History Looking for cars in barns stories!

From Falconer NY
Here is a barn find of mine from back in 2002. A friend of mine had an old barn that was ready to fall in. He asked if I was interested in the old car that was in there before the barn fell in on top of it. The price was right.

 

Me too son, me too.

The original owner of this 55 doesn't know how to work on cars and I'm the only one that'll help him. The paint looks good but the mechanics are shot! I'm working to get in it, then get in on it. You dig?

 

Was with a buddy and in his car he decided to show me some old junk, cause i was the only kid in class that knew more about vintage cars, tractors and machinery than video games. So we pull up to the yard, and in the bush beside me is a 1930-31 ford tudor turned into a pick up truck my brother got that one. what a gold mind turns out there were alot more cars but someone cleaned out the good ones. But i did pick up (this is all free), 1954 pontiac pathfinder with 8036 miles on it or so the odometer says i believe it since it was in some sort of front end collision, 1937 Chevy pickup cab and chassis, 1952 studebaker m 17, 1928 ford model a business coupe body, 1962 Chevy Biscayne with a spare gas tank hidden behind the main. O/T but we also picked up a old threshing machine that was shed for over 50 years, still had the pinstriping on it. Cant wait to go back lots of flatheads, rebuilt 261 never put the head back on looks ready to go. several truck cabs, model t frame and axles. I picked up a few handfulls of hubcaps, distributors, carburetors, radiator shells and including one after 4 years is still unknown, probably know that i know more several truck loads,


the ones that didnt turn out great one of my neighbours he has two late 1940s chevy or gmc cant remember right now, one with a chrome grill the other black. Both 1+ tons but the one with a dump box has two transmissions on it with a rachet axle thats what he told me custom ordered with this set up from a guy in montana, some how ended up here in central alberta. First said i could pick them up just to clean it up because he sold the quarter. about to go load them up says 500 bucks for both. ( meanwhile discover another neighbour bought a 1956 international travel all 1000 which i had seen a few years ago at a farm sale i wanted to buy it but i was only 12, he told me 500 bucks, original paint still strong and great glass, i had to go back to college so told my brother to stop by he changed his mind 3000 now) and the two trucks i pasted up on now going to a high school to restore (phfft yeah right bunch of high school kids want to restore a 1940's 1 ton truck, you put those two trucks together and you almost have something restoring, unless your irrational like me) anyways close to 3 years later and those trucks are still sitting there, the travel all is still sitting there on the ground near a marsh where he put it. Thirdly it had a solid body in and out with minor fender rust. i think i really need to start carrying 500 dollars in my wallet. but the neighbour with the travel all we did trade a 50 dollar dump rake for a 1935 Chevrolet Masters Deluxe 5 Window Coupe chassis and body no running gear.

 

56 Olds 88 Billings Montana range find



51 Olds 88A Glasgow Montana



49 Mercury at rest



49 Mercury very solid time to load it



49 Mercury captured in South Dakota

56 Studebaker Power Hawk coupe in Minnesota



53 Studebaker coupe in Minnesota



same 53 Studebaker coupe 6 cylinder became a Record holder at Bonneville at Speed week



Chevelle with to much Torque

 

The Story of Stella the old 1939 1/2 ton truck.
Here is my "old car in the barn find" story, accept my old car is a truck. My father had a 1930 Ford "A" and his best buddy had a 1939 Chevy coupe. They had their cars on display at a shopping mall to promote an upcoming old school 50's night. My uncle was sitting with them as they baby sat their cars. A man that was shopping with his wife started to talk to my dad about the cars. He asked him if he knew anyone that would be interested in a 1939 Chevy truck. My uncle jumped into the conversation and said he would be interested in that truck. That man told them the truck was on his farm and in a barn. He lived about 45 miles south of Waterloo Iowa.

The next day my uncle and my dad's friend (Tom) went to the farm to look at the truck. The truck was in a barn and the only part of the truck that was visible was the top of the cab. There were bales of hay and straw all around the truck except at the front where there was a crank handle sticking out of the front of the truck grill. The man told them that the truck was all there and was parked for about 25 years. He said every now and again he would give the old truck a crank or two. The farmer wanted $ 500.00 bucks. My uncle being the dip stick he is offered the man $ 200.00. The farmer ran them off his farm. I was 22 at the time and visiting with my Dad at his electric motor shop when Tom came in and told my father about what an A** hole my uncle was, and how he had insulted the farmer. After hearing the story I ask Tom to take me down to the farmer because I wanted the truck. I was driving a 51 Chevy truck with small block at the time and wanted the 39 as a project. I have always liked the style of the 39s. Tom said there was no way he was going back to that farm. I begged him to take me and told Tom I would not embarrass him or may a fool of myself. I went home scraped up $ 500.00 cash. I barrowed my dad's car trailer and head to Tom's house.

With car trailer in tow and cash in hand I convinced Tom to take me to the farmer. He agreed but said he would be driving separate and he would be talking his wife Vicky. An hour later we pull into the farmer drive way unannounced. When the farmer came out of the house and did not look happy when he saw Tom. After a short introduction of myself and disclaiming my uncle ( He from my mother's side) he took us to the barn. I crawled around on the bales to make sure the truck was all there. He claimed the mileage on the speedometer was true. A couple of days later when I clean it up the speedometer read 43,xxx miles. Within five minutes I told him I would take the truck and tried to hand him the $ 500.00 dollars. He did not take it. He told me he had a man that wanted the truck and if there was ever a person standing in his driveway with $ 500.00 he needed to make a call. So in the house he went to make the call. I was checking my pockets to come up with more cash. I had less than $ 50.00 more on me. I wanted that truck in the worst way. What seemed like hours but in fact was only minutes he came back out of the house to told us the man was at an auction and his wife said he would not be home until late that night. The farmer said that at least he tried to call and that's all he had agreed too.

So for $ 500.00 the truck was mine. He took my money, got out his tractor, pulled the old truck out of the barn, and pushed it onto my trailer. As I was strapping the truck down he told me he was not sure where the title was, but he would send it to me after he found it. The only time Tom's wife Vicky spoke was to tell the farmer, " He gave you cash money, go find the title before he leaves". In the Midwest we tend to be trusting people and I was comfortable with him sending me the title. But she was insistent that he gave me the title before I left. He went into the house and his wife found the title. He signed it over to me and we left. I took the old truck home, rolled it off the trailer and went to bed.

The next morning I got up early and went to the tractor supply store and got a 6 volt battery. On the way home I stopped and transferred the truck title into my name and got a set of plates. I spent the rest of the morning cleaning up the truck and checking it out. I cleaned the points and plugs and drained the gas tank. I added fresh fuel and the battery. You guesses it, she started up and ran. I backed it out of the driveway and when I hit the brakes they snapped. Later in the day a got a call. It was the Grandmother of the man that sold me the truck. She asked me if I had purchased an old truck from her grandson Stanley. I said, "I did". She told me Stanley should not have sold that truck to me. She told me that the truck had once belonged to her husband. He had bought it new. When he died he left the truck to Stanley and his brother. Both Stanley and his brother had newer pickups so they put it in the barn. His brother had been trying to buy Stanley's share of the truck for years. Stanley wanted $ 250.00 for his share and his brother said the truck was not worth that much. He told Stanley that if there was ever a person standing in his yard with both their share of the money ($500.00) he needed to call him. That would prove it was worth the $ 500.00 Stanley thought it was worth. Stanley agreed to call give him and give him the chance to buy the truck for $ 250.00 before he sold it. As it turned out it was his brother he tried to call when I was standing in his yard. She offered to buy it back and would send someone with a truck and trailer to get it. By this time I had already fallen in love with Stella the old 39 truck( That's what I named her). She said she would make it worth my time. She offered me $ 600.00. I told her I was sorry but the truck was not for sale at any price. That was a long time ago as I am now near 50 yrs old. The old truck will remain in my family as 16 year old daughter wants the 39 truck.

This is how it looked after I got home and rolled it off the trailer
http://www.new.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=2236436&id=533934304#/photo.php?pid=2236435&id=533934304
This is how it looked after a good washing.
http://www.new.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=2236436&id=533934304#/photo.php?pid=2236434&id=533934304
This is how it looked after paint.
http://www.new.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=2236436&id=533934304#/photo.php?pid=2067977&id=533934304

 

Love the story just read in this months mag Awesome

 

Man oh man, this thread is great (except for that fire shit). In the late 80's i was a sophomore in high school and my Dad was a custom home builder. One of his subs told him that he was doing some work on this old ladies barn and picked up an old car she had. He didn't have time to work on it, so he sold it to my Dad. He didn;t know much about cars, but thought it would be a great father-son project.
It was a '58 Ford 2 dr with 12k on it. No rust, original tires, ran like a top. Mice got the interior a little, but it was a hell of a buy for $800. It sat in the driveway for 2 years and my old man realized that neither he nor I had the know how to get this thing done right. He sold it for $800 to a rodder that owned a garage a few miles away. Never saw it again, but I know the guy with the garage has integrity and probably got it a good home. Sure wish I had it now. Shoulda, coulda, woulda- the "been" brothers, I know them.

 

Thanks for the Cars in Barns link!!!!!!! I posted there so long ago I forgot about it and tried to relocate the link years ago and couldn't find it. The black Chevy nova SS near the beginning of page 1 of the Chebby section was mine. I bought it (wrecked - hit hard in the rear) to be a kit car doner, but that never happened. Stored it in the barn for about 10-11 years and had to sell it since we were selling the farm. The buyer bought it to fix his grandfather's Nova which he wrecked as a kid and now had everything to fix it, plus 60 - 75 lbs of critter crap in the back! At least this is one that got rescued and mostly back on the road again. Thanks for the memory!!!!

 

Can't say too much yet, cause I don't know too much yet, but yesterday a friend of mine called all excited. He went to a guy's house on some other business and the guy mentioned an "old Chevy" out in his deceased Grandmother's barn. Well... come to find out it's a '57 Hardtop! He sent this one pic with his Blackberry. Needless to say, we're workin' on trying to buy it. =)

 

You lucky dog...

 

Well what happened???

 

I cried a little at the sight of those burned up barn cars....

so much wasted potential thats (for the most part) gone forever

 

I know of a couple of barn cars. Ones a shelby mustang that was a factory backed racecar. I recently found a barn with a 5 window ford coupe and a 30's 2dr chevy both have been sitting since the 60's and pretty complete.

 

Here is a couple. Up here in CANADA there seems to be more old cars than people. I have lots of really cool photos from over the years but they are not digital. If I can ever get into the 21st century, I will upload them

 

I found this on Hartstine Island. The ladys husband died 8 years ago and she just wanted it gone. She really wanted to see it go to someone that could get it together and make something out of it. I did some work on her house and hauled it off. 3 truck loads. That was one year ago. I called her 2 weeks ago and invited her to a show I was driving it to that weekend. It was awsome to see her when se saw it finished. I think she was truly blown away. What a powerfull moment.

 

x3

-ryan ford

 

Found in farm sale section of newspaper,1946 chev truck.Made the phone call to find out how bad it was.He said "the body's good,it would probably start,i drove it into the shed 30 years ago".
Here it is just pulled out.It took 2 hours to unload the junk of the back.

 

The book is on the way guys! Can't wait to get it into the world. Sold the '41 back to the old man's son.

 

this one was drug out of a barn,,The car belonged to a cousin that had died,,,nobody remembered the car he got for graduation,,, HRP

 

man i look everyday for a lucky find just gotta keep lookin

 

Shouldabeenhotrods

Did you get enough materials for your book ?

after all this time you didn't have a chance to post one single picture ,

and now you want us to believe that you sold it back to the original owners son!

Or are you holding it back to be the hi-lite in your new book?

Without pictures I call BULLSHIT..........

 

There was a blue Superbird in a yard in Columbia, SC when I as in High school. may still be there. Horrell Hill rd. From 378, rt. on H.H. rd. makes a left, a straight, then a right. It was in that curve. Any one in that area? They would throw a tarp on it from time to time, then it would rot off and you could see the wing. I still know where a 30 or 31 ford pickup is, still under the shed it was under when I used to play in it. All origional running gear, the interior is red and white fat tuck and roll.....and I ain't sayin shit about where it is.


UPDATE....I rode through there today and neither are still there......oh, well.

 

X1000

Post some pics or we will know you are full of it.

 

Here is my story in a condensed version.
The day I got back from Back to the fifties in 2008 I got a call wanting to know if I bought old cars. Thinking it was probably an old minivan or Kia I almost just said no, but instead asked "what kind"? The lady on the phone said "I don't know what they are but one says Mach 1 on the side". I had heard about these cars being stored in a warehouse about 10 miles from here so I made an appointment to be there at 7AM the next morning. I really didn't figure we would be able to afford them but much to my suprise the owner just needed to find them a good home as the warehouse was being sold. I was more than happy to oblige him and between me and the bank I was able to buy them all. Spent the next month moving cars and engines. I sold a few and kept a few. I now have projects to last me the rest of my life.

 

more

 

Here's my story.I was looking for a Merc and came across this one on the internet.So I bid on it and won.It has been in storage since 1969 in San Diego.It has a 331 Hemi out of a 1955 Chrysler 300,TJ Tunk-n-Roll,frenched headlights ,shaved door handles with poppers,55 DeSoto Grill,Appleton 551's and a Barris Sticker in the window.I didn't know any history on it.So I started a thread on here if anyone knew this car and 00 MACK said it was in Carcraft July of 57.Sure enough it was.I was able to verify the license plate number with some old registration cards I found in the car.In Carcraft it had a 53 flathead,taillights in the bumper guards and exhaust through the bumber ends.I've had so much fun with this car,I got an invite to the Merc Gathering from axle,a photo shoot with Pat Ganahl and few pics in the TRJ,HopUp X,R&C.Just think how much fun if I cold ever get runiing.LOL!Maybe when I get working again.Here are a couple of pics.I hope I don't bore you guys again.

 

I found a 55 Nomad in Maine. The owner wanted $1,000 for it had replated bumpers and two grills all the stainless was polished . The rear quarters were rotted out the floor was bad. That stoped the owner. I told the guys in my club about it no one cared. I was at a show when a 55 nomad came in the guy next to me sayed he loved them but could not find one for a realistic price. I told him about the one in Maine. He went up thar and bought it for $700 and is almost through restoring it. But he moved to Mississippi so I won't see it finished.

 

I have more then enough so far, but i'm still looking to get even more!
Yes I am saving the pictures for the book of the '41, wether ya'll believe it or not. you'll see it in february guys...be patient.

 

Jesus, how many and what all did you get ?

 

ACTUALLY IN REAL BARNS, the two best I EVER witnessed with my own eyes were both in the early '70s.

The first was a Studebaker "Big Six" touring car, still with its black-lacquer paint AND cloth top intact. It was so DRY in the barn, the paint had cracked & peeled on a fend, and you could SEE the shiney steel underneath, NOT A SPECK of rust. All I could do was slobber, as I was a poor kid.

The other was also early '70s. 1935 Plymouth 5-window in an old barn surrounded by tall weeds. (My uncle had HAD one of these when he left the navy in the ear;y '50s, but that is another story!).

SOMEbody must have thought NObody gave a shit about the Plymouth, so they STOLE it after dark on evening. Some weeks later (maybe due to a TIP?), the cunty sherrif recovered the car.