I've had the road runner for around 4 years now. The major work is complete, it's fun stuff from here forward. Like bolting on a person's choice of wheels and tires, collecting all the factory reproduction decals to apply under the trunk lid, under the hood etc. Detailing things, washing and waxing, changing oil and checking tire pressure, driving it to local car shows etc.
I get a txt a week and a half ago from a car club friend. He says there is a guy been txting him and calling him like crazy. This guy is looking for me, wants to talk to me about my 69 road runner.
My buddy dint want to give out my number to a stranger without checking with me first.
So, I get the number for the guy and I call him. Turns out there is a search effort going on for this road runner I've got. This guy is like second or third owner of the car and he's trying to help the previous owner find the car.
(This really is a short version to this story too, I was on the phone with this guy for 2 hours)
A couple of days pass and I'm put in contact with the guy that's searching for his old car. He's been wanting it back for about 40 years.
He launched a serious search effort for it about 7 years ago.
He was shocked by the idea that the car still existed.
He was even more shocked by the fact the car was still numbers matching, still retains it's original engine, transmission, it's still all there.
He was further shocked to learn that it doesn't look like this:
Rather it looks like this today:
It's been his dream to find his old car from his high school days. He knew that was a lofty dream as 4 decades have passed. So he's been searching for a similar one, he would have settled for another T7 bronze hard top with white vinyl roof, 383/4 speed, air grabber hood.
One problem, there aren't any. He's been trying for years, they just don't exist.
Anyways, to the point here...
The guy is simply wild with excitement as I have agreed to sell him his first love from 40 years back. The car is going back to Iowa where it started out in life.
It truly is an unbelievable story, who else could something like this happen to?
Yeah, probably nobody.
Feels like it was meant to be, as hard as it is to part with it. The gentleman is offering above fair price due to his sentimental attachment to the car.
I have a dream myself. A dream that will take some money to pull off. I'd like to pursue that dream and this sale will really help that dream become a reality.
I kind of know how this buyer must feel. Many years ago I lost, on trade, a fine Krag carbine. I hated to part with it but, owing to youth, I did. Lamenting it afterwards for years.
Fast forward to about twenty years ago. Cedar Rapids gun show. I'm just browsing along and eye a Krag carbine. Picking it up and looking at the SN I couldn't believe my eyes! Yes, it was the very rifle I traded in 1980ish.
So my original sixty dollar rifle purchase in 1966 was back in my rack in 1996. It's value had grown by a factor of six in the meantime but I was happy to pay.
It was his car origianly? And now he is getting it back in better than new condition! That is way too cool Dave. I would ask that you ( or your kids ) keep in touch with him or his kin. It would make a great story about the car from here on. And maybe even let one of your kids connect with it later. Too many times, I have wondered, waht ever became of that '57 Chevy? Or My old 61 bubble top Impala? Now with e mail, it would be easier than ever to keep track.
the realization of great dreams are most often accompanied by great sacrifice
can't begin to tell you how fortunate I feel to have shared some of your life
from the angle I see it, it is indeed a good one.
Weezy's car,
your boy shaving
camp Chickenbuck
the RR build
and now this, how that build may lead to more of your obvious talent and dedication to making lots more old graybeards happy by restoring the cars of our youth
deeply grateful for you allowing us to share a bit of your life by what you post here.
hey dave did u... turn the guy onto the build thread???...seems if he was looking for 7 years he would seen the thread ...a few of the rite words typed into "bing" brings a guy to the campfire....
Ultimately it was a newspaper ad that helped him along in his search.
It really is an amazing story.
And, along the way I learned the history of the car. It really is amazing that this car retains it's VIN stamped engine and transmission. This car wasn't exactly babied in it's ownership through the mid 70's. It frequented several drag strips down in Iowa, just stock heads up racing.
The idea that this guy can get his car back after 40 years, it still blows me away.
I think of it like this, I'm 43, soon 44...
Like most gear heads I too would like to be reunited with my first car. I was 16 when I got it, like most of us were.
16 yrs old was a long time ago for me. If I found my actual first car today in restorable condition it would be a miracle.
If I found it still had it's engine that would be a bigger miracle.
Now, if I waited 20 years from today.... and found my actual car.... not just restorable, but actually restored?
Awesome story from the beginning of the restoration to it's return to someone who will cherish what it means to him and what you have done, both to the car and for him.
That's an amazing story and while I can understand you being bummed I think in the long term you'll have much fonder memories of being involved in an amazing one of a kind story.
I'm also glad to read the way the story turned out as when I first saw that title I thought uh-oh, you let your daughter drive it.
when I first saw that title I thought uh-oh, you let your daughter drive it.
LMAO!!
I couldn't resist.
I had my uh-dad moment on black friday last year, but fortunately not that bad. My son got up at 5 dark thirty to hit the malls with his friend, go figure. I'd parked behind his car and he asked if he could use my truck and I said no problem as the mall he said he was going to didn't have a parking garage.
The uh-dad moment started with him telling me he went to the other mall that does have a parking garage. I failed to mention my truck has (had) a ladder rack that I got last summer for toting the canoe. As soon as he mentioned the other mall, I knew exactly what he'd done. And he managed to take off not just the front rack, but the back as well. I asked why he didn't stop when he heard the noise of the front rack hitting, he said he wasn't sure what the noise was so kept on going!
Needless to say I'll need to order some replacement parts for the rack before canoing this year. The bed isn't as bad as it could be, but if I ever put on a shel it's going to need some body work.
Like most gear heads I too would like to be reunited with my first car. I was 16 when I got it, like most of us were.
If I found it still had it's engine that would be a bigger miracle.
Was it even restorable when you got rid of it?
For the record, I'm 36, soon to be 37, and I DO NOT want to find my first car. It was a 1981 AMC Concord 4door wagon. I blew up the motor, so I know it won't be in stock form. God help anybody that hot rodded it.
I'd love to get mine back: 70 LeMans Sport convertible that dad ordered. I still have some of the factory parts to it. Underdash 8-track, A/C condenser and original heads.
Great story Dave! My first car, a '65 tri-power GTO convertible, went back to its original purchaser (also in Iowa). I had to have a Judge, so I was ready to part with the '65 if the price was right. He actually found the car (and me) by driving through the employee lot at the local Pontiac dealer where I was working part time.
Believe it or not, there's a purplish looking car sticking out of the berry vines about 20 miles from here that looks sure enough like a Judge, what little I know. At one time they wrote "NO!" on the windshield. Can't imagine why can you??
I lay awake at night dreaming about it. I sit in the evenings and sketch out the equipment layout in the shop and I simulate working out there in my mind. Then I erase and move things that are in the wrong place...
I think I am getting very close to my goal of a seamless layout.
I'm probably just as wild as this guy that's getting his old road runner back, I am very excited for my shop.
The win-win aspect of the Roadrunner returning to the previous owner is better than I could have imagined. I suspect you'll make the most of it, well done, Sir!
I lay awake at night dreaming about it. I sit in the evenings and sketch out the equipment layout in the shop and I simulate working out there in my mind. Then I erase and move things that are in the wrong place...
I think I am getting very close to my goal of a seamless layout.
I'm probably just as wild as this guy that's getting his old road runner back, I am very excited for my shop.
well like the guys have said keep us informed , stories pics , ups and downs , just like deer camp but better well maybe better
ND... cool to know you can get this RR back to its old owner. Cooler to know that this will get you closer to your dream. Good luck and smooth transitions, amigo.
A Chevy 2 is PREZACTLY what you need Dave. Free your mind from that Mopar junk.
Plenty of Chevy projects laying around here Bart. One of the favorites out of my project row is a 54 chev 2 dr post, she's a sweetheart.
Originally Posted by DocRocket
ND... cool to know you can get this RR back to its old owner. Cooler to know that this will get you closer to your dream. Good luck and smooth transitions, amigo.
Once again thanks for sharing another one of your car stories, they are IMHO my favorite threads to read on the campfire. I remember showing my wife the thread about weezie's stang build, I think that's the only thread I thought was so cool my wife would enjoy reading it. BTW, that was before the demise of the stang.
Looking forward to the completion of Northern Dave's motorhead lair and what comes out of it.
I'm also in the planning stages of at long last my first shop, albeit much smaller than I'd like and part of the house. In our local I had the option of a lot big enough for a stand alone shop but with a price tag on the dirt high there would be no funds for a shop, or a lot big enough for a house with a 4 car garage (really a 3 car with a tandem on the 3rd garage) and hopefully enough funds to build the house.
Don't forget to make motor and tool noises when planning out the shop
I lay awake at night dreaming about it. I sit in the evenings and sketch out the equipment layout in the shop and I simulate working out there in my mind. Then I erase and move things that are in the wrong place...
I think I am getting very close to my goal of a seamless layout.
I'm probably just as wild as this guy that's getting his old road runner back, I am very excited for my shop.
Man - somebody smiled on your life lately, and I think we all know Who...
I've had the road runner for around 4 years now. The major work is complete, it's fun stuff from here forward. Like bolting on a person's choice of wheels and tires, collecting all the factory reproduction decals to apply under the trunk lid, under the hood etc. Detailing things, washing and waxing, changing oil and checking tire pressure, driving it to local car shows etc.
I get a txt a week and a half ago from a car club friend. He says there is a guy been txting him and calling him like crazy. This guy is looking for me, wants to talk to me about my 69 road runner.
My buddy dint want to give out my number to a stranger without checking with me first.
So, I get the number for the guy and I call him. Turns out there is a search effort going on for this road runner I've got. This guy is like second or third owner of the car and he's trying to help the previous owner find the car.
(This really is a short version to this story too, I was on the phone with this guy for 2 hours)
A couple of days pass and I'm put in contact with the guy that's searching for his old car. He's been wanting it back for about 40 years.
He launched a serious search effort for it about 7 years ago.
He was shocked by the idea that the car still existed.
He was even more shocked by the fact the car was still numbers matching, still retains it's original engine, transmission, it's still all there.
He was further shocked to learn that it doesn't look like this:
Rather it looks like this today:
It's been his dream to find his old car from his high school days. He knew that was a lofty dream as 4 decades have passed. So he's been searching for a similar one, he would have settled for another T7 bronze hard top with white vinyl roof, 383/4 speed, air grabber hood.
One problem, there aren't any. He's been trying for years, they just don't exist.
Anyways, to the point here...
The guy is simply wild with excitement as I have agreed to sell him his first love from 40 years back. The car is going back to Iowa where it started out in life.
It truly is an unbelievable story, who else could something like this happen to?
Yeah, probably nobody.
Feels like it was meant to be, as hard as it is to part with it. The gentleman is offering above fair price due to his sentimental attachment to the car.
I have a dream myself. A dream that will take some money to pull off. I'd like to pursue that dream and this sale will really help that dream become a reality.
This is a nice story, everybody wins.
The end.
Originally Posted by northern_dave
This is a nice story, everybody wins.
Good deal. all the way around. if you didn't love cars Dave, you wouldn't have understood where the dude was coming from.
reminded me of the song "Riding With Private Malone"
My first real car was a '68 Dodge Superbee. Red with the white bumblebee stripe, 383, 4 speed, and the only option it had was an a/m radio. I don't know how many times I've dreamed of getting that car back. Lotta fun smoking Chevelles and GTOs, but serious dating required an a/c and traded it for a Pontiac Lemans. Wasn't the last puzzy-related bad decision, but it was a ton of fun for a couple of years.
I am being tortured with the presence of the car which still sits covered in my garage.
The new owner's funds have long since cleared and are in the bank waiting to be launched into our new shop project. He has the car transferred into his name and he is currently insuring the car. It's absolutely his car, a done deal.
But it's still in my garage, lol!
I have been tinkering with a few things for him. I detailed the air grabber duct work which was removed from the under side of the hood during restoration. The air grabber pieces have been refurbished and reinstalled, it all looks like brand new. The air cleaner lid has been stripped of it's old patina and freshly painted hemi orange and the new road runner/coyote decal has been applied. The car has a fresh original appearing battery, a mopar stamped yellow cap battery in this case. Wiring harneses have been cleaned up and re wrapped, just lots of little detail items.
The buyer of the car had a 1970 style Hurst pistol grip shifter in the car when he was a kid. He claims it was original to the car, stating that the car was a late production in it's production year and it left the factory with a pistol grip (1970 style) even though the car is a 69 model.
Regardless of the accuracy of that claim, he had a pistol grip in the car when he owned the car over 40 years ago so we're putting a pistol grip shifter back in it for him. I received the new shifter this week.
We are waiting for mother nature to commit to the idea of spring/summer before he comes up from Iowa with a trailer to tow the car back home.