I will agree, Joe, that you and a few others on this board can do wonders with machines. I do believe it is a gift that many of us do not have even though we are able to bring about some good changes in machines. I just think that if the machine is not even fixable by you, wouldn't having it as a calling card be better than the dump, the barn, the outbuilding? That is all. I respect the machines first and believe that fixing them is the utmost idea. However...
There are some machines that parts are no longer findable because they were that rare, or made so poorly to begin with that they didn't last. I have one I call a parts machine. Rust remover and elbow grease didn't get the needle post to move with the wheel. My DH almost came off the floor trying to dislodge it, and he is no featherweight. It did not budge after days of soaking. That one, if I wanted that to be my calling card could be at the end of my driveway.