Are You Driving a 'Barn Find' That Still Looks 'Barn Found'?

[dei]

Saw this for the first time last night.

The owner said it has 80,000 miles on it, is considered a heavy half tonne, found it's way here from Oregon 15 years ago but was sold here originally so came back.

He said he plans to keep her as it is and loves driving it almost daily.

 

 

[cahartley]

My '59 Chevy wasn't a "barn find" exactly but it could have as well been....... 

A '59 Biscayne with the straight 6 and three on the tree was my first car and this Bel Air is equipped with the same.

Even by 1967 the rear floor pans had holes and the front fenders has some rot above the headlights.

Knowing that much I had a pretty good idea as to what to expect when the car arrived but I had done a "live interview" with the seller, besides some photos, so knew quite a bit before I pulled the trigger.

I have way more in it than I will EVER get out of it but I don't care.

I spent a LOT making it a SAFE driver and it is my favorite vehicle to drive ever.

I   driving this car!

[Ian Hayhurst]

Here's a shot of my 1914 Overland 79R.  Great thread!

  

[edinmass]

As found with barn/shed behind it six weeks ago, and today, on the road for the first time in almost forty years. We haven't even washed it yet.

[Joe in Canada]

I came across these barn finds past spring and they are still there. The last one is an Essex boat tail speedster and one of the others is supercharged. They are actually in a barn also.

[gilletman]

2 Belgian gems,  Minerva and FN four. 1919 and 1922. Both old paint. Bike could be fort sale.

[Roger Frazee]

1962 Corvair Rampside.  Still earning its keep.

[RPrice]

This thread is incredible and wonderful.   I've enjoyed seeing all these unrestored cars.   They remind me of the current exhibit at the AACA museum concerning barn finds.   My thanks to all you you.

Rog

[Pomeroy41144]

My 1937 Ford was in continuous storage for about 50 years.  Was in storage with 2nd owner from 1963 to 1990 when his estate sold the car to the 3rd owner.  The third owner had so many cars and trucks that he had no time for the 1937 Ford--it remained in a warehouse for sure from 1990 to 2012 when his estate sold the car to me.  I got the car running in 2013. 

 

The car was really filthy -- I cleaned the car up a lot.  Inside and out and underneath.  Looks good now.  I am going to leave it as is. 

Edited October 4, 2017 by Pomeroy41144 (see edit history)

[Real Steel]

2 hours ago, RPrice said:

This thread is incredible and wonderful.   I've enjoyed seeing all these unrestored cars.   They remind me of the current exhibit at the AACA museum concerning barn finds.   My thanks to all you you.

Rog

 

I agree. 

There have been no tricks, only treats!  

I can't wait to see what follows...

[WQ59B]

1940, unrestored, original paint (what's left). Other than a re-wire & recovered seats; all original spec.

Edited October 8, 2017 by WQ59B (see edit history)

[John348]

I am also, I bought this 1950 Chevrolet from our own classifieds forum about 3 years ago, it runs like a watch! Nice powerglide car, don't have to move my left leg, a pleasure to drive! I am the third owner and it still wears the second family's vacation decals on the windows. I put my Dad's old 49 hood ornament on it.  

 

[Restorer32]

Great thread. Very recently at a large national show I looked at 2 supposedly "barn find" cars each with about an inch of accumulated dust. Unfortunately the dust appeared to have been recently applied as it was way too uniform to be original. How do you transport a barn find with that much dust without disturbing the dust? Sure looked fake to me.

[alsancle]

Those Cords are pretty cool.

[Real Steel]

4 minutes ago, Restorer32 said:

Great thread. Very recently at a large national show I looked at 2 supposedly "barn find" cars each with about an inch of accumulated dust. Unfortunately the dust appeared to have been recently applied as it was way too uniform to be original. How do you transport a barn find with that much dust without disturbing the dust? Sure looked fake to me.

 

My experience has been that long-accumulated dust is 'stickier' than fresh dust.  My truck is pretty dusty, but it stays put when I drive.  I'm sure its also dependent on where you live, the condition of your paint finish, and your 'brand' of dust.

[John348]

I don't really get it leaving the dust and dirt on the car. The photo below is what was sent to me when I ran the wanted ad. That ad was placed in our great magazine by the way. The dust and dirt was the first thing to go, The second photo was after I cleaned it up. This car was also featured in the May/June issue of Antique Automobile. I do use when I am down in Florida, and draws a ton of attention everywhere I go

[Pomeroy41144]

Looks great.

[Real Steel]

John348-  Your car looks great!

I think some cars look better in a 'barn find' condition than other cars.  For my tastes, the older the car is, the better is looks in a barn.

[John348]

3 hours ago, Real Steel said:

John348-  Your car looks great!

I think some cars look better in a 'barn find' condition than other cars.  For my tastes, the older the car is, the better is looks in a barn.

 

I agree but my Mirage is 40 years old and was sitting in that same spot in a barn on a potato farm in upstate NY since 1983 until I purchased it 2014. If the post offends you because my car is to new I will delete the post if you wish. I guess a "barn find must meet some sort of criteria. There were only a few thousand made and less then 100 known to survive, and out of that only a handful that have not been modified

Edited October 17, 2017 by John348 (see edit history)

[coachJC]

Speaking of dust covered cars, here are the 2 from Hershey for those that have not seen these pics.

[28 Chrysler]

 This 1981 CJ was bought new by a doctor that would check the working girls in rural Nevada. He put 62,000 on it then parked it out in the sun in 1985.

I bought it in 2001 and have put 22,000 more miles on it. He had put an aftermarket hard top on it at some point, other than that it is all original AMC.

[Ovalrace25]

OK, No Still Shots for me-- A video to show it really does run! 

 

[48woodie]

[JACK M]

1 hour ago, 48woodie said:

A neighbor kids mom had one just like this.

When he got to be sixteen the rear tire on one side started wearing out kinda fast.

[victorialynn2]

Well I *found* this in a garage and I drive it. (Did unexpectantly find it in dad’s garage. Had been sitting for years. Had no idea he still had it.) Does it count? ? 

[Xander Wildeisen]

I thought I would show you my 1947 Hudson Commodore convertible, company "courtesy car" that I am putting together. I should have it on the road before the end of the year. I will drive it around this winter how you see it. People should laugh when they see me freezing my a#@ off in this courtesy car. I think it will look good sitting next to the Hudson Truck. And yes, it has a Hemi in it.

[SC38dls]

XW you should put some front wheels on the "COURTSEY CAR" BEFORE you try to drive it to freeze your assets off!

[R Holden]

1915 Chevrolet H4 Baby Grand

[oldcar]

Not running or drivable yet. Put in a fowl shed in 1941 and unused ever since. It has had three owners since then but each one just took it out of one shed to park it in another. I am working to get it drivable but how far should I go. The rats and mice have destroyed the interior and the covering on the running boards were a "tripping hazard" so I am looking to replace the leather on the seats so I can sit in it. I cleaned up the wheels prior to putting new tires on it so I can move it. It has one spark plug thread stripped out so first job is to repair that. Next week I hope to make the two hour drive to recover the top from where it was left rather than risk damaging it while it was being transported home.

It is a long way from South Bend, It was sold new in 1920 in Australia where it still is.

 

 

Edited November 16, 2017 by oldcar (see edit history)

[Real Steel]

oldcar-  Looks like you're on the right path    I love the 1941 decal!

 

[CatBird]

Not mine. Shovelnose is aptly named.

[Xander Wildeisen]

Just a bath might bring back that Packard.

[Xander Wildeisen]

On 11/2/2017 at 9:48 AM, SC38DLS said:

XW you should put some front wheels on the "COURTSEY CAR" BEFORE you try to drive it to freeze your assets off!

Front wheels are on, just started the wiring.

[ksparks]

On 10/17/2017 at 11:13 AM, 28 Chrysler said:

 This 1981 CJ was bought new by a doctor that would check the working girls in rural Nevada. He put 62,000 on it then parked it out in the sun in 1985.

I bought it in 2001 and have put 22,000 more miles on it. He had put an aftermarket hard top on it at some point, other than that it is all original AMC.

 

On 11/15/2017 at 10:32 PM, oldcar said:

Not running or drivable yet. Put in a fowl shed in 1941 and unused ever since. It has had three owners since then but each one just took it out of one shed to park it in another. I am working to get it drivable but how far should I go. The rats and mice have destroyed the interior and the covering on the running boards were a "tripping hazard" so I am looking to replace the leather on the seats so I can sit in it. I cleaned up the wheels prior to putting new tires on it so I can move it. It has one spark plug thread stripped out so first job is to repair that. Next week I hope to make the two hour drive to recover the top from where it was left rather than risk damaging it while it was being transported home.

It is a long way from South Bend, It was sold new in 1920 in Australia where it still is.

 

 

 

that is a beauty.  the spare and the wire wheels are spectacular,  keith

[lump]

I really love this thread! 

[J.H.Boland]

I owned this totally original '46 Chevy one ton pickup until 1984,when it was replaced with my '72 Chevy C20. It sold at auction in 2015 for $12,500 (CDN),still in the same condition. Hopefully the current owner is keeping it that way.

In the photo,it's perfectly balanced on the club's teeter-totter.

[edinmass]

Does this count? 

[zepher]

Ours didn't come out of a barn, but it is very original and has the original paint as far as we know.

Interior is original except for driver's seat.

Motor has never been out of it.

Purchased by a doctor in Pasadena, CA in late '29, owned until his death in the early 60's.

Bought by someone at doctor's estate sale to flip it.

Purchased by my grandfather in the early 60's and has been in the family ever since.

 

 

[John_S_in_Penna]

8 minutes ago, edinmass said:

Does this count? 

 

Surely that counts as much as any of these

interesting cars, Ed.  Is is a White?  A recent

resurrection, or one from quite some time ago?

If you'd care to tell us about the find in a 

paragraph or two, it would make an interesting story.

[Mark Wetherbee]

Not quite as nice as Zepher’s above but mostly unrestored... and a picture of the A it replaced which is running around Switzerland now.