What is a "Hack"?

Note: This page is a work in progress. Please help get it to a completed state by adding any useful information to it.

Broadly speaking, a hack is any repair work in the following categories.

• Represents an irreversible change to the machine
• Does not leave the machine as close to original as possible
• Does not solve the problem it is intended to fix
• Covers up other problems
• Uses incorrect parts

Generally, operators want the machine working as fast as possible. And this need may occur when the necessary parts are not available. So anything goes. Collectors, on the other hand, want machines that are as close to original as possible, and have the time to locate and install the correct parts.

Hacks can also allow collectors to substitute for repairs that would otherwise be too complex. If these hacks are reversible, they are preferable to further damaging a machine.