A real barn find

[teamzr1]

Wow, cannot get older than this 1953 and check out the shape the barn in a cornfield is in
I've heard about this 1953 Corvette in a barn for 20+ years, but thought it was just an urban legend until I actually found it in a corn field in Nebraska.
It has a great owner and an incredible story to tell
Said to be 1 of only 300 '53s made

How many of you would not only do a restore on the '53 and the barn ?

 

[James Vette]

Why neglect your car?

 

[antijam]

Why neglect your car?

Even the most enthusiastic owners get caught out by life sometimes James. This is a shot inside my garage a few years ago.....



...before i got a kick in the butt from my wife and told to get my finger out....

 

[johng]

So what does it look like now, after you extracted your digit?

 

[CaptainK]

So what does it look like now, after you extracted your digit?

Covered in even more junk I'd imagine

 

[antijam]

Covered in even more junk I'd imagine

No - it got better. It's a double garage into which I'd managed to squeeze three cars - none of which were mobile - and about thirty years of junk.
After a Herculean clear-out effort I started to see daylight......



...and today it's still a double garage into which I've managed to squeeze three cars.....



....... but now they're all mobile !

 

[Roscobbc]

The white one a Gilbern?

 

[antijam]

The white one a Gilbern?

Was indeed Rosco - well spotted!

A Gilbern Invader Mk II Estate. After the clear-out something had to go and the Gilbern drew the short straw. It was a great drive - I still miss it.

 

[CaptainK]

...and today it's still a double garage into which I've managed to squeeze three cars.....

That is an impressive bit of parking to get all 3 in there. Is the garage door on the right (behind the MG) a bigger door, or do you have to put the middle car (Dart?) in first angled between the central pillar, then the MG after ? I have 2 cars in my double garage and if I squidged hard enough I might fit 3 in it like you. But then I'd probably not be able to get out of the cars

 

[Corvette]

There’s nothing up with untidy Until you’re asked to find something

 

[antijam]

That is an impressive bit of parking to get all 3 in there. Is the garage door on the right (behind the MG) a bigger door, or do you have to put the middle car (Dart?) in first angled between the central pillar, then the MG after ? I have 2 cars in my double garage and if I squidged hard enough I might fit 3 in it like you. But then I'd probably not be able to get out of the cars

To be honest I'm cheating a bit. It's a bit more than a double garage although it does have only two up and over doors. The shot above is how the cars fit in, but the MG has to go in first and then loaded onto dollies.

There's a workbench in the space behind the window in the shot above and since the MG is the shortest it's slid in on the dollies behind the bench. The Daimler then goes in forwards through the door on the left and the 'Vette in forwards through the door on the right - where the Daimler is in the shot above. The space behind the pillar means I can get out of the Daimler without hitting the MG and out of the 'Vette without hitting storage racking against the wall. Before buying the 'Vette I had to build the lean-to shed on the left to house the stuff displaced by an additional car in the garage.
The arrangement does mean that taking the MG out for a spin is not something done on a whim. The Daimler has to come out and park in front of the 'Vette before sliding the MG into the freed space and then lifting it off the dollies. At my age this is a strenuous operation and I need a good reason these days to give the MG an airing - although we did get to a local car show last weekend......



.......in the rain .

 

[CaptainK]

Nice one, thanks for the explanation - and nice garage to have that much space. Deffo bigger than mine.

Coincidentally, I'm also building a small lean to up against my garage too. Like yours, it'll be a place to dump the junk from the garage so I can play with the cars more. At the moment they have building materials all around them from all the garden DIY we are doing. Building a lean to is a new thing for me, so lots of learning. Still got to work out how to make the seal between the lean-to roof and the garage wall. I have some left over lead roll my stepdad-in-law gave us, but that sounds a lot of "fun" to install. Still, its all learning and its good fun.

 

[antijam]

Coincidentally, I'm also building a small lean to up against my garage too. Like yours, it'll be a place to dump the junk from the garage so I can play with the cars more. At the moment they have building materials all around them from all the garden DIY we are doing. Building a lean to is a new thing for me, so lots of learning. Still got to work out how to make the seal between the lean-to roof and the garage wall. I have some left over lead roll my stepdad-in-law gave us, but that sounds a lot of "fun" to install. Still, its all learning and its good fun.

I used Bostic 'Flashband' to seal between the roof and the garage wall on my shed.....


This is very easy to use. It's self adhesive and flexible and sticks like sh1t to almost any building surface. It comes in various widths and is easy to trim with a knife or even scissors and is very durable. I used it on my other shed almost 50 years ago and it's still doing fine with no leaks. Much easier than lead roll - and cheaper.

 

[CaptainK]

Nice one - thanks for the heads up on that. I had a look at the link and it deffo looks a lot simpler and easier than lead flashing. I tried to teach myself the lead flashing installation recently via Youtube after getting the roll of lead flashing for free, but it looks more involved for our simple little shed. Thanks again.