ClassicCar

Pacemaker500 - I've had similar ideas and it really is rediculous that as a club we cannot use our economies of scale and round up all the parts cars that come up for sale (under some dollar amount) and strip them or put them together some place safe like I dunno maybe the desert where it never rains...if not in buildings. In order to benefit everyone present and into the future. Would likely be cheaper, and more feasible than reproducing parts everytime something becomes scarce. Plus every once in a while you see Hudson's come up for sale that are parts cars sold as a package deal in groups.... or junk yards or estates cleaning up that say "must sell or the city is going to crush it." The club should have a standby fund ready to rescue such cars when that comes up on short notice and keep either those cars or parts in circulation.

Maybe give project cars either to chapters or younger members who want a Hudson project but can't afford to buy the car initially but does have the space and the time. Another member could mentor them in restoration and pass on their knowledge.

Now having said all that there have to be the political/organizational will to do that at a critical mass of the membership participating actively with good intent and unselfishness. The other thing we got working against us is that we're geographically pretty dispersed.

Perhaps a different structure or organizational model could accomplish that I don't know.

A somewhat related effort would be to use this model or a variant to acquire parts collections that are otherwise going to be scrapped. But, where would the parts be kept? How would they get transported there, who would inventory, price, and advertise them? As in the case of parts cars, this is a tough nut to crack. The gut says there's gotta' be a way, but ....

I know that there are HETers doing this. Mr. Albright is the perfect example. As mentioned by Mr. Cates, age is a factor for some HETers as is funds. Thus the pooled funds in the Trust. My IRA had two such Trusts, one is for train cars and it is making money.



But some of us that can not (due to space etc...) do have some funds that can be pooled to help save some of the parts cars that have slipped past all of us in the HET community in the last few weeks.



The 52 Pacemaker that was on e-bay for $600.00 is what prompted me to post.



We lost a good engine, transmission and rear end to the scrap pile (more than likely). A Parts Trust could have purchased the car, pulled the decent stuff and sent the rest to the scrap pile (for some $$ in return).



I am sure there are HET Club members that may have room to store parts that are geographically placed so that it would be worth saving the parts.



This is what I want to do when the Army stops moving my wife around the US of A. I would buy the HET Parts store for sale in Michigan, but I can not do so at the time because of the Army.



I honestly think as a Deleware of Colorado corporation, an HET Parts Trust could work.

Well that's where the working together comes in. Some have money but not space, some have space but not money, some have time but not space, some have knowlegde but not health, some have organzational and logistical know-how but not marketing expertise. etc etc.

That's why the idea or some variation of it shouldn't be discarded wholesale. Because otherwise how do we keep cars and part in circulation without building a club factory? LOL

Reality: 2007 is past us, the newest Hudson is now over 50 years old. We want to keep driving cars that are 50 plus we have to work in ways to make it possible. We can do nothing and watch it slowly get so only a few wealthy enough individuals can be invovled (or it might get to the point of groups of individuals for each car) OR we can use some coordination and steer the change so it stays a more accessible and friendly hobby for all members. Scarcity is what will drive up the prices, no reason for parts and cars to become artificially scarce if it can be avoided.

We need 10 Bill Albrights to do the job at least. hehe (my .02)

37 CTS wrote:

Too futher this dream, my idea is that we could use the collected parts and cars as "seed" to gain new members.

Give the cars and parts to someone who will restore and be a member of HET. After all owning a collector car of any condition is a challenge for a young or family person.

I think that's a great idea sheldon . Also it would fit in well with another trend. That of our veteran members who still want to own and drive a Hudson but are less inclined now to get down and crawl around underneath them to fix things. I think more of those members are now trying to buy cars in already restored condition. New and younger members could not only restore cars but if they want, sell cars they restored to veteran Hudnuts who could also provide the knowledge and know-how. win-win. And also a win for the club which is trying to keep 'em on preserved and on the road.