Do you want to run your car on biodiesel?

These are your options regarding running your car on biodiesel:

First, know the difference between biodiesel, and SVO/WVO. Biodiesel runs on normal diesel cars (with some hoses changed at most), straight or waste oil needs a converted diesel car.

Biodiesel works in regular diesel engines. It has been processed so it ignites at the same temperature as regular diesel. It is processed from a large variety of plant or animal sources, such as animal fat, soy oil, or waste vegetable oil (wvo) from restaurants.

SVO/WVO means straight vegetable oil (as opposed to biodiesel) or waste vegetable oil. Think of it as "crude oil" or "biodiesel before processing." SVO/WVO runs only on diesel engines that have been "converted". The conversions heat the oil to the right temperature. Many conversions have a system which starts the engine on regular (or bio) diesel, then switches over to a second tank of SVO/WVO.

Here are the options for each type of fuel.

Biodiesel:
1. Get a diesel car (ebaymotors, craigslist, thesamba, etc). Older diesels are more likely to work, late models tend to have fancier systems which may get clogged by biodiesel. Many new models void their warranty if biodiesel is used.

2. Make sure the fuel lines are the right ones. Standard fuel lines will corrode from the biodiesel. Some model diesels already have the correct fuel lines, others need them replaced. Viton fuel lines are one option. Replacing the fuel lines is fairly easy job for any mechanic.

3. Buy biodiesel. You can buy biodiesel (craigslist, ebay, greasecar.com). If you are very lucky, you can actually go to a station and fill up the car (but that's rare), otherwise you find a producer or supplier from which to pick up or maybe get deliveries from.  In that case you'll need storage such as 5 gallon jugs or 55 gallon drums.

4. Or, make biodiesel yourself form SVO/WVO. You'd need to buy or find (from restaurants) vegetable oil and use a processor, which you can make or buy, to clean and chemically convert the oil into biodiesel. This is a more space and time consuming process than just buying the biodiesel, but under the right circumstances you can save a lot of money this way.

WVO/SVO
1. Get a diesel car, either one that can be converted to SVO/WVO. or one that already is.

2. If the car needs conversion, have it converted to SVO/WVO, or do it yourself.

3. Find a source of oil. You can buy bulk straight vegetable oil, or buy or get free waste vegetable oil from restaurants. Waste oil needs to be cleaned, which is not a complicated process, but it's work.

Advantages/Disadvantages to each option

Biodiesel is better for the environment than regular diesel, but not as good as WVO/SVO. The production involves methanol and lye. Its great advantage however is that existing diesel cars can use it (some with the fuel lines switched out, which is cheap). This makes it a very viable fuel for a large number of people, right now! By driving a car with biodiesel, you are modeling a cleaner way to drive that anyone can adopt without much effort.

WVO/SVO as a direct fuel requires modification of a car, and this is somewhat costly (up to $2500). But it is the more environmental option because no chemicals are involved in its production, you are recycling waste oil. Driving an WVO/SVO signifies more of a commitment on your part, but may be too much to ask of the average driver. It's inspiring, but impractical for the majority of people (unless we get large numbers of industrially produced straight oil cars, which isn't likely to happen).

Some links:
SVO vs. Biodiesel
SVO vs. Biodiesel 2
Find biodiesel in your area
biodiesel.org
Convert a diesel to a wvo car (two tank system)
Good Grease
Buy a readymade processor
Build your own processor

Longest trip yet

I had recently driven to Ocala, FL, about 40 minutes each way, and the car held up well. Last time I drove that distance one of the tires popped. And the last time I drove to Ocala, the fuel lines popped. It felt like it was a taboo to go beyond a certain distance. Yesterday, in order to be able to stock up on bio, I drove to Williston, FL, to buy two more 55 gallon drums in Williston, which is about 40 minutes away. This drive also served the purpose of testing then car once more.

Today I drove all the way to Jacksonville airport, a two hour drive, the longest trip yet, and I had not problems. This drive completes a certain circle: when the car was originally shipped from California, it arrived in Jacksonville and I had the choice of driving it home myself. I was tempted to do it, because it would save money and I'd get to test the car. In hindsight, I am so glad I didn't because it didn't even start and had a very long list of hidden problems which I would have had to discover on the highway, barely knowing how to drive stick. Now I have driven that road for real without problems, giving me a dose of confidence for perhaps a longer trip in the future.

This test also confirms that the car's purpose of "a second car" is now confirmed. I can always it take to the airport on short travels, as long as the parking cost is less than a two day car rental cost. Today's trip plus the return trip cost about 10 dollars in gas, and 40 dollars in parking. A rental car would have cost about $60 in rental cost and about 20 in gas. Add to this the convenience of not having to rent the car using a second car, return it, etc. The truck is starting to pay for itself, especially because of the fuel efficiency.

At the jacksonville airport after a smooth ride.

Why biodiesel?

The reason I chose biodiesel as an alternative fuel is that it can be used immediately: one doesn't need to be a serious hobbyist or car expert. It is much better than regular fossil fuels in terms of carbon use and emissions, and provides enormous flexibility of sourcing. It is not "the solution" to the energy question. In fact, what makes it appealing at the moment, is that it isn't burdened with being the only, or ultimate, solution. If everyone, overnight, chose biodiesel as their fuel, it would be a disaster. But as a smaller scale, temporary solution it is ideal.

Now is the time for biodiesel. It is a realistic, less polluting option, while humanity comes up with cleaner solutions. It really doesn't make sense to drive around wasting valuable petroleum, and contributing to you-know-what until a "magic bullet" is found. "The solution" is a path of intermediate, imperfect but improving adoptions. Moderation and innovation are what's needed, not bickering over perfection.

Here are biodiesel's advantages over many of the other alternative energy sources for automobiles.

Regular diesel cars can use biodiesel right now. They are commonly available as new and used models, unlike battery driven, hydrogen, compressed air or compressed gas cars. Gas/electric hybrids are now very available, but used ones are scarce and have the hybrid battery expiration problem (replacing a hybrid battery is expensive). New cars are often cleaner overall, but making a whole new car is very polluting. Diesel encourages buying or using older cars. Also, large commerical trucks, which use an enormous amount of fuel per mile because they require more strength to pull their weights, are very compatible with biodiesel. The "reduce, reuse, recycle" paradigm fits biodiesel more than any other alternative at this moment.

Biodiesel is very flexible. Ethanol, which is also very flexible in terms of sources, is a great option in that it works with many regular gas cars, but then one relies on regular gas engines, which are less efficient than diesel. Ethanol, too, can be produced from a variety of sources, but not from as many as biodiesel.  A diesel car can use biodiesel AND always has the option of being converted to a SVO/WVO, which in turn does not exclude using biodiesel or regular diesel as a backup. Biodiesel protects a car's backwards and forwards compatibility.

Biodiesel is non-toxic (well, just a little) and not explosive (at normal temperatures). If regional or occasional scarcity is a problem, carrying around containers of biodiesel in the car itself is a relatively safe option. Having larger amounts of it on your property does not involve significant hazards. There are no fumes, nor risks of sudden explosions. This "harmlessness" is actually very important, because it means that ordinary people can experiment with committing their car to biodiesel without fear.

Most importantly, biodiesel is a more democratic source of energy, because it can be produced from so many types of feedstocks or waste oils, and be produced by so many non-corporate elements of the population. It can be "home brewed" and even "home grown"(meaning the oils themselves are produced from seeds, grasses, algea, etc.)  In this regard, it resembles solar and wind energy, which can be produced privately, and distributed back into the market. With biodiesel/SVO/WVO/homegrown fuel there is the potential of a large number of people producing themselves and competing with larger conglomerates, undermining their monopoly. Ethanol and hydrogen are not democratic, they rely completely on a corporate elite of expertise and capital, not to mention on troubling government subsidies. Electric and plug-in hybrid cars also have the democratic sourcing potential, when individuals use solar, wind, or thermal energy to charge their cars,  but the car models aren't very common yet (although I expect this path to be the ultimate winner). The ideal car for the next 5-10 years, which no one seems to be producing yet, would be a biodiesel compatible, plug-in hybrid. Biodiesel and electricity would in such a case exponentially multiply each other's flexibility.

The flat tire

Since I first got the Rabbit pickup, I was unhappy with its hard, bumpy ride. Some shocks were replaced early on by my mechanic, but that didn't improve things noticeably. All the mechanics I talked to said that different shocks wouldn't really help, and that softer shocks would make the car less tolerant for heavy loads. Still, I see other pickups, which can take a lot of weight, have a very smooth ride. I still suspect that some kind of luxurious shocks should be able to improve the situation - we'll see.

As a possible alternative to replacing the shocks, I've been looking into replacing the tires. Today, having the additional motivation of prescience concerning an impending flat tire, I went to Town Tire, which has always been very helpful with advice, and good service, to ask about replacing the tires with more plush ones. They said the tires look like they're still relatively new, from 08, and that they don't recommend changing them. I appreciated the honesty. One of the tires has been losing air, though, so I said I would return soon for a diagnostic, and also regarding the question of changing the shocks. My urge was just to change the tires right there and then, for safety's sake. I should have listened to my instincts.

My wife needed me to pick up an antique bathtub in a nearby town, so I drove with the pickup towards High Springs, FL. For the first time, I drove the car on the highway. I didn't try to go past 65 mph, not wanting to push my luck. I hit some kind of object on the way -  it felt like a rock or piece of metal bounced off the bottom of the car. I decided not to take it too seriously, and the the car didn't seem to be affected by it. But, deep down it did spark some anxiety. My ride on the highway was only about 15 minutes, but soon I was glad to exit alive.

Just as I came off the exit ramp, wondering why that experiment turned out so well, a woman in a car told me my right rear tire was very low. I pulled over into a gas station. The tire was completely out of air. I added air and it just blew out of an 1/8 inch hole. I guess today is my flat tire lesson from the internship on wheels.

I called the nearby City Boys Tires and Brakes and they said they'd be available for another 20 minutes. This time table added stress to the situation. Some guy in a pickup truck yelled: "Kickass pickup!". That cheered me up a little (I chose to believe he wasn't messing with me). Inside the gas station store I got advice on some products that fix tires. A jovial, bearded man recommended this tire fix product which involves a thick, needle-like object and sticky rubber strips, as well as the tire foam solution, which he said is very effective and easy to apply. I tried the tire fix option first, but was too anxious to get it to work. The instructions didn't make any sense to me, although I understand it in principle. Then I just screwed in the foam can into the tire valve and it blew up the tire, while coating the inside. I was very impressed. I will from now on always carry one of those in the truck bed box.

I hastily made it to the tire place and the tire actually held up. I considered just driving onwards, but sensed that this might not be safe. I had no appointment, so waited a while to have the tire looked at. A guy came out and asked "What's Biodiesel?". I explained briefly. He seemed giddy at the sight of the car.

Recently some cable dropped out from under the dash, which disconnected the glow plug and the radio and iphone charger. I hadn't really cared before, but today I was very dependent on my phone since I needed directions to the place for picking up the tub, and my family was going out to dinner and I needed to stay in touch. My phone was losing battery already. I asked him to have a quick look at the cable, and he immediately found the right place to plug it back in. Then he drove the car into the shop.

After some waiting and planning the next steps of the day, I was told the tire was too blown out to repair and that they didn't have any replacements. They did notice the spare under the car, but that had dry rot and wasn't usable. Also, some of the bolts were too long to attach the spare tire anyway. This meant I was stuck there. I looked into taking a cab home, but that was going to be over $90. I called my wife arranged her picking me up after the dinner and paying for the tub in High Springs, just to ensure the sale. All in all, it was a strange day, but I always enjoy being out in the country and having a good topic with people.

Lessons learned:
I now know what's meant by dry rot. Always carry a quick tire fix, such as a tire foam can. Know the real age of your tires and carry a functioning spare that fits the bolts, plus the tools to change it. Practice changing a tire before you need to. Have a backup charging solution for the phone: flat tire = no transportation = phone is the most important object.

Building a home fueling station

Today I finished the long planned improvement of my fueling station. Originally I just used 5 gallon "cubies" to pour directly in the tank (maybe that's what caused the eventual "obstruction" in it.) That system was very annoying because holding the fuel containers for that long caused cramping in my hands and my back.

Then I bought a used 55 gallon drum, built a solid shelf for it out of 4x4 wood planks so it could "gravity feed" into the car using water tubes and a water gun normally used for lawn care. Those hoses and fitting quickly deteriorated due to the biodiesel.

I got more concerned about the cleanliness of the fuel and the convenience of the fueling so I added a fuel gun and fuel filter to the line. But the fuel line is too long (12 feet) and constantly sags. I tried having it cut, but no one was able to do it. Adding fuel to the drum never really worked well. I tried using a "drill pump" and ingenious little device that attaches to a regular electric drill and suctions fuel from one place to another, but it takes a while and doesn't work well with hoses that fold easily.

I remembered seeing images of people's setups with the drums on the ground, vertically, with a pump on top. I started looking into electric pumps, but the 120 V versions are too expensive, and the 12volt versions all use car starter cables and don't have a "bung" (the pipe that runs from the pump to the bottom of the drum). Online, it seemed most people were using hand pumps. These pumps are not expensive, and it looks like they are one of those classic designs that has long lost its copyright protections, so there are many versions. A design like that will probably work very well having proved itself over the decades. Many come in red, which happens to match the fuel tank nicely, as if they were a single unit. At Amazon, which had the most choices and the same prices as Northern Tool, and better prices than Tractor Trailer Supply, I chose the "Advanced Tool Design Model ATD-5009 Rotary Barrel Pump with Telescoping Pipe"  although I think most of the others would have been fine as well.

I thought I was getting an outlet with a threaded end, but it was just thickened a bit, so I had to rethink how to attach it. At Home Depot I found a reinforced 1 inch transparent tube, which fit perfectly. Using hose clamps I attached it to the outlet and the fuel gun and filter end. I kept the strong 4x4 planks on top so I could pour fuel into the tank from above, while the cubies sit suspended, and attached a (red) funnel, which greatly improves adding fuel to the drum. Then onto the funnel I can add a filter (such as an old t-shirt or sheet or a 5 micron cloth filter) which means no more bucket to bucket filtering. I also added a shelf to contain all the cubies. I can definitely recommend this setup.

The interior restoration is finished

Today I finally picked up the car from L and S, with finished interior. It looks very much like my design, except for the strip in the door panels and the armrest being black. At first I was surprisedby this, because that wasn't part of the plan. I does look nice, so I will try to live with it for a while. It wasn't easily possible to put a round bass speaker in the front of the side panels, so they had to be put in the back. Also Wally's guys discovered a very rusted area underneath the driver's side, which they replaced with a part of some metal door. They added sound proofing, which has made the ride quieter, but not by as much as I had hoped. The passenger side belt buckle that the car came with was broken and couldn't be repaired. I am still looking on for a replacement. I have one person whom I paid already, but there have been delays.

The color treatment of the plastic and all the other color related treatments look absolutely perfect. I'm very happy with it. It's actually strange to see it done, since I've been visualizing it for so long. When I show it to others, they view it as perfectly normal, as if the car had always looked like this. That's actually a good sign, because I didn't want to go overboard on the restoring, rather, keep it as if "in original condition" so some extent.

Picture 1: Before. Original, but sprayed over, "Autumn Tan". Very seventies.

Picture 2: My mockup in Photoshop. Disregard the steering wheel cover.

Picture 3: The interior gutted. A frightening sight. Notice the rusted floorboard.

Picture 4: A job well done. Looks too perfect to reveal all the work that went into it.

Interior restoration: finding the parts

I have been in touch with Wally at L&S here in Gainesville about getting the inside of the car redone. I had toyed with the idea of doing it myself, which would have been educational. I am trained as an artist, after all, so I should be able to restore the inside of a car to some extent. However, there is a lot to know about taking the car apart and back together again, and most of my attempts just to remove the dash have failed. And restoration is a skill set, and talent, which takes decades to develop. I think if I were able to do it at all, it would take me a very, very long time. In any case, L&S will do a great job.

I showed Wally the car and he had reservations about the dash, and many of the plastic parts. The plastic had been painted once before and it is very difficult to remove that paint. It has to be removed, not painted over, because the plastic actually gets more stained than painted, if I understand correctly. The dash also has cracks, which can't really be fixed. Plastic shrinks and expands daily and over the years, so any fix to the crack, will also move, but differently, and eventually show another crack. He did a test on one of the pieces and said he wouldn't be willing to go ahead with it as is, because it wouldn't be a good job in the long run, and his reputation is at stake.

Wally recommended finding again all the major parts, like the dash and the front pieces again, somewhere, with the original color on them.

This was a major blow, and I started imagining having this crummy, smelly interior to live with. Eventually I did find a seller on VWVortex.com who seemed to have all kinds of parts. His name is Scott and he is located south of Orlando. I contacted him via the site and instant messaging several times, but communication was slow.

After a lull in communication (and trips to New York and Europe, which put me out of touch), I asked which day of the week was good for picking up and we were able to agree on thursday. He was reluctant to ship, and I wanted to see what other stuff he had, so driving out seemed best, despite the long distance. In any case, I drove out there (3.45 minutes from Gainesville) with my son Bruno. Scott had all the interior parts, except the seatbelt and seatbelt components, in a very nice greyish blue, which was almost exactly the color I had imagined for the truck. This would mean that whichever stain went on top of the first color would work much better in terms of possible unevenness. He even had the window washer reservoir, which I had been looking for. He also had the AC vent knobs that I was in the middle of recreating. It was very exciting to assemble all these parts which had been hard to find for so long. Things sometimes become worth more than gold, because one has looked for them for so long. His backyard was like a priceless treasure in my eyes. Never before had I seen an assortment of car related objects that seemed so familiar to me — familiar because he, too, was dealing with the same model car. He had several VW caddies in various states of disrepair.

He was nice enough to accept my offer of $120 everything. At first I said $100, but I was so happy have completed so many of my searches, that I gave him a little more, for the great condition dash and all the interior parts, plus steering wheel, fluid reservoir and AC knobs. Individually I would have had to pay more for each, and he was glad not to have to list them all on ebay or elsewhere.