[Fot] Sadly a Sign of the times-

[Michael Porter]

On 3/28/2013 2:35 AM, Spitfire Racing wrote:
> I can remember when there were some 9 auto parts stores in this area and
> everyone of them had people that knew their stuff and many were motorheads
> who contributed expertise and experiences over the counter. On top of this,
> they had everything imaginable even if it was on a back shelf under a layer
> of dust.

My favorite story along these lines was when I lived in MI in the `70s.  
There was an old, old auto parts store downtown that had been around 
since the days when the Model T was new.  A guy I knew did repairs at 
home, and one day, someone dropped off a `30s-era Chris Craft mahogany 
runabout and asked him to get the engine going. He looked it over and 
decided that the engine was toast--just a big pile of rust, inside and 
out.  But, he kept it in mind, thinking he might get lucky and find the 
parts for it he needed.

One day, he was at the aforementioned parts store, and happened to 
mention that he was looking for engine parts for a Chris Craft.  The son 
of the original owner, a fellow then in his 70s, overheard him and said, 
"follow me."  He went up a ladder to the second floor, and another 
ladder to the third floor, and in the back of building was a crated 
Hercules engine still in cosmoline.  They pulled back the tarp, wiped 
off the cosmo, and discovered that the crated engine's last serial 
number digit was four off from the one in the boat.


Cheers.

-- 


Michael Porter
Roswell, NM


Never let anyone drive you crazy when you know it's within walking distance....