It seems to me--and this is my purely novice understanding of the Cruiser community after a few years now being a part of it--that there really aren't many "secrets" per se.
All of us love these vehicles and all of us really appreciate (again, speaking for myself and those people I interact with) what sage wisdom is given to the community as a whole by vendors, mechanics, shop owners, etc.
If I were to quantify all of the help, tech. info, etc., that I have received from the likes of posters here on MUD, in TT, in conversation, at tech. meetings, etc., it would indeed be beyond the value of the vehicle I own. I'm sure the conversations that I've had with Jim C., or with Robbie, or with Nick Jennings, or with Lance at Iron Pig, and others have more than paid themselves off in terms of the new knowledge and technical know-how I've gleaned from these conversations. They've never sent me invoices, or hours worked (though I am sure they could of if they wanted to).
That said, it is nice actually to know that when Mark Algazy speaks tech. information about what a "true restoration" is as opposed to a "quasi" or other variation, I know that the information is coming from someone who has built a reputation upon knowing, differentiating, and understanding the differences between the semantic qualities of these phrases. It's nice to know that he's not "chatting" per se. And, hell, he probably digs the fact that these differentiations mean something to his audience, to the readers, to die-hard cruiserheads.
What I love most about this community is in fact the transparency of the information. If someone is speaking out their proverbial "elegant posterior", others will call them on it and request--no, demand--a correction. We rely heavily on the information we receive here and in TT. That is to me a testament to the self-correcting nature of the cruiser community.
Bravo to that. And I don't mind seeing Mark Algazy, or Christo Slee, or Luke Porter, or Jim Chenoweth's name next to articles they write. They are presenting themselves and their knowledge, and we as a community are better because of it.
Now, if I ever get a carburated Cruiser, Jim C. is going to get my business, or if I ever need custom fabrication, Lance will receive it, if I ever need advice on restoration information, I will make a call to Mark and ask his advice and input. Hell, I'll even pay these folks because they deserve it.
But, if I ever get a Millermatic or a 120-ton press brake, or a 5000 watt laser, I'm doing all the work myself!!
