I must comment -- okay, rant a little -- but not as much
as usual. Delete now, if you please.
> > decline of young people getting into our hobby.
> Around here, sports, or athletics, is THE major thing.
I am seeing an interesting trend in South Tulsa. The kids
got into the Ricer-thing big-time here but implemented little
more than the cosmetic aspects. (Nothing like Califirnia, etc.
where people are building real power.) But today, they seem
to be getting bored with them! They seem to have recognised
that motorsport is more about performance and history than
about LEDs. That, in my opinion, is a stunningly good step
forward! Perhaps I am projecting my desires upon the data
and biasing it. I hope not. My son's friend with the Accord
with blue lights and Poo-poo pipe exhaust is showing a lot
of interest in my BMW E30 M3. That's a good thing.
> Many kids don't even work on their cars except to change oil.
The Ricers in Tulsa don't change their own oil. That's a
dirty job. You pay some low-life to do that. They spend their
time in pursuit of more noble deeds -- like bolting on windshield
washers with blue LEDs in them. (Please notice the tongue-in-
cheek.)
> You can't hot rod a modern engine very well. All you can do is
> change the car's appearance. And consider what a 10-20 year
> old car looks like and what can you do with it's appearance.
This is true. The technology already extracts about all that you
can get out of the engine. As we know, everything in an engine is
a trade-off. Power, longevity and emissions are the great triangle.
You pretty much have to give up most of any two to get more of
the third. For a street machine, longevity is the most likely one
to go. The other day, I saw a guy in some silly little tarted-up
family car, driving along at about 4500 rpm in a lower gear. Every
few seconds he would press the clutch in without lifting. The engine
would hit the revlimiter and he would pop the clutch. Chirp, chirp,
chirp down the 'strip' hoping sleezy girls might relate his stupidity to
pen!$ size -- I guess. :-\
Building cars from old junk has come back. I am old enough to
recognize that this is NOT a new idea. Look at the feed-stock to
the muscle cars we used to enjoy. They were the second-hand
family and economy cars that our parents discarded. It is what
we could afford and we made performance monsters from them --
a few of them anyway. Most just became trashed family cars
because we didn't have the budget or the brains to do otherwise.
Sound familiar? What are mid 90's Honda Accords if not second-
hand family cars?! The cycle is repeating.
We must ask, where did muscle car mania lead? It led first to
factory built muscle cars Camaros, Mustangs, MoParMonsters, etc..
Today it is Honda S2000, BMW roadsters, MB K-cars and
Acuras with 300 hp, etc.. Those cars don't sell to the kids though.
Too expensive. The next step was to squash all horsepower out
of our cars and feel 'green' for a while (Read: Mustang II, Vega,
Chevette, Pinto, Yuck!!!) The Focus is somewhat in that vein today
but they are used on the international rally circuit and that has upheld
their image somewhat. We classic marque guys just should be careful
now because we are entering the "crush-em, don't let them pollute"
time in the great cycle of auto life.
> > They have no patience with vehicles that require routine
> > maintenance.
> I agree
That time is in direct competition with cruising time.
> > In return to this perspective many schools in my area have
> > dropped automotive programs altogether.
> > Zach
> Well said Zach. ... the schools have dropped their Votech
> classes. None of the colleges in SD offer a teaching degree in
> the traditional mechanical or woodworking arts as the classes
> have all been terminated.
We have a mentality in this country that says that if you work
with your hands, you are a 2nd class citizen and must have failed
out of college or are just dumb. That stinks. Go to Europe
and visit a nice men's store. It can be ANY kind of shop,
garage, factory,etc.. The people there respect tradesmen and
the skills needed to do their jobs expertly. The guy in that shop
will pride himself on knowing everything there is to know about his
field -- and it doesn't matter if it is intake manifolds or gabridene
pleat widths! Those are the people who built our beloved classic
cars, stitched the leather seats, etc.. In this country, we equate those
people to Wal-Mart checkers, burger flippers and a whole host of
other jobs that are considered populated by transient workers.
Don't get me wrong; I love my country but it does need a little
mental tweaking.
Yes, I get frustrated. Perhaps I am just getting too old. My
16 year old son drives a '66 Mustang and has rebuilt two MGB
engines and one Lancia engine! He also appreciates the 1930
Chevrolet setting in the garage. He wouldn't think of letting someone
else change his oil. Perhaps I have done something right and there
is hope.
Best regards,
rick
'30 Chevrolet Universal Sedan (great toy
'66 Mustang coupe' (son's daily
'68 BMW 1600-2 rally car (competition toy
'73 SAAB Sonett (about to be gone toy
'79 Ferrari 308GTB (my REAL toy
'88 BMW M3 (my daily driver
'98 GMC Suburban (wife's weapon, yuck!)
...both MGBs gone...
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