver. But none the less at the bottom of the run Jim got out of the car and told me that impressed him with my driving ability, which of course lit my face up. He then asked me "do you smell that" and I laughed and said yes the smell of brakes haha. He told me that he had a set of srt6 brakes and wanted me to have them. So a month later he calls me and tells me to drive to his house and come get the brakes. I asked him how much were they going to be? He told me that he sees how much I love and have a passion for cars that he wants me to have them for free. I was so excited I could barely stand it I hopped in my car and drove up there and we talked for a good hour about cars and life. Then he let me drive his crossfire down some local roads he drives and man was that an experience that thing was wicked fast... Defiantly the way I wanted my crossfire to be on day(after I won the lottery lol). After that Mrs. Linda walked out and said hey hey to me and have me a hug like I have known them for years. She invited us for dinner but I had prior obligations so I could not. Jim and Linda are wonderful people and wonderful role models. This world may have lost a awesome guy and a great driver but Heaven had gained an amazing angel.

Love ya Jim,
Shawn

 

Reading Shawn's post here brought back my thoughts to a time when I had a chance to drive Jim's car.
When he was in town where I live in the Chicago suburbs he came by my house and we took his SRT out west to the country back roads
It was already dark outside but I know the roads well and a few in particular where you can really open it up an run fast.

Whenever I drive someone else's Crossfire I always feel a sense of great responsibility to be extra careful so I wasn't really pushing it to hard until Jim said "STOMP ON IT AND DON'T LET GO"
Just prior to telling me this he flipped the switch and opened the Needswings cut-outs in the exhaust.
Let me tell you when I STOMPED ON IT the power and the sound was beyond anything I could have ever imagined !!!!!
He said "now here we go" and we went well into the triple digits on the speedo

After that I understood the power of the SRT and we drove back to my house and talked about the experience.
It is just one of the great moments I will always remember spending with Jim.
He was a true car guy and had a heart of gold

Love ya BigKid

 

i spoke with Jim on the phone for about a half hour on thursday afternoon and he was in a great mood as always. He was excited about gettoing a new differential installed on monday so the car would be ready for the dragon next weekend. We miss you already Jim!

 

Sorry to hear about his passing. My condolences to his family.

 

Well, I have had a little time to process this. When you make a personal connection with someone from this group, it is like losing family. I don't have a problem admitting I shared a tear with some of you as this guy was the real deal when it came to a passion for cars and life. I'm not sure what the Lord has in store for him, but I am sure of this, as we push our XF's to the limit, we will have an Angel riding shot gun. I can hear him now, saying "Stomp on it!". I will miss you a lot my friend.

 

there is a shredded belt and seized pulley of Jims hanging on the tree at the deals gap resort

 

I had the pleasure of meeting Jim and tearing up the roads with him (and others) at last Fall's 2013 TOD. I wanted to share two recent posts Jim made . . . The first relating to our 2013 Saturday TOD run . . .

Jim wrote:

Two parts of the day were high lights for me. The first was a section of the DT when the road opened up ahead and Red Dog and I hooked up for a flat out sprint that lasted a while until we ran into slow traffic. It was a very technical section of road and our two cars were linked together braking and accelerating, superchargers screaming, in the zone type focus. That's as good as it gets. Thanks for the dance Red Dog.

The second in response to my having completed some additional mods to my SRT6.

Jim wrote:

I really enjoy reading the post of members who are experiencing the results of a nicely modded SRT for the first time. It is all about making your car the best it can be and in my opinion the results are well worth the money spent. Just wait until you get back to the Dragon and feel how your rocket ship explodes out of the turns. That feeling is priceless.

I think that conveys Jim's sense of spirit and enthusiasm for the Crossfire. I was looking forward to running with Jim again at the Fall 2014 TOD. I will certainly miss him . . .

 

I was there for that celebration and I will look for it when I return this fall. We lost Sidez, who participated on the forum a lot, MikeR, who not only participated, but built parts for us, and now, BigKid. Jim would just give you the shirt off his back..... I know we have lost others as well, but these are a few that just stand out when it came to their passion for their cars and this forum, RIP guys, we won't forget you.

 

Here is a photo of Jim by his SRT - Spring Dragon meet 2009 -
To think he was driving probably with a "permargin" just before he pulled to the roadside and passed away is bitter-sweet
He died doing what he really enjoyed

 

+1 x 1000 !!!!

 

After night sleep, and good cry with my dear wife, we have truly lost a friend , Jim and I always would meet later on Sat. and talk about are day, this where we got to meet Linda ,the last few Dragon we would always look each other up to talk , he was family , this were I always said it been more then the Dragon to me it been about seeing Family, Jim impact on this family has been a labor of love that he love doing and we all felt that in our hearts ,GOD BLESS YOU BIGKID MAY YOU REST IN PEACE ,

 

My deepest condolence to Linda and family

 

I'm so sorry to hear about the loss of this good man. My prayers go out to his family and his eternal rest.

 

I know I haven't been around much for the last couple years - this truly makes me regret missing events and not spending time with Jim and Linda. Like many have said Jim was like family. I'm not an emotional person, but I'm also not ashamed to admit I'm wiping away tears as I write this. I'm having a hard time putting it into words...

Rest in peace, Jim. May God welcome you with open arms and grant your family peace in your absence.