Did you find your car or did it find you ?

What I mean is, did you seek out and find the exact make and model of car you have or did one just happen to become available and you built that car instead ?

My 27 happened unexpectedly. I had built most of the model a frame for my rod and was searching for a model a roadster body. One day I walked into an old auto parts store and there was a Speedway 27 body sitting in the middle of it. Turns out 3 friends had ordered 3 bodies from Speedway and only two got built. The 3rd body never was touched. I hadn't considered a 27 up until that point but it was here and for sale, so the direction of my build changed.

I just wonder how many others found their cars like that.........one that you never thought of building but suddenly one turned up and you had a new project on your hands.

Don

 

I'd started I '32 chassis, but is just sat-I didn't really know enough to proceed. I firend found my '31 at Carlisle on Sunday as folks were packing up-I dove down the 2 hours ot see it and it was close enough to what I wanted-chop already done and running-so I bought it-8 years down the road, and I'm still redoing it. _Hope to finish by summer's end. )

 

My '56 I had in high school was all by accident. I had been looking for some kinda of trfive chevy to fix up, but wasn't set on a certain model. My mom came home one day after showing a house to a couple and mentioned to me there was a cool station wagon across the street.......later on in the week she took me to go and see it and there it was...'56 210 station wagon!

 

With our dogs and weekend camp trips the restored 55 wagon becoming a muddy hairy dog mess In a hurry. I started looking for a 47-54 truck and stumbled upon the suburban in a box. Fleabayed some vinyl stock seats and installed an upgraded drivetrain and now we have the perfect dailey driver, dog hauling camper towing vehicle.

But I still want a truck

 

I just happened to find mine too. I had a truck that my Dad and I split on that we were planning to fix paint and sell for a profit, but it was a 2003, and lame and after driving it for a few weeks I wanted some old truck, any old truck lol. We wanted to sell the 03 when it was nice to fund a 48-51 F3 shop truck, but it would be more fun to fix up a old truck. So I was looking on kijiji for something pre 79, and found a cool 1969 Dodge like my Grandparents used to have, and it was for trade, so I sent him a message, after showing my Dad the truck. Then we talked about how much cooler it would be to restore an old truck, so I clicked back to the classics section and there was an add "WILL TRADE FOR TRUCK" that was just posted. I clicked on it, and it was a nice looking 50's car, with clean looking rockers, but about a foot of snow on it.

I said lets send him one, but my Dad thought it was too nice, and we had not really done anything to the truck. I said, what will it hurt and sent him one, and a week later we owned a 1954 Pontiac. Much more fun to work on. We still want an f3, so we will be selling the Pontiac once its on the road, but its a nice car.

 

looking for a tri 5
my neighbor found a 1 owner 56 Nomad
drove it from 67 to 88 sold it
it disappeared found it on e bay 20 years later but lost it

 

The only one that "found" me was my Falcon. Usually, I have a list of cars I am looking for. When I found my Chevy II wagon, I had a 327 I was looking for a wagon for, I was looking for either a single headlight G-body Malibu wagon (The HORROR!!) a '64-'67 Chevelle wagon, or a Chevy II. I honestly didn't expect to find a Chevy II, but when I did, I jumped on it.

The T-coupe body, I had been thinking about cloning the Anderegg body for about a decade. When a friend turned up with a cheap T body with no doors, it was PERFECT. I dont even have to feel guilty about cutting up a complete coupe body.

 

I searched for mine. Got bit by the Edsel bug at 16 an one of my favs was the 59 Villager Wagon. About four years ago I started looking and finally found one that was decent, had a great price, and was near me.

Then it sort of chose me. I had to delay getting it - was called away for work for a few months and figured the guy would sell it. He did have others look at it but it never sold.

After I bought it the owner told me, this car was destined to be mine. Every time he'd take it out and think he had sold it to someone, the car would die. Usualy from simple fix problems, but it always scared the buyers away. For me it drove flawlessly around the block. *shrug* Kinda strange

The Merc was by pure chance. Happened on the add on c-list and texted the owner. The transmission had crapped out the week before and he was desperate for money for a motorcycle. The rest is history.

 

I would have to say that almost every car I bought has found ME! I scan ebay or craigslist or I'm just driving around or word of mouth. Not looking for anything in particular. Just looking and saying "man I think that would be a cool car to fix up." Some get done and some sit and get re-sold!

 

I was just wanted an old truck, something practical and found this jewel on ebay 5 years ago..sold the 68 firebird I'd had for 20 years and did a frame off on the k model over the course of 3 years

 

my AMX found me. was looking for a project but never thought of an amc, just not many around here. the price was right and when I found out how rare they were I jumped on it.

 

Mine found me. I had my heart set on a 48 Chevy on CL. but I had to get my T bucket sold to get it. I ended up setting the bucket sold on a Friday and with money in hand I went to CL to look up the contact info on the Chevy and couldn't find it anywhere. I was BUMMED....so I just started cruising CL and my wife walked in the room just as I clicked on an ad for a 1949 Hudson. We both fell in love at first site. We jumped in the truck and went that night. Bought it on the spot. It never occurred to me to look for a Hudson so it was a pleasant surprise

 

I dream,I buy, often on impulse with little research.Buying stupid means I always get fucked and wind up rebuilding the whole vehicle...and making it my style.

 

I got my 31 A from my father-in-law, we went from Denver to Ogallala Neb. to get it for my brother -in-law, we got it home and me brother -in-law looked at it and said he wanted a coupe so the old man said if you want the dam thing take it home and I did.

 

It pretty much chose me. It’s kind of a long story but basically back in the late 60’s and early 70’s I had built and owned a number of cars that ranged in years from the late 30’s to the tri five Chevy era but I always wanted an early 30’s coupe. Growing up I can remember always being a car nut. My best friend and I were driving trucks and cars around the farm from the time we were big enough to see over the wheel. There was a local hot rod club in the area called the Mill Rockers and we used to marvel at the hot rods that those guys built and that’s what really lit the fire. One of the local farmers had a 1927 phone booth “T” sitting in back of his house and somehow my friend managed to talk him out of it for the princely sum of $25.00. We were only 14 at the time but by the time we got our license he had the car pretty well ready to go. It was powered by a 392 Hemi and needless to say it was a fun car to drive. I had a pretty hot 55 Chevy at the time but I wanted something closer to the style of that “T”. There was a guy from upper Massachusetts who advertised in Hemmings that he had what he claimed to be a couple of “Nice Clean” early Fords. One was a 31 five window and the other a 32. I had gotten a job at a local factory about a year earlier and managed to save a pretty chunk of change so I grabbed a buddy and off we went, cash in pocket to Mass. Those “nice clean” cars turned out to be one step above disaster so it turned out to be a nice long ride for nothing. On the way home while coming into a neighboring town out of the corner of my eye I saw an old coupe going by the other way with a for sale sign in the back window. I yelled for my buddy to turn around because I “Just saw an old FORD go by that was for sale”. We spun around and went back just in time to see the car pulling into one of the bays of a Shell gas station. I jumped out and ran in just as the owner was getting out of the coupe and yelled” How much do you want for the Ford? Ford ? he said …....That’s not a Ford, It’s a 1932 Chevy. Now at the time I wasn’t much of a connoisseur of old cars ,I just knew that I liked the way they looked but my family always owned Chevys and hearing that this was one of them really got my attention. Now what are the odds? ….Here I was with a pocket full of cash returning home from a failed trip to purchase an old coupe and this one pops up out of nowhere only 15 miles from home and it’s a Chevy to boot. It was just meant to be. It turns out that the owner’s grandfather bought the car and drove it for a number of years and then stored it. When the grandson got out of the army he decided he wanted to become an auto mechanic and got a job at the local gas station to learn the trade. His grandfather gave him the car to play around with but once he got it running and driving he lost interest in it and decided to sell it. All happened in 1972 and I’ve owned the car ever since. A lot of other cars have come and gone but the Chevy has stayed with me and has been rebuilt, restored and hot rodded a number of times and still remains my favorite car.

 

At a shop I used to work for, my boss brought a truck in and asked me to put it on eBay for him. I asked how much he wanted for it and came up with the money a week or so later.

 

My stats are about 50/50.

I got into Model A's because they were what's available. Since then, I search them out because I am familiar with them. I sought out my Anglia because I was heavy into drag racing at the time. My '52 Chevy was purchased from a friend of mine. Even thought I am a Chevy guy, it's my only GM to date.

 

I guess you could say that the car found me. In the early 70's I had just finished my dream car, a 1940 Ford coupe with a hot nailhead Buick 401 and 4-speed. At the first run I went on I noticed a beat up dog of a chopped '34 3-window with a crude 4-sale sign. For some reason I was completely blown away by the car and immediately sold the '40 to buy the '34. 41 years (and 160,000 miles later) it looks like I made the right choice.

 

My dad gave me my junker (29 tudor sedan) for Christmas... Along with flattie, trans, and chassis components... I wanted a coupe but the sedan will do for now!

 

I stumbled over mine, I guess.

I went to a cruise night, which I very seldom do, and saw the '36 3w in my avatar parked there. I told the owner that if he ever wanted to sell it, I'd be interested in buying it. He told me that he wouldn't sell it, but had always wanted my '55 Buick since he'd first seen it.

Three days later the 3w was registered in my name and sitting in my driveway.

 

I had a 35 ford humpback with a rusted out frame, traded for a 51 chevy coupe. For some reason I just hated that car. I really wanted a 47-53 chevy pickup. I put the 51 on CL about a week later a giy calls wanting to know if I would trade for a 54 chevy pickup. Long story short that funny grill and one piece windshield have grown on me and I think shes a keeper.

 

Lil Beast, my 1938 fiat topolino found me...i was on the verge of ordering a glass topo from Rod n Race....saw an old posting for a rusty topo in arizona...long haul from michigan....inquired about it but got no response...but it was my lucky nite...another member of that site has his notifications set to alert him for topolino postings....sees my asking about the az topo and drops me a line....the rest is history...

or see my build thread below

 

My 36 found me, I owned a nice "hot rod" t bucket, mexican blanket seat, no fenders, fast, good handling and fun. Also a huge heat score, I got pulled over on a very hot sunday afternoon by a really stupid cop who thought he was somebody, started preaching motor vehicle regulations to me, I disputed every one, asked for proof of his observations, told him he was making things up as he went. (he was), two and a half hours later I was allowed to leave with an inspection order in hand, again, was fed up, went home, put the car up for sale and along comes a guy with a 36 ford two and a half tonner on a chevy one ton chassis, wanted to trade.
My boy convinced me that it would make a good hauler, trade was made and I spent two years building a pickup out of it. I had traded for what amounted to a total pile of crap, have had it eighteen years, sixteen on the road, been looking for my T ever since.
Its in Red Deer Alberta, copper coloured, quarter elliptic rear, tube front, windshield posts are one inch round aluminum stock, slot mags, no luck finding the current owner.
Both can be seen here, www.trolls.quack.net

 

All great stories, please keep them coming.

Don

 

This is a little O/T but the story needs telling. Last week I stopped at the local H-D dealership to look at a new Sportster and ended up buying a 2013 Anniversary Limited Edition. A thing of beauty to be sure but really just a collection of chrome and trick paint. When I got it home and was checking it out I noticed the tag on the gas tank that said it was 775/1500. My corporate employee number where I worked for 40 years was 775. It was just meant to be so I guess we found each other.

The bike was a 70TH birthday present to myself.

 

Maybe off topic but really cool story. Be safe and stay cool.

 

My folks were visiting me in Alaska from New Jersey a few summers ago.The hotel they were staying at has a Titty Bar across the street .I saw this 56 Cadillac sitting way off in the corner of the parking lot.I thought it had a No Trespassing sign in the window but no it was for sale.Once I convinced my girlfriend that it would be an Awesome car to own. I talked to the owner and we worked out a deal and my addiction has started.
A few years go by and now I have a 56 Cadillac ,61 Ihc pick up,49 Windsor,41Plymouth,a Scout,57 Studebaker panel truck and a shit ton of parts and pieces sitting in my yard.



So the car found me...I think

 

In 1988 I was looking for a 1940 chevy coupe an a truck driver said his dad had three for sale. I went to look . He wanted $ 5000 each for two coupes , $3000 for the other one . I saw a 2dr sedan on a trailer an asked
how much for the sedan he said $400 , And he deliver it to my house for that with a title ..Here's some pics..Before & after..

 

They all find me. This is the most recent:

 

I was talking with an old guy at work about old cars and hot rods and said that my dream car is a Ford 32 3 window coupe. He said that he and his brother drive around Michigan a lot and he would keep an eye out for one. I joking said that if he sees one sitting beside the road let me know.

Three months later the guy came up to me and asked what it was I was looking for. I said a 3 window coupe. He replied with I found one beside a barn, here is the number of the guy, a old Ford parts dealer, who has it.

I called the guy that night and was told that it was't for sale. I went to see him the next day anyway and spent 3-4 hours getting to know him.

After the I phoned him every other day until he said that since he had already had a coupe that he would sell me this one.

I took a trailer the next day to get it before anyone else found it was there.

So you could say the car found me.

Martyn