I have been around since the 90's, and have found that the few times that I have needed to post a question, folks have answered if they had the required knowledge.
Search usually gives me the information I need.

I am finally getting to a Bash this year and am really looking forward to catching up with BB & Jean, meeting Tubo, and all my other friends-in-waiting.

From the days in the 90's when MS went above and beyond to help a newbie wire up a duraspark, to my current build, I'm sure that this forum has saved me time and money (neither of which I have a lot of).

Because of my time zone, by the the time I get to check the forum for any questions that I'm capable of answering, they have already been answered by people far more knowledgable than me.
So I rarely post, yet still don't feel excluded.

Did I mention how much I'm looking forward to the Bash?

I "stumbled" onto this forum one night searching for some info....I visited several other forums,some my computer wouldn't allow me to and put my question out there....I got the answer quickly and accurately....I thought at first there were "specified" members who answered questions because I saw many of the same names routinely,but I believe now they are simply the more active ones ..(That and MS defined some of the terms used in a post that I printed and got no replies until he did)...I read the forum every weekday from work sometime between 10:00pm and 3:00am and began responding to some of the questions...It it fun because you will sometimes get other responses that are different than your own but still realistic,lots to learn...Haven't had any reason to feel like an outsider and I've had responses from everywhere in the membership...I hate to hear some people as down as they are and could only hope they can take another look and rethink their thoughts...I enjoy my time "on the forum"

So guys...I'm responsible for the initial post...getting the discussion going...so to point we have over 400 viewers and less tha 30 replies...how does one change that? Don't know...to steves reply...the fact that a guy is in this hobby and buys a motor of that caliber is awesome....frankly no monetary advantage intimidates me...it's a hobby..an interest wether one buys it done or builds it...it's an interest...the interest levels the playing field...so....I hope my observation is constructive..it never meant to ruffle feathers however some have felt the same...I love the banter, jokes...get it....question is how do we as a group..me included help each poster....Im 45 next week I'm now restoring my first car bought at 13 for a wealthy gentleman...I have a 65 fastback that has won 4 shows this year ( entered it for my five year old) did all but paint it...point is love cars, anything cool...restore gas pumps...I get the bond....just had a feeling that there is a priority given to the poster in terms of reply....hopefully this post will be constructive...I mentioned age as I live in northwest Arkansas and belong to a group named the donut gang all members over 65.....we see no age just bond...cars!

I was also thinking the other Day,   M.S Steve, if you were to look @ how many times a day i logged into the old Forum and how many times i log in Now theres a huge difference,Im not sure why? i still think this is the best forum out there,all my Questions are mostly answered

i find the members here very helpful i have no idea why i don't log in as much but i just don't
I do miss the old forum, for me it was easier to Navigate and find info,but thats just me
ill still continue to support steves efforts as much as i can.

jimmy O

terry wrote:

John, gonna have to argue with you on a few things you said first you said they were simple cars!  Ask 6sally6 how simple his electrical problems were when he drove to Dallas in 2010 for the bash!  there were several guys working 3 to 4 hours trying to figure solve his problem.  You want simple come work on this 29 model A I have in my garage!!  That my friend is simple!!

Yes, a Model A is far simpler than a Mustang, but we do need to talk context here.  Can you imagine what a restorer will go through when current Mustangs reach 50 years old?  I didn't mean to imply vintage Mustangs are so simple that no new questions will need to be asked, but so many problems have been asked and answered,  a significant number of these can be answered by simply looking into the archives.

Second, you mentioned "if this forum encompassed all mustangs up to the present" who has excluded the newer cars??

I didn't mean to suggest that newer Mustangs are or should be excluded.  But the forum we're talking on right now is "FYI Ford, Classic Mustang Tech Discussion",  and most posts deal with "classic" Mustangs.  One of the things I love about this place is that if someone posts a question about their Hyundai, nobody gets their panties in a twist over it.

This is a great forum filled with alot of knowledge and alot of BS as well.
I have made some really good friends thru this forum and socialize with them outside of the forum.  I am still looking to meet more members and thats why I get off the subject of FORDS sometimes, its what makes this a great place

Add me to the list of folk that have never met anyone from this forum personally.  I never felt the forum was clichish.  I'd love to do a Bash, but my life right now makes such things inconvenient.  If I live long enough to retire, I may visit each one of you personally!!

John

If it makes anyone feel any better, take a look at the number of replies my posts get.  Usually very few.  Don't take that as a sign you are not included, if your post does not get alot of replies.

If it gets zero replies, well... that means it was a very good question that no one kows the answer, or maybe it needs tobe worded differently as to be more understandable, or maybe it needs more information.

When I see a question like "Will these wheels fit my car?" it doesn't mean it is a stupid question.  What it means is the asker just neglected to tell us what car he has!  It is a mistake we all make, but the question is not answerable.  It is a good question, and one of general interest because others might want to know the answer to the same question.   So, be sure you give enough info for us to base an answer.  And then, when an answer is posted, be sure to come back and post later to let us know if it worked or, if it didn't, what did.

And I enjoy seeing the posts about build progress and car histories.  I am surprised there are not more of them.  FOURTEEN people out of 500 have posted pics of their cars.  If you want to get to be more of a member of the "family" take a few minutes to include yourself in the car pictures and history section.  I am terrible with names of people I rarely meet, but I do remember cars and their owners for some strange reason.  Make yourself known.  We want to know as much about Mustangs as possible.  The more posts there are about the cars and the mods/improvements done to those cars, the more we all learn.  That was the original intent of this forum.  The fact that many lifetime friendships have resulted from that is merely a bonus that we can all enjoy.  NO ONE is an outsider here.  If you step into a conversation, you are included just like anyone else.  You just have to step in.

The point I expected someone to make but no has, is that this is a User Forum, not a Tech Hot Line. Based on what I have seen in the year and a half I have been monitoring this site, the active members have seen most of the problems you can have with an old Mustang and have an extremely broad range of restoration skills. What they don't have is a full manufacturers database of troubleshooting at their fingertips. I believe that the members of this forum can and will diagnose your problem and provide a workable solution no matter who you are. The members love to help and solve problems. Unfortunately, it may happen that you post a question and the one guy that has the answer to that question is off taking care of his aged Mother and doesn't check in to the Forum for a couple of weeks. Once he does check in, he will usually reply to see if you still need an answer. We have at least fifty members that regularly respond to questions, so be patient if you don't get an answer right away. Also, it is perfectly permissable to bump the question back to the top to get eyes on it again. We don't ignore anyone, but life gets in the way sometimes. 

I do Admit I am a lurker, I check the site everyday, seeing  what others have done or the knowlage that this forum and its members have to offer keeps me going on my own project. I havn't posted much due to the fact it has been too hot here in yuma to get any work done on my 65 coupe. Now that the weather is starting to cool down I can get back at it. I have a goal to get the 65 to the local car show in march.

Gemdiam wrote:

....Im 45 next week....I have a 65 fastback....I live in northwest Arkansas...

Four things we have (more or less) in common:

1. We both post at this site.

2. We both have an older Mustang. Mine is a '68 (although I used to have a '66 fastback).

3. We are close in age. I'm 46.

4. We both live in the same state. I live in the south central part of Arkansas.

Two things of late that has some to do with my lack of posting as much is the hot, humid Arkansas summer weather (too hot to work on anything) and when I do work on something these days, it's usually to make improvements on my old F-100.





(aside from being primarily a Mustang site, it's also FYI FORD so, no one gets bent if I periodically post pictures of something I've done on the '69 Ranger).

My '68 before I took it completely apart and put it on the rotisserie. (my [daily driver] Azure Blue '03 Mach 1 in the background).



To help put a face with my board name, this is a photo of me (& the Mrs).










 

MustangSteve wrote:

Most of what ultrastang just posted would be a great template to use when posting your bio and car/project information  on the SHOW YOUR PICTURES AND HISTORY Forum.  It helps put a face with a screen name and vehicle.

Hmmm, do you really mean that I have to put up a picture of myself and the wife in The Phoenix Project thread? That would really require me to use all of my Photoshop skills!
 

Gemdiam.,,

Sorry to here your concerns ....
.as for me I don't post very often and don't search every day , but I have been very pleased with this form on and off for 10 years ( old or new )
 Just recently posted a concern about a How to Section and with no hesitation saw a new Section on This right away..
all these people seam nice even though I've never meet any of them in person except for mustang Steve at his old house in Carrollton,Tx..

I come here to seek answers to questions I have about my Mustang Passion ..That Simple ...and I get them
 

I have been reading FYI since around 2004 and joined the old forum shortly before it closed to answer a question someone had that I had some experience with. I don't post much to help because I don't own one of the classics and most questions are centered around them and not the model that I own (yes, it's one of those Mustangs). I know most of the memes here and have been around long enough to 'know' many of the more active people who post and hang out here. I'm a DIYer and love to extensively modify things to suit my tastes (think of me as Hakan of electrical ;) ) so I find places like this a great place to read and see if someone has come up with a better way to accomplish a task. I don't 'stay out' because I think I'm not welcome but rather I just love to read tech stuff and the people here have a way of feeding my habit and entertaining me at the same time.

Regarding the forum, while I liked the old place I like this place a bit better. IMO I think having someone organize old inactive posts into categories would be a good idea for people who wander in looking for an answer to a question. Keep the main thread for new posts as it's good to see what others are currently focusing on, just archive the inactive stuff so people can easily recall and refer to it as needed.

Back to lurking...