What was the biggest 'find' you let get away?

There are several things I wish I had the money for at the time , but I'll tell you about 2 that my Dad couldn't afford at the time because they blow mine away ( and I was there ). When I was about 6 (1975) , my Dad's friend John got hard up for cash and needed to sell 1 of his 2 old cars . We met him at Rusty's Mexican restaurant on Lankershim in North hollywood for lunch . John showed up in one of the cars , a red 1963 Ferrari Lusso . After lunch he took me for a ride in it I will never forget . It had a cracked door glass and was in driver condition . We went to his little house in the Hollywood hills to see the other , it was a silver 300SL gullwing , I think 1955 . About the same condition as the Ferrari , not cherry , but a clean driver . It was take your pick of the two for $7500 . My Dad laughed and said he'd LOVE to have either one , but just paid $40,000 for his house and could barely afford the $200 and change a month payments , Thanks anyway .
I'll NEVER forget those cars , seeing the for sale $7500 sign taped to the cracked door glass or the sound of that V12 Ferrari . I'm almost sure I will never get a ride in another one . I think those cars are each worth about the same as that house today .

 

Fall 1971........Local paper For Sale.I went and saw them. A guy had brought 2 cars from Cali to sell , both 1964 AC Cobras, under $4000 each.

 

1986, I was 13 my Pops brings home a 28-29 model A roadster for me to "build". I told him " Thats a piece of junk, what would I do with that, only two people can ride in it" What a bumb ass kid I was. So' like a lot of these stories my dad sells it. Not just sells it but to an Iron Worker. For $150 (really nice body) Now I'm a pipeline welder and I cringe everytime I think some Iron-head is driving my could-have-been first car. ((( news flash iron workers weld like shit, be glad your building hasn't fallen down yet))) No pun intended to Iron Workers that actually take there jobs seriously.

 

Complete 53 Bel Air with only one spot of bad rust. engine turns and all. 500 bucks. Paid a 100 deposit, stuff came up. I am letting the guy at kragen (always goes out of his way to call to find a part from other stores and even friends) get it for the remaining 400. He offered to repay me the deposit. Sometimes a project car is not a necessity. Good things come to those that wait.

 

30 Years ago, Laramie Wyoming. 62 or 1 Impala SS 348 with rod knock and one rust hole $150. same day same guy 1967 Charger rod knock broken tail light 150 dollars. Same day 1 mile away 56? Dodge 4 door 392 Hemi 2v ran and drove 60K miles 200 dollars. Ended up trading my 65 F100 for a 65 Chevy van

 

About 5 years ago I was too lazy to get an XK120 Jaguar for $1200. It was rough as, but I'd kill for it now.

 

Shit......A 1913 Metz Touring car , just add air to tires, 3 inches of dust on it. Free just get it gone. Brick wall built in front of garage and at 13 years old had no way to take it apart and get it out of there. That car will never leave my memory...Damnn...it was back in 1966........wonder if that fucker is still there....??.....Hmmmm.........ROAD TRIP !!

 

And another time. . . November '71 I was stationed at Shaw AFB SC, just out of boot camp and looking for wheels. 3 of us hitched a ride to Sumter to check out the lots. Found 3 cars, all MOPARs (what were we thinking??), an orange-ish mild '70 Cuda, a brite yellow w/black top '70 Satellite convertible and a blue 70 Challenger R/T. I wanted the Challenger but so did my bud. He ended up with it, I got the Satellite. Fst/Fwd a year later, the Challenger, altho it seemed indestructible had been rode hard & put away wet too many times by its owner - it was almost junk. After months of U-joints, ballast resistors, voltage regulators and batteries I let go of the Satellite, still wishing I'd got the Challenger instead. But I got a '69 Malibu. I ended up with the cream of the crop. Thousands of miles and a transfer to Sawyer AFB (Marquette) MI, the Malibu finally got it's RIP in about '83 but was a donor car for many others before it met Mr Crusher. Oh, the pain. . . I still think about that Challenger

 

I have a long list of "get away's" and "had to let go's", but here's just a few...
41 Ford sedan delivery, let go
58 Chevy Impala, 348, AC, cont. kit running/driving, let go
70 Cuda Conv that was for sale $300 bucks, 1980
40 Ford coupe, canted head lights, 283 4spd, driving for $1000, 1983
55 Ford 2 dr wagon, let go
52 Ford courier, let go
32 Ford 3 window, guy wanted $2500, running & driving, 1977
I'm sure there will be more lessons down the road

Mikey Didi it
www.MikeysPinstriping.com

 

No money, too dumb to know better etc,

1984- Very straight, running 1955 Ford Panel-$800- blind spot, Mom said no.

1984-Turned down a chance from Dad to get a '56 Chevy truck,327 - 4speed. Solid and fast as hell! Who cared? I already had a '55 six banger,

1985-CHERRY 64 Chevy Impala SS- Little old lady who loved me like a son(still does), traded in the oooooooollllllllllllllllddddddddd car for a brand new 1985 Mercury not knowing I would gladly have gotten the $1,200 trade in allowance to her in cash.

1986 - sold the '35 Ford coupe since I had no money to get it done.

1988- '50 Merc. Rough but doable. $450

1988-'50 Merc. Chopped, interior done traditional, running. Needed Glass and paint. $3,500 obo.

1988- Cut down dirt track sedan, very clean -$100.

1989- Dirt supermodified chassis complete with wide 5 wheels, '37 Ford style tube front axle, Schroeder steering and quick change -$200

1990- '68 Camaro my Mom bought new. Sold it for race car parts. Hurts the worst.
1992- One of the greatest dirt supermodifieds ever that was driven by Harold Leep-free ( If I had known my friend would let it go)


1996- '70 Superbird with rust along the bottom but a SUPERBIRD nonetheless. $15k

 

My college girl friend...still miss her after 40 years.

 

lol

 

59 caddy

 

51 Merc 4 door $15.00 needed a cluster gear, winter was coming with no place to put it on street in Chicago so i sold it back to the guy for $12.00

 

I turned 16 in 1979 and I wanted to buy a '67 Firebird 'vert with the OHC 6-banger/4-speed for my first car. It had a factory 2-scoop hood with a hood tach, and had American Racing mags. They wanted $500 for it, but my mother figured I'd kill myself in a convertible so she vetoed the purchase. I ended up with a crappy old '65 Dodge half-ton. I still hate her for that. LOL

2 years later I was offered the carcass of an old sectioned bubble-top custom that had been on the show circuit in Alberta in the early 60's. It was based on a Stude bullet-nose coupe, and was quite ratty. I could have had it for $100, but I didn't have any place to store it so I passed on it. Found out later that no-one else wanted it so it got crushed.

 

2 months ago-56 Packard 2 dr ht for $800; Lots of new stuff, little rust

 

Best friend had a '47 Chevy pickup. Chopped, clipped, worked over 355 small block, shaved, new bed wood, solid truck. Alternator fried on a trip to the beach and burnt up the wiring harness. Bought a new harness and got a hair up his ass to pull the truck apart. 6 months later the truck is still in pieces he calls and says for $2k its yours. Im 17, have a grand in the bank and am one of those people who HATES borowing money. My dad agrees to loan me the money...i pass. 3 weeks late he sells it on eBay and am now looking for another one. The truck popped back up on ebay about 30 miles from here, a year or two ago but i havent seen it since.

 

Solid 1957 Chevy 4 door, good chrome, V8.
Sold at a Police confiscation auction for $200 . . . a week ago.

 

in 87 or 88...1971 red Dodge Charger "super bee" package...383 torqueflite, solid car, ran and drove, parked on a busy street in our end of town...1500 bucks as i recall, all there and nice..........asked dad..no was the reply, had no bux as i was in high school. gone 2 months later damn. love that b body style

Derek

 

When I joined I had found 4 1st gen Rivieras for a grand. Missed out on them by a week. I think Ryan still hates me on that one.

 

I was the first to phone on a model A roadster body on craigs list for $300.
I left voice mail and the guy phoned back when I was sitting on a plane waiting to fly to Viva Las Vegas car show (this year) so he sold it to the next guy

 

Running, driving , dent and rust free 56 chevy 2door hardtop, small block, 4spd. for $200...this was in 1975 though, in my senior year of High school. I'm still pissed about it.

 

Two mostly complete and pretty straight 59 caddys for a grand. One coupe, and one flat top. I woulda sold the coupe and built the flat top with the proceeds. When I arrived there with truck and trailer and cash, they passed me on the way out. The guy sold them for $800, even though I told him I was on my way with cash in hand.... Bastard... Tell me youll wait for me, then make me drive a couple hours just to screw me like that...
-Still Angry GothY-

 

the 1969 usa-1 camaro funny car.It was at a swap meet and the guy wanted 1500.Complete rolling car with the block in it. I still get sick when I think about it.

 

An old timer that lived 3 blocks away from me had a 1918 c-cab that used to run at lions in the early 60's, a 28 pickup that was also an old hotrod, and a 30-31 5 window in great shape, all original. I was about 18 years old and I didnt have any money really, but I used to go by there all the time just to talk to him etc. He wanted like 4500 for the model A and it seemed like a lot at the time. I probably could have gotten all 3, plus a ton of parts that he had in the yard, and a TIG welder from the 40;s that still worked! Well his health wasnt that good and he passed away, and the kids sold everything off. It still bugs me to this day!

 

Oh and a recent one... a 57 el dorado hardtop, original paint and only one dent on the side. It was 99% all there. It was about 10 mins from my house. It was a friend of my mothers friend. I offered them $1500 and they said yes. Then it turned out that the real owner, another family member lived in New York and they had to ok it with him first and have him mail the title. Then the keys were with someone else in San Diego, and then the neighbor said it was promised to him... too much of a hassle so I passed on it.

 

Years ago had a chance to buy a heavily chopped 34 coupe with Bonneville history. Wild sounding flatty with Harrell speed equip. Passed on it. Last I saw it sold for around 90 grand. Could have had it for a fraction of that. Kick myself in the ass everytime I think about it.

 

Okay, my turn: two free speedboats--count 'em.

I'm a fucking genius.

First one was from '54: a 19-foot boat set up for an Olds, 'glass over wood, meaning wood transom in the back with those bitchen exhaust outlets. Free! Free, free, free. And? On a trailer, also free. And I ... couldn't figure out where to get a truck with a hitch.

Drag. I wish I were smart.

Second one was at least a 19-foot boat: a--say-it-with-me--a flat-bottom drag boat with a big block chevy with Nicson speed equipment. White tuck-and-roll interior, and on a dolly. Looked like it had just been painted: tangerine with heavy heavy flake.

Sitting in a garage behind a vacant house in Costa Mesa they'd been CLEARING OUT FOR MONTHS! An old Porsche and God knows what--it all went.

I found the boat on Friday; went back out to the house on Saturday, and finally got ahold of the scrap dealers Monday afternoon. They said they'd been trying to give it away for weeks, and had finally picked it up that morning--and dusted it.

Boats make me sad now.

 

My cousins 32 5 window coupe, sold for $400 in 1969.
A complete original and running model A coupe that was for sale for $400 in 1971 or 1972.
A free 56 chevy 2 door, missing the engine, that ended up in my cousins coupe.
My 52 F1 along with 99% of what had been another one, plus a spare flathead engine. I sold it for what I paid for it, only because I didn't have a place to keep it when I got married. All for $25 in 1974.
A 62 Fairlane that I should have bought a couple of years ago. It was a very solid car.

 

1955 Corvette, 265, 3-speed. 1971. $2,850.00. I could just puke writing this.