Re-Inspired

Haven't blogged for awhile. Santa Cruz Bio Diesel went belly-up and I got seriously discouraged by all the bad press bio-fuels have been getting.

But a few things have happened lately that have put me back on track. I received an email that Santa Cruz Bio Diesel has gotten new investments and should be opened again soon!

Also I bought a copy of SVO from Amazon. Trying to get up the nerve to go and talk to some restaurants about their used grease before I spend the $$$ on a conversion kit.

I also discovered a co-worker's husband works for a salvage yard. There may be a new seat or less beat-up hood in my future. Only bad news is the clutch is starting to feel weird. Or is that my poor shifting? Other than that the $1,200 Benz is a rocket ride to the top of Hwy 17.

Tomorrow I'm going surfing in Monterey which is good becasue there is a gas station in Seaside that sells bio-diesel so I can get a tank of that before going back to petrodiesel (for now).

So Far So Good

Since my last post I have made approx 12 trips over highway 17 and some running around town running on bio diesel. The switch was painless enough. Ricks Mercedes in Scotts Valley replaced a few old hoses and that was it. I also got four new tires and they want to do some front end work. Or, Rick says I can get two new tires when I wear the front ones out and move the back tires to the front. The power over the hill seems fine and the car is really nice to drive.

I have been fueling up at Pacific BioFuel. It's costing about $42 a week for gas.



NEWS:

Check out the biodiesel article in Fast Company

Our First Bio Diesel Meet Up Group is at Borders in Los Gatos on the 8th at 6:30PM

Later

<Off and Running>

Biodiesel,Mercedes

Completely disregarding my fathers advice (nothing new there.... was that desperation or pleading I heard in his voice?) I bought a 1983 diesel Mercedes. WooHoo! (Dad's a fine one to talk about dragging home old cars anyway).

I have been driving it for 2 days now and it seems to be in good working order. I thought the turn signal was broken, but when I rolled up the window they started working again. Also, it's a bit louder and not as nice as my 02 Subaru... but I see a lot of potential.

It's a four speed standard transmission sedan, needs some body work, but not a total eyesore. I paid $1,200 for it, its got 165,000 miles. Kate hasn't left me (yet) but I have noticed her sinking down in her seat when we drive through town.

I have formed a three-phase plan to boycott the evil oil industry and make a (loud) statement about prioritizing the environment.

Phase one. I can buy Biodiesel out of a pump at a service station in Santa Cruz. This will require only minor modifications to the car: I have to replace the fuel filter, biodiesel is a solvent and a lot of gunk comes out through the lines. Also I hear there is a good chance all the rubber hoses will melt.

Phase two will be to fix some dents, get new tires, repair a tare in the seat and maybe even a paint job. Also who knows what kind of mechanical issues I may run into.

Phase three is where the fun really begins. This is where I find a restaurant and start filtering their WVO (waste veggie oil). This will require a 55 gallon drum of used fryer grease in my garage and a spare, heated, tank in my trunk. Obviously, a much higher level of commitment. We'll see if I get that far. If I do, I'm planning on flying cousin Bill out for an all expenses paid trip to help me install the system. I haven't asked Bill yet, but I know he's a sucker for this type of thing.