Ones that Rusted Away

[mkcoen]

I looked at 2 M37 parts trucks last week. I'm saddened by the fact they were both unusable. One was so rusted that the bed had seperated on both sides by about a foot. It was parked in a heavily wooded area so was full of wet, rotting leaves. The second one made me want to castrate someone. The tub, fenders, and hood were completely rust free and solid, other than the fact that some nimrod cut them to pieces to make a "monster" truck and then changed his mind. The firewall, floor and part of the back had been completely cut out. The fenders (nice solid rust free fenders) had been cut in half to make a tilt front end and the hood was missing about 75% of the center.
I'm pretty new to the MV hobby but have restored and street rodded many civilian cars and pickups. I would never do anything to a vehicle that could not be undone in order to restore it to stock condition. When I see some torch happy idiot with a piece of history it just chaps my @ss.
Sorry for the rant but I felt the need to vent to others that would understand.

 

[jasonjc]

I feel your pain I know how you feel

 

[randyscycle]

I understand exactly. I watched a kid take a very rare, late 50's Honda motorcycle and carve the engine out of it for an aborted go-kart project. After I offered to buy it for a very good price.

The one that really kills me is when someone will never sell a vehicle, but will never do anything with it either, and it rots from neglect. I've watched so many good vehicles go that route, because the owner wouldn't sell it off to a person who'd actually finish the project or at least halt the degradation.

I even had a guy tell me one time that he'd rather see the vehicle in question sit there and rot, rather than sell it. Sad, really.

 

[wreckerman893]

Idiots as described above are proof positive that the intelligence is being bred out of the human race at an alarming rate.

 

[timntrucks]

i too hate to see the waste. i know of a duece in the woods with some trailers and they have been there so long no one knows who they belong to. i know we cant save them all but lets not quite trying Tim

 

[hole]

i too hate to see the waste. i know of a duece in the woods with some trailers and they have been there so long no one knows who they belong to. i know we cant save them all but lets not quite trying Tim

Sounds like a clear case of abandonment, you should go and save them from slow death

 

[steelandcanvas]

the one that really kills me is when someone will never sell a vehicle, but will never do anything with it either, and it rots from neglect. I've watched so many good vehicles go that route, because the owner wouldn't sell it off to a person who'd actually finish the project or at least halt the degradation.

i have seen this several times, in idaho. I would take the back roads home from work and spot an old truck in someone's pasture. I would often get the same response. I'll bet my paycheck these vehicles are still rotting away, and that was 10 years ago!

i even had a guy tell me one time that he'd rather see the vehicle in question sit there and rot, rather than sell it. Sad, really.

what was this guy thinking??.

 

[Skip]

wasted vehicles

Here in Maine people will either not sell them or they think there stuff is worth a lot more than it is. The bottom line is the vehicles will sit and rot.

 

[jdmcgowen]

In some cases "not all" I believe these are people with big dreams, that really do love these vehicles, but due to the common state of not having any money, we just see them sit and rot. And maybe these guys are a little selfish, or just feel sorry for themselves. So rather than let someone else have fun with it, they'll just keep it rotting with the hopes that someday, maybe, somehow they will be able to have it fixed up for themselves. And I have seen this in the past. My Aunt had a 56 Belaire, that she got new in highschool, sat from about 1970 to 2000. Was rotting away pretty bad, but so many people tried to buy that car and were pissed because she'd rather see it rot. Well now after about $20,000 it's restored back to original. Beautiful car, and always garaged now. My two cents are probably already spent,
John

 

[Crazyguyla]

The duece I have suffered the fate of sitting in a field/ swamp until the owner died and the widow sold the truck, or that's how I think it was freed. I spent a week removing tree limbs/ vines that had rooted themselves into nooks of the cab and frame.

I've tried to sell my Pacer to prevent it from rusting away.. but no one wants to buy a car with a bum engine. I'll have it fixed when I get home for the holidays.

 

[mkcoen]

Another unfortunate situation the last couple of years has been the price of steel. A friend who is restoring a 1955 Chevy Nomad took a load of scrap to a local recycler. In the course of their conversation the recycler was laughing about crushing 50's era vehicles. It was all my friend could do to keep from giving the guy a need to see his dentist. Luckily now that the world economy is in the tank steel isn't worth as much.

 

[Roadtrooper63]

Abandoned in Louisiana

I saw your post about the trucks in the woods that no one knows who they belong to. I also am from Louisiana. There is a law that says if a vehicle is has been abandoned for 3 years and is 25 years or older even if theres no bill of sale, you can get a title for it. The law is Louisiana revised Statute 32:707 M ...........If the property owner doesn't want it, it can be yours with this law. You have to wait a year to actually get the title, but can get your tags that day.

Just something to think about.

 

[Militoy]

....these are people with big dreams, that really do love these vehicles, but due to the common state of not having any money, we just see them sit and rot. And maybe these guys are a little selfish, or just feel sorry for themselves. So rather than let someone else have fun with it, they'll just keep it rotting with the hopes that someday, maybe, somehow they will be able to have it fixed up for themselves....
John

I believe this situation to be very common - along with the false sense of high $ value that can happen to an owner, if too many people show some minor interest in buying his "yard art".

I know of a number of interesting military vehicles around here, that have been "stuck" for years rotting away in their owners' back lots. At least the rusting rate is a little slower here in the desert than it is in wetter climates. The one that breaks my heart is a little Marmon-Herrington M22 Locust (not for sale, of course). It's missing the turret and one track, and has had an engine swap - but it's just begging me to spray on the PB Blaster, and put a wrench to it.

 

[NDT]

I feel your pain. But, much like the old lady with 150 cats in her house, I will drag home these disasters and part them out, so at least some parts can live on in somone else's truck. I hauled home a DUKW once that was so rusted that only the axles were any good.

 

[SasquatchSanta]

One of the bad things about driving old iron in the north country is the winter road salt. MVs are not protected like modern vehicles therefore the salt really takes it's toll. My only mode of transportation is an M37 and an M35. The salt was something I failed to take into consideration until the first winter.

 

[m376x6]

I always kept my eye open for interesting vehicles. I was browsing through the Sunday Rocky Mountain News many years ago when I cam across a Jeep Commando for sale for $1,500 in Kansas. I contacted the lady and she agreed to send pictures. Your typical Jeep. She called and asked about the price that had been in the ad for it, I replied 1,500. She immediately stated that was a mis-print and should have read $15,000. She had a close relative who was a State Patrol Officer and he had shown her where a mint conditon Commando was worth $5,000. After her husband had passed away she decided to have the Jeep rebuilt and was charged $5,000 for a fairly low quality paint job and was charged almost $5,000 to have the engine rebuilt. She had the receipts to prove it. She said it was in good condition but someone had tried to break into it and steal it and had messed up the drivers door. She had been trying to sell it for almost 2 years with no luck. She was very emphatic about the price because the cost of rebuilding it should be added on. I didn't say anything, just wished her the best of luck, to have a nice day, and hung up.

Regards,
M376X6

 

[tennmogger]

When I was 14, my family would drive past a very nice Dodge Power Wagon parked in front of a store in Tallassee, TN. It never moved. My dad went in and asked about buying it. It was not for sale. That was in about 1959. Last year, yeah, 2008, 49 years later, someone finally hauled off the carcass. I bet some of you have seen that truck near Chilhowee Dam.

Bob

 

[HAWKMAN]

Sort of the same deal happened to me.A 55 T-'bird that someone had thoughtfully stripped down to bare metal then (equally thoughtfully)was left outside covered with only a cheap blue tarp for what seemed ages so I stopped (that was twenty years ago) to ask if it was for sale and was greeted with a loud NO! and then the door was slammed in my face. Well the last time I drove by the car was still there but was a couple feet lower to the ground....very sad ending to a classic!!!

 

[dc3coyote]

My folks gave away my 1956 White refrigerator truck. It had been parked in 1989 and not moved. The weekend I get the parts I needed to make it run and even get home. I even had 10 new tires and wheels. After calling them and telling them I was coming up they informed me they gave it to a scrapper who towed it away. Yep talk about killing alot of plans.

 

[JeepMan]

My folks gave away my 1956 White refrigerator truck. It had been parked in 1989 and not moved. The weekend I get the parts I needed to make it run and even get home. I even had 10 new tires and wheels. After calling them and telling them I was coming up they informed me they gave it to a scrapper who towed it away. Yep talk about killing alot of plans.

Ouch !! That hurt.