Here's a link to some info. on importing a classic or antique vehicle (also look down at the bottom under "Related Answers" for info on importing other types of cars. This is from the Customs and Border Protection site: http://help.cbp.gov/cgi-bin/customs...ZwX3B2PSZwX2N2PSZwX3NlYXJjaF90eXBlPWFuc3dlcnM
I looked at doing this with some 2 wheeled tin a while back and the most important thing I found is that it is not importing if its an American product. My customs buddy told me to either bring it over and be inspected or if it runs drive it across. If you use a title service like those guys down in the 'shine states, you could even have plates and insurance on it ( Of course this means you may need to store it in Old Mexico for a few weeks- not that hard to arrange just get it reupholstered or primered). On that note anyone have sources for good chromers in Baja, if such a thing exists. Anyway, its always worth it to take a trip on the old blackbird.
Now that tech week is over, I'll post some more old junk I found in Mexico. This 61 Imperial appeared a day or two ago infront of a place I pass all the time. Never saw an old car there before. It's for sale (the standard way to sell a car here is to paint a "$" and your phone # on the window with shoe polish) so I made a mental note to stop the next day and check it out. One the way there I found the 3 Chevy trucks sitting beside the road for sale. I didn't have time to find the owner of the trucks but I did talk to the guy who has the Imperial. He assures me he can find more old cars. This one runs and drives (that's a 413 I assume in the photo) and doesn't seem to have any holes but someone swiped all the chrome trim off it. Guy told me $2000 and then within 5 minutes told me "or best offer" I love the push button gearshift and square steering wheel in this one, would look great in a custom.
These next few are from a Mexican car club I used to belong to "Los Automovilistas Viejo". Every other Sunday they show up in a parking lot of a now closed bar and shoot the shit for a few hours. I went there a couple of weeks ago and there they were so I snapped a few pix (I spared you all the muscle cars). Coolest bunch of guys you ever saw, they just love old cars like the rest of us. I have a lot of respect for these guys because having a old car in Mexico is not the easiest thing to do. The roads suck, parts are hard to find and most people don't get it (where I live they all want new blinged out trucks and SUVs, old is a bad thing). PS: "Nogo" on the side of the Stude is the guy's last name. Like alot of us, this was a rolling project that spent alot of time in primer.
Remember the phrase "US-Made Goods Returning To The US For Warranty Service" - put that on your package, and it'll get you right through Customs without any duties. And, I mean it't true, right? ~Jason
Yea, I think so. In talking with the migra and reading the website el chuco posted it looks like US made stuff pays no duty.
I stopped to take some photos of this yard full of cars and saw a guy feeding a dog. I got to talking to him and he collects and fixes up cars. Real nice guy. Doesn't want to sell these but it was fun shooting the BS with him. I have some more photos of this place somewhere with more cars I'll post later. I love the Roadmaster and the Saab 93 sitting together (check out the wheels and tires on the Buick). He has all the parts to this one too. I first noticed this place because he had Fiats in there, which is really weird for Mexico.
Last fall I went about 4 hours south off McAllen into an area called Abasolo, Mexico. Kinda in the sierra Madre mountain area just north east of Mexico city. In every little pueblo we went to there were old 50"s cars. Most were very restorable. All of the little towns looked like the picture of the old buick. I bet I saw 20 53-54 chevies and most could be bought for 3-4 hundred dollars or less. The area we were in the people make very little money. I plan on returning this fall and striking a deal with a national to help me. I met several on my trip that was wanting to help. My brother-in-law bought a 38 cadillac limosine several years back in the same area for 500. Had to buy all of the chickens and turn them loose. I spotted a 70 roadrunner convertable but couldn't find the owner. Not my kind of car but I woulsd have bought it to turn. Stayed in a nice little place called "Hotel California". oh yeah, we went down there to bird hunt and we killed the heck out of them. . TP
That is exactly what it is. I went back and we took a forklift and I stood on a pallet while they lifted me up to look inside (think an American junkyard would let me do this?) It has the S&S plate on the seat and matches the one in the link. Unfortunately, the back door has been off the car for a while and it has become a total pigeon coop. Theres about an inch of shit in the back and when I went to take a picture of the engine (which is still there) one flew out of the engine bay right in my face. The panels in the back are made of velvet, which is in bad shape and torn. I was really surprized at the front suspension. Looks very modern for 1938. Another surprize is that the "carving" is not made of wood but instead is an assemblage of cast aluminum panels. The body is wood and the rear door is getting pretty messed up from the rain. Still, it's cool Here's more pix.
Here's some more pictures of the rest of the cars in the yard. The prices for most were about $300-$800. The machine you see in the background behind the panel truck can chew up an entire bus. It has a conveyor in the front that you load the cars in whole and little bits about the size of your fist come out the back. I have some more photos of some more stuff somewhere I'll put up later if anyone is still interested in looking at junk cars. I can look at junk cars all day long! PS: I know the Charger's off topic but when was the last time you saw one sitting in a junkyard or that didn't have "01" painted on the side?
Dude! You need to keep posting these - this is one of the things we love about the HAMB. I don't know a one of us that doesn't appreciate a long walk through a good junkyard... even a virtual one! Thanks for taking us along! ~Jason
Here's a major part of that link that I posted,and correction,it is a Lesalle...But,try and restore it if you can get ahold of it.. "It is One of Only 5 Restored '38's Still Left in Existence"-Dreamcars 1938 Cadillac-Lesalle S&S Damascus Carved Side Hearse
I remembered this thread when I saw this car today at the tulsa buried car gig. 1938 S&S Lasalle Hearse. In very nice condition.
The hearse is safe for the moment. In the meantime, today I was coming home from work and right in front of my plant I was amazed to see this sight. I whipped off the road into this area where rutas park and people sell all manner of stuff you'd better not eat if don't want a trip to the doctors office. Now, any car hanging from a tow truck headed into this neighborhood is going only one place - Yonke Mendez. After a car is weighed here, they take the big forklift and ram the forks through the windows, lift the car off the ground long enough to take off the wheels and take a torch and cut out the engine. Then they put it back on the ground, crush in the roof with the forks and drop it into the back of a semi trailer with the roof cut off. From there it is a one way trip to Commercial Metals across the border to be fed into the shredder. They operate 6 days a week, about 12 hours a day. Old cars are welcome because they weigh more (first time I saw an old one here it was a Ford shoebox, came back an hour later to see the car flattened).<O Look at this thing, it's in great shape! I saw a few small dents, a broken windshield, missing almost nothing! The back hatch is fine, just unbolted from the hinge.<O Check out the cool taillights on it. I little search tells me this is a 1957 Olds Fiesta wagon. I don't know much about Oldsmobiles but this one seems to have it's original engine, complete with a bit of aftermarket cheese er.. I mean "flashy chrome". Still has the generator on so I guess it's been a while since anyone had it running (since about 1989 judging by the window stickers. According to the internet it's a 371, anyone know anything about them? Driver said it came out of the city impound yard, probably confiscated for the ONAPAFA plates stuck in the window (I'd like to know how he got it out of there, once they go in they never come back out)<O.
I found a few more of these that I never posted. 1st up is an old 48 (I think) Ford living out in desert with an early 50s Ford flatbed. Got a couple of shots of the sun setting on the old beast, which is appropriate. The red car has been sitting on a car lot for ages. I'm not sure exactly what this one is, just says "56" in the window. Some sort of Mopar I think. Lastly is a "Lonchera" or as they call them in SoCaland, a Roach Coach. Mexico is covered in these and it occured to me after reading something (in the Rodders Journal maybe) that I need to be checking the wheels on these. Haven't seen any Divcos yet but several Metros are still running around near the plant. This one is a Ford, and it sits unused right next to the Santa Teresa NM boarder crossing. Would make a cool support truck for someones Bonneville effort if you ask me.
my neighbor was telling me one day that he had a bunch of old american metal south of the border and when he moved here he sold them for $50 each. he could not expain why he could not bring them here other than the border patrol might think they are loaded with illegals or drugs.
IT IS DEFINATELY A 1938 LASSALE, MODIFIED BY DAYERS SCOVILLE. THEY SUPPOSEDLY MADE 101 OF THE DAMASUCUS STYLE HEARSES. THE STAINLESS NOSE CONES IN THE PIC ARE FROM ONE, AND GOING ON MY RIDE. HERE IS A VERY NICE ONE.http://www.classicdreamcars.com/38LaSalleS&SHearse.html $5000 WOULD BE A VERY GOOD PRICE ON A VERY RARE CAR. VERY EXPENSIVE TO RESTORE, BUT WOULD MAKE A HELLUVA ROD.
I'm so sorry about this Cool La Salle sit in Mexico. I have Work some Time on the 1941 Caddy Flower Car of my best Friend. The Car came 2002 from Mexico to Texas and than 2003 to Germany. Nothing works but the Engine turn over by hand. We Save this Relikt and after 3Days of some fine Tuning the Engine Runs and the Car drive down the Main Street. 3Weeks Later we Drive to the HOT Rod Meeting Bottrop Schwarze Heide and in the Winter we must Rebuild the V8. This Shot is from August 08. Now this is one of the Rarest Cars in Europa. Shot with DMC-FX8 at 2008-06-24 #Ingo
This are the Story from the 1941 Flower Car. And the Look when it come to Germany. http://www.hearse.com/vehicles/motorized/cadillac/1941/aj_miller/flower-car/v001/pages/pa.html #Ingo
I found a bunch of pictures I never posted on here the other day and somebody was asking me about a Mercedes I found so I figured I'd post em up. This first batch is from the guy who has the Buick and the Saab. Both are still there and I stopped to talk to him a while back. Real nice guy and was just as ready to BS about cars as someone would be in the US. The Packard was in for a repair and is back with it's owner now.
This guys been trying to sell this 60 Dodge truck for a while now. I think he was down to $2700 last time I went by there. "Authentic" interior. I don't see to many of this model and it's probably not everybodys favorite but I kinda like it.
The Ranchero belongs to the owner of the garage. It's his car that he fixed up sortof as a "shop truck". He uses that and a hot rodded Datsun 510 as his cars.
Thanks mate, for the great selection, of pics of cars down mexico way. I am down here with Sled and I always thoroughly enjoy my time here with the locals and searching out all the old cars with Sled. Everyday is just a great thrill we never know what will turn up. Unfortunately, most of you guys north of the Mexican border have no idea what is available and how simple it is to get that car over the border. If all the propaganda that goes on about down here were put aside, you guys would be buying up by the truck full. Yeah its a lot of hard work following up all the leads and dealing with the locals, but what an eye opener. I was with Sled one day, and would you ever dream about it, near 5 x 33 to 36 3w coupes came up all on the same day. I dont think you would get that in ol USA. So if you guys are really looking for some cool stuff, gives these guys some support and start buying some cars. You wont be disappointed.
The Jalopy Journal
