so it looks like the voltage regulator on my '80 244 dl is out. (thanks, by the way, to those who helped me figure that out.) in the meantime, i'm leaving the car where it stopped (since it doesn't sound like it really wants to start right now) which is at the school i graduated from last year, st. john's college. i still have a lot of friends there, so i go up there a lot... it's a small school, about 400 undergrad students.

anyway, thought i could leave it unlocked, as nothing of apparent value was inside. little did i know... i came back today to look at it, and someone had actually gone to the trouble of going inside and unplugging the little cap on top of the stickshift with the overdrive switch on it and taking it! who steals such things? worst of all, i figure the odds of someone walking by who actually needs that switch are nil, so it was probably just some dumb kid who wants to cause trouble. they probably won't even get any money for it, unless there's some black market in these things that i don't know about. i certainly haven't seen one.

which brings me to my real question: how hard is it to find these things? where should i go? i think that the junk volvo down at the yard near my house doesn't have one... i guess i'll try ebay. any other suggestions?

-jeff