chryslerfat
Well-Known Member
Sorry to hear of the ill luck you have been given lately.
CAR HUNT! or BOF & me car shopping!
- Thread starter 64dart170
- Start date
-
Ya gotta do the scrapin right... You foist yourself onto unsuspecting "hicks" that were not looking to sell their cars in the first place. This will mean door to door buying and have the cash in your hand. Not much cash, but enough to make it sound good, and have it all in small bills so it looks better yet. Once they commit you come take their vehicles if they are home or not (had it happen to me). :snakeman:
Actually, I think the way your doin it has a better sense of karma in the end. :angel9:
Curious on if your have worked out a deal with a starter/alternator reman place yet to sell the parts that could be rebuilt. Also find a good place to take the batteries. I have been getting $9 a battery for auto and $12 for industrial. Took in 18 auto batteries the other day plus a couple truck and motorcycle and walked out with almost $200 :cheers: (note: look for battery companies). Right now I am parting a 94 Shadow and will get $100 just for the tranny alone.
I know it is not as easy money as haulin straight to the melt pot but an hour of pullin the easy stuff could get you enough to make it worth the effort.
Just tryin to help.
Scott
Actually, I think the way your doin it has a better sense of karma in the end. :angel9:
Curious on if your have worked out a deal with a starter/alternator reman place yet to sell the parts that could be rebuilt. Also find a good place to take the batteries. I have been getting $9 a battery for auto and $12 for industrial. Took in 18 auto batteries the other day plus a couple truck and motorcycle and walked out with almost $200 :cheers: (note: look for battery companies). Right now I am parting a 94 Shadow and will get $100 just for the tranny alone.
I know it is not as easy money as haulin straight to the melt pot but an hour of pullin the easy stuff could get you enough to make it worth the effort.
Just tryin to help.
Scott
64dart170
Well-Known Member
All in all the best thing was, no one was hurt.
Pulling things with FOTO wench YES, tranny NO!!!
Put it in park. Chock rear drivers side with aluminum semi trailer chock with built in teeth. Things stress tight, FOTO sets back and lowers into chock while the wench is pulling, once FOTO movement stops, few more cracks and pops while watching the wench to make sure it doesn't flip and roll up inside my diamond plate deck like a burrito. Then WHATEVER is hooked moves. In some of the bad ones we have had to unhook and rehook at several different angles to steer skid them out (like fishing) onto a loading surface. If they are in all the way to the floor pans, roll back can kinda "flip" them up a little then out. I have had to jack them up and put a board over the tire holes in soil B4 loading. I have also been known to put FOTO front tires on ramps to lower rear of deck to where it's about a foot high. However, if they don't roll or steer and all you got is ramps, you're heading into roll back territory again. The ramps will have a tendency to lift out and push up onto truck when wheels won't spin. In the past I have worked around that by "Blocking" with wood the tops of the ramps to the under rocker on the car. The blocks have to be long enough to stay in contact with the car during the pull until enough downward force as to hold down the ramps. Have to repeat process for the back. Unload at yard with their fork lift.
The thing that makes me feel the best is, I'm helping the environment by removing toxins from peoples property. Metals, automotive liquids, pastics, the whole shmear gets removed instead of it slowly melting into the soil over the course of a few decades.:cheers:
All I can do is deal honestly and fairly with everyone untill they try to screw me then look out! LOL! I usually just get screwed then move on. LOL!
I have heard many stories and could easily start a Discovery channel show.
The one that made me feel the best was helping an Iraqi vet home on leave. Wife forgot oil while he was over there. He needed MOST $ NOW! to get another car before he went back. One of my best buyers is a vet too. We both used to be airdales, him 20 & retire me 4. Anyway set up the deal from my desk and had a driver picking his car and paying cash. The money at my end got paid to the vet along with his car price and my buyer aranged the pick truck & driver and the cash for the car!! (All I had in was advertising, phone calls, little of my time, and alot of fast begging and owing favours. I told my buyer, I wouldn't cross check his pricing with other buyers for the next 3 cars I sold him!! LOL!!)
The vet called right B4 noon. I'm setting down with a turkey sandwich. He says, Hey John Thanks man!! WOW! A driver just left and said you sent him and handed me a wad of cash that was alot more than we discussed. How much? Yeah that's OK I found another buyer who paid more. Good Luck and get back here in 1 piece when ya get done with the tour. God Bless you man and Thank YOU for serving your country. Keep your head and *** down!!
Enough for now, didn't need to bore everbody, but it has been very strange the past couple weeks. I need to start going to auctions and get them that need cleaning and body work and haul them home insted of these mudd puppies!:-D
I know Karma is on my side but if any of yall see karma anywhere please inform him or her where I'm at and how to get ahold of me, K?:happy10:
Pulling things with FOTO wench YES, tranny NO!!!
Put it in park. Chock rear drivers side with aluminum semi trailer chock with built in teeth. Things stress tight, FOTO sets back and lowers into chock while the wench is pulling, once FOTO movement stops, few more cracks and pops while watching the wench to make sure it doesn't flip and roll up inside my diamond plate deck like a burrito. Then WHATEVER is hooked moves. In some of the bad ones we have had to unhook and rehook at several different angles to steer skid them out (like fishing) onto a loading surface. If they are in all the way to the floor pans, roll back can kinda "flip" them up a little then out. I have had to jack them up and put a board over the tire holes in soil B4 loading. I have also been known to put FOTO front tires on ramps to lower rear of deck to where it's about a foot high. However, if they don't roll or steer and all you got is ramps, you're heading into roll back territory again. The ramps will have a tendency to lift out and push up onto truck when wheels won't spin. In the past I have worked around that by "Blocking" with wood the tops of the ramps to the under rocker on the car. The blocks have to be long enough to stay in contact with the car during the pull until enough downward force as to hold down the ramps. Have to repeat process for the back. Unload at yard with their fork lift.
The thing that makes me feel the best is, I'm helping the environment by removing toxins from peoples property. Metals, automotive liquids, pastics, the whole shmear gets removed instead of it slowly melting into the soil over the course of a few decades.:cheers:
All I can do is deal honestly and fairly with everyone untill they try to screw me then look out! LOL! I usually just get screwed then move on. LOL!
I have heard many stories and could easily start a Discovery channel show.
The one that made me feel the best was helping an Iraqi vet home on leave. Wife forgot oil while he was over there. He needed MOST $ NOW! to get another car before he went back. One of my best buyers is a vet too. We both used to be airdales, him 20 & retire me 4. Anyway set up the deal from my desk and had a driver picking his car and paying cash. The money at my end got paid to the vet along with his car price and my buyer aranged the pick truck & driver and the cash for the car!! (All I had in was advertising, phone calls, little of my time, and alot of fast begging and owing favours. I told my buyer, I wouldn't cross check his pricing with other buyers for the next 3 cars I sold him!! LOL!!)
The vet called right B4 noon. I'm setting down with a turkey sandwich. He says, Hey John Thanks man!! WOW! A driver just left and said you sent him and handed me a wad of cash that was alot more than we discussed. How much? Yeah that's OK I found another buyer who paid more. Good Luck and get back here in 1 piece when ya get done with the tour. God Bless you man and Thank YOU for serving your country. Keep your head and *** down!!
Enough for now, didn't need to bore everbody, but it has been very strange the past couple weeks. I need to start going to auctions and get them that need cleaning and body work and haul them home insted of these mudd puppies!:-D
I know Karma is on my side but if any of yall see karma anywhere please inform him or her where I'm at and how to get ahold of me, K?:happy10:
64dart170
Well-Known Member
Alright FABO.....
Just a quickie today!
Mood music...Hit It!!
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xl7IMI22s10&feature=related"]YouTube - Blackfoot- Road Fever[/ame]
HEEEEY FABO!!!
Guess what time it is?????
It's time for another unexpected edition # 31 of
CAR HUNT! FABOZENE:glasses2:
Which one of yall ran into karma and told it where to find me?
Had a call before lunch. It was a 92 lebarron. But, it was a good customer and a repeat customer to boot!!!
Last year, I had picked a car from a street I used to live on when I was about 6 yrs old. It was late last summer and had purchased from a nice older lady. When I first got there, I charged the Battery and got it running for her, no charge. Next day she calls again to tell me her family didn't want her driving it anyway, so I went back over, chewed the fat for a spell, bought her car. Then she wanted her flower beds weeded!! So I went back and cleaned up a few brush piles, straightened up a little and told her I couldn't weed by hand due to the poison Ivy, call me in the fall die out, and I'll come buy and weed eat the beds for ya and put straw down. She never called.
Today, her daughter calls me. She now lives upstairs and takes care of her mom who sold me the last car. Went straight over. Yep same house! Chewed the fat a while, bought the car, but instead of taking to junk yard, I brought it home. ABodyBetty was home when I got there so I jumped outa FOTO and went up into the car on the truck deck. Fired it up and put back the top! OH MY JEZZERS!! Now she want's this car too!! Drove it off of FOTO! Tranny wants to go in and out of gear early in the morning coming out of the drive. After that OK. Spent today cleaning it and will be at the Dodge Dealer at 8AM tomorrow to check and service the tranny. Will see what we find out. The service department all ready knew the car and said the tranny was just serviced about 30Kmiles/2 years ago. Oil changed and always serviced at the dealer every 3,000 miles sense new, same older lady owned it till recently her daughter bought it. They got a new one last night so all three gals can go to doctors appointments together in a more comfy car. (Now mercury town car)
Thanks Karma and FABO!! Now ABB wants me to sell my Astro to buy her a new tranny for the leBaron!! I haven't even painted the Astro yet and she is already talking colors for the LeBaron!!
WHEN AM I GONNA GET TA SELL ONE?!!
mercy, whats a poor junk dude to do???8)
Well, told ya it was a quickie! Some times they happen fast and sometimes they don't!
Tune in next time for chapter 32 of
CAR HUNT! FABOZENE:glasses2:
Later when yar hair gets straighter!!:happy10:
Just a quickie today!
Mood music...Hit It!!
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xl7IMI22s10&feature=related"]YouTube - Blackfoot- Road Fever[/ame]
HEEEEY FABO!!!
Guess what time it is?????
It's time for another unexpected edition # 31 of
CAR HUNT! FABOZENE:glasses2:
Which one of yall ran into karma and told it where to find me?
Had a call before lunch. It was a 92 lebarron. But, it was a good customer and a repeat customer to boot!!!
Last year, I had picked a car from a street I used to live on when I was about 6 yrs old. It was late last summer and had purchased from a nice older lady. When I first got there, I charged the Battery and got it running for her, no charge. Next day she calls again to tell me her family didn't want her driving it anyway, so I went back over, chewed the fat for a spell, bought her car. Then she wanted her flower beds weeded!! So I went back and cleaned up a few brush piles, straightened up a little and told her I couldn't weed by hand due to the poison Ivy, call me in the fall die out, and I'll come buy and weed eat the beds for ya and put straw down. She never called.
Today, her daughter calls me. She now lives upstairs and takes care of her mom who sold me the last car. Went straight over. Yep same house! Chewed the fat a while, bought the car, but instead of taking to junk yard, I brought it home. ABodyBetty was home when I got there so I jumped outa FOTO and went up into the car on the truck deck. Fired it up and put back the top! OH MY JEZZERS!! Now she want's this car too!! Drove it off of FOTO! Tranny wants to go in and out of gear early in the morning coming out of the drive. After that OK. Spent today cleaning it and will be at the Dodge Dealer at 8AM tomorrow to check and service the tranny. Will see what we find out. The service department all ready knew the car and said the tranny was just serviced about 30Kmiles/2 years ago. Oil changed and always serviced at the dealer every 3,000 miles sense new, same older lady owned it till recently her daughter bought it. They got a new one last night so all three gals can go to doctors appointments together in a more comfy car. (Now mercury town car)
Thanks Karma and FABO!! Now ABB wants me to sell my Astro to buy her a new tranny for the leBaron!! I haven't even painted the Astro yet and she is already talking colors for the LeBaron!!
WHEN AM I GONNA GET TA SELL ONE?!!
mercy, whats a poor junk dude to do???8)
Well, told ya it was a quickie! Some times they happen fast and sometimes they don't!
Tune in next time for chapter 32 of
CAR HUNT! FABOZENE:glasses2:
Later when yar hair gets straighter!!:happy10:
Popdart
Well-Known Member
Hey those are good problems to have!! Good luck on the trans . . . it should be good . . . it's in your Karma . . . lol :toothy10::cheers:
I keep telling my wife that people throw away better cars then I can afford to buy... I have been wanting a LeBaron convert for awhile and people keep asking $3000 for rusted out beaters and then you throw in the comment about taking this one to the melters...
Is it a V6 or four banger? I have a tranny for a 2.5L 1994 Shadow...
Scott
Is it a V6 or four banger? I have a tranny for a 2.5L 1994 Shadow...
Scott
demonmike70
Well-Known Member
nice score!!!!!
64dart170
Well-Known Member
Thanks for the good word Popdart, after the service at the dealer, everything is fine now!:downtown:
64dart170
Well-Known Member
Melter?
Are you kidding??!!!
I have always liked that year LeBaron and was bummed when I took the white one in for the "melter". The white one from earlier chapter will still be in the yard and I will be going there for the trim piece under the gas door and some other things I can find. I would like to find a different set of Aluminum type rims for it.
ABodyBetty and I used to own a newer style Sebring Convert but sold it after replacing water pump! Always liked that car till we had to pay for repairs. This one will be different with the Mitsu V-6! It runs like a scalded dawg!!
Tranny checked out good. Will be our new daily driver. It was brought back to our local dealer every 3000 miles for service and the dealer here has complete records of the car for me to reference anytime! They said the car was totally spoiled before I bought it and the daughter told me it was garage kept always. I hadn't seen the car last year when I was there buying their old pontiac! It's still not due for service for anothe 1500 miles!
Saturday I put on new tail pipe and muffler. Monday I put new rear monroe gas shocks on it and bought a set of badly needed struts. Also tore the spoke wheel covers apart and got them looking like new again. Reassembled and reinstalled. The struts are in the trunk waiting for Yard Dawg to put them on for me. They will have to be on and realigned by Sat AM due to ABodyBetty and our boy driving it to Louisville to visit ABB's Mom.
Polished out trunk deck, looks good. Wet sanded furry black stuff off hood but can still see stains and cat prints. The black stuff forms on everything close to the distillery and the car was parked right next door to the plant. Will be repainting it after the Louisville trip.
Will be tracking down a badly needed top boot cover so as not to rip the headliner, riding with the top down! Also will be checking into those leaking valve cover too!
This 92 LeBaron will be in our possesion a while!!:yawinkle:
Popdart
Well-Known Member
Glad you are busy . . . busy is good. Sure beats the hell out of sitting around watching TV eating popcorn :happy1:. . . well maybe not. Glad the trans was ok, what did it set you back to just get it checked? My wife also loves converts . . . she has a silver PT softtop which she can't wait to put down. We have to keep 'em spoiled!! When ya get a chance, take more pics with that new fancy-dancy picture taker, and don't forget to include the watchdogs!! :toothy7:Take care, Rog
64dart170
Well-Known Member
The tranny service at the dealer was about $125.00 and that ended up being about the cheapest thing put on the car so far!!
(Warning Sad info below)
I had a girl in the service dept. at our local Dodge dealer who would always take care to keep my bills there down to earth by giving me discounts and coupons I didn't even know they had. I would always bring in a dozen Duncan to her and the service dept everytime I was in there. Really knew her Dodge cars too and always enjoyed the cars I showed up with. Had called her Friday before last to have her give me the maintanence history on the 92 LeBaron. She ended up having complete service records sense it was new! Then sadly I found out last Wed (5 days later) that she passed away unexpectedly at 44 years old. Laid to rest this past Sat. She was 6 years younger than me.......I'm still in shock about it. She was always keeping my bill down to a less than normal ammount. I had been dealing with her for over 10 years. Really going to miss her......Makes you think too.....
Better get my affairs in order because you can't call a time out to get stuff finished up before you go, especially with no warning!!
Just got LeBaron back yesterday to the tune of about $700.00 more into it! There goes the tax return!! It makes it easier though sense ABodyBetty and I are splitting the bills on the LeBaron down the middle due to both of us driving it and I would sell it for the $ if she didn't go in on it with me, LOL!
LeBaron repairs so far;
Car Purchase, $250.00
Tranny service, $125.00
Exhaust repair with lifetime warranty, $125.00
Shocks and struts, Less then $150.00
Struts installed by Yard Dawg, $100.00
Alignment, rebalance tires and rotate front to back, Less than $75.00
Nappy Gold Wix oil filter, oil, bottle of Lucas, Less than $30.00
Timing belt & tensioner, water pump, serp and v-belts, idler and power pullies for serp belt, tensioner pulley for AC v-belt, used harmonic balancer, timing cover gasket set, valve cover gasket set, 2 gal antifreeze, etc., approx; $250.00
Labor to install above; $400.00
Extra key, $3.00
Did I forget anything? Jezz I hope so!! That way this next number won't be so big! LOL!! I haven't totalled yet so here goes.....
Approx $1508.00!!!
WOW!! the cash goes quick!!! I had a mental money limit on repairs to get the leBaron back on the road as a dependable driver for ABB. That mental guess and limit was $1500 due to me thinking that $1500 would be about what we would get if we had to resell (for house payment as usual!! LOL)
Plus that was all I thought the car was worth!!
Problem is we still need a convertable top Boot Cover. The cover that goes over the top when the top is down. If you don't use one the headliner will be destroyed eventually. Found a used one on ebay for $300. We still would need 1 or 2 pieces of trim, some body work and about $300.00 for paint and body supplies to finish the car.
Goes to show no matter what the year of the car, if you restore it, the best you can hope for is a break even deal when you go to sell. I have never made money on restores. Usually break even if I'm lucky!!
After all is said and done, if we can drive it till next spring and then sell for around $1500 then it would be worth while to have done all this. Academic at best sense we already spent the money!!
I'll be taking on a 1.5 hour round trip test drive this morning. Told the mechanic if it blows apart on the road, I'll be back tomorrow with it on my car hauler for him to fix again! He says it shouldn't blow apart from anything he did. I told him he just met me and has no friggin idea of how my luck runs!!
When I picked it up last night it was between rain storms so the first thing I did was lower the top before pulling out. ABB might have been jelious but wasn't showing it sense she had driven me there in her Swinger! LOL!!:glasses8:
Sorry Rog, kinda hard to get a pic of the new Nikon D-60 Gold camera while using it! I'll get on front of a mirror next time for a couple of pics but I was worried about braking the new camera and the mirror with me being in the pic too! LOL!!
After tax return gets here, I'll be sending my old faithfull Nikon D-40 camera into Nikon for service. With the lower res it shoots better for FABO pics than the new one! The new camera files have to be sized down further than the old camera.
Still waiting for that long car search trip ABB promised us!!
Will be going after weather gets better.
Really looking foward to the next chapter of
CAR HUNT! FABOZENE:glasses2:
Should get some good pics this next chapter sense we'll be having the top down on the next excursion!! LOL!!
Be leaving for that test drive in a couple hours.
The LeBaron has been taking up all my time lately but haven't had any junk car calls in the past 2 weeks sense I bought it. Could really use some junk now! I'm thinking people aren't calling right now due to constant bad weather. Really need some junk I can sell now!! I can't keep and fix all the junk I get!!
I reminded ABB that the LeBaron is a J body and that means it's John's car! LOL!! She wasn't buying that one!!!
Chow for now!!:glasses8:
chryslerfat
Well-Known Member
Just keep turning over those leafs and maybe one day you will turn the right one.
Popdart
Well-Known Member
Well, first let me say I'm really sorry for the loss of your friend at the dealer. I say friend, because anytime you start a visit with a smile and leave with one, they must be a friend. Geez so young, I have kids at 40. Yes you are right, get your affairs in order just in case . . . . Now . . . if you read my reply, I said take pictures "with" not "of" your new fancy-dancy picture taker . . . what do ya think I am, an old maroon?? :sleepy1: LOL. Good luck on the LeBaron . . . . Say hey to ABB, Lex, and Vinnie :wave:
64dart170
Well-Known Member
HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!
I needed that!!!!
I sometimes don't get the sleep I need!!
NO I'M the old moron!! HHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!
Old Timers, almost 50 and it's starting to go!! LMAO!!!
Thanks man, whew....I needed that!!!!:sunny:
64dart170
Well-Known Member
Still waiting on the next call:sleepy1:
64dart170
Well-Known Member
Foto wanted me to show you guys this while we are waiting for our next call here on
CAR HUNT! FABOZENE:glasses2:
So now here is the link
to what FOTO calls our new theme song......
Hit IT!
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_wmhOFvMiOM"]YouTube - C.W. McCall - Classified[/ame]
:supz:There has been a deal struck for our next car and it's a vintage Plymouth! Film at 11....
Tune in next time here on
CAR HUNT! FABOZENE:glasses2:
CAR HUNT! FABOZENE:glasses2:
So now here is the link
to what FOTO calls our new theme song......
Hit IT!
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_wmhOFvMiOM"]YouTube - C.W. McCall - Classified[/ame]
:supz:There has been a deal struck for our next car and it's a vintage Plymouth! Film at 11....
Tune in next time here on
CAR HUNT! FABOZENE:glasses2:
What Plymouth??????
64dart170
Well-Known Member
Boy you shure are quick! LOL!!
I'm on another screen, yes at the same time, I have ADD too! LOL!!
Patience is something that not only doctors need grashopper....
I'm responding to your PM right now as we speek, type, read..........
LMAO!!!
64dart170
Well-Known Member
There got that PM done for ya!
OTR, you know I'm just funnin with ya to try and cheer ya up right??
Hope you're feeling better this evening.
Heading over to check in on ya on your thread right now...
See ya all!!
chryslerfat
Well-Known Member
Hey ya got me going on my Cuda now ya need to get back on Lump.
64dart170
Well-Known Member
HAHAHAHAHA!!!
I was just telling ABB Mon. standing behind Lump saying I'd better get back to Lump now that the leBaron is done or chrslerfat will be getting in my stuff sense I got him all fired up!!
LMAO!!!
Friday or Sat. I promiss. The weather has been kicking my Ace and ABB was too ever sense the LeBaron showed up!!
Lump is going to be a beauty when you finish.
omahamoparguy
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Feb 19, 2010
- Messages
- 756
- Reaction score
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C.W. McCall - I always loved that song, I used to listen to that song way back in the
70's when I was a kid. C.W. McCall used to be a DJ out here in omaha, he started his recording career by doing "jingles" for radio ads. (Old Home Bread co etc.).
I like the part ".......and sat on a petrified apple core and found a bunch of field mice living in the glove compartment.......don't pay no mind to that whirrin' sound, she could use a little bit of oil but, outside of that, she's cherry......"
I liked some of his other "sayings" in other songs like "that girl was built like a burlap bag full of bobcats, not a hell of a lot upstairs but from there on down....disneyland.."
70's when I was a kid. C.W. McCall used to be a DJ out here in omaha, he started his recording career by doing "jingles" for radio ads. (Old Home Bread co etc.).
I like the part ".......and sat on a petrified apple core and found a bunch of field mice living in the glove compartment.......don't pay no mind to that whirrin' sound, she could use a little bit of oil but, outside of that, she's cherry......"
I liked some of his other "sayings" in other songs like "that girl was built like a burlap bag full of bobcats, not a hell of a lot upstairs but from there on down....disneyland.."
car hunt! Fabozene Michigan Edition...
Just had to drop a note and mention that the Car Hunt duplicate has hit Michigan and we (Ole Blaze,Dolly, Lou and Me) brought home another addition to the household. This time was a Craigslist find (aren't they all) that was surprising to me at least. Wish I had taken some pictures where it was at but I will try to spin a good story to make up for it.
Craigslist ad simply says, 1989 Chrysler LeBaron, needs engine work. So I call on a friday and leave a message, no answer. I send an email, no response. Monday comes and I still have no response so I call again. This time I get the wife and she does little to raise my hopes. I ask about the car and she says it is "From Florida" and that it is in very good shape. Of course in my mind "very good shape" from a seller side is questionable to say the least. So I prod a little more and she says they brought it up three years ago, drove it once and it has sat ever since. I mention that cars that sit usually have issues with rust. I told her of a car that was great when it was parked but when I got in it years later the seat went through the floor. She told me that this does not have that issue cause she sits in the car when it is raining. I thought that was odd, so I inquired as to why... "I cannot smoke in the house so I sit in the car when it rains". So now I am thinking about looking at a car that has sat in one spot for three years with engine problems and a smoker that has been in it. Oh, and I know it has holes in the top. Ok, this is a NO BRAINER... and I go against my brain once again.
I am a sucker for a convert and away we go. I hop into BOCM (Beater Old Chevy Malibu) and away we go. BUT I need to find the place first. I look it up on Google and SHAZAM, I get my first view of the car from outer space!
BOCM and I drive up there and first thing we see is two other Dodges in the drive, one is a Dakota with grass up to the hubcaps parked right in front of the LeBaron. Lucky me the LaBaron is on a cement slab where the garage was supposed to be. No one comes out when I pull up so I just make my way to the car to poke around without anyone watchin. First thing I do is get down on the ground to check out the frame. Already told myself that if the frame is even a little rusty, I am OUTTA here. So I hunker down and take a look and my eyes bugged out of my head. not a spec of rust anywhere. Even the brake lines had only a cursory amount on them. So I pop the trunk and check the trunk lip edges, nothing there either!!!! No bubbling, no spotting nothing! So I check out the engine compartment... Here is where we start to find some issues, missing alternator, distributor out and just lying there, cap busted in a bunch of pieces, coil gone, belts all off.
So I go up to the house and knock. The wife and dad come out and I start my talking. Which was very one sided as the wife knew little and dad was not talking much. I did find out that the car "over heated" since the radiator was leaking BUT when they got there it still turned over but very fast (can you say timing belt?).
At this point I am ready to make an offer, they were asking $600 in the ad but no way was I paying full asking price. I offered $400 and they said that he would not take that... Then dad piped up and said, I know he will take $500... I then open the hood again and grab ahold of the crank pulley and gave it a really good turn... nothin, no move. Tried a pair of jumper cables on it and nothin, no turn. I then offer $450 and they bit. I put a down payment and off I went again.
I called up my buddy Lou later on and asked if we could use Ole Blaze (rusty Blazer) to go get my new addition. We agreed on Thursday night...
I met Lou at his place of business which was very close to the car and we had ourselves a convoy, Ole Blaze, BOCM, Dolly, Lou and Me.
We get there and the Dakota ext cab has moved. I was told it only goes forward and has no reverse. This truck can be had for the low low price of $1800. I pass, sorry...
I air up the tires on the LaBaron, open the door and WOW there are my jumper cables. They were nice enough to let me keep the cable I forgot last time I was there. THANK YOU!
We load up the LaBaron on Dolly and strap it down, pay the last of the money get the title. Inform the wife that she really should keep a copy of that receipt for 18 months (tryin to be up and up). Then the dad speaks again and says, did you look around and make sure you did not forget something. I laughed and jokingly walked around the car again and almost tripped over my air can on the far side of the car. I thanked him again and off we went. Lou keep Ole Blaze to a slow trot and made it home uneventfully.
The LaBaron is now tucked in line between OTC (One Ton Cummins) and the Spirit awaiting it's turn to be repaired.
Scott
p.s. Hope to post some pics of her soon
p.p.s. You SAID you wanted others to post here and while it may not be an A body it is only a car away from an A body now....:love8:
Just had to drop a note and mention that the Car Hunt duplicate has hit Michigan and we (Ole Blaze,Dolly, Lou and Me) brought home another addition to the household. This time was a Craigslist find (aren't they all) that was surprising to me at least. Wish I had taken some pictures where it was at but I will try to spin a good story to make up for it.
Craigslist ad simply says, 1989 Chrysler LeBaron, needs engine work. So I call on a friday and leave a message, no answer. I send an email, no response. Monday comes and I still have no response so I call again. This time I get the wife and she does little to raise my hopes. I ask about the car and she says it is "From Florida" and that it is in very good shape. Of course in my mind "very good shape" from a seller side is questionable to say the least. So I prod a little more and she says they brought it up three years ago, drove it once and it has sat ever since. I mention that cars that sit usually have issues with rust. I told her of a car that was great when it was parked but when I got in it years later the seat went through the floor. She told me that this does not have that issue cause she sits in the car when it is raining. I thought that was odd, so I inquired as to why... "I cannot smoke in the house so I sit in the car when it rains". So now I am thinking about looking at a car that has sat in one spot for three years with engine problems and a smoker that has been in it. Oh, and I know it has holes in the top. Ok, this is a NO BRAINER... and I go against my brain once again.
I am a sucker for a convert and away we go. I hop into BOCM (Beater Old Chevy Malibu) and away we go. BUT I need to find the place first. I look it up on Google and SHAZAM, I get my first view of the car from outer space!
BOCM and I drive up there and first thing we see is two other Dodges in the drive, one is a Dakota with grass up to the hubcaps parked right in front of the LeBaron. Lucky me the LaBaron is on a cement slab where the garage was supposed to be. No one comes out when I pull up so I just make my way to the car to poke around without anyone watchin. First thing I do is get down on the ground to check out the frame. Already told myself that if the frame is even a little rusty, I am OUTTA here. So I hunker down and take a look and my eyes bugged out of my head. not a spec of rust anywhere. Even the brake lines had only a cursory amount on them. So I pop the trunk and check the trunk lip edges, nothing there either!!!! No bubbling, no spotting nothing! So I check out the engine compartment... Here is where we start to find some issues, missing alternator, distributor out and just lying there, cap busted in a bunch of pieces, coil gone, belts all off.
So I go up to the house and knock. The wife and dad come out and I start my talking. Which was very one sided as the wife knew little and dad was not talking much. I did find out that the car "over heated" since the radiator was leaking BUT when they got there it still turned over but very fast (can you say timing belt?).
At this point I am ready to make an offer, they were asking $600 in the ad but no way was I paying full asking price. I offered $400 and they said that he would not take that... Then dad piped up and said, I know he will take $500... I then open the hood again and grab ahold of the crank pulley and gave it a really good turn... nothin, no move. Tried a pair of jumper cables on it and nothin, no turn. I then offer $450 and they bit. I put a down payment and off I went again.
I called up my buddy Lou later on and asked if we could use Ole Blaze (rusty Blazer) to go get my new addition. We agreed on Thursday night...
I met Lou at his place of business which was very close to the car and we had ourselves a convoy, Ole Blaze, BOCM, Dolly, Lou and Me.
We get there and the Dakota ext cab has moved. I was told it only goes forward and has no reverse. This truck can be had for the low low price of $1800. I pass, sorry...
I air up the tires on the LaBaron, open the door and WOW there are my jumper cables. They were nice enough to let me keep the cable I forgot last time I was there. THANK YOU!
We load up the LaBaron on Dolly and strap it down, pay the last of the money get the title. Inform the wife that she really should keep a copy of that receipt for 18 months (tryin to be up and up). Then the dad speaks again and says, did you look around and make sure you did not forget something. I laughed and jokingly walked around the car again and almost tripped over my air can on the far side of the car. I thanked him again and off we went. Lou keep Ole Blaze to a slow trot and made it home uneventfully.
The LaBaron is now tucked in line between OTC (One Ton Cummins) and the Spirit awaiting it's turn to be repaired.
Scott
p.s. Hope to post some pics of her soon
p.p.s. You SAID you wanted others to post here and while it may not be an A body it is only a car away from an A body now....:love8:
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