nrbc7

A friend of mine has been telling me for some time about a man he knows that has a barn lot of old cars . From time to time he would mention it but stated he didn't want to sell them . Recently he came by and things had changed with this man . His health was declining and he said they might be for sale . I had my friend to see if we could come by and view the cars . He accepted our request and wow I mean WOW !!!! After meeting with him I realized I knew this man. You see I've owned a service station in this area for 17 years and a Tire store for the last 15 years. His brother and dad were regular customers of mine and I would see him from time to time as he lived 40 miles farther north . Well on to the cars ..... this was a life time collection for this man (he's 73 ) and I felt privileged to have been allowed to view them . Now keep in mind these have been for the most part sitting outside some as many as 30 to possibly 40 years. He has a barn on this lot but most of the cars are in the barnyard ( his theory was if they were in the barn he would lose them all at once if it caught on fire) so they are all weathered and in poor condition the first one is a 57 corvette red with a hardtop complete with 14" wheels sunk about 4" into the ground and looks like the frame is on the ground . Has a non original engine with seats and interior in tact but all in poor shape I'm even concerned about the fiberglass deteriorating on this one as most of the paint is faded or gone . I will post Pics. when I can . Also there's a 72 coupe red/black interior, automatic and non original engine but he said the original engine was in the barn . This car is on blocks . The next one is a 82 Collectors edition that he bought new all original sitting on blocks. There's also a 57 chevy hardtop in this lot as well as a 66 SS Elcamino and a 57 Pontiac . Inside the barn is a 57 corvette that's been wrecked the frame is sitting outside . Don't think this car is complete though . The last is a 54 corvette complete car that's been mostly disassembled his story was he took it apart to paint it and the local dealerships owner was supposed to sprayed it for him but never did . Looks like someone had backed into it and busted the passenger fender . It was dim in the barn and didn't get a good look at it , there were gopher holes or some kind of rodent with mounds of dirt piled around the 54 . The pics I took were too dim and couldn't make out much , it was getting late and besides didn't want to wear out my welcome. l
left that day without knowing for sure he would even sell any of them but kept in touch with him all summer waiting on him to price at least the 57's and the 54 . One has to keep in mind he's collected and drove these cars his whole life so selling them is like selling part of himself, not to mention he probably feels like this is it when I sell these it all over. He knows he needs to get rid of them as his health is getting worse (I think he has lung cancer ) . He told me he really didn't know what they were worth but didn't want his wife to have to deal with them for sure . I hope he has many more days and I can understand his concerns and respect and admire his wisdom. I know this thread is worthless without pictures and my descriptions are vague . His 82 could be restored . It had water in the floorboards everything was there and I think around 70,000 miles. 72 was a t top car the frame looked fairly solid had a set of keystones probably from the 70's to low 80's approx. when it was parked . The frames on both the 57's are probably a waste I was thinking of a aftermarket frame for it with maybe LS1 wonder what just the body would be worth on the 57 or could it actually be decomposed enough it couldn't be used any advice would be appreciated . He stopped by my store the other day and told me to come back down and look again he's mentioned a price of 15k on the 57 but nothing on the 54 yet . It would be the best to actually restore shape wise .Maybe I can get pictures when I go back !

Bluestripe67

Interesting find. 15 for the '57 sounds pretty good. Pics will help us help you. Dennis

Brandons72vette

Looking forward to the pictures.

jasonsamara

15 doesn't sound to bad, but it will add up quickly. This is a nice story and I like the fact that you are concerned and looking at things from his side of the fence instead of just trying to get the cars. This is a lot like my 66s with the previous owner having Parkinson's. Good luck and I can't wait for some pics.

nrbc7

you hear about barn finds all the time but rarely get to experience one !














the 54 inside the barn ,it was very dim light but you can still see the outline of quarter











here the 57 corvette , 57 chevy HT , and on right 82 collectors edition

jasonsamara

WOW! I would say you will have lots tied up in any of them. What a shame that people let them rot right to the ground. I'm pulling for you to get one of them. Working for the electric company I dream of pulling up to a house like that. Very cool!

Stan's Customs

Is the '57 Bel Air for sale too?

GTOguy

What Jason said. I've known more than one hoarder that kept the cars outside in the weather, but filled the barn with scrap wood, old newspapers, empty boxes, and other 'stuff' that outranked the cars and equipment. My motto is "If it goes outside, it goes away". And, it does. Look at the 1/4 panel on that Bel Air....looks like part of the Titanic. Thanks for the post, and wishing the best of luck with these cars!

GTOguy

I forgot to add, regarding value: IMO, these cars are worth money as parts cars. To restore them would cost much, much more than their final value would be, unless you are already sitting on a mountain of spare parts. So, even if the '57 were given to you for free, the $$$ spent refurbishing it (basically replacing everything except some body panels) would be well over 100K. I would personally not tackle such far gone vehicles...life is too short.

Mr D.

I have 5 acres; house w/3 car garage, shed, carport. If it doesn't go into one of those 3 locations it goes in the trailer for the next dump run.

nrbc7

Yes it is I heard him say 6,500 on it. Someone had offered 5k and he turned it down . I think he's pricing on what he has been offered in times past of say 6 to 8 years ago when these cars peaked and the economy was at its best . It may take him a while to adjust what he's been offered in the past by local acquaintances and todays values..... if that makes any sense . I'll get more pics and post them , after all part of my goal is to help him also .

ChattanoogaJSB

A complete, rusty 57 bel air two door hardtop would still have to be nearly 6500 with paperwork I would guess. That IS nearly free for a heavy project on a universally recognized car. I would guess the 82 is worth less than 5, the bumper c3 maybe a little more.

Rusty birdcages- all bets are off

jasonsamara

Maybe u can get a discount on the 57 if you help him get rid of the other cars. This reminds me of the 58 I found that was in similar shape. Everyone on here said about 10k was all it was worth because it was in sad shape. Well she got 20k out of it and the guy called me about a year later to see if I would give him the pictures I had. When he looked back on what it looked like and added up what he had in restoring it partially he asked me what was he thinking? The moral is someone will over pay because they will get caught up in it. This is a very cool thread!

nrbc7

Thanks for your kind words , I think this resonates with a lot of lives . I know in times past my health hasn't been so good and I had times when building a car I felt the urgency to get it finished knowing my family wouldn't get half its worth if something happened to me . All I can do is thank GOD he let me live to finish that one . Its during those times we can reflect on our lives and make sure our priorities are in order.

Brandons72vette

Wow.

jimh_1962

Keep working on him with a package deal. Then figure out which one or two you would like to restore. Hopefully most of the parts are there then you got something. I am sure the frames are toasted. Good luck!

Also, offer to take him a drive once you have it running!

nrbc7

Anyone have experience with a car that's been exposed to the elements over a long period of time ? I know it will have to be Gel coated but can it actually be rotten ? Thanks!! any information appreciated

Todd H.

I assume your concern is about the '57. Do you know how long it's been sitting outside? It looks like it has at least some primer or gel coat still on it, so I wouldn't think the fiberglass would be too bad. My first Corvette was a '57 that I bought in 1977 that had been sitting outside with NO paint (bare glass) for what appeared to about it's whole life... mysterious story that can be told some other time. That body had loose glass fibers sticking out of it's top layer, but my body guy brought it back just fine. Of course, the car was only 20 years old, but it looked about 100. People that work on old fiberglass today, 58 years after the car was built, might say don't try it, but it worked for me... a long time ago. If it has a title and a VIN tag it's probably worth 15.

3JsVette

Trying not to sound too negative but if this is what we can see in the pictures imagine what we can't see. These cars actually have some kind of plant/vegetation life growing on them.

nrbc7

Yes looks like a fungus of some kind