Adventures of getting your classic find home

[arcticbuicks]

Must be some interesting pictures of loading and transporting etc ?

[Xander Wildeisen]

[TAKerry]

2018-09-27_05-02-21 by Kerry Grubb, on Flickr

2021-05-20_01-11-01 by Kerry Grubb, on Flickr

2022-03-24_08-36-54 by Kerry Grubb, on Flickr

 

Nothing adventurous, the one with the adventure is a story in itself for another day 😬

[jpage]

Unfortunately, I have no photos, but back in 1974, when I was 17 years old, I found out that a friends grandfather had an old Model A. I went to see him one day to see the car but it turned out to be a down beaten, cut up, doodle bug. The chassis was complete, the radiator, hood and just a partial body was left. The car, I think had been either a coupe or 2 door sedan but everything was missing past the "B" pillars. The doors were gone; no seat, no top. The wheels were replaced by more modern wheels with old, worn out snow tires, with the rears wrapped with tire chains. One look, I was in love! I had always dreamed of having an "A"! I got to know the old gent and he offered to take me for a ride. I was amazed that the ol' girl still ran, but she was a little hard to steer, the wheel being reduced to 3 spokes and a very crust steel rim. Fairly soon afterwards, the old man passed away. To my surprise, his wife contacted me and told me I could have the tractor if I wished. Oh , boy, I couldn't wait to get that thing home. I convinced my sister's boyfriend to drag it the three miles back home with his truck and a chain. Yes, just a chain, and I'll bet more than a few of you guys have done that before! Bad steering, semi flat tires, no brakes...... what could go wrong? We hooked the tractor up to his truck and headed home. Well, I live in a rather mountainous area and never really thinking of how I was going to slow it down. we struck out. It was then that I realized that her boyfriend didn't quite understand what "Please drive slowly" meant, as he pushed us upwards of 40 MPH. The old tractor started to rock furiously side to side due to the tire chains , what was left of the body started to slide around, the hood was flapping and banging against the radiator and now it's weaving side to side like a ship tossed by the waves. Then, we made it to the hill, about 3/8 ths. of a mile long with about a 30 percent grade! That car started to creep up on that truck faster than a hen on a June bug! Naturally, now, the driver decides it's time to slow down but alas, I have no brakes, so I just keep getting closer and closer. Frantically waving may arm to him to speed up, he thinks I'm wanting him to slow down, so on go the brakes! He glances back only to see that I'm about to hit the truck so then he steps on the gas, practically jerking the bumper off the car, but we did avert a collision. Soon we made it home, all in one piece too, but I think it took me several hours to stop shaking! Lesson learned, we'll not attempt that stunt again! Now home with my prize and eager to share my excitement with my family, my dad takes one look at it and says, "Get it the hell out of the yard!". So much for family encouragement. I ended up with a roadster pickup but I did use the frame and all the running gear from that old tractor to restore the truck. Ten years, several parts cars and a boatload of money later, I let him take the first drive. I'm sure for him, it was a step back in time, back to his youth when his dad had a Model A pickup as their family car. He said after his drive, "Nice job, I thought you'd just throw away a lot of money." Never underestimate the power of desire, It can move mountains!  I kept that truck for 16 years and kick myself everyday for selling it! Here's a few pics.

[arcticbuicks]

[J.H.Boland]

5 minutes ago, arcticbuicks said:

The Packard looks familiar.

[arcticbuicks]

i sold it a few years ago to a guy in Winnipeg,i assume he still has it,i took the pic leaving Edmonton where i bought it

[jp1gt]

[arcticbuicks]

Wow....what a car ...i would be scared with open trailer.....what is it ?

[J.H.Boland]

In the spring of 1972, after 4 years of dickering, I struck a deal with the grandson of the original owner of a '21 Chevy 490 . It had been sitting in storage since 1931 in a small two car garage on a tobacco farm in SW Ontario.

The friend that originally put me on to this find volunteered his truck and well worn trailer to bring it home. On arrival, we found that the building had settled somewhat and it took some digging to get the doors open. It was a real thrill to push the ol' girl outside for the first time in 41 years, watching as the breeze blew some of the dust off.

After tying it down, we headed back down the narrow gravel road. It was soon apparent that we were losing bits along the road ! A stop soon showed what we were losing. Walnut shells ! The car was packed with them ! The rest of the trip was uneventful.

The reception I got from my parents, (who loaned me the money to buy it) was less than impressive. I guess I must have enhanced it's condition a little. It soon found a temporary new home in an old hog barn.

[arcticbuicks]

second pic I am towing the rolls behind on tow bar lol……..3000 miles across the country too , but I had cardboard windshield box over the grille with a big “Ford” in the center of it 

[60FlatTop]

Sometimes you feel like the car you just sold is going to a good home.

[arcticbuicks]

Old pics , bought the Lincoln off original little ole lady in Santa Monica for $800. And couple porsches, and did 2500 mile trip back home in Canada with a bud driving the other black Porsche 

[arcticbuicks]

@J.H.Boland great photo......it almost tells a story

[arcticbuicks]

[jp1gt]

44 minutes ago, arcticbuicks said:

Wow....what a car ...i would be scared with open trailer.....what is it ?

As far as the trailer I run what I brung. Did not lose anything. 29 cad. did not know how many missing parts I have to find--

[SC38dls]

Not a car but a boat. A 42 foot racing sloop from the 30’s. My older brother worked as a line man for ConEd in Chicago. One Friday in the early 70’s they were removing the power lines from an old factory that was being torn down. He looked inside and there was THE BOAT a mahogany 42 foot racing sloop with a lead keel sitting on an old, no a very old truck frame. It had four post welded to it to hold THE BOAT upright and four truck tires missing chunks it extremely hard tread. The mast was laying on the deck but was at least tied down. The owner sold it to my goofy brother for a dollar but he had to take it out of there that day. He call me to go get his pickup and bring a friend as he would need a follow car. I got his keys from his wife, picked up the car and headed into the city. The truck THE BOAT was on had a long piece of steel bolted on it to tow it around the boat yard so my brother attached it to his hitch by taking out the ball and bolting it to the hitch. This was not the best idea as both ends swiveled. We pulled it out on to Racine Ave about a somewhat bust street at about 4 pm. This made about a four or five block trip north to the Eisenhower expressway, which is the main six lane highway out of Chicago going due west. Chicago traffic is always a mess but Fridays are worse. We go down the ramp as a three vehicle parade the pickup with it flashers on, THE BOAT and my car with its flashers on. Solid traffic moving at about 5-10 miles an hour. For some reason when a car was beside us and looked up at THE BOAT they either moved over a lane or slowed down or got ahead of us if possible. As they say in the commercial the looks we got were ‘priceless’ .  Chicago is about 9 miles wide east to west, we were at about

the 7 1/2 mile mark when we saw a cop come down an entrance ramp. He merged in about four or five cars behind us but THE BOAT was still visible to him. The lights lit up and the traffic parted like the seas for Moses and the cop pulled us over. We got out of the cars (not recommended in Chicago) not sure if we should be worried or laughing. I’ll never forget the words of the cop while looking at his partner 

“I can’t wait to hear the story these three idiots are going to tell us. I’m sure it will be a first”. 
As we told them our story of THE BOAT they started smiling then broke out in laughter. They finally said ok get back in the vehicles and we will escort you to the Oak Park line and let you go there. They can deal with you because we don’t want to spend hours figuring out what all to charge you idiots with. We made it to Oak Park and only had about 18 more miles to go to Winfield where my brother lived. After the Eisenhower comes either the East/West tollway or a local 4 lane Butterfield/Roosevelt road. We chose the local road because we didn’t think THE BOAT would fit under the toll booth plus the possible police intervention problem. There were a lot of traffic lights along the way but my brother did a good job of timing them so he made it on the green light. My car not so much making the green as we were still going 5-10 mph. 
Somewhere in Glen Ellen our luck ran out as I went thru a red light with a cop sitting right there. The lights went on we all pulled over but this time we weren’t worried we were actually laughing. The cop didn’t think that was the thing we should have been doing. At the time we didn’t think the suburban cops had much of a sense of humor. After telling our story of THE BOAT he actually got curious and looked THE BOAT over and let us go. We asked him if he would escort us like the Chicago cops did but he told us to not push our luck. We made it to the house without further incidents. My brother worked on THE BOAT for about five years totally fixing every part of it back to original condition. When he moved to San Diego he sold THE BOAT without ever having sailed it. He did get over 30 grand for it so all was good. When he got to San Diego he bought another boat but that one was already in the water. Every year since then on his birthday I ask him how’s THE BOAT he usually just hangs up on me. 
dave s 

Edited January 30, 2023 by SC38dls (see edit history)

[JRHaelig]

Here's mine coming from Drexel Hill,  PA over to NJ

 

[Grimy]

In March 2003 I purchased a 1925 Paige 6-70 chassis in Oregon for mechanical spare parts for my 1922 Paige 6-66.  My good friend Schultz (pictured with the load) came along for the ride, and decided to purchase >2,000 lbs of 18-ft-long Ponderosa pine boards from the same seller who had a small sawmill.  We handloaded the boards onto the trailer first, then the chassis was forklifted to a position on top of the boards.  More straps to secure the thoroughly rusted cowl were added after the photos were taken.

 

By the way, the 1925 Paige frame (131-inch wheelbase) is available FREE.

[keiser31]

A few of the ones I brought home or helped tow....

1929 Chrysler 75

1926 Chevrolet

1930 DeSoto 8

1929 Ford A

1926 Chrysler 58 with my 1931 Dodge coupe in the background

Edited January 30, 2023 by keiser31 (see edit history)

[JamesR]

20 minutes ago, keiser31 said:

 

 

 

That's a great idea with the cellophane type wrap, Keiser. It keeps the rain off the car, yet doesn't flap and beat frantically against the paint at speed like a typical car cover would.

Edited January 30, 2023 by JamesR (see edit history)

[arcticbuicks]

@keiser31 love the roadster in the field !     what is it ?

[keiser31]

14 minutes ago, arcticbuicks said:

@keiser31 love the roadster in the field !     what is it ?

1929 Chrysler 75. The guy who had it told me it was a 1926, but he had no clue. I was going to keep it and restore it, but sold it to a friend in Michigan. Last time I saw it, the guy HE sold it to had it looking like this....

Edited January 30, 2023 by keiser31 (see edit history)

[Xander Wildeisen]

[keiser31]

14 minutes ago, JamesR said:

 

That's a great idea with the cellophane type wrap, Keiser. It keeps the rain off the car, yet doesn't flap and beat frantically against the paint at speed like a typical car cover would.

I called that car the "burn victim". 1926 Chevrolet coupe. I sold it and the guy who bought it did not want to lose any wood patterns left. It was a nice little original car until the fire.

Edited January 30, 2023 by keiser31 (see edit history)

[Gary_Ash]

During the time I lived in Baltimore from 1968-70, I acquired a 1931 Model A from a friend.  By 1970, I changed jobs and moved to the Boston area.  The model A came with us in the moving van.  The moving company took some photos for publicity.  The car arrived undamaged.

 

  

[Xander Wildeisen]

[alsancle]

[60FlatTop]

I see all these pictures of cars on trailers and I start thinking I am looking at the classified ads.

 

..... and then I get The Rodeo Song stuck in my head for the rest of the day.

[Dave39MD]

This is a 29 Chevrolet I bought up in the north Georgia mountains. The parts in the building were in the bed of my truck. I am still wondering what the heck I was thinking.

 

Dave

Edited January 30, 2023 by Dave39MD (see edit history)

[arcticbuicks]

you are not alone in your thinking 

[yachtflame]

Another fine restoration project I just HAD to bring home!

[arcticbuicks]

another wood project car !.........we should all set a meeting and bring all our wood cars and hire woodworkers and get them all done together at once 

[Harold]

I've been lifelong fan of '52 Plymouths (insert laughter here...) and bought my first driveable  one in 1981.  It was located in Queens, NY and I lived Staten Island.  Since the car ran, I intended to drive it home. 

 

After a frantic Friday including a personal visit to the JC Taylor insurance office near Philadelphia and then a mad dash back to NYDMV, I had insurance and valid license plates and was ready for the move bright and early Saturday morning.   My cousin, friend, and I went out to Queens slightly after dawn.  The Plymouth had been parked for about 10 years and drove and stopped OK on the side street where I bought it.  I put on my license plates, put some gas in, and began the trip.  The bulk of the trip was on highways, the Belt Parkway in Brooklyn and the Staten Island Expressway on Staten Island.  The Verrazano Narrows Bridge connected the two.  I was bopping along the Belt with my friend as co-pilot and my cousin following in the chase car.  The speedometer read 50 MPH.  My friend and I both decided the reading was too low so I upped my speed to an indicated 65MPH.

 

There is a large, curved uphill ramp to get from the Belt to the Verrazano.  As I crested, I was greeted by completely stopped traffic on the ramp.  Brake lights everywhere.  At that point, I hit the brakes and the pedal went right to the floor.  I quickly pumped the brakes and downshifted and stopped before hitting anything.  I drove very slowly from that point on, and only slid through one red light before getting home.  When we got to my house, the first thing my cousin asked was why was I doing 65 on the Belt!

 

Needless to say, future cars came home in a much safer fashion!

 

 

[TAKerry]

56 minutes ago, arcticbuicks said:

another wood project car !.........we should all set a meeting and bring all our wood cars and hire woodworkers and get them all done together at once 

I have a pretty decent shop, and a modicum of skills, I have been wanting to do wood for a car, or better yet re-body a woodie for years. I volunteer my shop and available time as long as I dont have to foot the bill😁

[arcticbuicks]

I only wonder “ how many guys died and never got the dream car done in garage because they just never got the wood finished……or even started “ …….I might be one of em too…….unless I live to 187

[Soupiov]

Removed 5 years ago from where it sat since 1960.  Fortunately it was mothballed correctly and after freeing a stuck intake valve, changing the oil and 5 gallons of gas it started on the third crank!  Too tall for my closed trailer!

[J.H.Boland]

10 minutes ago, Soupiov said:

Removed 5 years ago from where it sat since 1960.  Fortunately it was mothballed correctly and after freeing a stuck intake valve, changing the oil and 5 gallons of gas it started on the third crank!  Too tall for my closed trailer!

I can relate to that ! My '25 Buick coupe would only fit in my previous trailer if the rear tires were deflated ! Ended up buying an over-tall trailer too !

[PFindlay]

Many years ago, when we hadn't been married for long, my wife agreed to accompany me to pick up an old motorcycle I'd found.  It was a 1957 Triumph TRW, 500 cc side valve twin, ex-Canadian military.  It looked bad but "just needed a battery and it would run."

 

So I packed up a 6 volt car battery and off we headed.  Fortunately, everything checked out and the bike did indeed run.  I put a plate on it, strapped the battery to one side rack (a little side-heavy), and headed home with Teresa following along behind "to pick up the pieces", as we jokingly say.  

 

Well, maybe not so jokingly, as the muffler decided to part company with the rest of the bike.  This slight problem was exacerbated by the fact that it happened just as I was crossing a fairly busy bridge across the Fraser River, heading back into Vancouver.

 

As luck would have it there was an exit off the bridge right about that point so I pulled over into the wide spot at the turnoff.  And my young wife?  She did what any devoted new wife would do - she stopped on the bridge to pick up the (hot) muffler!  Well, she didn't get a chance to learn about exhaust temperatures because precisely at that moment she heard the voice of God saying "GET BACK IN THAT CAR!!" 

 

Actually, it turned out to be a bridge patrol guy who "just happened" to be coming along behind her at that time.  Could it be that he saw me head over the bridge and wisely fell in line behind her?  We don't know about that, but we both drove off and the bridge patrol picked up the muffler and brought it over to me.  I was able to push it back on the end of the pipe and carry on home.

 

What my wife soon learned was that an afternoon like that was nothing out of the norm in the family she had married into and in the years since she has towed me home (2 wheels or 4) or otherwise rescued me numerous times.  

 

As a postscript, within a year she was learning to ride on that old Triumph ... until we learned that our first child was on the way and the doctor suggested she shouldn't be learning to ride at that time.  We recently found the pictures below and our now-adult kids were shocked to see their mom riding a motorcycle solo!

 

 

 

 

Edited January 31, 2023 by PFindlay (see edit history)

[MGRAB]

Bringing this one back home was quite the adventure, not a fun one and without question my worst U-Haul trip.  Found this one on Craigslist a few years ago up in Ontario just across from Detroit.  A ’48 Packard Custom Eight Victoria was on my bucket list for a while after first seeing Back to the Future as a kid.  This one was reasonable and had the Briggs tag and patent plate validating it as a model 2259 plus, the head casting date was two weeks prior to delivery on the tag so I felt pretty good about it.

 

The plan was originally to travel up with my buddy but a death in the family made that impossible and ended up going by myself.  My wife dropped me at work on Friday in the morning.  I get an email from U-Haul that I had been “upgraded” from the 15’ truck I booked to their largest Supermover.  I called and had to explain how that wouldn’t be an upgrade when towing a car from Canada to Georgia.  This was the first sign it would be an interesting trip.  At the end of the day, I took the train to the airport and caught an evening flight to Detroit.  I arrived on time and was surprisingly in my room at the airport hotel by around 11 pm.  I woke up around 7 am and called for an Uber to get to the U-Haul.  By 8:30 I was getting my truck, and all was well, or so I thought.

 

I get to the farm where the car was around 9 am and I have no place to turn the rig around.  The owner had a lot of miscellaneous stuff, and we used the bottom portion of a shopping cart to use as a dolly to move the trailer as I had to disconnect it from the truck to turn around.  Now it was time to pay the man.  We had planned to use PayPal as I didn’t really feel comfortable bringing much cash and banks were closed in Canada.  I had called my CC company in advance but what I didn’t foresee was PayPal flagging the transaction.  We both spent nearly two hours trying to get the transaction to happen.  Long and short his sister had a business, and I was able to pay him through her. I’ll never do that again.

 

Believe it or not I kind of needed the Supermover as the owner’s father had bought many spare parts since the 60’s and the interior was all loose as well.  It took three 12V electric winches and about 10 batteries to get that car on the trailer.  His girlfriend went out and got us lunch and I was on my way just after noon.  They were also kind enough to send me off with some soda and chips for the trip.

 

I get to the border office, and they see the car, see I’m from Georgia and clearly think I’m hauling drugs.  They have me move the rig to a location where it will be difficult to drive it back out (which wasn't fun when I left) and then have me wait in their office for at least two hours while they go over the car, truck, and my paperwork.  I saw a lot in those two hours, guys in cuffs etc.  By 2:30 I’m on the road and seriously pondering what a 12-hour journey will be like after this start.  I ponder my options and decide to go for it.

 

While going through Kentucky I learned a very important thing about U-Hauls.  Never store anything under the passenger seat.  Apparently, the exhaust runs under it without insulation. I had stored the food there and I had exploding sodas just when traffic was the worst.  Luckily the seat frame spared me the soda shrapnel, but it was loud.  It wasn’t until after midnight I hit the winding backroads of the Tennessee mountains and I was spent.  I stopped and bought just about every burnt cup of coffee I could find.  I got home close to 4 am but was too hungry and keyed up to sleep.  I did sleep for about two or three hours went outside and took this pic on the trailer and surveyed what I had.  I crashed hard that night.

 

PS – Yes, I know what I’m in for with this one…