I guess maybe I had better elaborate on my "sumguy" story. I think most of
you realize that "sumguy" does not exist. Somewhere, one resident told
another that "the old Model A you have down by the barn - gosh, my son said
one of those sold in California a while ago for $2000.00". That could be true
- in 1970, a nice "A" roadster would bring that kind of money in LA - but that
was complete with perfect body & fenders, 4 popper fresh, reupholstered, new
Denman's....not the 4 door by the barn with the roof bows gone, filled with
snow for many winters so the body bulges, rusty floors and rotten upholstery,
the engine worn out, no tires, missing parts, fenders looking like WWII
bombing raid...yet, that is the figure that stuck in the mind. So sumguy was
invented. If you bit, he would gladly sell you the remains for that price,
but offering him the amount of money that you had in mind for those remains
was futile at best.
I bought my GMC in a farmyard in eastern Idaho in 1970 - the farmer wanted
$25.00 for it if he kept the battery. It was a custom cab, chrome front end,
big back window, 6 cyl hydramatic. I had no idea GMC built trucks with
fiberglass beds, thought maybe it was a Cameo box someone had dumped on a GMC.
The six had been left out over several Idaho winters where 20 below is common,
with nothing but water in the cooling system. The engine was toast. One
front fender was mashed flat, but new ones could be bought from the dealer for
50 bucks or so. I had a 303 Olds available and that is what went together.
Earlier I had looked at a 51-53 AD truck in about the same condition, and the
farmer had 500 dollars in his mind, and that is what he wanted. Where did he
get the $500.00 figure? Well, "sumguy" had been by a few days ago....etc.,
etc.
Sandy Pierce
Salt Lake City, Utah
55-2 GMC Suburban Pickup
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