Firstly, to set out my stall, to set the scene as it were, I need to just generally "diss" (as the youth say) The Youth. This is going to be a general statement, but one that I think will resonate with many of us, certainly those of us who are fortunate to have frequent interaction with those self-same youths.
I have a daughter, my daughter is 22 and has many friends of the same age. The vast majority of these friends have no interest in cars, they just see a car as a commodity, something to be leased for three years at a time, serviced by a main dealer and generally kept in the road by somebody else. How many even lift the bonnet between services to check fluid levels, let alone check tyre pressures, after all, most modern cars will tell a driver when washer fluid is low, when oil pressure is low, when tyre pressure is low. Heck, the car will even tell the driver when services and MOT's are due. Why would anybody take an interest in something with fewer interaction requirements of a fridge?
Anyway, on Friday this week, I met with an MG enthusiast to buy an armrest. A simple enough transaction you may think, but it lead me down an avenue of realisation and discovery.
Let's deal with that armrest to begin with. I have a 1967 GT, a three synchro car, a car which originally came without an arm rest. I like the look of the armrest, and found myself wondering if an armrest from a later car would fit, but with most on eBay going for around £50, I didn't feel like I wanted to find out that badly.
Then I found a likely candidate - an armrest with the traditional broken plastic around the gearstick (why do they always do that, by the way? I've seen loads which have been broken in the same way). The vendor wanted £30 or best offer, plus postage. I sent a message offering £20 if I collected, as it was reasonably close to home. Within minutes, a deal was struck and the armrest was mine.
On Friday, after work, Mrs. Browne and I went to collect the armrest, bought it home and, as most of you will already know, the answer is no, the armrest doesn't fit the 3 synchro cars.
At least, it doesn't fit if you keep it the same shape as the original. I had no intention of doing that, after all, it was broken anyway. So I broke out the dremel...
First I removed this bit
The thing is, the end result was only one aspect of how satisfying this job was. The chap I bought the rest from was partway through a really big restoration/modification of an early 80's GT. He'd been working on the car for a number of years, possibly three or four, he was uncertain, the major rot had been cut out and new metal let in. He had replaced the roof, which was rotten and just about the only job I can think of which is worse than a heater. He was doing that as well. The front axle assembly was complete and, frankly, gorgeous and the car is almost ready for paint. The thing is, the owner was converting the car to Sebring spec and had hand-made his own wheel arches, from scratch, beating and shaping each one perfectly. He has already rebuilt the engine and gearbox, and I believe needs to complete the back axle
He reckons that the car will be ready for this summer coming, although I feel that may be ambitious, but with the levels of dedication shown so far, who knows?
And the best thing about this story? The chap in question is just 16 years old. It struck me, as we spoke, that he was one of that rare breed of people who don't see roadblocks, they see obstacles to be surmounted. He taught himself all the skills he needed for the build - engine work, how gearboxes work, panel beating and fabrication and, most of all, humility. Had I been capable of half of the work this young man had completed, I would want everybody to know it (just look at the armrest story above, for instance), but the way in which he discussed the work he had undertaken was simple, matter of fact and delivered in much the same way that most people talk about buying bread. It was just a series of things he needed to do to get to a car he can drive to school when he passes his test.
He also wants to work in a role where his skills will be appreciated, and is planning to use his completed GT as part of his application for a university course in mechanics or restoration. I suspect that he will do well and go far, but most of all, he gives me a quiet sense of all being well with the world, that our love and passion for older cars has been picked up by some of those who will come after us.
