"To that extent, the finished truck really represents
something beyond the truck, like a Japanese garden, which, pretty as it is,
is designed to lead you to think about the larger world."
Grant, Deve and anyone else interested in this concept, MUST read this book-
"Zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance- an inquiry into values" by author
Robert M. Pirsig (It has nothing to do with motorcycle maintenance, but
everything to do with the above quote)
Jeff Street
'55-2 short/step "Street's rod project"
"G. Simmons" wrote:
> Hi Allen,
>
> Thanks for the clarification, and sorry if my response was a little loud. I
> think my restoration preference is maybe closer to yours than Deve's but I
> think I know where he's coming from, and I see something very spiritual
> about a do it yourself Rust-to-Righteous.
>
> [The following is a disclaimer for the speculatively challenged: I'm about
> to try to analyze the deeper significance of old truck restoration. If this
> makes you nervous, disgusted or irate, now would be a good time to hit the
> delete button.]
>
> It's pretty clear that the kind of effort Deve is making is about something
> deeper than just building a fine truck. He could buy one finished, or
> nearly so, for a lot less, or hire out all the work for results that would
> look the same to most observers.
>
> The point I really wanted to make was that what Deve is doing, and what most
> of us do to some degree, is at least as much about the process as the
> resulting truck. To that extent, the finished truck really represents
> something beyond the truck, like a Japanese garden, which, pretty as it is,
> is designed to lead you to think about the larger world. The truck is a
> token for the effort and vision Deve put into bringing it back to life, and
> perhaps for the idea that some things, if they are fine and people care
> enough about them, don't necessarily have to decay and wear away.
>
> Since Deve's whole effort is directed to overcoming the natural process of
> truck(?) mortality, it makes sense for him to keep it from falling back into
> decay as long as he can.
>
> In the long term, the effort will undoubtedly be futile. I remember a story
> about a 100 point 1953 Buick Skylark being trailered away from a show when
> some drunk plowed into it and totalled it. All of our trucks, like their
> owners, will eventually depart this world, it's just a question of time.
>
> But I also know what it is like to own a car that my great grandmother
> owned, and which was passed down through my family. The car isn't overly
> special in itself, but it really makes her memory live for me so that she
> isn't just a box of old photos. I drive it, but not a lot, because I want
> it to last as long as possible, to go on for more generations in my family.
>
> If Deve preserves the truck, he'll miss getting some thumbs up, but then
> he's planning on building another to be a driver, so that'll work out. What
> he might get in exchange is some great-grand kids who have a living
> connection with him through the truck.
>
> Anyway, that's my take on why Deve's idea is a good one, though as Allen
> points out, not the only good approach.
>
> Regards,
>
> Grant S..
>
> oletrucks is devoted to Chevy and GM trucks built between 1941 and 1959
oletrucks is devoted to Chevy and GM trucks built between 1941 and 1959
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