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Philosophizing about time and parts

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twas_brillig

Jedi Knight
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I went chasing 3/8" British Fine lock nuts unsuccessfully this evening, as part of the assembling of our 1959 Sprite - some 57 years after its model year and 58 years after the introduction of the Bug-Eye.

Equivalent to looking for parts for a Ford Model A in 1985 - 58 years after it's effective first year of production. In 1985 I would have thought that it would be foolish to expect to go into a retail establishment and get seals for the front bearings (ordered yesterday for the BE; picked up today) or locknuts for a Model T; yet I kind-of think it's reasonable to have those expectations for my Sprite. I wonder when Model A owners felt that they could no longer expect to get their parts at a local shop, versus special ordering them?

No great thoughts - just time passes by at varying speeds. And I still think 'White Rabbit' from 1967 and 1964's 'House of the Rising Sun' are incredible classics. And I'll hit a specialty fastener outfit tomorrow and pick up a few bags of fine thread lock nuts. Fortunate - we're just dang fortunate. Doug
 
Doug,
Fortunate? I'm amazed at the variety of fasteners at my local hardware store...fortunate indeed! After I 'finished' my MGB I took it by the hardware store to show them what all the nuts and bolts went on and they were grinning from ear to ear knowing that they helped! Now they know that the Bugeye is being completed in the same manner and are more than happy to assist when I explain the function of the part. They know the importance of head shape, metal vs nylon lock nuts, why I need grade 8 hardware, why a washer needs to be chrome, etc. They are only a few miles from me and will have parts ready for my wife to pick up when she's out shopping. Places like these exist because forums like this one make the hobby of collecting and restoring old cars attainable to people like me. I remember running around from junk yard to junk yard looking for parts in the 60s and 70s trying to repair/restore my TR3, sometimes with my mother driving because nothing I owned was running!
Rut
 
Yes I find hardware at my local hardware store that the big names don'the even sell. My local store carries a full selection of fine threaded bolts and nuts in good quality grades and individually priced for convience.
How can stores be so big and have so little, seems the big boxes have a little bit of everything and a whole lot of nothing.
 
And, I know a number of people who scrapped basically good MGs in the late 80's and 90's - partly because they were "just used cars" but often for an unobtainable part - that we can can order new now. Moss et al have really changed the hobby for the good - and of course the interwebnet changes everything! When my father had his DKW in the early 80's he would go to Holland to visit family and come home with gaskets in his suitcase - and I don't think we ever had a manual - I am not sure it even occurred to him that they existed.
 
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