what cool car stuff have you found when not lookin' fer' it?

Stan, I sent ya a PM.

 

Two friends of mine,(both car guys), run a local township's DPW, the shop is in the middle of a small sub-division. On my way over there to have lunch with them one day,(it was garbage day), I stopped at a stop sign 2 blocks from the shop. Sitting at the curb for the garbage man, was a pair of old pie-crust sidewall slicks. I got out to check 'em out, and when I pulled away the box that was covering them, found 2 beautiful, original, 16x10 2-piece ET-III's!!!
I went up to the door and knocked 3 times just to make sure they were garbage, and that it was cool if I took 'em, but no one answered. I whipped them babies into the back of the '56, and went and had lunch with my buddies! Later, I took the slicks off,(they were as hard as cement), and got $40 for 'em at a swap meet. The ET's are upstairs waiting for my '32 project.

 

About 10 years ago I was checking out a house we wanted to buy. It hadn't been lived in for a few years, so the yard (little over an acre) was WAY overgrown with weeds, sumac, and crap. While poking around back of the property along the woods, I found a '34 Ford front suspension, complete except for the wishbones, still had the wires and original (rotted) tires on it. I poked around more and found a headlight bucket, then a fragment of a sedan rear fender, then a rotted out fuel tank. A crusty Model A bumper soon turned up, along with a rock guard for an A radiator. Finally found the largest piece: a '34 Ford frame with the rear section behind the K-member torched off.

The parts were all junk, but we bought the house anyway.

 

I was camping this weekend with my girl and I walked by what I thought was a wheelbarrow with no wheels but later we were standing by it and my buddy kicks it and says, you need an old airplane seat? after I opened my eyes and saw what it was I said hell yeah thats a good hot rod seat but where will i ever find another one.

About a month ago my girlfriend helped me pull the back half of a 40 ford sedan out of the desert and into my truck, I threw a seat in it and put it in front of the fire pit in my backyard.

 

I was a witness to a wild one a couple months ago.

Friend of mine, a car guy, lived across the street from another guy who had a heart attack and died. His widow decided to move to Arizona and gave away some of his stuff to neighbors. Knowing my friend worked on cars, she gave him one of her husband's old Mac Tool boxes. Yep, nice little gift, but the one of the small drawers was locked and the key was lost.

Anyway my friend used the box for about a year, and finally got around to punching the lock out of the drawer. Inside there were three velvet-lined boxes of... sports cards. Baseball, football, hockey. 1950s-80s. Wayne Gretzky rookie card. He contacted a sports collectibles dealer who appraised the cards at $2000-$3000.

 

Not car stuff, but definately car related!
In '97 my wife and I went back to the family farm for a reunion. While wandering around checking things out I happened to look behind the barn. Sitting there in the middle of a small clearing was a late '40s Bennet 646B gas pump! Pretty decent shape, too. I asked my cousin (who owned the farm) what he was doing with it. He said nothing. Did I want it? Duuuhhhh!!! Of course I did! I just had to figure out how to get it home (800 miles from home, and in my '90 T-bird at the time). It turned out the next summer they drove out this way in a truck, and delivered it right to my door. One of these days I have to restore it.

 

I purchased a 2 cyl.compreser at a yard sale ,no moter or tank.Ialready had a new compreser so i sat it away ,meaning to keep lookout for the rest later.Im in bed asleap one morning and woke to sound of tires crying and a hell of a crash.Get dressed go out to see wreck i think.A scrap hauler had some junk fall of his trailer.too heavy to load by his self.for $5.00 I got a uprite chest high large air tank.Put new moter.switch&yard sale compreser on it.retired my new small one

 

I've found various things, nothing to big. One time though, someone else found some things thanks to me and Tokyo. There's an old guy(65?) in Menomonie who works on cars similar to mine. I had a few pair of doors in the garage that I wasn't going to use for anything, and were basically in the way. Well, one dark night Tokyo and I stuffed the doors, 2 pairs of them, into his car. We drove to his house after he had gon to be for the night and left them in his front yard. No note, nothing, just magically appearing doors. He didn't know I had'em, and I haven't had a chance to talk with him since then so I don't know if he made use of them or not.

-Jeff Tanko

 

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thanks 'fer your stories! RATSTER, now, where in the HELL is that yard? i'm out here in CALI. i'll be out TOMORROW. just to look!
nic

[/ QUOTE ]That place is in Colorado. Some of the stuff is still their, I stopped by when I went back home in April. It's not open to the public, it's a farm. When I was there I wanted to get some 97's and 94's from an old trailer, but there was a big ass guard bull in the pin with the semi trailer. There must have been at least 100 carbs sitting in it. Maybe next trip. I just wish I'd stashed more shit from there. There is still some good tin out there, you just got know where to look. Here the load radical56chevy and I brought out here in April. Some of the bodies came from that farm.

 

The other side of the traler load., total of six bodies.

 

holy crap.
cool boneyard in colorado. I would like just one body, sedan
please! need to haul the family around.

 

well, where's that trailer,then? haven't checked this post in a while. i'm cryin' a river right now...
nic

 

My last major find was my newest project a 1949 packard. Found it at a small swap meet at a drive in in marysville, CA. got it for $300 complete, the body was very striaght. Needs the trunk pan replaced asnd has a couple small spots of rot in a couple other spots that are very easy repairs. Came with the skirts, hub caps, all running gear and interior. I have already sold about 12 item off the car I am not going to use and got more than my money back from purchasing the car. Found a new set of WWW at Hot August nights in Reno for a pretty good deal. I am putting it on a chassis from a 74 cougar that I got for free in town. I am using the engine from a 72 cougar that I also got for free,as well as the transmission. Had a 70 nove from suspension. Top chop is almost done,channel is next.

There is a couple old abandon cars near my place. A 52 desoto that is pretty much stripped and a 30's car that is half burried in sand,, I have toyed with the idea of digging it up to see if the cowl is any good under the sand, the part that is exposed looks to be in good shape.

 

Howdy, I'm the green horn here at HAMB but I have a few awesome stories. Ratster has a bitchin trailer of goodies, tho, jesus, and theres my tall top T I want!
Anyways, way back in elementy school, I was in the cub scouts and we were all out in the boonies planting trees one weekend. My dad sees something way off in the distance that was a rectange rust colored shape with a smaller black rectangle shape in the center. He knew right off it was the back window of some kind of coupe or sedan. Turned out it was a 34 plymouth sedan. it was missing all the wheels, rear axle, drivers door and hood. we found the hood later in the bushes, not one dent and the hindges worked great, crome was perfect. thats when chrome was made to last. the front fender was crunched pretty good, but the rest was intact. there was what seemed to be a blast from a shotgun right through the passengers door point blank. so who knows the fate of the last driver or passenger.
we rented a towtruck and it took all the kids and the kids from next door to wench the car from the mud. it was rusted pretty bad in the front, but the body was restoreable

 

great to see that this thread still has life in it, good stuff always or eventually finds a deserving home. big brother called me sunday night and told me he acquired [for me] a brochure from the Ford exhibit at the 1933 Chicago Exposition. Can't wait to get my grubby fingers on it. according to him its an incredible piece of paper featuring not only the V-8 engine but also every Ford model for that year. like I've said before "Life is Good!"

 

Elco aluminum "moon"style fuel tank....found in the scrap yard in the aluminum pile....paid about 3 bux for it.

 

Just today I found at the dealership I work at a 1977 Riviera in pretty nice shape with a good running Buick 350 and 350TH in it. One owner car with 66,000 actual on it. They wanted $595, I gave 'em $125 to drive it home. Tags are even current!

 

I know where there is a T coupe tied to an old windmill. And I also know of a 32-34(I dont really know but I'm sure its one of those) 4 door sedan. the bottom is about 5 inches under ground, but it looks pretty nice. I'm gonna try to get them soon...

 

For a while I was a "old car magnet" if it was old somebody told me about it and I always got more than I bargained for!

Sometimes the shit you find when you're not looking is something you don't want!!!

While flying in Texas, somewhere east of the Van Horn Hills there is a guy with about 20 acres of cars in his back yard! Many of them are parked door handle to door handle under 4 sixty foot cattle feeders(?)

Took down directions and drove like 7 hours to find the place..., and saw the old dude getting his mail. I asked him if I could look at his "Junkyard"? He said it weren't no junkyard but I could take a look..., but to watch out for the gaurd dogssss!

Let me say he has everything from the teens to the ninety's and I started runnin towards the old stuff while keeping an eye out for the "Dogssssss". Didn't see any so I poked my head in a 35 Packard coupe and heard a "Rattling ssssound" "SHEEET" his gaurd dogsssss slithered!!! Man they were everywhere I got the fuck out of there!

I stopped by his house and asked him how he got to his collection and he said "Winter"!

2 years later I went by and everything of value was gone..., somebody scored many nice cars if they survived!!

Mark

 

The car that best qualifies for "The Best Find" was at the "LONESTAR ROUNDUP" A 32' Roadster that was built in the early fifties w/flatty and multi carbs! He Found it in a garage in Houston, Purchased it a couple of weeks before the show for 5 or $6,000 then drove it to the show!!

Produced alot of droool! "SWEEEEEEET"!!!

 

I know this isn't in the vein of the stuff we mostly talk about around here, but I have two scores over the last few years. The first was a 1980 (square body) Ponte Grand Prix. This was the first year they "downsized". I saw the car poking out of a garage of one of my shop teachers in high skool. The ass end was sticking out to see, and it was clean as hell. I said, "What's up with that car?" He said "Go look at the front end..." It was his grandmas (she was dead by then), and it was bone stock, down to the white walls and radio-delete. He got in a wreck with it, and totaled an Escort in the process. It still ran and drove fine, but the front was wasted. Needed a front clip. I saved the front fenders & hood with some creative bondo and hammer work, and only needed to buy a header panel and grill. It had 28,000 actual miles (in 1996), and I bought it for $500.00. I was working at the body shop at the time, and it was the car I'd pull in and work on after hours...I ended up changing the color from gold to black, and adding "ss" stripes on the hood and decklid. Some gold wheels and new tires from a '77 Cutlass really set it off. I ended up selling it for $4500.00 to a punk who later wrecked it on 696 ( the Autobahn of Michigan). Total investment? Less than $1000.

The other car was a 1979 Thunderbird. (I know, I know) I followed the guy after her turned in front of me one day in the winter of 2001, and the car looked clean. It didn't have brake lights, so I followed him and told him about it, mentioning that I was into these T-Birds, and his looked better than mine, and I sure didn't drive mine in the winter. I gave him my number and said to call if he wanted to sell...a few months later, he called, but I told him I wasn't in a position to buy the car financially. He ended up taking $500.00 for it. I spent a few weekends repainting and generally cleaning the car up. I parked it out on the curb for sale, and got $3500.00 for it. Total investment? $900.00. They're out there, to make money off of. You have to be patient. With these two sales alone I bought more than enough tools to outfit my garage, and allow me to work on My '51 Merc... keep yer eyes open!

 

I got a call today at work, I wasn't looking for a 51 Ford PU this morning, but I can't pass on 2 flatheads (one is a 4" Merc.) and a fairly rust free, complete truck for...

Also, over the weekend, a shopping cart got separated from it's flock in front of my house. 2 minutes after my torch was lit, I had a new rolling engine stand!

 

Glad you guys like the trailer load. Sold both the model-T's and the dodge four door sedan to guys in the Greazy Hubcapz. I am working on another load though. I'll let you guys know when and what will be for sale. My bro radical56chevy is my partner on this stuff, he's in Colorado.

 

a new find! i've got 5 acres up here in nor cal and with it came a lotta' friends, you know, 'my wife wants me to get that whatever out of the driveway' and, i'd do anything for you,bro! those friends... anywho, my buddy brought over this 70's air boat. vw powered and all. he just wants the motor, he's a vw nut and the motor is some 'industrial' motor. the gas tank is an old mooneyes tank complete with old school spinner cap with mooneyes stamp. mine to keep for rent!
nic

 

I was whitewater rafting on the Arkansas River near Buena Vista CO. We went around a bend, and I saw several cars impaled into the embankment. This was done to prevent erosion in the old days. The cars were: '34 Chevy cabriolet, '40 Ford tudor sedan, '37 Chevy coupe, etc. The bodies were banged up pretty badly, but I almost fell out of the raft looking at 'em !

 

Stumbled onto an A sedan with a hemi sitting out in the brutal PA weather today!Pics to follow.

 

While in the service checked out a guys garage with a shipmate. Parts everywhere. Said got something for anything. Had my 51 F-1 at the time and asked what he had for a flattie. Said nothing really but to wait a minute. Came back with an Weiand Olds Drag Star 6pot manifolds. With 6 new 97's. Shipmate swapped a 400 tranny and gave me the carbs and manifolds to remember him by. He was headed back to Ca.

Buddy of mine is always looking and found some trim for a 32 Chev he was doing. Told me where and that I should look. Ended up dragging off a side car that came off a Indian some where around 1914, a 46 Ford front end, an axle from a Locomobile with wooden spokes and a rim probably for the same.

 

hey ratster!
fuck you!
ya come out here and don't fucking stop by an' say hi.
well, just bite me!

 

Last week took a friend out to a place to buy some tools. Old guy had died, his brother in law was swlling stuff for old guys kids. Bought a few tools and found an old Cal Custom foot shaped gas pedal, like the old Eelco stuff.gonna put it in my 32. Buddy of mine was one of first ones to go thru about 5 40" trailer loads of that stuff, bought couple transmissions, 4 spds. Didnt know what they were. Couple months later I was at his place, figured they were heavy truck stuff so I never went over, they were Muncies, M21 & M22. He had already sold them for $50 each!! Offerred him more, said couldnt back out.

 

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hey ratster!
fuck you!
ya come out here and don't fucking stop by an' say hi.
well, just bite me!


Damn, I'm always in trouble. Sorry Tom, man I was only out for a couple of days and had to work my ass off making the rack for the trailer. I didn't even get to see all of my family, suck's, I hate working trips. Next time I'll stop by.





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