Tag: rotting cars

Rusty Yet Appealing: 1933 Chevy Edition

Jeremy Nutt
What would you guys and gals value this car at?

Each weekend I find myself at car shows, junkyards, swap meets, and generally surrounded by the car culture.  This past weekend I was at a swap meet that we call “Amherst”, but it’s actually called “Cruising To Amherst”.  I have been going there on the last Sunday of every month for as long as I can remember, and it is always a great time.  There is never a lack of bizarre cars for sale or interesting people people to watch.  I usually bump in to old friends, co workers, and sometimes even cars and parts that I used to own!

This month was no exception for interesting people and cars.  One of my favorites was a 1933 (I think?) Chevy that appeared to have been freshly pulled out of a barn.  The body itself wasn’t that bad, but the running boards on the sides were almost completely rotted away.  I don’t really know how that’s possible, but hey, whatever.  The frame was cover in grease from looooong ago so it wasn’t too bad looking in the grand scheme of New England cars.  I was afraid to ask what the price tag was, because I’m often left flabbergasted, and I wasn’t mentally prepared for that type of risk so early in the morning.  If I had to put a number on it, I think $1500 is probably a fair estimate of value for a car like this.

Pro’s:
– It was a complete car
– You won’t need to hunt down little odds and ends that nickle and dime you to death.
– You may be able to get free delivery if your local?
– Cool looking car
– The metal is fairly straight

Con’s:
– Quite Rusty
– Needs lots of time and money invested to restore it
– 4 Doors, not as desirable as the coupe
– Your significant other will not like this in the yard / garage / property.  You may be kicked out of the house.

1A Auto Blog Readers:  What would you guys and gals value this car at?

When Doesn’t it Make Sense to Restore a Car?

Jeremy Nutt 8 Comments

Once in a while I get a call from a friend that says to me “I have XXX wrong with my car, should I fix it or cut my losses and just get something else?”  This can be a really easy question or a really tough question depending on the car and the problem that is ailing it.  When doing all of your own work, it is much easier to justify fixing a car because you don’t have to pay the labor.  The downfall to this is that it also means you can justify fixing cars that normally should be junked.  Well folks, now I have found myself in this position, and I’m asking the Nutts & Bolts Auto Blog readers for opinions.

I got a 1960 Pontiac Ventura in trade for some work on a 1964 GTO a couple years ago.  It was a complete car when I got it, and I even got it running again, but it is in rough shape.  It hasn’t been registered since the mid 1980’s, and it has been outside the entire time since, so finding solid portions of the body is not easy.  That being said, I am more ambitious than most, so I pulled the body from the frame, rebuilt the frame and suspension, and set the body back on it temporarily.

Recently, I had a friend (homesteadblast.com) soda blast the entire body of the car for me.  Ugh.  What we found was disheartening.  At the bare minimum, it needs all new floors and floor supports from front to rear, quarter panels, inner and outer rocker panels, a tailpan, lower fenders & doors.  Yeap, basically a new body minus the roof.  All of the glass is broken as well, which is a real financial drag.  To restore this back to original, the replacement sheetmetal alone would be in the multiple thousands of dollars.  Never mind the wiring, plumbing, trim, interior, and little odds and ends.  By the time the car is nice, I bet I would have well over $7500 in materials and several hundred (thousand?) hours of my own labor.  It’s value when done? Probably slightly less than what I have invested.

The 2nd option is throw originality to the wind, and basically “hot rod” the heck out of the car to suite my own bizarre tastes.  This option would be cheaper and faster because I could make my own floor braces out of boxed steel, do some simple bead-rolled floor pans, a basic DIY-style wiring kit, and use junkyard parts for the rest…

The 3rd and final option is to find a more suitable home for the car and just buy something fully drivable instead.

Ugh. I don’t know what to do. Help!

Where Do These People on eBay Find Such Amazing Cars?

Jeremy Nutt 1 Comment

Every so often, I type “Barn find” into eBay Motors just to see what kind of coolness pops up.  The search always yields hundreds of cars, trucks, and motorcycles that I dream of owning.  I want to be the guy that finds these things.  If there is some kind of Indiana Jones sort-of adventure involved that is even better.  I will run from crazy underground traps, and solve ancient riddles if it gets me a sweet old car. Heck, I may even do it for a couple of seized engines.  It’s every gearhead’s dream.

On eBay there are guys that pull ’60’s Vette’s, Yenko’s, Packards, and everything in between out of fields and barns.  How they find this stuff? I have no clue!  One of my favorite eBay finds recently was a 1933 Pierce Arrow.  It was apparently sitting under a tree in California for the last 50 years.  Luckily for car enthusiasts, cars don’t rust into the earth so fast in California, so this is an easy save for any restorer.  Check the pictures out and tell me how mad you are that you didn’t find it first!

Got a barn “find” story with pictures? Tell me your story.  I absolutely love reading about this kind of stuff.   If your story is good I’ll post it up here!

Item Number 190431606807

What Happened To Miss Belvedere?

Jeremy Nutt 4 Comments
Miss Belvedere, What Happened?

Miss Belvedere was the talk of the town in June of 2007 after being unearthed from the deepest darkest depths of downtown Tulsa.  She was a brand new 1957 Plymouth with just 4 miles on her when they dunked her in the pit of no return.  Fifty years later when the light of day finally shined on her again in 2007, she had not aged well.  She looked like an automotive version of the Cryptkeeper (Remember that show – Tales from the crypt!??).  Anyway, as it turns out, automobiles cannot be preserved by dunking them under water for 50 years. Wait….WHAT!? Yes it is true, dirty gutter water from the Tulsa streets does not preserve sheetmetal, fabric, or plastic.

Shortly after she was raised from the sarcophagus, she was put on display for all the interwebzz and journalists to get their piece.   Read More

Early 1900’s Donk Ride Spotted.

Jeremy Nutt

I’m not sure if this is a considered a Donk, Box, or Bubble, but I can tell you it was rolling on some seriously large wheels in the early 1900’s.  I would put this fine piece of machinery in the “box” category since it is 50% wood.  For those of you unfamiliar with the “Hi-Riser” scene, it is typically compiled of American brand cars with suspension lifts and giant wheels.  Why? Well… I’m not really sure.   This scene was apparently born in the south, but it has quickly spread across the country to places near you.  Although hi-risers don’t really strike my fancy, I can still appreciate them for the work that goes into them.  Love them or hate them, they catch your attention, and are likely here to stay.

Donk, Box, Bubble pictures found at:

Donk

Box

Bubble

Rat Rods…… Yes.

Jeremy Nutt 5 Comments
1930 Chevy Rat Rod 3 Window Coupe

Rat Rods are cool, and I am here to tell you my top 10 reasons why:

1) They are cheap to build – You don’t need rust free metal, so you are often able to put cars back on the road that never would have been restored otherwise.
2) You can build it yourself – It gives you an amazing sense of pride to drive something that you built, and even more when you get a “thumbs up” from a fellow gearhead.
3) Lowered cars and trucks are cooler – That’s just a fact.
4) Raw metal – Unpainted metal is a great way to show off your fabricating skills.
5) Simplicity – These cars work off the bare essentials. Windows, heat, seats and suspension are optional.
6) No Fear – You don’t have to worry about parking your clean car in a grocery store parking lot. If somebody swings their caravan door into it, it doesn’t even matter!
7) Wiring – All you need is power for the ignition coil, alternator, lights, and a horn. That is like 8 wires. Anybody could handle that.
8 ) Typically a two seater – This means you don’t have to cart your friends around all over town. “Can you give us a ride to blah blah somewhere place?…….” “nope sorry, I only have two seats….”
9) Exposed engine – Watching mechanical things move is awesome on every level. There is no denying it.
10) Part availability – All parts that you will ever need can be found in a junk yard, swap meet, home depot, or convenience store.

Picture borrowed from eBay Item number: 18049680146

Corvette: Do Not Want.

Jeremy Nutt 2 Comments

Over the weekend I went to one of my favorite junkyards.  It’s smaller than some of the others around but I feel like the guys that work there are friendlier than average, and 99% of the time, I can find what I need.  So it is definitely my number 1 pick for yards…. This time around, I stumbled onto a late 70’s / early 80’s Corvette that had clearly reached the end of the road.  It was rotted, crashed, crushed, parted out, beaten, and then disrespectfully smashed.  Cars like that are sad to see because you know at some point, a person brought it home from the dealer and loved every single inch of it.  They cruised the streets and showed it off to their friends , and now, all that’s left is rust and memories.  You had a good run at it Blue Corvette, a real good run…