Having not had a Studebaker in some 25 years, it is like stepping back into the past. It is a past that I think some owners do not really want to participate in. They think their Studes look good, and that is all that needs to happen. I know that a new car has O grease fittings. Does that mean something built 40+ years ago, is of the same technology? I know you only change the struts(shocks)on a new car when the thing throws you in the ditch. If one were to peruse the owners manual of a Studebaker, they would find a bunch of items that need to be addressed every thousand miles. I know that some new cars only are getting their second, or third tank of gas at a thousand miles, and are going to go 10,000 miles, either intentionally, or unintentionally on an oil change.
So, the question is: Why do some people try to imprint new values on something built that long ago?
Both of my parents recently passed away. Some of the younger kids mused that they were not "with it". They lived thru the depression, WW11,and a list of other things that would change one's perspecive. Yet, here they were, being judged by standards of today.
Same with an old car. One must get their arms around the technology of the day, and not today.
I have been looking to buy king pin rebuilding kits, for my GT, because it handled so badly. I thought that just as long as I was replacing the shocks, I might as well grease the car, even though some of the fitting shown that they had been done recently.
It took 4 hours to grease the car, because most of the grease fittings had not seen grease in decades, not years. I had to take a lot of them apart, clean them out and replace the zerk.
As I replaced the shocks, the threads on the nuts remained with the bolts, they had been there so long. One of the shocks still had the tag on it. It did not match the one on the other side of the back. It was a Delco "Pleasurizer". I personally have never heard of one of those. Beside being kinda politically incorrect by todays standards, it was frozen. It was not AC Delco, just Delco.
Needless to say, the car handles much better, and doesn't need king pins. Just someone who cares. The car drives better, and I feel better after this rant. It is just frustrating to see something left in this condition when it takes so little to maintain, and so much to fix when it has been ignored.
So, the question is: Why do some people try to imprint new values on something built that long ago?
Both of my parents recently passed away. Some of the younger kids mused that they were not "with it". They lived thru the depression, WW11,and a list of other things that would change one's perspecive. Yet, here they were, being judged by standards of today.
Same with an old car. One must get their arms around the technology of the day, and not today.
I have been looking to buy king pin rebuilding kits, for my GT, because it handled so badly. I thought that just as long as I was replacing the shocks, I might as well grease the car, even though some of the fitting shown that they had been done recently.
It took 4 hours to grease the car, because most of the grease fittings had not seen grease in decades, not years. I had to take a lot of them apart, clean them out and replace the zerk.
As I replaced the shocks, the threads on the nuts remained with the bolts, they had been there so long. One of the shocks still had the tag on it. It did not match the one on the other side of the back. It was a Delco "Pleasurizer". I personally have never heard of one of those. Beside being kinda politically incorrect by todays standards, it was frozen. It was not AC Delco, just Delco.
Needless to say, the car handles much better, and doesn't need king pins. Just someone who cares. The car drives better, and I feel better after this rant. It is just frustrating to see something left in this condition when it takes so little to maintain, and so much to fix when it has been ignored.
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