Motion Pictures What was the cheapest cool thing you’ve ever gotten?

I found a free engine stand in the trash. Really old one that mounted the engine sideways. Never seen another like it. Supports a 392 Chrysler engine real well

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I thought those were made for flatheads...

 

a Dzus tool from an aircraft salvage yard in Wichita

 

Halibrand quick change center section with Frankland rear cover and Edelbrock block letter flathead heads, both found in local junkyards, laying loose, in the past year and a half. Both bought as part of big package deals on piles of parts, but extremely cheap. Shocking what's still laying around, undiscovered.

 

Another good one, at a local auction there was some '32 Ford stuff being auctioned off, and I bought the cowl, doors, and one rear quarter panel in the auction for a pretty fair price. I was able to snag a couple other small pieces elsewhere in the auction. At the end of the auction there were 4 huge pallets with sides built onto them, filled up with random scraps of metal and whatnot, and most buyers had already left. I bought all 4 remaining pallets for $20 total, no one bid against me. I didn't know it at the time, but damn near the whole rest of the body was inside, along with a bunch of random debris.


Here it is once I got it home, quickly mocked up. I had a real steel Deuce coupe for exactly one day, then I traded it for my current '51 Mercury coupe project.

 

I helped this "ole' guy" get his Cushman scooter running one time at a scooter meet. They just put a Mikuni carb on it and was having trouble getting it timed and jetted. I jumped right in there and told them what jet to put in it and they wanted to dispute it. So I put it in there anyway, and it WORKED!

Afterward, he came over to my space and sat down with a pad of paper and a pencil and started asking me all kinds of questions about the motor in my hot rod. What size is it, what cam, what carb, what heads, etc.

Then he asked me what size intake runner do I want, what size combustion chamber do I want? What size valves? What lift for the springs? I told him...

I said wait a minute! I'm not ready to buy a set of heads yet! He said, "My boys will take care of you." I told him that would be about $1600+. He said, "I know how much they cost!" He continued, "I need that scooter striped, that golf cart striped and my wife's car striped. I'll have those heads for you at the next meet in July." That was about 1/4 the value of those heads! I got to the next meet and there was this big box sitting on my picnic table.

Little did I know it was J.V. Brotherton. Who? That's what I thought! The co-founder of BRODIX. And we've been friends ever since! Thank you J.V.

 

A free 283 from a friend cleaning out his shop
A 283 with Edelbrock intake and double hump heads for $100 at a pick a part
Another 283 power pack with vintage finned Edelbrock valve covers and turantula intake, and aluminum bell housing for 100 from a guy going LS
A 350hp 396 intake for $5 from a scrap yard
A set of 300 hp 327 heads for $40 from a pic a parts
A 36 ford front and rear axle, 9 inch ford, Jones tach, 2 tri 5 Chevy rear ends for installing a 454 in a Chevelle
Banjo rear for $15 from scrap yard
SBC tunnel ram for welding an oil pan
A fresh rebuilt C6 trans for a FE $75 at a pick a part, been running it over 10 years
2 331 hemis complete with trans for $350
Free 354 Hemi from a guy mad it wasn’t a 392
2 free mercs 51 and 49 from a guy that hated 4 doors. 1 still had the flathead
I better stop

 

Free 55 Pontiac. Owner thought it was blown up but only had 2 broken rocker arms. I drove it home and used many years.

 

A mechanic near my shop bought a used metal lathe. It came with a full assortment of accessories. I noticed that a year so later I had never seen him use the collet closer that came with the lathe. I offered to trade him some stuff for the collet closer. He said he never used the collet closer and since I had helped him out with several projects he would just give me the collet closer and a full set of collets that came with it. I had to buy one adapter to make the collet closer work on my metal lathe and I use the collet closer constantly. The collet closer is probably the nicest gift anyone ever gave me.

 

Years ago now I went to a pawn store to browse and spotted an almost new triple cylinder air compressor, largest single phase available here (240v) without going to 415v (3 phase). The salesman noticed my interest and gave me a price, "That's way too expensive for me' was my response so on the way out it was offered again at a greatly reduced price "Just to rid of it and have it out of the store'. Done deal so I backed my SUV up to the door and loaded it in at less that 50% of the retail price.

 

A '70 350 sbc engine out of a GMC pickup.... 4-bolt mains, a Forged steel crank and heavy duty 5.7" "X" connecting rods all for $100.00 bucks....

 

Shop l worked at early 80's looking for something in the back of shop l uncovered a 70 boss 302 just missing carb. Asked boss if he would sell it, he said he was going to put it in his boat some day. A few months later his lease ran out, had to move out. Asked me if I still wanted it. I said yes, he said give me $150 bucks, I whipped out the cash. Got in my 53 stude.

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I was walking through an over grown field years ago and stubbed my foot on some thing hard. Damn near took me down. There was a spindle sticking up out of the ground. I was gonna pick it up and move it, till i realized that there was more there than just a spindle. I had to pull pretty hard to get it unstuck from the earth.

Attached to it was the beam and wishbones. Upon further inspection revealed its a '32 Ford axle!

I brought it home, took it apart, and shipped it out to get a 3" drop. I gave the spindles and king pins away to a guy here on the HAMB who was gonna run mechanical brakes.

Later on when i sold off my project due to kid number two i got $600 for the bare axle.

 

Several years ago at the Englishtown flea market, I bought a 1932 Ford Pines winter front for $ 50.00. I put it on E-pay, and 5 guys wanted me to end the auction. I said no, let it run it's course. The winning bid was $ 3252.22. I was a happy camper. Several guys said it was worth $ 5000-6000 dollars. I said why didn't you buy it and double your money.

 

By far the coolest thing I ever got was my 50 Shoebox.
My big bro. gave me his cuz he was tired of it just sitting there collecting dust.

 

It seems like a lot of responses pertain to parts they have bought cheap and flipped for a big return. That's cool and I'm guilty of doing the same. But one deal I struck kind of stuck with me. Attended a local garage sale in a pretty affluent neighbor hood a couple years back. Found a old machine's box literally full with Starrett micrometers, depth gauges etc. $15 could have bought it. The young woman said they were from her Dad's estate. He was a life long machinist but she had no appreciation of what he did to put her through college and apparently didn't care. BTW I still have the tools and gave her more Money

 

Got a 57 retractable for free in 92, fell in half in the trailer on the way home. My dad kept the 9”, sold remaining salvageable parts for $400, and the remains were scrapped. It was a rough one.



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Stand up guy right there. Snowman

 

Lucky SOB, I’m jealous dude! So jealous. Lol


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My Momma always told me to put your best foot forward! You never know who you will be talking to next...

 

Cheap as in free,I asked for in 1957 from a farmer ,an was given ,what little was left of crashed 1928 A roadster. I still have it. I had built it into my highschool Hot Rod by 1959
. Even go back to school now an then.

 

I am a Ford guy. My buddy who is a chevy guy stops buy one day and tells me he found something for me. Opens up the trunk and it is a complete factory tri power for a 289 SBF. I asked him what he wanted for it ???? He said NOTHING!!! He got it in a hugh parts swap. SBF tri powers are made out of Unobtainium!!!!

 

A guy offered me a 600 pound torque wrench for $2. The government forced him to close his machine shop.

 

My 40 coupe that I bought when I was 12 in 1982 from a farmers grove 5 mile from my house in the city for $150!
The following year I bought a nicer 40 coupe and a 4 door parts car off another farm for $500. I kept the best parts of the 3 and sold the rest for $500! 36 years later I still have it!
A vintage SW wings curved glass 8K Tach in great shape for $10. It was at a VERY popular swap meet here, and I just happened to spot it when I looked in a box of crusty non-related parts in a box while the guy I was with was looking at something else.
An NOS in the box 55 chevy grill guard for $30 at a tractor flea market. I got $465 for it on eBay.
Other good deals, some I kept, some I flipped, but those are probably the best.

 

1936 Plymouth coupe 10 dollars.1925 model t high cowl roadster 25 dollars.1970 340 dodge engine 75 dollars.southbend 10 inch swing metal lathe 25 dollars. Still have all

 

8BA with all machine work done, NEW pistons, rings, valves, springs, bearings, cam, heads, headers, intake, carb, water pumps, and an F1 rad, $500 - 4 years ago.


Pictures or it didn't happen!

 

There used to be a second hand store/scrap metal yard here locally; it's a new Volvo car lot now. I was there one day when their pick up/delivery truck was unloading. I bought a Muncie M-20 4-speed, with a broken shifter lever stud, for $25.00. Stopped at a transmission shop on the way home, and bought a used replacement. I also ought a 57 Oldsmobile, complete rear end there; the operator said it was "for a Ford pickup truck". It was really cheap also, but I don't remember what I paid for it. Three brother's ran the business, one had Down Syndrome, and probably did most of the actual work. Jone's Boys Second Hand; wish it was still there. I am Butch/56sedandelivery.

 

I've been lucky enough to score some good deals but this one was waaay cool.....
I bought my '49 Austin gasser and at some time in it's past the grille was broken and screwed/ JB welded back together to look presentable. So I started looking for another one only to find they are scarce as hen's teeth and brutally expensive when you find one.
So the wife and I went to the local swap meet. I was looking for some parts for my '56 Chevy. While standing in line to pay for a nice speaker surround I looked down and saw grille parts. Sure enough they were Austin and there was one complete grille (4 pieces), the center bars and two extra grille halves!! All in great shape, even the chrome. So I asked the guy how much and he says $10 each piece and I'll throw in the center bars. $60 bucks for a grille I never thought I would ever find!

 

Several years back a friend said he new a guy who said he had an aluminum Chevy dual quad manifold and carbs he might sell. I didn't think that Chevy ever made a an aluminum dual quad manifold, but I told my friend I was interested in buying the set up. I ended up buying for $125.00 what turned out to be an Edelbrock C26 dual quad manifold and a pair of number matching AFB carbs for 1957 Plymouth factory dual quad set-up. I sold the manifold for $150.00. the carbs were in great shape and complete. I disassembled and cleaned them up and sold them for $950.00.

 

That must be a really heavy wrench! LOL