Call Before You Crush Campaign?!

in the older cars leaving the US thread, people started talking about cars getting crushed...I have been talking about this idea since last October and its something I really think could happen.

Idea: Nationwide 'Call before you Crush Campaign' (insert trademark symbol here) Run by an association of car enthusiasts, with the goal of educating the country about cars to protect our American history etched in the metal of cars. There would be tiers of membership: Angel investors, crack mechanics, and tow truck / storage locations. Profits from the sell of the cars/parts would be split between the association and contributing members. I believe with the right organization there could be money from the government available. This is also a 'green' friendly initiative.

There would be ads geared to people who have inherited cars / parts they don't know the value of or how to dispose of / re-purpose properly. Or are unable to because of the costs of tow-trucks etc.

Ok, there it is. It just takes one idea and than a bunch of people who are willing to jump on some grass-root campaigning.

 

Awesome idea, I think

 

I agree whole heartedly. I'd even offer an exchange of a so called "throw away" vehicle from a throw away society. Count me in.

 

i think this is a awesome idea!

 

What can we do to help?

 

get it out there on bill boards and news papers..

 

I can offer short term storage for something that is saved

 

Who do I call? I have some cars to crush.

 

II am from your area SaltCity

 

I've often wondered if there is some way to get vintage vehicles classified as "historically significant" the same way a house or building is classified. Maybe then laws and networks could be built up to support preserving these vehicles. We should get this started and see how far we can go with it. This forum seems like it would be a good way to reach out at a grassroots level.

 

Hmm, dont know what its like in the US but i wouldnt trust the UK government to have anything to do with it.

Start getting them interested in teh vehicles and the need to save/preserve them and how long will it be before they try to stop us cutting them up and modifying them?

 

Awesome!

Here are my proposed steps:

#1 Come up with a name for the association - please post some ideas and we will put it to a vote

#2 Identify who wants to be a member of this groundbreaking network/association and what skills everyone is willing to contribute. I can start a spreadsheet. Send me your contact details direct.

#3 Make a website (I can get this started)

#4 Set-up a 1-800 number. Anyone know costs/service providers? We want to be able to access voicemails online.

#5 Design some Ad ideas - anyone into designing marketing pieces. I got some background but more help the merrier. (Slogan is "call before you crush")

#5 Start talking to local newspapers / city officials / state officials / federal. See what backing, free advertisements they are willing to offer/sponsor in our local communities

#6 Decide whether this is a for profit, non-profit etc. and start setting up a board of directors.

 

I'm all in on this, sign me up....

Maybe a web site kinda thingy, where you input your info for the cars/trucks your willing to rescue.

The would be crusher just types in, let's say "40 ford" (with some type of incentive for his time) then up comes a list of locally interested parties.
The yard then fires off an (call before you crush) email
"you have 7 days to claim, then we crush"

Your now off to the yard to pick up your next project.

Something like that would work for me.
But I like what your saying young lady....

Just my 2 cents!

 

Great idea, but keep the government out of it.

 

Does anyone have a contact here at H.A.M.B. I am a newbie so I don't know everyone. A lot of what we need in regards to message boards etc. exists thru H.A.M.B and I wouldn't want to break a way to re-create another board. If the guys are willing it would be nice to set-up a separate Discussion area for this campaign; so that its easier to track discussions/threads. In turn this could bring more attention to H.A.M.B, the alliance and vendors that advertise with Jalopy Journal.

 

I only want their money. There is a lot of money out there for non-profits, preservation type organizations and now for 'green' initiatives.

But as they say, keep your enemies close, we need to approach them/lobby them before they start attacking us...with the gas issues/green advocates we will eventually be on someone's radar and its better to have a plan/solutions before they come after us.

 

I do believe "59FordGirl" might be an Aristocrat....

 

excellent idea!!!!

 

Great Idea, I'm In and I usually have temp. storage space in the South Bay.

 

I got a name, Sentimetal....I'm so dang clever.

 

I think it is some guy named Ryan or something like that.

 

sounds like a plan to me

 

If you want money from the government, then you have to mold it to some issue already in place. Argue that keeping these old cars around is better than crushing them, shipping them to China in gas-guzzling ships, and having them made into Toy(ota)s and then make the trip back.

Or some other initiative... Umm, hot rod gay marriage escort service?



All we'd really need to preserve them is a paved lot and ideally, a roof over their heads. I do think, however, that when we get all the 'barn finds' together in one place they'll sell like hotcakes so long-term storage needn't be an issue.

 

I will contribute my marketing, promotion, copy writing/editing and graphic design abilities as much as I am able. Let me know what you need. Maybe we have e-meetings at regular intervals to brainstorm followed delegation of tasks.

 

This sounds like the way to do it.

 

I think we ought to try to get them before the yards get a hold of them. When they do, they'll make us pay more than scrap price.

 

Hi BuzzNut - you are my new best friend and you are in Cali! Awesome.

CALL FOR PHOTOS: Go out and get photos of classic cars being crushed...these would be great for marketing pieces.

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More thoughts to chew on (yes, I am prolific):

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CRUSH SCENARIOS: (Let me know if you can think of any other Crush Scenarios. These are what we should focus on find solutions/resources for).
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- DEATH: family members don't have knowledge / money / or time to dispose of car and/or parts

- RELOCATION: Someone has to move in a hurry: same as above accept they may know the value of what they have. May be interested in interim storage / or an option to buy back if new situation allows

- DIVORCE - Mother-in-law calls the junkies to pick-up her daughters ex-husband's T-bucket from her driveway because he didn't show up in the week pick-up deadline. true story happened to my neighbors car; it had a broken axle. I didn't find out about it till afterwards - I would have saved it!!


- PICK A PULLS: space is money, so cars have a limited life-span and owners aren't always interested in classic parts / or do not know how to find buyers - this happens a lot.

- SALVAGED CARS - cars who have been in an accident, sometimes insurance companies get these - cars may be restorable or parts may be recoverable (my car was salvaged and look at her now!)

- PARTS - Parts are being tossed / or crushed because individuals don't have the time, money or know-how to repair/re-purpose. There is a lot of artists and other individuals re-purposing old parts as well and this should be part of the campaign.

- GOT TO CRUSH - if items really can't be restored or re-purposed there should be a educational component on how things should be thrown away/crushed, who will recycle and how to do it safely to not poison the environement (govt and cities would be excited about this!)

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People who would benefit from participation/ who we would need to approach / and develop web based tools for ( a lot of this could be run thru H.A.M.B)

- Those who need parts for their particular car project / or looking to start a car project
- Those who can make money 'flipping' the car - (Mechanics / Body Workers / Paint Shops)
- Tow-Truck Drivers - if we can set-up flat fees/ trades for advertisements/sponsorship
- People who are just passionate about cars. They may just want to volunteer non-car related services, donate money or offer storage space.
- Angel Investors who like to pay to play and be recognized as a sponsor etc.

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FREE STORAGE IS KEY - these cars / parts could be flipped in a matter of weeks with the right takers but a lot of these cars going to the crusher aren't always the specialty cars people are looking for.

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If this is gonna move beyond a pipe dream (nothing against dreaming, it's what I in math class), then there's gonna have to be an actual organization/company. 'Doing it for love' is nice, but you need an organization to fall back on during the short times. So how about this:

A not-for-profit national organization that is funded by the following things:

A. Selling the cars
B. Charity
C. State (Maybe?)


I think that having restoration services in-house is reaching too far because everyone wants their cars a different way and quality of restoration is a variable. 'Angel Investors' are going to be hard to come by unless we can convince them that there's gonna be a profit so that they get a return. And 'profit' and 'not for profit organization' don't go together so well.

In terms of storage, I think it may be best to do rental. Even vacant paved lots can be pricey for a startup organization, but I know of a couple sites in Boston that are just fenced off and totally unused (one with an auto workshop on it!) that could be rented for cheap- hell, maybe a dollar a year lease.

 

Good concept.

 

Might it just be better to have a number and an e-mail and listings on where to find these cars?

That basically eliminates costs.