The One We Wish We Had Back

MikeWA

Summer of 1967, I believe, I had finished my freshman year in college and couldn't find a job. Was going to go to work in the woods (setting chokers- very dangerous job), and Dad hired me to build fences to keep me from taking the logging job. I built fences in the mornings, and worked on my hotrod in the afternoons. '36 Chev pickup- I put a 283 Chev into it, '57 Olds rearend, VW bucket seats, etc. It was done "on the cheap", but would fit well into the "rat rod" category today. Sold it to my cousin for $250- he never did anything with it, and now its pretty much gone. But I still have the memory of that great summer. Hudson tie-in- I had a local machinist/ welder fab the motor mounts, and he was a Hudson guy. Tried to sell me my choice of two good running '37 Terraplane coupes for 200 bucks- but I didn't bite.

hudsonguy

SuperDave wrote:

Bill,

I recall reading in the WTN many years ago about a woody that was rescued from a mountain in (I think) Colorado.. Was this the same car? What a story that made.. can't recall all the details though.

Dave w.

Dave,



You must be thinking of Eldon Hostetlers '42 woody wagon, that was initially discovered on a mountain top in Death Valley, where it had been used as a wagon or hauler of some sort.



After restoration, Eldon calls it his 'favorite', which is saying something if you have the incredible collection he's got. I'm not sure if this is one of those that's headed for the new Hudson museum this year.

Unknown

Guess it's sometimes hard to limit yourself to the "ONE" that got away, when we've all had so many! (ha) I had a little time to kill the other day, and I looked through the albums I have, of every car,boat, and motorcycle I've owned. That's what made me start this thread. Notice I said albums.......with an "S". 2nd car on my list, would be my '78 Cougar XR7. But if the truth be known, what I'd really like to have back, is the hair I used to have! (ha) (ha)

oldhudsons

The '42 S6 station wagon was up a canyon north of the ghost town of Ballarat on the w. side of the Panamint Range in Death Valley Nat'l. Park. I wrote an article about it, with pics, for the WTN mucho anos ago. After reading the article a now deceased HET member from San Jose "liberated" it from the privately owned mining property it was on. Eldon got it from his estate and mounted it onto a C8 chassis (ALL '42 wagons were Super Sixes, NONE of any year were put on 8 cyl. chassis).

SuperDave

oldhudsons wrote:

The '42 S6 station wagon was up a canyon north of the ghost town of Ballarat on the w. side of the Panamint Range in Death Valley Nat'l. Park. I wrote an article about it, with pics, for the WTN mucho anos ago. After reading the article a now deceased HET member from San Jose "liberated" it from the privately owned mining property it was on. Eldon got it from his estate and mounted it onto a C8 chassis (ALL '42 wagons were Super Sixes, NONE of any year were put on 8 cyl. chassis).

Thanks to everyone that has responded and has a better memory.

Yes that was mucho anos ago! A very interesting story non the less. Perhaps a remake of the story should appear in the WTN under the heading of"what ever became of.."

Thanks again.

Dave

Unknown

Once upon a time my Mom and Dad had a beautiful, ice-blue metallic 1962 Cadillac Town Sedan. This was a short-deck four-window version of the Sedan de Ville hardtop. It was our family car from the late 1960's until sometime in the late 1970's. The entire front end rusted out (typical early '60's Caddy) and the front-end bushings were shot. I mean the Oops-I-stuck-my-thumb-through-the-fender kind of rust. It sat in our driveway until we sold it as a demolition car about 1986. I went to see that car in the derby; it wone one of the heats and would've won the entire derby had its driver not been "tag-teamed" by a couple of guys who pushed it against one of the dirt berms and pushed a dead car in behind him so he couldn't go anywhere. That was the only way they could stop it-- a testimony to the durability of that car, even as deteriorated from neglect as it was. It still ran and drove after it was all over. The owner re-sold us for a stipend (the fool!) the front and rear windshields, steering wheel, and other parts (which we still have) that he stripped off the car to prepare it for the derby, and then junked the car.



The upshot of this is that very soon afterward I found out that Cadillac only made a little over 3000 Town Sedans in 1962. AAARRRGGGHHH!!!



Well, at least we still have the front and rear windshields... the rear one ought to be a rare bird, anyway.

RL Chilton

rambos_ride wrote:

I noticed very few of us have only "One" pick as the post title suggested...that makes a lot of us...



1) Really old...

2) Really dumb for getting rid of all these cars!



But if you're not a collector with unlimited $$ and space you ususally have to "sell one to get another one"

Ain't it the truth Dan!! That's why I'm gonna sell the '32 Ford convertible so that I can have the '52 Hornet 'vert. Then I can regale about another one that got away.



One I'd like to have back: '71 Olds 4-4-2 convertible, with the pearl white exterior and my first complete ground up. And my '55 Crown Vic, all stock.



One that STILL galls me more is one that I didn't buy, but coulda'. 1966 Shelby GT350 project car (EASY PROJECT!) and an identical '66 Mustang Fastback. Both for $5000. Heard about one the other day that went for 225K. They regularly go for over 100K, currently. That wouldn't help much, as I'm sure I would still have the Shelby.



Russell

[Deleted User]

hell im still young and stupid and have more than one on the list i want back, we had a 50 ford and a 55 beetle both projects but my stepdad unloaded the ford for a 6 pack of beer and we moved house and the beetle stayed on the property. odds are its still there... no idea what happened to the ford tho

Unknown

hudsondad wrote:

Don't have a picture, but my first year in college I had a '50 Olds 88 convertible with a '58 371 engine. Gave it away when I went in the USAF. Previous to that I had a 53 Olds 98 Convertible and a 53 Olds S-88 hardtop. The hardtop was one of my all time favorites, but I now have two, one, a low mileage (38K) original with one repaint and 4 way power including the hydraulic windows and seats. One muscle car that got away was a great '66 maroon GTO, that I traded in for a new orange 350 Nova coupe. Still have the 41K mile Nova coupe, my first new car.

surprised there is a single car you wish you had back. Didn't you think your success rate was better than that?



Oh, as far as me???



I think I'm happy with getting rid of all of my prior cars.



if nothing else, perhaps my purple 98 plymouth neon, i bought new, first new car, with a body kit, it looked great, ran well, trouble free, but I don't miss it that much.



had 2 78 grand prix's they were fun, but both were not super reliable.



maybe I'm too young to participate. :eek:

[Deleted User]

It would be my first new car.

1966 Dodge Coronet 440 with a 383, 4 bbl, 4 speed on the floor and a bench seat and posi. Silver with a black vinyl top. Sold it for $600.00 in 71.



Still have my other love

davegnh

The ones I wish I had back are a 48 Buick Roadmaster Convert, what a nice car and come to think of it I also would like back the 33 Buick Victoria Coupe I had, I sold both cars to buy my house. That was a better investment but I miss those cars!

50Commodore

I haven't really had one that I wish I had back...........but the car my dad had in 1963 was a 1950 Commodore 6 Coupe. He gave it away because of rear main seal leak. Both my mom and dad always regretted giving the car away.

They knew where the car went but the guy who had it never would let it go.

I was fortunate to be in the right place & time about 4 years ago and I actually was able to get the car back and it is in progress now to be brought back to life.

Needless to say my dad was very happy. I just wish my mom was still with us so she could see it again.

I envy those of you who were there during the time period when muscle cars were plentiful amd not nearly as expensive as they can be today.

Unknown

First my 1976 Olds 442. Yes, it's a late 442, but the last year of the 455 V8, and mine had it. One of 143 built. They made them two ways, a Cutlass "S" with a 442 package, and Cutlass Supreme with 442 package. Mine was the Supreme, top of the line, 8" wide Rallys, pistol grip TH400, buckets that turned sideways like the old Buicks, Air, the whole nine yards. Even in '76, the 455 made nearly 400 ft-lbs of torque. 58,000 original miles and I was doing a cosmetic resto on it, and while out of town it was stolen. I didn't carry comprehensive insurance in those days as I was a dealer and ran dealer tags. Didn't have but about $1500 in the car, but still.



Second, and totally different, my 1983 Alfa Romeo Spider Veloce, roadster. A lot more substantial than some of the other Euro roadsters I had fooled with prior to that. At 6' 4", I had to slouch to keep my head under the windshield top, but what a blast to drive, and the little DOHC aluminum 2-litre (first year of FI) was sewing-machine smooth.

Unknown

James, funny you should mention a '76 Cutlass "S". That was my first new car. I ordered it from the dealer. I sat down with him, with a list of what I could get, and "BUILT" my car. Complete with swivel bucket seats, and an 8-track! I read somewhere that there were only 1800 of the S's built. I guess I wouldn't mind having that one back either.

Unknown

Seeing that picture makes me want to wring some thief's neck! Mine was black with a white two-tone and white vinyl top, black "442" painted inside the white, black interior. Love the white interior on yours. I love the little bullet remote mirrors, and the fact that the shifter says LSD on it. (Low, Second, Drive) Mine used to terrorize the neighborhood quietly with its factory single exhaust (on a big block!) with the tunes of Skynyrd issuing forth from the interior. I remember each time you'd open the secondaries on that big block Quadrajet it would use about 1/8th tank of gas. And I'm not kidding.

Unknown

oh yea, smokin the skins, going sideways in a big block ! oh that smell, can you smell that smell..... oak tree your in my way. love skynard. dermott.:)