Silver Beatle - She's now with an old friend!

[planovet]

I had just paid off the note on it last month.

Sounds like the warranty on the force field expired when you paid it off.

Seriously, I'm glad the two of you are not hurt. Metal can be replaced but flesh not so much. Stay safe.

[S. Heisley]

That's a darn shame! At least the two of you are okay and that's a plus! Things and thing parts can be replaced but people and 'people parts', not so much. Good luck in your new tow vehicle search.

Just to put things into even more of a perspective, aren't you glad you weren't towing your beautiful teardrop?!!

[CliffinGA]

Tom glad your both alright, wehicles can be replaced but people can't be!! In icey conditions it doesn't matter what your doing, its always dangerous. Good luck on the TV search.

Cliff

[oklahomajewel]

Yikes !!!! So glad you are both safe, and I'm sure this puts a damper on your td build , but BB is in 7 weeks and you need to the Beetle campable and maybe someone here in the area has a tow vehicle you could borrow for the weekend? Just a thought !

Happy you didn't get hurt worse!!! Be careful in that kind of weather!

the Jewel

[Miriam C.]

Very sorry to hear of you loss. Take your time looking for a new TV. There are a lot bad used cars out there. Even the new ones are iffy....

btw transmissions are cheaper than new cars.... Good luck!

[Larry C]

Tom,
It's good to hear you are uninjured. I hope you find a suitable replacement vehicle soon.
You will probably always wonder what caused your mishap. Having driven in snow conditions all my life, let me offer a few possibilities. Some snow conditions are especially treacherous.

If the snow started as rain or sleet it can create an ice layer under the snow. You have no way of knowing what is actually under the snow covered roads.

Front wheel drive vehicles can act strangely on ice/snow, especially when decelerating even slightly when encountering icy conditions. If you let off the gas on a slight curve or slight downhill, it transfers the weight forward, and lightens the already light rear end, which can break loose.

Also, if you hit an icy patch even with a steady throttle, you can break traction instantly and spin out before you can react.

Another consideration is tires, I assume you use summer tires (all season) in Texas. After the sharp square edges of the treads are rounded they loose their bite on snow. If your tires have more than 10,000 miles, they loose that "new tire" bite.

Driving in snow/ice conditions is always crap shoot, even for snow experienced drivers, that's why I have held off buying a new vehicle after selling my truck. I am glad I did as we have already received more snow this season than we do in a normal complete season (120 inches).

In the NE, we tend to seek out big old sacrificial vehicles to drive in the winter. They are called "Winter Rats" We try to keep our good rides in a garage till spring. However, these are not usually the safest cars on the road.

Good luck finding a new car.

Larry C

[vetjeb]

Sorry to hear about the accident. We had 22" of snow as the snow came north. Great build!!! I'm still collecting materials but have some templates ready to go. Once winter breaks a little I'm going full steam ahead. John

[aggie79]

Even though we have nothing to tow it with now, I am pressing ahead on the Silver Beatle construction. The Beavers Bend outing in March is my completion goal.

The critical path is to get the electrical system further along. First, I installed the electrical inlet. After drilling holes for the screws and applying sealant, the inlet was in place.



The charger/converter will be in the upper left galley cabinet. So, the next task was to get busy making cabinet parts. I made the two face frames for the upper galley cabinets and then started on the cases.



Here is a picture of the left side galley cabinet. Actually, it hasn't been assembled yet. This just shows the parts mocked up in place. The plywood edges will get oak banding trim, and the converter will be flush mounted to the face frame.



This picture shows both upper galley cabinets mocked up in place. The right side cabinet will have a cabinet door.



With time running out for this weekend, the last thing I did was build the cases for the lower galley cabinets.



Take care and thanks for looking,
Tom

[S. Heisley]

Yay! Tom! But then, your work is always beautiful. Glad to see you pushing ahead with a positive attitude, even without a Tow Vehicle.

[Cliffmeister2000]

Tom, that's one nice looking crosscut sled!

[aggie79]

:applause: Yay! Tom! But then, your work is always beautiful. Glad to see you pushing ahead with a positive attitude, even without a Tow Vehicle.

Thanks Sharon. My wife has admitted that she's seen a reduction in my stress level when I'm in the garage working on the teardrop. I should know by Tuesday afternoon what the settlement from our insurance company will be.

Tom, that's one nice looking crosscut sled!

Thanks Cliff. It is heavy and was a bear to build and get everything square, but it sure helps with cross-cuts and getting all the pieces the same size.

Tom

[Lookfar]

Sure is looking good Tom. Your time has been well spent.

[starleen2]

any word yet about the "settlement"? Lookin' Good Tom

[aggie79]

any word yet about the "settlement"? Lookin' Good Tom

Scott,
I have to say that we were pleasantly surprised. USAA treated us well. The amount was similar to comparable vehicle prices in Autotrader. We haven't had time to think about our next step.
Take care, Tom

[atahoekid]

I have to say that we were presently surprised. USAA treated us well. The amount was similar to comparable vehicle prices in Autotrader. We haven't had time to think about our next step.
Take care, Tom

If there is one insurance company that would do right by you it is USAA. I have heard many stories about how well they treat their policyholders. Too bad that a lot of us aren't eligible for their services. But then again, they can offer good rates and fine service because of their select clientele.

By the way, that is a great looking build. Hope to see you get it done in time.