A Different kind of paint question...

Awwwww crap! Jeeze, wish there was some way to help. I'd try to find you a "new" ride out here (cheap and not rusty); but I can't get any time off to take it back East. This time of the year, I'm at the opposite end of the spectrum - lots of overtime and bigger checks, no time to put the extra project money to use!
And of course, while you're putting Sally in a baggie for the winter; this is the best time (climate-wise) to get going on the BBC. Except I'm always at freaking work !!!

EDIT to add a bunch of stuff: I gotta say it, man - my Dad was only a couple of years younger than you when he hauled a wife and three kids (before I was even thought of) out West. No VFD's right in this neck of the woods.... the County FD is "Subscription" service (private corporation) that handles ambulance details for both County AND City - they pay for their para's and EMT's - even the PT guys. Hospital is always crying for RN's - they're the biggest donor to the local Junior College's Associate program, just so they can ensure a decent pool of newbies.
Oh yeah: I had to stop and think about what you meant when you said "fuel oil" - that's for the furnace, right? We had a natural gas furnace at the house 'til the old A/C unit died; replaced it with a Heat Pump unit and never ponied up for any heat electric strips for the air handler (heat pump cooling efficiency has improved by leap and bounds - the heating part has been slower to catch up). Couple-three weeks out of the winter, we throw a second blanket on each bed; usually if the nighttime temp drops below freezing for more than a day or two. We do a "balanced payment plan" on the electric bill; it's about 165/month year-round - and that's with a 50-yr-old house (poor insulation) and a wife and two kids that have a hard time finding the "off" position on lightswitches and TV's. Natural gas bill (stove, dryer and water heater) is about $3-400/year. Lots of BBQ action in the summer keeps the A/C from running continuously for 4 months.

'Course, most "back East" folks have total faith that they're either gonna melt or spontaneously combust during their first June-July-August period..... But it's a small price to pay for not having an annual budget line item earmarked for studded snow tires and Mount Everest parkas (and three-four house payments worth of fuel oil).