Finding cars in barns...........

[METROID]

We have all heard the stories over the years about people finding rotting Hemi cars they pick for $300 or the guy who walks by a house and notices out of the corner of his eye the beautiful body lines of a Mopar, and he inquires about it and goes home with a nearly untouched Mopar for a couple hundred bucks. I have even read articles about people that have made offers and are given the car for free (normally elderly people or their family members that are survived by them).

My question is for those people who have been lucky maybe not even in buying but in finding these cars. How did you do it and what pointers advice do you have. I'm thinking I want to start finding Mopars for a hobby even if they are not for sale or highly valued years. There are lots of isolated towns near where I live and I think I want to explore every single road. I haven't ventured to much yet but so far I found dozens of Fords and Chevy's and 3 Dodge B-bodies (67 Charger and 2 Dusters).


Don't be afraid to share advice I promise I will stay out of your territory .

[Black Charger]

I started looking for old cars several years ago when a buddy of mine got me into it. I would actually start with the town you live in first. You won't believe what you will find if you just LOOK for it.
Case in point: In my hometown was a scenic, large park and there was a rather well-to-do family that lived in a large home near the park's rear entrance. I have driven by this place literally hundereds of times and I noticed what looked like a '71 Satellie parked next to a garage. I told my buddy about it and he informed me that it was a real '71 HEMI Road Runner! The guy bought it new, drove it for several years then parked it. Scores of people tried to buy it over the years but the guy refused to sell it. This one does have a happy ending though. I spoke to the man myself after I noticed the Runner was gone and he told me that he gave it to his oldest son who lives in the St. Luois area, and he had it fully restored.

LIke I said, I drove past this house literally HUNDREDS of times before I realized it contained the holy grail of barn finds, the kind that inspire others to keep searching.

Don't be discouraged if a car's owner refuses to sell you something cool when you do find it. The old "I'm gonna fix it up someday," "it belonged to blah blah blah and can't bring myself to part with it," etc etc are stories you WILL get used to hearing. ALso, if you are truly serious about buying something, BRING CASH!!!! The main reason a lot of poeple refuse to sell you something is because they get sick and tired of dealing with tire kickers who have no money who waste their time and get their hopes up. After this happens a few times, they find it easier to chase people away than to get their hopes of a few extra bucks crushed YET AGAIN. My buddy bought a clean, one-owner '66 Tempest from an elderly man after he spotted it sitting in his yard. The guy hemmed and hawed around until my buddy pulled out his wallet. When the guy saw that my buddy was serious and had cash, he sold him the car. My buddy has that car almost until the day he died.

Just hang in there and keep looking. You will find something cool where and when you least expect it.

[Chad L. Magee]

One thing I can tell you is to look everywhere.  You never know where a new project might be hiding, yes, even in the open.  I usually do a lot of talking with people at car shows to see what they might know of for sale.  Older generations can be a wealth of knowledge about what is in the area.  When it comes to buying one you found, it is best to have the $ on hand, rather than having to come back later.  I have lost two potential projects because of that.  Another thing is to bring only a trusted friend with you when you go car hunting, as they sometimes pull a fast one on you if you are not looking.  I lost an orginal all black 1967 Coronet RT 4-speed car (parked in 1976) that I could have had for $2000, because a "friend" butted in on the deal and then let someone else get it for a finders fee.  Ebay has been a good hunting ground for me, but I spend my time carefully looking before bidding.  Remember, the closer you buy from home, the cheaper it can be to haul home.....

[rp23g7]

I wish i could find one of these barns, or garages.  Where ever we go i make it a point to look in all the country houses etc.  We drive down to Oregon and California a lot.  But i have never seen anything.

There is some guy that has a 69 Chevelle in Bellevue, rusting away, been there since 85 maybe longer, i talked to him about it once, and he said it was his sons that got killed in the war, and he is going to let it sit and rot to dust.  Still sitting there last week, looking a little worse.

[69_500]

There are still barn finds out there to be discovered. I have located a few what I'd call high demand cars in barns over the last 5-10 years. Each one that I have found I have went with the intention of buying the cars only to be turned down each and every time. However I'm still holding out hope on 3 of the cars. The key is to find the cars, and work up a good relationship with the owner and keep in contact with them after you go see the cars. That way if/when they ever decide to sell the car they will remember you as the one who interested in the car.

[Foreman72]

my charger was in a barn for 25 years before my uncle gave it to me...check out my thread if you'd like...

http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,60532.0.html

i think someday, if its possible, i'd love to get into that...just exploring random places in search of rare mopars...now that would be the life...
i'll always have a place in my heart for cars rescued from barns

[TheAutoArchaeologist]

What fools would go trudging through old barns and such looking for cool cars......?  FOOLS......  So don't look... don't even try!



Oh wait... nevermind

It never hurts to ask, ask around, ask auto parts places, ask people in the local diner.  There is ALWAYS cool cars lying around.  You just have to be nice and ask politely.... that's how come I've found the stuff I've found.

My tagline is "You never know what's in the next barn".

http://www.carsinbarns.blogspot.com



Ryan

[jb666]

There Back in the late 80's there was a '69 Chevelle sitting in someone's yard, rotting.. I was with a buddy one day and he says "Let's stop and look at it!". We did, and no one came out.. He decided to write "if you want to sell this, call me" on a business card... About 2 years later (car still sat there) someone called him and said "I found your car in a Chevelle on the side of the road, do you want to sell it??".  They thought it was HIS car... 

Other than that, no cool stories...

[nh_mopar_fan]

When my son was older, we sent him to a summer day camp nearby for a couple weeks.

I picked him up one day in my 67 and the woman who ran the camp saw the car and said, come over to the barn so I can show you something.

My heart started beating faster as she told me that they had bought this car new and had put it away in the 80s.

She opened the barn door to reveal....a 318 4dr 1967 Belvedere.

[ChgrSteve67]

Ever watched the show American Pickers?
http://www.history.com/content/american-pickers

Lots of talking to people and research.

People like to talk but generally need to trust you before they let you dig through thier barn.

There are also lots of Big Fish stories.

My cousin tells me he knows where there are two origional HEMI cars just sitting and I have called him on it several times. "Lets go I want to see them" then the excuse "well I don't have time right now".

You might have better luck posting an ad in the local paper.
"Got Dodge sitting in your barn you want to sell???  call me at -???-?"

[METROID]

You might have better luck posting an ad in the local paper.
"Got Dodge sitting in your barn you want to sell???  call me at -???-?"

Yeah wondering the best way to do that maybe "Looking for 60's or 70's Dodde or Plymouth car in any condition call (555) 555-0277"

I want something that will catch the eye of most of the demographics. I'm afraid that something like "Looking for 60's 70's Mopar Muscle car" may confuse some people. I think the most likely find would come from someone who knows they have an old Plymouth or Dodge on there property but doesn't have any idea as to what year or if it is a muscle car or not.


So my question is what would you guys suggest I submit that would get attention from someone who may be sitting on a gold mine and may not know anything about old cars in general?

[Black Charger]

Try something like this:

WANTED TO BUY:

1966-1974 Dodge and Plymouth vehicles. Two-door coupes and convertibles preferred but will consider anything. Will buy in any condition. Will pay cash in hand and haul away on the spot.

[adauto]

How bout cars in storage lots..  Sorry not a Charger.. got fender tag and build sheet... 

[moparstuart]

wow i love the gtx   

[Tilar]

Will buy in any condition. Will pay cash in hand and haul away on the spot.

I'd be real careful with that one.

[TheAutoArchaeologist]

Also, if you're asking around, don't tell everyone you want to buy a car.  Tell them you are interesting in finding them only.  If you tell people you want to buy something, most people put up a wall and not show you anything.  The Daytona, Superbee/Charger and Superbird find I found all by asking just about the cars, not about buying them. 

People usually do want to show off the cool car they have in the barn, but only will if they don't have the pressure of you trying to buy it from them.  You can bring it up later, after talking with them.  You need to have a rapport (sp?) with the people first.

[Chad L. Magee]

Will buy in any condition. Will pay cash in hand and haul away on the spot.

I'd be real careful with that one.

I agree.  You might end up buying a car from someone who does not actually own the car, thinking you are getting a deal.  I had that happen to one of my parts cars that I had stored at a friend's place.  His little brother sold it to another guy thinking he made some fast cash on the deal.  Unfortunately, I tracked down the car and got it back rather quickly.  The brother had to refund the money or face charges, so he paid the guy back on the spot.  I have since moved my cars to better locations where that won't happen again........  

[Black Charger]

I mentioned using the lines "will pay cash in hand, will haul away on the spot" merely to let a car's owner know that the person is actually serious about the deal. Of course if the owner can't produce a title, or if anything at all about the deal seems fishy, you walk away. Simple as that.

[Shaners74]

I started looking for old cars several years ago when a buddy of mine got me into it. I would actually start with the town you live in first. You won't believe what you will find if you just LOOK for it.
Case in point: In my hometown was a scenic, large park and there was a rather well-to-do family that lived in a large home near the park's rear entrance. I have driven by this place literally hundereds of times and I noticed what looked like a '71 Satellie parked next to a garage. I told my buddy about it and he informed me that it was a real '71 HEMI Road Runner! The guy bought it new, drove it for several years then parked it. Scores of people tried to buy it over the years but the guy refused to sell it. This one does have a happy ending though. I spoke to the man myself after I noticed the Runner was gone and he told me that he gave it to his oldest son who lives in the St. Luois area, and he had it fully restored.

LIke I said, I drove past this house literally HUNDREDS of times before I realized it contained the holy grail of barn finds, the kind that inspire others to keep searching.

Don't be discouraged if a car's owner refuses to sell you something cool when you do find it. The old "I'm gonna fix it up someday," "it belonged to blah blah blah and can't bring myself to part with it," etc etc are stories you WILL get used to hearing. ALso, if you are truly serious about buying something, BRING CASH!!!! The main reason a lot of poeple refuse to sell you something is because they get sick and tired of dealing with tire kickers who have no money who waste their time and get their hopes up. After this happens a few times, they find it easier to chase people away than to get their hopes of a few extra bucks crushed YET AGAIN. My buddy bought a clean, one-owner '66 Tempest from an elderly man after he spotted it sitting in his yard. The guy hemmed and hawed around until my buddy pulled out his wallet. When the guy saw that my buddy was serious and had cash, he sold him the car. My buddy has that car almost until the day he died.

Just hang in there and keep looking. You will find something cool where and when you least expect it.

I know that car! I went to school with 3 of the owner's sons. The last time I saw it up close mice had chewed up the interior and wiring. The guages were cracked. That was back in the 80's. The owner would never sell it because he thought someone would get killed in it. I also heard his oldest son had it restored. It was blue and the owner's initials are RG. The funny part of this is that I was telling a coworker about that car the day I read this post!

[CrAzYMoPaRGuY]

I've found cars everywhere... and cars have found me. LOL

In the 1980s I was called to remove a 1966 "Satellite" with my ramp truck, the owners wanted it gone. FREE car.
We drove 30 minutes, pulled up to the house, and there was the car. 1966 Belvedere, NO ENGINE, NO TRANSMISSION, otherwise complete, it was originally red with a red interior, but the car was resprayed Plum Crazy Purple many many moons ago. It was faded with no shine whatsoever. The interior was originally red, but was spray painted black. Bench seat, column shift. The quarter panels were both pulled out at the wheelwells.... but the first thing that caught my eye was...... A red rectangle the size and shape of Hemi emblems on each fender.
I popped the hood, and stared at the Hemi solenoid plate and the Hemi K member. I turned to my buddy and said... (big surprise) Hey, it's a HEMI CAR! My buddy was laughing, joking away. He thought I was pulling his leg! Took a while to convince him!!!
We dragged the car past the house (front brakes were seized) and loaded it.
I told my buddy I would only ruin the car, I woulda tubbed it or tossed a 440 in it etc... and told him the car should be kept away from guys like me! lol So I gave him the car. Dropped it out back of his house.
He sold the car years later to a guy, it went through a few hands but eventually was restored beautifully by a guy named Bill.
Here is the actual car AFTER it was restored....



I've had rare cars given to me, cars sold to me for next to nothing, etc
Biggest thing is being in the right place at the right time.

If LOOKING, I would look for whatever kind of car you are looking for- look for parts cars or junky cars etc of the same kinda car sitting around in yards... WITH garages. Chances are good there are nicer versions in the garages.

We used to alley whack too, but it takes a TON of time to find even one decent deal on a car nowadays...
DANGED INTERNET!!

[Drache]

I've found cars everywhere... and cars have found me. LOL

In the 1980s I was called to remove a 1966 "Satellite" with my ramp truck, the owners wanted it gone. FREE car.
We drove 30 minutes, pulled up to the house, and there was the car. 1966 Belvedere, NO ENGINE, NO TRANSMISSION, otherwise complete, it was originally red with a red interior, but the car was resprayed Plum Crazy Purple many many moons ago. It was faded with no shine whatsoever. The interior was originally red, but was spray painted black. Bench seat, column shift. The quarter panels were both pulled out at the wheelwells.... but the first thing that caught my eye was...... A red rectangle the size and shape of Hemi emblems on each fender.
I popped the hood, and stared at the Hemi solenoid plate and the Hemi K member. I turned to my buddy and said... (big surprise) Hey, it's a HEMI CAR! My buddy was laughing, joking away. He thought I was pulling his leg! Took a while to convince him!!!
We dragged the car past the house (front brakes were seized) and loaded it.
I told my buddy I would only ruin the car, I woulda tubbed it or tossed a 440 in it etc... and told him the car should be kept away from guys like me! lol So I gave him the car. Dropped it out back of his house.
He sold the car years later to a guy, it went through a few hands but eventually was restored beautifully by a guy named Bill.
Here is the actual car AFTER it was restored....

[TheAutoArchaeologist]

You're all crazy, nobody finds cars in barns anymore.
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[RallyeMike]

Get a job working as lineman (power or phone) or cable guy. You enter properties and get a good aerial view!

[CrAzYMoPaRGuY]

I've found cars everywhere... and cars have found me. LOL

In the 1980s I was called to remove a 1966 "Satellite" with my ramp truck, the owners wanted it gone. FREE car.
We drove 30 minutes, pulled up to the house, and there was the car. 1966 Belvedere, NO ENGINE, NO TRANSMISSION, otherwise complete, it was originally red with a red interior, but the car was resprayed Plum Crazy Purple many many moons ago. It was faded with no shine whatsoever. The interior was originally red, but was spray painted black. Bench seat, column shift. The quarter panels were both pulled out at the wheelwells.... but the first thing that caught my eye was...... A red rectangle the size and shape of Hemi emblems on each fender.
I popped the hood, and stared at the Hemi solenoid plate and the Hemi K member. I turned to my buddy and said... (big surprise) Hey, it's a HEMI CAR! My buddy was laughing, joking away. He thought I was pulling his leg! Took a while to convince him!!!
We dragged the car past the house (front brakes were seized) and loaded it.
I told my buddy I would only ruin the car, I woulda tubbed it or tossed a 440 in it etc... and told him the car should be kept away from guys like me! lol So I gave him the car. Dropped it out back of his house.
He sold the car years later to a guy, it went through a few hands but eventually was restored beautifully by a guy named Bill.
Here is the actual car AFTER it was restored....

Hey, that's it!!!!!! Do you know the car?

I hauled it out on my 1956 Fargo flatdeck! lol Tony the garbageman (North Van) instantly followed us down Lonsdale and pulled behind us, he seemed to know the car before getting a good look!
The house where we got the car had two more indoors- a gorgeous 1970 340 Cuda drag racer and beside it was a 1970 440 six pack Charger. Both were bought new or near new by the owner. Mint shape and just sitting in a closed locked garage, for years!

Thanks for the pics Drache!

[Drache]

Hey, that's it!!!!!! Do you know the car?

I hauled it out on my 1956 Fargo flatdeck! lol Tony the garbageman (North Van) instantly followed us down Lonsdale and pulled behind us, he seemed to know the car before getting a good look!
The house where we got the car had two more indoors- a gorgeous 1970 340 Cuda drag racer and beside it was a 1970 440 six pack Charger. Both were bought new or near new by the owner. Mint shape and just sitting in a closed locked garage, for years!

Thanks for the pics Drache!

It was in town for the Williams Lake Car Show this year.