Supply Issues for Spare Parts

[Stu Tomlinson]

I read with interest and concern of the recent posts regarding shortages for spare parts. In this recent post we see issues with outside oil lines, rings for cast iron pistons, thrust washers, bushings and other wear items. In the not too distant past we experienced shortages with head gaskets, generator regulators, gas tanks, etc. Some supplies have been remedied, however, Mark Chaffin brings up a valid point that this is what our future will look like as the smaller mom and pop workshops go by the wayside, and the higher costs for our suppliers to carry inventories. I think in the short term we must support all of our T parts suppliers, local chapters should look for and store used parts for use by their members, and that we might think twice about saving something for a good repaired spare - even if it takes machine shop work.
At the MTFCA national level the board of directors and staff are working on longer term strategic planning this year. This exact topic will be an important part of this plan. For many years, we hobbyists have enjoyed, and got spoiled with our just-in-time inventory due to the once many NOS supplies that once existed, the amount of small shops producing parts, and the vast amount of local supplies and or suppliers that one time existed. We are clearly seeing now what the future is looking like and we must plan and buy parts well ahead of winter repairs and for our restoration projects. I know I have recalibrated eyes when I go to swap meets for what I might need or what a friend might need.
This strategic development doesn’t help now, but we have to begin thinking now to build opportunities for the future.
I feel it very important to thank our T parts suppliers and know how much we all appreciate what you do for our hobby; and also to all members and hobbyists who are helping each other with parts through the classifieds.
Stu Tomlinson

[Mark Gregush]

Short supplies and higher cost. Many people got into the T hobby because of low entry $s and cost of parts was a huge factor compared to other makes. As cost go up on parts, lots of repairs get deferred. Not saying parts cost should not go up, but it is a factor in demand not just the loss of craftspeople that made the parts, that has been going on for a good number of years now.
And yet, there are still new products being added to the market, so not all is lost, yet.

[Henry K. Lee]

Boy...., Talk about people finally taking notice. I was preaching this for years and attempted like hell in mentoring younger men into varies crafts. It became a fruitless adventure. Young men (the majority) today are so side tracked by trying to fit in either by direct means or worst..., gamers! Their lack of social skills, communication skills, and true manners in just sucking it up is something I still cannot fathom. I have observed that parents today either lack the skills or just do not want to be bothered be interacting with their kids and expect someone else will do it for them. Failure is something they are totally afraid of and will not attempt. Failure is a learning tool in adapting. Reading up on a subject matter prior to taking on a project is now unheard of and they believe all the bad advice on the web. Am I complaining? No..., As most of you know I took about a year away from this forum by my disguise with grown men complaining about the cost of shipping, no one wanting to support vendors and the likes there of. If you want anything to survive...., yourself, a car, a dog, YOU MUST TAKE CARE OF IT! Observation and reflections of the mirrors tells you what is behind an object that is hidden but what is coming before it turns.

Very blessed to have supportive parents with varies mentors in my life, a very colorful military career with opportunities one could only dream of, and a bride that is one in a million. I wish the hobby well, but I spent a lot of money/time over the years in "What people requested and wanted but never purchased". I am now going where my real calling is and writing new chapters in mine and families life. Old world craftsmanship is dying quickly in America and it will be lost in my opinion for about 20 years. It may come back with a shot in the arm.

When I was called back to service, sitting in a room of Generals one stated..., "We no longer have the cream of the crop.., we just have a crop"! If you think it is bad in the hobby, the military has operators not true technicians with deep understanding of physics and principles of operation. It starts at home at young ages with a magical word..., involvement!

"Tell me and I will forget, show me and I may remember, involve me and I will learn"!

[Jones in Aiken SC]

Seems like the high schools got rid of metal shop and wood shop, those "hands on" learning experiences that are so invaluable. Then our society adopted this mentality of "you need a college degree" or you will never amount to anything. Hogwash, I say. I have just as much respect for a machinist, electrician, or an air conditioning technician as I do a PhD. (In fact, since I live in the south I might even have MORE respect for the air conditioning technician.)

My point is we as a society have gotten away from manufacturing and the jobs that go with it. Maybe it will come back. In the old days, I had machinist friends who were also interested in Model T's and some of them actually fabricated replacement parts (Otis Clinton comes to mind). There are guys out there still supporting the hobby (Dan McEachern as an example). Maybe time marches on and I am clinging to the past. But when a parent asks me what they should encourage their kid to be, I usually suggest becoming a machinist or an electrician or go into the military if you don't know. Anyway, enough rambling. Better lay in a stock of parts that you might need before they are all gone and this includes the good reproduction stuff. I also have a Model A and the same thing is going on with that group of cars.

[Henry K. Lee]

This is NOT to be taking into a political agenda but hardcore statistics from true baselines. Your tax paying dollars paid for my education in the military..., soooo A BIG THANK YOU! My ending position in the military was an Analyst in many disciplines, ie, engineering, investigations, social psychology. Starting around or about 1988 we as a nation started to move away from vocational skills in industrial arts and move toward more sports driven activities. This was more influenced by outside sources (companies promoting physical activities due to obesity becoming more into a younger generation) but the problem was deregulation and food ingredients such as fats and processed foods. Sooo these educated people thought it would be safer for kids to bang their heads vs getting stitches from sharp metal, etc. Children follow each other to fit in, parents want a happy child, teachers want control, and the education system wants money to keep a wheel in motion. Sounds like a business model? It is because it is a complete cycle of a money. Again, this is not political only an observation with true statical baselines telling the story of where it shifted.

At my age (63), I have been told "I am a dinosaur" and the way I teach physics and math are wrong when I have offered to "inspirer" high school kids for free. Go figure...., We have a lot of "at risk" kids that need a break or a "mentor". It appears some of our local businesses and industries want to keep kids at a particular education level to control their future workforce. SAD!

In my day in school, I had awesome teachers in that they wanted you to pass and if you failed, they failed as a teacher. I carried this ideology into my life too. Real world applications into mathematic equations, ie, algebra planes (decay and grows of an aerodynamic core), calculus equations into figuring out how many cubic yards of dirt are in a side of a mountain to remove it for a highway. Just examples folks!

Instead of feeding brain cells, it appears more bulking up for a big game/Friday Night Lights. The time spent being mentored and gathering education that you can carry thru your life is something no one can take away from you. It fuels a passion to learn more!

We are a "small minority" trying to do our part in "instilling" what is lost and needs to return. IF YOU WANT IT BACK, GET INVOLVED IN THE GAME OF LIFE!

Frustrated in Tin-A-See

[BRENT in 10-uh-C]

Seems like the high schools got rid of metal shop and wood shop, those "hands on" learning experiences that are so invaluable. Then our society adopted this mentality of "you need a college degree" or you will never amount to anything. Hogwash, I say. I have just as much respect for a machinist, electrician, or an air conditioning technician as I do a PhD. (In fact, since I live in the south I might even have MORE respect for the air conditioning technician.)

My point is we as a society have gotten away from manufacturing and the jobs that go with it. Maybe it will come back. In the old days, I had machinist friends who were also interested in Model T's and some of them actually fabricated replacement parts (Otis Clinton comes to mind). There are guys out there still supporting the hobby (Dan McEachern as an example). Maybe time marches on and I am clinging to the past. But when a parent asks me what they should encourage their kid to be, I usually suggest becoming a machinist or an electrician or go into the military if you don't know. Anyway, enough rambling. Better lay in a stock of parts that you might need before they are all gone and this includes the good reproduction stuff. I also have a Model A and the same thing is going on with that group of cars.

Greg, ...you are correct HOWEVER it is not the school's fault. It is my experiences that it is the parent's fault. The motor skills that you adults possess today are very poor. Most GenZ adults cannot hold (-or swing) a hammer, cannot hold a screwdriver effectively, and cannot efficiently use a wrench to remove a fastener. These are all skills that should have been taught to a child prior to them being of school age. It likely started with the Boomers and has increased through the generations. It likely will never become back. The irony is many of these kids have the skills to earn a wage much better than average, so they can afford to buy the commercially manufactured parts and have them professionally installed. So the hobby is not lost, -it is just changing.

[John L]

They don’t even teach them to write cursive any more, or to even sign there names.

[Steve1920]

The education system has been shunning the trades for decades, and it shows today. When I was in jr. and high school, the guidance counselors steered kids away from the shop classes. I took many of them as electives every year but when I first sat down with a counselor to pick the shop classes, she said to me, "Why do you want to take those mickey mouse classes?" I was stunned, and embarrassed- which clearly was part of the plan. I will never forget her words. In the years since, I can only hope she has struggled to find a competent mechanic, carpenter, plumber, welder, etc.

Anyway, it is beyond sad to see all the items on the "hard to get" list or they are no longer being made at all. I never thought we'd see the day with them, but here we are. I have not needed any in quite a while- but brass thrust washers are getting to be unobtainable??

We may be in more trouble than what we think.

Steve

[big2bird]

Many hobbies are shrinking or dying.

I had a color darkroom. When digital came out, I virtually had to sell all my equipment pennies on the dollar.

I have a vintage stereo with over 1000 albums. When did you last see or visit a record store?

I have a wall of brass train locomotives. They are now worth a quarter of what I paid. There is one Model Train shop in my county.

Railroad memorabilia is tanking.

Classic Corvettes are losing value except for the rarest of the rare. New owners just stare at them.

The interest is just not there. Kids are sucking up self driving golf carts called Teslas. Gear heads are into rice rockets now.

Cry if you wish. It just won't do any good.

[TMiller6]

I’m not giving up hope.

My son in lost his dad when he was fifteen. Now at 39 he lives a block away from me and asks for help and borrows tools. He never asks me to help after I show him how to do something once. This last week he informed me that I will be teaching him and his kids how to start and drive our cars. My daughter won’t be behind the wheel at the Old Car Festival; it’s his job.

Meanwhile, I have my ten year old grandkids using my drill press. One assignment was data security. A stack of old disk drives needed five holes drilled in each of them. I’ve let them use my lathe and other tools at the shop. They’re twins, boy and girl; I make sure they both work. We rebuilt grandma’s Craftsman lawn edger with a Harbor Freight engine and they were able to show my wife it fired up and ran. Hopefully they will learn it is better to repair than it is to replace.

They’re already fighting over my 2000 Mustang. It’s the car their mother used at 16 to learn to drive properly. They will do a tune up and oil change before I let them drive it when they’re 16.

[Rich P. Bingham]

They don’t even teach them to write cursive any more, or to even sign there names.

Why the genius education PhDs failed to grasp the importance of drilling fine motor skill in young children is incredible. 70 years ago we began by coloring our lesson sheets - FIRST - outline the color fields. We stood at the blackboard making large circles, straight lines and “S” patterns which we took to copying the upper/lower case printed letter forms in pencil. In Second grade, the writing exercises segued into learning cursive, culminating in the crowning achievement of writing with a fountain pen in third grade.

Today, many adults cannot hold a pen, fork or tool properly, they struggle with a “monkey -fist” grip with pitiful result.

[Steve Jelf]

What is a blackboard?

[Rich P. Bingham]

What is a blackboard?

OK, OK, so it’s a geezer exaggeration. Some of them were green !

[Mark Chaffin]

With big and small felt erasers the teacher would throw at you from time to time.

[tdump]

They don’t even teach them to write cursive any more, or to even sign there names.

Why the genius education PhDs failed to grasp the importance of drilling fine motor skill in young children is incredible. 70 years ago we began by coloring our lesson sheets - FIRST - outline the color fields. We stood at the blackboard making large circles, straight lines and “S” patterns which we took to copying the upper/lower case printed letter forms in pencil. In Second grade, the writing exercises segued into learning cursive, culminating in the crowning achievement of writing with a fountain pen in third grade.

Today, many adults cannot hold a pen, fork or tool properly, they struggle with a “monkey -fist” grip with pitiful result.

What bothers me is these kids that can't hold a fork or a screwdriver are the same 1's that might be doing surgery on my gizzard or my heart or something in the future! I think we have reason to be nervous!
I took shop classes and I paid attention but wish I hadn't been the 1 picked on all the time and woulda had a better chance to learn undistracted by the bullying. But I use what I learned in those classes just about every day of my life and can't imagine not being able to write my name or change a tire or change my oil or rebuild a lawnmower engine or whatever. Why people give up their independence so easily or never gain it at all so willing is beyond my understanding. How can you make a loan agreement if you can't sign your name?

[Henry K. Lee]

Man did I just have a flashback...., Remembered a kid falling a sleep in class and that loaded chalk filled eraser flying across the room from the teacher hitting that kid in the head and chalk dust blowing out like a bomb, soooooo cool! Priceless memories! Can't do it now!

[Henry K. Lee]

Man did I just have a flashback...., Remembered a kid falling a sleep in class and that loaded chalk filled eraser flying across the room from the teacher hitting that kid in the head and chalk dust blowing out like a bomb, soooooo cool! Priceless memories! Can't do it now!

Quote of the day....,"Pre occupation of artificial stimulation preoccupies the mind"!

[John kuehn]

And History and Geography? Remember that more than a few of our younger folks think that New Mexico is another Country! Think about it.

[Art M]

Forty years ago, I taught algebra and trigonometry at night to apprentices. I asked the school for chalk to use on the chalk board. They thought I was nuts, but the students liked my method. But I never had to throw an eraser. Today I would be sued for all kinds of damages.

Art Mirtes

[Art M]

Forty years ago, I taught algebra and trigonometry at night to apprentices. I asked the school for chalk to use on the chalk board. They thought I was nuts, but the students liked my method. But I never had to throw an eraser. Today I would be sued for all kinds of damages.

Art Mirtes

[John kuehn]

Art ! I bet you used a slide rule in your math class? I remember when there was a life size slide rule hanging the same level as the black board. And all in the class had one to learn on. And a protractor was used too.

[Mark Nunn]

Ask a kid today what they want to be when they grow up. A recent study revealed the number 1 answer. Influencer was at the top. When I was a kid the "influencer" was called Dad. At 90 years old now, he still does not hesitate to tell me when I'm not sweeping the shop floor his way. Love you too, Dad.

[Oldav8tor]

It's certainly not the world I was born into. Younger folks often show little interest in "doing." They get all the stimulation they need from a computer or phone screen. I get it, technology is wonderful...indeed, I use it - there is just more to life than watching it go by.

BTW - in my last decade as a teacher they replaced our chalk boards with white boards that required erasable felt tip markers. Something about problems with chalk dust. Regardless, those markers cost a lot more than a box of chalk and made their own dust to boot.

[mortier]

"Vinyl records have recently outsold CDs for the second consecutive year, with 43 million vinyl records sold in 2023 compared to 37 million CDs. Vinyl generated significantly more revenue, earning $1.4 billion versus $537 million from CDs, reflecting a growing preference for physical music formats among consumers." (Popular Science)

(Of course, this is because most people upload music to their phones, but analog is not totally dead!)

Phil

[Steve Jelf]

... more than a few of our younger folks think that New Mexico is another Country!

New Mexico magazine had a feature called something like One of Our
States is Missing. My favorite item there told of an Ivy League dean who wrote to UNM asking if students coming for summer classes would need visas.