(upbeat music)
( car engine accelerating)
- We're in Northern Michigan, just outside of Traverse City.
And we are going to Jeremy's.
Jeremy is a guy we heard about
that got some interesting cars, muscle cars,
Mustang stuff in his yard.
So we were gonna go check it out.
(upbeat music)
I feel really bad because we pulled into the driveway.
I went looking for somebody that I can ask them like,
"Can I look at the cars."
And I knocked on the door, nobody answered.
When we were getting ready to leave,
and all of a sudden I found out
that I woke up Jeremy and Maya.
They were sleeping late today.
So I feel bad.
But Jeremy said,
"Hey, you can take a look at this stuff.
You can film it."
And I said, "It is for sale?"
He said, "Everything's for sale."
So that's all we need.
What's the story that Nova,
anything hot about that thing?
It's got a glass, a glass hood on, I guess.
- Yeah, this one's from North-
- Oh, sunroof.
Look at that, jeez.
That's factory, huh?
One interesting car is this orange Nova, 1973.
It's a 350.
In 1973 they made 349,000 Novas.
And 1% of those Novas in this case,
3,259 had a factory sunroof.
And this car is one of those cars
that has a factory sunroof,
which is called a Ventura II Folding Skyroof.
Apparently, they were so many leaking problems
that according to Jeremy, General Motors,
bought back the cars and went to
crushing them because you know,
there was issues they couldn't fix
with this leaking sunroof,
but you know, an intriguing option.
Probably, most people have never even heard of.
- Okay.
And so what do you ask for this?
- Best offer?
Okay.
So this one is an interesting,
I saw a 396 logo on there.
So California plate.
Wow, that's a solid floor.
69,396 SS 226.
Look at our floor, just a California car.
It's still got the California plates on it.
- It's got some big wheels in the back,
but it's got kind of the factory Hubcaps and Trim Rings.
- Oh, no kidding, this breaks in the front, okay.
- Aha.
- Now that would be a nice restoration to do
because you wouldn't have to like that Camaro over there.
You'd have to take that thing up and just blow it apart
and acid dip it or something.
But this car being a California car, be a lot easier to do.
(boot opens)
Okay.
Oil pan, you got the big valve covers for the 386.
Pistons, timing gears, pulleys,
and no price on this one either huh?
- Oh, this one I bought seven grand.
- Seven grand complete, that was completed yeah.
Now they've got one, a Mach 1 Mustang.
It's a 1970.
You know, Jeremy says, you know,
he's kind of proud of the car.
It's a one year only car.
It's a 1970, they had the headlights in board.
So to speak in the parking lot's outboard.
Kind of the opposite of a 69.
It also had a large aluminum Mach 1 Rocker Panels
and the blinkers that were mounted inside the hood scoop.
So the driver could see if the blinkers was on
and recessed tail lights.
But you know, for like that Mustang,
a whole new front clip would be required to weld on there.
They had, it comes into the clip
and they'll take best draw for on the car,
but only the brave need apply.
- All right, so tell me about this car.
- That's Grattifix.
That's not factory, is it?
- No, they must cut this Mustang part.
- Oh, it's a Mustang part.
- You cut this down you put it in there.
- Jeez.
An orange and gray Camaro.
No, no drive tree,
but it was originally a factory stick shift car.
We got, I asked him if it's going to be a,
was a three speed or a four speed.
He didn't know.
- So this was factory dark green car.
- Wow, well, this wasn't a bad find
for our first thing in the morning.
- Well, I got more cars.
- Oh, do you?
- Yeah.
- Oh, okay, let's do it.
1963 Impala SS.
Now look at this car.
It looks like it's been here forever.
And Jeremy says, "Oh, it's ready for paint."
And then he said,
"Well, it's actually been ready for pain for 20 years."
Somehow I have the feeling.
It's not quite ready for paint,
but I guess it would be a worthwhile project for somebody.
So the first, I see the floor, the floor in the back here,
looks a little bit sad.
So it's a four wheel drive, short bed.
What year is that?
'76.
That's an interesting truck.
And you just dropped that motor in.
Yeah, that's a nice little truck.
- It's got the nice wheels on there.
- How's this factory stick shift?
- Scot steel.
- I guess that was a trim package.
It's Scot steel 10.
That's a cool truck.
So this is a 64 Impala.
No drive, train as it sits.
Is it an automatic car?
- [Jeremy] Yup.
It looks like it's got a good paint job on it.
- Yeah we gotta redo it.
- Yeah.
Did you guys paint it?
Yeah.
So it's got console mounted, automatic SS console,
bucket seats, extra console.
- Then he was saying he doesn't see too many
with a padded up here.
- Oh, yeah,
- Is like a metal usually.
- Mmh hmm.
- He's got the factory tech for either one of these
cars with the piece here with cut off-
- That not an air car, is it?
- Probably third-
- But I see a duct.
- Oklahoma cars.
They both come from.
- Yeah.
This was a white car originally?
- Yup, she was white.
- Mmmh hmmm.
Of the cars we've seen here this morning.
This is probably the one that requires
the least amount of work.
Even though it doesn't have
an engine transmission currently,
one could be put in with the deal,
so to speak fair condition.
If it was running,
if the engine gearbox were in this car,
it would be a fair condition car,
maybe even a good condition.
So, you know, it would be somewhere
about $37,000 for a good condition car.
If this car were in concourse condition,
Integrity values, the car is $78,600.
That's a,
that's a more valuable car than I ever thought it would be.
This has got what seems to be a pretty good body on it.
It has a complete interior,
although not completely assembled.
They have all the trim for it.
And that would be the price for a 327,
the low horsepower 327, who have 4 barrel.
There was a higher horsepower,
327 and also a 283.
You could have gotten with a '64 SS and power.
Alright, well let's thank you so much
for letting me wake you up and showing us your cars.
- No, problem.
Maya, you have a good third grade class this year, okay.
Shake my hand, good luck.
Good luck at school, okay?
(upbeat music)
I kinda see the old truck,
I'd say it's the one on this side.
(car door bangs)
Well, I went to an auto parts store.
And sometimes we go to the auto parts store
or an old repair shop.
They know of somebody in town.
That own old railroad cars, there's the sheriff.
He may also maybe a good person to talk to.
They didn't know really, but they said,
there's a guy behind McDonald's at a collision shop.
Who fools around with hot rides and he may know of somebody.
So I kind of want to find some before I leave this town,
it's kind of a challenge that I have you know.
(upbeat music)
We we're driving back towards Trevor city,
having searched for cars through the country side
for much of the day, it was late in the afternoon.
Turned around a corner and they're right on a public street
in the driveway was a '63 Ford convertible.
Real nice original car peeling paint,
but looked really solid.
I'd say no rust.
So I knocked on the door and met Janine.
We found out that Janine was a real classic car enthusiast.
Someone that has always loved classic cars.
And one day she went to a classic car show and saw this car
and it was for sale.
And she made the owner an offer.
He accepted it.
By that night she had it in her driveway.
So she bought it for all the right reasons.
She fell in love with it 10 years ago
and the summer time brings it out
and it sits in her driveway.
She drives her on nice days,
puts the top down and takes it to parades,
takes it to shows.
And then when, you know, it starts threatening
weather and winter again, she puts it back in storage.
The car has got 85,000 miles.
It's got a 352 in automatic
and a real cool dual exhaust,
probably glass packs on there, sounded great.
(car engine roars)
Original top, original interior, nice patina.
And you know, what's really cool is that,
she is approached often by people that want to buy her car.
And she's not motivated by money.
She's motivated by her love of old cars.
And she said,
"Sorry, I can't sell it to you."
So, you know what, this is a pretty special car
and a pretty special lady that owned it.
And I'm so glad I got to meet her.
(upbeat music)
(engine ignites )
(upbeat music)
- In the cars that we find riding around the country.
Lots of Ford's, lots of Chevy's, some Mopars,
very rarely do we come across in American motors product,
but here there are two in the backyard.
Over here we have an AMC Eagle
and then we have a Rambler American.
Both from different eras, but from the same company.
So this is the man that owns them.
Your name is?
- Alex.
Nice to meet you Alex.
- Nice to meet you.
And so tell me, right,
are you an American Motors fan
or and why do you have these cars?
What are you doing with them?
- Oh yeah.
I kind of became a fan.
I started out with the Eagle.
I purchased this about five years ago.
- [Man] Mmh hmm.
- And it was just something that I got
because I was jealous of my friends
that had cars to go out and beat on.
So it was an extra vehicle and I did a lot of work to it.
I rebuilt the motor swapped in transmissions.
I'm in the middle of a solid axle swap
and it's become kind of a little mud toy.
- No kidding.
There are people that collect these things now.
They're like collectors of items.
- Yeah.
- So you put a soft for an axle, like a Jeep for axle?
- Yup.
It's a DANA 30.
- And it got brand new tires on it, brand new.
- Yeah.
- They got no revolutions on them.
- Yeah, those are, Interco super swampers
- And this is a six-cylinder?
- Yep.
It's a six-cylinder.
It's got the 258 block from the 4.2 liter straight six.
That's the original block.
But it's got the four liter high output head
from a '94 Jeep Cherokee.
Porter and Polish, the heads,
myself Harlan sharp roller rockers,
just a bunch of go fast parts did not go fast motor.
- These days, we're used to cars that have
four wheel drive and all wheel drive you know,
Subarus and Volvos and even, you know,
Mercedes Benz's, they have all wheel drive cars.
But back in the day,
this was a passenger car that was a four wheel drive car
before SUV that even the term SUV was even known.
So this is one of the first vehicles to,
kinda be an all terrain vehicle
and something you can drive to work every day.
This one's been modified because it's jacked up.
It's got to saddle for an axle on it.
The original cars had independent suspension, right?
Yeap.
- Yeah, okay.
- Yeah.
Part of what led me to that was I had an aging independent
suspension and just sourcing the parts was an issue.
- So it was you're kit that this is?
or you had to make your own.
- No, those leaf Springs came off of a CJ7.
They were a takeoff where somebody
had put a lift kit on a CJ7
and then got a bigger lift kit.
And I got the hardly used leafs for the front.
- So did you have to, weld brackets on?
- Yup.
They're not actually welded right now.
Just snuck down tight with the U bolts,
but I still have to go through and final weld everything.
- Now, could you pop the hood on here?
- Yeah.
I have to go in.
- I remember when these things came out,
they were, they were very well received.
I remember the editor for Car and Driver Magazine,
David E Davis said
he was gonna take all his retirement money
and invest it in American Motors Corporation
because of this vehicle.
Okay, so it's got a four liter head you say?
- Yep.
It's got the high output head off of the four liter engine.
You can actually see these.
This is two valve covers that are-
- Oh, look at that.
- Welded together because I've got
the roller rockers in there.
They needed extra clearance.
So rather than spending a bunch of money
and buying a valve cover, I had one made.
- Is that a four barrel?
- Yep, that's a 470 Holly truck Avenger.
- On an Offenhauser manifold.
- Oh, that's a Clifford six equals eight.
- Yup.
- Okay.
- And then I've got a distributor
out of a Ford straight-six,
300 straight-six in there.
- It works, really.
- Yep.
It gives you the wider cap.
So the one you're running a hotter coil,
you don't get cross sucking and firing every single time.
- So what did you pay for this car?
When it was like, like just an old car that you picked up?
- It was a thousand dollars
and I drove it around as is for a long time.
And then as things broke,
I just tried to replace them with
something a little bit better.
- I know why you have that one.
So you can play around in the mud.
Why do you have this one?
- I got this one because
I kind of fell in love with the AMCs
and they're just a cute car.
I picked this one up in Southern Michigan for $300.
It was gonna get scrapped
or used as a bumping around vehicle.
And I was told that it had some frame damage
and it ended up just being some light rusting
near the rear frame rails.
And it's actually a uni body, runs and drives.
- So that's a six cylinder as well.
- Yep, six cylinder.
- And what size is that motor?
- That's the 195.6.
- Can you open that hood?
'Cause I know a lot of Rambler
had like they had built in intake manifolds
and built an exhaust manifolds as part of the head.
I just want to see if this is-
- Not this one.
This one's an overhead valve.
So I believe that the-
- Well, see this head, this carburetor
bolts right to the head,
there's no separate intake manifolds.
- Oh yup, you are right.
- And there is an exhaust manifold, but.
But they were trying to make fewer parts.
So they were making parts together back in the day
and they built the intake manhole
right onto the cylinder head.
You just bolt that carburetor right on there.
Probably the only brand that ever did that.
It's pretty clean.
It runs okay?
- Yeah
- And what intrigues me about you know,
this collection of cars,
as much as anything else is Alex himself.
He's, a guy that decided to take the road less traveled,
choose a brand of car that you know,
it's, they're not popular.
They're are not easy to get parts for.
If you need parts,
you've gotta probably order them online
or wait a long while most junkyards
don't have Ramble parts.
But here he's got this Eagle,
which is a factory four wheel drive car.
You know, he's, putting Jeep CJ7
front engineer solve for an axles
and lift kits with.
He's putting roller rockers and taking two valve covers
and welding together to get
more height to the roll rockers clear.
He's a welder and he,
he's just not afraid to get his hands dirty.
I think the swapping motors, modifying motors.
This is not something you see very often
in youthful car collectors today.
So I think in some ways he's the future of our hobby.
Happy one.
(upbeat music)
This car has got original glass in it to this car.
Carlite is the manufacturer of the glass in these cars.
So, this piece of glass is a Carlite glass
that's the little logo there for Carlite.
That's the logo for Carlite.
The windshield's got a logo for Carlite
and so do the three windows on the other side.
So, all original glass to this car.