Technical What parts could you kick yourself for not keeping?

They say hindsight is 20/20. And, as we know, sometimes things that were once throwaways become big ticket items. So, what parts, that were once considered trash do you wish you would have held onto?

For me, one of those things is steel rims. When custom wheels (ugh... billet bullshit) became the thing to have, everybody would just cast their old steelies aside. I remember one tire shop in my old hometown that had piles of steel rims hauled out to the junkyard on a regular basis. Yours truly has thrown his share of steelies onto the scrap heap or gave them away. Now, trying to find a whole set of decent used steelies is damned near impossible and manufacturers are charging gold standard prices for rims made from recycled steel like they are something special.

Another thing is old steering wheels (I had a butt-ton of them hanging on the wall in my old shop that I gave to a buddy back in '89.) Some of those old wheels are bringing upwards of $300 a pop now.

Seriously, if I had the stuff I either gave or threw away in the past, (that I could sell today) maybe I too could afford a nice Deuce to roll off of my carpeted trailer onto a carpeted spot at Pebble Beach.

So, I guess this thread could be tagged "#shoulda-coulda-woulda".



So, tell us what you wish you'd have hung onto had you had a crystal ball and could see the prices of the future.




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65 Vett FI unit.
55 Chevy hardtop
73 XKE
55 Nomad
32 5W
32 roadster
34 3W
60 Healy
57 Chevy 4dr Ht

 

Two Chevy 307 engines, I should have pulled the cranks before getting rid of them. 307 crank and a 350 block make a 327.

 

A set of 4 Hallibrand kidney bean mags that came with my first race car. I sold them way too cheap.

 

Several DOVE Ford big block engines.
Several 4V Cleveland engines.
Several Flathead Fords.
Several 327s.
All sold cheap to make space for whatever new project had came along.

 

Mustache bar! Wish I had not sold the "extra" mustache bar. Scarce as hens teeth. Mine is now cracked.

Ben

 

Project, '63 Impala SS convertible 348, towed from a buddy's place when he got arrested & jailed. I found out too late.

 

Cyclone 21 stud heads
Roller '35 3-window coupe (with good fenders)

 

Selling my '32 roadster and not swapping out the DZ 302 engine before I did it. HRP

 

Well, not counting cars which has been covered here several times, I would say I regret getting rid of some 406 and 427 Ford big block engines including a 427 Tunnel Port, a DOVE 429 engine and a Man A Fre intake system for a SBF.

 

Complete sbc 471 setup.
A set of 15x4.5 and 15x10 mag Halibrands
And my 38k mile 40 Willys sedan. Oh, and the ‘41 Willy’s pickup I had also

 

FENTON 6cylinder valve cover.

 

The Winfield BB carb that is now on Elrod's Question mark coupe,
it did not work the best on my Banger, now I think it is the adapter that it has, choking the two 1 1/2 venturis down to Stromberg size.

 

All the V8 running gear I accumulated for my Falcons... all the stainless trim too. Set of '64 Bel Air bucket seats.
All the '60 Ford stuff I had in my Galaxie when I sold it
Bunch of O/T Italian stuff I scrapped in the early '90's
All of my Falcon stuff over the years

 

When I sold my 51 Merc I let the 57 Caddy caps that I had hunted down one at a time over most of a year go with it and the guy who bought it could give a rip about the Caddy caps.

I sold a pair of finned aluminum T bird valve covers that I had for a 292 that I planned to stick in my T bucket before I decided that I couldn't afford the amount of money that the 292 needed spent on it at the time. Free engines can get expensive in a hurry. I think I bought the valve covers at the Pate swap meet one year and sold them at the next one or two years later. I'd still like to have a Y block powered car with dual glass packs.

 

McGurk dual intake with two Stromberg BXOV 2s

 

Absolutely nothing. Looking back just gives me a stiff neck...

 

The V8-60 ARDUN engine with the copper plate in the valley #1001.

Bob

 

This is one year too new for anyone here to recognize it!

 

^^^^^^^^^^^
That's one of the Chevy II units, right ?

 

Most recently...a super T10 4-speed that I had for about 30 years then sold and now have a need for.

 

I know where one of those are. Been sitting in the same spot for 35 years.

 

set of cast iron long tube headers for FE galaxie

 

Nothing. If I didn't need it then, I probably don't need it now.

 

Reading through this thread is depressing because I've gotten rid of parts listed but I can add all the Ford 4100 carbs, I'd pull em and pitch em, 64 hipo 289, 69 hypo 351 come to mind, but there were many many more. I did it with a few mopar carbs also.

 

What I thought, L-79

 

Roger that!

 

All the parts I thought were worth double what I paid and were not.

 

Now that they're gone and worth ten, twenty times what they were, I cant let the memories go.
1. Offenhauser dual quad and 2 AFBs for sm blk Chev
2. Muncie M22 close ratio
3. Tuck and rolled buckets from MG
4. 59 Impala steering wheel
5. Pair of deep offset Crager SS's ( GM )
6. 9-inch locker highway geared
7. Couple of nice Superior 'boat wheels' different sizes and styles.
8. Hand or foot pumped Klaxon from old Mack truck
9. Several Orange small block engines
There are a host of other other goodies that really don't bother me.
Just the way the cookie crumbles

 

No Regerts !!