History The Best deal you ever got on a Hamb friendly car or project

You can beat free! HRP

 

the '58 Merc that the wife and I drove through high school was a 75 dollar car. We bought it the second week we were official dating (that would have been 3 weeks after the first weekend we went racing and 2 weeks after the great Norton Massacre).

We didn't pay 75 for it, we pooled our funds hitchhiked out to the farm where it was and were able to come up with 73 dollars and change between us. The farmer gave it to us for 70 so we would not be broke and filled it with gas. He also gave me some sage advice, "You keep this one and remember from here on out everything belongs to her and she only lets you use it." Damned if he was not absolutely correct.

 

You got that right my friend! HRP

 

The cost of being as homely as we are and marrying the prettiest girl in the school.

 

That is considered rusted to shit? I am beginning to think you guys in California don't actually know what rust looks like.

 

Back in 1978 I bought a '56 Ford Mainline 2 door for 300 bucks. It had been painted metallic brown, and someone either replaced the doors and fenders, or added the Customline trim. It had black T-Bird seats, Superior 3 spoke steering wheel, a '68 302 with Autolite 4100, C4, Mustang (Pinto) shifter, and was rolling on a set of Chrysler wheels like came on a 1969 300. I had to do some wiring to it, when I got it it still had the voltage regulator for a generator, and at that age, I never did get the vacuum wipers to work worth a crap. I wouldn't mind another one like it today.

 

I gave 30 dollars for my '55 Vicky in '70. Put the 312 3 sped out of what was left of my '55 Ranch wagon in it and went racing. It was tan over metallic brown, with a brown Cal custom wheel in it.

I did give 250 for the Ranch Wagon, with an overhauled 292 in it, but the 292 was just not quite fast enough.

 

1961. $75. '29 Tudor, complete, original, no rust. '64. Bound for the Left Coast. Wanted a roadster, so top had to go.

 

I got two deals on cars in my life... actually three, but the ole man had me under his thumb on one of em and killed the deal.
1994 at 14 years old I saved up all of my lawn and summer job money looking for my hot rod project. searched hemmings high and low. along with any other place I could find. for two issues in a row I saw a 1932 cabriolet body and frame listed for $1500. I called the guy up and talked to him for an hour... he kept telling me how bad it was and that I didn't want it... had to call him back a second time just to convince that guy to let me drive the hour to his house to take a look at it. my father and uncle went down with me and we took a look at a cut up 32 coupster that had been channeled etc. came to a deal and instead of taking my cash he had my father write a $500 check to a childrens charity for the car. still have the car and no it's not finished.

1996 my brother had a 1971 dodge dart swinger with a 318 and a vinyl top. really nice shape and a nice looking car. gold with black top and interior. cragars on it. he managed to smoke the 904 transmission a bunch of times because he beat on it. between tickets and transmissions he decided to get a jeep when it stopped running one day. it was something ignition related. he was going to give it to me he was so sick of it. given the trouble my brother got into with the car he wouldn't let me have it. not hamb friendly but it was the one that got away...

last year, winter of 2017 I was eating dinner after a day of snowmobiling up in vermont. I see a 1946 ford coupe listed on CL. rough and rotten but 100% untouched since it was taken off the road in 52. bought it out of downtown providence from the sons of the owner after he passed. made a bonzaii run down there between two huge snowstorms with a 30ft enclosed trailer. never looked at the location and the house was literally downtown near the river. couldn't believe it. almost couldn't get to it the street was so tight with snowbanks. given that it was a complete ford I brought a spare set of rollers to swap out and all the tools, torches etc. i would need. the brothers were slightly impressed when we had the thing unstuck, rolling and steering down the driveway in about 30 minutes. within an hour I had given them $400 for the car and left. parked the thing in my yard until summer when it was warm enough to strip the parts I wanted. took out the front and rear suspension, motor and transmission and sold the rest of the car to the first guy to show up with $50. man that car was ROUGH though. the garage roof it was in had been leaking for decades without the door opened. between that and the salt air by the coast just killed the poor thing.

 

Such a cool photo, The cuffed jeans, wind breaker and the cool hat, the important thing is having a driving car, the headlight lens and bulbs are optional and don't stop you from driving! HRP

 

I bought that `34 last year.....the old geezer scoffed at my $150 offer, So I went big and got it for $500

 

I traded a Hodaka super rat for a running driving deluxe cab '59 Chevy pickup..

 

Forgive my ignorance but what the heck is a Hodaka super rat? HRP

 

That makes 2 of us.

 

Thx HOTRODPRIMER. First trip to the service station under its' own power. FTHLs!

 

It's a Japanese Motorcycle.

I think I never really got a really good deal on any HAMB friendly car or project. I think I could say my current HAMB friendly car was more "financially palatable".

 

the only useable body parts were the roof, the trunk lid and the hood. doors had no bottoms at all. it was unrestorable. a car does not have to have the frame rusted in half to be considered rusted to shit.

 

stude on trailer by studebaker eric posted May 20, 2013 at 6:45 PM

55 sedan by studebaker eric posted May 20, 2013 at 6:45 PM

Photo000459 ranchero by studebaker eric posted May 20, 2013 at 6:26 PM

DSC 0241 (2)61 chevy truck by studebaker eric posted May 20, 2013 at 6:26 PM

53 Henry J by studebaker eric posted Feb 6, 2012 at 12:33 PM

015 by studebaker eric posted Feb 7, 2012 at 6:00 PM

59 Ranchero by studebaker eric posted Feb 6, 2012 at 12:33 PM

henry j by studebaker eric posted May 20, 2013 at 6:26 PM

The white 61 chevy truck was the most expensive at 2,000 in 2011, 800 for the blue Stude, the 66 F250 in front of it was free, grey stude was free, 59 Elcamino was 900 in 2003, (worse off, but straight and complete)
black Henry J free in 1984(I was 12) white Henry J 800 in 2011, 59 Ranchero 1600 in 2006, even traded the 59 Ranchero for the O/T car pictured. I'm a poor bastard, but I can talk a deal or trade, and have been more than lucky or blessed. It has to be way cheap or free for me to play.

 

I'd been in my local Studebaker Drivers Club chapter for quite awhile, been through a couple Stude projects... One of our oldest members (w/ 37 Studebakers at the time) kept bugging me to come out and look at his '49 Champion sedan he wanted to sell. Every month the price dropped by $100. When it got to $500 I had to go look. Drove it home, too. Put a lot of money in it and enjoyed it for years until another member made me a nice offer I couldn't refuse. I didn't make a profit, but it sold for a lot more than the initial price! I still wish I owned it.

 

In 1977 my buddy's brother traded his Combat Wombat for a big window short bed '59.

 

My oldest brother bought a Model T in 1961 for $15. He had some incredible deals on Model As over the next 4-5 years but nothing as quite as cheap as the T. He also bought a 50s era Harley Davidson in the early to mid 60's, complete and running for $100.

- EM

 

I'm getting one of these, the actual one is hard to get a pic of, it is very rough, the owner is happy enough that its going to be saved and not scrapped. Can't say what I'll do with it other than it'll involve a blown 392 and likely a future thread. Its in a prick of a spot, probably won't be able to get it out until October.
It's going to be called 'HackSaw'

 

an American made (in Oregon no less) 125 CC dirt bike. They also made a Wombat that was 100 CCs.

It was a '70s thing.

 

I was a Panhead & Model A guy back in the '70s. HRP

 

Hodakas were designed in a small town in eastern Oregon, but built in Japan. They had the best names: Combat Wombat, Dirt Squirt, etc.

 

The truck in the avatar for $800.
56 Pontiac sedan delivery for $75.
1953 Black Forest panel van for $35. (still have it..Cha ching)
51 Stude Starlight for $30.
Running driving 57 Bel Air 2 door hardtop for $3500.
51 Monarch that I drove home for $700.......

 

Two more I thought of.
55 Pontiac wagon and 4 door parts car. $800
56 Ford Parklane turned ranchero- Free!
70 Charger. Rough, rough, rough but saveable $200
68 Satellite $600 plus some rusty old A roadster quarters I found over a hillside.
I'm sure I'll remember more.

 

I stole this for $38,000

 

I'm getting old so there have been many...some highlights...
'33 Ford sedan Del....$5. 1972
'57 Ford 300 2 dr....$107. 1967
'55 Chevy del Rey....$49. 1966
'55 & '56 Nomads....$100 1965
'56 Corvette (needed body work) $50...1969
the list goes on and on but...
I think the best deal I ever got was on a '63 split window former drag car
for $900. 1972, my new bride would not ride in it.......

 

From the friendly used car dealer....you can have any car from the back row:

4 doors 6 cylinders with bald tires: 10$
2 or 4 doors 8 cylinders, good tires: 15$

I was 13 years old......now almost 70....