What seems to be working right now, at least out here, is to drive an old car and talk to as many people as you can. My friends and I have fallen into several deals this way...'53 Ford Ranch Wagon, 59 Olds...no really sought after cars...yet. Bryan
Daughter lived in Idaho for a while, and I did see a lot of old timers in the fields there. Almost all the trucks were missing their beds. Trailers, I guess. Here in the swamps, they won't last outdoors.
In the older sections of town, the houses didn't have garage access from the main street, they have alleys and the garages are on the alley. A slow drive on a sunny day looking between missing fence boards (people that leave cars for dead in the back yard, generally don't have a showplace of a home). a glint of chrome in the corner of your eye is a car. Make a mental note of how many garges you've passed, you have to count that many houses from the corner to find the right house. Look in areas where there is new housing going up in a blighted area... Those new condo owners are not gonna wanna look out thier new windows at an old house with a dead car in the yard, and the old car owners have probably been hassled already... catch them in a "I'm tired of fighting" mood and you can get 'em cheap.
I'll tell you the main thing I keep my eye out for after having the shit scared out of me while kicking around looking for goodies in a barn in Alabama.... COPPERHEADS!!!!
more often than not, you will se a list of cars up for auction in the paper. the problem is, anything unknown gets "unknwn" instead of an actual listing. so you will see a lit that reads 87 hnd 4dr and a lisence plate number. that would be a 4dr 87 honda. unknwn 2dr unknwn could be a 30 coupe, could be a 79 dodge aspen. you never can tell. better idea to ask the guy that puts the stickers on BEFORE they go to auction. recently (within the last couple of years) a guy got 2 59 el caminos- and they both ran and drove, one was black,one was red (a recent re-paint) and I think he paid a whopping 1500 bucks for both of them. problem is, he was a used car dealer, and he was just sure that they were worth a million bucks each, so no elky for me.
This one bears repeating. Even if they're not the shotgun toting type, nobody likes snoopers in their home/office/backyard. You're probably not the first person to show up on their doorstep, and you certainly won't be the first to offer to "take that old junk off their hands." A little respect goes a long way. One more thing to keep in mind. Line of sight in the midwest is spectacular. From my grandpa's front door, I can identify visitors at my uncle's house 1/2 mile away. The social network in some of these smaller towns is equally good. If you see one of those Farmer's Union signs on a fencepost, you can bet your ass that word will get back about the strange car in the driveway. If you start rummaging through sheds unannounced, you can expect a confrontation from somebody, be it the owner, the field hands, or the law. Okay, one more and then I'm done. If you tell the guy you saw something from the road, ESPECIALLY if you're throwing out an optimistic number, make damn sure you can actually see it from the road. Again, a little respect goes a long way.
Detours through Indian Reservations could reap some oldies. But realize there are a whole new set of laws on the reservation and your not always welcome. Avoid signs like tresspassers cars will be confiscated.
Also if they decline an offer always leave a card or number for when the county makes them get rid of it.
Watch out for horny donkies. And don't ever try and take a shit in a field where a horny donky resides. CAUTION: Naked man ass present in the following video. Do not watch at work.
A few years back a buddy and I took his pickup and his two Honda 90s (60s era) and went to Idaho. We parked at the Motel and went riding for 3 days straight on these little trail bikes on back roads and such and he found a 29 Ford sedan for nothing in a field next to an abandoned barn by asking the neighbor about it. The neighbor had just bought the place and was getting ready for a farm auction on the place. It was complete but non running. He still has it and it is being completely restored....Ouch. Gumpa
Like always everything should be done with repect. I don't care how abandon it looks, before you venture of the driveway you better have permission.
Sometimes the tips are right at your fingertips. I found and bought a '34 Ford coupe out of a barn last Feburary. I first saw a photo of it posted on a unrelated website while doing some random lunchtime surfing. It was posted there because it was a nasty old car that looked funny to the guy that found it. I contacted him, found out where it was (700 miles away), contacted a relative of the owner, then the actual owner, and ended up buying it... all within 10 days! You have to act fast when the opportunity comes up, don't 'think about it'. Steve
great point. I am always scanning garages and fields for finds here in alabama. When I am looking for something I can never find it. But once I buy my project 10 others find me. ryan
Yup & even being an Indian your self won't help if you are the wrong tribe on the wrong rez. Got held at rifle point for about an hour on a rez in Idaho by about 12 Blackfeet who didn't give a shit that I was Cherokee myself . Prize was a duece sedan , front half buried in a wash. This was the Day John Glen made his famous sub-orbital flight --- real strange -- listening to accounts of the flight drifting out of the car , trying to get the duece at first , then just trying to get turned loose without being shot--- finally a carton of cigarettes changed hands & we were headed off the rez--- sans Duece either!!
I always look for mailboxes (moreover the lack thereof) on 'abandoned' farmsteads. THEN, I carefully enter with the best looking camera I have available, even a small digital will work. That way if someone confronts me and I don't have permission, I just tell them that I'm doing some photography of old cars. This HAS worked. Also, if you live around the area, it is a good idea to get a Plat map. This will tell you who owns what land and usually has contact info therein. Just do not say that you 'found this car' on their land'. That tends to make them angry when you have already been there. I only go on land without permission if it is abandoned, but beware it does belong to someone!
Google Earth could work well too. It shows details of anywhere on earth. Metropolitan areas you can see people walking down the sidewalk. I use it a lot for scouting locations for car shoots. I can see where trees are, fence lines, ect. It might be used for finding groups of cars sitting on a farm somewhere. Thats such a good idea I'm hezitant to share that one.
If you live near small towns, drive your current car to local coffee shops, cafes. It is'nt hard to drum up conversations and just ask if they know of any restorable cars or parts around. People (older guys like myself) love to talk about cars they used to have or of some they know of. The key is to follow up on any possibilities.
Here is my Olds Dynamic 88 I'm picking up this weekend in South Dakota. Can't really tell what it is but you can see something is out there.
Hey, Take a look at my place....I want to see what I've got in my yard. 2748 Hillwood St. Monterey TN
Wait Tingler, I think I can just make out a Willys and a row of three foot tall orange and white football players...
seems in minnesota, a lot of the stuff is off the beaten path, only way to find it is to ask at the local gas station, usually there are a few guys standing around drinkin coffee. also, be a good idea to jack up the rear of the car etc, i seen a lot of them just within the last few months that looked like something, but busted in half when the front end loader picked it up from behind. this tall wet grass is killer on everything from the lower doors on down. i bought my 57 sight unseen, and i got lucky. i know of a few places out by my fathers farm north of milaca, driving i was like heh, he has a 100 old cars back there, asked my father about him, guess he wont sell nothin. its all how you go about it though. if a guy likes you he might give you a deal. if its something you want bad enough, ask if he would trade it for labor, seems a guy could usually use another pair of hands vs the cash sometimes. risky business, but if its a fair deal, everyones happy. not to mention while you are helping him paint or whatever, you can ask, "what else you got?". i usually recommend this to younger guys in highschool who dont got the cash, but got abundance of time and energy. i dragged a old ford out of a field in high school, drove it 1 summer, by the end of summer, it had basically shook it self loose from sitting them 10 years. guess you gotta know what you are getting yourself into. luckily we had a decent autoshop at kennedy for my broke self to piece crap together. lance
as far as i aknow all the good tin been turned into beer cans hell im holding a 32 in my hands right now no but on the point i use binoculars and look for lots of land and kittle houses plus ask around the lonely gas staition they usely know everybodys dirt plus belive it or not those old farmers are nicer at 6 in the morning
The Jalopy Journal
