How to find your next project

How & where to find your new project!

Hello again, it is I, the Tin Hunter....no??  How about: Indiana Andy and the Temple of Rust?? Ok, no matter, most of you seasoned builders have your own methods of locating prime rod material, but the younger guys or guys just getting into the old car hobby are sitting there with their latest copy of OSR,thinking"Jeez, these guys must have found all the good stuff already!" True, most of the prime iron, stuff that was stored back in the 40s or so, have been found and either restored(YEEEUCK) or rodded, but there are plenty of others left to be had, & more reasonable than you may think. First, the old adage: " Go out into farm country,back in the woods...", still holds SOME truth, but, the farmers arent stupid, they know that the old Ford truck by the barn is worth $$$ to the right person, so dont expect to have him tell you: " Iff'in you get it outta here, you  can have it!"  Another drawback to farm searches is that the good stuff is either hidden in barns or back on the property, out of sight. This is where a line of communication with utility workers (electric, gas, phone companies) comes in handy...they have right of way access to damn near everywhere, and see things you & i wouldn't. Case in point: I bought a '49 Frazer from a power company worker, and during the deal,he told me that earlier in the week, while checking right of ways in a remote part of the county, he found  a nest of old cars off in a gully beside the power lines right of way....after some prodding, he told me where, & the next day we located several '46-48 plymouths, a 47 dodge truck cab,a 49 chevy 4dr & a complete ,but totally rotten '40 Ford tudor. We still go back and check on what we left,( stripped the 40 clean, pulled lots of parts from the 49, swap meeted the cab). Which brings up another point: Just because its sitting out in the woods...doesn't mean no one owns it!! The property its sitting on probably belongs to SOMEONE, it is in your best interest to find them, BEFORE loading it on your trailer. In the case above, the area in question belonged to the Commonwealth of Pa,  so I'm fairly certain they won't miss em....  Asking the local postman can lead you to property owners, and possibly other finds, the mailman gets to see what everybody has in their back yards, be friendly to him & ask if he knows where any old cars are. Be sure to specify the types of "old Cars" you are looking for...you don't want a lead to a long forgotten '80 Olds Omega..... let them know 40s, 50s or older... & dont be discouraged if some leads turn sour, I can't tell you how many " 40 Ford sedan" or " 41 Willys" turned out to be damn VW bugs, left out in the woods, they ought to have big "Xs" painted on 'em, to avoid  confusion!!!! Remember ,the more people you ask, the sooner the leads start coming. Make a habit of cruising alleys & side streets, just scanning driveways and yards.Many times, projects are forgotten, pushed to the side, and can be gotten cheaply. Also, watch the curbs on trash night.....I know what youre thinking, but hear me out... in the last three years, I've recovered : two 28 A ft fenders, a 55 chevy front clip,2 or 3 grille shells, a complete model A headlamp set up, 2 pedal cars & misc. aluminum wheels. This stuff can be used or traded, or swap meeted, & ITS FREE! Most times, someone moves into a place, starts cleaning, & out to the curb go the goodies. I had a friend get a '50 Ford truck that way, it was in the garage under the neighbors house, he'd never seen it, untill new owners moved in, and shoved it out in the street...he walked over, welcomed them to the neighborhood & asked about the truck....in less than 5 minutes, he owned a solid F-1, for NADA!

  Body shops,towing services and such are good hunting, many times employees have unfinished projects sitting that can be gotten for next to nothing, just to free up space in the yard.   Space...something you cant have enough of...if you have the space, you can amass a collection of parts and cars to build and trade with...many of the old timers are smiling now, looking at thier back yards or storage buildings bursting with swag.....A recent move has my collection trimmed down to about 20 vehicles and a ton of parts stored everywhere in house,the shed, basement, under the deck, outside, Hell, my '17 T roadster is in my 85 Ford Van, we pulled the front and rear axles off, used an engine crane to load it thru the back doors, set the axles along side & put the wheels in the bucket!!!!  I can't wait to get a new shop!!!! Back to scrounging.... if someone has older parts, or a car, whatever...& utters the magic phrase"Come get it, you can have it!!!"... GO GET IT!!!!

Someone will need it, if you can't use it, trading stuff always works well for all involved. Even if you can't trade it, pick a swapmeet and go throw it out on the ground...you got it for free...if someone  says" ya take $50 for this ???", how do ya lose???