Hey Craig, I'm near Texaco sometimes.  I'll take your free gas :- )

Great experience you had.  You can enjoy this for the rest of your life.

DMc

---- craig cowan <phishman068@GMAIL.COM> wrote:
> The Mario Andretti story should be somewhere in the archives. But to sum it
> up:
> I'm cross country in Reno Nevada, run into him and his crew at a Texaco.
> They spend an hour or so talking with me, checking out my engine swap, etc
> before giving me all this free stuff and asking if they can post my story
> and picture to their website.
> I still have a ton of free gas from Texaco..... now if only i lived within
> any reasonable range of a texaco......
>
>
> I'm more fun in person. : )
>
> -Craig
>
>
> On Tue, May 18, 2010 at 11:22 AM, Ryan Johnson <rhinoculips@gmail.com>wrote:
>
> > Now we understand the skull, but not why Marios Andretti is leaning on your
> > van.   Do tell.
> >
> > Ryan
> > '89 Westy with EJ22
> >
> >
> > On Tue, May 18, 2010 at 8:31 AM, craig cowan <phishman068@gmail.com>wrote:
> >
> >> So thanks to those of you on the Vanagon List for chiming in and offering
> >> help in my folly. Pittsburgh Vanagon Club, this is the first you're
> >> hearing
> >> of this (I kept it quiet locally).
> >>
> >> Last week my van went in for inspection from a shop I used to work at and
> >> they gave me a good deal on replacing the ball joints it needed. I simply
> >> didn't have time to do it myself, as I plan to leave for a "Great Eastern
> >> Adventure" later in this week. Anyway, part of their inspection involved
> >> removing the horse skull from the roof. Yes, there was a horse skull on
> >> the
> >> roof. I will attach a picture showing the horse skull (featuring Marios
> >> Andretti as well!). The inspection mechanic took it off worrying that it
> >> wasn't attached strongly enough. I guess I can believe that as a
> >> reasonable
> >> grounds of removal, so i'll embrace that. Now if only he hadn't told his
> >> superior it was help on by only a bungee chord....
> >> The flaw here is that it was held on by 5 1/8'' nylon lines under tension
> >> by
> >> a small bungee chord, and a 1/8'' stainless steel cable crimped in place
> >> and
> >> secured through the base of the skull and attached to two bolts which
> >> normally hold the front of the luggage rack down (With big washers on
> >> them).
> >> So I guess he failed to note that it was secured by 5 seperate places and
> >> designed not to be stolen, or the fact that it had been up there for 9
> >> months and over 5,000 miles. It's seen both coasts up there.
> >> But again, i'll embrace his reasoning for taking it off as I agree, from
> >> his
> >> standpoint it could have looked like a danger. I actually LIKE mandatory
> >> state inspections here in PA for this reason! They point out things I
> >> didn't
> >> think about.
> >>
> >> Well, in removing the skull, he took off the two front bolts to the
> >> luggage
> >> rack as well. The bolts, along with the skull and everything were kindly
> >> placed on the front seat of the van for my potential use later. Well after
> >> passing inspection, I immediately headed up to my school apartment an hour
> >> north in Slippery Rock PA. About 2 miles into my highway trek, I felt a
> >> strong BANG and heard a sound as well. I immediately looked out my back
> >> window to see something large fly safely to the side of the road. My
> >> thoughts were "I hit a box" or something of that nature. It really felt
> >> like
> >> whatever I hit, I hit from below. The bus still ran well, so I took note
> >> of
> >> where It seemed to happen and  continued on my way. An hour later, I get
> >> out
> >> of my bus and was in disbelief to find the poptop luggage rack
> >> MISSING!!!!!
> >>
> >> Strangely, while driving, I found that there was not much additional wind
> >> noise even though the poptop was now working as a funnell to bring air
> >> into
> >> the bus. I did notice that the canvas was filling up with air and even
> >> remember reaching back and squeezing this huge pocket of air filled canvas
> >> and remembered how odd that was.
> >>
> >> Anyway, immediately after getting up to Slippery Rock, I gave them a call
> >> and they were shocked as well. I said "I think your mechanic took the two
> >> front bolts out and didn't put them back on." I actually overheard the
> >> superior asking the mechanic if this was the case and the mechanic
> >> responding "ya, they're on the front seat". At that point we could both
> >> agree this was a problem they caused. Luckily, they've been as good as
> >> they
> >> can to help me solve the problem!!!
> >> I immediately sent them out pictures including images of the two side
> >> bolts
> >> still in place on the van with chunks of fiberglass under them. The shop
> >> at
> >> this point said "Well you're the expert, where can we get you a new one?"
> >> This is when my heart really fell out and I realized just what a daunting
> >> task that should be! I'm lucky I know great people and have great local
> >> resources, but can't imagine what this would have meant if it was a
> >> non-vanagon-savy person!
> >> This is about the time I sent the first email out to the vanagon list
> >> looking for a used top.
> >>
> >> A stroke of luck!
> >> After telling my parents what had just happened, My mother jumps in her
> >> car
> >> and starts searching the highway. Within an hour I get an amazing call "I
> >> FOUND IT! And it looks fixable!". SO, my mother drives up to Slippery Rock
> >> to show me the top, scratched with some paint missing and a 9'' long crack
> >> all the way up (and all the way through) in one of the corners. Alas, I do
> >> believe it repairable but a shop looked at it and agreed it would be
> >> cheaper
> >> just to get a replacement if one could be found.
> >>
> >> I was able to source a top 110 miles away and yesterday drove the 220
> >> miles
> >> round trip to pick it up with a check from the mechanics in hand to cover
> >> the cost of the top. So for $100 I was able to get a replacement top in
> >> good
> >> shape. It's UGLY! So i spent last night scrubbing it up before going in
> >> today to see about getting it painted. They won't be capable of doing it
> >> in
> >> the time frame I demand ( have to have it installed and ready to leave for
> >> the summer in 2 days), so they've agreed to have it color matched the best
> >> they can when I return in august.
> >>
> >> I plan to do my best to repair the "broken" one as well to have as a spare
> >> for the next time this happens to someone!
> >> Immediately after this happened I had a local friend calling me up to say
> >> he
> >> has one I could borrow untill I get mine fixed if need be. (I sold him the
> >> top off a van 2 years ago and he's restored the top for a future poptop
> >> install on his Carat. Then last night, another vanagon list member sent
> >> out
> >> new gaskets for me to put on! What amazing people we have here!!!!
> >>
> >> So I'd like to thank everyone who's given advice!
> >>
> >> Here's your closing image.
> >> http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=30402158&l=91005335f5&id=1457880199
> >>
> >> -Craig
> >> '85GL turned WESTY
> >> BOSTIG in the back.
> >>
> >
> >

--
David McNeely