I wasn't going to say anything because it doesn't look like it's going to happen but...
One of the times (probably 1980) when I saw the 2 part, made for television, 1976 HELTER SKELTER movie, the 1959 Ford really caught my eye! The double headlights, the front grill, just the whole shape & style of the car looked neat to me.
Fast forward to the end of 2016, I spotted a 1959 Ford for sale on Craigslist. I sent a message to the seller, but no reply. I messaged the seller again after 2 weeks, still no reply. Another 2 weeks I messaged the seller again and finally got a response, the car was still available.
The seller had it listed for $1,500 and it was going to need a ton of work.
I'm in Arizona and the car was in California, in the Los Angeles area. So February of 2017, my sister & brother-in-law took me to California to go see the car. It had rust holes along the back & sides of the roof, more than I could see in the picture posted in the craigslist ad. And I would need to have other things fixed that I couldn't see.
I told the seller to let me think about it, $1,500 is a bunch of money for a car that doesn't actually run. The seller told me he would be willing to work on the price because he knew the car was going to need a lot of TLC.
I went back home to Arizona and kept in contact with the seller like once a month, just to make sure he still had the car. After making a couple of offers the seller finally said the lowest he would go is $800 for the car so I accepted his offer. This was in July 2017. I asked my sister & brother-in-law if they could help me bring the car back, whenever they had time. My brother-in-law was going to be starting a new job soon so we had to go at the beginning of August. I didn't realize until weeks later, that on the day that we went and picked up the car, I paid the seller & the seller wrote out the bill of sale, it was August 8, 2017.
I tried to save money by going to this guy who didn't have a steady job but worked on & fixed cars. He was recommended by my brother's friend. I've had quite a bit of work done on the car here at the house by this "shade-tree" mechanic but the last few times he came to work on the car, he acted like it was a bother. After he put the new generator in the car, I couldn't get it to start anymore, and trying to get the guy over here to find out what is going on with the car & why it won't start was like pulling teeth.
Funny but true story...
While the car was parked in the driveway, I tried out the gears on the car, because the seller had told me the car didn't go in REVERSE. I put the car in REVERSE and it went backwards. I put the car in DRIVE, and it went forward. So the guy drained the transmission and put a new filter, gasket, and we filled it with new transmission fluid. We opened up the gate to take it for a test drive but while backing out, the engine quit on me. He said he needed to adjust the carburetor better because he had just rebuilt it. So the guy came back a few days later, adjusted the carburetor, and we set out to take the car out for a test drive. I back out of the yard and onto the street, put it in DRIVE to pull up to the curb, but the car doesn't move FORWARD. He tells me to put the great shift in all gears and try to pull forward, so I do and still, no go. Only moves in REVERSE! So I had to drive it to the corner, make a U-turn, and pull it into the backyard, all in REVERSE!
LOL...
I thought about naming the car
BACKWARDS-BETTY or
REVERSING-ROSIE
:oD
The younger guy who was working on the car for me, told his mechanic friend about the transmission. He came & took the transmission home to rebuild it for me. After about 2 months, he brought the transmission back and I paid him $1,000 for rebuildingit. The younger guy came over the next day and put the rebuilt transmission in the car. We tried out the different gears, but it still didn't work. It was doing the same thing.
As of right now, for the past 7 months or so it's been sitting on jack-stands in the yard, so I'm going to have a mechanic who has his own shop go through everything to make sure things were "fixed" right. To me, it seems like everything that was worked on was put back loose!
We'll see what happens...
Quick update:
I just talked with the mechanic who has his own auto shop. He said he'll be coming over next week to work on the car, so hopefully the car will be road-ready in a few months.
-----------------------------------
William Marshall's Mini Metals pics:
Interesting. I have a small fleet of vintage rigs and I think the moral of the story here is be careful about thinking you'll save a bundle by getting that fly-by-night "mechanic" to do any competent work.
ReplyDeleteNow I thought at the end of the post we'd hear that the shade-tree mechanic was none other than a Manson Family member :-)
"I thought about naming the car BACKWARDS-BETTY or REVERSING-ROSIE"
ReplyDeleteBy the end of this saga you will be calling it "THE GREAT MONEY SUMP."
I hope you're almost there and she'll be your dream car! Like the beatles prophesied, there's nothing that can be fixed that can't be fixed.
ReplyDeleteI have a diecast model of the 59 fairlane it's Matchbox size but made by another not well none company but the color combination is pretty close to the original Manson murder mobile I also have a slightly larger then the normal 164.scale Matchbox of the Dodge power wagon
ReplyDeleteI hope you realize that Dodge Power Wagon is NOT, and never was, part of the Manson story.
DeleteDAN S said:
ReplyDelete"I hope you're almost there and she'll be your dream car!"
Thank you Dan S. I'm not trying to restore it like a showroom car. I just want to get it running, patch up the rust holes. Maybe I'll get it painted down the line? But nothing fancy.
Robert C said:
ReplyDelete"moral of the story here is be careful about thinking you'll save a bundle by getting that fly-by-night "mechanic" to do any competent work"
Lesson learned!
"...the shade-tree mechanic was none other than a Manson Family member :-)"
Nope...
But he was tall, skinny, and had "steel-blue eyes".
Hmhmhm...
Hippie Doll- best part about the ‘59 Ford is that it won’t blow up like Bruce Davis’s Zodiac Corvair car potentially could have.. thanks Ralph Nader!
ReplyDeleteA TLB blogger buys a '59 Ford. Talk about dedication!
ReplyDeleteOn the plus side, a California car that doesn't require a biennial smog test is priceless. It's a keeper!
ReplyDeleteMatt said...
ReplyDelete"A TLB blogger buys a '59 Ford. Talk about dedication!"
What about me? I own a pair of wire-cutters.....
Hippiedoll! Love u girl
ReplyDeleteWow. You must seriously have wanted a car that is like the murder vehicle.
ReplyDeleteHippie doll,
ReplyDeleteI really like the way the '59 Ford looks as well. Thanks for sharing. I hope you get it in great running condition in time for its Diamond Anniversary. Keep us updated!
John Seger said...
ReplyDeleteWow. You must seriously have wanted a car that is like the murder vehicle.
-----
So, should people never buy a VW bug or get rid of the one they have because the VW bug was Ted Bundy's vehicle of choice?
Hippie Doll got the car because, to her, the car had "the look." Sometimes an old car is just a car.
Ted Bundy and a nazi legacy. Sheesh
ReplyDeleteAstroCreep said:
ReplyDelete"best part about the ‘59 Ford is that it won’t blow up"
And the body styling.
:o)
Matt said:
ReplyDelete"A TLB blogger buys a '59 Ford. Talk about dedication!"
And I like the look of the car too!
;o)
Hi Panamint Patty!
ReplyDeleteLove you too girlie!
:o)
John Seger said:
ReplyDelete"Wow. You must seriously have wanted a car that is like the murder vehicle."
Actually, I seriously wanted a car like the one that caught my eye on the movie. I didn't know back then it was the actual car that was used in the movie. And I also like the look of the 1958 Dodge (Desoto, I think?).
They kind of look similar in the front, but the Dodge seems a little longer & wider. And from what I've read, are less common, so harder to find/buy. The 1959 ford seemed to fall in my lap, so to speak.
I guess I should have added to my post that back in like 1980 or so, my mom's cousin, pulled up to our house in an old 1959 Ford Car and when I seen it, it really blew my mind! I HAD to go look inside the car because I liked the way it looked so much! I remember her's was pink and white. The pink, white, and black interior really stood out to me. I thought her car was really pretty.
ReplyDeleteTim A.
ReplyDeleteThank you. I was thinking of making a youtube video, and adding the link to my post but, as of right now, the car is sitting on jack stands. I didn't think it would be that great of a video. But when the mechanic gets done working on the car, I will make a video on youtube so whoever wants to, can see it.
;o)
DebS said:
ReplyDelete"So, should people never buy a VW bug or get rid of the one they have because the VW bug was Ted Bundy's vehicle of choice?"
Oh oh...
We had a 1963 Volkswagen, it was my mom's car when I was a baby, and my brother's first car when he was in high school, after it was restored.
Hmhmhm...
:o)
Before the internet became my diversion of choice, I killed a good bit of time reading paperbacks about serial killers. It seemed to me that the VW Bug was the most popular car among them. I guess that's because it was made for such a long time.
ReplyDeleteAnd why are they all electricians?
ReplyDeleteI didn't know Bundy liked Beetles. I had a Beetle. I've never been a 'cereal' killer. It never even crossed my mind. ;-)
ReplyDeleteJerseydevil said:
ReplyDelete"I have a diecast model of the 59 fairlane it's Matchbox size but made by another not well none company"
What company/brand of toy car is it?
Robert C said...
ReplyDeleteI didn't know Bundy liked Beetles. I had a Beetle. I've never been a 'cereal' killer. It never even crossed my mind. ;-)
Yeah, Bundy had a thing for VW's, he used various vehicles but the VW was the one car he used to carry out his murders more often than not. He didn't care if they were his, a friend's or stolen. For a list of his cars look at page 13 of this pdf- http://www.santarosahitchhikermurders.com/docs/Bundy_Multiagency_Team_Report.pdf
Come to think of it the Family had a thing for VW's, too. I think more people would associate Manson with VW's than the Ford Fairlane because of the dune buggies. I doubt that many people beyond those who are well versed in the Manson saga would know what kind of car was driven to the TLB murder scenes.
Thanks for the link, DebS. I found the car ownership list on page 11. Looks like he had two Beetles early on, perhaps another two much later amid several other vehicles. Beetles back then were plentiful, inexpensive and relatively reliable. Mine always started, even in severe winters. I recall a Woody Allen movie, I think it was "Sleepers", where several hundred years in the future he finds a Beetle in a cave and it starts right up !
ReplyDeleteVery interesting Bundy report. How come chad hagen isn't an alias as he was living in Florida under that name? Maybe the car list isn't thorough either. Lol who gives a sh!t, right? The missing passenger seat is an infamous detail
ReplyDeleteAnd why did he keep his gas receipts especially bought with stolen cards that put him in the crime areas? What a maroon
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteAnd why did he keep his gas receipts especially bought with stolen cards that put him in the crime areas?
ReplyDeleteTo do his taxes. Duh.
Dan S said...
ReplyDeleteAnd why did he keep his gas receipts especially bought with stolen cards that put him in the crime areas?
-----
Law enforcement was able to look all that stuff up after he was arrested for the final time. I don't think it was because he saved receipts all those years. Early on, when he first started killing, he was working for the Republican Party in Washington state and he used their credit card for gas. He also used his mother's credit cards. He didn't buy all of his gas with stolen credit cards.
Peter,
ReplyDeleteWell said, sir: clap, clap.
Don't know what they did with the "REPLY" buttons... so I'll just post my replies anyway:
ReplyDeletehippie doll: Anyone who loves 1958 Dodges and De Sotos has nothing less than a First Class taste in automobiles! Surprised to see you're in AZ! I'm in Mesa. Perhaps we should have lunch some time and swap '59 notes, if you're not too far away!
Dan S: "maroon" is a color of deep red. "moron" is a mentally challenged child between the ages of 10-12. "Moron" also has been ascribed to our PresiDunce, who speaks, writes and spells on a 4th grade level.
Orwhut: I'm a fan of serial killers biographies, also. In high school I did a paper on serial killers' cars, and of the twenty I outlined, Ford was the most popular, going back to Bonnie & Clyde. I made a Match Game Quiz out of the list, to match the killer with his car. If anyone's interested, Ill post it.
Ockie Ditchbank
Im using "what a maroon" as an idiom Bugs Bunny style. ( auto spell made that bugs Bundy b4 i corrected it). Bugs Bundy: Lawyer, sex murderer, carrot lover, on his way to Albuquerque.
DeleteSaving his receipts for tax write offs? That's like the woman on forensic files who identified herself buying body disposal supplies by using her discount card to save 37 cents. No cents makes sense
Sorry, but if that's a joke or pun, I don't get it. Bundy wasn't a lawyer, but the sentencing judge said he would have made a good one. I remember the lady who saved 37c at Vons and identified herself... what a MORON! There was another lady in San Diego who murdered her husband and tossed flowers on him, and she bought those at Vons also, saved a few cents, and that was how she got caught. She's in Chowchilla Women's Prison for life.
ReplyDeleteBug(s) is the lawyer
Deletestarviego said...
ReplyDeleteMatt said...
"A TLB blogger buys a '59 Ford. Talk about dedication!"
What about me? I own a pair of wire-cutters.....
And I have taken acid a couple of times.
Hippie doll it's made by Mini Metals it's pretty small a little smaller then a Matchbox I believe it's H.O. scale to go with the train sets but really good detail got it off Ebay $15
ReplyDeleteMaybe Matt will publish the pics on here I also have a Matchbox dune buggy & the old school bus prison van
Jason Houston no Dodge power wagon associated with the Manson clan Hmmm! I could've sworn the remains of Tex's power wagon still remain in Death valley it's a pretty famous pic
I added them to the bottom of the post...
ReplyDeleteThanks Matt
ReplyDeletejerseydevil: Sorry, no Dodge Power Wagon for Manson or his family. The car you're seeing is located in Ballarat, a tiny ghost town at the base of one of the canyons that leads up into the Panamint Mountains to Barker Ranch, where the Family was staying when they were arrested by Into County Sheriffs and the CHP in late 1969. No one alive today remembers from where it originated, but it was there long before Manson even knew Death Valley existed. There's a few old stumblebum drunks who hang out in Ballarat, and they are the ones who created the BFL (big fat lie) that the Dodge was owned by Manson's family. And they are willing to sell it, if some naive fool wanders along with the right amount of money.
ReplyDeleteManson drove his family up nearby Goler Wash to Barker Ranch in what the LA Times reported was an early 50's Ford school bus. In fact, it was an International, and our great, intelligent NPS removed it by helicopter some ten years ago. Meanwhile, the Dodge keeps getting its photograph flashed around the world as belonging to Manson. You have no idea how many BS 'facts' about Manson have been created, thanks to the Internet.
The H-O Scale 1959 Ford is a Custom 300 4-door sedan. It started out as a taxi, but has since been done in several factory color combinations. You should be able to find them at train stores for the same or less than on eBay.
If someone knows how to post pictures on this site, I can post a pic of Barker Ranch and the GYY435.
Jason Houston said...
ReplyDeletejerseydevil: Sorry, no Dodge Power Wagon for Manson or his family.
Jason, on a previous version of Bobby Beausoleil's website he identified the artwork on the ceiling of the Ballarat Power Wagon as being his own. He said the vehicle had been "his".
Also this quote:
"One time Charlie and I drove two trucks through Death valley, just for the hell of it...We took two 4-wheel drive Army surplus Power Wagons...We wanted to hellraise and it was a blast" said Bobby Beausoleil, a member of the Manson family, in a 1981 interiew with OUI magazine.
Also, Tex Watson took one of the Power Wagons and attempted to flee nine days before the Oct. 10th raid of Barker Ranch. Unfortunately for Tex, the truck broke down and he was forced to hitch-hike all the way back to his home in Texas, where he eluded the police for another month. Dry desert heat and the remote location of Ballarat have left the truck in relatively good condition.
Matt, I read the page from which this quote appears. It looks to be a contest 'Jalopnik' was running to find the most fantastic old-car story. The author only cites Oui Magazine, sometime in 1981, and gives no other credible references or footnotes. Wild, made-up stories about Death Valley have runneth over way before the arrival of the Internet. Some Mustang website ran a fantastic story of someone who found a mint, original 1966 Shelby sitting in a yard in Death Valley. The details were fascinating, but all proved to be made up, and no such car ever existed.
DeleteI am not aware of the Manson Family ever using pentagrams for anything; even if they did, and even if some appear on the headliner of the Dodge, doesn't mean they were placed there by anyone from the Family. Before the fire at Barker Ranch, there was an old refrigerator upon which someone had scrawled Charles Manson's name, then claimed it was "Charlie's old refrigerator". Problem is, Charlie never went around autographing refrigerators.
Thank you for posting this interesting tidbit. I'll continue to run this ground ball out, and see if I can find some verifiable references, and will post any results I come up with.
Watson talks about driving the power wagon and getting stuck in a dry lake bed in his book as well
DeleteOckie Ditchbank said:
ReplyDelete"Surprised to see you're in AZ! I'm in Mesa. Perhaps we should have lunch some time and swap '59 notes, if you're not too far away!"
That would be cool. I'm in Tucson, not sure if that'd be too far away though?
:o/
Jerseydevil:
ReplyDeleteThank you for the reply & letting me know the brand your little 1959 Ford car is.
:o)
Matt:
Thank you for posting the pictures of jerseydevil's 1959 Ford mini-metal car.
:o)
hippie doll Hey, that's cool. Got any good lunch places?
ReplyDeleteOckie Ditchbank:
ReplyDeleteCheesecake Factory at the Tucson mall is pretty good. There's also a Mimi's Cafe, and Olive Garden.
You can send me an email:
hippiedoll72 at yahoo.com
Quick update:
ReplyDeleteThe mechanic came over yesterday and got the car started & the engine running again.
He said the timing was off, he had to switch the sparkplug wires around. Which I don't understand, because the car was starting up fine, BEFORE THE LAST TIME, the other guy came over to put the new generator in the car?
:o/
But this mechanic got it all straightened out now! And there is a wire that he's going to replace, that sends power to the ignition, when it's in the on position.
So we're making progress in the right direction, as this new mechanic is figuring things out. He'll have to go through everything that's already been done to the car, just to make sure everything was "fixed" correctly.
Keep your fingers crossed for me & check back here in a week or so to see what progress ha been made. I will post any new updates...
;o)
Brian G and Matt: It appears Watson and Beausoleil went joy riding in some Dodge Power Wagons somewhere in the California desert, got them stuck, and left them. They said they "picked up a couple of Army Power Wagons". I interpreted that as their way of saying they stole them. Further research leads to a total of four Dodge Power Wagons these various folks claim to have had in the mid-60s, well before Manson came along. None give any reference to Death Valley or Charles Manson and his girls. Just about every old DPW I've ever found has been near some abandoned mining site, as that seems to be what they were most useful for after the war ended. Whether the Dodge at Ballarat is one of their cars is anybody's guess, but I seriously doubt it, since it has not been in Ballarat all that long. If anyone has any more credible info, I'd love to hear about it.
ReplyDeletehippie doll: Good to hear your Town Vic is progressing. On that timing issue, have you checked to see if the distributor shaft is tight? I've had two cars that did the same thing, and on a 1962 Mercury Comet it was a loose shaft. On a 1965 Chevrolet Nova, it was a broken shaft. Both ran fine after they were adjusted/replaced.
ReplyDeleteJason Houston said:
ReplyDelete"On that timing issue, have you checked to see if the distributor shaft is tight?"
No, I didn't check that, but I don't know anything about mechanics, and don't know exactly what that is out how to check it? But I'm guessing the mechanic must have though?
:o/
hippie doll It's something your mechanic can do. The distributor is that black round thing with 8 plug wires going into it at the top front of the engine. It's attached to a shaft that goes down inside to the timing belt and regulates the order in which the spark plugs fire. Because it's adjustable, they can come lose over time, especially when they get old. It's not a common problem, and is often overlooked when trouble-shooting.
ReplyDeleteYou get er runnin yet? Im rooting for ya!
ReplyDeleteDan S:
ReplyDeleteNot yet. I'm waiting to hear from the mechanic, to see when he's back in town, and can fit us into his schedule.
Thank you for being on my side and the rooting for us! I really appreciate it
:o)
♡
Now...
ReplyDeletelet's see if I can get this link to work right?
I came across this article on the Web a couple of years ago before I bought my car. And I thought, "if she can do it, than so can I!"
Of course, in all reality, I know mine will never look like that. But that's ok, because I actually prefer the "lived life" look, over the "don't touch it or let it get dusty" frame of mind.
But that's just me!
;oD
WOOOPS!
ReplyDeleteI forgot to add the link.
LOL...
http://wildaboutcarsonline.com/cgi-bin/pub9990327521141.cgi?categoryid=9990382228543&action=viewad&itemid=9990489592765
Well, if you Google the link, it takes you to the picture of the car I'm referring to, but in pinterest?
DeleteSo I don't know how I can post the webpage?
I don't know if anybody is checking this thread anymore as its been a little while some anybody had posted a comment.
ReplyDeleteBut I wanted to give a quick update for anybody who happens to be curious about what's happenin & peaks in on this thread.
I've boughten a vintage polar aire under dash air conditioner for the car. I will need to have that installed and get the other parts that go unset the hood still.
I also bought an aftermarket emergency/hazard lights flasher switch since this car didn't come with a hazard-lights switch.
The mechanic is coming tomorrow to adjust the rear brakes, switch the front brake shoes (since the 1st guy put them on backwards). And he's gonna clean off the thinner grease that was put on the wheel bearings and regrease them with the right, thicker bearing grease.
He's gonna bleed the brakelines and since he's turned the brake drums, they're nice & smooth and he'll be putting them back on the car tomorrow too.
So it's coming along slowly but surely.
Once the brake lines have no air in them and we know the brakes are working properly, I think the next step will be to try the rebuilt transmission out to see if it works.
ReplyDeleteI still need to get:
New Shocks,
New Muffler,
New Radiator,
And the power steering pump checked out.
It's definitely a work in progress. For those of you reading, keep your fingers crossed for me
:o)
Good hearing from you, hippie doll. Yeh, it's been quiet here. Must be the time of year. Glad to hear your '59 is still coming along well.
ReplyDeleteAnd, yes, my fingers are crossed for you!
If anybody is in the Tucson area, they're having a model car toy show and sale for people who collect vintage toy and model cars. It's the first weekend in March, so if anyone is interested, speak up and I'll post all the info.
In the meantime, Merry Christmas to everyone here.
Jason Houston
Thanks Jason!
ReplyDeleteThe car OFFICIALLY has working brakes now and the brake pedal is nice and firm to push down on!
:oD
Will post another update when the mechanic comes over again
:o)
Have a MERRY CHRISTMAS and a HAPPY & BLESSED NEW YEAR everybody!
:o)