Well it is home. Took me 4 days of work to get it out off there. The owner said I could have it but I could not **** up his yard draging it threw. Very understandable but made it a bet harder to get. I took the front fenders off the first weekend and got the grill, hood. And I found the front axel with the A bone, spindles and brakes great score all though the axel is bent. As you can see there is a frame. I tried to winch it out with a 4 wheeler but it would not move. I also cut a path with a chain saw and hatchet. End of first weekend. Last weekend I brought a front axel off of my 39 ford pickup with wheels and a ford explorer rear end. I jacked it up and wire tied on the front and rear axel not easy on a muddy slope. It snowed most of the day. Then I tried the winch again it barely would pull it. I would use a bar under the front axel and pry as my buddy ran the winch. We could go about a foot at a time. Made it about 15 feet then the winch gave out. The battery was low even though we left the 4 wheeler running. We went to charge the battery and it got dark. Sunday I barrowed a car trailer because I know it is coming out today. We had about 50 more feet to go. One foot at a time. All was going good. Then we had to get a higher point on the hill to winch from so we blocked it with jack stands under the wheels. Then unhooked the winch. After 2 minutes it rolls over the stands and takes off down the hill. My heart droped. Lucklly it went about 10 feet and hit a tree no damage thank god. If it would have went to the bottom I would have said **** it. Mybe. Well it is now at my house. A little more rusty than first thought but that the way it always works. I tried to give the owner some money for the car. He said save it for the car. And send me a picture when finished. I said I will bring it buy. Asked some history on the car said He hade lived there 55 years. His brother in law was there and said he thought about draging it out 40 years ago. I told him he should have it would have be in a lot better shape. He said he though it hade some thing to do with the owners dad. He hauled it home back in the 40s or 50s. I got a bill of sale. The land owner was probally the nicest guy I know. It felt great to get it home. Not a day latter there was over a foot of snow up there.
read preavious thread excellenf find glad ya finally got it home even though it was a lot of work just missed the heavy snow moses
Man, and I thought I got a great deal on my '34 Ford. Great score. How old is the guy you got it from? You better make sure you get it done while he's still kickin... Vance
Great Job! Sounds like it was alot of work to get it out of there. You are very lucky to find something like this. Count your blessings and get to work.
Yes it was well worth the work made me apriciate it that much more. Not sure on the build. I want to keep it mostly oring****. Or very traditional period correct 50s hot rod. Mybe a flathead or Y block. Don't flame me to bad but I may build it traditional and then try to sell it. You guys know the prices are high. I need a house with a bigger shop. Single car garge right now. I think it would be worth the most with fenders, flathead Mybe a t5 though for drivablity. Both quarter are rusted down by the running boards. Steves auto restorations sells patch panels for $75. Quarter are $895 ouch. I want to keep as much of the orig**** sheet metal I can. I have to finsh my 1939 ford pickup first before I can do any thing. I have it in storage right now. May sell the pickup to finace the build when done. I may not have the heart to sell the cabriolet though. Allthough it would be a great lifestyle change. I want a shop big enough to run a small hot rod shop out of. It will be 3 or 4 years down the road so who knows. How do you HAMBERS think I should build it?
Cars come and go.....you build some you just flip some....the storys are the best....You have a pretty cool story going there. I think that you are the only lucky ****er in the world to find a 34 cabriolet in the woods! I would do a 50's style if it were me....I am also glad you went through with it and got it out of its resting place. Now finish what you started, resurect that thing, and use it as a "this is what I can do" advirti*****t for your new hot rod shop. You will get many more miles out of it that way then just selling it to some gold chainer for cash. Cash goes away fast, your reputation can stick for a lifetime!
Not sure on the build, but be sure to really carefully clean that body and maybe oil it down (Gibbs) if it's going to be stored. They can deteriorate really fast if that moss and dirt has time to eat away at it inside a building. Very cool, got a good story from it too, way more interesting than if it would have just come out easy.
Good to see you got it out, I was waiting to see how you got on, great find man and the price is right. Actually looks better then I would have expected.
Never would I fault anyone who sells anything to achieve their dream. Some guys dream of owning or building a 34 cabriolet found in the woods. Other guys dream of having a nicer home and a big *** garage for a playground. Dont feel guilty selling it. But my god dont sell yourself short and sell it without achieving your dreams. I sold this Rpu to get my dream garage and even had money left over for another project. I had guys tell me i was crazy for letting the RPU go. I never looked back.. Good for you. Its so great to hear guys who need the money come across a run of good luck!
Great find, I remember reading your original post and am glad to see that it's more solid than I thought it would be, I've seen them just fall apart when you try to move them. Like Squablow said though, clean it real good before you put it away. And glad to see ya got it.
Thank you. Love your RPU. I am not that happy with my current job. Seems like a great way to get ahead of life. I have always wanted a hot rod shop of my own. Never have found a way to get one $ you know. My wife loves the ideal. It will be a lot of scaping to fine money to build the cabriolet. I don't want to compraimes on the quillty of the build or ruin the history of the car. So I will build it slow and with a lot of thought about history. Four years ago I would not have it was custom everything cut and chop. Mybe I am growing up Naw.
Hell yes, full fendered, blown flatty, wide whites and smoothies and a **** tail blowin' in the wind.
Thats great to see you got it. I might do the same thing if I were you, build and sell, but maybe not. As rare as it is you should really take your time and do it all right. It'll be worth that much more. I'm sort of surprised to see that it's in as good of shape as it is though. I thought it'd be a lot worse.
I am trying to find the vin number on the frame. I though it is on the drivers side front buy the steering box. Could I find the orig**** paint code from the vin ? I will diffentally take my time. It looks like it was blue once and also green. Two paint jobs at least. The guys at the hot rod shop I work at part time said at least it is not as bad as a 1965 fastback they bought on ebay. They bought it in PA. $5500.00 delivered. It was worth about $800 buy the looks of it. 6 months later it now looks like a car. The owner is taking it on the power tour next year and then Barett Jackson.
Build it the way you want to, then drive it for awhile. Some cars just don't feel right when they're done and there's no remorse when they leave. Othes seem to be a part of you and you can't picture yourself without them. You probably won't have the opportunity again to own a Ford V-8 ragtop because of the pricing, so make sure you're ready to let it go if it comes to that.
I'm happy for you. The FIRST thing I'd do is get rid of the rear wheels. They are testing my gag reflex. I'd say 'good luck' with your build, but I think you've used up all your luck on this one. Keep us posted with your progress.
surprised you did not let it roll down the slope onto your trailer ok how long was it to get it to the trailer .. in feet landscaping is cheaper than you think real tow truck or naybors tractor ??? glad you saved it
Probally 75 feet up. No road down below. I did what I had to as not to piss off the land owner. That is why I put wheels under it. A truck with a winch would have pulled it out with no wheels. But I could not drive in his yard. What you don't like the 1999 mustang rims ?
Also consider that the car might make you more money selling it as a project than as a completed car. Deuce and 33/34 bodies, even in rough shape, sell for big $, and the investment into building it might eat up the profits (and all your spare time for about two years) if you build it to sell. If you're really serious about starting a rod shop, you could consider offering the car up for sale, as-is, at the going rate, but have part of the deal include that the new owner hires you to build it to their taste. Gets your foot in the door as a rod shop and probably makes you the most profit to get your shop started. Just a thought. You got that thing cleaned and oiled yet?
Yeh I have thought about that. But that would be no fun. I want to build and drive that car. Like every on said I probally will never have another one. I will build it how I picture it. And if some one offers me a life changing amount I would take it. I think. I think the build is the most fun.
Hey, congratulations. Does anybody else see an image of Elvis in the lower left of the driver's door? You may have to leave that part of it alone.
The Jalopy Journal
