She's going to touch-a touch-a touch me !!!!

 

Whatever happened to your red truck?

 

That was a 1979 Toyota truck I purchased in late 1986 after the engine case on my 1970 VW cracked on a trip to California mid-summer; it happened to be 15 minutes after future-Mrs. Cusser took her turn driving, and we pulled over to the side of Interstate 10 near Indio. All the oil had leaked out, I added 1 quart and could see it pouring out the front of the engine near the transmission. Was not her fault at all, it was an 1835cc engine from back in 1976, and shops machined the cases larger differently back then; we rented a Toyota sedan and finished our vacation. I couldn't figure out how to attach a tow ball to that Toyota without getting caught to drag it back on the return, so a week later I borrowed a co-worker's old Ford truck, bought a tow bar for $25, and drove 300 miles to Indio to fetch it. Post-mortem confirmed engine case crack, caused the metal camshaft plug to fall out.

So while deciding what to do with the VW engine, bought the 1979 Toyota truck for $1550, 4-cylinder, 5-speed, bench seat. We took that truck on our honeymoon to Tucson; when my second kid was a toddler in 1992, a co-worker helped me heat its gear shift to bend it so my two kids could both fit in without my youngest kicking the gear shift. In August 1994, my youngest was able to scramble into a rear-mounted toddler seat by herself, so sold the Toyota truck and bought my 1988 B2200 Cab Plus; all I needed for my daughter was to reach back to latch the seat belt.

So still have the 1970 VW, the Toyota truck has been the only vehicle of my own that I've sold.

And I never considered her as looking like Susan Sarandon....but others have mentioned a resemblance....

 

Martha Sarandon -- Susan's lost twin sister.