Thank you thank you thank you ...

[FinnJohn]

...to whoever mentioned treating aging leather seats with mink oil! I bought a bottle of the stuff and my seats are guzzling it right down. I've put an entire 5-ounce bottle on there and I think I'll have to buy more. They now feel brand new.

Cheers!

--Finn

p.s. Anybody know how big a deal it is to replace a thermostat in one of these?

[HFStuart]

Finn,

It's about as simple as it could be.

Remove air cleaner and any other bits that will help with access,
undo three hose clips,
remove stat,
fit new one
do up the hose clips,
refit any bits you took off.
Set the heater control to hot.
refill with coolant,
start and run for a couple of minutes,
top up to the max coolant level.
run until cooling fan kits it.
Allow to cool and re check coolant level.

Possible problems:
Rusted hose clips that need cutting
Thermostat stuck fast to one or more hoses (ease around with a blunted screwdriver)

While you're doing it it's probably worth checking the condition of top and bottom hoses - if they're going to fail it'll be now you've disturbed them and just after you've topped up with $10 off antifreeze.

[Jim Keller]

That's an old bikers trick for softening and water proofing new stiff boots my old neighbor taught me years ago which I found works great on the Betas! ha ha, (old biker as in military from the 40's to 1950's, not Hell's Angle type biker), Remember, once that mink oil soaks in good and the seats stop absorbing it, wash the surface off with normal mild dish soap and dry with a terry towel, then, coat with "Kiwi" brand "Self Shine" black "liquid" shoe polish, (I promise it WILL NOT rub off on your cloths, even on 98 deg days when your soaked in sweat!), get into the seams good to make the stitching black too, after that dries and is very shinny, buff the shine down with a towel or "cotton baby diaper prefered", THEN! they will REALLY look, as well as feel, new! when polishing, don't forget the leather inserts in the door and rear panels so they all match in color and shine. I found I had to do this about twice a year, (mink oil and polish), to maintain a perfect looking interior.