Why is everyone out of chassis springs?

[Bob Bidonde]

Many of the wonderful assortment of reproduction parts available to us have gone or are going away because of reduced demand and increased costs to manufacture. The reproduction parts market is retrograding back to what is was near its infancy. I do believe there are not enough salvageable Model A's left to bring back the demand for the plethora of restoration parts we enjoyed just 20 years ago. What will continue in my opinion are the common parts we need to maintain our Model A's such as ignition, tires, tubes, water pumps, fan belts, gaskets, etc.

The emphasis for restorers today is salvaging original parts, even those in horrible condition. We are blessed to have craftsmen using modern tools & techniques that can make miracles out of bent, cranked and corroded metal.

[JayJay]

Originally Posted by Bob Bidonde

Many of the wonderful assortment of reproduction parts available to us have gone or are going away because of reduced demand and increased costs to manufacture. The reproduction parts market is retrograding back to what is was near its infancy. I do believe there are not enough salvageable Model A's left to bring back the demand for the plethora of restoration parts we enjoyed just 20 years ago. What will continue in my opinion are the common parts we need to maintain our Model A's such as ignition, tires, tubes, water pumps, fan belts, gaskets, etc.

The emphasis for restorers today is salvaging original parts, even those in horrible condition. We are blessed to have craftsmen using modern tools & techniques that can make miracles out of bent, cranked and corroded metal.

I think that demand is definitely down from when I got into this hobby in the late 60s, but I think it’s as much demographics as it is supply of restorable Model As. I think if we look around at club meetings or tours we’ll see that a substantial number of us are at the more mature phase of life, whereas years ago it was the same folks, but we were a lot younger. With age I think comes less willingness to embark upon a full resto project. I know that the car I’m doing now is very likely the last one I’ll restore. If I get another one it will be already restored or an original driver.

When I got started maybe half or better of the club members were restoring cars, now in our club of over 100 member families maybe a half dozen are currently restoring cars. It’s an evolution of the hobby. And I’m not seeing a huge influx of younger folks (including, regrettably, my own kids), too much competition for limited time.

[BRENT in 10-uh-C]

Originally Posted by Bob Bidonde

Many of the wonderful assortment of reproduction parts available to us have gone or are going away because of reduced demand and increased costs to manufacture. The reproduction parts market is retrograding back to what is was near its infancy. I do believe there are not enough salvageable Model A's left to bring back the demand for the plethora of restoration parts we enjoyed just 20 years ago. What will continue in my opinion are the common parts we need to maintain our Model A's such as ignition, tires, tubes, water pumps, fan belts, gaskets, etc.

The emphasis for restorers today is salvaging original parts, even those in horrible condition. We are blessed to have craftsmen using modern tools & techniques that can make miracles out of bent, cranked and corroded metal.

Is it believable that these replacement parts would become available again if the hobbyist would pay more money making the risk worth the effort?

With regard to your thoughts about Craftsmen using modern tools & techniques, one of the struggles I have seen is many Model-A hobbyists apparently just do not have the skillset to do even the most basics of maintenance & upkeep. As a young child in the 60s and 70s, I remember going with my father to club member's houses where many of these hobbyist/club member had a small lathe, milling machine, compressor, welder, etc. in their garage where they could restore/repair worn Model-A parts. In the last couple of decades or so, I think it became easier for the Model-A owner to buy reproduction parts vs. restore/repair original parts. Nowadays, it appears that very few hobbyists have even the basics of tools to do restoration work much less have the shop tools. Am I wrong in this??

[alexiskai]

Originally Posted by BRENT in 10-uh-C

As a young child in the 60s and 70s, I remember going with my father to club member's houses where many of these hobbyist/club member had a small lathe, milling machine, compressor, welder, etc. in their garage where they could restore/repair worn Model-A parts.

Other than the compressor, which I think is still pretty common in home workshops, I wonder how many of those hobbyists you remember both acquired and learned to use those machines specifically for the purpose of pursuing the hobby?

And I'm not saying that's a bad thing. One of the club members here worked in software for his entire career, and then after he retired he re-trained as a machinist at the local vocational school and bought an entire shop's worth of tools. That guy is my hero. But how common is that degree of dedication, is my question.

[BRENT in 10-uh-C]

Originally Posted by alexiskai

Other than the compressor, which I think is still pretty common in home workshops, I wonder how many of those hobbyists you remember both acquired and learned to use those machines specifically for the purpose of pursuing the hobby?

And I'm not saying that's a bad thing. One of the club members here worked in software for his entire career, and then after he retired he re-trained as a machinist at the local vocational school and bought an entire shop's worth of tools. That guy is my hero. But how common is that degree of dedication, is my question.

No, I think the major difference back then was many hobbyists in each club came from an occupation in the trades industry where they had some sort of a background from working around machine tools. Sometimes it was just as a maintenance mechanic at their workplace. Many hobby shops back then possessed tools made by Atlas, S Bend, Logan, etc. that were available thru a Sears or Montgomery Wards catalog. Not everyone possessed skills HOWEVER there were fellow members in the club that helped out other members restoring Model-As. The local Model-A club was a necessity for the networking to assist someone getting a car restored. Yes, the dedication to see a project from A to Z is very much lacking these days.