In a message dated 9/30/2005 8:22:46 PM Central Standard Time,
fjazzbass@GMAIL.COM writes:

Sort of  like the story of my most recent acquisition...

I have a story like that too, only better!

There was a lady on the list 4-5 years ago who bought a diesel Westy off
e-Bay.  On her way home to Illinois with it, it began over heating.   She posted
a note and I, along with a few others, responded with some  advice.  I believe
she ended up taking it to Karl M. who was near where she  broke down and he
installed a new head.  She finished the trip  home.  Since I live in Illinois
too, she and I corresponded over e-mail for  a while.

She was an interesting lady, European, and did translation work for CAT and
various other companies in the area.  She wanted to use the Westy as a  mobile
office.  Her work didn't require that she be in a certain  location so she
planned to travel and work in the Westy.  She did a number  of things to upgrade
the van and bought a number of special tools and  gadgets suggested by the
list at the time and stored them in the van.

One day, she sent me a note that she was moving to the Northwest and  storing
the Westy in Peoria until she could get someone to help her take it  to her
new location.  I offered to help the following summer and she  said she would
contact me.

A year ago, she finally contacted me.  She had decided to give up on  the
mobile office dream and said I could have the Westy if I would take over the
storage bill.  She wanted to be rid of it and sent me the title and  keys.  I
went over to look at it.  It didn't look too bad for having  sat outside for
several years but the battery was dead so I couldn't get it  started.  I left it
there and made arrangements to take over the storage  bill.  I paid the storage
on it for a year, $22 a month, and  this spring, took a tow dolly over to
Peoria and brought it  home.  I hooked a fresh battery up to it and it started
right  up.  I drove it around the block and it seemed to run well, but had no
brakes.  Later, I filled it up with fresh fuel and drove it 40 miles over  back
roads.  While underpowered and a bit smokey, it held together and is  in the
driveway waiting repair of the brakes.

The van was full of goodies; extra bumpers, a Yakima bike rack, German wind
deflectors for the door windows, tools, a portapotty, a yellow Optimus
battery,  etc.

Not bad, huh?

Tom
Illinois