Some sort of crazy – breeding like rabbits

Son has his learners permit. Driving. Wow how time flies.
Talking with wife there’s a bunch of modern theories about what makes a good car for a new driver.
One school of thought is that you need a vehicle with all modern safety amenities. Another is that it should be a slow old piece of junk that teaches you the basics of car ownership.
Talking with wife we strangely agreed that the BJ60 makes a pretty good car. Strong benefits are:
◾price (kid shouldn’t drive something nice and expensive)
◾manual transmission so driving takes attention

◾lack of depreciation (again, price)
◾speed (lack of speed means you’ll learn very quickly the value of consideration while driving)

◾maintainability (kid will be able to keep it running himself)

◾fuel economy (again, price)

◾cheap to insure (price)

◾survivability (big truck on frame will tolerate collisions better than a small car)
Downsides are:

◾no airbags

◾no crumple zone

◾lift means chance of rollover
Given that we’re agreed on this and son seems bought in (though not nearly so much as the younger one) it seems like a good idea to find and prepare one. We can’t wait to get out of the carpool game.
I start looking and come across a real beauty on Vancouver island. Price is great at $4500 cad, with today’s strong dollar that’s ~$3700. Ad states: yes there’s rust, of course there is, but only a little and only in the back. Hmm.
During the week I iterate plans to get this vehicle back to seattle:

◾fly to Victoria (fun!), meet seller there (seller says no)

◾fly to Victoria, take bus to seller (bc transit is horrible, there’s a commuter bus that would arrive at 5pm.)

◾fly to Victoria, rent car, drive to seller, check out vehicle, drive or fly back
Seems workable but older son wants to come, then younger son wants to come too. Suddenly plane tickets are significant outlay.
While I’m wrestling with these schemes seller finally sends photos of the rust. Damn. Good god. Rust has penetrated behind wheelwells, through frame, in floor under seats. He has no idea how bad it is. I send the photos to TorFab (honest, trusted, reliable) asking if this is $1k or $10k of repair work. He says minimum of $10k, and would be $25k to make it perfect. He says “Run! Don’t do it!”
Oh, come on, can it be that bad? I take the photos out and trace the rust with my own truck and realize what a disaster it would be to repair. I call RaddCruisers in Duncan and they don’t do that sort of work. Recommend Sutherland in Duncan, talk to Steve. “Steve” says they don’t do rust repair, its too labor intensive and not worth anyone’s time. Recommends “Traver” who leaves nearby and enjoys rust repair. Call “Traver”, good guy who estimates $2500 but price will go up depending on how bad it is. Finally reality sets in and I decide to pull the plug.
Bummer as it looks so nice except for that rust.
Then look at Vancouver craigslist again. There’s a nice blue cruiser in Abbotsford area, same price, much less rust and much more convenient to access. Actually a relief to find it for about 2/5 of what I paid for mine 3 years ago. I suppose lots of folks are disappointed in the fall of prices for these trucks.
My parents are on their way up to BC so driving right by the car. We ride up with both kids in tow with thought to call wife if truck isn’t as claimed.

Arrive early, little rainy. Blue Bomber is there in all its glory.
Seller is excellent and has good stories. He’s lived and loved this car, its clear. Why selling? Well, I won’t reveal details here but lets just say he’s definitely getting something better.
I check all around car and bit by bit seller reveals all the work and money he’s put into it. He did previously strip and por15 the quarter panel buckets. Also fiberglassed the outside. There is rust sparkling up on the back of the rear wheelwell lips, also the lovely rockers have rust inside and they’re disintegrating under the paint. Sad but I can probably stabilize it. Maybe take it to one of them sandblasting places first. The other issue is the batteries which look like crap. Supposed to be less than a year old…
Saddest thing, he took the alternator to a local mechanic I’ve bought parts from and was totally hosed. Ended up charging the seller $2000 to rebuild the alternator. Robbery.
I start and find left rear brakelight doesn’t light. “Oh, he says, I took the bulb out for a friends trailer!” Fortunately I have one in my spare parts.
I agree to buy it, we drive to the nearest AutoPlan to transfer title. Before driving I plugged in my cigarette lighter voltmeter. Can see that alternator is providing too much voltage at high rpm. Seller mentions that there is a bad diode in the alternator. I guess this one will be heading to Romaine!

Again Autoplan tears off the bottom bit of the BC insurance proof and give it to me, the top part stays with the seller. The seller offered it to me but I explained that he needed it to get his insurance refund. “Ah! Right!” he says.
This time I got a photo copy of the full form.
Next stop the kids and I head to the border. Just like last time I’m told to park out front, he takes the passports and records the vin, then we head in. Gotta say this was an excellent experience. We were helped by Officer Top who is a fine individual. Knew his business, did all the forms, charged the tax, etc, etc. No bravado, no attitude, really a sincerely nice guy. I got a feedback form because its so rare that the government can retain a person like him.
He has me read and repeat the vin, then sign the 7501. I had copies of the EPA and NHTSA forms but he said they weren’t necessary. Noted on the form that they weren’t needed. Signed and stamped we’re sent on our way, after a quick photo!

Thanks Officer Top!

Arrive home to find that the truck is approved by Wonder Pooch.

So, here they are… side by side. Gotta problem don’t I?

Head to Bell Red Auto License on Monday. Wait for number to be called and who is it? OMG! The same teller that gave me so much trouble when I bought the red one! Well and least we know the routine now, shouldn’t be a problem. I hand over the forms and she says: “You need to provide the full form.” hands back the BC title. “Um… no. You told me the same thing 3 years ago, and the answer is for you to get the supervisor and she can call Olympia to get clarification.” She acquiesces. I wait 20 minutes for Olympia to respond, they provide an approval number and my plates are handed over.

SHEESH. Then of course the supervisor comes out and tells me she has NEVER seen that form accepted. I explain that this very teller was told by Olympia 3 years ago to accept it, so there’s one more example. That maybe the system should be fixed so folks aren’t given bad info.

So. Maybe their processing of BC vehicles will be fixed now? I doubt it. (Would have been fixed by now if Officer Top worked there.)

Lost Gas Cap!

Rushing through traffic to reach the ferry from Anacortes to Sydney, BC we performed a Formula 1 style gas stop. Unfortunately we neglected to re-fit the cap for the gas tank…

That night, camping… gee… do you smell diesel? I sort of did but now that we were in Kanadia there’s lots more diesels about, maybe its someone elses? Sniffing around the smell is coming from the gas fill. Bummer way to start an 11 day trip. I call around the suburbs outside of Victoria but no one has one in stop with the exception of Lordco who has a locking one for $47.

At least we’re heading north on Vancouver island and there’s a great land cruiser specialist in Duncan, BC: “Radd Cruisers.” I call them and they poke around and find one.

On arrival he hands me the cap, no charge. Its pretty rusty and sort of nasty looking but it fits! Doesn’t have the certain je-ne-ce-qua of the old one with its Japanese script DI-SO-RU but it does cut down on the scent.

After giving me the gas cap Radd Cruisers asks to see my engine, scans it over, looks good to him, approves of the hose clamps that are normally missing from the coolant lines. He points out that my block temp sender has a broke wire. Dang! That’s why the sender doesn’t work. Must have happened when the alternator was installed.

No time to fix at the moment we head out and up.

A week or so later we’re south of Powell River, stop at a service station. When I go to pay I notice the folks in there look like their real job is fixing logging trucks and I get the strong feeling they really know their stuff. I ask if they have wire crimps they could sell me, guy asks: whats it for? Oh, my temp sender wire broke, guy goes out, takes a 2 second look, heads in and comes back out with a crimp, crimp pliers, some shrink-fit tubing, he takes care of it in about 45 seconds. Yeah. I really, really appreciate meeting someone that can fix stuff. And confirms my great vides from Powell River.

A-and to make a long story short… 8 days later we returned to Anacortes, I stopped at the gas station where I lost my cap, asked if they might have it… handed me a cardboard box of gas caps… and there was my nice one! Oh the joy! So now I have a skanky backup cap.

A NICE picture of my truck!