HG's thread of miscelaneous stuff

[hgs_notes]

Originally Posted by Low Elco

That one dude has a lot of stuff- and still keeps his game tight! Respect!

Agreed.

Originally Posted by BRUISER

That first stop looks like a slice of truck heaven. Especially digging the manicured and weed-free landscaping around all the cars/trucks/parts outside.

The wife said they had just put them out there for the winter. If they had been sitting there in the summer there's no way the lawn would've looked that good around them. No matter what you do it kills the the grass under them. Come spring they will move em again. Where I don't know, but they definitely know what they are doing.

The wife told me they are getting annexed into the city soon and they are worried about the vehicle issue. They own a shop in town there and she said her husband told the city that if they get bothered about it he will move everyone 1 of them onto his property in town which is zoned commercial.

Originally Posted by Ol Blue K20

Man!...that guy has a lot...he must live in the shop just to get some of them done. That Ramcharger or red C20 didn't look to bad. The prison didn't look like a place I want to live..LOL

The ram charger did look pretty solid even though it had been there long enough to sink into the ground. Really surprised they don't look more picked over. That intersection is in a remote part of the state but still a fairly busy intersection of 2 US Hwy's.

I finished up my work required training BS so I'll take some time to finish my little story.

Where was I? Let's see, I made my last stop for the day in Morris and headed towards home. Along the way is that place in Benson with all the VW stuff I posted a while back. I stopped in again to see if there was anything new and see if the owner was around. He wasn't again, and they have moved some things around and I think there are more buses, but I really liked this little tiny, itty bitty Suzuki they had out front.



The frame rails can't be more than 2' apart. The front diff was so small my hand could cover it side to side. About the size of a side by side rhino. I need to look up what model it is but it looks like it would be fun as hell to toodle around in.

I looked it up and I think it's a Jimny. It's basically the 1st generation of the Samarai. Just 3 meters long and very low power, but we can fix that.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suzuki_...2.80.931981.29

Then south of Willmar there is an old junkyard along US 71. Smith Auto Parts I think it's called but I don't think he is even listed in the phone book. I had stopped once before a few years ago and talked to the old guy that owns/operates the place. He had told me then that he didn't really have any 67-72 chevy truck stuff so I never walked the yard. This time he was outside and we wandered about a bit. He would NOT stop talking. I don't think he gets many customers. It's not a big yard and he's not real good at what he does with it. The place reminds me of a small yard that was by Little Falls when I was a kid, right down to the type of cars scattered about. A lot of 70's 4 doors and other unwanted vehicles, but he has surprisingly stocked up on quite a few old chevy trucks. I didn't see anything I had to have but Here are some pics to give you an idea of what's there.

I'll give my left over swap meet Bomp points to the first person that posts whats extremely wrong with this picture...












I kinda dig these old Celicas...


Must be Frizzle rubbing off on me with the tiny cars.

There was a 68-70 Pontiac Lemans there too that was banged up pretty bad. Not really anything else there car-wise that was interesting. Some late 50's - early 60's ford fairlanes and 1 T-bird. Only a couple old 40's fat fender cars and few pieces of earlier things. It took me a good 15 minutes just to get into my car and get out of there cuz the guy would NOT shut up and I'm too ingrained in the "MN Nice" to just walk away from a person talking at me. So if you are interested in checking the place out for yourself consider yourself warned. He's nice enough and I learned a few things, got a couple leads for other places to check out etc. but paid for it in my time and then some.

Anywho, parting shot from just before I got home...

[Ol Blue K20]

That lil 4x Zuki is kinda cool, I wish we had wrecking yards like that here. When I was a younger man we put a small block in a Celica like that and that was a fun car...Nice sunset

[hgs_notes]

Originally Posted by Ol Blue K20

That lil 4x Zuki is kinda cool, I wish we had wrecking yards like that here. When I was a younger man we put a small block in a Celica like that and that was a fun car...Nice sunset

My first car was a 83 Celica GT-S liftback with a 5-speed manual. I really liked it but sold it to my cousin when I bought a Toyota SR-5 pickup in 89 which to this day, is the only "new" vehicle I ever bought. Anyway, he totaled it 3 weeks later sliding sideways into a tree. He survived alright but still pissed me off. A few months later I was at a junkyard looking for truck parts and it was sitting on top of a pile. Pissed me off all over again. I think that 83 body style was great and have always wondered if the conversion kits they sold for dropping a sbc into the trucks would work on the Celica since it was the same 22R-EC engine. I like the Supras of that body style too and have aspirations to either build the V-8 version of the Celica or a much higher output turbo I-6 Supra if I can find a solid car to start with. I do know where a Supra is now and every time I drive by it the dream is revived.

[72shorbox]

Non-chevrolet motor in truck

[GOPAPA]

I bought my daughter a Celica years back and was thinking it would be great ,good gas mileage and not a sports car ,,WRONG the insurance company told us they needed more money for to insure her because it was rated a sports car,.. she liked it a lot and talks of it often when I and her talk cars...

[72shorbox]

oh yeah, I really enjoy this thread and the one on the blazer. Keep'em goin'

[68_Shortbox]

Originally Posted by hgs_notes

I'll give my left over swap meet Bomp points to the first person that posts whats extremely wrong with this picture...

The fact that someone allowed it to reach that condition..

[Ol Blue K20]

It's got a Ford engine in there......

[YBNORML]

You guys don't know how lucky you are down there. Up here, wrecking yards like that are virtually non-exisitant. Awesome pics!! Lots of useable iron there.

[hgs_notes]

Originally Posted by 72shorbox

Non-chevrolet motor in truck

Ding ding ding. You now have all the points left in existence. The motor was just sat in it and the truck never suffered the blasphemy of being motivated by it.

Originally Posted by GOPAPA

I bought my daughter a Celica years back and was thinking it would be great ,good gas mileage and not a sports car ,,WRONG the insurance company told us they needed more money for to insure her because it was rated a sports car,.. she liked it a lot and talks of it often when I and her talk cars...

Yeah my insurance as a 20 year old male wasn't a bargain either.

Originally Posted by 72shorbox

oh yeah, I really enjoy this thread and the one on the blazer. Keep'em goin'

Thanks.

Originally Posted by 68_Shortbox

The fact that someone allowed it to reach that condition..

That also.

Originally Posted by Ol Blue K20

It's got a Ford engine in there......

Too late, but you did ID it.

Originally Posted by YBNORML

You guys don't know how lucky you are down there. Up here, wrecking yards like that are virtually non-exisitant. Awesome pics!! Lots of useable iron there.

Many of us are very aware of how lucky we are. Glad you're enjoying the thread.

[Low Elco]

Enjoying the thread. Nice sunset!

[PAWS 72]

Enjoying it also

[SCHRUMGMC]

Enjoying the Truck photos..I find it very interesting

[prairewolf]

... Thanks for all your posts/pictures HG. ... awesome. ............... and I found one that won't high center if it snows a little.

[hgs_notes]

The early 60's falcon ranchero was a very versatile vehicle. Apparently they can be mud trucks too. But in America, we can make a mud truck out of anything.


Last week I was in the cities again. Didn't get much time to site see, but at 1 of the places I stopped at this awesome caddy convertible was parked in the garage. There was a car under a cover next to it that I'm pretty sure was a 2nd gen corvette but I wasn't gonna pull a cover off to verify.


A true land yacht. It's propelled by its own power so its not a barge.


Today was my only work day for a week. Gotta use up some vacation days before the end of the year. I went to Winona this morning to a gummy bear factory. They through a couple semi loads of corn syrup a day.


Across the street was an electrical shop with some funky unfinished bike/trike dealio. I'm fairly certain I could do better, but why?


There's a body shop along US Hwy 14 in Claremont that I've been driving past for years. There are usually some older cars parked around it. I kinda like the grills on these Toranados. Think they are 69-70 models...



I keep finding T-birds. Seems they are everywhere. I like 'em. The lines are great. The tail lights are sleek. The front end looks good. The interiors are beautiful. But they are heavy beasts for what I consider to be a medium size car. They are pretty damn cheap to buy too. I've been watching them lately and real nice clean early to mid 60's T-birds can be had for less than $7000. Anything newer than that looks terrible.



I don't know what this is, but I dig the tail lights. Reminds me of Madonna.

[Low Elco]

That Cad is Straight Pimpin'! No other way to say it. 17" Daytons, Whitewall Vogues, Air ride, 3,000 Watts of clean install, Awwwww Yeaaaaaahhhh! Git yo Swerve on!

[hgs_notes]

Hi everyone. I've been burning up vacation days for over a week except for last tuesday, which I already posted pics from. I haven't even been working in the garage. I've got a long list of home repairs/updates etc. that have taken up most of my free time.

But today I hit the road again and the site seeing was good. Since I really didn't have a set schedule I took some time to stop and take pics at this motorcycle place I drive by all the time. Sport Wheels in Shakopee. They have a huge assortment of used bikes and bike parts of almost any style or manufacturer. It's really worth a stop to just look around if you're in the area.

http://www.sportwheel.com/






















Big Honda inline 6...



Ran into a problem with my shockwave plugin locking up so I'm gonna post this (or try to) and reboot and finish posting the rest.

[hgs_notes]

More bikes...


Cute...


This was a pretty sweet miniature...


Also had a couple cool old fords there (this was a big ford day for some reason)...





Back to work. I inspected some air tanks at some car dealerships. I've been reading about the new subaro BRZ and I got to sit in 1 today and saw a couple of them. And I like it. Similar handling to a miata, similar price in a much cooler package. Juice up the power a bit and it would be Badass.


This dealership group has the biggest body shop I think I've ever been in. Four prep booths, 2 finish booths, idk how many stalls in the shop area, a pair of 75 HP rotary screw compressors filling the biggest air tank I have seen in a body shop but about a factor of 10 or more. Here is an old Saab getting restored for the company owner.


One of the techs told me I should see the owners private collection. I tried. Even though I work for the company that insures them, they wouldn't let me in. Very private, by invitation only place. Doesn't mean I will stop trying though. Somewhere in the tens of millions value. I saw a couple pics. It's impressive.

Here was a customer car getting a little work done...



So I was heading for home and went through Maple Plain and spotted this along the highway. My personal favorite mustang style. If I ever found a good deal on a 69 sport roof I would have to buy it. I let the deal of a lifetime slip by me when I was 21 and have regretted it ever since.


Then I went through Watertown where Hooked on Classics is located. http://www.hookedonclassics.com/

It's not much to look at on the outside. Or on the inside either really, but they have some cool cars. I didn't get inside today and it's been a few years since I have been inside. They sell a lot on consignment. Anyway, here's what was parked outside...






Triumph Spitfire...


There was actually a GMC there too. It looked pretty solid.



That was about it for the day. On another note, I was able to get about a 4' tall stack of vinyl records from a guy for nothing. My oldest girl has gotten the bug for some unknown reason. All I know is she thinks they are cool. Over the holiday weekend we finally got to browse through them and I found this gem to pull out and keep for myself.

[Low Elco]

Cool! Love me some Trail 70's. Had a Yamaha MX like the one at the back of the row as a kid. That Mustang is slick!

[Number98]

Originally Posted by hgs_notes

So I was heading for home and went through Maple Plain and spotted this along the highway. My personal favorite mustang style. If I ever found a good deal on a 69 sport roof I would have to buy it. I let the deal of a lifetime slip by me when I was 21 and have regretted it ever since.

Same here! I picked up a 69 Boss 302 just out of high school for $1800, got it up and running for a couple hundred and started driving it everyday, had a guy roll up and ask about buying it, Of course I said it wasn't for sale and he said "we will see" and shook my hand and left. Well, the next day he pulled up and laid $3500 on the roof... Stupid me thought wow that's a fast $1500 I could make..... and I let her go

[Madtat]

HG!! Thank you for your thread pic's they never cease to amaze me. keep up the great work.

[TennesseeZ]

Originally Posted by Madtat

HG!! Thank you for your thread pic's they never cease to amaze me. keep up the great work.

Same here, really digging the rearview mirror (if that's what it is) on the Mercury, of course the Mach1, (I suspect we've all got at least one we regret letting get away), and the amazing pile of motorcycles (and bikes) and parts. Your choice of subject matter always seem to match my interests exactly.

[hgs_notes]

Originally Posted by Low Elco

Cool! Love me some Trail 70's. Had a Yamaha MX like the one at the back of the row as a kid. That Mustang is slick!

They are cool, and quite expensive nowadays. That Mach 1 was as nice inside as the outside. Top line restoration on that one.

Originally Posted by Number98

Same here! I picked up a 69 Boss 302 just out of high school for $1800, got it up and running for a couple hundred and started driving it everyday, had a guy roll up and ask about buying it, Of course I said it wasn't for sale and he said "we will see" and shook my hand and left. Well, the next day he pulled up and laid $3500 on the roof... Stupid me thought wow that's a fast $1500 I could make..... and I let her go

Mine happened when I was in the Navy. I was stationed in Idaho for nuclear power training at the prototype, and was driving my C-10 home for X-mas. Through the Wyoming mountains. I got stuck on 1 of the pass roads near Jackson Hole. I was extremely lucky it slid left rather than right or there would be no more HG or his C-10. Eventually I got pulled out of the ditch. Continuing my journey I had a hose rupture on my remote oil filter. On an indian reservation in western WY. Very little traffic. A Bell phone guy stopped to help and we got it going but it blew out again a short time later. I was out of oil, and freezing, so I hiked down the hill to the only house within miles of me.

I knock on the door of the house and a kid of about 12 answered the door. I told him what hapened and asked if I could just warm up for a bit. This was back in 1987, before cell phones were everywhere. He said, "Well my dads a mechanic and he's out in the shop right now." The weight slipping off my shoulders actually made a noise when it hit the floor I think.

We walked out to the shop and the guy was super helpful. Back then, servicemen were not always welcomed or treated well. Not like today by a long stretch, but he was ex-air force and was happy to help. We towed the truck into his shop and while he had it on the lift to fix my bad hose I had the chance to look around. He had a 69 Mach 1 there and we talked about it. He wanted to sell it. He had that car, which was pretty solid, plus another parts car, plus a brand new rebuilt 428 SCJ with dual quads sitting on the shelf still wrapped in plastic and he asked for $2500.

You're probably thinking I'm an idiot for not dropping the cash right then and there. I had it in my pocket! I had just got my bonus check for graduating prototype training. But remember, I was in remote WY. I'd been stuck once. Broke down twice. Had no trailer. And since I had just graduated that school, I was heading to San Diego for welding school in a few weeks, then to submarine duty right after that. My parents didn't have a place to keep this stuff for me, and I was between homes.

Looking back I could've rented a u-haul, paid for storage for a while til things settled down, sold my C-10 and had the car I have really wanted since I was little. My dad had one new in 69 and it's my oldest automotive memory getting slammed into the backseat when he hit the throttle. (pre-seatbelt requirement days, I'm still here) I've driven by the place a few times over the years and have always wondered if they were still there. But I got married, had the kids, limited budgets and space and all the same excuses we all use and have never stopped.

Maybe next time will be different.

Originally Posted by Madtat

HG!! Thank you for your thread pic's they never cease to amaze me. keep up the great work.

You're welcome. I'm enjoying the feedback doing it. I really do have a great job and the freedom to do this kind of thing.

Originally Posted by TennesseeZ

Same here, really digging the rearview mirror (if that's what it is) on the Mercury, of course the Mach1, (I suspect we've all got at least one we regret letting get away), and the amazing pile of motorcycles (and bikes) and parts. Your choice of subject matter always seem to match my interests exactly.

We are all gearheads here at some level. Here's another shot of the Merk. Those side mirrors are on both sides and I like the fender mounting point, like they do in Europe.


Notice the cop in the background? Speed trap. LOL

[Ol Blue K20]

Thanks HG this was cool to see...what year was that album from chevy?

[hgs_notes]

Originally Posted by Ol Blue K20

Thanks HG this was cool to see...what year was that album from chevy?

The only date I could find on it was from 1961. Which makes sense based on this...Originally founded by Louis Chevrolet and ousted General Motors founder William C. Durant on November 3, 1911 as the Chevrolet Motor Car Company.