ridgerunner914 Options

[preach]

ridgerunner914 is my social media name if it isn't preach. It is also my new to me 1974 2.0 that I bought from the classifieds here.

This is the start of our story. It has trials, tribulations, swingers, and pirates!

Due to recent life events and too many projects for my age/health I needed a change. I did not really want to but a few weeks ago it got solidified.

My dad owned a repair shop when I was young, so I got into cars. His second location was run by an air-cooled VW guy that had a 356 Speedster as well. This is where I got into VWs and, of course Porsche. While doing research on these and could not get my license yet, I read about the 1970 24h of Le Man and the #40 car that broke hearts. Well it won mine. A 914/6 that dominated it's class and came in 6th overall beating many bigger classes as well. I swooned. I'd seen them driving around as this was the early 1980s, now I loved them.

(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads_offsite/s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com-11513-1777662460.1.jpg)

Now it's the 2000s and I finally buy one, I got it for $700 but it was a complete 1974 914 1.7l. Had dreams and dreams of rebuilding it and speccing out this way and that, but life always got in the way. It is also a piece of crap needing a ton of work.

(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads_offsite/s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com-11513-1777662460.2.jpg)

So I would not rush that build and get my fancy tickled I bought a 2007 Cayman S. That I love still, but it is not an air-cooled VW that my heart desires. No pic for that it is in my profile and not a 914.

Welcome to two weeks ago. I had just come off of a long work trip and made decent money, 46-ish days straight 10-16hrs a day. So I called work and said I am taking the week off. They said OK, understood. Now, at the end of that week, I did something I tried like hell not to do which is look at the cars FS here. But I did. Well sheet. Friday I called up work and said I needed another week off to buy a car and get it home, a more hesitant OK this time.

Mine is the one in the back.

(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads_offsite/s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com-11513-1777662461.3.jpeg)

I answered the ad and sent a DM. Ends up being a guy named Brad, and he is basically brokering the deal for the seller. He also built the car as it sits. he also has a very good reputation by name and by his old shop name. We talked on the phone quite a while about this car, that car, this other car, oh and this one, don't forget that one, etc. This was Friday. I said I'd buy it, sight unseen. We negotiated a price and after a few phone calls the owner accepted my final counter offer. I'd be there asap. But there was a storm brewing. Midwest got whacked with their last storm of the year (I hope anyway).

So I secured financing and a one way flight from Boston to Peoria Thursday at 0800 to fly out about noon. I packed a backpack with 2 changes of clothes, a sandwich bag of toiletries, and a stack of cash. I knew the car had no heat so I put on flannel lined Carharts and an Arborwear hoodie, not to mention my fuzzy lined Vans. I headed to Boston and grabbed the flight. A few hours and a couple of beers in Chicago I landed in Peoria. I was pretty spent at this point so I called up Debbie, the owner's wife, and told her I was in town and would just take an UBER to a hotel for the night. Both Brad and her had graciously offered to get me from the airport. I think this was about 5pm local so -1h from mine.

Continue next post.

[preach]

So it's midday Friday, time to get on the road and put some miles down. Work pretty much told me to be there Monday and I am 1000k from home in a 52yo car. I can't see anything that could possibly go wrong.

Many trips across country in my Cayman and that is about a day and a morning. Probably just a long day. I'm not in my Cayman anymore.

It's late, I am tired from the trip, so I tell the GRM folk, sorry man would have loved to

I hop on I74 heading East, car is phenomenal at a speedo of 80ish, but a GPS of 71. I cruise through IA no problems in a coulple of hours and decide to have a pee as soon as I got into Indy as I had to go. First rest area I stop, take care of business and hop back into the car. Hit the key and not even a click, gen light dim. Well crap. Call Brad, who was having medical issues with a doctor all day, text a GRM guy. Say screw it, did not want to wait. I asked for a jump from another traveler, got me to 12v on the gage but still nothing on the starter. Well crap x2. Finally I see some decently rugged kid get out of a car and say hey bud mind giving me a push start. He did and RAWR I was off.

I made Dayton, OH that day hot (running) filling the car that had no fuel gage (thanks VW as usual). I stayed there that night at a hotel (I have mad points for many different ones).

(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads_offsite/s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com-11513-1777663336.1.jpeg)

This is when things got hilariously weird. The hotel gave me a 10% off card for the Texas Roadhouse just behind my car in that pic. All right I am in! I belly up to the bar after very few miles wanted but spent and get a beer and a steak. Just as I order a second beer before I go to my room I realize that everybody including the bartenders know each other, intimately. Haha. So I watch the scene while I sip my beer and chuckle the whole time. Clearly this one has been with that one and this one has been with both of them at the same time etc. Holy Crap I was dying laughing. The STDs...I don't want to know. I go back to the hotel.

(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads_offsite/s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com-11513-1777663337.2.jpeg)

The size difference is amazing.

I don't sleep much and I was a bit stressed out about how the rest of the trip was going to go due to the starter issue and got to hear the noises of many swingers apparently staying at the same hotel but finally got some sleep and got up the next morning. This is when I had to make a hard decision. I only had one more set of clothes and at least one more night on the road. We'll save the clean ones for the last morning...ugh. After a push from another nice person, it only takes one since with me in it may be 2100lbs maybe, and off I go.

Saturday, <48h until work. Long haul today. Dayton, OH to Port Jervice, NY was my plan. With another opportunity lost, I had to pass my siblings in Pittsburgh, PA. I wanted to make that my first night, then home the next day. And since I was from PGH I forgot how freaking long I80 in PA is since we'd lose a chunk of it due to the starting point not being at the border.

I'll pause here a second to complain about the roads up to here, PA is not known for good roads really but I80 is a massive trucking route that gets attention. From Peoria to here I already had a front end shimmy that was not there when I bought the car. Worse turning right. I80 was a breeze but I could feel the wobble. I was not happy but I knew this could happen. Sad as this car was so tight when I bought it but pot holes and poor paving fixes take it's toll.

Anyways, as when I go across country in my Cayman and they get to know you, my trucker buddies started taking care of me here. I speak their light flick language and respect them and I am 99% sure they say a rocket is coming their way to their brothers up ahead. Either car if I am burning a lot of gas and there is a LEO in front of me oddly two trucks block both lanes until we get by, then let me pass. Is it right? I don't care it is cool as hell.

No real speedo and a fuel gage that reads a little over half all the time I had to make some guesses. 5th gear and the tach at the turn signal, about 3300rpm, light was about 70 per my phone. Can't say much more than that but the MSD is set to 7500, I never hit that and would not have the gears to go fast but...

So I am cruising down the highway in my 2.0, smacking the...uh...nothing, hoping for no problems. Guessing my gas and a clue on my speed, Making miles. This portion of the trip I estimated that I am getting about 25mph! Not bad really.

In heaven. I cannot tell you how good this car drives, may ride like an autox car and kill my back each day but so nice.

Hit Port Jervice about 7pm. Time for a hotel.