Dear All,

Thanks for all the moral support and the down and dirty tips on getting the
stuck filter off.

It was much easier to work on by the light of day. (Surprise.) But I ended
up putting a hole through it with an ice pick anyway and then putting a big
Phillips screw driver through the starter holes and using that as a handle.
Not too elegant, but it worked ... and I'm sure the operation took care of
any slasher instincts that may have been lurking  in the deepest recesses
of my psyche.

Now that she is actually running well again for the first time in six
months (and getting over 20 MPG) I am about to go away for three weeks.
I'll be looking for V'gons in Italy, China and California.( Maybe I'll spot
you in Santa Barbara, Brent. I'll be in Ojai and Carpinteria.)

Cheers,

Woody