1936 Ford coupe from a 1961 perspective

[marcapra]

I wonder if anyone here experienced a similar fate when you got your first car?  Just watched an episode of Leave it to Beaver from 1961 called "Wally's new car".  Wally age 15 just bought a new old car, a 1936 Ford 5 window coupe for $25.  It doesn't run, so his friend Lumpy pushes it up into his driveway with his 1940 Ford convertible.  Of course, Ward and June, his parents are horrified by the "wreck" in their driveway, especially June who demands that Ward tell Wally he can't keep it.  So Ward asks Wally why did he buy a car when he doesn't even have a driver's license yet?  "Gee dad, to get experience working on it, so by the time I can drive, I'll have it running".  So Wally's buddies Eddie, Lumpy, etc. come over and start dismantling the car to try to "fix" it.  When the car is dismantled, the friends all dismiss themselves leaving Wally and Beaver to put it all back.  But June wins out, and Ward calls the auto junkman to come and buy the car for $15 because it's complete.  But Wally's friends start buying parts off his car, and when the junkman arrives, he accuses Ward of lying to him about the car complaining that his junkyard is full of cars like this.  But Wally steps in and pays him $10 to haul it away, since he got $37.50 selling the parts.  I guess 1961 was a golden age for buying pre-war cars, way before the collectors and dealers got involved.  Of course, the value of these cars had hit their lowest point by then.  

 

 

Edited July 19, 2019 by marcapra (see edit history)

[Mark Gregory]

I had a friend who did this all the time with British motorcycles and cars . His father was a mechanic and he spent his weekends helping his son get cars going before he had a licence to drive . 

 

I remember when he finally got his Rambler to run he was looking already to buy a brand new 1968 Chevy Nova 396 . I asked him why he wasted all those years fixing the Rambler he said he needed something to trade in for a deposit on the new car .

 

Looking back I do not know how the neighbours stood for the constant junk pile in a residential neighbourhood They even had Tow motor on the driveway . I do not think they ever got any of those motorcycles working . They just sat there sitting under tarps as he bought a new Japanese motorcycle later on . So why keep the British motorcycles if he never used them and went for junk ? 

 

The scrap dealer had fun there for sure .

 

 

 

Edited July 19, 2019 by Mark Gregory (see edit history)

[J.H.Boland]

I can relate to Wally.I bought my first car, a 1939 LaSalle sedan, in 1961 for $75 when I was 14. Dad finally relented after months of pestering ,figuring that after lots of bruised knuckles I would get the old car bug out of my system.It didn't work out that way !

[Guest]

A $12.50 profit in 1961?

Not a bad day's work. 😂

[vermontboy]

I bought my first car in 1961 when I was 12 - finished a very amateur frame off restoration in time for my sophmore year in college and used it as a daily driver.

 

Paid $100 for it but I sold the Sportlite (original) to a man with 2 restored Model "A"'s for $75 so my net cost was $25.

[marcapra]

Quote

A $12.50 profit in 1961?

 

Actually it was just a $2.50 profit.  He had to pay the wrecker $10 to haul it away.  Vermont boy, that's a really beautiful sports coupe!  I was 11 in 1961, but there is no way my parents would have let me buy at car at that age.  How did your parents react to your purchase?  Did you have fight them to keep it?  

[Graham Man]

There were other forces at work also....  My Uncle drove the old family car, 1933 Graham Sedan, as his first car out of collage.  His first job was teaching in Madison, WI.  The year was 1950, as common in that day he rented a room from an older lady.  He had parked the Graham in front of the house.  She said he was OK but the car had to go, she did not want any "Gangster Car" parked in front of her house.  They compromised by parking the Graham in the ally behind the house.  He was not able to stay long he was drafted a couple months later.

 

 

This picture was taken last week.. still in the family, unfortunately last year my Uncle passed away.

Edited July 19, 2019 by Graham Man (see edit history)

[marcapra]

Do you still have that Graham?  I saw an old car, I think it was a 40 Ford, where the owner had put Humphrey Bogart's face taped up against the window looking out!  

Edited July 19, 2019 by marcapra (see edit history)

[Matt Harwood]

My father stupidly bought a 1949 Jaguar sedan in 1958 while he was in college. He was driving home on the turnpike from New Jersey to Cleveland in the middle of a winter storm and the Jag broke down. He called his father, who had the car towed to a repair shop, paid for the repairs, then sold the car and kept the money. My father reflects that it taught him a pretty good lesson about Jaguar ownership, although he was obviously quite angry at the time. With the wisdom of age came the understanding that owing a used Jag as a college kid and trying to use it as a daily driver was a critical error.

[Guest]

34 minutes ago, marcapra said:

 

Actually it was just a $2.50 profit.  He had to pay the wrecker $10 to haul it away.  Vermont boy, that's a really beautiful sports coupe!  I was 11 in 1961, but there is no way my parents would have let me buy at car at that age.  How did your parents react to your purchase?  Did you have fight them to keep it?  

ugh! You are absolutely right!😁

[CHuDWah]

43 minutes ago, marcapra said:

 

Actually it was just a $2.50 profit.  He had to pay the wrecker $10 to haul it away.  Vermont boy, that's a really beautiful sports coupe!  I was 11 in 1961, but there is no way my parents would have let me buy at car at that age.  How did your parents react to your purchase?  Did you have fight them to keep it?  

 

 

which is $21.50 in 2019 money - still not a bad profit 

[vermontboy]

1 hour ago, marcapra said:

 

Actually it was just a $2.50 profit.  He had to pay the wrecker $10 to haul it away.  Vermont boy, that's a really beautiful sports coupe!  I was 11 in 1961, but there is no way my parents would have let me buy at car at that age.  How did your parents react to your purchase?  Did you have fight them to keep it?  

 

I think they figured it would keep me out of trouble. It might have helped a little. Went with my dad to Boston the year before (1960) and picked up a 1933 Pierce-Arrow 836 and we drove it home from Boston to Rochester, NY. In 1960 that cost $300 - perfect time to be in the old car hobby (except for finding parts). My Uncle had a 1925 Jewett so it was kind of a family thing ..

 

Edited July 19, 2019 by vermontboy
semantics (see edit history)

[Graham Man]

Beautiful 33 PA, now you could get 1 1/2 tires for that kind of money

[CHuDWah]

2 hours ago, vermontboy said:

I bought my first car in 1961 when I was 12 - finished a very amateur frame off restoration in time for my sophmore year in college and used it as a daily driver.

 

Paid $100 for it but I sold the Sportlite (original) to a man with 2 restored Model "A"'s for $75 so my net cost was $25.

 

 

I caught the old car bug and infected my Dad with it.  Our first car was a 30 Sporty in 62 when I was 14.  It wasn't near as nice as yours - pretty bad by today's standards, much less than 60 years ago.  Anyway, we did a frame-off - turned out pretty nice for amateurs.  But life got in the way so it took 20 years to finish.  One thing I recall from when we dragged it home - the lady next door was concerned that we'd be revving the engine at all hours.  We explained to her that it was a non-running Model A - not real noisy.  🤣

[marcapra]

Vermontboy,  I really like these, I assume, vintage photos you are sending us.  Love that Pierce Arrow sedan!  I guess $300 was pretty steep in those days?  

[CHuDWah]

1 hour ago, marcapra said:

Vermontboy,  I really like these, I assume, vintage photos you are sending us.  Love that Pierce Arrow sedan!  I guess $300 was pretty steep in those days?  

 

 

About $2,600 in today's money so a pretty good deal in 1960

[1937hd45]

Saw this old Hot Rod body in a barn on the way home from church in 1962. Dad went back the next day and found out it was free if we took all the extra parts in there. I was 12 years old at the time, still have it, I may get to it some day. Bob 

[CHuDWah]

5 hours ago, 1937hd45 said:

Saw this old Hot Rod body in a barn on the way home from church in 1962. Dad went back the next day and found out it was free if we took all the extra parts in there. I was 12 years old at the time, still have it, I may get to it some day. Bob 

 

 

Cool!  30-31 Model A rumble seat roadster - maybe a Deluxe as it has cowl light holes.  Wheel wells cut out for axle clearance so may have been channeled.

[zepher]

On 7/19/2019 at 12:04 PM, Matt Harwood said:

My father stupidly bought a 1949 Jaguar sedan in 1958 while he was in college. He was driving home on the turnpike from New Jersey to Cleveland in the middle of a winter storm and the Jag broke down. He called his father, who had the car towed to a repair shop, paid for the repairs, then sold the car and kept the money. My father reflects that it taught him a pretty good lesson about Jaguar ownership, although he was obviously quite angry at the time. With the wisdom of age came the understanding that owing a used Jag as a college kid and trying to use it as a daily driver was a critical error.

 

In the late 60's, one of my uncles bought a MG TF and used that as his daily driver all over the Bay Area.

He got rid of a '65 Mustang so he could buy the TF but going to college in the late 60's running all over the Bay Area in a TF couldn't have been all bad.

Probably not the smartest move but he loved that TF and was really disappointed when he had to sell it about 10 years later to make payroll for a struggling small business he owned.

He bought another TF many years later but said the reality didn't match the nostalgia of owing an old MG.

Ended up selling that TF so he could buy another Franklin.  He's always loved Franklins and has owned a '29 Victoria since he was about 15.

Edited July 21, 2019 by zepher (see edit history)

[60FlatTop]

On 7/19/2019 at 3:04 PM, Matt Harwood said:

With the wisdom of age

 

Thankfully I have been spared this "wisdom of age". It has been an uphill battle at times. But there are times when I think I might sell the 12 cylinder BMW and try a relationship with Jaguar number 7.

 

When I first got interested in old cars, their owners were a bit, or more, eccentric. In the mid-1970's that began to change ..... and something was lost.

 

My cars in 1962, too young to drive.

Bernie

Edited July 21, 2019 by 60FlatTop (see edit history)

[Guest]

On 7/21/2019 at 7:22 AM, 60FlatTop said:

...... and try a relationship with Jaguar number 7.

 

 

A hair shirt would be less expensive and give the same results.

Edited July 22, 2019 by GregLaR (see edit history)