A survivor that I missed once by 10 minutes came home with me Fathers Day weekend

You always hear about those survivor, barn find, some widow sold it cheap stories....


I'll just start at the beginning...

About a month ago, I went to lunch with my friend of over 20 years, Kenny. We are both car guys, and even have the same birthday.

Kenny mentioned that his father-in-law Ron was in town for Kenny's daughters graduation from 8th grade, and that he might join us at Jimmy's (the local hot rod burger joint) for lunch.

As we sit to enjoy our meal, Ron shows up, and of course the conversation turns to cars. Ron asks if I have anything I'm working on currently, and I tell him "I don't even have a garage right now, so no." He then tells me "That's too bad, cause you should buy the '55 2 door wagon I have for $2500." I tell him that if I bought anything, it'd have to run." He quips that he'll "sell me his just finished '32 Tudor for $60K." "A bit out of my price range" I reply. Though I know that he probably has almost twice that into building it. I've seen this car, it's unbelievable. All steel, black, traditional, but updated type of build. Hell, a guy who customizes lear jets did the interior, and I can tell you from experience, the doors close better and more solidly than a Cadillac.

Ok, I'm getting off course here...

Now, I've been jonesing to replace the all steel 3 window that I had to sell in '05, and since I live in Oregon, another coupe is definitely on the list.

Midway through a bite of one of Jimmy's famous sweet potato fries Ron mentions that he's decided to sell the 1935 Ford 5 window he has. Now, I have heard from Kenny about this car. Ron picked it up a few years ago from the widow of a friend of his in the trucking industry. Supposedly this now deceased guy had the car for quite a while. He proceeds to say that it's too bad the street rod market seems soft right now. At which point my brain thinks "Yea, unless you have a real original car with history" but in a rare moment, I don't say anything and let Ron keep talking...

"Every time I drive it, I get more attention than when I drive the Deuce. I have a couple of guys who have told me multiple times that when I'm ready to sell, they want it."

"What are you asking for it?" I inquire.


He answers with a number...

"Wait. Did I hear that right?" I think to myself. "I might be able to pull that off..."

Hmm...

"My friend Daryl" Ron continues "Who owned a big trucking company in Roseburg had it for years. It's been parked in his shop, since he built it in high school... In 1956."

"Wait. What?" My inner voice says. "Good thing I kept my mouth shut earlier."

"Really? And it runs and drives?" I ask.

"Oh yea, I drive it to town every once in a while. It's got a flat head, I just love the sound of it, but it's all old stuff. 24 stud, 3 speed on the floor that you have to hold in 2nd when you let off the gas. I had to replace the rear tires cause the ones on it were too rotted to use, so it has the original bias plies on the front, and I reversed the Mercury wheels on the rear, like we did back then, and put radials on it. I just put a ton of money into a round tube dropped axle, completely rebuilding the brakes all the way around, and changing the brake pedal to a '40 style 'cause it had a swing pedal with a juice jar on the firewall, and it just felt weird with the stock clutch. Hell that's the only hole in the firewall, or the entire car..."

Now Kenny knows I'm interested just by the look on my face, though I'm attempting to hold my composure. Ron doesn't even notice.

"And you said how much?"

He repeats the number, same as before.

"Humph... Sounds like a really nice car."

"It really is. Perfect floors, no rust anywhere."

At that point Kenny and I have to get back to work. Our hour lunch has become almost two.

I get in the car and ask Kenny "Is he serious? I mean I know Ron, he's no frills, and keeps his stuff in really nice shape"

"Buddy, you should jump on this one. He said earlier that he's including a rebuilt flathead with Aluminum Edelbrock heads, and a three-two setup on an Offy manifold that he had rebuilt, and used to keep in his display case along with it."

Now I'm not the type to jump on things, I tend to take some time to think it over, but on this one, I know better.

"Where in the hell am I gonna put it? I don't even have a garage, remember?"

Kenny then reminds me how I had mentioned a few days before that the girl I have been dating, Janeen, did offer up her shop "Anytime I want to work on anything." (Yes, I said shop, not just a garage, this girl has her own SHOP TOO!)

"Looks like our relationship is gonna get a bit more serious" I quip.

"A lot more serious" He quickly adds with a grin.

"Call Ron and tell him that I want the car, heck, I'll ride home with him and drive it home this weekend."

"He moved."

"What? Where, I thought he was in Eugene?" (About 3 hours away)

"He's in McCall, Idaho now." (About 13 hours... One way) "And how are you gonna get the flattie back? It's not like it's gonna fit in the trunk."

"It doesn't matter, I'll figure it out. Call him."

We get back to work, about a 15 minute ride from Jimmy's, and Kenny calls Ron.

Getting off the phone he looks at me with an expression of loss. "Man, you're not gonna believe this. The other guy who hasn't called on it for two months called him 5 minutes ago and Ron told him it was for sale. The guy said he'd take it."

Now I know I'm screwed, cause Ron is an old school man-of-his-word type of guy. You know the kind. Once he gives his word, he sticks to it.

"He said he wished you had said something, cause he'd rather it go to a friend of the family."

"Well tell him if it goes south, I'm next in line."

"Ok, he said you should come by tonight before the graduation," (Which gives me less than half an hour of time with him to get the details) "and he'll tell you everything about the car, cause he's weary about selling you something you've never seen. Especially 'cause it's so far away."

"What time?"

"5:30"



I get there and Ron proceeds to tell me that he wishes that I had said something, cause "You're just the right guy for the car. You know that it needs nothing. just minor fix-it's, and drive it."

"Thanks Ron, well, tell me about it. Just in case..."


"Well, my friend Daryl built it in high school in Roseburg in 1956, and then started his trucking company, and it got parked." It's got zero rust, well, except for an eraser sized bubble in the lower cowl on the drivers side, you know where the tend to rust. It's under the repaint. A green. I mean I think it's a repaint. It seems to have a black under it, but I don't know if it's a primer, or what, and the hood top has some grey primer on it. Other than that the floors are factory perfect, the fenders have no cracks, the tail pan is perfect, the grille is missing one bar at the very bottom, but it doesn't have the standard smashed all to heck nose that '35's tend to have. The interior is the stock bench with the wood still behind the seat deck. It's dark green and white Naugahyde, just like how we did it in the '50's. The rear window is a bit glazed, and the drivers door glass has a crack. The dash is missing one gauge, the fuel I think, but it has 3 Stewart Warner gauges under the dash. Stock column and wheel. It's still a 6 volt with a push button starter for the flattie. Which runs really nice.'

Ron proceeds to spend the rest of the half-hour telling me every detail of this car, that he is selling to someone else, and it just sounds unbelievable. I mean a serious barn find, real survivor type of car.


Again he says "I'd really rather you have it, I know you know what it is, and would treat it right, but I gave him my word... Though I might be able to talk him out of it"


"Not likely" I think to myself, but I tell him "Well if the guy offers you more, take it. Honestly, it's on the edge of what I can afford to do right now"



What I missed out on is really starting to sink in now.

Damn.



Fast forward to Friday morning of the following week and Kenny tells me that Ron called and said that if he doesn't hear from the guy today, the car is mine. I honestly think Kenny is more excited than I am at this point.

Later that afternoon Kenny is in a meeting, and his phone lights up with Ron on the caller ID. He can't answer due to the importance of the meeting.

Kenny calls back... No answer.

Ron proceeds to ass dial Kenny about every half hour for the rest of the day.


It's like torture.



Saturday night I get a call from Kenny.

"The guy is looking at the car tomorrow"

At this point I know the car is gone.

Damn damn.


"Well, on the bright side, I won't be a broke dick" I tell him.

What I mean by that, is that I was gonna have to float the mortgage and the credit card a couple of months to pull it off.


Goodbye once-in-a-lifetime chance...




Tuesday:

Kenny's name on the caller ID, pretty routine for a work day.

"Hello"

"Looks like your gonna be a broke dick mother-fucker!"

"What? What? No way. How?"

"Father in law talked the guy out of the car"

"How? That's not possible. It sounded too good."

"The guy asked what Ron thought it would cost to get the paint shined up, or maybe repaint it, and then started asking about putting independent suspension and a more street-able motor in it, "Maybe a small block with an auto trans" so Ron told him that the car wasn't right for him."

"Are you screwing with me?"

"Nope. Looks like your relationship with Janeen is gonna get a lot more serious"

"Yes it is. Text me his number now! There's no way I'm gonna let this thing get away twice!"


I call Ron, and he confirms Kenny's story. I tell him that my sister lives in Caldwell and I will head to her place Friday night, To McCall Saturday morning, pay him, pick up the car and motor, and head back to Caldwell. Then drive home on Sunday.

"Are you sure? You haven't even seen the car"

"Yes I'm sure. I trust your description of the car."

"Ok, gimme a call when you get here on Saturday"

I text my girl Janeen "You wanna go to Idaho this weekend?"

"You got the car? YES!" She replies.


Have I mentioned that she is pretty awesome?


Text to my sister "Hey, are you home this weekend? I need a place to crash."

"We're here all weekend. What's up?"

"I bought a car"

"Cool. Call when you get here cause if you come in the alarm will go off and the dog will eat you"

"Ok"


Kenny let's me off at 2, I borrow his truck, hitch up my dad's trailer, and we hit the road at 3. We're in Bend by 7:15 and I take Janeen to a great sushi place called Kanpai, mostly because she has never had great sushi. Back on the road by 8:00, and we get to My sisters house around 12:30, 1:30 Idaho time. Yes, I was hauling ass.

We sleep in and head to McCall around noon. It's a beautiful drive up highway 55 through the mountains along the Payette River, and I'm realizing that the drive back is gonna be a workout on the narrow winding road with all of the grade changes.

We get to McCall and pull into a hotel parking lot. I call Ron. His directions are 'See that first light, hang a left, go past the end of the runway to the first road, hang a left. Go until you see the old DC-3 in the woods by Scott Road, and pull over by the tin buildings. I'll meet you there."

"A DC-3 in the woods? Alright."

Yep, sure as shit, there is a wingless DC-3 in really nice shape that has obviously been there so long that trees have grown up around it creating a living jail cell.

I pull in front of the buildings and turn to Janeen and say "Pretty wild right? Behind one of these overhead doors is a car that has been sitting in a shop since 1956."

Ron shows up and opens the door, and there it sits. I mean honestly, what do I type at this point. It's like a freaking time capsule!

We chat as I attempt to contain my excitement. As I walk around the car and take it all in, I start asking about contacting Daryl's widow to get more info on the car and Daryl.

"That's a bit of a touchy subject" He says.

Ron proceeds to tell me that he lied a bit about the history of the car. He isn't the type to spread bad word about a person, and in that spirit, I will slightly edit what he told me to honor his desire not to do so.

"So the car didn't belong to Daryl originally. It belonged to a guy who was a bookkeeper or CPA or something like that. As the story goes, he was the one who built it in high school in '55 or '56. Apparently he either owed Daryl money and gave the car to Daryl for what he owed him, or owed some other people money, and asked Daryl to put it in his shop until things cooled off. Either way that's how Daryl got it. I knew Daryl for a long time from being in the trucking industry, and he had always had it in the corner of the shop. When he passed, his widow called me to help her sell the car. I liked it so much that I bought it."

As he was telling the story, I found an early registration in the glove box with the name "Early, Robert Patrick" on it. Complete with an address in Roseburg, Oregon.

"I put the tube drop front axle on it, redid the brakes (original '40's) put in the '40's brake pedal assembly with a new master cylinder, reversed the Mercury wheels, put on the radials, and cleaned the gas tank. Now I just drive it on occasion. It attracts more attention than the Deuce."

I put the ramps down on the trailer, and Ron fired it up and drove it on. I strapped it down, and we followed him to his house where I found that the flat head didn't include the rebuilt carbs, but instead had a nice set of 94's, and a rebuilt distributor, a '40 trans, and all on a rolling stand! No complaints there.

Yes, the motor was a bear to load with the ramps I had, but somehow he and I muscled it on, and I strapped it down.


I checked out his Deuce while he rummaged up the 1935 Coupe Oregon title and a set of original 1935 Oregon license plates. I handed him the envelopes of cash, and we hit the road.

As I suspected, the return trip back down highway 55 was a workout, but other than the road conditions, it went pretty well. We made it back to my sister's place in time to hang out with her husband and the kids for a few hours. I have to say it was pretty cool describing a flat head and old hot rod technology to 3 kids, 11, 13, and 15 who had never heard one run before.

The 12 hour drive home went pretty well. I took Highway 26 so I could take Janeen to the Painted Hills. Something she didn't even know existed, and in the process, coating the entire truck and the front of the '35 in a light layer of clay from the road dust. The Painted Hills are quite amazing, something I highly recommend seeing if you have the chance.

The offshoot took a bit more fuel than I had planned for, and the fuel light came on way short of Prineville. Which was the first chance for gas...

Dammit, I'm stuck behind an old couple in a '70's era Mercedes that feels 45 is an appropriate speed for a Sunday drive in a 55 zone with a lot of downhill that I can coast through so I'm on the brakes loosing momentum... Arrgh!

In the overwhelmingly stressful 30 minutes that followed, I just knew I could feel the truck missing. I looked at Janeen, and just as I said "There's no way we're gonna make " we rounded the bend to civilization. Shell station in sight.

I pulled in behind an old guy in an '80 model square-box-something-or-rather who instead of finishing up paying the attendant (no self serve in Oregon) saw the car and headed right up to my window proceeding to chat it up asking all kinds of questions. At this point, I know it's empty, I don't want to be rude to someone who is showing interest in the car, so I shut the truck off. We have a little conversation, he pays up, and drives off.

I go to pull forward, the truck won't start... Completely out of fuel. 3 feet too far for the hose to reach. Yea, almost made it. Scrounging up a gas can, we put a gallon in it, and transfer it to the truck, pull forward, and fill it up.

"Yes, go ahead and top it off."

At this point, I need a break, and a DQ Reese's Blizzard is calling me. I need to cool off from the stress.

Back on the road, mostly uneventful. I drive straight to Janeen's to put the car in it's new home. Her dad who lives around the corner (more like across the pasture) brings his tractor over and unloads the flat head. I pull the car off trailer, open the passenger door, and tell Janeen to climb in. "We're taking it for a quick ride!"

There's nothing like that flat head sound as it idled it down the asphalt to the gravel driveway and over the creek on an old flat bed train car bridge to the paved mile long single lane road to civilization. I got on it a couple of times, and I think Ron was right when he told me the cam isn't stock. It also popped out of second on the return run when I let off the gas, Just like he said it would.

Heading up the hill back to tall edge of her asphalt driveway it dies. I soon find out that the 6 volt starter won't crank it over when it's hot. I let it cool for a bit, and now it cranks, but won't fire. "Out of Gas?" I ponder. Without missing a beat Janeen opens the door and heads for the shop to grab a gas can meant for mowing the lawn. Add some fuel, crank for a sec, give it a hint of choke, and it fires right up.

As the sun goes down, I back it into it's new resting place and shut her off. Taking in the smell of a 60 year old interior I say:

"Wow, what a trip"




**NEW pictures at post #89, and UPDATE to the story at post #98, #134, & #159

 

Wow! Great story and car!

 

One word.....awesome. great writing too, congrats

 

I have more shots of the car on the ground, and the motor and interior, but for some reason, I can't get more pictures to load right now.

I will try again later....

 

Wow, great story and an even better car. Glad it worked out for you.

 

wow that car looks beauty , whatta bargain

 

Worth the read. Great looking car!

 

Great story, even greater score, congrats. Have fun.

The Painted Hills are nice too!

 

An amazing story, well-told. And an incredible time capsule car.

 

GREAT STORY! Photos of the trip home are real nice too. Best wishes to all of you! Bob

 

Awesome story. Great looking ride.

 

Thanks for making my night with a great story, and pics of a really cool surivor

 

Awesome ride and a very well written story! Enjoy it!

 

Apparently it was meant to be..good for you, she's a beauty.

 

Awesome story. Love the coupe and that DC-3 too! Congrats!

 

Welcome to a very small elite and exclusive '35 Ford hot rod survivor club. Love the 35, so not a 36.

 

Very good! Congrats.

 

enjoyed the great story,hellofa nice car.can't wait for more pics,what are your plans?

 

jesus, you're a long-winded fugger!...congrats on the car...I'm tired from reading...goodnight...

 

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this story, it felt like I was right there with you! Congrats on a great find, and thanks for sharing your awesome story!!

 

Thank goodness for pictures.

 

Wow....just....WOW!
Congrats.....I think you have 2 keepers!

 

Was glued to the story. Nice car Good luck

 

Right under my nose and didn't know it. Enjoy her and love the trip through the painted hills. I have to do that one again.

 

Great story, great car. I enjoy these stories and find them to be a great inspiration for everyone that old cars with a history are still out there waiting to be found and enjoyed.

 

Wow great story! That's the stuff dreams are made of. Can't wait for more pictures.

 

That is one hell of a story and a really nice car. Good job!!

 

Incredibly cool story and car. That motor rules too.

 

So , are you and Janeen married yet?