(14-03-2018, 08:53 PM)AustinWood Wrote: I think that any group the size of this forum is bound to have the occasional disagreement. It's just a matter of agreeing to disagree and allowing everyone to express their opinions freely.
An excellent response.
Arthur
(14-03-2018, 09:12 PM)Alan Wrote: I agree. In any case I think you will find that a lot of the A7 racing lot have more standard cars too. I certainly do, and I use them. Special building is, and always has been, an integral part of the 7 movement. True, it’s becoming unacceptable to destroy original cars in their building, and I think you would get that particular hostility from most special builders, these days, as well as from purists, but that doesn’t mean it needs segregating.
As an automobile engineer, I learned my craft on Austin 7 Specials, they interest me still, but so do more original cars. It’s been that way always, why change it?
Excellent response no 2!
Arthur
(14-03-2018, 08:47 PM)Ian Williams Wrote: I am strongly against segregation, special building has been the mainstay of the A7 world since the inception of the seven, the factory build their own as did the likes of GE and others. The Austin 7 clubs largely grew out of the 750MC movement and many people still involved started out as young men building specials, I include myself here, and I still build specials. I have not seen a perceived hostility toward special building here, yes there are many of us who do not want to see restorable cars broken up to make specials, but there are plenty of parts still available to the prospective builder. There are many traps and lines of mis-information to trip the newcomer, and a lot of us have fallen into them over the years, the thing I see regularly here are experienced members sharing the benefit of their knowledge and experience, not hostility. There has been a lot written about the seven over the years, but people need to look at the context of the time when it was written, if you are building a special you do not NEED to fit Hydraulic brakes, Telescopic dampers, convert to 12V etc, etc, however you may wish to and that is your choice. Personally I think the line starts to get crossed a little when people start to fit modern Japanese engines into an austin seven, but that is my opinion others may think it is a great idea. As mentioned earlier you don't have to read the thread if you don't like it, like wise if you are going a route of building a Caterham with an A7 body you would expect some comments and raised eyebrows.
Zetomagneto is right on the money in my opinion.
The watch word here is choice, and I'm glad to read it, I shall not necessarily heed your response to need, however, I agree with knowledge and experience.
There has been some hostility and I have to repeat, I am not the only one to have noticed it, but I suppose, one has to expect it to a certain extent.
Arthur