25 Oct 08 17:32, Roger Nelson wrote to Roy Witt:


 RW>> I think the last year they were built is 2004. That is for use here
 RW>> in the states. I hear that they're still available in japan.

 RN> Not going there.  (-:

I don't blame you...it's crowded there. :o)

 RW>> The R&P is lubricated with ATF if you have power steering. The ball
 RW>> joints are a seperate item that is lubed at the factory for life
 RW>> (the life of the lube job).

 RN> It does, but I wonder if it can be gotten to easily.

Yes, if you have a hoist.

 RN> I don't bend as good as I used to.  I knew about the ball joints, but
 RN> the tie rod ends can be lubed.

Some cars in that era had removable plugs for that, but I don't know about
your Lincoln.

 RW>> Yeup. Back in the 80s, when I was looking for something to do
 RW>> besides work for someone else, Nancy suggested that since I'm so
 RW>> handy at fixing things, I go into business repairing appliances.

 RN> That is always a consideration, but as you noted below, the labor
 RN> would far outweigh the replacement.

Not to mention that a lot of appliances are designed for disposal, rather
than repair (no parts sold to repair them).

 RW>> I gave it a few seconds of thought and concluded that nobody would
 RW>> pay $200 to repair a $40 appliance and so I bought a machine shop
 RW>> instead.

 RN> There are some who wouldn't care because they can afford it.

If I had both a appliance repair and a machine shop, I could manufacture
parts that aren't available. I've done that a few times. The Ford T-birds
of the 80s and 90s had a special idle control valve that was controlled
by a small electric motor. When they failed, they only cost $900 from the
dealer. I made parts (brush holders usually failed) to make them work
again.

 RN>  Just like the replacement cost of my electric shaver's cutting bar
 RN> and head, a matched set, is almost as expensive as replacing them
 RN> with a brand new electric shaver of the same model.

In that case, it's always cost affective to replace, rather than repair.
Other parts wear out too and repairing one thing may shorten the life of
parts already on their last leg.

 RW>> I could have done that too, had I the cash to pay for it.

 RN> They swipe my card in the office and set the pump to what I want.

A waste of time for me. I need to pump gas and not have to bother walking
into the store (although that is what they desire).

 RW>> I've run into that in California too. Those are the same people who
 RW>> don't know how to count your change back to you. Which is a lost art
 RW>> among even the boomer generation.

 RN> Some registeroperators at buffet restaurants I go to have a
 RN> calculator at the ready for something as simple as 4x10.  Before they
 RN> punch in the first digit, I give them the answer, but they check me
 RN> anyway.  (-:

Ten gallons at $2.109/gal - just move the decimal point to the right one
digit. $21.09 total. How hard is that? Of course, if you told them you
wanted 11 gallons, that's a different story. ;o)

 RW>> I was told that there's a station down by I-10, near Cibolo, TX that
 RW>> is at $1.98/gal. I havn't confirmed it yet, but this morning the
 RW>> Texaco I use to estimate gas prices all over town was at $2.24.
 RW>> Somewhere it's at least 6 cents less than that, or will be later
 RW>> today.

 RN> In a post here yesterday, I noted a place in Texas where regular gas
 RN> is below $2.

WOAI, AM-1200 in San Antonio announces the cheapest gas in SA every day.
Today they announced it at "$2.23/gal in SA, but it's $1.98/gal in
Cibolo." Meanwhile, I paid #2.059 in New Braunfels this morning,

                R\%/itt



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