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Sid's Diatribe on Originality (kind of long and full of

To: datsun-roadsters@autox.team.net
Subject: Sid's Diatribe on Originality (kind of long and full of
From: "sidney raper" <spl310@hotmail.com>
Date: Sun, 16 Dec 2001 13:45:34 -0500
I was going to keep my trap shut, but the time has come for me to chime in.  
I like stock restorations, but I do not care for trailer queens.  Cars were 
meant to be driven, not to become works of art that only come out for fair 
weather to be shown and then put back into a hermetically sealed garage away 
from all until the next show.  This means that I don't have a problem with 
some mods to enhance reliability.  I also like period accessories.  For 
example, bullet Talbot style mirrors were all the rage in the 60s.  They 
look right on a Roadster.  Vitalonis were available in the 70s - 80s and 
look stupid on a Roadster (imho).  The stock mirrors look best though.

All that having been said, I would rather see a modified roadster on the 
road than in the junkyard.  But please don't sacrifice a clean original for 
a custom since there are SOOO many project cars out there.  If the car had 
previous mods (like Gordon's car), or is missing a substantial amount of 
parts (like the one that Phil is making into a custom), it is better that 
they are saved and made roadworthy than to have them become another 
Campbells soup can. It bothers me when someone finds an unmolested 30k mile 
original and begins cutting it up for a custom.  Sure, one that is clean is 
easier to work on, but how many of us have seen (especially on the east 
coast) an unmolested, unrestored, low mileage, mint original roadster?  They 
are rare because they were viewed as disposable cars and were treated as 
such.

Keep the clean cars original, and modify the ones that need help.  That way, 
everyone has a Roadster to fill the bill!

Sid

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