The key to keeping any car in pristine condition is to take care of it.
When the first radio station I worked for changed from a music format to what is known as "news talk", the company that owned the station apparently thought enough of me not to fire me. Being just 23 at the time and not appreciative of their kind gesture, I believe they didn't can me because they'd never find anyone who would do the job they moved me to, executive producer and desk writer, for less money. I stewed over what I believed was my wretched plight longing to be back on the air playing music and not producing talk shows that focused on local politics and writing kickers for the news anchors.
That includes keeping it out of the elements all year long, changing major fluids regularly and fixing things that break as quickly as possible.
The station, honestly, was a train wreck. A misbegotten tangle of huge egos, bad ideas, sloppy execution and abhorrent planning, I somehow was able to enjoy myself not in the work but by immersing myself in the lives of the talk show "hosts". A most interesting blend of mature professionals ranging from financial planners to pediatricians to chefs, none of them had done radio before and you could hear it on the air as they were terrible broadcasters. Very intelligent people, mind you and most likely more than adaptable and trainable given the right coaching and instruction but during the short time I worked with them they were awful. However, all of them appeared to me to have one thing in common - they were all extremely happy people.
To maintain originality, try to replace parts with OEM or NOS parts. Historical accuracy is key on any older collectible car.
I was particularly enamored of the host of pediatrics show, "The Baby Doc", Dr. Prestano, who did a daily two hour talk show that catered to new moms. "Dr. P", who was in his mid 60's at the time I worked with him, was the most delightful, positive and charming man I had ever met. His enthusiasm was infectious and everyone at the station loved him. He was in terrific physical shape too and claimed never to have been sick a day in his life.
It's also important to appreciate your older car for what it is as opposed to being upset for what it's not.
He attributed his happiness to several very simple principles. First, he advocated a strict diet of non processed foods, no smoking, little to no alcohol and most importantly he said, positive perspective. For without it, there would be no way you'd be happy and being happy helps your body to perform at its peak.
It's obvious what older cars have had a life lived well and which ones have not.
He said the key to being happy, in addition to taking care of yourself, of course, was to live your life well and not waste your time doing anything that doesn't make you happy. He said it was ok, to a point, to be selfish to that happy end. Afterall, if you're not taking care of yourself to make sure that you're happy, there wasn't anyway that you'd be any good to anyone else.
Today, I don't stew over the plight I experienced years ago at the station instead I look back fondly at working with people like Dr. Prestano. He passed away in 2011 at 88.
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