WHAT?--------------------------------------------------------------Wait a minute, I guess that would be blind?
I'm rarely in a bad mood. I'm sarcastic by nature. But the OPs story is about as useful as me walking into Lowes and asking for bolts, and being told they don't sell bolts. I talked to a guy, he walked away. Useful. Anyhow, the problem that the car wash guy has (as I see it) is the reported 10 feet of dust covering his barn find. Washing is the least of his worry. Can you imagine the sheet metal damage and suspension compression that occurred under that 10 feet of dirt encapsulating his historic barn find? That's the real problem. Now, I'm going to walk away from this conversation, and I'm hoping you will not start a thread about how I walked away from it!
Many years ago at a motorcycle show I had a fine conversation with the owner of a Brough Superior. I think because I knew a lot about the Brough and most people never heard of them. Then he asked me what I did for a living and I told him I worked in a factory. End of conversation. Turns out he was a lawyer. And an asshole. But I repeat myself.
I do find that quite a few guy who paid a huge sum to have a ride built, or to buy one already done, take great offense when they hear of or see a similar ride owned by a young (if only in appearance) guy.
Hi there. I had a similar situation happen to me just yesterday at the the Macungie truck show. I met this guy with a beautifully painted Chevrolet pickup. It was painted this beautiful shade of dark sea green blue metallic. I asked the man what shade it was and that i loved the color and wanted to usu the same color on my car. He told me that he didn't have any info on the color and that he only chose the color by sight alone out of a color catalog. I then told him what car i was building (1938 Oldsmobile). He got really quiet and stopped dusting. It felt like 2 minutes but was probably only 5 to 10 seconds. I then awkwardly told him the truck came out beautifully and wished him a good weekend. He thanked me and started back to dusting and polishing as i walked away. All in all it was cool meeting him and talking to him for those few minutes. But it was kind of awkward. Adam
That sounds like my EX brother in law #1 from the oldest sister Rusty. Big wheel in a big company and if you don't have a white collar job he doesn't want to associate with you. As far as the OP's encounter with the guy who had had his truck "built" as apposed to horror of horrors building it himself maybe the OP said something in his comments that made the gent feel insulted and caused him to toddle off to visit with more friendly sorts. We forget that every time we badmouth some guy for having his vehicle built by someone else we are also badmouthing a bunch of HAMBERS who make their living BUILDING cars for others who have the money but not the skills or time to build one. Meaning do the same guys who rave about how great Bass's latest build for a customer is get pissy with the same customer when he shows up at a rod trot with his pro built hot rod because he didn't build it himself? Ponder that one a bit. It always seems that the most vocal about "building it all yourself" guys also have the rustiest half finished one step from a clunker rigs in their avatars or photo albums too for some reason.
Next time use a different opener than "Ey, knobhead!.." You'd already shaken his hand - as he turned to walk off I'd have convulsed and started cursing "the virus... ooooh, the virus..." OR "Hey, I was gonna ask about your camshaft!"
I think some people who buy already feel sensative about the built/buy stigma after seeing stickers, shirts professing Built NOT Bought like they are not worthy. Not everyone is a great conversationalist, I wouldn't read too much into it.
The "landed gentry" often take great pride in what they are able to purchase, without getting their hands dirty, and are often quite offended when others have something similar, when they perceive that it is undeserved.
The Jalopy Journal
