By Dean Sprague

It seems over the years somehow we all collect cans, jars and boxes full of “valuable” bits, bolts and fasteners of all types. I had so many I couldn’t remember what I had, where they were or even if I still had them. When its time to work on something I would look for a few minutes then just go to the fastener supplier, parts supplier or whatever and get more. Of course, that’s when I would usually find the bit I already had. Now I have a spare!

You don’t acquire all this by just trips to the stores though. I have purchased over the years several…well many rusty parts cars. For example, I inherited a 1969 MG Midget once when I bought a 1959 MGA. He would only give me the great price on the MGA if I took the Midget. I made lemonade by using the Midget’s 1275 A series engine and the front disk brakes in a 1967 Morris Minor convertible restoration I was working on. I used a Saws-all on the body and kept the rest. I did this over and over until I had to build a storage building just to house the stuff.

I have acquired many rust-outs the sad way. You know these cars. They are the ones that people have had forever, not running, but intend to restore someday when they get more time, money, a simpler life or something. Most of them were legitimate projects before they ended up in the back yard covered by a plastic tarp. These are “restorations” that are set aside until… but until… never comes. They sit and sit until they are nothing but a rusty semblance of what they were. I bought several MGBs in this state, couple of TR3s, a Sunbeam Alpine, several TR6s and so on…

Every time I’d see one of these and before it was too late I would try to convince the owner, in a nice way of course, to get it under some real cover or sell it to someone who would really protect it and maybe actually restore it. They say the road is paved with good intentions but when they are not fulfilled, somehow I seem to end up with more boxes of bits and cans or jars of stuff.

When I retired and moved to North Carolina I decided I was through doing restorations on LBCs (really?) so I sold two 16 x 8’ trailer loads of parts to other club members (mostly MGB stuff).  I think I had enough bits to do a couple of cars including titles. Never say never again. Here I am once again re-collecting. Currently I am doing a restoration on a 1964 Volvo P1800s. Thanks to Dave, a fellow club member friend who steered me onto a Craig’s List P1800 part out listing I now have a spare engine, door panels, and lots of Volvo bits in my storage loft.

If you want to play with these cars we all seem to end up doing this. Bobby, another club member and friend of mine, has a Triumph GT6 in mid stages of restoration. He found a “real deal” from guy that was giving up his two garages full of GT6 parts. Actually, according to the guy’s wife if he took it all he could get it really cheap but Bobby had to take it all (sounds like a Midget deal). Now Bobby has a 12 x 20’ storage garage, matching carport and a large portion of his workshop filled with the equivalent of three GT6s (including titles). When it rains it pours, another garage perhaps?

Somehow we all come to the same distorted conclusions of a “pack-rat”. All we need is more space and better organization. That means more room for jars, cans, and boxes filled with “valuable” bits, bolts and fasteners of all types. I think we are all really just screwing the lid on to keep the pot from boiling over. None of us want to simply turn the fire down. Where’s the fun in that?