Thanks, among the cars that I considered buying but thankfully didn’t’ were a 1960’s-1970’s Saab Sonnette and a Jensen-Healy, which though very attractive had virtually no parts available and no Owner’s Clubs for support.
Conversely, for cars like the 1950’s MG T Series and later MGB’s, practically all the parts are available new from aftermarket suppliers (you can literally build a new MGB from all the parts) and there’s a huge store of information and videos available that goes much futher than the original factory shop manual.
It’s the difference between actually being able to drive and enjoy a car vs. a nice looking lawn ornament.
They also had a CD for the Ford cars, and there are reprint paper manuals for the 1950-era Fords. I think I’d prefer paper. Probably true for other extremely popular cars, but one would have to search a lot harder for rarer models.
Just my two cents. I don’t know what car you are looking for but if you just google it lots pop up for the 52 ford. I would just caution that you look for the shop, repair, or service manual used by ford, and not a chiton etc. also one person was disappointed because he needed truck body detail and it wasn’t included. Usually there is a separate body manual that covers body assembly, repair, glass, and even the wire harness distributions. Just make sure you get what you want for the $35. Current repair manual are in the $200 plus range. The
If cars manufactured before 1960 are antiques, then I’m a dinosaur. On a more direct note, I think you’ll find this information via Mr. Google. I have a friend who restores older vehicles (30s-50s) and researches a great deal there, but also, trusts his instincts on many such problems.
One of the Kanter brothers is a real character who is universally disliked by his neighbors, but I can’t recall the reason(s). In any event, when I drive on I-287 in the Boonton area, his warehouse really stands out because he has a 50’s era Packard sitting on the roof, and they are the go-to folks for Packard parts.
My Father in Law’s best friend as a child remained in Northern Germany and ran a small farm machinery repair company. A Romanian heavy equipment manufacturer went out of business after the end of the Soviet Union. Their products were primitive but ran forever. He submitted a bid for the entire inventory, figuring it was too low and that he would never win. No one else bid and he won. He became a very rich man as a result. There is a large segment of the farming population that doesn’t want and can’t afford the expensive, complicated equipment from companies like Deere and Caterpillar. He’s dead now but is son runs the business.