Ace-Garageguy Posted January 8, 2015 Posted January 8, 2015 http://blog.hemmings.com/index.php/2014/12/23/gk-restorations-porsche-graveyard/
Zarana-X Posted January 8, 2015 Posted January 8, 2015 Florida's climate isn't suitable for car junkyards.
vintagercr Posted January 8, 2015 Posted January 8, 2015 I knew I shouldn't have looked. I had a Speedster years ago.
aurfalien Posted January 9, 2015 Posted January 9, 2015 It's time to pilfer! I've seen vehicles in similar condition restored.
chunkypeanutbutter Posted January 9, 2015 Posted January 9, 2015 It's time to pilfer! I've seen vehicles in similar condition restored. "Beyond Restoration" is a matter of opinion.
aurfalien Posted January 9, 2015 Posted January 9, 2015 "Beyond Restoration" is a matter of opinion. Well... then again what I saw was on a few episodes of the Velocity Channel. I forgot the shop name but it was in Utah run by a guy seemingly full of himself. Still, a good show and pretty awesome work.
Ace-Garageguy Posted January 9, 2015 Author Posted January 9, 2015 (edited) It's time to pilfer! I've seen vehicles in similar condition restored. Yeah, that white convertible looks savable, but it could be gone from the rockers down, too. I don't think it's a Speedster...windshield looks too tall and seems to be welded on. But the windshield frame doesn't look like a cabriolet either...they had sharper corners from this angle, as did the convertible D. Can't imagine anyone leaving a bolt-on windshield frame on the car, outside. Anyway, it appears to be an A series body, and any 356A convertible is worth saving. Appears to be a lot of sheetmetal on some of the other hulks that is decent, and I'd sure like to have picking rights on the early 911 shells for mine. Edited January 9, 2015 by Ace-Garageguy
Atmobil Posted January 9, 2015 Posted January 9, 2015 It's always sad to see old cars rusting away like that but it's also a testimony of how we perceive cars and their value. I can't think of how many stories I have heard over the years of cars that today are worth huge amounts of money, once have been used as beaters and many have been left to rot or scrapped. Like this one guy that had a very eary VW Type 2 "barndoor" Samba bus sitting in his barn. Complete car, in good condtion, just a few dents and some shoddy paint. He torched it because he was tired of having that old thing sitting there. Today, that is a car worth a 100 000$. Some of you may know about the british motoringjournalist Quentin Wilson, he is wellknown for buying and selling cars (mostly classic) and in one of his tvprograms he talks about someone trying having difficulties getting rid of their old 427 Cobra. What today is new and shiny will be junk tomorrow and todays junk may just as well turn out to be tomorrows gems.
FASTBACK340 Posted January 10, 2015 Posted January 10, 2015 As disturbing as those photos are (I restored a `56 Speedster in 1981 at a shop I was at, I worked as a Porsche/Audi tech for 11 years) I have seen the beginnings of those cars demise. Those are the cars bought by people whom didn't care for them for either reasons of indifference or financial. They are expensive to maintain, they are considerably more fragile than a body-on-frame Chevy. I've seen the people whom put them away indoors in Oct. under a cover, I've had the pleasure of wrenching on the junk that sat outside uncovered for years because they seized the engine after they couldn't afford the 12 qts of oil their `72 911 oil change required……. I've worked on the cars that the people wanted to drive them on the lift so we wouldn't drive them, I've worked on Porsches with the ashtray overflowing onto the carpet. If they're taken care of, they NEVER get to this stage. As an aside, I live on an island up here in the rust-zone. We salt our roads like McDonalds fries….. everything old & un-interesting pretty much dissolved years ago. I've seen these lots filled with old iron and when you start looking there's hardly ANYTHING salvageable! Rust is an evil disease for metal...
10thumbs Posted January 10, 2015 Posted January 10, 2015 I owned an old 356 way back when, 1970. Pearl white with a red interior. Good condition. The former owner had been involved in a gun type violent act, and a bullet indention was left present on the glove compartment lid, upper left side. The rear left window was replaced. The car was a blast to drive, not a fast car by any means, but a cool sportscar. Handling was a hit! I bought the car for $1200. The first year was more costly. I sold it quick and got out even. Still, a very good looking design, my opinion. Michael
Tom Geiger Posted January 11, 2015 Posted January 11, 2015 (edited) The majority of cars will meet this fate. Doesn't matter whether they are common sedans or exotics, most cars die. And that's fine because the lucky few that survive, some due to extreme care, others due to dumb luck, will be worth appreciated and collected. And if most didn't get scrapped we'd be about three cars deep everywhere by now! Edited January 11, 2015 by Tom Geiger
StevenGuthmiller Posted January 11, 2015 Posted January 11, 2015 Don't know why this is so upsetting to anybody. It's a junkyard. There's thousands of them all over the country. Just because they're Porsches doesn't mean they're exempt from the boneyard just like every other car. There was a junkyard close to the small town that I grew up in that was full to the brim with nothing but late 50s thru early 60s Mopars just rotting away. Nothing but finned Dodges & Desotos as far as the eye could see! Much more upsetting to me than this! Steve
Ace-Garageguy Posted January 11, 2015 Author Posted January 11, 2015 (edited) Just because they're Porsches doesn't mean they're exempt from the boneyard just like every other car. There was a junkyard close to the small town that I grew up in that was full to the brim with nothing but late 50s thru early 60s Mopars just rotting away. Nothing but finned Dodges & Desotos as far as the eye could see! Much more upsetting to me than this! Steve Ummm...see guys, what the title said is "IF you love old Porsches" etc. It doesn't say everyone has to weep and wail and wring their hands. Nor does it say Porsches are exempt, or anything of the kind. I happen to love Porsches, own several, and the convertible up top would be worth well over $100,000 restored if it's a Speedster. That's all. I don't give a tinker's damm about boring 4-door Buicks left to rot or melted down to make boring Toyotas. But Porsches are kinda special. Last time I looked, I wasn't the only person who thought so. I would be just as sad to see a bunch of once-savable FireDome hemi DeSotos and finned Red Ram hemi Dodges in the same condition...especially if the location was, as here, supposedly on the grounds of a "restoration" shop. Guess they couldn't afford concrete blocks to get the cars out of the mud, and cheap tarps. As usual though, it seems I've offended some delicate sensibilities. My most sincere apologies. Edited January 11, 2015 by Ace-Garageguy
aurfalien Posted January 11, 2015 Posted January 11, 2015 (edited) I too am sad about them. I love the cars, the history of em, etc... The only thing worse in my eyes would be Ferraris in a similar state. Yes I love ol American muscle too. But those were made so due to aftermarket etc... Think Deuce Coupe, Beach Boys etc.. But Porsche, man out the factory they were special. Edited January 11, 2015 by aurfalien
StevenGuthmiller Posted January 11, 2015 Posted January 11, 2015 Ummm...see guys, what the title said is "IF you love old Porsches" etc. It doesn't say everyone has to weep and wail and wring their hands. Nor does it say Porsches are exempt, or anything of the kind. I happen to love Porsches, own several, and the convertible up top would be worth well over $100,000 restored if it's a Speedster. That's all. I don't give a tinker's damm about boring 4-door Buicks left to rot or melted down to make boring Toyotas. But Porsches are kinda special. Last time I looked, I wasn't the only person who thought so. I would be just as sad to see a bunch of once-savable FireDome hemi DeSotos and finned Red Ram hemi Dodges in the same condition...especially if the location was, as here, supposedly on the grounds of a "restoration" shop. Guess they couldn't afford concrete blocks to get the cars out of the mud, and cheap tarps. As usual though, it seems I've offended some delicate sensibilities. My most sincere apologies. Not offended in the least Bill. My point wasn't whether Plymouths were more important than Porsches. My point was, they're just cars, sitting in a junkyard, like every car is destined to do. As you said "Porsces are kinda special". No, not really, They're just a car, just like that Buick they're melting down to make the Toyota. I love cars in general, whether it's a Porsche or a Buick, but I don't shed too many tears when I see them at the end of their lives. Ashes to ashes, dust to dust. The people at the restoration shop probably didn't bother with the concrete blocks or tarps because they saw it the way I see it. They're just a collection of parts to possibly be used as donors for a "living" car. I had no intention of "ruffling any feathers" in your thread. Just offering another opinion. After all that's what a forum is for, not just for mass agreement. steve
Ace-Garageguy Posted January 11, 2015 Author Posted January 11, 2015 (edited) I had no intention of "ruffling any feathers" in your thread. Just offering another opinion. After all that's what a forum is for, not just for mass agreement. steve No feathers ruffled. I see some cars as rolling appliances with zero soul. Junk 'em, crush 'em, melt 'em down and recycle the materials. I see other cars as kinetic sculpture, with the passion and genius of their designers apparent in every line, curve, and mechanical sound. it would be kinda sad to see a Monet leaning against a tree covered in bird crapp because the clueless owner couldn't make the distinction between a picture clipped from a magazine, and art. Edited January 11, 2015 by Ace-Garageguy
StevenGuthmiller Posted January 11, 2015 Posted January 11, 2015 No feathers ruffled. I see some cars as rolling appliances with zero soul. Junk 'em, crush 'em, melt 'em down and recycle the materials. I see other cars as kinetic sculpture, with the passion and genius of their designers apparent in every line, curve, and mechanical sound. it would be kinda sad to see a Monet leaning against a tree covered in bird crapp because the clueless owner couldn't make the distinction between a picture clipped from a magazine, and art. Let's just say, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Some people may be quite enamored with their "appliances", & some people probably don't care for Monet either. Steve
Ace-Garageguy Posted January 11, 2015 Author Posted January 11, 2015 (edited) Let's just say, beauty is in the eye of the beholder... & some people probably don't care for Monet either. Steve And let's add that there's no accounting for taste. That should settle what is somehow on the verge of becoming contentious, when all I intended was to say "hey fellow Porsche fans, isn't this sad ?". Never was my intent to attack what someone else may like, nor was my intent to start another idiotic "mine is bigger" argument. But feel free to feel slighted or threatened, please. In this PC world we now live in, even the most innocent statement offends someone. I guess I should have put in a disclaimer... "In no way is this post intended to imply, even a tiny little bit, that Porsches are in any way special or better than other cars, even though they have a stellar history of high-performance and competition success. All the nothing-mediocrities sold by the millions as passion-free transportation have exactly equal value as Porsches, and should be lamented equally (or not, depending on the personal perspective, lifestyle, sexual orientation, gender, ethnic background and culture of the viewer) when seen to be rusting away, unnecessarily, due to neglect and stupidity. And as cars are all equal machines of equal emotional value to everyone, it is expected that they will all rust and rot away and no one should care, unless they want to (again depending on the personal perspective, lifestyle, sexual orientation, gender, ethnic background and culture of the viewer)." Everybody happy now? Edited January 11, 2015 by Ace-Garageguy
FASTBACK340 Posted January 11, 2015 Posted January 11, 2015 The '56 I rebuilt was owned by a wealthy "professional " whom returned complaining of an engine noise upon (miracously) returning from a trip up the coast to Mass. We went for a test drive and everything was fine. We hot onto a local highway and as I was about to shift into forth he said "the noise is starting"as I pulled 4th. It was the sound of the engine buzzing near the shift point. He drove round trip in 3rd. gear. Didn't know it was a 4 speed. True story.
Ace-Garageguy Posted January 11, 2015 Author Posted January 11, 2015 The '56 I rebuilt was owned by a wealthy "professional " whom returned complaining of an engine noise upon (miracously) returning from a trip up the coast to Mass. We went for a test drive and everything was fine. We hot onto a local highway and as I was about to shift into forth he said "the noise is starting"as I pulled 4th. It was the sound of the engine buzzing near the shift point. He drove round trip in 3rd. gear. Didn't know it was a 4 speed. True story. Wow. I'm sure he liked it much better cruising in top gear. The first one I had was a '58 A coupe, bought for $600. It was relatively solid, ran fine, and had tons of previous bodywork, bondo, and a puke-yellow enamel paint job. I started restoring the car in my complimentary bay at the shop where I worked, but after the owner was arrested (by the Justice Department, for federal parole violations...I had always wondered how we could support a racing team on the volume of work we turned out, but "don't ask, don't tell" was my motto those days), I lost my shop space. I put the disassembled car in the basement of the grandmother of a good friend, and worked on it on weekends. Stripped to bare steel. Then there was a flood. A "100 year event". Body, engine, leather interior, instruments, everything submerged in muddy water for some time. It became a body-parts donor for several others. Everything else was destroyed.
StevenGuthmiller Posted January 11, 2015 Posted January 11, 2015 And let's add that there's no accounting for taste. That should settle what is somehow on the verge of becoming contentious, when all I intended was to say "hey fellow Porsche fans, isn't this sad ?". Never was my intent to attack what someone else may like, nor was my intent to start another idiotic "mine is bigger" argument. But feel free to feel slighted or threatened, please. In this PC world we now live in, even the most innocent statement offends someone. I guess I should have put in a disclaimer... "In no way is this post intended to imply, even a tiny little bit, that Porsches are in any way special or better than other cars, even though they have a stellar history of high-performance and competition success. All the nothing-mediocrities sold by the millions as passion-free transportation have exactly equal value as Porsches, and should be lamented equally (or not, depending on the personal perspective, lifestyle, sexual orientation, gender, ethnic background and culture of the viewer) when seen to be rusting away, unnecessarily, due to neglect and stupidity. And as cars are all equal machines of equal emotional value to everyone, it is expected that they will all rust and rot away and no one should care, unless they want to (again depending on the personal perspective, lifestyle, sexual orientation, gender, ethnic background and culture of the viewer)." Everybody happy now? Sorry Bill. I just thought you might want to have a civilized discussion with maybe a differing view or two. I'll respectfully leave you to your love fest. Good day. Steve
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