Ron

Think you're being a bit hard on mechanics. If you have enough time, sure you can generally figure out how to fix anything, research alternate parts/materials, etc. and keep the expenditures low. But when it's your livelihood, replacing components is a lot more efficient and entails a lot less risk, particularly on old cars.

You were spot on when you advised that part of having a vintage car is learning, devloping sources and figuring out how to do these things yourself. I'd just add that another part of it is knowing when to invest in a pro's services.