I had an experience the other day that, quite frankly, astounded me. I have a friend who is a real nice guy and a retired high school principal. We go out boating with him and his wife in the summer, and go snowmobiling in the winter. I know the guys not a motorhead, but my latest experience with him has me convinced that some people see things completely different from others. I have a 30X40 shop that I keep my stuff in and use as a workshop (got all the tools, a 220 welder and compressor, etc). My friend has been in my shop many times, sometimes for several hours while we fix snowmobiles (a relatively constant activity up here in the winter). In the front corner of my shop, I have my '60's vintage dirt track modified sitting (you can check out my albums). This is the real deal, with a '54 Hemi, wide-fives, 12" wide back tires and "Iowa ribs" on the front. It's a done car, with all the lettering, period decals, and numbers. If I walked into a relatively small shop like mine and saw something like this (even under a cover), I'd be all over it like a rat on a Cheeto. I was always kind of surprised that he never said anything or asked what it was. (Even a "cute dune buggy" remark would have been welcome). Anyway, when we had dinner with them last Thursday, he asked me what I had been spending so much time on in my shop for the last couple of weeks. I told him that I had been working n the spare hemi I had bought for my race car and had finally go it running. He looked at me with a surprised look on his face, and said "Oh, do you have a race car?" I guess we have to be a little easier on the people who ask dumb questions at shows.
Some people are just like that. My dad is in his early 60s. He was a gearhead as a kid, but now has no interest. None at all. He sees my '65 parked in my driveway whe he comes over, and I've driven it to his house several times. He shows no interest at all. Only comments he has ever made are, "When are you going to quit messing around with those old cars?"
Guys, WE ARE THE MINORITY! We are right but in the minority none the less. Talking with an old girl friend from HS the other day, our kids use the same babysitter. She asked what I was doing over the weekend and I mentioned doing a brake job and putting a new radiator in my pickup. With a funny look she said "you can DO THAT?". Her hubby is older than us and a lawyer. Their idea of car maintenance is trading one in every two years.
Yeah, but at least he noticed it and said something. It was like my car was completely invisible to this guy.
I feel the same way when I told my current girlfriend that I can change the brakes on her Japanese tin can... She knows I build cars, but she tells me I have no idea how to do that and would rather pay a mechanic parts and labor for a simple brake job that I can do in an hour. Grrrrrr oh well not its my money.
Don't complain.....I had a history of collecting girlfriends that drove POS beaters that required constant maintenance. Guess what happened when they found this sucker that could fix anything....for free?
it's a shame we can't be awarded a PhD in car-ology..... i swear i'd have a masters in Falcons by now. my son's in-laws came by one day with our granddaughter and my opposite number watched me as i was fabbing up some patch panels and welding them into my Falcon's floor..... "gosh, i didn't know you could weld...." how do people who don't know how to DO anything, and aren't willing to at least TRY to learn how, get by in life?
i like being the minority. i always run into clueless people. but i guess they are into shit that i will never ever even remotely understand. like horses, or golf. wtf kind of hobby or interest is that?
I think this falls in line with this thread. Lately I have been doing some research on Studebaker and Packard dealers in my area. I really like trying to find where they were located and take pictures of the buildings, if they are still there. A few years ago I spoke with the gentleman who's dad started the last Studebaker dealer here in town. He was a funny guy and told me a lot about the dealership, not only its early days, but during the time when he owned it after his dad passed away. I asked him about some pictures of the dealership throughout its history (1939 - 1966). He looked at me kind of funny like and asked why? I told him about my project. He told me he didn't have a single picture and that nobody ever though that was important. I had a similar discussion with a guy whose dad owned what was a Packard dealer in the mid-1950's (later a Toyota dealership). He also told me they had no pictures. I told him i was surprised and his replied that nobody ever thought that was important, nor did he ever think anybody would want to see such things. Maybe I nuts, but I figured that if you were a car dealer you would be a car guy and have some photo documentation of what you were interested in. Oh well.........
My step father was a doctor OB/GYN for 40 years. I was tearing apart the Rochester Quadrajunk on the 59 Caddy because it kept flooding. I took it off the car, tore it apart, cleaned everything out and put it back on in about 30 minutes. He was totally amazed that I knew where everything went & how to put it back together. I told him it was no different than taking a patient "apart" and putting them back together. He was still a bit dumbfounded though.
Might be better: my boss, Service Manager for a two-line dealership, has absolutely NO interest in cars. Wants to talk fishing and drinking. Appears to be all he does. At least he hires qualified personnel. Cosmo
I'm not worried about anything. This a an intelligent, well educated guy who moves in 90% of the same spheres I do. As I said, I find it astounding that he didn't even SEE the race car. I think I am starting to understand politics.
after a hockey game in the locker room, i overheard one of my team mates say "cars are just transportation and i don't care what it is as long as it gets me where i'm going" i told him i didn't believe it. he said "cars didn't mean anything to him" so i asked him; if you paid for an all inclusive vacation that included, a villa and a choice of three cars and fuel, a corvette, a 4x4 off road truck, and a yugo which would he pick? he actually said he wouldn't care.
Some of my friends would complain that the hammer they just picked up was uncomfortable to hold and made a wooden sound when they hit something with it. I think they are missing out, there is a great sense of personal satisfaction to be felt by fixing something yourself rather than just "having it done". It's not rocket science generally just time, research, patience and practice. Then again I was lucky enough to have an old man who not only taught me but also made me ask why and how?
Guy I work with is a really into wine. He spends a fortune traveling to Napa for wine and then drinks it and pisses it down the toilet. He can't believe how much time and money I "waste" on on my hobby. It's all good tho....I figure if everybody was into old cars, the law of supply and demand would price me right out of the hobby.......
i used to work with a guy a loooong time ago he was a guitarist i asked one day what kind of car he drove he said blue i said what he said i dont know its blue do they make different ones? ..... when i used to work at the dealerships it allways surprised me when the "techs" couldnt talk old cars and that everyone of them didnt have an old car at home they were working on most acted like they hated cars and being a tech was just a way to make aliving nothing more when ever a 70's or older car came in it was allways go talk to him (me) if he doesnt know we cant help you
My neighbor is sort of clueless as well, he butchers stuff together on his vehicles and I've offered to help but he always declines...I told him I could patch the fenders on his '65 Chevy bus/camper and he said he'd fix it himself...he pop riveted some galvanized chimney tin to the fender and slathered bondo over it...a few weeks later I was making trunk pans for my '63 Dodge and he came over to watch me work and was amazed at what could be done with a bead roller, throatless shear and a welder...he said "I had no idea you could do stuff like that"...well, I tried to tell him, he just didn't understand the words coming out of my mouth ...no skin off my ass though, it leaves me time to do my own stuff...I still try and help him out whenever he needs it, he's been a fantastic neighbor...
Cosmo, I worked in maintenance, machine & forklift with a bunch of guys who maybe when the weather was nice would change their own oil. They fished = 40,000 dollar bass boat w/a cooler full of beer. Hunted = place & land up north w/frig full of beer $$$$$$. They ask me why I waste my money working on old cars = maybe I enjoy it & at least I get most of my money back if I sell them.
i can't believe some people. i'm a teenager and no one cares about cars anymore. every once in a while you hear "nice car" other than that its just a loud, old, thing with four tires and a motor. it's ridiculous. no one respects the hobby anymore
I actually enjoy their ignorance. My ol' lady has absolutely no interest, aside from the complaints about "another junk car in the driveway." I just cruise around with the dog and I can stay at shows as late as I want. Im sure she wouldnt want me tagging along to bloomingdales either.
Different strokes for different folks. Some people chase a little white ball over hill and dale. Some people have a hole in the water and they pour money into it. I really don't care what others think about this hobby/sport. The only thing that pisses me off when they open the door and sit in the car, or rub thier dirty greasy hands over the car.
I doubt there are alot of people taking pictures of thier current Chevy/Ford dealership. You gotta remember, back then they were just the new car out, they weren't special antiques.
I know exactly what your saying,my old man has never showed an interest into the old cars i have bought and messed around with.He use to mess around with them when i was real young but now he tells me he thinks they are a waste of money.So when i visit with him we dont talk old cars.I think its funny that my wife loves them and he dont.
I'm glad most people are clueless. Let them drive there silver/gray soapbars. It's hard enough to own a desirable old car without more newbs getting on the bandwagon. Stupid movies and B-J aren't helping either.
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