Hudsons, Plymouths, Jeeps, Lincolns, and more! | Barn Find Hunter - Ep. 68

closed doors, turbo postie, all factory, all the bells and whistles really. - Is it 350? - Yes, it's a high-performance rocket, 350, 350. - Four cannons? - Yes, four barrels. - Exhaust. - Ram air, what not. - Did you have to paint it or something? - No, it's original, it's original. Paint job, Sebring yellow, everything matches the original numbers, all that good stuff. The only thing I've done is basically tint the windows. - And so, how many of these were built? Do you have any idea? - There are 1,257 F85s and only 187 with the publication. And I have a publication, you know. - Are all F85s a rally 350? - Not all F85s are no.

There is a cheaper version. - AHA. But yeah, not many have full frame posts and gates. - Now I noticed that you have a collection of these things on your dashboard. - I bought a couple of my cars, for sure. (laughing) - Are those all Hot Wheels? - All Hot Wheels, yes, all of them, those are Hot Wheels. - So there's your car, the yellow one. - You can bet, yes, a couple of mine there, you can bet. - Check it out. - Yeah, I mean, they're not actually all mine, but... - Oh, there's a miniature version, right there. (laughs) So what are your intentions in this regard?

The other day I saw it in the garage, now I see that you had it outside, are you going to do with it? - Yes, I'm going to fix the front, I have some kind of alignment problem. I bought some new tires the last time I drove it. But yeah, I'm going to try to do the front end, figure it out so I can get it home and hopefully one day get a garage and restore it. - So that's a metal frame with a glass. - With fiberglass. - Yeah, isn't it something extraordinary, man? I wonder how many miles it has.

He says 61. So it would be 161.-Yes, 161 yes. - 161, okay. I haven't seen one of these rally 350s in at least 25 years. - I haven't seen any here in town, so. So far I think I'm the only one here with one. - The Hagerty Valuation Guide, which is available online. In condition number four, this car and exactly this car, the Rally 350 F85 Cutlass, in condition number four, which is fair, costs $13,800. - Yes. - That sounds good, right? If it was in good condition, 21 grand. Excellent, it's 31 thousand dollars. - Good. - And the contest is 42,600. Thank you, thank you for... - You bet. - See you here today. - It is not a problem. - It's a great car.

And it's the only one we've found in this series like this. - Incredible, incredible. Well, I appreciate you coming, it makes me feel really good. (car engine rumbles) - So, it's that simple. You leave an interesting Oldsmobile Cutlass and go up the street until you meet an interesting Volvo 122 Station Wagon. (upbeat music) Two years ago I drove by this house and saw two Volvo 122s, right back here. I said, I have to remember that because one day I have to come back here with a film crew and I want to record this. So I came here the other day and talked to Deano Seppe.

Deano is not here right now, he is on his way. I'll be here in half an hour. But we have Rosie Seppe, and she also has a story about this car. Rosie, thank you for letting us into the garden early. - Thank you. - Before my husband arrives. Now, do you have any stories about this car? Did you go on your honeymoon in this car? - We got married in this car. We got married in Big Sky. So this is what we have to wander around. - So, the cans were hanging from the rear bumper as we drove away from the... - Yeah, it was incredible.

And then we'd go through Jackson Hole and West Yellowstone and hike and camp and take the Volvo and wake up the bison, and yeah, it was... - Were you ever disappointed? - No never. - Wow. -Yes, so I begged him for this car and he said he could keep it. So I'm hoping one day they fix it up a bit. - So this will be a candidate for restoration. - I want. But my husband said he's not too rusty yet, but I really love him. -Now he will improve as time goes by. - Yes Yes. Enough lawn ornaments and lots of good memories. - So it's not often that we have a husband and wife, it will be like the Dating Game.

We will compare your answers. What are you saying? This is a 66, what year did you buy it? - In '89, so I've had it for 30 years. - Wow. I bought it at Ridge Wellmer, yes. - And where? - In high school, he just had it parked in the high school parking lot. - Right here in the city? - Yeah, right at Bozeman High, yeah. - How much did you pay for it? - Actually, my friend found it and wanted to buy it, so I lent him 600 dollars, and he could only pay me 100, so I bought it for 500. (laughs) - Oh. - I knew he probably wouldn't pay me, so yeah, I mean, "I don't." So I'll keep it. -And he was your daily driver? - A lot, I had a '72 VW, so pancake engine, that was the main thing, but one time, in fact, I don't know if Rose told you when we were dating, she lived in Worland, Wyoming, and we met at a lake in the Yellowstone Park.

I show up driving in this and she's like, "Will this do it?" I thought: "she will make it", "she will go everywhere." (laughs) And that was it. So yes, yes, yes. So I've had it on and off as my daily driver. I've had better cars and driven them during the summer, yes. - So, I mean, this has been parked here, Rosie thinks for 18 years. I probably had it running 6 or 8 years ago, and then I think we took it. I took the carbs out and put them on those P1800s, because I had, I think I had a Weber on that, and he wanted the stock dual FUs.

Yeah, and he wanted the original carbs, so we changed them, and so we did. I've been doing parts and things like that, and yeah. - So, could you restore this? - Maybe, I have quarter panels for it, - And you? Yes, I have a lot of things. Those were spare cars and stuff and I took them out, so I got good side panels. I have a completely rebuilt engine in that shed over there, a B20, that's all ready to go, I could leave it here, so. Do you open the hood? - Yes. (Car door slams) - The cables work - Yes, yes.

Oh yeah, I guess I didn't tell you. I bought a '68 144 and drove it to Panama, the country of Panama, and back. And I had to leave it in a junkyard in Albuquerque when the main valve seal broke. - Driving back? - On the way back, I returned to Albuquerque. And when I left it at the junkyard, the guy gave me money for the bus, but he let me keep the carbs. So. (laughs) Those might even be the carbs I put back in here from my 144. - Oh man, so that's a V18. - Yeah. - Okay, yeah, wow.

Do this, I mean, someone told me you could put air conditioning in these. It's probably a dealer option. - Yes, my P1800 had air conditioning in that 1965, I had one of those cool kings or whatever they were called, and in fact I still have it in the shed. We took it out, the guy didn't want it. - So yes, you need fenders... - Off road, yes, that was my original repair job. It's still there, but yeah... - I see that. These little brackets here. - Yeah, I just made those. It was a, yeah, on a dirt road by Flathead Lake, the guy said.

He lived there after Continental Motors. I believe it was purchased in Great Falls. - Oh, that's what this car came for? - Yes, it was a Monta... yes, then it was a Volvo dealership. - So if you were to restore this, I mean, you'd just put it on stands, gut it to the max and... - Well, put it all back together, yeah. Put the motor in and it won't take much. - Is there a big anniversary coming up or something? I think this could be a good gift. - Yes, exactly, yes, that's it, yes, yes. - Wow. - And then. - How much are these things worth? - I don't know.

A guy came along, this was years ago, but they bought it in Canada, absolutely perfect, totally perfect, about 60 years old, same thing, 122 Wagon, and he got it for about $4,500, and it was crazy. It was absolutely beautiful and we talked for hours or whatever. But. - Now they are at least teenagers. - Yes. - About 15,000 or so. - They are, yes? - Yes, oh yes. - Yes, I mean you can get all the parts for them. There are guys in North Carolina or something that do a lot of breeding, at least for the P1800s and any of the engines. - So you camped behind this? - Oh, yes, all the time. - It's also a spare parts shed, right? - Yes, yes, my P1800 solution.

The P1800s have the gas cap on the fin, and again, that was a

barn

find

for me and, but it was so rusty that the tank had like holes everywhere. It was from a sedan, a 122 sedan, and I put it in the back of my P1800, but the guy I sold it to didn't like that you had to open the trunk to get gas. - So this has been painted from here down. - Yes, exactly. - Was that before you got it? - Yes, I bought it like that. And something interesting is that there's a story about Volvo, and on the last page it has a wooden shelf with wooden slats, and I have that. - You got it? - I have it, it came with this cart, it's in my shed.

Because if it's ever gone, I'll keep it. - And it mounts to... - It clips directly to the rain gutters, yeah, and it's cool. My friend says, "Oh, someone did that after Mark." And I think, look at that on his table. - Isn't that something extraordinary, man? Okay, Deano, thanks for coming home early from work. - Yes, thanks for watching. - We landed in Montana on Monday afternoon and it's already Thursday here. We found a ton of awesome cars and discovered that cars don't rust much in Montana. Gosh, the cars we've found that are 60 years old and still rust-free are pretty amazing.

If you think of the car hobby as a big ball in the middle, most of that ball would be consumed by people who enjoy Chevys, Fords, Mopars, and regular cars like that. But there are these subcategories, which emerge from there, people who specialize in cars that are less common, but just as wonderful. Yesterday we met Matt with the electric trucks and today we met Stu with his collection of orphan cars from Hudson's, Studebaker's and Ramblers. Those are his specialties. And we're learning

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about the cars that get ignored. It's just an amazing little subset of automotive culture that I hope to learn

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about from these guys like Stu and Matt, because every time I meet them, I learn a little more.

I hope you meet guys like Stu and Matt on your travels. Happy hunting. (upbeat music) Ladies and gentlemen, we arrived in Montana on Monday. Kinda cool. For Tuesday, short sleeve shirts, sunscreen, we're burning. Yesterday was a perfect day, probably 65 degrees. Here we are on June 20, one day before the summer solstice. One day before the longest daylight of the year, June 20, 2019, we are in a winter storm warning. One to six inches of snow is expected. Who would have thought. But we are there for you looking for old cars.