Why is everyone out of chassis springs?

[BRENT in 10-uh-C]

Originally Posted by alexiskai

It's hard to do the counterfactual here because very few of those cars have the reproduction part ecosystem the Model A has. An acquaintance of mine owns a 1902 Rambler – 4HP, 1 cyl. When the counterweight came off the crank and tore the engine block apart, he welded all the pieces back together and fabricated a new counterweight. Why? Obviously because he has the skill set and he enjoys it, but also because there is no alternative. No one sells repro '02 Rambler crankshafts and lightly used engine blocks.

From a preservation point of view, the Model A is a victim of its own success and particularly the view in the hobbyist community that "keeping them on the road" is the paramount goal. I don't think that same pressure to get the vehicle mobile – by any means available – exists for other antique collectors.

When Bob & Jen got that car back into the States, he called me asking how I would repair it. We have spoken many times regarding that project, -amongst others.

Yeah, it does make us wonder if reproduction parts were not so readily available, would forcing the Model-A hobbyist to actually restore in lieu of replace make for a better car??