My coupe was in a barn because that is what the guy had to store it in and he bought it in 53 from the original owner. He got older and the car just sat and eventually he got ill and passed away about a decade or so ago. The widow just never did anything with it for some reason. I heard that she turned down numerous early attempts from people who wanted to buy it. LUCKILY FOR ME, she finally decided to let someone drag it out.
The guy that put them in the barn didn't forget about the car. He went out and sat in it. He enjoyed it just as much as anybody else would. Why? Because he had a barn and a car. If I had a barn, I'd put a car or two/three/four in it.
well around here (what city folk might call BFE) the old farmers squirrel away cars because they know they are worth more than what the junk yard will give em, and being the old tight wad stubborn Germans that they are they figure if your not gonna pay me what its worth to hell with ya, I'll just keep it.
Not a barn find, but just a story of a forgotten car. for now.. Bought this back in 1989. Drove it for about 6-7,000 miles, and decided it was time to work on it. Did a paintjob, found some fenders for it, and fixed up the outside. Since I wasn't driving it every day at the time, I just pushed it off to the side. I'll finish it "right" later on. Moved a few times since then, and has been started at least once a year, and been driven at least every 2 years. Been sitting almost in the same place for 12 years now. Now I'm seriously looking at doing something about it, but it hasn't seen the street in 13 years at least. If I don't move on it soon, it'll sit there longer still. -Mark /Brother has a 1966 F85 cutlass that still had the 1983 plates on it 2.5 years ago. Almost finished and out if my garage! //At least it's giving me motivation to finish mine.
Or they'll fill dumpsters with "all that old shit" and no one will get it. If you're going to hoard stuff, at least make a will with specific disposal instructions for an auction or sale or something. Well, unless those instructions are going to be to "throw it all away".
Ive got a barn find in my own barn...its been sitting there for the past 11 years., ive owned it for over 13..or maybe 14 to 15 years?...my agenda went something like this.. Move to new area...check work out of town for 6 months..check.. House i bought 6 months ago burns to the ground...bad electical..bummer for me Build new home...check..took over 1 year build barn (shop)...check Have child...check living life, rasing family, keeping a job...so far..check other issues (i wont go into but are gone now)..check..thank god..that just took way too dam long got married...check still rasing child, and involved in all the functions she's in volved in...check owned a 53 chevy for 12 years, its a 4 door so i didnt spend much time on it, but did a V8 swap, and open driveline upgrade...check started a 28 Model A complete Hot Rod build..still in the works my barn find..is a 68 Dodge Charger i have owned for over 13 years and is my 3rd one..why is it still sitting...because of all the stuff and than some listed above..and im only one guy and my wallet is only so big, to be honest it needs the least out of all of my projects, I put the easy ones off till last...if i die before it gets done..than someone will have one heck of a great find..but my wife has orders on what its worth
*BINGO!!!* I see this all the time. People won't sell, because they're attached, or they think everyone is trying to rip them off. The farms here are full of old cars. I often try to purchase some, but they ain't sellin cause their of some attachment. Then when there is an auction, all the cars get sold at bottom basement prices.
One barn find is that a pal of mine, his uncle had an old drag car. It was a tube frame chassis with a pinto body, and a high winding 289, and a librity top loader trans. The one and only time I ever seen the car run was in 1997. Since then the uncle has passed away, and the son doesn't want to sell it, nor does he ever want to do anything with it. It sits in a machine shed with junk all around it, left for some later date that will never come. I think the engine is bad now, it misses, the last time it was fired, they figured a cam lobe went flat. The chassis was built in the 80s and is currently out of date and cannot be certified. I really wanted to make that a street car, build a nasty BBF and drive it on the street. It's just a cool old drag car, and someday will be sold at an auction.
So this is Krause and my barn find . The truck was sitting for better then 45 years and took a better part of a day to dig her out. We had to move a number of machine and dodge all the critters that found safty in the old barn garage. The guys bought the old Model A and made it into a hotrod to match there 1957 Chevy. So in 1957 they tossed in a 1955 265ci with a 3 speed and painted it to match the 57 a turquoise color. They add a 1949 merc dash and 1954 old rearend,split the bones and seats out of a old cabover. They later in the year the lettered it and pinstripped and a few more touches. Then in 1961-62 they needed to put a automatic into the truck with one of the brother having some issues. The brother found a 283ci and powerglide and installed it. The motor had a bad cylinder and this was were the truck was stop being worked on. This was the last time they drove the truck and were we dug her out. I found out later that local rodders knew about the old truck but couldn't pinpoint who had it and were it was. From the picture you can understand why it wasn't seen with all the goodies in front of it.
Spotted these cars while driving thru Burlington county NJ last spring. So there still out there. Looked like some engines and 1964 Ford Galaxy further back to the left.
My uncle had a junkyard/garage with all sorts of old stuff in the yar from way back. He was "Gonna do something with that" including the only good old car left, a 48 caddy with a BUILT 331 sitting in it, unmolested. It had a 4 barrell on it, in the back seat are a manifold with 2 4s, and one with 3 2s. The car is close to gone, but the engine is all there. I have been trying to get it out of him for years, but hes gonna do something with it one day. He is nearly 80.
You got me thinking, I've got two project cars that I've been dragging around for years and they are just collecting dust, I would like to trade my 30 Model A 2 door sedan for a pontoon boat, so if anyone knows of one let me know, at least i might get some use out of it and go fishing with the wife. RON
TurboStude, THAT is a fantastic story, (1) because you waited respectfully for your time to get the Avanti, and (2) because YOU really CARED about the old couple whose car it was originally! What a magnanimous act, to let him drive "his" car again, THEN to give HIM the trophy!!! HAMBers are just plain COOL!
The Jalopy Journal
