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'Mornin..... Finally got to bed around 5am....Hmm, that's when I usually wake up.
To everyone sending me PM's about parts for sale......I will take some notes and ask John about some requests. John has been selling stuff at Carlisle for 25 years. He usually has many contacts for some of his special parts and takes them to PA to meet the buyers. Bear with me ast this'll take some time. In fact, we brought back a few things that some guys wanted to buy from him......A nice 53-55 hubcap, half dozen or so NOS 58-60 GM exhaust pipes(with part #'s stamped in them), some big brake stuff and other little doo-dads. I also brought back a nice original red '63 steering wheel already possibly accounted for.
Right now he's pretty much inundated and overwhelmed with moving this stuff into one location so he can get better organized. We met main objective by getting the 2 bay garage in NY cleaned out for new tenants at his Dad's place, but still a attic full of stuff to get later. He's going up in a few weeks with his SIL to get them. Unfortunately, I can't go next time.
I'll keep your requests on file and ask him. He'll part with some stuff, but probably won't let those 'special' items go, like the 36 gallon big tank, but maybe if you're building or restoring some special Corvette he may help you with some of that stuff. He's been selling unique stuff to guys for many years. His biggest problem has been that the stuff has been in 3 remote locations. Now getting back to one location soon.
His knowledge of those cars is amazing. When we were going through his stuff I'd ask him...."John, what's this?". He'd come up with some explanation I'd never heard of. It's fun to be a 'picker' of this historical stash.
So for those that think John is just a hoarder of parts, check these out.....He's a real restorer, and did this one years ago, sold it, then it sold again, then went to Mecum Kissimmee last year.
Oh, and this little gem that he bought out of a barn nearly 20 years ago, restored, then battled to retain ownership, which BTW he won in court a few weeks ago.
He'll part with some stuff, but probably won't let those 'special' items go, like the 36 gallon big tank, but maybe if you're building or restoring some special Corvette he may help you with some of that stuff. He's been selling unique stuff to guys for many years.
Originally Posted by rich5962
His knowledge of those cars is amazing. When we were going through his stuff I'd ask him...."John, what's this?". He'd come up with some explanation I'd never heard of. It's fun to be a 'picker' of this historical stash.
So for those that think John is just a hoarder of parts, check these out.....He's a real restorer, and did this one years ago, sold it, then it sold again, then went to Mecum Kissimmee last year.
Subfixer called it correctly:
Originally Posted by Subfixer
I'll bet you could pick up any item and he would be able to tell you where he got it and what project is was for or from.
There are a lot of people who buy/collect parts to resell later. For them, parts are parts. But for this guy, definitely a story behind it all, and that makes it very cool.
Geezuz H. Keerist.
What decree ? - Its my personal opinion and a suggestion....
He can torch the whole pile of stuff if he wants to...
Alright, so what set me off with your previous comments was the following line which apparently did not include John's consent, but rather, came off sounding like it was a decree. I believe John is still with us in the living world, so it's only up to him, not some historical committee, nor a judge of some unconscionableness jurisdiction.
Originally Posted by Frankie the Fink
I think some of John's stuff should be donated to the NCM and its a tax deduction...maybe they can start an "Historical Parts" section (I've never been there). Of, if not, maybe just a consignment loan to the NCM. Full credit to John of course.
Originally Posted by Frankie the Fink
Seriously, letting some of this stuff rust away for another 52 years is unconscionable.
Ya' know, if it wasn't for your friend John's "saver" instinct which he acquired over time, a lot of purists out there would be left out in their effort to finish their rare and desireable projects.
Kudoos to your friend John!
You had to be giddy helping him move parts and picking up stuff to ask that question, "What's this for?" and then getting a clear answer on what it is and what it goes on...
Love it!! I know it was a lot of grunt work on your part. You are a true Corvette nut and a brother to your friend John.
Appreciate this story AND the pictures to prove what John has and is doing.
John knows he's probably never going to finish every project car he owns. But until that day comes this stuff will keep him alive with pleasure. It's his stuff and makes him happy. That's all that counts I guess. It's that way for me too, on a different scale.
Funny you mention about him knowing where everything is. When John and I were in his attic in NY, he said something like,
"I know that generator is around here somewhere."
He was looking for his 1102043 with the double pulley for the his '56 he's working on back here in FL. He had that glitter in his eye and said,
"I kinda remember it's over that area under the shelf."
We reached in and took out a pile of parts and door panels and stuff. Underneath..... there it was. We both looked at it and said. "Yesssssss!"
BTW, we had to make a scrap pile of metal parts and junk pile for rotted soft goods and trash. It took some convincing but I had to get him to let go of some of his treasures. Badly rusted camshafts, drums, int/exh manifolds, etc. He'd look at 'em and say...."that'll clean up." I'd look at him with that look, you know...like, ''what are you nuts!" He'd look back at me and grin and say "Okay, you're right...to the scrap pile." I made a pile about 8 feet wide and 4 feet high of trashed steel parts.
So, yes the old saying about junk versus treasure. If anyone walked by and saw some of the stuff we were loading in the truck they would think it's junk. Of course, to all of us Corvette nuts, it's truly Treasure.
He saved all that from being melted in the metal scrap yards.
Completely agree. His stuff is saved and hasn't found a home yet. Or it would be in the scrap. Years ago. Sounds like he knows what he's got. Thank goodness for fellows like that And if it doesn't find a home it'll go into the scrap - but at least someone put forth the effort. I've seen way too much stuff go to the scrap 'cuz someone got tired of lookin' at it. Knew they were going to hell but just couldn't deal with it... [or a wife]...
My Comcast service went down so I was bored and started writing this in a Wordpad doc so I can paste it in here later. T-Storms took out Comcast earlier...... Sorry it's a real long post, but that's me. You guys know that by now. Just click out if you get bored.
Originally Posted by DZAUTO
Those pictures make me feel SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO good!!!!
We had our house built in 96 with a 6car garage (because our former house with a 3car garage was packed along with the attic) so that I would NEVER run out of storage room. Wrong!
By about 5yrs ago, both the 6car garage and the attic had become packed and we had to leave at least one car (we have 7) outside. Last year my wife said you need to build another building----------------so I obliged her to keep her happy. The new 5car building was finished last month, and I thought that now I have enough room for EVERYTHING and can put all 7 cars and the jet boat inside. WRONG again! DANG, and I just thought I had a lot of stuff!
Tom, please post some pics of that new garage. It'll be a good reference when it becomes like John's in NY in a few years...
BTW, I was thinking of you and mentioned your name to John when we were in NY and about your '56 fuelie. He loves those kinds of "upgrades". :-). Also, because buried under a pile of old furniture was a complete rear axle, hub to hub, and other various suspension parts.......ALL CHROMED !!! Even a completely chromed steering box & column. It was '56-'62 but unsure if the axle was '56 only or not. I'll have to ask him. He told me he'd sell it all to you if interested. Help lighten his load Tom. :-) Just shipping that stuff would be a bear. Maybe if I ever get up there with my enclosed trailer I could swing through Mustang on the way back to Florida. Never been to OK before and it'd be good to meet you, and maybe swing by Fred Hudson's too.
Originally Posted by ricks327
Wow! as others have stated, he needs to sell some of the parts.
"He has many project 1954 to 1966 Corvettes and needs all of the parts in one place to try to get them done in the future."
I think he would need a 10 person shop working full time for many years in order to finish his "projects" given all the parts he has.
Did the panel truck and you get hosed down after getting hit with the mud? Great picture for future laughs.
Rick
John's not a computer guy and afraid of learning the ebay process. He asked me if I'd sell all of his stuff on ebay for a big % of the take. I thankfully declined. It would take me at least 2 years to do that. And I hate ebay's cumbersome software and their high commission policy.
One car at a time is usually the best method, but John is "different". He has several Corvettes in various stages of condition or restoration. He gets each one to about 80-90 %, then stops. He then goes to the next one, then back around again. Sometimes he gets off track and buys a old 30's Chevy, like a all original '37 sedan he bought a few years ago, running driving condition. Then he somehow goes way off beat and buys a non-GM marque.....Like that Ford panel truck.
As far as the mud goes, The Panel Truck wash had to wait. John's SIL is going to do that because he was driving it! I hosed my pants and leather jacket down. When I got sprayed with mud I think a little pee came out so the pants needed a good hosing down anyways. :-)
I brought the jacket home from there after a rinse and dried it out. Yesterday I went out for a while to do errands, and when I came back my wife said she put the jacket in the garage. She said it smelled a little like MD farm cow-poop and will need a good dry cleaning.
Originally Posted by desertpilgrim
Please give him a giant "Thank You" for me. Today, I will be able to walk into the garage and state loudly "I am NOT the most disorganized person on the planet!". "Good Guys" car shows and auctions also have that sort of reinforcement effect.
Loren, we were talking about you when we found Frank's stuff all around the garage and attic in NY, as I mentioned to him about that 'race-car' thread on the TDB when David B stepped in. John bought all that stuff and the #1 Sebring race car from David years ago as you know. David acquired it all from Frank's widow. I had some chills running up my spine when I was touching those parts, knowing that Frank had it all in his hands at one time, and that Zora and Fitch probably touched it too back in '56 in Detroit and probably at the track in Sebring.
Originally Posted by 62corvette
Rich,
Thanks for the pics. What a trove! Some of us will need to live to 100+ to finish our projects and sell our parts.
Mike
Mike, Over the last 25+ years of being a NCRS member, I always liked reading your great articles in the Restorer. Back in my early membership days, I didn't know anything about these cars and I learned a lot from you. Always looked forward to learn from you and the "guys". It was truly a pleasure to be a picker in this treasure pile.
John keeps telling me he's not going to live to finish it all. Kidding around with him I told him he'll need a wheelchair at some point, so we should store the stuff low to the floor for easy access.
Originally Posted by Frankie the Fink
I think some of John's stuff should be donated to the NCM and its a tax deduction...maybe they can start an "Historical Parts" section (I've never been there). Of, if not, maybe just a consignment loan to the NCM. Full credit to John of course.
Maybe they would prob provide a curator to catalog the rarer stuff, put a value on it, and decide which pieces are of enough significance to be displayed/stored. The not-so-rare stuff could help backfill the sinkhole....
Seriously, letting some of this stuff rust away for another 52 years is unconscionable.
He'd like to do something like that but he already got turned down by the GM Heritage group years ago when he asked if they wanted to buy the '57 Super Sport. He also thought about storing unique cars at the NCM, because as you know there's minimal room to store John's STUFF(funny george carlin video), but there's a issue with insurance too. It'd cost him a fortune to do that. Especially now that there's a big risky hole there in Bowling Green that his stuff could fall into!
Yup, rust never sleeps, but the only stuff that got thrown out was really stuff that nobody would want anyways. When I was in the attic, there were about 10 used camshafts. Nobody would ever use them. I cleared it with John first, then tossed them down onto the garage floor. It was funny watching them break in half when they hit the concrete floor.
Rich
Last edited by rich5962; 11-28-2014 at 06:07 PM.
Reason: removed car list....too many PM's coming in !!!
Alright, so what set me off with your previous comments was the following line which apparently did not include John's consent, but rather, came off sounding like it was a decree. I believe John is still with us in the living world, so it's only up to him, not some historical committee, nor a judge of some unconscionableness jurisdiction.
I've met John and shook his hand...yup...definitely still alive.
The post above about John having a story about each of the rarer parts goes to my point. Such Corvette lore, along with a part, would be well served to be archived somewhere permanent. That was my only intent.
But - looks like that's not gonna happen
I have 200 Edison wax cylinder recordings in the original cardboard tubes I inherited I've tried to find a preservation home for and no takers...
Last edited by Frankie the Fink; 11-26-2014 at 08:35 AM.
Lots of interesting reactions to this thread . . . mine is purely mercenary: I want that . . . and that . . . . and those. Thank goodness these treasures still exist. Where they exist, who has them, and what they do with them are all important things, but the MOST important thing is that they are still around. It's more than easy to get a bit carried away with Corvette "stuff", as I'm sure we can all attest. Also, thank goodness for good friends who will help you move your "stuff".
And Frankie, if you really want the most appropriate home for your Edison wax cylinders, please consider the Belfer Audio Archives here at Syracuse University. They have what I believe is the largest collection of ALL recorded media of all types in the USA, including Edison wax cylinders. Everything is catalogued, preserved and archived properly for future generations to enjoy. If that sounds like something you are interested in, PM me and I'll send you their contact info.
Rich, please pass to John my congratulations on the Florida item - I've lost his e-mail in my latest battle with the computer - and congratulations on the beginning step for the parts, getting them in one place. Next August John might have to hire two clerks - and some armed guards - for Carlisle.
Last edited by desertpilgrim; 11-26-2014 at 09:56 AM.
Reason: typo
Rich, please pass to John my congratulations on the Florida item - I've lost his e-mail in my latest battle with the computer - and congratulations on the beginning step for the parts, getting them in one place. Next August John might have to hire two clerks - and some armed guards - for Carlisle.
I will do that, and sent you a PM. Please don't recommend me for one of those clerk positions.
Originally Posted by Frankie the Fink
fyreline - PM sent - this would be an incredible load off my mind.
rich - sorry about the hijack - totally unintentional!!!
No problem Frank......in fact, it actually reminded me of yet another coincidence going on with this trip.
One was just last night. JPW and I were on the phone about his generator-from-hell issue going on, and about his U-bracket , mounted to the exhaust manifold directly as it was on early '58's to keep the hood support from hitting the generator. He said the gen hits the ex manifold and if the bracket was raised a bit it'd work better......
Flashback to last Saturday in NY. Up in the attic were a bunch of generator brackets. I had one in my hand that had OFFSET holes on the ends! Also one that didn't. I asked John about the offset one. He said maybe some early year car or something and I just tossed them both in a pile of stuff.
On the phone with Dennis, it came to me......I said, "I THINK I HAVE A PICTURE OF THAT!" Lo and behold, there it was, right here in this thread in my first post. Weird coincidence.
edit....The offset holes in the above U-bracket is for 58-62 FI cars only.
So, back to yours now.....When there in NY I had to remove about 100 player piano rolls which were piled up on the stairs going to the attic. John's BIL had a player piano in the house but sold it years ago. He still had all of the piano music rolls in the garage. John took them all back to MD. All sentimental value, as his Dad and Mom bought it many years ago when he was young.
the collection of parts that john has is most likely the combination of many years of collecting by more than a couple serious part collectors. most of the items that john purchased from gene tucker were probably in gene's restoration shop for over thirty years.
11-25-2014, 10:12 AM
Finally got to bed around 5am....Hmm, that's when I usually wake up.
And if it doesn't find a home it'll go into the scrap - but at least someone put forth the effort. I've seen way too much stuff go to the scrap 'cuz someone got tired of lookin' at it. Knew they were going to hell but just couldn't deal with it... [or a wife]...
