what cool car stuff have you found when not lookin' fer' it?

i made a post about finding a'50 ford trunk lid with all the parts i needed at the dump, in a corner next to household crap. what stuff have ya'll found out of the blue? i'd like to hear some cool stories, 'cause this never happens to me...

 

I found 6 or 7 '55-'57 Chevys in various states of disrepair on the corner of a backroads intersection a few months ago when I wasn't looking. One even had a tree growing through the engine compartment. Posted this on your other post, but I found a '51 Ford hood waiting for the trashman to come and get it.

Oh, there was a field and small wooded area behind the neighborhood where we used to live. This was when I was 8 or so...anyway, me and the other neighborhood kids had found an old house, completely fallen apart, lots of weeds, etc. There was also an in ground storm celler with some really heavy steel doors on it (north texas, tornadoes you know.) One day we FINALLY got the doors opened (took 4 of us) and we took our flashlights and went down inside. When I saw what was inside, i ran back home to get mom's camera. I had no real idea what i was looking at, but years later when I looked at the pictures, I could see exactly what I had found. There was a perfect, untouched '28-'29 roadster body and frame, two 4-bangers (one of which had an Offy 2 carb intake), a flathead, and what I asume was the stock front end. There were a bunch of tractor looking parts too. One of my pictures shows what looks a hell of a lot like an A roadster pickup body, but I can't really tell. Nah, I'm just messin with ya.

 

I was trout fishing with my dad in a little Oregon country stream about 30 miles from town, walking upstream and testing the slack-water spots when I almost fell over a 27 T coupe. We used an axe to cut the saplings out of the middle of it and ran a long chain from it up to the gravel road. Hooked it to my dad;s 60 ford pickup and tried to drag it up to the road but the pickup was just too light..no traction.
My cousins came along later with their dad's toyota land cruiser and saw all the marks we made in the gravel road...investigated and found the T. The next time I saw it, it was in my cousin's driveway with a for sale sign in it! DOH!

 

At our local tip ( or what you might call dump ) they have seperate areas for recycling paper & steel. You drive past it on the way out, sitting there was a 39 Ford chassis ( frame ) lucky i had my trailer with me, quickly threw it on and got the heck out of there quick, they don't like you takin stuff out, ending up trading it to a guy in our club for some wiring on my garage!! Lucky to be in the right place at the right time. Makes you wonder what else gets thrown away that we don't know about.

 

the 32 ford roadster body, 2 decent doors and frame and deck lid and shell.....
BEST SCORE as of yet,,

I was looking to sell some PRO STREET shit to some WEIRDO while on a trip to So-cal..... I made the official trip to drop off the last of the flathead speed parts to Bobby Reynolds...... And the HARMON COLLINS cam to BArris' good pal.....

Right before I left I got an email from a buddy about some guy he KNERW that was into SMALL BLOCKS and TUNNEL RAMS and 4 barrels,,,, and POT and CRANK amoungst other things................
I had a ton of stuff from when I use to run the BACK ALLEY SWAP MEET Loan and PAWN(tm) That ran with the illicit trade business in my DUMBER DAYS..... when I was dumb junkie

Guys would come by and need an OUNCE of weed, or whatever and then they have no cash so we use to TRADE IT OUT, and I would sell or EBAY to double my money.... I stopped the illicit trade and still had a whole UPPER loft in my shop full of TRADE IN'S............

We closed the shop down for a year and I moved the stuff to a new location,,, it was smaller so I had to sell......

This GUY needed PRO STREET crap....
I loaded up a few pieces and continued the journey to SO-CAL,,,,
Drop off the other stuff, party for awhile and go to meet this PRO STREET JERK OFF.....

It's under a tarp under some AWNING next to an old 50's ford eletrical company truck,,,

Says it use to be his old mans but he died...
I put down payment, tell him he can have ALL THE PRO STREET SHIT he NEEDS,,,,,

Car is in PROBATE because his sister wants the property.. so since the car is on the property,, I have to wait till after PROBATE, and even is she wins the probate,,, I should get the car,,,,

The CAR HAS HISTORY.
It has a 1952 OAKLAND ROADSTER SHOW TAG RIVETED to FIREWALL, and it's also rumored to be an old LAKES race car with a 265 chevy v8, RAN in 1955....

I pulled the tarp and stopped breathing literally,,

The best PART about it all, is that FOLKS are ACTUALLY PISSED OFF cause I'M the ONE who found it,,,,,,,
and TALK SHIT,,,,

All I can think about is that things run smooth and I can go pick it up...
I promise to have a FULL PICTURES and once I saw the roadster TAG,, I thought about calling a MAGAZINE to come shoot pictures of the UNCOVERED RECOVERED "GOLD"...

We have already RESEARCHED it and HAVE figured out what CAR it was we found..........

Don't want to JINX myself...

even if the CHICK turns into a TOTAL CUNT,,
I wont stop until I own that car,,,,,

I will even sell everything I own and PAY 20,000 GRAND for it,,,,

JUST BECAUSE it was MEANT to be and I fucking found it,,,,,

I get HARD when I think about it,,,,

 

I found a hood for my 42 ford pickup in my front yard one morning. One of my buddys from AZ was coming through town and had found it a few weeks before. He just drove by my house and dropped off in my driveway right in front of my front door in the middle of the night. No note, no advance warning. A couple of weeks later he sent me an e-mail asking if I had found the gift he left me... Pretty funny

 

GERM,,,
i remember you talking about the car when you first found it,,,
HOW long is probate gonna last,,
hope its over soon,,,otherwise your laundry cost are gonna stay thru the roof,,,
regardless,,,
keep us LAMEASSES posted on what happens,,,

MISS hellbound hootch

 

well, my story doesn't compare to GERM'S. but maybe 'cause we hung out in paso, the HOT ROD GODS are smilin' down upon me.
nic

 

(north texas, tornadoes you know.)

north texas? isn't that oklahoma?

 

Last winter, while driving through a 40,000 acre ranch in brush country (South Texas) on my way back from an oil rig (28 miles from rig to paved roads!) Well i was cruising, looking for deer, swerving from cattle, and something catches my eye in the brush. It was shiny, like a mirror reflecting sunlight. So i pulled the truck over, and looked all around, making sure nobody would see me jump out and run in the brush. I ran over there and the reflection was actually the rear window to a 30-31 Model A Pick-up. It was quite the patina-mobile. All original, untouched. The weather had gotten to it, no major rustholes. This was before I even thought about buying my "A" project, so I was just like "hey that's cool".

Of course when I decided to build an "A", I went back and talked to the ranch owner and he said he couldn't sell. It was his grandfather's ranch truck, & buried under it was his grandfather's favorite horse. The truck had been driven everyday since new, and was driven into town and back on the day it was parked, in 1940. His grandfather passed away a year later. He said it holds too much sentimental value to sell, then he tried to pawn off an '82 Ford F-250 on me...I think the "A" pickup was in better shape!

 

GERM....good chit, if you keep talking about it you WILL jinx the deal.

after seeing this thread, i remembered about 8 yrs ago i found a mid30 somethin ford truck in winters cali whoile searching for a parts truck, only thing i can remember is, it had a cadi motor, full fenders and didnt run, but had everything on it.. the old man said it was a hot rod back in the day (duh!), dunno who it belonged to or why it was there...but it was 4500 bucks.

 

Fun read! I drove out to NHRA Reunion two weeks ago from Maryland with my buddy
Kerm in his Anglia. Due to bad PM (points closed up/no lubrication on the pad caused the
cam tang to wear down), his Vertex Mag stopped the car at 1030 somewhere
in West Virginia, very dark out. We hassled with it a couple times till we got to Bowling
Green. Wipeing bugs off the car Thursday night, bench racing with a dude named Terry from
Clearwater Fla., he tells me he's racing and has a spare Mag in the nasty trailer and we can
have the points to get home. A righteous offer, to good to be true. Well, the dude is
for real, has a killer slingshot six banger, injected, running ten's. Pulling the points
he offers the Mag for sale. Moral of the story: you cannot find anything close to what you
need in Autozone, NAPA guys will help as much as possible but the Chrysler points in the
book are not even close - but, if you hook up with the right guy you can get a used set of
point for $150 and a Magneto for free......Thanks Terry.
Than there was the time I was selling a TCI Pro frame and hooked up with a guy selling
his dad's stuff. He had gotten what he wanted and offered me to come take a look see. Well,
I bought all the flathead stuff, a columbia two speed, and a 34 Ford pick-up. My buddy Skip
takes home a 41 Ford Sedan, a 66 Fairlane Convertable, and a 40 Ford Sedan. I was just
to sell a frame and take a look see. A very nice day! Oh, the guy didnt buy the frame.
Last but not least, I bragged once before about my Roadster find, wont bore you with the details
but that story will be the one I geez on for life....
This is fun shit.

 

I grew up in a mostly rural area in Tennessee. Once, when walking through the woods, I stubled across a 55-57 Ford 2 dr. I grabbed a hub cap of the ground next to it, but didn't really check to see if there was anything else. It looked like a tree had crushed the roof.

Another time, while driving on the interstate, I caught a glimpse of something metal in the woods (winter). I circled back, parked, and walked through the woods. There were four old cars back there, a mid fifties Dodge and a Buick, I can't remember what the other two were, and they weren't stripped. I don't understand why people dicard stufff like that. I haven't found anything in a while, fun when you do though. I'm still waiting to find something good in a ravine like whoever that was on here though.

 

I found this place, me and radical56chevy and my partner got to sell a lot of shit out of here.

 

some more

 

and this

 

Damn, fuzzy picture. Every time I resize them they get blurry. oh, well you get the idea.

 

Went to a funeral for my wife's 97 year old Grandma.

After the ceremony went to her sister's house for food and a little party. I started looking around the house that her husband built and noticed some old Hot Rod pictures. he caught me looking at one of a channeled 34 roadster from about '52 and told me the whole story about it including how it was stolen right in front of him. Then he mentions he has a car in the garage. I ask him "Is it a hot rod" and he says; "Well it's a 65 t-bird." I guess I looked a little dissapointed but still said I like to see it (no sense standing around at the celebration of a funeral). We get halfway down the stairs and he says; "oh yeah, I got a little '29 out there too." I say "what? Is it a sedan or what?" I didn't really care but things were getting interesting! He said; "What? No! A roadster!" Like I was outta my mind, and soon I was.

He opened the garage and there it was. The most perfect 29 body I've ever seen. It has no rust, no dents, nothing. It's as nice or nicer than a Brookville body. I'm mumbling to myself like a loon and he says; "The only thing missing is a running board, but I think they remake thos in fiberglass or something." I look the thing over from front to back and finally stammer "What're you gonna do with it?" He says; "Well I'm gonna build it when I get a chance." The man is 92 years old!!!!

He's a relative, it's been 2 years, and he still won't SELL it to me!!!

Oh well I'd look silly in a roadster... Right guys?... I'd look silly, Right?.. Big guy in a little roadster, right?... Guys?!!!

Of coarse I ask him everytime I see him. He says he's gonna give it to his 11 year old grandson, whose family won't even talk to him.

 

My dad passed away a couple of years back and I inherited his ’29 roadster. It was built in the sixties: full fendered, 327 Chevy, and loaded with all the "gingerbread" guys used to hang on their cars back then (wind-wings, motometer, step plates, stock tail lights, little King Bee headlights on a stock headlight bar). With the wheels sticking outside the fenders, it looked like a frog.

I tore it down to the chassis, and started to freshen it up.

In the midst of the project I ran an ad on the MAFCA (Model A Club) website looking for something-or-other — and got an interesting response. It was an email from a guy that lives about 2 miles away. He didn’t have what I was looking for, but he did have a complete Model A for sale. Did I know anyone looking for one? He’d bought it 25 years ago, torn it all apart, sand blasted and painted the chassis — and that’s as far as he got. It had been stashed away all this time in dry storage. Thinking it was probably a 30-31 more-door, I asked him what year and model, and he told me it was a ’28 roadster pick-up. So I popped the big one: What did he want for it? There was a pause on the other end, as if he were figuring out how much he could take me for, then he responded that he "had to get out of it what he had in it." Then another pause — "…1500 bucks." After attempting to shove the money down the phone line, I arranged to go by and have a look. If I liked it, it was mine.

I did. It was straight, virtually rust-free, and even had most of the original paint still on it. The deal was done and I dragged it home. The next day I sold all the stuff off it I didn’t need for $1000.

 

What happend with that '36 in the Ravine? Did they get it out?

 

went to this old mans house one time, he had 3 rancheros in his orchard that were parts cars. hes a pretty cool dude and i stop in and talk with him everynow and then. this particular visit was after i wiped out the front end on the ranchero. i bought both fenders, a bumper, grill, valance, and a hood from him. we were talking and he asked if i ever decided what motor to put in my model a. i told him i was going to run a y-block ford. his eyes lit up, and he says, 'i got something you need' we go back to his garage and hes shuffling through all these boxes, he finally pulls this one box out. at the top of the box there is a finned valley cover. thats pretty cool i thought to myself, but then i noticed something odd, it had hilborn cast into the sides. i lifted the pan up, and in this box was a complete hilborn fuel injection for the y-block! i was amazed. told him that it was a bitchin set up but theres no way i could afford it. then he says, just give me 200 for it whenever you can, and i want to go for a ride in it. i was shocked. turns out this thing has been to bonneville 3 times on 3 different santa barbara race cars, in 1959, 60,and 61! we'll see how streetable it is.

 

Went to lunch with VonDad, driving in my 60 Buick. Pull up, get out, people in car next to us get out at same time. Guy asks, "Is that a 60 Buick?" I tell him yes, he says, "I've got a 59 for sale."

Long story short, and with the help of JK and Roothawg, I gotta 59 Buick 4dr sedan for uber-cheap.

 

This was the latest. Cool is in the eye of the beholder but I like it. Young guy was checking out my Grand Prix in the lot at work and in the course of conversation he asks if I know anyone who wants an old van. I ask, how old? He says "I don't know but it's been in my grandpas back yard for 35 years. 1941 IH Metro. Engine cranks but have not tried to start it yet. Did I mention it was FREE.

 

Went to the swap meet and car show last week. Parked my car way out by the entrance to the show as far as I could get from the swap meet as I was broke and you know if you're broke, they'll have everything you need cheap and you still can't afford it. Didn't want to go thru that. Anyway, my buddy comes way the hell out to my car to tell me he found the brakes I've been looking for. Tells me the guy'll wait a couple weeks for the money if I want them. So I went and looked and sure enough all 4 brakes from a 40 coupe complete and no rust. Best backing plates I've seen in a while. Complete from backing plates to bearings. So I make the deal and we put the brakes in my buddy's booth. I go back later to help him load his stuff up and his partner has a Dana 44 rear. Just the right size for an A. Even already has a Model A spring & perches on it.
The guy delivered it to my house on his way home. Another pay me later deal. Got an overtime last week that'll pay for all the parts! Karma's my friend lately.

 

I have never ever gone anywhere at any time without constantly looking for neat car stuff since I was maybe 12, so I can't answer the question.

 

thanks 'fer your stories! RATSTER, now, where in the HELL is that yard? i'm out here in CALI. i'll be out TOMORROW. just to look!
nic

 

BS'ing with a bud at work and he's pulling a Merc Marine 302 out and putting in a 351w, and he's looking for a rear sump pan, of course the 302 has a rear sump pan and the motor is going to the yard for a core so he's passing on the pan and pickup tube special bolt on to me in exchange for a regular pan and pickup tube. now if the 283 in Zapato ever dies a sbf will take its place as all the pieces are now at hand. life is good.

 

was snooping in an old barn years ago and found a General Jumbo rim and a quart of home brew. Still have the rim, the home brew was another story.....

 

So, I gotta know - What's with that red coupe on the hook of that wrecker in the field on the north side of Hwy 26 just east of Sandy. That has to be a local story. I bet I would be rich if I had a dollar for every time someone knocked on that dude's door . . .

 

I know most of this is stuff I was looking for, so maybe my tale won't qualify here techically, but read on and see what you think.

I'm gathering parts to build a '60s-style RPU (or maybe not - I just might decide to leave the roof on, as I live in Nebraska where the weather can be pretty bizzare at times) from a '34 International truck cab - which BTW, was given to me for free.

Anyway, I'm building it as an all- Chevy deal (that's what the guy who gave it to me thought it was, since it came to him with a Chevy radiator and shell - but, another story as they say) so I've been lookin' for Chevy parts - but only '60s or earlier stuff - and all "on the (ultra) cheap" (my TOTAL budget for the project is $5K - very little of which I actually have, of course).

I found a 292 inline six-cylinder for $150 (had to drive down to Sunray,Texas, but who cares - it was a fun "road trip"), and my kid donated an Offy 3 single-barrel intake manifold - with carburetors - that he had bought several years ago for his first car. A friend in Missouri (a HAMB member, in fact) is trading me an old ANSEN cast-iron bellhousing/scattershield and Saginaw 4-speed (with a "period correct" Mr. Gasket shifter) for a 1965 Honda scooter I have (we're making the trade at the HAMB drags next month).

So far (at swap meets) I've found: a pair of '30s Chevy chrome headlight buckets - complete with mounting bar and a matching set of "bow-tie" lenses for $40, a '65 Pontiac posi rear-end (with the big 11" diameter finned brake drums) for $50, and one of those cool ribbed "splash pans" - or whatever they're called - from an early Chevy (that fits between the frame "horns" at the bottom of the radiator and has a slot in it for starter crank access) for only $20.

Pretty good prices, I'd say - but here's the kicker. I've been thinking it would be cool to use a Corvair steering box, but never imagined I would ever find one, let alone at an affordable price (Speedway wants like $300 for what looks like a cast-iron aftermarket unit - less Pittman arm of course). So.. a couple weekends ago, I'm killing some time checking out a few garage sales and what do I stumble onto, sitting amongst a bunch of typical garage sale brick-a-brack, but a bitchin' ORIGINAL cast aluminum Corvair box (including Pittman arm)! I can hardly belive my eyes - and (no shit) ...the price tag says $5 (!!).

I immediately scoop the thing up - thinking there must be some mistake. This old boy and his wife (in their '70s, I'd guess) are sitting there, so I ask him what the deal is. He says he used to mess with Corvairs 30 years ago, and found this box behind some old crap when he was sorting through stuff in his basement - looking for garage sale junk.

I scored the box for a "fiver" (didn't think I needed to deal him down - LOL), and lo and behold, he also sold me a really nice '60s Air Force seat belt (like a lot of the low-budget racers used back then) for $3! I still have to pinch myself every time I think about it.

So far, I have less than $300 in the whole deal (okay, I dropped a couple hun driving to Texas and back), and the only big parts I have left to get is the front-end set up.

I know that could get pretty expensive - and yes ... I also know there will be LOTS more cash spent before the car is on the road. But no matter what happens from here on - I've definately had some AMAZING luck finding parts.

Oh yeah. There was a neato '40s/'50s hang-down heater unit in the cab too. Needs rebuilt, but it's all there ...and in pretty righteous shape too.