Storing Old Parts
I was just thinking about the burdens of owning a rare, old car. One of
them, is that you have to order parts from far away, instead of buying them at
the local Pep Boys. But here is another, more subtle, burden:
I can't seem to bring myself to throw anything away. For example, I have
two or three used clutches. I'm too fussy to actually install them in a car,
but who knows? One day, they may be the last TR3 clutches left in North
America. And throwout bearings. Three of those, last time I checked. And a
complete set of motor mounts, in good shape. These start to deteriorate the
instant you put them in the car, so when I rebuilt the Clankster, I of course
replaced them. The old ones are perfectly good. I can't bring myself to throw
them away, either. After all, some day they might be the last motor mounts..
And the list goes on and on. Old carburetors, ball joints, brake shoes,
thermostat housings, gauges, a transmission, an engine block, a couple used
head gaskets...
Not only do I feel constrained to keep every Triumph or MG part that comes
out of my cars, I even go to flea markets to acquire more. Wow, look at that,
an MGA thermostat housing for one buck! Do I need a thermostat housing? No,
but you might someday, and it might be the last MGA thermostat housing the
world! I'll take it! The vendor gets his buck, and frees up about 6 cubic
inches of storage space in his garage. I, on the other hand, get to add to my
growing collection of british car parts.
After a while, parts collecting seems to become a goal in itself.
Of course, you other Scions are no doubt immune to the parts-collecting
disease. Oh, I'm so ashamed! :-)
- Jerry
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