Perfectionism in cars

[NC-car-guy]

I happen to like roadkill garage but wouldn't dare get on the road in half the crap they do. I do however appreciate this article.

 

https://m.roadkillcustoms.com/how-perfectionism-ruins-automotive-hobby/

[NC-car-guy]

I'm pretty sure @old-tank has given me some similar advice about an A/C issue on my 72 recently.

[60FlatTop]

I was inclined to pass over this topic because of my general distaste for TV car shows. But I looked.

 

 

Well, if they wrote anything of value their credibility was lost when the page popped up.

 

What was it Marion the librarian's Mom said about her giving advice?

[JohnD1956]

That article makes perfect sense for hobbyists.  Other than a parts source for the next guy, what good is a car torn down to bare bones and quietly rusting away in a garage because the owner lost interest? 

I am no fan of reality tv shows that mask the reality of any build, but I agree with this article. 

[B Jake Moran]

Perfectionism does hold the hobby back. If you show up at festival shows, cruise in, or even club events 1st - you are worried or conscious of looks or comments about your car. 2nd, you may often be looking at overrestored expensive cars and you know you’re not in that league.  

[NC-car-guy]

56 minutes ago, B Jake Moran said:

Perfectionism does hold the hobby back. If you show up at festival shows, cruise in, or even club events 1st - you are worried or conscious of looks or comments about your car. 2nd, you may often be looking at overrestored expensive cars and you know you’re not in that league.  

It paralyzed me for a long time.  I used to tear into projects thinking I needed to fix every single thing and make them all operable or right. I finally can now breathe a little bit. I now plan a part of a project and plan a length of time to conduct said project and when that part of the project is finished I then drive the car for an extended period of time before diving into the next piece. And with my 57 I haven't finished all the pieces yet but I still enjoy driving it.

[NC-car-guy]

5 hours ago, 60FlatTop said:

I was inclined to pass over this topic because of my general distaste for TV car shows. But I looked.

 

 

Well, if they wrote anything of value their credibility was lost when the page popped up.

 

What was it Marion the librarian's Mom said about her giving advice?

I get it.  I think the photo was meant in jest though.

[NorthernFirepower]

Love that I find myself the enthusiast that the article is pointing people to be. I'm in the mentality of get it road worthy and run it! Life's short and the last thing I want to do is move around a sitting project for years when instead it could be ugly and making its own way to local shows and swap meets.

 

My current "project" was picked up knowing I'd need to rebuild the engine. Block is at the local speed shop now getting the love I can't provide. Looking forward to the spring nites and weekends getting the engine swapped and running!

[KAD36]

Great article thanks for posting!  Helps explain why mine always in a state of almost done.  With the exception of the “year of the blown motors” it’s been registered and on the road since 83.  
 

It’s almost done. 🤣

[TxBuicks]

I admire restored vehicles that are so nice they are trailered in and out of shows.  But I have more admiration for those cars that are mostly original and driven. In my younger years, I thought the goal was to get a project car and restore it to an award winning car.  I went through several such cars, but each time I got to the point where I needed the expensive things that I did not have the skills, tools, or resources to do.  In each case, upon looking at the cost to finish them, I would sell them to someone that could finish them.  Now, I am content to getting a mostly original Buick in drivable condition and maintaining it.  I can do that.  I don't mind parking my every-day driver next to a perfect car.  Let them get the awards.  I find more people are beginning to appreciate the unrestored vehicle.

[Machine Gun]

I've never wanted a show-quality car, or a "perfect" car for a few reasons. First, I never had the money to farm out restoration work, nor do I have the skills to do paint and body work myself. Second, I don't have the patience to lay up a car for years while I work to get it on the road. Finally, and perhaps the most important reason is that my enjoyment of having an old car comes simply from driving it. My car needs to be safe, reliable, as original as practical to maintain safety and reliability, and preserved from (further) deterioration. Now the car has to be reasonably presentable to start with. I don't want it to scare children or serve as a visual substitute for ipecac.

 

I take my Skylark everywhere: the supermarket, cruise-ins, church, Route 66, etc. And I don't park at the farthest, most desolate corner of a parking lot...I park among the plebeians. The closest to perfection I want in my car is for everything to work. If the car has an accessory that's not working, I have to fix it, regardless of whether I will use it. It's an OCD thing. I honestly appreciate and applaud those who have the desire, skill, and means to bring their cars to their standard of perfection, but I'm not sure that I'd go that route even if I could.

[NTX5467]

(Have not clicked on the link . . . yet).

 

TWO things to remember . . . many people have different conceptions of what "perfect" might be and when the cars were designed and built, there was MUCH about them that was not perfect . . . as they rolled onto the transport trucks at the assembly plant.  With some vehicles/brands being better than others, by observation.  So, what might be "perfect" on a GM car would not be perfect on a similar Ford (of the 1965+ time frame), and vice versa.  Yet, at 10+ feet away, they all look good.

 

When we are typically younger, we have pride in our cars and want to make then "better than new" in anything we might do with them.  Whether an engine rebuild, body work, detailing, etc.  THEN when we realize the realities of production line/mass production, some of the "indiscretions" become more-allowable, generally.  Like looking at how the paint spray hit the emblems, leaving one side "light/feathered-out" and the other side "barely covered", for example.  Yet for restoration, knowing everybody might judge the quality by everything being "up to snuff", we ensure that such paint is evenly-applied and very-neatly done.

 

The other thing is that "perfect" might relate to what others in the hobby are doing, at a particular point in time, in how well (or not well) they might be doing things . . . "degree of execution".  With time and greater availability of "things", the degree of execution has increased quite a bit over the most recent decades.  Enough that an unmolested production vehicle might appear "poorly done", by comparison.  Which means "over-restoration" usually happens, as a matter of course.

 

Then, there is how OTHERS perceive what they might be looking at!  Many enthusiasts of more recent vintage might believe that anything NOT painted in basecoat/clearcoat paints (and their higher gloss than the OEM acrylic lacquers) is substandard.  When the surface of the acrylic lacquer (on GM cars) is done to OEM-production spec for the model year of the vehicle.  They see "restored" vehicles at an indoor car show (many with shiny paint where GM or others never put it, using satiny black in production) and, to them, THAT is the one that's correctly restored as it looks better to them.  BTAIM

 

To me, I'd rather look at an OEM, correctly-done/unmolested vehicle than one which has been through a complete "restoration" process, UNLESS the particular restoration's orientation was "EXACT OEM-production" rather than being tempered by "what might show better to the general public".  To do a restoration of that nature, you have to know how the vehicle was assembled, in what sequence, to what standards, with correct inspection marks/stamps, and resist the "make it better" orientation.  Which makes pictures of the vehicle as it was taken apart very important for documentation.

 

In the vehicle hobby, "life happens", too.  Which can result in some disassembled projects later being sold to somebody with the time, money, and motivation to finish the project.  On the other hand, we can do what WE can do, make things as good as WE can do ourselves.  Enjoy the vehicle in the mean time.  AND enjoy the vehicle for what it was meant to be, keeping it ON THE ROAD at the same time.

 

Sorry for the length, many dynamics I've observed over the years.

 

Happy Holidays!

NTX5467

[Larry Schramm]

The manufacturers never made a "perfect" car or vehicle to the blue prints.  There was always some variation along with issues with handling by moving the vehicle from the plant to the customer. Most paint jobs in the day never looked like newly painted vehicles today.  Just IMO & experience.

[Mudbone]

Yep, but if it makes you happy............

[NC-car-guy]

Some folks are missing the point the point is just to say that we don't need to succumb to societal pressures to be perfect you.

[NTX5467]

2 hours ago, NC-car-guy said:

Some folks are missing the point the point is just to say that we don't need to succumb to societal pressures to be perfect you.

I suspect WE realize that more with our advancing ages.

[Turbinator]

On 12/12/2022 at 1:42 PM, B Jake Moran said:

Perfectionism does hold the hobby back. If you show up at festival shows, cruise in, or even club events 1st - you are worried or conscious of looks or comments about your car. 2nd, you may often be looking at overrestored expensive cars and you know you’re not in that league.  

I sell refinished parts for 63-65 Buick Rivieras. I don't sell junk. I have a "No Whining" policy. Don't like it? Send it back I'll give you your money back. I qualify on the front end if the gent is a perfectionist. The perfectionist is advised I don't have anything in my shop I believe will suit you. I'm all for having the right part and it work. I try not use NOS because it is an empty acronym. NOS truly does not tell you condition characteristics of the object and it is not an automotive term. A simple written description of the item is best. Words like flawless, no scratches, no visible evidence the part. has ever been on a car tells the buyer more than NOS. I believe perfectionism holds the hobby back. I have kept my 63 as stock as I can and the car still work. The AC in my car lacks the AC muffler and STV valve. I found those two items were keeping cold air from entering the cabin. I did a work around and now I have cold air. I could care less I'm missing those two items. Ive upgraded to electronic ignition and had the engine rebuilt and onlookers cannot tell the engine is not stock. The car starts and I'm pleased with how the car performs.  At my age I do pretty much to suit myself.

Turbinator

[NTX5467]

Back in the later 1970s, after I had begun work at the Chevy dealer's parts dept, I eventually found the old parts books to see what might still be around.  For a body shop customer, whose Dad had a '55 BelAir 2-dr hardtop he cherished, I looked to see what exterior trim might still be around.  Only things were the rear license plate light, the gold-toned crest near the front of the quarter panel, and maybe one other item.  He wanted a new crest, so I ordered one.  Although it was new and from GM, it was NOT really good.  I ordered another, same thing.  I took them the two and let them pick which one they liked.  The main thing, to them, was that it was new and from GM, and that it pleased their father.  So NOS does not always mean it's good, just new, by observation.

 

Another parts guy ordered a new front bumper for a friend's '72 Corvette.  New from GM is the best thing you could say for it.  I'd seen rechromes which looked better than that one, but it was original from GM, with the vendor's tag still on it.  No doubt it was the "real deal", just not the BEST deal, cosmetically.  AND the correct "color of chrome", too.  Not all chrome is the same color, by observation!  Easy to spot if you know what you are looking at.

 

Where we are located is near an aircraft manufacturing facility that does contracts for the U.S. government (i.e., bombers).  The car dealers in this region have had some of their employees as customers for new vehicles, for years.  In the middle 1980s, a tech brought in a 13 line warranty repair order.  It was unusual and I asked to see what was on it.  I reat through, line for line, things like "Windshield wiper arms not painted", "Paint peeling on bed load floor" (a plckup truck with a wooden floor), etc., etc., etc.  So the tech ordered new parts as needed.  Including a new load floor for the pickup bed!  When the new wiper arms came in, they looked just like the ones one the truck from the factory, not painted well (splatters) on the underside of the arm.  Paint on the new load floor peeled, too, so another one was ordered.

 

Was this customer "picky", have a behavioral issue, or displaying "Buyer's Remorse"?  We did all of the warranty work on the repair order and then some which had to be redone as it did not suit him.  Then we never saw him again.

 

Several years prior, I was at a Ford dealer's body shop and the estimators were talking about a new Turbo T-bird sitting out front and what the customer had complained about (under warranty).  That Turbo Bird had a hood scoop on the hood.  The customer's complaint was that the inside of the scoop was not fully painted, as the outside was.  So they removed it, painted the inside of the scoop, then re-installed.  Again, "somebody from the bomber plant".

 

Might it be that those customers were used to dealing with military-spec and/or aerospace "zero tolerance" orientations in their lives, so they were looking at their mass-produced vehicles through the same lens?

 

And then there was the owner of a new '68 Chrysler.  It was white.  The new owner went to the trouble of tracing the car's surface on paper, noting the location of EVERY place he considered to be "a blemish".  Top, sides, and such.  Turns out that all if took to satisfy him, after he basically claimed the whole car had to be repainted, the factory service rep approved the installation of a new vinyl top on the car.  That satisfied that customer.

 

There are more stories, but I'll end here.

 

Take care,

NTX5467

 

 

[Turbinator]

3 hours ago, NTX5467 said:

There are more stories, but I'll end here.

I'll comment for a few lines. I think perfectionism is a curse. I believe that "close enough" is just as much a curse. I like the phrase it "has to be right for it to work." " Has to be right,,,," can range from using hay bailing wire to hold something until you get home or having something made when other solutions do not work. I guess the trite phrase "use common sense" comes in to play. I tried to use common sense on tire selection for my 63 to comply with stock look. I bought American Classic 7.10 R 15 one inch white wall tires for my 63 Riviera. I had my turbines shined up and ready to go to the AACA Eastern National meet this past Oct at Hershey. In the judging the Captain was a nice gent and I was happy he came to help with the event. I got marked down on the judging sheet for having radial tires instead of bias tires. I said the tires look

 

 

great. Captain went on to say the tires have to be bias tires. I was thinking the basis for saying the tires have to be bias was inconsistent with the judging of how the car looks. I contend my radial bias tires look like the tires that came on the car. I suppose common sense was to buff out the "R" on the side of the tire? I saw some major league automotive industrial art at the show. Talked to some right nice folks about cars who seemed interested in my car. I got an award from AACA called "Junior Third". I think its another way of saying last place in the award order for my classification.

 

It happened to be a beautiful day. I sat down and listened to my play list on very low volume on my iLoud bluetooth speaker and took a nap.

Turbinator

[NTX5467]

There are many "curses" of the car hobby and how to "play the game" as to judging in national-level shows. 

 

Back when "radial tires and halogen headlights" were a BIG discussion in the BCA (as to judging at national meets), it was pointed out that the AACA was a bit more lenient in these areas than the BCA was (as if the BCA should follow their lead).  To which the BCA Office Manager (at the time) replied that WE were the BCA and that WE should have the highest judging standards for Buick vehicles.  End of discussion, and a good one, I thought.  NOTE:  To me, this would be "hearsay evidence" in a court of law as I heard about it from others.  BTAIM

 

PERHAPS the judging manuals might need some revisions to allow for "bias-ply look" radials rather than "normal look" modern radials, with the correct whitewall width?  Less point deducts for trying to keep the look correct for the model year than not?  But that might rile those who spent the big bucks for repro bias-ply tires and T-3 headlights in their quest for a high-level trophy?

 

Just need to know the rules of the game and determine how one might want to play it.  I've always liked the way @old-tank did his cars with the orientation toward correctness AND driving them to national meets each year.

 

Enjoy!

NTX5467

 

 

[Machine Gun]

I like to keep things simple. If you enter your cars in judged shows, then you know the standards that have to be met and you should act accordingly if you want an award. Otherwise, it's your car, your money, and your own personal standards of satisfaction. The rest of us can like it or not. 😜

[Turbinator]

55 minutes ago, NTX5467 said:

There are many "curses" of the car hobby and how to "play the game" as to judging in national-level shows. 

 

Back when "radial tires and halogen headlights" were a BIG discussion in the BCA (as to judging at national meets), it was pointed out that the AACA was a bit more lenient in these areas than the BCA was (as if the BCA should follow their lead).  To which the BCA Office Manager (at the time) replied that WE were the BCA and that WE should have the highest judging standards for Buick vehicles.  End of discussion, and a good one, I thought.  NOTE:  To me, this would be "hearsay evidence" in a court of law as I heard about it from others.  BTAIM

 

PERHAPS the judging manuals might need some revisions to allow for "bias-ply look" radials rather than "normal look" modern radials, with the correct whitewall width?  Less point deducts for trying to keep the look correct for the model year than not?  But that might rile those who spent the big bucks for repro bias-ply tires and T-3 headlights in their quest for a high-level trophy?

 

Just need to know the rules of the game and determine how one might want to play it.  I've always liked the way @old-tank did his cars with the orientation toward correctness AND driving them to national meets each year.

 

Enjoy!

NTX5467

I would have thought the nylon bias tires would be less expensive than the radial bias look. I never checked out the nylon bias tires because I don’t like the way the nylon bias tires handles. 
In the whole scope of things when I go back next I’ll have my engine bay “ dolled up”, but I’ll have the same tires.

I changed out the single cylinder master brake cylinder for a dual master brake cylinder and I didn’t get marked down. I have a Dinsmore compass that was Buick Engineer approved that later on another model Dinsmore was now the official Buick engineer approved compass. In the whole scope of things these are great problems to have.

Turbinator

[Turbinator]

1 hour ago, Machine Gun said:

I like to keep things simple. If you enter your cars in judged shows, then you know the standards that have to be met and you should act accordingly if you want an award. Otherwise, it's your car, your money, and your own personal standards of satisfaction. The rest of us can like it or not. 😜

Machine Gun, I could not have said it better. You are 100% correct.

Turbinator

[Turbinator]

On 12/13/2022 at 9:33 AM, TxBuicks said:

I find more people are beginning to appreciate the unrestored vehicle.

I appreciate the owner of a vintage car that shows pride in ownership. Whatever the vehicle, when an owner shows his investment in time and effort in his car that is what I applaud.

Turbinator 

[Larry Schramm]

As a service rep for Buick, I once had a customer complain about the wax coating on the frame on her '87 Grand National was not as smooth as the paint on the car.  She did not want to accept that the wax coating was I think sprayed on the frame to protect the frame from rust and unless you crawl underneath the car it is not visible. The frame might have been dipped for the wax coating, don't remember.

[NC-car-guy]

On 1/28/2023 at 7:14 AM, Machine Gun said:

I like to keep things simple. If you enter your cars in judged shows, then you know the standards that have to be met and you should act accordingly if you want an award. Otherwise, it's your car, your money, and your own personal standards of satisfaction. The rest of us can like it or not. 😜

Well said.  My original intention was about people like myself, who don't necessarily want to build a show car but somehow feel pressured to build everything perfect. Figuring out how to stick with what suits me instead of trying to keep up with the Jones'.  One time that really got me was when somebody at the car show offered me their trophy and said "I have too many trophies, one day you might be able to have a grown up car like mine".  I believe was 33-34 at the time. Driving my blue 54 century, which I was proud of and boy did that piss me off.  This guy is in my local club and I've not spoken to him since.

[NTX5467]

Key thing, to me, is that whatever is done to the vehicle is done very well . . . even if it might be something I would never consider doing.  Level of execution and quality should be at, near, or greater than OEM, IF possible.  FWIW   Even when I was much younger.

[Ben Bruce aka First Born]

5 hours ago, NTX5467 said:

Key thing, to me, is that whatever is done to the vehicle is done very well . . . even if it might be something I would never consider doing.  Level of execution and quality should be at, near, or greater than OEM, IF possible.  FWIW   Even when I was much younger.

 

 Don't look too closely at mine, Willis!      Suits me, though.

 

  Ben

[NTX5467]

Ben, I did, in OK.  Looked fine to me.   

[JohnD1956]

13 hours ago, NC-car-guy said:

one day you might be able to have a grown up car like mine". 

Sheesh!  How sad!

 

[Larry Schramm]

22 hours ago, NTX5467 said:

Key thing, to me, is that whatever is done to the vehicle is done very well . . . even if it might be something I would never consider doing.  Level of execution and quality should be at, near, or greater than OEM, IF possible.  FWIW   Even when I was much younger.

 

If greater than OEM/ as it came out of the factory then it is not as built original vehicle.

 

[Aaron65]

22 hours ago, NC-car-guy said:

"I have too many trophies, one day you might be able to have a grown up car like mine".  I believe was 33-34 at the time. Driving my blue 54 century, which I was proud of and boy did that piss me off.  This guy is in my local club and I've not spoken to him since.

Oh boy, what a piece of work.  Stuff like that grates on you, but I feel worse for any family he has; can you imagine living around someone that miserable?  I've come to believe that a lot of people don't truly enjoy things; they just enjoy showing off.  

 

I like that most of my cars are a little "time worn."  It's just my preference, but I can see why people would want something super nice.  I'll never understand, however, why people see the need to cut others down for what they have.  We're all different.  

[NTX5467]

Back in the 1980s when I was going to lots of car events (mainly shows and such), one time I happened upon a '57 BelAir 2dr hardtop in the parking lot.  I walked over to look at it.  It was a nice car, 283 4bbl, PowerGlide, etc.   It was a copper/brown metallic with a white top and black cloth interior.  I noticed that the more horizontal parts of the front fenders were showing black primer under them.  All factory-applied.  I observed that the car must have been beautiful when new (or as beautiful as the older lacquer paint would let it).  But the primer on the tops of the front fenders bothered me a bit.  Certainly, the car would look great with new paint there, BUT then I also realized that it would take a complete repaint to make things look as they should.  A spot repair would look out of place and not exactly match.  So I appreciated it for what it was and what it meant.  Obviously, the car had been well-cared for and had seen many wax jobs.  Which might have explained the thin paint on the fenders a bit too.

 

THEN came the 1990s and the word "patina" to describe OEM or older paint jobs which had weathered a bit.  Another reason to NOT repaint a vehicle!  Some people began to scuff the orig paint and clearcoat what was there to preserve the patina of the situation.  I thought that was a nice way to do a complete repaint and not have to worry about everything matching!  Nor having to worry about getting the correct paiint formula for the older color.  So I'd rather see a patina'd car than a complete concurs-quality repaint.  Gives the car more "cred" and if the paint is OEM, then you also can see what the body really is.  Even a quality repaint, years ago, is good.

 

As for the guy offering the trophy, I suspect he had his car "done" by somebody else, to get it to that condition, for which he most probably paid a lot of money for.  I'm glad HE has that kind of money to support that situation.  Hopefully, he was feeling charitable rather than otherwise.  I also suspect that HIS car was "done" to show well in indoor shows, too, which means it was not "as produced" in many areas, to me.  Nor did it see very many road miles, either, I suspect.  

 

To me, one of the best things to do is to restore a car to OEM-specs, show it and get awards for a year, then it went to the drag strips and got more awards and such.  One of our guys in the Mopar club I'm in did that with a '69 Super Bee 440-6 Pack car.  Racing it in the muscle car stock car challenge series.  Then did the same thing with a '70 Challenger R/T 6-Pack car a few years later.  He restored both cars himself, which was even better.  Award winners at the shows and on the track, too.

 

Stay warm and enjoy!

NTX5467

[Turbinator]

On 1/31/2023 at 8:04 AM, NC-car-guy said:

Well said.  My original intention was about people like myself, who don't necessarily want to build a show car but somehow feel pressured to build everything perfect. Figuring out how to stick with what suits me instead of trying to keep up with the Jones'.  One time that really got me was when somebody at the car show offered me their trophy and said "I have too many trophies, one day you might be able to have a grown up car like mine".  I believe was 33-34 at the time. Driving my blue 54 century, which I was proud of and boy did that piss me off.  This guy is in my local club and I've not spoken to him since.

Even if the guy was a total jerk 100% of the time his rude act of offering a trophy is low rent. His statement about grown up cars made me think he was juvenile with his horribly rude statement. I refrain from reading cuss words in print and I'm going to keep refraining. But this guys behavior makes him look 100% donkey. ( I have played music in road houses and even some better places. I make a lot of mistakes playing music because I was playing at the time for about 10 years. It takes a lifetime to master instrument and voice. Not one time have guys ever ragged on me for making mistakes. They actually cover up for me. Now I'm 73 and been playing 20 years and still make mistakes. And they still cover up for me.) My point is some people are low rent and you can't change his behavior. Keep up the silent treatment of this particular individual. One day he might apologize.Good Luck Another Later Gator, the Turbinator

[Matt Harwood]

My '41 Buick Limited has a TON of scratches and chips and a scruffy, rusty undercarriage and that's how I like it. But mechanically, it's as close to perfect as I can make it. One of the best moments in my old car life was when I first got the Limited 10 years ago and took it on a day tour. One of the older guys I've known for years made a face when he saw it and asked, "Why would you want that?"

 

Later, on the next leg of the drive, the big Buick proceeded to walk away from his overdriven show-winning Packard on the highway--I think his doors are still laying by the side of the road. And that was BEFORE the upgrades.

 

He hasn't really spoken to me since. I'm OK with that.

 

 

Edited February 1, 2023 by Matt Harwood (see edit history)

[old-tank]

I know Matt does not confrontations, but I would have some fun with him:

So, what is your definition of a grown up car?

Is the car I brought today a grown up car?  (and every time you bring a  car)

Do you want to contribute to my grown up car?

On the other hand after a 7 year restoraton of my convertible where I did it all myself a guy says that if he were rich he could have a car like that.  I told him that if he were not so cheap and lazy he could have a car like that.  I bought him a beer and showed him pictures of the restoration.  Then over a few years I guided him through his project..we are still good friends.

[60FlatTop]

 have learned a lot about perfectionism on my cars over the years. Perfection does seem to be the focus as much as pointing out what is not perfect.

 

I wouldn't think in stereotypes if the same image didn't keep popping up in each instance. like this guy at the cruise nights and car shows.

 

I have a way of imitating his voice that really annoys my wife. "What's this?" or "When are you going to fix that?" are the two most common opening lines. I always try to leave one glaring flaw to get his attention. It helps speed the process of his mission up.

 

Now, to be sure, this is not your Buick owner stereotype, but he is a common one. I won't brand his car here. I might end up being treated like an orphan.

 

When I am in a playful mood I strike up a conversation. That's usually predictable.

 

"Do you have your car here?"

"No, I don't have it finished yet but when it is it will be nicer than yours."

"Well, good luck with it."

[Larry Schramm]

When I was a Buick Service Rep and a Field Service Engineer, I looked at thousands of cars.  None of them were "perfect" coming out of the factory.  Many of them very good or excellent, but none of them "perfect".  Mass assembly of thousands of parts can lead to some variation when assembled by humans, and even robots.   

 

If you do not think so, ask anyone that has worked in an auto assembly plant in the body shop and ask them about the build variations when the plant starts up cold and how things change as everything warms up on the line that builds the bodies.

Edited February 2, 2023 by Larry Schramm (see edit history)

[Turbinator]

22 hours ago, Matt Harwood said:

And that was BEFORE the upgrades.

Matt, I’ve known hot toddlers in my earlier days did not care what the car looked like. The hot rods cared about how fast their chariot was. I’ve never been one to race…. Mainly I did not have a vehicle set up for racing. Good thing I had enough as it was.

turbinator

[NTX5467]

To be sure, "perfect" can mean different things to different people.  Applying it to any mass-produced vehicle can be troublesome.

 

One of our late regional members had a compact Skylark sedan.  The doors did not line-up with the fenders and quarter panels.  That is how it came out of the assy plant.  Inspector must have been chasing a cup of coffee or something?  But as long as it passed the water test, all was well.  To try to right those "wrongs" could have disturbed the weatherstrip sealing (and originallity of the low-mileage unmolested car), so best to leave it alone.

 

How many '57 BelAirs do you see at national-level shows where the side chrome trim ALL matches perfectly?  If it does, it's because a restorer made it match, when the OEM production cars' trim did not match, on a good day, by observation.

 

In our current times, the quality of restorations has increased a good bit from what it was just 25 years ago.  Paints, repair materials, etc., plus techniques of the laborers on those jobs, have increased to where what the factory originally did looks sub-standard.  Yet THAT level is what the general public might believe to be "stock production", when it was not.  So "over-restoration" seems to be the new standard of things.  Which can make "original patina" look all that much better.

 

Enjoy!

NTX5467