Technical What unusual ways have you transported car parts?

How about a 27 T cowl, doors, turtle deck, trunk lid, a couple of wheels, and a few other things in my Sonic hatchback?

 

The whole story, including the find and the build is posted here, but I'll sum up the 2,200 mile trip home with pictures.


Disassembly in Eureka, NV

 

I took the back hatch off my vw rabbit many years ago and hauled a 351w and a c4 trans. Still connected to each other and all there. That was an interesting ride home.

 

Sorry no pics but it did happen. Loading up our 54 Victoria to go to a swap meet 5 hrs away, 2 x 750 16 tires 2 x 550 x16 tires a big 700r4 trans a flathead 3 speed all safely loaded in the trunk of the 54. Got up in the AM ready to go and thought ok I can slip some more parts in the trunk to make it worth while . An oh shit moment when the trunk wouldn't open . Cut a long story short , removed the back seat , cut out the X brace behind the seat , wriggled in from the front and removed the tires from the trunk out through the back seat with much cursing learning new old words as I went. Finally got close enough to trip the trunk lid and fix the catch , repair the X brace reinstall rear seat and base , reloaded the whole deal and we were on our way again. Car still looked nice thank goodness, very low , but no damage.

 

Bought a set of gears from a guy in Denver-paid for them up front and planned a snowboarding trip out to pick up the gears. Turns out, the seller didn't have the gears yet. He was supposed to get them from a kind in Michigan who was trading his axles to the guy in Denver for a rust-free body. The kid in MI decided he couldn't make the trip. I had my heart set on those gears, and I'm stubborn so...

Instead of the gears, I bring home this '53 Dodge M37 from Denver to Missouri.


I disassemble the Dodge in my garage, and truck the body parts to the UP.

I trade the body for complete axles with my wanted gears, a bonus disc brake conversion and a wad of other parts.

From the UP, I head to Lincoln, NE. I bought a modified '42 Dodge in Salem, OR. I only wanted the Brown Lipe auxiliary transmission out of it. I gave the '42 Dodge to a guy in Vancouver., BC. He hauled that truck to Canada, and took it apart. He hauled the transmission and radiator from that truck to Nebraska, where he was picking up a different Dodge truck that originated with another guy in Missouri. I collected my final parts in NE and completed my giant figure 8 roadtrip.

 

^^^^^^^ I'm tired just reading about all the driving .^^^^^^

 

When I lived in Atlanta I flew back and forth to and from Canada a lot, carried all sorts of stuff in my carry-on. The only time I had any trouble I was carrying a dual-master brake cylinder and rebuild kit. They didn't have a problem with the MC, but they thought the nuts and bolts could be used for weapons and made me check the bag.

I also carried a full set of shoebox side trim taped to a mailing tube, looked like I was carrying a samurai sword, no problem.

Flying back from Bob Owens' place security was giving me the pat down. I had to tell them not to cut themselves on the rusty Texas licence plate in my bag.

 

I'm surprised to hear that coming from a Texan. Considering some of the distances driven in that state, this sounds like a quick trip to the store to buy a loaf of bread.

I wonder how many six pack trip it was?

 

Well yes it is 200 miles to a SAMs from my house . Only go once a month for supplies . LOL

 

I took a business trip about twenty five years ago with my family's sewing machine shops to northern California for about 5 weeks. I was in a 10 year old mini van absolutely packed with machines and stuff to set my displays up with.

I got up to the Bay area, where my first event was, and ran across a '29 pickup cab for next to nothing. I quickly broke it down and stuffed the doors in and among-st the stuff inside, and piled the subframe and back panels and cowl on the roof rack, and tied it all down. I can't remember the next stop, but it netted a nice tail gate for the same truck. Up on the roof it went. By the third stop, My van was getting pretty empty as sales had gone well, and I was no longer weighed down with approximately 40 sewing machines...

Then tragedy struck... The advertising was screwed up for my sale, and the stock order I had anticipated came in in full (not common) so now I had 60 machines to find space for. SUCK CITY, 'cause I had already been running around with the '29s gas tank in the passenger seat. I piled machines on the roof rack on top of the "A" parts, and perilously carried on. The last two deals did okay, but because of another stock order I couldn't head off, I still headed home with about 45 machines on board. Then I stopped at Rootlieb in Turlock, and picked up a hood, two splash aprons, and two running boards. The running boards and aprons were "burrito" wrapped in drop clothes, and roped down to the side beams of the roof rack, still piled with machines. The hood was carefully unpacked, disassembled, and packed where it would fit, including the side panels between the driver's and passenger's seats.

And off to Phoenix I went, with a severely overloaded, massively under powered Plymouth mini van, zero visibility side to side, and my laundry bag on my lap...

I've actually done five or six of these deals, including one summer in western Washington state with a pair of '42 Dodge rear fenders stuffed in the trunk, under a 1934 Silver King bicycle I scored for Judy, and all of my support stuff for the car, plus all of my "needed" stuff to run my business.

 

I have delivered more than one 40 Ford hood by bolting it on my delivery and coming home hoodless....

 

I showed up in Kansas City Mo Feb 2015 to pickup a fleetside bed for my truck. Owner though I was kidding about driving back to NYC with it on the roof of the trusty old Jetta. Made it back in 21hrs.

Got the same sideways look when I showed up at this old garage in pa to pick up a 58 348 about a year later. Yes the whole thing fit in the trunk but the heads and intake were off.


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I brought home a complete 64 impala rear end, complete front clip with grille and core support, turbo 350 and 327 in my 72 square back. I strapped the sheet metal and core support to my old one wheeled trailer that was tore apart for restoration. Drove from Portland Or to Klamath falls like that. Oh boy the looks.

 

No pictures?

 

I can't tell you how bad I could kick myself for not planning better and taking that trip a little slower. Truth is I was awake for waaay too long fighting my way home. I kinda wasted a good life experience that weekend. I passed though some really beautiful places but didn't take time to appreciate them.


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No pictures; but a friend gave me a Model A pick-up cab/cut down sedan body. I needed the surprisingly good sub-rails; flipped in onto the roof and drug it home a couple blocks. Made kinda loud screechy noises and drew a few strange looks.

Picked up an old deuce 3W on the west side one time; no front end, hooked the spreader bar over the hitch ball on my '61 Impala, tied some rope around the whole thing and pulled it home to the midway.

Later on had the use of company trucks and trailers for more normal hauling of car stuff.

 

I found a 36 frame on a river bank in the middle of nowhere. The frame was pretzeled, but it had a good rear end so I dug it out and got it freed up. Came back one evening with my brother and a buddy and pushed it off the bank into the water and put an inner tube under each drum and one under the torque tube. I tied a long rope to it and floated with it about a mile downstream while my buddy and brother drank beer and shot pistols in the dark. I got it ashore and ran out of steam. I came back a couple of nights later with a garden wagon and drug it another 1/2 mile on a narrow rolling sandy path in the woods to a Toyota pickup. It took a long time, I was out of breath, and I could swear I could hear things walking and sniffing me in the dark. I'd seen bear shit in the area and there had been wolf sightings so I was kind of wishing those knot heads were there with the guns. Loading that rear end into the truck full of sand and water was tough!


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I took a big block Chevy motor to the machine in the back of my Father's 1966 Pontiac station wagon. I had to make a panic stop because some kid pulled out between two park cars on his bike, causing the motor to roll the length of the back end. The motor crash into the rear of the front seat causing much damage. At that time the car was about 8 years old but very well maintain. After dropping off the motor, I went over to the local junk yard (Benfield Road Auto Salvage, Portsmouth, NH) and was lucky to find the same seat, same color, in low mileage Pontiac station wagon. traded seats right at the junk yard. The next day my Father and I were going someplace and he remark that the seat, for some reason, seem very firm and comfortable.

 

This thread is incomplete without a link to the hippo.....

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http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/low-tide-muddy-find-what-is-it.442552/

 

My dad once bought a El Camino that was some kids aborted project that we dragged out of the weeds for the 348 that resided in it. Rusty hulk with doors off, weathered interior, no current registration, parts piled in back that we used a bar and chain to tow 5 miles home right through the center of town down main street. I was in junior high and hoping I didn't see anyone I knew. This was in the middle 70's probably couldn't get away with that now.

 

I worked for a major airline and we could fly our pass for free. I bought a set of top bows in Dallas and flew from ATL to DFW to get them I had already worked it out that they would fit in a bicycle box. Before I left the airport to go pick up the bows I went down to air cargo and asked them if they had a used bicycle box. The guy told me that they didn't and that a new one was $15. I told him what I was going to do and he said he would look around while I was gone and see what he could find. When I got back with the bows there was a brand spanking new box with my name on it and "used" written on it with (fresh) magic marker. The bows made it back to Atlanta in perfect shape.

 

6, 21" wire wheels for a T.
2, 19" wire wheels for a A.
These are in the back of a Ford Festiva.

 

I brought home a SBC in the back seat of my 37 Packard, another time I carried a 16" ford rim in a backpack on my motorcycle.

 

Had the whole car towed home, took off what I needed and had it towed away when I was done.

 

Oh Man, the hippo-car story! I forgot about that !

 

MY 1954 Chevy is a utility sedan and some times I use her as such,about 3 weeks ago I put a 1954 Chevy replacement door in my 1954 Chevy car for transport ,..hehe...took out the passenger side bucket and slid it in no problems .

 

1971 I was stationed at Ft. Hood, Tx. Coming home to Philly on leave bringing two things. A ford script tire pump brass tube from an antique store in town. And 30.06 Remington rifle that I bought at the post rod and gun club. They were to big for the carryon bag that I had so I used a army blanket and towels to wrap them and tie it with string. When I got to the gate at dallas airport the lady asked what I had in the blanket. I told her it was a rifle and a tire pump. She looked really puzzled and asked is it loaded. I said no and it is apart. She said have a nice flight.