hey guys, ho ho ho and a very safe (ford filled )new year.
on xmas eve i was working on a guys tractor, when a customer walks into the workshop looking for a john deer workshop manual, now i'm not sure if it was a moment of weekness or maybe the heat ( 43 c in the shade, plus overalls ) but he tells me about an old truck at his place, about 15 ml out of town on a dirt road, as it was after 6pm by this stage i told him i would be straight out to his place for a look.
when i arrive, here in a shed that's about to blow over is a very straight 37/8/9 beer barrell, with 33,000 genuine miles, motor still turns, but may need new rubber, up untill the moment i showed interest he wanted rid of it, when in i asked howmuch he went strange and could'nt give an answer, this has happened before with other finds, but i can never get use to it, farmers down here have a saying " it's not taking up much grass " which normally means no amount of money will buy it and i'll just let it rot there
cya...gary

 

Those kind of finds over the years have left me weak at the knees. Today finding what you describe they would probably have had to carry me away.

 

I have found if you down play any interest in it at all at that time, then call him back in a day or two or even three, sometimes they are more willing to talk about what they MIGHT do with it. Just a thought...

 

Tell him you want something to practice metalworking and engine repair on, nothing valuable that you'd screw up. Has worked for me.

A friend also loads one of his junkers on his flatbed 3-ton, hooks up a trailer behind that, and stops by the guy's house, says he's making a trip anyway, why not save some money and throw that one on?

Only thing is, you want to be sure to get title for it, at least that's important in the States.

 

Getting a title is good but a lot of states have provisions for tagging antique/vintage vehicles with no current title, and depending on the year & model if it would happen happen to fall in to the catagory of "highly desired" and it is not something you would drive every day or in some case even at all, a title or lack of would not seriously devaluate it's market value. If you get it cheap or free and the market value is XX $ for it's condition what is the profit margin if you do decide to sell it, title or not.

 

Gary, Gary, Gary

Don't you know anything about farmers.

You have to sleep with his daughter before you can ask for a price on any of the old cars

Warning: A trap for young players: If he has more than one daughter, sleep with the ugly one.....bonus points

 

LOL!!! How true, how true!!

 

Pardon my ignorance-but what is a "beer barrell"?

 

He's refering to the shape of the grill on a mid to late thirties Ford Pickup. Or the amount of beer to sleep with the ugly daughter.

 

I think it's an unwritten code among farmers everywhere. Something along the lines of "Dang cityslickers tryin ta steal everthin frum us countryfolk!"

I had to watch one of the first cars I ever really liked go to rust after my cousin asked how much for it. It was a 60 something Stude Lark convertable with a V8. Not many of them were made and they haven't survived well. That was in the early 70s and I'm sure what's left of it is still there, rusting.

 

problem is, he only has a son!!!, we also live well inside the cropping district and recently bought a smallish farm. what goes around comes around, he might need his old white tractor fixed one day and we have the monopoly on parts.
last time this happened,i came across a 54 f100 that still had it's original signwriting on both doors, it was parked next to many an old item including a 30's bulldog tractor, i waited 2hrs for this bloke to come home from his other property and nearly got it, that was three years ago, i still call in on my way interstate, but at this stage it looks as though i might have to buy everything.
funny thing is, this bloke is in his 70's and when we last spoke he tell me that the old truck is part of his dads estate that needs to be settled by him and his 5 brothers, i then asked when his dad passed away, EIGHTEEN YEARS AGO!!!!!!
Having lived in rural towns for a long time means i have many many tales like this, some u win, some not, but i still love the feeling of hearing a rumour , then chasing it for days or weeks and finally finding it ( especially if u can buy it )
maybe the new year might have a supprise
cya...gary

 

A mate of mine in Tumut has been trying for MANY years to extract a '36 2 ton from an old farmer. Can never get him to comit to parting with it.

About a year ago another mate from Cooma and I were visiting Tumut and the three of us went around to see the '36.

We were just standing there and Frank (from Cooma) asked "How much?". The Farmer said "$4000" Frank said "OK".

My mate had spent YEARS trying to get it, and Frank got it within 10 mins of seeing it....... as someone said earlier in this post, sometimes you can try to hard or look to keen.

I was fully prepared to do my bit to persuad the farmer....but alas, no daughters.

Frank has stripped the 36 and bought a passenger car chassis, repro 1/2 ton tray and tuperware guards. I will probably throw a chassis together for him this winter, since he is a touch "challenged" in that department.

 

I think the reason a lot of them keep this stuff around is that it's as special to them as it is to us, but in a different way. It's a part of their lives gone by, their family history. They just don't need it to be cherry'd out for it to mean that to them.

When you get right down to it, we are the city slickers trying to pry the goods away from them at almost no cost!

 

You obviously haven't looked close at some of the daughters

 

i found an old model a front axle on my farm in the woods but you cant buy that either hehe

i just dont remember where it was in the 30 acre woods