Yeah, Alpha, one of the things I don't like about all this internet stuff is I can't hear tone of voice, and my tone of voice can't be heard by others. That makes it a lot more difficult for me to tell when someone is kidding around or when they're serious (body language would also be a big help), so I try to always be "not too serious" and just cruise along, ya know? It's all in fun, right?
As for the pinions, I looked EVERYwhere with no joy (I was even going to make them myself, I DO run a gear shop, after all, but we didn't have the right cutter and rentals are expensive), so I just waited until I needed something from that vendor that would justify the outrageous shipping and tacked the pinions on that order. They didn't weigh enough to increase shipping costs for the item I was purchasing so all ended well, and that was when I bought the Opel Blitz so that was an extra bonus.
When FDR coined the phrase "The Arsenal of Democracy", he was talking about Detroit. Proud to live in the 2nd most violent city in America!!