'38 Special and '37 Century Available -SOLD

[neil morse]

I am posting this here rather than in the "For Sale" section because I think it's more likely to reach the right target audience.

 

I am assisting a group that is trying to find new homes for two cars, a '38 Special sedan and a '37 Century sedan.  The cars are located in Fairfield, California (about 50 miles north of San Francisco).

 

The owner of the Special recently died and his friends are trying to sell the car with a plan to donate the proceeds to a model train museum consistent with the wishes of the owner.  The car is reportedly original with the exception of an older repaint.  It it has current registration and has apparently been in driving condition in the recent past, although I couldn't pin anyone down as to exactly the last time it was driven.  The original mohair interior is a bit shabby, but basically intact.  The wood graining on the dash and garnish moldings is very good.  We tried to start it when I was there.  The battery is fresh, and it wanted to start right up when we put some gas down the carburetor, but it would not run because it obviously was not getting gas from the tank.  It has an electric fuel pump and the mechanical pump has been removed.  I'm pretty sure it will run once the fuel lines are cleaned out.  The brakes are non-operational -- the pedal goes to the floor -- and I have no more information about their condition.  They are hoping to get around $12K for this car because the owner sold a similar '38 to "a guy in Texas" for that price before he died.  However, they are very motivated to sell because they are about to lose the storage space, and they emphasized to me that it was important that the car "go to a good home."

 

Here are some pics of the Special:

 

 

 

 

The owner of the Century wants to sell because he has been storing the car in the same space, and has no other place to store it.  He bought the car over 30 years ago with plans to restore it, but got busy with other things (familiar story).  He says that the engine was rebuilt, but never run after the rebuild.  The body looks rust-free and straight except for some fender dents.  At some point, he started sanding surface rust off and applying primer, so it is mostly in primer at this point.  He has the grille, but it was dropped at some point and is broken in two pieces.  (I did not inspect it.)  The interior has seat covers with no rips or tears, so the original cloth could possibly be in good shape underneath.  The gauges look good, but the dash has surface rust.  The steering wheel was lost at some point and it has a '38 wheel on it.  It has four brand new Firestones on it that he recently purchased.  He is looking for around $3K, but also said he is hoping to find "a good home" for the car.

 

Here some pics of the Century:

 

 

 

 

So that's the story.  If anyone is interested in either of these cars, they should send me a PM.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited November 21, 2020 by neil morse (see edit history)

[B Jake Moran]

37 Centurys dont grow on trees.  Would love to have it but west coast shipping would add $1700. 

[neil morse]

Make them an offer.  You might be surprised at what they would take.  I am also very tempted by the Century, but have no place to put it.  Keep in mind that you'll get those new Firestones -- a $600 investment according to the seller, when you include the the new tubes and mounting cost.