Our hobby 40 years ago

Willit Stop

Willit Stop

Well-known member
I sometimes forget how much easier our hobby is today because of the computer (and this site). Have a question? Some guy in the UK or New Zeland or next door might have the answer and will be happy to share it with you.Need a part? No problem.Do a search,out comes the credit card and bingo! Here comes the part and you didn't even leave your chair. Years ago,an order form and a check had to be sent by US mail.Then your part was sent. Don't know how to fix it? Youtube is your best friend. No more going to the library or thumbing through a tattered old repair manual. Looking for a particular car to buy?Years ago, one would have to wait for a new Hemming's to come out or get real lucky and find one locally. Now you can find anything you want with the push of a button.Pick a color. Tired of working in the shop and need a break? You're reading this.Break's over. Get back to work.
Have a great day. Gene
 
Glad this last forty years has been so easy on you. Back then, I'd jump and run to the door when I saw the mailman deliver my Hemmings. Now I have to brace myself to get out of my chair, and rise slowly to finally stand up straight.
 
I rebuilt a 1945 Ford pickup 38 years ago, had to scour farmers fields for spare parts, then had to convince them to sell them to me. But there were a lot of NOS flathead parts still available through Joblot.
 
And don't forget the swap meets every year, spring and fall, local and national. Still a good source or parts each year but nothing like 40 years ago.

Hemmings, Bargain News and a couple of others long since gone were gold for parts not local to us.

Cliff Ramsdell
 
Willit Stop said:
Years ago,an order form and a check had to be sent by US mail.Then your part was sent.
Click to expand...
Don't recall ever sending away for speed parts, there were at least 4 or 5 speed shops in the area where you could go to pick up whatever was needed and if they didn't have it they'd order it for ya'.
 
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Thing that I cannot figure out is where did I get the time to go looking for stuff, stop at older friends place and help him or watch him build stuff then go rent or borrow lifts hoists trailers to drag stuff home. Still have time left over for life! Think I figured out part of it, could have changed plugs on a flathead quicker than posting this.
 
40 years? Got my license 56 years ago and had already been messing with mechanical stuff for 5 or 6 years. I'm happy to just remember 40 years back.
 
I bought the remains of a 1947 Sedan coupe for $35 in 1972 and I spent 7 years restoring it. There was not many places selling N.O.S new parts, I bought the remains of the N.O.S small Parts from two local Ford dealers and engine parts were only available where ever you could obtain them. There were remains of several 1946- 48 Ford sedans lying around here within a 100 mile radius. With permission of the owners my wife and I used to to take a car and a trailer with a gas plant and ropes and water as some of these remains were down banks and the water was used to extinquish any fires and the rope was used to lower the gas plant and other tools as well as pulling up the parts.
I used to obtain some rubber parts from a firm in Australia, but I used most of these type of parts from other cars otherwise I had to make up round rubber sealing strip for the trunk lid as it was not available. Strange but there was not many remains of 1946 - 48 Mercury cars lying around this area.
Now days you can restore or build up any model of Ford with the availability of parts.
 
In the late fifties when I was in high school, the only mail order outfits were J.C. Whitney and Honest Charlie. I lived about 20 miles west of Minneapolis (which was way out in the sticks then), but I would call around on Saturday mornings to see if anyone was going to make the trip to Lake Street to go to "The Big Wheel" or "Champion Auto". "The Big Wheel" was a real speed shop and sponsored a dragster back then. I couldn't afford nothin' but it was great to go. I finally saved enough money to buy my first "speed parts" which was a Mallory dual point conversion for my '51 Ford V8. I think it was $17.95.
 
40 years ago lets see I bought a Deuce roadster in need of lots of work cost $800.00 had to borrow money from the landlord to buy the car. 90 amp Sears welder a rented one bay garage one small vise a hacksaw lots of hand tools a hand made bench grinder and lots of trips to the local speed shops it wasn't long before another Deuce was on the road. The Flathead rebuild from Nizens in New Haven CT complete engine cost was $350.00. New Halibrand 6 spline quickchange center section with one set of change gears was $225.00 delivered from California. Back then drove the car to work in the rail yards around New Haven and now over 40 years latter still drive it to work to my little shop so I can continue all this fun.
Times have changed prices have risen the world has gotten smaller with the Internet we may be growing older and slowing down a bit but with this Ford old car bug we have I bet most of us really dont feel the age when were driving around in our old Ford no matter what type it may be.
Ronnieroadster
 
This is what I remember!
 

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Loved going to the Wrecking yards combing for parts and ideas, along with a few local speed shops.
Hemmings, Classifieds in your local newspapers, Piston and Rutter, then the world got a lot smaller with the internet.
 
Internet story. I have a 1986 Suzuki Samurai, 4 wheel drive with a dual range transfer case. I’m 30 miles from home doing some work and have the T-case in low range. Finished up my work at 9:45am and go to shift T-case to high range and I can’t find high, low or neutral. One of those “Aw Shi*” moments. I put my iPhone to work, Bring up YouTube, stuck Samurai T-case. A short 5 minute video later, some borrowed tools and I have the shift rod out, realign the shifting rails, put the shift rod back in and at 10:45 I’m on my way home. Common problem with a rubber “shift sheet” that deterates over time. I got a brass “shift sheet” via internet and installed it a few days later. Thanks to the internet I was able to identify the problem, perform a “Field Expediant” fix and head back home IN ONE HOUR!
John
 
40 years ago there were many junk yards in my area you could still find model A fords. all gone many years ago. at one i bought a fairly complete 41 buick for $50 and a 39 fordor for $350 which i thought was a little high but the owner claimed the flathead was still being used in stock cars. still have the 39 although in much worse shape.
 
In 1967 I was restoring a '42 Lincoln Continental Cabriolet and needed 2 new frt. engine
mounts for the V12 I was installing. My parts "guru' up in PA. told me to go to my local
Lincoln/Mercury parts counter, they were still in the book. So I payed a visit to
"Martin J. Barry " Lincoln Mercury in Baltimore and told him what I wanted with correct
part numbers for '36-'48 Lincoln V12. Naturally he replied " we don't have them- too
old. I replied - look them up , they are still available! He looked inb the book- "OH yeah
they are listed, have them for you in 2 weeks. Those were the days!
 
Paid $550 for complete LeBaron Bonney 1940 Ford DeLuxe Coupe interior in 1978.
A lot dough when your shoveling snow.
 
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