What's the coolest thing you found in an old car?

A friend of mine ran a wrecker and impound lot, (has since passed on, great guy). He was called to haul off a little POS car full of trash. After it sat in his lot, he got ownership of it and started cleaning it out. While he's cleaning, he finds this little stamped tin gun and he starts piddling with it. It ended up being one of those home-made zip guns, and he shot himself in the hand! It was a .22 caliber, so it poked a hole through his palm, but at least it didn't blow his hand off!

 

the back seat of my 58 benz... found a couple of 8 balls of coke in bags, two needles, and about a dime bag of some pretty good weed. owner's kid used it as a stash and didn't know it was for sale, might explain why it got keyed a few days later.

 

How about some live ammo in the quarter panel of my '68 Roadrunner? Just found these as I was cutting some rust out. See the shiny part on the end of the bigger one? That's where my cutoff wheel started going through it.

 

S&H Green Stamps, Comb, Gas Can...

 

I always like finding old tools. My only snap-on wrenches and screw drivers came out of a couple of old ford trucks i bought in the 80's.

 

Florida Department of Law Enforcement badge with photo, current issue.
The agent traded in his 2009 Sierra LTZ (now mine), and had left it in the console. Not an old car, but pretty cool find! I called the guy and gave it back.

 

worked at a body shop years ago. was cleaning up a coustomers car prior to pick up and pulled a large bag of weed and a loaded 9mm auto out from under the front seat with the shop vac nozzle,thought about keeping the weed til the I found the pistol. then thought better of it and just put it back where I found it. NONE OF MY DAMN BIZNEZZ!!!!!!

 

We found a sleeping bum in my buddies '39 Ford Coupe Hot Rod. We were making a film for high school films class called "Then came BOZO". I was dressed up like a '30s gangster in a pin striped suit, with bright curly orange hair, and Bozo the clown face make up. REALLY freaked him out to be woken up by me yelling at him through the drivers door window. I'll never forget the look on his face.

 

while rummaging around through these old cars in a closed down bone yard, I found a box full of Rod & Customs, Custom Cars, etc. in the trunk of the big four door.

 

I always find kool stuff, old soda cans, beer cans, bottles. Wife calls it junk, I call it treasures..

 

Ya might want to research that before you go turning it into a shift knob, I have seen some sell for hundreds...

 

When I cleaned out the trunk in my Galaxie there was this box with spares for the car, but in the bottom of the box there was an old magazine from 1946, Perfect Circle which is PR for piston rings, in immaculate condition.

 

I understand now how this stuff gets left in cars. I swept out inside my '50 Chevy a couple weeks ago to fit a T-bird seat in the back and there was a whole bunch of crap I'd forgotten was in there. I wondered where all those '58 Chevy dash parts had gone to -

 

What's the coolest thing you found in an old car?

a block of ice on the windshield last winter!

 

I was working in a big shop years ago, just putting a car up on the lift to do a brake job. Another mechanic comes stumbling up late to work and asks if he can crash in the back seat to catch some Zzzzzz's. I say sure.

The brake job is done, I take the car for the road test, totally forgetting that I have this 6'6" lunk laid out on the back seat. I'm doing the obligatory number of stops, when he sits up in the back seat scaring the living shit out of me!

Laughs had, we go back to the shop. This was around 1977 or so, I still remember the car, maroon '65 Chevy II four door and the customer it belonged to.

Bob

 

found a really cool 401 nailhead in a 65 wildcat once. Its under the hood of my 50 chevy now.

 

Bobs396 thats a great story. For sum reason i can picutre it real clear!

 

This guy was an insomniac... also known to party until the wee hours above and beyond the rest of us. Guy has a Herman Munster size and shape to him otherwise i wouldn't have jumped out of my skin.

Bob

 

Oh man, that's funny!!

 

Found a bunch of old fishing lures my 54.

Edit: I forgot I also found this it's about the size of a silver dollar and says Koin Pack 1 latex Prophylactic.

 

Bought a '65 Chevelle once and under the backseat was a old box full of German coins from the 60's. Didn't see anything to indicate the car had ever been overseas, so not sure why they were hidden under the seat bottom.
When I started tearing my '46 Austin sedan apart to build the gasser I removed the entire front clip and was sweeping up the dirt on the floor when I noticed some coins. Dug two minty tarnished 1946 Canadian pennies out of the dirt. I assumed ince the Austin was lefthand drive it was imported to the USA, but after finding the pennies I think it must have gone to Canada when new.

 

lol, I found a piece of old chewing gum in my heater box

 

Cool

 

Found 3 original center hubcaps for a 49 olds 78 fastback (2 door) my dad was selling about a year ago. they were stuffed in the trunk along with the trashed spare tire. Polished them up and nearly all of the rust came off. They look almost new apart from where the rust pitted the metal...

 

Don't know if it meets the criteria as in 1974 a '69 Chevelle wasn't that old, but my best friend in high school bought one from a local used car lot. I helped him clean it up a bit when he brought it home, under the driver's seat we found a roach clip which spurred our youthful enthusiasm. A lot of digging later we found a good sized baggie of what the roach clip went with. Not sure if it was in the car when it went to the lot or if someone was using it as his hideyhole but we were grateful for his kindness.

 

Was cleaning out the trunk and in the spare wheel well, in a blanket, were bear claws!

 

Not exactly in the car. I bought a Model A coupe this fall and also got alot of spare parts in boxes. Later while sorting though the boxes I found these hood ornaments. The swan looks to be an after market item. The other two are 51 Kaiser hood ornaments, the smaller of the two is for a Henry J. Those are nearly mint. The guy I got the car from, his Dad had worked at the Kaiser plant in the 50's.

 

found a big box full of glass tail light lenses for cars from late 20s to early 50s new in their boxes,and 2 3-bolt holleys.

 

Did you find the coffee to go with them?

 

quarters from 1965,,, the owners bracelt under the drivers seat of my 67 camaro....also the build sheet in my 67 chevy 4x4......gump