Barn finds that YOU found

[rpmcarter]

either won or lost or a draw. Did you get it? Lose it? or they just say...... "gonna fix it up one of these days"

So to kick things off I was reading the 71 Vert 429 story. WOW what a find! Good GRIEF how many times have I had that happen only to hear "gonna fix it up one of these days"

So I've ridden motorcylces for years...had about 7. I wanted a bass boat and the wife says "you've had motorcycles before WE can go places" :s

Fast forward we are on a ride through a country town here in Texas. pass by a 65 Malibu Super Sport. I go back a week later the house looks like an old farm style house but under renovation many years ago and never completed. down to the dang supplies still stacked around the house.

The 65 is sitting with weeds gathering around. "oh we are gonna work on that as soon as the house is done"

I kept checking on that thing for years, about every 3 months. FINALLY years later...YES years. I'm being transferred to Florida. I stop by and ask...same answer. Funny I'm 6 months away from the transfer ...and a 65 pops up in the paper. Bought it

STILL can't tell you why I took this shot without the center caps on

 

[rocket366]

couple links to get this thread started...

NOT mine but good reads:

http://www.hotrod.com/cars/barn-finds/1504-1967-ford-mustang-390-gt-fastback-barn-find/

http://www.hotrod.com/cars/featured/1108-1968-ford-mustang-shelby-g-t-350-bait-hooks-a-bigger-fish/

http://www.hotrod.com/cars/featured/1404-a-pair-of-chevrolet-ss396-novas-rare-finds/

Sorry if posted before...new to me.

Excuse the chebby but cool

 

[4Vforever]

I got one. We take a mate of mines ute to this place we were told was really good at doing chassis work. Anyway dropped the ute off and got talking cars with the guy, anyway the subject comes up about favourite cars, so my turn comes and I say a coupe (meaning Ford XA/B/C hardtop) and the guys says, what a 32, 35 or something. I reply with a, no a real coupe, an XA /B/C hardtop and the guy says, I got one of those pieces of s--t down the back (guy was a hot rod nut) and goes on that its been stripped out but the shell is there. We go have a look and she's a bare shell, but didn't look too bad. Asked how much, he says $100, I think bargain, then he says $50, I think even better, then he says, you can have it, just get it off my property. We loaded it up as quick as could be and about ready to go and he says, here's the fuel tank out of it, beauty, a long range tank (worth $$$). Got the car home and unloaded it, but had to clean out a shed to store it in. The next weekend cleaned out the shed, then clean out all of the old leaves and crap from the hardtop to find it had not much rust in it. Couldn't believe it, here I have an XA hardtop shell with not a lot of rust in it, which is uncommon for one of these that's been looked after, let alone one sitting out in the weather for years. I think what saved it, was that it had been stripped to a bare shell, so the water could run out of it and the leaves that built up somehow stopped the water from getting on to the metal, just could not believe how good of a shell it was. Over the time I had it I purchased only high quality parts for it, rust free doors and fenders and everything else I got for it was near perfect and cost a fortune at the time (during the muscle car boom) I ended up having a serious accident at work and unfortunately for me, my insurance policy was one where I paid them and at time of claim, they give you nothing in return, so I ended up needing to sell it. The guy who bought it couldn't believe what he was buying, as he hadn't seen a body half that good and was glad that he ended up traveling about 1000 km's (650 miles approx) to get it, can't say I was over the moon to see it leave on his trailer, but it's what I had to do at the time. I was that pissed after I sold it, I didn't really speak to anyone for a fortnight as I knew getting another one was highly unlikely, as the prices for them and their parts are crazy. On the bright side, I now have my Q code vert, which we absolutely love and currently restoring an XA GS 4 door, factory 351, 4 speed, but at the end of the day, it's still not a hardtop.

 

[luxstang]

Ok, lets' start with he fact that barn finds are pretty rare in Europe but I did find one without looking for it.

My brother in law is a building contractor and he had this 1955 Ford F350 on his property hidden under a tarp.

It was far gone but I had to have it as I always loved old pickup trucks and we hardly have any here in Europe.

Needless to say that thing was way to far gone for someone like me to restore it. That was before I got my Mustang.

The other problem was that it came with no papers (title etc) and that means that you can never ever get it back on the road. We don't have anything like new titles or whatever. If you don't have a steady paper trail and a sales receipt from the last registered owner you can send it to the crusher.

Anyway, here are the pics of when I found it, after dragging it out and later in my garage next to the Mustang.

 

[Carolina_Mountain_Mustangs]

Besides Mustangs I have always liked 1950 Fords. My dad bought one in 1952 and gave to me when I turned 16 with over 200,000 miles on it. I completely rebuilt it with new paint, interior and mechanicals before I graduated from high school and drive it until 1971.

One of the guys I work with knew I liked them and called me one day and said you have to come see this 1950 ford custom tudor V-8. I traveled the 50 miles and could not believe what was there. An all original down to the tires with 16,000 miles on it. It still have the cotton slip cover on the front seat that was an option. No dents, no rust holes anywhere and the interior looks like new. It starts and runs but sat in a barn since 1954 still have the 54 New York tag on it with a tag frame for Muck Motor Sales, Getzville, N.Y.. I ask what is the story and is it for sale. He says he will sell it since he does not like a straight drive. He had retired and moved to Spartanburg S.C. had lived and worked in Buffalo, N.Y. at Ford plant there. A friend of his called him and said he needed help getting a car he had bought at an estate sale for $1,000 and it was this car sitting up on blocks of wood so the tires were not on the ground. This was 1996 he reached in and pulled on the fan blade and the engine would turn over and he ended up striking a deal with his friend and he bought it for $2,000 and took to S.C. when he moved. He was very careless when he lifted the front rubber mat to check the brake fluid and broke it due to age and for some reason he took the mat out of the trunk and tossed it. The car started right up using a small gas can with a hose because the tank on the car was full of dried up gas. I strike up a deal with him for $4,000 cash and I tell him I will be back on Monday with the cash when the bank opened. On Sunday I get a call that he cannot sell the car because his wife says he has to give the money to their daughter who is married to a drug addict so the sale is off. I make him promise to call when he can sell and keep the money at home. He calls in a couple weeks and says he can sell but now needs $250 more for the trailer bill from N.Y.. I am at his house in 2 hours with the cash and load it up. It was the same color green the original one that I still have in the barn was. I took to several cruise ins and to the Centennial car show at the BMW plant in Spartanburg in July 1996. We drove to the show over 100 mile round trip on the original tires belts and hoses. They had a car for each year for the 100 years. The car has surface rust on the outside but inside is still great. I turned down $10,000 offer at the show by a collector of original cars.

Hope to go next month with another friend that says this old man has 7 or 8 Shelby convertibles in his barn but won't sell but would be something to see and hope that will be the day he says yes.

The pictures are as the car is today in my barn. Nothing was painted or changed on the car but the front floor mat & trunk mat everything is original. The car has rear window wiper and rear window louvers the second year this was offered. The tires are original also and never leak air. Always check on a story of a barn find it might be yours.

David

 

[tempestairbrush]

My recent "Barn Find" was after a guy at the auto parts store told me he met a lady that had a 56 Cadillac and her husband passed away after buying the car from the original owner and letting it sit untouched in over 25+ years. She wanted it gone because she was paying a $75 storage locker bill a month for the car since 1994 but was kind of weary of meeting strangers on the internet so asked if he knew anyone interested. I'm not really a Cadillac guy but this thing is a cool time capsule from the last time it was driven by the original owner in 1989, everything how is was in original factory condition and honestly in really good shape considering its age and for the $1,500 I paid for it. The interior is in rough shape with the humidity, however is all there. I also have all the original paperwork found inside the car with a copy of the original title, dealership invoice, and inspection for the car from 84-89 documenting the car at 84,000 miles also this car was bought from the dealership in the town I bought it out of the storage locker. I haven't had a change to try to mess around with it and get it running but did some of the dirt cleaned off of it to check out the condition of the paint. Hopefully in the next few weeks I will get a chance to get it running and find a new home for it with someone that really appreciates how far ahead these cars were in their time with the quality in manufacturing and the technology including ac in the roof and floor, power windows, brakes, steering and seats.

 

[Boss1Ray]

Rick -

I like that Cadillac!

Mike - hate that about not being able to drive the old truck. I had a 1954 Y block automatic. Very rare truck!

Ray

 

[Luke]

What I have found flipped, some lost some and let some mates get some them.

Perfect drivers

96 softail custom with 630km on the clock

Green L34 Torana $4500

Gark green XAGS 351 Auto $4000

XC Cobra $3700 1 owner

2door 57 ranchwagon $3000

308 HG premier $4000 1 owner

VJ valiant hard top $1700

Black 68 SS impala $6000

HJ GTS Monaro coupe $4000

Rare ones that didn't go

Purple LJ GTR $500 need the triples put back on it.

Silver minks HK GTS $700 rusty front guards

XD ESP 351 $90 bucks

LX SLR $700 missing engine

Green A9X $3700 missing id plates.

Plenty more I should of got put wouldn't pay the extra few bucks for

XR GT

XT GT

Pepper red XA GT Hardtop $1700 missing engine

Buick wildcat

68 Buick Rivera GS

66 eldarado

70 Riv GS

66 olds 442

70 mercury marauder

What I know of now

70 Thunderbird landau coupe.

76 LWB Chrysler by Chrysler Se pretty rare combo and one of the last long wheelbase Chryslers built in Aus and in perfect condition. Love this car very tempted to put in the shed

HJ GTS sedan

1 owner HZ GTS

Orange A9X hatch

Green A9X sedan in parts. Very rare.

 

[rpmcarter]

Okay so this one is a win.

A guy in my car club is moving. He post on the club site 67 Caddy 531 (I think) dont challenge me on the year or the cubic inch ...I'm too lazy to look it up for the friendly post. Any way he says 50.00! I JUMP on it, it has something like less than 70k miles on it. I jump out there and BUY IT...not knowing what tha HECK I'm gonna do with a 370ish hp motor ...hmmm maybe stuff it in a nice old caddy like posted above and have a cool cruiser.

For temporary conditions I post it for sale.... 650.00 !!!

SOLD it to a black dude in 3 days!!! the dang engine ran like a top and he dropped her into a 67 convertbile. happy as a LARK...and so am I!

 

[Paul of MO]

I bought a pair of parts convertibles for $1400.00. The one in the metal shed turned out to be a 1971 M code Ram Air with all the Ram Air stuff in the trunk.

Had a running 302 in it but I turned up the original block from a previous owner.

Needs lots of metal work - shock towers, rails, torque boxes, floors, quarters, and on and on and on but we decided to make it our next project.

- Paul

 

[mrmach1]

I've had my eye on a 65 Mustang coupe for a couple of years. it's not in a barn I wish it was but it's parked behind a house in tall grass, slowly sinking into the ground. I stopped twice last year but either nobody's home (ever it seems) or they're not going to answer the door. It's a black 6cyl 3spd with a black interior. I had one just like it in high school and I'd love to buy this car. I'm going to keep trying.

 

[turtle5353]

My recent "Barn Find" was after a guy at the auto parts store told me he met a lady that had a 56 Cadillac and her husband passed away after buying the car from the original owner and letting it sit untouched in over 25+ years. She wanted it gone because she was paying a $75 storage locker bill a month for the car since 1994 but was kind of weary of meeting strangers on the internet so asked if he knew anyone interested. I'm not really a Cadillac guy but this thing is a cool time capsule from the last time it was driven by the original owner in 1989, everything how is was in original factory condition and honestly in really good shape considering its age and for the $1,500 I paid for it. The interior is in rough shape with the humidity, however is all there. I also have all the original paperwork found inside the car with a copy of the original title, dealership invoice, and inspection for the car from 84-89 documenting the car at 84,000 miles also this car was bought from the dealership in the town I bought it out of the storage locker. I haven't had a change to try to mess around with it and get it running but did some of the dirt cleaned off of it to check out the condition of the paint. Hopefully in the next few weeks I will get a chance to get it running and find a new home for it with someone that really appreciates how far ahead these cars were in their time with the quality in manufacturing and the technology including ac in the roof and floor, power windows, brakes, steering and seats.

Nice caddy!!! But I wouldn't mind finding that bronco II you have in a barn!! Is that an 89? Still looking to pick another one up some day!

 

[jbojo]

I found a 78 Dodge D150 Lil Red Express truck that had front end damage. Picked it up for $400.00. Fixed it up so that it was drive-able and used it as a daily driver. In the process of fixing it up again so that I can put it back on the road. It's a pretty cool looking truck in my opinion. Here is a pic of what they look like for those not familiar with them. I'll post some pics when I get mine out and cleaned up again.

 

[tempestairbrush]

It is a 1989 bronco II and is actually for sale 302 V8 conversion and manual transmission.

Nice caddy!!! But I wouldn't mind finding that bronco II you have in a barn!! Is that an 89? Still looking to pick another one up some day!

 

[rpmcarter]

Great thread...great stories.....

So my daughter knows some kid over on the east side of Dallas from her life with mom. I didnt want to separate her from her friends after I got custody so I let her maintain the friends somewhat. She ask to go visit this girl...

As I am entering the not so good neighborhood but not terribly bad...I see this 69 Mustang rear end sticking out of a shed style garage and upon first notice I KNOW she's a fastback!!! I DONT CARE if its is 69 fastback or Mach I I LOVE that body style. I drop off the kid...and immediately go back and and ask if it is for sale. I knock on the door and THIS guy answers....

Well I thought bout it...an many people have come up and ask. I guess I'd sell it...but I want to get it out and clean it up first..... I took the coil off of it and put it on my tractor to git it started. Well it aint been run fer a while after we bought that new car thar. ( I look behind me at the car he's referring to and its a 88 t-bird.)

I stopped by every 3-6 months...and the SAME story. Before I bought the 65 SS I stopped and it was GONE. I swear I checked on this car for 4-5 years!!!!