Date:         Thu, 11 Mar 2004 14:55:16 -0600
Reply-To:     Birkenfeld Jeff <BirkenfeldJeff@JOHNDEERE.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Birkenfeld Jeff <BirkenfeldJeff@JOHNDEERE.COM>
Subject:      Re: " you fixed it with what?!"
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii

My story...
Driving the '69 Blu Bus to Padre Island from SW Missouri in August of
1985, barely 18 with 3 buddies same age, 4 hours into the trip the gas
pedal hinge broke at the base (older busses had the hinge built into the
pedal and it wasn't much of a hinge anyway) and the receiving hole on
the back of the pedal crapped out keeping the linkage rod from actuating
the throttle cable.  Yeah we could have rigged a string from back there
to control the gas but the engine access on a '69 has the rear hatch and
not the inside hatch like '72 and later.  It was midnight in NE Oklahoma
and we had consumed many beers by then with a few empty cans in the rear
when the pedal would no longer work as any sort of fulcrum to continue
driving near normal...a beer can was recommended as replacement, it was
flat, bendable enough to shape a crevice for the linkage rod and
available, we tried and it worked great for about 30 miles or so until
the linkage rod would poke through the can.  Of course, that meant we
needed more cans....into the night we drove and drank empty the best
item available for continuing the trip.  By morning we were drunk and
tired and found a wal-fart to park at until we were able to compose
ourselves for roadside repair and wonder into the hardware section for a
heavy door hinge...that did the trick for the next 12 years until the
bus moved elsewhere.

JB...beer-can-mcguiver