Projects Finding that car I want

I have it in my mind to find a mid to late 50s car to build my new long distance driver and I have searched where I know but all I have found are junkers and cars priced like at those auctions with little in between,it looks like I am going to get a Hemmings subscription but where else can I look for a reasonably priced project and I looked on here but nothing in my price range that I like so far. I got all winter but would like to find one soon so I can start gathering the needed parts,what ever I get has to be done by next november so I can go to Daytona. Craigslist and Trader.com sites have been bust so far but there has to be other places to look.

 

Searching is part of the journey. It'll show up where you least expect it. Have cash ready.

 

Sad to say, the days of finding decent cars, for a decent price, even those from the 70s, are pretty much over. Good Luck.

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You need too "talk it up". Whoever you are meeting or coming in contact with tell them you are looking for a certain car. Eventually someone will know where one is. You have to run down every lead you get.

 

want to start here by sharing your preferences?

Ray

 

Mine all found me.

 

Word of mouth goes a long way. Might surprise you.

 

Don't forget to check the Auto/RV free magazine.

 

HAMB want ads.

 

^^^
This! Local, local, local. Jesus, dude, you've been a member since 2005, how can you not know this by now? Online and Hemmings is for high-end specialty stuff and our poor overseas friends with limited access. You, on the other hand, are in the middle of the country and therfore have a broad reach. Six months? No problem. Do your homework, talk it up, beat the bushes., and be ready to pull the trigger when the deal appears. Like Fred says, it's part of the journey.

 

Sooooooooooo what are you looking for.

 

Www.bringatrailer.com

 

Not mine but it's local.
I can check it out for you if you want
https://cleveland.craigslist.org/cto/d/1952-pontiac-chieftain-2-door/6380354313.html

 

I am going to put a want add on here and open to any 50s 2 door or wagon,I prefer a 54 and up Ford product but will look at anything that is in decent shape and in my price range. I would like what ever I buy to be original so I can be the first to do any modifications,I really do not like fixing someones hack job and modifications that I do not like but if its cheap enough I would look at it. I know there are many more websites I can look on but can not remember or do not know about them.

 

Widen your search by looking at 4 door versions. Your passengers will thank you and they are more apt to be stock. Nobody will bust on you because you show up in a nicely built 4 door. If they do then challenge them to a Chinese fire drill.

 

Shoot, it all depends on your budget. Some decent cars around here below 5 figures from that era. For example:

https://valdosta.craigslist.org/cto/d/1959-edsel-ranger-2-door-e-yr/6382219597.html
Could be completed for a decent price if you do your own work

https://panamacity.craigslist.org/cto/d/56-buick-super-hard-top-4dr/6378284577.html
Already running and all

 

There's still many hundreds of solid 50's Ford cars left at reasonable prices. You should have found something by now. Maybe your budget (or expectation of what you want to pay) for a given car is unrealistically low?

You have to first tell us;

• What's your max budget? $5000? $10000?
• How far are you willing to travel out of the rust belt to get a solid car.

The above two would bake in the cost of you deadheading out with a trailer in tow or paying to have the car shipped.
Unless you find an abandoned project that someone imported from a dry climate, you'll have to consider traveling to increase your chances of finding a solid car to start with.

As mentioned, Hemmings generally won't be bargain buys. You have to beat the bushes and network to really dig to find something stashed away in a garage.

Also, be cautious with a want ad. It can be scammer bait.

 

The all Ford swapmeet is next weekend so maybe something will show up in my price range that is decent,there is a 54 not too far from the event that I will look at too. I got some pictures of a wagon that looks decent that I might bite on if I do not find anything closer to home.

 

I would like to spend 6000 at the most but since its been many years since I even looked I have found that does not buy much these days,its probably going to be one of those word of mouth deals that is not advertised that I will get and take some time.

 

junkyardjeff, post: 12313109, member: 7328"]The all Ford swap meet is next weekend so maybe something will show up in my price range that is decent,there is a 54 not too far from the event that I will look at too. I got some pictures of a wagon that looks decent that I might bite on if I do not find anything closer to home.
Jeff: just be careful with pictures, so many scammers today that if you cant inspect personally have a PPI done by someone you trust.

 

Have you try KIJIJI...there is a lot of decent cars at a decent prices jn the collector car section... just in case ...

 

Mine is listed ...a 51 Ford Vic ... at $4500.00

 

Befor you plunk down the $$$, be sure to sit in one, ride or drive in one or, better yet, take a little trip in a car just like the one you want (if not the actual car you are going to buy). The cool factor fades if your head hits the roof, your feet are all tangled around the pedals, or it doesn't run / stop as well as you expect. And make sure ALL the electrical stuff works. Gary

 

Like it's been mentioned they usually find you. Been wanting a 2dr Ford station wagon for years until. Same story, rusted junk or over priced. Then one day this popped up out of the blue on the web. Got it for a good price and as an extra it's a rare Courier.

 

Take a long ride on the lesser traveled roads. I find that rural communities that were based on agriculture are the best for finding cars especially if the closest metal recycler is an hours drive. Don't be afraid to knock on doors to get a car you want. The worst they can say is no. Put the word out that you are looking for a specific car. True story, I looked for a few years for a two door shoebox ford, specifically a 49' club coupe, I knocked the right door one day and of all things this guy had the very car I was looking for stashed in an out building for the last 30 years. Most important, have cash in hand.

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I will probably have to quit looking and then the right car will come along.

 

Find out who the auctioneers are that deal with that kind of stuff and go to some local auctions. Vanderbrink does quite a bit in the Midwest, I've been to several of their auctions here in Wisconsin and while some stuff goes high, I have seen some really incredible bargains go in local auctions as well. I think if I'm going to buy another old car, that's what I'm going to do. There was a twin-H powered '55 Hudson Hornet Hollywood I watched sell this summer for like $7K and the thing was mint. Sure it's an oddball but it was so super nice, didn't need a thing, and when I think about all of the pieces of shit I've dumped similar money into and time, something like that seems really appealing.

 

Cool, huh?

 

55' ford anything is awesome, including wagons. One of my favorite body styles.

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https://columbus.craigslist.org/cto/d/1955-ford-ranch-wagon-az-car/6427411679.html