So about a month ago Teby tells me that he has to take his Speedster to Pat Downs to re-tune his engine and that he (Teby) had asked PD to fix my carburetor issue. Teby is always a little giddy at lunch when we're done driving and he blames it on the thick smell of gas coming out of my exhaust. I asked why PD would offer to do that since he's such a busy guy and all. Teby responded, "Because I asked him to and he likes you.". Teby said it'd be a couple weeks but to keep a Saturday open. And in typical Teby fashion he said PD said my car would run 40% better with a noticeable increase in horsepower. I doubted the optimistic numbers but agreed to go. Why not? PD was going to work his magic on MY car. Who wouldn't want that?
So I got up at 0530 hours Saturday and got bundled up for the drive because it was 40 degrees out and I wasn't putting the top up for a 45 minute drive. I text Teby at 0630 hours and said I was headed to our predetermined meet location. Teby text back that I was leaving too early but in reality my text message woke him up. I headed to his house instead. Teby didn't have his Speedster there so I asked what was up. He said carb tuning was going to take longer than originally thought so he would tune his car later.
We leave for Pat's house and I could not have been warmer than if I had been in Teby's car blasting the heater. Of course I could barely move but it was a nice drive. I backed the car into PD's driveway and waited as the garage door opened. There in the garage was PD's famous blue and yellow VW that he set the world record with. Pretty impressive to say the least. Teby leads me into the garage so Pat could explain the process. Pat starts to tell me what we're going to do then hands me a Dellorto 36 DRLA with a matching one on the workbench. Then Teby tells me that he and Anand wanted to do something special for me and decided to buy me a set of Dells and asked Pat put them on the car.
Needless to say I was shocked and a bit overwhelmed. I'm not the most emotional guy in the world and while my initial reaction may have been a bit under-rated I was stunned. I've always been a giver, never a taker, I help others move but never ask for help moving, I build other people fences then build my own, and so on. It's always been that way with me. I bought my Speedster because I always wanted one. I'd hope to meet some cool guys and gals in the process, go on drives, and maybe share a beer or two. What I got was so much more than I ever expected. I got some real friends out of this little hobby.
The generosity Teby, Anand, and Pat have shown me is unbelievable and very thoughtful. I keep trying to wrap my head around this and part of me is trying to figure out what I'm going to do to pay them back. But Teby keeps telling me what I've done for him and Anand is WHY they did it and not so they can get something else in return. I still don't know what to say. Teby wanted me to shed some tears and in all honesty that last line I wrote made me realize what great friends we've become and my eyes have watered a bit. So there you go Teby.
The new, or should I say, Pat Downs rebuilt Dells are awesome. It took Pat, Teby, and I only a few hours to swap out the carbs and a few minutes for PD to tune them and we were off and running. The car doesn't slow up to speed it speeds off to speed. The acceleration always seemed a little sluggish but I didn't have anything to compare it to. Now when you press the accelerator the car takes off as fast as a 1915cc can take off. The car idles smoother and has a much better note to it. The new linkage is amazing and adjustable not like my old one. I feel like a kid at Christmas with my new Dells.
Thank you Teby, Anand, and Pat Downs for your friendship and your generosity.
