Posted by Tim Way on Monday, July 21, 2003 at 3:47PM :
In Reply to: Re: Original headlights posted by Willy-N on Monday, July 21, 2003 at 12:13PM :
It all comes down to preservation vs. restoration vs. modification vs. any combo of the 3.
Here are the Tim Way definitions (your definitions may vary):
Preservation=Doing only the repairs that are absolutley necessary to drive the vehicle safely AND reliably down the road without changing the look (patina) of the truck. This includes rotted tires, bad seals, bad bearings, fuel and brake lines etc. There are a lot of really nice preserved trucks on the road and some are still used as trucks! Unfortunately, there are a lot of trucks that are too far gone to be preserved "as found" and still used safely or reliably. Wilbur is a GREAT example of a truck that can be preserved.
Restoration=Take the entire truck down to the frame, replace worn or damaged parts with NOS or repair if NOS can not be found. Make sure all of the correct fasteners are used, undo previous modifications, ensure the correct color paint is applied and make the truck look like it just rolled out of the factory. This requires a bunch of time and cash and is not for everyone. I appreciate these trucks as much as the next guy. In my opinion, most trucks (but not all) out there can be restored if you have the time and money. Those that can't can be parts donors or modified.
Modification=Changing the vehicle to suit your individual needs. Including engine and brake swaps, more comfortable seats, air conditioning etc. Although some purists may see modification as a bad thing for any vehicle, I don't see anything necessarily wrong with it as long as the owner is happy, the mods are done "right", the vehicle is safe and the vehicle that was modified wasn't a prestine example (Wilbur). I think most folks modify their trucks to some degree. Heck, the people that actually used these trucks in the field over the last 50+ years modified them to do the job that needed to be done (A-frames, bed winches, pumps, water tanks etc.).
So what am I going to do to my truck? Well, I kind of wanted to swap the brakes and engine for a daily driver. But after I thought about it, the truck is too complete to be modified and I think I would be kicking myself later if I did. Then I thought frame off restoration, but I don't have the cash or time for that. The paint and body are too far gone for preservation so I've decided I'm going to do a presoration (preservation/restoration combo). Preserve what I can and restore what I can afford.
It won't be a 100 point concourse winner, but I'll still enter the local shows and take it out in the mountains for a little fun once in awhile :-)
But that's just my opinion....
Tim Way
Albuquerque, NM
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