Who has a good barn find story?

"JR1" (type35bugatti) 06/30/2014 at 12:30 • Filed to: Barn Find, Lincoln Capri

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I am using the term "barn find" loosely. I don't care if the car is in a barn, field, or your local craigslist. I am just interested in hearing the story of how you acquired or found an interesting car. Mine of course as some of you may know is finding out my great grandpa after he passed away in the 80s left a car to my great uncle he never used. The 1959 Lincoln sat for 20 years until I came along to dig the car out and rescue it from the earth a week ago. Now I own it and am trying to restore it. If you are more interested in the story here are a couple of the articles I wrote.

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But I don't want to talk about my finds I want to talk about your finds. So in the comment section below please tell me the fantastic story of how you found or rescued an awesome petrol head worthy car!

For Sweden > JR1 06/30/2014 at 12:32

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I know a guy who has a 1956 Packard in his barn; does that count?

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > For Sweden 06/30/2014 at 12:37

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Depends on what kind of '56 Packard, and whether, when he dies, you have an elaborate plan to "discover" and "be shocked by" that Packard after you've gotten into a position where you own/control said barn and what's in it.

Plotting to rub out this guy to advance the plan is also encouraged.

T5Killer > JR1 06/30/2014 at 13:11

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http://fastbackresurrection.blogspot.com/ A good friend of mine found this fastback shell sitting in a yard and bought it. (he flips late model mustangs as a side business).

lone_liberal > JR1 06/30/2014 at 13:53

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Not technically a barn find, but my '71 Camaro was also a field find that I got for $800. It might have been overpriced. At least it's still worth more for it's parts than I have in to it if you don't count my labor.

Jedidiah > JR1 06/30/2014 at 14:12

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The original owner of my Cutlass got leg problems and left it outside by road until the ground eroded away around it. Amazingly, no one vandalized it after all those years.

My dad and a guy named Bill drove by it frequently and they eventually tracked down the owner during the mid-80s. They pulled it out of the ground during my dad's lunch break and got it started with what my dad had in his car. Filed the battery contacts and poured some gas in the carb and it started, Bill gave the owner $400 and drove it home and used it for a couple of years.

After Bill bought my dad's 442 vert and Bill's kids bought their own cars, it wasn't used anymore and was put outside by the road until the ground eroded away around it again.

In 2010, me and my dad were looking for something to be my first car and he wanted me to have a car where I could learn how about mechanics. During his lunch break, we went and pulled it out of the ground and we got it started with what my dad had in his car. Put a battery in and poured some gas in the car. We gave Bill $100 and drove it home. It blew the radiator hose just as we pulled into the driveway.

In 2012, me and my dad had finished our restoration on it and we were way over-budget, but it was worth it. I drive it every day.

Not really a barn find story, but kind of a yard find story.

twochevrons > JR1 06/30/2014 at 14:15

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When I got married, my father-in-law gave me his 1956 MGA Roadster.

The catch was, it was laid up in a shed, and hadn't moved under its own power in 30 years. It had been his beater while he was a college student in the '70s, but when the clutch hydraulics packed up, he didn't have the time or money to fix it, but couldn't bear to sell it.

Despite having sat for so long, aside from the clutch, it only needed new brake hydraulics and some carburettor fettling to get it running again! It is far from perfect, but that's how I like it - with so many pristine examples around, I think that a rough-looking one is a nice change.

This video is from the first time I started it:

zeontestpilot > JR1 06/30/2014 at 14:52

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I was living with my in-laws for a while, financial reasons, so I lived with them in their house. Well being unable to find a job, plus massive amounts of free time, I decided to look for the rumored two '67 mustang fastbacks on the property. Well, my in-laws own 40 acres of land. I knew roughly where they were suppose to be, so my search was focused on that part. I found the first fastback, a gold one, in a single car garage. I also found many other cars, which I had to research just to figure out what year and model they. I found a '33 Ford Model AA, a '70 Dodge Pickup (and from what I'm told a v10 or v12 in it), a '70 Ford Pickup, two John Deere Tractors, and a Beauville van.

Well, I was told there was a second '67 fastback, so I kept searching for it over a period of weeks. I also was told there was an '80s El Camino that was unaccounted for. My issue was this, both garages on the property were locked up. There was a single garage with had the gold mustang, and a double car garage that was filled with so much 'junk', you couldn't really tell what you were looking at through the window. So my search continued. I did find a blue GMC/Chevy van behind one of the garages, but no mustang or camino.

Then one day, weeks later, I realized something. The two car garage was on stilts, and everything inside of it was sitting on the dirt. That plus erosion, meant I could take my iphone, put it underneath the garage and snap a few pictures. Seconds later, I found that second mustang. It was a gorgeous blue color, but it's body was badly damaged. Then I had another brillant idea. I went to the other side of the garage, stuck my phone in, and bam, el camino found.

Sometime later, I forgot which family member tipped me off, but I found the remains of a Harley Davidson motorcycle, though I can't identify what model or year.

After all of this, I felt like I conqueror the land. Well, until my wife and my mom-in-law started talking about how there used to be a black van. And well, all the van's are owned by my uncle-in-law (is that a thing?), and he throws nothing away. So, the next day I ventured out onto the property, and just when I was about to give up, I saw a flash in the distance. Gosh-darn it, it was chrome. The black van was hidden in the brush, and you would have to fight through foliage just to see it.

Here's a link to some pics.

Lastly, nothing is for sale, ownership of the cars are murky because the previous owner passed away, the youngest brother doesn't want anyone to touch anything over there, and the oldest brother (my dad-in-law) pays for everything. Plus the mustangs are technically supposed to be owned by the previous owner's two sons...who live on the west coast and the cars are in MI. So everything is still there, in their static condition, dormant.

This is probably the saddest Barn find ever, :(

Pabuuu, JDM car enthusiast & Italian parts hoarder > JR1 06/30/2014 at 15:41

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Well, my first and current car is a barn find.

I was looking at old cars (25 years +) because they are cheap to insure and cheap with tax. We got up early one day to go look at a nice Mercedes 190e 2.3 that looked very promising. During breakfast I was looking at some other cars, and I saw a nice shape.

It was a Toyota with some sort of widebody. No information at all, just some pictures outside a barn, and a price of 1000 euros.

We called him, he said it was a good car and it would only need a fuel pump.

Screw the Merc, I was going to look at a weird Toyota!

We drove there, to some small village and and a lady opened the door and said ''walk around the block, you'll see!''

We walked around the block and we heard loud noises and saw smoke coming out of a small garage.

Then out of the smoke and noise came a big overhanging nose.

We checked out the car, it looked good, and got it for 700.

We had to get it inspected, it hadn't been on the road in 16 years.

The car had been sitting in a hay barn for 16 years and they got it out because the barn was sold.

We had some work done in a small workshop there. It got second hand tires, a battery, a new lightbulb, and just to be safe, we had the timing belt done.

We drove it home and all is well. No problems yet. Well, one problem.

I don't have my drivers liscence yet.

JR1 > For Sweden 06/30/2014 at 19:06

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Good enough for me! Nice find. Any old Packard is a good Packard

JR1 > zeontestpilot 06/30/2014 at 19:08

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Now that is quite a story. Very cool. Big shame that they won't give you one of the cars or let you buy one. I never understood why people just let things rot.

The big question here though is did you marry your wife because you love her or because you hoped you inherit the cars one day? The latter is encouraged.

JR1 > Pabuuu, JDM car enthusiast & Italian parts hoarder 06/30/2014 at 19:09

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For a barn find that car is in excellent shape! Sounds like you got it on the cheap too which is nice. Very cool first car. I am a little jealous.

JR1 > twochevrons 06/30/2014 at 19:12

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That is awesome that you got that recorded. It must have been a pretty great moment. And I think you are right to maybe keep it original and give it a somewhat rugged appearance. The car earned the rust it has on it and it tells a story. Very nice ride!

JR1 > lone_liberal 06/30/2014 at 19:13

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Mine was a field find too so no biggy. I haven't seen any pictures but for 800 it does't sound overpriced it sounds quite cheap.

JR1 > Jedidiah 06/30/2014 at 19:14

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Now that is a very cool story. From father and friend to father and son. You better never sell that car (but I am sure I don't have to tell you that.) Great find and the car is gorgeous.

lone_liberal > JR1 06/30/2014 at 19:21

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That was a bit of a joke, but the tin worm has found a nice home in it and there wasn't much that prior owners hadn't fucked up over the years. The more I've fixed the more I've found wrong. I still have less invested than one in driver condition would have cost me but it's been a long process to get it back on the road and I'm still not there. I'm hoping to finally fire the engine in a few weeks.

TwinCharged - Is Now UK Opponaut > JR1 06/30/2014 at 19:34

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I found a car, but couldn't rescue it. The thing about this story is that the car I found wasn't in a barn, or in the countryside. It was in a decrepit multi-storey car park in Hong Kong.

An MG A. Last registered for the road in 2004, it's been sitting in a puddle of water ever since. Nobody ever sees it because it's hidden from the street view. I only managed to glimpse it when another car was moving out of the way.

Poor thing. Someone tried to pain over the gigantic rust patches with paint but obviously it didn't work.

JR1 > T5Killer 06/30/2014 at 19:46

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I love the original 65 fastbacks. Never before of since has a mustang looked so good.

JR1 > lone_liberal 06/30/2014 at 19:47

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I want to see it on the site when you do! That is a big day. Good luck buddy!

JR1 > TwinCharged - Is Now UK Opponaut 06/30/2014 at 19:50

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That is the second MGA barn find story I have heard today. At least the car is inside so hopefully it won't return to the Earth anytime soon.

lone_liberal > JR1 06/30/2014 at 19:50

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Thank you! Fingers crossed. Since I replaced the entire wiring harness it might take a little bit of trial and error, but I'll get there.

Jedidiah > JR1 06/30/2014 at 20:00

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I don't plan on ever selling it. It looks a bit better in that picture. My rear quarters have started to blister since that picture was taken. I'll have to fix that after I get out of college.

zeontestpilot > JR1 06/30/2014 at 23:36

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Ha, excellent question. I married her out of love. When I met her, I was not interested in cars at all. My interests in cars grew while being a bagger (seeing cool cars in the parking lot) and living with my in-laws. I visited the cars once a week. Whenever I head over there, I check out the cars.

I actually got permission from one of the sons to take the '67 gold mustang, but I'd prefer to get the others permission as well. Plus, I have no money to fix/restore it.

On another side of the coin, my dad-in-law has given me permission to build on his land. The best place is where the cars are all congregated, next to the abandoned house. But the family were sort of hoarders in the past (can you tell?), so the place is littered with debris; like car body parts, hubcaps, tv parts, engines, license plates, etc.

Anyways, I'd want that piece of land because it's by the road. So we would have to take down all the buildings, throw away what's not necessary, and free those mustangs! But it's a lot of money because I would need to pay to clear the area, drill for a well, build a septic field, and then build a house. So it could happen, just not within the next year or so.

Personally...I wouldn't mind the '33 model aa or the gold '67 mustang...

JR1 > zeontestpilot 07/01/2014 at 07:56

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Some of the coolest stuff gets collected by hoarders. Good luck with the build on the house and the gold mustang.

zeontestpilot > JR1 07/01/2014 at 09:32

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Thanks! I'm always finding new things there, :).

JR1 > zeontestpilot 07/01/2014 at 18:56

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All cool stuff!

gmporschenut also a fan of hondas > JR1 07/01/2014 at 19:11

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My 914 sat in a garage for 23 years. I know a guy who bought a barn/house as part of an estate sale and found a Model A in it. It was pretty rusty but the next owner was able to restore it.

JR1 > gmporschenut also a fan of hondas 07/01/2014 at 20:26

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Is the 914 expensive to maintain since it is a Porsche?

gmporschenut also a fan of hondas > JR1 07/02/2014 at 00:30

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I have a 4 cylinder 1.7 VW Type 4 engine. Engine parts are easy to find as 95% are VW. Every now and then you get some part that is rare and thus more expensive but for a classic car it isn't crazy. One thing that does get pricey is the fuel injection system. Pump prices are typical for FI prices. The Computer is $600 mysterybox. I've always been tempted to open one up to see some crude 70's microchip that if modern could fit on a grain of rice.

The 914-6 with a Porsche 6 are more expensive to get parts.