Best places you've found a new project

[Cyprus106]

Alright, forget the "auto trader" magazines and that crap. I know some people out there have found some pretty darned good projects in some unlikely places. Personally, my latest project, a '59 edsel, I dug up in a town of about 250, at a 'car lot' (lots of cars parked in grass surrounding a big barn looking doodah). The poor thing had been sitting underneath what appeared to be a garage with no garage door for about 10 years.
Of course the guy royally surprised me when he took me inside the garage to show me his ALL ORIGINAL model T, 68 Mustang, '82 Vette Stingray, 2 fully restoed packards, fully restored plymouth savoy, and a model A.

My favorite place to find cars is driving down "highway 5" from missouri to Arkansas. I just took it again yesterday back from arkansas. Finally without the old lady in the car, it would normally be a 5 hour drive... took me 7. Darn it I stopped for EVERY old car I saw, and there were TONS... just sitting back in farmers land, rotting. Novas, Classic 48 Cadillac, Pontiacs, More Cadillacs, Chevys, 2 Thunderbirds, Impalas, Olds 442... the list just goes on. All just molding.

My buddy found a t-bird in GREAT condition in the back end of one of those BFE 'flea markets' that's just somebody's house on the side of a crap road in southern missouri.

And another guy, a client of mine, bought a 68 Nova that was sitting out on a field, grass so high you could barely see it. He stopped, talked to the owner, who told him $50 and it was his. A little rust on the front quarters and on the rocker panels was the extent of the body damage. The owner said 'it runs but there's something wrong with it. it's making a bad knock.' Dood went over and started it, turns out the engine was just really souped up. He told the guy that the car waas worth more, but the man said that it was his son's, who had just died overseas and it reminded him of his son and he just wanted it gone. Dood drove it home, spent about 12 hours repairing the body and it was completely solid.

so where's the oddest places you'd not think to look for a good deal on a restore job.

[79Bandit]

ahh so you like in missouri im guessing? i live in olathe kansas about 15 min away from missouri let me know if you come across any 72 chevelles (not malibu) thanks..and the closest to a steal i came to was when i got my 79 trans am from a guy who had a kid and had to get rid of it to make room sold it to me for a grand in near perfect condition

[curtis73]

My best project was found when some friends of mine bought a farm in PA. They were scouting the 124 acres to locate a good place to build their retirement home (a log cabin) when they discovered a 65 IH scout in the weeds. I got it free and it wasn't worth that much

www.curtisandkim.com/scout.htm

['97ventureowner]

I was looking for a pre-1968 car to put my modified engine into,( this was back in the early '90s when NY was considering sweeping changes to the emissions laws which would change how a vehicle could be modified. From what I had read , the law would exempt vehicles made before 1968. I'm glad those laws never took effect though.) I had mentioned to a co-worker at the garage I was working in at the time and he told me of a car that he had in his garage. I went to see it and was surprised when it turned out to be a 1964 Chevrolet Bel Air in great shape. It had no engine or transmission, which was a plus since I already had these. I got the car for $650 and am still in the restoration process 14 years later (A work in progress.)

[jefflilly]

I feel that Arizona or any desert part of the country is the best because rust is so expensive to repair. Always look for solid metal bodies to avoid any heachaches later.