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Anastasia
Trad climber
California
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Apr 26, 2007 - 11:44am PT
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My Toyota is seventeen years old and she's been "overall" very dependable.
Yet one day while leaving John's house "coming home to Ventura from a climbing trip," she broke down on the 395 thirty minutes from the Manzanar Historic Site. At the time it was the middle of the night and a grass fire was in progress near me.
I first tried calling a tow truck but they were all booked that night and I had to wait until morning to get one. I then called John but he was dead sleeping, (we had climbed all day and he did most of the work.) I then called the highway patrol just to let them know I was there waiting for a truck. Plus I called my friend Ron (my group's rescue man) so he knew where I was to check up on me in the morning. (The poor guy wanted to pick me up, but we both knew it was useless since it would take him the same amount of time as the tow truck to get there.)
I then took a nap once the wind shifted the fire away from my location. I would only occasionally wake up to Ron's frantic check up calls. (He kept muttering about how I needed a gun, that I should never travel farther then fifteen minutes from my Dad's house and how dangerous it was for me to be sleeping next to a highway. Plus with his college professor voice, he kept giving statistics upon how many people disappeared/murdered on California highways etc.) "Ron is my big overprotected brother and just as annoying."
When morning came, John called while driving towards me, he was clearly upset over missing my phone call. He arrived, got a tow truck and we had a great breakfast together. Once the car was transported to a garage, we found out it was only the thermostat.
Then later on my second attempt of trying to get home on the "same trip..." My car was struck by lightning while coming down the grade from Mammoth Lakes. It fried my fuses which made smoke fill the cabin. "I had to laugh." (God didn't want me to leave Mammoth.)
I then called John to share in the humor. I then stopped at a gas station, replaced the fuses and drove the car over ninety. (The photodiodes on my alternator were fried and I needed the speed to override them. Plus I was fed up with dealing with overpriced garages and wanted to get home.) When I did get home, my Dad helped me fix the car. When I told him I that drove it over ninety as one of my solutions, he grinned with pride. (He would have done the same.)
That evening Ron and my father did start planning on ways to lock me down, but they were unluckily distracted by beer and food. (My mother is a genius.)
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Wild Bill
climber
Ca
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Apr 26, 2007 - 11:49am PT
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Haha, great stories Anastasia.
Thank God you have men folk that care enough to WANT to lock you up!
And how about those Toyotas?! I may be dumping some German stuff and buying a Toyata here soon.
And what is happening with 510 OW? Fix, swap or dump?
Bill
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Ed Hartouni
Trad climber
Livermore, CA
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Topic Author's Reply - Apr 26, 2007 - 03:13pm PT
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Please standby
...economic and emotional calculations are now in progress...
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Wild Bill
climber
Ca
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Apr 26, 2007 - 03:15pm PT
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"...economic and emotional calculations are now in progress... "
Emotional?! So Ed is NOT an OW droid, as all the offwidth reports make him out to be.
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Ed Hartouni
Trad climber
Livermore, CA
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Topic Author's Reply - Apr 27, 2007 - 02:23am PT
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ok, here's the deal...
...I'm looking for a Volkswagen with a TDI engine in it, say a model from years 1997-2001...Passat, Jetta, Golf, new Beetle, any of these, for a donor car.
The car can be complete crap, the ideal situation would be that the engine will start.
Any of you in the Bay Area know where the sort of wreck I'm looking for could be found?
Best if it is a California car
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Wild Bill
climber
Ca
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Apr 27, 2007 - 06:28pm PT
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Ed, a turbodiesel salad oil burning Vanagon would be the sh*t. But everyone's on that bandwagon so could be tough.
A buddy who is doing that conversion to a 1981 VW Rabbit pickup says this firm has the engine you want, but he thinks they're about $4,500 http://www.tassiinc.com/
You can also call Chris at German Auto Sport in Berkeley at (510) 525-6000.
Otherwise I guess a wrecked one off craigslist, or monthly auto auctions.
Bill
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