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S 7 : Ep 119

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In the last episode of Barn Find Hunter, we left off with Tom Cotter discovering hidden gems in Virginia. In Episode 119, he’s still in Old Dominion, but this time his quest is a bit easier since he’s assisted by his friend Zach, who knows where plenty of vintage iron is hiding.

After a quick introduction, Zach leads the way in his gorgeous 1961 Ford Country Squire wagon as the pair heads to their first finds on a beautiful farm: an ’84 F-250 and a dusty 1969 AMC Javelin SST parked in a barn. While nearly intact, the Javelin shows some signs of rust and is in need of restoration. Another part of the barn reveals a 1975 Dino 308 GT4, a model that would eventually be marketed as a Ferrari once the Dino brand was discontinued. With just 18,000 miles on its odometer, the racy Italian looks like it could be a tuneup away from hitting the road. (Keep your eyes open and you’ll also spot a late C4 Corvette parked nearby.)

The next stop is a former turkey farm, where Zach informs Tom that just about everything is for sale. The owner of the vehicles, Bill, joins the car hunters via telephone to go over some of the more interesting parts of his collection. First to be revealed is a 1973 Plymouth Duster that was originally equipped with a 340 and a four-speed. Bill later admits that, although almost all of the cars he’s kept in storage are available for sale, he plans to hold onto the Duster. Next to that Plymouth is another Mopar coupe, this one a bit less muscular: a 1965 Plymouth Barracuda with a slant-six. Its neighbor is a third-gen Camaro IROC-Z for which Bill traded a deer rifle.

Tom asks about a ’64 GTO that’s nearby, but it is not one of Bill’s. However, he does have a ’66 GTO that Tom examines. This one’s powered by a 389 Tri-Power mill paired to a four-speed, and it looks like it has a solid body. It seems ready to become someone’s new project.

A 1970 Ford Galaxie is one of the most complete vehicles in the collection, with a full interior that looks to be in remarkable shape. A pair of 4x4s get just a brief stop as Bill tells Tom how the Willys flat-fender ended up without an engine. The Scout Terra parked next to it doesn’t get mentioned, so it appears like that vehicle is also on Bill’s list of keepers.

Tom wraps up the episode with a few more potential project cars and a big thanks to Zach for leading the way to such extraordinary finds—and, of course, he wishes you all happy hunting.

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Deep in the heart of Virginia, Barn Find Hunter Tom Cotter comes across an eclectic collection of cars owned by Nick, who’s a Tri-Five Chevy enthusiast but isn’t limited those 1950s icons.

To confirm that, the first car Tom admires is an unrestored 1967 Chevrolet Caprice with a 396 Turbo Jet big-block engine and its factory eight-track player still in place. Attention quickly shifts to a nearby array of Tri-Fives, of course. Nick explains that he owns two 1955 Chevy convertibles, a ’56 two-door sedan, a ’56 convertible with an original six-cylinder engine (“I’d never seen one,” he says), and a ’57 convertible.

“They’re just what I grew up on. I’ve always like ’em,” Nick says. “My dad’s a ’55 guy, my brother’s a ’57 guy, and I’m a ’56 guy. It just kind of worked.”

In addition to his Tri-Fives—and Tom’s lesson on how to tell the 1955–57 Chevys apart just by looking at their taillights—Nick shows a dust-covered Nash Metropolitan that was intended for his daughter before she lost interest. There’s also a Corvair, a 1950s Chevrolet flower car, a variety of vintage Volkswagens, and a 1966 Lincoln owned by a friend. Then Tom and Nick come upon a classic firetruck. “The firetruck is mine,” Nick explains. “[But] it could be yours …” To which Tom replies, “Oh, no it can’t.”

Nick shows off a group of VWs owned by his 19-year-old daughter—three Beetles and a bus—which explains why she strayed from the Metropolitan. Nick tells us that there are 60 or more vehicles on the property.

“You’ve got it bad, I’ll tell ya that,” Tom says. “This is what our viewers love to see: somebody who’s as passionate about cars as they are.”

Then it’s on to Greg’s place—a return visit for Tom and the Barn Find Hunter crew—to take a closer look at Greg’s luxurious 1930s Dodge four-door sedan, which boasts every conceivable option. The Dodge has two spare tires, dual generators, overdrive, a straight-six engine, large headlights, driving lights, bumper guards, blinkers, a dash fan, heating in the floor, a sun visor above the windshield, and a luggage trunk.

“This is an amazing car. I’ve never imagined a Dodge being built like this …,” he says, then turns to the camera and speaks to his viewers. “Hopefully in your travels you can find a car as interesting as that.”

Happy hunting.

— Jeff Peek

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Enjoy Season 7 stories, opinion, and features from across the car world - Hagerty Media

When we last left Barn Find Hunter Tom Cotter, he was visiting Dave Coleman, who was his driving partner on a cross-country adventure that Tom turned into a book, Ford Model T Coast to Coast. Dave owns a lot of treasured cars, and he was about to reveal a very special one when Episode 116 ended. Well, they’re baaaaaack. And that very special vehicle is …

A chopped 1950 Ford lead sled. “Back in the day (before fiberglass and plastic body filler) when cars were being modified … when you wanted to change the contours of something you would use lead,” Dave explains.

This lead sled has a four-inch chop, wide whitewall tires, red wheels, and its taillights have been frenched (smoothed). It also has its original flathead engine. Unfortunately, Tom and Dave can’t get it started.

The two move on to a 1968 Dodge Charger with a turbocharged 383. When Dave says he’d sell it, Tom replies, “This could be a gold mine for somebody.”

Tom turns his attention to a red 1993 Saab that’s covered with moss on the outside and spiderwebs on the inside. With a three-cylinder, two-stroke engine, Tom says “It’s like a Lawn Boy mower (that’s a) car.”

Up next is an unusual mid-1960s Formula Vee race car, the type of small racer that Tom says Emerson Fittipaldi started racing before eventually becoming a Formula One and Indianapolis 500 champion. It has Volkswagen front end, steering box, and transaxle, and its 40-horsepower spec engine was reversed and moved to the middle. “(Formula Vee) has very heavily policed rules. Twenty of these or 40 of these are on the track, and they’re virtually the same … It comes down to who’s the better driver.”

Also on the tour of Dave’s property is a 1976 Porsche 911 that was abandoned by its owner 20 years ago after Dave worked on the engine and transmission. “It’s shot by now,” he says.

In one of Dave’s garages we find an MGA race car that racked up over 50 Porsche Club of American wins. Oddly enough, it has a Crosley badge on the front because Dave says he tried to enter it in a race as a Crosley. Coincidentally, there’s an actual Crosley race car nearby.

Tom also checks out a 1974 Karmann Ghia that “looks like a solid car.” Then he quickly admits, “Solid and Karmann Ghia are two words you don’t use in the same sentence.”

We wrap up this episode of the Barn Find Hunter with a gorgeous 1965 Porsche 911 that Dave says he’s owned for 30 years and driven more than 100,000 miles. He’s even done the coast-to-coast Cannonball Run in it.

“I hope you’ve enjoyed meeting my friend Dave,” Tom says. “I think you’ll agree that there are probably few people in the world that have tastes as eclectic as his. He’s a hotrodder, he’s a road racer, he’s a restorer, and he does tours.

“You’ve got quite a place here, and a lot of neat cars,” he says, turning to Dave. “And I’m surprised to hear that some are for sale. You might be getting a call.”

Dave is philosophical. “When we leave here, we can’t take any of the toys or any of the money,” he says. “You’d better enjoy it while you’re here.”

Happy hunting.

— Jeff Peek

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Wherever Tom Cotter hunts for barn finds, he’s also looking to visit old friends or guests that have been on previous episodes of the Barn Find Hunter. Aside from shooting the breeze, they may have a good lead on a local barn find. This time around Tom stops by to see his friend Dave Coleman, who has added a few cars to his collection since Tom last saw him.

Tom and Dave got to know each other at the racetrack—Tom races a Corvette, Dave a Porsche—and the day they met, Dave drove a Model T to the racing venue. That sparked a fateful conversation.

“I mentioned, ‘It’s always been my dream to drive a Model T across the United States,’” Tom says. “He said, ‘Mine too.’ Two weeks later, I called him … ‘Were you serious about that?’ He said, ‘Yes, I was.’ One year to the day we met, we were driving across the United States in a Model T.”

Tom turned their adventure into a book, Ford Model T Coast to Coast. “That car did not break down once,” he says. “We had one light bulb that went out, that was it.”

First up on Tom’s walk through Dave’s property is a 1951 Hudson Pacemaker, which Dave describes as “the cheapie of the Hudson lineup. The one that got all the press was the Hudson Hornet. The Hudsons were NASCAR champions (three) years in a row (1951, ’52, and ’53). They handled better than all the other stuff.”

Dave gave the Pacemaker a Rayjay supercharger, Jaguar carburetor, and a five-speed transmission. ““This is a Hudson like none on earth,” Tom says. “There’s nothing like it around.”

Up next is a 1960 Ford Starliner with a 360-horsepower, 352-cubic-inch V-8. “This is what you would have gone to the dealership to buy to begin a NASCAR race car,” Dave says. Although restoring this car would likely become a money pit, Dave has a beautiful 1960 model into which he can swap the engine.

After taking a quick look at a Porsche 914 with a 2.0-liter six-cylinder engine, Tom checks out a familiar-looking Model T race car. “This is what Dave was driving at the track the day we met. I said, ‘You’ve got some crazy cars, and he said, ‘Come over to my house, I’ll show you the rest.’”

Dave explains that this custom build “has a Ford frame, chassis, transmission, rear end, running gear, suspension, and a Model T engine from the head gasket down.” What about from the head gasket up? “There was a lot of speed equipment made for Model Ts back in the day to go racing. This is a Roof 16-valve OHV conversion [that] doubles the power from 20 to 40 horsepower. What can you buy today that’ll double the power output?” He says the car tops out at 80 mph … which means it’s time for Tom to take a ride in it.

Once back at Dave’s, Tom’s attention turns to a 1963.5 Ford Falcon Special with a 260-cubic-inch V-8 and a four-speed transmission and then a Merkur XR4Ti, one of three German Ford Merkurs that Dave owns. “I haven’t seen a Merkur in several years, and you have three of ’em right here.” Dave says the XR4Ti has “great aerodynamics” and a 175-hp, 2300-cc, turbocharged four-cylinder engine, which has propelled the same model car to 200+ mph at Bonneville.

We aren’t done yet, Dave says. “We’re going to look at one more car out here.” But before he can open the doors, we’re hit with the dreaded TO BE CONTINUED …

Happy hunting.

— Jeff Peek

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Yes, Virginia, there is a Mitsuoka. And lots of Figaros, S-Cargos, and other Japanese Domestic Market vehicles that you may have never seen before. Down the road a piece, there are Volkswagen Vanagons as far as the eye can see. Just another day in the life of Barn Find Hunter Tom Cotter.

Tom begins his Virginia adventure at Duncan Imports and Classic Cars in Christiansburg, where he gets reacquainted with Gary Duncan, who has imported 4000 right-hand-drive JDM cars since 2016. The two met at SEMA 5–6 years ago, and Tom kept Gary’s contact information in case the BFH team was in the area. Today is the day.

Gary says he’s been a lifelong car guy. He jokes, “I’ve got a PHD—Papa Had a Dealership.”

Among the JDMs that catch Tom’s eye is an MGB V-8. Say what? Isn’t that British? And isn’t that a four-cylinder car? Not this one. It is powered by a 215-cubic-inch V-8 with Buick origins that was available only in Japan.

There’s also a 1971 Toyota Crown that was released when Japanese automakers were trying to break into the U.S. market. “The front end is about half-ugly,” Gary says, “but it’s unique.”

After checking out a pair of elaborate—and we mean elaborate—Japanese hearses, Gary shows Tom a 1996 Mitsuoka Galue, built on Nissan running gear but made to look like a Rolls-Royce. There’s also an all-original 1970 Datsun 240Z, a ’72 Honda N600 (purchased new for $1648—about $11,335 today), and a rare Honda Accord Aeroback, which Tom describes as a “mini sport wagon.”

And it gets better …

Gary welcomes us into the “Figaro Room,” which is filled with dozens of 1989 Nissan Figaro compact cars, a one-year-only JDM that Gary saw at the Tokyo Motor Show when they were new. “We knew it was a winner,” he says, “but we couldn’t bring ’em in for 25 years.”

Gary never forgot the attractive little cars, so as soon as the 25-year embargo was lifted, he immediately went to work. Only 20,000 Figaros were built—“in four colors for four seasons,” Gary says—all powered by a 987cc turbo diesel engine that generate 75 horsepower. Potential buyers can purchase one from Duncan Imports for $9000–$25,000.

Oh, there’s more. The Nissan S-Cargo—which, if you hadn’t figured out yet, looks like a snail—was also rolled out in 1989, and Gary has some of those too.

The oldest JDM on the property is a 1937 Datsun, plus there are some that appear older than they are—Tom says the 1983 Mitsubishi Jeeps available at Duncan Imports look like Willys Jeeps from the 1950s. Nearby is one of the most popular JDMs, is a 1996 Nissan Skyline GTR.

If you love Japanese cars, this is the place. “I think I need treatment,” Gary jokes.

The same could be said for “Kevin,” a Volkswagen Vanagon collector from Polaski, just 25 miles away.

“(That) was a different kind of Barn Find Hunter stop, but it’s worthwhile …,” Tom says as he leaves Duncan Imports. “Now its on to a dirtier, grittier location that you’re familiar with.”

That would be a couple of huge lots filled with 1980s–90s Vanagons. Tom is met by the owner’s representative, Adam, who explains how the collection came to be. “Kevin started grabbing them when steel prices went through the roof and people started scrapping cars like crazy. His goal was to save ’em.” And save ’em he did—traveling from Maine to Florida and buying up as many Vanagons as he could find.

He now owns more than 300, and you’ll find everything from fully stock models to custom “shorties.”

It’s been a Tom Cotter kind of day. “I’ve been Volkswagen conscious my whole life,” he says, “(and) this is one of the most amazing Volkswagen collections I’ve seen.”

Happy hunting.

— Jeff Peek

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Enjoy Season 7 stories, opinion, and features from across the car world - Hagerty Media

Tom Cotter is a serendipitous kind of guy. That doesn’t mean he isn’t a planner, it’s just that some of his chance meetings result in so much more than he anticipated. So, he isn’t afraid of taking the road less traveled.

Case in point: Years after meeting a classic car enthusiast named Howard at the annual Hershey Swap Meet in Pennsylvania, Tom and the Barn Find Hunter crew finally accept Howard’s invitation to visit him in rural Virginia, where Tom discovers a great story, an amazing accumulation of automobiles, and a few surprises along the way.

“It looks like you’re a GM guy,” Tom says as he surveys the cars he sees in the immediate area of Howard’s property in the Appalachian Mountains. Yes, Howard says, but there’s so much more here than that.

“My granddaddy was a car dealer … He owned a Ford dealership,” Howard says. “When I was a kid, I stayed with my grandparents while my mom and dad worked,” so he was around cars all the time.

Howard explains that his grandfather had a building that housed his personal collection, which included a 1937 Packard and fire engine—every kid’s dream. It’s no wonder, Howard says, “I always just loved cars.” And when his grandparents passed away, he received some of their treasures.

After ogling a 1955 Buick Roadmaster, Tom is stopped in his tracks by the first of many surprises: a 1988 Rolls-Royce Silver Spur with 60,000 miles, parked next to a 1981 Rolls-Royce Silver Spirit with 80,000 miles. Both cars are in beautiful condition, as is a 1951 Rolls-Royce a short distance away.

Tom immediately admits that he misjudged the situation. “I look at those Buicks up there, and (I think) there’s no way this guy owns a Rolls-Royce, but you do!” Five of them, in fact.

And we’ve just gotten started. As the two walk through the cars and buildings, there is much here to admire. There’s a mostly original 1952 Buick Roadmaster with only 16,000 miles on the clock, a ’55 Buick Super two-door hardtop that Howard found in a field and bought for $200, and a 1950 Buick Special (his favorite marque and year) that was his mother’s daily driver. Tom checks out a couple of Ford Model Ts, a ’69 Buick Le Sabre, and a ’55 Desoto before stumbling upon—you guessed it—another Rolls-Royce, this one a 1974 Silver Shadow. (Howard’s fifth Rolls is a 1928 model, by the way.)

Tom immediately repeats a question that he has asked Howard many during this visit—“Does it run?” Howard answers exactly as he has multiple times before: “Yes.”

“That’s a requirement of yours, I guess,” Tom says.

Howard agrees. Although not every car that he owns runs, he says it’s important that most of them do because it’s the only way he can truly enjoy them. “I like to get ’em out once in a while. Even if I don’t run ’em on the road, I’ll run ’em in the field.”

After checking out a few more cars—including a 1977 Mercury Monarch that also belonged to Howard’s mother, a former senator’s limousine, another ’55 Buick, and a ’63 Lincoln Continental convertible that a friend of Howard’s bought new—Tom stops in front of a 1964 Buick Riveria and discusses the car’s breakthrough styling, particularly up front. “It was like a piece of sculpture on the road,” he says.

At one point, Tom makes a bold statement, considering that this is the 113th episode of the Barn Find Hunter. He tells Howard, “You have the most eclectic taste in cars that I’ve ever seen.” And he never would have seen them if he hadn’t said yes to Howard’s invitation.

“Listen,” Tom says, wrapping up the show while Howard hilariously focuses all of his attention on his cell phone, “if somebody calls you and says, ‘I’ve got some neat cars,’ maybe it’s worth spending time going over there and checking them out.”

Happy hunting.

— Jeff Peek

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Reggie Jackson struck out 2597 times in his Hall of Fame baseball career—about once every four times at bat—yet he connected enough times to become one of the game’s all-time leading home run hitters. What does that have to do with classic cars? The message is the same for baseball and automotive treasure hunting: No matter how many times you strike out, just keep swinging; you never know when you’ll hit one out of the park.

In the latest episode of the Barn Find Hunter, Tom Cotter hits a few bumps during his search for hidden gems in northern Michigan, but he perseveres. Driving a borrowed 1965 Mustang coupe, he heads north from Hagerty’s home base in Traverse City and hugs the shore of Lake Michigan. There’s plenty to see along the way, but Tom whiffs three times before he finds someone he can actually speak to about their classic ride. And, as luck would have it, the owner of a sweet Ford F-100 pickup that Tom spotted isn’t a local, so he can’t help either.

Never fear. Tom is no quitter. Soon he sees a 1968 Dodge A100 Sportsman, and its owner, Jack, is not only home but he’s willing to chat. The van, which was formally owned by Jack’s dad, is powered by a 318-cubic-inch V-8 and has 122,533 miles on the clock. It also has some rust problems.

Jack says, “I’d like to restore it, but they’re talkin’ $10,000—and there’s nothing really wrong with it because it runs really good … except, like me, the body’s shot.”

A few miles later, Tom hits a home run when he catches a glimpse of an old Ford Falcon in a 50-foot break in the trees. This, he says, is why you have to keep your head on a swivel when you’re searching for cars. It isn’t about the Falcon, it’s about everything else that can’t be seen.

The Falcon turns out to be a parts car for a beautiful 1964 Falcon that’s parked in the garage. “This is a sweetheart,” Tom says, describing the Wimbledon White Falcon with red factory stripe, red accents, and shiny chrome. He also points out something a bit unusual under the hood: a fuel-injected Chevrolet 350 V-8. The car also has Mustang II suspension and a six-speed manual gearbox.

Tom later admires a Ford Falcon wagon and a ’55 Chevy Bel Air, which is also sporting a 350 engine.

“I don’t know if he’s a Ford guy or a Chevy guy,” Tom says of the owner. “[But] he’s certainly a Chevy engine guy.”

Hiding under a cover is a black, early-1990s GMC Syclone pickup truck showing only 7800 miles. Tom points out that it “was the fastest truck in the world at its introduction,” with a 0–60 time of 4.6 seconds and a quarter-mile time of 13 seconds. “You don’t see many of these,” he says, “and when you do, it’s a special day.”

Going from one extreme to the other, Tom checks out a 1957 Chevy four-door Bel Air in the woods that he says is “great yard art,” before he looks inside one last garage and finds a clean Buick Grand National.

“This turned out to be a pretty good stop,” Tom says, celebrating how the day ended, not how it started. “I’m telling ya, cars are hidden all over the place. Some are outside and they’re worthless; some are inside and they’re pretty darn good.”

Happy hunting.

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In Episode 88 of “Barn Find Hunter,” you met a man named Vernon Brannon, who took us on a tour of one of the most impressive barn find collections we’ve ever had on this show. Vernon has since invited us to see his collection of Triumphs and other British sports cars deep in the hills of North Carolina. One car that makes this collection so unique is a Triumph sedan that has an interesting backstory. Back in the late 1970’s British Leyland began negotiations with Honda to develop a small family sedan that would fill a production gap until the release of the Montego in 1983. To keep a long story short, Honda ultimately ends up re-badging one of their cars known as the Honda Ballade to become what we now know as the Triumph Acclaim. It’s Vernons collection of unusual triumphs, such as the Acclaim, that make his collection one of the most complete collections of Triumphs in North America.

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Barn Find Hunter Tom Cotter has always wanted to use an airplane to search for classic cars from above. On his latest treasure-hunting trip to northern Michigan, he gets his wish.

Flying over inland lakes and along the shore of Lake Michigan, Tom uses his cellphone to drop a GPS pin when he sees something promising, and he plans to drive to the location later when he’s back on the ground. It’s a great idea in theory, except it doesn’t bear fruit. Not directly anyway. After visiting a repair shop that works on more modern vehicles, Tom prepares to leave when the owner offers, “I’ve got a friend about 45 minutes away who has a bunch of old cars you might like.” Bingo.

“Even though that airplane trip didn’t actually produce a barn find, the experience produced a lead that we’re going to check out now,” Tom says. “You never know where they’re going to come from. Crazy world.”

Soon the Barn Find Hunter team arrives at the home of 74-year-old Frank, a longtime race car driver and accumulator of project cars. Regretfully, Frank didn’t get around to fixing as many of those project cars as he’d hoped.

“The original plan was to restore ’em,” he says. “Every time I’d find one, I’d buy it (and say), ‘I’m gonna fix that,’ and I’d put it out there with the rest of ’em. Now I’m too old and I’m gonna sell ’em all off.”

That means there are deals to be had, in case you see something you can’t live without.

Among the cars in Frank’s are a 1968 Ford Torino with a 302 engine and automatic transmission. Frank discovered it on a hunting trip in Montana and towed it home. Parked a few feet away is a 1983 Mustang with a 302 powerplant and five-speed gearbox, along with a pair of 1941 Ford business coupes. A tree appears to be growing out of one of them.

Tom asks about a Ford drag car sitting nearby, and Frank explains that it belongs to his son. “He couldn’t beat the old man on the circle track,” he says, “so he went drag racing.” Frank says his son is a fan of Cleveland engines; Tom innocently asks if Frank likes Windsors.

“No, I hate Windsors,” he says, which makes Tom laugh. “The 351 Windsor—all that is is a Chevrolet painted blue. I don’t like it.”

Well, OK then. So what happened to that dilapidated ’66 Galaxie over there, Tom inquires? Frank admits, sheepishly, that it’s been sitting at his place too long.

There’s so much more to see here: several more Torinos, a ’68 Mustang, an LTD convertible, and a ’38 Oldsmobile. Wait a sec, Tom wonders aloud, what’s an Olds doing with all these Fords? “I liked the damn grille,” Frank says.

Tom later spies a race car hauler, a ’47 Lincoln two-door coupe, and a ’65 Mustang convertible. He asks about Mustang. Frank says it belongs to his son. “He got divorced, and he was going to leave it here a couple of months until he found a new place,” Frank says, then he pauses briefly before delivering the punchline. “That was about 20 years ago.”

Tom notices a white car way off in the field, far away from the other vehicles. “Is that a Nissan?”

“That’s a piece of s**t Subaru,” Frank says. “A buddy of mine left it here, so I towed it back there.”

Tom laughs at Frank’s colorful comment, and then thanks him for spending so much time with the crew. As Tom drives away in his borrowed 1970 Challenger, he revels in what the day has brought.

“That turned out to be a neat stop,” he says. “And you know what? Better than the stuff (we saw) were the people.”

Which is often how it goes. Happy hunting.

— Jeff Peek

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Omar Ramirez is a man after Tom Cotter’s heart, even if he’s nowhere near his age. Ramirez, 26, is an old soul with a love for classic Ford Galaxies, so when he spotted a 1964 500XL on the Barn Find Hunter, he reached out to the owner, and soon a deal was done.

That was three years ago, in Episode 34. In this week’s BFH, Omar tells Tom the story of how the Galaxie made the move from Texas to his garage in Long Beach, California. “I saw it in the background,” Omar says of the Galaxie, which he spied in a sea of Fords owned by Tom Cross. “It was like a time capsule.”

Omar says the 500XL has air-conditioning and a swing-away steering wheel, and its patina-covered body is solid. He has installed new suspension and disc brakes all around, and although the Galaxie arrived with a 300-horsepower, 390-cubic-inch V-8 engine, he’s swapping it for a 428 that he found locally. Now he’s just waiting to get it back from the machine shop.

“It just kind of worked out,” Omar says about finding the 428 engine. “It’s going to be a nice little fast car.”

Tom applauds Omar’s pursuit of original parts as he brings the 500 XL back to life. The car hasn’t been registered since the 1990s.

“What I like is that you’re going to junkyards and pulling parts yourself—sun visors and taillights and trim and interior … 26-year-olds don’t do that.”

Omar’s attitude is even more surprising considering he is the first car guy in his family.

“I admire you, man,” Tom says. “… You’re like an old-time hot rodder. I really dig it.”

“I love it; I love the whole culture,” says Omar, who also owns a Ford Torino. “I love anything to do with these old cars.”

No wonder Tom appreciates his effort so much.

Happy hunting.

Enjoy Season 7 stories, opinion, and features from across the car world - Hagerty Media

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