What to do about a pile of parts?

[Terry Bond]

What do you think - I recently looked at what amounts to a pile of parts.  It started life as a car I am pretty sure I knew of back in the 1980s.  It's a 1935 Morris.  I've got the companion car in nice condition, and there are not many in the USA that I know of.  The car was dismantled in the 1980s but not much has ever been done to it except move it around and loose parts (wheels, headlamps, every nut and bolt that came off it (Whitworth), and a lot of small stuff.  At some point it had a replacement engine added to the mix (unknown condition, and not correct).  For the last several years, it's literally been spread around a Virginia farm, much of it ourdoors.  The body (what is left of it) is useless except for perhaps a patch panel or two if ever needed.  The rear end is there but condition is unknown (was a well used car when I last saw it complete).  Same for transmission.  Other sheet metal (fenders, etc) are in rough condition with only one front and one rear that "might" be restorable.   In essence it was an "American Pickers" type adventure climbing over, under, around and through overgrown weeds, sheds, barns, etc. trying to find stuff.  I'm guessing the car is only about half there and that may be an optimistic estimate. 

 

The current owner is a neat car guy who just wants to pass it along to a good home.   He has an amazing collection of stuff that we enjoyed looking through - but as for what remains of the poor old Morris, I don't need any of it.  Nothing there upgrades anything I've already got either on the car or packed away in the parts dept.  I'm trying to talk myself out of it, but at the same time, the inner old-car lover wants to embark on a "rescue mission" just to get the stuff under control and stashed away.  I know there is little market for it, don't know of anyone who is restoring one and might need a good frame, and if I ever need one I've got bigger trouble that just that! 

 

I wouldn't offer much on the basis that I'm just going to rescue what is left,  I'm thinking just a few hundred bucks based on the value of the rear end, transmission and some misc parts like a decent looking gas tank and a restorable fender or two. 

 

So, what would you do?  Let it stay down on the farm or try to rescue what's left? 

Terry

[Ccar]

I would pass. Had one many years ago. Needed a new clutch I passed it on and didn't spend the 300 needed to fix it. It could still be in the Ohio field I last saw it in 25. 30 years ago

Chuck

[Chris Bamford]

You would likely sit on those parts forever without using any or finding a better home got them. Add in your time to find as many as possible in the weeds, time and gas to haul, storage space used, etc. and you have a losing proposition.

I wouldn't pay a nickel. But I would, and have, offered to accept similar as a gift in the spirit of preserving old parts that might be useful to someone sometime. You have a similar car now -- you are the most likely one to hear from someone who could use this stuff.

[JACK M]

If the 'neat car guy' is as you say. Just wanting to pass it along to a good home, he has found his sucker.   er --- a--- taker.

You don't need it or necessarily want it but probably the only option for the owner to donate to.

Offer him a 6pack and help him with it as you dig all the stuff out.

[old car fan]

If you do not buy them they will be scraped,save the parts,buy just what is usable.

Edited October 27, 2015 by old car fan (see edit history)

[Frantz]

I'm a sucker for a bad deal. I paid $400 for some of a 1937 Chevy 1.5 ton truck. Really I got a frame, transmission, incorrect motor and some yard art sheet metal, and a sorta neat story. I don't regret it at all. I do prefer a good barter though. If he wants the parts saved he'll work with you. Help him out with a few chores and he'll still get more than he deserves for them and you'll have more junk to hide around your property!

[1937hd45]

Posting a photo might give us a better idea what it looks like, but whatever it costs doesn't sound like a good deal to me. Bob 

Edited October 27, 2015 by 1937hd45 (see edit history)

[MCHinson]

Terry, you have to do whatever your heart tells you to do.

 

I will offer the following story for your benefit. A guy about an hour away from me contacted Steve Moskowitz with a story of wanting to find someone to save some early rare car parts from a shed that was going to be torn down. His late step father supposedly had some early rare car parts in the shed that was falling down. I took my Suburban there to rescue the parts that he wanted to see saved. Since I had driven there on a mission, against my better judgment, I loaded up the Suburban. There were one or two old Whippet hubcaps in poor condition and a neat looking old gas tank of unknown origin in OK condition that I rescued along with a bunch of mid 30s Chevrolet wheels and other mid 30s transmissions, a radiator and other various parts. I have done my best to find a good home for these parts for the past year or so. Except for a few newer parts that I finally decided to trash  and a couple of hubcaps that a friend was able to sell at Charlotte for less than $20, I still have all of these parts taking up space in my garage.

 

If you really want another pile of parts that you don't need, come on down and I will be happy to load up this pile of parts and let you take it home.  

[alsancle]

Taking a car apart is about the same as destroying it.  Many never make it back together. You should absolutely pass.