The 'Barn Find' is not dead my friend...

[SilverSpittoonAntiques]

The best one i found in a old dusty barn was a 1932 Huson and it was a very cool car

[racer756]

Great thread!!

[schuyler]

I felt that way when I finally found my '56 F100...it was hit in the front and parked in the barn since the late 70's. Not complete...but from the firewall back is untouched.

[dmikulec]

My '62 Imperial Crown was parked for over 20 years. All original and complete survivor from southern Ohio.

[RH2795]

I've never had the pleasure of a "barn find". I envy those of you who have.

[eightbanger]

It truly is one of the best feelings ever. I located a 31 model A coupe in a shed on a piece of property that left me wanting that thing like nothing else before. The entire shed was a time capsule. Oil cans, filters, tools and parts to a Desoto Firedome were inside. Of course the property owner would not sell, but I still found myself driving 20+ miles just to get a glimpse of that car sitting in a shed about to fall apart. Still haunts me.

[Stu Padasso]

I took these pictures of this 40 Standard Coupe sitting in a building on a farm in Watsonville, Ca. It reportedly had sat there in that condition since 1957. All the other sheetmetal, etc. was scattered around. Dave found it, and let me take over the project late last year. Other picture shows the car back in the mid 50's. So far, the chassis is done, looking for an appropriate engine/trans.

[Michigander]

Pulling back that stubborn barn door for the first time in decades, and dragging the reluctant beast out into the sunlight will always be a thrill.

Steve

[Blackmaria60]

I thought about shellacking the mouse skeleton I found in my barn find '62 Olds and hang it off the rear view mirror.

[vtx1800]

I found a 68 GTO in a shed, tried to buy it but the owner of the shed said that a friend of his had stored it there and was going to come get it. I talked to him occasionally and about a year later my neighbor (who was his friend) said they talked about just hauling it in for salvage but there wasn't enough money to do so. I called him and offered him $125 for it (there was no interior, doors or straight sheet metal on the car. I brought it home and parted it out, netted $1200 on parts that I sold off of it and still have the steering column. Probably the only good deal I will ever find.

[ss34coupe]

I still can't believe how lucky I was to find this 34 Ford coupe this summer in a barn. All it took was talking to the right guy at the right time.

[El Jefe]

Originally Posted by hotrodderhaag

to me its seeing that old pile of metal, nuts and bolts that has been hiding in the dark for years and years... and bringing it out in the day light and making it usable again... there is no feeling like finding an old car in an old building

You mean like this..........

[Normant93]

Great thread Man, I love this stuff. I grew up in the late 60’s & 70’s spending tons of my time with my Dad tracking down cars that he had heard about one way or another. He loved the hunt, and convincing reluctant sellers to part with the cars as much as he did the cars themselves, he was a master at it, some where in barns, others in city garages, others on old New England estates. A few years ago, before he died, we went through folders containing Bills of sale for all the cars we had owned over the years, reminiscing about the misadventures behind many of them, road trips to retrieve others and just reliving the fun. I had forgotten some of the shit he used to make me do when I was a kid, like crawling under the collapsed floor of an old barn to jack up a 38 Lincoln Zephyr convertible whose wheels had fallen through the rotten floor (at 10 years old) because he wouldn’t fit. Or when I had go look in the windows of every garage for a dozen blocks in Springfield because “people were less likely to call the cops on a young kid” until I found the ‘48 Chrysler Town & County Conv. he had heard about. He laughed about the time he made me drive home a ‘42 Pontiac fastback that we got running after pulling it out of an old carriage house in Marblehead it had been sitting in for 30+ years. The thing was smoking like crazy, so he figured if I got pulled over the cop would just think I was a stupid kid, but if he got pulled over, he was old enough to know better and would more likely get a ticket. What a great way to grow up, I really miss him.
Anyway, I think there is a ton of stuff out there waiting, that was found once in the 60’s or 70’s, put in a garage to be restored or the restoration started then stalled, fast forward to now, the car’s been sitting for 40+ years and the owner is moving to a retirement home or died and car resurfaces. I’m chasing an A coupe that was disassembled 30 years ago, the fellow died 10 years ago and the widow just wants it all out of the basement so she can sell the house, it may take a while but I’m determined to get it. I heard about it through a friend of the late husband whose car I was admiring.
Last winter my son and I tracked down a 50 Olds 88 (friend of a friend knew I was into cars) that had been sitting since 1965, had 45k miles and was a totally original and nearly perfect, unfortunately the owner was convinced it was worth way more than we could spend, but it was great to share the adventure with my son. I think he’s hooked! We’ve since found him an MG (a client told me about). It was parked 10 years ago, totally rust free with a rebuilt motor from the 2^nd owner who parked it after a u-joint failed because he was tired of spending money on it. Admittedly off-topic, but I had to buy it; it was a mile from my house and 500 bucks. My son’s first question…what V8 do you think we could fit in that car dad? This is gonna be fun!
So I guess my point is, there are a lot of cars out there waiting to be found, but I don’t think it will be via electronic media, more likely it’ll be through old fashioned conversation. They’re out there, you just gotta listen.

[29EHV8]

Originally Posted by ss34coupe

I still can't believe how lucky I was to find this 34 Ford coupe this summer in a barn. All it took was talking to the right guy at the right time.

You have an UNREAL story your telling about this find, but then again your a lawyer so we understand...
-Shiny

[zibo]

Holy Chit!
TP

[zibo]

Holy Chit!
TP

[flamingokid]

My first barn find was a Karmann Ghia when I was 15.The car was in beautiful shape and other than the battery and a few minor details.The car was owned by the father of a soldier who died in Vietnam.The car was just like he left it.My next barn find was a '63 split window Corvette.Almost the same story,but the kid who owned it was an amateur painter and had several mils of extra paint.His dad decided it was time to let it go.The thing that I came away with was that both guys expected to come back to the U.S. and get back to their lives and their cars.Neither did.I tried to make sure those cars went on to good homes.I guess some day,that'll happen with my stuff and I hope somebody cares as much as I did.

[sodbuster]

Originally Posted by ss34coupe

All it took was talking to the right guy at the right time.

Hmmm........no comment.

[Big Mac]

I'm still working on a 40 coupe that my dad was after since the early 1980s. I remember him taking me there when I was a little kid, maybe 6 or 7. Even back then it was parked in the garage all covered in dust. A few months ago I stopped by to say hi to the old guy and chat for a bit. It still just sits. Perfect 40 coupe, factory black paint, completely stock. Unreal to see it still sitting in there. I told the guy that the car is part of my family too since I've been coming to see it for 30 years. He agreed. Someday......

[flathead okie]

My wife owns a small restruant here in town.
One day about a month ago she was cooking. A guy at the bar mentions a 32 with an inch of dust on it for 10 grand.
she keeps on cooking to finish the order, then turns around and the guy is gone.
She told me about it that night. I told her she should have found out all the info then, let the food burn and recook it.
She told me don't worry the guy will be back,,,,,,he's a regular customer..........Haven't seen him since.