Barn Find Hunter turns up bargain beaters in North Carolina - Hagerty Media
Ditching his trusty Woody for an F-150 that’s better suited for the rainy weather, Tom Cotter and the Barn Find Hunter crew start their 71st episode searching for hidden classics in North Carolina. Tom admits that he’s breaking a lot of his own tips for barn find hunting success, as driving an old car like his Ford Woody can help ingratiate yourself with property owners, and hunting on Sundays and holidays often means people are spending time with their families. But even starting with no tips and operating against all odds, Tom finds his treasure.
The first promising spot from the road turns up a pair of classics, but an owner that doesn’t have time to show them off. Undeterred, Tom finds a house with a ’67 Camaro, a ’67 Chevelle, a Fox-body Mustang, and a Mercury Comet, but again, an owner that doesn’t have time to show them off. It is NASCAR country, and it is the Daytona 500 after all.
The first story Tom gets about an old car comes from the owner of a ’66 VW Bug. Parked and no longer running, the car does have some hope of returning to the road, and Tom hears the tale of a lumpy snake. Next up, Tom meets a police officer, Corporal Ransom, with a ’69 Chevelle. Supposedly “really ugly”, the Chevy is quite straight, only showing signs of decay under the vinyl top.
Martin’s Auto Salvage leads the crew to pay dirt at a local property where Buddy shows off his ’35 Ford, a recent acquisition. In pieces, but supposedly complete, Buddy is asking just $3500 for the flathead-powered project. Next to it is a ’53 Chevy wagon powered by a Stovebolt inline-six. The engine runs, but it’s in need of floorboards and plenty of bodywork. Buddy is asking just $1500 for the long roof. After a quick look at a ’39 Chevy on a lift, Cotter heads into the woods behind the shop to find a ’60 Chevy Biscayne, a Super Beetle, and a Fox-body Mustang GT hatchback. Buddy is a fellow car hunter, and acquired his cars one at a time, stopping to ask car owners if they were interested in selling.
If any of the cars interest you, Tom encourages going after them but warns that they’ll all need considerable work. We’re sure that someone watching will have the skills needed to get one of these cars back on the road. Warm-up your welding torch, top off your media blaster, and get to work!
