... to bid, or not to bid, that is the question

Got word today of a collection that was going up for bid by local invitation. I got an invite, so away we went. (me and the mrs) 48 2 dr super deluxe with an 8CM flattie in it, a 39 buick 2 dr, a 55 merc montclair 2dr, and a 62 F-100. My heart is set on the 48 super deluxe. All cars have been repainted, but they all have to have the brakes completely redone, the steering gone through, ( the super deluxe needs the box redone- it has an awful grating in it) They are all original underneath, all not too bad, except the buick- one guy saying "this thing has issues". All have decent "barn find paint" They all have paperwork, and all but one has current NY tags. All have been restored about 20 or so years ago, with original colors. One of the few times in my life to see "original" vehicles in a well used state. There is an appraisal form with each vehicle, but that was used for insurance purposes. I think they are going to be sadly disappointed what they are going to get for bids compared to the appraisals. But, that's the hazard of "invitational" bidding. Plus, none of them are currently running. And not a one has any brakes. I guess they reserve the right to throw out all the bids, but I honestly think they are going to sell without reserve. I always knew I had expensive tastes, and the appraisals show it- the Ford super was the highest figure. I hate not to bid, and let these go, but I do have enough finished vehicles along with an ample supply of unfinished projects. As a famous writer once penned......"to bid, or not to bid, that is the question". Or something like that.

Is the Merc anything but a rust bucket?

She is no rust bucket. Red and white, Y block. I believe wide whites. No pics, I was lookin at the 48- sorry.

New York is almost on another continent isn't it? 

Oh yeah, and fancy chrome teeth all across the grille. Impressive.

From a TN point of view, you would be right, but it's not like California where I'm at. Backwoods

Now that I think about it, could it be a Monterey, or was that later? Big full size sled- needs fuzzy dice on the mirror.

In 55 could have been either one.

I could get a fax of the appraisal if interested

Arieldouglas wrote:In 55 could have been either one.

In 1955 Mercury had Customs, Montereys, and Montclairs.

Hey.....bid high and bid often!

Not so much on the bid high- ended up having an inside track on the owners family. Got a little suggestion on the bid procedure, but I don't bid unless I get a deal. Plus they are sealed bids, so it helps that way to keep everyone (including me) honest.

If u got a inside track....How does that make it honest? 😄

It's not an inside track to the point I know the bids, it's not like that. Because the only way I will know the bids submitted is if I win one. The "executor" was my wife's health teacher in high school, and when he left that district and became an administrator, he helped my wife's sister obtain her administrative certifications. So it's not like an inside track, but it is a connection to the family who owns the vehicles. He did make everyone aware that they are not expecting the type of prices they have on the appraisals, and he took my wife aside and made sure she understood that fact.

It's just a personal connection to the whole process, and knowing our collection, he is in great hopes we can obtain something from his brothers collection.

Furthermore, one of the other guys there asked me what I was interested in so that we didn't "bid in competition" with each other. I told him "it's just a bunch of cars... if I win a bid, that's fine. If I don't, I don't have to worry about it". Like everyone else in the hobby, there is an endless list of projects and updates I can do on the cars I already own without throwing a hissy over not getting another. There is plenty to spend money on with out making an a$$ of myself because I underbid. This auction is for the best interest of his sister-in-law- not mine. And I have every hope that it goes that way. Someday I will be in the same boat, and I hope it is handled well.

Got till the end of the week to back away, or put forth my best judgement- and let the chips fall.

dieseldr wrote:I could get a fax of the appraisal if interested

Right now I couldn't "put my money where my mouth is".
Thanks for the offer though!

Bid submitted, been a week, still waiting. Fingers crossed, but ready to pull the trigger on some parts for the other vehicles if it doesn't come through.
Would like a rack and pinion for one of the 69 mustangs, need to pull both mustang 4 speeds for 2nd gear repair (synchros), and the 3rd member for bearings or swap, on the one getting the rack, plus looking at front frame stubs for the 66 comet, or just cutting out what's rotten and building my own front stub with MII components. Only one not getting any major upgrades is the 54 F-100- as far as I care, that one's perfect the way it is. And still need the juice brakes for the 34 ford, along with the front tinwork around the radiator so I can get ready to drop the engine in that. So many projects, so little time. And somewhere along that whole mess I need to work, too. Need to finish these up before the mrs retires, or I'm 'fraid a couple might have to go the way of the wicky bird. 5 years will be the first opportunity she will have to leave on retirement.

Update-

the caretaker of the collection just called- seems due to a lack of local interest, and the desire of the wife to get rid of all the cars at once, I was asked if I might consider a purchase agreement for all 4 cars in the collection. We are going up to look at all 4 cars much more closely tomorrow night, since I focused mainly on the 48 the first night. I just might find myself looking to part with 3 vehicles to get the one I want! As the old saying goes- "careful what you wish for- you just might get it".

Seems she doesn't want to wait for a sale on each car individually, wants a lump sum, and an immediate distribution. Doesn't want to deal with a separate person to close a deal on each one. We'll see.

Post some pictures up of them when you get a chance. We might be able to help distribute the three you don't want. At least give us the chance to dream a little. 

Dreaming's allowed, otherwise what we all be doing here, right? Got my creeper, trouble light, and a couple of stands all loaded in the truck for tonight. Gonna take the checkbook, too. Gotta be prepared, in case they change their minds.  

OK- here's the dirt, Joe. Or whoever. The 48 Super deluxe is definitely the crown jewel of the collection. But still needs re- restoration. It has been 25 or more years, and certain things done then were substandard. But it is between a #2 and #3 condition according to collector car insurance appraisal guidelines. Both water pumps leak, no brakes, a thorough cleaning of the engine bay, engine, fuel and air intake systems are in order, lever type shocks need rebuilt, weatherstripping around rear side windows needs redone. It is in good shape, just a lot of detail work and basic mechanicals to get it going. Underneath is sound throughout.

The Montclair (55) has rot issues throughout, big problems are the body mounts. Also the crossmember under the rad that supports the lower A frames. Looks pretty punky underneath. A lot of repair was done years ago, and slobbered up with that nasty roof tar they used in the day for "cover and concealment" rustproofing. Gorgeous body, poor structure. Too much time and money to invest in this one.

The 39 BUick is similar to the 55 Merc. Rot repair slobbered up with roof tar, and substandard rust repair at that- can you say pop rivets? Interior needs a fair amount of attention. Like the merc, the body should come off and be refurbished in some critical areas.

The 61 F-100 had some rad support rot, not severe, and some cab mount rot, not severe either, but pop rivets on a cab mount do not a repair make. LH window mechanism broken, just poor rust repair in the past is its only real problem, but there is little value there. Checking 61 values, the 6 cylinder 3 speed isn;t all that great. Like the others, it wasn;t running, so a fuel system cleaning is mandatory, tune up, brake repair, etc. It would be a good truck for a kid to get into the hobby with.

Soooooo, considering they were looking for a $12,000 commitment for the bunch of them, you are really buying a 48 super deluxe as a project that can be driven in short order, along with a truck worth $2000, and two rust repair project cars with structure issues, plus hauling them home, registration transfers, batteries, carb kits, it all starts adding up that the Merc, BUick and pickup are not gonna make you any money, you may actually lose on each, my thought is that my money was going to be tied up too long to get any kind of return on value for the buck. As much as I liked the 48, my head overpowered my heart this time, and cooler heads prevailed- after hearing they had an $11,000 bid for the collection, I told him they better take it. Besides, I have a whole flock of other vehicles to buy updates and repair parts for, so I'm gonna make what I got better, and be thankful I took the time to look over what seemed like a good deal, and sort it out to my own satisfaction. Maybe next time!