Barn finds, Urban Legends, cool car stories.........

[Munster]

Another Corvette "find" story

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://culturegarage.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/05/corp_0508_26z1963_chevrolet_corvettefront_end.jpg&imgrefurl=http://culturegarage.com/2008/05/21/vette-time-capsules-found-in-barn/&h=480&w=640&sz=41&hl=en&start=2&um=1&usg=__cIZd_rNMcS5vEPJRMnC1R5bvT-8=&tbnid=1o1AHj0gPDiWiM:&tbnh=103&tbnw=137&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dgold%2Bchevrolet%2B1963%26um%3D1%26hl %3Den%26rlz%3D1T4GGLR_enUS286US286%26sa%3DG

Found this and thought it was half way beleivable. One day I might find my hidden treasure in a barn.

I was thinking it might be a cool thread starter to hear a few stories along these lines, maybe even uncover a treasure.

Working with different folks in my lifetime I have heard two that I would like to investigate

(1) a house painter I worked with swore that a pot growing hippie drug dealer type in the Portland Oregon area had a barn full of cars such as to Duesies and Rolls types paddlelocked in a barn rusting away, burried in black berry vines. I have seen blackberry vine in Oregon devour and destroy houses. This story was told to me way back in 1980 and maybe by now, if it was true, it might have been found and somones heard of it. I would like to know it was true and I didn't hold useless info and hopes in my head this long

(2) A lady mill operater said her dad had purchased a (think) 63 Chevy that was a Golden anniverary editon and it is still sitting on the homestead land on an Idaho border. My question, does anyone know of a Golden Anniversary 63 or so with gold badging and all gold accented interior and exterior. I sold a numbers matching 1963 327 from a corvette to someone on the east coast who said that was what this motor was going in. I want to know if anyone has info on this type of car and maybe if I find that she was truthful I will investigate the car. Can't find anything on the web that talks about them but that might not meen they don't exist. Would be an interesting find.

[Boyd]

I don't have any personal insight on this, but Charlie Lillard (the buyer in the story) is a member of this site and posts from time to time - I'd have to say it's definitley legit.

[T_Raven]

man i wish i had a digital cam back in high school. i live in northern idaho. it's nothing but small towns spread out. i've lived there for 11 years and there is a red 69 firebird sitting on a hill in the weeds behind a small body shop with a bunch of mid 50's cars and trucks. the guy won't sell the bird, it's still there after 11 years. who knows how long it was there before i saw it. it's just rusting away.

another one i saw was a 71 buick gsx stage 1 sitting in a guy's field. he had a all kinds of old trucks and VWs and all kinds of crap. he wasn't home but i left a note, though he never called.

my buddy took me to his grandparent's house back in high school to show me all of his cousin's cars. he had a nice 79 ta. a worn out but solid 78 ta, a late 90s 5.0 mustang, a 50 merc, a 65 lemans convertable, two or three of those old broncos with the fully removable roof. there may have been a couple more that i'm forgetting. they were all just sitting their collecting dust.

[gmachinz]

Here's a few stories that come to mind right where I live here in Iowa. First, there is an older ex-street racer who drives an all original, rust free though really faded blue/white 1969 Yenko Camaro. He's had it since about 1974 when he bought it from a local used car lot. He pulled the original 427 out and put a 396 in it quite a while ago to prevent any damge to the OE motor, and the last I knew, he was driving it every so often with 2nd gear shot in the original Muncie M22. I personally know he has turned down 125K for the car as-is. The guy at the time had not a nickel to his name but it always pissed him off whenever a guy with big-bucks just thought they could walk up to him and flash a lot of green to buy it-he always said he would never sell it and so far, he hasn't.
Second, I just recently found out that near my shop is a nice commercial building whose owner stores a few "classic" cars of his own in-one being a legit Z16 1965 Chevelle!
Also, about 20 miles from where I am, sitting for the last 20 years up on blocks is an all-original but mostly in pieces 1969 SS/RS 396 4-speed Hugger orange Camaro under a tarp. My father-in-law used to work with the guy and he offered to buy the car back in 1991 after he had just finished dis-mantling most of it. He still has it but all in pieces and won't sell it but he has no plans for building it either due to health reasons...sad.

[indyjps]

I know of a 66 fairlane original 390 hi po car with a 427 swapped in, used to be a street racer, 20,000 miles. I actually got to see it. Guy doesnt have much but he takes very good care of the car, original engine is still in the garage.

Good friend of mine bought a 66 fairlane, we had heard of the car since we were kids, back story: the guy bought it in 68, got a DUI, never got his license back kept it in his mothers garage and waxed it every month 20K miles. It ended up having close to 40K but was freshly waxed and an extreme cream puff, the 302 c4 combo was pulled for a 499 c6 combo, the car is still wearing its original interior.

'63 silver fuelie vette, a childhood friend of my father bought it new, no one ever wore shoes in the car, the guy kept a pair of shoes that he only wore in the car, he would drive the car only on saturdays then spend all day sunday rewaxing and detailing it (in the 60's), my father spoke to him a few years ago, the car has less that 10K on it, he asked my father not to say too much about it. the guy took it to a local car show in the 90's and got bothered for over a year, he owns several local companies and doesnt need any amount of $ for the car, he's keeping it

My uncle has a 79 vette dark brown, white leather, every factory option, 8000 miles, always been stored in climate controlled garage, along with 2 mid 60's harleys he bought new.

My cousin bought a 67 firebird convertible last year, it had been sitting in a garage since 1970, Guy went to Vietnam, never came back, very low miles, cousin knew the soldiers mother and had been taking care of her yard for about 5 years and didnt know about the car, she decided he should be the person to have it. The Vietnam story had been told for years, she had been telling people she sold the car years ago

I know a local mopar nut with a 60 X 100 with 2 guard dogs surrounding it, the stuff he leaves outside is rare there are many stories about what is lurking inside, most involve hemi's.

All of these cars are within a 100 mile radius, there are plenty of cars out there.

Ive been moving my 69 camaro partially assembled from one storage building to another for 10 years, it will never be for sale, so I guess Im part of the problem too.

[dafabricata]

Its too bad people just "hold on" to these cars with no intention of doing anything with them...sad

I was driving cross country with my sister from California to Michigan when we stopped in this old run-down town (I can't remember the state) to get some lunch real quick. While we were there, we ate lunch at the local town square and took the dogs for a walk. As we past by all the store fronts, we noticed it seems that time suddenly stopped and a bunch of the local store just shut down and left ALL the stock inside. It was REALLY creapy, but also cool to see all the old products sitting on the shelves still. As we were leaving town, I saw something in a building and made my sister pull over so I could look inside. I have noticed a bunch of hanging parts with the printed paper wrappers covering them. It was an old GM parts store stocked FULL of NEW OLD STOCK PARTS!!! I couldn't believe what I was seeing and wanted to look around town some more, but my sister "just wanted to get home"

On a side note, a friend of mine (just turned 80) has probably 75 cars or more spead out all over the place. One being a very well known drag racers first dragster and another being an Indy car that he hand built and raced back in the day. The Indy car has been taken apart and sits in pieces to this day.

[Sparky67]

My 67 RS Camaro was bought out of a barn in Ohio back in 1983. The guy had several cars in the barn, but mostly was old 70's Cadillac convertibles and 4 first gen Camaros. He had one 68 Camaro with a charcoal paint, and 68 Camaro with gold paint and a 67 Camaro convertible with white paint and blue interior. Mine was his only 67 RS Camaro, but it used to have a 67 SS hood. We also tried to buy the 67 Convertible, but he wouldn't sell it. He was driving a 67 RS/SS 396 Convertible with black paint and white convertible top. I think that he told my Dad that at one time, he owned 9 first gen Camaros.

Jeff

http://www.kodakgallery.com/67rscamaro

[Munster]

Heard tale of a Corvette lover who bought one of the first corvettes and entombed it. Or bricked up inside a building.

After hearing about the '57 Fury that sat 50 years under the streets of some town, entombed, I wonder if there is truth to that about the vette. Back in the 50's time capsuls where popular. How many people walked over the 57 fury buried below the streets and had no clue? Was there a sign any where tell about it? If not who rembered it was down there buried. I don't recall those things being talked about it the mags a while back.
There could be other simular ones not uncovered yet.

[Charley Lillard]

Another Corvette "find" story

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://culturegarage.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/05/corp_0508_26z1963_chevrolet_corvettefront_end.jpg&imgrefurl=http://culturegarage.com/2008/05/21/vette-time-capsules-found-in-barn/&h=480&w=640&sz=41&hl=en&start=2&um=1&usg=__cIZd_rNMcS5vEPJRMnC1R5bvT-8=&tbnid=1o1AHj0gPDiWiM:&tbnh=103&tbnw=137&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dgold%2Bchevrolet%2B1963%26um%3D1%26hl %3Den%26rlz%3D1T4GGLR_enUS286US286%26sa%3DG

Found this and thought it was half way beleivable. One day I might find my hidden treasure in a barn.

I was thinking it might be a cool thread starter to hear a few stories along these lines, maybe even uncover a treasure.

Working with different folks in my lifetime I have heard two that I would like to investigate

(1) a house painter I worked with swore that a pot growing hippie drug dealer type in the Portland Oregon area had a barn full of cars such as to Duesies and Rolls types paddlelocked in a barn rusting away, burried in black berry vines. I have seen blackberry vine in Oregon devour and destroy houses. This story was told to me way back in 1980 and maybe by now, if it was true, it might have been found and somones heard of it. I would like to know it was true and I didn't hold useless info and hopes in my head this long

(2) A lady mill operater said her dad had purchased a (think) 63 Chevy that was a Golden anniverary editon and it is still sitting on the homestead land on an Idaho border. My question, does anyone know of a Golden Anniversary 63 or so with gold bagging and all gold accented interior and exterior. I sold a numbers matching 1963 327 from a corvette to someone on the east coast who said that was what this motor was going in. I want to know if anyone has info on this type of car and maybe if I find that she was truthful I will investigate the car. Can't find anything on the web that talks about them but that might not meen they don't exist. Would be an interesting find.

I'm the guy that found those Vettes. Here is a thread with more pics than you ever wanted to see.

http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/showflat.php/Cat/0/Number/75207/an/0/page/0#Post75207

[Roger M]

I'm the guy that found those Vettes. Here is a thread with more pics than you ever wanted to see.

http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/showflat.php/Cat/0/Number/75207/an/0/page/0#Post75207


Charley

That was a great find and an awesome story. I'm still going thru the Yenko thread. May i ask why you did not keep any of the cars?

[GBodyGMachine]

I'm the guy that found those Vettes. Here is a thread with more pics than you ever wanted to see.

http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/showflat.php/Cat/0/Number/75207/an/0/page/0#Post75207

Thats really cool man. I hope to one day have a collection like that. Lifetime of work im sure.
JEff

[Chad-1stGen]

Do you have to be registered to see the pics on the yenko site?

[Roger M]

Do you have to be registered to see the pics on the yenko site?

No. just click on the attachment within the post.

[TPI Monte SS]

There's a guy that's local to me that bought a big-block Chevelle SS new when he graduated from high school in 1972. He drove it a year, and it's been in storage since then. He takes it out once a year to put fresh gas in the tank. The car is like a time warp! It's absolutely perfect and completely original, down to the tires and hoses. He also has a low mileage '77 Vette in great shape as well.

As far as barn finds go, my in-laws had a neighbor with a '70 GTO in his garage since the late '70s, which I never knew about. One of the guys I work with has a friend that found out about the car, and bought it. Sure enough, it's an original '70 GTO rag top with quite a bit of "patina." The car was lightly hit in the nose, and the previous owner bought all new NOS parts in the late '70s to fix it (Enduro nose, fenders, hood) and never got around to it. The new owner got all of those parts in the deal when he bought the car. What a score!

[vintageracer]

There is a gentleman near Huntsville Alabama with over 30 Corvettes in his YARD! All of the cars drove in and most now have some sort foliage (trees) growing around or through the cars. Most are 62 back cars. There are also other desirable cars also. He has em, you don't. He has not sold any of the cars in YEARS!

62 cars just sold last month at auction in Columbia Tn. 2100 mile 77 T/A, 4000 mile Delorean, 10K mile Bricklin, 62 Vette and more. All parked since at least late 70's when the owner, who was in the finance business, took the cars as collateral. The cars sat in the barn or out in a field for almost 30 years. The field became a forrest! We did buy a completely original 70 454 Corvette. Was a nice car until it sat outside with one window down for 29 years!!!!

Oh, and don't forget the 70-80 Corvettes sitting in a couple of chicken coupes in Cleveland Tennessee. Sammy still has his first Corvette.

Also the SD421 Lemans just listed on ebay today with a $4K BIN. One of 6. BIN removed, car now at $10K and climbing fast. Apparently a SD421 lightweight drag car. Originally the seller had NO CLUE what he had. He does now!!!

There is still LOT'S of this stuff out there!

[Mathius]

I bought my Malibu for $850 with 24k original miles on it. Underbody was bad, but the top is nice and the engine runs good after replacing fuel and brake lines.

http://www.cardomain.com/ride/506862

It's not exactly a corvette or camaro, but it was exactly what I was looking for.

Mathius

[JEFFTATE]

I used to drive past a Lime Green Mopar R/T (of some sort) in a barn in Fairmount Ga.
I forgot whether it was a Coronet or Charger or whatever , but it sat under that barn for years.
Now it's not there.
I " heard " it was one of those " killed in Vietnam" stories where the son got killed over in 'Nam but the parents wouldn't sell his car out of respect and memories.

[perple76]

In the fall of 2003 a guy that worked with my dad tipped us off to a "barn-stored" 1955 Chevy. The guy wasn't a car guy, but knew we were and gave us the owner's number.

I called the guy and the moment he described the car to me I bought it - sight unseen. Story goes, the guy brought the car out from California in the early 80s with big hopes and big intentions. As is the case with many of these old cars, he had neither the finances nor the skills to fulfill his desires. Selling price was $1500.

So I go to the guys house and he has several old cars sitting around the barn, some old trucks, a few beat up four doors, etc. I walked right past a really solid-looking 55 and thought, man wouldn't that be cool if that was the car I was there to buy.

So the guy comes out, introduces himself, and takes me back out to his "lot". Come to find out, the 55 I walked by WAS the car he was selling. This car was a real dream come true - a mild custom in unbelievable shape. The owner had transplanted a 350, 350 turbo, and a Ford 9" rear. Everything else was there and original. The car was in such good shape that I got to drive it home. Oh yeah, and by the way it also turns out the car is solid steel, no bondo or previous body work, and no rot. Just a good, solid California car.

Best part - I ask the guy why he's selling. Come to find out, he's had some money trouble, which lead to marital trouble, which then led to legal trouble, which lead to more money trouble. Guy tells me he'll take a grand for the car if I can come up with cash. Couldn't get the money out of my pocket fast enough.

Now that's a barn find.

J

[Mathius]

Oh yeah... Mine was the... it belonged to an old lady who only drove it to church on the weekends and just parked it one day...

Mathius

[g356gear]

I have a bit of a family jewel story. Back in the late 50's and early 60's my grandfather usually changed cars every year or two. He would switch between Chevy and Ford depending on what caught his eye that year. Well in 57 it was a Chevy convertible. Black car with silver coves and a red interior, continental kit, etc. He always said that car handled like crap, so the next year he switched to a 58 Impala convertible, fully loaded, continental kit and all the extras as well. Again he got bored with that car so 2 years later he switched to a Ford. After a couple Fords he then saw the new 64 Impala. My grandmother decided that was their next car. They went to the dealer and ordered their new 64 Impala SS convetible. Car was an aqua blue color with white top and white interior. Grandpa intended to buy a 283 because Grandma was going to be driving the car. As well, my dad was just 19 at the time and a big power car wasn't going to be in the family. The 409 option was out of the question, but after a bunch of convincing dad managed to get them to check the box for the 300hp 327 option. The car saw regular driving duty until about 1969 and had 62,000 miles on the clock. After that it saw daylight maybe a couple times a year until the mid 70's and then the car sat in their heated indoor garage until 2003. Both grandparents passed on within a year of each other and the car needed a new home. Dad had the car towed out to our acreage property because we knew that the motor would have to come out, brakes re-done and fuel system flushed since the car hadn't run in 30 years. The car is sitting in the garage now and is one of the most original examples around. Nothing was ever changed on the car except the hubcaps. A few of the local Impala guys who know of the car wanted to buy the car based on it's originality but it won't leave the family. Dad allows the Impala guys to come buy and take photos for restorations when they need to so it's kind of a neat situation.
Dad also has a 39,000 mile 72 Olds 442 W-30 that he bought new. Yellow with black stripes and black interior. He bought that car to tow his holiday trailer. I was 6 months old at the time. Fully loaded with every option available except a/c. :)

[chop]

Here's a good story unfolding right now:
http://forums.performanceyears.com/forums/showthread.php?t=578923

[Roger M]

Here's a good story unfolding right now:
http://forums.performanceyears.com/forums/showthread.php?t=578923

Good find. Should be an interesting bid war to follow. I will watch this one.

[chop]

Good find. Should be an interesting bid war to follow. I will watch this one.

The guy listing it had no clue what it was. Amazing.

[Roger M]

The guy listing it had no clue what it was. Amazing.

The whereabouts of the aluminum front end for this car are known. I wonder how much $ it will take to aquire that?

[chop]

The whereabouts of the aluminum front end for this car are known. I wonder how much $ it will take to aquire that?

This really is an incredible piece of Pontiac racing history. My guess is anything short of 130K-150K is a bargin. It will be interesting to see if the AL front end is reunited with the car. From the posts in that thread it also sounds as if the original engine's whereabouts is known.

[g356gear]

Holy crap!! Price jumped from 90K to 226K in the last 10 seconds.:hail:

[Roger M]

Here's a good story unfolding right now:
http://forums.performanceyears.com/forums/showthread.php?t=578923


The bidding just ended on this rare piece of racing history...

$226,000 and change

:jawdrop:

I wonder what it will take ($) to get the missing pieces reunited with the car?

[bigvegan]

Somebody wanted that car pretty badly.

[chop]

My GOD!
And the starting bid was $500. One for the ages.

[shmoov69]

Somebody wanted that car pretty badly.

actually, two somebody's!! LOL! Should've got it on the BIN option for $3,000 before he took it off!!

[Tom Welch]

In Savannah, GA right now there sits a 1959 corvette at a rental house. The property owner also owns the car and does nothing but let it sit under the carport. I and a buddy got permission to take a close look at it. It needs a complete resto and has had a 327 swapped for the 283. but other that that and the interior it looked pretty much original. The owner cant decide what to do with it. Pitty.

[Restomod]

WOW that Tempest is just CRAZY!! Did Jay Leno buy it? The seller mentions him in the questions.

[malihoochie]

I brought up that tempest auction to a coworker who has always been "into" old Pontiacs. He is a older guy who does not know how to turn the computer on let alone get on Ebay. When I showed him the print out of the ebay auction he said "is that Antlockers car?" berfore really looking at the info. I was shocked - but he has old cronie connections that must have mentioned it to him. When he looked at the papers he said "I used to have one of these". I said "really, it says here there were only 6 of these built." He goes "Aww there were more - lets see Beswick had one, Antlocker had one, Mickey Thompson had one.....I had one....maybe there were only six made." I stammered a second and relooked at the list of original owners. Uh huh, sure enough, there his name was. I was doublely in shock, because this same guy also was a original owner of a ZL1 that he later pulled the motor out of and stuck into a race car. He stuck a small block in that ZL1 Camaro and sold it for roughly $2000. :hammer: He told me that back then he never really saw the value in those cars. :rolleyes: If he had either car now, we probably would not work together. I thought it was incredible that not only was he part of an exclusive club that bought a extremely rare Camaro - but also part of an even smaller club, who bought and raced such a rare Pontiac.