Luckiest Person at the Vintage 2021

[JMMcR75]

If Scott Sturdy doesn’t offer such an award, he should initiate one for me.  This morning I got off the Interstate just north of Asheville for a brisk and enjoyable ride along the French Broad River.  I was feeling pretty good about the ride when about five miles from Hot Springs I broke the fiber-reinforced toothed nylon belt that spins my 1974 2002tii Kugelfisher fuel injection pump.  I knew exactly what had happened because I got the same sinking feeling I had forty-seven years ago when the same thing happened on the Autobahn near Heilbronn. Tach goes to zero.  All the idiot lights go on.  Turn the key and the motor spins, but NOTHING happens.

 

A Good Samaritan helped me push the car into a gravel lot, but he didn’t know much about tii engines.  I confirmed that I had an emergency FI belt in the trunk, based on past experience and the advice here on 2002FAQ.  I got the hood up and enough bolts out of the top plastic cover to confirm that there was no belt there. Wandering around with the hood up, a 10mm wrench and a replacement belt in one hand, a cell phone in the other, and a dumfuddled look on my face, I must have looked pathetic. Out of the sky dropped three gifts in the form of a red BMW carrying Phil Marx (Charlottesville), who was chauffeuring Ben Thongsai and his friend Owen from Chicago.

 

Time moves slowly when you are in a panic.  I initially estimated 30-40 minutes, but I now understand that Ben maintains that it was no more than twenty.  In any case, Ben had me back up-and-running in very short order.  This included Ben’s counseling me that my emergency belt was in fact USED, and I should not trust it any longer than I really had to.  I got to enjoy the cars, the fellowship and the food in Hot Springs feeling very blessed.  I left a little early so as not to tease the Fates, and got home to Pisgah Forest without incident, but not without angst.

 

I have a lot to be thankful for today.  First, thanks to Scott Sturdy for all the headstands he has done over the past 18 months to make this Vintage a reality.  And especially thanks to Ben and Owen and Phil for pulling my butt out of the fire without so much as a first-degree burn.  We have a great community, I really appreciate all of you.

 

John

[adawil2002]

There is "A funny thing happened on the way to The Vintage Award" started by Bo Gray.

[zinz]

Ben Thongsai for the WIN!!!

 

He is most certainly awesome ? 

 

Here he is on the left after helping my buddy get that derelict e28 running after sitting many years. The guy is a flipping wizard mechanic. 
 

Brandon Littleton on the right...also mad wizard skilz. 
 

Ed Z

[zinz]

Here’s Ray “helping” Ben check valve tolerances at MidAm several years ago ?

 

[OriginalOwner]

I didn't choose the tii lifestyle, the tii lifestyle chose me !!!!!!

 

Cheers,

 

Carl

[Buckeye]

2 hours ago, zinz said:

“helping” 

 

hands-on by now?

[FunElan]

If there's anyone you want to just "happen" upon your breakdown, it's Ben and the company he keeps (well...some of it). Glad you got it all sorted and were able to enjoy the rest of the ride down. 

[ray_]

4 hours ago, Buckeye said:

hands-on by now?

Me, yes. But Ben adjusted them by mental telepathy.

 

[beammmer]

7 hours ago, zinz said:

Here’s Ray “helping” Ben check valve tolerances at MidAm several years ago ?

 

Ray helping, is that sarcasm?

Edited September 19, 2021 by beammmer

[Hans]

Those horseshoes must be painful.

[Mike Self]

On 9/18/2021 at 5:28 PM, adawil2002 said:

There is "A funny thing happened on the way to The Vintage Award" started by Bo Gray.

And Andrew was the winner at least one year--he now has "Stumpy" the 1 1/2 bladed 2002 fan that formerly graced Ludwig.  It did a round trip to Vintage and home in its current condition before it became a trophy with a clock where it once attached to the water pump.  

 

mike