And then there were four...

[mardak at cogeco.ca (Mark)]

Scirocco number four (of five) is now home in the GWN...  I just got
back from a trip to Kansas City, Missouri (just outrunning some NASTY
weather) to tow home the 77 I bought recently for a song.  The 2200 mile
round trip was fairly uneventful, except for a small no-starty issue in
bf Illinois - corroded battery to clamp connection chased down in short
order with my trusty multimeter...

The maiden voyage of my newly built collapsible tow-dolly went without
any problems.  It pulled like a dream - almost forgetting I was pulling
another Scirocco on the smooth bits...  I'm VERY happy with it.
Although it looks a bit freaky mostly attached to the back of my car on
the way down, it sure beats the stress of having an empty dolly bouncing
around behind me for hours on end.  When assembled and loaded with a car
though, it looks pretty good!  It still needs some "polishing", as it's
a bit rough around the edges, but cosmetics weren't the most important
consideration in the 'proof of concept' stage of the project.  I have a
couple of changes to make before heading out for Virginia to pick up an
81 (enroute to Cincy) on Thursday, so making it "pretty" will have to
wait a few weeks...

As for the 77, I was pleasantly surprised!  Despite a bit of rust on the
bottom of the doors, and a bit on the rockers and lower fender, overall
the car is definitely worth saving.  There is an aftermarket a/c system
installed (sans compressor) that I'll be asking the list about when I
take some pics tomorrow.  I believe this car will be the daily driver
project of the bunch.

Couple of observations:

- Deer are EVERYWHERE.  Especially smote ones along the freeway.  I've
never seen so much roadkill.

- Idiots are also EVERYWHERE.  Lane discipline in the U.S. just plain
sucks, especially in Ohio, where no-one seems to understand that there
is even such a thing as a 'fast lane'...

- The "Plains states" aren't too terribly exciting to drive through.
Not quite as bad as Kansas, but pretty boring nonetheless...  Unless, of
course,  you have a dead deer fetish - then you're golden...  :)

- Don't speed in construction zones - a $175 U.S. ticket taught me that
lesson the hard way.

- No one told the cops in Indiana that they're supposed to reduce the
infraction a bit so they come away looking like a nice guy.  Prick...

- Owners of "Roach motels" seem to think that a long weekend means they
can charge whatever they feel they can extort from you.

- Motel prices are negotiable if you employ vehicle buying negotiating
skills.


Anyways, I need to get some much needed sleep, so I'm signing off... 

Later,

Mark.
75
77
80 S
81 
81 S  2.0 ABA/JH/4K






 



---
Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free.
Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).
Version: 6.0.690 / Virus Database: 451 - Release Date: 22/05/2004