Shelly, the Model A Lady, at Ford Barn site announced today that she is closing the site at the end of April. For those of us that run stock or modified flatties this was a great resource for flathead information. FTE is a very good site for overall Ford truck stuff but there are some old timers on the Barn that really know their stuff when it comes to flatheads. Hopefully some one will step up and take of like Shelly did ten years ago when the originator of the Barn let it go.

Bummer, it's a good site

 

I wouldn't have put with 1/4 the crap that she has over the years - a special person to have done that.

 

I have only the highest regard for Shelly...I can't blame her for wanting more from life than babysitting a site. I wish her all the best.

Flathead info and tech isn't lost however. The very best site on the web for tech and archived flathead info without drama is here:

Ford Flathead V8 .. 1932 thru 1953 • Index page

You're all welcome to check it out.... maybe make your new flathead home!

 

I agree about the Flathead site, isn't Shelly's new husband Bill the admin of that site? Maybe I'm getting my Bills mixed up.

 

Mac VanPelt

 

Thanks Dick, I lost track who was who.

 

Sorry to hear this. mtflat put the link I was going to put on here.

 

Bill Bentley is the owner/operator of the 32-53 Flathead site (used to be MSN site).

 

The MSN site used to very busy but then MSN kept goofing around with it, sounds familiar? I have the new site bookmarked but for some reason I don't go there that often. That's the weird thing about the internet, if a site is relocated many seem to slow down. The Classic Truck board is like that. It finally seems to be picking up steam but about 2-3 years ago it was a very busy site until some spammers hi-jacked the site and it shut down for a month or so.

 

That's true Bob - fortunately the archived info was kept on a separate site so even though we endured msn's monkeyshines the data was preserved intact.

With nearly 1100 members signing up in less than a year and a half it still has a strong following and participants include guys with decades of flathead experience.

Some of us have been thru thick and thin since the Classicar forum in the late 90's. Such is the internet I guess.

 

Why doesn't someone try to lure the people over to this site or a couple of you guys could possible step in to save it. Just some thoughts.
Take care

 

Right after I saw the post I emailed the administrator of the site to ask what it would take to take over the site, I haven't heard back from her. I posted this same message on the HAMB and there seems to be some interest over there. I'm sure there has to be a lot of interest in maintaining the site. I would bet some one will step up and take it over.

 

That would be great but typical of life as in THEY JUST DON"T MAKE THINGS LIKE THEY USED TO. and all the good things always leave too soon

 

The thing is that it's a marketable site. Shelly owns it and can sell it IF she and someone can agree to a value. Not quite as simple as someone taking the reins and managing it.

There aren't as many truck guys over there - and there is an abundance of crochety old duffers very set in their ways about any mods to Henry's stock configuration. Not likely a very good fit over here. A lot of those guys blew off the Early V8 forum a few years back because they couldn't be agreeable there. As in everything, there's a lot of pieces to this puzzle.

 

Tim,

I think Shelly could have exploited the commercial value of the site a lot more than she did. I really appreciate that she didn't. Some sites have so many ads that it takes away from the enjoyment of the site (a-hum!) Hopefully, she'll let some one take it over without demanding a huge price. It doesn't do her any good to hold onto the site if she's not going to continue it.

FTE is the most amicable site I visit. It doesn't seem to matter if you're a stocker or a (gulp) a rat rodder, everyone gets along. I've gotten a little heat on the Barn once when I asked what exactly "port" and "polish" meant. A couple of the old stogies over there gave me a hard time but then a few others jumped in for my defense. I think some of the guys over there who have been working on flatties for the last 50 years don't like to stoop to answer a novice's questions. Now that I've been working on the '37 Buick I've been visiting a few Buick sites. The guys on the AACA site would make the old geezers on the Barn look like a wild animals. The Buick guys have no patience for anyone veering the littlest from a by the numbers restoration. The HAMB is loaded with some very talented members, I've learned a lot in the last year or so that I've been posting on there, but there are a lot of a$$es over there. Very short tempered egomaniacs who think if you don't chop a car and stuff a big engine a car you're wasting your time.