What's the coolest old thing you've found while going thru an old car? I'll start. I found this in a box of old papers in the trunk of the Buick. It was between a bunch of just stuff that I'm glad I took the time to look thru.
I live outside Kansas City. About 25 years ago my buddy and I went to Wichita, KS, to look at a Bugeye Sprite. As it turned out it was a really early number car and was pretty special with some of the early specifications. It was winter time and we were anxious to get it loaded up. The old guy helped us moved 4 or 5 cars in order to get the Bugeye out. While we were doing that, I began unloading armloads of old newspapers, clothes, gas cans, and all the stuff that the old guy wanted to save over the years. As I dug deeper into the boot area I noticed that some of the stuff was warm to the touch. Well, now, WTF. I found a broom and began scooping stuff out with it. I then heard one really pissed of possum hissing at me. He was not coming out and I was not going to grab him. Well, he can ride back to Kansas City in the boot of a '58 Bugeye Sprite when it was 12 outside. We stopped in Iola, KS, to eat and figured that the possum would unass the car. Wrong. Off back to KC we went and left the possum in the car. At the time, I lived in a fairly wooded area and figured, wrongly, that the possum would unass the car then. Next morning the posssum was still there and still pissed. My boys thought it was funny but they were 13 and 15 so what did they know? Enough of the crap--I called the city animal control! Out came a really good sized guy with a pole and a looped stick. He had that possum out in about 10 seconds and even set him down so I could take a picture. When the loop slackened up a little, the possum got loose and headed for the woods across the street. He was, I'm betting, one still seriously pissed off possum.
Bought an old 1950 chevy truck for parts, 75 bucks. Found a $100 bill folded tightly under the lip of the clove box door. Forgot to add that the date on the $100 bill was 1950...............................................................
Bought 1951 Ford Victoria years back, Started the teardown, Old church key in the glove box, books of matches,empty beer cans under the seat, etc. stuff you would normally find. When i started removing the trim at the headliner on the drivers side found several old gold coin packs of rubbers. If these old cars could talk ?
About a year ago I bought on old Willys Jeep CJ3-A from a friend. It had been sitting on his farm for probably 40yrs. My brother and I used to hit the woods with his old Willys and my friends. I just needed the rear PTO gearbox to complete the installation in my 1953 Willys CJ3-B ag/farm Jeep. After leaving the farm, I pulled trailer into my shed to commence cleaning out 40yrs. of discarded farm junk that was simply picked up and thrown in the Jeep.....literally a foot deep. I pulled out the frame of the passenger seat......scooped away some mud......and there was an original HURST front motor mount for a small block Chev. !!! Apparently my friend had dreams of some day re-powering the Jeep, but only got as far as buying a Hurst mount.
Found this lighter in the Chevy when I got it.the crests remind me of the ones on the grill insert. I keep it in the car to this day.
Bought a 1926 Model T coupe body from the midwest in the late 90's. During the tear down I found a small metal framework attached to the backside of the dash. Just the right size and shape to hold a small liquor bottle.
I have found a lot of odds & ends under the seats,between the seat and even in the glove compartments. Petrified french fries are at the top of the list,but I have found loose change,theater ticket stubs,combs,lipstick and a pair of brand new pair of argyle socks none of these could be considered a treasure but I did find this treasure. This button was found under the back seat of a 1964 Falcon. HRP
So, that's where my button went! The last time I saw it I was in the back seat of a Falcon with Annette Funicello.
Found these when we bought my wifes 57 Chevy wagon. Sent from my SM-J727T1 using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
Me.....I don't know about cool, but I'm old and you can always find me in my old car, the one in my avatar.
I bought a car at an auction for $75, when I opened thetrunk I found a like new Thomas Special bamboo fly rod. The second coolest thing was a box of condoms and an un-opened bottle of UConn Jack.
I bought a 1950 Ford Fordor Custom, police car a while back. It had the red interior lights, police speedo gauge set, spotlight, and siren still on it (but it's froze up). Thought that was pretty cool, so I bought it. When the guy brought out the title for it, he had a nilla file packed full of paperwork on it. In that paperwork was the Original (handwritten) County Receipt to Lincoln County WY, from when the county bought it directly from Ford! Every time the car was transferred to another county or department, it was all logged in that book, along with handwritten service papers. Most of it is in pencil, and has faded over time, but is really neat to see that and hold it. It's like stepping back in time, on the right side of a Cop's Car.
Well,lets see.Leather luggage,clothing,gold coins($10.00 gold piece)jewelry,real human hand(Last tag was a 1930`s Chicago)all sorts of guns and knives just to name a few things.Oh yeah.A REALLY pissed off rattle snake.Never went back to THAT car. Good luck.Have fun.Be safe. Leo
Right out of high school in 1959 I worked at a wrecking yard that only scrapped cars. No part sales. We would cut 20 cars every other day. The interiors had to be completely stripped out. One day I was told to help the guys that stripped out the interiors. Found out real quick who got to pull the back seat out and look for money. It wasn't me.
The owners daughter! Outside chanoote Air Force base at a show when I was a teen. Burnt my calf on my buddies t-bucket header on the way down there, belt came off racing a 55 Chevy . Man that’s one of those memories you never forget!! Forgot all about my burn
Parting out a wrecked 1956 Ford Parklane, I was removing the dash pad and T&C radio, when five $1 bills tumbled out, dusty as hell. It was probably some poor soul's spare gas money. In a very rusty 1952 Ford Tudor Mainline I found a mint pair of 1959 Idaho plates under the right front seat. In a 1930s De Soto Airflow I found a child's hardback book of Tom Mix Adventures. Had no idea who Tom Mix was, but later learned he was a popular cowboy movie star. Mr. Mix died in 1940 when he crashed his 1940 Ford convertible into some roadside construction near Florence, AZ. In a 1948 Plymouth I bought, the glove box was locked, with no key. The people I bought it from had it since 1959, and they never had the key, either. When I got it opened, I found a NOS pack of 1950s Pall Mall cigarettes. In a 1954 Mercury convertible I bought from the original owner, Lewis B. Martinson, I found a 1953 Director's Chair Award from the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, naming Les Martinson Director of the Year 1953. Martinson directed many TV shows and movies, including The Roy Rogers Show. I thought he'd be excited to get his old trophy back, but he didn't want it, so it went with the car when I sold it. In a 1956 Tudor Mainline I found a very petrified sandwich inside the right quarter panel below the glass. On the ground of a wrecking yard I used to frequent, I found a 1959 Opel Record promo model. My friend was looking at a 1956 Continental Mark II on a used-car lot one evening. The place was closed, but the car was unlocked. Looking in the glove box, he found a white '56 Mark II AMT promo model, which was probably given to the original owner. I'm sure I can think of other incidents, but these are the ones that come to mind.
It was a 1937 Cord 812 Phaeton. Mix was a HUGE star at the time. A bridge had washed out and he wasn't able to stop in time, swerved into a ditch. A big suitcase filled with cash and jewels slammed into his head and broke his neck. Something like this:
brought home a 42 willys sedan full of junk. while cleaning it out 10 yrs later found a canvas military duffle bag. In it was a bomber jacket, gloves, green tint wire rimmed sunglasses, boots, leather cap. and pictures of the guy I bought it from with military buddies. also pictures of Bombers in formation taken from another plane. Air speed/distance calculator, Gas coupon books, civil air defense placard and a pamplet for prospecting for uranium. All types of military grade lightweight aviation fasteners, cap screws w/ safety wire holes. Wish I had cleaned it out 10 yrs earlier. rats and weather took its toll on contents. I have some of it hanging up in shop.
In a 1960 chevy 4x4 pickup i found a love letter to his mistress saying what they could of had and all the good times, also says good thing this ol truck cant talk... lolol. We know,what that means... and I also found a full 6 pack of schlitz beer in the inner drivers quarter panel in the back seat of a 2dr 55 chevy.... and a Cyrus-Hall-McCormick- centennial of the reaper 1831-1931 coin in the passenger side quarter panel.
My son and I bought the pictured 71' Torino GT in 2010 out of Portland Oregon. It had been impounded and was owned by the tow company that sold it to me. Looks like the owner was from San Diego California and it ended up impounded in Portland. I digress. Behind the plastic kick panel on the drivers side was a vinyl zip up pouch FULL of gold and silver jewelry. Some nice quality items too. I kept it all. It's in our curio cabinet. Don't know where it came from. Don't want to go there!
In the early 1980’s I bought a 1954 Buick Special as a parts car. Behind the rear seat I found an unopened can of STP Oil Treatment. It is dated 1960. What makes this can unique is a bit of automotive trivia that most people don’t know. It says on the back “A subsidiary of Studebaker Corporation “ Sent from my iPhone using H.A.M.B.
This was in the trunk of a '53 Henry J. My father bought the car from the original owner and it had been sitting in her garage since 1964. Her husband stashed lots of stuff in it... lots of Pontiac parts, fishing gear, every receipt for every tank of gas and oil change the car ever had... and a pile of "gentleman's magazines" from the early '60s
Jeez I forgot my dad did automotive upholstery in the late 70's early 80's and it was my summer job to pull seats and carpet. I had quite the collection of pocketknives, change, earrings etc. one seat cover I pulled off a 70 Impala for a pattern had "joe f***'d this one up" written in grease pencil on the seat foam. I thought it was neat so for the rest of my life while doing house remodels I left messages in the walls. sometimes dated Items. once, a Gifted bottle of 1969 wine I was afraid to drink because I thought it might be bad, being that old. yeah, I know better now.
In the trunk of my 1988 Grand Marquis I found a 1960s era Ford “tune up in a can”. Consisting of Autolite ignition components. Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
The Jalopy Journal
