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

The girl with the valve covers like in the old mags. I think it was called, Parts With Appeal.

 

I asked a guy what he wanted for the 32 heavy axle with juice brakes laying in his side yard. He said take so he didn't have to scrap it. Sold the 46-48 spindles and brakes for $450 bucks to make it less than free.

 

Free, kinda ..... I got a huge smile from my brother a couple of weeks ago, on his 60th birthday, I gave him my spare 26 roadster that I will never get around to doing, ( I still have another one to keep me busy when I get the other projects done....)

 

Bought a 35 Ford 5 window last year that was flat towed up here from Arizona back in the late 70's. Had 79' Arizona plates on it. It had a pair of ratted out bucket seats in it. I was going to put the bucket seats out in the junk pile for free pickup day. Then I thought, well maybe I better find out what kind of car these bucket seats are from. It turned out they were out of a 1966 Chevelle. Put them on ebay and they went for $580. An upholstery company bought them that just specialized in mid 60's GM buckets.
Picked up the car on the cheap too.

 

Freebie from the scrap yard.
The base is for a Holley double pumper

 

1956 Coupe deVille for $65. Auction, cold, rainy, last thing they sold. Ended up in Austin TX.

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A free 37 Topolino coupe that was setting behind a gas station in south Miami.

 

Once got a pair of 15x4 Mag Americans 5x5 1/2 BC for 3 used Vega boxes , that I removed for free , before they exited to the crusher . Once bought a complete 69 Torino Cobra , 428 SCJ Drag Pack car , for 75.00 . It had been in a sideswipe crash , drive train good as good can be . “Get it got today or leaving to the city impound yard .” Everything went into my second 67 Fairlane . The 428 was way more streetable that the first with 427 boat motor . Those were the days . Those old Fairlanes , really had horrible front and rear suspensions . But I drove them hard and they lasted many a mile of abuse . I sold the 428 car for 1500.00 , gas went from .36 to .76 and my teen age funds , couldn’t afford to fuel the beast . A 3 year old Shovel for 1300.00 became the affordable ride for years . It cost 2865 .oo tax , title , including a leather jacket , out the door . Those were the days , fund memories . Seems like a different life time .

 

15 years ago or so I bought a 1968 A833 4 speed, super shifter and big block blow shield for $75.00, guys said he was tired of hauling it around.

Brought it back to my spot, broke it down to transmission, shifter and blow shield and sold everything for $450.00 separated.

Cliff Ramsdell

 

Not the coolest but had to be the best deal . New, never used 200r over drive tranny with TG in the box for $25. No one bid but me . When ever this guy had a auction , he knew I was taking home most of the auto parts.

 

You still got them mag wheels? lol I’m asking for a friend


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Well, I've got a couple. Probably the only deals I didn't loose any money on. It was about 1975, I was 22 years old and a friend I worked with at the local Ford Truck dealership was moving back to Arkansas. He had a 1964 Royal Enfield Commando he had ridden when he was in the Navy during Nam. Didn't want to haul the bike to AK, so he gave it to me. Didn't run but I didn't care. The wife I had at the time was not pleased at all. I was in the process of getting it running when another guy at work wanted it. I think I sold it for $250.00 . He would ride it into work. One day he came in late and was all skinned up, a lot of road rash. Asked him "what the hell happened?" He was hauling ass down the road when the front fender came loose and bound up the front tire.
A little later another friend offered me a '64 Pontiac Tempest, small V8, auto trans and a radio. Paid $50.00. Drove that back and fourth to work for about 6 months when he came back to me and said a friend of his needed a car real bad. Said she would pay $150.00. Sent that one down the road. That was almost a weeks worth of pay.
One more. This one happened this year. An older hot rod friend of mine has a small fleet of neat old cars, '32 Ford two door sedan, '32 Ford Henry steel roadster, A glass '32 Ford Hi boy, among others. I had just sold my '47 Ford convertible, which went to Sweden, and didn't have anything to take to the LARS this year. So the friend comes over to my house and wants me to put new seat belts in the hi boy.
So I take care of that for him and he says " give me a ride home". Why, I say. He says "now you have something to drive to the show. In fact, why don't you just keep it here. I know you want the car. Pay me when you can". It's still here and he hasn't asked for any money or for the car back. Even gave me a bill of sale.
Sorry for the long story.

 

I am usually the guy that sold all the stuff cheap. This thread really hurts. I can't read the whole thing.
I did do good in the 60's/70's
Rolling full fendered complete 32 3W with 25 louver sides for $200
Rolling 32 roadster for $500
Original stock 55 Nomad driving $500
65 FI complete $100
70 Bonniville with a 69 GTO 400 engine for $50. Drove it home
Put the engine in a 66 Pontiac wagon I bought for $200. Put 200,000 miles on it.
55 Chevy 2D Ht for $500 with every option offered. Must have been a show room car.
32 tall coil for $1
32 airfilter for $5
F1 brakes complete and fresh for $10
I won't mention my give away sales. Really stupid.

 

3 scores stand out.
Was told of a Ford FE cross ram in Crescent City Ca. about 25 miles away. They wanted $150 so I went down to look. Saw it sitting on the front porch but it was an inline 2X4 for a FE. $150 is still a good price. Ended up it was a C7ZX intake made specifically for Shelby GT 500's. Traded it for a new in box FE Blue Thunder 2X4. plus $300 in my pocket. Sold the BT for $1000.

2nd was a scrapyard find. Isky (I think) BBC blower intake in perfect condition Free ! they didn't want to scrap it. Sent it off to ShakeyPuddin55 for free

Lastly more expensive but a Ford FE 6X2 Edelbrock F68 for $400 with carbs and linkage
Photo is with my carbs the others were 94's

So many more FE finds because very few people are interested around here.
Movin/on

 

An old Superior metalflake steering wheel for $5.00 at a non-automotive flea market.

Gary

 

4 very nice 16" Lyons wheel covers for $25...

 

My buddy introduced me to this guy who owned a machine shop. The owner had a Pontiac short block with pop-up pistons in the corner and when I asked about it he said he'd gotten it from a defunct machine shop back in the 60s...had been raced locally. The engine, not the shop.
In time the machine shop closed up and my buddy ended up with the engine. It was a 347, '57 Pontiac bored .125" to 370 cu in. I badgered my buddy 'till he sold it to me for $100.
I had it balanced and put new rings/bearings etc etc with late heads and it's in my 34 now. Great engine!
The pistons turned out to be Jahns. Cam was a '57 fuel injection, hydraulic unit.

 

In early 2003, right after I retired, I went to a small salvage yard I frequented often. The owner mostly crushed. I rounded up an early '60s 'Vette intake w/carb & valve covers, 2 dual snorkel GS breathers, a bare '70 Chevelle 12 bolt, 10 or so 168 Chev flywheels, 8 or 9 aluminum bell housings, 3 were "621" & the grand prize a '69 near perfect wood wheel. I asked the owner what he wanted for it all. He told his youngest son to give me a price, He said "I don't know, Daddy!" He said "make me an offer". $200 I said. Sold! The wheel was covered w/goo & unrecognizeable until I got home & cleaned it up. First time I posted it on eBay in November it didn't make the $800.00 reserve, so I re-posted just before Christmas w/$900.00 reserve, my wife said "You're crazy - couldn't get $800!" I said "Some one needs this for Christmas!" Sold it to the high bidder from 1st auction for $967. She had called me after the 1st auction but said $800 was too much - she confided that her husband was restoring a numbers matching '69 Z28 & needed that wheel. Sold the breathers for $400 & $350 at Charlotte Auto Fair, a near perfect "621" bellhousing on eBay for $460. Still have the 'Vette intake & 1 damaged "621" and a couple of flywheels.

This hobby has been good to me, self supporting for many years, not so much now. I have all but quit the swap meets except for Charlotte. Guess I go just out of habit. Old age & arthritis are catching up. Still have some odds & ends out in the barn but too heavy to haul around. Keep saying I'm going to clean it out. One day!!

 

My first speed part...Offy 4 bbl intake with carb from a 55 buick with air cleaner.........$15 in 1964 It went on my $15, 53 Merc engine. New rings/bearings/gaskets were another $36

 

Vintage Shanafelt intake for 216 early 235 Chevy 6 Paid $25.00

 

Looks like it's very versatile.....

 

Not me, but one of my friends. He was wandering around a guys yard to look at some parts, and tripped over a Columbia rear end that was covered with leaves, He bought it for $ 25.00. Another friend and I were invited by the daughter of another old parts dealer that had passed away.to buy some of her father's stuff. She had a (supposed )friend of her late fathers to help her out, He helped himself out very much. But, he wasn't as smart as he thought he was. The first thing he threw out of the barn was a complete 1932 ford pedal assembly. He said $ 5.00, so I bought it. He then threw out a 1940 pedal assembly but he wanted $ 35.00 for it because it was for hydraulic brakes. We passed on that pedal assembly. The deceased guy had a lot of flathead speed equipment in his cellar, but when we went there it was all gone. Another friend and his son bought a lot of stuff from the estate, and the ( supposed ) friend, said why don't you come buy some stuff from me. They went to his house, and lo and behold, there was the flathead speed equipment. He was a real sleazebag.

 

About 25 years ago I was riding by a old salavage yard that was scrapping everything as it had been sold due to urban development. Setting out front were three old Ford rear ends. Going by at 60 miles an hour, I noticed one rear end had a large budge on one side! Grabbed some binders, went back, sure enough it was a Columbia! Owner said he wanted $10 apiece for the rear ends. I said I want the one on the end and paid him. Got my truck and hauled it home. My Dad and I seemed to be the only people around that enjoyed that Columbia. It sat on the back of my 1937 ton and a half till this year.
Found a set of 1965 Ford 427 long tube headers for sale, been looking for a spell. Wife says no money! Columbia went to Australia. Dollars in hand, I head to Illinois and buy my manifolds.



Bones

 

Advice from my pops years ago, "If yer gonna do somethig, do it right the first time"

 

That's free good advice!!!!!!!!......

 

Found this in a buddy of mine woods on the front of a doodle bug. I offered him all the cash that was in my pocket at the time, $80.00. He laughed and said he would of took $20.00 for it. I’m happy.

 

I believe this falls under the heading of "pictures or it didn't happen".
Please!

 

4 Caddy sombreros for $12.50from an antique mall/flea market kind of place. Three of them were pretty rusty, but made pretty good hose reels and wall hangers.

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Hello,
With the post-Christmas Big Bear Trip looming for all of us, our group’s cars were being prepped for the journey into the cold and snowy weather. Our 1958 Impala had a red interior with the standard multi-color inserts, front and rear. It was a nice contrast along with the shiny, black paint on the outside.

My brother was smart in that he knew that with the standard teenage Levi’s (Hey, let’s see if your Levis will stand up by itself, in the corner…) sitting on that pristine red interior, the red surface was not going to stay clean very long. Sand, oil, grease, food, salt water, etc. would all damage the interior seating areas as quickly as possible.

He also knew that when we were doing work around, underneath and inside the motor area, our friend, oil and grease, was going to be a problem. Sure, we used those smelly, Goop hand cleaners, but that was like putting on gasoline to clean the oil off. Lava soap also did the job, but did wonders on your skin. So, the best way to keep the oil and soil off of the nice interior was to put on some clear plastic seat covers.

The local Zink Corporation owned, Sure-Fit Seat Cover place was near our high school. So, he got a set for the Impala, front and rear. It was smooth, squeaky, and kept everything off of the red seating areas. In the two door sedans, the tops of the seats always had scuff marks and darkened areas because of oil/stuff on the hands when pulling the seat forward to get access to the rear seats. These clear covers were always clean and neat, no stains anywhere.

Because of being plastic, there was no smoking while inside of the Impala.

Jnaki

My brother took us for drives during the summers and it was hot and sticky on the clear covers. T-shirts had the sweat marks on the back, almost every time. When I got the Impala as my own car, it was on the second set of clear seat covers.

One day, during the spring vacation time, my brother gave me a pair of wire frame, (about 1 inch thick), seat pads covered with a mesh fabric. The idea was to let the circulating air go around the physical backs of the driver/passenger and cool off that area. It worked like a charm, we now had “hot rod air conditioning.”
The cooling wire seat back pads were even black and red, for some color coordination.

That was the “coolest” thing I received from my brother. The local Pep Boys accessory store always had multiple versions of this cool invention. We used it daily. They worked so well that we did not need air conditioning to rob more horsepower from the 348 motor.

At Christmas time, the snow in the mountains just slid off or was easily wiped off, without any damage to the pristine, red seating surfaces. The carpet was protected by some great, red rubber, floor mats. Bring on the snow and water, the Impala was ready for anything… mud, snow, rain and greasy Levi’s… and the covers were inexpensive.

Later on in 1964, I had the same Zink, “SURE-FIT” Clear Covers on our New, 1965 red El Camino to protect the seats from the new found motorcycle dirt and greasy Levi’s. 11 years later, the buyer of our 65 El Camino commented on how new the seats looked…

 

I found my Halibrand Champ Car Q.C. at a yardsale. At a yard sale price!
It was a part but complete with one V8 side plate, and a Safety Racing Hub.


As found-