Quote Originally Posted by Itoldyouso View Post
There is a storage place near us that periodically holds an auction for storage units that people have stopped paying on. Last Saturday I went to see what there was for sale. One unit had a 1979 Panhead Harley in it that was pretty complete, but the running condition was unknown. Only one bidder on that one with a starting bid of $ 1,000.00. He was thrilled, said he paid $ 3,000 for one he has and $ 5,000 for another, so I guess it was a good deal.

I bought one unit and got a cement mixer , 3 chain saws, a gas welding cart in good condition, and about 500 feet of Goodyear commercial grade garden hose. I paid $ 50 for it all, and sold the cement mixer on Craigslist for $60. I still have to check out the chain saws to see if they run (2 are in cases) so they might be ok. I put my acetylene and oxygen tanks on the new cart, which was better than the dolly I had been using.

But, the one storage unit I will probably kick myself for not buying was one that was filled with EDSEL PARTS! When they opened the door prior to bidding it was so full of doors, trunk lids, fenders, glass, hoods, etc that you couldn't get through there, and it was a 10 x 20 unit. There were so many chrome strips standing in the one corner that you couldn't get your arms around them. All the stuff was nice, and evidently belonged to a real Edsel enthusiast or business. We could even see engines and intake manifolds stacked up under some of the body parts.

The first bid was $ 400 and I countered with $ 450, then he went to $ 500 and I quit. The real reason I stopped bidding was that I realized I would have to deal with hundreds of parts that I knew nothing about, figure out what they fit, and then market them. It was more than I need in my life right now. But if the guy who bought that stuff does it right he will make a bunch of money.

I feel badly for the folks who lost there stuff, but I guess the economy is causing more and more of these to happen. I asked if we could give back any of the personal effects (pictures, documents, etc) and the lady there said we could. If you have some storage units in your area that have these auctions you might want to check them out, you never know what you might score in some of those sealed boxes. I know one guy who is still cataloging Edsel parts.

Don

I would have kept the cement mixer, but it looked like too much work.
Hey Don...a 1979 panhead? Maybe you meant shovel with pan tops??Not normal. I would check #s on a Harley or bike parts in a storage...most are stolen.Its your problem to check not the owner of the storage unit.
Those storage units have some good finds.
Full set of snap on tools one time 85 bucks after i tossed all the suit cases full of clothes....salvation army not garbage. Plus i got a receipt for taxes LOL