The car that got away, deals missed, ect.

THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY. Car's lost, given, deals missed
I just posted on the best deal, and I got thinking about all that I've lost.

One that I tell the Ford guy's and one of my biggest regrets is trading my packard powered olds, I got in a mess with a repair shop that doubled his estimate and in an effort to pay him, I traded my greatest hot rod memory for a 57 Ford custom 300 factory drag car. Factory supercharged F series 4 speed car 4:57 locker. Which looking back could be considered one of my best deals (I got the Olds for $250 after years of bartering and begging) My olds blew the doors off that ford for 100 bucks. the best two out of three races (I won two straight) I had a for sale sign in the Olds the Guy with the ford talked me into trading (it would be easier to sell a newer car) It had the supercharger in the trunk and was running the E-series dual quad set up (was a A/S record holder at the time). I sold one of 250 factory superchargers (that looked like a mopar altenator) in a bar to a buddy for ten bucks, then sat there buying him drinks till I was broke. then ended trading the 57 for a like new 54 chev belaire hardtop that got towed away off a city street and never seen again

As bad as that was. the lesson I remember to this day. My daily driver was a 46 ford sedan delivery, great car but one night driving around I spotted a 37 dodge humpback sedan delivery for sale. I was looking it over and had a figure in my mind what the car was worth (that was the $650 in my wallet) the guy comes out and starts telling me about the built (dodge six) forged hi compression pistons aluminum head cam dual carbs, rebuilt transmission, rear end, tires, interior (I got that lump in my throat thinking my pocket money might be a good deposit) then he said that everything was done except the paint ( it had factory paint that still shined) when I asked his price, He went on to tell me that his wife was having a baby. he converted the garage to a nursery, he needed money, on and on (and my throat lump disappeared) he said that it had been for sale for two months and I was the first to look at it (whew! this is going to be easy!) FOUR HUNDRED DOLLARS FIRM! I looked him in the eye and said $150.00! he starting shifting his weight back and forth $300.00. I shook my head and countered $160. (yes I felt guilty I had earlier thought I'd have to scrape up $1500+ to buy this) him 250......... me 170.....him 225.....me 175 him 225 me 175 him 225 (oh oh! I was waiting for 200 and he's not going there) back to kicking tires and looking it over (there was nothing on that car to complain about! no rust, torn fenders, dent, broken glass, nothing) So I finally broke and said it TWO HUNDRED DOLLARS!!! NO PAUSE $225 so I did the 200 cash in my hand trick! $225 bottom dollar end of conversation no more. flash the cash again (it all about macho pride, I've got him! twist the knife a little more) hey this is all I can afford my house payment was due yesterday (I lied! that's legal when your dealing) $225 again! I'm getting in my car and Going down the road, I wave the 2 one hundred dollar bills, $225. and its yours!
For a stinking 25 dollars and a ego/pride/stupidity trip. I lost a great deal on a car that I have never found another at any price and if I do it will probably cost 200 times more and have a 350 chevy motor haha
I still love dealing but I now know when to cave in to pride

lets hear some of yours

 

Passed up on a 57 Fairlane. 2 dr. It was at a body shop. All the body work was done. It was in gray primer and ready to shoot. Someone had transplanted at 351C and c6 in it. $1000 and I could have drove it home.

$900 HD that was in pieces. The guy was moving out of town. It was complete, just needed to be assembled. LOTS of new parts

 

Not HAMB Material but I came across a 68 High County Special Mustang for the price of $650.00. I told the seller that I would be by the next day with the cash (I lived 200 miles away and dealt with a small bank and he wouldnt take a check) He said he would hold it for me. Was on his door step the next day at 8AM with the cash. He sold it after I left to his Brother in law.... He apologized to me since the only reason he sold it out from under me was to keep his wife off of his back.
It was an unusual one having a 6 banger and toploader 4 speed. Those Stangs was rare and most of em had V8 in em it was the only one I had seen with a six.
Of course I had this 429 that was waiting for a body...


Oh well
Dawg

 

A few I lost out on...when i was about 16 years old.

I gave a neighbor $100 to hold the 56 pontiac star chief V8, he had for sale, until I sold my biscayne. We had a deal and the day I sold my car, he sold the pontiac out from under me and gave me a hassle about the $100! I got it back, but I really wanted the car.

There was a 29 A tudor for sale at a dealership here in town. This thing was awesome, original paint, interior and still ran good. They only wanted 5k for it, but I never could come up with the money at the age I was. I still always wish I could've found a way to get that car.

 

I heard a good story yesterday from an old-timer friend of mine. He thought this was in the mid to late 70’s. He found a 63 Nova behind a body shop. It was in nice shape just the paint was faded. He said it had some slicks on it and a roll bar. He talked to the owner of the shop and all he said was it doesn’t run very good and we wanted it gone. So he looked at it and when he popped the hood there was a factory early fuel injection vette motor in it. He took it for a drive and he said the thing just flew. He said he understood why it didn't run very good. He said it has huge cam and was just race car. The owner said he wanted $500.00 and to get out of the way. But my buddy said due to family stuff going on he just didn’t have the cash back then.

Also I found a very nice 64 2dr Biscayne. I could have driven it as is. V8 three on a tree. Nice car. He said nobody wanted it and would let it go for $1500.00. I said ok and I would be back the next day. I came the next day to pick it up and he sold it to a guy the same night I looked at it for $2000.00. I wish I would have taken it that night. That was a great car.

 

Going to look at a 1940 Ford pickup that has been in some guys back yard since his Dad died, since he "isn't into old cars" he's letting it go for $150. I guess it was a driver when it got parked so I'm a little anxious to get this thing on the trailer before somebody wakes this guy up. More later, film at 11:00.

 

Actually I guess the one that bothered me the most( in the recent past that is) was a pretty complete and solid '34 Ford Pickup a couple of years back.
I was trying to sell my old galaxie and whatever else I didn't figure I needed but it didn't happen fast enough.

Such is life I guess.

 

Spied a 3" chopped 51 ford convertible parked in a gas station lot in my old Oregon home town. I was almost 16 and had started looking for a first car. Inquired about it inside and the gas attendant said it was his. Said the antifreeze was getting into the oil. I went outside to get a closer look at the car. It had a new Marina blue metalllic paint job with fresh white tuck and roll job inside. Car had wide whites with 57 caddy caps and when I opened the hood, the flathead had polished Edelbrock heads and a 2 pot intake.
I asked the guy how much and he said $20. He said his boss was putting pressure on him to move it off the property. I pedalled my bike home and begged my dad to let me buy it. I had the money but he wouldn't budge.
Looking back, I should have bought it and stored it at a buddy's parent's farm. It was super cool.

 

'53 Ford 2Dr sedan with Olds rocket in it. $75, but I would have had to cut down 5 or 6 huge trees to get it out.

'42 45 cube HD for $1100.

There are a ton, but that's all I can think of right now.

 

At my age (52) I could write a book on this.
But I will only mention 3 of them
1969- 2 1932 Chev's with rumble seats one complete one missing the motor both needed restored. $75.00 I thought it would be to much work!
1975- 2 Henry J Kaisers at the side of a barn. No rust! $75.00 each, and I thought it was to much.
1975- Late 1940's American Bantam body no rust. At the swap meet $75.00. Had to think about it. 10 minutes later when I decided why not it was already gone.
Oh well.

 

1959:When I was looking for my first car, my cousin told me about one two houses from my Grandmother's house. The next time I visited, he took me over and they showed it to me. Under a big canvas was a chopped, channeled '32 5-window with a full house flatty with two carbs, a '39 top loader with Lincoln Zephyr gears and blue and white tuck and roll. The price was $250. I settled for a stock Model A coupe because it had fenders and it wouldn't kill me in the first two miles.

1962:Another '32 5-window I passed on had a Hemi. A manager from the Sioux Bee honey company bought it and used it to drive between Texas and South Dakota.

1964:My next door neighbor offered me a rolled '34 3-window complete for $600 but I thought it needed too much work.

 

About '77 or '78 a buddy of mine's Dad owned a service station. He had sitting on the lot a 57 Belair convertible. Robin egg blue with nce original interior and white top. Car was really solid but no engine/tranny. Asking price was a $1000. Still kick myself...................

 

My grandpa used to tell me a story about when he was a kid. Probably around 11 or 12 years old. He traded with a friend his old bicycle for a running model a coupe. When he took it home, his dad got mad and made him return the car and get the bike back.

 

Make sure you put a year with the story so we can get a perspective of how bad you screwed up. In '66 I was 15 and found a really nice Model A for $800. My Dad wouldn't let me get it, he hated A's. In Jan. '73 I could have bought a SC Cobra for $9000 with 5000 miles, too much. In '77 I found a '35 Chevy sedan delivery 2 weeks before Hershey car show. Could have bought it for $1800. I wanted to go halves with my Dad, no way. It sold the first day at Hershey for $2500, I think. good stories.

 

Two car's come to mind for me, both not HAMB style..but here they are anyway.

66 Chevelle, SS 396 4 speed convertable..
Complete car but kinda rusty, and it had the original mill in it. I could have bought it for 300.00 with a parts car from one of my dads friends about 17 years ago..

And a 68 Impala SS 427 4 speed.. again, basically complete with the original mill and a little rusty..for 1000.00..
same thing, about 17 years back.

I wanted a 57 chevy,and eventually found one..but i can't help but think what both of those car's would be worth right now..especially the chevelle..

Oh well..
Tony

 

This car still haunts me,......

Back in 1974 or 75, I was heavy into traditional Hot Rods, A friend of mine Ron found this true survivor 50's Hot Rod in Michigans upper peninsula, a chopped Deuce 5/W , with a mighty Olds, and just a well built exceptionally detailed example of 1950's high end Hot Rod building. In 76 he put it up for sale, for $6500.00 a mere pittance now, but in 76 that was a big chunk of change for a Hot Rod. I sold my 46 convert and was in the prosses of selling a Deuce 3/W I was working on to raise the funds,... as I was working out a deal on the 3/w I got a call that a cop bought the car,... well at least I had the 3/W still,. I contacted the cop and told him if the car ever went up for sale please keep my number, about a year later the cop got devorsed and the car had to go, he had drove the crape out of it and it wasen't running. He never called me he sold it to another guy I knew in Wayne,.. this guy tryed to restore the car but kept running into problems, I left him with the same offer as the cop and checked bask about every 4 months or so but didn't keep bugging him. I show up one day and the car was gone ,.. Another guy I knew (that knew I wanted the car) did a end run on it and beat me out of it. He was young and wanted to build a Graffiti clone, and to his credit he did a nice job on the clone,....... BUT when I look at the before and after pictures of this car it makes me sick,.( really I mean from the pit of my stomach sick) I still feel like beating him with my pick hammer !




survived this way from the 50's to the 70's,... this car still gives me chills !

And,.......... the same car 4 years later,....... Ta-Da !

Yeah, it's nice, and yeah it made some mags,.......... but at what cost ?,..
WHAT A SHAME !

 

The 5 window with the Olds and fenders on it is great!!
(the clone doesn't do much for me)

Here is my latest "one that got away"
Found this 36 Ford sedan..
Great body,painted Washington blue lacquer 30 years ago by the owner
Been inside ever since.I had $3,500.00 in my pocket.Wouldn't go for it.
So I agree $4,500.00 but I need a couple days.Didn't leave a deposit..
Remember I'm recently jobless,dropping all the cash I have on a old Ford..but I have all the parts to fix 'er up in the garage..Next day-family emergency-fly to Seattle.12 days later get home,call the ol' boy up...He SOLD it !!
I really wanted this sedan..

 

The ones that got away were both '32's.

One was a 5wd that I had for 10 years. Drove it daily for 5. The daily drive (& subsequent repairs) allowed me to forget what a cool car it was. I traded it in '98 for a street rodded '40 coupe that I never cared for.

The other was a '32 Fordor that Deuce Roadster had a few months ago. I thought I had a bit more time to make a decision before it sold. I had the $$ in my "hot rod fund" but I messed around looking at all my options & I missed it.

When I raise the $$ again I won't miss another '32 Fordor.

JH

 

I missed out on a nice '40 Pontiac coupe last ear due to lack of garage space.

 

At our monthly swap there was a chopped 32 5-window roller on a 34 frame...it was $6,500 obo...and ended up selling for $3,200, it was painted, but needed to be re-done. The same day, there was a chopped 51 ford roller for $1,500 obo. I had no money that weekend, or I would have bought both of them.

Same swap, but different weekend...A really nice 34 ford truck body, frame, bed, for $400...I just missed it.

That was a couple of years ago.

 

I found a '30 A tudor at a girlfriend's grandmother's farm. It had been stored in an old chicken coop for the last 40 years (1957 plate on it), still had a spare in the side fender. The old lady had lost her faculties and her son in law took it away and sold it off for a quick buck before I could try to buy it.

Flatman

 

That damn purple 32 Ford cabro So Cal Colorado had for several years that was at Back to the 50's several years in a row in the So Cal booth.

Burp-le with a Desoto Hemi.

I have not seen the car since they sold it and I have asked about its locaton several times...I think somebody on the HAMB said they knew the current owner or something but they never returned my PM's. I don't even remeber who it was now.

That car still haunts my dreams to this day. I still want that car.

Anybody know it?

Oh, and for close to ten years I knew where a Superbird and a 55 chevy sedan delivery were sitting and I just really had no idea (nor did I care in the case of the Superbird at that time) how rare they were and how much they would be worth in todays dollars. I could of had them for nothing. Old guy finally died and who knows what happend to those two cars...I am betting they were crushed.

 

Three years ago on ebay there was a 33 Ford 3 window. It had just been posted when I saw it and it was listed here in Sacramento. Hopped on my putt and drove over to take a look. It was pretty nice. Black with a Buick V6
auto, A/C, new interior and had the stock suspension and a rumble seat. Told me his reserve was $23.6K and said he would take $24K. Told him I would sleep on it and let him know in the morning. I called him the next morning and said I was going to pass on it. I followed the sale on ebay and it sold at the end of auction for over $36K. Everytime I drive past the exit to his house off I-5 my butt puckers.

 

OHHHH wait a minute!!
I just remembered the biggest one!
This was not something that i was going to buy, but rather a very good friend.

This happened a few years ago.

My buddy calls me up asking about a 63 impala a local friend had for sale cheep. He was asking somewhere around 300 bux for it. He bought the car because someone had installed a 12 bolt in it and he needed it..so out it came and in went a stock rear.
The car was gutted, no interior, motor or trans.. Just sheet metal, glass and dash..and it rolled.

My friend knew i had some knowledge of the 63's so he had wanted me to go look at it with him to see if there was enough there to build on..
I, like an ass, was busy and just told him to buy it and forget about it for that kind of money..

He didn't buy it at that point..
Later that week we got together and he was telling me about it..
He had said the front sheet metal was off another car but was in nice shape..and also mentioned that it had aluminum bumper brackets which he thought was strange..

I knew that the only car's that came with them were the Z11 factory light weight race cars..and there were less than 60 made..i think 57, but highly doubted this could be one, just figured the brackets made there way to that car by chance..
.
But i start asking questions anyway..
Without a motor or history of where the car came from, there wasn't much we could go on..
I had asked him if there was any hole's in the firewall above where the heater box hole as..he couldn't remember but thought there was a sheet metal plate screwed to the firewall in that area..he said he thought it was covering rot when he saw it.

Well.. the guy who had it at that time had started doing some research himself due to the same thing's my friend found....

The car was locked inside his shop,and was no longer for sale until some research was done
He had done this research through some Z11 collectors and they confirmed what it was, a real deal Z11!
I guess the car was known to still exist, but it's where abouts where not confirmed..til then.
It had all started to make sence as to why the front sheet metal was gone..it would have had the aluminum front end, along with aluminum bumpers and brackets..and the hole in the firewall was for the 'cowl induction' air cleaner they used on the 427 'W' motors..

Long story short, the car was sold...but not for the 300 my buddy could have had it for as a "parts car", but as a lost Z11 race car..and for the tune of 30,000.00 to an east coast Z11 collector who had many of the parts to put it back together, including the aluminum front end!

To this day, i get my balls broke by him.. That if i only had gone to check the car out with him we would have realised what it was and it would have been in his shop..
He's right..but we both knew that even if we both went in on the car we would have never been able to bring it back to life as it should have been..
wayyyyyy out of our price range to restore it..

This is an honest to god true story!!

Tony.

 

A Ferrari 330 GT 2+2. Fresh paint, needed new leather. $18,000 in 1988-89. Wanted to trim it and turn it by that spring/summer. Not enuff $$$ and parents thought I was crazy. That Sept at Auburn, same model and color but a 4 headlight version, sold for $89,250.

 

A story as it was told to me...

In the early 80's this guy was 15 and really into cars. He spotted this 55 210 near his house inside an open barn door. The barn was being held up by this car. The door frame leaned against the body. Somehow he and the owner got to talk and the boy got a closer look at the car and recognized it as a Black Widow. (I had never heard of such a car, but he tells me it was a purpose built stock racing car Chevy built in 55 in a very limited number. Very stripped down, all business. The car had been wrecked and sat in the barn ever since.) Anyway, he tells the old guy this but he doesn't believe him. The boy brings up the subject each time he sees the old man. Finally, the boy gets a call from the old man and tells him to come to his house because he wants to talk to him. There were a couple of fellas there to buy the car and they asked him a few questions about it. He said he watched them carefully pull the car out without the barn collapsing on it. He said the old man gave him 5 $100 bills for helping him sell it. He said he never did know how much the old man got, but he said he got a Christmas card from him every year after that until he moved away.

 

Black Widows were 1957's...not trying to be a poop head or anything, just pointing that out. A guy in Dallas had two of them, he used to put them in the Autorama until he passed away. There used to be a 1957 El Morocco in the Dallas area at one time also.

 

that z-11 brought another story to mind, 1989 I was working in Santa Maria Ca. I found a Hemi Cuda on a car lot for $1899.00. the real deal numbers right, all the frame gussets, K member (the hook line) someone had pulled the Hemi and four speed and dropped in a slant six (and sinker) at the time I figured I could build it for ten grand and the were bringing 15-20 G's my thought was " do I need another project" thats what I get for being sensible, I still own every project that I had at the time. I'd probably want to build it now

 

Most would laugh, but there was a 54 Ford 2dr Ranch Wagon in the Auto Trader, $900. I let people convince me it "wouldn't be reliable for every day". Still keep a little black and white picture of that car to remind me not to let shit slip away.

 

Back in the late 70's I came across a rock-solid 57 Chevy 1/2 ton Pickup sittin' behind a local old timer's Service Station. Had a mechanical lean on it for $100.00, therefore, no title. Owner could not be found. I bantered back & forth with this guy for several weeks, offering triple his money on it & told him I could secure a "lost" title for it, just needed his Bill of Sale on it. He kept goin' on about "doin' the right thing" ..waiting for an owner to show up who he hadn't seen in 18 months at the time! Long story short, I went back the very next week,& it was gone. This idiot had it crushed! so there went an original "forest green" 57 standard cab with a fresh 283, fully synchro 3 speed with a Hurst shifter, 63' Impala SS bucket seats, & a set of new brakes under it! ( he said he also mounted a pair of new tires on the back )He bitched about losing the money he had in it, but wouldn't sell it to me because I wasn't the original owner! Go figure! Would've been one helluva' nice Hot Rod! Oh well.