Musician's van now runs on vegetable oil

AN ALBUQUERQUE BAND JUST DRIVES BY THOSE GAS STATIONS AND LAUGHS AT THOSE PRICES. THEY'VE CONV...  More »

AN ALBUQUERQUE BAND JUST DRIVES BY THOSE GAS STATIONS AND LAUGHS AT THOSE PRICES. THEY'VE CONVERTED THEIR V-W VAN TO RUN ON VEGETABLE OIL. ANTOINETTE ANTONIO GIVES YOU A LOOK AT HOW THEY DID IT -- AND IF IT'S A HUGE INCONVENIENCE OR NOT. NATS YOU CAN FIND THEM PLAYING MUSIC ON A DOWNTOWN ALBUQUERQUE STREET CORNER.... NATS OR AT HOME... GETTING READY FOR THEIR BIG TOUR. BUT MEMBERS OF 'FAST HEART MART' AREN'T PLAYING TUNES ... INSTEAD THEY'RE GATHERING UP SOME GREASE. 'this is a 1982 volkswagon westfalia that runs on vegetable oil.' MARTIN STAMPER -- FAST HEART MART'S FRONTMAN -- DIDN'T WAIT FOR GAS PRICES TO HIT FOUR BUCKS A GALLON. ABOUT A YEAR AND A HALF AGO, HE DECIDED TO CONVERT HIS VAN TO RUN MOSTLY ON USED VEGETABLE OIL. STAMPER ADMITS... IT'S NOT THE MOST CONVENIENT WAY TO FILL UP YOUR TANK. 'you have to watch things, you have to keep an eye on how hot the oil gets you have to heat the oil before you inject it into the engine.'BUT BEFORE IT'S EVEN PUT INTO THE ENGINE... BAND MEMBERS HAVE TO PREPARE THE USED OIL. THEY LET IT SIT FOR A FEW WEEKS SO SEDIMENT SINKS TO THE BOTTOM. THEN THEY FILTER IT USING OLD PAIRS OF BLUE JEANS. NATS 'that's it, and gravity does the work.' BEFORE THE VEGETABLE OIL CONVERSION... THE VAN RAN ON DIESEL. 4-80 A GALLON AT THIS GAS STATION NEAR OLD TOWN.... THAT'S A LOT MORE THAN VEGETABLE OIL THEY GET.... FOR FREE. 'we have our particular restaurants that save the oil for us and when we're in town we go every week and pick it up when they change their friers, they have it ready for us.' NATS THE VAN STILL NEEDS A LITTLE BIT OF DIESEL TO RUN SMOOTHLY. BAND MEMBERS SAY THEY ONLY EXPECT TO SPEND ABOUT 200-DOLLARS ON FUEL FOR THEIR 4-THOUSAND MILE TOUR.  « Less