Date:         Wed, 19 Jun 1996 08:35:32 -0500
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         davies@biochem.wisc.edu (Robin Davies)
Subject:      Roadtrip ends w/ BANG! Clatter..clatter....

Vanamaniacs,

       Thought I sent this out, but never saw it in the digest...
        It must have been an omen! Two hundred and fifty miles into our
Tour du Wisconsin in Leslie our one month old 87 Westie Syncro we pull into
Green Bay to find a funky old bus stalled in the middle of traffic. Pull
into adjacent lot and ask old geezer leaning over the smoking engine
compartment if he needs a fire extinguisher? No, he says, just a broken
belt, but I can help him push it out of traffic. This is a funky bus! V
shaped tv antena caulked to the roof. Tiny wood-burning stove w/ chimney
going out through the roof. The old guy seems drunk, doesn't care about the
line of cars piling-up behind him. Bus is moved and we're on our way.
        Following a lovely several days in the Apostle Islands (a must see
people, as beautiful a spot as I've ever seen!), we head south west for
some brief commerce and theme park fun at the Mall of America. Exit hwy 63
onto interstate for the first time in our 700 mile trip and within minutes
the oil presssure light flickers on and then off, then on and then off and
finally on and I head for the shoulder. Passing cars echo an awful knocking
clatter and Nate(eight, really quite great) in the back seat yells: "It's
smoking!" Pop hatch and there is oil and shards of metal everywhere. Step
away to get some paper towels for my hands and return to find my partner
crying over the engine compartment. She has discovered a fist sized hole
that exposes the cams of our engine! Leslie the Westie is dead...
        Obviously the fun isn't over yet! We are now marooned at a Phillips
76 truck stop with two young children, a 120 pound german sheperd and a ton
of gear. The rest of the story is like a season of episodes from "Giligan's
Island" w/ a modern twist. Calls to Minneapolis area VW service people
indicate a very expensive and time consuming repair. So, we do what ever
red blooded American would do- rent a car from Stillwater, MN Enterprise
"we Deliver" car rental and head on to Mall of America. The kids are
oblivious to the blow we have just been delivered and have darn great time
at Camp Snoopy. Grab a nearby hotel, smuggle dog into room and try to sleep
not knowing what is ahead for tomorrow.
        To make a LONG story short, you can tow a Syncro Westie behind a
U-Haul 14" truck w/ a U-Haul auto trailer. I hear that from behind, Leslie
looks pretty erie riding backwards down the freeway.
        Van is now with my trusty mechanic. I'm not sure what my options
will be? I have the GL I could use for a donor, heck, after the G60
discussions maybe I should pull the engine from my Passat.... Na! Subaru
transplant?  What would you do? GL is in pretty great shape. Probably worth
more whole than if I start parting it out.
        I sure was gloating over the luxury of the camper. I kept thinking
of all the other Vanagon horror stories and how it wasn't going to happen
to us.... Lesson learned I guess. Debbie says she won't get into that
camper for a long trip again and we didn't even leave our own state!

SeeYaBye      R.

R. Davies         UW-Madison         Biochemistry          Media Lab

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