How about those good deals?

[Boog]

From time to time you run across a good deal on something you might not need right then but buy it anyway for maybe some time down the road. Some deals are ok and some are great.
Now I haven't ran across many great deals in my life but I don't go looking either. I'm not bragging because this deal just fell into my lap so to speak.
Back in the late 70s I had ideas of putting a small block in a Vega or something. One Sunday morning Dad called and asked if I had any parts for that swap and that there was an ad in the paper for a muncie 4 sp trans, bell housing, clutch, flywheel, drive shaft and cross member, shifter for $75. I thought it just has to be junk. Well I called the guy and it turned out I knew him. He lived in my town but he worked in a town about an hour away. I worked a route in that town and serviced his company so I had known him for several years. Anyway I went over and bought his parts. He just needed some fast cash and said 75. So I hauled them home and put them in storage. Later I checked them out and that close ratio muncie was from a 69 Nova ss. Well $75 was a steal for all that. I later sold a couple of parts. I hung onto that tranny though and one night a bunch of years later the 3 speed in my 78 Chevy truck crashed. I limped it home and rolled it into the shop. I drug out that 4 speed and swapped it into the truck and rolled it out the door in a couple of hours. I had to modify the shifter to clear the seat but it all bolted right up. I couldn't believe it. I drove the truck for some years with that tranny in it then yanked it out for an auto. Back in the storage for the 4 sp. Some years later a guy came through looking for parts for an early 60s chevy ss. He wanted my 4 sp and by that time I no longer had any ideas for a small block small car so I sold it for $250. The crashed 3 sp from my truck I fixed with a couple of gears from another one and sold for $125. So all totaled that $75 purchase was one of those great deals that netted me several hundred dollars and it bailed me out when my truck went down too.

[davischevy]

I don't run onto that many good deals Boog, but I sure do run onto a lot of things I just "have" to have.

[flashed]

I just bought a 97 Chevy 3/4 ton 4x4 truck with 64000 miles on it for $7000 that looks and drives like new , seems like a good deal to me . Also bought 350 NOS hubcaps to resell ,not so sure about that deal yet , lots of dollars tied up in that one .

[special-K]

They say in life you have to take the good with the bad. Now that deal was not bad at all. Ain't like grand when things go so well?

This was just a couple years ago. I saw a set of tires along the road in front of a house as I passed it by. I noticed the wheels were 8-lug 9.75" aluminum slots, so I turned around to look. No for sale sign but out as if for sale. I knocked on the door, waited a while, then went to truck to write a note to put on third door. That's when a woman came out, said they were indeed for sale, and took my name and number. I get home in 15 minutes and there is a message on my house phone. It's the guy with tires talking so fast I could barely work out what he was saying. He said he had a 5th tire to replace the cupped up one and I heard $40, come get them, and if he wasn't there I could come back later to pay.

So I went in the morning, not sure if the whole set was $40 or what, but I left $40 under the seat of the old F350 stake body in front of his shop (I pass the place often), and followed up with a call. Tires were 35/12.50 BFG A/Ts and the wheels were cruddy as can be, some almost black. I got them cleaned up and they ended up on my '72 K2500. I love those wheels on an 8-lugger.

Well, it took about 500 miles before the left front blew it's tread. I had my phone out ready to pull my son's number up when a guy stopped to offer help, the very first vehicle to come along. We went to my place for a spare and other lug nuts and back. Drove it home for the last run on those slots.

I took the set up to Carlisle Trucks. It was after things died out and we were fixing to go get dinner with our other site member/vendor friends when a guy came up who just had to have those tires, and no interest in the wheels. I told him I wanted $300 for the set, but didn't have time to go get them dismounted at that time. I told him to give me his number, I'd set then aside, and he could buy then the next week once I got then dismounted. I guess he was worried I sell them out from under him, so he insisted on paying me the $300, I keep the wheels, and he'd be buy the next Tuesday.

Bill,the vendor across the isle had been yelling offers of $250 on the wheels all day long, but I was sticking to the $300. Bill wanted them for his buddy Bobby, who I knew wanted some bad. I talked to Bill and he said he'd rather get just the wheels and was willing to still pay the $250. So once we were all back home he sent me the $350 and eventually cam for the wheels for Bobby he was going to surprise him with.

Not too shabby. Paid $40 for the set of wheels I would have paid $300 for myself and ended up reaping $550 out of them. What we all cpildn't believe is how happy the very nice guy was to get his hands on that rotted set of tires,especially since I never got the chance to dismount that fugly blown out tire with that nasty gator 2/3s of tread hanging off of it. I have to admit, the sun was shining out my tu know what that day!

[Steeveedee]

In the late '70s I used to buy, fix and sell Chevy Vegas. After a few iterations, I had enough brackets, starters, alternators, transmissions, etc., that I had to buy a shed to put it all in. I would buy one blown up for $100 to $300, put a rebuilt steel sleeve engine in it with all new ignition, belts and hoses, and a new radiator, which was always the problem. I could get all the parts for about $500 and do the parts installation in a 10 hour day, and then sell them for $1000 to $1500, depending on equipment. Minimum per hour was $50 for that 10 hours, again, in the late '70s. I'd flip about one a month on average. You can't do that with the stuff running around these days, that's for sure.

[Boog]

10 years or so ago I attended a church auction with some members of that church. Not really looking to buy anything I saw a few things I picked up for the office and I saw a chain saw that looked pretty good. It was probably two years old, with case and spare bar and chain. It tried to start but would not. I watched the bidding and when it didn't get much action I began bidding. It was only me and one other guy. I didn't really need the saw but was willing to go up to $200 on it. It was real nice and I figured there couldn't be that much wrong with it. Anyway I won the saw for $85. It is a big Husqvarna. I took it to our local equipment rental/repair shop for a tune up and sharpening. I told him I bought this saw at an auction and at first glance my bud said 'you want to make a fast 100?'. I said no. He said 'how about 200?' Once again I said no. He grinned real big. He said 'do you know what you have here?' I said well I think so. He said with the case and all that is about a $700 saw. They sell and rent Husqvarnas so he would know. He sharpened the chain and pulled the screen out from the muffler and it fired right up. So for less than $100 I have a practically new heavy duty chain saw. I've use it only a few times since. I'm kind of proud of that one. Again, I wasn't looking for it but it fell in my lap.

[special-K]

I just bought the dustiest dirtiest grungy old looking yellow bowtie 3/4t stainless hubcap off a table full of crappy looking stuff like that being sold by the fattest sloppiest didn't get to his spaces till 10 am guy with all the parts I asked about overpriced for $5. Took it back to my space, cleaned up into a minty no dent very shiny cap and gave it to my buddy to go with the other nice one he had, he then stuck inside his truck to keep for himself yo make a pair of 4wd caps out of. I really wasn't sure it was dent/ding free till it cleaned up, but was pretty sure it was a diamond in the rough.I should have taken a before picture.

[Boog]

We ought to start calling you hawkeye.

I know. Years of practice.

[Greg63]

I was looking on kijiji (Canada's version of Craigslist) a while back for an older road map that was period correct for my cottage. I came across a local ad advertising maps for $15. I contacted the seller and asked if there was one from 1973. He responded that there was probably one there so I arranged to go by and pick up what he had. At $15 I figured it would be worth the gamble. I went by the persons home with my $15 and met the seller. Turns out the seller had seven shopping bags full of these vintage road maps that his late father had collected and he wanted them gone. I scooped up all seven bags and headed out.
I went through this lot and found over 750 maps from around the world, mostly US from the 1960's to 1970's. I found what I wanted for the cottage, and a few for my '63 and some others for friends/family for their vintage vehicles and sold the rest to collectors. All tolled I made about $1000 on my $15 investment.

Who knew road maps were so interesting.
Greg.

[special-K]

I love old road maps. They show a very good picture of what travel was like in that time. Also great petromobilia advertising as well as artwork. Artwork was used extensively back in the day, car brochures and advertising as well. Now that the world has become so digital with image reproduction at everyone's finger tips it's all so great to see. Maps before interstates are the best. With today's maps it's hard to see just how long and far the old 2-lane hiways ran. The ones that are there are fractured and segmented for the most part. Many of those were no more than the original wagon trails, and before that Indian trails... and before that animal trails, just widened and paved.

[Greg63]

Originally Posted by special-K

I love old road maps. They show a very good picture of what travel was like in that time. Also great petromobilia advertising as well as artwork. Artwork was used extensively back in the day, car brochures and advertising as well. Now that the world has become so digital with image reproduction at everyone's finger tips it's all so great to see. Maps before interstates are the best. With today's maps it's hard to see just how long and far the old 2-lane hiways ran. The ones that are there are fractured and segmented for the most part. Many of those were no more than the original wagon trails, and before that Indian trails... and before that animal trails, just widened and paved.

I really came to appreciate how those maps reflected a simpler time in life. I would liked to keep them but I realized I didnt need one more "thing" to collect.
Greg.

[special-K]

I'm at the same point. Just a few wouldn't take up any space.

I was getting fuel up at the crossroads this morning. This place and the next one down the road are owned by a local (my county) oil company. They lease the stations out and concentrate on fuel oil delivery. They are changing the stations over to Marathon. The one closest to me, where I was, was a Shell and the other a BP. They have several other stations around the area.

The isle closest to the building was closed off by the guys on a scissor lift and I was on the other side of the pumps. I noticed the Shell letters (metal w/plastic fronts) laying there and decided to call Steve, the guy who oversees these properties and is a friend. He tells me go ahead and take them. Just tell the folks inside and haul them out. I was on my way to a job and also had no room in the 'Burb. I was away from the station when our conversation ended and I decided to turn around so I could talk with the same woman I had just paid there. I tell her what's up and go for my trailer at home, about 5 miles away. I get back there and see a note saying come inside before loading. Not 15 minutes later and now it's the foreign guy who runs the station. He tells me he already sold them to someone for $50. Kinda strange since he doesn't own the property, but oh well...

I text Steve about it and he tells me he has the last of the Shell letters taken down and he'll drop them by. I got one set off Shell letters, lighted and all plastic. The ones at the station had broken light tubing and these I got are good.

What may be even better is, when I talked to the guys doing the work about where I should back the trailer the one guy said he has a bunch of signs back home. Not sure how many or what brand, but he was wanting to get rid of them by giving them to me! He has my number and will bring them in and call me. Pretty cool stuff and worth some money. All I did was ask Steve what they did with the letters, figuring they had someone who took them. From now on that might just be me! At least till Steve retires.

Also, Steve has a bow window that had aluminum trim that let water in and held it. Not good, he has rot. I'll go take a look and see if I can save the unit. I'm sure I can. He's a good guy and I drive past his place on my way into town...opposite direction from this station

[Ol Blue K20]

Deal of the day. A friend was doing some work in a local utilities yard. He asked the yard manager to move this winch and bumper out of the way. The yard manager said the truck it came off of went to auction without it. So he says to put it in the dumpster and what a shame as it was only used once before the truck was rolled and totaled. So my buddy loaded it in his truck and brought it to me......score!!