Ever wonder?

I've always learned to do things on my own.bodywork was always expensive,so I learned to do what I needed.Need a well? Dig one.House?Build one.Septic system? build it.Same with electrical,plumbing,drywall,logging,equipment operating,masonry,heating/cooling,if you don't hire somebody else to do it you don't have to go to work to pay for it.It's not a free ride,you have to work hard at it,but when you're done you have something,and you've learned something.This site is really pretty good for help.I was looking on a Cummins diesel site for info,there were 16 pieces of information that I was afraid to use.Every one was just plain wrong.They were all armchair experts,that were giving advice based on what they had read or heard on the intertube,none from experience.
 
Keith True said:
I've always learned to do things on my own.bodywork was always expensive,so I learned to do what I needed.Need a well? Dig one.House?Build one.Septic system? build it.Same with electrical,plumbing,drywall,logging,equipment operating,masonry,heating/cooling,if you don't hire somebody else to do it you don't have to go to work to pay for it.It's not a free ride,you have to work hard at it,but when you're done you have something,and you've learned something.This site is really pretty good for help.I was looking on a Cummins diesel site for info,there were 16 pieces of information that I was afraid to use.Every one was just plain wrong.They were all armchair experts,that were giving advice based on what they had read or heard on the intertube,none from experience.
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Wise on all counts especially the self professed experts. Wayne
 
I take a lot more from this forum than I give - mostly since I know the limits of my experience and expertise. I read a ton of posts but rarely comment - unless the thread is one I start. I bet that I'm pretty typical of a lot of guys who spend time on here.

I think that the truly knowledgeable people on this forum are making a valuable and necessary investment in a future for the Model A hobby. It's a (much) larger example of the local farmer to whom I turned again and again for advice on an antique tractor. While feedback is nice, it's not why most guys put themselves out there. As my tractor buddy told me, helping me was usually fun for him and a great way to suck someone into his hobby!

There are all sorts of Model A hobbyists out there. Some are naturally mechanical and able to learn/do all manner of things on their own. Others need a (big) hand. Some have the time to be self-taught, others don't. But each one that comes on here, asks a question and gets helped is a bit more likely to stay with the hobby. So we all win.

It'd be great if everyone who posts a question provided feedback on how the advice received worked.....but it's likely better to not expect that and to be pleasantly surprised when it happens. :)
 
A lot of folks take the Internet for granted and the super easy information at the touch of your finger tips. I did my first frame off restoration before the Internet, with one book I found at the library and one catalog. What sometimes took me hours and hours to figure out on my own now takes seconds on the Internet. There was no local club either and I wouldn't have found one anyway in a phone book! My biggest mistakes back then were painting in a old dusty, drafty barn with a compressor that blew more oil into the tank than air. LOL :)
 
forever4 said:
Based on the questions asked, I feel that many of the young newcomers and posters are not mechanically inclined and don't own tools. But at least they are here and are getting started.

When I hired into my OEM Automotive Engineering job 35 years ago, it seemed every other guy including me had a garage project, restoring Buicks, Packards, Tri Chevies, Corvettes, or some other old or collectible car. Other were weekend racers at Michigan International Speedway.

Nowadays, new engineers we hire know how to model in Catia, UniGraphics, or some other modeling software, but have no clue about how to use a hand or powertool, fix a bicycle or lawnmower, or build a doghouse. No mechanical aptitude whatsoever is apparent.

In the seven years since I got back from China, the industry has been recovering, and we have been hiring like crazy, yet only two new guys I know have a hands-on Project. One restored a 1967 Corvette, and the other is working on a 1932 henry steel traditional flathead powered hot rod. Both their dads were car guys and OEM engineers also.

I am sure there must be others with project cars, but it is not evident. Two thirds of the automotive engineering workforce today seems to be composed of women and foreigners (H1B) who might own a screwdriver, a crescent wrench, and a claw hammer. All of them own the latest smart phone which they are glued to throughout the work day. Must be why we have to hire so many more people than years ago. Maybe they are all on Fordbarn during the work day?? ;)
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Sorry if my response is late but the time difference between us makes that unavoidable. We are about 17 -20 hours ahead of the US. I often miss the beginning of a new thread. Now to the matter at hand...I have a friend who owns a business measuring/monitoring noise and other vibrations. He recently employed a new younger fellow who is a whizz on the computer but hopeless when it comes to anything practical. My friend says "He is all digital - no analogue".
I hear that coming though loud and strong in this thread.
 
ModelAMike1930 said:
I try to exhaust all possibilities before ever asking for help here do to the sarcastic response on my very 1st post on here.. I made a list of who the "A" "H"'s were and always disregard on anything they say. The few times I had no choice I did thank the helpful responses..
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After 199 posts I'm glad you did not stop asking questions or giving advice.:D
 
Model A technical information is from vintage technology of the past and was shared openly everywhere during a different generation.

Appears some new to this Model A hobby may feel like their Model A questions are so basic that after asking, they will fear being ridiculed because of being so uninformed.

For example, if we seniors go back to basic questions concerning the transportation technology before Model A's, and ask questions like:


1. If traveling from Virginia to Nevada in a buggy: (a) How often does a horse need a rest? (b) How often does he need to drink? (c) How often ....... and how much does he need to eat? (d) Does he need to sleep at night or do we share driving and drive 24 hours on a few days?

2. What is the angle of buggy spokes from the hub to the tire? Do buggy front wheels need camber, caster, and toe-in?

3. Why are buggy front wheels smaller diameter than the rear wheels?

Looks like a few would not feel comfortable asking these types of basic questions on a Horse & Buggy Forum ........... and then be eager to subsequently reply after receiving many different and conflicting replies.

Wonder why?
 
Like Americans who are employed as Farmers; technology and quality improvements have reduced the number of Americans who are Farmers as compared when our Model A where made... So too are the number of Americans employed as Auto Mechanics. Cars today are much more reliable so the need corner Mom and Pop filling/service stations are much less--even though there are more and more cars on the road than ever.

Given that, it should not be too surprising that there are some newer folks here who are interested in Ford Model A or other old cars that are not nor ever been a professional mechanic --I for one (former RF Engineer with Motorola) but now do UNIX/SAN IT work for a $. I am thankful for all those out there who are willing, and happy to share their years of experience here (something I wish own profession would learn)... As had been said I think, information not recorder goes to the grave, information recorded goes to the future and this forum is just that, for the future of the hobbit.
 
forever4 said:
If you are an IT engineer, could you speak to someone about that blasted autocorrect feature which takes my simple understandable typos and changes them into other incorrect words I did not type at all, and which cannot be fathomed in the context given? Thanks.
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Try turning it off
 
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