Reo

 Still always looking but not always finding. Slowed down in a big way by TKR (Total Knee Replacement) Surgeon says I can't drive for 6 weeks so passenger mode is in full force. Saw my dream car in the latest issue of Old Cars Weekly. It is a 1936 Reo Flying Cloud 4 dr. sedan. Well restored and only the price keeps me from it. $24,995.This is only the second one I have seen for sale in over 45 years. They are out there as is the winning lottery number. Just need them to get it together. Happy looking.

Hard Times

So everyone has been in quarantine now for a good while. You may not be making trips that would show you old cars and trucks but you can still find them if you look online!! Yes prowling websites has produced a lot of finds,some real some imagined. By that I mean some are real cars that exist and may be for sale while others turn out to be fabrications using pictures scoured from the internet. Sale sites abound on the net and some may actually be close enough to look at in real time

Get creative in our downtime and look at the Craigslist and other media that can have cars and trucks to look at. Keep at it and we can soon be out on the prowl.

My cup runneth over.

So  I made a trip to the Monroe area to pick up some furniture for my daughter and lo and behold I was able to see a bunch. W e were using the GPS to guide us to a location and it took us wandering through the countryside. The first sign of treasure to behold was a model AA Ford truck sharing a front yard with a model A chassis and cowl. They were in nice shape and the AA was most likely a runner.
 A bit farther down the road was a 1956 Studebaker Hawk in very nice condition and appearing road ready. Lurking in a shed by the side of the road 5 miles on was a 70"s Torino that was faded but looked solid. On the return trip the same shed was hiding a pair of shoebox Fords. I think a glance showed them to be a 50 and a 51.
  Almost unnoticed in a shed was a 60's rarity in the form of a Chevrolet Corvan white with red trim and looking road ready. Back in Albemarle at Arbys  was a 1954 Ford in mild custom form that looked really good.
  The return trip home let me see a 1938 Ford pick-up in what appeared to be amazing original condition coming right at me.
  This just shows that old cars are indeed everywhere awaiting our discovery.

Hidden jewels.

Always on the lookout but sometimes you can't see the forest for the trees. Right down the road from my house sits a garage with it's own collection of oldies. I never took much notice because of the glut of newer vehicles but jewels from the past are hidden there. For the Anglophiles there is a MGB-GT in the color of BRG that has some unusual roof problems. The kind you get when you pick it up with a forklift through the windshield. It is all there but needs some serious loving care to that roof. More on this site later.

My first new car was a 1970 VW Beetle that came loaded. That means it had a radio!! It was a fun ride and served us well although my wife would have preferred something bigger. The need for something is a real sickness as you convince yourself it is not a want but a real need for your well being. I did not get another 70 bug but a 74 bug that is lowered and has a narrowed front beam with all bumpers and turnlights removed and smoothed over. It is a eye-catcher and has a lot of personality. A continuing work in progress as many old drivers are.

English Hauler

So Christmas and New Years have come and gone and we survived another election. On to bigger and better things! My Christmas cheer was stifled by falling off a ladder in my storage barn and breaking my radial bone in 5 places at the wrist. I now have more steel in my wrist than many new cars. Not to be slowed by a mere injury I scoped out a early 60's English Ford panel on the road to a Doctors appointment. Under the bonnet(hood) set the tiny 4 cylinder power plant with only a few vitals missing. Who needs wiring?? The body was remarkably straight and some attempts had been made to curb the tinworm. All in all a great start on and inexpensive driver that could double as a sign for your business. Keep looking  as the next great find is right down the road.

Let the good times roll. Had to travel to a nearby city today for a medical appointment. No interstate highway involved . just an old fashioned two lane blacktop through the foothills of the Uwharrie's. Always on the lookout for the next old car encounter I came upon a 1952 Pontiac sedan delivery. I was not sure they made one but there it was in need of a total restoration. What a find for a unique ride that would attract attention. Hope someone with mega-bucks scoops it up and puts it back on the road. Always looking.

Long time not here. Recently moved to a new home and have had little or no time to do the blog. Took my 74 Beetle to its first car gathering and got a lot of favorable comments . There was a real mix of cars mainly from the 60's and 70's, with a restored military truck to flavor the bunch. Saw a really neat early 50's step down Hudson in a parking lot and talked to the owner. He really did not know what he had and I shared some facts with him. His was a 52 model and appeared to be a survivor from the southwest. Keep looking as your car encounter is just around the corner.

Old VW lifestyle revisited.

It is a challenge to find old cars in todays cookie cutter world but far from impossible. Recently came upon a chance to get an old air cooled VW bug. This model was my first new car that my bride and I bought in 1970. Hard to believe that we drove to Florida from our then home in Indiana with our first child and all the needed kid stuff. Yes we had a roof rack but no air and only a radio was our option list. They are fun and simple cars that have the looks of old with a touch of modern day mechanics.

Cold damp weather is a drag when wanting to see old cars. I have to look really hard to see anything in a barn or anyplace. I did find a rather large yard full of 30's-60's cars and the whole place is for sale. Many may be only parts cars or aggressive restorations but some are good project cars with many possibilities. The location is available to anyone interested.

Too hot!

Is it just me or does the hot weather affect seeing old cars? Can it be too hot to fire up the oldie or just too hot to ride around in it. Was in the sunny north recently and saw a town square full of oldies of all sorts. It was a real mix from the 30's to the 60's and all were well restored or great survivors.

Old jewell of the past.

  It may not be old by classic car standards or valuable like a Auburn or Cord but my latest sighting has a lot going for it. A 1963 Ford Falcon 2 dr. sedan with a 6 cylinder followed by an automatic is hardly an earth shaker but I like it because it was the first car I actually owned. This particular example red with a matching blah and sun faded worn interior. The Falcon does not run but there is enough room under the hood for a mechanic party.
  Running or not it's a good car with no visible rust and the potential to return me for a blast from the past. My version of this was Corinthian white with a brownish clothlike interior. I never won any speed contests with the GT 170 as it was called but it got me there and brought me back. It was the car my wife and I started our life together with and we enjoyed many trips in it.
  When my ship comes in or I win the lottery  possibly  I will buy this trusty vision from the past and once again terrorize the roads. Remember Old Cars are everywhere if only in your mind.

You really don't have to go far to find old cars. On a quick trip to Mt. Gilead NC  I was able to see a 1955 Ford 2dr. and a 1956 Dodge station wagon. They both appear to be in good shape and the Dodge is a runner. The old Dodge now sets a little higher than normal and might be on its way to becoming a street rod. The 55 Ford looks solid and still has its two tone paint from the era. These are both likely candidates for rescue and restoration.
 Down the street next to a antique store sets a 1940's GMC 1 ton with bright black and red paint. Looks like it came out of long dry storage and was painted to be eye candy for the antique store. It would make a great hauler or vintage camper with a flair.
 This is one small town in a country filled with small towns. Old cars truly are everywhere.

I am the first to admit being computer challenged at times. I have not posted to Discoveringoldcars recently because I had changed the appearance/format of the page and could no longer find out how to put up new posts. But alas I have stumbled upon it.

 The locale of old cars says a lot about their past. Some you find in nice heated garages with great protection from the elements and anywhere between that and total exposure.

 On a recent hike in the Uwahriee Mountains I stumbled upon both located in the same spot. I could see the tumble-down barn from 100 yards or so and of course it set my mind racing. Why is it here? The land was too steep to have farmed and too remote for a place likely to have a home. 

  There was no sign left of any dwelling that would have went with the barn and as the structure was log it was not very recent. Yes I know its an old car blog so where is the car?

  After circling the structure I learned the only way in was the now collapsed front where the crude doors had not fared well over the years. The relaxed roof looked more inviting as it was wood shakes very badly rotted. A minute or two of work and I could peer in and see a rust pile of sorts that had been a vehicle at one time. The level of deterioration was great. 

 It took me 15 minutes or so to get to and identify any markings. It was a model t Ford fro the middle 20's. The head was gone from the engine but the engine was definitely a Ford. Little of the body remains but it appeared to have been a phaeton. What body metal remained was paper thin and had been crushed by the roof falling in. 

  What is the story here? Who knows? The back seat had some curious pieces of Americana that I recognized to be likely part of a still. Was this the hiding place of a moonshiner? No locals around know of anyone living in that area ans it is now part of a National Forest.

 I would like to think of it as a great hide-out for an old time moonshiner but what I can't figure out is how they got there with no access roads of any kind. I know the T was a rugged  little car but this area was about 2 miles from the nearest road and no footpath within a mile.

 Its a great mystery that will most likely go unsolved. Yes I do have pictures taken with my cell phone but they are of low quality and I don't know how to upload from my phone.

  Keep looking every find may not be a treasure but they can be a mystery.

Oldie but a ????

Local salvage yard has a 47-47 Chevy behind its front fence with a for sale sign on it. First glance it looks good but closer inspection reveals some problems. Has a flat so it can't move easily and it sits unusually low. Looking underneath you can see rust has seperated the frame in several places. Floorboards are wafer thin where they are there. Looks like it set in the muck for a decade or two. Man states it's a good car that ran into the yard. Under the hood reveals the carb is missing along with other sundry items,coil etc. Man says the carb is being cleaned so it can run better but the dirt on the manifold says it has been gone a long time. Think this one falls under the category of ambitious restoration or parts car. O well.

Some old cars have more character than others as the sorry trio I recently saw near my home. They look as though they had been sitting for a long time and only sparsely protected. They may not be the most collectable of cars but they represent the backbone of America,the sedan. One four door and a pair of two door from the Chrysler corporation of the past. Pictures tell it all.

Have you ever noticed that the time you find a really great old car often coincides with a lack of funds to purchase. Alas this is the situation I find myself in as I have spent surplus on a much needed storage barn. But forget the barn how about the car. It is a 51 Chevy 2 door and it looks nice and is completely driveable as-is. They have spent a fair amount of time on a fair to good amateur restoration. The bad news besides not having funds for it is the asking price. Won't say what it is to protect the innocent but if this car was a #1 professional restoration it would be high. After it sets for a long while mabye they will realize a price adjustment is in line and mabye I will have money then. There is always a chance.

They are everywhere as I have said before. Followed a 55 chevy into town the other day. Had a pristine stock body and paint that cost as much as some cars. It was nice,just what the owner wanted,some extra power under the hood,a noticeable lift to the rear a slight drop in the front. Yes it was nice mabye too nice. Would you be afraid to park it at Wal-Mart? I would prefer a driver friendly vehicle that may have some imperfections, character I would call it. Looking for the right car or mabye truck, it is out there waiting for me.

What if?

Most of us can think of a what if or two concerning old cars,so heres another one. Back in early 1963 my dad was looking to trade his 57 Ford wagon before the tin worm finished it off. We were looking at cars at a downtown Indianapolis lot where he had bought the 57. Being a car nut from birth I was trying to guide him to something cool. The salesman was talking up a leftover 62 that he would alll but give away. It was a tan 4 door and looked like a grandpa car to me. But on closer look I saw that it was a sleeper in that a 406 lurked under the hood. I had visions of learning to drive in a barn burner and cruising the hot spots on weekends with the sleeper. But it was not to be as father knows best and a new 63 wagon found its way to our home. But it had a 352 and it could-- well thats another story for later.