[BigPaf]

Aw Geez! Do I hafta interdoos myself! Nobody cares who I am anyway.I'm just another old fart that likes to play with cars.Guess I never grew up but I'm 30 years behind the times now and tryin' hard to stay there.

[Henry Highrise]

Welcome aboard..........glad to have you with us here at Hotrodders.

[BigPaf]

They're out there! I'm hoping to spread the word,particularily to the younger rodders that are building their first project.I look at ebay a lot and I really get ticked-off when I see sellers obviously trying to take advantage of folks who maybe don't know where the parts and components they may need are available,and prices.Now some may say 'leave it alone,its a free market' but I was taken plenty of times when I was young and green,and when I see a deal going down on ebay that I think smells a little like price gouging I contact the bidder and make them aware that the used(sometimes new) parts they are bidding on are available from dealers who've been around for years.Some of them like Speedway motors,Dick Spadaro's,MAS racing products and Total Performance have been around since the '50s and'60s.Its a crime to see someone pay $56 for a finned alum oil filter cover that the seller claims is an old Cal-Custom item when he may have bought it at speedway where its $9.95! Thats right kiddies you can build the hot rod of your dreams for a lot less than you thought.Back in the day when parts and know-how were really scarce;one would join a car club.Through this association you developed friendships,and other members would help you build your ride.Today we can be part of a huge club as a result of the internet.But alas there is a down side for my efforts! (Geez am I on my soapbox or what?)The illustrious powers that be at ebay have blocked me from contacting other ebayers for these info purposes.I guess they figure that I'm standing in the way of their e-commerce.Well as far as I'm concerned they're shooting themselves in the foot because in this case they're just protecting shysters! I only interject my input when its very clear that the bidder may not know that there are alternatives at a lower cost.The problem,as I see it is that we are hotrodders at our core and we want to help fellow rodders while ebay has become another corporate machine....in spite of the fact that they refer to all as 'members'.Maybe one day they'll be known by us as 'e-shysters' or 'e-blow(your money)'. Wow,I'm out of breath! Talk at ya'll later, BigPaf