Barn Find Road Trip

by Tom Cotter

  Her husband was thought to be dead, captured by the Japanese while on maneuvers. But he was in fact a P.O.W. in the South Pacific.

  “After a year, she and the Buick boarded a ship destined for San Francisco. When she reached the California port, she drove the car to Radford, Virginia, which took 14 or 15 days.

  “They had many, many [tire] blowouts, which was why it took so long.”

  One night, right after the war was finally over, A. C.’s aunt, who thought her husband was dead, received a phone call from a man in Seattle, Washington. He said he had just received a short-wave-radio message from her husband, who was alive and had asked his wife to wait for him.

  Her husband finally arrived home and ended up at Walter Reed Hospital for rehabilitation after the war was over.

  “Eventually he was promoted to rear admiral. He and my aunt had four children, and they moved all around the country,” said A. C. “They used this car for all their moves; it led an interesting life. This is the third engine, and it probably has 300,000 miles on it.”

  A. C. told us that eventually the car would not shift into gear—something had come apart in the shift mechanism—so it was parked in his aunt’s garage for years. A. C. would ask his aunt from time to time if he could have the car, but the answer was always no, that she would offer it to her own two sons. But her sons were more interested in airplanes than cars, so A. C. was finally given the car around 1974.

  A. C. kept the car stored in a shed for 20 years before a woman he was dating said that he needed to get that car running again. So he sent it off to Lewis Jenkins—a Buick specialist—in North Wilkesboro, North Carolina, to have restored.

  He told us that even this prized 1939 Buick was going to be sold at auction. Totaling more than 75, A. C. was going to auction off all his cars.

  “I want to get down to zero,” he said.

  Brian asked about the black 1966 Lincoln Continental sedan that was also destined for the auction block. It was the very Lincoln that had convinced A. C.’s father that vintage cars were OK.

  “That’s a Martinsville car since new,” said A. C. about the Lincoln. “It was bought new by the owner of a dairy. Then the Piedmont Bank president bought it and called me one day and told me he was going to sell it.

  “‘Bring me $400 and it’s yours,’ he said. I drove it for 10 years and never did anything mechanical to it. It’s really classy.”

  Brian confided that his own father had always dreamed of owning a black Lincoln like that one. He immediately started scheming on how he could buy that car from A. C. before it reached the auction block…

  Our morning was well spent with A. C., but he reminded us he needed to start heading toward Roanoke for church.

  Welcome to the annual Hay Castle at Nuckol’s Farm. Folks pay to climb on and explore inside this incredible structure.

  HOLY HAY CASTLE!

  Driving through the country on the way to Lynchburg, Virginia, we passed something I had never seen before—a hay castle.

  Maybe I’m just a city slicker, but this was an entirely new concept to all three of us. We had to explore it. It was castle-like in size and shape, but was made entirely of bales of hay. People pay money to climb up it and crawl through it. For a kid, this would be a fantasy!

  I spoke with some of the employees, and the owner—A. J. Nuckols—about the project.

  Nuckols owns the 20-acre White Hall Farm, which had been a tobacco farm but for the last 20 years, has mostly grown pumpkins. He came up with the concept of building a castle from hay about 6 years ago, and it’s been a popular seasonal attraction for residents ever since.

  He said that charging admission to folks to explore the hay castle is just a way for a farmer to supplement his family’s income. And from the size of the crowd waiting to get in, it looked like business was brisk.

  Interestingly, whereas the Woody had been a most popular vehicle wherever we drove, Nuckols and the rest of the staff were more interested in the Ford Flex! They were looking that vehicle over with a find-tooth comb. Being farmers, they saw the practicality of the Flex being more useful than the Woody.

  To get a better idea of what a hay castle is, go to www.whitefallfarm.com.

  So we bid farewell and headed down the road. Since our morning was so productive, we felt we could justify a couple of hours at Virginia International Raceway, where a few friends of mine were competing in that weekend’s vintage races. Besides, we only needed to be back in Roanoke in the morning, so we had some time to kill. We wanted to investigate British Auto Restorations and King’s Restorations near Cloverdale, both of which we had heard about the day before. But until then, we’d enjoy seeing some great cars, friends, and racing. And who knows, we might even get a barn-find lead from someone at the track.

  We didn’t’ actually hear about any barn finds at the track, but we mooched lunch from the great folks at SASCO Sports, who sometimes service my 1964 Corvette road-racing car. Thanks, Dave and Robyn Handy!

  Wow, this was an OK day.

  That evening we stayed in a Hampton Inn, our lodging of choice, in Lynchburg, Virginia. We would head back to Roanoke first thing in the morning so we could check out some of the leads we had heard about the week prior.

  That evening we ate at a really cool pizzeria and microbrewery, Waterstone Pizza and the Jefferson Street Brewery. The pizza pub was housed in a great old building, which was a cornerstone in the city’s historic district revitalization.

  We had some excellent pizza and sampled some craft brews, and even though we did not hear about any old car finds, had a wonderful evening.

  The folks at the farm were much more interested in the 2014 Ford Flex than the Woody. Way to go Ford!

  MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 29

  DAY 4

  On the way to Roanoke, we went past an interesting trucking company that had a vintage school bus parked perpendicular to the road.

  It was a Studebaker, that was unmistakable. I certainly recognized the pleasant lines and smiley grill of a Studebaker pickup truck, but had never seen a Studebaker school bus before. And this was not a standard school bus, but a short bus, one that might have been used in a rural community. And it was for sale. It was pretty cool, and could definitely have been converted into some kind of unusual hot rod camper.

  Nobody was home, so I took a good look at the unique vehicle, inside and out.

  The first things I noticed were the two pot-metal “Cal Custom” styled scoops that were installed on the hood. This modification was probably done after the bus’ kid-hauling days were over. I remember seeing those scoops in J. C. Whitney catalogues in the 1960s.

  Commonwealth Auto Sales had a number of cars that had potential, including this 1955 Ford two-door sedan with a 1957 312. It runs.

  I had never seen a Studebaker school bus before—especially a miniature version—so we had to stop for a closer look. It was a pretty cool vehicle with a lot of potential.

  Obviously someone had used this as a camper at one time.

  Inside the bus I noticed another aftermarket modification: a Moon gas pedal; the type that would have been used on a hot rod, or an early Bonneville streamliner. It became apparent that a hot rodder had had some influence on this bus at some time in its life.

  I wondered if it had an interesting engine transplant? Maybe a Chrysler Hemi or a big-block Chevy? Nope. When I lifted the hood, a flathead six-cylinder sat obediently in the engine bay.

  Since nobody was around, I called the phone number on the For Sale sign. I had a wonderful conversation with Bonnie Reed, who, along with her husband, bought it a couple of years earlier but never got around to restoring it.

  So they were selling it.

  SBD—these cars have seen better days. This 1963 Thunderbird (one of two) and 1953 Chevy sedan are pretty rough, but are for sale for either parts or restoration.

  Bonnie told me the short bus was called a two-and-a-half window and was fabricated by the Wayne Body Company. The price was $8,500. I thanked her
and told her I would keep it in mind if I met anyone looking for a school bus project.

  Within a few miles of the school bus, we saw a rather disheveled, yet interesting, yard full of old cars. There were some familiar roundish shapes of 1950s vehicles, as well as those with more angular 1960s designs.

  This 1957 Ford is for sale but without an engine. The original powerplant went into the 1955 Ford.

  As soon as the owner can iron out the title for this Studebaker Silver Hawk, it will also be for sale.

  The car that got us most excited was this 1963 Rambler 202. It was purchased soon after we saw it, and will appear in a feature-length movie that was filmed nearby.

  We pulled the Woody and the Flex into the parking lot and walked toward the adjacent commercial building. It was called Commonwealth Auto Sales and was run by Jack Smith. Jack told me we were free to roam the premises and take all the photos we wanted.

  “I’ve run this place for 30 years,” Jack said. I suppose at one time, this was a thriving business on the main road, but over the ensuing 30 years his used cars just sat for a long time. Eventually the grasses and bushes grew up into trees, engulfing the cars. Clearly this business had seen better days. The roof in the service area had collapsed in a recent windstorm, so Jack worked in a shop with a 20-foot sunroof over his head. Sad.

  Brian, Michael, and I made our way around the yard, and amid dozens and dozens of old cars, we did notice a few “gems” that could be restored. These included:

  1953 Chevy two-door

  1955 Ford two-door

  1955 Ford four-door

  1957 Ford Fairlane

  1957 Studebaker Silver Hawk

  1962 Ford T-Bird

  1963 Rambler 202 two-door

  1963 T-Bird

  1963 Pontiac Grand Prix

  1964 Chevy Impala

  Additionally there were a couple of older trucks—early 1950s Chevy pickups—that were too far-gone for restoration but had parts potential. The car I was most attracted to, surprisingly, was the little 1963 Rambler 202 two-door back in the rear corner. I asked Jack about the car.

  “I bought it about two or three years ago,” he said. “When I got it, the gas tank was all corroded, and it needed a rebuilt carburetor and fuel pump.”

  When I asked him how much that car would sell for, he said he’d like to keep it from the crusher.

  “I have about $1,500 invested in it,” he said. “I’d take that much for it.”

  Jack Smith has owned Commonwealth for decades and knows his way around older cars. All his cars are for sale, as well as maybe some of the Camaros he has at his house.

  Wow, that was a pretty good-looking car, and the price was very fair. If I hadn’t sworn off any new automotive purchases, I would have actually considered it myself.

  “I buy most of my cars to keep them from going to the junkyards,” he said.

  I asked Jack about another decent car, the 1955 Ford two-door.

  “That belongs to a friend of mine. I was supposed to restore it for him, but he’s got a heart problem, so now he wants me to sell it for him. He wants $5,500 for it. He also owns the 1957 Ford next to it. When he got them, they were both running, driving cars. But his son-in-law pulled the engines out of both cars, then put the 312 engine out of the ’57 into the ’55 instead of the 272.

  “So my friend got mad and put both cars in the garage for years. Then he brought both cars over here to have me get them running. The ’55 has a three-speed on the column with a new clutch disc, pressure plate, and throw-out bearing in it. It runs real good. He was deciding what to do with the 272 engine, and then he got heart problems, so he decided to sell them both.”

  Jack’s friend is asking $3,500 for the nonrunning 1957 Ford.

  The 1957 Studebaker Silver Hawk belongs to the same friend. “Until he gets the title straightened out on that car, he doesn’t want to sell that one,” he said.

  I asked Jack if he had any old cars himself.

  “Yeah, I have a 1963 Pontiac Grand Prix, a ’64 Impala, and I’ve got a bunch of ’68, ’69, and ’70 Camaros at home.”

  We took our photos, said goodbye to Jack, and continued on our path back toward Roanoke, a city that we believed still hid many automotive treasures.

  We had heard about British Auto Restorations in Roanoke from a couple of people at the Saturday cruise-in. But we had to wait until Monday to investigate because they were closed on weekends.

  When we arrived at their shop, I noticed cleanliness, not a back lot filled with old sports cars in various stages of deterioration. One of the things I especially enjoy about visiting traditional sports car shops is the pile of crap lying around in the back.

  There was no crap that I could see, just a tidy parking lot and a respectable building. Hmmm. Maybe the business was closed?

  This cool Morris Minor panel van at British Auto Restorations is probably not for sale, but it has been sitting in storage for many years.

  I walked in the front door and quickly discovered that they were very much in business. There were several British sports cars undergoing ground-up restorations, as well as a couple of customer cars in for service.

  I introduced myself to one of the business’s two owners, Tyson Smith. He and his brother, Ted, are partners; they started the business 20 years ago and have developed a reputation for performing quality work.

  But where were all the old cars? I was soon to find out. Tyson had a small warehouse just up the street where he kept cars out of the weather.

  “These are mostly customer cars,” said Tyson as we walked into the storage building. “We store customer cars here during the winter time, or while we’re waiting for parts.”

  We walked inside the building, and once our eyes adjusted to the darkness, we were impressed with the all cars that surrounded us. There was a terrific little Morris Minor delivery van that had been used by a local flower shop, a very proper Jaguar E-Type, an Austin Healey 3000, a Rolls Royce, Mercedes 450 SLC, Triumph TR250, etc.

  Tyson revealed that his own personal passion was for Triumph TR3s.

  “I sold the last nice one I had a couple of years ago,” he said. “But these days I have lots of sports cars that need to be driven. They are my customers’ cars, and they all need to be exercised.

  “My brother and I loved these old British sports cars when we were kids, drove them hard and lived to tell about it,” he said. “Our dad had a dealership up in Parkersburg, West Virginia, that sold MGs. And we had an old Arnolt MGTD with Bertone bodywork. We passed that thing back and forth between each other for a while, then we got into the Triumphs. I wish we would have kept that old MG, though.”

  COMING THROUGH THE RYE

  Friend Zach Straits had been following the progress of our road trip on social media. We met Zach for dinner one night, and, when he asked what interesting cars we had discovered so far, I mentioned the cute Rambler 202.

  “There’s a movie being shot in [nearby] Orange, Virginia, [called] Coming Through the Rye, and I think they are looking for a 1963 Rambler.” Well, Zach mentioned the Rambler to one of the folks involved in securing cars for the movie, and they wound up buying the car. But first they had Jack at Commonwealth Auto Sales perform some mechanical work to make it reliable. For instance, because the gas tank was rusted, a racing-type fuel cell was installed. You can read about the movie at www.comingthroughtheryemovie.com.

  When I saw Zach at the Muscle Car and Corvette Nationals in Chicago two months later, I asked him how the little Rambler was performing since going from the junkyard to its new Hollywood career.

  “It’s running well, but when I sat inside it, my feet went through the floor.”

  I’m sure that scene will be cut from the movie.

  Although these Triumph TR3s are rough, there are enough of them that at least one complete car could be fabricated. Additionally, the owners of British Auto Restorations have loads of spare parts for Triumphs.

  Both brothers worked for the Norfolk Southern rail
road before retiring and hanging out their own shingle as restorers. “We wanted to do something we liked to do before we died, which was restoring British cars, so now it’s been 20 years full-time.”

  Tyson said the thing he enjoys most are his clients, many of whom have become personal friends. Their shop just completed restoring a 1947 Rolls Royce for one customer. It took five years.

  “We’ve done a bunch of cars over the years.”

  He said they prefer restoring cars to “driver” condition instead of show cars, because restoring to the higher level is so much more costly and time-consuming.

  The cars that are for sale are Tyson’s Triumph TR3s. In all honesty, the Triumphs are in pretty rough condition, but he had several of them. And Tyson certainly had enough spare Triumph parts to restore almost anything; the roof over the office in his garage was lined with dozens of TR3 doors, hoods, and fenders.

  We said goodbye to Tyson but didn’t go far. Sitting in a vacant lot next to his storage building were two interesting basket cases: a 1954 Ford Courier, which is a sedan delivery; and a 1950-something Studebaker Silver Hawk. It seems as though old cars attract more old cars. I suppose looser zoning regulations in industrial areas, in addition to lower rental rates, make those areas more attractive for old car hobbyists.

  We contacted the cars’ owner, Billy “Cowboy” Smithers, who is no stranger to searching for old cars. He said he knew of a field with more than 200 cars parked there, including a 1969 440 Charger with a four-speed, a 1969 Camaro SS, a Cobra Jet Ford Mustang, and more.