Left house on a procar mission @ 6am yesterday, returned @ 4:10am this morning. Long day. We ran out of daylight, didn't accomplish enough - but did beat impending Sandy's downpour.
This trip took months logistically to line up, literally since last December when mentioned in this thread. Leaves obscured Eureka yesterday, so this is a shot from late last year.
A good friend has tried to buy this coach for 20 years. Initial price given was $2500 and $100 for every car that had to be moved to free Eureka. Dejected, my friend stopped counting after 22 cars! He has tried to buy Eureka since with no luck. Owner lives 4 hours away from properties where cars sit. He had a bad bout of pneumonia early this year and has been pretty much bed ridden since. Maybe he realized that he won't get around to doing anything with his cars. Perhaps his own mortality has started to sink in. For whatever reason however, the owner really took a liking to me and I managed to negotiate prices down on several items to more palatable levels. A property manager entered equation on owner's behalf, then we had to wait for bugs, poisonous snakes, and temperatures to subside for season.
A fence had to be removed, 3' deep roadside ditch filled, trees downed and cleared, before then only having to move two junk cars blocking Eureka. Starting point - and you can barely make out Eureka.
Since a few of you have asked to accompany on such excursions, a couple PCS site members joined the fun. Josh Horton helps clear brush & trees. Progress!
Rollback #1 with a strong fast winch has too tired a motor to make any long trip. It was going to ride piggyback on rollback #2 that is for good long hauls has a slow winch rated for less weight. Rollback #2 operator completely flaked out last minute, which subsequently negated rollback #1 entirely. We then sourced rollback #3 local to yard (and for a reasonable rate) before he called and cancelled morning of. Utilizing a "run what 'ya brung" dragstrip creed, our pull truck more than handled the job. Here's the first car sliding like a hockey puck down the street after the entire rear end was ripped clear off.
And not long after after, the second car.
Now it was time to replace wheels on Eureka before carefully (ie: s l o w l y) removing. To remain efficient while two friends tackled this task, Josh went to work pulling parts off a Miller Meteor (more on this later) and I began tackling a Superior (also more later). Before Josh and I even knew it, the Eureka had been freed - so I missed action shots. Only the front two wheel's replacement proved enough to move. At least one landau iron was placed properly.
Marginally rougher than anticipated once on firm ground.
The deep path left before replacing fence and gathering ditch filling boards.
After more closely inspecting, the new owner was really on the fence about what to do with it. He has enough projects already that Eureka wouldn't get done in the next decade probably. Then again, it IS a '64 Eureka landau...
Each of us understood his internal struggle. We were happy to assist with his find of 20 years ago. Work, when accomplished among enjoyable company and with a likeable subject matter, has a fun factor. Even if he decided not to keep it, our roles helped save a piece of history and that was rewarding enough.
For we found out yesterday that this entire yard and a second property are under current negotiations to be sold/scrapped; that a definitive answer will be had in the next 2-4 weeks. Maybe that was the underlying reason why I had received better pricing after all. Improved timing?
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Today, after all the hubcaps had been removed and Eureka inspected more closely, my friend has decided it needs a better home than he can currently provide. Nicholas Yassan expressed interest immediately last year and currently has right of first refusal. Next person desiring a Eureka project reasonably that can start giving attention in the foreseeable future stands behind him.
Eureka is several hours away from me. Interior pics if there when next I visit.
This trip took months logistically to line up, literally since last December when mentioned in this thread. Leaves obscured Eureka yesterday, so this is a shot from late last year.
A good friend has tried to buy this coach for 20 years. Initial price given was $2500 and $100 for every car that had to be moved to free Eureka. Dejected, my friend stopped counting after 22 cars! He has tried to buy Eureka since with no luck. Owner lives 4 hours away from properties where cars sit. He had a bad bout of pneumonia early this year and has been pretty much bed ridden since. Maybe he realized that he won't get around to doing anything with his cars. Perhaps his own mortality has started to sink in. For whatever reason however, the owner really took a liking to me and I managed to negotiate prices down on several items to more palatable levels. A property manager entered equation on owner's behalf, then we had to wait for bugs, poisonous snakes, and temperatures to subside for season.
A fence had to be removed, 3' deep roadside ditch filled, trees downed and cleared, before then only having to move two junk cars blocking Eureka. Starting point - and you can barely make out Eureka.
Since a few of you have asked to accompany on such excursions, a couple PCS site members joined the fun. Josh Horton helps clear brush & trees. Progress!
Rollback #1 with a strong fast winch has too tired a motor to make any long trip. It was going to ride piggyback on rollback #2 that is for good long hauls has a slow winch rated for less weight. Rollback #2 operator completely flaked out last minute, which subsequently negated rollback #1 entirely. We then sourced rollback #3 local to yard (and for a reasonable rate) before he called and cancelled morning of. Utilizing a "run what 'ya brung" dragstrip creed, our pull truck more than handled the job. Here's the first car sliding like a hockey puck down the street after the entire rear end was ripped clear off.
And not long after after, the second car.
Now it was time to replace wheels on Eureka before carefully (ie: s l o w l y) removing. To remain efficient while two friends tackled this task, Josh went to work pulling parts off a Miller Meteor (more on this later) and I began tackling a Superior (also more later). Before Josh and I even knew it, the Eureka had been freed - so I missed action shots. Only the front two wheel's replacement proved enough to move. At least one landau iron was placed properly.
Marginally rougher than anticipated once on firm ground.
The deep path left before replacing fence and gathering ditch filling boards.
After more closely inspecting, the new owner was really on the fence about what to do with it. He has enough projects already that Eureka wouldn't get done in the next decade probably. Then again, it IS a '64 Eureka landau...
Each of us understood his internal struggle. We were happy to assist with his find of 20 years ago. Work, when accomplished among enjoyable company and with a likeable subject matter, has a fun factor. Even if he decided not to keep it, our roles helped save a piece of history and that was rewarding enough.
For we found out yesterday that this entire yard and a second property are under current negotiations to be sold/scrapped; that a definitive answer will be had in the next 2-4 weeks. Maybe that was the underlying reason why I had received better pricing after all. Improved timing?
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Today, after all the hubcaps had been removed and Eureka inspected more closely, my friend has decided it needs a better home than he can currently provide. Nicholas Yassan expressed interest immediately last year and currently has right of first refusal. Next person desiring a Eureka project reasonably that can start giving attention in the foreseeable future stands behind him.
Eureka is several hours away from me. Interior pics if there when next I visit.