Reflections on We Restorers' Skills

[mshmodela]

For a non-mechanics like me, I purchased a car that I could learn from and thus far its been a great learning experience. I'm very thankful for the experts on this website and their willingness to share their years and years of experience.

As for computers, they are no smarter than a cutout relay; a simple switch, they just have 10 of millions connected together... It's the human programming them that make them to interesting things..

[Brother Hesekiel]

Not too long ago I had a dream. I was transported back in time to the beginning of the industrial revolution, and, with all the achievements of the past century I knew about and experienced myself, such as the Internet, cell phones, fuel injected engines, digital cameras, microwave ovens, etc., would I be able to become a successful entrepreneur in that time? Could I build an engine from scratch? Could I build a telephone? A radio or black-and-white television? Do I know how a tube works or a transistor and how to build one? Could I fix anything that was transported with me in time? Or even explain how it worked? I've figured out, probably not. All I knew I would do is buy Ford stock in the teens, and IBM and Microsoft in the 1970s, but I would not be able to replicate much of what those inventors created in the first place, simply because I don't know how to do that. I know it works, but I don't know the parts needed to make it work. T, nor do I think that many of the Gen X, Y, and Zero kids do. That kind of makes me sad. How 'bout you?

[BILL WILLIAMSON]

NO! The Auto Mechanic is NOT disappearing into the PAST! I know so called, TECHNICIANS, that are whiz bangs with solid state control systems, etc, but don't know SHIT about operating stuff that's common in ALL cars! Some of them have their own LINGO that irritates the crap out of me & it doesn't help diagnose/repair cars any better. All of the solid state crap is NOT MYSTERIOUS, if you study it's function & get it in your head, at least in LAYMEN'S terms.
Bill W.

[DANA BIZZELL]

To each his on, its just a hobby for some old geezers to have something to do and enjoy and money comes into some decisions.
Thanks
dana

[Purdy Swoft]

[QUOTE=BILL WILLIAMSON;917186]

Originally Posted by BRENT in 10-uh-C

Interesting, and yes likely controversial. I do not know how long you have been in the Model-A hobby but it seems like before someone can offer an opinion on this on first-hand knowledge (...as opposed to hearsay) they really need to be grounded in the hobby for a substantial length of time (like 30-40 years) where they have the ability to give an opinion based on their experiences. Does that seem plausible?

I know of an owner of several Model A's that has 60+ years of Model A experience & is considered to be VERY knowledgeable, BUT, he insists that you have to remove the rear wheels, in order to adjust the rear brakes?????????????????
Bill W.

Bill, I've only got 54 going on 55 years experience with model A's and a small collection. I've said several times before that the rear brakes should be adjusted with the wheels either on the ground or shop floor but not with the wheels removed. There is really no need for me to go into a long explaination that would probably be disagreed with or not understood.

[ericr]

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Originally Posted by BRENT in 10-uh-C

Interesting, and yes likely controversial. I do not know how long you have been in the Model-A hobby but it seems like before someone can offer an opinion on this on first-hand knowledge (...as opposed to hearsay) they really need to be grounded in the hobby for a substantial length of time (like 30-40 years) where they have the ability to give an opinion based on their experiences. Does that seem plausible?

While on the topic though, your presumptions are correct but are you comparing parts changing to actual restoration?

LOL well Brent, I floundered into this hobby in the mid 1960s (I'm 63 now, not too far from HL's age LOL). I was fortunate, as likely were others back then, to have gotten a low-mileage vehicle, hence I have never had some of the maladies that others have had or are having. Back then, a local Ford dealer here actually had an old-timer mechanic ("Leroy") that had, or claimed to have, historical Model A experience.

The best oblique answer I can give to your comments would be that in the 1960s we had no access to the detailed restoration information of today; and of course no means of picking others' brains via computer, we could only consult other "A" owners. As I can best recall, back then we were more interested in keeping them rolling and less on detailed authentic restoration.

As best as I an recall

[Tinbasher]

The more you learn, The more you learn! 48 years and counting. I was 12 years old when I started working on VW Beetles. Still learning and having fun after all these years. Saw and hear my first Model A at 13 and still hooked.

The Old Tinbasher

[BILL WILLIAMSON]

[QUOTE=Purdy Swoft;917738]

Originally Posted by BILL WILLIAMSON

Bill, I've only got 54 going on 55 years experience with model A's and a small collection. I've said several times before that the rear brakes should be adjusted with the wheels either on the ground or shop floor but not with the wheels removed. There is really no need for me to go into a long explaination that would probably be disagreed with or not understood.

Yo, Bro,
I "think" I know where you're coming from, with weight on the wheels, it helps somewhat in centering the shoes to the drums, as there is a "little" bit of up & down play in the rear hub bearings.
Bro Bill W.

[SeaSlugs]

Originally Posted by jrelliott

In my opinion, most of the people that have Model A's and other older cars now are of era that we repaired our own cars and learned a lot from the school of hard knocks.Try to repair anything built in the last twenty years and you cannot do it due to the way they are manufactured or engineered and must throw away the item.Have had to throw away several items as there are no repair parts, parts no longer made to fit an item etc..Many times, if I had a small metal lathe, milling machine, could make the part and be back in business.Look at electronics, you can no longer fix your TV like in the older days when you pulled the tubes and tested them to fix most of the problems.Now when they fail, get a new one and the hazardous materials inside the old electronics go into the land fill.How many people today even know what an oscilloscope is or how to use it.Was an Electronics technician in the Navy so had to repair everything electronic when it broke and was at sea.After leaving the Navy, got my degree in Electrical Engineering and worked at designing computers and chipsand tests for the next 40 plus years.
When I went to school back in the dark ages, you had mechanical drawing in the 7th and 8th grades along with wood shop or could go into metal shop in the 9th as an option.This taught the students how to visualize an item and understand things mechanical.These subjects are no longer taught in the schools.They no longer teach cursive writing.
I enjoy working on older vehicles and did a lot of research looking at parts catalogs,Service Bulletins, and other technical books while rebuilding my Model A.Had intimate knowledge of just about every system on the car.Luckily where my skills were limited, had friends that had the skills that I lacked in the areas of machine work and welding.It still amazes me at the engineering that went into the Model A and the systems that were incorporated then are still in use today only modified to be assisted by either hydraulics or electronics.We need to thank Edsel Ford for his persistence to get Henry to modernize and drop the T.

This makes me feel old haha. I learned at a young age by watching my dad repair our cars, install plumbing, make all sorts of contraptions and I got curious as to how things worked. He was a chemical engineer by trade who learned from his dad who was a mechanical engineer. He would always be fixing something or improving something or when it broke he made it better or as he said how it should have been made in the first place.

Fixing lawnmowers and taking anything and everything apart just to see how it worked was my thing as a kid. My bicycle wasn't in one piece for very long and any scrap wood around the house i claimed it to be mine.

I blame that wooden take apart train. Looks like a steam locomotive that is all held together by one long threaded wooden rod, rest of it all interlocks. Apparently I was fascinated with that thing according to my mom.

There is alot of stuff nowadays that its just not practical to repair, usually the cost of a part is more than half the cost of a whole new thing.

I too wish i had a small lathe and mill and could weld worth a beans (im learning need more practice) would make my repairs look ALOT nicer and be 100 times more easily repaired...

TV's nowadays LCD specifically 95% of thier problems are the backlights go out (thing that lights it up and makes it glow) They are home replaceable if you have the patience and have a pencil soldering iron. The backlights are nothing more than a miniature ballast and florescent light system. Its a step up transformer that takes the 9-20volts from the internal power supply and bumps it up to 3-600 volts that goes directly to either end of a florescent tube half the size of a pencil. They do and will burn out just like your overhead lights. tubes are usually $5-10 a piece and ive bought the "ballasts" for as little as $4 a piece. The other 5% of the problems are the video board (controls your color and alignment) depends on the make and model but they arent too hard to find and replace. Or the power supply died - once again not hard to replace or find. Theres only one handful of companies that make LCD tv's and computer monitors, the internal guts of your Dell monitor is the same as your samsung or LG so alot of parts are interchangeable.

ANYWAYS:

My highschool we had drafting (by hand still - no computers), wood shop, auto mech, metals (using lathes mills etc also using sheetmetal tools to cut and fold all sorts of stuff), forging (melted down worn out/broken auto mech aluminum parts), small engines, welding(stick and wirefeed), electronics, and graphic arts(computer design, printing press materials, photo developing). I took whatever i could and learned alot from the vo-tech classes.

I had to learn cursive writing in the 3rd grade and we were all forced to use it from 3rd to fifth grade. From then on we could write however we wanted.

Best part is im only 26 so it wasn't all that long ago i learned all this stuff. I will agree and say there are VERY few schools teaching this stuff and even less parents that know how to fix anything which in turn their kids dont know and so on. I try my best by teaching my friends how to repair some things and sometimes we all learn together. I dunno there's just something satisfying about doing a job yourself.

I do enjoy working on older cars more as you dont need arms like gumby or 5 extensions and swivel joints to reach a bolt. But in reality the principles are still there on the newest of the new, granted there's alot of other useless crud in the way with it...

ok ill get off my soapbox and go burn it

[Purdy Swoft]

[QUOTE=BILL WILLIAMSON;918397]

Originally Posted by Purdy Swoft

Yo, Bro,
I "think" I know where you're coming from, with weight on the wheels, it helps somewhat in centering the shoes to the drums, as there is a "little" bit of up & down play in the rear hub bearings.
Bro Bill W.

Right on!!!!!!! Yer brother Purdy.