rick h.
Member
Respondcode3 said:All these rigs and just sitting there to rot.. No one in their lifetime can ever restore all those.. Its a shame..
HearseGuy said:I could do my part to restore the ambulances and hearses
plybeep68 said:Great pictures! How many hours or days did you spend there?? I would spend a week! lol , I love looking at old emergency vehicles. The biggest problem i have ran into is the owners will not let you look thru there vehicles because someone has been there before you and stolen something!
rick h. said:I was advised by a Employee that took time to show Me around that the Owner hardly ever sells anything
fedsig7 said:There a place just like this one near me. Hundreds of old vehicles, many of them being old emergency vehicles. The people who own dont want to part with anything. So annoying.
lotsofbars said:In my experience, the best way to coax items off people who don't want to get rid of items is to make it obvious how much you want said items. If the owner's not one to sell things, make sure that he knows that you're willing and able to remove everything yourself. And, assuming he doesn't know the worth of the items, start with a very low offer and keep adding money to your "offering" price so it seems that you're willing to pay him a lot more than he would usually get for something. This has worked for me in the past, I hope it works for you!
With the proper money they could be done. There is an outfit in NJ that restores old pieces for companies, they have done a ton of different antique and older vehicles to look brand new.Respondcode3 said:All these rigs and just sitting there to rot.. No one in their lifetime can ever restore all those.. Its a shame..
theroofable said:With the proper money they could be done. There is an outfit in NJ that restores old pieces for companies, they have done a ton of different antique and older vehicles to look brand new.
CrownVic97 said:Try doing what Doran suggested in Rick's first thread:
If they still won't want to, here's some questions I'd ask them and statements I'd make:
"Well, are you going to fix up all those emergency vehicles out there for car shows and parades, even though they've been sitting for years and years, haven't budged an inch and will cost thousands each in themselves? That's a lot to do for one person, don't you think?"
"I'll be the one getting dirty and such taking off the lights. You don't have to 'cause I find it interesting to do this sort of thing."
"Times have changed and those old lights will never be used on a current emergency vehicle because everything has gone LED or strobe and moving away from sealed beam and halogen because of high amperage issues. So, what is the purpose of keeping them if someone's willing to pay for 'em and nobody else has inquired to?"
"It's my hobby collecting these old lights. If you're concerned about me being dumb and slapping these lights on a truck or car, I would not do an asinine thing like that. They will be restored and live on a shelf for the rest of their existence. That's it."
"I've got to ask then: What are YOUR plans to do with the lights I'm inquiring about?"
"If somebody else asked about these lights, what was their offer? I'd might be able to do you one better."
It takes time to make somebody realize they have potential to pocket some cash and get rid of some stuff at the same time. If they are still REALLY, REALLY stubborn about selling, then tell them that's a shame, because those lights are something that they could profit on, and the chance to get that extra buck is walking out the door and probably won't come back because they are that stubborn. I had that happen to me in Mandan at an auto salvage yard in July.
A decent-shape clear-lensed 12F TwinSonic with all amber bulbs and flashers was mounted on a wrecked service truck. I hoped that the owner was not at the desk when I went in to ask and just his employees, but sure as snot, he was. I inquired about it and in 2 seconds, he said "No, I need that." I asked why if it's an old sealed-beam light and most tow trucks today have LEDs or strobes? He said then "I've got a wrecker with a busted light and I ain't spending $500 bucks to get a new strobe or LED beacon." Okay, that didn't make sense due to the fact they only got 2 trucks with full-size Jetstreams on them, but whatever, I wasn't feeling like arguing. So, I said I'd like to take some pictures of it, left my number, and asked them to call me if they wanted to sell. My plan after that was to drive by there every time I went to Bismarck and see if that owner was serious and possibly inquire in a few months if the lightbar was still on the truck. I drove by there about 5 or 6 times in the span of a couple months, and sure enough the damn truck still sat with the Twin on it. About two months ago, that service truck just disappered when I made a quick run to Bismarck and passed by on the way out. Either that owner was serious with his intentions, or he just moved the truck out of sight so no one else would ask about the lightbar. I've pretty much given up on going to that place again because of the owner's unwillingness to work with customers inquiring on unique items. The chance to make a buck is right in front of him, why not take it? I will never know....
End of schpeel. Back to the awesome pictures of Rick's adventure :haha: !
JennyCop said:Great Pics, lots of great vehicles here. This Cadillac ambulance is my favorite, so far! I'd take it in a heart beat! Granted I'd love me an Ahrens-Fox or American Lafrance too! I'd also love to see the rest of this "Aliquippa" beast!
fedsig7 said:There a place just like this one near me. Hundreds of old vehicles, many of them being old emergency vehicles. The people who own dont want to part with anything. So annoying.
We should have a junkyard / old rigs thread! I love looking at pictures like these.
chief1565 said:Streethawk heaven and not a white or a red one in the lot.
Unless on the bottom.
CrownVic97 said:
rick h. said:I really liked the Chev. caprices .He had 4 (I think) not including the station wagon and they all had the LT1 engine . He also had several CV's sitting around.
Lightbarnut said:Rick, whenever you go back, take as many hearse and ambulance pics as you can.
Wailer said:Post them here too. I like fire engines, but I like pro-car ambos even more.
Lightbarnut said:Since this seems to be a popular thread, I'll add my 2 cents.
I've seen several examples both online and in-person of situations where the person had acres full of vehicles of all kinds or just a small pile of lightbars/beacons and they refused to even give a figure for what they would sell them for. My strategy for dealing with that problem is this: Wait them out. Usually the person in question is old, and no one lives forever. If you wait long enough and keep an ear to the ground of what is going on with them, they WILL die eventually. Then you can be prepared to slide in at the right moment and offer either cash for an item or just help whoever remains haul off stuff and trade help/labor for a piece you want, etc; or if it is auctioned off you can see what the stuff is going for and if you are financially prepared, you maybe can get some of it on a bid.
I'm waiting out an old guy right now that has a Code 3 SD bar, several CJ-184s, a Streethawk and some assorted strobe beacons. He'll die, and as soon as I hear that he's gone I'll go and ask whoever is there if they want to sell.
Rick, whenever you go back, take as many hearse and ambulance pics as you can. There is a thread on the Professional Car Societys' web forum that is called 'Sad ProCars' or something to that effect. I'm sure they would like any of the pics you can get in it. Skip Goulet is a member there, you could send the pics to him and he could get them over there. Or you could join and post them yourself! Either way, great pics, thanks for posting all of them. :thumbsup:
Skip Goulet said:I use a public computer, so I have no way of posting stuff like I could with my own. Go to the website and contact Paul Steinberg, who is president of PCS and moderator of the board. He can help.
Wailer said:I used to belong to Steinberg's group, but apparently he broke away from the old PCS discussion board and formed a new one with a bunch of like-minded members.