As last year came to a close a number of our driveable vehicles went off and found new homes. At the same time some of our less weather friendly cars got tucked away in storage. So, earlier this spring it became evident that we had to find some more interesting vehicles that don’t require major structural repairs. We tend to source a lot of our vehicles from western Canada where road salt is non exsistant which gives cars a fighting chance in the war against rust. Unfortunately our regular contacts had all headed south for the winter so leads for rust free Canadian cars headed south with them. Our regular search methods were not showing us anything closer to home that was interesting enough to try to bring back to life so we decided to cast a wider net south of the border.
Part of our business plan has always been to incorporate road trips into our search for cars but I honestly hadn’t planned to do so many trips this spring.
Our first trip didn’t take us very far from home. We went to Grand Rapids, Michigan where we found a 56 Chrysler Wagon that spent most of its life in Montana. It was far from a rust free car but the car has “good bones” and it’s a unique example of a higher end wagon with a Hemi engine.
Next we headed off to Scranton Pennsylvania where we found another example of a vehicle with a tarnished reputation. In fact, when we pulled up to Canada Customs the first thing we were asked was “why on earth would you go all the way to Pennsylvania for a Pinto station wagon?” The answer was simple, the car had spent most of its life in Texas and had very little rust and it actually moved under its own power!
Then we stayed in Ontario and picked up a Dodge Shadow convertible that’s in such good shape it only needed a muffler to pass a safety inspection.
Then it was off to Green Bay, Wisconsin where we picked up an AMC Javelin that had spent 15 years tucked away in a barn but was basically rust free. Part of the fun of finding these old cars is the journys we go on to retrieve them. On the Wisconsin road trip we managed to experience all 4 seasons in a three day period. On one side of the Mackinaw bridge the temperature was 30 degrees Celsius, by the time we got to the other side of the bridge the temperature had dropped to 12 degrees. As we drove along the upper Michigan Peninsula it was so odd to see warnings of sand blocking the roads while just a short way off in the distance pockets of snow could be seen in the forest. On our way home we experienced a constant change from rain to snow then rain then snow again. We were thankful that the Javelin was safely tucked away in our enclosed trailer.
The point is that every road trip can be an adventure. Whether it’s a drive along the lakeshore to the local ice cream shop, a trip to a provincial park, or just a Sunday drive to nowhere. Making the best of every moment while making memories with friends and family is the best part of all.
Memory Motors 