2010 Hot Rod Power Tour Junkyardlife Award winner

A 1947 Dodge Wayfarer grabbed the Junkyardlife Award from a field of more than 5,000 vehicles in this year's Hot Rod Power Tour. Armed with a welder and a pair of wingback chairs, Texans, Corey and T.J. delivered a cool, chopped and channeled sled that Archie Bunker would feel proud to own.

The Long Haulin' buddies threw this thing together in three weeks, using a 1984 Buick Regal chassis below the 1947 Dodge Sedan shell. A 305-cubic inch Chevy engine pulls the Dodge for now but a donated Hemi will make its way under the ram hood ornament when it gets back to Texas. A first aid kit loaded with Band-Aids keeps the guys safe from ragged welds on the 5-inch chop top job. A set of Oldsmobile wheel covers and wide white walls complete the look. 

What's missing?
I noticed several comfort items that may get overlooked unless your not riding in the comfy wingback chairs. Side door glass and windshield wipers are nonexistent. A quick shot of Rain-X on the windshield and Corey makes the Dodge rain-ready. A bungee strap holds the trunk in place. No need to ask if the A/C works. For a modern touch, a CD player and iPod are mounted on a homebuilt center console.

Future plans
Corey says the car is mostly done. They plan to leave the top half of the car bare metal and let the elements have their way with it.

Corey and T.J.

Living a junkyardlife
Corey and T.J. will drive away from this Power Tour knowing they have the junkyard ingenuity and drive to make what they have work. It's more sweat than money and crowds eat it up. Salute!

Resting in Hoover, Alabama after a long day on the Hot Rod Power Tour

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Hot Rod Power Tour 2010 makes two stops in Alabama

The 2010 Hot Rod Power Tour winds up its seven city road trip with two stops in Alabama this week. The circus on wheels stops in Hoover, Alabama on Thursday, June 10, with cars arriving around noon at Regions Park Stadium. Friday morning, June 11 at 8:30 a.m., the Power Tour will begin the trek to Mobile for the final stop. Kind of ironic, don't you think? The Hot Rod Power Tour ends at the oily Gulf of Mexico. Anyway, on Saturday at the U.S.S. Alabama, Hot Rod Magazine hands out the Long Hauler Awards and gives away a 2010 Camaro SS. 

How much?
Each year since the mid-1990s, dedicated automotive enthusiasts attempt to become Long Hauler legends by completing every stop on each tour. Thousands more join the show as spectators for free or pay the $25 single-day registration fee to enter their car and grab a goodie bag. Cost is $80 this year to register for entire tour and get (let's hope) a bigger goodie bag. A cruise-in ensues each night of the tour as some of the 80 sponsors provide entertainment and freebies for all attending.

Break down?
Don't worry too much about breaking down in your ride. GM Performance Division provides the Motor Medic rescue vehicle to help stranded Hot Rods along the 1,352-mile tour. Some of the cars that made the 2005 Power Tour in Birmingham (roadster photos) looked like they needed some help.

Reasons to go
Drive your junk and fellowship with your gear head friends. See what's hot in restorations. You may even find some parts or a car for sale. 


Get out there and drive! Be sure to get the HRPT 2010 sticker and the T-shirt to prove you went.


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How to buy and sell cars on Craigslist for fun and profit

Find the deal
Surfing Craigslist at the right time and acting fast is the key. I took a quick peek at the free online advertising giant and found a money-maker. A 1979 Pontiac Trans Am, priced at $400, sat at the top of the cars for sale list in the Birmingham, Alabama area. It was 11 p.m. I hammered out a quick email asking about the car’s location. A few hours later, at 6:30 a.m., I checked my email and received a response. The car was just a few miles away and they included a phone number. I knew I had to act quickly. How many others had seen this same deal? I was the first caller and set up a time to see the car just a few hours after the ad was posted on craigslist. Being first is half the battle. I felt like I had won a prize before I had even seen the car.

Pursue the deal
Photos can help narrow down your choices but don’t ignore ads without photos. Craigslist ads that include photos of the car can be helpful but also possibly misleading. Sellers may only include photos of the car’s best assets. Some sellers do not include photos on their craigslist ad. Maybe they are hiding the ugly, rusty, beaten corpse of a car or perhaps they aren’t tech savvy? I was lucky in this case, my ad had no photos but I was rewarded for my efforts. The Trans Am I found had been stored inside a garage for the past eight years. The motor and transmission had flown the coop but most of the body panels were in great shape for a neglected 31-year old car. The deal was sealed the moment I saw the Nocturne blue Pontiac Trans Am.

Think like a buyer and seller – buy low, sell high
Thoroughly inspect the car in person with the mindset of reselling it. Will that lumpy quarter panel and bullet hole in the door scare a would-be buyer? Take into consideration the price you’re paying and the market value of the car. Check price guides such as buyclassiccars.com for older cars or edmunds.com and Kelley Blue Book for newer cars. If the car you’re buying has hard to find parts in good condition you can gauge your profit margin according to the value of a few parts. The fenders on this Trans Am were in excellent shape. On ebay, good, original ’79 T/A fenders sell for $300 each. My $400 craigslist find had a $200 profit in the fenders alone.

Buyer beware. Why are they selling cheap?
Be wary of sellers eager to dump their vehicle on you without a title. Follow your state’s motor vehicle title laws by checking your state’s DMV website. My Trans Am find was being sold to make room for a baby. The garage was being converted into a bedroom and the T/A had to go. It also didn't hurt that the car was a birthday gift from the husband’s former wife. His new wife was more than happy to see it hauled away. Be ready to act when you see a good deal but be wary of the inevitable scammers that lurk behind the computer screen.

Buy the cars you like to drive, have fun
Stick to buying cars you enjoy and you won’t get stuck. If you favor a certain make and model car, chances are you will be more knowledgeable about those specific vehicles. You will be familiar with problem (rust-prone) areas and driveline weaknesses. Turning a profit on cars you enjoy owning is a bonus.

Sell to sell again
To make money you must sell the cars. It is tempting to own a yard full of good deals but that will only stifle your momentum. A buyer from Georgia saw my ad on the Birmingham, Alabama craigslist site. He was looking for a good body to make into a drag car. I included my phone number and details about the car. The car sold two days after I placed my ad. I made a nice profit and all parties were happy with the outcome.

Make your Craigslist ad pop
To make your ad more appealing to craigslist buyers, post large photos via a photo hosting site (try imageshack or photobucket). It is simple copying and pasting of code into your craigslist ad. You can see how to do it on howtodothings.com. 

I hated to see my bargain Trans Am hauled away but I know my driveway will be home to another one. 

What's in your driveway, nuisance or future dream car?

You know you want to keep that junk car in your driveway. It will be worth big bucks one day. Your wife and neighbors don't care. They want it gone, as do your kids who just want room to play. What will your decision cost you? You weigh the pros and cons. More often than not you give in. You see the elements taking a toll on the paint and interior, not to mention that it doesn’t run and had a host of problems when you towed it home. Your automotive lawn ornament loses its luster and is sold. Hopefully, for more than you paid for it.

Almost 40 years ago my dad, Joe Potter, encountered the same problem. In 1972 he scored a deal on a 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air convertible. Price $150. His buddy, John McElroy, originally scored a bigger deal when he bought the car for $75 from a service station near Birmingham, Alabama. The white Chevy with silver and red interior had lost its transmission and 283 cu-inch engine to the previous owner's hardtop. In the musclecar 1970s, the pillaging from heavier convertibles for lighter coupes was a common occurrence.

Must sell!

My dad paid John $150 for the car but had no room for it at his house. That's where my grandfather, his flowers and a camera came in. My dad moved the car to my grandfather's house in East Lake, Alabama where the '57 Chevy convertible quickly became a nuisance. My grandfather grumbled about having to mow around it. My dad had to sell it. He happily sold it for more money than he paid and moved on to his next project car – one that ran.

How much?

At Barrett Jackson last year, a similar, restored 1957 Chevy for $165,000. My dad recently found this photo of his 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air convertible. It's the only photo he has of the car and it was taken by accident. My grandfather's intended subject was his flower-covered fence in front.

Want it back!

The fact that my dad and his buddy doubled their money should have been a clue to its future value. Now, the $300 is little consolation for what might have been. My dad wishes he had kept that one.

Got a story about your car in the yard that you sold or kept?

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