Re: Who Will Buy, Maintain, & Restore Solid Axles When The Folks Who Worked On Them New Are Gone?
Subject: Re: Who Will Buy, Maintain, & Restore Solid Axles When The Folks Who Worked On Them New Are Gone? by BillH on 2009/12/28 15:37:18
Quote:
j3studio wrote: Who will buy, maintain, and restore solid axles when the folks who worked on them when (at least relatively) new are gone?
A couple of years ago, I was at the NCRS national convention near Boston. There were six or seven newly or recently restored 1953s and 1954s, with the "Blue Flame" in-line six and its three side draft carburetors. None of them was running worth a darn, despite the cubic dollars that had been thrown at them.
Well John, it's been like this for a long time. I vaguely remember a guy doing some carb adjustments on another guy's car at a Delaware Valley Chapter meeting 30 years ago.
Guys that were experts on carbs were few then just like guys who are experts on programming proms are now, fairly few. Even back then, finding a shop that could "do it right" wasn't easy.
Knowledge will be passed on to the next generation ad a few (very few) will become the next experts. A guy I race with manages a car collection. 2 of his 8 techs are in their 20s, learning Duesenberg/Packard restoration. Another friend's into "Live Steam", volunteers at a locomotive restoration museum. There's a couple of young guys working there too.
