go buy a new/rebuilt one

[old ugly]

go buy a rebuilt
go buy a new one
it would seem we have trained ourselves to throw stuff away and buy new.

take it to a shop to have it repaired.
it seems we have trained our selves to give up trying to DIY.

i don't know how to fix it
you don't know how because you never tried.

there are talents that people have that are genetic , things like teaching, music, athletic, observation/arts, and inventiveness.
i think we all have a little of each but definitely some people are better at certain tasks that others.
there are also doers and those who delegate.
i am a hands on guy, fixing building, that sort of stuff. i can play a note on the guitar, i can walk 5km a day but i am not musically inclined or an athlete but i can fix and build lots of stuff not just cars, those genes came from my dad.
everyone is not built to work on cars. BUT

we are on a forum that deals with one of the simplest cars of the 1930s. the car was built to be worked on. most people in those times worked on their own cars at least a little and could keep it running.

so here is what i an getting to
the things i like.
someone will make a post asking about a certain fault with their Model A. lots of people will jump in and try to help diagnose/fix it, or offer their knowledge and even offer to go and help. that is the best, helping someone learn to fix their own car, after all that is a big part of this hobby. that is so great.
giving someone the info to fix their own car. that is what the Model A is about.
some folks don't have the skills or equipment to do all the necessary fixing but maybe they can change the points or change the oil of grease the car. that is awsum. they will try some of it.

the bad (my opinion)
someone will post a thread on how to fix or how to diagnose an issue on their car. and there will be a reply. "get a new or rebuilt one", "send it to Joe Blow for repair"
in most cases the OP is looking to learn what is wrong and how to fix. just because you think it should go to someone else to be repaired or rebuilt, or just because you think it should be new doesn't mean the op wants to go that route. let him try to fix his car, give him all the learning tools and data he needs to fix it. then at that point he can decide weather or not to get a new one or have someone else fix it.
you don't learn anything by having someone else do it.

[Gary WA]

SO True! Today is all about Just Buy New!! Great article.. Thanks..

[CarlG]

I know my limitations. If I can repair it, I do. If not, I send it to the "expert" that does it all the time.

[J Franklin]

I have certainly taken more things apart to attempt a repair then I have got back together, but I had fun trying!

[JayJay]

I agree wholeheartedly with all the above. You shouldn't tinker with 90-year old machinery and not expect to work on it yourself. However, what hasn't really entered into the discussion is the aspect of time. I realize that this hobby has enthusiasts that are retired and time is a bit more flexible. However, not all of us are, and if a part needs to be worked on and we can legitimately swap out a new or rebuilt one and get the job done faster and get back on the road sooner, at reasonable cost, it's worth considering.

Case in point - my starter is going bad - stiff rotation, sticky Bendix, the whole works. I could purchase the new bushings, etc. in a rebuild kit and do it myself. Cost: $90. Or I could purchase a rebuilt starter. Cost: $140. So the net I save (discounting the satisfaction of doing it myself, which I admit is huge) is $50. Given that it would take me at least four hours to do, likely more, that's paying myself $12.50/hour for a relatively straightforward job. Younger me would have jumped at $12.50/hour. Nowadays, that's not much above what I could earn at Micky D's.

I have to order the rebuild kit or the starter and the shipping time to me is the same. If I rebuild it myself I have to find a weekend to do it. So purchasing a rebuilt unit gets me back on the road sooner.

I do agree that the current "replace everything" mentality doesn't truly do justice to the memory of these old cars. (I used to restore old BMW motorcycles, and one of the dealers on the east coast made a big deal of building a complete "brand new" 1980's vintage bike from parts from the BMW parts catalog. Ugh!) And there's no question that many of the repro parts available today just don't meet the robustness of the original parts. But realistically, we can't all be Jay Leno and have a huge repro shop and many techs available to us to rebuild/restore every original part that needs attention. Nor do all of us have the skill or desire to do so. There's a real difference between "can do" and "should do" sometimes. Some parts just are more expeditious to be replaced than repaired.

Down off soap box for a while.

JayJay

[Stretch Cab]

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My Grandfather would have loved this post. He made a sign that he proudly placed in a prominent location at flea markets that read: "Use it up, wear it out, use what you got or do without"!

[dansluck]

Stretch Cab, Please don,t show that sign to my wife. I have enough projects.

[Greg Jones]

I'm with JayJay. Not all of us have the time or inclination to learn EVERYTHING and do EVERYTHING related to keeping these old beasts running. Heck, even the fine point people don't do their own work all the time, now do they? Why? Because someone might be better set up to do a task thoroughly, correctly, and in a timely manner. I try to have a life outside Model A's too! Having said that, I do try to solve problems myself first and I also lament the whole throw-away mentality our society has. It's great if a person wants to take on everything, but I find I have to pick my battles. Case in point: Zenith Carbs. I need one good rebuilt Zenith carb and I decided to buy a rebuilt one from a highly reputable source. I had zero interest in flow testing, sizing jets, all that fun stuff. YMMV of course.

[rfitzpatrick]

Most of what I've learned was done by someone whom knew what he was doing. I watch.

[ronn]

you don't learn anything by having someone else do it.



while I couldnt agree more, life only gives you enough time to attempt a certain amount of battles. if you take on too many battles, you will never win the war and die old tired and broke.

[1930artdeco]

I am in the same boat as CarlG, if I can fix it I will. But I also know that I a certain amount of time and that I am currently renting my house and don't have a full shop to do things in. BUT! the Model A is really mechanic friendly and easy to fix...Now my 57 wagon on the other hand is soaking up A LOT OF TIME and money right now. But the Model A is going in for a full resto in s few years.


Mike

[Synchro909]

My father used to tell me that if there is a job to be done, there are three types of person who might tackle it.
The first knows what he is doing, gets into it and does it well. Job Done!
The second is the person who will try but has no idea. He will make such a mess of it, it has to go to the first person to be fixed.
The third person will look at the job and ask himself if he is capable of doing it. If he answers NO, he will go and seek advice from the first person.
Moral: Being the first person is best, the third person is OK but you don't want to be the second.
I have never forgotten that and I've seen too many times people stuff things up because they didn't follow that advice. Thanks again, Dad.

[ronn]

Synch- nicely said!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[MickyD]

I am self taught. Everything I know about cars, wood work, plumbing, electrical, etc I learned by reading books and now days utube, etc. I am 75 so it may take me a lot longer to do something. I recently took my 28 roadster almost totally apart for my painter. Thank goodness he is slow at getting to all my parts because it has taken me a lot of time and a thrown out back. Getting it back together will take me more time. My son in law once asked me how I knew how to do so much stuff and I told him I read lots and lots of books. I have rebuilt 3 engines and took apart and put back together a lot of cars. I am still learning about my 28 roadster but having fun also.

[Gene F]

I agree with Old Ugly, and jay jay to some degree. The thing that I would add to what Old Ugly said is that when we are all trying to help diagnose the problem often times we never get a reply back from the requestor letting us know what it was, and a bit about how they fixed it. I mean how are we all supposed to learn if we don't get that feedback?

[Pete]

Originally Posted by MickyD

I am self taught. Everything I know about cars, wood work, plumbing, electrical, etc I learned by reading books and now days utube, etc. I am 75 so it may take me a lot longer to do something. I recently took my 28 roadster almost totally apart for my painter. Thank goodness he is slow at getting to all my parts because it has taken me a lot of time and a thrown out back. Getting it back together will take me more time. My son in law once asked me how I knew how to do so much stuff and I told him I read lots and lots of books. I have rebuilt 3 engines and took apart and put back together a lot of cars. I am still learning about my 28 roadster but having fun also.

Ah ha, you fall into the 4th person category, the one that Synchro909 left out.
Books are a far more reliable source of information than the internet.

[johnneilson]

Originally Posted by Pete

Ah ha, you fall into the 4th person category, the one that Synchro909 left out.
Books are a far more reliable source of information than the internet.

There is no doubt about that!!!

[Jeff/Illinois]

When I was growing up two of our six gas stations were run by men who grew up in the late 20's early 30's repairing vehicles. The one who owned the DX station had worked in the town Ford garage the other guys (brothers) owned the Skelly station and sold Plymouths out of it on the side. They had a framed picture of Pres. Calvin Coolidge in the office!

You talk about guys that could fix anything, they were awesome. And that doesn't count the private garage in town that the Anderson Bros. ran. They were Model T experts and could do or make ANYthing. People still talk about their skills and this was in the 1960's they all retired.

I sure wish they were still with us today, I've got plenty of 'how-do-I -do-THIS?' questions

[nkaminar]

I think I am lucky. I was born with a wrench in my hand. I have always been able to fix mechanical things. Today I blew my exhaust manifold gasket. I waited until the engine had cooled off, unbolted the manifolds, and put new gaskets on. I have a box of spare parts. I analyzed the problem and fixed it without much thinking involved. Just second nature.

By the way, the old gaskets were the green paper variety. They came out in many burnt pieces. I put the copper laminated gaskets in. I am hoping they will last longer.

[History]

That fine looking car deserves new a manifold gasket. ��

Beautiful car!!!!!!

Originally Posted by nkaminar

I think I am lucky. I was born with a wrench in my hand. I have always been able to fix mechanical things. Today I blew my exhaust manifold gasket. I waited until the engine had cooled off, unbolted the manifolds, and put new gaskets on. I have a box of spare parts. I analyzed the problem and fixed it without much thinking involved. Just second nature.

By the way, the old gaskets were the green paper variety. They came out in many burnt pieces. I put the copper laminated gaskets in. I am hoping they will last longer.