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hudsontech

Ok, folks - lets poke that hornets (no pun intended) nest over scanning documents, primarily manuals, and placing same on-line.

It has come to my attention there are some people that say I shouldn't do manuals that are in the club store. And there are pro's and con's to that, as with any issue.

One argument in favor of scanning and putting online says not everybody wants to take the time to download and print an online manual when they can purchase one already printed. Another is that, and this point has been discussed with Aaron Cooper, the manuals are available to anyone, member or not. That's a whole different kettle of fish.

On the other side of the coin there is the argument that the club store will lose sales because the online library is available. It's like going to your local library and checking out a Chilton's manual and copying what you need. How many do this??

I will say in all honesty that some of the manuals I scanned were done before they made it into the club library. Walt Noreem has told me that my manuals are, in some cases, better than what is in the store. I've told him to download mine any time he wishes.

I'd be interested in comments, pro and con.

Hudsonly,
Alex Burr
Memphis, TN

chopperchuck

As i said before-THANK YOU for all hard work you have done for myself & other here & abroad!:whistle:
from a guy who has to count every penny,i love the fact that i can read a manual of a car i own.
you don't come off as the kind of person who would do it for a profit or a pat on the back,charging for them is a double edge sword.
to the folks that say you should charge for the scans,i'm sure there is someplace where they can make a donation.maybe their the type that would only do something if it made them look better?

i'm gonna stop before this becomes more of a rambling rant- than it already is !

once again THANKS for ALL the work you do!

P/S you can't make everybody happy!as long as your your happy with yourself at the end of the day-then you have succeeded!

Chuck Parmer
Greeley Co
proud owner of a Hudson & a member here.

bobdriveshudson

Thanks Alex, we just enjoy this forum more each day and the resources are getting better. Thanks, Bob P

ernie28

Not all people have access to print quility copies so better for them to buy from the store but if you want to get them printed yourself, then downloading a file and printing (as I have recently done) is superb. Mine are now bound and have heavy card front and back with plastic cover sheets. I certainly wouldn't have have minded if I needed to pay for the privilage of the download. It did save me a heap of postage to the other side of the world!

We should all be very appreciative of these quality invaluable resources from both providers - the Club Store and Alex.

Alistair
NZHET

Terraplane33

Same for me, Thank you very much for what you are doing Alex !!!

46HudsonPU

First Alex, thank you for all that you do & have done!

Next, my comments(FWIW):
I use both the 'hard copy' (if available) and the .pdf file (again, if available).

- I have 'hard copies' of a lot of the manuals, publications, etc., that go with my Hudsons - some I have yet to find and or purchase. At times, I prefer the hard copy over online .pdf or scanned files;

- The hard copies place is in my workshop (no computer there). At times, going thru a printed manual is not convenient, possible, or I might have temporarily 'lost' my hard copy. You'd be surprised how many times they just 'grow legs' and move around in the shop when I'm not there - :blink: :lol:

(My wife says I am getting forgetful (senile), but I just know it has to be some type of political conspiracy!)...

- Then, there are times when I'm just a bit bored watching TV, and will open up a .pdf copy of the manual just to browse through it. It's a lot easier than going back down to my workshop and try to find and catch those little buggers! :woohoo:

They both have their uses, and I treasure each of them.

Rick

PAULARGETYPE

ALEX
I FOR ONE THINK WE SHOULD BE ALL THANKING YOU FOR THE HOURS SPENT DOWN LOADING ALL OF THE THINGS YOU HAVE ON THERE AND I THINK YOU DO NOT HARM THE CLUB STORE AT ALL

HUDSONLY
PAUL

hoggyrubber

i would like to say thank you as well. having them online would not have stopped me from buying them. i did buy a 52 manual and 53 supp. i have to have a regular paper copy, no way having in on a computer would do for me. but the online one is helpful in searches and such.
the 2 i bought were pretty reasonable and i can't imagine going to all the trouble to download and print it off to avoid buying it. it's not like a lot of other shop manuals where there are entire sections that might not pertain to your car or it's features, you pretty much need the whole thing.

RL Chilton

I agree with the consensus here, Alex. Don't put too much thought into it. I think you are not harming the club store at all. Choices and options are always a good thing.

hudsontech

I want to thank everybody for their input. It is interesting to note that there weren't any negatives here. When I first posted this I sent emails to both Aaron Cooper and Walt Noreen to get their take on it - from the "seat on high", so to speak, and the man on the ground that sells the manuals. Both said basically the same thing - it is not hurting the club store at all.

Again, thank you everybody. I'm happy to be providing something useful.

Hudsonly,
Alex Burr
Memphis, TN

RamblinHornet

Hi, Alex.
I find both very useful. Keep up the good work!!! The online reference is good to know it is available, and I also just ordered manuals from the club store for my 1952 Hornet, as hardcopy has its advantages. I run an auto repair shop (www.alleyauto.com), and the online stuff is quite useful on the unusual makes we see. We have serviced everything from a Model A ford to a Maserati, and we certainly aren't getting hardcopy of most. I have a CD that the owner of a 1975 Bricklin got for us to service the gullwing doors and retractible headlights. If we can get the information, we can service almost anything. All our late model information is server based Alldata, Identifix, or IATN, and without those resources, repairs would be impossible. The old MOTOR'S manuals are all dusty, with some vintage things used more frequently than the '80s and '90s books. I still remember the days of looking through a 1967 Motors manual page by page, noting unusual things like dual quad Fords and Chrysler; tripower Oldsmobiles, Fords, and Pontiacs, Hyper-Pac slant sixes, turbocharged International-Harvester 4 cylinders and Corvairs, OHC Pontiac 6 cylinders, and all the Hemi V-8s. Gone are the days of looking through a book that way, most would rather surf the web and look for the rare and exotic. Everything has its place today!!! Thanks again, Bob Halverson

Andrew B55

Better late than never. I agree with all the positive sentiment expressed for Alex's endeavours and we need to remember that out in the real world, the availability of information on the internet is radically changing the book, newspaper and magazine publishing industry, so why should the HET Club Store be any different? Are people freeloading? No; the cost to print for yourself a pdf file to the quality of the Club Store manuals would be similar to the cost of buying one. And if the purpose of the HET Club is to help Hudsonites restore and maintain their cars, then whether it is by Club Store manuals or pdf files on the web is immaterial. And if people like Google are in the habit of publishing stuff on the internet that they haven't paid for, and Rupert Murdoch is having trouble getting customers to pay for on-line content, then what hope has the HET Club got to buck this trend? The times they are a changin'. And yes, I've bought several manuals from the club store and downloaded some of Alex's stuff plus am a paid up club member. Thanks to Alex and Walt/Dawn and everyone else who helps fellow Hudsonites keep their old girls on the road.

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