It is a sad day, my crazy old neighbor has turned me in to DeKalb zoning. A zoning officer left a note on my door telling me that I can not have any "inoperable" vehicles.
I have 2 beetles, the first one is ugly but runs. The second beetle does not have an engine, the front two fenders are removed and the windows are removed. The car is painted blue and used to be a very nice car. It is under a tarp because it has no windows.
I live in a middle class neighborhood where I see many "inoperable" vehicles.
Do you guys know where I can pick up a cheap pre-owned engine so I can show the zoning officer a running car? I can put the front fenders and windows in but I am lacking a engine.
I seriously need some of those "pimp my ride" guys.
Maybe if you just put the glass in and the fenders on and kept the decklid closed and took the tarp off of it, that would be enough for them to quit bothering you. That might make your neighbor happy enough, anyway. Do you have to prove that the vehicle runs now that you've gotten the notice from the cop? Or is it just a warning? If it's just a warning I'd put the glass and fenders back in/on and remove the tarp and try to "pretend." If you have to prove it runs then put the glass and fenders on, then tow it to a buddy's house with your running VW, swap the engine out of your running VW into the non-running one, then drive the now-running one back to your house and show them it runs. Once they're convinced, pull the engine out of the VW in question (stealthily...so the neighbors don't see) and get a friend with a truck to bring the engine with you to the other VW and install it there and drive it home. And keep the decklid CLOSED and the tarp off of the once-again-non-running VW. :-)
On 24 Mar 2005 15:10:38 -0800, snipped-for-privacy@gmail.com scribbled this interesting note:
Give your neighbor something he can't complain about but really wants to. Make your cars legal. Stay stricely within the rules. Make at least one of them as ugly, noisy, unattractive, smokey, etc. as you can. Keep it parked in a spot sure to be noticed. Drive it occasionally. You can pick up a Beetle like this for a couple hundred dollars. Dress it up nice. Stay legal. But make it look like Oscar the Grouch owns and drives it!
-- John Willis (Remove the Primes before e-mailing me)
I don't think the zoning rules are fair. The rule stated that no "major" work can be performed on cars in my area. I think "major" constituted work that can not be completed in 3 days. I don't think that is right.
On 25 Mar 2005 07:58:26 -0800, snipped-for-privacy@gmail.com scribbled this interesting note:
That sounds like Code Enforcement issues. In some places (this may not apply to you) folks have been cited for such "major" violations as changing out spark plugs. I don't remember where I ran across it, but I recently read where such "violations" were found by a court to not exist...that is the work was deemed to not be of a "major" category.
A case could be made that work that can take an experienced mechanic five to ten minutes to perform (removing an acvw engine, for example) is not major. It is entirely different from removing a 350 from some silly Camaro or other such car or truck.
The long and short of the story is, when your Code Enforcement Officers get involved it is usually best to merely satisfy their requirements since if you don't they can and will play hardball. You don't want that. Fix what they are telling you to fix and then play by your rules, just make sure either your rules fall within some legal framework they can't do anything about or you don't get caught again when your rules fall outside that framework. Either way, once you get Code off your back you can pretty much do what you want.
Remember, Code Enforcement is a tool. Use it well and properly and it will do what you want. Besides, without it, your neighbors could all set up shops in their garages and work on their cars and anyone else's cars at all hours of the day and night. Would you really like that? Just put it into perspective, fix the problems, and have a happy day.
-- John Willis (Remove the Primes before e-mailing me)
I live in the Atlanta area too. When I first moved here, I lived with my dad for six months and his neighbors complained too. When I went to buy my own house, I picked one 2 miles further out of town where those rules do not apply.
As for your engine: Go to Pull-A-Part junkyard
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andfind yourself a running one. Its not 100% but with the paying for theguarantee you have 30 days to bring it back until you find one that doesrun. I have bought several running engines there for about $140 total. Theengine is $106 but there is a core charge if you are not exchanging a deadengine in return.
To the guy that said find yourself a running beetle for $300. They are not available at that price in this area.
On Sun, 27 Mar 2005 10:32:30 -0500, "Funkie" scribbled this interesting note:
See the post about Scott and I delivering a couple of Beetles yesterday. The cars we delivered are not, strictly speaking, running at the moment (and one is only good as a parts car as the body is more rust than metal, but it is complete, with engine as well) but with two whole cars to work with, someone who is handy ought to be able to make a running engine out of the parts available in under a day or two. It wouldn't be pretty, but it would run. If the original poster is agreeable, he could drive out here to Garland, Texas and we would fix him up with a 1971 SuperBeetle Autostick, complete (engine currently non-running) for $500.00. We won't deliver this one as Scott and I are both a bit tired at the moment from the 700 miles we drove yesterday. And as anyone with a bad back will understand, sitting for that amount of time is hardest on a bad lower back. Scott is in a fair amount of pain today as a result of yesterday's little excursion.
Running Beetles for $300 may not be easily found where you are, but they can be found. It takes a little searching and looking under rocks and in barns, but they do exist. I've found a fair number of running Beetles in that price range (one was even a complete convertible,
1969, that is now a show winner, thanks to the person I eventually sold it to!:~)
As for the Code problems, again, you need to do what you need to do to satisfy the inspector, and then think about how you play the game. With a little thought and planning, you can do whatever you like, Codes or no Codes-it merely takes a little imagination. Kind of like the form of the sonnett, within the rules of the game you can do whatever you like...
-- John Willis (Remove the Primes before e-mailing me)
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