[JosueZQ8]

Looking for someone in the Miami area who might be able to check a car out for me? It's in the southwestern part of the city.

My mom's cousin has a '64 Ford Galaxy wagon sitting at his house. I guess he was hired to help a guy clean out his backyard, and he got this car as payment or something. He said we can HAVE it if we want, just need to either come get it, or he said he could meet us half way with it? I don't know how serious he was with that offer though, since Cleveland to Miami is a good 18 hours!

Problem is, he's not really a "car guy", so I don't think he's going to be able to tell us much about the car if we were to inquire him. Just because it's free, I really don't think it's going to be worth it to go through the hassle of shipping it up here if the thing is a total rott box with holes in the floors and quarters, engine halfway torn apart with the heads, intake, and carb sitting in the back, seats all torn and ripped apart with springs showing, and wheels locked up so it doesn't even roll. Even though it's from South FL, I know all that salt in the air can still reek havoc on cars!

As long as it was in decent shape though, enough to where we could spend a grand or 2 giving it some TLC to make it safe and reliable to drive again, then I think it'd be worth it for sure. My dad wants to flip it, but I don't think there's much of a market for wagons. I search all the craigslists around me for wagons from time to time, and I see a LOT of the same ones not selling. There are tons out there that are in good, running condition that are priced anywhere from $4000-$7000. With the $1500 we'd have in shipping it up here, then another $2000 or so to make it road worthy again, I don't think it'd be worth much more than what we'd have into it. Would be an awesome car for the wife to roll the kids to car shows in though!

Anyone local that can possibly stop by real quick and give me a better assessment of the car? Maybe take some pics with an actual camera? He only sent us 2 crappy cell phone pics, like they were taken with a flip phone, so I'm not sure how much better the pics would be if we asked him to send more. lol

 

[10Canyon53]

I am not quite close enough to go (5 hr drive) but I don't think salt will be an issue unless it was stored outside within a couple of blocks of the beach. My grandmother had a 1968 Buick that she owned since 1969 and lived in Daytona Beach, which has a far more corrosive atmosphere than Miami. She also lived within 3 miles of the beach. When she traded it in about 10 years ago it still did not have a speck of rust on it. That's over 35 years. I may have a reason to go to South Florida in the next few weeks, so I will keep an eye on this post and let you know if I do not see anybody else able to check it out.

 

[cart7881]

PM sent.

 

[JosueZQ8]

Thanks guys!

Here's the wagon in question.




Like I said, not the best pics, and I'm not sure if he has the means to get us more detailed shots.

 

[10Canyon53]

Glad to see someone local was able to help you out. That looks like it could be a cool restoration project.

 

[Skizzo]

Hey man long time no see! Hope everything is going well. Wish I could help out on the wagon but I am all the way up in Tallahassee.

 

[JosueZQ8]

Haha...you were one of the first people I thought about when I asked myself "who do I know in FL that may be able to check this thing out?"

All is well up here! Poppin' kids out (stopping at 2 though lol), bought a house, and I'm almost done with my training as an Air Traffic Controller. Livin' the dream!

 

[Skizzo]

Haha...you were one of the first people I thought about when I asked myself "who do I know in FL that may be able to check this thing out?"

All is well up here! Poppin' kids out (stopping at 2 though lol), bought a house, and I'm almost done with my training as an Air Traffic Controller. Livin' the dream!

Nice man! Good to hear things are goin well. I have a buddy who is an atc out in new mexico or Arizona now. My roommate that just moved out went to school for it but has changed directions a bit from atc to aeronautic information analysis or something like that

 

[gway]

If that thing wasn't so heavy I'd say rent a trailer and I'd haul it up closer and meet you somewhere with it. Im only like 2hrs northwestish. I'm going home around valentines day.

 

[JosueZQ8]

Nice man! Good to hear things are goin well. I have a buddy who is an atc out in new mexico or Arizona now. My roommate that just moved out went to school for it but has changed directions a bit from atc to aeronautic information analysis or something like that

It's incredibly hard to get into this career for sure, so he made a good decision!

What's been going on with you? Still see some of the old FL crew?

If that thing wasn't so heavy I'd say rent a trailer and I'd haul it up closer and meet you somewhere with it. Im only like 2hrs northwestish. I'm going home around valentines day.

I wish it wasn't so heavy too! We actually JUST went through this dilemma around Xmas. My parents wanted a 1969 Firebird Convertible that was located about 30 mins south of Wilmington, NC. We hired a classic car inspector to check the car out for us, then struck a deal with the owner based off his findings. We were racking our brains for a week straight trying to figure out a way to get it home, since it wouldn't have been a good idea to drive it the 11hrs home.

My dad and I both have Z71 Crew Cab 355's, mine is a '05 Canyon with 170K on it, and his is a '06 Colorado with 100K on it. His truck would probably have been the better choice based off condition and mileage, and I'm sure it would have towed the car alright. The truck might not have been happy about it, but it would have done it. Braking would have been my concern though, and I wasn't about to pay a few hundred dollars to install electric brakes in his truck just to tow 1 car home, 1 time.

We looked into renting a full size truck to haul a trailer (I have friends with trailers, I'm sure I could have borrowed one) but that would have been way more expensive than just getting it shipped. I also thought about who I know with full size trucks that could make the trip with me, but that's asking a lot of someone, ya know? And borrowing their truck was out of the question, since I wouldn't want to be responsible for it should something happen out of state. Hit a deer in W. VA or something, then their truck is stuck down there for weeks to get repaired. So, we wound up getting it shipped, and it was $1,000.

The guy that dropped it off said next time we needed something hauled, to call him directly instead of going through a broker. So I did, and he said from Miami it'd be $1500, from Jacksonville it'd be $1100, and from Columbia, SC it'd be $900, depending on how far north the guy is willing to take the car for us.

REALLY wish I had a full size! haha I would have been there and back by now for sure. Still waiting to hear back from the guy on condition though, to see if all this is worth it.

 

[Skizzo]

It's incredibly hard to get into this career for sure, so he made a good decision!

What's been going on with you? Still see some of the old FL crew?

I see some FL guys once in a while but its a whole new crop now for the most part. I don't know if much of anyone from the OG Florida days back 2007ish is still around...or at least not the ones I knew.

I am living in Tallahassee now myself. Gotten a lot more done with the truck finally lol. Hoping to go nitrous before SESM this year (was going to try V8 before then but I just don't see it happening. I have too much stuff I need to do first). Other than that working and livin but been thinking about moving back to the Orlando area for a while.

 

[JosueZQ8]

We could have a little OG FL355 reunion in Orlando if you moved back! We visit family there from time to time, be nice to catch up with people. We'll probably be down next Spring/Summer.

 

[gway]

With a dolly it wouldn't be bad. As long as the rear tires are in decent shape. Just drop the rear driveshaft.

 

[JosueZQ8]

What kind of stress do you think that would put on all those old parts that have been sitting for years and years? Though...I guess at that point, it'd only be the rear axle churning back there. As long as it was full of fluid (and I don't know why it wouldn't be, short of a visible leak from the cover or something) then I suppose there wouldn't be anything to worry about.

Like you said too, the tires would need to be in decent shape. If they weren't, maybe I could just take them down to a tire place, and have them throw some decent used tires on for cheap, just to make the trip home.

Maybe our Trailblazer would be up for the challenge, I-6, 4WD. I towed my old Mazda Protege5 a few years ago, from KY to home, and that was 6hrs...the Trailblazer barely knew it was back there! Did really well!




P5's only weigh 2,800lbs though, and the whole trip home was on flat OH land. The Galaxie wagon weighs 4,000lbs, and while FL, GA, SC, NC, VA, and OH are mostly flat, the hills of W.VA are no joke! It takes 3hrs to get through that state at normal speed, it'd be a big hindrance to have 4,000lbs holding you back!

 

[Skizzo]

We could have a little OG FL355 reunion in Orlando if you moved back! We visit family there from time to time, be nice to catch up with people. We'll probably be down next Spring/Summer.

I have family in the Orlando area so I could definitely do a meet pretty much any time over that way as long as I have sufficient notice.

 

[gway]

I grew up in wv so I know all about the mountains lol. I'd say your trailblazer will be fine.

 

[JosueZQ8]

I think it's rated for up to 6,800lbs, so I think so too. Maybe split up the trip back, so it's not working that hard for 12 hours straight.

Not sure if the tow dolly is going to work out though. Uhaul's website says the vehicle can have a maximum with of 75" only, and the wagon is 80" wide. I might stop by the local Uhaul here, see exactly why they're saying 75" only.....maybe 80" would fit fine, and they're just being pansies, like when the sticker is on the trailer fender that says "55mph only" in reverse so you can see it in your side view mirror. lol