Hot Rods Best Car hunting stories

This household is bananas. I walked into the kitchen after work yesterday to find my wife, 2 boys and even the dog all crowded around a laptop looking at something. My wife had found a '62 Rambler wagon and she was talking my kid into it. Didn't take much convincing. Messages swapping back and forth, We're going to need a bigger garage.

 

{ A Story } Years ago my good friend Moose, and I would start early in the morning trying to get lost looking for old vintage tin. This was in the 70's and yes there were a lot of old tin in, West Va. Va. and Md. We both had our 35- mm cameras. I still have three full photo albums of photos of cool old tin that we found. So here's a funny story of one of those adventures. Moose bought this model A sedan basket cass. He was towing it home with the old pipe and chain method. Whenever a car would get behind him. He would just wave them on around. He thought that a car was passing him going down this steep grade. So he waved for them to go on by. That's when he saw that it was his A sedan! lol The old A went on down the hill, and then off the road at the bottom. It came to rest against an apple tree out in the field. He just hooked it back up, and finally made it home. Here's photo of Moose with a 32 sedan that we found for $100. Great times.

 

Finally talked my dad into going to see the 26 T couple that I had been driving by for a few years. We were about 2 miles away when we saw it in a flat bed truck heading to town. Bummer. I had never stopped to see if it was for sale.

 

I told ya!! Except now the wife is in on it!! That's a good thing.

 

Is this the place where I tell the story about cranking out the windshield on Pop's '41 Chevy pickup, sticking the .410 shotgun out over the hood and chasing rabbits in the pasture?

 

BEST CAR HUNTING STORIES
I found a 23 "T" bucket and a 23 "C" cab one morning while driving past a Junk Yard in Sun Valley Ca. I was in my 47 Chevy 4 Dr so I put the bucket in the trunk and the "C" cab hanging out one of the back doors. found some wire in the same lot and wired the 2 of them in and headed for home. I got about about 3 blocks when the Cops pulled me over and said "What the hell are you doing?" I said I only have a couple of miles to my house. They said "NO" so I pulled the bodies out of the Chevy put them in an empty lot and went home and got my pickup truck went back and got the 2 bodies and brought them home. At least they didn't give me a ticket for "Driving while hypnotized by "T" bodies".

 

Years ago, while living in san diego, myfriends and I would make a treck out to the desert when we needed old metal. There was a man that lived by himself and had literally hundreds of old cars and motorcycles on his property. His name was Jon, and i think his last name was Fin. You would wander around and find all sorts of old iron, some of which you would need a machete just to find it. The coolest part was that Jon was a pearl harbor survivor and hero. He was the real deal. If you look him up, he was the guy at pearl harbor that got all shot up and still maned his gun. I guess my best car hunting story isny really about a car at all.

 

BEST CAR HUNTING STORIES
Part of being 80 years old is you accumulate alot of stories. Car hunt story no 2. I was into Cords and a friend gave me the Winged hood ornament for an 810 /812 and said "Here's the front of it all you need is from here back. Then a while later I went by a different friends work . a cement processing plant and there was a Cord that had been restored and then burned up in a building fire, rusty and warped but a Cord, They gave it to me if I'd haul it away. I did and the lady who gave it to me said she had the missing grill at her house and to go there and get it. It was wired into her back fence to fill ahole in it. I went and got a roll of fence wire and unhooked the grill and replaced the fence where the Cord grill was. Now I had a whole Cord. Drug it home and went to work. I cut the roof and part of the rear quarters off, bought a good Hollywood Graham roof , doors, and qtrs, cut and spliced the roof on, hung the good doors and trunk lid on it. Now I had a good Cord body and rolling chassis. I saw an ad for a Cord Engine in Pasadena for $400. I went there and it was 2 Sisters in their 80's they had 4 Cord engines and transmissions and a 29 Ford roadster with a Cord FWD eng and trans and subframe. I tried to buy it all but they wanted to keep the roadster so I came home with 4 Cord engines and trans's and 2 truck loads of Cord parts. I had my first Cord. Happy guy!

 

I'd bet you could fall into an outhouse and come up smelling like roses

 

BEST CAR HUNTING STORIES
Alan, This was about 1960 / 1961 things were alot easier, cheaper, and more for fun. I was so nuts for Cords I'd go to peoples houses that I knew had one and sit on the porch and wait til they got up, then ask them to see their Cord. This was in So Cal and there were a few people with Cords, that's how I met the guy who gave me the "Winged hood ornament".

 

Ahh, '60 / '61. Though some of it might have seemed hard at the time, it was really good times compared to having to grow up. Just to keep this post on topic, I lost my virginity in the back seat of a '48 Ford about then.

 

BEST CAR HUNTING STORIES
Story no 3 There was a 53 Buick Skylark 2 blocks from my house behind a machine shop business. I had a 34 Ford roadster highboy it was the mid 70's and wirewheels on rods were popular so I decided to go see if I could buy the wire wheels. I went in and the man and woman were nice when I made my pitch "I'll give you $100 each for the wirewheels $400 for all of them. The Lady said OK to that and I said well I don't have the money right now but I'll get it , I have a Gibson electric guitar worth that much that I can sell. The lady says My son is just starting to take guitar lessons we'd take the guitar in exchange for the Buick. I had said wheels and the lady had said Buick. So I rushed home got the guitar, my wife, and a rope and came back to the business. I opened the case and showed the lady she said OK it's a deal. I hooked up the rope to the car and pulled it with my wife steering the 2 blocks to my house. when I opened the hood I discovered why they traded, all the wiring under the hood was burned up and there was a lot of it, Buicks had hydro electric windows, electric seats, and more. I was a young kid didn't understand wiring so I decided to replace 1 wire at a time, it took a few weeks but I got it done. when I was ready to start it up I opened the hood and climbed in to reach the carburator and opend it to engage the starter, I reved it and held it for a while at fast idle when suddenly the car climbed up my porch steps and closed the hood on me so I was staring at the fan wondering how to get out so I put my hands over the 4 barrel and choked it out. I had accidently left the car in Drive and because it haden't been run in years it took a while to get the Dynaflow trans fluid in the converter. I drove that Buick for 10/12 years and sold it to buy a Cord.

 

These stories are pure gold. Keep 'em coming.

 

I learned to "Smoke Lucky Strikes" in the back seat of a 48 Ford 2 Dr

 

Camels, unfiltered and rolled in the left sleeve of my pocketless T-shirt.

 

BEST CAR HUNTING STORIES
Story No 4 I found a 34 Ford highboy roadster for sale for $400 or $500 and I wanted to get it. My 1st wife had a friend named Gayle who worked at the bank with her and had a drinking problem so we let her stay with us to help keep her sober. She had a boyfriend who was a professional gambler he bet on 10 or 12 tracks around the country almost every day. Sometimes he made a bundle. He would visit Gayle so he could get some, I mentioned I 'd like to get this 34 Ford roadster he said how much is it and is it a good deal. I said it's $400 or $500 he gave me the money to buy the 34 and drove me over to buy it I drove the 34 home and kept it several years as a daily driver. He had made a bunch of money, at the track, that week and didn't want to be paid back. I was very lucky he had picked the right horses.

 

What did I say? Smelling like roses. I need to hang around with you, I think.

 

@alanp561 probably did too, AFTER he was violated!

 

Ya reckon?

 

What's your car hunting story? Bring it.

 

Never been violated, what's your car hunting story? Got any?

 

The Rambler Wagon sold fast. Not sure if that has ever happened in recorded history. Next up on the search today, my kid texted me a '46 International pickup. I have to leave town for a few days so not sure if it will last until I get back. For a 17 year old and the influences they have around them, I'm surprised they have interest in Hamb approved vehicles at all but, I guess they've both been listening to me.

 

I was out with my ol blue tick hound coon hunting. I would shake the trees and a coon would fall out and then ol Blue would screw it to death and I’d have my coon not all shot up. One day it was a slow day and there was a really tall tree so I figured I’d climb it to see if there were any old cars or tractors abandoned anywhere.
Well I must have lost my footing or something and I started falling out of the tree! All I could think about was ol Blue waiting down below. I started yelling no Blue, stop Blue, No Blue no all the way down! Thank God he just licked my face when I hit the ground.

 

Back twenty some years ago my friend and I were in Southern Oklahoma on a tractor deal, when I spotted a OT 1966 Mercury Parklane, but I was just interested in it for the possible 410 engine the 66 and 67 Big Mercurys sometimes had. I ask the old guy if it’s for sale? He says it is. So I go look, under the hood I spot the four barrel, a very good indicator of the 410 engine. But, I’m not happy , I go searching in the back for the air cleaner top. I find it and it says 428 Super Maurader on it! I go back and ask the old guy “ how much?” He says you know that car has a racing motor in it, we were going to build a race car out of it! Oh boy! He then tells me it will take $200 to buy that car! I looked like Matt Dillon drawing his gun, the way I went for my wallet!
Just pulled that 428 last year to build for my avatar car!




Bones

 

In 1979 i had shipped my new tax-free 4 speed TransAm to Australia and started looking around here for a Model A. About 30 miles away there was a old guy selling a solid 6 cylinder Renault Monaquatre ( most are 4 cyl ) which is similar to model A. The Renault was a steal at 600 guilders ( pre-euro ) . Next shed had a 1930 Amilcar and a 1932 Delahaye Coupe . Both basket cases. I bought those two as well for 1000 guilders. Sold them together for 20 grand the same year which was the deposit for a house .

 

Mines a bit different, I was looking for a 218/230 Flathead for a forklift. I was given directions to BFE and came across the place, talked to the fella and he didn’t have what I was looking for.
I spied a pickup under a shed. We get to talking and he says it’s a ‘42 Ford and “I have the title”. We make a deal. I’m driving home to borrow a trailer thinking “this guy is nuts, they didn’t make cars/trucks in 1942”. This was about 30 years ago, BTW.
Well the truck was 1/2 apart, front end pieces, etc in the bed. I’m thinking I just scored a ‘41 Ford PU, and that’s close enough to a ‘40-I’m golden!

So I get it home, start unloading the bed, WTF are these front fenders? This grille, etc? WTF did I buy? Head to the library, find the Standard Catalog of Trucks. Then I figured out I did buy a ‘42 Ford PU. Lol.

Finally got it on the road about 1o years back, resides in Sweden last I know about it.

Yes, still have a soft spot for JailBar Fords!

 

International pickup is gone now that I'm back from a fishing trip. Off today to go look at another OT car. Kid certainly likes a variety of stuff. His taste trends towards mid 60's so whatever he gets might pop up in the background of a pic of my pickup. The whole family is looking hard. I'm still looking for an A (my wife doesn't know but, found one that actually runs; and is driveable; and is on the edge of affordable; and my kids are coconspirators but...). My wife is looking at something small in response to our latest fuel prices and my youngest, who just got his learners yesterday, is in cahoots with his brother. What a whacky time.

 

When car hunting it is imperative that one knows what the local economy runs on. There are many treasures to be found in rural Northern California, and many nice people. However, do not go off the paved road from September to November, as this is harvest season, and despite what the news may tell you, there are a lot of guns in Nor Cals blue counties, and people are protective of their crops.Despite the caliber, at close range they all look like a howitzer Outside of harvest season, it's a different story. I chased my 59 El Camino 4 years, through friends. It was only through a friend that I got to the owner. It was 7 miles down a dirt road, past a sign that said "get caught here,get shot here" owned by one of the baddest men in the area. My friend was badder, and had been Rays friend for years. With that introduction, he was a very nice guy . The recovery was something else. The battery on my truck went into the radiator, my winch failed, the brake drum on the El Camino was frozen, and after getting back to the pavement at dusk, a brake line in my truck broke, at the top of the north fork of the Yuba river canyon, and it started to snow .

 

Worth it!

 

Couple of weeks ago, a friend tells me about a Model A Roadster he wasn't interested in, hadn't been driven since 2009. I ended up buying it. After the deal, the lady says I have another car car in the barn across the road. 1932 Franklin...for sale, title, basically complete, etc, didn't haul that one home.