sir john....
i took the liberty of printing your e-mail to this person so that i
might show it to people who come around and say "why the 54 caddilac,
why the 63 chevy truck....why the the 68 porsche....all future
projects...cept the 63 chevy it's a rolling restore...i hold our dear
cars, be they british or american in the highest regards....the older
the better....now that the spitfire has a new right hand front end (left
going in next week...dam bolts wouldnt' go back) i too must say that i
appreciate your insight....and to quibble over a car that is old enough
to vote (in the us) and complain about parts and such is ludicrious...we
do this for the love of the car....no other reason..at least for me...my
opinion, flame me if you will....i personally buy the closest thing to
oem parts that i can obtain....(ok the poly bushings were not an oem
part)...the money spent cannot compare to the enjoyment had from doing
it your self....i even bought a blast cabinet and outdoor sand blaster
(use this out doors, you thank yourself later for it)...so to complain
is to not understand....spend the money you have to spend...take 10
years if necessary (brad) and drive em till they drop....i will
relinquish the soap box now, after too many beers too much no top
(dildn't put the frame back) driving in the spit...even if it was
avoiding the local constabulary....and much too much money spent on my
hobby.....even if the ex want's her check......
larry, "I'd rather push a triumph, than drive an mg"
1979 spitfire #FM99248U
NOW ON THE WEB at http://www.geocities.com/MotorCity/Speedway/9311 drop
a line and sign the guest book.
Murphys twentieth Law of Combat...tracers work both ways.
----Original Message Follows----
From: "jonmac" <jonmac@ndirect.co.uk>
To: <spridgets@autox.team.net>
Cc: <triumphs@autox.team.net>
Subject: Re: My 1500 Piper cam is seized
Date: Mon, 20 Apr 1998 00:02:15 +0100
> Okay people, NEED THE INFO here, you know?
> Sheesh. Why do companies make crappy stuff to sell to us? I mean, we
> don't need this! I have spent a LOT of time on this car, and now my
> parents are just ranting and raving about how bad a decision it was to
> purchase this car and try to fix it, yadda yadda yadda
At the risk of sounding like a manufacturer advert for only using
genuine
parts, there is an important moral here - which obviously doesn't help
the
vehicle owner in his present dilemma.
The cost to any LBC owner in terms of hard cash, project commitment,
frustration, barked knuckles, special tools purchase and all the rest -
is
substantial when transforming a vehicle from a wreck to an anticipated
concours winner. I accept that getting the car on the road this year is
obviously better than waiting another few months, or even longer. You
want
to enjoy it, to show it off, you want to admire it and you want to be
admired in it. Come on, acknowledge it!
BUT remember......
The vehicle is not in the bloom of youth. Many unseen things you didn't
check (because of haste, ignorance or you just didn't realise) could
still
be too worn, while others might manifest latent fatigue failure when
taken
out on the road after a prolonged and enforced hibernation of several
years.
Because of that, I implore all of you to look at project financing in a
slightly different light. Components needing renewal because they are
fundamental to the effective operation of the vehicle - and certainly
safety related items (brakes, steering, suspension, certain electrics)
should never be skimped on cost grounds. The stories are legion about
those
who have tried to cut financial corners - and this is not a recent
problem
- its been going on for years, yet every year people get bitten hard.
For
your own sake, it is surely better to bite the financial bullet and a
further delay of weeks, months or even another year, to get a QUALITY
product rather than save a few pounds or dollars in buying something
which
LOOKS okay - but almost certainly is not when put to the test. The total
long term benefit of spending even more than you planned but knowing
you've
really got the best available (rather than the best you can afford)
surely
goes that little bit further to ensuring your LBC (when finally
finished)
truly will give you the pleasure you worked for so hard and so long to
ensure. In the restoration business, out of sight must never be out of
mind. My own little slogan with my cars is "If I can't see it at all -
or
have the greatest difficulty getting at it - I get the best, preferably
OE."
John Macartney
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