Cars in Barns

Superbee in the Pasture

2012-01-27T17:43:00.000-06:00

After a meeting out in St. Charles, Illinois for the Muscle Car Nationals (www.mcacn.com) I had some time to kill and do some barn find hunting.

I had heard a story from a few people over the years about a Superbee sitting out in a horse pasture. Following some vague directions I was able to uncover the location of the car and talk to the sister of the owner.

The car was driven in the 60's and 70's and something had occurred that caused the brother to loose control and hit a wall with it. So they took the car, put it out in the field and took all the good parts off and put them on another Superbee he had.

The car was a low optioned car, there was almost nothing on the fender tag. It had a 383 big block with a basic interior and aftermarket sunroof that was removed long ago. So now there is a nice hole in the roof to look inside with! The car remains out in the farm pasture, still getting some useage though. As a rubbing post for the farms cows!

It is too far gone in my opinion, with the structural damage to the front and the excessive rust and large hole in the roof. I think someone might pull it out of the field some day and use what remains to save another car. Just a sad end to another Bee.

And an added plus, a video of the find!

Never ends the way you expect: Part Four... The 1969 Charger Daytona Nose in the Barn

2012-01-13T20:44:00.000-06:00

Finally making my way back to my friends place (http://carsinbarns.blogspot.com/2011/08/birds-and-bees-in-barns-part-two.html) for the whole reason I came out there, the 69 Dodge Charger Daytona nose. I knew of a gentleman that needed it for a real nose after his original one got mangled in a crash. And my friend just happened to mention he had one. So after three different detours, we were finally in the barn with the nose.

It was in rougher shape then I had envisioned. But it was still an original 69 Dodge Charger Daytona nose. These don't grow on trees. He showed me the pieces his son had made to finish/fix the nose.

I talked with him for a bit longer. Snapped some pictures of the other cars in the barn, I hadn't gotten a very good look the last time. He has a lot of really cool stuff in there. One day he is going to fix them up with his sons.

It was getting late, my friend and I talked a bit longer, but the Sun was setting and I was well past dinner with my family. So we parted company and I headed towards home. It was a absolutely beautiful evening for a drive.

Never ends the way you expect: Part Three

2011-12-30T22:11:00.000-06:00

I followed the couple to their home about 45 minutes away. It was in the wrong direction to where I needed to go, but you never know what you are going to find. And what is another 2 hours of my life.

The first thing you see pulling into their property was a old Ford truck. I was told that the father was the second owner. He used it for years upon years and every so often he gets it running and takes it out.

We moved over to the guys shop. And what a shop it was! This is the kind of shop I would wish to have. Two stories, lift, storage, another whole separate building for more storage, room out back AND an awesome view. There is nothing wrong with any of this. And the cars in the first area were not half bad either.

The guy put his main project, a 1972 Dodge Challenger Rallye in the second building where he was working on it. Finishing up some body work. Getting ready for primer and paint. Also put his running and driving 1968 Plymouth Road Runner in there to easily get it in and out.

We moved around the side of the building Where they stashed their project or parts cars. The 65 Coronet was a nice car, he said he got it from the Southwest. Looked clean, being from the Southwest I have no doubt it was.

Around back was just three parts cars. There was a 65 Barracuda and two Road Runners. All three were sadly well beyond saving, but their parts will live on in other Road Runners and Barracuda for years to come.

After the tour of the shop and cars the owner asked if I would like to see the cars in the bushes. I was a bit confused, what bushes?

He said that his father stashed a bunch of cars in the bushes in front of the shop and they are almost completely overgrown now. But if I wanted to take a look, I could. Not to turn down more pictures, I jumped into the mess head first.

After going through all they had. We talked for a bit. It was getting really late by this time. So I took one last look at that beautiful view, said good bye to some new friends and headed back the way I came to finally go take a look at that Daytona Nose my friend had lying around.

But I will save that for the final part.

If you know of any barn finds or old cars in garage. Let me know. I'm more then willing to drive out and document them. And I don't reveal any locations.

Just drop me an email.

Thank you,

Ryan Brutt

HemiPwr70@aol.com

The Automotive Archaeologist

Never ends the way you expect: Part Two

2011-12-16T19:12:00.000-06:00

I left my new friend and headed towards the Daytona nose. Just a few hours behind schedule, I did not thing my friend would mind since he hadn't yet to call me back. And by the time I had gotten out there I had yet to hear from him, so I made my way to Steve's house to see his collection. I wasn't able to see the whole thing last time, since he wasn't there when I went by. But this time I pulled into his driveway and him and a friend were sitting outside just chatting away.

He was more the happy to throw the covers off of everything, unfortunately he couldn't move anything around. His son had recently had some... difficulties with a Ford Torino GT and rolled it in a ditch. 390 car and fairly rare for what it was.

Steve went over every car with me, allowed me to shoot anything I wanted. He told me all about how he was so into NASCAR and wanted what he saw on Sunday, and then went and bought on Monday. Over the decades he had amassed quite a collection of cars that were homoligated for the street so they could drive them in NASCAR.

The barn was full of cars, but his favorites were the Fords and the Mercury's. That is what he had the most of.

One of the cooler cars in the collection was a matching set of Lee Roy and Cale Yarborough Mercury Cyclone Spoiler's. Supposedly one style was made for East of the Mississippi and the other for the West.

There were a few other project cars sitting around for a rainy day, mostly just old Torinos. All were solid cars, still able to be restored eventually.

Even had a 70's Cougar in there.

Out of this massive collection of incredibly awesome cars, there was one that really spoke to me. And not because it is the only Mopar in the collection, but because Steve bought the car brand new in 1970. he said he saw the Superbirds and Daytonas beating everything in sight, so he had to have one. Walked into the dealership and got the one off the showroom floor. Not a big Hemi Superbird, but a 440-6 Superbird with a 4-speed! You can not go wrong with it. The car is mostly original, he hasn't done much with the car, preferring to drive his other cars more often. So it sat for most of its life with only 83,000 miles on the clock.

I hung around with Steve and his friend for a bit longer. We talked about everything from the weather to the cars we loved to drive. Steve mentioned about my Challenger how much fun it was driving in it the last time I was out that way. How he hadn't gone that fast in a car in a while. I told him I was more then happy to take him for a ride around in the car.

With daylight slowly fading, and the cat wanted to go to bed and close the door. So I parted company with Steve and told him the next time I was by I would stop in and we can grab a bite to eat. I made my way back to my friends house not far from there. He was home and with company. His company was very nice and invited me to their place about 45 minutes away to show me their collection of barn finds. So off we went, on another adventure.

Unfortunately two weeks after I visited Steve he passed away quietly in his sleep. Timing for once was on my side you could say, that I was able to spend the time I did with him. I was fortunate to have met him and spend the time I did with him. That's why I did not hide his name from this blog, so people would know that he was a good man and was more then generous in his ability to share his passion for cars. He died too young.

I wish the rest of his family a peaceful and long life.

Rest in Peace Steve M. “Rudy” Powers.

Stephen M. "Rudy" Powers Obituary

Never ends the way you expect: Part One

2011-11-26T00:04:00.001-06:00

These next few blogs are in Memory of Stephen M. "Rudy" Powers . Rest in Peace, and thanks.

Steve Powers Obituary

A few weeks ago I made plans to head back to one of my previous finds to document a part that he had, a 1969 Dodge Daytona nose cone. It was a very simple plan, head out in the morning, shoot pictures of the nose and spend the rest of the day taking the long way home, trying to find Barn Finds. Things don't always go according to plan, and not in a bad way.

After a quick breakfast with my Mother, I headed to see my friend, but on the way I just happened to pass by a local Churches car show. Not one to miss an opportunity to see some cool cars, I pulled in just to check it out.

The show did not have the largest showing of cars I had seen. So I made quick work to walk around it in 5 minutes, but timing is everything. As I was finishing up my cruise around a 68 Charger pulled into the parking lot that many people knew. It is a true 68 Hemi Charger 4-speed car, it isn't rusty rough, but just not maintained properly, which I like. Has Power Wagon wheels in the back, the HEMI emblem on the door is held on with drywall screws and the 4-speed handle is a later model Pistol Grip. It is a very cool car.

Walking around the car and taking pictures, the owner walked over and was interested in my interest in his car. I told him I knew what it was and that the condition it was in was definitely unique and interesting. We conversed for a while, I told him about what I do and where I go, he told me about the history of the car a bit. He then offered to show me the cars he had stashed away in a barn!

Away we go to drop of the Hemi Charger at his home. While there he showed me his personal parts collection. There was stuff to the rafters, and even more in the rafters. We walked down one way and there was engine blocks and heads. He said one is a real 426 Max Wedge block he got long ago. On a shelf was some 426 Hemi Heads along with misc other parts. There was drawers of 68 Charger tail lights and spare knick knacks. Up on a shelf in his lift area there was a big block 6-bbl intake and a small block 6-bbl intake. It was all a bit overwhelming.

On the second floor there was some more storage space, and sitting up there on a table was a mint 69 Dodge Charger grille assembly. Not just a piece of chrome or the plastic shell, but the entire thing. From the vacuum assemblies to the near mint I piece of chrome on the nose that always gets banged up. He said he got it just in case he bought a 69 Charger and needed it. Until then it sits up in storage, waiting for the light.

Drool was falling from the corner of my lips as the owner asked if I still wanted to see the cars in the barn. We piled into the Challenger and headed over to the barn. Which I must have passed a million times over the past 20 years and never once knew what was inside. The barn didn't have any power, so as the doors swung open, the daylight illuminated the treasures inside.

Walking into this barn was felt like walking into the Tomb of a Pharaoh or Emperor. You walk in and there isn't anything right away noticeable, lots of parts and barn stuff lying around. But once you allow your eyes to focus and look around, you see the real treasure on the inside, two original Dodge Challengers.

The first one was a 1972 Dodge Challenger. Blue with a black interior. At one time a 318 Cubic Inch V8 was between the front fenders and a automatic stuffed behind it. Currently there is a big empty hole where the engine once was. The car was very solid though, sitting on a concrete floor for 20 years without daylight will do that. From what I could see there was very little rust of anything on the car. Definitely able to be saved one day.

Moving onto the second car in the barn, this one was the really interesting one. A 1970 Dodge Challenger. Looking the car over, it had a bunch of very odd features, well to me atleast. It was burnt orange and had the rubber side moldings. It had the burnt orange interior, seats with houndstooth centers and rallye gauge cluster, but the VIN showed that it wasn't a R/T or even an SE. Just a very well optioned 70 Challenger. The kicker was that under the hood was a Dodge 383 Cubic Inch big block. This car got right up to the line of being an R/T, and even stepped over in a few places. Yet was just a plain Challenger.

I inspected the cars thoroughly. From the engine compartments to the tail pipes. The owner said that they had been in there atleast as long as I had been live, so atleast 28 years. Sad to see them sitting there, but atleast they were not sitting, rotting away in a farm field somewhere, or worse yet, crushed.

The owner said that he will get to them one day, he has more time now and after he gets his new driver 67 Newport all figured out he hopes to move onto the Burnt Orange Challenger. I hope he does, those cars have been sitting for far too long.

I parted company with my new friend and headed North to see about the Daytona nose... but there ended up being a few stops in between....

Next week... Part Two, In Memory of Steve Powers.

A few B-bodies just lying around

2011-10-28T22:56:00.000-05:00

I had heard from a friend of mine about some B-bodies sitting out behind a shop near his work. I was heading out that way for the Mecum Classic Car Auction in Saint Charles, Illinois so I thought I would drive by and see if I could find the cars in question.

The cars were not very hard to find. The directions my friend gave me lead me right to them. If they were all just that easy! I walked in the front door and presented myself and what I was doing. The owner was more then happy to show me some of his projects and drag cars, which he had a few of! Including a original 69 COPO Camaro that was now a full out Pro-Street drag car.

Sitting out back were a few parts cars the guy had. He had actually restored a few Mopars over the years and these were the extra cars he had just lying around in-case he needed anything from them.

The two Chargers were a standard Charger 500 (Not the fastback and flush grille as in 69) and a plain jane 70 sitting next to it. He said that he had a 70 Charger R/T that he was restoring slowly, and had these two to take whatever he needed off of them. At one time he said they were both complete cars, just needed work. But they give their lives for a better cause I guess.

The last car in the group was a plain 69 Satellite. He mentioned that he had a Road Runner stashed away, and this one was for parts as well. But it was very clean, so he didn't know if he was going to end up parting it out or not.

The owner was getting ready to go, and I had the Mecum Auction to get to before it was too late. So I left him my card, he said he would give me a call the next time he has his 71 Hemi Charger in town. I can't wait for that call!

Ryan Brutt

HemiPwr70@aol.com

The Automotive Archaeologist

Before the Daytona on the Farm, there was the SS and Z/28

2011-10-14T16:54:00.000-05:00

While heading to find the 69 Daytona sitting in the field I passed by a 68 Camaro for sale. Nowadays you don't normally see a nice and clean 68 Camaro just sitting for sale in a yard. So I had to stop and investigate, even if it did push back locating the Daytona.

The car was a very low mileage example. It had a 307 the sign said, 37,000 miles, blue with blue interior, automatic on the column. Wanted more then I thought. But I don't know GM products well enough.

Next to the Camaro was a bunch of early Chevelles, while looking at the Chevelles, the owner noticed I was walking around and came over and introduced himself. He told me about his cars and what he is doing. I asked to view his collection, and he was willing to show me what he had on hand... which isn't anything to laugh at.

Walking in you are presented with an awesome, extremely low mile mid-70's Nova, and when you look back is when you get the full effect of what he has.

First up was a true 69 Pontiac Firebird with a 400 cubic inch V8. He said it had a bunch of rare options and that he used to drive it all the time. But just hasn't had time for the projects lately. And just behind the Firebird was a 69 Camaro Z/28. This one he said he drove on occation. Further in the back corner of his shop was a early F-body drag project. He said he will get back to it hopefully soon. Just been to busy to get on it.

Then I discovered the car that made my heart go pitter patter. A 72 Challenger Rallye 340 car. It was basically all there, needing to be re-assembled and cleaned up. But a good project. The owners brother used to race it, and then lost interest in the project after the brother had rebuilt the engine. And so it sits for the day when he becomes re-interested.

Walking back to the front of the shop he showed me anotehr low mileage 71 Camaro SS 396 car sitting, he was currently working on this one. It was in really decent shape.

After leaving the shop the owner allowed me to venture onto his property and document some of the other vehicles he had smattered around. None of them were anything really to sneeze at. They were all decent project cars.

Coolest one sitting out back was the 67 Chevelle. It is/was a SS 396 car with a 4-speed. The owner said it was a very rare car. Why let it sit outside if it was really rare? I didn't actually ask him, but wondered.

I thanked the owner for showing me the collection he had there. He said give him a ring sometime with some lead time and he will show me the barn with the rest of the items. I told him I would. Said goodby and went on my way. Just before finding the Daytona though I came across another cool car, a Corvette in the weeds that had been there for atleast 15 years the neighbor said.

Shortly after seeing the Corvette I found the Daytona from http://carsinbarns.blogspot.com/2011/09/daytona-in-farm.html and the rest they say is history!

Ryan

A Daytona in a Farm

2011-09-02T15:55:00.000-05:00

I got a tip from a nice gentleman in Wisconsin, he mentioned that there was a fairly rare and desirable Muscle Car not far from a town I know. So after running a Dodge SRT (www.drivesrt.com) event in Rockford, I headed north for the night. The next morning I followed the directions down winding roads to a farm in the middle of nowhere. Where the mythical car was rumored to be. From the road you would never have known what was hiding there.

One of the Sons heard me pull up to the gate and came and asked if he could help me with something. I told him who I was and why I was there. He said he would ask his father if it was alright to let me in and allow me to see the car. A few tense moments passed and thankfully the father said yes, and the gates to a Mopar legend opened.

And there, sitting in the corner of the yard was what I was there for... one of those magical barn finds... the ones dreams are made of... a real 1969 Dodge Charger Daytona.

I talked to the owner of the car for about an hour. A very nice older gentleman. He is the original owner. Funny story, his wife was in Madison and saw this car for sale at the Dodge dealer up there. Called her husband at work and asked him to come see it. They ended trading in their 1968 GMC Pickup Truck on it because, as he said, “It wasn't one of their... finest vehicles...” So for the next 4 years they drove the Daytona everywhere.

Unfortunately one day after getting a full tank of gas in town, the family came home, then swapped cars and went out to dinner. This was roughly late 1974. They got back, and the next day try to go drive the Daytona and the thing shudders, there was a terrible noise and the car quit running. After tearing apart half the engine and taking the gas tank out, they discovered someone had drained all the gas out of the car and replaced it with water. Hydrolocking the engine.

The only major damage they found after dis-assembly was that some of the push rods were bent. But instead of fixing it during the gas crunch and with winter around the corner, they filled the engine with heavy duty oil, drained the entire cooling system and topped off the transmission. That's it.

And ever since, they move the Daytona where ever the family goes. It was in a garage for a few years, but they needed room in the garage.... for stuff, so they moved it back outside. And so it sits outside, uncovered until the day they are able to restore it, they say.

So I parted company with my new friends, told them to stay in touch and keep me up to date on the car. If they ever needed anything, just to let me know. I would help to the best of my ability.

There were some other finds of the day, but I will share those in another blog.

Ryan Brutt

HemiPwr70@aol.com

The Bird's and the Bee's in the Barns... Part Two

2011-08-28T22:47:00.000-05:00

After getting a bit lost, I came through the center of this small town in Wisconsin. Right in the middle of town was homes and garages. There was a large garage that had one of the doors open, and in that opening there was a 1969 Plymouth Road Runner convertible!

The son was out working, I asked if his father was around. He was and he came out and we began talking about Mopars and how I love them, etc.... and all this time the son is very excited. He finally asks his Dad if he could open up the other garage door, which his father said he could. And behind door number 2 was these beauties.

One was his and the other was his wife's. Even the license plates were only off by one digit. He showed me the nooks and cranies of these cars, letting me know that he drives these all the time. His 1970 Superbird had a 1970 Superbee scoop grafted onto the hood.

The Road Runner (which turned out to be a 68 Convertible) was not the only vehicle stashed away in that massive garage.

The nice owner then asked if I would like to see the other 30 Mopars he had! Wow, not a bad find after getting completely lost! First one up was a 63 Plymouth convertible that was stashed away in an old OIL HOLDING TANK that the guy had converted in to a garage behind and below his actual one. I've found cars in old gym's, churches, junkyards and barns... but never in an oil tank!

Next we went into his workshop, where he had his very first car stashed away until he can get around to restoring it. At one time it had a blazing hot 426 Max Wedge engine in it. Also he showed me his collection of big block, exhaust manifolds and a bit of everything else.

Then we moved onto more of his actual collection of cars. First up was a 1969 6-Pak Superbee... completely buried in a shed. I barely was able to get over and read the vin. But the M was there!

Along the side of one of his workshop he had ANOTHER 6-Pack Superbee! But this time a 1970. And behind that was a 1969 Coronet R/T 440 car! Even still had the RamCharger dual scoop hood on it.

The owner then invited me out to his barn not far from the house where he stores the rest of his project cars. So we hopped in the Challenger, since they had never ridden in one before, and got over there pretty quickly.

First up in the garage was a 1969 Dart Swinger that had a 340 in it at one time. Sharing garage space with the Dart was a 1967 Plymouth GTX 440 project, along with the original quarter panel on the blue 70 Superbird.

He walked us up past a few project cars that were sitting out side for a rainy day project. A row of 1st Generation Chargers.

Sitting not far from the Chargers were a few of his older project cars he hopes to one day make into hot rods. Along with a decent 69 300 Convertible.

Walking our way into the back of the yard, he showed me a project he plans on working on soon, a Chrysler Wagon, he wants to make into a parts getter.

Then we moved onto the second to last honey hole. This little garage had a five projects in it. From left to right, a 70 Charger, 73 Road Runner, 68 Satellite, 69 Charger and another 70 Charger. Nothing crazy like a Daytona or such, but he did have an original Daytona nose he picked up from a guys yard a few decades ago. I couldn't get to it with everything in the way. But the son made a very nice replica as a project at Wyotech.

Out back there was still a few projects and parts sitting idle for their day to come. Whatever that day might be, I don't know. The lot included a 73ish Satellite and a 69 Road Runner.

Then, stored away in the last barn was his E-body collection. Just some later model Dodge Challengers. But still in decent condition.

After the Challengers, we headed back to their house, that was until they had the idea to show me their friends place. On the way to the friends place ironically we found that Travco I had been searching for this entire time. And the really crazy thing was that my new friend had no idea that the Travco was all Dodge underneath! Now he might be buying it.

We got to his friends, but he wasn't home. But the garage door was open, so he said he friend would be cool with just a few quick pictures. He is the original owner of another 70 Superbird. And has a bunch of Mercury Cyclone Spoilers and Spoiler II's along with a Talladega.

After that, we made our way back to their home. Where the friend we just tried to go see was! Too bad time was not on my side. I had to depart. I said good bye to my new friends and made my way to town to grab some dinner. Where I stopped at a Dairy Bar in Watertown, Wi that had been there since the 30's!

To finish off the weekend I had to go to Rockford on some business. In the meantime there was some recent barn find excavations sitting on the side of the road.

In Rockford I was able to finally catch a ride on their classic Trolley car that runs up along the Rock River. I highly recommend it!

Then I stopped by a garage sale and found this sitting in the drive way.

And that ended the weekend. It was one heck of an adventure that I did not see coming from a mile away. But that is what happens when you make a wrong turn, you never know where you might come out.

Being lost sometimes leads to the best finds.... Superbirds in the Garage: Part One

2011-08-23T17:54:00.000-05:00

What started out as a simple adventure to locate two Dodge Travco RV's quickly reputed into chaos with one incredible discovery after another.

Completely by accident, after getting lost in Germantown, WI I was able to find the first Travco. I had actually visited this one a while back, just wanted to check to see if it was still there. It hadn't moved.

I headed out of there and towards the second Travco between Milwaukee and Madison. I seriously had no plans other then to hopefully find this Travco my friend Mark had told me about. This adventure developed into something much bigger.

Following my GPS I ended up driving right past the Wisconsin Automotive Museum in Hartford, WI. I had heard of this place for a long time and since I had no definitive plans I decided to stop, 20 minutes before they closed. I am glad I did. Lots of fascinating cars and boat engines.

Funniest part of the museum is on the second floor there is an arrow pointing out a small door that says “LOCOMOTIVE”. You walk through this door and out back is the Soo Line 1003 Steam Locomotive being restored. It is just incredible to see a steam locomotive being restored!

The rest of the museum has a smattering of cool old cars from almost every era.

Parting is such sweet sorrow, but I still needed to get to the Travco. Winding my way through the back roads of Wisconsin I came upon the town where the Motor home is suppose to be. I begin just driving around, looking around. Finding some cool non-Travco cars sitting out.

And some things you don't expect....

The day was nearly complete. I had seen everything from 30's Dodge truck to a Steam Locomotive. I thought my day of surprises must be nearing the end.... but I was so very wrong. The finds of the day were just to come. Sometimes getting lost ends up being the best result....

Part Two later this week.....

Ryan

AAR Cuda in the Barn, Part Two

2011-07-24T15:53:00.000-05:00

After hitting up the AAR in the Barn, Al informed me that not far from us was probably the largest classic car junkyard in the state, and that he knew the owner. Not one to pass up on that opportunity, We made our way to the yard. Unfortunately the yard owner wasn't there, but at lunch down the road. So we joined him for lunch.

We chatted with him for a while, and asked if we could see the yard. He said it was no problem, the yard will be open as long as we are in there, just call when we left so he could close up! Now that's trust right there. So Al and I began our long journey in the yard.

How about this late 70's Foretravel Motorhome with 440 TURBO. The owner couldn't get it opened, but I have no doubt it was one, he knows what he has.

An old Flixable Clipper Bus

There was so much to see there, acre after acre. This was one of if not the largest junkyard I had ever been too.

1970 Superbee

This is a 1970 Duster 340, unfortunately the guy driving this car died when he hit a train at a dark crossing.

68 Charger R/T remains....

How about the very first Musgrave Racing ramp truck....

1/10 of the yard

Al actually knows the story of this car (He actually remembers most of these cars when they were still being driven) but his brother almost died in this car in an accident, but was thrown free and had minimal injuries.

340 70 Dart Swinger in sub-lime green. Al knew that a police officers daughter had this car and took it away from her for being too noticable.

Remains of a 340 'Cuda

Here is the sad remains of a real big block Barracuda, probably a Gran Coupe, but the engine is still in there.

There was just so much to see there. I couldn't photograph it all. I only had half a battery left, and I didn't bring my spare. I had no idea I would need it!

And it was here that my camera battery died. I did snap a few pictures with the camera in my phone.

Al used to own this car at one time.

Here is a real 78 Dodge Little Red Express truck, someone removed the stacks and painted the truck blue. Why, I don't know. Still pretty cool.

After this, it wasn't worth it to hang around, we had been there for a few hours, I had only seen 1/6 of the yard and I had no way to document it. It would have just made me depressed, so we called the owner, told him we were taking off and headed back to Al's place. Where he showed me some more of his stuff just “Lying around”

After this I thanks Al for showing me all these crazy places and finds. I told him I would return this fall to go through the yard more closely with many batteries for my cameras. And hopefully not get poison ivy the next time (Note: Don't wear shorts to a overgrown junkyard). So I parted company and grabbed dinner in Wisconsin Dells and then made my way home.

I drove past the North Freedom Railway Museum and the Circus World Museum in Baraboo, WI that I went to when I was a small child. Looked so much bigger back then!

Ironically I was just thinking to myself how I wish there was more 92-93 Dodge Rams for sale on the side of the road. And ironically one just happened to be sitting there on the side of the road.

On my way home I saw something I had been hoping to see, an actual working Dodge Travco. And the next day, while at a car show, the carnival next door had another one they were using.

On Sunday I went to the Volo Auto Museum and a local car show, saw some interesting cars. You can see all the pictures from this weekend at the link below.

http://flic.kr/s/aHsjvskWy3

But this one one weekend I won't soon forget, the good people, awesome cars and one heck of an adventure that I hope to follow up with in the near future. So keep watching for updates.

Ryan Brutt

HemiPwr70@aol.com

Following up is always a good idea: AAR Cuda in the Barn... Part One

2011-07-12T18:21:00.001-05:00

This past weekend had been in the planning stages for months. I had met Al at the Spring Green car show in the fall of 2010 and I had always wanted to shoot better pictures of his incredible 1965 Coronet 500, 426 wedge auto on the floor. Mostly original, supposedly a Mr. Norm's car. First thing first though, I had to get up there. And of course I find a cool old Mopar on the way!

I passed on the wagon, even though I do love a good wagon, the price just wasn't right for me. The next day I headed to meet up with Al at his shop outside of Wisconsin Dells.

I get out there after going well past the right exit. I met up with Al and his father at the shop. They showed me some of the projects they had lying around just in this one area. A nice 65 Satellite project, a 57 Chevy and a few others. But we didn't stay long, we actually hopped in the Coronet and headed off to shoot some pictures.

At one of the shooting locations, there was a cool old barn, with an abandoned old AMC Rambler on the inside. So sad, it was a really nice car at one time. It still isn't in terrible shape body wise, but kids have really trashed the interior and broken all the glass. Probably won't move til the barn falls down around it or the scrap dealer gets called in.

After shooting the car, we headed back to Al's personal collection of cars. His father at one time had a Mopar Junkyard full of all sorts of Mopars. He got out of the business many years ago, but kept a few of them. Most of them had engines still in them, and might even one day be saved. The craziest part was we drove Dave's Hemi Dodge Ram through the wheat they planted to keep the weeds out of the sandy soil. And the wheat was higher then the truck almost!

Then we moved onto the finished projects. The old shop where he ran his business out of for years is now his home workshop. Has some of his nicer cars sitting in it, including a 69 Road Runner convertible, a old Dodge station wagon with a 426 Max Wedge in the engine bay, and probably the first “Drag Pack Challenger” barn find. He bought it to build one day to drag race, but right now it is covered in dust and dirt... so it is the first!

Before we headed up to the Father's house, they showed me some of the literature they had from the 60's and 70's. Some stuff I had never seen before! It was incredible to see it in such good shape.

Then we moved onto the cherry on top of the cake. Al's Hemi Cars... a 1970 Hemi Charger 4-speed car and a 69 Hemi GTX. The funny thing is though that the Charger hasn't been driven in years, and the GTX gets out sparingly. I understand that they are uber valuable, but I don't know if I could let them hang around without driving the snot out of them. But he does have a few cars to choose from! Including a nearly all original 68 Sport Satellite.

I think his plate says it all.

We left the house and headed to another barn nearby that he stores a few other long term projects at.... these would be some of the more exciting barn finds of the day. There was a nice 65 Coronet sitting in there, a near twin in setup to the one we were driving, first in the back row was a 73 340 4-speed 'Cuda, still in it's “Day 2” setup with Ansen Sprint rims and larger tires out back with the rear end jacked up real high. Second up was Al's brothers car, a real 1970 440 Six Barrel Road Runner with a 4-speed. The 6-bbl setup isn't on there, but will one day. It is also an original air grabber hood car, which it still retains.

The last in the back row is the most special for me, being the first AAR 'Cuda I have ever found in a barn. It is a 340 Six Pack car (of course) with a 4-speed, red with a red interior. The funny thing is the rear spoiler is a different spoiler then stock. The original spoiler was damaged during shipping, so the dealer swapped it with another one they had. Even put it on the sales form. The holes for the original spoiler are there, but since day 1 it hasn't had it on there. The car is in rough shape, but the boxes on top of it are parts to eventually one day restore it.

After this we headed to lunch, we were going to hit up probably the biggest junkyard in the state, unfortunately I had no idea before that we were doing that. My camera battery only lasted for about a 1/3 of the yard, but that's enough that you will get an idea of what this place is about. But that is for next time.

To view all the pictures thus far, take a look at

www.flickr.com/hemipwr70

Ryan Brutt

HemiPwr70@aol.com

There's Mopars (and other makes) in that there Hills.... Part Four

2011-05-19T15:08:00.000-05:00

Departing Bennington, Vermont, I was meeting up with my friend Art who lived not far from the Albany International Airport. I had some time to kill so I decided to do some sight seeing, barn finding style. First thing I came across is a Buick GN turbo car. Pretty cool and in decent shape. Sad to see it sitting outside a junkyard.

Just down the road there was a wrecked 56 Pontiac that I heard from the guys at Hemmings was wrecked not long ago. Ironically I did not grab a picture of this, but right across the street was a nice 69 Barracuda Notchback sitting out in the lawn with what looked like some nice paint applied.

Following the road a bit I didn't find anything, but when I turned around, there behind a mobile home sat what looks like a 71 Pontiac Trans Am. But with no time to investigate, I only snapped a quick picture and then headed on my way.

I flew the rest of the way into the Hudson River Valley. I had some time to kill so I drove around and discovered some very interesting vehicles. I couldn't identify all of them. I see some Edsel's, I believe some Mopar B-bodies and what looks like a Lancia.

But as with all great things, they must end. And I flew out that afternoon after having some fun with my friend in his beautiful Satellite Convertible. But who knows, I might be returning there in the near future.

Oh, and here is one more for the road, something a bit more artistic.

I hope you all enjoyed this little adventure. I sure did.

If you know of any cool Cars or Motorcycles in Barns, junkyards, farmers fields or squirreled away in a garage in the Mid-west, let me know. I am always up for a good hunt!

Ryan

HemiPwr70@aol.com

There's Mopars (and other makes) in that there Hills.... Part Three

2011-05-11T22:10:00.000-05:00

With a fresh battery in the DSLR and a rental, the owner and I headed to his second yard, hidden well back in the forest, where much of the later "undesirable later model" cars sat. Which are exactly what I am after! Right as you pull into his yard, there are cars everywhere.

In the first branch off the road there was at least two full rows of Mopars. Right off the bat you see a bright Petty Blue Demon sitting at the front of the row, a Coronet Wagon and a very unique 70 Barracuda that someone put a Javalin grille into. Unfortunately the piles of leaves covered up most of the cool grille.

Moving into another row, there was A-bodies just lined up there, and they weren't in half bad of shape from the looks of it. Looked as though you could throw a battery in some, and drive it home. There was even a Coronet and Chrysler Convertible thrown in the mix.

Back against the one side of the yard there sat one of the cooler cars of the group. A 1971 Dodge Superbee. Missing some front sheetmetal, but still fairly complete. The owner told me that people would come in at night and steal VIN tags and fender tags off the cars, and this one was no exception.

It was by no means the only cool car there. In one small grouping, there was two 1970 Barracudas, some earlier fastback Barracudas and a 1973 Dart Sport 340 and Satellite Convertible. And sitting in the back of the group was a 1970 Plymouth GTX, Sublime green car with 440!

In the next little grouping of vehicles there sat one of the more desirable cars people want. A 1968 Dodge Charger R/T, 440 car with an automatic on the floor. Sadly this one was completely stripped, but you could see the former luster of the car. Along with the R/T was a nice 68 Barracuda Convertible.

We moved onto another little group of Mopars not far from the last one. Just a smattering of all the different bodies styles.

And then we moved onto the last cars I could see. Time had run out and I had to be going. I was meeting up with my friend Art back in Bennington and I was already going to be late. The owner saved some of the best for last. Another 70 GTX 440 car, a Ford Torino GT fastback and a 70 "Sport roof" Mustang.

I sadly had to depart just after this. I dropped off my new friend back at his home, thanked him for showing me his wonderful treasure trove of cars. Turned my rental around and headed back to Bennington.

We had an awesome dinner, he showed me around the area a bit in his 67 Satellite Convertible with big block 383 in it. It was an awesome way to finish the day.

There's Mopars (and other makes) in that there Hills.... Part Two

2011-05-10T22:33:00.000-05:00

The owner of the yard and I moved further into the yard, and towards more of the barns he stores his favorite cars. Along the way there was a little bit of everything. Even a Plymouth Cricket and a 64 Chrysler 300 Convertible!

Moving towards the one side of the yard, we came across a nice 69 Dart GT, not even a GTS, just a plain GT.

Then we moved into the second barn he had, with the cars he really likes. Such an incredible collection of cars. He said they all ran, and he walked over to the Barracuda and it started right up. He had a Polara Convertible in there, a 413 Max Wedge car, and some really crazy drag cars.

68 383 Barracuda Formula S

Custom interior on another 69 Barracuda

We walked past another small shed, that just happened to have a 73 Dodge Charger with a 440 in it.

Then we moved onto another barn he had nearby, which had even more of his favorite projects, from a Big Block first generation Charger (which I got an awesome shot of), to a 71 Demon 340 4-speed, a 73 Gold Duster 340 and everything in between.

Right next to the barn was some lean to style buildings with large flaps of what appeared to be leather protecting the vehicles from the elements. There was a cool 340 Road Runner hiding in there, a 64 Fury that looked good, but he said was a complete rot box underneath, and much, much more.

Then we made our way back to the front of the house. We never did get to see the back of the yard. I really wanted to see the other yard he had, which was hidden. It had as the wife said, "the cars guys drool over". So he showed me just what was around near the front of the house. And there, sitting on a flatbed was a 73 Satellite with power sunroof, in the driveway was a early Hemi and quite a few other unique Mopars.

After this we jumped in my rental and headed to his second yard. With a fresh battery I was back up and running with the DSLR. And it was a good thing I had it, some of the incredible things I saw there, I don't think a point and shoot could convey.

There's Mopars (and other makes) in that there Hills.... Part One

2011-05-09T19:17:00.000-05:00

I had some free time this past weekend. I was in Vermont for a job interview and had heard about a cool yard not far from where I was staying. He was a complete Mopar nut, so I was in for the adventure.

Pulling up to the yard I knew I was in the right place. Rows upon rows of Mopar muscle as far as the eye could see. I pulled up in my rented 2011 Cadillac and introduced myself to the owner. The owner of the yard was more then happy to show me around to his collection of muscle cars. His first group of cars just in the area of the entrance was already pretty interesting.

Moving onto the first barn, these were just a few of his projects. And he said that all these cars would run and could be driven. He hadn't done it in a long time, but if he had wanted to he could have. He had a 69 Plymouth Fury Cop Car with all the original gear and lights and sirens. Next to that was a 65 Satellite that he said was not an original altered wheelbase car, but was starting to be converted to one with original factory parts, and then abandoned.

We started walking into the yard and he started telling me about all the cars he had collected, and how he had driven most of them at one time or another, then put them away. He had quite a few C-Body convertibles. Ironically he had one of those “Late model” Mopars he didn't really like, but still got this one because someone was throwing it away... a 1973 Plymouth Cuda 340, 4-speed car!

Moving a bit further into the yard just behind his barn there was a few A-Bodies including the remains of a 68 Barracuda Formula S 340, and a few of the higher end C-bodies like 300's and Imperials. And of course a few B-bodies. Even a 49 Plymouth Coupe that he had planned on making into a “High and Mighty” clone.

Going behind the first row there was even more Mopars and a few Ford, Chevy and even a MG.

Just off the main walking area, there was a grouping of some A-bodies and B-Bodies and misc. other cars. There was even a gold 68 Barracuda Convertible completely covered by a bush!

He even had a few Pontiacs and a large collection of Thunderbirds in a variety of different shape and sizes out among the Mopars.

The owner and I moved to the opposite side of the front area. He said we have looked at 1/10 of what he has. I knew I was in for a long day! And then we came across the first of the 340 A-bodies......and a 50's Hemi Truck!

Moving away from the front area, we started to find more of the other makes and models he had available. Including two cool Lincolns. Even an early Dodge fiberglass RV and it isn't a Travco!

Remains of a 72 Demon 340 4-speed car... I couldn't even get too! But he said it was one, and the owner had been right about everything else in the yard so far. I was not one to doubt him!

More Misc makes and models.

How about a Demon Sizzler! 318 car, auto.

Tons of late 70's Mopars, GM and even a few Fords littered this area. Even a cool 69 Belvedere Wagon with blue painted top and the remains of a Plum Crazy Purple 70 Road Runner, 383 car.

This is where the first camera battery died and I had to move onto my backup before making my way back to the car to swap them out. Still a few more barns to go through and another whole yard hidden way back in the forest that has cars, as his wife said, “make men drool”.