Hot Rods Ever wonder what happened to your old car, then are sorry you found out?

I shared a photo of our old ‘36 Fordillac Special in a Hot Rod page, and right away some guy posted photos of it now, after changed hands a couple times for STUPID money. (Note that I got what I considered to be stupid money when I sold it, evidently I left money on the table ). This guy got all the cast off bits from its extensive rebuild, frame, axles, 472 Cad, windshield, hood, grill, etc. Of course having sold it, I don’t care what happens to it, and that it still exists and someone has lavished time and money on it, and it’s probably a “better” car now, but it lost something in the translation from Hot Rod to street Rod.


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Any of those Now photos??

 

No worries, it's a different car. I'm only curious about why he used your car to start with? Considering all the changes, why not just build what he wanted from scratch / ground up in the first place? Gary

 

I like the black one.

 

Had a slightly O/T Valiant two door sedan that I sold to a bracket racer. He put in a built 440/torqueflite combo, made one pass and flipped the car on it's top. Fucking totalled. I don't ask people what happened to my old car anymore.

 

Sorry but I like his version better but I can understand why someone would be "bothered" by their vision being changed.

 

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder I guess Brian! Joe

 

I had a 60's polara right after i got out of high school. It was pretty bombed but it was very fun to drive. I sold it while I was in college but always missed it. I saw it a couple years later it showed up on craigslist with all of the issues I had neglected to fix taken care of and cleaned up nicely for around the same money i had sold it for but i didn't have the cash at the time and that was a real bummer.

 

I had a '29 Ford Tudor project that I sold to throw money at the kids college bills. Saw it finished 3-4 years later...………… engraved flowers in the glass Street Rod features too long to list. Then there was my first car ever the '27 T Touring that I was sure got finished, but it turned out the buyer died and it was parted out on eBay 30 years later. That did have a happy ending a HAMB member bought the body and ran it at TROG. Bob

 

EVER WONDER WHAT HAPPENED TO YOUR OLD CAR, THEN ARE SORRY YOU FOUND OUT?

NO

 

I'm with gnichols, I don't get why he even started with your car considering how much got changed. But I don't dislike the new windshield, wheels, spreader bar, ect. I like your hood and grille trim better and your headlights but overall I think you could take it as a compliment that he thought so highly of your concept that he lavished a ton of money on it, on top of the apparently high initial price tag.

 

My old C10 got crushed out of spite in the midst of a messy divorce, while I war trying to buy it back. Never again.

 

10-15 years ago I found a really solid 31 Pontiac at a ghetto used car lot. It had just come out of a damp garage somewhere so the interior was shot, but the rest was pretty darn nice. I bought it and got it running and sorta drivable. Really smooth engine...

Kept it for a while then sold it. Found it a year later on craigslist minus drivetrain, with a terrible chop and channel job that someone had abandoned. It was pretty much scrap at that point.

That one really bugged me.

 

Take your money and run Brian.
Never look back.
I like both versions. Everyone likes to put a flavor of personality to their car.
Both of you accomplished that and you ended up winning with money in your pocket.
Rarely do any of us make a profit on our hobby.

 

My first car, an OT Dodge. Sold it to a coworker, who sold it to his brother. Brother took it to upstate New York (where he lived) and the car got stolen. When we were cleaning out my Dad's place before we sold it (he's in FLA now) I found the plates off of it. Those I still have.

 

On the flip side I had a 69 dodge dart when I was young, bad faded paint, bad trans etc. but fairly solid and a v8...I was gonna fix it up "some" but got side tracked on a 67 lemans...
Me and Dad sold the dart to a guy that said he was gonna fix it up but I didnt think he really would, I figured trans replaced and a set of wheels or something maybe......but he said he would bring it back over when he got it done

.....Then one day some time later a slick newly painted, orange with black stripe, 69 dodge dart with new interior, wheels etc.etc.etc. came rolling in our driveway......guess what....goose bumps.....

 

I don't mind seeing my old cars they are usually better than what I sold. I built this 41 Willys pickup in 1983, sold it in 1985, saw it in 2008, running at the Thompson gasser meet, truck was running 10.30 letting off at 1000 feet so he would not have to put a cage in it. Much better than when I sold it.

 

I’ve run into a few of my cars after I’ve sold them and they were always kept in the same shape or improved on.

My cousin had an o/t camaro that was flawless, he bought it new never driven in the rain to work always garages etc. Absolute museum piece when he sold it. It was 10 years old still had the original washer fluid in it.
He sold it to his wife’s cousin.
2 years later his wife’s cousin comes around in the winter ..... driving johns camaro!! Rusted cracked t-top interior stunk of smoke, cheesy wheels on it just ruined.
John cried that day.......... a lot !!

I know it’s an off topic car, but the story is the same if it’s sometjing you loved and cared for, even though you sold it off to see it destroyed is hear breaking.

 

I don’t think it’s your old car , but I do think someone tried to clone your car or used it for inspiration

 

I've sold a lot of cars and trucks through the years. All were sold for what was a good reason at the time they were sold. I've seen several of them over the years, some got better and some got worse. A few got totaled, a few others underwent a major upgrades from when I owned them.
Back when I was dirt track racing, two cars I sold at an earlier time came back to me and got used up on the local dirt track. There were several cars and trucks that came back to me and ended up getting parted out. I suspect it might be better for the cars and trucks if they didn't come back to me, so I figure what ever happens to the stuff after I sell it means that I was just a temporary part of its history. I was (or am) just the caretaker until the next person puts their mark on it, good or bad. Gene

 

While sitting at a traffic light I saw an old daily driver go by on a roll back, it looked like it had been through the wringer.

 

Black one's closer to my likin'.......

 

This is why we need to drive and enjoy our cars as much as possible. Why save them for the next owner?

Gary

 

I like them both. What is it you don't like about it now? Someone poured a ton of money and effort into making it theirs, and it still looks great.

 

Doesn't the black car have a body molding, or whatever it's called, extending from under the door forward past the cowl, and the green one not?

 

Our cars are like pieces of art-no two the same. All of us trying to build something different-while staying true to certain values or styles if you will.Ironically,copying someone else's ideas is a form of flattery.
A custom built car (hotrod,street rod,custom) is usually known by its association to the original builder. Some guys when they buy a car want to make the car 'their own' and loose the distinction made by the original builder or previous owner.
However-there are cars that shouldn't be changed for any reason -Norm Grabowski's Tee or Lee Pratt's 40 for example.
Changing these iconic works of art for the sake of change is like painting a mustache on the Mona-Lisa.

 

I’ve sold many cars and project cars over the years. Some I wish I had back. I have never, ever seen one of them again after it left my driveway. Maybe that’s best.

 

During 64-65, senior year of HS, had a 55 Chevy 210 2 dr sedan. Had a highly built, balanced 301 with dual quads Muncie close ratio 4 speed. Loved that car and was a good runner. Had to sell it to go to college. Only guy that had the money, was one I didn't want to sell it to. Eventually didn't have a choice, so I sold it to to him. He proceeded to to total it a few days later. I knew where it was towed to, but just couldn't go look at it.

 

Rocker panel, not to mention hidden hinges transverse spring , Duvall, hood grill ect , I think it would be easier to build a new car than make all those changes... I been wrong before though

 

Someone found a couple of pictures of the 31' Ford Phaeton that I sold in CA. The car was built in resto-rod era, elegant deep candy root beer over a Bordeaux base with the fenders six shades darker, very simple tasteful light tan stripping, chrome wires, engraved side vent & rear glass, and chrome & wooden luggage rack. Colorful award winning car, great stance with a bit of attitude. The chopped windshield was replaced with a much higher roadster one, so the nice rake on the top was now gone... The rear view showed the luggage rack in the down position, didn't understand why, then saw the aluminum gas tank sitting a top the rack... I didn't bother downloading the photos... dyno dave