Letter of the Month: Collecting Keepers
Reading Terry McGean’s editorial “Shifting Standards” (HMM #233, January 2023) and “Restoration Education” in the January issue of your sister pub, Hemmings Classic Car, really brought back memories of my early interest in cars that began when I purchased my first car in 1968: a ’64 Falcon Sprint hardtop for $500 (I still have it). After taking it to a service station for some engine issues that were not resolved, it became apparent to me that in order to keep a car on the road, I would need to learn how to do the maintenance work myself.
And learn I did. Over the next two decades I bought more than 65 cars, most for less than $500; did mechanical work, body and paint work, and then resold them to afford my next project. As the years passed and more equipment became affordable, fixing rust holes with tin, pop rivets, and Bondo was replaced with MIG welding and replacement panels. I
