[zokier]

> Replacing pieces can be an industrial endeavor to set up a factory line to craft new copies of the needed pieces.

Somehow I'm imagining that manufacturing parts for 60s small-volume car would be comparatively simple, considering that the original manufacturing processes could not have been that complex or specialized either? And I think cars in general were quite a lot simpler back then, especially this sort of light-weight race car would have been very much no frills?

[jacquesm]

Hah, you'd think so. But the skills required to make some gears are off the charts and CNC machinery doesn't fare all that much better because you first need to figure out what to make exactly. This requires a functional part, or at least one that will allow you do determine the key dimensions.

Bodywork and such is relatively easy, suspension and exhaust parts are doable. But engine parts and drivetrain components can be serious challenges.

[fsckboy]

>the original manufacturing processes could not have been that complex or specialized either?

this is sort of tangential, but I read that the NASA Saturn V rocket that took the astronauts to the moon could not be recreated today, the "manufacturing process" relied on a small army of skilled welders, machinists, fitters, etc. that just don't exist today. The new rockets being built now need to fit into the currently available industrial base.