Yes, That IS a Nice Farm-O-Road on Ebay

No less than four people got hold of me to make sure I'd seen the very nice 1950 Farm-O-Road that popped up on Ebay and was then spotlighted by Bring a Trailer this week. It also made waves over at the Crosley Gang site, so given all the excitement, I figured I should make a note of it.

Ebay Watch: Woodland Farm-O-Road

It's unusual to see any Farm-O-Road for sale, given that there were less then 500 made - and it's even rarer to find one 30 miles from home - but that's what happened to me this morning when I spied this Yolo County driver listed on Ebay.

I don't know anything about this particular car - it hasn't been to any of the West Coast meets in the 15 years that I've been going, but it appears to be straight and fairly original.  The seller says it's had one repaint.

Farm-O-Roads were available with all kinds of options, including plows, well drillers, and this car has one of the coolest options: a hydraulic dump bed.

You might have noticed that the dump action grazes the seats... those are stock Crosley seats, but I don't believe they are correct for the Farm-O-Road.  Those appear to be seats from an earlier Crosley (a '46 or '47); by 1950 Crosley had moved to a more square-backed seat.  I'm still not 100% sure that the dump bed would clear the later seats either, but that's a question for the new owner.

Sure looks like a nice car, and I wish I'd had the opportunity to see it up close at some point.  The price is climbing - it's currently at $4,100 with reserve not met and eight days left on the auction!

Chopped Fibersport Crosley HMod on Ebay

This Crosley-powered Fibersport has seen better days, but it still wears the Fibersport 'factory' baby blue livery and the seller claims that the motor ran well when he started it a year ago.

Ebay Watch: Clean Original 1946 Crosley Sedan

I love cars like this '46 sedan that just popped up on Ebay: original, unmolested, clearly beloved.  It's amazing when any 1940s car survives in this kind of condition, but when the car in question was built cheap, sold cheap and designed to be run to death, survivors like this are almost never found.

Ebay Watch: 1951 Crosley Station Wagon

I've been watching this car (listed as  'Crowley'?!) not sell via Craigslist for just about a year now - I don't know whether the owner finally managed to move it or if he's consigned it with this seller.  We'll see if Ebay improves its options.

I think it was listed for about $9-10,000 when I first saw the ads, and then slowly dropped into more reasonable - but still what I would call 'optimistic' - territory at $7000.  It was nice enough that I actually made a trip to Monterey to check it out when I went to Laguna Seca last summer.

Ebay Watch: Ultimate Clown Car?

Fresh off his Zero comments, Minnesota Crosley nut Fred Syrdal tipped me off to this Ebay listing for a 1951 Crosley sedan formerly owned by world-famous clown Emmett Kelly!

That Was Quick

My wife already knows the routine:  I come down the stairs slowly, shaking my head, looking slightly pale.  I have a distant look in my eyes.  "Does it run?" she asks.

Ebay Watch: Pick Your Pickup

Not one but TWO Crosley pickups are up for auction on Ebay right now, ending an hour apart from each other!  You've got your choice of a nice runner (albeit featuring some unorthodox resto choices) or a 'some assembly required' car...

The Optimists Club

I don't know what to make of folks who list their cars for sale at exorbitantly high prices and then just keep them there.  And keep them there.  And just keep on keeping on.  For years.

Ebay Watch: TQ Midget Project

There's a pretty interesting project car on Ebay right now: a '40s or '50s era TQ Midget.  Seller says this started out as a motorcycle-engined car and was later converted to Crosley power.  It's missing some parts, but the hard-to-find components (including the 'Kris Kraft' [Kurtis Kraft?] body) seem to be there, and it comes with a complete running Crosley motor ready to drop in.

SOLD! Minus One Pickup Truck

This is the way you want your Ebay auto auction to end: a phone call from the buyer two minutes after the auction closes and the car being loaded on a trailer 24 hours later.

I listed the '48 pickup on Ebay just over a week ago and it got a LOT of attention... 2827 views, 85 watchers, two bids (one retracted) and a bunch of questions, although most of them came in less than an hour before the end of the auction.  (Who waits til the 23rd hour of the ninth day - of a 10 day auction - to ask the seller a question? Sorry I didn't answer, dudes - I didn't even see 'em til the auction was over.)

New owner Ron drove down from the Gold Country this morning to load 'er up.  He currently has a small fleet of vintage Mopars, but this is his first Crosley.  He told me he'd driven a Crosley exactly once in his life - the memory of piloting a '51 Crosley station wagon on a four lane freeway has haunted him for decades.

Since the auction had gone so smoothly there had to be a wrinkle, and when I went to get the truck out I discovered a flat tire.  I grabbed my hand pump to fill it back up, and after putting about eight pounds of air in the tire felt a peculiar 'grab' in the pump.  That was the cue that my $70 bike pump had seized up.   I could move the truck with one hand when the tires were up, but I could barely manage to push it to the street with the flat.  Luckily Ron had a winch for the trailer.

Ron's not sure exactly what he's going to do with the truck.  He seemed unfazed by the bodywork it's gonna need, and wondered aloud how a V8-60 would fit in the engine bay, so I suspect the little truck may be in for some extra horsepower at some point.

We got everything loaded up and I waved goodbye as the little truck headed off in the middle of that huge trailer.  I can hardly believe that it was only six weeks ago that I was heading to Salt Lake to pick it up, and that I've dragged it over 1000 miles since then.  It was all a fun adventure and I'm glad it's off to a good home.  With any luck I'll see it at next year's Crosley meet.   We'll see.

Ebay Watch: Hmod, a Hydroplane and a '48 Sedan Body

Thought I'd share some interesting and odd stuff I came across on Ebay while the auctions are still going...

First up is a neat unfinished Hmod in Vancouver, Washington that showed up on Bring a Trailer a few months back.  Fiberglass appears unfinished and that frame looks heavy, but this could be a ton of fun for someone. Comes with multiple engines and what looks like a spare steel crank.  Ends in a day with a $5500 buy-it-now and no bids yet.

In contrast, there is plenty of action in the bidding for this totally boss vintage hydroplane located in Ohio.  If you've read 'Inboard Racing: A Wild Ride' you know exactly how cool these Crosley-powered boats can be.. and this one looks really neat.  Everything looks original (ok, except the Pepsi bottle) - and pretty decent.  Note that the builder used a Crosley 4-in-1 gauge in the dash.  Two days left and it's at $1525 with 9 bids.

I'm actually stunned by the condition of the floorpans under this 1948 Crosley sedan body for sale in Oklahoma.  By all rights this should be a Flintstones special, but somehow this car escaped the fate of most rainy state cars- especially those missing a bunch of windows.  Ad suggests that it'd be a good candidate for 'Gasser-Bonneville-Salt Flats' - and a body this bare would fit the bill for a hot rodder.  It's probably too much to hope that this lil guy gets restored, but at least it'll be saved from the crusher - $152.50 with 3 days left to go.

Better Late than Never: 14,000 Mile 1947 Pick Up

Barn finds - as I learned all too recently - often fail to live up to their potential.  Bats live in barns.  So do chickens, rats, racoons, mice,  and bugs, none of which are particularly good for longterm car storage.  But sometimes, the car in the barn is all you could hope for.

 Such is the case with this incredible 1947 Crosley Pickup that popped up on Ebay a couple of weeks ago.  The truck is a southern California car that was put away about a half century ago with 14,000 miles on the clock.   Pulled out of storage recently, they replaced the tires and radiator cap, boiled the gas tank, added a fuel filter and replaced a missing emblem.  Paint, interior and gauges are 100% original!

The engine is also listed as original, but as we all know,  this fella would have come stock with a CoBra engine that probably started to leak before they'd used 50 tanks of gas.  I'm no Barry Seel, but the block currently in the car looks to me like a late model- not one of the '49 blocks that was offered up by dealers as a swap to cure the CoBra's ills.  The Crosley script on the block looks 'late' to me and I don't think that particular oil filter assembly was available on the early motors - but I could be wrong. One way or the other, the seller claims that the car runs/drives nicely.

I'm fascinated by the interior.  The door panels are in amazing shape, as are the matching seats.  I'm so used to seeing the red interiors that the tan is really intriguing.  Looks great with the door inserts.  The floor mats are also a wonder- I don't recall ever seeing originals in this kinda condition- just amazing.

The body is pretty straight, and the bed is REALLY straight- and note that classic cheapo Crosley touch: the fuel filler goes right into the cargo area because it probably would have cost an extra $1.50 to reroute it!

Meant to get up a link to this auction  while it was live last week, but time got away from me and next thing I knew it was over- but no worries.... Reserve wasn't met at $5200, and the $12,900 Buy-it-Now is, uh, 'optimistic.' As of today, the truck is still available at San Diego Classic and Musclecars in Escondido, CA.  Call (760) 781-1473 and ask for Joseph M Petralia.

Ugly Duckling is Back

Looks like the 'ugly duckling' HMod I saw on Craigslist last month is up for sale on Ebay.  The seller has cleaned the car up and taken much better photos.  I'm betting he'll make a decent profit for his efforts.  The side shot is nice- probably the best angle for this car.

Seller also suggests that it might be an early Devin, a guess I'm pretty skeptical of.  The vintage Devin photo he's posted is a Hot Shot that Bill Devin modified before he started making fiberglass bodies - and it doesn't look much like the car for sale anyway.  I'll be curious to see what it goes for...

Is David Carradine's Crosley For Sale?

Just stumbled across this nicely-restored 1950 Hot Shot for sale on Ebay.  It's clean, but the $19.5K asking price is, uh, 'optimistic', even if an unnamed Hollywood star is claimed as the former owner.   Maybe you could hope to get that kinda scrilla if this was James Dean's Hot Shot, but for any lesser star you're probably looking at about half that.... maybe.  Interestingly, the ad is silent on the star's identity, although it does mention that he is dead.  Hmmm...

 Some years ago I read that actor David Carradine (Kung Fu, Kill Bill) was a Crosley fan.  I have no idea where I came across this bit of info, but I do recall finding out that he had bought a Hot Shot for the then astronomical price of $13,000.  OK, that'd still be an incredible price for a Hot Shot today, but it was even MORE incredible back then.  I'd always found it an interesting factoid, and wondered if he would someday drive into the West Coast Meet in his roadster, ready to take all comers in the Funkana. It never happened.

When Carradine met his end a few years back, I (and pretty much everyone else) was a bit surprised - his particular hobby was not one I usually associate with Crosley owners - it turned out that Crosleying was the least of Mr. Carradine's quirks.  If you're not sure what I mean, I'll refer you to google.  In any case, he seemed to suddenly drop off the list of people fellow Crosley owners bragged about.
I'm guessing that this is probably Carradine's car, and the circumspect nature of the info in the ad is due to the lurid nature of the star's death - why else would a seller not list a famous former owner?  Apparently the buyer will get documentation of the star's identity... if this car ever sells.  Sadly, I just can't see a Carradine connection bringing this car to the price they are asking.  There's no speed equipment - or even a radio.  With nicely-restored VCs regularly selling for $7000-$8000, I can't imagine who would spend $19,000 for this car.

Now James Dean's Crosley... that might be worth $19,000.  Dean never 'officially' owned a Crosley, but, according to the late Dick Scanlan, he used to drive one.    The story, as Dick told it to me, was that there was a Hot Shot used to get around the Warner Bros. studio lot.  Dean, being a sports car nut, immediately commandeered it while working on one of his films.  According to Dick, Dean used the Hot Shot as his personal car the whole time he was making the movie, and then turned it back in when the filming was done.  The car went back into regular use on the lot, and then was sold a few years later.

No documentation exists, and no photo of Dean driving a Hot Shot has ever turned up, so the story could well be pure bunk, but Dick Scanlan swore by it, and until the day he died he claimed he had the original interior from James Dean's Crosley in the rafters in his garage.  For all I know, it still might be there.  Find THAT Hot Shot (and prove it) and you'll have your $19,500 car.

Resolution #1: MORE POSTS!

As 2010 was coming to a close I noticed that I'd averaged under 25 blog posts a year for 2009 and 2010.... that's quite a few less than I'd planned when I started this blog back in late 2008.  It's not that I haven't had ideas - there have been plenty of missed opportunities - I just haven't been making the time.  This year, one of my resolutions* is to make TWICE as many posts as last year!

And with material like this, lord knows it should be easy! Check out this flame-jobbed clown car from Florida on Ebay right now... looks like a pretty straight, early (1946!) sedan.  No running lights, even!  What could make this even better?....

 That's right, the matching 1950 Hot Shot, for sale from the same seller!  Pick this pair up and you can immediately become a contender for the Most Hated Neighbor Award!  I'm simultaneously charmed and horrified by the paint jobs... they are true corn, but have a genuine postwar hotrod feel, before Rob Powell's sleek flamejob style had been co-opted by every paint slinger in the world.

 These are supposed to run and drive, and are reputed to be actual circus cars.  Neither has hit reserve yet, but we'll keep you posted.

*My resolutions this year: 

Spend more time in the garage

Spend more time on my surfboard

Play more music with my friends

Get at least one of my Crosleys on the road

Make at least 50 posts on the blog!

The Bogus Lotus

Just a quickie post on a fascinating car I've been watching on ebay all week- the Bogus Lotus!

This was initially listed as a Miller Special, but from the mumblings from the west coast Hmod community, and my own eyes, I'm gonna guess that Don Miller didn't build this baby.

 For one thing, Hmod guru Joe Puckett didn't cite the car as a Miller when he included it in his Big Men Little Cars book, which the seller helpfully photographed.   That's not definitive - Puckett made some goofs in the book -  but I think Puckett and pals would have known if this car had Miller lineage.

 But really, who cares? It's pretty amazing, whoever built it, and the restoration is stunning.  I'm curious why they chose to paint the tops of the fenders gold, but that's a small detail.  Really the car is very tastefully done, and the copious amounts of detail shots the seller added late truly show off the finish and the little things, like the sealed bottom and the hundreds of holes drilled for lightness. 

The car is currently at just over $13,000 with two and a half days to go.  Reserve is already met, so this one's gonna end up in somebody's stocking this year!

1951 Crosley Super Sport for Sale (Again)

If you were a member of the West Coast Crosley Club you'd have seen this 1951 Super Sport for sale in our classifieds a few months back for nearly 2K less than the opening bid on Ebay today. And, that $7500 opener is the minimum bid, but at that price the reserve's still not met... so the seller is actually asking more. Shees - for the price bump you'd think he could have at least registered the car in California.I've seen this car in person, but it's been a while - Ardell Johnson (the guy who owned it up until a few months ago) usually brings his Super station wagon to the Club meets. Ardell always does a good job with his cars, so I suspect this is as nice as it looks in these pictures. I have to admit that there was a minute there when he told me that this car was for sale that I thought of jettisoning my project '51 Super Sport and just buying this. I know I'll have more than Johnson's $6K asking price into my car if/when I ever get it finished, but somehow I'm just not ready to call it quits on the project yet.  (Because I'm an idiot?)
I am a bit perplexed when sellers who've just gotten a car imply in their ads that they've had it a long time. Won't the buyer ask about the car's history? I always do. Is it just me? And the buyer'll find out anyway as soon as they see the paperwork. This seller's pitch isn't too bad, but, "It's a great little car that I'll miss very much" kinda implies that he's owned it longer than the lifespan of a brine shrimp.
Blah blah blah. Nice car, hope it goes to a good home... I'll be curious to see if it meets reserve.