Sometimes I begin to second guess what kind of project vehicle I really want to restore. There are many interesting cars that appeal to me. I found this early Dodge Wayfarer.
After WW2 Dodge was switching from primarily military vehicles back to domestic automobiles. The wayfarer was developed as a small entry level sedan cruiser. It has a distinctive 50’s era styling which I think captures the charm of simple elegance of a more simple time. Another vehicle of interest is the 1950 model year of the Studebaker line. The defining feature is the bullet nose design that gives the futuristic front end appearance of an aircraft. I really think this is cool! I am going to check out the availability of project vehicles.
I love to keep an eye out for old vehicles while driving down the highways and back roads. On our many trips to our cabin in Oklahoma over the years I knew where every project car was along the way. There was that 72 Super Bee in Durant, a 1956 Chevy rusting away in Atoka, and that pink Caddy in McAlester. But then one day recently I was driving along the road just down from my house and I spot this mystery vehicle sitting in the weeds.
I don’t know what that is but I really like it!! I even asked my brother Carl what it is and he didn’t even know. I knew it had to be a 50s era car by that distinctive styling but my searches on the web have failed to reveal what it really is.
Meanwhile I did some checking on availability of replacement parts for a 1950 Studebaker and it appears that it is a feasible project with the amount of current product support for suspension and drive train components. Checking on past auction sales confirms that it should be possible to find a suitable project quality car within my build budget. I would still just as well do the pickup project if I could find the right specimen. But most candidates have either been modified to a point that puts them out of my price structure or they are just too far gone in terms of body damage or rust. So I have not found that sweet spot yet. Meanwhile I am checking all of the forums for a 1950 Studebaker Commander. There are a number of nice looking cars at a decent price except that they are of the 4 door variety with SUICIDE rear doors. That is the rear doors open to the rear of the car. I prefer the 2 door Starlight edition. Just can’t seem to find the right car. Patience Grasshopper!
Why do I continue this relentless search for that perfect project vehicle? It seems to me it is much like Gold Fever. The possibility of finding that hidden nugget just waiting to be discovered. I keep running across past auctions that are exactly what I am looking for at a reasonable price and they all say “SOLD”. Kind of like good fishing. “You should have been here yesterday!” Well I am here today so what will it be? I ran across a website called Trovit that is described as a metasearch engine that centralizes classified ads from thousands of portals. So they show just the car I am looking for at just the right price. The pics and information is limited. This already does not feel right. So I send a message asking what engine is in the car. The response says, “Thanks for reaching out. The car is still up for sale. What city are you in?”. Now this feels like full blown spam. Here’s what I think. They just put some enticing bait out there and wait until someone inquires and look for some way to scam you. I think that I will just stick with Face Book and the major auction houses. So I continue to look for a 1950 Studebaker. I prefer the Champion which is the shorter wheel base and also the starlight version which has wrap around rear windows for a panoramic view.
1950 Studebaker Starlight Edition with Panoramic Wrap around Rear view
I finally ran across that 1937 Ford F100 pickup I have been looking for.
But one thing I am finding is that pictures don’t always give an accurate perception of the true condition of a vehicle. Shiny paint can do wonders for tired old metal lurking underneath. The add was on Face Book and the first sentence read,”1937 Ford Truck older resto has rust in usual places.” RUST!! That is the number one warning sign in the world of vehicle evaluation. So I asked a few questions and they sent a video which gave a quick tour around the truck. And yes there are some rust issues. In fact there are some spots where the paint is bubbling up, indicative of rust creeping back up through the nice looking paint. He says that the floor board is made of wood! Pretty sure Henry was putting metal in there by this time. So the overall impression is a so so resto job and paint over an inadequately prepared substrate. In other words, “Lipstick on a pig”. Now don’t get me wrong. There is nothing wrong with doing whatever is necessary to get these old rigs back on the road. But it also illustrates just how much effort it takes to restore them in a way that the elements will not take them back over again, and quickly! Certainly not worth anywhere near the $15,000 asking price. So that leaves me back to looking for that lightly rusted project vehicle. This has got me thinking maybe I am going about this in the wrong way.
