I was blessed to have Rudy stop by my home last summer on his way to the National meet and pick up some previously purchased Virginian parts. He is a great hobbyist and I enjoyed our visit.
Last month there was a big to do about a long time salvage yard in Montana crushing rare Mopar parts. A lot of hobbyists felt this was horrific. I suspect Rudy might crush some grocery getter slab siders, but I doubt he would crush Virginians.
But the point is, this is America and we pride ourselves on our personal property rights and privileges. My tune has changed over the years from "must save every car" to realizing that 1. there is still a surplus of old cars and 2. it's an individuals decision to crush or not.
I had to give away parts or send them to the dump (a nice radiator core for example) lots of trim was thrown away. I sent some parts to some folks and lost money on postage because the parts are heavy.
I tried to give away free literature or lost a lot of money on the literature. I personally think many in the KF crowd are cheapskates and that sounds harsh but it's not. It's OK. Better then being into Mopar musclecars where you can't restore a Challenger or Cuda for less then $50,000 and the entry fee is $7000 for a pile of junk.
Rudy offered me a nice rust free 49 Manhattan when he visited for $1000. I turned him down because I was head deep into a different make then (Mercedes) but now of course I am clearing out again. But a 49 Frazer Manhattan, solid non running project for $1000 is very fair money and the cost to restore a 49 Frazer or Kaiser has to be less in some respects then a 49 Cadillac, Buick, Chrysler etc. due to the simpler architecture behind the car. (i.e. Continental 6 vs V8's or such)
I posted and maybe Jake about those 49-50 Virginians in Colorado for sale for like $700 to $1500 or so. Ridiculous low pricing for what they represent.
As a member of many other clubs, the mantra that "clubs need to attract new younger members" is getting old. I agree with Jack that if I had a running driving KF, I would regularly attend multi make car shows. That would help.
Consider also, that one of the reasons people do not restore a particular car is access to rare parts, fabrics, kits. I think KFOCI does a good job of being close knit in this regard and advising where to get parts and keeping SMS on the ball for fabrics. It's a great club, even if many don't appreciate my market comments, I think there are a lot of great people in the club.
Rudy's dilemma being a parts guy is demand. It's not there. isn't part of it the homogenous nature of KF? By that I mean KF did not necessarily have planned obsolescence. The same motor more or less was made for years, same on the transmissions, etc.
How many of common parts do you need?
