# New guy needs advice on vintage car models



## Lump

Hello folks. I need your help, please. 

I'm in my late 50's, and USED to be a builder of model kits in the 1960's. Then I graduated into building real hot rods and muscle cars, etc. But I still have memories of cool model kits I built about a million years ago...or kits that I wanted but never got. 

Recently I answered an ad for the estate of an old hot rodder, and since I was about the only guy who showed up, I ended up buying just about the entire estate, with my best friend as my partner. But mixed in with all the real car parts were dozens and dozens and dozens of vintage model cars, kits, and spare parts. These model cars, etc, date from the late 1950's through the 1960's, with some few units newer than that. 

I was going to post some photos to show you, but apparently new guys are not allowed. Sorry. Once I have made enough posts, I will begin to post some photos of all these model cars and kits. And there are a LOT of them. 

Anyway, I really need some guidance on connecting with experts who can help me to identify these models, and give me some advice on how to deal with them. I might choose to keep a very few...but there are WAY too many of them, including 1/8th scale models, old race cars, and...well, you get the idea. 

I will appreciate any advice you can give me. 

Thank you. -------Lump


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## 440 dakota

welcome to Hobbytalk,I would say the first step is to try and ID exactly what you have,make,model,year,and kit manufacter if possible,post pics here or do a bunch of looking online which is the easy part

tough part is trying to figure out a fair value just like any collectible condition is everything,there are price guides out there with some pretty optimistic prices on mint in box kits,subject matter is also very important something that has been reissued or kitted to death,(Camaros,Tri-5 and Vettes) come to mind are going to be worth less than say something that had only a couple issues Chrysler Imperials come to mind,built kits have value also but same thing condition and rarity,best advice is to do your research first ebay completed listing are a good place to start

PM me if you like I have several sites that I use for referance but probably am not allowed to post them here


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## Rondo

Hey Lump,

Sounds like the kind of situation that older nostalgic modelers dream about. I'm sure that many of us would love to see your haul. Generally, the easiest way to post pics is by starting an account with Photobucket or other image hosting sites. It's free and pretty easy. Then you can link to those pics in your posts here. 

If you want to try and figure out what you have on your own, you might google search or check some of the big modeling sites but you'll really have a lot to sift through. The built models may be a combination of several kits and harder to put a name on but still can be desirable. 

This is a fun site: www.showrods.com You don't mention showrods but I'll throw it out there because virtually all showrod kits are classics. You won't have a bunch of new stuff to sort through. There haven't been too many 1/8 kits so they shouldn't be hard to ID.

Once you know what you have it is pretty easy to sell. Ebay will get you maximum exposure but has a few drawbacks. Once you have a kit name, you can even search completed auctions to see final selling prices. Asking price are not always a good indicator of value. It's funny that some of the simplist, goofiest kits are valuable.

While not in a position to buy much, I look forward to seeing your score.

PS: 440 Dakota, you must type a LOT faster than me. LOL


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## Lump

*Thanks so far, guys.*

Rondo and Dakota, thanks so much. 

I have already posted LOTS of photos of these kits on a tool/garage forum, where I am a moderator. But when I tried to post them here, I got a message telling me that new guys cannot post photos, till they get their first 5 posts under their belt. So I guess I am working on that now. 

One more question, please. When I first open my Hobby Talk forum page, I have a devil of a time finding the posts which I already made, and have to stumble around for a while till I finally find them. On the forum I am familiar with, I just hit a button called User CP, and all my "subscribed" posts are listed for me to see, especially if there has been any response. I'm sure there is a way to do something like that here, too...right? How do I do that, please? 

Once I understand that, I'll get my five required posts made, and then start posting photos. 

Thanks so much!


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## Lump

*Lump's test post...Can I post photos now?*

Ok, just tried it again. No luck. 

I get the "error message" reading: _"1. You are only allowed to post URL's to other sites after you have made 5 posts or more." _

So I've got some work to do before I can share photos with you guys. 

Sorry.


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## Lump

*BINGO! That must have been my FIFTH POST. Hot dog!*

Here is my 3rd attempt to post a photo...in case I have reached enough new-guy posts by now?









So, did the photo show up? This is one of two rows of lunch-room tables loaded down with models and kits.


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## Lump

*More vintage kit photos from Lump*

Now, let me try and show you some photos from this model car haul:

During my recent estate sale haul I got a huge amount of vintage model car kits. Some are quite old, some are still in original boxes, some are missing lots of pieces...well, you get the idea. For those of you who like old automotive model kits, built in the "old-school-style," here are some photos: 









My brother had my truck borrowed on that first day, so this little gas-mizer car had to do the hauling. It was packed to the ceiling...literally. Plus the floor, passenger seat, EVERYWHERE. I had already removed several kits before it occurred to me to take some photos. Several were jumbo scale kits. 










Side door view. 










Still more. 


















Above photo shows the models and kits _(part of them) _after they arrived in my shop, stacked on shelves. 









The tires shown above are mostly really big; like about 2" OD big.









Lots of old-time famous race cars in this box. I think these are older models; from the late 50's early 60's. But I'm no expert on that. I just think I remember them. 










Cool cars in this one.


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## Lump

*More photos vintage models Lumps big haul*

Literally thousands and thousands of spare parts. I've never seen a collection this large in person.


















The photo above is a big Lindbergh motorized kit, called the "SC-100." See the size of my hand for comparison in upper left corner. Never saw one of these before. 









This Corvette model is HUGE. There are two or three 32 Roadsters real large like this, plus at least one T-bucket too.










This pic shows one of the big boxes. And there are dozens of model kit boxes...some pretty old. 










Shown at the right side of the box in the photo above are "trees" of spare chrome parts, and the bags are filled with other spare model car parts. There are also LOTS of old B&W photos of old-time hot rods and customs mixed in the pile.










Yet more parts. Notice the "Rat Fink" style critter on the table at right. Remember those??










I also took many photos of the assembled and partially assembled cars. There must 30-40 of them, and quite a few seem to be dealership promo models, including a 50's Corvette, 58 Impala convt, T-birds, etc. This is a serious load of vintage model cars, though most of them are painted and built already. 

More photos soon. :thumbsup:


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## Lump

*Still more vintage model photos from Lump*

Here are some more photos, this time including the assembled and semi-assembled cars. I note that several of these appear to be dealership-style promo models.


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## Lump

*Lump's haul photos...last several pix for you*

More photos:


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## pejota

WOW....

That's a barn find and a half!!!!

That 59 El Camino is awesome.


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## Rondo

Indeed, you did not exagerate one bit. And I don't really envy you trying to sort them out for sale. Anything that is incomplete (built or unbuilt) you are likely to have a time finding the missing parts.

People sell collections in lots ranging from single parts to a "junkyard" nearly the size of your haul. I think you can do well either way *if you can photo each lot well enough that buyers can see what's there*. Of course the more lots you sell, the more hassle it will be but I would try to keep the lots no bigger than say 4 models worth for reasons of shipping cost and diminishing returns on huge lots.

Wish we could be there to help you sort them (myself especially...we would do some business LOL). You really have a ton of stuff there and if you have any specific questions, you'll probably get lots of feedback from the forum.

Nice Chevelle in the first pic. Part of the estate?


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## Lump

*Lump's Chevelle*

Rondo, 
No, the Chevelle was not part of this estate. But it is a pretty cool car...one of my ultimate dream cars, in fact. It is a 1970 SS 454 LS-6 450 HP car, complete with original engine and all bolt-on parts, and original build sheet. I don't want to hijack my own thread...but following are a couple of photos:

This first shot is the day the car was brought to the parking lot at my office. My buddy had just bought it as a "barn-find," and wanted me to authenticate that the car was genuine. It was. 









Here is a shot of a lot of the original bolt-on parts in the trunk:









Correct original block:









Correct orig heads:


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## Rondo

Superbad! Some things are worth a little highjacking. I've had a couple of lesser 1970s myself. Wish I had kept the last one. Used to be an LS-6 automatic in town. I got the front fenders when the owner replaced them. My smallblock car felt a little faster after that. :tongue:


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## s.moe

Hello, Lump...:wave:...Welcome to our little corner of HobbyTalk......

First off,, I'd like to comment on your Fantastic model Haul...:woohoo:.....Boy did you hit the Jack-pot on this one.....This is every model car builder's Dream.....There are so many to try and look at in your Photo's.....It's unreal.......I know that you said you were going to keep some of them,, and decide what to do with the rest later.....
Which bring's me to ask you this.....Would you be interested in selling the Monogram 1/8th '32 Ford roadster ?? It's in several of the photo's, and it look's like you may have more than one there......

The reason I ask is,,,I made a very stupid mistake awhile back at a yard sale (We were out of town on Vacation)...I thought I was buying an Unopened Sealed kit (it was in plastic),, But someone had opened one end of it and taped it back shut.....So when I did open it, I found that they had removed the Body, Interior tub, the Hood, along with the Grill and it's shell.....Guess they used them to build a High-boy/Rat rod???... Anyway, At the cost of $30 buck's,, I was left with everything else....A rolling chassis, a Engine and a Complete set of fender's.....I've been searching for the rest ever since....

If you would consider parting with one, or just part's of one...Send me a PM to let me know....Thank's.....

S.MOE


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## Lump

_


s.moe said:



Hello, Lump...:wave:...Welcome to our little corner of HobbyTalk......

First off,, I'd like to comment on your Fantastic model Haul...:woohoo:.....Boy did you hit the Jack-pot on this one.....This is every model car builder's Dream.....There are so many to try and look at in your Photo's.....It's unreal.......I know that you said you were going to keep some of them,, and decide what to do with the rest later.....
Which bring's me to ask you this.....Would you be interested in selling the Monogram 1/8th '32 Ford roadster ?? It's in several of the photo's, and it look's like you may have more than one there......

The reason I ask is,,,I made a very stupid mistake awhile back at a yard sale (We were out of town on Vacation)...I thought I was buying an Unopened Sealed kit (it was in plastic),, But someone had opened one end of it and taped it back shut.....So when I did open it, I found that they had removed the Body, Interior tub, the Hood, along with the Grill and it's shell.....Guess they used them to build a High-boy/Rat rod???... Anyway, At the cost of $30 buck's,, I was left with everything else....A rolling chassis, a Engine and a Complete set of fender's.....I've been searching for the rest ever since....

If you would consider parting with one, or just part's of one...Send me a PM to let me know....Thank's.....

S.MOE

Click to expand...

_Moe, 
I will be selling them, but first I need to get some idea of what I have, and what it is all worth. The next two weeks will be pretty tough for me anyway, as I own and produce a HUGE car show/swap meet event in Springfield, Ohio, and it is coming up May 25, 26, and 27th. I am up to my ears trying to get this 129-acre show set up and ready to receive our vendors.


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## CorvairJim

Hi Lump! Let me welcome you to HobbyTalk too. I've only been on here a few months myself but I really enjoy it. I hope you do too. Anyhow, I've seen a few models in your phenominal haul that I'd be interested in once you determine what you want to get out of them, specifically the two Corvairs, the yellow Nova convertible, and the two Jo-Han Studebaker Larks. Please just keep me in mind when you decide what you want ot do with them. No hurry - Money is usually pretty tight for me so it will probably take me a few weeks to scrape together some 'disposable' hobby cash.


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## Lump

Ok, Jim. My biggest event of the year is coming up in just 3 weeks (Cars & Parts Swap Meet, Springfield, Ohio). So it will be a little while before I can devote much time to these model cars and kits. But I will let you know, when I can. 

Thanks!


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## scooke123

Hi Lump - welcome to HobbyTalk! What a great find you have there - I bet you are having fun just digging thru it all. Thats half the fun of getting a big collection like that. Plus the memories some of the models probably bring back to you. You have a big job ahead of you sorting it all out and trying to sell some of it but you have a lot of guys here to help you thru the process.
Good luck!
Steve


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## irishtrek

Needless to say you _scored!!!!_ there Lump!!! Now comes the real fun part, cleaning up all those kits and (re)building them your way. I'd add a smiley but they aint working for me any more.
Oh and welcome to Hobbytalk!!!


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## mcdougall

Wow Lump 
Nice haul :thumbsup:
Mcdee


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## 71 Charger 500

While it certainly is time consuming, it is also worth the effort to sell that stuff on ebay. Personally, I would list most of the built cars individually. It looks like most of the cars in boxes, if the box has the car that is pictured on it inside the box, most of those are not really all that old. A few are but most are not. Would you consider offers for individual models from us guys here on the forum? I know Jim would LOVE those Corvairs!

Mo


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## InsanePyro

That is crazy awesome...I don't know what I'd do with myself if I had all that


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## CorvairJim

71 Charger 500 said:


> Would you consider offers for individual models from us guys here on the forum? I know Jim would LOVE those Corvairs!


Doggone right I would! :thumbsup:


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## Marty

Welcome Lump! I see you are from Xenia. I live in Marysville, just a little North of you.

Do you know Dave of D&D Automotive? He is a wealth of useless model car knowledge. I can usually describe a kit I bought and he can tell me who made it and which issue it is. He always goes to the Springfield meets. Maybe we can take a trip and help you identify some of the kits for you?

LMK

Marty
Marysville, OH
[email protected]


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## 71 Charger 500

I'm thinking Jim would be a bit disappointed in the two Studebaker Lark's though, maybe you should let ME get them!!! :roll:


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## CorvairJim

71 Charger 500 said:


> I'm thinking Jim would be a bit disappointed in the two Studebaker Lark's though, maybe you should let ME get them!!! :roll:


No fair - I called dibs first! :hat:


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## Lump

Thanks guys! 

Yes indeed, I would be very willing to sell my models and kits to members here first, with preference over eBay, _*on any model cars that I am able to establish a reasonable idea of its actual value.*_ 

I really appreciate any help you more-experienced guys can give me, and so it will be a pleasure to offer these items at a discount to Hobby Talk members, as a gesture of gratitude. So for example, if a built-and-painted model car is worth about $25 on eBay, I would gladly sell it to a Hobby Talk member for about $15 or 20. But IF I thought a model was pretty old and or rather uncommon and yet I had no idea of value, I would probably prefer to list that on eBay. _(The best thing about eBay, in my opinion, is that you don’t need to know what something is really worth when you sell it there. You have no lingering doubts after the sale). _But even on eBay, I will try to offer some kind of special post-auction discount to any successful buyer who identifies themselves as Hobby Talk members after the auction is over _(maybe free shipping? or whatever I think is fair at the time.)_

Just remember to be patient with me for the next 2.5 weeks, until my car show & swap meet is over _(if you want to see it, you can visit _http://www.ohioswapmeet.com for details).


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## RTBoost

That looks like a very cool score, even if it's going to take some time to sort most things out. GL with the car show/swap meet! I've helped with some minor set-ups for a few, so I know just how much effort gets put into those things!!


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## 71 Charger 500

CorvairJim said:


> No fair - I called dibs first! :hat:


Just hasslin' ya my friend!


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## Lump

Marty said:


> Welcome Lump! I see you are from Xenia. I live in Marysville, just a little North of you.
> 
> Do you know Dave of D&D Automotive? He is a wealth of useless model car knowledge. I can usually describe a kit I bought and he can tell me who made it and which issue it is. He always goes to the Springfield meets. Maybe we can take a trip and help you identify some of the kits for you?
> 
> LMK
> 
> Marty
> Marysville, OH
> [email protected]


Marty, 
I may very well know Dave of D&D Automotive, but to be honest with you, I'm not sure...or at least not by the name alone. I've been producing this big swap meet since 1985, and now there are 35,000 people in attendance during a good-weather spring event. We sell about 3,000 vendor spaces, and nearly 1,000 Cars-For-Sale spaces. A large percentage of these participants know me by name, through the show. And I have seen and talked to literally thousands of them, and many of them have become buddies of mine at car events, etc. Yet I must confess that I often cannot remember the names of most of them. I just recognize them, shake their hands, exchange some pleasant greetings, and then rush off to handle my next crisis. 

It would be great to have you stop by some time. Maybe we can even show these kits to your friend Dave of D&D. 

Looking forward to it! ------------Lump


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