Art & Inspiration You can have it if you can get it out: A 2 year struggle for a free Hemi

A couple of years ago, a coworker admitted that he had some old cars on his property up north. Most of the cars that were there were nearly gone and almost unrecognizable, but one car laying on its side held a treasure that had become my great white whale.

The only reason the 1953 Desoto still had the 276 Firedome in it that I can fathom is that no one wanted to go through the trouble of getting it out of the woods, or maybe they couldn't figure out how. After the original owner p***ed, the Desoto and several other poor old cars were unceremoniously bulldozed into the back field and over the hill to make way for a new house. Over the decades, the woods reclaimed the land as happens so often here in Maine and they sat dormant. Judging by all the bullet holes in a lot of precious sheet metal down in the gully, the locals knew these cars were there. Bits and pieces had been stripped off all the cars, but the Holy Grail of this pathetic parts pile was left for someone with a lot more determination and willpower than they had: Me.

Two years ago I made my way down there with a cheap comealong, a jack, some wrenches and a torch and did little more than catch hypothermia and break my comealong trying to pull the frozen hulk down to where I could haul out the engine. I still shiver thinking about it. Defeated, I drove home and and tried to conceive of a way to get that damned engine. My pride was at stake you see as my coworker's parents sort of made a sport out of watching the fool freeze his *** off trying to pull metal junk out of the old trash pile.

Determined to get it done the following summer, I broke my leg and got married and by the time the dust of those two calamities had settled, winter had set in again. It rankled me and I tried to devise the master plan and had to admit that there was no way I was going to be able to pull this off alone, but none of my friends wanted anything to do with the project. It's a rare gem of a man that hears about hauling a 600 pound hunk of steel and iron uphill in thick Maine woods on a rare summer day. Enter Steve.

It would have to be a farmboy transplant from Detroit who is crazy enough to call something like that fun. It's nice to meet a car guy who is as bat**** as I am. So with the weather forecast looking promising, a full tank of gas, a trailer and shovels and rakes and implements of destruction, we made the trek up north with renewed determination.

And 8 hours later had blazed a trail, cut down dead trees, limbs and moved various obstacles to make a somewhat clear path to the scene of the operation. A night under the stars with rum, trumped up tales of past female exploits and more rum, we awoke the next morning with the sun and started cutting and grinding and chaining and hoisting, being eaten alive by mosquitoes and rusty metal alike.

We placed the freshly pulled Firedome on a bullet riddled 49 F-1 hood and spent hours taking turns using the new and improved comealong and chains to pull the whole works 300 feet to the base of the hill. With just enough chain to reach the truck, we latched on and gingerly pulled the makeshift sled with its precious burden up the rocky embankment to the waiting trailer and engine hoist, all to the applause of my coworker's father who was convinced we would never get it out.

I tell this long story because it all came to me right then. There I was, breathing hard, bleeding and filthy, reeking of bug dope and b.o., next to a good friend who was as sore and tired as I was. The sense of accomplishment was and is overwhelming. We might have slaved for an over-sized paperweight, but it was all done in the name of hot rodding and a need for vintage speed. This is what it is all about for me. The journey begins before we ever sit behind the wheel and turn the key. For me, this is hot rodding.

The man: Steve.
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Me, high on adrenaline and pride.
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I remember when you posted those pics I think??

 

nice job and good story.

 

good job and good story!!! What will it go in?

 

Awesome!

 

You, my friend, are the stuff that legends are born of. You get my vote for "most interesting man alive"!

 

Great story. Any pictures of the obstacles?

 

cool find!!! but alot of work!!!!!!!!!!

 

any pics of the cars at the bottom?

 

Dude that's crazy, sounds like something I would do to get something I wanted really bad. What are your plans for it?

 

Yes, that is what it is all about. Sounds like a great time.
Lets see some pix of the inside of that thing.

 

Attaboy!

 

Sounds like Steve is a stand up guy. But you got to know when you say the word free to a farm boy the truck will be loaded and ready to go wether its his stuff or a friends to go get. Great find keep us updated on your build.

 

Damn nice story!
I'm Crazy enough to have flown back and helped you!
My Mom and Grandparents are from Orono and I've never been "Back East"

 

That IS what its all about! Good job guys.

It's all the little battles you fight (and sometimes win) that makes you who you are...

BTW...at least 7 HAMBers are gonna copy and build that cool 4 poster I beam setup the engine is hanging off...you know that, right????

 

This is definatly something i would do just to keep something from going to the crusher or to save it from being swallowed up by old mother nature!

 

Great story, reminds me of the yard I cleaned out 2 years ago, that stuff got draged uphill too.

 

Damn nice to hear someone as nutty (actually more nutty) than I

I sprung my back out and broke my thumb with my pops hauling a vette 4 bolt belly****on outta the back 40 of a yard with nothin but two 2x4's and a strap (and and old dude that kept up with me.....thanks dad)...

Why?

They were crushin the next day and that was the only thing that was good on the whole car....

And it was free

Great story.....One of my fav's to date

 

i love it man. great story!!!!!

 

way to go! 30 years ago i constructed a similar unit only difference being at point where you have cross support on legs mine was cut off right below that point and legs made of larger od. pipe slipped over existing pipe stubs for easy transport.

 

Haha! Way to go! I remember you posting about finding the cars some time ago. Congrats on winning the battle!

 

Well written, excellent story and great effort!. I've busted my **** for a few things as well. Still waiting to pull a Mercury Flathead out of the front seat of a car that you can't get the doors open because of other cars in the way!

 

Hell yeah, good story. What are the internals like?

 

That is a great MAN story. Done some of the same stuff many times. Oh geez, I think I'm getting........... emotional

 

I know where a '57 Chrysler is that's one of a batch of cars pushed over the side of more or less a cliff, they're jammed together along the side just about to the top... you do road trips with that thing?

Actually this one might require mountain climbing gear, it's about 100 feet to the creek at the bottom.

 

Is that a stick bellhousing? if so it fits the Chrysler engine too and the world will beat a path to your door. GOOD SCORE!

 

You're right on with the idea that actions like yours are what hotrodding is all about. Truth be told the miseries ***ociated with that move end up being the 'juice' and the 1 element that made it all worth doing...and so much fun! Congrats on the score and a life-sized memorable moment.

 

Gigantor,
Congratulations on finally getting that thing out of there. Good job buddy.
G***er Girl

 

Hey Sam, congrats to you! I've done crazy things in my life, but that about tops em. Way to go. Perley

 

Well that explains what you did in the morning, what'd you do in the afternoon? Put the nose back on the sphinx?
Hell'uva job, great story.