The developments on the list over the past few months concern me. We have
lost folks for a variety of reasons. Like any list, there is always flux,
but I have to say that some of the folks that have left the list are a huge
loss to the Roadster community. Mark Dent leaving would be a huge loss. I
sincerely hope that he reconsiders.
Mark has a true love of these cars. Anyone that has ever talked to him will
know that immediately. He is one of the most helpful Roadster guys that I
have ever met. I think that it is phenomenal that Mark and Charlie (as well
as Michael before them) put for the effort to create the calendars. Those
years are gone, but those calendars remain with me as cherished motivators
to help get one of my cars on the road.
When I found out that shirts were in the offing, I was pretty excited. I
never liked the run of the mill T shirts that are so common, so I never buy
those. (only wear T shirts to work in the yard or on the car, so they are
not something I spend money on) Golf shirts (Polo Shirts) are a different
matter. I think that it would be great to have a FairLady golf shirt. All
the better if it matches my car! I was surprised, (not overly, as I will
explain in a minute) that there were folks on the list that had to find
fault with the idea. This was not an effort to make money (check out the
setup costs, embroidery costs, shirt costs and the shipping costs for such a
minuscule order and you can see that he would not make money) by Mark, but
an effort to recognize the FairLady as we know and love them (sorry Edgar
G.- yours is one of the originals, but the body changed....)
While it was somewhat surprising to hear the complaints about colors of the
shirts and the efforts of others on the list to apparently subvert the
efforts of Mark, it was not wholly so. As most of you know, Tim Waltz and I
teamed up to make up some ID tags. These are NLA from Nissan (but were
available over the counter for years), and many cars have tags that are butt
ugly from being painted over, having acid spilled on them, holes drilled in
them and so forth. A lot of cars are missing them altogether. I thought
that it was great that Tim and I could provide an item (esoteric yes) that
could cap off a restoration. No sooner had we posted the note, and I
started getting slammed by a couple of folks - off list. I was accused of
being in collusion with car thieves and of being a felon. All of that grief
over some scraps of aluminum with printing on them. I can relate to Mark's
feeling.
In the past, I used to be very free with information, advice and
suggestions. I have grown weary of being bashed for the information that I
post to the list (BTW, I can verify that what I have posted is accurate
regardless what the bashers may indicate) so I now typically reply to the
individual - if I reply at all. I feel a bit bad in not being more forth
coming, but it gets old being slammed for trying to help. I know that I am
not alone in that thought as a number of the folks that are no longer on the
list (and a few that still are) have commiserated with me regarding that
very issue.
I had thought of signing off of the list too. The list seems to have
wandered away from being "about the cars" to being about personal egos and
one-upmanship. I know that the list tends to flow from being very technical
(almost to the point of boring some folks) to being very social (to the
frustration of those that lurk looking for nuggets of knowledge) and I can
accept those flows. They are why I have stayed on as long as I have. I
have learned a lot - and hope that I have given back as much or more. But I
have also been stung quite a few times.
I know that I have changed the minds of some folks who were looking to ditch
their roadsters. That is a good feeling. I have helped folks all over the
world with parts from cars that I reluctantly parted out. Knowing that I
was helping keep other cars on the road made it easier to decide to chop the
cars. I have put buyers and sellers together (with no benefit being
returned to me by the way) just to keep the cars going. But the negativity
and the backbiting are getting very old and tiresome. I will remain on the
list for now and I will hope that the tide turns again. I miss those that
have left, and welcome those that have joined - and challenge everyone on
the list to make it the best that it can be.
'Nuff said.
Sidney Raper
1964 1500
1967 SRL311 00060
1967 SRL311 00076
Jacksonville Florida
http://www.geocities.com/roadsternut/index.html
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