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Treasure Trove? Stash of Ford and GM Parts

More times than not, when you see a bunch of parts and components stored in a building, there is no rhyme or reason to what’s there or any organization to what you see. In short, you tend to find a mess. But not so in this case, as this stuff seems to be carefully selected and well-organized with like-pieces in sections together. And all of it looks quite usable, not just a bunch of junk that Fred Sanford went out and brought home. For whatever reason this collection came to be, it’s located in a barn in Fort Pierce, Florida, and available here on eBay for $8,000 (Buy It Now or Make Offer).

This collection (?) of parts and components looks to be largely body pieces, including fenders and trim. There are no motors, no transmissions, no interiors. What’s here was assembled for a purpose. Is it because the seller is a super hoarder or is this part of a business, which would suggest some or all of it is cataloged for easy reference and picking and pulling. I’m inclined to go with the latter, but you must wonder why these pieces were selected. We’re told it’s all Ford and GM stuff, but why just those brands. Why not Chrysler, AMC, and others. And what period does this collection represent? It looks like something is there for every decade from 1920 to 1970.

Do you need some wheels and wheel covers? They’re there. Need some exhaust system components (used of course)? They’re also there. Everything here looks to serve a purpose, not things that are ready for the scrap yard. Almost everything seems to be made of steel or metal. No plastic, no electronics, just stuff that could rust over time if left to the elements. And the seller makes no mention of parting anything out; so, if you only need a fender for a 1954 Chevy, you’re out of luck. You’ve got to take the whole thing. And how did the seller come up with his valuation? Sold individually, these pieces as a whole are worth a lot more than $8,000, but then it becomes a business and a lot of work. There is a lot of potential value here – to just the right person under the right circumstances.

Comments

  1. Avatar Steve R

    A quick look at the sellers 300+ other listings suggests they have separated the easy to identify, store and ship items and have been selling them already. What’s pictured here, may ultimately be a good value, but the sort of items shown are long tail, which are often better sold into a local market, they also require lots of storage space, patience and significantly more effort that small items which fit easily in a box.

    Steve R

    Like 4
  2. Avatar AMCFAN

    Sadly this isn’t one of those too good to be true deals. I have found many like this and was a former scavenger of anything AMC while they were still a brand. Been to about every dealer on the East coast. That being said IF this were AMC parts would be a steal. There is very little aftermarket available which makes OEM parts gold.

    Because it is primarily Ford and GM is very different. Nothing about one is better than the other. Many companies specialize in Ford and GM. Why should someone buy from you when they can call 1-800 and use their credit card….and pay later and get free shipping?

    Genuine sheet metal is always good except if it is 4 door sedan. Expect to find some. That pile of stainless although NOS looks savory. It is only worth it’s weight in metal content………unless YOU know what it is for. Finding BelAir hardtop trim most likely not here. Being dealer inventory it has been picked over and there are a host of other issues with that. There may be actually be good parts and am to assume the only reason to buy is to make a profit. With the amount work and handling to be done. I would pass.

    But for those that want to load up the truck and trailer and head to Fla. Work a good day to load everything then spend 100’s of hours figuring what fits what to be an ebay king. You might want to save yourself the headache. Go get a job paying $15.00 at McDonalds.

    Like 9
  3. Avatar Bluetec320 Member

    If you are old, eccentric, retired, and have nothing better to do with your time, this may be a good deal, but there will be a tremendous amount of time invested into sorting and selling this collection. On a plus side, Russ, I bet there was a surge in “Fred Sanford” searches on Google today.

    Like 10
  4. Avatar gaspumpchas

    Yep looks like its already been cherry picked, and the guy wants someone to clean up the leftovers. Do your homework before you throw your 8 large at this. Used exhaust ?? Pass. Good luck and happy bidding.
    Cheers
    GPC

    Like 4
  5. Avatar stillrunners

    Agree with ^^^^^^ those guys – lots of trim with out ID and other not ID’d stuff – have fun with internet pictures if your he buyer.

    Like 2
  6. Avatar CATHOUSE

    If you read the auction text you will see that the buyer does not get any of the chrome or mouldings for their 8K. The seller says that those parts have already been sold off separately. Just by the photos I do not see anywhere near the 8K asking price. Most of the photos are of the same parts just from different angles. The seller needs to do a much better job of showing buyers what they are getting for their money.

    Like 6
  7. Avatar local_sheriff

    Who the h… installs well used exhaust systems…? With all the brightwork gone there’s hardly 1k left of parts here. I recognize a couple items that I know some guys would like to lay they’re hands on, still nowhere near BIN.

    IMHO at this point our seller should do the hobby a favour and simply invite members of the local vintage car community so they could pick whatever they need for free. He should be happy that at least some of these bits could come to use again without him having the hassle of transporting this stash to the nearest recycling center

    Like 6
  8. Avatar Peter

    Looks like a $500 purchase if’s one had cheap storage and the seller would identify all

    Like 0
  9. Avatar Erik

    Looks to be exactly the kind of sh*t that shows up at swap meets since all the good stuff is already gone or priced sky high. When swap meets ended up being nothing but easily found transmissions, trim, and hubcaps along with “corporate tractor trailer vendors” plus “pickers” selling signs and gas pumps for $$$ thousands I stopped attending them. At age 51 and entering my disposable income phase of my life (kids grown, house paid off, earning high wages for my career, etc) the only way I would consider going again would be if it was like it was 10-20 years ago prior to “reality TV” and Youtube “stars” or if I could cash in on every “dream” a typical attendee harbors but cannot afford to make come true in this era of speculative investment and big spending that have sadly flooded our once austere classic car hobby.

    Like 0
  10. Avatar Al

    Well we all know what P.T. Barnum once said! Just not sure one was born, yet, lol!

    Like 0
  11. Avatar Bill McCoskey Member

    AMC FAN said it all,

    For 40+ years I’ve been buying and selling vintage car parts, from individual pieces to large warehouses like McCord Gasket Co, NAPA, and more.

    Here’s the basic and well known formula for pricing:

    If it’s a fully [verifiable & accurately] inventoried selection of UNPICKED parts, the wholesale value is about 1/3 of it’s retail value. This means you should be able to pick, at random, a specific part, and find it.

    Deduct 50% of that value for a picked-thru inventory.

    Deduct another 25% if the parts are off brand [non-factory] parts. These are typically parts that fit and work like the original, but don’t look like the original.

    Because we are selling wholesale here, USED parts have no value for Ford, GM, MoPaR, and most other post-war American manufacturer’s vehicles. [With VERY few exceptions.]

    Various NOS parts like radiator core supports, body sections that never seem to rust out, unidentifiable parts [this means parts that will take HOURS for each part to identify if you are lucky] have no wholesale value.

    Rare pre-war and Foreign parts have their own niche pricing, but this does not apply here.

    Let me provide an example: I specialized in luxury Marques. I had no problem disposing of my Cadillac and Packard stuff. I still have plastic tubs filled with NOS or rebuilt Rolls-Royce & Bentley spare parts, but the collection has been picked thru. None of the Rolls-Royce parts guys are interested in the parts, not even in making a low offer.

    Like 4

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