Posts
Nick Cash
I needed some parts for my 57 Chevy Belaire, so I decided to Google for them.
WOW! A search for 57 Chevy Parts pulls up 1,650,000 pages to look at, so I settled down for a morning on the computer, but guess what? That 1,650,000 pages is limited to less than 800 pages available and then I am stopped from going any further! On top of that, many of the pages, which are presented at only 10 pages per page, many of the pages are duplicates and other pages on the same websites! Sheesh!
A lot of the links are eBay links that are outdated or on the verge of being sold. Or some other website like Auto Trader, etc, etc, etc.Then there is are the fake links that try to sell you ebooks on how to sell on eBay or how to get rich numerous other ways. Here is one that has no bearing on 57 Chevys at all; "57 Chevy parts, giftsforgirls com, free wweonlinegames, diva staz".
I have to say that it was mighty frustrating! All in all though, I think I found 3 new sources for parts.
So, frustration aside, my surfing was a success, if you don't count that new keyboard I had to scavenge from my kid's computer because I spilled beer in mine.
I guess I will wrap this up and go buy a new keyboard for my computer before I get in trouble with the kid...
Monday, May 26, 2008
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Going To The Drive-In Movie
by Karl Nichols
The Drive-In Movie was a weekend fixture in my family’s plans as it was with so many other American families and when it disappeared, we didn’t even realize it. The transition from Drive-Ins to TV & Video/DVD Rentals was so subtle and smooth that nobody even thought to say goodbye. I remember, after the Air-conditioning was installed and we bought the color TV, we didn’t think about the Drive-In Movies anymore, the industry just bled to death out of site and mind.
The first time I realized this was in 1987 when we moved into a new house in a new city and there, as big as life, sitting beside the entry to our new subdivision was a Drive-In Movie Theater. My 9-year-old daughter said, “Dad, what is that?” She was the last of our 4 kids and the only one who was still at home, and as I thought about the answer to her question, I realized that I hadn’t been to a Drive-In Movie in at least 10 years, my daughter’s question was proof of that.
We are still living in that house, and my daughter just graduated from college, but the Drive-In is gone, about 10 years now. Gone the way of the Buffalo and the Outhouse, crowded out by a civilization that ruthlessly moves on, discarding the bodies of past technology in it’s wake and such was the fate of the Dive-In Movie, left behind like a discarded 8-Track Cartridge.
What brings about this maudlin sentimentality for the Drive-In? I was recently surfing the Net and ran across the website http://www.driveinmovie.com/ which is dedicated to helping people who are looking for Drive-Ins. The site has all(?) the Drive-Ins listed state by state to help those of us who still wish to be eaten by mosquitoes while sweating copiously, having to use smelly over crowded restrooms and eat bad carryout food which is cold by the time we stumble around looking for and finally finding our car. Man that is what I call a good time! The old saying that “Hindsight is 20-20” could actually be restated as “Memories are blind as a bat”! See ya at the Drive-In next week.
Copyright KL Nichols 2008
The Drive-In Movie was a weekend fixture in my family’s plans as it was with so many other American families and when it disappeared, we didn’t even realize it. The transition from Drive-Ins to TV & Video/DVD Rentals was so subtle and smooth that nobody even thought to say goodbye. I remember, after the Air-conditioning was installed and we bought the color TV, we didn’t think about the Drive-In Movies anymore, the industry just bled to death out of site and mind.
The first time I realized this was in 1987 when we moved into a new house in a new city and there, as big as life, sitting beside the entry to our new subdivision was a Drive-In Movie Theater. My 9-year-old daughter said, “Dad, what is that?” She was the last of our 4 kids and the only one who was still at home, and as I thought about the answer to her question, I realized that I hadn’t been to a Drive-In Movie in at least 10 years, my daughter’s question was proof of that.
We are still living in that house, and my daughter just graduated from college, but the Drive-In is gone, about 10 years now. Gone the way of the Buffalo and the Outhouse, crowded out by a civilization that ruthlessly moves on, discarding the bodies of past technology in it’s wake and such was the fate of the Dive-In Movie, left behind like a discarded 8-Track Cartridge.
What brings about this maudlin sentimentality for the Drive-In? I was recently surfing the Net and ran across the website http://www.driveinmovie.com/ which is dedicated to helping people who are looking for Drive-Ins. The site has all(?) the Drive-Ins listed state by state to help those of us who still wish to be eaten by mosquitoes while sweating copiously, having to use smelly over crowded restrooms and eat bad carryout food which is cold by the time we stumble around looking for and finally finding our car. Man that is what I call a good time! The old saying that “Hindsight is 20-20” could actually be restated as “Memories are blind as a bat”! See ya at the Drive-In next week.
Copyright KL Nichols 2008
Sunday, May 18, 2008
BOB'S AUTO PARTS AUCTION
BOB'S AUTO PARTS AUCTION
Tony and Michele Hamer
Are you looking for a parts car or a restoration project? Well Rowley's Auction Service will be auctioning off the entire contents of Bob's Auto Parts in Fostoria, Michigan, this weekend. This facility has operated as a classic car salvage yard since 1938. Bob and Chris Zimmerman have owned and operated the business since 1957. Due to the death of Bob Zimmerman, all the vehicles will be sold at auction. What will be auctioned are the 1,800 cars in a junkyard that's been in operation since 1938. Looking at the pictures on the website, there are some interesting collector car material from the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s. There will be a minimum bid of $400 for all of the cars and pickups "due to high scrap prices", so we might assume, that whatever doesn't sell at auction goes straight to the crusher. If you see anything on the website you might be interested in, give Bob's a call and save a classic from being crushed.
Read More Here: http://classiccars.about.com/b/2008/05/15/bobs-auto-parts-auction.htm
Tony and Michele Hamer
Are you looking for a parts car or a restoration project? Well Rowley's Auction Service will be auctioning off the entire contents of Bob's Auto Parts in Fostoria, Michigan, this weekend. This facility has operated as a classic car salvage yard since 1938. Bob and Chris Zimmerman have owned and operated the business since 1957. Due to the death of Bob Zimmerman, all the vehicles will be sold at auction. What will be auctioned are the 1,800 cars in a junkyard that's been in operation since 1938. Looking at the pictures on the website, there are some interesting collector car material from the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s. There will be a minimum bid of $400 for all of the cars and pickups "due to high scrap prices", so we might assume, that whatever doesn't sell at auction goes straight to the crusher. If you see anything on the website you might be interested in, give Bob's a call and save a classic from being crushed.
Read More Here: http://classiccars.about.com/b/2008/05/15/bobs-auto-parts-auction.htm
WHERE DID ALL THE MUSTANGS GO?
WHERE DID ALL THE MUSTANGS GO?
This is from http://www.cars-on-line.com/ Newsletter
On Tuesday morning when we opened the Cars On Line office there were four inspection orders that had come in overnight. They were all for buyers from Australia. Three of the four orders were requests for us to look at classic Mustangs for sale here in the United States. That's the way the market has been going lately. Australian buyers are putting down cash money for first generation Mustangs, Mach 1's and Boss Mustangs. And here's the kicker. They're buying up all the Mustang hardtops (coupes) they can find.
Now you and I know that only the early Mustang convertibles are of any value here in the U.S. But the word is that in Australia the resale on American Mustang coupes is $40,000 to $50,000! Look out! Right now in California, Arizona and Nevada, Australian front men are buying up as many solid, dry Western coupes as they can find and shipping them back to Australia to sell to collectors there. The average value on the early Mustang coupes had been around $6,500 in the U.S. up until now. But in California they are getting $10,000 to $12,000 for rust free high No. 3 condition coupes.
I'm worried that ten years down the road there won't be any '65 and '66 Mustangs left here in the U.S.," a California Mustang collector told us this week. "At the Pomona Swap Meet last month Australian brokers bought all the decent cars during the setup day on Saturday. When the show opened on Sunday they were standing at the gate buying all the rust free Mustangs as they came in." This collector told us that, out of the last ten cars he has sold, all ten went to Australia. He delivered one to a dock in Long Beach where he said there were hundreds of cars standing outside in the yard waiting to be loaded on boats to go back to Australia. He said that he was told there was a backlog of five hundred cars waiting to be loaded and shipped. They didn't have enough boats!
Classic car dealers across the country are telling us the same thing. Some say half the cars they sell are going overseas. We may see that scenario increase. And its not just Mustangs that are being shipped overseas.
We've noticed that collectors in Australia, Norway, Sweden, Denmark and the U.K. have been buying American classic cars in greater numbers this year since the U.S. dollar has weakened against the world economies. Now foreign collectors can buy American classic cars for one-fourth of what they used to pay, not to mention that prices have dropped in our own market. The only thing that will correct this trend is for the U.S. Fed to stop printing money (and start raising interest rates again.) The Fed is so worried about bailing out "house flippers" and real estate speculators that they succeeded in pushing gas prices over $4.00 a gallon this week. To add insult to injury, now we have to watch while our collector cars are being bought up because our currency gets about as much respect as the Mexican peso.
Food for thought: Isn't it amazing how the rest of the world appreciates our "old cars?" Now consider this: is that a good thing?
(This is from their newsletter, which is worth subscribing to. Normally I would just link this article to it, but it is a good article and there seems to be no way to link to it!)
This is from http://www.cars-on-line.com/ Newsletter
On Tuesday morning when we opened the Cars On Line office there were four inspection orders that had come in overnight. They were all for buyers from Australia. Three of the four orders were requests for us to look at classic Mustangs for sale here in the United States. That's the way the market has been going lately. Australian buyers are putting down cash money for first generation Mustangs, Mach 1's and Boss Mustangs. And here's the kicker. They're buying up all the Mustang hardtops (coupes) they can find.
Now you and I know that only the early Mustang convertibles are of any value here in the U.S. But the word is that in Australia the resale on American Mustang coupes is $40,000 to $50,000! Look out! Right now in California, Arizona and Nevada, Australian front men are buying up as many solid, dry Western coupes as they can find and shipping them back to Australia to sell to collectors there. The average value on the early Mustang coupes had been around $6,500 in the U.S. up until now. But in California they are getting $10,000 to $12,000 for rust free high No. 3 condition coupes.
I'm worried that ten years down the road there won't be any '65 and '66 Mustangs left here in the U.S.," a California Mustang collector told us this week. "At the Pomona Swap Meet last month Australian brokers bought all the decent cars during the setup day on Saturday. When the show opened on Sunday they were standing at the gate buying all the rust free Mustangs as they came in." This collector told us that, out of the last ten cars he has sold, all ten went to Australia. He delivered one to a dock in Long Beach where he said there were hundreds of cars standing outside in the yard waiting to be loaded on boats to go back to Australia. He said that he was told there was a backlog of five hundred cars waiting to be loaded and shipped. They didn't have enough boats!
Classic car dealers across the country are telling us the same thing. Some say half the cars they sell are going overseas. We may see that scenario increase. And its not just Mustangs that are being shipped overseas.
We've noticed that collectors in Australia, Norway, Sweden, Denmark and the U.K. have been buying American classic cars in greater numbers this year since the U.S. dollar has weakened against the world economies. Now foreign collectors can buy American classic cars for one-fourth of what they used to pay, not to mention that prices have dropped in our own market. The only thing that will correct this trend is for the U.S. Fed to stop printing money (and start raising interest rates again.) The Fed is so worried about bailing out "house flippers" and real estate speculators that they succeeded in pushing gas prices over $4.00 a gallon this week. To add insult to injury, now we have to watch while our collector cars are being bought up because our currency gets about as much respect as the Mexican peso.
Food for thought: Isn't it amazing how the rest of the world appreciates our "old cars?" Now consider this: is that a good thing?
(This is from their newsletter, which is worth subscribing to. Normally I would just link this article to it, but it is a good article and there seems to be no way to link to it!)
Sunday, April 27, 2008
FINDER'S FEE? PART II
KL Nichols
If you missed Part I of this article, you can find it just below this article.
A lot of you guys can skip this part because you have grown up scrounging for parts and cars and telling you how to find a part is like telling a dog what to do with a bone! But for the newbies, here goes;
You will need, besides an innate love of cars, a phone (I suggest VOIP and cell), a computer, some sort of filing system that will help you keep track of your wants and finds. (You must be and stay organized)
Here are a few pointers;
1. I have never thrown away a business card (I trade business cards with everyone) and as a result, I have about 40 or so, 3-ring notebooks full of them dating back about 30 years. When a phone number or address changes, I note it on the business card.
2. However, I am slowly moving all of my info to a program that I like called Any Time Deluxe and is available at individualsoftware.com for about $40. It has all kinds of goodies, a great phone book/directory, a Phone Dialer, yes it will dial the phones of my Contacts, & you can send emails directly for the Phonebook, you can schedule Appointments and Things To Do in it also, plus a bunch of other features. All of this and much more with a very small learning curve!
3. I carry a printed list of the top 200 (some of them are long term wants) most important wants. I like to focus on the most profitable, so I revise it frequently. I keep it in a text file on my Desktop in my computer for easy editing and easy to print out. Yeah, a lot of what I do is on the computer, so if you are seriously computer inept, I would suggest that you get a partner that is good on the computer.A word here about computer illiteracy, "Computers are a tool and are here to stay, so get used to it and learn how use it, even if you have to go to a local college for a short non-credit class in computer usage!
4. Email: I have a large email list just for locating. Yes, they all are friends or businesses that are in the business (I also publish another newsletter for The Want List and also maintain a website for it. And believe me, you better get permission from each person that you add to lists like mine or you can be banned from your ISP (Internet Service Provider) and they don't kid around or just ask you to stop sending UCE (UnSolicited Email) known to many as (Sp*am). They just turn you off!!I make about 50-100 calls a day, I spend 6-8 hours a day on the computer when I am in the office, I email about 1000 emails a day (a lot of these are 10 to 20 at a time, as CC's), all in the name of locating collector cars and parts. I collect names, phone numbers and URL's (website addresses) of everyone and anyone that might be of help in my searches.
5. As a tool for your business, I suggest that you spend $7.00 and buy the ebook "Classic Salvage Yard Locator" at classicsalvageyardlocator.com. It has 200 plus Salvage Yards, phone, URL & and in most cases an interest area, like Fords, Chevy's etc, etc.The database I have boils down to a whole lot of friends and when I call, I ask for a certain individual that I know and I generally don't get put on hold. (Time is money!)
6. I communicate with my customers frequently, because you never know when they will turn up the Wanted Item on their own or thru another Finder. One thing that has helped me is to focus narrowly in a field that I know a lot about, be it a make, model or year. This being said, don't focus so narrowly that you ignore someone that wants to give you money!
7. There is also a lot of money in helping individuals, widows and estates to sell off collector cars or even complete collections. One time a lady called me having been recommended me by a friend of hers and asked if I could help her sell her late husband's old cars. I went out to her place just outside of a small town in South Dakota, it was a long drive, but I decided that she sounded like she needed help. When I got there it turned out to be a small hobby farm and with about 11 or 12 out buildings, she took me past 6 or 7 of the buildings to a nice looking small barn and opened the door. Inside were 12 cars in #1 or #2 condition. I told her I would be glad to get some values for her and help her sell them. I took a lot of pictures and as we were leaving I asked what were in the other buildings, she said. Oh, nothing but a bunch of old car parts….
All in all, the "late husband" had $1.2million in the cars and "old car parts", it took me 6 months part time to get them all sold , my commission of 10%, and I took a month off in Hawaii!!
Not all of my finds have been that great, I have had to tell a lot of people that the rusting Corvair framework that they have had setting on the ground in their backyard for 15 years is definitely not going to fund their retirement! Also I can't tell you how many people that I have had to count as a loss when they wanted to sell a rusting 57 Chevy 4 door part car for #1 book value! So like any service business, you take the good with the bad.
Most of the money I make is after the fact, meaning after I find the part or car. However, and this is a judgment call, if the part of vehicle the customer wants is hopeless or possibly "extremely long term" (I have looked for 12 years for a specific car with a specific vin # for a person who drove it to high school and is now rich enough to pay anything to find it.) This type of customer I charge a search fee to help me stay motivated. I also charge a flat fee to parts wanted customers to weed them out. You will find a lot of people want you to work for fre*e! But as for asking for a lot of money up front, you set off a lot of alarms in the minds of customers, not to mention the Better Business Bureau and Law enforcement organizations.Deadbeats? Yes there are some in this field too. If you take credit cards that helps and you can also take checks over the phone, the software for this is available for $10-$12 at nicks411.com
One last thought, don't try to cheat your customer because bad news travels at the speed of light. I know a more than a couple of Finders/Locators that spent a little time in the hoosegow because they messed with the grandfather of the local sheriff or some other local person of importance! Good luck and good hunting!
Copyright 2008 KL Nichols
If you missed Part I of this article, you can find it just below this article.
A lot of you guys can skip this part because you have grown up scrounging for parts and cars and telling you how to find a part is like telling a dog what to do with a bone! But for the newbies, here goes;
You will need, besides an innate love of cars, a phone (I suggest VOIP and cell), a computer, some sort of filing system that will help you keep track of your wants and finds. (You must be and stay organized)
Here are a few pointers;
1. I have never thrown away a business card (I trade business cards with everyone) and as a result, I have about 40 or so, 3-ring notebooks full of them dating back about 30 years. When a phone number or address changes, I note it on the business card.
2. However, I am slowly moving all of my info to a program that I like called Any Time Deluxe and is available at individualsoftware.com for about $40. It has all kinds of goodies, a great phone book/directory, a Phone Dialer, yes it will dial the phones of my Contacts, & you can send emails directly for the Phonebook, you can schedule Appointments and Things To Do in it also, plus a bunch of other features. All of this and much more with a very small learning curve!
3. I carry a printed list of the top 200 (some of them are long term wants) most important wants. I like to focus on the most profitable, so I revise it frequently. I keep it in a text file on my Desktop in my computer for easy editing and easy to print out. Yeah, a lot of what I do is on the computer, so if you are seriously computer inept, I would suggest that you get a partner that is good on the computer.A word here about computer illiteracy, "Computers are a tool and are here to stay, so get used to it and learn how use it, even if you have to go to a local college for a short non-credit class in computer usage!
4. Email: I have a large email list just for locating. Yes, they all are friends or businesses that are in the business (I also publish another newsletter for The Want List and also maintain a website for it. And believe me, you better get permission from each person that you add to lists like mine or you can be banned from your ISP (Internet Service Provider) and they don't kid around or just ask you to stop sending UCE (UnSolicited Email) known to many as (Sp*am). They just turn you off!!I make about 50-100 calls a day, I spend 6-8 hours a day on the computer when I am in the office, I email about 1000 emails a day (a lot of these are 10 to 20 at a time, as CC's), all in the name of locating collector cars and parts. I collect names, phone numbers and URL's (website addresses) of everyone and anyone that might be of help in my searches.
5. As a tool for your business, I suggest that you spend $7.00 and buy the ebook "Classic Salvage Yard Locator" at classicsalvageyardlocator.com. It has 200 plus Salvage Yards, phone, URL & and in most cases an interest area, like Fords, Chevy's etc, etc.The database I have boils down to a whole lot of friends and when I call, I ask for a certain individual that I know and I generally don't get put on hold. (Time is money!)
6. I communicate with my customers frequently, because you never know when they will turn up the Wanted Item on their own or thru another Finder. One thing that has helped me is to focus narrowly in a field that I know a lot about, be it a make, model or year. This being said, don't focus so narrowly that you ignore someone that wants to give you money!
7. There is also a lot of money in helping individuals, widows and estates to sell off collector cars or even complete collections. One time a lady called me having been recommended me by a friend of hers and asked if I could help her sell her late husband's old cars. I went out to her place just outside of a small town in South Dakota, it was a long drive, but I decided that she sounded like she needed help. When I got there it turned out to be a small hobby farm and with about 11 or 12 out buildings, she took me past 6 or 7 of the buildings to a nice looking small barn and opened the door. Inside were 12 cars in #1 or #2 condition. I told her I would be glad to get some values for her and help her sell them. I took a lot of pictures and as we were leaving I asked what were in the other buildings, she said. Oh, nothing but a bunch of old car parts….
All in all, the "late husband" had $1.2million in the cars and "old car parts", it took me 6 months part time to get them all sold , my commission of 10%, and I took a month off in Hawaii!!
Not all of my finds have been that great, I have had to tell a lot of people that the rusting Corvair framework that they have had setting on the ground in their backyard for 15 years is definitely not going to fund their retirement! Also I can't tell you how many people that I have had to count as a loss when they wanted to sell a rusting 57 Chevy 4 door part car for #1 book value! So like any service business, you take the good with the bad.
Most of the money I make is after the fact, meaning after I find the part or car. However, and this is a judgment call, if the part of vehicle the customer wants is hopeless or possibly "extremely long term" (I have looked for 12 years for a specific car with a specific vin # for a person who drove it to high school and is now rich enough to pay anything to find it.) This type of customer I charge a search fee to help me stay motivated. I also charge a flat fee to parts wanted customers to weed them out. You will find a lot of people want you to work for fre*e! But as for asking for a lot of money up front, you set off a lot of alarms in the minds of customers, not to mention the Better Business Bureau and Law enforcement organizations.Deadbeats? Yes there are some in this field too. If you take credit cards that helps and you can also take checks over the phone, the software for this is available for $10-$12 at nicks411.com
One last thought, don't try to cheat your customer because bad news travels at the speed of light. I know a more than a couple of Finders/Locators that spent a little time in the hoosegow because they messed with the grandfather of the local sheriff or some other local person of importance! Good luck and good hunting!
Copyright 2008 KL Nichols
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