Paper or Plastic

For the past month, I've been tearing apart the old pancake / flat4 / type4 engine and cataloging spare parts. These have then been getting sold through theSamba and craigslist. I forget just how much time this takes. Everyone has a different question, and between bathroom scaling things and running shipping quotes on FedEx.com, I haven't had any time to do anything else. On the up-side, I've made close to $300 in parts, and I still have most of my engine in tact. I hoped to get enough from these parts to cover the timing-belt work that I'll be doing in a couple of weeks. That price tag is close to $600. If things keep going like this, I'll have most of that paid for by sacrificing the old engine... part by part.

So, what's with the title? I've discovered that everyone likes using plastic, or the 'net version of plastic: PayPal. I've had an account for years, but I hadn't really used it that much. For things like selling over the net, it works great. I wish more folks had accounts though, because when a buyer uses their credit card, I have to pay a 2% fee. Boo. Ah well, the money is immediately transferred to my account and I can hit the ATM and its magically paper money. It works out very well for everyone, actually, and I can use my paypal account to pay for things on the net without having to share my credit info.

Anyway, the fuel tank insides finished out very nicely. I still need to paint the outside, and finish the cleaning on the tank bay. And I have to sound insulate that area before getting the tank in. Oh, yeah, I have to buy a new hose for filling the tank as the old one was the original. The list just keeps getting longer, but this is still fun stuff. Once I get some of the Spring house stuff done (spreading mulch, starting the vegetable garden, etc), I'll be back under the bus, cleaning and insulating. I'll post some pictures when its done. I still believe the bus can be Diesel powered by Independence Day. It may be more hopeful than reasonable, but we'll see.

more later...