DUB has passed

[RatDog]

For those who have recently moved over here from the other place and haven’t heard, our friend DUB has passed.

DUB was very helpful to me on several occasions and always willing to share his knowledge.

That makes one more knowledgeable and helpful member that forum has lost, by one way or another, in the past year.

Rest In Peace, DUB.

Steve

[MadInNc]

[Rikki Z-06]

[SJW]

The knowledge base for these antique machines continues to thin out. Dub was a great contributor for the years that he was active on that forum. His knowledge about these old fiberglass bodies was extensive, and he was always very generous with his time to share that knowledge. At some point in the not-too-distant future, I'll be searching those archives for his advice about how to bond the replacement lower fender tips and the mounting ears on the new rear filler panel onto my car after I convert it back to under-car exhaust. So sad to hear he's suddenly gone -- apparently at age 59.

Live well,

SJW

[Aerovette]

Ahhhh, dots have been connected. The timing is more than coincidence.

[Bluescorvette]

Yeah I read this over there and could not believe it. Dub is Irreplaceable...

[Frankie the Fink]

NO! Unbelievable, when my split window was werecked I got some invaluable information from him.... Along with many other helpful responses to my questions over the years.

IIRC correctly he had a body/paint shop in North Carolina ?
But I could have that wrong...

[RatDog]

I can't get over the fact that he was only 49 years old!

Take care,
Steve

[SJW]

He did have a shop in NC, and his wife is starting to shut it down. He was 59 years old. So sad.

Live well,

SJW

[RatDog]

Okay, 59 is a lot better than 49 but still way too young to pass.

Steve

[SJW]

It surely is. His wife said he died suddenly at the shop. A reminder that tomorrow isn't guaranteed to any of us.

Live well,

SJW

[Frankie the Fink]

I've lost way too many stalwart friends in the hobby over the last 3 years....it got so bad I almost hated to log onto the CF to see wha next bad news awaited...

[SJW]

It has been a rough two or three years for the membership. Sadly, we've reached the point where the demographic that has been in the C1/C2 hobby for a long time are running short on daylight, and many have drawn their last breaths. The amount of knowledge specific to these old machines that has been lost with the passing of a few of the giants of the hobby is incalculable. There'll never be another John Hinckley, to cite the most prominent example.

These cars will end up with much younger owners as the years roll by, and those folks are going to have a lot to learn about this old technology, especially if they're not going down the resto-mod path. They're fortunate to have so much info archived on the 'net, but it's never the same as being able to ask questions directly of those who know this stuff cold.

Saying our final goodbyes to old friends and family is part of the price we pay for being fortunate enough to stick around to old ages. It could be worse.

Live well,

SJW

[RatDog]

You’re right, Steve.

My FIL lived to the age of 96. My wife and I relocated to his state to take care of him for the last 12 years of his life. During that time, we took him to many funerals of his friends and family.

One day he told me of all the bad stuff associated with growing old, the worst is watching as all your friends die.

In the last few years of his life, he had no one left to play cards with, meet for morning coffee at the diner, or just to talk with.

If we all live a long life, we may have to find a way to deal with that.

Take care,
Steve

[Frankie the Fink]

Originally Posted by SJW

It has been a rough two or three years for the membership. Sadly, we've reached the point where the demographic that has been in the C1/C2 hobby for a long time are running short on daylight, and many have drawn their last breaths. The amount of knowledge specific to these old machines that has been lost with the passing of a few of the giants of the hobby is incalculable. There'll never be another John Hinckley, to cite the most prominent example.

These cars will end up with much younger owners as the years roll by, and those folks are going to have a lot to learn about this old technology, especially if they're not going down the resto-mod path. They're fortunate to have so much info archived on the 'net, but it's never the same as being able to ask questions directly of those who know this stuff cold.

Saying our final goodbyes to old friends and family is part of the price we pay for being fortunate enough to stick around to old ages. It could be worse.

Live well,

SJW

Ugh - I'm also on a Thunderbird forum (because of my 2002 TBird) but I've wound helping up people on the older car forum section. Haven't been around the 55-57 birds that much but I still know a lot more than many there. I just walked through an exercise on how to bleed old drum brakes with one owner - and he's no kid either. He changed out the master cylinder and only bled the rear brakes because the bleeders were hard to reach on the front and wondered why he had a spongy pedal. Another guy ran his 55 bird dry of fuel and wonders why it won't stay running now (sucked up rust, grit, etc from the bottom of the tank) and I'm taking him through correcting that issue.


Gads - these cars may be all off the road and in museums in a decade or less.

[Frankie the Fink]

Originally Posted by RatDog

You’re right, Steve.

My FIL lived to the age of 96. My wife and I relocated to his state to take care of him for the last 12 years of his life. During that time, we took him to many funerals of his friends and family.

One day he told me of all the bad stuff associated with growing old, the worst is watching as all your friends die.

In the last few years of his life, he had no one left to play cards with, meet for morning coffee at the diner, or just to talk with.

If we all live a long life, we may have to find a way to deal with that.

Take care,
Steve

Yeah well my grandma was a vaudeville "exotic dancer" ( we say stripper in hushed tones at family gatherings ) and was modeling clothes for old folks up until her passing at 92. Tough, incredible lady and went to the Pittsburgh Elk's club every day - you have to have a reason to get up in the morning even if you have to invent some.

[SJW]

Originally Posted by RatDog

You’re right, Steve.

My FIL lived to the age of 96. My wife and I relocated to his state to take care of him for the last 12 years of his life. During that time, we took him to many funerals of his friends and family.

One day he told me of all the bad stuff associated with growing old, the worst is watching as all your friends die.

In the last few years of his life, he had no one left to play cards with, meet for morning coffee at the diner, or just to talk with.

If we all live a long life, we may have to find a way to deal with that.

Take care,
Steve

My granddad made it to a few months shy of his 103rd birthday, which of course, meant that he had outlived all of his contemporaries, be they friends or family. My dad made it to 91, having also outlived most of his. So, yeah, I do think about this from time to time.

I think one of the ways to fend off some of the loneliest years, if we're lucky enough to live so long, is to find ways to connect with younger folks.

Older guys, in particular, tend to reduce their social circles as they age. Broadly speaking, more so than do women (no pun intended). So we need to be especially careful about ending up isolated. Hearing loss can really hamper social interactions, too, and that's a common problem among older guys.

Live well,

SJW

[SJW]

Originally Posted by Frankie the Fink

Ugh - I'm also on a Thunderbird forum (because of my 2002 TBird) but I've wound helping up people on the older car forum section. Haven't been around the 55-57 birds that much but I still know a lot more than many there. I just walked through an exercise on how to bleed old drum brakes with one owner - and he's no kid either. He changed out the master cylinder and only bled the rear brakes because the bleeders were hard to reach on the front and wondered why he had a spongy pedal. Another guy ran his 55 bird dry of fuel and wonders why it won't stay running now (sucked up rust, grit, etc from the bottom of the tank) and I'm taking him through correcting that issue.


Gads - these cars may be all off the road and in museums in a decade or less.

It seems as though so many of them already are museum artifacts, for all intents and purposes. The vast majority of owners of vintage vehicles that I know seldom drive what they own. And many never drive them at all.

But, to your point, I think more and more of these will end up being resto-modded as the years roll on, and fewer people remain who have the knowledge, or the desire, to maintain these old cars mechanically.

Live well,

SJW

[SJW]

Originally Posted by Frankie the Fink

Yeah well my grandma was a vaudeville "exotic dancer" ( we say stripper in hushed tones at family gatherings ) and was modeling clothes for old folks up until her passing at 92. Touch, incredible lady and went to the Pittsburgh Elk's club every day - you have to have a reason to get up in the morning even if you have to invent some.

Great stuff, Frank. Your grandma must have been quite a character! I'm sure I would have enjoyed knowing her.

Live well,

SJW

[GTOguy]

Weird.....I was wondering what happened to DUB this morning as I was waking up and now this. He was a HUGE contributor to our hobby with extensive knowledge and was always willing to help out anybody at any time. Damn.
Have some very good family friends of my parent's generation and yeah, the funerals pile up and many of them have outlived all of their friends and contemporaries. You have to have a reason to get up, as stated. It doesn't get easier.
My personal philosophy is that nature takes people that think they'll live forever and makes them decline very slowly year after year so finally, in the last years of their lives, they are OK with the idea of death and are OK with it. My parents were that way. Full of life, and then coasting, and then slowing down, and then the end. At almost 62, I can feel myself slowing down and no longer have the energy or passion to do a lot of things I loved doing only ten years ago. Then there are guys like Eddie Fourfeather who at age 88 are living a beer commercial. Amazing!
RIP to DUB, another irreplaceable guy who will be remembered and missed by many.