The unknown is all that's stopping you. Execute your plan and you'll be amazed where it will take you so long as you do it according to plan. Also, never mind what other's say "your a fool for selling" as an example. They do not live in your shoes. You do.
I'm going to...... Clean the cars..... Install loose trim.... Make the place look neat... Arrange all the loose parts... Take good photos... I have seen many adds where good cars are dirty and literally full of garbage. Who wants to deal with someone like that?
The nicer you can make them look the easier they will sell Cleaned up - just a wash and wipe to get rid of dust and cob webs And a big one I like is all loose parts semi organized in boxes etc instead of just thrown in the trunk or back seat quickly makes a hack basket case, into a project car Clean and organized, as long as it’s a roller,body panels in place, doors and hood open and close I would not be overly concerned with installing trim etc.
Many of those who have old cars or like old cars are in the same situation. Getting old, failing health or dying. Collections are being sold as younger generations have no interest in keeping them. The number being sold is increasing while the number wanting them decreases. Supply and demand. It happened with horses and steam. When I was a boy cities were acquiring steam locomotives for display. In the late 70s interest in steam engines resulted in some of those being brought back into operation for tourist rides. Now the people who were interested and knowledgeable about steam are mostly gone and those engines are sitting again. The city near me just bought the one they had back for $4 to put it back on display. It will be a little tougher to move it back because the tracks in the area have been removed.
A fast nickel is better than a slow dime. I’ve seen guys trying to sell the same car or parts for years passing on close offers. Makes no sense. Move the stuff and move on.
What partsdawg said When I sell stuff I put a realistic , slightly high price on it, there is always bargaining, so I come down a bit and still make basically what I want, buyer got a deal and everyone is happy. I have seen the same parts the same Stewart warner gauges , cars etc for sale on my local Kijiji for years !! For me that would drive me nuts answering all the stupid questions and no shows etc for a few bucks more. I know this as a few of these ding dongs I’ve tried to deal with and for literally 5-10 bucks for a gauge or some other frivolous part they won’t sell, most, shit all of it I don’t need but for a decent price I’ll buy it. If they think they are sitting on gold , well, then sit on it and piss off. My thinking is these people must be lonely or weird and enjoy the classified ass hats and there asinine questions.......
Well, lets pick this scab. I have stuff too. I'm not feeling the same about it as I did either. I thought of thinning the herd and getting a convertable. Nobody cared. I'd like to keep one, but even that is losing interest. Its tough thrashing when you don't have anyone to play with, and its 105 outside. "$1.00. Its all $1.00. But you have to take it all".
There are days when i would be happy to sell everything for 1/2 price but it would have to be everything! Those days are more common than not.
I ran into that situation once.... A guy was advertising a bunch of '56 Ford parts for sale. I call, get his wife, ask about the parts and she says 'He's out of town, come on out, I can do this'. So off I go... When I get there, the guy has a huge hoard but it's at least 60% junk. Single-car garage packed so full you almost couldn't get in, random piles in the back yard. I look over what he has, really don't see that much I 'want' if you know what I mean. I make offers on a few parts, but feel her counter-offer prices are a bit high. I'm just about ready to tell her 'thanks, but no thanks' (and I think she sensed this) when she blurts out '$300! But you have to take ALL of it!' Well, let me take another look.... I figure there's $300+ worth of usable parts, done. Me and a buddy hauled six full-to-the-top truckloads out of there (three straight to dump), the other three went home to be sorted later. Probably half of that went to dump too. But at the end, I got what I felt was my moneys worth with what I kept. I wondered later about a couple of things.... One, who placed the ad? Him or her? Two, what did she tell him when he got home? And lest you wonder if I threw away any 'good' parts, I didn't; this guy was a horrible pack-rat and most of it really was junk...
I have almost comepletely eliminated my parts hoard. I priced it reasonably, then sold stuff for whatever the person had in their pocket. I came home empty,with a wad of cash.
I try to never list any cars parts or cars on Kijiji unless I want to sit all day for all the no shows that call and say they will be right over. My friends and I call these guys"Kijidiots".
Contrary to belief, ya just might be able to take it with you. I've got quite a bit of "extra" stuff. If you get some money for it, fine. If you think you might ever need to use this stuff, you'll NEVER replace it for what you sell it for. The old "If you have it for sale, it's just crap. If some one else has it, it's gold". I'm gonna die with it, I might just use it someday. Let the nephew call the dumpster.
From my own personal experiences dealing with my late BIL stuff (tons) and my own sell off, it ain't as easy as I thought it would be . I got rid of my personal parts hoard with the convertible 4 years ago. I had already sold my coupe. I don't miss any of it !! I am still trying to get rid of some of my BIL stuff even after a 2 day auction sale. The ship has already sailed on alot this stuff , parts and cars. Good luck getting rid of your collections. With that said what do I do - of course I buy a 40 Ford coupe a year ago !! Haven't looked back , love it ! The first car I own that I didn't build myself. Instant gratification and I have driven it 118 days this year. Later Bill
I really like 26 and 27s. I would love to have one just like Gable stole from Alan Hale in " It Happened One Night'. That 27 Touring was a character in the film from the " leg scene" to the "Walls of Jericho." So.., 26 -27 Touring 26-27 Coupe or Sedan 16-25 Open car I'm not to crazy about the brass cars or the closed cars before 1926. There is s 27 Coupe local I really like.
Between me, my son, and my grandson, we have managed to use up most of my hoard by building cars. Most of what is left is pretty much junk that I thought I (or someone else) might need some day. I'm building my last ride now (at least that is how I feel about it now) and most of the junk I've saved for years won't work on this project. I'm trying to figure out why I thought some of those parts would be useful after the cars they belonged to were gone. I should have scrapped it when the scrap price was up. I'm semi retiring later this year, by this time next year, I hope most of that junk will be scrapped, one pickup load at a time. I don't anticipate there will be much of that junk that would be worth the hassle of selling it. I will have my coupe, the current project (which now moves under its own power) and the wife's ride left. I'll keep most of my tools and the more often used equipment, while I'm among the living, but there is a bunch of clutter that will be gone. My son and grandson can fight over what I have left after I die. Gene
The problem I have run into when thinking about selling is everyone thinks because you are selling something you NEED the money and they can low ball you. If I'm offering something for sale, it's at a reasonable price and I'm not interested in dickering. I had my Hudson for sale for a bit. Finally took the ad down and am keeping it. It can sit till I get to it. Just because I'm selling it doesn't mean I'm interested in giving it away.
Your list of project cars looks like ones that others would want so culling the herd seems doable. Like you, I also wanted a T coupe since I was a kid. The good news is that among early Fords, these are quite affordable. Saw a older restoration T coupe at a swap meet not long ago for $6000. Paint and upholstery done and it ran. Not the greatest upholstery, but done. Do up a chassis, and you have a presentable hot rod, or keep it as is and have an obstruction to traffic. Plan B: Keep the F-1. Since it is your avatar car, you must like it more than the others. Finish it.
I like that! I've always said "easy money's best money". Similar thoughts. Why fuck around and hold out forever.
I sell a fair amount of non automotive stuff on "That website" and lately find I don't mind selling stuff for what I'm into it for of a slight loss. Having money to buy better stuff is a better deal in my mind. Bob
lack of motivation is sometimes just that it doesnt assemble itself in the garage (or driveway) no matter how many new (or "new") parts get bought. Not saying thats the problem you have, but when it is the problem its usually because staring at a huge pile of parts just reminds you how much work is left, and that can knock a guy down faster than a disability. without some way to pick at it, put in little spurts of time and energy it just feels like work, especially when you spend all your money on the vision. how do you eat an elephant? one bite at a time. take bites, work when you have free time and put a goal in mind. not a "drive to get ice cream" goal but a "reassemble the drivers side front brake" goal. make a list of those goals and figure out what needs done before another. in less time than you think you will be driving to get ice cream. If selling is all you want, dont sell it short. I sell a few because I like the process more than the result, and my pricing is usually more towards the "what its worth" end. Every time I get the guy who's negotiation tactic is "its just a this combined with a that" like buying a tab A and a slot B and putting them together. they stare down the barrel of a fair price and offer a "get it the hell out of here" price, and I tell them if its so simple to do it, and call me when they are done, I will buy every one at their price. What I am saying is, a good price speaks for itself. it tells some guys there is blood in the water, sure. but a good price also galvanizes that guy who has been looking for a while. you just need to get him to see your ad, and the work is done.
Hey F, Sorry about your situation…we have all, at one time, been there. Talk about being 20…When we had our 671 SBC 40 Willys explosion and fire at Lions in 1960, my brother was 19 and I was 16 ½. It was a devastating experience in the aftermath of such an event. Our parents were crazy with worry. My brother was in no state to figure out what to do next as the hard recovery was going to be a challenge. During the visits to the hospital, my brother, now, had plenty of time to contemplate what to do next. Of course, while in the ICU, his first words to us were: “How is the Willys?” “Can it be fixed?” My mom was aghast…! What??? But, as an avid hot rodder from being little kids and having built and raced cars, it was a logical question. I told him the car was at our close friend’s side yard and ready for a rebuild. My brother was pleased and that made recovery easier on him. Days and weeks later, the visits and conversations always came back to rebuilding the 40 Willys. The detailed account of the damage was discussed and it was possible to do a 100% fix it and make it running again. The new stuff we had previously ordered were left on hold for a week. In the meantime, I decided to cancel the current order for the new speed parts that were on their way or waiting for us in Los Angeles. We could always re-order everything again, later. The powerful 671 SBC had no damage other than running dry and being close to extreme heat. Cosmetic clean up was the only thing necessary for the motor. But, after more months of discussion and my brother becoming a slightly different person during this recovery, he/we decided to sell it all. The recovery was going to take too long, and manual dexterity was going to be a problem for a while longer. Jnaki We listed all of our remaining stuff after our friend helped take apart the damaged 40 Willys, that was still sitting on a trailer. The items left over, not the damaged car, was brought back to our backyard garage and sat for another couple of months. Now, by this time, my brother had a tear in his eye, but definitely said that is it for him. No more hot rods or drag racing builds, despite his years of history and background. He definitely had something in mind during his recovery and drag racing was not in the future plans. The parts listed in the local Drag News paper sold fast, as the pricing was below what we found at the local swap meets or salvage yards. Luckily for us, Drag News was having their Special Edition classifieds for all things hot rod, from complete cars to a wide variety of parts. The 671 SBC was the biggest worry about selling… But, a guy from the Midwest called and flew out to buy it for his hot rod build. WHERE IS IT NOW? No need to keep what you will not use in the future. For the next 32 years from 1960, he had become a lifelong surfer, motorcycle desert racer, and street rider on his big 1000cc superbikes. Hot rodding…he never looked back, except for our late night conversations during his visits to our home. The transition was smooth as the future was knocking on the door in 1961.
I managed to radically down size a few years ago .Promised myself no more than one project car ,no matter what a bargain it was. I have a 57 chevy ,4 door conversion, Junior Stocker maybe. My wife knows the car and I have friends that assure me that they will make sure it goes to a good home. I found a complete Center Door T last year ,barn find , all complete . Thought I could live with a Friday night Ice cream car. Sold before I could sell the 57 so thats that.I have friends who have two lifetimes of project cars. I can't understand just having them setting around deteriorating is enjoyable.When they pass, probably be just an old car auction, if there is anyone interested by then.
I have done this several times and came out ok $$ wise. Unfortunately I found it filled back up in 3 to 5 years. It just happens.
Thank you for sharing about your brother. I can relate. My injury, a TBI was suffered on duty in 2003, it finally caught up with me in the fall of 2009. My life is divided into to two parts, before the injury and afterward. Like the old Korean phrase.... I'm the Same Same........ But different. I have balance and vertigo issues. I have lost my close sight so I have to wear reading glasses to see stuff like bolt heads and wrench sizes. Working overhead in odd positions makes me dizzy... like under a car. The glasses make me dizzy as depth perception and balance are all related. The glasses and being in odd positions some days are just too much. I am different now. My focus " pings". I ping ping like a hard rubber ball from one project to the next. Selling out in every sense of the term offers freedom. A fresh new day but still, it's not easy.
I just watched a guy drive away in my old 65 Corvair vert, he made a close to reasonable offer and I took it. He was the first person to show up with money in his pocket and that could make a decision without having to go home and talk it over with somebody. Took a livable loss and now have a place in the garage for what ever is next.
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