Just a silly story that makes me realize how lucky we are to be able to use the Internet to research for answers and buy parts:
So about 30 years ago I was working on my 1st 1956 F100 BW. It was Northern Indiana with the snow, the salt, and all of the rust issues to deal with. The Driver's door sagged quite a bit and it was due to a rusted out front cowl. Well, Nowadays one could get on the Internet, Google that repair panel and find various vendors who sell the part along with EPay, and in a couple days: have the replacement cowl ready to weld in.
But back then.....well, I went out to a local junk yard and found a real nice cowl on a junker. I took a couple chisels, a hammer, and a hacksaw and began wailing away. A couple hours later and about a quart of sweat; I "chewed" that cowl away from the Junker! I took it home with a smile on my face, grafted it to mine, and have been happy ever since ! I'm sure a lot of you can relate to how much harder it was "back then".

 

If you had a question you would look in the many generic repair manuals, or hope you could go and find some one who would know and hope they had a similar problem. But on the other hand you could still buy nos parts from the dealers, if they wanted to help you and take the time and look it up in the racks of parts catulogues on the counter of of the parts dept.Those racks and the way most of the induviduals knew there way around them used to amaze me.

 

I sure can relate. Not only in this hobby but all facets of life. In business I don't know how we got by without the net, or computers. When I first got into the industry I'm in, which wasn't all that long ago-the late mid '80s, we did drawings by pencil and then had to either mail the drawings for approval or copy them on the copy machine and shrink them down enough to fax them to our customers. We would receive drawings from our customers and vendors the same way, via a thermo fax machine, very poor quality. Now what would take use a day or to do we can accomplish in a matter of a few minutes with emails and computer drawing programs.

Also, we had to look in libraries like the Thomas Registry to find vendors, call around and finally after hours of looking find some one who has what we were looking for. Now we Google the manufacture, find a local vendor or order on line and get it the next day.

Some day if they are ever able to accomplish a Star Trek type of transporter system just think of what we can accomplish. Also, think of all the jobs that will be eliminated; trucking companies, airlines and conventional mail systems.

 

LOL...ask a few parts questions here, you'll get the same response you got "way back when."

I might even be able to find the parts...NOS.

I presently have over 500 Ford parts catalogs, OSI catalogs and cross reference catalogs for every Ford car/truck from 1928 into the 21st Century.

Space isn't a problem...yet, as most of the 1973 and later catalogs are on microfiche.

FYI: The 1948/56, 1957/63, 1964/72, 1973/79 and 1980/89 Ford Truck Parts Catalogs are available on CD's from hipoparts.com for less than 25 bucks each.

I see several vendors are asking $200.00 for the 1948/56 Truck catalogs on paper. 200 DOLLARS!

These catalogs (one Text, one Illustration) originally sold for 5 bucks each, the CD version is around 22 bucks.

200 DOLLARS?! That's RIDICULOUS!

 

Yet somehow we muddled through back then and were happy as a clam iewe got the part or solved the problem.

I think I have seen a downside to the evolution though. back in those times just mentioned we had a local non chain store type auto parts place. There were guys working in there that had their heads loaded with part numbers and could go get what you wanted without looking in books and if you wanted something but didn't have specific vehicle to connect it to they still could come through for you. Those guys are gone and now you get some kid that can't figure out anything even if you do tell him what it goes on and if it has A/C. There were guys in junkyards that could tell you right where to go and give you a history of the part or vehicle it was on. As good as the internet is, I miss those other things...

Later Folks...

 

Gary, I love your stock truck! It looks real nice and clean. I like your black bumpers, the snowshoe white grille, and your argent hubcaps. Are your bed boards painted red?

Yes, the net has made teh parts search easier. I started looking for parts for my truck in 1997 and the internet, plus FTE made it easier. I used to sell old parts at the Carlisle truck show and I noticed sales going down as the internet became more dominant. That coupled with the rise in gas prices. But you can not replace the fun and excitement of searching for parts at a swap meet.