PARIS, Ky. — Today's cars are so complicated that changing spark plugs almost requires six engineers, two MIT computer-science professors and maybe four NASCAR pit crewmen.

But if you want the points adjusted on a 1949 Buick, if the front suspension of your 1910 Model T has gone all knock-kneed, if your 1931 Model A Ford needs an engine rebuild, pick up the phone and call Jerry Baker.

If it has four wheels and a motor, Baker can probably fix it — especially if it was built before World War II.

"I never met an old car I didn't like," Baker says. "After nearly 50 years, I guess I've developed a feel for them."

Baker's little shop in Paris — Antique Auto Parts of Kentucky — attracts folks who fancy old cars. Some want to have Baker repair or restore their cars. Others come looking for hard-to-find parts for automobiles that left the assembly line long before their current owners were born. A few drop in to see whether Baker knows where they might buy a choice old car, and many just want to pick his brain for advice on ways to keep their prized antiques running.

On one typical recent day, Baker had eight pre-war Ford engines in various stages of repair, some being put back together, others waiting to be taken apart.

A spotless 1930 Ford Model A rumble-seat coupe was up on the lift, waiting for some delicate surgery. The owner had brought it in for carburetor work, but it turned out that the brakes, transmission and front end also needed attention. So the car was going to be a patient for the next few days.

Of more immediate concern was Perry White's bright-yellow 1949 Buick convertible, looking sleek even though it was built when Harry Truman was president. White wanted the idle set and the points checked, so he brought the car to Baker.

"He's the only one I'd trust to work on it, besides me," White explained as Baker labored under the hood.

After about 20 minutes, Baker announced that the Buick's points were in good shape, and a relieved White drove away.

Baker then went back to "lapping" the valves on a Model A Ford engine he is rebuilding, using a small hand tool to seat each individual valve.

You might think that business would be slow at a shop catering exclusively to cars built 50, 60 or 70 years ago. But there are more than enough old-car fanciers in his area to keep Baker hustling.

"I stay about six months behind all the time," he said.

Baker, 60, can't remember when he didn't love cars.

He remembers the first vehicle he ever bought: a 1941 Chevy pickup. Baker was 14, growing up in Monticello, Ky.

"I spent a month negotiating the purchase price with the owner, and we finally agreed on $22.50. I think I paid at least $5 too much," he said.

Baker has no idea how many cars he's actually owned, since he often kept them only a few days before swapping for something else. Most of them were old. He's always loved those, particularly Model T and Model A Fords.

"They were the first really reliable and comfortable family cars that the average person could afford," he said. "Millions of them were made.

"They changed everything — those cars put America on wheels. People still love them today."