Hi, Ken! Hi, listers!
Ken, I am too late in checking email and the "digest" to answer your
questions on the auction in time for a decision on whether to go on Sunday.
(I am writing now at 2:00 PM on Sunday.) I do believe that most of the
shop equipment was sold yesterday. Most things were tired from lots of use,
but prices reflected the condition. A few items seemed to bring higher
amounts (metal bending and fabricating equipment), but I have no notion of
what these things are actually worth.
Most of the parts for Triumphs and Jags were going for next to nothing. I
arrived at about 10:50 AM just when engines were selling. Some Jag engines
did bring a couple hundred dollars, others much less. (One big block Buick
engine, supposedly overhauled, brought $15.00.) Just as I finished
registration the Triumph engines sold. A Taylorville man was high bidder at
$27.00. He took all three engines. One of the three had a starter,
manifolds, carbs, and transmission.
I did manage to get what I went there for (a cylinder head). The high bid
for choice on a shelf which held probably 25 heads in total was $7.50. The
bidder didn't choose any of the six or so heads for TR2-3-4 engines so I was
able to get them. I took five of the six that were there for a total of
$37.50 and then I paid a young lad $5 to cart them two blocks to my van in
his hand truck. Maybe out of five heads I will find one good one. So far,
even from my own engine which was running well on teardown, I am 0 - 2 on
checks for cracks at the machine shop.
They had dozens of pairs of side curtains for early TRs, most in very poor
condition. After one or two pairs were sold for about $20.00, the lot was
then taken by one man for about $5 - $7 per pair. On radiators they had
difficulty getting any bids. On a collection of about 4 - 6 transmissions
for early TRs (no overdirve units as far as I could see) one man bought the
lot but I didn't hear the call on those items. There were lots of fenders,
front aprons, boot lids, hoods, etc. that would have been sold today. The
condition of most of the body parts was rather poor.
In general, the owners would have done better to have culled and trashed a
large part of the items in poor condition because it gave the impression
that the sale was basically a junk sale. It probably brought down the price
for the few good items they did have. I rather doubt that many buyers were
going back for the second day and I would guess that the owners should plan
to bring in a big truck or a dumpster for a load or two for the land fill.
That is a shame. It is too bad that one of the firms like TRF that does
refurbishing work couldn't have been there. Sometimes people want something
for their car and they cannot locate "core" items to send in for rebuilding.
There were some bargains though. One man got six unopened - one gallon cans
of garage floor paint for about $2.00. A fairly complete, running and
driving Jaguar (1980??) brought only $1200. Then a really rough (not
running) MGA brought about $1600. A rough looking (crushed fenders, worn -
mismatched tires, rusty) tandem axel, dove tail, car hauler trailer brought
$750. It did have a full steel deck and the frame extension from the tounge
went all the way back to the axel, but new trailers can be purchased for
$900 - $1200.
Well, I had better shut down the computer and go to the garage to examine
the cylinder heads I purchased. I don't know which one to take to the
machine shop first. There was one that if it is not cracked the valves look
good enough that I might be able to use it "as is." I think it best to pull
all the valves and check springs and seats before doing something like that.
Rob Blubaugh
Rensselaer, IN - home of IPE-GAGG, TR2 #7690 built 18 August 1955 and now
one step closer to running once again -
///
/// triumphs@autox.team.net mailing list
///
|