More dollars than sense

[Aussie D25]

Who has this kind of money

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=260611354193&viewitem=&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWAX%3AIT

I just cant get over it.... I saw another rusty set go for US$90 just last week

There is about the same amount of tin there as a baking tray yet because it has been shaped in such a way that it may cover the front portion of a rear fender then that means trust fund and crazy pills time.

They don't even have any kind of rolled pattern ...

Time to break out the English wheel, I could make millions off cashed up fools....

[JoelOkie]

Who has this kind of money

Time to break out the English wheel, I could make millions off cashed up fools....

No doubt. I guess if you are missing some of these pieces, and want them bad enough you bite the bullet.

I invested in some polishing and buffing equipment a few years ago, and found a good online tutorial dealing with stainless and bright work restoration, after learning that I couldn't afford to buy NOS, or have restoration done. There is an element of artistry involved, but mostly just what all the other skills are, experience/lot's of practice. All 4 pieces of the grillwork I had, and was able to aquire on my Dodge pickup was bent, dented, and/or scratched. I am about to take everything off my P-15 coupe and repair and polish it. Doesn't look too bad, but there is a lot of it, and those rocker trims are pretty big, and pretty beat!

Joel

[michael.warshaw]

thats cheap they normally sell inthe 350 to 400 dollar range. you cant take it with you, so why not spend it!

[JoelOkie]

thats cheap they normally sell inthe 350 to 400 dollar range. you cant take it with you, so why not spend it!

How about this.....try going without any (money) for about 30 days and you just might develope a more conservative view of throwing it out so easy. Joel

[JoelOkie]

Does not look like a bad price for show quality parts.

Not that I have that kind of money to spend, but those are very nice guards.

Oh I agree with you on this, Shel, they are nice, and to someone that needs them, and HAS the money, they are obviously worth it. What I was pointing out was that many people, myself included, have to try and make do with what we have, and learning to do some of these things ourselves.

What I don't agree with is the (now all too often) flippant remarks about it being "only money", and "you can't take it with you" comments coming from some elitist that was born with a silver spoon in his mouth, who is in all reality probably talking about spending his DADDY"S money, not any he actually earned himself. Those type of comments, when they are made on a repetitive basis, make me think the person making them has never had to make anything happen on their own.

[michael.warshaw]

p15 stone guards normally sell for 350+, so that guy got a good deal.

iagree the people with the silver spoon haveit easy im just a poor kid from newyork who worked myself to the bone, still paying law bills!

[JoelOkie]

Oh well, thanks for clearing that up for me....of course all the poor kids around here that I know of that worked their ways through college and are struggling to pay off their loans drive BMW's , meet their friends at swanky eating joints for $500.00 suppers, and preserve their memories with $2000.00 cameras. Good to see you have a healthy sense of humor!

If you go back and re-read my initial post you will see that I wasn't commenting on wether the guy was getting a good deal or not, but stating the fact that there are a lot of things that a guy can do himself, and save money, and feel he has accomplished something along the way. I wonder if you ever fixed anything that got broken, llike an alarm clock, a radio, or a lawn mower, ect. , just to see if you could do it. Have you taken anything apart to learn how it works, and put it back together? I can remember working on my tricycle when I was a little kid as soon as I found out those square headed bolts could be turned, and the handle bars turned around backwards, the seat adjusted, ect. Most of us worked on bicycles, mopeds, mini bikes, motorcycles, our first cars, ect. Most of us in the country learned to work on tractors, mowing machines, and various types of equipment, to some degree or another. Almost everyone that has had a yard to maintain has worked on a lawn mower. What are the things you have tried to fix yourself? I know this has gotten to be a throw away world, but there are still numerous things that can be repaired and re-used, even if a person has the money to just throw it away and buy new. Sometimes it seems as though your answer to every problem is to buy your way out of it.

[Young Ed]

Ha Joel I've been mowing my lawn for about the past 4 years with a honda lawnmower I got out of the trash at a hardware store a buddy works at. Spent about 40 bucks on a new blade and a crankshaft and repaired the damage someone did to it hitting an imovable item that bent the crank.

[BobT-47P15]

And, far as I know, those items were never issued as original equipment on

a P15, but were add-ons, probably by the dealer. So, they are not mandatory for a correct restoration.

[JoelOkie]

Ha Joel I've been mowing my lawn for about the past 4 years with a honda lawnmower I got out of the trash at a hardware store a buddy works at. Spent about 40 bucks on a new blade and a crankshaft and repaired the damage someone did to it hitting an imovable item that bent the crank.

Nice going on the mower there Ed. I have a brother that is retired that gets things like the mower you found from where ever he finds it cast away, and a lot of stuff brought to him by people who know he will take it and fix it, if it can be fixed, and if it cannot he gets whatever parts that are usable. He repairs what is feasable and sells it out of his garage to make a little profit. There is a lot of usable and repairable items that get thrown away.

[40plyrod]

I have save more than my share of stuff from being thrown out (much to the shagrin of my wife), but having been brought up on a farm that's the normal thing to do. I can't stand throwing things out and love the challenge of trying to save something with a renforcement tab and a little elbow grease. I know sometimes if I really thought about it and was paid for the time it takes to fix something I could have probably replaced it cheaper but I get pleasure from finally fixing it, I'm maybe doing my part for the enviroment and I write it down as honing my skills for if times ever get tough. That being said the value that some people put on things doesn't make a lot of sense. I know I couldn't afford those without my family having to do without.

[JoelOkie]

I have save more than my share of stuff from being thrown out (much to the shagrin of my wife), but having been brought up on a farm that's the normal thing to do. I can't stand throwing things out and love the challenge of trying to save something with a renforcement tab and a little elbow grease. I know sometimes if I really thought about it and was paid for the time it takes to fix something I could have probably replaced it cheaper but I get pleasure from finally fixing it, I'm maybe doing my part for the enviroment and I write it down as honing my skills for if times ever get tough. That being said the value that some people put on things doesn't make a lot of sense. I know I couldn't afford those without my family having to do without.

Exactly how I feel. A lot to be said for frugality, and thrift.

[Aussie D25]

Wow, I didnt know they went for more than that ... which makes me vomit as to how frivalouse some are with thier money.

I guess it comes from being a low to middle wage earner struggling to pay off a house while our reserve banks find it funny to jack the intrest rates up.

I too come from a farm where everything was fixed or if not fixed, cut up to build soemthig else useful. Nothing went to waste

I just find it ridiculouse that restoring, rodding, enjoying a car ANY CAR is becomeing a rich mans hobby, as is anything I guess.

These easter egg trailer queens that get around are a blatant slap in the face to the average Joe.

When are we ever going to afford a hundred thousand dollar car or in this case $500 stainless steel trinkets

I have a Knife block of Global chef knives worth that kind of money, best gift I ever recieved... the gift came from my aunty , a solicitor. And to her it was like buying a packet of gum.

I am having to do my own strip and re spray, because I just cant afford the $2000 to have it soda blasted, I can't afford to have the House of Kolor paint job ... bah I cant even afford the local spray shop $5000 base rate.

I know why people get around in Patina styled "rat rods" (excluding weekend built death traps), cause its too damn expensive for someone that mearly wants to enjoy the sport of owning a classic car.

[Plymouthy Adams]

I do not think it has much to do with lack of money as it does in showing good stewardship of said monies...I for one think the items are nice..I also think they are over rated and over priced..and for a NON FACTORY item I can in no manner justify the cost..even with excess money out my back pocket...I passed on buying two NOS lefts for a decent price of 10.00 for I felt I would never find a pair of rights..so far I have been correct..

another money maker waiting to be exploited by someone...step up Bueller..

[Aussie D25]

No doubt. I guess if you are missing some of these pieces, and want them bad enough you bite the bullet.

I invested in some polishing and buffing equipment a few years ago, and found a good online tutorial dealing with stainless and bright work restoration, after learning that I couldn't afford to buy NOS, or have restoration done. There is an element of artistry involved, but mostly just what all the other skills are, experience/lot's of practice. All 4 pieces of the grillwork I had, and was able to aquire on my Dodge pickup was bent, dented, and/or scratched. I am about to take everything off my P-15 coupe and repair and polish it. Doesn't look too bad, but there is a lot of it, and those rocker trims are pretty big, and pretty beat!

Joel

BTW Joel,

I admire your handy work, what did you use to knock out the dents? my front fender trim and rocker covers look like they had an argument with Chuck Norris.

I was planning to use a soft mallet and a channeled plank of soft wood to tap the fender trim back into a V shape... The rocker pannels I guess would be the same yet without the furrowed grove as a template...

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

-Michael

[40plyrod]

I just find it ridiculouse that restoring, rodding, enjoying a car ANY CAR is becomeing a rich mans hobby, as is anything I guess.

These easter egg trailer queens that get around are a blatant slap in the face to the average Joe.

I'm not sure about that, I'm kinda glad that there are guys out there with big money building cars(getting cars built for them?) I like going to shows and getting ideas from their car for some part they had made for $500 and I go home and build one like it for $20 plus time, and I can always appeciate a nicely built car. I guess the down side of their big wallets is they drive up the price of parts and cars for the average joe, but I don't think it's become a rich mans hobby. Just build within your budget, it'll take more time and maybe somethings you'll have to make yourself or do without but you'll still be enjoying the old car hobby. I'm just happy with the cars and projects I have, they're not perfect and weren't built or painted by a professional (just me) but they get lots of looks and thumbs up and I get the pride of having done it myself as well as the joy of tooling around in an old car. If some richie rich wants to drop the price of a house on a car and trailer it to a show for a $10 trophy fine with me, I just feel sad for them not getting the enjoyment out of driving the wheels off that thing.

[JoelOkie]

BTW Joel,

I admire your handy work, what did you use to knock out the dents? my front fender trim and rocker covers look like they had an argument with Chuck Norris.

I was planning to use a soft mallet and a channeled plank of soft wood to tap the fender trim back into a V shape... The rocker pannels I guess would be the same yet without the furrowed grove as a template...

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

-Michael

Michael, I mainly use a few homemade tools, wooden dowells, blocks, ect., mostly just whatever looks like it will work best in the area to be straightened. I figured out that the polished head of a big carriage bolt works really good for tapping out dents, as it doesn't leave any edges. For really small dings and deep scratches I rounded a bolt off. I have a little tool I made out of a 4" piece of 1 1/4 inch pipe that I welded a T handle on that can be pushed across a dent to roll it back out. I have a mason's brick hammer that has a small square head that has been so worn down that it's face is rounded just right for tapping out dents without leaving any marks. The other end (brick cutting blade) is good for working along bends and straightening edges by holding in places that need straightened and tapping the head of the hammer with another hammer. I have reshaped some chisel edges, screwdrivers, pencil rods, ect. mainly just looking at the shape, and finding something to EASE the dents back to as close as original as possible, so when filing, or sanding, not too much of the meat is taken off. I fully realize that I am far from being an expert, and wouldn't hire out to do anyone else's trim, but it works for me.

[Reg Evans]

Here's another example of bidders gone wild. One of these came in my Sweptside and I got the whole truck for only 3 times what was paid for just this radio.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=260607819858&viewitem=&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWAX%3AIT

[JoelOkie]

I do not think it has much to do with lack of money as it does in showing good stewardship of said monies...

QUOTE] That's kinda what I was thinkling too Tim.

[JoelOkie]

Here's another example of bidders gone wild. One of these came in my Sweptside and I got the whole truck for only 3 times what was paid for just this radio.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=260607819858&viewitem=&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWAX%3AIT

[Edward Roberts]

Wow! Not a lot of Ludwig von Mises fans here, huh?

[Greenbomb]

One good thing about the high rollers is that their willingness to spend the money creates a market so someone will produce what's needed. Otherwise we'd ALL still be doing the junkyard crawl, probably in search of parts that are already gone and not to be had except for a king's ransom. So then your "rat rod' would end up costing as much as a one of today's trailer queens. The new parts eventually become more affordable for more of us. I must admit I'm still doing it the old way, though!

[Captain Neon]

Wow! Not a lot of Ludwig von Mises fans here, huh?

Try quoting Ayn Rand some time and see how far that goes...

[Edward Roberts]

Try quoting Ayn Rand some time and see how far that goes...

I've learned (finally) to stop taking her books to church with me.