In checking out a vintage MG (the wife has been bugging me to build her one for years), and NO this isn't about an MG. It is a fresh barn find, and I LOVE barn finds... ANYWAY, on topic, sitting across the barn from what we went to see, sits all in it's surface rust glory is a 1939 Plymouth Business Coupe body sitting on the ground (concrete) in the corner. Other than the surface, it looked like a VERY solid rust free body. My wife was checking out her project but my eye went directly over to the other corner of the barn. I walked over there and the 82 year old gentleman that owned the place walks over there where I was at. I asked if he had only the body, or is there any other of the coupe he had. I didn't get to see, but he said the rest of the car is in another barn. My heart was pitter pattering as I asked, "Could this be had?" He said, "No this one isn't for sale..." My heart breaking, responds, "Well, I better just walk away then.. " As morbid as this sounds, and as a disclaimer, I hope the old guy lives a long happy life and has at least another decade in him, I still think to myself, "This guy is in his 80's, He isn't going to do anything with this coupe, and I now know it's here... I smell an "estate sale in the not so distant future..." I asked for the good Lord's forgiveness for the thought, but at the same time, this address is now in my roll-a-dex... I will be going back, because we are close to a deal on the bride's MG project, and I promise I will get some pictures of this 39 Coupe, at least the body. Maybe he will show me the rest of it when we go back there.. Love looking in the old barns..
Just keep bugging him. He might like the attention and sooner or later realize it might be time to sell it.
Oh I will.. He's my newest best friend now.. hahhah.. I started building a repore with him today over the MG, and talking about the Plymouth. Sooner or later, he may realize it would have a better chance of seeing the road again ending up in the hands of the next generation.
Thanks for busting apart that dream!!! lol.. He might be. He sounded like he had an attachment to the 39. Who knows, it might have been his and his wife's first car, and he plans to be burried with it. I took the signal that he didn't want to discuss the sale of it, so I just dropped it, but talked a little about the car, and that era a little bit while we continued looking at the MG. When I get back from my trip in a couple days, I will be going back over there to close something with the MG, and maybe I can at least get the story on the 39. He was actually a pretty cool old guy, and I enjoyed talking to him, and he seemed to enjoy chatting with us, although he was sort of tight lipped on the 39. Has me curious now about it's story if nothing else... It would be cool if he took the cash on other sales, and did something with it. At least it is safe from any further damage where it's at.
The Jalopy Journal
