(mostly for Matthew)
Subject: fuel tank

saw your thinly disguised poke at me and my 5 speed .....  :-)

regarding Recycled Inc I have certainly had good luck with them
with new parts, havent bought anything 'recycled' yet - i recall
some posts on rec.autos.vw that people didnt care for the 
cleanliness of some of the used parts they were shipping (get a life)
i still recommend them heartily, but ymmv ...

i had to drop my tank on the diesel 83 about 2 years ago - had a hole
on the filler side just above the seam. patched with fiberglass from
a body filler kit.  Hole didnt leak but in cleaning the top of the tank
with wire brush opened a bunch of new holes .....   :-(

Now i dont fill more than one-half full (which is about three weeks of fuel
for me anyway ....) unless i am going on a road trip - it doesnt really
leak it kind of seeps a bit.  I drain the fuel filter every 3 months but
never see any water in it so doesnt seem to be a problem.

I think recycled inc sells them new for $300 (maybe $400??) figure a good
four hours to drop it and put new one in. They have recycled and remanufactures
ones too for less.

I would put a nice shiny new one in mine but cornell doesnt pay me 
a living wage on account of all the convexen they buy - hee hee hee