Under 1,000

[H. L. Chauvin]

After more than 20 years of monitoring Model A Forums, and witnessing so many seniors riding off into the sunset, (it might be just me), but seems lots of questions are being professionally and correctly "answered" as of late by members who have written on this Forum less than 1,000 times.

Whether they are young, middle aged, or seniors, it appears so refreshing to see new "posting" guys taking a devout interest in this hobby and contributing information to kindly assist others.

It is good to remind ourselves from time to time, that some here are only "un-informed" with primitive Model A mechanics, and that "none" of us were born holding a Model A distributor in one hand, a Zenith carburetor in the other, and that pages from Les Andrews Book were never used for our diapers.

[31 Model A]

Originally Posted by H. L. Chauvin

After more than 20 years of monitoring Model A Forums, and witnessing so many seniors riding off into the sunset, (it might be just me),

It's just you....Bill has been here since Christ was a corporal, on KP duty at the Last Supper!!!!

[TerryH]

H.L. Very well said, and refreshing for you to note that despite the unpleasantries recently, with a few speaking out harshly, there are many more newbies and underlings stepping up to offer help and advice, along with a sound base of experienced Model A'ers that are always patiently helping with so many Model A maladies.

[captndan]

My only regret is not having joined this forum sooner. Now I'm just an old fart too with fewer posts. Thanks to all.

[wrndln]

I have noticed that a fair number of quite knowledgeable people that use to post on a regular basis no longer post much now, if at all. I could name a number of them, but prefer not to. Some of the knowledgeable people have passed away like Dave Lopes, Steve Ciccalone, as well as some others, but I think, many have just decided not to post because some people harassed them (maybe harassed is a little strong but questioned them about posts they made over time). Maybe the "new" rules or board policing might help, but I doubt the people that have left the barn will return.
Rusty Nelson

[SeaSlugs]

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Originally Posted by wrndln

I have noticed that a fair number of quite knowledgeable people that use to post on a regular basis no longer post much now, if at all. I could name a number of them, but prefer not to. Some of the knowledgeable people have passed away like Dave Lopes, Steve Ciccalone, as well as some others, but I think, many have just decided not to post because some people harassed them (maybe harassed is a little strong but questioned them about posts they made over time). Maybe the "new" rules or board policing might help, but I doubt the people that have left the barn will return.
Rusty Nelson

Or its the same questions asked over and over and they get tired of answering.

Or people dont want to hear to fix the issue you need to go through the entire brake system (how many poor brake questions do we have and the only way to fix it is to literally start at the drums and work your way inside up thru the rods to the pedal), or pull the transmission out, or engine, or rearend - people want to be able to add a spring or add magic in a bottle, or adjust one bolt to fix everything to fix thier problems and occasionally doubt or dont listen to the "been there done that" crowd so they stop posting...

[BILL WILLIAMSON]

It makes me feel "useful" when I can share info that I've "accidentally" lurned, over the years.
OLD Bill W.

[JDupuis]

As an "Under 1,000er" I have peered through the barn door so to speak for a few years before deciding to gain membership here. January 1 2017 was my sign up day. I joined the barn mainly to see the "pictures" of posted problems. As a "lurker" I was not privy to these informative insights of what many were talking about. I did witness instances of fellow members pounced on for their questions, and reponses. This has me always concerned and "hesitant" to post; as my knowledge of Model A's is still limited at times.
I do drive my cars, and have managed to clock @20,000 miles on my cars. These have not always been trouble free adventures by any means. Thankfully I 've never had to be trailered home, roadside repairs have been necessary though.
I follow on this sight for simular problems I've incurred, to see the different fixes, and improve my knowledge. I hope some of my knowledge may be of service to others, as your knowledge has certainly helped me.
Please keep this in mind...
ONCE YOUR BRAIN HAS BEEN EXPANDED WITH KNOWLEDGE..IT CANNOT GO BACK TO IT'S ORIGINAL SIZE... Jeff

[Pinesdune]

Originally Posted by BILL WILLIAMSON

It makes me feel "useful" when I can share info that I've "accidentally" lurned, over the years.
OLD Bill W.

The best advice is from members who have "been there, done that, and busted knuckles doing it" and know how to do it with a touch of humour , keep being "Bill Useful" [emoji106]


Saving iron from the scrap pile one piece at a time

[larrys40]

H.L..... well said.... we all have the ability to learn new things at any age..... I'm at the younger end of the spectrum but at 56 can remember when I attended my first "A" meeting at 18 and was greeted by one of the old members that said " Son, this isn't for you, you need to go somewhere else"... my then new friend and forever Mentor Terry Oberer said, "just stick with me".. I did till he passed in 2012. I can't imagine not having stuck with this wonderful hobby and all the folks like you guys. Make it your goal in 2017 to bring in just 1 younger person into this hobby. If all did that we would double.. and then would have someone to pass along our knowledge and potentially purchase our cars and parts when we're ready. If we don't do that the value of our knowledge, cars, and parts is greatly diminished.

We all have a job to do... get a younger person involved this year!
Larry Shepard

[BILL WILLIAMSON]

I ALWAYS adopt GROWN rescue Dogs. They CAN lurn NEW tricks! I also lurn tricks that they ALREADY know!!!---AND, it keeps my Old "BRAIN" busy--LOL
Bill W.

[Art Newland]

A lot of "gear-head" knowledge can apply to the Model A as well as a lot of other equipment (even Delco Light Plants ) But I have to agree with SeaSlugs, nothing beats been-there, done-that. Of course as long as you "done-that" correctly.

[jax55]

Well said HL. I too am an under 1000 poster, I post when I feel I can help from my own experience. I have posted for help and received it mostly without problems , but there have been times when I felt "spanked".
I will continue to add what I can and learn from other posts as I can.
This forum is the best I have found for model A info... perhaps it will get even better from here on out.

[H. L. Chauvin]

One has to realize that on Model A Forums, when advice is requested, the very brave suggestions which are thought and written cannot be un-thought and/or un-written.

Many of us today greatly admire the under 1,000 few postings of a few who are brave enough to offer their thoughts and suggestions, no matter what!

On the other hand, at the very least, we should try to acknowledge that we have people from all over the World on this Model A Forum trying to sincerely and peacefully post unique experiences & try to help one another.

May we always have respect for the past Model A opinions of others.

[Hoogah]

Originally Posted by H. L. Chauvin

One has to realize that on Model A Forums, when advice is requested, the very brave suggestions which are thought and written cannot be un-thought and/or un-written.

Many of us today greatly admire the under 1,000 few postings of a few who are brave enough to offer their thoughts and suggestions, no matter what!

On the other hand, at the very least, we should try to acknowledge that we have people from all over the World on this Model A Forum trying to sincerely and peacefully post unique experiences & try to help one another.

May we always have respect for the past Model A opinions of others.

I'm all for that. And let's have some FUN along the way! After all, that's why we got them in the first place, ne c'est pas?

[SeaSlugs]

Originally Posted by jax55

Well said HL. I too am an under 1000 poster, I post when I feel I can help from my own experience. I have posted for help and received it mostly without problems , but there have been times when I felt "spanked".
I will continue to add what I can and learn from other posts as I can.
This forum is the best I have found for model A info... perhaps it will get even better from here on out.

theres no problem getting a spanking, I've had my few on here but I try to find out why or wait patiently in the shadows for the correct answer. Or if I'm not sure sometimes I post my thought process along with my advice for someone to see where I may have derailed... As long as we learn when we do give false information I dont see a problem as that's how learning is done as long as your willing to accept that your idea may be wrong. Its also important to remember there is more than one way to skin a cat, what works for the guy who can lift 200 lbs with baseball mits for hands may not work for the guy with a bad back and missing a few fingers...

[Manager]

Who cares, don't you guys get it. Ryan's tried real hard to tell you.There has been enough of this shit. Post away about your Model A, forget the rest. And don't be so thin skinned if someone doesn't agree with you.Ask a question, get 20 replies and then sort the shit from the clay for yourself. Put your answer forward when you think you can help.Works great for me.

[Chippy Minton]

Originally Posted by Manager

Who cares, don't you guys get it. Ryan's tried real hard to tell you.There has been enough of this shit. Post away about your Model A, forget the rest. And don't be so thin skinned if someone doesn't agree with you.Ask a question, get 20 replies and then sort the shit from the clay for yourself. Put your answer forward when you think you can help.Works great for me.

It looks to me that you aren't getting it. It's not about sorting the good answers from the bad or feeling hurt when somebody doesn't agree with you. The real problems have been where certain members have sent inappropriate messages in private and maintained a continual negative campaign against a particular poster in public. If Ryan's latest move can do away with that weird, narcissistic behaviour and negativity it can only be good news for the FordBarn and 99% of the people who use it.

[mshmodela]

Originally Posted by H. L. Chauvin

After more than 20 years of monitoring Model A Forums, and witnessing so many seniors riding off into the sunset, (it might be just me), but seems lots of questions are being professionally and correctly "answered" as of late by members who have written on this Forum less than 1,000 times.

Whether they are young, middle aged, or seniors, it appears so refreshing to see new "posting" guys taking a devout interest in this hobby and contributing information to kindly assist others.

It is good to remind ourselves from time to time, that some here are only "un-informed" with primitive Model A mechanics, and that "none" of us were born holding a Model A distributor in one hand, a Zenith carburetor in the other, and that pages from Les Andrews Book were never used for our diapers.

Very well said and thanks to all who have helped me, a new and very green model a owner (almost 3 years now).

[31 Model A]

Originally Posted by Chippy Minton

The real problems have been where certain members have sent inappropriate messages in private and maintained a continual negative campaign against a particular poster in public. .

I prefer to let a sleeping dog lie but....you have my attention and curiosity.....was there some kind of conspiracy going on behind the scenes that I'm not aware of? Being a member only one month, you seem to know why Ryan took the measures he did ........regarding PMs and a "maintained a continual negative campaign against a particular poster in public". Just curious....................

[Jwilli]

I have only been involved with A's for about 4 years. I wish to thank all the knowledgeable people who have given me good information. I have learned a lot by just reading the post. Thanks to all who post good info.

[BRENT in 10-uh-C]

Originally Posted by Manager

Who cares, don't you guys get it. Ryan's tried real hard to tell you.There has been enough of this shit. Post away about your Model A, forget the rest. And don't be so thin skinned if someone doesn't agree with you.Ask a question, get 20 replies and then sort the shit from the clay for yourself. Put your answer forward when you think you can help.Works great for me.

Originally Posted by Chippy Minton

It looks to me that you aren't getting it. It's not about sorting the good answers from the bad or feeling hurt when somebody doesn't agree with you. The real problems have been where certain members have sent inappropriate messages in private and maintained a continual negative campaign against a particular poster in public. If Ryan's latest move can do away with that weird, narcissistic behaviour and negativity it can only be good news for the FordBarn and 99% of the people who use it.

I am definitely not saying that both of you don't get it, but IMO to have the true perspective of how it has evolved into this, someone needs to have been around much longer than a couple of years.

Henry has a great point about the 'newbies' with under 1000 posts answering but doesn't the question need to be asked where did these "-under 1,000" actually get their knowledge to be in a position to be considered great? Is credit being incorrectly or erroneously given?? Who knows, but there IS more to this situation! Being brutally honest, their answer likely came from info given by the very ones who have been run-off, banned, or labeled as a troublemaker.

Another example of what I am trying to say is, with no disrespect meant or given, but Ryan did not make Fordbarn great. Yes, he has provided a platform to help it evolve to where it is today (-and yes we are thankful), but in reality it was the vision of Gus Stangeland, and then Peter Kaplan that solicited those in-the-know to come to their forum to share their knowledge for others. Those two plus the early participants are what made Fordbarn great.

So what has changed and caused all the discomfort? Many of the knowledable early participants have left because the "under 1,000" folks came to this forum challenging their experiences, and expecting the veteran crowd to accept their opinions on how it was done originally. One also must remember that the original Fordbarn was founded by the 'restorer crowd' for the 'restorer crowd'. It stayed that way for many years, and only deviated toward the end when Shelly took over Fordbarn. Many of those knowledgeable folks became frustrated at how a site that was so good for the hobby had deteriorated because it seemingly had lost its focus. Then, when Ryan purchased Fordbarn, it was advertised that Fordbarn Model-A Forum would be for discussing restoration topics only with a few sidebars thrown in occasionally. Although there was still some initial pessimism, those knowledge ones joined Fordbarn again freely sharing the information THEY had researched and paid a price for. Unfortunately, as time evolved they did not get support from this site's administration regarding the initial mission statement, and when they were tired of defending their postings, most left quietly. The majority of ones that stayed and fought to defend their years of efforts on this site have now been Banned, or are labeled as troublemakers!

This has become long, ...and I am not defending, -nor condoning anyone's actions, but sometimes the facts need to be told as it sometimes helps us to know exactly why a person acted the way they did. Yes, it is unfortunate that it has come down to us discussing this, but I suppose we will all live thru it all.

[wrndln]

I agree with Brent's post above. Brent has been a real help to me and many other people on this site concerning restoration questions and answers. Like I posted at the start of this string, I thought, like Brent, this site was primarily for model A restoration questions and answers. It appears it has somewhat turned into a chat board. I will probably be ostracized for this post, but it what I believe has happened.
Rusty Nelson

[Lona]

When I first joined the forum and asked a question as I had seen others do, a common reply from the experienced guys was "this has been discussed before, why don't you do a search?" Good point for a newbie but a little intimidating. So, I would first do a search. Finding little relative information because the search function doesn't work very well, I was reluctant to post any question at all and refrained from doing so for some time. Then I saw a post where someone suggested using a Google search like "ignition timing ford barn" and that worked much better. There may be an even more convenient way to do a search that I do not know about yet.

The point I am making is that there is a huge amount of good information on the forum but it is not that easy to find what you are looking for all in one place. Newbies get frustrated trying to find it and experienced guys get frustrated seeing the same old questions all the time. Perhaps a "Sticky" helping new members find relative posts would give the new guys some direction and cut down on the repetive questions. Of course, there are those just too lazy to search first and I don't know the solution to that problem.

I always get a broader range of opinions and answers by taking the time to read multiple posts on a subject rather than relying on only a few reply comments to a post from a single day.

Glen

[H. L. Chauvin]

In this Under 1,000 observation remark:

"Whether they are young, middle aged, or seniors, it appears so refreshing to see new "posting" guys taking a devout interest in this hobby and contributing information to kindly assist others."

What many see is that they realize that approximately 99% of posts herein consist of good people volunteering their free time to assist others ...... not much different to one giving one's most valuable free time as a humble, volunteer hospital worker assisting bedridden patients.

Then if one witnesses 100 volunteer hospital workers working in a single hospital, there will always be some who may not get along and even quit ..... such is life ...... but let us continue to try to focus and appreciate the 99%.

And, may we continue to make an effort to encourage and appreciate the new Under 1,000 to continue to assist others as we begin to ride off in the sunset.

Starting to feel like my horse is waiting for me to get in the saddle. LOL

[BILL WILLIAMSON]

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I read of an after hours janitor in a big factory, that left helpful notes around.
After awhile, he was promoted to EFFICIENCY EXPERT & a BIG raise in PAY!
Bill W.

[Cornishman]

Personally I find it insulting that my advice might be less valuable than another's just because my number is much less than theirs. If I answer a question based on my experience working on a Model A it will be recent experience and fresh in my mind. Sorry, but that's not bad information or worse information than that given by somebody who was told something twenty years ago by someone who had owned a Model A that their grandfather had bought new.
The pissing contest and flexing of muscles on FordBarn has begun all over again. The alpha males are re-establishing their position at the top of the herd. Only a fool would think that the number of posts next to the poster's name, the country they live in or their age is more important than their advice or point of view. I bought my first American car when I bought my Model A and if registering on this site has given me an insight into the way American society values things I really believe I would be better off without. During my short time in FordBarn I have been insulted in public and sent a libellous private message by an ignorant thug who keeps his brains in his fists. Perhaps in America you are told to respect your elders and betters, here in Europe we are told to respect those who have earned respect. Perhaps it's not just our languages that look similar at first glimpse.

[zzlegend]

Here we go again. I can see where this is headed. Some people just don't get it. What happen to the old fords that Ryan was talking about? Heading back out to the garage to finish my rebuild. 6.1 head, stipe cam, and everyone have a good day.

[Art Newland]

It boils down to this, treat your fellow "barner" the way you want to be treated and things will be good. 8^)

[Chippy Minton]

Originally Posted by Art Newland

It boils down to this, treat your fellow "barner" the way you want to be treated and things will be good. 8^)

You can't argue with that.

[hardtimes]

Can even ONE POSTER here in this thread please tell me how this thread opinion of members , new or old, has contributed to Ryan's directive to discuss MODEL A cars...perse !
Here we go again, as some can not help themselves and/or follow instructions from this Forum owner !

[Mitch//pa]

Since this thread is mainly dealing with numbers,,, Does anyone know how many individual parts are on a 1930 Tudor the way they were built...

[CarlG]

Originally Posted by hardtimes

Can even ONE POSTER here in this thread please tell me how this thread opinion of members , new or old, has contributed to Ryan's directive to discuss MODEL A cars...perse !...!

I believe his statement was "Old Fords", not specifically Model A cars.

[Ryan]

Yep. Most of you are starting to get our new direction. Post count and knowledge don't mean a thing if you can't help folks with respect and courtesy.

Further, post count and knowledge don't buy you any leniency if you disrupt the forum. It used to, but not anymore... we are tired of the drama.