check this yard out

This past weekend was one of the premier traditional hot rod & custom shows in the US: 9th Lonestar Round Up. There were two coaches present, neither worth posting here.

Took time to network and met some great folks - even couples from Japan and Finland that flew in for the show. One guy not far from me is into old Cadillacs. Stopped and saw a nice original white over light blue '56 Coupe DeVille waiting to be restored, couple '61s...

The most promising invite came from a gentleman with 400 Cadillacs and Buicks from the '50s on his property. He has "at least a couple hearses and several limos". I *seriously* can't wait to visit and am trying to make time this week for the (most likely) two day round trip. Now excuse the poor quality, as I snapped digitally on the spot from a color copy. You get the idea:

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No grand illusions of '59 or '60 hearses, sorry. Not here. But he does sell and the couple prices I asked about were reasonable. So...if you're looking for parts - PM me a list that I'll take with.

Never managed to find these sorts of cool stashes in Ohio!
 
I think I just died and went to junkyard heaven. LOOK AT ALL THOSE 59s :071:
Amen, Cadillac heaven for sure. God I wish I would have kept my 56 coupe deville. I've tried to buy it back 4 or 5 times. Never sell a car to a friend. Kent Martainson is the only friend who has ever sold one back to me. :D

Josh
 
Texas cars

Attila,
Thanks for sharing the pictures. I spied a mid 50s Buick convertible and what looked like the roof line of a series 75 Cadillac limo. The limo roof line might be a 59 but they were the same I think through 62. Maybe I should move to Houston with my daughter.
Any 63 or 64 Cadillacs in the mix?
Thanks again for sharing,
Mike

:thankyou2:
 
I only asked about professional cars. This is what he recalled off the top of his head:

'51 and '61 hearses.

Good '58, '61, '62, and '63 limos. Additional '61 and '64 parts limos. :smileTEXAS:
 
Warning next time please

I think I needed a warning that the photos would be quite graphic and disturbing. Waaaaaaaaaaaaaa
 
Amen, Cadillac heaven for sure. God I wish I would have kept my 56 coupe deville. I've tried to buy it back 4 or 5 times. Never sell a car to a friend. Kent Martainson is the only friend who has ever sold one back to me. :D

Josh

funny you mention that, I have a 56 caddy coupe deville
 
Arrangements have been made for a Mon-Tues trip next week. The cars are spread between 3 properties, primarily:

1. '59s
2. other '50s Cadillacs
3. "oddball" '50s Buicks, Chryslers, Imperials, etc.

To give an idea of price - I was quoted $150 for a set of '57 quarters. Granted, the bottoms are rotted but I only need from the waistline up. Hella good deal for a set of undamaged fins!

On the phone the guy remembered having a '55 or '56 hearse there too. Same guy sold a '59 Superior 3-way in '02 with rotted floors, good body, for $1500.

Can hardly wait to soak in the ambiance. :thumb:
 
I would love to hear more about this guy, I have 3 '59s and 4 '60s which could use some parts from the pile!! Does he have a buisness set up to sell parts or did he just hold onto things like I do?
 
Just walked in the door from the promised land~

Allow overnight to charge batteries - myself, camera, and phone. (Okay, the last was a joke that none are privy to. Need to keep laughing at a debilitating debacle.) Over 500 pics taken and I skipped the bulk of 4 doors this trip. :smiley3:

Updaticus Maximus tomorrow.
 
Arriving first and being antsy led me to climb a security fence and peer over barbed wire for an initial peek. This is not and has never been a business! Simply amazing. I love these types of guys.

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Easy to spot a '61 Series 75 limo parts car off the bat. Yes, the windshield is still good - along with dozens of other parts. In the back right corner, you may spot a camper. I was already cringing - yet excited at the same time.

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Sweeping to the left, more of the almost 400 cars on this property (the 1st of 3) become viewable. Roughly 25% are housed indoors here.

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Cadillacs comprise 85% +/-.
 
Collecting has been a passion for the owner since the '80s. Every last male in his family has died via heart attack before a certain age. He maybe has 3-4 years left. For this reason, he's now willing to start selling - which is perfect for the rest of us! Immensely private and not wanting to deal with the public, we went over several options. The primary goal is to grossly decrease the number of cars before passing. Thus leaving his wife a headache, who would then in turn call an auction company and settle for 15 cents on the dollar after fees and taxes on capital gains. The trade off is selling things reasonably - which he is willing to do. I'll list prices in For Sale and not here on those received.

By his count, he has 25 or so nice builders. By my count (coming from the rust belt), there are at least 100. Needing floor work doesn't automatically make something a parts car! Keep in mind there are hundreds of parts cars.

Ready for the first procar?

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Any guesses yet? Here is another hint:

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Okay okay already!

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Sure, it looks pretty crusty but in actuality not as rough as it comes across. Rockers are 75% there. Rest of body is workable. Not like military ambulances fall out of trees and this '51 is worth saving.

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Something looked peculiar to me about the lines. I didn't figure out exactly what was off until hours after leaving. Anyone picking up on the same..?

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More stenciling on dash. Should have wiped the decades of dust off in retrospect.

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No treasure under the side door. Stop smirking. You would have looked too. Ha.
 
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Never grow old of seeing those deco blank off plates. A hint of why the body lines looked funky is hidden in this shot.

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So basic; spartan. Attendants seats folded down to face each other.

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At this point I must interject that none will have an opportunity to add this unit. Sadly, it has sold within the last month and is awaiting being picked up.

As eluded to, the odd factor hit me hours later when scrolling through pictures taken at a dinner break. I assumed this was made by Superior. WRONG!!!

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Learn something new every day. That explains the higher roof and side body door above the waistline. Who honestly can admit to knowing Miller built military ambulances???

This is where Steve Lichtman will chime in, furthering my education. Thanks in advance for helping me grow.
 
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