<VV> Origin of "Bone-Stock"?

[airvair at earthlink.net]

Your last line is the key. I think almost all Corvair people are not concerned with "numbers-matching" status as much as some Corvette people are. 

About all I concern myself with in relation to "stock" is 1) factory "stock" conponents, 2) factory installed options, and 3) factory-approved, dealer-installed options. The only reason for any of it is for concours show purposes, as I'm a CORSA concours judge. Pure stock needs to have accurate components to be considered "stock". But even CORSA is not concerned with matching up numbers on engines, drive trains, body tags, glass, etc. As one person emailed me privately said, being that anal takes the fun out of the hobby. 

Personally, I don't see any "fun" in having a car that isn't totally to my liking. And that is what I bet most people have when they pursue a "pure numbers-matching" vehicle. Maybe they don't particularly like the color, or equipment, etc. of their car, but something isn't exactly right. It just doesn't match how they'd have ordered the car had they had the opportunity. "Numbers-matching" may be intellectually interesting, but what fun is having a car you really don't like? 

The late Vincent Price, a noted art collector, once advised people to buy what you like. If it goes up in value, great. But if it doesn't, you at least you have the pleasure of owning it. If you don't really like it, you don't even have that.

-Mark


----- Original Message ----- 
From: 
To: airvair at earthlink.net
Cc: Virtual Vairs
Sent: 2/28/2010 7:33:10 PM 
Subject: Re: Origin of "Bone-Stock"?


Mark,

I don't really make a distinction either way because it's not really that important to me. I was just relaying what I, and the guys I hung with back then, considered a stock car to be.
This is one of the reasons I don't get hung up on concours cars or car shows. I've watched too many cars get bashed and too many arguments over what is stock.
I have a 1970 Corvette that I bought back in '84 and have been told the engine isn't correct because of the code stamping on the block. You look at the car and how I bought it and yes it is stock with those code letters, but all the books told you different. Well about 10 - 15 years later, they did find paperwork that said they changed the coding very late in the model year. My 70 Corvette is now recognised as having the correct engine. Big deal.
My '68 Camaro was another one that had a ZZ paint code and I was told it should be a gold car, but it was a dark green car. Years later I saw a hand written note in a dealer brochure that said ZZ was dark green and the same color as the Corvette that year. Now over time, it is correct with a dark green ZZ paint code.
Bottom line is to enjoy the car and enjoy it for yourself and what it means to you.
Roy - Bayshore

----- Original Message -----
From: airvair at earthlink.net
To: rbuckridge at comcast.net, "Virtual Vairs" <virtualvairs at corvair.org>
Sent: Sunday, February 28, 2010 5:00:46 PM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern
Subject: Re: <VV> Origin of "Bone-Stock"?

Remember that dealers often install both "factory-approved" and aftermarket
items on new cars. So are you really thinking "as delivered to the dealer
from the factory?"

-Mark

> [Original Message]
> From: <rbuckridge at comcast.net>
> Subject: Re: <VV> Origin of "Bone-Stock"?
>
> To my way of thinking, "bone-stock" would mean "as delivered" from the
dealer to you, the buyer. 
>
> Roy - Bayshore