If the vehicle is yours, do what you want with it. If it's mine, don't =
complain about the way I do it. We are all in this because we're =
interested. Let it go at that.
lee
------------------------------
Date: 7/30/97 9:28 AM
To: Phillips, Lee
From: Steven P. Allen
It seems to me that the current debate over repro-jeeps has to do with =
how
authentic the finished product is. I've no wish to put down anyone's
project, and I admire the absolutely perfect restorations and the =
modified
rigs both (though for different reasons). Let me share something I =
learned
from the '50s-'60s car restoration hobby.
Especially where the high-$ cars like 'Vettes, 'Stangs, etc. are =
concerned,
there are whole groups dedicated to bringing original cars back to
absolutely perfect condition. These guys will spend $10,000 (1990) on a =
set
of original red-stripe tires, for example. They will spend months =
tracking
down NOS hose clamps, fan belts, lightbulbs, even paint. They detail the
vehicles with absolutely perfect factory markings, even preserving chalk
marks on various parts whenever possible. Each detail is made exactingly
perfect, and the results are breathtaking to behold. BUT: the result is
not truly authentic.
Why not? Because the cars never looked that good when they were new. =
They
were built on an assembly line as fast as detroit could turn them out, =
not
lovingly, by hand. They were shipped to dealers in open-sided freight =
cars
which allowed them to get dirty, nicked, dinged, and even shot at by bad
little boys with Red Ryders (hence the modern aluminum siding on auto
transport cars). Sure, the dealers prepped them, but they did so in a =
rush.
And so, in the "classic car" hobby, various approaches have sprung up:
Perfection at any cost, authenticity be damned; Factory Correct,
imperfections accepted; Dealer Prepped, a sort of compromise; Street
Restoration, "hey, these cars were modified by their original owners, so
modifications that are correct for the period are OK (a sub-class here
accepts only mods done BY the original owners)"; Modern Interpretation, =
use
the best of new technology to overcome short-comings in the original =
design;
and a host of others that reflect the diversity of people who enjoy the
hobby. Does this begin to sound familiar?
Now, consider MVs. As fast as Detroit was shoving cars off the assembly
lines, MVs were being produced in war time in indecent haste. They =
weren't
produced to win beauty contests but to win a war; in fact, they were =
really
considered desposable. The important thing was to get something, =
anything,
out there on the front lines. Attention to detail was not the order of =
the
day: speed was. I doubt they shut down whole assembly lines if a =
"correct"
part ran out as long as something close would do. What were the original
paint colors on such-&-such a part? Whatever worked and was on hand that
day. They weren't going to shut down jeep production if the generators
weren't apinted to spec. They'd paint 'em whateve was handy and shove the=
m
onto train cars for delivery to the nearest base or port.
Did the motor pool personal hold up an offensive in order to get the =
right
windshield wipers on the Jimmies? If a fender got shot up, did Patton =
have
to stop driving on the Rhine while his mechanic got a NOS replacement =
part?
NO. Make do and kill Krauts. Lest I seem UScentric here, I'm sure this =
was
even more true for the Axis powers. And I doubt either the Brits or the
French were too particular about what spark plugs they used as long as the=
vehicle ran.
The moral is this. A perfect restoration is a worthy goal and inspiring =
to
behold. But, HISTORICALLY, it's not the only _authentic_ restoration. =
In
fact, it may not be authentic at all.
I'm sorry this is so long, but I worry about the devisive nature of these
sorts of debates. There's not only room but valid justification for
numerous approaches to this hobby. We ought to share info, not acrimony;
trade parts, not insults. All of these approaches can learn from each =
other.
(Probably more than $.02, but maybe worth only $.01)
Steve Allen, Rolla, MO, USA
=3D=3D=3D
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