[Vwdiesel] incredible Diesel journeys

[dieseltdi at verizon.net]

Great story!  I have always heard that God looks after children and  
old people...even crazy old people!!!  Tell you dad BRAVO for making  
such a perilous journey.  Hayden

On Nov 28, 2005, at 6:00 PM, S. Shourds wrote:

> Many years ago, I got the family '80 1.5D Rabbit on my 17th  
> birthday.  I drove it through college and graduate school up to  
> 182,000 mi. where I picked up an '85 Jetta TD.  The Rabbit got  
> towed from Dallas, TX to a barn in Indiana, 900 miles North, and  
> not touched for eight years.  My dad, seeing the gas prices and his  
> 100 mi. round-trip daily commute, hatched an ill-conceived plan.   
> He flew to Indiana, put a battery in the car and started it, first  
> crank.  We talked him out of the journey and he agreed to wait  
> until I was going to be driving down after Thanksgiving so I could  
> at least come along behind and pick him up if he broke down.  I  
> knew that the car had two severely cracked CV boots, a bad radiator  
> (which Dad replaced with a non-matching one from a different junk  
> Rabbit and tied in with baling twine--seriously, he did), four dry- 
> rotted tires and a matching spare, a blown a/c idler clutch  
> bearing, and a really bad inner tie rod end.  After Thanksgiving  
> day, he flew up to retreive the car.  While I was sleeping, I woke  
> up vaguely and thought I heard a very familiar engine sound.  At  
> 0100.  He decided to leave before me.  A long long time before me.   
> And I don't have a cell phone--the plan aparently being that I was  
> supposed to look for brown Rabbits on the shoulder, in rest stops,  
> gas stations, etc.  We got a few calls through the morning and  
> afternoon.  Owensboro, KY: sparks started coming from the rear of  
> the car.  When stopped at idle, the tailpipe looked like a roman  
> candle.  He decided it was carbon breaking loose and drove on.  I  
> think it was mouse nests in the exhaust.  Little Rock, AR:   the  
> taillights and windshield wipers went out in a tremendous line of  
> thunderstorms with 30 mph winds.  The winds were causing severe  
> front end vibration.  He stopped and figured out that the two bolts  
> on the passenger front wheel that adjust the camber were loose.   
> Texarkana, TX, Greenville, TX, and then I'll be if he didn't get  
> that thing 900 miles home.  Back to the exact same place where I'd  
> parked it under a mesquite tree to be towed to Indiana.  Just like  
> one of those treacly Disney movies.  And he says he burned 15 US  
> gal. the whole way--about 58 mpg driving at 60 mph.
> I drove back after we knew he was home.  I drove back in the TDI.   
> No problems, just windy and boring.
> I always wonder when contemplating a road trip, how bad of shape  
> does the car have to be before you just won't make it.  Looks like  
> if it's a Diesel Rabbit, the engine compartment would have to be on  
> fire as you were pulling out of the driveway.
> -Shalyn
>
>
>
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Visit my website at:  http://mysite.verizon.net/resosxp8/mydieselpages/
Proud owner of:
2004 Passat TDI GLS, 2.0l, 8 valve, 134 HP, 247 lb/ft of torque  
(making 150 hp with Diesel Power Tuning Box), Blue Graphite,  
Anthracite leather interior, ABS, ESP.
1998 Jetta TDI (Wetterauer Chipset, 2 1/2" exhaust, K&N Filter, .210  
nozzles, 132K+ miles, and running biodiesel)
1981 Rabbit Pickup -Awaiting a TDI engine swap with a 96 Passat 1Z  
engine.
And many, many, many VWs; from a 1946 Beetle (11 Beetles total), to  
Vans (5 - 3 splitties, 2 bay window), Rabbits (3), Karmen Ghia (1),  
Jettas (5), Passat (1), Dasher (1), New Beetle (1), and Rabbit  
Pickups (3) most now gone but not forgotten.
1982 Suzuki GS 650GL - resurected from a farm, now back on the road,  
Old school bike for an old school guy!