HI all.....
Today we retrieved a 64 Crown Coupe for a friend of mine and member both the
IML and our local Mopar club. This was initially just a mutual deal Hutch
and I made and I didnt think much about it. What I saw today, was both
fantastic and morbid at the same time....and perhaps, arguably anyway, as
bad a fate as the recent derby thread we have endured. Anyway, to make a
short story long and to fill in the details, here it goes.
We were out in the Tacoma , Washington area and basically in the rain
forest. Technically probably not the rain forest, but for the sake of these
cars...close enough. What we found, at the one location I was at:
(2) 59 or 60's....I say 59, my son said 60 but the fin says 59 to me.
(4) 63's..one was a coupe.
and the very sad rusted remains of a completely stripped 56. And yes, there
is more!
At the other house...we didnt go there, but it was very near, they indicated
that they had 2 more 64's, 2 66's, and one or two others. In similar
condition to the one we brought home.
Ok you may be asking, whats so morbid here? These cars, have been sitting
under trees, on flat tires, belly in the dirt, in what I would say are the
second or third worst physical conditions I can think of...and they have
been sitting for a long time! Maybe, parked tire deep in the ocean or 20
years where they salt the roads for 6 months of the year would be worse.
All these cars, even in the conditions they are in, made me see in my minds
eye the beauty they once had, and to a degree they still had today. Like
the Titanic at the bottom of the Atlantic, even in such deteriorated shape
they inspire the spirit and beauty they once held.
Technically, I would say if you had several cubic yards of cash...preferably
larger bills, you could still make cars out of them. I would say that youd
be replacing all the interiors, headliners, and to be practical...anything
that can hold water, rot, moss and sludge. As far as the
mechanicals......the carbs looked like white powdery castings of what must
have been carbs once, several had missing air cleaners or engine parts, and
if one had the time and inclination..not to mention a vat of phosphoric acid
etching solution the size of a swimming pool, you could probably save the
sheet metal.....floor pans would be a different story.
Now Im not trying to be a pessimist, and its not my place to stand in
judgement of the owners...who were a very nice older couple and made our job
of retreival as easy as they possibly could......but it was and is just such
a shame to see what has happened to these cars.
You could see that they had been parked, and just left where they sat. I
would hazard a guess that eventually they will go to a wrecking yard and all
that lovely and harder to find chrome,stainless, trim, mirrors, and so much
more....instrument panels, electrical parts, will go the way of the crusher.
I know this is rambling, but the connection I was thinking of was , " if
these had been derbyed would they have suffered any more?"
The fellow I spoke with indicated that they were all for sale, and to me it
was humorous that they would only sell complete cars any more. Apparently
some folks from Norway or Sweden were here, bought and then stripped the 56
of anything and everything then left it. So the owner says he will only
sell complete cars and he wont give the titles up till they leave the yard.
Moral or ethical issues aside, I dont know what would stop someone from
buying one, showing up and taking it apart and leaving the rest....unless
you really wanted to try and resurrect one.
These cars ...the ones I saw....were such a contradiction, they were
so...INTACT...but yet they were so deteriorated. I know if I had the $$$$$$
and the time, Id give some serious thought to the 63 coupe, but in my case
it would be a lot more $$$$$$$ and time than I see in my immediate future.
The owner of the cars welcomed me to pass along their e mail address, if
anyone is interested at all for any reason, please contact me privately!
Thanks everyone, take care
Mikey
62 Crown Coupe
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