Barn find

[59-in-pieces]

"Bobby"
I'm sure you wanted Steve P. not me Steve B. to come help you.
It takes a really good friend to help scrape the cr...p off your shoe once you step in it.
Back to reality, if you look at new car sales of the eras we are speaking of, the MAJORITY were cars of the 4 doors persuasion.
Who knew they were so unpopular, and the buyers were just radicals going against the future wisdom.
I relinquish my soap box.
Have fun,
Steve B

[gary griffin]

 I have several 4 door cars including the 1940 LaSalle 4 door convertible. I have a 4 door truck and a  2 door truck to balance things out.  My parents are 93 (Today is Mom's birthday) and I may put the top down on the LaSalle and take her for a ride.  I have my cars to enjoy and part of that is sharing the ride with my parents and grandchildren. Both 2 door and 4 door cars have their place in the world and we can all respect the opinions of others.

[Walter Youshock]

Glad I took my '91 Brougham oou to daily service.  I've had that car to Nationals als, on Driving Tours, a 3k round trip to my sister's...  Many of these trips,we're made with my older parents who couldn't enter or exit a coupe--especially the '57.

When I get older, I'd like a nice rwd series 75 and chauffeur...  closest I'll get is a hearse and chances are that'll be a Lincoln.

[jwjohnson86]

Funny that we haven't heard a peep from the OP about their "finds" while an epic debate about 4 vs. 2 doors takes place 

[Steve Passmore]

Funny that we haven't heard a peep from the OP about their "finds" while an epic debate about 4 vs. 2 doors takes place 

That's the way most threads go on this forum.

[Bobby B]

   I'm really glad that there are people out there who love their 4 doors, leaves more 2 doors for me and Bobby
My old dad used to say "Be a strange world if we all loved the same girl"

Steve,
Excellent synopsis....When it came time for me to purchase my first car, my Dad told me that I could buy a car and work on it a year before I was officially allowed to get my Driver's license. He said the stipulation was that there was only one car that would be allowed in the house, and it could only be a Convertible...Bam! Now you can see why I was hooked from an early age on. My old man did it to me, and unfortunately, I passed the same philosophy onto my kids. ...If you see two cars sitting in a lot and someone says "Let's go for a ride", I could honestly say that 99% of us are jumping into the Convertible, before the four door, unless of course, the women are afraid of getting their hair messed up. People would always ask if we could take my car somewhere, borrow my car, etc., pretty much because it was a Convertible. Again, just my opinion......

Funny that we haven't heard a peep from the OP about their "finds" while an epic debate about 4 vs. 2 doors takes place 

A fun discussion entailed while the one time poster was never to be heard from again. Maybe they thought the forum was a good place to advertise a car for free, or to put the feelers out to see if there were any takers before they wasted their time dragging something out of a barn that THEY were not really interested in? To me, Barn finds usually equate to a full restoration in the long run anyway, after being neglected for so long. Of course, the anticipation is usually exciting at first, but I'd rather at least see a running, driving example of what I'm about to sink a good chunk of my time and money into, so I know what I'm up against. Frozen motors, Rust Buckets, and Cars in Milk Crates that the owner states every single nut and bolt is there plus some, is just not appealing to me anymore, unless you have unlimited time and you'd like to loose a lot of relationships along the line. Yes, I have sectioned cars, hung quarters, installed full floor pans, un-stuck motors, etc., but nowadays I try to spend a little more to get the best car that I can find within my budget, in order to eliminate buyer's remorse and stalled projects due to being overwhelmed.
                                                                                                                                                Bobby

[Jeff Rosansky CLC #28373]

I'll throw my hat in here.
I really can't afford to be in this hobby to the extent as some are. We found our coupe by accident and we were able to make it work....... I would have bought it even if it was a 4 door. Just always wanted one and we finally have a Caddy. I am not sweating the small stuff, at least I am in the game.
But, shhhhhh, I am happy it only has 2 doors.
Jeff

[INTMD8]

Barn finds usually equate to a full restoration in the long run anyway, after being neglected for so long. Of course, the anticipation is usually exciting at first, but I'd rather at least see a running, driving example of what I'm about to sink a good chunk of my time and money into, so I know what I'm up against.

Gonna have to disagree with you once again. I bought my 59 convertible from someone on this forum. It had been sitting for 35 years and the engine was seized. Engine/trans and brake rebuild along with tires and a general cleaning and it was back on the road the very next summer.  I've put thousands of miles on it and everything works great. Power windows, seats, signal seeking radio, power antenna, all worked and required no attention. Power top just needed new fluid. I replaced one bulb, for the license plate.

Could it be worse? Of course, but stored in a decent garage a lot of these cars can be brought back to usable condition without doing a full restoration.

[Bobby B]

I'll throw my hat in here.
I really can't afford to be in this hobby to the extent as some are. We found our coupe by accident and we were able to make it work....... I would have bought it even if it was a 4 door. Just always wanted one and we finally have a Caddy. I am not sweating the small stuff, at least I am in the game.
But, shhhhhh, I am happy it only has 2 doors.
Jeff

Jeff,
Just for your brutal honesty and humor, I'd hail you even if you owned a 6-door vehicle....

Could it be worse? Of course, but stored in a decent garage a lot of these cars can be brought back to usable condition without doing a full restoration.

Jim,
  Just for the record, the subject was "Barn Finds", not cars stored properly in a decent garage way from the elements, rodents, moisture, etc. of a "Barn". I'm on the East Coast and have seen my fair share of some real down to earth "Barn Finds".
  I'll wholeheartedly agree with your above statement of reviving a stored car, but let's get back to the subject and compare apples to apples. Geographics can play a big part in general condition of a vehicle stored for any length of time. We have a term here called 'East Coast Rust Bucket"... Whether Indoor, outdoor, barn, garage, etc., there are very few cars in this area that can escape that moniker that were left unattended. I'm sure the arguments will be coming, but very few cars have zero rust where I live, and for obvious reasons.

[GBrown #8092]

Talked to the OP this afternoon, the '59 has been sold, which is why he may not have returned

I'm in for the four doors as well. While I admit, that in some years I prefer a drop top or a coupe, I find the four door to be more practical, and more within my price range.

As for the cost of redoing barn finds. Depends on where you start and how far you want to go. Do you want a Concours show piece or a nice driver. All except the 65 Eldo and the 93 were Chicago area cars.
My 65 Eldo was a major job to get it from what it looked like in 1985 when I found it under a plastic tarp outside, to completion in 1989, much now needs to be redone, but still fun; 65 Fleetwood had major frustrating systems issues,  and new ones pop up every now and then and still haven't painted it; '57 Brougham- well its a Brougham; 72 Fleetwood- issues arise but its been driven to each GN from 2010-2015; 76 Fleetwood- tires, fillers and new gas- had been sitting since 1984, 93 Touring Sedan- tires, heater fan, and brake booster. Only the 76 was close to being properly stored. I don't think I have more than $10k in any of them, and most are pretty presentable or better. I'm a practiced parts installer not a mechanic or bodyman.

Admittedly though, I did give up on my '47 Fleetwood, and the '97 Catera that developed an engine know on the way to the GN last year

Any day in a 4 door Cadillac, is better than in a lesser marque.

GB

[INTMD8]

Jim,
  Just for the record, the subject was "Barn Finds", not cars stored properly in a decent garage way from the elements, rodents, moisture, etc. of a "Barn".

Yes and also for the record "barn find" is probably just as, if not more often actually a car in a garage or storage unit.  "storage unit find" just doesn't sound quite as romantic.