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  • Caso

    Hang with me for a moment. I request a little patience as I attempt to "set up" this topic.

    I have had some kind of crud all week that resulted in me having to make a mad dash to the doctor this past Tuesday morning. Some of you may remember that for a good part of the late spring and early summer, I had been so busy doing other things that I had left my "Troll" status on the forum and, pretty much, stopped posting. Finally, someone posted a thread wondering about my welfare. I even got e mails and phone calls from some of you. (It was surprising and somewhat heart warming, knowing I was missed).

    Well...thanks to this little illness and the meds...I'm back to "troll" status. Nothing better to do between what passes for TV, taking meds, naps, and posting away incoherently on the forum.

    Back to the title...CASO...JimC's thread about his CASO solution, to a broken turn signal knob, started me to thinking about this CASO moniker that irritates some (Bob Andrews) and is considered a term of affection by others. I have remarked, in that thread, that to many automotive fans, (regardless of whether, or not, they know the meaning of the term) all Studebaker owners would be considered a CASO. Don't get me wrong, there is nothing cheap about the stable of vehicles in the restored originals of the ASC. Not many examples of CASO on the field at St. Joseph County Fairgrounds...but let's be honest...I bet there was a lot of little out of sight CASO secrets hidden away. And not just hidden in shame, but with pride. I know and have known some folks who were more wealthy than most of us can dream of, but never met one yet, that didn't enjoy accomplishing a simple inexpensive solution to a problem, or getting a bargain.

    Not that I'm a CASO, but while waiting for my pop corn to finish popping today... I found myself prying the bottom out of one of those "throw-away" salt shaker's that you can buy full of salt at the grocery store (for about a dollar) and re-filling from a big box of salt. Suddenly...CASO...popped into my consciousness and I began to laugh out loud!

    From re-using old connectors off of discarded wiring, to welding new metal on window regulators and then using a hand file to restore the teeth...lots of little secret CASO work out there.(
    for any of you who don't know the meaning of the term...speak up...someone will fill you in.)

    What's your story???
    John Clary
    Greer, SC

    SDC member since 1975

  • #2
    Geez, John. You actually bought a throw-away shaker? I just punch holes in the top of the salt container for shaking. NO MONEY.

    And when that big ole container goes empty, maybe I'll just take my bulletnose up to them there salt flats and refill it.

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    • #3
      I am a proud CASO, what is the point of spending more money than necessary? Call me cheap, thrifty, frugal or any other term you want, but I will smile to myself knowing I kept more of my hard earned money in my pocket than you.

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      • #4
        One note you'll NEVER see on my mailbox is a NO FLYERS label. I welcome them, and go through them to see what groceries, etc., are on sale for the coming week. I do find bargain shopping does free up some of my hard earned $$$ for Studebaker parts and beer! And no, I am not embarrased in the slightest if I'm seen carrying the maximum allowed amount of the item on sale only to the checkout.

        Craig

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        • #5
          I try to limit the amount of trash I generate at my house. To that end, if any unsolicited mail comes to me and includes a postage paid envelope I shred up as much junk mail as will fit in the envelope and mail it back.

          I am the grocery shopper in the family. I would spend thousands more a year if my wife did the shopping.

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          • #6
            I understand. I am a 2nd generation Depression child (note the capital "D"). My parents didn't throw anything away, dad would keep filing the blades and taping the wooden handles of his screwdrivers until you couldn't recognize them as screwdrivers any more. I guess I'm CASO too. For me, that means I would rather work on my cars myself than pay someone. I don't mind spending the time to learn how to fix something especially when the repair shops get $70-$80 an hour and sttill don't always do the job right. If I do it wrong, at least I know who to blame.

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            • #7
              Tin snips, rubber cement, a #10 tin can and some sheet metal screws make a great muffler repair...

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              • #8
                I consider myself a CASO. I even shut the water off when my toothbrush doesn't need moistened.
                The reward for exercising thrift and practicality in the maintenance of ourselves is having the ability to expend without caution, when warranted, on those we love.
                Brad Johnson,
                SDC since 1975, ASC since 1990
                Pine Grove Mills, Pa.
                '33 Rockne 10, '51 Commander Starlight. '53 Commander Starlight
                '56 Sky Hawk in process

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                • #9
                  I am pretty much on track with you here Gary,and fixing things instead of buying is a good feeling.BUT the tin can on the muffler just turns my stomach <G>. never did never will,see how minds work.
                  Originally posted by Guido View Post
                  I am a proud CASO, what is the point of spending more money than necessary? Call me cheap, thrifty, frugal or any other term you want, but I will smile to myself knowing I kept more of my hard earned money in my pocket than you.
                  Joseph R. Zeiger

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                  • #10
                    I tend to get categorized into the CASO category, though I don't really think myself to be cheap. It's just that I'm 31, and in just a little under another 34 years from now, I want to have a paid off house and at least a million dollars in savings to enjoy during retirement. Having come from a dirt poor family that straddled the poverty line, I started towards this goal with literally nothing. On top of that, I'm doing work I love, but while it pays the bills they don't exactly pour hundred dollar bills on me. So it's a bit of an uphill battle. For me to reach those goals and at the same time afford myself the pleasure of my many hobbies (including Studebakers), I have to do what I can to save a little coin here and there.

                    In that theme, I find myself being trifty all over, not just in Studedom. If I can spend about $4 to reproduce a car part that costs $15 plus shipping, I'm closer to that goal than I would have been. If I get some leisure time, I try to put it to use by building things we need around the house or fabricating parts to repair things. When our big three-bin laundry sorter started to fail, I got some steel wire and put a nifty cross support on there that held it square and true. When the handle on our 3 hole punch in our office broke, I used that epoxy putty from my CASO thread to re-connect it. The "entertainment center" in our private living room (It's hard to explain, but we have a separate apartment for my family within the home for us and the kids we work with) consists of a table someone gave us, and shelves made from a piece of reclaimed wood from a desk I trashed and a couple bricks made of old VHS tapes to hold the shelf up. It's not going to make it into Better Homes and Gardens, but it's functional and it was free. I've driven the same car for almost a decade, and have serviced it myself whenever it's been reasonable. I'd never claim I'm the ultimate tightwad (I mean seriously, I paid to have a mechanic do the points on the Lark a couple weeks ago because I was basically feeling lazy!), but for the most part, I probably go to slightly unusual lengths to avoid spending when I can.


                    Not that it's all a bed of roses. I married a wonderful woman who is loving, kind, and addicted to shopping. We've had more than one "interesting" conversation after a shopping trip, for sure. It actually provides some balance. I mean, without her, I'd probably eat the exact same meal three times a day every day because I could save by buying in bulk, live in the smallest one room shack I could find, and knit my own clothes (I do mend my own clothes, I might add). She pulls me far enough that I can live like a semi-normal human, and I pull her far enough that we don't have credit cards or auto loans. Plus, she gives me justification to spend sometimes - "What do you mean I can't buy another Studebaker? You've spent more than that on clothes this year."

                    Bottom line, there's nothing wrong with wanting to have money someday when you retire, and so I'm intentionally living the way I am, so when all my friends are flailing helplessly while the Social Security system slowly folds in on them, I'll be able to book my month long cruise. It's like that old fable, the ant and the grasshopper. You work your butt off on the front end while you're young and healthy, and in the back end you get easy street.
                    '63 Lark Custom, 259 v8, auto, child seat

                    "Your friendly neighborhood Studebaker evangelist"

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                    • #11
                      ah, shoot, I should have inserted the [soapbox] and [/soapbox] tags in there. Being not poor at retirement (not just for myself, but in general) is one of the subjects I can get a little "preachy" on. That last post actually contained a lot of restraint!
                      '63 Lark Custom, 259 v8, auto, child seat

                      "Your friendly neighborhood Studebaker evangelist"

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                      • #12
                        I just typed a long reply venting against CASO's and lost it. I will not go through that again; but voice my disgust against "proud" caso's who deliberately perform unsafe and covered up dodgy repairs on unsuspecting novice Stude members & buyers.

                        My advice to novice buyers is to trust nobody's word until they can prove their honesty.

                        A very disappointed novice stude owner with a rusty and deliberately covered up cruiser.

                        Ken

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                        • #13
                          Ya know a lot of us weren't born with a silver spoon in our mouth. Nothing wrong being a CASO. Just try to be safe about it.
                          101st Airborne Div. 326 Engineers Ft Campbell Ky.

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                          • #14
                            Clonelark,

                            What is a "silver spoon"?? Sure not one of those stainless steel one in my cutlery drawer.
                            I was born poor and will die poor. Can't take it with you.
                            I agree with keep it safe part. I have nothing against doing a repair etc yourself and as cost efficiently as possible. My beef is against dishonest dodgy and unsafe jobs.

                            Ken

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                            • #15
                              Ya mean using dental floss to sew up a seat is a sinful CASO act of despair. Epoxy to plug a radiator leak, is wrong too. CASO folks are creative thinkers my dad was a pro at it but sometimes people forget or don't think thru the safety factor of their actions and that scares the bejezus outta me.
                              As for Krogash and the rust issue I bought a 62 Hawk with 4spd my dream car which has a vinyl roof with siliconed edges and a few bubbles underneath WELP after removing the fabric the holes were unbearable. I considered many options of repair some which were too CASO for even me to follow thru with. I've decided to sell it as is keep the four speed cut my loses and move on, I can't afford the proper repair and don't have the talent to do so. My Cruiser has rust issues as well which is common with some of them I guess.
                              Happy Motoring

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