Yeah I remember those gm cars that lasted 100k and rusted out or blew up,,,we all drive them to cruise night and car shows...they got full frames and are rebuildable, parts being readily available 40 and 50 years later...the wire harnesses in the cars since the 90's last 7 years and then you can drive a fire hazard on tires that last 4 years cause there's no carbon black i n them...I have a german leica camera from 1953 that's as good as any new digital, except oh yeah you can't buy film cause of planned obsolescence...my stereo is from 1972... its had one minor repair in 45 years...I think that's better myself...like aluminum, not resin intake manifolds...yeah...I'm old school...
Rant.....Does anybody make anything that lasts anymore ???
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Is this discussion why I cannot buy knife blades that stay sharp longer than 3 minutes and why when I pay extra for the "premium" weed barrier with the "lifetime guarantee" that grows weeds like it is not even there and Lowes tells me I have to take this up with the company that makes it so I call the company and they tell me "oh we don't guarantee it to work, we guarantee it will not biodegrade? Oh, so you are telling me my weed barrier will still be there 50 years from now not working? Good to know . . . Know where I can buy some decent knife blades? Press 7 to continue and the call ends?
Yeah . . .. just wonderin . . .
Yeah . . .. just wonderin . . .
I guess what bothers me most is that when you talk about repairing something, whether it is an appliance, car part, or automobile, people look at you like you're insane. "Why would you want to fix that old thing, just buy a new one"
I saw this coming in 1989 when i was doing a brake job on my 67 F100....wheel cylinder kits were $4.99, and would be 2 days out, "new" (chinese) ones were $3.99, and in stock
Of course, this post is from a guy that drives a 20 year old truck, and a 36 year old car as dailies....and still has a flip phone.
I saw this coming in 1989 when i was doing a brake job on my 67 F100....wheel cylinder kits were $4.99, and would be 2 days out, "new" (chinese) ones were $3.99, and in stock
Of course, this post is from a guy that drives a 20 year old truck, and a 36 year old car as dailies....and still has a flip phone.
The good old days is Bs.
It's simple economics. The reason you can't get film for a camera from 1953 isn't planned obsolescence. It's because you and only three other people on earth still have that camera and nobody's going to make film to sell to four people. Not in a world where everyone has a digital camera in their pocket all the time.
When it costs $250+ in parts and labor to fix a $300 TV, it's probably not worth the effort. Just upgrade. There are still a few TV repairmen out there, but nobody wants to pay them for their time. Omg too spensive.
Readily available OEM car parts 50+ years out? Don't we all wish. Wait they want how much? Won't pay it! Highway robbery!
Yeah I'm sort of playing devils advocate here
but only in part. I fix old tube radios i.e. before 1970 as a hobby. Do the math for inflation on those and they were damned expensive. They would break down often. Tubes went out. Those don't make em like they used to radios today are full of rotten rubber, melted and shorted capacitors, cold solder joints and have peeled and cracked cheap *ss wood veneer. Yeah I love em but they are what they are.
You won't find me sitting on the porch bitching about lazy kids and the good old days.
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It's simple economics. The reason you can't get film for a camera from 1953 isn't planned obsolescence. It's because you and only three other people on earth still have that camera and nobody's going to make film to sell to four people. Not in a world where everyone has a digital camera in their pocket all the time.
When it costs $250+ in parts and labor to fix a $300 TV, it's probably not worth the effort. Just upgrade. There are still a few TV repairmen out there, but nobody wants to pay them for their time. Omg too spensive.
Readily available OEM car parts 50+ years out? Don't we all wish. Wait they want how much? Won't pay it! Highway robbery!
Yeah I'm sort of playing devils advocate here
but only in part. I fix old tube radios i.e. before 1970 as a hobby. Do the math for inflation on those and they were damned expensive. They would break down often. Tubes went out. Those don't make em like they used to radios today are full of rotten rubber, melted and shorted capacitors, cold solder joints and have peeled and cracked cheap *ss wood veneer. Yeah I love em but they are what they are. You won't find me sitting on the porch bitching about lazy kids and the good old days.
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If the good old days were bs why is this a forum about g bodies...they made the last one 29 years ago...they stopped making a lot of films cause of the average non photographer who wouldnt know a photograph from a snapshot, but more cause kodak figured out that A: digital stuff is cheaper to make and can be stamped out on a machine operated by untrained labor...B: old time cameras and tools and everything else of quality needed highly skilled labor...yes cars having always been built by bean counters not car guys, but if the good old days were bs why isn't this a fwd all cars look the same forum? As to parts being expensive they are but have you priced common wear parts for a Mitsu Lancer ? or any japanese car for that matter...part of my career was wrenching in a mechanical resto shop...the average age of car we refurbished was around 50 years old...sheet metal and trim and interior had to be bought at swaps or custom made but mechanical was rarely an issue.Anyone looking for quality knives can go to a knife club swap or custom knife show...just like film cameras there are 100s of enthusiasts keeping the old crafts alive despite what some think...flea markets are a good source too for knives...look for carbon steel bladed knives, also called black iron...usually affordable cause the blades aren't pretty...but they hold an edge...
My old 305 with 100k on it has no cylinder ridge and still has hatch marks. Had to take a head off to get a broken bolt extracted but was glad to see lots of life left on the cylinder walls. Back in the 60s, Ford figured out that running a engine at 195 increased engine life.
Digital cameras also do not capture as much detail as film does. Those real old fashioned cameras with plates are more clear and detailed than the best digital cameras. However, digital is much more convenient.
Antique tractors like mine were built to last a long time and to be easily rebuildable. I do not think the engine in mine was ever rebuilt, though the head was worked on at least once. Their transmissions are know to last over 50 years of hard use with just oil changes. For most models, parts are still in production by their OEMs even as they approach 100 years old. The replacement part industry for cars is a joke compared to the one for tractors. Even rival company dealerships will order parts for old tractors for you.
Can I get high quality retractable utility knife blades at a knife club or show? If so, I'll keep my eyes open for the next one though not sure I've ever seen one around here?? Gun Shows . . . every other week. Knife shows, not so much.
Seriously, the crappy knife blade thing is just one example of the multitude of crap that by itself is not worthy of discussion. But, it was not me that decided we needed to ship fabrication and manufacturing of nearly everything to Mexico or overseas. Grossly overpaid executives, bean counters, and inexplicably favorable tax laws to do it caused that.
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