It's better to burn out, than to fade away
 

Goodnight, Sammy the Samurai. You were a faithful companion and sidekick.

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http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1220666178.jpg

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1220666188.jpg

Looks like I need a new steed.

Story at 11?

Is that a barbecue lighter fluid bottle in the foreground in Pic #1?

empty fire extinguisher!

In retrospect, shoulda shelled out another $25 for the next size up

What the hell happened?
Steve

if it were really a samurai, it would be upside down and on fire.

Do you have a permit for that bonfire?

Ignition switch was acting funny. Even once the engine was running, I could hear the starter was still engaged. Tried shutting it off, but the switch wasn't working.

Tried stalling it in gear, but in 4wd low, couldn't stop it, so I drove it against a tree and got out. The starter was still turning over, straining, against the tree.

I went to the garage to get a wrench to disconnect the battery... but by then the ignition switch wiring was on fire, and the rest of the wiring was catching.

Emptied the extinguisher into it, the tried smothering it. Ran to my neighbor's for another extinguisher, but he wasn't home. By then I knew it was a goner. Called 911 as I tried dousing it with my garden house. Gave up and started snapping pictures

Just glad it wasn't closer to the house!

Welcome to the club.

Do what I did when my car caught on fire, buy a 951.

In fact, you should buy the very same 951 I did. ;)

damn!!!

ha ha, will it take a 6' plow? I was actually just about to drop $800 for an electic over hydraulic plow.

Maybe I'll get a Pinto, or a VW westfalia with a gas geater and old fuel lines

But is the starter still engaged and running?

THAT is funny!!!

LOL!

Ha ha, no.... even when it was catching fire, it was chugging away against that tree until I found a 13mm wrech to disconnect the battery

$50 says that with a few jumper wires, I can have it running again in 15 minutes. I'll need a steering wheel of some sort.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1220671119.jpg

It was not a nice truck, but it was a good little truck. Never, ever let me down. Never. Musty, gusty and rusty.

For every hour of work I put into it, I got a solid 4 hours of beating the bejeezuz out of it. Despite all the outright abuse, every year I'd only have to dump $100-$200 to get it past inspection.

Cripes he was a great little guy... best $400 I ever misspent.

Wasn't it you that just tore the tailgate off last weekend?

YES! Lol, memories.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1219627283.jpg

And you wonder why it just spontaneously went up...

Yes, yes it will:

http://www.968.net/modifications/snowplow.htm

It committed suicide

it went up because the ignition switch shorted out, and I couldn't kill the juice in time to save it. Kinda hard to predict that.

It's given me 4 years of steady, hard work. As ugly as it is and as much as I abuse it, I have kept it in tip-top mechanical shape. Brand new brakes, exhaust, shocks. A set of extended steel fenders that I welded up 2 weeks ago. Just bought a set of 31" tires, and have a VW 1.9 turbodiesel on an engine stand that I *just* finished rebuilding a week ago.

Furthermore, I was going to pull my sailboat out of the water tomorrow before we get the arse end of Hanna... but now I don't know what the hell I'll do.

Plus, I have no hair on my arms.

So, as funny as it is (and yes, I know it is), it's still a bit of a pisser.

Did you Throw a wiener on a stick and run right back out to cook some dinner?

I raise my drink to say goodbye to your faithful rig.

You've been drinking too much! :p It was joke....Ya know, ya tore the tailgate off....

hmm... there's a guy just down the road with a "project" 928...

It was pretty stinky! I had never seen a car burn before, so I was amazed at how FAST it was completely engulfed. After calling 911, it was a *long* 4 minutes.

First guy who arrived was a firefighter who lives right around the corner. He was headed to his shift and heard the call, so turned around and was first on the scene. Because he was in his car, I didn't even notice him pull up, I just saw a firefighter walking up my driveway.

"Hi," he said

"You forgot your ####ing truck!!!" I replied.

he laughed. nice enough guy

ha ha true, I am half sauced and too touchy... sorry

I actually ended up welding the tailgate back on while I waited for the new hinges to arrive.

I was thinking of foregoing the tailgate altogether, and making it into a little pickup. Now that the cap is burned off, I can see it would've looked pretty good!

first date:
http://www.jakepalmeristheman.com/s/suzuki.JPG

a few weeks ago
http://www.jakepalmeristheman.com/up...ont-700515.JPG

I'm thinking a 4 dr Sidekick/Tracker as a replacement. I can reuse my VW diesel swap stuff

Those catch fire too.

Ask me how I know.

Well, pick a nice spot under a tree, pull out the backhoe, and give him a proper burial :(.

Samurai sepuku.

"You forgot your ####ing truck!!!" I replied

We need something like ESPN Sportscenter plays of the day where everyone can nominate a line that made them laugh out loud each day/week/month...whatever.

Rest In Peace little workhorse.

Those things are great. They don't make enough power to break stuff, and have a 4 low that is actually low enough that a lawn mower engine would be enough power for the Rubicon trail. They fit just about everywhere, and light enough to "float" on top, and not get stuck. With 31's it will either go anywhere, or be on it's roof in no time, hell, maybe both!

A diesel swap would be kick ass! I'd love to have a Cummins 4bt in my Cherokee, but the old Jeep just isn't worth it. I keep it because it's rude, crude, and socially unacceptable.

Kinda like Sammie...................

Ha!

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Thats crazy Jake

Jake, it comitted suicide. It just couldn't handle any more of your abuse! :D

It's always useful to get a camera on hand...hey Jake...!???

Oh once the dash was completely engulfed, I knew I wouldn't be able to save it. I put down my garden hose and fetched my camera.

Now I have to find a suitable replacement

criteria:
- cheap (<2k)
- 4x4
- solid but ugly
- Must either BE a diesel, or be easy to do a diesel swap.

There are a couple lwb Samurais around, but they are pretty far gone and are ~2k. For that kind of money, I could get a 4dr sidekick/tracker. Heck, I could even get an abused 4runner. Either one of those will take a vw turbodiesel pretty easily, although the 4runner would be a bit heavy for a 1.9td.

Then there is the canadian military Iltis, made by bombardier with VW engines. I could bolt my turbodiesel into one of these in an afternoon:
http://www.militarytrucks.ca/images/...rman_front.jpg
They have locking front & rear diffs, and are pretty neat little vehicles.

Downside is they are 3-4k, and they don't look very cozy for driving to work in january. Plus, they don't have much cargo space

C'mon. Live on the wild side. Bet you'll be the only one on the block with one of these...
http://www.ssip.net/upload/lamborghi...ront-1_149.jpg

Funniest thread I've read in a long time... thanks for posting the pix and having such a good sense of humor, NFN... thanks to everyone else, too.

LOL @ Jim's "do you have a permit for that bonfire."

Get the Iltis - it has racing heritage!! 1980 Dakar rally winner.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...OASISILTIS.jpg

I love the sound of a v12, but holy hot damn those things are ugly!

ha, thanks. I'm just glad my house was fine. Yesterday I added up all my bills for the Suzuki, and I had a grand total of $2200 tied up in it. Not bad for 4 years of driving!

I actually stopped by to see an iltis after work yesterday. It misses the mark on a few criteria:
- no cargo area. Even my samurai could swallow a dresser or a decent load for the dump. I'd always need to use a trailer with an Iltis
- no roof. Realistically, I'd have to make some sort of hardtop for the winter. That would be more of a project than I'd be up for
- can't plow. they just aren't robust enough to take a snow plow

Plus, they seem to start at about 3-4k. That's more than I want to spend on something that would essentially be a novelty. If they could be had for a grand or two, maybe. But anything that requires a trip to the bank has to meet all my criteria.

In the meantime, I think I've fallen in love!
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Mine burned for 3 minutes. That was long enough to get the whole engine compartment and (as Speedy later found out) crack the intake manifold. Another minute and it would have all been gone.

yes I learned two really big lessons on Friday:
- Once started, cars burn FAST
- My garage fire extinguisher was inadequate. Lucky I only lost the samurai to that lesson, not the house + garage.