PUNISHER VETTE

UPDATE: pictures down farther.

Where I work our land surround this guy who owns a postage stamp on the property. It's run down, filled with old barns and a nicer large pole barn. Bushes and trees are growing up everywhere and you can tell nobody has been there for years. Some older cars and equipment outside with plants taking them over.

I was told by one of my bosses that there's an old corvette in one of the barns. So the other day i was out that way and decided to stroll over to his place. His pole barn(which i figured would have all the cars in it) was locked. I was like...well that too bad, i guess there's nothing here.

Then I went over to the tiniest barn on the place that i could get to without being too nosy. Peaked in an open window and I'll be damned if it wasn't a chrome bumper not unlike the one I own.

Obviously in poor condition but still sad. Flat tires, bent antenna, blinkers looked broken, no lower side sills, layer of dirt on it but most likely a blue paint job. I could only see the rear and one side but it didn't seem all that bad for being there for who knows how long. Probably rotten and rusted to all hell with mice galore in it...

Bad thing is I hear the owner is basically crazy. My boss said if i ever went over there to take someone with me as he's the kind of guy to pop out of the trees and kill you...
Seeing as how run down the place is, how crazy the guy is, and how i really don't need another project it looks like the car is going to stay there.

I'll try and bring my camera with me to work from now on and if i ever go back out there i'll see if i can get a shot of it. Although i don't go out that way too often...
EDIT:

mds3013

One thing I learned from being on the Forum is to take your camera with you everywhere. You never know what you will run across. mike...


Galveston TX '09

jimo

Wow, it would be great to see some pics.

Kustom8

If myou are going to pass...turn me onto it.I'm right down the road,and the owner,and I will get along swell.
Kevin

jordan89

chstitans42

Sad stories, but sometimes they do have happy endings!



But with what you say about the owner...who knows...

markids77

Never hurts to ask. I also love vintage British motorcycles, and there was a 1976 Bonneville local to me that I chased for 5 years before the PO let me have it. I'd stop by every 6 months or so, talk to his wife and leave my number, and one day the phone rang.......I got a great deal. If you want it, don't let any stories stop you!

Texas Stinger

Still barn finds out there

vette54728702

I'm sure your heart was thumping big time when you seen that car in there.

joewill

still the bottom line on finds like these is most likely a shot frame and birdcage..
people say ' wow a barn find' and jump on it..
whereas they would not buy that same car from a owner that has it stored and covered in his gagage.. people will say run forrest run...

but if it is in a barn.. lets jump on it...


cool find though...

jackson

Strolling (snooping) around landowner's private property without permission (trespass) is teenage behavior; guilty of that myself. Perhaps those rumors of landowner being crazy are true. Even if you do bring another trespasser with you, whatcha gonna do if/when landowner presents a firearm?

FYI, I own & reside upon a rural farm that's bisected by paved secondary road; where I've recently been victimized by thieves (MY farm equip probably sold as scrap). Periodically I confront people snooping & trespassing upon my private property. I do Not take kindly to being disturbed by & having my privacy invaded by those who seek MY stuff. I take a dim view of their unannounced presence upon my private property; a view with a small, centered round bead in foreground.

BTW, one of the scumbags I caught was unknown to me at the time. And he whined about being somebody who had no reason to steal; that he only drove up into my place to take a whiz. Had the gall to complain about the 12g I presented. Turns out he resides less than 1/2 mile away ... and has been convicted in SC circuit court & sentenced 2 separate times to SC State Prison for multiple burglaries w/ grand theft & assault hi & aggravated ... all felonies. His father-in-law (less than stellar creds himself) owns & operates a nearby scrap metals business (scrapyard) that's still operating but off the grid; the regulators think that yard's closed (it ain't) and he no longer buys scrap (he does). The theft of MY stuff is Not an isolated incident; statewide, been a large increase in such thefts & other property crime. So, I ain't done with those scum.

Some years back, I sought older parts. I heard the crazy guy probably had em but I'd be a fool to even go near him. Well, I knew where he lived and I acquired his phone number. I called him. He seemed a bit crusty but we made a date to meet. Heck, he turned out to be kinda friendly & told great tall tales. No parts but he sure was entertaining & I have a good story to tell the locals about how he & I met & became friends ... instead of the slaughter most predicted. I did not bulldoze my way in.

Suggestion for PV ... if you have a specific interest in landowner's real private property or a personal item thereon ... that you should spend the time /dough to discover how to make proper & direct contact with him (or his agent) & do not trespass. If they say "no" then gracefully make a standing offer for the future & abide by their decision; keep checking back but no trespass.

Also PV, aside from innuendo & runnor, your comments indicate you have little or no real knowledge of the landowner. Have ya ever heard you can catch more flies w/ sugar than w/ vinegar? Perhaps that landowner w/ overgrowth could use some help; and maybe he'd be grateful?

PV, I hope you'll find legit opportunity to buy from landowner; but only without any strife or risk thereof.

RC-Cola

That is funny and true. I guess there's just something romantic about bringing an abandoned car back to life.

PUNISHER VETTE

Jackson.

While i agree that trespassing is wrong and against the law in my mind there is a difference between an excited enthusiast vs. a petty thief. Although that difference will almost definitely not be seem by the "crazy guy" when he pops out to find me, that is the reason why i was careful and didn't really go snooping around farther. Just about a 10ft walk to his closest barn.

Now that I know it's there and what it is i'll pursue legal ways on how to contact the owner.

My boss said he worked with the owners cousin or brother years back and might be able to get a hold of him..

vettekid333

I was at a car show today talking to an old friend. I mentioned to him this story of a barn find and he defended storage in a barn with dirt floor. He said that a barn with a dirt floor is by far dryer and better than storing a car in an unheated garage with a concrete floor. After thinking about what he said, it does make sense that it would be dryer.

Anyone else have similar thoughts or experiences?

dbeall1968

Jackson makes a good point. Let's say I come out one day and see someone (an enthusiast, or a thief, I can't tell) walking around my buildings. You WILL meet my helpers, Mr. Smith and Mr Wesson, as I approach you rapidly. Things probably will not go well for said enthusiast.
I have found in my experiences that most people are approachable if you find some common ground, and let them know who you are, and what your interests are that brought you there. A knock on the door may be the first step toward a cool barn find story.

As far as dirt floor vs. concrete; I have seen too many classic cars swallowed by the ground. My own car was stored for 25 years on concrete in an unheated garage, and there is no rust on it. Rodents also prefer dirt.

jackson

FYI ... barns often used to store fertilizer ... fertilizer is cheap & gets spilled ... fertilizer tends to get into both dirt and cement ... many fertilizers are oxidizers thus excellent rust promoter & rust accelerator.

MN-Brent

Lets here his reasoning to support his idea?

From all I know, barns are notorious for rusting anything metal in them. Look at the cattle gates in the barns, they are usually in really bad shape.

Its also well known that dirt below a car will produce very bad results for the entire chassis over time.

Look at any car collection kept in a concrete floor building, they are usually still impeccable.

Easy Mike

Sounds like a rationalization. Ask for permission before you go back.

champs65

A few years ago, my parents (in their 60's) agreed to let a longtime friend of the family (in his 70's) store a rough 1960 Impala coupe on the lot across the road from the house.

The guy was my shop teacher in high school, and has several old cars scattered around, wherever he can find a place to store them. All pretty rough, and probably will never be restored.

Anyhow, the car sat there for a couple years, the tarp began to rip off of it, and bamboo grew around the car. Last Easter Sunday, I made the comment "what happened to Johns' car?

Nobody knew, and we assumed John the owner came and got it (the neighbors were beginning to complain). Thought that was the end of it.

Couple months go by, and the owner stops by and sees that it's gone Mad as hell. Someone came by, either at night (brass ones) or during the day (bigger brass ones) and hauled it off. Had to have hooked it to a rollback, car wouldn't roll I'm sure. The car sat at an intersection of 3 roads just outside of town, so it's not in the middle of nowhere and free pickins'.

The owner thinks I took it, and had the police check into it Even came to my garage and wanted a peek in Everyone involved are mortal enemies now, as nobody believes the other.


CLIFFS: There are some pretty bold scrap thieves out there. Seen it firsthand. I don't blame landowners for getting squirrely when someone is having a look around their land.

PUNISHER VETTE

So i talked to my boss that first told me there might be a corvette in one of the barns. I asked if i would get in trouble if i went and took some pictures and he said no. I guess we have we have a relationship with the owner as we keep some of our seasonal equipment on part of his property and in return mow the parts we use for the guy. He also said he'd try and get me the guys number or at least his name so when i think i might want this thing i'll be ready for it.

Not the best of pictures. Still didn't feel like i had the right to go in the barn even though it probably couldn't with ease anyway, but I at least snagged a few shots through the windows.