Bill Baka wrote:
Krypsis wrote:

snip


His shares have a long term history of stability and regular dividends
which was his goal, income, not growth.

Can't be an American company then.

All Aussie shares, not a foreigner amongst them.

snip


Same here except my dad drank and smoked himself into a stroke at 83.

83 is still a reasonable innings if he had reasonable health up until
then. I'd be happy with that as long as I was in good health and able to
do all that I wanted to do without limitations.

His wife or kids might just try to auction off the cars.

He didn't have any kids and his wife is at a loss right now just what
to do. Money isn't a problem for her in the short and long term as
share dividends will see to that. More of an issue is her remote
location and inability to drive a car. Her home is in the hills
outside the urban limits with limited public transport options.

She can't drive? What is up with that? Sounds like a 1920's kind of
problem.

More common here amongst older women than you would realise. Younger
generation women all seem to drive these days.

Anyway, the cars are all in bits. There was only one person who knew
how they all went together and he's gone. It would take weeks to just
find everything. In my brief visit to the workshop, I saw bits
scattered all over. Interestingly, he had been working on converting
the engine bearings to full pressure fed lubrication. He'd drilled the
crank and was in the process of building a larger oil pump to supply
the extra requirements. He even had a new sump and pan cast to provide
the extra room for the pump. He had been talking about doing this but
I hadn't realised he was as far along as he was. I did say his
restorations were "unconventional", didn't I?

In other words, you or I or any car nut would be in heaven just trying
to find parts to match to the cars. Found a manifold, must be for that
one, radiator must go there, etc. Then the cars would get worked on as I
found the parts.
Damn, am I dreaming.

Nah, I'd only see their potential as a rod. But then, I prefer fifties
and sixties era cars. They were what I grew up with.

Nobody under 40 seems to give a crap about cars anymore.

Yep. I don't know what will happen to my garage full of rods when I
drop off the perch. None of my kids are mechanically inclined, the
grandkids are more interested in partying and hooning.

Damn. I wasn't even allowed to drive my first car (with a legal permit)
until I could convince my dad I could change a tire, diagnose a no spark
or bad fuel pump, and fill every last one of my fluids. Only then did I
get to go anywhere. My daughter, BTW, could care less about anything
mechanical, so I don't know who to give the car too. Maybe I'll be
buried in it like that rich woman was in her Ferrari. I have one
grandson who might want it, I hope.

Waste of a good car. Don't think I could ever do that! Might leave them
out of my will and let the family fight over them. That'll sort out who
really wants them.


Guess the great grandkids
are my only hope. Would hate to see the rods get sold off. Don't want
to risk using them, don't want to risk losing them. What a conundrum!

I have that too. I am still looking for a 1962 to 1964 Ford Falcon to
mileage up.

You could've bought mine from me ... in 73


He will be missed whether I knew him or not.

Bill Baka

Sure will be missed around here. Used to have long phone calls about
his projects. Sometimes an hour, sometimes 2 but always interesting.
Miss them already.

Krypsis

I guess I'm getting to where friends will start going. Lost 3 in three
years.
Sigh
Bill Baka

When I was in my teens and twenties, a lot of my friends died in car
wrecks. Now I'm in my seventies my friends are all dying of more natural
causes. Most of my friends from the teen years are gone already as they
were ten and twenty years older than me then. I was the youngster of the
group. Guess I'm used to seeing friends depart this life. Trouble is, a
lot of the departures these days are friends younger than me!

Krypsis