Is There Anyone Not Into Old Cars Today?

[Norm's Coupe]

Contractors came out this morning to replace a window in our house. Both guys were into old cars and building race/drag cars. The younger guy said his father has been into for many years too. Of course, they were talking about old GM and Ford's though.

But.........what was interesting, the younger guy (about 35 or 40 years old) said he really liked the body style of the coupe. Then ask if it was all original. Of course, I told him yes, except for the interior coverings, engine color, front brakes and hubcaps. Said he liked keeping old cars as close to original as possible too. Also said he didn't like changing over from 6 volt to 12 volt, or dropping V8's to replace the original 6 cylinders. All he talked about while here was old cars he and his dad had rebuilt. Said his father was working on a 67 El Camino right now. Had it all stripped down. Was even talking about the same things we do when it comes to the way prices have gone on old cars and parts, especially on the internet, such as ebay. Right down to the same complaints about ebay sellers we make here all the time.

Who knows, my coupe and I may have converted him to old Mopar's too. Just before he left he ask what I originally paid for mine, and what he could expect to pay for one like mine, the way I originally bought it. I think he's going to go out looking for old Mopar, the way he sounded. If so.........maybe he'll eventually show up here.

Gas company is coming out tomorrow to replace our old gas meter. Wonder if one or more of those guys will also be into old cars.

[BobT-47P15]

Interesting isn't it, Norm?

When service people come to our house, the garage door is usually open, and

they all have to take a look and the convert and ask a few questions. Which

is fine by me.

[FiredomeVorhese]

99 out of a 100 people you pass could give a rat's behind about old cars.

Artists, craftsmen, mechanics, tinkerers usually are the type that are into them.

[Joe Flanagan]

I agree. I watch people's eyes glaze over when I talk about it. Unless it's a certain type of person, and I'm surprised how rare that is.

The thing that really bothers me is watching someone's face as they struggle to make sense of what I'm doing and then they say, "You're going to sell it when you're done, right?"

[Norm's Coupe]

I agree with what Joe said..........but the young guy this morning did know what he was talking about. Not only that. When they were finished I unlocked the car so he could get a good look inside. Then he got out looked around a little more. Then he did what only a real old car guy would do. Laid down on the ground to look at the suspension in the front. When he did that, he also noticed the front bumper was new and brought that up also.

[Don Coatney]

So Norm;

Perhaps it is time you got "in-to" old cars and start driving your Plymouth somewhere past the end of your driveway. Tell you what. Indianapolis is close to a half way meeting point for you and I. I suggest we both drive our old Plymouth cars there and meet up sometime next year. If you agree I can pretty much guarantee there will be 10 or more forum members who will also make the trip. Time for you to put up or shut up.

[Norm's Coupe]

Don,

If you recall, I've always said I only drive the Plymouth within a 50 mile radius of the house. Never said I drive it long distance, or ever would. I've always said, I don't enjoy driving the coupe all that much in the hot weather too. If I'm going to take a trip to Indianapolis, it will be in my modern car with power steering, cruise control and air conditioning. So.......there is no need for me to put up or shut up, since I've always stated this.

[Rodney Bullock]

I agree. I watch people's eyes glaze over when I talk about it. Unless it's a certain type of person, and I'm surprised how rare that is.

The thing that really bothers me is watching someone's face as they struggle to make sense of what I'm doing and then they say, "You're going to sell it when you're done, right?"

Hey Joe everybody is interested in what you are doing. When I visit you all eyes are on you. You are making such good progress they can't wait until it's done. I think you have a fan base. It was cold today I wonder if you did any work out side. The wife had me planting mums.

When the roff guy's were here 2 years ago they would spend their luch hour looking at the Plymouth and 55 chevy. When they were done I took some pic's of them in front of the cars and sent it to them. The boss took a couple. He was a Mopar nut from way back.

[JIPJOBXX]

I belong to an old car club and it seems to me that its getting harder and harder for younger people to show up to there meetings. I really think in many ways that our old cars will be around but not on the streets in say 10 to 20 years. I kind of wonder who in the future will buy our old cars? most kids today do not want an old clunker but a small economical car that they do not haft to work on. I know this hurts but I think it the truth. Go to a swap met and take a look around and 90 percent of those people are usually people with gray hair. Well its fun for us older guys to fool around on these old rigs but like I said before most kids I know just take a look and then oft to there small economical cars. I really sometimes can't blame them as when I was growing up all I could afford was an old heap and so into days world that would be a Honda or some other foreign car. Gone are the days of the 100 dollar car.

[Don Jordan]

Just a passing note from Norm's post. He referred to "young guys" about 35 - 40. Scary. I remember when you "couldn't trust anyone over 30" and now they're young.

[Merle Coggins]

Norm,

I'm supprised that you didn't work a deal with this guy. You could have sold him your Coupe in a trade deal with his '67 Camino. He could take your Coupe out of your driveway for the winter and return the finished Cheby to you in the spring. You keep saying it's for sale and you're looking for something a little more modern. I think you missed your chance. Plus you wouldn't have to worry about winter storage.

Merle

[Joe Flanagan]

Rodney, I did some color sanding on my rear fenders. I think the only reason people might be paying attention in my neighborhood now is because they see something bright green. I was too general in my comment above. Someone mentioned tradesmen, crafts people, and artists appreciating old cars and I think that's right. Norm's visitors obviously appreciated his coupe.

I was told that vocational schools are disappearing in this country and kids are no longer learning trades. I wonder if that's true. When I was growing up, we played around with cars but that might have to do with WHERE you grow up and what your economic status is. Here in the DC area I DO NOT see any young people working on cars, but this place is unusual for a number of reasons. But back in my home town, I don't see it anymore either. One thing's for sure, today's cars require a different set of skills than what many of us know. It's easy to get all superior on the virtues of old-time mechanics, but the new stuff probably takes quite a bit of talent too. I just can't respect computerized stuff. Let the flaming begin, but that's just who I am.

[Brad Lustig]

So Norm;

Perhaps it is time you got "in-to" old cars and start driving your Plymouth somewhere past the end of your driveway. Tell you what. Indianapolis is close to a half way meeting point for you and I. I suggest we both drive our old Plymouth cars there and meet up sometime next year. If you agree I can pretty much guarantee there will be 10 or more forum members who will also make the trip. Time for you to put up or shut up.

After all this time off the forum, I come back to find out Norm still hasn't driven past the edge of his driveway?

[Plymouthy Adams]

boy Brad..all that line needed was a rimshot...

maybe he is related to Chris Columbus after all..afraid he will fall off the edge..

ouch..( I have no room to talk..but dang its fun)

http://www.instantrimshot.com/

Edited October 13, 2009 by Tim Adams

[Joe Flanagan]

Well, Norm's driveway is flat and there's nothing beyond the edge of it.

[FiredomeVorhese]

I'm not worried about people, I'm worried about parts. It's hard enough to find a carb rebuild kit or a gasket set now. All these oddball cars will get increasingly more difficult to keep maintained.

[Norm's Coupe]

Joe,

My driveway isn't flat, it has a hill in it.

The guy from the gas company just left a few minutes ago. He was here to replace the gas meter. When all done he had to come in and relight the pilot lights on the hot water tank and furnace, plus get the air out of the lines going to the kitchen stove. As it turns out, this guy was a car guy too. Has a 67 Chevy Impala. Looked to be in his 40's. He also liked the coupe. Said his buddy has a 49 Mercury with the flathead eight. Said he drove it a couple of years ago when he was best man at his buddy's wedding. Guess his buddy has owned the Mercury for about 30 years.

Merle,

I did think about offering my coupe for a trade on the 67 El Camino for just a short time yesterday. But........the El Camino was not his, it was his father's. Then it was far from being a done truck. Not only was the paint stripped, the interior needed replacing and engine needed work. I don't want to get involved in another project, so I just let it slide by. Actually, I've decided to just hang onto the coupe. Gives me something to tinker with, when I feel like it.

Brad,

I have driven my coupe a lot further than Tim has driven his car. He's only driven about 61 miles (by his own admission) in 2 1/2 years, for an average of only 23.5 miles per year. In the 15 years I've owned my coupe I have driven it about 700 miles. That's an average of 46.7 miles per year. However, most of those miles were put on since about 2000, which would raise the average per year. So........I drive my coupe about twice as much as Tim drives his car.

For me the coupe is not something I really want to drive all that much. It's a hobby more than anything else. I didn't buy it to clean out my bank account, or to depend on for a daily driver, nor to win trophy's. As such, it really doesn't matter how much I drive it. The fun is just tinkering with it and doing what I want to with it. If I feel like hopping in it for a cruise in, or to just take a spin, I do. Otherwise, when going somewhere, that's what the modern car is for. Any money spent to replace something or add something doesn't matter because it's just a hobby. I also do small woodworking projects. Usually don't need anything I might make, I just do it for the fun of it. If we can't use what I make, I give it away. Again, it's not about the cost of making it, it's about doing the hobby.

Now, if I were to drive an old car somewhere, then get stuck because something went bad in it, or I was uncomfortable while driving it in hot weather. That's not fun and would ruin the fun part of the hobby. So........that's why you'll never see me taking trips in the coupe. At least that way if something goes wrong I can have it towed home for next to nothing so I can fix it at my own leisure (hobby time). It wouldn't need to be fixed today so I could get back home.

[JIPJOBXX]

Ditto on what Norm said in the last post. When we were young it was a matter of necessity to just have a car and hundred dollar car was just great! Nowadays those one hundred dollar car fetch thousand of dollars. And the old saying still goes "If I only had kept that?" But who back in the 60's wanted a Plymouth or a Dodge? It had to be a Chevy or a Ford. Oh well I love my old Dodge and it my big hobby like Norms but thank god I do not have tens of thousands of dollars into it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[desoto1939]

All of the Antique car clubs are having this very same issue including the AACA and there might be serveral reasons for this situation.

When we were all younger our dads, uncles or whatever could go out and lift up the hood of the car and we could identify the various parts of the engine.

Dad was able to change the spark plugs, put a new air filter onthe carb, Adjust the point and put in a new condensor. We could even remove and replace a carb and if dad had some talent we could even rebuld the carb.

We would help out with the oil chaneg and filter and lube the car. We would even check the trans fluid and then rotate the tires and put on snow tires in the winter and put on new wiper blades and all of the stuff that dad felt was good for us to know about a car sh we could take care of our car when we had enough cash to buy one.

Now in the modern world there is electronic ignitions, we do not change points, condensors or even dizzy caps. When was the last time that you changed a spark plug, or should I say was able to even locate them inthe engine area and then if you could find one how the heck did you get to it without standing on your head or have to have your arm contoured in several ways just to feel where it is.

We can no longer get under the cars to even change the oil and filters and if they are being change this does not happen until we have hit 5-7 thousand miles and then take it to the oil place since we need a lift. Where the heck is the air filter, it is located behind headlights and you have to disconnect so many black tubes you are afraid that you might break something in just trying to do this simple task. In some of the newer cars we do not even change the radiator fliud until the car has hit 100k. I remember doing this every other fall with my dad. We do not even change tires to winter tires since we have radials and now we can get 60-80k on a set of tires.

Basically the cars have become so effiecent and with better technology we do not have to or even in some time want to try to attempt to fix a modern car. So since there is no longer a transfer of knowledge to our younger generation they have lost the interest in old cars. Lets all hope that we can get some kids or even our kids interested in keeping the old cars running because they are the future of the hobby and this is changing very quickly.

I attended the Hershey meet and yes you do not see the young generation attneding the event and this is how the hobby is progressing. The young kids are into theser high rev tuners and now have more money than we did as kids and just want to make them look great and sound great and just drive the heck out of the cars.

As the old guard its up to us to keep the spirit alive of getting your hands full of grease and tinkering.

All comments welcomed.

Rich Hartung

Desoto1939@aol.com

[Plymouthy Adams]

I have driven my coupe a lot further than Tim has driven his car. He's only driven about 61 miles (by his own admission) in 2 1/2 years, for an average of only 23.5 miles per year.

Norm..close..but actually only about 10 miles in the last two years..has only been out of the garage about 10 times (under its own power however) but not out of the yard in what I would guess has been the last 1 1/2 years..

but that is not saying it has not come a long way in that time..this is normal for me..I make all my cars stay in the corner at least two years..that way they learn dicipline and know how to act once out of the garage..works for me...!

[power_hungry]

The $100 cars arn't all gone... I bought a '97 concorde for $100 last winter (Craig's list) as a parts car just to have on hand. It ran, but not too well

(140,000 miles on it). Had to trailer it home it home because a mechanic had diagnosed it with a cracked head (it had been overheating).

2 months later the tranny went out on my daily driver. I really wasn't too eager to do a tranny swap in Michigan in February, so I put some marker dye in the radiator, put some new spark plugs in it and started driving it. Kinda scary the first couple of trips... waiting for it to die on me, but I have 12,000+ miles on it now and no signs of dye ever showed up in the oil! I think there was air in the cooling system that was causing the overheating problem.

[LuckyDevil]

I was born May 27, 1983. A lot of you are probably thinking about what you were doing then, and where you were. I bought my first car at the age of thirteen and started teaching myself how to fix it. We do know how to work on cars. We do like cars, old or new. The huge difference is the fact that the older cars are getting more and more expensive, so that limits the opportunities for most. The newer cars are a little more confusing, but you just learn how to fix them. Just like the computer in front of you. You probably didn't have one at your house when you were a teenager. I guess the point I am trying to get at is ......... The world around us is forever changing, But the passion for cars will always be the same.

[Norm's Coupe]

LuckyDevil makes a very good point. My son (42 years old) always works on his modern car, and his mother's (my ex wife) when needed. He's even offered to fix my van if needed, but I usually have it done.

Really, a modern car is no different than an old car when it comes to the basic engine and mechanicals. It's just that with all the electronic stuff, it does give you more to look for, not to mentioned you have to remove half of what's under the hood to do any work. I could work on the modern cars too, I just don't do it because I don't want to. Plus, it's faster to just take it in and have it done.

It all comes down to what he said in his post. We either don't want to learn about the extra garbage under the hood, or just don't want to take the time to do it when we get older.

[Brad Lustig]

There is hope for some in the younger generation. A buddy of mine sent me a picture of his daughter's boyfriend's new car. He sold his Mini Cooper to buy an Olds with a 455 (I think it's around a '69). Needless to say, my friend is proud of his daughter for picking a good guy.

[desoto1939]

I am not saying that we do not have the younger generation no interested in cars. But the opportunity for the non car guys that could change an air filter or change the oil and filter has been made tougher because the cars have been made not to permit us to do this type of work.

And when our kids can not see this being done by their dads and when they only can take the car to the repair shop and the repair shop will not permit anyone into the repair bay then how can we transfer the knowledge of a hands on experience.

The cars of yesteryear were alot easirer to work on and you could see the parts and could identify the parts. Now when you look in an engine compartment all you sometimes see is a big black piece of plastic that covers the entire engine and only a few things are labeled such as the oil cap, windshield water reservior, brake fluid, trans stick and automatic steering fluid.

As a mater of fact my 2009 Volvo v70 does not even have a dipstick for the trans and its an automatic. Volvo does not even want you to touch this area. So this is the point that I am trying to get across that if our kids do not see us checking these items then they do not even know that they exist.

Rich Hartung