A sad "W" story

[Tom Kochtanek]

Bob's not gonna like this story. I was totally disheartened when I had it told to me first person just this morning

This is yet another reason to act swiftly and decisively in the quest to save our beloved old cars. Forget about the space issue. Like I mentioned to Bob, you can always borrow or rent space from someone...

About a year ago I got the name of a local fella who reportedly had a 1962 SS that was born with a 409/409 setup. I tried to follow up on it, but the fella wasn't listed in the phone book and the guy who told me only knew his general whereabouts. Believe me, I drove around that countryside often just in the hopes I'd see his name on a rural mailbox.

Just yesterday the new phone books arrived. By happenstance last night I stumbled upon his name on a sheet of paper (I was looking for Michael Mason's number -- TMRacing) and looked it up in the new book. It was there! So I called him just a few minutes ago. Nice guy. Old timer. Been into cars forever. Used to paint them and restore them until 20-30 years ago. Had stuff from the late 40s through the mid 60s, mostly GM.

So I asked him: did he once have a 1962 SS? Yep, he answered, but had it crushed just a few months ago. A few months ago! I've been looking for this guy for nearly a year and a few months ago he crushes a '62SS! And not an ordinary '62SS -- an original 409/409 car

Why? I asked. "Kids been stealing my stuff out of the barn, my son got tired of it, so he came in a had 'em all crushed and hauled off." This included a 1961 Sport Coupe as well. What kind of shape, I asked? "Not too bad, hated to see 'em go, but I was never gonna fix 'em, so we crushed 'em. Steel is high right now, so we got a few dollars back and now those kids won't be coming 'round no more" he says.

I was flabbergassed, to say the least. This is the stuff you dream of when you go to sleep at night. The Big Discovery. Only Phil Reed comes up with this kind of stuff OK, some of you other lucky guys, but never me!

I inquired about the status of the engine. It was a dual carb 409 from the '62SS. He sold that separately a few year's back. $150 dollars to a friend of his son's. I gotta find this guy...

Interesting enough he told me it was a PG car with bucket seats, grab handle and all the SS trim. Numbers on the PG matched the 409. Must have been "special ordered" because I always thought they would be 4 speeds???

He told me he'd love to have a ride in my car when I get it completed and that he'd give me a ride in his 1951 HenryJ. Sounded like a great guy, practical and worldly. But he made a huge mistake in crushing those vehicles and not letting folks like us have a crack at them. I guess to an old car guy they were, well, old cars with no value.

Moral of the story : Keep looking and looking, follow up on every lead, and stop this sort of behavior from happening again.

Me, I'm on a Quest to find the kid who got the 409/409 for $150. Gonna offer to double his money

Hard to have any cheers for this one...

TomK

 

[droptop62]

Last year a friend of mine stumbled across a lady who had 100 acres full of cars
from the 30's throught the 70's most in poor condition from sitting in the earth.
The cars belonged to her husband who had passed away (young, in his 50's)
We bought as many parts as we had room for, and even went back later on and bought 5 complete cars for $30.00 each.
Needless to say she was having a hard time selling the cars and parts as fast as she wanted, and was just getting tired of the whole thing so whatever did not sell by a certain time was getting crushed, she already had arrangements with some one to come in and "do the deed".
And around here even on the way outskirts of town out in the sticks, these junkyards are going out of business and a lot of good iron is being recycled.
So yes, if you see something you want, better make a move because these cars are not going to be around forever.

 

[Super(sport)Man]

But he made a huge mistake in crushing those vehicles and not letting folks like us have a crack at them.

Well, I guess we'll just hafta send over Vinnie and da' boys to "have a talk" with de louse!

 

[bobs409]

Your right Tom, Bob doesn't like this. :

Why didn't the guy sell these cars to someone? Scraping a car because you don't have the time to fix is a bit extreme. What you should do is tell this guy how much money he lost out on. Take a copy of the car values for those years from VMR International to him. Even #5 basket case cars usually fetch $600 plus! Then ask him how much he got for scrap metal. :takethat


What a terrible waste.

 

[walkerheaders]

[tom k.] Why? I asked. "Kids been stealing my stuff out of the barn, my son got tired of it, so he came in a had 'em all crushed and hauled off." This included a 1961 Sport Coupe as well. What kind of shape, I asked? "Not too bad, hated to see 'em go, but I was never gonna fix 'em, so we crushed 'em. Steel is high right now, so we got a few dollars back and now those kids won't be coming 'round no more" he says.

[bob w.] unless the old guy witnessed the shameful loss of these cars, i would think they're still alive and stashed away at the crush yard. would'nt a crusher guy have better sense?
i would think that in this day an age anyone would know better? not just us in the hobby.
everybody not involved in the hobby has admired a classic going down the road, or driven past a carshow.
if this old guy and his son saw the demise of these cars, they need there heads knocked together.

 

[JimKwiatkowski]

Crusher

Bob,you bring up a good point.Tom I would go check out all the crushers in the area.

Why would a guy that restored cars not know value of these cars :?

 

[JokersBel]

What can you do IF they were found at a scrap yard? Here in Michigan, i've always been told a salvage yard could not sell the whole car since they have to register them as salvage. Once it is salvage it is not legal for them to sell the VIN as the state registers it as slated to be destroyed?

Case in point...I came across a 63 Pontiac in a yard which was resting on top of another car. It just happened to be in restorable condition, complete with 8-lugs. Although someone had removed the wheels/drums and scattered them around the yard. Once I asked the yard owner to sell me the remains he told me he could not as above.

 

[threeimpalas]

unless the old guy witnessed the shameful loss of these cars, i would think they're still alive and stashed away at the crush yard. would'nt a crusher guy have better sense?

I wouldn't doubt they got crushed. The folks running the crushers don't care. They just want their scrap steel $$$. They crush desireable old cars everyday without batting an eye.

 

[Tom Kochtanek]

Money talks

JokersBel states: "What can you do IF they were found at a scrap yard? Here in Michigan, i've always been told a salvage yard could not sell the whole car since they have to register them as salvage. Once it is salvage it is not legal for them to sell the VIN as the state registers it as slated to be destroyed?"

I'm sure you fellas heard my previous story about the local yard that received a prototype 1988 ZR-1 that was used in a drug sting. It was sent from St. Louis to be crushed. A friend of mine discovered the "crushed bones" several months down the road under a bunch of 4x8 plywood and managed to "arrange" what I suspect was an illegal transaction. Care to guess where that stuff is now?

I guess life has a tendency to balance things out

Cheers,
TomK

 

[60convert]

on the other hand

my brother once bought a t-top cutlas 84 I belive out of a yard it had only been there for like 3 mo so maybe the paper work hadn't been sent into the state??? maybe if you are quick enough you can still get a title and eveything from the yard.
or at least if not a title, it hasn't been reported as scrap. another point on the salvage title is my family and I have a few cars that are branded salvage on the title as they have been totalled out. you buy them repair them keeping all reciepts of all parts take it down and you can get it inspected to be road worthy again.
Jesse

 

[bobs409]

A friend bought a '62 Caddy from a junkyard once. He got a "junk certificate" in place of the regular title. The only downer is that stays with the car so at resale time, theres no getting around the fact that the "buyer" will know where it came from. It hurts value to say the least.

Some junkyards in my area will sell whole cars that they know are of interest but thats up to the yard owner. Alot won't bother.

 

[348NUT]

Geeze Tom, Thanks for wrecking my day! I agree the crushers don't care. Those cars are gone. The guy probably watched them do it in his field! :takethat I'm afraid I've crushed a few cars I shouldn't have in the past I just gotta take time to start gathering up some of them around here! NUT

 

[oil4kids]

long gone

sounds like the story I keep telling about North East Missouri, When i started school in 1989 there were about 5 good yards in a 60 mile radius, including a high percentage of 1960 era Chevys, by the time i left in 1993, all the yards were closed and all those cars Im estimating 3000,were crushed except back then they told me they got $20 per car. One yard had a row of 15 or so 1967 Impalas.

The only people who seemed to care were the readers in Hemmings Magazine

 

[indyjps]

salvage yards

i bought a 70 mach1 out of a scrap yard, guy had car bead blasted and then got divorced car was pushed out in the snow and damaged beyond repair. purchased the car and all parts in it for $82. had to part out but i got a clean title with it. it just depends on the salvage yard. i know of some salvage yards that will take cars without titles to crush some will not. some will and will not resell cars just depends on who you are dealing with.

 

[impalaragpat]

you can buy cars w/ no title and get an Alabama bill of sale for about $150. it can be then titled in your state.
pic of junkyard taken beore scrap drives of WWII.
Pat

 

[348NUT]

Think about it for a minute.

Can you imagine how many cars would be around if none were ever crushed! Think of how many cars have been sold since the car was invented! I bet our classics wouldn't be worth quite as much if everyone was still rusting away somewhere. It's really a shame, but on the other hand where would we put em all Oh yah There's always the prairie states Now That's scenery! Could go on vacation and visit the Classic Car Fields National park. Now I'd buy a season pass for that! NUT
It's NOT funny! :takethat