From Newsgroup: rec.autos.sport.indy

OT, but related - Appreciate excellence - by Jay Leno

CARS - LIFE - RESTORATION

So here are some very sage words from Jay Leno about old cars and their restoration which I thought were perfectly right for this group.

"Once I had a gentleman on The Tonight Show who had climbed Mount
Everest, which is an amazing feat that is nearly impossible for most
people under the best of circumstances. But this guy was also blind.
Imagine being 29,000 feet up, grabbing at snow, not knowing if itrCOs
night or day, with the wind howling and every breath a challenge, and
you canrCOt see anything. Anyway, he was a nice gentleman and an
incredible athlete who afterward had been doing motivational speaking. I
asked him how it was going and he sort of grimaced. He said the
frustrating part was the meet-and-greet after, when at least one person
in every audience would come up and say, rCLYeah, I was going to climb
Mount Everest, but, you know, the kids have soccer and work is crazy and
I just havenrCOt gotten around to it.rCY

Like it was so easy except, you know, soccer practice. Here this fellow
had trained his whole life to do something that maybe one out of 10
million people can do, had endured incredible hardship, and had even
overcome the fact that he was blind, and people were so dismissive of it.

Maybe itrCOs because life has gotten pretty soft and we donrCOt make
anything for ourselves anymore, but werCOre losing respect for other peoplerCOs accomplishments and hard work, for what the human hand can do instead of just the human brain. I hear this all the time from guys who
have their cars restored and who have never turned a wrench in their
lives: All mechanics are crooks, theyrCOll overcharge you at every turn. TheyrCOll moan about the high cost of a paint job, for example, not
realizing that the paint is $600 a quart and somebody has to spend hours sanding it and finishing it because a good finish doesnrCOt come out of a rattle-can of Rust-Oleum.

Our appreciation or understanding of other peoplerCOs hard work is fading,
and that rankles me. The last time I pulled a transmission out of
something here at the garage, it took hours and my hands were bleeding
and covered in grease, and I thought, rCLSome guy only makes a couple
hundred bucks for doing that?rCY ThatrCOs why I donrCOt usually question a quote for something we need to get done outside the garage. Good work doesnrCOt seem expensive when you think about how much actual effort goes
into it, and that someone needs to be able to make a living doing it or
else nobody will do it. Besides, I have yet to meet anyone who is
getting rich by sandblasting rusty parts or re-chroming bumpers. TheyrCOre
not overchargingrCoin fact, theyrCOre probably undercharging.

Well, nowadays we watch these shows where they restore a car in a
weekend, literally, and it seems so easy. The sparks are flying and guys
are trying to ram a big-screen TV into the dash, and after a couple of commercial breaks and some pounding music, the car is done. It gives
people an unrealistic picture of what it takes to restore a carrCothe thousands of hours, many of which are never billed. Just the amount of research a restorer has to do, figuring out how things go together and
what is supposed to be original, is huge.

These days, Amazon will drop a package on your doorstep the same day you
order it, so werCOre also losing touch with how long things take in the
real world. A very famous country western star called me not long ago
and said, rCLItrCOs my husbandrCOs birthday, herCOs always wanted a 1953 Ford F-100, a red one, and I want to get one for his birthday. Can you get me one?rCY I said I couldnrCOt promise it would be red, but I would look
around. Then I asked when his birthday is. She said, rCLThursday.rCY I said, rCLThis is Tuesday! IrCOm not going to find a car in two days. It takes awhile!rCY She didnrCOt get it.

Next time yourCOre walking a car show, before you judge some guy because
his paint isnrCOt perfect, think about how much of the work you do
yourself. Unlike everything else we buy these days, thererCOs nothing
quick, easy, or cheap about old cars. And while few of us will ever
climb Mount Everest, restoring a classic car is enough of a mountain for
most people. Give them some credit."

Sent from my iPhone
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From Newsgroup: rec.autos.sport.indy

On Wed, 14 Dec 2022 08:08:21 -0800, a425couple
<a425couple@hotmail.com> wrote:

OT, but related - Appreciate excellence - by Jay Leno

CARS - LIFE - RESTORATION

So here are some very sage words from Jay Leno about old cars and their >restoration which I thought were perfectly right for this group.

"Once I had a gentleman on The Tonight Show who had climbed Mount
Everest, which is an amazing feat that is nearly impossible for most
people under the best of circumstances. But this guy was also blind.
Imagine being 29,000 feet up, grabbing at snow, not knowing if itAs
night or day, with the wind howling and every breath a challenge, and
you canAt see anything. Anyway, he was a nice gentleman and an
incredible athlete who afterward had been doing motivational speaking. I >asked him how it was going and he sort of grimaced. He said the
frustrating part was the meet-and-greet after, when at least one person
in every audience would come up and say, oYeah, I was going to climb
Mount Everest, but, you know, the kids have soccer and work is crazy and
I just havenAt gotten around to it.o

Like it was so easy except, you know, soccer practice. Here this fellow
had trained his whole life to do something that maybe one out of 10
million people can do, had endured incredible hardship, and had even >overcome the fact that he was blind, and people were so dismissive of it.

Maybe itAs because life has gotten pretty soft and we donAt make
anything for ourselves anymore, but weAre losing respect for other
peopleAs accomplishments and hard work, for what the human hand can do >instead of just the human brain. I hear this all the time from guys who
have their cars restored and who have never turned a wrench in their
lives: All mechanics are crooks, theyAll overcharge you at every turn. >TheyAll moan about the high cost of a paint job, for example, not
realizing that the paint is $600 a quart and somebody has to spend hours >sanding it and finishing it because a good finish doesnAt come out of a >rattle-can of Rust-Oleum.

Our appreciation or understanding of other peopleAs hard work is fading,
and that rankles me. The last time I pulled a transmission out of
something here at the garage, it took hours and my hands were bleeding
and covered in grease, and I thought, oSome guy only makes a couple
hundred bucks for doing that?o ThatAs why I donAt usually question a
quote for something we need to get done outside the garage. Good work >doesnAt seem expensive when you think about how much actual effort goes
into it, and that someone needs to be able to make a living doing it or
else nobody will do it. Besides, I have yet to meet anyone who is
getting rich by sandblasting rusty parts or re-chroming bumpers. TheyAre
not overcharginguin fact, theyAre probably undercharging.

Well, nowadays we watch these shows where they restore a car in a
weekend, literally, and it seems so easy. The sparks are flying and guys
are trying to ram a big-screen TV into the dash, and after a couple of >commercial breaks and some pounding music, the car is done. It gives
people an unrealistic picture of what it takes to restore a caruthe >thousands of hours, many of which are never billed. Just the amount of >research a restorer has to do, figuring out how things go together and
what is supposed to be original, is huge.

These days, Amazon will drop a package on your doorstep the same day you >order it, so weAre also losing touch with how long things take in the
real world. A very famous country western star called me not long ago
and said, oItAs my husbandAs birthday, heAs always wanted a 1953 Ford
F-100, a red one, and I want to get one for his birthday. Can you get me >one?o I said I couldnAt promise it would be red, but I would look
around. Then I asked when his birthday is. She said, oThursday.o I said, >oThis is Tuesday! IAm not going to find a car in two days. It takes
awhile!o She didnAt get it.

Next time youAre walking a car show, before you judge some guy because
his paint isnAt perfect, think about how much of the work you do
yourself. Unlike everything else we buy these days, thereAs nothing
quick, easy, or cheap about old cars. And while few of us will ever
climb Mount Everest, restoring a classic car is enough of a mountain for >most people. Give them some credit."

Sent from my iPhone

Good points in that article. A related aspect is that we are living in
an age when some people think that watching a 10-minute YouTube video
makes them a qualified expert in just about anything.
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