Wednesday, September 3, 2008

Funkengroovin Weekend

Last Tuesday, The Boss Man, Awesome Daughter and VB set out in two cars, for a trip to Jon's garage in Maine. The Boss Man wanted a tachometer added to dash, where the clock was. And, to replace the clock, a small digital was added. Jon probably has more vans and buses than VB actually saw at the Terryville, Bug-A-Fair, albeit many are pretty much shells of what they once were (literally). So for those of you who have never been to Jon's, check out the slide-show. He has quite an operation!

Freeport, Maine and the LLBean flagship store, plus many other outlet shops are located just minutes down the highway from Jon's. We stayed in Portland overnight, dropped the van off at 9:00 AM (about an hour's drive) and returned home that afternoon. For our Tiico engine job, we had to drop the van off for several months. A new transmission took one day. From the looks of it (and experience) Jon's got a lot of orders, so be prepared for a wait, if you want to have him work on your bus. Suffice it to say, the wait will be well worth it. Jon's pretty well known around the VW Van/Bus community as innovative, and excellent at what he does.

(Below): New Tachometer



(Below): Tachometer and digital clock.




(Below): A slide-show of Jon's garage (click on the four arrows in the bottom right corner to make it screen size; and esc to come back here. Let VB know if you have problems viewing this. There were problems on flickr the first few days. No sure, but you might need Adobe Shockwave Player. )




NEWS:

On the road to the White House
"Now that the presidential fight card is set, we at Up to Speed decided to check out the candidates' transportation choices."

Driven to Obscurity
"Why hood ornaments are becoming things of the past."

"Car historians trace the hood ornament back to the early 20th century, when cars still had external radiator caps and temperature gauges. Seeking ways to dress them up, designers turned to miniature works of art—animals, emblems and model machines that embodied the car's identity. In the 1920s, the Cadillac LaSalle featured an elaborate statuette of its namesake, intrepid 17th century French explorer Robert de LaSalle, tipping his hat over a burned-out campfire."


Standing By His Brand

"In one part of his 9,000-square-foot garage, Darrell L. Davis has recreated a fully equipped Plymouth dealership showroom." (Full article and slide-show at the link.)

TRAFFIC OFFICERS CAUGHT ON TAPE TAKING BRIBES
"One of the videos shows an officer with outstretched hands taking a bribe from a car on his left and a car on his right at the same time.

The photographer, however, does not blame the officers for their actions, instead holding the Ministry of Interior responsible for making them resort to taking bribes.

When contacted by Daily News Egypt, officials at the Ministry of Interior said that there is no official response to the article or the incident yet.

The videos come a month after the new traffic law went into effect. The law has been criticized for its high fines and stringent punishment, which for certain violations equals jail time. Critics say the law will increase corruption and bribery as drivers attempt to wiggle out of fines by offering officers larger bribes."

WITH A GRAIN OF SALT: THE GOVERNMENT’S FIRST AID KIT
"At a time when the government is threatening motorists with serious penalties for not carrying first aid kits in their cars, according to the new traffic law, the recent Shoura Council fire has proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that the government itself lacks a first aid kit for its own buildings with both their historic and symbolic value."

CAIRO’S RING ROAD: PUBLIC ENEMY NUMBER ONE
"CAIRO: While most university students start their day trying to find friends or heading to their morning class, at the German University in Cairo (GUC), students have a different drill: checking the dreaded notice board near the mosque to see if they will be attending the death prayers of yet another fellow student caught in a car accident on his way to college.

The Ring Road leading to the complexes where GUC and several other university campuses are located has become a death trap, claiming the lives of dozens of college students each year."




Buddy Holly Live in New York With Peggy Sue 1959

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