Date:         Mon, 10 May 2004 02:57:27 EDT
Reply-To:     Pete952@AOL.COM
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Pete Moore <Pete952@AOL.COM>
Subject:      State your age
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"

I hesitated about this because I"m new and  thought I was maybe the old man
on the list but tonight I saw a 76 and a 64 - I match the latter.

I've owned a lot of cars during my life - no need to go through the details
but I started with a refrig white 49 Mercury when I was 16 - cool vehicle for
the time. I decided to hot rod it in my parent's garage in Castro Valley, CA. I
spent hours on that thing and it did pay off - turned 99 mph in the 1/4 in
1957. I put that eng in a 40 Ford coupe - but cracked the block - was hoping for
105mph - and they both sat for a couple of weeks - Dad said "you're leaving
for college - get these things out of here!" Damn I wish I had those two bodies
now!

My first VW was a new 73 bus - it replaced a 66 Fairlane wagon which was fast
but a gas hog. Unfortunately, I drove the 73 like it was an American iron but
it made many trips through the valley fog to the Sierras for skiing on
weekends from Dodge Ridge to Squaw Valley and about all the areas in between. It
sucked a valve after trying to keep up with Fords and Chevys on a daily basis
from Bend, OR up the hill to Mt Batchelor one spring break in the late 70's. Got
a new eng in Woodland after spending the night with 3 kids on the side of
I505. Aren't cell phones great? That car went to my 2nd son who probably was not
much more considerate of VW motors than I was - it threw a rod - I pulled the
engine and sent the kid the bent rod and piston - it sits on his desk in
Durango, CO now. The body went to someone who had an engine.

After several vehicles, the best were an ' 80 280ZX and an '86 maxima - both
200+K with only oil changes, plugs and tires we - new wife - saw an '80 Westy
in Durango while visiting my son and family. It came home to CA followed by
our F150 which was not keeping up with it over Hwy 88, Carson Pass, in the snow.
BTW that 73 climbed the grade from SLC to Alta with no chains - it was
raining in SLC - snowing halfway up and we were pushing powder in the parking lot at
Alta - got everyone in the back over the drive wheels and it just kept going
- passed a bus (Greyhound type) that was sliding out toward the edge - not
sure what happened to it. Chained up after skiing that day to make the trip down.
Fun stuff.

Yes - one puts as much money into an old one in a year as the thing cost -
and we paid too much for it in the first place! I think I know how to drive 'em
now. This one has been back to Durango once, camped the Sierras several times
and is headed to Baja for a 2nd time in Sept. Thanks to the Bus Depot, D&E in
Jamestown, CA and JordanVW for your input and reasonable prices in helping me
keep this thing on the road.

Pete
80 Westy
and other various Ford and Toyota iron at the moment