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Post by Volktales on Jun 21, 2022 21:08:35 GMT -8
Well, I may have done it again... So up very bright and early on Friday morning, Don and I made the first 6:15 am ferry (which naturally left late due to staff shortages). As usual, the breakfast was spectacular, and I could have happily eaten a dozen or two of those sausages... Once off the ship, we made our way up highway one and this was the first interesting car I spotted. A nice GTO convertible of course... As you might have expected, we were heading east to Kelowna for a special road trip... This shot was taken somewhere near Abbotsford... Almost there. Don did all the driving and got us there in record time. On the trip there, the most interesting car spotted was on the Hope-Princeton in monsoon rain. It was about a '47 Buick Convertible hauling through the twisty bits... The A&W in Princeton was a welcome break for the food and the sights... And this was the whole reason for going to Kelowna in the first place... Yup I had to go see this car to see if it was good enough to buy... Mmmm, I think I might be smitten... I had a real good poke around inside the garage, and yes the body was not quite as mint as I hoped. But this was balanced out by other things... Continued...
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Post by Volktales on Jun 21, 2022 21:23:05 GMT -8
Well we couldn't let Don's shiny trailer go home empty, now could we??? Car came with a mountain of spare parts that were stashed inside and underneath the car, as well as boxes stuffed in the back of the FJ. The box on the front contains a spare windshield. The stash included many good spares, mostly NOS GM parts in the original wrappers. Lots of mechanical parts, trim parts, as well as a nice front bumper and spare decklid. Also multiple manuals, catalogues, and books and literature. Even a big bottle of car wash... What sealed the deal for me was the test drive. The previous deceased owner was not only a mechanic, but was once a Corvair specialist and this car was his baby. The test drive went very well and the car ran and drove just great! I was quite pleased... Don and I (mostly Don) had lots of fun figuring out how to strap the car down to the trailer as the car sits low and gaining access to secure strapping points was difficult. We got there in the end... It was very convenient that Bruce (the guy who helped orchestrate this deal), has a B&B and we were able to stay at his quiet house that night with the car safely parked in his large driveway. The view out the window was very nice and not surprisingly his B&B is named Garden of Eden. This was awesome and worked out great. I didn't sleep well though, because I kept thinking about what things I would do to the car... Well that and Don's wall-shaking snoring... Continued...
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Post by PICTUP on Jun 21, 2022 21:27:14 GMT -8
Did you say breakfast?
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Post by PICTUP on Jun 21, 2022 21:35:58 GMT -8
How did the test drive go you ask? Russ' first gentle test drive(before cash had exchanged hands). Make sure you unmute it because it does have sound imgur.com/a/fmG4J5H
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Post by tony on Jun 21, 2022 21:36:41 GMT -8
That was quite the score!! ......and topping it off with 3 packs of ketchup , what more could a guy ask for ..... oh yeah and the blue car looks ok too! 😎👍😁
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Post by Volktales on Jun 21, 2022 21:41:45 GMT -8
So the next morning, goodbyes were said and the FJ was pointed West, filled with premium fuel for the trip back via the Coquilalla. Here we are leaving Kelowna over their famous bridge. Not all that much to see on this highway, but if you look far enough in the distance you can see some huge wind turbines... Some areas are quite picture worthy. This was a very long nasty climb, and the FJ somehow managed to hit 5000 rpms a few times. I would NOT want to drive an old air-cooled VW on this highway... This shot was getting closer to Hope. The washouts of the original highway were quite impressive as we detoured around them. We also earlier stopped for gas in Merritt. I thought it was a dump when I was last there 22 years ago. My opinion has not changed... So Don drove the whole way back too, as my trailer hauling experience is quite limited. Plus I would have been MUCH slower. Luckily Don had arranged a reservation for the 5:45 Tsawwassen ferry, and after delivering some Miata parts to a buyer (Bruce had sold them to him), we made the ferry at just the right time. We were both quite wasted by the time we arrived home. It was an epic two-day trip and was exhausting. Everything worked out perfectly, and the seller (Jeanette), and Bruce were very nice people. And of course I must thank Don who really made this all possible, not only by doing all the hauling/driving, but connecting with the seller in the first place, when I could not. The only bad part was I was so exhausted, that I missed the Qualicum Fathers Day show the next day... Continued...
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Post by PICTUP on Jun 21, 2022 21:43:55 GMT -8
Well that and Don's wall-shaking snoring... Ahhh, ain't allergy season great? But you did some yourself, Russ . You didn't mention reserving the ferry at 1:30am following a realistic dream of being stuck on the mainland
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Post by Volktales on Jun 21, 2022 21:57:03 GMT -8
So on the Sunday (when I should have been at the car show), I first slept until noon, then had a bit of fun with the Corvair. First up was a very good wash and tidy, and swap the nasty old snow tires for the summer rims and tires that came with the car. These are 20 years old, which is a lot better then the 35 plus year old snow tires! Yes they will all be replaced soon... I just can't get enough of those sexy lines. I am going to definitely be enjoying this car! The interior cleaned up nicely, with only the front seats needing any work. Rear seat, door panels, dash, headliner and trim are all in excellent condition. Very happy about this... The four carburetor equipped 140 HP engine seems to run just fine and the car drives very well. The PowerGlide seems to be doing its job as well. It seems to be fitting right in with friends... Ok I admit it. I have snuck out into the garage a few times just to look at it. Can't help myself... This did not come with the car, but is the correct steering wheel for it. And in the right colour too. The guy I bought the spare Corvair engine from in the past had this on the shelf. Cool! The only down side is my beloved Fasty has been booted out of its dry storage. Hopefully this will be temporary... Has it really been seven years already since I last drove this??? The next things to do on the Corvair before I can go cruising are to fix the signals and brake lights. How hard will that be???
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Post by PICTUP on Jun 22, 2022 17:26:32 GMT -8
Poor Fasty! LOL! Get fixing those signals and brake lights....I wanna ride in the poor man's Porsche!
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Post by CrazyBrit on Jun 22, 2022 20:15:29 GMT -8
Poor Fasty! LOL! Get fixing those signals and brake lights....I wanna ride in the poor man's Porsche! I thought that the Ghia was the poor man's Porsche? Has it been demoted? Looks like a very nice car. Looking forward to seeing it in person. It takes a pretty amazing friend to drive you all the way to Kelowna with a trailer to pick up your new car. Way to go Don!
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Post by Score Keeper on Jun 22, 2022 20:25:58 GMT -8
OK you win Russ...one beautiful car for every day of the week.
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Post by Brenticon on Jun 23, 2022 7:17:05 GMT -8
Very very nice. Can The Dude go for a ride
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Post by PICTUP on Jun 23, 2022 18:47:30 GMT -8
I thought that the Ghia was the poor man's Porsche? Has it been demoted? I was referring to the ones sharing a six cylinder air-cooled powerplant.
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Post by Volktales on Jun 23, 2022 21:44:53 GMT -8
Very very nice. Can The Dude go for a ride Just like Goldberg, The Dude will be most welcome to go for a cruise!
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Post by PICTUP on Jun 24, 2022 14:47:31 GMT -8
Very very nice. Can The Dude go for a ride Just like Goldberg, The Dude will be most welcome to go for a cruise! That will of course mean Russ will have to be named the Dude's godfather It takes a pretty amazing friend to drive you all the way to Kelowna with a trailer to pick up your new car. Way to go Don! Well when your friend is calling the car in question his "dream car", and you're all outfitted to haul, it is hard to say no, lol! For the record, from my door back to my door the total kms were 996. Done over two days. I am sure going the Coquihalla both ways would have resulted in a shorter trip, but having hailed in part from the southern Okanagan and done the Hope-Princeton many times in my past(probably mostly in either my '70 Westy or '68 Double Cab), I was kinda interested to see how much it had changed, or not. For the most part it's leaning towards the latter. Where the road joins 97 near Kaleden it truly has NOT changed. Was kinda eerie. Penticton and all other towns have definitely grown beyond the boundaries I knew. A tiring trip(I ain't as young as I used to be!), but rewarding in the end
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