What's up with this banner thing?
If you don't see a navigation bar on the left, CLICK HERE

Spinning My Tires   is one man's view of the world of cars. Random thoughts, ideas and comments pop up here, all of them related to owning, driving and restoring cars. I've been doing this car thing as long as I can remember, and have enjoyed a great many car-related experiences, some of which I hope to share with you here. And I always have an opinion one way or another. Enjoy.

E-mails are welcomed--if you have thoughts of your own to share, please send them.

Additional Spinning My Tires editorials can be found on the Archives page.

2/1/05

How You Can Help Me

I've been working on the Buick for nearly three years now, and I still don't have a running, driving, show-winning car. I'm not complaining—quite the contrary—but I can clearly identify two reasons why that is the case:

• Time

• Money

Like you, I [again] have a full-time job, a family, a house and a bunch of other commitments that steal my time from the Buick. If I had my way, I'd be out in the garage working on old cars 10 hours a day. Unfortunately, I don't know many people making a living restoring old cars (I know because I've worked for at least two of them!). Nothing new there.

The other issue is, of course, money. I'm not independently wealthy and the same family and house that takes up so much of my time also requires significant funding (for instance, several thousand dollars earmarked for the Buick just put new plumbing throughout my entire house instead). I've also long since used up the nut I had from selling FrankenRanger to finance the Buick project, I recently took a new job that pays less than my old one and Julia is out on disability for carpal-tunnel surgery—including a hefty insurance deductible. You can see how it adds up. Whenever there's talk of cutting back, the web pages are always one of the first places we look, small as they are.

Of course, the lovely Julia is more than understanding when it comes to my hobby, and she pretty much trusts me to use my own judgment when it comes to buying tools and parts for the Buick, and I try not to abuse that. It's worked out pretty well for us: the lights are still on, there's still food on the table and we can even get out to see a movie once in a while. I certainly have no complaints about the quality of my life.

With time and money being what they are, of course, this web site and it's sister, the Dual Carb Registry, are my way of getting my car jones sated without spending a lot of cash. But it isn't free. I spend about $200 a year keeping both of these sites up and running, not to mention the hours of writing and photo editing that I do for content, plus the substantial cost of printing and mailing the printed versions of the Registry. I've also provided things like the blueprints and materials list for a pretty darned good rotisserie, a list of A-1 suppliers for the hobby and a place where other hobbyists can come to find like-minded individuals of all shapes and sizes. I have also uploaded all the articles I've written for the Buick Bugle and other journals, which are typically more technical and less "blog" than the usual entries (though you may see some familiar photos there!).

So what's this "Tip Cup" nonsense?

I've decided to try a little experiment with a "Tip Cup" here at my site. Like I said, I don't currently make any money from this site.  But based on the e-mail feedback I receive, it seems that a lot of people get help from it and appreciate it.  Therefore, I hope it isn't too much like begging to offer visitors who feel they have gotten some value from the site an opportunity to help offset the costs of running it. Again, I get nothing from this site at all, and it costs me about $9 a month to maintain.

So I linked to my PayPal account and and made it simple for visitors to make a contribution if they like. There's definitely no obligation. Seriously—none. The site isn't in danger of vanishing if you don't chip in, I won't be evicted from my house and the Buick will still be finished someday. There's absolutely no pressure to contribute. The tip cup is here just in case you want to help and you think this site has helped you, perhaps to the tune of a cup of coffee or the Sunday newspaper.

Click the picture below or at the bottom of the navigation bar on the left to drop $1.33 in the ol' tip cup. If you want to know why it is $1.33 (and you can't change it), you'll have to read the details below. You can use a credit card at www.PayPal.com and I DON'T see your card number. Ever. Click on the tip cup below if you feel that this site has been of some value to you and want to make a $1.33 contribution to the cause. There's no pressure to do so. Really. I'll never know if you were here and chose not to donate. It's all voluntary and anonymous. However, it's also very much appreciated.

As a modest perk, I've created a Sponsors page so everybody can see how generous all of you are. Someday I'll figure out a way to repay your generosity with something more tangible, but for now, all I can offer is a small slice of obscurity on my site. If you have a web site or a business phone number you'd like advertised, your $1.33 will buy you just that on my page. I typically get more than 100 visitors a day, so maybe that's pretty good bang for your buck (thirty-three). You could probably even deduct it from your taxes. You'll get a little logo like the one below next to your name on this site, too.

Some Details:

The "Tip Cup" is just a link to my PayPal account, set-up to accept $1.33 and only$1.33. Why? Well, I thought that $1 would be a nice, round number that anybody could afford. While looking at my PayPal account one day I checked the fees that PayPal collects on electronic transactions. Their formula is 1%, plus $0.32. I guess that's what it takes to move money around on the Internet safely, and I've used it successfully in the past. It costs what it costs. Somebody's probably getting rich, but it ain't me.

Anyway, when you click the Tip Cup picture, it opens a PayPal window. If you have a PayPal account already, you may get a screen that asks for your password. But most likely you will get a screen asking you for credit card info. Yes, you can bill a just one dollar and 33 cents to your credit card (I mean, yes, it is possible to do that!). Or you can use your own PayPal account (if you have one). It is set up so that the tip amount is $1.33—you can't change it. Only a buck thirty-three at a time in the old Tip Cup. 

So if you are inclined, thanks for the tip. If not, I still truly hope you enjoy your visit and come back often. You are always welcome here. Go ahead and click on the icon below if you feel that this site has been of some value to you and want to drop a handful of change into the cup.