Quote:
Originally Posted by ClawSS
Just a question...How is an older car harder to maintain? I can see and get to just about everything on my 67 GTO...once she is clean she is parked....awaiting her debut at the next show or cruise.
The Camaro drove me to work today and took the hits from numerous bugs into the radiator and grille area that I can't really get to.
Most of the GTO parts are original, but what aren't came from any one of 6 different OE production houses that all I need to do is write a check and they deliver...just like the Camaro.
Once you get an old car clean and it is relegated to show duty...it's a cinch to keep clean...you try and put a daily driver into a show with a desire to win and you have a real job on your hands, not to mention the care you take on a day to day basis.
I'm afraid you are misplacing your "old cars are harder to maintain" idea. With the hidden/hard to access engine, plastics, thin paint, cheap vinyl/leather...new cars are just as hard.
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When parts fail on my old stuff I fix them or rebuild them, not just throw chinese reproductions on in their place. And as mentioned above, not every collectible car owner is lucky enough to have 6 reproduction parts houses eager to build you a new car from the ground up, many require great machinists and metal men to make replacement parts that haven't been available in 50 years.
Does a new car have manually adjusted brakes and clutch, a dozen or so zerk fittings, wheel bearings that really ought to be cleaned, repacked and adjusted every year or 2, carb (or carbs) that needs constant tinkering to keep healthy, and points adjusting and filing. If you go back far enough generators and 6v systems require quite a bit more TLC than modern electrical systems, canister oil filters, oiling locations that need to be oiled daily. I'm leaving plenty out, but I hope you get the idea.
A new car by comparison needs a oil filter and a few quarts of oil every 5000 miles and watch for warning lights on the dash?
I'm not complaining, these are the reasons I love antique cars and tractors, but to suggest they're not more work than a modern vehicle is just ridiculous.