Justin,
Now that's a story!!!!
Andy
-----Original Message-----
From: owner-triumphs@autox.team.net
[mailto:owner-triumphs@autox.team.net]On Behalf Of jmwagner
Sent: Friday, February 04, 2000 5:39 PM
To: Triumph Newsgroup
Subject: Triumph Break Downs
I don't know if I shared this one before... but in the late 80's I was
driving my Triumph TR 7 from Dallas, Texas to Sarasota, Florida...
My 7 had always been an extremely reliable car... unlike my prior 4A
(though, in time, I sold the TR 7, and my current driver 4A is also
extremely reliable)...
It was a straight through drive... no stops planned except for
gasoline...
Suddenly... the car sputtered to a stop... I had to pull it over in the
first spot I could find...
Imagine this...
It died along the Gulf coast... in Biloxi, Mississippi, mid-day... blue
skies... 'bout 80 degrees... the highway there ran along the beach...
with cars packed along the road... but where my car died... there was
ONE spot available... AND... unlike some other spaces... there was no
parking limitations... (time, loading, etc.)... I was able to coast
right into this one perfect spot...
I got out... and looked to the gulf... beautiful water... sand...
umbrellas... people....
I looked at the TR 7... and quickly found my fuel pump had failed...
It was a one piece after market pump that had replaced the original pump
that had an intregal spacer (that was generally carefree and always
reused)...
I looked across the highway... and there, directly across the street,
was a car parts place..
I walked across the highway... and asked if the guy carried TRiumph
parts... He said no... I figured not...I frowned... but then he said,
"but they do a couple blocks up there..." pointing to the northwest...
I walked a couple blocks... and there was, indeed, a British parts
store!... I went in... asked if he happened to have a TR 7 fuel
pump.... HE DID!!!!
I started to walk away... then realized his pump was factory.... so I
would need the intregal spacer that people normally didn't need, because
it was reuseable...but stupid me, had thrown away when I bought the
after market pump... I asked if he had the spacer...
He shrugged... "no, that's a special order item, people don't usually
need that..." I knew that was what he was going to say... I frowned...
I started to walk away... when he said.... "hey, wait...."
He looked at his special order holding shelf... and said, "Hey, this guy
special ordered one a few weeks ago, but never picked it up!" (There it
was, clearly on the hold shelf with a receipt still sticking out from it
like the other parts he had on hold.)
He said, "Well, if the guy didn't need it by now, I'm sure he can wait a
little longer..."
He sold me the spacer.... I walked back to my car... installed the new
pump... Started the car... looked at my watch, and realized the whole
breakdown had only cost me about 45 minutes. I turned the car off....
grabbed a towel... and laid down on the beach for a while....
One has got to stop and smell the roses once in a while... and it was
odd to find Lucas, Prince of Darkness, reminding me of that
--Justin
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