Psychological pressure from this forum to "upgrade". Fake news?
 

There's so much talk on this forum about upgrades in power (Weber carbs), changing to syncro and o/d trannys, v8 clutch, etc. etc. etc. BUT YET; there was a recent thread and poll about what a stock standard car is capable of, that more or less concluded a stock car with a well rebuild and balanced engine can sit on 55-60 mph all day.

If a standard car can do 55-60 mph I don't get why people are spending large amounts of $ to complicate the car. I do understand that some of these changes make the car easier to drive and for someone elderly or with a disability such changes make sense. For others though, they want a vintage car to drive like a new Toyota Corolla and to sit on 70 mph on Interstates?

What on earth is going on??? Are there people on this forum being paid by suppliers and part makers to promote this unnecessary "Upgrade Lifestyle" that has no basis in reality?

Re: Psychological pressure from this forum to "upgrade". Fake news?
 

"What on earth is going on??? Are there people on this forum being paid by suppliers and part makers to promote this unnecessary "Upgrade Lifestyle" that has no basis in reality?"

Yes, they have make a living somehow.
Would you have them living in a tent under a bridge?

Re: Psychological pressure from this forum to "upgrade". Fake news?
 

Yes, gladly. :D

Re: Psychological pressure from this forum to "upgrade". Fake news?
 

Im with Pete,

Re: Psychological pressure from this forum to "upgrade". Fake news?
 

My upgrades-such as they are are just to make the car a little safer to drive with today's morons on the road. That is all.

Mike

Re: Psychological pressure from this forum to "upgrade". Fake news?
 

So you came from the upper class. I only had a cardboard box.

Re: Psychological pressure from this forum to "upgrade". Fake news?
 

The Model A is an off road vehicle.

It has large wheels, high clearance, hand throttle, low reving huge flywheel engine, runs on low grade fuel, easy to fix in the middle of nowhere, narrow tyres cut thru mud and snow.

Why would you want to change anything?

Re: Psychological pressure from this forum to "upgrade". Fake news?
 

If the desire is to drive as much as possible..why make getting from point A to point B faster. Doesn't the turn a 2 hour round trip into a 1 1/2 hour round trip, thus defeating the goal?

Re: Psychological pressure from this forum to "upgrade". Fake news?
 

My thoughts on this are that some hobbyists just need to tinker or they are gadget affectionados that have to run out and get the latest and the greatest. I know I'm going to get much static for this next statement. I feel the beauty of the Model A is in it's functional simplicity and adding anything to that is gilding the lily.....

Psychological pressure from this forum to "upgrade". Fake news?
 

Why are you worried about psychological pressure from a forum? There's all types on here from purists to AV8'ers . It's your car drive it like grandpa did or like a bat outta he[emoji970][emoji970] There will be guys from suppliers on here but I doubt anyone's getting paid to push parts. Old car guys are passionate eccentric farts, some are reliving their glory days while others are recreating the past. The one thing I've noticed on the forum is that whatever a guys into... he promotes.

Re: Psychological pressure from this forum to "upgrade". Fake news?
 

Restore to original, modify, improve, rod. Viva la difference!
I admire any of them if done well.

Re: Psychological pressure from this forum to "upgrade". Fake news?
 

I don't see anybody promoting anything on this forum, except the occasional atta boy to vendors that have done something well. Some folks like bone stock (all my cars are that way), some folks like to tinker, even see some rodders from time to time. I see folks talking about their experiences, but not promoting per se. The beauty of a forum is the presence of different points of view.

Re: Psychological pressure from this forum to "upgrade". Fake news?
 

Hey its your car,you can fill it with concrete and use it as a doorstop if you want.

Re: Psychological pressure from this forum to "upgrade". Fake news?
 

I have a fuse, an oil filter, a six-blade plastic fan, an alternator, a leakless waterpump, seatbelts, and turn signals, and I have been oblivious to the psychological pressure that's apparently been put on me to add these things. So sad.

Re: Psychological pressure from this forum to "upgrade". Fake news?
 

No, no, no! This thread is not about taking away your constitutional right to cut your car into little pieces then eat it if you so wish to do. It's about a fake narrative that's being promoted on this forum.

A narrative that would suggest someone who's unlikely to drive more than 1000 miles a year MUST have a o/d tranny and later wire wheels for 16" radials, etc. etc. etc.

Sorry, that's fake news that's being promoted by people with an agenda or by gadget freaks (mentioned by some else above). These gadget freaks add things to their cars for the sake of adding things. They're the type of people that camp overnight outside an Apple store to be the first to get the new iPhone.

Re: Psychological pressure from this forum to "upgrade". Fake news?
 

This is EXACTLY what I was discussing in a different thread earlier. Some of the most heated debates have appeared here over the mindset that a modification must be made because they plan to drive their Model-A. It then becomes a battle of justification. No one tends to be honest any more and describe their vehicle as it truly is. Everyone likes to use the words 'Barn Find' to imply it is something that it really isn't. How many times have you heard someone brag their car is a 'Survivor Car'? Oh, I don't want a Fine-point car as I want to drive mine.

Re: Psychological pressure from this forum to "upgrade". Fake news?
 

You're absolutely correct. Your statement is completely against the prevailing ideology on this forum which would have us believe a stock Model A is completely unsafe and unusable.

Re: Psychological pressure from this forum to "upgrade". Fake news?
 

In the early days of the hobby people managed to do everything in a mostly stock Model As, see this thread:

https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=90677

Today, if you want to drive your A to Starbucks for a soy-decaf-cappuccino it's impossible without hydraulic brakes, o/d, 16" rims etc. How have Model A guys gone from those described in the link above to the "Zsa Zsa Gabors" they've became today?

Re: Psychological pressure from this forum to "upgrade". Fake news?
 

My first Model A was 1960. At that time they were adding rumba seats, step plates, hydraulic brakes, cowl lights and so on.So what really changed. It is our car we can do as we please.

Re: Psychological pressure from this forum to "upgrade". Fake news?
 

You seem to be reading something into the forum responses that I don't see. Other than a few guys hammering on safety items, pretty much everyone else appears to be doing whatever they want to their own cars, without advocating everybody else must do the same thing. Can you please list a specific example so maybe I can appreciate your point?

There are those saying to keep it as it was built, now and then, and there are those who have made a change that they think is an improvement to their own car, and there are those who hang dangles on just because, but I can't recall anyone demanding that you "must" make this or that modification, in fact almost all seem to say something like, "Your money, your car, do as you like".

As to something recent being different, guys have modified cars ever since they were built, and probably will continue to do so until legislation won't allow it. This is not something new at all. I'm just not sure what you are saying is "fake news" here. Maybe it's just me?