History What car part have you just given away in the past that is now worth a fortune?

Gave away a '53 Desoto grille - all 11 teeth and the pan.

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Complete 57 Corvette 283 for $40,, in 1967

 

I sold a new old stock Cadillac Offy 3x2 intake with carbs for $200 back in the '90s after I found it wouldn't fit my 429.

 

In 1969, a buddy and I landed in San Francisco after finishing our all expense paid trip to Nam. We were supposed to catch another flight back to our homes in Louisiana the next day. Well, we passed a used car lot and there sat a '55 Chevy convertible, new paint, new top, rolled and pleated Naugahyde interior, warmed 327, 4-speed, etc. We pooled our money, paid cash for it and headed down the Pacific Coast Highway for sight-seeing trip before heading east. Somewhere between L.A. and San Diego, engine started knocking (know now why price was so good). Pulled into parking lot, bought some tools and pulled pan. Rod bearing shot and crank scored. Bought a new bearing and some emery cloth, made very temp repairs and headed out. Just north of San Diego, engine let go. I had a wedding (MINE) to get to in Louisiana in less than a week. Ended up giving the car to a kid at service station in exchange for ride to airport.
50th Wedding Anniversary coming up and I still question my judgement in that service station parking lot.

 

Paid $175.00 For A Rebuilt 1957 Rochester Fuel Injection With Correct Distributor...Ran It For 5 Years And Sold For $650.00....

 

Have given hard to find parts to guys building a car and needing them-some I could not buy now. One of them turned around and sold a rare piece for big $$-haven't seen him since.

 

dang....so many....and now.....I'm off the wagon again......guess it would be the stuff I've given friends and then watch them sell at a swap meets......

 

1967 mustang fast back roller

 

L88

 

Gave away the Harmon Collins dual coil distributor that was from the 59AB that was in my 29RPU when I bought it around 1960. I think I traded the Fenton heads for a bumper. Engine ran but was shot. Wrist pins had floated out and scored cylinders. I think cam was Winfield. Don't remember what I did with cam. Those heads ended up on a '32 highboy that just changed hands in the San Jose area. Put a 283 in RPU and drove it for 28 years.

 

Fried engine in my 64 Corvair convertible and traded a three side draft carb intake and factory dual exhaust manifold from a 54 Vette for a 110hp Corvair engine. This was in 67.

 

Lightly used Spalding Flame Thrower for 392 Hemi

 

I screwed up by not hanging on to a 57 Chevy Rochester fuel injection, mine I got in a trade for a 2 barrel intake, carb and std distributor and when it started not working right, I dumped it cheap to a guy I knew that was drag racing a 57! I have regretted that decision for over 50 years!

 

Traded away a Ansen cross flow aluminum racing head w/fuel injection for a 153 CI chevy 2 Midget race engine back in 75 as I had purchased a SESCO Chevy Midget race engine for Edmunds chassis we purchased. I not sure how valuable it would be today, but I believe to be pretty rare and a collector piece for vintage Midget guys. Another Boner move, around 77/78 heard about a brand new Kurtis Kraft Midget chassis for sale being sold by children/son of old Wisconsin racer,( was purchased, sat in his basement rec room for 30 years) went, looked, bought it on the spot, $2500. had it setting around a year or so, sold it for $4000. But should have kept it, my Fore-site sucks, Hind-site perfect, sums it up.

 

Had a NOS 36 Ford Pines Winterfront hangin on the wall in my shop for over 25 years. Still had the price tag on it that I'd paid for it ($20). Buddy was building a 36 and said to me i gotta have that, what ya want for it? I said how bout lunch ? A bag o' burgers and a can of Mt Dew and we both happy. That was 20 years or so ago.

 

Not exactly a giveaway, per say, but in the late 1980's I bought a complete, running but very tired and run down 1969 Dodge Daytona wing car. Everything was there and the guy was really motivated to move it, so I seized it for the paltry sum of $3500. The 440 was a toasted oil hog, but it was original to the car and unmolested. White car with a red gut. The acquisition of this car was something of a dream for me.

The layoffs at McDonnell Douglas started a month later. They continued for months, until I finally got my pink slip. An associate I worked with offered to buy the car for what I had into it. I took it. It doesn't matter that I wound up needing the cash at the time, but the fact that the opportunity to own a bonafide Chrysler wing car would never again present itself to me has always been a source of contention.

I've given away 1970 Mopar 340 hi-po exhaust manifolds. Hell, I used to throw them in the dirt at the wrecking yards, in my quest to get at other parts.

I gave away a real, factory Moulin Rouge (pink) 1970 Barracuda. It was a slant six and it was a stripped out roller, but it was a legit, titled pink car. A friend who did a lot of favors for me REALLY wanted it...and at the time, rollers like that weren't really worth much.

 

Sold one for 3500 with side draft weber's about a year ago. What I learned is they made 50 of them. It's going in the 67 season champ. Cant remember what racing series.

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Lots of parts over the last 45 years of buying and selling stuff that had I kept them would bring huge money.
Can’t and not interested in keeping shit forever.
Got good money AT THAT TIME.
Once I got paid and the deal was done it’s in the rear view mirror.

 

An aquaintence at a business I serviced had a original 32 ford grill with insert which I bought from him for $80 and sold here on Hamb for $800 six or seven years ago.

 

More than I care to remember,


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Towed my 1946 Chev. Fleetline Sedan to to a Gardena junk yard from L.A. with a rope and gave it to him because I blew the motor, did the same with my 1950 Chev. 2dr. fastback for same reason. He was a friend so that is why I gave them to him. Bodies were outstanding, my brain was not apparently. This was in 1961, they were not worth much then.

 

About 10 years ago I let a Pines Winter Front go with a 32 pickup I sold overseas, now they're bring 10-12000

 

This story is true----(got enough buddies to back it up)---Got out of the Navy in Jan. of '60----In Chicago. Had a 53 DeSoto Hemi convertable---Traded it in to Ruby Cheverolet for a 57 Corvette with a fuel injected 283/283, 4:56 posie and a Factory 3 speed. Convertable top only. LOVED that little hand grenade. Broke the posie--twice. Vapor locked way to many times to count. But I honestly don't believe I was EVER beat out of the hole with that car. Blew the clutch--once. COULD not drive that car in the Chicago winter snow. Got married in '61, traded the car in in '62, at Ruby Chevrolet pretty much even up for a VERY nice 59 Impala Convertable. I new the guy who bought it---He got tired of the Vapor lock and swapped the fuelie for dual quads and a 4 speed (and some money. -----Today the 59 Chev convert (in the condition I bought it) and the totally original 57 'Vette (in the condition I bought it) would probably be worth $75k/100k in todays market. The 57 Fuelie set up (with the Fuelie Distributor) close to $15k/20k. At the time, it seemed like a good idea. Bill

 

mid 80's i sold a 340 t/a six pack set up for the paltry sum of 150.00. the garbage guys in the small town i lived in found it in the trash and sold to me for 10.00 in '76, i was 14 at the time and thought it was for a sbc. fast forward to 2000 bought a 62 chev wagon rust bucket for the roof to fill my model A lo and behold there was an original air cleaner for the t/a in the back buried under junk, needless to say still have it just in case i find another six pack set up.... true story.

 

How about license plates, today some of them are like having $100 bills.

Charlie Stephens

 

Was given a running '57 Chevy 150 2 door in 1965. I was 15. The first day I had it I took the outside sun visor and fender skirts off and put them in the garage. A year or so later my dad got on a clean out the garage kick. I hauled them to the city dump and watched a bulldozer shove dirt over them.

 

Gave away a barrel full of 37 Ford tranny parts , 37 Ford rear , 37 brake drums and backing plates , 55 Chevy 265 block , 2 Olds. 324 complete motors , 4 speed trans. , 53 Caddy 3 speed trans. , 41 Merc . complete motor . Probably a lot more that I forgot about !

 

A SIX-DEUCE LOG INTAKE SETUP FOR AN OLDS V8

I bought an old "A" sedan with an Olds V8. Junked the Olds engine - kept the intake. It was the type with two tubular plenums connected by radiator hose sections in the middle.
Once we were invited to a party and told to bring a gag gift. Yup, took the whole intake and left it. It probably went to the curb on trash day. Stooopid

 

Under-dash A/C unit.
I had scored this as a teen in SoCal and knew I had gold.
Off to the Navy and when I got back, my brother had taken the condenser coil and used it for an oil cooler for his VW.
With Mustang logo, assembly date of April, 1964.
That would be for the build up.
We still talk, sometimes I remind him.

 

Yes...this is EXACTLY what I’ve always said and felt...unfortunately when it comes time for me to sell, it seems no one else feels the same.

I’m currently selling my 32 coupe...( unchopped, full fendered, still wearing the same paint and Tijuana interior that it’s had since at least 1962.) I cannot believe how many people have contacted me and are just kinda procrastinating and putting it off for one reason or another.

Those are the guys that will be here in 5 years talking about the car that got away because of some little nothing that they hardly remember...

I remember when I found it...I just felt so incredibly lucky to have the opportunity to buy it...I left the night the eBay auction ended driving to the other side of the country to go get it.