For the "It's Only Original once" crowd

These are most likely field mice, you cannot appreciate pack rats until you have them.
They like small parts, shinney stuff, bolts and nuts. They use the padding from the seats to make their nests. For protection they use jumping cacti. I have found those little guys can carry a lot. I found a 3/8X5 bolt on the floorboard of my forklift. The nest was on the engine, between the head and manifold.
Bruce
 
I bow to no one in my admiration of cars restored to as close to original as possible,
but find a large number are shown, but not driven much, if any. "Rouge" class cars are particularly interesting. For many of the rest of us, driving the cars is the source of satisfaction and pride. To do so often requires modest revisions for safety's sake. Unless we are willing to accommodate both camps, our hobby will continue to wither.
 
Found this mouse skeleton in my car.

It dropped out of the front seat.
 

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My 40 was exposed to the elements only a short time, while i rebuilt my garage years ago, but the mices had enough time to get in thru the tail pipe and built a nest in the rusted mufflers.

I had that too. First time it started there was mouse nests for 20 feet behind the car
 
Remember this . I found in it while changing the ****** fluid in my newly acquired 34 roadster. There was also a medium sized nest in the gas tank & one down in the valley of the trunk where it meets the rear panel. Consensus of opinion was it is/was an acorn.
 

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Found in the engine compartment. Mostly on the frame pieces.
 

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"leave it the way it is" and "It's only original once". This is usually from guys with pristine restored cars.

I wonder why those guys would say that. Do they know something...
 
I have a friend in RG 36 who used to drive his '51 everywhere and then he got on the Dearborn award kick and he told me a while back to never restore my '50 Ford because I can still drive mine.
 
Everytime I mention fixing up my car I get the "leave it the way it is" and "It's only original once". This is usually from guys with pristine restored cars.

Well I got tired of the stained and saggy headliner and the mice ate part of the back seat a year ago. Here is what I found.

People that say that are a PIA!

Tell them to buy a car and store it in a special climate controlled room for posterity!
You bought the car because you like it and want to have fun with it!
Life is too short
So save the car as it is and never get in it for fear of wearing it out.
You might as well never buy it.
I have an original 1933 ford with most everything original including the interior. I replaced the floor mats because the original ones are shreaded.
Fortunately the interior is great but if I jad found a car that needed new seats I would have replaced them. Don;t just sit ina piece of decaying debrie for histories sake. You are not running the smithsonian mueseum.
You bought the car for fun, enjoy it. Nothing lasts forever ..
the car or you....enjoy what you paid for.
Have fun with you car, fix what needs to be fixed to make it nice and enjoyable. Don't just tear out the old because it has gotten a little dingy, but replace portions of those things that are ratty and make it unpleasant for you to sit in your car.

PS I know people that buy old comic books sealed in plastic holders than graded and can never be opened. That is very sad.
 
SAY IT AGAIN.... Vic, ...Say it again ........OLD.....BILL

I know another guy who bought a very expensive perfectly restored car that he is now to afraid to drive because he might scratch or damage or wear something out. He should have just bought a plastic model and saved a fortune.
Have fun with you car
Build memories of using it and working on it
Because the day will come when you and all of us will be too old to drive it and then we at least would have great memories of owning a classic car and have fun with it like so many countless millions of people did in the 1930's, 1940's and they are now gone too.
 
Like I said I am fixing it the way I want, I was just laughing that someone would drive with that crap up there rather than tear up the "Original" stuff. Also like the original hose clamps that leaked like crazy.... New ones work fine.
 
SAY IT AGAIN.... Vic, ...Say it again ........OLD.....BILL

You know, I build my cars/trucks (Flatheads and otherwise) to be drivers, because that's the way I want them. I respect others that want to built their Flatheads "as Henry built them", but I don't respect anyone that tries to force their opinion on someone who thinks differently. That is, unless they want to finance my builds for me...:D LOL I'll consider taking suggestions, on how to otherwise build my vehicles, as long as those suggestions are accompanied by a sizeable donation to the cause...:eek:
 
Vic,

From a philosophy stand point I am in your camp, I don't care that much to go to meetings and talk about cars, or sit in front of it and display it (although I do like to look at other cars so there is a trade off there). I want to work on them and drive them. I will have a concourse type car when I have amassed the skills to do it myself (at which point I would probably turn around and sell it to get another project). So far, other than buying the wiring harness and having someone else rebuild the carb and fuel pump, I have done all the work on my car myself.

When I first got the car I got some advice; "Everybody you meet will have advice for you, most of it wrong. Chose wisely who you listen to and make your own choices".
 
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