Building connections

I recently got an email from someone who just bought a 1937 Pontiac, saw the information piece I have posted on my 36 (www.earlytimeschapter.org), and wondered where he might find the same kind of information for his car. Here is what I replied regarding strategies that have worked for me:

• Join the Pontiac Oakland Club (www.poci.org) and its Early Times Chapter. They have tech support advisors and newsletters that are helpful for advertising in. They also publish a member list so you can locate other 37 owners, with luck some in your area.

• Register on eBay and set up an automatic search for 1937 and 1938 Pontiac related items. This is the single best source of finding parts, especially body parts.

• Network like mad with other 37 owners. Contact as many people as you can find, even other eBay buyers of 37 stuff.

• Develop a good database of parts and service suppliers (see previous post).

• Acquire and read all the literature you can find on your car: parts book, shop manual, interchange manual, sales lit., service bulletins, etc.

• Attend big shows and meets, such as Hershey or Iola, or the national POCI convention.

• Find experts in your area, people who know about car restoration, who can do the things you can't.

• Log onto web forums for old car discussions, such as www.aaca.org's excellent forums.