Dave H, Yeah, that money sure came in handy, I used it to buy parts for my cars. Sure did hate to leave that car in the junkyard. I was sure it was a W-30, but when I went back for the heads a few weeks later, the car was gone, they said they crushed it. The whole back end was rotted away, they had it sitting in a stream. It's sad how some rare cars end their lives. Duane
W31 damper If one only knew what they were at the time. I've had the same problem finding very rare cars only to go back a day or two later and they're gone. I came across a 70 W30 in a yard here about 15 years ago that had just come in. Very restorable complete 4 speed car (black, white stripes) needing the usual, but no serious rust and no wreck damage. We popped the trunk and found a bunch of NOS trim in the wrappers including wheel opening moldings, emblems, grille moldings, etc. still in the GM wrappers. I got so excited finding that, I forgot about the car. Tore off the wrappings, schlopped the parts around in the greasy, grimy mud unique to boneyards, and bought them all for $5. All went on a car I had at the time. Went back looking for that car 2 days later and the entire row had been crushed including it. Asked and they said it was there less than a week. :ball: :ball:
Dave, Same thing happened to a car a friend of mine had. It was a 67 Chevelle 427 COPO car, yellow with a black bucket seat interior. I wanted that car bad, but it was not for sale. He got into a bad wreck while I was away at a car show. When I got back and heard about the car, I ran to the yard where it was sent. His Dad had it crushed, I got to see a flat yellow car in the pile. Duane
These are incredibly interesting accounts. Why do you think these people were in such a hurry to crush these cars? Don't they want to make any money selling parts off of them first?
Mike, There was a history with the COPO car. The kid's father didn't want him to buy it in the first place. After he almost got killed in the car accident the father made sure he "solved" the problem. This happened around 82-83, before muscle cars became big business. To most of the people in central Pa., where I was living at the time, they were just used cars with big engines that kids drove. They were all over the place, and didn't mean anything. I graduated high school in 1976 in one of the suburbs of Philadelphia, if I could have the cars that we had in the student parking lot then, I could retire a rich man now. We bought these muscle cars for next to nothing. To everyone but us kids, they were used "Gas guzzlers" and nobody wanted them. (The gas crunch was in 73.) The kids in my high school destroyed cars that I don't want to think about today. A group of us went so far as to make a pact. One of the kids had a tow truck, and if you totaled your car we took it home and stripped it. If anyone could use the parts to keep their cars running they were free. That was the price you paid for being stupid enough to total your car. I had a 67 Mustang convertible, my first car. I got so many parts for it I didn't need to buy anything for years. Even changed the complete interior once. Those were very different times for muscle cars, then they are now. Parts were cheap, and the cars were everywhere. Duane
W-27 Looked for years and posted everywhere for a W-27 rear. Located some in bad shape but no one would give me a price. Took one in mint condition on trade a couple months ago. One in crate sold at the Olds Nats for $6500.00 . Figure I have 4k in mine . Still glad to have it in the shop. Still looking for a set of original Hurst Wheels. Ordered repops but I am a sucker for the real things. Casey , I have the distributor and door pads for the W-31 but they are still attached to the White car. You should see the pads. Gene had them made for the car and they are perfect. :grin: John
How about Boss 429 heads or sohc motors. Last one I seen the guy wouldn't fire it up until someone gave him 100.00 bucks. Ford man.
That is hilarious. :grin: What is it with the Ford owners? Is Ford stuff so incredibly rare that everyone is afraid to race them? o No:
Rare parts O.K. Not really muscle car but when was the last time you saw an original set of Ardun heads for sale with the intake? An ad in Hemings couple of months back, guy had three sets complete and only wanted $81,000 (no I'm not kidding) and I bet they sold. Heck repops are $13,000:shock: and then try and find a hilborn set up to run w/these
There are those that march to a different drum................ Ardun: I'll bet that makes a total of only 3 of us that have any idea what you're talking about. You, me, and the Old Guy in Flint. :laugh: I left a steamer trunk full of old flathead speed goodies in my Dad's garage when I left home for college, but nothing as exotic as a set of Arduns or Hilborn. Mostly Edelbrock, Offenhauser, Sharp, etc. Lots of Stromberg 97's. One of my brothers gave them all away to a friend while I was gone. :ball: Had converted my 41 convertible from a Merc flathead to an Olds 324 just before I left and other brother filled it up with water in the middle of the winter and fired it up outside. Said he liked the sound of it. Didn't drain it back out, though. End of that one. :ball: :ball:
I'm not really what happen to the ford guy after I left ( shacking my head and laughing at the loser.). A freind said it was pushed in trailer after everyone left the show. I'm alittle behind on flat head stuff. Is aurbun heads the overhead valve conversion?o No:
Flathead speed parts I can't believe how much that stuff is worth today. I was buying it up for $5, $10, etc. when everyone was converting their cars to small block chevies years ago. Ardun was the OHV conversion for a flathead. Made them look like an early hemi. Some ran like them, too. One of the neatest tricks I ever saw on a flathead was how to loosen a stuck cylinder head. Was extremely important for 1948 and older ones with studs rather than bolts like the 49-53. You loosen up all 24 nuts a few truns, then start it up. Pops that baby right up in the air. Lots of aluminum heads ruined by crowbars, BFH's, etc. We put one back together on a 41 Merc coupe I had with no head gaskets. Spread thick aluminum paint on it like peanutbutter and fired it up. Had to push it to get it going and ran like hell for about 10 seconds. Don't know what let go, but it was exciting. :laugh:
Don't bet on it Dave, With all the vintage speed equipment I have / have had I'm suprised you say that. :laugh: I am definatly suprised you didn't have a story about how you helped Zora ARkus DUNtov design them.:laugh: :moonu:
Good point. That young fart wouldn't listen to me. I told him "Flatheads forever". Damn commies. :moonu:
I've heard of them as well about a year and a half ago a set sold somewhere around here for $16,000 at an auction. Now what I'd really like is if a friend of mine would tell me where the complete fuel-injection set-up is off a 392 Hemi that he knows about and another friend that told me he knows where a 413 Maximum Performance long block is sitting in a garage still in the crate (course this same guy won't move off an injected 392 [complete with tennis balls in the injectors:eek2: ] that he got out of an 80yr guys' garage, but strangely he let the rail it had been in in thereou: )
Hey Lon, I know a guy in CA with a '58 300 that is looking for a fuelie setup. If I remember right, he said he has evidence that his car had the rare factory FI that was recalled and replaced with carbs. If it ever becomes available, please let me know.:TU:
can do every time I see him he brings it up, the fuelie set-up thing that is:laugh: Hoping to go over to his place this weekend so I'll see what I can pry
