<VV> enjoy your car

[airvair at earthlink.net]

Your last line is the key. I think almost all Corvair people are not
concerned with "numbers-matching" status as much as some Corvette people
are. 
 
About all I concern myself with in relation to "stock" is 1) factory
"stock" conponents, 2) factory installed options, and 3) factory-approved,
dealer-installed options. The only reason for any of it is for concours
show purposes, as I'm a CORSA concours judge. Pure stock needs to have
accurate components to be considered "stock". But even CORSA is not
concerned with matching up numbers on engines, drive trains, body tags,
glass, etc. As one person emailed me privately said, being that anal takes
the fun out of the hobby. 
 
Personally, I don't see any "fun" in having a car that isn't totally to my
liking. And that is what I bet most people have when they pursue a "pure
numbers-matching" vehicle. Maybe they don't particularly like the color, or
equipment, etc. of their car, but something isn't exactly right. It just
doesn't match how they'd have ordered the car had they had the opportunity.
"Numbers-matching" may be intellectually interesting, but what fun is
having a car you really don't like? 
 
The late Vincent Price, a noted art collector, once advised people to buy
what you like. If it goes up in value, great. But if it doesn't, you at
least you have the pleasure of owning it. If you don't really like it, you
don't even have that.
 
-Mark
 
 
----- Original Message ----- 
Subject: Re: Origin of "Bone-Stock"?

I don't really make a distinction either way because it's not really that
important to me. I was just relaying what I, and the guys I hung with back
then, considered a stock car to be.

This is one of the reasons I don't get hung up on concours cars or car
shows. I've watched too many cars get bashed and too many arguments over
what is stock.

I have a 1970 Corvette that I bought back in '84 and have been told the
engine isn't correct because of the code stamping on the block. You look at
the car and how I bought it and yes it is stock with those code letters,
but all the books told you different. Well about 10 - 15 years later, they
did find paperwork that said they changed the coding very late in the model
year. My 70 Corvette is now recognised as having the correct engine. Big
deal.

My '68 Camaro was another one that had a ZZ paint code and I was told it
should be a gold car, but it was a dark green car. Years later I saw a hand
written note in a dealer brochure that said ZZ was dark green and the same
color as the Corvette that year. Now over time, it is correct with a dark
green ZZ paint code.

Bottom line is to enjoy the car and enjoy it for yourself and what it means
to you.

Roy - Bayshore