Lucky Monk's Shoebox Chevy

A few months back, my friend Monk told me about a 1957 Chevrolet 2-door that he had picked up for $1500 that had been sitting between two Quonset Huts for over a decade. And it was sitting just blocks away from my 9-5 job. And in all my time driving around this area, you couldn't see them from the road. So one day I made plans to head over to see it, and there it was! Sitting next to a 58 Chevrolet 4-door, owned by someone completely different.









Monk and I went over the car fully. It had a small block Chevy engine up front, some Ansen Sprint wheels all around. The car was mostly complete. It had been sitting between the two Quonset Huts for decades. The one hut was used to media blast old machinery. Unfortunately they left the doors open on both ends for ventilation and completely covered both cars in dust.









A few weeks later I get a call from Monk, he needed to move the car. So during lunch one day, we met up at the car. Got some of the brush cleaned up so the car could be pulled free. Thankfully Monk had a friend with a tow truck that just slips in under the front wheels. So in about 20 minutes, the car was out from the mud and back in the light. Heck, one of the back tires was still holding air after all these years.



















We got the car out and freed, we were finally able to open the doors and trunk. The interior was just covered in dust. Every nook and cranny had it. The trunk had other surprises including a space engine block, 4-speed transmission and misc other parts. But otherwise the car was fairly solid for sitting for so long.

















Monk's friend pulled the shoebox around to his shop. There they were able to fill, atleast partially 3 of the tires. One was just completely off the rim. By this time, I was almost out of my lunch hour. So I had to take off before they finished getting the car on the trailer











Fortunately Monk drove past with the 57 in tow, safe and sound. While I looked out the front door...wishing I was out there!







Ryan Brutt 
The Auto Archaeologist TheAutoArchaeologist@yahoo.com 
BarnFinds.org

Here is the original Hot Rod Magazine article. 
Hot Rod Magazine: Luck of the Monk