Junked cars on my hunting property

[ovrszd]

From here:

Hardtop - Wikipedia

"A hardtop is a rigid form of automobile roof, also those automobiles that are styled to resemble a convertible.[1][2]

The top may be detachable for separate storing, retractable within the vehicle itself, or permanently attached to an auto that is lacking a center side-support known as a B-pillar. The term is also used to describe such vehicles, principally the last.

Hardtops may be either two-door or four-door versions and lacking a B-pillar they "give the impression of uninterrupted glass along the side of the car.[3]

Hardtops tend to be more expensive and collectible than sedan models of the same vehicle"

Here's an example of the coolest type of "hardtop" design ever made!!!!

 

[Redbug]

Out where I hunt in Lower Richland County...they set the cars on fire usually on a side road.

 

[prichard]

Not surprising that close to Augusta. Didn't Richland county have the highest murder rate per capita in the US for a number of years

 

[turnkey4099]

Here's an example of the coolest type of "hardtop" design ever made!!!!



View attachment 545716

58? Ford? My brother was a lead mechanic in the Lou Bell Motors dealership. He dearly hated that design. Motors every where and trouble shooting one was a beaitch!!

1.5 miles down the highway from my place is a house (now abandoned) with a shed (and lots of other junk) behind it. In the shed is a complete (nothing missing) 35? 36? Buick touring car, cut-outs in both fenders for spares, wire wheels, suicide doors. I first saw it about 40 years ago well sunk to the axles in the dirt floor. Mid 30s but not later than a 36 as it still had that cutout in the roof that had the ?canvas? covering. shed roof was nothing but rafters at that time. Lady that owned the place wouldn't sell it as it was her Dad's care "and he might come back". Her Daughter had the place then and also wouldn't sell. She has now passed and her brother has control of the place.

I'll be writing him a letter to ask for permission to clean up the dead, dying and down trees on the lot just for something to do. I'll ask about the car but I suspect it is too far gone to do anything with.

 

[prichard]

A friend of a friend bought a place in the PNW. Found an old barn slap full of old wood in perfect condition. He sold it off for almost what he bought the place for.

 

[9973720wb19]

they were a real engineered marvel

 

[teejk]

Figure back in the 70's you could have bought a Camaro or Firebird or just about anything for peanuts (in today's dollars). People drove them until they didn't work anymore and hauled them off to the back 40. My grandmother's farm had old rusting Studebakers and other stuff just sitting there. Falling in love with the old cars is relatively recent. If we knew then what we know now, we would have figured out how to get them out of there (but that's true of a lot of stuff).

 

[/pine]

In many places they are called "yard ornaments"...

 

[95XL883]

I have one neighbor who is a "collector" and has various automobiles, trailers, tractors, riding mower, street light poles, a couple of old mobile homes/camping trailers and a nice 60' x 100' metal barn. His lot is heavily wooded and things are placed on over half the property. Most of the vehicles have all sorts of stuff stored inside them. Some are complete junkers but a few, if they had been stored better or caught before the oxidation and vermin did so much damage might have been worth some money to somebody. Supposedly the barn has some real nice old cars in it but ... pack rats are a huge problem here. Any vehicle parked outside unstarted will have them in it within three days. I lifted the hood of one of his vehicles and you couldn't see the engine because of the nest that had been built.

One day a couple of his nephews were on his property. We got to talking and they got very excited mentioning an old sports car in the far corner that was worth a million dollars restored. I kept a straight face and wondered if I could have somehow have missed a Ferrari GTO wedged between a couple of old beaters. So they took me back there all excited to show it to me. It was hard but I kept a straight face as the young men excitedly pointed to the "treasure". They were struggling to pronounce the name on the trim. I calmly and solemnly announced "Karman Ghia". "Wow, you know about these?" they exclaimed. "Well, guys, I'm older and when I was younger I saw a few of these on the road." They opened both the front and rear compartments. Both were packed with the sticks and flotsam that pack rats love to nest in. They finally asked me what I thought it was worth. "Well guys, it would be a labor of love for someone to bring this one back to life." "Were they fast?" "Well guys, they only have a little four cylinder engine in them so they weren't real fast." I was trying real hard not to burst their bubble but I didn't want to lead them on. I thought to myself if it were mine and somebody offered me $200 for it that I would ask how soon they could get it off my property.

As to how all this flotsam came to be on that property, I was talking with the owner one day. He revealed that he grew up dirt poor in an abusive household. He got a job reading meters for a utility company. As he did his job he would come across old stuff that people had. If they wanted to get rid of it, he would gladly take it and put it on his 11 acres. Cars, trailers, tractors, riding mowers, an old mobile home (that is now collapsing from rot and age), miscellaneous scrap metal. Where he found the old street lights is a real puzzle. I don't remember the dates on them but they are very old as in early 1900's. They are in good shape and really cool but I have no idea what anyone would use them for. All of this stuff is precious to him. He grew up with nothing so anything he has he treasures. He can be a cranky old SOB and a bit paranoid (or at least suspecting everyone means him harm.) I'd buy the 11 acres in a heartbeat if he were to ever sell it but it won't happen while he is alive. Having physical things means too much to him after growing up so poor. After he passes (he isn't in the best of health as in has an oxygen tank with him), it will be a real mess getting clean title to the property. I researched it after some comments some of his in-laws made. He has it titled in the name of some corporation that doesn't and never has existed in our state. A corp with that name did exist in a neighboring state but it forfeited its charter years ago and the owner was some female who lives on the other side of that state. What a mess. The attorney bill to get it all straightened out will be as much as the whole property is worth.

I'll try to take some pics when I'm down there this weekend. There's some cool stuff but most of it is in worse condition than the cars the OP pictured.

 

[teejk]

I have one neighbor who is a "collector" and has various automobiles, trailers, tractors, riding mower, street light poles, a couple of old mobile homes/camping trailers and a nice 60' x 100' metal barn. His lot is heavily wooded and things are placed on over half the property. Most of the vehicles have all sorts of stuff stored inside them. Some are complete junkers but a few, if they had been stored better or caught before the oxidation and vermin did so much damage might have been worth some money to somebody. Supposedly the barn has some real nice old cars in it but ... pack rats are a huge problem here. Any vehicle parked outside unstarted will have them in it within three days. I lifted the hood of one of his vehicles and you couldn't see the engine because of the nest that had been built.

One day a couple of his nephews were on his property. We got to talking and they got very excited mentioning an old sports car in the far corner that was worth a million dollars restored. I kept a straight face and wondered if I could have somehow have missed a Ferrari GTO wedged between a couple of old beaters. So they took me back there all excited to show it to me. It was hard but I kept a straight face as the young men excitedly pointed to the "treasure". They were struggling to pronounce the name on the trim. I calmly and solemnly announced "Karman Ghia". "Wow, you know about these?" they exclaimed. "Well, guys, I'm older and when I was younger I saw a few of these on the road." They opened both the front and rear compartments. Both were packed with the sticks and flotsam that pack rats love to nest in. They finally asked me what I thought it was worth. "Well guys, it would be a labor of love for someone to bring this one back to life." "Were they fast?" "Well guys, they only have a little four cylinder engine in them so they weren't real fast." I was trying real hard not to burst their bubble but I didn't want to lead them on. I thought to myself if it were mine and somebody offered me $200 for it that I would ask how soon they could get it off my property.

As to how all this flotsam came to be on that property, I was talking with the owner one day. He revealed that he grew up dirt poor in an abusive household. He got a job reading meters for a utility company. As he did his job he would come across old stuff that people had. If they wanted to get rid of it, he would gladly take it and put it on his 11 acres. Cars, trailers, tractors, riding mowers, an old mobile home (that is now collapsing from rot and age), miscellaneous scrap metal. Where he found the old street lights is a real puzzle. I don't remember the dates on them but they are very old as in early 1900's. They are in good shape and really cool but I have no idea what anyone would use them for. All of this stuff is precious to him. He grew up with nothing so anything he has he treasures. He can be a cranky old SOB and a bit paranoid (or at least suspecting everyone means him harm.) I'd buy the 11 acres in a heartbeat if he were to ever sell it but it won't happen while he is alive. Having physical things means too much to him after growing up so poor. After he passes (he isn't in the best of health as in has an oxygen tank with him), it will be a real mess getting clean title to the property. I researched it after some comments some of his in-laws made. He has it titled in the name of some corporation that doesn't and never has existed in our state. A corp with that name did exist in a neighboring state but it forfeited its charter years ago and the owner was some female who lives on the other side of that state. What a mess. The attorney bill to get it all straightened out will be as much as the whole property is worth.

I'll try to take some pics when I'm down there this weekend. There's some cool stuff but most of it is in worse condition than the cars the OP pictured.

You have a better shot at salvageable stuff than we do. Road salt ate a lot of vehicles in Wisconsin.