Customs which car would you have saved?

@Hnstray , i found an old registration under the back seat of the '54. a temporary Mokena Illinois from 1986. it made the trip here.....it could make the trip back

 

love the white ambulace. that top and those side bulges.....very cool camper.

 

Is the 57 up for sale??


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i think you mean the parks department rescue truck. he told me it spent time in yosemite and was a lighting truck. it has a giant spot light that emerges from the roof. i did not have time to look it over but it was cool. perfect support vehicle for a race car.

i need to clean them up first, i am thinking the 58 might be used to get the other cars going.

 

54

 

sorry i missed your question. i think the truck your asking about is a mack.

 

That is one heck of a Toy Barn, if I had the funds and a place to store this it would make one heck of a Hershey camper/parts hauler. Bob

 

Bob, have you been there? it is only a few miles from your house.

 

^^^^^^^^That is a really cool truck.......would live to have it though I have absolutely no real use for it or a place big enough to house it.......oh, well..

Ray

 

No, I'd like to see it how tall a door will it clear? Bob

 

That ambulance is just stunning! Could you liaise for me with a bit of commission if I was seriously interested? ........Which I am! Bit of a logistical issue in that I'm in the UK. I've shipped a few cars back so it's all possible. Had a few ventures with uship which so far have worked out ok.




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will do.....

 

I am a long time lurker, I signed up just to reply to this thread. Please don't part out the 58. I am a big fan of the 58s I wish I could afford one so the 4 girls and I could rebuild it together. Hell I wish I could make you a reasonable offer on the one you have. In Indiana they are way overpriced junk if you could even find one. I wish I could have a crack at that one.

Denny

 

your interest and those of others is why i could not let any of the cars be scrapped. that dilemma is why i started this "dumb" thread. i think this discussion made me feel better about my purchase and the effort to save them.
thanks to all for the input.
the one thing about parts cars, despite their lose, is that they may fix dozens of other cars. all good.
i do like the '58 and i will post photos after i clean it up.

 

Wow some really nice stuff in there but love the Packard ambulance and this one

 

You did the right thing by saving all of them! Before my exwife robbed me blind and into bankruptcy I would have done the same thing. I used to go to my buddy's junk yard when he was alive and lock my self in there just to build cars from the wrecks he towed in. He used to get mad as hell at me for ruining his parts cars by making them runners and drivers. Never got paid for it but I got all the parts free I ever needed. Hell, I never wanted to be paid for it I got the run of the place and free therapy at the same time. Out of high school I worked for a Buick dealer for 12 years I got all the old cars and vettes to work on. No one else wanted to work on the old stuff anymore.

Denny

 

Nobody wants to work on the old stuff to this day! However, now "the old stuff" is defined as pre-OBD2 ... jeez. I think the modern stuff is post-1980!

 

Well, after looking at the pix, I'd still get the '54 running for a driver, but I'll change my mind and say fix up the '57 Roadie and make the '58 Century with the rotted frame the donor car and the one you sell parts from. The Roadie is an investment car and is a better package to start from. The '57 and '58 will drive in similar fashion and your parts sales off the '58 should go pretty well.

 

i started by swopping tires around and getting them all to hold air, although one of the tires on the '58 leaked down after two days. turned out the four tires on the '58 were brand new. still had the stickers and nubs. i moved those over to the '54. i put the '54 tires and rims on the ' 58 and removed all the snow tires [4] from the '57 and put a set of tires i had here on it. they all look better sitting up.
i started cleaning out the cars, removing all the parts and such from the interior and trunks. the '54 is really solid and the '57 has a hole in the passenger front floor.
pictures to come.....

 

ohh and i was surprised to find all the lugs were right hand. i thought buick had left hand studs/bolts on one side?

 

^^^x2.
I'd like to see all 3 of the cars saved and back on the road. The 54 sounds like a slam dunk and the 57 is a full power optioned 2 dr. hdtp, which would be a shame to part out.
Some great looking old rigs. Really liked the crew cab big rigs and '42 Packard ambulance.

 

Thought that was a Mopar thing?

 

Grab me a Diamond T pickup will ya? I'll grab it next time I swing through .. whatever that state is--


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i cleaned out the '57 and gave it a quick vacuum. trunk is really solid, one little hole . floor baords on the driver side are very solid, on the passenger side front there is a hole. the passenger window is cracked, maybe that is how the water got in there, or maybe the windshield leaked?.
the last photo is the spare tire well

 

found the missing port hole trim. odometer reads 20k [?] trunk lid needs to be adjusted and the lift spring put back in. i think someone started to remove it. motor sure is dusty.

 

small rust hole in the left front fender, driver rear quarter panel has a weird "patch" that is probably over a rot hole. passenger front fender has a dent and the bead is cracked.

 

rest of the body has dents and scrapes but no visible rot.

 

only trim missing as far as i can tell is the strip down the back window. the chrome pieces have a few scrapes and a couple dents in them. the stainless all appears to be in good shape.

 

putting the interior/dash back together will be real challenge i laid the interior parts out in the trunk and there is actually duplicates of some parts.......

 

so to summarize: needs full restoration, but the body is a damn good condition compared to most the stuff in the northeast. one piece of trim to find and chroming to be done. all the power options, seats, windows, steering, brakes, automatic will make this sexy cruiser worth the time.
for the guys that chose this '57, see anything that would make you change your mind?
tomorrow i will post the '54........