Wow. I’d never heard of the car before, but it’s a shame what flames can do. Somebody please buy it so I don’t. https://jonesboro.craigslist.org/cto/d/piggott-41-ford-custom-car-burned/7395841476.html#
Salvage rig. The owner most likely turned the title in to the insurance company when they got paid off and this seller bought the car from the salvage auction is my guess. There is still enough there to take two and make one.
Looking at the video and the car has bags and then the photos in the Craiglist ad the front is on coilovers but can't see the rear properly.
Some years ago I did a lot of ‘rebuilders’. ‘Burners’ are among the worst to work on and I only bought them as parts cars. Nobody asked me, but IMO the ’firm’ price is a least double what the salvage is worth considering the devastation. But differences of opinion is what makes a horse race! Ray
Funny you should mention this. Back in the day green race cars were considered unlucky and sometimes were not even allowed in the pits.
Here are a few photos I took of the car at the Petit Jean Swap Meet in 2012. I like the Caddy wheelcovers better than what's on it now.
The ‘Parts Only’ description of the title is a category some States use for damaged vehicles that the State deems unsuitable for rebuilding. Not so much that it couldn’t be done, but I think it is a combination of protecting a future purchaser from a really badly damaged rebuilder and prevention of using the VIN and documents to ‘legitimize’ a stolen car. A ‘parts only’ designation puts the VIN in a records category that it can never be titled or registered. Ray
Still trying to figure out the ‘99 AMBR reference. Are there different classes? According to Wikipedia the winner of the AMBR in ‘99 was “Shockwave”.
I actually think it's quite a good price, seems like there's a lot there that's workable and certainly that chassis with drivetrain couldn't be replicated for $10K, not even close. Replace the hood and make a new top, it really doesn't seem that bad to me, although I'm used to starting with fucked-over rusted out wrecks. I'd want to change some things, but it could be a really neat car again.
Ray is correct, that title designation will be a major problem in a lot of states if attempting to repair it.
It doesn’t look like it got that hot. The trim is still on the side of the hood. Trying to figure out the cause of the damage to the driver’s door and quarter. Emergency response trying to get in the car?
Insurance company/tow yard may have forced the door open to look for a VIN or other ID number in the door jamb, not knowing where to look. Shaved handles with poppers that are non-functional and someone who doesn't give a shit about old cars could easily result in that kind of damage. Straighten those bent panels out, hammer on the burnt paint with a D/A and spray some primer over the top, strip that Carson style top down to a bare frame, and this car would look a hell of a lot more fixable than it does now. As for the title thing, that's just the category the seller picked for his Craigslist ad, if I were serious I'd contact them and ask them about the title thing. People fill in all kinds of odd details on those drop-down menus and I think we may be reading too much into the "parts only" thing.
I agree it's not a bad deal, especially if the title can be worked out, however it's most likely eternally a salvage title or total as it went through Copart auction a week ago; https://www.copart.com/lot/55011951/1941-ford-uk-va-fredericksburg The C/L ad address comes back as "Gary Johnson's old cars". He bought it to flip or perhaps he had intentions of rebuilding it, then had second thoughts about doing all the work. As Squablow said, swap the hood for starters then get busy. The engine compartment fared pretty well for a burn. The Copart photos indicate it may have been an interior electrical fire. The ideal buyer would be an auto upholsterer. He could barter upholstery work for the body and electrical work, then set the car in his shop and pick at the upholstery whenever his work load slows. Damn shame the responders or tow yard tore the hell out of the quarter and door. They did more body damage than the fire did. Getting that back in shape, especially the jamb and door/quarter gap will be more work than the rest of the body work.
A lot of you guys think that car is an easy fix but having dealt with more than my share of burned-out vehicles by the time you throw away everything that's easier and cheaper to replace all you'll be left with is a non-running chassis, a pair of front fenders and a deck lid. If you can't get a clean title for the frame so it can be used under another body, you will end up with even less.
I once bought a '66 Galaxy 2 door hardtop that was a pretty nice car before it had an engine fire. Since the fire didn't get under the dash and was restricted to the engine compartment, it was an easy fix. I replaced all of the burnt components on the engine (carb, alternator, wiring harness, etc.), painted the hood and fender, and I had a real nice car cheap. Of course, every burnt car is it's own case, but sometimes you get lucky and from the looks of it, there is a chance this may be one of those times. Like others have said, the stuff that happened after the fire (body damage and title surrender) probably caused more harm than the fire.
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