We have all heard stories of how someone has found that one car/one part that seemed damn near impossible to believe that that stuff is still out there. The fact that it was found is proof. How about those local stories youve heard for seems like forever, yet no proof. Two come to mind for me. First one involves a OT L78 rag top Chevelle. Havent heard much on this one, but still cruise that part of the country when I get a chance. Just to see if I might stumble across it. Second one I first heard back in high school. Early 80's. Small town about 20 miles from where I grew up. Used to be a decent sized rail yard there. All gone now. Quote un-quote At the scene of the crime(In your best Arlo Guthrie voice) Seems someone in 61-64, backs up to a rail car and proceeds to load up several brand new 409 Chevy's. Second time I here about it was late 80's. Going to school in said small town and hear it from one of the locals. No new details. Third time was about 92. A guy comes into the NAPA I am working at. We start BSing and talking hot rods. The story of the 409's comes up. He just happen to grow up in the town where this all took place. His response. "I know who has them" Guess it was some locals. They proceeded to pump all of them full of grease and buried them under umpteen bushels of rotten grain in a grain bin. I still drive that part of the country hopin to stumble across them. No proof. YET. Whats your local lore??
Up here in the Great Wet North we hear storys all the time, mostly about Bigfoot though. Isn't that right @Bandit Billy
Little town directly north supposedly had a 34 coupe with a "NASCAR" engine in it. Grumpy old man owned it and would never show anyone. The building is now a vacant lot. Little town directly south supposedly had a hot rod 32 roadster hidden in a garage. I never could find anyone reliable who knew where it might be.
I had heard about a Merc in a graveyard for years and one day I actually found it and got to buy it. (in the background you can see the headstones). This was probably 15 years ago already, though. HAMB member MitchellRish (I think I'm spelling that right) knew about what was supposed to be a '57 Nomad up in the air on a rack since high school and he ended up getting that and is putting it back on the road, although it ended up being a 210 2 door sedan, there's a thread on it somewhere.
Up by my parents cottage there’s stories of a farm full of early Ford stuff . After years of hearing about it on Saturday me snd my brother drive around where the farm is supposed to be . There is lots of stuff stacked around outside the barn , old equipment , wheels , a stack of frames , etc etc . Some old 60’s and newer cars snd tractors rotting away , so it does make you wonder if the barn is “ full up” like the locals say .
There was a rumor that there was a Model A hot rod coupe in a garage in my neighborhood. My mom said guys used to knock on her door on a fairly regular basis asking if there was a hot rod in the garage out back. My mom had to inform them that her son (me) had sold it years before and moved away. Mom really got a kick out of it as she told them there had indeed been a hot rod in the garage back when but it was long gone.
I can name at least three that qualify for the sitting and rotting thread around here. Two of them about three miles apart that have been sitting in the same spots for better than 30 years. I'd bet dollars to donuts that more than on guy on here has tried to buy one or the other. All I am going to say is that one is red and the other has a window that doesn't belong in it.
Most of the stories grow as they get p***ed around, you end up Paul Bunyan. Sometimes they pan out I was part of an unearthing and didn't know it at the time, late 90s. Went to an old chicken crib that had old cars, friend was looking for 48 chevy stuff and there was a pretty good 4 door that he bought. Farmer had collected stuff over the years and had 2-3 older cars on the road. As we were looking around there's an area walled off, I see the quarter of an early camar0 with wild paint. We stop by one of the local car collectors and ask about the camar0. The guys eye get wide and he's trying to keep his cool. Turns out the car was bought new and immediately built into a compe***ive drag car, owner ran Midwest tracks and did well. white w/ panel paint. Owner was killed on motorcycle in 69 or 70 and the car disappeared. All the older car guys knew the story. I got to see it after pulled from barn and washed, widow had the farmer( family friend) haul it there in '70 and no one talked about it, she agreed to sell it. It disappeared again. Local mechanic shop owner had chased a 67 cheveIIe for years. He finally got it about 5 years ago. Blue BB car, good find. Mechanic remembered the car when new, original owner had big story about going up to Chicago to buy it, Nickey badges before it was repainted early in life. He's in final stages of verifying as 427 dealer built car and has the car on a rotisserie.
If I had a dollar for every mile I have driven chasing rumors I would be driving a fully done car. Leaving this morning to chase down another one.
My neighbor down the alley would tell me about a L29 Cord that he owned, trying to get me to work on it for free. Never did see that car. He had a '55 T-bird and a '69 Grand Prix that I did actually see though. Always thought his cars were worth a fortune.
There WAS a set of Ardun heads here in the 50s. Our local Studebaker dealer was also a Speed Shop. They disappeared never to be seen again. Word was they were installed but could never be made to run right. They were reported to be tied to the famous Bob Shanks RPU.
Accidentally stumbled across this buried under tarps, parked on a front porch. Bought it, but it was horribly rough.
For years there was a story about a '54 Corvette that was bricked up in a supermarket in Brunswick, Maine in the late 1950's. That one made headlines when the daughter of the original owner had it pulled out in the mid 1980's before the building was sold.
This one will probably never be proven; Grumpy old man who ran everyone off from his property had a Nomad, 55-56 or 57, depends on who tells the story. Well, he got so pissed off at people stopping by to ask if it was for sale that he took his backhoe and dug a pit in his front yard, deposited the Nomad in said pit and covered it up.This was supposedly back in the 80s. Man is now dead, to my knowledge no one has attempted to search the yard to see if its true. It would be junk anyway though now.
Another one that was proven to be true. Way back in the past, someone in South Alabama sealed up a 37 Ford in a block building. In the 70s my Tech Sergeant in the AF told me about it and knew the guy who recovered it. I never got to see it though, don't know what kind of body style it was.
A fellow I worked with several years ago told me he had a 40 Ford and a 32 Ford on his place in the Peral River swamp area of South East Louisiana. I asked to see them but he was and still is very recluse. After a couple of years he finally agreed to let me on his property. I figured he probably had some vintage fat fender car and may be a Model A? Seems like lots of guys with a turrent stye body claim it is a 32 Ford. Any way I was wanting to check it out. I was surprised he did have a nice 40 Ford two door sedan as well as a 32 three window coupe. He agreed to sell me one or the other, but not both. I bought the 32 because it was a 32. The 40 was a much nicer car in much better condition. I just could not p*** up the chance at a 32 three window. Recently a fellow was rolling slowly by my house one afternoon as I was walking to my mail box across the street. He stopped and asked me if I knew or heard of a fellow with an old coupe body in his yard? I said nobody around here that I know of. I guess I am now the guy with the rumored 32 coupe in his back yard. Its actually in a garden shed locked away from prying eyes.
Hey guys, I hope I did not appear to be a jerk in my reply to the fellow asking about a coupe in someone's back yard. The thing is the guy did not stop his vehicle and make an attempt at being cordial, like introducing himself or striking up a conversation. Also it was near dark thirty and I just did not like his "vibe" so to speak. I would gladly talk to guys about things and even show them the coupe if they seemed ok. Not knowing the fellow I just did not care to get involved. I do think anonymity is good security.
There is a local rumor that Moriarty has one of everything that was cool back in the day. Unconfirmed at this point.
I have an article or two of that one, block walls built around it with a viewing "window". I think there has been at least one thread here about it over the years?
That is how I tend to regard things as well. Another fellow stopped one day and gave me a reference from a good friend. He asked if I would allow him to take some measurements from the original 32 ch***is I have. I had no problem with this and obliged. Made a pleasant acquaintance and may be a friend.
I tend to be cautious due to both personal and second hand experience, you might have a great relationship with so and so but you lose control when so and so's cousin Billy Bob tells his dirtbag brother in law about what you have secured away then all bets are off.
I had a ‘36 Ford pu, no bed, no suspension, sitting on a flatbed trailer between two barns, no way it could be spotted from looky-loo neighbors or p***ers by. One day two fellas stopped in to ask about it. I don’t recall all of what was said after I asked “how’d you know about it”? But got the same vibe as you did.
The Jalopy Journal
