Date:         Fri, 13 Sep 2002 08:57:45 -0400
Reply-To:     David Brodbeck <gull@CYBERSPACE.ORG>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         David Brodbeck <gull@CYBERSPACE.ORG>
Subject:      Re: long-distance towing
Comments: To: SStones <sstones@IDIRECT.COM>
In-Reply-To:  <5.1.0.14.0.20020913081425.009eec60@postoffice.idirect.com>
Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII

On Fri, 13 Sep 2002, SStones wrote:

> At 05:34 PM 9/12/02 -0500, you wrote:
> >I saw a really beautiful baby blue Jaguar XKE convertible absolutely ruined by
> >two idiots.....one that did the towing, and the other that permitted it. That
> >XKE  flexed sufficiently to cause the doors not to close properly.
>
> I'm not denying that many "Professional Tow Truck Drivers" are incompetent,
> but what the heck did they do to it to permanently warp the frame? All
> modern tow trucks lift cars by the wheels, be they front or back, a lot
> like the stresses put on a car by having it sitting on the ground. What did
> these guys do to it?
> Poor car.

It was a convertible, and it was British.  It probably had frame rust and
was ready to collapse to begin with.  Sorta like on the Porsche 914s,
where the longitudinal beams would rust out until one day someone heavy
would sit in the car with the targa top off and the doors would jam.
;)

> So long as it's a 2 wheel drive van it oughtta be okay towed by any tow
> truck, so long as the owner is there to make sure the operator isn't doing
> anything idiotic.

It's always good to watch.  A tow truck driver nearly put the end of his
crane jib through the back window of my '75 van, once...forgot to raise
it before backing up to the van.

             _ _
  __ _ _   _| | |  | David M. Brodbeck (N8SRE)              Ypsilanti, MI
 / _` | | | | | |  +-----------------------------------------------------
| (_| | |_| | | | @ cyberspace.org
 \__, |\__,_|_|_| "The VW camper is a brilliant invention -- it's like a
 |___/             Swiss army knife for the road... It's the stealth RV."
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